Blognosticator - Henry
Thank you, Washington Redskins, for beating That Team in Blue. I was not looking forward to the idea of doing this entry on the heels of a three-game losing streak. I don't really like writing about the team when they lose all the time, and, frankly, who likes reading about them? So for all our sakes, thanks Redskins.
I'd hate to be 0-3 with Cleveland on deck. We don't want them to think they can beat us. Honestly, Cleveland's biggest problem is that they don't believe they can win. Some teams just win. Cleveland just loses. Even more than we do. Significantly more than we do.
The Browns do have some things going for them. Their running game is nice. They average 5.7 yards a carry. That's crazy. When I first saw that I thought Terrell Pryor was probably skewing the numbers with gimmick plays or something. No, at 5.3 ypc, Pryor actually brings their average DOWN. Cleveland's leading rusher, Crowell, is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 91 yards a game. Yikes.
And the Redskins, well, our running defense is not so nice. The rather pedestrian New York rushing attack averaged almost 6 yards a carry against us. The Steelers with a backup RB mauled us on the ground. This should at least give us pause.
And it's not like the Browns are getting blown out every week. They jumped up on Baltimore by 20 before falling apart. They needed three missed FGs to lose to the Dolphins in overtime. Against Philly, they ... ok the Eagles blew them out. I can only play Devil's Advocate for so long with this team. This is a team just knows how to lose. They have no QB (this would have been a much different entry if their opening day starter was still in the lineup for this game ... ahem). They have a terrible defense. They can't score. There is no such thing as a gimme in the NFL, but this game comes close.
Last year, my 10 year-old son, Sam, was playing football for the BRYC Raiders. The Raiders were fairly terrible, losing their first four games, before heading into a game against the Annandale Bulldogs, who were also 0-4. All the parents and coaches who checked out the standings knew that this game represented the best chance for either team to get a win that season. I remember after the last practice before the game, the coach got the kids together and said "Guys, this is it. I want you to focus on Annandale. Think about nothing but Annandale. If you are thirsty, ask for a glass of Annandale. If you are hungry, ask for an Annandale sandwich If you are taking a test tomorrow, every answer should be 'Annandale'. We should beat Annandale. We must beat Annandale. We will beat Annandale."
That Saturday, the BRYC Raiders won 7-0, and went on to complete a glorious 1-6 campaign.
Now I'm not saying the Redskins are a terrible team like the BRYC Raiders. The Skins took a step back from that Abyss on Sunday. But we can't lose this game. If we stay focused we should beat Cleveland. We must beat Cleveland.
We will beat Cleveland.
Hail to the Redskins. Go get 'em, guys.
Thank you, Washington Redskins, for beating That Team in Blue. I was not looking forward to the idea of doing this entry on the heels of a three-game losing streak. I don't really like writing about the team when they lose all the time, and, frankly, who likes reading about them? So for all our sakes, thanks Redskins.
I'd hate to be 0-3 with Cleveland on deck. We don't want them to think they can beat us. Honestly, Cleveland's biggest problem is that they don't believe they can win. Some teams just win. Cleveland just loses. Even more than we do. Significantly more than we do.
The Browns do have some things going for them. Their running game is nice. They average 5.7 yards a carry. That's crazy. When I first saw that I thought Terrell Pryor was probably skewing the numbers with gimmick plays or something. No, at 5.3 ypc, Pryor actually brings their average DOWN. Cleveland's leading rusher, Crowell, is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 91 yards a game. Yikes.
And the Redskins, well, our running defense is not so nice. The rather pedestrian New York rushing attack averaged almost 6 yards a carry against us. The Steelers with a backup RB mauled us on the ground. This should at least give us pause.
And it's not like the Browns are getting blown out every week. They jumped up on Baltimore by 20 before falling apart. They needed three missed FGs to lose to the Dolphins in overtime. Against Philly, they ... ok the Eagles blew them out. I can only play Devil's Advocate for so long with this team. This is a team just knows how to lose. They have no QB (this would have been a much different entry if their opening day starter was still in the lineup for this game ... ahem). They have a terrible defense. They can't score. There is no such thing as a gimme in the NFL, but this game comes close.
Last year, my 10 year-old son, Sam, was playing football for the BRYC Raiders. The Raiders were fairly terrible, losing their first four games, before heading into a game against the Annandale Bulldogs, who were also 0-4. All the parents and coaches who checked out the standings knew that this game represented the best chance for either team to get a win that season. I remember after the last practice before the game, the coach got the kids together and said "Guys, this is it. I want you to focus on Annandale. Think about nothing but Annandale. If you are thirsty, ask for a glass of Annandale. If you are hungry, ask for an Annandale sandwich If you are taking a test tomorrow, every answer should be 'Annandale'. We should beat Annandale. We must beat Annandale. We will beat Annandale."
That Saturday, the BRYC Raiders won 7-0, and went on to complete a glorious 1-6 campaign.
Now I'm not saying the Redskins are a terrible team like the BRYC Raiders. The Skins took a step back from that Abyss on Sunday. But we can't lose this game. If we stay focused we should beat Cleveland. We must beat Cleveland.
We will beat Cleveland.
Hail to the Redskins. Go get 'em, guys.