Just some notes as I go back and watch the game a second time...- Carr stares down Andre on 2nd and 6 from the Titans 24, throws into quadruple coverage off his back foot and gets picked off. Kubiak was screaming at him as he came off the field. I'll ask the coach today - but my guess is he was telling him you have to look on the other side of the field. Stop locking in and forcing throws...and costing us points...and making me look bad...and making me wonder how I could think I could win with you as the QB.
- Defense forces a punt on the next drive, but Edell Shepherd lets the ball bounce at the 16 (right at his feet) and luckily it bounces into the endzone. This is a repurcussion of releasing Philip Buchanon and continuing to play without a punt return man.
- Zach Wiegert got slapped aside like a high school kid by Robaire Smith on the first sack on Carr.
- Mario Williams makes an outstanding play, reading screen pass, jumping up to keep VY from making the throw, then chases him down for the sack. That is being disruptive and that is what he needs to do.
- Shepherd bonehead play #2, he fields a punt backpedalling at the 3 yard line. Here's the rule - you place your feet at the ten yard line - if you have to go back to catch it, then let it go. Very simple, yet he couldn't figure it out. Fair catches inside the 5 yard line probably happen about 1 time a season in the NFL.
- VY scores on a 20-yard scramble after the coverage is good and the pocket collapses. But this must be mentioned. I neglected to rap CC Brown earlier for his lack of desire on a potential INT on a deep throw to Drew Bennett. The ball bounced off Brown's foot, he never once considered looking for the ball, AND he didn't once think about hitting the receiver. I wonder what exactly he did think about doing. I bring this up know b/c at the end of the TD scamper, Dunta Robinson tries to push him out inside the 5, but doesn't quite get enough of him as he barely gets there in time to even lay a hand on him. But Brown is already slowing down and pulling up at the 1 yard line, instead of accelerating and laying a hit on the opposing QB, possibly causing a fumble, but certainly sending a message - he does nothing. Not very encouraging.
- Rookie Wali Lundy does a great job on his 35 yard run, finding a small hole and then cutting back to provide the big yardage. The bad news is he was tracked down by 3 of their front 7 guys who are supposed to be slow.
- Wiegert and Carr get bailed out by a flag in the secondary. Carr rolled right into the one-man pressure but a flag wiped a 2nd VandenBosch sack off the board.
- Nice blitz call by Richard Smith on the Titans final drive of the half, Morlon Greenwood comes unblocked right up the middle. VY is able to sidestep him but it forces a throw behind the receiver and Jason Simmons nearly picks it off.
- Kubiak and staff needed to make up their mind on whether to be aggressive or not at the end of the half. And the decision was easy, with more than two minutes remaining the decision is to play football - not give up. Carr's lack of recognition of the pocket and the blitz resulted in the embarrassing fumble returned for a TD with 0:08 seconds s left in the half.
- No comment on Shepherd's third bonehead play in the half when he fumble the kickoff without even being touched.
- Second half - Carr faces a little pressure on a bootleg and just launches one 20 yards past a wideopen Andre Johnson that easily could have been a touchdown.
- Carr's day was done just moments later, b/c Ephraim Salaam's terrible day continued. A blindside hit by Travis LaBoy caused another Carr fumble and that was all she wrote for DC. As usual Carr just doesn't hold onto the ball. QB's have to learn to hold the ball even after big hits.
- After the defense forced a punt, Sage had his first pass picked off and it was clear why. It's b/c Johnson had no idea the ball would be there when it was supposed to be. Before 'Dre had even made his break Rosenfels let 'er fly and the throw was right on the money. That is how a QB is supposed to deliver the ball.
- The rest of the game Sage looked as cool as could be behind the same crappy line that has Carr's happy feet in full spasm all game long. The only time Sage was even close to being sacked was on the 2-pt play. He has a feel for the pocket and a feel for the rush and an obvious command of the offense - all that despite having zero reps with the first team since the season began. He spends his week running the other teams plays and yet when called upon to run his teams he does so flawlessly.
Five turnovers and the team still had a chance because Kubiak finally made the best call of his career as a head coach.
---- WEX
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