Monday, October 5, 2009

Sunday Night Quarterback - Week 4

I can't say that I'm ever disappointed to see the Skins win, but I will admit that I did entertain the fantasy of what a second loss in as many weeks to a winless team would do.

It would be brutal, but if it convinced Syderrato once and for all that we are more than "one or two players away" from being a championship contender, then it would be a brutality to be endured.

As for the game, I was able to catch it in snippets. I had another engagement to attend, but I became pretty proficient at flipping between the ESPN ticker and the Slingbox iPhone app (linked to a box at my in-laws that was tuned to the game) while at the same time appreciating nature photography and breathtaking vistas of the Chesapeake. Did you know that we've so overharvested the Bay that there only exists 1% of the population of 100 years ago?

Yeah, I didn't know that either. Lay off the oysters for a little bit. Have some crackers.

So, from what I saw, I'm disappointed that despite all of the draft picks, depth chart adjustments and Keith Sweat-like "I'm gonna, we're gonna, get this riiiiight, girl," our offense still consists of: 1st down Portis, 2nd down Moss, 3rd down Cooley, 4th down punt, then commercial and I go pee.

That's not sustainable. Kelly or Thomas, or even Fred Davis! Somebody needs to step up and take the pressure off those guys.

Defensively, we rebounded nicely from getting gashed by the Lions in the run. It's just so hard to measure your progress against quarterbacks like Stafford and Josh Johnson. I mean, how many points do you expect to give up there?

Last thing. I think Raheem Morris made a mistake not going for it on 4th and goal with 5 minutes and change remaining. I know, hindsight is 20/20 and all. But what have the Skins shown you all year that tells you that they start with the ball on the 2-yard line and even get one first down? Let alone run out the clock? Even if they failed to convert, Tampa would have gotten the ball back around midfield with probably 3 minutes left.

Moreover, you have to think that the Bucs needed a touchdown to win the game. Their kicker had already missed two manageable field goals in the game (one going into that end of the stadium).

So, at the end of it, which would the Bucs rather have had? Two chances with the ball to score a touchdown and win the game? Or ask your field goal kicker to make two field goals inside of six minutes (and maybe another one in overtime), including maybe a 45-yarder to tie the game with the clock running out? After he's already missed two?

I'm glad he made the choice he did, though.

And I don't know about the Panthers. I need a couple of days.

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