Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
I am not sure I agree with Fitz's Dad that the team quit---so many of the players were trying out there---the one thing I was very curious about was which players would show up in the second half, knowing the game was embarrassingly well out of reach---and these are the players I noticed and thus whose names I wrote down:
William Powell---how about that sidestepping show he put on out there?
Hyphen---he ALWAYS tries hard---
Nate Potter---this kid is a high effort player
Daryn Colledge---I think he really tried to keep the huddle together and he was clearly standing up for his team and their pride
Rich Ohrnsberger---returned to play as badly injured as his knee appeared to be
Bobbie Massie---who, imo, had one of his best games
Michael Floyd---was trying hard despite it all
Rob Housler---no quit in this kid
David Carter---Darnell Dockett---Calais Campbell (wonder what he and AW were saying to each other on the way to the locker room at halftime?)---Vonnie Holliday---Sam Acho (played his tail off, hardest of anyone, imo)---Paris Lenon---Quentin Groves (who is making strides)---Reggie Walker (nice pass breakup on a difficult assignment)---James Sanders---Rashad Johnson (whom I imagine made us all proud with the clean shoulder lick he stamped on Rice).
While I am remembering this---one play that irked me as much as any---was Beanie Wells turning the corner and being one-on-one with Super Punk PED Hot Dog CB Richard Sherman with the golden opportunity to kew him up, lower the shoulder and take some of the romance out of his personal parade day---except that Beanie Wells tried to sidestep Sherman and Sherman dropped him easily by one ankle for a mere 2 yard gain.
Someone must have said something to Wells because later he did try to punish one of the Seahawks DBs, but it wasn't Sherman and the DB got underneath Wells anyway---but at least he tried on that one.
Tried For Pride
So---like I was saying---I am not sure this was a team that altogether quit---I think it was a team that's spirit has been broken---a team that is resigned to the same old same old---a team that has now lost the old real veteran leaders as in Fitzgerald (sorry to say---but he's playing and looking like the poor, poor victim out there), Dockett (no more Birdgang) and Wilson (who may have fallen the farthest from grace in that he was the first one singled out for the sudden mid-season "accountability" sanctions.
John Skelton
I would first like to say that I am very disappointed in him---not just in how carelessly he threw the last two interceptions yesterday---but in how he has squandered his golden opportunity this year to stake his claim as the starting QB.
Yes, he won the job, de facto really, in TC---but even back to the first Red & White scrimmage, all he was doing was playing super cautious---which didn't inflate anyone's confidence.
Now, the thing is, the way Whisenhunt vacillates on QBs (EVERY QB he's had in Arizona), it's really up to the QB to keep confidence in himself---which is what kicked in late in games for Skelton the past two years.
But, as for yesterday and what Skelton had to endure the past 2 and 3/4 weeks/games---how could he possibly come into that game with any real semblance of confidence???---knowing that, as a Jets' beat writer said the week before, "Boy, Ken Whisenhunt must really hate John Skelton."
Then---the ultimate disgrace to his own players, imo---when asked about by Somers which QB will start---Whisenhunt saying: "Can YOU play?"
What I Really Want To Know:
How ALL the same players would play under stronger coaching and leadership.
Please Bidwills no roster purging---that is, until the new coach can assess these players himself...and not just off this year's game tape.
I think there will be several nice surprises with some of the players we already have.
Skelton & Perception
The perception of John Skelton around the league now is so vividly negative---he may never recover from this season---known as the worst QB for the worst offense in the NFL.
It is going to take a highly open-minded coach to have belief in Skelton and to get Skelton's level of play and confidence to where it needs to be.
Same for Lindley---who looks thoroughly unprepared, unconfident and lost.
The same way Kolb looked for the first eight games last year.
You know---people scoff when they see Pete Carroll drooling his man crush saliva all over Russell Wilson or when they see Jim Harbaugh pounding on Colin Kaepernick's shoulder pads while talking him up big-time minutes before the game---BUT---it's all about doing whatever it takes to build the young QB's confidence. Obviously, elsewhere around the NFC West, it's working.
I have a number of more thoughts on Whisenhunt, but enough is enough...unless you really insist.
William Powell---how about that sidestepping show he put on out there?
Hyphen---he ALWAYS tries hard---
Nate Potter---this kid is a high effort player
Daryn Colledge---I think he really tried to keep the huddle together and he was clearly standing up for his team and their pride
Rich Ohrnsberger---returned to play as badly injured as his knee appeared to be
Bobbie Massie---who, imo, had one of his best games
Michael Floyd---was trying hard despite it all
Rob Housler---no quit in this kid
David Carter---Darnell Dockett---Calais Campbell (wonder what he and AW were saying to each other on the way to the locker room at halftime?)---Vonnie Holliday---Sam Acho (played his tail off, hardest of anyone, imo)---Paris Lenon---Quentin Groves (who is making strides)---Reggie Walker (nice pass breakup on a difficult assignment)---James Sanders---Rashad Johnson (whom I imagine made us all proud with the clean shoulder lick he stamped on Rice).
While I am remembering this---one play that irked me as much as any---was Beanie Wells turning the corner and being one-on-one with Super Punk PED Hot Dog CB Richard Sherman with the golden opportunity to kew him up, lower the shoulder and take some of the romance out of his personal parade day---except that Beanie Wells tried to sidestep Sherman and Sherman dropped him easily by one ankle for a mere 2 yard gain.
Someone must have said something to Wells because later he did try to punish one of the Seahawks DBs, but it wasn't Sherman and the DB got underneath Wells anyway---but at least he tried on that one.
Tried For Pride
So---like I was saying---I am not sure this was a team that altogether quit---I think it was a team that's spirit has been broken---a team that is resigned to the same old same old---a team that has now lost the old real veteran leaders as in Fitzgerald (sorry to say---but he's playing and looking like the poor, poor victim out there), Dockett (no more Birdgang) and Wilson (who may have fallen the farthest from grace in that he was the first one singled out for the sudden mid-season "accountability" sanctions.
John Skelton
I would first like to say that I am very disappointed in him---not just in how carelessly he threw the last two interceptions yesterday---but in how he has squandered his golden opportunity this year to stake his claim as the starting QB.
Yes, he won the job, de facto really, in TC---but even back to the first Red & White scrimmage, all he was doing was playing super cautious---which didn't inflate anyone's confidence.
Now, the thing is, the way Whisenhunt vacillates on QBs (EVERY QB he's had in Arizona), it's really up to the QB to keep confidence in himself---which is what kicked in late in games for Skelton the past two years.
But, as for yesterday and what Skelton had to endure the past 2 and 3/4 weeks/games---how could he possibly come into that game with any real semblance of confidence???---knowing that, as a Jets' beat writer said the week before, "Boy, Ken Whisenhunt must really hate John Skelton."
Then---the ultimate disgrace to his own players, imo---when asked about by Somers which QB will start---Whisenhunt saying: "Can YOU play?"
What I Really Want To Know:
How ALL the same players would play under stronger coaching and leadership.
Please Bidwills no roster purging---that is, until the new coach can assess these players himself...and not just off this year's game tape.
I think there will be several nice surprises with some of the players we already have.
Skelton & Perception
The perception of John Skelton around the league now is so vividly negative---he may never recover from this season---known as the worst QB for the worst offense in the NFL.
It is going to take a highly open-minded coach to have belief in Skelton and to get Skelton's level of play and confidence to where it needs to be.
Same for Lindley---who looks thoroughly unprepared, unconfident and lost.
The same way Kolb looked for the first eight games last year.
You know---people scoff when they see Pete Carroll drooling his man crush saliva all over Russell Wilson or when they see Jim Harbaugh pounding on Colin Kaepernick's shoulder pads while talking him up big-time minutes before the game---BUT---it's all about doing whatever it takes to build the young QB's confidence. Obviously, elsewhere around the NFC West, it's working.
I have a number of more thoughts on Whisenhunt, but enough is enough...unless you really insist.
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