It has been known for some time (probably since the game was played) that Bill Callahan changed the Raiders gameplan for their Super Bowl XXXVII bout against the Bucs, as this reveals.
The cliffnotes version of Brown's speech is that the Raiders went into the game with a running gameplan, and that the team had practiced that up to the Friday before the game. On that Friday, he totally switched the gameplan. Now, the Raiders are going to throw it 60 times against a defense that is primed for stopping the pass? And you know what? I believe Brown when he said that Callahan changed the Raiders' gameplan out of respect for Jon Gruden, and that it was one of the contributing factors for Barret Robbins' disappearance.
One would have to wonder, with the Raiders offense that dominant throughout the season and for putting up such a stinker performance in the Super Bowl...
Showing posts with label Passing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Passing. Show all posts
31 March 2011
11 October 2010
Brett Favre Sends Out Naughty Pictures Of Certain Body Parts And The Decatur Staleys Have Returned to the NFL
Before moving onto this past weekends collisions, I want to talk about something from last week. Chuck Cecil, defensive coordinator of the Titans, did not agree with a penalty against his unit in the game against the Broncos, so he gave the officials a middle finger, and CBS cameras happened to be pointed at him when he flipped the officials off. CBS's broadcast of the gesture was on YouTube for a few days before being removed for a copyright violation. CBS's broadcast team took in it stride. Kevin Harlan, who was handling the play-by-play duties for the game jokingly said something like "he fired off a Hawaiian peace sign!" And color commentator Soloman Wilcots did not even mention the gesture in his explanation of the penalty.
Cecil was fined $40,000 for the gesture and tied his middle and index fingers together for the game against Dallas on Sunday, this article explains. (Note: The comment by BobsCountryBunker made me laugh)
And now Cecil's half of a piece sign is my Blogger avatar, although for some reason it's really really small.
The Favre story to me seems really tabloidish and not that big of a deal. If you're not up to speed a female member of the Jets staff came out and said that Favre sent her inappropriate texts and pictures, including one of Favre's penis, to her when he was with the team in 2008. I think the Jets staffperson just wants the fame. I'm not saying it didn't happen, it most certainly may have. Call me a bad person that a married man would send such message but it's not a big deal to me. And why it took two years for this story to surface makes it seem more fishier.
Some recent personnel decisions by the Patriots have really puzzled me. Randy Moss gets temperamental and yes he doesn't give 100% on each and every play. He has never once in his career been cut or traded because he can't catch a football. He can. Why he was so quickly whisked away makes me think something else went on that hasn't been made public. Moss never ran his mouth (he said that he thought 2010 would be his last year with the Pats. So what? His contract was up anyway). I know it's Belichick and the Patriots, I'd like to know why Moss was simply written off on the Patriots' game plan. He was a complete non-factor. And now the Pats think they can win with 5'8" underneath guys (they have in the past), and they have traded back Deion Branch, whom they cut ties with after the '05 season.
Since Belichick came to New England, they've always been very finesse on offense. They were never a deep passing team until '07 nor were they a pound-the-rock running team, even with Corey Dillon or Antowain Smith. Seriously, watch the Pats during their Super Bowl run, lots of cutesie screens and rinky-dink stuff to the slot, Troy Brown and later Givens and Patten as well as sweeps and pitches. In '01, their only deep threat, Terry Glenn, was suspended and not awarded a Super Bowl ring and was traded to the Packers in the offseason, which paved the way for Troy Brown catch 101 passes.
In other NFL news the Decatur Staleys beat the Kewanee Walworths in a 25-7 blowout, er, I mean the Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 23-6, but their style of play was much like the Staleys of 90 years ago. Chicago had 218 yards rushing, helped by a cover-your-eyes bad performance by backup quarterback Todd Collins (6 of 16 for 32 yards and four interceptions). Chicago's defense tore up the hapless Carolina offense, giving up a mere 147 total yards. The Bears could still easily go 11-5 with many doubters, due to the weakness of their schedule.
The Falcons are 4-1 in case you haven't heard. They've beaten Cleveland, Arizona, New Orleans, and San Francisco, not exactly the best the NFL has to offer. I'm not counting them out but I'm not putting them up on a pedestal yet. Tony Gonzalez is on pace to have a huge year though.
The 1972 Dolphins did not have much time for their champagne to age. The Chiefs went down as the last undefeated team to be...defeated.
Useless Stats Section:
Stat #1: The Bears have 80 yards passing in their past two games where they have gone 1-1.
Stat #2: Yes the Browns are 1-4. Their three losses were by three, two, seven, and ten. Their sole win was by three. Expect the margin of defeat to get higher, as their next four opponents are Pittsburgh, New Orleans, New England, and the Jets.
Stat #3: All of the teams in the AFC South are 3-2.
Stat #4: The Lions have not put up more than 40 points since 2007.
Cecil was fined $40,000 for the gesture and tied his middle and index fingers together for the game against Dallas on Sunday, this article explains. (Note: The comment by BobsCountryBunker made me laugh)
And now Cecil's half of a piece sign is my Blogger avatar, although for some reason it's really really small.
The Favre story to me seems really tabloidish and not that big of a deal. If you're not up to speed a female member of the Jets staff came out and said that Favre sent her inappropriate texts and pictures, including one of Favre's penis, to her when he was with the team in 2008. I think the Jets staffperson just wants the fame. I'm not saying it didn't happen, it most certainly may have. Call me a bad person that a married man would send such message but it's not a big deal to me. And why it took two years for this story to surface makes it seem more fishier.
Some recent personnel decisions by the Patriots have really puzzled me. Randy Moss gets temperamental and yes he doesn't give 100% on each and every play. He has never once in his career been cut or traded because he can't catch a football. He can. Why he was so quickly whisked away makes me think something else went on that hasn't been made public. Moss never ran his mouth (he said that he thought 2010 would be his last year with the Pats. So what? His contract was up anyway). I know it's Belichick and the Patriots, I'd like to know why Moss was simply written off on the Patriots' game plan. He was a complete non-factor. And now the Pats think they can win with 5'8" underneath guys (they have in the past), and they have traded back Deion Branch, whom they cut ties with after the '05 season.
Since Belichick came to New England, they've always been very finesse on offense. They were never a deep passing team until '07 nor were they a pound-the-rock running team, even with Corey Dillon or Antowain Smith. Seriously, watch the Pats during their Super Bowl run, lots of cutesie screens and rinky-dink stuff to the slot, Troy Brown and later Givens and Patten as well as sweeps and pitches. In '01, their only deep threat, Terry Glenn, was suspended and not awarded a Super Bowl ring and was traded to the Packers in the offseason, which paved the way for Troy Brown catch 101 passes.
In other NFL news the Decatur Staleys beat the Kewanee Walworths in a 25-7 blowout, er, I mean the Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 23-6, but their style of play was much like the Staleys of 90 years ago. Chicago had 218 yards rushing, helped by a cover-your-eyes bad performance by backup quarterback Todd Collins (6 of 16 for 32 yards and four interceptions). Chicago's defense tore up the hapless Carolina offense, giving up a mere 147 total yards. The Bears could still easily go 11-5 with many doubters, due to the weakness of their schedule.
The Falcons are 4-1 in case you haven't heard. They've beaten Cleveland, Arizona, New Orleans, and San Francisco, not exactly the best the NFL has to offer. I'm not counting them out but I'm not putting them up on a pedestal yet. Tony Gonzalez is on pace to have a huge year though.
The 1972 Dolphins did not have much time for their champagne to age. The Chiefs went down as the last undefeated team to be...defeated.
Useless Stats Section:
Stat #1: The Bears have 80 yards passing in their past two games where they have gone 1-1.
Stat #2: Yes the Browns are 1-4. Their three losses were by three, two, seven, and ten. Their sole win was by three. Expect the margin of defeat to get higher, as their next four opponents are Pittsburgh, New Orleans, New England, and the Jets.
Stat #3: All of the teams in the AFC South are 3-2.
Stat #4: The Lions have not put up more than 40 points since 2007.
Stat #5: The NFC West-leading Cardinals did not have an offensive touchdown despite putting up 30 against the Saints.
We're All Professionals Here: The first play of the Vikings-Jets collision was a reverse pass from Randy Moss to Brett Favre. Favre was flagged for ineligible receiver downfield. Next play, 1st and 15 from the Viking 35, fullback Jim Kleinsasser was flagged for a false start. On the next play, this time 1st and 20, Adrian Peterson gains four yards. Next play, false start on lineman Loadholt. It was that kind of night for the Vikings.
SNF Analysis: The 49ers, the team we all predicted would win the NFC West, are 0-5, dismal on offense, dismal on defense. Mike Singletary is mad and Alex Smith is still a bust, despite every intention of his coaches trying to make him a starter. They are in the cellar, there is no doubt about it. The end of the game came down to controversial slide by running back LeSean McCoy. It was 2nd and 13 at the Eagles' 17. He caught a short flare-out pass and scampered 11 yards before falling two yards short of the first down. He was going to be tackled anyway and it was doubtful that he would have gained two more yards, despite the I told you sos by Cris Collinsworth (he's known for doing that). On the ensuing 49ers drive, the Eagles played conventional defense, no mega blitzes, no wacky prevent, they mixed their coverages well. They did take one gamble, blitzing six, and they got to Alex Smith so fast that he didn't notice that Frank Gore was wide open with nothing but green in front of him. And then came the duck that Alex Smith threw to a wide open Travard Lidley...who plays for the Eagles...
College Football Scores From Schools You've Never Heard Of:
Score #1: West Chester 44, Shippensburg 43
Blowout Special: Willamette 69, Pacific U 7
Brett Favre Rant of the Week: I do not care about the so-called scandal with the Jets' staffperson, whether he sent naughty photos or texts or not, I DO NOT CARE! Favre has already thrown seven interceptions, which is the same amount that he tossed last year and they are 1-3 and still looking downright ugly on offense. Fortunately for the Vikings, they may still be able to win the division with a 9-7 record, which may end up happening with the toughness of their schedule.
The Chiefs, NFL's Passively Aggressive Team: The low-voltage chiefs tried to be aggressive, but that proved to be a moot point against the Colts. They started the game with an onside kick, which failed. And after an Adam Vinateri field goal, this was followed by a 15-play drive that resulted in no points because Matt Cassel's 4th and 2 pass from the Colts' 8 clanged incomplete. Moral of the story, don't try to out-Colt the Colts.
Next Week: Browns @ Steelers, 1:00 on CBS. Kevin Harlan and Soloman Wilcots in the booth. Fox has the doubleheader for Week 6. In the Columbus market, Saints @ Bucs will be at 1:00, with Cowboys @ Vikings (the Irrelevant Bowl) at 4:15. Colts-Redskins on Sunday Night and Jags-Titans on Monday Night.
Save Yourself: The Bills, Bengals, Cardinals, and Panthers all have byes next week!
14 September 2010
DSDBNF The Brett Favre is Old and Needs to Retire Edition (And Other Stuff From Week I)
See, even Brett Favre needs training camp! Man, oh man did the Vikings look lost and out-of-synch in the season opener and man, oh man did the Saints look poised and sharp. This won't be like last season when the Vikings started off playing the likes of Cleveland, Detroit, and St. Louis. Their middle-of-the-season schedule is murder, with the Jets, Cowboys, Pats, and Packers - three of which are away games. Forget the fact that the Vikings didn't have two of their star wide receivers, Favre barely looked their way. It seems he's rustier than he ever thought he would be, and it seems in nearly every press conference I bother to watch of his, he going on and on about how is ankle still bothers him and how old he is. If you think you're that old and rickety, retire!
Now for the Saints. And even though they scored only 14 points, they looked sharp, and on-target. Brees completed 75% of his passes to nine different receivers, and Pierre Thomas had a good day running the football. Their defense looked just as good as it did last year and instead of blitzing, they played tight coverage on the Vikings, which caught them, especially Favre, off-guard.
The Bengals thought that the season started next week instead of at 1:00 PM on the 12th. Now even though they lost, their offense didn't look that bad, and there was a healthy balance of Owens and Ochocino (and they were effective), although Jordan Shipley had the better game receiving than those two did. I wouldn't worry about the Bengals yet.
I wouldn't even worry about the Colts who got shocked by Houston, the team that led the league in passing last season, racked up 257 yards rushing, and their defenders bothered Manning when the game was contested, forcing him to step up and throw hurriedly, most of the time incomplete. Is it too much to say that the Texans are for real? And how sweet would it be if the Texans are vying for a Super Bowl victory in JerryWorld this January.
Jerry Rice Seahawks Spokesman?: Rice is undoubtedly the best skill position player in NFL history. He has had strained relation with the 49ers, the team that made him a star, ever since they cut him after the 2000 season. Rice attended a Seahawks practice and fired up the team and may have been the catalyst for the Seahawks' upset victory over the Niners.
Speaking of the 49ers, Alex Smith looked horrid as usual. He threw 45 passes for a mere 225 yards and threw two costly interceptions and Frank Gore had only 38 yards on the ground. Painfully more, the Niners punted in the fourth quarter in Seahawk territory trailing 28-6.
Random Stat #1: Pete Carroll won his first game as an NFL coach since January 2, 2000, a 20-3 victory over the Ravens (Carroll was the coach of the Patriots then).
Random Stat #2: The past three times the Steelers and Falcons have met, the game has gone into overtime.
Matt Forte The Next Marshall Faulk?: Forte had 201 yards from scrimmage (151 receiving, 51 rushing). Very Marshall Faulk-like in that sense, however Forte fumbled twice, something Faulk seldom did. And remember too that the Bears offensive coordinator is Mike Martz.
Random Stat #3: The Steelers have not lost an opening day game since 2002.
We're All Professionals Here: Derek Anderson complete a mere 51% of his passes and Sam Bradford, 58%. While both quarterbacks made some key throws, neither looked spectacular. And if Rams' coaches keep radioing-in this many passes, then Bradford shall have plenty of in-game experience!
Sweet But Futile Play: It's too bad the Browns honked a 14-point lead because Mohamed Massaquoi's touchdown pass from Jack Delhomme was flippin' sweet. On the other hand, the Bucs have been so bad the past couple years that I forgot that Ronde Barber even still played in the NFL (he returned a key interception for a touchdown that sparked a Buc comeback!)
Stat #3: Some much for the Cowboys' high-powered offense - they have only scored one touchdown in their past two games (going back to last season).
College Football Scores From Schools You've Never Heard Of:
Score #1: Wilkes University 38, Waynesburg 35.
CFSFSYNHO Blowout Special: Missouri West 81, Lincoln 14. It was 38-0 at halftime.
More Proof that College Overtime Sucks: In the Towson-Coastal Carolina collision, which Towson won 47-45 in the fifth overtime, there were 10 scoring plays in overtime. Ay Carumba!
Next Week (yes, this deserves boldface): There will be 16 NFL games.
Now for the Saints. And even though they scored only 14 points, they looked sharp, and on-target. Brees completed 75% of his passes to nine different receivers, and Pierre Thomas had a good day running the football. Their defense looked just as good as it did last year and instead of blitzing, they played tight coverage on the Vikings, which caught them, especially Favre, off-guard.
The Bengals thought that the season started next week instead of at 1:00 PM on the 12th. Now even though they lost, their offense didn't look that bad, and there was a healthy balance of Owens and Ochocino (and they were effective), although Jordan Shipley had the better game receiving than those two did. I wouldn't worry about the Bengals yet.
I wouldn't even worry about the Colts who got shocked by Houston, the team that led the league in passing last season, racked up 257 yards rushing, and their defenders bothered Manning when the game was contested, forcing him to step up and throw hurriedly, most of the time incomplete. Is it too much to say that the Texans are for real? And how sweet would it be if the Texans are vying for a Super Bowl victory in JerryWorld this January.
Jerry Rice Seahawks Spokesman?: Rice is undoubtedly the best skill position player in NFL history. He has had strained relation with the 49ers, the team that made him a star, ever since they cut him after the 2000 season. Rice attended a Seahawks practice and fired up the team and may have been the catalyst for the Seahawks' upset victory over the Niners.
Speaking of the 49ers, Alex Smith looked horrid as usual. He threw 45 passes for a mere 225 yards and threw two costly interceptions and Frank Gore had only 38 yards on the ground. Painfully more, the Niners punted in the fourth quarter in Seahawk territory trailing 28-6.
Random Stat #1: Pete Carroll won his first game as an NFL coach since January 2, 2000, a 20-3 victory over the Ravens (Carroll was the coach of the Patriots then).
Random Stat #2: The past three times the Steelers and Falcons have met, the game has gone into overtime.
Matt Forte The Next Marshall Faulk?: Forte had 201 yards from scrimmage (151 receiving, 51 rushing). Very Marshall Faulk-like in that sense, however Forte fumbled twice, something Faulk seldom did. And remember too that the Bears offensive coordinator is Mike Martz.
Random Stat #3: The Steelers have not lost an opening day game since 2002.
We're All Professionals Here: Derek Anderson complete a mere 51% of his passes and Sam Bradford, 58%. While both quarterbacks made some key throws, neither looked spectacular. And if Rams' coaches keep radioing-in this many passes, then Bradford shall have plenty of in-game experience!
Sweet But Futile Play: It's too bad the Browns honked a 14-point lead because Mohamed Massaquoi's touchdown pass from Jack Delhomme was flippin' sweet. On the other hand, the Bucs have been so bad the past couple years that I forgot that Ronde Barber even still played in the NFL (he returned a key interception for a touchdown that sparked a Buc comeback!)
Stat #3: Some much for the Cowboys' high-powered offense - they have only scored one touchdown in their past two games (going back to last season).
College Football Scores From Schools You've Never Heard Of:
Score #1: Wilkes University 38, Waynesburg 35.
CFSFSYNHO Blowout Special: Missouri West 81, Lincoln 14. It was 38-0 at halftime.
More Proof that College Overtime Sucks: In the Towson-Coastal Carolina collision, which Towson won 47-45 in the fifth overtime, there were 10 scoring plays in overtime. Ay Carumba!
Next Week (yes, this deserves boldface): There will be 16 NFL games.
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