Black Monday

The hammer has fallen on a number of coaches one day after the regular season has ended.  Most of the decisions should come as no surprise.  Those fired include:

1. Andy Reid - this decision has been discussed for weeks and should come as a surprise to no one.
2. Pat Shurmur - thought he had his team playing better in the latter part of the team but with new ownership they probably wanted their guy.
3. Romeo Crennel - it was a tough year with Belcher's murder/suicide and there were much higher expectations with the Chiefs and they proved to be one of the worst teams this season so not too big of a surprise.
4. Chan Gailey - similar to Crennel, the Bills had higher expectations with some offseason acquisitions but the Bills ended up being the same old Bills and after three years Gailey needed to go.
5. Norv Turner - solid career in SD but like Reid, his time is up.  They haven't gone to the playoffs the last three years and it's time for a new voice/direction. 
6. Lovie Smith - after starting the season 7-1, the Pears finished 10-6 and missed the playoffs.  He may have been saved if they had gotten to the playoffs but similar to Reid and Turner, it's time for a new direction.  To be 7-1 and miss the playoffs is unacceptable.  Adding to Lovie's record in Chicago was that he struggled to beat Green Bay. The Bears have lost eight of their last nine against the Packers and six straight.  The other big issue was the Bears' poor finishes under Smith. Chicago lost seven straight December games since 2010 before snapping its skid with a Week 16 victory over the Cardinals. During Smith's nine seasons, the Bears were 17-19 in December. 

Looks like Rex Ryan will stay on for the Jets.  Mike Mularkey and Ron Riviera are a couple of other coaches who may get the axe.

Skins beat the Boys - win the East and are playoff bound

After starting the season 3-6, the Skins went on an improbable seven game win streak to get themselves in the playoffs.  It took all of those seven games to secure the berth.  It was an exciting day yesterday as several teams were vying for the last couple of spots and seedings.  The day started with the Giants demolishing the Iggles and needing the Pears, Vikings, and Cowboys to lose to get in the playoffs.  The Pears then squeezed out a victory against the Lions to secure a spot but they needed the Vikings to lose.  Also, with the Pears win, it meant the Redskins needed a win to clinch a playoff spot.  The Viqueens didn't do the Pears any favors as they eked out a victory against the Puckers behind the hard running of A. Peterson.  So the Pears were in the playoffs for about 3 hours but because of the Queens win, they got in bouncing out the Pears.

Then it all came down to the Redskins/Cowboys game as the winner would win the East and secure the final playoff spot. 

Great game. It was basically the Alfred Morris show as the guy ran for 200 yards and three TDs.  The guy was a beast.  Give credit to the O line helping Morris get that yardage.  Morris is just a good kid that runs hard and has been able to thrive in Shanny's zone blocking scheme.  By now we all know the kid is a 6th round draft pick out of FL Atlantic and played on a pretty sucky college team.  Great find by Shanny but Morris just looks like an average guy on the street.  In racking up his 200 yards, Morris eclipsed 1,600 yards for the season and broke CP's single season rushing record for a Redskin.  Morris was really the story of this game.

RG3 was solid.  He only threw 18 times and completed 9 passes for 100 yards but where he really contributed was in the run game as he did pick up nice yards and a TD on QB keepers.  It was clear that his knee is still bothering him.  I imagine running in a straight line isn't too bad for him but cutting and stopping has to aggravate his knee.  Still, much like the Iggles last week, the Cowboys didn't expect much running from RG3.  That combined with how effective Morris was led to some openings for RG3 on the keepers.

The other big story line was the play of the defense.  We blitzed early and often and the blitzes came from different places and Romo was uncomfortable as he threw three INTs with the last one to Rob Jackson in the flat being a dagger.  Classic Romo choking in big games.  Still, Haslett and the defense deserve a lot of credit for their play.  Haslett trusted D. Hall and Josh Wilson to play a lot of man to man and for the most part they played really well.  London Fletcher again had a big game leading the defense with 11 tackles and two sacks. 

Just an overall good game in the biggest game this team has played for in years.  The season has been incredibly successful.  What's clear is that we have a good young core of players that are not only talented but have great character.  There aren't the distractions from years past and these guys genuinely seem to be pulling for one another.  Give Shanny credit for overhauling the roster and bringing in the right guys.  It's a team that should only get better in the next few years.  It's what I thought we were at the beginning of the season. 

Hosting the Seacocks next in what should be a very tough game.

HTTR!!!

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 16

Skins up four spots to #8.

Pears fall three spots to #14.

Puckers hold at #6.

Looks fine to me.  NFC playoffs are still open for several teams (Skins, Pears, Queens, Gigantics, Assboyz).  Each week brings continued excitement.  Still, it seems like all the teams in the NFC have their flaws and who knows what will happen in the playoffs. 

I still think SF is the most complete team.  However, I don't like the starting of Kapernick.  Again, he has more upside than Smith but Smith has more experience and veteran presence on a veteran team.  Will be interesting to see how this plays out.  I also think Seattle is very tough but not sure if they are quite there yet.  Puckers are not as strong as in previous seasons but still a very tough team and Rodgers is as good as there is and they are a team that has been there and knows what it takes.  However, their O line is not good and their defense can be suspect. 

Captain Kirk sets the Skins on warp speed 5

No RG3, no problem.  Enter Captain Kirk and exit Cleveland with our fifth straight win putting us in a three way tie for first place in the East.  Because of tie breakers, the Skins lead the division and if the regular season ended today, we would be the fourth seed.  Not too shabby for a team that fought hard most of the season but was at 3-6 not too long ago.

The game started out a little rocky as our offense couldn't seem to get it going.  It was clear that the revitalized Browns were focused on stopping Alfred Morris and they were going to force Cuz to beat them.  Cuz looked a little nervous early on and threw an early INT where it looked like Garcon was being held on the route.  Still the INT was returned deep into our territory and the next play was a Trent Richardson TD run. 

After that, it was a different Cuz.  Felt like one of the big turning points was his first TD to Hankerson.  Give credit to Kyle Shanahan for recognizing how the Browns were overly aggressive on the run and moved away from traditional drop back passes to having Cuz play action and rolling out for throws.  Most of the game the containing end bit on the play action not seeing Cuz as a threat to run and Cuz made them pay regularly.  That is how the first TD came about.  Cuz faked the handoff, the end bit, and he probably could have run easily for a first down but instead launched a great ball on the run to Hankerson who was behind three DBs and made the catch for the touchdown. 

Cuz seemed to gain confidence after that and had himself a tremendous game.  Again, credit to Kyle Shanny for being aggressive in the play calls and trusting Cuz to make the throws.  Cleveland forced Cuz to beat them and he did just that. 

Here are my grades:

Offense:  A.  Washington racked up 430 yards, kept the ball for 14 more minutes than the Browns, and put up 38 points.  Hard to complain about that.  Again, Cuz made all the plays he needed to.  He was cool under pressure and executed very well in a pressure filled game on the road.  Things started to open up for Morris later in the game as the Browns defense had to respect the passing game and he came away with two rushing TDs.  O line solid again.  Ball was spread to eight different receivers with four of them catching at least four balls.  A very balanced attack.

Defense:  B.  A very good game by the defense.  Haslett looked like he called the game similar to the second halves of the last two games.  It wasn't so much an all or nothing blitz.  Pressure came from different places and looked to be pretty well disguised.  Weeden looked uncomfortable for much of the game.  Thought Rob Jackson had himself a great game.  The INT on Cleveland's opening drive of the second half was probably the play of the game as it set up our go ahead TD.  Jackson also had a big sack in the game.  Fletcher was solid as usual.  Had an INT for the second consecutive week.  I know people say he is getting long in the tooth and has lost a step.  That may be true but he is still a very good LB and the value he brings both in terms of his play but more importantly his leadership (on and off the field) is still important for this young team.  The only real flaw was again giving up a 3rd and 15 deep ball for a TD.  Backup CB, D.J. Johnson, got caught looking at Weeden and anticipating something incorrect allowing the WR to run past him and get open for an easy score.  Still, other than that play thought it was a very good defensive effort.

Special teams: B. Not much to report here.  Coverage teams were solid.  Crawford seems to make good decisions in the punt return game.  Forbath made a 44 yard FG to keep him perfect with the Skins.  The only problem I continue to have is Forbath cannot kickoff and for the second week in a row we faced a tough kick returner in Josh Cribbs and he got them decent field position on nearly every kickoff.  We will get burned on a kickoff if this isn't resolved.

Coaching.  A.  Great job on offense and defense by K. Shanny and Haslett.  Think I have already said enough in that these guys really did put their players in the best positions to be successful.  That is what good coaches do.  They deserve a lot of credit for the victory yesterday.

A couple of other notes:

1. It was interesting to hear RG3's post game comments.  He certainly looked like he supported the team from the sidelines yesterday.  In his comments though, despite the win, he looked a little disappointed that he wasn't able to play.  He said that he felt he could play but it wasn't his decision and he respected the decision but he still looked/sounded disappointed to not be out there. 

2. Captain Kirk's postgame interview on Comcast was also interesting in that he was happy but it was tempered.  Thought he was classy and respectful and humble.  The last question Rob Carlin asked him was if there was a QB controversy (which is RIDICULOUS), Cuz chuckled and said that hopefully he will get his chance somewhere someday.  Cuz seems comfortable in his role for now.  He also seems to have a good relationship with RG3 and in a separate interview he acknowledged that this is RG3's team.  Still, I know Cuz mentioned that he was surprised and seemed a little disappointed to be drafted by the Skins as I'm sure he wanted to opportunity to be a starter.  He already seems to understand that that opportunity is most likely going to come from a different team than the Skins.  Funny how several people (including Charley Casserly) were already talking after the game about how the Skins could recover some of the draft picks we lost in the RG3 trade by trading Cuz.  It's interesting and if a team makes a significant offer, the Skins certainly need to entertain it but for now I'd like to keep Cuz as he seems like a solid QB.

3.  Think it is ridiculous that callers and some media even bring up the notion of a QB controversy.  Saw one text on the CSN ticker that read "So does this mean we should call RG3 Spock now?"  These are the idiot fans that annoy me.  They change their tunes with the direction of the wind.  I'm sure that the majority of the fans recognize that this is RG3's team and what he has been capable of and that he gives us the best chance to win.  I'm also sure that 99.9% of the fans were hoping that RG3 would be healthy and play against the Browns as they felt like he would be the best option in such a critical game.  I just find it amusing how people react post game. 

The same is true for how the fans react to the Shannys.  Before many people were saying they stink and fire them and how they can't evaluate talent and now people are commending them for what they have built and some people are concerned K. Shanny is too hot a commodity and may leave for a head coaching gig after the season.  It's all ridiculous.  I have maintained my position all season.  I said as early as training camp/preseason how I liked that the team had gotten younger, deeper, no longer had the over priced divas dividing the locker room and that we finally looked for the first time in the Snyder era to actually be building something.  Even at 3-6 I was comfortable because you could see the difference in the team.  Yes, it's great that we have won five in a row.  Frankly we are exceeding my expectations for this season.  Still, you really have to like the direction of the team.  We have a unified locker room built on high character guys with leaders who care and demonstrate that to the younger guys.  We have guys that hold themselves and each other accountable and recognize that winning matters and losing hurts.  This was not always the case.  We have a young core of talented players that we can build around. 

In the end, it's exciting to see what has taken place.  I still remember Shanny saying in a press conference when things weren't going well that he knew what he was doing and he was confident in the direction of the team.  He was right.  It's great to be playing meaningful, exciting games this deep into the season.  Every week for the last several weeks has been a playoff game for the Skins.  There is another one this weekend against the Eagles in Philadelphia.  After such strong play, hopefully we don't have a let down against the Eagles and can keep this going.

HTTR!!!

Sandy Hook tragedy

It's hard for me to discuss what happened.  It's hard to think about what those children experienced in their final moments.  It's hard to think about what the childrens families are going through.  It's hard to think about what the first responders saw in the aftermath.  It's hard to understand what drove Adam Lanza to do what he did. 

All that said, some interesting factoids about guns in the U.S. (see the graphic).  So you think it's time to look at the gun laws in the U.S.?

Rob Parker is an idiot

You know a conversation has gone off the rails when Stephen A. Smith becomes the voice of reason.

Rob Parker, a former Detroit News columnist, questioned the blackness of Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and claimed he wasn't authentic. "Is he a brother, or is he a cornball brother," Parker asked. "I keep hearing these things. We all know he has a white fiancée. There was all this talk about he's a Republican."

The bombastic Smith had to put an end to it.  "I'm uncomfortable with where we just went," he said. "RGIII, the ethnicity or the color of his fiancée is none of our business, it's irrelevant, he can live his life in whatever way he chooses. The braids that he has in his hair, that's his business, that's his life, he can live his life."

ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said Thursday evening that "the comments were inappropriate and we are evaluating our next steps."

A transcript of the discussion is below:

Rob Parker: "But my question, which is just a straight, honest question, is: Is he a brother or is he a cornball brother?"

Cari Champion: "What does that mean?"

Skip Bayless: "Explain that."

Parker: "He's not real. OK, he's black, he kind of does the thing, but he's not really down with the cause. He's not one of us. He's kind of black but he's not really, like, the guy you want to hang out with because he's off to something else.

Champion: "Why is that your question?"

Parker: "Well because that's just how I want to find out about him. I don't know because I keep hearing these things. We all know he has a white fiancée. There was all this talk about how he's a Republican, which, I don't really care, there's no information at all. I'm just trying to dig deeper into why he has an issue. Because we did find out with Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods was like, I've got black skin but don't call me black."

Robert Littal of BlackSportsOnline.com ripped Parker for the comments and added the most important point of all:

If being a cornball is being engaged to someone you love, not speaking like [rapper] Trinidad James, not getting in trouble and playing the QB position at a very high level, I wish more NFL players would be cornballs

Hockey agreement imminent?

With time truly their enemy, the NHL and its players’ association have reached their 11th hour in negotiations for a new CBA. If the two sides cannot come to an agreement before Christmas, it’s a safe bet the league will shut its doors until October 2013, at the earliest.

After last week's soap opera like negotiations in which commissioner Gary Bettman flatly rejected Donald Fehr’s attempt at a counter-proposal to the owners’ “yes or no” offer, the two sides will meet today in a last ditch effort to salvage the season. 

At the core of the negotiations, the players and owners need to settle three key sticking points: the length of the new CBA, the maximum length of player contracts, and how the NHL’s “make whole” provision is distributed.

The owners are seeking a 10-year term on the new CBA, while the players want eight years with an opt-out after six. Daly said last week that the five-year maximum on player contracts is a hill the owners will die on, and that seems like a foolish stand for the players to take. How the NHL distributes to players its proposed $300 million in “make whole” provisions is the third sticking point that could slow negotiations, but not end them.

My own thoughts on the negotiations are that the owners have made enough concessions that the players need to accept at this point.  Frankly, I think many players are okay with the latest deal but Donald Fehr is trying to push the envelope too far.  My guess is that Fehr thought the owners were bluffing in their latest take it or leave it deal and when the owners rejected Fehr's counter offer and pulled their entire proposal off the table and the players realized how ticked off Bettman and the owners were, they scrambled to try and re-engage the owners and get more negotiations under way this week.  I expect a deal to be struck within the week and hockey to be played by the start of the New Year. 

RG3 or Captain Kirk

So who is it going to be this weekend?  Obviously a big game with big implications.  Still, Shanny is correct when he says that the best thing for the individual is typically the best thing for the team.  That said, I know RG3 is a tough competitor and wants to be out there and will probably lobby for it.  However, if he is unable to practice at anything close to normal speed, he needs to rest and put Cuz in there.  Still, if RG3 can practice and operate close to normal, I see no reason not to play him.

I think what has people so much in a bind this week is how devastating the injury looked.  However, the reports are that it is a Grade 1, mild knee sprain.  Honestly, if RG3 had suffered the injury walking and twisting his knee a bit I don't think people would be as wound up as they are.  Look, I am all for protecting RG3 and his long term health should be at the forefront of the organization's concern but if the guy can play, let him play. 

Keep in mind, I am thoroughly satisfied with the year as we have been what I thought/hoped we would be from the beginning of the year.  I never expected playoffs this season as I felt this was the first year of the true rebuild and we would need this year to gel and come together.  I have maintained all year that the real pressure is next year. I am happy that we are fininshing strong and that there are no distractions with this team and we have started to build a nice foundation around quality young players that have solid talent and good character.  This is how you build a team.  Whereas in years past we had overpriced, over the hill divas that divided the locker room and who I am quite certain didn't provide good examples for younger players.  We now appear to have a locker room of guys committed to themselves and each other.  Santana Moss was asked after the Ravens game if this was the kind of game he was waiting for and he responded that this is the kind of year he has been waiting for.  He mentioned how the Skins have had talent in the past but it never came together.  He gave Shanny a lot of credit for putting together a team that holds themselves accountable.  Anyone that watches and follows the Skins can see the change. 

Despite all the treatment he will get this week, I imagine RG3 is going to be pretty sore and will have to sit out.  I think Cuz will get a chance.  I like Cuz but he's an inexperienced rookie and he will make rookie mistakes.  He stares down receivers and I can see him tossing an INT or two.  I also think it will be a big shift for the entire offense as the O line will be forced to do more straight up pass protection.  The coaching/play calls will need to be altered to suit Cousin's skill set (which are different from RG3's).  Still, unless RG3 makes a very quick recovery and can practice at full speed or close to it, going with Cuz is the right thing to do even if it means we lessen our chances for victory against a Cleveland team playing much better now than a month ago. 

Will be interesting to see how this week unfolds and who ends up getting the nod.

HTTR!!!

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 15

Skins climb two spots to #12.

Pears drop three spots to #11.

Puckers climb one spot to #6.

I'm good with the rankings. Again, the NFC seems wide open and with three games left the playoffs are wide open for a number of teams.  Will be interesting to see who makes it and what they do once they are in.

CEAFOD playoffs

So I am out of it and don't care too much but checked the results today and congrats to Robs and JSR for moving on to the semi finals.

I am sure Deepie is very bitter as his #8 Thrizzle team tied #1 BX Warriors but the Warriors held the tie breaker thus eliminating Deepie from the competition. 

Robs looks to advance to the finals this week and repeat as CEAFOD champion and JSR looks to avenge Deepie's loss as he now steps up to take on the Warriors.

Good luck.

Skins beat Ravens - 31-28 in OT

HUGE win for the Skins.  One of the best games we've had in a while.  What I really like to see is the fight in this team and how we very much seem to be playing like a team with contributions coming from a number of players and everyone working together.  This is what I expected to see from the beginning of the season.  Here are my grades:

1. Offense: B+  The first quarter they were fantastic with a good mix of run and pass.  Morris had himself another great game averaging over 5 yards a carry and rushing for more than 120 yards.  RG3 was good as usual.  I know many people want to come down on the O line but they have been decent for most of the year.  They have really picked up the zone blocking scheme and they deserve a lot of credit for us having the #1 rushing offense in the league.  The ball was spread throughout in the passing game with Garcon, Hankerson, Morgan, and Moss all getting at least three catches.  However, the second half they were much more pedestrian.  Part of that is our field position was poor for most of the second half but still we were stymied until the final drive started by RG3 but finished by Cousins.  RG3 obviously was hurt but give him tremendous credit for coming back into the game and getting us down deep into Ravens territory.  Then give Cousins a lot of credit for coming in cold in a pressure situation and not only finding Garcon for a TD but then running in the two point conversion.  The thing is I knew he was going to run that in.  It's a play designed for RG3 and we haven't used it for several weeks now and I don't think many people thought Cousins would be able to execute it but it was wide open for him. 

Defense: B+  Just like last week, it was a tale of two halves.  The first half they weren't very good.  The bigger issue I had in the first half was just like last week, our run defense wasn't very good.  Again, like last week, in the second half we started sending more pressure and Flacco took a couple of hits with Rob Jackson making another key play with his hitting Flacco and forcing the fumble.  Flacco certainly didn't seem like the QB he was in the first half.  He seemed rattled and continued his inconsistent play from all year.  Defense only allowed one TD in the second half.  Not sure why we don't disguise our pressure in every game.  We seem to have success with that.  I have said all year that Haslett either sends the house or no one.  I don't think either one is effective.  He gets paid big money to be innovative and recognize the talent on the team and play to their strengths by putting them in the best positions to be successful.  Seems to me that we have to do this by disguising pressure.  He's done that in the second half of the last two games so we'll see if he starts doing that more.

3. Special teams: B+  Forbath has been great since he got here.  He has yet to miss a FG.  He made 48 and 49 yard FGs and obviously kicked the game winning FG.  Richard Crawford (another rookie) did a good job on punt returns obviously getting the big one in OT to set up the game winning kick.  The only issue I had with this group is Forbath cannot kickoff.  He either needs to strengthen his leg or we need to get someone in here to kickoff (hate to waste a roster spot on that) but he's not getting the job done there.  We gave the Ravens good field position on a number of kickoffs. 

The other big story out of this game was the injury to RG3.  It was kind of a freaky play where he scrambled and was getting tackled and his legs were getting whipped around and from the opposite direction Ngata was coming at him and hit him in the knee.  The result was RG3's knee bending awkwardly.  Honestly, when I saw the instant replay I felt like he was done for the year.  Miraculously, it was determined that he only suffered a sprain and there is no ligament damage.  He said that he will play next week but I think that is going to be tough and I would rather have him sit and get healthy than possibly aggravate the injury.  We play Cleveland next week who has been improving themselves so it won't be an easy game.  The interesting thing is if Cousins has to play, how will the offense adapt to him as he clearly can't run the pistol the way RG3 does as he isn't the same threat running the ball.  Also, while I like Cousins, he really stares down receivers and I can see him throwing 1 or 2 INTs. 

In the end, I am thankful for RG3's health.  I'm glad we won an exciting game and did so with a true team effort and guys not quitting.  All the things I have been saying since preseason are coming to light and I feel good about the direction of the team.  With that, I'm glad we are playing relevant games in December.  I never expected playoffs this year (of course I am hopeful) but I am glad that we are fighting hard and we have good young guys that we can build around.  What ever happens in the final three weeks, I am satisfied with the season as I think we are really building momentum, camaraderie, and belief as we go into next season and again, I have maintained this position, that is when the pressure is on.  Next year is when we can't just get to the playoffs but we have to make some noise when we get there. 

All that said, I am still hopeful for playoffs this season and honestly it's not how you start the season but how you finish and it's good to see us get hot.  There really doesn't seem like a front runner in the NFC so should we get to the playoffs anything is possible.

HTTR!!!

Chad Greenway wants Viking fans to show up Sunday "super duper drunk"

The Minnesota Vikings' season will be on the line Sunday against the Chicago Bears. As such, linebacker Chad Greenway has asked fans to get "super-duper drunk" in order to boost the Vikings' home-field advantage at the Metrodome.

Minnesota linebacker Chad Greenway tells "Waddle & Silvy" that he "went a little far" in joking that Vikings fans should be "super-duper drunk" for the game on Sunday. "We have to play accordingly and our fans have to show up accordingly, which we know they will. Hopefully, they're super-duper drunk. ... So drink liquor, not beer," he said after Minnesota's loss to Green Bay last Sunday, according to the Star Tribune.

The Vikings (6-6) trail the first-place Bears (8-4) by two games in the NFC North standings. The Bears, tied with Green Bay atop the standings, beat the Vikings in Chicago two weeks ago.  The game is scheduled to start at noon local time. As such, Greenway advocated that fans start their drinking early. "Yeah, I would say morning drinking," Greenway said, according to the newspaper. "Why not? You could pull an all-nighter. Then you'd have the drunk, tired guys who will really be obnoxious."

On Thursday, Greenway tried to clarify his comments, saying in an interview with "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000 in Chicago that he "went a little far. Obviously, I could have used some more responsible words," Greenway said. "I think the people that know me, the beat writers included, know that I said that sort of tongue-in-cheek.

I just wanted the fans at home to be loud like they always are. I think just trying to drive that point home I probably got a little loose with my words. Obviously, I should have been a little more responsible with it. It was said, so what do you do?"

It's probably irresponsible for him to use the words he used but I think the intent is understood.  I don't think Greenway wants people to drive drunk and throw up and fight with each other.  I think it is clear that he wants the crowd to be pumped up and loud as this is a huge game for both teams.  Again, it's unfortunate he used the words he used as if they are taken literally, people could drink all night or all morning, drive to the game drunk or their could be accidents/fights at the stadium resulting in injury or worse and given today's litigious society, Greenway, the Vikings, and possibly even the NFL could be sued for what he said.  It's kind of ridiculous but it's the world we live in.  Lost in this conversation is how important the game is for both teams in terms of the playoff race.  This should be a good one. 

ESPN Power Rankings: Week 14

Skins up three to #14.

Pears down two to #8.

Puckers up two to #7.

Seems appropriate.  The interesting thing now is that as we enter the final quarter of the season significant movement week to week will not happen.  Also, the NFC seems wide open.  No one has really separated themselves and each of the playoff contending teams appear to have weaknesses.

My own thoughts are that San Francisco seems to be the strongest of the bunch as they have built their team from the inside out.  Meaning they have very good line play on both sides of the ball.  Ultimately, this is where football games are won and lost.  They have a strong defense and a solid running game.  I personally think it was a mistake to start Kaepernick.  Smith did nothing to lose his starting job and in fact was having himself a pretty good year.  I feel like that move could undo the 9ers.  If Kaepernick starts to struggle, the locker room could divide and they will turn to an Alex Smith who is pretty ticked off.  Will be interesting as another one of SF's strong points is that they seem unified and really believe in Harbaugh.  For their sake, hopefully that continues. 

Still, most of the NFC playoff contending teams have their strong points and I see anything happening over the last four weeks of the regular season.  It's not how you start but how you finish and who gets hot at the right time.  Should be fun.

The most interesting man in the world

Skins beat Giants 17-16

HUGE win for the Skins.  It was essentially a playoff game as a win puts the Skins one game behind the Giants for the NFC East as well as one game back of the Seahawks for the wild card.  A loss would have most likely ended the season.  The game had a playoff feel as both teams understood the ramifications and fought hard and the crowd was unbelievable. 

In the end, RG3 proved again how valuable he engineered a fourth quarter game winning drive.  The guy is a superstar and there is no doubt about it.  He has continually impressed and has shown he welcomes any opponent and loves to showcase his talents on the biggest stages.  Just an amazing kid.

RG3 has the Redskins within a game of first place, leading a fourth-quarter rally in a 17-16 Monday night victory over the Giants, giving Washington a three-game winning streak in which it has dispatched division rivals -- Philadelphia, Dallas and now New York -- one by one.

The Redskins (6-6) appeared out of the running at 3-6 a month ago, but Griffin is proving his team can never be counted out when he's on the field. With the Giants (7-5) losing three of four and the Cowboys (6-6) also at .500, the division is up for grabs.

Some important notes on the game:

1. Offense was good again.  Griffin completed 13 of 21 passes for 163 yards and ran five times for 72 yards, breaking Cam Newton's NFL record for yards rushing by a rookie quarterback.  Alfred Morris ran for 124 yards on 22 carries, becoming the second Redskins rookie to run for 1,000 yards. Reggie Brooks had 1,063 in 1993.  These two guys are just an amazing pair of rookies that have taken the offense by the reigns.  Not to be lost is the play of the O line which has done a great job all year with the zone running scheme.  Also, credit needs to go to Kyle Shanny for bringing an offense that suits RG3 very well.  Finally, the team is clearly better with Pierre Garcon out there.  He has had big plays in every game he has played in full.

2. Defense started off rocky but finished strong.  It was a tale of two halves with the Skins D not doing the job in the first half.  What was so painful was that the Giants offense were consistently shooting themselves in the foot in the first half with penalties and creating 2nd and long situations but our defense kept letting them off the hook as the Giants were able to convert and keep drives alive.  The Giants controlled the clock and were executing their plan perfectly as their best defense was their offense and keeping RG3 off the field.  Fortunately, we didn't give up huge points which was big.  What bothered me was that I saw a lot of player rotation and different schemes and so forth but at the end of the day, we were not getting significant pass rush.  We can't do it with just 3 or 4 guys.  That issue combined with the fact that we have a less than stellar secondary, has proven disasterous.  In the past, Haslett has either dropped everyone or sent the house.  It's an all or nothing scheme that hasn't worked for two years.  In the second half it was different.  I liked what Haslett was doing.  He sent an additional rusher regularly and it was coming from different spots and Eli was under much more duress.  The result was the Giants were not able to score any points in the second half.  Haslett and the defense deserve a lot of credit for those adjustments.  Frankly, I have been saying that this is what needed to be done for a few weeks now. 

3. Special Teams was solid.  I am getting more and more comfortable with Forbath as he has yet to miss a FG and seems very confident in himself.  His one issue is his kickoffs are short but I'll live with that as long as he makes the FGs. 

In the end, as mentioned, it was a HUGE game.  I loved how the crowd was in it and how Steve Young was saying that the sidelines were in it as well and how it looked like a college game with the intensity and excitement by the fans and players.  Yes, it's exciting.  Yes, it puts us in the thick of the playoff hunt.  Still, it was one game and we have the Ravens this weekend.  I never expected playoffs this season but given where we are of course I am hopeful.  Still, if the rest of the season plays out like it has all season, I will be happy with this season whatever the result because it's clear with guys like RG3, Morris, T. Williams, F. Davis, Garcon, Kerrigan, Orakpo we have a solid foundation that we can build/improve on. 

I like that the team is really coming together and starting to believe.  This is a welcome change from the previous years with older, higher priced divas that fractured the locker room.  It's a good time to be a Skins fan and it's great to have RG3.

HTTR!!!

I'M PISSED!!!

 

So I was projected to beat Scott's OrganizedChaos team by like 25 points.  I had a solid lineup and favorable matchups.  I have been good all year but have been incredibly unlucky each week.  Again, I am the overall high scorer but find myself towards the bottom of the rankings with teams much weaker than mine. 

 

Deepie's Thrizzle team looks like it will lose and a win by my team would have taken me from the ninth seed (out of the playoffs) to the sixth seed (into the playoffs).  I had a nice lead after Thursday's game and felt pretty good.  Monitoring yesterday's game, it was pretty tight late into the 4 pm games with Scott maintaining about a 12 point lead.  I had Eli playing tonight so I still felt pretty good.  I blinked and checked the score again and all of a sudden Scott is up by like 40 points.

 

I think he is holding a 45 point lead on me going into tonight's game.  Barring a career game from Eli, I'm done.  What's worse is that Scott and I had the same record and his win does nothing for either of us.  His point total is still below Deepie's so he won't get into the playoffs.  He f'd me.  This has been by far the most frustrating season I have experienced.

 

While frustrating, I also understand that that is the way the cookie crumbles and it happens.  Not much I can say or do.  I know I had a good team and I think I would have been a tough team in the playoffs but it wasn't meant to be.  That said, good luck to you guys in the playoffs.

 

The one good thing is at least I don't have to hope for Eli to do well tonight and hopefully the Skins can contain him.

Remembering Sean Taylor

Hard to believe it has been five years since he was murdered.  Also, it's interesting to imagine what could have been. 

Can't understand why the trials of those responsible has still not happened.  It is a tragic story.

Redskins made a claim for Babin

Why?  This smelled of Snyderatto so was a little surprised to here of this news.  Babin is 32 years old.  He still has a lot of money remaining on his contract and he is suited for a 4-3 defense.  All that taken together, it didn't make sense for the Skins to make a play for him. 

Shanallen has done a good job fixing the salary cap situation that Snyderatto screwed up.  They have installed a 3-4 defense and Babin wouldn't fit in our scheme and he is older and we have been getting younger.  I didn't understand the attempt to bring him in.

I get that we need help in the pass rush and we are in the thick of the playoff hunt but I didn't like the move.  I'm happy that the Jaguars got him.

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 13

Skins up one spot to #17.

Pears stay put at #6.

Puckers down five spots to #9.

Sounds about right.

CEAFOD B.S.!!!!

I have had an unbelievably frustrating season and this past week is no exception.  Once again, I find myself on the losing end of a close game.  I lost to Robs (the overall high scorer for the week) 140 to 141.  Literally if Eli Manning throws for ONE MORE YARD the game is tied.  Instead, I suffer another heartbreaking loss.  I get it.  I get that this is all part of the game but I seriously have not seen such bad luck by a team.

I will end this week at 5-7 and here is a quick recap of some of my more heartbreaking losses:

1. Week 1 - I score 152 points but lose to the overall week high scorer by 11 points.
2. Week 7 - lose by 1 point.
3. Week 8 - lose by 2 points.
4. Week 12 - lose by 1 point.

Those are some of the most heartbreaking but outside of one or two games, I have put up big points and still ended up losing in close games.  I am the overall league high scorer so it is clear I have a consistently strong team but it seems week in/week out I go up against a team that happens to have a tremendous week.

I know this comes across as belly aching but I just had to get this out there.  I just hope I get in the playoffs because I know I have a strong team that can compete and once you get in the playoffs everyone starts back at 0-0 and anything is possible.

This might as well have been me on Thanksgiving

This is why you have to like RG3

I love his answer.  If you didn't know who he was, it comes across kind of nerdy the way he really cracks himself up but I love that he is comfortable in his own skin.  I enjoy that he is kind of an oddball that just happens to be an unbelievable QB.  I honestly haven't seen a guy like him before and I'm glad he is our QB.

Meriweather done for the season

The Redskins have suffered another big injury on defense.  After missing the first nine games of the season with a left knee sprain, Brandon Meriweather suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during a non-contact play in the third quarter of Sunday’s 31-6 victory over the Eagles. The veteran safety will miss the remainder of the season, Coach Mike Shanahan said Monday at Redskins Park.

Although Meriweather was sidelined for all but a half this season, those two quarters were brilliant ones. Before getting hurt, he had made seven tackles, intercepted a pass, defended two others and made a tackle for a loss against struggling Philadelphia.

This really hurts as Meriweather was a big improvement to a struggling Redskins secondary.  Injuries happen and it's part of the game.  Still, this is a big loss.

Hopefully he recovers and comes back strong next season.

Skins dominate Iggles - win 31-6

So I expected a comfortable win this week but not that comfortable.  Frankly, it was as important a win for Shanny as there could be as he really needed to show that this team is making progress and a loss to a reeling Eagles team would have been devastating.  We had a lot reasons to believe we would win that include:

1. Eagles starting a rookie at QB.
2. Eagles O line is decimated.
3. We were at home.
4. We were coming off of a bye week.
5. We got Garcon and Meriweather back.

All of that came together and it was a solid all around game.  Here are my grades:

Offense: A. Led by RG3 who was razor sharp again.  He completed 14 of 15 passes (93%) for 200 yards, including touchdown passes of 6, 49, 61 and 17 -- one in each quarter. His numbers resulted in his first perfect passer rating of 158.3.  He also ran 12 times for 84 yards and was again serenaded with chants of "RG3."  Give credit to the WRs for this as well.  I like Aldrick Robinson and would actually like to see more of him.  Moss made an incredible catch on the 61 yard TD pass as he jumped between two defenders stealing the all away for a TD.  Morris was solid again in the run game picking up 76 yards.  I will say that I am not a real big fan of the pitch and would rather see the stretch run play.  Still, solid ground game.

Defense: A. The defense got three takeaways and four sacks and had Foles under pressure for much of the game.  Meriweather was huge in his first game back as he got 7 tackles and an INT in basically a half as he hurt his right knee early in the third quarter.  I'm not saying he is the cure all for our secondary but he certainly was a difference maker yesterday as he laid out some huge hits that not only jarred the ball loose and sent Eagles receivers to their sidelines but he helped to pump up the defense and the crowd with his play.  Hopefully his injury isn't serious and he is able to play on Thursday night.  Still, the entire defense was much better.  Coverage was solid and again we stopped their ground game limiting McCoy to 45 yards on 15 rushes.  It was a very good performance for this struggling defense.

Special Teams: B.  Solid.  Nothing special.  I do like Forbath as he is now 9 for 9 on FGs since coming to the Skins.  The only negative about this group is that Forbath really needs to do better on kickoffs.  He admittedly has a strong leg on FGs but struggles on kickoffs and it shows.  Strange that that is the case but I can live with the short kickoffs as long as he is making the FGs.

Coaching: A-.  Not much went wrong yesterday.  Game plan seemed sound.  The only two things that got me were, as mentioned, wasn't a fan of the pitch run plays especially the RG3 option runs as those don't work well at the professional level.  That said, I do like that RG3 seems much more careful about getting rid of the ball and getting to the sidelines.  On the defensive side, there were a couple of times where we showed the zero blitz thing which I am not a fan of and we didn't back out of the blitz and it hurt us.  There have been enough times now where that play has hurt us much more than helped us and I would like to see it removed from the play book.  I did like that we showed it a few times and backed out of it and I also liked sending in a corner or a safety for a blitz.  This is MUCH better coaching.  Josh Wilson had a good corner blitz resulting in a sack and a Foles fumble (recovered by the Eagles).  D. Hall also applied pressure on Foles on I believe the Eagles opening drive that helped.  This is more of what I would like to see from Haslett and the defense.  I don't want to see vanilla type of defense or an all out rush as this is WAY too predictable.

Again, a strong performance by the entire team.  The first one we have seen all season.  Again, hopefully we get Meriweather back as, while I don't think he is the cure all, I truly believe he makes the defense much better.

On to Dallas on Thanksgiving.

HTTR!!!

RG3 named a team captain

The Redskins' offensive players voted Wednesday to make their quarterback a team captain for the rest of the season. Coach Mike Shanahan said he believes it's the first time he's had a rookie in such a leadership position.

The title merely confirms reality. From the day he arrived, Griffin has eagerly seized the leadership role that comes with being an NFL starting quarterback.

I like the decision as he is the leader of the Skins.

Lucille Bliss, Voice Of Smurfette, Dies At 96

Some where Deepie is dressed in his Smurfette outfit "smurfing" his eyes out.

Skins fall to the Panthers

In a must win situation, the Skins fall short.  We had our chances but we hurt ourselves. Thirteen penalties definitely hurt.  I have said that typically most football games are decided by a handful of key plays.  Yesterday was no exception.  The key moment of the game was right before the first half.  Skins went for it on a fourth and goal from the two yard line and came up short.  With like two minutes left, the Panthers drove the ball the length of the field and scored a TD right before the half.  Instead of taking a FG and possibly going into the half at 7-6, we found ourselves down 14-3.  I will say that I didn’t have a real problem going for it on fourth down.  We have done it a fair amount this season and mostly because we have RG3 and we have largely been successful so I didn’t have a big problem with the call. 

We actually won the possession battle and the yardage but we couldn’t punch it in the end zone.  Just disappointing. 

The other play that was REALLY disappointing was I think it was a third and long and Newton threw a pass out to the left sideline to a wide open Panther WR who ran it down to around our 10 yard line.  Clearly blown coverage but that is the kind of stuff that is extremely frustrating. 

Also, frustrating was at the end when we are moving the ball and score twice but have the TDs called back because of penalties.  It cost us a timeout AND the two minute warning.  Not saying we would have won if one of those TDs counted but it would have hopefully allowed us to get the ball back with more time to do something. 

The only positives I had from yesterday’s game was the play of Forbath who made some long FGs and has yet to miss one as a professional.  I also liked the Homecoming event.  Apparently it’s something that all the former Skins enjoyed and while some on the outside my think it is kind of corny, I think it is a good thing.  Previously, former players were upset with Snyder for feeling shut out and now I think they feel good about being included in things.  I know this is not game related but it was good to see all those I rooted for as a kid back.

Well, on to the bye week and some soul searching.

HTTR!!!

CEAFOD - Unbelievable!!!

Last week I lost by one point (120-121).  I lost on a Jason Hanson extra point.  This week I lost by two points (120-122).  What the heck, man?!!! 

I can't buy a break here.  I have scored more total points than any other team and I score points consistently week to week.  It's not like I have had one or two huge games and then a bunch of clunkers.  I just keep coming up just short.  I now find my record at 3-5 and towards the bottom of the standings.  I still like my team but we have to find a way to win. 

My general manager has done a good job of putting together a solid team and I can't fault my offensive coaches much as we consistently put points on the board.  It's my defensive coaches that need to get their act together.

Hopefully my fortunes turn around this coming week.

Skins beaten 27-12

Just an ugly game. It was the first one this season.  It happens.  Still, not much to really like about this one.  Here are my grades:

1. Offense: C minus.  Thought RG3 did his part.  He tried to make plays but he had very little help.  I can't remember the number of dropped passes but it was ridiculous.  Granted some of the catches would have been tough catches as they weren't quite on the money or the receiver took a hard shot when the ball arrived but still that is what these guys get paid to do.  They are supposed to be the best of the best at catching and the drops happened early and often.  That was terrible.  Run game was average.  O line play was average.  Again, thought RG3 was decent and I also thought the offensive coaching/game plan was solid as the plays were there.  They just weren't executed.

2. Defense: F.  Just embarrassing.  I had no confidence in this group to make a stop.  We forced one punt in the first half.  Otherwise, it just seemed like the Steelers were able to move at will.  Couldn't muster much pressure.  Receivers were open.  Just a dismal performance even for our defense. 

3. Special Teams: C minus.  Rocca's shanked punt and Forbath's blocked XP brought this group down.  However, Forbath is proving to be a strong, reliable kicker which is good.  Banks was decent in kickoff and punt returns.  Coverage teams were average.

I still like the direction of the team and there are still a number of positives.  Again, it is painfully clear that our defense (particularly the secondary) is holding us back.  That's fine.  We will have to grind through that this year and hope to make improvements in the offseason.  It's a shame that we don't have Meriweather and/or Tanard Jackson available as I think both those guys would be significant upgrades to what we have back there.  Still, we are where we are and we have to grind on this season. 

On to the bye week and hopefully guys can get some rest and the coaches can see if there is anything they can do to improve the defense.

HTTR!!!

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 8

Skins drop three spots to #18.

Pears climb one spot to #5.

Puckers climb one spot to #7.

Sounds about right.

Tough week in CEAFOD

Lots of close matchups.  Unfortunately I was caught on the wrong side of the stick losing by one point to Tutti.  Final score 120 - 121.  Lost by a Jason Hanson extra point.  I have definitely had my share of bad luck this season as I am the overall top scorer in the league but I am also giving up the most points in the league.  I seem to be catching everyone on their best weeks.  The good news is that I have a quality team and I have been consistent.  I still feel good about my team.

Scott lost to Robs by three points.  Deeps lost to I AM RG3 by five points.  JSR was the high scorer of the week with 160 points and needed all of it as he beat Paladins United by 13 points.

It was a tight week and the overall rankings indicate as much as Robs, Scott, and JSR all find themselves at 4-3 and me and Deepie are one game back at 3-4.

Still a lot of football remaining and we'll see who separates themselves as contenders and who falls out of the race.

Once again, exciting game but we came out on the short end this week.  I didn’t expect to win this game as it was against a tough divisional opponent on the road.  I did expect to be competitive and that’s what we were yesterday.  However, it is disappointing how the game finished.  Here are my grades:

 1.      Offense:  B plus – It starts with RG3.  Again, another great game by this kid.  Yes, he had the INT and fumble but without him we wouldn’t have been even close.  He was good in both his passes and runs and he is proving to be one of the best QBs in the league which is pretty remarkable given that he is a rookie.  I keep waiting for the clunker game but it hasn’t happened yet and hopefully he can continue his strong play. Thought Morris was solid again.  This guy is a strong runner and it’s pretty impressive to see him hit people and drag 2 or 3 guys before he is taken down.  O line was solid especially in the run game.  WRs were solid.  No real superstars but everyone seems to pitch in and contribute.  Good to see Santana play well until the fumble at the end.

2.      Defense: C minus – The run defense has been good all year and yesterday was no exception.  Nice to see them get a couple of INTs.  What brings this group down is the pass defense.  They were okay throughout the game until the deep ball to Cruz.  What the heck was that?!!!  If there is one thing a DB in ankle biter football is taught in that situation is DO NOT LET THE WR GET BEHIND YOU!  I assume the defensive play call was sound and Madieu Williams got caught out of position but that is unacceptable.  It cost us the game.  Not much more to say than that.  I am not thrilled with Josh Wilson either.  He is okay but he always seems to be stumbling. 

3.      Special Teams: B – Kickoff and coverage teams were fine.  However, Forbath was great on FGs.  He hit a couple of 45 yarders and looks pretty confident and sharp out there. 

4.      Coaching: B – Offensively, I have no complaints.  I loved the mix of run and pass.  I thought our first drive was nearly perfect as we ate up a lot of clock and drove the length of the field.  Unfortunate we couldn’t get a TD and had to settle for a FG.  Still, K. Shanny does a great job of utilizing RG3’s talents and putting him in positions to be successful.  Special Teams seem to have stabilized after some early season struggles.  Defense is okay.  Again, run defense has been good.  Pass rush is okay but pass coverage and particularly giving up big plays is a problem.  Not sure how much the Cruz play is Haslett’s/Morris’ fault as it is personnel (namely Williams) fault but this has been an ongoing problem.  Clearly we have some personnel issues with the secondary that need to be addressed.  It is a bit frustrating but it should also not come as a huge surprise as we knew that this group would be an issue going into the season.

In the end, I was okay with the game.  I never expected huge things this season.  I have long maintained that I wanted to be around .500 but be consistent and show improvement this season.  I also wanted to see RG3 grow and we are seeing all of these things.  This loss sucks but I feel like for the first time in a long time we have reason to be encouraged.  We seem to have found a superstar at QB that we can build around.  Offensively we are strong (thanks in large part to RG3 and his skill and ability to make everyone around him better).  Special teams has always been solid.  Defensively we are strong against the run and have good, young players there that should help.  If we can fortify/strengthen the pass defense, we have a chance to be a very strong team.

HTTR!!!

Captain Chaos returns

Chick Hernandez of Comcast SportsNet has reported that Cooley has passed his physical and is officially a member of the Redskins.

Earlier this month, free agent Chris Cooley said he was content with his post-football life but quickly added that he would entertained an offer from the Redskins if his former team gave him a call.

That call came yesterday.

With Fred Davis sidelined for the season after suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon in Sunday’s loss to the Giants, the Redskins re-signed the tight end.

Although he's been out of the game for two months, Cooley could be a viable alternative to Davis, who entered Sunday’s game as the Redskins’ leading receiver.

When Cooley was released in August, Coach Mike Shanahan left the door open to bringing back the 30-year-old veteran, whom Shanahan said was interested in catching on with another team as a starter. The Redskins, meantime, had committed to Davis as the starter and Logan Paulsen and Niles Paul as the other tight ends.

Cooley resisted signing with another team – and now it appears he’ll get the opportunity he really wanted all along.

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 7

Skins up six spots to #15.

Pears hold at #6.

Puckers climb four spots to #8.

About right.  Will be interesting to see how good the Pears are once they play a little bit stiffer competition although that really won't happen for another month. 

Puckers had a great game against the Texans and looked like the Puckers of old.  Question is are the Puckers back or was that game an anomaly?  We'll find out in coming weeks.

Skins offense has been very good in all of their games.  Cannot say the same about their defense.  They are about what I would have thought this season...middle of the pack right now.  With some better defensive play, this team could easily be undefeated. 

Skins beat the Queens

Exciting game yesterday.  Again, a tremendous game by RG3.  This guy is unbelievable.  Aside from the obvious physical talents, he is an incredible leader both in terms of his actions and his words.  The team and fans have really rallied around this guy.  He is WAY better than advertised and the trade we made for him looks more and more like a bargain. After six games, it appears that we have found that franchise QB to build around.  He is the face of the team and a guy willing and capable of putting the team (and the city) on his shoulders.  Here are my thoughts/grades on the game:

1.      Offense:  A. Putting up 31 offensive points on a solid defense is impressive.  The offense has been good all year and yesterday was no exception.  I have already mentioned RG3’s performance.  Outside of his early INT, he had a great game.  His passes were on the money and his two TD runs were tremendous runs.  He threw for nearly 200 yards going 17 for 22 and spreading the ball to eight different receivers.  Morris was largely held in check only rushing for 47 yards.  However, I did feel like the O line played well and you really never heard Jared Allen’s name so great job by Trent Williams for keeping him silent.

2.      Defense: B.  For the second straight game much improved.  They started out a little shaky allowing the Vikings to march down the field but at least they held them to FGs instead of TDs.  The turnover right before the half that led to a TD was huge.  Instead of being 10-9 at halftime, we were able to go in 17-9 that was a HUGE swing.  Madieu Williams pick 6 was another big defensive play.  We got good pressure on Ponder for much of the game.  The only downside was giving up a couple of TDs in the fourth quarter but I imagine this was because we were playing softer with the lead.  It’s not an outstanding secondary but they played better than that stretch where they were really sucking.

3.      Special Teams: B+.  This grade is largely because of Forbath.  It was his first career NFL game and to open up his career with a 50 yard FG was pretty special.  He was perfect in FGs and PATs and his leg on his attempts looked strong.  I will say that his kickoffs were a little short and he admitted that that was a part of his game that he needed to work on.  Punt and kickoff coverage was sound and return teams were fine.

4.      Coaching: B.  Kyle Shanny seems like he knows exactly how to use RG3 as the offense and RG3 appear to be thriving.  Haslett looked like he is getting a better balance of aggressiveness  and dropping guys to help the secondary.  After early season struggles, the special teams are looking more like Danny Smith led teams. 

All in all, a very solid game.  The best part is that given the Eagles and Cowboys loss, we find ourselves only one game behind the Giants.  Now I am not expecting to win the division but it’s nice to be competitive and improved.  That is all I expected out of this year.  I have maintained that since the draft.

HTTR!!!

RG3 cleared to play Sunday

Robert Griffin III has been cleared to play and is practicing with his Washington Redskins teammates after suffering a mild concussion.

Griffin went through the NFL's concussion protocol after being knocked out of Sunday's game against Atlanta and was cleared to return to Wednesday's practice. The second overall pick in Aprils' draft is set to start Sunday against Minnesota.

The rookie quarterback left the game against Atlanta with a mild concussion after being hit by the Falcons' Sean Weatherspoon while scrambling on third-and-goal in the third quarter.

The 22-year-old Heisman Trophy winner is the NFC's third-leading passer and the NFL's top leading quarterback rusher.

Interesting as the Viqueens will no doubt be coming after RG3 trying to knock him out of the game.  I can only assume the Shannys will not run any option plays this week (as they didn't the last couple of weeks).  RG3 is going to have to be smarter with the football and slide, run/throw out of bounds when he sees the play break down.  I understand that he is a tough guy and wants to fight for the extra yard but that extra yard won't mean much if he is shelved on the sidelines for multiple weeks.

Bye Bye Cundiff!

Billy Cundiff is out after just five games in Washington as the Redskins have decided to sign talented but unproven kicker Kai Forbath, a source confirmed Tuesday.
No surprise.  In fact, if there was a surprise it was that him getting cut didn't happen right after the game.  He sucked and needed to go.

Forbath replaces Billy Cundiff, who was released Tuesday after missing four of his last five field goal attempts. Forbath, 25, secured his first NFL job after beating out veteran free agents Josh Brown and Olindo Mare in a tryout at Redskins Park.

Forbath earned the reputation in college as an accurate kicker with a strong leg, though he was not used on kickoffs, he said.  He won the Lou Groza award as the nation's top kicker so he does come with some credentials.

“Distance is something that’s always been in my game,” Forbath said. “I work on that as much as I work on short ones. I don’t expect to miss any long ones. I kick ‘em just like PATs.”

As for his lack of experience with kickoffs, he added: “That’s been the key thing I’ve been working on.”

Asked if he was aware that the Redskins have gone through 19 kickers since 1994, Forbath smiled and said, “I am. And I’m hoping stay here for a long time.” 

We'll see how long he lasts.

Rexy vs. Cuz

We all know that RG3 suffered the concussion on Sunday.  There's talk that he will practice starting Wednesday and he and the Skins are optimistic he will be able to play this Sunday against the Viqueens.

However, assuming he can't go who should get the nod under center.  Should it be rookie Kirk Cousins who has been serving as the backup this season or veteran Rex Grossman who has been the third stringer? 

Give an answer and reasons why.

Skins fall to Falcons 24-17

Another close game.  Again, this is largely what I wanted to see this season.  I am less focused on the record and more wanting to see us be competitive and see improvement week to week.  Here are my thoughts on the game:

1.            Defense much improved. I did like that we cut the zero blitz nonsense and gave the secondary a lot of help by having the LBs drop and take mid range passes away from the WRs.  Seemed like the DBs were playing back and Ryan had to check down a lot during the day.  It was a much better job of coaching and executing.  You will never stop Jones and White but I thought we did a decent job of slowing them down.  I did think that because we dropped so many guys back we were not able to generate as great of a pass rush.  Still, I was pleased with the overall performance of the group.  Kerrigan obviously had the big play with the INT for a TD.  Thought Perry Riley made some nice defensive plays. 
2.            Offense was okay.  Morris continues to impress.  Thought the O line did a nice job creating lanes for him.  RG3 was okay (more on him below).  The biggest issue I had with this group was the inability to convert third downs.  What was most frustrating was that we often had third and shorts but we could not convert.  I believe we are the worst in the league at third down conversions – that hurts big time.
3.            RG3 SLIDE!!!  Obviously RG3 took the hard hit scrambling to the side lines.  He HAS to know he needs to slide or throw the ball out of bounds or run out of bounds anything but take that hit.  That is all on him.  We need him and him getting knocked out of the game hurt us bad.  Cousins came in an did a okay job.  Obviously, he got the big play to Moss which was big but he made typical rookie QB mistakes in his INTs.  He stared down the WRs and he didn’t recognize zone coverage and ended up throwing an INT when he didn’t see the DB in zone coverage.  That is going to happen with Cousins.  He’s decent but he isn’t ready for prime time.  Honestly, if RG3 can’t go this week, I would rather see Rexy in there than Cousins.  I think Rexy gives us the better chance of success. 
4.            Cundiff sucks!  If he is on the team after today, I will be shocked.  Missing a 31 yarder after last week’s performance is inexcusable.  I hear that he is making everything in practice and he talks with confidence but it isn’t translating to game day.  His miss was huge as it would have been a 10-0 lead late in the first half.  Instead, the miss was deflating for us and the Falcons were able to march down the field and score a TD tying the game going into half time.  Getting a new kicker is imperative. 

In the end, it was a decent performance against one of the best teams in the NFC.  Hopefully RG3 is able to return and while it was tough to take the loss, it is exciting to see that we are more consistent and competitive and we certainly seem like a much stronger team than previous years. 

HTTR!!!

Jay George is an arse

Dude is just an arse.  Frustrated at one point over the Bears' inability to much anything going in the first half, Cutler got up from the bench and walked away just as Tice sat down to discuss the gameplan.

ESPN Power Rankings - Week 5

Skins climb four spots to #18.

Pears climb two spots to #9.

Puckers drop one spot to #8.

Still, after a quarter of the season, it's wide open.

The Falcons look like the cream of the NFC and the Texans look like the top team in the AFC.  Despite being undefeated, I don't believe in the Cards yet.  I think the 49ers are also one of the top teams and after their drubbing of the Jets it looks like their loss last week to the Viqueens is more of a hiccup.  Ravens look solid. 

Will be interesting to see how things shake out in the coming weeks. 

Meriweather and Robinson hurt in pregame warmups

Freak accident in last week's pregame looks like will cost us Brandon Meriweather for at least a couple more weeks.  It's actually a pretty bad collision as Meriweather's knee looks to bend awkwardly.  Too bad as he was set to make his season debut against the Buccaneers.  It's tough because Gomes was replaced by Reed Doughty.  I like Doughty but he is more of a special teams stalwart as opposed to a starter at safety. 

Also too bad for Aldrick Robinson who is having himself a pretty decent season.  However, his loss is not as difficult to handle as we have good depth at the WR position. 

Meriweather sprained the MCL and PCL in his already injured knee.  Hopefully he returns soon as we certainly need the help in the secondary. 

Skins beat Bucs 24-22!

Looked like it was going to be an easy win but the Skins will find a way to make it tight in the end.  The good thing was that they were able to find a way to win it.  It was an exciting game (frustrating at times) but I thought it was a good learning game for RG3 and this young team.  Here are my grades:

1.      Offense:  B+:  Good mix of run and pass.  Morris was solid again in the ground game.  He fits the zone blocking scheme well and can find that hole and he is pretty tough to bring down.  WRs were all pretty solid.  Good to see Hankerson, Garcon, and Morgan all play a part in the passing game.  Line was solid for the most part.  It’s a tough TB D line and protection and run blocking was solid the entire game.  RG3 was very good again.  Sound decision making.  Good in both the run and pass.  No real mistakes.  However, the highlight was his being able to drive the ball down the length of the field and get us in a position for the game winning field goal.  This guy continues to impress me each week and he is proving to be well worth the price we paid.

2.      Defense: C: Once again the run defense was stout.  The pass defense was okay.  However, once again, we gave up big plays.  The first one was Josh Wilson on Mike Williams.  Wilson let Williams blow by him and then it appeared that there should have been safety help but Madieu Williams was late to get over there.  I am not sure on the safety responsibility on the play but it just appeared to me that he needed to get over there.  The second big play was the deep ball to V. Jackson.  D. Hall looked to have pretty good position but it looked like he misjudged the ball and slowed up for just a half second and when he dove to tip the ball was just short.  I was a little disappointed with D. Hall on the play but I was more frustrated with the pass rush as we sent extra pressure but didn’t get in on Freeman fast enough.  Frankly, the pass rush the entire game seemed a little weak.  The only guy that was consistently getting pressure was Kerrigan who I thought had a great game.  Speaking of pass rush, where is Jarvis Jenkins?  Not sure how much he is playing I am assuming he is getting more time because of the Carriker injury but I have rarely heard Jenkins name being called.  Finally, the TB first touchdown with Freeman throwing to Jackson in the corner…what was D. Hall doing.  He is playing bump and run against a 6’5” physical WR.  If he misses, it’s an easy TD which is exactly what happened.  He needs to back off.  That is poor positioning.  We have to be able to get more pressure from the up front guys and then we have to somehow figure out how to stop the big plays especially since Matt Ryan and Julio Jones and Roddy White are coming to town this Sunday.

3.      Special Teams: D: Cundiff sucks!  He almost cost us that game.  He probably saved his job for this week with the game winning 41 yard FG.  However, missing three FGs in the game (two very makeable ones) is not going to cut it.  Banks had a nice punt return and coverage was fine.

It was a big win on the road for us.  Again, there were frustrating moments and this had a classic Skins finding a way to lose written all over it. That said, it was nice that we were able to claw back and find a way to win.  It may have been ugly but I’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day.  As mentioned, I also thought that this was a good learning experience for RG3 and this team.  So I am getting all I hoped out of this team thus far.  I said all along that I just wanted to be competitive and expected to be around .500 on the year and that is exactly what we have been a quarter of the way through the season.  The only surprise is that I expected less from the offense and more from the defense and that hasn’t been the case.  I am loving everything we are getting from RG3.  I love the way we are using him for the most part as the offense looks very dynamic.  I also love the running of Morris.  On the flip side, I am very disappointed in the secondary and the coaching of the secondary.  The good news on that is that I feel the coaching can correct some of the problems we are having back there so hopefully that group improves. 

In the end, a good victory and on to preparing for the high flying Falcons.

HTTR!!!