It's happening. The guy is a malcontent and a crybaby. In the Card game And Jay George took a 15-yard penalty for arguing with officials and then questioned his team’s internal makeup afterward.
That’s right. Quarterback Cutler was asked if the Bears have a chemistry and leadership problem after their 41-21 loss to Arizona. Cutler response: “I don’t know. We’ll see.” Apparently he was heard muttering as he left the podium. This guy is a loser.
I can appreciate his desire to win but if things don't go his way or he doesn't get his way, he doesn't want to play ball.
The thing is I'm sure he will take heat for his penalty and comments this week in Chi Town. Talk radio will have a field day with him, Tommie Harris, and the Bears play in general. I'm sure that will only want him to say "F U!" even more. It's coming.
The worst thing that can happen today is if Orton comes out and has a stellar game against the Steelers. That will only add to the fire.
Grossman was broken because of these fans. He seemed to lose his charisma and confidence in his abilities. Cutler will make sure he goes out with a bang and challenge everyone in Chicago to a fight before he leaves.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Redskins lose to Falcons
I didn't expect to win this game and as I have mentioned, I prefer to lose the rest of our games so that it increases the likelihood for needed change. However, I just don't want to be embarrassed and I want to see guys compete and not just lay down. That said, here are my thoughts:
1. The first half was a complete embarrassment. In particular, I was disgusted with the penalties we took. A Falcon 4th and 1, we jump offsides for a first down. A Falcon 4th and 4 and they punt, we jump offsides resulting in a Falcon 1st down. A Falcon 3rd and I believe 15 they throw and incomplete pass but we are called for roughing the passer resulting in an automatic 1st down (I actually didn't agree with that call but that doesn't matter). Those are three drives that we allowed to continue because of undisciplined penalties.
The O line was worse than it ever has been. Allowed 5 sacks and I believe 4 in the first half. A couple of them were allowed when the Falcons were only rushing 3 guys. That's pathetic even for these guys. It's like these guys are just getting worse.
First half was just a complete and utter embarrassment. Again, I was not watching this game thinking we were going to win but the lack of effort was embarrassing to me as a fan.
2. Laron Landry - just a very disappointing effort on his part. I'm fine with Landry and think he has a ton of talent and can be a very good player but his effort yesterday was VERY poor. The hit out of bounds yesterday may have been frustration but it was just a dumb penalty. You have to know the QB is going out of bounds and he still tried to give him a shot. Just dumb. On multiple occasions, he took bad angles and put himself in poor position to make a play. His non hit on Turner that led to his long TD was ridiculous. When I watched the replay, I was thinking about how he tried to hit Jacobs last year and was bowled over. Maybe he was thinking of that and just decided to go for the ankles but any semi decent player will just sidestep or jump over him and he takes himself completely out of the play. There is a reason why you are called Safety and that is because you are the last line of defense and the safety net. You have to be able to make those tackles. Just a poor effort and poor technique. Landry has done that a couple of times throughout the year and I know he is a young guy that looks for that impact hit but he just needs to settle down and play within himself and the defense. I am confident that he will be a good player so I am not too down on the guy. He just needs to mature. Still, yesterday's effort was very poor. I will give him credit for the one great play on the Falcon RB on the 3rd and short where he came up, fought off the stiff arm, and made the tackle short of the first down. Outside of that play, he was pretty useless.
3. Another point on the lack of effort and Landry's unsportsman like play - after he did it, D. Hall came over and tried to get Landry out of there and ended up jawing with a lot of the Falcons and even their coach. I don't like Landry's play. It was dumb but he did it and when all the Falcons jumped all over D. Hall, I would have liked to have seen some of the Redskins get in there and mix it up. I'm not saying fight but defend your player. Show some heart. Show some toughness. Show some attitude. It's par for the course, we will just take it and not show any emotion.
Again, I don't condone that play and prefer it to not have taken place but it did and I know good teams when one of their own is in a scuffle, the rest of the team will get in there and defend that player. Didn't like that we just didn't do anythign about it.
4. Second half - completely different than the first half. We played well. We dominated that half, particularly the third quarter. Honestly, it was probably the best I had seen the Skins play all year. The line held up pretty well, the play calling was good, and the execution was good. We scored a TD when we were in the red zone and we did it on a 4th and short at the goal line and we just sent Betts up the middle on the run. Loved the call. Loved that we didn't get cute or do some kind of stretch run but just sent it up the gut. Loved that the defense stepped up on the ensuing Falcon drive and sent them 3 and out. Our offense came back and marched down the field again and we scored another TD in the red zone to start the 4th quarter. Again, it was pretty exciting football for a while. We looked like a different team. We had 10 penalties in the game 7 in the first half. I believe we gave up 5 sacks in the game and 4 in the first half. Apparently the coaches got in the players faces at halftime and let them have it. While it was great to see the total change in attitude and play, why did it have to take an entire first half and a yelling at halftime to get these guys going? It is bothersome that they couldn't come out and play that way from the get go.
5. Defense - was pretty happy with them. The Falcons had given up only 9 sacks all year but we were able to get Ryan 3 times and had good pressure on the guy. All in all it wasn't a bad performance by the defense. Where we really failed was on the stupid penalties that kept drives alive and then for the second consecutive game, we gave up a couple of big plays that proved to be the difference. That comes down to a couple of individuals totally blowing their assignments and allowing the big play to happen. It wasn't a great defensive performance but I feel pretty good about this group in general.
6. Playcalling. In the third quarter, I thought we were just hitting on all cylinders. I liked the playcalling. We did some misdirectional stuff and I like the playaction rolling out play to Davis. I like the WR screen to Moss. I like the end around to Moss (same play Desean Jackson ran for the long TD against us). I like them because we get the ball into our playmakers hands but also because we know we don't have an O line to buy JC much time so these plays get the ball out quickly and allow our playmakers to do something. I really didn't like the 4th and short call in the 4th quarter. Instead of just running up the gut. We got cute and had Sellars run all the way behind the line (ran from left to right) but got chipped as he was running and wasn't able to get separation. Don't mind a pass play but that play takes too long to develop and just didn't seem like a high probability for success. We didn't get the first down and the pretty much ended the game.
7. JC - I still like the guy. I think he can play. I feel badly for him because he has to feel like every play he is going to get hit. It makes it very hard to do your job when you don't have confidence in your line. I imagine it is like sitting at your office desk and every now and then somebody is going to blow an air horn from behind you. Even when he doesn't blow it, you will be on edge because you know it is coming. The other thing I REALLY liked about JC this week was he was decisive when he was going to run the ball. He had a few really nice runs where he got significant yardage. JZ and JC have both been saying much of the year that he needs to get better at that and he did a good job with that yesterday. His numbers were solid and I still would love to see JC play behind a decent line with a solid running game. I really feel like he could be a good player in this league.
There were some positives but again I was thoroughly embarrassed in the first half. I was disappointed with every part of our team in that first half. Players were executing, they were making dumb mistakes, and the coaches didn't seem to have them prepared or motivated to even come out and play. That is a HUGE issue. It took the first half and a yelling at halftime to get them going. That is unacceptable and that is where I have the bigger problems with yesterday's game.
1. The first half was a complete embarrassment. In particular, I was disgusted with the penalties we took. A Falcon 4th and 1, we jump offsides for a first down. A Falcon 4th and 4 and they punt, we jump offsides resulting in a Falcon 1st down. A Falcon 3rd and I believe 15 they throw and incomplete pass but we are called for roughing the passer resulting in an automatic 1st down (I actually didn't agree with that call but that doesn't matter). Those are three drives that we allowed to continue because of undisciplined penalties.
The O line was worse than it ever has been. Allowed 5 sacks and I believe 4 in the first half. A couple of them were allowed when the Falcons were only rushing 3 guys. That's pathetic even for these guys. It's like these guys are just getting worse.
First half was just a complete and utter embarrassment. Again, I was not watching this game thinking we were going to win but the lack of effort was embarrassing to me as a fan.
2. Laron Landry - just a very disappointing effort on his part. I'm fine with Landry and think he has a ton of talent and can be a very good player but his effort yesterday was VERY poor. The hit out of bounds yesterday may have been frustration but it was just a dumb penalty. You have to know the QB is going out of bounds and he still tried to give him a shot. Just dumb. On multiple occasions, he took bad angles and put himself in poor position to make a play. His non hit on Turner that led to his long TD was ridiculous. When I watched the replay, I was thinking about how he tried to hit Jacobs last year and was bowled over. Maybe he was thinking of that and just decided to go for the ankles but any semi decent player will just sidestep or jump over him and he takes himself completely out of the play. There is a reason why you are called Safety and that is because you are the last line of defense and the safety net. You have to be able to make those tackles. Just a poor effort and poor technique. Landry has done that a couple of times throughout the year and I know he is a young guy that looks for that impact hit but he just needs to settle down and play within himself and the defense. I am confident that he will be a good player so I am not too down on the guy. He just needs to mature. Still, yesterday's effort was very poor. I will give him credit for the one great play on the Falcon RB on the 3rd and short where he came up, fought off the stiff arm, and made the tackle short of the first down. Outside of that play, he was pretty useless.
3. Another point on the lack of effort and Landry's unsportsman like play - after he did it, D. Hall came over and tried to get Landry out of there and ended up jawing with a lot of the Falcons and even their coach. I don't like Landry's play. It was dumb but he did it and when all the Falcons jumped all over D. Hall, I would have liked to have seen some of the Redskins get in there and mix it up. I'm not saying fight but defend your player. Show some heart. Show some toughness. Show some attitude. It's par for the course, we will just take it and not show any emotion.
Again, I don't condone that play and prefer it to not have taken place but it did and I know good teams when one of their own is in a scuffle, the rest of the team will get in there and defend that player. Didn't like that we just didn't do anythign about it.
4. Second half - completely different than the first half. We played well. We dominated that half, particularly the third quarter. Honestly, it was probably the best I had seen the Skins play all year. The line held up pretty well, the play calling was good, and the execution was good. We scored a TD when we were in the red zone and we did it on a 4th and short at the goal line and we just sent Betts up the middle on the run. Loved the call. Loved that we didn't get cute or do some kind of stretch run but just sent it up the gut. Loved that the defense stepped up on the ensuing Falcon drive and sent them 3 and out. Our offense came back and marched down the field again and we scored another TD in the red zone to start the 4th quarter. Again, it was pretty exciting football for a while. We looked like a different team. We had 10 penalties in the game 7 in the first half. I believe we gave up 5 sacks in the game and 4 in the first half. Apparently the coaches got in the players faces at halftime and let them have it. While it was great to see the total change in attitude and play, why did it have to take an entire first half and a yelling at halftime to get these guys going? It is bothersome that they couldn't come out and play that way from the get go.
5. Defense - was pretty happy with them. The Falcons had given up only 9 sacks all year but we were able to get Ryan 3 times and had good pressure on the guy. All in all it wasn't a bad performance by the defense. Where we really failed was on the stupid penalties that kept drives alive and then for the second consecutive game, we gave up a couple of big plays that proved to be the difference. That comes down to a couple of individuals totally blowing their assignments and allowing the big play to happen. It wasn't a great defensive performance but I feel pretty good about this group in general.
6. Playcalling. In the third quarter, I thought we were just hitting on all cylinders. I liked the playcalling. We did some misdirectional stuff and I like the playaction rolling out play to Davis. I like the WR screen to Moss. I like the end around to Moss (same play Desean Jackson ran for the long TD against us). I like them because we get the ball into our playmakers hands but also because we know we don't have an O line to buy JC much time so these plays get the ball out quickly and allow our playmakers to do something. I really didn't like the 4th and short call in the 4th quarter. Instead of just running up the gut. We got cute and had Sellars run all the way behind the line (ran from left to right) but got chipped as he was running and wasn't able to get separation. Don't mind a pass play but that play takes too long to develop and just didn't seem like a high probability for success. We didn't get the first down and the pretty much ended the game.
7. JC - I still like the guy. I think he can play. I feel badly for him because he has to feel like every play he is going to get hit. It makes it very hard to do your job when you don't have confidence in your line. I imagine it is like sitting at your office desk and every now and then somebody is going to blow an air horn from behind you. Even when he doesn't blow it, you will be on edge because you know it is coming. The other thing I REALLY liked about JC this week was he was decisive when he was going to run the ball. He had a few really nice runs where he got significant yardage. JZ and JC have both been saying much of the year that he needs to get better at that and he did a good job with that yesterday. His numbers were solid and I still would love to see JC play behind a decent line with a solid running game. I really feel like he could be a good player in this league.
There were some positives but again I was thoroughly embarrassed in the first half. I was disappointed with every part of our team in that first half. Players were executing, they were making dumb mistakes, and the coaches didn't seem to have them prepared or motivated to even come out and play. That is a HUGE issue. It took the first half and a yelling at halftime to get them going. That is unacceptable and that is where I have the bigger problems with yesterday's game.
Groh is gone
UVA is terrible. They were embarrassed by Miami on Saturday and it all but sealed Groh's fate. Last week, UVA's AD said that Groh would be evaluated at the end of the season and that pretty much is the PC way of saying that he will be fired. Groh did nothing to help his cause with the beating they took against the Canes.
UVA has lost 10 of 13 starting with an overtime defeat to Miami last season. The Cavaliers were outgained 515-149 on Saturday and looked completely overmatched.
If you are a UVA fan, it's probably exciting that change will be coming and hopefully they make a good pick to be their next coach. Still, whoever it is, can't be much worse than Groh.
UVA has lost 10 of 13 starting with an overtime defeat to Miami last season. The Cavaliers were outgained 515-149 on Saturday and looked completely overmatched.
If you are a UVA fan, it's probably exciting that change will be coming and hopefully they make a good pick to be their next coach. Still, whoever it is, can't be much worse than Groh.
JMU wins
It's been a disappointing season but the Dukes made it two in a row and improved to 4-5. The loss of Dudzik changed the complexion of the entire season but it looks like redshirt freshman Justin Thorpe is getting some good experience and finally showing what he will be capable of in a couple of years.
Thorpe (had 216 total yards of offense in the JMU victory. He completed nine of 13 pass attempts for 133 yards and a score while also rushing 17 times for a net of 83 yards and a score. I'm confident the guy will develop and given the state of the season, it's good that he gets a chance to learn.
Hopefully we can finish out the season strong.
Thorpe (had 216 total yards of offense in the JMU victory. He completed nine of 13 pass attempts for 133 yards and a score while also rushing 17 times for a net of 83 yards and a score. I'm confident the guy will develop and given the state of the season, it's good that he gets a chance to learn.
Hopefully we can finish out the season strong.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Blache to the Rescue!
Breaking his media silence, Greg Blache spoke up and defended Danny Boy after hearing about Riggo's ranting.
"This is a man I've known for six years, since I've been here," Blache said. "And in the six years, I've never seen John Riggins here. I met him once at the Beach Blitz down in Virginia Beach -- never seen him in the building. So, to hear such a vicious criticism of somebody I consider not just my employer, but a good friend, bothered me."
Blache cited Snyder's charity work and his dealings with Blache and Blache's wife.
"We've had criticisms from people outside the building saying who Dan Snyder is and who he isn't," Blache said. "They don't know Dan Snyder and that's the problem. Trust me because he and I, we work together. I'm not going to tell you that this is a utopia. There are no utopias in football, and there are no utopias in life. At the same time, enough is enough. Every story, there is one person's side, another person's side, and then behind it all there is a third side and it's the truth.
"I just felt like it was time for somebody to come and throw a little truth out there," Blache said. "We keep hearing these other sides, these other factions, and to be quite candid, the third side -- the truth -- is that this person, all he wants to do is win. That's all he wants to do. He will spend his money, he will spend his time, he wants to win, he is here for the people, for the fans, for the Washington Redskins.
"Nobody pains more when we are unsuccessful than Dan Snyder. There is nobody that cares more about the fans than Dan Snyder. There is nobody that wants to win here, more than Dan Snyder. I just think that it's time to put out there, for you guys to understand, that everything that is wrong with this organization is not Dan Snyder."
Blache is a guy that stood by his players, his head coach, and now his owner. I don't doubt Snyder's commitment to wanting to win and feeling genuinely sick at our record. However, it really starts with Snyder and if he truly wants a winner, he has to change some of the fundamental ways he is conducting his business.
"This is a man I've known for six years, since I've been here," Blache said. "And in the six years, I've never seen John Riggins here. I met him once at the Beach Blitz down in Virginia Beach -- never seen him in the building. So, to hear such a vicious criticism of somebody I consider not just my employer, but a good friend, bothered me."
Blache cited Snyder's charity work and his dealings with Blache and Blache's wife.
"We've had criticisms from people outside the building saying who Dan Snyder is and who he isn't," Blache said. "They don't know Dan Snyder and that's the problem. Trust me because he and I, we work together. I'm not going to tell you that this is a utopia. There are no utopias in football, and there are no utopias in life. At the same time, enough is enough. Every story, there is one person's side, another person's side, and then behind it all there is a third side and it's the truth.
"I just felt like it was time for somebody to come and throw a little truth out there," Blache said. "We keep hearing these other sides, these other factions, and to be quite candid, the third side -- the truth -- is that this person, all he wants to do is win. That's all he wants to do. He will spend his money, he will spend his time, he wants to win, he is here for the people, for the fans, for the Washington Redskins.
"Nobody pains more when we are unsuccessful than Dan Snyder. There is nobody that cares more about the fans than Dan Snyder. There is nobody that wants to win here, more than Dan Snyder. I just think that it's time to put out there, for you guys to understand, that everything that is wrong with this organization is not Dan Snyder."
Blache is a guy that stood by his players, his head coach, and now his owner. I don't doubt Snyder's commitment to wanting to win and feeling genuinely sick at our record. However, it really starts with Snyder and if he truly wants a winner, he has to change some of the fundamental ways he is conducting his business.
Riggins calls Snyder a "bad guy."
In an interview with JB that will air on Showtime's Inside the NFL, John Riggins says the following:
John Riggins: "...this is a bad guy (Snyder) that owns this team. I'll just tell you that upfront. Bad guy. And if the Commissioner is worried about potential new owners and saying some of these guys shouldn't apply, he might want to police his own inside guys...."
Brown: "Why is he a bad guy?"
Riggins: "Because his business practices, I think. I don't want to say they are unethical, but I don't think it's a place, a climate that is created there where people can be successful. It's driven all by his ego and everything has to come from him. And I just don't think you can be successful in those situations and when you are dealing with someone with the mindset of a child and yet owns a franchise in the NFL. I think you have some problems there."
Cris Collinsworth: "We are talking about Daniel Snyder . Are you saying in some way he is unethical? Because I have dealt with him in the past and I have never sensed anything close to that. Or are you saying he has made bad decisions on the football side as an owner? Or what is specifically the issue?"
Riggins: "I am saying that I don't think that this franchise can be successful where you have people saying, 'Oh, this person Dan Snyder wants to win. He wants to win.' It's all about priorities. 'What's my priorities? The priority is it's all about me. I have to have my needs met, then I want to make money, and those are one and two, and then I want to win. You can see by the decisions that are made....I don't know if you have agreed with anything I am saying so far, but at this point, I would think you would say, 'Yeah, I'll go along with that.' This person knows nothing about football, absolutely nothing. I don't think they have a clue how a football team comes together, how it works. And yet they are the ones that are basically calling all the shots through a puppet, which is Vinny Cerrato. That is my take on it....I speak for the fans because these are the people that paid my salary for all these years. They are the ones that need to know that this is a bad guy."
Collinsworth: "There is a fine line between being a bad guy and a bad GM, if you will. Are you saying a bad guy as in the NFL needs to take a look at this?"
Riggins: "Let me put it to you this way, Cris, this person's heart is dark."
Riggins is a legend in this town but he is a clown. I don't think Snyder is much of an owner. He meddles too much and has made a number of questionable football decisions but he has done a great amount of charitable work. I think it is a bit silly for Riggins to say Snyder has a dark heart and is just a bad person. I don't know either of them but Riggins never really gave any specifics when Collinsworth asked him. Again, Snyder seems to be a bad owner but seems to go a little overboard calling him a bad person. Riggo is just a clown.
I am more inclined to go with a guy like B-Mitch who is highly critical of Snyder and Cerrato for their football decisions but recognizes there is a line between a person's professional life and personal life. He thanked Snyder for being included in the Redskins Ring of Fame and when the crowd started booing Snyder when Mitchell said his name, Mitchell told them not to boo.
John Riggins: "...this is a bad guy (Snyder) that owns this team. I'll just tell you that upfront. Bad guy. And if the Commissioner is worried about potential new owners and saying some of these guys shouldn't apply, he might want to police his own inside guys...."
Brown: "Why is he a bad guy?"
Riggins: "Because his business practices, I think. I don't want to say they are unethical, but I don't think it's a place, a climate that is created there where people can be successful. It's driven all by his ego and everything has to come from him. And I just don't think you can be successful in those situations and when you are dealing with someone with the mindset of a child and yet owns a franchise in the NFL. I think you have some problems there."
Cris Collinsworth: "We are talking about Daniel Snyder . Are you saying in some way he is unethical? Because I have dealt with him in the past and I have never sensed anything close to that. Or are you saying he has made bad decisions on the football side as an owner? Or what is specifically the issue?"
Riggins: "I am saying that I don't think that this franchise can be successful where you have people saying, 'Oh, this person Dan Snyder wants to win. He wants to win.' It's all about priorities. 'What's my priorities? The priority is it's all about me. I have to have my needs met, then I want to make money, and those are one and two, and then I want to win. You can see by the decisions that are made....I don't know if you have agreed with anything I am saying so far, but at this point, I would think you would say, 'Yeah, I'll go along with that.' This person knows nothing about football, absolutely nothing. I don't think they have a clue how a football team comes together, how it works. And yet they are the ones that are basically calling all the shots through a puppet, which is Vinny Cerrato. That is my take on it....I speak for the fans because these are the people that paid my salary for all these years. They are the ones that need to know that this is a bad guy."
Collinsworth: "There is a fine line between being a bad guy and a bad GM, if you will. Are you saying a bad guy as in the NFL needs to take a look at this?"
Riggins: "Let me put it to you this way, Cris, this person's heart is dark."
Riggins is a legend in this town but he is a clown. I don't think Snyder is much of an owner. He meddles too much and has made a number of questionable football decisions but he has done a great amount of charitable work. I think it is a bit silly for Riggins to say Snyder has a dark heart and is just a bad person. I don't know either of them but Riggins never really gave any specifics when Collinsworth asked him. Again, Snyder seems to be a bad owner but seems to go a little overboard calling him a bad person. Riggo is just a clown.
I am more inclined to go with a guy like B-Mitch who is highly critical of Snyder and Cerrato for their football decisions but recognizes there is a line between a person's professional life and personal life. He thanked Snyder for being included in the Redskins Ring of Fame and when the crowd started booing Snyder when Mitchell said his name, Mitchell told them not to boo.
Fred Davis
So the guy had a rough early start to his career but in his first opportunity at extended playing time did very well against the Eagles. He had a very good day receiving but struggled blocking.
He has put good work in the weight room and strengthened his body but his technique is poor. Davis deserves credit for staying at Redskin Park during the bye week and working with coaches for a few hours each day on his blocking technique.
I will say that that says a lot about the guy who is a young player on a 2-5 team. We could only hope others would step up and work during the bye week. I'm not saying everyone. Certainly, taking time off when things are going bad can be a good thing both in terms of getting away from football and nursing injuries but staying and working is where leaders can be born. The Skins are certainly lacking some real leaders and this is the time when guys can take a stand on their own and show that they are committed to being better.
Hopefully Davis's work translates to the field.
He has put good work in the weight room and strengthened his body but his technique is poor. Davis deserves credit for staying at Redskin Park during the bye week and working with coaches for a few hours each day on his blocking technique.
I will say that that says a lot about the guy who is a young player on a 2-5 team. We could only hope others would step up and work during the bye week. I'm not saying everyone. Certainly, taking time off when things are going bad can be a good thing both in terms of getting away from football and nursing injuries but staying and working is where leaders can be born. The Skins are certainly lacking some real leaders and this is the time when guys can take a stand on their own and show that they are committed to being better.
Hopefully Davis's work translates to the field.
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