SB Nation - Lorenzo Alexander

Oakland Raiders Postgame Recap: Redskins 34, Raiders 13

Rated-R Superstar — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:32:23 -0000

Bruce Gradkowski tried to get his third win as a starter in the silver and black. [via cdn2.sbnation.com]

Fresh off of a win on the road as 15-point underdogs, the Oakland Raiders (4-8) took on the Washington Redskins (3-9) as underdogs once again. Trying to stay hot behind quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, the Raiders entered today's game 2-1 when he starts with wins over the Bengals and Steelers. Unfortunately, the game was blacked out locally. Banged up, Chris Cooley and Clinton Portis were among the many Redskins out for today's game. Dive in to see how the Raiders fared with the Redskins on a gloomy day at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. A bit of rain was in the air for this one.

Darren McFadden had a nice first quarter catching the ball. [via cdn1.sbnation.com]

First Quarter: A pathetic return by Gary Russell of 11 huge yards gave us the ball first. He did, however, make the only key play of the series before a sack by LaRon Landry forced the Raiders to punt the ball to the Redskins. Darren McFadden carried it twice on the opening series and basically went nowhere. Anyway, a 68-yard boot by Shane Lechler set up Washington at their own 20 for their opening drive. A five-yard run by Quinton Ganther was the only real positive play on the series. A sack by Trevor Scott, who has been on fire, and an incomplete pass by Jason Campbell forced a Hunter Smith punt. Johnnie Lee Higgins, who had some room on the return, managed to return it to his own 39 yard line. After Bruce Gradkowski hit Higgins for a nine-yard pass, Justin Fargas fumbled; however, Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot had one foot out of bounds on the recovery. It remained Oakland ball. Gradkowski then hit Zach Miller on a big play, but an offensive pass interference on Chaz Schilens brought it back almost to the original line of scrimmage of the drive. A timeout followed it up. The Raiders couldn't really amount anything after that. Another sack doomed a second consecutive drive and it was Lechler time again. A fair catch was called by Antwaan Randle El and the Redskins had it at their own 22. The defense made some nice plays, specifically Kirk Morrison and Chris Johnson, and a three-and-out forced the Redskins to punt. A big play opened up the next drive for the Raiders, as Gradkowski hit Darren McFadden on a slant for 43 huge yards. Unable to muster anything after that, a field goal by Sebastian Janikowski gave the Raiders a 3-0 lead with just over four minutes still to play in the opening quarter. Faced with a third down, Jason Campbell swung it out to Quinton Ganther on the left side. Busting through, Ganther picked up huge yardage to put Washington into not only Oakland territory, but also field goal range. Once again, the Redskins converted on third down. On the very next play, Fred Davis was hit for a touchdown. After whistled for a 15-yard penalty, the Redskins had to kick from their own 15. A 41-yard return by Gary Russell gave Oakland the ball at midfield. An acrobatic grab by McFadden at the 24 yard line capped a seemingly long first quarter.

Fred Davis found the end zone twice and celebrates with a teammate. [via cdn3.sbnation.com]

Second Quarter: Starting the second quarter, a stupid play call (a give to Gary Russell) cost the Raiders a yard. Zach Miller and Chaz Schilens each made grabs and the Raiders had a goal-to-go from the nine. After a miscue on the give to Justin Fargas, the Raiders hit Zach Miller on third down. He was short, however, but Tom Cable remained aggressive from last week. A fourth down carry and dive by Fargas gave the Raiders a touchdown as they had regained a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. The rain got progressively worse at this point in the game, as noted by commentator Dick Stockton. Fred Davis, open in the secondary, caught a pass and it was for a good gain into Oakland territory. Back-to-back plays by the Raider defense stuffed Quinton Ganther in the backfield. Richard Seymour and Trevor Scott stopped the run and Kirk Morrison and Tommy Kelly blew the next play up on a screen in the backfield. Needing 12 yards on third down, an offsides penalty by Greg Ellis gave the Redskins five free yards. So, another offsides penalty hurt; however, it didn't hurt as much. Hiram Eugene made a great tackle on Randle El and Washington had to settle for a field goal. Graham Gano, just signed out of the UFL, connected on a 46-yard field goal. We were tied, 10-10, in a pretty evenly matched game with 7:27 left to go in the first half. After a three-and-out, a great 58-yard punt from Lechler set the Redskins up at their own 21. The Redskins didn't get far at all, and some good pressure by defensive linemen Matt Shaughnessy and Gerard Warren forced a punt. Jason Campbell was shaken up after the hit. A couple of stupid calls -- runs up the middle by McFadden and Russell -- brought up a long third down. Nearly intercepted by Reed Doughty on a pass intended for Oakland's Zach Miller, Doughy was flagged for illegal contact. It give the Raiders an automatic first down. On the very next play, an open Miller flat out dropped the ball. It was a good pass by Gradkowski, too, but Miller just let it slip through his hands. Welcome to the show Louis Murphy, as he pulled the Raiders to within two yards of the first down marker at the two-minute warning; however, on the next play, a catch of his was correctly called back on the booth review. The Raiders were forced to punt from midfield. A stupid penalty on the punt called against Hiram Eugene -- not stupid on Eugene's part but rather the referee's -- as Eugene was called for interference when he didn't even interfere. The bench was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty and so the Redskins had it at their own 40. Santana Moss made a 14-yard catch and the Redskins were threatening before the half. Next, a big play to Devin Thomas had Washington really in business. Two plays later, Fred Davis scored his second touchdown of the game to give Washington a 17-10 lead. (Damn, he's on my bench in a fantasy football league.) A holding penalty on the kickoff return set the Raiders up in bad position, and there was just seconds to go before halftime. A couple of runs by Gradkowski picked up some yards, but Oakland needed more with just 16 seconds to go without any timeouts remaining. Almost getting sack, Gradkowski flipped it out to Fargas in the flat and he ran out of bounds with less than 10 seconds to go. An incomplete pass on the next play basically made it impossible for a field goal try; however, Tom Cable decided to go for a field goal without running another play. A 66-yard field goal fell short, and Redskins safety Reed Doughty grabbed it and took off from his own end zone. Mario Henderson grabbed him and slammed Doughty to the ground to end the half. The Redskins had a 17-10 lead. For those of you keeping track, a total of 16 penalty flags were thrown. Yes, this was an ugly game.

After filling in for Bruce Gradkowski, JaMarcus Russell spent a ton of time on the ground. [via cdn1.sbnation.com]

Third Quarter: The Redskins started out with the ball at their own 30, and more importantly the lead. A pass interference committed by Tyvon Branch gave the Redskins a fresh set of downs. Michael Huff, who suffered a stinger in the first half, is still out with that injury and being replaced by Hiram Eugene. A couple of incomplete passes had Washington in a third and long situation. A rare blitz by the defense had Campbell sacked back at his own 26 by rookie safety Mike Mitchell. A punt followed that big play. The return by Higgins set the Raiders up in good field position, at their own 44. After going down with a knee injury just before the first half concluded, Gradkowski was out and unable to return. Yes, that means JaMarcus Russell was in -- and playing quarterback, too. Raiders fans everywhere are holding their respective breaths. Needing three years on third down, Russell called a timeout as Oakland was nearing field goal range. Still, they needed a first down if they even wanted to think about a pretty good try being at Washington's 38. A big play conversion to Higgins was followed up by a 10-yard loss on the sack. Ugh, Russell didn't get rid of the ball. Rookie Brian Orakpo brought him down. More stupid play-calling from Tom Cable, the reverse went nowhere. You've already called that play once, Tom. You can't fool the defense like that. An incomplete pass to Darren McFadden set up a 53-yard field goal try for Janikowski. Missing earlier from 66 yards out, this one was much more manageable and Sebastian knocked it through for his second of the day. The Washington lead was trimmed to 17-13 with just under nine minutes to play in the third quarter. The Raiders brought the heat some more on Campbell on the Redskins' next drive, as Stanford Routt nearly got to Campbell. By the way, Routt replaced by the injured Nnamdi Asomugha. Then, on second down, Matt Shaughnessy brought down Campbell for Oakland's third sack of the game. With the third down play coming up short, a good return by Higgins set up Russell and company in good field position just shy of midfield. A second down play resulting in a first down to Zach Miller had the Raiders in Washington territory; however, on the next play, McFadden slips on a run. He still managed to pick up six yards. A pitch that went backwards forced the Raiders to make a play on third down in order to keep the drive alive. Russell found Murphy and the Raiders moved the chains. It's a step forward and then a step backwards for Russell, apparently, as Andre Carter brings him down for a loss. A false start, which didn't occur under Gradkowski, moved the Raiders back five more yards. Another penalty and then another sack totally demolished the drive for the Raiders, and it became third down with 35 yards to go. Is anyone ready for Charlie Frye yet? The punt by Lechler hopped into the end zone, and Washington began their drive at their own 20 with the third quarter almost over with. Almost off of the field, Rock Cartwright made a play on third down for the Redskins and Washington's drive continued. A couple of runs by Quinton Ganther ended the third quarter. The Redskins had a 17-13 lead over three quarters.

Santana Moss and the Redskins ran away in the fourth quarter. [via cdn0.sbnation.com]

Fourth Quarter: Kicking off the fourth quarter was Washington in Oakland territory looking to add onto their four-point lead. Not surprisingly, the quarter begins with two penalties on the Raiders. Routt was called for pass interference -- which was a bad call as Santana Moss had slipped -- and then Howard was flagged for holding. A couple of plays later, the Oakland defense tried to get off the field with Washington tryign to convert a third down needing three yards. Of course, the Redskins picked up the first down with ease on a pass from Campbell to Malcolm Kelly. A touchdown basically kills any chance the Raiders have of winning this game, especially with Gradkowski shelved. An effective screen to Moss set up a touchdown run by Ganther, a Richmond native scoring the first time in his career, and Washington had taken a 24-13 lead with over 11 minutes to play in regulation. It was clearly a great drive by the Redskins. Chewing six minutes up and going 80 yards on 13 plays, you couldn't have asked for more if you were Jim Zorn. The Raiders had the ball back needing two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. In a shocking turn of events, Russell threw a pass that was picked off by LaRon Landry. Why am I still watching the game at this point? I don't know. Campbell to Moss goes for 30 yards, and the Redskins are a touchdown away from blowout city. Some plays later, Ganther's second touchdown of the day put Washington ahead by 31-13 score. Oh, yes, it was all over by then. Russell marched back out there and was sacked. We were all so very surprised. Luckily for us, Carter totally missed the fumble and Henderson pounced on it to keep possession. Blah, blah, blah, the Raiders had to punt without a first down gained; however, Randle El screwed up the punt return and dropped it. Tony Stewart fell on it and Oakland had the ball at midfield. On the very next play, Russell was sacked yet again and this time it was Lorenzo Alexander. That was the seventh sack of the game with five of them coming against Russell compared to only two when Gradkowski was in the game. God, this game couldn't end any sooner. I'll save the dramatics: Russell was sacked on fourth down. Getting Marcus Mason involved some in the fourth quarter, Washington marched down and kicked a field goal to extend their lead to 34-13. Terribly bad went to even worse as Zach Miller went down with an injury. After another useless drive that went nowhere led by the great JaMarcus Russell, the Redskins got the ball back and ran out the clock. Improving to 4-9 are the Redskins and falling to that same record are the Raiders by a 34-13 score.

Little Billy has some explaining to do. [via cdn2.sbnation.com]

The Report Card: I'll give grades to the pass offense, rush offense, pass defense, rush defense and special teams. Of course, you're welcome to give your own grades in the comments.

Pass Offense: D -- Obviously, things were going a lot smoother with Bruce Gradkowski back there instead of the totally inept and awful JaMarcus Russell. Still, we have to grade them both. Gradkowski was a little below average and Russell was awful, so I tried to find the middle ground.
Rush Offense: F -- The rushing offense was absolutely dreadful. On 24 carries, a 2.7 average just isn't going to cut it. Justin Fargas led the way with 21 yards and a touchdown, but that stuff is something that should be achieved in just one quarter and not one whole game.
Pass Defense: D+ -- Jason Campbell had almost a field day going 16-for-28 with 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns. They brought some heat, so that was a good thing but just about the only good thing.
Rush Defense: C -- It was a very average performance by the rush defense with the Redskins averaging around four yards per carry with a couple of rushing touchdowns.
Special Teams: B- -- Janikowski's only miss came from 66 yards. Shane Lechler averaged almost 52 yards per punt. Johnnie Lee Higgins was okay returning punts while Gary Russell was nothing special returning kicks. Overall, it was pretty decent and I guess I couldn't complain about the way special teams played. The coverage wasn't all that bad itself.

My Thoughts and Tidbits: It's quite simple, really. Once JaMarcus Russell came in for the injured Bruce Gradkowski, it all went to hell. Trailing 17-10 at the half, this game was clearly within reach all the way. Charlie Frye should start next week should Gradkowski be unable to go. Next up, we have the Denver Broncos who are 8-5 and leading the Wild Card race in the AFC. This was really rough in the second half. Enjoy your Sunday evening, guys, and try to put this one behind us.

Poll

Weekly Recap Poll: Who was the Oakland Raiders player of the game?

Bears in the Pros: Rodgers v. Favre II, Desean Stars, Ryan Anderson Debuts

Avinash — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:49:47 -0000

via www.electrobertjones.com (original site where image was created here)

(ieeebear will have the video of Bears with the Pros by Sunday!)

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Obviously the big storyline, but the only one Cal fans care about is how our Golden Boy will whip the Vikings back to Minneapolis. Aaron himself has taken a Zen-like approach to the whole controversy.

"I feel like a stance like that would have portrayed me as wanting some sort of sympathy or self-pity on my part, and I never felt like that," Rodgers said. "I felt like I’d waited for three years to do something that I always wanted to do since I was 3 years old watching Joe Montana and running pass patterns with my dad in the back yard. That’s the way I looked at it. I didn’t look at it like I was going through something that was unfair to me, or I was innocent."

Rodgers compared the fallout from the Favre trade to his experience in the 2005 NFL draft, when the Cal star wasn’t picked as early as many expected and had to deal with disappointment in the spotlight.

"I just try to stay focused on the things I can control," Rodgers said. "I think I learned that as a 21-year-old sitting in the green room (at the 2005 draft) firsthand. That was kind of the beginning of just continuing to trust in my close friends and advisers and just hearing the same kind of thing — that the things you should worry about, think about, spend your energy on are the things you can control."

CGB will have an open thread for this weekend's Minnesota-Green Bay game, since almost the entire country will get it. Remeber to swing by Cal fans; get your Rodgers-love/Favre hate on. 12:45 PM PST, we get it on!

The mayor of Green Bay might be my favorite public official ever now.

A section of Green Bay's east side is now Mister Rodgers's neighborhood.

Minnesota Avenue was renamed Aaron Rodgers Drive by the mayor in a special ceremony Thursday morning, in advance of the Minnesota Vikings coming to town.

Mayor Jim Schmitt said the change is temporary -- in effect until Monday.

"Hopefully he'll get a street named after him in really more of the sports district, which is over by Reggie White Way, Bart Starr Drive, Brett Favre Pass. I think that day will come, but we're a ways away from that," the mayor said.

When the sign is taken down Monday, Rodgers says he'll autograph it and donate it to charity.

The mayor wasn't shy about offering his prediction about the game. "This will be fun. It's a special weekend and the Packers are going to win this weekend, too. So it will be a special sign come Sunday night."

The mayor says the city is marking Brett Favre's return to Lambeau Field with the rival team by wearing flip-flops to work Friday in honor of the gunslinger's on-again/off-again retirements.

Finally, Packers SBN blog Acme Packing Company believes the Vikings are vulnerable through the air.

The first thing that jumped out was that their pass defense seems to be playing much better on the road. The best performance at home was holding the recently benched QB Shaun Hill to "only" a 94.6 QB rating. It's not a great sample size comparison because only the Steelers have a good pass offense among their 4 road opponents.

The second thing was that a consistent pass rush has no relationship on whether they can stop the pass. They did a great job sacking and hitting QB Aaron Rodgers and Baltimore's QB Joe Flacco, but those were their two worst games of the season per opponents' QB rating. Let's say, hypothetically, we do go ahead and pull out the 4.5 sacks DE Jared Allen had against the Packers last time, then it turns out that the Vikings would still have 20.5 sacks on the season, which would leave them ranked No. 4 overall. Once you actually add back in those 4.5 sacks, then the Vikings are the leading the league with 25 sacks as a team. The defensive front seven is getting to the QB, but it hasn't helped their pass defense climb any higher than No. 17 overall, so far.

A final point is their inconsistency. The backup CBs replacing Winfield were solid last week in Pittsburgh, but they were terrible when they had to play in the 4th quarter against the Ravens.

Their pass defense has struggled at times, whether they are recording 8 sacks against QB Aaron Rodgers or not, so this has to be the area the Packers will focus on. This is where they have to attack on Sunday.

Aaron was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September...Here's the Jay Glazer interview with Rodgers talking about Favre's return to Lambeau...Rodgers was also on Jim Rome to talk about last week's game and the upcoming matchup!

Desean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles

Jackson was happy with the way the coaching staff utilized him on Monday Night.

"The biggest thing I can say is they put me in great positions to expose the defenses," Jackson said of his coaches. "Anytime you have the coaches and the other 10 players helping you and doing everything they can to go out there and have success . . . just keep putting it together."

He also had a name for one of his end zone celebrations.

After his second touchdown in the Eagles' 27-17 Monday Night victory over the Redskins, Jackson celebrated in the end zone with something that resembled an Irish jig. He called it "The Jerk."

"That was like country dancing," Jackson said. "We're just out there having fun, honestly. My ankle was kind of hurting . . . so it affected my dancing."

He suffered an ankle sprain in the win, but fully practiced on Thursday and should be all set to go on Sunday against the Giants. Also, here's his MNF postgame interview with Suzy Kolber.

Finally...there's some weird Shining parody featuring Desean on the Eagles.com intro. Just click here and you'll get to see Antonio Pierce riding a trike!

Tully Banta-Cain, New England Patriots

Banta-Cain has found his new role with the Pats. He had 5 tackles and 2 sacks in the 35-7 beatdown of the Bucs across the pond.

The first year in San Francisco, Banta-Cain had a career-best 59 tackles. Yet an injury ruined his 2008 season, and the experience soured. When he returned to New England, the understanding was that he would concentrate on rushing the passer.

He accepted it, but thought to himself that he wanted more.

"My deal is, I pride myself on how I play and I want to definitely be somebody who doesn’t come off the field," Banta-Cain said. "But I’ve known what’s worked for me in the past and that’s situational responsibilities. If I can take advantage of those, that’s only going to give me more chances to hopefully prove that I do deserve to be on the field more."

It has worked out like that. He has three sacks, while receiving more chances to make plays.

"You get an inch, you try to take a mile," said Banta-Cain, who has 18 tackles. "I was given a limited role, and I figured, ‘Hey, I can build off of that.’ "

Justin Forsett, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks blog seems to be conceding that the team will utilize Forsett more in the offense.

Q: Matt in Graham asks, "Do you see Justin Forsett playing a bigger role in the offense as the season goes on?"

A: Forsett had 18 carries (for a 5.7-yard average) and 10 receptions in the first six games, when he was used primarily as the third-down back. But as he continues to produce in that role, the coaches will find other ways to use his special talents. He is listed at 5 feet 8, but Forsett plays bigger. He is a willing – and effective – blocker in picking up blitzes. He can be very elusive, especially when getting the ball in space on screen passes. But Forsett also has the power to break tackles when used in a more tradition way.

Ryan Anderson, Orlando Magic

Anderson got the start for Orlando with the suspension of Rashard Lewis, and scored 16 points and 5 rebounds, including going 4 for 7 from downtown in a dominating opening game win for the Magic! It'll be interesting to see how Anderson will be used as the season goes on; Stan Van Gundy has indicated he'll be starting Friday night in his return to New Jersey. If you have an extended cable package, there's a free preview of League Pass out there, so check out your channels!

Third Quarter Collapse interviewed Anderson after the game.

How much is it a luxury, for when the starters come off, to be able to have a bench that increases the lead and keeps things going?

It just makes the game a lot easier. The guys who are starting, it makes it so they don't have to press and come out to keep the momentum, the game our way, it's just a harder way to play and when the games drops off, I don't see that happening. We have so many different lineups, different guys who can come in and play, if somebody is having an off-night, you can bet that somebody off the bench is going to step up and play great.

Other Bears in the Pros

idmann (via Okaydo1)

Lorenzo Alexander is involved in getting buereucrats to cut their own personal pork. Good luck with that Lorenzo. He had three tackles in the loss to the Eagles.
Nnamdi Asomugha had 4 tackles in a 38-0 loss to the Jets. More importantly, he made a cameo appearance on Friday Night Lights! Check it out above.
Aaron Rodgers has a funny story about how Desmond Bishop (on the Packers scout defense team) is faster in practice than the current Browns starting safety. Bishop did have one tackle in the Packer rout of the Browns.
Poor Andre Carter had the job to contain Desean on his 67 yard TD run, but it wasn't really his fault. Carter did have six tackles, a forced fumble and a sack.
Thomas Decoud did ding up Tony Romo for a period, although Romo appears to be okay. Decoud had 10 tackles and a sack in the loss to Dallas.
Zack Follett was at the Cal-Wazzu game, and I believe someone here saw him (Monica's Dad?). He missed practice this week due to illness.
Scott Fujita did not practice and his status is questionable for Monday Night against Atlanta. He missed last week's game against Miami.
The Cowboys kept Tony Gonzalez in check in their win. Tony G had a quiet 4 catches for 37 yards.
Ryan Longwell, who kicked a field goal in the Vikings loss, ponders if Packers fans will boo Favre the same way he's been booed ever since leaving Green Bay.
Bills fans aren't happy with Marshawn Lynch hotdogging it into the end zone on his touchdown run, and his poor blocking on another play that could've sealed the game. He only rushed for 47 yards in the Bills victory.
Browns head coach Eric Mangini continues to like the progress of Alex Mack, who has played every snap since the start of the season.
Field Gulls recognizes the importance of Brandon Mebane to getting the rest of the pieces on defense early to have them operating properly.
Jason Kidd had 4 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in his season debut at home against the Wizards.
Leon Powe, recovering from offseason surgery, "joked that he asked the Cavs staff to "just get me 10 minutes and I’ll get you 10 (points) and eight (rebounds)."

Golden Bears in the Pros: DeCoud Shines, More Forsett, Natalie Eliminated

Avinash — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:00:33 -0000

(Video link here, hat-tip to ieeebear!)

Thomas Decoud, Atlanta Falcons

Decoud earns NFC defensive player of the week honors.

First-year starter Thomas DeCoud had the game of his short professional career at safety Sunday night for the Atlanta Falcons.

DeCoud's five tackles were fifth best on the team and he added two passes defensed, but his two interceptions helped change the game for Atlanta and won him the award.

The interceptions were the first two of his career and marked the first time a Falcons player had a multiple-interception game since DeAngelo Hall's two pick game against Tampa Bay on September 17, 2006.

More on the headlines above, plus news on one pro Bear who will be at the Wazzu game, and find out where some of your favorite Golden Bear hoopsters are now playing overseas after the jump. Also, two Golden Bears got signed to two NFL 53 man squads, find out who by checking out the rest of the post!

Justin Forsett, Seattle Seahawks

ESPN's Mike Sando reports that Forsett could be seeing more action, mainly because his pass blocking abilities might be the best of the three in the corps! Good job Coach Gould and Coach M!

Justin Forsett is earning -- and will get -- more touches in the regular offense. My take three weeks ago was that Forsett, primarily a third-down back to this point, had done enough to start getting touches on earlier downs. Seattle left Forsett alone in the backfield six times in the first quarter against the Jaguars, more than he had in the first quarters of the previous four games. Forsett is challenging to become the best pass-blocking back on the team even though Julius Jones and Edgerrin James are strong in that area. He lacks top-end speed, but he's quick and appears trustworthy in key situations. He did a nice job chipping on his way out of the backfield, helping the left tackle substantially on one play.

Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

Lots of stuff here about the matchup between Gonzalez and Dallas's returning strong safety , who is returning with a cast on one hand due to a broken thumb. He's also expected to see lots of double coverage.

"My whole career I've always tried to look at when they played against maybe Kellen Winslow, and see what they did to him, because I know he's such a threat in the receiving game," Gonzalez said during a conference call Wednesday. "But even sometimes teams will switch it up. Earlier this year we played against New England and I didn't really anticipate getting bracket coverage as much as I was that game, and because of that I only had one catch."

The Cowboys held Winslow to four catches for 30 yards and one score in the season-opener. Gonzalez has had plenty of practice adapting to varied schemes over the years.

"It's always something," Gonzalez said of the different looks he gets. "That's something I've been used to my whole career and whatever they want to do hopefully we can adjust and move the ball down the field."

Tony G was also on Pardon the Interruption for Five Good Minutes on Wednesday--check out his interview starting at about 9:55.

Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland Raiders

Asomugha was surprised at what happened on Sunday--in terms of Oakland's defense actually following through on what they run in practice.

On Sunday, the Raiders brought a different look to the Eagles game on defense. They blitzed and played zone -- a departure from the defensive scheme Davis prefers. It was something of a revolution, according to cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha said he lobbies every week for a more aggressive attack and less predictable coverage, but usually to no avail.

"We were shocked," Asomugha said, "because coaches say we're going to run it in practice, but we come to a game and that never happens."

Asomugha said defensive coordinator John Marshall finally agreed to make changes. "He said that he might get yelled at for it, but he'll keep going," Asomugha said.

When asked about Asomugha's claims, Cable evaded the issue.

"I think we'll do what we can, and what we think it takes to win every Sunday," Cable said.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Football Outsiders thinks they know why Aaron is struggling to develop a good rapport with one of his primary targets (HT Acme Packing Company):

Aaron Rodgers didn't pad his stats; after a third-quarter sack and fumble, he threw only one pass in the fourth quarter, an interception. A more important question: What's up with Greg Jennings? We thought the star wideout would have a big game against the Lions, but Jennings only ended up with 38 yards on six catches in eight attempts. Our theory: Rodgers is struggling to get the protection he needs to allow Jennings to run double moves and get open downfield.

Zack Follett, LB, Detroit Lions

At least one more time, Follett will be patrolling the California sidelines on his bye week.

Rookie linebacker Zack Follett is heading back to California. He grew up in Clovis and played college football at Cal. He said he's planning to go back to Berkeley to see Saturday's game against Washington State.

"We've got three days off. I'm going to fly home and go back to the Bay," Follett said. "Catch a Cal football game and kind of refresh the mind a little bit and get ready to get back to work.

"I've already been here three months. To stay another two, it would be a tough stretch, especially with this cold weather getting up on me. I'm getting my mind ready for these winters."

Other notes

Lorenzo Alexander recorded 3 tackles in a 14-6 loss to Kansas City. You can see him against the Eagles and Desean on Monday night.
Desean Jackson caught 6 passes for 94 yards (as you saw above), as well as having 4 punt returns for 43 yards.
Dante Hughes was signed by the Chargers! Hopefully now that he's right next to the Pacific coast, he'll be able to regain his "intercepting of North Korean nuclear missiles" abilities.
The Seahawks signed Mike Gibson off the Eagles practice squad...lots of Golden Bears piling up there in Seattle!
Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 19 times for 61 yards, and 2 receptions for 11 yards.
Alex Mack was sidelined by flu-like symptoms; it's not yet known if it was H1N1 that was ailing him.
Ryan Longwell kicked four field goals, including the game-winner against Baltimore.
Brandon Mebane recorded three tackles for the Seahawks in their loss to Arizona.
Tully Banta-Cain was let go by New England...and then immediately resigned for a multi-year deal, according to Adam Schefter. He recorded 3 tackles in the 59-0 dressing down of the Titans.
Apparently long snapper David Binn once dated Pamela Anderson. Wait, WHAT?
Desmond Bishop remains on the special teams with AJ Hawk still the starter, although he is in a good spot to replace him in the future if the team chooses. He recorded one tackle in that capacity against Detroit.
Kyle Boller isn't likely to compete for the starting spot with Marc Bulger in the near future; Bulger still is the de facto #1.
The Hogs, an independent Redskins site, did an interview with Andre Carter the week before Kansas City. Carter had 7 tackles and the pass deflection you saw in the video.
Scott Fujita did not practice Wednesday because of a strained right calf he suffered against the Giants. Still not sure if he will play against Miami.
Kansas City head coach Todd Haley has found his starting right tackle in Ryan O'Callaghan.
Nick Harris punted 5 times for a 39.2 yard average for Detroit.

NBA preseason

Jason Kidd is averaging 7 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals through five preseason games. Since the Spurs are the favorites to win the division, here's what Mavs Moneyball thinks Kidd should do to slow down Tony Parker (hint: he won't): "First Jason Kidd must force Parker into becoming a passer more than a scorer. This is not going to be easy for Kidd, in fact it may be impossible! If Kidd cannot at least slow down Parker's ability to get to the basket the Mavericks will be forced to try and win a shootout, and at this point I do not feel confident enough in their rotation defense to say they can win that type of game with these Spurs."
Ryan Anderson is averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds, and over 50 percent from downtown per game for the Magic in the preseason. According to Third Quarter Collapse, his offensive rating is an astounding 118.7 (translation: very very good) with a usage rate of 23.7%. If you haven't seen it, check out danzig's highlight reel of him against the Bulls, where he hit the go-ahead bucket in the fourth quarter. You can see Anderson in action in the final preseason game tonight on ESPN against the Hawks at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST; considering that starters usually are rested a lot in these games, this might be the most Anderson plays all year long.
Sean Marks? 2 points, 5 rebounds, 30% shooting, 4 fouls per game. We should expect a lot of updates like this; pray for a gamewinning dunk here and there.
Leon Powe met with his old Celtic battery mates during the last preseason game between the Cavs and Cs (he is of course still far away from playing). It was, in his own words, 'strange'.
Rod Benson was released by the Pacers. Sigh. He'll probably be back in the D-League soon enough. Interesting stuff about dissent between Benson and his agent from Ridiculous Upside.

Elsewhere

Week 3 - Natalie Coughlin - Dancing With The Stars (via ABCNetwork)

Natalie Coughlin was eliminated prematurely from Dancing with the Stars, because people who watch Dancing with the Stars obviously hate beautiful women and prefer C-list celebrities. For those who wanted to catch her dances (all in HD!): Week 1 with the salsa, Week 2 with the quickstep, Week 3 with the rumba (her best one) is the embedded video above, Week 4 with the bolero. Here's her post-elimination interview from Good Morning America, where they wake her up at 4 to 5 AM local time the night afterwards and drag her back to the studio for an interview to ask her how much it sucks to be eliminated. You stay classy ABC.
At least it led to this gem by one of the judges. You should spot what's wrong pretty quickly.

"Unfortunately for Natalie, I think that people didn’t know who she was," said the cheorographer, actress and dancer [Carrie Ann Inaba]. "Maybe the fan base of her sport isn’t watching our show or maybe it isn’t as big as someone like Michael Irvin’s fanbase, which is basketball."

Toronto FC's Stefan Frei is a dark horse candidate for MLS Rookie of the Year.
Finally, Joseph Cannon of the Daily Cal wrote up about several Golden Bear hoopsters playing overseas. Ayinde Ubaka's starring in Australia for the Gold Coast Blaze, DeVon Hardin's been hopping from Oklahoma to Greece to Turkey and now Greece again for EO Athens, and Eric Vierneisel's been everywhere (New Zealand, Syria, Jordan), before settling on Heidelberg, Germany.

Hogs Haven Predicts Redskins Final 53

Ken Meringolo — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:32:30 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

Robert Henson and Cody Glenn may both benefit from being drafted by Vinny Cerrato. He HATES to cut players he drafts!

Browse more photos »

First, the obvious: Sugar has been shelved for the time being. I will be tackling a new writing assignment within SB Nation and I was asked to come up with a cooler name to write under. The best I could come up with was "Ken Meringolo". I know what you're thinking...sounds too much like an undercover secret agent of international intrigue. I guess you could say I followed the lead of one my heroes, Lt. Frank Drebin, and decided to use my maiden name.

Not that many tears (besides mine) will be shed over it, but Sugar will most assuredly be back. I will keep you guys posted on when and where my other writing assignments will end up. But on to the issues of the day.

Here is our crack at predicting the Redskins "Final 53". We have all been watching the preseason closely--there won't be many surprises. But we are picking a couple. Have at it (after the jump):

QB (3): Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt Brennan

RB (5): Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Mike Sellers, Anthony Alridge

WR (5): Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, Marko Mitchell

TE (3): Chris Cooley, Fred Davis, Todd Yoder

OL (9): Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Stephon Heyer, Chad Rinehart, Mike Williams, Jeremy Bridges, Will Montgomery

DL (9): Phillip Daniels, Albert Haynesworth, Cornelius Griffin, Anthony Montgomery, Kedric Golston, Lorenzo Alexander, Andre Carter, Jeremy Jarmon, Rob Jackson

LB (7): London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh, Brian Orakpo, H.B. Blades, Chris Wilson, Cody Glenn, Robert Henson

DB (9): Carlos Rogers, DeAngelo Hall, Fred Smoot, Kevin Barnes, Justin Tryon, LaRon Landry, Chris Horton, Reed Doughty, Kareem Moore

P: Hunter Smith

LS: Ethan Albright

K: Dave Rayner

I put Rob Jackson in over Renaldo Wynn, Robert Henson in over Robert Thomas, Rayner over Suisham, and Anthony Alridge in over whomever you want to call the 53rd man to make it.

Why do I continue to keep Renaldo Wynn off my final 53 list? If you think like me, then you think Wynn is not really a guy who is going to get a lot of snaps anyway unless there is an injury. Rob Jackson is still a little young and raw, and I have not heard his name a ton but if you are going to keep a guy around to caddy for the rest of the defensive linemen, why not keep a young guy who has a shot to develop into a serviceable backup instead of a guy at the end of his rope who has played all of his best football already? This is the pick I will most likely be wrong about, as Renaldo Wynn is a pro who knows how to play the game, and was brought in for his leadership and experience this offseason. But I had to stay true to what I have been saying this summer.

The Robert Henson/Cody Glenn/Robert Thomas decision at linebacker is a little more straight-forward. I think Cody Glenn is at the head of the 3-pack. The decision between Henson and Thomas is not so hard when you remember one thing: Vinny drafted Henson. He hates to be wrong about his draft picks. And lucky for him, he is in the position to pronounce his rightness! Henson has made a few mental blunders during games this preseason, and dropping that sure interception against the Ravens hurt him (coming out of TCU, he was actually graded as a sure-handed linebacker.) But in the end, the team will keep the guy they picked in the draft, and drop the guy they signed off the street. Regardless of who is better--though let's not make that out to be a huge deal. Neither Henson nor Thomas factors huge for us this season, and if Henson can figure out to stay on the field for special teams by mid-season, he will be worth the investment. Finally, it says here that Robert Henson will pull off an Alfred Fincher kind of performance against the Jags and earn the spot.

Anthony Alridge...really? Vinny brought him in this offseason and the word from the inside of the building is that Vinny loves him too much to let him go. What's not to love? He is one of those "yards-per-touch" guys. He is going to get the ball in the flat on screens, pitches, and dump-offs and he is going to get upfield in a hurry. I know Marcus Mason has been a fan favorite to make this squad multiple times, but the fact of the matter is he does not give us something we don't already have. Alridge gives us a scatback, speed option off the bench that will prove very useful this season.

I went with Rayner over Suisham even though there seems to be a resounding consensus that Suisham will retain his position. I FEEL LIKE I AM TAKING CRAZY PILLS! How do you hold any benefit of the doubt in a kicking competition when you were last in the league in field goal percentage? Rayner has had the better kickoff leg and neither has blown the roof off with their field goals. If anything, I would be tempted to keep Rayner and then bring in either Mike Nugent (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) or Brandon Coutu (Seattle Seahawks)--helps to watch every preseason game!--to compete with Rayner in the week leading up to the regular season. Coutu has a good chance to make the Seahawks' roster, but if he doesn't, we wouldn't be the only ones trying to sign him.

Practice Squad Predictions: Edwin Williams, Scott Burly, Keith Eloi, Robbie Agnone, Chase Daniel, Eddie Williams

WaTimes 53-man roster [Redskins 360]
WaPost 53-man roster [Redskins Insider]
Redskins Blog [Terl took his link down...I swore it was there?]

What do you guys think?

Poll

Which player that I put in do you think is most likely NOT to make the team?

Robert Henson

113 votes

Anthony Alridge

226 votes

Rob Jackson

263 votes

602 votes | Poll has closed

Hall of Fame Round of 64: Pappy Waldorf Bracket, Part IV

Avinash — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:00:18 -0000

Check out the full bracket here.

To check out the original nomination thread, click here.

For those who love the Hall of Fame and want to track all these posts, click here or right next to the timestamp above where it says "Hall of Fame".

This post's matchups: Mike Pawlawski vs Sean Dawkins, Leon Powe vs Lorenzo Alexander

We conclude the bottom half of the Pappy Waldorf bracket! Top two matchups were posted this morning, and we move onto the bottom two. Polls for these matchups close next Friday at midnight. The athlete matchups are above, the athlete descriptions and polls are after the jump. Please read, vote, and debate in the comments!

#7 Mike Pawlawski vs #10 Sean Dawkins

via photos1.blogger.com

The old-timers remember him and the team he led quite fondly, perhaps in the same way the younger minds remember Rodgers and 2004.

LeonPowe: Quarterback for the 1991 Citrus Bowl Championship teams. Coming out of high school he had no arm strength, no accuracy and was rated by one recruiting service as "the worst recruit in the Pac-10"

Damned if he didn’t will and win his way to becoming the Pac-10 offensive player of the year in 1991. And this was with a UW team that won the National Championship. I really dislike attributing stuff like "intangibles" and "leadership" – because good players usually prove themselves in some measurable way. Mike really didn’t – he had okay stats and won a lot. But it was the little things. Like when he scored on a keeper and knocked out the opposing linebacker. Like when he played special teams to get on the field. Like when he took an offense full of talent (Russ, Brian Treggs, Mike Caldwell, Greg Zomalt, Lindsay Chapman) and molded them in his image – they became a cocky, loud-mouthed, trashtalking offense that WON. Back-to-back Bowl Games (huge for Cal at the time).

In my freshman year after Pawlawski had graduated a lot of fans and students said (not jokingly either) that they should bring Pawlawski back . . .to coach the linebackers.

Ohio Bear: Until the 2004 team came along, the 1991 team was the best of my Cal fandom. And I think the 1991 team was better overall than the 2006 team.

California Pete: I think the 1991 team would have a great chance against the 2004 team, although the 91ers’ penchant for personal fouls probably would do them in. Both teams were Rose Bowl worthy—far better than the teams sent most recently by the likes of WSU and Stanford—but both unfortunately shared the conference with two of the all-time greats: UW 1991 and USC 2004.

He is dealing with neck issues in retirement, but many of us have seen him broadcast a Cal game, several this past season, and he seems to be in generally good spirits.

And let's put ourselves in good spirits with some highlights of that 1990 team!

Speaking of that team...

via graphics.fansonly.com

Two of our senior members conversed about Dawkins with ebuillence.

Ohio Bear: WR 1990-1992. He didn’t have as good an NFL career as I thought he would, but he had 2 very special seasons for Cal (91 and 92). Seemed like all he did was catch TDs. Tough catches, too.

LeonPowe: Along with Mike Caldwell probably the best hands of Cal receiver that I’ve seen since 1991. Had the sweetest catch I’d ever seen (the replay made everyone at Kips go "woooaaah" – when he and Dave Barr worked a pump-and-go route where Dawk used a basketball spin move to escape the corner. Also used to catch these great sideline tip-toe catches. Not great speed but was somehow always open.

Ohio Bear: Indded, Dawk and Caldwell had great hands. I would add G-Mac and Desean to the "best hands" argument. As much as I loved Dawk, I think I’d give that title to G-Mac.

For those having trouble viewing the box above, click here to vote.

#2 Leon Powe vs #15 Lorenzo Alexander

via msnbcmedia.msn.com

Not many Cal fans can find a bad word to say about Leon. ragnarok has this classic story from the old blogsome of Powe's greatest performance in gold & blue:

Already demanding notice after setting a tournament record with 20 rebounds in avictory over USC the previous night, Leon Powe had what is probably his signature game at Cal during the semifinals of the Pac-10 tournament. Seventh-seeded Oregon was fighting for its season; with a 15-17 record, the Ducks knew there would be no postseason for them if they didn’t win the Tournament. Still, they had managed to beat hapless Washington State and then upset second-seeded Washington the next night, and early on, it looked like they might pull off their improbable run to the title game, sprinting out to a 32-16 lead in the first half. Then they ran into Leon Powe.

Of course, it took a team effort from the Bears to battle back from a 16-point deficit, including trailing by 7 with less than 3 minutes to go, but it often seemed that most of that team effort involved feeding Powe in the low post over and over and over again. And why wouldn’t they? The man was virtually unstoppable that night, shooting 14 of 17 from the floor and 13 of 18 from the line. You don’t really need an offense when you have Leon Powe, but the Bears did need every one of his tournament-record 41 points (and two overtimes) to hold off the Ducks in a game that had me (alone at home) screaming at my television and nearly convinced me to drive down to LA for the final. These Bears should have been upset, but Powe put them up on his back and barreled them into the final virtually singlehandedly.

As great as that performance is, we love Leon for a lot more than his put back dunks or even being the Show in the NBA Finals. His story from rags to riches would have left Jamal Malik reeling and Latika swooning. Leon Powe is where amazing happens.

via graphics.fansonly.com

Alexander might not be known to most of you, but he was our defensive anchor during the early Tedford years.

To say Lorenzo Alexander has always been big for his age is kind of like saying Stevie Wonder started early in music. When he was seven years old, his mother tried to register him for youth football in their hometown of Oakland. But the program organizers, after taking a glimpse at Lorenzo's oversized frame and 100-pound plus weight, informed his mom that Lorenzo would have to play in the 12-year-old division.

Alexander's mother, Stephanie Moore, refused to let her young son play in a higher league.

To this day, Lorenzo still remembers how tears flowed from his eyes on the drive home.

Ironically, Alexander - a former Parade magazine high school All-American and the veteran leader of Cal's 2003 defense - did not play organized football until he entered Berkeley's St. Mary's High School in 1997. This, despite weighing in at 140 pounds at eight years old and displaying a remarkable combination of size and speed throughout his formative years.

Now measuring 6-3, 295 pounds as a tenacious junior defensive tackle for the Golden Bears, some day soon, Lorenzo may again be directed to a higher league - the National Football League. Only this time, his mother probably won't stand in the way.

Good stuff. He's in the NFL right now with the Redskins, although I hope he doesn't do anything as crazy as this ever again.

For those having trouble viewing the box above, click here to vote.

Daily Slop:Mike Florio makes up more Redskins lies, Lavar's restaurant bankrupt, Zorn Guarantees Cooley 7 TDs

KevinE — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:01:31 -0000

After falsely starting rumors Laron Landry wanted to be traded, now Mike Florio from PFT says Dan Snyder is going after Brett Favre. [junkies]
(Enough is enough with Florio...I hope you're happy with your purchase NBC)

Lavar Arrington's Sideline Bar & Grill just filed Chapter 11 [gazette]

Chris Cooley's camp a success, sets the bar for this season [Fairfax Conn]

Cooley even admitted that Redskins coach Jim Zorn guaranteed him seven touchdowns this season during a recent practice.

Lorenzo Alexander gives back. Starts foundation in Oakland community [CCT]

"I feel it's only right, being blessed to be able to play in the NFL, to give back to these kids. I know in Oakland there are a lot of kids that don't have a good foundation or have someone they can look up to. I'm just trying to allow people to see that you can be successful coming out of Oakland."

Fred Smoot not wanted by the PBA [Skins Blog]
(I'm looking very forward to Fred's response on this)

Redskins Insider breaks down the Pro and Cons of Brandon Marshall [Insider]
I stopped reading when I got to the Con: "Marshall faces a trial this summer"

Tickets now available for the Redskins Welcome Home Luncheon, Aug. 26th [Redskins.com]

Dallas Cowboys roster starting to gel. Roy Williams' (S) replacement impressing [nfl.com]

Buccaneers might start QB Josh Freeman [nfl.com]

Terrell Owens BLASTS his real estate agent on Twitter [Yahoo]
(I agree with him on this one)

And doing my normal routine for the Slop, I noticed Google had a pretty substantial FAIL today:

CGB Hall of Fame Sign Up Sheet

Avinash — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:00:21 -0000

via images.absoluteastronomy.com

Hi, commenters. Yes, you, I'm looking at you. Although not as creepily as you might think...

Despite our best efforts to publish 64 accurate, condensed, proper biographical summaries of our athletes, we've come up a bit short. We've gotten the majority of it finished, but we're going to need your help to finish up everything to have it ready to go by Wednesday.

Remember those high school days. Well they're back! It's sign up time!

The instructions are after the jump.

1) Sign up in the comments to write about a particular athlete on the list below! You just have to write their names...we'll update who takes who on the post as commenters start taking assignments

2) If you want to keep your entries private until the contest starts, email us at goldenblogs at gmail dot com with Subject Line "Hall of Fame"; if you don't care about anyone seeing it before the thing starts, just write it up in the comments with your entry.

3) Personal memories and experiences are what we're aiming for, but if you don't have any memories of them, look for media articles on the athletes and find interesting tidbits or outstanding accomplishments in their lives that are worth sharing.

4) Examples: We don't need you to write up an epic opus like BearStage did for Joe Igber (although we'd definitely LOVE IT); LeonPowe's mini writeup on Mike Pawlawski, ososdeoro's quote on Jocelyn Forest or California Pete's paragraph on Vicky Galindo are the sort of things we're looking for.

So we've split who's left into two catgeories. We're not expecting to fill all of these, but we'd love to get as many comprehensive experiences of Cal athletes as humanly possible.

Need a lot of help with (these are still fairly empty, although I'm sure they could get filled quickly in the right hands):

Rod Benson: norcalnick
Ryan Anderson: rollonubears
Jack Clark: carp
Lavelle Hawkins: rollonubears
Nnamdi Asomugha: R-Rated Superstar
The Play guys (Kevin Moen/Richard Rodgers/Dwight Garner/Mariet Ford): norcalnick (if anyone of you have witnessed The Play live, norcalnick's willing to give this up)
Sandy Barbour
Bob Milano: California Pete
Morgan Beck
Kirk Everist
Mary Meagher
Jeff Kent: norcalnick
Jerrott Willard: LeonPowe
Joy Fawcett: California Pete
Suzi Babos
Justin Forsett
Aaron Rodgers

Need some help with (these are alright and could go as is, although they're a little on the short side and/or many lack personal anecdotes:

Tony Gonzalez
Shareef Abdur-Rahim: LeonPowe
Craig Stevens
Thomas Decoud: rollonubears
Jeff Tedford
Robert Jordan
Dante Hughes
Lorenzo Alexander
Milica Vukadinovic: LeonPowe
Jeremy Newberry
Ed Gray: LeonPowe
Desmond Bishop

For all those who contribute, thanks in advance for sharing the sweetness of Golden Bear history. It's part of what makes CGB such an awesome and special place.

Other than Pedo-Oski, of course.

Washington Redskins Draft: Youth Movement Continues To Be Served

Ken Meringolo — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:00:14 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

7 months ago: Brian Orakpo, right, a defensive end from Texas, holds up a jersey with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, after the Washington Redskins selected him 13th overall in the first round of the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall Saturday, April 25, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Browse more photos »

Another draft in the books. The endless debate on how teams did this past weekend begins. The Skins simply had little to work with in this draft, an altogether too common occurrence in recent years. In the second tour of duty for Joe Gibbs, a re-emphasis on the draft--or at least a more serious focus on the kinds of players you bring into town--was seemingly established. This is not to say the Redskins are a team that will rely solely on the draft. They continue to prove that they believe in aggressive free agency activity. But Dan Snyder's word that they would not trade next year's #1 was upheld. And finally, a top pick was used to draft a highly touted defensive lineman. I have been a broken record since the end of Round 2 in last year's draft. Mostly for my own sanity's sake, I agreed to be okay with drafting 2 WR's and a TE all in the 2nd round of one draft as long as in the next draft, they used their highest pick(s) on linemen. Offensive, defensive, don't care. I thought that since it takes receivers longer to adjust to the pros than linemen (especially defensive linemen), why not get at least one or two pass catchers into the program and learning and then bring some OL/DL studs into the fold.

This draft will be judged by the performance of Brian Orakpo on the field. But before we get there, let's celebrate the refreshing nature of identifying an impact defensive lineman, and then when the chance to actually select him fell into our lap, we did not overthink it or get cute.

KevinE thinks we did a B- in this draft. I have a hard time giving the Skins anything worse than that. To me, Cody Glenn, Robert Henson and Eddie Williams are exactly the kinds of players you have to take in the late rounds because everything you read and watch about them suggests they love playing football. They better. Because they won't be getting any mega-deal to sign. They won't be on the cover of any video games. And they won't be on the tips of anyone's tongues in debates leading up to the regular season. But their contribution could be significant. And since Vinny drafted 'em, Vinny ain't cutting them. So they will get a chance.

Let's say Vinny learned his lesson last season and won't keep every single guy he drafted this weekend. For argument's sake, we'll cut Marko Mitchell just because he was the last guy picked. Then let's take a look at the list of current Redskins who were born in 1983 or later (rough cutoff date plucked that keeps the list at or around 25/26 years old).

Lorenzo Alexander, DT
Anthony Alridge, RB
H.B. Blades, LB
Colt Brennan, QB
Alex Buzbee, DE
Devin Clark, OL
Fred Davis, TE
Dominique Dorsey, RB
Alfred Fincher, LB
Kedric Golston, DT
Michael Grant, S
DeAngelo Hall, CB
Stephon Heyer, OL
Chris Horton, S
Rob Jackson, DE
Malcolm Kelly, WR
LaRon Landry, S
Anthony Montgomery, DT
Will Montgomery, OL
Kareem Moore, S
Rueben Riley, OL
Chad Rinehart, OL
Devin Thomas, WR
Justin Tryon, CB

Chris Wilson, Rocky McIntosh, Chris Cooley and Dave Rayner would be guys that just missed being on this list (1982) but we will include them anyway. If you add in Orakpo, Barnes, Glenn, Henson, and Williams, and--again, for argument's sake--knock out Alridge, Dorsey, Grant, and Riley, we have a total of 27 players on the Redskins roster all in that 25/26/27 age range. That is over half of the opening day roster. And the overwhelming majority of these players were drafted here in Washington. Looking up and down the list, there is a healthy mix of first-class talent, starters that make strong contributions, role players, and guys we still don't know anything about.

I feel like this is an area that the Skins have been lambasted for in recent years. This list includes young offensive and defensive linemen, a young group of receivers/tight ends, role players in the secondary and special teams, and now a stud defensive end that should start right away. We just might be on to something here. This is a promising core group of players.

They say you can't grade a draft for 3 years. I will refrain from getting too high or low based on our picks this past weekend, but it seems to me that guys we have been drafting in the last few years are sticking around. Last week I mentioned that it was possible Vinny is learning on the job. The movement to make this team younger each year seems to be paying off. The next step is getting these young bucks on the field. Rinehart, Thomas, Davis, Kelly, Heyer...we have to see what they can do on the field this year. It is coming time for this list to have a higher percentage of starters on it.

49ers Questions for 2009: Fooch and Maiocco break it down

Fooch — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:00:11 -0000

FOOCH'S NOTE 9:30AM: Welcome to folks swinging over from Maiocco's Instant 49ers blog. If this is your first time at Niners Nation and you wanna join in the discussion, sign up here. It's free and I promise no spam mail and a great community. The quick registration will allow you to comment, write FanPosts, FanShots and join in the general discussion. Welcome.

Ten days ago I got in touch with Matt Maiocco about utilizing some of his reader questions to inspire posts over here. Things get quiet in the offseason and I'll take anything I can get for a post. However, he had a slightly better idea: come up with ten of the most pertinent 49ers questions heading into the offseason and link to each others answers. We've had plenty of discussion about many of these topics, but I think it's helpful to consolidate them all for this particular conversation. There are a lot of issues to be addressed this offseason and I know I missed some of them. These are simply ten that quickly came to mind. Below are my answers and you can head on over to Instant 49ers to get Maiocco's take on these questions. Due to the length, the first five questions and answers are on the front page and the final five are after the jump.

I haven't seen his answers yet, nor has he seen mine, so we'll see how they compare. As the offseason moves along we'll see who ends up getting closer in these quasi-predictions. Feel free to provide your own answers, whether it be regarding one of the questions or all of the questions. And thanks to Matt for collaborating on this.

1. Who on the roster has the best chance of being the starting QB heading into week 1 of the regular season?

I'll stick with Shaun Hill for the foreseeable future. Smith has always been a better practice player, but the situation has changed from a year ago. Heading into camp last season, Hill had a very small body of work with which to compare. Although 9 more games isn't a dramatic addition, it's still three times as many games as he'd played in for his career. This should lead to a bit more benefit of the doubt.

Furthermore, although we don't have the details of the Raye/Singletary offense, it can't possibly be as complex as the Mike Martz offense. Combine the complexity of the Martz offense with Hill's practice performances and it was not a great situation. I'd like to think that life would be a bit easier in that regard heading into training camp. In answering these questions, I'm realizing a lot of this ends up more as "hoping" than thinking. Maybe it's "hoping" Singletary makes the right call.

2. Can Shaun Hill overcome his practice woes in the Jimmy Raye offense?

If the offense is not dependent on big plays, I don't see why Hill can't improve his practice performances. Often times a power running game is complimented with a shorter passing game. Hill throws a very ugly deep ball but seems to make the under 20 yard passes with relative efficiency. While we know that Singletary and Raye want a power running game, we still don't know what that means for the passing attack. If it's the shorter game that I think it will be, I see no reason why Hill can't excel in practice and on game day. Consider me an optimist in that regard.

3. Can Frank Gore give Singletary what he wants out of his "smash-mouth" offense? If not, what kind of addition would it take?

Gore proved he could dominate in the ground game in 2006. Although his numbers have decreased each of the last two seasons, it's possible bringing in a new fullback could get him back to his dominant ways. Although most of the free agent fullbacks are getting up their in years, guys like Tony Richardson, Lorenzo Neal and the return of Moran Norris could be great options for 2009. The Martz-led offense used the fullback but really not all that much and simply tried to create hybrid players like Michael Robinson and Sean Ryan. I'm convinced a legit fullback (more specifically, not Zak Keasey) would get the running game further on track. I think a fullback would do that in a way splitting carries with a Deshaun Foster type could not.

4. Is there any hope for Vernon Davis?

Unfortunately (for my psyche at least) I remain convinced Vernon Davis can turn things around in the receiving game. He's shown he can be a beast in blocking, but given his draft status, it's not surprising people want to see more. The freakish athleticism makes it hard to give up on Davis' ability as a receiver. Although Davis is a great option for stretching the field, it seems like he's been more consistent on quick screens and plays out of the backfield. Of course, our own Florida Danny had some interesting thoughts on Davis, as compared to the rest of the receivers, as well.

If the 49ers can utilize him more in those quick hit situations, he might finally reach the levels of production most people want. On shorter plays he's got the size to power over cornerbacks and the speed to get past the linebackers and make big plays, or the proverbial something out of nothing. Maybe it's not as sexy as the deep bombs, but there is nothing sexy about seeing him run an incorrect route or not reach for the deep ball. It'd be great if he was as consistent as a Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates, but the Duke is not blessed that way. The 49ers, and particularly Jimmy Raye, have to take extra steps to put him in a position to succeed.

5. At what point in the offseason should the 49ers make a move for a QB?

The best time to make the move would be in the mid-rounds of the draft (3rd-5th). If you've been reading Niners Nation even since December, you'll know this has been my argument quite consistently. The Alex Smith issue aside, I think Shaun Hill is a very reasonable option for the next couple of years. He's signed to a reasonable contract for the next two seasons, which would provide a solid training period for the proverbial QB of the future. They could follow the pattern of Houston/Tennessee with Steve McNair or the Bengals with Carson Palmer.

I say Alex Smith aside because until something happens, I just don't know what to expect. It's too much of an unknown situation to make a prediction on. If they work out a new deal with Alex Smith, I think it's safe to say they will not sign a veteran (no matter what, please no Kerry Collins) and instead just grab someone in the draft. If they let Smith walk, I'd fully expect a free agent and a draft choice. Either way, I'd much prefer trying to find a diamond in the 3rd-5th round rough than Mark Sanchez.

6. What three potential free agents are the most realistic for the 49ers to sign?

I actually think that technically the most likely free agent signing is our very own Takeo Spikes. But that's too easy.

Terrell Suggs, OLB/DE: He's a pricey option and the Ravens would love to have him back, but they've got too many free agent issues on defense (Scott, Lewis, Leonhard and Suggs). The 49ers have options at outside linebacker and might prefer to address this need in the draft. However, the cap space will allow them to match most deals and it might make the most sense to go for the young veteran, Suggs. He actually finished with the same number of sacks as Haralson but seems to bring more of the all-around game to match Manny Lawson.

Tony Richardson, Fullback: This could probably just as likely be Moran Norris, or maybe even Lorenzo Neal. The 49ers need a real fullback and I'm pretty confident it will be one of these aged three. I listed Richardson first because of the Jimmy Raye connection. They worked together in the Meadowlands last season, but they go all the way back to Kansas City at the turn of the century (a fitting turn of phrase for Jimmy Raye..hey now!)

Eugene Wilson, Free Safety: I discuss the free safety position twice more (#7, #10) and the more I research, the more I'm curious about Eugene Wilson. MM heard on the grapevine that free safety is a position the team is looking to address in free agency. OJ Atogwe is a great option, but I'd be curious to see what he gets compared to Wilson. Wilson has dealt with injury issues off and on, which certainly can't help his value. As discussed in the Goldson question at the end of this, I'd much prefer Goldson get the job. However, I understand the need for more depth there and Wilson could be that kind of guy.

7. What spot on defense is in most need of an upgrade?

Pass Rush: I was originally going to say that free safety needed the upgrade. However, as much as Mark Roman struggled, the pass rush's inconsistency was even worse. A more consistent pass rush could even solve secondary problems by forcing the QB to throw much faster and before his receivers have run their routes. Furthermore, at free safety you're just looking to replace one player. With the pass rush, there are several areas the 49ers might need to upgrade. That could require a big nose tackle to occupy the middle, a defensive end to occupy the edge, and the speed rusher coming from the outside linebacker position. Guys like B.J. Raji, Everette Brown and Brian Orakpo could provide some answers in the first round.

8. If Malcolm Jenkins is there at 10 do the 49ers go with him, or is Tarell Brown a legit option to replace Walt Harris?

I'm convinced Tarell Brown is a solid option going forward. With their needs along the offensive line and in the pass rush, they have a much greater need for help there than a "luxury" like Jenkins. If the top tackle and pass rush options are not there, then maybe it's worth going best available there. However, given the numbers, it's likely one of OL/OLB options is there. Of course, part of it depends on.....

9. Can Parys Haralson and Manny Lawson provide a consistent pass rush or do they need to make a play for some more well known talent?

Is Parys Haralson a long term answer? After some inconsistent playing time, the promotion of Mike Singletary seemed to get him more consistent time on the field. As discussed above, the likes of Terrell Suggs in free agency, or Everette Brown and Brian Orakpo in the draft, are very tempting. I think Haralson can be a solid pass rush threat but considering he'll be a free agent next year, it is probably a good idea to start pondering a long-term replacement.

Although Manny Lawson is a very impressive athlete, he seems to bring more of the all-around game at linebacker, from coverage to pass rush to stopping the run. Given that and Haralson's free agent status, a Suggs, Brown or Orakpo would make sense at this point.

10. Will Dashon Goldson be able to secure a starting job at some point this season?

I keep telling myself he'll lock up the starting job, but I wonder if it's more hope than reality. Reports out of training camp last summer indicated he was quite the ball hawk, something the 49ers have missed at times. However, he couldn't lock down the starting free safety job early on. When Coach Singletary took over, there was a chance Goldson could have gotten that starting job. Singletary clearly has no problems going with youngsters (see Rachal, Chilo) but the timing killed Goldson. I had never really looked at this before, but Goldson went down with a knee injury in the Giants game. The severity of the injury meant he was inactive for the first seven games of the Singletary era. There was no way he was going to take over the starting job in the final two weeks of the season.

So what does that mean going forward? MM indicated he had heard the 49ers would be looking to grab a free safety in free agency. If they're looking for top-shelf talent, that would indicate a guy like OJ Atogwe of the Rams or maybe Eugene Wilson of the Texans. If they sign Atogwe then I'd guess Goldson would not become the starter anytime soon. If they sign a lesser talent, I think Goldson will secure the job as early as training camp.

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW...: The #1 Seeds

Josh from Hollywood — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:00:06 -0000

Welcome to ‘After Further Review...’, where we think this will be the greatest Christmas Week 17 ever, where we realized this weekend that the Titans and Giants were who we thought they were, and where we were ready to help Mike Singletary choke Shaun Hill at 12:30 Sunday, and an hour later we were online ordering him a Jane Seymour Open Heart Necklace for Christmas.

All season, it appeared the Tennessee Titans would be the top seed in the AFC, and the New York Giants would be the top seed in the NFC. Then, during the last couple of weeks, things started get a little squirrely for the Titans and Giants. But in the end, the NFL season gave us what the famous screenwriting guru Robert McKee (immortalized in 'Adaptation.') always advises for storytelling -- give the audience what they expect, but not in the same they expect it. On Sunday, both teams took their place atop their respective conferences -- one with a little more grace than the other.

Without any further ado, ladies and gentlemen, your #1 conference seeds, starting with the AFC...

THE SUBSTITUTE: Man, the Titans sure are gonna miss Albert Haynesworth, huh? Yeah, that’s what a lot of people said. Hell, that what I said. And I’m a freaking football genius and stuff. But maybe we all need to take a step back and re-evaluate. Rookie Jason Jones, Haynesworth’s replacement on the D-line, recorded three and a half sacks and three forced fumbles as the Titans shut down the Steelers, beating them 31-14 to lock up the #1 seed in the AFC.

The Titans defense will get much of the credit because of their injuries (Haynesworth and fellow DT Kyle Vanden Bosch), and because they were facing Ben Roethlisberger and the red-hot Steelers, but Tennessee came out strong on offense as well. The Titans took an early 10-0 lead on a Pittsburgh D which came into the game on a record streak: They had tied the 1973 Rams for most consecutive games allowing less than 300 total yards at 14. The Titans ended that streak, racking up 323 total, and keeping the ‘73 Rams in the record book. (Somewhere Deacon Jones just pumped his fist and made a disparaging remark about players “these days”.)

It wasn’t a cake-walk for Tennessee, who took Pittsburgh’s best shot in the middle part of the game. The Steelers held the Titans scoreless for almost 28 minutes from the end of the 1st quarter until late in the 3rd, and use d that defensive surge to score 14 straight to take the lead 14-10. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who had two big fumbles early -- including one on the Tennessee goal line -- rebounded to throw for 331 yards and 2 TD’s (the first two 20+ yard TD passes the Titans had allowed all year. But the Titans used two Roethlisberger INT’s -- one a Pick-6 by CB Michael Griffin -- and a big game from Justin Gage (5 catches, 104 yards, TD) to ice the game.

So the Titans clinch home field advantage through the playoffs, and won’t play another important game for three weeks. Sometimes, teams are afraid of having non-competitive games heading into the playoffs, but Tennessee has to be thrilled to know they’ll have time to get their big men healthy for the stretch drive.

One moment to bookmark: After the game on the sidelines, Titans RB LenDale White was caught on camera throwing a Terrible Towel on the ground and stomping on it. Nice, LenDale! Way to flip the bird to that proud team you might still play in a few weeks with your entire season on the line! That openly disrespecting your future oppenent stuff always works!

GONE WITH THE WIND: For a minute there I doubted the Giants. I’d spent most of the season saying they were the best team in the league -- even when Tennessee was undefeated. I’m usually loathe to praise a New York team. I especially don’t like saying they are the best team in the sport. But it was so obvious, even I couldn’t deny it. But that all changed in the last couple of weeks.

I wasn’t overly concerned about Plaxico Burress being a distraction for the team, as I was about the Giants not having his services the rest of the season. With Brandon Jacobs also hurt, I started to wonder if they were as strong as that teamed that wowed me all season. Especially when they stumbled each of the last two weeks.

I still picked them to win this week, but by the time they were down 21-10 in the 2nd quarter on Sunday night, their mojo seemed to be long gone. I was already thinking about the prospect of “Carolina Panthers, #1 seed”, and all the “Changing of the Guard”-type stories on ESPN this week. But no. The Giants still had one trick left up their sleeves, the same trick they’ve played every time things look bleak for them. They played The "Running Game” Card.

The Giants stormed back into the game behind two of their three-headed backfield, nicknamed “Earth, Wind and Fire”. Riding “Wind” down the field (Derrick Ward -- 15 rushes, 215 yards) and “Earth” into the end zone (Brandon Jacobs -- 24 carries, 87 yards, 3 TD’s), the Giants racked up their most rushing yards (301) in a game since 1959. New York used the first pass interference penalty against Carolina all season(!) to tie the game 28-28 with a TD and two-point conversion with just four minutes left.

Carolina drove down to the New York 33-yard line with just :09 remaining, and was able to attempt a 50-yard FG to win the game, and lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. John Kasay’s kick was headed straight down the middle, but the famously swirling Meadowlands winds (aptly gauged by sideline reporter Andrea Kremer just prior to the kick) swept the ball wide of the posts, and the game went to OT. There, they were swept away by another wind, Ward, who had two long runs to set up an easy plunge by Jacobs to ice the game and the #1 seed.

Now the Giants face that age-old dilemma: Whether or not to go all out in game you don’t need -- New York plays Minnesota next week in a game the Vikings need desperately to win their division. If last season -- when the Giants played their hearts out in the last week of the regular season against a New England team striving for perfection -- is any indication, Tom Coughlin won’t lie down for the Vikings.

4 O’CLOCK FRENZY: At 4 o’clock PDT, there were three big games -- each with playoff implications for teams involved the game, and teams not involved in the game -- which were coming down to the final two minutes at the very same moment. In each game, the team leading had a seven point spread, and the trailing team had the ball with a chance to force OT. In each game, the trailing team was in the playoff hunt (two needed win to clinch their division, one needed a win control their own destiny for a wild card spot).

The Eagles were down 10-3 at Washington and had the ball around midfield, needing to force OT and win to set up a win-and-in situation next week at home vs. Dallas. The Broncos were down 30-23 at home against Buffalo but were in the red zone, needing to force OT and win to clinch the AFC West and avoid and lose-and-out situation at San Diego next week. The Vikings were down 24-17 at home vs. Atlanta, near midfield, needing to force OT and win to clinch the NFC North. The plot twists were coming fast and furious.

Then, at about 4:08pm PDT, each of the trailing teams took a significant blow. On 4th and 16 on their own 41 with :56 left, Tarvaris Jackson’s pass fell incomplete, essentially ending that game. Almost simultaneously in both D.C. and Denver, WR’s had game-tying TD passes in their hands -- both dropped it.

On 4th and 5 at the Buffalo 15 with :39 left, Jay Cutler backpedaled to avoid oncoming rushers and lofted a pass to Brandon Stokely in the end zone. It was a touch behind him, leading him back into traffic, but Stokely got both hands on the ball and had it a moment, before Reggie Corner (of course) knocked it away. Game over. At almost that very second, on 1st and 10 at the ‘Skins 40 with 1:05 left, Donovan McNabb lofted a perfect deep ball to the back corner of the end zone. DeSean Jackson got a step on his man and had it slip through his hands.

The Eagles didn’t die there, driving the ball to Washington’s half-yard line before time expired. Excruciatingly. Within a few moments, the fates of Philly, Minnesota and Denver took a huge turn. Along with them -- and in all likelihood watching it on TV -- were the Chargers, Bears, and Bucs. The way it broke down, only one team involved in the games actually made the playoffs -- Atlanta. The other six were left on the bubble, which makes for a much more exciting Week 17. And to my recollection, we haven’t really had one of those in a while.

FAVRE FROM HOME: Well, now that the Jets have all but excused themselves from the playoff race, it looks like we won’t be tortured throughout the postseason with Brett Favre tributes galore. It’ll just be the endless ruminating on whether he’ll retire or not. Of course, the Jets may not want him back at this point.

In the game which effectively ended their season, Favre’s line (18/31, 187, 2 INT’s) were less than inspiring, and his offense could only must three points. You could argue a lot of that had to do with the weather -- driving snow in Seattle that actually out-did the blizzard in New England for the 1st half -- but the numbers don’t bear that out. In the three weeks prior to Sunday (in which the Jets went 1-2 and let their divison lead evaporate), Favre had 1 TD, 4 INT’s, and a QB rating of 61.1.

If Favre does return, he probably won’t play on the west coast. He went 0-4 there this year, which stands in stark contrast to his 9-2 record everywhere else. And it’s not like we’ve got a bunch a great teams out on the west coast either -- none of them have winning records, and only San Diego has a shot at going .500.

ON THE OUTSIDE, LOOKING IN: The Patriots lost Asante Samuel and Donte Stallworth to free agency in the off-season. They’ve had a long list of players miss time: Adalius Thomas, Vince Wilfork, Tedy Bruschi, Ty Warren, Rodney Harrison, James Sanders. Not to mention losing a guy named Brady for the season. Yet, they’ve managed to win 10 games and find themselves tied for 1st place with one game to go. Great, right? Well, what if I told you they could win next week, finish 11-5, and still not make the playoffs?

It’s true: If Miami beats the Jets next week, they’ll edge the Pats for the AFC East title. If Baltimore beats Jacksonville, they edge New England for the last wild card spot. And just to add the cherry to their turd sundae, they would have to watch Arizona, a team they just beat 47-7, play in the postseason. Merry Christmas, Pats fans!

BADGERING THE WITNESS: Things have gotten pretty heated in some of Detroit head coach Rod Marinelli’s post-game press conferences this season -- and for an 0-15 team that’s to be expected. But in my opinion, The Detroit News’ Rob Parker took things at least one step too far after the Lions’ 42-7 loss to the Saints on Sunday. Parker chose to single out Detroit defense coordinator Joe Barry for his wrath, peppering Marinelli with questions about why he hasn’t fired Barry. Barry is in charge of the league’s 32nd ranked unit, so that’s fair. Parker asked Marinelli if he was impartial in the matter, seeing as he is Barry’s father-in-law. That’s only fair -- once you hire family, you’re opening that up. It was even fair when Parker asked Marinelli is there were any conditions under which he would fire Barry. Again, fair.

But when Parker went over the line -- way over, in my opinion -- was when he asked Marinelli if he wished his daughter had married a better defensive coordinator. As you can see in this clip, Marinelli did the classy thing -- as he has all year, to his credit -- and didn’t answer. As you’ll see at the end of that clip, he didn’t need to -- each and every member of the FOX studio crew defended Marinelli and castigated Parker. Rightly, if you ask me.

ANALYSIS OF THE WEEK: This week it came early -- on Saturday night -- from Deion Sanders. No, really. Stop laughing, I’m serious. At the end of the 1st half, with the Cowboys leading 7-6, but struggling mightily on offense, Deion advised them to be careful with the ball. He stressed they were lucky to be ahead, and warned about Baltimore’s aggressiveness on D. He said if Dallas wasn’t careful, then Ravens would make them pay.

Just a moment later, Romo tried to hit Owens deep, badly underthrew the ball, and had it picked off by Ballhawk Extraordinaire Ed Reed (that’s how I’m introducing him until further notice). Reed did what he does best, maximizing the turnover by taking it all the way from his own 20 to midfield with :27 left. After some all-purpose yards from Willis McGahee, the Ravens were able to convert the mistake into points, kicking a FG to take a 9-7 lead into halftime. Baltimore never lost the lead, and won 33-24 top put Dallas’ playoff hopes in jeopardy (at least temporarily).

THE LATEST OFFICIATING GLITCH: For the second time this season, I’ve seen this exact sequence: 1) An official calls pass interference, 2) After a conference with other officials, they wave it off due to a tipped pass, 3) Replays show the pass wasn’t tipped, 4) The coach of the offensive team requests a challenge, 5) The ref announces it can’t be reviewed because even though they said it was a tipped pass, the real reason it’s not pass interference is because the DB just got his “feet tangled” with the receiver.

Most of you will remember the first time I saw that -- it was in a Niner game when Jason Hill was interfered with . I thought it sounded a little sketchy then, but I’m a biased, paranoid Niner fan, so that comes with the territory. But after it happened Sunday, in one of the biggest games of the year -- Tennessee/Pittsburgh -- I’m getting tingling in my ear lobe that only happens around giant conspiracies.

I mean those are pretty specific circumstances, and it seems odd that exact same thing would occur (at least twice in the same season. I hope it’s a coincidence, and not some new way the refs have figured out how to sweep bad calls under the rug. But the lobe never lies.

COUNTDOWN TO HISTORY: The Good News: Saints QB Drew Brees threw for 351 yards against the Lions on Sunday, giving him 4,683 for the season, and leaving him 401 yards shy of Dan Marino’s all-time single-season mark of 5,084 set in 1984. The Bad News: Next week, Brees and the Saints will face Carolina -- a team with a good defense, coming off a tough loss, and needing a win to insure a division title.

X-FACTORS: Last week, RB Fred Jackson impressively bulled through a sea of defenders to score a go-ahead TD against the Jets in the 4th quarter on the road. This week, he ran for another 4th quarter go-ahead TD on the road. That’s after setting up yet another go-ahead 4th quarter TD with a 65 yard catch and run. Subbing for starter Marshawn Lynch, who left the game an injured shoulder, Jackson compiled 43 yards on 10 carries, and caught three passes for 70 yards.

Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe has a lot of tools, or at least one pretty big one, but he only plays one position, so he doesn’t seem to be a traditional X-Factor at first glance. But the Vikings often use him like a WR -- running deep patterns, and screens used to get the ball in his hands to utilize his athleticism. His numbers this year on the run-first Vikings (33 catches, 446 yards, 5 TD) don’t show that, but his numbers against the Falcons Sunday certainly did (7 catches, 136 yards, 2 TD’s).

4 BURNING QUESTIONS

1. How many phones, remotes, lamps, etc. do you think were broken in anger in the living rooms across the city of Philadelphia after that final play? Talk about a tough end to a game, especially when considering a win would’ve set-up a win-and-in situation against Arch-rival Dallas next week.

2. Does anybody else not think it’s a coincidence that the Bucs' vaunted D took a turn for the worse right around the time word leaked that Monte Kiffin was leaving Tampa? Tampa continued it’s horrific slide down the tubes with their third straight loss on Sunday -- allowing at least 38 points in two of the three.

3. How often have you watched the Colts play this year, and thought “they played well”? They’re 11-4 after another sketchy performance in Jacksonville, where once again, Peyton Manning had to bail them out, and the Colts needed a crazy break (Maurice Jones-Drew knocking himself out and costing his team 10 precious seconds) to steal a win.

4. How pissed is Saints 28-year-old rookie P Glenn Pakulak? The Michigan native spent approximately $5,000 to buy up 80 tickets so his friends and family could come see him play in the NFL for the first time. Then the Saints didn’t punt all game. Not once.

3 BURNING QUESTIONS -- STRICTLY FOR MY NINERS EDITION:

1. Anybody not at all shocked to hear the Niners lead the league in fumbles? So much for “Total Ball Security”.

2. Are we sure Singletary was kidding about choking Shaun Hill? I know he said he was, but the guy’s pretty emotional. Did you see him get all choked up after game talking to Chris Meyers?

3. How big was Nate Clements’ slap to knock the ball away from Torry Holt on a 3rd and 6 with 2:41 left and the Niners trailing 16-10? If he doesn’t react with lightning quickness to get his hand up, the Rams hold the ball for at least another couple of minutes, and the Niners lose.

INJURY OF THE WEEK: In the third corner of the Redskins/Eagles game, Washington ran an odd defense which required DT Lorenzo Alexander to cover Eagles RB Brian Westbrook -- a hideous mismatch. Philly ran Westbrook on a wheel route down the sidelines, QB Donovan McNabb threw a perfect pass, and hit him in stride. Alexander tried his hardest to stay with Westbrook -- so hard, in fact, he pulled up (very) lame with what appeared to be a pulled or torn hamstring. Even with Alexander hopping around in pain, FOX's Joe Buck couldn’t help but make a small joke: “Alexander looked like he pulled everything on that play.”