Hallelujah! Peter King has Finally Seen the Light

Peter King is now endorsing Art Monk for the Hall of fame after years of campaigning and voting to keep him out. Finally!

King mentions one of the absurd comparisons that I wrote about months ago: Monk has more receptions than the combined receptions of Hall of Famers Swann and Stallworth.

King quotes Bill Polian, the GM of the Indianapolis Colts, as saying: “You guys (Hall of Fame voters) are running the risk of becoming irrelevant,” which is exactly what I wrote months ago. Polian thinks it is ridiculous that Monk and Reed, who played for the Bills when Polian was GM there, are not in the Hall already. So, why have they been denied for so long? I am convinced it is the pettiness of King and guys like him (e.g. Zimmerman) who cannot stand to see more Redskins from that era get inducted than their beloved Giants. But, when their credibility was questioned by Polian, they realized the game was up. Now, King knows he has to ditch the pettiness if he wants to maintain his credibility and keep getting those NFL gigs.

King goes on to say that he only rethought his position on Monk because the guy he was advocating for induction for many years, Harry Carson, finally got in last year. It took a Washington Post writer to point out to King that all of the reasons that King used to argue vociferously for Carson were valid for Monk.

I would add, though, that unlike Monk, Carson never led the league in anything or retired as the all-time leader in any category applicable to defenders. Before Monk, no receiver ever had triple-digit receptions in the NFL, and it took a rule change and eight years for Rice to surpass Monk’s single-season record. It took several years and a rules change for Rice to pass Monk’s all-time receptions record and record for most consecutive games with a catch.

Monk played most of his career when cornerbacks were allowed to hand check and body check receivers all the way down the field until the ball was in the air. Rice played most of his career when cornerbacks were not allowed to touch receivers after five yards. Monk played most of his career when there was no such thing as “unnecessary roughness;” it was football, a rough sport. Rice played most of his career when a difficult spin move on Dancing with the Stars would be flagged. Monk played most of his career when the guy who was supposed to deliver the ball to him, the quarterback, was allowed to be hit after he threw the ball, making it hard for QBs to deliver the ball. Rice played most of his career when quarterbacks couldn’t be breathed on unless the ball was in their hands. Monk played all of his career with Theismann, Schroeder, Williams, Humphries, Rypien, and a hand full of other quarterbacks throwing the ball to him. Don’t bother to check the Hall of Fame roster for their names. Rice spent virtually his whole career with two quarterbacks: Montana and Young. They both happen to be Hall of Famers. Young has the highest career passer rating in NFL history and Montana may be the best quarterback who ever stepped on the field.

Rice absolutely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and will likely get in on the first ballot. Monk should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer six years ago and it was King and Zimmerman who campaigned to keep him out. Now that their beloved Carson is in, they look ridiculous for keeping Monk out. It took a guy like Polian, a well-respected GM, to point out their bias, their silliness. What took Polian so long? Where were the rest of the personnel guys in the NFL?

Before ending this on a positive note, let me point out one more bit of glaring bias that screams at you when you take a step back and evaluate the Hall of Fame inductees over the past fifteen years. Between 1981 and 1991, the Redskins under Joe Gibbs played in five NFC Championship games and won four of them. They played in four Super Bowls and won three of them. I would argue that the best Redskins team ever was the 1983 team, which is the only one that lost a Super Bowl in that eleven-year span. The 1983 Redskins were defending Super Bowl champions who obliterated about a dozen major NFL records in the regular season including the record for most points scored in a season (541 points) and average margin of victory (13.06 PPG); each helped in part by their still extant turnover differential record.

It was because of how easily they vanquished everybody in 1983 that they took their Super Bowl opponent lightly. Their opponent was the Raiders, a team that the Redskins had already beaten in the regular season and which played in the far-inferior AFC. If the Redskins had taken them seriously that Sunday, Gibbs would be a perfect 4 – 0 in the Super Bowl and pundits would still be talking about how the 1983 Redskins team was the best that ever played in the NFL. C'est la vie.

The point is: The Redskins were a dominating franchise between 1981 and 1991. There have only been five other dominating franchises in the NFL since Super Bowl play began: The 1960s Packers; the 1970s Steelers; the 1980s 49ers; the 1990s Cowboys, who won three Super Bowls; and the 2000s Patriots. (Don’t talk to me about the Vikings in the 1970s or the Bills in the late 80s-early 90s. They didn’t win championships. The 1970s Dolphins and Cowboys? Close, but not quite there.)

The 1960s Packers have eleven HOF inductees including Vince Lombardi. The 1970s Steelers have eight inductees including their head coach, Chuck Noll. The 1980s 49ers have four including Joe Walsh, but Rice and probably Roger Craig will be there soon making it at least six. It is too early to tally the 1990s Cowboys, and the 2000s Patriots are still playing.

So, how is it possible that there are only two members of the 1981-1991 Redskins who have been inducted in the Hall of Fame and only one is a player? That is the definition of bias. Jacoby and Grimm should be in already. Bostic and May should get serious consideration. They were the Hogs, the most storied offensive line in history. Their innovative and motivational coach, Joe Bugel, should be in already. Monk should be in already. If Carson can make the Hall, then Monte Coleman should be in too. If Lawrence Taylor is in the Hall, then Dexter Manley should be in, too. Defensive Tackle Dave Butz took on triple teams and still stuffed the run. Brian Mitchell retired as the all-time leader in all-purpose yards (returns, rushing, receiving). He should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Mark Moseley retired as the record holder for most consecutive field goals, most points in a season, and was the only kicker to ever win an NFL MVP award. He should be in the Hall already. Darryl Green will be eligible soon. If he is not elected on the first ballot, then we should ignore the Hall of Fame.

Look, not all of the Redskins on the above list should be in the Hall, but at least five more players should be in the HOF if the HOF voters are consistent with their previous voting patterns. Anything less means that there is a campaign against Redskins players akin to the campaign that King is now ending against Monk.

Now, here is what King said:

In some ways I've been part of the problem. Even though Monk retired with the all-time receptions record, I've historically been anti-Monk for several reasons...(Ed. Note: The reasons are all nonsense which I've written about before. King said he wouldn't vote for Monk because he only won three popularity contests--i.e. Pro Bowls, which is just asinine.)The leadership, the selflessness, the durable productivity ... all the same (as Carson). I decided I should re-think my position.

As I made my rounds of training camps this year, I asked veteran coaches about Monk and the one word that kept coming up was "unselfish.'' His downfield blocking prowess kept coming up. His long-term numbers were almost Yastrzemski-like (one or two great years, lots of productive ones, very reliable). (Ed. Note: Did Yaz retire as the all time home run leader? No? How about all-time leader in batting average? No? Runs scored? No? How many championships did Yaz lead his team to? None? Then, Monk’s numbers were much more than Yaz-like; much more. This is more damning with faint praise from King.) But when I talked to Joe Gibbs on Friday, the one thing that stood out was the body of work we don't see -- the downfield blocking, the quiet leadership, and this: Unlike his louder receiving mates Clark and Ricky Sanders, Monk, according to Gibbs, never once said he wanted the ball more. "We used him almost as a tight end a lot,'' said Gibbs, "and not only did he do it willingly, he was a great blocker for us. If he'd been a squeaky wheel, who knows how many catches Art would have had. But he cared about one thing -- the team.''

So many of the things Carson did can't be quantified. Similarly with Monk. Not only did he lead the NFL in all-time receptions when he retired, but he blocked superbly and was the most important locker-room influence on a three-time Super Bowl champion. I'm voting for him.

I'll support Monk and Irvin...in my voting...

Look, I want to end on a positive note, so I am going to ignore King’s vote for Irvin. Just make sure Monk gets in, big guy.

I have a million things I want to write about this past weekend's NFL games (from the Giants (OMG) to the Redskins), but I want this post to stay up top for a while.

Update 11/29/06
King's article prompted me to examine Andre Reed's career and compare it with Michael Irvin’s. All I can say is: Has Peter King lost his mind?

From a statistical standpoint, there is no comparison. Andre Reed had a much better career than Michael Irvin in every respect save one: Irvin's team won three Super Bowls and Reed's team lost four. But, to attribute the victories solely to Irvin and the losses solely to Reed is just crazy. Dallas had a much better TEAM than the Bills in those days. It’s more relevant that Reed was the primary receiver on a team that won four AFC Championships. In fact, Reed slightly outplayed Irvin head-to-head in the 1992 and 1993 Super Bowls (Reed 14 catches 227 yards 0 TDs; Irvin 11 catches 180 yards 2 TDs). Reed should not be penalized for a lack of Super Bowl wins because he was drafted by the Bills.

As for his career, the numbers are not even close. Reed ranks higher than Irvin in every category and in most categories he is way ahead of Irvin. For example, Reed had 27% more receptions than Irvin (Reed 951 catches to Irvin’s 750); eleven percent more yards (13,198 yards to 11,904); and thirty-four percent more touchdowns (87 to 65). Reed even had more touchdowns in the post season.

Those are the statistics, but they say nothing about the man. Irvin definitely was a better drug abuser than Reed.

Polian is right about Reed and Monk. King is wrong about Irvin. He shouldn’t get in the Hall of Fame just because he was lucky to be drafted by a team that received tons of draft picks in the Herschel Walker trade including the one used to draft Emmitt Smith, the primary reason for all of those Cowboys championships.

Skins 17 - Bucs 20: The Future is in the Future

I was very impressed by the play of Jason Campbell on Sunday. He played much better than I expected. His arm looked great and he scrambled out of at least one sack to convert a third down, but I was most impressed with his poise. On his first touchdown pass, with the ball on the Bucs’ five-yard line, he rolled right and waited several beats for a receiver to break open. The only receiver in the area was Cooley and he eventually worked his way up to the goal line to enable Campbell to deliver the ball cleanly in front of four defenders.

Most young QBs playing their first game would have seen that nothing was initially open and would have tried to run for the score in that spot. Hell, guys like Vick still try to run in that spot. But, running was low percentage compared with a throw. Campbell was six- to eight-yards away from a score with four Bucs in the area. He showed veteran-like patience on that play. The play reminded me a lot of “The Catch” that 49ers fans know well. Later, Campbell ran the two-minute offense without a hitch and threw a touchdown late in the game to pull within three. He didn't look like a deer in headlights. I don't think he could have done any better in a debut.

Bill Maas's Strategery
A thread started on ExtremeSkins had the title: "Bill Maas Sucks." Maas called Sunday's Redskins game. I have to agree with the thread starter. In fact, I logged onto the internet, muted the TV, and synched my TIVO picture to the Redskins’ radio announcers Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff just so I didn't have to listen to Maas. But, I disagree with the thread starter on why he sucks.

The thread starter felt that Maas was biased against the Redskins. I usually have my bias antennae up and they can pick up bias from miles around even when it doesn't exist, but I didn't hear much of that from Maas Sunday. No, Bill Maas sucks because he couldn’t even figure out some of the most basic strategies in the game. For example, my thirteen year old son played organized football for the first time this year and I have been trying to teach him strategy. So, before Campbell took his first snap Sunday, I told my son that Gibbs was going to call a deep pass on the first play. “Why?” he asked, which is the best response you can get from a thirteen year old.

I said it was because Campbell never played in a regular season game before and he was going to be nervous. One of Campbell’s strengths as a quarterback was his arm strength and Gibbs would want to give him a task that would play to his strengths. Plus, I said, a simple handoff would not do as much as a deep pass to get rid of the butterflies. I said a deep pass would be better than a short one because it is less likely to be picked off, which would be a confidence shaker. And, since a deep pass is less likely to be completed, a completion would send his confidence through the roof, but an incompletion would not break it.

Gibbs = Humble/Parcells = Media Hound
And, sure enough, Gibbs called a deep pass on Campbell’s first snap. To all of those Redskins fans calling for Gibbs’ head, all I can say is this: You do not give him the credit he deserves for the things he does to help this team. And, Gibbs is too humble to take credit for himself, so you will never hear the “look at me” stuff you hear from other NFL coaches like Bill Parcells. Gibbs would be mortified to read an interview in the middle of the season where Gibbs discussed his strategy against specific football teams like the interview Parcells gave to the New York Times Magazine in October. Calling that deep pass on the first play of the game is another example of the hundreds of positive things that Gibbs does that you will never hear a peep about unless you figure it out for yourself. All Bill Maas told us was that it was a good call because everyone expected a run on the first play.

The Pass
And, oh, was that pass a beauty. Brandon Lloyd beat single coverage down the left sideline and was ahead of the defender by about a yard. Campbell threw the ball fifty-eight yards in the air with little effort. He put just the right amount of arc on it and hit Lloyd in full stride right on the hands about chest high. We can only imagine what the rest of the day would have looked like if Lloyd had held on to it.

Carlos Rogers
Speaking of holding on to passed balls, what is up with Carlos Rogers? Last year his dropped interception cost them an easy touchdown against Seattle and a date to play in the NFC Championship game. This year he has already dropped about five passes that hit him in the hands including one at the goal line on Sunday. Last year, the drops were ignored because it was his rookie year. Now he has to start playing like he has digits at the end of his wrists.

The Defense
Speaking of defense, has the Redskins defense fallen off a cliff or what? It makes little sense. The Springs injury hurt them early and MVP Griffin’s sporadic absences didn’t help, (neither did losing Marshall and Rogers and Washington and Salave’a and Daniels and …you get the idea), but they have had the starters on the field for the last three games. I thought they did a great job against the Cowboys when they finally had all eleven starters on the field for the first time, and I expected them to step it up against Philly, get a win and get back in the hunt. But, they have regressed in the last two games. Is it simply a matter of having lost the will, or is it something else?

The Future of the NFC East
Finally, I have to admit something, Skins fans. I was sure the Redskins were doing the right thing by keeping Brunnell in there while they still had a shot at a title because young quarterbacks rarely win consistently enough to win titles, and I still believe that is true. But, deep down I was very concerned about future NFC East races. I saw Eli Manning getting his shot and I envisioned him, with his pedigree, evolving into the best quarterback in the NFC East over the next few years, which would have made it difficult for the Redskins. A few weeks ago I saw Romo get his shot and do well and thought he might keep the Cowboys ahead of the Skins for a couple of years. And, McNabb is still young and will be a leader on the Eagles for several more years. I thought the Redskins would have an uphill battle for at least two or three years while Campbell developed. Now, I’m not so sure.

Eli Manning might not become the quarterback that I worried he would. The guy has an unbelievable genetic makeup, so how the hell is he still making mechanical mistakes when he has thirty-three starts under his belt? Didn’t his dad or brother teach him this stuff in the backyard? Occasionally a pro will develop a bad habit that he has to break, but that is usually after they had already worked out all of their mechanical flaws in college. But, it seems that Manning has never gotten it right. When I heard earlier this year that he consulted his college coach who said his mechanics sucked, I thought: How could that be? He’s a friggin’ Manning? And, in the Bears and Jaguars games, the announcers kept highlighting his mechanical flaws which led to poorly thrown balls.

Romo looks like the real deal, but I think Campbell is too. I know Campbell has only played one game, and will probably look bad in a game or two this season, but he showed me that he understands the important things like taking care of the ball. He showed he is a competitor who has a nose for the end zone. In short, he is only two games behind Romo and may already be ahead of Manning. The future looks a little brighter for the Redskins today.

Eagles 27 - Skins 3: A Fitting End

Injuries have kept the real Redskins team from showing up this year. Although they hung in until their ninth game, yesterday’s loss means it will take a miracle for the Redskins to make the playoffs. They will have to win each of their last seven to see the post season and that looks less likely today knowing that yet another injury has taken their best skill player on offense—Clinton Portis. So, the season is practically over and it was a fitting end. Just as injuries are mostly the result of poor luck, the Redskins season ended by a loss due mostly to poor luck.

If the Eagles reran the pass play that resulted in their second touchdown 100 times, they would likely get one, maybe two touchdowns, in those 100 tries. That is the definition of luck. But, yesterday was one of the times in which they got a TD. It was on a play in which the Redskins’ Shawn Springs did everything right. He covered his man and dislodged the ball. The Eagles running back, Buckhalter, hustled and was in the right place at the right time, picking the fumbled ball off in the air in full stride for a TD. Total point swing: 7.

The Redskins did everything right on their option pass to Chris Cooley. Cooley was wide open. The Eagles bit on the handoff to Randle-El and Randle-El was ready to make a perfect throw. An Eagles player, out of desperation, dove at Randle-El’s heels and barely tripped him; Randle-El hesitated a split second to get his balance. In that split second, Dawkins was able to close ten yards and deflect a sure touchdown pass to Cooley. Total point swing: 14.

The Redskins made a great stop near the goal line in the second half and forced a fumble which they recovered at their two-yard line. But, the refs said the player was down by contact. Gibbs immediately challenged the play and replays showed he was right. The ball came loose way before the Eagles player was touched. The announcers saw what I and the rest of the viewing audience saw and said that it WAS a fumble and it would be the Redskins ball. Someway, somehow, the refs didn’t see it on the replay. The Redskins did a great job on a goal line stand there, but the Eagles still got a field goal. Total point swing: 17.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “They lost by twenty-four so what are you complaining about?” Well, yes, but if the game was as close as it should have been Brunnell wouldn’t throw that desperation pass that was picked off and returned for a touchdown in the second half. And, the game was much closer than the score. The Redskins controlled the ball for 20:00 minutes in the first half to the Eagles 10:00. The Skins were running all over the Eagles. They gained 4.7 yards per carry even without Portis who broke his hand early in the game.

So, this was a fitting end to the Redskins playoff run. The poor luck that kept their best players out of most of their games this year finished them against the Eagles who made some of the luckiest plays and got some of the luckiest calls you’ll see in a long time. I know good teams make their own luck in games, but that has nothing to do with injuries.

Redskins’ detractors are very happy today. I’m not sure why most of the media hates the Redskins, but they love to rip them, especially in the New York area. The sarcasm drips and schadenfreude smirks in nearly every column. Here’s an example from Paul Needell in today’s Newark Star Ledger:

Washington’s 3-6, clearly the worst team in the NFC East. It’s time for Joe Gibbs to leave whoever his eventual successor is with a chance to see what Jason Campbell’s got, don’t you think?

Giants’ fans like Needell would love to see Gibbs leave because his Redskins teams seem to often go a little farther than the Giants—like last year for instance. But, Gibbs made a five-year commitment and it would take something extraordinary for him to leave now, especially when the Redskins are coming off of a deep playoff run last year and they have improved on both sides of the ball and special teams this year. Injuries sometimes come in waves, but the odds are pretty good that it won’t be repeated next year. Gibbs knows that and will likely stick around until their next championship run.

The Giants, on the other hand, have been pretty lucky until recently. Last night the nation saw how good the Giants are when they finally get hit with a few injuries. Whew. That was pretty ugly. I don’t know who is going to win the NFC East this year, but I don’t think it will be the Giants.

Witten = Fool

I could read this stuff all day.

Also, check out Drew Bledsoe's Blog.

From Daydreaming Tight Ends to Sleepy-headed Receivers, It's a Cowboys Nightmare

By Les Carpenter
Monday, November 6, 2006; E16


With the electricity of a big catch still tingling in his arms, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten stood on the line of scrimmage chattering with glee as his teammate Mike Vanderjagt prepared to kick the field goal that would win yesterday's game. He was still laughing about safety Adam Archuleta, the unfortunate Redskin who had been too late covering him on the play before. Oh, how foolish he had made that Archuleta look. How funny it all was.

"He was just talking, sharing his thoughts about Adam," recalled Washington's Troy Vincent, who had been standing across the line, just inches away. "He was still talking about the catch. He was happy. They had won. All they had to do was kick it."

Yes, indeed, Witten must have been having a ball as he fell into his stance. So good a time, in fact, he probably never saw the white blur that sped past him the moment the ball was snapped.

"I know one thing," Vincent said, "I was full speed ahead."

Later, after Vincent blocked Vanderjagt's kick, setting in motion an unimaginable chain of events that led to Washington's 22-19 victory, the Cowboys slumped in their tiny locker room, weary and disoriented. How could something so clear as the win they knew was theirs have dissolved before them? Vanderjagt stood by his locker and shrugged.

"If they block it at the line of scrimmage you can point the finger at me," he said. "But he was two feet in front of me. I don't know how [Vincent] got where he got. We'll have to look at the tape and see."

Clearly, today the ugly finger of blame will land on the chest of Witten, who must still be wondering how he went from making the catch that all but sealed victory to the fool of the season.

Redskins 22 – Cowboys 19 / Hallelujah!

Some may argue that Divine intervention gave the Redskins a victory yesterday. If so, it is because they deserved it. The Cowboys were penalized eleven times for 153 yards yesterday, but it was a fellow from a hotter place that prevented it from being fifteen penalties for over 200 yards. And, wouldn’t you know it; on two of the Cowboys' drives in which they committed penalties but weren't called for it, Dallas scored a total of thirteen points. The Redskins victory yesterday would have been a cakewalk if those penalties were called.

But, the Hallelujah today has less to do with that Divine intervention. Today’s Hallelujah is mostly given because, for the first time all season, the Redskins had all eleven of their defensive starters on the field. Hallelujah for the bye week. (By the way, I had this Hallelujah theme written even before I heard WFAN this morning where Warner Wolf replayed the Redskins radio announcers Larry Michaels and Sonny Jurgenson’s call. Soon after Michaels yelled “It’s Gooooooooood!, Sonny gave a big “Hallelujah.”)

I wrote on 10/25 that the Redskins offense has yet to fire on all cylinders and use all of their new weapons effectively, yet it is still scoring slightly more than it did last season. It has been the defense that has been disappointing this year. Yesterday, despite the high yardage allowed, the Redskins showed why they need all eleven defensive starters. The five or six that played against the Colts aren’t enough. And, yesterday’s yardage and points allowed would have been a lot less if flags were thrown on all of Dallas’s penalties.

So, which uncalled penalties were the most detrimental? The Cowboys first touchdown should have been called back. Cowboys’ tight end Witten mauled defensive end Wynn right in front of the Refs. How they missed that call, I’ll never know. Former Cowboy Troy Aikman announced the game and was laughing that the refs missed the holding penalty because, as Aikman pointed out in a replay, even Witten was surprised that they didn’t throw the flag. His head was on a swivel looking everywhere for yellow laundry. When he couldn’t find any, he jumped for joy.

On Dallas’s second touchdown drive yesterday, Romo hit Crayton down the right sideline for a 48-yard gain on third-and-two from Dallas’s 33-yard line. It was Dallas’s biggest play of the game and the biggest play of the drive. It gave the Cowboys a first down at the Redskins nineteen-yard line. When Romo threw it, I though Shawn Springs was going to intercept. He had Crayton covered as well as anyone could be legally covered in the NFL. But, somehow in his last stride, Crayton got separation. A replay showed why. At the last second, Crayton pushed Springs away from him. The replay view and the referee’s view of the play were from the same angle except the referee was only ten-yards away from the players. At worst it should have been an incomplete pass and Dallas would have had to punt. At best it should have been the Redskins ball. And, in between it should have been a Dallas penalty for pushing off. Instead Dallas got the ball at the nineteen yard line and scored the go-ahead touchdown a few plays later.

On the Redskins penultimate possession, Antwaan Randle-El fielded a punt with 3:52 left in the game. He broke it up the middle through a huge hole; all of the Cowboys were blocked. The only person between Randle-El and the goal line was the punter and he was about fifteen-yards away and in no position to make a tackle. Randle-El was gone. That is until a Cowboys special teamer, who was beaten badly, reached back with his leg and tripped him. Of course, that is a penalty, and yes it went uncalled. The Redskins wouldn’t have needed a miracle ending to win the game if the Cowboys didn’t cheat there.














By the way, except for the push off, all these non-calls were pointed out by Troy Aikman on the broadcast. In fact, he pointed out three other calls that went against the Redskins that he thought were bogus:

1. A roughing the passer call on Taylor for a low hit that wasn't low;

2. Another non-call for blatant holding that the Cowboys got away with; and

3. A holding call against the Redskins' Christian Fauria that negated a huge play, an acrobatic catch by Lloyd, that would have given the Redskins a first down in field goal range. Replays showed that Fauria didn't hold and the drive ended without points;

Aikman didn't point out any bad calls that went in favor of the Redskins. I think the refs stopped throwing the flag against the Cowboys because their arms were tired; the Cowboys wore them out. Maybe that’s in the Cowboys game plan.

Redskins Heroes
Thrash for some big catches
Vincent for the blocked field goal and locker room leadership (every player and coach interviewed after the game mentioned his speeches over the bye week)
Brunnell for some very good Quarterbacking
Cooley for big catches (But he couldn’t start for Parcells)
Taylor for the return of the blocked field goal
Novak for redemption
Brandon Lloyd for the great block that sprung Portis on his TD run and some fine receiving
Bubba Tyer for getting the defense healthy

Mike and the Mad Dog
I have always assumed that Mike Francesca of WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog show was a Giants fan. I know he’s a Yankees fan. But, I just caught the tail end of a segment in which he is downright heartbroken at what Terrell Owens is doing to Parcells and the Cowboys. Maybe he’s just a Parcells fan because Parcells was once coach of the Giants. He’s very good at digging the knife in an open wound (ask any Mets fan), so this is his due.

In the segment, Mad Dog dismissively said the face mask penalty on Taylor’s return of the blocked field goal was a bad call, as if that was accepted wisdom. He thought it should have been five yards instead of fifteen. I can only refer the reader to this post, which is all of the visual evidence you need to make an informed decision.

The post also lists the NFL's facemask rules, which say if the player's helmet twists when a player grabs his facemask, it is a 15-yard penalty; no questions, no debate. Intent has nothing to do with it. Time spent holding the facemask has nothing to do with it. The only thing that matters is: Did the guy grab the face mask? And, if he did, did the helmet twist his head around? You be the judge.

The Redskins are alive for at least one more week. They still get to play all of the teams that are ahead of them in the playoff hunt. Their fate is in their hands. The Cowboys didn't get away with it. Hallelujah!