Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1473 of 1503)

So what are local beat writers talking about in the wake of their team’s losses?

Winslow should shut his mouth…but he’s right
Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. aired out some frustrations to the Plain Dealer on Tuesday:

“Some of the coaches might just be holding us back a little bit,” Winslow said. “I don’t mean to try to go behind their backs or whatever, but let’s go, let’s air it out, let’s run the ball, let’s make plays, let’s be exciting.”

“The Giants run the same system as we do, the Cowboys run the same system as we do and [Jeremy] Shockey and [Jason] Witten are on the field on third down,” he said. “I just don’t understand why I’m not on the field sometimes.”

I can’t argue with what Winslow is saying because he’s right – the Browns offense is inept right now. They need Winslow’s playmaking abilities on the field on third downs, especially with Braylon Edwards dropping opportunity after opportunity. Simply put, Cleveland is in no position to leave any of its weapons off the field in critical situations.

This type of stuff can’t be coming out of Winslow’s mouth, however. The Browns don’t owe him anything after his motorcycle stunt put him on IR for the entire ’05 season and so far has cost Cleveland a lofty draft pick with nothing in return but one touchdown. I thought he said in the offseason that he was a changed person? I thought he was going to stop shooting from the hip with his comments and just play?

Be more of a team guy – a leader – before calling out the coaching staff kid.

If you are not big on Chris Simms, you have to read this column
Possibly one of the funniest columns I have read in a long time was by Buccaneers blog writer Scott Kramer from Tampa Bay Online.com. Kramer completely dismantled quarterback Chris Simms in his latest entry after the Bucs lost to the Falcons 14-3 on Sunday:

…The Falcons also rejected more bad passes than a prom queen at Dragoncon…the Atlanta front four didn’t bother rushing too much. They just watched Simms’s eyes, waited for him to start his throwing motion, went to the sideline for some water and a quick rubdown, then got back to the field in time for him to release the ball and deflect the pass. Did I mention that Chris Simms has the slowest release in all of recorded history?

…But when he needed only four of those yards to get a touchdown at the end of the first half, Simms missed an unbelievably uncovered Ike Hilliard who looked absolutely amazed that he didn’t have a ball in his hands.

…But I’m feeling sorry for Simms, much in the same way I feel sorry for a turtle who has been flipped onto his back. He kicks and struggles and wobbles (all very slowly and without coordination,) but can’t ever seem to get back on his feet. So, I’ll stop piling on Chris. For now.

I wrote a response to Simms in my NFL Power Rankings blog about how bad his mechanics are right now. Jon Gruden blasted Simms on the sidelines virtually every series and now I think his confidence is shaken just as much as his physical skills are right now.

Blaming Reid for Eagles collapse
Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News knows who to point the finger towards after the Eagles 30-24 overtime loss to the Giants on Sunday: Andy Reid.

…Because this was his fault. Without exception. Over and over again in the second half, Reid tried to run the ball against an eight-man front, tried safe, short passes, tried to dissolve almost a half’s worth of clock rather than press the clear advantage he owned over New York in his own stadium.

Three and out, three and out – over and over again, especially in the fourth quarter. The Eagles’ defense, already undermanned in the secondary, barely had enough time for a cup of water before it was out on the field again.

It’s interesting that Reid once was the hero coach of the NFL – the guy who could do no wrong and who was a genius in getting his players ready to play every week. Now the title of ‘super coach’ has shifted to Carolina Panthers headman John Fox (the 0-2 start doesn’t help him, but he’s beloved by the media) and national and local media now continuously blast Reid.

Interesting how much the media can turn on a guy.

Time for Daunte to get tough
Ethan J. Skolnick from the Florida Sun-Sentinel is calling out QB Daunte Culpepper’s mental toughness:

…He has already responded in a miraculous manner physically, rehabilitating a traumatic knee injury in record time. Now he must show the same resilience in a psychological sense, or he shouldn’t be out there — personal courage, trade compensation, contract status and medical clearance aside.

…He has appeared antsy and clumsy, immobile and indecisive. He has missed big gains and made major mistakes. He has pressed and, in the eyes of some experts, regressed.

Here’s what I think: the Dolphins face Tennessee and Houston the next two weeks. I bet Miami wins both to get back to .500 and all of a sudden the ‘Culpepper of ‘04’ columns start popping up like advertisements on the internet.

So what did we all learn from week two in the NFL?

Indianapolis is still scoring on Houston…

Nobody has scored a touchdown against the Ravens and Falcons…

Chris Simms is really that bad…

Jacksonville’s defense is really that good…

And former Chiefs coordinator Al Saunders has successfully ruined two offenses so far with his move to Washington…

Nothing too crazy with these new rankings:

1. Indianapolis Colts (2-0)
Previous Rank: 2
I guess we’ll find out what the Colts are made out of when they face Jacksonville this Sunday at the RCA Dome. Rookie Joseph Addai got the running game going a little bit for Indy last week (16 carries for 82 yards), but in evidence of Monday night, the Jaguars don’t like running backs gaining more than a foot and a half so Indy better pack a lunch.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (2-0)
Previous Rank: 3
Much like the Colts, we might not see the Bengals this high next week as they travel to Pittsburgh to face a pissed off Steelers team. Cincinnati might be catching the Steelers offense at a right time, however, because Ben Roethlisberger isn’t seeing the field too well at this very moment. The Bengals are banged up on both sides of the ball, but the offense got back on track last week against Cleveland. MVP so far for the Bengals offense isn’t Carson Palmer or Chad Johnson though, it’s RB Rudi Johnson.

3. Baltimore Ravens (2-0)
Previous Rank: 5
Last week it was Michael Pittman getting blasted by MLB Ray Lewis. This week it was Alvis Whitted who lost his helmet on a hit from safety Dawan Landry. This defense is just plain nasty and if the offense can hang tough like it has for the first two weeks, Baltimore might actually turn out to be the team to beat in the tight AFC North.

4. Seattle Seahawks (2-0)
Previous Rank: 4
Remember when the Giants blew a game last year against the Seahawks in overtime, because kicker Jay Feely missed 40.5 field goals? Well, the rematch is set in Seattle for this Sunday. Beating Arizona last weekend isn’t overly impressive, but holding the Cardinals passing attack to under 200 yards certainly is.

5. Chicago Bears (2-0)
Previous Rank: Not Ranked.
Man, there are some tough teams to leave out of this spot – San Diego, Jacksonville, Atlanta, but you have to give it up for the Bears. For once, lets talk about their offensive production with QB Rex Grossman throwing five touchdowns and only one pick so far. He looks confident and head coach Lovie Smith is doing the right thing in giving the majority of the carries to the better running back – Thomas Jones.

28. Green Bay Packers (0-2)
Previous Week: 31
I thought strongly about putting the Buccaneers here, but I’ll wait to see which team is 0-3 between them and the Panthers after next week and reserve this spot for them. Green Bay played hard – they just didn’t play a full four quarters.

29. Cleveland Browns (0-2)
Previous Rank: 28
It’s tough to look good against the Bengals offense. The good news for the Brownies is that they don’t play that explosive of an offense this Sunday. No, they just face the Ravens…

30. Houston Texans (0-2)
Previous Rank: 30
Last week I gave Houston a positive – they were up 7-0 on the Eagles before getting laid out. This week’s positive note: David Carr threw three touchdown passes against the Colts and no interceptions. Oh yeah, and DE Mario Williams has yet to lay a finger on a quarterback so far. Okay, so that wasn’t a positive.

31. Tennessee Titans (0-2)
Previous Rank: 29
At least the Houston Texans have been showing a fight in their games. What a pathetic performance by the Titans against the Chargers last Sunday. They can’t move the ball and Kerry Collins is atrocious. Quit the games Tennessee, the jig is up – just play Vince Young and allow him to gain some experience before this season heads anymore downhill.

32. Oakland Raiders (0-2)
Previous Rank: 32
The Raiders have been outscored 55-6 so far in two games. Oakland has yet to score a touchdown and there are rumors that Art Shell will actually dress and play o-line for the Raiders after their bye week.