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!!!