Week 1 Game Discussion Thread III
Week 1 Game Discussion Thread III Football Outsiders
"6'0" 000 LBS 00 SEASONS"
"This is the main text box where you can put up to 3 lines of information for your lower-third bio graphic" Once again, IRC is open to all. point at bendenweyr.dyndns.org (or irc.bendenweyr.dyndns.org, if that doesn't work. If that doesn't work, try raising the time period for retry in options) and join channel #FO to help keep the thread from getting disgustingly huge. I know I'm going to sound a bit homerish... but I believe the hype now. Copy of PFP06 on the table in front of Mike Carson on five; British national NFL TV coverage. Nice works guys. Ian Oh yeah, click my name for a screen capture of the MNF player bio bone-up. Ian By the way, anyone who wants to listen and doesn't have the game on the radio (like me) can click on my name. triplexespnradio.com Looks like Portis got his shoulder hit there. So how about Smoot facing his former team here? I wish they'd stop interrupting this Jamie Foxx interview to show this football game. Why else would people be watching this, EPSN? Give the viewers what they want. shut the fox up. The past 15 minutes is why I strongly believe televised sports would be 100 times better without announcers. After a great opening drive, two atrocious drops for Williamson... passing game could be in a lot of trouble this year. 32: this game has annoncers? I miss Paul Maguire. Just tuned in, what's up with Cooley? Why so many incompletions? Is it Brunell or is he dropping passes? Err... Brunell is 8/11, I don't know what you mean. yeah, but all 3 incompletions are to Cooley. 35. 'I miss Paul Maguire.'
I hate these game ignoring a**holes too but that's just cold. This game has turned... early on Brad Johnson could do no wrong, but its drops (two big ones by Troy Williamson) and penalties that have killed their offense. The Vikings haven't really gotten much pressure from their defense, and the Redskins have slowly but surely taken control of the game. At least one was actually a throwaway after he rolled left, I don't remember the other two, and I'm not sure how you know they were both at Cooley if you weren't watching... regardless Cooley hasn't dropped anything that I noticed. RE: 39 I miss the Three Stooges, because now we don't get Adam's commentary. magic! no, I'm following online. No info except for "incomplete to Cooley". Wow, everyone must be all talked out from the Sunday games. Ah... weird, I guess they just pick someone for it to be targeted at... I wouldn't be worried, Brunell looks really good. Meanwhile, an intriguing run decision by Childress, I know they had 3 timeouts, but... Hm, and now a pretty sketchy contact call bails them out. Nice job on Taylor defending that interception. Sean Taylor just prevented a catch... by his teammate. Wow, great decision running back in bounds, Williamson... field goal it is. I really don't give a [redacted] what Chris Berman thinks about 9/11. #48 - it was 3rd down. If he just went out of bounds, it would have still been field goal, but from farther away. That was actually a smart play, he knew they had a timeout and time to call it. 48: You're right, it was a good decision. If Williamson had run out of bounds, there would have been time for another play after the field goal. No need to give Randle El a chance at a kickoff return. Mind you this doesn't excuse his two drops. Especially that first one, that was unmolested, right ito his arms and slipping right throough them. If he catches that, this is a different game. The second one was bad also, it would have helped stem the tide of emotion with a much-needed third down. Jaws is calling the second game? That's worth the price of admission right there. Sorry, didn't realize it was third down. You're right about the first drop... difference between a tie and a deficit. That was an ugly false start... Hmm... based on Tony's comment, looks like Childress hasn't read his football outsiders... "It's not the quality of the runs, it's the quantity." I'm sorry, I have lost all respect for the Redskins secondary. They just allowed a 22-yard catch by Billy McMullen. Billy McMullen! I'm enjoying listening to these guys sing the praises of Brad Johnson. What are the chances they're inducting him into the HOF by the 4th quarter? Another Theismann classic. Just a few plays after Brad Johnson throws into triple coverage and underthrows the ball by about 5 yards, he throws a TD pass. Joe Theismann in his infinite wisdom declares, "He hasn't made a bad play, a bad decision, or a bad pass all night."
What an idiot. How can a team with 5 Pro Bowlers need a last-second touchdown to beat a bunch of high school kids? What the hell is Nike trying to sell me? Maybe the other team also has 5 pro-bowlers on it. After all, both teams are undefeated before the game. Actually, the reason is because the other team is lead by Napeleon Dynamite and his uncle Kif (Kip, whatever his name is). Wait... JOE THEISMANN thinks that QBs aren't protected enough? Err, are protected too much. Actually I think they're saying black guys dig white chicks which, while true, is no reason to buy a pair of shoes. That commercial for dlp was the creepiest commercial i've seen in quite a while Shouldn't the book of manliness be written by Chuck Norris? Napoleon Dynamite's uncle is Uncle Rico. And if the coach had put him in in 1982, he'd have won state. These are man-laws, not the book of manliness
/snarky Nice job of Johnson channelling Plummer I hate Suzy Kolbert Mike Tirico looks like a turtle Unfair... the ball did get to a player on his team. It's particularly amusing since Johnson mentioned throwing with his left in the pre-game, and they showed him throw it with his left at the same time. 69: Whatever it's called, it's a job for Chuck Norris. I would like to see Chuck Norris storm into the booth and soundly thrash the collective crew except for the bald Jewish guy with roundhouse kicks to the face. And then kiss Suzy I was saying Boo-urns. Love that Not Guilty on the fans redskins jerser=y I predict Sean Taylor will pick up an unsportsmanlike tonight… hope itâ€s not at a key moment, but I figure heâ€s good for 3 this year. You know the NFL targets certain players, and heâ€s made the list. Dead on, Matthew. taylor just got flagged for unnecessary roughness. RE: 43 Just click my name... Haha the Redskins can't buy a stop on third down "(12:50) M.Brunell pass short left to C.Cooley to WAS 49 for -9 yards (F.Smoot)." Hasn't been fixed, so I assume it's real. How did that happen? Hm, a ball hits Williamson in the face, although I actually agree with Theismann, I wouldn't call it a 'drop.' Troy Williamson is looking like a Seahawk tonight. #79, Delayed screen to Cooley that went nowhere. The Vikes are very lucky to still be in this game. Fluky third down performance and penalties are making this a lot closer than it should be. Yup. It's Brad Childress. 2nd and 2. Pass. Not a bad call - decent time to go for a big gain, but... 3rd and 2. Pass. Now you're just retarded. And the punter boots it into the end zone for a 24 net yard gain, and money says that TMQ just wrote "Game Over" into his notebook. Sid, Easy. Have your QB run backwards 20 yards after the snap. Throw the ball to Cooley and have him get tackled immediately. Please, someone break Brunell's leg, get rid of Gibbs and give Snyder a heart attack - if only to end my pain! #79
Brunell dropped way way back, and had a DE in his face. So he lobbed it over the defender to Cooley, who was supposed to be running a slow developing screen, I think. Because the loft took so look to get to Cooley, Smoot saw it, ran up, and hit Cooley right when he caught it. 79 et al: Since there were no blockers, I belive it was a naked screen. This looks like another year where the Redskins are going to lead the league in screen and hitch pass attempts RE: 84 I'm with you there. Hmmm, best O-line in football, and the back gets 3 YPC. I don't think so. RE: all the people who answered my query Thanks. Looks like another foolish play for Brunell. By the way: why are people claiming that the Vikings aren't playing well compared to the Redskins? I can't see the game, but Portis hasn't had a great game, Brunell's currently running about 5 yards per attempt and only 9 yards/completion. Looks like a pretty even game to me, and both teams have been pretty sloppy. The tastefully named Gregg Williams should stop blitzing on 3rd and long. It hasn't worked all game. Sean Taylor might be good for three personal foulsthis game That's 2 personal fouls already on Sean Taylor. 30 yards worth of penalties. Pat: I was puzzled too, I haven't seen very much from either side. The Redskins came out better, but in the second half the Vikings have looked decent enough. Anyone want to bet the Redskins, when they get the ball back, go for the "Chuck it deep to Moss and pray!" strategy? #96 That assumes the Redskins WILL get the ball back. If I'm Minnesota, I don't attempt another pass the rest of the game. For the most part, Chester Taylor is gaining yards at will. Pat- I'm surprised they didn't go that earlier. Apparently Al Saunders has decided to call 20 screens and hitches a game instead. Wouldn't it have been smarter for the Skins to just let Minnesota into the end zone on the second-down play with 2:21 left, and save their two remaining time-outs, the two-minute warning, and about 2:15 to get a TD back? Tirico just called the Vikings a poopy baby. Not making that up. Paul MacGuire lives on in spirit. i call blocked fieldgoal. a minute+ left now. Redskins will have just under a minute This playcalling is horrendous, IMO. I hope they miss the field goal and the Redskins win. Childress is being way too conservative. $2 million a year, 20 screens a game. You really do get bargins when you buy in bulk. RE #96 You would be correct. I think its high time for R-El to pay his way... The Vikings are going to be sprinting off the field tonight. Wow, I can't believe the Skins didn't score there. Or not. Right result, wrong person... Why, in the name of all that's holy, did Randle El run out of bounds before the first down marker? So what's Randle El doing running a five-yard out on third and six in that situation? Is there a special DVOA penalty for that situation? Because Randle El is brainless. Steelers fans can tell you that. One more step is all he needed, and they could have then taken a shot at the endzone. John Hall might not make it out of the stadium alive tonight. Add that to the list of questions that R-El needs to answer. Did he ever answer why he thought THAT lateral last year was a good idea? I wonder if Sean Taylor will get called for penalties the other team gets away with for the whole season. #109,
A large Viking was in his way. We can tell you hate the Skins, but you're trying too hard. There's plenty of reasons to criticize the Redskins tonight without fabricating them for your own enjoyment. Either that or I'm not watching the game, and I actually was curious. Go Jaws Go. Its like having NFL matchup on live during the game... Any non-Redskins fan want to comment on whether or not Randle El was brainless on that play? I mean, he's pretty brainless in general - that lateral cemented that for all eternity - but I'm curious if his brainlessness has continued. Jaws, Nessler, and Bonnie Bernstein? Best. Crew. Ever. Seriously, this should be the default MNF crew (without crybaby Vermil). He ran out of bounds about 1 yard before the marker, and then started complaining to the refs about something, so I assume he thought he was beyond the marker, and was confused when the refs signaled 4th down. #113: Not that large a Viking; it was Antoine Winfield, who's only 5-10, 180 :-). But I agree that running out of bounds is the right thing to do once he's in that position. If he cuts it upfield and makes the first down they can spike the ball, but if he's stopped short of the first down, it's 4th and one and the clock runs out before they can kick. But he needs to drive the other Vikings DB (Ronyell Whitaker, if I'm reading the number correctly) back another yard before he makes his cut. A five-yard out on third and six is bad; a five-yard out on third and six with 22 seconds and no timeouts is criminal. That was the kind of hit that Taylor would have gotten a flag for. #116
Steelers fan I will say that Randle El improved on his most glaring weakness last year: any game in which he had a good punt return would feature insane amounts of dancing for negative yards on all ensuing punt returns. In this one, his first punt return was decent, and the rest were technically sound as well. So good job there. Though now he might be considering his decision to leave the Steelers for more money right now. Redskins honked a home game to a team that on paper they should have beaten. On this particular play, it seemed like his first instinct was "get out of bounds to stop the clock" before "get the first down." His momentum carried him out right at the sticks, if he had leaned forward its a first down. Skins lost this game because of line play and third downs. Brad Johnson generally had all day, and their run blocking was great for Taylor. Meanwhile, it seemed like Brunell had somebody in his face all the time (though this might be the excessive number of screen plays the Skins tried to run). The Redskins inability to stop the Vikings on third down was a pretty obvious disadvantage you didn't need to watch the game to notice. And in answer to #116, I'm not a Redskins fan; however, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am a Steelers fan, so there's a certain satisfaction in seeing El do something brainless. To his credit, he was reaching for the 29 as he went out, though without HD I can't really tell how close he got. But really, you gotta run a better route than that. Is it just me or is this crew excellent so far? Though the stat about interceptions doesn't seem to mean a lot. Weren't teams usually up on the Raiders and thus passing less (or using less risky shots downfield)? He ran out of bounds about 1 yard before the marker, and then started complaining to the refs about something, so I assume he thought he was beyond the marker, and was confused when the refs signaled 4th down. That sounds like Randle El to me. I can't imagine that you wouldn't try to cut upfield for the extra yard there. There's a good enough chance you can bounce out of bounds if you can tell you're not going to make it. itâ€s 4th and one and the clock runs out before they can kick. Hey, they had 22 seconds left. They should be able to get a field goal off in a hurry in that situation. It'd be tight, but a 48-yard field goal isn't easy anyway, so it's worth the risk. Especially given that Hall hasn't made a 48+ yard field goal in roughly 3 years. Nessler calls Parker's run an "end around" and not a "reverse," and somewhere TMQ is crying tears of joy. DK: Nah, Randle El is an idiot. what was that "elbow down/elbow up" exchange about? i must be sleepy or something, because i can't even figure out whose elbow they were talking about. 3rd and 12 and a run? I mean, I know Phil's a rookie, but does that mean he's giving up on every third and long? Oh, and I nearly forgot: Philly, 1-0. All other teams in the NFC East: 0-1. Ah, that feels good again. And yes, I know, it was just the Texans. But I do agree with Matthew Furtek that this was a very important game for the Redskins - it was one of two strength-of-schedule games for the Redskins that differ their schedule from the rest of the division. The NFC East still looks nasty, with the Giants, Cowboys, and Redskins all showing that they easily had at least the ability to beat their opponent. The Redskins dropping that one could really hurt them in the end. So far Nessler, Jaws, and Vermeil are about 1000 times better than Trico, Theismann, and Kornheiser. Any bets on what ESPN will do with a good announcing crew? Unfortunately, I don't think we're going to end up hearing them regularly on the early games. watched only a few minutes of this game and I'm already sold on Vermiel, Jaws I knew I'd love, and the play-by-play guy I like from college. I might just stay up to watch this. It's been a pleasure so far. btw, the elbow in question was the wr's elbow as he was taking the handoff. Can we start a grass-roots campaign to have the Raiders-Chargers crew do commentary for every Monday night game? Especially Jaws? I don't have anything against Kornheiser, but if the other guys on the "A-team" dropped off the face of the earth, I'd be OK with that. "He didn't need much of a crease, and the one he got was a gaping hole" That is the kind of thing that should *not* be said on network TV. For any reason. Wait, wait, wait. I decided not to pay an extra $30 a month for ESPN in part because it would mean listening to Joe Theismann every Monday night...and now they've got Ron Jaworski and Dick Vermeil calling games? Talk about your second thoughts. I keep fearing this announcing team is a fantastical illusion in the desert that is primetime NFL broadcasting...perhaps dreams do come true! I second the grassroots campaign idea - I'll watch every game this crew does just for their relative staggering quality. Oakland's offensive line is bad. Brooks doesn't even have a chance to suck it up since he's running for his life before he even can finish his drop. It also helps that he's running the bad Madden player offense... keep running backwards, forgetting that there's such a thing as a pocket. Brooks sacked, Brooks sacked, and on and on and on. Gonna be a long night in Oakland. Fantasy situation I've got. I'm down by 12. My opponent has Randy Moss left, and I have the Chargers D. I think I just may have a chance... Brilliant. Missed FG, but Oakland manages a running into the kicker. Watch SD punch it in now... This crew is great, I wish they could do every game I watch. The hardest part about watching this game is knowing that this crew won't be back next week. And since I'm venting about TV coverage, what was that crap on NBC prior to the Sunday night game? Berman's schtick may get old, but NFL Primetime still beats that weak attempt at a post-game show. Speaking of Primetime, someone's going to have to tell Mooch he'll have to elbow Deion in the mouth to get a word in edgewise. Maybe it got better as the show went on, but I didn't wait around to find out. Rumor has it Moss volunteered to return punts (which has has done once in a blue moon) just so he could sniff a football. Unfortunately that would only work if the Raiders could stop the Chargers. Fantasy situation Iâ€ve got. Iâ€m down by 12. My opponent has Randy Moss left, and I have the Chargers D. I think I just may have a chance… Well, Moss just caught back to back passes. Gee, they start throwing to Moss... and they get a string of first downs. Hmmmm. 3 passes to Moss this drive alone, none before. I'm guessing someone did some complaining on the sidelines. But hey, it's working. So after watching the Chargers play the 'Hawks in preseason Week 3, I thought the Chargers' D would be good but I wasn't sure about the offense. Well, the offense looks just fine with Rivers at the helm, and the Chargers' D looks absolutely monstrous. Granted, it's the Raiders, but they get paid to play too . . . Great, back to back sacks. I'm not watching this game. Who's at fault here? Gallery? Brooks? Someone else? Everyone? Robert Gallery is atrocious, or Shawn Merriman is incredible. I suppose both, probably. Aaron Brooks definitely isn't helping Gallery out though. Well, Moss just caught back to back passes.
...and the Chargers got two more sacks. How long before Brooks turns the ball over if he keeps getting hit like that? November 8, 1:26pm ET
September 11, 2006, 2:36 am ET This thread is for discussion of action on the field before, during, and after the Monday Night Football doubleheader that ends Week 1 of the 2006 NFL season. You can talk about who you think will win or lose before the games start and last-minute news on Monday morning. Then during the games, discuss strange plays, great performances, and stupid announcers (of which there are plenty). If you are looking for the first two parts of the Week 1 Game Discussion Thread trilogy, they are and .
Comments
243 comments, Last at 15 Sep 2006, 5:00pm First in! A few thoughts: 1. NO - 1, Texans - 0: Anyone need any explanation 2. I am awaiting what Chester Taylor will do on the left side 3. Will Al Saunders fix the offense in time? 4. Will the raiders regret missing Lienert 5. Drew Brees had an below par day in NO. How about SD's Rivers? 6. Seems both Edge & Colts missed each other dearly, from first looks. In the olden days (or atleast the period films in India), at the head of the procession of the rich kings, flowers and sometimes money coins are thrown creating a 'red carpet'. People are falling to pick the coins, flowers and bowing to the king but none come near touching him as he strolls majestically with the eyes in the 'clouds' I have the same funny feeling with chester taylor running behind McKinnie, Hutchinson and Birck. The Vikings have spent a ton of money and it would be interesting to see if Chester can do anything with this opportunity. Portis may see some spot duty. Anyone who didn't know this 2 weeks ago is fooling themselves... in fact I think Clinton thinks of this game as his preseason. This is a very critical game in the NFC playoff race... hard to think that during Week 1, but it seems like it. Doesn't every game count? Man, with all the sporadic performances across the board Sunday, I am sweating being down 2 points and have Moss/Gates playing Monday night vs Janikowski. Never remember feeling this way opening week in FFL. Could be sign of a the inconsistant season to come? Can't wait to see how Rivers looks under the helm in SD finally. Just got done watching Cleveland-New Orleans. I don't know who was under-stating the debut of Reggie Bush, but he was Marshall Faulk-esqe out there. I can see why the Saints got rid of Stallworth, as they've got Horn, Colquin (sp?), Devery Hendersen (finally), and Bush at WR. Reggie had 2 catches for firsts down lined up as a WR. The Cleveland OL was horrible. Their left side looked especially bad... Frye seems like a good QB for them because he can run for his life and is a bit nifty with his feet. The New Orleans d-line owned the line of scrimmage. The first play, the bomb to Edwards called back was beautifully executed, except for the hold... no one within 10 yards of Edwards. It seemed like New Orleans was rotating McAllister and Bush play-play, not even by series. Northcutt had a brutal drop on a 3rd down conversion near the sidelines, and Edwards tipped the INT... KWII looked good... Droughns not so much... Brees looked like Drew Brees. His passes don't look threatening at all, but it's his accuracy and timing that is real good. I know the SD WRs really helped in by coming back to the ball and doing little things... so it'll be interesting to see if the Orleans ones do too. Jerome Boger's crew did good... good clean debut. I also had Cardinals-49ers on the end of the Saints-Browns game. The referees nearly screwed the 49ers on an unsportsmanlike call on Antonio Bryant. He was half-horsecollard out of bounds, and pointed at the player... the officials flagged him... what the heck. Beautifully placed on-sides kick by Nedney... I can see it will be fun watching the 49ers-Cardinals slug it out in the next couple of years. I predict Sean Taylor will pick up an unsportsmanlike tonight... hope it's not at a key moment, but I figure he's good for 3 this year. You know the NFL targets certain players, and he's made the list. The Redskins secondary may be vulnerable due to no Springs... Williamson might be able to get behind Rogers, I hope they stay matched up because it should be fun to watch. I wouldn't expect too much from C. Taylor, the Redskins held Alexander in check last year... this ain't last year, but Hutchinsen wasn't opening up huge holes... we'll see... I'm so glad professional football is back, we can actually talk about what goes on on the field... The 'Skins need a win because I don't know how they will cover Glenn-TO-Whitten next week... whatever happened to their unheralded UDFA? Preseason MVP (the WR). Did I hear right? The Packers signed Koren Robinson? I mean I know he's good, but, he's gonna be banned for a year, isn't he? And even if he isn't, are you that desperate? I guess the answer is yes... Vikings deactivated starting safety Dwight Smith for the indecent exposure incident, will start rookie Greg Blue. Brad Childress is making it clear that winning is secondary to conduct. Its admirable. we'll see how it goes if they start losing. I remember a story of Bud Grant, in his first season, devoted an entire practice to standing at attention during the natinoal anthem, despite not having their blocking ready in time for the game. They won three games that year, but he turnedout alright. They'd better not put Trent Green up on "Jacked Up"... The city turning into a football stadium was the most underwhelming, ridiculous intro to Monday Night Football I've ever seen. At least when there were B-grade country rock stars opening it up, it made for great comfort. And the obvious GMC truck ad placement in the middle of the screen in the intro was just insulting. wow... after all that hank williams hype... other than a few piano notes it sounded pretty much the same as before... It's ESPN/ABC what do you expect? Not to jinx the Redskins, but it can't be a good sign when a player gets hurt covering a touchback... Joe Theisman goes on about how important the coin toss was so they could put their defense on the field first (for the REdskins). uh... If they wanted it, they could have picked to kick if they won, and they would have likely kicked if they lost, too... Did Joe THeisman just spend multiple minutes talking about how important the coin toss was? Heh.......Guess he did. Minnesota's offensive line looks good so far... I can't believe they didn't change the score/time graphic for the regular season. It covers up the action all the time. Anyone have a screencap of the "default player bio" graphic that popped up for a second there? I don't want to get giddy... but that was one hell of an opening drive. Got giddy too soon. Re: 19 I can't screen cap it, but it read like this: (Left side): Silhouette with a "?", and "TEAM LOGO" underneath (Right side) "00 NAME LASTNAME RB""6'0" 000 LBS 00 SEASONS"
"This is the main text box where you can put up to 3 lines of information for your lower-third bio graphic" Once again, IRC is open to all. point at bendenweyr.dyndns.org (or irc.bendenweyr.dyndns.org, if that doesn't work. If that doesn't work, try raising the time period for retry in options) and join channel #FO to help keep the thread from getting disgustingly huge. I know I'm going to sound a bit homerish... but I believe the hype now. Copy of PFP06 on the table in front of Mike Carson on five; British national NFL TV coverage. Nice works guys. Ian Oh yeah, click my name for a screen capture of the MNF player bio bone-up. Ian By the way, anyone who wants to listen and doesn't have the game on the radio (like me) can click on my name. triplexespnradio.com Looks like Portis got his shoulder hit there. So how about Smoot facing his former team here? I wish they'd stop interrupting this Jamie Foxx interview to show this football game. Why else would people be watching this, EPSN? Give the viewers what they want. shut the fox up. The past 15 minutes is why I strongly believe televised sports would be 100 times better without announcers. After a great opening drive, two atrocious drops for Williamson... passing game could be in a lot of trouble this year. 32: this game has annoncers? I miss Paul Maguire. Just tuned in, what's up with Cooley? Why so many incompletions? Is it Brunell or is he dropping passes? Err... Brunell is 8/11, I don't know what you mean. yeah, but all 3 incompletions are to Cooley. 35. 'I miss Paul Maguire.'
I hate these game ignoring a**holes too but that's just cold. This game has turned... early on Brad Johnson could do no wrong, but its drops (two big ones by Troy Williamson) and penalties that have killed their offense. The Vikings haven't really gotten much pressure from their defense, and the Redskins have slowly but surely taken control of the game. At least one was actually a throwaway after he rolled left, I don't remember the other two, and I'm not sure how you know they were both at Cooley if you weren't watching... regardless Cooley hasn't dropped anything that I noticed. RE: 39 I miss the Three Stooges, because now we don't get Adam's commentary. magic! no, I'm following online. No info except for "incomplete to Cooley". Wow, everyone must be all talked out from the Sunday games. Ah... weird, I guess they just pick someone for it to be targeted at... I wouldn't be worried, Brunell looks really good. Meanwhile, an intriguing run decision by Childress, I know they had 3 timeouts, but... Hm, and now a pretty sketchy contact call bails them out. Nice job on Taylor defending that interception. Sean Taylor just prevented a catch... by his teammate. Wow, great decision running back in bounds, Williamson... field goal it is. I really don't give a [redacted] what Chris Berman thinks about 9/11. #48 - it was 3rd down. If he just went out of bounds, it would have still been field goal, but from farther away. That was actually a smart play, he knew they had a timeout and time to call it. 48: You're right, it was a good decision. If Williamson had run out of bounds, there would have been time for another play after the field goal. No need to give Randle El a chance at a kickoff return. Mind you this doesn't excuse his two drops. Especially that first one, that was unmolested, right ito his arms and slipping right throough them. If he catches that, this is a different game. The second one was bad also, it would have helped stem the tide of emotion with a much-needed third down. Jaws is calling the second game? That's worth the price of admission right there. Sorry, didn't realize it was third down. You're right about the first drop... difference between a tie and a deficit. That was an ugly false start... Hmm... based on Tony's comment, looks like Childress hasn't read his football outsiders... "It's not the quality of the runs, it's the quantity." I'm sorry, I have lost all respect for the Redskins secondary. They just allowed a 22-yard catch by Billy McMullen. Billy McMullen! I'm enjoying listening to these guys sing the praises of Brad Johnson. What are the chances they're inducting him into the HOF by the 4th quarter? Another Theismann classic. Just a few plays after Brad Johnson throws into triple coverage and underthrows the ball by about 5 yards, he throws a TD pass. Joe Theismann in his infinite wisdom declares, "He hasn't made a bad play, a bad decision, or a bad pass all night."
What an idiot. How can a team with 5 Pro Bowlers need a last-second touchdown to beat a bunch of high school kids? What the hell is Nike trying to sell me? Maybe the other team also has 5 pro-bowlers on it. After all, both teams are undefeated before the game. Actually, the reason is because the other team is lead by Napeleon Dynamite and his uncle Kif (Kip, whatever his name is). Wait... JOE THEISMANN thinks that QBs aren't protected enough? Err, are protected too much. Actually I think they're saying black guys dig white chicks which, while true, is no reason to buy a pair of shoes. That commercial for dlp was the creepiest commercial i've seen in quite a while Shouldn't the book of manliness be written by Chuck Norris? Napoleon Dynamite's uncle is Uncle Rico. And if the coach had put him in in 1982, he'd have won state. These are man-laws, not the book of manliness
/snarky Nice job of Johnson channelling Plummer I hate Suzy Kolbert Mike Tirico looks like a turtle Unfair... the ball did get to a player on his team. It's particularly amusing since Johnson mentioned throwing with his left in the pre-game, and they showed him throw it with his left at the same time. 69: Whatever it's called, it's a job for Chuck Norris. I would like to see Chuck Norris storm into the booth and soundly thrash the collective crew except for the bald Jewish guy with roundhouse kicks to the face. And then kiss Suzy I was saying Boo-urns. Love that Not Guilty on the fans redskins jerser=y I predict Sean Taylor will pick up an unsportsmanlike tonight… hope itâ€s not at a key moment, but I figure heâ€s good for 3 this year. You know the NFL targets certain players, and heâ€s made the list. Dead on, Matthew. taylor just got flagged for unnecessary roughness. RE: 43 Just click my name... Haha the Redskins can't buy a stop on third down "(12:50) M.Brunell pass short left to C.Cooley to WAS 49 for -9 yards (F.Smoot)." Hasn't been fixed, so I assume it's real. How did that happen? Hm, a ball hits Williamson in the face, although I actually agree with Theismann, I wouldn't call it a 'drop.' Troy Williamson is looking like a Seahawk tonight. #79, Delayed screen to Cooley that went nowhere. The Vikes are very lucky to still be in this game. Fluky third down performance and penalties are making this a lot closer than it should be. Yup. It's Brad Childress. 2nd and 2. Pass. Not a bad call - decent time to go for a big gain, but... 3rd and 2. Pass. Now you're just retarded. And the punter boots it into the end zone for a 24 net yard gain, and money says that TMQ just wrote "Game Over" into his notebook. Sid, Easy. Have your QB run backwards 20 yards after the snap. Throw the ball to Cooley and have him get tackled immediately. Please, someone break Brunell's leg, get rid of Gibbs and give Snyder a heart attack - if only to end my pain! #79
Brunell dropped way way back, and had a DE in his face. So he lobbed it over the defender to Cooley, who was supposed to be running a slow developing screen, I think. Because the loft took so look to get to Cooley, Smoot saw it, ran up, and hit Cooley right when he caught it. 79 et al: Since there were no blockers, I belive it was a naked screen. This looks like another year where the Redskins are going to lead the league in screen and hitch pass attempts RE: 84 I'm with you there. Hmmm, best O-line in football, and the back gets 3 YPC. I don't think so. RE: all the people who answered my query Thanks. Looks like another foolish play for Brunell. By the way: why are people claiming that the Vikings aren't playing well compared to the Redskins? I can't see the game, but Portis hasn't had a great game, Brunell's currently running about 5 yards per attempt and only 9 yards/completion. Looks like a pretty even game to me, and both teams have been pretty sloppy. The tastefully named Gregg Williams should stop blitzing on 3rd and long. It hasn't worked all game. Sean Taylor might be good for three personal foulsthis game That's 2 personal fouls already on Sean Taylor. 30 yards worth of penalties. Pat: I was puzzled too, I haven't seen very much from either side. The Redskins came out better, but in the second half the Vikings have looked decent enough. Anyone want to bet the Redskins, when they get the ball back, go for the "Chuck it deep to Moss and pray!" strategy? #96 That assumes the Redskins WILL get the ball back. If I'm Minnesota, I don't attempt another pass the rest of the game. For the most part, Chester Taylor is gaining yards at will. Pat- I'm surprised they didn't go that earlier. Apparently Al Saunders has decided to call 20 screens and hitches a game instead. Wouldn't it have been smarter for the Skins to just let Minnesota into the end zone on the second-down play with 2:21 left, and save their two remaining time-outs, the two-minute warning, and about 2:15 to get a TD back? Tirico just called the Vikings a poopy baby. Not making that up. Paul MacGuire lives on in spirit. i call blocked fieldgoal. a minute+ left now. Redskins will have just under a minute This playcalling is horrendous, IMO. I hope they miss the field goal and the Redskins win. Childress is being way too conservative. $2 million a year, 20 screens a game. You really do get bargins when you buy in bulk. RE #96 You would be correct. I think its high time for R-El to pay his way... The Vikings are going to be sprinting off the field tonight. Wow, I can't believe the Skins didn't score there. Or not. Right result, wrong person... Why, in the name of all that's holy, did Randle El run out of bounds before the first down marker? So what's Randle El doing running a five-yard out on third and six in that situation? Is there a special DVOA penalty for that situation? Because Randle El is brainless. Steelers fans can tell you that. One more step is all he needed, and they could have then taken a shot at the endzone. John Hall might not make it out of the stadium alive tonight. Add that to the list of questions that R-El needs to answer. Did he ever answer why he thought THAT lateral last year was a good idea? I wonder if Sean Taylor will get called for penalties the other team gets away with for the whole season. #109,
A large Viking was in his way. We can tell you hate the Skins, but you're trying too hard. There's plenty of reasons to criticize the Redskins tonight without fabricating them for your own enjoyment. Either that or I'm not watching the game, and I actually was curious. Go Jaws Go. Its like having NFL matchup on live during the game... Any non-Redskins fan want to comment on whether or not Randle El was brainless on that play? I mean, he's pretty brainless in general - that lateral cemented that for all eternity - but I'm curious if his brainlessness has continued. Jaws, Nessler, and Bonnie Bernstein? Best. Crew. Ever. Seriously, this should be the default MNF crew (without crybaby Vermil). He ran out of bounds about 1 yard before the marker, and then started complaining to the refs about something, so I assume he thought he was beyond the marker, and was confused when the refs signaled 4th down. #113: Not that large a Viking; it was Antoine Winfield, who's only 5-10, 180 :-). But I agree that running out of bounds is the right thing to do once he's in that position. If he cuts it upfield and makes the first down they can spike the ball, but if he's stopped short of the first down, it's 4th and one and the clock runs out before they can kick. But he needs to drive the other Vikings DB (Ronyell Whitaker, if I'm reading the number correctly) back another yard before he makes his cut. A five-yard out on third and six is bad; a five-yard out on third and six with 22 seconds and no timeouts is criminal. That was the kind of hit that Taylor would have gotten a flag for. #116
Steelers fan I will say that Randle El improved on his most glaring weakness last year: any game in which he had a good punt return would feature insane amounts of dancing for negative yards on all ensuing punt returns. In this one, his first punt return was decent, and the rest were technically sound as well. So good job there. Though now he might be considering his decision to leave the Steelers for more money right now. Redskins honked a home game to a team that on paper they should have beaten. On this particular play, it seemed like his first instinct was "get out of bounds to stop the clock" before "get the first down." His momentum carried him out right at the sticks, if he had leaned forward its a first down. Skins lost this game because of line play and third downs. Brad Johnson generally had all day, and their run blocking was great for Taylor. Meanwhile, it seemed like Brunell had somebody in his face all the time (though this might be the excessive number of screen plays the Skins tried to run). The Redskins inability to stop the Vikings on third down was a pretty obvious disadvantage you didn't need to watch the game to notice. And in answer to #116, I'm not a Redskins fan; however, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am a Steelers fan, so there's a certain satisfaction in seeing El do something brainless. To his credit, he was reaching for the 29 as he went out, though without HD I can't really tell how close he got. But really, you gotta run a better route than that. Is it just me or is this crew excellent so far? Though the stat about interceptions doesn't seem to mean a lot. Weren't teams usually up on the Raiders and thus passing less (or using less risky shots downfield)? He ran out of bounds about 1 yard before the marker, and then started complaining to the refs about something, so I assume he thought he was beyond the marker, and was confused when the refs signaled 4th down. That sounds like Randle El to me. I can't imagine that you wouldn't try to cut upfield for the extra yard there. There's a good enough chance you can bounce out of bounds if you can tell you're not going to make it. itâ€s 4th and one and the clock runs out before they can kick. Hey, they had 22 seconds left. They should be able to get a field goal off in a hurry in that situation. It'd be tight, but a 48-yard field goal isn't easy anyway, so it's worth the risk. Especially given that Hall hasn't made a 48+ yard field goal in roughly 3 years. Nessler calls Parker's run an "end around" and not a "reverse," and somewhere TMQ is crying tears of joy. DK: Nah, Randle El is an idiot. what was that "elbow down/elbow up" exchange about? i must be sleepy or something, because i can't even figure out whose elbow they were talking about. 3rd and 12 and a run? I mean, I know Phil's a rookie, but does that mean he's giving up on every third and long? Oh, and I nearly forgot: Philly, 1-0. All other teams in the NFC East: 0-1. Ah, that feels good again. And yes, I know, it was just the Texans. But I do agree with Matthew Furtek that this was a very important game for the Redskins - it was one of two strength-of-schedule games for the Redskins that differ their schedule from the rest of the division. The NFC East still looks nasty, with the Giants, Cowboys, and Redskins all showing that they easily had at least the ability to beat their opponent. The Redskins dropping that one could really hurt them in the end. So far Nessler, Jaws, and Vermeil are about 1000 times better than Trico, Theismann, and Kornheiser. Any bets on what ESPN will do with a good announcing crew? Unfortunately, I don't think we're going to end up hearing them regularly on the early games. watched only a few minutes of this game and I'm already sold on Vermiel, Jaws I knew I'd love, and the play-by-play guy I like from college. I might just stay up to watch this. It's been a pleasure so far. btw, the elbow in question was the wr's elbow as he was taking the handoff. Can we start a grass-roots campaign to have the Raiders-Chargers crew do commentary for every Monday night game? Especially Jaws? I don't have anything against Kornheiser, but if the other guys on the "A-team" dropped off the face of the earth, I'd be OK with that. "He didn't need much of a crease, and the one he got was a gaping hole" That is the kind of thing that should *not* be said on network TV. For any reason. Wait, wait, wait. I decided not to pay an extra $30 a month for ESPN in part because it would mean listening to Joe Theismann every Monday night...and now they've got Ron Jaworski and Dick Vermeil calling games? Talk about your second thoughts. I keep fearing this announcing team is a fantastical illusion in the desert that is primetime NFL broadcasting...perhaps dreams do come true! I second the grassroots campaign idea - I'll watch every game this crew does just for their relative staggering quality. Oakland's offensive line is bad. Brooks doesn't even have a chance to suck it up since he's running for his life before he even can finish his drop. It also helps that he's running the bad Madden player offense... keep running backwards, forgetting that there's such a thing as a pocket. Brooks sacked, Brooks sacked, and on and on and on. Gonna be a long night in Oakland. Fantasy situation I've got. I'm down by 12. My opponent has Randy Moss left, and I have the Chargers D. I think I just may have a chance... Brilliant. Missed FG, but Oakland manages a running into the kicker. Watch SD punch it in now... This crew is great, I wish they could do every game I watch. The hardest part about watching this game is knowing that this crew won't be back next week. And since I'm venting about TV coverage, what was that crap on NBC prior to the Sunday night game? Berman's schtick may get old, but NFL Primetime still beats that weak attempt at a post-game show. Speaking of Primetime, someone's going to have to tell Mooch he'll have to elbow Deion in the mouth to get a word in edgewise. Maybe it got better as the show went on, but I didn't wait around to find out. Rumor has it Moss volunteered to return punts (which has has done once in a blue moon) just so he could sniff a football. Unfortunately that would only work if the Raiders could stop the Chargers. Fantasy situation Iâ€ve got. Iâ€m down by 12. My opponent has Randy Moss left, and I have the Chargers D. I think I just may have a chance… Well, Moss just caught back to back passes. Gee, they start throwing to Moss... and they get a string of first downs. Hmmmm. 3 passes to Moss this drive alone, none before. I'm guessing someone did some complaining on the sidelines. But hey, it's working. So after watching the Chargers play the 'Hawks in preseason Week 3, I thought the Chargers' D would be good but I wasn't sure about the offense. Well, the offense looks just fine with Rivers at the helm, and the Chargers' D looks absolutely monstrous. Granted, it's the Raiders, but they get paid to play too . . . Great, back to back sacks. I'm not watching this game. Who's at fault here? Gallery? Brooks? Someone else? Everyone? Robert Gallery is atrocious, or Shawn Merriman is incredible. I suppose both, probably. Aaron Brooks definitely isn't helping Gallery out though. Well, Moss just caught back to back passes.
...and the Chargers got two more sacks. How long before Brooks turns the ball over if he keeps getting hit like that? November 8, 1:26pm ET