NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Jclombardi highlights Packers headlines about win over Lions.

Guest senior writer jclombardi @ http://lombardiave.com

Packers avoid embarrassment: Detroit marched the ball up and down the field for most of Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field, but Green Bay did just enough to avoid a major upset and claim a 28-26 victory. With the Packers nursing a seven-point halftime lead, Woodson made a diving interception and 48-yard return for a touchdown. That made it 28-14, and Green Bay hung on for dear life for a 28-26 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field. While Green Bay improved to 3-1, the loss was the Lions' 20th consecutive in Wisconsin and 23rd straight on the road overall.

Packers barely beat Lions: the dink-and-dunk offense can take you to the brink of victory. It did for the Green Bay Packers at Chicago and it did for the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field. The operative word, however, is brink.  On a beautiful fall day in front of a sun-soaked crowd of 70,729, the Packers felt it was fair play to perform the same kind of zone concept the Bears used on them. The result was a near miss for the Lions. ”They played well,” safety Nick Collins said. “They executed their game plan. They have trust in their talent. They came in and said, ‘We’re going to dink and dunk the whole game and eventually we’ll go down field if it’s open.’”

CB Charles Woodson superstar: The Packers were perilously close to having their 19-game home winning streak against the Detroit Lions snapped at Lambeau Field, until Woodson decided enough was enough and put the game in his pocket. He did it with a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown at the start of the third quarter and with a pair of pass breakups on the Lions’ final two offensive plays of the night. Woodson was given the assignment of covering the Lions’ Calvin Johnson wherever the enormously talented receiver went.  Johnson got the best of him in the first half with five catches for 72 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown at the end of the half in which Johnson simply out-leaped him for the ball. Woodson also had an 11-yard pass interference penalty. The Lions’ short-passing game also put Woodson in position to come off of Johnson and take on ball carriers in the open field. Though he missed a tackle on running back Kevin Smith and had to work to get tight end Brandon Pettigrew down, he led all tacklers with 10 in the first half.

Special teams hit and miss: The Packers managed to win Sunday despite three slips on special teams again. While these miscues may end up becoming a larger issue down the road, the Packers are choosing to look at them as challenges. And against the winless Detroit Lions, the Packers overcame those challenges to win, 28-26.  ”It’s a battle. And there are going to be positive plays and negative plays in each ball game,” said special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum. “It’s the team that can overcome the adversity, and it sounds like a little bit of a cliché. Kickoff returner Jordy Nelson, who fumbled twice, and punter Tim Masthay who botched a punt, vowed to do better. Just as Nelson got another shot, Masthay made the most of his second chances. A botched drop let to a 21-yard clunker that sailed left and out of bounds on his first punt of the game. A normally patient Lambeau crowd booed him promptly. Masthay hit his next two punts very well – for 52 and 50 yards – and Slocum pointed out that the Packers won the net punting battle averaging 36 for Masthay and 28 for Detroit.

FB Kuhn running man superstar: While no one was suggesting that all of the Packers' problems with their running game had been resolved in a 6 minute, 32-second stretch of game clock Sunday, the way fullback-turned-halfback John Kuhn and the Packers' offense ground out the final minutes of their 28-26 victory over the Detroit Lions at least provided a glimmer of hope that they're headed in the right direction. While the team clearly still misses lead back Ryan Grant, who was lost for the season Sept. 12 to an ankle injury at Philadelphia, and would-be replacement Brandon Jackson has yet to impress (nine carries, 33 yards Sunday, with 14 yards coming on one carry), Kuhn made sure that the pesky Lions, who were forced to punt after their final drive fizzled at the Packers' 37-yard line, never saw the ball again.

Rodgers dislikes game plan:  It seemed out of character for Aaron Rodgers, but there was no misinterpreting what the Green Bay Packers quarterback said Sunday afternoon in the wake of his team's closer-than-it-should've-been 28-26 victory over the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Rodgers isn't happy with the offense, and he thinks coach Mike McCarthy needs to do things differently. Namely, Rodgers wants to run more plays out of the shotgun, empty-backfield spread formation. "It’s a win, so we’re happy about that. (But) offensively, we’ve got to find our identity again," Rodgers said after playing a statistically perfect first half but an imperfect second half to finish 12 of 17 for 181 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions, two sacks and a 105.3 rating. "I think we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got our best players on the field at all times and find ways to get them the ball."

Safety concerns: having lost rookie starter Morgan Burnett to a sprained knee early in their 28-26 victory over the Detroit Lions Sunday at Lambeau Field, and playing without No. 3 safety Charlie Peprah (quadriceps) already, the Packers were down to just two healthy safeties–Pro Bowler Nick Barnett and special-teams ace Derrick Martin–by game's end.

Entering Sunday’s showdown with the Ravens, the Steelers had committed just 11 penalties on the season, and none of them were key to the point where they had changed the game. Total yards in the penalties – 80 yards.

Sunday they committed 11 penalties for 88 yards, including some late when they were trying to burn up the clock leading 14-10.

They were unable to do it, and therefore ended up on the short end of a hard to swallow 17-14 setback in a game most if not all Steelers fans and players felt was theirs for the taking.

“That's Steelers beating Steelers, but through the entire game, too many penalties,” Mike Tomlin said. “We didn't play clean enough to earn a victory. And that's just black and white.”

What was black and white as well was the fact the team never got much into a rhythm because of the penalties, including a key one late on the final punt of the game that put the Ravens in striking distance at the Steelers 40.

That penalty was on Keyaron Fox, and shortened the field for the Ravens to drive for the winning score. In the Steelers drive to try and wrap up the game running the ball, they right away put themselves behind the 8-ball with false starts by both Chris Kemoeatu and Matt Spaeth.

"Some games go like that. I don't know if we were too excited or what was going on, but we made some mistakes,” Ryan Clark said. “You can't beat yourself. Not taking anything away from them [by] saying that they didn't play well, but penalties are what you do to yourself. Those are things that we can control that they don't force us into – kind of unforced errors."

You can always learn from a loss, but watching the Steelers make mistake after mistake and commit penalties that cost them this game was tough to see. They have quite awhile to think about it, as they won’t play another game till October 17th at home against the Browns.

"We like to win. We don't look at it as a positive thing because we always like to finish,” Lawrence Timmons said. “But you can't win them all. We just have to learn from our mistakes here and, hopefully, let them make us stronger."

A late heads up play by wide out Roddy White may have been the biggest of the day for the Falcons, as they rallied for a 16-14 win over the 49ers at home to move to 3-1.

White’s play came when cornerback Nate Clements intercepted Matt Ryan late in the fourth quarter and ran 39 yards down the left sideline, White, coming from behind, knocked the ball out and the Falcons got it back.

"Any time that you see defensive players carrying the ball," Atlanta's star receiver said, "they aren't used to it, so you've got a chance."

The recovery kept the winning drive alive, and Matt Bryant kicked a 43-yarder with 2 seconds remaining to lift the fortunate Falcons to a 16-14 victory. Atlanta has won three in a row.

"It wasn't the prettiest kick," said Bryant. "But the only thing that matters is we get that 'W' when the ball went through the uprights."

The Niners are now 0-4, and blew an early 14-point lead, mostly due to some bad picks by their QB, Alex Smith.

The Falcons run game was led by Michael Turner who had 50 yards, and Jason Snelling finished with 31 yards on seven carries. Ryan was 26 of 43 passes for 273 yards. He hit Tony Gonzalez to convert Atlanta's final third down on a 5-yard pass to the San Francisco 26.

"We knew we just needed a field goal, so we had to get it 20 yards past the 30-yard line," Gonzalez said. "It's definitely all confidence when you are in the huddle at that point."

He was right, and the kick was good. The Falcons remain tied in the NFC South with the Saints, who came from behind to beat the Panthers at home.

The Falcons will be on the road next week to play Cleveland.

The Houston Texans put up a great fight Sunday for the 31-24 win over the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Collesium.  Even though benching the leading NFL rusher and AFC Player of the Month until the six-minute marker of the second quarter, the Texans were led by Foster's run game and a renewed defensive energy. 

The defense stepped up with big Bernard Pollard hits, smart Troy Nolan interceptions, and the strong field presence of DeMeco Ryans.  Overall, the Texans played their hearts out and stuck with it without three of their best players in Andre Johnson, Brian Cushing and Duane Brown.

The Houston Texans played an enormous game coming off such a porous loss against the Dallas Cowboys.   Once again the Texans' run game showed strong and the Texans pass game proved effective.  Quarterback Matt Schaub played smart throwing 16-29 for 192 yards and two touchdowns.  Derrick Ward and Steve Slaton also played their part. 

Ward, who only had one carry going into today's game, had 12 rushes for 80 yards and a touchdown (33-yard in the first quarter).  Slaton had 45 total yards and kept the defense on their heels when in the game.  However, it was Foster's play that set the Texans apart.  The second half included Foster's 74-yard run and a 10-yard catch for touchdowns.  He hit the blocks and kept his feet moving.  If you're missing these games, you need to start watching for Foster. On the downside, Jacoby Jones left the game with an undisclosed injury.

The Oakland Raiders' early run game looked too good to not put seven in the box, and the Texans began to heavily defend the run until McFadden went out with a hamstring injury.  Beforehand Michael Bush, finally healthy after returning from a broken thumb injury suffered in the preseason, scored a two yard touchdown on the Texans to tie the game at 7's. 

Gradkowski hustled for yards, getting whalloped by Texans safety playmaker Bernard Pollard, the last taking Gradkowski momentarily out of the game.  Mario Williams also had a good game on Gradkowski, registering a sack and forced fumble.  However, Oakland's quarterback was able to spread around the ball for 278 yards and two touchdowns. 

Most of that yardage went to the fourth year tight end out of Arizona State, Zach Miller, who put up 122 yards on 11 receptions and a touchdown.  However, Louis Murhpy couldn't get it going in the first half and by the second half was trying too much for his injured elbow. 

His last reception attempt of the game was when the Raiders were driving to tie the game at the end of the fourth quarter.  The Gradkowski pass hit off the hands and arms of Murhphy who knocked the ball into a Texan and for the Troy Nolan one-handed pick and Texans win.

The Texans, now 3-1, were able to pull off the win over the now 1-3 Raiders with effective play calling and a confident defense.  Although the Raiders started this game as the league's number 4 defense against the run, the Texans were able to sit Foster for a quarter and a half and then come back with huge runs to set the Texans offense on track for the win. 

Foster has really proved he's a playmaker for the Texans and it will be interesting to see why he was sat for the first quarter against such a strong rushing team.  But the benching also led to seeing how well Derrick Ward can run in this system. 

Also, Steve Slaton, besides fumbling a kick return upon reception, played well in the game.  And with that run game came great playaction plays by Matt Schaub who only needed 192 yards and two touchdowns to take the Texans to win number 3.

The emotional return of Donovan McNabb to Philadelphia, where he spent his whole career before 2010, was a complete success as the Redskins improved to 2-2 with a 17-12 win.

The QB though that most people wanted to talk about after the game was the Eagles Michael Vick, who was knocked out with a rib and chest injury when he was crushed in the first quarter.

McNabb got the game ball for leading his team to the big win, as he threw for 125 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t make big mistake to allow the Eagles to have an easy score, and by the time it was said and done he leaned on his defense to get the job done.

The Skins built a 14-0 and 17-3 lead, and Philly had a shot late, but a Hail Mary by backup Kevin Kolb failed to give the Redskins the 17-12 win.

The gameplan was not to get into a shootout with the Eagles, and it worked for the Redskins to get into a first-place tie in the NFC East.

"You get into a throwing game specially here, in this environment with the crowd, usually you're in for a long day," Mike Shanahan said. "So you have to establish the run."

They did just that, as they ran for 169 yards on 35 carries, a 4.8 yards per carry average. Ryan Torain ran for 70 yards and a score, and Clinton Portis put up 55 yards while McNabb added 39.

"The relief I got was that this is over, that the whole hoopla and coming back to Philadelphia is over," McNabb said.

And the season for the Redskins is back on the right track after losses to the Texans and Rams.

If there was any question about the rebirth of Jets RB LaDainian Tomlinson, those questions should now be put to rest.

Sunday against a Bills team that is clearly one of, if not the worst in the NFL, L.T. ran for 133 yards and two TD’s as the Jets routed Buffalo 38-14 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

"I know what age I am. It doesn't mean I can't play," Tomlinson said. "I never lost confidence. I always knew I could do it. It was just about having an opportunity."

Buffalo is now 0-4, and going backwards. They showed some fight in New England last week against the Pats, but followed up that performance with an outing that was showered with boo’s and empty seats by their home fans.

At least Bills coach Chan Gailey isn’t afraid to say exactly what he thinks about his pretty bad club.

"We were a bad football team," he said. "When we protected we couldn't catch it. We couldn't protect. We had people going in the wrong spots, getting to the wrong people. We couldn't get off the field on third down. We couldn't convert a third down and we were not good on special teams. We turned the ball over twice and didn't get any turnovers. We got sacked three times and we didn't get any sacks. You play that way and you're not going to win. You're not even going to look decent in this league."

The Jets showed why the Bills are not decent, exposing their soft run defense, and getting to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for three sacks for negative 19 yards. The Jets outgained the Bills 444 to 223, and New York had 24 first downs to 12 for the Bills.

"I'm calling out myself and I'm calling out my teammates," safety Donte Whitner said before dropping a number of profanities. "If we continue playing the way we've been playing, we're not going to get a win."

That may be tough to think about, but watching the Bills these past four weeks has tested even the more dire Bills fans, and even former players. Longtime LB Darryl Talley tweeted that this 2010 Bills team could be worse than the Bills team in 1984. That team, which Talley played on, went 2-14.

Buffalo has scored just 61 points in four games (15.2 per game), and have allowed 125 points (31.2 per game). Unless they get a number of things straight in a hurry, this team truly could be one of if not the worst in Buffalo history, and the Bills could be staring at the #1 pick in April’s draft.

The Jacksonville Jagaurs, should they reach the playoffs this season, will remember the number 59 for all the right reasons.

The Indianapolis Colts came into Jacksonville Sunday to take on the Jaguars in which on paper would heavily favor the Colts. Note that I said would.

Nonetheless, David Garrard squashed that theory as he rallied the Jaguars late in the fourth quarter with Josh Scobee connecting on the game-winning 59-yard (see where 59 fits in?) field goal, allowing Jacksonville to nip Indianapolis 31-28 and rise to the .500 mark.

The Colts, in a rarity, seemed to have trouble holding onto the ball as tight end Brody Eldridge dropped the ball near the goal line which Jaguars defensive end Anthony Smith grabbed and returned to midfield. Also factor in that usually reliable Reggie Wayne fumbled in the third quarter.

Yet despite the miscues, Colts QB Peyton Manning managed to nearly send the game into overtime as he tossed a 1-yard pass to wide receiver Austin Collie, tying the game at 28-all.

But Garrard, in contrast to last week when he couldn’t do much right, rallied the Jaguars a she connected with Tiquan Underwood on a 22-yard pattern pass, which put Jacksonville in range for a long field goal attempt.

Garrard nearly turned the ball over to Indianapolis as he floated a pass to the far sideline. The ball nearly landed in the hands of Colts CB Kelvin Hayden, but Underwood had the presence of mind to break up the pass. Jaguars would then opt to send out Scobee and he would not disappoint, connecting on a franchise-record 59-yard FG, sending the Colts to 2-2 and the crowd at EverBank Field home deliriously happy.

Garrard, on a numbers basis, was just OK as he went 17-for-22 for 163 yards with 2 TDs and rushing for 44 yards and a score while Manning had a decent game, going 33-of-46 for 352 yards with a pair of TDs and an interception.

The Jaguars rushing attack exposed the Colts’ offensive line yet again as Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 105 yards and a TD while catching 2 passes for 16 yards and a score. The Colts were led by Joseph Addai with 16 carries for 63 yards and 2 TDs.

Mike Thomas led all Jaguars with 5 receptions for 68 yards while Underwood caught 3 for 41 yards. Wayne led all Colts receivers with 15 receptions for 198 yards while Dallas Clark caught 7 passes for 68 yards and a score.

Jacksonville (2-2) looks to build momentum as they jet to Buffalo to take on the Bills next Sunday while Indianapolis (2-2) returns to the friendly confines of Lucas Oil Stadium to host the Kansas City Chiefs – also next Sunday.

Out with the Portis (old), in with the Torain (new)

• Tennessee Titans assistant coach Chuck Cecil reminds a referee he’s #1.
• Can we officially say Kyle Orton is a Top-10 QB?  Combine Orton with a defense that shut down Chris Johnson, and all of sudden the AFC West is looking stronger.  Entertaining three-team -race.  Sorry Oakland.
• Five of the eight 1 o’clock games were decided by a field goal or less.  I’m glad my uncle has the NFL Sunday Ticket.  Two televisions, one in high def (makes SUCH a difference), I was flipping through the channels like a mad man.  Had the privilege of catching the end of Pittsburgh-Baltimore, San Francisco-Atlanta, and Tennessee-Denver. Unfortunately, the team I was “rooting” for during each game, ended up losing.
• Watching Mike Vick escape from the pocket and run is exhilarating, well, that is, until he gets hurt.  Early report out of Philly concerning Vick: 3 broken ribs. Eagles are going nowhere with Kolb under center, he isn’t even close to ready.
• Nate Clements will see Roddy White in his nightmares this week.  Not only could he and the 49ers not cover White (7-104), but Clements who had the potential game-clinching interception in his hands, was stripped from behind by Roddy, which resulted in a Falcons recovery, and the eventual game-winning field goal to follow thereafter to seal the deal and an 0-4 start for Singletary’s soldiers.
• I like to look ahead, so let’s fast forward: Week 13, December 5, Sunday Night -Pittsburgh at Baltimore Rematch.  AFC North is the best division in the NFL, this is the best rivalry in the NFL.  Five of the past eight affairs have be decided by three points or less.
• Arian Foster gets benched (coach’s decision), however he’s unfazed, as he piles up 187 yards of total offense and makes two appearances to pay dirt, including a 74-yard touchdown gallop.  Name me three backs better than the former Tennessee Volunteer runner right now, I dare you.
• Peyton and pals were not in this afternoon’s clash with division rival Jacksonville at any moment of the contest.  Free pass?  Who cares, they’ll bounce back like they always do, right?
• 7-10, Colts on 3rd down conversions.  9-13, Jaguars on 3rd down conversions.  A total of six punts.  Efficiency.  Execution. Makes for a fast 60 minutes of football.

Jimmy Clausen, as a rookie quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, is going through growing pains. Sometimes, that can benefit a rookie QB, depending on the team that he plays for.

But Clausen is learning in a baptism under fire-type scenario.

He did improve during Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints; however, recently signed placekicker John Carney (the 46-year old John Carney) booted three field goals, allowing New Orleans to escape past Carolina 16-14.

The Panthers benefitted from the Saints having a somewhat depleted rushing attack as Pierre Thomas was inactive, with Ladell Betts and rookie Chris Ivory running with the rock. New Orleans also turned the ball over at key times.

Saints QB Drew Brees, despite solid numbers, was pretty much stymied when it came to trying to capitalize within the red zone, going just 1-for-5.

The Saints drew (pun semi-intentional) first blood in the second quarter as Brees conencted with Lance Moore with a 4-yard touchdown pass, taking a 7-0 lead as a result. Two minutes and forty seconds later, Clausen would hook up with running back Jonathan Stewart on a 55-yard strike, tying things up at 7.

A 32-yard FG by Carney with just 1:13 remaining in the half would put New Orleans ahead 10-7, which would be the halftime score.

Carolina would take the lead in the third quarter on a 39-yard TD scamper by DeAngelo Williams, giving the Panthers a 14-10 lead with 9:42 left. Another 32-yard FG by Carney put New Orleans to within 14-13 with 4:36 left in the period. Carolina WR Steve Smith would leave the game with an apparent ankle injury, crippling the WR corps of Carolina’s.

Carney would connect on a 25-yard FG with 3:55 left in the game, giving the Saints a 16-14 advantage. Clausen nearly pulled off a near-Notre Dameish comeback as he converted a fourth-and-4 on a pass to David Gettis to the Saints 38 with 1:46 remaining; on fourth down at the New Orleans 44, Clausen tried to connect with Dwayne Jarrett along the sideline, but New Orleans cornerback Jabari Greer broke the pass play up, allowing the Saints to earn the victory.

Brees had a solid effort, going 33-of-48 for 275 yards with a TD while Clausen went 11-of-21 for 146 yards and a score. Ivory and Betts accounted for 117 of the Saints 121 rushing yards, 67 for Ivory and 47 for Betts; meanwhile, Williams led the Panthers rushers with 86 rushing yards and a TD.

Stewart led the Panthers receivers with a reception for 55 yards and a score while the Saints were led by Devery Henderson with 6 catches for 59 yards. Tight end Jeremy Shockey caught six for 58 yards.

New Orleans (3-1) will fly to Phoenix to take on the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday while Carolina (0-4) returns home to host the Chicago Bears – also next Sunday.

Orton’s powerful performance turned Tennessee’s defense upside down.

Don’t look now, but Kyle Orton is steadily becoming a bonafide NFL starting QB.

Whether Orton went to former Bear teammate Brandon Lloyd (11-115) or the electrifying elusive Royal (8-113-TD), the former Chicago cast-off who was traded for Jay Cutler showed once again why Josh McDaniels has a method behind his madness, as he rallied Denver to a stunning comeback victory over Tennessee 26-20.  Orton looked precisely crisp against a tough Titans defense, connecting with Royal and Lloyd with relative ease in what could be described as a maestro-like performance.  He went 35-50, amassing 341 yards through the air in route to Denver’s second win; as well as picking up a “bravo” at the end for almost doubling the averaged yards given up by the Titans pass defense.  Conducting four scoring drives of 49 or more yards, the former Boilermaker sensation was just masterful, it was almost like watching an “encore presentation” as he coolly but calmly orchestrated the Broncos in an impressively led triumph over one of the top teams in the AFC.

Down 20-17 in the 4th quarter, after turning the ball over on downs inside the red zone, Orton went back to work with less than two minutes remaining after getting sacked for the 6th time of the afternoon.  Following the take down from David Ball, his 11th time getting hit, he dropped back on 2nd and 25 from midfield to locate Jabar Gaffney deep.  The ball traveled all the way to the end zone, yet fell incomplete.  However, it turned out to be his best throw of the day.   Despite the incompletion, Orton caught a break, as safety Chris Hope interfered with Gaffney, allowing the team to take over 1st and goal at the Tennessee 1.  He was so good, an incompletion eventually won his team the game.  Savvy vet.  “Jabar had been asking for the ball the whole game,” Orton said. “(I) just didn’t have time to get him the ball in some of those situations, went back to him, and he made a great play.”

Two plays later, after an illegal formation call which sent them back to the 6 and another incomplete pass to Gaffney, Orton completed his 35th pass of the day, a six-yard strike in the right corner of the end zone to little-used back-up RB Correll Buckhalter with 1:33 left for the go-ahead score, his second of the afternoon.  Denver tacked on three more insurance points complimentary of a Matt Prater 36-yard boot through the uprights, after recovering a well-played muffed kickoff at the Tennessee 17.

As impressive as Denver’s offense was scoring on six of their seven trips inside the 20, their defense was just as equally as impressive, holding Chris Johnson to only 53 yards on the ground.  They prevented Johnson from rushing for a double-digit gain for the first time since the 5th week of last season against Indianapolis, a span of 15 games.  In the 4th quarter, they gave up just one 1st down. Despite only running the rock 20 times for 19 yards, they were well in control of the game, holding on to the ball for more than 10 minutes longer than Tennessee.

In what was an important game for both squads, seeing their opponents for next week (Tennessee at Dallas, Denver at Baltimore).  You could not ask for a more well-fought, back and forth, wildly entertaining game.  One team kept fighting back, thus showing its resiliency in the end, the other club never found a rhythm, thus losing a heartbreaker at home, a game in which they should have won.  Looking like a game where Denver would find a way to lose despite outplaying Tennessee, winning the box score battle, it rallied back in come from behind fashion, sending Titans fans home upset for the second time on the year, one more than last season at LP Field with Vince Young as starter.

Both teams are 2-2, yet at the end of the day you could tell which team wanted it more, it was not a question, unlike Kyle Orton coming into the season, who came in a question mark.  Oh, I think coach McDaniels has an answer for that question mark.  “But he never lost his poise, continued to be confident on the sidelines, and made a lot of critical throws for us to change field position. He executed when we needed him to execute. I’m very pleased with the way he’s leading our football team and the way he’s playing,” McDaniels said.  Now you can’t question his QB, now could the same be said for his team?  Only time will tell, possibly as soon as next week in Baltimore.