The Designed Rush column covers all NFL action through Sunday each week. Of course, with the exception of Week 17 and the postseason, there’s this pesky thing called Monday Night Football. Which means there are possibly significant developments and storylines left uncovered. Solution: The Designed Redux, which will gather up the most interesting tidbits from Monday’s action, as well as the continued fallout from Sunday.
The Designed Redux: Making Sense Of Monday Night, If Not The Ines Sainz Scandal
The Ravens ground out a victory over the offensively punchless Jets. The Chargers couldn’t complete their comeback against the Chiefs. Mike Tunison offers his observations from those games as well as the most pressing NFL news from the start of the week.
Disconnected Observations From The Monday Double-Header:
- Chargers fans shouldn't necessarily panic after their loss to the Chiefs, unless of course the team should ever have to play in inclement weather again at some point this season. Not that San Diego has ever been much of a team capable of winning a tough slog in bad conditions, but they're been especially poor at it the last few seasons. Really, all of their opponents who don't play in domes should have the silver iodine at the ready when the Chargers are coming into team.
- It was a bustastic Monday for fantasy studs: Ray Rice (NFL.com Average Draft Position: 5.20, 61 total yards, but only 2.0 ypc), Shonn Greene (ADP: 20.32, 17 total yards, two fumbles, one lost) and Ryan Mathews (ADP: 13.83, 75 yards, one lost fumble) faltered. Jamaal Charles, meanwhile. was the only top 25 player in action that actually lived up to his promise with 100 total yards and a score. Rice and Green can be somewhat excused given the quality of defense they were playing, though it should be distressing how many carries LaDainian Tomlinson got for the Jets and that he averaged more than five yards per rush on them.
- Take a look at this meeting of the minds from the end of the Monday night late game. Quite the chess match with the game on the line. Of course the defense prevails in that situation, for in the world of the incompetent, the one who relies on nothing being accomplished is king.
Now, is it glib to summarily dismiss their football acumen simply both they’ve both been underwhelming-to-awful head coaches in the NFL? Perhaps. Will that stop me? Not bloody likely.
- Speaking of Norv, how is it possible he went with his predictable yet also predictably ineffective call to run Darren Sproles up the gut when the Chargers had goal to go with less than a minute remaining? Especially considering how effective Mike Tolbert had been running earlier in the game?
- It's probably the Jets only hope on offense, but I do think Santonio Holmes will make a huge impact once he returns from suspension. The Steelers made hay for years by throwing Holmes screens at the line, only for him to bust out 10+ yard dashes using his amazing open field ability. That certainly makes an offense run by check-down option happy Mark Sanchez more effective immediately.
NFL Player Tweet of the Day
"All I can do is LOL at the jets Female Reporter! She walks into a locker room full of men and think some one not gonna say nothing LMFAO!!!"
-- Darnell Dockett, Monday afternoon.
The ongoing and increasingly mushrooming scandal with TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz and the New York Jets seems to get more unfortunate by the minute for several reasons. For starters, it seems as though Sainz only seized on it once it seemed as though there was a possible scandal to exploit.
Of course, that scandal wouldn’t be possible if not for the alleged unfortunate comments made by the Jets players. However provocatively Sainz was dressed at Jets practice (or in the above Fox News interview) she is a credentialed member of the media and thus deserving of a level of respect tantamount to all the others there.
What would normally be a teapot tempest sure to dissipate once owner Woody Johnson issued his apology on behalf of the Jets organization has only taken on renewed fervor with idiotic comments made by Redskins running back Clinton Portis and others, such as Dockett’s comment made above. Portis quickly apologized for his foolish comment that suggested that any woman must certainly be attracted to at least one of the 53 football players in a locker room, therefore granting those 53 players the right to treat her as a sex object, even if she is there to do a job.
The inane reactions aren’t limited to fellow players, of course. There are plenty in the media making leery judgments of Sainz. You can see that in the interview posted above when the anchor questions the tightness of her jeans. Blogs aren’t in the clear when it comes to such reactions, typified by the comments churned out by the now regrettably revived Awful Announcing.
Perhaps it was a cynical ploy for attention by Sainz. If so, that’s unfortunate, but possibly not as much as some of the ugly views that were brought out in the wake of her stunt.
A Delicious Smaller Bundle Of Gripes
- Apparently part of the Jaguars pregame festivities for their opener against the Broncos was having the mascot assail a guy in the jersey of hometown hero Tim Tebow. Because nothing riles up the fan base like beating up someone they love who their team passed on drafting in the first round.
- Tom Brady on the overturned Calvin Johnson touchdown catch: “I’m never one to bitch about the rules, because the Tuck Rule, that kind of got us a Super Bowl.” We’ll have to keep that in mind when he cries for a flag every time he’s contacted by a defender.
- A little thing like losing isn't about to stop Rex Ryan from spouting off at the mouth, this time about the Jets upcoming game against the Patriots. Ryan claimed Darrelle Revis is the only guy in the league capable of shutting down Randy Moss one-on-one. Last year's contests between the two teams would seem to support that claim. Of course, if last night's loss to the Ravens is any indication, the Pats will be all too thrilled to take big gains with whoever Kyle Wilson is covering.
- Laurence Maroney was dealt on Monday to the Broncos. Because, along with Jabar Gaffney, Josh McDaniels can never wait to once again coach the players he never had success with in New England.
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