Tag: Jason Campbell (Page 9 of 10)

      NFL Week 5 Primer

      October 3, 2008 /

      Donovan McNabbSunday’s Best: Redskins (3-1) at Eagles (2-2) 1:00 PM ET FOX
      Who would have thought after four weeks that the Washington Redskins would be right in the thick of things in the NFC East? Especially after they bombed in the opener against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. But they are, and a big reason for that is the maturity of QB Jason Campbell, who has looked comfortable running Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense the past three weeks. But he’ll get a major test this weekend against Jim Johnson’s blitz-happy defense. The WCO is predicated on short timing routes and getting the ball into the hands of receivers so they can get yards after the catch. If Campbell can’t get the ball out of his hands quickly, Philly is sure to produce plenty of sacks and turnovers. Whether or not the Eagle offense converts those turnovers into points remains to be seen, however. In their loss last week to Chicago, Donovan McNabb struggled getting the Eagles into the end zone without the threat of Brian Westbrook in the backfield. Westbrook will be a game time decision, although he has seen a fair about of practice time this week, which might be a good sign that he’ll play. Expect another physical matchup between NFC East rivals.

      Upset Watch: Bills (4-0) at Cardinals (2-2), 4:15 PM ET CBS
      I’m not fooling oddsmakers by calling this a potential upset because they’ve already established the Cardinals as 1-point favorites. But considering how well the Bills have played this year and how Arizona surrendered 56 points in last weeks loss to the Jets, a Cardinal victory would be an upset. The fact of the matter is that the Cards just flat out play better in the desert than they do on the road. They’re a completely different team and while dynamic wide out Anquan Boldin is not expected to play after suffering a nasal injury last Sunday, the Cards have more than enough offensive weapons to pull out a win. The key will be Kurt Warner not turning the ball over and for the team to play all four quarters. Buffalo has trailed in the second half of three of their four victories this year, which means that they’ve been outstanding in the clutch. Arizona will have to play a complete game to earn a win, but an upset could be in the making.

      Ben RoethlisbergerIntriguing Matchup: Steelers (3-1) at Jaguars (2-2), 8:15 PM ET NBC
      The Steelers may be 3-1, but they can’t feel too good about the way things are unraveling as injuries continue to mount. Not only will Pittsburgh go into this game without their top two backs in Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall, but Ben Roethlisberger is also dealing with shoulder and hand injuries and OT Kendall Simmons is now lost for the year. The Steelers had offensive line issues coming into the season with Simmons in their lineup. Now they have to play without him, which isn’t good news for Big Ben and the rest of the offense. The Jaguars started the year 0-2 but are now gaining confidence after beating the Colts and Texans in dramatic fashion over the past two weeks. The running game has opened up the passing attack for David Garrard, who is starting to play like the quarterback who led the Jags deep into the playoffs last season. We’re going to see what Pittsburgh is made of, because Jacksonville is starting to show signs of the Super Bowl contender that everyone that they’d be in preseason.

      Other Notable Games:
      Titans (4-0) at Ravens (2-1), 1:00 PM ET
      Tennessee is one of only two teams still undefeated and perhaps is playing the best defense in the AFC. Rookie Joe Flacco looked like he was starting to come into his home against the Steelers, so it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against a tough Titans’ defense.

      Buccaneers (3-1) at Broncos (3-1), 4:05 PM ET
      This is one of the best matchups on the Week 5 schedule as it pits Monte Kiffin’s defense against the Broncos’ offense, which has been one of the best units in the league so far. Can Denver bounce back from its embarrassing loss to the Chiefs last week? Can the Bucs further convince people that they’re a contender with Brain Griese under center?

      Bengals (0-4) at Cowboys (3-1), 4:15 PM ET CBS
      Ocho Cinco vs. Grab Your Popcorn. Should be a good one.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL rookie head coaches have solid first month

      October 2, 2008 /

      Only four weeks have past in the 2008 NFL Season, but as Don Banks of SI.com writes, the four rookie head coaches are already off to a respectable start.

      Jim Zorn— Washington’s Jim Zorn has his confident Redskins at 3-1, on a three-game winning streak, and coming off a head-turning 26-24 upset of the previously undefeated Cowboys in Texas Stadium, where no new Redskins coach had ever won before.

      — Baltimore’s John Harbaugh and his scrappy Ravens are 2-1, and on Monday night in Pittsburgh came within a play or two of going to 3-0 within the AFC North despite starting a rookie quarterback in Joe Flacco.

      — Atlanta’s Mike Smith has brought 2-2 respectability to his rebuilding Falcons, who are only a game behind NFC South co-leaders Carolina and Tampa Bay (3-1). Atlanta, too, is doing just fine with a rookie quarterback in Matt Ryan.

      — And even Miami’s Tony Sparano made us sit up and take notice, with his 1-2 Dolphins pulling off the NFL’s upset of the year, that imaginative 38-13 Week 3 thrashing of New England in Foxboro — a loss that snapped the Patriots’ league-record 21-game regular-season win streak. Miami, in case you forgot, finished a cool 15 games behind New England last year.

      All four of these head coaches have done a wonderful job, but the one that has most impressed is Zorn. We always hear that the West Coast Offense takes two to three years to learn and yet QB Jason Campbell has already shown how comfortable he is in the new system. That’s a testament to Zorn’s coaching and getting his players up to speed with a rather complicated offensive system.

      It’s not uncommon to see a team with a rookie head coach start the year winless for the first couple weeks. But considering all of these teams except Miami have two wins, it’s fair to say that these first-year head coaches are off to solid starts.

      NFL

      Redskins pull off upset of day, beat Cowboys 26-24

      September 28, 2008 /

      Clinton PortisIt hasn’t taken Jim Zorn long to earn the respect of Washington’s faithful. Zorn’s Redskins beat the previously undefeated Cowboys 26-24 in Dallas on Sunday.

      The score was close, but the game really wasn’t. Washington dominated in nearly all facets of the game, including on the ground where Clinton Portis rushed for 121 yards on 21 carries. The Skins dominated the time of possession battle 38:09 to 21:51 and didn’t turn the ball over once. Jason Campbell was also solid, throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns on 20 of 31 passing. He also made two great tosses to Santana Moss in the first half that allowed Washington to build a 17-10 halftime lead.

      The Redskins really won this game in the trenches. They held the Cowboys to only 44 yards on the ground and also did a nice job on Terrell Owens. While he caught seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, Washington didn’t allow T.O. to beat them deep.

      Speaking of Owens, he mentioned last week that as long as the Cowboys won, he wouldn’t be upset if he didn’t have great numbers. But clearly Dallas got him plenty of opportunities today and they lost. Did offensive coordinator Jason Garrett sacrifice his game plan so that T.O. could get his touches? Or was it just an aberration that Garrett only attempted 11 rushes the entire game despite the Cowboys running the ball very successfully in previous weeks? Hmm.

      Either way, Zorn and the Redskins have been impressive so far this year. The Cowboys are arguably the best team in the NFC and Washington soundly beat them on their home turf. The NFC East is a beast of a division.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 4 Primer

      September 26, 2008 /

      Jason CampbellSunday’s Best: Redskins (2-1) at Cowboys (3-0) 4:15 PM ET FOX
      How stacked is the NFC East? Even Washington, the team expected to be the worst in the division, has looked strong since losing their opener to the Giants. In their sound win over the Packers last Sunday night, the Cowboys proved that they’re the class of the NFC. Dallas has a ton of offensive weapons, but the Skins could keep things close now that QB Jason Campbell is starting to look more comfortable in Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense. Plus with RB Clinton Portis running well and the Cowboys’ run defense missing S Roy Williams, maybe this is a good time for Washington to face their NFC East foe.

      Upset Watch: Eagles (2-1) at Bears (1-2) 8:15 PM ET NBC
      Philadelphia is coming off an impressive win over the Steelers while Chicago once again gave up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter while dropping its home opener to Tampa Bay. But the Eagles are banged up right now, with QB Donovan McNabb, RB Brian Westbrook and TE L.J. Smith all missing significant practice time this week. By all accounts, the Bears should be 3-0 right now, but blew wins at Carolina and home against Tampa Bay. Da Bears are tough to beat at home and the defense should bounce back after Brian Griese tuned them up in the fourth quarter and overtime last week. But can the offense generate enough points? Philly’s defense harassed Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger last week and will no doubt attempt to do the same this week against Kyle Orton. As of Friday, Devin Hester is still listed as questionable on the Bears’ injury report, but he could give Chicago a huge boost in the playmaking department if he could return.

      Jon GrudenIntriguing Matchup: Packers (2-1) at Bucs (2-1), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      Aaron Rodgers suffered his first defeat as a starter last week against Dallas, so it’ll be interesting to see how he and the Packers respond. Things don’t get any easier this weekend in Tampa, where the Bucs have won two straight and the offense is clicking with Brian Griese under center. Without the threat of a running game last week, Green Bay wasn’t as effective offensively as it had been in wins over Minnesota and Detroit, respectively. Can RB Ryan Grant bounce back against a tough defensive front seven of the Bucs? And how will the Packers fare without starting CB Al Harris (spleen)? Even though Green Bay is 2-1, it has issues that Jon Gruden and Tampa could expose.

      Other Notable Games:
      Vikings (1-2) at Titans (3-0), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      After notching their first win of the season last week against Carolina, are the Vikings back? Adrian Peterson didn’t run wild last week, but the Minnesota defense stepped up and created scoring opportunities. They might need to do so again this week given the Vikes’ offense could struggle against a tough Titans’ D.

      49ers (2-1) at Saints (1-2), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      The 49ers would go long way in proving they’re for real if they can beat a banged up Saints team in New Orleans this Sunday. With how well the rest of the division is playing so far, the Saints can’t afford to fall to far behind in the NFC South.

      Falcons (2-1) at Panthers (2-1), 1:00 PM FOX
      The Panthers are eager to bounce back following their loss to Minnesota last Sunday, while the Falcons want to prove that their record isn’t just a byproduct of beating two bad teams (Detroit, Kansas City). The Panthers have the better overall talent, but Atlanta (especially DE John Abraham) has had some success playing in Carolina over the years.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Campbell sharp as Redskins top Cardinals 24-17

      September 21, 2008 /

      After dropping their opener to the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins have rebounded over the past two weeks. The Skins notched their second game of the year, beating the Arizona Cardinals 24-17 on Sunday.

      It was over when…
      Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell made a play-fake and completed a 26-yard pass on second-and-7 with just under 2 minutes remaining in the game. The first down enabled Washington to go into the victory formation and kill the rest of the clock.

      Game ball
      Campbell was sharp for the second straight week as he made several clutch third-down throws, tossed two touchdowns and also showed impressive scrambling ability, twice extending drives by rushing for a first down. He finished 22-of-30 through the air for 193 yards and added 26 on the ground.

      Key stat
      As is often the case in close games, the difference proved to be turnovers. The Redskins had two takeaways, while the Cardinals failed to force a single turnover. Washington scored 10 points off of its
      takeaways.

      Noteworthy
      Santana Moss became the first Redskins receiver to catch a touchdown in six consecutive games going back to Bobby Mitchell in 1961. … Each team had a long touchdown taken away by penalty. The Cardinals were called for delay of game on what appeared to be a first-quarter touchdown on fourth-and-1, and the Redskins were called for unnecessary roughness on what seemed to be a 68-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. … Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald has three 100-yard receiving games in his last four outings stretching back to last season. … Each team had a receiver complete a pass. Arizona’s Jerheme Urban had an 18-yard completion and Washington’s Antwaan Randle El tossed an 11-yarder.

      After their loss to New York, it looked like it would take an entire season for QB Jason Campbell and the Redskins to learn Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense. But they’ve turned things around since and actually look pretty sharp. Washington was supposed to be the worst of the NFC East, but in New Orleans and Arizona, they’ve beaten two decent teams in back to back weeks now.

      After beating the 49ers and Dolphins, this was the Cards first real test of the season. They didn’t fail by any means, but the defense didn’t play as well Sunday as it did in their previous weeks. But the encouraging thing is that the Kurt Warner (192 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) and the offense looks pretty sharp in the early going and the NFC West can be had.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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