ZB Notebook 09-17-12

by | Sep 18, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Random Thoughts

I had planned to start this notebook with an item on the improvements made by rookie quarterbacks in their week two showings as compared to week one, but the ineptitude of the replacement referees manning the Falcons/Broncos Monday night game was so great that the issue almost required response.

Industry observers, media, former officials, players and seemingly everyone else out there had already been commenting on how the officiating in week two took a huge step back after the replacements did a passable job in week one.

For various reasons I didn’t see much of the Broncos/Falcons game last night. But the write-ups are all over the Internet. Pro Football Talk called the officiating performance an embarrassment to Commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners. I would have to agree.

As many have said, including Tony Dungy on Sunday Night Football, the replacements seem to have no concept for pass interference, defensive holding and illegal contact. Sometimes players are getting called for barely making any contact – if any – at all. Other times near muggings go uncalled.

I can’t remember which of the national pundits I heard commenting on this as well, but one of my biggest pet peeves is when a running back is clearly stopped and the whistles have been blowing for several seconds, but a gang of defenders continues to drive a ball carrier back 10 to 15 yards to make sure he actually goes to the ground.

Those are the situations where injuries are going to happen and those situations warrant personal foul penalties being called. Those calls are oft-ignored when the regular officials are calling games, but it’s gotten ridiculously out of hand at times with this current crop of replacements. I tried to give the subs a break – after all, it is not entirely their fault they’re in the positions they’re in. But week two was a disaster and it is time for the league and the regular refs to get on the same page and get their issues solved.

On to other issues. (more…)

ZB Notebook 09-10-12

by | Sep 11, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Random Thoughts

Five rookie quarterbacks started their careers on Sunday. Only one looked really good. From the start of the game, Robert Griffin III looked in control of Washington’s game against New Orleans. Despite the Saints having a chance to tie the game with a final drive, there really wasn’t a point during which it seemed like Washington was in any real trouble. That’s a huge credit to Griffin, who does appear to be the best quarterback the Redskins have had since … Joe Theismann?

There will be rough patches as teams gather film on this composed rookie, but I may have been wrong predicting another season in the cellar of the NFC East for the Redskins. This guy looks good.

None of the other rookies fared well in their debuts. Andrew Luck got beat up by Chicago. I still think he’s going to be fine, but when the Colts fell behind the Bears and the run game provided little support, Luck was out of … luck.  It is important to note the similarities between the first games of Luck and one Peyton Manning, however. CBS put up the linked graphic during the game broadcast. Colts fans can take solace in the likelihood that better days are ahead.

Russell Wilson showed glimpses that he’s going to be alright, though he ended up not able to pull the Seattle game out in the end against Arizona. Cleveland’s Brandon Weeden and Miami’s Ryan Tannehill both had forgettable debuts. A statistical breakdown of their performances can be found at RealRedskins.com.
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Modell’s death renews debate on his Hall of Fame cred

by | Sep 7, 2012 | Hall of Fame, NFL Random Thoughts

Tributes and recollections of former Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell have been pouring in since word of his death broke Thursday.

For decades, Modell was one of the most visible of the NFL owners, having taken a lead role in negotiating the league’s first major television contract and in establishing Monday Night Football.

Not one to shy away from controversy, Modell bought the Cleveland Browns in 1961 and fired the team’s namesake coach Paul Brown two years later.

Later on, Modell moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, leaving the football-intense Ohio city without a team for several years.

It was reportedly a move Modell felt he had to make, but it’s also the move he is most closely associated with and it has left him with many detractors.

Eric Edholm, senior editor with Pro Football Weekly, told ESPN-1500 in Minneapolis Thursday that the story of the NFL’s history could not be told without mentioning Modell’s name and that he thinks the owner should be in the Hall of Fame.

“The fact that he is not in the Hall of Fame does not make sense to me,” Edholm told listeners.

The move to Baltimore left an entire region bitter and bought Modell a number of enemies, however. And that issue alone, according to Edholm, is keeping him from being enshrined.

I think he probably should be in the Hall, though the backlog of players we’ve discussed time and again makes it unlikely he’s selected anytime real soon. It lends some credence to the argument made a few years back by Sports Illustrated reporter Peter King that “contributors” should be considered separately from players and coaches.

I’m sure his death will revive discussion of his merits as a candidate. It may already be doing so. His contributions to the game were more great than bad. What are your thoughts? Will he get his day?

Cowboys-Giants reaction

by | Sep 5, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Random Thoughts

I always get excited and overreact to what I see during the first game of the season. Tonight was no different.

My first reactions to the Dallas-New York opener:

1) Mostly boring. Neither team really seemed to have it going on tonight. There were very few big, downfield plays, long run plays, etc. Both defenses were good. Both offenses need work.

2) Dallas might be better than expected: The defensive backfield, powered by rookie corner draftee Morris Claiborne and free agent cornerback signee Brandon Carr, is much improved. Last year Eli Manning threw for something like 1500 yards in two games against Dallas. Tonight he was well under 300, in part because his two key receivers — Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz — could not get open. The offensive line is still abysmal. Tony Romo was getting crushed all over the place. But overall I was much more impressed with Dallas than I expected.

3) Giants might be less than expected: Last year was a tale of two seasons. Through 14 games New York was 7-7. That unspectacular stretch was followed by a spectacular run to the Super Bowl. That’s the last thing people remember. So expectations may have been inflated by that. Tonight’s team looked nothing like the Super Bowl winner. Granted, it’s one game. But it was a key divisional game on national television opening the season. And the results were underwhelming. I’m not judging an entire season by it, but I am muting my opinion on the Giants. They are still in the mix as a favorite, but they’ve allowed a division rival to get a leg up on them in a game they should have won at home.

4) Replacement refs played minor role: Sure, there may have been a missed call here and an overblown call there, but tonight I saw little difference between the replacements and the “real” refs. The flow of the game was never interrupted. The missed calls were not of any major variety. And I don’t believe any team can claim they were cost a victory from what went on tonight. As stated in my notebook earlier today, both teams have to live with them and in most cases bad calls even out. Tonight the replacements acquitted themselves well.

Rip away in the comments section if you’d like. But welcome to the 2012 football season.

ZB Notebook 09-05-12

by | Sep 5, 2012 | American Football League, NFL Random Thoughts

We’re putting in something new this year. We’ve generally got a bunch of ideas for little things that would make for borderline stand-alone posts. Now on a (hopefully) weekly basis, we plan to empty our brains and paper scraps of those items in a “Zoneblitz Notebook.”

This will give us an opportunity to feature not only a few more of our own blurbs, but also a chance to feature other works from around the Internet that we find interesting. We’re still tinkering with the format, but in general we’ll pick two or three main topics and several other items with links to supporting source materials. If you run across something that might be an interesting addition to the notebook, please feel free to drop us a line or a link in the comments section below. In the meantime, here’s the first installment of the Zoneblitz Notebook.

Replacement refs overblown: It’s not all that often that I agree with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, whose team has been more or less irrelevant since he ran out Jimmy Johnson. But he’s right in his observations regarding the league’s referees, who will be locked out through at least the first week of the regular season.

He noted last week on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas (which was picked up by ProFootballTalk.com) that he isn’t terribly concerned about winning or losing games because of referees in part because the mistakes generally even out and that the permanent refs make mistakes too.

“As long as it’s consistent, then how it affects the games may not be as much,” Jones told the radio station, according to PFT.
I think the rancor surrounding replacement referees is a little blown out of proportion. Yes, the replacements looked goofy several times during the preseason. Sure, during the preseason, they made some embarrassing and obvious gaffes, particularly with respect to spotting the ball, calling pass interference penalties and other mess-ups.

But I think this is just an issue on which the NFL teams are going to have to suck it up. Both teams have to deal with them. In all likelihood, they won’t be around for long. And if they are, their performance is likely going to improve as they get accustomed to the game.

It’s not like the officiating from week to week with the permanent refs is spotless. And I also find it unlikely that the replacement refs are going to miss something so blatant that it is going to cause a major injury, as has been speculated in some places.

Don’t get me wrong, I hope permanent referees do ultimately get a deal done soon. The game is definitely smoother when they are in there. But if the lockout results in at least some of the permanent officials becoming full-time refs, then I think it’s a stance worth taking for the league.
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Forte has not earned top-tier money

by | Jul 13, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

I don’t dislike Matt Forte. And I can certainly understand his desire for a long-term contract, given the short span the careers of most running backs.

But as the Monday deadline approaches for franchised players to sign long-term deals, Forte also plays a major role in whether or not this deal gets done. He’s got to look in the mirror and realize the limits to his value.

It’s not that I don’t think he’s a good back. In the open-field he’s exciting to watch and he’ll break incredibly big plays a few times a season. But he reportedly has been citing deals given to Arian Foster and LeSean McCoy when discussing how he wants fair market value and that kind of coin, my friends, he has not earned.

Let’s compare: (more…)