Studs and Duds Week 16: Matt Cassel's Resume Just Became a Lot More Polished

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around with his finger in the air while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Here's Week 16 at a glance, where we point out the horses destined for the Kentucky Derby and jeer those headed to the glue factory. (Disclaimer: This will only be for the Sunday games, since you probably can't even remember the Thursday gaes at this point.)

Studs

Matt Cassel, QB New England (20-for-36, 345 yards, 3 TDs) -- If you had to grade Cassel's performance this season after being tossed to the wolves, I'd say it is an "AAAAAA+++++++." Sure, he has looked mediocre at times, but when Tom Brady went down in the first week of the season, every Patriots fan I know mailed in their playoff or Super Bowl hopes. His game against the Cardinals in the snow was his second straight with three touchdowns or more and his fourth in the last six games with a passer rating of 103 or more. Whatever happens next week with the Jets-Dolphins, one thing is quickly being a certainty -- Cassel could make Washington/Chicago/Minnesota a pretty scary team next season.

Derrick Ward, RB NY Giants (15 carries, 215 yards) -- I flew home last night and missed the second half of the Panthers-Giants game, so color me surprised to find out when I arrived home that New York had won the game in overtime. I guess it isn't nearly as hard to understand when watching this clip. Wow.




Philip Rivers, QB San Diego (21-31, 287 yards, 4 TDs) -- The Chargers were in the unfortunate situation of having to play their tails off against a gritty Buccaneers team, eventually blowing the lid off of the game in the fourth, and then sit in the locker room and hope Jay Cutler and company threw up on themselves. Lucky for San Diego, Rivers got the job done and the Broncos reminded us all why there is a good chance the division winner here could be 8-8. The Chargers-Broncos game next week will be for all the marbles and, lucky for us, NBC has already decided to flex up the game for all to see. If Rivers can deliver another one like he did this week, I'd expect to see this face in the playoffs once more.

Visanthe Shiancoe, TE Minnesota (7 catches, 136 yards, 2 TDs) -- Who knew showing your penis to the American public would make you a rising star in both porn and football? The Vikings tight end put together his largest game of the season against the Falcons, ending in a tough loss. Normally I reserve the Stud area for just winners, but you don't understand how BIG Shiancoe's game was. Enormous. Colossal. Grandiose. If I worked for a Minnesota newspaper, I'd probably write a column about the enormity of his performance.

Duds

Brett Favre, QB NY Jets (18-31, 187 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs) -- It wasn't a must-win for the Jets, but it sure would have made the playoffs a lot easier to score. Favre, who basically took this team to another level earlier this season, carded his fourth straight game with a passer rating of 61 or below. I'm not going to come out and just say this, but his birthday is 10/10/69, which probably isn't helping him late in the year. Last year Brett had his Packers team rolling towards the playoffs, eventually losing in typical Brett fashion, but it seemed like a good way to go out. Now? Favre is in danger of leaving an NFL legacy of a pile of letdown games which, unless the Jets beat the Dolphins and the Patriots lose to Buffalo, would be an even more sour taste in Favre-critics' mouths.

Ben Roethlisberger, QB Pittsburgh (26-40, 331 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 2 Fumbles) -- I actually asked local Steeler diehard Adam Gretz if he thought Roethlisberger's inclusion was justified. His response -- "Probably. Yeah. Yeah, I'd say so." In a game most thought the Steelers would win (Titans missing Albert Haynesworth), it was the Titans defense that locked down on Big Ben, forcing him to scramble with those cement shoes. When he wasn't on the run he was being hurried and his two interceptions tell the story of the Steelers' two-seed. You could probably blame the offensive line just as much as you could Ben, but at the end of the day you have to throw the ball away (hey, hey!). Until Roethlisberger learns this, if ever, Steelers fans will forever cringe when he starts moving with that ball outstretched for anyone to rip.

The Arizona Cardinals -- Let's do an experiment, shall we? Go shake up an unopened Coke can. Shake it up like you had Beyonce around. Now, after you've given it as good as shake as your wrist will allow, open it up. What happens? The Coke spews everywhere, right? Now, get another can and do the same thing, only instead of opening it up, let it sit for five weeks. What happens when you go to open it then? It doesn't spew. That is what the Arizona Cardinals are quickly becoming. A Coke that has sat around so long it doesn't spew anymore. The biggest problem with the Cards right now is they have nothing to play for, but at some point don't you shake up the can again?

LenDale White, RB Tennessee -- The Titans smoked the Steelers, anyone with a computer or television knows this. What did LenDale do? The guy had a respectable (but hardly dominant) 48 yards on 15 carries, one for a score. What else did he do? He went out of his way to stomp on a Terrible Towel at the end of the game, one of the lamest (and most disrespectful) acts I've seen in some years. Playing the bongos? Funny. Doing snow angels after a touchdown? Cute. Stomping on something the other team uses as a prop after you won a regular season game? Amateur. It was classless even for a guy with very little class.

Near Studly -- Cedric Benson, DeAngelo Williams, Jamarcus Russell, Chad Pennington, Marques Colston, Drew Brees, Leon Hall, and Keith Bulluck.

Near Dudly -- Matt Schaub, Donovan McNabb, Tim Hightower, Willie Parker, Bernard Berrian and Dustin Keller.