'NEXT TIME WE PLAY THEM ... WE'RE GOING TO WIN'
Weekend Watch:
Did NATE BURLESON get it right, or what?
Reacting to Sunday’s heavyweight throw-down
between Washington and Baltimore, the former
wideout now he’s everywhere talking head for CBS
suggested your Commanders, losers on the
scoreboard 30-23, should be feeling pretty good
about themselves, nevertheless … “When I played,
we wouldn’t tell anybody, including our wives, but,
we’d sit around after [losing] a game like this and
say … ‘You know what? We’re pretty damn good …
Next time we play them … we’re going to win,’”
The NFL Today pink-suit-wearing panelist said …
while around him BILL COWHER, JJ WATT and
MATT RYAN, all with a history of success in the
pro game, nodded in affirmation … If only they
could be as transparent while discussing why multi-
talented Ravens’ QB LAMAR JACKSON had his
way with the Commanders or did they miss how
open his receivers were most of the afternoon? In the
first half, it was ZAY FLOWERS catching nine
balls for 132 yards. It would have been nice if
viewers had been told what, if anything, happened to
the Boston College alumnus who was MIA after
intermission … when the Ravens (4-2) featured
veteran RB DERRICK HENRY who carried the
ball 14 times for 90 yards including seven yards for
the second of his two touchdowns … and tight end
MARK ANDREWS had an easy catch in the end
zone when two-deep safeties QUAN MARTIN and
PERCY BUTLER were otherwise occupied,
running around like Keystone Kops while Andrews
casually jogged between them for his franchise
record-tying 41st touchdown reception.
Meanwhile, Commanders’ rookie QB JAYDEN
DANIELShad to be at his absolute best …
especially on 4th-and-goal from the Ravens’ seven
when he collaborated with TERRY McLAURIN on
a text-book-perfect pass for six … despite
suffocating one-on-one coverage in the left corner of
the end zone … to keep the outcome in doubt with
12:16 to go … Also seldom mentioned, if at all, by
the network’s No. 1 NFL tandem of JIM NANTZ
and TONY ROMO was the absence of
Washington’s best running back BRIAN
ROBINSON JR., leaving Daniels pretty much on
his own … while Jackson had Henry (24 carries, 132
yards in all) to force the under-talented Commander
defense to divide its attention … From the It Never
Fails Dept. of Sportscasting … no sooner did Nantz
advise us that the Commanders still were looking for
their first interception of the season … on the next
snap Jackson was off target, throwing the ball high
and off the fingertips of Andrews, the intended
receiver … straight to Washington DB MARK
SANDRISTIL, and the rookie from the University
of Michigan returned the ball to midfield, setting up
the first of three field goals by AUSTIN SEIBERT
and an early 3-0 lead … Seibert, who set a club
record with seven field goals in his first appearance,
finally missed one … from 52 yards to end the first
half. There was some question whether it was
partially blocked … Seibert, signed for $1.125
million as a free agent Sept. 10., five days before
scoring all of the Commanders’ points in a 21-18
victory over the New York Football Giants (who lost
their kicking specialist on the opening kickoff) … is
now 14 of 15 after making one from 55 yards, a
career best, on the first series after intermission …
Selected by Cleveland in the 5thround of the 2019
draft (170 overall) out of the University of
Oklahoma, Seibert is playing with his fifth team –
Browns, Bengals, Jets and Lions as well as the
Commanders -- and has made his last 40 extra points
from placement since missing five of 30 his first
season with Cleveland. He’s 15 of 15 with
Washington including a knuckleball that barely got
over the crossbar to make it 27-20 after Daniels-to-
McLaurin with 12:02 to go.
……. Watching South Carolina football coach SHANE
BEAMER Saturday in the Gamecocks’ biggie
withAlabama, you couldn’t help but wonder … how
in the world does he keep his cool when, all around
him, everyone else is losing theirs? Seldom – if ever
– is Beamer, son of Frank of Virginia Tech fame,
caught on camera going bonkers after a particularly
egregious call by the officials … or an unfathomable
breakdown by one of his players … both of which
happen much too often, it says here. No, if the TV
networks are looking for animation, someone to go
crazy at the drop of a flag or wide-open pass, S.
Beamer is not their man. His idea of strong reaction
is a slight shake of the head, perhaps accompanied
by an ironic smile, before moving on to the next
play, crisis … whatever. Like Saturday in
Tuscaloosa, where South Carolina was a quarterback
away from upsetting the 21-point favorite, seventh-
ranked Crimson Tide … in a game that only
Beamer’s ulcers could like.
LaNORRIS SELLERS, the Gamecocks’ freshman
QB, had his receiver wide open in the back of the
end zone on the two-point conversion attempt that
could have forced overtime … and, with one
defender in his face, unloaded a throw that (think of
the tallest athlete you’ve ever seen) couldn’t have
touched much less caught it sailed so high … On
what proved to be the final snap, and needing only a
short completion to set up a potential game-winning
field goal, Sellers panicked and lofted a Hail Mary
that was intercepted … The 6-3, 233-pound Sellers
completed 23 of 31 passes for 238 yards and two
touchdowns. He also was sacked four times, had an
INT and lost two fumbles … A face mask penalty
kept the Crimson Tide from adding another sack and
fumble lost … While we’re asking … how would
you like to have been defensive coordinator KANA
WOMMACK had Bama lost for the second straight
game to a rank underdog? You can only imagine how
bad it was after bowing to Vanderbilt … Wommack
came to Tuscaloosa this season after three years as
head coach at South Alabama … with his Swarm
Defense said to be drastically different than what the
Tide used under former coach NICK SABAN …
who, the story goes, helped Wommack install it.
……. When the Richmond Kickers signed SIMON FITCH
(Feb. 23, 2022), coach – sorry, manager – DARREN
SAWATSKY described him as “a hard-working defender …
who likes to go forward on the attack.” … Last week,
against USL League One-leading Union Omaha, Fitch saved
a scoreless tie with The Play of the Game on defense …
somehow getting in position to deflect a hard shot labeled
goal off the line. Friday night, at the South Georgia
Tormenta, the native Richmonder did it again, this time on
offense as your Kickers came from two goals down for a 2-2
standoff … that enabled eighth-place Richmond to remain
one point ahead of No. 9 South Georgia for the final spot in
the playoffs … with two games remaining in the regular
season … Seemingly left for dead after 31 minutes, thanks
to a pair of goals off corner kicks three minutes apart … the
Kickers got one back in the 67th minute when Fitch fed old-
reliable Emeliano Terzaghi, who collected the ball about
midway in the 18-yard box, turned and drove a bullet with
his left foot … that keeper Ford Parker got a hand on but
couldn’t keep from going in … Richmond (5W9L6T)
outshot the home team 19-14, dominated in time of
possession (60-to-40 percent) and had a 9-7 edge in corner
kicks in what, not surprisingly, was a chippy affair between
the two most penalized teams in the league. Union finished
with 16 fouls (to the Kickers’ seven) that led to a 6-1 bulge
in yellow cards … Through it all the visitors kept their cool
and, in the end, it was Fitch, 25. to the rescue again with
time running out in five-minute stoppage. This time the St.
Christopher’s School product and former VCU captain and
star scored on a diving header, converting a long cross from
Nils Vinyals … and with it built the Kickers’ unbeaten streak
to five (3W, 2T) … all since 18 year old keeper James
Sneddon made his pro debut. His three straight shutouts tied
a league record … Richmond closes out its regular-season
schedule with back-to-back (6 p.m.) games at City Stadium
– Saturday against 10th place Chattanooga (5-3-12, 18
points) which still has a chance of overtaking the Kickers,
and Oct. 26 versus No. 6 Charlotte, already guaranteed a
place in the playoffs.
Until next time ...
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