SB Nation - Steven Jackson

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Reed Hoffmann - AP

11 days ago: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle (12) has a pass attempt blocked by Denver Broncos tight end Richard Quinn (81) during a fake punt attempt at the start of the second half of their game, giving the Broncos the ball deep in Chiefs territory in their NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

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Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of ST&NO. After being sick last week, and running an abbreviated version on Wednesday, I am back in full effect this week. I feel kind of like Stringer Bell in season 2 of The Wire, when Avon Barksdale was locked up, and their supplier cut them off. Stringer said he needed to put out a smoker to hold the towers, and I feel like a smoker is similarly needed this week with ST&NO. After all, I can't really do what Stringer actually did, when he couldn't get his raw dope, and change the name. Nobody is going to read a column called Death Grip, you know? (Really, I don't know what kind of drug addict would buy dope called Death Grip, but that's neither here nor there.) Anyway, here comes the high test stuff, with the same name as always. So fill up your coffee, get comfortable, and let's get right to it. Ready.... BEGIN!!!

1. You have to like how the Broncos looked Sunday, even in spite of 3 turnovers by Kyle Orton. They once again beat down a bad team, which is what good teams have to do. They shot a hole in the terribly inane thinking that they couldn't win in Kansas City in December, and they strengthened their hold on the 5th seed in the playoffs. Helping matters, the Steelers and Ravens both lost to fall to 6-6, so their two competitors who beat them head-to-head lost some ground. I fully expect Jacksonville to choke, and I am starting to think that Miami is going to sneak into the 6th spot, actually.

In any case, the Broncos are in a pretty good place right now. Peter King declared them to be toast two weeks ago, done, kaput. On Monday, he called them a psycho team, and ranked them 10th in the Fool 15. I am still feeling good about this Indianapolis game, and I am sure that the Broncos match up pretty well with the Colts. Coverage is the only way to beat them, and the Broncos are back to covering as well as anybody. I fully expect the Broncos to run for 150 yards against the Colts too, if they can keep the score within striking distance.

It's a good Tuesday to be a Broncos fan. Our team is in in the midst of a season which we can only consider to be a success up until this point. They've come together as a team, learned how to win close games against good teams, learned how to blow out bad teams, and figured out their brand new schemes. They've seemingly bought into one of the main Patriots mantras, that Durability is more important than Ability. Everybody is working hard to Do Their Job. This is when it's good to be a fan of a team, and when it's good to be a fan of a team, it's great to be alive.

2. Information From My Eyes - Denver at Kansas City

a. Kyle Orton had a C+ game, but I felt like all three turnovers he committed were a result of him being somewhat greedy. He's supposed to be the guy who checks it down when nothing is there, isn't he? I hope that film provides a good reminder for him to do so.

b. Knowshon Moreno improves every week, and he's really looking decisive lately. You can tell that he has had a big dose of Bobby Turner's foot in his backside this year. For a pick I didn't love when it was made, I have really come to be happy with Knowshon.

c. I was pretty worried during Kansas City's 20 play first quarter drive, because the tackling and gap discipline looked pretty bad. The Broncos sure stiffened by the goal line, though, and they set the tone for the rest of the game's defensive performance.

d. I meant to talk about setting the edge last week, but I forgot to. My brother Chris felt that Matt Millen made too much of the concept during the Broncos-Giants game, but I disagree, because it's all-important to the way the Broncos run the ball, and the way they defend against the run. The Broncos have been fanstastic in their own running game with setting the edge the past two games, led by Daniel Graham. He is getting out and winning his battles outside, and giving the runners a sealed edge to run inside of. Many of Correll Buckhalter's big runs on Sunday came just inside of Graham.

On defense, the idea is the same, but the defender wants to push the edge man back into the inside, and close off the outside lane. Mario Haggan has been doing this as well as any LB in the NFL this season. He has really found his niche as a physical, upfield run player. Ryan McBean makes a lot of plays in this way, as well.

Winning the physical battles at the edge is the key to everything for the Broncos, and they lost those battles during the losing streak. Since they've gotten back to winning, it's been no accident that they're winning at the edge on both sides of the ball.

e. The kick return where Eddie Royal faked a reverse to Brandon Marshall was interesting. I expect to see them actually hand that off one of these weeks.

f. Alphonso Smith needs to knock off the sucker penalties.

g. Spencer Larsen is an appreciably better blocker than Peyton Hillis. He just thumps guys, and it goes well with the work that Graham and Richard Quinn are doing at TE.

h. Tony Scheffler had a huge 3^rd down drop in 2^nd Quarter, and it was exactly the kind of play that has prevented the Broncos from being an elite offense. You have to make plays when they are available to be made. At least Scheffler blasted the return man on the ensuing punt.

i. Tamba Hali is a good fit for the 3-4, as I have been saying since the preseason. He's aggressive, quick, strong, and as a lifelong down DE, he has very good technique. The first sack he got on Ryan Clady was all technique. The Broncos did take advantage of Hali's aggressiveness on both TD passes, though, and also on the 49 yard bubble screen that Brandon Marshall had.

j. I saw where somebody said we should thank Phildelphia for Brian Dawkins and Correll Buckhalter. Miami is due a thank you card for Andre Goodman and Renaldo Hill, as well. If Goodman were just a little better tackler, I'd be even happier, but everybody should have noticed by now that the ball just seems to find its way into his hands.

k. Matt Prater has developed into one of the best kickers in the NFL. It's time we all realize that, and appreciate his work.

l. My biggest problem with Mitch Berger is that he takes too long to get the ball off. He had yet another seeing-eye punt on Sunday, which inexplicably missed a dead-to-rights block. Upgrading the punter position has to be a huge priority in the offseason.

m. It was great to see Peyton Hillis running the ball again, and he reminded the world that he can do some damage with it. Hopefully, the performance will get him some snaps on offense, because he clearly has something to contribute.

n. I really like Darcel McBath as a matchup safety. He is always around the ball when he is on the field, and I think his pick was a triumph of player evaluation. Draftniks considered him a reach, but he was hard to spot on some abysmal Texas Tech defensive units. He clearly has the goods, though; it jumps off the screen at you.

3. Information From My Eyes - Other games

a. I watched most of the San Francisco-Seattle game, and you know that means I will have some Alex Smith thoughts. He played great on Sunday, and did everything the team needed from him to win, short of missing one open receiver on a deep out in the 4^th quarter. It was the first 300 yard passing game of his career, and it should have been a lot more. His teammates dropped at least 9 passes in the game, including 3 TDs, by Delanie Walker, Vernon Davis, and Michael Crabtree.

b. Speaking of Smith, I meant to clear up an uttlerly stupid comment made by the always-brilliant Solomon Wilcots during last week's game. The head cold I was feeling made me forget to mention it, I guess. Wilcots noticed that the 49ers were (smartly) using Smith in the shotgun very frequently, and he said (I'm paraphrasing) that Smith was very comfortable, because he had used the exact same offense throughout college.

That's very interesting, Saruman, except, he didn't. This gets to my constant annoyance about the term "Spread Offense." There is no one monolithic spread offense. There are college teams which do some similar things formationally, with a lot of WRs, and many plays with the QB taking snaps from the shotgun, but the actual plays vary greatly. The 49ers aren't doing anything that is much like the Urban Meyer offense he played in at Utah. There are no option plays, and no shovel passes. The pass routes are actually tending to be much more horizontal and timed than the stuff he did in college.

A bunch of WRs and a shotgun setup does not mean you're playing a "spread offense," and saying that you're playing a "spread offense" doesn't mean the same thing from one place to the next. Smith is most comfortable in his footwork and reads from the shotgun, and he has time to get the ball out before he gets crushed behind the Niners terrible O-line. Smith has been sacked only once in the last 2 games. My only concern is that they've abandoned the run too much, and need to stick to it much more.

c. I remember thinking that Seattle looked pretty good against the Broncos in the preseason, but as I watched the game today, I was thinking that I really don't like the way their team is constructed. They have 3 terribly overpaid guys at WR (Deion Branch, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Nate Burleson), and not much talent at RB or on the offensive line. The only players I really like at all on their defense are Brandon Mebane and Aaron Curry. They have a lot of money invested in Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill at LB, but I think both guys are just solid players (Tatupu is currently hurt, obviously.) I think they ought to go to a 3-4, if they can get a good NT in the offseason. (A few should be available.) The guy they have, Colin Cole, is more of a backup caliber guy. They could stand up Patrick Kerney, and use Curry in a blitzing role, which he is best suited for. Of course, their secondary will still be lousy, unless they address it.

d. Chad Henne looked really good on Sunday. I had the Miami-New England game on the smaller TV, during the Broncos game, and just about every time I looked over, he was making a play for his team. If he keeps it up, he'll be able to easily afford tattoo removal before too long.

e. ST&NO favorite Sean Smith had an interesting game on Sunday. He gave up an 81 yard TD to Sam Aiken on a play where he had perfect bump and run coverage but didn't find the ball in the air, and fell down trying. Later, he got beaten by Aiken on a double move, and Tom Brady overthrew him by about a foot. He got beat on a perfectly covered play, and got lucky on a busted coverage play. Such is the nature of being a CB playing a lot of man-to-man. By the way, Smith continues to look like he'll have a long career as one of the best man coverage players in the NFL.

f. I really liked what the Giants did on defense Sunday against Dallas, and I picked them based upon some moves I heard about during the week. For one thing, they moved a good CB, Aaron Ross, to FS, and benched the abysmal C.C. Brown. For another, they took a big-name guy, Osi Umenyiora, out of the starting lineup, and replaced him with Mathias Kiwanuka. Osi struggles against the run, and the Broncos continually ran at him on Thanksgiving night. The Giants correctly identified their top priority as containing the Dallas running game, and made the move to the stouter Kiwanuka.

The effect was that both guys played really well. Umenyiora was actually used quite a bit in coverage, and he did pretty well. He's really a lean, athletic guy, and he did well in that role. He also recovered a key fumble, and returned it for a bunch of yards. The Giants held the Cowboys to 45 yards rushing on 23 carries, and it's the primary reason they won the game.

g. Don't give too much credence to this "Tony Romo/Wade Phillips can't win in December" stuff. Romo, particularly, played pretty well Sunday, and the loss wasn't on him. It was on a few defensive breakdowns which led to big plays, and the aforementioned lack of an effective running game.

Remember the one about correlation not necessarily reflecting causality? There is a real danger to putting too much stock in facts which Peter King insists on incorrectly referring to as factoids. The December record for the Cowboys the past few years is a case in point. It doesn't necessarily foretell what will happen this year, and even if the Cowboys lose a bunch of games this month, it may have nothing to do with the month. Remember, a football game is an independent event, which is comprised of many individual independent events. What happened in the past is meaningless.

h. Another example of this foolishness with meaningless statistics, while we're at it, was any credence being put into the fact that the Broncos were 1-16 all-time in Kansas City, during the month of December. Where to begin with this?

Well, in the most obvious place, of considering the significance of recency. If no players or coaches (or even owners) remain from the time when a game was played, that game has no meaning. A game in 1972 was played between the Chiefs and the Broncos, but not THESE Chiefs and Broncos. A rational person realizes that that game may as well have been between any two teams.

Another idea I had about this, that I wanted to share, harkens back to my days as a Finance major at THE Cleveland State University. There was a required class, Financial Markets and Institutions, which was really a BS class. It was taught by a really overweight, smelly, tenured professor who breathed really heavily, and the dude didn't ever teach anything, ever.

The class met in a computer lab, and consisted of 4 group analysis projects. We were given a bunch of parameters of a hypothetical economic environment, and we had to choose the 3-year period of the last 30 years, which was most predictive of the behavior of whatever financial instrument we were analyzing. We then used data from that 3 year period to analyze and project the performance of that instrument, and built a 6 slide PowerPoint discussing quantitative and qualitative reasons for our analysis. That was a 4 credit class.

Anyway, I was thinking that a reasonable thing to do might be to look into whether there was ever a time in semi-recent history where the two teams profiled like these two do, AND they played a game at Arrowhead in December. I didn't find any instances where the Broncos were a playoff caliber team, the Chiefs were a complete doormat, and the schedule played out this way. You could say I was not surprised at all by Sunday's result.

i. Chris Johnson is very dangerous, but I am not one of these people who is jumping up to call him the best RB in the NFL. For one thing, I think he makes the Titans a finesse running team. They do a ton of zone blocking for him, and he runs to the edges all the time, but without the kind of one-cut decisiveness that Broncos runners have always been coached into employing. Really, Johnson is a bit over-patient, in my opinion, and it's his exceptional burst and speed that let him mostly get away with it. I also continue to have my doubts about Johnson's ability to handle the heavy workload he gets, over a number of years. The Titans would be smart to get a legitimate second guy to take one third of the carries, because they apparently don't think LenDale White is that guy.

j. The Titans blew one on Sunday, and the way they did makes me feel even better about the Broncos' prospects for winning in Indianapolis next week. At halftime, the Titans had 2 more yards, and 6 more minutes of time of possession than the Colts, and Indianapolis led 24-10. The Titans also had 2 turnovers. Nate Washington dropped a perfect deep ball. There were plays available to be made, and the Titans failed to make them.

k. I watched the Steelers debacle against the Raiders, and all I can pin their problems on is missing Troy Polamalu. I think their defensive play-calling is less aggressive without Polamalu, and they're letting QBs have more time to throw the ball than the Steelers are known for doing. Bruce Gradkowski had some real good chances to get the ball downfield at times. It just gets back to the concept of a defense needing all its parts to be effective.

l. This stuff about Gradkowski being the answer for the Raiders is silly. He's a solid backup, and a try-hard guy, but he's not a starter for a winning football team. He lacks accuracy and arm strength, isn't particularly mobile, and just looks kind of underwhelming when you watch him.

m. Everybody knows I am generally not the biggest D.J. Williams lover, and I am going to reveal a closely held secret today, since I wanted to make this a smoker. My main problem with D.J. always has been that he isn't Steven Jackson. Back in 2004, I was fired up for the Broncos to draft Jackson, and a lot of Mel Kipers thought they would. They had just traded Clinton Portis, and I wanted a new RB.

When the Broncos took D.J., I was mad, my brother Chris will tell you. No matter what he ever does, I may not get over it. Anyway, I believe that Jackson is having the best season of any RB in the NFL this season, if you consider his circumstances. He has no QB, no line, not much at WR, and he continues to produce at a very high level. He's still only 26 years old, and he continues to be a great player.

n. Cedric Benson was back to his workhorse ways this week, and Larry Johnson was back to sitting on the bench. I continue to be impressed with the run blocking of Bengals LT Andrew Whitworth. He was a star at LSU, and was believed to be more of a guard, which is why he went in the second round. He has been blowing guys off the ball, though, as a LT. He's been similar to Jake Long, but better this season.

o. Matthew Stafford is clearly a tremendously tough kid, because he's been getting killed every week for the Lions, and he keeps coming back. He has a ways to go from a decision-making perspective, but he has to have the respect of his teammates, and you can't minimize the importance of that to a QB.

p. A lot has been made of the Michael Vick sighting in Atlanta, but the truth of the story is that he played a lot of garbage snaps in a blowout. The best thing you can say about him is that he showed he still has good run skills, and decent throwing skills. He completed both of his throws, but the long ball was kind of a duck thrown into a crowd, where Reggie Brown made a play on the ball. I do think he's going to get a look in a place like Carolina, which has no prospect of drafting a QB early.

q. Some pundit in the ESPN-o-sphere was recently trying to hypopulate that the Falcons were better off with Chris Redman at QB than Matt Ryan. As much of a non-fan of Ryan as I am, that's stupid. There's a good reason Redman was out of the league for more than 3 years, and that it took nepotism from his college coach, Bobby Petrino, to bring him back. He's been solid in some of his appearances, but there's no team in the NFL right now, for whom he is an upgrade over their starter.

r. If you remember back to the 2008 Draft, no WR was selected in the first round, and the first one chosen was Donnie Avery by the Rams. All the draftniks called Devin Thomas the best prospect, and had him going in the first round, and he eventually went one pick after Avery, 34^th.

He's playing fantastic football lately, and his rise really kind of started in the Denver game. Thomas is showing the qualities of a number 1 WR, and whoever his coach is next year, he is really going to benefit from it. Having a big, physical outside player like Thomas opens up the field for a guy like Santana Moss. Washington's recent offensive improvement has a lot to do with the light bulb going on for Thomas.

s. Percy Harvin didn't actually play RB at the University of Florida, and as a UF alum, Cris Collinsworth should know that. Collinsworth was trying to say that Harvin never ran any routes in college, and that couldn't be further from the truth. He didn't exactly run a full tree, but he ran many crossing routes, slants, and go routes. He has incredible run skills for an outside player, but he's a natural WR, make no mistake about it.

t. I hadn't gotten a look at Kurt Warner's wife in awhile, and she seems to have really upgraded her hair-sylist over the years. Back when Kurt won a Super Bowl, she looked like the kind of mom I would see wearing mom jeans, dragging around a bunch of kids at Wal-Mart, if I shopped at Wal-Mart. It's okay to wear mom jeans and shop at Wal-Mart, lest I offend anybody who does, but it's different for the MVP's wife.

u. Do these Gap ads with dancing beautiful people doing cheerleader cadences and wearing plaid make anybody want to go buy plaid clothing? I am interested in marketing and advertising, so if you're a ST&NO reader who finds those ads effective, I'd appreciate you saying so in the comments. My hypothesis is that they don't work well for anybody who reads this column.

v. My other holiday season advertising analysis is as follows: I think the Best Buy caroling store clerks suck, but at least people who watch football tend to buy stuff at Best Buy. I bet they're trying to snag a wife or two with those ads. The Open Hearts collection at Kay Jewelers is of very little interest to the average male football fan, who tends not to care about Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman's mommy's trite advice. Kay ought to stick to their ads which say, "Your wife will give you some incremental action for a couple weeks, if you buy her a diamond. The bigger th diamond, the more action." It communicates the needed psychological message to men better. I do like the Go Forth Levi's ads, and I think they're very effective, vis-à-vis the football watching audience whom they're aired for.

w. The Cardinals are for real, again, and the main reason they are is that they have legitimate stars at every level of their defense. Darnell Dockett has been a star, and Calais Campbell is turning into one at DE. Karlos Dansby is terrific at LB, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Adrian Wilson are both big-time players too. The underrated guy who I like is Antrel Rolle. He was kind of a bust as a first round CB, but he's terrific as a matchup safety. He's very smart, and can match up man-to-man with inside WRs or TEs. He also has excellent ball skills. The Cardinals could beat any team in the NFL on a day where both their offense and defense are clicking, because their personnel is definitely good enough on both sides of the ball.

x. Watching the Packers version of the 3-4 Monday night, I was struck by the difference between what they're doing, and what the Broncos do. Denver's scheme is much more similar to what the Cardinals, Ravens, and Jets are doing, where the pass rush is fairly conservative, and setting the edge and keeping contain responsibilities is often the main concern. If you watch what the outside rushers do for the Broncos a lot of times, they're not coming full-steam at the QB. Elvis Dumervil, Robert Ayers, and Darrell Reid are often asked to do more wrestling with O-Linemen than they are asked to run around people.

The Packers play more like the Steelers, where they're speed rushing off the edge. The point I am getting to is that Clay Matthews is a great fit for what the Packers are asking him to do, where Ayers is more of a fit for the Broncos scheme, despite his lack of sacks. Ayers has just missed a lot of sacks, and with better technique, he'll get there. He's doing a lot more than running around people, though.

y. Jermichael Finley is enormously talented, and is really starting to come into his own for the Packers. You can see that Aaron Rodgers is really developing a lot of trust in him.

z. The Packers are really protecting Rodgers a lot better than they were in the early part of the season. I've been very critical of Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher both over the past two years, but they've been an upgrade over the bums they replaced. Tauscher even caught his first NFL pass on Monday night, off a deflection.

aa. Rodgers is really starting to remind me of Rich Gannon in his Raiders years. He's so calm, and he goes to the right place with the ball all the time, with accuracy. He's playing as well as any QB in the NFL this season if you consider what he is doing independently.

ab. Lardarius Webb is so dangerous returning kickoffs. The Ravens, again, found a gem in the Draft

ac. Everybody knows I am a Joe Flacco fan, but he needs to remember never to throw the ball late down the middle. The officials tried to give the Ravens the game with all those late pass interference penalties and Flacco blew the game with his late interceptions.

4. Most regulars know that I am a Florida Gators fan, so I was pretty disappointed in the result of the SEC Championship game. Alabama deserved to win, because they made every play that was available for them to make. Florida made plays with very few of their opportunities, and that's what happens.

Anyway, nobody can deny that that game was a bonanza of future NFL players. I wanted to share some thoughts on about 10 guys who I think could go in the first 2 rounds in April, from the two schools.

a. Carlos Dunlap DE Florida Top 5

Mel Kiper downgraded Dunlap to 14^th on his Big Board after his DUI, but that's not going to mean anything when he compares favorably to Mario Williams in testing and measurements. His college film is better too, and he can play in any type of front. He and Ndamukong Suh will be the first two defensive players drafted.

b. Joe Haden CB Florida Top 10

Haden is by far the best CB in the nation. His play was a lonely bright spot for Florida, as he shut down the extremely talented Julio Jones. Haden is fast, fluid, smart, strong, and he has excellent ball skills. He compares as a prospect to Darrelle Revis.

c. Terrence Cody NT Alabama Top 20

He's not fat anymore, and he's covering a lot more space laterally than he did a year ago. His athleticism really flashes for such a huge man, and his strength is terrific. He punked Florida into not even trying to run their dive series. I'm a big fan of this guy.

d. Brandon Spikes ILB Florida Top 20

Spikes is not an elite athlete, but he's an elite player. He's downhill all the time in the running game, and he strikes guys as hard as any college player you'll ever see. He's also as naturally gifted and instinctive in pass coverage as Ray Lewis, and he's a similar type of emotional leader. What intrigues me most at the NFL level with Spikes is his natural pass-rushing skills. He really can get after a QB. He'll only run a 4.65 or 4.7, but he'll be an every down player, and make a bunch of Pro Bowls, trust me.

e. Rolando McClain ILB Alabama Top 20

McClain is big, fast, and smart. He's a bit less of a playmaker than Spikes, and more of a cerebral guy than an emotional one. He'll be a very good 3-4 ILB for many years in the NFL.

f. Tim Tebow QB Florida Top 25

Scouts don't like him that much, but coaches love him. Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy, and Bill Belichick are all on record as thinking he'll be a big-time QB in the NFL. I am pretty sure the Jaguars are going to take him in the first round if he's on the board. Even Florida Governor Charlie Crist (an FSU guy, actually) was in the media Monday calling for it to happen. There is no doubt in my mind that he can play at the NFL level, despite his divergence from norms. He's the second coming of Donovan McNabb to me.

g. Aaron Hernandez TE Florida First Round

Hernandez is a junior, and he's not a huge or great in-line blocker. He's a tremendously gifted receiver though, as good as any who has been draft-eligible in many years. He is extremely dangerous after the catch, which is rare for a guy his size (6-2, 250.)

h. Javier Arenas CB Alabama Second Round

I really like Arenas as a CB, but I love him as a return man. I think he projects as a solid #2 CB, and a Pro Bowl caliber special teams player. His short, stout build works against him as a CB, but for him as a ball carrier.

i. Riley Cooper WR Florida Second Round

Who? He's the tall white guy who has been wearing #11 the past two years. (He wore #86 the first two, when he was primarily a special teamer.) He's been called the fastest Gator in a 60 yard dash, and as Gary Danielson noted on Saturday, nobody seems to be able to cover him, especially when they try to press him. Cooper had his way with Arenas several times, and he dominated Patrick Robinson from Florida State the week before. He's 6-3, 215 pounds, and very strong, which he puts to use in beating press coverage, and he's a dominant blocker outside. He projects as an outside-the-numbers deep threat type, and special teams ace, and when he runs a 4.35 at the combine, he's going to shoot up boards. The only question is if he'd rather play baseball instead (he's part of the Rangers minor league system already.) I think his future is brighter in football.

j. Jermaine Cunningham DE-OLB Florida Second Round

Cunningham projects as a starter at the NFL level, probably as an OLB in a 30 front. He plays much bigger than his size, and takes on blocks well. He kind of reminds me of Mario Haggan, actually.

k. Mike Johnson G Alabama Second Round

This is the type of guy I'd like to see the Broncos take in the second round. He is a strong and experienced drive blocker.

You can add in a few more Gators too, who seem less likely to declare at this moment, if they do. The Pouncey twins, Mike and Maurkice, project as late first or second round picks as interior offensive linemen, and S Major Wright looks like a second rounder to me.

5. I meant to mention this last week too, and I wanted to make the point. Matt Millen was a terrible general manager, but he is an outstanding in-game color analyst. There is nobody on TV who adds more value to a fan's understanding of what is going on than Millen does.

During the Broncos-Giants game, he pointed out how Kyle Orton was calling out the Mike. The average fan doesn't know what a Mike is, so Millen mentioned that it generally means Middle Linebacker. He also went on to mention that the reason Orton is calling out a Mike is to communicate to the protection that that player is the fifth player to account for. A lot of times it was a defensive back, but Orton was communicating who he thought was the most likely fifth rusher.

After the Monday night game, he was talking about how the Packers have shored up their protection, particularly against the double A-gap blitzing that Baltimore loves to do. It's a little bit hard to separate the man from his art, but you have to. He's outstanding on TV, and should be listened to.

My friend Tony from Norwich sent me this link last week, where the Sporting News rated the best sportscasters. I found it interesting, so I thought I'd share it, since it's germane to this rant. I think they have some total losers on their list, primarily Al Michaels, Verne Lundquist, Dan Fouts, and Mike Patrick. Lundquist is the worst play-by-play man ever, if you ask me.

Just prior to the start of the SEC Championship Debacle, Verne was getting down to business. Paraphrasing, he said, "I don't know what Alabama is doing, but Javier Arenas isn't on the field to return this kick." As number 28 warmed up on the TV screen, waiting for the kick to arrive. I threw my Gator hat across the room, and Tweeted:

He misidentifies players constantly, and gets a lot of rules-related topics wrong too. Gary Danielson is excellent, but Verne is a 9,000 ton anchor dragging him down.

6. I got a reader email which forced to be a little introspective last week, and I need to address something real quick, as a result of it. The reader didn't sign the message, but the crux of it was that he/she felt like I am really full of myself, and that that was "repugnant." (Repugnant was his/her actual word.)

I didn't thnk I would ever need to do this, but I am going to explain the central concept of ST&NO, so there's clarity among us all. The premise of this feature, for which I am sure I have written well over 100,000 words during the past year, is that insightful analysis can be, and should be, combined with humor, personality, and entertaining writing. Every week, that's what I try to bring to the table, and I work hard to make this a coherent, continuous, unified narrative, which everybody can feel like they're part of.

Now, I am definitely not known for false humility. What good does it do to pretend to lack self-awareness, for the comfort of insecure people? I know my work is very good, and if I didn't think it was, I think I'd be an A-clown to spend so much time on it. Everybody who does this has some ego about their work, believe me.

Believe it or not, watching 6 games on a Monday night, and then writing for 6 hours after that, after working all day, can get pretty boring and tiresome. It is work, just like what I do in my office all day. I choose to do this work because you, my readers, reaffirm that you want to read it every week. It's not worth the effort to just do it for myself.

Now, understand that I'm not going to change anything, really. Not being Joe Milquetoast is frankly a subtle part of the humor of ST&NO, and it's a true picture of who I am as a person. I'm not at all meek, and I'm not looking to inherit the Earth, or any other damn thing. I'm here to work hard and personally earn what I get. When I say I am a high-talent, high-work ethic accountant, it's because that is a demonstrable fact. You'll recall that I said it as part of a larger point about football and the media environment. I have thought all week about whether I am inappropriately arrogant, and I really think that the answer is no. I think I land in a reasonable place, really, given the givens. So, I am going to keep writing, I am going to keep doing work that I am proud of, and I am going to do it to add value for you, and for future readers who aren't even aware of ST&NO yet. I humbly thank you all for being my readers and commenters, and that was the type of humility that I do value; the genuine kind.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. Okay, I need to end on a good note, and I am going to bed at 1 AM Cleveland time, on Tuesday morning, so I can think and dream on what that note should be. I'll be back in 5 1/2 hours to finish up, hopefully with a great idea. Ready..... STOP

Okay, I am back. Ready.... BEGIN!!! My alarm wakes me up to the local low-brow morning radio show, Rover's Morning Glory. Through my adventures with the snooze bar, I got to hear a lot of stilted Tiger Woods chatter, because apparently, his wife split, and he had some other blond woman over who left in an ambulance this morning.

He's being an idiot, from the sound of things. I don't know who is advising him; maybe T.O.'s publicist who said he had 25 million reasons to live? Tiger ought to just fess up for everything, like David Letterman. When you're in the mud, you might as well just get everything out there voluntarily, because there's no more incremental damage he could take. If you're Wee-Bey, and you're already going to prison for life for six murders, you might trade copping to a few more for a sandwich. The number ceases to matter, as long as it all comes out now.

Tiger's reputation is fried in this moment, so he might as well say, look, yes, I was out fooling around with a lot of other women. I am not even sure how many, but it was more than several. This is a flaw in my character which I am working hard to overcome. Elin and I appreciate you giving us the benefit of some privacy, as we work through a very hard time in each of our lives. (Then, you quit having women over for awhile, and even if you don't, you make sure none of them leave your house in an ambulance.)

By not deflating the story with an "it was a lot / I have a problem" blanket statement, Tiger is letting each new revelation, by each self-serving former mistress, hurt him individually. Duji, the radio chick, was saying there are 10 who have now been identified. That's really not that many, if you're just a regular guy who is serious about philandering. A very average man could do that in a couple months, pretty easily. If you're Tiger Woods, you could have 10 in about 3 days.

Remember the haters? Well, a lot of people love to hate Tiger. He's there with Roger Federer, Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, and Jeff Gordon in that way, as guys who are so talented, and so polished that relatively untalented and unpolished people are apt to hate them. (Gordon ought to have a Gillette commercial, too. I bet they figure people who like Gordon already use good shaving equipment.) It's really an ugly trait, to root for the failure of the most talented people, but a lot of people do it. Let's drag everybody down to our own level.

Tiger needs to go on Oprah or Letterman (probably Letterman is better, given the circumstances.) If he gets all the way clean, and then disappears off the public radar for a few months, this can be stopped pretty effectively. The TMZ's and their ilk will still try to keep it going, but it will fade pretty quickly when there is no new news. Letterman already isn't being actively cast as a philanderer. Tiger can come back in the spring, with a pre-packaged narrative about how these trying times have caused him to re-invest himself in his golf game, win a few tournaments (people will perceive him to have slipped, even though he was recently playing fine), and turn this into a redemption story. Americans love redemption stories, after all.

That's all I have for this week, friends. Have a great one, and as always, tell me what you think in the comments. ST&NO may be ending for now, but the discussion is just beginning.

Where the Arizona Cardinals Stand in the NFC Pro Bowl Balloting (Part II)

Hawkwind — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:40:18 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner offers a signed football or full sized helmet to anyone and everyone who votes for him to go to the Pro Bowl so GO VOTE!! (AP Photo/Matt York)

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The NFL has released it's second update (check out the first one here) on the fan voting for the Pro Bowl and the Arizona Cardinals still have quite a few guys in the top five at their respective positions. As we all know the fans don't get the final say, in fact their input accounts for just a third of the overall process, but it's nice way to judge the popularity of players on a national level. We've started a segment here campaigning for some deserving Cardinals (check out Dockett's, Warner's Fitz's and Graham's story) and we've got more to come but for now we all need to go vote, early and often.

Larry Fitzgerald and Adrian Wilson: Nothing's changed with these two guys as they both lead their respective positions and Fitz is still among the top five overall vote-getters. Both Fitz and A-dub seem like a lock to represent the NFC as starters again this season.
Antrel Rolle: Rolle actually dropped a place to third among NFC free safeties.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: DRC still sits fourth among NFC cornerbacks.
Darnell Dockett: Nine-0 remains unchanged, at fourth, despite racking up six sacks and 15 tackles in the past four games.
Kurt Warner: Ole Grey Beard moved into the top five and currently sits at fourth overall.
Ben Graham: The Aussie punter is finally getting some recognition as he's moved into fifth overall among his NFC counterparts.

It still seems like Anquan Boldin and Karlos Dansby have the chance or at least ability to make some headway in the voting but neither rank in the top five at their position so far. LaRod Stephen-Howling is also starting to get some recognition among NFC special teamers, but it should be noted that rookies are rarely rewarded at this position.

If you're looking for something to brag about to any fans of NFC West teams, the Cardinals have seven players who rank among the top five at their postions while the 49ers have three (Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Patrick Willis), the Rams have just one (Steven Jackson) and the Seahawks have a big, fat goose egg. Don't get too cocky though because this weeks opponent, the Vikings, have 23!

Grading the Defense: Arizona Cardinals vs. St Louis Rams

Hawkwind — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:08:47 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Curry - AP

Rams QB Marc Bulger is pulled down by Arizona Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle as Calais Campbell looks on during the first quarter. (AP Photo/Jeff Curry)

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The Arizona Cardinals defense continues to impress, under new coordinator Bill Davis, and on Sunday they limited the St. Louis Rams to just 13 points and dominated for most of the game despite missing multiple starters. Granted the Rams aren't exactly an offensive juggernaut but the Cardinals' "bend but don't break" game plan is starting to work very well. After this week the defense ranks just 21st in yards per game but a very respectable (and remarkably improved) 11th in points per game.

A couple of quick stats before we get into the defensive breakdown:

Two of the Rams' scoring drives, accounting for ten points, started in Cardinals territory thanks to turnovers from the offense.
The Rams had four four-and-out drives and seven drives that accounted for 30 yards or less.

Run Defense: The box score say Steven Jackson racked up 116 yards on 24 carries (4.8 ypc) so we certainly can't give the defense a big "atta-boy" but overall the run defense was better than the overall numbers would suggest. Although they didn't stop a single run behind the line of scrimmage, almost half of Jackson's yards came on one big 48 yard scamper meaning outside of that run he averaged 3.0 yards per carry. The run defense was also very stout in short yardage situations stopping the Rams on three out of four times in third or fourth-and-one opportunities. Karlos Dansby led the way with nine tackles and the return of Gerald Hayes had a significant impact as well.

Pass Defense: The secondary lost Bryant McFadden relatively early in the game but still did a good job of causing Marc Bulger all kind of trouble. He completed just 51.4% of his passes and his yards per attempt (5.8) and QB rating (57.8) were both below his season averages. With McFadden on the sidelines, the Rams picked on his replacement, Micheal Adams, a bit but the defense were still able to lower their yards per game average. Adrian Wilson also forced the only Rams turnover when he picked off Bulger in the second quarter.

Pass Rush: The Cardinals continue to get to the quarterback using a pass rush by committee approach with Will Davis, Darnell Dockett and Antrel Rolle getting into the mix this week. No player on the team has reached five sacks yet but eight different defenders have recorded multiple sacks and twelve different players in all have taken down a QB at least once this season. Bill Davis continues to use his pieces well and his defense does a good of getting to the quarterback without having to bring heavy blitzes. The Cardinals currently rank 6th in team sacks with 28.

Honor Roll:

Gabe Watson: Watson still hasn't regained the starting nose tackle job but it seems like he might be getting more and more snaps as the season progresses and he played well in this game. He made four solo tackles and Jackson ran for a grand total of three yards on those plays, including two that went for no gain.

Antrel Rolle: Rolle continues to play well and he logged the first sack of Bulger (although the NFL hasn't assigned the sack to him yet). Rushing the passer isn't Rolle's forte but he's athletic enough to create havoc once he gets into the backfield. Five tackles isn't a big game for Rolle but he's a big reason why the Rams weren't able to score a big play in the passing game.

Adrian Wilson: I know A-dub could be on this list every week but after picking off another pass for the second week in a row, I just couldn't leave him off. While he hasn't blitzed as much this season, Wilson is just one interception from matching his career high of four.

Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell: This defensive end duo continues to create a great deal of havoc. Nine-0 has logged a sack in three consecutive games and forced his first fumble of the season on the Rams final offensive play. Not much is expected, stat-wise, from defensive ends in a 3-4 defense but this duo continues to shoulder their fair share of the workload.

Michael Adams: Adams filled in for McFadden once he went down and it was pretty clear that Bulger and company were going to pick on him early and often. At times Adams struggled in coverage but Adams showed the tenacity and grit that earned him a roster spot. He's fearless run supporter and in time may develop into a decent nickel corner.

------------------------------------------------------------------

All in all the defense logged another game where they gave their offense every opportunity to win the game. The yardage totals continue to look high but as long as they're keeping teams out of the endzone, we can't complain too much. Thoughts?

Poll

How would you grade the Cardinals defensive effort on Sunday?

A

34 votes

B

155 votes

C

51 votes

D

4 votes

F

2 votes

246 votes | Poll has closed

The Saturday Sim: Cardinals-Rams

Andrew602 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:23:04 -0000

Doh!

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We're at another Saturday Sim, in a simulation between the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams, and let me tell you, pay attention to this one. It was a very close game and the Cardinals had their way of disappointing here. I couldn't post last week guys because I didn't have time. It takes some time out of your Friday night to watch a fake football game ; ). Anyways, before I break down the simulation, for those of you who aren't familiar with this, I simulate a game between the Cardinals and their opponent for that given week on the popular game known as Madden. I set it for All Madden difficulty, 8 minute quarters, with a 15 second run off. Then I post the results here. Let's see how the game went.

First Quarter

-The Rams receive the ball and begin running. On the second run of the game, Adrian Wilson forces a fumble and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie scoops it up to return it 42 yards for the touchdown. Cardinals lead 7-0.

- The Rams run more but eventually punt to the Cardinals. The Cards offense struggles to start the quarter and face several three and outs. The Rams march down the field with Steven Jackson leading the way. The Cardinals can't stop the run. At the 1 yard line, Samkon Gado runs in the touchdown to tie the game at 7. Key holding penalties on Mike Gandy and Levi Brown end several drives for the Cardinals. Game tied 7-7.

Second Quarter

- The Rams start the second quarter by bringing a lot of pressure, and the Cardinals are forced to punt. On the Rams next drive, they keep the running game going, but are stopped and settle for a 56 yard field goal. Rams lead 10-7.

- The Cardinals are stopped on their next drive because of another holding call, which is hurting them at this point. The Rams get the ball back and are setting up the pass by running. The Cardinals sniff out several runs and the Rams settle for another field goal. 13-7 Rams lead.

- The Cardinals get the ball back with under 2 minutes remaining in the half. They run the hurry up, and Anquan Boldin catches a big sideline pass that takes them down to the 6 yard line. Early Doucet and Jason Wright drop two passes in the end zone and the Cardinals settle for a field goal. Rams lead 13-10 at end of half.

Third Quarter

-The Cardinals get the ball at the half and immediately start passing a lot. Steve Breaston is getting a lot of looks on the drive but Anquan catches a big 36 yard pass that takes the Cardinals into the red zone. Beanie Wells carries a defender 5 yards on his back, something I've never seen before in Madden!! Reggie Wells gets called for the hold which pushes them back and the Cardinals settle for a field goal. Game tied 13-13.

- The Cardinals stop the Rams next few drives by stacking the box to stopping Steven Jackson. Clark Haggans is having a good day, registering 7 tackles all on Jackson. The Cardinals stall on the final drive of the quarter and punt to the Rams.

Fourth Quarter

- The fourth quarter is the same, as the Cardinals continue to stop the run. When the Rams are forced to pass, Adrian Wilson picks off Marc Bulger. The Cardinals can't take advantage of the turnover, and Ben Graham booms a punt to the Rams 4 yard line. The Rams get away from their goal line, but Bulger throws another pick, this time to Karlos Dansby. In the red zone, Beanie Wells second effort pays off and he runs the ball in 5 yards. Cardinals lead 20-13.

- Here's where the game goes down hill with less then two minutes left. The Cardinals stop the Rams who punt back to the Cards. The Cardinals try to run the clock out, but go nowhere. Beanie Wells fumbles, but recovers the ball himself. Wright gets a carry, who doesn't get the first down, but a face mask on the Rams gives the Cardinals the first down. Game over right? No. Wells gets the ball again and fumbles again!! The Rams recover with 46 seconds left. Jackson catches a wide open pass and takes it to the Cards 10 yard line. The Cardinals force a 4th and inches, and the Rams pass the ball!! Samkon Gado is wide open and runs it in for the touchdown!! Game tied 20-20.

- The Cardinals get the ball back with 26 second left. Warner finds Breaston for 20 yards, then Anthony Becht wide open over the middle another 23 yards. The Cardinals call timeout at the rams 28 yard line. The Cardinals go for the win but Rackers hits off the upright!! Overtime. Game tied 20-20.

Overtime

- The Cardinals get the ball and march down into Rams territory. And just like before, Beanie Wells fumbles the ball away! Ken Whisenhunt is screaming on the sideline and why shouldn't he be? Put in Tim Hightower! The Rams get into Cards territory, but are stopped. The Rams go for the win which would be a 59 yard field goal. It has the distance, but hits the upright!! Cards ball.

- The Cardinals don't run this time, throwing to Larry Fitzgerald for 2 key first downs. In Rams territory, they are stopped and go for a long field goal. What a surprise, wide right!!! The Rams get the ball and get back into Cards territory. Going for the stop, in Cardinal-fashion, Mike Karney is wide open and streaks down the field for a 40 yard touchdown with Antrel Rolle chasing him. Rams win the game 26-20. Wow.

The Stats

	Cardinals	Rams
Total	308	290
Pass	265	207
Rush	53	83
Turnovers	2	3
Third Down	4-12(33%)	3-10(30%)
TOP	23:18	17:44

	comp/att	Yards	TD	INT	Rate
Warner	24/34(70%)	261	0	0	92.9
Bulger	14/22(63%)	207	2	2	86.7

	Att	Yards	Avg	TD/Fumble
Wells	18	50	2.7	1/3
Jackson	26	85	3.2	0/1

	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Fitzgerald	4	49	12.2	0
Boldin	4	65	16.2	0
Breaston	4	58	14.5	0
McMichael	5	43	8.6	0
Jackson	2	53	26.5	0
Karney	1	40	40.0	1

Final Thought -

It had to be the craziest game I've ever watched on Madden and if this happens in real life, I'll likely end up in the hospital. The Cardinals made the comeback in the second half and had the game locked up. Beanie Wells 3 fumbles killed the game, along with Neil Rackers inability to kick a game-winner. The Cardinals also finished with 8 penalties for 85 yards. I doubt this will happen on Sunday but it's interesting that Madden made it a very close game. What are your thoughts on the sim?

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams: 5 Keys to Success

Andrew602 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:08:13 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

Having linebacker Gerald Hayes back from injury will be key for the Cardinals run defense to contain Steven Jackson.

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When the Arizona Cardinals take the field at the Edward Jones Dome to face the division rival St. Louis Rams, a 6-3 record and the possibility of going 3-1 in the division will be on the line. After nearly blowing another home game to the lowly Seattle Seahawks last week, the Cardinals know that they can't take any opponent for granted, no matter how bad their season has been. So far this year, the Cardinals haven't fell asleep on the road, starting 4-0. Let's take a look at the keys to the game.

1. Slow Steven Jackson: We all know that the Rams best player is running back Steven Jackson. He's currently third in the NFL with 915 rushing yards and has played even better the last few weeks. The one area the Cardinals have struggled at the last 3 weeks has been defending the run. They allowed a whopping 270 rushing yards to the Panthers, and 140 yards to the Seahawks - however, both games were at home. One important stat to take notice of, is that Jackson has only 2 rushing touchdowns on the year. He may get his usual yardage, but if the Cardinals can keep him out of the end zone they'll have a better chance of winning the game.

2. Get rid of them penalties!: The Cardinals committed 11 penalties against the Seahawks last week, for 136 yards, which was 12.3 yards per penalty. As we all know, penalties are drive-killers/momentum-killers. Ken Whisenhunt was on top of his team midway through last season, as the team cut down on committing them. This season is different, and the Cardinals will need to play smarter on Sunday, and for the remainder of the season.

3. Go for the kill: It may sound cliche, but the Cardinals typically keep games a lot closer then they should. Facing a team like the Rams is like corning an animal in desperation - they'll do anything they can to stay alive. The Cardinals need to keep their foot on the neck(not the elbow) and not let the Rams back into this game. And as a note for Ken Whisenhunt, please don't put Matt Leinart in unless the game is completely out of reach.

4. Solid play from secondary: The defensive backs have each had their issues this year, whether it be DRC early in the season, Wilson against Greg Olsen, or Bryant McFadden last week. On Sunday, they need to establish some consistency and not give up the big play. The Rams could use the same game plan the Seahawks used, and attack McFadden. He'll need to get back to what he does best, which is being a physical corner, and know where the ball is at all times. The Rams have burners at receiver, so the Cardinals must be ready.

5. Balance on offense: In the last two wins the Cardinals have relied heavily on their offense to win the games. Part of that has been possible because of the new found rushing attack. They've had over 100 yards rushing two straight games for the first time this year. The name "wear and tear", given to Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower by linebacker Clark Haggans has some meaning. Hightower opens the game and wears out the defense with his relentlessness, pass blocking, and receiving, while Wells comes in the game to tear through the defense as he did last week. With a running game in tact, the Cardinals can air it out to their receivers much more effectively.

If the Cardinals can make these keys to the game possible, they should win on Sunday against a weaker Rams squad. Winning Sunday will also keep them further away from the San Francisco 49ers, who play on the road as well against the Green Bay Packers. What are your keys to the game and why?

Arizona Cardinals Fly Around the NFC West: Roster Move Addition

Hawkwind — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:56:31 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

about 1 month ago: St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, left, is congratulated by linebackers coach Paul Ferraro after beating the Detroit Lions 17-10 in an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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The Arizona Cardinals weren't the only team in the NFC West that made some roster moves this week, but even mid-season roster moves aren't the lead story this week. First it's worth mentioning that the Cardinals will make one more roster move in the upcoming couple of days because the Bengals have signed fullback Fui Vakanpuna off the Cardinals practice squad. It'll be interesting to see who the Cardinals sign to fill the vacant practice squad spot.

St. Louis Rams: Normally we list the teams in order of division standings but when a team breaks a 17 game losing streak, they deserve some recognition. It had literally been 378 days since the Rams last won a regular season game and Steven Jackson (149 yards rushing) did most of the heavy lifting against the equally hapless Lions. Despite the win the Rams still have major questions at quarterback and some are starting to think that Marc Bulger's career is very near the end. One bright spot, outside of Jackson of course, is the development of the offensive line though, especially first round pick Jason Smith. The Rams also made a roster move, releasing wide receiver Tim Carter and signing cornerback Danny Gorrer.

San Francisco 49ers: The Niners lost a game to the Colts that was closer than just about everyone expected (18-14) but the Niners aren't waving the "moral victory" flag either. Not only does this loss push their current losing streak to three but they also lost three significant starters during the game. Joe Staley (MCL and PCL strain) is expected to miss six weeks, Nate Clements (fractured scapula) is expected to miss six to eight weeks and Demetric Evans (AC sprain) is expected to miss at least three weeks. These injuries forced the Niners to make a couple of moves, signing cornerback Keith Smith (formerly of the Lions) and releasing seldom used wide receiver Michael Spurlock. Their also expected to make at least one more roster move (possibly pulling up an OT from their practice squad). Considering that Sunday's game was Alex Smith's first start since 2007, here's also a complete breakdown of his peformance and Niner's fans have also determined that the NFC West will come down to a dog fight (we can still say "dog fight" right?) between their team and the Cards.

Seattle Seahawks: Following thier second consecutive lopsided loss, which dropped them to 2-5, the Seahawks seem to be cleaining house. In the past two days they've made nine roster moves including the release of veteran running back Edgerrin James. Also included in the released/cut department include Travis Fisher and C.J. Wallace. New to the 53 man roster will be Mike Hass (WR), Roy Lewis (CB) and Jamar Adams (S), all of whom were on their practice squad. Filling thier now vacant practice squad spots will be Trae Williams (CB), DeAngelo Willingham (CB) and Devin Moore (RB). Needless to say roster cleaning like this is indicative of a team that has given up on any hopes of competing this season and moving on with the hopes of allowing younger players to grow during the remaining nine games. One interesting thought is that some Hawks fans are wondering if it's time to pass the torch from Matt Hasselbeck to Seneca Wallace (part I and II). Needless to say we're watching the demise of the Hawks and it could turn into quite a show over the next couple of seasons.

NFC West Standings

	W	L	PF	PA
Arizona	4	3	157	143
San Francisco	3	4	147	140
Seattle	2	5	135	147
St. Louis	1	7	77	221

(updated 11.3.2009 at 3:44 AM CST)

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Now With 33% Less Negativity!

Sugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:00:35 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Is Albert Haynesworth capable of rallying a team to fight their hardest despite the circus going on all around them? If not, then who?

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As I watched the Monday Night Football game last night, I was thinking, "I could totally live with just having to deal with a team that was slightly underachieving but had some hope for the future." Instead, we get the added debacle of our current ownership and management mess. But I'll save thinking and writing about that for tomorrow. Today, my thoughts are squarely on last season's anomaly--that is, starting 6-2 and finishing 2-6. Watching that first half of the season, you would have been hard-pressed to find someone--anyone--that would have picked the Redskins to miss the playoffs. The losses to teams like Pittsburgh and the Giants notwithstanding, the team had a very real chance to get the wins necessary to make the postseason. But the free falling Skins could not save themselves.

Is it possible that we have a team that can reverse its 2-5 start? Not probable, but possible, yes. No team has a tougher schedule in November than the Redskins. Our opponents combine for a .750 winning percentage. Going on the road this week in Atlanta will be very tough, especially with those guys coming off a loss to their division rivals.

Assuming that the coaches can solidify the offense from an X's and O's perspective, the only thing that can turn the Redskins around is if they adopt an attitude that they are capable of winning every game they have left on the schedule. This plus the kind of "bunker mentality" that "nobody is giving us a chance" is how teams band together and fight just hard enough to beat teams they might not otherwise be capable of defeating.

The problem with this theory is that teams that adopt that kind of attitude usually do it in the process of rallying around someone or something. Coach Zorn could be that person to rally around, but he has been so publicly castrated that you almost feel like rallying around him is the same as dancing on the deck of the Titanic. Players have been shown clearly who is in charge, even if that authority is ripping the franchise apart. Chris Samuels would always take it upon himself to make sure guys played with pride and professionalism no matter what the record. His leadership is at least somewhat diminished now that he is no longer wearing pads. Who is going to step up and assume the role of rallying the troops? London Fletcher? Greg Blache? Jason Campbell seems to always have his glad game on, so maybe he is the guy that keeps the players focused on the season. I look forward to your comments on this one.

Ten Yard Fight - 10 Chances To Make One Good Point

1) I hope all you mediocre fantasy teams out there capitalized this week on the bye weeks of Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, Big Ben, Randy Moss, and even guys like Cedric Benson, Matt Cassel, and the Steelers defense. I did and it was great, until I realized that all of the teams I beat (in a cumulative scoring system) had studs on the bench. I'll take it, but it is yet another reminder that my team is woefully undermanned coming down the stretch.

2) In the Jets-Dolphins game, the high passer was Mark Sanchez with 265 yards, the high rusher was Thomas Jones with 102 yards, and the high receiver was Dustin Keller with 76 yards. Chad Henne threw for a paltry 112 yards, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown each had 27 yards rushing, and Williams led all Dolphin receivers with 41 yards. Final score Dolphins 30, Jets 25...huh?

3) It was good to see the Rams get their first win of the season...against someone besides the Redskins. Although by the associative property of scheduling (or is it transitive?), their win against a team that beat the Redskins means they are...wait, it just means we're all in the same crappy neighborhood. If you want an example of a guy who is playing as if his team is undefeated and every game is a playoff game, look no farther than Steven Jackson.

4) I realize that Calvin Johnson is hurt, but you simply HAVE to let Matthew Stafford go deep more often if you're calling plays in Detroit. That guy has a cannon for an arm and he actually has great touch on his deep balls. I predict that next year, the combination of Stafford, Johnson, and Kevin Smith will be one of the most potent offensive threats in the league. (I bet they draft an offensive lineman to help that come true...Vinny...Vinny?)

5) Speaking of playing with pride, the game nobody outside of Tennessee and Jacksonville featured two runners that blew up for exciting play after exciting play. Chris Johnson busted out for 228 yards and Maurice Jones-Drew had 177 yards. MJD had a staggering 22.5 yards per carry on 8 carries! I was a little concerned for Chris Johnson with Vince Young starting for the first time this season, but it all seemed to go okay, huh? Looking ahead, I see Vince Young enhancing the rushing the attack of the Titans. They will turn his arm loose on a few more deep throws I imagine, and between him, Johnson and LenDale White, they should be able to keep the ball moving on the ground nicely.

6) In my fantasy column I write for SB Nation, I urged Kyle Orton, Knowshon Moreno and Tony Scheffler owners to start somebody else this week. My thought was that the Ravens defense, coming off of a bye, playing at home, and trying to save some face after giving it up in recent weeks were not to be messed with in any fantasy format. Well, I got one right.

7) I saw something crazy on the television when I was watching the various games this weekend. Fans in the stands were holding these weird things in their hands that had words and messages written on them. All different kinds. They were holding them up and waving them around. Made me think back to a time when you saw that here in D.C. I think it was earlier this season...no wait, I forgot, the rule against signs here has been around forever. (Serenity now!)

8) This Sunday night, NBC is giving us yet another NFC East matchup: Dallas vs. Philadelphia. I guess I'll get to watch The Simspons and Family Guylive that night. It kills me because I love watching football on Sunday night. It's quiet in my house, I can actually pay attention, and I can relax and just sink into a game. I can think of no matchup I would prefer less than this one. Will it be a good game? Probably. Will I flick over to it a million times over the course of the night? Of course I will. But the screen will be filled all night with that which makes me vomit. At least if we beat Atlanta, one of the announcers might throw in an ill-advised, "And with the Redskins beating the Falcons earlier today, the NFC East race could really tighten up here in the coming weeks."

9) Game #1 I am looking forward to this weekend (besides the Skins game of course): Cincinnati hosting Baltimore. I picked Cincy to win that division and a win at home over the Ravens on Sunday would really put them in the driver's seat (they already beat the Ravens on the road and the Steelers at home.) I will be interested to see how the Bengals move the ball after what the Ravens did to the Broncos. Carson Palmer is a step up from Kyle Orton, and his receivers are probably better across the board as well. If Cedric Benson can get a few hard first downs on the ground, the Bengals should be able to move the ball well enough to score. I think Flacco is officially in a bit of a rut. I won't call it a sophomore slump because he is still playing relatively well. Either way, defensive coordinators are figuring out ways to contain him.

10) Game #2 I am looking forward to this weekend: Detroit at Seattle. Just kidding. The Monday Night game next week between the Steelers and the Broncos at Invesco Field (Mile High) is going to be a great game. I can just feel it. Josh McDaniels is already working to make sure his team doesn't begin a free fall. Who knows better than Redskins fans how six wins in the first half of the season can turn into a slide all the way to 8-8? The Steelers are coming off a bye and they need this conference win, since winning their division is going to be dicey. This will be a great Monday Night game.

I'm going to toy with predictions in this column and see where it takes me. We'll keep a running tally of how good or awful I am at picking games. I'll pick winners, but I will only pick games where both teams are .500 or better (unless you want to see me pick the Packers over the Bucs and claim how smart I am.)

Patriots over Dolphins

Cardinals over Bears

Giants over Chargers

Broncos over Steelers on MNF in OT

We'll start with those four picks. See you next week.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 11/2

NJ Chiefs Fan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:51:38 -0000

via cdn2.sbnation.com

Evidently there is some new formating on SB Nation today. Hope this is readable.

"I’m ready to go, whatever they give me," Charles said. "I’ll go out there and try to make plays for the team.

"I’m a running back. I know how to run the ball. Whatever running plays they give me, I’ll be able to do them."

Haley’s actions would indicate he’s not as certain about Charles as a runner. Haley hasn’t been afraid to try different players when a certain part of the Chiefs isn’t working properly.

The running game certainly qualifies. Johnson is averaging only 2.7 yards per carry and doesn’t have a touchdown, yet the running game has stayed mostly as his domain.

Chiefs will give Charles a chance to run against Jacksonville from KC Star

This is the first time in Hoffman’s 21-year NFL coaching career where he’s handled the entire special teams package. Up to this season, during 17 years in Dallas, one in Atlanta and two with Miami, Hoffman’s duties involved only the punter and kicker. He did not handle the other 10 players on each kick.

But Haley has given him the chance to do it all. How much fun has it been?

"I don’t know if I’d say fun," Hoffman said with a weary smile. "It’s been a lot of work. I just feel a tremendous responsibility o do well. It’s just mind boggling how many things you have to think of to cover all the bases, from a roster standpoint, making sure you know who is going to make the team and who is going to be active on Sundays.

Making It Special … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs from Bob Gretz

McGraw’s injury, which the Chiefs haven’t specified, doesn’t appear as serious as Page’s. But he could also miss the Jaguars game. McGraw didn’t practice Monday, but he was riding a stationary bicycle in a corner of the practice field in the area reserved for injured players.

The injuries leave the Chiefs in a bind. Their only other safeties are Mike Brown and DaJuan Morgan. The Chiefs will likely have at least one more safety on their roster by Wednesday, when they resume practice after today’s day off.

The Chiefs have an open roster spot because of the suspension of running back Larry Johnson.

Chiefs safeties Page, McGraw may miss Jacksonville game from KC Star

But a team that ranks 31st in offense and 27th in defense has to throw a changeup at some point, right? Surely Scott Pioli and Todd Haley, desperately needing to convince legions of potential season ticket-holders that they know what they’re doing, won’t stand pat as we begin the season’s second half.

Nah, they couldn’t possibly do that. Here’s five changes we hope to see in the coming weeks – hopefully starting as soon as this Sunday in Jacksonville.

Will the Chiefs Change? from WPI

Now the Rams must escape the league cellar by riding Jackson to additional victories during the second half.

Here are some teams the Rams could pass during their final eight weeks...

...Kansas City Chiefs: Their sole victory came against the hapless Redskins. The Chiefs (1-6) used their bye week to address the Larry Johnson situation, suspending him for a game for misconduct.

The Chiefs put up with Johnson’s antics when he was a dominant running back, but this season he is averaging just 2.7 yards per carry. He is the anti-Steven Jackson right now, setting the worst possible example for his teammates.

N FL's worst? It's not the Rams from St Louis Today

Player Tweets

almighty31 gotta get to work. wat shall i do now tho?

studie32 douggie is stayin in kc tonight!

Media and Fans

kb_kcstar Interesting. The Browns have fired first-year general manager George Kokinis. Remember, Cleveland was interested in Scott Pioli for that job

KSUpurple: Is there a worse sports town than Kansas City, the Royals are the permanent rebuilding team and the Chiefs...3 wins in a season and a half!

BrejanaeFTL186: Seriously Chiefs, when will we see some football like this Saints-Falcons game? I want interceptions, sacks, touchdowns. The whole nine yds.

bemonteer: I repeat, if Larry Johnson carries the ball again, EVER for the Chiefs, im done. I love this team, gave them my heart and soul.

vigliaturo: Man. I miss watching TGonz play every Sunday for the chiefs.

Random Musings Of The King

KingRichard — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:59:59 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

2 months ago: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, center, is hit by Indianapolis Colts' Jerraud Powers and Jordan Senn (51) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

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Over the past months that I've been a "writer", I noticed that I have this innate ability to go on tangents about random things. Many of my friends have seen this first hand when I've tossed back a few alcoholic beverages. But more importantly, I find it more eventful to rant on about football related topics. I did this a few times at that dump of a site I used to write for so I figured, hell, why not try it out over at Stampede Blue you know? At least this time someone will actually be reading it. (self-zing!)

It sounded like a good idea anyways, but let's find out. And away we go!

1) On the Titans' woeful season. (lmao)

So I'm sure most of you have heard the news that the Titans are going to be starting Vince Young again. An interesting point I keep seeing from Titans fans, which is nothing more than a homeristic justification to keep supporting their horrible team, is that they want Vince Young to see "what he can do."

Think about that for a second.

They want to start a quarterback who is nuttier than squirrel turds, who basically quit on his team last year because he was being RIGHTFULLY booed in his home stadium for poor play, in hopes that he can somehow salvage their 0-6 season? Really now. That's fascinating.

Well I hate to break it to you Titans fans but, it's just not going to happen. Yes I understand I'm not saying anything new here. I don't think there's a Colts fan who ever believed Vince Young would be a good let alone great quarterback, admittedly anyways.

I totally understand what Titans fans are doing. They are trying to cope with the fact that the season is basically lost but starting Vince Young is like hoping a bandaid will stop internal bleeding. First off, it doesn't make any sense. Secondly, it's just dumb. And considering I haven't had to deal with supporting a horrible team since the 90's (well just two seasons ago if you count the Fins which I do depending on the alignment of the stars on that given day), I've all but forgotten what it's like to be in that position. What I do know is that trying to convince yourself that Vince Young brings some ray of light or glimmer of hope in the Titans present or near future is just...words cannot describe how dumb that is.

Not that long ago, I think it was after the Colts beat the Titans, all of the Titans fans over at Music City Miracles were discussing how they'd fix the organization. After the jump you can read my opinion.

I actually think the Titans’ offense could be pretty dynamic if they just had a good QB. It’s time the Titans’ FO faced the facts part ways with VY, keep Collins as a backup and draft a QB in the first round this offseason.

The entire defense needs retooled as well. KVB is an adequate pass rusher and I’ve always liked Kearse because he’s a UF alumni, but they’re over the hill and intensity doesn’t necessarily make up for lack of athleticism.

Bulluck has already stated he doesn’t think he’s going to return to the team next season, and with that attitude I’d let his ass walk. Go young in the draft, don’t try to settle on trades or free agents.

Obviously the biggest weakness of this team is the secondary. This is where choosing the right head coach comes into play.

There are two people in my mind giving the Titans two different avenues to take in improving their team. The question is, do you want the defense to improve? Or do you want the offense to become elite? If Bud fires Fisher at the end of the season hiring Leslie Frazier as the HC would instantly make that defense better. Frazier was the secondary coach for the Colts back in 2005-2006 and current DC For the Vikings. The guy knows what he is doing and someone needs to give him a shot.

Now, if you want your offense to be more consistent and want a good teacher to mold a young QB, Mike Shanahan is your guy. The guy knows his shit when it comes to running offenses and this is no-brainer to me.

However, the Colts fan in my hopes Bud Adams keeps Fisher around so the Titans can suck for a few more years.

I'm not going to lie, I think those are pretty good ideas.

2) What's with all of the Cardinals ball washing all of the sudden?

Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that the Colts depantsed these wanabes? The Cardinals didn't look like they deserved to be on the same field as the Colts, but now that they have a few wins under their belt they're all of the sudden the "Cardinals of old," whatever that's supposed to mean.

I'll admit that I had them ranked in my top 5 as far as preseason power rankings go, which was merely out of respect for being the NFC Champs. Just like I said about the Steelers, once they lost, they're automatically dethroned in my opinion.

There's no doubt that they'll win their division, still arguably one of the worst in the league. It will be fun watching these guys get trounced in the playoffs.

3) Colts related: Addai hasn't played bad this season, but he hasn't played good either.

I don't care what you or your fairweather, Bob Kravitz reading neighbor thinks; Addai doesn't deserve to be the starting running back of this team.

Sheesh, if there were ever a GLARING weakness on this team it's #29. I actually think I figured out the reason for his suckage. You see, a few years back my friends and I were playing a friendly game of poker (with money). While we were playing, my girlfriend caught a glimpse of this numbnut swapping out chips for everyone else and palming larger chips for himself, otherwise known as cheating. Long story short, I saw a picture of this moob on Facebook wearing an Addai jersey and a light went off in my head. I finally figured it out. This douchknocker totally jinxed Addai's entire career. All these years of painstaking contemplation; why does Addai suck so bad? What could possible be the cause of such horrible running of the football? Well mystery solved my friends. I say we go hunt this guy down with torches and pitchforks, and once we find him we will yell very mean things at him hoping that we will burn his jersey and the curse will be forever lifted. It could work...maybe.

With that said, I think it's about time that the people who are praying Addai busts out a 150 yard game to face the reality that it ain't gonna happen and that Addai just isn't that good. He wasn't drafted to be a poor man's Reggie Bush, because if that's what you want him to be then I say we make a deal with the Saints right now. Because I'd rather have the real Reggie. You know, the guy who apparently peed on Kim Kardashian, the one and only.

I know a couple of you have said that you wouldn't mind Addai taking on the role of a third down back like a Kevin Faulk-esque role in the Colts offense. Honestly, I think that would be great if Addai could run the ball like Faulk.

Get well soon Brown, lord knows we need you.

4) The Steelers are back! (not really)

The ol' smashmouth, beat 'em with your hard-nosed defense Steelers team from the 70's are back I say! Roid-ragers and all!

Yeah, how 'bout no Scott.

I refuse to be one of the suckers lured into that trap. The Steelers are THE most overrated team in the league right now, even moreso than the 19-0 Saints. There's no way you're going to convince me that the Steelers should be 4-2 right now, not after the Vikings gave them their latest win. Way to go Chester Taylor, LEARN HOW TO CATCH THE BALL, DICK.

I just hope the Bengals don't choke down the road and give them the division again.

5) Jay Cutler is overrated.

Fact.

I wish I could find my old post stating that I think Chicago was totally hosed in that Cutler for Orton-and-20-1st round-picks trade before the season started. I don't remember who it was that was arguing with me (probably shake) about how I thought Orton was a pretty good quarterback. Well I think we know who won that argument.

The Broncos are in such a better position right now it's not even funny. Well it's a little funny.

What's the over-under on seasons Lovie Smith will be the HC for the Bears?

6) I rule at fantasy football.

Except for that one team of mine that's in last place. I have two 1st place teams, one 2nd place, and a last. Explain that one to me. Oh well, can't win 'em all right? On a side note, I enjoy running up the score on these suckers!

7) I feel bad for Steven Jackson.

This guy has more talent and ability than his entire team combined, excluding the rookies. If he wasn't so injury prone and wasn't on such a bad team he would be competing with Peterson year in and out for the rushing title. I find it almost a travesty that players like this get stuck on horrible teams and pretty much just waste years of their football career doing nothing.

I could probably talk all day long about players who deserve better, but I guess I just happened to think of Jackson first because we slaughtered his team last week. I wonder what the Rams would want for him. Hmmm.

8) If you value longevity in the NFL and your well-being, don't play for the Seahawks.

What the hell are they putting in that water up in that piece? It seems like every player who steps out on the field for that organization tears an ACL, breaks some ribs, or is just constantly nagged by injuries.

The Seahawk's latest victim is their only talented player on defense and bearer of the weirdest name in all of football: Lofa Tatupu. Haha, it just sounds funny. His name is Lofa. Lofa. LOOOOFAAAAAA.

9) So I guess Cedric Benson doesn't suck after all.

What has gotten into that Cedric Benson? He's the leading rusher in the league right now and a fastasy favorite. Where did this surge of uberness come from Mr. Benson? Is this all just pent up rage that you were not allowed to unleash on your foes while you were in Chicago because they were blackballing you? Oh wait, I forgot that the Bears organization didn't force you to get arrested numerous times, fake injuries, or act like a complete tool for no reason. All they ever did was draft you in the first round, pay you lots of money, and give you the chance to become a premier back in the NFL. Sorry for not buying into that woe-is-me crap. Just be thankful the Bungles don't have to play the Colts this season. Otherwise I'd fear for your life because I think I hear Bobzilla is looking for you. Enjoy being the leading rusher while it lasts because we both know it won't.

10) FAVRE IS GOING BACK TO LAMBEAU, THE END IS NEAR!!!1

Hey guess what! No one cares except a few drunk and pissed off Packers fans and Tony Kornheiser! Moving along.

The End.

A side note before I end this: It feels good having the time to write something I actually want to write about for once. School sucks. I'd suggest not going.

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Who Are the Washington Redskins?

Sugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Coach Jim Zorn simply must do a better job. From my seat at FedEx, he had the worst day of anyone on the Redskins sideline this past Sunday. It seems a few (hundred thousand) people agree with me on this.

Browse more photos »

People have come to expect unbridled optimism from me, both in this space and in general. And while I am far from beaten down, the fact is that I am alarmed. Jim Zorn had a bad day. The failure to convert red zone opportunities into touchdowns against the Rams was bad all by itself. But the fact that this has become a trend straddling two seasons in this offense is alarming. I am there. Where I am NOT though, is in a pissed off place after a win. You only get 16 chances to win each year (unless you make the playoffs of course), and regardless of the opponent, kneeling out the clock for the win is a feeling that needs to be enjoyed and celebrated in these parts. I mean, who do we think we are? The Patriots? The Colts? We are not a team that can afford to downplay or discount a victory. We simply are not in that position. We don't have to be blind to the general state of things, but on Sundays, as Redskins fans, shouldn't a win be enough right now? I struggle to reconcile our recent history on the field with the uncompromising expectations to "blow out an inferior opponent." I was right there with my Friday Night "Mights" predicting big things, but the failure to achieve some of those numbers would never constitute a failure on the part of the team (unless I start really lowering the bar on those "Mights".)

As for the booing in the stands, you won't hear me arguing with those people. But while I respect the right of people to boo, I don't believe in booing the home team. I'll leave it at that because it does no good to argue this point. Robert Henson may have chosen his words poorly, but I appreciate his energy and emotion. Of course players don't want to hear booing from their own fans. But ultimately, I know and you all know that the only way to silence the booing is to show us something better than we have been watching for what seems like a very, very long time.

What can we do on offense to establish a red zone identity, or even a touchdown scoring identity period? (read on after the jump to find out)

1) My first suggestion is that we come out on Sunday with a completely different and NEW red zone offensive set. I propose 5 linemen, JC, Cooley, Davis, Thomas, Kelly, and Mitchell. These are the players that we have all been saying are our up and coming red zone threats. Let's get them all on the field at the same time and MAKE Zorn call a play that utilizes them. Moss and ARE simply don't scare anybody in the red zone. There is less room to work and once they get to the end zone, their size hurts them. There are only so many WR screens you can throw inside the 20. Zorn needs to be saved from himself. At the very least nobody can claim that he is not calling plays for these guys if they are all on the field at the same time. And we should have some size advantages as well with this set. Don't tell me they're not ready. They're who we have. Draw up some plays this week in practice and call them on Sunday.

2) We need to take more shots at the end zone once we cross midfield. Santana Moss can get open with that kind of space on the field. Kelly and/or Thomas could/should be targeted as well. Until we can reliably score inside the 20, we need to ramp up the chances we take at the end zone from outside the 20. This may very well be equal parts Zorn and Campbell but regardless, the ball has to go at the end zone from farther out until we prove we can work in the confines of the red zone.

3) Lose the trick plays until we prove we can do something that makes the defense over-pursue, thereby making our trick plays work. Don't we need to establish something on offense first before we can catch the defense overplaying their position? We are really only tricking ourselves if we believe we can convert any old gadget play in our bag. If Zorn can't see that our offense is not yet to the point where defenses are going to get tripped up by a reverse option, there might be a bigger problem here.

Ten Yard Fight: 10 Chances To Make One Good Point

1) Don't let the numbers fool you. Jake Delhomme is NOT back. If you own him in fantasy football, I would search desperately for someone who needs a quarterback and trade him immediately. He did tally 300 yards and a touchdown in the loss, so his trade value will probably never be higher.

2) I loved the no-huddle offense the Redskins ran at times on Sunday. For those watching at home, how did it appear to come off? Was JC catching anyone off guard? It looked to me like it was a pretty positive stretch.

3) The defense I have spent so long touting as ready to dominate from wire-to-wire got beaten Sunday by the Bengals! Green Bay...you're killing me. They continue to be a turnover machine though, with Charles Woodson adding two picks. The Packers get the Rams next week, so I would expect them to bounce back in a huge way.

4) Kurt Warner is not doing anything to help me with my prediction that Matt Leinart will be starting for Arizona by midseason. After he finished going 24-26 for just under 250 yards I actually looked rather stupid. I hate that, but when I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I think what ends up making me right is the fact that he is one good hit away from beginning his HOF waiting period. That hip surgery concerns me. Any time old people have surgery on their hip, you have to be concerned.

5) The outcome of the Lions-Vikings game is slightly misleading. When you look at the box score of this game, some numbers stand out to you as troubling if you happen to be a marginally decent team getting ready to travel to Detroit. The Lions had only one less first down than the Vikings, a better 3rd down conversion percentage than the Vikings, and the exact same amount of total yards. Detroit led (barely) in overall time of possession and had more rushing yards than Minnesota. They even jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. Ultimately, Adrian Peterson (who failed to get 100 yards on the ground) and Brett Favre wore them down and outscored them in the second half 20-3. The Lions also gave up 3 turnovers. A lot of people have the Vikings in the "world-beater" category. It would be wise to take this Detroit team very seriously these days, as it does not appear they will continue losing forever.

6) As a Redskins fan, there is little better than the feeling I get when we are playing Detroit. That is not cockiness or arrogance. I have been conditioned to think this way. The Redskins hold a 30-10 advantage in the 40-game series between the two teams (this includes a 3-0 record against Detroit in the playoffs.) And am I mistaken in thinking the Lions have only beaten us once since 1968? I know they beat us in the regular season once under Norv Turner but then later in that same season, we body slammed them in the playoffs (1999, right?). I can not think of another time we were beaten by the Lions. That doesn't mean squat after the kickoff this week, but it does feel good.

7) I put the Oakland Raiders on the clock for next year's draft in late August. I might not have been wrong, but at 1-1 on the year, they are showing signs of life. They played the Chargers very tough in the opener last week and stole one from the Chiefs this past Sunday. Their defense has been very quietly playing excellent football the last couple seasons. Jamarcus Russell has a 35% completion percentage so far this year, putting that defense in bad spots at times. What I like about this team is its willingness to run the ball, play good defense and take a few shots. They seem to kind of know who they are, which is at least slightly refreshing, even though what they are is not going to get them to the Super Bowl.

8) Earlier this offseason, I talked up the Saints' signing of Darren Sharper. You might not be paying too much attention to the Saints' defense in general thanks to the scoring spree by Drew Brees every week. But Sharper's 97-yard interception return for a touchdown was awesome. He still has it--only Rod Woodson has taken more balls back the other way for six. If Sharper can stay healthy this season, his presence and experience will become very important in the playoffs.

9) I guess I have to give Byron Leftwich a little love again. I am watching him mostly because we have to play him very soon. But he damn near put 300 yards on the board in a loss. That team seems to be in a bit of disarray in general. One Buc fan I ran into this weekend told me that new coach Raheem Morris simply isn't the guy and that they are as good as they are going to be for a very long time right now...at 0-2. Hmmmm...where else have I heard this sentiment?

10a) If you would have told me that in the Bears-Steelers tilt, one team would run for 43 yards and the other for over 100 yards, I would have bet my life that the team that covered more territory on the ground would be the winner. Yet, the Bears pulled out the win despite only getting 29 yards from their feature back Matt Forte. Jay Cutler did play well enough to deserve the win, but when the Steelers defense is able to make a team so one-dimensional it usually leads to them winning.

10b) The Dolphins' offense dominated the Colts defense. Over 80 plays on offense and over 45 minutes of possession still was not enough to overcome what Peyton Manning is capable of in just 14 minutes and change. Amazing.

Give Me the Numbers, STAT!

Last week, we looked at where the Redskins stood statistically against the rest of the league. On defense, they were 19th in the league in total yards allowed, 19th against the run and 18th against the pass. After week 2, the Redskins moved up to 12th overall in total defense, 10th against the pass, and 18th against the run. That long run given up to Steven Jackson killed them. We are 7th in total points allowed. Listen, the logical explanation for this move is that we played a better team in week one than we did in week two. So we expected our defensive ranking to improve, and it did. We are tied for 15th in total takeaways in the league right now, and tied for 14th in total takeaway differential (0). Our two sacks put us tied for 22nd in the league. This is where we did not expect to be. I will take the improvement in total defense, I will even stomach the middle-of-the-pack nature of our turnovers. But we can not remain at the bottom of the league in sacks this season. Albert Haynesworth appears to be earning his money but his presence simply MUST translate into more sacks. We have seen what sacks can do for a team--they can turn into fumbles that go for a touchdown the other way, they can take an offense out of field goal range, and they can immediately force an offense to become one-dimensional if a team has to pass on long yardage situations due to a sack. That is what we HAVE to have. So next week, we will continue to expect our defense to improve their standing in the league in total yards given up, and total points yielded. But the stat we need to start harping on is sacks. Sacks and turnovers. Because if we are going to be led by our defense, we are going to need more.

Can this town fall in love with a team led by its defense? It did not look like it on Sunday. Yet, that might be the question we face as this season wears on. We knew coming into the season that our strongest unit was our defense. We even knew it was possible that our defense would be asked to win games. But can we stomach an offense that we all think can be better than a "game management" unit? I have serious doubts. I also think it is a bit unrealistic that we can even win enough games to be considered an "elite team led by its defense" if we can't score ANY touchdowns against a team like the Rams.

For everyone out there who, after two weeks of the regular season, thinks there is no Kool-Aid left in the jug, think again. I am admitting that based on what we know now after two weeks, there is reason to be concerned. But at the same time I think we have to look at our upcoming schedule and consider that if our offense has any chance to get it figured out, it would be against some of our upcoming opponents. I hate to say things like, "It takes offenses a few weeks to get rolling," since this offense was far from rolling last winter, but it is still true. And at 1-1, with a chance to stake ourselves to a winning record after three games, I find myself in more of a hopeful place than a stressful one. We're going to have to get comfy with who we are and extract as much enjoyment as possible from it. No need to call for anyone's head yet...the one thing we know this team is capable of doing is changing organizational direction on a dime (whether we think it is the right thing to do or not.)