Redskins will sit Clinton Portis AND Rock Cartwright? Who do they have left to play RB besides Ladell Betts? John Riggins? Timmy Smith?
Oh crap, it's ESPN Sunday Night reunion night. Mike Patrick and...... no...... Joe Theismann.
Redskins start from their 20. Jason Campbell gets plenty of time on 3rd-and-long and hits Chris Cooley for a 1st. Stephon Heyer got a block on BOTH DEs on that play. Santana Moss drop creates a 3rd-and-long. Redskins get a 1st on William Gay's holding penalty. 10 to Moss on the sideline.
Nice edit, NFL Network. Redskins ball, 3rd down, before the commercial, Steelers ball at the 10 after the commercial. They left out Lamarr Woodley sacking Campbell and the ensuing punt. After Big Ben finds Hines Ward for 10, the 'Skins shut down Willie Parker trying to sweep, and Laron Landry and Carlos Rogers cover a bomb to Santonio Holmes nicely. Good open-field tackle by Shawn Springs to tackle Heath Miller on 3rd down. Punt on the way.
Beautiful throw/catch from Campbell to double-covered Cooley for 29, but on the play, Brett Keisel
strikes Campbell right on the knee, drawing a 15-yard penalty. Looks ugly. Campbell's out and
Todd Collins is in. Keisel classily apologizes to Campbell while he's on his way off the field.
Theismann idiotically says that kind of play should be more than a 15-yard penalty, even while
acknowledging Keisel did it by accident. More? You want it to be 25, moron? So, free shot any time
the QB's on your half of the field, since half the distance to the goal would always be shorter?
Collins beats a CB blitz and hits Cooley at the 10. Keisel knocks down a pass on 1st-goal, but
Collins, with tons of time because Pittsburgh appears to have rushed 3, makes a nice throw to Brandon Lloyd at the back of the endzone to open the scoring. 7-0 Washington. Too cute on defense, Steelers. Unexpectedly good throw by Collins. Skins definitely rely on Cooley when they get in trouble. He has 4 catches in the 1st.
Steelers three-and-out as the 1st quarter ends. They had just 1 first down in the quarter. Rocky McIntosh blows up a 3rd-down screen to Ward for a loss.
Kelli Johnson, giving Sam Ryan some competition for cutest sideline reporter, reports Campbell
got away with just a sprained knee. Steelers continue to blitz their asses off. Skins beat it for one first down, but DeShea Townshend goes nuts after that, dragging down Derrick Blaylock for a loss on 1st down and sacking Collins for a big loss on 3rd. If your QB's not real mobile, you've got no business going empty backfield against the Steelers, like the 'Skins did there.
Steelers offense playing lousy tonight. LT Trai Essex falls down and gives Andre Carter a free run on Big Ben, who takes a loss out of bounds. Carter and Landry force another loss on a Parker run. 3rd-and-14 deep in their end, Steelers dump to Najeh Davenport, nothing doing. Punting again.
Skins start from their 30. Cooley converts ANOTHER 3rd down, and the Skins get to midfield, but
on the next 3rd down, Collins holds the ball for an hour and a half and the Steelers' 3-man rush
gets him this time. Punt.
Terrific sideline grab by Holmes for 22. Steelers go no-huddle. 5:15 left in half. Poor low shotgun snap gets Big Ben swamped for a big loss, but on third down, Holmes takes a short pass and eludes some trouble for a 29-yard gain. 2:00 warning. Steelers get 8 tries from inside the Redskin 12 and have to settle for a FG. Rocky McIntosh knocks down one pass and jars another one loose with a hit. 3d-and-goal from the 3, center Sean Mahan doesn't know the snap count and Ben gets called
for a false start. But Pitt gets a fresh set of downs due to illegal contact on - McIntosh.
Then Verron Haynes is stuffed for a 4-yard loss on a blitz by - McIntosh. Big Ben scrambles back
to the 3, has to try a last pass with the clock running inside 0:10, and Carlos Rogers knocks it
away. Completely legally, too, I don't understand why there was any DPI confusion among the refs.
7-3 Skins at halftime.
Charlie Batch takes over for Pittsburgh for the 2nd half. Nate Washington loses the 1st down
coming back for the pass on 3rd down and Pitt has to punt.
This has been a good defensive game. Both Ds are really swarming to the ball. Redskin secondary
looks good, along with McIntosh, of course.
Skins drive appears dead in the water until Brian McFadden bails them out with an illegal contact
penalty away from the ball on a 3rd-and-long incompletion. Skins continue to excel on 3rd down,
beating a blitz with a short pass to Mason on 3rd-and-4. Collins finds Todd Yoder open at midfield
on a crossing route for 32. However, Mason gets nothing on 2nd down and the Steelers flush Collins
for a no-gain "scramble" (more like a lope) to force a Sean Suisham FG from 48 that might have
been good from 68. 10-3 Skins.
Steelers move methodically to midfield and Batch finds Nate Washington behind the zone for 33
down to the Wash. 11 as the third quarter runs out. Batch gets into a lot of trouble the next play,
though, and one of the guards commits a hold to move the ball back. Steelers barely even get the
10 yards back and settle for a FG to make it 10-6.
12 minutes left in the game before Mark Brunell comes in. On 3rd down, Jake Nordin loses the ball
off a Steeler helmet going for the extra yard and Ricardo Colclough recovers. Good effort but
terrible ball protection.
Brian St. Pierre in for Pittsburgh. Steelers get inside the 10 before Washington shuts down the run,
and Dallas Baker mistakenly breaks off his fade route for an incompletion on 3rd down. Steelers
settle for a FG to make it 10-9.
Skins 3-and-out as receiver falls on 3rd down and Gay can't corral the long sideline pass for
the potential INT. Skins punt.
Gary Russell pounds out 22 yards on 4 rushes to start the next drive, which began almost at
midfield. St. Pierre has a 9-yard scramble and hits Willie Reid on a quick slant on 3rd-and-1.
Reid cuts inside the poor play by Bryant Westbrook and gains 17 down to the Wash 3 as the 2:00 warning arrives. Fine goal line stand by Washington, stopping Russell twice from the one to force a FG. Steelers take the lead 12-10, but Washington had all three timeouts to use on the goal line stand so they get the ball back with plenty of time, nearly 1:30.
Skins drive back across midfield, but Toler muffs a pass from Brunell and Gay catches the muffed ball at the 20 for the game-sealing INT. Pittsburgh 12, Washington 10.
Defense was the name of this game, and though the score was lower, I thought it a much better-played game than the Giants-Ravens crapfest. Both defenses really swarmed to the ball. Pittsburgh got big games from Townshend and Woodley, who should be on the defensive ROY radar. McIntosh was HUGE for the Redskins, who also got a fine game throughout their secondary. Could be a breakout year for TE Chris Cooley, too; it looks like they've really expanded his role.
28 down, 37 to go. Up next: Cowboys-Broncos.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Game 27: Giants 13, Ravens 12
Baltimore will start from around their 25. Jared Gaither starting at LT. Matthias Kiwanuka stuffs Willis McGahee for a loss after a false start by the rookie Ben Grubbs. A screen goes nowhere; third and a mile. Steve McNair hits Demetrius Williams for about 15. I'm not going to criticize that. A - there was a LOT of distance to get. B - it gave the punter some room, which was the main concern.
Giants take over inside their 10. Eli hits Michael Jennings for a nifty sideline catch for about 20. Jacobs bashes twice, but the 2nd time is only for 1, and on 3rd-and-3, Eli's pass is knocked down at the line.
McNair hits Todd Heap for a 1st down. McGahee grinds 7 out up the middle and 3 more for another 1st. McNair then goes up top, a poor throw into double coverage picked off by Sam Madison, who was in much better position to catch it than the intended receiver.
Giants take over around their 25. Incomplete, delay of game. Giants O moving like clockwork.
Ravens have two guys across the line to take Brandon Jacobs down on 2nd-long. Terrell Suggs hasn't been stopped yet. Amani Toomer comes up a yard short on 3rd down. Looks like we're in for a defensive struggle.
Mike Anderson replaces McGahee and promptly snaps off 10 and 22 yard runs. A Giant blitz on 3rd-and-5 forces a dumpoff to Clarence Moore that only gets 4. A McNair sneak on 4th-and-1 comes up short. Giants take over at about their 20.
Eli loses the ball on the handoff and Haloti Ngata comes up with it to give Baltimore the ball back in the red zone.
Giants pounce on Anderson for a 7-yard loss, then force an incompletion with a blitz. Nothing doing on 3rd down and Stover hits a 33-yarder to open the scoring. 3-0 Baltimore.
Eli wheels out of a shirttail sack and hits Shockey for 18. Jacobs isn't finding room to run anywhere. Suggs takes him down again for a loss. A Bart Scott offsides is the NINTH penalty of the first quarter, which mercifully ends with the Ravens ahead 3-0.
Jacobs now cracks a draw across midfield for about 15. Jennings has a couple of catches from Eli,
but it's Steve Smith who takes a well-placed throw from Eli in the end zone between defenders for
a NY TD. 7-3, Giants.
Kyle Boller replaces McNair and immediately has to scramble, just for 1. Barry Cofield POUNDS
McGahee on a draw. Willis has not gotten going at all: 6 rushes, 2 yards. Screen to Musa Smith on 3rd-and-18 unsurprisingly does not get the first.
Giants get ball back, but they're dropping like flies. Will Demps is out with a stinger; lucky it wasn't
much worse with that sloppy head-first tackle. Sam Madison tweaked a hammy, and Michael Jennings, we hardly knew ye; out for the season with a ruptured Achilles.
Penalties drive the Giants back behind their own 20, but Eli spears Michael Matthews on 3rd and long
for the 1st. Rueben Droughns is the new RB. Ravens have been called for defensive holding a couple
of times. This one is the 14th accepted penalty of the half. 1st down Giants across midfield. Steve Smith's out the rest of the game with a concussion. Just when I was about to say how efficient Eli's been tonight, and how comfortable he looks, Jarret Johnson smokes Kareem McKenzie for a sack/fumble. Giants get it back, run a we-surrender screen, and punt. Smith suffered the concussion on his TD. The refs have called a billion penalties this half, and nobody called Ed Reed for elbowing Smith in the head.
Boller moves Baltimore smoothly out to midfield before he gets BURIED by Fred Robbins. But he hits Devard Darling for the first on 3rd-and-long. Boller looks much better than I'm used to seeing him look. Kevin Dockery nicely knocks down another 3rd-and-long pass to stop the Ravens at the Giant 30, but Matt Stover hits the 47-yarder to close the gap to 7-6 Giants.
With about 1:20 left in the half, Jared Lorenzen (Hefty Lefty) comes in for Eli. The Giants just run out the clock and take the 7-6 lead into halftime. Easily more penalties than points in the half.
3rd quarter - Giants cross midfield before Edgar Jones sacks Lorenzen, which is quite a feat. Derrick
Ward running well. A late hit by Grey Reugamer forces NY into 2nd-and-27. Ravens swarm Lorenzen for a sack around the 40 and force a punt.
After a DPI, a 3rd-and-6 sideline throw by Boller is high and outside, and Baltimore punts again.
Giants 3-and-out when Gerome Sapp sacks Lorenzen on a blitz. Couple of guys came in untouched.
New Raven backfield of Drew Olson at QB and Corey Ross at RB. Greg Pruitt Jr totally hears footsteps on a screen pass he lets fall incomplete on 3rd down for our third-straight 3-and-out. And this is the national game of the week! Viva preseason!
Giants haven't kept the Ravens out of their backfield on a play yet this half. They're punting again
after a drop by David Tyree, who's not shining tonight. 5 straight 3-and-outs.
Ravens continue to do nothing with fine field position. Adrian Awasom (no relation to late pro wrestler Mike Awesome) hits Olson as he throws on 3rd-and-2 to generate our SIXTH straight 3-and-out.
RYAN GRANT GETS A FIRST DOWN. RYAN GRANT GETS A FIRST DOWN. RYAN GRANT GETS A FIRST DOWN. 19-yard run. Dwan Edwards roughs Lorenzen with a hit to the head, and NY's across midfield. Lefty's woozy, but Giants call a pass anyway and he just misses a bomb to Anthony Mix. Third down after a quick screen runs out the third quarter. Lorenzen scrambles for 14 up the middle for 1st down. Ravens then sack Lorenzen behind the 30 on 3rd down. Josh Huston hits a 50-yard FG. The Giants 10-6 lead in this game now looks like a 30-6 lead in most other games the way these teams are moving the ball.
Yamon Figurs takes a well-blocked kick return out across midfield, though. Troy Smith's in at QB and immediately gets sacked by Tyson Smith. Ross gets most of it back on a draw. Smith rolls and hits Kendrick Ballantine for Baltimore's first 1st down of the half. Manny Wright clotheslines Ross to the ground on 1st down for a loss. Backup kicker Rhys Lloyd hits a 42-yarder to keep the game tight at 10-9.
Tim (Husband of Elizabeth) Hasselbeck getting his first preseason action at QB. Ahmad Bradshaw
makes the play of the night, a 43-yard sweep right and run up the sideline. Big block by Charles Davis, I believe. Giants inside the Raven 20. A Hasselbeck scramble gets them a new set of downs inside the 10. Baltimore blitzes a 3rd down screen attempt for an incomplete, and Huston is called in to convert from 27. It's a veritable shootout now. 13-9 NY.
Just under 6:00 left as Smith takes over at his 30. 20 to Matt Willis. If Baltimore does keep a 3rd
QB, (they only kept 2 last year), I'd lean toward Smith. Another 1st down to Willis. Another pass
to Damien Linson gets Baltimore inside the Giant 25. 3rd-and-7 screen for Ross is too strong and
incomplete, and for some reason, Baltimore is kicking again here with 2:44 left. Lloyd hits a mid-30s FG to make it a 13-12 game.
Ravens curiously kick deep. Giants take over at 20. Baltimore obviously's playing for the defensive stop, which is altogether possible tonight. Giants help them with a false start, but Bradshaw gains 14 on the draw, and Hasselbeck sneaks for the first down.
You know, after Reggie Bush sends the cow to Peyton Manning's room in the commercial, the obvious next move is for Peyton to send Reggie a 300-lb stripper, either gender.
The Giants can't grind out the first down after the 2:00 warning and punt to Baltimore with 0:29 left. EJ Underwood immediately takes Figurs down on the punt return for no gain. Sack by Marquise Gunn effectively ends it for NY.
25 combined points, 23 combined penalties. Viva preseason! Giants run defense was noticeably better, allowing just 75 yards total. Willis McGahee had 4 yards on 7 touches and I still drafted him in FFL like an idiot. The game was mostly a defensive struggle and neither team showed much on offense. For Baltimore, nice game for Kyle Boller, dominating game for Terrell Suggs. Wish there was more to say, but this was a lousy game.
27 down, 38 to go. Up next: Pittsburgh-Washington.
Giants take over inside their 10. Eli hits Michael Jennings for a nifty sideline catch for about 20. Jacobs bashes twice, but the 2nd time is only for 1, and on 3rd-and-3, Eli's pass is knocked down at the line.
McNair hits Todd Heap for a 1st down. McGahee grinds 7 out up the middle and 3 more for another 1st. McNair then goes up top, a poor throw into double coverage picked off by Sam Madison, who was in much better position to catch it than the intended receiver.
Giants take over around their 25. Incomplete, delay of game. Giants O moving like clockwork.
Ravens have two guys across the line to take Brandon Jacobs down on 2nd-long. Terrell Suggs hasn't been stopped yet. Amani Toomer comes up a yard short on 3rd down. Looks like we're in for a defensive struggle.
Mike Anderson replaces McGahee and promptly snaps off 10 and 22 yard runs. A Giant blitz on 3rd-and-5 forces a dumpoff to Clarence Moore that only gets 4. A McNair sneak on 4th-and-1 comes up short. Giants take over at about their 20.
Eli loses the ball on the handoff and Haloti Ngata comes up with it to give Baltimore the ball back in the red zone.
Giants pounce on Anderson for a 7-yard loss, then force an incompletion with a blitz. Nothing doing on 3rd down and Stover hits a 33-yarder to open the scoring. 3-0 Baltimore.
Eli wheels out of a shirttail sack and hits Shockey for 18. Jacobs isn't finding room to run anywhere. Suggs takes him down again for a loss. A Bart Scott offsides is the NINTH penalty of the first quarter, which mercifully ends with the Ravens ahead 3-0.
Jacobs now cracks a draw across midfield for about 15. Jennings has a couple of catches from Eli,
but it's Steve Smith who takes a well-placed throw from Eli in the end zone between defenders for
a NY TD. 7-3, Giants.
Kyle Boller replaces McNair and immediately has to scramble, just for 1. Barry Cofield POUNDS
McGahee on a draw. Willis has not gotten going at all: 6 rushes, 2 yards. Screen to Musa Smith on 3rd-and-18 unsurprisingly does not get the first.
Giants get ball back, but they're dropping like flies. Will Demps is out with a stinger; lucky it wasn't
much worse with that sloppy head-first tackle. Sam Madison tweaked a hammy, and Michael Jennings, we hardly knew ye; out for the season with a ruptured Achilles.
Penalties drive the Giants back behind their own 20, but Eli spears Michael Matthews on 3rd and long
for the 1st. Rueben Droughns is the new RB. Ravens have been called for defensive holding a couple
of times. This one is the 14th accepted penalty of the half. 1st down Giants across midfield. Steve Smith's out the rest of the game with a concussion. Just when I was about to say how efficient Eli's been tonight, and how comfortable he looks, Jarret Johnson smokes Kareem McKenzie for a sack/fumble. Giants get it back, run a we-surrender screen, and punt. Smith suffered the concussion on his TD. The refs have called a billion penalties this half, and nobody called Ed Reed for elbowing Smith in the head.
Boller moves Baltimore smoothly out to midfield before he gets BURIED by Fred Robbins. But he hits Devard Darling for the first on 3rd-and-long. Boller looks much better than I'm used to seeing him look. Kevin Dockery nicely knocks down another 3rd-and-long pass to stop the Ravens at the Giant 30, but Matt Stover hits the 47-yarder to close the gap to 7-6 Giants.
With about 1:20 left in the half, Jared Lorenzen (Hefty Lefty) comes in for Eli. The Giants just run out the clock and take the 7-6 lead into halftime. Easily more penalties than points in the half.
3rd quarter - Giants cross midfield before Edgar Jones sacks Lorenzen, which is quite a feat. Derrick
Ward running well. A late hit by Grey Reugamer forces NY into 2nd-and-27. Ravens swarm Lorenzen for a sack around the 40 and force a punt.
After a DPI, a 3rd-and-6 sideline throw by Boller is high and outside, and Baltimore punts again.
Giants 3-and-out when Gerome Sapp sacks Lorenzen on a blitz. Couple of guys came in untouched.
New Raven backfield of Drew Olson at QB and Corey Ross at RB. Greg Pruitt Jr totally hears footsteps on a screen pass he lets fall incomplete on 3rd down for our third-straight 3-and-out. And this is the national game of the week! Viva preseason!
Giants haven't kept the Ravens out of their backfield on a play yet this half. They're punting again
after a drop by David Tyree, who's not shining tonight. 5 straight 3-and-outs.
Ravens continue to do nothing with fine field position. Adrian Awasom (no relation to late pro wrestler Mike Awesome) hits Olson as he throws on 3rd-and-2 to generate our SIXTH straight 3-and-out.
RYAN GRANT GETS A FIRST DOWN. RYAN GRANT GETS A FIRST DOWN. RYAN GRANT GETS A FIRST DOWN. 19-yard run. Dwan Edwards roughs Lorenzen with a hit to the head, and NY's across midfield. Lefty's woozy, but Giants call a pass anyway and he just misses a bomb to Anthony Mix. Third down after a quick screen runs out the third quarter. Lorenzen scrambles for 14 up the middle for 1st down. Ravens then sack Lorenzen behind the 30 on 3rd down. Josh Huston hits a 50-yard FG. The Giants 10-6 lead in this game now looks like a 30-6 lead in most other games the way these teams are moving the ball.
Yamon Figurs takes a well-blocked kick return out across midfield, though. Troy Smith's in at QB and immediately gets sacked by Tyson Smith. Ross gets most of it back on a draw. Smith rolls and hits Kendrick Ballantine for Baltimore's first 1st down of the half. Manny Wright clotheslines Ross to the ground on 1st down for a loss. Backup kicker Rhys Lloyd hits a 42-yarder to keep the game tight at 10-9.
Tim (Husband of Elizabeth) Hasselbeck getting his first preseason action at QB. Ahmad Bradshaw
makes the play of the night, a 43-yard sweep right and run up the sideline. Big block by Charles Davis, I believe. Giants inside the Raven 20. A Hasselbeck scramble gets them a new set of downs inside the 10. Baltimore blitzes a 3rd down screen attempt for an incomplete, and Huston is called in to convert from 27. It's a veritable shootout now. 13-9 NY.
Just under 6:00 left as Smith takes over at his 30. 20 to Matt Willis. If Baltimore does keep a 3rd
QB, (they only kept 2 last year), I'd lean toward Smith. Another 1st down to Willis. Another pass
to Damien Linson gets Baltimore inside the Giant 25. 3rd-and-7 screen for Ross is too strong and
incomplete, and for some reason, Baltimore is kicking again here with 2:44 left. Lloyd hits a mid-30s FG to make it a 13-12 game.
Ravens curiously kick deep. Giants take over at 20. Baltimore obviously's playing for the defensive stop, which is altogether possible tonight. Giants help them with a false start, but Bradshaw gains 14 on the draw, and Hasselbeck sneaks for the first down.
You know, after Reggie Bush sends the cow to Peyton Manning's room in the commercial, the obvious next move is for Peyton to send Reggie a 300-lb stripper, either gender.
The Giants can't grind out the first down after the 2:00 warning and punt to Baltimore with 0:29 left. EJ Underwood immediately takes Figurs down on the punt return for no gain. Sack by Marquise Gunn effectively ends it for NY.
25 combined points, 23 combined penalties. Viva preseason! Giants run defense was noticeably better, allowing just 75 yards total. Willis McGahee had 4 yards on 7 touches and I still drafted him in FFL like an idiot. The game was mostly a defensive struggle and neither team showed much on offense. For Baltimore, nice game for Kyle Boller, dominating game for Terrell Suggs. Wish there was more to say, but this was a lousy game.
27 down, 38 to go. Up next: Pittsburgh-Washington.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Game 26: Texans 33, Big Dead 20
Pregame video package assures us the Big Dead are good now because they have a new stadium.
Well, it's a year old. How long does Bidwill expect to live off of the newness of the stadium
anyway?
Houston completes a couple of early passes with no rush, then get set back by a holding penalty
and a false start. Dead are gang tackling well, keep a couple of short passes under control and
force a punt. Basically a 4-and-out.
Definitely not playing their cards close to the vest, Arizona's first home play of the Whisenhunt
era is an Anquan Boldin option pass off a reverse. Fitzgerald beats C.C. Brown badly to draw a 55-yard DPI. Perhaps unable to stand even that amount of prosperity, the Dead false-start (Levi Brown), throw a no-gain pass in the flat to the fullback, draw to Edge for 8, hit Boldin for only 7.5 thanks to good help from Jason Simmons to a beaten Dunta Robinson, James plunge on 4th down comes up short. Classic. Cardinal. Football. Good tackle by LB Danny Clark.
Texans face an early 3rd-and-11, but Owen Daniels survives a major shot from Adrian Wilson for a
22-yard catch from Matt Schaub. Obvious DPI by Rod Hood on Andre Johnson is actually called, good for 18 more. About a 10-yard reverse to Jacoby Jones for a 1st down at the AZ 22. Great diving deflection by Hood saves a TD, but Schaub, getting plenty of time all drive, next hits Daniels at the 5. Dead were fooled badly on that Jones reverse earlier; now on 1st and goal, Houston fools them just as badly with a Schaub naked bootleg for the TD and a 7-0 lead. AZ defense wasn't even playing high-school quality D that drive.
Leinart takes over at the 20. 3rd and 3, hits Bryant Johnson on a short cross for the 1st. Another 3rd and 3, Leinart scrambles for the 1st. End of 1st quarter, 7-0, Houston.
Houston can't handle Fitzgerald at all; he beats Brown and outjumps Demarcus Faggins for a 41-yard jump ball bomb from Leinart down around the Texans 10. Leinart finishes the drive with a great play. He has Mario Williams bearing down on him. Looking downfield for an alley to scramble into, he spots James at the goal line and quickly releases a pass to him for a tying TD. That's not a 2nd-year QB play right there. 7-7. Fine drive, too, 10 plays, 80 yards, 5 minutes.
Houston from their 20 now. Big Dead blow coverage with a blitz on and leave Ken Walter ALL ALONE
for 38. Texans already have 148 total yards. 20+ DPI on Antrell Rolle vs. Andre Johnson looked like good D to me, plus the ball wasn't catchable. 1st-and-goal from the 7, Cards stuff a run. 2nd-and-goal, they cover everyone and force a throwaway. Schaub has to chuck it away again on 3rd. Houston settles for a Kris Brown chippie and a 10-7 lead.
Cards hold on kickoff return. Kurt Warner starts from the 13. Leinart was 7-7-70 and a TD. After Kurt hits Ahmad Merritt for a 1st down, he FUMBLES the snap, still gets the screen pass off, but for no gain. Except for the James draw play, the Dead can't run anywhere at all. Warner finds Merritt vs. a blitz again near midfield to keep the chains moving. After a couple of runs go nowhere, Warner's next pass is tipped by ND Kalu dropping back on a zone blitz. Cards have to punt.
Which brings us to Scott Player. WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THE STUPID HULK HOGAN MOUSTACHE. THAT IS THE MOST RETARDED LOOKING THING I HAVE EVER SEEN. HE'S BALD, HE'S GOT ONE OF THOSE RETARDED 1968 HELMETS WITH ONLY A CHIN BAR, SO JUST TO MAKE IT LOOK REAL GOOD, HE GOES FOR THE HULKSTER STACHE?????????????
Sage Rosenfels now the Houston QB. From the 10, he rolls right and hits Jacoby Jones upfield for
17. Handoffs to Ron Dayne and a couple more completions to Jones get Houston to the AZ 25 at
the 2:00 warning.
Luxury box footage of Mrs. Bidwill reading a magazine instead of watching the game. Billy V.
isn't even in the shot.
Rosenfels beats a blitz, hits Jeb Putzier on an underneath route for 15 down to the 10. But Eric Green has Jones blanketed on 3rd down for a Schaub end zone pass that basically looks like a throwaway. Texans having all kinds of red zone problems but have a 13-7 lead. 14 plays, 82 yards, 5 minutes, 3 points.
0:56 in half. Warner takes over at 20. He's 5-for-5 for 60 yards and gets them down to the 20
with :10 left. Classic Warner. Neil Rackers hits from 37 to make it 13-10. Hate to say it but Levi Brown is having a pretty solid night at RT. Squib kick runs out the half, Houston leads 13-10.
Despite all the terrible defense, neither head coach is happy with his -offense- during halftime interviews, because they're not getting into the end zone enough.
Shane Boyd replaces Warner. TE Ben Patrick makes a stupendous one-handed grab of a high hard one for 26. Merritt's season ends with a broken ankle a couple of plays later. Got rolled up on and snapped. Swing pass to FB Tim Castille gets 22 down to the 3. Nobody on Houston's D picked him up. Maybe it's because the AZ TE false started an no call was made. A JJ Arrington TD splash is called back for a hold. Boyd and Arrington blow the next exchange badly. Boyd scrambles about 10 down to the 4, then his 3rd-goal fade pass is horrendous. Cards settle for tying the game at 13.
Rosenfels takes over at the 25. Hits Putzier for about 19 on 3rd-and-4. 3 plays later, impressive
bomb to Charlie Adams, who beats Darrell Hunter and Aaron Francisco for a long TD. Terrible coverage, beauty of a throw. 20-13 Houston.
Steve Breaston is proving a potent returner for AZ. He returns this one out across the 35 from
5 or 6 yards deep in the end zone. A couple of plays into the drive, a terrible throw by Boyd
way over Breaston's head - it was like a 5-yard route but Boyd threw it 10 - is picked off
by Jamar Fletcher.
Houston takes over at the AZ 30. Rosenfels gets a screen off to Samkon Gado for 10 at absolutely the last second. The way all the Green Bay reject RBs are ending up in Houston, Noah Herron ought to be checking out houses in The Woodlands in the offseason. Texans follow that up with an incomplete pass, a fumble that should have been called an incomplete pass, and a we-surrender handoff to Gado. Texans hit the FG they settled for and extend their lead to 23-13.
Cardinals commit the first 123-kick of the night. Boyd is hassled into a throwaway on 2nd down,
and Breaston wishes he would have done it again on 3rd down, but instead he gets Breaston whacked on 3rd down trying to force one to him.
Perhaps hoping to challenge the Rams for worst special teams in the division, the Big Dead give
Jacoby Jones an 80-yard TD on a punt return. He gets several good blocks up the sidelines and
cuts back up across the field for a much-too-easy score. Texans take a 30-13 lead.
Boyd actually manages a completion near midfield as the third quarter expires. Even so, he's showing
very little in the way of touch or accuracy. He's mainly making sure to throw everything hard.
Perhaps giving up on having him throw, Whisenhunt dials up a QB draw for him, and he tears off
left tackle for a gain of 35, inside the Houston 10. Sean Morey then beats his man clean on a
crossing pattern and Boyd hits him nicely for the TD. 30-20 Houston.
Hey, Boise State hero Jared Zabransky is taking over at QB for Houston. Fittingly, they run an
end-around on 3rd and 1 and Bethel Johnson makes a nice gain. What, no Statue of Liberty? Z drives them inside the AZ 30 after several completions. Ross Kolodziej stuffs Gado on 2nd-4, and Z's end zone throw for Jerome Mathis is wide, necessitating another FG. Brown hits from 40 to
make it 33-20.
Continuing to show little savvy, Boyd gets sacked by Johnson on 3rd-and-7 to bring the next drive
to an end. He just kind of froze in the pocket there.
Houston's just in burn-out-the-clock mode, almost exclusively handing off to Wali Lundy.
AZ finishes it out behind the 4th string QB - Toby Korrodi. Not sure what puts Boyd ahead of
this kid - they're the same guy. Run around and throw hard. Houston defends a couple of Hail
Marys and this one's in the book, 33-20.
Arizona was so poor in most aspects of this game, Houston didn't get a lot to hang their ten-gallon hats on. Matt Schaub looks capable. The offensive line did well, and there aren't too many Texans games you've ever been able to say that about. Jacoby Jones stepped up bigtime as the punt returner and should be their #2 WR when they break camp. The offense continues to struggle in the red zone, though. Defense still needs work, especially the secondary.
The Big Dead got fine quarterbacking from Leinart and Warner - a combined 14-16-159. Larry Fitzgerald looked unstoppable. They'll go with 2 QBs on the active roster; Shane Boyd is terrible. Levi Brown looked decent. But this team has a whole lot of problems. They still can't establish the run. Their special teams coverage may be worse than the Rams'. They couldn't even get a good pass rush against HOUSTON's offensive line, you know, the one that got David Carr sacked a billion times in 5 years? The secondary was porous and error-prone, and the whole defense was easy to sucker with misdirection plays. Gonna be a lot of high-scoring games in the desert this year.
26 down, 39 to go. Up next: Giants-Ravens.
Well, it's a year old. How long does Bidwill expect to live off of the newness of the stadium
anyway?
Houston completes a couple of early passes with no rush, then get set back by a holding penalty
and a false start. Dead are gang tackling well, keep a couple of short passes under control and
force a punt. Basically a 4-and-out.
Definitely not playing their cards close to the vest, Arizona's first home play of the Whisenhunt
era is an Anquan Boldin option pass off a reverse. Fitzgerald beats C.C. Brown badly to draw a 55-yard DPI. Perhaps unable to stand even that amount of prosperity, the Dead false-start (Levi Brown), throw a no-gain pass in the flat to the fullback, draw to Edge for 8, hit Boldin for only 7.5 thanks to good help from Jason Simmons to a beaten Dunta Robinson, James plunge on 4th down comes up short. Classic. Cardinal. Football. Good tackle by LB Danny Clark.
Texans face an early 3rd-and-11, but Owen Daniels survives a major shot from Adrian Wilson for a
22-yard catch from Matt Schaub. Obvious DPI by Rod Hood on Andre Johnson is actually called, good for 18 more. About a 10-yard reverse to Jacoby Jones for a 1st down at the AZ 22. Great diving deflection by Hood saves a TD, but Schaub, getting plenty of time all drive, next hits Daniels at the 5. Dead were fooled badly on that Jones reverse earlier; now on 1st and goal, Houston fools them just as badly with a Schaub naked bootleg for the TD and a 7-0 lead. AZ defense wasn't even playing high-school quality D that drive.
Leinart takes over at the 20. 3rd and 3, hits Bryant Johnson on a short cross for the 1st. Another 3rd and 3, Leinart scrambles for the 1st. End of 1st quarter, 7-0, Houston.
Houston can't handle Fitzgerald at all; he beats Brown and outjumps Demarcus Faggins for a 41-yard jump ball bomb from Leinart down around the Texans 10. Leinart finishes the drive with a great play. He has Mario Williams bearing down on him. Looking downfield for an alley to scramble into, he spots James at the goal line and quickly releases a pass to him for a tying TD. That's not a 2nd-year QB play right there. 7-7. Fine drive, too, 10 plays, 80 yards, 5 minutes.
Houston from their 20 now. Big Dead blow coverage with a blitz on and leave Ken Walter ALL ALONE
for 38. Texans already have 148 total yards. 20+ DPI on Antrell Rolle vs. Andre Johnson looked like good D to me, plus the ball wasn't catchable. 1st-and-goal from the 7, Cards stuff a run. 2nd-and-goal, they cover everyone and force a throwaway. Schaub has to chuck it away again on 3rd. Houston settles for a Kris Brown chippie and a 10-7 lead.
Cards hold on kickoff return. Kurt Warner starts from the 13. Leinart was 7-7-70 and a TD. After Kurt hits Ahmad Merritt for a 1st down, he FUMBLES the snap, still gets the screen pass off, but for no gain. Except for the James draw play, the Dead can't run anywhere at all. Warner finds Merritt vs. a blitz again near midfield to keep the chains moving. After a couple of runs go nowhere, Warner's next pass is tipped by ND Kalu dropping back on a zone blitz. Cards have to punt.
Which brings us to Scott Player. WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THE STUPID HULK HOGAN MOUSTACHE. THAT IS THE MOST RETARDED LOOKING THING I HAVE EVER SEEN. HE'S BALD, HE'S GOT ONE OF THOSE RETARDED 1968 HELMETS WITH ONLY A CHIN BAR, SO JUST TO MAKE IT LOOK REAL GOOD, HE GOES FOR THE HULKSTER STACHE?????????????
Sage Rosenfels now the Houston QB. From the 10, he rolls right and hits Jacoby Jones upfield for
17. Handoffs to Ron Dayne and a couple more completions to Jones get Houston to the AZ 25 at
the 2:00 warning.
Luxury box footage of Mrs. Bidwill reading a magazine instead of watching the game. Billy V.
isn't even in the shot.
Rosenfels beats a blitz, hits Jeb Putzier on an underneath route for 15 down to the 10. But Eric Green has Jones blanketed on 3rd down for a Schaub end zone pass that basically looks like a throwaway. Texans having all kinds of red zone problems but have a 13-7 lead. 14 plays, 82 yards, 5 minutes, 3 points.
0:56 in half. Warner takes over at 20. He's 5-for-5 for 60 yards and gets them down to the 20
with :10 left. Classic Warner. Neil Rackers hits from 37 to make it 13-10. Hate to say it but Levi Brown is having a pretty solid night at RT. Squib kick runs out the half, Houston leads 13-10.
Despite all the terrible defense, neither head coach is happy with his -offense- during halftime interviews, because they're not getting into the end zone enough.
Shane Boyd replaces Warner. TE Ben Patrick makes a stupendous one-handed grab of a high hard one for 26. Merritt's season ends with a broken ankle a couple of plays later. Got rolled up on and snapped. Swing pass to FB Tim Castille gets 22 down to the 3. Nobody on Houston's D picked him up. Maybe it's because the AZ TE false started an no call was made. A JJ Arrington TD splash is called back for a hold. Boyd and Arrington blow the next exchange badly. Boyd scrambles about 10 down to the 4, then his 3rd-goal fade pass is horrendous. Cards settle for tying the game at 13.
Rosenfels takes over at the 25. Hits Putzier for about 19 on 3rd-and-4. 3 plays later, impressive
bomb to Charlie Adams, who beats Darrell Hunter and Aaron Francisco for a long TD. Terrible coverage, beauty of a throw. 20-13 Houston.
Steve Breaston is proving a potent returner for AZ. He returns this one out across the 35 from
5 or 6 yards deep in the end zone. A couple of plays into the drive, a terrible throw by Boyd
way over Breaston's head - it was like a 5-yard route but Boyd threw it 10 - is picked off
by Jamar Fletcher.
Houston takes over at the AZ 30. Rosenfels gets a screen off to Samkon Gado for 10 at absolutely the last second. The way all the Green Bay reject RBs are ending up in Houston, Noah Herron ought to be checking out houses in The Woodlands in the offseason. Texans follow that up with an incomplete pass, a fumble that should have been called an incomplete pass, and a we-surrender handoff to Gado. Texans hit the FG they settled for and extend their lead to 23-13.
Cardinals commit the first 123-kick of the night. Boyd is hassled into a throwaway on 2nd down,
and Breaston wishes he would have done it again on 3rd down, but instead he gets Breaston whacked on 3rd down trying to force one to him.
Perhaps hoping to challenge the Rams for worst special teams in the division, the Big Dead give
Jacoby Jones an 80-yard TD on a punt return. He gets several good blocks up the sidelines and
cuts back up across the field for a much-too-easy score. Texans take a 30-13 lead.
Boyd actually manages a completion near midfield as the third quarter expires. Even so, he's showing
very little in the way of touch or accuracy. He's mainly making sure to throw everything hard.
Perhaps giving up on having him throw, Whisenhunt dials up a QB draw for him, and he tears off
left tackle for a gain of 35, inside the Houston 10. Sean Morey then beats his man clean on a
crossing pattern and Boyd hits him nicely for the TD. 30-20 Houston.
Hey, Boise State hero Jared Zabransky is taking over at QB for Houston. Fittingly, they run an
end-around on 3rd and 1 and Bethel Johnson makes a nice gain. What, no Statue of Liberty? Z drives them inside the AZ 30 after several completions. Ross Kolodziej stuffs Gado on 2nd-4, and Z's end zone throw for Jerome Mathis is wide, necessitating another FG. Brown hits from 40 to
make it 33-20.
Continuing to show little savvy, Boyd gets sacked by Johnson on 3rd-and-7 to bring the next drive
to an end. He just kind of froze in the pocket there.
Houston's just in burn-out-the-clock mode, almost exclusively handing off to Wali Lundy.
AZ finishes it out behind the 4th string QB - Toby Korrodi. Not sure what puts Boyd ahead of
this kid - they're the same guy. Run around and throw hard. Houston defends a couple of Hail
Marys and this one's in the book, 33-20.
Arizona was so poor in most aspects of this game, Houston didn't get a lot to hang their ten-gallon hats on. Matt Schaub looks capable. The offensive line did well, and there aren't too many Texans games you've ever been able to say that about. Jacoby Jones stepped up bigtime as the punt returner and should be their #2 WR when they break camp. The offense continues to struggle in the red zone, though. Defense still needs work, especially the secondary.
The Big Dead got fine quarterbacking from Leinart and Warner - a combined 14-16-159. Larry Fitzgerald looked unstoppable. They'll go with 2 QBs on the active roster; Shane Boyd is terrible. Levi Brown looked decent. But this team has a whole lot of problems. They still can't establish the run. Their special teams coverage may be worse than the Rams'. They couldn't even get a good pass rush against HOUSTON's offensive line, you know, the one that got David Carr sacked a billion times in 5 years? The secondary was porous and error-prone, and the whole defense was easy to sucker with misdirection plays. Gonna be a lot of high-scoring games in the desert this year.
26 down, 39 to go. Up next: Giants-Ravens.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Game 25: Saints 27, Bengals 19
Bengals start with ball, but after TJ Houshmandzadeh gains 9, Rudi Johnson loses 7. Jason David (WHA?) has good coverage (WHA?) on 3rd down, and Cincy starts 3-and-out. They started the game in no-huddle but it didn't do much good.
Saints take over at the 30 after a penalty. Screen to Reggie Bush for a first down behind a ton of good blocking; *I* could have got the 1st there. Swing to Deuce McAllister for 10 more. Bush somehow manages to miss a gigantic hole on the right and gets 5 from midfield when he probably could have scored. Brees spears Terrance Copper for 10; Bengals D didn't even look ready to go. Saints pick up a Bengal blitz and Brees hits Bush for 10 more. Good play by Leon Hall stops Bush for no gain. Quick slant to Copper gives NO 1st and goal. Deuce surges through for a 9-yard TD behind a good block by Mike Karney. Saints lead 7-0 and look like a machine in the process. 10 plays, 69 yards, just under 5:00.
Olindo Mare boots his 2nd unreturnable kickoff, so Cincy will start from the 20 again. Mare may prove to be one of the sneaky good pickups of the offseason. 4 straight touches by Rudi Johnson takes Cincy across the 40. On 3rd-5, Palmer hits Ocho Cinco for the 1st for 15. Charles Grant takes Rudi down for a loss. Palmer and TJ beat a blitz for 9. Why blitz on 2nd-11? Rudi powers up the middle for the 1st. False start, Ocho Cinco. Josh Bullocks impressively knocks Rudi backwards, but Rudi still gains 4. Palmer misses Tab Perry wide open at the goal line vs. Mike McKenzie. Saints almost paid for another blitz there, bringing a CB. For some reason, the 3rd-11 call is a quick hitch, and Jason David (WHA?!?) makes another good play (WHA?!?) to break it up. Since he's under no pressure, Shayne Graham has no trouble with a 51-yarder to make it 7-3 Saints.
Lance Moore gets a good seam block on the left side to return the kickoff to the 45.
Jamie Martin replaces Brees. The Saints aren't anywhere close to the vanilla crap the Rams have
been running. They open this drive with an end-around with David Patten. Martin completes a pass
and is then nearly picked off by LB Landon Johnson. He throws a third-down incompletion under pressure from Justin Smith. Olindo Mare hits from 48. I'm putting that guy on top of my FFL kicker list. Well, after Jeff Wilkins, anyway. 10-3 Saints.
Kenny Watson replaces Rudi. Rushes twice for 11. Incomplete pass; Palmer and Tab Perry are really
not on the same page. Bengals face a 3rd-and-3 to start the 2nd quarter.
Palmer opens the 2nd by holding the ball way too long and succombing to an avalanche of Saint sackers. He's lucky he got out of that alive. Charles Grant and Antwan Lake got him. He did lose the ball, and the Saints start the next drive deep in Cincy territory.
Quick, short Saint drive ends with a nice cutback run by Bush for a TD behind the block of Jahri Evans. 17-3 New Orleans. The Saints are humming on both sides of the ball.
Because preseason doesn't matter and everybody runs vanilla offense and doesn't want to give up
any information before the regular season, Perry opens this Bengal drive with an end-around.
Palmer can't hit Funfundachtzig on 3rd-and-1, and Cincy 3-and-outs again. Jason David is having
a very impressive game, just like the whole Saint team.
The Bengals Network camera closes in on the ugliest cheerleader ever; she looks like Susan
Sarandon with a blonde dye job. That's not a good look for that outfit.
Copper takes off with about the fiftieth end-around of the night. Justin Smith mugs him and forces
a fumble. Bengals recover and send Doug Johnson in for Palmer. Bengals drive inside the 20, before
former Ram Scott Shanle makes a fine play, flashing into the backfield to drop Watson for a loss.
Bengals settle for a Graham FG. 17-6, Saints.
Saints sputtering now. After a false start, Jamie never detects Madieu Williams coming for a big hit and a sack. Saints replaced Antonio Pittman with Aaron Stecker after that play for blowing the blitz pickup. Then Stecker lost the ball the next play, fine strip by Umaga, er, Domata Peko. Martin gets sacked on 3rd-and-a mile, by Eric Henderson, who whips Jon Stinchcomb, forcing a fumble that Cincy recovers inside the 5. Way to go, Jamie!
Grant stuffs Watson for -4. 2nd-and-goal from the 7, Johnson rolls out & has his pass dropped by Watson, which would have gained 2 at most; what's the point? Johnson and Perry now cross wires on 3rd-and-goal to the boos of the crowd. Don't know if they were booing the awful throw or Perry barely trying for it. Perry not impressing a whit this evening. Graham hits a 25-yd FG: 17-9 Saints.
Bengals scoring drive was 4 plays, -4 yards. Bengals broadcast is really great about getting info
out there, and Munoz is a pretty decent analyst.
With the pocket awareness and mobility of a cigar store Indian, Martin gets sacked again, having
had all day to throw again, and fumbles again. Stecker recovers. Brian Robinson got the sack
there in a meeting of former Rams, wnkgtn (Japanese for iirc).
In the last 2:00 of the half, Johnson hunts and pecks his way down the field, inside the 20, where
he then has two receivers muff passes in the end zone (one was deflected by Dhani Jones and hit the TE in the knees, the other was blown by Perry). Bengals settle for their 4th FG and we have a halftime score of 17-12, Saints.
By the way, this game is only about 180 times better than that Bucs-Jags crapfest that put me into
about three different comas.
Martin returns as the Saint QB after halftime. Michael Myers stuffs Stecker on 3rd-and-2 near midfield to kill the drive.
Quincy Wilson in at RB. He gets a lot of running room on his first rush for 13. After that, bomb is short and incomplete; Wilson is stopped for no gain; and shotgun snap takes off on Johnson, who loses it for a fumble.
Third quarter of 2nd preseason game and Reggie Bush is returning a punt? Fair catch, though. Saints 3-and-out when Martin's hand is hit as he throws.
Very lackluster 3-and-out by the Bengals. No-gain pass, no-gain run, pass SHORT OF 1ST DOWN
DISTANCE. Pass defended by Usama Young, who I guess has been terrorizing opposing wideouts
this summer. No, really, Mr. Young's having a good preseason.
I don't know how long Martin thinks he's going to hang around if he can't hold on to the ball. He drops the snap on 2nd down here for his 3rd fumble tonight. On 3rd-and-long, terrific sliding catch by Lance Moore for 19 and a 1st. 14 more to Moore gets them inside the 30. He is doing a very nice job; Tim Brando raves about him. More Moore, nearly splitting two defenders for a TD but getting tripped up at the 10. As the 3rd quarter expires, John Busing makes a nice play to keep Moore out of the end zone on a flare route. Moore apparently got a 1st down at the 1, though. Pittman powers it in from there to put New Orleans ahead 24-12.
Chris Henry fakes Usama out for a gain (USA! USA!), but their drive stops with two no-gainers
by Curtis Brown and a pass by Johnson I just can't figure out. It was five yards past one receiver
and five yards short of another. I don't need to see any more of Johnson to declare that Carson
Palmer'd better stay healthy this year, and the Bengals had better look for a different solution
at #2 QB. Somebody like Ryan Fitzpatrick, for instance. Jermaine Hall brings the punt back all the way, but it is called back for multiple penalties.
Matt Baker, the Saints' FIFTH-string QB, is in. The Bengals blitz, and Ahmad Brooks sacks him on
his first pro play. On 3rd down, Baker gets absolutely DESTROYED by Hernandez Jones, as Cincy
blitzes a DB from one side and Jones from another. That was a Bobby Boucher hit there. Jones did
everything but say "courtesy of Captain Insano".
Johnson has two passes batted down this drive before Cincy punts. Former Seahawks bust Anton Palepoi having an impact in the second half.
Baker hits TE Billy Miller with a terrific pass for 15 on 3rd-and-1, but a wounded duck bomb flutters
incomplete the next play. Baker still drives the Saints inside the Bengal 10 at the 2:00 warning.
One fade pass goes through Meacham's hands, though, and a second is not catchable by Miller.
Mare puts the Saints ahead 27-12. -17- plays, 84 yards, 7+ minutes.
New QB for Cincy, Jeff Rowe. Thanks to a 22-yard pass on 3rd-and-4, Rowe mounts an impressive drive of his own, for under 2:00. He throws a TD to Skyler Green with :07 left, but that's obviously
not enough. 12 plays, 79 yards, though.
Saints win, 27-19. Oddly enough, that's less total points than in the Bucs-Jags game.
My goodness were the Saints ready for this game. Their offensive line dominated Cincy and has to be considered the best in the league. They were sharp on offense and defense, running sophisticated offensive plays well, though getting themselves into trouble now and then when blitzing. But they'll win any game that Jason David plays as well as he did this one, though I'm going to accuse him of getting his game up to face Chad Johnson. Funfundachtzig has that effect on DBs. They got good play from everyone on the roster except Jamie Martin, who was sacked three times and lost three fumbles. Future players to keep an eye on: KR/WR Lance Moore and DB Usama Young. And Charles Grant is playing like a man possessed.
Quite a different picture for the Bengals, who couldn't establish their offense, and you could tell they were expecting to. Injuries on their offensive line are short-circuiting them right now and are a big concern heading into the regular season. I don't know why they would keep Tab Perry on their roster; he played like a total underachiever. Like Martin, Doug Johnson is proving not to be an adequate backup QB. Maybe Cincy should make a move there. :) Justin Smith's playing well on the Bengal D, but they're going to need a LOT more than that, especially from the back 7. Looking like a repeat of last year in Cincinnati.
25 down, 40 to go. Up next: Texans-Big Dead.
Saints take over at the 30 after a penalty. Screen to Reggie Bush for a first down behind a ton of good blocking; *I* could have got the 1st there. Swing to Deuce McAllister for 10 more. Bush somehow manages to miss a gigantic hole on the right and gets 5 from midfield when he probably could have scored. Brees spears Terrance Copper for 10; Bengals D didn't even look ready to go. Saints pick up a Bengal blitz and Brees hits Bush for 10 more. Good play by Leon Hall stops Bush for no gain. Quick slant to Copper gives NO 1st and goal. Deuce surges through for a 9-yard TD behind a good block by Mike Karney. Saints lead 7-0 and look like a machine in the process. 10 plays, 69 yards, just under 5:00.
Olindo Mare boots his 2nd unreturnable kickoff, so Cincy will start from the 20 again. Mare may prove to be one of the sneaky good pickups of the offseason. 4 straight touches by Rudi Johnson takes Cincy across the 40. On 3rd-5, Palmer hits Ocho Cinco for the 1st for 15. Charles Grant takes Rudi down for a loss. Palmer and TJ beat a blitz for 9. Why blitz on 2nd-11? Rudi powers up the middle for the 1st. False start, Ocho Cinco. Josh Bullocks impressively knocks Rudi backwards, but Rudi still gains 4. Palmer misses Tab Perry wide open at the goal line vs. Mike McKenzie. Saints almost paid for another blitz there, bringing a CB. For some reason, the 3rd-11 call is a quick hitch, and Jason David (WHA?!?) makes another good play (WHA?!?) to break it up. Since he's under no pressure, Shayne Graham has no trouble with a 51-yarder to make it 7-3 Saints.
Lance Moore gets a good seam block on the left side to return the kickoff to the 45.
Jamie Martin replaces Brees. The Saints aren't anywhere close to the vanilla crap the Rams have
been running. They open this drive with an end-around with David Patten. Martin completes a pass
and is then nearly picked off by LB Landon Johnson. He throws a third-down incompletion under pressure from Justin Smith. Olindo Mare hits from 48. I'm putting that guy on top of my FFL kicker list. Well, after Jeff Wilkins, anyway. 10-3 Saints.
Kenny Watson replaces Rudi. Rushes twice for 11. Incomplete pass; Palmer and Tab Perry are really
not on the same page. Bengals face a 3rd-and-3 to start the 2nd quarter.
Palmer opens the 2nd by holding the ball way too long and succombing to an avalanche of Saint sackers. He's lucky he got out of that alive. Charles Grant and Antwan Lake got him. He did lose the ball, and the Saints start the next drive deep in Cincy territory.
Quick, short Saint drive ends with a nice cutback run by Bush for a TD behind the block of Jahri Evans. 17-3 New Orleans. The Saints are humming on both sides of the ball.
Because preseason doesn't matter and everybody runs vanilla offense and doesn't want to give up
any information before the regular season, Perry opens this Bengal drive with an end-around.
Palmer can't hit Funfundachtzig on 3rd-and-1, and Cincy 3-and-outs again. Jason David is having
a very impressive game, just like the whole Saint team.
The Bengals Network camera closes in on the ugliest cheerleader ever; she looks like Susan
Sarandon with a blonde dye job. That's not a good look for that outfit.
Copper takes off with about the fiftieth end-around of the night. Justin Smith mugs him and forces
a fumble. Bengals recover and send Doug Johnson in for Palmer. Bengals drive inside the 20, before
former Ram Scott Shanle makes a fine play, flashing into the backfield to drop Watson for a loss.
Bengals settle for a Graham FG. 17-6, Saints.
Saints sputtering now. After a false start, Jamie never detects Madieu Williams coming for a big hit and a sack. Saints replaced Antonio Pittman with Aaron Stecker after that play for blowing the blitz pickup. Then Stecker lost the ball the next play, fine strip by Umaga, er, Domata Peko. Martin gets sacked on 3rd-and-a mile, by Eric Henderson, who whips Jon Stinchcomb, forcing a fumble that Cincy recovers inside the 5. Way to go, Jamie!
Grant stuffs Watson for -4. 2nd-and-goal from the 7, Johnson rolls out & has his pass dropped by Watson, which would have gained 2 at most; what's the point? Johnson and Perry now cross wires on 3rd-and-goal to the boos of the crowd. Don't know if they were booing the awful throw or Perry barely trying for it. Perry not impressing a whit this evening. Graham hits a 25-yd FG: 17-9 Saints.
Bengals scoring drive was 4 plays, -4 yards. Bengals broadcast is really great about getting info
out there, and Munoz is a pretty decent analyst.
With the pocket awareness and mobility of a cigar store Indian, Martin gets sacked again, having
had all day to throw again, and fumbles again. Stecker recovers. Brian Robinson got the sack
there in a meeting of former Rams, wnkgtn (Japanese for iirc).
In the last 2:00 of the half, Johnson hunts and pecks his way down the field, inside the 20, where
he then has two receivers muff passes in the end zone (one was deflected by Dhani Jones and hit the TE in the knees, the other was blown by Perry). Bengals settle for their 4th FG and we have a halftime score of 17-12, Saints.
By the way, this game is only about 180 times better than that Bucs-Jags crapfest that put me into
about three different comas.
Martin returns as the Saint QB after halftime. Michael Myers stuffs Stecker on 3rd-and-2 near midfield to kill the drive.
Quincy Wilson in at RB. He gets a lot of running room on his first rush for 13. After that, bomb is short and incomplete; Wilson is stopped for no gain; and shotgun snap takes off on Johnson, who loses it for a fumble.
Third quarter of 2nd preseason game and Reggie Bush is returning a punt? Fair catch, though. Saints 3-and-out when Martin's hand is hit as he throws.
Very lackluster 3-and-out by the Bengals. No-gain pass, no-gain run, pass SHORT OF 1ST DOWN
DISTANCE. Pass defended by Usama Young, who I guess has been terrorizing opposing wideouts
this summer. No, really, Mr. Young's having a good preseason.
I don't know how long Martin thinks he's going to hang around if he can't hold on to the ball. He drops the snap on 2nd down here for his 3rd fumble tonight. On 3rd-and-long, terrific sliding catch by Lance Moore for 19 and a 1st. 14 more to Moore gets them inside the 30. He is doing a very nice job; Tim Brando raves about him. More Moore, nearly splitting two defenders for a TD but getting tripped up at the 10. As the 3rd quarter expires, John Busing makes a nice play to keep Moore out of the end zone on a flare route. Moore apparently got a 1st down at the 1, though. Pittman powers it in from there to put New Orleans ahead 24-12.
Chris Henry fakes Usama out for a gain (USA! USA!), but their drive stops with two no-gainers
by Curtis Brown and a pass by Johnson I just can't figure out. It was five yards past one receiver
and five yards short of another. I don't need to see any more of Johnson to declare that Carson
Palmer'd better stay healthy this year, and the Bengals had better look for a different solution
at #2 QB. Somebody like Ryan Fitzpatrick, for instance. Jermaine Hall brings the punt back all the way, but it is called back for multiple penalties.
Matt Baker, the Saints' FIFTH-string QB, is in. The Bengals blitz, and Ahmad Brooks sacks him on
his first pro play. On 3rd down, Baker gets absolutely DESTROYED by Hernandez Jones, as Cincy
blitzes a DB from one side and Jones from another. That was a Bobby Boucher hit there. Jones did
everything but say "courtesy of Captain Insano".
Johnson has two passes batted down this drive before Cincy punts. Former Seahawks bust Anton Palepoi having an impact in the second half.
Baker hits TE Billy Miller with a terrific pass for 15 on 3rd-and-1, but a wounded duck bomb flutters
incomplete the next play. Baker still drives the Saints inside the Bengal 10 at the 2:00 warning.
One fade pass goes through Meacham's hands, though, and a second is not catchable by Miller.
Mare puts the Saints ahead 27-12. -17- plays, 84 yards, 7+ minutes.
New QB for Cincy, Jeff Rowe. Thanks to a 22-yard pass on 3rd-and-4, Rowe mounts an impressive drive of his own, for under 2:00. He throws a TD to Skyler Green with :07 left, but that's obviously
not enough. 12 plays, 79 yards, though.
Saints win, 27-19. Oddly enough, that's less total points than in the Bucs-Jags game.
My goodness were the Saints ready for this game. Their offensive line dominated Cincy and has to be considered the best in the league. They were sharp on offense and defense, running sophisticated offensive plays well, though getting themselves into trouble now and then when blitzing. But they'll win any game that Jason David plays as well as he did this one, though I'm going to accuse him of getting his game up to face Chad Johnson. Funfundachtzig has that effect on DBs. They got good play from everyone on the roster except Jamie Martin, who was sacked three times and lost three fumbles. Future players to keep an eye on: KR/WR Lance Moore and DB Usama Young. And Charles Grant is playing like a man possessed.
Quite a different picture for the Bengals, who couldn't establish their offense, and you could tell they were expecting to. Injuries on their offensive line are short-circuiting them right now and are a big concern heading into the regular season. I don't know why they would keep Tab Perry on their roster; he played like a total underachiever. Like Martin, Doug Johnson is proving not to be an adequate backup QB. Maybe Cincy should make a move there. :) Justin Smith's playing well on the Bengal D, but they're going to need a LOT more than that, especially from the back 7. Looking like a repeat of last year in Cincinnati.
25 down, 40 to go. Up next: Texans-Big Dead.
Game 24: Jagwires 31, Buccaneers 19
Oh, God, if I can make it through a preseason game with these two teams alive, it will be an accomplishment. We're looking at a 7-6 game here, aren't we?
Awesome kickoff by Josh Scobey into the deep corner of the end zone. That may be the highlight of this game.
Jagwire LB Pat Thomas stops Cadillac for -3. Cadillac gets only 2 back on 2nd down. Third down. Screen. To Cadillac. OF COURSE IT'S SHORT! Tampa brings the pain early to viewers of its preseason games.
Reggie Nelson watches the ball roll down to the 1 like an idiot. Being a rookie's no excuse for that stupidity. It's not like he never returned a punt in a college game or practice.
1 yard run by Fred Taylor. Dropped pass by Fred Taylor. THROW TAYLOR A SCREEN! THROW TAYLOR A SCREEN! Naw, Byron Leftwich fires a wild pitch over Dennis Northcutt's head at the sideline.
Back-to-back 3-and-outs. My head is already starting to throb. We're just 3:00 into the game!
Jeff Garcia barely escapes a sack by Bobby McCray for a 6-yard scramble. Reggie Nelson stops a sideline pass for no gain. Then - what's this? A FIRST DOWN! Garcia hits Michael Pittman for 7. Perhaps from the excitement, Tampa calls a time out. Christ. That was the first 1st down allowed by the Jax starters here in preseason. Nice throw nets 9 to Galloway. With the game in danger of actually moving at a decent pace, something goes wrong with the stadium clock. Pittman stuffed on 2nd-and-1. Clock seems OK. Maybe it just got bored. Terry Cousin commits pass interference against Galloway at the goal line that was called defensive holding, giving the Bucs a first down at the Jax 19.
EVEN THOUGH THE CLOCK IS STOPPED THE BUCS USE THEIR SECOND TIMEOUT. LORD TAKE ME NOW.
The Jagwire cheerleaders gyrate to the strains of The Police's "Roxanne", a classic rock-and-roll
ode to a prostitute. Real nice musical choice. Of course, how many years did the Rams cheerleaders
come out to "Girls Girls Girls" by Motley Crue before somebody figured out it was a tribute to
strippers?
Garcia gets in trouble, rolls right and throws against his body for a pass that David Boston ?!?!
moves in and scoops up for a 19-yard TD. Buccaneers 7, Jagwires 0.
Jax's 2nd straight 3-and-out ends on a pass broken up by Ronde Barber.
Tampa starts with the exciting play-action dumpoff to Pittman for no gain. Garcia and Pittman then
blow the exchange on a draw play for a 14-yard loss to the 20. LET ME GUESS. SHORT PASS. Close,
handoff to Pittman for 6. VIVA PRESEASON!
Jax takes over at own 35. Taylor cuts back for 7. On 3rd-and-3, Ernest Wilford appears to gain
less than 3, but they give the Jagwires a first. Kevin Carter (!) then ENGULFS Leftwich for a 7-yard sack. 3rd-and-14, guess what they do? THROW SHORT! 9 to Maurice Jones-Drew and it's time to punt. Beautiful, high punt by Adam Podlesh is downed at the 5.
Garcia's out after going 6-6 for 43. Luke McCown at QB, Earnest Graham at RB. Making sure to prolong my agony as much as possible, the Jax defense uses a TO with :20 left in the quarter. Delay of game (AFTER A TIMEOUT?) and a false start by TB, followed by guess what? A SHORT PASS! On 3rd-and-11 to Ike Hilliard.
Bucs fever... CATCH IT!
Jax starts from the Bucs 40 after a poor punt. Leftwich gets in trouble, Jones-Drew breaks upfield a
little, Leftwich hits him, three Bucs tackle each other instead of MoJo, he gallops off for 38 down
to the two. Then - get this - Fred Taylor vultures a TD from MoJo with a 2-yard run. We're tied at 7.
Hey, the Bucs are on the move. McCown hits TE Alex Smith near midfield for a 1st. Then he scrambles 10 for a 1st down. 90 flip to Graham gets 15. Reggie Nelson disturbingly crumples without being touched. He was the only Jax starter left on the field at the time. Maurice Stovall then ruins
things by brutally coughing up the ball after a catch. It bounces right to Jamal Fudge, who stripes
all the way down to the 5 yard line.
From there, Marcedes Lewis drops a TD pass, and Greg Jones can't get in with two tries. Del Rio
disobeys the home crowd and orders up a FG. 10-7, Jagwires.
Chad Owens return is only to the Tampa 15. 3-and-out for the Bucs as McCown throws the team's first two incompletions of the night on 2nd and 3rd down, both poor throws.
Leftwich catching a little fire at the end of the half. 13 and 12 to Wilford gets them into Tampa
territory, and Greg Jones takes a middle run outside for 17 down to the 8. LaBrandon Toefield
then vultures a TD from him! 17-7 Jagwires after the 8-yard TD run.
After two more incompletions, the Bucs... THROW. SHORT. ON. THIRD. DOWN. I don't know why these fuckers don't just punt on first down. WORST. OFFENSE. EVER.
Clearly worn out by his worthless offense, Josh Bidwell hasn't hit a decent punt in his last 3 tries. David Garrard takes over as Jax QB at the 2:00 warning. He scrambles across the 50 for a 1st. Pretty sideline throw and catch by Charles Sharon at the 15. Draw to Toefield gets them to the 3 but uses up their last timeout with 0:15 to go. Garrard scrambles in from the 3 to make it a 24-7 game as the first half runs out.
The Jagwires get a first down to open the third quarter, but Garrard is nearly picked off a couple
of different times to force a punt.
McCown dashes off for 27 to get Tampa in scoring range. Kenneth Darby was having a good drive
until fumbling a pass away at the 5-yard line on first-and-goal. The fumble is once again
covered with, er, by, Fudge.
Alvin Pearman the new Jagwire feature back. They launch an epic drive from their own 5. Garrard
hits Broussard 3 times to convert 3rd- or 2nd-and-longs. Pearman has an 11 yard run down to the
TB 20 as the third quarter runs out. He takes a pass down to the 1, and after failing to get
in the old-fashioned way on 1st-and-goal, takes a 90-flip in on 2nd-and-goal. Jacksonville's
ahead 31-7 on a 14-play, 95-yard, 8:30 drive.
I'll take this point to mention that Chris Simms hasn't seen a down of preseason so far. Honestly, I don't know if he's medically cleared to play or not. I hope not, because Gruden is screwing him over otherwise. I can't believe he'd go from starter to guy-who-gets-cut-without-ever-appearing-in-a-preseason-game.
So, here's Bruce Gradkowski, with Lionel Gates at RB. He and Mark Jones do to the Bucs what
Culpepper and Curry did/will do to the Rams. The Jags blitz big; Gradkowski finds Jones in the middle of the field; Jones breaks a poor tackle and sprints off for the TD, because anybody who would have been around was on the blitz. 31-13 when TB misses the 2, and how big an asshole is Gruden for trying to fight for a tie, in preseason?
Why, by the way, has Tim (no relation) Couch not attained an even greater all-time bust status
than Ryan Leaf? Couch, who's been cut in preseason by the Jagwires, was a #1 pick; Leaf a #2, and
Couch was every bit as useless in Cleveland as Leaf was in San Diego. Couch can't even land a #3
spot for the Jagwires 8 years later and HAS to rank as one of the all-time busts, but for most people, it's still Leaf, Tony Mandarich, and maybe Ki-Jana Carter atop that list.
Looks like Garrard is still in for Jacksonville. He spends the drive handing off to anonymous RBs. DD Terry turns the left corner for a 16 yard run. Roosevelt Kiser loses the ball on a gang tackle; he had it in the wrong hand anyway. Ryan Nece forced it; Quincy Black recovered it, and the Bucs have the ball back near midfield.
Gradkowski's clearly better than your average QB who's playing at this point of a preseason game;
he has the Buc scrubs moving with aplomb. He hits a variety of receivers to get them down to the
7, where Darby takes over, eventually scoring from the 1. Chucky orders up a two again, nothing
doing: 31-19 Jags.
Jacksonville takes the ball back with 6:00 left and never gives it up. When Lester Ricard hits a 21-yard pass on 3rd-and-4 to DeJuan Woods, that was all she wrote. DD Terry collects a bunch of yards and carries to burn out the clock.
Like I've said before, some preseason games you learn nothing from. Not surprisingly, I said that of the last Tampa Bay game. The Buc offense appears worthless, though you could argue that Jeff Garcia was at least efficient, 6-6-43 and a TD. The early action wasn't a defensive showcase as much as it was a display of ineptitude in offense and offensive strategy, especially by the throw-short-on-3rd-and-long Buccaneers. This game also gives me no feel for Jack Del Rio's decision later in preseason to CUT Leftwich after the 4th game and make Gerrard the starter. Leftwich looked all right when he wasn't getting killed; he drove them to 2 TDs. Other than Jones-Drew, though, there is little sign of explosion from either offense. Implosion, yes; explosion, no.
24 down, 41 to go. Up next: Saints vs. Bengals.
Awesome kickoff by Josh Scobey into the deep corner of the end zone. That may be the highlight of this game.
Jagwire LB Pat Thomas stops Cadillac for -3. Cadillac gets only 2 back on 2nd down. Third down. Screen. To Cadillac. OF COURSE IT'S SHORT! Tampa brings the pain early to viewers of its preseason games.
Reggie Nelson watches the ball roll down to the 1 like an idiot. Being a rookie's no excuse for that stupidity. It's not like he never returned a punt in a college game or practice.
1 yard run by Fred Taylor. Dropped pass by Fred Taylor. THROW TAYLOR A SCREEN! THROW TAYLOR A SCREEN! Naw, Byron Leftwich fires a wild pitch over Dennis Northcutt's head at the sideline.
Back-to-back 3-and-outs. My head is already starting to throb. We're just 3:00 into the game!
Jeff Garcia barely escapes a sack by Bobby McCray for a 6-yard scramble. Reggie Nelson stops a sideline pass for no gain. Then - what's this? A FIRST DOWN! Garcia hits Michael Pittman for 7. Perhaps from the excitement, Tampa calls a time out. Christ. That was the first 1st down allowed by the Jax starters here in preseason. Nice throw nets 9 to Galloway. With the game in danger of actually moving at a decent pace, something goes wrong with the stadium clock. Pittman stuffed on 2nd-and-1. Clock seems OK. Maybe it just got bored. Terry Cousin commits pass interference against Galloway at the goal line that was called defensive holding, giving the Bucs a first down at the Jax 19.
EVEN THOUGH THE CLOCK IS STOPPED THE BUCS USE THEIR SECOND TIMEOUT. LORD TAKE ME NOW.
The Jagwire cheerleaders gyrate to the strains of The Police's "Roxanne", a classic rock-and-roll
ode to a prostitute. Real nice musical choice. Of course, how many years did the Rams cheerleaders
come out to "Girls Girls Girls" by Motley Crue before somebody figured out it was a tribute to
strippers?
Garcia gets in trouble, rolls right and throws against his body for a pass that David Boston ?!?!
moves in and scoops up for a 19-yard TD. Buccaneers 7, Jagwires 0.
Jax's 2nd straight 3-and-out ends on a pass broken up by Ronde Barber.
Tampa starts with the exciting play-action dumpoff to Pittman for no gain. Garcia and Pittman then
blow the exchange on a draw play for a 14-yard loss to the 20. LET ME GUESS. SHORT PASS. Close,
handoff to Pittman for 6. VIVA PRESEASON!
Jax takes over at own 35. Taylor cuts back for 7. On 3rd-and-3, Ernest Wilford appears to gain
less than 3, but they give the Jagwires a first. Kevin Carter (!) then ENGULFS Leftwich for a 7-yard sack. 3rd-and-14, guess what they do? THROW SHORT! 9 to Maurice Jones-Drew and it's time to punt. Beautiful, high punt by Adam Podlesh is downed at the 5.
Garcia's out after going 6-6 for 43. Luke McCown at QB, Earnest Graham at RB. Making sure to prolong my agony as much as possible, the Jax defense uses a TO with :20 left in the quarter. Delay of game (AFTER A TIMEOUT?) and a false start by TB, followed by guess what? A SHORT PASS! On 3rd-and-11 to Ike Hilliard.
Bucs fever... CATCH IT!
Jax starts from the Bucs 40 after a poor punt. Leftwich gets in trouble, Jones-Drew breaks upfield a
little, Leftwich hits him, three Bucs tackle each other instead of MoJo, he gallops off for 38 down
to the two. Then - get this - Fred Taylor vultures a TD from MoJo with a 2-yard run. We're tied at 7.
Hey, the Bucs are on the move. McCown hits TE Alex Smith near midfield for a 1st. Then he scrambles 10 for a 1st down. 90 flip to Graham gets 15. Reggie Nelson disturbingly crumples without being touched. He was the only Jax starter left on the field at the time. Maurice Stovall then ruins
things by brutally coughing up the ball after a catch. It bounces right to Jamal Fudge, who stripes
all the way down to the 5 yard line.
From there, Marcedes Lewis drops a TD pass, and Greg Jones can't get in with two tries. Del Rio
disobeys the home crowd and orders up a FG. 10-7, Jagwires.
Chad Owens return is only to the Tampa 15. 3-and-out for the Bucs as McCown throws the team's first two incompletions of the night on 2nd and 3rd down, both poor throws.
Leftwich catching a little fire at the end of the half. 13 and 12 to Wilford gets them into Tampa
territory, and Greg Jones takes a middle run outside for 17 down to the 8. LaBrandon Toefield
then vultures a TD from him! 17-7 Jagwires after the 8-yard TD run.
After two more incompletions, the Bucs... THROW. SHORT. ON. THIRD. DOWN. I don't know why these fuckers don't just punt on first down. WORST. OFFENSE. EVER.
Clearly worn out by his worthless offense, Josh Bidwell hasn't hit a decent punt in his last 3 tries. David Garrard takes over as Jax QB at the 2:00 warning. He scrambles across the 50 for a 1st. Pretty sideline throw and catch by Charles Sharon at the 15. Draw to Toefield gets them to the 3 but uses up their last timeout with 0:15 to go. Garrard scrambles in from the 3 to make it a 24-7 game as the first half runs out.
The Jagwires get a first down to open the third quarter, but Garrard is nearly picked off a couple
of different times to force a punt.
McCown dashes off for 27 to get Tampa in scoring range. Kenneth Darby was having a good drive
until fumbling a pass away at the 5-yard line on first-and-goal. The fumble is once again
covered with, er, by, Fudge.
Alvin Pearman the new Jagwire feature back. They launch an epic drive from their own 5. Garrard
hits Broussard 3 times to convert 3rd- or 2nd-and-longs. Pearman has an 11 yard run down to the
TB 20 as the third quarter runs out. He takes a pass down to the 1, and after failing to get
in the old-fashioned way on 1st-and-goal, takes a 90-flip in on 2nd-and-goal. Jacksonville's
ahead 31-7 on a 14-play, 95-yard, 8:30 drive.
I'll take this point to mention that Chris Simms hasn't seen a down of preseason so far. Honestly, I don't know if he's medically cleared to play or not. I hope not, because Gruden is screwing him over otherwise. I can't believe he'd go from starter to guy-who-gets-cut-without-ever-appearing-in-a-preseason-game.
So, here's Bruce Gradkowski, with Lionel Gates at RB. He and Mark Jones do to the Bucs what
Culpepper and Curry did/will do to the Rams. The Jags blitz big; Gradkowski finds Jones in the middle of the field; Jones breaks a poor tackle and sprints off for the TD, because anybody who would have been around was on the blitz. 31-13 when TB misses the 2, and how big an asshole is Gruden for trying to fight for a tie, in preseason?
Why, by the way, has Tim (no relation) Couch not attained an even greater all-time bust status
than Ryan Leaf? Couch, who's been cut in preseason by the Jagwires, was a #1 pick; Leaf a #2, and
Couch was every bit as useless in Cleveland as Leaf was in San Diego. Couch can't even land a #3
spot for the Jagwires 8 years later and HAS to rank as one of the all-time busts, but for most people, it's still Leaf, Tony Mandarich, and maybe Ki-Jana Carter atop that list.
Looks like Garrard is still in for Jacksonville. He spends the drive handing off to anonymous RBs. DD Terry turns the left corner for a 16 yard run. Roosevelt Kiser loses the ball on a gang tackle; he had it in the wrong hand anyway. Ryan Nece forced it; Quincy Black recovered it, and the Bucs have the ball back near midfield.
Gradkowski's clearly better than your average QB who's playing at this point of a preseason game;
he has the Buc scrubs moving with aplomb. He hits a variety of receivers to get them down to the
7, where Darby takes over, eventually scoring from the 1. Chucky orders up a two again, nothing
doing: 31-19 Jags.
Jacksonville takes the ball back with 6:00 left and never gives it up. When Lester Ricard hits a 21-yard pass on 3rd-and-4 to DeJuan Woods, that was all she wrote. DD Terry collects a bunch of yards and carries to burn out the clock.
Like I've said before, some preseason games you learn nothing from. Not surprisingly, I said that of the last Tampa Bay game. The Buc offense appears worthless, though you could argue that Jeff Garcia was at least efficient, 6-6-43 and a TD. The early action wasn't a defensive showcase as much as it was a display of ineptitude in offense and offensive strategy, especially by the throw-short-on-3rd-and-long Buccaneers. This game also gives me no feel for Jack Del Rio's decision later in preseason to CUT Leftwich after the 4th game and make Gerrard the starter. Leftwich looked all right when he wasn't getting killed; he drove them to 2 TDs. Other than Jones-Drew, though, there is little sign of explosion from either offense. Implosion, yes; explosion, no.
24 down, 41 to go. Up next: Saints vs. Bengals.
Game 23: Eggles 27, Panthers 10
Jeremy Bloom returns the opening kick out to 24. Donovan McNabb making first appearance of the season at QB. Starts off with a 27-yard pass to Kevin Curtis. Rollout and 16 more to Jason Avant. Ken Lucas deflects a laser toward Reggie Brown to force a FG attempt, which David Akers hits from 52, grasshopper. 3-0 Philly.
A short Jake Delhomme pass to DeShaun Foster goes nowhere; Takeo Spikes breaks up an attempted end-around, forcing Delhomme to eat the ball; Juqua Thomas gets big rush on Jake to force throwaway. 3-and-out. Eggles are on top of their game tonight.
Eggles take over at their 12 after not much of a return by Bloom. McNabb converts a 3rd-and-2 with an 18-yard pass to TE Brent Celek, who makes a pretty catch. Donovan then hits TE Matt Schobel with a perfect sideline bomb, and he splits two defenders to gain 57. Tony Hunt drives it in from the 3 to put the Eggles up 10-0. McNabb is ON and his line is giving him perfect protection. Carolina can't do a thing to him.
Panthers 3-and-out again. Darren Howard bats down a 2nd-down pass and Drew Carter can't handle
the 3rd-down pass. Both of these teams are playing completely opposite of week 1. It's notable
how much worse off Carolina is, being unable to run early. Jason Baker has blasted 56- and 60-
yard punts, though. Look out for that September 9th.
Carolina gets a little pressure on McNabb on 3rd down this time and forces a wide throw incomplete.
Juqua Thomas SMOKES Jordan Gross to force a sack/fumble of Delhomme. I'm really surprised more teams didn't go after Thomas this offseason as a free agent. Guy is instant pass rush.
McNabb to Curtis for 13. Dave Ball blows up an end-around for Westbrook. On 3rd down, Carolina
shows a 3-4 look and blitzed the LCB and both ILBs. Ball got McNabb for the sack. Saverio Rocca's punt is fielded by an Eggle at the 4.
Foster shoots off right tackle for 11 to get Carolina out of the hole, followed by DeAngelo Williams stiffarming Chris Gocong to the ground on a 6-yard run as the first quarter expires. Takeo Spikes breaks up a screen and Sheldon Brown bats down a pass for Carter, nice open-field play, to force the punt.
AJ Feeley in for McNabb, who leaves 6-9-138. Holding penalty gives Philadelphia too much ground to make up on 3rd down. Carolina keeps everything in front of them and Feeley's toss to Schobel for 10 is well short. Touchback on punt.
Eggles jump a slant route for the 2nd time for a near INT. That's on 2nd down. On 3rd, they blitz big, Lito whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-oh-oh Sheppard jumps the same route again, picks it off, returns it 40 for a TD. 17-0 Philly. Eggles perfectly exploited Delhomme's reliance on Steve Smith on that play.
HUGE DIFFERENCE this week for Carolina when they can't run. Philly's forcing them to pass, and Delhomme isn't up to the task. Blitzing is giving him and the Panther line all kinds of trouble.
Right off the next kickoff, big fat Mike Patterson sacks Delhomme, who had all day. Coverage
sack, but Delhomme is losing it. On 3rd down, no one open for Delhomme again. He gets swamped
by three different guys while his own line stands around and watches. It's just remarkable
how much different Carolina is this week over last week. STOP. THE. RUN. to beat the Panthers.
Bloom really has not been a factor on returns at all. Doesn't matter, as Eggles grind out a long
drive, scoring a TD and taking the clock inside 2:00. Catches by Hank Baskett and Celek get them
inside the 20. On 3rd and 10, after a Correll Buckhalter drop, Feeley dumps off to Baskett on a short cross and he takes it all the way down to the 2. Tony Hunt surges in on 3rd and goal to put the Eggles up 24-0.
Not without pride, Carolina drives for a late FG. Key plays are a 21-yard completion to Keary Colbert, a 7-yarder to TE Jeff King on 3rd and 7. Panthers are still allowing significant pressure right up the middle. Kasay strokes a 28-yarder at the buzzer to make it 24-3 Philadelphia. Carolina left the starters in the whole first half. That last drive was against the Eggle twos and Carolina still had trouble.
David Carr starts the 2nd half for the Panthers. He slings one to Dante Rosario up the seam
for 31. Drive bogs down on a holding penalty, a Michael Gaines drop and the Eggles blowing up
a screen. Kasay attempts a 50-plus yarder and misses.
Kevin Kolb the new Eggles QB. Carolina's most impressive defense of the night comes after a completion to Baskett across midfield. Stanley McClover stuffs a run. LB James Anderson stuffs a screen pass. On 3rd-and-15, Derrick Strait LEVELS Bloom, who holds on to the pass, but it's not enough for a 1st. It is enough to set David Akers up for a 51-yard attempt, which he hits to extend Philly's lead to 27-3.
Carr drives the Panthers out to midfield, but the Eggles blow up another screen like they've been doing all night, and Victor Abiamiri catches up to Carr for a 6-yard sack.
There's Otis Grigsby again, sacking Kolb after Gary Gibson misses to kill Kolb's next drive.
Carr is only 2-of-8 here in the 3rd quarter. Trying to pass on 2nd down, Carr fumbles when his own
RB Alex Haynes runs by him too close and knocks the ball out of his hand.
Bloom's 13-yard return gets Philly across midfield, and they're in long FG range at the start
of the 4th quarter. Kolb scrambles for 14 to get in closer. But on 4th-and-1, Grigsby stuffs
Jason Davis at the Carolina 10 to get the Panthers the ball back, helped by a questionable spot.
The Panthers look bogged down in their own end until Carr hits Taye Biddle up the sideline for 35.
Biddle's averaging about 48 yards a catch in preseason. Funny it takes all this time to finally hear
from Dwayne Jarrett, a 2nd-round pick I'd thought was projected as a starter. Not at this rate. The
bomb to Biddle seems to have gotten the Carolina offense running more smoothly. Carr's hitting
everything, his guys are catching it and running hard after the catch. He scrambles for a 9-yard
TD to get Carolina finally in the end zone. 27-10, Eggles. Great drive for Carolina: 11 plays,
90 yards, 6 minutes.
Not a banner night for Jason Davis, who fumbles on the first play after the kickoff to give
the ball back to Carolina.
Brett Basanez in at QB for Carolina. Not a banner night for him, either, he makes a terrible
throw against a blitz directly to Rashard Barksdale for an INT. Ball right back to Philly.
Eggles burn about 3:00 off behind Nate Ilaoa and punt it back.
Ugly 3-and-out for Basanez and the Panthers, with two poor throws and a near-pick.
3-and-out for Philly now. At least they have the courtesy to keep the clock running.
Last shot for the Panthers with 0:58 left, from their own 3. Drop by Chad Upshaw, short completion
to Biddle, low pass incomplete. Panthers punt and Eggles kneel on it for the win, 27-10.
Amazing how much difference a week of preseason makes. With McNabb at the wheel, the Eggle offense was scary good. He eased a lot of tension in Eggle Nation with his 6-9-138, 1 TD performance. Brent Celek looks good enough to start at TE. Almost everybody stood out in a dominating defensive performance. They got away with averaging 2.1 a rush on offense because they held Carolina to 2.8 a pass. I still say more teams should have gone after Juqua Thomas.
Wow, which Carolina was the real one? Philly's blitzing made the offensive line look completely inadequate, and Delhomme played rattled football. Plenty of tape there for the Rams staff to watch for September 9th. Some bright spots on D, like Otis Grigsby and Stanley McClover, but Delhomme really looked vulnerable behind a shaky offensive line.
23 down, 42 to go. Next game: Jagwires-Buccaneers.
A short Jake Delhomme pass to DeShaun Foster goes nowhere; Takeo Spikes breaks up an attempted end-around, forcing Delhomme to eat the ball; Juqua Thomas gets big rush on Jake to force throwaway. 3-and-out. Eggles are on top of their game tonight.
Eggles take over at their 12 after not much of a return by Bloom. McNabb converts a 3rd-and-2 with an 18-yard pass to TE Brent Celek, who makes a pretty catch. Donovan then hits TE Matt Schobel with a perfect sideline bomb, and he splits two defenders to gain 57. Tony Hunt drives it in from the 3 to put the Eggles up 10-0. McNabb is ON and his line is giving him perfect protection. Carolina can't do a thing to him.
Panthers 3-and-out again. Darren Howard bats down a 2nd-down pass and Drew Carter can't handle
the 3rd-down pass. Both of these teams are playing completely opposite of week 1. It's notable
how much worse off Carolina is, being unable to run early. Jason Baker has blasted 56- and 60-
yard punts, though. Look out for that September 9th.
Carolina gets a little pressure on McNabb on 3rd down this time and forces a wide throw incomplete.
Juqua Thomas SMOKES Jordan Gross to force a sack/fumble of Delhomme. I'm really surprised more teams didn't go after Thomas this offseason as a free agent. Guy is instant pass rush.
McNabb to Curtis for 13. Dave Ball blows up an end-around for Westbrook. On 3rd down, Carolina
shows a 3-4 look and blitzed the LCB and both ILBs. Ball got McNabb for the sack. Saverio Rocca's punt is fielded by an Eggle at the 4.
Foster shoots off right tackle for 11 to get Carolina out of the hole, followed by DeAngelo Williams stiffarming Chris Gocong to the ground on a 6-yard run as the first quarter expires. Takeo Spikes breaks up a screen and Sheldon Brown bats down a pass for Carter, nice open-field play, to force the punt.
AJ Feeley in for McNabb, who leaves 6-9-138. Holding penalty gives Philadelphia too much ground to make up on 3rd down. Carolina keeps everything in front of them and Feeley's toss to Schobel for 10 is well short. Touchback on punt.
Eggles jump a slant route for the 2nd time for a near INT. That's on 2nd down. On 3rd, they blitz big, Lito whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-oh-oh Sheppard jumps the same route again, picks it off, returns it 40 for a TD. 17-0 Philly. Eggles perfectly exploited Delhomme's reliance on Steve Smith on that play.
HUGE DIFFERENCE this week for Carolina when they can't run. Philly's forcing them to pass, and Delhomme isn't up to the task. Blitzing is giving him and the Panther line all kinds of trouble.
Right off the next kickoff, big fat Mike Patterson sacks Delhomme, who had all day. Coverage
sack, but Delhomme is losing it. On 3rd down, no one open for Delhomme again. He gets swamped
by three different guys while his own line stands around and watches. It's just remarkable
how much different Carolina is this week over last week. STOP. THE. RUN. to beat the Panthers.
Bloom really has not been a factor on returns at all. Doesn't matter, as Eggles grind out a long
drive, scoring a TD and taking the clock inside 2:00. Catches by Hank Baskett and Celek get them
inside the 20. On 3rd and 10, after a Correll Buckhalter drop, Feeley dumps off to Baskett on a short cross and he takes it all the way down to the 2. Tony Hunt surges in on 3rd and goal to put the Eggles up 24-0.
Not without pride, Carolina drives for a late FG. Key plays are a 21-yard completion to Keary Colbert, a 7-yarder to TE Jeff King on 3rd and 7. Panthers are still allowing significant pressure right up the middle. Kasay strokes a 28-yarder at the buzzer to make it 24-3 Philadelphia. Carolina left the starters in the whole first half. That last drive was against the Eggle twos and Carolina still had trouble.
David Carr starts the 2nd half for the Panthers. He slings one to Dante Rosario up the seam
for 31. Drive bogs down on a holding penalty, a Michael Gaines drop and the Eggles blowing up
a screen. Kasay attempts a 50-plus yarder and misses.
Kevin Kolb the new Eggles QB. Carolina's most impressive defense of the night comes after a completion to Baskett across midfield. Stanley McClover stuffs a run. LB James Anderson stuffs a screen pass. On 3rd-and-15, Derrick Strait LEVELS Bloom, who holds on to the pass, but it's not enough for a 1st. It is enough to set David Akers up for a 51-yard attempt, which he hits to extend Philly's lead to 27-3.
Carr drives the Panthers out to midfield, but the Eggles blow up another screen like they've been doing all night, and Victor Abiamiri catches up to Carr for a 6-yard sack.
There's Otis Grigsby again, sacking Kolb after Gary Gibson misses to kill Kolb's next drive.
Carr is only 2-of-8 here in the 3rd quarter. Trying to pass on 2nd down, Carr fumbles when his own
RB Alex Haynes runs by him too close and knocks the ball out of his hand.
Bloom's 13-yard return gets Philly across midfield, and they're in long FG range at the start
of the 4th quarter. Kolb scrambles for 14 to get in closer. But on 4th-and-1, Grigsby stuffs
Jason Davis at the Carolina 10 to get the Panthers the ball back, helped by a questionable spot.
The Panthers look bogged down in their own end until Carr hits Taye Biddle up the sideline for 35.
Biddle's averaging about 48 yards a catch in preseason. Funny it takes all this time to finally hear
from Dwayne Jarrett, a 2nd-round pick I'd thought was projected as a starter. Not at this rate. The
bomb to Biddle seems to have gotten the Carolina offense running more smoothly. Carr's hitting
everything, his guys are catching it and running hard after the catch. He scrambles for a 9-yard
TD to get Carolina finally in the end zone. 27-10, Eggles. Great drive for Carolina: 11 plays,
90 yards, 6 minutes.
Not a banner night for Jason Davis, who fumbles on the first play after the kickoff to give
the ball back to Carolina.
Brett Basanez in at QB for Carolina. Not a banner night for him, either, he makes a terrible
throw against a blitz directly to Rashard Barksdale for an INT. Ball right back to Philly.
Eggles burn about 3:00 off behind Nate Ilaoa and punt it back.
Ugly 3-and-out for Basanez and the Panthers, with two poor throws and a near-pick.
3-and-out for Philly now. At least they have the courtesy to keep the clock running.
Last shot for the Panthers with 0:58 left, from their own 3. Drop by Chad Upshaw, short completion
to Biddle, low pass incomplete. Panthers punt and Eggles kneel on it for the win, 27-10.
Amazing how much difference a week of preseason makes. With McNabb at the wheel, the Eggle offense was scary good. He eased a lot of tension in Eggle Nation with his 6-9-138, 1 TD performance. Brent Celek looks good enough to start at TE. Almost everybody stood out in a dominating defensive performance. They got away with averaging 2.1 a rush on offense because they held Carolina to 2.8 a pass. I still say more teams should have gone after Juqua Thomas.
Wow, which Carolina was the real one? Philly's blitzing made the offensive line look completely inadequate, and Delhomme played rattled football. Plenty of tape there for the Rams staff to watch for September 9th. Some bright spots on D, like Otis Grigsby and Stanley McClover, but Delhomme really looked vulnerable behind a shaky offensive line.
23 down, 42 to go. Next game: Jagwires-Buccaneers.
Game 22: Falcons 13, Bills 10
Falcons win the toss. Jason Snelling is the starting RB. He gets 22 on a handoff out of the shotgun
to put the Falcons in Buffalo territory. A couple more fat openings and Jennings has Atlanta inside the 10. Paul Posluszny did not start for Buffalo but got sent in pretty quickly because of Atlanta's rushing success. He stuffs a 3rd-and-goal run from the 1. Atlanta goes for it, but gets stuffed by Donte Whitner on 4th-and-goal. So the Bills start things out with a huge goal line stand.
Marshawn Lynch starts and powers the Bills out of the shadow of their own goal post, then Losman hits his favorite target, Lee Evans, with a 36-yard bomb. A Jason Peters holding penalty bogs the drive down, though, and Buffalo punts.
Joey Harrington immediately throws a what-the-hell-is-that bomb that McGee picks off and returns inside the 20. Buffalo does nothing with it, though. They lose -20- on a bad shotgun snap, Losman misses Peerless Price wide open down the sideline, Rian Lindell misses a 55-yard FG attempt. Not precision offense, there.
Continuing that theme, Atlanta does absolutely nothing with the prime field position, as Roddy White and Laurent Robinson both drop passes en route to a 3-and-out. The good news: they pin Buffalo at the 1 with the punt. The Bills start to dig their way out of that hole as the first quarter expires. No score.
A 10-yard run by Lynch doesn't do much more than give the punter some room. It goes back to Atlanta.
Which Snelling regrets. Wire gets him for a loss on first down and DESTROYS HIM on a shovel pass on 2nd, driving the air out of his lungs and the ball out of his hands. John McCargo recovers for the Bills.
Bills leave Losman at QB but bring A-Train in at RB. Doesn't help the Buffalo offense, though. Chris Houston knocks a sideline pass away from Evans to force another 3-and-out of a drive that started in beautiful field position. Lindell's 48-yard FG finally pops the scoreboard's cherry. 3-0 Buffalo.
Adam Jennings returns the kickoff across midfield AGAINST THE VAUNTED SPECIAL TEAMS OF BOBBY APRIL. You know what they'll do with the prime field position, right? New Atlanta QB is Chris Redman. Wire is actually playing LB tonight, not safety, despite the #27 jersey. McCargo makes a terrific play to stuff a 3rd down run but Atlanta converts on 4th down. Jabari Greer breaks up an end zone pass.Riley Swanson freezes White on 3rd-4 at the 20 to force a FG. Cundiff sticks the 33-yarder to tie the game at 3.
3-and-out for Buffalo. Daren Stone came in on a safety blitz and jumped over a VERY weak blitz pickup attempt by A-Train.
Redman to Robinson on a deep square in for 31 puts Atlanta right back in FG range. Bills blitz big on 3rd-and-9, and you'll never guess who misses a sack - Anthony Hargrove - but there's more than enough pressure to force Redman to throw it away. Cundiff hits from 46 to give Atlanta a 6-3 lead.
Bills 2:00 offense is so conservative, they 3-and-out, even with Losman still at QB. Atlanta gets the ball back with 1:08 left. Steve Fairchild's clearly a student of the Mike Martz school of crappy 2-minute drives.
Redman scrambles for 15 across midfield with 0:28 left. Greer makes another big pass breakup. He's making the all-Preseason team. 10 to Jennings sets up a 54-yard attempt for Cundiff, who is farther left with it than Barack Obama. Falcons lead 6-3 at halftime.
Uh-oh, Trent Edwards is in at QB for Buffalo. His first pass actually travels 10 yards in the air for a
first down. Chris Houston's covering Roscoe Parrish; talk about speed vs. speed. Edwards hits Parrish with a perfect 10-yard pass for another first down. Jimmy Williams sacks him a couple of plays later, though, as Atlanta has come out of halftime blitzing. Buffalo will have to punt.
An Arlen Harris sighting! Now in at RB for Atlanta. Loses two yards! 2nd down, Arlen picks up McCargo, who is about to bury Redman. In doing so, he leaves Hargrove alone for the sack. Even worse, on 3rd down, freaking Hargrove picks off a screen pass to give Buffalo the ball near the Atlanta 10. That's more plays made by Hargrove in one series than he made his entire career as a Ram.
Superb play by Edwards, buying time by rolling left to the sideline and making a terrific 10-yard TD throw to Parrish just past a lunging Houston. 10-6, Buffalo.
Atlanta 3-and-outs when Adam Jennings can't corral Redman's pass on third down.
Fred Jackson of Coe College takes a screen about 20 for Buffalo. Parrish then gains about 6 on an end-around. Atlanta stops the drive with a blitz and sack on 2nd down. Bills punt into the end zone for at least the 2nd straight time.
Atlanta drives to midfield, then takes a big loss as Arlen bobbles the ball away on what was supposed to be a reverse. We-give-up run on 3rd down and punt to end the 3rd quarter. 10-6 Atlanta.
Edwards settles for a dumpoff on 3rd down and Buffalo punts it back. Punt is into the end zone yet again.
DJ Shockley enters at QB for Atlanta. He smokes one to Eric Weems over the middle for 22 and across the 50. He continues to drive them to the Buffalo 25 before he blows out his knee untouched on a 1st-down scramble on 3rd-and-5. Shockley's night, and season, are over. That's that great FieldTurf that nobody ever, ever, ever gets hurt on, by the way. Redman returns to finish the drive. Facemask on Buffalo sets Atlanta up at the 4. Two Harris runs and a defensive hold give Atlanta a fresh set of downs at the one. Off play-action, Redman rolls and hits an open George Cooper to put Atlanta up 13-10 with 2:41 left. 14 play, 80 yard, 7 minute drive.
Bills return kick to 24. Edwards hits Donovan Morgan for 18 near midfield. Edwards has looked very sharp tonight. Just when I say that, it's a couple of wild throws, a false start and a 1-yard dumpoff to leave Buffalo facing a 4th-and-9 at midfield. Falcons surprisingly blitz on 4th-and-9 and bury Edwards to seal the win with 1:28 left, with Arlen Harris killing the clock with 3 runs.
Despite losing the game, Buffalo looked much the more-promising team. Trent Edwards was as sharp week 2 as he was dull week 1. And though they lost a lot of defensive people, they have a lot of new talent stepping in. Coy Wire plays that bastardized LB/S position the way Rams fans wish Adam Archuleta would've played it. John McCargo's been disruptive at DT. Jabari Greer is playing as well as any DB I've seen. And Paul Posluszny may prove to be the best pick of the 2007 draft.
Not as much to say about Atlanta; of course, they started their 3rd-string-at-best RB, so they weren't trying for much. Chris Redman looks like a serviceable backup QB. Adam Jennings continues to make plays as a kick returner and a wide receiver. Chris Houston's looking pretty good for a rookie at DB. But there's no spark to the Falcons, as if something is dogging them.
GUFFAW!
22 down, 43 to go. Next game: Eggles-Panthers.
to put the Falcons in Buffalo territory. A couple more fat openings and Jennings has Atlanta inside the 10. Paul Posluszny did not start for Buffalo but got sent in pretty quickly because of Atlanta's rushing success. He stuffs a 3rd-and-goal run from the 1. Atlanta goes for it, but gets stuffed by Donte Whitner on 4th-and-goal. So the Bills start things out with a huge goal line stand.
Marshawn Lynch starts and powers the Bills out of the shadow of their own goal post, then Losman hits his favorite target, Lee Evans, with a 36-yard bomb. A Jason Peters holding penalty bogs the drive down, though, and Buffalo punts.
Joey Harrington immediately throws a what-the-hell-is-that bomb that McGee picks off and returns inside the 20. Buffalo does nothing with it, though. They lose -20- on a bad shotgun snap, Losman misses Peerless Price wide open down the sideline, Rian Lindell misses a 55-yard FG attempt. Not precision offense, there.
Continuing that theme, Atlanta does absolutely nothing with the prime field position, as Roddy White and Laurent Robinson both drop passes en route to a 3-and-out. The good news: they pin Buffalo at the 1 with the punt. The Bills start to dig their way out of that hole as the first quarter expires. No score.
A 10-yard run by Lynch doesn't do much more than give the punter some room. It goes back to Atlanta.
Which Snelling regrets. Wire gets him for a loss on first down and DESTROYS HIM on a shovel pass on 2nd, driving the air out of his lungs and the ball out of his hands. John McCargo recovers for the Bills.
Bills leave Losman at QB but bring A-Train in at RB. Doesn't help the Buffalo offense, though. Chris Houston knocks a sideline pass away from Evans to force another 3-and-out of a drive that started in beautiful field position. Lindell's 48-yard FG finally pops the scoreboard's cherry. 3-0 Buffalo.
Adam Jennings returns the kickoff across midfield AGAINST THE VAUNTED SPECIAL TEAMS OF BOBBY APRIL. You know what they'll do with the prime field position, right? New Atlanta QB is Chris Redman. Wire is actually playing LB tonight, not safety, despite the #27 jersey. McCargo makes a terrific play to stuff a 3rd down run but Atlanta converts on 4th down. Jabari Greer breaks up an end zone pass.Riley Swanson freezes White on 3rd-4 at the 20 to force a FG. Cundiff sticks the 33-yarder to tie the game at 3.
3-and-out for Buffalo. Daren Stone came in on a safety blitz and jumped over a VERY weak blitz pickup attempt by A-Train.
Redman to Robinson on a deep square in for 31 puts Atlanta right back in FG range. Bills blitz big on 3rd-and-9, and you'll never guess who misses a sack - Anthony Hargrove - but there's more than enough pressure to force Redman to throw it away. Cundiff hits from 46 to give Atlanta a 6-3 lead.
Bills 2:00 offense is so conservative, they 3-and-out, even with Losman still at QB. Atlanta gets the ball back with 1:08 left. Steve Fairchild's clearly a student of the Mike Martz school of crappy 2-minute drives.
Redman scrambles for 15 across midfield with 0:28 left. Greer makes another big pass breakup. He's making the all-Preseason team. 10 to Jennings sets up a 54-yard attempt for Cundiff, who is farther left with it than Barack Obama. Falcons lead 6-3 at halftime.
Uh-oh, Trent Edwards is in at QB for Buffalo. His first pass actually travels 10 yards in the air for a
first down. Chris Houston's covering Roscoe Parrish; talk about speed vs. speed. Edwards hits Parrish with a perfect 10-yard pass for another first down. Jimmy Williams sacks him a couple of plays later, though, as Atlanta has come out of halftime blitzing. Buffalo will have to punt.
An Arlen Harris sighting! Now in at RB for Atlanta. Loses two yards! 2nd down, Arlen picks up McCargo, who is about to bury Redman. In doing so, he leaves Hargrove alone for the sack. Even worse, on 3rd down, freaking Hargrove picks off a screen pass to give Buffalo the ball near the Atlanta 10. That's more plays made by Hargrove in one series than he made his entire career as a Ram.
Superb play by Edwards, buying time by rolling left to the sideline and making a terrific 10-yard TD throw to Parrish just past a lunging Houston. 10-6, Buffalo.
Atlanta 3-and-outs when Adam Jennings can't corral Redman's pass on third down.
Fred Jackson of Coe College takes a screen about 20 for Buffalo. Parrish then gains about 6 on an end-around. Atlanta stops the drive with a blitz and sack on 2nd down. Bills punt into the end zone for at least the 2nd straight time.
Atlanta drives to midfield, then takes a big loss as Arlen bobbles the ball away on what was supposed to be a reverse. We-give-up run on 3rd down and punt to end the 3rd quarter. 10-6 Atlanta.
Edwards settles for a dumpoff on 3rd down and Buffalo punts it back. Punt is into the end zone yet again.
DJ Shockley enters at QB for Atlanta. He smokes one to Eric Weems over the middle for 22 and across the 50. He continues to drive them to the Buffalo 25 before he blows out his knee untouched on a 1st-down scramble on 3rd-and-5. Shockley's night, and season, are over. That's that great FieldTurf that nobody ever, ever, ever gets hurt on, by the way. Redman returns to finish the drive. Facemask on Buffalo sets Atlanta up at the 4. Two Harris runs and a defensive hold give Atlanta a fresh set of downs at the one. Off play-action, Redman rolls and hits an open George Cooper to put Atlanta up 13-10 with 2:41 left. 14 play, 80 yard, 7 minute drive.
Bills return kick to 24. Edwards hits Donovan Morgan for 18 near midfield. Edwards has looked very sharp tonight. Just when I say that, it's a couple of wild throws, a false start and a 1-yard dumpoff to leave Buffalo facing a 4th-and-9 at midfield. Falcons surprisingly blitz on 4th-and-9 and bury Edwards to seal the win with 1:28 left, with Arlen Harris killing the clock with 3 runs.
Despite losing the game, Buffalo looked much the more-promising team. Trent Edwards was as sharp week 2 as he was dull week 1. And though they lost a lot of defensive people, they have a lot of new talent stepping in. Coy Wire plays that bastardized LB/S position the way Rams fans wish Adam Archuleta would've played it. John McCargo's been disruptive at DT. Jabari Greer is playing as well as any DB I've seen. And Paul Posluszny may prove to be the best pick of the 2007 draft.
Not as much to say about Atlanta; of course, they started their 3rd-string-at-best RB, so they weren't trying for much. Chris Redman looks like a serviceable backup QB. Adam Jennings continues to make plays as a kick returner and a wide receiver. Chris Houston's looking pretty good for a rookie at DB. But there's no spark to the Falcons, as if something is dogging them.
GUFFAW!
22 down, 43 to go. Next game: Eggles-Panthers.
Game 21: Titans 27, Patriots 24
Tennessee starts with the ball. Vince Young gets to play this week; Chris Henry starts at
TB. Titan passing game can't get it going early. On 3rd down, Vince slips on rain-slick turf
and is eventually sacked. Blatant blow to the head by Jarvis Green not called. 123-kick, Titans.
Donte Stallworth starting at WR for New England tonight. Brady at QB, of course. Wes Welker
also playing. Randy Moss and Laurence Maroney are out; I have no idea what's wrong with either.
Kevin Faulk is starting TB. Brady finds Stallworth for about 15 and a first down.
Well, here's a stupid throw you never saw coming. Kyle Vanden Bosch stunts and comes up the
middle at Brady untouched. The golden boy rushes his throw, and it's bad, well over his receiver's
head and right to Cortland Finnegan, who shoots up the sideline with it for a touchdowwwnnnn,
Titans! 7-0, Tennessee.
Well-designed screen to Kevin Faulk for 21 moves New England across midfield. On 3rd-and-11 a couple of plays later, Brady freezes the Titan DB in the end zone with a wicked pump fake and then tosses to wide-open Wes Welker to tie the game at 7 with a 28-yard TD.
Tennessee loses the ball exactly one play later as Young and Henry blow the exchange. Heath Evans finishes off a 6-rush, 23-yard TD drive with a nice cutback run from the 2. 14-7 New England.
Michael Griffin returns the kick out to the 40. Titans do nothing with the good field position. A holding penalty moves them backwards and they three-and-out. Griffin gets to the goal line ahead of Hentrich's punt and then absent-mindedly lets it roll past him for the touchback. He was actually
avoiding the ball, as if he forgot he was downing the punt vs. returning it.
Vanden Bosch gets a sack/fumble of Brady that is originally called a tuck rule play, of course. Jeff Fisher challenges and actually gets the call. New England recovered the fumble anyway. They three-and-out after a bad Welker drop on 3rd down. Randy Cross accidentally calls T Matt Light Todd Lyght. The Titans don't even get any field position advantage in the exchange because Danny Baugher hits a 78-yard punt-and-roll.
Titans come out mostly throwing. Young has one low ball caught, one not. Worthless piece of shit Rodney Harrison breaks up a well-thrown bomb for Eric Moulds. Tennessee tries to roll Vince out on 3rd down but the lineman can barely keep Mike Vrabel out of his face. The throw is off, and TOO SHORT ANYWAY. Titans punt.
Great field position exchange for the Patriots, who take over near midfield as the 1st quarter runs out.
Patriots catch Titans with too many men on the field for a 1st down. Then Logan Mankins gets called for a hold. Faulk gets nearly the whole amount back the next play on a screen. It's 2nd-and-3; Albert Haynesworth's hurt and being helped off the field.
NFL Network then cuts out about 2:00 worth of game time because of audio difficulties. We miss an
end zone DPI that puts NE on the 1, a goal line stand by Tennessee and a missed FG. So I guess
Tennessee's broadcast had technical difficulties, too? NFL-N could have spliced them in, or let
them do the first half and NE do the 2nd half. NFL-N really blew it here.
So anyway, it's now magically Tennessee's ball again, Titans trailing 14-7. Patriots blitz on
3rd-and-8, and Vince takes off for I believe the first time tonight, for a first down. Three
incompletions follow, though, and Vince is just 3-12-36 so far. Can't dismiss the rain tonight
as a factor, but he appears to be letting the pass pressure rush his throws.
Patriots go no-huddle but go 3-and-out. On 3rd-down, Antwan Odom BLASTS Brady in the pocket right as he passes. The pass is picked off by long-haired Lamont Thompson. Crowd just seems too relieved Brady got back up to care about the INT.
Not even halfway through the 2nd quarter, Tennessee has been charged with TEN penalties for
EIGHTY yards. Vince's night is going downhill rapidly. He's sacked by LeKevin Smith on 2nd down and
ABSOLUTELY BLASTED by piece-of-shit Harrison on 3rd with what looked like a massive forearm shot. Why didn't you dive at his knees, Rodney?
Pats get about 40 yards of screen passes to Faulk and sloppy tackling by Tennessee, down to the 10 yard line. They're still in the no-huddle. Both moves seem intended to take Tennessee's defensive
aggressiveness away. Pats actually get called for OPI in the end zone and end up settling for
a FG. Gostkowski hits this one to put the Pats up 17-7.
After another 123-kick, Young's now 3-14-36, including a terrible low fastball on a quick screen
and a 3rd-down pass under pressure nearly picked off by piece of shit Harrison. Norm Chow, you
gotta do something with Vince here. He has been chained to the pocket tonight, which is like
chaining him to the bow of the Titanic. Pats getting big nights defensively from Vrabel and
Jarvis Green.
Matt Cassel enters the game at QB much to the relief of Brady fantasy owners everywhere. It's an
inauspicious start. They lose two on a run. Ben Watson can't block Odom, which really isn't a surprise, for a 2nd down sack. Why court that matchup? Simple 4-man rush; why is the TE
blocking a DE instead of the tackle? Draw play to Morris well short on 3rd down at the 2:00 warning.
Huge first half for Odom.
Titans try to run the 2:00 offense. After a rare completion, Young takes another nasty hit, from
Junior Seau, another cheap shot artist, who piggybacks Young (cleanly) to the ground. On 2nd-and-17, Young is less than a second from being sacked again, but he dumps off at the last second to Bo Scaife, who has a lot of running room with the Pats blitzing, rumbling off for 52 down to the NE 3. Great play by Young and Scaife. On 1st-and-goal, Chris Henry trips short of the goal. Tenn tries to rush the 2nd down play but Vince can't push his way in. 3rd-and-goal pass is incomplete. Tenn goes on 4th down, and roll out Vince on a designed run, apparently determined to get him killed, but he's stopped short by Tedy Bruschi, Seau, and piece of shit, among others. What an awful half for Young. Nothing to show for tonight's effort other than bruises. 5-17-102, 4 sacks.
Patriots run out the clock to halftime.
Michael Griffin picks off Cassel on the third play of the half, outwrestling Reche Caldwell for
a ball thrown behind the receiver. Nice play. Tennessee takes over in NE territory with a backfield of
Kerry Collins and Chris Brown. Collins throws a nice ball to tightly-covered Roydell Williams for
a 15-yard TD. 17-14.
New England has almost completely abandoned the run. Cassel leads them across midfield, but Evans
gets stuffed on a screen and Ryan Fowler knocks down a pass downfield on 3rd down to force the punt. Cassel got his arm hooked on a throw by Sean Conover earlier in the drive and may have injured it.
17-yard completion from Collins to Casey Cramer puts Tennessee at the Patriot 20. But TE Ahmard Hall fails to get both feet in on a 2nd-and-3 catch and Tory James plays the fade route to Roydell well for a 3rd down incomplete. John Vaughn ties the game at 17 with a 31-yard FG.
Garrett Mills tips a ball that may or may not have been intended for him, and Griffin dives for
the deflection for his 2nd INT of the night. Tennessee takes over again near midfield. Brown
breaks off an 8-yard run and Tennessee is at the NE 25 as the 4th quarter begins.
Dontrelle Moore finishes off a workmanlike Titan drive with a 4-yard TD for a 24-17 lead. Unlike
New England, Tennessee's running well and balancing their game plan.
Matt Gutierrez is in at QB for NE. Nice 3rd-down pass to Bam Childress goes a long way when
Bam alertly realizes he was down at first without being touched, and he picks up a bunch of
extra yards on a 26 reception. Great pass to CJ Jones (who set this drive up by returning
the kickoff across the 40) to the 10. On 4th-and-goal, Gutierrez can't find anyone but
scrambles in from the 2. Annoyingly, Belichick lines up for the 2-point conversion, then calls
timeout and kicks the PAT to tie the game with 6:00 left.
New Titan QB is Tim Rattay. They dink their way to midfield, where Rattay then finds Justin Gage for 20. They get inside the 5 with 2:00 left and settle for a FG when Rattay can't find anyone on 3rd and goal. Vaughn puts the Titans up 27-24 with 1:45 left.
Pats have the ball at their 30 with 1:39 left. Titans force a 4-and-out to lock up the win. Gutierrez
throws a terrible screen pass on 2nd down, & Colin Allred defends a pass to Mills on 4th down. Titans run it out.
This game is why preseason games are such a big headache. Two of the game's biggest stars, Young and Brady, go out into meaningless games and get the crap knocked out of them. Tennessee got the kind of game out of Michael Griffin you love to see from your first round pick: 2 INTs. Lively game for Antwan Odom as well. Offensively, the passing game continues to be an abortion; let's assume Norm Chow has Vince Young under orders not to run out of the pocket until games count. Because he ain't going to get it done from the pocket.
New England's game was a little mystifying. Pass-run ration was about 60-40 because they only averaged 2.7 per rush. Four picks and three fumbles (none lost) are hardly befitting of a Belichick team. About the only bright spots were Mike Vrabel and Jarvis Green on defense. Then again, Tennessee was probably trying to make up for the Washington game, while New England's just trying to make it to September.
21 down, 44 to go. Next game: Falcons-Bills.
TB. Titan passing game can't get it going early. On 3rd down, Vince slips on rain-slick turf
and is eventually sacked. Blatant blow to the head by Jarvis Green not called. 123-kick, Titans.
Donte Stallworth starting at WR for New England tonight. Brady at QB, of course. Wes Welker
also playing. Randy Moss and Laurence Maroney are out; I have no idea what's wrong with either.
Kevin Faulk is starting TB. Brady finds Stallworth for about 15 and a first down.
Well, here's a stupid throw you never saw coming. Kyle Vanden Bosch stunts and comes up the
middle at Brady untouched. The golden boy rushes his throw, and it's bad, well over his receiver's
head and right to Cortland Finnegan, who shoots up the sideline with it for a touchdowwwnnnn,
Titans! 7-0, Tennessee.
Well-designed screen to Kevin Faulk for 21 moves New England across midfield. On 3rd-and-11 a couple of plays later, Brady freezes the Titan DB in the end zone with a wicked pump fake and then tosses to wide-open Wes Welker to tie the game at 7 with a 28-yard TD.
Tennessee loses the ball exactly one play later as Young and Henry blow the exchange. Heath Evans finishes off a 6-rush, 23-yard TD drive with a nice cutback run from the 2. 14-7 New England.
Michael Griffin returns the kick out to the 40. Titans do nothing with the good field position. A holding penalty moves them backwards and they three-and-out. Griffin gets to the goal line ahead of Hentrich's punt and then absent-mindedly lets it roll past him for the touchback. He was actually
avoiding the ball, as if he forgot he was downing the punt vs. returning it.
Vanden Bosch gets a sack/fumble of Brady that is originally called a tuck rule play, of course. Jeff Fisher challenges and actually gets the call. New England recovered the fumble anyway. They three-and-out after a bad Welker drop on 3rd down. Randy Cross accidentally calls T Matt Light Todd Lyght. The Titans don't even get any field position advantage in the exchange because Danny Baugher hits a 78-yard punt-and-roll.
Titans come out mostly throwing. Young has one low ball caught, one not. Worthless piece of shit Rodney Harrison breaks up a well-thrown bomb for Eric Moulds. Tennessee tries to roll Vince out on 3rd down but the lineman can barely keep Mike Vrabel out of his face. The throw is off, and TOO SHORT ANYWAY. Titans punt.
Great field position exchange for the Patriots, who take over near midfield as the 1st quarter runs out.
Patriots catch Titans with too many men on the field for a 1st down. Then Logan Mankins gets called for a hold. Faulk gets nearly the whole amount back the next play on a screen. It's 2nd-and-3; Albert Haynesworth's hurt and being helped off the field.
NFL Network then cuts out about 2:00 worth of game time because of audio difficulties. We miss an
end zone DPI that puts NE on the 1, a goal line stand by Tennessee and a missed FG. So I guess
Tennessee's broadcast had technical difficulties, too? NFL-N could have spliced them in, or let
them do the first half and NE do the 2nd half. NFL-N really blew it here.
So anyway, it's now magically Tennessee's ball again, Titans trailing 14-7. Patriots blitz on
3rd-and-8, and Vince takes off for I believe the first time tonight, for a first down. Three
incompletions follow, though, and Vince is just 3-12-36 so far. Can't dismiss the rain tonight
as a factor, but he appears to be letting the pass pressure rush his throws.
Patriots go no-huddle but go 3-and-out. On 3rd-down, Antwan Odom BLASTS Brady in the pocket right as he passes. The pass is picked off by long-haired Lamont Thompson. Crowd just seems too relieved Brady got back up to care about the INT.
Not even halfway through the 2nd quarter, Tennessee has been charged with TEN penalties for
EIGHTY yards. Vince's night is going downhill rapidly. He's sacked by LeKevin Smith on 2nd down and
ABSOLUTELY BLASTED by piece-of-shit Harrison on 3rd with what looked like a massive forearm shot. Why didn't you dive at his knees, Rodney?
Pats get about 40 yards of screen passes to Faulk and sloppy tackling by Tennessee, down to the 10 yard line. They're still in the no-huddle. Both moves seem intended to take Tennessee's defensive
aggressiveness away. Pats actually get called for OPI in the end zone and end up settling for
a FG. Gostkowski hits this one to put the Pats up 17-7.
After another 123-kick, Young's now 3-14-36, including a terrible low fastball on a quick screen
and a 3rd-down pass under pressure nearly picked off by piece of shit Harrison. Norm Chow, you
gotta do something with Vince here. He has been chained to the pocket tonight, which is like
chaining him to the bow of the Titanic. Pats getting big nights defensively from Vrabel and
Jarvis Green.
Matt Cassel enters the game at QB much to the relief of Brady fantasy owners everywhere. It's an
inauspicious start. They lose two on a run. Ben Watson can't block Odom, which really isn't a surprise, for a 2nd down sack. Why court that matchup? Simple 4-man rush; why is the TE
blocking a DE instead of the tackle? Draw play to Morris well short on 3rd down at the 2:00 warning.
Huge first half for Odom.
Titans try to run the 2:00 offense. After a rare completion, Young takes another nasty hit, from
Junior Seau, another cheap shot artist, who piggybacks Young (cleanly) to the ground. On 2nd-and-17, Young is less than a second from being sacked again, but he dumps off at the last second to Bo Scaife, who has a lot of running room with the Pats blitzing, rumbling off for 52 down to the NE 3. Great play by Young and Scaife. On 1st-and-goal, Chris Henry trips short of the goal. Tenn tries to rush the 2nd down play but Vince can't push his way in. 3rd-and-goal pass is incomplete. Tenn goes on 4th down, and roll out Vince on a designed run, apparently determined to get him killed, but he's stopped short by Tedy Bruschi, Seau, and piece of shit, among others. What an awful half for Young. Nothing to show for tonight's effort other than bruises. 5-17-102, 4 sacks.
Patriots run out the clock to halftime.
Michael Griffin picks off Cassel on the third play of the half, outwrestling Reche Caldwell for
a ball thrown behind the receiver. Nice play. Tennessee takes over in NE territory with a backfield of
Kerry Collins and Chris Brown. Collins throws a nice ball to tightly-covered Roydell Williams for
a 15-yard TD. 17-14.
New England has almost completely abandoned the run. Cassel leads them across midfield, but Evans
gets stuffed on a screen and Ryan Fowler knocks down a pass downfield on 3rd down to force the punt. Cassel got his arm hooked on a throw by Sean Conover earlier in the drive and may have injured it.
17-yard completion from Collins to Casey Cramer puts Tennessee at the Patriot 20. But TE Ahmard Hall fails to get both feet in on a 2nd-and-3 catch and Tory James plays the fade route to Roydell well for a 3rd down incomplete. John Vaughn ties the game at 17 with a 31-yard FG.
Garrett Mills tips a ball that may or may not have been intended for him, and Griffin dives for
the deflection for his 2nd INT of the night. Tennessee takes over again near midfield. Brown
breaks off an 8-yard run and Tennessee is at the NE 25 as the 4th quarter begins.
Dontrelle Moore finishes off a workmanlike Titan drive with a 4-yard TD for a 24-17 lead. Unlike
New England, Tennessee's running well and balancing their game plan.
Matt Gutierrez is in at QB for NE. Nice 3rd-down pass to Bam Childress goes a long way when
Bam alertly realizes he was down at first without being touched, and he picks up a bunch of
extra yards on a 26 reception. Great pass to CJ Jones (who set this drive up by returning
the kickoff across the 40) to the 10. On 4th-and-goal, Gutierrez can't find anyone but
scrambles in from the 2. Annoyingly, Belichick lines up for the 2-point conversion, then calls
timeout and kicks the PAT to tie the game with 6:00 left.
New Titan QB is Tim Rattay. They dink their way to midfield, where Rattay then finds Justin Gage for 20. They get inside the 5 with 2:00 left and settle for a FG when Rattay can't find anyone on 3rd and goal. Vaughn puts the Titans up 27-24 with 1:45 left.
Pats have the ball at their 30 with 1:39 left. Titans force a 4-and-out to lock up the win. Gutierrez
throws a terrible screen pass on 2nd down, & Colin Allred defends a pass to Mills on 4th down. Titans run it out.
This game is why preseason games are such a big headache. Two of the game's biggest stars, Young and Brady, go out into meaningless games and get the crap knocked out of them. Tennessee got the kind of game out of Michael Griffin you love to see from your first round pick: 2 INTs. Lively game for Antwan Odom as well. Offensively, the passing game continues to be an abortion; let's assume Norm Chow has Vince Young under orders not to run out of the pocket until games count. Because he ain't going to get it done from the pocket.
New England's game was a little mystifying. Pass-run ration was about 60-40 because they only averaged 2.7 per rush. Four picks and three fumbles (none lost) are hardly befitting of a Belichick team. About the only bright spots were Mike Vrabel and Jarvis Green on defense. Then again, Tennessee was probably trying to make up for the Washington game, while New England's just trying to make it to September.
21 down, 44 to go. Next game: Falcons-Bills.
Game 20: Vikings 37, Jets 20
For Fox's coverage of Vikings-Jets, we immediately go to fast-forward, because the less of the Ragin' Retard, the better.
Jets start with the ball. Chad Greenway blows up a Jet screen on 2nd down. Vikings having a tough
time not biting on Pennington's hard counts. Pennington scrambles 16 to the 35 on 3rd-and-4. Two plays later, Pennington inexplicably throws it DIRECTLY TO Darren Sharper for a 42-yard pick-6. 7-0, Vikings. Sharper must have been hiding in the weeds, as they say. CRUSHING block by Kevin Williams on D'Brickashaw Ferguson during the INT return.
Brad Smith returns the kickoff across the 35. Jets ran on the first 16 plays last week but are
getting nowhere tonight. Until Leon Washington breaks a run for 13 down to the Minn. 16. The Jets are in no-huddle, and quick snap to catch the Vikings with 12 on the field, which is a lost art in the
NFL these days. Jets get down to the 1 but settle for a FG. Jerricho Cotchery gets penalized with a dubious application of the new spike/delay-of-game rule. Pennington's 3rd down fade pass for Brad Smith is nowhere close. Nugent makes it 7-3.
5:45 left in the first, and the Viking offense is on the field for the first time. They don't stay
there long. Bobby Wade's drop on 3rd down puts Minnesota 3-and-out.
Under pressure on 2nd-and-16, Pennington throws a TERRIBLE pass into the flat, a lollipop that
Greenway picks off easily and returns for a TD. Minnesota has had the ball 58 seconds, has no
first downs, and they're leading 14-3. Pennington is making some absolutely TERRIBLE decisions
out there and is playing nothing like a veteran QB.
Wallace Wright returns the kickoff across the 40, and a couple of Leon Washington runs get the Jets
down to the 25. Perhaps unable to trust Pennington, this drive is all runs. Jets face a 3rd-and-8 inside the 20 as the first quarter runs out.
And the call is a handoff to Washington again. Troy Aikman claims the Jets want to practice their
FG attempts. That is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. Congratulations, Troy. Nugent hits
his practice FG to make it 14-6.
Raymond Ventrone becoming a special teams hero for the Jets, POPPING Aundrae Allison inside the 20 on the kickoff return. Adrian Peterson starts with the run of the postseason. Running right, he humiliates Andre Dyson with a spin move, breaks outside up the sideline and bashes David Barrett on the way out of bounds. 43-yard gain. Chester Taylor then follows with a 12-yard run left. Tarvaris Jackson to Sidney Rice inside the 10. Peterson powers it in from the 3 and gives Minnesota a 21-6 lead.
Another nice kick return by Brad Smith. Kellen Clemens is the new Jets QB, and they trust him to
throw right off the bat. Do we have a QB controversy brewing in NY? Ray Edwards continues to have a huge preseason, blowing up a screen to Washington. DRAW PLAY on 3rd-14, and Minnesota is all over it. 1-2-3-kick for the imploding Jets.
Bollinger in for Minnesota even though Jackson was barely in long enough to warm the seat. The Vikings convert on 3rd down, but Shaun Ellis scored a sack/fumble/recovery on a 3rd-and-8 to give the Jets the ball on Minnesota's side of the field.
The Jets look like they're dead again - 3rd-and-10 from the Minn 35 - but Justin McCareins makes
THREE Viking DBs look ABSOLUTELY STUPID en route to a 35-yard TD. He spins away from a poor tackle by Cedric Wilson, made Dwight Smith look like an ASS with a juke, and cut back inside Sharper overrunning it badly. Minnesota wasn't one of the league's worst pass defenses last year for nothin'. 21-13 Vikings.
On 3rd-and-15, Minnesota screens to Taylor for 18. 2:00 warning. Bollinger scrambles for about 10 on 3rd-and-2. Ellis' big 1st half continues with another sack. The Vikes have to hurry the FG team
on to the field with time expiring, and Longwell calmly strokes a 54-yard FG to make it 24-13.
Drew Henson QBing to start the 3rd for Minnesota. Mewelde Moore at TB. Brad Childress' wife used
to babysit Drew Henson? Good grief, how much nepotism is enough with some NFL coaches? Minnesota mostly grinding it out on the ground, including a 4th-and-inches their side of midfield they
barely make. They don't get any farther than that, though, and punt to pin NY inside the 10.
One step forward, two steps back for the Jets. Robison smokes LT #79 to slap the ball out of
Clemens' hand for a fumble. Next play, Pete Kendall, not usually the Jet center, snaps the shotgun
snap a mile over Clemens' head. Clemens makes a play on the bouncing ball worthy of Bill Buckner,
and Robison, who's having a hell of a preseason, scoops it at the goal line and scores with it.
31-13 Vikings. Three defensive TDs.
The Jets turn it over AGAIN, Clemens' 3rd-and-3 pass is tipped away from Chancey Stuckey by Gordon and fielded by Edwards with a diving catch. They take over at the Jet 40. They drive inside the 10 but settle for a Longwell FG when Billy McMullen can't keep his feet in bounds. 34-13 Minnesota.
Brad Smith in as Jets QB. Runs for 9 on 3rd-and-5. He starts the 4th quarter by hitting Sean Ryan
for another 1st down, at midfield. Danny Ware starts gashing the Vikings now with several rushes
of 6-8 yards. Smith hits Ryan with a short but really hard-thrown pass for 5. But Kendall fires
another bad shotgun snap - this one low and outside - on 4th down and Minnesota takes over on downs.
Tyler Thigpen and Artose Pinner now in the Viking backfield. Pinner starts by ripping off a 15-yarder. Thigpen tries to run for it on 3rd-and-13 but is well short.
Jet backfield is now Marques Tuiasosopo and Tony Hollings. New center, too, Wade Smith. Marques
puts together a nice drive, hitting Hollings for a first down on 4th-and-8 across midfield, then
throwing a nice strike to TE Jason Pociask for a 23-yd TD. 34-20.
Par for the course for the Jets tonight, Martin Nance fields the onside kick attempt and returns it to the Jet 15 with 2:00 left. The Vikings chip in a FG and bury Tuiasosopo on the last play of the
game to close out a 37-20 victory.
Minnesota's defense continues to impress. Good to see Chad Greenway rebounding so well after losing last year to injury. Robison continues to play like a monster at DE. Not to mention Peterson's already making highlight reel runs out there.
On the other hand, this was the worst kind of preseason game for the Jets, raising far more doubts than good points. Pennington played so stupidly Brian Schottenheimer quit trusting him to pass. A Mangenius team shouldn't be turning over the ball the way they did. Shaun Ellis is having a super preseason, and I love seeing Brad Smith work the "Slash" position, but they'd better hope Pennington gets his mind right in a hurry.
20 down, 45 to go. Next game: Titans-Patriots.
Jets start with the ball. Chad Greenway blows up a Jet screen on 2nd down. Vikings having a tough
time not biting on Pennington's hard counts. Pennington scrambles 16 to the 35 on 3rd-and-4. Two plays later, Pennington inexplicably throws it DIRECTLY TO Darren Sharper for a 42-yard pick-6. 7-0, Vikings. Sharper must have been hiding in the weeds, as they say. CRUSHING block by Kevin Williams on D'Brickashaw Ferguson during the INT return.
Brad Smith returns the kickoff across the 35. Jets ran on the first 16 plays last week but are
getting nowhere tonight. Until Leon Washington breaks a run for 13 down to the Minn. 16. The Jets are in no-huddle, and quick snap to catch the Vikings with 12 on the field, which is a lost art in the
NFL these days. Jets get down to the 1 but settle for a FG. Jerricho Cotchery gets penalized with a dubious application of the new spike/delay-of-game rule. Pennington's 3rd down fade pass for Brad Smith is nowhere close. Nugent makes it 7-3.
5:45 left in the first, and the Viking offense is on the field for the first time. They don't stay
there long. Bobby Wade's drop on 3rd down puts Minnesota 3-and-out.
Under pressure on 2nd-and-16, Pennington throws a TERRIBLE pass into the flat, a lollipop that
Greenway picks off easily and returns for a TD. Minnesota has had the ball 58 seconds, has no
first downs, and they're leading 14-3. Pennington is making some absolutely TERRIBLE decisions
out there and is playing nothing like a veteran QB.
Wallace Wright returns the kickoff across the 40, and a couple of Leon Washington runs get the Jets
down to the 25. Perhaps unable to trust Pennington, this drive is all runs. Jets face a 3rd-and-8 inside the 20 as the first quarter runs out.
And the call is a handoff to Washington again. Troy Aikman claims the Jets want to practice their
FG attempts. That is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. Congratulations, Troy. Nugent hits
his practice FG to make it 14-6.
Raymond Ventrone becoming a special teams hero for the Jets, POPPING Aundrae Allison inside the 20 on the kickoff return. Adrian Peterson starts with the run of the postseason. Running right, he humiliates Andre Dyson with a spin move, breaks outside up the sideline and bashes David Barrett on the way out of bounds. 43-yard gain. Chester Taylor then follows with a 12-yard run left. Tarvaris Jackson to Sidney Rice inside the 10. Peterson powers it in from the 3 and gives Minnesota a 21-6 lead.
Another nice kick return by Brad Smith. Kellen Clemens is the new Jets QB, and they trust him to
throw right off the bat. Do we have a QB controversy brewing in NY? Ray Edwards continues to have a huge preseason, blowing up a screen to Washington. DRAW PLAY on 3rd-14, and Minnesota is all over it. 1-2-3-kick for the imploding Jets.
Bollinger in for Minnesota even though Jackson was barely in long enough to warm the seat. The Vikings convert on 3rd down, but Shaun Ellis scored a sack/fumble/recovery on a 3rd-and-8 to give the Jets the ball on Minnesota's side of the field.
The Jets look like they're dead again - 3rd-and-10 from the Minn 35 - but Justin McCareins makes
THREE Viking DBs look ABSOLUTELY STUPID en route to a 35-yard TD. He spins away from a poor tackle by Cedric Wilson, made Dwight Smith look like an ASS with a juke, and cut back inside Sharper overrunning it badly. Minnesota wasn't one of the league's worst pass defenses last year for nothin'. 21-13 Vikings.
On 3rd-and-15, Minnesota screens to Taylor for 18. 2:00 warning. Bollinger scrambles for about 10 on 3rd-and-2. Ellis' big 1st half continues with another sack. The Vikes have to hurry the FG team
on to the field with time expiring, and Longwell calmly strokes a 54-yard FG to make it 24-13.
Drew Henson QBing to start the 3rd for Minnesota. Mewelde Moore at TB. Brad Childress' wife used
to babysit Drew Henson? Good grief, how much nepotism is enough with some NFL coaches? Minnesota mostly grinding it out on the ground, including a 4th-and-inches their side of midfield they
barely make. They don't get any farther than that, though, and punt to pin NY inside the 10.
One step forward, two steps back for the Jets. Robison smokes LT #79 to slap the ball out of
Clemens' hand for a fumble. Next play, Pete Kendall, not usually the Jet center, snaps the shotgun
snap a mile over Clemens' head. Clemens makes a play on the bouncing ball worthy of Bill Buckner,
and Robison, who's having a hell of a preseason, scoops it at the goal line and scores with it.
31-13 Vikings. Three defensive TDs.
The Jets turn it over AGAIN, Clemens' 3rd-and-3 pass is tipped away from Chancey Stuckey by Gordon and fielded by Edwards with a diving catch. They take over at the Jet 40. They drive inside the 10 but settle for a Longwell FG when Billy McMullen can't keep his feet in bounds. 34-13 Minnesota.
Brad Smith in as Jets QB. Runs for 9 on 3rd-and-5. He starts the 4th quarter by hitting Sean Ryan
for another 1st down, at midfield. Danny Ware starts gashing the Vikings now with several rushes
of 6-8 yards. Smith hits Ryan with a short but really hard-thrown pass for 5. But Kendall fires
another bad shotgun snap - this one low and outside - on 4th down and Minnesota takes over on downs.
Tyler Thigpen and Artose Pinner now in the Viking backfield. Pinner starts by ripping off a 15-yarder. Thigpen tries to run for it on 3rd-and-13 but is well short.
Jet backfield is now Marques Tuiasosopo and Tony Hollings. New center, too, Wade Smith. Marques
puts together a nice drive, hitting Hollings for a first down on 4th-and-8 across midfield, then
throwing a nice strike to TE Jason Pociask for a 23-yd TD. 34-20.
Par for the course for the Jets tonight, Martin Nance fields the onside kick attempt and returns it to the Jet 15 with 2:00 left. The Vikings chip in a FG and bury Tuiasosopo on the last play of the
game to close out a 37-20 victory.
Minnesota's defense continues to impress. Good to see Chad Greenway rebounding so well after losing last year to injury. Robison continues to play like a monster at DE. Not to mention Peterson's already making highlight reel runs out there.
On the other hand, this was the worst kind of preseason game for the Jets, raising far more doubts than good points. Pennington played so stupidly Brian Schottenheimer quit trusting him to pass. A Mangenius team shouldn't be turning over the ball the way they did. Shaun Ellis is having a super preseason, and I love seeing Brad Smith work the "Slash" position, but they'd better hope Pennington gets his mind right in a hurry.
20 down, 45 to go. Next game: Titans-Patriots.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Game 19: Lions 23, Browns 20
How 'bout that Cleveland offense? On the very first play, Jared DeVries powers in on Kelly Butler's outside shoulder and smacks the ball out of Derek Anderson's hand. Corey Redding falls on it, and the Lions have already taken the ball from the Browns.
On the second play, Shaun McDonald bails out Kitna's bacon after HE gets hit while he throws and puts up a ridiculous lob. Even though they start the drive at the Cleveland 22, Detroit ends up settling for a FG. You'll never guess what they did on 3rd-and-10 from the Browns 12. They threw a pass short of the first down! 3-0, Detroit.
Both of Cleveland's kickoff returns have been out across the 35. It's the Martz Effect. The Browns completely ruin a nice long drive inside the Detroit 10 with some of the most inept offensive management you're ever going to see. They called a timeout. Jamal Lewis ran to the 1. They committed a delay of game. They called ANOTHER timeout. Lewis ran down to the 2. They committed a false start. Anderson tried to force a ball into a crowd and was intercepted by Ernie Sims. Absolutely hilarious.
Oh for God's sake, they are playing the fucking VIVA VIAGRA spot EVERY GOD DAMN COMMERCIAL BREAK. Not only are these assholes celebrating that they can't get it up, they're celebrating how whipped they are. "At the end of the day I'm not a guy who'll stray." "I'm sick of the road, I can't wait to get home." Not, you'll notice, "I cashed out my 401(k), bought a ragtop Chevrolet, looking for a drunk chick to lay." Viagra is actually a feminist conspiracy, isn't it?
That offensive offensive sequence seemed to take the air out of Cleveland's defense, too. Or maybe they're also sick of the non-stop Viva Viagra marathon. Tatum Bell ripped up the middle untouched for 20. Casey Fitzsimmons took a screen pass for 17 with no Brown touching him for a long time. Detroit starts the 2nd quarter at the Cleveland 23, but doesn't get much farther. They cover everybody and pressure Jon Kitna well to force an incompletion on 3rd-and-5. Detroit's FG is good, though, for a 6-0 Lions lead.
Charlie Frye in at QB for Cleveland. They're really working on getting the ball to Braylon Edwards. He has three catches already, two nice ones during the opening drive. Jason Wright is the replacement for Jamal Lewis. Browns make it out to midfield before they're set back by a holding penalty. Frye gets flushed upfield on 3rd-and-5 and is tripped up by Shaun Cody.
Bernie Kosar just described man-mountain Ted Washington as "two Frostys short of 400".
Shaun McDonald has been Kitna's main target tonight; he's been thrown to at least six times already. Shaun found his way into a gap in the zone for a 25-yard catch, but when Detroit gets to midfield, they start going backwards with penalties and eventually punt.
Frye drives Cleveland into Detroit territory, hitting Steve Heiden for 14 on 3rd-and-2 to get out of a hole, and scrambling for 14 out near midfield right before the 2:00 warning. A bit later he is stopped short on 4th-and-2 to turn the ball back over to the Lions with 1:00 left in the half. You'd sure figure much won't come of that lost gamble.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, Kitna catches fire, hitting Troy Walters twice, ex-Rams Brandon Middleton for 20 and McDonald for 14 and the TD to go up 13-0. 28-second TD drive.
With :20 left in the half, Frye's long pass is picked off by Gerald Alexander, who returns it back inside the Cleveland 20. Kenny Byrd's FG at the gun gives Detroit 10 points in just under a minute and a 16-0 lead at halftime.
With JT O'Sullivan in at QB, the Lions open the 2nd half with a 3-and-out.
Derek Anderson enters as QB for Cleveland and hits TE Ryan Krause for 9 to get them across midfield. On a 4th-and-1, he hits Krause again to keep the drive alive, then finds another TE, Darnell Dinkins, for 16. They get to the Lion 20 and have an actual chance to score, but Phil Dawson misses a 36-yarder. The Browns are falling apart before our eyes.
Detroit takes over with large doses of large TJ Duckett. He takes a short pass for 20. After O'Sullivan gets a short gain with a keeper on 4th-and-1, Duckett gets 17 on a 3rd-and-10 pass, and a couple of plays later, works a run outside for a 15-yard TD to a cascade of boos from a bunch of PO'ed Cleveland fans. 23-0, Detroit.
With the crowd chanting for Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey is the lucky stiff who gets to run the Brown offense next. A couple of passes to Travis Wilson take Dorsey and co. into Detroit territory. A DPI gives Cleveland the ball at the 1, and when they immediately false start to move it back, it looks like it'll be comedy of errors time again. But Dorsey hits Krause at the 1 and Jason Wright runs it in from there to put Cleveland on the board. 23-7 Lions.
Dan Orlovsky at QB for Detroit. A holding penalty shuts this drive down right away, the Lions 3-and-out, and...
... the Brady Quinn era begins, to the delight of the home crowd. His presence seems to energize the Cleveland offense. Chris Barclay takes off with a screen pass like he's shot out of a cannon for 30. Quinn hits 4 straight to set Cleveland up at Detroit's 4, including a nice 11-yard sideline pass to Maurice Mann. 2nd-and-goal from the 4, Quinn rolls right and hits Efrem Hill right after he's made a move on the Detroit DB for a TD. Heck of a drive for Quinn, though he can't come up with a completion for the 2-point conversion. 23-13 Lions.
Orlovsky drives Detroit back across midfield, but then they go to the run to burn up clock and Cleveland timeouts. They pin Cleveland at the 8 with the punt and turn it back over to Quinn.
I'm not sure if the star of this last drive should be Quinn or Jerome Harrison, because Quinn throws to Harrison 7 or 8 times. Brady shows a good arm, he moves the offense with a good tempo and makes quick decisions, but his only real downfield pass this drive is a 24-yarder to Steve Sanders. And a nice one that was. But again, just having Quinn behind center seems to have put a spark in the other offensive players. Harrison dives over the goal line with a short pass with 0:24 left to make this suddenly a close game, 23-20, Lions.
Detroit recovers the onside kick, though, and takes a knee to come away with the win.
It's not uncommon in preseason for the team that lost to have the better game. That seems to have come true for Cleveland with Quinn's fine first outing. Yes, he was throwing out of the no-huddle offense and I'm pretty sure Detroit was in soft prevent defense the whole time, but I don't think that's as important as the way the team responded to him. Romeo has to pull the trigger now and make Brady the starter if he has any illusion of coaching in Cleveland in 2008.
Detroit went on the road and dominated a bad team. They're usually awful on the road. The Lions are flickering signs that they are ready to move up to the next level and are ready to at least challenge for a playoff berth. Duckett's performance was valuable since they can't be sure when Kevin Jones will be 100%. Some good playmaking by the defensive line, too; also a good thing if they're to improve over last year.
19 down, 46 to go. Up next: I've got a stack of unmarked tapes here so it could be a surprise. I think it's going to be Tennessee-New England. (Vikings-Jets, actually.)
On the second play, Shaun McDonald bails out Kitna's bacon after HE gets hit while he throws and puts up a ridiculous lob. Even though they start the drive at the Cleveland 22, Detroit ends up settling for a FG. You'll never guess what they did on 3rd-and-10 from the Browns 12. They threw a pass short of the first down! 3-0, Detroit.
Both of Cleveland's kickoff returns have been out across the 35. It's the Martz Effect. The Browns completely ruin a nice long drive inside the Detroit 10 with some of the most inept offensive management you're ever going to see. They called a timeout. Jamal Lewis ran to the 1. They committed a delay of game. They called ANOTHER timeout. Lewis ran down to the 2. They committed a false start. Anderson tried to force a ball into a crowd and was intercepted by Ernie Sims. Absolutely hilarious.
Oh for God's sake, they are playing the fucking VIVA VIAGRA spot EVERY GOD DAMN COMMERCIAL BREAK. Not only are these assholes celebrating that they can't get it up, they're celebrating how whipped they are. "At the end of the day I'm not a guy who'll stray." "I'm sick of the road, I can't wait to get home." Not, you'll notice, "I cashed out my 401(k), bought a ragtop Chevrolet, looking for a drunk chick to lay." Viagra is actually a feminist conspiracy, isn't it?
That offensive offensive sequence seemed to take the air out of Cleveland's defense, too. Or maybe they're also sick of the non-stop Viva Viagra marathon. Tatum Bell ripped up the middle untouched for 20. Casey Fitzsimmons took a screen pass for 17 with no Brown touching him for a long time. Detroit starts the 2nd quarter at the Cleveland 23, but doesn't get much farther. They cover everybody and pressure Jon Kitna well to force an incompletion on 3rd-and-5. Detroit's FG is good, though, for a 6-0 Lions lead.
Charlie Frye in at QB for Cleveland. They're really working on getting the ball to Braylon Edwards. He has three catches already, two nice ones during the opening drive. Jason Wright is the replacement for Jamal Lewis. Browns make it out to midfield before they're set back by a holding penalty. Frye gets flushed upfield on 3rd-and-5 and is tripped up by Shaun Cody.
Bernie Kosar just described man-mountain Ted Washington as "two Frostys short of 400".
Shaun McDonald has been Kitna's main target tonight; he's been thrown to at least six times already. Shaun found his way into a gap in the zone for a 25-yard catch, but when Detroit gets to midfield, they start going backwards with penalties and eventually punt.
Frye drives Cleveland into Detroit territory, hitting Steve Heiden for 14 on 3rd-and-2 to get out of a hole, and scrambling for 14 out near midfield right before the 2:00 warning. A bit later he is stopped short on 4th-and-2 to turn the ball back over to the Lions with 1:00 left in the half. You'd sure figure much won't come of that lost gamble.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, Kitna catches fire, hitting Troy Walters twice, ex-Rams Brandon Middleton for 20 and McDonald for 14 and the TD to go up 13-0. 28-second TD drive.
With :20 left in the half, Frye's long pass is picked off by Gerald Alexander, who returns it back inside the Cleveland 20. Kenny Byrd's FG at the gun gives Detroit 10 points in just under a minute and a 16-0 lead at halftime.
With JT O'Sullivan in at QB, the Lions open the 2nd half with a 3-and-out.
Derek Anderson enters as QB for Cleveland and hits TE Ryan Krause for 9 to get them across midfield. On a 4th-and-1, he hits Krause again to keep the drive alive, then finds another TE, Darnell Dinkins, for 16. They get to the Lion 20 and have an actual chance to score, but Phil Dawson misses a 36-yarder. The Browns are falling apart before our eyes.
Detroit takes over with large doses of large TJ Duckett. He takes a short pass for 20. After O'Sullivan gets a short gain with a keeper on 4th-and-1, Duckett gets 17 on a 3rd-and-10 pass, and a couple of plays later, works a run outside for a 15-yard TD to a cascade of boos from a bunch of PO'ed Cleveland fans. 23-0, Detroit.
With the crowd chanting for Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey is the lucky stiff who gets to run the Brown offense next. A couple of passes to Travis Wilson take Dorsey and co. into Detroit territory. A DPI gives Cleveland the ball at the 1, and when they immediately false start to move it back, it looks like it'll be comedy of errors time again. But Dorsey hits Krause at the 1 and Jason Wright runs it in from there to put Cleveland on the board. 23-7 Lions.
Dan Orlovsky at QB for Detroit. A holding penalty shuts this drive down right away, the Lions 3-and-out, and...
... the Brady Quinn era begins, to the delight of the home crowd. His presence seems to energize the Cleveland offense. Chris Barclay takes off with a screen pass like he's shot out of a cannon for 30. Quinn hits 4 straight to set Cleveland up at Detroit's 4, including a nice 11-yard sideline pass to Maurice Mann. 2nd-and-goal from the 4, Quinn rolls right and hits Efrem Hill right after he's made a move on the Detroit DB for a TD. Heck of a drive for Quinn, though he can't come up with a completion for the 2-point conversion. 23-13 Lions.
Orlovsky drives Detroit back across midfield, but then they go to the run to burn up clock and Cleveland timeouts. They pin Cleveland at the 8 with the punt and turn it back over to Quinn.
I'm not sure if the star of this last drive should be Quinn or Jerome Harrison, because Quinn throws to Harrison 7 or 8 times. Brady shows a good arm, he moves the offense with a good tempo and makes quick decisions, but his only real downfield pass this drive is a 24-yarder to Steve Sanders. And a nice one that was. But again, just having Quinn behind center seems to have put a spark in the other offensive players. Harrison dives over the goal line with a short pass with 0:24 left to make this suddenly a close game, 23-20, Lions.
Detroit recovers the onside kick, though, and takes a knee to come away with the win.
It's not uncommon in preseason for the team that lost to have the better game. That seems to have come true for Cleveland with Quinn's fine first outing. Yes, he was throwing out of the no-huddle offense and I'm pretty sure Detroit was in soft prevent defense the whole time, but I don't think that's as important as the way the team responded to him. Romeo has to pull the trigger now and make Brady the starter if he has any illusion of coaching in Cleveland in 2008.
Detroit went on the road and dominated a bad team. They're usually awful on the road. The Lions are flickering signs that they are ready to move up to the next level and are ready to at least challenge for a playoff berth. Duckett's performance was valuable since they can't be sure when Kevin Jones will be 100%. Some good playmaking by the defensive line, too; also a good thing if they're to improve over last year.
19 down, 46 to go. Up next: I've got a stack of unmarked tapes here so it could be a surprise. I think it's going to be Tennessee-New England. (Vikings-Jets, actually.)
Week 2: Game 18: Chargers 30, Rams 13
RamView
Rams struggled a bit more than they did the week before in run defense, and the special teams annoyingly sprung another TD-sized leak. Marques Hagans continues to excel at wideout.
San Diego's most dominating player was Shaun Phillips, who the Rams coulda/shoulda drafted a couple of years ago instead of stupid Anthony Hargrove. Twice Phillips nearly blasted Marc Bulger into next week.
My RamView duties and other duties have put me WAY behind the 8-ball as far as the rest of Week 2 is concerned. About all I've been able to do this weekend is collect most of the games on tape. The plan right now is to catch Detroit-Cleveland on NFL Network as the next game.
Rams struggled a bit more than they did the week before in run defense, and the special teams annoyingly sprung another TD-sized leak. Marques Hagans continues to excel at wideout.
San Diego's most dominating player was Shaun Phillips, who the Rams coulda/shoulda drafted a couple of years ago instead of stupid Anthony Hargrove. Twice Phillips nearly blasted Marc Bulger into next week.
My RamView duties and other duties have put me WAY behind the 8-ball as far as the rest of Week 2 is concerned. About all I've been able to do this weekend is collect most of the games on tape. The plan right now is to catch Detroit-Cleveland on NFL Network as the next game.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Game 17: Jets 31, Falcons 16
Falcons start with the ball at their 20. Joey Harrington at QB, Jerious Norwood at RB. Now, I knew Warrick Dunn was hurt, but did something happen to Michael Vick? What'd I miss?
Harrington hits Roddy White a couple of times, really getting drilled after the second one, to get Atlanta near midfield. But Norwood gets stuffed by Dwayne Robertson on 2nd down and Harrington's throw to Michael Jenkins on 3rd down is off, and would have been too short anyway. GOD, is that getting annoying. Falcons punt.
Jet offense runs the gamut from too-conservative to too-cute early. Thomas Jones runs four times, then on third down, Brad Smith takes the snap, but it's just to hand off to Leon Washington, who gets pulled down for a loss by Jamaal Anderson.
Falcons start from their own 9. Three straight handoffs to Norwood, with Kenyon Coleman stopping him cold on 3rd down to get the 3-and-out.
The Jets are making a point of getting Brad Smith the ball; he starts this series with 9 yards on a reverse. Amazingly, the Jets have opened the game with 10 straight running plays. Is OC Brian Schottenheimer really surprised when a 3rd-and-6 handoff to Leon Washington doesn't get the first down? Bizarre.
Falcons get a first down thanks to a pretty leaping catch over the middle by Joe Horn for 22. On 3rd-and-9, Harrington evades the rush and hits TE Dwayne Blakley for 37. Harrington's getting perhaps a little too fired-up every time he makes a decent play. Norwood runs it in from the 10 pretty much untouched to put Atlanta on the board first, 7-0.
Spectacular work by the wedge lets Washington break out with an 86-yard kick return to the Atlanta 8. Excellent effort and closing speed by David Irons temporarily saves the TD. Kellen Clemens takes over at QB (Why? Starter Chad Pennington never even threw a pass!) as the first quarter runs out.
Thomas Jones wriggles in from the 1 to tie the game at 7.
Chris Redman at QB for Atlanta. Another one of those dink-and-dunk drives ends when Alphonso Hodge holds Laurent Robinson to a 5-yard catch on 3rd-and-7. ONCE AGAIN THE PASS IS SHORT OF THE REQUIRED FIRST-DOWN YARDAGE. Billy Cundiff hits a 45-yarder to put Atlanta up 10-7.
Washington gets the corner and returns the next kickoff 28 yards to the 37. You know, Joe DeCamillis isn't the Falcons' special teams coach any more, and it already shows. DeCamillis, the best special teams coach in the league, went to the Jagwires, while the Rams, who also (re)filled the position this offseason? Hired a high school coach.
In what I consider a bit of an upset, Brad Smith has taken over at QB for the Jets. He scrambles twice for 10 and 7 yards. The Jets even try a fake punt with Smith as the up man, but he misses a running lane he could have taken off into for a first down and throws way behind Stacy Tutt for an incompletion that gives Atlanta the ball at their own 42.
The Falcons do nothing with the good field position after Roddy White does what Atlanta WRs do best... drops the ball, on third down. Three-and-out.
Jets open the drive from their 20. Clemens is back at QB, and underthrows a bomb by a good five yards, but Justin McCareins comes up with it for a 41-yard catch, somehow avoiding an OPI while throwing Alan Rossum aside to make the catch. Not only that, Rossum gets a DPI. Humorous.
Considering the skills he has, and that he plays for a New York team, it's surprising Washington doesn't get a lot more hype than he does. On 3rd-and-9 from the Atlanta 15, he sprints off with a screen pass down to the 2. TE Sean Ryan makes a diving catch in the back of the end zone for the score; 14-10, Jets.
Good kick return by Adam Jennings, out to the 37, gives Atlanta a good chance to drive for at least a FG in the last 0:47. White makes a nice leaping catch at the 24 and gets Atlanta's last timeout called with 0:01 on the clock. Cundiff hits the 41-yarder at the gun. Nice drive by Atlanta. 14-13, Jets at halftime.
Brad Smith opens the second half by returning the kickoff to midfield. Where have you gone, Joe DeCamillis? Falcon Nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Boo hoo hoo. Boo-hoo for the Falcon defense, too, as Washington bounces outside for a 25-yard run on 3rd-and-18. Star in the making, I tell you. DB Chris Houston is injured on the next play, a 16-yard Wallace Wright reception that gets the Jets into the red zone. Chancey Stuckey beats Tony Franklin for a jump pass from Clemens for the TD. Jets 21, Falcons 13.
KickReturnFest '07 tries to continue with Jennings returning the Jets' kickoff across the 40, but it's called back due to a penalty. The Falcons 3-and-out when Redman is almost sacked but gets a screen away to Jason Snelling, who's buried by three guys and loses 4.
Capsule of the Falcons' season to come: the local announcers completely ignore the previously-described possession while interviewing GM Rich McKay about Vick.
Jets take over at their 45, and Clemens engineers an effective dink-and-dunk drive out of no-huddle, finishing with a 10-yard pass to Sean Ryan, all alone in the corner of the end zone for his 2nd TD. Impressively, Clemens hangs in there with a blitzer bearing down on him and gets the pass off as he's getting whacked. 28-13, Jets.
Jennings returns the kickoff across the 40 AGAIN! The kick coverage in this game has been laughable. DJ Shockley taking over as Falcons QB. A holding penalty sets them back, and on third down, Shockley's pass is deflected by Michael Haynes and intercepted by Drew Coleman, who puts the Jets in long-FG position with the return.
The Jets 3-and-out it right back, though, with Clemens attempting a 3rd-down screen to Alvin Banks, who didn't appear to be looking for a pass. Mike Nugent misses a 52-yard attempt.
Jennings tips a pass to Laurent Robinson for a 17-yard gain to start Atlanta's drive. Robinson makes a fine diving catch of a 12-yard pass on 3rd-and-6 to move the Falcons inside the 25, and Snelling gains 10 the next play. As the 4th quarter starts, a false start, good Jet coverage on 1st and 2nd down, and an incomplete pass WELL short of the required distance lead to another Cundiff FG. Jets 28, Falcons 16.
Danny Ware opens the Jets' next drive with 25 on a draw play, and they're right back across midfield. Frisman Jackson makes a leaping one-handed grab of a Clemens pass for 20. The Jets drive down to the 11 before settling for a Nugent FG. An attempted screen pass is knocked down, and the Jets stupidly try to run Ware on 3rd-and-6. 31-16 New York anyway.
3-and-out for the Falcons, after a 20-yard pass to Jennings. Shockley overthrows Vincent Marshall downfield on 3rd down.
Happy to hold serve at this late stage of the game, the Jets also three-and-out, with Ware running three times for one yard. The Atlanta broadcast's choices for the "Coors Plays of the Game" are a couple of Harrington completions in the first quarter. Viva preseason!
Yet another long return by Jennings, this time 34 yards on the punt return, is called back for an illegal block. After a completion to Eric Weems, the Falcons 4-and-out with 2:36 left. They try a quick handoff on 4th-and-2, but Raymond Ventrone breaks it up in the backfield to give the Jets the ball back.
For some reason, the Jets change QBs again, to Marques Tuiasosopo. All they need to do is run out the clock anyway. Which they do. Valuable experience for Marques! Jets win, 31-16.
Two Jets really stood out here: Brad Smith, who is getting the full-blown "Slash" treatment in the Jets game plan, and Leon Washington, who's emerged as a dangerous threat on kick returns and as the third-down back.
The Falcons didn't particularly leave me a lot to go on. Their receivers look ordinary as usual. Harrington's trying to rally the team and be a leader. I wish him luck but don't see it taking. Atlanta's kick coverage units were terrible and could use a lot of work.
That completes Week 1 of the Preseason Challenge. Unfortunately, I'm a good 2 1/2 days behind schedule. The first Week 2 game up will be Chargers at Rams, which I'll be on my way to in a few minutes. Look for that on RamView.
Harrington hits Roddy White a couple of times, really getting drilled after the second one, to get Atlanta near midfield. But Norwood gets stuffed by Dwayne Robertson on 2nd down and Harrington's throw to Michael Jenkins on 3rd down is off, and would have been too short anyway. GOD, is that getting annoying. Falcons punt.
Jet offense runs the gamut from too-conservative to too-cute early. Thomas Jones runs four times, then on third down, Brad Smith takes the snap, but it's just to hand off to Leon Washington, who gets pulled down for a loss by Jamaal Anderson.
Falcons start from their own 9. Three straight handoffs to Norwood, with Kenyon Coleman stopping him cold on 3rd down to get the 3-and-out.
The Jets are making a point of getting Brad Smith the ball; he starts this series with 9 yards on a reverse. Amazingly, the Jets have opened the game with 10 straight running plays. Is OC Brian Schottenheimer really surprised when a 3rd-and-6 handoff to Leon Washington doesn't get the first down? Bizarre.
Falcons get a first down thanks to a pretty leaping catch over the middle by Joe Horn for 22. On 3rd-and-9, Harrington evades the rush and hits TE Dwayne Blakley for 37. Harrington's getting perhaps a little too fired-up every time he makes a decent play. Norwood runs it in from the 10 pretty much untouched to put Atlanta on the board first, 7-0.
Spectacular work by the wedge lets Washington break out with an 86-yard kick return to the Atlanta 8. Excellent effort and closing speed by David Irons temporarily saves the TD. Kellen Clemens takes over at QB (Why? Starter Chad Pennington never even threw a pass!) as the first quarter runs out.
Thomas Jones wriggles in from the 1 to tie the game at 7.
Chris Redman at QB for Atlanta. Another one of those dink-and-dunk drives ends when Alphonso Hodge holds Laurent Robinson to a 5-yard catch on 3rd-and-7. ONCE AGAIN THE PASS IS SHORT OF THE REQUIRED FIRST-DOWN YARDAGE. Billy Cundiff hits a 45-yarder to put Atlanta up 10-7.
Washington gets the corner and returns the next kickoff 28 yards to the 37. You know, Joe DeCamillis isn't the Falcons' special teams coach any more, and it already shows. DeCamillis, the best special teams coach in the league, went to the Jagwires, while the Rams, who also (re)filled the position this offseason? Hired a high school coach.
In what I consider a bit of an upset, Brad Smith has taken over at QB for the Jets. He scrambles twice for 10 and 7 yards. The Jets even try a fake punt with Smith as the up man, but he misses a running lane he could have taken off into for a first down and throws way behind Stacy Tutt for an incompletion that gives Atlanta the ball at their own 42.
The Falcons do nothing with the good field position after Roddy White does what Atlanta WRs do best... drops the ball, on third down. Three-and-out.
Jets open the drive from their 20. Clemens is back at QB, and underthrows a bomb by a good five yards, but Justin McCareins comes up with it for a 41-yard catch, somehow avoiding an OPI while throwing Alan Rossum aside to make the catch. Not only that, Rossum gets a DPI. Humorous.
Considering the skills he has, and that he plays for a New York team, it's surprising Washington doesn't get a lot more hype than he does. On 3rd-and-9 from the Atlanta 15, he sprints off with a screen pass down to the 2. TE Sean Ryan makes a diving catch in the back of the end zone for the score; 14-10, Jets.
Good kick return by Adam Jennings, out to the 37, gives Atlanta a good chance to drive for at least a FG in the last 0:47. White makes a nice leaping catch at the 24 and gets Atlanta's last timeout called with 0:01 on the clock. Cundiff hits the 41-yarder at the gun. Nice drive by Atlanta. 14-13, Jets at halftime.
Brad Smith opens the second half by returning the kickoff to midfield. Where have you gone, Joe DeCamillis? Falcon Nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Boo hoo hoo. Boo-hoo for the Falcon defense, too, as Washington bounces outside for a 25-yard run on 3rd-and-18. Star in the making, I tell you. DB Chris Houston is injured on the next play, a 16-yard Wallace Wright reception that gets the Jets into the red zone. Chancey Stuckey beats Tony Franklin for a jump pass from Clemens for the TD. Jets 21, Falcons 13.
KickReturnFest '07 tries to continue with Jennings returning the Jets' kickoff across the 40, but it's called back due to a penalty. The Falcons 3-and-out when Redman is almost sacked but gets a screen away to Jason Snelling, who's buried by three guys and loses 4.
Capsule of the Falcons' season to come: the local announcers completely ignore the previously-described possession while interviewing GM Rich McKay about Vick.
Jets take over at their 45, and Clemens engineers an effective dink-and-dunk drive out of no-huddle, finishing with a 10-yard pass to Sean Ryan, all alone in the corner of the end zone for his 2nd TD. Impressively, Clemens hangs in there with a blitzer bearing down on him and gets the pass off as he's getting whacked. 28-13, Jets.
Jennings returns the kickoff across the 40 AGAIN! The kick coverage in this game has been laughable. DJ Shockley taking over as Falcons QB. A holding penalty sets them back, and on third down, Shockley's pass is deflected by Michael Haynes and intercepted by Drew Coleman, who puts the Jets in long-FG position with the return.
The Jets 3-and-out it right back, though, with Clemens attempting a 3rd-down screen to Alvin Banks, who didn't appear to be looking for a pass. Mike Nugent misses a 52-yard attempt.
Jennings tips a pass to Laurent Robinson for a 17-yard gain to start Atlanta's drive. Robinson makes a fine diving catch of a 12-yard pass on 3rd-and-6 to move the Falcons inside the 25, and Snelling gains 10 the next play. As the 4th quarter starts, a false start, good Jet coverage on 1st and 2nd down, and an incomplete pass WELL short of the required distance lead to another Cundiff FG. Jets 28, Falcons 16.
Danny Ware opens the Jets' next drive with 25 on a draw play, and they're right back across midfield. Frisman Jackson makes a leaping one-handed grab of a Clemens pass for 20. The Jets drive down to the 11 before settling for a Nugent FG. An attempted screen pass is knocked down, and the Jets stupidly try to run Ware on 3rd-and-6. 31-16 New York anyway.
3-and-out for the Falcons, after a 20-yard pass to Jennings. Shockley overthrows Vincent Marshall downfield on 3rd down.
Happy to hold serve at this late stage of the game, the Jets also three-and-out, with Ware running three times for one yard. The Atlanta broadcast's choices for the "Coors Plays of the Game" are a couple of Harrington completions in the first quarter. Viva preseason!
Yet another long return by Jennings, this time 34 yards on the punt return, is called back for an illegal block. After a completion to Eric Weems, the Falcons 4-and-out with 2:36 left. They try a quick handoff on 4th-and-2, but Raymond Ventrone breaks it up in the backfield to give the Jets the ball back.
For some reason, the Jets change QBs again, to Marques Tuiasosopo. All they need to do is run out the clock anyway. Which they do. Valuable experience for Marques! Jets win, 31-16.
Two Jets really stood out here: Brad Smith, who is getting the full-blown "Slash" treatment in the Jets game plan, and Leon Washington, who's emerged as a dangerous threat on kick returns and as the third-down back.
The Falcons didn't particularly leave me a lot to go on. Their receivers look ordinary as usual. Harrington's trying to rally the team and be a leader. I wish him luck but don't see it taking. Atlanta's kick coverage units were terrible and could use a lot of work.
That completes Week 1 of the Preseason Challenge. Unfortunately, I'm a good 2 1/2 days behind schedule. The first Week 2 game up will be Chargers at Rams, which I'll be on my way to in a few minutes. Look for that on RamView.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Game 16: Ravens 29, Eggles 3
Quick! Name the stadium the Ravens play in. "M&T Bank Stadium"? Dick Stockton and Moose Johnston are your first-half announcers.
Eggles start with the ball. Not much of a kick return for former Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom. Donovan McNabb is out for the game; AJ Feeley starts at QB. The Kevin Curtis era in Philadelphia officially begins with his 9-yard catch on their first play. Baltimore has passed Oakland for loudest crowd so far. On 3rd-and-12, Ray Lewis WHIFFS on a sack of Feeley, but AJ still can't scramble far enough for the first. Punt pins Baltimore inside the 10.
Supplemental draft pick Jared Gaither starts at LT for Baltimore. The Baltimore broadcast is one of the few that takes care to list the actual starters of the game. Most broadcasts just lazily list the projected lineups for the regular season, whether those guys are actually in the game or not. Willis McGahee's 2nd touch is a 16-yard run off LT with Gaither delivering a big block. That's followed by Todd Heap running free in the Eggle secondary for 22. Heap's second reception. McNair hits Derrick Mason for 21 inside the Eggle 10. Steve McNair spears Quinn Sypniewski in the back of the end zone to put Baltimore ahead 7-0. Eggle defense barely registered during the drive, light pass rush, poor pass coverage.
Eggle offense moves a little better the second time, with Feeley getting better room to throw. Brian Westbrook does what he does best, taking a screen pass for 23. They're at the Raven 25 when Terrell Suggs knocks down a 3rd-and-5 pass to force a FG attempt. And David Akers misses it, uncharacteristically badly. Still 7-0 Baltimore.
McNair's already out and Kyle Boller's in for Baltimore. Musa Smith replaces McGahee. Brodrick Bunkley, who's reportedly tearing it up in camp, stuffs Musa on 1st down and a blitzing Quintin Mikell rejects Boller's 3rd down pass for a 3-and-out.
Kelly Holcomb now QBing the Eggles. Dennis Haley stuffs Tony Hunt on the last play of the first quarter. Antwan Barnes blitzes through untouched to take down Holcomb for a 10-yard loss to open the 2nd quarter. Barnes and friends stuff Hunt on 3rd down after an Eggle holding penalty. A minus-19 yard "drive" for Philadelphia.
3 passes and out for Boller and the Ravens, but they were lucky enough to have started the drive deep enough in Philly's territory to try a long FG. Matt Stover drills it from 50 to put Baltimore up 10-0.
Eggles dink and dunk their way to midfield before being slowed down by a false start. On 3rd-and-11, Holcomb holds the ball altogether too long, and blitzing DB Ronnie Prude isn't too embarrassed to sack him though originally slowed down by Buckhalter. Philly's getting almost nothing done on offense.
Ravens essentially 3-and-out at midfield. Demetrius Williams false-starts on 3rd-and-2 and Rashard Barksdale makes a good play to hold a pass to Mike Anderson in the flat to 2 yards.
Bloom is getting more dangerous with each return, bringing this punt back 19 yards. Holcomb takes another sack (Prescott Burgess) for holding the ball far too long, but bails himself out by hitting Greg Lewis on the sideline for the first down. Brent Celek turns a short pass into a 30-yard reception, breaking several tackles, to put Philly inside the 10. They don't convert, though, as Baltimore has Hank Baskett blanketed on 3rd down and Holcomb throws it away. Akers' FG makes it 10-3 just before the 2:00 warning.
The Raven 2:00 offense successfully gets into FG range. Boller scrambles across midfield for 20. They surprise the Eggles with an inside handoff to Cory Ross for 11. Boller hits Devard Darling for 11 more. He can't connect with Clarence Moore on a deep sideline route thanks to Barksdale's blanket coverage, so Stover hits a 41-yarder to extend the Raven lead to 13-3.
Kevin Kolb enters as QB 28 seconds before the half. Baltimore blitzes him on the last play of the half and Gerome Sapp takes him down for a 16-yard loss. 13-3 Baltimore at halftime.
Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith starts the 2nd half for the Ravens. Doing what he does best, he scrambles for 13 for a first down. The Eggles hold after that. Yamon Figurs can't come up with a low ball on a 3rd-down route that was 5 yards short anyway. Ravens punt. Bloom has to fair-catch this one.
The Ravens must not like Kolb much; they keep blitzing him. A third down blitz, bringing two DBs like the blitz before halftime, forces Kolb to throw a sloppy screen pass off his back foot for an incompletion. The blitzing's probably the right idea; Kolb has looked fine without the extra pressure coming.
Baltimore goes 3-and-out with Figurs' brutal drop of a Smith pass on 3rd-and-7. Figurs has not impressed so far. Another fair catch by Bloom on the punt.
3-and-out for Philly on three Kolb incompletions. Drop by Celek, big Raven blitz to force an incomplete screen pass, downfield pass for Celek broken up. Antwan Barnes was in on the blitz and continues to shine for Baltimore.
Corey Ross is having a fine night for the Ravens at RB. He bounces a run outside for 24, taking advantage of an overplay by the Eggle LB, to go with a couple of 10+ yarders he has already. Smith hits Moore with a laser at midfield for a first down. Rollout pass to Marcus (not Morgan) Freeman nets 17 down to the Eggle 32. The Eggles hold there, as Barksdale continues to stand out in pass coverage, and a 3rd-down blitz flushes Smith and leads to an incompletion. Stover hits again, from 50, to give Baltimore a 16-3 lead.
Ryan Moats has to be carted off the field with a broken ankle. Bloom in at WR for Philly; Kolb finds him for 11 to beat a blitz and 5 to convert a 2nd down. Kolb getting good protection, and having a good drive, until he thinks run on a 2nd down near midfield while his RB Nate Ilaoa is thinking pass. Prude recovers the fumbled ball for Baltimore.
Very quick 3-and-out for the Ravens. Smith has to throw it away under heavy pressure on 3rd-and-2. Yet another fair catch for Bloom on the punt.
The Eagles cheerleader calendar, by the way, receives my full endorsement.
Eggles also 3-and-out at the start of the 4th quarter, with Corey Ivy clobbering Kolb on a 3rd down blitz. My God, the Ravens are blitzing a lot tonight. Saverio Rocca, an Australian football import, has a 56-yard punt nullified by penalty, but follows with a 65-yard punt. That obviously outkicks the coverage, and Figurs brings it back for 17 to midfield. Barnes -blasts- Rocca on the return, which incenses Eggles commentator Ike Reese. That did seem like a cheap shot. Michael Gasperson gets a 15-yard penalty defending his teammate.
The new Ravens QB is Drew Olson. After a 1st-down sack/fumble that Baltimore recovers, he finds Kendrick Ballantyne open deep in zone coverage for 33 down to the Eggle 5. From the 4, Le'Ron McClain is left alone in the flat for an easy TD catch. It's now 23-to-3.
Kolb remains in and hits Jermaine Jamison with a fine pass over the middle, but Prude, who's starting to look pretty conspicuous, strips it out to get Baltimore the ball back again.
Ravens play some ball-control offense and take about 5:00 off the clock with a bunch of handoffs to - man, I'm getting old - Greg Pruitt, Jr. Pruitt would have had a TD from the 5 but his own lineman , Chris Pino, got in front of him and knocked him down. Ravens settle for Stover's millionth FG of the night and it's 26 to 3.
Kolb looks pretty decent; he's adjusted well to the oncoming pressure. But Zac Collie drops a 4th-and-4 pass to return the ball to the Ravens. Woof.
Ross is having a formidable game for Baltimore, squirting through left tackle for 19 to open the drive. He finishes the night with 11 rushes for 65 yards. The Eggles force ANOTHER Stover FG by stringing out Ross on a 2nd down sweep and by pressuring Olson into a low incompletion intended for a wide-open Damien Linson. Stover makes it 29-3, Ravens.
Kolb is sacked by Bill Swancutt to force one last punt with 2:00 left. Rocca hits it 50 yards; Figurs returns it 18. Ravens run out the clock for the win.
Baltimore took this one a lot more seriously than Philadelphia did. They were blitz-heavy on the rookie Kolb, and they stopped kicking to Jeremy Bloom. But they unveiled some good young players, too. Gaither looks like borderline-starting material already. Barnes and Prude were all over the place. Ross played like a game-breaking runner.
The Eggles had a lot of bright spots, for a team that lost by almost 4 TDs. Kolb fought off those Raven blitzes and had a strong game. On defense, Bunkley looks good and Barksdale looks like a keeper. Both Bloom and Rocca look like big future contributors on special teams.
Up next: A little nap, then Falcons at Jets to close out week 1 of the Preseason Challenge.
Eggles start with the ball. Not much of a kick return for former Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom. Donovan McNabb is out for the game; AJ Feeley starts at QB. The Kevin Curtis era in Philadelphia officially begins with his 9-yard catch on their first play. Baltimore has passed Oakland for loudest crowd so far. On 3rd-and-12, Ray Lewis WHIFFS on a sack of Feeley, but AJ still can't scramble far enough for the first. Punt pins Baltimore inside the 10.
Supplemental draft pick Jared Gaither starts at LT for Baltimore. The Baltimore broadcast is one of the few that takes care to list the actual starters of the game. Most broadcasts just lazily list the projected lineups for the regular season, whether those guys are actually in the game or not. Willis McGahee's 2nd touch is a 16-yard run off LT with Gaither delivering a big block. That's followed by Todd Heap running free in the Eggle secondary for 22. Heap's second reception. McNair hits Derrick Mason for 21 inside the Eggle 10. Steve McNair spears Quinn Sypniewski in the back of the end zone to put Baltimore ahead 7-0. Eggle defense barely registered during the drive, light pass rush, poor pass coverage.
Eggle offense moves a little better the second time, with Feeley getting better room to throw. Brian Westbrook does what he does best, taking a screen pass for 23. They're at the Raven 25 when Terrell Suggs knocks down a 3rd-and-5 pass to force a FG attempt. And David Akers misses it, uncharacteristically badly. Still 7-0 Baltimore.
McNair's already out and Kyle Boller's in for Baltimore. Musa Smith replaces McGahee. Brodrick Bunkley, who's reportedly tearing it up in camp, stuffs Musa on 1st down and a blitzing Quintin Mikell rejects Boller's 3rd down pass for a 3-and-out.
Kelly Holcomb now QBing the Eggles. Dennis Haley stuffs Tony Hunt on the last play of the first quarter. Antwan Barnes blitzes through untouched to take down Holcomb for a 10-yard loss to open the 2nd quarter. Barnes and friends stuff Hunt on 3rd down after an Eggle holding penalty. A minus-19 yard "drive" for Philadelphia.
3 passes and out for Boller and the Ravens, but they were lucky enough to have started the drive deep enough in Philly's territory to try a long FG. Matt Stover drills it from 50 to put Baltimore up 10-0.
Eggles dink and dunk their way to midfield before being slowed down by a false start. On 3rd-and-11, Holcomb holds the ball altogether too long, and blitzing DB Ronnie Prude isn't too embarrassed to sack him though originally slowed down by Buckhalter. Philly's getting almost nothing done on offense.
Ravens essentially 3-and-out at midfield. Demetrius Williams false-starts on 3rd-and-2 and Rashard Barksdale makes a good play to hold a pass to Mike Anderson in the flat to 2 yards.
Bloom is getting more dangerous with each return, bringing this punt back 19 yards. Holcomb takes another sack (Prescott Burgess) for holding the ball far too long, but bails himself out by hitting Greg Lewis on the sideline for the first down. Brent Celek turns a short pass into a 30-yard reception, breaking several tackles, to put Philly inside the 10. They don't convert, though, as Baltimore has Hank Baskett blanketed on 3rd down and Holcomb throws it away. Akers' FG makes it 10-3 just before the 2:00 warning.
The Raven 2:00 offense successfully gets into FG range. Boller scrambles across midfield for 20. They surprise the Eggles with an inside handoff to Cory Ross for 11. Boller hits Devard Darling for 11 more. He can't connect with Clarence Moore on a deep sideline route thanks to Barksdale's blanket coverage, so Stover hits a 41-yarder to extend the Raven lead to 13-3.
Kevin Kolb enters as QB 28 seconds before the half. Baltimore blitzes him on the last play of the half and Gerome Sapp takes him down for a 16-yard loss. 13-3 Baltimore at halftime.
Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith starts the 2nd half for the Ravens. Doing what he does best, he scrambles for 13 for a first down. The Eggles hold after that. Yamon Figurs can't come up with a low ball on a 3rd-down route that was 5 yards short anyway. Ravens punt. Bloom has to fair-catch this one.
The Ravens must not like Kolb much; they keep blitzing him. A third down blitz, bringing two DBs like the blitz before halftime, forces Kolb to throw a sloppy screen pass off his back foot for an incompletion. The blitzing's probably the right idea; Kolb has looked fine without the extra pressure coming.
Baltimore goes 3-and-out with Figurs' brutal drop of a Smith pass on 3rd-and-7. Figurs has not impressed so far. Another fair catch by Bloom on the punt.
3-and-out for Philly on three Kolb incompletions. Drop by Celek, big Raven blitz to force an incomplete screen pass, downfield pass for Celek broken up. Antwan Barnes was in on the blitz and continues to shine for Baltimore.
Corey Ross is having a fine night for the Ravens at RB. He bounces a run outside for 24, taking advantage of an overplay by the Eggle LB, to go with a couple of 10+ yarders he has already. Smith hits Moore with a laser at midfield for a first down. Rollout pass to Marcus (not Morgan) Freeman nets 17 down to the Eggle 32. The Eggles hold there, as Barksdale continues to stand out in pass coverage, and a 3rd-down blitz flushes Smith and leads to an incompletion. Stover hits again, from 50, to give Baltimore a 16-3 lead.
Ryan Moats has to be carted off the field with a broken ankle. Bloom in at WR for Philly; Kolb finds him for 11 to beat a blitz and 5 to convert a 2nd down. Kolb getting good protection, and having a good drive, until he thinks run on a 2nd down near midfield while his RB Nate Ilaoa is thinking pass. Prude recovers the fumbled ball for Baltimore.
Very quick 3-and-out for the Ravens. Smith has to throw it away under heavy pressure on 3rd-and-2. Yet another fair catch for Bloom on the punt.
The Eagles cheerleader calendar, by the way, receives my full endorsement.
Eggles also 3-and-out at the start of the 4th quarter, with Corey Ivy clobbering Kolb on a 3rd down blitz. My God, the Ravens are blitzing a lot tonight. Saverio Rocca, an Australian football import, has a 56-yard punt nullified by penalty, but follows with a 65-yard punt. That obviously outkicks the coverage, and Figurs brings it back for 17 to midfield. Barnes -blasts- Rocca on the return, which incenses Eggles commentator Ike Reese. That did seem like a cheap shot. Michael Gasperson gets a 15-yard penalty defending his teammate.
The new Ravens QB is Drew Olson. After a 1st-down sack/fumble that Baltimore recovers, he finds Kendrick Ballantyne open deep in zone coverage for 33 down to the Eggle 5. From the 4, Le'Ron McClain is left alone in the flat for an easy TD catch. It's now 23-to-3.
Kolb remains in and hits Jermaine Jamison with a fine pass over the middle, but Prude, who's starting to look pretty conspicuous, strips it out to get Baltimore the ball back again.
Ravens play some ball-control offense and take about 5:00 off the clock with a bunch of handoffs to - man, I'm getting old - Greg Pruitt, Jr. Pruitt would have had a TD from the 5 but his own lineman , Chris Pino, got in front of him and knocked him down. Ravens settle for Stover's millionth FG of the night and it's 26 to 3.
Kolb looks pretty decent; he's adjusted well to the oncoming pressure. But Zac Collie drops a 4th-and-4 pass to return the ball to the Ravens. Woof.
Ross is having a formidable game for Baltimore, squirting through left tackle for 19 to open the drive. He finishes the night with 11 rushes for 65 yards. The Eggles force ANOTHER Stover FG by stringing out Ross on a 2nd down sweep and by pressuring Olson into a low incompletion intended for a wide-open Damien Linson. Stover makes it 29-3, Ravens.
Kolb is sacked by Bill Swancutt to force one last punt with 2:00 left. Rocca hits it 50 yards; Figurs returns it 18. Ravens run out the clock for the win.
Baltimore took this one a lot more seriously than Philadelphia did. They were blitz-heavy on the rookie Kolb, and they stopped kicking to Jeremy Bloom. But they unveiled some good young players, too. Gaither looks like borderline-starting material already. Barnes and Prude were all over the place. Ross played like a game-breaking runner.
The Eggles had a lot of bright spots, for a team that lost by almost 4 TDs. Kolb fought off those Raven blitzes and had a strong game. On defense, Bunkley looks good and Barksdale looks like a keeper. Both Bloom and Rocca look like big future contributors on special teams.
Up next: A little nap, then Falcons at Jets to close out week 1 of the Preseason Challenge.
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