NFL Week 8 thread

If the Mad Monk runs the ball a little more, he probably gets his defense a shutout.

I've got no problem with running up the score in the NFL. Got a big problem with what Belichek has been doing, and I think there's a difference.

 

The best thing I saw in the last three days: A 1968 AFL Champions New York Jets t-shirt in a store.

The worst thing I saw in the last three days: The Jets offense.

 

It was especially sweet to see the Redskins and holy than thou Joe Gibbs get the shit kicked out of them. No more deserving than Danny-boy Snyder, his way-past-prime-time coaching staff and the thinnest skinned fan base to be on the losing end of a huge slaughter.

 

I wonder where that ranks in terms of all-time ass kickings in the NFL? I know the Skins lost an NFL championship game to the Bears 73-0 back in the 40s or 50s.

 

1940 championship game.

 

The transcript from Belichick's post-game presser:

10/28/07
Bill Belichick Press Conference - 10/28/2007 New England Patriots

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick addresses the media during his postgame press conference at Gillette Stadium on October 28, 2007.

BB: I thought that was a solid performance by our team today. I thought the players really did a good job. We had probably our best week of practice that we’ve had all year, especially defensively. I thought the guys really went out there and played well. We had a lot of guys step up, a lot of guys make good plays today, so it’s hard to single anybody out, but I thought obviously Dean [Pees] and Josh [McDaniels] and all of assistant coaches did a great job having the team ready to go. I thought we played hard from the first series for 60 minutes and that was a lot better than we did last week. The players did a good job. They played hard, they made a lot of plays and I thought it was a good, solid effort for us. We’ll take that one and move on.

Q: Can you comment on the next game on the schedule, the Colts, and the anticipation?

BB: Well, obviously they’re a great team. They’ve won 12 in a row. They’ve beat us [in] three straight, so there’s no better team in football than the Indianapolis Colts. It will be a huge challenge for us up there.

Q: Can you comment on the play of Mike Vrabel?

BB: Mike had some big plays for us. He made a nice play down there on the goal line and had some strip sacks. I thought he tackled well. Mike’s a good player for us. He always does a good job and he had some big [plays] today. Knocking those balls out, those are obviously - they were huge plays.

Q: [Is it an] important step, getting Richard Seymour out there, just [to] ease him back into game action?

BB: I don’t know about easing anybody back. He’s out there competing against an experienced offensive line. A lot of guys played today. Hopefully they all learned something and got a little bit better. We’ll need to be at our best next week, so anything we can do to get better this week, we’ll take it.

Q: Were you aware that Washington was having some communications problems in the first half?

BB: All I know is what the officials told us, which, you know, we got the procedure for that.

Q: Did you have to turn your --

BB: No. We only do that if the officials tell us to do that.

Q: How would you rate Richard Seymour’s job in his first day back?

BB: I don’t know. I’d have to look at the film. We had a lot of guys out there playing. I can’t grade each player, but it’s good to have him back out there.

Q: Is there any plan you have in some of these games where you’re leading so much as far as getting out your starters?

BB: No, it’s kind of a case… we kind of offensively got knocked out of all of our regular formations there at the end of this game. We were just down to… we had to be pretty much in a three-receiver set. We were just making a couple plays down there at the end to run with two backs, so sometimes you get forced into that kind of situation. It wasn’t really what we wanted to be at the end of the game, but that’s all we had.

Q: At 38-0 you went for it on 4th down, on 45-0 you went for it on 4th down. What was the philosophy there?

BB: What do you want us to do, kick a field goal?

Q: I didn’t want you to do anything. I’m just asking what the philosophy is.

BB: It’s 38-0. It’s fourth down. [We’re] just out there playing. [We’re] just out there playing.

Q: Could you talk about the play of Laurence Maroney? He seemed to get some of his explosiveness back.

BB: He broke a couple of tackles. I thought Tom [Brady], when he hit him on that seam pass early in the game --I forget which drive it was-- but he made a nice run on that, cut back to the outside, broke a couple of tackles in the running game, reversed his feet one time, which is always a little bit dangerous, but Laurence is fast. He showed his strength, breaking out of a couple of tackles, so he made some big plays for us today. I mean, all of the backs did. Kevin [Faulk] made some nice plays for us and Heath [Evans] gave us some quality runs. The backs did a good job when they had an opportunity. They were all productive.

Q: It seemed like you focused on trying to work screen passes from receivers and running backs today.

BB: Washington is such a fast team on defense. They have great pursuit, they really run to the ball well, so sometimes if you can get together a rush and create some separation in the defense there you have a chance if you can get somebody out there on those linebackers or those underneath defenders to pick up some yards. They’re a fast defense. You have to find some way to compensate for that. They run well.

Q: Can you comment on how you utilized Randall Gay today? It seemed like it was a little different than what we’ve seen from him in the last two games.

BB: He was in on those three receiver sets. Most of the time that they had three receivers he was in there.

Q: Playing the safety role?

BB: Well, they had a third receiver, so call it whatever you want: safety, third corner.

 

I'd really, really like for someone to run a toss left/right and just truck Belidick!

 

So I "watch" most games via Yahoo scoreboard (sad sad, I know) since I'm on the desk during Sunday. All day I kept thinking how the Skins would keep up with the Pats, and as I keep seeing the Pats score TD after TD I'm thinking, "Jesus effin Christ -- these guys are a machine." Is anyone going to come within 25 points of the Patriots this year, Colts included?

This might be the most dynamic, devastating team ever. 52 points on the 5th-best defense.

And yes, the Skins farked up my afternoon parlay partay. Bitches.

 

Cowboys came within 21

 

Everyone bitching about the Pats sounds ridiculous.

I didn't see anyone running up the score. Like several have said before me... you don't want the Pats to score on you, make a goddam play. The Skins still had their starters in when Matt Cassel chugged in for his rushing TD. Clearly they didn't think the game was "over."

And what's the big deal about going for it on 4th down? The Pats gave the Skins opportunity to surrender 0 points on those plays instead of 3. The Skins, in their complete suckitude, failed to do so. Boo fucking hoo.

And, before you ask, I'm a Bills fan.

 

Cleveland was within 17 - and only 10 until a late fumble return for a TD - and held the Pats to a season-low 34.

 

Redskins defensive coordinator on the Patriots going for it on fourth down:

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/10/29/washington_slapped_here/ (Love the headline, by the way)

"They could run the ball. That's what most teams do when they get ahead like that in the fourth quarter," said Daniels. "They run the ball to knock the time off the clock. It's better to kick the field goal. I would be satisfied more if you kicked the field goal rather than throw the ball or go for it on fourth down. You've already got a giant lead and you still want to go for it on fourth down, to me, that's running up the score, no matter how you look at it."