National Football Post Diner News

20 Nov 2008        

QUOTE:  “A revolution is coming — a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough — But a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability.”  ~ Robert F. Kennedy

Couple of Notes

RFK would have been 83 today...so we wish him a happy birthday and thank him for his words of wisdom.  His words and beliefs will live forever...

I will be on Daily News Live today at 5 on Comcast in Philadelphia. 

MARK CURNETTE OFTHE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER... The Bengals (1-8-1) will be without four starters - two apiece on offense and defense - as well as a top backup tonight at AFC North-leading Pittsburgh (7-3). On offense, starting left tackle Levi Jones (back) and left guard Andrew Whitworth (ankle) are out, as is No. 2 left guard Scott Kooistra (knee). Rookie Anthony Collins and Nate Livings will make their first NFL starts. With three regular offensive linemen unavailable, the Bengals signed first-year tackle Dennis Roland off their practice squad Wednesday and placed receiver Antonio Chatman, who has a spinal cord contusion, on the season-ending injured reserve list. Roland and Andrew Crummey - neither of whom has played in a regular-season NFL game - will be backups behind a starting five of Collins at left tackle, Livings at left guard, Eric Ghiaciuc at center, Bobbie Williams and right guard and Stacy Andrews at right tackle.

This is going to be an ugly game for the Bengals. They were struggling to protect when they had their starters in the game, and now their backups come in; this could go from bad to worse.  Like I mentioned last night, the Bengals are not a physical team and their off-season training methods are not in tune with what you must have to be successful.  Today in the Tavern I will talk about the Bengals and how they draft.  But the one thing I think the Bengals need to install in order to improve and get their franchise into the 21st century is a comprehensive Pro Personnel department.  Relying solely on the Giddings Pro Service is simply not cutting it. 

FROM BRIAN BIGGANE OF THE PALM BEACH POST... The Dolphins injury report was devoid of names for the second straight week as Miami prepared for the rematch of the Sept. 21 game in which the Wildcat formation accounted for four touchdowns in a 38-13 rout at New England. Sparano always puts a lot of stock in how his players practice leading up to a game. He said the tone for today's workout was "really, really good."  "Attention to detail was excellent. What was important to us was that we came in on Monday, that we didn't drink the Kool-Aid after that (Raiders win). We got that game aside. We came in this morning and there was only one focus: The task at hand. We were able to get to work. They were sharp on both sides of the ball. The quarterback (Chad Pennington) specifically was very sharp." When Pennington signed with the Dolphins in August, Miami was coming off a 1-15 season. Still, he said he is not surprised that they are preparing for such a critical game in late November. "My expectations, not only of myself but of my teammates, are very high," he said. "My goal coming in was to create a sense of confidence on the offensive side, because that's where I play ball.  I kept an open slate. I figured we had players that wanted to do well, that were hungry. That's the most important ingredient as a player, you've got to have that desire. Then you just keep adding building block after building block."

What many don't understand this time of the year is that when a team does not have injuries, they can have a full practice.  And dispute what Allen Iverson once said about practice; in the NFL it is very, very important.  Teams that can practice with good intensity and concentration on fundamentals each week will continue to improve during the season.  Players know that practice is important and practice is the key for them gaining or losing playing time.  When a coach can gain the players’ attention during the week, you will see results on Sunday.  What is most important is the effort at each practice, not so much the physical contact.  The Titans I hear practice with such great intensity and effort that even their starters take practice reps.  They challenge every throw, every run, and every rep counts.  Now that is what improves teams. 

FROM TOM ROCK OF NEWSDAY...  Most Giants fans wouldn't recognize the name of Taye Biddle. He's the guy who's beating up on the secondary this week.  "Times that I normally wouldn't go up and hit them, if they're close I just go up and hit them anyway," Biddle said of his coach-approved amplified role as a practice squad receiver mimicking the physical presence that the Cardinals bring. "Both of the receivers out there are very physical and big, so I'm going to be sure to give them a physical look. They're a different breed, so I have to be a different breed in practice."  Trying to simulate the size and strength of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin is almost as difficult a task as it will be for the cornerbacks to cover them on Sunday. But the Giants are trying just about everything. Biddle is pretending to be Fitzgerald; rookie Mario Manningham is playing the part of Boldin. And even veteran R.W. McQuarters was asked to jump in, run a few routes and spar with his fellow defensive backs. "They've been doing their job," cornerback Aaron Ross - who was named the NFC defensive player of the week for his work against the Ravens - said. "R.W.'s been doing a little bit, being physical with us just like we know Boldin and Fitzgerald is going to do when we get there. We've been preparing for them."

To continue with the practice theme above, the players you use to simulate the game are critical.  When I was with Belichick in Cleveland, he would spend an abundance of time with the young players making sure that they were giving the look we needed for the game.  How they lined up; how they moved; it all played a vital role in making sure the players saw the right look.  Jon "Love You Bro” Gruden was the same in Oakland; he would make sure the players, especially on defense, gave the offense the right look.  And when you are playing the Cards, you have to match and understand the physical nature of the receivers, because Warner does not care if the receiver looks covered, he throws the ball anyway.  These Cardinal wide outs make more catches covered than anyone in the NFL.  They basically are great rebounders, and when you are engaged with them down the field, they seem to win the confrontation each time.  The other hard part in stopping them is that after they make the catch, they are tough to get on the ground.  So the challenge for the Giants is like the challenge a basketball coach faces, they have to have the right match-ups on each player.  All of this starts with having the practice squad players do the right thing each time. 

FROM AARON WILSON OF CARROLL COUNTY TIMES...  The Baltimore Ravens’ injury-riddled offensive line is expected to be without starting left tackle Jared Gaither on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Gaither is likely to miss his first game of the season after a magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed damage to his acromio-clavicular (AC) joint of his right shoulder, a painful injury that could keep him out for at least a few weeks. Gaither had his arm in a sling Wednesday and didn’t practice. When asked about the results of Gaither’s medical tests, Ravens coach John Harbaugh declined to give out any details.  If Gaither is out, the Ravens expect to shift Adam Terry from right tackle to the left side.  “Adam is extremely athletic,” center Jason Brown said. “He can play right or left.”  The Eagles are tied for the NFL lead with 36 sacks.  And Terry is hobbled slightly by a sprained right ankle.  “If need be, that’s where I’ll go,” Terry said. “The ankle feels pretty good.” Meanwhile, right tackle Willie Anderson was limited in practice with a sprained right ankle that kept him out last week against the New York Giants.

This injury does affect the Ravens, but not as much as normally losing a left tackle.  The Ravens have been working their protection scheme around their left tackle and making sure Gaither is not on an island all the time.  So if they move Terry over, they won't have to worry about adjusting their calls.  The Ravens do a wonderful job of making sure they can stay out of long-down situations, and their coordinator Cam Cameron has dealt with the Eagle blitz package often enough to know it very well.  If he has any problems, head coach John Harbaugh is just down the hall to help him understand how and why they blitz.  The Eagles don't randomly blitz, they are a pin-point laser and know exactly how to attack the protections of their opponents.  You must change your protections and keep them guessing. 

FROM MIKE CHAPPELL OF THE INDY STAR...  Injuries forced position coach Howard Mudd to use three different starting combinations in the first four games and four in the first seven before he settled on the current group. Pollak, fellow rookies Jamey Richard and Steve Justice and third-year pro Dan Federkeil each has started a game for the first time. Diem is the only lineman to start all 10. Johnson, primarily a tackle in his first two seasons, started the first two games at left guard, then moved to left tackle for four games when Ugoh was sidelined with a groin injury, then returned to left guard for the past four weeks.  "We had musical chairs a little bit early in the year,' Diem said.  The result was uneven play, until recently. With continuity has come increased cohesion, which has led to better efficiency and productivity. The offense is coming off its crispest game of the season: 33 points and 474 total yards, including 154 on the ground.  Everything starts up front. Manning's protection, leaky early, has tightened considerably. It has allowed zero sacks in four of the past five games, just 11 on the season. Only Tennessee (six), Denver (eight) and New Orleans (eight) have allowed fewer. "I think we're settling in now,' Diem said.

What I watched the Colts this week from the Texans game, their offensive line looks very much improved.  Manning is getting time in the pocket; he is able to make all the throws and he seems to have more power in his lower body.  They are also able to run the ball with more physical play and seem to have plugged the leaks in their line.  Moving Charley Johnson back to guard and getting their players to play the right position has given them continuity and improvement.  Mudd is one of the best coaches in the league, and he is able to make the players perform at a high level.  When he gets practice time with them, they improve.  The Colts are a dangerous team right now, and no one wants to play them in the playoffs. 

FROM JIM THOMAS OF THE ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH...  Beyond that, he told them that players who continue to make mistakes and play poorly will be yanked out of the lineup. Haslett wants cornerbacks to be more aggressive in run support; linebackers to quit being hesitant in shooting gaps; defensive linemen to shed blocks; offensive linemen to sustain blocks ... and on down the line. "He's blunt. He's a straight shooter," said cornerback Ron Bartell. "He recognizes how we're playing. He's letting us know.  He's calling guys out, which I agree with. We have to play better — up front and in the back end. Offensively, we've got to take care of the ball better. ... Guys just need to take a hard look at themselves and do their jobs."  Or they'll be out of a job before long.  Maybe sooner then they think.  "The way I see it now is that very few people on this team's job is safe," defensive end Leonard Little said. "You just don't know what's going to happen next year. More than likely, they might get rid of the whole team besides a couple players."

The key here is sooner rather than later.  Jim needs to get back in control of the situation and let his players know that he is back in charge.  Once the ruling came down that Jim was not going to be the head coach if he won six games, the players seemed to lose concentration and have allowed 99 points in the last three games—in the first half.  This challenge is shallow if he does not go in and start making changes.  If he gets pressure from the front office of the Rams, he just needs to make the move and go about his business.  He has to make changes or this is going to get worse.  The Rams need a major overall this off season and it needs to start now. 

FROM DARIN GANTT OF THE ROCK HILL HERALD...  “We thought the world of him ourselves," coach John Fox said Wednesday. "We just didn't think he was going to get to (draft pick) 13, and he didn't. He was an impressive guy. He has a lot of the intangibles I think that sometimes people miss the boat on.  In Atlanta's case, which I'm not real happy about - I'd like to see him somewhere other than our division. That's a compliment -- he's done very well." Ryan's early success is almost preternatural, showing a calm you rarely get with any quarterback, regardless of age.  That's good, because there's pressure on him beyond the field.  Since the last big thing in Atlanta turned out to be a convicted felon, there's a burden on Ryan that supersedes wins and losses. Asked if that kind of attention was daunting, you could almost hear Ryan shrugging over a conference call line. "I don't think so," he replied. "The biggest thing for me and what my focus has been since I have come down here is to do everything that I can to play my best week in and week out. With all the other stuff that goes with that, I haven't worried about it. I've tried to just focus on controlling the things that I can and that's working hard and studying hard during the week and doing everything I can to be prepared for each game week in and week out."

I watched the tape of Matt Ryan and just was so impressed with his accuracy and his mental ability to make changes and make the right calls.  He shows no signs of being a rookie and has unique pocket awareness, enabling him to move and make plays in the pocket.  He is really good and because he takes the game so serious and works on improvement, the sky is the limit.  The Falcons had a plan for Ryan, and that plan is working well.  This game will be a test, but it is one more step in his growth pattern.  All this talk about him having a burden is really not important.  The Vick era is over and it is time to move on and stop typing his name.  This is Matt Ryan's team now and the past is in the past.  In the immortal words of Mike Ditka, "If you live in the past, you die in the past".       

ROB DEMOVSKY OF THE GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE...  “(Noise) is a factor, that’s why you’ve got to start fast,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “You’ve got to take their crowd out of the game early.”  Yet the Packers couldn’t do that on Nov. 2 against the Titans, and they couldn’t do it a week later in the Metrodome against the Vikings. In both cases, the Packers won the toss, took the ball and then fell flat on their faces, going three-and-out in games they went on to lose. It continued a season-long trend of failed opening drives. The Packers have one touchdown and a field goal from 10 game-opening drives. Five times, they failed to gain a first down.  At least last week against Chicago, they moved the chains. They got one first down thanks to a 35-yard run by Ryan Grant on second-and-1 but still couldn’t come up with any points.  They did, however, score a touchdown on their second possession and quickly established a groove on offense on the way to a 37-3 rout. “It was important because it wasn’t a three-and-out,” Rodgers said. “We need to get into a rhythm early, especially on the road. Our offensive thrives when we’re in a rhythm. We got into that rhythm a few times, especially the last two home games. (Against) Indianapolis, we got into that rhythm, we were converting third downs, running the ball effectively. (Against) Chicago, we converted 50 percent of our third downs and got into a flow.”

The key to playing against a team in a Dome is to limit your negative plays.  You have to gain positive yards, even if it is just one yard.  You cannot have false starts or motion penalties because of the noise.  When you face a third and long, it allows the crowd and the noise to play a bigger factor.  The Packers have the kind of offense that can control the game against the Saints.  The Saints have to be in an eight man box to stop the run and they don't have the corners to hold up.  I expect a high-scoring and a very entertaining game here.  The Saints will have every pick passing play to defeat the man coverage.  If they don't get called twice for illegal picks in the game, then they are not moving the ball well. 

FROM RICK STROUD OF THE ST. PETE TIMES...  Temperatures dipped into the mid 40s for the morning walk-through. But you can't blame Dunn for wanting to warm up quickly. The 33-year-old running back is being counted on to be the furnace that heats the Bucs' ground game. Earnest Graham was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a high ankle sprain. Cadillac Williams hasn't taken a handoff in 14 months because of a knee injury and could be inactive again Sunday at Detroit. And rookie Clifton Smith has lost a fumble in all three games he has played. Fortunately for the Bucs, they can turn to Dunn, a 12-year veteran with 10,657 career yards. But how much punishment can the 5-foot-9, 187-pounder take? Don't sell him short. "I feel all right," Dunn said. "I'm not … slow to get out of bed or regretting the possibility of touching the ball that many times. Actually, I think because of how the season went — going from sharing time with Earnest — if I have to carry the ball a little bit more in the second half of the year. … It's only what? Six games? So I can do that."  Dunn proved he still has the goods to be a featured back, rushing 22 times for 115 yards in a 27-3 win over the Panthers on Oct. 12. But that was the last time a Buc reached the century mark. Injuries to fullbacks B.J. Askew, who missed six games with a hamstring pull, and Byron Storer, out for the season with a torn ACL, have contributed. Opponents also have stacked the line of scrimmage with as many as eight players. The result is a rushing offense that has dropped from seventh in the NFL to 14th at 115.1 yards per game. "We're still going to have to be able to run against an eight-man front," center Jeff Faine said. "It's something you're going to have to do in playoff football, especially the way things are going. To go deep into the playoffs, it looks like we're going to have to be able to go up north and win."

The Bucs have to find a bigger solution at running back, and it is Clifton Smith.  But as Rick points out here, he fumbles too much.  When the Bucs don't have a big runner, they struggle on offense.  Dunn is a change of pace back, and the fact he has been hurt is an indication that if he has to carry the ball more each week, more injuries will come.  The Bucs cannot live with their passing game and carry the load of their offense.  They have to get Smith to hold onto the ball, because he is the best option right now.  Dunn needs to stay in his role as the change of pace back. 

FROM PHIL SHERIDAN OF THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER...  “This is 10 years for me," McNabb said. "I have been through the down days, the down weeks, and I've been through the highs. I don't let anything like this affect me in any way."  "Sometimes," running back Brian Westbrook said, "the media and other people outside look at certain people and put all the blame on them. I don't think that's fair or, in this case, correct." He was talking about McNabb and Reid, the two faces of this Eagles organization for a tumultuous decade. There is no doubt some of the criticism and disparagement of McNabb and Reid have been unfair. There is no doubt they are a better QB and coach than the loudest of the screamers have ever understood or appreciated. That said, they really have no one but themselves to blame for the beating they are taking this time around. There is no mess quite as unpleasant to clean up as a mess you made yourself and really should have avoided. The Eagles are 5-4-1 for many of the same reasons they were 5-8 at one point last season and 5-6 in 2006. Reid won't run the football. McNabb has been inconsistent. There are glaring personnel errors. Worst of all, the team seems to play in a kind of fog at the worst possible times. All of this is interconnected, of course, making it almost impossible to untangle Reid's play-calling from McNabb's cold spells from the defensive lapses from the occasional time management gaffe or head-slapping penalty or special-teams miscue.

This is going to be an interesting off season in Philadelphia.  They have some major problems that must be addressed, and they cannot bury their heads under the sand and say they are three feet from three more wins.  They are closer to the bad teams in the NFL than to the good teams, and honesty is needed inside the Nova Care center.  I agree with Westbrook;  too much of the blame is being placed on Reid and McNabb.  But Reid is the "King of the Eagles," and he has all the power, so it is hard to not have him share the bulk of the blame.  I really believe they need to sit down and be honest with themselves on how they match up to the Giants.  At NFL films yesterday, much of the talk was centered on the Birds and to a man.  Everyone seemed to feel the best choice was to start over.  The time is now for change, and I am not sure the King is in favor of change. 

Comments

Add a Comment