|
1. It is interesting to watch Brad Childress, the Minnesota Vikings head coach and former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, and his emphasis of the running game.
After three games, the Vikings rank eighth in the NFL in rushing attempts and Childress has insisted on sticking with the run even if it has been ineffective in the early stages of the game.
In Philadelphia, his offense – although mostly under the direction of head coach Andy Reid – was pass oriented and had no consistency with the ground attack.
You would have to think that at some point these two bumped heads in Philadelphia, given their vast difference in opinion in regards to the running game and maybe Childress is even getting a bit of a laugh as he watches the Eagles struggle to play with big leads.
2. Surprised to see the St. Louis Rams with a record of 2-1? Sure, they were giving a win last week in Arizona but last time I checked that doesn’t count as any less of a win.
Look no further than their sparkling turnover ratio for a reason as to why they have experienced early season success.
Last season they finished 29th in the league with a turnover ratio of -10. This year they rank second in that category with a +7 and the reason for that has been a complete team effort.
Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett’s aggressive schemes have come up with six interceptions and four fumbles through three weeks but more importantly, the offense, which coughed up 24 interceptions a season ago, has yet to have one this year. As a matter of fact, quarterback Marc Bulger has not thrown an interception in his last 144 attempts.
3. As maligned as he is, Chad Pennington is still a very good quarterback. Ok fine, I’ll concede that he doesn’t have a strong arm.
But at the same time, Pennington is an excellent leader, he’s a very accurate passer, he gets rid of the ball on time, he can read a defense, he doesn’t make many mistakes and his teammates believe in him.
If he were a free agent right now, more than a handful of teams would be on the phone talking about a contract.
Teams like Tampa Bay or Denver could use a quarterback who just makes all the right throws and avoids mistakes. If Brad Johnson and Mark Brunell can function in Minnesota and Washington, the surely Chad Pennington would be an upgrade. Even the Atlanta Falcons wonder about what it would be like to have a quarterback who completes more than 55% of his passes.
And that’s not to mention Oakland, Tennessee or even Miami.
4. Is anyone else tired of hearing the Jacksonville Jaguars complain about receiving a lack of respect? So they beat up a few teams with losing records last season to pad their stats and finish with a 12-4 record. Then they got stomped in the playoffs.
Once again they were complaining how they still did not get the attention they deserved and went into Indianapolis and got punked again.
Here’s a tip: be quiet, learn to execute, go string together at least four or five wins against programs that matter, win a playoff game and then the respect will come naturally.
There is no magic trick to it and complaining to the media is definitely not the answer.
5. So it isn’t exactly the Manning Bowl, but it is worth noting that brothers Torry and Terrence Holt will face off with each other this weekend in St. Louis. Torry is the perennial Pro Bowl wideout with the Rams while the younger Holt, Terrence is a prospective safety with the Lions. There you go, now you have a reason to watch the Lions-Rams game this weekend.
|
|
|
No comments yet - join this discussion...
|
|
|
|
|
|
