@DCGoldPants Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Something feels very wrong here....like we're being set up. POWER RANKINGS Current Team Previous 1 Buffalo Bills 2 Is any team playing better? They are dominating on both sides of the ball. 2 Denver Broncos 3 Two road victories to start the season gives this team a big advantage over everyone else in the AFC. 3 Indianapolis Colts 4 The running game clicked Sunday and the defense is much improved. Is this their year? 4 Minnesota Vikings 10 If the defense continues to improve under George O'Leary, they are going to be tough to beat in their division. 5 Kansas City Chiefs 11 Two home games to open the season help, and they can score on anybody. The aggressive style is fun to watch. 6 Carolina Panthers 21 What a gutsy victory Sunday against the Bucs. This is a team that can dominate with defense. 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 A missed extra point cost them a game and a chance to stay atop these rankings. The big concern is Stephen Davis gashing them for big gains. 8 Washington Redskins 22 If Patrick Ramsey plays like he did Sunday, this team will be much better than thought. 9 St. Louis Rams 13 Is it Marc Bulger time? It sure looks like it. That was a big victory, a must-win, against the 49ers. 10 Tennessee Titans 5 That was bad against the Colts on Sunday, but this is a team that can bounce back since Jeff Fisher excels in those situations. 11 San Francisco 49ers 9 T.O. is hinting he didn't get the ball enough Sunday. You know what? He's right. 12 Atlanta Falcons 8 That defense better learn to cover the pass, or when Mike Vick returns it won't matter. 13 Pittsburgh Steelers 7 They gave up way too many points to the Chiefs, which is not a good sign. 14 Miami Dolphins 20 Big-time victory on the road Sunday against the Jets. Now they get the Bills at home, but the Houston loss still hangs over this team. 15 New England Patriots 15 With an 0-2 start staring the team in the face, the Pats came up big against the Eagles. 16 Seattle Seahawks 16 Beating up on the Cardinals on the road doesn't do much for your ranking. But at 2-0, this is a team to watch. 17 New York Giants 6 That was a nice comeback Monday night, but losing at home to the Cowboys is not a good sign. What's up with that defense? 18 Oakland Raiders 14 Squeaking out home games against the Bengals is not a good sign. Something is missing from this team. 19 New Orleans Saints 17 A big second half against the Texans helps right the team. They have a big one against Tennessee on Sunday. 20 Green Bay Packers 18 Playing the Lions proved to be a perfect tonic for the Packers. At least the defense looked better. 21 Philadelphia Eagles 12 At 0-2, with a quarterback playing bad football, the Eagles need their bye this week. In two weeks, their game at Buffalo is almost a must-win. 22 Baltimore Ravens 25 Jamal Lewis was sensational Sunday and the defense got back on track. There are still quarterback concerns. 23 Houston Texans 23 Pop. That's the bubble bursting. But did anyone expect them to win two games on the road to open the season? 24 Dallas Cowboys 24 That was an impressive victory Monday night, but the best thing was the way Quincy Carter played. Who was that in his uniform? 25 New York Jets 19 Theirs is a lesson in what happens to a team when the quarterback goes down. 26 Cincinnati Bengals 30 They showed improvement Sunday against the Raiders, which is a step in the right direction. 27 Cleveland Browns 26 Paging Tim Couch. Paging Tim Couch. 28 San Diego Chargers 27 So that's what ball control and good defense can do for a team. Too bad it was Denver doing it against them instead of the other way. 29 Detroit Lions 28 The real Lions showed up Sunday against the Packers. They are a 5-11 team at best. 30 Jacksonville Jaguars 29 How ugly was that at home against the Bills? No wonder the fans stayed away. 31 Chicago Bears 31 At least this week they competed. But it's going to be a long season in Chicago. 32 Arizona Cardinals 32 Boy, is this a bad team. Getting shut out at home by the Seahawks is embarrassing. Luckily, nobody was there to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Prisco also said this: The Redskins answered some major questions in their come-from-behind victory over the Falcons. For one, Patrick Ramsey showed he has the ability to be a good pocket passer. Ramsey completed 25 of his 39 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns. He picked apart the Atlanta secondary. The other issue the Redskins resolved was whether a receiver can be worth trading a first-round pick and giving him a huge contract. Laveranues Coles proved to be worth every penny and the draft pick Sunday when he caught 11 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. The Redskins are 2-0 and atop the NFC East. Redskins corner Champ Bailey stated his case for a new contract, something he's seeking, by holding Peerless Price to two catches for 23 yards. Bailey proved why he's the best corner in the league. Recap: Redskins 33, Falcons 31 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Someone get out the smelling salts. I feel faint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aREDSKIN Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 More press clippings for champ. Didn't he drop an interception? Oh well he's done a pretty good job thus far. More dangerous recievers are just around the corner. We'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Originally posted by aREDSKIN More press clippings for champ. Didn't he drop an interception? Oh well he's done a pretty good job thus far. More dangerous recievers are just around the corner. We'll see. It is going to be very intersting if he can get the ghost of Toomer off his back this week. Toomer always beats him like a ragdoll. If champ can shut him down then give him the contract now I think with Coles pairing up with Champ during training camp has made each of them better. When do you see one of the #1 WR's in the leage go up against the #1 coverman on the same team. This is a blessing in disguise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 As we were saying before the season, all the media chose to see is how the Redskins could fail if Canidate couldn't run or if Ramsey failed. The media turned a total blind eye to what the Redskins could be if Ramsey was any good. I think as encouraging as he's been so far, we still don't know yet if he'll be very good. He hasn't reached a point where teams take away his strengths and make him play to his weaknesses. He still hasn't had a terrible game that can carry over. But, if Ramsey is anything close to being as good as he's been, the Redskins are a legitimate title contender right now. I just think it's a year early for that to be the case. I just think the many people, including fans here, who said we couldn't possibly make the playoffs may need to remember that possibility always existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 The one thing I noticed about Ramsey that I think is positive is that everyone's main criticism of him, including Spurrier, is that he needed to work on his "touch" passes more. We all know he has a gun, but in the Falcons game, he threw several passes that had the "touch" on them that he didn't show last year. The TD pass to coles in particular... Coles was wide open and rather than gun it to him, he layed it up nicely and let Coles run to it keeping the defender out of the play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 hmmm with a win over the giants i wonder how high they will put us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long n Left Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 NOOOOOOO! The kiss of death!:doh: I was hoping to fly under the radar screen for another couple weeks at least. Just goes to show the fickleness of the "pundits". "Hmm, this team I thought sucked (cause that's what all the other guys were writing) won two in row. They must be pretty good. Well, if they lose next week, I can always drop 'em back into the 20's.":moon: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wicked Wop Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Nice to get some compliments, but I don't want this team to get to many pats on the back yet......then need to keep the mindset that they are the underdogs in everyones minds, and need to earn their do every sunday. Aside from that, how big is the Giants game now, if the skins get it, their up 2 games to the Giants, and 1-1/2 each to the Boys and Eagles. This team needs to understand whats at stake and play to win, regardless of what happens during the game, just be up at the final gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Number 8 !!!??? I can't remember the last time we were ranked so high! I think... I'm gonna.... :thud: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 hmmm with a win over the giants i wonder how high they will put us. To... much...to...handle... Oh no... here we go again.... :thud: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 The media is, always has been, and always will be, reactionary. Yes, there are always one or two heads every year willing to go out on a limb and predict good or bad for a particular team against the general consensus, but by and large "the media" is a herd of lemmings all scrambing to meet deadlines and say something, so the safest route is to go with the crowd. And that crowd watches the games like you and I do, and their opinions are swayed as easily as yours and mine are. I read the stuff because I love sports and like to "keep up," so I guess I'm part of the problem in that I help create demand, but at the end of the day I don't ever let myself take it for anything more than what it is -- talk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 the last time we were this high was during the 2000 pre-season. we were a top-10 team until the middle of the season when we went and tanked to the cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 haven't been following them much, but has Minnesota really made such a big turnaround? Are they the fourth best team in the NFL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 burgold, probably not...but you know how the media loves to run with things... one thing in minny's defense is that they have now won 5 straight games dating back to last year...they are pretty good...but not the 4th best in teh league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeletor The Invincible Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Minnesota has a good run D, but their pass defense would get killed if they played a passing team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awesome Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 I'm sorry, but the Minnesota Vikings are NOT the best team in the NFC. The win at Lambeau was very impressvie, but the Bears were in that game Sunday night up until the Vikings' last drive. The Vikings are much improved, but they are surely not the best team in the NFC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofthesouth Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Originally posted by Art [bHe [Ramsey]hasn't reached a point where teams take away his strengths and make him play to his weaknesses. [/b] What would you say his weaknesses are? His ability to scramble was tested in week 1, and he responded w/ a clutch 30-yard run. What are Ramsey's weaknesses? Certain confusing zones? What do you think Art? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Washington Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 we'll probably go back to the high 20s if we lose, even by a point or a bad call by the refs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 In general, my gut tells me that 8th overall is too high right now because we still are making mistakes that can prove costly. That win against Atlanta should have been a 33-17 or 40-17 win but for two atrocious audibles by Ramsey to deep drops, which was compounded by inept blind side blitz pickup. OTOH, in looking at the teams that follow us after the 8th spot, they're also making as bad or worse mistakes. I'll buy that we're in the top 25% when we start winning games by a TD or more and avoiding major mistakes, which are really two sides of the same coin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canyonero! Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 I nearly choked on my drink when I saw the Vikings at #4 (top NFC team). I've watched both of their games all the way through. They can be very good this year. Their D is above average overall, and their O is doing great even without Michael Bennett. But they are just like us. They play dumb, and have managed to get away with it. Eventually Dante's 2 fumbles/game average is going to catch up with them. But they will win the NFC Central this year. The Packers are overrated, and there's no one else in that division (Lions? Bears?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavy Jumbo Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Originally posted by Long n Left NOOOOOOO! The kiss of death!:doh: I was hoping to fly under the radar screen for another couple weeks at least. Just goes to show the fickleness of the "pundits". "Hmm, this team I thought sucked (cause that's what all the other guys were writing) won two in row. They must be pretty good. Well, if they lose next week, I can always drop 'em back into the 20's.":moon: I feel the same way. I think it's much better to be an underdog and surprise everybody than to be pretty close the top and then drop. And that's exactly what happens if we lose Sunday. I hope the Skins have enough leadership on the team to keep everybody focused on winning the next game and not how they proformed in the previous weeks game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Freak, I'm not sure we know enough to say for certain what Ramsey's weaknesses are. Here's what I think they are. Ramsey is comfortable dropping back and passing the ball when his reads are simple. Reads are VERY simple when he's got man coverage. If he drops back and sees man coverage, he knows where the ball has to go. He doesn't have to think. When teams blitz him, removing bodies from coverage, he knows where to go with the ball. The game is easy for him. He is atypical in that he doesn't seem to care about pressure. He makes the decision and goes with it and he's very good. I think teams need to make him beat them playing three and four man fronts with depth from the backers to make him process various coverage zones. I think if you do this, sacrificing some running game, you can confuse Ramsey. You make the game harder for him. Suddenly he's got to figure out where to go with the ball. He has a moment of thought he must factor in each play when a team plays coverage against him. This type of thing plays against Spurrier as well. Spurrier may not be willing to run a team out of such defenses. He may grow impatient and simply try to throw into the teeth of coverage. I'm not saying he would, but he COULD. But, I think this is the weakness for Ramsey now. The offense is not second hand to him. What is second hand to him is knowing that when a blitz comes from here, go there. When a man is locked up alone, go there. It's easy. He doesn't have to think. The defense makes those decisions for him. I'd want to see him make those decisions. I'd also shade to the outside of receivers forcing Ramsey to throw inside. He's killing teams with the corners and flats and curls on the outside. He seems to be high and just a little off over the middle. I'd see if that continues by forcing him down the middle where a little mistake can kill us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofthesouth Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Right on Art! That is a good analysis. I could see how these complex zones would be confusing for young Ramsey. Also, I agree with his inaccuracy over the middle. These weaknesses can be attributed to his experience/age- but this is also his strong point. He still has a lot to learn, but he has a lot of time to learn it...and he is damn good for his age. I think Spurrier is recognizing the importance of developing a multi-dimensional offensive attack. If he can continue this, and nurture the abilty to make offensive adjustments, he will be a legendary NFL coach. But with Ramsey,any way you cut it, 'DA BOY GOT TALENT!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.