Also interesting that Gibbs didn't know his defense would start with 10 men.

It was arranged by the defensive co-ordinator and the players

This surprises me because I knew it and I'm thousands of miles away and don't support the Skins.

Great post from the (temporary) Finheaven board aimed at those who want Cameron fired. I agree with nigh-on every word...

You DO NOT build a team through free agency, this approach has never and will never work long term.

You DO build through the draft. When you need, in no particular order, defensive tackle, edge pass rusher, middle linebacker, #1 corner (because despite your obvious fine scouting and evaluation skills, Will Allen is a top flight #2 corner in this league), another safety, tight end, guard, right tackle, wide receiver, tight end and MAYBE quarterback you can not expect a "quick fix".

This bottoming out has been years in the making. Dave Wannstedt wrecked this franchise with 5 years of horrible player management and talent evaluation. Something that took 5 years to happen can not be fixed by signing a couple of big named free agents.

We need 3 very good drafts. The bottom half of the roster consists of players that don't belong in the league and the top half are backups or too old to rely upon going forward (with some exceptions of course). We need to DRAFT our own Pro Bowl players. We need to take what we started this year (Ginn and Satele) and do it about 5 times better. We need 10 new starters and the depth needs to be rebuilt from nothing. You can't change 25-30 roster spots in free agency.

I DO believe that adding a couple of top end starters on defense via free agency can and should be done. Signing a quality cover corner is priority #1. ASOMUGHA (if you are going to write a long post about what you need to do to fix the team at least take a second to learn the name of the best corner in football not named Champ) would be a coup. I think Samual or Trufant should be in our crosshairs but, the state of this franchise dictates we will have to overpay. Jared Allen should also be at the top of our list or maybe Justin Smith.

That said, our venture into free agency should be about adding depth, cheap depth. We are basically an expansion franchise. When you are starting from nothing you build through the draft. We needs picks, lots of them.

Our pick should not be held at all costs. We should consider taking less then "chart value" for trading the pick, as long as we stay in the top 5-7 we should look at taking less to move down. One player will not fix this mess. We should be looking at the '09 draft and getting a ton of picks for that draft just as much as we are looking at the upcoming draft. We're going to be picking in the top 5 for 2-3 more years anyway so we should get what we can for the future right now.

Interesting feature about Joe Gibbs' play-calling at the end of the game yesterday after a very difficult week

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...120202163.html

Agree with the sentiment that you can't really come down too hard on him after the week the Skins have had, but it really was a stupid thing to not even know the rules (I know that and I've never played the game) and it's not the only stupid decision he's made this season

Completely correct.

My needs for the Dolphins (without much thought admittedly):

WR (x2, desperate. Get rid of Booker & Hagan asap - literally tomorrow if possible!.)
LG (pretty desperate)
TE (pretty desperate)
CB
RT
DT (soooo soooo old!)
DE (as above)
MLB (and again)
OLB (replace Joey)
S (our first two aren't particularly bad. The problem is that we haven't had our first two!)
RB (this is interesting because our first choice backfield is pretty tidy [Ronnie, Ricky, Chatman], but that has been decimated this year. )

I fear for the Ravens tonight

I hope so!

Although, I'm going to see them against the Colts next week and hope they win then!

So that's every position then. :sob:

Ravens playing really well !

Kyle Boller went to our local high school and is a local lad. He bought his parents a nice house out here, and I work with a few guys whose kids played with him on the High School team.

Seems pretty down to earth from what they tell me.

Managed to finally catch up with the Cowboys v Packers game last night as I've managed to avoid the result.

Great result for the Cowboys, but it was a tough game. We looked as though we were going to rout the Packers especially as Favre was having a poor game (continuing his bad form at Texas Stadium). Impressed with his replacement though when he got injured, he got their offence working as it has done all season which weirdly Favre had failed to do until he got injured. Romo was awesome once again, but the Cowboys started to falter a little in the 2nd half, a little worryingly. But a big result all the same. Good game. :p

Amazingly, a lot of fans want us to take Brohm or McFadden with the first pick. That's totally insane, because the Falcons will be desperate to trade up for Brohm given the Petrino connection, and half the NFL would love to have McFadden. We can get three decent picks for that numero uno, and I'd rather take them and stick with Beck and Brown for next season at least. If Beck doesn't have it next year we'll still be drafting high, and that's when we go after another QB. Not this year.

People want us to take Brohm? He's had a pretty poor senior year at Louisville.

(Brief aside while discussing the Dolphins and College Football: When everyone last week was suggesting that West Virginia would put 60 on Wannstedt's Pittsburgh I was hoping they would. Yet the flukey mustachioed one didn't just avoid a drubbing, he picked up a W. And an extension! He has to have some incriminating photos tucked away of someone important, either of the Pitt athletic director or the referees in the Big East.)

I wouldn't go for a RB or QB. I'd steer clear of WRs too. We need picks to help the defence so I'm hoping we trade down, but then that was a possiblity the year we got Ronnie Brown and a deal never happened.

Nice to see the fans being such a force for change. When you don't care you get what you deserve. Remember when Palace got relegated on that Monday night against Moan Utd? The fans roused the team and showed love for them anyway. Most fans in Miami don't care.

Personally I think the team is lost at every level, from the owner down. When the Cardinals lose year-upon-year the media blames the Bidwells. When the Lions repeatedly stink the media blames the Ford family. When the Dolphins go six seasons without going to the play-offs even the South Florida media gives a pass to the man who oversees this all. The man who puts in new HD screens for visiting fans to watch their team run up the score, and who is so hungry for whatever money he can get he sold the stadium name so that his late/great predecessor's name is taken off it.

Management is abysmal - how can you go winless in a league which seeks parity for all teams? The coaching is shocking (always nice to see that Ginn, 1 rush for -1 yard in the box score every week - the reverse never works!) and the players are passionless quitters. The only professional parts of the franchise are the cheerleaders :love: and the play-by-play announcer who was clear and accurate at Wembley (I'm waiting for him to pull a "Necessary Roughness" trick though).

The only way next season is any fun at all is if we draft a few local guys from the U. At least they know how to defend their home field, have a bit of fight in them and hopefully get a bit of support behind them.

Revised guesses at lines for trips to New England:
Jets: -27.5
Dolphins: -41.5

If we take a knee every down we're in possession to run the clock we might keep the Pats below 80.

I've said that if any team of mine signed Michael Vick I'd stop supporting them. I almost hope that idiot Huizenga has the number of the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Another great Patriots match last night and another worthy opponent - have the opposition stepped up or have the Pats eased off a little?

Having watched Philly and now Baltimore run the Pats close in the last two matches, I really believe teams are working out how to play us.

The end of the game was just bizarre.

4th down and Ravens call a t.o. just before the snap and Lewis followed the play and made a tackle for a loss. On the legit play, Brady scrambles for about 13 and a 1st.

The next 4th down and the Patriots get a holding penalty in the end zone and half the distance to the goal with another 1st.

Twice they'd "lost" the ball and got it back, both legit.

By this time though, the Ravens were peeved and when NE scored with 44 seconds left a penalty was given for unsportsmanlike on a Raven who then threw a hissy fit and threw the flag into the crowd! A 15yd penalty became TWO 15yd penalties! To compound it, Reed tried to rush the kicker and was offside.

At the kick off, NE kicked off from the BALTIMORE 35! Gostkowski just hammered it through the end zone.

So, 44 seconds, 80 yards. Or 55-ish for a tying FG. Boller made a good first play but it was down the middle of the field and in the hurry-up offence, they got confused and wasted about 10-12 seconds. Another play down the middle and the final time out used with 12 seconds left.

Strangely, Boller threw down the middle again with no time to get the kicker on and no time outs left. Fortunately, the pass was incomplete.

The final pass and Boller threw a Hail Mary and amazingly the Ravens caught it... on the ONE yard line. One yard short of beating NE.

Was gutted for the Ravens who had played so well but happy for the Pats and the march to 19-0!

What a finish!

:D

I like the Ravens' D. They're both good (usually, anyway) and amusing.

Pity their head coach and offence repeatedly stink.

Ravens D was excellent last night and they deserved better. Hope they get better against the Colts.

The Pats were so lucky last night, It was amusing to watch the reaction of the Ravens players when the coach called TO just as the 4th down play unfolded and they stopped Brady on 4th and 1 only to find their own coach had called the TO to lose them the game :D

And the stop on the 4th down where the whistle had already gone for a false start by the NE guard!

the holding penalty was ridiculous too, hardly any contact

Not sure I agree; he grabbed his shoulder enough to turn him sideways. Not sure it was holding but it was definitely illegal contact and the commentators seemed to agree.