Posted by Alli
UGHHH.
There is really nothing for me to say right now other than to spit out some bitterly incoherent grunts of frustration. Not that I won't still yap on for several paragraphs as I'm prone to do (just ask my roommates). To think how things have taken a turn for the worse since my last post! It's hard to decide where to even begin in discussing/lamenting the last 2 games, particularly this most recent ridiculous pig-slop of a performance versus the Redskins. The offense was terrible; the defense was miserable. The lone gem in an otherwise revoltingly nauseating game was DeSean Jackson's punt return TD in the 1st quarter. I recall my enthusiasm after the Rams game in week 1 that we finally had a legitimate punt return threat, and my apparently-naive optimism in comparing the punt return game in week 1 of the 2007 vs. 2008 seasons. DeSean Jackson may be one hell of a punt returner, but when the rest of the team plays as atrociously as they did yesterday, it's totally wasted effort. Hell, the Eagles could rarely even force a punt in the first place for the last 3 quarters of the game.
I had the misfortune of being at the game yesterday, and the circulating fury towards Andy Reid's playcalling (and his generally being outcoached by rookie head coach Jim Zorn) was astoundingly evident in the crowd throughtout the second half. And no, I don't want to be reminded that the Phillies beat the Brewers to advance to the NLCS. Yes, I like the Phillies. No, their win does absolutely nothing to alleviate the pain and misery of the Eagles' loss yesterday. Too many things about this season are beginning to resemble last year, when you couldn't shake that feeling that they were a better team than their 8-8 record suggested, and yet that doesn't really matter at all when you find yourselves at the bottom of your division. AGAIN. Les Bowen of the Philly Daily News wrote an article today to that effect, highlighting all those unsettling things that are forming lumps in the throats of every Eagles fan, after our team once again starts division play 0-2 in a division we once owned.
Perhaps the most mind-boggling aspect of yesterday's loss was the run defense. I couldn't say enough good things about the league's top run D, even after the Birds' loss to Chicago. How does a team that was only allowing 2.6 yards per carry (against the likes of Marion Barber, Willie Parker and promising young rookie Matt Forte) give up a whopping 203 rushing yards to the 'Skins? Can that front 7 recover from such a devestating blow and rebound next week against Frank Gore and the Niners? Was I premature in buying my brand-new Stewart Bradley jersey? So many important questions now exist about the future of this team (and the future of my #55 jersey), both for the duration of this season and in coming years.
Truthfully, I have a better feeling about next week's game at San Francisco than I did going into this one, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that the Redskins of late appear to possibly be the best team in the NFC. Sure, the Eagles almost never win their last game before a bye week, but if the last 2 weeks weren't the kick-in-the-ass that these guys need, then nothing is. Maybe it's a little early to be talking about must-win games, but if yesterday's game wasn't one then this next one surely is. The 49ers aren't a terrible team, but they're a team that the Eagles must be able to beat handily if they want to remain a contender in the division.
The offense NEEDS to make a statement this week, because the only apparent statement they've made since the Dallas game is along the lines of "we can't score for shit in the red zone". McNabb started the season strong but has been faltering since. Reggie Brown and L.J. Smith were both back yesterday, so the excuses for not throwing the ball more effectively are growing thin. Brian Westbrook, the team's far-and-away most important weapon, played yesterday after sitting out last week with an ankle strain but then broke 2 ribs during the game. Frankly, if he doesn't play next week against the Niners, it could be anyone's game given the recent play (or lack thereof) on offense. And when, dear god, is Shawn Andrews coming back?
And while I'm ranting about how the Eagles are sucking at nearly every area, what in the hell is wrong with David Akers? Scratch that- I don't actually care what is wrong with him. I don't care if it's his leg, his psyche or anything else. I just know that he is absolutely worthless beyond 40-45 yards these days. Was I the only one cringing when they brought him in to attempt a 50-yarder yesterday? Was I the only one who would have bet their life that he was going to miss? Was anyone else praying Andy would just punt the ball and try to pin the Redskins inside their own 10? I'd actually rather see the Eagles go for it on 4th and, say, 20, than have Akers try a FG from beyond the 30 (or heck, maybe even the 25). The minute he stepped on the field, I knew the 'Skins would momentarily be given the ball at the 40; sure enough, he missed, and Jason Campbell proceeded to drive the team down to the Eagles' 23 where Shaun Suisham kicked a 41-yard FG. And then just in case us Eagles fans didn't get the point, he eventually kicked 2 more, of 48 and 50 yards, reminding us how nice it used to be to have a reliable placekicker. Oh, those were the days...
Since I've done nothing but whine the entire post so far, I will end with some optimism: I do see things going up from here, although whether it's too little too late is yet to be determined. I should also note that my optimism springs more from the Eagles' upcoming schedule far more than from my optimism that this team will suck less down the road. True, we still have 4 division games in the second half, but 2 of those are against the Giants- although I have no doubt that both will be hard-fought, tough games, I feel better about playing the Giants than I do the Cowboys and Redskins. The Cowboys-Steelers-Bears-Redskins stretch was by far the hardest chunk of the season. And who do they have left to play outside the division? 49ers, Falcons & Seahawks are the next 3... I'm already salivating over that stretch of games. Then later they've got Cincy, Baltimore, Arizona and Cleveland. Not to say that they'll go 7-0 in those games, but the Ravens and Cardinals are the only 2 teams that really pose much of a threat, and the Eagles are more than capable of beating both of them. Therefore, if they can at least somewhat boost their level of play, hope still remains. And let's not forget that Kevin Curtis, who had over 1100 receiving yards last season, will be back either this coming week or after the bye.
Let's just hope the Birds play well on at least one side of the ball next week.
Showing posts with label Redskins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Redskins. Show all posts
Monday, October 6, 2008
REDSKINS- An Inside-the-Beltway Perspective
Posted by Geoff
I saw a street walker in downtown D.C. on Friday wearing a Redskins cap with feathers sticking out of it every which way. Who knew that the hat would be so prophetic of the Redskins’ out-and-out assault on the psyches of Eagles fans in a game that should have easily gone to the home team?
The way the NFC East has shaken out thus far just doesn’t make sense.
The Eagles are a better team than the Redskins. The Eagles offense should be able to rely on Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and DeSean Jackson to put up 35 points every week.
The Cowboys should be able to blow out the hapless Cincinnati Bengals. That bears repeating…the Cowboys should be able to destroy a winless team that barely scraped by the Cleveland Browns.
The Redskins shouldn’t be able beat any of the teams in their division. The Redskins certainly shouldn’t be able to beat the Eagles if Santana Moss is held without a catch all game.
Eli Manning isn’t ready to lead his team to victory on a consistent basis. The Giants shouldn’t be able to overcome the loss of the their two best defensive lineman to retirement and injury.
Here’s how to make sense of the year so far. Go back and reread the last four paragraphs and add these two words at the end of each sentence: “on paper.” That’s the thing about the Cowboys and Eagles…they’re better on paper than they will ever be on the field. And the reverse is true for the Redskins and Giants. We could attribute this to coaches. We could attribute this to luck. But what it really boils down to is killer instinct. The Redskins and the Giants have it; the Cowboys and Eagles don’t.
Of course, the news isn’t all bad for the Cowboys and Eagles. They still have two of the best teams in the NFL. They just need to find a way to play the rest of the season on paper.
I saw a street walker in downtown D.C. on Friday wearing a Redskins cap with feathers sticking out of it every which way. Who knew that the hat would be so prophetic of the Redskins’ out-and-out assault on the psyches of Eagles fans in a game that should have easily gone to the home team?
The way the NFC East has shaken out thus far just doesn’t make sense.
The Eagles are a better team than the Redskins. The Eagles offense should be able to rely on Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and DeSean Jackson to put up 35 points every week.
The Cowboys should be able to blow out the hapless Cincinnati Bengals. That bears repeating…the Cowboys should be able to destroy a winless team that barely scraped by the Cleveland Browns.
The Redskins shouldn’t be able beat any of the teams in their division. The Redskins certainly shouldn’t be able to beat the Eagles if Santana Moss is held without a catch all game.
Eli Manning isn’t ready to lead his team to victory on a consistent basis. The Giants shouldn’t be able to overcome the loss of the their two best defensive lineman to retirement and injury.
Here’s how to make sense of the year so far. Go back and reread the last four paragraphs and add these two words at the end of each sentence: “on paper.” That’s the thing about the Cowboys and Eagles…they’re better on paper than they will ever be on the field. And the reverse is true for the Redskins and Giants. We could attribute this to coaches. We could attribute this to luck. But what it really boils down to is killer instinct. The Redskins and the Giants have it; the Cowboys and Eagles don’t.
Of course, the news isn’t all bad for the Cowboys and Eagles. They still have two of the best teams in the NFL. They just need to find a way to play the rest of the season on paper.
Friday, July 25, 2008
The blog is back!
Posted by Taz
So the living hell caused by studying for the bar has not ended yet (the exam is next Tuesday to Thursday), but my head hurts from studying, so I'm going to give a few updates on things going on.
Cowboys: Why I'm fine with cutting Terry Glenn
In case if you have not heard, this happened today. Terry Glenn is finally cut. Jerry is claiming that he wants the young receivers to develop. This would probably explain why there has been little movement on the front. Unlike the rest of us, 1 million doesn't mean too much to Jerry if it gives him a better shot at the Super Bowl, so it's probably the explanation why there has been so much foot dragging on this issue.
Personally, I'm fine with it. While a healthy Terry Glenn is better than everyone's favorite split personality wide receiver (no one ever seems to think that TO could just be a complicated man...instead we are shocked when athletes do not have dumbed down personalities that any moron can relate to), it seems like his knee is going to go out. The fact that the team was pushing for microfracture surgery AND he refused has to say something. Do you know how serious microfracture surgery is? If you follow the NBA, you know how many times this surgery has ruined a career (Penny Hardaway...and lil' Penny, Chris Webber, Antonio McDyess, and Darius Miles...assuming a NBA career consists of having one skill [athleticism], while having no other pertinent skills [work ethic, desire, shooting ability] and averaging 10 points a game while using racial slurs on your ethnically identical coach).
Terry Glenn is an injury waiting to happen, meaning we are going to have to depend on the young guys anyways. You might as well let these guys get extra reps, and then call Glenn up if you need the help. I somehow doubt someone is going to claim him off waivers, thereby getting the right to pay him $1.7 million this year for his salary for a receiver who might suffer a career-ending injury at any moment in time. Regardless if you agreed or disagreed with the fact that the Cowboys didn't draft a receiver in the draft, the reality is that these young guys are going to have to step up and we might as well fund out sooner than later
Eagles: Is the Eagles' method of spending ever going to catch up with them?
Check out profootballtalk.com's report and this from philly.com that discuss Shawn Andrews' being MIA for the day. Is this a contract holdout, or something unrelated to money? No one knows for sure, but I'm more interested in a trend that I have seen for years: the tightwadness of the Eagles. In previous years, the Eagles have signed their core players to long-term, high signing bonus, low yearly salary contracts, and play hardball with players who try to hold out. Smart financial sense, but I wonder if it makes players more nervous or less willing to play for Philly. In fact, I predicted years ago that it would lead to an overall decline in their team. While their team has not been doing as well, you can blame that on better division rivals and the chronically injured McNabb.
But why am I so against the Eagles' method? First of all, the perception may be off. They seem to pay well for players who generally are top tier, such as the massive extension for Donovan McNabb, and good salaries for Asante Samuel, Jevon Kearse, and Darren Howard. These moves always seem to make sense at the time (though Kearse and Howard eventually became busts, at the time they were pretty good players). Moreover, the players they do choose not to pay, such as Jerimiah Trotter , Bobby Taylor, Troy Vincent, and Corey Simon, seem to go off somewhere and suck. So obviously, they are doing something right.
I think I base this opinion off the T.O. incident, which I still believe could have been averted if the Eagles just threw a couple million more at him. But maybe they are smart and won't overpay/extend older and second tier players like other teams will. I guess I'm more sympathetic to teams that are aggressive spenders like the Redskins and Cowboys. Then again, I've never seen a team throw money at second tier free agents like the Redskins (no one would know Randal-El if he wasn't throwing 2 point conversions with the Steelers), and the Cowboys have not won a playoff game in over a decade. So while I am a bit skeptical about being fiscally conservative with spending, it's worked for the Eagles, who before last year owned the NFC East for the past decade. Several years ago, I predicted that it would eventually catch up with them. So far, it hasn't.
Giants: Justin Tuck is not happy that the Giants are getting zero respect
Tuck made some comments the other day about the Cowboys "trying to buy" a super bowl. While his comments may not be totally accurate (considering the Cowboys spent a ton of money extending players they already had the rights to, traded for Adam Jones, and signed Zach Thomas), his point is loud and clear. The Giants hate the fact that no one is talking about them. Look at any preseason rankings. ESPN has the Giants as 6th, behind the Cowboys and Jaguars, and if you look around at other preseason predictions, many have the Cowboys winning the division. So I don't blame the defending Super Bowl Champions for being annoyed.
But they really shouldn't be suprised, since they have been disrespected since their Super Bowl run. This lack of respect originates from last year, when everyone thought the Cowboys and Packers were by far the two best teams in the NFC. The Giants were considered to be a step below, yet in the playoffs beat both of them, and the juggernaut of a Patriot team. Objectively, they beat 3 of the top 4 teams in the NFL to the Super Bowl. But perceptions remain for various reasons. They lost to all three of those teams in the regular season. Eli Manning didn't start playing well until the end of the year, and the team began to click then. Plus I think people don't like the Giants for various random reasons (Jermey Shockey, they are from New York, Eli seems to be the most boring person ever). So instead of people thinking that the Giants were legit, people thought that they were the 3rd best team in the conference.
(And for the record, I'm still not sure which class of 2004 QB I dislike the most. Ben Rothlisburger I feel is overrated because he has a pretty good team around him and by all accounts is an arrogant prick. I still find Eli as a weinie because of the stunt the Mannings pulled with San Diego during the draft. And every time I hear about Philip Rivers, he seems to be talking smack to just about anyone, despite the fact that his team is no higher than third best in their conference. Then again, 2 of them already have won Super Bowls, and San Diego is a threat to win it all each year, so they are doing pretty good for themselves).
Anyways, in the offseason, they lose Michael Strahan to Fox TV, along with a couple other contributors who seemed to be the beneficiaries of being on the team who won the Super Bowl (Gibril Wilson is this year's "Dexter Jackson/Larry Brown Award" winner for cashing in on a performance that the Giants fans I regularly talk to seem to call nothing more than average). Plus, the Cowboys seem to get more stacked, along with New England, Indy, Jacksonville, San Diego, and Green Bay not going away. It should be no suprise that the Giants are getting disrespected.
So Justin Tuck has to live with it for a few more months. If the Giants can come out and show that last year was not a fluke, then he can taunt everyone who was wrong. Until then, he should probably stay away from football websites and sportcenter.
Redskins: I'm not a big fan of the Jason Taylor trade
Yeah...if my team lost two defensive ends in one practice, I would be on the phone making a panic trade as well. But leave it to Danny Snyder to turn a panic trade into one of the biggest splashes of the offseason.
What I don't like about the move is that the Redskins seem to be in transition this year. Between hiring Jim Zorn (who I swear could be the name of a Bond movie villian), overhauling the reciever unit, and still having to deal with the ramifications of the utterly tragic Sean Taylor death, I don't see the Redskins contending for the title this year.
As you know, the problem is that Taylor is near the end of his career, and giving up a 2nd and 5th round pick is a lot for a one year rental. If I'm the Giants and lose Justin Tuck, or San Diego and lose Shawn Merriman, I would call up Miami and make this trade in a heartbeat. But for a team that is probably a year from contending in the ultra-competitive NFC East (wow...three years ago I would have called this division "Eagles and Friends"), I see this as wasting a couple of picks that could help down the road for a stop-gap solution.
So the living hell caused by studying for the bar has not ended yet (the exam is next Tuesday to Thursday), but my head hurts from studying, so I'm going to give a few updates on things going on.
Cowboys: Why I'm fine with cutting Terry Glenn
In case if you have not heard, this happened today. Terry Glenn is finally cut. Jerry is claiming that he wants the young receivers to develop. This would probably explain why there has been little movement on the front. Unlike the rest of us, 1 million doesn't mean too much to Jerry if it gives him a better shot at the Super Bowl, so it's probably the explanation why there has been so much foot dragging on this issue.
Personally, I'm fine with it. While a healthy Terry Glenn is better than everyone's favorite split personality wide receiver (no one ever seems to think that TO could just be a complicated man...instead we are shocked when athletes do not have dumbed down personalities that any moron can relate to), it seems like his knee is going to go out. The fact that the team was pushing for microfracture surgery AND he refused has to say something. Do you know how serious microfracture surgery is? If you follow the NBA, you know how many times this surgery has ruined a career (Penny Hardaway...and lil' Penny, Chris Webber, Antonio McDyess, and Darius Miles...assuming a NBA career consists of having one skill [athleticism], while having no other pertinent skills [work ethic, desire, shooting ability] and averaging 10 points a game while using racial slurs on your ethnically identical coach).
Terry Glenn is an injury waiting to happen, meaning we are going to have to depend on the young guys anyways. You might as well let these guys get extra reps, and then call Glenn up if you need the help. I somehow doubt someone is going to claim him off waivers, thereby getting the right to pay him $1.7 million this year for his salary for a receiver who might suffer a career-ending injury at any moment in time. Regardless if you agreed or disagreed with the fact that the Cowboys didn't draft a receiver in the draft, the reality is that these young guys are going to have to step up and we might as well fund out sooner than later
Eagles: Is the Eagles' method of spending ever going to catch up with them?
Check out profootballtalk.com's report and this from philly.com that discuss Shawn Andrews' being MIA for the day. Is this a contract holdout, or something unrelated to money? No one knows for sure, but I'm more interested in a trend that I have seen for years: the tightwadness of the Eagles. In previous years, the Eagles have signed their core players to long-term, high signing bonus, low yearly salary contracts, and play hardball with players who try to hold out. Smart financial sense, but I wonder if it makes players more nervous or less willing to play for Philly. In fact, I predicted years ago that it would lead to an overall decline in their team. While their team has not been doing as well, you can blame that on better division rivals and the chronically injured McNabb.
But why am I so against the Eagles' method? First of all, the perception may be off. They seem to pay well for players who generally are top tier, such as the massive extension for Donovan McNabb, and good salaries for Asante Samuel, Jevon Kearse, and Darren Howard. These moves always seem to make sense at the time (though Kearse and Howard eventually became busts, at the time they were pretty good players). Moreover, the players they do choose not to pay, such as Jerimiah Trotter , Bobby Taylor, Troy Vincent, and Corey Simon, seem to go off somewhere and suck. So obviously, they are doing something right.
I think I base this opinion off the T.O. incident, which I still believe could have been averted if the Eagles just threw a couple million more at him. But maybe they are smart and won't overpay/extend older and second tier players like other teams will. I guess I'm more sympathetic to teams that are aggressive spenders like the Redskins and Cowboys. Then again, I've never seen a team throw money at second tier free agents like the Redskins (no one would know Randal-El if he wasn't throwing 2 point conversions with the Steelers), and the Cowboys have not won a playoff game in over a decade. So while I am a bit skeptical about being fiscally conservative with spending, it's worked for the Eagles, who before last year owned the NFC East for the past decade. Several years ago, I predicted that it would eventually catch up with them. So far, it hasn't.
Giants: Justin Tuck is not happy that the Giants are getting zero respect
Tuck made some comments the other day about the Cowboys "trying to buy" a super bowl. While his comments may not be totally accurate (considering the Cowboys spent a ton of money extending players they already had the rights to, traded for Adam Jones, and signed Zach Thomas), his point is loud and clear. The Giants hate the fact that no one is talking about them. Look at any preseason rankings. ESPN has the Giants as 6th, behind the Cowboys and Jaguars, and if you look around at other preseason predictions, many have the Cowboys winning the division. So I don't blame the defending Super Bowl Champions for being annoyed.
But they really shouldn't be suprised, since they have been disrespected since their Super Bowl run. This lack of respect originates from last year, when everyone thought the Cowboys and Packers were by far the two best teams in the NFC. The Giants were considered to be a step below, yet in the playoffs beat both of them, and the juggernaut of a Patriot team. Objectively, they beat 3 of the top 4 teams in the NFL to the Super Bowl. But perceptions remain for various reasons. They lost to all three of those teams in the regular season. Eli Manning didn't start playing well until the end of the year, and the team began to click then. Plus I think people don't like the Giants for various random reasons (Jermey Shockey, they are from New York, Eli seems to be the most boring person ever). So instead of people thinking that the Giants were legit, people thought that they were the 3rd best team in the conference.
(And for the record, I'm still not sure which class of 2004 QB I dislike the most. Ben Rothlisburger I feel is overrated because he has a pretty good team around him and by all accounts is an arrogant prick. I still find Eli as a weinie because of the stunt the Mannings pulled with San Diego during the draft. And every time I hear about Philip Rivers, he seems to be talking smack to just about anyone, despite the fact that his team is no higher than third best in their conference. Then again, 2 of them already have won Super Bowls, and San Diego is a threat to win it all each year, so they are doing pretty good for themselves).
Anyways, in the offseason, they lose Michael Strahan to Fox TV, along with a couple other contributors who seemed to be the beneficiaries of being on the team who won the Super Bowl (Gibril Wilson is this year's "Dexter Jackson/Larry Brown Award" winner for cashing in on a performance that the Giants fans I regularly talk to seem to call nothing more than average). Plus, the Cowboys seem to get more stacked, along with New England, Indy, Jacksonville, San Diego, and Green Bay not going away. It should be no suprise that the Giants are getting disrespected.
So Justin Tuck has to live with it for a few more months. If the Giants can come out and show that last year was not a fluke, then he can taunt everyone who was wrong. Until then, he should probably stay away from football websites and sportcenter.
Redskins: I'm not a big fan of the Jason Taylor trade
Yeah...if my team lost two defensive ends in one practice, I would be on the phone making a panic trade as well. But leave it to Danny Snyder to turn a panic trade into one of the biggest splashes of the offseason.
What I don't like about the move is that the Redskins seem to be in transition this year. Between hiring Jim Zorn (who I swear could be the name of a Bond movie villian), overhauling the reciever unit, and still having to deal with the ramifications of the utterly tragic Sean Taylor death, I don't see the Redskins contending for the title this year.
As you know, the problem is that Taylor is near the end of his career, and giving up a 2nd and 5th round pick is a lot for a one year rental. If I'm the Giants and lose Justin Tuck, or San Diego and lose Shawn Merriman, I would call up Miami and make this trade in a heartbeat. But for a team that is probably a year from contending in the ultra-competitive NFC East (wow...three years ago I would have called this division "Eagles and Friends"), I see this as wasting a couple of picks that could help down the road for a stop-gap solution.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
REDSKINS - Links to Draft Pick Analysis
Posted by Taz:
Since I am still trying to learn enough about the Redskins roster (and I really need to study for finals), I'm doing the lazy thing and posting some Redskin links reviewing the draft.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/2008/04/draft_review.html - Not the most uplifting thing, so don't read if you want to feel good about the draft.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/20316-Washington-Redskins-2008-Draft-Review-did-They-Win-or-Lose--280408 - Good pick-by-pick analysis.
http://www.hogshaven.com/2008/4/27/462013/2008-redskins-draft-recap - Has a bunch of stuff, but when I tried to open up the links, it opened it about 27,000 times. So open those links at your peril.
Since I am still trying to learn enough about the Redskins roster (and I really need to study for finals), I'm doing the lazy thing and posting some Redskin links reviewing the draft.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/2008/04/draft_review.html - Not the most uplifting thing, so don't read if you want to feel good about the draft.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/20316-Washington-Redskins-2008-Draft-Review-did-They-Win-or-Lose--280408 - Good pick-by-pick analysis.
http://www.hogshaven.com/2008/4/27/462013/2008-redskins-draft-recap - Has a bunch of stuff, but when I tried to open up the links, it opened it about 27,000 times. So open those links at your peril.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
REDSKINS - A Cowboy fan blogging on behalf of your team???
Posted by Taz:
So for now, I am doing double duty as the Redskins blogger. I know, I know – you probably think I am the most unqualified person you can find to blog on the Redskins. And that may be true, but on this blog I am the most qualified by default. Chris can’t do it because he spends all his free time writing a short novel’s worth on the Giants (see below only if you have 15 minutes to kill). Alli can’t do it because she only cares about other teams to the extent she can make fun of them. Right now, all her energy is focused on complaining about the Eagles' draft (why do they trade picks for the future? It's not like they have no holes that a 1st rounder could not fix). And did you see that I just used 3 negatives in one sentence? I really shoud be posting as little as possible. But unfortunetly, all 6 of you readers will be stuck reading my inane posts until our Redskins guy grows a pair and starts posting.
This whole “blogging on behalf of the Redskins” thing is somewhat weird. Not just because I am a Cowboys fan, but because I truly do not know that much about the Redskins. Doing this actually makes me realize how little I know about the NFL. I mean, I can pretty much name the whole roster of the Cowboys and discuss them at length. I once named half of the Seahawks offense in a vain effort to impress a girl (she ended up hooking up with a former roommate, something I did not find out until the next morning when she appeared in my room partially dressed in his clothing, but that's really neither here nor there). And I know that Drew Brees is from Austin, TX because in high school I watched his team of rich white boys destroy my high school team of rich white boys in the Texas state football quarterfinals.
What I realize is that my NFL knowledge is selective. I know a bunch about some things, but not a bunch about most things. So I look at this as an opportunity to learn about another team.
In case if you are wondering – here is what I know about the Redskins: 1) Dan Snyder seems to find a way to ruin a proud franchise; 2) at this point in this career, Joe Gibbs seems to be better at owning a racing team than coaching foobtall; and 3) the Redskins have some good players.
I mean, if any team in the NFC East seems to be overlooked these days, it is the Redskins. The Eagles have had a recent run of success before last year’s debacle of a season (note I am defining “run of success” as losing in 3 NFC championship games and 1 Super Bowl – something expected for the one team in the NFC East that doesn’t have a Super Bowl win when the rest of the division has at least 3 Super Bowls on their resume). The Cowboys had a 13-3 season plus Jessica Simpson to get everyone’s attention before their usual playoff flameout. And the Giants somehow won a Super Bowl with a ton of DEs and a QB who finally jumped from the “liability on offense” level into the “bus driver” category.
But there is some talent on this Skins team. Jason Campbell looks better every time I see him. The defense is pretty solid, and there are some offensive weapons that are pretty good (Portis/Betts and Cooley). There certainly are issues (age of many of the starters, the long-term effects of Sean Taylor’s tragic death), but they are a team that could do some damage in the NFC East and the NFL as a whole.
I think the rest of the NFC may overlook them, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this team gets 10 or 11 wins. Here are a few things I think will be key issues next year:
1) Jim Zorn – besides the fact that his name sounds like an imitation Bond supervillain, there are a couple of legitimate questions. First, he has never been a coordinator, only a QB coach. How will this work out? Second, how will Jason Campbell adapt to the West Coast offense?
2) Receivers – it took until week 10 for a Redskins WR to get a touchdown. Will Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly solve this problem?
3) Dan Snyder – can he keep his paws off the team enough to let his football guys do what he pays them the big bucks for?
So for now, I am doing double duty as the Redskins blogger. I know, I know – you probably think I am the most unqualified person you can find to blog on the Redskins. And that may be true, but on this blog I am the most qualified by default. Chris can’t do it because he spends all his free time writing a short novel’s worth on the Giants (see below only if you have 15 minutes to kill). Alli can’t do it because she only cares about other teams to the extent she can make fun of them. Right now, all her energy is focused on complaining about the Eagles' draft (why do they trade picks for the future? It's not like they have no holes that a 1st rounder could not fix). And did you see that I just used 3 negatives in one sentence? I really shoud be posting as little as possible. But unfortunetly, all 6 of you readers will be stuck reading my inane posts until our Redskins guy grows a pair and starts posting.
This whole “blogging on behalf of the Redskins” thing is somewhat weird. Not just because I am a Cowboys fan, but because I truly do not know that much about the Redskins. Doing this actually makes me realize how little I know about the NFL. I mean, I can pretty much name the whole roster of the Cowboys and discuss them at length. I once named half of the Seahawks offense in a vain effort to impress a girl (she ended up hooking up with a former roommate, something I did not find out until the next morning when she appeared in my room partially dressed in his clothing, but that's really neither here nor there). And I know that Drew Brees is from Austin, TX because in high school I watched his team of rich white boys destroy my high school team of rich white boys in the Texas state football quarterfinals.
What I realize is that my NFL knowledge is selective. I know a bunch about some things, but not a bunch about most things. So I look at this as an opportunity to learn about another team.
In case if you are wondering – here is what I know about the Redskins: 1) Dan Snyder seems to find a way to ruin a proud franchise; 2) at this point in this career, Joe Gibbs seems to be better at owning a racing team than coaching foobtall; and 3) the Redskins have some good players.
I mean, if any team in the NFC East seems to be overlooked these days, it is the Redskins. The Eagles have had a recent run of success before last year’s debacle of a season (note I am defining “run of success” as losing in 3 NFC championship games and 1 Super Bowl – something expected for the one team in the NFC East that doesn’t have a Super Bowl win when the rest of the division has at least 3 Super Bowls on their resume). The Cowboys had a 13-3 season plus Jessica Simpson to get everyone’s attention before their usual playoff flameout. And the Giants somehow won a Super Bowl with a ton of DEs and a QB who finally jumped from the “liability on offense” level into the “bus driver” category.
But there is some talent on this Skins team. Jason Campbell looks better every time I see him. The defense is pretty solid, and there are some offensive weapons that are pretty good (Portis/Betts and Cooley). There certainly are issues (age of many of the starters, the long-term effects of Sean Taylor’s tragic death), but they are a team that could do some damage in the NFC East and the NFL as a whole.
I think the rest of the NFC may overlook them, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this team gets 10 or 11 wins. Here are a few things I think will be key issues next year:
1) Jim Zorn – besides the fact that his name sounds like an imitation Bond supervillain, there are a couple of legitimate questions. First, he has never been a coordinator, only a QB coach. How will this work out? Second, how will Jason Campbell adapt to the West Coast offense?
2) Receivers – it took until week 10 for a Redskins WR to get a touchdown. Will Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly solve this problem?
3) Dan Snyder – can he keep his paws off the team enough to let his football guys do what he pays them the big bucks for?
REDSKINS - Quick Update
Posted by Taz:
We are supposed to be suckering in a Redskins blogger soon (unlike Alli and I, he is studying for finals). So to fill the void, I will post a Redskins analysis of the draft. Then all of you can make fun of a Cowboys homer trying to pretend to be a Redskins homer.
We are supposed to be suckering in a Redskins blogger soon (unlike Alli and I, he is studying for finals). So to fill the void, I will post a Redskins analysis of the draft. Then all of you can make fun of a Cowboys homer trying to pretend to be a Redskins homer.
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