Is there a better time of year than the fall?
The leaves on the trees outside the Grill Room's swinging, double-doors are turning all shades of red and gold. The endless baseball season is rumored to be close to an end, and, no kidding, we even saw frost on the pumpkin this morning!
Best of all we are stuck right in the middle of another wonderful football season, and don't care if we ever get out. It just smells like football doesn't it?!
So, as we wait for the Pfungstadter Bier truck to deliver their liquid gold, and ready the joint for another busy weekend of America's game here in Germany, we'll throw a couple of appetizers at you to munch on...
Zorn on the Cob, alla Vinny
Things just got worse for Jim Zorn in Washington. On Friday, the Redskins coach was given the dreaded vote of confidence by one Vinny Cerrato, the guy with the name that sounds a lot more like a Sopranos' character than that of a dude with the gaudy title, vice president of football operations.
Cerrato, who has deftly avoided the media during his team's meltdown, instead used his very own radio program to assure everybody that Zorn was not getting whacked.
"Jim Zorn is the head of the Washington Redskins," Cerrato said with his fingers apparently crossed tight behind his back. "...and will be for the rest of the season, and hopefully into the future."
Hahahaha. You're laughing, too, right?
Let's face it, the odds are somewhere in the 1,000-to-1 range that Zorn will be back next year, and slightly less than that he survives the season. I mean, why even say this stuff?
Cerrato kept those fingers squeezed behind his back, when he said that the team covertly brought in NFL relic, Sherm Lewis, to relieve Zorn of his play-calling duties because he was only trying to 'help' Zorn.
Right, Vinny, and that knife in Zorn's back was stuck in there to help with his posture.
In true Washington fashion, Cerrato also went after the media during his radio program, saying that it had reported 'false rumors,' all the while declining to speak to those very reporters that planted the 'false rumors' after practice. Beautiful, eh?
Well, here's another false rumor, Vinny: Zorn will be on the sideline when the team plays its last game this year at San Diego.
As we've said many times in the Grill Room, our corrupt nation's capital finally has the team it deserves. Well done.
Bourbon Blues
Staying with the Soprano's theme...Make that the Sparano's theme...
Is there a more intriguing game on the schedule this weekend than New Orleans at Miami?
After an 0-3 start, Tony Sparano's Dolphins and their rising quarterback Chad Henne, rebounded to save their season by beating the Bills and the Jets.
Of course the Saints, ranked No. 1 in the NFL 100-Proof Rankings, have rolled to a 6-0 start on the heels of an improved defense and the best quarterback in the league not named Peyton, Drew Brees.
On Sunday, turn about could be fair play, because like the Saints before they bludgeoned the Giants last week, the Dolphins are coming off a bye, and have had two weeks to get healthy and prepare for New Orleans' potent attack.
You also have to believe that the 'Fins added a wrinkle or two to their Wildcat attack. It would come as no surprise to see backup QB Pat White throwing out of that formation Sunday.
We have to admit that ever since we were called out by GR regular Sam the Man for blasting the Wildcat a few weeks ago, we have kept two eyes on the Dolphins, and are coming around to this unconventional method of attacking defenses.
Even though New Orleans enters the game ranked fifth against the rush in the NFL and seem a good bet to douse the Wildcat, we say that stat is more than a little misleading.
Because the Saints have led virtually every game they've played this year, teams have been forced to throw the ball an inordinate amount of the time to get back in the game.
The Giants had some success on the ground last week, but were unable to stay there because of their defense's inept performance.
We have a funny feeling around here that Miami is going to run wild with a new scheme, and hand the befuddled Saints their first loss of the year.
Prost!
