LoyalSkinsFan Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 That's the word that settled into my mind tonight. Finish. (And I don't mean Finnish.....that's for a whole OTHER message board). I mean, FINISH. As in... "Finish the play, dammit!" Or.... Finish the series, dammit!" Not to outdone by... "Finish the catch, dammit!" And, last but not least.... "Finish the game, dammit!!!" I'll start with the first. I love....absolutely LOVE the way Ladell Betts has learned to finish plays. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for him, but felt that he always seemed to be one step away from breaking the longer run, but instead got tripped up just before....or that he'd get hit and go down without really stretching the play. Today, he showed me the strength I'd always felt had been missing from his game, and made a few close first downs by finishing the play. I wonder if I was the only one watching today who saw a resemblance to a Stephen Davis in his prime. Second one.... I just wish that we'd figure a way out how to finish drives. We've more or less dominated time of possession these last weeks and have certainly held our own on the defensive side of the ball....but, haven't been able to finish off those drives. Between mental mistakes and errors and bad calls and poor play calling...we just haven't gotten the job done. Much of this, certainly, has not just a little bit, but EVERYTHING to do with Jason Campbell's inexperience. As frustrating as it is to see these drives coming up either empty or having to settle for field goals (which, at least we're hitting nowadays), my frustration and anger are tempered by the thought that with time, Campbell will learn how to handle those situations better and finish these drives out.....getting the seven when it's needed to put the game further out of reach. Third one... Carlos Rogers FINALLY made the catch. Nearly didn't.....but he finished the catch. Still, Marcus Washington missed one on the first defensive series that not only was in his gut, but would have gone for a touchdown...no doubt. These guys have got to start getting those balls to stay. Sometimes I wish the days of old were back and the d-backs could use bucketfuls of stickum.....remember Lester Hayes? Ugh.....but damn, when a ball hit his mitts it waddn't going ANYWHERE. And the last.... I just wish we'd get better at running out that last drive, killing the clock, getting the score....and finishing out the game. These final stands...while heroic....are getting old. We, as a team, must be better at running out the clock and TAKING the game away from the opponent. When we learn that, we'll have arrived. Teams who win close games typically go far. That's a big part of winning those close games. I'm finished. (For now) HTTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Wu Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 It's hard to disagree with much of that. The Red Zone inefficiency really gets my blood boiling. The problem was FIXED last season. We started the season 31st, and ended the season 9th. That's an unbelievable climb and it didn't come easy. Now we're back near the bottom, settling for FGs when these should be 7 point drives. I hope it comes with time. I hope Portis coming back and Campbell getting better in tight spots will help. Right now it's brutal to watch this offense easily get inside the 20 then get held for 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willmb5 Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 It's hard to disagree with much of that.The Red Zone inefficiency really gets my blood boiling. The problem was FIXED last season. We started the season 31st, and ended the season 9th. That's an unbelievable climb and it didn't come easy. Now we're back near the bottom, settling for FGs when these should be 7 point drives. I hope it comes with time. I hope Portis coming back and Campbell getting better in tight spots will help. Right now it's brutal to watch this offense easily get inside the 20 then get held for 3. yep. if red zone offense wasn't so poor all season, we'd definitely be talking playoffs right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 It's hard to disagree with much of that.The Red Zone inefficiency really gets my blood boiling. The problem was FIXED last season. We started the season 31st, and ended the season 9th. That's an unbelievable climb and it didn't come easy. Now we're back near the bottom, settling for FGs when these should be 7 point drives. I hope it comes with time. I hope Portis coming back and Campbell getting better in tight spots will help. Right now it's brutal to watch this offense easily get inside the 20 then get held for 3. I'm glad someone pointed out the drastic red zone offense improvement last season...most just remember their ineptitude during the first 2-3 weeks and apply it to the entire 2005 season. My gut tells me that Saunders has messed up the Skins' red zone offense, but nothing in my head backs it up lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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