"Can you imagine if the Nat's and O's merged to create one MEGATRON super team? They'd only be the third worst team in baseball. So it'd go Nats, O's, NatsOs, Royals."
If you'd asked 2009 Red Rover to fill in the blank: "next season, Matt Wieters will have 5 home runs by ___," I would have answered "the third inning." That we are 67 games and more than 200 at-bats into this season and Wieters has only 5 home runs and a dreadful .230 batting average has me concerned. Not enough to abandon ship like some spineless traitor, but enough to pierce through the protective shield of numbness I have carefully crafted over the past decade of local sporting failure.
Popout.
Luckily, when disappointment of this magnitude strikes me, I have a fail-safe coping mechanism: I rationalize. I think of random stuff that's to blame for the shortcomings of my adopted extensions of self. After all, I'm totally awesome and therefore so are the athletes I root for. So, Matt Wieters, what ails ye?
1.) A strained ligament in the doohicky. 2.) Behind-the-scenes relationship strife with secret lover January Jones. 3.) His hands sting from the powerful fastballs of future aces and stalwart rookies Brian Matusz and Jakie Arrieta. 4.) He is lulling American League pitchers to sleep, poised to break out with a 50 HR second half. 5.) He is saving all of his strength to hit a 49 mile home run that nails Strasburg on the mound in DC that would thereby eliminate that attention-thieving foe and reintroduce Wieters to the local messianic spotlight. 6.) He is actually secretly Ted Leonsis. Man's been busy recently. 7.) He is so respectful of Ovechkin, he will wait until the Great 8 and the Caps get their Cup before he starts his career. 8.) He wants me to start rooting for the Nationals more.
If number 8 is the sole reason, then I guess Matt Wieters is God. Because isn't this EXACTLY like the biblical tests God gives to those Bible guys who have to, like, you know, avoid temptation and whatever? Like that dude who couldn't eat the apple and stuff? Or wasn't there a dude who God sent some once-in-a-generation flamethrowing ace to root for instead of an overhyped catching prospect up the road? I think that was Leviticus. See mom! I paid attention in Sunday school.
Well, GodWieters, I'm trying my damndest. Yet I find myself emotionally investing in the Nats success, and I'm struggling with this dilemma just like Rico Fantastic and Marion's Crackpipe. Although these new feelings come not at the expense of rooting for the O's, I fear someday they might. So throw me a bone here. Or at least make a female companion out of a bone for me, like you did with the apple thief. That would be pretty weird.
The Wizards won the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery. They had a 10% chance (5th best odds). That means that something unexpected and good happened to DC sports, instead of predictable and bad. I am speechless. Thus the short sentences and lack of exclamation points. John Wall, welcome to DC.
Ovechkin scored 5 goals, 5 assists and was a +5 against the Canadiens in 7 games, before bowing out in Game 7 at home in a tight one-goal game. The Caps blew a 3-1 series lead. As a result, notable national media members called Ovechkin a choke artist (Wilbon, on PTI).
Crosby scored 1 goal, 4 assists and was a -1 against the Canadiens in 7 games, before bowing out in Game 7 at home while being dominated 5-2, in which he took an awful penalty early allowing Montreal to open the scoring with a PP goal. The Pens blew a 3-2 series lead. Notable national media members have yet to weigh in. So allow me to fill in the gap.
If Ovechkin's performance makes him a choke artist, and Crosby's performance was marginal - nay, fractional - by comparison, and against the same Canadiens team playing WITHOUT THEIR 4 BEST DEFENSEMEN, doesn't that make Crosby a CHOKE PICASSO!?!? You know my answer.
Sidney Crosby: Choke Picasso. Seen with two of his lesser-known works: Malkin and Fleury.
UPDATE: Since the point of this post is being horribly misconstrued, I'll state it explicitly: it's absurd to pin team successes and failures on one player, isn't it? You can't give Crosby the credit for winning a Cup and a Gold in order to deride Ovechkin for choking, unless you're also willing to blame Crosby entirely for the Pens losing. There is a logical fluidity here that the anonymous fly-by Pens fans are having trouble with in the comments. Consider yourself learned.
The slow slog of summer has begun approximately 1.5 months too soon. If you're an insane person like me, you had carved out much of your free time for the next six weeks to allow for fretting by day and watching Caps games by night. I actually planned a bachelor party around the potential dates of the Stanley Cup Parade. So I'm feeling pretty empty right now.
Bill Simmons tweeted before Game 7: "If the Caps blow Game 7, DC vaults past Seattle for Most Depressed Sports City honors." I'd say the crown fits. Wouldn't you?
So, what do we have to look forward to until Redskins training camp begins the miserable cycle of DC sports seasons anew? Here's the quick rundown:
Washington Capitals June 25-26 draft. Perhaps an exciting trade in the works? I'm thinking sign-and-trade Fleischmann for a bale of hay.
July 1: Free agency begins. Probably gone: Shaone Morrissonn, Brendan Morrison, Joe Corvo, Scott Walker. Possibly gone: Eric Belanger. Hopefully re-signed: Boyd Gordon, Eric Fehr, Jeff Schultz. Hopefully newly signed: Free agent stay-at-home and make-yourself-at-home-in-DC Russian defenseman Anton Volchenkov no later than 12:01 AM July 1.
Other potential intrigue: The kids (including American Hero John Carlson, future blueline fixture Karl Alzner, future next-Dale-Hunter Stefan Della Rovere, future 2nd line center Mattieu Perrault and potential future goalie Braden Holtby) go for a second straight Calder Cup championship with Hershey.
Other potential intrigue: The Haynesworth saga: Will he stay or will he go?
Washington Nationals They're currently above .500. They have good chemistry or something. They also have a pretty big NEGATIVE RED run differential, a sure sign they're in for a fall. Most exciting thing to look forward to: Strasburg's late July call-up. It's only a matter of time before Bodog posts a prop-bet on the over/under date for that inevitable happening. When it does, I'm putting all of my current liquid assets (approximately $312.43 plus a coupon for a free coffee) on the under.
Other potential intrigue: Bumbling ownership group and team President Stan Kasten - what new travesty of mismanagement can they think of next?
Baltimore Orioles Most recently, they swept the sorry Boston Red Sox. 7-19 and climbing! Wieters is pretty good but not quite savior-esque...yet. Roberts is injured (he's getting old, totally predictable), Jones and Markakis are barely hitting and our best player (Ty Wigginton) is a free-agent cast-off whose hot streak will inevitably end. The AL East crown is theirs to lose.
I'm watching closely the progress of the O's future ace, lefty Brian Matusz. Dude is awesome (3-1 K/BB ratio, 1.34 whip, I think that's good). Rookie of the Year type stuff. I have a man-crush. You should too.
Other potential intrigue: When will the rest of the Cavalry arrive? Chris Tillman just pitched a no-hitter down in AAA. Rad.
Washington Wizards Ironically, the team I'm least interested in owing to their perpetual sorry state and the waste of time that is rooting for a non-Lebron/Kobe/Howard/Wade/Durant/Duncan NBA team, will provide us with the most interesting moment this summer: the NBA DRAFT LOTTERY!! Where hopes and dreams of NBA teams are either made or shattered for the next decade. Consensus #1 pick John Wall is a franchise-changer in the mold of Dwyane Wade, but with a sweeter high school highlight video and more easily rappable name for Wale to throw into a verse. The Wiz have a 10.3% chance of getting the #1 overall pick.
Barring this miracle, apparently the Wizards have more free agent money than originally thought. That's a nice Plan B in case hinging our entire hopes and dreams on a 1 in 10 chance falls through. I bet they sign LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant and Joba Chamberlain.
Other potential intrigue: New owner Ted Leonsis changing the uniforms and/or team name back to the red, white and blue? Man do I hope so...probably too soon. Leonsis is too savvy to trample all over a DC icon like Abe Pollin before it's time. But 93% of fans want it and Leonsis is a man of the people so it's happening sooner or later.
I'm sure whether this was the worst loss in franchise history will be debated for many days to come.
Allow me to settle this brain-buster of a debate right now: this is by far the worst loss in Caps history, one of the worst losses in DC sports history, and right up there with one of the biggest choke jobs in sports history ever. No NHL #1 seed had ever lost a series to a #8 seed after leading 3-1. Until tonight.
True, this is just par for the course for the Caps. That's 7 series in the last 26 years the Caps have lost after being up by two games. But this Caps team was supposed to be different. No Caps team has ever had a legitimate Stanley Cup shot. These Caps not only had a legitimate shot - they were historically dominant during the regular season. They have the league's best second best player. The Habs are mediocre at best, which they were this series. This should've been a cakewalk.
Since we all saw it coming, it wasn't so hard to deal with the news that the Jason Campbell era officially closed today. Sports are funny like that. You pour your heart and soul into fiery debates about the merits of a player, to the point where you become emotionally attached. Or so you think. Because then the day comes that he is traded, and all you care about is: "what did we get in return?"
Apparently, a 4th-round pick in 2012. That is, according to the Washington Post, CSN, Fanhouse, Yahoo!, and the rest of the modest handful of news sources covering the NFL draft.
Except for ESPN's John Clayton who slipped this interesting tidbit into his "Winners and Losers" post-NFL draft column:
Al Davis got it right this year. He added to a solid draft by picking up Campbell for a conditional fourth-round pick, whose conditions appear to be unachievable. For the Redskins to get that fourth-round pick, the Raiders would either have to make the playoffs or Campbell would have to go to the Pro Bowl.
That last sentence really jumps out of the page, doesn't it? I hope Campbell succeeds, but that's just not happening in Washington West. If this is true, the Redskins have forfeited a 2nd and 3rd/4th round pick and an average at worst starting QB for 28 more passing yards per game if we're lucky. Was the market for veteran starting quarterbacks so bad that this was the best the Redskins could do? And isn't a guaranteed 5th/6th/7th-rounder better than a never-gonna-happen 4th?
If this turns out to be true I think Shanahan and Allen were asleep at the wheel on this one. A nonchalant attitude towards draft picks got us into this mess in the first place. Between this and the questionable merits of their other big decisions (alienating the team's best defensive player, signing running backs without legs, overpaying for McNabb) it's not unreasonable to feel nervous. I hope I'm wrong.
At around the 1:45 mark of this interview, Ovechkin stated the following in regards to Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak:
"I was watching the replay when Fehrsie scored the goal [in Game 2]. And his arm was shaking when he drink water. He is nervous. He knows all the pressure is on him and it's a good sign for us."
I watched the goal highlight again, and sure enough around the 0:16 mark...
Looks like a shaky goalie to me. We'll see if it translates to Halak's home ice too. Safe to say, though, Halak's facing an offensive giant that has awoken from its slumber. And he knows it.
So much for "coasting" into the playoffs. That's four wins in a row, tops in the NHL at the moment:
basically without even trying,
against teams trying their faces off, and
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?)
The Caps swept the season series from the Pens.
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.
Ovechkin potted two, and is now tied with Crosby for the lead in the Richard race (48).
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.
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.
Regardless, we're all gonna have to get used to loving supporting a guy we've been programmed to hate for the last 11 years. Although, I've hated him less and less over the last few as my fear of him has decreased. Early in his career, he tore the 'Skins to shreds on the ground. In his prime a few years ago, he just tore everyone to shreds. The last few years, he's only been able to tear the grass to shreds, specifically those patches 10 yards behind Kevin Curtis.
Exact scientific rendering of what McNabb will look like in a 'Skins uni. Get used to it.
My brain is just about ready to explode with confusion. My gut reaction is that this is horrible, so I'll just go with that. I mean, haven't we seen this movie before? Overpaying (in the form of undervalued draft picks, which the Eagles are now assuredly going to turn into perennial All-Pros) for the washed-up vet? The former Pro Bowler who will never again be an All-Pro after donning the curse that is the B&G jersey? And what the hell, Shannahan and Allen!?!?!?!? I thought you were supposed to be DIFFERENT! It's like there's something in the water in Ashburn that turns every formerly successful NFL coach into some variation of a Snyder-esque doofus. This Campbell undermining and acquiring of declining stars is just Cerrato 2.0.
Judging by either conventional stats or the metrics, McNabb was barely better than Campbell last season - and McNabb actually had an offensive line and some explosive receivers to work with. Numbers aside, he's never been known to have the intangibles of a leader. For some reason, every Eagles fan seemed to hate him. Then again, Eagles fans are dumb.
He does have a winning record in his career, and he is automatically the best QB the 'Skins have had since '99 Brad Johnson, and he knows the WCO and....HEY STOP IT FALSE OPTIMISM! YOUR SORCERY WILL NOT WORK ON ME!
Anyways the best part of the trade is this signals the end of the flirtations with Notre Dame QB Jimmy Claussen and the increased likelihood we'll draft much needed OT stud Russel Okung with the #4 pick. I'd rather root for McNabb for a minute than Claussen ever. The worst part is that poor Rex Grossman just lost his best chance at a starting position for the rest of his life. That makes me sad.
Anyways, bye bye Campbell. I will be rooting for you wherever you land, so that you can stick it to the idiot haters.
UPDATE: Just posted on my facebook wall from the one Eagles fan I am "friends" with: "Enjoy Donovan." So, yeah.
UPDATE 2: Just got this e-mail from another Eagles fan friend: "Hope you enjoy our washed-up waste of money choke artist QB." Safe to say Philly consensus is they come out ahead on this one, no?
I have to admit, sometimes I don't get the blind hatred for Sidney Crosby. He is a great hockey player and a respected leader of his teams. Recently he's even proven to be clutch. Let's just admit it, mmkay? So when people whine "Crysby" this and "whiny little baby" that, I often shrug my shoulders and go "meh." Maybe it's just the hockey fan in me. But then a moment like tonight's comes along, and I am reminded why people think Sidney Crosby is a loser.
Now, the replay cuts in before we can see what incited #87, so the video is sort of lacking context. But short of Zetterberg slicing Crosby's first-born son to pieces - an impossibility considering that Crosby still lives with uncle Mario - context cannot explain the extent of this childish behavior. All that can explain it is "loserness."
The game is over. Zetterberg's back is turned. Accept defeat and move along. Don't cross-check a guy from behind to start a pointless fight. Ovechkin gets all the grief these days for being "dirty" and "reckless," but he'd never react to a loss like such a sore loser. You'd also never see Ovechkin joining a fight he wasn't involved in...
...nor would you see Ovechkin jump and sucker punch a guy before a face-off (start at 0:36 mark):
I mean really. What a joke. So thank you, Mr. Crosby, for reminding me why I'm supposed to hate you. It'll make Ovechkin's inevitable triumph over you that much sweeter. I'm not even afraid of the jinx anymore. Ovechkin eats jinxes for breakfast and craps victory.
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.
Put yourself in the shoes of a Boston Bruins fan for a moment, if you will. Quickly get over your disgusting beer gut, bald head and poor hygiene and imagine it is May 10, 2009, Game 5 of the East Semifinals against the Carolina Hurricanes. You're up 4-0 and sitting pretty. Out of nowhere, some little fourth-line weasel sucker punches one of your top 4 blueliners. WHAT A ####### &*%#)*&@ BASTARD!! you think. HE'LL DEFINITELY BE SUSPENDED.
It will only get worse my bizarrely accented friend. Because the arbitrary wheel of NHL justice decided to kick your Nomaaah-lovin' butts where it hurts: no suspension. Now cut to overtime of game 7 when that same said weasel decides to score his first ever playoff goal and end your magical season forever and ever:
Ladies and gentlemen of Boston, Scott Walker just owned you. Ok, now you can be a Caps fan again.
On thursday night Mr. Walker, a.k.a. Wild Thing, just welcomed himself to D.C. with total awesomeness. In his first game in the red, white and blue, Walker notched two late third period goals, both of which were grind-em-out backhanded rebounds, one of which served as the game-winner against a hungry Tampa Bay team that had just clawed its way back into the game.
These are exactly the types of goals the Scott Walkers of the world are paid to score. The ones that happen when you need them most, when you least expect them, and by the guy the other team wants to squash like a bug. He is precisely the type of fourth-line spark plug who kicks butt in the playoffs. Eric Belanger, Joe Corvo and Milan Jurcina are technically better players, but Scott Walker might prove to be the most valuable trade deadline addition. Between he and Matt Bradley other teams will have their hands full with the feisty clutch grinder department.
There are certain hockey players who make you think "I hate that guy...but I'd love to have him on my team." Scott Walker is one of those guys. Welcome aboard, Scottie.
Granted: ESPN.com polls are unscientific. Granted: the question is quite narrow. Granted: over 60% of voters chose a different matchup. Granted: A 1.3 overnight rating for NBC's Sunday afternoon Caps-Pens ridiculously awesome game is relatively small.
But still. Nearly 30,000 votes are in as of late Monday evening and the results are surprising, especially for ESPN readership.
Hooray for pluralities! Now, the voting map has few surprises:
But Arizona and Nevada!?!? Bettman, you see that? The gamblers want in!
I can't remember a night of such wildly extreme emotional swings in my life. On the one hand, you have the Caps coming out of nowhere to beat the Rangers 6-5 at MSG. Just an Awesome Awesome Awesome game. For 40 minutes I thought the streak was toast as the never-ending penalty parade picked up where it left off in November, allowing the offensively woeful Rags to score 5 goals. FIVE! What a terrible way to lose the streak; like losing your hot girlfriend to the kid with downs. That should never happen.
Then, THIS:
I feel like I betrayed you, Red Jesus, for ever doubting that you would skate through a world class defender and one-hand a goal over one of the best goalies in the world at a time when your team needed it the most. What an idiot I am.
Naturally, two goals and victory followed. YES! 12 WINS IN A ROW. WE'RE THE BEST TEAM IN THE NHL.
On the other hand, you have possibly the worst Caps-related news since the invention of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Caps' Eastern Conference kryptonite, the yin to their yang, the bore-you-to-death with D, playoff-tested, Stanley Cup approved Brodeur-led New Jersey Devils just added the one thing the Caps could least afford them to: the best pure goal scorer in the world not named Alex Ovechkin. NOOO.
If you haven't heard, that's Ilya Kovalchuk. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello absolutely McPhee'd (NHL slang term meaning "dominated in a trade") the NHL's version of Vinny Cerrato, Thrashers GM Don Waddell. New Jersey gave up a middling rookie (Bergfors), a defenseman who didn't fit (Oduya), one four-star prospect (Cormier, suspended for rest of season) and a late 1st round pick. I'm not convinced just dumping these assets and NOT getting Kovalchuk back wouldn't have made the Devils better anyways. That's barely an exaggeration.
In sum, the Caps' scariest Eastern foe just strengthened its weakness like twenty-fold. Its strength remains a strength: the Devils have allowed the fewest goals in the NHL, and they only lose two replaceable roster players. See they play this system where the center forechecks and forces the opposing D to pick a si-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
My hope is Kovalchuk in Jersey ends up being a square peg in the round hole type situation, like Jagr on the Caps. Can such an offensively-oriented winger survive in such a defensively-oriented system like Jersey's?
My other hope is that it doesn't matter. The Caps are so hot right now. I can't even imagine a team in the history of time that could beat the Caps; maybe a team of 25 Ovechkins. Maybe. It'd be close. I hate you New Jersey. [Image via RotoRob]
That's 10 in a row now. Ten wins against good teams, great teams, Cup champs, bad teams, bubble teams, desperate teams, lazy teams, hard-working teams, defensive teams, offensive teams, hot goalies, smart coaches and all teams between. And most of them in dominating fashion.
They're 12-1 since Ovie was named captain. On a game like today's you just knew he'd come through with the GWG when it was 2-2 in the third.
Let's hope the Olympic break doesn't derail this momentum. I can't remember a world where the Caps looked beatable.
So Gilbert Arenas has been suspended for the remainder of the 2009-2010 NBA season. Who cares?
I might have had a different response had this news dropped between the year 2005 and October 27, 2009 which was the last time I was hopeful about the Wizards as a playoff caliber team. Man did they look good that day. Teamwork, ball movement, defense, scoring depth, consistency and, most importantly, a dominant Alpha Dog: Agent Zero looked like he was back!
In the modern NBA, if you don't have that, you have nothing. I've painstakingly constructed this Rico Fantastic-style chart* of NBA squads over the last 20 years who have won it all without a top-5 player:
TeamSeason Pistons 2003-2004
*Chart not scientific.
I thought Gilbert could be that top-5 guy the Wizards never had. Due to some freakish psychosis, Gil has always been at his best when he is pissed, which he's found reason to be throughout his career. He was knocking on that top-5 door before his injury; I was certain as of October that he would emerge from his latest bout of adversity ready to knock that door down for good. I took his media silence to mean quiet determination.
He seemed pissed at the world, didn't he? Am I alone on this? I was ready to witness (pardon the term) his final leap from shoot-first All-Star to transcendent team player: the guy who made everyone around him better, unafraid to put away the slow-bleeders with a 3-point dagger, game winning steal, or to sink those 4th quarter foul shots courtesy of the NBA's star-treatment system. If for no other reason than to show us wrong.
The days when hope reigned. *sigh*
That same freakish psychosis I hoped would mature him into the best instead manifested itself as immaturity that has made him, frankly, the worst. The worst teammate, the worst defensive player in the league, the worst franchise player in a league riddled with terrible ones, and now the worst contract. Instead of taking advantage of the deepest roster and best coach he has ever had, he let his weakest of his teammates bring out his dark side. Even before the guns it was clear this season that I'd be wrong. The gun incident confirmed it; this suspension is just another drop in the bucket.
Without that hope, I can't bring myself to care about the Wizards anymore. It's the nature of the NBA. Any other sport there is always hope for next year. Without LeBron or Kobe or Wade or Duncan there is none in basketball. With the Caps currently bludgeoning the league into submission, I've got enough to occupy my fan energy, anyways. I'm drooling like a Pavlovian dog at the latest Redskins off-season hire previous negativity notwithstanding. I'm busy. So someone wake me when the Wizards luck into the next NBA Superstar. Until then...yawn.
Finally, a Redskins offseason in the hands of a competent pair (Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen) instead of a dimwitted duo. A pair that will have a plan, implement it, draft wisely, demonstrate patience, and develop players. Or will they?
We all know that Shanahan (138-90 career W-L, 8-5 Postseason record) and Allen have been successful on their own. But can they coexist together, with Snyder, and within the NFC East? I'm not so optimistic.
The new power structure atop the Redskins organization is bizarre and disaster already foreseeable. Bruce Allen was hired as GM, but all the football decisions are being left to Shanahan. Um, what? Per Adam Schefter, who appears once every 4 minutes on ESPN, Snyder is leaving all football decisions in the hands of his two new hires. Sure, Adam. So basically, Bruce Allen is in charge of the team, except when Shanahan says otherwise, and except when Snyder decides to sign Free Agent Y for $800 million over the next 17 seasons. This is going to be fun.
And I'm not so optimistic about Shanahan as a coach/personnel guy. Shanahan inherited the Broncos Super Bowl rosters, and then after Elway retired built his teams around smaller and quicker zone-blocking offensive linemen, and zero defense. Everyone in DC is clamoring with Hogs-nostalgia for a sturdy offensive line that will take us into the 2020s. Will Shanahan adapt to the bruising NFC East style or try to impose his zone blocking scheme on it? Or will it be an awkward mix that completely fails? One offseason, the last place Browns cut their entire defensive line, and Shanahan signed them all one by one. The Broncos remain one of the league's worst defenses year-to-year, and that's all thanks to Shanahan.
When newcomers arrive in DC, fans become impatient and Snyder's deep pockets tempt those in charge to make the quick fix. But we need something different. We need a team built soundly and developed patiently. This will require three giant egos to coexist, will require Allen and Shanahan to work together towards constructing a sound and deep roster on both sides of the ball, and will require unprecedented patience on Snyder's part. Making it work won't be automatic. It will take time, and it might fail. If recent history has taught us anything, it probably will.
Don't be tempted by the big-name hire. It doesn't mean anything until we see the results.
Sometimes, a football organization needs eyes. Sometimes, a football organization needs an extra set of eyes. And sometimes, those extra set of eyes need an extra set of eyes to scour the YouTubes for ideas. I am that extra extra set of eyes. I. For I have found a play that will surely make the Falcons say "Aye Caramba!" as Campbell takes it to the house for six:
That right there is genius. PURE GENIUS. "Fake non-hikes" is the next "Wildcat." I'm telling you.
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.
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