WEEKEND WATCH: BLAME COACHES, NOT QBs

Second-guessing and (rhymes with itching) are hands-down America’s favorite past-times … and Sunday the National Football League had more than its share starting with your Washington Football Team in Atlanta and ending with the New York Football Giants at Buffalo. We have the time and space but lack the inclination to go into great detail. Suffice to say, network cameras zeroed in on the featured culprits which just happened to be losing coaches … who were seen trying to deflect the blame to their quarterbacks including former Virginia Tech star Tyrod Taylor. Making his first start of the season, in place of the injured Daniel Jones, Taylor took a vicious verbal attack from NY coach Brian Daboll while leaving the field at halftime. Earlier, Falcons bossman Arthur Smith, who like Daboll seldom – if ever – hides his anger, frustration (you name it), let his rookie QB have it on the sideline after throwing his third interception that ostensibly cost Atlanta the game. More on both in a moment but, before going any farther, it should be noted Taylor kept his cool. And even later refused to point fingers which he undoubtedly could have. A class act, T. Taylor. Messeurs Daboll and Smith could learn something from him … if they weren’t so busy playing up to CBS and NBC. But first … WHAT'S WITH all this one-handed-catch stuff? Sunday, Washington QB Sam Howell had wide receiver Dyami Brown down the left sideline, a step ahead of his defender. All he had to do was make an over-the-shoulder catch … with a little extra effort … for an early touchdown but no-o-o … Brown hot-dogged, tried to make a highlight grab with his left hand (leaving the right hanging and not involved). The ball slid down his stomach to the ground. Incomplete. The Team Formerly Known as Redskins wound up settling for a Joey Slye chip-shot field goal. Bo-o-o!! QUICK ... TELL Eric Bieniemy he’s going against conventional wisdom by not covering his face with the play sheet when giving Howell instructions for the next play. Doesn’t the Commanders offensive coordinator know he’s tipping off the opposition? Get serious … We tried reading his lips. The ensuing snap was a run. We could have sworn he called pass. HOWELL ENTERED Week 6 leading the league in … sacks (29). Sunday the Falcons added five more including three in the first half when at least two were because the second-year pro from North Carolina refused to throw the ball away when he couldn’t locate an open receiver. Same thing once, maybe twice after intermission when Washington led en route to winning 24-16. While the offensive line hasn’t been the best, Howell also has been responsible for an inordinate number of times he’s been knocked down looking to throw the ball. “He’s the modern day Billy Kilmer,” said CBS’ Chris Simms, former Super Bowl-winning QB with the Giants. “Man, he can take a beating.” Long-time watchers of the Redskins (long before they became Commanders) remember Kilmer who oftentimes ran with the ball better than he threw it. He was a centerpiece of George Allen’s “The Future is Now” teams of the 1970s along with Sonny Jurgensen who seldom – if ever – ran because (a) he was an outstanding passer, and (b) he was very, very slow. Like Kilmer, Howell has been effective running, too. “He’s still getting hit too much,” said CBS studio host James Brown on “The NFL Today.” THE OFF-HAND MENTION of Kilmer jarred our memory but, frankly, we forgot he was the starter throughout most of his eight seasons in the Nation’s Capital. (Wikipedia to the rescue – again.) Drafted in the first round (11th overall) by the 49ers in 1961, he also played for the Saints until acquired by Washington in Allen’s first trade after replacing Bill Austin (who?) in 1971. Kilmer was brought in to back up Jurgensen but became No. 1 when the former Duke star suffered a shoulder injury in a preseason game with Miami. In 1972 Kilmer led the Skins to the Super Bowl where they lost to the unbeaten Dolphins. Along the way the 6-1, 215 pounder was involved (sort of) in a couple of all-time memorable plays. It was his fumble that the Vikings’ Jim Marshall picked up and ran 66 yards the wrong way in 1964 … but Minnesota still beat homestanding San Francisco 27-22. Then, in 1970, having been New Orleans starting QB since his arrival in 1967, Kilmer was benched by coach Tom Fears after the Saints opened the season 0-3. But, Fears was fired and replaced by J.D. Roberts, coach of the … Richmond (semi-pro) Saints. Roberts restored Kilmer to starter and, in Game 8, he drove NO to the Detroit Lions 44. With time for one more play, and down 17-16, Roberts rolled the dice and called on Tom Dempsey to attempt a 63-yard game-winning field goal. Remember, goal posts were still on the goal line … and not on the back of the 10-yard-deep end zone as they are today. Until then, the longest FG in pro football history was from 56 yards. Dempsey became the stuff of which legends are made when he cleared the crossbar between the uprights. The Saints finished 2-11-2, and Kilmer, knowing Ole Miss QB Archie Manning would be their top draft choice, asked to be traded. INEXCUSABLE became the operative word Sunday when the Falcons made the Commanders look like THE most organized team in football … taking a delay of game on third and one inside the Washington two then – after apparently having the time clock run out again – threw a soft, off-balance pass that was intercepted in the end zone. At that point, with 5:11 remaining, Atlanta still trailed by eight points … after coach Smith opted to run off tackle for two following the Falcons’ third TD … and didn’t really come close. There was a lot more, and the network kept a close eye on Smith who reacted to every blunder and was shown yelling at his QB Desmond Ridder late after tossing another pass caught by the Washington secondary. Smith didn’t exactly distinguish himself with his play calling either. For example: Atlanta pretty much ran the ball to get in position to tie the game only to go to the air twice. The first pass sailed high over the intended receiver. Not that the men of coach Ron Rivera distinguished themselves on offense in the second half. The Commanders punted four straight times and, with two minutes remaining, Atlanta had one final possession starting at its 19. Four complete passes put the Falcons on the Washington 34, third and one, with :31 left. And they had to take their final timeout or be slapped with another delay of game … before Ridder threw yet another INT. Tiki Barber, working the game for CBS, put it best. “The Falcons got what they deserved,” he said. THE SAME could have been said of the Giants starting with Daboll and their offense. So what did Taylor do that drew the ire of his coach? With 14 seconds left before halftime (and no timeouts), NY was on the Bills’ one yard line. Taylor appeared to audible the call, and Saquon Barkley was sent off the left side where he was stuffed … and time ran out before the Keystone Kops … err Giants … could line up for another snap. Watching the whole thing unfold late-night on NBC, we had two questions: (1) Why not kick a field goal and lead by 6-0; in other words, take the points and you never know what might happen in a game obviously destined to be low-scoring … and (2) what was Taylor thinking? … unless … perhaps in the huddle Barkley – arguably the best running back in the NFL – told Taylor: Give me the ball … I CAN DO IT! Of course, the obvious call would have been for the versatile Taylor to roll out … with his first option to pass and stop the clock for another play with an incompletion or, better yet, run it in himself. But, what the heck! Here was a chance for Barkley to be a hero again in a season where little has gone right after he held out for more money then suffered a high-ankle injury. Check the replay … and there is every reason to believe No. 26, from the beginning, knew he was getting the ball. While Taylor appears to be changing the play, Barkley, standing several yards behind him (and the Buffalo crowd roaring), keeps looking straight ahead. In similar situations, the running back invariably steps up to ask the QB, “What’s the new call?” Barkley never budged … until Taylor took the snap and ... Daboll went off on Taylor. At least he didn’t play the blame game on Taylor at the end … when the final play was an incomplete pass in which the officials choked and failed to call interference that would have given the Giants (and Taylor) another chance to upset the 15-point favorites. Taylor threw for 200 yards, with no interceptions, no fumbles. Jones, the incumbent armed with a new $40 million a year contract, had been victimized by a bad O-line and was getting heavy heat for his turnovers not to mentioned being sacked 28 times before being sidelined with a neck injury. Had 6-6 Darrian Weller caught the final pass … well, Taylor for sure would have gotten calls to replace Jones from the fickle NY fans and media. Looking at replays from several angles … a soft, high lob pass for Weller, a good 9-to-10 inches taller than defender Taron Johnson, was definitely catchable despite Johnson grabbing his jersey (which he did twice, a rules no-no by any definition). But Weller seemingly tried to make a spectacular one-hand (left) grab and almost succeeded. He’ll never admit it, of course. In the NFL hot-dogging is accepted only if it suceeds. Until next time ...