What Should the Penalty Be for Tampering with Michael Crabtree?

Earlier this week, the San Francisco 49ers filed charges against the New York Jets, claiming they had tampered with the Niners’ ability to sign rookie holdout Michael Crabtree.

Earlier this month, Deion Sanders suggested that there was not one but two teams willing to pay Crabtree $40 million over five years, about twice the amount of money that the Niners were offering.

This raises the question of how Sanders would know that fact. It seems fairly clear that Sanders didn’t call the other 31 teams’ GMs and ask “Would you pay $40 million for Crabtree?” It also seems fairly clear that those GMs didn’t call Sanders, either.

It is possible that he heard this from his agent, Eugene Parker, who is also Michael Crabtree’s agent? But then that would require that other teams have been in contact with Parker, which would be prima facie evidence of tampering.

The Niners are familiar with tampering charges. After all, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell punished them in 2007 for tampering with Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs.

This raises a significant question. What should the punishment be if one or more teams did, in fact, tamper with the Niners’ ability to sign Michael Crabtree?

First off, let me be clear: I am not saying that tampering has occurred. I do believe, however, there are grounds for the NFL to conduct an investigation.

Second, I am not a lawyer, but I do think that treating this as a legal case would be useful. I also point out that I have not seen the NFL’s constitution or by-laws, so some of these suggestions may not be possible.

That said, if tampering were proven, and I were the NFL Commissioner, my penalty would have three components.

 

1. “Criminals” shouldn’t profit from their crimes

Bank robbers aren’t allowed to keep the money they steal. So why should a team be allowed to commit tampering here and then sign the player?

Quite simply, they shouldn’t.

The Niners currently hold the right to sign Crabtree for a maximum of six years. Therefore, the first part of the penalty would be that, until the end of the 2014 season, any team found guilty of tampering would be prohibited from adding Crabtree to their roster, as a free agent, by draft, or by trade, without the explicit permission of the Niners.

This would be true even if the Niners relinquish their rights to Crabtree and he re-enters the draft.

 

2. “Compensatory” damages for San Francisco

Tampering in this case is so damaging because it may have completely destroyed San Francisco’s ability to ever bring Crabtree aboard. They may be able to salvage something in a trade, or they may be forced to relinquish his rights altogether if they can’t find a willing trade partner.

This means that they will have gotten absolutely no benefit at all from that No. 10 draft pick in 2009.

Thus, to compensate the Niners for their loss, they should get another first-round draft pick next year, unless they are able to trade his rights to another team.

So, how would they get that pick?

 

3. “Punitive” damages against the tampering teams

Teams should not be allowed to try to poach other teams’ first-round draft picks, period.

The penalty should be high enough that no team even considers the idea, so I would force teams to forfeit their next two first-round draft picks. The highest such pick in 2010 would go to San Francisco, if the Niners couldn’t trade Crabtree’s rights.

The penalty against the Niners in the Briggs case was the loss of their fifth-round draft pick, and a forced swap of third-round draft picks with the Bears.

So while it may not be possible to force teams to give picks to other teams, it should be possible to force a trade.

So, if the Niners can’t outright be given a pick, then they should be “forced” to trade the lowest pick they have in 2010 for that additional first-rounder (I’m sure they’d lose a lot of sleep over it).

The difference between the Briggs case and this one is that Briggs was about to become a free agent. Although the Bears could have franchised him (and, in fact, they did), their “window of exclusivity” only ran for one season.

Here, by trying to drive a wedge between Crabtree and the Niners, the teams guilty of tampering may have helped deny the Niners five or even six years of Crabtree’s service.

Perhaps Crabtree would have been a bust. Then again, he could have been Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately, the Niners may never have a chance to find out.

So, if some other team or teams played a role in denying the Niners that chance, the punishment should be a severe one.

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Kevin Kolb’s First Impression Spells Bad Things for Donovan McNabb’s Future

Being one of the biggest Donovan McNabb fans you’ll ever know, I always look for a way to defend one of the best quarterbacks of the past 10 years.

However, with another injury setback in his recently injury-riddled career, and with the under-appreciated performance young backup Kevin Kolb put up in his debut as a starter, McNabb could be more worried then ever.

Again, let me say that McNabb has been one of the best quarterbacks on the decade and to me is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. He’s been in the NFC title game four times and the Super Bowl once and is the least intercepted quarterback of all time (4,300-plus attempts, under 100 interceptions).

He has been super productive and in my opinion is still a top 10, top eight quarterback in the league.

However, to make the point again, he is a 32-year-old quarterback with a recent injury history and has a second round budding quarterback behind him ready to explode. Kolb is only 25 and has been waiting in the wings similarly to Aaron Rodgers.

If Rodgers is any indicator, we could expect a solid opening for Kolb to bud in his first few seasons. Already Rodgers is in the top 10 quarterback discussion.

Kolb is loved by the Eagles organization and Andy Reid and has shown the ability he did in college at the pro level in practice and now in games.

Every young quarterback is going to make mistakes early in his career, so I’m not too scared by the three interceptions, and neither are the Eagles.

But being able to stay somewhat consistent through 51 pass attempts, throwing two touchdowns, including a great deep ball to DeSean Jackson, and showing above average pocket presence and throwing ability on the run is pretty impressive and shows signs of great potential for Kolb.

Also, looking at the contracts, McNabb recently signed a two-year, $24.5 million deal just this offseason. However, this would not stop the Eagles from trading the five-time Pro Bowler.

With teams like the Raiders, Jaguars, Titans, Broncos, 49ers, and maybe the Vikings all looking for an above average starter in 2010, McNabb will likely be highly coveted in the trade market (maybe a second rounder with possible first round escalators?).

Kolb signed a four-year deal in 2007, but his contract in 2010 is under $500,000, and he will likely seek a big-time extension.

While I still feel Kolb isn’t as great as McNabb—not by a long shot—he is the more youthful, less risky long-term pick for the Eagles and may be a better option contract-wise.

Also, Kolb and Michael Vick could be a solid duo for years to come playing off each other’s weaknesses and forming a great quarterback depth chart that could replace McNabb for the long term.

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Diner morning news: How Injuries can be Fatal

QUOTE: “Your success story is a bigger story than whatever you’re trying to say on stage… Success makes life easier. It doesn’t make living easier.” —Bruce Springsteen, Q magazine (August 1992)

 

As we all know, injuries in the NFL have played a huge part in deciding the eventual champions. Good teams that avoid injuries become great teams in December when the talent pool has been depleted. Some teams are devastated by injuries at certain positions, and there’s no solution to fixing the problem.

In 2005, for example, I had a conversation with then-Dallas head coach Bill Parcells about an injury to Flozell Adams, who was going to miss the remaining 10 games of the season.

We talked about how there was no long-term solution to losing a left tackle, because if a team has a player with enough talent to become a good left tackle in the NFL, he’s not sitting on the bench. He’s in the game.

I realize there have been exceptions, especially in Pittsburgh where Max Starks filled in for an oft-injured Marvel Smith at left tackle and learned to play the position on the fly. But for the most part, losing a left tackle can be fatal to a team’s success.

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: The New Orleans Saints’ Defensive Gameplan vs. Buffalo

When Dick Jauron fired Dick Schonert a week prior to the beginning of the season for having too many formations and too many plays, we all were thinking Buffalo was in trouble. Since then, Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt has simplified the offense greatly while keeping the no-huddle aspect.

The thing nobody saw coming was this move resulting a more productive offense. In this day and age, the most successful offenses are the ones with the most sophistication (but of course they must be well-executed).

The truth is the Bills are about as complicated offensively as a modern high school team, yet they are moving the football and scoring points.

The main reason for this is that with two stud receivers outside, the running game is opened up. But likely that will change. After last week’s 167 yard performance, teams must focus on RB Fred Jackson.

Let’s investigate further what the Bills do offensively, and then figure out what Gregg Williams is going to try to do stop this suddenly potent offense. 

 

Personnel

The Bills have three stars on offense: Terrell Owens, Lee Evans, and Fred Jackson. After them, Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish are good slot receivers who provide versatility and speed to stretch the defense.

The Bills are thin at the tight-end position. They may be down to third-stringer Derek Fine and former practice squad member Stupar (not sure of his first name). They also lost one of their starting linemen in Sunday’s game, so they are really stretched thin on the line.

At quarterback, Trent Edwards has shown some improvement from the past few years, although he is still a relatively slow decision-maker who has a propensity to force some passes into coverage. He is a good athlete and likes to get to the outside and make things happen. But he never steps up into the pocket to scramble.

It is also notable that the Bills are starting two rookies on the offensive line, and although they are very physical, it is an inexperienced group in general who lacks any significant continuity (in my opinion the most important element to successful line play).

 

Formations

As I noted above, the Bills are relatively simple in what they do. They showed only 13 different formations in the game against Tampa Bay, although that doesn’t count flipping the formation to the opposite side.

They do not have a true fullback, and, in fact, never line anyone up in such a formation. Occasionally they will put a tight end back there when they’re lined up in the shotgun, and that’s the closest thing they get to a two-back formation.

They like to run two-tight end sets, but they may be limited in that this week due to their difficulty to keep players at that position healthy. When they go with this personnel grouping, they generally use a wing formation (line them both up on the same side of the formation next to each other with one about a yard back and to the side) and keep a receiver on the side of the wing making it a 3×1 look.

In their other base personnel group—three receivers, one tight end, and one running back—they are a little more diverse. From this, they’ll go under center and in the gun.

They’ll use 3×1 and 2×2 formations with the tight end lined up on the line. They are still a threat to run from these setups. They also like to use slot motion into the backfield from the three-receiver side (generally it is Roscoe Parrish, although it could be Reed as well). 

Finally, they’ll stay with the 11 personnel (three receivers, tight end, and running back) but go empty. From this, they have two formations—one where the tight end lines up inline, the other he becomes a slot receiver. They have not shown any kind of QB run yet from this formation, or any version of the wildcat, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.

 

Play Concepts

From their two-tight end formations, they really like to run a toss sweep to the strong side (the side with the two tight ends). They pull the playside guard to get up into the hole in an effort to get the running back to the second level. They ran this several times to both sides against Tampa Bay.

Also from this formation they like to run the inside zone, where they slant the line to the side of the handoff. Jackson, or whoever is running the ball, has the option to find a hole in the direction the linemen are slanting or can cutback against the flow, which against a crashing aggressive defense like the Saints is generally going to be wide open.

They bring the winged tight end across the play to cut off the backside defensive end to create that cutback lane.

From this play they set up a bootleg rollout where that tight end becomes Edwards’s main option, although they’d love to throw that ball deep as well.

Their really isn’t a lot to their passing game in general. The outside receivers vertical routes about 60 percent of the time. Sometimes they will have their slots and tight ends run vertical routes, and bring T.O. or Evans back under on crossing routes to get those guys the ball in space.

On most pass plays, the slots have an option route where they can run inside or outside. They basically read the safety nearest them and run away from them.

One interesting trend (perhaps) is that they try to be unpredictable by throwing on seemingly obvious running situations, and running in what seem to be passing situations.

 

What the Saints Must Do Defensively to Stop This Offense

In many ways this will be the simplest defensive gameplan Gregg Williams puts together all year. It should be a gameplan rooted in fundamentals. My theory is that the Saints defense is more talented man-for-man than the Bills offense. And since the Bills are a fundamentals team, the key is execution.

Therefore keep it fairly simple and the day should go pretty well.

The Bills tend to keep the same personnel in for an entire series, meaning the Saints can commit to defensive personnel immediately and ride that group for an entire series.

The biggest question is how to match up with the Bills 11 personnel grouping (three receivers). Frankly, there is nobody on the Saints starting defense who can match up man-to-man with Josh Reed or Roscoe Parrish in the slot.

However, Randall Gay certainly could do at least an adequate job. Therefore, I would expect to see a lot of nickel package being used this weekend. The only issue is that this weakens the run defense.

Therefore, I move Roman Harper up in the box to play almost as a third linebacker. Then I would play One man and Cover Three in the secondary primarily. That way I always have an equal number to defend in the run game and a man advantage to defend in the passing game.

My linebackers can easily play the tight ends in coverage, so I allow them to man up with those guys.

From a pressure standpoint, I’m not going to worry too much about blitzing (starting to sound like a broken record, which is funny since I love to blitz). Tampa Bay got ample pressure, and you could even say more pressure, when they simply rushed their four down linemen.

They were able to do this by using stunts, twists, and games. That being said, I would mix in some zone blitzes, especially on 3rd-and-short.

As far as playing the inside zone, I would really preach staying in lanes and playing gap-assignment football this week. Stay in your lane, don’t try to do someone else’s job. That way you are ready for the cutback run. The backside must stay at home and play contain, including the weakside linebacker (Scott Shanle).

This is also important when playing the inside zone against the three-receiver set when they’ll bring that receiver across to make it look like a reverse.

 

Summary

Buffalo is a simple offense. If we out-execute them, we should win. The key objective really is to make a wall around them, both versus the run and the pass. Do not allow Edwards to scramble outside; keep him in the pocket. Against the inside zone, same thing. Keep him inside where Roman Harper can come up and make the play.

Even if Buffalo shows something new this week, it likely will stay the same throughout the game, so it will not be hard to adjust to. Gregg Williams should be able to adjust in time to fix things for the rest of the game.

And oh yeah, their passing game is a vertical game, so at all cost, don’t get beat deep. The prevent-style defense can actually be very effective against these guys.

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Bird Droppings: Notes and News From the Arizona Cardinals Nest

He’s So Special

Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell was announced as this week’s NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance Sunday against the Jaguars in steamy Jacksonville.

Campbell (essentially) won the award for his crucial game-changing blocked field goal early in the second quarter, when the game was still close. It was “game changing” in that his block not only prevented the Jags from closing the gap to 10-6, but in that it was caught out of the air by safety Antrel Rolle and returned for a touchdown.

That gave the Cardinals a 17-3 lead that Jacksonville couldn’t recover from.

What’s interesting here is that Rolle didn’t get the award for the touchdown return, an 83-yard gem that put all the momentum on the Cardinals’ side. But Rolle’s not-so-special miscues on two other plays (punt returns) would have eclipsed the TD in terms of being special teams “Player of the Week” status.

As for my postgame suggestion that Warner potentially receive NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, he probably would have if 49ers RB Frank Gore didn’t explode with two touchdowns for over 75 yards each.

Gore won the award this week. Kurt gets to keep his NFL record, however

Marcus Needs a Twitter Sitter

There were mumblings about Cardinals All-Pro WR Larry Fitzgerald’s being upset at the number of balls coming his way in Glendale last week when he was spotted on TV in an animated “discussion” with fellow Pro Bowl quarterback Kurt Warner in the waning moments of the first half against the 49ers.

At the time, Fitz had an un-customary one reception, and the Cardinals offense was …well, sputtering. 

That “news” kind of died its own slow death as the week went along.

But Fitz’s little brother, Marcus, casually threw gas on what was left of the smoldering embers Sunday when he started Tweeting Larry’s perceived dissatisfaction, again, with the number of balls coming his way.

It seems that during the game, Marcus sent out a tweet referring to Warner as an “old f*cking man.” Not cool.

But it was his tweet after the game that got the ball rolling in this perceived discontent between the two teammates.

“Just got off the phone with my brother. he’s happy about the win. But PISSED he didn’t get the ball thrown 2 him much!” is what now has the Internet all a-buzz.

My take on this mini-uproar is as follows. Larry is a competitive guy. You can’t reach his level of greatness without having that competitive fire. He wants the ball every down. Not in that “Just gimme the damn ball” kind of way. But in a professional way.

Fitzgerald is no Diva. We don’t have a potential Terrell Owens situation on this team, or between these two. I don’t see Larry exploding on the sidelines, or whining in the media, as T.O. did to…well, name everyone that gets paid to throw him the ball.

You can keep Warner off the list of guys like Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, or Tony Romo, QB’s that were on the wet side of a self absorbed wide receivers’ tongue lashings.

My guess would be that Larry said how happy he was with the huge win, and maybe confided to his brother that he wished he was more involved than his four receptions would indicate.

I’m more than a little sure that Larry didn’t want or expect Marcus to tell the world how “PISSED” Fitz was following the team’s first win of 2009.

Fitz and Warner will forever be linked in Cardinals/NFL lore for their record shattering postseason in 2008. They genuinely like and respect each other. And its obvious that Kurt wants to get Fitz the ball. I see no problems here.

While Fitzgerald didn’t catch as many as he’d have liked to on Sunday in Jacksonville, you can be sure he’ll be at his typical numbers at seasons end.

I’m also quite sure that Fitz will take wins over personal stats, anytime.

Its clear that Larry needs to to get his little brother to ick-snay on the eammate-ashing-bay on Tweets. Or he could be forced to get Marcus a Twitter Sitter.

Stat Attack!

The Cardinals have eight sacks as a team after two games. After picking up four in the opener against San Francisco, they added another four Sunday in Jacksonville.

Bert Berry leads the team with two, while Darnell Dockett, Karlos Dansby, Calais Campbell, Chike Okeafor, Antrel Rolle, and Clark Haggins have one each.

They have also forced six fumbles. Adrian Wilson, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Dansby, Haggins, Dockett and Rolle all have one apiece.

Kick returner LaRod Stephens-Howling is doing quite well returning kickoffs so far this year. Thus far, he has five returns for 113 yards (22.6 avg). His longest thus far is 30 yards, but it won’t be long before he breaks one and takes it to the house.

The Cardinals were just 2-for-13 on third down conversions last week. They are 6-for-23 on the season. That needs to improve.

Offensively, the team ranks 10th in the NFL in points (23.5 avg), 15th in total yards (341 avg), seventh in passing yards (266 avg) and 25th in rushing yards (79 avg).

Beanie Wells is tied for the league lead in fumbles with two.

Sunday’s sellout against the Indianapolis Colts will mark the 35th straight sellout since the team moved to UoP Stadium.

Final Note

Interesting story/debate by Kyle Strittholt called Give Beanie Wells the Rock.

Check it out and comment!

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Albert Haynesworth Watch 2009: Week Two

Well, folks, here we are in Week Two. After a four-game preseason and Week One out of the way, all the rust should now be knocked off and we should be seeing some real action from the big names around the league.

And we are seeing a lot of action, although sometimes it isn’t coming from who we thought it would.

Rookie sensation Mark Sanchise..I mean, Sanchez, out-dueled Tom Brady and the Patriots to lead his Jets to victory and a 2-0 record.

Bengals (yes, Bengals) quarterback Carson Palmer overcame two interceptions to toss three TD’s in Cincinatti’s defeat of the Green Bay Packers.

Much-maligned Kyle Orton tossed the ball around for 263 yards and a touchdown to lead the Broncos over the Browns (okay, not much of a challenge, I’ll grant you) and to a 2-0 record.

And down in Nashville, Matt Schaub threw four touchdowns against the Titans Sunday, fueling speculation that they might be missing “Big Al” Haynesworth more than they would like to admit.

So just how did the Redskins fare this week?

At first glance, it looks like they played a baseball game.

While the ‘Skins did happen to prevail over the hapless St. Louis Rams, Haynesworth’s contributions weren’t enough to merit much highlight film attention.

He did throw his sasquatch-sized mitts up in time to deflect one pass at the end of the game, but other than that, he wasn’t much help…again.

He did spend a lot of time getting acquainted with the turf, and he was in perfect position to watch Steven Jackson fly past him on his way to reeling off a 61-yard run from scrimmage.

But other than that,  it appears that the Redskins’ star defensive tackle has reverted to pre-free agent period form.

As I note here, the Titans don’t seem to miss Haynesworth up front. But I’m betting that the ‘Skins are starting to wish they were.

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Dallas Cowboys: Too Many To Name, but Only One Will Get the Blame

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…Romo sucks!

If you’re a Cowboy fan, some variation of these sentiments were likely uttered from your lips as the Cowboys laid a palatial egg in front of God and country last Sunday night.

Nothing like a loss in Week Two that’ll put a team’s entire fan base in a tizzy.

Well, it appears the honeymoon is over between Cowboy fans and Tony Romo.

Romo managed to put together one of the worst, if not the worst, performances of his relatively short career.

Romo’s stat line: 13 of 29 for 127 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions

For fans, what was most troubling was not those meager numbers.  They’ve seen worse statistical performances from Romo (the game @ Buffalo in ’07 comes to mind) in the past.

Rather, it was the manner in which he coughed up the game.

With 3:35 left in the third quarter, Romo ran a three-yard QB keeper for the go-ahead score (DAL 24 – NYG 20).

The Cowboys forced the Giants to go three-and-out on their next possession, received the ball on the ensuing punt at their own 44-yard line, and momentum was tangibly in their favor.

Unfortunately, Romo decided this was the right time to squelch that momentum.

After collecting a quick first down that put the Cowboys in Giant territory, Romo decided it was time to half-hazard go deep.

I can’t confirm, but it appeared Romo audibled out of the original call.  You’ll hear him yell “kill-kill-kill” on tape. 

With Sam Hurd as the only receiver on the field, it’s hard for me to believe that offensive coordinator Jason Garrett would call a deep ball to what might be the team’s slowest wide receivers.

Keep in mind, on every passing play, there are usually short, medium, and deep receiver routes.  Romo apparently wanted the kill shot deep.

In a postgame press conference, Romo said he didn’t see safety Kenny Phillips.  That’s not a legitimate alibi, not that he was searching for one.  Romo has to identify every defensive player and adjust accordingly.

He didn’t, and he forced the pass inexplicably. 

Cowboy fans feel betrayed.  They bought his offseason promises to ignore those impulses and take better care of the ball.

My advice to fans is simple: get over it.

Let’s deal with some reality first.  Romo has won plenty of big games with the Cowboys.  The fact is every game in the NFL is a big game.  Every game counts.  Every game is crucial.  Every game has its own meaning.

Here’s another dose, no one player loses a game.  Unfortunately, for the quarterback position it seems this logic gets tossed like a salad.

Lest we forget the dynamic duo of Terrance Newman and Orlando Scandrick put on what may have been the sorriest performances at the cornerback position of recent memory.

DeMarcus Ware and company failed to register a sack for the second consecutive game.  Unlike the Bucs game the previous week, they were unable to establish any consistent pressure on Eli at any point.

However, at the end of the day, fans don’t lay blame at the feet of these players’ feet.  D. Ware doesn’t get called to the carpet.  Newman’s decision making isn’t being questioned by Sterling Sharpe or Warren Sapp. 

Instead, right, wrong or indifferent (and it’s wrong), the onus is placed on the quarterback. 

For many Cowboy fans, this may be the harshest reality; Romo isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. 

Jerry Jones simply doesn’t work that way.

Don’t be an idiot and ask for Jon Kitna. 

The apple turnover that Tony Romo was on Sunday night is what Kitna has been his entire career.  Kitna may be fine in small stretches, but keep him out there for a too long and he’ll show you exactly who he’s been his entire career.

If you’re even asking about Stephen McGee, you should be slapped on the spot.

Transform Romo into more of a game manager?  Perhaps, but realize you’re eventually going to need to throw for a first down; your team will not always have the luxury of a lead to work with; there will be times you need to score points in bunches.  In other words, Romo will have to throw.

If Romo is ever going to become the quarterback that most fans believe he can become, he’s going to have to play through this latest self-induced humiliation. 

Romo no longer has to be the reason why the team wins; he simply can’t be the reason why they lose.

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Redskins-Rams: Five Likes and Dislikes from Washington’s Week Two Win

It’s a “W.” Yes, it’s a flippin’ “W.”

But what a stinker of a win for this squad, squeezing past the woebegone St. Louis Rams like a tube of toothpaste, 9-7, at home (a 7-1 record in home openers for the past eight seasons).

There were a lot of positives, yet so many more negatives, most notably on the offensive side.

I’m happy that the team won, and the crowd was into the game (it booed during the end of the game AND even in between the commercial breaks!). But I could not let the team slide without comment.

Here are five positives:

1. They won. I cannot stress that enough: The Washington Redskins won. Hip. Hip. Hooray.

Could they have won by the Las Vegas 10-point spread? Of course! They didn’t, unfortunately, but they got a much-needed ‘W’ when it counted. (Thank God that the team doesn’t have the New England Patriots next week after Tom Brady’s weak game vs. the New York Jets!)

 

2. Jason Campbell’s stats were solid, if not outstanding. 23-of-35 passes for over 225 yards is really good, seeing that he played better than he did last week (one INT, two fumbles). Good, but not great.

 

3. The (multiple, throaty) boos from the oft-perturbed crowd. There’s no protocol as to when to boo, how (loudly) to boo, whom to boo (heck, the Philadelphia Eagle fans have jeered Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, AND Michael Irvin, who lay motionless and ended his career on a bad neck injury in Philly) during any sporting event for a home crowd.

However, I think that patrons are tired of this team losing or winning by the skin of their teeth, no pun intended, against less than mediocre teams.

They have the right: They pay for some of the priciest tickets in the league (close to $80, according to the 2009 NFL Team Marketing Report), spend extra on concessions ($7-8 for beer, 10 bucks for a cheeseburger? Seriously?), and cheer for a .500 team that has averaged a meager 16.2 points a game since 2008.

Additionally, as seen last Sunday, if I have 12 plays near the opponent’s 10-yard line but can only manage three field goals in the home opener, then I’m booing, too!

These are not your parents’ Redskins of the 1980s, ladies and gentlemen—and we, as fans and observers, must let them know that they must play better in order to reach that consistent pinnacle.

 

4. Chris Cooley, Captain Chaos. Washington’s tight end got Campbell going early and got his QB in a nice rhythm. Nothing to talk about ad nauseam, but seven catches for 83 yards was one reason why Campbell played a decent game and found a safety valve when the offensive line received pressure up the middle.

 

5. Antwaan Randle El in the slot. That has been the best move for the team, as the veteran wide receiver seems to play better and is more open with taller receivers like Malcolm Kelly or Devin Thomas at the flanker position. He had 98 yards receiving against the Giants and an awesome catch inside the 10-yard line in the Rams’ territory.

 

Five negatives:

1. Those stupid clichés that a “win is a win,” and how it’s “sooo hard to win in the NFL.” Yes, we know how brutal the sport is, how tough the NFC East division is, and how parity/free agency/salary cap pretty much make different teams competitive enough to go to the Super Bowl every year.

But I swear I wanted to throw my remote control through the TV during the post-game interviews, talking about “W’s” and “hard wins.”

And yes, while it’s a tough sports league, there’s a definitive sign of teams that go to the playoffs more consistently (see Giants, New York) than others (see, Redskins, Washington).

Case in point No. 1 (’08 season): New York played those same sorry Rams in Week Two and whupped them 41-13 on the road. Case in point No. 2: Last year Washington struggled mercilessly and never could escape the inevitable loss (at home, mind you) to those same two-win, 14-loss Rams, 19-17.

When you trounce teams like the Rams and lose very close ones to the Giants, then you show promise. But if you have to limbo through the spokes of a wheel to beat the Rams and lose by halftime to the Giants, then you don’t deserve any “W’s”—or “X’s,” “Y’s,” and “Z’s.”

 

2. The questionable play-calling of James Arthur Zorn, head coach, main offensive signal caller, and quarterbacks coach. Fourth down and one, deep in Rams territory in the fourth quarter, and you decide to run it instead of kicking a field goal?

Hmmm…you’re lucky that strong safety Chris Horton was in the right place at the right time to knock away that Hail Mary pass from Rams quarterback Marc Bulger.

You also decide earlier in the game to use a trick play—running back Clinton Portis passes to Cooley, which goes nowhere? Hmmm…

And in the red zone, why are you running more than passing? I’m not an expert, but I think that there should be a fair share of both rush and pass plays when you’re inside the 20 so that you don’t look so predictable. Mix it up, Z-man! Or hire a REAL offensive coordinator.

 

3. I am still not convinced that starting cornerback DeAngelo Hall is worth his lucrative, six-year, $55 mil. contract. (Which is why I feel Oakland was eager to cut him and keep Nnamdi Asomugha at the other corner position.)

He may indeed get up to five or more picks during the season, but he was beaten by OK receivers in New York, cannot tackle all that well, and made Rams wideout Laurent Robinson look like Jerry Rice on that second quarter touchdown pass.

He’s still questionable as a quality CB (to me) so far. I’d have Carlos Rogers a smidge higher on the depth chart…

 

4. “Dimwit” Tweeter rookie linebacker Robert Henson. After the game, Henson berated disgruntled ‘Skins fans on his Twitter page. Awww. Mad at some fans for not liking a narrow victory after being tortured by ineptitude for a solid decade and a half, huh?

Mad because you’re sitting on a bench, with at least a five- to six-figure salary, and have the nerve to assume that those same booing fans “work 9-5 at McDonald’s?” Ouch.

Your father-in-law Bishop T.D. Jakes would not approve of that, and neither will I. Greg Blache should give you a pillow (or Krazy Glue) to stay nice and comfy where you are, buddy.

 

5. The loss of stalwart right guard Randy Thomas. This is bad, real bad—Michael Jackson.

The team’s front office has neglected the need to upgrade an aging offensive line. Yet against the Rams, the 11-year veteran tore his right triceps muscle in his arm after damaging his left one in 2007. When healthy, he has anchored a formidable line and assisted in Portis’ setting the franchise record for most rushing yards in a season in 2005.

He will be sorely missed, with the task of Campbell’s staying upright more paramount. Furthermore, there’s a strong chance that No. 77 might not be seen in a Redskins uniform again. Best of luck, Randy.

 

So, here we go: Can the Redskins finally show some life in their West Coast offense and win big against the winless, sorry Detroit Lions? Or will this As the World Turns soap opera drama keep on unfolding, with the Redskins underestimating a desperate Lions team and losing in an unnecessarily close match?

To be continued…

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Chargers Defense Will be Tested by Dolphins’ Wildcat, Running Game

I gotta figure the San Diego Chargers are watching Monday Night Football to get a look at next week’s opponent, the Miami Dolphins.

What they saw must have seemed like a waking nightmare with Miami featuring an attack that beat the ‘Bolts last season.

The San Diego Chargers must put the Baltimore game in the rear-view mirror and focus on the incoming Miami Dolphins for an early season must win game. Front and center will be stopping the Fins’ Wildcat offense. 

San Diego is among the worst in the NFL against the run. Giving up 139 yards per game rushing and 4.3 yards per carry is no way to get to the playoffs. To make matters worse, injuries on the defensive line are going to make stopping the run tough.

Getting out to an early lead would take the Dolphins out of the running game, forcing them to throw more. From there the Chargers must make Chad Pennington beat them. Even then, he’s extremely smart and plays an efficient game.

A strong pass rush is imperative; otherwise Pennington will pick the defense apart. If the Chargers can get pressure, Pennington will make mistakes. With the Dolphins having given up six sacks so far, they seem like a good opponent for the Chargers to finally get their pass rush back on track. 

But let’s not forget this team won the AFC East last season; they can play. 

This is an important conference game for both teams, but winless Miami is in a much tougher division and will be desperate to get a win. 

Last year’s Chargers loss to Miami, 17-10, was won by a touchdown scored by Ronnie Brown, who ran wild out of the Wildcat offense. He killed Indy Monday night for 136 yards and two TDs in a performance that reminded people how good he is out of that formation.

The Chargers will no doubt be practicing against the Wildcat this week. Hopefully it’ll help that they worked it into their offense in training camp.

Brown, Ricky Williams, and a bruising offensive line are designed to beat down opposing defenses, but the team lacks an explosive quick strike attack. The lack of big play ability is a major weakness for Miami, but they more than make up for it on the ground.

Miami is averaging 167.5 yards rushing per game, which should worry San Diego defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. The onus will be on Chargers safeties Clinton Hart, Steve Gregory, and Eric Weddle to keep everyone in front of them and make strong one-on-one tackles. 

To make matters worse, San Diego is perilously thin on the defensive line with Jamal Williams (triceps) and Ryon Bingham (triceps) gone for the year and Luis Castillo (elbow) dinged up. Hopefully Travis Johnson (groin) and Jacques Cesaire (calf) will be back from the injuries that sidelined them this past weekend.

Now more than ever, youngsters Ogemdi Nwagbuo and Vaughn Martin are going to be counted on to play more snaps and have to step up. 

To bolster the depth, nine-year veteran defensive tackle Alfonso Boone, cut by the Kansas City Chiefs, signed with the Chargers Tuesday. The 6’5″, 305-lb. Boone had ties to both Chargers defensive coordinator Rivera and defensive line coach Don Johnson from when he played in Chicago. 

Facing such an unusual offense is going to be a lot to ask of a defensive line playing together for the first time.

The Chargers linebackers are going to have to know their assignments and stay in their gaps to be effective stopping the multiple looks and misdirection of the Wildcat. Groin injuries to Shaun Phillips and Shawne Merriman could further deplete the front seven’s potency—not that they’ve done much so far. 

On offense, the Chargers should have the upper hand, but like they did to Peyton Manning on Monday night, the Dolphins will try to keep Philip Rivers and his dangerous offensive weapons off the field by controlling the clock with the running game. When San Diego gets in scoring position, they’ve got to get in the end zone.

The Dolphins secondary is talented but young and has yet to get an interception so far. Up front, the ‘Fins try to get after the quarterback but have only amassed a paltry three sacks. Against the run, Miami is allowing 69.5 yards per game, which is among the best in the league.

The Chargers are only running for 65 yards per game, currently last in the NFL. As it was against Baltimore, it will be all about Rivers and the Chargers’ passing game. Expect Vincent Jackson to be his regular game-breaking self, but I think that Malcolm Floyd and Chris Chambers can both provide down the field options as well. 

Without an effective ground game, the Bolts are going to have to rely on screens and gadget plays to get Legedu Naanee and backs involved in the offense. Antonio Gates should be able to exploit the Miami defense down the middle.

It’s not clear whether LaDainian Tomlinson will be back, but expect Darren Sproles to be utilized, as ever, to the max. Center Nick Hardwick (ankle) is expected to miss the game, while rookie Louis Vasquez (knee) is likely to return at guard. 

Protecting Rivers from Joey Porter and the rest of the Fins rush will be paramount. The offensive line did an exceptional job in pass protection against the Ravens; they’ll be called on to repeat that performance against a Miami unit hungry for their first win. 

The rest is just common sense: Force turnovers and play a much more disciplined game. You simply can’t average over 10 penalties a game, and a turnover ratio of zero doesn’t impress.  

As of now, 2,500 tickets remain for Sunday’s game. If they’re not sold by Thursday, the Chargers will have their first regular season blackout since 2005. Hopefully everyone besides those at Qualcomm will be able to watch.

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Even When Brett Favre Isn’t a Factor, He Is

As we now have entered the third week of the regular season, the NFL has begun revolving; deciding early fates of teams with playoff hopes and dreams. Those dreams have bits and pieces that are decided by one or two players. These players have games decided by single plays in single moments…and sometimes by single yards.

One thing is for sure, the Vikings have a key facet that just won’t ever be recognized for anything less than an attention-getter.

Even after Adrian Peterson’s monster game in week one against the Cleveland Browns rushing for 180 yards and three touchdowns, one of them for 64 yards, Brett Favre was the talk of the town.

He was probably the only QB in the league that threw for 110 yards and one touchdown that got as much publicity.

Then after a sloppy first half in Detroit, the Vikings came back to defeat the Lions that are still living in the shadow of the 0-16 season of 2008. Many attribute Favre’s 23-for-27, 155 yard, two touchdown game to a game where the Vikings came back to win.

Once again, a Viking other than the Hall of Famer had a career game. Linebacker Chad Greenway recovered a fumble and intercepted two of Lions quarterback Matt Stafford’s passes that potentially saved the game for Minnesota. He would then get named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.

Yes, Favre had a favorable performance, but being 30th in the NFL for yards usually doesn’t give you front page status. Once again, he did break the consecutive start record held by former Viking Jim Marshall, but seriously.

It makes me wonder if the Vikings knew that he would make the headlines every week based on what he did or didn’t do. I seriously wonder if the Vikings realize that every week until the 2010 offseason, Brett Favre will be the talk of football whenever Minnesota is mentioned.

Even Purple Jesus himself, Adrian Peterson, can’t get any respect as Favre is accredited to Peterson’s success of opening the run-game. What does Favre NOT do?

I know I’m all for a Super Bowl in Minnesota, but correct me if I sound a bit concerned and think this is getting a bit ridiculous.

Brett currently has 265 yards, 3 TDs, no picks and an impressive 110.2 passer rating after two weeks in purple.

 

Brandon is a writer for www.nfltouchdown.com as the Minnesota Vikings Voice. This article can be found here.

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