It certainly wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win, right? The Redskins are 4-2 and keeping pace with the Giants, which is necessary in what is becoming a very tough NFC East. A Dallas loss in the immediate future would be great, obviously, but I guess we’ll have to wait until after their bye week... unless, of course, we can figure out a way to make them lose when they aren’t playing. Any ideas?
The way I see it, the game on Sunday against the Cardinals can be divided into three parts -- the good, the bad and the ugly. So here goes...
THE GOOD
01. London Fletcher. Plain and simple, he had a ridiculous game, notching 13 tackles and coming up huge on an interception that he would ultimately return for a touchdown. If he doesn’t have that kind of day -- making key tackles on short-yardage situations, pumping up the rest of the defense -- there’s a good chance the Skins lose this game. I guess that’s why they brought him here, to which I say “good work” to you, Chainsaw Dan.
02. The crowd. FedEx Field is no RFK, that’s for damn sure, but I can’t imagine it’s a picnic for opposing offenses. I know that if I were trying to concentrate / prepare for blitzes to the noise of 90,000 people screaming, there’s a good chance I’d end up soiling my pantaloons while hiding under one of Gregg Williams’s man-boobs.
03. Rock Cartwright. Cartwright! Cartwright! I love that guy -- you know, the one that announcers always refer to as a “true” Redskin? What does that mean, anyway? Are the other players on the field not “true” Redskins? Is Sean Taylor receiving his paychecks from Gibbs Motorsports in some bizarre ownership scheme? I don’t get it. What I do get, though, is a great return from Rock that set up Clinton Portis’s second touchdown. If he didn’t tweak his quad, he would’ve taken it to the house himself...
04. The “icing” whistle. My hats off to Joe Gibbs for not calling a timeout just before the snap of Neil Rackers’s potential game-winning field goal. Of course, if he had called a timeout, the kick went through and he missed the re-kick -- or if he called it, Rackers missed and then made the re-kick -- I would feel completely differently. Someone mentioned after the game the psychological aspect of this new fad in coaching, and I thought it was an excellent point. Because kickers are now expecting the timeout, they may be approaching their first attempt without the usual confidence / concentration they would normally, knowing it might not be their only shot. So for a coach not to call the timeout acts as a sneaky little bit of reverse-psychology. A little confusing, I know, but it worked out in the Redskins’ favor this week, which is all that matters.
THE BAD
01. The offense. Let’s be honest -- 160 total yards of offense is not going to cut it against the majority of teams in this league. Statistically, Jason Campbell was due for somewhat of an off-day, and let’s just say that we’re lucky it happened against Arizona. Yes, the Cardinals played pretty solid defense and our offensive line is extremely bruised and battered, but JC is going to need to bounce back hard if the Redskins want any shot at beating New England.
02. The playcalling. In defense of Jason Campbell, I think a larger finger needs to be pointed at the gentlemen calling the offensive plays. At one point during the second half, I uttered the phrase “the Redskins are playing not to lose, when they should be playing to win the f—cking game.” Again, a second half problem. There is no excuse anymore, as far as I’m concerned. Someone on that sideline or in that booth needs to sack up, start becoming more aggressive and go after the damn game. No lead is safe with this team, and until they ditch the conservative crap -- going three-and-out on every other drive is pathetic -- the close games are eventually going to favor the other team. The breaks can only come so often.
03. The secondary on the final Arizona drive. First of all, the Cardinals never should’ve gotten the ball back... but I’ll get to that later. Second of all, how are you going to give one of the most explosive receiving tandems in the league cushions like that?! Carlos Rogers, you’re going to be the death of me. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are major threats, so you need to be all over them like white on rice. When their only option is to get downfield in a two-minute drill and you give them 10 yards, you’re asking for trouble.
04. Arizona play-calling. This one is technically bad -- hence being in the “bad” section -- but it favored the Redskins. “Ken Whisenhunt is good for at least one gadget play per game,” said announcer Tim Ryan. Thankfully, he chose to pull it out on the most crucial play of the game, the two-point conversion attempt that would’ve tied it with less than two minutes to play. Why he’d line up Tim Rattay wide and give the ball to Larry Fitzgerald is beyond me, but thank you, Mr. Whisenhunt -- you’re a swell guy.
05. The iPhone commercial. This has nothing to do with the game, but I wanted to include it somewhere. So lemme get this straight… you’re a pilot on a major airline, sitting on the tarmac and cannot take off because of inclement weather? OK, that’s realistic enough. But wait... what? You checked the weather on your iPhone, called the tower and convinced them that you’d be able to take off because Google maps showed that the storm was getting weaker in the Midwest? What a load of bull-feces.
THE UGLY
01. The “taunting” call on London Fletcher. If someone makes a huge defensive stop and is playing at home, is he not allowed to pump up the crowd? The play happened on the Arizona side of the field -- it’s not like Fletcher made the tackle, ran to the opposite side, got in Ken Whisenhunt’s face and made the old nanny-nanny-boo-boo gesture. Here’s what I think happened: I think it was a make-up call. Flash back to the first quarter, when Darnell Dockett was flagged for “unnecessary roughness” on a play that would keep the Redskins first scoring drive alive. Looked to me like he fell on Clinton Portis about a nanosecond after the play ended. I liked the outcome of the call, obviously, but the call itself was weak.
02. Rogers vs. Rackers: Live at the MGM Grand. Is there a funnier site than a kicker getting aggressive? I don’t care how long you’ve been in the league -- if you wear a soccer cleat on an NFL field, don’t pick on anyone, as chances are you’re going to get pummeled. I’ll give Rackers some credit for taking down Carlos Rogers, but I am also going to give credit to Carlos Rogers for keeping his cool. If someone grabs your facemask, grab theirs back. I would imagine that Rogers could’ve taken Rackers out if he wanted to, but he knew it would be a bad idea. (As far as how it started, the play was still alive, was it not? Rogers taunted him, sure, but I don’t think he “went after the kicker” like the announcers kept saying.)
03. The on-sides kick. Did the ball travel 10 yards? Yes. Is that what should’ve been reviewed? No. The review process is still relatively young and certainly has its glitches -- and I don’t think anyone in the world has a total understanding of what can and can’t be reviewed -- but there is no way Arizona should’ve gotten the ball after that play. Until I see and hear film that clearly illustrates that the whistle blew and halted forward progress, I will be of the belief that Mike Sellers ended up with the ball.
04. The second-spitter. Chris Samuels got hit with one magic loogie during the game on Sunday, sending him into a frenzy that apparently almost got him ejected. Saying spitting is for pansies would be slightly hypocritical, seeing as Sean Taylor got kicked out against Tampa a few seasons ago for doing precisely that, but that nonsense has no place in sports. Between this incident and the Neil Rackers debacle, I’m getting the impression that he futility of the Phoenix / Arizona Cardinals is finally wearing thin. Having a promising young quarterback sidelined and being forced to play with a 35-year-old gray hair with a gimpy arm is tough. After all, we all know that feeling, don’t we? We survived the Brunell era.
And now -- with apologies to Jerry Springer -- my final thought...
The Washington Redskins have beaten the New England Patriots the last 6 times they’ve met. I am very aware that Tom Brady and his 5 layers of protection -- but I ain’t talking prophylactics, if you know what I mean (and I think you do) -- are playing some of the best football the league has ever seen, but things are bound to go wrong sooner or later. The Patriots are undefeated and look like they can’t be stopped, but instead of saying “oh well... at least the rest of the NFC East has to lose to them also,” let’s be positive.
Remember when the Patriots went on that 20-game winning streak a few years ago? I believe it was en route to their second Super Bowl title. Anyway, the last game they lost before that record-setting streak was against a certain team that plays in Landover, Maryland. I know because I was there, and it was quite possibly one of the greatest sports-going experiences I’ve ever had (perfect day, ridiculous seats, Popeye’s chicken and cooler-chilled Miller Lites during a long tailgate, throwing the pigskin in the shadow of the stadium, etc.).
How is this relevant, you ask? It’s not, actually, but it’s nice to think about. And while I’m not going to the game this Sunday (seeing as it’s about 500 miles away), it would be equally as glorious and memorable if the Redskins were to find a way to pull through. And with a defense that has the potential to shut down Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Dante Stallworth and an offense that can occasionally make big plays, it isn’t completely unrealistic.
Like I said before the Giants game, each team in this league is full of professional athletes, and to assume that any game is a “gimme” is both ridiculous and foolish. The Patriots are full of guys that can make mistakes just as well as anyone else, and the fact that it hasn’t happened much this season could mean that the time has come. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed and hope that JC & Co. can put together a solid effort to complement their defensive counterparts.
Hail.
The way I see it, the game on Sunday against the Cardinals can be divided into three parts -- the good, the bad and the ugly. So here goes...
THE GOOD
01. London Fletcher. Plain and simple, he had a ridiculous game, notching 13 tackles and coming up huge on an interception that he would ultimately return for a touchdown. If he doesn’t have that kind of day -- making key tackles on short-yardage situations, pumping up the rest of the defense -- there’s a good chance the Skins lose this game. I guess that’s why they brought him here, to which I say “good work” to you, Chainsaw Dan.
02. The crowd. FedEx Field is no RFK, that’s for damn sure, but I can’t imagine it’s a picnic for opposing offenses. I know that if I were trying to concentrate / prepare for blitzes to the noise of 90,000 people screaming, there’s a good chance I’d end up soiling my pantaloons while hiding under one of Gregg Williams’s man-boobs.
03. Rock Cartwright. Cartwright! Cartwright! I love that guy -- you know, the one that announcers always refer to as a “true” Redskin? What does that mean, anyway? Are the other players on the field not “true” Redskins? Is Sean Taylor receiving his paychecks from Gibbs Motorsports in some bizarre ownership scheme? I don’t get it. What I do get, though, is a great return from Rock that set up Clinton Portis’s second touchdown. If he didn’t tweak his quad, he would’ve taken it to the house himself...
04. The “icing” whistle. My hats off to Joe Gibbs for not calling a timeout just before the snap of Neil Rackers’s potential game-winning field goal. Of course, if he had called a timeout, the kick went through and he missed the re-kick -- or if he called it, Rackers missed and then made the re-kick -- I would feel completely differently. Someone mentioned after the game the psychological aspect of this new fad in coaching, and I thought it was an excellent point. Because kickers are now expecting the timeout, they may be approaching their first attempt without the usual confidence / concentration they would normally, knowing it might not be their only shot. So for a coach not to call the timeout acts as a sneaky little bit of reverse-psychology. A little confusing, I know, but it worked out in the Redskins’ favor this week, which is all that matters.
THE BAD
01. The offense. Let’s be honest -- 160 total yards of offense is not going to cut it against the majority of teams in this league. Statistically, Jason Campbell was due for somewhat of an off-day, and let’s just say that we’re lucky it happened against Arizona. Yes, the Cardinals played pretty solid defense and our offensive line is extremely bruised and battered, but JC is going to need to bounce back hard if the Redskins want any shot at beating New England.
02. The playcalling. In defense of Jason Campbell, I think a larger finger needs to be pointed at the gentlemen calling the offensive plays. At one point during the second half, I uttered the phrase “the Redskins are playing not to lose, when they should be playing to win the f—cking game.” Again, a second half problem. There is no excuse anymore, as far as I’m concerned. Someone on that sideline or in that booth needs to sack up, start becoming more aggressive and go after the damn game. No lead is safe with this team, and until they ditch the conservative crap -- going three-and-out on every other drive is pathetic -- the close games are eventually going to favor the other team. The breaks can only come so often.
03. The secondary on the final Arizona drive. First of all, the Cardinals never should’ve gotten the ball back... but I’ll get to that later. Second of all, how are you going to give one of the most explosive receiving tandems in the league cushions like that?! Carlos Rogers, you’re going to be the death of me. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are major threats, so you need to be all over them like white on rice. When their only option is to get downfield in a two-minute drill and you give them 10 yards, you’re asking for trouble.
04. Arizona play-calling. This one is technically bad -- hence being in the “bad” section -- but it favored the Redskins. “Ken Whisenhunt is good for at least one gadget play per game,” said announcer Tim Ryan. Thankfully, he chose to pull it out on the most crucial play of the game, the two-point conversion attempt that would’ve tied it with less than two minutes to play. Why he’d line up Tim Rattay wide and give the ball to Larry Fitzgerald is beyond me, but thank you, Mr. Whisenhunt -- you’re a swell guy.
05. The iPhone commercial. This has nothing to do with the game, but I wanted to include it somewhere. So lemme get this straight… you’re a pilot on a major airline, sitting on the tarmac and cannot take off because of inclement weather? OK, that’s realistic enough. But wait... what? You checked the weather on your iPhone, called the tower and convinced them that you’d be able to take off because Google maps showed that the storm was getting weaker in the Midwest? What a load of bull-feces.
THE UGLY
01. The “taunting” call on London Fletcher. If someone makes a huge defensive stop and is playing at home, is he not allowed to pump up the crowd? The play happened on the Arizona side of the field -- it’s not like Fletcher made the tackle, ran to the opposite side, got in Ken Whisenhunt’s face and made the old nanny-nanny-boo-boo gesture. Here’s what I think happened: I think it was a make-up call. Flash back to the first quarter, when Darnell Dockett was flagged for “unnecessary roughness” on a play that would keep the Redskins first scoring drive alive. Looked to me like he fell on Clinton Portis about a nanosecond after the play ended. I liked the outcome of the call, obviously, but the call itself was weak.
02. Rogers vs. Rackers: Live at the MGM Grand. Is there a funnier site than a kicker getting aggressive? I don’t care how long you’ve been in the league -- if you wear a soccer cleat on an NFL field, don’t pick on anyone, as chances are you’re going to get pummeled. I’ll give Rackers some credit for taking down Carlos Rogers, but I am also going to give credit to Carlos Rogers for keeping his cool. If someone grabs your facemask, grab theirs back. I would imagine that Rogers could’ve taken Rackers out if he wanted to, but he knew it would be a bad idea. (As far as how it started, the play was still alive, was it not? Rogers taunted him, sure, but I don’t think he “went after the kicker” like the announcers kept saying.)
03. The on-sides kick. Did the ball travel 10 yards? Yes. Is that what should’ve been reviewed? No. The review process is still relatively young and certainly has its glitches -- and I don’t think anyone in the world has a total understanding of what can and can’t be reviewed -- but there is no way Arizona should’ve gotten the ball after that play. Until I see and hear film that clearly illustrates that the whistle blew and halted forward progress, I will be of the belief that Mike Sellers ended up with the ball.
04. The second-spitter. Chris Samuels got hit with one magic loogie during the game on Sunday, sending him into a frenzy that apparently almost got him ejected. Saying spitting is for pansies would be slightly hypocritical, seeing as Sean Taylor got kicked out against Tampa a few seasons ago for doing precisely that, but that nonsense has no place in sports. Between this incident and the Neil Rackers debacle, I’m getting the impression that he futility of the Phoenix / Arizona Cardinals is finally wearing thin. Having a promising young quarterback sidelined and being forced to play with a 35-year-old gray hair with a gimpy arm is tough. After all, we all know that feeling, don’t we? We survived the Brunell era.
And now -- with apologies to Jerry Springer -- my final thought...
The Washington Redskins have beaten the New England Patriots the last 6 times they’ve met. I am very aware that Tom Brady and his 5 layers of protection -- but I ain’t talking prophylactics, if you know what I mean (and I think you do) -- are playing some of the best football the league has ever seen, but things are bound to go wrong sooner or later. The Patriots are undefeated and look like they can’t be stopped, but instead of saying “oh well... at least the rest of the NFC East has to lose to them also,” let’s be positive.
Remember when the Patriots went on that 20-game winning streak a few years ago? I believe it was en route to their second Super Bowl title. Anyway, the last game they lost before that record-setting streak was against a certain team that plays in Landover, Maryland. I know because I was there, and it was quite possibly one of the greatest sports-going experiences I’ve ever had (perfect day, ridiculous seats, Popeye’s chicken and cooler-chilled Miller Lites during a long tailgate, throwing the pigskin in the shadow of the stadium, etc.).
How is this relevant, you ask? It’s not, actually, but it’s nice to think about. And while I’m not going to the game this Sunday (seeing as it’s about 500 miles away), it would be equally as glorious and memorable if the Redskins were to find a way to pull through. And with a defense that has the potential to shut down Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Dante Stallworth and an offense that can occasionally make big plays, it isn’t completely unrealistic.
Like I said before the Giants game, each team in this league is full of professional athletes, and to assume that any game is a “gimme” is both ridiculous and foolish. The Patriots are full of guys that can make mistakes just as well as anyone else, and the fact that it hasn’t happened much this season could mean that the time has come. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed and hope that JC & Co. can put together a solid effort to complement their defensive counterparts.
Hail.
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