Acting Cordial: Talking Vikings and Redskins with Redskins Hog Heaven
Welcome to Acting Cordial, which is the easiest article we get to produce all week on this stupid blog, because someone else does half the work for us! In reality, it's a decent way to see what's going on with this week's Vikings opponent, dig inside their vast political minds, and find out just how badly we're going to troll these clowns. This week, we team up with Bloguin brother "Redskins Hog Heaven" to ask the TOUGH QUESTIONS heading into the sixth game of the regular season already. Read on as we discuss Doug Williams (I pretty much get called a racist), what an "Alfred Morris" is, and just how stupid Griffining is. I mean, come on ESPN. Just cut that shit out already.
Be sure to head over to Redskins Hog Heaven later Friday as well, as I answered a slew of their questions in return. There is some amazing football knowledge (and swear words!) in both spots, so don't hesitate to travel there and insult them through "cordial" trash talk. Check them out on their blog, or harass them during the game on Twitter, when we get our comeuppance for them destroying Purple Jesus last year. YOUR TIME HAS COME!!
On to the questions!
Purple Jesus Diaries: Doug Williams vs. RGIII - Who ya got?! ... Meaning, in all your wildest fantasies, did you ever expect RGIII to do this well as a rookie, and are you thinking of a Redskins Super Bowl victory in the near future?
Redskins Hog Heaven: Why do people always bring race into RGIII comparisons. Why isn't Griff v3.0 compared to Fran Tarkenton or Sonny Jurgenson or some other Scandinavian. Griffin exceeds my wildest hopes and dreams for humanity, but until RGIII gets the Redskins to a Super Bowl, I got DWI.
PJD: Can you blame us if we have some serious ill will directed towards you? Your team destroyed the most golden of knees in all of football. BUT NOT EVEN THAT COULD STOP HIM. Do you feel at all guilty about this behavior (you should) and can you promise not to do it again (please)?
RHH: Football is a world of men. Grow up and take it. What do you expect from a defense once coached by Gregg Williams? It's not like we paid anyone for a kill-shot. Here's my problem. The Redskins (Can you use that word in Minnesota?) knocked Purple Jesus and Christian Ponder OUT and still lost. Got nothing to say about that, huh?
PJD: As an aside, I'm a huge Nebraska football fan, so seeing Roy Helu (IR), Niles Paul (now a TE?) and Dejon Gomes (starting safety?) on your team provides mixed emotions. How are you feeling about these three, and how is Niles doing as a TE? That seems like a weird transition, although my wife says he's got a stellar hind quarters, so maybe it's a natural move. And I'm aware it was Gomes who atom-bombed Purple Jesus' knee, but I'll let it slide since Purple Jesus has come back fairly well so far.
RHH: The Husker kids are having their ups and downs. Helu is on IR. I like him and his potential. Gomes is a growth project. We think he has a future, but as a contributor, not as a star. Paul is an example of how hard it is to transition to a new position in the NFL. We'll be into 2013 before we know if this works. Meanwhile, he isn't making fans forget Chris Cooley.
PJD: What is an Alfred Morris? What is this guy's story, where did he come from, and is he a perfect running back for Shanahan's offensive scheme, or how is it that he is performing so well? Also, can he go ahead and score like 100 yards and a touchdown, but you'll let our offense put up more points for the win? Got him on my fantasy team. I'll hang up and listen.
RHH: Two NFL coaches earned my undying hate as a fantasy baller (now retired) -- Wayne Fontes and Mike Shanahan. Fontes single-handedly forced fantasy football to invent performance scoring by pulling Barry Sanders from the line-up when the Lions were in the Red Zone. The box score would, Sanders 759 yards, 0 TDs. Shanahan practically invented RBBC, the acronym most hated by fantasy owners.
I am officially designating Alfred Morris a "stud." If you own him, play him. Shanahan ain't stupid.There is no fear of committee assignments with Morris. Roy Helu is lost for the season. Evan Royster is gimpy. Tim Hightower is off the team. Ryan Grant is working himself in the offense, but purely in relief.
The back story on Morris is that he was a running back on a bad Florida Atlantic University team (1-11 in 2011). Retired Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger still has weight in the NFL. Schnellenberger recommended Morris to the Redskins organization who brought Morris in as a potential fullback, like Mike Anderson in Denver.
What the Redskins found in Morris was a big back who would have fit Joe Gibbs' downfield offense, like Riggins, but with one-cut running skills like a young Clinton Portis. The Redskins are in the third year of Shanahan's zone blocking scheme. Morris has been the perfect fit.
Morris and Griffin III's running are, or was, complimentary. Fear of RGIII gave an edge to Morris,while Morris forced defenses to respect play-action. Griffin's concussion and possible absence from the Vikings game is the only fly in the ointment. On the one hand, he will get more carries if Griffin is out. But, defenses have no fear of Kirk Cousins or Rex Grossman running, so defending Morris is a little easier.
Maybe you heard the cute story about Morris' ride. He kept the 1991 Mazda he drove in college. His teammates nicknamed it "Bentley."
As for 100 yards and a score, talk to your purple friends or call a replacement ref. Don't talk to me.
PJD: If I see ESPN try and stuff "Griffining" down my throat one more time, I may change orientation. What the hell is their deal? Have you ever seen one Redskins fan do any "Griffining" and take themselves seriously? Have you ever seen a fan do it at all? Please don't tell me "you people" are buying into that shit.
RHH: One of my blogging, Twitter colleagues, @BurgundyBlog, started that shirt in honor of Griffin and in mockery of Tebow(ing). I have stopped taking his calls. No, I haven't see us people Griffining after two or three days of the insanity.
Griffin, by the way, Tebows upon entering games and after scores. Only he does the Catholic version with the genuflection and signing. Former alter boy here. I recognize the signs. Surely a blog named for Jesus has no objection.
PJD: Did you see the recent comments from Michael Wilbon calling DC a horrible sport town? Then he got into it with a popular local sports guy there, Dan Steinberg, or something. What is Wilbon's deal? Does he get a free pass because he's just a fat talking head who has covered the area? Or is he just being a total boner nose? And what's your take on DC as a sports town?
RHH: Heard the chatter on sports talk radio. Didn't read the story. As s citizen journalist-blogger, I know you have to make an over-the-top statement to attract outraged readers. Outrage = traffic. Wilbon's story a success for him. There are three points here.
1) I'm not sure what Wilbon meant by "sports town." Here are the last titles won by a Washington pro team -- Redskins 1991, Wizards/Bullets 1978, Senators 1933. Capitals never. Local fans have supported those teams through a long dry spell at a level appropriate for their odds of winning.
2) Wilbon's comments came when ESPN the Magazine featured DC as a sports town because pro sports has become very exciting around here. That's different. That's why ESPN made it a feature story. Although Wilbon now works for ESPN, he must not subscribe the ESPN's magazine.
3) Wilbon was the most popular sportswriter at The Washington Post for about 30 years. Wilbon bit the hands of the fans that fed him for so long, then he peed on their foot. The comments stung because it came from him.
PJD: Rumor has it your team likes to run with Morris to set up dynamic plays for RGIII. Would you say that's a fair assessment of your offense, or do you think at this point Shanahan freely puts more trust in Captain Subway to do his own thing and run the show?
RHH: Griffin will get a good talking to today about doing his own thing. If you are going to get hit like that, at least slide out of bounds and draw a flag. That's why the NFL "invented out of bounds." Morris is in charge of banging for the last yard. OK?
PJD: If you were a SMART Vikings head coach (big "IF"), how would you go about stifling the Redskins on offense? What's your game plan?
RHH: This will sound odd. Stop the running game. We already described why the Redskins are a run-first team. Dust off your Tebow Broncos defense and adapt it to Washington.
There are now five weeks of video on the Redskins. Flaws are emerging. The 'Skins made 12 first downs against Atlanta; only one was a third-down conversion. Griffin is elusive, deceptive when handing-off, and he is an excellent passer. Defenders have had success pressing from the edges, but staying home in the middle. Pierre Garcon can beat you deep and he blocks well, but he has drops and is not rugged. These are the same complaints the Colts had about him.
If you contain Redskins rushing and stop big plays, you can stop Washington's offense.
PJD: Similar, if you were a Vikings head coach that had a brain in his top head instead of his penis one, how would you exploit the Redskins defense? What defensive positions are you most worried about?
RHH: Redefine "all day" from Adrian Peterson to passing all day against Washington's secondary. In fact, leave AP home. You didn't need him last year to beat Washington.
Jim Haslett is working ways to cope with Washington's weakness at defensive backs. S Brandon Meriweather may return from injury to play his first game as a Redskins. Matt Ryan threw the ball 52 times in the win over Washington. He had to. Until Michael Turner's game-clinching TD run, the Falcons were getting nowhere on the ground. That should be clue enough.
PJD: Vikings win! Right? Despite my misgivings about Leslie Frazier as a coach up until this season (so far ...) he does have a pretty stellar record of 2-0 against the Redskins in his short tenure. Think he pulls off another one? Does RGIII "Griffin" all over the Vikings? Give us your game prediction.
RHH: When the Vikings were bad, I picked the Redskins to win and they lost. Now that the Vikes might be good, I'm picking the 'Skins to "lose" by 4. See what I did there? I'm Griffining you with reverse-psychology.
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DAMN YOU GRIFFINING!! Thanks again, Redskins Hog Heaven, and be sure to check out their excellence over on their blog. They're nice and all, but his reverse psychology isn't going to work. We are going to bring down that Capitol building with the power of Purple Jesus!!
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PJD Q&A up over on Redskins Hog Heaven. More greatness! http://www.redskinshogheaven.com/2012-articles/october/talking-vikings-redskins-with-purple-jesus-blog-what-you-need-to-know.html
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Meh, 'Skins safety Brandon Meriweather out another four weeks. Washington relies on Madieu Williams instead. /cries
@SkinsHogHeaven You guys have Madieu Williams, and are actually going to play him?!?! Oh man... I REALLY love our chances this week now!
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@the4norsemen Nah, he's a good guy. He's giving me a bunch of shit because that's how I started our conversation. Big surprise, PJD being an asshole, I know!
