Brady Quinn’s Rough Day Does End On a Positive Note

Brady Quinn had been waiting his whole life to be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. It has always been his boyhood dream to be the quarterback of the Browns. After a stellar career at Notre Dame, he had to wait when he got to Cleveland. He did get a taste of action last year before getting hurt.

On Sunday, he got his first opportunity to start the season as the starting quarterback. As you might expect from a young quarterback, he definitely had his struggles. For much of the game he did look as though he was still getting a feel for the offense and still developing rhythm with the rest of the unit.

His day did get off to a promising start though. The offense did march down for a field goal on the opening drive. Then he had a touchdown on a deep out to Braylon Edwards reversed on a challenge. That was weird to me because the replay showed that Edwards was forced out then came back in. The rule seems strange, but that is how it is.

That put the ball at the 6 and then Eric Mangini really took the ball out of Quinn’s hands and tried to get it in with Joshua Cribbs running the wildcat. They had to settle for three.

Then in the second half, Quinn did what young quarterbacks do. He turned the ball over twice. The first was on a long pass where he threw outside but Edwards went inside. It was obviously a miscommunication. That is totally on the quarterback, but that should get fixed once Quinn and Edwards become more familiar with each other.

The second turnover was a fumble in which he was scrambling and then tried to throw. That is something where he needs to learn to play it on another down. I mentioned the other day that Browns fans have to be patient. He will make mistakes. Whether or not he succeeds will depend on how much he learns from them.

Looking around the league, Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions and completed less than 50% of his passes. Mark Sanchez did have a pretty good day, but he has a defense and a running game. He will go through growing pains as well at some point this year.

Even Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco made these kind of errors last year. The difference is that they didn’t stand out because the defenses bailed them out.

Unfortunately for Quinn, the Browns defense does still have a lot of holes as evident in the second half today. They did play inspired defense at first, but as the game wore on, it became apparent that the Browns defense doesn’t match up to the top offenses. Therefore, when Quinn makes a mistake it will stick out like a sore thumb.

Although the day was pretty rough for Quinn, it did end on a positive note. Since this is clearly a rebuilding year, the Browns have to look for positives. Quinn put together a long drive that ended in a long touchdown pass to Robert Royal. Yes it was when the game was out of reach, but it was still something positive to build on.

FOX’s Brian Billick was quick to point out that the touchdown was a big deal because they hadn’t scored one in seven games. Billick reminded us that they went through four quarterbacks due to injury. I wanted to tap him on the shoulder and whisper in his ear that Quinn was the quarterback the last time they scored as well.

Billick’s other point was that when you are trying to change a culture, there are walls you have to break down.

In conclusion, I think most will agree that Quinn did show some positive signs but has to learn from his mistakes. If I were giving him a grade, it would be a C-.

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If Quinn’s First Game Is Any Indication, Browns Are In For Long Season

While I do realize that this was only one game, Brady Quinn’s performance in the Browns 34-20 loss to the Vikings earlier today certainly didn’t give me much reason to hope for this season.

Evaluating Quinn’s performance today, it was very apparent that he was handcuffed by conservative play calling in the first half. It was working though because the defense was playing well, the special teams generated some points, and the Browns entered halftime with a 13-10 lead.

Following halftime, the Vikings offense put a nice drive together and took a 17-13 lead following an Adrian Peterson touchdown.

The Vikings offense was finally starting to have success, and it became obvious that the next Browns  possession would be a good indication of whether or not the Browns would stay in the game.

Quinn responded by throwing a terrible interception which led to a Vikings score, then embarrassingly fumbling the ball with no defenders around him on his next possession.

What happened to the quarterback that was supposed to play smart and avoid turnovers?

What happened to the quarterback who was supposed to effectively manage the game with his accurate arm?

At that situation in the game, the Browns desperately needed a Quarterback who was capable of challenging the defense and stretching out the secondary.

The results of this game clearly show the multiple reasons that Derek Anderson would be a better fit as quarterback of this football team.

Unfortunately Quinn was incapable of responding in this kind of situation, constantly dumping the ball off to his tight ends and running backs.

In his 24 passes following halftime, he completed only one of them for more than 20 yards.

Expect more of the same results next week when the Browns head to Denver, and face a tough Broncos defense which held the Bengals scoreless for the first 59 minutes of their 12-7 win in Cincinnati today.

I understand that this was only one game, but Quinn certainly didn’t give Browns fans anything to look forward to.

Today, Browns fans who boldly predicted that this type of team is capable of success with a quarterback like Quinn were given a perfect example of why they are clearly wrong.

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Saints-Lions: Brees Tosses Six Touchdowns as Saints Tame Lions, 45-27

Saints quarterback Drew Brees tied a career high with six touchdown passes as the New Orleans Saints defeated the Detroit Lions, 45-27. Brees tossed touchdowns to five different receivers, including two to tight end Jeremy Shockey.

In my Saturday preview, I asked five questions about the Saints as they headed in to week one. Here are the answers.

 

How will the running game look with Pierre Thomas out of the lineup?

Mike Bell had a career game even though he didn’t score a touchdown. He set career highs for yardage (143) and carries (28). Bell was key on the Saints’ last drive when they were trying to run out the clock as he gained 28 yards on six carries.

Bell’s one negative play came in the third quarter when he was stood up for a loss and fumbled the ball away. The Lions returned the fumble 65 yards for a touchdown.

 

 

Is Reggie’s knee finally healthy?

Bush did not appear injured but probably had the worst game out of anybody on the field. He fumbled the ball twice on punt returns and didn’t gain yardage running the ball until late in the fourth quarter.

I expect wide receiver Rod Harper to be activated next week against the Eagles in order to return punts.

 

How often will Gregg Williams dial up a blitz for rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford?

I was surprised at how little Williams blitzed the rookie, but that’s probably why he’s coaching in the NFL and I’m sitting on my couch.

New Orleans sacked Stafford just once but intercepted him three times.

Even though the team allowed 27 points, much of that came because of a fumble return and poor special teams play. The Saints held the Lions to just 231 yards of total offense.

 

How well will the Saints defend against wide receiver Calvin Johnson?

Overall, Saints fans should be pleased with the coverage against Johnson. He caught just three passes and 64 of his 90 yards came when he was being covered by rookie Malcolm Jenkins. Jenkins was covering Johnson only because Tracy Porter was on the sidelines momentarily with a minor injury.

Johnson was thrown to 13 times and was blanketed most of the day by double coverage.

 

Can the defense keep up the turnover pace it set in the first three preseason games?

In a word, yes.

Darren Sharper had two interceptions and Scott Shanle had one. Surprisingly, the Lions, who fumbled the ball 31 times last year, did not fumble once against the Saints.

 

Three Other Observations

1. The Saints special teams were awful. Twice the Lions started drives inside the Saints’ 20-yard line because of big kick and punt returns. Poor offensive line play got a Saints’ 34-yard field goal blocked at the end of the second quarter.

The special teams ruined a good performance by the defense.

2. Except for the missed tackle on Calvin Johnson’s 64-yard reception, the Saints pass defense did an excellent job keeping everything in front of them.

Critics who just look at the scoreboard are going to give this defense less credit than they deserve for this game. When the Lions started on their own side of the field, they only scored 10 points.

3. Saints tackle Jermon Bushrod, subbing for the injured left tackle Jammal Brown, did an outstanding job in his first career start. He did not commit a penalty. Bushrod more than held his own while opening up running lanes and holding off the Lions’ pass rush.

 

A Glance at Next Week

The Saints head to Philadelphia to play the Eagles next week. The Eagles blasted the Carolina Panthers, 38-10 much thanks to Jake Delhomme’s five turnovers. Brees will not turn the ball over nearly that much.

Also, the Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb cracked a rib diving for a touchdown Sunday and his status for next week is currently unknown.

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Quinn Stumbles in 34-20 Loss To Vikings

Browns Backers,  

stumble—”to make a slip, mistake, or blunder”  

Browns fans finally got their wish in seeing Brady Quinn start, too bad that it was more of an audition for NFL Follies.   

During one play in the game the ball slipped out of Quinn’s hands only to be recovered for the Vikings—let’s just hope he plays more like the Browns golden boy savior than Garo Yepremian did in Super Bowl VII.  

At least the Browns scored an offensive TD for the first time since last November and Joshua Cribbs showed Browns’ management how you negotiate a contract with his seventh career punt return for a touchdown.   

With Quinn playing tentatively for much of the game thanks to a conservative game plan instituted by Mangini and Brian Daboll, you have to wonder where the offense went as other than TE Robert Royal, RB Jamal Lewis, and WR/KR Joshua Cribbs, the rest were missing in action.

The Browns seemed to be playing more against Brad Childress’ challenges than against his team. One challenge resulted in overturning a TD pass to WR Braylon Edwards after he was pushed out on a pass interference call. 

I would be remiss if I said that the bright spot of the game was the “attacking defense” promised by former Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan. The defense sacked Brett Favre four times, including one by Kamerion Wimbley, and managed to keep Favre in check while holding RB Adrian Peterson to 25 yards in the first half.

Then the 3rd quarter began.    

Peterson broke loose on a punishing 64 yard touchdown that included a stiff arm slam of Eric Wright, would finish the game with 185 yards, three touchdowns, and most importantly showed that the Browns are not even in their galaxy in terms of talent.  

Quinn would finish 20-of-31 for 205 yards, with one fumble and one interception that looked, dare I say, very Anderson like.

I’m not sure if there was a miscommunication on the route, but the ball looked like it was underthrown, and while Quinn tried to engineer plays out of the shotgun, what was with all the delayed-hand off calls?  

I can understand in trying to keep the Vikings honest in attempting to neutralize their defense but the inside handoffs and draws were not fooling the Vikings. Memo to Brian Daboll—use some playaction! 

Now I don’t want to rile up the Brady Bunch, but it will not be long before the rest of the league sees Quinn for what he is and that he cannot threaten NFL defenses. In this game you saw Minnesota bringing eight in the box and daring Quinn to beat them by throwing deep.  

Quinn may be the Golden Boy in the eyes of many, but on this day he looked like cheap varnish. 

 

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New Life: Larry Coyer’s Defensive Coaching Is Changing Colts Defense

The game was intense.

It was rough, tough, and down to the wire. It was a typical Colts vs. Jaguars game. There were very few things that separated this game from the rest.

Except one, the Colts defense.

When Ron Meeks left and Coyer came in I was excited but also a bit hesitant. Would his defensive philosophy work?

Would the defensive players the Colts have work with his plans?

How would a bigger defensive line effect the Colts? Finally, how would things be different?

Well we all learned quickly what Coyer has been doing with the defense.

He has made a defense that was already reliant on the pass rush even more deadly to the opposing quarterback.

While Meeks was always reliant on Freeney and Mathis to get to the opposing quarterback Coyer has come in and made the strong linebacking crew of the Colts help out.

Boy, did it work out.

Never have I seen such a swarm of blue engulf the opposing quarterback.

Instead of just seeing the numbers of Freeney (#93) and Mathis (#98) all day you got a healthy dose of number 58, Gary Brackett, around as well.

There were very few times in the game where Garrard dropped back and wasn’t getting pressured by a sea of blue. It was an almost constant sight, and as a fan that’s what we want to see.

Not only did the Colts consistently pressure David Garrard today, but they limited the usually stellar run game of the Jaguars.

Sure it’s early, but from what I have seen so far from the Colts defense I have high hopes for the team this season.

On some side notes, I am praying that Anthony Gonzalez will be back soon. Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie did well to fill in for Gonzalez but we need him back as soon as possible to get that veteran receiver back on the offensive starting lineup.

Also, I was extremely impressed by the Indianapolis Colts special teams. All game long they were almost flawless, with the one exception being the missed field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

That punt from McAfee that the Colts kept on the first yard was impressive stuff.

Go Colts!

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Eagles Defense Dominant in Win Over Panthers

There were many questions surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles defense heading into Sunday’s game against Carolina.

How would they handle the loss of FS Brian Dawkins (free agency), MLB Stewart Bradley (injury), and Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson (lost battle with melanoma cancer)?

Would disgruntled CB Sheldon Brown play up to his abilities?

Was the preseason any indication of how this defense would play during the regular season (avg. 30 points against)?

The answers came in a 38-10 rout of the Panthers, in Charlotte.

The defense forced seven Panther turnovers, five from QB Jake Delhomme who was pulled early in the third quarter, and scored a touchdown on a Victor Abiamiri fumble recovery. 

Brown had two of the teams five interceptions, Joselio Hanson, Akeem Jordan and Asante Samuel had the others.

Panthers quarterbacks were under pressure all afternoon as the defense had five sacks and allowed just 2.4 yards per completion.

The Philly D held the Panthers to 169 total yards and stopped RB DeAngelo Williams on the one with under a minute to go, clearly in a tribute to the late Johnson as the unit was exuberant coming off the field with many pointing to the sky or to the decal on their helmets honoring him.

After answering all those questions on defense, the Eagles now have a few questions to answer on offense. Most notably, will QB Donovan McNabb be able to play next week against New Orleans after suffering a cracked rib in the third quarter?

If McNabb can’t go coach Andy Reid may have a decision to make. Backup Kevin Kolb has been less than impressive when given the opportunity to play, 7-11 for 23 yards with two fumbles Sunday, while third-string QB AJ Feely has had a better than average record when filling in for an injured McNabb.

Many longtime Eagles fans would feel better seeing Feely get the start over Kolb. Keep in mind that Michael Vick is not eligible to play until Week 3.

A decision regarding McNabb’s ability to play will be made later this week.

One thing Reid can take comfort in is the rushing attack.

As a team Philadelphia ran the ball 32 times for a total of 185 yards, for an average of 5.8 yards per run. Brian Westbrook saw live action for the first time this year after sitting out the entire preseason while recovering from off-season foot/ankle surgery.

He fin ished the day with 13 carries for 64 yards and also had a four-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

The defense will be asked to step up in a big way next week when the Eagles take on a Saints team coming off a 45-27 win over Detroit. Drew Brees threw for over 350 yards and had six touchdown passes in the win.

 

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Improbable 87-Yard Touchdown Lifts Broncos To Victory

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Josh McDaniels has a new claim to fame. He has one of the most unbelievable victories as a first-time head coach in the history of sports.

With all the change the Denver Broncos have undergone this offseason, the most important part of Bronco football decided to stay in town. Mile High Magic showed up in full force when the Broncos defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 12-7 on Sunday.  

Perhaps just waiting for the right time to strike, the magic kicked in exactly when Denver needed it. With 11 seconds left and Bronco hopes of a victory seemingly lost, Brandon Stokley took a pass deflected by Leon Hall 87 yards for the win.

While the final score may indicate a classic defensive struggle, it was offensive futility that kept points off the board. Kyle Orton and Carson Palmer played much better than statistics indicate, as many of their good throws resulted in dropped passes. Only three total drives went for more than 40 yards, and these drives accounted for 16 of the 19 points scored.

On the other side of the ball, new safeties Brian Dawkins and Roy Williams led their teams in tackles with 11 and nine, respectively.

Rookie’s Alphonso Smith and Rey Maualuga shined in their NFL debuts, making clutch stops just beyond the line of scrimmage.

The defensive player of the game, though, was Denver’s Andra Davis, who swarmed ball carriers all day, recording three tackles for a loss.

Denver started the game with a dismal offensive effort, running only 17 plays on their first five drives, four of which were three-and-outs. When the Broncos were in scoring position, Matt Prater connected on field goals of 48 and 50 yards to give Denver a slight lead.

The one score advantage would prove to be too little for the Broncos, as the Bengals pulled ahead late on an 11 play, 91 yard drive.

The kind of drive that collectively demoralizes fans and players of the team that just lost the lead. The kind of drive that would have started a new era in Denver on a very sour note.

And then it happened. The kind of play that reminds football fans why they love the game. The kind of play that can, if only for a moment, allow Broncos fans and players to have a laugh and go absolutely nuts. Comic relief courtesy of Mile High Magic.

 

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This Buccaneer Loss Was ‘Secondary’

Perhaps Raheem Morris should consider demoting himself and return to handle the Tampa Bay Buccaneer secondary.

If he does, he better take a bucket of water with him. His secondary was burnt, scorched, and fried in the opener Sunday against Dallas.

The Bucs once had a defensive back named Rod Jones. His nickname was “toast” because he was burnt so often.

The Bucs have a new “toast.” His name is Sabby Piscatelli.

The burning secondary was hit for 353 yards and three touchdowns by Tony Romo in that dreadful 34-21 debacle of an opener Sunday at Ray-Jay. Piscatelli was so far out of position that two long scoring strikes came as a result of his mistakes.

Romo hit the Bucs with bombs of 42, 66, and 80 yards.

You think they were missing the suspended Tanard Jackson?

Morris afterwards put the spin of a rebuilding program on the loss.

“We will get better. We’re building blocks. This was a building block.”

More like blockhead.

Blockhead play by the secondary.

Linebacker Barrett Ruud knew where the problems were. “This was more about breakdowns than getting out manned,” he said.

And it was sad that it was the defense that buckled in this debut game of the Morris era.

The offense played and played well and the stadium was energized by the running return of Cadillac Williams, who ran early and often and finished with 97 yards on 13 carries while Derrick Ward added 62 on 12 carries.

The three-headed attack failed to materialize as Earnest Graham saw little action.

Byron Leftwich did remarkably well and appeared exhausted and physically battered when it all ended.

Michael Clayton played well. Antonio Bryant did as well, but re-injured his surgically repaired knee.

His wasn’t the only injury. Center Jeff Faine left with an elbow injury and Jeremy Zuttah hurt an ankle. Sammie Stroughter suffered a shoulder injury.

In all, not good news for these newbies.

Yes, the Bucs secondary made Patrick Crayton (4/135) and Roy Williams (3/86) look sensational.

It may take a few days for the flames to subside.

Morris better throw a heavy dose of water on his former charges.

And the biggest bucket better land on Piscatelli.

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Cowboys’ Stock Report: Week One

2009—Week One

Dallas Cowboys—34
Tampa Bay Buccaneers—21

Box Score

 

Stock Up

Although he looked a bit rusty in the first couple of offensive series, Tony Romo looked great when making the right reads and selling the defense with his eyes.  Case in point, on the 80-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton, Romo rolled slightly to his right and stared down Jason Witten.  The safety, Sabby Piscitelli, bit on Romo going to Witten in the flat, which left Crayton streaking down the sideline wide-open for the easy score.

Let’s remember Romo can’t look good unless his receivers run good routes and catch the ball.  Jason Witten, Roy Williams, Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton didn’t disappoint. 

Special praise should be given to Roy Williams.  Despite having just three receptions for the game, the much maligned receiver made his presence felt from his finger tip grab of an off-line Romo throw on the first possesion, to his 66-yard TD catch and run early in third quarter. 

Bobby Carpenter deserves some love as well.  Carpenter will probably never make it as three-down linebacker in any scheme, but he may have found a niche in the Cowboys’ nickel package.  Carpenter made two nice tackles of note today.  One occured on special teams when he made a nice open field tackle on the returner who had just cut back to run up an apparent open lane.  The other happened on a crucial third down late in the fourth quarter.  Carpenter stopped the ball carrier on a short pass in the flat for what would have been a first down.

Chuck Norris…I mean kicker, David Buehler, justified his roster spot with his performance today.  Out of seven of Buehler’s kickoffs, six made it to the endzone and three were touchbacks.  Doesn’t sound too impressive?  Keep in mind that in 169 career kickoffs, Nick Folk has registered just four touchbacks.

Speaking of Folk, his performance today (2/2 FG, 4/4 XP, long of 51-yards) was a good sign he’s back from offseason surgery and a shaky preseason.

Looks like safety Gerald Sensabaugh is an upgrade.  Sensabaugh was all over the field making tackles (don’t forget, he prevented a TD by running down Cadillac Williams), and blocking a FG.

Finally, got to give some credit to the Cowboys offensive line.  The pass protection was solid, though the run-blocking was somewhat uneven throughout the game.  However, the fact that they didn’t register a single false start, hold or any other of their patented mental gaffes should be noted.  We’ll just look past the fact Flozell Adams did get an apparent personal foul call (the replays did not show it) on him.

 

Stock Down

It appears safety Ken Hamlin is intent on continuing his Poor Tackling Tour for another season.  The fact that Hamlin continues to refuse to wrap-up ball carriers is a reflection on the coaches.  No player should be above being reprimanded for poor technique.  Throwing a shoulder into a ball carrier simply isn’t going to do it.  Hamlin not only got ran over on few runs, but he outright whiffed on a couple of plays.

The Cowboys defense needs an identity.  It’s apparent that the defensive energy generally goes as the team’s offense goes.  They certainly weren’t stout against the run, as the Bucs ran roughshod through the defense all game, allowing 174 yards, 5.6 YPC and 2 TD.

Question, where was the pass rush all game? 

Byron Leftwich is essentially a reincarnation of Drew Bledsoe.  The Cowboys did put Leftwich on his back a number of times bu the fact they were unable to register a single sack is a bit disconcerting. 

Perhaps the stinger he suffered early in the game affected his play, but DeMarcus Ware wasn’t much of a factor in the game.  Nor was Anthony Spencer for that matter.

Next Up…

The Cowboys will make their regular season debut at Cowboys Stadium in primetime againt division rival New York Giants.  The two teams have split the last four regular season games against each other.  Dallas does own the all-time series edge (55-37-2).

Look for both teams to utilize their deep running back rotations to control the clock and keep each others offense off the field.

If Dallas can shore-up their run defense, they should be able to handle the Giants’  passing attack.  As with most of their recent games, I expect this game to be hard fought, with Dallas squeaking out a win.

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Opening Day Sparks Quarterback Controversy in Carolina

The Carolina Panthers season could not have opened on a more disappointing note Sunday, as they were manhandled by the Philadelphia Eagles and saw the scoreboard read 38-10 at the end of the day.

The Eagles’ victory can be attributed mainly to the play of Jake Delhomme.  For the second straight meaningful game, Delhomme was painfully bad, throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble.

Delhomme started out crisp on the team’s first drive, but things quickly turned sour.  The first interception of the afternoon came on the Panthers’ next drive and was followed by a Delhomme fumble that was recovered for a touchdown.

The first drive was quickly overshadowed, and Delhomme threw another interception before the first half came to a close, which led to another Eagles touchdown.

After halftime, Delhomme’s downward spiral sped up, as he threw interceptions on the Panthers’ first two drives. 

Then, a moment that some Panthers fans have been waiting for for a long time happened. 

Jake Delhomme was benched by John Fox.

Josh McCown came into the game and was very unimpressive.  McCown finished 1-6 for two yards and took a sack.   To make things worse, McCown left the game after taking a hard hit in his left knee. 

That meant that the Panthers would have to go to Matt Moore, the emergency quarterback.

Moore was perhaps the brightest spot of the day for the Panthers’ quarterbacking crew.  His numbers aren’t overwhelming but, considering the other options available, they are the most enticing.

Moore finished 6-11 for 63 yards and an interception while taking a sack as well.  The positives come from the last Panthers drive of the game, where Moore was 5-8 for 58 yards and had four consecutive completions at one point. 

The Panthers now have the one thing they were adamant about not having in training camp, a quarterback controversy. 

Whether the coaches choose to believe it or not, it is upon them. 

Delhomme desperately needed at least a decent game on Sunday afternoon to rid the bad taste of January’s playoff debacle once and for all. 

He did not get that, and his performance was nearly as deflating as it was in that game.

There has been a smattering of Panthers fans who have continued to call for Delhomme’s head all postseason but it is hard to believe that anybody envisioned a day quite like today to open the season.

Expect John Fox to stick with Delhomme for the time being and to downgrade the importance of his benching.  The thing is, it is a huge deal for this team, as Delhomme has never been benched in all the poor performances he’s suffered through in his time as a Panther.

The bigger problem for the Panthers is that there is not another established quarterback on the roster.  McCown and Moore are both shaky at best when it comes to talking about starters. 

It is likely that we will see Delhomme start in Atlanta next Sunday, but you have to think his leash will be pretty short.  Hopefully its just another one of Jake’s classic breakdowns, but the fact that it happened on opening day is a startling idea.

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