by Bill Young
The Tennessee Titans just lost a game to a team that got utterly humiliated the week before, the Washington Redskins. Randy Moss was ineffective and Vince Young had another tantrum. At a certain point, should coach Jeff Fisher just get rid of Vince Young for good and start over? Start Kerry Collins when healthy or another available veteran QB like Jeff Garcia. Even Daunte Culpepper would be a step in the right direction.
Vince Young is clearly a head case who is not mentally tough. He is the definition of a player Fisher can't tolerate. Forget about Randy Moss being a distraction. He provided holes for others to take advantage of. The playcalling, however, was atrocious. Probowl RB Chris Johnson did not get enough carries against the Redskins.
How did the Redskins hold down the league's top scoring offense to 16 points? Simple. Cover the stars and let such great players like Bo Scaife win the game. The Titans have to be able to throw on early downs so that a team like the Redskins can't always load the box. If not, audibles must be made to get a running play to go away from the blitz. Veteran QBs should be able to make these calls at the line. Unfortunately, Vince Young doesn't appear to fit that mold just yet.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
NFC East Blog: Playoffs?
by Bill Young
The Eagles gained a strangehold on the division last week with their 27-17 victory over the Giants. This could begin another typical decline for the Giants.
In other games, the Redskins won a hardfought game against the Titans. Unfortunately, the Redskins had 10 players get injured during the contest. While next week's game against the Vikings is a winable game, it won't get any easier. The Redskins and the Giants might eliminate each other from playoff contention. With Dallas all but eliminated, the Eagles could be the sole representative in this year's playoffs. For all the talk of the talent in the NFC East, coaching and team chemistry have been at all-time lows.
The Giants continue to turn the ball over. Fumbling continues to haunt the Giants. The Cowboys were doomed by a team of stars without passion and the poor leadership of Wade Phillips. The Redskins, the least talented team of the four, have not been able to take advantage of a soft early schedule. Losing to both the Rams and Lions is inexcusable.
The Eagles have capitalized on these errors and stand to win the division--if Michael Vick can stay healthy.
The Eagles gained a strangehold on the division last week with their 27-17 victory over the Giants. This could begin another typical decline for the Giants.
In other games, the Redskins won a hardfought game against the Titans. Unfortunately, the Redskins had 10 players get injured during the contest. While next week's game against the Vikings is a winable game, it won't get any easier. The Redskins and the Giants might eliminate each other from playoff contention. With Dallas all but eliminated, the Eagles could be the sole representative in this year's playoffs. For all the talk of the talent in the NFC East, coaching and team chemistry have been at all-time lows.
The Giants continue to turn the ball over. Fumbling continues to haunt the Giants. The Cowboys were doomed by a team of stars without passion and the poor leadership of Wade Phillips. The Redskins, the least talented team of the four, have not been able to take advantage of a soft early schedule. Losing to both the Rams and Lions is inexcusable.
The Eagles have capitalized on these errors and stand to win the division--if Michael Vick can stay healthy.
Friday, November 19, 2010
AFC South Blog: Midseason Report
by Bill Young
TWO UP:
The Indianapolis Colts remain the team to beat in the division despite their myriad of injuries to the secondary and wide receivers. Its about time to recognize what they still have instead of focusing on what they have lost. The Colts still have Freeney and Mathis to rush the passer and Peyton Manning to lead the offense. These players are irreplacable for this current Colts' team. If the Colts go far in the playoffs, it will show the individual greatness of these players. If the Colts fail to do well this season, the legacy of Manning is in danger of taking a hit. Quarterbacks like Tom Brady have done well with less while Manning had future hall of famers like Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne to throw to for the entirety of his career. In addition, Pro-Bowl TE Dallas Clark is a weapon that most QBs have never had. If Manning wants to elevate himself above quarterbacks like Troy Aikman and make it to the level of those like Tom Brady, he needs to prove he can perform well in the playoffs regardless of the supporting cast.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were the beneficiary of good fortune when Mike Thomas caught David Garrard's Hail Mary pass to defeat the Houston Texans. After getting destroyed by the Chiefs a month ago, the Jaguars have responded to win their next two games against the Cowboys and Texans. This coupled with their upset victory over the Colts makes the Jaguars a dangerous team in the AFC South. If they can maintain this level of play, a playoff berth is a possibility.
2 DOWN:
The Tennessee Titans took a chance on Randy Moss. Now they will have to live with the effect he will have on the lockerroom if they start to lose. The loss to the Dolphins was not the start the Titans were envisioning. However, RB Chris Johnson will have more room to run if Randy Moss is capable of behaving like a professional on the field. Unfortunately, this is not likely to happen as Randy Moss may end up having his career abruptly as his conduct is no longer tolerable if he is no longer a top receiving threat in the NFL.
The Houston Texans started well. However, injuries to key players have significantly affected the Texans playoff chances. The injury to Pro Bowl LB Demeco Ryans specifically destroys any semblance of defense the Texans had. In addition, Andre Johnson is banged up. Unlike a certain QB, there will be no press conferences to address his ankle injuries, but they are definitely hindering his play. That being said, Texans coach Gary Kubiak has the opportunity to revamp the offense by focusing on the emergence of RB Arian Foster. Foster, an undrafted player from Tennessee, has done an admirable job when given enough carries. Playcalling has been the best defense against Foster as he is sometimes forgotten about in bigger games like the debacle in the second game versus the Colts where the Texans failed to establish the run against a pitiful run defense. If the Texans hope to turn their season around and keep star WR Andre Johnson, they need to emphasize the running game to minimize the time their defense is on the field and provide more open opportunities for WRs off of play-action passes.
TWO UP:
The Indianapolis Colts remain the team to beat in the division despite their myriad of injuries to the secondary and wide receivers. Its about time to recognize what they still have instead of focusing on what they have lost. The Colts still have Freeney and Mathis to rush the passer and Peyton Manning to lead the offense. These players are irreplacable for this current Colts' team. If the Colts go far in the playoffs, it will show the individual greatness of these players. If the Colts fail to do well this season, the legacy of Manning is in danger of taking a hit. Quarterbacks like Tom Brady have done well with less while Manning had future hall of famers like Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne to throw to for the entirety of his career. In addition, Pro-Bowl TE Dallas Clark is a weapon that most QBs have never had. If Manning wants to elevate himself above quarterbacks like Troy Aikman and make it to the level of those like Tom Brady, he needs to prove he can perform well in the playoffs regardless of the supporting cast.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were the beneficiary of good fortune when Mike Thomas caught David Garrard's Hail Mary pass to defeat the Houston Texans. After getting destroyed by the Chiefs a month ago, the Jaguars have responded to win their next two games against the Cowboys and Texans. This coupled with their upset victory over the Colts makes the Jaguars a dangerous team in the AFC South. If they can maintain this level of play, a playoff berth is a possibility.
2 DOWN:
The Tennessee Titans took a chance on Randy Moss. Now they will have to live with the effect he will have on the lockerroom if they start to lose. The loss to the Dolphins was not the start the Titans were envisioning. However, RB Chris Johnson will have more room to run if Randy Moss is capable of behaving like a professional on the field. Unfortunately, this is not likely to happen as Randy Moss may end up having his career abruptly as his conduct is no longer tolerable if he is no longer a top receiving threat in the NFL.
The Houston Texans started well. However, injuries to key players have significantly affected the Texans playoff chances. The injury to Pro Bowl LB Demeco Ryans specifically destroys any semblance of defense the Texans had. In addition, Andre Johnson is banged up. Unlike a certain QB, there will be no press conferences to address his ankle injuries, but they are definitely hindering his play. That being said, Texans coach Gary Kubiak has the opportunity to revamp the offense by focusing on the emergence of RB Arian Foster. Foster, an undrafted player from Tennessee, has done an admirable job when given enough carries. Playcalling has been the best defense against Foster as he is sometimes forgotten about in bigger games like the debacle in the second game versus the Colts where the Texans failed to establish the run against a pitiful run defense. If the Texans hope to turn their season around and keep star WR Andre Johnson, they need to emphasize the running game to minimize the time their defense is on the field and provide more open opportunities for WRs off of play-action passes.
NFC East: Mid-Season Report
by Bill Young
For the NFC East, every news story has appeared to be about the turmoil and constant troubles surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. However, for all of their perceived flaws, the organization appears to be moving in the right direction. While firing Wade Phillips sooner might have enabled the Cowboys to salvage their season, this has become an ideal situation for Jason Garrett to assume the head coaching duty. He has no pressure on him since few expect him to be the coach next year as ESPN analysts are continuously associating former Super Bowl winning coaches like Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher to the job. On the other hand, the Cowboys' coaching job is high profile and will give Garrett a chance to be a head coach of another NFL team at the beginning of next season. Football-wise, Jon Kitna has provided veteran leadership that the offense has rallied around. This leadership along with the emergence of the explosive Dez Bryant has led to the recent upset of the New York Giants. This win despite only having two healthy cornerbacks on their roster is a sign of positive things to come, possibly propelling the Cowboys past the Redskins to third in the NFC East.
While the Cowboys future is improving, the New York Giants have a lot of concerns to address. Last year's second half losing streak needs to be avoided. Unfortunately, a loss to the cellar-dwelling Cowboys was not a good start. The fact that the Giants looked unprepared for Dez Bryant who has been the Cowboys only consistent offensive threat this year is simply inexcusable. While the Giants do have 7 games to right themselves, they showed many signs of a team that could fade down the stretch. Examples of these signs were most evident when WR Hakeem Nix quit on a route leading to an interception and the inability to run the ball against Dallas. Since the Giants do not have the most explosive receivers, the receivers need to commit to their routes and the run game MUST be effective for the Giants to make the playoffs this year. Otherwise, they might as well end their season here and begin planning for the future.
One team thats fading fast is the Washington Redskins. The Redskins are the league's worst team at converting third down. In most cases, this would lead to benching the quarterback. Unfortunately for the Redskins, McNabb is now an 80 million dollar man who is backed up by the turnover waiting to happen--Rex Grossman. An even greater concern is the play of the defense. After getting shredded by the Eagles last week ( a team the Redskins held to 14 pts earlier this year), one has to wonder if the Redskins defense has anything left for the rest of the season. Linebacker London Fletcher has been a warrior but even he will get tired at some point if the offense continues to fail to sustain drives. Brian Orakpo has also been slowed by injuries, highlighting the lack of passrushing depth the Redskins exhibit every week. Losses to the Lions and Rams combined with the latest thrashing by the Eagles do not bode well for the Redskins as they face the Giants in two of their last 7 games.
The hottest team in the NFC East is the Philadelphia Eagles. QB Michael Vick has worked harder at film study and it shows. The Redskins had no way to defend him last week and most teams will not fare much better. As long as Vick avoids hits like the one the Redskins inflicted on him earlier in the season, the Eagles can go far in the playoffs. Super Bowl potential--maybe not. The running game is still weak and the defense can look average at times, but with Michael Vick leading the offense, all of those problems are largely overshadowed by the scoreboard.
For the NFC East, every news story has appeared to be about the turmoil and constant troubles surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. However, for all of their perceived flaws, the organization appears to be moving in the right direction. While firing Wade Phillips sooner might have enabled the Cowboys to salvage their season, this has become an ideal situation for Jason Garrett to assume the head coaching duty. He has no pressure on him since few expect him to be the coach next year as ESPN analysts are continuously associating former Super Bowl winning coaches like Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher to the job. On the other hand, the Cowboys' coaching job is high profile and will give Garrett a chance to be a head coach of another NFL team at the beginning of next season. Football-wise, Jon Kitna has provided veteran leadership that the offense has rallied around. This leadership along with the emergence of the explosive Dez Bryant has led to the recent upset of the New York Giants. This win despite only having two healthy cornerbacks on their roster is a sign of positive things to come, possibly propelling the Cowboys past the Redskins to third in the NFC East.
While the Cowboys future is improving, the New York Giants have a lot of concerns to address. Last year's second half losing streak needs to be avoided. Unfortunately, a loss to the cellar-dwelling Cowboys was not a good start. The fact that the Giants looked unprepared for Dez Bryant who has been the Cowboys only consistent offensive threat this year is simply inexcusable. While the Giants do have 7 games to right themselves, they showed many signs of a team that could fade down the stretch. Examples of these signs were most evident when WR Hakeem Nix quit on a route leading to an interception and the inability to run the ball against Dallas. Since the Giants do not have the most explosive receivers, the receivers need to commit to their routes and the run game MUST be effective for the Giants to make the playoffs this year. Otherwise, they might as well end their season here and begin planning for the future.
One team thats fading fast is the Washington Redskins. The Redskins are the league's worst team at converting third down. In most cases, this would lead to benching the quarterback. Unfortunately for the Redskins, McNabb is now an 80 million dollar man who is backed up by the turnover waiting to happen--Rex Grossman. An even greater concern is the play of the defense. After getting shredded by the Eagles last week ( a team the Redskins held to 14 pts earlier this year), one has to wonder if the Redskins defense has anything left for the rest of the season. Linebacker London Fletcher has been a warrior but even he will get tired at some point if the offense continues to fail to sustain drives. Brian Orakpo has also been slowed by injuries, highlighting the lack of passrushing depth the Redskins exhibit every week. Losses to the Lions and Rams combined with the latest thrashing by the Eagles do not bode well for the Redskins as they face the Giants in two of their last 7 games.
The hottest team in the NFC East is the Philadelphia Eagles. QB Michael Vick has worked harder at film study and it shows. The Redskins had no way to defend him last week and most teams will not fare much better. As long as Vick avoids hits like the one the Redskins inflicted on him earlier in the season, the Eagles can go far in the playoffs. Super Bowl potential--maybe not. The running game is still weak and the defense can look average at times, but with Michael Vick leading the offense, all of those problems are largely overshadowed by the scoreboard.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Who should sign Randy Moss?
by Bill Young
In the AFC South, teams like the Texans and Jaguars should stay away from Moss because their current capabilities are well below the level of a playoff contender. As we have seen, Moss will constantly give up on plays if his team doesn't perform to championship contending level.
That said, the Colts should pass on him too. Manning did not need Moss against the Texans and will not need better wide receivers against other teams. The Colts need a better running game and Moss definitely can't solve that problem.
Ultimately, the Titans should sign Moss because their best receiver, Kenny Britt, is out indefinitely. In addition, Titans coach Jeff Fisher has command of the locker room in Tennessee the way Belichick has command of the locker room in New England. Randy Moss would have to buy in to the team goals or sit on the bench. A Brad Childress debacle wouldn't happen here.
In the NFC East, all teams should stay away. In the case of the Giants, they need to focus on running the ball and controlling the game. It has been proven in the past that this strategy leads to more wins for the Giants.
The Cowboys should keep what they have and let rookie Dez Bryant develop into a star. Adding Moss would only prevent Bryant from experiences the myriad of coverages teams are sure to throw at him in the coming weeks and greatly stunt his development.
The Eagles, on the other hand, have a glut of wide receivers who run the deep route well. Randy Moss would only be a good acquisition in this case if he were willing to run over the middle and make the clutch catches on third down. Somehow, that doesn't seem possible any time soon.
The Redskins should stay away from Moss because he cannot solve their offensive line woes. How well McNabb/Grossman/Jamarcus Russell can scramble is irrelevant because there is too much pressure for a deep ball to be thrown to Moss. Eventually, despite the Redskins current record (4-4), Moss would tank the rest of the season and screw up the chemistry present. On top of all these factors, Shanahan has done an excellent job dealing with Haynesworth, McNabb and any other big name Redskin player. It seems that Shanahan is going out of his way to alienate his star players. I'm sure Randy Moss who thrives on being the best player on the team would love to play for a coach who doesn't care about how good a player is. After all, if a lineman for the Redskins (Dockery) is benched because he isn't trying hard enough in practice, then Moss would be benched every game. Despite the overwhelming evidence here supporting not signing Moss, this hasn't stopped the Redskins before.
In the AFC South, teams like the Texans and Jaguars should stay away from Moss because their current capabilities are well below the level of a playoff contender. As we have seen, Moss will constantly give up on plays if his team doesn't perform to championship contending level.
That said, the Colts should pass on him too. Manning did not need Moss against the Texans and will not need better wide receivers against other teams. The Colts need a better running game and Moss definitely can't solve that problem.
Ultimately, the Titans should sign Moss because their best receiver, Kenny Britt, is out indefinitely. In addition, Titans coach Jeff Fisher has command of the locker room in Tennessee the way Belichick has command of the locker room in New England. Randy Moss would have to buy in to the team goals or sit on the bench. A Brad Childress debacle wouldn't happen here.
In the NFC East, all teams should stay away. In the case of the Giants, they need to focus on running the ball and controlling the game. It has been proven in the past that this strategy leads to more wins for the Giants.
The Cowboys should keep what they have and let rookie Dez Bryant develop into a star. Adding Moss would only prevent Bryant from experiences the myriad of coverages teams are sure to throw at him in the coming weeks and greatly stunt his development.
The Eagles, on the other hand, have a glut of wide receivers who run the deep route well. Randy Moss would only be a good acquisition in this case if he were willing to run over the middle and make the clutch catches on third down. Somehow, that doesn't seem possible any time soon.
The Redskins should stay away from Moss because he cannot solve their offensive line woes. How well McNabb/Grossman/Jamarcus Russell can scramble is irrelevant because there is too much pressure for a deep ball to be thrown to Moss. Eventually, despite the Redskins current record (4-4), Moss would tank the rest of the season and screw up the chemistry present. On top of all these factors, Shanahan has done an excellent job dealing with Haynesworth, McNabb and any other big name Redskin player. It seems that Shanahan is going out of his way to alienate his star players. I'm sure Randy Moss who thrives on being the best player on the team would love to play for a coach who doesn't care about how good a player is. After all, if a lineman for the Redskins (Dockery) is benched because he isn't trying hard enough in practice, then Moss would be benched every game. Despite the overwhelming evidence here supporting not signing Moss, this hasn't stopped the Redskins before.
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