NFL - Week 5: Comments and Observations

[jdcord]

Sorry I missed commenting on Week 4, because I would have loved to gloat about the Redskins steamrolling of the Cowboys:  it was a thing of beauty, ... sheer beauty.  It was as satisfying as that 35-7, early Christmas bonus, sheer, unadulterated whooping that the 'Skins laid on the Cowpokes several years ago.  Granted, the score this time wasn't anywhere near as indicative of the "shellacking" that took place, but the overall domination that the Cowboys suffered was actually more complete and more demoralizing this time around.  And seeing T.O. once again make a whiny, nonsensical, totally baffling, team-divisive fool of himself afterwards was just the icing on the cake.

Here was T.O.'s reaction, in a nutshell:     





..... Ok, ok.  I'll spare you guys any more of my gleeful kicking of the Cow-herders while they're down .......... for the count, that is.     


So onward to the commentary:


1.    How 'bout those Redskins !!??    *L*

That makes two weeks in a row that they have almost doubled their opposition in the critical "Time of Possession" department, putting together several long, physically dominating, bone-crunching, clock-draining, hope-suffocating, confidence-shattering drives against two of the top defenses in the NFL.

And speaking of defenses, how about that Redskins defense?  In their five games they have gone up against FIVE of the top six offenses in the NFL (numbers 2-6, to be exact), and they have held  all five  of those offensive juggernauts to not only their lowest point totals of the season, but to their lowest yardage totals as well!  ...... I would say that has to make the Redskins' defense the most dominant defense in the league.

I do have to eat some crow, however, since - after watching that first game against the Giants - I, like most other people, thought that this was going to be a very long, defeat-ridden season for the Redskins and their first year Head Coach.  But clearly, I seriously underestimated the coaching staff and the team as a whole.  My bad, and for that I will gladly eat my well-deserved share of crow.



2.    What in the world happened to the Bills?  ...... Is Trent Edwards THAT good??  So good that he alone could account for the difference between the confident and undefeated Bills team that went into that game, and the dysfunctional, hopeless train-wreck of a team that came out of it??



3.    I can't get too excited about the Patriots opening up their passing game and winning last Sunday.  ... Yes, they finally and consistently got the ball to Randy Moss deep, .... and yes, they did so on the road, across the country, over 3000 miles from home.  .... But, ...... after all, ..... it was still just the 49ers they were playing.  So any urges towards any overly joyous exertions need to be tempered by that humbling little bit of a "reality check".



4.    Let's give it up for that old man - the quiet but effective Kerry Collins.  He may be old, ......... how old is he?? ......... but he's "right on time" for the Tennessee Titans.  Yes, I think it's time for The Vince Young "Experience" to leave Tennessee and go the way of Woodstock (and its hippies), by heading on up to Canada (and to the CFL).



5.    Aaron Rodgers is actually doing a very good job up in Green Bay:  he is clearly giving his all in every game, and on every play (and w/o any pain meds!  Yikes!       ).  It is the rest of the Packers' team that seems to have taken several collective steps backwards.  Maybe there is some "intangible" that Favre possesses that Rodgers does not (or at least, not yet)?  And maybe the downturn in the rest of the team's play is a result of not having that anymore (for now)?  But maybe the rest of the team should just  get over it ?! - and do their jobs, like they get paid to do!

[jdcord]

Just one further aside on my Redskins,


I heard Merrill Hoge this morning (on ESPN) saying that he thinks the Redskins are currently the best team in the NFL - even better than the Giants;  mostly because of how dominant the Redskins' offensive line has been (since the halftime of their game against the Saints, in week 2).  He also mentioned how great their defense has been, and how they've done it without Jason Taylor, and (other than the Dallas game) without Shawn Springs - arguably their two best defensive players.  Can you imagine when both of those guys get healthy??