Jay Gruden has been fired. It was a long time coming. Bill Callahan is now the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2019 season. This is currently the only logical choice to lead the Redskins on an interim basis. Callahan is a damn good football coach and has tons of experience coaching in the NFL and at the college level. His approach to the game is entirely different from Gruden’s. He has a different style and approach to practice and to game planning, which might be the jolt of adrenaline this team needed heading into week 6 against the winless Dolphins.
I watched Callahan’s press conference, and I liked the things he said. He seemed focused on turning our running game around, which is something I have been screaming for the last five weeks. The playcalling duties on offense will be turned over to Kevin O’Connell. There is much buzz surrounding O’Connell around the NFL. He is viewed as a young, dynamic, up and coming football coach, similar to how Sean McVay was considered when he was with the ‘skins. I hope all these changes pay dividends immediately, we are already 0-5, and we need to beat the Dolphins to salvage what is left of the season. The fan base needs something to look forward to next season.
Firing Gruden will not miraculously solve the issues plaguing this team. We all know Dan Snyder is the real problem here, and things will not really change for the better until he sells the team, so Dan, please sell the team.
My current overall disposition regarding my Redskins: Renewed Hope
And now for the rest of the league:
Seahawks 30-Rams 29: Although Todd Gurley scored 2 TDs, the Rams still struggled to get him going. The Seahawks defense stepped up big time to hold back the Rams dynamic offense.
Colts 19-Chiefs 13: The Chiefs defense is full of holes. Mahomes was limping around for most of the game, but he still threw for over 300 yards. The Colts defense played like a top 5 defense. Massive win for the Colts.
Packers 34-Cowboys 24: As I have been saying for weeks, the Cowboys record is a mirage. They now have lost 2 straight games, and they are exactly whom I thought they were. The Packers offense seems to slowly but surely be coming together under Matt LeFleur’s system, plus their defense keeps them in close games.
Vikings 28-Giants 10: Daniel Jones was finally exposed by a real NFL defense. He was roughed up, hurried, sacked, etc. He looked like a rookie is supposed to look like, and I still believe that he was inserted way too soon into the starting line up. The Vikings are beating teams with losing records, and they have already lost to their division rivals (the Bears and the Packers) Which makes their run at a division title pretty tough, especially with now 2 games behind in the division. Next week they play the Eagles, and we will get a better sense of what kind of team the Vikings are.
Eagles 31-Jets 6: Le’Veon Bell has not been able to be effective running the ball, Jamison Crowder and Robby Anderson were nonexistent in this game. Demaryius Thomas finally made his presence felt with 4 catches. The Jets are struggling to get all their weapons going; this offense should be a lot better than what they are showing so far. The Eagles are beating teams they are supposed to beat, next week they face the Vikings defense, and we will see if they are legit or not.
Panthers 34-Jaguars 27: This was the battle of the backup quarterbacks, and Kyle Allen got the win, but Gardner Minshew had the better game. McCaffrey was on fire again, lifting this Panthers offense. Things in this division are getting interesting.
49ers 31-Browns 3: The hype machine behind Baker Mayfield and the browns took another hit. I have been saying since pre-season that the 49ers would be the most improved team this season, and they are still undefeated. Jimmy G looks shaky at times but still manages to be effective when he needs to be. The 49ers defense is legit; they will make some noise in the NFC. Most of the sports media has crown Baker Mayfield as a superstar, but I still think he is overrated.
Texans 53-Falcons 32: Deshaun Watson had a career game, and the final score tells the story. The Falcons are about to cost their Head coach Dan Quinn his job very soon.
Ravens 26-Steelers 23: Lamar Jackson had a bad game, but his defense and their kicker Justin Tucker came through to make this game close and get them a big divisional win. The Steelers lost Mason Rudolph after he was knocked out cold, and basically, the game was pretty much lost after he was replaced by Devin Hodges.
Raiders 24-Bears 21: Josh Jacobs is making a case for rookie of the year. The Raiders are now 3-2 and surprising many people, but not me. I have been saying since the start of the season that both the Raiders and 49ers will be the two most improved teams this 2019 season. There was much talk about Chase Daniel being better than Trubisky in this offense, but after this performance, those comments have been silenced, well, for at least a week.
Saints 31-Buccaneers 24: Terry Bridgewater is filling-in nicely for Drew Brees, keeping the Saints winning. The Bucs are still trying to get something going. They are losing close games; they are a work in progress. Bruce Arians will get this team on the right track soon enough.
Bills 14-Titans 7: Josh Allen and the Bills got themselves another big win. Derrick Henry managed to get some decent yards against probably one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Cardinals 26-Bengals 23: Kyler Murray got his first win as an NFL QB. This was his best game so far, although against a winless team, but who cares, a win is a win. The Bengals are awful and going nowhere fast.
Broncos 20-Chargers 13: The Broncos got their first win of the season behind Phillip Lindsay running for over 100 yards, while the Broncos defense shut down Phillip Rivers with zero TDs and 2 interceptions. These types of divisional games are always tough to predict.
Rod Rioja 