National Football Post Diner News

18 Nov 2008

QUOTE:  “It is better to stay silent and let people think you are an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

FROM NFL.COM AND NFL NETWORK.....CLICK THE LINK FOR MY NFL NET APPEARANCE LAST NIGHT. 

FROM SAL MAIORANA OF THE ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE... "They're a good group, they play so hard and your heart bleeds for them," coach Dick Jauron said of his slumping and snake-bit team.  In losing their fourth straight game, the Bills have now sunk to 5-5 and reside in last place in the AFC East. Even worse, they have lost to all three of the teams ahead of them. Their season is on the brink and they may need to win out if they hope to qualify for the postseason for the first time in nine years.  "Obviously it's a big hurdle," said defensive end Chris Kelsay. "We're 5-5 and we have six games left to try and make the tournament. We have our work cut out for us, especially with the way other teams are playing. We're going to give it everything we've got every day and that's all you can do.  "In October 2007, in Buffalo's most recent Monday Night Football appearance, it blew an eight-point lead in the final 20 seconds and lost a stomach-turner to the Dallas Cowboys 25-24. That night the Bills controlled play most of the way only to cough up the victory in inexplicable fashion. On this night, Cleveland was in control most of the game, trailed ever so briefly when Trent Edwards snuck across the goal line from the 1 with 2:25 left to play, but then pulled out the win when Phil Dawson kicked his fifth field goal, a career-long 56-yarder with 1:39 remaining.  "It's very comparable to the two we took on the chin in the last second here last year," said defensive tackle Kyle Williams. "I don't know what to say. We're finding ways not to win. We've lost four games in a row and been right there and just haven't found a way to do it. There's nothing else you can say; I'm flabbergasted to be honest with you."  The game ended horribly for the Bills, which is exactly how it started.

This one hurts the Bills.  They play badly early and then fight back and place themselves in position to win the game.  You turn the ball over 4 times, miss a field goal (so really five turnovers), don't force any turnovers, allow big plays, and still have a chance to win the game—it lets you know you are the better team, but mistakes are killing the Bills.  In the first six games when the Bills were 5-1, they only had 9 turnovers combined.  Since then they have committed 13 turnovers.  And as we all know, I count missed field goals as a turnover, so they had five turnovers for the game last night.  The Bills just have to realize that they are still in a growing cycle, and they have to find ways to help their young quarterback grow and not allow him to be the center of the offense.  Marshawn Lynch proved he is the power back and has to be the centerpiece of the offense because of his talents.  This loss might have helped the Bills learn who they are as an offense. 

FROM MIKE REISS OF THE BOSTON GLOBE...  Patriots coach Bill Belichick held a conference call with reporters today, and there was quite a bit of “Wildcat” talk. Belichick answered a variety of questions on Miami’s package in which running back Ronnie Brown lines up in the shotgun at quarterback.  Here were a few items of note on the “Wildcat”:

(1) Getting physical with the quarterback.  When the Dolphins run the package, they split quarterback Chad Pennington out wide, so some might say, "Why not get physical with Pennington?" Belichick said he has not seen many opponents take that approach and he explained why: “You’re just playing with one less guy if you do that. You can get that player involved in the [running] play and kind of play 11 against 10.  If you want to take that player out of there, and go hit Pennington, you can do that but I think most teams have tried to play with that extra player instead of giving one up.”

(2) Missed tackles a big part of Dolphins' success.  Without referring to a specific statistical breakdown, Belichick estimated that about 50 percent of the yardage the Dolphins have gained out of the package have come as a result of missed tackles. With that in mind, Belichick believes the success of the Wildcat is as much about the skill of the Dolphins’ runners as much as the scheme.

The NFL is a copy-cat league, and each week I see teams run this formation and try to steal a play.  The Falcons tried to run this against the Broncos and had no success; the Dolphins tried their wildcat formation against Denver and had no success either.  At some point, the copying does not depend on having success; it depends on showing others you are keeping up.  I love what the Chiefs are doing with their "Pistol" formation, which was started at Nevada Reno.  The Pistol formation allows the quarterback to be in a short shot gun formation with the running back behind him.  It keeps most of the running game in place and allows the quarterback to get back from center and into the passing game very quickly.  We will see some of this down the road as teams watch tape and see what new ideas are around the league.  I feel if you have multi-talented players you must find creative and new ways to get them the ball within your base offense.  The Dolphins went to the Wildcat because they could not make big plays and had to find a way to create big plays in their offense.  And at times it works for them, but it might not work for everyone. 

FROM BARRY SVRLUGA OF THE WASHINGTON POST...  Why, when rookie wide receiver Devin Thomas comes wide open for what Zorn said would be an "easy touchdown," does quarterback Jason Campbell not have time to see him? Why, when Campbell does have time to throw downfield, does wide receiver Santana Moss just barely miss a pass that would have advanced the Redskins inside the Dallas 10-yard line? Put all those toss-and-turn moments together, and the Redskins have scored 16 points in their past two games, both losses, and are averaging more points than just five other teams. Zorn's offense, 10 games into its installation in Washington, is now sputtering more often, and it -- not a defense that ranks fourth in the league in yards allowed -- is the major cause for concern heading into a crucial portion of the season.  "I think we're kind of treading water," Zorn said. "We haven't just put the hurt on anybody, no question. Is it frustrating? Yeah. We haven't dominated."

When I watch the Skins on offense, the missing piece in the last few weeks has been the big plays down the field.  When they cannot make plays consistently with their run game, they struggle to make big plays down the field.  And most of the problems the other night were due to their offensive line.  They are wearing down a little; they are old and they don't always match up to their opponent.  Chris Samuels struggled in the last two games, Randy Thomas has been a little inconsistent, and as an entire group they have not been as good as they were earlier in the season.  This happens when you have older guys.  The battle in the trenches wears down your body and takes a little residual effect.  The Skins have to run the ball and they have to be able to make big plays down the field in the passing game. 

FROM AARON WILSON OF THE CARROLL COUNTY TIMES...  “Is it the end of the world?" linebacker Terrell Suggs said.  "Absolutely not. You all can have fun with it. Go back and write your stories about how bad we are: 'The Ravens are 6-4. They're terrible.' We expect that, but we're right back to where we started the year at. Everybody's against us. All we got is ourselves. Enjoy it, because you aren't going to see this too many more times."  The Ravens (6-4) are one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) in the AFC North standings following the Steelers edging the San Diego Chargers. Yet, Baltimore survived a brutal stretch of five road games in six weeks to win three road contests and four of six overall. Now, they'll play four of their final six regular-season games at home beginning this weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles (5-4-1). Smarting from allowing 207 rushing yards for the third-most rushing yards surrendered in franchise history and the most since an Oct. 5, 1997 game against the Steelers, the Ravens are confident in their ability to regroup. "The lesson for us is not so much who we played or what happened in the last game," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "The point is, through success you don't rest. You build. Through failure, you don't wallow in it. You build. That's what a football team does."

You have to get good before you get great.  And the Ravens played a great team and this game will allow them to grow and help them for the next six games.  When you have a young team you need to have learning lessons along the way to help your team grow.  This happened in Indy and they responded.  I suspect they will respond from this game as well.  But the Ravens are not the Ravens of 2002 on defense.  They are not as talented, Ed Reed is not the same player he once was, and if you closely watch the games, teams can move the ball on them.  That is not being doom and gloom, that is being realistic.  You have to find other ways to win games, which the Ravens and their coaching staff have done.  Teams never stay the same, and teams consistently learn about their strengths and weaknesses and how they match up each week.  The Ravens front office can take this game and use it as a base line as they know what the best looks like.  Instead of complaining about the losing, learn from the losing.   

FROM BOB LEGERE OF THE CHICAGO DAILY HERALD...  “It goes without saying that we weren't ready to play the football game this past week," Smith said. "(But) you have to move on, and that's what we've done. We have a six-game season starting up right now."  Smith's players didn't feel any better about their performance after watching the film Monday morning. But they, too, were eager to look ahead. "We saw a lot of them kicking our butts," said six-time Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz of the film session. "We've got to get that corrected. We're really frustrated. We didn't do much (on offense) to help our team." For the second straight week the offense was saddled with poor field position. And for the second straight week the offense was unable to extricate itself and improve field position. The Bears were forced to run 10 plays from inside their own 20 at Lambeau Field, and just one of them produced a first down, resulting in Brad Maynard punts from the Bears' 32-, 19- and 10-yard lines. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner said being buried in their own end limits the Bears' play calling but that it's the responsibility of the offense to improve its situation.  “You have certain things you want to call, and it does affect how you call it," Turner said. "But it's not a matter of where you get the ball; it's what you do with it. When we get the ball back there, we have to do something with it. We have to help our defense; we have to help change the field position. Even if we don't go down and score, we have to get some first downs and change the field position. We're not doing that; we're not doing our part. We have to get first downs."

The Bears are built to win with defense and special teams, and when they give up 34 points in a game, they are not going to win.  The Bears on defense is a huge concern, and each week you never know what you will get from them.  They need to spend time this off-season really evaluating how they approach their run defense, and they must get more big plays from their middle backer Brian Urlacher.  Urlacher has to be able to have free access to make plays; he is not a linebacker that can come off the block and make the play, he needs to flow to the ball.  The amount of big plays, or dominating plays, that he has made over the last few weeks, or even years, have not been significant.  He is a media darling, but at some point he has to make impact plays to turn the game around. 

FROM RON COOK OF THE PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE...  Splash play after splash play ... All of this doesn't happen by accident. "His work ethic is second to none," Tomlin said of Harrison. "You should see him in the weight room," Foote said. "Pound for pound, he has to be the strongest guy on the team. You put that together with his speed and his mind-set and you've got an unbelievable player making spectacular plays."  Smallish size generally works against NFL players, but it works for Harrison.  At 6 feet with a low center of gravity and explosive quickness, he's often impossible for big offensive tackles to handle. "He can turn the corner and he has enough power to run through and lean through contact," Tomlin said. That's exactly how it happened when Harrison ate Manumaleuna's lunch, dinner and bedtime snack. It's no wonder Harrison's teammates line up to push him for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. They love the season that linebacker James Farrior is having and they'll tell you defensive end Aaron Smith might be their most indispensable player. But Harrison's season is off the charts. In addition to sacking the quarterback, forcing fumbles and making interceptions, he has found the time to have 10 special teams tackles, second only to Anthony Madison (15) on the Steelers.  "It's sick what he does out there," Smith said.  "He and Joey [Porter] are battling it out, but he has to be the [defensive] MVP of the league," Foote said. Harrison said he is "flattered" by the attention. That's a mouthful from him. When you perform the way he does, you don't have to say much about your game. It speaks for itself.

Now, this player makes big plays.  James Harrison might be the Defensive MVP of the league; he can rush, he can drop and cover, and he can play the run.  He is a nightmare for the opposing team's protections and his ability to dominate the game is very impressive.  I will say this knowing that the entire Steelers’ fan base will complain, but the only thing that holds back their defense is their field.  It is a mud bowl and this team is built for a fast track.  When the field is all mud it takes away the number-one asset the Steelers have on defense:  quickness.  The field should be replaced with field turf.  It does not help the way the home team gains their advantage. 

FROM STEVE REED OF THE CAROLINA GROWL...  The brutal stretch begins with an NFC South showdown this Sunday at Atlanta. Then the Panthers head to Green Bay (5-5), return home to play Tampa Bay (7-3) and Denver (6-4), then head back out on the road to close the season against the New York Giants (9-1) and New Orleans (5-5). Although the Panthers are off to their best start since 2003, there are still plenty of question marks after they looked, well, pretty average in back-to-back wins over inferior opponents. Sure, they still count in the 'W' column, but clearly the Panthers aren’t playing as well as they can. And that has fans taking a wait-and-see approach to the rest of the season. On Monday, Panthers coach John Fox was asked what he likes about this year’s team and what areas he’d like to see improvement in. “I think we’re improving,” Fox said. “We improved yesterday in the run game and I think we’ve improved steadily throughout the season. We had to shuffle around the offensive line a little bit and I think our coaching staff has done an excellent job adjusting with that. I think we’ve got two fine running backs that people are starting to notice and we need to build on that. That said, I think we need to become more efficient in our passing game. Not that it’s been lacking; it’s been 8-2. But it’s something I think we can improve on and I believe we will. We have shown glimpses of that whether it be late in games or the middle of games. So offensively, that is what we need.”

The Panthers have a brutal stretch and they will have their work cut out for them to win the NFC South.  But they are road tested and they are tough.  One thing that has to happen is that Jake Delhomme has to find his groove and has to play like he did earlier in the season, not like he has preformed the last two weeks.  The Panthers are not that much more talented than any of the teams they face, and they will need to find balance and play their style.  They have to win first down; they have to dominate first down and take the pressure off third-down offense.  The Panthers are ranked 17th in the NFL on yards gained on first down, but are fourth in the NFL on big plays on first down. The value of the running game allows you to strike and make big plays in the passing game on first down.  The key for the Panthers is their first-down offense. 

FROM JUDD ZULGAD OF THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE...  “The road is the road," said Childress, who has a 12-9 record at the Metrodome. "You have to have a road mentality as you get on the plane and go and know that it is obviously going to be a noisy environment. ... Places like the Louisiana Superdome are hard places to play because it is noisy down there. You talk about the environment. I don't think it becomes a mindset thing. It's not, 'Oh boy, here we go again. We are playing outdoors on the road. We are 0-4.' I don't think that ever enters into a professional athlete's mind."  The Vikings are one of seven teams with only one road victory this season. Of those, only the Saints and Vikings are at the .500 mark. Four teams have yet to win an away game. This includes the 0-10 Detroit Lions, who could be looking for their first victory of the season when they play host to the Vikings on Dec. 7. Of course, Ford Field is indoors, and the Vikings' final road game on Dec. 14 will be played in Arizona's retractable roof stadium. If the Vikings can take any comfort out of their road struggles, it's that they are not alone. The Bears and Packers are both 2-3 when they play on the road, making the division the only one lacking a team with at least a .500 road record.

When you have a vibrant passing game and can protect, you can make plays on the road.  Teams that are carried offensively normally play well on the road.  Many feel that defense is what wins on the road, and to a degree that is true.  But in the NFL you can only slow down teams for so long, and at some point they will make plays.  If you can score and move the ball consistently and keep yourself in the game, it helps make the road an easier place to play.  But it has to come from the passing game, as it is hard at times to run the ball on the road because of crowd noise and snap-count problems.  Teams that play well on the road have an ability to throw the ball and make plays.  The game will come down to the passing game.  And as I have always written, the way to evaluate your team is how they play on the road.  Teams that play in a Dome for home games must use the road as their key evaluation tool.

FROM JOHN MCCLAIN OF THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE...  Kubiak said a day later that Schaub would be out for two to four weeks. While giving an update on Schaub at his weekly news conference Monday, Kubiak disclosed the team’s concerns that the quarterback might not return this season. “I’ve been told today that they expect him to throw this week, so that’s very positive,” Kubiak said. “(That) doesn’t mean he’s going to be moving around. I think they’ll bring him out there at some point this week and let him throw the ball around (and) set his feet. I guess I’m beginning to feel more confident that he’ll play this year, but we’ll see.”  That’s the first time anyone with the Texans expressed concern that Schaub might be lost for the season.  “I think we were concerned a little bit about a week after the injury,” Kubiak said. “He made a lot of progress this past week. You’re talking about six weeks, so I’m sure hoping that a couple of weeks from (now), we’re very close to getting him back on the field.”  Schaub didn’t share Kubiak’s initial concern that he might be lost for the season.  “To be honest with you, I wasn’t worried a whole lot,” Schaub said Monday. “I wasn’t too concerned because I knew how much of the season remained. They (coaches) worry about things like that. As a player, I just worry about getting myself as healthy as I can so I can get back on the field as soon as possible.” Schaub, 27, whose left leg was placed in a walking cast to immobilize his knee, is confident he’ll return, but he knows nothing is guaranteed. “There was a struggle early on, just getting over the impact of the initial hit,” Schaub said. “But after I really got after the rehab the first two weeks, it started to come around, and I feel pretty good about where I am.

Speaking of the road, one of the worst road teams is Houston, who have a good offense but do not play well on the road.  Well they just don't seem to be able to close games out.  They are close, much like the Bears, but at some point they cannot make the plays down the stretch.  The games against the Vikings and the Colts are clear points for the Texans being close but not being good enough to make plays to get them over the top.  They need to get more physical on both sides of the ball, and they need to find a way to get more speed on defense.  As for Schaub, he does not have the durability to be considered a legitimate starter in the NFL.  He is like a piece of crystal; expensive but breaks very easily.  How can the Texans feel good about building a Super Bowl caliber team with someone who each time he gets hit, you think he is hurt?  Tough decisions are coming in Houston this off season. 

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