1: Just heard James Harrison on NFL Radio: "How can I play the way I was taught?" He forgot the violin.
OK: I now understand that Cribbs was a running back, and his helmet was fair game. Therefore, Harrison saw the opportunity to damage a fellow player's brain and maybe spine, and eagerly tried to do so, as he was taught to. By Coach De Sade, I assume. Since it was legal, it was okay!
I had originally thought the attempted homicide on Cribbs was illegal, but stand corrected.
I had thought that the hit on Massequoi was legal, but had forgotten the defenseless reciever rule. Massequoi had not taken two steps with (or juggling) the ball. Harrison also blamed Masseqoui for "ducking down". .....? He hit him IN THE HEAD with his forearms. He could have decked him with pads-do-sternum or hands to chest, but of course that wouldn't have damaged the other guy's brain 0r spine, and he was taught to kill or maim whenever possible.
James? Burn in hell.
2: McBride kills me. He's another Yoda wannabe: McCoy was adequate. He might have even said "decent" once.
I don't get the guy. IN CONTEXT, Colt was sensational. One of the top defenses in the NFL, weak wide recievers, hostile environment, first NFL start after only five games. THEN losing both Cribbs and Massequoi, and falling behind. Barry, what did the rookie have to do to rate a "pretty good" from you?
NonoNO it's not the same as Quinn! Once defenses got a bead on Quinn's INACCURACY, they adjusted coverages to exploit it. McCoy doesn't have that weakness--in fact is exceptionally accurate. The only questions about Colt were his arm-strength and height.
For sure, they'll take what they can from this game-tape and have a better idea of how to screw up the NFL version of McCoy, but it will be a ton harder than it was to mess up an inaccurate thrower.
I believe that Colt's practice time was nil until week three, when he was temprarily the number two and got about 30% of the reps. Then there was the one week when he prepped to start. So, he did what he did on very little practice time.
3: Daboll had an EXCELLENT game-plan for a rookie quarterback with weak wide receivers facing a Steelers defense. Will you guys never let up? You got it in your heads that he sucks based on recievers dropping balls and quarterbacks making crappy throws last season that Daboll sucks, and now are systematicly filtering everything that happens through that prejudice. Daboll has done, and is doing, a good job.
4: So has Wright. Yes he has, except the one game vs. the Ravens. Now you got another prejudice stuck in your head, and every completed pass gets blamed on him. The issues with that are two-fold:
1: The SAFETIES are a day late and a dollar short and
2: The blitzes are getting stopped, and quarterbacks sometimes have too much time.
That's Ryan: he's taking calculated risks. You can rush four without a lot of disruption, but when you HAVE TO send five, you're taking people out of coverage, and if they don't get to the quarterback in three seconds THREE SECONDS DO YOU HEAR ME, ANY ANY ANY cornerback is just about in deep shit.
On some occasions, I've seen teams pick up the single blitzer, but the QB unable to find anybody open for more like seven seconds--that's just absolutely exceptional coverage. It happened several times vs. Pitt. Like the time Ben intentionally grounded it, and the two times he was in the grasp and going down and sort of dropped it for incompletions,
Moving Brown to safety is one good option, but I'd prefer "single high" coverage with ADAMS at free safety; then you still have three really good corners and TJ Ward in the Chris Rockins role. Adams is actually a ballhawking, human missile tackling free safety ala Felix Wright.
5: Terry Pluto shame on you for generalizing. The Browns do NOT lack offensive talent at tight end, running back, fullback, or offensive line. Only at wide reciever (and that just got worse).
Well okay--you can add quarterback too, if you muddy the definition. Since at quarterback nowadays you just about have to have an elite player--not just a guy. Flacco, Ben, Brady, Manning, Brees,,,
Colt might be that guy, but despite his great start vs. Pitt, he's still a rookie, and will make mistakes.
One mistake might well have been the throw to Massequoi. On that pattern, the wide reciever needs to come to a stop and "sit down" vs. zone coverage. If he's in motion when he catches the ball, that OLB will do what Harrison did (albeit much more cleanly and legally. Most NFL players are human beings,)
I suspect that Colt led him, rather than throwing to where he was supposed to stop.
6: Mangini feels he needs wins now to avoid getting fired, so he might want to bring Delhomme back if he can. But he might not. McCoy did so well that Mangini might agree with most of us that McCoy actually does give his team the best chance to win now.
Those of you who long since made up your minds to hate Mangini and carefully ignore or distort anything good that happens will no doubt ass ume that Holmgren overrode him in any good decision. But Mangini has always started the best players, regardless of their draft position or experience. It's actually the biggest single reason that I defend him against mindless attacks.
7: Back to Colt, and what I saw: I didn't see any bombs, but did see him fire throws with velocity/low trajectories into tight spaces (as I did in game four of the preseason...while you were sleeping).
The ball that was intercepted, in fact, was a perfect, unbelievably accurate pass into the middle of three defenders, delivered to like a two-foot square spot where only his own guy could (and should have) caught it.
YOU guys probobly all just groaned and cursed, but I personally said "wow-what a pass!"
I love that he had the guts to make that "stick" (as Rich Gannon calls those darts into coverage). You can't teach that kind of accuracy, and over 90% of the quarterbacks in the NFL wouldn't even try that stuff, because they're not sure they can get it to that little tiny window, and know that if they're six inches off it's a pick.
And defenses can't stop it. They have perfect position, but can't prevent a perfect throw from getting in that tiny little space. all they can do is interfere, try to pry it loose, or blow the reciever up after the fact.
Trust me: This is a rare TALENT we have here. And you'll see: He'll make the wide recievers look a lot more talented.
He was baptized in fire, and came out stronger. Just wait. Just wait.
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