Week 16: Redskins 20, Jaguars 17: Knee Jerk Reactions

The Redskin's season is almost mercifully over! Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the penultimate game of the season:

This seriously felt like a preseason game until the 4th quarter. The Skins were playing almost all backups, and the Jags were missing MJD and a few other guys. There just wasn't an intensity today, which is odd when you have so many guys playing for their future in the league.

I know this win hurts our draft position and thus may bad in the long term, but you can't help but think this group needed a W with all the drama going around.

• Sex Cannon's record as a starter in the state of Florida counting his college days has got to be something like 47-2.
• The gator chomp? Rex, seriously?
• Brandon Banks in the wildcat should be the focus of our offense next week. It would keep my interest and get the Banks Pro Bowl train back at full speed.
• Kevin Barnes at safety could merely be necessity, but also maybe a sign the teams doesn't think he will be a decent corner.
• The Jags look awful, how are they a potential division winner?
• Speaking of the opposition, maybe the Skins should take a page out of their book and spend our first 2 picks on o-linemen.
• Anthony Bryant may have played himself onto the roster for next season.
• Casey Rabach needs to go ASAP.
• Going for it on 4th and 1 from the 1 yard line with the game on the line is the right call. Not only is it statistically the right move, but we are 5-9, so who cares! 
• Joe Joseph? As in Joseph Joseph? Wow.
• The o-line was not awful today, but not great. Hicks and Dockery/Licht*&#$& all still need to be replaced.
• We are no 4-4 on the road, and 2-5 at home, hmmmm. Almost makes me feel guilty for never going to games...

(Image courtesy of 1800-sports.com)

Week 15: Cowboys 33, Redskins 30: Knee Jerk Reactions

 Football's regular season is almost over! Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the fourteenth game of the season:

I watched this one in a bar in Manhattan, so was semi-distracted by all the other happenings and will thus keep this short. I was pretty disinterested coming into the game, 'Kitna! Grossman! It's the Redskins and the Cowboys on Fox!!' and want us to keep losing for sake of high draft picks, but was getting fired up when the comeback got going.

Sums Up my Feelings About the Season

• Sex Cannon.
• Sitting in a Manhattan bar as the Eagles came back from 21 points in 8 minutes to beat the Giants was special. I delight in other fans having to share my misery.
• Sex Cannon's numbers were about as good as any McNabb game, but I think he was slightly worse. The biggest thing I noted was a tendency to hold onto the ball too long.
• In short, yes, I think McNabb would have been the better player today for the Redskins, but the difference between McNabb and Sex Cannon really doesn't seem to be much. Also, this was Sex Cannon's first game, and one has to think that he would improve with more games under his belt.
• I might set a record for typing Sex Cannon in 1 post.
• McNabb is still a captain today? Come on man! NFL captains are fluid, and I thought the starting QB is always a captain.
• Not all of those sacks were the O-line's fault. One notable one by Ware was Grossman hanging onto the ball too long and then not stepping up enough in the pocket.
• D******* Hall still sucks. Coverage and tackling are things he does not do well.  
• The Brandon Banks Pro Bowl train has come to a complete halt.
• The Tana drop was not as bad as it looked. He was off balance and couldn't really get his arms out for that one. That said, it was still a horrific drop.
• Does anybody still think the McNabb trade and/or extension were correct decisions? 
• I completely forgot about John Beck's mullet, which allowed me to 'fall in lover all over again.'
• The good thing about being numb? A tough loss to Dallas doesn't hurt.

(Image courtesy of DC Sports Bog and Mr. Irrelevant) 

Week 14: Bucs 17, Redskins 16: Knee Jerk Reactions

 Football's regular season is almost over! Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the thirteenth game of the season:

Should we be surprised?

•  DC Sports Bog said on Twitter that a scalper offered him a ticket for 20 bucks. That about sums up my feelings about this team right now.
• Steinz's experience echoes this video.
• 2 missed short FGs, a botched extra point, 2 dropped INTs, no-call on Orakpo getting held on the Bucs TD, etc. 
• Not sure if 'sums up the season' is the right way to put this, more like sums up the decade.
• Graham Gano could have been cut at halftime. Even the extra point was close. 
• I still don't understand why the Skins have gone about 20 years without a consistent kicker. Other teams have probably had bad stretches, but 20 years?!? Use a high draft pick, or give a crazy contract, I don 't care, but do something to fix a problem that has plagued this team for 20 years!
• I think the LeGarrette Blount fumble sums up D******* Hall. He gets run over by Blount while trying to strip the ball instead of actually tackling the guy, then succesfully punches it out on attempt #2 and picks up the fumble Phil Buchanon couldn't. You get the bad with the playmaking. Now that ended up being a good play, but he should have made the tackle and not had the opportunity for strip #2. Hall also was burned badly by DC's own Arrelious Benn in the 2nd quarter and gave up about 12 extra yards going for another strip. 
• Then, early in the 3rd quarter, he has a chance to just destroy Cadillac Williams on a hospital pass, and does pretty much nothing at all. He almost looked scared to make that hit. That was a benchably bad.
• All the credit for the running game should go to the Skins offensive line. Ryan Torain wasn't doing anything spectacular, he just ran through giant 'parking spaces.'
• What does the Bucs defensive line do in all their other games? The Skins offensive line has not been anything special in other games, and I find it hard to believe they were just in the zone today. 
• The end of the first half clock management was something special. Basically tip your hand that you're passing, then somehow get a delay of game off of a timeout. In the words of Keyshawn Johnson - 'Come on man!'
• Chris Wilson not picking up the 2nd half kickoff made me laugh. 
• Tony Siragusa gets paid like maybe 100k for this gig. How many people watch this game because of his contribution? Maybe for some people he makes the viewing experience better, but that really keeps and draws more eyeballs for ad revenue than his 100k salary? There is no way his value added is that much. 
• Anyone else crushed Logan Paulsen didn't attempt the Dougie? 
• What I want to know is why Ochocinco's name change gets so much attention while 'Stylez G White' is overlooked. He went from Greg to 'Stylez G', sounds like he should be on season 3 of VH1's the Pickup Artist.
• Torain ran 18 times for 158 yards in the first half, and then had his number called twice in the 3rd quarter (for 1 yard), and then 4 more times in the 4th quarter (for 13 yards). All this was while the Skins were protecting a lead. Unacceptable and astounding. 
• McNabb's numbers looked good, but he was not. Meanwhile, Jason Campbell was damn good today again.

(Image courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

Week 13: Giants 31, Redskins 7: Knee Jerk Reactions

Football's regular season is heading down the home stretch! Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the twelfth game of the season:

The Skins looked like they knew they were walking to their own funeral. I think we can be mercifully mathematically eliminated next week.

Remember This? That is What Today Felt Like

•  Fumbles
• My highlight of the day was Drew Stanton doing the Dougie in the Detroit-Chicago game.
• The Giants had 140 yards rushing in the 1st half.
• We missed you Fat Albert.
• I was actually dissapointed the Giants didn't hit 200 yards rushing for the game.
• I was laughing at the Redskin ineptitude, just like last year.
• Corey Webster owns Santana Moss. Webster was an elite CB 2 years ago when he completely took Tana out of the game, had injuries last year, but today looked like that elite player (not sure about the rest of his season). That INT at the end of the game was well-deserved.
• Rocky McIntosh looked hurt and played an abysmal game.
• Devin Thomas blocking a punt, making a special teams tackle, and downing a ball at the 5 was kicking us in the balls when we were down. 
• Just inexplicable that Galloway held a starting job for so long while we had to get rid of Thomas.
• The, "Eli Manning....is....UNSTOPPABLE" commercial right after his endzone interception was perfect.
• At least we didn't furiously celebrate our TD.
• McNabb was throwing it all over the yard in a bad way. There was pressure, but he was more erratic than usual it seemed.
• I want to like Jammal Brown, but he was particularly awful today.
• We really do need to draft a center.
• D-line should be another focus in the offseason.
• I am very curious as to whether Shanahan will play some more young guys and backups down the stretch to see what we have. Sexy Rexy, Terrance Austin, Kevin Barnes, Brandon Banks on offense, etc.
• Shanahan was 6th place in a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players on 'Coach You'd Most Like to Play For.' He seems like a pain in the ass, so I'm surprised, you?
• Does Brandon Banks have a shot at the Pro Bowl? Given that Dez Bryant and Devin Hester only really return punts, his only competition should be Stefan Logan and Danny Amendola. 
• You have no idea how happy the thought of Brandon Banks in the Pro Bowl just made me.

(Image courtesy of www.nj.com)

Week 12: Vikings 17, Redskins 13: Knee Jerk Reactions

Football's regular season is heading down the home stretch! Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the eleventh game of the season:

 Not From Today, but Might as Well Be

Game and season. We need to go 5-0 and pray for a wild card spot. Our first drive was a thing of beauty, but everything else on offense was sad. Then, not being able to stop Toby Gerhardt on defense and give our offense one last shot was excruciating.

If the Packers pass the Bears for 1st place, and the Saints take the #1 Wild Card spot, we will need to pass that Giants, Bears, and Bucs to get a playoff berth. If things go well later this afternoon, we could still only be 2 games back, with 2 cracks against the Giants, and 1 against the Bucs. So start putting your energy into supporting whoever plays those teams.

• Interim coaches in their first game seem to always win right? Unless it's Terry Robiske and the Redskins...we are always the exception....
• I keep forgetting to plug this, but I have been doing a weekly livechat on www.TBD.com. A few Skins bloggers on there and not too crowded, so you can definitely get your voice heard.
• So much for gold pants.
• How does Joey Galloway go from being our '#2' receiver to getting cut? Shouldn't there be a backup role in-between? 
• I can't get over the Galloway thing. Just an awful signing, reinforced by poor production, and then the stubbornness of keeping him in the starting lineup. He has been the 2nd worst receiver in the league, with the only bright side that we targeted him slightly less than other receivers in his ballpark of awful. Just about anyone would have been better, and we completely missed the opportunity to develop a young player or two wit hthe playing time/role.
• Devin Thomas
• Brandon Banks is still great, but was apparently limping during the week. I'm assuming he's taking his pain meds and toughing it out. I wonder if we will see him anywhere close to 100% before the end of the season. 
• Banks is our only chance of scoring. 
• Jeremy Jarmon doesn't exist. 
• Our d-line sans Fat Albert cannot stop the run. If we cut him, we need to find some better guys up front this offseason. 
• Not sure what else to say about the defense. Not a great game from 'Los, but he was hampered by a hammy. The faced a conservative game plan and stopped a Peterson-less offense, meh.
• Silverback had a phenomenal game controlling Jared Allen, who is a monster. He's made his share of mistakes this season, but I think a pro-bowl caliber season is in store as soon as next year.
• Santana Moss was awful. I see he was battling an injury or two, but dropping passes is not okay.
• Cooley was awesome on that first drive and then...? Silence.

A Little Something to Cheer You Up - Found This Looking for a Game Shot

• I don't even know how to get excited for the Giants game next week.

(McNabb image courtesy of VikingsPost.com, cheerleader image courtesy of nfl.fanhouse.com)

Week 11: Redskins 19, Titans 16: Knee Jerk Reactions

Football's regular season is past the halfway point! The hair pulling, TV-screaming, remote control throwing and furious cigarette smoking have aged me about 10 years in these 10 games. Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the tenth game of the season:

Huuuge win. That would have been a season-ender if we were 4-6 and 3 games out of the last wild card. 

• So, I was really excited about this win and staying in the playoff race, but with 6 games to go, we are 2 games out of the last wild card spot. There are 4 teams ahead of us, with only 2 spots available, so we have to leapfrog 3 of the Giants/Eagles, Bears, Saints, and Bucs.
• As if you didn't already know, but Brandon Banks! 1 tough clutch catch in 1 opportunity. Can we just give him Joey Galloway's job immediately? I mean right now, seriously. 
• I have been thinking of some other nickname ideas for Banks and like "The Wire," because he's electric and maybe thin and wiry or something.
• I want to like Graham Gano, but he is still straddling the line of acceptability. Missing a 51 yarder is no biggy, but being that far off is concerning. The 47 yarder into the wind is a little tougher to swallow, but okay in and of itself. He still hit from 40, 42, and 48, and was providing great distance on kickoffs.
• McNabb had time to throw. Weird. 
• McNabb's stats may sound impressive, but he was once again mediocre, even with tons of time.
• Reed Doughty is an absolute disaster in coverage. I know Kareem Moore makes 1-2 big mistakes a game, and today was no different, but he is a much better option than Doughty. I was watching Doughty specifically as much as I could, and it seemed as thought he almost never successfully covered anyone. I think is fine as a backup strong safety, but free safety is not where I want to see him.
• Yeah, Vince Young is efficient, and his passer rating will look great, but there is a lot to be said for the low volume output. 
• The Buchanon, Hall, Doughty, Moore secondary provided an opportunity on a platter for VY and the Titans to exploit. I thought that pathetic unit would cost us the game, but VY could not take advantage, and that speaks volumes about how good he is. You are kidding if you don't think any great QB doesn't shred that group.
• Randy Moss looked lazy running routes. Glad we didn't get that guy.
• D******* Hall was okay today, but how about you don't beat your chest after Randy Moss runs by you in the endzone and VY throws it about 10 yards over everyone's heads. That was not a good play. 
• Who is Rusty Smith?
• Seems like we played a lot more 2 TE sets today to get Fred 'Sleepy' Davis involved. Niiiiice.
• The gold pants are money.
• Coming into this game, the Skins's offense had been historically bad on 3rd down, which is usually a fluky stat that will regress to the mean. In layman's terms, the Skins have likely been unlucky not to perform better on offense. 8-16 today on 3rd down, so there ya go.
• My friend works for UStream and alerted me to the fact that Skins have their own channel. I have no idea what they show on here, I think pregame and postgame type stuff, but here you go: http://www.ustream.tv/redskins.

(Image courtesy of www.tsn.ca)

Caps Sweep Regular Season vs. Pens; Are NHL's Current Hottest Team

So much for "coasting" into the playoffs. That's four wins in a row, tops in the NHL at the moment:

1. basically without even trying,
2. against teams trying their faces off, and
   
3. without their/the NHL's best defenseman (Green) for the past two.

Wishin' you were still in red, Brent?

I should note the Blackhawks have four wins in a row too; but the Caps beat them most recently, so tie goes to the awesome.

Other sweet things about tonight: (and why didn't someone alert me to the simplicity radness of bullet points earlier?)

1. The Caps swept the season series from the Pens.
   
2. The Pens are now 0-9-1 against the Caps (0-3-1) and Devils (0-6) this season, the East's #1 and #2 teams, respectively. But the regular season means nothing. Sure.
3. Ovechkin potted two, and is now tied with Crosby for the lead in the Richard race (48).
4. The Caps continue to get absolutely screwed on the penalty disparity against the Pens, yet equal them in power play goals. 1-4 for the Pens, 1-1 for the Caps. That's 15 games in a row where the Pens have had as many or more power plays than the Caps. Hmm.
5. Jeff Schultz.

As for Schultz. If he remains healthy (quickly, find some wood and knock on it), this will be the first playoffs these Caps have ever had with him. If you recall, he was injured against the Flyers in '08, and broke his rib during game 1 against the Rags last spring and missed the rest of the playoffs.

His presence would be at least a good thing, possibly a great thing. He was a +5 with 2 assists tonight while logging 25 minutes of ice time. He absolutely shut down Crosby (power play goal) and whatever other chumps pass for "scorers" on the Pens these days. My subjective memory tells me that Malkin has a hard time solving Schultz's well-positioned, large body. What I'm saying is, Schultz could just be the secret playoff weapon nobody is talking about. If tonight is any indicator, I am right.

So hooray to the streaking Caps, losing Pens, the magical Mr. Nasty and Ovechkin back where he belongs atop the goal-scoring charts. I cannot wait to see these dinguses in the playoffs.

[Image via REUTERS/Jason Cohn]

Live Blogging: Caps @ Panthers

Because my brain is for the most part an untapped gold mine (did I just insult myself?), I thought I'd keep somewhat of a live blog for tonight's Caps game. I filtered out some of the less interesting stuff to keep it concise. Unfortunately, I forgot to note game times in my bullet points. Whatever, guessing is fun!


First Period

• Off to a good start. I can only hope this is like the last two games the Caps played without Ovechkin (6-2 over FLA, 8-2 over PHI).
• 1-0: Nice job by Semin on that rebound. He's looking not too shabby in his first few shifts.
• Very strange first unit on our second power play of the night - Green, Semin, Backstrom, Knuble, and Fleischman. Strange because it appeared Knuble was manning the point with 52. Never thought I'd see him more than 8 feet away from the net on the man advantage.
• 2-0: Oh my lucky stars! Brendan Morrison did something good - he shot the puck like he never does as Chimera crashed the net like he always does! The apocalypse is upon us!
• Caps really look in control here. A big fat "I'm a Washington Capital, I'm better than you and I know it, with or without Alex Ovechkin" to the rest of the league?
• Theodore continues to be very solid, especially in first periods.
• 2-1: And right when I say that, Reinprecht goes glove side high. It was absolutely labeled, so can't really blame Theo, but you'd love your goalie to rob one or two of those every game.
• Thank Jebus for the intermission because that third plate of pasta was a bad, bad idea.

Second Period

• 3-1: Oh my lucky stars! Brendan Morrison did something good - he picked up a loose puck like he always does and buried it like he never does! The apocalypse is upon us!
• It's funny that pirates are always looking for buried treasure, when in fact the real treasures are the friendships they're making. Jack Handey was a swell guy, wasn't he?
• 4-1: Oh my lucky stars (notice a theme here?)! Brendan Morrison did something good - he kept up with his linemates like he never does and made a slick cross-ice pass like he always never does! The apocalypse is upon us!
• The more I think the more my head hurts it's very difficult to imagine Eric Fehr in a Capitals uniform next year. Backstrom is going to command at least $7 million per year, if the Kane/Toews contracts provided any barometer, and you have to imagine the team is going to look to upgrade down the middle or on the blue line. Fehr's career year - in limited ice time no less - is likely to net him at least a $3 million offer, something GMGM will be hard pressed to match.
• Theo, still lookin' sharp my man. Threeormore? How about Notanymore.
• 5-1: Great stuff by Laich on the doorstep. I thought for a second there Vokoun was gonna commit highway robbery on 21 for the second time tonight.
• Speaking of Vokoun, who has looked helpless against the Caps attack, he just got yanked. Would it be surprising if he played shitty to spite Panthers management for not trading him to tonight's opponent? Very, but it's still cool to think about.
• You know what else is cool to think about? Bubble Tape. Haven't had that in 5, maybe 6 years.
• 5-2: It's funny how often we give up a goal IMMEDIATELY after we score a goal. This time: 22 seconds.
• 6-2: You know what else is funny? And by funny I mean incredibly awesome? How often we score goals in general. Backstrom knocking on the door for his first 30 goal campaign.
• Tomas Fleischman could never again shoot with his backhand and I wouldn't even care. Backstrom needs to teach him how to get under the puck on the other side of the blade because I've seen him miss a breakaway with that backhand deke far too often.
• Intermission. Fifteen minutes is just enough time to run to the 7/11 for some Bubble Tape and cigarettes. I promise not to eat them at the same time.

Third Period

• For those of you who have read this far, seek help. Or become my best friend.
• The beginning of this period is, believe it or not, a more dominating display of hockey than the first two. Just constant pressure in the Florida zone. We've got them on a yo-yo, just stringing them around, toying with them. I'm enjoying this thoroughly.
• But it's hard for me to tell if the Caps are really that good, or the Panthers are really that bad...
• ...but then I realize deep down inside, it's not hard at all, and I knew the answer all along. It's c) All of the above.
• I know it, you know it, the guy who messed up his taste buds by using too much Tobasco on his Chipotle knows it: Gushy Grape has always been better than Awesome Original. And don't even get me started on Sour Green Apple or Ragin' Blue Rasberry.
• I'm talking about Bubble Tape, by the way. Rookies.
• Wow. Fleischman to Backstrom to Fleischman would have been the prettiest goal of the year. Too bad Flash wasn't able to get the lumber on that one.
• 7-2: Phenomenal effort by Brooks Laich. How on earth did that squeeze through Clemmensen's pads? Because Brooksie owns the bakery and everyone else is a peasant.
• By the way, I'm not sure which Florida defenseman slammed Brooksie's head into the ice not once but twice after his goal, but I am sure that I hate him. You know what? Wouldn't be surprised if it was Colin Campbell's son, Gregory. Oh, sweet irony!
• Have we been on the power play all game long? Are the Panthers not even trying? Do these pants make me look fat?
• 7-3: Garbage goal at the end for Florida. I hate those if only for the inflation of Theodore's stats. Those imbeciles who didn't actually watch the game will assume he was his "usual" mediocre self, when in fact he was pretty spectacular all game long and the last two goals he gave up were the result of lackadaisical defense more than anything else. Whatever. A win is a win is a win.
• Game over. Just another day at the office.
• 6-0 against the Panthers on the year. They're gonna be tough in the playoffs, though! Kidding. But wouldn't that be nice...

Do You Realize How Good Nicklas Backstrom Is?

After Ovechkin received his game-misconduct early in the 1st period today, the NBC announcers left the Caps for dead. They kept harping on how this is Ovi's team, and they lacked spark without him, and the outlook seemed hopeless, and yada yada yada. All of it was true. One salient fact was overlooked, however: Nicklas Backstrom was on the ice.

There are a handful players in hockey who you can tell immediately what kind of game they're going to have; but only a few where you can tell that kind of game is going to involve total domination. Backstrom is one of those elite few, and he had that jump in his step today. The announcers didn't seem to realize this.

Even through the sluggish first two periods, he was the most noticeable player on the ice. He skated hard every shift, challenged the vaunted 'Hawks defensive corps one-on-one and had the puck on a string all game long. When it mattered most he grinded out an ugly rebound goal to cut the deficit to 1. Then in OT, he stifled a 'Hawks scoring chance on the doorstep and turned it up ice before absolutely OWNING two Canadian Olympians (Seabrook and Keith) with a curl-and-drag for the game-winner. Oh and he added an assist for good measure.

Backstrom is one of only two NHL players in the top 5 in points, assists and +/-. He is quietly one of the best defensive forwards in the league. He won a completely unwinnable game almost single-handedly. When Eric Belanger skated off the ice after the game, he told Pierre McGuire: "we never did that in Minnesota." That's because you never had a guy like Nicklas Backstrom on your team. Ovechkin for good reason overshadows him, but world, you are on notice: Nicklas Backstrom is an unstoppable hockey machine too.

Week 15: Giants 45, Redskins 12 - Knee Jerk Reactions

Or, my preferred title, Embarrassingly Drunken Texts Between Embarrassingly Drunken Fans.

First Quarter

"Only one thing I'm sure about tonight, we'll both be drinking heavily."

"I'm too drunk to fuck. Why does Landry suck so hard?"

"This is not pretty. You may win in fantasy on garbage scores."

Second Quarter

"This is the closest I've ever been to killing myself. And 90,000 other people."

"I have Jeff Feagles on my fantasy team, can we at least force a punt?"

"Bring back Vinny!"

"Almost as bad as Caps-Pens game 7."

"That was the single worst play in NFL history."

Third Quarter

"This whole game has felt like the end of the Saints game. The 'are you fucking kidding me?!' feeling."

"Why?!"

"Are you still at this embarrassment?"

"This game is such a piece of shit. Hope the tailgate was fun..."

Fourth Quarter

"It's lke they're trying to run out the clock but might score by accident."

"I was embarrassed to watch that."

"We control our own destiny for the 10th pick in the draft."

Week 14: Skins 34, Raiders 13 - Knee Jerk Reactions

HAIL.

After 3 games of taking a lead into the 4th quarter (and losing), we deserved this. Call me crazy, but after a few weeks of decent football, I kind of expected a win. I was relatively relaxed for the rest of the game after we took the lead early in the 1st quarter; I even snuck a peak at Tony Romo looking like a kid being forced to eat his broccoli.

Did everyone else also feel extremely relaxed when Jamarcus Russell entered the game? Those 6 sacks in his first 16 dropbacks merely prevented him from overthrowing his receivers by mind boggling distances. The game ended when Jamarcus entered at QB.

Maybe tomorrow I won't be able to take my eyes away from that 4-9 record (the same as these Raiders), and maybe remember that 7 points separate us from being 7-6 and a playoff team. But right now, I'm just glad that the worst is over, and maybe, just maybe, this team isn't far away from competing next year....

Other thoughts:
-The Raiders with Jamarcus are incredibly bad, how can we have the same record as them, ahhh!

-Tim Tebow wears Brian Orakpo pajamas.

-Rak locked up the defensive ROY today. 11+ sacks is going to be too much to overlook.

-Santana Moss lives!

-Sure, Laron Landry had a pick and a couple nice plays on the line, but he couldn't cover McFadden. The 48 yard pass was all on him and cost us 3 points.

-Graham Gano > Shawn Suisham.

-We had our first play action spotting in a long long time.

-ARE still returning punts......really??

-Andre Carter, you fall on the ball, don't pick it up and run you greedy bastard.

-Quinton Ganther was okay, showing some flashes, but that is the best we have right now. Marcus Mason didn't show much. This team needs to get a starting RB this offseason.

-I can't remember seeing the Skins stack the box like we did in the 1st quarter. I know it's supposedly a big deal that Landry and Doughty switched safety spots, but Doughty was playing at the line most of the game anyway. Monday night against the Giants will be a better example of how this switch can work. I also will note that we have a high draft pick coming, and need a FS, and Eric Berry from Tennessee is going to be tempting.

-Fred Davis 15 yards for his endzone celebration. A) that dance was pretty mild. B) He definitely didn't get his money's worth - at least do something sweet if you're gonna get a 15 yarder.

-Our 2 TE set next year is going to be a nightmare for opposing teams.

-Dick Stockton - it's OraKPO, not OraPKO!! You said this incorrectly for almost the entire game!!!! That is beyond stupid; it's not like his name isn't pronounced phonetically. Rak is probably going to be the defensive rookie of the year so you would think he'd be someone the announcers would prepare to discuss during the game!?! Then, no one else caught this and could tell Stockton that he was screwing up the name he said repeatedly until late in the 4th quarter!?!

-Dick Stockton - just because Quinton Ganther and Kirk Morrison played in the same conference in college, does not mean they are good friends.

-JC had another good game, and still didn't have consistent protection. Just imagine what he could do with this protection every game.

-I am actually excited for next week!

(Image courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

Week 13: Saints 33, Skins 30 (OT) - Knee Jerk Reactions

For a few hours today, there were positive vibes coming out the wazoo. The team was clicking, points were being scored at an unimaginable rate, and the best team in football looked like they had fallen into a trap.

But, alas, I was the one who fell into the trap. I got emotionally involved when I promised myself I wouldn't. Again. And my Skinnies let me down. Again.

I'm not sure at what point a loss ceases to be encouraging, but I am sure that we're close. The last three games have been particularly hard to stomach - seven points separate us from a 6-6 record right now.

There were three excruciatingly frustrating plays today that stick out in my mind (aside from every significant challenge that the Redskins lost): Shaun Suisham's miss, Kareem Moore's fumble, and Kevin Barnes' muffed punt. It's too painful to talk about each of those in depth so I will defer to the comments section for anyone brave enough to chime in.

Here are some additional thoughts on the game:

• The secondary's susceptibility to the double move is an old joke - predictable and no longer funny.
• LaRon Landry had a decent game, aside from the aforementioned long balls. Yet I can't help but hate him when he mugs for the camera after EVERY SINGLE PLAY, positive or not. After he broke a pass up in the endzone, Byron Westbrook looked to give him a high five, but Landry decided waving to the crowd and mugging for the cameras was more appropriate. He left Westbrook hanging. Dude, you ain't that tight. Shut your mouth and play some football.
• I just purchased a Devin Thomas hype machine. He was everywhere today and absolutely phenomenal returning kicks, covering kicks, and catching balls from JC17. Add a solid game from Fred Davis and your typical mediocrity from Malcolm Kelly and the 2008 Draft class is making Vinny Cerrato almost look competent. Almost.
• Offensive line was great in pass protection with their first 0-sack game of the year.
• I'm very intrigued by the Rock Cartwright/Quinton Ganther duo. They've got a jump in their step that I haven't seen in a while.
• JC17 was excellent today and will continue to be excellent for many years. Too bad it probably won't be with the Redskins.

Raiders next week. They beat the Steelers this week. Ain't no such thing as a cupcake in the NFL.

Caps Destroy Sucker-Punchers For 2nd Straight Game

I was going to post a basic recap, but the Caps just sent a message out to the league so I'll just post it here in case you didn't get it yourself.

"Dear Rest of NHL:

You are now on notice. If you continue to try any of this bush-league, sucker-punching stuff on us, we will make you pay.



They say a fight will really get your team going sometimes. Unfortunately for you, if you fight dirty, you're gonna get the wrong team going. Result: Washington 8 - Philadelphia 2.

We thought we'd made this clear 2 nights ago against the Panthers, when some guy named Duco jumped Giroux from behind and started wailing on him.



We thought our thorough 6-2 beating sent the message. I guess it didn't get through.

We now lead the league in goals and sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, a point ahead of Pittsburgh.

Oh, and Ovechkin returns Monday. And he's pissed. Haters beware.

Good luck trying to stop us.

Signed,

The Caps"

Week 12: Eagles 27, Redskins 24 - Knee Jerk Reactions

Yeah the game hurt, but again, who didn't see this coming? Up 5, I was happy, but once we kicked that FG instead of going for the jugular everyone saw the inevitable.

At least the Skins are back to not totally sucking. Even with the gimme first TD, we played with the Eagles that whole game. Sure we were outgained, but this was not a case of us just getting lucky.

Additional thoughts:

• That interception at the end of the 1st half was beyond awful. Firstly, why are the Skins even attempting to run a play? We know we can't protect our QB, were scared to run any plays once in FG range a week ago, but suddenly want to keep throwing from our own 37 on 3rd and 8 with 1 timeout? Secondly, JC just can't get picked there and he has to know that. The objective at that point is to have a worst-case scenario of maintaining the current lead, giving Philly an easy 3 points is the worst possible thing that could happen and probably cost us the game.


• That last offensive play was definitely roughing the passer, just an egregious non-call. We would have been on our own 40-yard line with 1:04 left in the game and no timeouts. Suisham stinks, but we would have needed only need about 25 yds for him to have a shot. A point to note, however, is that Campbell blacked-out after that hit, so getting those 25 yards would have been even more difficult than usual.


• The Zornstar is the king of pained faces. He looks perpetually unhappy, until he throws-in an awkward fist pump. I am all for a Zorn camera.


• Fred Smoot, I love you, but that was an afternoon I won't soon forget. Carlos Rogers appeared to play well because he never got picked-on, but when the other corners are Tryon and Smooty (aka giant bullseyes), it is easy to look like you are shutting down half the field.
  
• Quinton Ganther is good. Rock Cartwright is not good. I am a big fan of letting Ganther get the bulk of carries next week.


• London Fletcher was terrific, covering sideline to sideline and making several key tackles. Rocky McIntosh also had a solid game.


• The 2nd round pass catching trio of Malcolm Kelly, Devin Thomas, and Fred Davis definitely had an impact and were a big reason this game was close.


• Devin Thomas appears to be our best kick returner, so why not have him try returning punts too?


• Redskins record when Brian Orakpo gets a sack? 2-4, when he doesn't get one (including today)? 1-4. Okay that didn't go anywhere, but he was quiet today in terms of big plays, despite playing a decent game.


• Funny how Andre Carter and O-Sak-Po suddenly look human without Fat Albert in the game.


• Yeah the o-line was better than usual, but the performance still stunk. JC was under fire all day despite the lack of sacks. Running lanes were also minimal.

Call me crazy, but I think we have showed enough the past 3 weeks that we will beat someone other than Oakland before the end of the season. As Fat Albert said earlier this week, these last few weeks are important, and he meant that it is important for us to turn around the losing culture and get back to respectability; one modest step taken in that direction today.

(Image courtesy of the AP via espn.com)

Week 11: Cowboys 7, Redskins 6 - Knee Jerk Reactions

Duped! Ha!


What were you getting your hopes up for? Yea you, guy on couch with personal 12-pack, initially expecting to drown your sorrows by the middle of the first quarter?

Did you really believe that lining up for a 50-yard field goal with a 6-0 lead in the middle of the fourth quarter was some sort of harbinger for success?

What say you?! "Yes," you say?

Fine. I'll admit it, too. I genuinely thought the Redskins were going to beat the Cowboys today after London Fletcher's pick early in the fourth quarter. We were the better team at that point. Those hopes immediately washed away when I heard the ill-fated words, "Illegal Wedge", and knew it wasn't our day. All I could do at that point was laugh. Illegal Wedge? Classic.

A victory over Dallas today would've provided tremendous satisfaction for Redskins Nation. But let's not fool ourselves and pretend that at 4-6 we would have been back in the playoff picture. Because to fool ourselves in such a way would be downright foolish. And fools we are not.

I'll be frank, though - seriously denting Dallas' playoff hopes would have been a nice kicker in a disastrous season. And that's what really grinds my gears about losing today.

Some additional thoughts on the game:

• Shaun Suisham has been hitting meaningless field goals all year long - 12 for 12, in fact, before today. Which begs the all-important question: what the hell, dude?
• Let's look back on his two misses, though. The six minute delay at the end of the first half is exactly how to ice your kicker. Bravo, zebras. And the 3rd down run in the middle of the fourth quarter was predictably stuffed for a loss. Can anyone explain the aversion to sneaking our quarterback? Considering Suisham's secondt miss was off by only a few yards, this is a question I want answered.
• Love the all burgundy uniforms.
• I'm not sure how Tony Romo "injured" himself while tripping tackling Deangelo Hall, but he sure did prevent the Redskins' first defensive touchdown of the year.
• Both Rocky McIntosh (#52) and London Fletcher (#59) missed easy picks in the first quarter, and neither of them are named Carlos Rogers (#22)! But this is kind of creepy: 59-52=7, and 7x3=21, and 21+1=22. I swear to God, you can't make this stuff up.
• Jason Campbell was awesome today, any way you look at it. I have the funny feeling we're not gonna truly understand just how good Campbell is until next season, when he's killing it for another squad and our QB is turning the ball over like they're pancakes.
• Rock Cartwright, I <3 you.
• Laron Landry had his only good best game of the season.
• Fantastic job by Andre Carter to wrap up Marion Barber behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd and short early in the 4th quarter.  This was followed by an Orakpo pressure on 4th down, forcing a Romo interception. Gotta love what those two bring to the table.
  
• Speaking of Romo, he was bad today. Very bad. It's hard to fathom that team is in first place in the NFC East, but what can you do? Some things just make no sense.

And with this loss, let's agree to end all talk of winning out and possibly sneaking into the Wild Card. Because with the Eagles and Saints on the horizon, it doesn't get any easier.

Week 10: Redskins 27, Broncos 17 - Knee Jerk Reactions

YESSSSSSSSSSSS! YESSSSSSS! HAAAHAAAAAA!

Other than that, I'm speechless. I feel like one of those actresses at the Academy Awards, "This was so unexpected. I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but dreams really do come true....." I think Taylor Swift covers my feelings in this clip:



Maybe Kanye West is symbolic of what Dallas will do to us; he might as well be saying, "you're 3-6!"

I don't care though, I forgot what it feels like to win and really thought that a win wouldn't feel as sweet because our season is already over.........and I couldn't have been more wrong. I have a spring in my step, a twinkle in my eye, and a whole new outlook on this season. I have been wondering why I subject myself to depressing Redskin games, but this win is why I keep tuning-in, today made everything better, at least for 1 week.

Is this the right time to mention that we are 2 games out of a wild card spot with a lot of football left? Playoffs?!?

Week 9: Falcons 31, Skins 17 - Knee Jerk Reactions

Football season is past its halfway point! The hair pulling, TV-screaming, remote control throwing and furious cigarette smoking is in full force. Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the eighth game of the season:



Yeah, I'm mailing-in this article, just like the Redskins mailed-in today's game. That video sums up what I watched this afternoon, so I will only leave you with two other tidbits courtesy of my buddy I was watching the game with today:

-"Snyder says he wants to win, but let's remember Hitler wanted a better society."

-"Worrying about the Redskin punt return situation would be nice if we could actually force someone to punt. I would put selecting the Redskin punt returner on a list of future things to do, right next to getting the team fitted for Super Bowl rings."

(Video idea courtesy of pitchfork.com)

Washington Beats Philly, Dallas...IN THE SAME DAY

Tricked ya! The Redskins don't win games anymore. This post's title refers to professionally operated franchises in DC, namely the Capitals and Wizards, who beat the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Mavericks, respectively, on Tuesday. Two wins for DC in the same day? The last time that happened, fat guys were stealing lunch money from Dan Snyder, instead of the other way around.

The Caps played a solid game for nearly 60 minutes, which has happened only 4 times by my count in 11 games so far. Ovechkin's late empty-netter sealed the 4-2 win, and Backstrom led the way with 1 G, 3A. The Caps are now 7-2-2, off to their best start in 14 years, and haven't even played their best hockey yet. Winning games with overwhelming talent...imagine that.

Good signs included: Semin back and healthy, whipping a filthy wrister over Emery's shoulder for the GWG. Team defense locking it down in the final minutes. Theodore playing outstanding, with 39 saves on the evening. Ovechkin destroying Mike Richards along the boards in the second period.

Meanwhile, out Texas way, the Wiz looked damn good for 48 minutes in handling the Mavericks 102-91. Flip Saunders relied heavily on an 8-man rotation featuring a lot of Gilbert (29 Points, 9 assists), who appears to be a man on a mission. The thought of a determined and focused Agent Zero has me absolutely giddy.

Other good signs included: not-sluggish offense. Good ball movement. Steady and solid contributions from newcomers Mike Miller, Randy Foye, and Fabricio Oberto. Blatche looking dominant (20 points, 7 rebs, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers). The head coach calling the plays.

It's early, and rationality is not my strongest suit, but the way these two teams are looking, and being led by their respective stars, we just might have a veeeerrry interesting spring on our hands. Please, dear sporting gods, let this not be a tease.

[Images via ESPN.com]

Week 7: Eagles 27, 'Skins 10 - Knee Jerk Reactions

Football season is in full swing! The hair pulling, TV-screaming, remote control throwing and furious cigarette smoking is in full force. Before I let rationality cloud my judgment, here are my knee-jerk reactions from the seventh game of the season:

-4th and goal with 5 minutes to go. The snap doesn't even make it to Campbell. Mike Tirico says: "and that summarizes the Washington Redskins." Yes it does.

-Play-calling: not so bad, and obviously, not the problem. Jim Zorn, vindicated, sort of.

-Gruden was announcing like he wants the 'Skins job. Not a negative word, which is pretty telling considering how hard it is for every other human watching this game to not notice how bad they are.

-Jaws hates Campbell.

-I feel bad for Campbell. He has been absolutely brutalized physically, mentally, emotionally. Even so, he is better than half the starting QBs in the NFL. Just remember this fact when we're trotting out washed up re-treads for the next few seasons.

-Cooley done. Awesome.

-Devin Thomas and Fred Davis with receiving TDs and career highs!

-Malcolm Kelly with diddly poo!

-The only member of the secondary who didn't completely suck today was D******* Hall. Go figure.

-ARE should never, ever, ever return a punt in football, ever again. Talk about a momentum killing moment.

-Not that we ever had a chance, but why doesn't the offense show a little URGENCY and PACE in drives in the 4th quarter? This has been a problem for years and it drives me absolutely crazy.

-Every Redskins loss makes me more sad than I've ever been in my life, and every loss this season just gets sadder and sadder. That means, every time you see me after a Redskins game, that's the saddest day of my life.

[Image via ESPN.com]

Oriole Season Recap: Are We Still on Track to Contend?

So I was flipping through the channels the other day and lo and behold, the baseball playoffs had started. Which is funny because you know what I haven't done since 1997?........Watch my team play postseason baseball..........The start of the postseason signals the end of the season for the O's and Nats, so it is high time we wrote our season recaps.

I have gone back and forth about the O's this year. As hard as it sounds, you have to look past the 98 losses and only examine the core young players who will be with the team in a few years. All that matters from this season is not the epic ineptitude of Jason Berken, but rather the individual performances of players such as Baseball Jesus, Nick Markickass, and Chris Tillman. For quite some time, the realistic expectation for this team has been to reach the playoffs come 2011. In order to avoid wasting time with the Melvin Mora's, I will go player-by-player amongst the guys we think might be a part of the next great Orioles team.

***

Brian Roberts - Here is the best Oriole from 2009. He pretty much lapped the field in Baseball Prospectus' VORP, which is his value, in runs, over a replacement level player at the same position. He finished as the 5th best 2B in baseball, but VORP only accounts for hitting, and Roberts' fielding fell off a cliff last year. This leads me to the biggger point: Roberts is clearly a good player, but he will be 32 at the start of next season. That means he will be 33 at the start of our hopeful Oriole revival season. So...can we count on him? His trade value diminishes by the minute, but that does not mean trading him is the wrong move. He suffered his first drop in OPS since his post age-27 season (his career year, and career year for most baseball players), and could be headed straight for mediocrity next season. His Baseball Prospectus (BP) projections next season will be interesting, but I am skeptical that he will help the team much in 2 years.

Nick Markickass - We may have to remove the "kickass" from his name soon enough. This is a guy who has taken dramatic leaps forward in production each of the past 2 years, and was another dramatic leap from literally being an MVP candidate, according to BP before this season. Well, about that leap......this year he lept backward. He was not a bad player by any stretch, but was the 14th best RF by VORP, which is the definition of mediocore. This was a time when he was supposed to be improving, so it was particularly hard to stomach. His struggles were not limited to the plate either; after being one of the better RFers in the league, he dropped to slightly below average. Nick the Greek will still only be 26 at the start of next season, and presumably in his peak year in 2011, so there is still a lot of room for growth, and he should be a 'good' player on the O's for many years. The question has now become whether this year is an aberration, or has his ceiling dropped a bit to the point that he will only be a part of the next great O's team as apposed its centerpiece?

Adam Jones - His phenomenal start to the season led many to think he was having his breakout year, but that lasted about as long as I do in bed. Jones' performance declined by month and he ultimately finished the season on the DL. His fielding has remained a huge plus, and should get better with age. The final result was a solid year, but one that did not live up to the expectations he created with that hot start. That said, the performance is not bad, and he is still on track to be a great player. He is only one year younger than Markickass, and this past season has raised the same question about whether he will be very good, or great. In the meantime, I have been trying to figure out a nickname for him that is not "Pacman". My so-bad-it's-funny idea is "The Carpenter"...because he has all the tools...

Baseball Jesus (Matt Wieters) - We covered his season pretty thoroughly recently, so I will keep this as brief as I can. His slow start caused me a lot of sleepless nights, but he heated up and finished as one of the top catchers in baseball. He is only 23, so what does the future hold? He is clearly on track to be fixture in the midsummer classic, but what about the absurd ceiling that last year's minor league performance created? For those of you who (unlike me) don't think about Matt Wieters during your most intimate moments, he had the best season of any pro baseball player in the last 40 years, at any level. While his first major league season was very good, his ceiling has dropped a bit from the once-in-a-generation talent that impatiently homers from the on-deck circle. Nevertheless, he is still a special player and will be a leader on the 2011 team, so feel free to purchase a Wieters jersey and ponder whether his granite balls chafe, or are sanded to a glossy finish so that they swish gently across his knees.

Nolan Reimold - Aha, finally a guy who exceeded expectations. Reimold looked like a future solid LFer before this season, but had a huge season and now looks to be much better than just solid. This year he was already in the top-half of MLB LFers, with the only downside being that he is already 26, so his growth potential is not as great as the others. He is also not a good fielder, but can at least be spotted by Felix Pie in late innings.

Josh Bell - If watching George Sherril move on to more successful pastures made you upset, take heart in that we got a very good prospect in return who looks very much like our 3B of the future.

Brandon Snyder - After dominating double-A ball he had some struggles in triple-A, but still looks like a major leaguer in the near future. He lacks superstar potential, but the O's will be more than happy if he can hold down the regular 1B job.

Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz - We covered these guys througout the season and while it is hard to judge young pitchers, Matusz appeared to live up to the hype as Tillman seemed a bit shaky. Both of these guys are still on track to be front-line starters, however, so let's just hope for a little more Justin Verlander and a little less Phil Hughes.

Jake Arrieta - He had a somewhat dissapointing season, lagging behind Matusz and Tillman, but his upside has merely dropped from a number 2 to number 3 starter, so no big concerns here.

Brad Bergeson - I had to include him after having the biggest breakout season on the team this year. He is 23 and was probably the best rookie pitcher in baseball after J.A. Happ, Tommy Hanson, and Andrew Bailey until injury shortened his season. He may not be a future star but is an example of the ability of the Oriole army of pitching prospects to fill out a very good and very cheap rotation in the very near future.

Zach Britton - This guy was not even listed in BP's 2009 book, but has arguably become the best non-MLB prospect in the organization. He still has a ways to go but looks to be a future MLB starter.

***

Here is how the 2011 (and beyond) Orioles are shaping up:

C - Matt Wieters

1B - Brandon Snyder

2B - Brian Roberts?

3B - Josh Bell

SS - ?

LF - Nolan Reimold

CF - Adam Jones

RF - Nick Markickass

Utility - Felix Pie

DH - ?

SP1 - Brian Matusz

SP2 - Chris Tillman

SP3 - Zach Britton

SP4 - Jake Arrieta

SP5 - Brad Bergeson

RP - Brandon Erbe

***

As you can see, we have almost an entire cheap team in place, which leaves a lot of money to fill only a few holes. There is almost no doubt that this will be a solid team, with a potentially elite pitching staff and Wieters, Markickass, and Jones the offensive centerpieces. The question is whether this team will be solid or perhaps great enough to compete with the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox? From where I stand I see a lot of good players, but when the Yank's roll out A-Rod, Jeter, Texeira, etc. you need more than just good. Wieters is on the cusp of superstardom, but he appears to be the only potential elite hitter in this lineup, meaning the team may have to be carried by its pitching staff.

The biggest hurdle for the O's may be that they have to play the Yankees and Red Sox 18 times each per season. Their record against those teams last year was 7-29! If they had played those two teams as well as they did the rest of the league, they would have had another seven wins. Those seven extra wins would have only pushed 'em to 71 wins last season. A team needs about 85 wins to get into the playoffs, so having 71 last year, and conservatively projecting a six win per year improvement over the next two seasons puts the O's at 83 wins in 2011 - and right in the playoff race.

Unfortunately, the Yankees and Red Sox have shown no signs of falling back to earth, and we only won 64 games, not the 71 we would have won in this theoretical world where my life as a baseball fan does not suck. After years of endless 'rebuilding', even a solid team would be a joy to watch. But I still hold out hope that this team could reach much greater heights.

[Image courtesy of nachofoto.com]