Belichick Mumbles: Skins Good at Kicking

If you need more evidence as to why unfiltered access to a football coach is typically worthless, look no further than Pats coach Bill Belichick.  His team takes on the Hometown 11 this week, so he was asked what his thoughts of the Skins are.

In his long, rambling answer (probably mumbled), he rattled off all sorts of cliches about working hard, and the challenge the Skins faced for the Pats.  But one line really stuck out, showing how vapid everything else he said was.  He said the Skins were "good in the kicking game."

Uh, what?

Good for the other team, maybe.

The kicking battle between incumbent Short Leg Suisham and Dave Rayner hasn't really materialized, owing to the offense's inability to do anything with the ball besides fall down.

Overall, the two have combined for one field goal attempt in the two games -- a 20-yard cheapo from Suisham that even Mr. Ochocinco could've nailed.

On kickoffs, it's been a bit of a different story. Suisham kicked 'em (no surprise here) shorter, but Rayner's were returned further. Much further. His three kickoffs this weekend were returned for more than 130 yards.

Rayner isn't sure that that's his problem, though. He told Redskins Blog that he didn't think the distance was all his fault, "Obviously, we've gotta look at some film and figure out why they brought it out that far. But I was happy with all the three kickoffs that I had. I was happy with direction and distance and hangtime ... everything."

Regardless, if there's evidence that the Skins have a great kicking game, it hasn't been shown on the field.

But maybe that's what makes Belichick a genius -- he can see things that mere mortals can't.