Caps have won three in a row and are 7-1-2 over their last 10 games. They really look like they are hitting their stride as we near the mid way point of the season. Interesting because I was listening to Brooks Laich early in the year when they were playing some inconsistent hockey and he said that everyone was still getting used to Trotz and the system and Trotz was getting used the players and the rights lines and that you would have to wait until game 20 or 25 to really see if it was coming together. Like clockwork, they hit that 20-25 game mark and have been playing much better hockey. I suppose things are starting to connect and gel for this team.
As good as they have been playing, the teams around them are playing equally as well (Penguins, Islanders, and Rangers). Every time we get a win, seems like these other teams are also winning so there is no change in the standings. Tonight is a good matchup as the Caps visit the Rangers. Both teams are playing well. Caps are coming off of a win last night and had to pack up and quickly head up to NY for the game tonight so will be interesting to see how they play. A Caps loss will push the Rangers into third place. A Caps win creates a bit of separation between the two teams. I like the way the Caps are playing and I like that they all seem to care about the results on the ice so I expect another good game from them. Puck drops at 7 pm. Should be fun.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
Skins beat Eagles 27-24
It's been a while since the Skins won so it was nice to see them not quit at the end of the season and spoil a divisional rivals chances of getting to the playoffs. It also marked the return of RG3. Pretty exciting game. Here are some thoughts:
1. RG3. Solid game. Thought he was much more decisive and delivered the ball accurately. The good thing was he actually had a little more time to throw this week as the O line provided some better protection. He also ran when he needed to and slid to avoid any big hits. All you can hope is for the guy to learn and it seems like he is doing that. I do believe a full offseason working hard with Gruden both on the field and in the classroom/film room will help him to better understand the concepts of the offense.
2. Morris solid. Got some good hard running from him. Nothing spectacular but was able to get a few good runs in that helped make a difference.
3. Send DJax deep. Jackson is a great deep threat and for one reason or not we haven't used him as much as we should/could. Blame can go around to the QB not seeing him, to the O line not protecting long enough, to DBs taking the deep play away. Still, on Saturday it was good to see RG3 connect with him a couple of times on deeper balls. He can get over the top of defenses and that is where he is best suited.
4. Bend but don't break defense. It was clear the defensive strategy was to not allow big plays. They played more of an umbrella type defense which did take away the deeper plays but allowed for a bunch of underneath stuff particularly to Ertz. Not sure why we didn't double team Ertz as he ended up with like 15 catches still at least they didn't give up the big play which had hurt them for the last several weeks. Interesting as they didn't blitz until the Eagles final drive and when they did, Sanchez made his mistake.
5. Penalties crushed the Eagles. WAY too many penalties taken by the Eagles. It certainly was a reason for the outcome.
In the end, it may not have been the greatest game played but it was still a win and no one should ever apologize for a victory. As mentioned, it was good to see them compete and hurt a divisional rival from gettting to the playoffs.
In other news:
1. Packers clinch. They stumbled last week against the Bills but beat the Bucs to get themselves back into the playoffs. They along with Seattle are looking like the teams to beat in the NFC. Home field advantage will be huge in the playoffs.
2. Bears look a little better with Clausen. Still take the loss but it was a fairly close game. Still, there will be major overhaul in Chi-town so will be an interesting offseason.
1. RG3. Solid game. Thought he was much more decisive and delivered the ball accurately. The good thing was he actually had a little more time to throw this week as the O line provided some better protection. He also ran when he needed to and slid to avoid any big hits. All you can hope is for the guy to learn and it seems like he is doing that. I do believe a full offseason working hard with Gruden both on the field and in the classroom/film room will help him to better understand the concepts of the offense.
2. Morris solid. Got some good hard running from him. Nothing spectacular but was able to get a few good runs in that helped make a difference.
3. Send DJax deep. Jackson is a great deep threat and for one reason or not we haven't used him as much as we should/could. Blame can go around to the QB not seeing him, to the O line not protecting long enough, to DBs taking the deep play away. Still, on Saturday it was good to see RG3 connect with him a couple of times on deeper balls. He can get over the top of defenses and that is where he is best suited.
4. Bend but don't break defense. It was clear the defensive strategy was to not allow big plays. They played more of an umbrella type defense which did take away the deeper plays but allowed for a bunch of underneath stuff particularly to Ertz. Not sure why we didn't double team Ertz as he ended up with like 15 catches still at least they didn't give up the big play which had hurt them for the last several weeks. Interesting as they didn't blitz until the Eagles final drive and when they did, Sanchez made his mistake.
5. Penalties crushed the Eagles. WAY too many penalties taken by the Eagles. It certainly was a reason for the outcome.
In the end, it may not have been the greatest game played but it was still a win and no one should ever apologize for a victory. As mentioned, it was good to see them compete and hurt a divisional rival from gettting to the playoffs.
In other news:
1. Packers clinch. They stumbled last week against the Bills but beat the Bucs to get themselves back into the playoffs. They along with Seattle are looking like the teams to beat in the NFC. Home field advantage will be huge in the playoffs.
2. Bears look a little better with Clausen. Still take the loss but it was a fairly close game. Still, there will be major overhaul in Chi-town so will be an interesting offseason.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Skins vs. Iggles
Skins are out of the playoff picture but they still have a lot to play for with games against Philly and Dallas as both those teams are fighting for the playoffs. They are both home games for the Skins and both divisional rivals and we have a chance to play spoiler. I expect guys to compete.
It also give RG3 another opportunity to show some life and prove that he can be the starting QB going into next season. There is still a lot to see at this point.
Regarding the game, here are my thoughts:
1. Blitz Sanchez early and often. He will make mistakes and hopefully we can create some turnovers. The key to doing this though is making sure to cover McCoy and Sproles for the quick screens.
2. Put RG3 in a position to be successful. Let him do the rollouts. Let him get outside of the pocket and let him have some freedom to run. This is where he thrives.
3. O line? Who will be playing? The line isn't great to begin with and there are injuries so will be interesting to see who plays and how well they protect. Whoever is in there has to do a better job than what they have been doing because this group has been porous the last few weeks.
4. Morris? Tied to the line, we need to get some semblance of the run game going. Putting RG3 in 2nd and 3rd and long situations isn't good for anyone.
It should be a fun game. Looking forward to RG3 playing. As a side note, I am VERY glad RG3 decided (or was told to) not get on social media. Think the way he is handling the media is much better. Glad he learned that.
It also give RG3 another opportunity to show some life and prove that he can be the starting QB going into next season. There is still a lot to see at this point.
Regarding the game, here are my thoughts:
1. Blitz Sanchez early and often. He will make mistakes and hopefully we can create some turnovers. The key to doing this though is making sure to cover McCoy and Sproles for the quick screens.
2. Put RG3 in a position to be successful. Let him do the rollouts. Let him get outside of the pocket and let him have some freedom to run. This is where he thrives.
3. O line? Who will be playing? The line isn't great to begin with and there are injuries so will be interesting to see who plays and how well they protect. Whoever is in there has to do a better job than what they have been doing because this group has been porous the last few weeks.
4. Morris? Tied to the line, we need to get some semblance of the run game going. Putting RG3 in 2nd and 3rd and long situations isn't good for anyone.
It should be a fun game. Looking forward to RG3 playing. As a side note, I am VERY glad RG3 decided (or was told to) not get on social media. Think the way he is handling the media is much better. Glad he learned that.
Jay Cutler benched
Not really surprising as the guy has grossly underperformed this season particularly given the salary he is commanding. I don't doubt for a second the Bears regret their decision to sign him to the extension they did. Trestman will be fired at the end of the season and I'm sure Cutler was ticked off with the O coordinator telling the NFL Network that they had buyer's remorse. Cutler probably started pouting and complaining and Trestman figuring he's done anyway figured lets just go with Clausen. No doubt there will be big change in Chi-town next season. Problem is the Bears are stuck with Cutler the next couple of years.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Skins fall to G-men
The only real noteworthy item in this game was the return of RG3.
Thought he played pretty well. He was very good in the first half but the entire offense sputtered in the second half.
Can't put all the blame on him for the issues. The already challenged O line was decimated and ended up with Compton, Lavau, Chester, Who Knows, and Polumbus. There was no time.
I do think that there are times when RG3 is holding on to the ball too long. He still needs to better understand the concepts of the offense in order to get the ball out quicker. Still, when he had time, he delivered the ball accurately. It seemed clear to me that he is the more dynamic QB with the much higher up side.
A couple of other notes:
1. Can someone stop Beckham? This guy single handedly torched us. He is a very good WR but we made him look like a perennial all pro. At some point, they should have done something to take him away.
2. No pressure on Eli. Just as RG3 struggled with protection, Eli often times had plenty of times to deliver the ball. If you give even a poor QB time, more often than not, he will be able to complete the pass.
3. Where is the run game? Morris has struggled all year. This is an issue. I imagine it is a combination of scheme, line, and Morris. Still, it doesn't help our QB (whoever it is) when we are always put into 2nd and 3rd and long.
4. Questions on Gruden. If you look at the stats, most, if not all, offensive stats have gone down. Gruden is supposed to be the offensive genius but it just hasn't translated. The other issue is that he seems to have really botched the QB situation. From the outside, it appears that there is not direction for this team. Who is the QB? Seems like it is hard to establish any consistency for the QB as well as the entire offense when they are constantly being swapped.
5. Special Teams better but still not good. We need guys that are hungry to make a play get on special teams. These guys seem too comfortable to be on the roster. Don't see enough hunger from these guys.
The one good thing was this week there wasn't any new big story that came out. Final two games are against Philly and Dallas and have big playoff implications for those teams so there is still a lot to play for. Will be interesting to see how they perform.
Thought he played pretty well. He was very good in the first half but the entire offense sputtered in the second half.
Can't put all the blame on him for the issues. The already challenged O line was decimated and ended up with Compton, Lavau, Chester, Who Knows, and Polumbus. There was no time.
I do think that there are times when RG3 is holding on to the ball too long. He still needs to better understand the concepts of the offense in order to get the ball out quicker. Still, when he had time, he delivered the ball accurately. It seemed clear to me that he is the more dynamic QB with the much higher up side.
A couple of other notes:
1. Can someone stop Beckham? This guy single handedly torched us. He is a very good WR but we made him look like a perennial all pro. At some point, they should have done something to take him away.
2. No pressure on Eli. Just as RG3 struggled with protection, Eli often times had plenty of times to deliver the ball. If you give even a poor QB time, more often than not, he will be able to complete the pass.
3. Where is the run game? Morris has struggled all year. This is an issue. I imagine it is a combination of scheme, line, and Morris. Still, it doesn't help our QB (whoever it is) when we are always put into 2nd and 3rd and long.
4. Questions on Gruden. If you look at the stats, most, if not all, offensive stats have gone down. Gruden is supposed to be the offensive genius but it just hasn't translated. The other issue is that he seems to have really botched the QB situation. From the outside, it appears that there is not direction for this team. Who is the QB? Seems like it is hard to establish any consistency for the QB as well as the entire offense when they are constantly being swapped.
5. Special Teams better but still not good. We need guys that are hungry to make a play get on special teams. These guys seem too comfortable to be on the roster. Don't see enough hunger from these guys.
The one good thing was this week there wasn't any new big story that came out. Final two games are against Philly and Dallas and have big playoff implications for those teams so there is still a lot to play for. Will be interesting to see how they perform.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Skins shutout at home
Another week and another low. Just when you thought the Skins hit rock bottom, they find another way to take it one rung down.
Not much to say. Just beaten in all three phases of the game.
Interesting thing is the McCoy got hurt and it possibly opens the door for RG3 to return. Not sure why you wouldn't play him. If you don't think that Colt is the answer, why play him? Might as well see what you have in RG3. Curious what the relationship is b/t Gruden and RG3. I know there have been a number of reports and "multiple sources" have said this and that. Who knows what the real truth is? If Gruden thinks that little of RG3 than might as well get rid of him.
My thoughts are there is no point in releasing him UNLESS Gruden just can't get along with him or the team/organization feels that he is too big a distraction to keep around and just don't believe he can play the game. Might as well keep him and work with him the entire off season and see what he can do. The guy is 24 years old and if you look at film of him in college or his rookie season you can see he has a ton of talent. See what you have in him and see if he can get back to a level at or close to where he was.
Not much to say. Just beaten in all three phases of the game.
Interesting thing is the McCoy got hurt and it possibly opens the door for RG3 to return. Not sure why you wouldn't play him. If you don't think that Colt is the answer, why play him? Might as well see what you have in RG3. Curious what the relationship is b/t Gruden and RG3. I know there have been a number of reports and "multiple sources" have said this and that. Who knows what the real truth is? If Gruden thinks that little of RG3 than might as well get rid of him.
My thoughts are there is no point in releasing him UNLESS Gruden just can't get along with him or the team/organization feels that he is too big a distraction to keep around and just don't believe he can play the game. Might as well keep him and work with him the entire off season and see what he can do. The guy is 24 years old and if you look at film of him in college or his rookie season you can see he has a ton of talent. See what you have in him and see if he can get back to a level at or close to where he was.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
RG3 benched
Interesting development as Jay Gruden has decided to bench RG3. Reports say that it does not necessarily mean the end of RG3's career in D.C. A few thoughts on this:
1. If McCoy struggles, who goes back in? Seems a little difficult to put RG3 back in there. On the other hand, it may take some of the pressure off of the guy as people will get their wish of having McCoy in there.
2. RG3 benched himself. He struggled. Yes, he didn't have the best help but he certainly didn't do himself any favors. Was watching the NFL Network this morning and LaVar and Terrell Davis were going over a few plays in which RG3 just did not see wide open receivers that could have gone for big plays. RG3 is just pressing. It clearly seems mental. He just isn't trusting either his arm or the WR. I'm not saying every play where he misses or checks down or takes a sack there is an open receiver but I imagine there are a lot of plays/points being left on the field because of his inability to make the right throw.
3. Where does he go from here? This is an interesting question because the Skins have left the door open. He has the physical tools to be successful. Coming out of college, he showed that he could make every throw needed in an NFL system. He thrived his rookie year in an offense that was built around his abilities. Since that rookie season, he has struggled for a variety of reasons. I think he needs to get his head right and get the pressure off of him and may very well need a clean slate (new team) to jump start his career. The question is that in year three and after as many starts as he has had, it is a little difficult to understand his inability to read defenses and go through progressions. TD of the NFL Network seemed to agree with this and that if he can't do it now, he can't see him learning it well enough to become a franchise QB.
In any event, RG3's career is at a crossroads. He will get another chance no question - whether it is in D.C. or some where else. We'll see what he does with it. Seems like the guy is bright and is willing to work hard. I think he will have a chip on his shoulder. Question is can he put it all together in a positive way and return to be a quality QB. Time will tell.
1. If McCoy struggles, who goes back in? Seems a little difficult to put RG3 back in there. On the other hand, it may take some of the pressure off of the guy as people will get their wish of having McCoy in there.
2. RG3 benched himself. He struggled. Yes, he didn't have the best help but he certainly didn't do himself any favors. Was watching the NFL Network this morning and LaVar and Terrell Davis were going over a few plays in which RG3 just did not see wide open receivers that could have gone for big plays. RG3 is just pressing. It clearly seems mental. He just isn't trusting either his arm or the WR. I'm not saying every play where he misses or checks down or takes a sack there is an open receiver but I imagine there are a lot of plays/points being left on the field because of his inability to make the right throw.
3. Where does he go from here? This is an interesting question because the Skins have left the door open. He has the physical tools to be successful. Coming out of college, he showed that he could make every throw needed in an NFL system. He thrived his rookie year in an offense that was built around his abilities. Since that rookie season, he has struggled for a variety of reasons. I think he needs to get his head right and get the pressure off of him and may very well need a clean slate (new team) to jump start his career. The question is that in year three and after as many starts as he has had, it is a little difficult to understand his inability to read defenses and go through progressions. TD of the NFL Network seemed to agree with this and that if he can't do it now, he can't see him learning it well enough to become a franchise QB.
In any event, RG3's career is at a crossroads. He will get another chance no question - whether it is in D.C. or some where else. We'll see what he does with it. Seems like the guy is bright and is willing to work hard. I think he will have a chip on his shoulder. Question is can he put it all together in a positive way and return to be a quality QB. Time will tell.
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