Try NFL Sport Channel Seach:
Selected searches:
NFL Football Players Draft Injuries Rookies Season Superbowl
Items by
Why Ed Reed Should Retire
Published: December 24, 2009
No Comments
It’s all coming to an end for the Baltimore Ravens. The smothering defense, the happy-go-disciplined approach to the game. The youthfulness of playing football.
Time and coaching acumen have all caught up to the Baltimore Ravens, and one of its best defenders sits on the sideline with a difficult decision that has just one possible solution.
Ed Reed should retire.
One more interception return for a touchdown, one more game-saving pass deflection, one more emotionally-stirring appearance will not make his Hall of Fame entrance. His bust is all but bronzed, his play all but burned into the styles of so many safeties in today’s game.
So the cost, literally of life and limb, seems not to be worth it. Not for Pittsburgh, not for the playoffs. What else is there to prove beyond what has already been done?
And while there is some strength in leaving on self-defined terms, there’s more to the next part of life than what terms allow. In exchange for a few more downs, a few more chances at glory, a more noticeable limp, a more distinct pain when waking in the morning may be the trade off.
And that’s without mention of the years on his life that he may sacrifice.
He’s already in the discussion, if not the definition, of the greatest safety of all time. What most men aspire to be, he walks around in everyday. And he will do so for the remainder of his days. The Ravens can retool and rebuild, but there’s no real reason to put into further disrepair what glory and blessings helped to build.
Time to go, Ed. Don’t take it personally, just take it and run as fast as you can with it. Just as you always have.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Why Ed Reed Should Retire
Published: December 24, 2009
No Comments
It’s all coming to an end for the Baltimore Ravens. The smothering defense, the happy-go-disciplined approach to the game. The youthfulness of playing football.
Time and coaching acumen have all caught up to the Baltimore Ravens, and one of its best defenders sits on the sideline with a difficult decision that has just one possible solution.
Ed Reed should retire.
One more interception return for a touchdown, one more game-saving pass deflection, one more emotionally-stirring appearance will not make his Hall of Fame entrance. His bust is all but bronzed, his play all but burned into the styles of so many safeties in today’s game.
So the cost, literally of life and limb, seems not to be worth it. Not for Pittsburgh, not for the playoffs. What else is there to prove beyond what has already been done?
And while there is some strength in leaving on self-defined terms, there’s more to the next part of life than what terms allow. In exchange for a few more downs, a few more chances at glory, a more noticeable limp, a more distinct pain when waking in the morning may be the trade off.
And that’s without mention of the years on his life that he may sacrifice.
He’s already in the discussion, if not the definition, of the greatest safety of all time. What most men aspire to be, he walks around in everyday. And he will do so for the remainder of his days. The Ravens can retool and rebuild, but there’s no real reason to put into further disrepair what glory and blessings helped to build.
Time to go, Ed. Don’t take it personally, just take it and run as fast as you can with it. Just as you always have.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Ron Jaworski Defends Jason Campbell, Bemoans Redskins’ Stretch Play
Published: December 21, 2009
No Comments
If Ron Jaworski believes in Jason Campbell , then why can’t raving lunatics around the DMV believe in Jason Campbell?
Or perhaps you’d like more stretch plays served up with your 5-11 season?
Jaworski noted the game’s biggest audible early in the fourth quarter. Campbell approached the line, ready to run a stretch run play. But he spotted one safety deep and a cornerback playing wide receiver Santana Moss tight.
Campbell raised his hand near his face mask and flashed a signal to Moss. The wide receiver ran a deep route and Campbell hit him for a 30-yard gain. The Redskins scored a touchdown three plays later.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Daniel Snyder is Not a Big Fan of Outliers
Published: December 20, 2009
No Comments
With Daniel Snyder on the verge of bringing in Mike Shanahan as head coach of the Washington Redskins, D.C. Landing Strip has provided us with insight into what this team could be with a little continuity.
Specifically, with Jason Campbell’s mastery of the offense ; with no less of an authority on characteristics of success than Malcolm Gladwell.
Everyone always says what an incredible advantage it has been for Peyton Manning to have had the same offensive coordinator and the same offensive system his entire career.
Football offenses are so complex now that they take years to master properly, and having one system in place from thebeginning has allowed Manning to capitalize on every inch of his talent.
On the other hand, someone like Jason Campbell has had a different offensive coordinator in virtually every season of his pro and college career (and I’m guessing he’ll get another this offseason).
I’m not convinced that it’s possible to say, with certainty, that Campbell has less ability than Manning. I’m only sure we can say that Campbell has not been in a situation that has allowed him to exploit his talent the way Manning has. We just don’t know how good he is capable of being—and we may never know.”
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Ray Rice Is Not Feeling Lambeau Field
Published: December 8, 2009
No Comments
Ray Rice is as honest as he is fast, so in some respects, you can credit him for his comments about Lambeau Field.
“To be honest with you, it was just Lambeau Field,” Rice told Drew Olson of OnMilwaukee.com. “I didn’t see anything special. They put us in the middle of nowhere, and it’s not a real exciting place. Everything about this place is terrible, to be honest with you.”
I actually can respect those comments.
Hallowed history aside, if the place is an old, run-down dump, call a spade a spade.
No one batted an eye when players said Yankee Stadium sucked, or when people criticize First Mariner Arena.
I’m hoping cheeseheads aren’t taking this seriously because if they are, they are more delusional than they were about Brett Favre wanting to play for the Vikings.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Redskins Go with Graham Gano, Ravens Puzzled
Published: December 8, 2009
No Comments
So apparently, Graham Gano is good enough to kick for the Washington Redskins but not for the Baltimore Ravens—the team that actually cut him in favor of Field Goal Failure in the Flesh, the now-departed Steve Hauschka.
During preseason, he was just as bad as Hauschka, but had far more credibility with his time at Florida State.
I don’t know what grinds my gears more. The fact that the Ravens released him or that the Redskins had the sense to pick him up. At least Gano remains in the DMV corridor, where Ravens fans can cheer for him to aid the hapless ‘Skins.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Playoffs? You Kidding Me?: Ravens Will Get There, but They Won’t Go Far
Published: December 8, 2009
No Comments
Despite the title of this post, I do believe that the Ravens will still make the playoffs as a wild card team.
At which point they will be promptly throttled by their opening round opponent, likely the Denver Broncos.
Out of sorts doesn’t begin to describe this team, and the responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaches.
Most of the positivity that the Ravens have enjoyed despite reverting back to Brian Billick-esque offensive mediocrity is on the strength of last season’s overachieved regular season. People keep waiting to see glimpses of what Joe Flacco and Derrick Mason were able to do and hoping that it will sustain through the remainder of this season.
The problem is that opposing coaches have figured out what the Ravens want to do, and week to week, they are able to take away yet another portion of the Ravens’ offense to the point of being downright unwatchable.
Okay, so yesterday was an anomaly because the Green Bay Packers are what the Ravens used to be on defense, and what the Ravens should be on offense. They were overmatched from the jump, and they knew it; it’s the reason why Flacco was so driven to make plays by himself and so exposed for the three interceptions he threw.
As for the defense, pick a reason for why they can’t keep points off the board. Old age? Injuries? Poor personnel moves in the secondary? You name it, it’s biting the Ravens harder and harder every week. Ray Lewis doesn’t move or tackle like he used to. Ed Reed needs to retire to preserve his physical health. Haloti Ngata still isn’t fully recovered from his injury.
And the secondary is just plain bad.
Add to this mix a defensive coordinator in Greg Mattison that is conservative when he should be exotic, and balls-out when he should be covering and coughing, and you have a volatile mix of ineptitude.
Basically, this team can hang its hat on Ray Rice, Le’Ron McClain, Derrick Mason, and Jarrett Johnson. Everybody else, for whatever reason, doesn’t have it in gear.
Mercifully, the Ravens have four winnable games remaining, two of which they will actually win. Games against the Lions and Raiders are in the bag. The Bears and the Steelers are ripe to be beaten, but not when the opponent fields the same possibility of self-destruction.
The Ravens will get into the playoffs. And that’s about it.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
LaRon Landry Can’t Play Safety, So How About Linebacker?
Published: December 6, 2009
No Comments
Contrary to popular sentiment, LaRon Landry’s biggest problem as an NFL safety isn’t going for big hits or misjudging routes. It’s that he has too much space in which to operate and too much time to think about what to do with it.
So maybe the Redskins should put this characteristic to good use and put Landry at weak side linebacker. They’re better off with a corner at the position than Landry, and if they coach him up right, he could actually be great as an interior defensive force.
How many Landry-blown games does someone else have to take the blame for until the Redskins wise up and use his talents in a way that doesn’t cost them? This week, Sean Suisham gets to hold Landry’s crap for a missed field goal; which, its true, he should’ve made.
But if Landry doesn’t get outright beat on several routes by Robert Meachem, it’s not that close. The Redskins win going away.
Now I know that’s a lot to say given that a lot of DBs get fooled on deep routes out of the Saints’ offense. But at least once a week, Landry is beat on a deep play. And when he actually judges correctly about where the ball and receiver will be, you can count on him to whiff on the tackle or to create a penalty out of good coverage.
So why not match the guy up with backs and tight ends in pass coverage, and turn him into a blitzing machine off the edge? He has the speed, he has the athleticism, and he has the desire to hurt someone.
If that isn’t a Pro Bowl dog backer, I don’t know what is.
Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but it seems like one of the Redskins’ biggest problems is putting capable personnel out of the range their own talent range. We saw it last year with Jason Taylor, and saw it slightly with Brian Orakpo a the beginning of the year before Greg Blache and Co. turned him loose.
LaRon Landry can be great, and he can be great at safety. He wants to hit, has good size, and only needs controlled space and responsibility to be a productive member of the Washington defense.
Besides, at 3-9, what do they have to lose with a little experimentation?
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
What Sean Suisham Can Make
Published: December 6, 2009
No Comments
After a heartbreaking loss like the one the Redskins just suffered at the hands of the Saints, you never want to dwell on what went wrong, who missed what, and what owner caused it all. The easy route for a blogger would be to rip Sean Suisham for a missed field goal that would’ve insured a win and a halfway decent highlight for this year’s NFL Films package.
Instead, Suisham is the goat for the second consecutive week, and will probably not be in Washington by next Thursday. Either by being cut by the team or by disappearance into the Potomac.
So we know Suisham can’t make field goals. At least not in Washington. But for the sake of not laughing out loud at down-trodden Redskins fans, why don’t we highlight some of the things Sean Suisham can do.
Sean Suisham can make Redskins haters laugh.
Sean Suisham can make Dallas Cowboys fans believe.
Sean Suisham can make Jim Zorn speak positively.
Sean Suisham can make Mister Irrelevant’s list of ‘Winners and Losers.’
Sean Suisham can make everyone forget that LaRon Landry actually lost the game.
Sean Suisham can make Steve Hauschka feel a lot better .
Sean Suisham can make Vinny Cerrato draft a place kicker in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft.
Sean Suisham can make Ralph Friedgen’s face time in the Washington Post a lot less frequent.
Sean Suisham can make Sherm Lewis blush.
Sean Suisham can make Tom Cruise into a part-time motivational speaker .
Sean Suisham can make the city pay more attention to the Washington Wizards.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
The New Orleans Saints’ Trap Game is the Washington Redskins’ Triumph
Published: December 6, 2009
No Comments
It’s only a trap game when a tremendously great team is playing a mediocre-to-poor team. The hope of bookies and underdog enthusiasts everywhere is that the favorite comes in unenthusiastic, unmotivated, and unprepared to face a team they should crush.
And this is what a lot of folks are calling the Saints-Redskins game today; a trap for the undefeated Saints to fold up against a capable-yet-confused Washington team that has very little to prove beyond being worth the time and remaining energy of rooting interest.
I don’t think anyone outside of the Capital Beltway is rooting for anything close in this contest. The diehard ‘Skins fans will say they want a win, and in their desperation for something positive to amount out of this season, they will mean it. But those lukewarm transients that casually cheer on the burgundy and gold?
They’ll be cheering for the black and gold to light it up.
Seriously, do you really want to see the league’s best offense slowed by a team playing without its true franchise quarterback, it’s true head coach, and with a slew of injured salary cap pirates? Do you really want a possible undefeated Super Bowl match-up between these Saints and the Indianapolis Colts spoiled by a team that has proved little more than an NFC East sideshow?
You might. Squad allegiance is a beautiful thing. But just as attractive is an allegiance to good football, and the Saints will bring plenty of it to Washington.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
