Bad sign for MNF Vs the Iggles

It already was looking grim that Cal was facing the #1 team in the country.

Somehow, though, Cal's defense clamped down on the high-flying Duck offense. It seemed amazing that Cal wasn't getting blown out after the first quarter. And they were still right there at halftime. And they even were about to take the lead in the fourth quarter!

Alas... if the pattern holds, the Skims will be on the wrong side of .500 with a hole to climb out of.

Cal plays top-10 ranked Stanford next week too.

Cowboys Coach

Normally I wouldn't bother wasting space on the Cowboys but firing Wade Phillips mid-season is noteworthy.

Possible scenarios?

1. Jason Garrett does well-enough in a turnaround effort during the second half to win the job outright. I estimate that chances are low that will happen since the defense is the side that has floundered recently and he doesn't have much influence on that side of things. With a new coach coming in, it's likely that he'll want his own guy as offensive coordinator.

2. Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh comes aboard. As a Cal fan, this scenario would be ideal since I don't think he'd make a good pro coach (although I certainly could be proven wrong). It's ideal because it weakens both Stanford and Dallas. Yippee! I believe the college scene is the perfect one for Harbaugh. At the NFL level, he was a journeyman QB. He hasn't commanded men at the NFL level enough to garner their respect.

3. Jon Gruden comes out of the booth to coach the Boys. While he did win a championship and has fire, I'm not convinced that Gruden is a winner through and through. He'd probably be an up-and-down coach lasting perhaps 4-5 seasons.

4. Bill Cowher is lured out of retirement and can make his demands. This would be the best option for the Cowboys and the worst for the Skins. Cowher is the only really proven commodity. People know he'd rebuild the Cowboys from the ground up. Question is whether he wants to take on that challenge.

Every other candidate not on this list will probably end up with results either like Harbaugh or Gruden.

It was a foregone conclusion

Matt Stafford is going to always love playing the Redskins. Somehow, Washington loves being the team that a rookie QB can get his groove on. Last year, Stafford gained some confidence and his first NFL win against the Skins. This year, Sam Bradford was able to look like a seasoned pro, picking apart the Skins defense. In a return from injury, second year man Stafford throws 4 TDs, 3 to man-child Calvin Johnson, aka Megatron.

For a moment, it seemed that Washington might be able to break the trend with some nice special teams play from Brandon Banks. But it was not to be. Darn you underachieving Cal football team!