Wild Card Musings
Like Momento, we're working backwards here, so piece it all together as you go.
I like the story coming out of halftime of the Jags-Pats game where Del Rio accuses the Patriots of cutting out the communication system between the coaches and the QB on key downs. If it doesn't happen, it should. Well, I don't mean that it would be sportsmanlike, obviously, but if coaches are working 24-7 to satisfy their will to win, who doesn't think that they would resort to tinkering with the walkie talkies? If they had steriods for wins, how many NFL head coaches do you think would take them? I say about 32. Seriously, these guys don't talk to their wives and kids for nine months a year, you don't think their will to win would cause them to bend the rules? This is war, gentlemen.
I love the conspiracy stuff. A few years ago, the Giants were rumored to have intercepted the communication between Vikings coaches and Daunte Culpepper on their way to a completely unexpected 41-0 victory (the Vikings were favorites in that NFL championship game and had one of the highest scoring offenses ever). Going back, Al Davis was famous for sending spies to watch opponents practice and so badly got into the head of Jets coach Walt Michaels that Michaels went on a rant about it in front of the beat reporters that seemed right out of an Oliver Stone movie (well, at least it does in retrospect). Michaels also got the short end of the stick against the Dolphins in the 1982 AFC Championship game when Don Shula left the tarp off the field to slow down the Jets vastly superior team speed (Walker, McNeil, Lam Jones, Gastineau...). That caused Walt to go off on the deep end with the bottle and resulted in his sudden dismissal as Jets coach.
Redskins bettors: call it a weekend because you don't get luckier than that. Why push it?
That was the worst punt ever in a big situation. How do the Bucs come of that at midfield with over a minute left? Then, before I can finish typing, another pick by Simms off a deflection at the line. Game over.
That was a terrible job by Washington and Gibbs with 2:48 left and no timeouts for the Bucs. First and 10 at the 35 and you get a false start? Then first and 15 and you run Portis up the gut and the 40 second clock resets before 2:40 is left, so you have to run another play. Instead, you have to snap it to your running back in the shotgun (which the Redskins use) and let him run around for an extra couple of seconds before going down. Remember, they don't stop the clock after sacks anymore. That ended up giving the Bucs another 40 seconds of game clock.
Theismann says getting the delay of game isn't a big deal because they'll go for it on fourth down anyway? Stupid thing to say, even for him.
Yes, it was a great interception, but you cannot throw back across the middle of the field in that situation if you're Mark Brunell. Up a TD with three minutes and change left? Stay in bounds by sliding to keep the clock running and punt. No one cares that you did nothing all day if you win.
Very bush league play by Simms in taunting Carlos Rodgers when running out of bounds on a scramble. He followed that by missing a wide open Joey Galloway on the next play. His father was bush league, too. But the picture I have is him holding his head in horror whenever a receiver dropped a pass. I don't recall him taunting the opposition very often.
Mark Brunell and that Redskins offense look so bad today. Like I said in the preview, the Bucs defensive stat profile is good, not great. And that's against a pretty soft schedule (all those NFC South games and four more against the AFC East). Losing Clinton Portis to the stinger handicaps them, for sure. But Santana Moss should have been more involved.
I don't mind going for it on fourth down. Give Gregg William credit for blitzing; there was nothing there. I don't mind passing out of the goal-line formation. If you're going to run it down there, I like spreading out the defense with an empty backfield and doing the sneak. That's what the Pats call in those situations.
We need the Zapruder film to see if Sean Taylor spit, I guess. Because we can't see it on the replay. If it was a "say it don't spray it" spit, it doesn't count. To be jettisoned from a playoff game you need to toss a loogy in someone's face.
Chris Simms was praised for being 16-for-18 near the end of th first half. Great accuracy and play calling, we were told. Only all those completions went for 100 yards. Forget the poor 5.5 yards per attempt. Look at yards per completion. That's a joke even by today's dink and dunk standards.
The Bucs are down 14-0 and the Redskins have lost another CB (Walt Harris). There are eight men in the box on every conceivable run down to stop Cadillac Williams. But Theismann and the boys are saying the Bucs need to keep running. How about getting the ball to Joey Galloway? How many points down does Gruden need to be before he starts taking shots downfield on first down?
Do you realize how hard it is to figure out what to root for in a 32-team Playoff Fantasy Universe League? My strategy was to play all the guys I couldn't live without playing one time (taking the bird in the hand). So, Palmer and Chad Johnson had to be played. Ditto Roethlisberger and Ward. Yes, I think the Bengals are going to win, but Vegas must know something (although they were probably scared by the prospects of heavy Steelers action, which they obviously didn't get becaus the line didn't move since it opened). I also had to play Barber and Steve Smith. I thought Washington was going to win and Tampa's defense is tough, so I held off on Santana Moss and Portis. Hardly anyone played Roethlisberger and Willie Parker, but I think those guys are going to have big days and there's a good chance they won't survive until Week 19. 18 of 32 owners played Hines Ward this week.
END OF POST
I like the story coming out of halftime of the Jags-Pats game where Del Rio accuses the Patriots of cutting out the communication system between the coaches and the QB on key downs. If it doesn't happen, it should. Well, I don't mean that it would be sportsmanlike, obviously, but if coaches are working 24-7 to satisfy their will to win, who doesn't think that they would resort to tinkering with the walkie talkies? If they had steriods for wins, how many NFL head coaches do you think would take them? I say about 32. Seriously, these guys don't talk to their wives and kids for nine months a year, you don't think their will to win would cause them to bend the rules? This is war, gentlemen.
I love the conspiracy stuff. A few years ago, the Giants were rumored to have intercepted the communication between Vikings coaches and Daunte Culpepper on their way to a completely unexpected 41-0 victory (the Vikings were favorites in that NFL championship game and had one of the highest scoring offenses ever). Going back, Al Davis was famous for sending spies to watch opponents practice and so badly got into the head of Jets coach Walt Michaels that Michaels went on a rant about it in front of the beat reporters that seemed right out of an Oliver Stone movie (well, at least it does in retrospect). Michaels also got the short end of the stick against the Dolphins in the 1982 AFC Championship game when Don Shula left the tarp off the field to slow down the Jets vastly superior team speed (Walker, McNeil, Lam Jones, Gastineau...). That caused Walt to go off on the deep end with the bottle and resulted in his sudden dismissal as Jets coach.
Redskins bettors: call it a weekend because you don't get luckier than that. Why push it?
That was the worst punt ever in a big situation. How do the Bucs come of that at midfield with over a minute left? Then, before I can finish typing, another pick by Simms off a deflection at the line. Game over.
That was a terrible job by Washington and Gibbs with 2:48 left and no timeouts for the Bucs. First and 10 at the 35 and you get a false start? Then first and 15 and you run Portis up the gut and the 40 second clock resets before 2:40 is left, so you have to run another play. Instead, you have to snap it to your running back in the shotgun (which the Redskins use) and let him run around for an extra couple of seconds before going down. Remember, they don't stop the clock after sacks anymore. That ended up giving the Bucs another 40 seconds of game clock.
Theismann says getting the delay of game isn't a big deal because they'll go for it on fourth down anyway? Stupid thing to say, even for him.
Yes, it was a great interception, but you cannot throw back across the middle of the field in that situation if you're Mark Brunell. Up a TD with three minutes and change left? Stay in bounds by sliding to keep the clock running and punt. No one cares that you did nothing all day if you win.
Very bush league play by Simms in taunting Carlos Rodgers when running out of bounds on a scramble. He followed that by missing a wide open Joey Galloway on the next play. His father was bush league, too. But the picture I have is him holding his head in horror whenever a receiver dropped a pass. I don't recall him taunting the opposition very often.
Mark Brunell and that Redskins offense look so bad today. Like I said in the preview, the Bucs defensive stat profile is good, not great. And that's against a pretty soft schedule (all those NFC South games and four more against the AFC East). Losing Clinton Portis to the stinger handicaps them, for sure. But Santana Moss should have been more involved.
I don't mind going for it on fourth down. Give Gregg William credit for blitzing; there was nothing there. I don't mind passing out of the goal-line formation. If you're going to run it down there, I like spreading out the defense with an empty backfield and doing the sneak. That's what the Pats call in those situations.
We need the Zapruder film to see if Sean Taylor spit, I guess. Because we can't see it on the replay. If it was a "say it don't spray it" spit, it doesn't count. To be jettisoned from a playoff game you need to toss a loogy in someone's face.
Chris Simms was praised for being 16-for-18 near the end of th first half. Great accuracy and play calling, we were told. Only all those completions went for 100 yards. Forget the poor 5.5 yards per attempt. Look at yards per completion. That's a joke even by today's dink and dunk standards.
The Bucs are down 14-0 and the Redskins have lost another CB (Walt Harris). There are eight men in the box on every conceivable run down to stop Cadillac Williams. But Theismann and the boys are saying the Bucs need to keep running. How about getting the ball to Joey Galloway? How many points down does Gruden need to be before he starts taking shots downfield on first down?
Do you realize how hard it is to figure out what to root for in a 32-team Playoff Fantasy Universe League? My strategy was to play all the guys I couldn't live without playing one time (taking the bird in the hand). So, Palmer and Chad Johnson had to be played. Ditto Roethlisberger and Ward. Yes, I think the Bengals are going to win, but Vegas must know something (although they were probably scared by the prospects of heavy Steelers action, which they obviously didn't get becaus the line didn't move since it opened). I also had to play Barber and Steve Smith. I thought Washington was going to win and Tampa's defense is tough, so I held off on Santana Moss and Portis. Hardly anyone played Roethlisberger and Willie Parker, but I think those guys are going to have big days and there's a good chance they won't survive until Week 19. 18 of 32 owners played Hines Ward this week.
END OF POST
Entry #113667342039545726 posted by Catherine Salfino at 5:16 PM
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