Finally: Art Monk In The Hall Of Fame!

Yesterday, the sportswriters and others in the voting commitee finally woke the hell up and selected lengendary Redskins WR Art Monk into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. Its about damn time too!

Like I said before, many have eclipsed Art in stats but you cannot deny his impact on the Wide Receiver position. Monk did what he was paid to do. He ran shop routes, was the leader of the Skins. Joe Theismann once said that Monk was the predicessor to Jerry Rice, and that is very true.  Just like Jerry did, Art worked hard and tried to eshew controversy.

Actually, Monk’s election this year is very fitting because he will be joining longtime teammate Darrell Green in this year’s class.

Hopefully, the selection comittee will not do Cris Carter the same way they did Monk, Ray Guy and Roger Craig!

Gibbs Retires

 

“It’s one of the few times in life I felt like I walked away from something. But I also felt like ….”Hey, I need to be in a different situation” -Joe Gibbs

Three days after thier playoff loss to Seattle, Joe Gibbs resigned as coach and team president of the Redskins today. According to reports, Redskins’ Owner, Dan Snyder  convinced the legendary coach to stay for one more season in a conversation that lasted to around 2:30 am.

Gibbs had one more year remaning on his $27.5 million dollar deal. It didn’t matter because Gibbs felt like he could not give the organization his all as a coach or a president. 

In my opinion, Gibbs decision is not surprising at all. This was by far the toughest season of this man’s career. He was already coaching with a heavy heart. His grandson, Tyler has leukemia. If that wasn’t bad enough, Gibbs and the rest of the team had to deal with the tragic and senseless death of Sean Taylor. Bottom line, this man was emotionally and mentally exhausted.

 The announcement once again concludes a career that brought three titles to DC and a bit of a revival during his second stint as coach. On two occassions during the second stint, he turned the mediocre Redskins into a playoff team with two late season surges.

According to NFL.com, Gibbs’ assistants Gregg Williams and Al Saunders are among the two candidates for the head coach position.  Right now, Williams is heavily endorsed by the players. According to FB Mike Selers, the players love Williams and it woudl be sad if he does not get it.

Playoff Forecast: The NFC

Cowboys

Packers

 Seahawks

Bucs

 Giants

Redskins

Wild Card

Redskins vs Seahawks

Giants vs Bucs

While Dallas and Green Bay looks good on paper, and should meet for the championship, The NFC field is not as clear cut as you may think. While it is not as tough as the AFC, there should be some great match ups here.  Seattle, Tampa, and the Giants all boast impressive defenses. The Giants and the Bucs are two sack happy defenses. New York lead the league in sacks this year while Tampa isn’t that far behind. Seattle thrives on the ability to blitz. Physical defenses and the ability to create different packages will confuse Dallas. While Romo’s been great for most of the year, he was losing focus in the second half. I actually look for that trend to continue.

The Cowboys are also vulnerable on defense. Being blitz happy will not be enough for a team like Washington. Clinton Portis is very good at picking up blitzes.  This gives Todd Collins extra time in the pocket where hes propelled the ‘Skins to four straight wins. For the Redskins, I would like for them to get Betts more involved in the offense and to use the attributes that made Randel-El so dangerous in Pittsburgh. Washington will need their offence to compensate for the defense.

I’m concerned about Green Bay because they are one dimensional. The burden of the Packers’ success once again falls on Brett Favre’s arm. He is expected to thow and throw often. The cast of characters, must continue to step up if Green Bay have any shot at the NFC championship.

In Seattle, there is the talk of Hasselbeckwinning games with his arm. Honestly, I dont see that happening. First off, Hasselbeck can’t seem to stay off the ground. He was sacked 33 times this season. His touchdown to interception ratio don’t do it for me either. Seattle’s leading receiver, Bobby Engram is a man alone because no one else at wideout can catch. If he wants the team to go far,   Mike Holmgren should establish a running attack with Shaun Alexander to provide some sort of balance to the offense.

While the Giants defense is solid, I still have my reservations about the offense. Eli Manning should great poise against the Patriots until he got too eager and threw the game changing interceptions late in the game. If he could play with the same poise and focus against Tampa, they should not have any problems moving on to the divisional round. The key for the Giants is the connection between Manning  and Jermey Shockey’s backup, Kevin Boss. 

My only concern about the Giants’ defense is the line. Jeff Garcia has been pretty successful agaisnt the defense. So far, Garcia boast a 4-1 record against  New York.  The defence must make adjustments to Gruden’s variation of the West Coast Offence.  In Chucky’s version, Garcia can ad lib his adjustments whenever and connect quickly with the wide outs. However, I believe that New York will make those adjustments.

For the wild card round, I pick  the ‘Skins over the Seahawks and the Giants over the Bucs.

REDSKINS WIN!

Photos from NFL.com

Four days after the funeral of Sean Taylor, the Redskins had to take the field yet again against a tough Chicago Bears team. Washington won 24-16 in a nailbiter at Fed Ex Field. Although emotions are still painfully raw and high, the win is definitely what the team needed and what Sean would want.

After the game, Clinton Portis summed the scene up perfectly. It’s good to hear laughter again!

http://www.nfl.com/videos;jsessionid=0A2ECE502F409FE69206F8F7C1AB9981?videoId=09000d5d804e0f30

Sean Taylor 1983-2007

 

” This is such a tragic, horrible unnecessary death–another example of the incessant violence in this city and this country”  -Attorney  Richard Sharpstein

Redskins Saftey Sean Taylor died early Tuesday morning, a day after he was shot by an intruder in his home. Taylor was 24.

Contrary to previous reportes, Taylor was shot in the groin and suffered massive blood from a severed femoral artery. There was hope when it was reported that Taylor squeezed a nurse’s hand. As more details emerge, now we know that

-There was a break in eight days prior to this incident, and Taylor asked for premisson from Coach Joe Gibbs to stay in the area to handle the situation.

-Late Sunday night, Taylor and his girlfriend were startled by noises in his Palmetto Bay home. Taylor then grabbed a machette from underneath his bed and went to investigate the noises.  An armed intruder fired two shots one of them fatally pierced Taylor’s groin.

-Taylor’s baby daughter was also in the bedroom and she slepted through the shooting.

-It is being reported that the phone lines were cut and Taylor’s girlfriend called 911 on her cell phone.

At this point, it is unkonwn if this incident was related in any way to the 2005 incident in which he was arrested on felony charges of waving a gun at people he belive had stolen his ATV. Taylor ended up pleaing no contest to misdamenor assault  and battery. After the plea, one of the men that Taylor accuesed sued him for lost wages and medical bills.

Taylor was trying to steer clear of bad company for the sake of his daughter. Taylor’s cousin and FSU safety Anthony Leon said “Sean wasn’t a bad guy at all. He got his personality on the football field and off of it, All he was trying to do was protect his family. And they shot him”

The Red Zone sends its condolences to the Taylor family and the Redskins Family.

Taylor Targeted?

According to the Miami Herald, Sean Taylor’s Palmetto Bay home was broken into 8 days before the shooting.

The story said that suspects broke into the house, went through Taylor’s things and left a kitchen knife on the bed. Miami-Dade reports also stated that someone broke into Taylor’s house on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, by prying open a front window. The bugulars went through several rooms and they were looking through drawers and a safe.

According to the All Pro’s Attorney, Richard Sharpstein,  there are quite a few people jealous of Taylor’s success.  Right now, that is the understatement of the day.

Taylor’s surgery ended around 12:30 p.m. However due to the ammount of blood lost, his brain is at risk of injury. Currently, Taylor is in ICU and doctors gave his family permisson to visit.

Redskins’ Taylor Shot In Miami

 Washington Redskins Safety Sean Taylor was shot and wounded at his Palmetto Bay home early Monday morning. At this point,  details are still vague but this is what we know thus far-

Miami-Dade Police were sent to Taylor’s home around 1:45 a.m. after Taylors’ live in girlfriend called 911 and said he was shot. Taylor was then airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he is in critical condition. Redskins officials are now saying that Taylor is in a coma. It is unkonwn if it was medically induced.

Currently, Miami-Dade Police are investigating the possiblity of a robbery or a buglary at the home.

Keep Taylor, his family and the Redskins in your prayers.

RED ZONE’S SEASON FORECAST: NFC EAST

  

1.Cowboys

The only reason why I have them at the top is their defense. Dallas’ defense has the advantage over the others in the division at this point. The attention whoring duo of Tony Romo and Terrell Owens will have their bright moments. However, I’m afraid those moments will be overshadowed by mess. Wild Card material at best.

2007 projected record 9-7

2.Eagles

Philly released the heart and soul of the defense yesterday in a shocking move. They will regret this decision and regret all the way to a losing record. I’m not sold on McNabb remaining healthy for a full season. This may get nasty

2007 projected record 8-8

3.Redskins

The only thing stopping Washington from developing into a great team is the defense. While the Skins somewhat addressed the defense needs in the offseason, it was not enough. Another concern of mine is the health of Clinton Portis. Without “Southeast Jerome” , Washington’s offense is rendered one dimensional, and Jason Campbell isn’t quite ready to handle the pressure yet

2007 projected record 7-9

4.Giants

Jermey Shockey, you have my deepest sympathy because it seems like you are the only one on your team that want to win. You are the only guy in that locker room with some passion and motivation. I commend you for not getting in to the beef with Eli and Tiki, and commenting on Strahan.

2007 projected record 5-11

WHY?

Today, I realized that the induction ceremony for the Pro Football Hall Of Fame is only a month away. While this year’s class is strong and impressive, I can’t help but to think about two people that should have been wearing that yellow jacket years ago! I can’t help but to wonder why Art Monk and Roger Craig are not in the Hall of Fame when they have contirbuted more than their share to the league and their teams.

Despite being eclipsed by Rice, Carter, Brown and Reed in the record books, Monk’s resume is still impeccable! Monk was the first WR to reach 900 career receptions (940), amassed 12,721 career receiving yards, 68 touchdowns, and most important, three Super Bowl rings (XVII,XXII,XXVI). Currently, no receiver in the Hall Of Fame have more catches,yards, and titles* than Monk.  While statistics play a huge part in selection, impact on a team plays even a bigger part. With that said,no one could deny the enormous impact that Art Monk had on the Washington Redskins during the 1980’s.

While Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders received all the attention from the media and scared defensive coordinators, Monk was the man behind the Smurfs’/Posse’s success. This is so because Monk was the inside receiver that most defenses focused on thus leaving Clark or Sanders open for the 50 yard bomb.  Monk was catalyst of that receiving corp because he did what was necessary to make Joe Gibbs’ offense one of the most feared and potent in the league.  He was the guy that ran routes accross the middle, moved the chains in third down situations to open up opportunities  for John Riggins and Earnest Byner.  Speaking of the running game, Monk’s blocking was top notch and it helped the running backs gain considerable yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

For all the hard work and stats over the years, all Monk gets is rejections and a 46 minute discussion among voting sportswriters about his importance!(Peter King, Monday Morning ,QB Nov. 2005). If that isnt insulting enough, there are a few Monk naysayers that implied that he is overlooked because he didnt make a spectacular catch or huge play in the Super Bowl or conference championship games  like Lynn Swann did ( Leonard Shapiro, A Hall Of Mystery, Feb. 2005)

If all it took to get in the Hall of Fame as a receiver was to make some eye popping, flashy catches and big plays, why did it take Swann 14 years after eligibilty to get in? If flash is all it takes for receivers, why isn’t Clark and Sanders considered for the hall? If it is simply flash that some of these sportscasters want from their Hall Of Fame receivers, then what is Steve Largent doing in Canton? As far as big plays are concerned, where is Dwight Clark’s bust?

Michael Irvin may have the WR slot for this years class. However, Monk should be wearing the yellow jacket no earlier than next August or in 2009. After ‘09, his chances may be even slimmer because Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, and Cris Carter will be eligible in 2010 at the earliest. Since 2010 will be stacked with WR’s, you all might as well vote Monk, Rice, Brown,Carter, and Reed in at one time and call it a day.

On the other hand, you can be a great player and even an intrigal part of a revolutionary offense and not even be on the Hall of Fame Ballot.  Forty Niner great Roger Craig have been eligible for the hall since 1998 and no one in the selection comittee is giving him the time of day. While his stats may not be as gaudy and Walter Payton’s, Barry Sanders’ and Emmitt Smith’s, Roger Craig had a significant impact on the game. You all must have forgot that Craig is the innovator of the modern day running back-a double threat on the ground and through the air!  This guy was the first running back to gain more than 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards recieving in a season.(1985)  In 1988, Craig reached and broke the 2,000 combined yardage mark for the second time in his 11 year career. In additon to being elected to the Pro Bowl at both halfback and fullback, Craig also remains the only running back to lead the league in receiptions and the only one to record 100 yards receiving in the Super Bowl.

Remember when I mentioned that some sportswriters and sportscasters implied that a big play was needed? Well, who you think kept the Niners’ hopes alive  during  the closing minutes of Super Bowl XXIII with his opening catch and two  runs? While that sequence was remembered for John Taylor’s winning TD, it was Craig along with Jerry Rice that helped the Niners overcome a pontentally devistaing penality by Randy Cross. 

Simply put, Roger Craig was just as infuluental in the Niner dynasty as Walsh, Montana, Rice, Lott, and Clark, and  his respect and his HOF nod is long overdue. Don’t get me wrong, he was playing in the huge shadow of arugueably the greatest quarterback, receiver and safety to ever play, and overlooking the contributions is easy. However, those contributions are worthy for at least consideration.

* NOTE: The titles statement is among those already in Hall. Irvin has 3 himself but he is not offically enshrined.