What have we learned - Week 5
Well, it was shaping up to be a very excellent football weekend, and then the Eagles took the field. Crap.
We have learned that Andy Reid is a good football coach who might just be sliding into arrogance, not unlike Denny Green here in Arizona. It seems as if because everyone is telling him he can't win unless he has a running game, he is trying his hardest to prove them all wrong. Philadelphia ran the ball 9 times for 19 yards yesterday. I realize they got down early, but Holy Mother of God! That's shit. The Cowboys played an excellent game, but suddenly the Eagles look really bad. It's only one game, but their defense is not playing well. They have played one complete game - against San Francisco. Every other game they have gotten down early and have to come back. They need to figure out a way to get a lead. On ESPN this morning they were talking about how McNabb might want to consider surgery now. I'm starting to agree, especially with Andy Reid's playcalling. Jesus. For an example of why you should run the ball, see the Detroit game below.
Speaking of never running the ball, Arizona continues to ignore the run. They had a ten-point lead yesterday in the third quarter but couldn't put it away because they can't, or won't, run. Marcel Shipp is a good running back, but Green ignores him. Josh McCown has shown what good receivers can do for a relatively mobile quarterback, but Kurt Warner will probably be back in two weeks. Stupid. Go with the young guy, Denny!
So Detroit smacked around a Ravens team that committed 21 penalties. 21 goddamned penalties! I have never liked Baltimore, and now the rest of the world knows why - they're punks. Anyway, let's look at the Lions. Joey Harrington isn't exactly lighting it up, so they have to run a bit. Kevin Jones gained 58 yards on 26 carries - barely 2 yards a carry. But Mariucci stuck with the running game. He stuck with the running game. And he stuck with it some more, even when it wasn't working. Then, in the fourth quarter, when the Lions were trying to put the game away, they handed the ball to Shawn Bryson. Against a Ravens defense that had been valiant but pounded by the running game all day, Bryson went 77 yards for the touchdown that sealed it. What do you gain by running the ball? You keep your own defense fresh, but more importantly, you tire the other guys out. Nobody likes tackling running backs more than receivers, even a tough guy like Terrell Owens. That's what the running game does, and that's why Detroit won even with shitty numbers.
I didn't watch a lot of the Miami-Buffalo game, but Kelly Holcomb made some nice throws. I still don't understand why this guy hasn't gotten more of a chance in the league. Maybe he'll do some good things in Buffalo, if Losman doesn't whine his way back into the lineup. Hey, J.P. - you're a second-year guy. Shut up.
Boy, the Rams defense sucks. I watched a lot of this game, because I knew it would be entertaining, and it was. On Shaun Alexander's touchdown run in the third quarter, some St. Louis defender had a perfect bead on him. Alexander simply paused and let the guy fly right past him without even making any kind of effort to stop. Then Alexander walked into the end zone. Pathetic. Mike Holmgren seems to finally have figured out that Shaun Alexander needs to get the ball. Good boy, Walrus Man!*
* I just learned that Mike Martz has gone on indefinite leave. Ignoring the health issues (I don't know Martz, so although I will vaguely wish him well, it doesn't really matter to me), maybe the interim coach (the linebacker coach - huh?) will not be insane and run Steven Jackson more and protect Marc Bulger better.
The Titans beat the Texans. The two worst NFL teams squared off, and I didn't watch any of it. Is the David Carr era over? Should it be? Probably.
Good ol' Vinny, taking the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets to victory. I watched very little of this, but what I saw was boring. However, I expected it with these two teams. Tampa got four field goals. Score touchdowns, people! This is why we should eliminate field goals and extra points and punts. Only for kickoffs should we have kickers! Who's with me?
Did you see that Falcons passing game? Wow, that Michael Vick got good in a hurry! Oh, wait, it wasn't Vick? Wow, that Matt Schaub is pretty good. I hate to defend Vick's poor passing, but he has some crappy receivers - that Jenkins guy was wide open a couple of times, and he simply dropped the ball. No wonder Vick can't get the passing going. Why do I keep picking against the Patriots???? I will pick them from now on, so they will lose. Man, Tom Brady looked good. Put some damned pressure on him, why don't you, Atlanta?
Couldn't everyone see that Saints were going to lose that game? I didn't think it would be that bad, but it was still pretty evident New Orleans wasn't going to win. I have nothing to say about Nancy-Boy Favre, because I hate him. The team still sucks.
I may have to jump on the Cleveland bandwagon, because I'm sure Disintegrating Clone will stop by and tell me how good they are. Although he might not want me to pick them, because I'll jinx them! I watched the last couple of minutes, so I saw the two touchdown throws by Dilfer, who looks like he has figured out how to be a quarterback instead of a "game manager." I have no problem with Cleveland winning, because I have no reason to hate them.
Indy is 5-0, but they really haven't beaten anyone. It's weird how some teams (New England, Philadelphia) get really hard schedules, while Indy, who was just as good, gets a pretty easy schedule. I'm not complaining, mind you, because that's the way it is, but it is strange. They play at home against St. Louis next week, which might be an interesting game. They really didn't dominate San Francisco, after all. Yes, it was 28-3, but they really didn't destroy them.
That looked like a fun game in Denver yesterday, with the driving rain. Denver got really lucky with that "incomplete" pass that Jake Plummer threw. Come on, that was a fumble. That tuck rule is stupid. STUPID!
And so the Bengals fall from the ranks of the unbeaten teams. Oh well. I didn't watch any of this game, because the children were being evil and I was peeved about the Eagles game, but you're not going to go undefeated, after all. How did the Jaguars score any points? Anyone watch the game? Woody? Are you out there?
Other weekend thoughts: Penn State won. All is right in the world. Well, not quite, but that was still a sweet win. Arizona State spit up a huge hairball against Oregon, a game I liked because it's one of those where I don't care who wins, as I like both teams, and can just be entertained. The Braves lost, which is very sweet (although that game yesterday was nowhere near "the greatest postseason game ever"), and the Red Sox lost, which is also very sweet. The Yankees were so close to losing, which would have been sweet. Maybe tonight the Evil Empire will go down, and then Boston and New York and Atlanta will be gone, and life will be wonderful.
Well, I'm sorry for the football talk, you readers who don't like it, but come on - it's football! I know I'm not a typical guy in that I don't like power tools and I've never been to a strip club, but I have to get the testosterone flowing somehow!
We have learned that Andy Reid is a good football coach who might just be sliding into arrogance, not unlike Denny Green here in Arizona. It seems as if because everyone is telling him he can't win unless he has a running game, he is trying his hardest to prove them all wrong. Philadelphia ran the ball 9 times for 19 yards yesterday. I realize they got down early, but Holy Mother of God! That's shit. The Cowboys played an excellent game, but suddenly the Eagles look really bad. It's only one game, but their defense is not playing well. They have played one complete game - against San Francisco. Every other game they have gotten down early and have to come back. They need to figure out a way to get a lead. On ESPN this morning they were talking about how McNabb might want to consider surgery now. I'm starting to agree, especially with Andy Reid's playcalling. Jesus. For an example of why you should run the ball, see the Detroit game below.
Speaking of never running the ball, Arizona continues to ignore the run. They had a ten-point lead yesterday in the third quarter but couldn't put it away because they can't, or won't, run. Marcel Shipp is a good running back, but Green ignores him. Josh McCown has shown what good receivers can do for a relatively mobile quarterback, but Kurt Warner will probably be back in two weeks. Stupid. Go with the young guy, Denny!
So Detroit smacked around a Ravens team that committed 21 penalties. 21 goddamned penalties! I have never liked Baltimore, and now the rest of the world knows why - they're punks. Anyway, let's look at the Lions. Joey Harrington isn't exactly lighting it up, so they have to run a bit. Kevin Jones gained 58 yards on 26 carries - barely 2 yards a carry. But Mariucci stuck with the running game. He stuck with the running game. And he stuck with it some more, even when it wasn't working. Then, in the fourth quarter, when the Lions were trying to put the game away, they handed the ball to Shawn Bryson. Against a Ravens defense that had been valiant but pounded by the running game all day, Bryson went 77 yards for the touchdown that sealed it. What do you gain by running the ball? You keep your own defense fresh, but more importantly, you tire the other guys out. Nobody likes tackling running backs more than receivers, even a tough guy like Terrell Owens. That's what the running game does, and that's why Detroit won even with shitty numbers.
I didn't watch a lot of the Miami-Buffalo game, but Kelly Holcomb made some nice throws. I still don't understand why this guy hasn't gotten more of a chance in the league. Maybe he'll do some good things in Buffalo, if Losman doesn't whine his way back into the lineup. Hey, J.P. - you're a second-year guy. Shut up.
Boy, the Rams defense sucks. I watched a lot of this game, because I knew it would be entertaining, and it was. On Shaun Alexander's touchdown run in the third quarter, some St. Louis defender had a perfect bead on him. Alexander simply paused and let the guy fly right past him without even making any kind of effort to stop. Then Alexander walked into the end zone. Pathetic. Mike Holmgren seems to finally have figured out that Shaun Alexander needs to get the ball. Good boy, Walrus Man!*
* I just learned that Mike Martz has gone on indefinite leave. Ignoring the health issues (I don't know Martz, so although I will vaguely wish him well, it doesn't really matter to me), maybe the interim coach (the linebacker coach - huh?) will not be insane and run Steven Jackson more and protect Marc Bulger better.
The Titans beat the Texans. The two worst NFL teams squared off, and I didn't watch any of it. Is the David Carr era over? Should it be? Probably.
Good ol' Vinny, taking the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets to victory. I watched very little of this, but what I saw was boring. However, I expected it with these two teams. Tampa got four field goals. Score touchdowns, people! This is why we should eliminate field goals and extra points and punts. Only for kickoffs should we have kickers! Who's with me?
Did you see that Falcons passing game? Wow, that Michael Vick got good in a hurry! Oh, wait, it wasn't Vick? Wow, that Matt Schaub is pretty good. I hate to defend Vick's poor passing, but he has some crappy receivers - that Jenkins guy was wide open a couple of times, and he simply dropped the ball. No wonder Vick can't get the passing going. Why do I keep picking against the Patriots???? I will pick them from now on, so they will lose. Man, Tom Brady looked good. Put some damned pressure on him, why don't you, Atlanta?
Couldn't everyone see that Saints were going to lose that game? I didn't think it would be that bad, but it was still pretty evident New Orleans wasn't going to win. I have nothing to say about Nancy-Boy Favre, because I hate him. The team still sucks.
I may have to jump on the Cleveland bandwagon, because I'm sure Disintegrating Clone will stop by and tell me how good they are. Although he might not want me to pick them, because I'll jinx them! I watched the last couple of minutes, so I saw the two touchdown throws by Dilfer, who looks like he has figured out how to be a quarterback instead of a "game manager." I have no problem with Cleveland winning, because I have no reason to hate them.
Indy is 5-0, but they really haven't beaten anyone. It's weird how some teams (New England, Philadelphia) get really hard schedules, while Indy, who was just as good, gets a pretty easy schedule. I'm not complaining, mind you, because that's the way it is, but it is strange. They play at home against St. Louis next week, which might be an interesting game. They really didn't dominate San Francisco, after all. Yes, it was 28-3, but they really didn't destroy them.
That looked like a fun game in Denver yesterday, with the driving rain. Denver got really lucky with that "incomplete" pass that Jake Plummer threw. Come on, that was a fumble. That tuck rule is stupid. STUPID!
And so the Bengals fall from the ranks of the unbeaten teams. Oh well. I didn't watch any of this game, because the children were being evil and I was peeved about the Eagles game, but you're not going to go undefeated, after all. How did the Jaguars score any points? Anyone watch the game? Woody? Are you out there?
Other weekend thoughts: Penn State won. All is right in the world. Well, not quite, but that was still a sweet win. Arizona State spit up a huge hairball against Oregon, a game I liked because it's one of those where I don't care who wins, as I like both teams, and can just be entertained. The Braves lost, which is very sweet (although that game yesterday was nowhere near "the greatest postseason game ever"), and the Red Sox lost, which is also very sweet. The Yankees were so close to losing, which would have been sweet. Maybe tonight the Evil Empire will go down, and then Boston and New York and Atlanta will be gone, and life will be wonderful.
Well, I'm sorry for the football talk, you readers who don't like it, but come on - it's football! I know I'm not a typical guy in that I don't like power tools and I've never been to a strip club, but I have to get the testosterone flowing somehow!
posted by Greg | 1:47 PM
3 Comments:
Ah Holcomb, it's all coming back now. Sometimes he's great, sometimes, hmmmm. I liked Holcomb, but at Cleveland we had a horrible QB controversy which went on for months. Couch got us to the play-offs for the first time since the Chicxulub event wiped out the dinosaurs. Then Couch got injured, and Holcomb threw for over 400 yards as our defense, and Botch, committed career suicide in a Pittsburgh disaster.
Then it was: will it be Couch, will it be Holcomb for the entire off-season, until Botch gave the job to Holcomb. Who promptly had a few bad games, got injured, Couch came back, got injured etc etc. Then Botch decided to bring in Garcia, whose only contribution was to whine loud enough to hear it back in San Francisco. Then every QB got injured, Botch had a panic attack, we lost 765 games in a row.
Amazingly, Holcomb stuck around through this farce, but jumped to Buffalo just as Crennel, and sanity, was coming through the door. I like the guy and hope he does well at Buffalo, but the suspicion is that, once he's the established starter and people study him, he gets read by defenses too easily.
I'm not sure I think we're good, I just think we're moving in the right direction and not the utter joke we were last year. I'm 4-0 predicting CLE results this year.
I watched the Cincinnati game - their special team had a disaster early on when they punted the ball miles, but one of their players ran off the pitch and on again and then touched the ball (which is apparently illegal - I have no idea why). On the retake, they sliced it into touch at their forty yard line (or so), JAX went 7-0 and just kept safely ahead.
What's wrong with the Eagles? You're supposed to be going to the superbowl, you know.
And why do you hate Favre? Isn't he supposed to be an all-American hero?
Mr. Clone, you make some good points. I don't think Holcomb is a world-beater, I just don't understand the whole quarterback carousel he went through in Cleveland - your history is nice and succinct. Injuries played a part, but Davis seemed like a deer in headlights a lot during his tenure, even though everyone should have realized the team was going to suck for a while and the quarterback was going to have to live through it. Switching QBs every week isn't going to help a young team.
The leaving the field and coming back on thing is a rule. That's just the way it is. I suspect it's because they don't want players running down out of bounds, kind of hiding, and then coming back on when no one knows they're supposed to be in the action. They can't be sneaky, in other words. It's been a rule forever.
I don't know what's wrong with the Eagles. Keep reading this space to watch me agonize over them.
I have always hated Brett Favre. I think he's overrated, I think he cares more about stats than winning, and I think his "gunslinger" mentality has cost the Packers more than a few wins. Just because a guy can throw hard and is tough doesn't make him a great quarterback. He seems like a nice guy, but I don't like him as a quarterback.
I can recount what happened under Davis, but I have never understood what he was trying to do. The moment he announced we were going to have a QB competition in training camp, he killed Couch's Cleveland career, since Couch had been starter for, what, four years. You just can't take a number one draft pick four year veteran QB after he's just led you to the play-offs, and then make him compete for his job with a career back-up. The difference in salary between Couch and Holcomb at that point was amazing. So why not cut him and save the salary?
Then, after a season of injuries not unconnected to the fact that our Oline gave defenses the giggles, Butchy decides neither Couch or Holcomb is good enough, cuts Couch and brings Garcia in. But if neither were good enough, why had Butch kept them around so long? And Garcia says Butch told him he was going to bring in a west coast offense, but it never happened, so either Garcia or Butch lied.
And then Crennel comes in and in his first month, kicks out over half Butch's team and brings in players with good character, like Andruzzi and Dilfer. Suddenly even William "One more strike and I really am out" Green starts acting like a professional. I don't think we'll do too well this year - 8 and 8 was my best hope in pre-season, but I'm amazed by Crennel and I think we'll be a force in a couple of years.
The funny thing about Holcomb-Couch is Cleveland fans still argue about it. Even today I saw a thread about them. Perhaps it's just there's not too much to argue about at the moment. There's only so much mileage in "Hey I like Crennel".
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