Bears United wins

In a thrilling championship game that went down to the wire, Robs' Bears United pulls out the victory 124-117 over Scott's Organized Kaos. In winning the championship, Robs completes the dream season by setting precedence by going undefeated and becomes the undisputed champion.

It was a tough game against a strong Kaos team that had a resurgence late in the season thanks in part by Chris Johnson and Roy Helu who both came on late in the year. Drew Brees and his record setting season provided consistent points for Kaos. Scott did make a very last second change putting in C.J. Spiller for the injured Helu and Spiller had himself a good game.

After Saturday's games, United and Kaos found themselves tied at 81. Robs had 4 players left (Matt Ryan, Jermichael Finley, Robbie Gould, and Bears D) to Scott's 2 (Drew Brees and Mason Crosby). In an exclusive one on one interview with Scott, he was a little disappointed with the score Saturday and privately showed signs of concession.

However, Robs three guys that played on Sunday did not provide as much production as he had hoped. In my exclusive one on one interview with him Saturday evening, Robs shared that if he could come out of Sunday's games with a 30 point lead he felt that he was a lock for the championship. Come Monday morning, Robs held on to a 18 point lead meaning that it came down to Drew Brees vs. Matt Ryan. As mentioned, Brees is a consistent high point provider while Ryan is not nearly as reliable. He has his bigger games but can also lay up some games with few points.

I did get a chance to speak with Scott right before kickoff who shared that he was concerned but did recognize that with Brees playing at home with a chance to lock up the #2 seed in the playoffs and with the most passing yards in a season record on the line, he had an opportunity.

It was a good game last night, Ryan struck first for a TD. Brees answered with his own TD pass. A huge swing play was Brees throwing a balled tipped in the end zone that ended up getting picked off. That was a game changing play. Brees did throw a TD pass right before halftime to make things more interesting.

In the end, because the Saints were up by a fair amount, it probably worked out in Robs' favor as Ryan was forced to pass more and ended up with 350+ yards of passing while the Saints did cool it down slightly by running and trying to use up clock.

It was a championship that lived up to the billing and both teams deserve congratulations for putting a great show on for the fans. Special congrats to Robs for winning the championship and completing the undefeated season. He was by far the most consistent team in the league as he outscored the rest of the league easily (I believe the next closest was still almost 200 points away from him).

It was a great season and look forward to next year!

In a side note, I pulled out victory over Deeps 128-127. I was down by 11 going into last night's game and I had Matt Bryant going. Bryant had three FGs including a 51 yarder that pushed me to victory. Doesn't matter much as Deepie and I both had disappointing years especially as the two of are accustomed to being part of the championship equation. Still, it's nice to finish up on a high note.

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 16

Despite the loss to KC, GB holds on to the #1 spot deservedly so.

Pears fall four spots to #21 and don't look good with Hanie.

Skins have improved their play in recent weeks and climb two spots to #25.

CEAFOD Championship

So it looks like it all comes down to Robs and Scott in the championship. Robs easily took care of JSR and Scott pulled out victory against the surprising BX Warriors.

Robs will look to complete the perfect season while Scott will try to wash the bitterness he still tastes from getting ousted early last year.

Congrats to Robs and Scott and good luck!

Skins beat the G-men

Good win yesterday. We pretty much dominated from the get go. I felt like it was the most complete game we had all year. Offense, defense, special teams, and coaching all seemed to be in sync. I loved that we played a divisional opponent who needed the win at their place and beat them. I also loved that we shoved it down Antrell Rolle's throat after he said when we beat them the first time that they were better than us and they beat us "95 out of 100 times." He didn't back down from those statements this week so it was good to shove it in his face. Here are a few thoughts:

1. Rexy was solid. Yes, he had the two early INTs on deep passes but at least they were deep passes and almost like punts. He recovered and had himself a solid game. I hope to retain him and have him be the starter going into next year.

2. Another good running game. Helu and Royster played well and I liked that we committed to the run. Give credit to the makeshift O line for their effort.

3. Good O line play. Again, starting Willie Smith at LT, Polumbus at RT, and Mo Hurt at LG against a very good Giant D line and we only allowed one sack and, as mentioned, they gave the backs opportunities to run.

4. Defense was solid. Three INTs and good pressure on the QB. Robs thought the D would give up some lopsided losses but it hasn't happened. We largely held the Giants in check and I like the group we have. Hopefully we bring Fletcher back as he is the anchor of that D.

5. Solid coaching. We mixed in some trick plays early which were effective. I guess we have nothing to lose so why not. I liked that we threw deep even though we didn't connect but I loved how we did a good mix of run and pass. Very pleased with the coaching effort given and the their gameplan.

6. Guano solid. Still don't really care for him but he made his kicks and looked pretty good.

In the end, I'm happy with the effort as the team has shown no signs of quitting. We have played good ball for the last several weeks and I just think this team could have easily been in the thick of things if we didn't disrupt with the whole Beck experiment. Still, we are growing and we do seem like we are building and improving. We are young, have several draft picks, cap room to spend on FAs, and will also be returning two high picks from this previous year in Hankerson and Jenkins. There is reason to be positive about this team going into next year.

It will be interesting to see how we finish up the year. We have the Viqueens at home and then on the road against Philly. If we finish out strong, we should feel good with where we are at. Aikman said in talking with Shanny that Shanny is comfortable with where we are and building for next year. It's exactly how I feel and I think the expectations will have to be much bigger next season.

HAIL SKINS!!!

CEAFOD Playoffs Round 2 - Preview

So we are down to the final four for the championship. The games have Robs matched up against JSR and Scott going against the surprising BX Warriors.

In the first game, there is a surprise as the undefeated Robs is actually the underdog against JSR. Robs got a big boost from QB Matt Ryan last night as he beat his projections and put up 25 points for Robs to give him a good start going into the weekend. JSR is heavily Packer oriented and the Pack will be going up against a weak KC team who just fired their coach and will either start recently acquired Orton or some rookie guy. This is an opportunity for Rodgers to put up big points. KC's defense is solid but the question will be if their offense can keep the ball some to keep the GB offense off the field. Additionally, Rodgers may be going after league scoring records so he may try and light it up. It's a good game so we'll see who comes out of it and earn the right to play for the championship.

In the other game, BX Warriors surprisingly beat #2 seeded Mark's Maniacs and now faces Scott and his Organized Kaos team. Scott has come on strong as of late as he has gotten big production from Helu and Chris Johnson in recent weeks. Brees is his QB so he can always count on solid points from him. He is a heavy favorite (I believe 36 points). However, the Warriors got good production from Julio Jones last night (19 points) to give them a good start going into the weekend. Will the Warriors be able to continue their improbable run and will Scott face a second season in a row in a disappointing fashion? We'll all find out in a couple of days.

Good luck to those remaining.

Sam Hurd arrested for being a drug dealer

Chicago Bears receiver Sam Hurd was arrested in Chicago on federal drug charges on Wednesday night, and the criminal complaint against him describes Hurd as regularly dealing large amounts of drugs in Chicago.

Hurd met with an informant at a restaurant. At that meeting, Hurd told the informant that he wanted to buy "five to 10 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana per week for distribution in the Chicago area," according to the complaint.

Hurd allegedly negotiated to pay $25,000 per kilogram for the cocaine and $450 per pound for the marijuana. The complaint says that Hurd "further stated that he and another co-conspirator currently distribute four kilograms of cocaine per week in the Chicago area, but that the supplier could not supply him with enough quantity."

WTF, man?!!! First, I don't get why an NFL player needs to engage in this. They all make decent livings and should be able to support themselves. Second, why would an NFL player want to engage in this? They can throw their career and life away. Third, WTF is with purchasing that amount of drugs? This guy must have been a hard core dealer doing that. Ridiculous and he should be sent away.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Saw this movie yesterday. AWESOME!

Great story. I had a couple of minor issues with it. Namely it was hard to tell how much time had passed in certain sequences so it was difficult to see how long the transformation of things took. I also thought the movie could have been a little longer to help explain and show the transformation and changes in people/apes. The move is a little over an hour and a half and typically I don't care for really long movies but I enjoyed this one and thought it could have used a bit more time to help explain the transformation.

I also thought some things were a little too simplistic but those things were minor and really just being nitpicky.

All in all, it was a great film and if you haven't seen it, you definitely should.

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 15

Puckers stay at #1.

Pears hold steady at #17.

Skins hold steady at #27.

Band Aid song

Again, now that the holiday music is being played on the radio, I have another song that I find amusing.

I think we all know the Band Aid song back from the '80s. It is a compilation of European artists singing a song to help hunger in Africa. It is basically the British version of We Are the World. It's a pretty good song but there is one part in there that always makes me chuckle. It's Bono's part. Now U2 may very well be my most favorite band so I am a Bono fan as well. However, in the song, Bono's part is, "Well, tonight thank God it's them instead of you!"

I chuckle because I am not sure why I would thank God that people in Africa are suffering. I get what is intended by the words. I am sure it is meant that we should just be thankful that we aren't suffering. Still, seems like they could have chosen some better words. Anyway, just something else I find amusing/interesting about a holiday song and I find it amusing/interesting every year.

CEAFOD playoffs - first round

Looks like most of the higher seeds took care of business this week.

Robs handled me pretty easily as did #4 seed JSR. Those two will face next week and should be an interesting game as JSR is largely Packer loaded so as they succeed/fail, so does he. Packers face the lowly Chiefs next week so could be a difficult game for #1 seed Robs.

Scott took care of Deepie pretty easily and Scott looks to be peaking at the right time and will be looking to do his best to make amends for his early exit last season.

In the one upset, #2 seed Mark's Maniacs will fall to the BX Warriors and their 5-7-1 record. That should give Scott a favorable matchup next week against the Warriors. The Final Four should be interesting.

Skins come up short against the Pats

Fun game to watch. Good effort by most and we came up just short falling 34-27 to the Pats. Despite the close game, I agree with Fletcher and Orakpo in saying that there are no moral victories. Here are a few thoughts:

1. Rexy played well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get that he probably held on to the ball too long on the sack for a TD and that hurt. However, outside of that, I thought he played very well and if not for him, we don't have much of a shot. Again, would have been interesting to see how good this team could have been if he had just remained the starter.

2. Helu is a solid RB. The guy is an every down back. He has decent elusiveness and is a good combination of size and speed. He also has solid hands and is improving his blocking skills. I like the kid as he seems like a humble guy that works hard. Will be interesting to see if he becomes the starter next season or if it goes back to Hightower. As a side note, local boy Evan Royster had a couple of nice runs.

3. Good O line play. Have to feel really good about this group as they protected Rexy and got the run game going. It was a patch work O line that was missing three starters. It was comprised of from left to right, undrafted rookie Willie Smith (I think that is the guy), Mo Hurt, Montgomery, Chester, Polumbus (I think that is the guy). Jamal Brown hurt himself in warmups forcing Polumbus in there. Smith got the nod over Locklear which is interesting. Apparently, coaches and teammates are high on Smith and he didn't disappoint. Thought he had a very good game.

4. Tired of Moss dropping passes. I like the guy and think he is a great team guy but his dropped balls are something that has plagued him for a few years now. He does a number of good things but that's two weeks in a row that he has dropped critical passes. In yesterday's game he dropped one early on and then flipped the ball on our last offensive play allowing NE to intercept the ball. We need better from him.

5. STUPID call for NE down near our end zone. Don't know if the O coordinator called it or Brady called it but that was just dumb. There is less than 5 minutes to play and they are up by 7. A FG makes it a two possession game. Instead of running and taking time off of the clock, the worst imaginable situation occurs with Wilson making a great INT in the end zone. It allowed us the opportunity to tie it there at the end. It was also interesting to see Brady go at it with the coordinator. I think Brady was blaming the young WR for not going after the ball but the pass was a little behind and Wilson made a tremendous play. Either way, it was a DUMB call and it was silly for Brady to get angry.

6. Guano sucks! After our FG to make the score 7-3, Guano kicks the ball out of bounds giving the ball to Brady and the Pats at their 40 yard line. That is a killer. We cannot be doing that knowing they have such a potent offense. Inexcusable. Two plays later, the Pats scored another TD. That's three weeks in a row I can remember that Guano has done something stupid on the kickoffs (kicked out of bounds against Seattle, short kick against the Jets, kicked out of bounds against NE). I'm tired of his monkey arse!

7. D was okay. We got pressure and should have sacked Brady a couple of more times but he weaseled his way out. Still, we shut him down pretty much in the first half. I thought D. Hall has been good the last couple of weeks but was disappointed with him yesterday. Picking up the flag and throwing it was dumb and as a captain he has to know better. I love his passion but it is what gets him in trouble at times. However, I was more disappointed with him on the short pass to Gronkowski where he dove and got it and then got up to run and looked like he would be tackled by Gomes and Doughty but escaped and got like another 15-20 yards. While Gomes and Doughty are holding him, Hall is standing there assuming he is going down and does nothing. Pursue and hit him and not only make sure he gets down but make sure he knows he is in for a long day. That was very disappointing for me.

8. Wasn't thrilled with the officiating. The personal foul on Fletcher was bothersome. Yeah, I know it is Tom Brady but he was still very high when Fletcher hit him. I know he is going into his slide but at full speed it is hard to tell what he is going to do and you have to give the defender some leeway to make a play. Brady is no small guy and if he decides to be tough and fight for extra yardage, a defender has to make a play. The defender doesn't know what the QB is going to do and at full speed it's hard to hold up in a fraction of a second. To me, a very bad call. Also, the push off called on Moss was suspect. The defender got in his way and Moss is just trying to run his route. There was contact but didn't see much of a push off.

In the end, I don't care too much that we lost. I was more proud of the effort. Again, this team has not shown it is quitting. In fact, in a way, it was the best possible scenario as we fought hard against a team most people thought would blow us out and by losing we can hope for a better draft pick.

With many draft picks and cap room to spare and a defense that has vastly improved, we have an opportunity to improve the offense (and the entire team) this offseason. Next year will be very telling of the Shanny era as we have to expect great improvement.

HAIL SKINS!!!

CEAFOD - PLAYOFF TIME!!!!

This week brings on the first round of the playoffs. Much to Deepie's and Scott's enjoyment, I was able to sneak in through the back door and grab the #8 seed. Much to my chagrin, I draw Robs and his undefeated team. To further dampen my spirits/chances, my biggest offensive threat (Matt Forte) was hurt last week and could be out for the remainder of the season.

In looking at the projections as they stand today, I am a 15 point underdog. Robs has significant point producers from top to bottom so where as most teams rely on 2 to 3 guys to carry them in a given week, Robs has guys top to bottom that provide significant points giving him better balance. I am putting in Reggie Bush in place of Forte. Bush, like Miami, has come on strong the last few weeks but he is a streaky guy and I am going to have to hope he has a big game. This week also brings about the return of Michael Vick. Hopefully he is recovered and given the time off hopefully he is rested and can dazzle. Basically, I have to hope that guys step up and can exceed expectations and then also hope that players on Robs team suffer injuries and/or get limited production. I am the reigning champ and don't plan on going down without a fight. My players are ready and anxious to take on the #1 seed and give them their first defeat of the season. This is what we have waited for all season.

In another big game, Scott takes on Deepie. Scott has been peaking at the right time and the resurrection of Chris Johnson could not have come at a better time. Also, the establishment of Helu as a productive starter provides added points for Scott. He is an astounding 48 point favorite in his game so Deepie is going to need some miracles for this to work out for him. However, as Scott knows all too well from last season, upsets happen and another early round loss might send Scott off the deep end.

In arguably the most challenging game of the week, JSR takes on Paladins United. The projections show a tight game. JSR relies on the Packers to score big points and thus far they haven't disappointed. Should be an interesting game.

The main thing to note is with the start of the playoffs it brings about the "second" season and we all start off at 0-0. What was done in the regular season means nothing at this point. We are here because we earned the right to be here. Now is the time to put up or shut. It's win or go home.

Good luck to all!

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 14

Puckers stay at the top where they have been all season although their defense is looking increasingly vulnerable.

Pears fall 5 spots to #17 and look bad with Hanie in there. Losing Forte doesn't help.

Skins fall 4 spots to #27. At least the defense continues to play well which is what I wanted to see coming into this season.

JMU loses in second round of playoffs

The #2 ranked N. Dakota State proved too much for the Dukes. Interesting because both teams seem similar with a strong running game and strong defense. However, I felt that they had a better game plan than us. They stacked the box and made it more difficult for us to run and for whatever reason we didn't do that and they were able be more productive running the ball. In the end, we fell 26-14.

The first half was hard fought as it should have gone to halftime tied at seven as we scored right before the half. However, the ensuing kickoff was mishit and sailed out of bounds and gave NDSU the ball at the Dukes 49. From there, the Bison went to the air to move quickly into field goal range. Their kicker hit a career-long field goal from 53 yards out as time expired, and the home squad went into the locker room with a 10-7 advantage. That was a huge momentum changer.

The second half was just NDSU making a couple of more plays than us and pulling out the win.

A solid season but one that I had hoped would continue a few weeks longer. It's a young team so I expect to be better next season.

Davis and Williams suspended for remainder of the season

Too bad as these guys are two of our best offensive players and would have liked to see them progress. It's a dumb mistake but hopefully they learn from it and not allow it to happen again. If it does, than I would be very upset because they would prove to be idiots.

Skins fall to Jets

The final score was not indicative of the game. The Skins were winning with like 5 minutes left and then it just unraveled. Here are my thoughts:

1. Defense was good until the end. We held them to like 266 yards of total offense. Sanchez really did nothing and we were able to contain the running game. They did enough during the game (until the end) for us to win. I also thought D. Hall had another good game.

2. Helu was good. He reminds me a little of Forte. He has deceptive speed and is not overly elusive but can make guys miss. He had some nice runs and a couple of very nice runs after screen passes. Unfortunately we got away from him later in the game.

3. Rexy wasn't very good. He had some nice throws but in the second quarter he just started misfiring. Looked like many of his throws were just going too high. He got back on track at points during the game but all in all just very inconsistent in his play.

4. Guano was okay. He made his kicks (a couple of longer ones) which were good but the "mis kick" on the kickoff after we took the lead was ridiculous. Either kick it deep or squib kick it. He did the worst possible scenario. He kicked it weakly (low and short) allowing the returner plenty of time to catch it on the run and get a return before the coverage team was able to converge. Guano did make the tackle but not before the guy got to midfield. That was a killer.

5. O coaching/playcalling was questionable. I don't like that Rexy had nearly 50 attempts particularly when Helu was effective. Not sure why we got away from the run game. A combination of passing on first and second downs combined with an inaccurate Rexy really stalled the offense.

In the end, I liked the fight in the team. Again, we have shown no signs of quitting and I do like the defensive effort. Sound like a broken record but if we can strengthen the offense in the offseason, we have a chance to be a very solid football team next year. There is no reason to not expect that to happen with 12 draft picks and a lot of cap money to spend.

HAIL SKINS!!!

Question

So it is the holiday season and 97.1 F.M. is playing their holiday music. One thing that has always kind of perplexed me is non christian folk singing Christmas music. For instance, Barry Manilow and his christmas collection. Manilow is a fine singer and I don't care that he is jewish but I just find it interesting that he is singing about christmas. I suppose what gets me is that it just seems like selling out to make some money which at the end of the day seems very unchristlike.

I always say that if you are a singer and want to guarantee yourself some air play just come up with a christmas song.

Anyway just wanted to throw that out there and see if anyone else had any thoughts on the subject.

Boudreau hired by Ducks

Didn't take long for him to find work. In fact, I'm sure that once Boudreau was available is hastened the Ducks management to fire their coach.

Listened to Boudreau yesterday and he sounded like he really couldn't do much more here in Washington. He said he tried everything to get the players motivated but it just didn't work. When a coach says that, the decision to let him go is pretty easy.

He also said that he had not really ever faced in his coaching career multiple beatings the way the Caps were taking recently. He was classy in the interview. I liked him and he did a lot for the organization. I wish him well in Anaheim and I also hope that Hunter can turn things around for us.

Caps fall to Blues in Hunter's debut

Interesting game last night in that it was Dale Hunter's debut as Caps coach. Was curious what differences there would be in both attitude and style of play. I am no expert on hockey strategies and systems so it's hard for me to understand the nuances but for me it clearly looked like we were more focused on the defense and staying back and not allowing for breakdowns leading to odd man rushes.

The problem was that it was hard to generate any type of offense. We only mustered 11 shots after two periods and I believe 16 overall. It actually reminded me of the late 80s and early 90s when the Caps were regularly beaten in the shot department. I imagine it will take some time for the Caps to get used to Hunter's style but hopefully it pans out. They did look a little unsure yesterday and never really seemed to have a good offensive flow.

Pittsburgh comes to town tomorrow and Crosby is back and they are playing some of the best hockey out there so will be interesting to see how the game plays out.

It's tough because right now we are not a very good team so this rivalry takes a different tone to it. I just hope this team can get on track and that Hunter is the right coach for this group. Time will tell.

JMU wins first round playoff game

In an expanded field of 20 teams, JMU eked its way into the playoffs. We also have our starting QB back after being out the bulk of the season due some disciplinary action (funny how he is back for the playoffs).

JMU beat Eastern Kentucky on a last second FB to pull out a 20-17 win.

This Saturday we play #2 North Dakota St. We don't typically travel that far so will be interesting to go out there. I like our chances as the CAA is widely considered the strongest conference in the FCS so not sure how many tough teams North Dakota St. has faced. Also, I anticipate it to be cold up there which suits are game of strong running and solid defense.

It's a big game for us and hopefully we can keep this thing going and advance.

GO DUKES!!!

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 13

Puckers stay at #1.

Pears fall 5 spots to #12.

Skins climb 3 spots to #23.

Jags fire Del Rio

He was on the hot seat for a while and at 3-8, it's not a surprise. They really didn't look like a team that is headed in any direction and after 9 years, it is probably time for change.

Question is who is next. I got to believe Norv Turner is on the hot seat as the Chargers are floundering. He has been there for a while and he was never able to get them over the hump and it may be time for change in San Diego.

Others include:

Jim Caldwell
Leslie Frazier
Steve Spagnuolo
Todd Haley (depends how the Chefs finish)
Whisenhunt (depends how the Cards finish)
Sparano looks to have saved his job as the Fins are playing very competitive football for the last several weeks.

Will be interesting to see how teams finish up the season.

CEAFOD heats up

Wins by Deepie and JSR propel them into the playoffs. In fact, seven of the eight spots have been secured. My loss last week has me on the outside looking in but in sole possession of the seed 8. However, I control my own destiny this week. If I win, I'm in. If I lose, I need to hope I have scored more points than FU Bioch and Rookie Brits (which barring a miracle should happen). I face Rookie Brits who were considered a joke early in the season but have somehow gotten competitive much like the Dolphins of the NFL. Makes for an exciting week for me this week as other teams will fight to better their playoff seedings.

However, even if I make it into the playoffs, I have Robs to face in Round 1 who is undefeated and who has been rolling through the league easily.

Skins beat the 'Hawks

Good win yesterday. At this point, I don't get too caught up with a win or a loss but rather I want to see good effort. Yesterday I saw that. I thought we played well and I thought it was a well coached game as well. Here are my highlights:

1. Rexy was good. For the second straight week, the guy played well. He had solid numbers and made a number of nice throws especially on the crossing routes. He did have two picks but I didn't mind the first one. Sure, it came at an inopportune time on our side of the field but it was a very good play by a tall DB with very long arms. That is not a pick with 99% of the other CBs in the league. The second pick was a very poor decision as he threw it into triple coverage after one or two offensive plays sending our D right back out on the field. However, all in all a very good effort throwing for 300+ yards and two TDs. Funny because Scott was complaining about how Rexy wasn't playing well but he views things through a different lense and seems to expect perfection when it comes to the QB position - especially the Redskins QB.

2. Helu solid. Helu started and saw the bulk of the work on all downs. The guy is an every down player and seems better suited than Torain for the offense right now. For the first time in weeks, we were actually able to establish some run game. His TD was a great run as he leaped over the defender for the touchdown. He is also a solid receiver out of the backfield.

3. Solid O line play. I was content with the O line play. Rexy was hit and took I believe one sack but it is a pretty good Seattle defense and I was fine with the protection.

4. Defense was good. We pretty much held Seattle in check. Lynch did get 100+ yards but we limited them for the most part. Unfortunately gave up a TD off of a Skin turnover on a short field. Also, gave up a FG on a really bad pass interference call on Josh Wilson but other than that, I was pleased with their effort.

5. Return of D. Hall. I thought he had a very good game. Made some nice plays defending passes sent his way. Also fitting to finish the game with an INT. Great rebound game after his issues last week.

6. Guano sucks. Okay maybe the blocked FG and PAT wasn't really his fault but I am just not comfortable with him there. I think the guy is on thin ice. I am fine with him for the rest of the year but I basically look at it as a tryout. Lets see what he can do and I would give him opportunities for some longer kicks and see if he can make some and decide if he will be our kicker next year. Lets not forget the kickoff out of bounds too. It was almost like he was trying to find a way to get cut yesterday.

7. Solid coaching. It really seemed like there was a solid game plan coming into this game. I liked all the crossing patterns and setting up the screens. They seemed to be very effective. I was also happy that we got some type of run game going as that really helped set up the play action. If we can generate some solid run game, I believe the play action pass will be there because Rexy is pretty good at that.

All in all, pleased with the effort. Was also nice to get a comeback victory. Again, mostly happy because the team fought hard and hasn't shown any signs of quitting. I just want to see the kind of effort we have put in the last few weeks continue as it gives us something to build off of going into next year. I really believe the season got derailed when we took Beck out. It just broke the entire flow of the offense and the season. We are still playing catch up but it's obvious we are a better team with Rexy in there. We have some tougher games coming up so it will be interesting to see how the team/players respond.

HAIL SKINS!!!

Boudreau FIRED!

Not a real surprise. Frankly, I was saying for the last week that if things did not change quickly, they should fire him. It seemed like he had lost the locker room and that there was growing dissatisfaction between him and some players including Ovechkin.

The killer was losing back to back games badly against the Rangers at home and then to a VERY undermanned Sabre team that was essentially playing their AHL team and we were dominated.

What is interesting about the firing is that it did not happen immediately after the Sabre game. The Caps took their time to think about it and then pulled the trigger either late last night or early this morning.

I like Boudreau but it just wasn't working this season. What's funny is when the Caps started out 7-0, ESPN had him as the early favorite for Coach of the Year. Funny how things change so quickly.

The Caps will bring in former Cap great Dale Hunter to pick up the pieces. He is a no nonsense guy and will certainly bring discipline to this team. Will be interesting to see how things change and how the players respond. I am sure they will respect the guy for his time/toughness as a former player, as a former Cap, and a very good minor league hockey coach. Hunter is one of just a few Caps to have had his number retired so the team will be able to look up at his number in the rafters every home game. Hunter is a tough guy that will get in peoples faces. I'm sure it will be a very different style of coaching compared to the more affable Gabby.

This team is built for the Cup and needs to win now and the way they have been playing the last few weeks it is not a surprise at all about Boudreau. I just hope that Hunter can get this thing rolling.

LETS GO CAPS!!!

CEAFOD

We all won our respective games as the regular season dwindles down. As a result, Scott secures a playoff berth and finds himself in third place. Robs continues to dominate as he plows through the league.

JSR finds himself as the fourth seed with a 6-5 record. Me and Deepie are the sixth and seventh seeds respectively at 5-6. With a very mediocre league, each game can have significant playoff ramifications. The goal is just to get to the playoffs and then anything can happen.

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 12

Puckers stay where they have been all season...at #1.

Despite winning, the Pears fall two spots to #7. This may be because of Cutler's injury.

Skins hold at #26.

Skins come up short against the Cowboys

Good game. It was entertaining and hard fought. Here are a few observations:

1. Thought Rexy was very good. He commanded the offense and made a number of very good throws. What I also loved to see was his emotion and how the team really seemed to rally behind him. It was a HUGE mistake to replace him earlier in the season as that completely derailed this team and our season. Still, I am glad to see him get another chance and show what he can do.

2. O line. Very good pass blocking but not so good run blocking. I suppose you can't expect too much from this banged up group that included some guy named Polumbo or Polumbus who was just signed a couple of weeks ago starting at LG (because of injuries to Lichtensteiger, Locklear, and Hurt). Still, the lack of a run game is really hampering the offense.

3. Where are the RBs? As mentioned, the run game is anemic. O line deserves much of the blame on this (although I believe the Cowboys have a good run defense). However, our backs need to do better as well. I would like to see more of Helu as he seems like a better cut back runner. Torain is a big, physical, downhill type runner but if the hole isn't in front of him, he doesn't seem to be able to see the backside cut. Helu may be more ideally suited for this.

4. The return of Banks. Finally, good to see him produce. We need more of that to warrant his position on the team. Good game by him.

5. Defense was okay. They were very good in the first half keeping the 'Boys to 10 points which included giving them the ball on a short field. They were okay in the second half but what was most distressing is giving up third down conversions. This has been a strength for much of the season but we had them in several third and longs in the fourth quarter and OT but couldn't make that one play. While I am not happy about that, those things can be corrected.

6. D. Hall. I believe the guy can play but I also agree he runs his mouth too much. I know he shoulders much of the blame for the loss but some of those plays that went on him are tough plays and frankly the coaches could have done a better job of helping him out. At least, he took some accountability and I can respect that.

7. Ga-NO!!! He missed two long FGs (49 yarder and 52 yarder). I get that these are long FGs but his percentage for anything over 40 yards must be pretty low. I don't now what the league percentage is for longer FGs but it just seems like he struggles. May be it's because I am obviously more cognizant of his kicks because I just checked out how he stacks up to the league and it isn't as bad as I thought but still, his two misses were killers.

In the end, it was a good game but still tough to come up short. Honestly, I would have loved to see us try a two point conversion after we scored late in the game. We had nothing to lose and if we made it great, if we don't, I could have accepted the loss and respected the call. Still, I loved that we fought and that guys certainly don't seem to be laying down. I think this team has too much pride and I also believe they know that there is a different mentality and culture with this team now and losing hurts more and that there are pieces that can build from with this group.

Well, on to next week.

HAIL SKINS!!!

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 11

Packers hold the top spot.

The Pears climb four spots and fall in at 5.

Skins fall four spots down to 26.

CEAFOD

Interesting developments as we all won our games for this week. Robs is still undefeated and maintains the top spot and continues to dominate. Scott is riding a 3 game win streak and at 6-4 finds himself in sole possession of third place.

JSR is at 5-5 and in 5th. JKSD and Deepie are at 4-6 and in spots 7 and 8 respectively.

Interesting is that Robs and Mark's Maniacs have already clinched playoff berths. It's also interesting because they face off this coming week in what should be a battle of titains.

We are getting down to crunch time for the rest of us and each week can make a big difference in the standings and whether we can get that playoff berth.

Should be interesting.

Hankerson done for the year

He dislocated his hip and tore his labrum and was put on IR. It's a shame as he had a very good first game and it would have been nice to see what he could do for the rest of the season. That makes our second and third picks this season out for the year. With Hankerson, it is also tough because it came on his last catch in the latter part of the game but it happens and hopefully he comes back fully healthy next season.

Skins fall to the Fins

Frustrating loss. Here are my grades:

Offense: D- So I was very surprised to see Grossman start. I thought it was a good thing. I actually thought he played pretty well and certainly better than what Beck has to offer. I thought the pass blocking was solid enough. I was also very happy with Hankerson’s contributions. The guy caught 8 passes for over 100 yards. The reasons for the poor grade are because twice our defense set up the offense in a short field and we were only able to come away with FGs. That can’t happen. We need to be able to get it in. Another BIG problem is that we had virtually no running game and that can’t happen. We are not good enough to rely heavily on the passing game. I felt this was a combination of poor run blocking and the RBs missing the hole on occasion. Finally, the pick near the end zone was a killer. Offense, again, is where I knew we would struggle this season so I am not surprised. Again, happy that Rexy is back in and was happy with Hankerson’s production and hopefully he is not hurt too bad as I would like to see more of him and what he has to offer.

Defense: C I felt like this group did enough to win. As mentioned, we got two big turnovers that set up our offense on short fields. I thought Kerrigan had a big game as he had two sacks where he stripped the ball. Also pleased with Perry Riley’s production. He was in on a number of tackles and I believe had a sack. However, the defense also gave up two long drives ending in TDs that hurt but all in all, they did enough to win this game.

Special Teams: D Banks had one nice punt return but really nothing there. Coverage teams were fine. Gano missed two long FGs. Not good.

The loss stings and players seem frustrated but they also seem like they are putting it on themselves rather than the coaches so I don’t see any issue in the locker room. However, those things can creep up suddenly so we’ll have to keep an eye out for that. Again, there were pluses with some of the young guys (Kerrigan, Hankerson, Riley) stepping forward. I still like the direction of the team. As mentioned, improvements were made on the defense this season and we need to strengthen the offense for next season. I can take losses as long as we show improvement on the defense and we are competitive. Again, we need to focus on the offense in the offseason and see significant improvement next season. Year 3 will be very telling for the Shannys.

FIRED!!!

Paterno was fired yesterday along with the University President (Spanier) and deservedly so. To not act on what they knew and to try and protect their program and the university is just despicable. What's also bothersome is all those idiot kids out there trying to support Paterno. These guys are only thinking about the football program and school. If it was explained to them that what if this had happened to them or their younger brother, would be interesting to see if they would change their tune.

Unfortunate in that it tarnishes a long and legendary career but he brought it on himself and, again, it was deserved and just the right thing to do.

Pats cut Haynesworth

Looks like Fat Albert has done it again and worked his way off of a team that typically resurrects players with attitudes.

The guy is jerk. He is a lazy SOB that took plays off and then got blown off by Dave Diehl on an easy TD run for Jacobs. After the play, he got into a yelling match with Pepper Rogers and that pretty much was it.

His contribution to the Pats, three tackles and no sacks.

The guy went from being the most dominant DL in the league to a joke seems like overnight. Will be interesting to see what happens next.

SHOCKING!!!!

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2011/1107/espn_e_Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment.pdf

This is the link for the grand jury's report on the accusations against Jerry Sandusky. It is shocking and sickening to read that some one could behave like this and I feel terrible for the victims.

This guy should be locked up in a max security prison and left to defend himself.

CEAFOD

I lose again and am really slipping back. Deepie has lost 4 in a row and right there with me near the bottom.

JSR has lost 3 in a row and in the middle of the pack. Scott has won 2 in a row and finds himself in third in a largely mediocre league.

Robs has a little tougher test but still wins to remain undefeated and continues to look strong.

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 10

Puckers hold on to the top spot.

Pears climb one spot to #9.

Skins hold at #22.

BECK SUCKS!!!

No real surprise that the Skins fell to the 9ers given our offensive woes. Interesting because my prediction was pretty much spot on. It's tough because defensively we did enough to win the game. The problem is that our offense is terrible and I am convinced a large part of it is because of John Beck. The guy cannot play. With that, let me get into my grades.

Special Teams: B: This is largely because of Gano's 59 yard FG which was pretty tremendous. The kick and punt coverages were good too. However, Banks is starting to look like the second coming of ARE. Actually not that bad but what bothers me about him is that he is so intent on trying to make a play that he forgets his fundamentals. He fielded a punt inside our 5 and then did nothing. That is football 101 and it was a mistake. He also regularly tries to return kickoffs that are sent deep into our end zone. I understand why he is doing this as he is trying to justify his job on the roster since this is his only function but he has to do better and be smarter. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind seeing Austin back there.

Defense: B-: I thought this group did enough to win the game. Given that they got NO help from the offense, I was pleased with their effort. The turnover right before the half that set up the 49er TD was a killer but we got consistent pressure Smith and did a decent job against Gore. I am comfortable with this group.

Offense: D-: The only reason why this grade is not an F is because it was nice to see production from Hankerson, Helu, and Mo Hurt. Hankerson actually looks like he is capable out there as he saw his first extended action. However, Beck is useless. Much of the blame for the offensive issues fall on him. I know Shanny was trying to defend him but you could see in his face he wasn't thrilled with Beck. All he did was dump off. For F's sake, Helu caught 14 passes! Never took a shot downfield. Blocking was decent during the game so that is not an excuse. Again, teams are going to take the run away and force Beck to beat them and he can't do it. There were also some dropped balls by Davis and Austin that were disappointing but I am tired of Beck.

I wasn't happy when the switch was made as we were 3-1 (on the road to 3-2) and atop the East. I admit that I wasn't satisfied with Grossman and I still don't think he is that great but he is much better than Beck. I heard Kyle Shanny last week saying that Beck is essentially a rookie but if that is their feelings on the guy, why make the freaking change when they did? You put in a rookie when the season is tanked and you want to see the potential future.

Now I will say that Beck was okay in Carolina. He made some nice decisions and throws but he was bad against the Bills (granted I thought the offense was bad in general so I can't put it all on him). However, I put more blame on him against SF because again he had time and his WRs (Davis and Gaffney) said that they were open a number of times. Beck will say that he needs to review the tape but I say F THE TAPE! He isn't capable of playing. He was probably scared of throwing INTs (especially after his first downfield throw was an INT - looked like he was late throwing it to Davis).

Now I like what we have done on defense and I said before the season started that we needed to see progress on the defensive side of the ball and I give credit to Shanny for improving the defense but the one thing he has completely botched is the QB situation. The Mc5 situation was a fiasco and going to Beck was a mistake. Shanny has already named Beck starter for next week's game against Miami and now that Beck is in, I am fine with that but this should be the last straw. If Beck can't get up and perform against the team that drafted him and then cut him, he will show that he can't play and I say go back to Rexy to at least get something going with our offense.

I can appreciate the players telling Beck to keep his head up and patting him on the back but our offense has taken a big step back with him in. Also, those roll outs that Beck does isn't fooling anyone. A j.v. high school coach could game plan against that and it's obvious the last three weeks our opponents were ready for that so that's not doing anything. Again, lets see what Beck can do against the Fins but if it goes south (which I expect), bring Rexy back.

I pretty much said this was going to happen. I said that Beck would get in and struggle and all the people chanting for Beck will see him for what he is and then want Rexy back. We'll see what happens.

Skins vs. 9ers preview

This one is going to be interesting. After two weeks playing away, the Skins are back at home having dropped three straight. We are also playing a rejuvenated 49er team that has been looking good. Here are my thoughts:

1. Offense: It really falls on Beck and Kyle to get this thing going. The 49ers have the top run defense in the league and I don't doubt for a second that they are going to force Beck to make plays. I imagine they will crowd the box and send extra pressure to force Beck to make mistakes/hold on to the ball and take sacks. I don't have a whole lot of faith in Beck so I think this could get ugly. I imagine the fans will start to boo early on as the offense struggles under Beck. I won't be too surprised if we see Rexy back in there in the second half. We'll see how this goes.

2. Defense: I expect a MUCH better performance from this group. I don't believe much in Alex Smith and we have to get back to playing better. I am just hoping that our offense doesn't put the defense in short fields. I really expect to see these guys step up and make plays. This is the area of the game I will be most interested in.

3. Special Teams: I know Banks wants to get a spark and runs the ball out of the end zone every time he gets a chance and that's fine but he has got to do better to justify his spot on the roster. Same for punts. Otherwise, just let Austin have a chance to see what he can do and if it is the same, get rid of Banks to make room for another player.

In the end, I think our offense will struggle again. Beck and Kyle will really be on the hot seat this game and will really need to make some plays. However, I think the 49er defense is good and they are going up against an injury riddled offense with no real QB so I am not expecting much. I think our defense will play well but it won't matter because our offense will sputter. Skins will fall 19-9.

HAIL SKINS!!!

Theo fires Quade

Theo moved quickly and made his first big move by firing manager Mike Quade. Quade was a good players manager but he didn't seem to fit the Epstein mold. He wants to start with a clean slate and it's probably a good thing.

Would be interesting to see if he hired Tito although I highly doubt that given the issues surrounding Francona this offseason. Not sure if that type of added drama would be needed in Chicago.

Ryno is also ruled out as Theo called him up and told him that he was not in the running. Sandberg appreciated the call and wished Theo and the Cubbies well.

Will be interesting to see who they settle on.

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 9

GB holds on to the top spot.

After a bye week, the Pears hold steady at #10.

Skins drop two spots to #22.

CEAFOD

Scott pulls out a victory and Deepie and JSR lose again. I get pasted by Robs so we are all part of the muddled middle.

Robs continues to dominate and is looking unstoppable at this point.

PO-THETIC!!!

Said in my best indian accent!

Not much to say about this one except that we just need to forget it and move on.

Here are my grades/lowlights:

1. Special Teams: D - This is really because of the blocked FG. Otherwise, there was not much to discuss. Punts, kickoffs, KRs, and PRs were all average.

2. Defense: D - It's one of the top offenses in the league and the defense kept it relatively close but the problem was that they got NO help from our offense. Still, not a great effort but they weren't the problem in this game.

3. Offense: F- - HORRIBLE!!! There was nothing good about this group. We were going up a bad defense and could not do anything. For the third week in a row, we were taken out of our run offense (not that it was doing much). Giving up 9 sacks is ridiculous! I get that some of those sacks fall on Beck but just bad line play that we haven't seen all year. I also recognize that we are missing a number of starters but it was just a BAD performance. O line has to play better. Beck was not very good. He didn't do anything to get things moving. It appears that in the last two weeks, defenses are taking away the run game and forcing our QB to make plays and whereas last week, I thought Beck was okay, this week he did nothing. I'm not sure how much falls on Beck and how much falls on coaching but it was just all bad. Another note was the number of deep balls Beck threw. I can appreciate throwing deep but the balls he threw sucked! He throws his deep balls like hail marys. It's like he is looking up in the air and just throws it up. He's throwing into double coverage and the WR isn't even open. There have to be better options than that. Just bad throws.

4. Coaching: F- - For the first time all year, I question Kyle Shanahan's offense. I get that he is strapped by the resources available to him but still he has to take some blame for the poor offensive play. As mentioned under the offense, I can appreciate Beck throwing deep but it seemed like he was hell bent to throw deep whether the WR was open or not. I wonder if he was told to do that or if Beck chose to do that. Either way...terrible! There just has to be better coaching done to put guys in better positions to be successful. B Mitch brought up the Pears in yesterday's post game and said how the Pears offense has looked better because of changes they have made and that is coaching. Again, Beck and the O line didn't do us many favors but the coaches have to do a better job as well. Also, the rollouts do not work with Beck. It's too predictable and teams are recognizing it.

All in all, just a dismal game. There are real questions now and answers will be expected. The interesting thing now is I think fans are getting a better sense of what we have with Beck. Fans aren't thrilled with Grossman either but we have a home game against the 49ers next week and if Beck struggles, fans will start wanting Grossman back in there (as fans operate like they own a fantasy football team). I would actually welcome that as I think Grossman is better (albeit still not that good) and I think the team would rally around him. I do expect to see Grossman again this year it's just a question of when.

I do still feel pretty good about the team. I do believe the defense has greatly improved from last year and finishing in the middle of the pack would be a success. We need to significantly upgrade the offense in the off season. We need to find ourselves a QB and then either find a WR in Paul or Hankerson or get someone in the draft.

HAIL SKINS!!!

Skins vs. Bills preview

Interesting game as I really don't know what to expect. I don't know the Bills well other than their record and a few of their key players (Fitzpatrick, Jackson, Johnson). With all the injuries the Skins have, it's hard to say what they will do. Still, here are my thoughts:

1. Skins need to stop Jackson. Hopefully Fletcher can play as he is our best tackler and a coach on the field. If he doesn't go, we'll probably see Fox in his spot. Also, hopefully can get Atogwe back as I am much more comfortable with him back there rather than Doughty. Doughty is a solid tackler but slower to get to spots in pass coverage. Still, the focus will be to limit Jackson's production.

2. To-RAIN. With Hightower out, Torain is the starter and he has to prove what he can do. He was solid when he was in there last season and has been pretty good this year but we just need to stick with him and get him going. We also need to get TDs and convert 3rd and shorts that he sets up. This was a big issue last week as Hightower was having a very good game but would set up a 3rd and short that we would fail to convert.

3. Converting on 3rd downs. As mentioned above, this will be key.

4. Watching the young WRs. With Moss out, I'm actually kind of excited to see what Paul and Hankerson can do. I think both are eager to get out there and they both have decent size. We need to see if either/both of these guys have what it takes to be an NFL WR.

5. Beck. It's his second start this season. He has had more time working with the starters in practice and is hopefully more prepared. Again, I don't have any real idea what he is going to do so it will be interesting to see him play. Hopefully he doesn't give up bad turnovers. That could be the difference in the game. I don't think he needs to win the game for us but just manage it.

In the end, I think the Skins will put up a good fight but because of the number of injuries (Moss, Hightower, Lichtensteiger, Williams, Cooley, Fletcher, Atogwe), it's going to be a tall order for the Skins to beat the Bills in Toronto. I think the Skins will fall 23-16.

HAIL SKINS!!!

CEAFOD

I beat JSR and losses by Deepie and Scott muddle things up as Scott, Deepie, and me are all at 3-4. JSR holds a one game lead over us at 4-3. Robs continues to roll and remains undefeated and looking very strong.

However, anything can happen in the playoffs as Scott well knows from last season.

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 8

GB holds the top spot.

Pears climb 4 spots to #10.

Skins drop 5 spots to #20.

Beck's comments

So Robs has been making a big deal recently about the comments Beck has been making seeming that he is deflecting criticism and blaming others. Beck came out yesterday and made it very clear that the INT on the Hankerson pass was on Beck.

Conversely, in the 4 INT game, Grossman tried to deflect blame on him on a Davis pass saying that Davis has to cut inside and make the play.

Now the thing is I don't have a real problem with what Beck or Grossman said. However, Robs has been uber critical of Beck and I have a feeling that if Beck said what Grossman said, Robs would have been highly critical of him. I may be wrong on that but it seems like Robs has been pretty nit picky and hanging on every word Beck says and how he says it. It seems a little silly to me.

Lavar and Dukes had a whole segment yesterday about the contrasting comments made by Beck and Grossman and played the audio clips and they were both up in arms over the difference in the comments made by the two.

Again, I didn't really care too much about either of the comments and didn't have too much of a problem with them. However, Robs has been quick to point out Beck's comments and I thought it was worth a posting.

Hightower out for season; Moss out for extended time

The Skins were fortunate to have avoided injuries this season until recently. Now the injuries are mounting. It's part of the game and teams have to deal with it; however, only 4 players on offense starting this week will be playing the position they played at the beginning of the season. Key offensive losses include:

Hightower
Moss
Williams
Cooley
Lichtensteiger

Probably the biggest loss is Moss as we have depth at RB with Torain and Helu. Locklear can fill in pretty well for Williams but I don't really care for Cook in at C. Davis can fill in for Cooley. I think we have pretty good depth there at offense.

Defensively, hopefully we can get Fletcher and Atogwe back as those are key players we need.

Again, injuries are part of the game and all teams have to deal with them. Still, when the amount of injuries start piling up, it can present a greater challenge.

State of the NFC

I get that there has been parity in the NFL for years but this year seems even more apparent that outside of GB (ggod), St. Louis (bad), and maybe NO (good), any team can beat any team. It makes for exciting and unpredictable weeks of football and it pretty much leaves the playoffs open to several teams.

It's also interesting how things can turn from week to week. A win one week can put teams right back in the thick of things and a loss can really push them back. The Skins and Pears are good examples of this where everyone was high on the Skins a couple of weeks ago but after two straight losses, they are down. Conversely, the Pears looked down a couple of weeks back but after two straight wins (coupled with two straight Lion losses), the Pears are right back in the thick of things.

TB can get blown out by the 49ers one week but come back and win the following week. It's a strange league right now with only a couple of front runners otherwise, it seems like it is wide open for most of the teams.

Skins lose - the good, the bad, and the ugly

Tough loss. There was good. There was bad. And there was ugly. I will start with the good.

Good:

1. Beck was decent. I must admit that I wasn't expecting much from him and he was a concern for me but he certainly held his own and I thought he played well. He threw for nearly 300 yards and accounted for two TDs. He had some very nice passes and was able to elude some rush and make plays that I don't think Rexy could have. It is one game but I was pleased with his play.

2. Strong running game. Hightower was off to a great start and it was good to see him get going after being out a couple of weeks. It was also good to see him do it behind a make shift line that held up well.

3. O line play. Sean Locklear and Chad Cook were inserted as new lineman. I thought Locklear played very well at the LT position and having to go against Charles Johnson. Cook was okay but made a couple of mistakes. Still, on in all, I was very happy with the line play.

4. First half game plan. We ran the ball effectively and ate up time. I didn't expect this to be a high scoring game as I think the game plan was run the ball and control the clock and keep Carolina's offense off the field. We did that pretty well in the first half. The problem was on third and shorts, we did not convert them and had to settle for FGs. That hurt.

Now for the Bad:

1. DEFENSE. Just bad in the second half. First half, we held Carolina to 9 points (should have been 6 but Gaffney fumbled late). We got 4 sacks on Newton and largely held them in check. Was pleased with the play in the first half. The second half was a different story. Not sure if they made adjustments but we just couldn't stop them. I will say that I give full credit to Cam Newton. I had not seen him play before but he made some very nice plays and he did so with his arm. He made some passes that good vets can't make but still the defense needed to do better and that was disappointing.

2. There were some questionable coaching decisions but I didn't have a huge problem with that. The bad is pretty much on the defense.

The Ugly:

1. Poor officiating. This was some of the worst officiating I have seen in a while. Poor calls made that affected both teams but some just egregious calls and non calls that should put this crew under review by the NFL.

2. Injuries. The injury bug seems to have finally caught up to the Skins. We were already w/o two starting O linemen and Atogwe but we lost Moss, Hightower, Fletcher and Doughty was playing hurt. Tough to lose all those guys but it happens.

To wrap up, I thought there were three key plays that determined this game. They were:

1. Our first drive of the third quarter. We march it down to the Carolina 40. On a third and 2, we do a quick button hook to Austin who was mugged by Gamble. It looked like a clear pass interference. Fine, no call so we go for it on 4th and 2. I didn't mind going for it on 4th but if we believed it was four down territory, I would have rather run it on third. Anyway, sets up 4th and two and with Moss out, there was a mix up with the WRs and Beck had to direct Austin where to line up before the play clock ended. He hurried and snapped the ball and the offense was really set and it resulted in a sack. The play just looked rushed and bad and I didn't like it as it was happening. The turnover in downs gave Carolina good field position and they quickly scored a TD.

2. The other play that I thought won the game for Carolina was the 2nd and 17 at our 37 and Newton threw what I thought was an unbelievable pass to Steve Smith at the one yard line. Josh Wilson had great coverage and Doughty was a tad late to get over (wonder if Atogwe could have made the play) but the ball was thrown perfectly. It had a nice arc and couldn't have been put in a more perfect spot. It was a good catch by Smith as well but that play killed the Skins.

In the end, the Skins find themselves at 3-3. I am okay with that. I still like the make up of the team and feel like we have made strides. 3-1 gave most fans false hope. We are rebuilding. I was disappointed with the defense but I still believe we are taking steps in the right direction and even if we don't win more games than last year, I think we are a much better team than last year because we have guys that are young, talented, can grow and that we can build around. We were never going to get all the pieces this season. As muddled as the NFC looks this season, I believe we can compete with pretty much any team.

Skins vs. Panthers - Prediction

Interesting matchup as the John Beck era begins. This is the first week I do not feel real comfortable and I really don't know what to expect in this one. Beck is unproven and while I don't know a whole lot about the Panthers, I do know that they have had a very tough schedule but have been in every single game.

Here are my predictions on the game:

1. Beck will be doing a number of rollouts on both sides. Hopefully he doesn't do something stupid like throw across his body back towards the middle of the field. I expect him to run the ball a few times as well. I think the game plan will be shorter, controlled passing and have him more manage the game as opposed to sending the ball deep downfield. I think he will have reasonable success with this.

2. Ride the Love-TORAIN. I expect to see a whole lot more of Torain this week. Last week, the Eagles focused on stopping the run and Rexy couldn't convert third downs and we got down early thus, taking our running game out of play. I expect the Panthers to do the same. They will have more guys in the box to take away the run and put pressure on Beck. We also have a depleted line so all the more reason for the Panthers to send more guys up. Still, we have to stay committed to the run and get Torain going.

3. Stop Cam. In a way, it's good to have to face Vick and Cam on back to back weeks as our guys should be expecting to face a dual threat at QB. We need to get pressure on him and try and force turnovers. As well as Cam has played, he is still a rookie and we have to take advantage of that.

It's going to be interesting. It really comes down to the points I mentioned above. Our defense is going to have to continue to play well if we expect to win. In the end, I think we will be able to control the clock and come away with a 20-13 victory.

HAIL SKINS!!!

Sources say it is Beck

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Shanny has informed the team they are going with Beck.

I am not a fan of this move but I will support the decision and still cheer the team.

I am not surprised either as Grossman has been a turnover machine, with 18 giveaways in eight Redskins starts, and his quarterback rating has been on a slide since the 110.5 he posted in the season-opening win over the New York Giants.

Since then, he's put up 74.9, 77.5, 48.5 and then the paltry 23.7 on Sunday. His 66.5 overall rating ranks 32nd of 33 quarterbacks in the league, with only Kerry Collins (65.9) trailing him.

Still, I don't believe in Beck and hope he proves me wrong. I suppose the one advantage he brings is his mobility which will be all the more important given that we lost the left side of our line. However, as mentioned, the move has deeper ramifications. This is not fantasy football where, should Beck blow, you can switch back and forth b/t QBs. The Shannys are basically committing to Beck for at least the next few games. I am sure the majority of fans will support this move but if Beck blows this week, there will be some grumblings but he will get some leeway because he hasn't been practicing with the starters, etc. If he blows in week 2, the fans/media will start getting on him. If he blows in game 3, the "We want Rex!" chants will start and to have to go back will be tough on the team. That said, the Shannys better hope Beck pans out.

If nothing else, this makes Sunday's game all the more interesting.

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 7

Puckers hold on to the top spot.

Pears climb four spots to #14.

Skins drop five spots to #15.

CEAFOD

I pull out a rare win to get me to 2-4.

Deepie loses a close one to JSR dropping him to 3-3 and upping JSR to 4-2.

Scott takes a beating against Robs to fall to 3-3.

Robs continues to dominate as he remains undefeated and is looking unstoppable.

Who will it be - Rex or Becks?

I think the quick knee jerk reaction is to go with Becks but now that things have cooled down just a bit, seems like Rex may have a chance to start against Carolina.

Moss has come out publicly and stated that there's "no question" Grossman should keep the job and that "you just can't give up on somebody because they had a bad outing."

Fred Davis has also accepted for two of Rexy's four INTs. Rexy hinted toward Davis being at fault for INT #3 and thought Davis needs to cut across in front of the S. Davis agreed. He also took responsibility for the first one that was a well placed ball but the S had time to get over and outjump Davis who didn't see the S. I can agree with #3. The first one I was fine with anyway as it was basically a really good punt. It would have been a great play by Davis to get the first one and I think he is doing what he can to protect his QB.

I love that the players are sticking up for Rexy and it will be interesting to see what the coaches decide to do. Again, making a QB change would be the unpopular choice among fans but fans can't dictate coaches decisions. Again, I won't be surprised to hear either one named starter. My hopes are that they stick with Rexy as making a change is a big deal and once you make the change, it's hard to go back unless the other guy REALLY stinks it up. I say stay with Rexy but let him know that he HAS to improve.

GROSS, man!!!

What can you say? It was Rexy at his worst. Four INTs in 3 quarters just isn't going to cut it. There were other issues but the turnovers are killers. Lets start with Rexy and the INTs. Honestly, I was okay with the first one because it was a pretty well thrown ball albeit in double coverage but the receiver still had a chance to make a play. Also, it was a 3rd and 16 and the INT was made inside the Eagles 5 yard line so it was like a punt. Again, I was okay with that one.

The second one hurt bad. We were down 17-0 and Rexy had Gaffney open for a long TD. He had gotten behind the defense and had a couple of steps on the DB right down the middle of the field and Rexy threw it to the inside and short for a pretty easy INT. That one hurt because we were down. The offense was sputtering and we had a chance to really change the momentum and it was just a poorly thrown ball.

The third one hurt as well. We closed out the half with a FB to make it a 20-3 game. We opened up the second half with a nice Banks return followed by a deep flea flicker to set up another FG. Defense was playing much better. We get an INT off of VY and the crowd is starting to come to life. Two plays later Grossman tried to gun one in there and the safety stepped in for an easy pick. That took away at least another 3 points.

The fourth one didn't understand. It was a broken play and Rexy rolled out to his left and threw it right to the safety. I suppose he wasn't sure where Gaffney was going to go. Whether he was going to come back to the QB or go downfield but the ball really wasn't close to Gaffney and the safety was the only one who had a chance to get the ball. From the replays we were shown, if he had thrown it deeper, it looked like it could have been a TD but you can't say unless you look at the game film and talk to the players. Doesn't really matter. After that, you really had no choice but to make a QB switch. I mean the defense really stepped up and contained the Eagle offense in the second half but our offense did nothing to help them out.

I know no QB decision has been made but seems safe to assume that Beck is going to get the start next Sunday.

As far as other points to the game:

1. Tough injuries. We ended up losing the left side of our line. Lichtensteiger to torn ligaments and Williams to an ankle sprain. Hopefully Williams can return soon although I imagine he will be out a couple of weeks. Starting C, Montgomery, had to move to LG and we put in some new guy at C. That's a tough move mid game but the O line held up pretty well. We also lost Cooley but I'm good with Fred Davis.

2. No running game. I kind of expected this. The Eagle D Coordinator said that he was going to take the run away. They did a good job of that. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the passing game going to open up the run game. Not being able to get much in the runs on early downs and then falling behind 20-0 forced a change in game plan and more passing. Unfortunately, Rexy did his thing.

3. Defense was okay. First half, we struggled. We tried sending a lot of pressure and it is high risk, high reward with the Eagles. They have too many playmakers that if you don't get them right away, they will make you pay. However, it looked like adjustments were made at halftime and the defense blanked them in the second half. We ended up not using the Zero defense look as much and were able to have better success.

4. Special teams was solid. Gano made his kicks including a couple of longer ones. Banks had a nice return. All in all, solid effort from this group.

Still, the story is Rexy and his poor play. It's disappointing. His performance has progressively declined the last few weeks. I like his confidence but his play does not match it. We cannot win if our QB is turning the ball over as often as he is. I'm not a Beck fan but he deserves a shot and I will support him and hopefully he proves me wrong. He did have a nice scoring drive and he certainly provides much better mobility. I have always said that he runs that naked bootleg very well and that is something the Shannys like to run so I expect to see that often against Carolina. However, I'm not sold on the guy. He engineered the scoring drive but his throws were like end over end kickoffs. He couldn't throw spirals and he throws his deep balls way up high. I understand he hasn't practiced with the starters and he is rusty so hopefully time with them this week will help. Again, I do like the mobility. I do like that he will run those bootlegs as that will bring a new option to the offense we did not have with Rexy. It's good that this offense suits Beck so maybe he will surprise me but in the end, it's too bad it didn't work out with Rexy. This may not be the last time we see him so hopefully he learns from this and when he gets back in there, he is better. The problem is that this has been what he does his entire career so it is hard to imagine him learning now. We'll see.

Skins vs. Eagles

Big divisional game for both teams this weekend. The Eagles are going to be desperate for a win. Frankly, a loss and their season is pretty much over. There is no question they have a load of talent on that team but haven't been able to harness it for a full 60 minutes.

As far as the Skins, they have a chance to put a divisional rival way back in the standings and also take another step forward this season. It's at home and we are coming off of a bye week so we should be well rested.

Keys to the game include:

1. Ride the Love To-RAIN: I expect Torain to get the start after his effort against St. Louis. The guy is big and strong and runs downhill. He is also ready to deliver the hit. He seems like a great fit for Shanny's run game as he runs hard into the line as opposed to Hightower who sometimes continues down the line looking for the hole. I expect Hightower to be more of the third down back as he is better at catching and picking up the blitz. Eagles run D is suspect and we have to take advantage. It's also good that we get Young back at the FB position as he will help get that lead block to open up the holes.

2. Rexy needs to play well: If I am the Eagles, I will take the run game away and force Rexy to beat me. With Asomugha and Samuels, I would send more guys in the box and allow for one on one coverage. I would send pressure and try and force Rexy to make a mistake. It is up to Rexy to protect the ball and make smart plays. We will need to open up the defense and make them respect the passing game to help the run. Obviously, the O line will need to step up but Rexy has to be smart with the ball. He has gotten progressively worse over the course of the season and the thing that bothers me the most is that he looks scared at times out there. I want to see him confident and not necessarily win the game for us but just don't lose it for us. It's a key game for him because a costly mistake or two will send the crowd into an uproar.

3. Obviously contain Vick: Eagles O line is not great and Kerrakpo has been awesome. We need to continue to bring that pressure and not allow Vick to get outside and make plays where he is most dangerous. I like the defense and think we have the talent to contain him but this will be a good test for them. However, we must make sure not to give up the big plays.

4. Good safety play: In last season's Monday night game, the first play was a bomb for a TD to Jackson. Atogwe and Landry will need to keep Jackson in front of them. Vick can throw a mile and Jackson has the speed to go get it. Again, focus should be on pressuring Vick but the safeties will need to make sure Jackson stays in front of them in case Vick gets time and can air it out. Wondering if we will set up a spy on Vick. Landry would be a good guy for that as he has the speed and a hit or two from him and Vick will really think twice about tucking and running.

5. Watch out for the screens. McCoy is very elusive and our defense is aggressive. I can see the defense overpursuing and McCoy releasing for screens for big games. The Eagles used to run the screen better than anyone and this is a play that concerns me.

6. Fred Davis: Cooley got his knee drained earlier this week so I imagine we will see more of Davis. He creates big mismatches and would love to see him get the ball more.

7. Brandon Banks: Banks has been quiet this season and in particular against the Rams. He is on the team for one reason and he has to justify it. Against the Rams, he was doing his best ARE imitation. We need him to be better. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind seeing what Austin could do back there.

In the end, I expect to control the clock and have big success on the ground. I think we will get to Vick a couple of times and will get at least one turnover. The key will be Rexy and making sure he doesn't fumble or throw that critical INT. I believe he will rebound and have a solid game and in the end the Skins will pull it out 23-17.

HAIL SKINS!!!

Theo to the Cubs?

Theo Epstein is "on the cusp" of joining the Chicago Cubs, according to the Boston Herald.

If he comes and builds a championship, he would be a sure fire MLB HOFer and a legend. Honestly, to build a champion out of the Sox and then the Cubs would be a remarkable feat.

WHAT IN THE WORLD?!!!

Don't look now but Carlos Rogers is tied in the leading the league in INTS!!! WHAT?!!!

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 6

Listed below are the rankings and I've included the comment provided by the ESPN contributor.

Pack hold on to the top spot. The Packers have the look of a team destined to go 14-2 or 15-1. (Clayton)

Pears hold steady at #18. The false starts and missed blocks are getting Jay Cutler destroyed. (Clayton)

Skins climb 2 spots to #10. OK, Rex Grossman. We're watching you. The division is yours for the taking. What have you got? (Fox)

CEAFOD

I lose to Deepie and the Malcolm Kellies. Forte did his best to make it a little closer but still a pathetic performance against a pretty bad team.

Kaos beats Lambeau Leaper convincingly as they hold spots #3 and #4 respectively.

Robs and the Bears United continues to be the cream of the league and is the only undefeated team remaining.

My team sucks.

Caps beat the Bolts

Good early season victory as the Caps were able to exact a small amount of revenge on divisional rival Tampa Bay who ousted the Caps in last season's playoffs.

I've watched much of the first two games and I have liked the play. Seems like we are much more aggressive and have gotten bigger and more physical. Last night was a good example as we got two goals by crowding the net. Ward and Knuble both set up right in front of Roloson and Schultz and Chimera were able to send pucks passed him for scores.

I also think we look steady on the defensive side of the ice. Hamrlik seems like a nice addition and provides steady and solid defensive play. It's good to get a healthy Wideman back as well as he has a nice shot from the point as evidenced by his goal last night.

The only real concern was Vokoun. He was disappointed by not getting the opening day start but he was pretty bad yesterday. He let in two VERY soft goals that hurt. It's only one game so I don't put too much stock in that but he will certainly have to step up and play the way he is capable of playing. However, the Caps find themselves undefeated right now with two exciting overtime victories.

Next up - Pittsburgh.

JMU falls to Maine in OT

Tough loss for the Dukes who fall to 4-2. Maine tied the game at 17 with a 34 yard FG under a minute to play sending the game to OT. Dukes scored a TD first but gave up a TD which was followed by a gutsy 2 pt conversion. Final score 24-25. The loss drops the Dukes from #7 to #13.

Got Villanova this week.

Thank you Seattle and Buffalo

Wins by Seattle over NY Giants and Buffalo over the Iggles help the Skins take sole possession of the East without them even playing yesterday. It was an interesting weekend in football and a couple of things worth noting. The Packers certainly look like the top team in the NFC (if not the entire NFL). I keep waiting for Cam Newton and the Panthers to just get blown out but another strong performance that falls just short. Good emotional win for the Raiders against the Texans. SF blows out TB and looking more and more legit. Good job Jim Harbaugh.

One team of particular interest is the Iggles. They came in as the "dream team" and many "experts" had them winning the East easily and a favorite for the Super Bowl. I watched some of the game yesterday and something I find incredibly annoying is the amount of trickery they try and pull. Instead of running a basic screen pass, which they used to be able to do better than most teams, they throw all these wrinkles into them and it just confuses things. They run a lot of end arounds or fake end arounds. If they just simplified things and played football they would be SO much better. Reid should take blame for that.

The other thing is they cannot tackle. It's missed tackle after missed tackle. NO idea why Reid put that former O line coach as D coordinator. WHAT?!! I suppose they are friends but the defense needs to get back to fundamentals. The Eagles are a talented team no doubt but they are all screwed up. They need to step back, regroup, and just concentrate on "Xs" and "Os" and they can correct this thing. For me as a Skins fan and a guy that doesn't like the Eagles or their approach at assembling a "dream team," I love it.

Eagles play the Skins at FedEx next week and an Eagles loss pretty much is a dagger for them this season. Don't know how they would be able to come back from a 1-5 start. I imagine they will be pretty desperate next week. Should be interesting.

Cooley's comments on Romo

Cooley responded to criticism of his radio comments in which he celebrated Dallas' epic collapse in Week 4, writing on his blog that he shows "no remorse in cheering against another team, especially the Cowboys."

“While I feel an honest respect for all NFL players, I show no remorse in cheering against another team, especially the Cowboys. If it sounded like I was delighted by Tony Romo's failure last week, I was.”

In his blog post titled "Reigniting a Rivalry," Cooley writes that his comments made on 106.7 The Fan in Washington have "received 15 times the 15 minutes of fame it deserved."

"In a league full of glad-handing and ass slapping between competing teams, I actually care about the organization and fan base that has supported me throughout my 8-year career," Cooley wrote. "While I feel an honest respect for all NFL players, I show no remorse in cheering against another team, especially the Cowboys. If it sounded like I was delighted by Tony Romo's failure last week, I was."

In Sunday's loss to the Lions, two Romo interceptions were returned for touchdowns in the second half as Dallas blew a 27-3 lead on the way to a 34-30 loss to the Lions. In his radio appearance, Cooley said that it was "amazing to watch him choke like that."

Cooley writes that he doesn't plan on changing. " ... as a player who has decided to share my real personality with the fan base, I make a clear choice with expressing my political incorrectness as an entertaining attempt to engage as a real person," he wrote. "I will not apologize if my sense of humor and hint of sarcasm is difficult to ascertain by the more serious NFL supporters. I will never make an apology to any offended Dallas fans and I expect every Redskin fan to cheer at the folly of a Cowboy."

He also writes that he's surprised that his celebration of Romo's failure offended so many. " ... I have to say that the peculiar defense of 'America's quarterback' has completely blown me away. From genius talking heads like (ESPN's) Skip Bayless and former Maryland great Norman Esiason to the bible thumping twitter bullies, it's very clear that a cult like group of Dallas supporters has emerged to stand in defense of the epic Tony Romo. To them, my tongue-and-cheek opinions scream sacrilege and idiocy. It's a funny thing, the way simple lighthearted banter can change gears so quickly, but that's part of the amazing world of sports fanatics. You don't want me to be boring, but as soon as I'm entertaining I'm crossing a line. You can't have it both ways."

He also thanks select followers on Twitter for their "clumsy charm and the outpouring of the appalling tweets (that) has inspired me to feed the fire of an NFL rivalry that seems in need the more flame."

LOVE IT!!! Love that he takes a jab at Bayless and Norman Esiason (two people I find very annoying). Also loved that he said that people don't want him to be boring but once he gets entertaining, he's crossing a line and that fans can't have it both ways. Finally, love that he is trying to reignite a rivalry. He is simply saying what we all feel. Romo did blow it and it was fun to watch as a Skins fan. I actually listened to interview on the LaVar and Dukes show the other day and thought it was funny that he would take on Romo in an MMA match.

Hi, Mr. Suh. May I call you Ndamukong? Actually, I better not because I have no idea how to pronounce your name. Anyway, if you are ready to sack, I am your man. Please tell your rookie friend, Nick Fairley is it? It's fine if he wants in on the action as well. See you Monday!!!

Caps season set to begin

Now for something we can ALL agree on. The Caps open up their season tomorrow night at home against the Hurricanes. The time is now. There are no more "ifs," "ands," or "buts." It is Stanley Cup or nothing. There is a lot riding on this team. Expectations have grown in each of the past 3 seasons and there was a big let down last season in not even really competing in the second round of the playoffs against Tampa Bay.

Boudreau's job is on the line. Even Ovechkin has to showcase and validate his star status and role as captain. The core group (Ovie, Semin, Backstrom, Green) is no longer young. They are a veteran group now and they have to understand that the window is closing. The Caps did add some physicality this offseason with the additions of Troy Brouwer and Joel Ward. These guys should be able to create more havoc up front and disrupt goalies/defenders allowing more opportunities for the skill players like Semin and Backstrom. Those guys should be able to crash the net more and get some garbage goals as well.

The Caps also added some veteran leadership with the return of local boy Jeff Halpern and Roman Hamerlik.

On paper, it is a talented bunch. ESPN had them ranked at #3 in their preseason power rankings. The thing is on paper means nothing. They have to produce and can't think about playoff time in April. It has to be one game at a time. Will be interesting to watch the approach of this team and see if they are more focused and business like this season. That is what I am expecting. Will also be interesting to see their style of hockey. Two years ago, it was basically run and gun and we will give up plenty of goals but we are going to outscore you. Last season, the focus was on defense and a cost of us scoring our own goals. Will be interesting the style this season. In any case, the Cup is the only option this season. Anything else is tremendous failure and will most likely bring about change in the offseason.

LETS GO CAPS!!!

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 5

Pack hold on to the top spot.

Pears hold steady at #18.

Skins climb 4 spots to #12.

JMU crushes Richmond

At our homecoming game, the #9 ranked Dukes thrashed the #10 Richmond Spiders 31-7 and improved to 4-1 on the years and jumped two spots to #7. Good solid conference win. Also had to do it with our backup QB as Justin Thorpe received an indefinite suspension for a violation of JMU Athletics policy - apparently he failed a drug test (that's what dubage does to you).

Next up is #19 Maine at home.

GO DUKES!!!

CEAFOD

After some trash talk from Scott and Organized Kaos, my team finally woke up and rallied for our first win of the season. I am 1-3 and right where I need to be to make my move.

After his second straight loss, Deepie (Malcolm Kelly) finds himself at .500 with Scott.

JSR holding steady in second place with a 3-1 record.

Robs and Bears United is undefeated and holding the top spot and looks to be in control right now.

Skins beat the Rams

Much to Robs chagrin, the Skins come back from St. Louis victorious. TREMENDOUS defensive effort as they just dominated the game. Here are my thoughts:

1. DEFENSE: Haven't seen that kind of defense from the Skins in a LONG time. We shut down Jackson holding him to 45 yards on 17 carries. We forced them to pass and we were on Bradford all day recording 7 sacks. Orakpo in on 2.5 of them. Good to see the addition of Bowen in on 1.5 of them and Kerrigan is making a claim to be defensive ROY by getting one sack and getting a forced fumble. Can't say enough about their effort yesterday. They kept the Rams to less than 100 yards total offense until well into the fourth quarter. They also stood tall on a number of occasions when the offense put them in tough spots.

2. Riding the Crazy TO-RAIN!: Torain got his first extended action yesterday and took full advantage. He ran hard all day and finished with 135 yards on 19 carries. Helu and Hightower also contributed giving the Skins nearly 200 rushing yards on the day. Still, Torain was the story as he just pounded the ball when he got in there. Looks like we have a 3 headed monster with our running back corps.

3. Special teams average: Nothing bad but Gano wasn't getting his kicks into the end zone as often. Banks looked like he was doing his ARE impression. Seemed to be doing more hopping than running. Still, they didn't do anything bad so I was fine with them.

4. Rexy struggled: Was okay. Made some solid throws but they were throws most QBs should/would/could make. However, similar to last week, it looked like he had that tentative/scared look late in the game. I really don't like seeing that. Then he make a few really poor decisions that could have cost us the game. The plays that really bothered me included:

- The INT to Laurantis (sp?). Just like last week, he did not pay attention to the LB dropping back in coverage. Again, he threw out to his left and it was an easy shift for the LB and a throw right to him. It was Lee last week and Laurantis this week. Just a terrible decision. He ended up running it down to our 19 yd line but thanks to two sacks from our defense, we were able to take them out of FG range.

- The last drive deep in our territory. We get a couple of first downs and we can run the clock out and close out the game. After two runs, it sets up a 3rd and 3. Moss does a quick button hook right at the first down marker and is wide open. It's a short/easy pass and Rexy sails it well over his head. That was a tough play because we could have gotten a first down and knocked even more time off of the clock. Again, thanks to the defense for stepping up and ending the game.

- Third quarter, Rexy goes play action and rolls out to his left. It's a tough play because he is right handed and going to have to throw across his body. His primary targets were covered and instead of running it or throwing it out of bounds Rexy stops and then awkwardly throws back towards the middle of the field for a near INT.

- The botched snap in shotgun. From all accounts, it seemed as though Montgomery looked back at Rexy and got the okay to snap the ball. When Montgomery put his head down, looked like Rexy was calling an audible after telling Montgomery he was good to snap. Montgomery snapped it to Rexy who wasn't ready but fortunately we were able to cover the ball. Not sure who was at fault but certainly Rexy deserves partial blame.

We won and that is a good thing and at 3-1 I am not looking to make any changes but Rexy certainly needs to improve his game.

The good news is that again, we are 3-1. If someone were to tell me at the beginning of the season that we would be 3-1 after four weeks and heading into the bye week, I would take it in a heartbeat. I feel pretty good about the team and we certainly look like a team that can compete each week. Again, great to come out with a victory and be atop the East.

HAIL SKINS!!!

Redskins vs. Rams prediction

It's an interesting game in that the Rams were expected to be a much improved team coming into this season. However, they now find themselves at 0-3 and coming off of a thrashing against at home against the Ravens. There is no doubt that they can't afford to fall to 0-4 and take back to back losses at home. Should that happen, playoffs will be hard to attain, the fans will be very upset, and there will be talk of Spags being fired. I fully expect them to come out and play tough.

On the other side, the Skins are coming off of a tough loss against the Cowboys. We have a short week and have to travel again this time to St. Louis. The Skins have shown great energy and aggressiveness all season. I expect that to continue against the Rams. For the Skins, if they have any intentions of doing anything this season, this is a must win game. Experts are talking that they are much improved. Fans see them as improved. The team talk as though they are improved. If they truly believe they are what they are, they have to win this game and honestly do so in convincing fashion. It can't be a lucky play or this or that. They have to come out and take over this game. Also, the Skins have largely played disciplined football. That needs to continue. Winning this one and improving to 3-1 and holding on to the top spot in the East heading into the bye week will be huge.

Also, this is another opportunity for Rexy to show what he can do on the road. I mentioned that he looked tentative against the Rams. He needs to have that swagger and throw the ball with purpose. He didn't have his best game against the Cowboys and he will need to do better on Sunday.

In the end, I expect the Skins to handle the Rams. The Rams run defense is suspect so I expect Hightower and Helu and the O line to control the game against the Rams. The offense will control the clock and line of scrimmage. We will rush for at least 150 yards. I also expect the defense to be aggressive and get to Bradford a couple of times. The tough part is Bradford is good on the run. Guys have to stay home and be sure handed in their tackles because if he gets on the run, he can make a play. Still, I think we will force him into at least one turnover. Skins will win this one 24-13.

HAIL SKINS!!!