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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Funny Sketch

Zorny

So Zorn is under fire and rightfully so. The team has not been overly impressive to start the season. To Zorn's credit, he still seems confident in his abilities and the direction of the team. Sure, he is frustrated but I like his resolve. Additionally, many of the players said that they are comfortable with Zorn and fine with him as the coach.

I admit that I like Zorn but my confidence in him is wavering on a few questionable decisions. He will really need some strong showings in the next couple of weeks to stave off talk of his security. Barring horrendous performances the next couple of weeks, he should be fine to finish the season but poor performances/losses could mean the end to his head coaching stint in D.C.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

JMU Wins!

On the lighter side, JMU beat 24th ranked Liberty 24-10 on Saturday.

On a side note, William and Mary beat Delaware. I would like to see both teams not lose before we face one another in a 10/24 showdown. Might be tough as William and Mary faces #2 Villanova next week.

On the flip side, UVA didn't play this week but I heard they still lost and fell to 0-4. How does Groh still have a job?

Embarrassing! Skins lose!

What can you say? I suppose I will start that I actually think the Lions are an improving team and they will win again this season. That said, we had no business losing to them.

Again, we had our struggles in the Red Zone. However, where I felt that we really lost this game was our defense allowing time and again the Lions to convert the third downs. Third downs is the most important play on any drive and we could not stop them at all. The thing was that it wasn't just 3rd and shorts. These were 3rd and longs and we could not stop them.

I had no problem going for it on 4th down on our first drive. I completely agree with Zorn in that we have to trust our line and Portis to be able to get 1 yard. Fine, it didn't happen so you have to trust our defense to not allow the Lions to drive the length of the field. They did. The entire first half and parts of the second half we just let them convert 3rd downs. I believe they were 9 for 11 on 3rd down conversions in the first half. That is ridiculous. That kept drives alive and our defense on the field and our offense off of it and gave them a killing in time of possession. That is where I felt we lost it.

I also didn't like how our offense would come up just short on third downs. I can think of two drives that stopped on catches that came up just short. One was to Cooley and one was to Randle El. WRs have to know where the marker is and get that first down.

I know JC will get heat but for the most part, I was fine with his play. He threw for 340 yards and 2 TDs. Sure the pick was bad but all in all he was fine. We completely lack any running game and our offense was allowed to get on the field.

I'm sure Zorn will be on the hot seat this week and deservedly so. I think the play calling has been suspect this season and that fall directly on him. If I am him, after losing to the Lions, I would feel like I have nothing to lose and I would just open up the offense and allow JC to be aggressive. I would forget about balance b/t run and pass and just air it out. I would run 5 WR sets, I would run no huddle, I would try pretty much anything to get this offense moving. The thing is our offense isn't too bad until they get in the Red Zone and then we are pathetic. Again, I would just open things up because we have nothing to lose at this point.

We play TB at home next week and it will be a VERY interesting scenario with the crowd. It's a must win game and the crowd will be coming ready to boo.

B-Mitch said that the Redskins were playing not to lose to the Lions and they need to come out and be a whole lot more aggressive. He said that we play with the media and the fans in our ears and cannot be scared of them and that we need leaders to step up and lead.

I like Zorn but he is a soft spoken tactician whose tactics are not working thus far. Last week against the Rams was the first week I started losing faith in him. He did nothing this week for me to restore any faith. I really think the team is starting to turn on him. More struggles on offense and more losses to "weak" teams and I think there will be a change midseason and we need to get someone more experienced and more in your face.

It's on to the Bucs at home and as I mentioned, it will be an interesting crowd.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Groh's Gotta Go!



Everyone knows it.

Skins go to Detroit to face the Lions

I have been away for a little while and understand there has been discussion on this matchup already. Here are my thoughts.

Skins will beat an improved Lion team. We'll be better in the Red Zone and we will force a couple of turnovers. We win this game 24-10.

In other news, Jay George will have difficulty with the crowd noise in Seattle but the Bears should win given that Seneca Wallace will be playing. Still, Jeff Cutler is a dudzik and better hope to not play like he did in the first game. I'm sure there are players in the locker room that don't like his attitude and arrogance unless he backs it up.

JMU has a good game against Liberty who gave WVU a run for their money but we will prevail thanks to more Dudzik heroics.

Monday, September 21, 2009

DUDZIK!!!!

Drew Dudzik finishes with 9 completions on 13 attempts for 214 yards and 3 TDs as he leads the Dukes to a 44-16 win over VMI.

GO DUDZIK!!!!

Randy Thomas gone to injury

Once again, Randy Thomas suffers a severe triceps injury and will most likely miss much, if not all of the season. This hurts as the O line is a concern to begin with and losing a starter early in the season is not a good sign. Looks like Chad Rinehart will have to grow up real quick as he will probably get the nod at RG next week against the Lions.

Skins win

It wasn't pretty but the Skins got the W. That's all that matters. I know a lot of people are angry and think JC and Zorn should be run out of town but the fact is that we got the win.

Sure, I would love to put up 50 points but however we get the win, I'll take it. There were a lot of positives in the game starting with our D and once again only allowing 1 offensive TD. The offense had nice, long, sustained drives and JC managed the game well. The problem was again red zone offense. However, we had two dropped TDs. One by Thomas and one by Sellers. That isn't going to happen every week but still we got to make those plays. The thing is a lot of people are all over JC but the guy finished something like 25-35 for like 240 yards. If Thomas and Sellers hold on to those TDs, JC finishes 27-35 for 250 yards and 2 TDs and everyone would have been happy. I just don't get that because Thomas and Sellers drop sure TDs how JC gets a lot of the heat. Whatever. We got the win and lets move on to Detroit.

UVA loses to S. Miss

They suck!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Gilbert Arenas is a pain

It's a little early to talk about the Wizards and I get tired of their mediocre seasons coupled with a first round playoff exit at the hands of the Cavaliers but Gilbert Arenas is apparently back and ready to not just be an All Star but an All League player. He only played in 2 games all of last year and I believe 15 games over the last 2 years but still he is upset that the Wizards didn't hold him out longer even though he said he was ready to play.

Gilbert said, "If you have a kid that loves basketball, that eats, sleeps, drinks and thinks basketball and all he knows is basketball and he gets hurt and he's your franchise player, you need to hold him back from himself," Arenas told the newspaper. "If I'm saying I feel good and you know it's supposed to take six months, instead of letting me at four months run ... they should have held me back. Rather than saying, 'Let's let this guy do what he wants and use him to sell tickets' -- sometimes you have to protect players from themselves. I don't feel like I got that type of protection. But, I don't judge them for that. Some things just happen. I told them I felt OK because I wanted to play, and they did what they did."

First, the guy hardly played the last two years. Second, if Gilbert said he was ready to play and wanted to play and the Wizards held him out, I'm sure that Gilbert would have been upset at that time saying the Wizards are holding him back. Arenas is such a prima donna.

I like the whole Agent Zero thing and his throwing his jersey into the crowd after every game. He was a star and gave the Wizards fans someone to rally around and cheer for but he's a baby. I look forward to another .500 season and getting bounced out in the first round again.

Redskins do right by Sellars

Redskins locked up Pro Bowler Mike Sellars through 2012. Sellars was still under contract for this year but he has said that he wasn't thrilled with his current deal. The Redskins recognized his value as a player and a team guy and stepped up.

"For what I do for this team, the little things that people don’t acknowledge, I felt it was time," Sellers said. "They took care of me."

Sellars was also named a team captain this year. Glad to see Sellars will be with us for a few more years.

Redskins WILL win!

I expect to win pretty big this week against the Rams for the following reasons:

1. We are better than them.
2. We want revenge for last season.
3. We have experience from last week and will want to improve off of last week.
4. They have a new coach and are still in the process of adjusting to that coach and his system.
5. The Rams traveled west coast last week and have to come east coast this week, that's a lot of traveling and they will be weary.
6. It's our home opener. We will not want to disappoint.
7. We will be more aggressive in play calling and play.

I expect to win big this weekend.

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Skins fall to Giants

Tough game. The final score was 23-17 but I wasn't thrilled with the performance. A few things in particular bothered me.

1. In general, we seemed to be beaten on both sides of the line play. We didn't get enough pressure on Eli and we weren't able to protect JC as well as hoped. It wasn't terrible but it certainly had an impact. Felt like Eli had a lot more time and was able to make plays particularly on third down and longs. Our O line wasn't bad but wasn't great. We need to do a better job of disguising our pass rush and I would like to see more blitzing and being more aggressive.

2. Didn't like the play calling too much. Felt like it was too conservative especially at the beginning. Didn't like on I think our second drive deep in our zone where we just ran it three times. Also, on a 3rd and 8, we ran the ball. JC seemed pretty effective throwing and I would have liked for us/him to be more aggressive. I'm not sure if it was Zorn calling it or JC making the changes at the line but I want to see us get more aggressive.

3. All in all, need more intensity.

4. JC was decent except for his two mistakes. He took too long on the stripped ball and should have gotten rid of it. Also, I don't blame him for the INT. I blame Moss more for not coming back to the ball and allowing the DB to just bump him out of the way and get the ball. However, I blame JC for running over the line before throwing. He needs to be more aware. JC didn't look at poised in this game particularly early on and I wanted to see more from our offense in general.

The good thing was that we went into the Meadowlands and despite the play, the score was fairly close. I didn't expect to win this game. I was hopeful but I think the Giants are still one of the best teams in the NFC so I'm okay with it. It's only the first game so no need to worry. The Rams come to town this week and it's our home opener. We need a strong showing against them and need to put up some points.

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

UVA thrashed - Groh's gotta go!

They sucked!

JMU loses in OT

Great game! Lots of big plays. Lots of excitement. Had the lead deep into the fourth quarter. Ended up losing 38-35 in OT. Hard to take moral victories but still it was a great showing of another CAA team against an ACC team. We almost made it 3 CAA wins against ACC teams this season but couldn't hold on.

Still, the game has got to give us confidence given that we lost our All World QB this season but his replacement (Drew Dudzik) did a great job. The CAA has 5 of the top 10 teams in the country in the FCS so it will be a tough season but after watching the game, I feel pretty good about the Dukes.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Kelly named #2 WR

Zorn confirmed what most of us suspected that Malcolm Kelly will get the nod at the #2 WR spot. He supplants Randle El who always seemed more suited for the slot position. Kelly has the size and speed to stretch the field and what everyone seems to be saying is that he has tremendous hands and can make average passes into completions. He seems to have worked hard and is deserving of the spot. Zorn feels that he has made strides but he is far from reaching his potential.

Robs feels that I am in love with this guy. All I say is give the guy a shot and lets see what he is capable of doing.

Randle El should create some matchup problems now that he is in the slot. Also, Zorn said that we should expect to see all of our receivers get significant playing time. I like this group of players and coaches and would really like to see them be successful. Should Kelly, Thomas, and even Mitchell produce we have a number of weapons for JC that include Moss, Cooley, Davis, Portis, and those mentioned above. Assuming he gets time to make the pass, I really think this could be a potent offense.

We'll find out in 3 days.

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Redskins make final cuts

The noticeable cuts were:

Chase Daniel - didn't think he would beat out Brennan.

Jeremy Bridges - an O lineman that had several NFL starts. Didn't watch him enough to see what kind of impact he was making.

Anthony Alridge - he might as well have packed his bags when he fumbled the kickoff against the Jags.

D.J. Hackett - we made a push to sign him last season and I think the hope was to get him on the team since he knew Zorn and the offense but with the emergence of Marko Mitchell, Hackett became expendable. Interesing how quickly he went from sought after FA to out of work.

J.D. Skolnitzky - JMU grad. Cut but made the practice squad.

Tough for these guys on the final cut (and for all the guys cut on all the teams) as you are so close to making the roster and they have fought through the two a days and training camp grind only to come up short. At least there is the CFL and Arena league and next year.

The other interesting notes are that we kept Mike Williams. He lost a lot of weight and missed a lot of the preseason because of injury. Seemed slow a few times out there and would worry if he ever had to go in particularly against a speed rusher but I think his making the team was in part due to the progress he made over the last few months and the hope that he can continue to make progress. I like that we kept Mason and Mitchell. Those are good team guys that can make plays on special teams and might get into the rotation occasionally.

Less than a week until the Giants.

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!

UVA loses to the Tribe

So if the Groh watch hadn't started this season, it certainly started Saturday night with the Cavs home loss to the FCS's W&M Tribe 26-14. I'm sure the home crowd was upset. The Cavs seem more like Calves and Groh better hope things turn around quick or he may not even make it through the season.

Have to give credit to the CAA as both W&M and Richmond beat ACC teams (Richmond beat Duke).

Friday, September 4, 2009

Skins vs. Jags

So some interesting play and some decisions seem pretty easy.

Alridge might as well have been cut right when he fumbled on the kickoff for a TD. He's done.

Daniel's didn't do enough to supplant Colt and will most likely be cut or sent to the practice squad.

Mike Williams still too fat and slow. He let that end come right around to sack Daniels where he fumbled.

Kelly had a nice catch on JC's first pass of the game. Good play and for Robs since he judges people on one play, I guess he is now a top flight WR.

On the flip side, Randle El dropped the deep ball for a TD. Sure it was in heavy coverage but he needs to make that play. I guess Robs now thinks Randle El has no heart and is useless.

Thought JC played very well on his one series. He went 4-6 but frankly all of his passes should have been completed and he should have had a TD. Still, he showed good poise and command out there and that's what I like.

Glad preseason is over and we can now get to the regular season.

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Final Redskins Preseason Game

So nothing too interesting about this game. Many starters won't see any action. I suppose the main topic of interest will be Colt vs. Chase. Unless Chase comes out with a stellar performance and Colt sucks, I think this race goes to Colt because of his relationships with Zorn and the team. Colt was supposed to challenge Collins for the backup QB job going into camp so it would be interesting to see him end up not even making the team.

There will be some interest in Marcus Mason and Anthony Aldridge to see if either one of these guys can make the roster.

Will be good to see Marko again as well and see if he can continue his strong play.

Just looking forward to 9/13 against the Giants.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Favre thoughts

So I caught much of the first half of the Viking/Texan game last night. Favre's numbers ended up being solid. He didn't do anything spectacular as it seemed like mostly dinks and dunks. Still, maybe that is all that is needed. He didn't make any mistakes and that was good for him and the Vikings. What I did find interesting was that he seemed to be going out of his way to engage with players on the sidelines. I think he is trying to build some camarderie and trying to gel with the guys. Good for him.

Other thoughts I had were that I was very impressed with the Viking defense. I didn't realize the Texans had the third best offense last year (in terms of yards per game) but the Vikings stuffed them.

Also, A. Peterson is a beast! Tremendous combination of speed and power.

Still think Favre is an ass.