A TALE OF TWO LOSERS

If you think local talk shows have become overly harsh about your Washington football team, going from hot to cold and back again on a whim week after week after … check the NY tabloids some time. They take it personally when their New York Football Giants fail to measure up to preseason calls for greatness … as misguided as it seemed at the time. The difference is here … most, if not all, of the (middle) finger-pointing is directed at the guiding geniuses starting with Ron Rivera, who is co-blamed along with defensive coordinator Jack del Rio. Will somebody please try to explain why they haven’t been fired by now … is the recurring theme. You hear one … you’ve heard them all. Never mind, unlike the Football Giants, the Redsk … sorry, Commanders were outclassed start to finish only once. Last time out, against heretofore-pitiful Chicago, the defensive line played like it didn’t care. Effort was totally lacking, and that left the secondary at the mercy of da Bears’ mediocre QB Justin Fields. New (over-rated) OC Eric Bieniemy has been given a pass, for the most part, because QB Sam Howell has been a pleasant surprise … like the fifth-round draft choice from Mack Brown’s rejuvenated program at North Carolina couldn’t have demonstrated his unique survival skills under anyone else. In the Big Apple, it almost goes without saying the coaching staff is to blame. There ... outrage is focused on the offensive line … for not giving QB Daniel Jones time to be a hero … and often-injured Jones, armed with a new, over-the-top contract, failing to overcome it despite being sacked 28 times in five games. At least there we are treated to a variety of comments and responses … like the following exchange: “Don’t worry … Biden is building a wall to protect Jones.” “Yes … and Trump is paying for it.” Oh, well, at our age a mix of sports and politics seldom fails to elicit a (fill in the blank) … Until next time ...

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