Once again, the Skins shine as the NFL equivalent of Dave Winfield: instead of being "Mister May"... the Burgundy and Gold are the "Men of March". One franchise-changing trade... the customary free agent signings and a slap from the league. Once again, the most entertaining team is far from giving up that crown.
RGIII or RG3? I almost prefer the latter if the 3 is used as a "cubed". The Redskins give up three first round picks plus this year's second round selection (39th overall) for St. Louis' second overall pick in next month's draft. Thank goodness Vinny Cerrato's no longer with the team... because otherwise the Skins may not have had those picks to swap. Was it a smart deal? Nothing occurs in a vacuum-- and while giving up four prime picks for a player who might not work out (other #2's include Rick Mirer and Ryan Leaf) may not be the best thing to do... the current regime needs a quarterback. With moves for Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman backfiring and John Beck's emergence never firing at all... Year three of the Shanahan administration needs at least a quarterback to build around. At worst-- he's an abject disaster and we go through this again in a few years. By which time the Shanahans will be in our rearview mirror.
Wide Receiver Windfall-- Nothing excites more than flashy wideouts who stretch the field and make tightrope catches. Except when they're Brandon Lloyd and Antwan Randle-El. Six years after doubling down on Brandon & Antwan... the Skins dive into the Free Agent pool headfirst by signing Pierre Garcon away from Indianapolis and Josh Morgan away from San Francisco. Garcon's coming off a 70 catch, 947 yard season for a quarterbackless Colts team... and Morgan's receptions dropped from 44 to 15 in Jim Harbaugh's first season by the Bay. Will they be difference makers? Maybe Eddie Royal becomes that player-- if he signs (word is the Skins are in hot pursuit). Unfortunately the Virginia Tech product is also coming off an off year... and has yet to average over 11 yards per catch during his NFL career. And do we need another Hokie (Morgan went to VT as well) on the roster? BEAMER BALL! indeed.
Capped Out-- This spending comes in the wake of major spanking by the league. Evidently when the Skins front office was trying to slide the contracts of Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall past the NFL Cap Dieticians two years ago they were warned that there may be ramifications-- and lo and behold there are: 36 million dollars in capsmack over two years... 18 of which hits the Skins books this year. On the bright side, this will limit the ridiculous ways this team can embarrass itself this offseason. I think.
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Super Bowl Sunday-- bring on the wing dip...
The NFL season began with an offensive extravaganza in Green Bay-- and ends with a showdown for the ages in Indianapolis. Can the New York Giants continue their incredible run from 7-7 to title game? Can New England avenge its midseason loss to the G-Men... and would a win even make a dent in their loss four years ago? Plus, what will one eat during the big game?
Friendly Fans-- the Boston-New York dynamic takes another turn as the Big Apple battles Beantown for the title. It's not Yankees-Red Sox... Celtics-Knicks or even Pats-Jets... but there are enough fans to make the hatred year-round. I feel for the Jets fan... who has to choose between the team that's dominated his division or the old school bluebloods who've looked down their noses at the AFL upstarts for a half century. Jets fans are pulling for a measles outbreak in the stadium.
Havin' a Good Time-- I've been going to the same SB party the last few years... usually hosted by the guy who asks you every fifteen minutes if you're having a good time. As the evening progresses he has more beverages and you're being asked every five minutes if you're having a good time. This year it's not at his house-- but he'll still be asking me if I'm having a good time.
Neutral Site? Technically Indianapolis is a neutral city-- but the city of the Colts justifiably hates Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots for knocking them out of the playoffs repeatedly. The city that embraced Peyton Manning naturally would love to see little brother Eli hand the hated Pats another Super Bowl defeat.
Buffalo Wing Dip-- my friend Doug's wife makes this incredible dip with chicken puree... Tabasco and cream cheese. Topped with cheddar, this intestinal monstrosity looks ridiculously nasty-- but is ridiculously delicious. If it were socially acceptable to eat the dip with a spoon, I would.
Halftime a step back?-- I thought the NFL was finally moving into the 21st century by having the Black Eyed Peas performing last year... and now we're given Madonna-- perhaps 15 years too late. I'm not saying Beyonce or Franz Ferdinand... but maybe someone born after the first Super Bowl was played? I thought that John Mellencamp would be a good compromise in Indianapolis... just like I thought the Eagles would have been a decent halftime act in North Dallas.
Butter Bars-- Once one recovers from the Buffalo Wing Dip... Doug's wife also makes these butter bars that consist of 47% butter... 36% shortening and 20% sugar. I know the math doesn't work out-- but after about five of them you'd understand.
Rematches and Rematches-- this isn't the first time there's been a rematch of a regular season game in the Super Bowl... it actually happened four years ago when the Giants reversed the regular season result between the two teams. With the divisional rotation now (crossover games now once every four years) the chance of interconference matchups is a little less than it was from 1978-2001. All three New York Giant Super Bowl wins had them defeating the team they met in the regular season. The Patriots are 1-2 in Super Bowl rematches... falling to the '85 Bears and '07 Giants while topping St. Louis after the 2001 season. This is also a rematch of Super Bowl XLII... if you haven't heard the 100 or so times it's been mentioned.
The Actual Game-- at first glance it appears the New York Giants have the edge... their strengths (high flying wide receivers) able to take better advantage of the Patriots' weaknesses (31st ranked defense) than vice versa (Brady against a bigtime pass rush). But it's tough to get up for a team that resembles the kid with the 1400 SAT's who didn't study all semester. And it's tough to go against a team with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady both on a mission. And it's tough to discount the Pats winning this one for the late Myra Kraft. New England 26, NY Giants 21.
Friendly Fans-- the Boston-New York dynamic takes another turn as the Big Apple battles Beantown for the title. It's not Yankees-Red Sox... Celtics-Knicks or even Pats-Jets... but there are enough fans to make the hatred year-round. I feel for the Jets fan... who has to choose between the team that's dominated his division or the old school bluebloods who've looked down their noses at the AFL upstarts for a half century. Jets fans are pulling for a measles outbreak in the stadium.
Havin' a Good Time-- I've been going to the same SB party the last few years... usually hosted by the guy who asks you every fifteen minutes if you're having a good time. As the evening progresses he has more beverages and you're being asked every five minutes if you're having a good time. This year it's not at his house-- but he'll still be asking me if I'm having a good time.
Neutral Site? Technically Indianapolis is a neutral city-- but the city of the Colts justifiably hates Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots for knocking them out of the playoffs repeatedly. The city that embraced Peyton Manning naturally would love to see little brother Eli hand the hated Pats another Super Bowl defeat.
Buffalo Wing Dip-- my friend Doug's wife makes this incredible dip with chicken puree... Tabasco and cream cheese. Topped with cheddar, this intestinal monstrosity looks ridiculously nasty-- but is ridiculously delicious. If it were socially acceptable to eat the dip with a spoon, I would.
Halftime a step back?-- I thought the NFL was finally moving into the 21st century by having the Black Eyed Peas performing last year... and now we're given Madonna-- perhaps 15 years too late. I'm not saying Beyonce or Franz Ferdinand... but maybe someone born after the first Super Bowl was played? I thought that John Mellencamp would be a good compromise in Indianapolis... just like I thought the Eagles would have been a decent halftime act in North Dallas.
Butter Bars-- Once one recovers from the Buffalo Wing Dip... Doug's wife also makes these butter bars that consist of 47% butter... 36% shortening and 20% sugar. I know the math doesn't work out-- but after about five of them you'd understand.
Rematches and Rematches-- this isn't the first time there's been a rematch of a regular season game in the Super Bowl... it actually happened four years ago when the Giants reversed the regular season result between the two teams. With the divisional rotation now (crossover games now once every four years) the chance of interconference matchups is a little less than it was from 1978-2001. All three New York Giant Super Bowl wins had them defeating the team they met in the regular season. The Patriots are 1-2 in Super Bowl rematches... falling to the '85 Bears and '07 Giants while topping St. Louis after the 2001 season. This is also a rematch of Super Bowl XLII... if you haven't heard the 100 or so times it's been mentioned.
The Actual Game-- at first glance it appears the New York Giants have the edge... their strengths (high flying wide receivers) able to take better advantage of the Patriots' weaknesses (31st ranked defense) than vice versa (Brady against a bigtime pass rush). But it's tough to get up for a team that resembles the kid with the 1400 SAT's who didn't study all semester. And it's tough to go against a team with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady both on a mission. And it's tough to discount the Pats winning this one for the late Myra Kraft. New England 26, NY Giants 21.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Redskins Rehash: 5-11... not too good...
So ends an incredible journey from lockout to fadeout. For the second straight year the Redskins stood atop the division after week one and in the cellar after week seventeen. Another double digit losing season -- the sixth in nine years. Four straight last place finishes in the NFC East -- first time that's ever happened for any team in the division's storied history. How did the Burgundy and Gold get here? And how do they get back to respectability? If only the season ending 34-10 loss to Philadelphia was the topic.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- the beast was quiet through the first quarter... but Mr. Grossman responded on the team's first possession in the second quarter with an interception-- giving him 20 for the season to go with 5 fumbles. One can only wonder what sort of numbers he would have put up had he not been benched for John Beck midway through the season.
Eternal Optimism-- before the season began, Grossman said he thought this team could win the NFC East. Given the sad state of the division-- maybe that wasn't too much of a stretch. But during the freefall from contender to pretender Grossman and even coach Mike Shanahan's comments have been rather interesting-- both brimming with confidence that this team is almost there despite the fact that they were closer to the #1 draft pick than the #6 seed. I'm all for feeling good about being on the road to greatness... but when you're last for the fourth straight year-- just say you'll try to get better.
Cue the Benny Hill Theme-- if one listens to "Yaketty Sax" while watching the games... the Burgundy and Gold are that much more easy to deal with. The last four drives of the first half involved Rex's INT, a blocked Field Goal attempt, turning the ball over on downs, and a keystone coplike special teams dash on the field to try a field goal attempt as the clock ran out.
Running with the Royster-- the rookie from Penn State notched his second straight 100 yard game on the ground while leading the team with 5 catches... giving the Skins two intriguing options heading into next year with Roy Helu posting three century efforts plus a 14 catch day. And he scored the lone touchdown for the Burgundy and Gold on a 47 yard pass play. On this front... even with a banged up offensive line-- maybe this is what coach and Rex are focusing on when they're ridiculously over-optimistic.
Fourth Quarter Flameout-- no, this wasn't the Jets game all over again. Or maybe it was. Trailing 13-10 early in the fourth quarter the Skins defense allowed three touchdowns in four drives... tallying 185 of their 390 total yards in the final stanza. We've seen this happen all season -- where the defense will play well for stretches and then put together four or five drives where they just can't stop anybody.
Offensive Offense-- of course when you can't get first downs, the defense always suffers. After drawing to within 3 points early in the fourth quarter, the Skins gained 5 yards on 11 plays before getting the ball back down 24 after the two-minute warning.
Past is present-- the year began as if the Skins were partying like it was 1999... the last year they won the NFC East. Instead, we were treated to a 2003 replay: where a big name coach was in his second year... the team started 3-1 before losing to a hurting Philadelphia team... the Skins imploded with a losing streak that included falling to 3-5 at the hands of the Buffalo Bills... and a 5-11 campaign that ended with a loss to the same Eagles that started the slide. Still no word if we'll have a resignation via fax from the golf course.
Dissecting the Division-- the Giants win over Dallas gave them the NFC East at 9-7... the worst record for a division winner in NFC East history. In a division known for dominant defenses, this year's champion allowed 400 points during the season. Ouch. The Cowboys fall to third at 8-8 because they were swept by Philadelphia. And the Redskins bring up the rear again.
Conference Contests... and North Stars-- the NFC won the intra-conference contest, 33-31. This is the first time since the 90's that this has happened. With three of the last four Super Bowl winners hailing from the old guard, does this represent a pendulum swing? As for best division, the AFC North posted the best record (37-27) and brings three playoff teams to the fold. But remember, last year the NFC South had the best regular season mark only to go 0-2 in the playoffs. Division of depression? The AFC South won just 26 games ... the only division to fail to reach 30 victories.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- the beast was quiet through the first quarter... but Mr. Grossman responded on the team's first possession in the second quarter with an interception-- giving him 20 for the season to go with 5 fumbles. One can only wonder what sort of numbers he would have put up had he not been benched for John Beck midway through the season.
Eternal Optimism-- before the season began, Grossman said he thought this team could win the NFC East. Given the sad state of the division-- maybe that wasn't too much of a stretch. But during the freefall from contender to pretender Grossman and even coach Mike Shanahan's comments have been rather interesting-- both brimming with confidence that this team is almost there despite the fact that they were closer to the #1 draft pick than the #6 seed. I'm all for feeling good about being on the road to greatness... but when you're last for the fourth straight year-- just say you'll try to get better.
Cue the Benny Hill Theme-- if one listens to "Yaketty Sax" while watching the games... the Burgundy and Gold are that much more easy to deal with. The last four drives of the first half involved Rex's INT, a blocked Field Goal attempt, turning the ball over on downs, and a keystone coplike special teams dash on the field to try a field goal attempt as the clock ran out.
Running with the Royster-- the rookie from Penn State notched his second straight 100 yard game on the ground while leading the team with 5 catches... giving the Skins two intriguing options heading into next year with Roy Helu posting three century efforts plus a 14 catch day. And he scored the lone touchdown for the Burgundy and Gold on a 47 yard pass play. On this front... even with a banged up offensive line-- maybe this is what coach and Rex are focusing on when they're ridiculously over-optimistic.
Fourth Quarter Flameout-- no, this wasn't the Jets game all over again. Or maybe it was. Trailing 13-10 early in the fourth quarter the Skins defense allowed three touchdowns in four drives... tallying 185 of their 390 total yards in the final stanza. We've seen this happen all season -- where the defense will play well for stretches and then put together four or five drives where they just can't stop anybody.
Offensive Offense-- of course when you can't get first downs, the defense always suffers. After drawing to within 3 points early in the fourth quarter, the Skins gained 5 yards on 11 plays before getting the ball back down 24 after the two-minute warning.
Past is present-- the year began as if the Skins were partying like it was 1999... the last year they won the NFC East. Instead, we were treated to a 2003 replay: where a big name coach was in his second year... the team started 3-1 before losing to a hurting Philadelphia team... the Skins imploded with a losing streak that included falling to 3-5 at the hands of the Buffalo Bills... and a 5-11 campaign that ended with a loss to the same Eagles that started the slide. Still no word if we'll have a resignation via fax from the golf course.
Dissecting the Division-- the Giants win over Dallas gave them the NFC East at 9-7... the worst record for a division winner in NFC East history. In a division known for dominant defenses, this year's champion allowed 400 points during the season. Ouch. The Cowboys fall to third at 8-8 because they were swept by Philadelphia. And the Redskins bring up the rear again.
Conference Contests... and North Stars-- the NFC won the intra-conference contest, 33-31. This is the first time since the 90's that this has happened. With three of the last four Super Bowl winners hailing from the old guard, does this represent a pendulum swing? As for best division, the AFC North posted the best record (37-27) and brings three playoff teams to the fold. But remember, last year the NFC South had the best regular season mark only to go 0-2 in the playoffs. Division of depression? The AFC South won just 26 games ... the only division to fail to reach 30 victories.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
This one goes to '11...
Where did the last twelve months go? 2011 is about to get into our rearview mirror. Great! A time for lists! One quick spin through the last 365 days in the most shallow of ways-- by hitting 11 random stops while trying to make sense of the year gone by.
Super! Bowled-- let's face it-- we are an NFL Nation and once again pro football's championship game didn't disappoint. Unless you had purchased tickets to seats that didn't exist and had to stand outside Cowboys Stadium in the freezing cold. Far from the Super Bores of yore-- last year's 31-25 Green Bay victory was the 6th decided by single digits in the last ten years (and only Tampa Bay's trouncing of Oakland in 2003 would qualify as a blowout).
Lucky with Lockouts-- unfortunately the NFL and NBA offseason delivered unnecessary daily drama ("Day 13 of the Lockout...Day 132 of the Lockout..."). Thankfully only Canton's Hall of Fame Game was cancelled-- and a ten year deal is in place for the NFL. And thank goodness the NBA and its players woke up to realize that as a league they are a luxury item and not the need pro football is for the public. See you when the deals expire. On the Wizards front, a rebuilding 66 game season is much less miserable than a rebuilding 82 game season. And at leas the uniforms are cool again.
A March with Thrills, Chills and Spills-- the NCAA Tournament provided grand theater with all #1 and #2 seeds getting bounced before the Final Four... VCU going from the "First Four" to the national semifinals... and the NBA guys on TNT waxing on about how much college basketball they watch and know. Even referring to the round of 64 as the "second round" and pushing Sunday tipoffs to after 8pm can't ruin my favorite three weeks of the year.
College Coaching Carousel-- after years of relative calm in and around the beltway... major ripples locally with Gary Williams retiring, Jim Larranaga moving to Miami and Karl Hobbs getting fired. While the Terps and Colonials look to be reloading, the Patriots are primed for another solid season in the CAA.
Cap-itulation and regime change-- what will we do now that the Bruce Boudreau commercials are no longer gracing the area? After an impressive first round series win over the New York Rangers (the only one in the Eastern Conference that didn't go seven games) the Caps were broomed out of the playoffs by Tampa Bay. Then after a 7-0 start the team hit the wall and Boudreau hit the road. Despite being unable to lead the Capitals into the conference finals, Boudreau elevated the expectations from the mess he inherited Thanksgiving weekend of 2007. One could make the case that if he had flopped as a then-interim coach... George McPhee would have followed him out the door back then. Instead, Dale Hunter tries to provide a midseason transfusion.
Toothless Tiger... and the next big thing?-- Tiger Woods went another year without winning a major tournament. As he approaches his late 30's one wonders what sort of window he has for catching Jack Nicklaus...but for every Tom Watson that stops winning in his early 30's there's a Mark O'Meara who experiences a resurgence in his 40's. While I once thought he had a "true slam" where he won all four majors in one season... the possibility remains for him to pickup four more championships within the next ten years. Meanwhile, fans at Congressional Country Club were treated to Rory McIlroy's run at the US Open... let's wait for the kid win two before we elevate him to the level of even Padraig Harrington or Angel Cabrera.
No Joking-- Tennis saw Novak Djokovic grab dominance by the throat... the Serb won three majors to scale the heights previously claimed by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. After a somewhat democratic era where dominance meant two majors(1989-2003)... we've seen a triple-play five times in eight years. Between Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and everybody's English hope Andy Murray... majors are compelling after the Andy Roddick flameout.
Terrapin Fall-- nobody saw the 2-10 Maryland football season coming. Fresh off a 9-4 season with the ACC rookie of the year everything went wrong for the Terrapins... with more than a few players transferring. View the first year of coach Randy Edsall as the clearing of a site for the placement of a foundation-- construction sites are rarely pretty during their first year. With the return of Mike Locksley as a primary recruiter, expect an instate talent upgrade.
Baseball's Crazy Finish-- the final month of the regular season saw legendary collapses by Atlanta and Boston... with the Braves and Red Sox trying to outdo each other in tripping right before the finish line. Meanwhile, St. Louis and Tampa Bay did the right things down the stretch and entered the playoffs in spectacular fashion. Some are calling it the best night ever in baseball and that you can't get that anywhere else in sports. Umm... the final Sunday of the NFL's regular season? The final weekend of conference tournament play with bubble teams bouncing every which way?
Skinsationalism-- another strong start (3-1) proving to be merely a mirage. Another quarterback situation implodes. The defense gets better but still not good enough. Suspensions rock the offense. And somewhere in a season that was honestly over before Halloween the Burgundy and Gold mattered because they were so irrelevant.
The Sad End of Happy Valley-- for years State College, PA was more than just about wins and losses... bowls and Heisman candidates. It was about the team before the individual. No names on the back of the jersey. Doing things with class. Graduating players. Never a whiff of an NCAA scandal. Even the "Grilled Stickies"--a breakfast roll that can't possibly be healthy in any way--had an image of innocence. But it's a different world now that the Gerry Sandusky revelations have come out... and continue to come out. You wonder exactly who knew what and when. And why nothing was done-- again and again. The quote I first thought of last fall...: "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing"-- from all I know Joe Paterno is a good man. And from all I know-- he did nothing. So the victims try to heal. The accused stands charged. And the future of Penn State football arrives in a manner nobody could have envisioned.
Super! Bowled-- let's face it-- we are an NFL Nation and once again pro football's championship game didn't disappoint. Unless you had purchased tickets to seats that didn't exist and had to stand outside Cowboys Stadium in the freezing cold. Far from the Super Bores of yore-- last year's 31-25 Green Bay victory was the 6th decided by single digits in the last ten years (and only Tampa Bay's trouncing of Oakland in 2003 would qualify as a blowout).
Lucky with Lockouts-- unfortunately the NFL and NBA offseason delivered unnecessary daily drama ("Day 13 of the Lockout...Day 132 of the Lockout..."). Thankfully only Canton's Hall of Fame Game was cancelled-- and a ten year deal is in place for the NFL. And thank goodness the NBA and its players woke up to realize that as a league they are a luxury item and not the need pro football is for the public. See you when the deals expire. On the Wizards front, a rebuilding 66 game season is much less miserable than a rebuilding 82 game season. And at leas the uniforms are cool again.
A March with Thrills, Chills and Spills-- the NCAA Tournament provided grand theater with all #1 and #2 seeds getting bounced before the Final Four... VCU going from the "First Four" to the national semifinals... and the NBA guys on TNT waxing on about how much college basketball they watch and know. Even referring to the round of 64 as the "second round" and pushing Sunday tipoffs to after 8pm can't ruin my favorite three weeks of the year.
College Coaching Carousel-- after years of relative calm in and around the beltway... major ripples locally with Gary Williams retiring, Jim Larranaga moving to Miami and Karl Hobbs getting fired. While the Terps and Colonials look to be reloading, the Patriots are primed for another solid season in the CAA.
Cap-itulation and regime change-- what will we do now that the Bruce Boudreau commercials are no longer gracing the area? After an impressive first round series win over the New York Rangers (the only one in the Eastern Conference that didn't go seven games) the Caps were broomed out of the playoffs by Tampa Bay. Then after a 7-0 start the team hit the wall and Boudreau hit the road. Despite being unable to lead the Capitals into the conference finals, Boudreau elevated the expectations from the mess he inherited Thanksgiving weekend of 2007. One could make the case that if he had flopped as a then-interim coach... George McPhee would have followed him out the door back then. Instead, Dale Hunter tries to provide a midseason transfusion.
Toothless Tiger... and the next big thing?-- Tiger Woods went another year without winning a major tournament. As he approaches his late 30's one wonders what sort of window he has for catching Jack Nicklaus...but for every Tom Watson that stops winning in his early 30's there's a Mark O'Meara who experiences a resurgence in his 40's. While I once thought he had a "true slam" where he won all four majors in one season... the possibility remains for him to pickup four more championships within the next ten years. Meanwhile, fans at Congressional Country Club were treated to Rory McIlroy's run at the US Open... let's wait for the kid win two before we elevate him to the level of even Padraig Harrington or Angel Cabrera.
No Joking-- Tennis saw Novak Djokovic grab dominance by the throat... the Serb won three majors to scale the heights previously claimed by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. After a somewhat democratic era where dominance meant two majors(1989-2003)... we've seen a triple-play five times in eight years. Between Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and everybody's English hope Andy Murray... majors are compelling after the Andy Roddick flameout.
Terrapin Fall-- nobody saw the 2-10 Maryland football season coming. Fresh off a 9-4 season with the ACC rookie of the year everything went wrong for the Terrapins... with more than a few players transferring. View the first year of coach Randy Edsall as the clearing of a site for the placement of a foundation-- construction sites are rarely pretty during their first year. With the return of Mike Locksley as a primary recruiter, expect an instate talent upgrade.
Baseball's Crazy Finish-- the final month of the regular season saw legendary collapses by Atlanta and Boston... with the Braves and Red Sox trying to outdo each other in tripping right before the finish line. Meanwhile, St. Louis and Tampa Bay did the right things down the stretch and entered the playoffs in spectacular fashion. Some are calling it the best night ever in baseball and that you can't get that anywhere else in sports. Umm... the final Sunday of the NFL's regular season? The final weekend of conference tournament play with bubble teams bouncing every which way?
Skinsationalism-- another strong start (3-1) proving to be merely a mirage. Another quarterback situation implodes. The defense gets better but still not good enough. Suspensions rock the offense. And somewhere in a season that was honestly over before Halloween the Burgundy and Gold mattered because they were so irrelevant.
The Sad End of Happy Valley-- for years State College, PA was more than just about wins and losses... bowls and Heisman candidates. It was about the team before the individual. No names on the back of the jersey. Doing things with class. Graduating players. Never a whiff of an NCAA scandal. Even the "Grilled Stickies"--a breakfast roll that can't possibly be healthy in any way--had an image of innocence. But it's a different world now that the Gerry Sandusky revelations have come out... and continue to come out. You wonder exactly who knew what and when. And why nothing was done-- again and again. The quote I first thought of last fall...: "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing"-- from all I know Joe Paterno is a good man. And from all I know-- he did nothing. So the victims try to heal. The accused stands charged. And the future of Penn State football arrives in a manner nobody could have envisioned.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- Last at Christmas...
Last Christmas the Skins showed us Rex... but then the very next fall--the job was all Beck's. Next year... to save fans from tears-- the Skins will do something special (like draft a QB in round one). WHAM! like that another last place finish (more on that later). Wake the Burgundy and Gold fans when the losing seasons go-go.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- the beast once again rampaged through Landover... losing a fumble on the second possession of the day... while tossing an interception in the fourth quarter. Both miscues led to Vikings field goals. Mr. Grossman has turned the ball over at least once in every game he's played in this season. In today's NFL you can't have that from your quarterback and be successful.
Little Red Royster on the Run-- at least the running game didn't miss a beat. Evan Royster stepped in for the injured Roy Helu and rumbled for 132 yards. Nice to have options at runningback...
Gaffney getting it done-- for the third straight week Jabar Gaffney caught 6 passes... this time for 77 yards and a touchdown. The 31 year old is one catch shy of his career high of 65... and stands 81 yards away from his first 1000-yard season.
London Calling-- the veteran inside linebacker notched 17 tackles to push his league-leading total to 163. Monster season in what's been a losing cause more often than not. Does he stay and continue to be a bridge to where this team is good again... or move on and contribute to a contender?
Underestimating the Understudies?-- Vikings runningback Adrian Peterson tore knee ligaments on their first possession of the second half. On the next play quarterback Christian Ponder suffered a concussion. But despite having backups in the game, Minnesota scored on its next four possessions...tallying 239 of its 389 yards on those four drives.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- the beast once again rampaged through Landover... losing a fumble on the second possession of the day... while tossing an interception in the fourth quarter. Both miscues led to Vikings field goals. Mr. Grossman has turned the ball over at least once in every game he's played in this season. In today's NFL you can't have that from your quarterback and be successful.
Little Red Royster on the Run-- at least the running game didn't miss a beat. Evan Royster stepped in for the injured Roy Helu and rumbled for 132 yards. Nice to have options at runningback...
Gaffney getting it done-- for the third straight week Jabar Gaffney caught 6 passes... this time for 77 yards and a touchdown. The 31 year old is one catch shy of his career high of 65... and stands 81 yards away from his first 1000-yard season.
London Calling-- the veteran inside linebacker notched 17 tackles to push his league-leading total to 163. Monster season in what's been a losing cause more often than not. Does he stay and continue to be a bridge to where this team is good again... or move on and contribute to a contender?
Underestimating the Understudies?-- Vikings runningback Adrian Peterson tore knee ligaments on their first possession of the second half. On the next play quarterback Christian Ponder suffered a concussion. But despite having backups in the game, Minnesota scored on its next four possessions...tallying 239 of its 389 yards on those four drives.
Dissecting the Division-- the New York Giants retake first place with their win over the Jets... while Dallas drops to second thanks to their loss against Philadelphia. The Eagles move into third place by beating the Cowboys and will take over second place with a victory over the Redskins January 1st due to the division record tiebreaker. Once again the Skins begin the season in first place and finish in last.
Last at Christmas-- a new Burgundy and Gold tradition-- this is the fourth straight last place finish for the Skins... and the first time since the NFC East was created in 1970 that a team has finished last four straight years. Not even the Cardinals finished last four straight years-and they had stretches where they were bad in two separate time zones! Now my crack research staff checked out the standings since the merger and found seven other instances of back to back to back to back last place finishes: New Orleans 1970-73, San Diego 1972-75, Houston 1983-86, Atlanta 1987-90, LA Rams 1991-94, Chicago 1997-2000, Cleveland 2003-06. Nice company to be in and around.
Division Duels and Conference Contests-- congratulations to the NFC... taking the interconference competition 33-31 for the first time since the 1990's. The NFC East finds itself tied for 6th place at 28-32... the only division with a worse record was the AFC South (24-36). Best division honors this fall go to the AFC North (35-25) as the final weekend of the season features all intra-divisional games.
Last thoughts about "Last Christmas"-- the WHAM! song is now a holiday staple... and the video brings more than a few thoughts. It's premise has George Michael taking his girlfriend on a ski weekend with other friends... only to see his ex-girlfriend on same weekend with Andrew Ridgeley. He's haunted by the ex... as he and his friends have a festive celebration he can't shake her from his heart. And then he goes home. First, I feel bad for the new girlfriend-- completely oblivious to the emotional minefield she's walking into. I blame George for taking his new girlfriend where he went last year probably knowing his ex would be there. I blame his ex for taking up with Andrew Ridgeley... the ultimate in-your-face move. And I blame Ridgeley for getting with George's ex-- great bro-move, buddy. The three of them deserve each other.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
NFL Gameday-- the Playoff Picture develops...
Happy Holidays everyone on the penultimate weekend of the NFL season. With 22 of 32 teams still in contention 10 of today's 13 games have playoff ramifications (sorry, Skins). And with Indianapolis finding itself all of a sudden even the undercard has meaning in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. Let's try to sort things out from a league and yuletide standpoint...:
I prefer to open presents Christmas morning. Something magical about having your parents telling you to stay in your room until 8am...oh the anticipation. And after so many Christmases... the anticipation often trumps the eventuality.
Three teams are alive for the NFC East title: Dallas clinches with a win over Philadelphia plus a New York Giants loss to the Jets... while the Eagles need a victory plus a Giants loss to remain in contention. The Giants take the division with a win today and January 1st over the Cowboys.
I'm all about ham instead of turkey at Christmas. It's all about brand identity-- and lets load up on tryptophan on Turkey Day... ham on December 25th... and lamb on Easter.
Dallas isn't the only team that can wrap up a their division today. Baltimore takes the AFC North with a win over Cleveland plus a Pittsburgh loss to St. Louis. New Orleans clinches the NFC South by beating Atlanta. Denver wins the AFC West with a win over Buffalo plus losses by Oakland and San Diego.
Claymation Category-- although I'm all about the Island of Misfit Toys ... I prefer "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" for several reasons. First-- Santa Claus is kind of a shortsighted tool in "Rudolph". I mean if he's the rebel Mickey Rooney makes him out to be... how can he turn his nose down on Rudolph's predicament? Second-- the Burgermeister remains a badass and has no redeeming qualities. He BURNS TOYS. And unlike the Abominable Snow Monster-- he stays bad. Third-- the Kris Kringle romance with the schooleatcher trumps the puppylove storyline of Rudolph-Clarice. I won't even mention Keenan Wynn as the Winter Warlock.
Playoff possibilities-- both NFC wildcard spots can be wrapped up this afternoon. Detroit and Atlanta clinch berth with victories. They're also in if Seattle, Chicago, Arizona and the New York Giants all lose. The New York Jets and Cincinnati remain in a lockstep for the AFC's final spot; neither can clinch this week.
Christmas Movies-- who doesn't like "It's a Wonderful Life"? More than a few money scenes... from "George Bailey I'll love you til the day I die" to "We serve hard drinks to men who want to get drunk fast-- and we don't need any characters her to liven the atmosphere". On the musical front-- I like "Holiday Inn" more than "White Christmas"... despite the similarities the B&W 1942 classic is in my opinion the superior film. First, Fred Astaire easily has the advantage over Danny Kaye... and his character is much smarter. Second, the holiday songs in "Holiday Inn" actually advance the plot... while in "White Christmas" they seem to be filler. Lastly, there are more twists and turns in the story. Plus Walter Abel as the hyper agent.
Drafting for Draft Position-- Two straight wins by Indianapolis have the Colts previous stranglehold on the number one overall pick in doubt; Minnesota and St. Louis can tie for first/last with losses today. The Rams' path to #1 is a little easier: they face Pittsburgh and San Francisco (combined 21-7 record)... while the Vikings battle Washington and Chicago (combined 12-16) and the Colts meet 4-10 Jacksonville next weekend. Smacks of the 1986 season when the Colts began the season 0-13... fired coach Rod Dowhower and new coach Ron Meyer turned things around in a miraculous way. Indy upended Atlanta 28-23 after outscoring the Falcons 14-3 in the fourth quarter... then beat Buffalo 24-14 after trailing 14-0. The Colts then rallied from 17 points down to defeat Oakland 30-24. Meaning Tampa Bay (finishing 2-14 by losing its last seven games) would get the #1 overall pick. And choose Vinny Testaverde. After trading Steve Young to San Francisco because he was a bust. If the Colts don't wake up... who knows how Testaverde would have prospered under run-first Meyer? And would things have ever gotten any better for Young under a new coach in Ray Perkins? Do the Colts then even trade for Eric Dickerson (#2 overall pick Cornelius Bennett was a part of the deal)?
I prefer to open presents Christmas morning. Something magical about having your parents telling you to stay in your room until 8am...oh the anticipation. And after so many Christmases... the anticipation often trumps the eventuality.
Three teams are alive for the NFC East title: Dallas clinches with a win over Philadelphia plus a New York Giants loss to the Jets... while the Eagles need a victory plus a Giants loss to remain in contention. The Giants take the division with a win today and January 1st over the Cowboys.
I'm all about ham instead of turkey at Christmas. It's all about brand identity-- and lets load up on tryptophan on Turkey Day... ham on December 25th... and lamb on Easter.
Dallas isn't the only team that can wrap up a their division today. Baltimore takes the AFC North with a win over Cleveland plus a Pittsburgh loss to St. Louis. New Orleans clinches the NFC South by beating Atlanta. Denver wins the AFC West with a win over Buffalo plus losses by Oakland and San Diego.
Claymation Category-- although I'm all about the Island of Misfit Toys ... I prefer "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" for several reasons. First-- Santa Claus is kind of a shortsighted tool in "Rudolph". I mean if he's the rebel Mickey Rooney makes him out to be... how can he turn his nose down on Rudolph's predicament? Second-- the Burgermeister remains a badass and has no redeeming qualities. He BURNS TOYS. And unlike the Abominable Snow Monster-- he stays bad. Third-- the Kris Kringle romance with the schooleatcher trumps the puppylove storyline of Rudolph-Clarice. I won't even mention Keenan Wynn as the Winter Warlock.
Playoff possibilities-- both NFC wildcard spots can be wrapped up this afternoon. Detroit and Atlanta clinch berth with victories. They're also in if Seattle, Chicago, Arizona and the New York Giants all lose. The New York Jets and Cincinnati remain in a lockstep for the AFC's final spot; neither can clinch this week.
Christmas Movies-- who doesn't like "It's a Wonderful Life"? More than a few money scenes... from "George Bailey I'll love you til the day I die" to "We serve hard drinks to men who want to get drunk fast-- and we don't need any characters her to liven the atmosphere". On the musical front-- I like "Holiday Inn" more than "White Christmas"... despite the similarities the B&W 1942 classic is in my opinion the superior film. First, Fred Astaire easily has the advantage over Danny Kaye... and his character is much smarter. Second, the holiday songs in "Holiday Inn" actually advance the plot... while in "White Christmas" they seem to be filler. Lastly, there are more twists and turns in the story. Plus Walter Abel as the hyper agent.
Drafting for Draft Position-- Two straight wins by Indianapolis have the Colts previous stranglehold on the number one overall pick in doubt; Minnesota and St. Louis can tie for first/last with losses today. The Rams' path to #1 is a little easier: they face Pittsburgh and San Francisco (combined 21-7 record)... while the Vikings battle Washington and Chicago (combined 12-16) and the Colts meet 4-10 Jacksonville next weekend. Smacks of the 1986 season when the Colts began the season 0-13... fired coach Rod Dowhower and new coach Ron Meyer turned things around in a miraculous way. Indy upended Atlanta 28-23 after outscoring the Falcons 14-3 in the fourth quarter... then beat Buffalo 24-14 after trailing 14-0. The Colts then rallied from 17 points down to defeat Oakland 30-24. Meaning Tampa Bay (finishing 2-14 by losing its last seven games) would get the #1 overall pick. And choose Vinny Testaverde. After trading Steve Young to San Francisco because he was a bust. If the Colts don't wake up... who knows how Testaverde would have prospered under run-first Meyer? And would things have ever gotten any better for Young under a new coach in Ray Perkins? Do the Colts then even trade for Eric Dickerson (#2 overall pick Cornelius Bennett was a part of the deal)?
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- Playoff picture developing...for others.
"It's the most wonderful time of year". Andy Williams aside, December is a fantastic final lap in the NFL regular season where destiny is determined... and pretenders are separated from contenders. Sadly for the Redskins, the last three weeks of the season will do little else except determine the Redskins' draft order (more on that later). Great time to start winning!
A few questions about Sunday--who are these people? What was this team that we saw play their best 60 minutes of the Shanahan era? And why can't they play the Giants all the time?
Defense the difference-- Jim Haslett's D earns an A for shutting down Eli Manning in the first half: two three and outs... an interception... and two drives not crossing midfield the first five times they had the ball. Even after heating up after halftime-- the Skins intercepted two passes and forced the Giants to settle for a field goal attempt. The last possession that allowed a touchdown but chewed up clock was simply moot.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- at least he got the miscues out of the way early in this one. Two interceptions on the first three drives meant that for the first quarter Grossman had more completions to the Giants than Eli Manning. Thankfully he settled down to post a workman-like 15 of 24 for 185 yards and a touchdown.
Helu held in check-- after three consecutive 100 yard efforts the Rookie Roy was limited to 53 yards rushing on 23 carries. The Giants D made things tough all day-- his longest gain was 8 yards. But Helu helped the team in the passing game--notching 3 receptions for 16 yards.
Ground Game quality from quantity-- at first glance it's not that impressive. Forty carries for 123 yards... just over 3 yards a pop. But FORTY clock-killing plays are huge when you have a lead. The key drive was their 11th possession-- 9 plays for 34 yards but 3 minutes and 50 seconds worth of clock... making the Giants TD too little too late.
Gaffney gets it done-- quietly the Skins have found their go-to guy in the passing game. Six catches for 85 yards give the 31 year old 58 for the season--a career high-- and 842 yards for the year-- 33 off his career best. While this is his third team in four years... can this be his final stop?
ILB not MIA-- London Fletcher and Perry Riley combined for 20 tackles... 13 of them solo stops. Fletcher forced a fumble. One key to the 3-4 is setting up your inside linebackers in space to make plays-- and that's been the case the last few weeks.
Playoff picture still fuzzy-- 22 of 32 teams are alive with two weeks remaining: 3 NFC and 4 AFC berths are already locked up though. In the NFC the race between San Francisco and New Orleans for the #2 seed currently reads advantage 49ers as SF has a better conference record; the wildcard jumble has Atlanta and Detroit within wins of locking up spots while Chicago, Seattle and Arizona all look to finish strong and get help. The AFC race reminds one of 1980 when all 5 playoff teams finished 11-5 and tiebreakers sorted out division winners in the Central and West... as well as home field for the wildcard game and the rest of the playoffs. Losses by Houston and Baltimore placed Pittsburgh in position to move into first-- but the Steelers loss on MNF means New England is in the driver's seat. While Baltimore owns tiebreakers with Houston and Pittsburgh... the wild AFC West has all four teams in contention. The second wildcard? The NY Jets and Cincinnati... with plenty of drama from Rex in the Big Apple.
A few questions about Sunday--who are these people? What was this team that we saw play their best 60 minutes of the Shanahan era? And why can't they play the Giants all the time?
Defense the difference-- Jim Haslett's D earns an A for shutting down Eli Manning in the first half: two three and outs... an interception... and two drives not crossing midfield the first five times they had the ball. Even after heating up after halftime-- the Skins intercepted two passes and forced the Giants to settle for a field goal attempt. The last possession that allowed a touchdown but chewed up clock was simply moot.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- at least he got the miscues out of the way early in this one. Two interceptions on the first three drives meant that for the first quarter Grossman had more completions to the Giants than Eli Manning. Thankfully he settled down to post a workman-like 15 of 24 for 185 yards and a touchdown.
Helu held in check-- after three consecutive 100 yard efforts the Rookie Roy was limited to 53 yards rushing on 23 carries. The Giants D made things tough all day-- his longest gain was 8 yards. But Helu helped the team in the passing game--notching 3 receptions for 16 yards.
Ground Game quality from quantity-- at first glance it's not that impressive. Forty carries for 123 yards... just over 3 yards a pop. But FORTY clock-killing plays are huge when you have a lead. The key drive was their 11th possession-- 9 plays for 34 yards but 3 minutes and 50 seconds worth of clock... making the Giants TD too little too late.
Gaffney gets it done-- quietly the Skins have found their go-to guy in the passing game. Six catches for 85 yards give the 31 year old 58 for the season--a career high-- and 842 yards for the year-- 33 off his career best. While this is his third team in four years... can this be his final stop?
ILB not MIA-- London Fletcher and Perry Riley combined for 20 tackles... 13 of them solo stops. Fletcher forced a fumble. One key to the 3-4 is setting up your inside linebackers in space to make plays-- and that's been the case the last few weeks.
Gano gettin' it done-- the Skins kicker of the moment made all three attempts-- including a 43 yarder. Which means he'll be shaky against Minnesota.
Dissecting the Division-- Dallas' win over Tampa Bay propels the Cowboys into first place and the #4 seed... as the Giants fall to 10th in the NFC. With a 4-7 conference record a wildcard is out of the question; they need to beat the NY Jets Saturday and then defeat Dallas in week 17 to win the division. Philadelphia remains in the hunt at 11th in the conference... but division champs if the following occurs: 1-- wins over Dallas and Washington...2-- a Giants loss to the Jets...3-- a Giants win over Dallas. All are possible to set up the worst ever NFC East Champion. The Redskins can actually finish tied for second with wins over Minnesota and Philadelphia-- although tiebreakers keep the ceiling at 3rd place. There's always next year.Playoff picture still fuzzy-- 22 of 32 teams are alive with two weeks remaining: 3 NFC and 4 AFC berths are already locked up though. In the NFC the race between San Francisco and New Orleans for the #2 seed currently reads advantage 49ers as SF has a better conference record; the wildcard jumble has Atlanta and Detroit within wins of locking up spots while Chicago, Seattle and Arizona all look to finish strong and get help. The AFC race reminds one of 1980 when all 5 playoff teams finished 11-5 and tiebreakers sorted out division winners in the Central and West... as well as home field for the wildcard game and the rest of the playoffs. Losses by Houston and Baltimore placed Pittsburgh in position to move into first-- but the Steelers loss on MNF means New England is in the driver's seat. While Baltimore owns tiebreakers with Houston and Pittsburgh... the wild AFC West has all four teams in contention. The second wildcard? The NY Jets and Cincinnati... with plenty of drama from Rex in the Big Apple.
No more perfection... or pure imperfection-- on the same day unbeaten Green Bay lost at Kansas City, winless Indianapolis topped Tennessee. I know, any given Sunday...
Feeling the draft-- the Skins win keeps them tied for the 7th worst record in the league with three other clubs. So a marquee quarterback isn't out of the question... especially with St. Louis and Minnesota likely not looking to draft a QB two years in a row. Stranger things have happened though.
Division Duels and Conference Contests-- the AFC North has a one game edge over the NFC North at 32-22. Even a win by Indianapolis couldn't lift the AFC South-- still the division of depression at 22-34. A 3-1 week by the NFC East brought some respectability... but at 26-30 they're assured of a composite losing season. Meanwhile, the NFC leads the AFC 31-29 with four games remaining in interconference play... and could win the annual challenge for the first time since the 90's.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- Tis the Season... to look towards next season.
Elimination always stings... even when it's been a foregone conclusion for a month. And a ridiculous thought after last week's loss. But there was a slim possibility that evaporated in yesterday's 34-27 loss to New England. Now officially on to next year. Wow-- with these players... that's going to be just great! But don't worry-- help is on the way in the form of a top ten draft pick... and whatever other picks Vinny didn't trade away before he left.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- Mr. Grossman gave us plenty of good, bad and ugly Sunday: 252 yards passing and two TDs! Two turnovers again! Two very costly turnovers, mind you: the fumble was recovered for a Patriot score and the interception killed a last chance drive. But at least he looked downfield.
Holy Helu Batman!-- the rookie Roy rushed for 126 yards... his third straight century effort. He's proving to be a keeper... it's a shame it took this long into the season. What I also like is Evan Royster producing 44 yards on 6 carries... it's nice to have two backs who can do damage. Even with Tim Hightower on the shelf and Ryan Torrain in the doghouse.
Minus Fred... recycled receivers reel em in-- so no big target at tight end. Instead, Jabar Gaffney notched 6 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown while Dontae Stallworth added 4 grabs for 96 yards. Both outshined Santana Moss... although he gave the Skins a brief lead with a 49 yard catch from Brandon Banks. Hopefully Hankerson heals for 2012.
Third and Lukewarm-- one reason why the Skins were able to stay in this game was owning third down-- converting 50% (feels like they should give the offense ice cream and cake for this one) while holding the Patriots to 5 of 11.
Defensive doughnut-- strong at both ends but a hole in the middle. Meaning: on the Pats first three possessions the Skins forced two punts and on the last three New England drives the Redskins defense forced a punt and an interception.... but in between the Patriots had four possessions resulting in 20 points. Four drives where they gained 70 or more yards. Proving that while this defense is much better than last year... they still have a ways to go.
Flags flying-- 8 penalties for 73 yards is no way to stay toe to toe with a division leader... especially when you're the second least whistled team in the league (6th by yards). That stat bears noting-- because although this team is 4-9 and out of the playoffs... at least they're not making blatantly bad decisions (Deangelo Hall excluded).
D Hall gets an F-- Mr. Hall has ridden a rollercoaster this fall... from "cut me" to defensive player of the week honors to last Sunday. Standing around while Gronkowski broke two tackles. Throwing a flag in disgust. Whatever he adds to the team's success, he takes away. And the Skins would be well advised not to have him around next fall.
Networking well-- despite being 4-8 the Skins had CBS's #2 broadcasting team of Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf... a far cry from Ron Pitts and the Jim Mora not known for "playoffs!". Next week with FOX having regional coverage the schedule looks to have the Skins game with the Giants as the #1 or #2 game. So Buck-Aikman or Albert-Moose-Goose. Sadly, th Giants being on at 1 means the Jets are on at 4... so Jets-Philly won't get the audience it would against a weak slate of CBS games (Indy-Tennessee, Cincy-St Louis)-- instead playing second fiddle to New England-Denver.
Dissecting the division-- the Giants' victory over Dallas means they currently hold down first place in the NFC East... the two teams tangle again January 2nd in the New Meadowlands. NYG gets the #4 seed while the Cowboys are 8th in the conference. Still alive at #11 is Philadelphia... if the Eagles win out they'd take the divisional tiebreakers at 5-1. So if the Giants and Dallas go 1-2 in their remaining games (not a stretch, given these two team's late-season track record), the NFC East is still there-- scarily. The Skins are a lucky 13th in the conference... but now eliminated from getting the #1 draft pick in 2012.
Drafting deal-- Indianapolis is 0-13 for the first time since 1986 when Ron Meyer stepped in for Rod Dowhower and guided the Colts to three straight wins and out of the Vinny Testaverde sweepstakes. This year Indy has a 2 game lead with 3 weeks remaining... and no team has made me more confidence they can lose than this bunch. In previous years the Colts mailed in Decembers when they were actually good! St. Louis and Minnesota also appear to be in good shape to finish 2nd and 3rd in the sweepstakes. Then it gets tricky: the Redskins are tied with five other teams for 4th... so based on the next three weeks and strength of schedules the Skins could pick anywhere from 3rd (I have faith in the Rams overachieving when it doesn't mean anything) to 12th (I believe in the Bills' and Chiefs' as sinking stones).
Divisions of Destiny... and Conference Contest-- the AFC North has a one game lead at 31-21 over it's NFC counterpart. Blame Marion Barber for stepping out of bounds against Denver. That win also gives the AFC a 27-25 lead with 12 games remaining on the interconference slate. Woe is the AFC South: despite 3 wins the albatross that is the Indianapolis Colts sinks that quartet to the cellar at 21-31. Give the NFC Least time, though...
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- Mr. Grossman gave us plenty of good, bad and ugly Sunday: 252 yards passing and two TDs! Two turnovers again! Two very costly turnovers, mind you: the fumble was recovered for a Patriot score and the interception killed a last chance drive. But at least he looked downfield.
Holy Helu Batman!-- the rookie Roy rushed for 126 yards... his third straight century effort. He's proving to be a keeper... it's a shame it took this long into the season. What I also like is Evan Royster producing 44 yards on 6 carries... it's nice to have two backs who can do damage. Even with Tim Hightower on the shelf and Ryan Torrain in the doghouse.
Minus Fred... recycled receivers reel em in-- so no big target at tight end. Instead, Jabar Gaffney notched 6 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown while Dontae Stallworth added 4 grabs for 96 yards. Both outshined Santana Moss... although he gave the Skins a brief lead with a 49 yard catch from Brandon Banks. Hopefully Hankerson heals for 2012.
Third and Lukewarm-- one reason why the Skins were able to stay in this game was owning third down-- converting 50% (feels like they should give the offense ice cream and cake for this one) while holding the Patriots to 5 of 11.
Defensive doughnut-- strong at both ends but a hole in the middle. Meaning: on the Pats first three possessions the Skins forced two punts and on the last three New England drives the Redskins defense forced a punt and an interception.... but in between the Patriots had four possessions resulting in 20 points. Four drives where they gained 70 or more yards. Proving that while this defense is much better than last year... they still have a ways to go.
Flags flying-- 8 penalties for 73 yards is no way to stay toe to toe with a division leader... especially when you're the second least whistled team in the league (6th by yards). That stat bears noting-- because although this team is 4-9 and out of the playoffs... at least they're not making blatantly bad decisions (Deangelo Hall excluded).
D Hall gets an F-- Mr. Hall has ridden a rollercoaster this fall... from "cut me" to defensive player of the week honors to last Sunday. Standing around while Gronkowski broke two tackles. Throwing a flag in disgust. Whatever he adds to the team's success, he takes away. And the Skins would be well advised not to have him around next fall.
Networking well-- despite being 4-8 the Skins had CBS's #2 broadcasting team of Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf... a far cry from Ron Pitts and the Jim Mora not known for "playoffs!". Next week with FOX having regional coverage the schedule looks to have the Skins game with the Giants as the #1 or #2 game. So Buck-Aikman or Albert-Moose-Goose. Sadly, th Giants being on at 1 means the Jets are on at 4... so Jets-Philly won't get the audience it would against a weak slate of CBS games (Indy-Tennessee, Cincy-St Louis)-- instead playing second fiddle to New England-Denver.
Dissecting the division-- the Giants' victory over Dallas means they currently hold down first place in the NFC East... the two teams tangle again January 2nd in the New Meadowlands. NYG gets the #4 seed while the Cowboys are 8th in the conference. Still alive at #11 is Philadelphia... if the Eagles win out they'd take the divisional tiebreakers at 5-1. So if the Giants and Dallas go 1-2 in their remaining games (not a stretch, given these two team's late-season track record), the NFC East is still there-- scarily. The Skins are a lucky 13th in the conference... but now eliminated from getting the #1 draft pick in 2012.
Drafting deal-- Indianapolis is 0-13 for the first time since 1986 when Ron Meyer stepped in for Rod Dowhower and guided the Colts to three straight wins and out of the Vinny Testaverde sweepstakes. This year Indy has a 2 game lead with 3 weeks remaining... and no team has made me more confidence they can lose than this bunch. In previous years the Colts mailed in Decembers when they were actually good! St. Louis and Minnesota also appear to be in good shape to finish 2nd and 3rd in the sweepstakes. Then it gets tricky: the Redskins are tied with five other teams for 4th... so based on the next three weeks and strength of schedules the Skins could pick anywhere from 3rd (I have faith in the Rams overachieving when it doesn't mean anything) to 12th (I believe in the Bills' and Chiefs' as sinking stones).
Divisions of Destiny... and Conference Contest-- the AFC North has a one game lead at 31-21 over it's NFC counterpart. Blame Marion Barber for stepping out of bounds against Denver. That win also gives the AFC a 27-25 lead with 12 games remaining on the interconference slate. Woe is the AFC South: despite 3 wins the albatross that is the Indianapolis Colts sinks that quartet to the cellar at 21-31. Give the NFC Least time, though...
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- Jet Crash...
I hope everyone had their seatbelts on Sunday in the fourth quarter... as another season of rough sailing runs aground. Although there's still a minor chance this team makes the playoffs... and I stress minor. One has to suspend belief-- and lets just say suspensions are the last thing this fan base needs now.
Starting strong before fading fast-- at least the first two drives went well. 133 of the team's eventual 304 yards came on their first two possessions... and over half of their points came from their first two drives. The second half saw fourth straight possessions of three and out or a fumble... setting the stage for the eventual come from ahead defeat.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- a fumble and an interception were the exclamation points on a 19-for-46 afternoon where he averaged under 12 yards per completion. We've seen the ceiling and although it's higher than Beck's it's rather low. We've seen the floor and that's rather low as well... making one wonder if Grossman is the wily veteran the Burgundy and Gold wants to mentor next April's first round pick.
Roy on a rampage-- Mr. Helu reached the century mark for the second straight week on the ground... his 100 yards on 23 carries came in fits and spurts, with only 37 of those yards coming after halftime. On a day where the air attack was severely handcuffed. Hmm...
Feeling Fredtastic takes a new meaning-- Mr. Davis continues his sky-high season... catching 6 passes for 99 yards and lighting up another secondary in the process. With 59 catches for 796 yards already... #83 looks to be baking up a 1000 yard receiving season- unless he notches four straight 4-20 performances. Yeah, it's been a nice run... from oversleeping as a rookie to being the best of the famed Triumvirate (with apologies to Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly). Finally a breakout year turns into a bake-out year. And now Davis is done for the season as well as franchise cornerstone Trent Williams thanks to a drug suspension. Did we see this coming? Not since the Saved by the Bell episode where actor Johnny Dakota was exposed as a pot-head while trying to shoot an anti-drug PSA at Bayside has there been something like this.
Or maybe I just wanted to get a Bell reference in there.
ILBs get an A+-- London Fletcher notched 17 tackles while Perry Riley added 8 stops. That's what you want to see from your linebackers... getting to the ball and making plays. Sadly, no sacks for either Ryan Kerrigan or Brian Orakpo.
Dissecting the Division-- despite the Cowboys overtime loss to Arizona, Dallas remains in front at 7-5... followed by the sinking stone that is the New York Giants- who almost upset unbeaten Green Bay. Philadelphia's win over Washington means the 4-8 Eagles don't occupy the NFC East Cellar and are 11th in the conference... while the Skins are a lucky 13th.
How can they get this done again? So-- if the Giants go 1-0-1 against Dallas in their two meetings and both teams lose the rest of their games they both finish 7-8-1. If Philadelphia loses to Miami then the Eagles will be 7-8 when they play the Skins January 1st. And if the Burgundy and Gold beat New England, the Giants and Minnesota they'd be 7-8. With a winner take all battle for the NFC East.
Best Division and Conference-- entering week 14... the AFC North has the best composite record (29-19)... one game better than the NFC North (28-20) Major props to the NFC West... 10-6 over the last four weeks after starting 12-20. The weakest link? Sadly Indianapolis' 0-12 helps sink the AFC South at 19-29. On the interconference front-- the AFC holds a 24-22 edge.
Starting strong before fading fast-- at least the first two drives went well. 133 of the team's eventual 304 yards came on their first two possessions... and over half of their points came from their first two drives. The second half saw fourth straight possessions of three and out or a fumble... setting the stage for the eventual come from ahead defeat.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- a fumble and an interception were the exclamation points on a 19-for-46 afternoon where he averaged under 12 yards per completion. We've seen the ceiling and although it's higher than Beck's it's rather low. We've seen the floor and that's rather low as well... making one wonder if Grossman is the wily veteran the Burgundy and Gold wants to mentor next April's first round pick.
Roy on a rampage-- Mr. Helu reached the century mark for the second straight week on the ground... his 100 yards on 23 carries came in fits and spurts, with only 37 of those yards coming after halftime. On a day where the air attack was severely handcuffed. Hmm...
Feeling Fredtastic takes a new meaning-- Mr. Davis continues his sky-high season... catching 6 passes for 99 yards and lighting up another secondary in the process. With 59 catches for 796 yards already... #83 looks to be baking up a 1000 yard receiving season- unless he notches four straight 4-20 performances. Yeah, it's been a nice run... from oversleeping as a rookie to being the best of the famed Triumvirate (with apologies to Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly). Finally a breakout year turns into a bake-out year. And now Davis is done for the season as well as franchise cornerstone Trent Williams thanks to a drug suspension. Did we see this coming? Not since the Saved by the Bell episode where actor Johnny Dakota was exposed as a pot-head while trying to shoot an anti-drug PSA at Bayside has there been something like this.
Or maybe I just wanted to get a Bell reference in there.
ILBs get an A+-- London Fletcher notched 17 tackles while Perry Riley added 8 stops. That's what you want to see from your linebackers... getting to the ball and making plays. Sadly, no sacks for either Ryan Kerrigan or Brian Orakpo.
Dissecting the Division-- despite the Cowboys overtime loss to Arizona, Dallas remains in front at 7-5... followed by the sinking stone that is the New York Giants- who almost upset unbeaten Green Bay. Philadelphia's win over Washington means the 4-8 Eagles don't occupy the NFC East Cellar and are 11th in the conference... while the Skins are a lucky 13th.
How can they get this done again? So-- if the Giants go 1-0-1 against Dallas in their two meetings and both teams lose the rest of their games they both finish 7-8-1. If Philadelphia loses to Miami then the Eagles will be 7-8 when they play the Skins January 1st. And if the Burgundy and Gold beat New England, the Giants and Minnesota they'd be 7-8. With a winner take all battle for the NFC East.
Best Division and Conference-- entering week 14... the AFC North has the best composite record (29-19)... one game better than the NFC North (28-20) Major props to the NFC West... 10-6 over the last four weeks after starting 12-20. The weakest link? Sadly Indianapolis' 0-12 helps sink the AFC South at 19-29. On the interconference front-- the AFC holds a 24-22 edge.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- so you're telling me there's a chance?
So much for six weeks of slumber before the season ends... can you believe that FOX had the Skins listed as "in the hunt" this past Sunday? And a 23-17 victory over Seattle puts the team in position to get into position for the 2005/2007 late season playoff runs we've grown to know and love. What's helpful is that despite a 4-7 mark the team is 4-5 against the NFC-- so there's a chance to hold tiebreakers at 7-5 in the conference and 9-7 overall. As difficult as it sounds... a win over the consistently uneven NY Jets would place this team within striking distance of being within striking distance. So you're telling me there's still a chance? Drink up the burgundy and gold kool aid.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- two interceptions? That was it? No pick sixes? No fumbles lost or safeties allowed? I'm so there it's not even fair. Grossman isn't the longterm answer for a playoff team-- that is obvious. But he's gives this team a chance to win more than any other QB on the roster. Like a restaurant makes room for spoons that get thrown in the trash in their budget-- the INTs are merely an accounting move. Except when they really cost you.
Holy Helu!-- one month after setting a Redskins record with 14 catches against San Francisco, rookie Roy Helu rumbled for 108 yard and a touchdown. He also led the team in receiving with 7 catches for 54 yards. Will he remain the primary producer from here on out or simply fall back into the runningback rotation like Ryan Torain?
Feeling Fredtastic-- Mr. Davis found the endzone for the first time since week two. His four catches for 58 yards keeps him on pace for 75+ catches and 1000+ yards... and he began with a bang-- notching 3 grabs for 53 yards and a score on the team's opening drive. But on that drive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty while not costing the Skins certainly slowed them down... and after that possession #83 notched just one 5 yard reception.
Flags Flying-- talk about airing dirty laundry. The Skins were whistled for 10 penalties and 115 yards... as the Seahawks were flagged 9 times for 91 yards... leading to a day that was rather disjointed.
Safety in lack of numbers-- it's been nice to see Laron Landry and Reed Doughty make big plays and tally impressive tackle totals... but any coach will tell you they don't like it when their safeties are making a lot of stops. Not so the case against Seattle--linebacker Perry Riley led the way with 6 tackles and 8 assists while London Fletcher added 4 solo stops and 11 total tackles. One big reason Seattle went 6 of 16 on third down and saw 5 of 8 second half drives go three and out or end in a turnover.
Third and lost-- 3 of 10 when trying to move the chains isn't a way to take control of a game... and at 35.1% on the season the team ranks 22nd in the NFL. Now let the record show that the Skins second and third touchdowns of the day came on third down... so maybe there's progress.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- two interceptions? That was it? No pick sixes? No fumbles lost or safeties allowed? I'm so there it's not even fair. Grossman isn't the longterm answer for a playoff team-- that is obvious. But he's gives this team a chance to win more than any other QB on the roster. Like a restaurant makes room for spoons that get thrown in the trash in their budget-- the INTs are merely an accounting move. Except when they really cost you.
Channeling Jack Bauer-- 24 remains one of my favorite shows... taking the proud mantle from Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Dallas, Cheers and Happy Days. Last week Rex Grossman said that their goal was to match the 24 points scored against Dallas each and every week. If that were the case-- Skins scoring 24 points in every game-- they'd be 9-2. Granted, this is with opposing offenses putting the game plan in the freezer after jumping out to seemingly insurmountable 19-3 leads.
Finishing with a Flourish-- for an team that has had problems producing points this fall... it was nice to see the Skins come up huge in the fourth quarter. Trailing 10-7... they outgained the Seahawks 151 to 61 yards and put 16 points on the board. That outburst was more than 4 complete games since the bye week.Holy Helu!-- one month after setting a Redskins record with 14 catches against San Francisco, rookie Roy Helu rumbled for 108 yard and a touchdown. He also led the team in receiving with 7 catches for 54 yards. Will he remain the primary producer from here on out or simply fall back into the runningback rotation like Ryan Torain?
Feeling Fredtastic-- Mr. Davis found the endzone for the first time since week two. His four catches for 58 yards keeps him on pace for 75+ catches and 1000+ yards... and he began with a bang-- notching 3 grabs for 53 yards and a score on the team's opening drive. But on that drive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty while not costing the Skins certainly slowed them down... and after that possession #83 notched just one 5 yard reception.
Flags Flying-- talk about airing dirty laundry. The Skins were whistled for 10 penalties and 115 yards... as the Seahawks were flagged 9 times for 91 yards... leading to a day that was rather disjointed.
Safety in lack of numbers-- it's been nice to see Laron Landry and Reed Doughty make big plays and tally impressive tackle totals... but any coach will tell you they don't like it when their safeties are making a lot of stops. Not so the case against Seattle--linebacker Perry Riley led the way with 6 tackles and 8 assists while London Fletcher added 4 solo stops and 11 total tackles. One big reason Seattle went 6 of 16 on third down and saw 5 of 8 second half drives go three and out or end in a turnover.
Third and lost-- 3 of 10 when trying to move the chains isn't a way to take control of a game... and at 35.1% on the season the team ranks 22nd in the NFL. Now let the record show that the Skins second and third touchdowns of the day came on third down... so maybe there's progress.
Dissecting the Division-- Dallas takes over sole possession of first place (#4 NFC) after a Thanksgiving win over Miami... the New York Giants drop to second (#8 NFC) following their Monday Night loss to New Orleans... Philadelphia's third in the division and ninth in the conference after losing to New England... followed by the Skins in fourth place/tenth place thanks to their week six loss to Philly. They need to leapfrog the Eagles (with Vince Young at QB a definite possibility) and the Giants (slumping with 3 straight losses)... plus two of the following: Detroit (a definite possibility with the Suh suspension)... Atlanta (not likely with an easy December for the Falcons) and Chicago (with Bobby Douglass now a QB option--anything is possible).
Losing out in the Luck Lotto-- the win over Seattle does provide a major setback in the race to get a franchise quarterback... as the Skins would be drafting anywhere from 7th to 14th. Indianapolis remains the leader/loser in with five games remaining-- and a two loss advantage. St. Louis (2-9) has Sam Bradford and Minnesota (2-9) has Christian Ponder...(recent first rounders at quarterback)..so conventional wisdom says they pass on Andrew Barkley and Landry Jones (isn't that the kid from "Friday Night Lights" who hooked up with Tyra and then killed her stalker?). How far will those two fall? And does Indy once locking up the number one pick (it could happen as early as week 14) reverse it's previous post-clinching behavior and try not to "not to win"...?
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- Turkey Drop...
If you have a chance this Thanksgiving season, check out "WKRP in Cincinnati" on youtube or hulu. There was a first-season episode titled "Turkey's Away" where the station decides to hold a Thanksgiving Turkey giveaway-- only to drop a few out of a helicopter. Evidently the station manager thought that "God as my witness-- I thought turkeys could fly". And obviously they "hit the parking lot like sacks of wet cement". Welcome to the Redskins 2011 season. The optimism of a 3-1 start has long crashed to the earth like sacks of wet cement. The notion of John Beck as a starting NFL QB now as valid as turkeys flying. Oh the humanity!
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- Mr. Grossman threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns while running for the team's other score. Still... a 4th quarter interception nearly cost his team in regulation. More thrills, chills and spills on the menu next Sunday in Seattle.
Third and out... with multiple drops-- the Skins converted 6 of 15 third downs... although they began disastrously in the first half: 0 for 5 with three fumbles-- one recovered by the Cowboys... one recovered by the Skins... another reversed by instant replay.
Secondary Seams-- Dallas retook the lead in the fourth quarter with a 59 yard pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten on a broken play. Romo also found Dez Bryant on a 26 yard strike on 3rd and 15 in overtime to move the ball to the Redskin 23... setting up the gamewinning field goal.
Feeling Fredtastic?-- #83 tallied 6 catches for 49 yards with a long of 24... meaning he averaged 5 yards on his other 5 grabs. Davis' total of 49 receptions and 636 yards prorates to 78 and 1017. So why does his season feel so underwhelming?
London Bridge-- Mr. Fletcher recorded 16 total tackles and a sack... proving that he is the heart and soul of this defense. One wonders how much longer the 36 year old will maintain this level... and will he be able to contribute when this team finally turns things around (whenever that will be).
Ryan the Rookie-- Kerrigan tallied one sack and two quarterback hits... giving him six on the season. The Skins need more picks like him-- and soon.
Ganoing ganoing gone?-- the Skins kicker missed a pair of field goal attempts... from 49 and 52 yards. He leads the league in misses with 8... and that is never ideal. Will the Skins do some Christmas shopping for a new kicker or stand pat on PATs and FGs for 2012?
Dissecting the Division-- Philadelphia's win over the Giants drops New York behind Dallas... as the Cowboys take the division lead thanks to a better NFC East record. The two teams tangle twice between now and the end of the season. While Dallas takes the #4 seed... the Giants are in 8th place. The Eagles hang onto hope in 10th while the Redskins are 12th... officially still in the hunt but you know the deal.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- Mr. Grossman threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns while running for the team's other score. Still... a 4th quarter interception nearly cost his team in regulation. More thrills, chills and spills on the menu next Sunday in Seattle.
Third and out... with multiple drops-- the Skins converted 6 of 15 third downs... although they began disastrously in the first half: 0 for 5 with three fumbles-- one recovered by the Cowboys... one recovered by the Skins... another reversed by instant replay.
Secondary Seams-- Dallas retook the lead in the fourth quarter with a 59 yard pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten on a broken play. Romo also found Dez Bryant on a 26 yard strike on 3rd and 15 in overtime to move the ball to the Redskin 23... setting up the gamewinning field goal.
Feeling Fredtastic?-- #83 tallied 6 catches for 49 yards with a long of 24... meaning he averaged 5 yards on his other 5 grabs. Davis' total of 49 receptions and 636 yards prorates to 78 and 1017. So why does his season feel so underwhelming?
London Bridge-- Mr. Fletcher recorded 16 total tackles and a sack... proving that he is the heart and soul of this defense. One wonders how much longer the 36 year old will maintain this level... and will he be able to contribute when this team finally turns things around (whenever that will be).
Ryan the Rookie-- Kerrigan tallied one sack and two quarterback hits... giving him six on the season. The Skins need more picks like him-- and soon.
Ganoing ganoing gone?-- the Skins kicker missed a pair of field goal attempts... from 49 and 52 yards. He leads the league in misses with 8... and that is never ideal. Will the Skins do some Christmas shopping for a new kicker or stand pat on PATs and FGs for 2012?
Dissecting the Division-- Philadelphia's win over the Giants drops New York behind Dallas... as the Cowboys take the division lead thanks to a better NFC East record. The two teams tangle twice between now and the end of the season. While Dallas takes the #4 seed... the Giants are in 8th place. The Eagles hang onto hope in 10th while the Redskins are 12th... officially still in the hunt but you know the deal.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- Are they on the clock yet?
Okay-- I've tried to avoid the obvious. Each week I try to dissect the Redskins' game with snarky comments and witty repartee... but we all recognize the obvious. This team is bad. This team won't be a contender or even a pretender this year. And there's a chance that next year might not be much better. Things are that bad. I didn't think that 5-11 ("not too good"--Steve Spurrier, before faxed resignation-2003) was a possibility... now 3-13 is mentioned with all seriousness after a 3-1 start.
So the Skins lost 20-9 in Miami. To a very bad team that was winless two weeks ago and will probably finish last in the AFC East (although Buffalo could fashion a classic second half collapse-- "nobody circles the wagons to finish under .500 like the Buffalo Bills!"). This was another game that was there for the taking and wasn't taken.
Turnoverasaurus Rex... still better than Beck-- Mr. Grossman threw two interceptions... including one on the supposed go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. This after connecting on 7 of his first 9 passes in the first half. But at least he's throwing the ball more than ten yards downfield. John Beck is also the name of the actor who played "Mark Graison" on Dallas-- he was Pam's love interest after her divorce with Bobby-- and although you didn't mind the guy, you knew he just wasn't Bobby. I don't mind this John Beck, but I just know he's not an NFL quarterback.
Torain goes off the rails-- somehow the Dolphin defense knew how to stymie Ryan Torain: 10 carries for 20 yards... and a first half sequence from the 5 that lost three yards over five plays. Let the record show he did have a touchdown wiped out by a holding call-- but Roy Helu was introduced as an option a little too late.
Backup Plan? Ha!-- Don't be so quick to roast Mike Shanahan, because the fruits we are tasting were planted during the Vinny Cerrato era. With the recent injuries we learn further about the complete lack of depth developed over the last decade. A good organization's backups are almost good enough to be starters-- a bad organization's backups are almost bad enough to be out of the league.
Hankering for the IR-- rookie Leonard Hankerson tallied 8 catches for 106 yards in what appeared to be his breakout game. Unfortunately the game during which he went off on a tear also was the one where he tore the labrum in his right hip. So the Skins go to plan H or I at wideout.
Feeling Fredtastic... dropping-- okay, so everybody's favorite tight end dropped a pass in the numbers. Still, Mr. Davis recorded 3 catches for 28 yards-- and his prorated numbers are 76 grabs for 1043 yards. But he hasn't found the endzone in some time (second three game stretch without a touchdown); on a team desperately needing a go-to receiver in the red zone... he's not it.
All signs point North... with a West Surge--- both North Divisions continue their dominance-- the NFC is 23-13 while the AFC is 22-15 after ten weeks. Major props to the much-maligned NFC West-- going 4-0 to improve to a pedestrian 16-20. Not ideal, but decidedly better than the AFC South's 15-23.
So the Skins lost 20-9 in Miami. To a very bad team that was winless two weeks ago and will probably finish last in the AFC East (although Buffalo could fashion a classic second half collapse-- "nobody circles the wagons to finish under .500 like the Buffalo Bills!"). This was another game that was there for the taking and wasn't taken.
Turnoverasaurus Rex... still better than Beck-- Mr. Grossman threw two interceptions... including one on the supposed go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. This after connecting on 7 of his first 9 passes in the first half. But at least he's throwing the ball more than ten yards downfield. John Beck is also the name of the actor who played "Mark Graison" on Dallas-- he was Pam's love interest after her divorce with Bobby-- and although you didn't mind the guy, you knew he just wasn't Bobby. I don't mind this John Beck, but I just know he's not an NFL quarterback.
Torain goes off the rails-- somehow the Dolphin defense knew how to stymie Ryan Torain: 10 carries for 20 yards... and a first half sequence from the 5 that lost three yards over five plays. Let the record show he did have a touchdown wiped out by a holding call-- but Roy Helu was introduced as an option a little too late.
Backup Plan? Ha!-- Don't be so quick to roast Mike Shanahan, because the fruits we are tasting were planted during the Vinny Cerrato era. With the recent injuries we learn further about the complete lack of depth developed over the last decade. A good organization's backups are almost good enough to be starters-- a bad organization's backups are almost bad enough to be out of the league.
Hankering for the IR-- rookie Leonard Hankerson tallied 8 catches for 106 yards in what appeared to be his breakout game. Unfortunately the game during which he went off on a tear also was the one where he tore the labrum in his right hip. So the Skins go to plan H or I at wideout.
Feeling Fredtastic... dropping-- okay, so everybody's favorite tight end dropped a pass in the numbers. Still, Mr. Davis recorded 3 catches for 28 yards-- and his prorated numbers are 76 grabs for 1043 yards. But he hasn't found the endzone in some time (second three game stretch without a touchdown); on a team desperately needing a go-to receiver in the red zone... he's not it.
Red-faced-- three trips into the red zone with no touchdowns to show for it. What's worse... the 0 for 3 or the fact that they got inside Miami's 20 just three times (one aided by a interception return)?
Grading the D on a curve--the Skins allowed just 20 points... but allowed 8 of 14 third down conversions. Jim Haslett's unit did provide a pair of takeaways that led to points... and Ryan Kerrigan continued his promising rooking campaign with a pair of sacks. But the leading tacklers were safeties Reed Doughty and Laron Landry: any time your DBs are making a lot of stops-- it's not necessarily a good thing.
Dissecting the division-- Despite the Giants loss at San Francisco, New York remains atop the NFC East as the # 3 seed. Dallas is alone in second place and their 4-2 conference record puts them ahead of Atlanta for 7th place in the NFC. Philadelphia stays in third place of the division but drops to #12 in the conference with their underwhelming loss to Arizona. And the Redskins remain in last place... now 13th place in the conference. Much closer to last place than the last playoff spot in the NFC.
All signs point North... with a West Surge--- both North Divisions continue their dominance-- the NFC is 23-13 while the AFC is 22-15 after ten weeks. Major props to the much-maligned NFC West-- going 4-0 to improve to a pedestrian 16-20. Not ideal, but decidedly better than the AFC South's 15-23.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- Fools' Gold and playing the hits...
So much for 3-1 and a potential playoff appearance. This is a crazy league and I've seen 3-6 New England teams go to 10-6, but does anything this team has done since opening day against the New York Giants inspire confidence? A 19-11 loss to San Francisco (and that's with the sluggish 49ers kicking off at 10am West Coast Time) generates the question of not "how are they going to turn this around" to "how far can this team fall"?
There's been quite a bit of dysfunction with the Redskins in the last 20 years-- from the Pettibon one and done to the Zorn "Maroon and Black" era-- so anytime things go wrong, there's a recent example to say "Deja Vu!". The only question is which year do we turn back the clock to. At first I was going to draft my "Bobby Gold!" persona from Rock 101-WGIR-FM... but he played the 70's and 80's in the 90's... good Redskin years and good stuff. This DJ plays everything from the Goo Goo Dolls to Plain White Tees... with the Gibbs II era sounding like latter day Lame REM. Nostalgia's awesome only when it's good.
Underwhelming afternoon-- at least the weather was nice. The Skins never led... and never really threatened... not reaching the SF red zone until their 12th possession of the day. Reminds one of the 2004 Skins that was massively offensively challenge... allowing opponents to post 15 to 20 points and then run clock.
Beck Lite-- if you look at #12's numbers, 254 yards doesn't seem like a bad outing... until you realize he needed 30 completions to get there. Makes one yearn for Jason Campbell's "Captain Checkdown" era of 2007-09.
Torain off the tracks... or "helluu...Roy"-- with Ryan Torain no longer the main engine in the ground game--after gaining 135 yards on 19 carries against St. Louis, Torain's been held to 33 yards on 21 tries over four games-- rookie Roy Helu was the meal ticket against San Francisco. And the Penn State product shined with 14 receptions (a Skins record) for 105 yards while running the ball 10 times for 41 yards.... but what's not awesome is he was targeted 17 times in 47 Beck attempts (over 33%) and they only ran the ball 15 times. Fifteen! That's not just a bad Nickelodeon 90210 knockoff with Ryan Reynolds in the cast... but a lack of commitment to the run. And they weren't necessarily in a pass-only mindset until the fourth quarter. Makes one recall the glory days of pitchin' and catchin' as well as droppin' G's under Steve Spurrier in 2002-03.
Feeling Fredtastic... ankle and all-- now #83 knows what it's like to be the lone threat on a banged up offense. Minus Tim Hightower, Chris Cooley and Santana Moss the open seams tighten up a little bit-- but Mr. Davis grabbed 4 passes for 42 yards. The prorated totals for the season are now 72-1034... but he hasn't scored in some time. Effective use of a tight end means he gets plenty of red zone chances-- and that's not happening here. This time we look to 2008 when Chris Cooley caught 83 passes for the Maroon and Black but scored just once.
Third and out-- both teams had problems moving the chains Sunday... with the Skins converting 5 of 12 and the Niners getting the job done on just 3 of 12 attempts. So a lot of punting (10 on 23 non-kneedown possessions) gave the Skins a chance to get back into this game early and often.
Quick Kicks-- sustained drives even when you don't generate points is a quiet stat: you're able to control clock and generate better field position... setting yourself up for success over the entire half. In the Skins 12 possessions, they had 3 three and outs-- with a fumbles on the first or second play of two other drives. Two more drives generated generated one first down and then a punt. An eighth possession came at the end of the first half and resulted in a 59 yard field goal.
Graham not cracking-- so much for a kicking controversy. How about a franchise record 59-yarder? The kicker's now 12 of 16 on the season with one miss since the end of September.
Feels like the good old days of Mark Moseley and Chip Lohmiller? Not exactly.
Secondary the primary tacklers-- three of the four leading tacklers against the 49ers were defensive backs... and that's not necessarily a good thing when your DBs are making most of the stops. That means your front seven's either getting blocked out of the way or not making plays. The OLB combo of Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan did total a combine 11 stops with each notching a sack-- two of the better personnel moves made by this and the previous regime. Nice to see solid linebacker play on a day where the Skins honored Chris Hanburger's Hall of Fame enshrinement.
Dissecting the Division-- the Giants win at New England places Big Blue atop the NFC East; the Giants would own the #3 seed if the playoffs began today. Dallas thanks to a win over Seattle and a 4-2 NFC mark owns the #8 spot in the conference, while the Redskins currently rate 11th in the NFC. Philadelphia can move up to 7th with a win over Chicago; a loss drops the Eagles to 10th.
Changing of the Conference Guard?-- since the late 1990's, the AFC has been the better conference: taking 9 of 12 Super Bowls between 1997 and 2009 and annually taking the interconference series (although one year it was tied at 32 wins apiece). Now back to back Super Bowl wins... the declining Colts and Patriots... and a midseason 15-12 edge by the NFC may mean that turnabout is on its way.
There's been quite a bit of dysfunction with the Redskins in the last 20 years-- from the Pettibon one and done to the Zorn "Maroon and Black" era-- so anytime things go wrong, there's a recent example to say "Deja Vu!". The only question is which year do we turn back the clock to. At first I was going to draft my "Bobby Gold!" persona from Rock 101-WGIR-FM... but he played the 70's and 80's in the 90's... good Redskin years and good stuff. This DJ plays everything from the Goo Goo Dolls to Plain White Tees... with the Gibbs II era sounding like latter day Lame REM. Nostalgia's awesome only when it's good.
Underwhelming afternoon-- at least the weather was nice. The Skins never led... and never really threatened... not reaching the SF red zone until their 12th possession of the day. Reminds one of the 2004 Skins that was massively offensively challenge... allowing opponents to post 15 to 20 points and then run clock.
Beck Lite-- if you look at #12's numbers, 254 yards doesn't seem like a bad outing... until you realize he needed 30 completions to get there. Makes one yearn for Jason Campbell's "Captain Checkdown" era of 2007-09.
Torain off the tracks... or "helluu...Roy"-- with Ryan Torain no longer the main engine in the ground game--after gaining 135 yards on 19 carries against St. Louis, Torain's been held to 33 yards on 21 tries over four games-- rookie Roy Helu was the meal ticket against San Francisco. And the Penn State product shined with 14 receptions (a Skins record) for 105 yards while running the ball 10 times for 41 yards.... but what's not awesome is he was targeted 17 times in 47 Beck attempts (over 33%) and they only ran the ball 15 times. Fifteen! That's not just a bad Nickelodeon 90210 knockoff with Ryan Reynolds in the cast... but a lack of commitment to the run. And they weren't necessarily in a pass-only mindset until the fourth quarter. Makes one recall the glory days of pitchin' and catchin' as well as droppin' G's under Steve Spurrier in 2002-03.
Feeling Fredtastic... ankle and all-- now #83 knows what it's like to be the lone threat on a banged up offense. Minus Tim Hightower, Chris Cooley and Santana Moss the open seams tighten up a little bit-- but Mr. Davis grabbed 4 passes for 42 yards. The prorated totals for the season are now 72-1034... but he hasn't scored in some time. Effective use of a tight end means he gets plenty of red zone chances-- and that's not happening here. This time we look to 2008 when Chris Cooley caught 83 passes for the Maroon and Black but scored just once.
Third and out-- both teams had problems moving the chains Sunday... with the Skins converting 5 of 12 and the Niners getting the job done on just 3 of 12 attempts. So a lot of punting (10 on 23 non-kneedown possessions) gave the Skins a chance to get back into this game early and often.
Quick Kicks-- sustained drives even when you don't generate points is a quiet stat: you're able to control clock and generate better field position... setting yourself up for success over the entire half. In the Skins 12 possessions, they had 3 three and outs-- with a fumbles on the first or second play of two other drives. Two more drives generated generated one first down and then a punt. An eighth possession came at the end of the first half and resulted in a 59 yard field goal.
Graham not cracking-- so much for a kicking controversy. How about a franchise record 59-yarder? The kicker's now 12 of 16 on the season with one miss since the end of September.
Feels like the good old days of Mark Moseley and Chip Lohmiller? Not exactly.
Secondary the primary tacklers-- three of the four leading tacklers against the 49ers were defensive backs... and that's not necessarily a good thing when your DBs are making most of the stops. That means your front seven's either getting blocked out of the way or not making plays. The OLB combo of Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan did total a combine 11 stops with each notching a sack-- two of the better personnel moves made by this and the previous regime. Nice to see solid linebacker play on a day where the Skins honored Chris Hanburger's Hall of Fame enshrinement.
Dissecting the Division-- the Giants win at New England places Big Blue atop the NFC East; the Giants would own the #3 seed if the playoffs began today. Dallas thanks to a win over Seattle and a 4-2 NFC mark owns the #8 spot in the conference, while the Redskins currently rate 11th in the NFC. Philadelphia can move up to 7th with a win over Chicago; a loss drops the Eagles to 10th.
Changing of the Conference Guard?-- since the late 1990's, the AFC has been the better conference: taking 9 of 12 Super Bowls between 1997 and 2009 and annually taking the interconference series (although one year it was tied at 32 wins apiece). Now back to back Super Bowl wins... the declining Colts and Patriots... and a midseason 15-12 edge by the NFC may mean that turnabout is on its way.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- Spooky Indeed...
While most people wear Halloween costumes October 31st (or the surrounding weekends), evidently the Redskins 2011 outfit was as a playoff contender-- worn in September. Does anyone remember 3-1? Does anyone recall first place in the NFC East? Can anyone remember what it was like to be a Rex Grossman fumble away from defeating Dallas? No...I'm waking up to a 3-4 team that's losing altitude in the same vein as Steve Spurrier's second team that went from beating Super Bowl bound New England in September to getting a faxed resignation around New Year's. That's what's scary.
Beck Bland-- 20 of 33, 208 yards and two picks in his second start. Not completely awful (the 2 interceptions came in the fourth quarter when the Skins were in passorama mode) yet not what the team needed. Just two completions longer than 20 yards won't stretch defenses... although the record should show he had the highest yards per carry of any Redskin.
The Joy of Sacks-- of course it's very difficult to throw the football when you're lying down on your back (trust me, I've tried). Beck was dropped nine times (!) by a defense that had four sacks in six games entering yesterday's matchup. A patchwork line, covered receivers and a quarterback still feeling his way around the pocket all contribute-- but nine?
Running aground-- obviously not having Tim Hightower was going to hurt... but 26 yards on 12 carries? The Bills outgained the Skins for the day on the ground in the first quarter.
Byes are a bummer-- Sunday's plate was rather lacking for good football... but that's what you get with bye weeks. This past weekend saw more than a few compelling teams on the sidelines: all have winning records and three reached the conference championship round last year; even Oakland and Tampa Bay were playing relevant games in December. That left us with just two marquee matchups: Pittsburgh-New England and Dallas-Philadelphia. This next week looks front-loaded: Giants-New England, Green Bay-San Diego, Jets-Buffalo and Pittsburgh-Baltimore just to name a few. Couldn't the NFL have evened things out a bit?
Third and Forever-- when you can't run and your quarterback gets sacked twice per quarter, you're going to have quite a bit of trouble moving the chains. The Skins converted just 4 of 14 (29%) on the afternoon. For the season the team is ranked 23rd in the league-- with the entire NFC West behind them in that category. So glad I'm not following football in Phoenix.
Cardinals Clocked-- about Arizona. The Pacific Time Zone team struggled while playing a 1pm EDT game. Why couldn't they have flip-flopped that matchup with Redskins-Bills? Were they that wrapped up in how Central NY would split with the Giants game on CBS? This week there are two West Coast teams playing at 1. San Francisco at the Skins and Seattle at Dallas. Sluggishness as they kick off at 10am West Coast time? Set your clock to it.
Feeling Fredtastic... except for his foot-- eight more catches for 94 yards... pacing the team in both categories. #83's 36 catches for 517 yards translate into 82-1182 for the season... and with Santana Moss and Chris Cooley on the sidelines with injuries, once could expect that might increase. Unless as reported he was actually wearing a protective boot at Redskins Park Monday-- meaning he may be sidelined as well. At least he's playing better than Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly.
London Fog-- the Redskins linebacker tallied 12 solo stops and 8 assists to tally 20 tackles against the Bills. He also notched an interception. This was after he was a question mark for the contest. Even in a season turning sour, Mr. Fletcher's play is certainly sweet.
Dissecting the Division-- the New York Giant's close win over Miami gives them a two game cushion; and Philadelphia's win over Dallas means the Eagles own the second place tiebreaker and the Skins descent from first to worst only took three games. Now that is impressive. As of now the Giants would receive the NFC's #3 seed... Philly's 9th... Dallas is 10th and the Skins are 11th. But midseason is a volatile time: if Kansas City loses its Monday night matchup with San Diego, the Chiefs fall to 12th place in the AFC while a win moves them to 4th.
Divisional Highs and Lows-- the AFC North has a half game (19-10 to 19-11) lead over the NFC North. Six of the eight teams could conceivably make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the race for worst division has the AFC South percentage points behind the NFC West (in the topsy turvy race for last, that means the West is worst). And the Colts 0-8 has that four-pack weighed underwater like no tomorrow (11-19). The NFC west is 10-18 with a 5-1 San Francisco being complemented by a 5-17 everybody else. Smacks of the NFC Central circa 1986.
Past is present-- a few weeks ago, I remarked how similar the situation was to 2003. A second year coach, a 3-1 start... a tough loss to Philly... and then it all came down. Who did the Skins play in their seventh game of 2003? THE BILLS. I'm not saying things will end 5-11 with Shanahan faxing in a resignation from the golf course, but this is a strange start.
Beck Bland-- 20 of 33, 208 yards and two picks in his second start. Not completely awful (the 2 interceptions came in the fourth quarter when the Skins were in passorama mode) yet not what the team needed. Just two completions longer than 20 yards won't stretch defenses... although the record should show he had the highest yards per carry of any Redskin.
The Joy of Sacks-- of course it's very difficult to throw the football when you're lying down on your back (trust me, I've tried). Beck was dropped nine times (!) by a defense that had four sacks in six games entering yesterday's matchup. A patchwork line, covered receivers and a quarterback still feeling his way around the pocket all contribute-- but nine?
Running aground-- obviously not having Tim Hightower was going to hurt... but 26 yards on 12 carries? The Bills outgained the Skins for the day on the ground in the first quarter.
Byes are a bummer-- Sunday's plate was rather lacking for good football... but that's what you get with bye weeks. This past weekend saw more than a few compelling teams on the sidelines: all have winning records and three reached the conference championship round last year; even Oakland and Tampa Bay were playing relevant games in December. That left us with just two marquee matchups: Pittsburgh-New England and Dallas-Philadelphia. This next week looks front-loaded: Giants-New England, Green Bay-San Diego, Jets-Buffalo and Pittsburgh-Baltimore just to name a few. Couldn't the NFL have evened things out a bit?
Third and Forever-- when you can't run and your quarterback gets sacked twice per quarter, you're going to have quite a bit of trouble moving the chains. The Skins converted just 4 of 14 (29%) on the afternoon. For the season the team is ranked 23rd in the league-- with the entire NFC West behind them in that category. So glad I'm not following football in Phoenix.
Cardinals Clocked-- about Arizona. The Pacific Time Zone team struggled while playing a 1pm EDT game. Why couldn't they have flip-flopped that matchup with Redskins-Bills? Were they that wrapped up in how Central NY would split with the Giants game on CBS? This week there are two West Coast teams playing at 1. San Francisco at the Skins and Seattle at Dallas. Sluggishness as they kick off at 10am West Coast time? Set your clock to it.
Feeling Fredtastic... except for his foot-- eight more catches for 94 yards... pacing the team in both categories. #83's 36 catches for 517 yards translate into 82-1182 for the season... and with Santana Moss and Chris Cooley on the sidelines with injuries, once could expect that might increase. Unless as reported he was actually wearing a protective boot at Redskins Park Monday-- meaning he may be sidelined as well. At least he's playing better than Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly.
London Fog-- the Redskins linebacker tallied 12 solo stops and 8 assists to tally 20 tackles against the Bills. He also notched an interception. This was after he was a question mark for the contest. Even in a season turning sour, Mr. Fletcher's play is certainly sweet.
Dissecting the Division-- the New York Giant's close win over Miami gives them a two game cushion; and Philadelphia's win over Dallas means the Eagles own the second place tiebreaker and the Skins descent from first to worst only took three games. Now that is impressive. As of now the Giants would receive the NFC's #3 seed... Philly's 9th... Dallas is 10th and the Skins are 11th. But midseason is a volatile time: if Kansas City loses its Monday night matchup with San Diego, the Chiefs fall to 12th place in the AFC while a win moves them to 4th.
Divisional Highs and Lows-- the AFC North has a half game (19-10 to 19-11) lead over the NFC North. Six of the eight teams could conceivably make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the race for worst division has the AFC South percentage points behind the NFC West (in the topsy turvy race for last, that means the West is worst). And the Colts 0-8 has that four-pack weighed underwater like no tomorrow (11-19). The NFC west is 10-18 with a 5-1 San Francisco being complemented by a 5-17 everybody else. Smacks of the NFC Central circa 1986.
Past is present-- a few weeks ago, I remarked how similar the situation was to 2003. A second year coach, a 3-1 start... a tough loss to Philly... and then it all came down. Who did the Skins play in their seventh game of 2003? THE BILLS. I'm not saying things will end 5-11 with Shanahan faxing in a resignation from the golf course, but this is a strange start.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- Burgundy and Gold now Black and Blue after a beating...
Different starter, same finish. Reminds me of the early part of the sixth season of Beverly Hills, 90210 when they gave Luke Perry's character a story arc that would see him get married to the daughter of the man who killed his father-- only to see her get killed the next day (I called that twist 15 minutes away- like Mandy Moore having cancer in A Walk to Remember). The focus on this arc took one's attention away from other issues and B-plots that once Perry's character rode off into the sunset you couldn't help but avoid. The "Rex or Beck?" question was resolved, if only for the moment-- but now one can't help but notice the other deficiencies on the team. The shine of the 3-1 start is gone and we notice that the leap from rebuilder to pretender (let alone contender) may not happen until the leap year. It's not exactly Steve Sanders dating Claire Arnold, but it'll be an interesting ten games.
Beck's Debut, or the Temporary Longterm Solution-- the new starting quarterback threw for 279 yards and a touchdown while running for another score. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble...proving that losing the ball wasn't just a Rex thing. Just one three and out with reasonable movement on half of his drives (Skins had 11 possessions- we won't count his end of first half kneeldown). Not a bad first effort, but the NFL doesn't grade on a curve... and coach Mike Shanahan was asked in the postgame press conference if Beck would start against Buffalo. Can we give the guy a little bit more of a leash?
Running aground, or Injury Part I-- after tallying 83 yards on 18 carries in the first half, the Burgundy and Gold ran the ball just 5 times after intermission for 9 yards... and no rushing attempts in the fourth quarter. Part of the reason behind the move was Tim Hightower going down with a knee injury-- an MRI is pending with concerns it may be an ACL tear.
D earns one, or Injury Part II-- another reason why the Skins abandoned the run was the fact that they were trailing by double digits for most of the time they had the ball after halftime. The Panthers produced three touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half and had the ball for over 18 minutes. Cam Newton was tough to contain, passing for 256 yards and a touchdown while running for 59 yards and a score. It didn't help that defensive linchpin London Fletcher went down with a hamstring injury.
Feeling Fredtastic, or Injury Part III-- Mr. Davis represents the famed triumvirate in fine fashion (he's the only one to have a catch since 2009) with 6 grabs for 80 yards and a touchdown. Now he did get some flak for celebrating his score that made things 30-20... but claims he was trying to get his team pumped up-- and with the crazy comebacks we've seen this year, a ten point deficit with 5:05 left is by no means a hopeless cause. Don't look now, but #83 is slowly putting together a monster season-- his current numbers prorate to 75 catches for 1128 yards (he entered the season with 72 career catches for 853 yards). Good thing Davis is playing well... because Chris Cooley won't be back anytime soon and now Santana Moss has a broken hand. Moss is currently second on the team with 25 receptions... with Jabar Gaffney the only other WR to have more than 5 catches this fall. So much for single coverage from here on out..
Slipping into the Time Zone-- San Diego jumped out to an early lead before the New York Jets rallied in the second half. I was impressed that the Chargers played well at all. You see, the game was slated for 1pm Eastern Time-- meaning San Diego was playing at 10am local time. ESPN did a full fledged report in 2008 about how over time Pacific Time Zone teams don't do well when playing that early. My problem is you're expecting their fan base to get up and watch football at 10am. I've been to California. It's a fun state. There's a lot to do late out there-- and by having games kick off at 10am you're killing the guys who want to take their girfriends out to Sunday Brunch before ignoring them for the rest of the day. I know the league likes to have the Giants and Jets play at different times on Sunday (same with Baltimore and Washington as well as San Francisco and Oakland) to maximize viewership, but can't they just as a rule have Pacific Time Zone teams play no earlier than 4pm EST? How tough is this?
Dissecting the Division-- the NY Giants' bye paired with Philadelphia's week off keeps the NFC East leader and cellardweller the same... and Dallas' win over St. Louis propels the Cowboys into second place ahead of the Skins. Big picture: the Redskins are currently 10th in the NFC... with the Cowboys, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Chicago standing in their way of the last playoff spot.
Norths Rise Again-- the bull market for the AFC and NFC North continues... heading into the Monday Night game Baltimore's bunch is 16-8 while Green Bay's gang is 17-11. With both divisions currently supplying both wildcards in their respective conferences. Now there's plenty of football to be played, but still...
Colts past is present-- Indianapolis' collapse reminds me of the late 70's when the Baltimore Colts were coming off three straight AFC East titles but a little wobbly and getting older...and needed help to make the 1977 playoffs. Then Bert Jones injured his shoulder and he missed 13 games in 1978... and the Colts collapsed, finishing 5-11. Move ahead to 2011-- and that's the end of the run we're witnessing in the Circle City. Take away a franchise quarterback, and blemishes become faulty cracks in the foundation. Franchise QB's are something special. That's why Mike Shanahan wanted to trade up to get Sam Bradford. That's why Vinny Cerrato wanted to trade up to get Marc Sanchez. And why 90210 completely blew once Dylan left.
Beck's Debut, or the Temporary Longterm Solution-- the new starting quarterback threw for 279 yards and a touchdown while running for another score. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble...proving that losing the ball wasn't just a Rex thing. Just one three and out with reasonable movement on half of his drives (Skins had 11 possessions- we won't count his end of first half kneeldown). Not a bad first effort, but the NFL doesn't grade on a curve... and coach Mike Shanahan was asked in the postgame press conference if Beck would start against Buffalo. Can we give the guy a little bit more of a leash?
Running aground, or Injury Part I-- after tallying 83 yards on 18 carries in the first half, the Burgundy and Gold ran the ball just 5 times after intermission for 9 yards... and no rushing attempts in the fourth quarter. Part of the reason behind the move was Tim Hightower going down with a knee injury-- an MRI is pending with concerns it may be an ACL tear.
D earns one, or Injury Part II-- another reason why the Skins abandoned the run was the fact that they were trailing by double digits for most of the time they had the ball after halftime. The Panthers produced three touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half and had the ball for over 18 minutes. Cam Newton was tough to contain, passing for 256 yards and a touchdown while running for 59 yards and a score. It didn't help that defensive linchpin London Fletcher went down with a hamstring injury.
Feeling Fredtastic, or Injury Part III-- Mr. Davis represents the famed triumvirate in fine fashion (he's the only one to have a catch since 2009) with 6 grabs for 80 yards and a touchdown. Now he did get some flak for celebrating his score that made things 30-20... but claims he was trying to get his team pumped up-- and with the crazy comebacks we've seen this year, a ten point deficit with 5:05 left is by no means a hopeless cause. Don't look now, but #83 is slowly putting together a monster season-- his current numbers prorate to 75 catches for 1128 yards (he entered the season with 72 career catches for 853 yards). Good thing Davis is playing well... because Chris Cooley won't be back anytime soon and now Santana Moss has a broken hand. Moss is currently second on the team with 25 receptions... with Jabar Gaffney the only other WR to have more than 5 catches this fall. So much for single coverage from here on out..
Slipping into the Time Zone-- San Diego jumped out to an early lead before the New York Jets rallied in the second half. I was impressed that the Chargers played well at all. You see, the game was slated for 1pm Eastern Time-- meaning San Diego was playing at 10am local time. ESPN did a full fledged report in 2008 about how over time Pacific Time Zone teams don't do well when playing that early. My problem is you're expecting their fan base to get up and watch football at 10am. I've been to California. It's a fun state. There's a lot to do late out there-- and by having games kick off at 10am you're killing the guys who want to take their girfriends out to Sunday Brunch before ignoring them for the rest of the day. I know the league likes to have the Giants and Jets play at different times on Sunday (same with Baltimore and Washington as well as San Francisco and Oakland) to maximize viewership, but can't they just as a rule have Pacific Time Zone teams play no earlier than 4pm EST? How tough is this?
Dissecting the Division-- the NY Giants' bye paired with Philadelphia's week off keeps the NFC East leader and cellardweller the same... and Dallas' win over St. Louis propels the Cowboys into second place ahead of the Skins. Big picture: the Redskins are currently 10th in the NFC... with the Cowboys, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Chicago standing in their way of the last playoff spot.
Norths Rise Again-- the bull market for the AFC and NFC North continues... heading into the Monday Night game Baltimore's bunch is 16-8 while Green Bay's gang is 17-11. With both divisions currently supplying both wildcards in their respective conferences. Now there's plenty of football to be played, but still...
Colts past is present-- Indianapolis' collapse reminds me of the late 70's when the Baltimore Colts were coming off three straight AFC East titles but a little wobbly and getting older...and needed help to make the 1977 playoffs. Then Bert Jones injured his shoulder and he missed 13 games in 1978... and the Colts collapsed, finishing 5-11. Move ahead to 2011-- and that's the end of the run we're witnessing in the Circle City. Take away a franchise quarterback, and blemishes become faulty cracks in the foundation. Franchise QB's are something special. That's why Mike Shanahan wanted to trade up to get Sam Bradford. That's why Vinny Cerrato wanted to trade up to get Marc Sanchez. And why 90210 completely blew once Dylan left.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Redskins Rehash-- Bumpy Landing...
What, you expected a smooth ride this fall on Burgundy and Gold Airlines? A tough loss to a wounded division foe always brings one back to earth. And while the Skins are better than 2010... which was better than 2009... they remain a work in progress. Truth be told, I was a little sluggish coming out of the bye week myself... and needed extra editing as I'm the ultimate progress in work. Just keep the tray table up and your seat belt on until-- what...Buffalo's 4-2? San Francisco's 5-1? Flight Attendant? Can I have a top for my coffee cup?
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- FOUR INTERCEPTIONS. Mr. Grossman's 9 of 22 performance earned him a seat on the bench in the third quarter. One had a feeling a game like this was out there; and now it's up to #8 to prove that Sunday was an abberation as opposed to a growing trend.
Is Beck the Answer, or just the beginning of another question?-- the backup came in and directed the offense to a fourth quarter touchdown on a clock-consuming drive (Sonny Jurgensen was railing at the slow pace despite being down two scores). And while his wheels got him in the endzone for the team's only touchdown, naming him the starter for Carolina might be a little rash. But not unprecedented.
Ground to a halt-- of course, when your running game nets 42 yards on 14 carries it's going to be tough sledding. Ryan Torain two weeks after reaching the century mark averaged 2.2 yards a carry on 10 tries. Thank goodness John Beck was able to garner 14 yards on 2 tries.
Third and forever-- the Skins converted just 1 of 10 third downs... not moving the chains on that crucial down until the fourth quarter. Grossman's first INT came on 3rd and 16... and his final pick came on a 3rd and 9. While 7 of the 10 third down situations were long distance (3rd and 7 or more), the Burgundy and Gold went 0-3 on 3rd and 3 or less. Not good.
Feeling Fredtastic and the Cold Autumn of Mr. Cooley-- Mr. Davis led the Skins in receiving with 6 catches for 95 yards... increasing his total to 22 for 343. A 70-catch pace that used to be the norm for Chris Cooley, who after catching one pass for -1 yard finds himself banged up again. A broken hand will sideline #47 for six weeks, and a knee injury has limited him to 8 catches for 65 yards with a long of 17.
Feeling Defensive-- after forcing a three and out on the Eagles' first possession, the Skins D allowed three straight drives of 10 plays for 69 yards or longer... resulting in a 17-0 deficit. On the two touchdown drives, the Eagles faced four third downs: converting 3rd and 1, two 3rd and 2's and a 3rd and goal from the 7.
Safety in numbers?-- Oshiomogho notched 6 tackles with 2 assists while tallying an interception as well as a sack. Laron Landry led the team with 8 solo tackles. Many a coach will tell you it's never ideal when your safeties are leading the team in solo stops.
Hoping Past isn't Present-- a second year Redskins coach had the chance to bury a 1 win Eagle team and create some distance in the division with his NFC East leading 3-1 squad... only to come up short. I'm talking about 2003, when a Patrick Ramsey incompletion on a two point conversion sealed a two point loss that would have made Donovan McNabb and company 1-4... and Steve Spurrier's bunch 4-1. Instead, the Eagles would wind up winning the division and the Skins would finish the Ballcoach Era on a 2-10 run that wrapped up with resigning via fax from a golf course. But that was then, right? This is a much different organization with a lot more sanity in charge, right? Buckle up.
Aint Missing You At All-- it could be said that Rex Grossman didn't have as bad a day as his two predecessors: Donovan McNabb was benched in Minnesota's loss to Chicago after completing 19 of 24 passes for 177 yards while getting sacked 5 times. And Jason Campbell? A broken collarbone in Oakland's win over Cleveland.
Really Not Missing You-- Albert Haynesworth's autumn in New England continues at an amazingly nonproductive pace. No tackles, sacks, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries or interceptions tallied against Dallas this past Sunday... leaving his total at 2 tackles for 2011. He hasn't made a play of note since tallying two stops over a month ago on Monday Night Football against Miami.
Dissecting the Division-- the Giants' win over Buffalo propels Eli Manning and company into first place by a half game. Dallas remains a half game ahead of Philadelphia for third place (although the Cowboys are 2-3, they're 2-1 in the NFC).
Go North-- In the early division scramble, the NFC and AFC North Divisions have established superiority. Green Bay's gang is 15-9 while Baltimore's bunch is 14-8. Again, a major caveat: last year the NFC South boasted the best record in the league yet New Orleans and Atlanta went 0-2... both getting blown out of the postseason.
Turnoverasaurus Rex-- FOUR INTERCEPTIONS. Mr. Grossman's 9 of 22 performance earned him a seat on the bench in the third quarter. One had a feeling a game like this was out there; and now it's up to #8 to prove that Sunday was an abberation as opposed to a growing trend.
Is Beck the Answer, or just the beginning of another question?-- the backup came in and directed the offense to a fourth quarter touchdown on a clock-consuming drive (Sonny Jurgensen was railing at the slow pace despite being down two scores). And while his wheels got him in the endzone for the team's only touchdown, naming him the starter for Carolina might be a little rash. But not unprecedented.
Ground to a halt-- of course, when your running game nets 42 yards on 14 carries it's going to be tough sledding. Ryan Torain two weeks after reaching the century mark averaged 2.2 yards a carry on 10 tries. Thank goodness John Beck was able to garner 14 yards on 2 tries.
Third and forever-- the Skins converted just 1 of 10 third downs... not moving the chains on that crucial down until the fourth quarter. Grossman's first INT came on 3rd and 16... and his final pick came on a 3rd and 9. While 7 of the 10 third down situations were long distance (3rd and 7 or more), the Burgundy and Gold went 0-3 on 3rd and 3 or less. Not good.
Feeling Fredtastic and the Cold Autumn of Mr. Cooley-- Mr. Davis led the Skins in receiving with 6 catches for 95 yards... increasing his total to 22 for 343. A 70-catch pace that used to be the norm for Chris Cooley, who after catching one pass for -1 yard finds himself banged up again. A broken hand will sideline #47 for six weeks, and a knee injury has limited him to 8 catches for 65 yards with a long of 17.
Feeling Defensive-- after forcing a three and out on the Eagles' first possession, the Skins D allowed three straight drives of 10 plays for 69 yards or longer... resulting in a 17-0 deficit. On the two touchdown drives, the Eagles faced four third downs: converting 3rd and 1, two 3rd and 2's and a 3rd and goal from the 7.
Safety in numbers?-- Oshiomogho notched 6 tackles with 2 assists while tallying an interception as well as a sack. Laron Landry led the team with 8 solo tackles. Many a coach will tell you it's never ideal when your safeties are leading the team in solo stops.
Hoping Past isn't Present-- a second year Redskins coach had the chance to bury a 1 win Eagle team and create some distance in the division with his NFC East leading 3-1 squad... only to come up short. I'm talking about 2003, when a Patrick Ramsey incompletion on a two point conversion sealed a two point loss that would have made Donovan McNabb and company 1-4... and Steve Spurrier's bunch 4-1. Instead, the Eagles would wind up winning the division and the Skins would finish the Ballcoach Era on a 2-10 run that wrapped up with resigning via fax from a golf course. But that was then, right? This is a much different organization with a lot more sanity in charge, right? Buckle up.
Aint Missing You At All-- it could be said that Rex Grossman didn't have as bad a day as his two predecessors: Donovan McNabb was benched in Minnesota's loss to Chicago after completing 19 of 24 passes for 177 yards while getting sacked 5 times. And Jason Campbell? A broken collarbone in Oakland's win over Cleveland.
Really Not Missing You-- Albert Haynesworth's autumn in New England continues at an amazingly nonproductive pace. No tackles, sacks, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries or interceptions tallied against Dallas this past Sunday... leaving his total at 2 tackles for 2011. He hasn't made a play of note since tallying two stops over a month ago on Monday Night Football against Miami.
Dissecting the Division-- the Giants' win over Buffalo propels Eli Manning and company into first place by a half game. Dallas remains a half game ahead of Philadelphia for third place (although the Cowboys are 2-3, they're 2-1 in the NFC).
Go North-- In the early division scramble, the NFC and AFC North Divisions have established superiority. Green Bay's gang is 15-9 while Baltimore's bunch is 14-8. Again, a major caveat: last year the NFC South boasted the best record in the league yet New Orleans and Atlanta went 0-2... both getting blown out of the postseason.
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