Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
My thoughts on the Redskins season moving forward.
Kind of strange. The rest of the season has kind of lost its meaning to me. It would be great to win but honestly it will be a little hard to watch knowing that we will never see Taylor on the field again. For me, this season will always be known as the season that Sean Taylor was murdered.
It's just a strange feeling for me personally because I normally get excited about the Redskins game all week but I am just not feeling it. I am not trying to sound corny or anything but it is a little difficult to watch knowing he won't ever be out there again.
It's just a strange feeling for me personally because I normally get excited about the Redskins game all week but I am just not feeling it. I am not trying to sound corny or anything but it is a little difficult to watch knowing he won't ever be out there again.
Sean Taylor Dead at 24.
Pretty shocking and sad. Not a whole lot more to say. Last night it sounded a little more promising as it seemed like he showed some signs of improvement with some reported facial expressions and response to a hand squeeze.
Just kind of hard to believe that we won't see Taylor back there making plays in the secondary for the 'Skins. Every time he was in the game at any moment you felt like he could change the course of the game. He was a true playmaker that was having probably the best year of his career. He was shaping up to be a perennial Pro Bowl type player.
Again, just sad that a young man with all the promise in the world and who was the father of a little girl was gunned down in what looks like a burglary attempt. I'm sure more details will come as the investigation continues but today is just pretty shocking and sad.
Monday, November 26, 2007
TURNOVERS!!!! I HATE THEM!!!!!!
Redskins lose another heartbreaker. Six turnovers are ridiculous. You can't expect to win by turning the ball over six times. Worse is that there were four in the first half and all of them were deep in our territory. Kudos to our defense for only letting them score 16 points on those turnovers. They actually kept us in the game.
The other thing that is ridiculous is that why can't we put together a solid performance for a full 60 minutes? We actually got it backwards this week. Typically, we fall apart in the second half. This week we started out horrendously but came out hard in the second half.
We completely dominated the second half in terms of yardage and time of possession. The problem was that we were never able to get points on the board (a result of INTs and loss of downs). The defense only gave up 15 yards of offense in the entire second half. Doesn't really matter though because we lost a much needed game.
Another big disappointment was for the second week in a row JC has a very good game but blows it by throwing a costly INT. In yesterday's game, he did it twice. I know he is young and he is looking to make a play but he has to be better in those situations. He played very well all game but both INTs were bad. I think the second one he thought he could force in there but it just didn't happen. Whatever. The only thing is that we lost.
We are now 5-6 and in the middle of a lot of teams fighting for a wild card berth. The good thing is that the Lions and Cards both lost. The bad thing is that we didn't take advantage and there are a lot of other teams (like the Bears) who are now in the mix.
We have blown 3 straight games and we have lost 4 of our last 5. We need to find a way to get a win. We are always one or two plays away from getting the win but we keep falling just short. Again, we can't seem to get a solid effort from the entire team for a full 60 minutes. We have talent and capability. If we could just pull it all together for a full game, we would be fine.
The sad part is that a once promising season is looking more and more bleak. Now with the situation with Sean Taylor it might serve as a major distraction. I understand football takes a back seat to a teammate's life. It's just disappointing how the season is unfolding right now. We'll see if the team continue to crumble or rally and put together a couple of victories.
The other thing that is ridiculous is that why can't we put together a solid performance for a full 60 minutes? We actually got it backwards this week. Typically, we fall apart in the second half. This week we started out horrendously but came out hard in the second half.
We completely dominated the second half in terms of yardage and time of possession. The problem was that we were never able to get points on the board (a result of INTs and loss of downs). The defense only gave up 15 yards of offense in the entire second half. Doesn't really matter though because we lost a much needed game.
Another big disappointment was for the second week in a row JC has a very good game but blows it by throwing a costly INT. In yesterday's game, he did it twice. I know he is young and he is looking to make a play but he has to be better in those situations. He played very well all game but both INTs were bad. I think the second one he thought he could force in there but it just didn't happen. Whatever. The only thing is that we lost.
We are now 5-6 and in the middle of a lot of teams fighting for a wild card berth. The good thing is that the Lions and Cards both lost. The bad thing is that we didn't take advantage and there are a lot of other teams (like the Bears) who are now in the mix.
We have blown 3 straight games and we have lost 4 of our last 5. We need to find a way to get a win. We are always one or two plays away from getting the win but we keep falling just short. Again, we can't seem to get a solid effort from the entire team for a full 60 minutes. We have talent and capability. If we could just pull it all together for a full game, we would be fine.
The sad part is that a once promising season is looking more and more bleak. Now with the situation with Sean Taylor it might serve as a major distraction. I understand football takes a back seat to a teammate's life. It's just disappointing how the season is unfolding right now. We'll see if the team continue to crumble or rally and put together a couple of victories.
Sean Taylor shot and is in critical condition!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3127928
You may have seen/heard/read about it already. Not too many details at this point. Hopefully he will be okay.
You may have seen/heard/read about it already. Not too many details at this point. Hopefully he will be okay.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
JC Week 11
Here's the latest:
Ranking: 20 (minus 1)
QB Rating: 80.7 (plus .08)
Completion percentage: 60% (plus .02)
Yards: 2083 (plus 348)
TDs: 11 (plus 2)
INTs: 8 (plus 1)
Yards per attempt: 6.61 (minus .04)
Sacks: 15 (plus 1)
Another very good game for JC. He is proving that if you give him the keys to car, he knows how to drive. The team seems to really be rallying around JC and he is becoming more and more the leader of the team. I like what I see more and more from JC and it's interesting that everyone in the D.C. media seems to want him to consistently throw more in games. Last year people wanted to be a physical running team. This year it is more that that style is antiquated and passing is the way to win in today's NFL. Found it almost comical how much Troy Aikman and Joe Buck lauded all over JC. Actually, thought it was a little over the top. Still, JC continues to prove he can be a good QB for years to come and is showing that we finally have a solution at our QB. Hopefully he can continue his progress over the coming weeks.
Ranking: 20 (minus 1)
QB Rating: 80.7 (plus .08)
Completion percentage: 60% (plus .02)
Yards: 2083 (plus 348)
TDs: 11 (plus 2)
INTs: 8 (plus 1)
Yards per attempt: 6.61 (minus .04)
Sacks: 15 (plus 1)
Another very good game for JC. He is proving that if you give him the keys to car, he knows how to drive. The team seems to really be rallying around JC and he is becoming more and more the leader of the team. I like what I see more and more from JC and it's interesting that everyone in the D.C. media seems to want him to consistently throw more in games. Last year people wanted to be a physical running team. This year it is more that that style is antiquated and passing is the way to win in today's NFL. Found it almost comical how much Troy Aikman and Joe Buck lauded all over JC. Actually, thought it was a little over the top. Still, JC continues to prove he can be a good QB for years to come and is showing that we finally have a solution at our QB. Hopefully he can continue his progress over the coming weeks.
Monday, November 19, 2007
JMU in the playoffs.
James Madison's football team Sunday was named an at-large selection to the NCAA Football Championship playoff field. The Dukes, who completed the regular season with an 8-3 record, will play Saturday (Nov. 24) at Appalachian State at a time to be determined.
We're playing the two time defending national champions and the team that beat Michigan earlier this year and it's on the road so no question we will have our hands full. Still, you got to beat the best to be the best and the road starts Saturday.
Can someone cover T.O.?!!!!
Heartbreaking loss. Contrary to RobsObs thinking, the Redskins did show up and played in a very competitive and exciting game. RobsObs thought we were wasting jet fuel by going down there, that we would lose by at least 20, that the 'Skins were a down and out bunch and most did not believe we even had a chance.
We played hard and came very close to pulling it out in the end. JC had a strong game and it was good to see Moss get back to playing the way he did two years ago. I like that the coaches are recognizing the offensive tools that we have and have allowed Campbell to spread the field some. Our offense seems much more dynamic over the past two weeks. Again, very good effort by our offense yesterday.
For the second straight week, the defense let us down. They played strong in the first half but the secondary breakdowns in the second half are inexcusable. The mental errors are crushing.
I have no problem with the first TD. It was good coverage but it was a good route run by T.O. and a good pass from Romo. Not much you could do on that. The second TD was horrendous. It is 3rd and 19 and if there is one guy you need to cover it would be T.O. Instead there are blown assignments and he is left alone running down the hashmark for an easy TD. The third TD had to be another blown assignment by a safety. Cover 2 and T.O. is left running down the middle of the field with only London Fletcher covering. There needed to be safety help but I think the safety (I believe Landry) got caught up trying to cover the WR on the outside. Finally, the last TD where T.O. caught it on the sideline...again, blown coverage. Looked like Springs should have followed T.O. further since there was no one coming into the flat. Also, Prioleau has to get over there and at least make the tackle or push him out of bounds.
Interesting to see the very calm secondary coach, Jerry Gray, get as upset as he did. He let Springs have an earful on the sidelines. It was just horrible secondary play and the Redskin players knew it.
Sure, there is some consolation that we competed hard and had an opportunity to win the game against what most people would believe is the best team in the NFC. However, as I always say, at the end of the game there is only one stat that matters and we came out with the L. Hurts as we are now 5-5. We are still very much in the mix as far as the playoffs but we have to put together a string of victories and get back on the right track. We'll see what happens.
We played hard and came very close to pulling it out in the end. JC had a strong game and it was good to see Moss get back to playing the way he did two years ago. I like that the coaches are recognizing the offensive tools that we have and have allowed Campbell to spread the field some. Our offense seems much more dynamic over the past two weeks. Again, very good effort by our offense yesterday.
For the second straight week, the defense let us down. They played strong in the first half but the secondary breakdowns in the second half are inexcusable. The mental errors are crushing.
I have no problem with the first TD. It was good coverage but it was a good route run by T.O. and a good pass from Romo. Not much you could do on that. The second TD was horrendous. It is 3rd and 19 and if there is one guy you need to cover it would be T.O. Instead there are blown assignments and he is left alone running down the hashmark for an easy TD. The third TD had to be another blown assignment by a safety. Cover 2 and T.O. is left running down the middle of the field with only London Fletcher covering. There needed to be safety help but I think the safety (I believe Landry) got caught up trying to cover the WR on the outside. Finally, the last TD where T.O. caught it on the sideline...again, blown coverage. Looked like Springs should have followed T.O. further since there was no one coming into the flat. Also, Prioleau has to get over there and at least make the tackle or push him out of bounds.
Interesting to see the very calm secondary coach, Jerry Gray, get as upset as he did. He let Springs have an earful on the sidelines. It was just horrible secondary play and the Redskin players knew it.
Sure, there is some consolation that we competed hard and had an opportunity to win the game against what most people would believe is the best team in the NFC. However, as I always say, at the end of the game there is only one stat that matters and we came out with the L. Hurts as we are now 5-5. We are still very much in the mix as far as the playoffs but we have to put together a string of victories and get back on the right track. We'll see what happens.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
JC - Week 10
Here are the updated stats:
Ranking: 19 (plus 6)
QB Rating: 79.9 (plus 5.1)
Completion Percentage: 59.8% (plus 1.2%)
Yards: 1735 (plus 215)
TDs: 9 (plus 3)
INTs: 7 (no change)
Yards per attempt: 6.65 (minus 0.05)
Sacks: 14 (plus 1)
Very good game by JC. It was nice to see the game plan open up a bit. The no huddle was a nice change of pace. JC has kind of been held back but he showed that if you give him some opportunities, he can make the plays. All year, his decision making has been good and that is what is hard to teach. I don't mind mistakes here and there or some growing pains but if he constantly makes the same mistakes and if they are bad mistakes, that is what is unacceptable to me. I like JC and I have thought he has played well this year. We had a nice balance of run vs. pass last week and hopefully that is what we continue to do.
Ranking: 19 (plus 6)
QB Rating: 79.9 (plus 5.1)
Completion Percentage: 59.8% (plus 1.2%)
Yards: 1735 (plus 215)
TDs: 9 (plus 3)
INTs: 7 (no change)
Yards per attempt: 6.65 (minus 0.05)
Sacks: 14 (plus 1)
Very good game by JC. It was nice to see the game plan open up a bit. The no huddle was a nice change of pace. JC has kind of been held back but he showed that if you give him some opportunities, he can make the plays. All year, his decision making has been good and that is what is hard to teach. I don't mind mistakes here and there or some growing pains but if he constantly makes the same mistakes and if they are bad mistakes, that is what is unacceptable to me. I like JC and I have thought he has played well this year. We had a nice balance of run vs. pass last week and hopefully that is what we continue to do.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Devastating Loss!
Truly heartbreaking. With a 22-20 lead and a first and goal with around 5 minutes remaining, the 'Skins seemed to have the game in hand. They found a way to blow it. There were SO many times when the 'Skins just needed to make one play and they did but just in a detrimental way. The many plays that truly hurt include and are unforgivable:
1. Having it first and goal starting at the 4 yard line and not being able to punch it in.
2. Eagles have it 3rd and 21 in their territory in the third quarter and they pick up a 20 yard pass play making it 4th and inches which they eventually convert on route to a TD scoring drive.
3. Eagles 2nd and 20 and Springs gets called for illegal contact giving them an automatic first down.
4. McNabb's deep TD pass to Reggie Brown who is double covered but Fletcher falls down and Prioleau (subbing for the injured Sean Taylor) gets spun around and can't make the play. It was a poorly thrown ball but our defenders blew it.
5. Westbrook's 50 yard go ahead screen pass TD. First, another half second and we get to McNabb but then the poor tackling on that play. Especially Prioleau who took a HORRIBLE angle at trying to make that play.
Bottom line is we lost. It hurts as 5-4 is a WHOLE lot worse than being 6-3. We needed to win that game at home. We are still in the mix but we led most of the way and to give it up there in the end really hurts.
The positives are that the running game was strong again (outside of that goal line situation in the 4th quarter). Also, the game plan seemed to have opened up a bit and it gave JC some opportunities to make some plays and he had a good game. Again, his decision making was good as it has been all year. It was just nice to see the offense become more dynamic. As you could see, the passing game helped the running game and vice versa. We will need more of that in the next several weeks if we want to make a run for the playoffs. The downer is that the defense struggled. They couldn't make a play when they needed to and it cost us. Hopefully Taylor can return quickly because Prioleau isn't a starter. He is a good nickel/dime back but he made some bad plays out there.
We head to Dallas and it will be very hard to win there. I suppose the good thing was that they beat the Giants. At this point, it might be asking too much for the 'Skins to win the division so we are really aiming for a Wild Card berth. Hard to believe we are already 10 weeks into the season. The good thing is best is yet to come.
1. Having it first and goal starting at the 4 yard line and not being able to punch it in.
2. Eagles have it 3rd and 21 in their territory in the third quarter and they pick up a 20 yard pass play making it 4th and inches which they eventually convert on route to a TD scoring drive.
3. Eagles 2nd and 20 and Springs gets called for illegal contact giving them an automatic first down.
4. McNabb's deep TD pass to Reggie Brown who is double covered but Fletcher falls down and Prioleau (subbing for the injured Sean Taylor) gets spun around and can't make the play. It was a poorly thrown ball but our defenders blew it.
5. Westbrook's 50 yard go ahead screen pass TD. First, another half second and we get to McNabb but then the poor tackling on that play. Especially Prioleau who took a HORRIBLE angle at trying to make that play.
Bottom line is we lost. It hurts as 5-4 is a WHOLE lot worse than being 6-3. We needed to win that game at home. We are still in the mix but we led most of the way and to give it up there in the end really hurts.
The positives are that the running game was strong again (outside of that goal line situation in the 4th quarter). Also, the game plan seemed to have opened up a bit and it gave JC some opportunities to make some plays and he had a good game. Again, his decision making was good as it has been all year. It was just nice to see the offense become more dynamic. As you could see, the passing game helped the running game and vice versa. We will need more of that in the next several weeks if we want to make a run for the playoffs. The downer is that the defense struggled. They couldn't make a play when they needed to and it cost us. Hopefully Taylor can return quickly because Prioleau isn't a starter. He is a good nickel/dime back but he made some bad plays out there.
We head to Dallas and it will be very hard to win there. I suppose the good thing was that they beat the Giants. At this point, it might be asking too much for the 'Skins to win the division so we are really aiming for a Wild Card berth. Hard to believe we are already 10 weeks into the season. The good thing is best is yet to come.
Friday, November 9, 2007
JC - Week 9
Week 10 is almost here but wanted to get the updates in:
Ranking: 25 (minus 1)
QB Rating: 74.8 (minus 2.4)
Completion Percentage: 58.6 (minus 0.7%)
Yards: 1520 (plus 142)
TDs: 6 (no change)
INTs: 7 (plus 1)
Yards per attempt: 6.70 (minus 0.06)
Sacks: 13 (plus 1)
Slight dip in the numbers but overall we have all agreed that the coaches have had too conservative a game plan with JC. They need to allow him to open it up a little bit to both see what they have in him AND to make the offense more dynamic. JC has always shown promise and we have the tools to make him successful, the coaches just need to make it happen. We'll see what happens this week versus Philly.
Ranking: 25 (minus 1)
QB Rating: 74.8 (minus 2.4)
Completion Percentage: 58.6 (minus 0.7%)
Yards: 1520 (plus 142)
TDs: 6 (no change)
INTs: 7 (plus 1)
Yards per attempt: 6.70 (minus 0.06)
Sacks: 13 (plus 1)
Slight dip in the numbers but overall we have all agreed that the coaches have had too conservative a game plan with JC. They need to allow him to open it up a little bit to both see what they have in him AND to make the offense more dynamic. JC has always shown promise and we have the tools to make him successful, the coaches just need to make it happen. We'll see what happens this week versus Philly.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Congrats to UVA
I have been pretty critical of UVA and Al Groh this year but I will say they pulled out a big win this week against Wake. Sure, Wake had an opportunity to win it there at the end but they missed the FG and bottom line they lost. I will say it is the first time this year that I believe UVA is a solid team. I still don't think they are in the elite of college football. However, they are deserving of their ranking and a pretty good football team.
Redskins Squeeze By
Decent game. Sure, it was closer than I would have liked but the bottom line is we came out with the victory and are now 5-3. Seeing how we only won 5 games total last year, I am very happy with where we are right now.
As far as the game is concerned, I was very happy to see the running game get going again. CP had nearly 200 yards rushing and stated that he wants to carry this team. I like CP and would like for him to get more carries. JC was okay. I'm not sure what the deal is but I don't understand why we don't throw it downfield more. I want to be a running football team but all of our passes in the first half were screens or shorter passes in the flat or underneath. We need to get our WRs involved more. It can only help our running game. As an observer and a fan, it seems like it is the game calling. It was nice to see coming out after halftime that we actually started throwing downfield a bit. We need to do that more. Put some more trust in Campbell. Again, JC was okay. Made the plays he was asked and had a good scramble for a key first down. Still, he missed that deep ball to Moss which would have been the equivalent of a walk off home run. I just want to see more of those medium range passes over the middle to the WRs.
A lot of people were saying Moss isn't the same guy as he has been and his injuries are still nagging him. I don't know if that is the case or not but he excels at making those catches over the middle and running for more yardage. I would love to see more of that.
Defense was okay. Run defense was solid and even the pass defense wasn't bad. Still, they had to do a better job of containing Clemens. When he got outside the pocket was when he was most dangerous. He was able to run for nearly 50 yards and he was able to find receivers open when he scrambled. We just have to do a better job of containing the QB. This will be even more critical as we will be facing McNabb and Romo in the coming weeks. Still, the defense only gave up 13 points yesterday.
Special teams was okay. Suisham was huge. Made several long FGs including the game winning kick on OT. However, they allowed the opening kickoff to be run back for a TD.
Again, my biggest issue is with the coaching and the ultra conservative play calling. Let JC open it up a little bit. Lets not be scared of him making mistakes.
Still, there is only one statistic that matters and we came away with the "W." A win is a win and I'll take it. I will take a very ugly win over a very beautiful loss any day. Again, we are 5-3 and in the thick of the divisional and playoff races.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!!
As far as the game is concerned, I was very happy to see the running game get going again. CP had nearly 200 yards rushing and stated that he wants to carry this team. I like CP and would like for him to get more carries. JC was okay. I'm not sure what the deal is but I don't understand why we don't throw it downfield more. I want to be a running football team but all of our passes in the first half were screens or shorter passes in the flat or underneath. We need to get our WRs involved more. It can only help our running game. As an observer and a fan, it seems like it is the game calling. It was nice to see coming out after halftime that we actually started throwing downfield a bit. We need to do that more. Put some more trust in Campbell. Again, JC was okay. Made the plays he was asked and had a good scramble for a key first down. Still, he missed that deep ball to Moss which would have been the equivalent of a walk off home run. I just want to see more of those medium range passes over the middle to the WRs.
A lot of people were saying Moss isn't the same guy as he has been and his injuries are still nagging him. I don't know if that is the case or not but he excels at making those catches over the middle and running for more yardage. I would love to see more of that.
Defense was okay. Run defense was solid and even the pass defense wasn't bad. Still, they had to do a better job of containing Clemens. When he got outside the pocket was when he was most dangerous. He was able to run for nearly 50 yards and he was able to find receivers open when he scrambled. We just have to do a better job of containing the QB. This will be even more critical as we will be facing McNabb and Romo in the coming weeks. Still, the defense only gave up 13 points yesterday.
Special teams was okay. Suisham was huge. Made several long FGs including the game winning kick on OT. However, they allowed the opening kickoff to be run back for a TD.
Again, my biggest issue is with the coaching and the ultra conservative play calling. Let JC open it up a little bit. Lets not be scared of him making mistakes.
Still, there is only one statistic that matters and we came away with the "W." A win is a win and I'll take it. I will take a very ugly win over a very beautiful loss any day. Again, we are 5-3 and in the thick of the divisional and playoff races.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!!
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