Deadskins wrote:Bob 0119 wrote:I'm just glad we don't have to hear about Vick anymore, or how the Eagles were genius to trade McNabb.
Not that I have anything against Vick, but man we heard more about him than anything else this past week.
Yeah, It was getting pretty tiresome hearing about how great he was playing. I knew as soon as he started playing NFC East opponents, that he'd come back to earth.
VetSkinsFan wrote:Deadskins wrote:Bob 0119 wrote:I'm just glad we don't have to hear about Vick anymore, or how the Eagles were genius to trade McNabb.
Not that I have anything against Vick, but man we heard more about him than anything else this past week.
Yeah, It was getting pretty tiresome hearing about how great he was playing. I knew as soon as he started playing NFC East opponents, that he'd come back to earth.
He still wasn't doing that bad when he got hurt.
Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
Needing to find a way to win, Packers don't get it done
By Pete Dougherty
pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com
LANDOVER, Md. — All that mattered was Donovan McNabb found a way to win and the Green Bay Packers didn’t.
Yards, quality of play, in most ways it’s easy to argue the Packers played better football than McNabb’s Washington Redskins on Sunday.
Yet after Mason Crosby knocked a 53-yard field goal off the left upright in the final seconds of regulation and Aaron Rodgers threw an interception in overtime, it was Washington and its quarterback who walked off FedEx Field with the 16-13 victory.
The dejected Packers were left with defeat plus an injury list long on quality and quantity as they head into the guts of their 2010 schedule.
“Outplayed them easily,” cornerback Tramon Williams said. “But ya gotta outscore people, you can’t just out-play ’em. That’s the problem.”
The problem is the Packers are 3-2, a game behind the 4-1 Chicago Bears in the NFC North Division and, far more importantly, are hitting a more challenging stretch of their schedule with several of their most important players possibly sidelined for at least a week.
It starts at the top with Rodgers, who sustained a concussion while getting hit on his overtime interception. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he had to miss next week’s home game against Miami.
There also were injuries to playmaking tight end Jermichael Finley, whose strained hamstring tendon knocked him out on the game’s second play, and indispensable outside linebacker Clay Matthews, who reinjured the hamstring that sidelined him for most of training camp. It’s unclear how long either will be out, but considering neither returned after getting hurt, the short-term prognosis doesn’t look promising.
Depending on the severity of the injuries, the Packers face a potentially severe test of their depth and resolve. After Miami this week, they have a home game against NFC North Division rival Minnesota, play the swaggering Jets in New York and then return home against NFC contender Dallas before hitting their bye.
“You have to work your way through points in the season like we’re facing right now,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. “That’s where the character of your team comes out. You get a loss today, a disappointing loss, so we have to go back to work and figure out a way to come back next week and find a way to win.”
The Packers didn’t find a way Sunday despite putting up the kind of numbers that often make for lopsided games.
After three quarters, they had a huge edge in yardage (336 to Washington’s 181). Their defense, with Charlie Peprah a new starter at safety and Pat Lee the new No. 3 cornerback, had put in a winning-type performance in pressuring McNabb (four sacks, 70.8 passer rating going into the fourth quarter).
Yet on the scoreboard, the Packers’ lead was only 13-3 with 15 minutes to play.
“They’re still in the game,” Williams said. “They’re still going to be in their game plan, they’re not going to change anything. You’re not putting the pressure on them at all, especially a team who that’s what their game plan is, to stick to the end and try to win.”
The Packers can look back to any of several reasons for finishing on the losing end. The biggest was coming up empty after having a second-and-goal at Washington’s 1 early in the second quarter.
Coach Mike McCarthy turned down the sure field goal and a 10-0 lead to go for it on fourth-and-1, then saw a bootleg pass fail when linebacker Lorenzo Alexander played it perfectly, keeping his face on rookie tight end Andrew Quarless’ back while breaking up Rodgers’ throw in the end zone.
Conventional wisdom in the NFL is to take the field goal early in the game and go for the touchdown late.
“I thought it was a good call (on fourth down),” McCarthy said. “Frankly, it was probably a down late, I wish I had called the naked (bootleg) on third down.
“But it’s all play calling. The way our defense was playing, after taking the timeout, it really resulted in getting the field goal on the next series. So to me, I really think it’s a wash. The way our defense was playing, where the ball was at, I thought it was the right decision (to go for the touchdown).”
There also were Crosby’s two missed field goals, a 48-yarder wide right late in the third quarter, then the 53-yarder that hooked into the left upright with 1 second left in regulation.
And there were the astounding, drive-killing seven dropped passes — four by Donald Driver, two by James Jones and one by Jordy Nelson.
“I think that was the biggest factor in this game,” Driver said, “because Aaron put the ball where it needs to be put.”
But another factor was McNabb’s incredible ability to win when his team appears a little overmatched. The 12-year pro showed why he has a .651 winning percentage, third-best among active quarterbacks, in rallying Washington from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Though he doesn’t have great weapons in the passing game, McNabb kept plays alive with his scrambling, and twice beat Peprah downfield with big plays outside the pocket.
On the first, he found receiver Santana Moss behind Peprah for a 52-yard gain that set up a field goal at the end of the second quarter. The second was a 48-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Armstrong, who went over Peprah for the score that cut the Packers’ lead to 13-10 with 11:35 to play in the game.
McNabb and Rodgers had below-average passer ratings (75.7 for Rodgers, 75.0 for McNabb), and each had one interception.
But Rodgers’ pick came with the game on the line in overtime. On a third down, he threw behind and was intercepted by safety LaRon Landry at the Packers’ 39, which set up Graham Gano for his game-winning 33-yard field goal.
“McNabb has been in the league for a long time,” safety Nick Collins said. “He feels he can go out there and throw 100 bad balls, and one play is going to come open. He stuck with his game plan.”
Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
“Outplayed them easily,” cornerback Tramon Williams said. “But ya gotta outscore people, you can’t just out-play ’em. That’s the problem.”
Tramon Williams, on losses to the Bears and Redskins this season: "I'm confident that we’re going to bounce back. I don't think it’s anything we need to panic over. Obviously we know we're better than those teams."
Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
Plenty of blame to go around in Green Bay Packers' loss to Washington Redskins
By Mike Vandermause
mvandermause@greenbaypressgazette.com
October 10, 2010
LANDOVER, Md. — Donald Driver takes losing hard, and he was in no mood to sugarcoat the Green Bay Packers’ 16-13 overtime defeat against the Washington Redskins on Sunday at FedEx Field.
“I’ll be the first one to say that I lost the game,” said a dejected Driver, who dropped four passes that contributed to a sluggish offensive performance.
But to lay the blame for the Packers’ bitter-tasting loss on Driver wouldn’t be right. His miscues were only part of why the Packers suffered their fifth consecutive overtime loss under coach Mike McCarthy.
Despite suffering a rash of injuries, the Packers had a chance to prevail if not for an agonizing assortment of blunders.
“The one thing we know is that we let this one slip away,” Driver said.
Mason Crosby missed a pair of second-half field goals. An Aaron Rodgers overtime pass thrown behind Greg Jennings was intercepted and set up the Redskins’ winning field goal. Protection breakdowns led to three Redskins second-half sacks, and a harried Rodgers couldn’t get the offense in sync.
But the mistake-prone Packers set the tone much earlier than that. On their second play from scrimmage, Jermichael Finley was lost for the game with a leg injury when he attempted to tackle Redskins safety Kareem Moore, who recovered Donald Lee’s fumble.
“I ain’t a defensive player,” said Finley, who regrets trying to make the tackle. “I shouldn’t have done it.”
It’s safe to say that had Lee not fumbled, Finley wouldn’t have gotten hurt, and the Packers’ offense would have been much more efficient.
But injury excuses are for losers, and the added losses of defensive starters Clay Matthews and Ryan Pickett won’t generate much sympathy.
Although the Packers produced 427 total yards and held a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, they failed time after time to make crucial plays and put the Redskins away. They were an atrocious 2-for-13 in third-down conversions and failed to score on their final seven possessions.
“I think we all know that yards don’t mean anything,” McCarthy said. “It’s about points. We put 13 points on the board and that’s a credit to Washington’s defense. They kept us out of the end zone. They get the credit.”
The Redskins also deserve credit for coming to life on offense in the final quarter. Even avid Redskins fans booed the home team when the offense punted on seven of its first eight possessions. But as he usually does against the Packers, quarterback Donovan McNabb produced a back-breaking play, this time a 48-yard touchdown strike to Anthony Armstrong.
That set the flustered Packers back on their heels, and they never recovered.
The injury outbreak alone didn’t beat the Packers. In a performance eerily similar to a loss two weeks ago against the Chicago Bears, the Packers beat themselves in so many ways. Penalties, turnovers, dropped passes, missed tackles and blown assignments killed their chances.
“We all got to look at ourselves in the mirror right now knowing that we let two games slip away that we know we should have won,” Driver said. “That’s the part right now that’s going to hurt us because instead of being 5-0, we’re 3-2.”
The Packers should have won but didn’t, and there’s no badge of honor for that.
Getting key playmakers like Finley and Matthews healthy will be crucial to their success for the rest of the season. But the Packers must also find a way to rid themselves of their error-prone ways.
Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
“Outplayed them easily,” cornerback Tramon Williams said. “But ya gotta outscore people, you can’t just out-play ’em. That’s the problem.”
Irn-Bru wrote:“Outplayed them easily,” cornerback Tramon Williams said. “But ya gotta outscore people, you can’t just out-play ’em. That’s the problem.”
This guy is fooling himself. We didn't just steal this one from them: we outplayed them for most of the second half and the entire 4th quarter. We had more first downs, more 3rd down conversions and a greater 3rd down efficiency, more passing yards, fewer turnovers, fewer penalties, and a greater time of possession. If those stats were all you knew about a game, who would you think played the better game?
He like the McNabb basher amongst us must have stopped paying attention to the game at halftime or the end of the third quarter. From what I've read and heard, it sounds like we got the typical McNabb performance, up and down and up and down and . . . oh its time to win, now? Let's go!
Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
Bob 0119 wrote:I'm just as happy having the media talk about how our opponents keep beating themselves. Keeps us under the Radar.
How many years were we the team that "beat ourselves?" It's nice watching other teams let games "slip through their fingers" for a change because this is a game we definitely lose 13-6 last year.
Countertrey wrote:That is exactly true. As long as the outcome is a win, so what if teams feel that the skins are consistently being outplayed.
Plus, as an added bonus, these 3 point games destroy my appetite on Sunday, so it helps get some weight off!
Cutler's mistakes cost Bears win
David HaughJay Cutler is buried by Redskins defenders after fumbling at the one yard line during the third quarter. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/ Tribune)
Of all the poor judgment Jay Cutler showed Sunday during the Bears' 17-14 loss to the Redskins, he saved the worst for the podium.
Asked if he ever considered throwing away from Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall before Hall tied an NFL record with four interceptions, Cutler displayed the blend of arrogance and stubbornness that helped get the Bears beat.
At least Cutler's smirk is in midseason form.
"I've played against (Hall) before,'' Cutler said. "There's no reason to shy away from him. That's hard for me to say throwing four picks to the guy but I still think if we had to play him tomorrow I'd go after him every time.''
Every time? Of all the Sundays to wonder whether Cutler had full control of his mental faculties after the game, maybe it was this one.
Until Cutler shows a capacity to learn from his mistakes, he will keep making them.
Last week it was a headstrong offensive coordinator who contributed most to a Bears loss. This week it was their headstrong quarterback. A player who commits five turnovers — four picks and a fumble on a quarterback sneak at the goal line — yet insists he would attack the defense similarly doesn't know what he doesn't know.
This much everybody who passed Football 101 knows: The Bears would be 5-2 heading into a bye week if not for Cutler's mistakes. He committed five of the Bears' six second-half turnovers and blew at least four scoring opportunities. Do the math. Cutler was worse than his offensive line.
We can calculate Mike Martz's run-pass imbalance down to the decimal, curse the flawed instincts of Lovie Smith on replay challenges and bemoan the Bears' bad luck on a day of bizarre bounces. But it all comes back to Cutler, paid handsomely to avoid this type of clunker.
On a day Rex Grossman held a clipboard for the Redskins, this was the ultimate homage to the error-prone ex-Bears quarterback. Bad Jay, if you will. There was a quarterback at Soldier Field who deserved to be booed but it was the one leading the Bears toward mediocrity, not the one who led them to a Super Bowl.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame might consider joining the Bears media corps. After the Giants set an NFL record with nine sacks in a half and Hall tied a league mark with four interceptions, the Bears offense is making more history than headway.
Usually when folks from Washington get handouts this generous, it involves a tax write-off.
"We knew watching Jay Cutler all week we'd get opportunities,'' Hall said. "It really was nothing he did with his eyes just the plays we called and reading him.''
As easily as Hall read the quarterback it was as if Cutler were holding up a sign saying, "I AM THROWING HERE!"
"Hall's first interception killed a drive that started in Redskins territory. On the third pick, he took advantage of a miscommunication between Cutler and Johnny Knox — the only interception not mostly Cutler's fault.
In-between, Hall's interception at the Redskins' 8 not only prevented the Bears from scoring but he returned it 92 yards for a touchdown after Cutler recklessly lobbed a jump ball of his back foot.
That would have marked Cutler's low point if not for his final throw. Taking over at the Bears' 19 with 3 minutes, 31 seconds left and down three, Cutler faced a chance at redemption. It was a type of situation in which true franchise quarterbacks thrive, an opportunity with mentor Mike Shanahan on the Redskins sideline for Cutler to show he had grown into a player worthy of comparisons to John Elway more than Jeff George.
It was all squandered when Cutler threw deep to Knox, who was amply covered by Hall, because avoiding the guy who had a career day apparently was a dumb idea. The ball came down in Hall's hands a fourth time — one more than Greg Olsen.
"I'll take them all,'' Cutler said of responsibility for the interceptions. "The defense has every right to be mad at us. We blew that game offensively and most of that falls on my shoulder.''
Dare I say the city of broad shoulders is losing patience with the pouty QB? Outside the Bears locker room after the loss, one screaming fan expressed a sentiment that already has begun to fill my e-mail box: "Jay Cutler is the worst investment the Bears have ever made.''
Not that Cutler cares, but those boos were real and the disgust is growing.
If Cutler's teammates ever start to get as fed up with his act as some of the public is — not exactly a reach if you watch the exchanges on the Bears sideline during games — I wonder if one day Cutler will shrug his way out of town. Lovie and Jerry and Ted might not be here forever. Then what?
Such questions outnumbered answers after a game the Bears had to win to be taken seriously as playoff contenders. Momentum, mojo, opportunity, whatever you call it, the Bears threw it all away in a second straight home loss — all because their quarterback foolishly dared to throw the football wherever he wanted.
Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
Throwing red flag on bad quarterback, bad receivers and bad coach
Stink is too nice a description. Horrible doesn’t go far enough. Pathetic is charitable.
Jay Cutler threw four interceptions against the second-worst passing defense in the league. The Bears scored one touchdown against the worst defense in the NFL. The Bears lost their second straight home game and their third in four games overall. They aren’t just bad offensively, they are disastrous. They’re over .500 by pure luck. Mommy, make it stop.
To think, the offensive line actually was decent, which is a huge improvement from murderous.
Cutler reverted to last year’s interception-prone misery, leading a parade of turnovers on five straight possessions in the second half. The first four came on their four drives in the third quarter, a period in which the Bears still haven’t scored this season.
What’s worse, the Redskins weren’t much good, either. Sure, DeAngelo Hall was. He was All-Pro. But the rest of the Skins did almost as much to give away the game as the Bears did. The Bears were just more successful at failing.
The second half was a joke. No, again, joke doesn’t completely characterize the tripe we saw. Fumble, interception, interception, fumble, interception, punt, interception. Ladies and gentlemen, your Bears’ second-half drive chart.
What follows is a lot of play-by-play, but I think it’s necessary to understand how they choked away a gimme. Let the facts damn the Bears.
On the fifth play of the second half, Cutler hit Earl Bennett for a potential touchdown, but the Bears receiver was ruled down at the 1. Lovie Smith challenged the call and lost. He wasted another timeout, but that wasn’t as bad as his indictment of his offense. I mean, was the coach that afraid of his team’s goal-line offense?
Yes, apparently, because the Bears finally tried a sneak and Cutler fumbled, recovered by Washington. Thing is, Smith still had another challenge available. But he refused to challenge that Cutler stuck the ball over the goal line or, at worst, that his forward progress was stopped. Smith said if the play was critical, he would challenge it. Hey, yo, it’s a possible game-changing situation. I don’t care if it’s two challenges in a row. Maybe it’s me, but that’s critical.
Replays showed Cutler got the ball over. Smith probably would’ve won that challenge. Figures.
Maybe the Bears should treat the goal-line offense like overtime and just kick the field goal on first down.
The Bears' defense, again sturdy enough before its own offense eventually killed it with ineptitude, forced another punt out of bounds. The Bears had the ball at the Washington 47. They had momentum. They had the lead. They had everything.
Except the ball.
First play, Cutler threw his a pick. He could’ve used some basic route-running instincts from Devin Hester, but that has never been there. Bad enough, but that was another instance where the Bears could’ve challenged because DeAngelo Hall came down with the ball hitting the ground before he had clear possession. Smith kept the red flag in his pocket. Just take it away from him altogether, OK?
But look at that: Danieal Manning made a diving Superman interception to keep the Bears ahead 14-10.
And look at that: On third-and-2 at the Skins’ 33, Cutler rolled right, then threw left to Hester for seven yards and a first down. They stopped the game and sent the ball to Canton.
But on the next third down at the Skins’ 13, Cutler threw a jump ball for Johnny Knox that Hall leaped to intercept and promptly took 92 yards for a crushing and ultimately deciding touchdown.
Last three possessions, three turnovers, two in the red zone. Just to clarify: not a good thing. Cutler fumbled once at the goal line and was picked off twice, one returned for a touchdown. Makes you pine for the days when Rex was our quarterback.
The Bears had moved to the Skins’ 35 when Cutler hit Matt Forte slanting over the middle for what looked like another first down. But, no. Forte lost the ball and the Skins recovered. That’s four straight possessions with turnovers against the worst defense in the league, which tells you what you already knew about the Bears’ offense.
And if you’re still unsure how embarrassing the offense is, then note that Manning was returning kickoffs eight yards deep in his end zone, apparently knowing Cutler’s bunch couldn’t go eight yards before making a mess, much less 80.
Valiantly, the defense made another big play, Manning punching the ball out of Ryan Torain’s grasp, a fumble Charles Tillman recovered at the Bears’ 7.
Stunningly, Cutler was picked off yet again by Hall, but it wasn’t totally his fault. Knox quit on the cut, quit on the play. He gave Hall inside position, gave Hall the pick. Can you fight for the ball a little bit, kid?
But Washington kicker Graham Gano hit the top of the left upright on a field-goal try to keep it a 17-14 game. Unbelievably, a 17-14 game. Undeservedly, a 17-14 game.
Another third-and-4 for the Bears at their own 33, and Cutler hit Forte for 18 yards. But, wait. J’Marcus Webb was flagged for holding. Now it was third-and-14 at the Bears’ 23, and Cutler hit Chris Williams. Yes, the lineman. Cutler’s pass hit LaRon Landry around midfield and caromed back about 20 yards, where Williams grabbed it and fell. Better receiver than he is a blocker, I’ll say that. They just kept getting out of the clown car, don’t they?
Remarkably, the Bears stopped Torain on third-and-1, getting the ball back down by three with 3:31 to go. But forget it. Cutler was picked off by Hall for a mind-boggling fourth time. Rex IS our quarterback.
I pity the Bears defense. Yeah, it gave up 125 rushing yards to Torain, but it gave the Bears every chance to win a game they would’ve had no business winning. The defense forced six fumbles, but recovered only one. The defense grabbed two interceptions, running one back for a score. The defense recorded two sacks. The defense stopped Washington on 11 of 13 third downs.
But it can’t beat two offenses every week.
Mercifully, the Bears will take their bye week, then presumably the defense will vote whether the offense should be allowed to play the rest of the season.
Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
Heedless Cutler plays catch with Redskins' Hall
There are few things more American than one guy tossing a football to another guy on an autumn afternoon.
Jay Cutler's lovely spirals cut through the air Sunday and into the hands of DeAngelo Hall, who didn't want to let down his new best-friend-forever by dropping the ball. They made quite the pair.
You might have thought reason would've kicked in for Cutler at some point during the Bears' 17-14 loss to the Washington Redskins. Reason should've told the quarterback to avoid throwing in Hall's general direction after the cornerback's second interception, the one he returned 92 yards for a touchdown. And if not that one, then certainly after his third interception.
But Cutler's common sense couldn't seem to get past his idea that Hall would have trouble covering a Steinway. Factor in Cutler's extremely healthy self-esteem, and you get what occurred when the Bears had the ball near midfield with two minutes, 24 seconds left.
With his team trailing by three points, Cutler went for it all, throwing a deep pass to Johnny Knox, who was streaking down the right sideline. Hall snatched it for his fourth interception of the second half, matching his total for 2009.
Cutler clearly has a hard time distinguishing between daring and tree-stump stupid.
''I've played against [Hall] before,'' Cutler said. ''There's no reason to shy away from him. That's hard for me to say after throwing four picks to a guy. Still, if we had to play them tomorrow, I'd still go after him every time if we could.''
The Bears insisted Cutler's intentions were good Sunday even if his results weren't. Although that argument might work for the first two interceptions, it loses steam after that. He hadn't been sharp most of the game. What gave the Bears the notion he suddenly was going to solve Hall?
Anything would've been smarter than a long pass to Knox. He could've thrown a shorter pass to another receiver. He could've thrown the ball in the grass. He could've taken a sack. He could've tested anyone but Hall.
But no.
Risky business
Remember the good old days when people were sure the Cutler-Mike Martz relationship would end up in flames? It's clear now that the bigger danger is that the quarterback and the offensive coordinator think too much alike. For them, there's no such thing as a bad pass. There's no such thing as risk.
There is only a genius and his willing accomplice.
It's why, against all reason, you throw a deep pass with lots of time on the clock and at least a tie within reach.
Whatever checks and balances are in place inside Halas Hall have skipped Cutler and Martz. If coach Lovie Smith didn't step in when Martz ignored the run in the loss to Seattle, it was clear he wasn't going to tell his coordinator to go Tea Party conservative down the stretch against the Redskins.
And nobody in the organization seems to have the nerve to tell the quarterback what to do.
Give Cutler this: His swagger is resilient. The Redskins sacked him three times in the first half, making the gunslinger positively gun-shy in the pocket. When the offensive line got its act together in the second half, he was back to his old self, throwing balls all over field.
All the great ones have that kind of cockiness. Problem is, we haven't been treated to the corresponding greatness.
Ridiculous stuff
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan preached patience with Cutler, his onetime quarterback in Denver, saying the Martz-Cutler union just needs time. Some of Shanahan's graciousness might have come from the fact his team had just won a bizarre battle of turnovers.
But unless Shanahan has some information indicating the 4-3 Bears are going to acquire an offensive line via trade, it's hard to share his optimism. Martz continues his insistence on operating a full-throttle passing game without the line to make it work.
Besides the four interceptions, Cutler fumbled on the Washington 1-yard line early in the third quarter. He didn't get much help from his head coach, who decided against challenging the ruling that the ball hadn't crossed the goal line before the fumble.
Maybe Smith sensed another interception coming on anyway.
Redskins receiver Santana Moss came closest to capturing the ridiculousness of one player picking off four passes in a game.
''I haven't seen that since high school,'' he said.
Tennessee Titans lose game, possibly quarterback
Vince Young walks out on Jeff Fisher, team
The Titans lost a football game Sunday, but quarterback Vince Young lost his starting job, his head coach and perhaps his entire team.
Following a 19-16 loss to the Redskins in overtime, an emotional Young abruptly left LP Field on the heels of what sources said was a verbal confrontation with Coach Jeff Fisher.
Young apparently was upset because he wasn't given a chance to return to the game after suffering a torn flexor tendon in his right thumb, an injury that could require season-ending surgery.
Fisher said Young is no longer the starting quarterback — injury or not.
"I am very disappointed. I think his teammates are disappointed,'' Fisher said. "You know, there is going to be frustration in losses, and there are times you have to dig deep and fight and turn to one another. I don't think you run. … There are some things that need to change.''
Young, who was booed in the first half and injured in the third quarter, tossed his shoulder pads and jersey into the stands as he left the field. Tensions escalated in the locker room.
Sources said Young was talking under his breath, uttering expletives, as Fisher prepared to address the team. When Fisher told him to keep quiet, Young finished dressing and started to leave. Fisher told Young to stop, saying not to "run out on your teammates."
Young then told Fisher "I'm not running out on my teammates, I'm running out on you,'' sources said. More words were exchanged, and Young left.
Safety Michael Griffin, wearing only a pair of shorts, ran out of the locker room and chased Young to the players' parking lot. Griffin was seen telling the quarterback "You can't leave. You can't do this.'' Young shrugged him off and kept going.
Players were discussing the incident when the media entered the locker room a few minutes later, but the players chose their words carefully when approached by reporters.
Wide receiver Nate Washington said players were told to "keep their mouths shut."
Said tight end Bo Scaife: "I am sure (Young) is upset. But what happened is between him and Coach. Hopefully they can get some stuff resolved.''
Griffin denied chasing Young even though several media members witnessed it.
"I don't know what you are talking about,'' he said. "You didn't see that.''
Fisher could not be reached for comment about what happened inside the locker room.
Young later sent several messages to his Twitter followers: "Just want to say I'm fine sorry to my teammates I just a … competitive. Just want to play. … But God is great.''
Coming off their third loss in a row and slipping to 5-5 after a 5-2 start, the Titans are going with rookie quarterback Rusty Smith for now.
Making his NFL debut, Smith replaced Young in the third quarter and finished the game going 3-of-9 for 62 yards with an interception and a passer rating of 19.0.
Kerry Collins is expected to miss a few more weeks with a calf injury he suffered last week against the Dolphins. The Titans also plan to work out other quarterbacks, including veteran Chris Simms, who was on the roster for training camp.
Young looked frustrated early in the game. After a three-and-out that ended with an incomplete pass, fans booed. Young responded by waving his arms, appearing to encourage fans to boo more. He was 8-of-11 for 87 yards in the first half, which ended 10-10.
In the third quarter, Young was throwing a pass when he hit his right thumb on the helmet of a rushing defender. Young went to the locker room to have the thumb examined, then came back to the sideline and threw some passes.
The throws were erratic, however, prompting Fisher to stick with Smith. Young is expected to have an MRI today.
"I was not satisfied with his ability to control the ball,'' Fisher said. "He never came to me and said he was OK and wanted to go back in, and I was told he was obviously a little upset after. I was also told he threw half his uniform into the stands. I think clearly that is no way to respond, and so we have some things we have to sort out with him. He may need surgery, and if that's he case, he's done for the year.''
Members of the front office huddled in a hallway beneath the stadium after Young departed, and there were indications they will speak with Titans owner Bud Adams today about the quarterback's status.
Adams returned home to Houston immediately after the game.
Young is under contract for 2011, scheduled to make $8.5 million. And while the events of Sunday would seem to put Young's future with the Titans in jeopardy, General Manager Mike Reinfeldt was not prepared to go down that road.
But he shared the same sentiment as most everyone else with the team.
"It was a little disappointing, yes,'' Reinfeldt said. "These are some tough times and we just have to get through this.''
Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
Titans defense just unravels on third downs
The Redskins entered Sunday's game well on their way to becoming a historically bad team when it came to converting third downs.
But they had no problem marching up and down the field Sunday against the Titans.
Tennessee's defense continued its month-long failure on third down, allowing the Redskins to convert eight of 16 tries. That was a primary reason a struggling Washington offense piled up 465 yards and kept the ball for more than 40 minutes during a 19-16 overtime victory for the Redskins.
"It's frustrating," Titans middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch said. "You hold a team for two downs and then you get to third-and-medium — 5 or 6 yards — or third-and-long and a team converts.
"We have to find a way to get off on third now. Right now, that's our Achilles heel. We have to find a way."
Just six days ago, it looked as if the Redskins might never again convert a third-down situation.
In a 59-28 loss to Philadelphia, the Redskins went 0-for-10. That left Washington with an NFL-worst conversion rate of 21.6 percent for the season — the worst percentage of any NFL team since 1991, when Stats Inc. began tracking such figures.
But the Titans couldn't find a way to shut down the Redskins when they needed to on Sunday:
• Donovan McNabb connected with Anthony Armstrong for a 4-yard gain on third-and-3 deep in Titans territory, and the Redskins scored their first touchdown two plays later.
• On a third-and-16 at the end of the first quarter, McNabb hit Joey Galloway for an 18-yard pickup. Three plays later on third-and-4, McNabb hit a wide-open Santana Moss for 18 yards, and the Redskins were well on their way to a field goal.
• On a third-and-6 at the Tennessee 30, McNabb connected with Chrisey for a 7-yard gain. Four plays later, the Redskins hit a field goal that sent the game into overtime.
"They were just making plays," Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner said. "They were finding holes in the zones and then if we were in man, they were doing things to beat that. They were just trying to figure out what it is we were doing and trying to exploit the weaknesses of it."
The problem is hardly a new one for the Titans.
Getting off the field on third down was no problem through the first six games. But the Titans have allowed opponents to convert 39 of 69 third downs (56 percent) over the past four games.
Part of the problem is a decreasing amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
The Titans managed just one sack in each of the past three games. They sacked McNabb three times, but two were after he fell down while backpedaling.
"I can't really pinpoint what the solution is … ," Titans safety Michael Griffin said. "But we had so many opportunities to get off the field and allowed them to stay on the field."
Tennessee Titans hurt by penalties in overtime
Early in overtime against the Redskins on Sunday, the Titans looked as if they were finally in prime position for a big defensive stand.
A pair of penalty flags changed everything.
The first big blow came with the Redskins facing a second-and-22 at their own 27, following a sack and delay-of-game penalty. After what at first appeared to be an Alterraun Verner interception — overturned after replay — defensive end Jason Babin was whistled for unnecessary roughness.
Babin appeared to strike Washington lineman Kory Lichtensteiger, knocking his helmet off, and the penalty gave the Redskins a first down at their 42.
"You know the saying, 'They catch the guy that retaliates?' " Babin said. "This was even a little past that. I was celebrating with (Verner) off the field and the guy hits me into the pile while everybody is celebrating. I turned around and pushed him back, like get off me. I don't know how they can't see that."
And how did Lichtensteiger's helmet come off?
"His helmet was unsnapped," Babin said. "So I pushed him and his helmet came off."
One play later, it was linebacker Will Witherspoon's turn, as he put a helmet-to-helmet hit on McNabb that resulted in a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty.
That penalty put the Redskins in Tennessee territory, and 2½ minutes later Graham Gano kicked the game-winning field goal.
"I saw Donovan throwing the ball, so I put up my hands to slow myself down," Witherspoon said. "(But) you can't stop yourself. So what are you going to do?
"I don't know how it all looks, but I didn't think I made an aggressive action toward him. The ref has to make a call and he felt it was enough to throw a flag."
Andre Carter wrote:Damn man, you know your football.
