Pro File... shouts in the Wilderness... bye to the byes...

Week ten of the NFL regular season wraps up the period where teams are "getting in position to be in position"... after this weekend there are no more byes--and only Houston plus the New York Giants are idle... making this seem like a full weekend.



Everybody playing at the same time (with the Monday/Thursday/Saturday exceptions) over a ten-hour period is one of the many things that makes pro football riveting. The entire context of a division, wildcard or homefield race can change within the span of a Sunday afternoon or evening. Another reason why I'm not excited about Thursday Night Football.


Yes, I enjoy the pro game as much as anyone else...but do we really need another night? It's taken me this long to warm up to College Football on Thursday's-- and now you're going to take away it's spotlight? I'm fine with TNF-- after Thanksgiving. One residual effect with TNF and the flex scheduling is now there are potentially more dog games on Sundays... Detroit-Tampa Bay, anyone? Fantasy Leagues get the shaft as well. At this point of the season, most everybody's banged up a little. Is your fantasy running back that's listed as questionable going to be ready to play on Sunday? Thursday most questionable players are still...well...questionable.



Playoff Picture:
AFC-- Indianapolis takes the top seed... while Denver's #2...
San Diego at Cincinnati and Pittsburgh at New England are the first round matchups.


NFC-- New Orleans is the #1 seed followed by Minnesota...
Philadelphia at Dallas and Atlanta at Arizona are the first round games.

On the fringe-- both 5-4 teams... while the New York Giants are crashing after a 5-0 start that had most punching their NFC East ticket, Houston could actually be good this year.

Best/Worst Division-- the AFC South (19-14) takes a one game lead over the NFC East-- thanks to the Giants and Redskins four game losing streaks. Meanwhile, the NFC West remains the division of depression (12-20, or 7-17 minus Arizona).

The chase for being on the clock:

There are five 1-7 teams... who's in the best shape to stay in last/first?

Tampa Bay-- 3 home/ 5 away... 39-25 record (including two with New Orleans).
Kansas City-- 4 home/ 4 away... 35-29 mark...
Detroit-- 4 home/ 4 away... 34-30 record (plus the home Thanksgiving game & 10-day layoff).
St Louis-- 5 home/ 3 away... 33-32 record.
Cleveland-- 5 home/ 3 away... 30-34 record.

Even if they wear their orange creamsicle unis, this is Bucco Bruce's game to lose... keeping in mind TB owned this spot from 1976-78, 1984, and 1986-87 all when the flamboyant pirate was perched on their helmets. That's not just bad-- that's dynastically horrific. Now I know why they moved to the pewter and red.


Riggo's Rant-- Redskins Hall of Fame running back John Riggins has been in the news quite a bit lately with his opinions and analysis of the team and its owner. Having once been a co-worker with #44 at Red Zebra Broadcasting for two years, I know how entertaining and enlightening the Diesel can be. While I agree this team is not being run efficiently and perhaps a change upstairs would be good, I stop before declaring Dan Snyder has a "dark heart".
In making great copy, Riggo has obscured the story at hand while making himself look less legitimate.

The issue isn't whether or not Snyder is evil incarnate-- but that the current management model needs major tweaking. Instead of Greg Blache remaining silent and Joe Theismann focusing on whats wrong with the Skins team-building approach--both are defending the owner... I feel like Hal Holbrook in All the President's Men "Now you've got people feeling sorry for and defending them!"-- although I'd never meet Riggo in an Arlington parking garage.

Redskins Rehash-- how to lose a fanbase in 8 games...

Bring on the Capitals and Wizards... lets go Terps (men and women) and Hoyas-- what's the initial prognosis for GW and AU-- and please punch my passport for Mason Nation! (currently searching for Howard pun). Can you believe the season-ending march is underway with a campaign that's only halfway complete? It's quite like "Hey Jude"... a 3-minute song with a 4-minute coda. Only not as fun to witness. I've often maintained that the Skins-centric beltway region gives other teams a chance to operate under the radar until January... obviously a 1-10 start means curtains but the glare isn't traditionally there until the Skins are done. Well-- the curtain is officially drawn on the rest of the sports scene.

Thoughts from weak eight (with an occasional NFL note to keep you from going crazy)--

Not Half Bad, just half-horrible-- the worst 30 minutes of the regular season came after two weeks off against a team working on short rest... a 24-3 landfill made even worse when given the fact the Skins haven't scored 21 points in any full game-- let alone a half. Once again, the offense was encouraged with second-half scores... touchdowns that wound up meaning little.


Double Down!-- Once again, the Blackjack offense was in effect-- and for the fourth time this fall the Skins stayed at 17...unfortunately the Falcons didn't hold a bust card. Even Spurrier's season-in-the-mail 2003 had the Skins hitting the 20-point mark nine times. You'd have to go back to 1993 to find an Redskins team with as little output (Pettibon's posse tallied 230 points; the current unit is on pace for 226).


Good Humor Men a Uniform Foul-- RR notes that the Skins are 4-12 since donning Burgundy on Burgundy against Pittsburgh last year... did they think White on White would be much better? This team has a Tradition with a capital T... does the University of Michigan roll out Maize jerseys if the players "vote on it"? Say what you will about the Cowboys color schemes-- but for the most part they are consistent. By DC or Maryland ordinance the Skins should be legally obligated to wear white jerseys with burgundy pants at all times-- with burgundy jerseys/white pants the only other option (special exemption to wear gold pants in a turn back the clock to George Allen era).


*NFL Note--keep the creamsicle!-- Tampa Bay ended an eleven game losing streak by outscoring Green Bay 38-28... wearing their old-school Orange unis from the 70's and 80's-- they even had the ambiguous pirate Bucco Bruce adorning white helmets. We humbly ask that the Bucs view this as a major sign and wear these unis forever.


O Line = Oh no!-- Jason Campbell was sacked five times in the first half and had to leave the game twice with various bumps and bruises. The fragmented line featured Mike Williams, Will Montgomery, D'Anthony Batiste and Levi Jones... proving once again it's rather difficult to throw when one's lying flat on his back.



TO TD's-- Campbell threw a pick-six... the second straight game where a Redskin turnover led to opposing points (and if one looks at the Chiefs game, Todd Collins was tackled for a game-clinching safety). It's rough enough when the Skins can't outscore opposing offenses... but opposing defenses?


Fantasy Focus-- the Dread Pirate Roberts has all but kidnapped the Princess Buttercup Division with three straight wins (inconceivable!)... going with the Texas two-step at quarterback (Romo/Schaub) and two dominant defenses (Steelers and Giants have both contributed this fall)... with the playoffs only a few weeks away--have fun storming the castle!


What's a Haynesworth?-- the Skins $100 million man racked up four tackles against the Falcons... but his presence allows others to succeed. First round pick Brian Orakpo tallied two sacks--giving the rookie 5 and a half for the season.



Tracking the Triumvirate-- the firm of Thomas, Davis & Kelly notched three catches for 30 yards... as their combined total swells to 32 receptions for 324 yards and two touchdowns-- prorating to 64--648--4... triple last year's output!... until you realize they're three players and the offensive linemen available last year (Sam Baker, Duane Brown, Mike Pollak and Chilo Rachal) are all starters in the league.


Sending out an SOS!-- after handling a softserve pre-bye slate with not just losing teams-- but positively dreadful squads: the Chiefs, Bucs, Lions and Rams are all 1-7... Cleveland being the lone 1-7 squad not on the Skins slate this fall. Wrapping up the remainder of the season-- there's not only an unbeaten (New Orleans) plus three more games against division leaders (Dallas twice and Denver once). Oakland (2-6) is the only pushover-- and that one's out west.

College Football Corner-- a season in the wilderness...

Sometimes things don't come together... sometimes a team's weaknesses are exposed and its strengths are minimized...sometimes momentum gets snuffed out with turnovers and penalties and sometimes magical months end a few weeks early. Welcome to 2009-- where all expectations take a major downshift... from Virginia Tech dominating the ACC to Maryland and Virginia making postseason plays. Closing Month doesn't seem to have a lot of possibilities opening up.


MARYLAND in a 38-31 loss to North Carolina State saw it's quarterback go down with a knee injury... a defensive lineman go out for the season and a glimmer of postseason hope get snuffed out (although there is still a way they can qualify for the ACC title game-- if they win their last three and Clemson loses its next two while Boston College goes 1-2 and Wake and NC State both lose a league game)...Terrapin Triumphs-- big plays from Alex Wuijiack (70 yard INT return for a TD) and Torrey Smith (82 yard kickoff return for a score)... Terrapin Tragedies-- 482 total yards allowed...31 first downs...10 penalties for 91 yards. And did we mention their next three opponents are a combined 16-11?


VIRGINIA slipped to the precipice of bowl elimination with a 52-17 loss to Miami. A The Cavaliers were overwhelmed after halftime... getting roasted 28-0 after intermission. Cavalier Congrats-- scoring on a blocked punt is always huge, especially with an offense that was spinning all afternoon. Cavalier Catastrophes-- 2 for 12 on third down... while allowing the Hurricanes to convert on 8 of 14 tries... Mikkell Simpson's magic has disappeared (14 yards on 7 carries)... oh, and the defense allowed 515 yards. UVa's final three? a combined 18-9.


VIRGINIA TECH won its Thursday Night clash with East Carolina 16-3... but lost hope for a Coastal Division title when Georgia Tech topped Wake Forest 30-27 in overtime. This puts the Yellowjackets one win away from locking up the division outright; and GT wraps up ACC play against Duke (although these Blue Devils are potentially in title contention). Hokie Highlights-- Ryan Williams crossed the 1000-yard threshold by rushing for 179 yards... just one turnover while forcing three ECU giveaways... only five penalties. Hokie Humblings-- 4 for 14 on third down will cost a team against better competition... while Tyrod Taylor completed 17 of 30 passes, his completions were for just 137 yards (an average of just over eight yards-- when effective teams aim for 11 to 13 ypc). Final three opponents for the Hokies? Maryland (2-7), NC State (4-5) and UVa (3-6) for a grand total of 9-18! Christmas arrives early in Blacksburg.

College Football Corner/Presto's Picks... Closing Month...

November brings the college football season to a crescendo... and with the World Series converging with the NBA's opening week and college hoops creeping into pre-Veteran's Day Territory... the Presto's Pick staff has its hands more than full--

VIRGINIA was heavy on tricks and light on treats in a 28-17 loss to Duke... Cavalier Congrats-- Rashawn Jackson gained 83 yards on 16 carries...while the defense held the high-flying Blue Devil offense in check for much of the afternoon. Cavalier Catastrophes-- Jameel Sewell and Mark Verica combined to complete 13 of 38 passes for 107 yards and an interception... setting the tone for an offense that converted just 4 of 16 third downs.



VIRGINIA TECH at East Carolina-- what was a season of promise has dissolved into chasing Georgia Tech... the team that leads the Coastal Division despite being the least talked-about. Seriously, the storylines have been "Why Can't the Hokies Score?"... "The Hurricanes are back!"... "Why aren't the Tar Heels back?"... "Duke's resurgence" and "UVa's October Surprise... this time it's Minimal!". East Carolina shocked the Hokies last season-- but if I've learned anything about ECU, it's that Halloween is CRAZY in Greenville... I'm thinking the Pirate faithful are still recovering. Hokies bounce back, 27-16.

College Football Corner + Presto's Picks-- Tricks and treats...

One wrinkle with the Thursday night football game: Friday's Picks column is morphed into a review/preview/don't really know what to do segment... Halloween gives area teams this fall mostly tricks and few treats... with an occasional laxative snuck in as a candy bar and razor blade laced apple. If the season continues the way it has, it will be a challenge to work a thankful angle into things a few weeks from now...

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse continues its Big East meatgrinder with a home date against #5 Cincinnati...



#14 VIRGINIA TECH watched its ACC Coastal hopes take a major setback with a 20-17 loss to North Carolina... weren't the Hokies supposed to rule Thursday Night Football with an Iron Fist(usually holding a smoked turkey leg)? HOKIE HIGHLIGHTS-- the defense held the Tar Heels to -13 yards the first three times they had the ball... Ryan Williams came close to hitting the century mark again-- rushing for 96 yards-- while Tyrod Taylor tallied a pair of touchdowns. HOKIE HUMBLINGS-- ten penalties and two turnovers...the second fumble resulting in UNC's game-winning field goal... the inability to move the chains (6 of 15 on third down) and get off the field (UNC was 10 of 19) was damaging.





VIRGINIA vs Duke...the Hokies loss further opens up the door for the Cavaliers in the Coastal Division. Coach Al Groh's defense will have its hands full with Blue Devils quarterback Thaddeus Lewis--with the exception of last week's loss to Georgia Tech, UVa's defense has been dominant in October...Cavaliers come through, 22-15.




Navy tops Temple... Howard slips to Norfolk State... Georgetown beats Old Dominion...James Madison falls to Delaware... Richmond tames Towson... William & Mary gets by Rhode Island.
Last Week: 4-1.

Overall: 37-15.

Presto's Picks-- VT is must-see TV...

For some reason I enjoy Thursday Night College Football almost as much if not more than the NFL's Monday Night Football... instead of wrapping up a huge weekend of football TNF provides the first entry into several days focused on the gridiron...

VIRGINIA TECH vs North Carolina-- over the years the Hokies have played very well on Thursday (a few heartbreaking losses to BC notwithstanding)...the Tar Heels along with Miami are in contention for my biggest ACC disappointment... Hokies handle the Heels... 29-13.

Redskins Rehash-- so maybe it wasn't the playcalling...

Did anyone expect anything different? Sherman Lewis' play-calling Monday in the Redskins 27-17 loss to Philadelphia wasn't that much better or worse than Jim Zorn's over the first six games... to quote ex-Tampa Bay coach John McKay when asked during one of the many Buccaneer double digit loss seasons-- "what did one think of the team's execution?-- "I'm all for it".

Bounced by big plays-- a 67 yard end around for a touchdown... a 57-yard pass for a score... a tipped pass intercepted for a TD... outside of that the Eagles didn't create much-- unfortunately they didn't have to...as the offense (with the exception of the now-customary end of half hurry up scores we've grown to know and love) sputtered again.

Perhaps they should have double-downed?-- Once again the Skins were held to 17 points--- they met that mark against the Giants and Carolina. In blackjack barring the dealer having a "bust card" showing (2 through 6) I'll hit on 16 but stay on 17. Unfortunately in this game, staying at 17 means 0-3... with the offense getting cleaned out.

Third and no longer-- the Skins converted just 3 of 12 third downs... bringing their total for the season down to a paltry 29.1 percent... ranking 28th in the NFL. During the team's three game slide from pretender to cellar-dweller the offense has moved the chains 7 times in 35 attempts (20%).

Sacking the air out of the offense-- no matter who is calling the plays, it has been proven that Jason Campbell cannot throw to the open man when lying on his back. Six sacks by the Eagle D gives the Burgundy and Gold a total of 23 allowed for the season...third most in the league. And that doesn't count hurries or the gameplanning adjustment from 7 step drops because of the Swiss cheese masquerading as an OL.

Walkin' on a thin line-- Chris Samuels injury has left the team scrambling for OL depth. It's a shame we can't go back in a time machine to 2008 draft day when the following players were available: a pair of tackles in USC's Sam Baker and Virginia Tech's Duane Brown -- both went in the 20's... Baker has started six games for Atlanta (who took him with the REDSKINS first rounder) while Brown has started seven games this fall for Houston. Center Mike Pollak out of Arizona State picked by 28th overall by Indianapolis and converted to guard where he has started 19 games. USC guard Chilo Rachal was taken in round two by San Francisco and has started 16 games for the 49ers.

I'm not saying the Skins erred by taking three receivers in the second round, but instead of my award-snubbed "Tracking the Triumvirate Feature" any of these players could be helping keep Jason Campbell upright.

What's a Haynesworth?-- three tackles, an assist and a sack for the 100 million dollar man... and the pass rush as a whole notched three sacks (including one from Reed Doughty on a safety-blitz) while the run-stoppers held the Eagles to 55 yards on 26 carries if one takes away the DeSean Jackson end-around. But as we've learned, the defense isn't the problem.

Tracking the Triumvirate-- a breakthrough week for the firm of Thomas, Kelly & Davis... Fred Davis emerging with a season high 8 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown; Devin Thomas added 3 grabs for 45 yards and a score. This brings the trio's total to 29 catches and 294 yards for two touchdowns... prorating to 66-672 and 5 TD's. Still, wouldn't you rather have Chilo Rachal?



High risk, low returns-- what is going on with the Skins punt returns? Antwan Randle El and Santana Moss combined for 10 yards on three attempts against the Eagles... and the lack of yardage on punt returns has been an issue all season. Randle El ranks 25th in the league while the Skins as a team rate 29th. Combine that with the second lowest net-punting unit-- and it's like paying interest on a credit card: you don't notice it, but over the span of sixty minutes the Skins are slowly leaking yards and field position.

College Football Corner...

Quick thoughts on the weekends action as we gear up towards tonight's Redskins-Eagles clash...:

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse improves to 3-4 with a 28-14 rout of Akron (hey, don't laugh--SU lost to the Zips last year)... the Greg Paulus mini-era continues (12-17-105 yards passing but no interceptions) while Delonte Carter (170 yards rushing) shines again. Now if the Orange can go out and beat a Big East foe... their final five games (all conference opponents) have a combined 25-11 record.

MARYLAND was officially placed on life-support with a 17-13 loss at Duke. Now all the Terps have to do to qualify for postseason play is win their last four games; Virginia Tech (Hokies have resided in the top twenty for the whole season), Florida State (Terps have never won in Tallahassee) and Boston College (Eagles currently lead the rugby scrum of an Atlantic Division). Terrapin Triumphs-- Davin Meggett gave the team a shot in the arm by turning a Chries Turner pass into a 67 yard scamper for a touchdown...the defense held the Blue Devils to 23 yards rushing (36 on 26 carries before sacks are taken into account)... the team went 55 minutes without a turnover, no small feat... and only committed three penalties. Terrapin Troubles-- unfortunately both turnovers came in the fourth quarter and snuffed out any chances for a comeback win... the D allowed 371 yards passing and only was able to sack Thaddeus Lewis twice. And the running game has become an afterthought: Caleb Porzell gained just 28 yards on 15 carries.




VIRGINIA saw its October surge come to a standstill in the rain...a 34-9 thumping by Georgia Tech that accentuated the Yellowjackets' credibility and UVa's fallibility...well, there's always November--where they went 0-4 last year. Cavalier Congrats-- just one turnover in the rain-- and Jameel Sewell went another game completing more than 50% of his passes while not throwing an interception. Cavalier Catastrophes-- GT had the ball for 41 minutes... while UVa converted 2 of 11 third downs, the Yellowjackets moved the chains on 8 of 17 tries.

Presto's Picks-- fighting the midseason blahs...

Mid-October (halfway through moving month) is usually a time of early conference matchups that might not be steeped in the tradition of Ohio State-Michigan or Alabama-Auburn, but still pit ranked opponents against one another. Believe it or not though- the only matchup of top twenty teams is #10 TCU against 16th rated BYU. Meanwhile, there are a few intriguing games involving ranked schools against opponents "on the cusp" of the national polls... from top ranked Alabama taking on a Tennessee (3-3) in transition to third rated Texas meeting a Missouri that's dropped two straight after a 4-0 start. My sleeper game of the week? Thirteenth ranked Penn State at 5-2 Michigan (Nittany Lions notoriously play poorly in Ann Arbor).


Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse's road to redemption continues with a clash against Akron... nicknamed the Zips--I can only imagine from Stride-Rite's brand of sneaker in the late 70's and early 80's... a pre-Nike dark ages that was also populated by the likes of Etonic and Jox. After beating Orange last year there's no chance of these Zips sneaking up on SU this fall--besides, a loss means basketball season officially begins.


MARYLAND at Duke-- with coach Ralph Friedgen's crew 2-5 this game in Durham represents a must-win; especially with Virginia Tech, Florida State and Boston College on the Terps' November slate. They've been waiting to play the Blue Devils since the ACC went to divisional play in 2005... unfortunately this is not the Duke opponents have grown to know, love and rout. Thaddeus Lewis (an enviable 12-2 TD-INT ratio) can air it out like many of the quarterbacks who have hurt the Terps this fall...and one wonders when the turnovers (a league high 20 through 7 games) will subside. Terrapins tumble, 29-28.


VIRGINIA vs #11 Georgia Tech-- a fight for first in the ACC Coastal? Take that, Hokies and Hurricanes! The Yellowjackets ran for over 300 yards in last week's win over Virginia Tech... but UVa's three-man front is better suited to defend Josh Nesbitt and the triple option. Add into the equation that Georgia Tech isn't exactly stopping people this fall...and "October Surprise II--this time it's Personal!" plays for another weekend. Cavaliers come through 27-20...and propose to have all of their 2010 games moved to October.


VIRGINIA TECH takes the week off...NAVY tops Wake Forest...HOWARD slips to North Carolina A&T... William & Mary tops James Madison.


Last Week: 5-1. Overall Season: 33-14.

ProFile... calling plays or playing calls...

While the watching and waiting surrounding the status of coach Jim Zorn's troubled tenure continues... a quick look around the league...



It's a shame Denver's 6-0. Seriously... to rally past the Patriots in CBS's #1 game and then outscore San Diego on MNF---WEARING THOSE UNIFORMS? Why couldn't they have gone back to the "Orange Crush" unis worn in the later part of their AFL tenure? My rankings of classic AFL unis during their 50th anniversary celebration:

1--New England... Pat Patriot rules!


2--Buffalo... it took me about 5-10 years to get used to the red helmet switch...

3--San Diego... can it be a classic look when they've already went back to it? Make the numbers on helmets a permanent move and we're talking second place!


4--Kansas City... with the exception of the lame name "Texans"... what kept Oakland from being called the "Californians" or Denver from being the "Coloradans"? The fact that the current NFL team has the same stupid nickname is Exhibit A in the case for the league not being perfect.

5--Oakland... it takes a sharp set of eyes to pick out the silver numbers on road jerseys... clearly the best thing about the Raiders in the last 7 years.



6--Tennessee... Titans should giftwrap the name Oilers and hand delivered to Houston pronto-- though not the 60's unis but the Luv Ya Blue Logo (white helmet, red derrick)...

7--New York Jets... was anyone creeped out when the Jets dressed as the Titans took on the Titans dressed as the Oilers? Even though it was worn from 1978 to 96, I wish they went with the gang-green helmet for old time's sake.

8--Denver... brown with vertically striped socks... the only getup worse than Maroon and Black.



Road from Jacksonville to LA being paved as we speak-- California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger signs a bill allowing construction of a 75,000 seat stadium in Los Angeles.
Enjoy the Jacksonville Jaguars while you can... and be prepared for some divisional shifting...
my proposal has the Jaguars going to the NFC West...St Louis moves to the South and Carolina (with two NFC teams bracketing it in Atlanta and Washington) moves to the AFC South.


The new Skins situation-- best of luck calling plays with an offense you've only known for two weeks, Sherman Lewis... couldn't the brain trust have waited until the bye week?