SportsNation Guide: NFL Week 5

October 10, 2009
Oct
10
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We understand the fixation on the Patriots and Broncos. It's Bill Belichick taking on his former offensive coordinator. It's the most surprising of the 4-0 teams against the decade's gold standard, and a team that has faced an unbeaten team every week so far. It's Tom Brady dueling … Kyle Orton. But for a lot of fans, Week 5 is as much about salvaging seasons -- or at least finding glimmers of hope -- as showcasing championship mettle.

BucsgirlDK, a Buccaneers fan in Denmark (wouldn't the Vikings be a better fit?), blogs about coach Raheem Morris and the front office as the team prepares to face the Eagles.

  • "I won't be too hard on him for being 0-4 because there is simply not enough talent on the team to be competitive with the tough schedule we have this year. But he has seemed to be in way over his head at times. Maybe he is a little too much of a player's coach. We have seen a few more disciplinary issues this offseason than in most years and on the field there have been a lot of missed tackles, penalties and blown assignments. Those issues aren't about talent but about being focused and disciplined on the field. There will always be problems with a young team but strong coaching can help a lot." Read the full post.

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    NFL with Gary Horton
    • Shane (Los Angeles, CA)Mr. Horton, what is your take on the Cards' running game now? It looks like Beanie Wells has what it takes to be a smash mouth, downhill runner. Do you think opponents are going to have to "pick their poison" with the Cards now?
    • Gary HortonOh I think the run game with Wells and Hightower has a chance to be explosive with a 1-2 punch. What makes it even more dangerous is the fact you have to defend the multiple WR matchups which puts you in nickel and dime personnel and that makes it easy to run against. And Kurt Warner is good off of play action. Right now, defenses have to sit back and play honest and honor the run, instead of double covering the WRs outside. This has always been a great offense without a real threat of a run game. But if this stays consistent with Wells as a power runner and Hightower as a changeup and receiver out of the backfield, it's going to be tough to defend these guys out of the stretch.
    • Paul (Denver)How many things need to be fixed in order for Cutler and the Bears to get back on track?
    • Gary HortonWhere do we start? Obviously, the offensive line is not great because he's running for his life on every play. An even bigger problem may be the fact that the run game has become non-existent. Matt Forte has become a non-factor, though a lot of that goes to the OL. You have no play action package and defenses can come right after Cutler. He has no chemistry with his WRs and his go-to guy is his TE. But having said that, the problem comes down to Cutler. His reads are those that shouldn't be done by someone with his experience. His balls hang and DBs can jump his routes. I know people that defend him say that he's just trying to make a play. But there are times when you just throw the ball away and he doesn't do that. I don't like his body language. He's a guy that tries to defer the blame to everyone else. You can't make those kinds of mistakes in this league. He has a big arm. He can dazzle you at times, but the mistakes he makes are game changing and those you expect from a rookie. His problems go a lot deeper than you might realize and it might take longer to fix. He's too good a football player to continue to play at this level.

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