Michael Vick Is Eagles’ Football Future: Jeff Garcia To Help the Present

After reading Ashley Fox’s story, “Eagles’ Garcia to Kolb: Only one chance at first start” that appeared in Thursday’s Philadelphia Inquirer, something became crystal clear to me.

Veteran Jeff Garcia was brought in for one reason, primarily: To help Kevin Kolb in his first start at the Philadelphia Eagles’ home opener on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

Is Kolb a Joe Montana or even Steve Young in wraps, or more like Bobby Hoying or Mike McMahon? Probably somewhere in between. But with Garcia’s guidance, he might be just good enough to beat the Saints.

Listen to Kolb’s words in Fox’s story:

“You have to do your best not to think about the what-ifs or the difference scenarios,” Garcia said, “but just take advantage of the opportunity, whether it’s one start or two starts. Take it one day at a time and make the most of the opportunity, because you never know what’s going to be in front of you. If this is his opportunity to present to the rest of the league what he’s all about, hopefully he takes advantage of that.”

The lasting impression of Kolb may have been his relief role in the backup of Donovan McNabb in last year’s 36-7 loss to Baltimore. On 4th-and-goal, Kolb’s pass was intercepted by Ed Reed for a 108-yard interception for a touchdown.

I was furious after that play. Not at Kolb. Not after the benching of McNabb. Nope. I was furious at Marty Mornhinweg and Andy Reid for dialing up a pass play on 4th-and-goal on the two-foot line.

What? Are you kidding me? They hung Kolb out to dry. An experienced quarterback should have called an audible at the line of scrimmage.

Kolb should not be judged on that play or preseason performances.

What I remember about the drive to get to the goal line was Kolb moving the team precision like, 10 to 20 yards at time. First down after first down.

My impression of Kolb? A good field general, very adequate, but unable to throw the deep ball.

I think the Eagles see Michael Vick as an established NFL quarterback with raw talent and needing some work to get accustomed to the West Coast offense.

Garcia? Whether or not he decides to become a quarterbacks coach after retirement, he certainly has the NFL experience and knowledge to become one.

Kolb is working with the first team and Garcia and Vick are working with the scout team in practice this week.

If the Eagles were smart, they would put headphones on Garcia or keep him close to Reid and Mornhinweg.

And the Eagles should have a longer leash on Kolb. One half is not enough to judge a quarterback.

This should be Kolb’s day.

Just keep Garcia in his back pocket for one day.

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A Sobering Ravens-Chargers Preview, Complete with a Shot at Tequila

It looks as though Shawne Merriman was telling the truth in the Tila Tequila mess that threatened to hang a dark cloud over the Charger linebacker’s season.

After further review, the district attorney handling the case determined that Tequila was not, in fact, “in the grasp,” and therefore, her criminal accusations would hold up about as well as her résumé.

“That’s NFL players 2, lying skanks 0,” says Merriman. “Ben Roethlisberger is innocent, and so am I.

“I didn’t, nor have I ever, choked Ms. Tequila. However, I will cop to the nude Heimlich maneuver. Anyway, let’s not let this incident get in the way of this titanic matchup against the Ravens. We’re not playing the Bills, so why are we talking about an overrated reality star anyway?”

We weren’t. You were. In any case, Ray Lewis and the Ravens are coming to San Diego, and they’re packing attitude and several cans of whup ass.

“Those are two things you need to overcome the jet lag,” says Lewis. “We realize the Chargers are a tough team and have been picked by many to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. However, I came here to bury the Chargers, not to praise them. And I came here to drink Tequila, not to choke her. But I can’t wait to get my hands on somebody.”

In what will surely be the week’s most physical game, the Ravens’ three-man rushing attack will dictate the outcome. Joe Flacco hits Todd Heap for the game-winning score, and the Ravens defense stops the Chargers on downs to hold on.

Baltimore wins 19-13.

Check out more game previews at www.Sports-central.org

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Redefining the Clinton Administration

It seems so far off that Clinton Portis was a serious contender for the NFL MVP award just a season ago. Through half of a season, Portis had rushed for 995 yards, seven touchdowns, and the affection of rabid Washington football faithful.

By the time the season had concluded, Portis rushed for 100 yards in a game just once more, added only two more touchdowns, and had become critical of play calling that seemed to render all aspects of the offense predictable and ineffective.

If there is a reason to worry in Washington, it is not that the team lacks playmakers or talent to win games. It’s that the talent doesn’t believe they are put in positions to excel, a sentiment that starts and ends with Clinton Portis.

If the best player on the team doesn’t feel there is more he can give, if he doesn’t feel that more opportunities will reverse a course destined for .500 or worse in the standings, there’s no reason to assume that quarterback Jason Campbell will exude the confidence needed to keep his job.

There’s no reason that Jim Zorn will be confident enough to call high-risk, high-reward plays that will keep defenses honest.

And there’s no reason to think that Daniel Snyder will be confident enough in the team to refrain from blowing it up with Bill Cowher dynamite.

So, basically, this all starts with Clinton Portis. If he doesn’t believe that he can be productive, it all goes downhill. But if Washington gets him going—with eight straight carries if necessary—for him to feel that it’s his offense, then that is surely what this team needs to do.

Not just against the St. Louis Rams, but to set the tone for one of the most important seasons in team history.

Technorati Tags: Clinton Portis, Jason Campbell, Jim Zorn

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Jets-Patriots Doesn’t Need Rex Ryan’s Words to Be Worthy

The first arrow launched at the behemoth of the East that is the New England Patriots came three months ago from a rookie head coach who hadn’t even blown his first whistle of fall training camp. Or something like that.

When Rex Ryan, the talkative fresh face of the New York Jets, went on the New York radio station WFAN in June to answer some questions about the upcoming season, he was honest, sincere, and brash. He wanted the people of the Big Apple to know that his boys weren’t going to be simply served up as clam chowder to their AFC East rivals.

“I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings,” Ryan said on the air. “I came here to win. Let’s just put it that way…. And when they come here that second week of the season, we’ll see.”

Ryan set the tone for his team on that early summer day, a tone that he hopes will carry over to this Sunday when the two teams meet in the Meadowlands for the first time in the 2009 season.

Ryan’s words are being magnified this week, naturally, in an attempt to create some bulletin board material for Belichick and the Patriots. Belichick is the master of using press clippings as motivation for his staff and his players—except that those tactics don’t apply here.

No vendetta needs to be pulled out of Ryan’s words in order to crank up the intensity for this weekend’s game. This meeting already looks too good for that. If we need to rely on verbal sparring to get excited about this one, then we are missing something.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady delivered the final line on Wednesday when he spoke to the media. “Talk is cheap,” Brady said with a wry smile.

See, Brady is too smart for these mind games. The man has three Super Bowls while the Jets are mostly known for the rambunctious hecklers that don green and white regalia and fill Radio City Music Hall on draft day.

The Patriots have been to February and walked away sipping champagne. Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins said New York is going to play this game like it’s the Super Bowl, hoping that the elevated adrenaline will culminate in a Rex Ryan Gatorade bath come Sunday afternoon.

“They can treat it however they want to treat it,” said Brady. “We’re going to treat it like we treat every game, and we’re going to put everything we have into it. It’s not the Super Bowl…but it’s as important as they come, in terms of our division and what that means in our place in our division.”

You won’t see New England being more outspoken about this contest than they were for the Buffalo Bills in Monday night’s season opener because they know there is plenty to worry about on the field. There is plenty to enjoy on the field, and that is what has me giddy about this game.

We know the Pats can score with the best of them. Brady threw for 378 yards and two TDs in a 25-24 win over the Bills, with 141 of those yards finding the supple palms of Randy Moss. With Wes Welker in the slot and the versatile Benjamin Watson at tight end, Brady doesn’t lack targets.

But we also know there are some concerns. It took the Pats three-and-a-half quarters to break through against a Bills D that ranked 14th in the NFL last season in total defense. If it wasn’t for two lightning-quick Brady TDs to Watson in the final three minutes of the game against the Bills, New England would still be searching for its first win of the season.

Were those inefficiencies due to normal first-game inconsistencies? Were they due to the fact that Brady was playing his first regular season game since Bernard Pollard attacked his left knee like a barbecued rib in the first quarter of Week One last year? Probably both.

This week would be a fine time for the offense to get rolling early as they are facing a much tougher defense in the Jets. With Ryan coming over from Baltimore, New York will be a defensive-minded football team. Heck, they went into Houston last Sunday and completely shut down the dynamic duo that is Steve Slaton and Andre Johnson.

What should scare the Patriots is their defense, particularly against the run. New England ranked 15th in the league in run defense in ’08 before watching Fred Jackson rush for nearly four yards per carry in the season opener this year and soften up the D just enough for Trent Edwards to do enough to give the Bills a chance to win.

The Jets will feature Thomas Jones, a more physical runner who enjoyed two touchdowns to go along with 107 yards rushing against Houston. Was that game a fluke for Jones? He won’t play like that every week, but I don’t know if I would call it a fluke. We will find out right away as the Jets will probably look to pound the ball on the ground to take some pressure off Mark Sanchez.

Which brings us to the biggest question of all: How is the rookie passer going to fare in his first real “Welcome to the NFL” moment? Nobody thought Sanchez was going to lead the Jets to victory last week. Nobody. You just don’t bet the family farm on a QB making his first professional start on the road.

But Sanchez showed guts, guile, and confidence. His charisma that was so prevalent in his short time at the University of Southern California made the trip with him to Houston.

As tough as that task was, I am going to say that this week will be even tougher.

Sanchez will be playing his first home game in one of the world’s most energetic cities in front of a sold-out stadium of football fanatics. New Yorkers think Sanchez can stir up the ghost of Joe Namath.

There is going to be a lot of emotion in the building on Sunday, and I can only imagine Sanchez’s heart will want to burst through his jersey when he runs out of the tunnel at home for the first time. Thinking of that gives me chills.

But, oh, by the way…you are playing Tom Brady, one of the five to eight best quarterbacks ever. You are trying to get to where your rivals have already been. They’ve been there three times this decade. You aren’t lining up against physical therapy majors anymore. These are men paid to bring the Lombardi Trophy to a franchise that covets them.

See, my friends? Nothing needs to be made out of Ryan’s choice of words three months ago. There’s plenty to be excited about, and it all will be settled on Sunday.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

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Bengals-Packers: Odds, Preview, and Prediction

NFL Week 2 odds will feature a pair of teams that were involved in a couple of thrilling matchups during the first weekend of the season, and there should be a wild affair when Cincinnati heads to Lambeau Field to take on Green Bay.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Green Bay Packers (1-0)

Bengals vs Packers odds – Packers -9.5

• Bengals-Packers Date: Sunday, September 20
• Bengals-Packers Time: 1:00
• Bengals-Packers TV Network: CBS
• Bengals-Packers Announcers: Ian Eagle and Rich Gannon
• Bengals-Packers Over-Under: 42
• StubHub: Bengals-Packers tickets as low as $80!

The Bengals were stunned 12-7 by Denver when the Broncos’ Brandon Stokley took a tipped pass and ran 87 yards for a touchdown with 11 seconds left on the clock.

Carson Palmer, who hasn’t played in a regular season game since week six of last year, went 21-of-33 for 247 yards, but he was picked off twice by the Broncos. The defense played very well in shutting down Denverg, but cornerback Leon Hall will see that tipped pass for the rest of the season.

The Packers picked off Chicago’s Jay Cutler four times in his Bears’ debut to pull out a 21-15 win on Sunday night.

This was a typically hard-hitting NFC North affair, and the Packers’ offense struggled to get it going against the Bears, although Aaron Rodgers was 17-of-28 for 184 yards and a touchdown to Greg Jennings, who caught six balls for 106 yards.

However, the defense proved that they would be the key to Green Bay’s Super Bowl odds, and they look like they’ve been playing their new 3-4 scheme for years under coordinator Dom Capers.

The Packers are a whopping nine-point favorite at Lambeau Field, where the Bengals haven’t played since 1995. However, they’re only 1-3 in four trips to Green Bay, and last year they were an atrocious 1-7 away from home.

The Bengals will have to put aside the disappointment of last week’s gut punch from the Broncos, but heading into Green Bay isn’t the best place to get away from your troubles.

The Packers’ defense is swarming and opportunistic, while it looks like Palmer needs a little more time to get back into NFL regular-season shape. Rodgers will play much better than he did in the Chicago game, and this offense could possibly hang a lot of points on a disheartened Cincinnati defense. Go with the Packers in your NFL picks.

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Daily Haze: Thoughts on Jason Campbell

Hopefully, most of the Donovan McNabb fantasy owners out there drafted a backup plan. If not, you could find yourself behind the eight ball this weekend.

Unless you consider Jason Campbell.

Not owned in a fair amount of leagues, Campbell has an interesting appeal early in the season. He looked decent against a great Giants’ defense in Week One, holding his own for most of the game.

Check his upcoming schedule: vs. St. Louis Rams, at Detroit Lions, vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at Carolina Panthers, vs. Kansas City Chiefs, vs. Philadelphia Eagles.

Defensively, these teams are inferior to the Giants. All of those opponents come before Washington’s week eight bye, and the only scary matchup of the bunch is the tilt against Philadelphia.

So, if you are a McNabb owner in search of a stop-gap for a few weeks, consider acquiring Campbell on the cheap to keep the ship afloat.

Here are today’s great reads:

• Week Two waiver wire advice for those of you playing in individual defensive player leagues this year. [Kilroyz Krystal Ball]
• After his two-touchdown performance against the Lions in Week One, some are wondering if Jeremy Shockey is ready to re-emerge as a fantasy stud. [Sports Data Hub]
• So what exactly does a Week One fantasy win—or loss—mean in the grand scheme of things? [Ultimate Fantasy Football Strategy]
• The top-10 matchups every fantasy football owner should keep a close eye on this weekend. [National Football Post]
• Team-by-team targets from the first weekend of fantasy football. OK, Earl Bennett! [Pancake Blocks]

Got a pressing fantasy football question and need an answer now? Or just want to chat about all the recent developments in the sports’ world? Head over to The Hazean’s fantasy football forums for all of that and more. Also, remember to check out The Hazean’s fantasy rankings and mock draft database.

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Diner Morning News: Time To Rebound

National Football Post

The National Football Post is a unique and premier Online source of quality and credible news, information and insight about all sides of football featuring professionals with experience in all facets of the NFL.

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Matt Cassel’s Injury Recovery: A Rebuttal to Stating the Obvious

The sky is blue, grass is green, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel’s injured leg looks better today than it did last week.

Of course his leg looks better.  You know what heals injuries?  Time does. 

Headlines tease fans informing us “Cassel Could Start,” only to discover an article that tells us, “He Could Not.”

We have an entire article devoted to stating the obvious.  Cassel is hurt, Cassel is healing, and Cassel will play when he’s healthy.  That’s the writer’s notes.  What does head coach Todd Haley have to say?  “I haven’t talked to the doctors. But to my eye, he was improved some from last week.” 

A sports injury does not spread like cancer, it heals like a scab.  The healing is observable without medical instruments and the improved condition of Cassel comes as no surprise. 

What would be nice is to know if he indeed will start, but for the second consecutive week fans are tormented with ambiguous articles featuring vague statements that leaves readers with only Cassel’s status as “questionable,” to appease our inquisitiveness. 

Now these weekly updates of predictable healing doesn’t bother me as much as the incessant need to repeat the terms of Cassel’s new contract every time his injury is mentioned. 

We get it!  The Chiefs paid a lot of money and now the guy is hurt.  It’s not the ideal situation, but fans learn to accept it and move on.  Allow us to move on!

It’s wise to lock up big time talent and injuries cannot be predicted.  It’s not like the Chiefs did anything wrong in this instance, so stop reminding us of just how unfortunate the situation is.   

Forbid any player face a similar demise, but players like Gale Sayers, or Terrell Davis are certainly Hall of Fame caliber football players, whose careers were cut short by injury.  Yet no team would hesitate to lock either up in a big contract as they hit their prime. 

The subtle jabs over wasted money are gratuitous and Chiefs fans will not buy into the notion of spilt milk.  With the team and the organization undergoing a reformation the true fan will not wilt under the “shame” of matters outside of anyone’s control. 

It’s not like general manager Scott Pioli took a crowbar to Cassel’s knee a la Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan (I apologize for a figure skating reference in a football article, but a part of me feels Lynn Swann might be proud…even if ballet and figure skating aren’t quite the same). 

No, Pioli did everything right, and the Chiefs are going about this the right way.  This is a team positioning itself to be highly competitive and win some games.

The slight of infusing criticism into insufficient and predictable injury updates is tiresome and uncalled for.  

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Redskins Have Some Kinks to Work Out; Rams and Lions Will Help with Ironing

Not much changed for the Redskins during the offseason. Sure, on paper maybe, but not on the playing field.

Play calling was a nightmare. Offensively, Jim Zorn pushed the panic button after a pair of first half gaffes by Jason Campbell. Apparently no one told him you have to be aggressive when trailing.

Zorn seemed content to play it safe and run the ball on first and second downs repeatedly. Of course, that set up a ton of third and longs, putting Campbell in more difficult passing situations than had he been throwing in on first and second.

I don’t think Zorn comprehends that his job is on the line. Playing conservatively when down 10 points doesn’t save head coaching jobs in the NFL.

Zorn has two weeks worth of cream puffs to get down and dirty. He can’t play it close to the vest against Detroit and St. Louis. He needs to get the offense in motion, and they need to steamroll these teams.

If the offense squeaks out victories against the Lions and Rams (or worse, loses), they will have failed to gain some much-needed confidence. These two weeks can provide the shot in the arm the offense requires.

The checklist should read as follows.

1. Use the passing game to set up the run.

The ‘Skins had a lot of success with this scheme last year as it kept extra defenders out of the box. By the end of the game, Clinton Portis had plenty of room to operate.

When Portis gets going, the chains move and defenses wear down. Establish the passing game and the box will open up.

2. Find a possession receiver.

Malcolm Kelly deserves another shot, but it’s beginning to look like the ‘Skins might have missed on all three of their second round draft picks in 2008.

Kelly has the size to be dominant, but his effort last week was lackluster. He didn’t show much burst, and his route running was not up to par. He’ll need to get open if he wants to put up numbers.

3. Win the time of possession battle.

The offense can do nothing if it doesn’t get on the field and find its rhythm.

In the first half against the Giants, Washington controlled the ball for under 10 minutes. You can’t establish your game plan if you don’t touch the ball. By the time the ‘Skins got a decent shot, they were down 17-0.

4. No early turnovers.

Obviously, the turnovers played a factor. Back-to-back drives early in the game ended in turnovers, and that really ruined any shot the Redskins had at establishing themselves.

Turnovers are never good, but if they occur in the opening stages of the game, they can be devastating. Zorn must stress avoiding them so the team can preserve time of possession and field position.

 

This two-week period will determine how far this offense can go in 2009. They sorely need a boost, and the Rams and Lions fit the bill to remedy their offensive woes.

If Zorn can get his offense going in the next 14 days, it will go a long way toward making the playoffs and saving his job.

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For the Redskins’ Defense, It’s Time to be Aggressive

Following an uninspiring performance from last year’s No. 4 defense in a 23-17 loss to the New York Giants, it’s time for Greg Blache to take a long, hard look at his scheme.

Soft coverage on third downs kept the defense on the field while the blitz schemes were anything but imaginative. Missed tackles plagued the defense along with an average performance in the trenches.

Say what you will about the offense being at fault for the large gap in time of possession, but it was the defense that failed to force a punt in the first half. It was also the defense that allowed the Giants to convert 46 percent of their third down opportunities.

This defense, so highly touted coming into the season, looked downright ordinary. But why? With all the star power it’s hard to come up with excuses.

My first stone cast at DeAngelo Hall. He signed a big deal in the offseason, and played well below his potential. He gave up numerous big plays in key situations against receivers who lined up both out wide and in the slot. His interception came solely from a smart play by LaRon Landry who tipped the ball after Hall was beaten over the middle.

Speaking of Landry, he didn’t play well either. Landry leaves his feet far too much going for the big hit and was step behind in coverage. Poor tackling technique from the whole secondary led to missed tackles throughout the game.

However, the biggest problem is the playcalling. Blache didn’t make the most of his talent, and that must change quickly.

The ‘Skins have never been an aggressive defense, but this year they are equipped to be. Instead, Blache employed a lot of soft zone coverage, which Eli Manning picked apart.

Hall is certainly a weak link in either zone or man. He is fine against the deep ball, but doesn’t give much of an effort on short and intermediate routes. The ‘Skins would be better suited to playing a press man coverage as it would allow Landry to play more aggressively. Playing so far back limits his playmaking skills and doesn’t allow him to freelance.

Another issue is that Blache’s blitz schemes consist of sending extra bodies simply for the sake of it. There’s no rhyme or d reason to his blitz packages; they aren’t staggered or mixed. Two or three extra defenders simply run right into the interior of the line.

That’s it. No attempt to find the gaps or establish an edge rush; just an occasional dash into the center of the line. That’s too straightforward for an experienced offensive line like the Giants.

Blache needs to rethink his defense. He needs to blitz more and locate weaknesses along opposing lines. He only blitzes in the most predictable situations and his defenders aren’t adept at timing their rush.

Blache is a straight shooter with little creativity. That’s a bad mix with the abilities of this defense. There’s too much talent to play bend-but-don’t-break. This defense is capable of creating turnovers and sacks at will under the right direction. However, the front four was once again ineffective in getting to Manning as he had plenty of time to throw.

Granted poor coverage by Hall certainly didn’t help the defensive line’s cause, but there was still little penetration. Credit is due to strong play from the Giants line and yet Washington’s defense is better than their performance. They just need to the right guidance.

The Titans defensive line played well without Albert Haynesworth last week. Their scheme just works. The linemen are aware of which gaps to shoot and they play with passion. They find the weaknesses and expose them. We didn’t see that from the Redskins defensive line. In my book, that’s poor coaching.

Against the run, the Redskins did not disappoint. They allowed only 3.3 yards per carry against one of the better rushing offenses in the NFL. However, they failed to consistently penetrate into the backfield the way Tennessee and other top defensive teams do.

Blache’s defense is better than this; much better. It was an underwhelming performance overall, and that must be fixed if the ‘Skins wish to compete against contenders. The effort was poor and if Blache wants to stick around, he’ll be working plenty of overtime in the coming weeks.

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