ckparrothead
Premium Member
1. We saw the value of Ricky & Ronnie today, but we'll see it more next week. Any given game, if your OL is blocking well and you've found a way to consistently run a ball on a defense, you can end up with 188 yard on 40 carries. That can happen any given Sunday. Cadillac could have done it, a number of premier tailbacks could have done. Heck, Lamar Smith did it for us in the playoffs after the 2000 season. The true question is, how many premier tailbacks could come back the next week and give a similar performance after getting such a hefty workload? The answer, not many tailbacks in the game could shoulder a 35+ to 40 carry workload, come back and do it again the very next week. Not LaDainian Tomlinson IMO, maybe Shaun Alexander though...I don't know. Either way, not many backs are able to follow-up that kind of performance with another one like it. Cadillac ended up with a busted wheel and 4 weeks of sittin on his arse after a performance like that. The value of Ricky & Ronnie is the lack of limitations. If we're running the ball well, and our defense isn't letting the game get away from us, then we can keep running that ball until we pulverize the other team and we'll never have to worry about having fresh backs the next week to shoulder the load once again. Last week I tried to point out that Ricky's presence was helping us, rather than hindering us as people thought. Today, I believe we saw the value of Ricky's presence in BOTH runner's performances.
2. Gus Frerotte really has to go. I believed that Sage should have started the second half of the game. Then, when we get the ball on NO's 41 yard line, we went 3-and-out gaining only 2 yards to start the second half, and I said it again...Sage needs to come in. Then, when Gus fumbled the ball on the very next drive, I said it again. Gus must go. Then, another drive, another 3-and-out, and I'm starting to get ready to throw things at this expensive big screen TV at the bar. After that, Saban's patience finally pays off: I'm sitting there saying to myself on 3rd down out of the shotgun, there's no way Gus makes this throw to convert, he's just been too inaccurate all damn day. Sure enough, he throws it right to Chambers in the end zone. So, Saban was much more patient than I, and I believe we probably came out on top because of Saban's patience. But, I will say this: despite the TD that put the game out of reach, we ran the ball 40 times for 188 yards, the defense was 11 for 11 on 3rd down, yet we only scored one touchdown and four field goals. Why is that? Because of Gus Frerotte's inaccurate passes, PERIOD. He had open receivers constantly. He just missed them, and missed them often. I'm not sure there was a single drive that ended in a field goal where there wasn't a Gus Frerotte inaccurate pass that forced us to settle for the FG instead of the TD. How much of a free pass is this guy going to get? I understand that he truly did beat AJ Feeley for the job, I never questioned that much...but Sage Rosenfels beat both of them in the preseason, and now if he's not getting the chance to unseat Gus I just say that Saban is a damn gun-shy chicken.
3. New Orleans is bad, and we should have beaten them. We did beat them, so we took a big step today...a step that I can honestly say began weeks ago when we lost to the Buccaneers, and then continued when we lost to the Chiefs. We went 2-2 over the first quarter of the season, playing the 6-2 Broncos, the 2-5 Jets, the 5-2 Panthers, and the 3-5 Bills. Which teams SHOULD we have beaten, and which teams SHOULD we have lost to? Yeah, obvious. But instead we beat the strong teams and lost to the weak ones. That is the sign of a bad team, actually. It's not the sign of a good team at all. A good team starts by beating the teams it is supposed to beat, and loses to the teams they are supposed to lose to. Thats when you have a workable slab of clay that you can try and mold into a winner. You'll never get much traction in your teachings while you are a team that beats the teams you're not supposed to and loses to the teams you're not supposed to lose to. I have been saying it for a while now, we're going to end up 8-8, maybe 7-9 at the worst, but also possibly 10-6 depending on the outcome of a few wildcard patriots matchups. I am still holding to that prediction, tho I may change my mind if Saban doesn't bench Frerotte soon.
4. Wes Welker is the most consistent WR on this team, but Chris Chambers is the most spectacular. It has never been more clear to me that Welker should have more balls thrown his way than either Chambers or Booker. That doesn't mean we have to start him. If he's best left in the slot, fine leave him in the slot. But he was always open today, and open against McKenzie, their best CB. This isn't a criticism of Chambers at all, but I believe when it comes to deciding how many balls should be thrown where, at least as many should be thrown at Wes as to Chambers or Booker. He is a chain mover, and he is peaking. When you've watched the NFL for a while, and if you are very observant, you get to recognize the signs of a guy who is peaking as a WR. Some guys are able to maintain that peak performance for years. Wes is peaking. Chambers is not. Neither is Booker.
5. Congratulations Reggie Howard. He had a mixed day at best, but that was still a great interception, something that I saw he was certainly capable of in the preseason.
6. Is Travis Daniels this good? He's gone like 7 games now without having his name put in the doghouse as a corner by allowing a big play, or series of big plays. He's not getting picks, but he's not getting picked ON either.
Extra Point: We need to start figuring out a way to keep Vonnie Holliday around here for more than just one year. I believe he's on one of those two year deals where the second year is never meant to be played. He doesn't deserve a deal like Carter's but this is just a guy that FITS. Congrats to Saban for finding three guys in Carter, Traylor, and Holliday that just plain FIT this D like a glove. That's what NE has done so well in the past.
2. Gus Frerotte really has to go. I believed that Sage should have started the second half of the game. Then, when we get the ball on NO's 41 yard line, we went 3-and-out gaining only 2 yards to start the second half, and I said it again...Sage needs to come in. Then, when Gus fumbled the ball on the very next drive, I said it again. Gus must go. Then, another drive, another 3-and-out, and I'm starting to get ready to throw things at this expensive big screen TV at the bar. After that, Saban's patience finally pays off: I'm sitting there saying to myself on 3rd down out of the shotgun, there's no way Gus makes this throw to convert, he's just been too inaccurate all damn day. Sure enough, he throws it right to Chambers in the end zone. So, Saban was much more patient than I, and I believe we probably came out on top because of Saban's patience. But, I will say this: despite the TD that put the game out of reach, we ran the ball 40 times for 188 yards, the defense was 11 for 11 on 3rd down, yet we only scored one touchdown and four field goals. Why is that? Because of Gus Frerotte's inaccurate passes, PERIOD. He had open receivers constantly. He just missed them, and missed them often. I'm not sure there was a single drive that ended in a field goal where there wasn't a Gus Frerotte inaccurate pass that forced us to settle for the FG instead of the TD. How much of a free pass is this guy going to get? I understand that he truly did beat AJ Feeley for the job, I never questioned that much...but Sage Rosenfels beat both of them in the preseason, and now if he's not getting the chance to unseat Gus I just say that Saban is a damn gun-shy chicken.
3. New Orleans is bad, and we should have beaten them. We did beat them, so we took a big step today...a step that I can honestly say began weeks ago when we lost to the Buccaneers, and then continued when we lost to the Chiefs. We went 2-2 over the first quarter of the season, playing the 6-2 Broncos, the 2-5 Jets, the 5-2 Panthers, and the 3-5 Bills. Which teams SHOULD we have beaten, and which teams SHOULD we have lost to? Yeah, obvious. But instead we beat the strong teams and lost to the weak ones. That is the sign of a bad team, actually. It's not the sign of a good team at all. A good team starts by beating the teams it is supposed to beat, and loses to the teams they are supposed to lose to. Thats when you have a workable slab of clay that you can try and mold into a winner. You'll never get much traction in your teachings while you are a team that beats the teams you're not supposed to and loses to the teams you're not supposed to lose to. I have been saying it for a while now, we're going to end up 8-8, maybe 7-9 at the worst, but also possibly 10-6 depending on the outcome of a few wildcard patriots matchups. I am still holding to that prediction, tho I may change my mind if Saban doesn't bench Frerotte soon.
4. Wes Welker is the most consistent WR on this team, but Chris Chambers is the most spectacular. It has never been more clear to me that Welker should have more balls thrown his way than either Chambers or Booker. That doesn't mean we have to start him. If he's best left in the slot, fine leave him in the slot. But he was always open today, and open against McKenzie, their best CB. This isn't a criticism of Chambers at all, but I believe when it comes to deciding how many balls should be thrown where, at least as many should be thrown at Wes as to Chambers or Booker. He is a chain mover, and he is peaking. When you've watched the NFL for a while, and if you are very observant, you get to recognize the signs of a guy who is peaking as a WR. Some guys are able to maintain that peak performance for years. Wes is peaking. Chambers is not. Neither is Booker.
5. Congratulations Reggie Howard. He had a mixed day at best, but that was still a great interception, something that I saw he was certainly capable of in the preseason.
6. Is Travis Daniels this good? He's gone like 7 games now without having his name put in the doghouse as a corner by allowing a big play, or series of big plays. He's not getting picks, but he's not getting picked ON either.
Extra Point: We need to start figuring out a way to keep Vonnie Holliday around here for more than just one year. I believe he's on one of those two year deals where the second year is never meant to be played. He doesn't deserve a deal like Carter's but this is just a guy that FITS. Congrats to Saban for finding three guys in Carter, Traylor, and Holliday that just plain FIT this D like a glove. That's what NE has done so well in the past.
