September 2009 Archives

Remember way back when, like almost 20 years ago, when the Redskins last won a Superbowl? Then a series of events occurred that was going to bring sports championships (plural is intentional).

1. Wizards being declared a team to be reckoned with.
2. Capitals make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
3. Baseball returns to Washington.
4. Redskins sign/hire Spurrier, Gibbs, Haynesworth, Campbell

In Pardon the Interruption style, Toss Up, though we'll change it up a bit and give you a few choices. I get the feeling I already know the answer.

Redskins fans expect more. The Washington Redskins were defeated by the Detroit Lions 19-14. Appropriately, that broke the Lions 0-19 losing streak. If either team were in playoff contention, their 1-2 and now slightly better than the Redskins 1-2. I would like to comment on the game play, but frankly I gave up watching after the first half. Besides, there is nothing new to report, except that they actually scored 2 offensive touchdowns. Progress?

Maybe Redskins fans expect too much. It has been nearly 2 decades since the 1991 Superbowl win, yet the fans expect so much more. The comments earlier may have said it best...everyone is on the hot seat. Washington went through some rough times starting with owner Jack Kent Cooke deciding to build the stadium on his own outside of the city. It continued with his death, the stewardship and ownership through his estate, and failed ownership bids by Cooke's son and others. Through all of that, Daniel Snyder emerged as the winning bid for ownership. That might have been the problem.

So now what? Tampa Bay rolls into town next weekend. What might have looked like a win, now is up in the air. Frankly, after today's performance, looking at the remaining schedule, I don't see an easy win anywhere. 1-15 is not likely, as the team will find a way to win a game or 2, but it is probable. So right now, I can say, thanks for your service, Jim Zorn, Greg Blatche, the rest of the coaching staff, and thank you Jason Campbell. Heart helps, but production is king. Given how bad this season might end up, Snyder and Vinny Cerrato might not need to mortgage the future and trade away draft picks. They might be at the top of the draft. Welcome Tim Tebow.

Thursday night, the Washington Nationals achieved the century mark by gaining their 100 loss of the season. Surprisingly the team was in the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers until late. It was back and forth with the Dodgers taking a 1 or 2 run lead and then within an inning or two, the Nationals fight back to one run down. They even tied it all up at 6. But the loss would come, unlike Wednesday night when they won against the same Dodger team.

More importantly than the one game, the 100th loss marks the second season in a row the team goes over a century. Not good when you open a publicly funded stadium and reward the city and fans with 2 sub-subpar seasons.

GM Mike Rizzo thought it best to relieve Manny Acta of his managing duties midway through the season, which didn't solve much. Jim Riggleman might be considered for the position permanently, but it's likely the team will go outside the organization to find the new manager. The interesting part is they never gave Acta, nor Riggleman in relief, much of a chance. The team was built by former GM Jim Bowden in terrible fashion, by acquiring has been, never was, or unwanted players of other teams. Player development went by the wayside and those that made it got shipped off in those trades.

In the end, no matter who manages the team, the Nationals need strong players to be selfless and play as a team well. They lack a true field leader. Maybe Ryan Zimmerman can fulfill that role, but he'll have to step up. The pitching core is both busted and inexperienced. Another season under their belts, the young arms should gain momentum in 2010. Is it enough? Maybe not for 2010, but we can shoot for a smaller goal than pennants. Let's see if we can go 99 or less.

Plight, what plight? The Redskins won this past weekend. Well, that win wasn't particularly spectacular. It wasn't a defensive battle, or pound the ball by running game. It wasn't even a come from behind miracle that frankly, we might have enjoyed better. No, it was just pathetic.

As we know, the Redskins won 9-7 over the St Louis Rams. Sure, "A Win is a Win" and all that. Of course 11-5 composed mostly of 9-7 wins will likely put them in the playoffs, but to be real, that's not going to happen. The game was won on the backs of the defense and dare I say it...Shaun Suisham's leg? I am not the biggest fan of Suisham's. In fact, I don't know how he still has a job in the NFL, let alone the Washington Redskins. But his 3 field goals did it.

The season that was predicted by some, including Mike Wise of the Washington Post and 106.7 WJFK, The Fan, as a coming out party for our QB Jason Campbell. Well so far, that is only true if coming out means doing exactly what's he's done in past seasons. The defense is the defense, strong like the past few years under the watchful eye of Gregg Williams and now Greg Blache.

Where is the offense? You can count one offensive touchdown so far this season and that was to TE Chris Cooley late in a game they had already lost. You know the glaring stat that still stands out there? As of today, your leading scorers for the Redskins are Suisham - 14 and tied for 2nd, Cooley and P Hunter Smith with 6 each. Kickers are always at the top of the scoring board, but when your top 3 include your punter, something is definitely wrong with this picture.

The easy thing to say is that they will get it together against the Lions this weekend. Well that's what they said prior to week 2 against the Rams. You would think Campbell, who is working for his next contract, likely not in Washington, would put more effort. It just appears he'll be a journeyman who may not be able to hold Gus Frerotte's j***, I mean towel. And Daniel Snyder will coax Cowher or some other proven winner out of retirement to coach this team to failure again and again.

When it comes to this division there are really only two things to pay attention to, the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans.

1. Tennessee Titans

The Titans are the divisions defending champions and despite the loss of star DT Albert Haynesworth, they will repeat. With a strong running game centered around second year back Chris Johnson, the Titans offense will be able to put up a few points this year. As a result their loss of Haynesworth on defense will be made up with some offensive production.

2. Houston Texans

This year is supposed to be "the year" for the relatively new franchise. The offense will be strong with Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton, but don't look for them to put up a ton of points, as Matt Schaub may struggle under center. The important thing to watch out for is their defense. Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans will center what looks to be a defense that could be stingy when it comes to giving up points. I don't think this will be their year for the playoffs, but they will come pretty close.

3. Indianapolis Colts

I know what many of you are thinking, but this might be the year that the rose final falls off the bud for the Colts. Despite having perhaps the second best quarterback in the league, a lack luster receiving core and an aging safety will be their weakness. It wont take more than a year for the former Super Bowl champs to rebound though, providing they have a strong draft.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

There really isn't much to say about this team, other than the fact that their owner doesn't think any of their games will be on TV. If the owner isn't even optimistic what hope does this team have? They don't have an even remotely good receiving core and their only real offensive weapon is Maurice Jones-Drew. It may be a few years before this team is competing for the playoffs again.

Even though this division can boast having a team in last year's Super Bowl, it still has to be one of the weakest divisions in the NFL.

1. Arizona Cardinals

There is no reason to believe that the Cardinals can't put together another solid season especially given the division in which they play. The offense is basically intact and if an actual running game shows up then this team could be scary... but I wouldn't count on it.

The defense actually finished last season very nicely putting up an impressive showing in the playoffs. That unit is largely unchanged so they should be able to continue their success.

However, if this team were in any other division they wouldn't finish first.

2. Seattle Seahawks

If there is a team who can push the Cardinals this season, it will be the Seahawks. Decimated by injuries last year, the beginning of this season sees key players on offense return, plus the addition of the explosive T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The ball should definitely be flying again. The suspect part here is how the running game will produce and if Julius Jones can be solid for the Seahawks. But then again, the Cardinals have no running game... uh but then again their receivers are much better.

On the defensive side of the ball, hopefully Mora's background can rub off on a unit that performed sub par last season. A more aggressive scheme is in the works which can hopefully raise the level of pass defending.

3. San Francisco 49ers

A surprising unit from last season which actually finished respectable as Singletary began to have his effect on the team. Alas, this team only has one true weapon in Frank Gore and is unable to sign Crabtree who overvalues his worth as the 10th pick in this year's draft.

This team hasn't done much to improve it's standing from the last season and will continue to languish until they find more talent.

4. St. Louis Rams

The re-tooling of the Rams will take a long time and this team is a far cry from its glory days. While the offense has a couple of tools with which to work, the defense has way too little talent to make this team competitive. Welcome to head coaching, Spagnuolo.

I have talked about my Matthew Stafford love affair before, but today everything is official the future is now in Detroit.

Okay, well saying the future is now is a bit of an overstatement. That said, the announcement shows that the Detroit Lions organization has no fear and is not afraid to take risks. They are not bad, lets draft back to back to back to back wide receivers, decisions either. Starting Stafford shows not only confidence in the No. 1 pick but also in the offensive line.

Confidence and an act like you have been here before mentality will be fresh in Detroit. It has been over 50 years since the Lions were considered a successful franchise. Jim Schwartz's decision, whether made because of money or not, shows he is not afraid to push forward. Starting Daunte Culpepper is continuing the losing. It continues the culture of reactionary decisions, like the ones their defense made last year, which leads to mistakes.

By taking the bull by the horns the beloved honolulu blue and silver are saying enough is enough. They want to win and they want Stafford to take them there. So best of luck to you Matt and please pan out not only for the city, but also because you are my sleeper fantasy pick.

In a rematch from last season, the Terrapins did not far so well. The California Bears defeated Maryland 52-13. The Terps had upset Cal last year and caused a small You Tube sensation with Kevin Barnes hit on Jahvid Best causing the Best to vomit on field. Too bad Barnes is now on the Redskins.

Joking aside, Ralph Friedgen kept his team in the game for the first couple of drives, but played it safe and punted away. The defense did it's work and held Cal to no scores early. But just 3 drives in, they let Best break out for a 73 yard touchdown. Maryland then fumbled the kickoff and Best ran it in for a short score. All told, that was the end. The Terps tried to come back, but only got as close as 14-6 before Cal broke loose. You could have stopped watching at halftime.

For unranked Maryland, starting with a loss to begin the season wasn't so bad. However being blown out is. Friedgen should be able to get his team back on track in the coming weeks, but this opportunity to break into the Top 25 is gone. It will be much tougher to do so the rest of the season.