Are You Ready for Some Football - Week 4

[-Jrabbit]

How can you say that?
Green's defense got 6 turnovers and gave up only 3 points.
His offense scored with ease on their first two possessions.
How can you NOT blame the coach?

Given the way the game started, the Cards could have named the final score. All they had to do was use the same offense they started the game with. You heard Green after the game: "The Bears are who we thought they were." He has a good scheme to attack the cover-2, and it was working great.

So what does he do?
He runs Edgerrin James 36 times -- for 55 yards.
Leinert basically only threw on 3rd down after the middle of the 2nd quarter. Predictable. And therefore ineffective.

Denny Green is an Idiot.

[-Jrabbit]

Originally posted by Dis
I turned off the tv. oh well.

I still maintain that bears fans are living in some fantasy world. If I were them, I'd be seriously concerned at their perfomance this game.

Though you could say they were just looking ahead to the bye week and the rest of the season, and just dismissed the Cards. I'll buy that argument. I don't want to hear crap about off days. And yes, I know what the Ravens did at the beginning of this century. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it won't be as easy as Bears fans think it will be. But I still maintain they will not win the superbowl. I just have a feeling they will blow it.

Who said it would be easy?

I think I have a fairly realistic outlook on the Bears. And I hope the team learned they can't phone it in against NFL athletes. The postseason is a long ways off. I'll judge that when the time comes.

But I'm certainly going to watch and enjoy every game, just like I always have.

[reismark]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
On top of it all, the fans sit on metal benches. Only the best for fans of the Cardinals.

Not any more they don't.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Spaced Cowboy
I'm with sloww on this one. Just hand the ball to the ref and go to the sideline where chest bumps and high fives are appropriate behavior.

I agree completely, I've always hated "excessive" celebrations of plays, goals etc. I'm cutlurally Germanic damnit, and we don't celebrate every little thing in life as though it was a lottery win. A simple nod or a slap on the back to the guys who helped make the play happen, perhaps a nod to the crowd and get back to work.

I realize that different cultures view this differently so there should be a little room for judgement. But all in all I think most people watching a game would prefer to move things along rather than watching a bunch of millionaires celebrating how fantastic they are.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui


100% agree.

I actually think that Dan Reeves may have done something like that for Vick. Mora/Knapp seemed to do their damnest to fit Vick into a "West Coast Offense". Now they added the college option in the playbook. They need to just adapt the offense to Vick by doing more long passes (Vick is good at bombs) instead of quick timing routes.

While one can certainly push for one sort of pass or another, mostly it has to do with what the defense gives you. If they are sitting back playing center field you are going to have a hard time getting the bombs to drop. If you are only capable of throwing the bomb it is unlikely the defense is going to give you many opportunities. Hence working the quick timing route, it's like free money if the defense is laying back trying to prevent that big play. If it becomes too obnoxious it forces the defense to tighten up the front, which gives you better opportunities for the bomb as well as reducing the number of defensive backs who are likely to be in position if a running play breaks open.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
And Elway grew to love him.

Absolutely wrong. Elway got Reeves fired in Denver by way of ultimatum. He was extra incentivised when Atlanta played Denver in the Super Bowl because he couldn't wait to rub Reeves face in it.

Reeves is one of the most predictable coaches in history, which is why he sucks so much in big games where the other team has time to scout properly (ie the Super Bowl 0-4) He's remarkably successful otherwise, he's got a great regular season record and a decent playoff record.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Lelie is a WR you can't count on. He's gone from Denver because of that, and attitude. He couldn't understand why they didn't appreciate his not going 100% on every play.
A lot of potential, but his brain got in the way.

Yea, and he drops so many passes and rarely makes great catches. I'm surprised they stuck with him so long, I guess because he was a 1st rounder.

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by Jaguar
Hell, I'm an Bills fan. I still shudder whenever I hear the words "wide right."

And I understand we've got nothing on Arizona.

Fixed.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Man... just saw the postgame interview with Denny Green. He's PISSED!! Rackers better stay away for a few days .

[Donegeal]

da BEARS!!!

Wow. They really should have lost, but what I like about it, is you can no longer say "the Bears can't climb out of a hole."

Imran, you still up for that phased bet? It's looking more and more like it's one you'd win.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Of course I would . Because the Bears will lose one game at some point and if they only lose that one then I bet the starters won't be playing that final game of the season (no need for anyone to get hurt) because they'll have home field.

[SlowwHand]

Yes indeed. This move will solve all problems.

Ravens fire offensive coordinator Fassel

By DAVID GINSBURG, AP Sports Writer
40 minutes ago

OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Jim Fassel was fired as offensive coordinator of the
Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday, a move designed by coach Brian Billick to get more firepower from the league's 28th-ranked attack.

The Ravens scored only 10 offensive touchdowns in their first six games and were held to 16 points or fewer three times. Even though Baltimore sits atop the AFC North, Billick felt a change in the team's offensive philosophy was imperative.

"Clearly, in order for us to expand on our 4-2 start, we have to have more offensive productivity," Billick said at a news conference at the Ravens' headquarters. "It was my opinion going forward, in order to bring about the level of production that we need offensively, to get where we want to go, that I needed to step back in on a day-to-day basis."

Billick said he will assume the duties of offensive coordinator, which includes calling plays on game days.

Billick, a close friend of the former
New York Giants coach, called the dismissal of Fassel "one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make.

"I have an obligation to this organization to do what I think is in the best interests of this team, regardless of how difficult those decisions are," he said. "Jim Fassel has been a valuable and loyal coach to me."

But Billick could no longer tolerate his team's sputtering offense, which had brought about some grousing in the locker room.

Wide receiver Derrick Mason said "the (heck) with football" after going without a catch in Sunday's 23-21 loss to Carolina, and Jamal Lewis complained about being forced to share time in the backfield with Musa Smith and Mike Anderson.

"Everyone wants to know where the old Jamal Lewis went," he said. "When you hear things about who's hot or who's not or whatever, a lot of that I just feel like is smoke being blown. There's nothing you can do about it."

Billick said the dismissal of Fassel wasn't necessarily a reaction to Sunday's game.

"There was no single incident, no episode, nothing specific that brought about this change," Billick said. "It was a collective evaluation on my part that something dramatic had to be done."

Fassel was in his second year as the Ravens' offensive coordinator after serving a season as a senior consultant to the offense. He was promoted to offensive coordinator after Baltimore fired Matt Cavanaugh following the 2004 season.

From 1997 to 2003, Fassel guided the Giants to two NFC East titles, a conference championship, an appearance in the Super Bowl and a wild-card playoff berth. He was named NFL coach of the year in 1997 and lost the 2001 Super Bowl to Baltimore.

With the Ravens, Fassel struggled unsuccessfully to come up with an attack that could support one of the league's best defenses. Baltimore hoped the addition of quarterback Steve McNair would fuel the offense, but the change did not bring about the desired results.

McNair has a 64.1 quarterback rating and has thrown seven interceptions, compared to five touchdown passes. He began the season with an 83.8 career QB rating and with 53 more touchdown passes than interceptions.

Fassel did not immediately return calls Tuesday seeking comment.

[Dis]

hmm, so what is he going to do when they go worse than 4 and 2 over the next 6 games?

[rah]

blame it on learning a new system

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Man... just saw the postgame interview with Denny Green. He's PISSED!! Rackers better stay away for a few days .

For those who are interested, it's in my sig.