The Denver Post is reporting that the Redskins are negotiating with Shannie to be the new head coach. There is no question in my mind that the Redskins are/have been looking/negotiating with head coaches out there. Especially, now that they got rid of Cerrato and brought in a new GM, they want to start moving before other jobs become open (potentially Dallas, Chicago, Buffalo, Carolina, Oakland, TB, etc.).
Shannie seems like a good guy and he certainly has made it clear that he wants to get back into coaching. Not sure how I would feel about him coming. Yesterday, with the hiring of Allen, it seemed like Gruden was the logical choice. I actually like that choice for the reasons I laid out on the previous post. Interesting to see how this all unfolds.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The circle is complete -- Bruce Allen hired as GM
Solid move. Frankly, just getting Cerrato out of there was a tremendous move.
Allen is a proven personnel guy that has built a Super Bowl winner in TB and a Super Bowl team in Oakland. He has strong ties to both the area and the Redskins. He grew up in McLean, and his father is still considered a legend in the area. George Allen coached the Redskins from 1971-77. Bruce Allen went to the University of Richmond, and his brother, George, is a former U.S. Senator from Virginia.
Having worked in Oakland, he knows how to deal with a hands on owner.
What's interesting is that Allen worked well together with Gruden in both Oakland and TB. Gruden just signed an extension to continue his run on MNF ending discussions of him coaching next season. However, we all know that he can change his mind. He was signed by NFL Network and jumped ship to go to MNF upsetting many at NFL Network. Will be interesting to see if he would be willing to jump MNF for the Redskins. I'm sure he wants to get back into coaching and he knows Allen well so will be interesting to see if he is lured back to the sidenlines in D.C.
Allen is a proven personnel guy that has built a Super Bowl winner in TB and a Super Bowl team in Oakland. He has strong ties to both the area and the Redskins. He grew up in McLean, and his father is still considered a legend in the area. George Allen coached the Redskins from 1971-77. Bruce Allen went to the University of Richmond, and his brother, George, is a former U.S. Senator from Virginia.
Having worked in Oakland, he knows how to deal with a hands on owner.
What's interesting is that Allen worked well together with Gruden in both Oakland and TB. Gruden just signed an extension to continue his run on MNF ending discussions of him coaching next season. However, we all know that he can change his mind. He was signed by NFL Network and jumped ship to go to MNF upsetting many at NFL Network. Will be interesting to see if he would be willing to jump MNF for the Redskins. I'm sure he wants to get back into coaching and he knows Allen well so will be interesting to see if he is lured back to the sidenlines in D.C.
HALLELUJAH!!!! Cerrato is OUT!
It's a Xmas miracle. I literally feel like it's a Merry Xmas, Happy Chanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa all rolled up into one being celebrated on my birthday as I lay on a beach in Hawaii chugging beer!!!! I could not be happier.
Good riddance to that guy. I hear about him being the eternal optimist and a good guy, blah, blah, blah. Bottom line is that he was terrible at his job and had the better part of 10 years to get it right. Not many people can do a shat job and stay on that long. Still, it happened and I'm elated.
Love Cerrato's statement. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great coaches such as Joe Gibbs, Greg Blache and Sherman Lewis, great people on the Redskins staff, and, most especially, some of the best professional football players in the world. I wish them all the best. I’ve also had the privilege of working for a franchise supported by the most loyal fans in the NFL.”
Love how he mentions Bingo but not JZ. It's a final jab as he walks out the door. Goodbye, crazy looking man!
The Redskins just corrected their biggest problem by 50%. Now we have to see who they hire. A clone of Cerrato acting as Snyder's yes man puppet is not what we need. It will be interesting to see who steps in. Still, we are 50% there Redskin fans!!!!
Good riddance to that guy. I hear about him being the eternal optimist and a good guy, blah, blah, blah. Bottom line is that he was terrible at his job and had the better part of 10 years to get it right. Not many people can do a shat job and stay on that long. Still, it happened and I'm elated.
Love Cerrato's statement. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great coaches such as Joe Gibbs, Greg Blache and Sherman Lewis, great people on the Redskins staff, and, most especially, some of the best professional football players in the world. I wish them all the best. I’ve also had the privilege of working for a franchise supported by the most loyal fans in the NFL.”
Love how he mentions Bingo but not JZ. It's a final jab as he walks out the door. Goodbye, crazy looking man!
The Redskins just corrected their biggest problem by 50%. Now we have to see who they hire. A clone of Cerrato acting as Snyder's yes man puppet is not what we need. It will be interesting to see who steps in. Still, we are 50% there Redskin fans!!!!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Bears Woes
Good article from the Trib.
Their 21-14 loss Sunday to the Packers not only mathematically eliminated them from the postseason and ensured their 10th non-winning season in 14 years, it was another come-from-ahead loss. The defeat marked the third time Smith's team has led entering the fourth quarter this season and wound up losing. The Bears blew a lead at Green Bay in the opener, squandered a lead to Philadelphia and also lost at Atlanta after being tied in the fourth quarter. Add in the failed last-minute drive at San Francisco last month and, yeah, this Bears' team is finished.
Smith is now 14-8 since the Super Bowl when the Bears enter the fourth quarter with the lead. And you thought the Cubs had issues with their closer. Things weren't always successful in his first three seasons, but in that stretch the Bears were 26-1 with a lead after three quarters. See a problem here? It was just one of the issues as the Bears were swept by the Packers for the first time since 2003.
Here are 10 more issues coming out of the game, ones that there will not necessarily be answers for in the final three weeks.
1. Penalties. The Bears were called for 13 of them for 109 yards, the most yards a Smith team has been penalized in his tenure. The 13 penalties is tied for the second-most in his six seasons. The Bears have not been very disciplined with nine penalties or more in five games. Smith says the penalties have not been an issue, but he's missing the mark here. Chris Williams' facemask penalty wiped out a pass to Matt Forte that would have moved the offense into Green Bay territory late in the fourth quarter. A holding penalty by Frank Omiyale negated a 21-yard scramble by Jay Cutler on third-and-11 in the first quarter. What's worse? The Packers entered as the most penalized team in the league, and they had four penalties for 30 yards.
2. Slow starts. It has been fashionable to beat up the offense for the slow starts and the big holes the Bears have found themselves in this season, but Ryan Grant's 62-yard touchdown run on the Packers' first play from scrimmage marked the sixth time an opponent has scored on its first possession. The defense isn't coming out ready. Sometimes the offense has a wrinkle the Bears were not expecting. Whatever the case, Smith's team isn't ready to play.
3. Two timeouts, one challenge, no excuse. Smith called the two timeouts lost late in the fourth quarter two different situations, but it was one big mess for the challenged in-game manager. He said the first timeout was needed because the Bears weren't ready. Then, the coaches in the booth must have seen the replays of Greg Olsen's non-catch and decided challenging the play was a good idea, exposing the Bears to lose a second timeout. Here's the biggest problem with that ill-conceived challenge: the principle the Bears were challenging on the Olsen play was the same one used when referee Mike Carey ruled a pass in the end zone to Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings was incomplete because he didn't control the ball to the ground.
4. Decisions, decisions. The play that turned the game came early in the fourth quarter when Cutler faced a corner blitz from Tramon Williams and floated up a pass toward Johnny Knox along the sideline. The ball never got close to Knox and safety Nick Collins intercepted to set up the Packers' go-ahead touchdown. There were other instances when Cutler didn't look to be on the same page as his receivers. Eventually, he's got to make plays in crunch time for his team.
5. Wale World. Remember last week when Adewale Ogunleye said it didn't look like Packers right tackle Mark Tauscher was in shape yet? Tommie Harris got a coverage sack and Lance Briggs had a sack and Ogunleye missed playing against Allen Barbre.
6. Safety dance. What are the chances the Bears change starting safeties this week? Strong safety Kevin Payne took a bad angle on Grant's long touchdown run, putting himself completely out of position to make a play. When Payne erred in the opener at Green Bay on Jennings' game-winning, 50-yard touchdown pass, he lost his job. Smith has changed starting free safeties 19 times since taking over. He has swapped out starting strong safeties 17 times.
7. It's about the carries. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner preached last week that it's about the carries. If the numbers add up by the end of the game, usually it's a good thing. Cutler threw 36 times and Matt Forte carried 12 times. He gained 51 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Seems that maybe he could have called for more carries. Or is it not about the carries?
8. Lost season. Greg Olsen now has 51 receptions, but for the sixth time this season he had three catches or less. He was supposed to have a breakout season with Cutler and now he might not have 600 receiving yards as he sits at 51 catches for 463 yards with three games to play. Olsen was a first-round draft pick, but he's not doing anything Desmond Clark couldn't have done earlier in his career if he was utilized a little more.
9. Look on the bright side. The Vikings are talking about potentially securing the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs before their Dec. 28 game at Soldier Field. It's a Monday night matchup, so all of the week's action will be complete. If Minnesota is locked into that spot, maybe the Vikings rest some key players in the final game of the season at Soldier Field.
10. Numbers game. The Baltimore Ravens opened as a 10-point favorite for Sunday's game at M&T Bank Stadium. That's if you care about such stuff.
Time for purge and replacement. Bears offense is a mess. The D is getting older. The coaches are lost. They don't have early draft picks.
Good luck, Bear fan.
Their 21-14 loss Sunday to the Packers not only mathematically eliminated them from the postseason and ensured their 10th non-winning season in 14 years, it was another come-from-ahead loss. The defeat marked the third time Smith's team has led entering the fourth quarter this season and wound up losing. The Bears blew a lead at Green Bay in the opener, squandered a lead to Philadelphia and also lost at Atlanta after being tied in the fourth quarter. Add in the failed last-minute drive at San Francisco last month and, yeah, this Bears' team is finished.
Smith is now 14-8 since the Super Bowl when the Bears enter the fourth quarter with the lead. And you thought the Cubs had issues with their closer. Things weren't always successful in his first three seasons, but in that stretch the Bears were 26-1 with a lead after three quarters. See a problem here? It was just one of the issues as the Bears were swept by the Packers for the first time since 2003.
Here are 10 more issues coming out of the game, ones that there will not necessarily be answers for in the final three weeks.
1. Penalties. The Bears were called for 13 of them for 109 yards, the most yards a Smith team has been penalized in his tenure. The 13 penalties is tied for the second-most in his six seasons. The Bears have not been very disciplined with nine penalties or more in five games. Smith says the penalties have not been an issue, but he's missing the mark here. Chris Williams' facemask penalty wiped out a pass to Matt Forte that would have moved the offense into Green Bay territory late in the fourth quarter. A holding penalty by Frank Omiyale negated a 21-yard scramble by Jay Cutler on third-and-11 in the first quarter. What's worse? The Packers entered as the most penalized team in the league, and they had four penalties for 30 yards.
2. Slow starts. It has been fashionable to beat up the offense for the slow starts and the big holes the Bears have found themselves in this season, but Ryan Grant's 62-yard touchdown run on the Packers' first play from scrimmage marked the sixth time an opponent has scored on its first possession. The defense isn't coming out ready. Sometimes the offense has a wrinkle the Bears were not expecting. Whatever the case, Smith's team isn't ready to play.
3. Two timeouts, one challenge, no excuse. Smith called the two timeouts lost late in the fourth quarter two different situations, but it was one big mess for the challenged in-game manager. He said the first timeout was needed because the Bears weren't ready. Then, the coaches in the booth must have seen the replays of Greg Olsen's non-catch and decided challenging the play was a good idea, exposing the Bears to lose a second timeout. Here's the biggest problem with that ill-conceived challenge: the principle the Bears were challenging on the Olsen play was the same one used when referee Mike Carey ruled a pass in the end zone to Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings was incomplete because he didn't control the ball to the ground.
4. Decisions, decisions. The play that turned the game came early in the fourth quarter when Cutler faced a corner blitz from Tramon Williams and floated up a pass toward Johnny Knox along the sideline. The ball never got close to Knox and safety Nick Collins intercepted to set up the Packers' go-ahead touchdown. There were other instances when Cutler didn't look to be on the same page as his receivers. Eventually, he's got to make plays in crunch time for his team.
5. Wale World. Remember last week when Adewale Ogunleye said it didn't look like Packers right tackle Mark Tauscher was in shape yet? Tommie Harris got a coverage sack and Lance Briggs had a sack and Ogunleye missed playing against Allen Barbre.
6. Safety dance. What are the chances the Bears change starting safeties this week? Strong safety Kevin Payne took a bad angle on Grant's long touchdown run, putting himself completely out of position to make a play. When Payne erred in the opener at Green Bay on Jennings' game-winning, 50-yard touchdown pass, he lost his job. Smith has changed starting free safeties 19 times since taking over. He has swapped out starting strong safeties 17 times.
7. It's about the carries. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner preached last week that it's about the carries. If the numbers add up by the end of the game, usually it's a good thing. Cutler threw 36 times and Matt Forte carried 12 times. He gained 51 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Seems that maybe he could have called for more carries. Or is it not about the carries?
8. Lost season. Greg Olsen now has 51 receptions, but for the sixth time this season he had three catches or less. He was supposed to have a breakout season with Cutler and now he might not have 600 receiving yards as he sits at 51 catches for 463 yards with three games to play. Olsen was a first-round draft pick, but he's not doing anything Desmond Clark couldn't have done earlier in his career if he was utilized a little more.
9. Look on the bright side. The Vikings are talking about potentially securing the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs before their Dec. 28 game at Soldier Field. It's a Monday night matchup, so all of the week's action will be complete. If Minnesota is locked into that spot, maybe the Vikings rest some key players in the final game of the season at Soldier Field.
10. Numbers game. The Baltimore Ravens opened as a 10-point favorite for Sunday's game at M&T Bank Stadium. That's if you care about such stuff.
Time for purge and replacement. Bears offense is a mess. The D is getting older. The coaches are lost. They don't have early draft picks.
Good luck, Bear fan.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Redskins coach
Seeing how the team is playing completely different than it did at the beginning of the year, the thought creeps in whether we should actually keep this coaching staff intact.
Zorn appeared like a lame duck coach a few weeks ago but we have been making good progress each week and finally seem to be playing like the team I thought they would be. At this point, I still think he will get fired. However, if we finish strong, I would like to see him back. I feel like we are finally starting to build something positive here and would hate to fire him/his system and take steps back in hopes of taking a step forward.
The other thought that comes into my head is that should Zorn get fired, would it make sense to hire Bingo as coach? Bingo is a long time coordinator and was once thought of highly as head coaching material but never got his chance. The offense has certainly been MUCH better under his playcalling. We wouldn't have to change systems and he would have some familiarity with the players, surroundings, and routines so there wouldn't be too much new to learn.
I think the rest of the season will help determine what happens in the offseason but it should be interesting.
Zorn appeared like a lame duck coach a few weeks ago but we have been making good progress each week and finally seem to be playing like the team I thought they would be. At this point, I still think he will get fired. However, if we finish strong, I would like to see him back. I feel like we are finally starting to build something positive here and would hate to fire him/his system and take steps back in hopes of taking a step forward.
The other thought that comes into my head is that should Zorn get fired, would it make sense to hire Bingo as coach? Bingo is a long time coordinator and was once thought of highly as head coaching material but never got his chance. The offense has certainly been MUCH better under his playcalling. We wouldn't have to change systems and he would have some familiarity with the players, surroundings, and routines so there wouldn't be too much new to learn.
I think the rest of the season will help determine what happens in the offseason but it should be interesting.
Skins roll up on the Raiders!
Great performance yesterday. I know it is the Raiders but we have had our own struggles this year and to beat the Raiders who had beaten the Eagles, Steelers, and Bengals at their place is still big.
The Skins have played much better over the last 5 and half weeks (starting with the second half of the Falcon game). Honestly, we look like a different team. What's even better is that we have nothing really to play for but the fact that these guys come out there and play hard is a testament to these players and coaches.
Here are my thoughts on the game:
1. Defense was MUCH more aggressive. I suppose the plan was to apply heavy pressure because we were stacking the line early and often. That led to 8 sacks with Orakpo in on 4 of them. He had a monster game. Still, the pressure resulted in them getting some bigger plays because the secondary had to be thinned out. Still, we made adjustments at halftime and pretty much shut them out.
2. I liked Landry playing closer to the line. Have to give credit to Scott and Deepie who I think both have said previously that Landry should be the SS. It's apparent this is where he is best suited. He isn't so much a ball hawk or open field tackler (both of these skills needed in the FS position). He is more of a guy that can provide the safety blitz and serve as almost another LB that can shed through blocks and make tackles with the occasional dropping back into pass coverage.
3. JC had another very good game. Another 100+ rating. He continues to impress not just with his passing but his ability to avoid pressure and then make the play. I have always been a JC supporter and would love to see him get rewarded. I certainly think he is deserving of it and definitely believe he is an NFL starting QB.
4. Once again, like that the young WRs are making plays. Fred Davis had another good game catching 2 TD passes. He seems to have really buckled down and is maturing and his play on the field is supporting that. Also, like that Thomas seems to be firming his role up as the #2 WR. He seems like a guy that can certainly spark the offense and make some big plays. Kelly chipped in with a catch or two. JC said that there are plays now designed for those guys so it's good to see that we are actually letting them play and utilizing them.
5. Randle El is useless as the punt returner. I have no idea what the fascination is with him back there but enough already. He can't run and now he can't even catch the punts. Please replace him!
6. New kicker seemed solid. His kickoffs were high and deep and he made a couple of FGs so good for him.
7. Coaching - have to hand it to JZ for keeping this team motivated. It would be very easy for them to lay down and quit given all that has taken place this year but they seem more prepared and focused than at any point during the year. Glad to see they still have fight in them.
8. Playcalling - very good. Again, nice mix of run and pass and very good job of distribution. Everyone is getting their hands on the ball. Over the last several weeks, the offense is now averaging around 350 yards/game and 24+ points/game. I suppose Bingo can call more than just numbers.
All in all, a very solid performance and entertaining game. Sure, we aren't playing for anything but with home games against the Giants and the Cowboys in the next two weeks we can play spoiler to two divisional rivals trying hard to get into the playoffs. Should be fun.
The Skins have played much better over the last 5 and half weeks (starting with the second half of the Falcon game). Honestly, we look like a different team. What's even better is that we have nothing really to play for but the fact that these guys come out there and play hard is a testament to these players and coaches.
Here are my thoughts on the game:
1. Defense was MUCH more aggressive. I suppose the plan was to apply heavy pressure because we were stacking the line early and often. That led to 8 sacks with Orakpo in on 4 of them. He had a monster game. Still, the pressure resulted in them getting some bigger plays because the secondary had to be thinned out. Still, we made adjustments at halftime and pretty much shut them out.
2. I liked Landry playing closer to the line. Have to give credit to Scott and Deepie who I think both have said previously that Landry should be the SS. It's apparent this is where he is best suited. He isn't so much a ball hawk or open field tackler (both of these skills needed in the FS position). He is more of a guy that can provide the safety blitz and serve as almost another LB that can shed through blocks and make tackles with the occasional dropping back into pass coverage.
3. JC had another very good game. Another 100+ rating. He continues to impress not just with his passing but his ability to avoid pressure and then make the play. I have always been a JC supporter and would love to see him get rewarded. I certainly think he is deserving of it and definitely believe he is an NFL starting QB.
4. Once again, like that the young WRs are making plays. Fred Davis had another good game catching 2 TD passes. He seems to have really buckled down and is maturing and his play on the field is supporting that. Also, like that Thomas seems to be firming his role up as the #2 WR. He seems like a guy that can certainly spark the offense and make some big plays. Kelly chipped in with a catch or two. JC said that there are plays now designed for those guys so it's good to see that we are actually letting them play and utilizing them.
5. Randle El is useless as the punt returner. I have no idea what the fascination is with him back there but enough already. He can't run and now he can't even catch the punts. Please replace him!
6. New kicker seemed solid. His kickoffs were high and deep and he made a couple of FGs so good for him.
7. Coaching - have to hand it to JZ for keeping this team motivated. It would be very easy for them to lay down and quit given all that has taken place this year but they seem more prepared and focused than at any point during the year. Glad to see they still have fight in them.
8. Playcalling - very good. Again, nice mix of run and pass and very good job of distribution. Everyone is getting their hands on the ball. Over the last several weeks, the offense is now averaging around 350 yards/game and 24+ points/game. I suppose Bingo can call more than just numbers.
All in all, a very solid performance and entertaining game. Sure, we aren't playing for anything but with home games against the Giants and the Cowboys in the next two weeks we can play spoiler to two divisional rivals trying hard to get into the playoffs. Should be fun.
Osakpo is a Beast!
Great game by Osakpo yesterday. Skins D had sacks with Orakpo in on 4 of them. He is certainly making a case for rookie of the year. He has 11 on the year tying him with fellow Redskin Andre Carter as fourth overall in the league.
Would love to see him as a DE as opposed to LB.
Would love to see him as a DE as opposed to LB.
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