The National Football League-that was the week that was

I was dreading having to analyze the skins/NE tilt, but El cubano has teed it up early in the week. This game features the league's number one offense against the number one defense in total yards in the NFC. The Redskins defense has dominated every unit they've faced. The only way teams like the Giants andArizona put up points was when the Skins pathetic offense kept handing the ball back to the opponents with multilple three and outs in the second half. Given enough chances, any NFL offense will score. If the offense had held up its end, the Skins would be the defensive equivalent of the pat's offense.

That said, the closest game the Pats have had all year was their 17 point home win against Cleveland. They have played some decent opposition as well, blowing out SD, underrated Buffalo and Dallas.

A 16 1/2 point spread against the NFC's number one defensive team seems ludicrous, but the Skins are hurting. The right side of their O line is out for the season, center Casey Rabach has a goin pull but may play and secondstring RT Todd Wade is fighting a bum shoulder. His backup, rookie Stephon Heyer, has a hamstringand was inactive last week. Top wideout Santana Moss has a hurt groin and has been largely ineffective all year. On the defensive side of the ball, two of their corners are dinged but should play. Like it's easy to cover to Pats receivers even if you're fully healthy.

For the Redskins to win or at least keep it close, they need to run the ball and eat clock. Green QB Jason Campbell has a nice touch on the long ball and is mobile but has not really been able to lead the team. He may need a breakout game against the Patriots, but trying for that against a Belichek defense is a good way to toss four or five INTs.

The Pats are a perfect 7-7 against the spread so far this year. I don't see this as the lock El Cubano does, but the Pats are due to come back to earth. Take the points.
 
After looking over the rest of this week's games, I am not inclined to get serious with any of them. GB and Buffalo offer the most interest to me, but not enough to stick my neck out.
 
I didn't know there was a football team in Washington until just recently so I have to ask a fellow down there for his report and analysis. :D


"The Redskins are overpaid, overrated, and really quite mediocre-to-pathetic. Their 4-2 record is a mirage. They will be no problem for the Patriots. I predict a score between 34-49 for the Patriots and 0-20 for the Redskins. Here’s why:

Offense: A grade of “D“. The line is now very weak due to injuries, and is not very talented even when healthy. The QB Campbell is inexperienced, though he has a good arm and is improving steadily. I actually like him. Problem is his wide receivers have not scored a single TD all season! Both of them (Moss and Randall El) are overrated, as is the tight end Cooley. Randall El still has some explosive moves, though he has slowed a notch since his glory days in Pittsburgh. But the most overrated player on the team is Clinton Portis, who isn’t even in the top half of NFL rushers. Portis is a braggart; he loves to promote himself and stay in the lime-light, but he suffers from delusions. For example, he is quoted in the paper today as saying the Redskins’ receivers are as good as the Patriots’, and that the Redskins have more talent than any other NFL team. He’s worshipped around here, but the fact is his stats are way down from his days in Denver. The best player on the Redskins in my opinion is Ladell Betts, a really strong runner who can hurt any team, but he is relegated to a back-up role behind the so-called “superstar” Portis. Portis, like many of his teammates, is paid a ridiculous amount of money, way more than what he’s worth. The only other really good offensive player is Mike Sellers, the 3rd string runner, who is a powerful bull who plays with great heart, but he is rarely used. This offense is anemic -- ranked #25 in the NFL -- and watching them will bore you to tears. Most of all, this unit suffers from the conservative play calling of Joe Gibbs and his overrated defensive coordinator Al Saunders. They rarely score more than two TDs a game. Three TDs is considered a rare offensive explosion, and four TDs a once-per-season event to celebrate.


Defense: A grade of “C+”. The line is below average, rarely mounting a pass rush though decent against the run. London Fletcher shows a spark occasionally, but he is a Bills has-been. The linebackers are only a tad above average, and the cornerbacks are weak and definitely burnable. The so-called strength of the team is the young safeties, Sean Taylor and Dawan Landry. They are very athletic and hit hard, but they take stupid risks and can be toasted, especially Taylor. Taylor will, however, make some highlight film hits, so the fans in D.C. gush all over him. The defensive coordinator is an arrogant asshole, Greg Williams, who believes his “schemes” are more important to success than the quality of his players. The defense is ranked #5 in the NFL, but I think that is misleading. The unit is better than the offense, but it hasn’t been tested by a top-notch passing attack this season. I regard this defense as serviceable but mediocre.


Coaching: A grade of “D-”. A big weakness. Gibbs is a consummate gentleman but over-the-hill and unable to devote anything near Belichick’s intensity to his job. He is a CEO/delegator only, a shadow of his former self. The game has passed him by. The Redskins really suffer from no verticality or offensive punch. Nobody is scared by them. This team will finish 7-9, 8-8, or 9-7 at best, but only because their schedule is so weak (they were 5-11 last year). They will finish 3rd in the NFL East, behind Dallas and New York, but probably ahead of Philly. There are a lot of teams worse than the Redskins, but overall I cannot rate them any higher than about 14th out of the 32 NFL teams. In other words, they are just a hair better than average….


Final Points: I’ve often said that D.C. is a proctologist’s dream: wall-to-wall assholes. That goes for most of the local sports media, narrow-minded parochial “homers” who are constantly predicting “the playoffs” for their beloved Redskins. They have little knowledge of the AFC, preferring to focus only on how the team stacks up in the Junior Varsity NFC (they haven’t figured out yet that nobody gives a shit about the NFC except Fox Sports). John Riggins, for example, is predicting a victory over the Patriots. Another little punk on the radio is talking about how Randy Moss can’t handle getting hit, and that the Redskins will rough him up. The local game announcers (old geezers Sunny Jurgenson and Sam Huff) are nice guys but rarely criticize the team out of fear of upsetting the little owner with the big bucks and Napoleon complex, Danny Boy Snyder, himself the consummate D.C. asshole. Bottom line: This once great franchise is living in the past, stuck in a swamp of mediocrity; it hasn’t been a significant player on the NFL scene for the last 15 years. You can be confident they will disintegrate when they face the shock and awe that Belichick/Brady et al. have waiting for them in Foxboro."
 
Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

After looking over the rest of this week's games, I am not inclined to get serious with any of them. GB and Buffalo offer the most interest to me, but not enough to stick my neck out.
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AAA, I gotta tell ya, it's tough for a life-long Cowboy's fan to think or say anything positive about a Redskin's guy, but I must admit you really seem to know your shit and I enjoy your analysis and posts. I don't follow the NFL nearly as closely as I did years ago (hell, I bet I couldn't name 1/2 of the starting QB's these days), so I thank you for sharing your knowledge and insight.

(Pshew, that was tough to get out).
 
Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

I don't see this as the lock El Cubano does, but the Pats are due to come back to earth. Take the points.
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the 16 1/2 points is a lock when taking into account the 16 1/2 against the fins...

p.s. poor bloody blokes out in london...do they really need to watch the dolphins play?.. goddell is going to give the NFL a bad name sending them deadbeats out there :p
 
Quote from ElCubano:

p.s. poor bloody blokes out in london...do they really need to watch the dolphins play?.. goddell is going to give the NFL a bad name sending them deadbeats out there :p
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I think that's the first poor decision that Goodell has made. Hell, send the Browns over before the Dolphins!

:D
 
Quote from Trader5287:

I didn't know there was a football team in Washington until just recently so I have to ask a fellow down there for his report and analysis. :D


"The Redskins are overpaid, overrated, and really quite mediocre-to-pathetic. Their 4-2 record is a mirage. They will be no problem for the Patriots. I predict a score between 34-49 for the Patriots and 0-20 for the Redskins. Here’s why:

Offense: A grade of “D“. The line is now very weak due to injuries, and is not very talented even when healthy. The QB Campbell is inexperienced, though he has a good arm and is improving steadily. I actually like him. Problem is his wide receivers have not scored a single TD all season! Both of them (Moss and Randall El) are overrated, as is the tight end Cooley. Randall El still has some explosive moves, though he has slowed a notch since his glory days in Pittsburgh. But the most overrated player on the team is Clinton Portis, who isn’t even in the top half of NFL rushers. Portis is a braggart; he loves to promote himself and stay in the lime-light, but he suffers from delusions. For example, he is quoted in the paper today as saying the Redskins’ receivers are as good as the Patriots’, and that the Redskins have more talent than any other NFL team. He’s worshipped around here, but the fact is his stats are way down from his days in Denver. The best player on the Redskins in my opinion is Ladell Betts, a really strong runner who can hurt any team, but he is relegated to a back-up role behind the so-called “superstar” Portis. Portis, like many of his teammates, is paid a ridiculous amount of money, way more than what he’s worth. The only other really good offensive player is Mike Sellers, the 3rd string runner, who is a powerful bull who plays with great heart, but he is rarely used. This offense is anemic -- ranked #25 in the NFL -- and watching them will bore you to tears. Most of all, this unit suffers from the conservative play calling of Joe Gibbs and his overrated defensive coordinator Al Saunders. They rarely score more than two TDs a game. Three TDs is considered a rare offensive explosion, and four TDs a once-per-season event to celebrate.


Defense: A grade of “C+”. The line is below average, rarely mounting a pass rush though decent against the run. London Fletcher shows a spark occasionally, but he is a Bills has-been. The linebackers are only a tad above average, and the cornerbacks are weak and definitely burnable. The so-called strength of the team is the young safeties, Sean Taylor and Dawan Landry. They are very athletic and hit hard, but they take stupid risks and can be toasted, especially Taylor. Taylor will, however, make some highlight film hits, so the fans in D.C. gush all over him. The defensive coordinator is an arrogant asshole, Greg Williams, who believes his “schemes” are more important to success than the quality of his players. The defense is ranked #5 in the NFL, but I think that is misleading. The unit is better than the offense, but it hasn’t been tested by a top-notch passing attack this season. I regard this defense as serviceable but mediocre.


Coaching: A grade of “D-”. A big weakness. Gibbs is a consummate gentleman but over-the-hill and unable to devote anything near Belichick’s intensity to his job. He is a CEO/delegator only, a shadow of his former self. The game has passed him by. The Redskins really suffer from no verticality or offensive punch. Nobody is scared by them. This team will finish 7-9, 8-8, or 9-7 at best, but only because their schedule is so weak (they were 5-11 last year). They will finish 3rd in the NFL East, behind Dallas and New York, but probably ahead of Philly. There are a lot of teams worse than the Redskins, but overall I cannot rate them any higher than about 14th out of the 32 NFL teams. In other words, they are just a hair better than average….


Final Points: I’ve often said that D.C. is a proctologist’s dream: wall-to-wall assholes. That goes for most of the local sports media, narrow-minded parochial “homers” who are constantly predicting “the playoffs” for their beloved Redskins. They have little knowledge of the AFC, preferring to focus only on how the team stacks up in the Junior Varsity NFC (they haven’t figured out yet that nobody gives a shit about the NFC except Fox Sports). John Riggins, for example, is predicting a victory over the Patriots. Another little punk on the radio is talking about how Randy Moss can’t handle getting hit, and that the Redskins will rough him up. The local game announcers (old geezers Sunny Jurgenson and Sam Huff) are nice guys but rarely criticize the team out of fear of upsetting the little owner with the big bucks and Napoleon complex, Danny Boy Snyder, himself the consummate D.C. asshole. Bottom line: This once great franchise is living in the past, stuck in a swamp of mediocrity; it hasn’t been a significant player on the NFL scene for the last 15 years. You can be confident they will disintegrate when they face the shock and awe that Belichick/Brady et al. have waiting for them in Foxboro."
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Being a Skins fan doesn't necessarily make me blind. I actually agree with much of what your friend wrote. I do believe he is underrating the defense. This is a unit that is always involved in a close game, so they don't get to pad their stats against teams that are down by three TDs and forced to go one dimensional. London Fletcher is having a Pro Bowl season and has been a big lift for the unit. Their D line is playing much better than last year. DE Andre Carter has 5 sacks in six games, a healthy pace.

As for not facing a good offense, they shut down the Lions passing attack and held GB to one TD. Granted, they haven't faced the Pats, Colts or Cowboys, but they have clearly had the edge on the offenses they have faced. Sunday will be a big test for them, and they could well get toasted. Their corners are not 100%, and let's face it, the Pats have blasted everyone they've played.

The team's real problems are on offense and in the front office. For whatever reason, the offense has never jelled under Gibbs. Last season their run game was extremely productive with Betts getting most of the carries, but he has been ineffective this year. Gibbs is too conservative, has trouble making quick decisions, is a poor personnel guy but he has the respect of the players and the team has always played hard for him. With three Super Bowl rings, he walks on water in this area and will go back to NASCAR when he decides to, not before.

A good bit of the problems on offense stem from offensive line injuries. Not too many teams can lose their starting C, RG and RT and be effective. They are an above average line when healthy. The other major problem comes from poor personnel moves. One of Gibbs' first moves was to trade disgruntled Champ Bailey for Portis, then sign Portis to a rich contract. Bailey continued to be the top shutdown corner in the league, while Portis has been a very average or below average back. Receiver has been a constant problem. They signed Brandon Lloyd and Randal El to big deals. Lloyd is one of the biggest free agent busts in history and can't even get on the field. El has shown flashes but he is underused in the ultra conservative offense, and now he is injured after getting off to a good start. Moss was great for a couple of years but now is always injured. Cooley is underused, forced to block too much.

I agree with the comments aobut Mike Sellers, the 280 pound fullback. He is finally getting some carries this year and has produced. He is a very good receiver as well.

The Skins traded up to select QB Jason Campbell a couple of years ago. The jury is still out on him. He has shown flashes and can throw a very nice deep ball, but he is often slow to get the ball off on shorter routes. His delivery is a bit slow, and while he is poised, he is not exactly Joe Montana running the team.

About Dan Snyder, the owner. By all accounts, he is a bit of a self-consumed prick. He does know how to make money though, and he isn't shy about spending it on the team. His judgment can be criticized, but no one can call him cheap. He just needs to relax a little and realize that continuity is a big asset in the NFL. He needs a savvy personnel guy. Gibbs clearly is terrible at that role. Gibbs will be gone after this season or at the latest next, so he needs to be thinking about the direction of the franchise. I see three possible avenues. One, appoint head coach in waiting Greg Williams to run the team. Two, make Bill Cowher an offer he can't refuse. Three, bring back former Hog Russ Grimm as head coach. I think there is a lot to say for each option, but that is for another day.
 
Quote from topdown:

AAA, I gotta tell ya, it's tough for a life-long Cowboy's fan to think or say anything positive about a Redskin's guy, but I must admit you really seem to know your shit and I enjoy your analysis and posts. I don't follow the NFL nearly as closely as I did years ago (hell, I bet I couldn't name 1/2 of the starting QB's these days), so I thank you for sharing your knowledge and insight.

(Pshew, that was tough to get out).
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You must be old school. That was a great rivalry back in the days when we won occasionally. Back when Geroge Allen was the toast of DC, took calls from Nixon and said he would be prepared to cut his arm off to beat Dallas. Or the time he said he wished he and Tom Landry could fight it out on the 50. He was lucky Landry didn't take him up on it. Landry was an old defensive back and probably would have kicked Allen's butt. Gibbs is too polite for that sort of thing. Funny thing though, for a guy who comes as a Sunday school teacher, Gibbs has three rings and three NASCAR championship trophies. Only guy in the history of the world to do it.
 
In looking over the card for NFL week 8 the game that looks good: Browns -3 against Rams. The Rams defense is terrible while the Browns can at least score tons of points.

Skins +16 against Pats. Can Washington even keep it that close. Pats have blown out all opponents this season but Washington's defense is third best in points allowed.
 
Quote from ElCubano:

the 16 1/2 points is a lock when taking into account the 16 1/2 against the fins...

p.s. poor bloody blokes out in london...do they really need to watch the dolphins play?.. goddell is going to give the NFL a bad name sending them deadbeats out there :p
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wow was I offf....sheesh...what a game....the only thing i wasnt off on was the shitiest game of the year was actually played in london...wow what a bad game to show our bloody londoners....although they say they could have sold 10 times the tickets that sold..i think it was sold out in 40 minutes...according to what i heard..
 
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