Tuesday, September 6, 2011
NFL Power Rankings - Week 1
ESPN has the Pears at #13 in their weekly power rankings. They have also put the Skins at #28. As our new starting QB Sexy Rexy would say, I love where we are at. Under the radar and no one is talking about us. Not sure I would go so far as to say that we are going to win the East but I like being there are the bottom ready to surprise.
Rex in Effect!
Rex is the man. He wins the starting job over Becks. Funny because as critical as I was of Rex while he was with the Pears, I was pulling for him here in D.C. It's not so much that I love Rexy but more that I don't really care for Becks.
I do believe Rexy gives us the better chance to win as he seems more capable, he has been a starter in the league and has experience, he has been in the system longer, and very importantly he is backed by his teammates. I'm actually very interested in watching the guy play. There is no question he has talent. I have maintained that position even when he was with the Pears. The real question is can he be consistent. It's not that he makes mistakes. It's that his mistakes are very bad (throwing an INT into double or triple coverage, fumbling and bumbling snaps, etc.). He also needs to have better pocket awareness. A guy like him needs to be able to feel when the pocket is collapsing and either take the sack or throw the ball away. This is where he gets into trouble. Hopefully he has learned from his mistakes and has grown into a better QB.
I liked what I saw of him in preseason and I am really looking forward to the game and his play on Sunday. It's a great game for him to show what he has. It's a divisional game at home and a marquee match at 4 pm. It's also the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and it's NY vs. Washington. It's going to be fun and like I always said before when Rexy played, whether he is good or bad, he is going to make for a great story. He really has a chance to win or lose this crowd and hopefully for him and the Skins, he does well.
The other interesting part of his selection as starter is this is pretty much the last opportunity he will get to be a starter. We brought him back this season on a one year, lower salaried contract. The guy is 30 years old. If he proves himself, he will be the starter for the next couple of years and he will get a multi year/multi million dollar contract. He understands that. If he struggles, he will pretty much relegate himself to a journeyman, career backup. Again, he makes for a great story.
HAIL SKINS!!!!
Skins get down to final 53
No real surprises. A few interesting notes though:
1. Chris "The Predator" Horton was cut. He came in to the league as a relatively unknown 7th rd pick out of UCLA. He was forced into action as a rookie because of injury and played very well receiving national attention including I believe NFC defensive player of the week or month or something like that. Looked like we had found a late round gem. However, the guy had some injuries and never seemed like the same guy after that rookie campaign. Looked a bit chubbier too and just seemed slow. Not a real surprise that he is gone.
2. H.B. Blades cut. Guy came into camp flabby and out of shape. With the addition of Fox and Riley in his second year, Blades didn't have much margin for error. Disappointing given that Blades was not a starter and never was guaranteed a roster spot so for him to come into camp out of shape is just dumb.
3. Anthony Bryant cut. A little surprised here. The Skins opted to go with Chris Neild. I liked the way Bryant played when he was in there last season. If Neild won the job then so be it.
4. The Skins will go with 2 QBs. It's Rex and Becks. Hopefully we don't lose both QBs in one game. It's unlikely but you never know but I'm good with the decision.
5. We'll carry 8 receivers. Guys like Banks and Austin came on strong so the decision was made to carry 8 of them. I think it was clear that Moss, Gaffney, Armstrong, and Hankerson were pretty much locks to make the squad. Austin had a great preseason and Banks really secured his spot with the punt return for a TD in the last preseason game. Little surprising that Stallworth and Paul made the squad but Stallworth is a solid vet and Paul apparently had a good camp. We'll see if all these guys stay on the team all season.
We have our final 53 and now it's time for the regular season.
HAIL SKINS!!!
1. Chris "The Predator" Horton was cut. He came in to the league as a relatively unknown 7th rd pick out of UCLA. He was forced into action as a rookie because of injury and played very well receiving national attention including I believe NFC defensive player of the week or month or something like that. Looked like we had found a late round gem. However, the guy had some injuries and never seemed like the same guy after that rookie campaign. Looked a bit chubbier too and just seemed slow. Not a real surprise that he is gone.
2. H.B. Blades cut. Guy came into camp flabby and out of shape. With the addition of Fox and Riley in his second year, Blades didn't have much margin for error. Disappointing given that Blades was not a starter and never was guaranteed a roster spot so for him to come into camp out of shape is just dumb.
3. Anthony Bryant cut. A little surprised here. The Skins opted to go with Chris Neild. I liked the way Bryant played when he was in there last season. If Neild won the job then so be it.
4. The Skins will go with 2 QBs. It's Rex and Becks. Hopefully we don't lose both QBs in one game. It's unlikely but you never know but I'm good with the decision.
5. We'll carry 8 receivers. Guys like Banks and Austin came on strong so the decision was made to carry 8 of them. I think it was clear that Moss, Gaffney, Armstrong, and Hankerson were pretty much locks to make the squad. Austin had a great preseason and Banks really secured his spot with the punt return for a TD in the last preseason game. Little surprising that Stallworth and Paul made the squad but Stallworth is a solid vet and Paul apparently had a good camp. We'll see if all these guys stay on the team all season.
We have our final 53 and now it's time for the regular season.
HAIL SKINS!!!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Briggs wants to be traded
Briggs was going to wait until after the season to ask to be traded but after speaking with Angelo, he wants to be traded now.
It seems that Briggs wants to flip the payment structure of his current contract where instead of making $3.9M this year and $6+M in the final year, he wants that in reverse.
He has no leverage on anything but still not the news you want from one of your best players/leaders right before the regular season.
It seems that Briggs wants to flip the payment structure of his current contract where instead of making $3.9M this year and $6+M in the final year, he wants that in reverse.
He has no leverage on anything but still not the news you want from one of your best players/leaders right before the regular season.
Skins final preseason game results/thoughts
Skins pulled out the victory - not that it mattered much but there were a few things to take note of in the game:
1. Beck was borderline bad. He started the game and played the entire first half. He played with the starting O line and backup WRs and RBs and was given the opportunity to separate himself. He did...just in the wrong direction. Thought he was pretty bad. He fumbled a snap on the TB's goal line. He missed a pretty open Armstrong on a deep throw to open the game. He threw a bad INT off his back foot in the end zone. He had two really bad throws that could have easily been picked off. He missed a couple of open receivers on short routes. What he does do VERY well is sell the play action and roll out well. He had a couple of decent passes but don't think he did anything that would have him pull away from Rex in Effect. Interestingly, Rexy didn't play at all (although he was dressed). I believe that the starting nod will go to Rex but we'll find out next week for sure.
2. O line not great. The starting O line went up the TB back up D line and did not look great. Becks was under duress more often than he should have so this was disappointing. They will have to pick it up against the G men.
3. Banks solidified his spot on the team. Guy has been out the last couple of weeks but came back yesterday and ran back a 90+ yard punt for a TD although he almost botched it by celebrating early and letting go of the football before crossing the plain of the goal line. Fortunately, instant replay showed he scored before releasing the football. I suppose it is a good lesson to learn in preseason. I doubt he will ever do something like that again. TB punted away from him the rest of the game but he showed that he continues to be a special teams weapon.
4. D looked good. Mostly backups playing but I still loved the pressure they put on. Thought the LBs (Jackson, Riley, Fox) all played well. They created pressure and turnovers which we haven't seen in quite some time.
5. The Love Torain. Good to see him back and he ran hard. He's a big back and had some nice runs. Will be interesting to see the RB depth chart. No question Hightower will be the starter. Seems like Helu is the backup. I know Shanny likes Torain and Royster and both had solid games last night so will be interesting to see what we do with those guys.
All in all, a pretty good game for many of the backups. The tough decisions now have to be made as the final roster will be set in the next couple of days. Bruce Allen commented a few times that he thinks there will be some trades made. We'll see what happens but preseason is all over and the regular season starts in less than a week.
HAIL SKINS!!!
1. Beck was borderline bad. He started the game and played the entire first half. He played with the starting O line and backup WRs and RBs and was given the opportunity to separate himself. He did...just in the wrong direction. Thought he was pretty bad. He fumbled a snap on the TB's goal line. He missed a pretty open Armstrong on a deep throw to open the game. He threw a bad INT off his back foot in the end zone. He had two really bad throws that could have easily been picked off. He missed a couple of open receivers on short routes. What he does do VERY well is sell the play action and roll out well. He had a couple of decent passes but don't think he did anything that would have him pull away from Rex in Effect. Interestingly, Rexy didn't play at all (although he was dressed). I believe that the starting nod will go to Rex but we'll find out next week for sure.
2. O line not great. The starting O line went up the TB back up D line and did not look great. Becks was under duress more often than he should have so this was disappointing. They will have to pick it up against the G men.
3. Banks solidified his spot on the team. Guy has been out the last couple of weeks but came back yesterday and ran back a 90+ yard punt for a TD although he almost botched it by celebrating early and letting go of the football before crossing the plain of the goal line. Fortunately, instant replay showed he scored before releasing the football. I suppose it is a good lesson to learn in preseason. I doubt he will ever do something like that again. TB punted away from him the rest of the game but he showed that he continues to be a special teams weapon.
4. D looked good. Mostly backups playing but I still loved the pressure they put on. Thought the LBs (Jackson, Riley, Fox) all played well. They created pressure and turnovers which we haven't seen in quite some time.
5. The Love Torain. Good to see him back and he ran hard. He's a big back and had some nice runs. Will be interesting to see the RB depth chart. No question Hightower will be the starter. Seems like Helu is the backup. I know Shanny likes Torain and Royster and both had solid games last night so will be interesting to see what we do with those guys.
All in all, a pretty good game for many of the backups. The tough decisions now have to be made as the final roster will be set in the next couple of days. Bruce Allen commented a few times that he thinks there will be some trades made. We'll see what happens but preseason is all over and the regular season starts in less than a week.
HAIL SKINS!!!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Pear contract issues
Pears seem to have a few players unhappy with their current contracts and wanting to get new deals.
There's no secret that Briggs wants more compensation; however, he has very little leverage. He still has multiple years on a deal he signed in 2008 and at 31, he can't expect to get big time money. He's been a great player but it ain't going to happen.
Forte is in the final year of his rookie deal and looking to be paid like one of the top RBs in the league. He has put up very good numbers in the last couple of years and is deserving of a bigger payday. The Pears put forward an offer but doesn't seem like it is good enough for Forte as he didn't sign it. With the regular season luming, I'm sure both sides will want to get this done soon.
The new center Roberto Garza is well underpaid. There are backups being paid more or equal to what he makes. If the Pears are committed to him, they should do right by him and pay him accordingly.
Other guys that will have to be considered include Earl Bennett, Kellen Davis, and even "Jackass" Johnny Knoxville. Should these guys have big years, they will end up costing more.
There's no secret that Briggs wants more compensation; however, he has very little leverage. He still has multiple years on a deal he signed in 2008 and at 31, he can't expect to get big time money. He's been a great player but it ain't going to happen.
Forte is in the final year of his rookie deal and looking to be paid like one of the top RBs in the league. He has put up very good numbers in the last couple of years and is deserving of a bigger payday. The Pears put forward an offer but doesn't seem like it is good enough for Forte as he didn't sign it. With the regular season luming, I'm sure both sides will want to get this done soon.
The new center Roberto Garza is well underpaid. There are backups being paid more or equal to what he makes. If the Pears are committed to him, they should do right by him and pay him accordingly.
Other guys that will have to be considered include Earl Bennett, Kellen Davis, and even "Jackass" Johnny Knoxville. Should these guys have big years, they will end up costing more.
Skins final preseason game tonight
The game would normally not have much interest as many of the starters typically sit particularly in light of what happened to Jenkins last week. However, there still appears to be a number of positions up for grabs. Namely the QB spot. I'm sure the Shannys have an idea on who they think the starter is but I expect both to play if for no other reason than to throw the Giants off and have them have to prepare for both QBs in the season opener.
Other jobs that are open are the WR position where Terrence Austin has really come on and RB where Torain will see his first action. Outside of that, we will most likely see backups and rookies fight to try and make a special team job.
Only one week until the regular season begins. I'm trembling!
Other jobs that are open are the WR position where Terrence Austin has really come on and RB where Torain will see his first action. Outside of that, we will most likely see backups and rookies fight to try and make a special team job.
Only one week until the regular season begins. I'm trembling!
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