Pinkerton Security
10-22-2008, 11:33 AM
Not that we dont all know this, but here is a blurb from this week's edition of TMQ:
Draft Bust Update: Last week Indianapolis canceled a trade with Buffalo for underwhelming 2006 first-round defensive tackle John McCargo, who seems on his way for admission to the Bust Hall of Fame as a first-round selection who never started so much as one game. In the 2006 first round, three defensive linemen from North Carolina State were chosen: Mario Williams, first overall to Houston; Manny Lawson to San Francisco; and McCargo to Buffalo. As the third of the three was picked, Michael Irvin asked how so many guys could go in the first round from a team that was only 7-5, saying, "Look at their record, look at their record, how can they have three first-round picks?" Look at their record is the kind of thing a player says, and here the player's instincts were better than the instincts of scouts. Williams of course has become a star, Lawson has been hampered by injuries but had a big blocked kick against Jersey/A on Sunday, and at this point it looks like McCargo's best-case outcome is that some team gives him cab fare to the airport.
Also, some interesting points on Mitchell's blitz and the outage:
Sweet Defensive Play of the Week: With the Buffalo Budgies leading San Diego 20-14 with 3:08 remaining, the Bolts faced second-and-10 on their 29. Buffalo ran a "choregraphed" blitz of the type favored by Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Three defensive linemen got into down stances; defensive end Chris Kelsay and linebacker Kawika Mitchell, both standing, jumped into the "A" gaps then jumped backward; at the snap Kelsay crossed in front, Mitchell looped behind him and came through the San Diego offensive line untouched, hitting Philip Rivers and causing the fumble that iced the contest for the home team. The point of a choreographed blitz is to confuse blockers enough that one rusher is never blocked. In a standard blitz, everybody is trying to reach the quarterback. In a choreographed blitz, all but one of the rushers is not trying to reach the quarterback, rather, is tying up blockers or carrying out feints so a teammate comes through the line untouched.
Neglected power grid infrastructure note: Due to intermittent electricity failures at Wilson Stadium during the contest, Buffalo radio announcer John Murphy called parts of the game over a cellular phone. TMQ heard from a couple of people present at the contest that having the power out was actually fun. No blaring music, no JumboTron, no squealing feedback when the zebras explained calls; just watching a sports event and having to figure for yourself what's going on, like a high school game only with 80,000 in attendance. Perhaps it was as well the power came back, however. Otherwise the beer would not have stayed cold.
I love this column and look forward to it every week. It does help that he is a Bills supporter, at least somewhat, but always very insightful, and not just in the football area.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/081021
Draft Bust Update: Last week Indianapolis canceled a trade with Buffalo for underwhelming 2006 first-round defensive tackle John McCargo, who seems on his way for admission to the Bust Hall of Fame as a first-round selection who never started so much as one game. In the 2006 first round, three defensive linemen from North Carolina State were chosen: Mario Williams, first overall to Houston; Manny Lawson to San Francisco; and McCargo to Buffalo. As the third of the three was picked, Michael Irvin asked how so many guys could go in the first round from a team that was only 7-5, saying, "Look at their record, look at their record, how can they have three first-round picks?" Look at their record is the kind of thing a player says, and here the player's instincts were better than the instincts of scouts. Williams of course has become a star, Lawson has been hampered by injuries but had a big blocked kick against Jersey/A on Sunday, and at this point it looks like McCargo's best-case outcome is that some team gives him cab fare to the airport.
Also, some interesting points on Mitchell's blitz and the outage:
Sweet Defensive Play of the Week: With the Buffalo Budgies leading San Diego 20-14 with 3:08 remaining, the Bolts faced second-and-10 on their 29. Buffalo ran a "choregraphed" blitz of the type favored by Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Three defensive linemen got into down stances; defensive end Chris Kelsay and linebacker Kawika Mitchell, both standing, jumped into the "A" gaps then jumped backward; at the snap Kelsay crossed in front, Mitchell looped behind him and came through the San Diego offensive line untouched, hitting Philip Rivers and causing the fumble that iced the contest for the home team. The point of a choreographed blitz is to confuse blockers enough that one rusher is never blocked. In a standard blitz, everybody is trying to reach the quarterback. In a choreographed blitz, all but one of the rushers is not trying to reach the quarterback, rather, is tying up blockers or carrying out feints so a teammate comes through the line untouched.
Neglected power grid infrastructure note: Due to intermittent electricity failures at Wilson Stadium during the contest, Buffalo radio announcer John Murphy called parts of the game over a cellular phone. TMQ heard from a couple of people present at the contest that having the power out was actually fun. No blaring music, no JumboTron, no squealing feedback when the zebras explained calls; just watching a sports event and having to figure for yourself what's going on, like a high school game only with 80,000 in attendance. Perhaps it was as well the power came back, however. Otherwise the beer would not have stayed cold.
I love this column and look forward to it every week. It does help that he is a Bills supporter, at least somewhat, but always very insightful, and not just in the football area.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/081021