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I watched an odd assortment of games yesterday. Here is what I saw...
-What was Jacksonville doing in the first half? Maurice Jones Drew didnt have a single carry until mid way through the second quarter (and he promptly took that carry about 80 yards to the house). Maybe they saw what NE did to TEN through the air, but even so, you are who you are. The Jags are one of the last teams that should be spreading the field and coming out gunning.
-GUS JOHNSON, with this call on a David Garrard scramble: "Garrard...makes CHICKEN SALAD...Garrard! First Down!"
-MIA had no business losing last week. MIA had zero business winning this week. None. Zip. Did absolutely nothing offensively. Chad Henne looked awful. Wildcat was ineffective. Two KR TD's and a defensive score rescued the offense from an embarrassing effort.
-The MIA/NYJ game featured two coaches who have no clue when to use the 2-pt conversion. Case in point--up 11, Tony Sparano goes for 2. Why? 12 makes it a three score game, there is no difference between 12 and 13 late in the game, they still need three scores to beat you. Take the 1 point. The Dolphins failed to convert, and it remained a two score game. Inexplicably stupid. This game featured four or five 2-point attempts, all because the teams failed earlier and then had to "make up" the points.
-I was saying to myself, "W2BTD, why does Jamarcus Russell still start?". Then I looked at the OAK QB depth chart. There is no reason to bench Russell, let him take his lumps, and hopefully progress.
-Steve Slaton getting benched after 1 carry (his 8th lost fumble), and the subsequent big game by Ryan Moats, leads me to the following rant i've been meaning to go on for a while now: 80% of the starting RB's in this league could be replaced by the backup with very little or no difference in performance. NFL RB's are "plug and play", for the most part.
*Pierre Thomas goes down earlier this year, Mike Bell steps right in and gives the Saints the same production. Both guys are equally mediocre, exploiting the same gaping holes and defenses scared to death of Drew Brees.
*Rashard Mendenhall steps right in for Pittsburgh, after being benched for not knowing the playbook no less, and goes apeshit.
*We all know how Denver has "plug and played" a dozen or so guys over the last decade.
*Jets, with Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and Shonn Greene.
*NYG last year, with two 1,000 yard rushers, and now Ahmad Bradshaw. BTW, how's Derrick Ward doing now that he's not running behind that awesome line? Any competent NFL back would have saw the same success on that Giants team.
My point, is that success in the running game has far less to do with the RB that it does the offensive line and what the defense dicatates. There are a few elite RB's--Adrian Peterson, Steven Jackson, MJD, a couple of others. Everyone else is essentailly the same (although different guys do different things well), and success/failure is pretty much out of their hands. Plug and play.
-And speaking of NFL RB's, Steven Jackson is the best RB in the league. Better than Peterson, and no one else is even close. What this guy does on a week to week basis, vs. teams that completely key in on him, is nothing short of amazing. He never goes down on first contact, plays hard until the gun in all of these Rams blowouts, and is on pace for a 1500 yard year on a brutal team that has won 6 games in 3 seasons.
Think about this--Since 2006, Jackson leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage per game, paying for the Rams. He's a great pass catcher, his backups (Kenneth Darby & Samkon Gado) never touch the ball so he plays every single down, and he never fumbles.
Peterson, as great of a breakaway threat as he is, is not a great pass catcher, has an elite backup to spell him (Chester Taylor), and fumbles on an almost weekly basis.
There is no debate-Steven Jackson is the best RB in football--and nobody watches him play.
-What was Jacksonville doing in the first half? Maurice Jones Drew didnt have a single carry until mid way through the second quarter (and he promptly took that carry about 80 yards to the house). Maybe they saw what NE did to TEN through the air, but even so, you are who you are. The Jags are one of the last teams that should be spreading the field and coming out gunning.
-GUS JOHNSON, with this call on a David Garrard scramble: "Garrard...makes CHICKEN SALAD...Garrard! First Down!"
-MIA had no business losing last week. MIA had zero business winning this week. None. Zip. Did absolutely nothing offensively. Chad Henne looked awful. Wildcat was ineffective. Two KR TD's and a defensive score rescued the offense from an embarrassing effort.
-The MIA/NYJ game featured two coaches who have no clue when to use the 2-pt conversion. Case in point--up 11, Tony Sparano goes for 2. Why? 12 makes it a three score game, there is no difference between 12 and 13 late in the game, they still need three scores to beat you. Take the 1 point. The Dolphins failed to convert, and it remained a two score game. Inexplicably stupid. This game featured four or five 2-point attempts, all because the teams failed earlier and then had to "make up" the points.
-I was saying to myself, "W2BTD, why does Jamarcus Russell still start?". Then I looked at the OAK QB depth chart. There is no reason to bench Russell, let him take his lumps, and hopefully progress.
-Steve Slaton getting benched after 1 carry (his 8th lost fumble), and the subsequent big game by Ryan Moats, leads me to the following rant i've been meaning to go on for a while now: 80% of the starting RB's in this league could be replaced by the backup with very little or no difference in performance. NFL RB's are "plug and play", for the most part.
*Pierre Thomas goes down earlier this year, Mike Bell steps right in and gives the Saints the same production. Both guys are equally mediocre, exploiting the same gaping holes and defenses scared to death of Drew Brees.
*Rashard Mendenhall steps right in for Pittsburgh, after being benched for not knowing the playbook no less, and goes apeshit.
*We all know how Denver has "plug and played" a dozen or so guys over the last decade.
*Jets, with Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and Shonn Greene.
*NYG last year, with two 1,000 yard rushers, and now Ahmad Bradshaw. BTW, how's Derrick Ward doing now that he's not running behind that awesome line? Any competent NFL back would have saw the same success on that Giants team.
My point, is that success in the running game has far less to do with the RB that it does the offensive line and what the defense dicatates. There are a few elite RB's--Adrian Peterson, Steven Jackson, MJD, a couple of others. Everyone else is essentailly the same (although different guys do different things well), and success/failure is pretty much out of their hands. Plug and play.
-And speaking of NFL RB's, Steven Jackson is the best RB in the league. Better than Peterson, and no one else is even close. What this guy does on a week to week basis, vs. teams that completely key in on him, is nothing short of amazing. He never goes down on first contact, plays hard until the gun in all of these Rams blowouts, and is on pace for a 1500 yard year on a brutal team that has won 6 games in 3 seasons.
Think about this--Since 2006, Jackson leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage per game, paying for the Rams. He's a great pass catcher, his backups (Kenneth Darby & Samkon Gado) never touch the ball so he plays every single down, and he never fumbles.
Peterson, as great of a breakaway threat as he is, is not a great pass catcher, has an elite backup to spell him (Chester Taylor), and fumbles on an almost weekly basis.
There is no debate-Steven Jackson is the best RB in football--and nobody watches him play.
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