SB Nation User Blog: Sugar

The Revolution - On the 1st Day of Christmas, My Owner Gave To Me: A Future Without Vinny

Sugar — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:37:26 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

Washington Redskins new General Manager Bruce Allen addresses Redskins Nation for the first time. Nice tie!

Wow...where were you when the news came to you?

I had just gotten out of the shower and I happened to see my cell phone blinking. "Why are all these people calling me before 8 AM on a Thursday," I wondered. At first it was just missed calls. Then the texts started coming in. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod...could it be real? The euphoria of the news Cerrato was fired combined with the Christmas music on the radio was perfect. Could you match two things better: Christmas and the end of the Cerrato era?

Do we dare take any credit for this move?

Short answer: "Yes", with an "if"...

Long answer: "No", with a "but".

1) Yes, if we believe that Dan Snyder would have continued down the road with Vinny Cerrato forever if fans hadn't persisted in beating the drum loud for his removal.

2) No, but that should not stop us from feeling good about this: we stumped hard for a very concrete, very tangible action and that action was taken by management. In our initial Revolution post, we asked that Snyder hold the Front Office responsible and accountable for the current climate of this franchise. This has seemingly occurred and in grand fashion. I would have to be crazy to even think for a second that Snyder reads this website and acts in accordance with our wishes. But between you and me, I feel like we have gone about taking this team to task in an appropriate manner. We stated at the outset that we believed Snyder wanted to win. We stated at the outset that we fully understand that if/when we hoist our next Super Bowl trophy, Dan Snyder will most likely be on that podium. NFL owners don't just go away because people don't like them. Our rally on this site has been and continues to be an outlet for our distress due to our perceived mismanagement of our favorite team. Today, Snyder brought new management in.

What does that mean for:

Jim Zorn- Probably doesn't change his hot seat status. We all said a while ago that we were fine if Snyder brought in an actual GM who decided to go in a different direction on the sidelines. To be fair, at least one of the coaches being mentioned a lot today (Gruden) grew up in the same coaching tree as Zorn, so it is conceivable that some continuity on offense could be maintained. (This is not my official "opinion on Gruden"...just a thought as it relates to the potential release of Zorn.)

Jason Campbell- I have to believe this strengthens the case for Jason Campbell to come back. Can't we all agree that our expectation is for Bruce Allen to survey the landscape of the league and the draft and determine that JC is more than likely our best option at quarterback for next season? Can't we also agree that Jason Campbell is more likely to come back and play with Vinny Cerrato out the door?

Sherman Lewis - I am so intrigued as to what goes down with Sherman Lewis in the weeks and months ahead. Say what you will, but since he has arrived, the results speak for themselves. What kind of desire does he have to roll up his sleeves and be more involved down the road? We shall find out.

Clinton Portis - Wow...Kind of forgot about him in all of this. I don't think anything has changed here...

KevinE- I am worried about KevinE...I am not sure he can survive without Vinny Cerrato around. Vinny was so good for material...Kevin is going to have to work a lot harder to generate funny email spoofs without Vinny in the house.

The Revolution- We use this Revolutionary rhetoric almost tongue-in-cheek. Why? Because it makes us feel like we are banding together under common principles and goals. We are not at war. But we are also not finished with the job we set out to do. We still have a wish list and we intend to continue putting it out there. Besides, I think "The Revolution" is a fantastic title for a rabid fan community like ours, made even more appropriate given our locale (nation's capital) and our fervent loyalty to our team.

Truly ours is a unique sense of joy and satisfaction, knowing that we have been steadfast in our goal to see the Vinny Cerrato era come to an end, and knowing that we have pursued that goal in a way that was never disrespectful to our team or the great players who put it on the line for us each Sunday. Our struggle must continue, but today we ask ourselves the following question: Is it possible that Dan Snyder now stands in our ranks?

Long Live the Revolution!

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Wrapping Up Raiders Recap, Kicking Off Giants Coverage

Sugar — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:19:24 -0000

This was written before the Vinny news. As this article takes me hours to write, and this particular one includes a lot of content provided by you guys throughout the week, I decided to keep it in its current form. Feel free to incorporate the new era we find ourselves in into your comments below.

*************

As most of you know, I was invited to participate in a live segment of Comcast Sportsnet's Post Game Live broadcast this past Sunday. Kevin will be doing the San Diego Chargers game on January 3rd. I think I have set the bar rather low so expect Kevin to look like a superstar in comparison. Here is the video from the show, provided by the good folks over at CSN (to see the good work they are doing covering our favorite teams, click here.)

Ten Yard Fight - 10 Chances To Make One Good Point

Even though we are winning games now in what amounts to a "lost cause" of a season, it is still encouraging to see the passion and loyalty from the Redskins faithful. To suggest we don't care or that we don't pay attention just because playoffs are not a possibility would be patently false, and the debate raging on the recap post this week is evidence of this. In that spirit, for today's "Ten Yard Fight", I thought I would pick some of the comments from that discussion. Unlike James Woods (pictured below), when we solicit your feedback, we appreciate it.

via thumbnails.hulu.com

1) "I think Jason Campbell is a winner for this franchise if the right rebuilding steps are taken in the next few offseasons. We don't need a Brees or a brady-type to win games. That's not Redskins football. Keep Campbell." - CarverM

There is an overwhelming sentiment within the Redskins fanbase to bring back Jason Campbell. At this point in time, it is even conceivable that the front office folks here are strongly considering such a move. I will offer you guys this though: As you saw in the video from Sunday's Post Game Live, Brian Mitchell grilled me a little when I suggested that JC would want to come back next year. His point of course is that Jason Campbell has been treated so poorly by Snyder and Cerrato, he would take pleasure in walking away from those two. Whether or not you agree with the point of view, or the possibility that JC would take this stance, it remains a VERY valid point.

2) "Zorn got a 3 year contract, he should be allowed to finish it out." SkinsOsTerps

3) "...all of my [comments] regarding Zorn and keeping him next year were based on Sherm [Lewis] being OC full-time." Scott E

Hmmmmm...this issue is getting cloudier by the second. I mean, the debate over who gets the credit for our current success and who gets the blame for our past failure is RAGING. Hell, I made the case to keep Zorn a few weeks ago and even I'm not convinced right now it is the best thing to do. On one hand, I so desperately desire a move by this front office that points to a commitment not even to Zorn, but to stability and continuity. It would be easy to pin a lot of our failures in the last two seasons on Jim Zorn. It might even be fair. But the decision to continue down the road they committed to just two seasons ago would take a lot of backbone, and part of me wants to see that backbone brought to bear on this issue. It is conceivable that we could build on what is happening this season with Zorn at the head of it all. On the other hand, some of the situations and positions Zorn has put this team in over the last two seasons are simply unacceptable. We have gone over them ad nauseam so I won't re-state them here. Suffice to say that Snyder could base a firing decision on some very real reasons. Ultimately, while the "on-the-job" training approach has been kind of a bust, I am of the mind that we see it out the 3 years we gave it at the outset. Men like Jim Zorn often make you look good and smart if given an opportunity (has he only been given 2/3's of an opportunity so far?) To those of you out there who continue to very passionately articulate opposing opinions (GTS), let me assure you--you are getting through to me. But I look at this team and organization right now and I see plenty of "major shake-up" opportunities that don't include Jim Zorn.

4) Clinton is done: He is no longer the star back, and he needs to retire. dr WNC

5) If you can get rid of: Montana, Namath, OJ (OK, he's a double murderer), Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Ricky Jackson (Saints), Favre...the NFL is a hardass hustle folks." Mark Antney

6) Wonder if we could [get] Leon Washington for an affordable price." BayAreaBullet

This was of course in reference to our lengthy Clinton Portis question: is he done? I don't think it would be fair to characterize the general sentiment of the fanbase as either anti-CP or even as a "he's worn out his welcome" kind of feeling. Instead, it would seem that (like CP himself) we all kind of see the future of this team moving away from Clinton Portis--the player and the persona. Portis has been like the sun and our offense and team has--at least in some respects--orbited around him. I don't think that is the direction this franchise is going to continue in and I think with specific regard to the gravitational pull of his personality, the move in a different direction will be deliberate. I do believe he is capable of carrying the ball productively in this league still, but to keep him around here would seem a lot like breaking up with your girlfriend but continuing to live with her. We can't dedicate entire gameplans to him anymore (nor should we given our budding passing game success) and I worry that he would not appreciate that. Not to mention it would be kind of like when Rocky came back to work in the gym for Mick. Do we really want to see one of the more mercurial backs we have had in this town carrying spit buckets?

7) "It's a logical inference that unaccountable people in power at the front office & the coaching staff [level] would be thick as thieves." Grand Tanyon Sturtze

The initial topic was whether or not Greg Blache was the long-term answer for us at Defensive Coordinator. It was kind of a softball question, since many of us doubt that he even really wants to be here for the long-term (he was talked out of retirement to stay supposedly.) The commentary quickly split as fans of the same mind as GTS believe that there is something fishy with regard to the way Blache has handled himself here as of late. I don't necessarily agree, but I something about this statement reverberated in my head. To me, of all the douchebaggery that has transpired in recent years, Greg Blache has rarely if ever been at the epicenter, nor has he really ever been the target of my ire. Yet the "thick as thieves" part got me thinking...despite any short-term success we have enjoyed here in recent years (the current stretch included) it has felt at times that the front office is conspiring against any possible long-term success. Whether you believe that Zorn and/or Blache are complicit in this "conspiracy" (I do not believe this), the sheer fact we have this kind of thought is maddeningly depressing. To answer the original question, I don't think Blache is long for this franchise. The reason why is I think at some point the head coach is going to choose his own staff (correction, the head coach will be allowed to choose his own staff) and I question if Blache will be a new coach's first choice.

8) "I kinda see Clausen as having the attitude of Eli Manning with the talent of JaMarcus Russell." DbacksSkins

Wow...that is a pretty rough criticism of Clausen. That would be a horrible combination for a franchise quarterback. I seriously doubt that Snyder and Cerrato share this opinion, but I will say that I have serious reservations about Clausen and they are shared by people much smarter than me (isn't there a debate among the talking heads out there over whether or not Clausen is a good "locker room guy"?)

9) Mike Williams = "Comeback Player of the Year": Did anyone see Big Mike and his run blocking...he did a great job yesterday. I think he will become a solid right guard for us. We just need to steal a couple of Offensive lineman that can pass block and find one more running back and our offense will be a winner." LETJASONPASS

Hahaha...my boy might have gotten a tad carried away here on the Comeback Player of the Year nod, but yes, Williams did play a good game in Oakland. If he can stay healthy and maintain his desire, he should be able to contribute to our offense for a while. He definitely factors in our future. However, it was still inexcusable to base our backup plan for an NFL offensive line on a guy who had been out of the league for two seasons and had to lose 100 lbs just to try out for the team. Expecting credit for that move panning out at all is like you trying to convince everyone that it was your good looks and mad game that landed you a hot girl and not her obscene level of intoxication.

10) "My earring: What's the big deal?? I've worn it on the air for 16 years! R U just now noticing?" Chick@CSN

Haha...At the top of my segment on Post Game Live, Chick ragged me a little on my beard and I had spent literally all day thinking what I would say if he did (when you have a ratty beard like mine, you are just asking for it.) Needless to say, I arrived at an earring comment quickly. It is not that Chick can't rock the earring. He absolutely can. I commented back to him that I couldn't picture him without the earring. Chick has dominated the sports news scene here for a long time. We do semi-regular sports personality anchor ratings (usually over many beers and usually because someone has just done something on TV to kickstart the conversation...like when Michael Jenkins does something goofy or when Kelli Johnson wears an exceptionally bright pink or green shirt.) I will make a point to include that as a topic in our next video. Chick is almost up there in Jim Vance territory...and not just because of the earring. I love Jim Vance and his style. He is a staple on the D.C. television news scene. Chick is pretty much there now for sports news in this town. In the absence of dominant personalities like George Michael and Glenn Brenner (R.I.P.), Chick Hernandez has filled the void. Welcome to Hogs Haven Chick.

It's Time To Get Ready for the Giants

I have said it before and it bears repeating: I don't care about a higher draft pick at the cost of wins. I always want to see wins. I don't understand how anyone could actively root for losses just to get a higher draft pick. Where is the fun in that? Not to mention we get to play teams like the Giants and Cowgirls down the stretch who are counting on wins against us to make the playoffs. Regardless of what the win would mean to our postseason or offseason situation, beating the Giants and Cowgirls are each their own reward. We want to beat the Giants because they are the Giants and we want to beat the Cowgirls because they are the no-good, rotten, dirty Dallas Cowgirls.

We did not spend too much time talking about the Raiders last week but I could live with that. I can't live with not preparing ourselves mentally for the game on Monday Night Football. If you are going to be there, be loud. Get there early and tailgate your hearts out. Make sure the Giants know they are on the road and in a hostile environment. And for God's sake, keep them on the ropes. We are playing better than them right now. A win over the Raiders means little heading into next season. But NFC East wins are carryover wins for sure. They matter to the fans and they matter to the organizations. The teams in our division are the ones we measure ourselves against. No matter our records, these games are the true tests for our franchise. If our team is indeed worthy of getting excited about...if they truly are worthy of an opportunity to keep it rolling next year...if they truly have become something they weren't in September, then we will see it on Monday Night Football.

Washington Redskins Defeat Oakland Raiders In Front of Hundreds Of Oakland Fans

Sugar — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:37:26 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

Jim Zorn laughs after hearing Sherman Lewis tell the one about a priest, a rabbi, and Vinny Cerrato walking into a bar over his headset.

Browse more photos »

Okay, so it may have been more than a few hundred, but at one point on the national feed I could hear individual people clapping. Before the game you knew it was two teams playing for nothing. By the end of the game it was clear one team was acting like a group playing for nothing and the other was playing the part of a group trying to keep the party going. This Redskins team has found something to be sure. When I watch these guys I think, "Wow...this looks like an actual NFL team...this looks like teams around the league that know what they're doing."

We can spend all day kicking each other in the nuts wondering where this level of play has been all year. It is an exercise in futility, though. Here are a few thoughts on that subject:

1) We were still employing this new offensive system with players Zorn inherited from an old regime with a different philosophy.Is there really anything to this? I spent some time yesterday at Comcast Studios and kicked the idea around with those folks and one thing we talked about specifically was the fact that we are getting it done now with guys who were brought in since Zorn arrived and not prior to his arrival. (FYI--this means Vinny gets some credit which kills me.) This is not to suggest that Clinton Portis, Mike Sellers, Chris Cooley, Chris Samuels, Randy Thomas, Ladell Betts, or even Jon Jansen are or were guys incapable of thriving in Zorn's offense. I think what it means is that all these guys coming on and contributing now have been brought up in this new system over the last two years--Devin Thomas, Fred Davis, Malcolm Kelly....well, it would be hard/unfair to put guys like Mike Williams, Quinton Ganther, Levi Jones, and even Derrick Dockery in here, but the idea is that our lineup now is full of guys brought in to support the new ideology. Time for all of us to put on our cups, because Cerrato is most likely sticking around to work our nuts like a collective group of heavy bags.

2) Sherman Lewis is having a very positive impact.I am done with trying to read into what his level of involvement during the week means and whether or not he can be effective as a coach if he only speaks to Jason Campbell via candy-gram. The numbers tell us that since Sherman Lewis came on board, we have done better. Period. I still think you don't assume Zorn is useless in all of this. He is the quarterbacks guru and our quarterback is playing great, so he deserves credit. I don't believe for a second that he isn't partly responsible for this turn-around.

3) Hiring Zorn, implementing his offense and drafting players to fit it was sold to us as a 2-3 year investment. We are right in the meat of that investment and it appears we are getting some returns. I find it troubling to think that things are going according to (their) plan and they are considering starting over.

The game yesterday to me came down to two players. If you saw me on Comcast's Post Game Live (video to come), you would have seen me:

A) give it to Chick Hernandez a little about his earring; and

B) talk about Brian Orakpo and Jason Campbell.

Ganther, Davis, Carter, Landry...they all contributed, but I thought that it was fitting to highlight our best offensive player and our best defensive player and then underline the lunacy regarding the potential for JC to be somewhere else next season.

Orakpo was a beast. He personally accounted for somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-75 negative yards for the Raiders. Four sacks did not even tell the story of his day...how crazy is that?

Campbell was once again on fire. He threw the ball so accurately on the run yesterday (for the most part), I wondered aloud why they didn't purposely move him around more often (picture Mark Rypien rolling and throwing bombs.)

In the comments today, I thought we would try something a little different. I will start a few comment threads with some questions and everyone is encouraged to ask their own questions raising separate issues. Let's all pull together to gain some "public" opinion on these topics so we can determine the direction of the posts this week.

Team Stat Comparison

1st Downs	21	15
Passing 1st downs	11	11
Rushing 1st downs	7	3
1st downs from Penalties	3	1
3rd down efficiency	5-12	4-15
4th down efficiency	0-0	1-3
Total Plays	58	66
Total Yards	295	227
Passing	195	162
Comp-Att	16-28	20-34
Yards per pass	7.0	4.8
Rushing	100	65
Rushing Attempts	27	24
Yards per rush	3.7	2.7
Red Zone (Made-Att)	4-4	1-2
Penalties	7-45	14-118
Turnovers	1	1
Fumbles lost	1	0
Interceptions thrown	0	1
Defensive / Special Teams TDs	0	0
Possession	27:53	32:07

The Revolution: More Necessary Today Than Ever Before - Redskins Fans Won't Be Silenced By 'Good Losses'

Sugar — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:28:52 -0000

Fair warning--if you are not interested in hearing or reading anything negative these days, read no further. I told you two months ago I had no intention of letting this organization off the hook until I see real change. Firing Suisham is a start (since I spent all offseason wondering how in God's name he was allowed to come back) but we demand more.

I read a commenter on our site in the last few days ponder aloud (after venting about the most recent loss) what we would do on this site--or others like ours--if this team became a winner. Redskins fans have been reduced to lamenting bizarre plays and a pile of losses the last few years. I have seen Hogs Haven turn into more of a support group on some days than a home for analysis and coverage. And to be honest, I love that about us. After all, if we aren't in this thing together, then what the hell is the point? There's nothing happening here that isn't happening around water coolers, beer cans and bar stools all over this great city. We didn't invent angst here at Hogs Haven, and it isn't our goal to poke and prod at people's anger or disgust for no good reason.

Lucky for us we have a GREAT reason. We love our Washington Redskins. And we will not sit idly by and act like everything is okay just because we are losing close games in a more exciting fashion. Everything is NOT okay. For the same reasons we began beating the drum two months ago, we have to keep the pressure on this organization.

I was at the Saints game. It was easy to forget that this organization remains as dysfunctional as ever.

As Rick Snider pointed out over on The Examiner today: "...those attending chanted "defense" and sang "Hail To the Redskins" even during breaks. It has been a long time since that happened."

It was a festive experience. In fact, right up until the football gods dug their teeth into my scrotum, I would say it was very much one of the most enjoyable Sundays we have had at FedEx in a long time. I did not hear any "Fire Danny" or "Fire Vinny" chants and I did not see many of those signs either. The masses were very much pacified by the performance of the team.

And this scares the crap out of me...

We have probably already played well enough on the field in recent weeks for Snyder to spin his retention of Vinny Cerrato. We probably played poorly enough in the beginning of the season for Vinny to blame everything on Zorn. And if that is true, then we are staring at drafting a first round quarterback next season which is the most retarded idea imaginable, save for the one to retain Vinny Cerrato.

The following issues are just a few that remain unresolved as far as I am concerned:

*The supposed existence of any real "Waiting List". I don't know about any of you, but the business practices of this team simply don't lend themselves to a business that has 160,000 people waiting by their phones for the call to purchase season tickets. Are they (the Redskins) selling their own tickets on StubHub and the internet each week at a loss to maintain a completely false sense of demand for their product? If so, aren't we all paying that price?

*Just because less people are coming to the games and thereby causing less of a jam in the parking lots does not excuse David Donovan's staff from inconsistently administering their new set of tailgating rules for the majority of the season. Tailgating has been a debacle this season--I can count no less than 5 games where we showed up this season (including preseason) and were given ENTIRELY different interpretations of the rules by ENTIRELY different guys who EACH claimed to be "the guy in charge". For those who don't go to games, I understand this matters little to you, but I can't put into words how frustrating it has been to get there early, set things up and be told that we have to change our tailgate AGAIN according to some new reading of the same rules that were released in the offseason. For what it's worth, they got it right once: the very first preseason game they did EXACTLY what they said they were going to do, and a guy in a golf cart even took the time to come over to our tailgate and tell us what they were doing and how it was expected to work. To give just one example: in the home opener, they had closed off entrances to parking lots that were supposed to be open and they were DIRECTING CARS RIGHT UP TO THEM! If anyone cares to kick up this topic in the comments below, I would be happy to list more examples of incompetence from the parking lot crew.

*The commercials in the stadium are a JOKE! They blast full-length commercials at the highest volumes imaginable. We polled other sites in our network and asked if anyone else does this. We did not hear from every single team's site, but at this point we have heard of NO OTHER STADIUM that subjects their fans to 30, 45, or 60 second commercials at super high volume. It is worse than at home when the commercials come on at a volume higher than the actual show you are watching. On Sunday against the Saints, they stopped an AC/DC song they had just started to play a Coke commercial and then an Empire flooring commercial. People had literally started standing and dancing/singing along to AC/DC and then....BAM! advertising. It has to stop. It is simply another way Dan Snyder has invented to milk dollars and cents out of our love for this team. We show up, are a captive audience, and he sells our attention to crappy commercials instead of actually entertaining us. It is bad enough he can't put a football team on the field that can win. He adds insult to injury by making us watch commercials from our seats.

*Are we going to ever really talk about how there was no rule on signs, then there was a rule on signs, but only because there was ALWAYS a rule on signs, but now the rule on signs is changed and really it was all of US who misunderstood the rule on signs? Holy crap! How dumb do they think we are? (The answer to this question is as obvious as the increased security around Dan Snyder's owner's box.)

*How in God's name are we going to recover from the insanity of having the most ridiculous offensive coaching system ever? Here is my bet: You know how a TV show sometimes starts the next season with a different actor/actress playing the part of one of the main characters? That will be us. No mention of any wrongdoing, no accountability for making us look like idiots. Just, "Now playing the part of offensive coordinator: ________."

I don't know about you guys, but it feels good to get fired up after the last few weeks of enjoying the hell out of close losses. The improved play of our backups has been like an opiate to the masses, causing us to temporarily forget the reality that what we are currently watching may in fact be THE BEST GAMES WE WILL EVER SEE FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

There are some very real problems with this franchise that should not be ignored simply because we are playing better football. If we did ignore these issues, we would be no better than Dan Snyder--happy to enjoy a little short-term success at the expense of the long-term health of this team.

Long Live The Revolution!

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Hogs Haven Live Talks Redskins With Danny Rouhier

Sugar — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:43:27 -0000

We decided to put the video up front...brief notes after the jump.

Here you go:

Some of you are getting your wish today...fewer words from me in this column. But be careful what you wish for--instead you get a video dose of me. Like many of you, Kevin and I love few things more than drinking beer and talking about sports. Our normal meeting place, Hard Times Cafe in Bethesda, MD was the setting and the Redskins were the main topic of our first attempt to put out what will hopefully become a regular feature of Hogs Haven. We called it "Hogs Haven Live", but "Ghetto Fabulous Drinky Time Sports Hour" is creeping up the list of possible replacements.

In this episode, we invited Danny Rouhier, of www.funnydanny.com to join us as our first guest panelist (@funnydanny on Twitter.) His videos have been regularly posted on our site and we consider him to be very much the video face of our Revolution.

We also are extremely grateful to Taylor Young, of Riot Scene Pictures, for his expertise both behind the camera as well as in the cutting room. We probably put close to an hour of show on tape and we pleaded with Taylor to please find 10 good minutes. What follows is roughly 9 minutes of wonderfully mediocre banter.

We had a few good topics but I think we were a little too hesitant to bash each other or disagree. We also were not nearly drunk enough.

The bar was at times extremely quiet and at other times insanely loud. For all you film buffs out there, take it easy on our amateur on-air abilities. We will get better. Or we will at least drink more beforehand next time.

Production note: You might wonder why I can't keep a straight face at times (in fact it looks like I am being tickled under the table on a few shots.) I wish I could say it had nothing to do with the inappropriate sexual gestures people were making around me the entire time. I wish I could say that.

Redskins Stripped of Ball, Dignity In Staggering OT Loss

Sugar — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:02:35 -0000

I don't believe in curses, but I am starting to wonder if Mr. Burns and Dan Snyder have more in common than previously thought.

View full size photo »

I am reminded of an all-time great Simpsons episode, "Homer at the Bat." The Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, led by Homer, dominates the regular season and makes the championship. Prior to the big game, Mr. Burns decides to stock his roster full of big league ringers to insure the massive wager he has placed on his team. His confidence is overwhelming, and he gloats about his certain win:

Mr. Burns: "Unless, of course, my nine all-stars fall victim to nine separate misfortunes and are unable to play tomorrow. But that will never happen. Three misfortunes, that's possible. Seven misfortunes, there's an outside chance. But nine misfortunes!??!? I'd like to see that!!"

Then Steve Sax is arrested and jailed since he is from New York City and there is an unsolved murder in New York City. Mike Sciosia develops acute radiation poisoning. Jose Canseco gets wrapped up in helping a woman empty her burning house. Wade Boggs gets the crap beaten out of him by Barney after an argument about who England's greatest Prime Minister was (Pitt the Elder vs. Lord Palmerston.) Ozzie Smith falls into Springfield's "Mystery Spot." Ken Griffey, Jr. overdoses on nerve tonic and his head swells to gargantuan proportions. Don Mattingly is dismissed by Burns due to a disagreement over Mattingly's hairdo. Roger Clemens thinks he's a chicken after a hypnosis-gone-bad.

via 1.bp.blogspot.com

I think you know where I am headed with this one.

I remember last season sitting in my seat at FedEx watching Pete Kendall pick up a fumble and try to run with it, leading to his own fumble and subsequent touchdown by the Rams. As the Rams defender crossed the goal line with no time remaining in the 1st half, I immediately knew that was the kind of play that beats you. We lost 19-17 to a bad Rams team, and you would be hard-pressed to not point your finger to that fluky play.

I even think back to a game in the 2000 Washington Redskins season where we hosted the Tennessee Titans on a Monday Night and Samari Rolle took back an INT at the end of the first half for a touchdown with no time left on the clock. We lost that game 27-21. I can still see Samari Rolle barely having the energy to get all the way to the end zone.

The Kareem Moore interception-strip-touchdown play was as magnificent as it was devastating. Those kinds of plays are so rare, fans of some teams could go a lifetime without enduring the pain of watching it happen to their boys...at their home stadium...3 times in less than a decade.

The series of misfortunes that transpired to effect the result of yesterday's game rivaled the events that knocked out Mr. Burns' team of destiny. The deadly challenge reviews, the shanked Saints punt that hit Kevin Barnes in the back ("The ball just wanted to hit me. It found me," Barnes said after the game), the unbelievably poor-timed, late interception thrown by Jason Campbell, the missed chip shot by Shaun Suisham...SERENITY NOW!!

Team Stat Comparison

1st Downs	25	28
Passing 1st downs	21	19
Rushing 1st downs	4	5
1st downs from Penalties	0	4
3rd down efficiency	6-14	7-12
4th down efficiency	0-1	0-0
Total Plays	74	67
Total Yards	463	455
Passing	408	367
Comp-Att	35-49	30-42
Yards per pass	8.3	8.7
Rushing	55	88
Rushing Attempts	24	25
Yards per rush	2.3	3.5
Red Zone (Made-Att)	0-4	3-7
Penalties	7-102	2-15
Turnovers	1	4
Fumbles lost	0	3
Interceptions thrown	1	1
Defensive / Special Teams TDs	1	0
Possession	35:06	31:23

As always, I include the stat recap, but the story of this game is simply not in the numbers. Instead, the mysticism surrounding this team over the last decade grows. The ongoing series of unexplainable, improbable occurrences that are individually inexplicable are starting to combine forces to form a strangely coherent image. And I am not talking about a "seeing Jesus in your grilled cheese sandwich" kind of image. Ours is a portrait of gloom, despair, and anguish. That which is inconceivable in almost every other stadium is commonplace in ours.

I think our first free agent signing this offseason should be a priest.

Poll

Trying to have one positive aspect of this recap.... What Redskin impressed you the most in the loss to the Saints?

Friday Night "Mights" - Washington Redskins vs. New Orleans Saints

Sugar — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:47:07 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

Marko Mitchell's deep touchdown catch this week against the Saints will seal Redskins' victory and make Coach Zorn look like a genius.

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We pick up the Friday Night "Mights" this week with the odds stacked against us. To your average betting man, there is a better chance of Hannah Montana filming a porn movie than the Redskins beating the Saints. However, your average Redskins fan has spent a lot more time fantasizing about the win over the Saints. How can we possibly pull this off? Maybe like this:

1) "Wild Hunter" offense must be in effect this week. At some point in the game, a midfield punting formation has to result in Hunter Smith running for a first down. It might not be for a touchdown, but keeping the ball out of Drew Brees' hands for a few more ticks of the clock will be clutch.

2) LaRon Landry will get a game-changing INT. He only lines up about 35 yards downfield on every play so he will be in prime real estate for this Saints' passing game. I will temper my enthusiasm by predicting he takes a tipped pass back for a touchdown (I can't see Brees just throwing it to him.)

3) Haynesworth will bottle up the Saints' running game. The Eagles got a little frisky early in the game with their inside runs. Any other coach besides Andy Reid would have probably called inside handoffs 99% of the rest of the game. The Saints are an accomplished running team. I think they are almost 50/50 in their run/pass ratio on the season. They can beat you a number of ways, but their success on the ground this season gets glossed over by the Uncle Rico-esque performances of Drew Brees each week. So with Haynesworth in the lineup, I think we make Brees test our top-rated pass defense. I leave it to each of you to grade this prediction subjectively.

4) Santana Moss returns a punt for a touchdown. If we are going to beat one of the league's best teams, this is the kind of play we simply have to have. I want partial credit if DeAngelo Hall takes one back. If ARE returns one for a touchdown, I should get zero credit, as I would never predict such a thing...ever.

5) Jim Zorn will make a few play calls during the game that change the outcome and in the press conference, you will hear him take the credit for them. And not 4th down plays or challenges, or whatever else he supposedly has the authority to decide on (headset volume, shirt tucked or untucked, Gatorade flavors, etc.) I am talking about a sustained drive where he sees something and overrules the nonsense on his headset and calls in a play or two to JC that results in points. At this point, I doubt he is worried about getting fired before the season ends and the chance to really stick it in Vinny's face would be something I think he would relish. I'll even tell you what play he switches to: deep ball to Marko Mitchell. There...I have said too much.

Alright...have at it.

Pour Some Sugar On Me - The 10 Most Irreplaceable Washington Redskins Revisited

Sugar — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:09:33 -0000

At the beginning of the season, I made a list of the ten players (click here to check out original post as well as any comments you or others may have made) I named the Most Irreplaceable Redskins. I attempted to take into account depth at each position, and identify those players who were most central to the success of this year's team. I thought that with the season on ice, it would be a good time to break out the list and see what we (I) thought, and how it worked out. I asked the question, "Who can we least afford to lose to injury?" The list goes from #10 to #1 (as ranked in the preseason):

Ten Yard Fight - 10 Chances To Make One Good Point

10) Hunter Smith - Well, I think I nailed this one. Not only has he been a decent punter for us, he has chipped in on offense, accounting for two touchdowns this season. We might have lost the opener against the Giants, but when Hunter scored his touchdown, we were very much alive. And when he threw the touchdown pass to Mike Sellers against the Broncos a few weeks ago, it was the turning point in the game. Yes, I think his performance this season has been very much worthy of a spot on this list. Coincidentally, when he was out, we did not score any touchdowns from the punter position.

9) Derrick Dockery- Hmmmm...has he been spectacular? No. But he has been in the lineup every week. In fact, you rarely hear his name called, for good or bad. I struggle with what that should mean. You can say he has been our best lineman, but on this offensive line, that is hardly a compliment. And that is only true due to injuries. Coming into the season, here is what I said about Dockery: "Let's not mix words here--we brought in Dockery to be an upgrade, not to hold down the position until someone better comes along. He has to perform well and he has to perform well right away." Given the relative nightmare our line has been all season long, it is just too hard to consider anyone currently in uniform on that line to be irreplaceable. That said, Dockery has probably been our most solid player there.

8) Fred Davis- This preseason, all I envisioned was a stretch of games where Fred Davis took defenses by surprise and single-handedly saved our red zone offense. I always thought it would be in conjunction with Cooley, Portis and Moss though. I think Davis has turned out to be irreplaceable. His talent is undeniable and there is nobody else on the roster who could have stepped in to Cooley's shoes and done as well (Yoder included.) If he continues to progress the rest of this season and into next season, we should have two pretty solid receiving targets working the field from the tight end spot.

7) Brian Orakpo- I took some heat for putting the rookie in here. I mentioned that if he failed to dominate, we would get a steady diet of Michael Oher chants. Well, he leads all rookies in sacks and he has played hard all season. It is very refreshing to see a draft pick of ours come in and contribute at such a high level actually. Certainly irreplaceable for us.

6) Santana Moss- Well...not so irreplaceable this year, eh? We seem to lose him every year don't we? Either to injury or to invisibility. JC can't seem to get the ball to him over the course of a game in ways that change the outcome of the game. HE is by far our best receiver, but at this point in the season, we are finding ourselves all of a sudden capable of moving the ball through the air with any of our receiving options (to the extent we are at all capable on any given week.) The good news is that it would seem we are past the years when our passing game was a one-trick pony with Santana Moss dominating opposing secondaries. The bad news is that we may have wasted some of Santana's abilities by being unable to stretch the field with him successfully this year.

5) Jason Campbell - I said at the time that I felt he was easily our #1 most irreplaceable guy. But with both Todd Collins and Colt Brennan healthy at that point, I moved him down the list a little bit. JC has been a fighter for us this year. He has hung tough week in and week out. You could argue that we have gotten every scrap of ability and effort out of this player. While it is true that an upgrade at this position might have netted us an extra win or two, I doubt it is fair to say it would have meant playoffs. Our offense has too many other problems. Regardless of what happens next season, JC was irreplaceable for us this season.

4) Mike Sellers - I goofed on this one it would seem. On the strength of his lead blocking, I had him as an indispensable member of this offense. Then came the safety in Detroit, and the inability to punch in a few goal line carries early in the season when he just did not seem to get any kind of push into the end zone. Sellers has been a fan favorite in D.C. for a number of years so I am ready to chalk up this season as just a down year for Big Mike. But he has been far from irreplaceable this season.

3) Clinton Portis- We have had the chance to see this one put to the test. Ladell Betts proved to be up to the tack of replacing CP as it turns out. Maybe Ladell should have been the more irreplaceable guy? I think Portis was hurt right away this season and tried to work his way through it even though our rushing attack suffered. It is possible he will never be 100% healthy again in this league. But at that 100% level, I do think he is irreplaceable. Now, I find it hard to fathom we can get through this next draft without using a mid-round selection on a running back.

2) Chris Samuels- This was the most accurate pick on my list. Even when he was playing with a few nagging injuries, he was by far the best we had. Without him, we have shuffled old guys and new guys all over the place trying to find a mix that would somehow get us through the rest of the season. Levi Jones has played admirably well, but to say we have a replacement for Samuels is laughable. The only way we can replace #60 is at the top of the 1st round in an upcoming draft. And then it will still be a battle for the blue-chipper to fill those shoes.

1) Albert Haynesworth- At the end of last season, teams decided to run against us all day long. Remember that? It was awful. Enter Albert Haynesworth. His presence on our defensive line has made a huge impact. Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo are getting sacks. Linebackers are getting to the ball-carrier with more freedom. Our #1 ranked pass defense has a LOT to do with the push Haynesworth gets up front. The added pressure on the quarterback has been noticeable from day one. Without him on the field against the Cowgirls, our pass rush faded big-time in the 4th quarter. The debate about Haynesworth will always include his salary, but on the field, he is priceless and certainly irreplaceable.

I'll say I was right on with Hunter Smith, Brian Orakpo, Jason Campbell (only kill me on this one if you think Todd Collins could have done better), Chris Samuels and Albert Haynesworth. That is 50% and is not so good. Fred Davis and Derrick Dockery are close but because the offense has been so bad this year, it is too difficult to say that they are in fact irreplaceable.

Poll

Who has been the most irreplaceable Redskin this season?

Brian Orakpo

119 votes

Albert Haynesworth

136 votes

Hunter Smith

50 votes

Chris Samuels

115 votes

Jason Campbell

70 votes

490 votes | Poll has closed

Washington Redskins Offense Backs Into Hydrant, Then Tree, Found Bloodied and Unconscious On I-95

Sugar — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:04:54 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Jason Campbell walks off the field after yet another close game against an NFC East opponent.

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We actually didn't do that bad. Making Philly pay for the opening onside kick was amazing, especially considering it was the first opening drive touchdown we had scored since Week 3 in 2008 (Cardinals...thanks to Matt Terl for that nugget.)

The ability of this offense to convert 3rd downs in long yardage situations is simply intoxicating, but the sheer absurdity of how often we find ourselves in 3rd and long is beyond sobering. Despite the fact that this team actually sustained a few drives yesterday, the calling card of this offense continues to be inconsistency. From the play-calling down to the execution, the lack of an even-keeled smoothness is nowhere to be found. The last couple weeks we have been in games at the end against good teams, but have been unable to close them out. It makes for exciting football to watch, but the repeated heartbreak I feel each week is just miserable. We have proven over the last two seasons that we are incapable of overcoming errors. I understand and tend to agree with the argument that games are not won or lost on one or two plays. But then again, those two early interceptions thrown by JC proved to be too costly to overcome. Maybe the rule should be: "Good teams don't get beat by one bad play."

Throughout the game, I found myself falling head over heels for our defense over and over again. They succeeded yet again in shutting down a pretty good offense for most of the game. Our defensive line got pressure on McNabb and their ability to block and deflect balls at the line and during Donovan's throwing motion resulted in frustration as well as Justin Tryon's first interception. The one knock I guess that remains is...how do you REGULARLY let Desean Jackson go free down the field? How frustrating is it that when the camera shows McNabb loading up a big one, you just KNOW that Desean Jackson is all by himself somewhere, running to the end zone. Doesn't LaRon Landry line up like 30 yards off the ball? How does Jackson get deep on that? It just seems insane that we would say, "Let's make them beat us with the deep ball to Desean!" Because that's what they are good at! It's like leaving a bottle of booze, a camera and Lindsay Lohan alone in a room with...well, with anyone--100% chance of sex tape. London Fletcher put an end to Jackson's day thankfully, but the damage was done.

What was the best play you saw all day? I thought Campbell's scramble and throw to Devin Thomas for a clutch first down in the second half was very strong. I liked it probably just a hair more than his scramble and subsequent TD toss to Fred Davis. What stood out to you?

Even though we are proving ourselves incapable of beating good teams in close games, you don't see the team giving up down the stretch. (You won't hear me extolling the virtues of a moral victory though.) The season is a bust since the playoffs are out of the picture. But we have enough guys with plenty to play for in the weeks ahead. Campbell is playing for a career. Mason and Ganther are playing to get reps on film. Thomas, Kelly, and Davis are playing to secure their roles for next season. Our offensive line is playing...well at least some of them are playing to try and make the team next year. On defense, guys like Jarmon, Orakpo, Barnes and Tryon will continue to learn on the job in the hopes that we won't lose a step next season on defense. The disconnect here is that on the sidelines, I have no feel for what, if anything, coaches and play-callers are doing or even could do to save their jobs or build momentum to next season. The play-calling setup continues to be a mockery as well as fodder for every analyst discussing our team.

I can't let this recap go without a mention of the "settling for a field goal" decision we made late in the game. It was obvious to everyone that we were going for 3 on those last 3 downs before the field goal right? To me, watching Sherm Lewis pussyfoot in the red zone there was 10 times worse than not taking a shot last week against the Cowgirls at the end of the first half on 3rd down with 15 seconds left.

Team Stat Comparison

1st Downs	15	17
Passing 1st downs	11	9
Rushing 1st downs	4	8
1st downs from Penalties	0	0
3rd down efficiency	8-17	5-15
4th down efficiency	0-1	1-1
Total Plays	63	67
Total Yards	303	381
Passing	221	258
Comp-Att	22-37	21-36
Yards per pass	6.0	7.2
Rushing	82	123
Rushing Attempts	25	29
Yards per rush	3.3	4.2
Red Zone (Made-Att)	3-4	1-4
Penalties	7-39	7-60
Turnovers	2	1
Fumbles lost	0	0
Interceptions thrown	2	1
Defensive / Special Teams TDs	0	0
Possession	29:42	30:18

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Washington Redskins Show Promise, Then Break It

Sugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:09:18 -0000

More photos » by Sharon Ellman - AP

Hunter Smith and Shaun Suisham react to a missed field goal on the field in Dallas. Unpictured: me, throwing a beer can at my TV.

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As this season wears on, it becomes harder to tell if I am seeing bright spots on this team or if I am just seeing stars from getting punched in the face by the weekly results. Against the Cowgirls on Sunday, our defense played with the kind of resolve and ferocity you associate with playoff teams. Even our offense played well, in their own anemic way.

The game reminded me of last season in many ways, but here are two (after the jump):

1) We had Romo in our grasp a few times where the sack would have been huge. We failed to bring him to the ground. I know I make Dallas games out to be bigger in my own mind, but I feel like we have such a hard time putting Romo on the ground. That one play where Orakpo had him dead to rights. It was kind of like a cross between a missed tackle and a mediocre move by Romo. Orakpo played a pretty good game but to see him join the list of guys in burgundy and gold to come up empty in a situation like that was discouraging.

2) We are good enough to win when we don't make any (sizable) errors. But we are not good enough to overcome mistakes. Last season our 6-2 start was almost entirely attributable to Jason Campbell's incredible run of little to no turnovers (I think he fumbled once or twice but had zero interceptions.) All of our games were tight affairs. As soon as we started turning the ball over and making crucial errors, we found ourselves unable to win. On Sunday, I thought Campbell had a hell of a game--I would say his best game of the season. His 3rd down success was studly. But at the end of the game, mental errors by JC (cross body throw into what looked like double coverage) and the offensive line (offensive line coaching 101: you have to engage the d-lineman all the way until the ball is out and gone...cut the hands and keep him off balance) kept us from getting down the field for a chance to win. The missed 39-yard field goal by Suisham also makes the list of mistakes we can neither afford nor recover from these days.

Let me be clear...if I had to choose between losing this game to get the #1 draft pick or winning this game and slipping a few spots, I would take the win every single time. I can't stand the Cowgirls and beating them is a priority no matter what. But losing this game helped us in a few ways:

1) If we had won, how long do you think it would take Vinny Cerrato to play the "I Told You So" game? Of course it is an immature, not at all smart thing to do. But we're talking Vinny here. I bet you would have a quote out of him by Wednesday talking about how he felt confident in the guys he put on the sideline to start playing well and winning. Again, I would rather take the win over Dallas and have to deal with Vinny's B.S., but there is a small part of me that almost instantly felt relieved that this loss kind of further cemented Vinny's fate. I mean 3-7 is an indictment, right? (In the hopes that I head off comments from people thinking I would prefer a loss as an FU to Vinny, let me re-state that this is simply not the case.)

2) Jason Campbell continues to play tough. I can't see the future but in an uncapped year, Campbell is a restricted free agent. I have to believe if we tender him to a very reasonable amount, we can get a team to send us a draft pick for him. In the face of adversity, he continues to display toughness and he keeps making plays. He won't be washed out of the league. If the Skins choose to go a different direction, and there is an uncapped year, they would be wise to try and get something in return for him. The Patriots had no intention to keep Matt Cassel last season but they tendered him at the franchise level and got a sweet draft pick out of KC for him. I am pretty sure the Redskins can sign JC to a modest term sheet and then make it known that they aren't asking for an extremely high draft pick. Then a team can come in, swoop him up for a low cost and send the Redskins a much-needed draft selection in return. You can't convince me there aren't at least 2 teams in the league who would consider giving Campbell a shot.

3) We will keep getting longer looks at some of the guys on this roster that we will need to count on in the upcoming years. Sure, injuries are playing a huge role in this aspect, but I also think we are seeing a break from the rule that some coaches didn't put the emphasis on the youth movement. For example, I bet Joe Bugel could have made an argument for Will Montgomery to start at guard the past two weeks and he probably would have (nothing in the last two years leads me me to think he likes Rinehart at all.) I am not convinced the difference between the two is that great. But maybe we saw Rinehart the last couple weeks in the interest of seeing exactly what we spent a 3rd round pick on in a previous draft.

It was an entertaining game that we could have won. Where have we heard that before?

Ten Yard Fight - 10 Chances To Make One Good Point

1) Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and Fred Davis keep looking better out there on the field. In the comments section, please tell me if you would consider trading Moss this offseason (regardless of how it would work contract-wise) and go with Thomas, Kelly, Davis, Mitchell, and Cooley as our primary pass catchers.

2) All offseason, we dealt with the quarterback lusts of Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato. Mark Sanchez is struggling mightily in New York and Jay Cutler is doing his best Rex Grossman impression out in Chicago. With Sanchez, you expect a rookie to bounce up and down as he gets his bearings. I think he is going to be fine. But Cutler is just playing awful. Sure he gets some numbers, but he is missing wide open guys in the end zone. On Sunday night, he overthrew Devin Hester and Johnny Knox for what would have been touchdowns. They were both behind the defense. Cutler's arm strength is impressive, but his lack of touch on the deep ball is alarming. His 18 pickles stand out. You can argue that the futures for Cutler and Sanchez are probably brighter, but right now I am pretty happy we didn't trade JC and a slew of draft picks away for those guys. With our luck Sanchez would have had a season-ending injury and Cutler would have cussed out everyone on our roster.

3) I thought I would touch on Blache for a moment. Our pass defense came into the game against Dallas ranked #1. They played like it. Yet, time and again, a lack of a decent pass rush hurt us. An anonymous defensive starter said after the game, "I guess you go with what you're comfortable with." To me, this is an obvious shot at Blache. He is not a blitzing maniac like so many of his successful contemporaries. I struggle with how to balance my appreciation for what our defense does every week with the lack of the kind of potent pass rush that excites fans of other teams. On one hand, I guess you could say Blache manages his personnel and plays to the strengths of the guys he has, but we also clearly don't make a concerted effort to go balls-out on the blitz with any regularity. The same anonymous defensive starter said that they did have more blitz packages in the game plan but they just didn't call those plays. It is clear what Blache is comfortable doing, and it is clear that he gets results. I am interested in hearing what people have to say about Blache and his attitude/philosophy on blitzing.

4) DeAngelo Hall is going to be here for a while it would seem. I find myself encouraged by his willingness to go and make tackles on the field. I love when a cornerback is a tackler that the defense has to account for in their blocking. Troy mentioned it during the telecast--a certain corner named Deion was a gifted football player that did not put his nose in there and make tackles. Teams ran at his side of the field and it forced other defenders to step up and compensate for his unwillingness to take on running backs ("business decisions" as Deion called them.) Great defenses have 11 guys all ready to hit you and bring you down. One thing that shouldn't happen between this year and next: we won't get less physical on defense. In fact, if Barnes can ever get his head right, he plays a very physical cornerback spot. One can dream...

5) Was I the only one hoping Hunter would hit the giant video board?

6) The performance that Mark Sanchez turned in against the Patriots most likely scored negative points in all fantasy formats. A quarterback scoring negative points in fantasy football is like waking yourself up with your own fart. And not the sound of it...the smell of it.

7) Bad news for us Redskins fans. The Raiders beat a very, very good team on Sunday. What was looking like a bright spot on our schedule all of a sudden looks like it could be a tough spot. Then again, the Bengals did kind of give that game away. Still, our shot at JaMarcus Russell is not looking good--in fact Bruce Gradkowski will probably have to be carted off the field for that to happen. A Top 5 draft pick could at stake in that game.

8) The Bengals blew a great chance to put some distance between them and the rest of the their division. But they have to be feeling a little more confident now that the Steelers are without any healthy quarterbacks. If only they still had ARE...

9) I know it sounds like sour grapes, but I look at that Cowgirls team and I don't see them beating anyone good in the playoffs. Am I out to lunch on this one?

10) Drew Brees only threw for 187 yards this week against the Bucs. The game was slightly out of hand at the end and the Saints have proven to have a pretty robust rushing attack, but this has to be alarming to fantasy owners. For most people, this is the stretch run for the playoffs. Next week he gets the Patriots and in Week 13 he gets the Redskins. That is the #6 passing defense and then the #1 passing defense in back-to-back weeks. I doubt you will be benching him if you have him on your team, but you probably can't expect him to single-handedly carry you for the next two weeks.

Give Me The Numbers, STAT!

We lost by one point. Some key stats in this game agree with the final score this week. Having come up short on the scoreboard but not on the box score a bunch of times this year, I have been paying attention. This week we were down in time of possession (31:26 vs 28:34), overall first downs (17 vs 14), rushing yards (153 vs 78) and red zone efficiency (they were 1-for-2, vs our 0-for-1). The margins here are slight...was this a close game or something?