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.