The Loser Papers - 2011 Edition

[Deadskins]

Well, it's that time of year again. Time to crank up the presses for an extra, game day version of The Loser Papers. For the uninitiated, The Loser Papers is where you turn to read the other side of the story straight from the hometown newspapers of the Redskins' vanquished foes. Here is where you find out how the other team beat themselves, lost because of injuries, or were robbed by the poor officiating. And of course, no edition of TLP is sweeter than that which comes out of Dallas, New York, or Philadelphia. So without further ado, the opening game of 2011 gives us this gem from the New York Post:

Giants fall to Redskins in opener

By PAUL SCHWARTZ

Last Updated: 7:47 PM, September 11, 2011

LANDOVER, Md. – The prep work for the season was one mishap and crisis after another and once the Giants Sunday hit the field for real it was more of the same, only worse.

An opener against the Redskins – universally picked to finish last in the NFC East – turned into more nightmarish news for a team that is enduring a summer to forget. The Giants are depleted, no one is denying that, but the Redskins and everyone else in the NFL doesn’t even care a little. Looking jittery on offense and undermanned on defense, the Giants looked as if they have far more questions than answers as they dropped their season-opener 28-14 at FedEx Field.

AP
Giants quarterback Eli Manning is sacked by linebacker London Fletcher, left, and nose tackle Chris Neild, right, in the Redskins' 28-14 win.


The Giants had beaten the Redskins six straight and nine of the past 10 but not this time. Not after Eli Manning’s first interception of the season became a pick-six for the Skins, not after a battered defense couldn’t solve Rex Grossman. The Giants put eight rookies on the field and the youngsters and the veterans all had a hand in the unsavory mix.

The Giants, trailing 21-14, seemed to get a lift when Jason Pierre Paul’s second sack of the game resulted in a Grossman fumble that Michael Boley scooped up and brought to the Washington 27-yard line. Incredibly, the Giants couldn’t muster a first down – former Giants defensive tackle Barry Cofield chased down Ahmad Bradshaw on third down - and a 38-yard field goal attempt by Lawrence Tynes was an ugly low liner blocked by Brian Orakpo with 10:57 remaining.

The gates came crashing in on the first possession of the second half as interception No. 1 for Manning turned into an utter disaster. Facing third-and 15 on his own 15, Manning tried a play he used twice before in the game – a quick sideline pass to Hakeem Nicks – and the Redskins snuffed it out. Right tackle Kareem McKenzie tried and failed to cut-block defensive end Ryan Kerrigan. The rookie from Purdue leaped and deflected Manning’s pass up, snatched it out of the air for an interception and rumbled nine untouched yards for a touchdown. The Redskins for the first time had the lead, 21-14.

A Manning to Jake Ballard pass for 41 yards got the Giants into Redskins territory but the drive stalled when on fourth-and-1 from the Washington 31, Bradshaw was stuffed for no gain.

The Giants came in battling on defense even though they were without four starters – Justin Tuck, Terrell Thomas, Jonathan Goff and Osi Umenyiora. They stuffed Hightower early , harassed Grossman and forced a pair of three-and-outs to start the game. It took Manning into the second offensive series of the season to get the Giants into the end zone, with a 68-yard pass to Hakeem Nicks to the 1-yard line. Manning on a reverse rollout then scored his first rushing touchdown since 2008 to make it 7-0.

The Redskins marched for a first down on the Giants 16-yard line but a sack by Linval Joseph and Chris Canty forced a 39-yard field goal attempt by Graham Gano, who missed it wide right.

On the next series, Giants safety Antrel Rolle gave too much ground to Santana Moss on a fourth down play as Moss picked up 10 yards. Rolle was then beaten by Anthony Armstrong on a brilliant lunging 18-yard grab to the Giants 1-yard line and Hightower took it in from there to make it 7-7.

A 24-yard pass to Mario Manningham sparked an 85-yard drive that cashed in when Bradshaw ran off a nice block from rookie fullback Henry Hynoski, faked out safety Reed Doughty and scored on a six-yard run to make it 14-7 with 2:48 left in the first half.

The momentum was ripped away even after Lawrence Tynes sent the ensuing kickoff through the end zone for a touchback. Grossman got the Skins moving 80 yards in five plays and it was a series to forget for cornerback Aaron Ross. First, Ross got turned around on an in-cut by Jabar Gaffney, who ran free for a 39-yard reception. Grossman then picked again on Ross – a starter because Thomas is out for the season – as he lofted a pass into the end zone for Anthony Armstrong. Ross never turned around as the ball whizzed by his left shoulder for a six-yard scoring pass just 37 seconds before halftime.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/g ... hkz1QY2qZJ

[Irn-Bru]

Glad to see this back! Thanks for posting, DS.

[Deadskins]

From the New York Daily News:

Giant letdown in opener vs. 'Skins
Eli Manning and Giants drop season-opener to Redskins, 28-14; Rex Grossman picks Big Blue apart

BY Ralph Vacchiano
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Originally Published:Sunday, September 11th 2011, 7:35 PM
Updated: Sunday, September 11th 2011, 9:42 PM

Ronald Martinez/Getty
Eli Manning completes 18 of 32 passes for 268 yards but is picked off for a Redskins defensive touchdown as Washington drops the Giants in their season opener in D.C.

LANDOVER, Md. - In the eerie quiet of the Giants' locker room Sunday night, the loudest words came from defensive tackle Chris Canty. It was bad enough to him that they lost their opener after a long and miserable summer.

But for a New York team to play like that on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, of all days? It was just too much for the Bronx-born Canty to take.

"We don't live in a bubble as professional athletes," Canty said after the Giants opened the regular season with a 28-14 loss to the Redskins. "We know what 9/11 means to us, what it means to our fans, what it means to our city, what it means to this country. We represent the red, white and blue. And to go out there put that kind of performance out there is unacceptable to us.

"It's unacceptable in every regard."

Unacceptable and unexpected, at least by the Giants, who seemed so sure they'd be able to turn around their summer of doom and gloom as soon as the games started for real. Instead, their defense was shredded for 305 yards by Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman, and their own quarterback Eli Manning opened the second half by throwing an interception that rookie defensive end Ryan Kerrigan returned for a touchdown.

They were out of sync. They couldn't tackle. They had a field goal blocked. They picked up right where they left off after their sloppy, uninspired preseason.

"We just continued to make the kind of mistakes that Coach Coughlin told us not to make," Canty said. "At some point we need to listen."

The Giants knew it wasn't going to be easy with their new-look offense and without four defensive starters, including defensive end Justin Tuck who was a late scratch due to continued issues with his neck. They had hoped, though, that the emotion of the day and the pregame ceremony would spark them somehow, or at least get their attention.

Rex Grossman, named Washington's starter over John Beck, guides Mike Shanahan and the 'Skins past Big Blue. (Ronald Martinez/Getty)

Instead they looked flat. Manning, who finished 18 of 32 for 268 yards, opened 0 for 4, and three of those passes bounced off the hands of his receivers - running back Ahmad Bradshaw, receiver Victor Cruz, and tight end Jake Ballard. He did hit a 68-yard pass to Hakeem Nicks and then opened the scoring on a bootleg touchdown run from the Redskins' 2.

Things never got that much better, though, especially in the second half when the Giants' offense produced just 102 yards. Worse, with the score tied 14-14 on the first series of the third quarter, Manning tried to hit Nicks on a quick screen from the Giants' 18. But Kerrigan avoided the low block attempt from right tackle Kareem McKenzie, leaped up to deflect the pass, caught it, and rumbled nine yards into the end zone just 1:57 into the second half.

Tom Coughlin said that was "a tough way to start second half," but the Giants made it tougher when Bradshaw (13 carries, 44 yards) got stuffed on a 4th and 1 from the Washington 31 in the third quarter. Then in the fourth, after a sack and forced fumble by Jason Pierre-Paul got the offense the ball back at the Redskins 27, they stalled again and settled for a 38-yard field goal attempt by Lawrence Tynes.

Given a chance to get back within a touchdown, though, Tynes' attempt was blocked.

"That was extremely disappointing," Coughlin said. "That very well may have changed the complexion of the game completely there."

It did because Grossman (21 of 34, 305 yards, two touchdowns) was picking apart the Giants' secondary. And, with the help of a big unnecessary roughness penalty on Giants safety Antrel Rolle, Grossman turned that block into a game-sealing, four-yard touchdown pass to Jabar Gaffney with 5:04 left in the game.

After that, the Giants had no chance. Even Coughlin could see the offense was hopelessly out of sync.

"I did not like the end of our game offensively at all," he said. "We didn't move. We looked disorganized."

That's the way the offensive looked all summer, too. Still they all seemed surprised things didn't come together now that the games count. Instead, they snapped their six-game winning streak against the Redskins and their three-game winning streak on Opening Day.

And it hurt.

"At this point, that loss stings, it really does," said defensive end Dave Tollefson. "In the division, this early in the season, it stings a lot."

For Canty, and probably some of his teammates too, it stung for much deeper reasons than that.

"For us, understanding what we represented and to do what we did out there today," Canty said, "it's embarrassing.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/footb ... s_big.html

[Cappster]

This is one of my favorite threads every year and I hope we see a lot more of these articles in the coming months.

[Deadskins]

More from the New York Post:

Giants 'D' torn to shreds by Redskins' Grossman
By BART HUBBUCH

Last Updated: 6:19 AM, September 12, 2011

Posted: 1:13 AM, September 12, 2011

LANDOVER, Md. -- Preseason fears about the Giants' injury-ravaged secondary didn't need long to become regular-season reality.

That reality was embarrassing, too, as Big Blue let much-maligned journeyman Rex Grossman repeatedly torch them yesterday in the Redskins' 28-14 win at raucous FedEx Field.

Grossman was making just his fifth start since 2007, when he was still with the Bears, but the Giants were in no position to make any "Sexy Rexy" jokes during this nightmare.

In fact, the Giants' defensive backs weren't in the right position most of the day, allowing Grossman to overcome a shaky start and roll up 305 yards and two touchdowns with nary a single one of his trademark boneheaded interceptions.

AP
CHANGING SKIN: Rex Grossman turns to hand the ball off to Tim Hightower during the Giants' 28-14 season opening loss to the Redskins yesterday.


Even Grossman's lone turnover, a fumble after a ferocious sack by Jason Pierre-Paul early in the fourth quarter, couldn't come back to haunt him or the Redskins, thanks to a big third-down stop by ex-Giant Barry Cofield and a blocked field goal.

"On one hand you have to credit them with making plays when they had to and with taking advantage of our mistakes," Giants safety Antrel Rolle said. "But we should have been better than that."

Minus injured cornerbacks Terrell Thomas, Bruce Johnson and rookie Prince Amukamara, the Giants also made a pedestrian group of Washington receivers look like the second coming of the Redskins' glory-years "Smurfs."

Spreading the ball evenly between ex-Jet Santana Moss, former college partner Jabar Gaffney, young Anthony Armstrong and especially tight end Fred Davis, Grossman looked like he did on his rare good days during Chicago's 2006 Super Bowl run.

Grossman completed 21 of his 34 passes and finished with a 110.5 rating -- 40 points higher than his career rating. And when you include last year's season finale, Grossman has now thrown for 641 yards and four touchdowns against the Giants.

Thomas' replacement at corner, former first-round pick Aaron Ross, appeared to have the roughest outing. He got turned around on a 39-yard completion to Gaffney in the second quarter, then was beaten straight-up by Armstrong two plays later for a 6-yard touchdown that tied it 14-14.

But coverage woes weren't limited to just Ross. Rolle and fellow safety Phillips also struggled, and Rolle was almost singlehandedly responsible for the Redskins' first touchdown.

After giving up a 10-yard pass to Moss on fourth down deep in Giants territory, Rolle then gave too much cushion to Armstrong on an 18-yard completion that set up Tim Hightower's tying TD burst.

"Even if the defense is banged up a little bit, we're better overall than we showed," Rolle said.

Then again, the secondary didn't get any help from the equally depleted linebacking corps or a defensive line playing without Justin Tuck for the first time since 2006.

The Giants overcame no Tuck and the host of inexperience at linebacker to sack Grossman four times, but the pressure on Washington's signal-caller was far from consistent -- particularly in the decisive second half.

As a result, Grossman more than justified Mike Shanahan's seemingly risky decision to jettison Donovan McNabb and go with him over the younger John Beck.

"I've got a lot of haters," Grossman said.

The Giants definitely weren't among them yesterday.

[HarleyHog]

I like the picture of Eli getting sacked, the look on his face is priceless. I hope we get some nice shots of Romo too. Vick's a little harder to catch, but would be a nice one for the old photo album too.

[Deadskins]

And one more from the New York Daily News:

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning continues to misfire, even against rebuilding Redskins
BY Ebenezer Samuel
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, September 12th 2011, 4:00 AM

Ronald Martinez/Getty
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning walks off the field following Sunday's loss to Redskins.


LANDOVER, Md. - He completed just 18 of 32 passes, misfiring on 14 throws. He was sacked four times. And he couldn't throw a touchdown pass against a rebuilding defense - unless you count the one he threw to the rookie on the other team.

Eli Manning wants you to see him as good as Patriots star Tom Brady. But in Sunday's season-opening 28-14 loss to the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field, the Giants' quarterback couldn't even outplay Rex Grossman.

The journeyman carved up the Giant secondary for 305 yards and two TDs. The supposed franchise quarterback, meanwhile, led a unit that drew Tom Coughlin's ire after the game.

"Our third-down (conversion percentage) was atrocious again," Coughlin said after watching Big Blue go 1-for-10. "I think our inconsistency and our lack of third-down production (hurt us)."

It was a continuation of a preseason in which Manning didn't throw a TD, and an extension of last year's 25-interception campaign.

The Giants spent the last month preaching that the Manning-led offense would be fine come the regular season. Instead, their signal-caller was as scatter-armed as ever. On the Giants' first possession, he misfired on his first pass attempt, a simple swing pass to Ahmad Bradshaw. Two plays later, on third-and-8, he threw an incomplete pass to Victor Cruz.

"We had a few things that we didn't connect on," Manning said. "But I thought when things were open, we hit them for the most part. (The Redskins) just did a good job of mixing up different looks."

Manning didn't help, though. Sure, he scrambled and found an open Hakeem Nicks for a 68-yard completion on the team's second possession, setting up his own 2-yard rushing TD to give the Giants a 7-0 edge. But his most unforgettable play took place early in the third quarter.

Facing a third-and-11 from his own 18 on the first possession of the second half, he dropped back and saw Nicks. In his haste to throw, he didn't catch Redskins rookie Ryan Kerrigan leaping over tackle Kareem McKenzie's cut block.

Kerrigan deflected the ball, corraled it by himself and scampered into the end zone, giving the Redskins a 21-14 edge.

"He did a good job," Manning said. "Able to avoid the cut, jump up and tip it up. Good play by him. Not a whole lot I can do about that."

But Manning knows he must play better, since the depleted defense is relying heavily on the offense to produce.

"We gotta do our part," he said of his own unit. "We gotta keep the ball longer, win the time of possession (battle). ... Both sides of the ball gotta do their part."

Sunday, Manning's side didn't.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/footb ... sfire.html

[die cowboys die]

Revamped Arizona Cardinals defense has a long way to go
Cardinals have given up 932 yards in first two games of 2011

by Dan Bickley, columnist - Sept. 18, 2011 08:27 PM
The Arizona Republic

LANDOVER, Md. -- In the NFL, you can make plays or you can make excuses.

slideshow Game photos | Box score | NFL scoreboard | Cardinals schedule | Fan shop

The Cardinals defense did none of the latter, which is a good character trait. But they did very little of the former, and that's fast becoming a problem.

In a 22-21 loss to the Redskins on Sunday, the revamped unit (a) yielded 455 yards, hiking their two-game total to a whopping 932; (b) allowed the Redskins to score every time they tried in the fourth quarter, including a fourth-down touchdown pass from a mediocre quarterback; (c) invoked painful memories of that Super Bowl loss to the Steelers, the most-notable late-game collapse in team history.

"When did we play good defense the whole day as opposed to late in the game?" Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "That's an area we have to improve. Look at the way the whole day went. We didn't slow them down. That's not good enough."

Somewhere, Clancy Pendergast and Billy Davis are feeling vindicated.

Certainly, growing pains are to be expected. The Cardinals have a new team, a new scheme and their third defensive coordinator in five years. With compromised preparation time due to the NFL lockout, they are exactly the type of team prone to struggle early in the season.

Problem is, you'll find no empathy in this league. And after their secondary was torched by Cam Newton in the opener, the front seven was pummeled by the Redskins' rushing attack in the first half, when the hosts had the ball for nearly 22 of 30 minutes.

Maybe attrition took its toll, making the entire defense susceptible later in the game. Or maybe the defense is just flawed. After all, the trade for Kolb required trading a Pro Bowl cornerback. And for the most part, the front seven is the same as it was last year, when the Cardinals went 5-11.

We all assumed a new approach and bounce-back years from notable players would make the difference. So far, that hasn't been the case.

"We just couldn't come up with the big plays," defensive end Vonnie Holliday said.

Said defensive end Calais Campbell: "We just couldn't get off the field on third down."

When it was over, wide receiver Chansi Stuckey apologized to the team for fumbling on the Cardinals' final possession. Among others, Kolb told him to quit being silly. There was plenty of blame to go around, from penalties to a rare bad decision from the quarterback.

"If it wasn't for us, I think we would've put a lot more points on the board," Kolb said.

"Nobody's selfish enough to think it falls on (Stuckey)."

That's great leadership. But truth is, the offense made big strides in the second half.

A maligned line began pushing the hosts off the ball. Beanie Wells ran the ball with conviction, as if he shoes were on fire. The Redskins were stunned.

"We thought they'd be done with the running game, but they were actually gashing us with Beanie Wells," Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo said.

And then Kolb showed his grit and why every Cardinals fan should be tickled with the new quarterback.

On his 73-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald, Kolb knew the Redskins were blitzing. He knew he was going to get blindsided. He was hit so hard that his helmet flew off his head. Yet he absorbed all of that to make a play that gave the Cardinals an eight-point lead, the kind of play a defense must reward with victory.

They failed.

"It's tough when we give up our momentum in a hostile environment," linebacker Joey Porter said.

When asked if the defensive troubles were deeper than anticipated, Whisenhunt stressed patience. He said that "everybody in the NFL now wants to make snap judgments on a weekly basis." He said the team will work and the team will improve.

Yet it was also clear that Whisenhunt is not happy with what he's seen so far from his defense, particularly on a day when the Cardinals could've pocketed a precious road victory.

In the NFL, those opportunities don't come along very often.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardina ... z1YOlKXmzC

[die cowboys die]

Revamped Arizona Cardinals defense has a long way to go
Cardinals have given up 932 yards in first two games of 2011

by Dan Bickley, columnist - Sept. 18, 2011 08:27 PM
The Arizona Republic

LANDOVER, Md. -- In the NFL, you can make plays or you can make excuses.

slideshow Game photos | Box score | NFL scoreboard | Cardinals schedule | Fan shop

The Cardinals defense did none of the latter, which is a good character trait. But they did very little of the former, and that's fast becoming a problem.

In a 22-21 loss to the Redskins on Sunday, the revamped unit (a) yielded 455 yards, hiking their two-game total to a whopping 932; (b) allowed the Redskins to score every time they tried in the fourth quarter, including a fourth-down touchdown pass from a mediocre quarterback; (c) invoked painful memories of that Super Bowl loss to the Steelers, the most-notable late-game collapse in team history.

"When did we play good defense the whole day as opposed to late in the game?" Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "That's an area we have to improve. Look at the way the whole day went. We didn't slow them down. That's not good enough."

Somewhere, Clancy Pendergast and Billy Davis are feeling vindicated.

Certainly, growing pains are to be expected. The Cardinals have a new team, a new scheme and their third defensive coordinator in five years. With compromised preparation time due to the NFL lockout, they are exactly the type of team prone to struggle early in the season.

Problem is, you'll find no empathy in this league. And after their secondary was torched by Cam Newton in the opener, the front seven was pummeled by the Redskins' rushing attack in the first half, when the hosts had the ball for nearly 22 of 30 minutes.

Maybe attrition took its toll, making the entire defense susceptible later in the game. Or maybe the defense is just flawed. After all, the trade for Kolb required trading a Pro Bowl cornerback. And for the most part, the front seven is the same as it was last year, when the Cardinals went 5-11.

We all assumed a new approach and bounce-back years from notable players would make the difference. So far, that hasn't been the case.

"We just couldn't come up with the big plays," defensive end Vonnie Holliday said.

Said defensive end Calais Campbell: "We just couldn't get off the field on third down."

When it was over, wide receiver Chansi Stuckey apologized to the team for fumbling on the Cardinals' final possession. Among others, Kolb told him to quit being silly. There was plenty of blame to go around, from penalties to a rare bad decision from the quarterback.

"If it wasn't for us, I think we would've put a lot more points on the board," Kolb said.

"Nobody's selfish enough to think it falls on (Stuckey)."

That's great leadership. But truth is, the offense made big strides in the second half.

A maligned line began pushing the hosts off the ball. Beanie Wells ran the ball with conviction, as if he shoes were on fire. The Redskins were stunned.

"We thought they'd be done with the running game, but they were actually gashing us with Beanie Wells," Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo said.

And then Kolb showed his grit and why every Cardinals fan should be tickled with the new quarterback.

On his 73-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald, Kolb knew the Redskins were blitzing. He knew he was going to get blindsided. He was hit so hard that his helmet flew off his head. Yet he absorbed all of that to make a play that gave the Cardinals an eight-point lead, the kind of play a defense must reward with victory.

They failed.

"It's tough when we give up our momentum in a hostile environment," linebacker Joey Porter said.

When asked if the defensive troubles were deeper than anticipated, Whisenhunt stressed patience. He said that "everybody in the NFL now wants to make snap judgments on a weekly basis." He said the team will work and the team will improve.

Yet it was also clear that Whisenhunt is not happy with what he's seen so far from his defense, particularly on a day when the Cardinals could've pocketed a precious road victory.

In the NFL, those opportunities don't come along very often.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardina ... z1YOlKXmzC

[Deadskins]

Thanks to TLP cub reporter, DCD, for getting out the early edition this week (twice! ). Need to work on those editing skills, though.

Here is this week's official entry, also from the pages of The Arizona Republic:

Arizona Cardinals fall to Washington Redskins
by Kent Somers - Sept. 18, 2011 01:37 PM
The Arizona Republic .

AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Sept. 18, 2011 - Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb (left) is sacked by Redskins outside linebacker Brian Orakpo in the first half.


LANDOVER, Md. - This is supposed to be the land of gridlock, where no one waffles or compromises.

The Cardinals, however, hardly were entrenched in their position Sunday. They switched between competence and incompetence like they were lanes on the beltway that runs past FedExField.

In the end, that inconsistency cost them a 22-21 loss to the Redskins and a chance to start the season 2-0.

"All we had to do was open the door," outside linebacker Clark Haggans said. "I don't know why we just fiddled around and hung out, looking through the peephole."

In the first half, it was fair to wonder just how in the world the Cardinals were still in the game after yielding 253 total yards, including 114 rushing.

At the end of the game, it was fair to wonder how the Cardinals managed to lose after leading by eight points with just less than 11 minutes remaining.

"This is a game that will haunt us," tight end Jeff King said. "But, hopefully, we can learn something from it and string together something from it."

The first lesson is in how to finish a game, remedial level.

Down 10-7 at halftime, the Cardinals scored two touchdowns to take a 21-13 lead with 10:58 remaining.

It was an improbable comeback, given how lousy the Cardinals were in the first half. But they did everything in the second half that they didn't do in the first: ran the ball, caught the ball, and maybe most importantly, stopped the Redskins

Then, all that stopped.

The offense couldn't move, and the defense couldn't stop the Redskins. A touchdown and a field goal with 1:45 left gave the Redskins the lead for good.

"It's kind of shocking," quarterback Kevin Kolb said, "to have that lead there at the end and we had a chance with a four-minute (situation) before they scored and we had a chance with the two-minute there at the end. It's our own fault. We accept it, no excuses."

The blame should be spread evenly, like a piece of bread well-buttered. The offense purred, sputtered and repeated the process. The defense was manhandled in the first half and again late in the game.

Asked about his team's poor defense late, coach Ken Whisenhunt countered:

"When did we play good defense the whole day, as opposed to late in the game? That's an area we've got to improve. Look at how the whole day went, we didn't slow them down. That's not good enough. That's something we've got to improve on."

The offense was culpable, too. Kolb had a pass intercepted in the third quarter, ruining a field-goal opportunity, at least.

And on the Cardinals final possession, receiver Chansi Stuckey lost a fumble after a 12-yard gain on first down. The Cardinals needed only another 35 yards or so to put kicker Jay Feely in range for a field goal.

Stuckey apologized to his teammates on the sideline and after the game. "You just don't want to let the team down, and that's what happened," Stuckey said.

He was consoled by many teammates, including Kolb.

"I said, 'Stuck, I gave away at least three points,' " Kolb said. "Everybody did their part (Sunday)."

It defied logic that the Cardinals trailed by only 3 at halftime. Only two interceptions and a blocked field goal kept the game from getting ugly early.

Running back Tim Hightower, traded by the Cardinals in August, rattled his old team for 83 rushing in the first half, as the Redskins pounded at the body of the Cardinals defense.

The Cardinals started fighting back in the second half. Hightower was shut down and then hardly played the remainder of the game.

The Cardinals offense finally shifted into forward gear, scoring two possessions in vastly different styles.

On the first, they drove 90 yards, with running back Beanie Wells rushing for 51 of it, including the 2-yard score.

The second came against an all-out blitz, when Kolb hit receiver Larry Fitzgerald for a 73-yard touchdown. Kolb was whiplashed from behind as he threw downfield, making it hard to know where to look: at the pass landing in Fitzgerald's hands or at Kolb's helmet rolling away from him.

"It was a good shot," Kolb said of the hit.

Then it was the Redskins' offense turn to deliver blows. It drove 73 yards and scored on fourth and 3, with Grossman hitting receiver Santana Moss for the touchdown.

Moss took advantage of a miscommunication between the Cardinals two young cornerbacks, Patrick Peterson and A.J. Jefferson.

The 2-point conversion attempt failed, and that was the last thing that went Arizona's way.

The Cardinals gained just 3 yards and consumed just more than a minute on their next possession. Then came Graham Gano's go-ahead field goal, Stuckey's fumble and the long flight home.

"It was there for the taking," Haggans said. "Ebb and flow, both sides. They made enough plays to win . . . one more than us."

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... -loss.html

[Deadskins]

From this morning's St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Burwell: Rams show no signs of hope in this mess

BY BRYAN BURWELL, Post-Dispatch Sports Columnist | Posted: Monday, October 3, 2011 12:25 am

St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford leaves the field after 17-10 loss against the Washington Redskins at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. David Carson


They are playing winning football in old football ghost towns like Detroit and Buffalo and Oakland again. In San Francisco and Seattle and Arizona, too, their teams seem to be showing at least some faint glimmers of a football renaissance. The out-of-town scoreboards offer weekly evidence that even in such traditionally dismal outposts like Cleveland, Carolina, Tennessee and Cincinnati there are revivals in progress.

But here in St. Louis — where football dreams go to die — this is what we get.

No renaissance. No revival. Nothing but a miserable recurrence of the same football nightmare that has haunted this NFL franchise for the last decade.

On Sunday afternoon the half-empty Edward Jones Dome echoed with the disgruntled voices of a frustrated fan base whose only weapons are boos and sarcasm. While they spent most of the day booing the mistake-riddled performance in this 17-10 loss to the visiting Washington Redskins, the defining moment of the game and this 0-4 season was the rousing sarcastic ovation for the proper execution of ... a fair catch.

The Rams are heading into the bye week a dispirited and dysfunctional lot. They are a bad team that seems to regress with each week that goes by. This was supposed to be a turnaround year for the franchise, a team that was ready to take the next step to contention for the NFC West title and a playoff berth. This was supposed to be the season where the Rams returned to prominence in this city's sports conversation. Instead, they are in shambles. They beat themselves with penalties and missed assignments.

And if things don't change dramatically, the only danger the Rams will present this season is to the long-term health of their franchise quarterback and the job security of their head coach and general manager.

"It's very disappointing, very disappointing," said running back Steven Jackson, who measured his words carefully when someone asked him if he understood why the fans were booing, and basically said he was right there with them. "I definitely understand our fans' frustrations. There were a lot of high expectations around here. I don't think the season is written off quite yet, but ..."

Jackson is a veteran of this mess now. His hide has gotten thick enduring all the losing. But just like the rest of us, he thought this year would be different. Which is why he took a slow, dramatic pause, then bit down on his lip before finishing his thought.

"Hell, I'm disappointed too," he said before turning his back to the TV cameras and microphones.

The Rams have to be better than this. There's no way they should be 0-4. There's no way they should be committing the same dumb mental mistakes week in and week out.

But they keep doing it and it's the reason they lost again, against a Redskins team that was begging to lose the game, just like the Eagles and Giants did in the first two games of the season.

How many more games will we have to see where offensive linemen don't know the snap count and ruin scoring drives? How many more times will we have to see professional pass catchers drop balls that are placed perfectly in their hands? How many more times will we have to see outside linebackers overrun plays or worse yet, get overrun on plays by opposing blockers while running backs in the wrong jerseys gash the defense?

How many more times do we have to watch this offensive line blow their assignments on pass plays and put the man they've been hired and well- compensated to protect (Sam Bradford) in danger of turning into an ordinary battered QB?

Bradford was sacked seven times on Sunday and pressured no fewer than 10 more times. In the last two weeks, he's been sacked 12 times and been under duress on no fewer than 40 pass plays. And at the end of this game, Bradford was in the treatment room for at least 40 minutes.

"Quarterbacks have been hit far too long around here," Jackson said.

Good teams do not drop passes that are right in their hands. Good teams do not turn a red zone possession that began on the Washington 19 into a punt. That's what bad teams do, and the Rams are that sort of bad team right now.

Washington practically gave this game to the Rams in the fourth quarter when Rex Grossman threw an interception right into the hands of Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis and he returned it 15 yards to the Redskins 19-yard line with the Rams trailing 17-10 and only 5:30 remaining.

"I thought we were going to score," Bradford said. "(Then) I thought our defense was going to get it back and we were going to go right back down in two-minute drill and score again."

That's what a good team does in moments like that. It takes that opportunity and goes for the throat. But the Rams are not a good team, at least not now. This is what this bad team did:

First down — incomplete pass.

Second down — penalty. Minus-5 yards.

Second and 15 — sack.

Third and 25 — sack.

Fourth and 30 — punt.

And that's why the Rams are 0-4 and trending toward much worse unless they start living up to the expectations a lot of people had for them.

"My expectations for this team were extremely high and they still are extremely high," Bradford said. "I don't want to get it twisted at all. There is an awful lot of football to be played and I think there are a lot of games that this football team can win. But the fact is we are 0-4. And I feel like we should be a lot better team than we were last year. That's the frustrating part because I think we are a better team. From the outside it doesn't look like it ... and we're doing things that don't make us a better team. But I really feel like we are a better team."

Bradford and Jackson are the most powerful voices in that locker room and they're the voices that are starting to show frustration and disbelief for their 0-4 circumstances. The biggest dilemma that has to be solved over the course of the next two weeks is how to protect Bradford better and wake up this mistake-prone offense. You can't expect your franchise QB to take this sort of beating every week.

"We have to figure it out," Bradford said. "We can say 'run three step,' you can say ' 'run quick game' you can say 'get the ball out of your hand quicker,' but at some point you have to be able to throw the ball down the field, and in order to do that you have to have time to read out the routes because they take time to develop. So hopefully during this bye week we have hopefully two weeks to figure it out before our next game."

But as Jackson says, the answer to what ails this team is not Xs and Os or rah-rah speeches. It's about accountability. "It's about going out and doing it," Jackson said. "At some point talk is cheap. At some point, talk gets old. We're all professionals and guys need to be held accountable."

And over the bye week that accountability needs to be assessed thoroughly. If you're not catching, blocking or tackling, then someone else needs to be put in the lineup who can and will.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... b66c4.html

[SprintRightOption]

That's what happens when you hire Josh McDaniels. He has now officially destroyed two teams with his " System".

[langleyparkjoe]

That's what happens when you hire Josh McDaniels. He has now officially destroyed two teams with his " System".

[chiefhog44]

Good grief that article is depressing. I feel bad beating them. Eh, I'm over it.

[Irn-Bru]

Is every team we beat this year going to say they beat themselves? So far we are 3 for 3.

[ATX_Skins]

and to think we played bad and still won. That team is in shambles right now.

[Deadskins]

Finally! It's time for another edition of TLP. From the Seattle Times:

Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson no match for late-game pressure
Steve Kelley


These are the moments that define an NFL quarterback. Late game. Down a score. The stadium jittery with nervous anticipation.

All of the great ones are measured by these moments. From Bobby Waterfield to Peyton Manning, Sammy Baugh to Tom Brady, the best quarterbacks find ways to march their offenses through the teeth of angry defenses in the scalding hot pressure of necessary fourth quarters.

They make plays at the times in games that seem most dire. Matt Hasselbeck did it here for a decade.

But it was apparent again in Sunday's swooning 23-17 loss to Washington that Tarvaris Jackson is no Matt Hasselbeck.

In a defining fourth quarter Sunday, after the Seahawks' defense uncharacteristically squandered a 17-7 lead and the team needed a lift, Jackson gave them nothing, not even a first down.

"When we got into going-quick mode at the end, we weren't very efficient getting our stuff done," coach Pete Carroll said. "I would think we would be better than that. T-Jack is doing everything he can, but we need to look at the film and see how he played and his decisions and things like that. But I know he's trying his tail off to get it done."

Carroll continues to defend Jackson, who still is bothered by a sore pectoral muscle. Carroll has no other choice. He has already seen enough of Jackson's backup, Charlie Whitehurst, this season.

In the recent two-game winning streak, the Hawks (4-7) thought they had found an offensive formula. Pound the ball with running back Marshawn Lynch; play-action safe passes to the thin corps of receivers; occasionally go for the home run down the field.

It worked against Baltimore and St. Louis. It blew up against the Redskins.

Jackson's passes have all the velocity of Jamie Moyer's fastballs. He couldn't get the ball to receivers when he had chances to make plays. And, as was true even before the injury, he often held on to the ball too long.

Jackson was a dismal 14 for 30 for 144 yards. He threw a couple of touchdown passes, but in the final four drives, he couldn't muster one first down.

"I know you guys want to try to figure it out and feel really clear about putting your finger on it," Carroll said. "But it's not just the quarterback. It's not just the receivers dropping the ball. We're just not as sharp as we need to be."

The Hawks played with all of the discipline of chain smokers. They continue to commit too many dumb penalties and waste too many precious timeouts.

And against Washington, the receivers couldn't get off the line of scrimmage. They didn't get open. Slot receiver Doug Baldwin, tight end Zach Miller and wide receiver Mike Williams all dropped passes.

Whatever happened to Williams? He caught 65 passes last season and has just 14 this year. After dropping Jackson's best pass of the day, a back-shoulder throw on the Hawks' first possession, Williams was invisible for much of the rest of the game. He was targeted three times but had no catches.

"I kind of landed on my shoulder, but I wasn't playing good anyway," Williams said of his disappearance. "So I don't think it matters if I'm healthy or not. The whole year has kind of been not what I've been accustomed to and not what I envisioned for myself from the beginning.

"I've just got to kind of get out of this rut and try to get my rhythm back. Today there were some plays and opportunities for me to have a big day, and it just didn't work out."

Already on life support, the Seahawks' season died on Sunday, unraveling in as ugly a final 12 minutes as Seattle has seen since the Tom Flores era.

"They brought more pressure obviously," Jackson said, "We couldn't pick it up. We had it targeted right, but they had more than we could block sometimes, and (there was) miscommunication as far as routes and stuff go. That's what happens when not everybody is on the same page."

The Hawks are 11 games into the season. They've been reading from the same playbook for more than three months. Everyone should be on the same page.

That fact that they aren't is an indictment of the quarterback situation here two years into this latest rebuilding program.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/s ... ley28.html

[joebagadonuts]

It's depressing that this thread is only two pages long. *sigh*

[Deadskins]

It's depressing that this thread is only two pages long. *sigh*

And the last edition was nearly two months ago.

[Countertrey]

It's depressing that this thread is only two pages long. *sigh*

And the last edition was nearly two months ago.

There's something both ironic and sad about this thread...

[Deadskins]

And so it ends the way it began. I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago, but I was on vacation and had better things to do. Anyway, here's a posthumous TLP edition from the New York Post:

Redskins vs. Giants: Washington sweeps New York for first time since 1999


By Mike Jones, Published: December 18

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Pulling off the improbable, the Washington Redskins went up to MetLife Stadium and overcame an ugly start against the NFC East-leading New York Giants to come away with a 23-10 victory Sunday afternoon.

It was the Redskins’ fifth win and, in beating the Giants for a second time this season, Washington registered the first sweep of its division rival since 1999.

“The Giants, they’ve really been our nemesis around here the last five years,” said Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, whose team had fallen to New York nine of the last 10 games entering this season. “To sweep them, it means a lot, because they’re a well-coached football team.”

With quarterback Rex Grossman turning in a shaky performance, the Redskins relied heavily on their defense. Washington intercepted Giants quarterback Eli Manning three times, winning the turnover battle for the first time all season.

And when Manning went to work in the final quarter — aiming for his seventh fourth-quarter comeback victory of the season — the Redskins twice denied the Giants in the shadow of their own end zone.

Manning finished the game 23 for 40 for 257 yards and no touchdowns. Ahmad Bradshaw led New York in rushing with 10 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Grossman connected on 15 of 24 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown but threw two interceptions. Roy Helu’s streak of three 100-yard rushing games came to an end as the rookie picked up 53 yards on 23 carries while Evan Royster added 36 yards on 10 carries. Jabar Gaffney led Washington with six catches for 85 yards.

“You feel good about the way they played,” Coach Mike Shanahan said of his team, which had lost two straight and last week fell short in a last-second bid to upset the New England Patriots. “I was really disappointed that we couldn’t close the door last week. . . . So to finish the way we did today was nice.”

Washington’s first defining goal-line stand came three minutes into the fourth quarter. After the Redskins extended their lead to 23-3 with 14 minutes 57 seconds left, the Giants finally started showing signs of life. Manning completed four straight passes to march his team to the Redskins 13-yard line.

But on his fifth pass attempt, Manning’s fortunes changed. Redskins cornerback Josh Wilson made a leaping catch in the end zone for an interception and touchback. It was Wilson’s second interception of the season, and his second straight game with a pick.

The Redskins’ defense answered the bell again later in the fourth quarter. Wilson made a strong tackle to deny Giants running back D.J. Ware as he caught a pass and tried to cross the goal line. Initially, the officials ruled the play a touchdown. But a review showed that Ware had bobbled the ball at the line and didn’t secure possession until Wilson wrestled him back the 2.

With the Giants facing fourth and goal from there, Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo rushed from the edge and drew a holding call from tackle David Diehl, backing the Giants up to the 12-yard line. New York tried for a touchdown on the next play, but rookie linebacker Ryan Kerrigan sacked Manning to deny the Giants and register Washington’s first sack of the game.

The Redskins were up 23-3 with just 4:03 left and a majority of the seats in the stadium empty before New York finally moved downfield to score on a three-yard touchdown by Bradshaw.

Washington got off to a forgettable start as Grossman threw an interception to cornerback Corey Webster on the first play of the game.

On the play — a called flea-flicker — Santana Moss had a three-step cushion on Webster, but Grossman held on to the ball too long and underthrew the pass. Webster turned, waited for the ball and caught a pass that traveled 49 yards. An unnecessary roughness call on Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty away from the ball backed the Giants up to the New York 18.

Washington held the Giants to three-and-out, then put together a 10-play, 52-yard drive that was capped by a 36-yard Graham Gano field goal.

On Washington’s next possession, Grossman threw another interception. Going deep for Gaffney on first and 10 from the Washington 20, Grossman overthrew the receiver and Kenny Phillips made the catch, giving New York the ball at its 27-yard line.

But Grossman redeemed himself on the following possession, and Washington’s offense started to click, fueled by crucial gains on third down. On the first play of the second quarter, on third and one, fullback Darrel Young picked up three yards to extend the drive.

Three plays later, on third and eight from the New York 20-yard line, Grossman found a wide-open Moss in the left corner of the end zone for a touchdown. It was Moss’s fourth touchdown catch of the season and Grossman’s 13th touchdown pass.

“When things go bad early, you usually have 55 minutes to fix that problem,” said Grossman, who completed 11 of 17 passes for 151 yards on that drive and thereafter. “You obviously don’t want to have that. But if you have something bad happen late in the game, you lose the game.”

The Redskins’ defense continued to hold the Giants in check and forced Steve Weatherford to punt a third time. Washington’s offense kept rolling, however, cranking out a nine-play, 41-yard drive capped by a six-yard touchdown run by Young — the first of his career.

New York got on the board in the final seconds of the half, going 46 yards in six plays. The Giants scored on a 40-yard field goal from Lawrence Tynes with seven seconds remaining.

A week after hurting his team by giving up on a play that led to a 49-yard gain by Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and being called for unsportsmanlike conduct for throwing an official’s flag, cornerback DeAngelo Hall provided a big play for the Redskins to start the second half.

Hall intercepted Manning with a one-handed grab and returned the ball 26 yards to the New York 34-yard line just two plays into the third quarter. The offense couldn’t fully capitalize, but Gano hit a 43-yard field goal to extend the lead to 20-3.

“We didn’t really lose hope,” Moss said. “Right now, we’re just playing and having fun. This is something that we should’ve been doing a long time ago. We’re going out there, our minds not really on nothing, no negative plays, no negative thoughts.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/re ... story.html

And:

Rex Grossman has his day for Redskins



By Thomas Boswell, Published: December 18

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - You know it’s your day when Rex Grossman throws two interceptions in the first three Washington possessions and the net result of the two picks is a gain of 117 yards in field position. Even Sav Rocca can’t punt like that.

You know it’s your day when the Giants’ Hakeem Nicks drops a pass that hits him on the face mask on what should be a 46-yard touchdown bomb, then later drops a four-yard touchdown pass, too.

You know it’s your day when Eli Manning throws three interceptions and no touchdowns so that he gets back close to his career ratio of interceptions to touchdowns. Eli’s good, but not as good as he’s been this year. He was due to give a few holiday gifts. Didn’t have to be to the Redskins.

But the Redskins were due for a day. This was their fifth straight game of consistently competent, competitive football. Their 23-10 victory, while only their second win in 10 games, was late-season balm for a team that has played well enough to contend, but managed to lose late to the Cowboys, Jets and Patriots in the last month.

The difference between the Giants and Redskins seems enormous. New York can still capture the NFC East if it wins its last two games, both here, against the Jets and Cowboys. The Redskins, trying to save some dignity at 5-9, are viewed as one of the league’s weak links — without a credible quarterback and, until this game, never winning the turnover battle in a single game this season.

Sometimes, seasons are deceptively decent. That’s the case with the Giants, 7-7, but actually outscored this year by 38 points. Only Manning’s six late game-winning drives have saved them. They’re probably not a playoff-quality team at all. In defeat, the Giants did everything except rip their flesh at being swept by the Redskins this season. “I expected more,” said disconsolate Giants Coach Tom Coughlin, doing the mandatory New York act. “The responsibility always comes right back to me. I accept it.”

The Redskins’ season has also been deceiving. In three games started by John Beck, they were crushed, 75-31. In Grossman’s 11 starts, they are now actually 5-6, with only a tiny disadvantage in points, 221-225. It’s conceivable that, despite Grossman’s almost inconceivable 22 turnovers this year, they are roughly as good as the Giants in Rex’s games.

Ironically, the more Grossman plays, the better chance the Redskins have to win, as the last five weeks have shown. But the more they win (and they’ll be favored to beat the Vikings next Sunday at FedEx Field), the less chance they have to get a very high draft pick and grab Andrew Luck (unlikely), Robert Griffin III or Matt Barkley to be their quarterback of the future.

So, to a degree, the more Grossman wins, the better chance he has to reduce the quality of his own competition for the quarterback job next season and, in the process, quite possibly damage the team’s long-term future. You admire his moxie, but the better he plays, the longer you may be stuck with him.

Grossman has hot streaks when he can put up points. But his 29 turnovers in 14 starts are roughly twice the maximum number allowed if you ever want to go deep in the playoffs.

As a result, Grossman is a kind of guilty pleasure, a secret you don’t tell your family. This was his kind of game: admirably ugly, with those two intercepted bombs in the first quarter and a homely 65.6 quarterback rating, but 15 of 24 passes completed for 185 yards as he outplayed Manning and secured a win.

“When things go badly early, you have 55 minutes to fix that problem,” said Grossman, who has been far more resilient, and less likely to go into a funk, while playing in the Shanahans’ offense than he was earlier in his career because the Redskins keep attacking no matter what happens. “This offense allows you to bounce back.”

Asked to expand on that later, Grossman used more colorful language to describe the way the Bears would sometimes go into an offensive shell after he made his first mistake of a game. “You can understand it,” he said. “But it’s hard to break out of that.”

As a Redskin, he’s been allowed, actually ordered, to keep firing, his first chance to be the pure passer he’s always believed himself to be. Has that been wise?

“He’s a gunslinger, man,” Moss said. After a mistake, Grossman analyzes, but not for long. “He comes right back like: ‘So what? Who cares?’ ” Moss said. “I love his attitude.”

If the Redskins should finish the season respectably, and last year’s 6-10 record gave them the No. 10 overall pick in the draft, there may be a temptation, if only for an instant, to imagine what Grossman could do next year with a better, healthier line and other offensive restorations.

That way disaster lies. Grossman could be almost any team’s backup quarterback. And he might hold down the starting job — with the same kind of 6-8 results he’s had so far in the job — until a high-pick rookie has time to serve an apprenticeship. But don’t take respect for Rex too far. Admire his relish for competition. Respect his ability to ignore his physical limits. And, go ahead, even enjoy the goofy way he just keeps bouncing back up as if nothing awful had just happened to him — again.

But don’t be deluded that the Redskins’ 5-9 record is an illusion. The biggest reason for their plight is their minus-13 turnover ratio, the worst in the NFL to start Sunday’s play. And the principal reason for that, even after you rationalize some of his mistakes as the fault of others, is still Grossman.

“We’ve talked about this from Day One. If you don’t win the turnover ratio, you’re not going to win football games,” Coach Mike Shanahan said. “You’re probably going to have five wins like we’ve got .”

Even on days like this, when Shanahan is filled with fully justified pride, that almost certainly means the expeditious elimination of the estimable Rex.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/re ... story.html

[SkinsJock]

Thanks for the "update"

There is NO WAY that Grossman is the starting QB here in September - NO WAY