NFL Monday recap - week #12

Other: My early game this week, since the Bucs were the late game, wasn't Miami, or Jacksonville, or Atlanta, three teams close to my viewing area, but the Baltimore/Cincinnati game. Because that makes perfect sense. I made do with the NFL Network's Red Zone, a channel I had forgotten all about until a friend of mine mentioned it at card night on Saturday.

• Colin Kaepernick tried to get the 49ers a win by playing every position, but Miami's Ndamukong Suh stopped him at the 2 yard line as time ran out in the early game. Kaepernick was a wild man rushing for 113 yards and passing for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, after opening his mouth the day before with Miami reporters and taking a "defending" stance on Cuba's deceased leader Fidel Castro, he was booed as soon as he took the field and knew he would have to have the game of his life.
• The Dolphins were like little kids after winning the game. Quarterback Ryan Tannenhill ran out on the field and practically wiped out chest bumping linebacker Kiko Alonzo. Other players fell into a huge hug pile on the field. It was cool to see a team sharing pure joy at winning their sixth game in a row, reminding us all that while this is big $$ business deep down it all started as a fun with these guys.
• I don't get the whole "touching the pylon" rule for a TD. In my opinion San Francisco's Carlos Hyde and New York's Victor Cruz didn't score touchdowns. Both players ran into the end zone with feet out of bounds and the ball in their stretched right hands...out of bounds. I kept using my slow motion button to observe these two scorers, and finally I looked the damn rule up. "The ball is on, above, or behind the plane of the opponents’ goal line and is in possession of a runner who has advanced from the field of play" Apparently the runner does not have to be in bounds as long as a minute piece of the ball is.... Hmmm....
• The Bengals Vontaze Burfict, he of the many penalties and many fines, hit Baltimore's Steve Smith Sr. away from the ball, and then just because he is such an asshole, as Smith finished his tumbling routine courtesy of Burfict's shoving and was coming up on his feet, Burfict pushed him back down with both his hands to the chest. Whoa. As soon as I saw that I thought, "Dude, you messing with the wrong player this time." Sure enough, Smith jumped up and plunged his head into Burfict's chest, and most likely would have done some more damage, but Bufict realizing his mistake went into his Oscar worthy routine and the refs threw the flag on Smith and stopped it from going any further. But, I tell you, the boy is cruisin' for a huge bruisin', mark my words.
• Can we stop the announcers from talking about "rematches from Super Bowl blah, blah, blah"? These games are not rematches from whatever Super Bowl you are talking about. The 49ers game with the Dolphins was not a rematch of Super Bowl 19. A rematch would mean that the players of both of those teams were playing one another again. That's a rematch. 
• Tampa's cornerback Alterraun Verner intercepted Seahawks Russell Wilson and the entire team surrounded him as he lay on the ground crying. On Friday Verner's dad Robert Lee died after spending Thanksgiving with the family the day before, and Verner crying on the sideline after the interception was just heartbreaking. The hugs from his teammates and his coaches as he sat there made it more poignant. The fact that these guys choose to play after the death of family members, and we have had tons of these moments, is their business, but it certainly doesn't diminish their losses.
• What was going on with Bengals quarterback Andy "fumble fingers" Dalton? He kept missing the snap as if he didn't realize he was playing behind the center.
• Jumping over the pile was the theme for this week with quarterbacks and running backs making the attempt. Some got in and some didn't.