Category: NFL (Page 553 of 1282)

      Rookie Brian Orakpo is a beast

      December 13, 2009 /

      When the Redskins selected Brian Orakpo in the first round of April’s draft, they knew they were getting a player that could get after the quarterback. But they probably didn’t figure that they were getting a game-changer right off the bat.

      Thus far, the defensive rookie of the year candidate has 11 sacks on the year. On Sunday, he ranked up six tackles, four sacks and forced a fumble in the Redskins’ 34-13 stomping of the Raiders in Week 14.

      Orakpo has been outstanding in his first year, which is quite a testament to his abilities both as a player and as a student of the game because he had to learn how to learn the linebacker position this summer after playing end at Texas. It usually takes most rookies a season or two to adjust to a new position, but Orakpo has picked it up right away.

      He faces stiff competition in the Bills’ Jairus Byrd and the Texans’ Brian Cushing, but Orakpo has to be the leader of the defensive rookie of the year award. Who would have thought that Orakpo would have made a bigger impact this season for the Redskins than massive free agent acquisition Albert Haynesworth.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Andre Johnson deserves to play for a winner

      December 13, 2009 /

      Texans fans are going to read the title and want to dropkick me in the mouth. But let me clarify: I want the Texans to win. I want the Texans to win because they drafted Andre Johnson and both player and team deserve to win in this situation.

      That said, Johnson is a superfreak and if the Texans aren’t going to eventually win, I’d like to see the 28-year-old receiver play in a meaningful game once in my lifetime.

      Johnson racked up 193 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches in Houston’s blowout 34-7 win over the hapless Seahawks in Week 14. The Texans did an outstanding job moving the wideout around so that Seattle couldn’t double-team him and the results were obviously outstanding. The only reason Johnson didn’t have 20 catches for 300 yards was because Houston was up so much in the second half that it didn’t need to put the ball in the air.

      There was an article in one of the recent ESPN The Magazines that stated Johnson could ask out of Houston if the Texans fail to make the playoffs this season. He doesn’t seem like the type to demand a trade, but losing has an affect on people so it’ll be an interesting story to follow in the offseason.

      Either way, this guy deserves to play in the postseason once in his career. Could you imagine what he would do in an offense like the Saints and the Colts? Granted, you could say that about any great receiver in the league but…ho…lee…crap. That would be fun to watch.

      NFL

      Are the Bengals too one-dimensional offensively?

      December 13, 2009 /

      The Bengals haven’t gotten as far as they have this season by accident. They’ve won nine games by not killing themselves with mistakes, by running the ball and by playing solid defensive.

      But are they relying too much on their running game?

      On Sunday in Minnesota, the Bengals attempted 24 runs and 28 passes. That’s a nice, balanced offensive approach but it got them nowhere in a 30-10 loss to the Vikings.

      Marvin Lewis had to have known that the Bengals weren’t going to line up and just run the ball at will against the stout Minnesota front four. Granted, Cincinnati did manage to gain 119 yards on the ground, but Carson Palmer threw for just 94 yards despite completing 15-of-25 pass attempts. The Bengals had zero vertical passing game whatsoever.

      Following the loss, Chad Ochocinco hit the nail on the end when he summed up his team’s offensive game plan coming into Sunday:

      “I am not sure if we were really focused on getting the passing game going today,” Ochocinco said. “I think what we wanted to do was establish the run like we have been doing all year. We wanted to pass, as needed.”

      The Bengals shouldn’t change their identify based on their opponent, but that doesn’t mean that they also shouldn’t make adjustments in order to win the game. Yes, they had some success running the football against the Vikings. But it was apparent that the running game alone wasn’t going to help them beat Minnesota and yet Lewis and his coaching staff never adjusted.

      The Bengals are a damn good team and they played a great opponent in a tough environment. But in order for them to become elite, they need to find a way to beat teams through the air or else they’re going to have a tough time advancing in the post season.

      NFL

      Patriots win, but issues continue to pile up

      December 13, 2009 /

      While the Patriots managed to earn a 20-10 victory over the Panthers in Week 14, they hardly have reason to celebrate.

      They gained 377 total yards, but turned the ball over three times. They held the Panthers to just 179 passing yards, but gave up 305 net yards. Tom Brady led the Pats on a nice 13-play scoring drive to give them the lead late in the third quarter, but his interception set up Carolina’s first touchdown. Wes Welker caught another 10 passes for 105 yards, but Randy Moss hauled in just one pass for 16 yards…and fumbled it.

      Speaking of Moss, he flat out dogged it on the field today. He ran lackluster routes, was seen pouting on the sidelines and appeared to give up on a pass that was intercepted by Carolina in the first half. In other words, he was the exact opposite of Welker, who continues to give his all on every play.

      Bill Belichick also decided to go for it again on fourth down and once again the Patriots failed. It wasn’t a bad decision because his offense was in no man’s land, but maybe it’s time for Belichick to scale back the aggressiveness if his offense can’t be counted on to convert.

      In the NFL, a win is the only thing that matters and at 8-5, the Pats are still in good position to win their division. But this is hardly an elite team anymore and if they do wind up making the postseason, things are setting up for an early exit for New England.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Coaching staff not getting enough credit for Saints’ run at perfection

      December 13, 2009 /

      Do you know why the Saints are currently 13-0 right now? No, it’s not because of their high-powered offense, Drew Brees or their remade defense. It’s not because of their outstanding receiving corps, Darren Sharper’s playmaking ability or a trio of running backs.

      Actually, it’s because of all those things. But one thing that seems to be taking a backseat in the Saints’ run at perfection is their coaching staff, and I’m not only referring to coach of the year candidate Sean Payton either.

      There were two plays in the Saints’ 26-23 victory over the Falcons in Week 14 that had more to do with coaching and less to do with the players on the field.

      The first play came early in the third quarter when the Saints were up 16-9. The Falcons had been getting pressure on Brees by sending multiple defenders throughout the game, and with the Saints facing a 3rd and 19 from Atlanta’s 21-yard line, the Falcons decided to blitz a bevy of players in order to disrupt the play. But the Falcons played right into Payton’s play call, because Reggie Bush took a 21-yard screen pass into the end zone untouched.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑