You can reach Rich Tandler by email at WarpathInsiders@comcast.net
It’s situation normal among the Redskins faithful, which means a state of near hysterical overreaction. The complainers are saying that coaches, including Joe Gibbs, need to be fired and that players such as Robert Royal should be cut immediately. The lack of a first-round pick to tank games for is a particular irritant to many. The franchise is doomed, doomed. A period of incompetence of Cardinal-like proportions is inevitable. Those who don’t normally complain are, of course, complaining about the complainers.
That’s what three straight close, gut-wrenching losses will do to the high-strung Redskins Nation. Patience is not a virtue under such dire circumstances. Punishment for those deemed responsible for the losses must be swift and extreme.
Patience, of course, is exactly what’s called for here.
Progress is being made. Let’s take a walk down memory lane all the way back to 2004. After 11 games, the Redskins were 3-8. They were coming off of a three-game losing streak. The losses were to Cincinnati at home by 17-10 and to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on the road by 28-6 and 16-7 respectively. None of those games were as close as the final score indicated.
In fact, there is this mythology floating around that the Redskins lost close ones last year, they are losing them this year, ergo there has been no progress. That’s just silly. It is true that seven of their 10 losses last year were by seven points or less. However, you can’t tell me that the Giants game at the Meadowlands, a six-point loss, was the same as yesterday’s game, also a six-point loss. They lost to Dallas by three at home but in the end it would have taken a miracle for them to win. It would have taken just a few first downs for them to beat Oakland in that three-point defeat.
Of those seven “close” losses, only two were truly competitive at the end. Only in those last two close losses, vs. Philadelphia at FedEx and at Dallas, did the Redskins have either a possession deep in the opponents’ territory with a chance to win in the late going (as they did against the Eagles) or a late lead that was snatched away (as was the case in Texas Stadium).
OK, losses are losses and it’s not a great situation if you have to compare the quality of one variety of loss to another. So let’s talk wins. The Redskins have won four close games this year. It’s not unreasonable to predict that, given their upcoming schedule, the Redskins will improve their win total from last year by at least two games, perhaps even three. That’s progress in wins as well as in the “quality” of the losses.
The point here is not to say that being critical of the performance of players or questioning the plays called by a coach, even those of Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, is out of line. It is done in this space on a regular basis. What the doubters need to keep in mind, however, is that Gibbs is constantly evolving. He’s not going to huff, “What we do works!” and that is that. He will examine the way he is doing things and if it’s not working he will change it. If a particular player isn’t producing, Gibbs will put him in situations where he can be successful.
Those who would cut multiple players and/or fire coaches need to learn the virtues of sticking to a plan. Suppose your lawn was a mess and you worked on it and worked on it until it looked pretty good except for this one patch of crabgrass that just wouldn’t go away. Would you bring in a bulldozer and dig up the whole yard to try to get rid of the one problem area? Or do you stick with what you’ve been doing and, since it’s gotten you this far, have confidence that it will be able to take you the rest of way?
Monday, November 28, 2005
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Redskins vs. Chargers Game Blog
You can reach Rich Tandler by email at WarpathInsiders@comcast.net
Postgame
This was about as down a locker room as I’ve seen. While the voices are saying that the losses don’t have a cumulative effect, the eyes and the tone of voice say something different. The defensive players are wondering if they’ll ever be able to make the play that will win it at the end. The offensive players, while they have been rather scarce in the locker room the past few weeks, are looking for the answers that will let them score enough so that it won’t come down to a couple of plays at the end. Joe Gibbs is trying, trying to keep things positive but that’s a mounting challenge as the one agonizing loss after another piles up.
Both players and coaches bristle at the suggestion that they are playing not to lose the game rather than to win it, but that seems to be the case here. They seem to lose all of their aggressiveness with the game on the line and hope that they can hang on rather than going out and taking it game. This manifests itself both in the play calling and on the way the team is playing. The problems in close games will continue unless this changes.
First quarter
That particular goal post where Keading missed the field goal on the Chargers’ opening drive has been lucky for the Redskins. It’s the one to the right on your TV screens. Josh Brown smacked the potential game-winner for Seattle off of the left upright there and Sebastian Janakowski was wide right last week. We’ll have to investigate to see if there are any doors that can be opened on that end.
Can you do that? Can you actually tackle the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage? Twice in three plays? The Redskins blitz worked on that series. The blitzers were not seeking out blockers, they were finding the opposing quarterback.
Already, Jimmy Farris has had more of an impact this week than Taylor Jacobs did last week with an 18-yard reception for a first down. He stayed with his pattern, coming from all the way across the field as Brunell had plenty of time to pick him out. That sets up a field goal and the Redskins have a 3-0 lead. John Hall is now nine for nine on field goal attempts this year.
Antonio Brown has now executed exactly what is wanted out of him three times—he has held on to the ball on all three returns. If he continues to do that, he will remain employed.
Second quarter
That’s two trick plays on the Redskins’ end of the field by San Diego now with the reverse to Parker following the halfback pass attempt to Brees. This one results in a score at the referees gave Tomlinson as long as he needed to bull his way over the goal line. The concept of forward progress being stopped seems to vanish near the goal line. Not starting to complain about the call, mind you, it always works that way.
Apologies to Taylor Jacobs for the previous slight. He managed to work his way wide open to get a key reception in the Redskins’ first TD drive. Actually, no apology until he does that a few more times.
Santana Moss goes into the end zone for the first time since the San Francisco game and the Redskins are showing some fight as they answer the Chargers score to recapture the lead.
Brees is having all of his passing success on quick outs. They need to jump those routes and they’ll get a quick six. An alternative to that is to bat it away, as the much-missed Cornelius Griffin did to kill a drive.
We have a quick-moving first half here. The Redskins have outplayed the Chargers by a slim margin, pretty much what’s reflected on the scoreboard. They are hanging tough with the favored team from San Diego, up 10-7 at the half.
Third quarter
Gibbs is playing this one very close to the vest, throwing short passes after getting a holding call to make it first and 20. The Chargers have a pretty good offense to play that way it seems to me, but Gibbs is showing confidence in his defense.
LaVar Arrington needs to make that interception. The replay was closer than it appeared at first glance. I’ve seen less control be called a catch, but it was a good call. Er, actually, bad call, good reversal on replay.
OK, that’s twice for Jacobs now. Good job finding the first down marker and stopping to catch Brunell’s pass to convert a big third and twelve.
Good for Rock Cartwright! Untouched 13 yards, a good, decisive cut into a large hole opened up by the left side of the line. The Redskins have a working margin and have the momentum. The next 10 minutes of play will be key. They need to keep the San Diego offense shut down as they have for all but one drive.
Brees simply isn’t sharp today. He’s missing open receivers all over the field and when he’s hitting them they are dropping the ball.
He was sharp on that third and 12 pass to Parker for a huge conversion. The Redskins need to hang on here for dear life and keep them down.
Here’s another third and long for the Redskins. A sack would be most helpful for the Redskins.
Nope, to Parker again. Third and twelve and then third and 14. That sack thing we learned about earlier seems to have disappeared.
Fourth quarter and Overtime
The lucky goal post didn’t do its job that time as Keading puts one through just inside that left post of the set up uprights on the right. That pulls the Chargers within a touchdown at 17-10.
Third time is a charm as the Redskins finally an interception the third time a defender has had both hands on the ball. It was Carlos Rogers who got this one, killing a promising Charger drive and giving Washington another chance to try to kill some time off of the clock. Another non-sharp pass by Brees there after hitting a few good ones in a row.
Gibbs has not abandoned the run, keeping it with Portis on the ground. However, Brunell has to throw it away on third and two and the Redskins punt. Not a superb effort by Frost with a 33-yard boot when he had the whole field to work with, although there was no return. Still, the Chargers have the ball five yards shy of midfield with just under 10 minutes to play.
With 8:03 to play, the Redskins are a few first downs away from salting this one away. If they go three and out again, it will be asking too much of the defense to stop the Chargers yet again after almost no rest.
There’s one of the first downs by mere inches. Portis did not get a favorable spot, but it was it was just good enough.
Robert Royal has now dropped three passes, the last of which cost the Redskins the second first down that they needed. Jacobs bails him out with his third catch for a first down of the day. Official apology to Jacobs now issued for the first-quarter comment. He has played well today.
One more defensive stand should do it. It’s not off to a good start, though, as Brees goes to Parker for 22 yards to get into Redskins territory followed by an offside penalty on Chris Clemons. Need to tighten up in a hurry.
The zebras are picking a hell of a time to tighten up on illegal contact on this drive. That’s two, one accepted, in the past four plays called on Washington.
Well, it was a matter of time until Tomlinson got it untracked. The Redskins defense has just been on the field for too long.
OK, it’s time for the Redskins to put together a drive for the first time since the third quarter. They need about 50 yards or so for a good shot at a Hall field goal.
Three three and outs and a short drive with a couple of first downs has been the sum total of the Redskins’ offensive output since Cartwright’s touchdown. Now San Diego has the ball with a shot at a game-winner. The defense needs to reach deep and come up with a turnover or a quick three and out. You don’t want this one to come down to the overtime coin flip.
They got it courtesy of a tipped pass hauled down by Springs. It would be good to pick up a first down or two to make it closer for Hall, but they are within his range now.
Not any more after Rabach holds to push them out of range. Bad play by Rabach, that’s the last thing you want to do in that situation. Now it’s third and 14 with a 52-yard attempt on Hall’s plate if they don’t gain anything.
Short. Damn.
Interception by Harris on the final play of regulation to go to overtime for the second time of the year here at FedEx Field. The coin toss will be key here, and the Chargers get it.
One play to Gates, his first significant reception of the day is good for 24 yards. The Redskins can’t give another inch.
LT for the touchdown to end it.
Postgame
This was about as down a locker room as I’ve seen. While the voices are saying that the losses don’t have a cumulative effect, the eyes and the tone of voice say something different. The defensive players are wondering if they’ll ever be able to make the play that will win it at the end. The offensive players, while they have been rather scarce in the locker room the past few weeks, are looking for the answers that will let them score enough so that it won’t come down to a couple of plays at the end. Joe Gibbs is trying, trying to keep things positive but that’s a mounting challenge as the one agonizing loss after another piles up.
Both players and coaches bristle at the suggestion that they are playing not to lose the game rather than to win it, but that seems to be the case here. They seem to lose all of their aggressiveness with the game on the line and hope that they can hang on rather than going out and taking it game. This manifests itself both in the play calling and on the way the team is playing. The problems in close games will continue unless this changes.
First quarter
That particular goal post where Keading missed the field goal on the Chargers’ opening drive has been lucky for the Redskins. It’s the one to the right on your TV screens. Josh Brown smacked the potential game-winner for Seattle off of the left upright there and Sebastian Janakowski was wide right last week. We’ll have to investigate to see if there are any doors that can be opened on that end.
Can you do that? Can you actually tackle the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage? Twice in three plays? The Redskins blitz worked on that series. The blitzers were not seeking out blockers, they were finding the opposing quarterback.
Already, Jimmy Farris has had more of an impact this week than Taylor Jacobs did last week with an 18-yard reception for a first down. He stayed with his pattern, coming from all the way across the field as Brunell had plenty of time to pick him out. That sets up a field goal and the Redskins have a 3-0 lead. John Hall is now nine for nine on field goal attempts this year.
Antonio Brown has now executed exactly what is wanted out of him three times—he has held on to the ball on all three returns. If he continues to do that, he will remain employed.
Second quarter
That’s two trick plays on the Redskins’ end of the field by San Diego now with the reverse to Parker following the halfback pass attempt to Brees. This one results in a score at the referees gave Tomlinson as long as he needed to bull his way over the goal line. The concept of forward progress being stopped seems to vanish near the goal line. Not starting to complain about the call, mind you, it always works that way.
Apologies to Taylor Jacobs for the previous slight. He managed to work his way wide open to get a key reception in the Redskins’ first TD drive. Actually, no apology until he does that a few more times.
Santana Moss goes into the end zone for the first time since the San Francisco game and the Redskins are showing some fight as they answer the Chargers score to recapture the lead.
Brees is having all of his passing success on quick outs. They need to jump those routes and they’ll get a quick six. An alternative to that is to bat it away, as the much-missed Cornelius Griffin did to kill a drive.
We have a quick-moving first half here. The Redskins have outplayed the Chargers by a slim margin, pretty much what’s reflected on the scoreboard. They are hanging tough with the favored team from San Diego, up 10-7 at the half.
Third quarter
Gibbs is playing this one very close to the vest, throwing short passes after getting a holding call to make it first and 20. The Chargers have a pretty good offense to play that way it seems to me, but Gibbs is showing confidence in his defense.
LaVar Arrington needs to make that interception. The replay was closer than it appeared at first glance. I’ve seen less control be called a catch, but it was a good call. Er, actually, bad call, good reversal on replay.
OK, that’s twice for Jacobs now. Good job finding the first down marker and stopping to catch Brunell’s pass to convert a big third and twelve.
Good for Rock Cartwright! Untouched 13 yards, a good, decisive cut into a large hole opened up by the left side of the line. The Redskins have a working margin and have the momentum. The next 10 minutes of play will be key. They need to keep the San Diego offense shut down as they have for all but one drive.
Brees simply isn’t sharp today. He’s missing open receivers all over the field and when he’s hitting them they are dropping the ball.
He was sharp on that third and 12 pass to Parker for a huge conversion. The Redskins need to hang on here for dear life and keep them down.
Here’s another third and long for the Redskins. A sack would be most helpful for the Redskins.
Nope, to Parker again. Third and twelve and then third and 14. That sack thing we learned about earlier seems to have disappeared.
Fourth quarter and Overtime
The lucky goal post didn’t do its job that time as Keading puts one through just inside that left post of the set up uprights on the right. That pulls the Chargers within a touchdown at 17-10.
Third time is a charm as the Redskins finally an interception the third time a defender has had both hands on the ball. It was Carlos Rogers who got this one, killing a promising Charger drive and giving Washington another chance to try to kill some time off of the clock. Another non-sharp pass by Brees there after hitting a few good ones in a row.
Gibbs has not abandoned the run, keeping it with Portis on the ground. However, Brunell has to throw it away on third and two and the Redskins punt. Not a superb effort by Frost with a 33-yard boot when he had the whole field to work with, although there was no return. Still, the Chargers have the ball five yards shy of midfield with just under 10 minutes to play.
With 8:03 to play, the Redskins are a few first downs away from salting this one away. If they go three and out again, it will be asking too much of the defense to stop the Chargers yet again after almost no rest.
There’s one of the first downs by mere inches. Portis did not get a favorable spot, but it was it was just good enough.
Robert Royal has now dropped three passes, the last of which cost the Redskins the second first down that they needed. Jacobs bails him out with his third catch for a first down of the day. Official apology to Jacobs now issued for the first-quarter comment. He has played well today.
One more defensive stand should do it. It’s not off to a good start, though, as Brees goes to Parker for 22 yards to get into Redskins territory followed by an offside penalty on Chris Clemons. Need to tighten up in a hurry.
The zebras are picking a hell of a time to tighten up on illegal contact on this drive. That’s two, one accepted, in the past four plays called on Washington.
Well, it was a matter of time until Tomlinson got it untracked. The Redskins defense has just been on the field for too long.
OK, it’s time for the Redskins to put together a drive for the first time since the third quarter. They need about 50 yards or so for a good shot at a Hall field goal.
Three three and outs and a short drive with a couple of first downs has been the sum total of the Redskins’ offensive output since Cartwright’s touchdown. Now San Diego has the ball with a shot at a game-winner. The defense needs to reach deep and come up with a turnover or a quick three and out. You don’t want this one to come down to the overtime coin flip.
They got it courtesy of a tipped pass hauled down by Springs. It would be good to pick up a first down or two to make it closer for Hall, but they are within his range now.
Not any more after Rabach holds to push them out of range. Bad play by Rabach, that’s the last thing you want to do in that situation. Now it’s third and 14 with a 52-yard attempt on Hall’s plate if they don’t gain anything.
Short. Damn.
Interception by Harris on the final play of regulation to go to overtime for the second time of the year here at FedEx Field. The coin toss will be key here, and the Chargers get it.
One play to Gates, his first significant reception of the day is good for 24 yards. The Redskins can’t give another inch.
LT for the touchdown to end it.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Bold Predictions: Take the Home Dog?
These aren’t the ’85 Bears, people.
They’re not even the ’05 Colts.
No doubt the Redskins face a very tough task on Sunday in facing the 6-4 San Diego Chargers at FedEx Field. But from listening to people talk and reading the message boards, you’d get the feeling that the typical Redskin fan thinks that he has a better chance of catching Jennifer Aniston on the rebound from Brad Pitt than the Redskins do of winning this game.
Such thinking goes to show you just how pervasive and overpowering the “what have you done lately” mentality is when people look at the NFL. Two and a half weeks ago the Chargers had just won to pull themselves up to .500 at 4-4. Washington had just beaten Philly to move to 5-3 and the playoff talk flowed freely in the Redskins locker room. Since then, the Chargers have gone to the Meadowlands, where the Jets had the ball inside the San Diego 10 with a chance to pull out a win in the waning moments before falling, and they have pummeled the Buffalo Bills, a team without a quarterback. For their part, the Redskins lost (according to the zebras anyway) a tough game on the road to a 7-3 Tampa Bay team and then led for most of the game against Oakland before losing.
These events have led to a view of the Chargers that is somewhat inflated and a view of the Redskins that is much more bleak than their body of work this season would suggest. Washington has won five games, San Diego has won six. The Redskins’ five victims have a combined record of 28-23 while the six teams the Chargers have beaten are 29-31. On the other side of the ledger, all of San Diego’s losses have come at the hands of teams with winning records while Washington’s loss to Oakland was the only one that wasn’t a “quality” loss.
The other factor in play that has made the Chargers not just the smart money pick but the choice of cash of all IQ’s is the Marty factor. This line of thinking says that Marty Schottenheimer will have his team primed to play so that he can stick it to his old employer just like Norv did last week. I’ve underestimated the psychological edge on occasion so far this year (see my prediction on the Giants game in the wake of owner Wellington Mara’s death as Exhibit A), but I don’t see this being a big edge for two reasons. First, Schottenheimer has remained on friendly terms with Dan Snyder and the rest of the organization. Second, Joe Gibbs is likely to have his troops quite well prepared, their motivation being survival in the competition for playoff spots.
The fallout of the past two weeks and, presumably, the Marty factor, has led to the Chargers being a three-point road favorite. I don’t follow such things very closely, but I would guess that, over the course of an NFL season you will find very few instances of a team being a home dog to a team that has won just one more game.
And, like most home dogs under most circumstances, I expect the Redskins to cover but not win. LaDanian Tomlinson won’t pile up a lot of yards on the ground but will be effective catching Drew Brees’ passes out of the backfield. Santana Moss should get untracked but Clinton Portis won’t. San Diego will get an early lead and hold off Washington at the end.
Chargers 23, Redskins 21
They’re not even the ’05 Colts.
No doubt the Redskins face a very tough task on Sunday in facing the 6-4 San Diego Chargers at FedEx Field. But from listening to people talk and reading the message boards, you’d get the feeling that the typical Redskin fan thinks that he has a better chance of catching Jennifer Aniston on the rebound from Brad Pitt than the Redskins do of winning this game.
Such thinking goes to show you just how pervasive and overpowering the “what have you done lately” mentality is when people look at the NFL. Two and a half weeks ago the Chargers had just won to pull themselves up to .500 at 4-4. Washington had just beaten Philly to move to 5-3 and the playoff talk flowed freely in the Redskins locker room. Since then, the Chargers have gone to the Meadowlands, where the Jets had the ball inside the San Diego 10 with a chance to pull out a win in the waning moments before falling, and they have pummeled the Buffalo Bills, a team without a quarterback. For their part, the Redskins lost (according to the zebras anyway) a tough game on the road to a 7-3 Tampa Bay team and then led for most of the game against Oakland before losing.
These events have led to a view of the Chargers that is somewhat inflated and a view of the Redskins that is much more bleak than their body of work this season would suggest. Washington has won five games, San Diego has won six. The Redskins’ five victims have a combined record of 28-23 while the six teams the Chargers have beaten are 29-31. On the other side of the ledger, all of San Diego’s losses have come at the hands of teams with winning records while Washington’s loss to Oakland was the only one that wasn’t a “quality” loss.
The other factor in play that has made the Chargers not just the smart money pick but the choice of cash of all IQ’s is the Marty factor. This line of thinking says that Marty Schottenheimer will have his team primed to play so that he can stick it to his old employer just like Norv did last week. I’ve underestimated the psychological edge on occasion so far this year (see my prediction on the Giants game in the wake of owner Wellington Mara’s death as Exhibit A), but I don’t see this being a big edge for two reasons. First, Schottenheimer has remained on friendly terms with Dan Snyder and the rest of the organization. Second, Joe Gibbs is likely to have his troops quite well prepared, their motivation being survival in the competition for playoff spots.
The fallout of the past two weeks and, presumably, the Marty factor, has led to the Chargers being a three-point road favorite. I don’t follow such things very closely, but I would guess that, over the course of an NFL season you will find very few instances of a team being a home dog to a team that has won just one more game.
And, like most home dogs under most circumstances, I expect the Redskins to cover but not win. LaDanian Tomlinson won’t pile up a lot of yards on the ground but will be effective catching Drew Brees’ passes out of the backfield. Santana Moss should get untracked but Clinton Portis won’t. San Diego will get an early lead and hold off Washington at the end.
Chargers 23, Redskins 21
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
What Redskins Fans Have to be Thankful For
--This list starts with Joe Gibbs. Every day, we have both a living, breathing symbol of the team’s glorious past and hope for the team’s future. On top of that, in addition to being among the very best football coaches to ever don a whistle, Gibbs is one of the finest human beings ever to draw air.
--I’ve dogged him over the years, but I’ve come to appreciate Renaldo Wynn more and more this season. The man is a class act from head to toe and he does the dirty work necessary to stone attempts to run to his side.
--The beat reporters who cover the team get a lot of fire, some of it justified. However, they do strike a good balance between the “we won” homerism found in some cities and the nasty edge shown in others. They are as hard working a group as you’ll find anywhere and they take their jobs seriously without taking themselves too seriously. Redskins fans are better informed for having read and listened to their work.
--Clinton Portis is turning from a scatback into a tough, strong runner. He’s not going to remind anyone of John Riggins, mind you, but when it’s all said and done Portis could be the best running back to ever play for the Redskins. And yes, the costumes are getting a bit lame but you have to like a guy who wants to have fun.
--The three-game winning streak to start the season gave the team the cushion they needed to survive their current slump and remain in playoff contention. Of course, the improbable win in Dallas tops the list, but the victories over Chicago and Seattle look more impressive as the year goes on.
--Santana Moss won’t ever be the best Redskins receiver ever, but he’s given the team both the deep threat and run-after-catch ability that it has been missing. He has a quiet confidence that is very impressive.
--The Redskins are finally starting to get a solid home-field advantage at FedEx Field. At over 90,000 strong, the crowd there can disrupt both an opposing offense and the plans of the visitors’ fans to take over the Redskins’ house.
--Joe Salave’a has been playing for weeks on a foot injury so painful that it would have most grown men crying and calling in sick to their desk jobs. He plays hard every Sunday because the team needs him and then limps home. (Last Sunday in the locker room, I turned around after talking to one defensive lineman and came within a couple of inches of stepping on that foot, which was bare except for an ice pack taped to it. I’m very thankful for that few inches.)
--I could go through a lot more players, but we should be thankful for having a group that has a lot of character and enjoys being together. They have a tough road to hoe if they are going to make the playoffs, but this is a good group to go into such a battle with.
--Finally, Redskins fans should be thankful for themselves as a group. Some are incurable homers, others are always saying that the sky is falling but those fans and all of the others in between bring great passion and knowledge to the subject of Redskins football. That is something to be thankful for all year long.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Indisputable Visual Evidence II
Indisputable Visual Evidence II
No, this is not another 1,000 words about yet another close call at the goal line that went against the Redskins. It did indeed seem unlikely that Lamont Jordan’s knee would be able to find the ground in the midst of pile of bodies that he was on top of. I mean, last week you have Alstott on a pile of bodies and he’s not down and this week Jordan is on the pile and he is down. And it would have been a bit easier to swallow if we had seen a zebra running in and emphatically jabbing his index finger towards the ground in the universal “down by contact” gesture. It was like last week when the head linesman trotted in from the sideline, looked around, hesitated a count, and then raised his arms to signal that the conversion was good. Be emphatic and sell the call, ref.
There is no diatribe here for two reasons. First, unlike last week, there is no indisputable visual evidence that the call on the field, weak and hesitant as it was, was incorrect. It looked like a fumble, but his knee could have touched the ground; you just can’t see through the pile. Second and most important, again unlike last week, the view here is that the Redskins would have lost this game even if the call had gone in their favor.
They would have had the ball inside their own one with about 2:20 left. They had done zip offensively in the second half. The Raiders had two timeouts and the two-minute warning to work with. Assuming a three and out for the Redskins, Oakland would have had at least a minute and a half and good field position to give Janakowski a shot. Even if it had gone into overtime there is little reason to believe that they would have been able to move the ball and/or stop the Raiders from doing so.
There really isn’t any point in writing a thousand words about this game anyway because it can be summed up in one word—turnovers. Despite the lack of offensive continuity, despite the lack of a pass rush, despite the injuries, the Redskins still win if they don’t cough the ball up. Two fumbles by Clinton Portis, who has been positively glue-fingered all year, cost the Redskins six points. His first gave the Raiders the ball at the Redskins 15 and led to the Raiders’ first points of the day on a field goal. In the third quarter, Portis’ second fumble at the Oakland 29 cost them a shot at a field goal. Do the math, that’s a net loss of six points in a three-point game.
And here’s one more number: 2:39. That’s the Redskins’ time of possession in the fourth quarter of a close game. The possession times in their three “drives” in the fourth quarter were 29 seconds, 39 seconds, and 63 seconds (for those of you doing the math, another drive died after first 25 seconds of the fourth). That’s not going to get it done.
No, this is not another 1,000 words about yet another close call at the goal line that went against the Redskins. It did indeed seem unlikely that Lamont Jordan’s knee would be able to find the ground in the midst of pile of bodies that he was on top of. I mean, last week you have Alstott on a pile of bodies and he’s not down and this week Jordan is on the pile and he is down. And it would have been a bit easier to swallow if we had seen a zebra running in and emphatically jabbing his index finger towards the ground in the universal “down by contact” gesture. It was like last week when the head linesman trotted in from the sideline, looked around, hesitated a count, and then raised his arms to signal that the conversion was good. Be emphatic and sell the call, ref.
There is no diatribe here for two reasons. First, unlike last week, there is no indisputable visual evidence that the call on the field, weak and hesitant as it was, was incorrect. It looked like a fumble, but his knee could have touched the ground; you just can’t see through the pile. Second and most important, again unlike last week, the view here is that the Redskins would have lost this game even if the call had gone in their favor.
They would have had the ball inside their own one with about 2:20 left. They had done zip offensively in the second half. The Raiders had two timeouts and the two-minute warning to work with. Assuming a three and out for the Redskins, Oakland would have had at least a minute and a half and good field position to give Janakowski a shot. Even if it had gone into overtime there is little reason to believe that they would have been able to move the ball and/or stop the Raiders from doing so.
There really isn’t any point in writing a thousand words about this game anyway because it can be summed up in one word—turnovers. Despite the lack of offensive continuity, despite the lack of a pass rush, despite the injuries, the Redskins still win if they don’t cough the ball up. Two fumbles by Clinton Portis, who has been positively glue-fingered all year, cost the Redskins six points. His first gave the Raiders the ball at the Redskins 15 and led to the Raiders’ first points of the day on a field goal. In the third quarter, Portis’ second fumble at the Oakland 29 cost them a shot at a field goal. Do the math, that’s a net loss of six points in a three-point game.
And here’s one more number: 2:39. That’s the Redskins’ time of possession in the fourth quarter of a close game. The possession times in their three “drives” in the fourth quarter were 29 seconds, 39 seconds, and 63 seconds (for those of you doing the math, another drive died after first 25 seconds of the fourth). That’s not going to get it done.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Three and Out--Patten, Norv, Williams
You can reach me by email at WarpathInsiders@comcast.net
David Patten
There were very high hopes for Patten going into this season. He had come from New England where he had helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls in four years. An intense individual, he stood out in practice as a true professional and he fashioned himself to be one of the team’s leaders both on and off the field. All seemed to be going well until they actually started playing games.
On a few occasions, it looked like he was starting to get untracked. He caught seven passes against Denver plus he had a nice TD grab negated by a questionable pass interference call. But in the next five games he caught just eight more passes total. He complained to the media about not getting enough passes thrown to him after the Giants game, an odd complaint to make right after he dropped a couple of passes in that contest. Two weeks ago against the Eagles he was shut out and he caught just one pass against Tampa Bay last week. Now his season fades to black.
When asked last year, Joe Gibbs said that the final chapter of Mark Brunell’s Redskins career had not yet been written. If you ask him the same question about Patten, he’ll probably say the same thing.
Norv Turner
There is a lot of talk about the current Redskins who played for the team under Norv Turner when he was in Washington. On the other side, however, there are two Raiders who were Redskins when Turner was here. One is tight end Zeron Flemister, who appeared in five games in 2000, Turner’s last in DC. The other is guard Brad Badger, who had a rather tumultuous year in the second of his three seasons on Washington.
Bader was drafted in 1997 in the fifth round out of Stanford. He started one game at right guard in his rookie year. Then, in 1998, Turner got the notion that the 6-4 Badger would be a good fit at the most critical position on the offensive line, left tackle. In a damn the skeptics and common sense move, Turner forced the square peg into the round hole. The Redskins started the season 0-7. Turner made his noted proclamation that “What we do works.” Well, it wasn’t working at the left tackle position, to say the least. Badger soon was moved back inside where he belonged. He is now Turner’s starting left guard.
Gregg Williams
Williams’ reputation for being a defensive genius is being sorely tested. For a year and a half here his defenses were able to compensate for the inability of the defensive line to generate a pass rush by throwing an array of blitzes at the opposition. The other teams have countered. “They are over-coaching the fact that they want the ball out fast,” said Williams, “which is okay, as long as [we] minimize any type of gain when the ball does come out fast.”
Perhaps Williams has a different definition of the ball coming out “fast” than I do, but I didn’t see Chris Simms doing a lot of three-step drops. Time after time, he was able to camp out in the pocket. Some of the 18.6 yards Tampa Bay made per completed pass came from running after the catch, but not many of them.
What I saw was blitzers running right into blockers. This isn’t new, it’s been going on all season to one degree or another. The opposing offensive coaches now know where the pass rush is coming from and they are very effective in countering it with their blocking schemes. It’s up to Williams to change the blitz packages around and make it so that the other guys don’t know what’s coming.
David Patten
There were very high hopes for Patten going into this season. He had come from New England where he had helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls in four years. An intense individual, he stood out in practice as a true professional and he fashioned himself to be one of the team’s leaders both on and off the field. All seemed to be going well until they actually started playing games.
On a few occasions, it looked like he was starting to get untracked. He caught seven passes against Denver plus he had a nice TD grab negated by a questionable pass interference call. But in the next five games he caught just eight more passes total. He complained to the media about not getting enough passes thrown to him after the Giants game, an odd complaint to make right after he dropped a couple of passes in that contest. Two weeks ago against the Eagles he was shut out and he caught just one pass against Tampa Bay last week. Now his season fades to black.
When asked last year, Joe Gibbs said that the final chapter of Mark Brunell’s Redskins career had not yet been written. If you ask him the same question about Patten, he’ll probably say the same thing.
Norv Turner
There is a lot of talk about the current Redskins who played for the team under Norv Turner when he was in Washington. On the other side, however, there are two Raiders who were Redskins when Turner was here. One is tight end Zeron Flemister, who appeared in five games in 2000, Turner’s last in DC. The other is guard Brad Badger, who had a rather tumultuous year in the second of his three seasons on Washington.
Bader was drafted in 1997 in the fifth round out of Stanford. He started one game at right guard in his rookie year. Then, in 1998, Turner got the notion that the 6-4 Badger would be a good fit at the most critical position on the offensive line, left tackle. In a damn the skeptics and common sense move, Turner forced the square peg into the round hole. The Redskins started the season 0-7. Turner made his noted proclamation that “What we do works.” Well, it wasn’t working at the left tackle position, to say the least. Badger soon was moved back inside where he belonged. He is now Turner’s starting left guard.
Gregg Williams
Williams’ reputation for being a defensive genius is being sorely tested. For a year and a half here his defenses were able to compensate for the inability of the defensive line to generate a pass rush by throwing an array of blitzes at the opposition. The other teams have countered. “They are over-coaching the fact that they want the ball out fast,” said Williams, “which is okay, as long as [we] minimize any type of gain when the ball does come out fast.”
Perhaps Williams has a different definition of the ball coming out “fast” than I do, but I didn’t see Chris Simms doing a lot of three-step drops. Time after time, he was able to camp out in the pocket. Some of the 18.6 yards Tampa Bay made per completed pass came from running after the catch, but not many of them.
What I saw was blitzers running right into blockers. This isn’t new, it’s been going on all season to one degree or another. The opposing offensive coaches now know where the pass rush is coming from and they are very effective in countering it with their blocking schemes. It’s up to Williams to change the blitz packages around and make it so that the other guys don’t know what’s coming.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Bold Predictions--Just Win, Baby
You can reach me by email at WarpathInsiders@comcast.net
You’ve seen them on TV countless times, the Oakland Raider fans dressed up in spikes and chains. They’re screaming, yelling, rattling their chains and supposedly turning McAfee Stadium into the infamous “Black Hole”. ESPN.com recently ran an article that centers on one such fan who goes under the moniker of “Spike”. The ESPN writer caught up with Spike, whose real name is Mark Shadinger of Sacremento, the morning of a home game against Denver:
Spike’s brother goes as the character “Howie”, presumably a tribute to ex-Raider Howie Long. He talks tough:
However, as the article title says, these vicious-looking characters are just that, characters. They’re all bark and no bite.
Teams do not always take after their fans or vice versa. However, in this case, no matter which is the chicken and which is the egg, the team is just like its most noted fans. It lives off of the tough, bad-boy, misfit image but that’s just an image.
Randy Moss has left the field a couple of seconds early and delivered an ersatz moon shot in Lambeau Field, but he’s no Bill Romanowski. Warren Sapp has run through other teams’ warmup drills and mouths off on occasion but John Matuzak he ain’t. Kerry Collins used to drink too much and said some things that he shouldn’t have, but all that was years ago. He’s been nothing but a model citizen since leaving the Panthers following the 1997 season.
There is nobody else on the team who has what could be even remotely described as a checkered past unless some of them have some outstanding library fines.
It’s not like a bunch of good guys can’t go out and play some good, tough football. The Raiders, though, are a bit, well, soft. Their defense doesn’t scare anybody. They’re 19th in the NFL in rushing defense and 24th overall.
There’s not much there to put fear into opposing defenders either. Their rushing attack is 26th in the NFL. Collins’ play at quarterback has been respectable but far from spectacular.
The may have that famed “Commitment to Excellence”, but right now they are a thoroughly mediocre football team.
All in all, this team is a reflection of its head coach, Norv Turner. If you need an explanation of that, you missed the seasons from 1994-2001.
The Redskins should handle this pedestrian group. There is a temptation to say that they will handle them easily, but nothing has come easily for the Redskins this year. To take another phrase from the Raiders’ glorious past, the Redskins will “Just Win, Baby.”
Redskins 24, Raiders 17.
You’ve seen them on TV countless times, the Oakland Raider fans dressed up in spikes and chains. They’re screaming, yelling, rattling their chains and supposedly turning McAfee Stadium into the infamous “Black Hole”. ESPN.com recently ran an article that centers on one such fan who goes under the moniker of “Spike”. The ESPN writer caught up with Spike, whose real name is Mark Shadinger of Sacremento, the morning of a home game against Denver:
"Today we raise hell. Today we turn the Black Hole into an absolute jungle. No mercy today. It's the Broncos."
Seven hours later, the Oakland Raiders are about to take the field against the Denver Broncos. Every beer-chugging, street-strutting, look-at-me-the-wrong-way-and-I-might-pop-you-in-the-mouth Raiders fan is charging toward McAfee Coliseum, eager to not miss a play.
Spike’s brother goes as the character “Howie”, presumably a tribute to ex-Raider Howie Long. He talks tough:
"We're evil. We're the devils, the degenerates.The Raiders, man. We're the bad guys. The misfits. I watch T.O. run his mouth off and I think to myself, 'Keep it up buddy and the sooner you'll be out here with us.' We're the guys that nobody wants their daughters to marry."
However, as the article title says, these vicious-looking characters are just that, characters. They’re all bark and no bite.
Three of the most visible Raider fans out there -- the go-to guys for photographers looking for that fan reaction shot -- are more Saturday morning cartoon characters than Friday night devil worshipers. They tell you they want Mike Shanahan on a stick. That they want someone to clothesline John Lynch. But then you find a neon green children's book in the back of the Durango, complete with a pop-up rubber football that squeaks when you squeeze it.
"Oh, that's for the kids," Spike says.
The Black Hole? It's more like a pink locker room.
Teams do not always take after their fans or vice versa. However, in this case, no matter which is the chicken and which is the egg, the team is just like its most noted fans. It lives off of the tough, bad-boy, misfit image but that’s just an image.
Randy Moss has left the field a couple of seconds early and delivered an ersatz moon shot in Lambeau Field, but he’s no Bill Romanowski. Warren Sapp has run through other teams’ warmup drills and mouths off on occasion but John Matuzak he ain’t. Kerry Collins used to drink too much and said some things that he shouldn’t have, but all that was years ago. He’s been nothing but a model citizen since leaving the Panthers following the 1997 season.
There is nobody else on the team who has what could be even remotely described as a checkered past unless some of them have some outstanding library fines.
It’s not like a bunch of good guys can’t go out and play some good, tough football. The Raiders, though, are a bit, well, soft. Their defense doesn’t scare anybody. They’re 19th in the NFL in rushing defense and 24th overall.
There’s not much there to put fear into opposing defenders either. Their rushing attack is 26th in the NFL. Collins’ play at quarterback has been respectable but far from spectacular.
The may have that famed “Commitment to Excellence”, but right now they are a thoroughly mediocre football team.
All in all, this team is a reflection of its head coach, Norv Turner. If you need an explanation of that, you missed the seasons from 1994-2001.
The Redskins should handle this pedestrian group. There is a temptation to say that they will handle them easily, but nothing has come easily for the Redskins this year. To take another phrase from the Raiders’ glorious past, the Redskins will “Just Win, Baby.”
Redskins 24, Raiders 17.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Indisputable Visual Evidence
That is Mike Alstott's right elbow, the one attached to the arm carrying the ball. The white line is the goal line. It's physically impossible for the ball to be across the plane of the goal line before Alstott is down, which is the moment that elbow touches the ground.
This isn't like the safety call in Denver that the refs tucked up. We don't know how that would have effected the dynamic of the game as it happened in the third quarter. This one, though, is different as all the Redskins would have had to do was to recover an onside kick, which the receiving team does some 90% of the time in the NFL.
You can talk about the other elements that cost the Redskins the game and there were many, but it came down to the Redskins needed to keep the Bucs from getting a yard. They did that but the call was blown twice, first by the official who just saw Allstott get the ball over the plane eventually, after he was down, and then by the referee who reviewed the call under the hood. It's his call. If that's no indisputable visual evidence then there is no such thing.
Here's the same picture but cropped a little wider, as some of you have requested:
Game Blog Fourth Quarter
Fourth Quarter
What moron ever said that all Santana Moss was good for was catching long bombs? That tough catch over the middle for a first was testament to his ability to catch the tough ones. (What’s that? Oh, I said that was all he was good for? Never mind!)
Did you catch Joe Gibbs talking to Gregg Williams right after they called time out on fourth down? You’ve got to think that Gibbs is saying, “if we don’t make it, your guys have to get a stop. What do you think?” I doubt that Williams curses when he’s talking to Gibbs like he does when he’s talking to his players, so he probably said something like, “You’re goldarn right we’ll hold ‘em!”
No need for the defense, at least not yet. So far it’s been an excellent drive by the Redskins, eating up time, giving the defense some rest. Back to that “if” from earlier, they need to score a touchdown.
A thunder and lightning strike there with Portis finishing it off after Betts set it up. Here we go again with the Bucs offense. A third-down sack would be nice.
Instead, we’re getting more third-down conversions by Simms and company. The pass to Galloway and then the offside penalty are the kind of plays that will keep Williams and company up late this week regardless of how this one turns out.
Not to take anything away from Phillip Daniels or anything, but it’s not too hard to block a pass when it’s thrown right in your facemask. Still, a good job getting penetration by Daniels and the Redskins need just one first down to be able to salt this one away.
Nope. They’ll get a chance, albeit with no time outs. Someone has to cover the deep middle and keep Galloway from snaring a long one.
I’d say it’s a good thing that the Galloway catch was upheld; in that cast, the time was more valuable than the yardage.
Galloway didn’t deliver the dagger, a guy with his first TD of the year did. Harris didn’t have bad coverage, but you have to give Simms credit, he put it right on the money.
Didn’t look like a good call on the two-pointer, but, like Betts’ TD on the kickoff, there wasn’t enough solid evidence to overturn.
In the big picture, it was turnovers and third-down conversion problems that did the Redskins in. In the micro picture, it was the lack of discipline on the PAT try and Gruden’s gutsy call to follow that up with a two-point try. A great opportunity lost by the Redskins here.
What moron ever said that all Santana Moss was good for was catching long bombs? That tough catch over the middle for a first was testament to his ability to catch the tough ones. (What’s that? Oh, I said that was all he was good for? Never mind!)
Did you catch Joe Gibbs talking to Gregg Williams right after they called time out on fourth down? You’ve got to think that Gibbs is saying, “if we don’t make it, your guys have to get a stop. What do you think?” I doubt that Williams curses when he’s talking to Gibbs like he does when he’s talking to his players, so he probably said something like, “You’re goldarn right we’ll hold ‘em!”
No need for the defense, at least not yet. So far it’s been an excellent drive by the Redskins, eating up time, giving the defense some rest. Back to that “if” from earlier, they need to score a touchdown.
A thunder and lightning strike there with Portis finishing it off after Betts set it up. Here we go again with the Bucs offense. A third-down sack would be nice.
Instead, we’re getting more third-down conversions by Simms and company. The pass to Galloway and then the offside penalty are the kind of plays that will keep Williams and company up late this week regardless of how this one turns out.
Not to take anything away from Phillip Daniels or anything, but it’s not too hard to block a pass when it’s thrown right in your facemask. Still, a good job getting penetration by Daniels and the Redskins need just one first down to be able to salt this one away.
Nope. They’ll get a chance, albeit with no time outs. Someone has to cover the deep middle and keep Galloway from snaring a long one.
I’d say it’s a good thing that the Galloway catch was upheld; in that cast, the time was more valuable than the yardage.
Galloway didn’t deliver the dagger, a guy with his first TD of the year did. Harris didn’t have bad coverage, but you have to give Simms credit, he put it right on the money.
Didn’t look like a good call on the two-pointer, but, like Betts’ TD on the kickoff, there wasn’t enough solid evidence to overturn.
In the big picture, it was turnovers and third-down conversion problems that did the Redskins in. In the micro picture, it was the lack of discipline on the PAT try and Gruden’s gutsy call to follow that up with a two-point try. A great opportunity lost by the Redskins here.
Game Blog Third Quarter
Third Quarter
Turnabout. The Redskins finally get an opponent’s fumble (they’ve now recovered three of 17 by the opposition this year). Not only that, they take full, eight-point advantage of it. Sellers with great YAC, albeit only two or three of them, and Portis with a superb effort to reel in Brunell’s pass that was almost a little too cute. It’s a new game at 21-21.
Back to the fumble that set up the touchdown--it’s amazing the Joe Salave’a can walk, much less be running around in an NFL backfield, forcing fumbles and making tackles for losses. He’s got that planter’s wart and it’s pain that would have any of us calling out sick from our office jobs. It’s just not going to get better until the end of the season. If he continues to make plays like that, he won’t get his rest until late in January, if not later.
The Redskins have an opportunity here, after the Tampa punt, to seize control of the game with Portis. A ground-based drive to a go-ahead score would be a big psychological blow to the Bucs and the now-loud crowd.
Or one keyed by a long pass to Santana Moss will work just fine, too. If at first it gets called back by holding, try, try again. If all goes according to the way a solid team should as it’s fighting for first place in the division, a three and out by the Bucs will ensue here and the Redskins will have a shot at salting this one away. If.
Well, I guess the Redskins are a little ways away from being a solid team. Two third and longs given up, you just can’t do that. The blitzers are becoming blocker-seeking missiles coming from all angles and it’s not disrupting Simms’ timing in the least. It’s up to the offense now.
Turnabout. The Redskins finally get an opponent’s fumble (they’ve now recovered three of 17 by the opposition this year). Not only that, they take full, eight-point advantage of it. Sellers with great YAC, albeit only two or three of them, and Portis with a superb effort to reel in Brunell’s pass that was almost a little too cute. It’s a new game at 21-21.
Back to the fumble that set up the touchdown--it’s amazing the Joe Salave’a can walk, much less be running around in an NFL backfield, forcing fumbles and making tackles for losses. He’s got that planter’s wart and it’s pain that would have any of us calling out sick from our office jobs. It’s just not going to get better until the end of the season. If he continues to make plays like that, he won’t get his rest until late in January, if not later.
The Redskins have an opportunity here, after the Tampa punt, to seize control of the game with Portis. A ground-based drive to a go-ahead score would be a big psychological blow to the Bucs and the now-loud crowd.
Or one keyed by a long pass to Santana Moss will work just fine, too. If at first it gets called back by holding, try, try again. If all goes according to the way a solid team should as it’s fighting for first place in the division, a three and out by the Bucs will ensue here and the Redskins will have a shot at salting this one away. If.
Well, I guess the Redskins are a little ways away from being a solid team. Two third and longs given up, you just can’t do that. The blitzers are becoming blocker-seeking missiles coming from all angles and it’s not disrupting Simms’ timing in the least. It’s up to the offense now.
Game Blog Second Quarter
Second Quarter
Two turnovers now. The Tampa offense would have no life at all except for the CPR the Redskins are giving them.
At least that one just cost the Redskins some field position, thanks to Galloway’s drop. With the Bucs jumping that WR screen, they have to pump and go off of it.
That one cost a little more than field position. Feel free to block Rice, anyone out there. We need some of the famous Gibbs adjustments well before halftime.
Thank you Ladell Betts. That was a great, great individual effort, especially at the end there to get past that last tackle. The way this game’s going, there’s not guarantee that even an opportunity like that wouldn’t be frittered away. Good call on the replay. There just wasn’t any indisputable evidence that he stepped out, although it was extremely close.
This is shaping up as one of those dreaded games when the maligned units (Bucs O-Line) and individual players (Rice, Simms) come back with a vengeance.
Wow, a Brian Kozlowski sighting. There were two of them, in fact, although Brunell overthrew a touchdown on the second one. Apparently, they’re catching on to Mike Sellers, so they’re sending out a different TE who never catches the ball.
Portis has a buck seven in the first half. He’s been stopped once or twice, but he’s generally ripped off 10+ yard gains every time he’s touched the ball.
I don’t like the call on third and two. It’s not so much that it was a pass, although that’s something of a head-scratcher, too (see paragraph above). But don’t throw it to Rice’s side, especially if you’re not going to even brush him. All that said, Patten could have caught the ball.
21-13 at the half. Considering all of the turnovers, I’ll take it.
Two turnovers now. The Tampa offense would have no life at all except for the CPR the Redskins are giving them.
At least that one just cost the Redskins some field position, thanks to Galloway’s drop. With the Bucs jumping that WR screen, they have to pump and go off of it.
That one cost a little more than field position. Feel free to block Rice, anyone out there. We need some of the famous Gibbs adjustments well before halftime.
Thank you Ladell Betts. That was a great, great individual effort, especially at the end there to get past that last tackle. The way this game’s going, there’s not guarantee that even an opportunity like that wouldn’t be frittered away. Good call on the replay. There just wasn’t any indisputable evidence that he stepped out, although it was extremely close.
This is shaping up as one of those dreaded games when the maligned units (Bucs O-Line) and individual players (Rice, Simms) come back with a vengeance.
Wow, a Brian Kozlowski sighting. There were two of them, in fact, although Brunell overthrew a touchdown on the second one. Apparently, they’re catching on to Mike Sellers, so they’re sending out a different TE who never catches the ball.
Portis has a buck seven in the first half. He’s been stopped once or twice, but he’s generally ripped off 10+ yard gains every time he’s touched the ball.
I don’t like the call on third and two. It’s not so much that it was a pass, although that’s something of a head-scratcher, too (see paragraph above). But don’t throw it to Rice’s side, especially if you’re not going to even brush him. All that said, Patten could have caught the ball.
21-13 at the half. Considering all of the turnovers, I’ll take it.
Game Blog First Quarter
You can reach me by email at WarpathInsiders@comcast.net
First Quarter
Certainly not the start that you want on the road. I’m now quite sure how you can say that Joey Galloway was pushed out of bounds when Prioleau was barely making contact with him. Still, the INT was the killer on that one.
The good sign here is that Portis is running with great authority. That’ll keep things open in a lot of ways all day long if it keeps up.
Did Robert Royal buy a ticket to this game? What’s he doing standing there and watching Simeon Rice blow right by him? How about at least get into position to help recover the fumble there? Again, Portis saves the day after a Brunell fumble, this time falling on it to preserve three points.
Both of Brunell’s last two fumbles have come as a result of rushers right in front of him, not the blind side strip we usually expect. Obviously, he has to protect the ball there. In that situation around the 10 yard line, a sack isn’t fatal to your field goal chances so it’s better to tuck the ball in and take the sack.
First Quarter
Certainly not the start that you want on the road. I’m now quite sure how you can say that Joey Galloway was pushed out of bounds when Prioleau was barely making contact with him. Still, the INT was the killer on that one.
The good sign here is that Portis is running with great authority. That’ll keep things open in a lot of ways all day long if it keeps up.
Did Robert Royal buy a ticket to this game? What’s he doing standing there and watching Simeon Rice blow right by him? How about at least get into position to help recover the fumble there? Again, Portis saves the day after a Brunell fumble, this time falling on it to preserve three points.
Both of Brunell’s last two fumbles have come as a result of rushers right in front of him, not the blind side strip we usually expect. Obviously, he has to protect the ball there. In that situation around the 10 yard line, a sack isn’t fatal to your field goal chances so it’s better to tuck the ball in and take the sack.
GameBlog vs. Bucs--Pregame
You can reach me by email at WarpathInsiders@comcast.net
Like many NFL teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put out a large book of information for use by the media in preparation for their coverage of each game. The one for this week’s game against the Redskins is about 200 pages of 8.5 X 11 paper, spiral bound and packed with data—stats, player and coach profiles and the like.
Some of the stats are interesting, some not so much. Under “Team Notes” you can find out, for example, that Joey Galloway is tied for the lead among NFL receivers for the most touchdown receptions since December 5, 2004. He and Marvin Harrison each have 11 TD catches in that time span. Drew Bennett and Chad Johnson are right on their heels for this coveted record with 10 each. I can just seen it now—Galloway catches a touchdown pass, the game stops, fireworks go off and the scoreboard flashes the word that Galloway is now in sole possession of first place for touchdown catches since 12/5/04. The ball immediately is shipped off to Canton, Ohio.
Right below that, you discover that Jon Gruden has coached 10 receivers who have amassed 500 or more career catches. You might think, wow, ol’ Chucky has a way with wideouts. That’s until you read on and find out that the list of 10 includes the likes of Art Monk, who (much to the chagrin of many) played his last games in an Eagle uniform in 1995, when Gruden was the offensive coordinator. Monk got the last six of his 940 career catches in three games under Gruden’s watch so that “counts” as one of his 10. So does Jerry Rice, who at least had the whole 2001 season with Gruden.
Back to Galloway--who just joined Gruden’s 500 club—he’s the one Buc who scares you offensively. With their unproductive running game and an inexperienced Chris Simms at quarterback, Tampa Bay is unlikely to be able to crank out many long drives. However, the bugaboo of the Washington defense is giving up the long play (recall Philly’s lone TD last week) and that’s Galloway’s specialty. He has TD catches of 78 and 50 yards in the past two weeks. The big fear is that the Redskins will play exactly the kind of game they want for 55 minutes, lead by six and then see Simms and Galloway catch lighting in a bottle for the third week in a row and the Bucs will steal a win.
Like many NFL teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put out a large book of information for use by the media in preparation for their coverage of each game. The one for this week’s game against the Redskins is about 200 pages of 8.5 X 11 paper, spiral bound and packed with data—stats, player and coach profiles and the like.
Some of the stats are interesting, some not so much. Under “Team Notes” you can find out, for example, that Joey Galloway is tied for the lead among NFL receivers for the most touchdown receptions since December 5, 2004. He and Marvin Harrison each have 11 TD catches in that time span. Drew Bennett and Chad Johnson are right on their heels for this coveted record with 10 each. I can just seen it now—Galloway catches a touchdown pass, the game stops, fireworks go off and the scoreboard flashes the word that Galloway is now in sole possession of first place for touchdown catches since 12/5/04. The ball immediately is shipped off to Canton, Ohio.
Right below that, you discover that Jon Gruden has coached 10 receivers who have amassed 500 or more career catches. You might think, wow, ol’ Chucky has a way with wideouts. That’s until you read on and find out that the list of 10 includes the likes of Art Monk, who (much to the chagrin of many) played his last games in an Eagle uniform in 1995, when Gruden was the offensive coordinator. Monk got the last six of his 940 career catches in three games under Gruden’s watch so that “counts” as one of his 10. So does Jerry Rice, who at least had the whole 2001 season with Gruden.
Back to Galloway--who just joined Gruden’s 500 club—he’s the one Buc who scares you offensively. With their unproductive running game and an inexperienced Chris Simms at quarterback, Tampa Bay is unlikely to be able to crank out many long drives. However, the bugaboo of the Washington defense is giving up the long play (recall Philly’s lone TD last week) and that’s Galloway’s specialty. He has TD catches of 78 and 50 yards in the past two weeks. The big fear is that the Redskins will play exactly the kind of game they want for 55 minutes, lead by six and then see Simms and Galloway catch lighting in a bottle for the third week in a row and the Bucs will steal a win.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Bold Predictions Redskins vs. Bucs
Bold Predictions Redskins vs Bucs
There just isn’t much sizzle here.
The first time these two teams met on October 9, 1977, the two teams combined for nine fumbles, eight turnovers and 14 penalties. The Redskins won this excruciatingly boring affair 10-0 and even Billy Kilmer, the winning quarterback complained afterward that the game was dull and that his team made too many mistakes.
That set the tone for the series. They have played 13 times and none of the games are memorable. There was that game in 1982 right before the strike that the Redskins won on a Curtis Jordan punt block, but had it not been pouring rain to the point that water was cascading down the stairs at the Big Sombrero, a scene that NFL Films captured masterfully, that game would never get a second thought. I suppose you could call the Redskins’ 14-13 playoff loss following the 1999 season somewhat noteworthy, but it’s most memorable for a botched play, a bad snap on a potential game-winning field goal attempt (Brian Mitchell’s playoff-record 100-yard kickoff return notwithstanding). The next year the teams went into overtime at FedEx Field, but the Skins won that game when Deion Sanders set up a field goal with a 57-yard punt return and most of us would rather forget he ever played in the Burgundy and Gold.
With no real rivalry, with no particular reason to dislike the Bucs based on any historical events, we are forced to deal with the here and now. And there is plenty there.
Both teams are 5-3, which right now is if-the-season-ended-today Wild Card position. The first tiebreaker, of course, is head to head so the winner of this game essentially gains two games’ worth of advantage over the loser. Making up those two games over the course of the seven remaining contests is a pretty tall order. It’s not a must-win for both teams, but it’s as close as you get to one at the start of the second half of the season.
Tampa Bay has a balanced offense; the Bucs can’t run or pass very well. They’re 21st in the NFL in total yards gained, 16th rushing and 21st passing. Their rankings have plunged due to two key injuries. The one to running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams slowed down the rookie, who had the best start of any NFL running back ever with 434 yards in his first three games. He has gained just 162 yards in the ensuing five games, two of which he missed with a foot injury. Still, he’s better off than starting QB Brian Griese who went out for the season in Week Six with a knee injury.
Williams is now fairly healthy but he’s coming off of consecutive games in which he has gained combined 49 yards on 24 carries. It’s not all his fault. Griese’s replacement, second-year player Chris Simms, has been less than stellar and if you can’t pass you get the eight in the box that the Redskins saw so much of last year and it’s hard to run.
On the other side of the ball, it’s hard to do anything against the Tampa defense. That unit has been that team’s bell cow for the last decade or so and this year is no exception as they are ranked #1 in the NFL. Former stalwarts like John Lynch and Warren Sapp have moved on, but there’s still linebacker Derrick Brooks, cornerback Ronde Barber, and defensive end Simeon Rice to contend with.
Despite that great D, the Bucs have lost three out of four since a 4-0 start. Included in that skid are losses to a couple of certified dogs, the 49ers and the Jets. Saying that there in a bit of a slump is like saying that Terrell Owens has a bit of a mouth.
For their part, the Redskins are playing better, but they’re not exactly tearing it up either. They’ve lost three out of five. One of the wins was over one of those mutts, San Francisco, and they had a real dog of a game in New York.
Still, you get the sense that these are two teams headed in opposite directions. The Redskins aren’t world-beaters but, as noted above, you don’t have to be to get a W over Tampa Bay. Washington has a pretty decent defense itself and the Buccaneer offense will struggle to get over 13 points or so. On offense, Clinton Portis won’t rack up much yardage barring a big run like he got against Tampa Bay in last year’s opener. I get a feeling that David Patten will play a key role as the Bucs aren’t going to let Santana Moss beat them. Regardless, the Redskins won’t score much, but they will score enough. They’ll claim their fourth win of the season in games that they score fewer than 20 points:
Redskins 17, Bucs 10.
There just isn’t much sizzle here.
The first time these two teams met on October 9, 1977, the two teams combined for nine fumbles, eight turnovers and 14 penalties. The Redskins won this excruciatingly boring affair 10-0 and even Billy Kilmer, the winning quarterback complained afterward that the game was dull and that his team made too many mistakes.
That set the tone for the series. They have played 13 times and none of the games are memorable. There was that game in 1982 right before the strike that the Redskins won on a Curtis Jordan punt block, but had it not been pouring rain to the point that water was cascading down the stairs at the Big Sombrero, a scene that NFL Films captured masterfully, that game would never get a second thought. I suppose you could call the Redskins’ 14-13 playoff loss following the 1999 season somewhat noteworthy, but it’s most memorable for a botched play, a bad snap on a potential game-winning field goal attempt (Brian Mitchell’s playoff-record 100-yard kickoff return notwithstanding). The next year the teams went into overtime at FedEx Field, but the Skins won that game when Deion Sanders set up a field goal with a 57-yard punt return and most of us would rather forget he ever played in the Burgundy and Gold.
With no real rivalry, with no particular reason to dislike the Bucs based on any historical events, we are forced to deal with the here and now. And there is plenty there.
Both teams are 5-3, which right now is if-the-season-ended-today Wild Card position. The first tiebreaker, of course, is head to head so the winner of this game essentially gains two games’ worth of advantage over the loser. Making up those two games over the course of the seven remaining contests is a pretty tall order. It’s not a must-win for both teams, but it’s as close as you get to one at the start of the second half of the season.
Tampa Bay has a balanced offense; the Bucs can’t run or pass very well. They’re 21st in the NFL in total yards gained, 16th rushing and 21st passing. Their rankings have plunged due to two key injuries. The one to running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams slowed down the rookie, who had the best start of any NFL running back ever with 434 yards in his first three games. He has gained just 162 yards in the ensuing five games, two of which he missed with a foot injury. Still, he’s better off than starting QB Brian Griese who went out for the season in Week Six with a knee injury.
Williams is now fairly healthy but he’s coming off of consecutive games in which he has gained combined 49 yards on 24 carries. It’s not all his fault. Griese’s replacement, second-year player Chris Simms, has been less than stellar and if you can’t pass you get the eight in the box that the Redskins saw so much of last year and it’s hard to run.
On the other side of the ball, it’s hard to do anything against the Tampa defense. That unit has been that team’s bell cow for the last decade or so and this year is no exception as they are ranked #1 in the NFL. Former stalwarts like John Lynch and Warren Sapp have moved on, but there’s still linebacker Derrick Brooks, cornerback Ronde Barber, and defensive end Simeon Rice to contend with.
Despite that great D, the Bucs have lost three out of four since a 4-0 start. Included in that skid are losses to a couple of certified dogs, the 49ers and the Jets. Saying that there in a bit of a slump is like saying that Terrell Owens has a bit of a mouth.
For their part, the Redskins are playing better, but they’re not exactly tearing it up either. They’ve lost three out of five. One of the wins was over one of those mutts, San Francisco, and they had a real dog of a game in New York.
Still, you get the sense that these are two teams headed in opposite directions. The Redskins aren’t world-beaters but, as noted above, you don’t have to be to get a W over Tampa Bay. Washington has a pretty decent defense itself and the Buccaneer offense will struggle to get over 13 points or so. On offense, Clinton Portis won’t rack up much yardage barring a big run like he got against Tampa Bay in last year’s opener. I get a feeling that David Patten will play a key role as the Bucs aren’t going to let Santana Moss beat them. Regardless, the Redskins won’t score much, but they will score enough. They’ll claim their fourth win of the season in games that they score fewer than 20 points:
Redskins 17, Bucs 10.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Redskins at Midseason: State of the Team
At 5-3 at the midway point of the 2005 season, the Redskins aren’t exactly sitting pretty, but they’re not sitting Roseanne Barr either. By virtue of their Week 2 win over Dallas, they would make the playoffs if the season ended today.
The season doesn’t end today and that’s a good thing for the Redskins. At this point in time, most of the national scribes and talking heads out there don’t have the team on their short list of NFC Super Bowl contenders and it’s difficult to make the case that they are among the elite teams in the conference.
They would be up there with the likes of the Panthers, Falcons, and Giants if not for that one black mark on their resume, the 36-0 loss in the Meadowlands. Of course, that’s like saying that the Titanic’s maiden voyage would have been a great success if it hadn’t been for that darn iceberg.
Unlike the Titanic, however, the Redskins are not sunk. They are 5-1 in the NFC and 2-1 in the NFC East. They own the only road win in the division so far, their 14-13 win in Dallas in Week 2. Their only remaining division road contest is in Philadelphia on the last day of the regular season. The toughest part of their schedule is behind them. After having played seven of their first eight games against teams with winning records, the only winning teams the Redskins face in the next five weeks are this Sunday against the Bucaneers, 5-3 but losers for three of their last four, and the 5-4 Chargers at FedEx Field on November 27.
While the Redskins get a break from division play, in the next five weeks there will be four games with the Cowboys, Giants, or Eagles playing each other. Dallas plays its first division road game in Philly this Monday night and still has to go to New York and Washington on top of having to face Denver, Kansas City, and Carolina. The Giants travel to Seattle and host KC in addition to games in Philadelphia and Washington.
It’s pretty easy to see the Redskins going into their final three games of the season, at home against Dallas and the Giants and at Philadelphia, with their playoff fate firmly in their own hands.
What do the Redskins need to do to elevate themselves into the mix of teams with a chance of playing in February? Certainly, continued good health is a must. Improvement in two other areas would go a long way towards getting him there.
First, they have to get some more turnovers, interceptions to be more precise. They have just four this year. You need more than one every two games. Second, they have to kill the clock at the end of games. A holding call that Joe Gibbs said he didn’t see cost the Redskins an opportunity to kill the last six minutes or so last Sunday night, but, still, you can’t let things like that get in the way. You can’t rely on a last-second turnover like they got against the Eagles on Sunday and against the Bears in the season opener to preserve the win.
If they can tighten those areas up, they might not only be using the “p” word, as in playoffs, but the “s” word, as in super.
The season doesn’t end today and that’s a good thing for the Redskins. At this point in time, most of the national scribes and talking heads out there don’t have the team on their short list of NFC Super Bowl contenders and it’s difficult to make the case that they are among the elite teams in the conference.
They would be up there with the likes of the Panthers, Falcons, and Giants if not for that one black mark on their resume, the 36-0 loss in the Meadowlands. Of course, that’s like saying that the Titanic’s maiden voyage would have been a great success if it hadn’t been for that darn iceberg.
Unlike the Titanic, however, the Redskins are not sunk. They are 5-1 in the NFC and 2-1 in the NFC East. They own the only road win in the division so far, their 14-13 win in Dallas in Week 2. Their only remaining division road contest is in Philadelphia on the last day of the regular season. The toughest part of their schedule is behind them. After having played seven of their first eight games against teams with winning records, the only winning teams the Redskins face in the next five weeks are this Sunday against the Bucaneers, 5-3 but losers for three of their last four, and the 5-4 Chargers at FedEx Field on November 27.
While the Redskins get a break from division play, in the next five weeks there will be four games with the Cowboys, Giants, or Eagles playing each other. Dallas plays its first division road game in Philly this Monday night and still has to go to New York and Washington on top of having to face Denver, Kansas City, and Carolina. The Giants travel to Seattle and host KC in addition to games in Philadelphia and Washington.
It’s pretty easy to see the Redskins going into their final three games of the season, at home against Dallas and the Giants and at Philadelphia, with their playoff fate firmly in their own hands.
What do the Redskins need to do to elevate themselves into the mix of teams with a chance of playing in February? Certainly, continued good health is a must. Improvement in two other areas would go a long way towards getting him there.
First, they have to get some more turnovers, interceptions to be more precise. They have just four this year. You need more than one every two games. Second, they have to kill the clock at the end of games. A holding call that Joe Gibbs said he didn’t see cost the Redskins an opportunity to kill the last six minutes or so last Sunday night, but, still, you can’t let things like that get in the way. You can’t rely on a last-second turnover like they got against the Eagles on Sunday and against the Bears in the season opener to preserve the win.
If they can tighten those areas up, they might not only be using the “p” word, as in playoffs, but the “s” word, as in super.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
GameBlog Pregame
In this space earlier this week, I took a bit of a shot at Philadelphia coach Andy Reid for not dealing with the Terrell Owens situation:
Apparently, Reid is continuing his laissez-faire approach to Owens and letting TO be TO and did not comment on the comments by Trotter and Kearse. Reid takes the “they’re grown men, let them handle it” philosophy. When you’re winning, that’s the enlightened approach; when you’re not, the inmates are running the asylum.
Now, he has dealt with it by suspending Owens indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. Certainly, he should be commended for putting his foot down.
What is odd, however is that the suspension apparently stems from this remark about the Eagles PR staff failing to recognize his 100th career TD reception:
"That right there just shows you the type of class and integrity that they claim not to be," said Owens, who became the sixth receiver in NFL history to reach the milestone. "They claim to be first class and the best organization. It's an embarrassment. It just shows a lack of class they have. My publicist talked to the head PR guy and they made an excuse they didn't recognize that was coming up. But that was a blatant lie. Had it been somebody else they probably would have popped fireworks around the stadium."
It doesn’t appear that the suspension came from his remarks critical of quarterback Donovan McNabb. That’s because those have been going on since shortly after the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss and have continued, both overtly and subtly, throughout the past nine months.
The message from Reid here is this: It’s OK to beat up on my quarterback all you want; question his heart, question his ability, go to town on him. But you bust on my PR staff, well, that’s the last straw, you’re gone
Apparently, Reid is continuing his laissez-faire approach to Owens and letting TO be TO and did not comment on the comments by Trotter and Kearse. Reid takes the “they’re grown men, let them handle it” philosophy. When you’re winning, that’s the enlightened approach; when you’re not, the inmates are running the asylum.
Now, he has dealt with it by suspending Owens indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. Certainly, he should be commended for putting his foot down.
What is odd, however is that the suspension apparently stems from this remark about the Eagles PR staff failing to recognize his 100th career TD reception:
"That right there just shows you the type of class and integrity that they claim not to be," said Owens, who became the sixth receiver in NFL history to reach the milestone. "They claim to be first class and the best organization. It's an embarrassment. It just shows a lack of class they have. My publicist talked to the head PR guy and they made an excuse they didn't recognize that was coming up. But that was a blatant lie. Had it been somebody else they probably would have popped fireworks around the stadium."
It doesn’t appear that the suspension came from his remarks critical of quarterback Donovan McNabb. That’s because those have been going on since shortly after the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss and have continued, both overtly and subtly, throughout the past nine months.
The message from Reid here is this: It’s OK to beat up on my quarterback all you want; question his heart, question his ability, go to town on him. But you bust on my PR staff, well, that’s the last straw, you’re gone
Friday, November 04, 2005
Can the Eagles Shut Up and Play?
When two teams with identical records meet in a game that marks the midpoint of the NFL season, there is usually a checklist of factors to consider when trying to figure out who is going to win. In the case of this Sunday’s night game between the Redskins and Eagles, that checklist doesn’t tell us much.
Injuries: The healthier club has an advantage, often a large one. In this case, the healthier team is neither. The injury list for the two teams is 26 names long with 14 Eagles and 12 Redskins appearing on it. Although nobody is listed as doubtful nine players are questionable, meaning that there is a 50/50 chance that the likes of Philly’s Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens, and Jevon Kearse and Washington’s Cornelius Griffin. These are not fringe players.
Coaching: Joe Gibbs has the superior lifetime resume. Andy Reid, having taken his team to the Super Bowl last year, has the edge in the “what have you done lately” department.
Statistics: Not much to go on here, either. The Redskins’ worst statistical weakness, their 25th- ranked run defense, is offset by the fact that the Eagles rarely run the ball.
Momentum: Both teams are coming off of ugly road losses, losing by a combined 54 points. They both have figurative wounds to lick as well as the literal ones.
Stepping back a bit, though, looking at it in the longer term, this may be where we find the key. The Eagles could well be coming into this one with three straight losses with a miracle win on a blocked field goal against San Diego coming in between blowout losses to Dallas and Denver. Their swagger seems to have disappeared.
They may not be in a slump, they may be imploding. Setting the charges, of course, is none other that Owens, who had some, well, head-scratching things to say in an ESPN interview.
ESPN analyst Michael Irvin recently said the Eagles would be undefeated if Favre was the starting quarterback.
It’s not exactly like the QB that the Eagles do have, McNabb, is a wuss who doesn’t know the game. Owens went on to point out McNabb’s third-quarter interception, which came with the Eagles trailing just 28-21, as the reason the Eagles lost last Sunday.
The slams weren’t just for the quarterback. Owens also took one at the entire organization:
Owens also hard harsh things to say about the Eagles for not publically recognizing his 100th career touchdown catch Oct. 23 at home against the Chargers.
The key line is, of course, “It just shows a lack of class they have.” TO has shown that he has a lot of class. Unfortunately, all of it is low.
Certainly, turmoil doesn’t preclude winning. Teams that are winning quarrel all the time, sometimes in public. But it’s a different deal when a team is losing—and make no mistake, the Eagles are in that category. That’s the time when needs to close ranks, shut up and play.
Speaking of shut up and play, ex-Redskin Jeremiah Trotter said in an interview earlier this week that the Redskins had “no heart” and Kearse said that the Redskins were the Eagles “b—ches”.
Apparently, Reid is continuing his laissez-faire approach to Owens and letting TO be TO and did not comment on the comments by Trotter and Kearse. Reid takes the “they’re grown men, let them handle it” philosophy. When you’re winning, that’s the enlightened approach; when you’re not, the inmates are running the asylum.
All that being said, what Kearse said isn’t far from the truth. The Redskins have lost seven straight to the Eagles and most of the games haven’t been close. Have the Redskins improved enough and have the Eagles imploded enough to change this?
The initial gut feeling earlier this week was no. The thought here was that the Eagles would circle the wagons one last time and have enough to beat a good but still shaken Redskins team.
Then, as the week went on, I realized that those weren’t wagons being circled up I-95 but rings being added to the circus. I went to Redskins Park on Wednesday. This is not a shaken group of players and coaches. To a man, they had put the Sunday’s debacle behind them and were focused on the Eagles. There is no false bravado here. We know that well from the team under previous coaches and this is different. The confidence is in the players’ eyes as well as in their words.
Like just about everything for the 2005 Redskins, it won’t be easy. Washington will jump to an early lead, but the Eagles will fight back, perhaps even take the lead. But their lack of a running game won’t allow them to hold it and the Redskins will pull back ahead in the second half. Washington will have to repel one or two late Philly bids to win it.
Redskins 24, Eagles 20
Injuries: The healthier club has an advantage, often a large one. In this case, the healthier team is neither. The injury list for the two teams is 26 names long with 14 Eagles and 12 Redskins appearing on it. Although nobody is listed as doubtful nine players are questionable, meaning that there is a 50/50 chance that the likes of Philly’s Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens, and Jevon Kearse and Washington’s Cornelius Griffin. These are not fringe players.
Coaching: Joe Gibbs has the superior lifetime resume. Andy Reid, having taken his team to the Super Bowl last year, has the edge in the “what have you done lately” department.
Statistics: Not much to go on here, either. The Redskins’ worst statistical weakness, their 25th- ranked run defense, is offset by the fact that the Eagles rarely run the ball.
Momentum: Both teams are coming off of ugly road losses, losing by a combined 54 points. They both have figurative wounds to lick as well as the literal ones.
Stepping back a bit, though, looking at it in the longer term, this may be where we find the key. The Eagles could well be coming into this one with three straight losses with a miracle win on a blocked field goal against San Diego coming in between blowout losses to Dallas and Denver. Their swagger seems to have disappeared.
They may not be in a slump, they may be imploding. Setting the charges, of course, is none other that Owens, who had some, well, head-scratching things to say in an ESPN interview.
ESPN analyst Michael Irvin recently said the Eagles would be undefeated if Favre was the starting quarterback.
Asked for his thoughts on Irvin's comment, Owens said: "That's a good assessment, I would agree with that, just with what [Favre] brings to the table.
"A number of commentators will say he's a warrior, he's played with injuries. I feel like him being knowledgeable about the quarterback position, I feel like we'd probably be in a better situation."
It’s not exactly like the QB that the Eagles do have, McNabb, is a wuss who doesn’t know the game. Owens went on to point out McNabb’s third-quarter interception, which came with the Eagles trailing just 28-21, as the reason the Eagles lost last Sunday.
The slams weren’t just for the quarterback. Owens also took one at the entire organization:
Owens also hard harsh things to say about the Eagles for not publically recognizing his 100th career touchdown catch Oct. 23 at home against the Chargers.
"That right there just shows you the type of class and integrity that they claim not to be," said Owens, who became the sixth receiver in NFL history to reach the milestone. "They claim to be first class and the best organization. It's an embarrassment. It just shows a lack of class they have. My publicist talked to the head PR guy and they made an excuse they didn't recognize that was coming up. But that was a blatant lie. Had it been somebody else they probably would have popped fireworks around the stadium."
The key line is, of course, “It just shows a lack of class they have.” TO has shown that he has a lot of class. Unfortunately, all of it is low.
Certainly, turmoil doesn’t preclude winning. Teams that are winning quarrel all the time, sometimes in public. But it’s a different deal when a team is losing—and make no mistake, the Eagles are in that category. That’s the time when needs to close ranks, shut up and play.
Speaking of shut up and play, ex-Redskin Jeremiah Trotter said in an interview earlier this week that the Redskins had “no heart” and Kearse said that the Redskins were the Eagles “b—ches”.
Apparently, Reid is continuing his laissez-faire approach to Owens and letting TO be TO and did not comment on the comments by Trotter and Kearse. Reid takes the “they’re grown men, let them handle it” philosophy. When you’re winning, that’s the enlightened approach; when you’re not, the inmates are running the asylum.
All that being said, what Kearse said isn’t far from the truth. The Redskins have lost seven straight to the Eagles and most of the games haven’t been close. Have the Redskins improved enough and have the Eagles imploded enough to change this?
The initial gut feeling earlier this week was no. The thought here was that the Eagles would circle the wagons one last time and have enough to beat a good but still shaken Redskins team.
Then, as the week went on, I realized that those weren’t wagons being circled up I-95 but rings being added to the circus. I went to Redskins Park on Wednesday. This is not a shaken group of players and coaches. To a man, they had put the Sunday’s debacle behind them and were focused on the Eagles. There is no false bravado here. We know that well from the team under previous coaches and this is different. The confidence is in the players’ eyes as well as in their words.
Like just about everything for the 2005 Redskins, it won’t be easy. Washington will jump to an early lead, but the Eagles will fight back, perhaps even take the lead. But their lack of a running game won’t allow them to hold it and the Redskins will pull back ahead in the second half. Washington will have to repel one or two late Philly bids to win it.
Redskins 24, Eagles 20
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