Right Off Russell

It’s Wild Card Week! In preparation for this week’s game, we reached out once again to Bruce Allen over at Patriots Daily.

Welker is the big news item this week. Give us your take on the impact to the team’s strategy. And is there any fallout directed at Belichick for playing Welker and other starters in what was a meaningless game?
Second part first…no, there hasn’t been any fallout on Belichick for playing Welker, but there was a lot of whining in the Boston media because they couldn’t understand why he alternated Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer during the game. As for what to do now that Welker is on IR…they need to turn back the clock and go to the pre-2007 offense. Randy Moss is going to see double-coverage all game long, so they need to get other guys involved. It used to be that Brady might throw to 6 or 7 different guys in the course of a game, with Moss and Welker, he’s really gotten away from that. I think you’ll see more spreading out of the passing game, and an increased focus on the running game, especially now that Fred Taylor is back.

Local news is reporting that Brady is beat up himself, but Brady is saying that he feels good.What do you think? And can Brady take a few hard shots this week? Read more »

This week we have Shea from BlogDown, Chicago Bears giving us some perspective on the 5-8 Bears.

1- What the hell went wrong with this team this year?
The Bears weren’t who they thought they were.

2- Are you disappointed in Cutler or are there larger issues at play? Read more »

This week we have Adam Somers from the Green Bay Packers Blog- Ol’ Bag of Donuts. I am not going to lie to you, I wanted to talk to these guys based entirely on the name of their blog. Anyway, enjoy and hopefully you can get some perspective on this game.

Here are the answers we gave to them.

1. The barrage of sacks taken by Aaron Rodgers seems to have slowed lately. Is that due to a) better line play, b) play calling that gets the ball out of Rodgers hands more quickly, c) a recent schedule that featured teams that have not been able to dial up the pressure, or d) all of the above?
As much as I want to say D, I am going to say B - the play calling. Yes, playing Detroit last week can skew can defensive statistics, only one sack last week, they did allow five sacks to the Motor City Kitties in Week 5 at home. The line certainly has gotten better the past month since the Tampa debacle (six sacks allowed), but it has almost been out necessity because injuries haven’t left them with much depth. What has been the biggest difference is calling more quick-strike plays and having guys like Driver and Jennings beat their man with the ball instead of in-route. Rodgers has also done a great job of checking down of late to their backs and tight ends instead of waiting for the big play and hanging onto the ball, but it doesn’t go deep anymore as witnessed on Thanksgiving with Driver. The play calling is helping Rodgers mature as a quarterback. Read more »

It’s the rivalry game in Baltimore with those sissies from Pittsburgh making their way to M&T Bank Stadium. To help give us some perspective with those sissies, we contacted a Pittsburgh Steeler’s Blog called Post Game Heroes. Here are the questions we answered for them.

Big Ben will most likely play on Sunday night. Are you terrified at the thought of Dixon running the offense if Ben gets hurt again? Read more »

For a little more inofrmation on this weeks opponent, we were able to work with the guys over at the Colts Blog-18 to 88. Here are the answers we gave them.

Indy is unbeaten but they are not dominating. A win is a win, but there are few people predicting an undefeated season. Who trips up the Colts?
We predicted Indy to lose at Houston before the season. I like the Texans a lot, and while Indy has dominated the series, the games at Houston are always tough. That’s the game I think will tough to come away with. Beyond that, I suppose the game at Jacksonville could be tough. The Colts have started out with at least a 7-0 mark 4 times in 5 years now. We all know enough to realize that they’ll eventually drop a game. It will be to a good team who plays well. In 2007, it was the undefeated Pats by 4, in 2006 it was Dallas, and 2005 in was the Chargers. Someone will knock Indy off, but they’ll have to bring their best effort.

If you were game-planning against the Colts D. Where would you try to exploit? Read more »

This week we have Gonzo from the Minnesota Vikings Blog- The Daily Norseman. He gives us the in’s and out’s on what to expect from the New Purple People Eaters.

1- It has been the Ravens MO to make teams beat them through the air. If the Ravens stack the line to stop AP, who is going to have a big game at receiver?
If I had to pick one Viking receiver to have a big game this week, even though all of them are starting to develop a rapport with Brett Favre, I’d probably have to take Sidney Rice. I’ve liked this guy a lot ever since we drafted him in ‘07, and after a couple of years dealing with injuries, he’s really started coming around. He’s already over halfway to personal bests in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Favre seems to like him a lot. . .he’s got really good hands, good size (6′4″, 200 pounds), and controls his body well when he’s making the catch. Percy Harvin is a bit dinged up, but if he plays, he could still have an impact, and Bernard Berrian is becoming money on slant routes, but Rice is probably Minnesota’s most complete receiver at this point in time.

2- The Ravens have been quite pass-happy these 1st 5 games. Do you see the Vikings using blitz packages to stop them? Read more »

With the Cincinatti Bengals heading to town this weekend, we thought we would get a bit of prespective on this team from the Boys over at the WhoDey Revolution

1- 3-1 isn’t bad. If not for a fluke play, they would be 4-0 and leading the division. Is this team living up to it’s potential or are they living the dream?
While it’s easy to look at the one fluke play and say that the Bengals could easily be 4-0, the reality is every record is in play for how the Bengals have played. They could have easily won or lost (or even tied) every game on the schedule thus far. With :15 seconds to go in regulation, the outcome of all four games was in doubt. I’d say they are living the dream for now but they’ve got the potential to be in pretty much every game. Catch a few more breaks and they’ll be looking at 8-11 wins.

2- I wasn’t sure if I was reading this correctly, but Antwan Odom has 8 sacks. Wow. Who else on this “Who Dey” Defense is really stepping up? Read more »

Our thanks to Bruce Allen at Patriots Daily for giving us insight into the Patriots and the issues surrounding the Ravens next opponent  You can also check out the Q&A we did for them here:  

1. After 3 games, what is you take on why the Patriots offense has not taken flight like previous versions with Tom Brady at the helm? Read more »

Thanks to Steve DiMatteo the Cleveland Browns blog, Dawg Pound Daily, for giving us some insight into Ravens upcoming opponent.

Most of the national news surrounding the Browns is “Brady verses Derek”. So what’s your take on the situation?
As far as the debate between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson goes, the decision has been made to stick with Quinn and that is the right way to go. No matter what kind of growing pains there are, and there have been plenty, Eric Mangini needs to see what Quinn is made of and the answer can’t be found in just a couple of bad games. That isn’t exactly Peyton Manning sitting on the bench behind Brady Quinn, either. Derek Anderson has plenty of deficiencies of his own, so despite what the national news is, the Browns are making the right decision in sticking with Quinn for now.

The defense seems to hold its own during the 1st half and then struggles in the 2nd half. Are teams adjusting well? or is depth an issue? Read more »

Sign On San Diego

Today, we have Loren Casuto from the San Diego Chargers site, Bolt Talk, giving us some thoughts on the Chargers as they prepare to host the Ravens this weekend.

After escaping with a win in Oakland, is there a sense of concern or optimism from the fan base?
Ironically enough, both. We’ve beaten the Raiders now 12 times in a row and I think quite a few people (myself included) thought we could just steamroll the Raiders. Instead they came out playing with a lot of passion and force, punching us in the mouth quite a bit. There’s a few things to be upset about - being out -muscled at the line of scrimmage, difficulties stopping the run, lack of pass rush, difficulty running the ball. But even with all that said, the will and drive of a team that’s been battered and walking wounded to come back twice in one quarter to twice take the lead can’t be ignored. The Chargers did show a lot of grit and character in their play when some teams would have rolled over. While the Chargers have work to do and a lot of injuries to tend to, character wins like that have a tendency to define a team for a season.

Do you see LT playing in this game? If not, what is the impact to this offense? Read more »