- Messages
- 79,281
- Reaction score
- 45,652
By Matt Mosley
Falling
1. Cowboys' offense: I almost singled out offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, but it's hard to pin Sunday's seven-point showing on him. His receivers weren't getting any separation until about seven minutes were left in the game. The Cowboys escaped with a win because their defense kept them in the game, but they won't win games in December by scoring one touchdown. The Giants, Chargers and Saints loom on the schedule. Here's an idea: Throw more than one pass to the explosive Felix Jones when a team such as the Commanders is in a Tampa 2 defense.
Suisham
2. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=9361Shaun Suisham, Commanders kicker: The guy connected on his first 13 attempts of the season. He'd been rock solid after a shaky '08, but he missed from 39 and 50 yards against the Cowboys. If the Skins could've gotten to nine points, they would've won Sunday's game. Suisham's a mentally tough kicker, so I think he'll get it figured out.
3. Bill Sheridan, Giants defensive coordinator: The Giants won the game, but the defense allowed the Falcons two late drives to force overtime. The once-vaunted pass rush looks pretty meek at this point. Defensive end Justin Tuck appears to be turning the corner after a shoulder injury, but Sheridan has to do a better job in generating pressure up front. And how about mixing up some coverages late in the game? This is not the Giants defense we've become accustomed to over the past couple seasons.
Rising
McCoy
1. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=12514LeSean McCoy, Eagles running back: Loved the way he played against the Bears. He had a huge fourth-quarter fumble, but he came right back and helped lead the Eagles down the field on the game-winning drive. McCoy got the majority reps in practice last week and it showed in his overall approach. He just played with more confidence than we've seen this season. He finished with 20 carries for 99 yards and the game-winning 10-yard run. This guy simply needs more carries. The Eagles may actually have a running game. Now, we'll see if Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg recognize that.
2. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=10596Kevin Boss, Giants tight end: No other division in the league has a better group of tight ends and Boss is on quite a roll. He's a fearless receiver and he's really improved his blocking. He's given http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=5526Eli Manning a big target in the red zone. He had two touchdowns against the Falcons. I like the way he's catching the ball away from his body. There's no cradling going on.
3. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=1753Donovan McNabb/http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=11283DeSean Jackson, Eagles quarterback and wide receiver: When these guys are on the same page, they're unstoppable. Jackson can turn a simple post pattern into the most exciting play of the week. I saw a poor Bears safety trying to get enough depth and knew he'd never succeed. When the Eagles are at midfield, teams should almost put a safety near the goal line. That's how dangerous Jackson is in only his second year. And let's credit McNabb for staying calm throughout the game and then coming alive in the fourth quarter. McNabb was brilliant in the play-action game.
Falling
1. Cowboys' offense: I almost singled out offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, but it's hard to pin Sunday's seven-point showing on him. His receivers weren't getting any separation until about seven minutes were left in the game. The Cowboys escaped with a win because their defense kept them in the game, but they won't win games in December by scoring one touchdown. The Giants, Chargers and Saints loom on the schedule. Here's an idea: Throw more than one pass to the explosive Felix Jones when a team such as the Commanders is in a Tampa 2 defense.
Suisham
2. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=9361Shaun Suisham, Commanders kicker: The guy connected on his first 13 attempts of the season. He'd been rock solid after a shaky '08, but he missed from 39 and 50 yards against the Cowboys. If the Skins could've gotten to nine points, they would've won Sunday's game. Suisham's a mentally tough kicker, so I think he'll get it figured out.
3. Bill Sheridan, Giants defensive coordinator: The Giants won the game, but the defense allowed the Falcons two late drives to force overtime. The once-vaunted pass rush looks pretty meek at this point. Defensive end Justin Tuck appears to be turning the corner after a shoulder injury, but Sheridan has to do a better job in generating pressure up front. And how about mixing up some coverages late in the game? This is not the Giants defense we've become accustomed to over the past couple seasons.
Rising
McCoy
1. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=12514LeSean McCoy, Eagles running back: Loved the way he played against the Bears. He had a huge fourth-quarter fumble, but he came right back and helped lead the Eagles down the field on the game-winning drive. McCoy got the majority reps in practice last week and it showed in his overall approach. He just played with more confidence than we've seen this season. He finished with 20 carries for 99 yards and the game-winning 10-yard run. This guy simply needs more carries. The Eagles may actually have a running game. Now, we'll see if Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg recognize that.
2. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=10596Kevin Boss, Giants tight end: No other division in the league has a better group of tight ends and Boss is on quite a roll. He's a fearless receiver and he's really improved his blocking. He's given http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=5526Eli Manning a big target in the red zone. He had two touchdowns against the Falcons. I like the way he's catching the ball away from his body. There's no cradling going on.
3. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=1753Donovan McNabb/http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=11283DeSean Jackson, Eagles quarterback and wide receiver: When these guys are on the same page, they're unstoppable. Jackson can turn a simple post pattern into the most exciting play of the week. I saw a poor Bears safety trying to get enough depth and knew he'd never succeed. When the Eagles are at midfield, teams should almost put a safety near the goal line. That's how dangerous Jackson is in only his second year. And let's credit McNabb for staying calm throughout the game and then coming alive in the fourth quarter. McNabb was brilliant in the play-action game.
