Monthly Archives: August 2017

For an accomplished offense, it was an embarrassingly simple request: Just score against the backups. The Washington Redskins may have been one of only three NFL teams to average more than 400yards per game last season, but if you needed a reminder of how little that matters now, just watch them learning to crawl again this preseason.

On Saturday, for a second straight exhibition game, quarterback Kirk Cousins and the first-team offense floundered about, causing some level of concern over how long it will take this reconstructed unit to mesh. After the 21-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers, it may be premature to develop too many grand opinions about the offense, especially with tight end Jordan Reed out and several wide receivers recovering from injury or working to gain better chemistry with Cousins. But its safe to assume that this small sample size speaks to a transition going on within Washingtons best unit. There is considerable change, from Coach Jay Gruden taking over play-calling to Terrelle Pryor Sr. getting acclimated, and the team has just three weeks to develop cohesion before the regular season begins.

It raises the question: What if the offense struggles early?

Were a work in progress, Gruden admitted late Saturday night. No question about that.

In two seasons with Cousins as the starter, the trend has been that the offense starts a little slow and then takes off in the second half. But with Washington undergoing another defensive makeover, it would be helpful if the offense has a strong start to the season. If that doesnt happen, what will Washington rely on at the start?

After a poor showing in limited action against Baltimore, the first-team offense looked bad for a longer stretch against Green Bay at FedEx Field. In its first five possessions, Cousins and Co. managed just 76 yards and three points, which came after Niles Paul recovered a fumbled punt. On that scoring drive, the offense didnt gain a yard. It ran three frustrating plays and then watched Dustin Hopkins kick a 34-yard field goal.

[Starting offense again spins its wheels in 21-17 loss to the Packers]

Even after the Packers substituted most of their starters, Washington had little success. Finally, during the starting offenses sixth drive, against Green Bays backups, our curiosity was satisfied: What would it take for Washington to reach the end zone?

It took a 43-yard pass from Cousins to tight end Vernon Davis. And later, with 17 seconds left in an exasperating first half, Cousins hit Jamison Crowder for a four-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to stop the ridiculousness.

At least the first-team offense left the game with the memory of doing something positive.

Then again, it was against a bunch of special teams players.

In that final drive, the offense gained 78 yards on 10 plays. In Washingtons first 24 plays, it managed just 76 yards. Cousins wound up 14 for 23 for 144 yards and one touchdown, but at one point, he was just 8 for 16 for 67yards.

It took a little while, Gruden said. We stuttered and sputtered and missed a few throws.

Cousins and Pryor, his new big target, are still searching for a rhythm. Pryor caught one pass for 11 yards, and he let another go through his hands. Cousins also missed him on what could have been a touchdown, throwing an inaccurate pass to Crowder underneath instead.

Its no shock that Cousins and his receivers arent sharp. Washington is trying to replace two 1,000-yard receivers, DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. While the offense still has plenty of talent and Grudens system has been productive over the years, there was bound to be an adjustment. The problem seems even greater because Reed isnt available. If anything, thats the biggest lesson of the preseason thus far: Reeds importance to this offense is at an all-time high. When hes not available, it wont be as easy to turn to the next man up. Washington will suffer more than it ever has without him.

[Redskins-Packers analysis: Team starts slow again but finally finds end zone]

But the passing games early struggles are understandable. It was more discouraging to watch the running game provide nothing. When Cousins was directing the offense, the running backs gained just 10yards on 11 carries. Washington couldnt run on first down, and Reed wasnt on the field to catch those short passes to ignite drives. As a result, the offense had nothing it could bank on during early downs.

Gruden has an interesting task. Eventually, talent will take over, and Washington will move the ball. But the coach may have to be even more clever than usual to put these particular players in the best positions to succeed. Cousins is going to have to develop greater trust in some of his receivers over the next three weeks. And while Grudens system is still very sound, the system alone cant replace the production of Garcon and Jackson. They will be missed. Garcons tough catches and possession-receiving gifts gave the passing game stability. Jacksons speed and threat to score a touchdown at any time created space for everyone in a way that cant be replicated, not even by Pryor.

We all believe weve got a lot of work to do, Cousins said.

So Gruden isnt merely fitting prototypes into his way of doing things. These arent just new pieces for the same puzzle. The skeleton of a good offense remains. But how long will it take for this unit to reach its potential?

That question is growing more urgent every time you catch a glimpse of this Washington football team.

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This Redskins offense remains very much a work in progress - Washington Post

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Lions' Marvin Jones Jr. pulls in a touchdown reception from Matthew Stafford over Jets' Morris Claiborne in the second quarter.(Photo: Daniel Mears / Detroit News)

Detroit The fade route in the red zone its a play the Detroit Lions practice all the time, and one receiver Marvin Jones executes as well as anyone on the roster.

In Saturdays 16-6 victory over the Jets, quarterback Matthew Stafford delivered a well-placed ball from the 5-yard line into the back corner of the end zone. From there, Jones did what he does best get the necessary separation to make the grab.

He does a nice job with body control, man, Stafford said. His body control is pretty outrageous. By the sidelines, hes always got a knack for finding a way to get that last, little foot in or whatever it is. He did it again tonight with the fade.

The 5-yard score, early in the second quarter, capped an 11-play, 78-yard scoring drive on which Stafford connected with Jones four times. But things didnt start as smoothly as they finished.

More:Lions' stock watch: Spence shines, Rudock gets scrambled

For the second consecutive week, Stafford looked to Jones on a quick slant, but both throws were slightly off target, with each bouncing off the receivers hands. Last week, in the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts, the deflection was intercepted. Against the Jets, it fell harmlessly to the ground, giving the tandem a second chance to get on the same page.

The chemistry is still developing in the pairs second year together. Stafford said Jones is doing a better job communicating with his body language this year and coach Jim Caldwell praised the receivers ever-improving technique.

I think that one of the things that youll notice about him is hes, to me when I look at him and watch him practice, hes better than he was a year ago, Caldwell said. Hes coming out of cuts better. Hes running better routes.

Jones signed a five-year deal with the Lions as a free agent last year and came out of the gate firing with his new team. After four games, he was leading the NFL in receiving yardage and big plays. But he badly faded down the stretch, hampered by multiple minor leg injuries. He didnt top 100 yards in a game the final 12 weeks of the season. Even worse, he was held under 50 yards seven times.

Everyone is hoping for a little more consistency the second time around.

The red-zone fade could be a key to that success. A tremendously difficult play to execute, Stafford and Jones appear to have it down pat.

You know, down there, youre a little bit limited in where you can go and what you can do, Stafford said. The idea is to get really good at a few things and thats one that everyone in the league wants to be really good at. We are no different. We do everything we can to try and complete those at a high rate and obviously was a good one tonight.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

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Marvin Jones' progress pays off in touchdown catch - The Detroit News

CINCINNATI, OH - AUGUST 19: Albert Wilson #12 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals during the preseason game at Paul Brown Stadium on August 19, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Week 2 Bengals look lost, unprepared in 30-12 meltdown by Emile Pierce

The results were just as bad as the final score. Kansas City put a thumping on the Bengals that could be felt all over the Queen City. There was a general lack of emotion that was felt throughout the entire game. My usual metaphor or simile for the contest is a battle (hope my English teacher isnt reading this). But, you need two combatants to denote conflict. The Bengals werent in the game from the coin flip.

It would be utterly asinine to make one game define the Cincinnati Bengals entire 2017 season. Its still preseason and there are chinks in the armor that need to be banged out. But, the way Cincinnati got kicked around was totally surprising. After showing signs of life in Week 1, there was absolutely no progress against the Chiefs. In fact, the team looked like it took one giant step back to the Lost Decade.

The Bengals front seven looked like they couldnt stop Moeller or Elder, on Saturday night. KC ripped off runs that looked like they would take it to the house. Fortunately, there was a stray Bengals defender pumped enough to hawk the ball carrier and prevent further embarrassment.

If youre like me, you keep telling yourself its preseason football. Yet, the reassurance doesnt prevent the mind from going back to 2016. The Bengals cant afford to start the year slowly and then catch fire at the end. Last year, the defense didnt have a clue over the first half of the season. When the lights finally came on, it was too late. Theres no reason for the defense to have trouble with the same issues as before. Arm tackles and the inability to cover tight ends led to a 6-9-1 record.

The most disheartening aspect of the loss was how it went down. Whether it was the starters, second-string or a mixture of players, the Bengals still got kicked around like a junkyard dog. Wait. A junkyard mutt would have had more fight than the Stripes did against the Chiefs.

There were dropped balls, questionable blocking by the offensive line and Andy Daltons inability to move the first-team into the end zone. What looked like a minor glitch last week is slowly turning into a major concern. This is year two of the Ken Zampese version of West Coast gadgetry. Dalton and Zampese should be clicking.

The same details that were lacking during the 2016 campaign cant become habits in the preseason. Its easy to keep saying thing will work out and all will get better before the opener. But, Week 3 is when the starters play the majority of the game. By the looks of Saturday nights performance, there could be some major issues cropping up.

I wanted to have confidence in the O-line. In fact, the faith is still there. But, Dalton was pressured and pushed from the pocket too many times. When he had time to read the defense, he looked comfortable. Either his release will have to get even quicker or the offensive line needs to get an earful from Paul Alexander.

With the opener against division rival Baltimore three weeks away, this is not how the Bengals should look. That game will be followed by national exposure against the Houston Texans. At this point of the preseason, things should be running a bit smoother. Please dont say thats too much to ask. Kansas City did it.

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Preseason Week 2: Bengals show lack of progress - The Stripe Hype

SAN DIEGO When Ryan Madson played catch Saturday, he had no idea if he would feel the pain in his right index finger again. There was no way of knowing without throwing a baseball, which he hadnt done since Monday. He and the Nationals were hopeful the idle time would generate some healing.

But Madson immediately realized it didnt get any better. The pain in the top knuckle of his right index remained, and a frustrated Madson stopped throwing.

It wasnt good, Madson said.

Madson was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with what was termed a sprained right finger. He first felt the pain when he played catch last Sunday. He thought nothing of it until he began warming up during the second game of Washingtons doubleheader against the Giants. The pain was there again and he didnt know why. He tried throwing again Monday and nothing changed.

The plan was originally for Madson to throw again on Friday, but the club decided to give him an extra day. The additional 24 hours didnt matter. Madson insisted there isnt any structural damage in the finger, which makes the issue a bit perplexing to him. Now Madson said he expects to take a more proactive approach in the fingers recovery, using machines to hasten the process.

Madson, 36, has been one of baseballs dominant relievers since the Nationals acquired him and Sean Doolittle from the Athletics a month ago. Along with Doolittle and Brandon Kintzler, who was acquired from the Twins on July 31, Madson has helped fuel the Nationals bullpens turnaround as the clubs eighth-inning reliever. Since joining Washington, Madson has posted 13 strikeouts and one walk across nine scoreless innings.

On Friday, Madson guessed he would miss around two weeks, but that was without knowing how his finger would fare the next day.The Nationals, of course, can afford to take their time with Madsons injury and all the others theyre dealing with. A 14-game division lead in late August provides that. The goal is to have the roster ready for October. But Madsons absence is still unsettling.

Theres never a good time, Madson said.

Read more on the Nationals:

Nationals activate Stephen Strasburg for Saturday start

Pressed into first major league start, Matt Grace delivers for Nationals

Max Scherzer placed on DL with neck inflammation

Continued here:

Ryan Madson isn't seeing progress in his sprained finger - The ... - Washington Post

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Historic Monticello house

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Photo by: Rick Danzl

The home of architect Keddy Hutson, one of the oldest houses in Monticello on Friday July 21, 2017.

MONTICELLO Millionaire's Row needs an archaeologist to fully appreciate how some of the massive houses grew from humbler sizes, as well as altogether different architectural styles.

Keddy Hutson is an architect, and he can tell from foundations, as well as old photos, just how North State Street a nationally designated historic district has evolved.

He and wife Ann Boswell own one of the oldest homes at 1004 N. State St., a 5,000-square-foot property in progress with "maybe 13 rooms," Hutson guesses. "A lot of State Street houses grew up from much smaller houses."

The two keep fit walking the 20 stairs from the first to second floor several times a day. The ceilings are 11 feet tall.

In 145 years, the house has only been in two families, the Moores and the Hutsons.

"I feel like we're stewards," Boswell says. "It's a constant work in progress. You have to be patient."

The exterior is a combination of wood, stucco and brick, the sheer size of which keeps paint stores in business.

"Painting it is a little bit like the Golden Gate Bridge, always something in progress," Hutson says.

Hutson grew up next door to the house he now owns, which his grandparents bought in 1939.

Walking down State Street, he saw a variety of architectural styles, and even within his grandparents' house, he saw the effect of changing tastes.

"Growing up here really impacted my career. It's why I became an architect," he says. One of his most recent projects has been redoing the Art Deco building that now houses Papa Del's in Champaign.

And he became an architectural archeologist.

The house was built in the 1870s, but an extensive 1917 renovation greatly enlarged it the family has also added on more recently changing it from the Victorian style to the Elizabethan Prairie School style, an early transitional style, that combined elements of several styles, Hutson explains.

"The entire roof structure was changed," Hutson says. "The living room used to be both a dining room and a parlor."

There was a sleeping porch added at some time, back when a breeze served as an air-conditioner.

Hutson can find features that are original, such as a fireplace in the room of their son, Boswell Hutson. It used to be his great-aunt's room. There's a trundle bed family heirloom here.

Ann Boswell points out "the biggest powder room ever." There's also a telephone room.

At one time, there were eight fireplaces; now there are three. Hutson says there used to be other chimneys.

There are cast stone sinks in the laundry area the servants would have used. Also in the basement, a youth theater area, with its own green room.

Rectangular designs in leaded windows and the brick porch piers show off the Prairie style popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright.

"The Prairie style utilizes geometry to express organic forms," Hutson says. The porch dominates the street view of the house.

North State Street Historic District was dominated by three families, the Moores, the Dightons and the Hotts, Hutson notes.

Allen F. Moore, for instance, was a congressman and member of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

Maureen Holtz, author of "Images of America: Monticello," says the families were inter-related.

"Many of the people in high positions there lived in the nice houses on State and Charter and were officers in Pepsin," a popular patent medicine.

The Moores, originally in what is now the Hutson house, made their money from Pepsin and banking, and left 1004 N. State St. during the Depression, Hutson says.

The house was empty for a few years, and local boys took advantage, using it as a playhouse.

There are still traces of their shenanigans. Hutson points out starbursts centered in tiny holes in the glass in a couple of windows where pellets from air guns left their marks, still there 90 years later.

"It doesn't matter; there are storm windows, and now the holes are just part of the story," he says.

A tornado in 2001 forced Hutson and Boswell to make more changes, which they viewed as an opportunity to build an airy sunroom addition full of natural light.

"If you're going to have a tornado, make sure to have an architect around," Boswell says.

Local preservationists Karen Lang Kummer and Alice Novak successfully nominated Monticello's North State Street as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. They said the district includes Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Tudor Revival and Gothic Revival styles, among others. Colonial Revival is the dominant style represented in the district.

Besides the Moore-Hutson house, 19th-century homes they identified on North State Street included:

402 N. State St.: (Bender House, circa 1885) Queen Anne

412 N. State St.: (Moore-Hott House, circa 1890) Queen Anne/Colonial Revival

419 N. State St.: (circa 1875) Vernacular (not by a formally-schooled architect) with Italianate influence

508 N. State St.: (circa 1880) Also Vernacular with Italianate influence

517 N. State St.: (circa 1885): Cross gable, slight L-shape

612 N. State St.: (Nellie Kirby and William Herbert "Bert" England House, 1908) Georgian Revival with some Craftsman influence

707 N. State St.: (Sarah Netherton Dighton House, 1898) Dutch Colonial Revival

807 N. State St.: (Maxwell and Frances Dunn Hott House, circa 1880) Cross plan (altered)

902 N. State St.: (Crea-Hicks House, circa 1890) Queen Anne

915 N. State St.: (Preston Circa and Auzetta Hazen Houston House, 1873) Gothic Revival

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Where It All Started: Monticello's Hutson House a 'constant work in progress' - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

BY Rachel Urbanski | August 20, 2017

MADISON, NE Madison, Nebraska has joined the sesquicentennial club this weekend.

This weekend the City of Madison turned 150 years old, about four months younger than the state of Nebraska.

Friday and Saturday drew out old and current residents to celebrate when settlers first arrived in what is now Madison.

Activities included a vintage car showcase, tractors drive, local eats, vendors and of course live music withs street dancing.

In a previous interview with News Channel Nebraska, Madison 150 organizer, Ron Schmidt said that progress, pride and possibilities is the motto for Madison. It is also what has made the community so successful.

Weve been a successful community. We are leaving a legacy for our children and people all around. I like to have people look forward to having people celebrate all this with us.

The celebrations ended on Sunday with a living history demonstration and community prayer.

We strive for accuracy. Report a typo, inaccuracy, or mistake here.

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Progress, Pride and Possibilities Motto for Madison Celebrations - US92 - News Channel Nebraska (press release)

TUSCALOOSA Alabamas beleaguered kicking game apparently made significant progress in the last week.

After sounding downright anxious following a less-than-encouraging performance in the teams first scrimmage last Saturday when he said the Crimson Tide really need to work hard on (placekicking) head coach Nick Saban seemed encouraged by what he saw in Saturdays second and final scrimmage.

Senior punter J.K. Scott, who has been getting in occasional placekicking work this offseason, hit a 51-yard field goal during the scrimmage, while freshman Joseph Bulovas and redshirt senior Andy Pappanastos were a combined 4-for-5 on field goals, according to Saban. A few of the field goals came during a 30-minute mid-afternoon downpour that swept through Tuscaloosa.

Your guide to the start of the 2017 high school football season.

"We were much better, Saban said Saturday. JK made a 51-yard field goal. Joseph (Bulovas) kicked two field goals made one, missed one. Andy (Pappanastos) was 3-of-3. We kicked a couple of them when it was pouring down rain. It was really a good sort of situation for us to have to play in.

The rainstorm was a welcomed reprieve on a hot and sweltering August day inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, while also providing Tide players the rare opportunity to work through some in-game adversity.

We've had some good wet ball practices in the fall because we've had quite a few rainy days, but it certainly paid off, Saban said. There may be a certain situation like we had today Missouri, a few years ago, (when we) sat in the locker room for 45 minutes or an hour, came back out and played a game. None of these experiences are bad. They're all good for players to learn how to respond to.

Bulovas, a three-star summer enrollee from Louisiana, arrived as the presumptive favorite to win the starting job as the teams only scholarship kicker, but some early struggles with consistency have made Alabamas kicking situation a little murky.

This offseason, Scott has actually been the Tides most reliable field goal option, including connecting on 3-of-4 in Aprils A-Day spring game.

>> RB Scarbrough pretty sick, misses second straight practice: Junior running back Bo Scarbrough is expected to be a mainstay in the Alabama backfield this season, and is even receiving some early Heisman Trophy buzz.

But that only comes if hes on the field, something he hasnt been able to do of late.

Scarbrough was held out of Saturdays preseason scrimmage and has missed two straight days of practice with an illness thats required considerable bed rest, Saban said Saturday.

Bo has been ill for two days, pretty sick I'm talking about ill enough to be in bed, Saban said. We don't think this is a serious illness or anything like that, but we didn't think it would be good for him to not be in a position where he could be resting.

Meanwhile, sophomore tailback Josh Jacobs also missed Saturdays scrimmage, his second straight, with a hamstring injury thats forcing him to sit out the last week and a half of practice.

I don't know he's still day-to-day when he'll be able to come back and keep working, Saban said of Jacobs.

In more serious news, senior walk-on receiver Donnie Lee Jr. reportedly suffered a torn ACL during Saturdays scrimmage, according to BamaOnline.com.

Donnie Lee (Jr.), who has been a very productive, good team player for us, got a knee injury, Saban said of Lee Jr., a native of nearby Northport. We'll have to confirm the seriousness of that for us with an MRI, (but) that's about it for us from an injury standpoint.

>> Saban not concerned with solar eclipse: An important part of Nick Sabans daily ritual includes eating a Little Debbie oatmeal crme pie, drinking a cup of coffee and watching 10-15 minutes of the Weather Channel during a quick breakfast.

Its because of that routine that Alabamas 65-year-old head coach is already had his fill of the solar eclipse, which is expected to take place on Monday over Tuscaloosa around 1:30 p.m. and end shortly before 3.

I watch the Weather Channel every day, they're already saying what it's going to be like in every city in America, Saban said Saturday. So what's going to be significant? You can watch the Weather Channel, you can see what it's going to be like in Portland, Ore. Clayton, Ga., is the No. 1 place in the country. I'm going to watch it on TV.

Despite his ho-hum attitude toward Mondays solar eclipse, Saban joked hell probably allow players to view it from the team facility prior to Mondays mid-afternoon practice, which will get started about 2:30 p.m.

"We'll set it up so if the players want to go out there and get some sunglasses and look at it, I guess they can, Saban said. That's not something that I'm really that focused on right now. Maybe we'll have a team meeting about how we're going to do this. I haven't thought of that yet."

Read the rest here:

Kicking game makes progress in 2nd scrimmage for Tide - Dothan Eagle

Wall Street may be cheering the news that President Donald Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon is leaving the White House, but you really can't blame Bannon for the failure to make progress on the Republican agenda, the American Enterprise Institute's James Pethokoukis told CNBC on Friday.

"It's not because of Steve Bannon that the Republicans failed to pass health-care reform and the president seemed to have a very loose grasp on the details. Nor is it Steve Bannon's fault that tax reform very little progress has been made," the economic policy analyst for the conservative think tank said in an interview with "Closing Bell."

On Friday, the White House announced the controversial Bannon was departing. Bannon had been at odds with some members of the administration, including Trump's top economic aide, Gary Cohn. Wall Street had been fearful about a possible departure of Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive.

The news followed a week of outrage over Trump's comments on the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Corporate and bipartisan political criticism was swift, fueling concerns about the future of the president's pro-growth agenda.

Terry Haines, senior political strategist at Evercore ISI, said that despite the division with the party, the GOP will still work to pass Trump's pro-growth agenda.

"Even though congressional Republicans are going to stay a bit farther away from Trump than they had before, and this was never really a marriage to begin with, they're still going to come together on things that matter, starting with tax reform."

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It's not Steve Bannon's fault GOP made little progress on taxes, failed on health care: Analyst - CNBC