Count me as 1 of those guys that believed the Redskins and RG3 were due for a game like this. A lot of winning the turnover battle has to do with being careful with the ball on offense and wreaking havoc on defense, but it also has at least a little bit to do with chance or luck or randomness or whatever you want to call it…a tipped pass could fall into a defender’s waiting hands instead of harmlessly to the turf, or a fumbled ball could roll towards the opposing team instead of bouncing right back into your arms, etc. In light of that, the Redskins’ offense coughed the ball up only 5 times through their 1st 6 games, which is mind-boggling to anyone who watched Sexy Rexy play quarterback last season. So yes, maybe they were due yesterday…especially playing a division game on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion Giants.
And maybe Griffin was due as well. Through his 1st 6 games, you couldn’t say RG3 played poorly in any 1 of them. A bad game against a strong opponent (and a subsequent thumping at the hands of the Giants) was almost half-expected. And after a turnover-free 1st half, the Skins gave the ball away 4 times in the 2nd half. 2 of those belonged to Griffin (a fumble and a interception), and yet he still performed well by all accounts. The rest of his numbers for the day: 20 for 28 passing for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns as well as 89 yards on the ground. His 4th and 10 completion with the game on the line was epic. His 30 yard touchdown bomb 2 plays later to Santana Moss looked like it would put this game on ice.
Unbelievably, it looked like Griffin and the Redskins would have that bad day at the turnover offense they seemed to have been avoiding up until that point, and they still somehow looked to have the game in hand. My 1 fear, with about a minute and a half to play, was that Washington left too much time on the clock for Eli Manning to do his thing…which he did. Manning, who seemed off for most of the day (his missed touchdown pass to Victor Cruz earlier in the game and his 2 uncharacteristic interceptions probably cancelled-out the Redskins’ own turnover woes) needed only 2 plays it turns out. That’s how bad Washington’s pass defense is right now.
Cruz, who is by far the Giants’ most dangerous receiver, somehow beat double coverage, and got free for a 77 yard step-on-your-throat touchdown…cue the salsa dancing. Washington DBs Josh Wilson and Madieu Williams apparently thought that placing 2 guys on the field in Cruz’s vicinity would be enough to cause Eli to look to another option, but just because your defensive alignment calls for “double coverage” doesn’t mean you don’t actually have to play defense on that guy. An unimpeded Cruz ran right by Wilson and Williams like 2 burgandy and gold traffic cones. He had gotten so much separation that Manning’s slightly underthrown pass still didn’t allow any Washington defender to catch him. Another week…another minor league performance by the Redskins’ D. No, not much was expected of these Redskins this season...but it was another opportunity wasted just the same.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
How About I Just Keep Recycling This Title? RG3 To The Rescue Again
It wasn’t turning out to be a banner weekend for DC area sports fans, what with the Nationals’ 9th inning meltdown in game 5 against the Cardinals (makes the game 4 dramatics seem pretty anticlimactic now) and the Redskins’ once seemingly insurmountable lead dwindling away late in the 4th quarter against the Vikings. A once 19 point lead had been trimmed to 5, as the Skins’ bend-but-don’t break defense had a little too much bend to it in the 2nd half for my taste.
However, RG3 had different ideas. With just under 3 minutes remaining in the game and Washington facing a 3rd and 6 from their own territory, the Vikings chose to blitz, and Griffin broke containment. Even at this early stage in his career, I have seen enough RG3 to know that when he gets to top gear if you don’t have an angle on him, you’re not going to touch him. 1st down, move the chains, and continue milking the clock…but when a 2nd Minnesota defender took a poor angle, possibly underestimating Griffin’s world-class track speed, it became almost instantly clear that Griffin could go the distance. No flags…game over.
Through 6 games of watching RG3 as a Redskin, there is 1 thought that keeps popping into my mind: this is what it’s like to have a real playmaker on your team. I don’t know if anyone really knows what Griffin really is yet. He’s not Peyton Manning or Tom Brady or Drew Brees. In fact, he may very well be something the likes of nobody has ever really seen before (only time will tell). But for the 1st time in my lifetime, the Redskins have a guy on their roster who actually has the ability to take over a game.
If you forget about schemes and injury concerns and what his teammates have done around him, you would have to give Griffin a very high grade in each of his 1st 6 games. Sure, maybe he has taken too many hits, but he has played great by almost any measure. It’s that playmaking, take-over-a-game ability that makes you think the Redskins have at least a chance to win every week. And that’s with a lousy defense, a makeshift offensive line, and, despite Alfred Morris’ surprising start, a collection of skill players that isn’t exactly awe-inspiring. No more was this on display than last week, when Griffin was knocked out of the game. Both my heart and my head say Washington beats Atlanta if he doesn’t get concussed…the Falcons are the last unbeaten team in the NFL by the way.
As it stands though, the Skins are 3-3 and only a game behind the Giants, who they will play next Sunday. If you asked me before the season started, I would’ve taken that place in the standings through 6 games. The Giants in the Meadowlands will be Washington’s toughest test to date, but as long as RG3 can avoid getting bludgeoned by Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and company (no easy task in and of itself), Skins’ fans at least have to think they have a chance again. They know they have 1 guy who can make a play.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Where Does The Time Go? Baseball, RG3, And Other Odds And Ends
12 days since the last BCAS (B-Court All-Star) post…let’s just say my job hasn’t been cooperating with my blog-writing ability. Work busy-ness hasn’t exactly dwindled today, but it’s late Friday afternoon, and my motivation is taking a metaphorical nosedive. Let’s hit a few topics real quick before I ride off into the sunset for the weekend…
- Things looked pretty bleak for the Nationals yesterday…until Jayson Werth happened, that is…
Epic crowd reaction/roar in my opinion…the O’s also won yesterday, breaking a 1-all tie in the 13th. Both series are tied at 2 games apiece. Both deciding game 5’s are tonight…stay tuned.
- A lot of hullabaloo concerning RG3’s concussion during the Skins’ 24-17 loss to the Falcons last Sunday. Sports talk radio guys and ESPN talking heads all put in their 2 cents all week, but I’m not sure what Griffin should have done differently there…run out of bounds? Throw the ball away? He was scrambling outside the pocket trying to score off a broken play in a game that was tied in the 2nd half, not running a quarterback-keeper on a triple-option play. You take away his natural instincts and athleticism, and you limit his effectiveness as a player. And yet it was scary to see that, even in RG3’s youth, he really is the engine that makes the whole car go for Washington’s offense. Kirk Cousins had a nice touchdown pass to Santana Moss in relief duty, but that seemed as much to do with a blunder by Atlanta’s secondary as it did with offensive execution. If Griffin stays in the game, I think the Redskins win that game, which would have somehow put them in a tie atop the NFC East…yeah, on 2nd thought, run out of bounds next time, Griffin.
- Fantasy football…do I even have to talk about fantasy football anymore? Sheesh…1-4, 11th place in a 12 team league, and relying on William Powell and Alex Green this week. Who?
- The NBA preseason is underway, which means we might be only a short while away from the BCAS NBA Power Rankings! Or not…because of last year's lockout, I actually kind of forget what pre-Christmas NBA games look like, but I’m probably better off not diving into pro basketball until after the new year (especially with football in full effect).
- I’m not sure if anyone else noticed (or cared), but unbelievably the 6th season of Jersey Shore started last week. That’s right, Jersey Shore now somehow officially has more longevity than Friday Night Lights and as many seasons as Lost. (What is the world coming to?) The last time I mentioned our 8 most famous guidos and guidettes, I wondered aloud whether their 15 minutes of fame was about 4 minutes past the expiration date. After watching the opening episode of season 6, I’m honestly not sure what to make of our cast of Italian American misfits. The last few seasons had gotten so stale that they were borderline unwatchable, and this year’s edition looked to be more of the same, as Pauly D, Ronnie, Vinny, Snooki, Deena, J-Wow, Situation, and Sammi made their annual trek to Seaside Heights for 1 more summer. But if the season premiere is any indication, Jersey Shore might actually have some twists this year. Situation has apparently gotten himself sober and cleaned up, Snooki is pregnant, and Ronnie and Sammi…well, they still probably will get drunk, break up, and get back together every 2 seconds, but who’s kidding who? To say it was odd to see Mike and Vinny conversing about their respective issues instead of GTL-ing or Snooki making actual grown-up responsible decisions is a huge understatement…maybe this last season will actually be different. Or maybe by episode 4 it will just be the same ol’ s*** again, and I will curse myself for adding Jersey to my DVR queue for a 6th time. No matter what, I guess I’m in for a dime and in for a dollar...updates to follow soon.
- Things looked pretty bleak for the Nationals yesterday…until Jayson Werth happened, that is…
Epic crowd reaction/roar in my opinion…the O’s also won yesterday, breaking a 1-all tie in the 13th. Both series are tied at 2 games apiece. Both deciding game 5’s are tonight…stay tuned.
- A lot of hullabaloo concerning RG3’s concussion during the Skins’ 24-17 loss to the Falcons last Sunday. Sports talk radio guys and ESPN talking heads all put in their 2 cents all week, but I’m not sure what Griffin should have done differently there…run out of bounds? Throw the ball away? He was scrambling outside the pocket trying to score off a broken play in a game that was tied in the 2nd half, not running a quarterback-keeper on a triple-option play. You take away his natural instincts and athleticism, and you limit his effectiveness as a player. And yet it was scary to see that, even in RG3’s youth, he really is the engine that makes the whole car go for Washington’s offense. Kirk Cousins had a nice touchdown pass to Santana Moss in relief duty, but that seemed as much to do with a blunder by Atlanta’s secondary as it did with offensive execution. If Griffin stays in the game, I think the Redskins win that game, which would have somehow put them in a tie atop the NFC East…yeah, on 2nd thought, run out of bounds next time, Griffin.
- Fantasy football…do I even have to talk about fantasy football anymore? Sheesh…1-4, 11th place in a 12 team league, and relying on William Powell and Alex Green this week. Who?
Yeah, exactly…
- The NBA preseason is underway, which means we might be only a short while away from the BCAS NBA Power Rankings! Or not…because of last year's lockout, I actually kind of forget what pre-Christmas NBA games look like, but I’m probably better off not diving into pro basketball until after the new year (especially with football in full effect).
- I’m not sure if anyone else noticed (or cared), but unbelievably the 6th season of Jersey Shore started last week. That’s right, Jersey Shore now somehow officially has more longevity than Friday Night Lights and as many seasons as Lost. (What is the world coming to?) The last time I mentioned our 8 most famous guidos and guidettes, I wondered aloud whether their 15 minutes of fame was about 4 minutes past the expiration date. After watching the opening episode of season 6, I’m honestly not sure what to make of our cast of Italian American misfits. The last few seasons had gotten so stale that they were borderline unwatchable, and this year’s edition looked to be more of the same, as Pauly D, Ronnie, Vinny, Snooki, Deena, J-Wow, Situation, and Sammi made their annual trek to Seaside Heights for 1 more summer. But if the season premiere is any indication, Jersey Shore might actually have some twists this year. Situation has apparently gotten himself sober and cleaned up, Snooki is pregnant, and Ronnie and Sammi…well, they still probably will get drunk, break up, and get back together every 2 seconds, but who’s kidding who? To say it was odd to see Mike and Vinny conversing about their respective issues instead of GTL-ing or Snooki making actual grown-up responsible decisions is a huge understatement…maybe this last season will actually be different. Or maybe by episode 4 it will just be the same ol’ s*** again, and I will curse myself for adding Jersey to my DVR queue for a 6th time. No matter what, I guess I’m in for a dime and in for a dollar...updates to follow soon.
Here we go again...oy vey.
Monday, October 1, 2012
In A Game The Redskins Looked Determined To Give Away, RG3 To The Rescue
As I’ve documented the last couple of weeks, being a Washington Redskins’ fan is really tough sometimes. Not only do you have to deal with losing, but you often have to deal with losing and simultaneously being the laughing stock of the sports world too. If they don’t lose because of a childish ball or helmet flinging incident, it’s usually because of some coaching blunder, having an offensive line or defensive secondary that provides about the same resistance as a grocery bag, or something else even more horrific. Take yesterday, when 2 players, who would at worst be considered important role players if not starters at times, knocked each other out in pregame warm-ups. To add insult to injury, Redskins’ kicker Billy Cundiff seemed hell-bent on trying to lose the game all on his own by missing 3 field goals, 2 of which were extremely makeable.
So, when the Skins’ D let Tampa QB Josh Freeman march right down the field to set up a Connar Barth go-ahead field goal with under 2 minutes remaining in the game, I was about to burst through my own skin. The game should have long ago been well in hand, but it looked as if defense and special teams would once again spoil a pretty solid day for RG3, Alred Morris, and the Redskins’ offense…until RG3 came to the rescue, that is.
With 1:42 left in the game and with only 1 timeout remaining, Griffin marched Washington 56 yards in 7 plays to set up a possible redeeming field goal try for Cundiff, who looked like he was going to be the Redskin to officially s*** the bed on this particular day filled with plenty of potential burgundy and gold bed-s***ters to choose from. These ranged from the terrible 2nd half pass defense to Mike Shanahan’s continuation as the worst head coach of all time in challenging calls to Kyle Shanahan’s dubious choices for 60 yard bombs when what the Skins really needed to do was get 1st downs and chew up clock in the 2nd half to Kory Lichtensteiger’s inability to keep from jumping offsides before Griffin was even able to get under center…sigh. At least Cundiff had the decency to describe his own performance as “crap” even after he snaked his last try through the upright, but without RG3 none of that really matters.
Nevermind that Tampa boasted 1 of the worst pass defenses in the league going into this game, or that the offense stalled a little bit in the 2nd half, or that this particular Redskins’ team is most likely going nowhere in particular this year. In a vacuum, this was probably the best 2-minute drill I had watched the Redskins execute in 20+ years as a fan. (No, that is not hyperbole on my part.) Mark Brunell once beat the Cowboys with 2 heaves to Santana Moss with the clock winding down, but that was more flukiness than anything else. There have been other game-winning drives in that span of time, but they usually seem more bumbling and chaotic, where the Redskins appear to win the game almost in spite of their own ineptness. This looked like what a game-winning 2-minute drill is supposed to look like: crisp and organized where every yard and second counts…and all that while RG3’s headset supposedly went out.
I will try not to gush, but Griffin’s numbers through 4 games are staggering, especially considering the Donovan McNabbs, Rex Grossmans, and John Becks we’ve had to stomach the past 2 seasons: 1,070 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, and a completion percentage of nearly 70%, all while only throwing 1 pick so far. Add in a 6.5 yard per carry clip and 4 rushing TDs, and it’s even harder not to gush. Just imagine if Griffin had an actual offensive line, a defense, or a big time receiver to work with. While the losses to St. Louis and Cincinnati exposed Washington as a team with flaws o’ plenty this year, 1 thing should be certain by now (if it wasn’t a given already): they have a quarterback…on to the next.
So, when the Skins’ D let Tampa QB Josh Freeman march right down the field to set up a Connar Barth go-ahead field goal with under 2 minutes remaining in the game, I was about to burst through my own skin. The game should have long ago been well in hand, but it looked as if defense and special teams would once again spoil a pretty solid day for RG3, Alred Morris, and the Redskins’ offense…until RG3 came to the rescue, that is.
With 1:42 left in the game and with only 1 timeout remaining, Griffin marched Washington 56 yards in 7 plays to set up a possible redeeming field goal try for Cundiff, who looked like he was going to be the Redskin to officially s*** the bed on this particular day filled with plenty of potential burgundy and gold bed-s***ters to choose from. These ranged from the terrible 2nd half pass defense to Mike Shanahan’s continuation as the worst head coach of all time in challenging calls to Kyle Shanahan’s dubious choices for 60 yard bombs when what the Skins really needed to do was get 1st downs and chew up clock in the 2nd half to Kory Lichtensteiger’s inability to keep from jumping offsides before Griffin was even able to get under center…sigh. At least Cundiff had the decency to describe his own performance as “crap” even after he snaked his last try through the upright, but without RG3 none of that really matters.
Nevermind that Tampa boasted 1 of the worst pass defenses in the league going into this game, or that the offense stalled a little bit in the 2nd half, or that this particular Redskins’ team is most likely going nowhere in particular this year. In a vacuum, this was probably the best 2-minute drill I had watched the Redskins execute in 20+ years as a fan. (No, that is not hyperbole on my part.) Mark Brunell once beat the Cowboys with 2 heaves to Santana Moss with the clock winding down, but that was more flukiness than anything else. There have been other game-winning drives in that span of time, but they usually seem more bumbling and chaotic, where the Redskins appear to win the game almost in spite of their own ineptness. This looked like what a game-winning 2-minute drill is supposed to look like: crisp and organized where every yard and second counts…and all that while RG3’s headset supposedly went out.
I will try not to gush, but Griffin’s numbers through 4 games are staggering, especially considering the Donovan McNabbs, Rex Grossmans, and John Becks we’ve had to stomach the past 2 seasons: 1,070 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, and a completion percentage of nearly 70%, all while only throwing 1 pick so far. Add in a 6.5 yard per carry clip and 4 rushing TDs, and it’s even harder not to gush. Just imagine if Griffin had an actual offensive line, a defense, or a big time receiver to work with. While the losses to St. Louis and Cincinnati exposed Washington as a team with flaws o’ plenty this year, 1 thing should be certain by now (if it wasn’t a given already): they have a quarterback…on to the next.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Week 3 Of The MFL And Other Football News And Notes
Yes, I finally got a chance to do some actually body-surfing this weekend. Did I do enough of it to quench my appetite for the summer? No, not really…did I do enough of it to miss most of this weekend’s slate of NFL games (including a good portion of the Redskins’ game)? Why yes, yes I did…well, turns out I didn’t miss much…or did I miss everything? Sweet mercy, I f***ing missed everything!
I guess I should start off with my beloved (terrible) Redskins. 1st, I have to admit that I only watched about 64% of this week’s game. When the Skins were down by 2 touchdowns at halftime, I figured I would cut my losses and head back to the beach. By the time we got back to the house, we were greeted with the following from my uncle: you’re not going to believe this, but it’s tied! Tied?!? Well yes, it was at least for a moment…as soon as we got upstairs, Washington’s porous pass D promptly gave up 2 disgustingly easy touchdown drives to Cincinnati, all but putting the game out of reach…that is until RG3 tried to come to the rescue. The potential game-tying 2-minute-drill drive, which was going pretty well I might add, hit a snag in 1 particular mind-numbing sequence where Griffin took a bad sack trying to do a little too much, the Skins jumped offsides, and then offensive wunderkind Kyle Shanahan took a 15 yard penalty for berating an official. After losing what seemed like 80 yards in the sack and ensuing penalties, the resulting 4th down Hail Mary pass fell harmlessly to the turf, but all in all I think this game confirmed what most Redskins’ fans already know. If you’ve watched this franchise for 20 years, transparent defenses, sieve-like offensive lines, coaching mistakes, and end-of-game follies are almost expected at this point. You also have to concede that RG3 looks like the real deal, but those longstanding Washington characteristics may hasten some kind of catastrophic RG-injury if the Redskins aren’t careful. Let’s just say my new founded hope is diminishing week by week.
Do I have to talk about my fantasy team? Ok fine, I guess I will talk (a little) about my fantasy team…let’s just say that my team didn’t reach triple digits in points for weeks 2 and 3 combined. Excuse me while I throw up in the empty cubicle next to mine…so much for having the 2nd highest point total in week 1. Through 3 weeks my team has scored the fewest points in our league by far, and I’m not sure if there’s any relief in sight. Shonn Greene, Antonio Gates, you guys are dead to me, and now Stafford might be hurt as well. The worst thing is that my team does have some depth, but I’m rediscovering that depth is not always a great thing in fantasy sports, as you have to play matchup roulette every week…give me a couple of studs and a soft bench over this s*** any day. I’m not sure I can do 14 more weeks of this.
And how can I go a whole NFL post without mentioning the replacement refs? Listen, I’m not going to root for anything cataclysmic to happen. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt or a team lose a game because of officiating (oops, too late), but it’s getting to the point where you almost have to root for things to get more and more chaotic just to get things to change. This was pretty much the same way I always approached the college game’s BCS system…just root for a complete clusterf*** until it gets to the point where the people in charge have no choice but to amend things, because the NFL seems to be too busy doing some serious ass-covering to actually get this right. We’ve already seen the errors of replacement refs decide games, but I’m surprised that we haven’t seen a full-on “Malice in the Palace” type melee yet too. Like maybe somebody blatantly spears a defenseless receiver with a helmet and it goes uncalled, which spawns a bench-clearing battle royal at midfield or something. I’m thinking the 49ers-Jets game is a good candidate for this. Actually, is there any way we can bet on this? I got to go…I got to see a guy about a thing.
I guess I should start off with my beloved (terrible) Redskins. 1st, I have to admit that I only watched about 64% of this week’s game. When the Skins were down by 2 touchdowns at halftime, I figured I would cut my losses and head back to the beach. By the time we got back to the house, we were greeted with the following from my uncle: you’re not going to believe this, but it’s tied! Tied?!? Well yes, it was at least for a moment…as soon as we got upstairs, Washington’s porous pass D promptly gave up 2 disgustingly easy touchdown drives to Cincinnati, all but putting the game out of reach…that is until RG3 tried to come to the rescue. The potential game-tying 2-minute-drill drive, which was going pretty well I might add, hit a snag in 1 particular mind-numbing sequence where Griffin took a bad sack trying to do a little too much, the Skins jumped offsides, and then offensive wunderkind Kyle Shanahan took a 15 yard penalty for berating an official. After losing what seemed like 80 yards in the sack and ensuing penalties, the resulting 4th down Hail Mary pass fell harmlessly to the turf, but all in all I think this game confirmed what most Redskins’ fans already know. If you’ve watched this franchise for 20 years, transparent defenses, sieve-like offensive lines, coaching mistakes, and end-of-game follies are almost expected at this point. You also have to concede that RG3 looks like the real deal, but those longstanding Washington characteristics may hasten some kind of catastrophic RG-injury if the Redskins aren’t careful. Let’s just say my new founded hope is diminishing week by week.
One of these times, RG3 isn't going to get up if he keeps taking hits like this.
Do I have to talk about my fantasy team? Ok fine, I guess I will talk (a little) about my fantasy team…let’s just say that my team didn’t reach triple digits in points for weeks 2 and 3 combined. Excuse me while I throw up in the empty cubicle next to mine…so much for having the 2nd highest point total in week 1. Through 3 weeks my team has scored the fewest points in our league by far, and I’m not sure if there’s any relief in sight. Shonn Greene, Antonio Gates, you guys are dead to me, and now Stafford might be hurt as well. The worst thing is that my team does have some depth, but I’m rediscovering that depth is not always a great thing in fantasy sports, as you have to play matchup roulette every week…give me a couple of studs and a soft bench over this s*** any day. I’m not sure I can do 14 more weeks of this.
Oh, for crying out loud...
And how can I go a whole NFL post without mentioning the replacement refs? Listen, I’m not going to root for anything cataclysmic to happen. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt or a team lose a game because of officiating (oops, too late), but it’s getting to the point where you almost have to root for things to get more and more chaotic just to get things to change. This was pretty much the same way I always approached the college game’s BCS system…just root for a complete clusterf*** until it gets to the point where the people in charge have no choice but to amend things, because the NFL seems to be too busy doing some serious ass-covering to actually get this right. We’ve already seen the errors of replacement refs decide games, but I’m surprised that we haven’t seen a full-on “Malice in the Palace” type melee yet too. Like maybe somebody blatantly spears a defenseless receiver with a helmet and it goes uncalled, which spawns a bench-clearing battle royal at midfield or something. I’m thinking the 49ers-Jets game is a good candidate for this. Actually, is there any way we can bet on this? I got to go…I got to see a guy about a thing.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Week 2 Of The MFL: Worst...Week...Ever
In terms of my football viewing experience, it was not a good weekend for your resident B-Court All-Star. I knew it was going to be tough sledding for my fantasy team this week: Marshall going into Green Bay, Stafford travelling to San Francisco, Murray on the road in Seattle, Greene heading into Pittsburgh, and Maclin playing against a tough Ravens’ D. But I didn’t know I had this in store for me.
That’s my team on the left, and that is the worst 1 week fantasy output I’ve had in 7 years of doing this. It was so bad that I wasn’t even angered by it. I was more astounded than anything else, like maybe how I would feel if I saw a meteor crash into my pickup truck or something. It was as if I was saying, “Look at how s***y my team did. Isn’t it incredible? Behold my steaming pile of s*** of a team!”
What was worse was that Krissy’s team put up a solid, respectable week, but she didn’t exactly have 3 people go off at once either, and yet her 2 highest scoring players of the week (Willis McGahee and Green Bay’s D) would have beaten me by 4 points all by themselves. I actually had a big game from Danny Amendola and a decent game from Jonathan Stewart on my bench, but my team was so bad that not even they would have gotten my team within 25 points of Krissy’s team.
In all honesty, I don’t think of my team that negatively. How can I when I nearly paced the whole league in scoring the week before? Like I said in the days leading up to this past weekend, I was none too fond of most of my matchups, and it just seemed to create the perfect storm. I only had 1 player (Stafford) even hit double digits, and I had 2 goose-eggs, including Antonio Gates, who I swear was listed as likely to play until about 5 minutes before the San Diego game kicked off…f***ing cripes.
Anyway, this week’s already in my rearview. Time to move on to the next, and this week it looks like the NFL schedule will provide me with a little bit more relief…maybe…hopefully…if I’m lucky. Ahhh fantasy football: making me feel bad about myself since 2006.
Oscar's sunglasses are hiding his tears.
That’s my team on the left, and that is the worst 1 week fantasy output I’ve had in 7 years of doing this. It was so bad that I wasn’t even angered by it. I was more astounded than anything else, like maybe how I would feel if I saw a meteor crash into my pickup truck or something. It was as if I was saying, “Look at how s***y my team did. Isn’t it incredible? Behold my steaming pile of s*** of a team!”
What was worse was that Krissy’s team put up a solid, respectable week, but she didn’t exactly have 3 people go off at once either, and yet her 2 highest scoring players of the week (Willis McGahee and Green Bay’s D) would have beaten me by 4 points all by themselves. I actually had a big game from Danny Amendola and a decent game from Jonathan Stewart on my bench, but my team was so bad that not even they would have gotten my team within 25 points of Krissy’s team.
In all honesty, I don’t think of my team that negatively. How can I when I nearly paced the whole league in scoring the week before? Like I said in the days leading up to this past weekend, I was none too fond of most of my matchups, and it just seemed to create the perfect storm. I only had 1 player (Stafford) even hit double digits, and I had 2 goose-eggs, including Antonio Gates, who I swear was listed as likely to play until about 5 minutes before the San Diego game kicked off…f***ing cripes.
Seriously? I didn't wait all these years to get you for you to be wearing a headset on the sideline.
Anyway, this week’s already in my rearview. Time to move on to the next, and this week it looks like the NFL schedule will provide me with a little bit more relief…maybe…hopefully…if I’m lucky. Ahhh fantasy football: making me feel bad about myself since 2006.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Hoping Is The Worst: Josh Morgan Pulls A Michael Westbrook
Hope for the best, expect the worst.
Back in the 1997, the Redskins hosted the Giants for a primetime game late in the season. A win would have put Washington in prime position for a playoff berth. The game was as bizarre as it was tightly played. A Gus Frerotte self-imposed neck injury on a post-touchdown celebratory wall headbutt forced backup Jeff Hostetler into the game. Neither team was able to generate much offense, and so you can argue that Frerotte’s, ummm, momentary lapse into insanity singlehandedly offset a great game by Ken Harvey (4 sacks on the night) and the Skins’ D (Hostetler himself threw 3 picks and lost a fumble). As if that wasn’t ridiculous enough, a Michael Westbrook 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taking his helmet off and slamming it down in front of an official pushed Washington out of field goal range with time winding down in overtime. The Redskins got a 50+ yard desperation field goal attempt off as the clock ran down (a kick that head no chance), and the game ended in a tie. You can add statistical improbability to the maddening stupidity, as it was the 1st NFL tie in 8 years. I was only 12 years old at the time, but I don’t have to do any fact-checking to tell you that the ’97 Redskins finished the year 8-7-1, which was good enough to finish just outside of the playoff picture (9-7 would have been good enough to earn a Wild Card that particular season).
RG3 might be the 1st true beacon of hope for Washington in 20 years, but I guess we can’t expect him to erase 2 decades of disappointment in 2 weeks either. In an ugly, penalty-filled, poorly defended game by the Skins, London Fletcher and Griffin still seemed like they were going to have done enough to at least give the Redskins the chance to win in overtime. The Rams played chippy and borderline dirty all afternoon long, seemingly trying to bait Washington into penalties, but the Redskins appeared to keep their cool for the most part. No more evident was this than on the pivotal Washington defensive possession: on 1 play, a St. Louis lineman appeared to cheapshot Fletcher at the tail end of a play. Fletcher complained to the refs to no avail, but instead of doing something stupid, he got the best kind of revenge in forcing a fumble the very next play. Running the 2 minute drill, RG3 appeared to do enough to at least get Washington in position for a game-tying field goal...that is, until 1 Redskin finally did take the Rams' bait. A 3rd down completion to Josh Morgan was a yard short of the 1st down marker, but it would have set up a tough but makeable 48 yard try…until after getting shoved in the face by the Rams’ Cortland Finnegan, Morgan chucked the ball back at Finnegan, which of course drew a flag. Any longtime Washington Redskins’ fan will tell you that throwing a ball at another player is as automatic a 15 yard penalty as, well, ripping your helmet off and slamming it on the field of play, and this forced that once makeable field goal into an almost impossible 62 yard prayer, resulting in 3 point Redskins' loss. Hope is a wonderful thing, but this franchise has shown it still has an uphill battle against history.
Back in the 1997, the Redskins hosted the Giants for a primetime game late in the season. A win would have put Washington in prime position for a playoff berth. The game was as bizarre as it was tightly played. A Gus Frerotte self-imposed neck injury on a post-touchdown celebratory wall headbutt forced backup Jeff Hostetler into the game. Neither team was able to generate much offense, and so you can argue that Frerotte’s, ummm, momentary lapse into insanity singlehandedly offset a great game by Ken Harvey (4 sacks on the night) and the Skins’ D (Hostetler himself threw 3 picks and lost a fumble). As if that wasn’t ridiculous enough, a Michael Westbrook 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taking his helmet off and slamming it down in front of an official pushed Washington out of field goal range with time winding down in overtime. The Redskins got a 50+ yard desperation field goal attempt off as the clock ran down (a kick that head no chance), and the game ended in a tie. You can add statistical improbability to the maddening stupidity, as it was the 1st NFL tie in 8 years. I was only 12 years old at the time, but I don’t have to do any fact-checking to tell you that the ’97 Redskins finished the year 8-7-1, which was good enough to finish just outside of the playoff picture (9-7 would have been good enough to earn a Wild Card that particular season).
RG3 might be the 1st true beacon of hope for Washington in 20 years, but I guess we can’t expect him to erase 2 decades of disappointment in 2 weeks either. In an ugly, penalty-filled, poorly defended game by the Skins, London Fletcher and Griffin still seemed like they were going to have done enough to at least give the Redskins the chance to win in overtime. The Rams played chippy and borderline dirty all afternoon long, seemingly trying to bait Washington into penalties, but the Redskins appeared to keep their cool for the most part. No more evident was this than on the pivotal Washington defensive possession: on 1 play, a St. Louis lineman appeared to cheapshot Fletcher at the tail end of a play. Fletcher complained to the refs to no avail, but instead of doing something stupid, he got the best kind of revenge in forcing a fumble the very next play. Running the 2 minute drill, RG3 appeared to do enough to at least get Washington in position for a game-tying field goal...that is, until 1 Redskin finally did take the Rams' bait. A 3rd down completion to Josh Morgan was a yard short of the 1st down marker, but it would have set up a tough but makeable 48 yard try…until after getting shoved in the face by the Rams’ Cortland Finnegan, Morgan chucked the ball back at Finnegan, which of course drew a flag. Any longtime Washington Redskins’ fan will tell you that throwing a ball at another player is as automatic a 15 yard penalty as, well, ripping your helmet off and slamming it on the field of play, and this forced that once makeable field goal into an almost impossible 62 yard prayer, resulting in 3 point Redskins' loss. Hope is a wonderful thing, but this franchise has shown it still has an uphill battle against history.
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