Sophomore Slump?

He might be the most explosive and dynamic player to enter the league since Michael Vick in 2001. He has a cannon for an arm and runs like a gazelle. Kids want to be him and coaches want to coach him. He wears number ten and goes by Robert Griffin III. Griffin is in his second year in the NFL and may be dealing with what most NFL players deal with in their second year, the sophomore slump. With all the talent Griffin has and the type of person he shows up to be every day, it’s hard to put the Redskins three and seven record all on the former Heisman trophy winner, or is it?

Griffin started out his NFL career like most rookie quarterbacks dream of, ending the season with an astounding 102.4 quarterback rating. He neglected to make many mistakes throwing twenty touchdowns and only five interceptions Yea, that’s right, five interceptions. That’s a mark that most NFL quarterbacks surpass halfway through the season. Right now only three quarterbacks have under five picks with at least 1500 yard passing; Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers and Sam Bradford. Folks, we still have six weeks to go, as you can see only throwing five interceptions is quite a feat for any quarterback, never mind a rookie. Even with the hall of fame season Peyton Manning is having, he still has 6 interceptions at week 11. Griffin went through the air for 3200 yards on his way to the playoffs, he also tacked on another 7 touchdowns and 815 yards on the ground. As the great John Gruden would say: He’s a stat sheet stuffer. While racking up yards and touchdowns, most importantly, Griffin was winning; finishing with a record of 10-6 and won their first NFC East title since 1999.

Granted Griffin is coming off a knee surgery, everyone and their brother expected to see Griffin back out on the field making things happen with both his legs and his arm this year. As we have all seen it hasn’t been all daffodils and dandelions for the sophomore. Griffin’s already thrown 10 picks, that’s twice as many mistakes as he made all of last year, he’s also seen quite a drop in quarterback rating, at 83.6 so far. He is however on pace to throw for more than 20 touchdowns with 14, but he would have to throw forty to compare to what he did last year. The major issue I see, is the drop in rush yards, with 352. Some might say; he needs to protect himself so he is running less. That may be true, but when you take away Griffin as a runner, obviously you’re losing out on potentially a thousand yards rushing, but most importantly you’re making an unpredictable player, predictable. This just makes it easier for the defense and much more difficult on Griffin. If they don’t have to account for him running as much, there is going to be more defensive backs in coverage. Without divulging too much into the great debate of a “pocket passer” versus a “running quarterback” I’ll say this, if you got into the NFL  with your legs, then you need to continue taking advantage, just at Cam Newton did against the Patriots this past weekend; punishing the defense with his legs, after not being able to find anyone open.

So Griffin is statistically having a worse year, which is expected, but the question is can we put the blame on Griffin? My simple answer is, hell fuckin’ yea we can. He’s a quarterback, he gets all the money, and he got all the glory for winning and bringing the team to the playoffs last year. So yes, I’m impolitely pointing my finger at RGIII. With that said, as any Redskin fan will tell you, it looked a lot worse before Griffin showed up. A backup quarterback at best, by the name of Rex Grossman was taking the snaps, and when you throw six more interceptions then touchdowns, you’re going to end up on Santa’s naughty list. I’ll leave you all with this, its Griffin’s fault if they win and its Griffin’s fault if they lose. We have to remember as fans of the game, that this is a quarterback driven league, and as much as people praise football for the ultimate team sport that it is, if your signal caller has a bad day, the chances of you walking away with a win are slim to none, ask the Giants.

Not So Hard Now

Hard hitting, tough, strength, blood, sweat and tears. These are things that are usually directly related to the game of football. These are 300 pound men out there giving everything they have every day to become bigger, stronger and faster. Now I love football; as any real man does, but I find myself forgetting why I love the sport at times. Especially when this past Sunday, America’s game of the week was decided by an unsportsmanlike call, for hitting too hard.

The New Orleans Saints, hosted the defending NFC Champion 49ers on Sunday. With just under four minutes to go in the game, Drew Brees backs up to pass and is hit hard by linebacker Ahmad Brooks and fumbles the ball. The 49ers recover the ball with a three point lead, game over right? Not quite, as Brees peals himself off the turf he is welcomed with a fifteen yard personal foul for roughing the passer. Saints ball which leads to a Saints field goal to tie it up, and later take the lead.

First things first, helmet to helmet hits are dangerous, unhealthy and bad for the sport. That is my honest opinion from both experience on the football field and what I’ve seen in my years of watching sports. This folks was not a case of a violent or malicious hit, this ladies and gentleman was a case of a little man playing a big man’s game. Brees was hit and hit hard, there’s no denying that. That same hit wouldn’t have drawn a flag against a quarterback over six foot. Most importantly, if you watch this hit on Brees carefully, you will see that Brooks makes an effort to drop his head to the side and use his shoulder and arms to make the tackle. It just so happens that Mister Brooks is just much bigger and stronger, and Brees took a shot from his blind side. Brees recalls thinking, “Wow, that must have been a penalty.”  Why? Because it hurt? It’s supposed to hurt, its football and quarterbacks eatin’ dirt is the average fans favorite part.

Above all the noise, I still love football, as will most of us. But if I were The NFL Commissioner, I might take note of the fact I’m looking forward to watching some hard hitting playoff hockey this winter, as are more and more people are every year.

Week 13: Pick ‘Em

Seahawks vs Bears- The Bears D is going to make it very uncomfortable for rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. BEARS

Texans vs Titans- The Texans will continue their dominance of sub .500 teams. TEXANS

49ers vs Rams- The Rams have a long ways to go before I will pick them over any super bowl contender again. 49ERS

Patriots vs Dolphins- Call it a homer pick but I don’t see Tannehill and the Dolphins scoring 50 points today. PATRIOTS

Jaguars vs Bills- After last weeks performance of Mario Williams with 3 sacks, look for another solid performance today. BILLS

Colts vs Lions- The Colts are a solid team, but the Lions showed they were for real last week, barely losing to the Texans 31-34. LIONS

Vikings vs Packers- Look for Aaron Rodgers to have a big game against this secondary. PACKERS

Panthers vs Chiefs- Cam’s played well, if he can keep his attitude in check he may go off for another 3 or 4 touchdown game today. PANTHERS

Cardinals vs Jets- Tough for a New England fan to pick, but you have to think the Jets will get their heads out of their asses at some point. JETS

Buccaneers vs Broncos- The Broncos have Peyton Manning, enough said. BRONCOS

Browns vs Raiders- I’m taking the Browns in this toilet bowl. BROWNS

Bengals vs Chargers- I like what 2^nd year quarterback Andy Dalton and rookie wide receiver AJ Green are doing in Cincinnati. BENGALS

Steelers vs Ravens- GAME OF THE WEEK! I’m taking the Ravens defense over the 3^rd string quarterback Charlie Batch. RAVENS

Eagles vs Cowboys- This game is going to come down who chokes last. Cowboys in a painful to watch turnover filled battle. COWBOYS

Giants vs Redskins- My upset pick of the week, The Giants are a pass rushing team, and I think RGIII is going to be able to buy the time he needs to make the throws he needs to make to beat the Giants. I am a believer in RGIII and like what he’s doing in Washington. REDSKINS

Spurs Fined $250k

Greg Popovich is in his 17^th year as the coach of the San Antonio Spurs, a man with 4 NBA championships, 9 division titles and 15 playoff appearances; only missing the playoffs in his first year as coach. This doesn’t sound like a guy who should be fined for a coaching decision. Which is exactly what happened when Commissioner David Stern dropped a 250 thousand dollar find on the Spurs for sitting there starters in Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat. Stern said that the Spurs cheated the fans both in Miami and on the nationally broadcasted game on TNT.

So Commissioner, what you’re telling us is that you decide who the coaches start? Just one question, when should the coaches make their first substitution? This call by Stern to fine a team for not playing their starters is absolutely ludacris. Not only is it totally beyond the NBA commissioners jurisdiction to make that call, there were solid reasons to why coach Popovich made the call to send his four starters home early.

The Spurs were on a 6 game road trip in 9 days. That’s not only a lot of basketball, but a lot of miles in between. If you know anything about the Spurs you know that the core of the team is all over the age of 30; Tim Duncan 36, Manu Ginobili 35 and Tony Parker 30. Popovich has built his reputation on keeping his ageing Spurs fresh for the end of the season. Whether that means him resting his starters for an entire game or strategically in the middle of a game, that’s the coach’s call to make.

The Spurs played without their four best players and still only lost 105-100, yet Stern still laid down the quarter million dollar fine. Besides Stern totally stepping out of bounds here on this call, this really concerns me about the future. What Stern just did with that fine is lock in a precedent, saying he has final say in who starts and who sits. I don’t think that’s healthy for any sport, nor do I think that is what the NBA is all about. I understand that every professional sport is a business, but what is this business trying to do, sell the most tickets or win the most championships? Not sure about you readers, but I know who won last year’s championship, but I couldn’t even begin to guess who sold the most tickets, nor do I care.

Stern has made some questionable calls in the past, but I see this move as him flexing his muscles. Or maybe he was trying to gain some respect with the fans here, which back fired. Any real NBA fan understands the reason why Pop sent his 36 year old center home early from a road trip. I would love to see this call reversed and an apology from Stern, but that’s just me dreaming. Let’s just hope that this is the first and last coaching call the NBA commissioner makes.

"Romocoaster"

The quarterback, it’s one of the most difficult positions to play in sports. Quarterbacks and leaders go hand and hand, you can’t be a successful quarterback without being a successful leader. It’s the guy everyone in the huddle looks to and relies on. The greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, with the exception of Dan Marino, have championships to back their high level of play up. Granted there have been teams that have won the big game without a hall of fame quarterback. Like John Gruden’s Buccaneers in 2002 with Brad Johnson or even the Giants; granted Eli Manning has made some immaculate plays, but it’s hard to believe they would have won their last super bowls without that pass rush, having held New England to a total of 31 points in the two super bowls combined.

When building a super bowl contending team, like every NFL team is trying to do, it’s important to start with a quarterback you can rely on, to not just manage the game but win the game. The Cowboys are in a tough situation. Quarterback Tony Romo seems to have all the intangibles to be a great quarterback, the ability to make all the throws, move in the pocket and of course lead the team. What Romo is struggling with is finishing games; this year (2012) when Romo has the ball with two minutes or less to go in the half he has a 58 percent completion rate, only 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and 2 sacks. That’s not a quarterback you want driving down the field to win the game for you. In a two minute drill sacks are almost equivalent to interceptions, the clock stays running and more often than not you just put your team in second or third and long. So Romo usually won’t be the guy to drive down the field and win a game for you, but what about throughout the game. Is he a quarterback that keeps the offense on the field on third down? Unfortunately, for the Cowboys it’s not just at the end of halves. This year and throughout Romo’s entire career he struggles on third down. This year on third down, Romo has a gut wrenching 69.1 quarterback rating, a measly two touchdowns and five interceptions. That’s just not a winning formula.

The question remains, how long do you put up with this type of performance? This is Romo’s eleventh year in the league and still can’t win the games that count. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have been very patient, not benching him yet. They continue to stand behind their quarterback and say he is the man for the job. Romo is making a monster 9 million dollars this year and scheduled to make 11.5 million next year. Whether the Cowboys just don’t see a better option than Romo now or if they are just going to hope for the best remains to be seen. I will tell you this though, if Romo doesn’t start making boss man Jerry Jones happy then he might just find himself in the unemployment line with about 7.9 percent of the U.S.

How 'bout Dem Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys finished 8-8 last year under Jason Garrett in his first full year as the head coach. On paper the Cowboys look like a super bowl contending team with a promising future, in reality it’s a team struggling to stay above .500 at 5 and 6. The Cowboy fans have dealt with a lot of let downs in the last decade or so; having only had one playoff birth in the last five years and only one playoff win since 1996. Even after spending 1.15 billion dollars on a new stadium in 2009 the Cowboys have gone 30-29. So what’s the problem in Dallas?

Jerry Jones and the Cowboys knew that they had to make some moves on defense to become a legitimate super bowl contender, after last year’s defensive struggles. So that’s exactly what Jones set out to do, signing cornerback Brandon Carr to a 5 year 50.1 million dollar contract, linebacker Dan Connor for 2 years and safety Brodney Pool for a year. Jones being the headstrong man he is didn’t stop there, he also traded his first and second round picks to move up in the draft and grab the highly regarded cornerback Morris Claiborne from Louisiana State. Coming into this year the four acquisitions were sure to turn this Rob Ryan defense into a powerhouse. With all that money spent and 12 weeks into the 2012 season, reality has set in.

The Cowboys defense has not been stellar, actually just about average all the way through. Giving up 3617 yards already this season which is just under the NFL average (3858) and allowing 24 total touchdowns to be scored on them which is also just under the average (25). Granted those may not be so game changing, but the Cowboys currently stand at minus eleven in their turnover ratio which can single handedly take down any team. Knowing Jones; this average to poor performance is not going to sit well and someone will have to answer and in the NFL that person is either the coach or the quarterback.

Granted no team can win without a defense, but a good offense can hide a bad defense. In this case the Cowboys offense has had a hard enough time making themselves look good. When an offense struggles it usually falls on one player, the quarterback. Tony Romo is in the middle of his eighth season as a starter and has only three playoff appearances, the last being in 2009. Romo has not been his best when his team has needed him most, including bobbling a snap on a routine field goal as time ran out in the 2006-2007 playoff game. Since then it hasn’t gotten any better. Romo has fallen short of playing consistent and complete football.

Granted the Cowboys are just a couple games out from a playoff berth and do have the fire power to make a strong run into the playoffs, all signs are pointing in the other direction. How far Romo will take his team is up to him, and how much longer Romo will be in Dallas, well that’s a topic for another day.

 

Who’s to blame for the Eagle’s struggle?

For the last decade the Philadelphia Eagles have had Andy Reid calling the shots, a coach with not only a tenor that demands respect, but supposedly proves success. In fourteen seasons with the Eagles Reid has won 129 games and only lost 88, he’s won the NFC East seven times and finished second three, but have only had a single super bowl appearance which they lost in 2004. Reid who has been known to put together some of the most explosive offenses has consistently been above average, in a city like Cleveland that might satisfactory, but not the city of brotherly love. Philadelphia is a city that demands championships and Reid has not been able to deliver. Now whether this is his fault or not remains to be seen.

If the blame doesn’t go to the coach the next viable option in the National Football League usually is the quarterback. Now, in Philadelphia since 2004 when Reid started coaching, there have been 26 different starting quarterbacks. The Eagles have dealt with everyone from Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb to Kevin Cobb and now Michael Vick, none of which have been known to be standout winners in the NFL. There is a case to be made here, granted it may be the Eagles front office and management, who haven’t been able to draft a starter that’s reliable nor groom a prospect into a successful option. You have to wonder if the system in place is the problem or if the right quarterback just hasn’t landed in Philadelphia yet.

Reid’s offenses sure can build hype and sell tickets with acquisitions like Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and Desean Jackson, but have fell  short of expectations year in and year out. Reid continues to shuffle between quarterbacks; even after fourteen seasons, now having to make the decision between the rookie Nick Foles and the veteran Vick, who has been sacked a painful 27 times in only nine starts. Even Tom Brady and Peyton Manning need time to throw the ball. Concussions have held Vick out the last few weeks. In his defense not many quarterbacks take the shots he’s taken this year, at 32 years old those are sure to end the career of one of the most explosive and controversial quarterbacks to ever play the game.

At three and eight the Eagles just released their best past rusher, Jason Babin, for lack of production. That’s a sign of throwing in the towel on the 2012 season, now Reid will make a decision between Foles and Vick to start this week against the Dallas Cowboys. It’s likely they will see what they have in Foles. Either way this quarterback controversy is nothing like the win, win decision Jim Harbaugh has to make this week in San Francisco, and very well could be the last decision the great Andy Reid makes in Philadelphia.