Buchanon Returns to Redskins

Photo from tbd.com

Rich Tandler reported this afternoon that Redskins cornerback Phillip Buchanon has returned from his four game suspension. Buchanon practiced with the team today.

Buchanon was suspended prior to the season for violating the NFLs performance enhancing drug policy. Buchanon stated that it was "an honest mistake".

Buchanon is a ten year veteran of the league. Last season he had 49 tackles with 2 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions.

Redskins: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Ryan Kerrigan makes an interception against Giants. (Photo from timeleader.com)

Entering the bye week the Redskins are 3-1. After defeating the Giants and the Cardinals to start the season, the Redskins fell 18-16 to the Cowboys. This past week, the Redskins defeated the Rams. The season has gotten off to a hot start, but this team is far from perfect. Let's see what is working, what could be better, and what is just plain awful for the Redskins. I am going to avoid the area of quarterback here.

The Good:
Defense. The defense should be under a category titled "The Great". Statistically the Redskins have the 5th best defense in the NFL. They only give up 212 yards per game passing (8th) and just 84 yards rushing (6th). In terms of total offense, the defense only gives up 296 yards of offense. The defense has 3 interceptions and has forced 7 fumbles and recovered 3 of them.

Ryan Kerrigan is on his way to the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Kerrigan has 18 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception, and 1 touchdown. He was awarded NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September.

The Bad:
The offensive line. The offensive line isn't terrible, they could just be better. Rex Grossman has been hit 24 times and has been sacked 8 times. The offensive line is ranked 14th in the NFL overall. Like I said, they aren't the worst, but they could be better. Behind this offensive line, the running game only averages 4.1 yards per carry. That ranks 19th in the NFL. They are running what this offensive line is good at. The lineman are athletic and the zone blocking scheme works well for them. It's time to tie up the loose ends and pull it all together.

The Ugly:
The fourth quarter play calling. The Redskins have the 6th best rushing attack in the NFL. Why don't they use it? It's the reason they took the lead against the Cowboys. It's the reason the Redskins defeated the Giants and the Cardinals. Rex Grossman is good for 2 or 3 interceptions a game, it seems, so don't give him the ball in crunch time. Hand it off to the weapon that is either one of the running backs and let them go.

The Redskins will face the Eagles after the bye week. The easiest part of the season is over. I like to think of that as pre-season part 2. The real season begins in two weeks. It should be interesting to see if the Redskins can keep up the string of success that they have had and see if they improve on the things the need to.

Move On

Okay. Relax. Breath. So what? The Rams lost on Saturday! It's going to be okay.

Who knows? Maybe that is exactly what they needed. The were blowing teams out and probably feeling a little invincible. It is time to just get back to the basics.

They have not been eliminated from the playoffs. They haven't lost a WVIAC conference championship chance yet, either. The season is not made in one game. That's why the team plays 11 games.

Last season the Rams went 10-1 and still made the playoffs. They did quite well, actually. Shepherd went to the NCAA Division 2 semi-finals. Hope is not lost for this squad.

They need to show up on Monday ready to work. West Virginia Wesleyan doesn't care that Shepherd just lost. Shepherd shouldn't focus on the fact that they lost to Concord. Moping about this won't help anything.

A great week of practice should more than likely prepare this team for the fight they are going to get on Saturday. They do have a few guys banged up, but, to me, that just sounds like an excuse.

This team has a TON of talent...and depth. It's time to move on. The undefeated season is gone. That's fine. That's just one less thing to think about. Now it's time to focus on the rest of their games. It's all about going one game at a time. No looking ahead to next week or the week after. It's about who they're playing this week.

Keep your heads up, Shepherdstown. This team isn't done. They've just gotten started. I have a feeling that the best is yet to come.

Kerrigan Gets NFL Honors

Ryan Kerrigan scores against the Giants in week one. (Photo from washtimes.com)

Washington Redskins defensive end Ryan Kerrigan has been named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month.

The Redskins first round draft pick has taken the NFL by storm to start off the season. In the first game of the season, Kerrigan totaled 5 tackles and had an interception for a touchdown against the New York Giants. In three total games this season, the rookie has total 12 total tackles including 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception that went for a touchdown.

The combination of Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan has made the Redskins front seven one of the fiercest in the NFL. Look for Orakpo and Kerrigan to feed off of each others success and continue to be two of the best defensive players in the NFL.

Rams Yet To Be Tested

Once again the Shepherd University Ram football team demolished its opponent this weekend. This time, the Golden Eagles of the University of Charleston was served up for the Rams.

While the Rams have made it to 4-0, they have yet to face a team that is of high quality. In other words, the teams they have been playing they BETTER beat this badly.

Of the Rams first four games (Shippensburg, St Josephs, Seton Hill, Charleston) the opposing team has entered the game with a winless record. The Rams have yet to score less than 45 points in a game and have given up only as many as 27 to Shippensburg.

The Rams season doesn't finally heat up until week 6. The only other undefeated team in the WVIAC Conference is West Virginia Wesleyan College. Shepherd will face them on their field week 6.

Fairmont State is another in-conference game that the Rams should have circled. They will face Fairmont State week 11 at Fairmont.

Another team that could potentially ruin the Rams perfect season is Bowie State. The Bulldogs are 3-1 and have outscored opponents 129-67. The Rams will play the Bulldogs week 9 in an out of conference home game.

The Shepherd University Rams are the class of the WVIAC Conference. They are 4-0 and have outscored opponents by a lucrative 221-51. The worst thing the team can do is play an opponent and expect another blowout win.

While much of the schedule after WVWC looks favorable, the last thing the Rams can do is take a break. This past season the Rams entered the final game undefeated and lost to Glenville in a thriller.

If Shepherd continues to come out flat to start games like they have so far this year, you can expect that to happen again.

The Rumblin' Rams

Want to hear something scary? The Shepherd University Ram football team beat Seton Hill 64-7. The scary part? They didn't even play their best game. Yeah, I know, you're frightened.

The last thing I want to come out of this write up is for the team to get ego's the size of the field itself. But, let's be honest, this team is pretty impressive when you think about it.

Four times the offense had to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown while in the redzone. Four times! Four! That's 28 points! Let's do some math!

64 - 9 (one kick was missed) = 55 + 28 = 83!

Wait? 83?! Really? That's incredible. The Rams had the opportunity to score 83 points.

Seton Hill had no chance in this football game. They never did. The Rams came out fast and they didn't slow down.

The offense did, however, play a sloppy a game. Multiple times they marched into Griffin territory and committed costly penalties and were forced to punt. That's more points right there!

This team that Coach Monte Cater has is one of the best I have ever seen at this level. Multiple players are being scouted by the NFL and many others probably should be.

The defense is a lean, mean, wrecking machine. Seton Hills offense was held to just 84 yards and ran 67 plays. Let me put that in perspective. The Ram offense ran 72 plays (just 5 more) and racked up a total of 542 yards of total offense. Yeah. That just happened.

If you are scheduled to play the Rams in the future, I'd just skip it. If you don't bring you're A-game you're just going to get smashed. These Rams are furious and they don't mess around. The safest place to be when they're on the field is in the stands.

This fall the Rams should be gunning for nothing less than an NCAA Division 2 National Championship. Anything less would be a failure of a season.

Does the "Prevent Defense/Offense" Work?



Here's a quick answer: No! It does not work! It never has and it never will! We see it every Saturday and Sunday and if it ever works...it's once in a blue moon.

Every coaching staff that has the prevent defense in their playbook should quit. Now. I would never tell my defense to go out there and play soft. "Go ahead guys. Give them a little, but don't let them score." Here's what I would tell them: "We're up! I want to be up by more! Go smother 'em!!"

Case and point.

Last Friday night the Baylor Bears were beating the TCU Horned Frogs 47-23 going into the fourth quarter. Baylor was showing no signs of letting up. Enter the Prevent Defense/Offense.

Baylor then backed off the pressure on the TCU offense. They moved the linebackers back off the ball and the conerbacks off the receivers. The point? To play against the deep ball. The problem? TCU recognized that and utilized the short yardage passing game. The outcome? Touchdown, Horned Frogs.

Let's move onto the offense. Baylor came out in the beginning of the fourth quarter and did nothing but run the ball. The point? To take time off the clock. The problem? Everyone on the planet knew it was coming. The outcome? Very quick three-and-outs that took maybe 2:30 off the clock.

Back to the defense. Baylor was shutting down TCU's deep ball all game long. So here's my question. If you've been stopping it all game, why would you change up your defense? Baylor's defense ended up being so concerned with the deep ball, that they gave up the short passes and allowed TCU to march down the field.

Offense! Or lack there of. If Baylor continues to run the offense that scored them 47 points, they win this game 70-30.

Baylor played Prevent through the fourth quarter and the final score came out to be Baylor 50, TCU 48.

So here's my point: the preventive approach never works. Teams end up being too cautious and shoot themselves in the foot. If you're a coach and reading this, here's my advice: just let your team line-up like they have been all game and just keep playing tough football. If you are in a position where you need to use the prevent defense, you've obviously been doing something right all game. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!