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It's that time of the year again to grab those fantasy magazines, read all the same old websites, make your own evaluations, and start ranking players for your upcoming draft. Sure you can glean fantasy opinions just about anywhere these days so what's a little more information to add to the fold? Anyone that's followed The DC Sports Page advice over the years has probably done very well in their league - see previous advice.

Let's take a closer look at the top ten Fantasy RB's this season.

1. Chris Johnson: Chris Johnson tore up fantasy leagues last season and there's no reason he can't lead the way again this year for fantasy running backs...especially when playing for a better contract.

2. Adrian Peterson: Peterson plays for what many have said could be the worst coach in the NFL. His rushing yards may have taken a hit last season as the addition of Favre (the first real starting calibur quarterback in Minn. in his career) helped stretch the field and take them one step from the Super Bowl. Peterson is the most complete running back in the league and is taking a back seat for the good of the team to share the ball in order to bring home a title. Peterson's stats speak for themselves, so let them carry you to as Johnny Drama (from Entourage) would say, "VICTORY!"

3. Maurice Jones-Drew: Without Fred Taylor to carry some of the load, fantasy owners received exactly what they expected last season...a giant increase in already solid production. Expect similar numbers to last season.

4. Michael Turner: Turner began to break down last season...was it due to the strong load from the previous season? It appears that Ryan is also tied to Turner and as Turner went so did the Falcon's offense. Look for the Falcons to keep Turner more fresh and for Turner to make the most of his rushing attempts to prove that his numbers from two seasons ago weren't a fluke.

5. Ray Rice: Everyone took notice of Rice's small frame, huge heart, and aggressive running last season despite losing carries along the goal line to McGahee. It may not be realistic to expect Rice to duplicate last season's performance and with the addition of Boldin to help stretch the field Rice may lose more open field touches resulting in a decrease from last season's numbers.

6. Frank Gore: Has there ever been a more quiet running back in recent memory that just shows up week in and week out without much hoopla? Gore may not be as powerful as ironhead Heyward used to be or as fast as DeAngelo Williams, but he effectively gets the job done and produces consistent fantasy numbers...and The DC Sports Page likes consistency.

7. DeAngelo Williams: It's all about the running game in Carolina. Somehow the Panthers have two starting running backs where both can eclipse over 1,000 rushing yards and plenty of TDs. It's too bad that there isn't a capable QB or #2 WR to help stretch the field and back off the S & LBs to open up more of the running game.

8. Shonn Green: Green should flourish in the Jets run heavy offense. Don't worry about LT stealing carries as there'll be lots to go around. It will also help keep Green fresh. His fantasy numbers should be less erratic then others further down the rankings due to the large volume of rushing attempts.

9. Steven Jackson: Jackson's numbers have tailed off from his last spectacular year four years ago, but still racks up impressive numbers at season's end. Expect some games for Jackson's numbers to drop off the map with a couple of giant fantasy game stats.

10. Rashard Mendenhall: As the Steelers leaned more on the running game and their 2nd year running back, Mendenhall should fans exactly what he was capable of doing. He has the ability to rack up huge fantasy stats as he can run short yardage and make plays in the open field. With Big Ben on the bench to start the season, Mendenhall will be expected to shoulder more of the offense.

Most Overvalued:

Benson had a career year last season. He's the classic high risk high reward pick. Can he handle the full load through an entire season and without any off the field issues? These issues land Benson just out of the top ten.

Most Undervalued:

Has the NFL and Carolina seen the best that Stewart has to offer? No. Stewart has yet to be completely healthy and splits carries with Williams yet has found a way to co-exist and keep fantasy owners and teammates happy, Imagine a healthy Stewart shouldering a majority of carries. A strong pick in hold over legues.

Sleepers:

Jamaal Charles: Charles quietly amassed huge numbers towards the end of the season on a poor offensive team. As the Chiefs rebuild the OL, Charles numbers can only improve. As the OL improves Charles yards per attempt should increase. He's an elusive runner to tackle in the open field. Even with Jones pouching carries, Charles should be more fresh for some explosive runs.

Ryan Matthews: Matthew was drafted to fill the starting role left open by the departure of LT. He's a quick & strong rb with size. Norv likes to run and look for a lot of opportunities for Matthews.

Deep Sleepers:

Ronnie Brown: Brown may fall of the radar due to his return from injury. When healthy Brown has shown the ability to be a top ten fantasy rb. Bide your time and look for a steal in mid to late rounds by drafting Brown.

Felix Jones: The hits are piling up and so is the mileage on Barber. Although Jones has yet to make in through an entire season, this explosive runner is sure to take more touches from Barber and threaten him for the starting role.

Jahvid Best: Kevin Smith is slowly returning from injury. Best is making the most of his opportunities and adds dimension of speed that Smith lacks. The first few games Best plays and performs (as Smith works his way back into the fold) may determine the rookie's fate this season.

Arian Foster: Tate could be done for the season. Slayton's season ended early last year with a neck injury and all of a sudden the name Foster moves up the depth chart. Keep an eye on this young rb in late rounds.

One Last Helpful Hint: Too much is made of drafting a starting RB's handcuff (i.e. their back up running back on the depth chart.) The real strategy should be drafting starters as reserves and ensuring that you have the best reserve running backs that can come in and start for you when needed. The only handcuff that should be drafted over another starting running back is Jonathan Stewart who garners as much yardage and TD's as a back up compared to other starting running backs.

Once all the starting running backs are off the board, then consider the fantasy potential if they became the starter for their team for a significant part of the season. McGahee, Sproles, & Bradshaw move towards the top of the list.

Good luck and feel free to send your questions to any of the team here.

It's that time of the year again to grab those fantasy magazines, read all the same old websites, make your own evaluations, and start ranking players for your upcoming draft. Sure you can glean fantasy opinions just about anywhere these days so what's a little more information to add to the fold? Anyone that's followed The DC Sports Page advice over the years has probably done very well in their league - see previous advice.

Let's take a closer look at the top ten Fantasy QB's this season.

1. Payton Manning: Most sites and publications will rank Payton 2nd or 3rd, but not here. How can you deny that Manning has been one of the most consistent and durable fantasy players for almost a decade.

Let everyone else take Brees or Rodgers while Manning slips right into your lap. That's right, if you're drafting at the end of the first round you'll have as close to there is for a lock for 30 TDs and 4,000 yards passing. Manning isn't a feast or famine fantasy player that racks up huge numbers in a couple of games to skew a season's average. He does it for 16 games!

So finish the end of the 2nd Round knowing you have a top RB & QB. Why take a 2nd & 3rd tier RB and allow Manning to slip back in the 2nd Round to someone that already has a top tier RB. (Know you're scoring system and whether QB TDs are 6pts or 4 pts)

2. Aaron Rodgers: Rodgers numbers spiked up again last year to 30 TDs while his INTs fell to 7. It's hard not to like numbers like that. GB's OL didn't do Rodgers many favors early in the season as the hits piled up, but after a decision to switch from a more max protections scheme to a spread offense with quick throws the passing game opened back up and Rodgers found his receivers again.

The GB offense is loaded with talent at the skill positions however they didn't bolster the OL much. Rodgers has the potential to single handedly vault your team into the playoffs, but will his stats help you in the playoffs when GB plays in the cold windy arctic tundra in the final weeks of the season?

3. Drew Brees: Brees is slowly winning fans over with his steady numbers and demeanor leading the Saints to their first title last year, but will he see his first drop off this season? Even Manning and Brady reverted to their statistical averages after their spectacular TD seasons and many QB's face an uphill challenge as defending Super Bowl Champions. As the defending champion, every team is attempting get to the QB and dump Brees to the ground quicker to disrupt the passing game. As a result, the risk increases for injury and a drop off in numbers due to rushed throws, incompletions, fewer big plays, and turnovers. Oh, and Brees lost some key depth along the OL as two time Pro Bowl OT Brown was traded to the Redskins in the offseason.

4. Rivers: The LT era is over. All that remains is Rivers & Gates and the near 30 TDs, 4,000 yards passing, and limited number of INT's. Rookie RB Matthews should fill in nicely for LT, but as the Chargers hit some bumps along the way look for Rivers to pass their way out of it.

5. Brady: Don't count Brady out. Much like a SP two years after Tommy John surgery, Brady's repaired knee should be fine and so should his confidence in it. Welker's return should ease some of the pressure Brady will feel as his intermediate and 1st down receiver returns and allows Moss to do what he does best - run straight down the field for big plays. Look for Brady's 2nd half numbers to exceed the first half (due to Welker). Also, factor in the likes of what some in The DC Sports Page like have called "Fragile" Fred (Taylor at RB) to help stabilize the running game and should bring a balance (run/pass) back to the Pats similar to the earlier parts of the decade.

6. Favre: Favre had one of his best years last year as he eclipsed the 30 TD mark (at 33) while throwing only 7 INTs - while playing for what many believe to be the worst coach in the NFL. Not only did Favre limit his INTs, but developed two young receivers, too. Let's see what another year for the combination of Favre to Rice/Harvin can do.

7. Romo: Barber is older and fighting for playing time with Felix Jones (who has yet to play a full season) and Austin Miles steps into the #1 receiver role. Romo can rack up huge numbers, but with the possibility of so much inconsistency for him to navigate through there remains the possibility for a drop off in numbers. An increase in key decisions and situations will occur for Romo as the team looks to answer many questions at WR & RB.

8. Schaub: Schaub should probably be rated higher after last season's performance, but The DC Sports Page isn't sold yet. When you factor into the equation that last season was also Schaub and Andre Johnson's healthiest season together it makes you question can they both make it through the season together again. Toss in that their Offensive Coordinator left for Washington and their draft pick RB Tate may be lost for the year even before the season started and the signs don't look good for this high risk high reward pick in a draft.

9. Flacco: Comparisons between QB Flacco & Ryan occur frequently as to who's the better QB, but it's not much of a debate when looking at fantasy stats and Flacco now has WR Boldin to throw to which only increases Flacco's fantasy value.

10. Manning: The other Manning is quietly getting his due respect...fantasy wise even after winning a Super Bowl. The Burress era ended as Manning developed two young receivers. Look for Manning, Smith, and Nick's numbers to slightly increase this year.

Most Overvalued:

• Matt Schaub:
It was a break out year for Schaub last season. No joke intended. Schaub made it through the season as did A. Johnson and both benefited. Are you willing to roll the dice again this year? Tate could be gone for the season before it started, Slayton is coming back from neck surgery, and Kyle Shanahan left for Washington.

Most Undervalued:

• Eli Manning:
Eli has another year under his belt developing the Giants young receivers. The Giants may need to rely more on their offense this season and Manning owners could reap the benefit. The only concern would be a lack of balance in the running game (pass/run) as the team must decide who is the primary rb and tailor the plays to the #1 rb.


Deep Sleepers:

Kolb: Kolb has shown he can make the same passes as McNabb, but can he make the same throws after being knocked down repeatedly at the NFL level. McNabb also had the ability to make others look better around him, while Kolb is still growing. Kolb's numbers may tail off as the season progresses and the hits take their toll.

Henne: Miami will continue to be a run first offense but with the addition of Marshall the team now can have a closer run/pass mix of plays pulling some of the safeties away from the line.

One Last Helpful Hint: Don't be the one that waits to be the last person to draft a QB and then finds themselves with one of the worst starting QB's and a bad back up too.

If you draft Schaub, then consider drafting a backup QB much earlier. If you're drafting a QB with injury concerns or a low fantasy producer then pick a back up within the next two rounds before everyone else circles back on drafting reserve QB's. Don't panic and continue to take mediocre receivers that may never start or pan out and take the QB. If you have a Flacco why not turn around two picks later and take Manning to deprive someone else of a talented back up. Why should you have the worst set of QBs in the league.

Also, if you're going to draft a Schaub then you probably shouldn't be taking a flyer on Kolb or Henne because they may soon become your starter.

Avoid taking a QB late as a starter and as a reserve to sure up voids at other reserve positions. All The DC Sports Page can say is that you'd better have a two top five RB's, one top three WR, and Gates at TE to start with.

Good luck and feel free to send your questions to any of the team here.

On Friday night, the Redskins started the Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb Era. Make that the Pre-Season Era. And they won, 42-17. Unfortunately it was against the Buffalo Bills, hardly a strong opponent. Still the win was a good start.

While the hype was about seeing McNabb on the field for the first time in Burgundy and Gold, another one of the several first-time in Redskins uniform players got his "tryout". That would be Rex Grossman. Explanation in a minute, but first his stats. 11/18, 140 yards and 2 touchdowns. Pretty decent stats, though again we need to be mindful, only against the Bills. He looked comfortable, if not sharp on the field.

Now here's where I explain why I think it was Grossman's tryout. When he was first signed months ago, he was insurance to Jason Campbell. Then when McNabb arrived and Campbell shipped off to Oakland, Grossman was the clear backup. But the arrival of John Beck via trade with the Baltimore Ravens, one had to question if Grossman is really in the plans for the Redskins. Shanahan has carried 2 QB's at times. While Beck came at a little cost, trading for him showed that there was some value the Redskins placed on Beck. That did send Colt Brennan packing, but it did not solidify Grossman's role. His play on Friday may have sealed the deal though. In his good showing, Grossman proved that he's got something, though it might only be valuable against lesser defenses. Let's face it, Grossman is the type of QB anyone can pick up anytime during the season. But being in camp and pre-season gives him advantages over Average Joe QB. Beck may compete for the #2 and maybe even win it. But Grossman's performance from Friday coupled with similar or at least non-deteriorating play in the remainder of pre-season may earn him a permanent spot on the roster this season.

OK, just to make it clear, that was not Albert Haynesworth. The man who kind of passed the shuttle test was ESPN Radio Mike & Mike co-host and 16 year retired NFL player Mike Golic. Sure, he kind of jumped the gun and didn't exactly go "line to line", but he substantially finished it. Lindsay Murphy of Fox 5 also completed it. Ivan Carter of Comcast SportsNet also did it. But Haynesworth has yet to complete it.

Now granted, it does not look easy. I'll volunteer that it's highly unlikely I could complete the test. But I'm not a trained athlete. And from the results so far, we should question whether Albert Haynesworth is either.

Sure, I'm piling on. Haynesworth's contract is the fault of the Redskins, in particular owner Daniel Snyder and former yes man Vinny Cerrato. But Haynesworth, while living up to the "letter" of his contract, is not being a team player. He should have showed up for some of the off-season workouts. He claims he did his own plan, and appears lighter. But as this test proves, he's not in condition. So what does Mike Shanahan do now? I say make him run it until he makes it. Sure he took that huge roster bonus, but it's done. Make Haynesworth work for it. Have him run the shuttles everyday until he passes. Then run him to the ground in practice. He'll either live through it and be a better player or he'll end up weakened. Frankly at this point, as a Redskins fan, I don't care which Haynesworth comes out of it.

Redskins Training Camp started this past weekend. While there is much focus on the Albert Haynesworth situation, it's worth taking a look a what else is going on.

This morning, I went out to Redskins Park. For the hour or so, they ran passing drills, blocking drills, and then some actual plays with offensive vs defense. The passing drills were not there to impress, but simply to make sure timing between the QB and receiver were in sync. The above picture had Donovan McNabb in the passing drill. After one attempt, the QB rotated out so all four had decent shots. To the left is McNabb speaking with coach Mike Shanahan after one of his attempts.

The blocking drills were more interesting to watch. We heard yesterday that TE Chris Cooley was upset about a hard hit against him. In the drills today, it seemed that they hit hard, but didn't "chase". At one point TE Fred Davis should have been stopped after about 12 yards, but the defense let him run for 30 yards.

While the visit was the hope to see NT/DE Haynesworth out on the field, well all have to wait for another day to pass before that might happen.

Through all the Albert Haynesworth issues, the Redskins made another significant stride towards improving the offensive line by trading for Jammal Brown from the New Orleans Saints. Brown, a two-time Pro-Bowl OT was limited in playing time last year due to a sports hernia. He signed a $3.62M tender offer to pave the way for the trade.

His signing almost ensures that Artis Hicks now moves back to a more natural position of guard (along the right side) as Brown takes the RT position. The move brings more talent, depth, and flexibility along the offensive line and was speculated in April (see final paragraph on The DC Sports Page). Should Trent Williams become injured Brown steps in at LT and Hicks moves to RT, as well as a situation where Brown succumbs to injuries Hicks could slide to RT.

The offensive line with the addition of Brown, 29, now has most of the offensive line set to turn 30 or slightly over with the exception being Trent Williams. Although the unit should still be a target for an upgrade in the draft, the Redskins have drastically improved enough to ensure that McNabb shouldn't become close friends with the turf.

The move that is tied to the McNabb trade for the following reason - if a 3rd Round pick goes to the Eagles the Saints receive a 4th Round pick and if the Eagles garner a 4th Round pick the Saints receive a 3rd Round pick. The Skins also pick up a 5th or 6th depending upon which way the higher pick falls.

The addition of Brown signals what many fans have come to realize over the years and a verdict that the front office has finally reached - Stephon Heyers isn't a starting tackle in the NFL. Trent Williams was drafted and immediately inserted into the lineup as a starter, as was Jacoby, Grimm, Samuels, and Jansen. Heyers couldn't even push Jansen out of the line up on his own. At this point Heyers is what he is - a journeyman reserve tackle.

One more move could be made before the final roster is set. Washington could re-sign Levi Jones as further depth. He may not be the answer at tackle, but was the unsung hero along the offensive line last season providing the stability the unit needed. Jones would be an upgrade as the first tackle coming off the bench over Heyers or at least push him in camp if competition is what the coaches really want, but rookie Capers (OT) may also have something to add to the equation and warrants watching in training camp. It now appears that tackle could be a position of strength and versatility on the line while the interior part of the line could stand an infustion of upgraded skills over the current reserves.

Well, we all saw this coming didn't we? Albert Haynesworth's agent has informed the Washington Redskins that he will not be reporting to the mandatory training on Wednesday. This is a very fitting final jab from the Vinny Cerrato era. Granted, we all know Dan Snyder was behind many of the moves, Cerrato was supposedly the master in the plan.

Last pre-season, the NFL was trying to figure out who would sign Haynesworth. It came as little shock the Redskins were the winners (or maybe losers) in the race. But at what cost? Now that the player's intentions are public, his value with potential suitors go down because they know the Redskins have to unload. Then there's the thing about a disgruntled employee. That might turn off a few teams. Ultimately this is the biggest free agent bust the Redskins have signed. His out of shape, out of breath 2009 campaign only help usher Cerrato and Jim Zorn out the door. Then again, maybe that's not so bad.

The Redskins, under new direction by Head Coach Mike Shanahan, have stressed the importance of competition at all positions on the team. The release of WR Marko Mitchell underscores a similar thought process throughout the Dan Snyder owned Redskins. It's a process that has weighed a team that has invested large salary figures on free agents over the development of its young existing players to the bottom of the division.

Mitchell became a fan favorite upon reading reports that he was lighting up practice and torching his counter parts on defense similar to starting receivers the Redskins faced on game days. His tall stature and likeable demeanor endeared him to the fans. The question during the season was if Mitchell had developed to the point where he could not only provide a good test for the starting secondary, but beat them on routes why wasn't he further ahead on the depth chart.

The answer was simple. Mitchell didn't consider himself a special teams player and preferred not to participate on the special teams squad...or at least that was the scuttlebutt.

Taking the following points into consideration a strong case could be made that the Redskins have fallen back onto a similar path when evaluating and making personnel decisions.

If you don't want to hear "whining" then you should stop reading now, otherwise continue at your own peril.

So how many times have you watched a game (or even played in one) where the referee or umpire made a bad call that you felt cost a team a real shot at winning? I'm sure all sports fans have gone through it. And what's the typical response to that? It's the old, "Well it wasn't just that one call. They had plenty of other chances to win the game." or "They should be good enough team so that calls like that don't matter." Well, I'm here to say, "Fiddlesticks!" (It's a family friendly blog. I'm trying to keep it clean here.)

20th Pick - Houston Texans select: RB Ryan Matthews (Fresno State)

Schaub stayed healthy last season and Andre Johnson showed just how great the passing game can be in Houston. Slayton didn't prove as durable as the Texans would have hoped. Matthews should provide the additional size and strength to compliment the passing game.

21st Pick - Cincinnati Bengals select: CB Kyle Wilson (Boise State)

The list of candidates with off field issues isn't strong enough to garner consideration this year for Cincinnati. It's not the best year of hopeful 1st round worthy receivers, so Mr. OchoCinco will have to wait until later in the draft for some additional help. With so many of the leagues young top receivers in the AFC the Bengals will sure up their pass coverage and allow their front seven more time to rush the quarterback.

22nd Pick - New England Patriots select: C/G Maurkice Pouncey (Florida)
The Patriots staff would ideally like to rejuvenate and aging defense with this pick, but the team learned that protecting Tom Brady is priority #1. Pouncey adds an element to the O-line of a strong run blocker, as well as pass protector.

23rd Pick - Green Bay Packers select: OT Anthony Davis (Rutgers)

As Green Bay transitioned to more of a spread passing attack to allow Rodgers to make quick decisions with the ball rather than spend more time on the ground with their original passing game scheme they discovered they need more help on the O-Line. Imagine how much better Rodgers can be with even more time to read defenses and throw the ball.

24th Pick - Philadelphia Eagles select: DL Jared Odrick (Penn State)

His pass rush skills won't go unnoticed in Philly where his ability to draw double teams will free up the linebackers.

25th Pick - Baltimore Ravens select: FS Taylor Mays (USC)

Ozzie Newsome doesn't miss a beat. Many may think the only tight end worthy of being drafted could fall to the Ravens, but Ozzie has a talent for taking the best player on the board and knows which players should have already come off the big board. Mays ability to play the Lynch role made famous in Tampa Bay compliments Ed Reeds skills perfectly.

26th Pick - Arizona Cardinals select: WR Golden Tate (Notre Dame)

It's not the deepest draft for receivers in 2010. Couple that with the loss of Boldin via a trade and the Cardinals unnecessarily surprise folks by reaching for another play maker on offense since their most highly rated linebackers are already off the board in this mock draft.

27th Pick - Dallas Cowboys select: OT Bruce Campbell (Maryland)

It's hard not to like someone so versatile that is the comic relief sidekick in the hit USA Network show "Burn Notice", as well as the star of the Evil Dead / Army of Darkness trilogy. He's even appeared in all three "Spiderman" movies. He was the wrestling ring announcer in the first movie, the annoying theatre usher in the sequel, and the annoying maitre d' in the French restaurant.

All kidding aside, Dallas takes the next rated tackle on the board to replace Adams at tackle.

28th Pick - San Diego Chargers select: NT Terrence Cody (Alabama)

The Chargers beef up the D-Line. Think about Gilbert Brown a little but younger.

29th Pick - New York Jets select: DE/LB Jerry Hughes (TCU)

Coach Rex Ryan gets another talented edge pass rusher to enter into his attacking defensive schemes.

30th Pick - Minnesota Vikings select: QB Colt McCoy (Texas)

The Vikings don't want to return to the vacuum at QB in a season without Brett Favre and address their QB issue.

31st Pick - Indianapolis Colts select: OT Rodger Saffold (Indiana)

Similar to the Patriots pick, the Colts need to ensure Manning has time to run the offense, as well as beef up the run blocking to ease the pressure off of Peyton Manning.

32nd Pick - New Orleans Saints select: LB Daryl Washington (TCU)

The Saints add some depth to a depleted linebacking group as the season wound down last season.

The Matt Ryan Express rolled on last year and picked up Tony Gonzalez for a nice ride with Roddy White and Michael Turner. Another weapon on offense would be great, but in a division with New Orleans a good defensive player could only help.

19th Pick: LB Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri)

He's an outside linebacker that can step right in and play. His ability to play in different roles should give the Falcons more depth and flexibility, as well as throw different schemes at New Orleans.

Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger has been suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for 6 games. He is also required to attend behavioral counseling. If he behaves, his suspension could be reduced to 4 games.

I have mixed feelings about this. While what has been alleged in both cases is deplorable, nothing has been proven in any court. It comes down to the point of whether Roethlisberger got his NFL punishment because he is a successful, Super Bowl Champion quarterback for one of the elite franchises, the Pittsburgh Steelers. And I'll add in that he is a white player. Are the allegations of sexual assault terrible. Of course. But no one has successfully prosecuted or sued him in court. Some might argue that Adam "Pacman" Jones also received punishment before charges, however he had a long history with the law and had been on probation for prior charges.

Now the fate of Roethlisberger is in his hands. The Steelers may well trade him away, as they value class above his talent. While I would disagree on the same grounds as the suspension, it is their right to trade players in the NFL for whatever reason they deem fit. They've prepared for the suspension, and possibly the future, by trading for Byron Leftwich, previously a starter, and still a serviceable QB. Whether as a Steeler or somewhere else, Roethlisberger can only try to keep clean the rest of his NFL career. He only needs to look at Pacman Jones and realize talent does not mean you can keep your job.

The Steelers would like to have an elite receiver fall to them after WR Holmes was traded away, but one doesn't exist this year. The road to the Super Bowl from the AFC involves weaving through a myriad of some of the NFL's best QB's and receivers. As a result, defenses need to find ways to force pressure on the QB or be able to cover receivers.

18th Pick: CB Joe Hayden (Florida)

The Steelers are delighted that the top corner in the draft fell so far and will find a receiver later in the draft.

San Francisco would have loved to have taken one of the top offensive tackles in the draft, but are pleased to have another offensive weapon in C.J. Spiller. Coach Mike Singletary can only have so many players to manage so taking more work than he has time for may continue to push OT Anthony Davis down the draft board.

Singletary knows the value of a good linebacker and with a top edge pass rusher still on the board balancing out his two first round draft picks with a top OLB would be a successful way to start day one of the draft.

17th Pick: OLB Sergio Kindle (Texas)

16th Pick: DE Jason Pierre-Paul (South Florida)

It's another poor year to need a receiver in the draft. Sure Kenny Britt developed nicely last season and hopefully for Tenn. fans he takes the next step this year because help won't be coming from their first round draft pick from the receiver position.

The most underrated coach in the NFL knows how to coach all types of players and always has a top defense. Coaching a raw talent and working him into a quality player suits the Titans coach Jeff Fisher well.

15th Pick: S Earl Thomas, (Texas)

The Giants have always had a strong front seven and now the defensive backfield gets some help. Whether Thomas is used as a corner or safety he can provide an immediate impact. The Giants could also eye Sergio Kindle LB for another edge pass rusher, but the need in the defensive backfield is stronger.

How many years have folks been saying Seattle really needs a LT to replace Walter Jones? Um yeah - so this year was no different in our mock draft as Jimmy Clausen was chosen with the 6th pick in the draft. The top three OTs are off the board and C.J. Spiller was taken already by San Francisco.

14th Pick: DE Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech)

If G Lupati wasn't already taken, Seattle may have considered the top interior lineman to allow to folks forget the decision to let G Hutchinson leave for Minnesota. Derrick Morgan should help provide some pressure off the edge, as well as an insurance policy for Patrick Kerney.

The 49ers are on the clock with the 13th Pick in the draft.

Strange that Sam Bradford didn't slip down to the 13th pick in the draft. Clausen didn't last that long either so what's a team looking for a big play threat on offense to do?

The 13th Pick: RB C.J. Spiller (Clemson)

Spiller provides the home run threat every time he touches the ball on offense, as well as a game changer in the return game. Having a little thunder and lightening in the backfield with Gore and Spiller would be a great 1-2 punch and give defenses one more weapon to key on that could give Crabtree more space in the field.

The "Tuna" knows defense like Bo knows sports. Every team Parcells has been associated has seen their defense improve, so improving the defense after the offense received a boost in acquiring WR Brandon Marshall from Denver would seem like the logical move in the eyes of the "Tuna".

Certainly RB Spiller would draw some interest in the war room as Ronnie Brown battles back from surgery and Ricky Williams is just an inegma, but how many running backs does a team need.

12th Pick: DT Dan Williams (Tennessee)

Williams probably best fits a 3-4 defense and would be the best fit for the Dolphins. Lucky for Miami fans that he fell into their lap in our mock draft.

The Denver Broncos are on the clock with the 11th Pick in the NFL Draft.

11th Pick: WR Dez Bryant (Oklahoma St.)

With the trade of Brandon Marshall to Miami complete. The Broncos need a true #1 receiver to allow Eddie Royal to comfortably fall back to the #3 productive receiver on the roster. At 6'2" 225 lbs Bryant has the build to run similar routes vacated by Marshall.

Ideally the Broncos would have loved to have taken ILB McLain and take a receiver later in the draft, but with McLain gone in our mock draft receiver is the logical choice.

With the 10th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars take Tim Tebow, oh wait, that is supposed to be the second round. While it is almost inevitable that Tebow will be taken by the team who plays in the same town as the University of Florida, it will probably be in a later round. As of right now, the team that feature MJD, needs to improve its defense in the first round.

10th Pick: ILB Rolando McClain (Alabama)

Coming off of a National Championship, this hard nosed, smart and studious defensive juggernaut will immediately succeed in the NFL. With a big frame and quick feet, McClain will be able to take over a defensive game. Jacksonville should be very happy with this pick and will most likely get a high return for the money they will spend on him.

With rumors flying that Marshawn Lynch will be traded, one would think they could take C.J. Spiller. With no quarterback and no absolute stud receiver though, they will most likely stay away from the skill positions. Rebuilding starts in the trenches and that is where the Bills will be during the draft.

9th Pick: OG Mike Lupati (Idaho)

Buffalo has the book end tackels required to dominate on the offensive line, but need that guard to secure the interior. Lupati could be that guard. He is coming out of Idaho, which is not exactly a football power house, but has produced solid talent in the past. If Lupati can show he is an NFL caliber guard this year, then the Bills will be in a great position to draft that franchise quarterback next year.

With Spiller still on the board though, a trade would not be unheard of. This could be one of the most valuable picks in the draft, especially for teams who need a running back.

With C.J. Spiller on the board it would be easy to predict that the Oakland Raiders would take him. In reality though, Davis knows he does have to make a smart pick this year. After DHB was failure last year, the owner and general manager understands that a good pick this year will keep fans around for a few more years. Until he drafts yet another guy for speed, that is.

8th Pick: OT Brian Bulaga (Iowa)

The University of Iowa does two things very well, make offensive lineman and make defensive lineman. With JaMarcus Russell projected to be the starter next year, the Raiders are going to need to give him some time to throw. Bulaga can give Russell the time he needs. When a team has a quarterback that isn't accurate and doesn't move well, the best thing it can do is give him time to read the defense and find the open man. If he is truly NFL material, he will make the plays.

Keep in mind though, this is Al Davis and Spiller did run a 4.3 at the combine.

After being punished by Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu year, after year, after year, the Cleveland Browns will finally have their own play making safety. Cleveland's problems last year were not so much on the offensive side of the ball, as they were on the defensive side. Sure, Brady Quinn and Derrick Anderson didn't exactly light it up, but when they did the defense didn't keep them in the game. Rebuilding their swiss cheese secondary will start in the secondary.

7th Pick: S Eric Berry (Tennessee)

Current safeties Mike Adams and Abram Elam are solid players, on the second or third string. Berry adds a sense of controlled chaos and physicality that could fire this defense up. As mentioned earlier, a good d-line is required to have an outstanding secondary and you can't get much better than Pro Bowl nose tackle Shaun Rogers. Berry should have the opportunity to grab some errant passes if Rogers gets penetration.

One pick surely doesn't fix a defense, but by adding Berry the Browns are taking a step in the right direction.

One could argue that Pete Carrol would like to try to keep Matt Hasselbeck up right and see what he has. In reality though, Carrol seems to want to run things his way and if they wanted to keep up right why would they trade Rob Sims? The former USC Head Coach is the kind of guy who wants to do things his way and will most likely want to start of with his own quarterback.

6th Pick: QB Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame)

Clausen is a good choice for Seattle because he has played through tough elements before. The midwest is not known for its warm and sunny conditions in November and December and neither is Seattle. Carrol knows he is going to need a quarterback that can not only throw the ball to vertical receivers, such as T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but can also power the ball through the elements. From what we have seen at Notre Dame, Clausen can do that.

Welcome to the NFL Jimmy Clausen, make sure you packed your umbrella. Oh, and make sure you keep an eye out for Patrick Willis from San Francisco when he blows through your line.

The Chiefs are on the clock with the 5th Pick in the 2010 Draft.

Kansas City has always been known for being able to run the ball, but over the past few years the offensive line has withered and degraded over time in both run blocking and pass protection. Last year Branden Albert was drafted to reinforce the offensive line.

5th Pick: OT Trent Williams (Oklahoma)

Drafting Williams would allow Albert to move to the interior or to RT. The selection would ensure that KC would have two talented young players along the offensive line to improve the pass protection and get back to running the ball downhill.

The Washington Redskins are on the clock with the 4th Pick in the 2010 Draft.

The Redskins would love to move down to acquire additional draft choices, but it may be difficult to do so and still have a top pick in the first ten. The Redskins didn't have enough ammunition to move up to take Bradford #1 overall so it seems even less likely now without a 2nd Round pick and the acquisition of McNabb. Is it possible Washington selects Clausen - absolutely, but the new team of Shanahan & Allen seem to have a plan in place and acquiring a top tier QB in McNabb without the protection to make use of his skills wouldn't make much sense.

4th Pick: OT Russell Okung (Oklahoma St.)

The Redskins could also select OT Bryan Bulaga who's versatility to play four positions along the line would fit nicely despite what some may say enough of a lack of arm reach to play LT or OT Trent Williams who could also warrent taking as the top OT.

Okung has all the physical talent to start immediately for an old and ailing offensive line. Detroit could also make things interesting if they decide to take Okung over DT Suh or DT McCoy. This would set the potential trade wheels in motion or make a difficult decision between one of the elite DT in the draft or the next best OT to replace Chris Samuels who retired in the offseason.

As Thursday's NFL Draft edges closer for the Redskins who currently hold the 4th, Washington has many decisions to make from which players to keep or trade to whether the pick is dealt to acquire additional picks. We at The DC Sports Page have come to our own conclusions regarding possible moves as we've listed below:

Trading Down To Acquire More Picks:

Allen and Shanahan have already made sound and reasonable decisions that sometimes were lacking in the previous administration at Redskins Park. With so many holes to fill at once during a deep draft year, the Redskins will definitely be looking to move down in the draft to gain more picks for the ones lost in the 2nd round (part of McNabb trade) and the 3rd round (due to the supplemental draft last year of DE Jarmon).

Cleveland is rumored to make a move to acquire Bradford with the #1 pick, since St. Louis has been unable to sign the QB prior to the draft. Without teams looking to move up to draft Clausen the Skins could have a tough sell. Their best ally would be the Lions. Yes, Detroit could draft an OL allowing one of the elite DT's to fall to the 4th Pick. Teams may want to move up and thus the Redskins could still acquire a top OL in the top ten and pick up an additional pick.

Seattle (6, 14) or San Francisco (13, 17) would make ideal trade partners with Washington as both teams have two first round draft picks, but this sounds more like a fantasy trade than anything else. Haynesworth, Portis, Campbell, or McIntosh could also enter the equation to make such a bold move.

Dropping down too far for additional picks wouldn't solve the long term issues the team faces. It still needs an elite LT, as well as a LB, S, and cover corner. Once Okung, Bulaga, and Williams come off the board the OT situation becomes a little more murky. Washington should retain their #4 overall pick if their only option to trade down is to fall out of the top 15 resulting in the top OL, ILB, RB, and DT falling off the board but trading to add more quality players via the top three rounds in draft should be a top priority.

Tampa Bay is on the clock with the 3rd Pick in the 2010 Draft.

It makes no sense in even rendering a Mortimer type wager from "Trading Places" on this pick. Similar to the Rams pick, you can almost "Hawaii Five-O" this pick and "Book 'em Danno."

3rd Pick: DT Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma)

The resurrection of the decade of dominating defense begins with drafting McCoy who can cave in the middle of the offensive line while still performing a run stopping role. He fits the Tampa 2 defense well.

Many of the players that fans recall during Tampa's playoff runs are gone. You can still find Warren Sapp on TV though - on the NFL Network, as well as on Twitter as @QBKILLA. Sapp's twitter name says it all. Getting to the QB is the number one priority on defense. The Buccaneers hope they have the right piece of the puzzle to gain more possessions from turnovers and shorten the field for their offense. Look for Tampa Bay to switch sides of the ball with their next pick in the draft.

The Detroit Lions are on part two of their three part plan to rebuild and that second part involves adding a "house of spears."

After last season's, largely successful, draft the team has a franchise quarterback, a decent set of wide receivers, a solid linebacking corps and a play making member of the secondary. With the offseason acquisition's of Kyle Vanden-Bosch and Corey Williams, the defensive line, and defense, is almost complete. The final part of that line is Ndamukong Suh.

He is hands down the best player in the draft and Detroit can't afford to pass on him. Suh has a quick release out of his stance and the strength to move NFL lineman. ESPN's Sports Science program examined what made his the best player on the board and lets just say they said he hit with the force of 1,200 pounds.

The Lions had an awful secondary last year. While it could be said that they had subpar players, which some of them were, they also had a terrible pass rush. If you look at a team like the Baltimore Ravens, their secondary thrived off of a great pass rush in the 2008-2009 season. Last season, their pass rush was less impressive and so was their secondary.

There may be questions about whether they want to drat left tackle Russell Okung, but their acquisition of Rob Sims should answer them. Head Coach Jim Schwartz said he thought Jeff Backus deserved Pro Bowl votes and that left guard was their real problem last season. When looking at the trade of Sims and Schwartz's comments together, its clear they think tackle is not what needs to be fixed.

For a team with so many holes, taking the best player on the board is never a bad idea. Detroit should be a respectable team next year, not a great one, but one that should be able to win between four and six games. Experts have said it is defense that wins championships and in Lions land, it looks like the team will follow that philosophy.

Pick 2 - Detroit Lions: Ndamukong Suh - Defensive Tackle, Nebraska

The Rams are on the clock with the 1st Pick in the 2010 Draft.

Defensive Tackles Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska) and Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma) can provide the pressure up the middle teams covet, but the rebuild on the offense begins with this pick. The release of Marc Bulger all but seals the deal that Sam Bradford will be the first pick in the draft. The last few years the Rams have pinned their hopes on a resurgance of Bulger, but it hasn't materialized.

The trade of McNabb from the Eagles to the Redskins also eliminated a possible trade partner to move down to acquire more picks and possibly take Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame. No one else may have the picks necessary to move up or be so inclined to trade up knowing that Clausen may fall back to them.

1st Pick: QB Sam Bradford (Oklahoma)

Bradford should rejuvinate an offense that's sputtered for the past few years. He's an accurate quarterback that fits well in the Rams passing game. The pressure this season shouldn't fall on Bradford, but more so on the offensive line to keep him on his feet and provide Jackson the running lanes he needs to take the pressure off their new QB. Expectations of Ryan or Flacco may be unrealistic as a first year quarterback, but a new direction is in order for St. Louis on offense to stabalize the long term future at QB.

The Redskins make news again but this time through a trade and not via free agency. The Redskins often known for their offseason free agent spending sprees were busy on Easter Sunday dealing a 2010 2nd Round pick and either a 3rd or 4th Round pick in 2011 based upon performance for Donovan McNabb. McNabb earlier shot down Oakland and Buffalo as possible destinations and as Washington stepped up with an additional pick next year the Eagles felt it was the best offer on the table that was to both McNabb's and the Eagles liking. It was also very classy of the Eagles to honor McNabb's wishes and move him to Washington.

Redskins fans are rejoicing at inserting a team leader and Super Bowl starting quarterback into the lineup, while Eagles fans much watch their team be dismantled and stripped of its offensive statistical leader in most categories. Trades of this magnitude don't occur very often in the NFL let alone dealing a top player to a division rival. From an Eagles perspective the word rebuilding becomes a dirty and unecessary word to some fans, but after releasing and trading veterans the past couple of years the McNabb trade was the final blow to Philadelphia fans. They'll move forward with McCoy at running back and Kolb at quarterback.

The Redskins are now missing their 2nd Round pick (traded to Philadelphia for McNabb) and their 3rd Round Pick (due to drafting DE Jarmon in the 2009 Supplemental Draft), as well as their 6th Round pick for the DE Taylor trade.

At first glance the trade offers Skins fans the hope of leader at the most important position on the team. Much like UPS says, "What can brown do for you", Redskins fans can now see what a real GM can do for them as the Vinny Cerrato era seems even farther in the rear view mirror with more credible trades and free agent signings this past offseason.

Shanahan & Allen have remade much of the offensive personnel with the exception of the offensive line unless you count the versatile OL Artis Hicks as the savior. The duo of Shanahan and Allen have assembled Larry Johnson, & Willie Parker at running back and Donovan McNabb & Rex Grossman at quarterback with hold overs Clinton Portis and Jason Campbell creating the type of team compitition the new head coach had talked about.

At 33 years of age, how much is left in the tank for McNabb remains to be seen but now he'll have something he's never had before - a running game with a coach dedicated to pounding the ball. In the short term the Redskins have the ability to win now but how far they go is a different story. The Eagles receive a quality pick in a deep draft to rebuild. Washington receives a bonafide leader and starting quarterback it's desired after trying upgrade the position the past offseason. While the Eagles appear more ready to take a few lumps to rebuild and reload, the Redskins have chosen to defer that decision by taking a similar path of acquiring veteran players like Jason Taylor or Jeff George but hopefully with different results as neither of the afore mentioned players were still contributing near levels in the prime of their career.

The trade also seems to have answered other draft related questions. The acquisition of McNabb indicates that the team didn't have enough ammunation to move up to take the top rated QB on their board - Sam Bradford nor did they think highly enough of Clausen at the #4 overall pick or McCoy with the #37 overall pick.

It's still possible for the Redskins to take a QB with the #4 pick, but seems less likely at this point. The team may decide to take more action along the offensive line in order to keep McNabb and any future QB on their feet and not on the ground.

In what many feel is a deep 2010 draft, the Redskins may also move more aggressively to trade down to acquire additional picks in 2010 or in 2011 to bolster their chances of moving up to take Jake Locker of Washington (who may have been the #1 rated QB on some boards if he had declared for the 2010 draft.) San Francisco and Seattle could also be looking to move up in the draft to take a quarterback and both teams have two 1st Round Picks.

Some good fortune may strike DC twice in consecutive drafts. Should the Redskins decide to hold the #4 pick they could find the LT they so desperately need in Okung or if Detroit decides to keep Matt Stafford standing upright by selecting an OT one the top Defensive Tackles could slip right into their hands to pair up along side Orakpo & Haynesworth.

With three veteran running backs and quarterbacks on the roster, the team may not be finished with an extreme make over on offense before the draft. Adding more picks and quality along the both sides of the lines would be a top priorty especially if the team chooses to line up in a 3-4 defense.

The trade just changed the dynamics within the division and NFC besides stroking the fire of division rivalry games. The physcial division match-up just went up a few notches. The match up has a history of very close games being played dating back to Joe Gibbs Version 1.0 and now will take on even more meaning the next few years.

Super Bowl XLIV may be over, but evaluating this year's commercials isn't. Over the past few years, the advertisments seemed somewhat wayning leaving behind the glory days when such memorable ads as the Budweiser frogs appeared.

There seemed to be a resurgance in cute, clever, and humorous ads this year. The DC Sports Page ranked its most and least favorite commercials:

Top 5 Super Bowl XLIV Commercials:

1. Snickers: How could anyone not like a commercial with Betty White and Fish...Tessio aka Abe Vigoda. Yes, Abe is still alive and kicking. Conan released him from a cage in the final Late Night show months ago. The only question here is whether Abe should have turned to the camera after being tackled and said, can I have a snickers too for old times sake?

2. Letterman, Oprah, and Leno at a Super Bowl party. Three people most wouldn't expect to be in a commercial together let alone an ad for Late Show With David Letterman.

3. A Sports Freak Pick - The cute and fun Simpsons commercial for Coke! Things always go better with Coke so why not add the already good Simpsons.

4. Hyundai's use of Brett Favre showed that Brett can even poke fun at himself as he waffles in the commercial set ten years in the future debating about his potential retirement.

5. A Big Money Tony Pick - Doritos - Hands off my mama...hands off my Doritos (quick and to the point!)

Honorable Mentions - Dodge Charger & Coke's sleepwalker,

Worst 5 Super Bowl XLIV Commercials:

1. E-Trade commercials with talking babies. It wasn't funny the first time.

2 & 3. The next two spots will not even be mentioned as they employed the tactic of bucking the trend and human nature in an attempt at failed humor by going with pantless men. Not only was the first advertisement not funny, but a similar ad ran right after it. If Sex sells these brands didn't get the memo.

4. All the movie ads. Did you almost get the feeling when you saw the Patriot that you've seen this before...like Braveheart? Will fans of Russel Crowe say the same when they see Robin Hood?

5. Dr. Pepper - another tired stale ad involving the music group KISS. So many other opportunities present themselves for using such a group and this is what was settled on to air at the Super Bowl.

Please vote in the Poll or tell us what your favorite or least favorite commerial was during the Super Bowl.

So in the span of about a month, I have given up season tickets to both the Redskins and the Nationals. Before I continue, I should define what I mean by season tickets. To me, it means a plan that includes several games over the course of the season. In the case of the Redskins, it was the entire season. In the case of the Nationals, it was a 20 game plan. There were a number of issues that came up to help to make these decisions. Economy and the performance of the team were common in both, but there were others specific to the teams and sports.

Over the course of my post-college adult life, I have owned or been part of a group that owned tickets to the Redskins, Nationals, Orioles, Capitals, and Terps Men's Basketball. I'm down to just the Terps now. My alma mater holds a great place in my life, and they could be in a losing season...I'll still watch them anytime.

For the Orioles and Capitals, it came to distance and time commitments respectively. Baltimore is not that far, but committing to every Sunday game (and for awhile, several weeknight games as well), just wasn't great. The nail in the coffin for the Orioles was when the Nationals arrived in town. The Capitals are a great ticket to have, but my work got in the way and I just could not commit to any games ahead of time to justify keeping those tickets.

The Nationals was easy. The 20 game plan was not onerous. We even actually split the tickets so I was only obligated to about 10 games a season. But in reality, why should I prepay for games they decide I should buy when I can show up on virtually any gameday, 10 minutes before first pitch to buy the exact same seats and probably have a 90% chance of getting them? It sounds harsh, and I'm becoming what the team does not need...a fan who barely spends money on them. Note to the Lerners, I'm probably not the only one.

The Redskins was much tougher, yet was easily justifiable. I once had season tickets in the upper level for a couple of seasons during the Norv Turner era. Then I had given up until a friend decided he was interested in getting premium seats (lower level). So for the past few seasons, we have been 20-30 rows from the field, in the end zone, cheering on those fans. This past season, we were upgraded to the club level to test out the seats there. But ultimately, it was not enough to keep our interest. Besides some personal issues, the Redskins simply don't have the draw any longer. The price was not justified and while the fan experience there is great, watching games on TV is almost as good as being there. After you weigh in parking, getting there, and the simple hassle of possibly not sitting an entire half, it was too easy a thing to drop.

One day, I hope to reacquire some of these tickets. I may sound like a fair weather fan, but a dozen or so Terps games is plenty. Add in the occassional ticket I'll be purchasing as a one-off game for all these teams, I'll still end up going to 25 or so sporting events live each year. Which means I'll essentially creating my own season plan.

Mike Shanahan signs a 5 Year deal as Head Coach and EVP of Football Operations of the Washington Redskins. He becomes the seventh head coach for Washington in the last ten years. Adam Schefter, of ESPN, reports that Shanahan will have ultimate authority on football operations.

The recent signings of GM Bruce Allen and Head Coach/EVP Football Operations Mike Shanahan signal a change in the front office roles and responsibilities and thereby limiting some of the influence Snyder may have in personnel decisions. How much Dan Snyder relinquishes influence in personnel decisions remains to be seen and will not fully be known until April's NFL Draft and the ensuing free agency period.

The Redskins had complied with the Rooney rule by interviewing Secondary Coach Gray while Zorn was still head coach of the team. It appears that Allen and Snyder had a plan in place as the team pursued Shanahan quickly rather than waiting game and what other coaches would be available.

Now Shanahan must help rebuild a front office and team with only a handful of young talent. Shanahan's best years in Denver coincided with Hall of Famer John Elway. Handing over final say of personnel decisions to a head coach with a track record of choosing Brian Griese and then clamoring for Jake "the snake" Plummer at QB leave much to be desired. The years following Elway's retirement weren't as fruitful even with Shanahan's choice at QB. It's difficult to replace a HOF and Shanahan found duplicating the early success quite the challenge while HOF Coach Gibbs was able to lead four Redskins teams to the Super Bowl with three distinctly different quarterbacks.

Most head coaches rebuilding a team seem poised to stamp the team their own with a young face of the organization most notably a quarterback. With Shanahan's propensity to filling the role a top priority will he, Allen, and Snyder be able to assess the draft properly with the #4 overall pick in the draft and defer taking a QB until the 2nd Round and another QB next year while rebuilding this year? Will the Skins look to improve in other areas during the draft in what's considered a weak year for OL and potentially a better group of franchise QB's declaring for the draft next year? Both QB and OL are positions of need for the team. Do the Redskins choose to rebuild from stockpiling the best talent available or force a pick out of need from a position that could be stronger in next year's draft?

There's plenty evaluating between now and the end of the NFL Draft for the Skins and by fans. What the change in the front office structure and coaching staff boils down to is how the group works together to make sound rational decisions that pan out. Shanahan has proven he can coach, but much like other head coaches that have assumed some of the role as a part GM it doesn't always work out successfully. Fans will have to wait until April to see how much this administration in Washington differs from past ones and how this five year plan differs from any of the previous plans.

Only 2 days after ending a 4-12 season, Redskins players are taking shots at each other. Let's hope they don't do that literally and help the Wizards Gilbert Arenas out by taking one of those guns he does not want in the house.

Seriously, running back Clinton Portis started off by calling Jason Campbell an ineffective leader on ESPN980's The John Thompson Show. The Post summarizes it here. It seems #26 is trying to position himself to return next season, even though it will be to play for a head coach that gave him up a few years ago.

Quarterback Campbell fires back via an interview with the Post's Jason Reid. At first, you think it's frustration from yet another bad Redskins season. But the more you think about it, Campbell is probably frustrated for all the antics Portis has put the Redskins through.

No doubt Portis was a star. He came from Denver because Joe Gibbs wanted him as an essential cog in the offense. But production and his attitude, has come far below expectations. Did anyone expect him to be a model citizen? Not really, but his cocky attitude has only grown. So much to the point earlier this season, when he asked to have fullback Mike Sellers benched. Portis seems to forget that without Sellers, he'd get less than the pathetic few yards on average he achieved.

This seems to be the final straw. A couple of weeks ago, we wondered whether Campbell or Portis would return to the Redskins. Now, with reality setting in, Bruce Allen and the rest of the Redskins management has to figure out how to fill those roles. Campbell may not be the best quarterback, but he's the best available to the Redskins to start week 1 of the 2010 campaign. Portis is possibly past his prime. With Ladell Betts and company, there are already capable backs on the Redskins roster. It's time to cut Portis loose.

Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn was fired early this morning. According to Lindsay Czarniak at WRC Channel 4, Zorn told her he was dismissed after the team returned from the loss yesterday in San Diego. The team arrived around 2 AM and he was told when he went to Redskins Park after landing.

This comes as absolutely no surprise. I would say it was cruel to fire the man in the middle of the night, but in this case, everyone saw it coming. It would have been torture to wait a day or a week, just because they hadn't finalized the contract with the new head coach. Which now brings the question, when will Mike Shannahan be unveiled? Also according to Czarniak, the team had not finalized the contract with him as of game time yesterday. Wonder if it could turn into the debacle that put Zorn in the head position when Joe Gibbs retired again.

To Zorn, thank you for 2 decent season. Going 8-8 and 4-12 may not look stellar, but working under the constant scrutiny of Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato, you managed to get wins out of dysfunction. You may not have been ready for the job, but you did the best you could.

So there was that. In Monday Night Football, the Redskins got crushed by the NY Giants 45-12. There's nothing positive to report for the team. Defense played awful from the beginning and the offense reverted back to the squad we knew from earlier this season.

In a bizarre twist right before halftime, the Redskins opted to go for a fake punt twice. Yes, similar to earlier in the season, they set formation to run a fake. The Giants called a timeout. When play resumed, it was still the fake on. This time however, Hunter Smith threw an interception. So for those of you scoring at home, Smith has the following stats, 1/2, 35 yard, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 Rushing TD this season. I calculate the passer rating as 75. I think Brady Quinn might be jealous.

Aside from the trick plays, the regular plays were simply awful. Nothing to write home about. The defense looked like they were playing prevent the entire game, essentially providing a 5 yard cushion for every Giants receiver. The offense sputtered and only had the ball for 1:26 by the end of the first quarter. Pathetic.

The Redskins were poised to spoil the playoff chances, or at least diminish the playoff seedings of their last 3 opponents. We've helped the Giants move closer. Next week is Dallas, who upset the Saints over the weekend and stopped their regular December fall down. It's time for the Redskins to step and play. Bruce Allen is watching, and it may well determine whether some of these players are back next season.

I'm going on record as saying this might be the happiest day in my life as a Redskins fan since the return of Joe Gibbs. ESPN 980 first reported this morning that Vinny Cerrato has resigned from the Redskins. This was followed by the announcement that Bruce Allen was hired as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the team. On the Cerrato front, I have noted my disapproval of him many a time. In fact, despite my dislike for Marty Schottenheimer, the one absolute great thing he did was fire Vinny. While we can not blame all the Redskins woes on him, he was part of the mastermind team that put together the disasterous resulting football organization. His "playoff caliber team" that this group of Redskins were declared is much short of that goal. Short at least 3 offensive linemen and at least one cornerback. The 2008 draft class was both his best and worst. Drafting Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and Fred Davis all in the second round (BTW after trading in to get all in the second round) made little sense. No argument a good number one receiver was needed to take the place of Santana Moss, but an extra one and a receiving tight end to backup Chris Cooley? Vinny was proven somewhat right only that Cooley would miss nearly half of this season and Thomas has turned in a couple of good to stellar games. But no excuse to ignore the rest of the teams needs for places that were not the worst.

Bruce Allen is the former GM of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fans may also know that he is a son of former legendary coach of the Redskins George Allen and brother of former Governor of Virginia and Senator George Allen. Finally after a decade of near total control by Dan Snyder, the team appears to have a professional front office manager to handle team operations. Whether he will be the missing piece to right the Redskins ship will need to wait. However, I think all Redskins fans think it would be hard to do a worse job than Cerrato did.

The rebuilding of the Redskins has started and it begins with Shaun Suisham. Multiple sources including ESPN 980 and ESPN's Adam Schefter repot that Suisham has been released. To take his place, kicker Graham Gano has been signed. Gano most recently played for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the UFL and was a contender for the kicker position in the Ravens pre-season until he was released just before the regular season started. Based on his bio, I find it funny as he reminds me of Nigel Gruff from the 2000 movie "The Replacements" as both are from "across the pond". However, Gano is genuine as he played for Florida State in college.

Suisham had a longer than expected stint with the Redskins, at least in the eyes of everyone except Washington's front office. I wished that he were cut immediately after the game on Sunday, but somehow he lasted until Tuesday. Really, there is always someone else out there. Consistently inconsistent, one might argue this was his best season until we faced the Cowboys a couple of weeks ago and the team began losing games because of his missed kicks. He was also never a great kickoff man, always landing the ball well short of the endzone. There was one season the Redskins had a second kicker on the squad just for kickoffs. That might have been former Maryland Terrapin Nick Novak, who was at Redskins Park this week trying to win Suisham's job that eventually went to Gano.

Goodbye Suisham. There are few Redskins I wish ill on. I won't dwell on it, but I do wish he ends up with the Cowboys, the Giants or the Eagles so he can screw up their team. So also ends the poll we put up yesterday. Inexplicably, there were a few responses of keeping Suisham. Maybe they were doing it in jest. There was an argument that at least we know what Suisham is capable of. Which is total BS, because a professional kicker should not miss 23 yard chip shots. He's missed a bunch of "easy" kicks in the past. At least even is Gano is bad, we will find out soon and maybe Snyder and Cerrato have a short trigger now.

This is of course, the question on everyone's mind. Over the past seasons, Suisham has had his up days and his down days. It seems the Redskins have not had a stable kicker since Chip Lohmiller? Suisham is doubly painful as his field goals are iffy and does not have the strength to send kickoffs into the endzone. My fill of Suisham ended at least 2 seasons ago and I still can not believe he is on the team. I understand there is the thought that there is no one better available, which I disagree, but sometimes cutting a player proves a point. So we have this poll. It will end at 4 PM next Sunday, right before the next Redskins game, or when Suisham gets cut, whichever comes first.

Interception stripped and returned for touchdown, punt bounce off the back, fumble in your own territory in overtime, and missed chip shot field goal. All these events are rare occurances for one team in the NFL in one season, yet all happened in one game with the Redskins. Again, the Redskins lose, this time to the New Orleans Saints, 33-30 in overtime. This was the hardest game to take as a loss because had any of those 4 things not occur, the Redskins basically had a victory.

Toward the end of the first half, Kareem Moore intercepts Drew Brees, only to get stripped of the ball by Robert Meachem who runs it in for a touchdown to tie it a halftime. A shanked punt by the Saints bounces off Barnes and into the arms of the Saints. Most egregious though were the missed field goal by Suisham and fumble by Sellers. The missed field goals occurred when the Redskins could have been up 33-23 with less than 2 minutes left in the game. Surely a 2 score lead with a minute plus holds 99% of the time. Yet Suisham again shows how much value he is to this team. There is no excuse for Mike Sellers. You have to hold on to the ball, especially in overtime. He simply let it go.

I heard this morning that this should be a "moral victory". Well this moral victory eliminated the little remaining shot the Redskins had at the playoffs (not that we were counting on that anyways). And it doesn't feel so good, when there were so many opportunites to win. Inexplicably, all facets of the team played well together for over 60 minutes. Offense worked well, defense is the great defense, and special teams were adequate. But 4 plays cost the game. Rarer even is that 3 of those mistakes could have been made and the game was still likely the Redskins to win.

In the turmoil that might be the worst season in recent Redskins history, new lows are being achieved. The Wall Street Journal wonders if the team is losing Washington. In short yes. It's hard to judge. Real fans don't drop their teams because of a bad season. But a bad decade could set the fan base back a bit. I have been a Redskins fan for a long long time. But the Snyder ownership era has worn on me. Once upon a time, season tickets were the coveted treasure of the fan base. But now? I had my opportunity to buy regular season tickets the past two seasons. Ultimately I declined, and now I go to the end of the wait list. And that's OK, something likely I would not have said just a few years ago. Maybe it's the increase in capacity of the stadium, or the rising price of tickets, but the drop in interest in the team has something to do with the lack of urgency for tickets.

In other great news, in a Harris Interactive poll from October, the Redskins are the 17th most popular NFL franchise, dropping 8 slots from the last poll. Also a sign of Snyder? Living in the Washington Metropolitan area my entire life, it's hard to understand how team popularity exists for other towns, other teams. But I know die-hard lifetime fans. I consider myself a big fan. That should not waver. It's not like we are the Cleveland Browns. What about the NFL teams who still have yet to win a Superbowl? The Redskins have three championships. Yet the popularity is dropping?

In the end, you wonder what causes the drop. Winning and losing seasons are cyclical, especially in the salary cap era, so that should not really affect fandom. There are teams in more dire straits (re: Oakland Raiders). Ultimately the owner is responsible. I don't question Dan Snyder's fanatical spirit. I question his ability to lead and guide the team and the fans. Look at Bud Adams, with the Tennessee Titans. He's so fanatic, he flips the bird at games. Sure it cost him $250,000, but I'm guessing if you ask the average Titan fan, they are proud of their owner. You ask 99% of the Redskins fans about Snyder? Let's not go there.

So what does Dick Jauron have to do with the Redskins? Nothing much, except that when he was dismissed as the Buffalo Bills head coach, that has affected the Redskins non-search for a new coach.

We have known for weeks, maybe even since the beginning of the season that this was Jim Zorn's last as Redskins Head Coach. Along with QB Jason Campbell, they'll be swept out the door shortly after Week 17. Dan Snyder's obsession with the big name coach has never ended. He was thrown offguard with Joe Gibbs suddenly retired and was left to find a new coach without the weeks of wooing he, Vinny Cerrato, and the private jet offered.

Now with Bills owner Ralph Wilson actively recruiting new coaches, the pool of candidats may be shrinking. They have made no attempt to hide the fact that Mike Shanahan is at the top of their list. Shanahan is high on Snyder's as well. So what happens if Shanahan goes to the Bills before the Redskins even fire Zorn? The pool suddenly shrunk as Jon Gruden has already re-signed with ESPN for a few more years of Monday Night Football. Jim Haslett has been spurned twice by the Redskins, Mike Holmgren will probably want a Team President role instead of coaching, and it's been long rumored Bill Cowher is waiting for the Carolina Panthers. This leaves the Redskins with a large shortage of qualified, experienced candidates.

We'll have to see how it plays out, but the Redskins can not afford another Zorn hiring incident and the team has to change their colors to "Maroon and Black".

After surrendering a quick 40 Yard TD to Marshall by cornerback Carlos Rogers on a double move, the Redskins came back to tie the score with a Campbell to Yoder 2 Yard TD. Orton came back to Marshall again for a 75 Yard strike for a TD due to poor communication in the secondary between Hall and the safety.

Hunter "the punter" delivered another impressive offensive performance as he threw a perfect strike to FB Mike Sellers for a TD on a fake FG to even the score at 14.

The defensive line began to pressure Orton and eventually a tackle by Orakpo led to Orton leaving the game. Orton twisted his body during the tackle and was also fallen on. The defense appeared much sharper in the second half and was aided by the rust of QB Chris Simms who replaced Orton.

The OL improved during the game and eventually settled into a groove as Betts began to find open lanes to run through especially on the left side where LT Levi Jones saw his first action of the season. During the summer The DC Sports Page mentioned that Jones should be signed to compete for the open RT position. His release from the Bengals wasn't due to performance but the inability to stay healthy as his contract expired last season. Jones performed well in pass protection and pancaked defenders on the run.

Surprised as many fans were to see the Redskins defeat the Broncos 27-17 at home; many fans were left scratching their heads why yet again in short yardage and 4th downs the Redskins chose to run wide/sweep play rather than run north south or use Sellers to obtain the first down. Later in the game Yoder was used as the FB rather than Sellars for Betts lone TD of the game.

The Redskins held their own with the exception of a few lapses on defense. A trick play, a solid Redskins running game and the short passing game kept the chains moving. The offensive play calling has more of a rhythm than earlier in the season, but still lacks the execution and consistency necessary to win many games. Campbell is still inaccurate with throws as well as indecisive. Devin Thomas drops almost as many balls as he catches and Stephon Heyer is still overwhelmed as a starter on the offensive line. The unsung hero of the game belongs to Levi Jones. Little did anyone hear his name called, but the steadiness and he brought to the OL provided the Redskins an opportunity to be more successful. The Redskins know what they have in their young receivers and quarterback for better or worse, but the stability and high level of play of Jones should garner greater attention with any future success along the OL and in the offense.

There was word around town prior to the Redskins loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was that there was a fan blackout. Fan's were supposed to come to the game in black to show their distaste in the things that are the current Washington Redskins, specifically the way the team is managed. What is not a surprise is that the team is fighting back against the fans. And not in a good way.

In the aftermath of Monday Night Football loss to the Eagles, stories are coming out about how Dan Snyder is handling things with the fans. Banners are no longer welcome at Fedex Field. T-shirts are being turned around. According to WUSA-TV, the local CBS affiliate, their sports director Brett Haber was told that they could not interview fans tailgating on the Fedex Field grounds. In essence, the Redskins are trying to blackout the rightful negative attitude of the fans.

It's amazing that in the season that has a losing team with no hope of recovery this was the tactic chosen. Stories of the team suing fans who signed ticket contracts came out earlier this season. Even possibly worse than that was the news that tickets were sold to brokers instead of allowing fans sitting on the legendary wait list to get them. It is unbelievable that Snyder is authorizing the latest actions. Don't let anyone tell you that he's not at least knowing about this activity. He is the real GM as Vinny Cerrato is clearly a puppet...great front man to take the the brunt of the hits, but terrible at building a team. The surprising part of Snyder's actions is that he built huge marketing company from scratch. He sold the firm to buy the Redskins. See Snyder Communications for those of you who have not heard this.

Amazing how fast this team has fallen in the short decade Snyder has owned the Redskins. Hiring JIm Zorn may not have been ideal, but it is not completely Zorn's fault the team is not winning. It is the total package, from Owner/GM to the clear ignorance of Cerrato down to the water boy. Something is fundamentally wrong with the system and structure of the team. Now the question is can change come quick enough to convince the fans. Even die hard fans like myself are losing faith.

Recently hired Sherman Lewis may be calling the plays as Sherman Smith relays the plays to QB Jason Campbell as Head Coach Jim Zorn listens and look on, but there may be a more simplistic route available to the Redskins. The Redskins could set up a PSIII or Wii system in the booth and play Madden 2010. Queue up the game and when the Redskins are on offense they could ensure Madden 2010 is loaded for the Skins to be on offense too. Then the Redskins can just click the "Ask Madden" button. It's simple and effective - no fuss no muss and no need for the play to come in late causing a delay of game penalty or a wasted time out.

This could even lead to the next coach of the Washington Redskins. If Dan Snyder could lure "The Ball Coach" Steve Spurrier from the college rankings, coax Joe Gibbs out of retirement and talk Marty Schottenheimer to coach the team then why not bring John Madden out of true retirement. Madden could coach home games and road games via satellite phone with Dan Snyder on the sidelines for away games. Snyder could then claim victory as assistant head coach on road games besides being owner and as some say GM, too.

Unless you've been in a cave somewhere for the past 10 weeks, 10 months, or 10 years (as long as Dan Snyder has owned the team), the Washington Redskins suck. PERIOD. And they might have hit rock bottom losing to the previously winless Kansas City Chiefs, Yes, they get their "i" back now that they have won. Great Googally Moogally.

How do we count they ways they suck?

Coaching debacles. Steve Spurrier, Marty Schottenheimer, Jim Zorn. All had reasons to be the coach. Spurrier deserved to be fired. Schottenheimer did not. Only AJ Smith and the San Diego Chargers made all time top head coach firing for dropping him after a playoff birth. He only managed 8-8 in his one Redskins season. The book has been written for Zorn since the day he was hired as QB Coach Offensive Coordinator Head Coach. We are just waiting to read the last chapter.

GM/Drafting debacles. Fine, you don't want a GM. But at least put a good guy in the spot. Vinny Cerrato, who sounds like a good man with his personality does not know how to run a football team. You could use the analogy that a blind date has a nice personality. Evidence Exhibit A: 3 receivers in the 2008 draft in the second round, when the team was and still seeking, good offensive line help.

But we've somewhat expected that from the Redskins over the years. What may have finally got them to hit rock bottom? That the Redskins post game show called out Cerrato. For those of you not in the know, the official Redskins post game show is produced by the flagship radio station, WTEM 980. WTEM is owned by Red Zebra Broadcasting, which is part of the Dan Snyder empire. Late after the game, I was listening to the post game show when they got Kevin Sheehan on the phone. Sheehan, who is WTEM's main reporter covering the Redskins slammed Cerrato. Vinny needed to go and they need to bring in a real head of football operations to run the team. That's harsh when a sister company calls you out. You've hit rock bottom.

However, the Redskins have to be the Redskins, and dig a deeper hole. They relieve Jim Zorn of his call playing duties and hand them over to Sherm Lewis, a man retired from football 5 years ago. Can Lewis be effective? Maybe, but this move alone will not turn around the entire team. Cerrato stated on his Friday morning radio show that Zorn's job is safe for the remainder of the season. Finally, apparently, Snyder is tired of buying people out. Guess what? Us fans have been tired of that for nearly a decade.

So 14-6. 14-6. In case you are not sure of the acronym in the title, refer to this NSFW site. Redskins lose again.

What is there to say? It seemed to be a better game than usual. Yet, the hook was put on Jason Campbell as Todd Collins started the second half. Well losing 3-0 at half didn't help. As usual, the defense played well. That 14 points was not 2 touchdowns. All you can expect from a solid defense is to hold the opposition. Apparently ours needs to score. Collins in the game seemed to spark the Redskins, but that was short lived and only amount to 2 field goals. The best part of the game? I got into the Montecristo Club on the Club level and spent $20 on a cigar and a jack and coke.

At this point, you wonder why the Redskins just don't cut Campbell? Tomorrow. Really, are we to expect him to bounce back? Start Collins and sign a free agent. Jeff Garcia is out there.

Pictures will be loaded later. Very telling is how empty the concession stands and parking lot were.

If this sounds familiar, well that's because it is. Due to lack of everything, the Washington Redskins lost to the Carolina Panthers this past weekend and yet let another team record their first victory for the season. On the bright side, The Sports Freak, Q, and I ventured down to Charlotte to see the game in person and visit a friend of ours. That was such a great idea in pre-season when it was planned out. Not so much last week.

Name the facet of the game and there was a problem with it. The offense was the classic Jim Zorn offense. No guts, thus no glory. Throw a 6 yard pass on 3 and 7. Simply not enough. Add to that, Chris Cooley, our leading receiver, was taken out of the passing game because he had to stay in and help an injury depleted offensive line. Note to Vinny Cerrato, in case you hadn't noticed in the past 4 seasons, we need offensive linemen. There's this little thing called the NFL draft. I hear you can find these magical unicorns called O-Linemen there.

The Defense fared as good as they can. That's one of the few good things on this team. Sure Carolina is awful, but shutting down the opposition's offense deserves accolades. Because that 2 points wasn't the defenses support. Note to Carlos Rogers, work with the wide receivers, maybe they'll show you how to catch the ball.

Even Special Teams had their bad moments. Hunter the Punter Smith was sidelined so we got some guy to kick in his place. If it was going to go like that, you might as well have let backup punter Cooley punt, since he wasn't doing much on offense. Of course there was also that "fumble" on the punt return. Note to zebras, please get it right after you get 3 chances. Maybe you finally did give the right call, but you didn't correct the fact that you told us there was a violation of fair catch spacing.

So now we get the Kansas City Chefs (spelling intentional until they get a win, like probably this week). Matt Cassel is no Jake Delhomme...no, he's better. That is scary, but the defense can possibly contain him. Unfortunately points are required in order to win, and unless their kick/punt returners give it up like Carolina, it's going to be a long afternoon at Fedex Field.

As the Redskins face the Carolina Panthers in today's game, there's really only one key to the game. It's the same issue that persists week in and week out and has been an issue for the past few seasons. Can Campbell become the leader of the offense and effectively move the team down the field and into the endzone consistently.

The Redskins could definitely win the game despite the lack of production from the offense led by Campbell, but ultimately for the team to succeed the level of play must improve from the starting QB.

It's too easy to say that the keys to victory for Washington today would be to shut down the one dimensional offense and running game of Carolina or not to allow a big play on defense (by allowing Steve Smith to make a game changing play) which Hall (prone to giving up a play on double moves) or Rogers (who drops potential interceptions and lacks the speed to cover elite receivers) have occur.

Jason Campbell has the talent and skill, as well as the intelligence to move the ball, but at a certain point in time its easy to see that Campbell doesn't command the offense when young quarterbacks like Ryan, Flacco, Sanchez, Stafford, and Cassel have all adapted to the speed of the game and the complexities of the professional defenses thrown their way.

Many of Campbell's peers can move their team down the field where Campbell falls short repeatedly. The Redskins may not have the best offensive line or receivers, but do the Jets, Lions, Raiders, Broncos, Bucs, Ravens, and Falcons have such a vastly superior offensive line or recievers? Do any of these teams have a better running back than Portis or tight end that's better than Cooley (ok well maybe Tony G.), so it really only leaves the QB.

When the lowly Raiders and Lions can even move the ball down field and the Redskins can't it falls on the leader and facilitator of the offense and on the field that role belongs to the starting QB. Campbell isn't the most accurate QB either, but the lack of leadership and confidence in himself to make the right read quickly to deliver a quick and accurate strike to inspire and invoke confidence in himself and the team inhibits the team from forming a sustained drive. Does anyone feel when the offense steps onto the field that the offense will successfully drive down the field or is it more likely that fans feel a three and out is more likely? The answer at the QB position will have more to do with the success this season then any other question that fans had to start the season.

Is Week 4 too early for a must win? Not for the Redskins. After subpar performances against the NY Giants, St Louis Rams, and Detriot Lions, Washington is looking at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squarely at 1 PM today. This should be a win, but so were the Rams and the Lions. Only the Rams more inept play squeaked out a Redskins win.

The Sports Freak and I will be at the game today, hopefully getting out of there with a win. Follow BMTSports on Twitter to get semi-live tweets.

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.

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.

Title sound strange? It did to me. I did not catch the game last night, but Chad Ochocinco can also place kick. Last night after a touchdown minutes before halftime, Cincinatti had a dilemma. Kicker Shayne Graham had felt soreness in pre-game warmups. Ochocinco is the listed emergency kicker, but other than practice, has not kicked in pre-season, regular season, or playoffs. His chance came up and he did it.

The kick proved to be the game winning point as New England could only muster 2 field goals. You may not like Ochocinco's off the field antics, but you gotta admire his skill at wide receiver and now, backup kicker. See the video below. Not dramatic, but it's odd to see #85 line up behind the holder and knock it through the uprights.

Are you looking to find some additional insight for your fantasy league draft to unlock that undiscovered sleeper player? Are you not completely satisfied with your fantasy magazine and looking for one more opinion? Look no further too yet one more site to immerse yourself in fantasy information overload.

Please feel free to send The DC Sports Page your questions...from keeper questions to draft questions.

Last year I advised fantasy goers to take Michael Turner after the dust of the front running rb's went off the board, as well as, Slayton and Bradshaw. I also suggested taking DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart. Although Ted Ginn, Jr. disappointed fantasy teams again, many of the other suggestions panned out.

Andrew Tomlinson will be featuring this year's article. Please feel free to direct your questions to any of the writers if you'd like.

In case you have not heard, Superbowl champion and former New York Giant and Pittsburgh Steeler Plaxico Burress plead guilty today to brandishing an unregistered firearm. The plea likely means a 2 year sentence for the wide receiver. Legal experts say with good behavior, he'll be out in 20 months.

There are two major mistakes Burress has already committed. Obviously brandishing the weapon was the first mistake. Defending one's self is fine, but you know the easiest way is stay home. Second easiest? Hire professional help. The second mistake is the rumor that he was offered a sweetheart deal of a six month sentence. Yes, he would have missed part or all of the 2009 season, but that's happening now anyways.

Looking at mistake #2, we can't help but compare it to two other NFL players plagued by criminal activity. Michael Vick could have been in jail for a long long time. But after facing the cards, he and his legal team realized his best chance at post conviction NFL career was to plead guilty and take his medicine as soon as possible. Even Donte Stallworth, who killed a man while driving, knew he was stuck in a corner. He pled guilty as well and got a month worth of jail time. Of course Commissioner Roger Goodell imposed a stronger sentence by suspending Stallworth for the entire 2009 season.

If Burress is smart, he would ask for an earlier sentencing date. Currently set for September 22, he should take the next week to get his house in order for his stay in prison and get in as soon as possible. Vick turned himself in early to get his sentence out of the way. It worked to his advantage as he was out in time to join the Philadelphia Eagles during the preseason and play for part of 2009. That was probably part of Stallworth's plan as well. If Burress can get himself sentenced and in prison soon, he could be out in late April/early May 2011, just after the draft, in time for teams to evaluate their free agent needs. Goodell as already stated that Burress can sign with a team once his prison term is over.

So Plaxico Burress, as a warning from the public, don't make mistake #3. Get in and get out as soon as possible so maybe you can play another year or two in 2011.

2009 NFC East Predictions:

1. New York Giants:

The Giants anointed as the top team in the NFC last season ran into the magical season of the Arizona Cardinals to find themselves one step short of the Super Bowl. The Giants 5th ranked defense in 2008 carried the Burress less Giants offense through much of the season. New York's defense performed at the highest level even with the retirement of Michael Strahan and the pre-season loss of Osi Umenyiora.

With a renewed desire to make it make to the Super Bowl and the addition of Osi back on the active roster the Giants should even be more imposing this season. The offense also has a nice one two punch in (a healthy) Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Bradshaw's breakaway ability poses mismatches for most opposing defenses. With the departure of Ward, he now has a more prominent role to shine.

New York's receivers remain the one area of concern, but with the defense creating a shorter field to work with and a strong running game the receivers won't need to be counted on to win too many games.

2. Philadelphia Eagles:

The Eagles recent addition of Michael Vick has little effect in elevating their status within the division other than having the most to talk about. DeSean Jackson provided Donavan McNabb with some much needed help in the passing game last season as a rookie. Philadelphia looks to strike gold again with Jeremy Maclin (1st Round Draft Pick, WR) this season.

Over the years injuries to Westbrook or McNabb or even internal rumblings between McNabb & TO have tested the resilience of the team and they've always stood tall to find a way into the playoffs.

The Eagles now have a solid back up running back in McCoy or "Bones" as we call him in our Fantasy Football League coupled with another option for McNabb to throw to and NFC teams should be on edge with the Eagles on their schedule.

The addition of Michael Vick does little for the Eagles and more for Michael Vick. It provides Vick an opportunity to prove his skills haven't eroded and that he can co-exist with teammates. Since he was brought in at the request of McNabb, there's little internal strife that could occur. They also have a veteran in reserve should the long season take its toll on McNabb.

3. Washington Redskins:

The biggest question for Redskins fans isn't who will replace Jon Jansen at right tackle or Marcus Washington at outside linebacker, but whether Jason Campbell can command the offense in the final year of his contract. Campbell has proven he can be a career NFL journeyman quarterback, but can he demonstrate the leadership necessary at his position to elevate himself into an NFL playoff caliber quarterback. Campbell appears to fall in line behind the voices of Portis, Moss, and Cooley. Jansen would have even been ranked higher until his departure.

Make no mistake about it, that Rypien led the offense in the high scoring season towards Super Bowl XXVI. The offense played for Mark to air it out and put up points to win. During the rough road to Super Bowl XXII, Doug Williams was the glue that kept the team together as the unit played for him. Even in Super Bowl XVII the offense followed Theismann's talk in the huddle to victory.

There's no question that Casey Rabach and Chris Samuels lead the offensive line with many questions remaining at guard and right tackle, but it's Campbell's ability to lead that will ultimately determine the season. The OL has much to watch in the pre-season. Dockery frequently allowed jail breaks up the middle prior to his departure in free agency to Buffalo. The Bills weren't satisfied with Dockery's performance and now he's back again for another tour and higher pay.

The same questions linger at receiver this year as they did last season. The Redskins are still looking for someone else to step up to Moss' level to help stretch the field.

Washington's defense will bear much of the burden during the season. Look for more big plays to be given up by the Redskins defense as they adjust from a more gap control scheme (knowing they couldn't get pressure from the front four) forcing opposing offenses play mistake free football and march the entire length of the field to a more aggressive style complimenting the talent of Albert Haynesworth & Brian Orakpo.

The increase in blitzes and pressure up front should help the team shorten field position and create more opportunities for the Skins offense, but also allow teams to exploit the lack of elite speed of Carlos Rogers to stay with top receivers or DeAngelo Hall's historical tendencies to bite on move allowing his receiver to streak down field.

Dallas Cowboys:

The Cowboys tried an extreme makeover this past season jettisoning all types of personalities and players from Terrell Owens to Roy Williams. Even star quarterback Tony Romo shed some extra (celebrity) weight this past offseason.

Dallas has all the pieces assembled to challenge New York in 2009, but can they put it all together? Where Philadelphia stays together under adversity, Dallas seems to fall apart. The Cowboys played well when Whitten and Jones were healthy last year. If Dallas plays well as a cohesive unit, then the NFC East can be the class of the NFC.

The Michael Vick saga is over. ESPN reports that the Philadelphia Eagles have signed Vick to a 2 year contract. Nobody seemed to see that coming. In a way, it appears that Vick and the Eagles or should I say their fans will get along. With some of the most obnoxious fans this side of Oakland, they can't possibly boo Vick, their own player? Oh wait, these fans threw snowballs at Santa Claus.

There are two questions here. One, why now? Backup QB Kevin Kolb was injured earlier in the week. It may be a defensive move to ensure that a veteran QB backs up Donovan McNabb, even if Vick has not played in 2 years. But possibly more intriguing, would they dare use him at wide receiver? There is no question that the Eagles have lacked decent receiving since Terrell Owens left. Would Vick be even a small part of the receiving game? Or run reverses, bootlegs, and other trick plays to keep teams on their toes?

I was a big Vick fan during his stint in Atlanta. I am glad he appears to have found work in the NFL again. I wish him all the luck. However, I will boo the hell out of him when Philly comes to FedEx Field to play my Redskins.

Well, not exactly. The explosion of Twitter in the world in the past year or so has caused many an athlete to Tweet. Possibly the most famous of them all is the NBA's Shaquille O'Neal who is hilarious. Other athlete's doing so are Warren Sapp, and former Terp Shawne Merriman.

However 2 of the most notorious Tweeters are Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco and Chargers CB Antonio Cromartie. The former has promised/threatened to tweet during games this season. Ochocinco has also gotten into a few online feuds with fellow NFL players. Cromartie was fined $2,500 for his tweet regarding the quality of the food at Chargers training camp.

NFL teams in the past month have issued Twitter policies to their players. In short, they all say, no tweeting during games and practices. Some are more strict and ban it from the facilities. My reaction at first was why ban it? It gives the fans more interaction with the players themselves. On further thought, I understand that teams want to protect their kingdom. Accidentally or intentionally, a player may leak play designs, pictures, and even video. But really, why not just say that? No tweeting about football operations? The LPGA earlier this year encouraged Twitter on their players. While the sport still hungers for attention, the tweeting probably can't hurt.

Oh, and I should note that you can follow The DC Sports Page on Twitter as well.

Buffalo apparently has open arms for the one and only Terrell Owens. I've been a fan, but I don't think I'll be ordering TO's Cereal. The price does not seem terrible. $5 for 2 boxes from his website.

Michael Vick, former QB for the Atlanta Falcons and Virginia Tech, is rumored to have reached a deal with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on his return to active status in the NFL. The purported deal would have him suspended for the first 4 regular season games.

I used to own dogs and it was tragic when they eventually passed on. So in that sense, Vick is one of the worst people I could imagine. But in reality, there are players in the NFL who have killed or maimed human beings, spent less time in prison, and served little or no suspension time in the NFL. It's time for the league to move on. The worst thing that could happen, if the rumors of his deal are true, is that a team signs him and he commits more dog fighting activities. In this deal, Goodell has probably stipulations that would ban Vick for life for such action or maybe even less.

Vick was a great athlete and should be given a chance to compete again, if a team is willing to take on the baggage. In recent days, discussions on sports talk radio put out the scenario if a regular person had committed such acts and spent time in prison, would they be allowed to return to his job? I say yes, if the employer wants him back. In Vick's case, Atlanta does not, but there are other teams who could use him even if not as a QB. He owes money to others, so allowing him to make even league minimum will help him repay his obligations. Without an NFL job, there is little chance he'll ever pay it off. I am not saying that we have to let him play, just that we need to remove the restrictions and let an owner decide if it's worth the risk and money.

Minnesota news station WCCO has reported Brett Favre signed an agreement to attend the Vikings’ training camp come July. Should he actually start for them during the regular season, the Vikings will pose a considerable threat to the other NFC North teams.

It is no secret the Vikings have a serious running game; Adrian Peterson has proven that, but with the addition of Favre, they will have finally (or at least temporarily) solved their quarterback shuffle as well. The Vikings may also have a championship defense in the making.

The Redskins released James Thrash today. The wide receiver had spent most of his career with the Redskins, save a short stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.

This move is not surprising. Thrash has spent 12 seasons in the NFL. Though not ever the number 1 receiver with any team, he proved to be a fairly good number 2 and in recent years beat out younger, healthier players for playing time. More than a good player on the field, by all reports he was a great teammate and locker room leader.

Following the dismissal of Jon Jansen in recent weeks, it is unlikely Thrash will sign with another team and should concentrate on healing. Jansen subsequently signed with the Detroit Lions. The move by the team on Thrash clears the way for second year players Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly to step up and take stronger roles in this coming season's offense.

The writing was on the wall the past two seasons at Redskins Park for Jon Jansen. Battling back from injuries and more notably a dislocated ankle, Jansen looked to survive the competition to reclaim his role as the starting right tackle. Anyone that witnessed Jansen for interviews in the local media such as Comcast Sports before the draft saw him looking svelte at 295 lbs. He proclaimed himself healthy after such a serious injury and in the best shape in years, but somewhere along the way the first player in Dan Snyder's rebuild from the Gibbs version 1.0 era fell out of favor.

The alternatives now rest with Stephon Heyer who couldn't wrestle the starting position away from Jansen and suffered through an injury plagued 2009 season. Derrick Dockery's friend, Mike Williams hasn't played in the NFL since 2005 and has reportedly dropped down to a slimming sub 390 lbs. The other candidate vying for the starting tackle position is 29 year old Jeremy Bridges.

Interesting that nowhere was it mentioned that any of the remaining offensive tackles could run block as effectively as Jansen. Nor was it reported that anyone's pass blocking skills were superior enough to play on the same line as Chris Samuels. Usually when a player is cut there's a younger better player waiting for an opportunity to play, but not in this instance.

The Redskins were fortunate the best player available with the 13th overall pick in the draft happened to be someone that could fill a major need. The Redskins have lacked a legitimate edge pass rusher for years. They filled the void at defensive end through the years by substituting linebackers coming off the edge, but haven't had a true presence at the position since Fred Stokes, Charles Mann, and Dexter Manley.

The addition of Brian Orakpo (DE) should finally provide the Redskins with the help they've been looking for along the defensive line. Orakpo's athleticism along the line and ability to get to the quarterback in pressure situations when his team needs it the most will be welcomed, so why have him also learn how to play the "sam" linebacker position?

The Redskins have successfully duplicated failed strategies (their own, as well as others) time and time again. Last season the Redskins touted 3rd Round Draft Pick Chad Rinehart (OL) as an athletic, intelligent, and versatile lineman that could become a starter. They soon shuffled him from one position to another (OG & OT) and by the end of training camp soon realized that by throwing two different positions at him so soon he mastered neither.

If indeed Orakpo's destiny resides in becoming the edge pass rusher that can put constant pressure on the quarterback and make the big play at the end of the game when needed, then why jeopardize the future to solidify a weakness at linebacker due to a management decision? It's a simple decision. Allow Orakpo to fill out his physique as he matures and allow him to completely understand the role as he begins to dominate at the defensive end position before layering additional responsibilities, techniques, and defensive schemes from other positions onto his plate.

Placing Orakpo in the best possible position to succeed helps him and the team in the long term rather than minimize the weakness created by releasing Marcus Washington without first having his replacement on the roster. His speed and size may have the Skins thinking that he can improve the linebacking play, but if he's "The Guy" destined to play the edge in the mode of Mann and Manley then much like these two predecessors he should be given the opportunity to play at this position. The Redskins should work to solidify the linebacking play elsewhere.

"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" - Batman. Michael Vick may not be the "devil" as the waterboy's mother aka Kathy Bates referred to just about everything, but after completing a two year prison sentence, Michael Vick is once again ready to resume his NFL career.

Should Michael Vick be given a second chance? Absolutely he should be given a chance to return to his career in the NFL, it's a job that doesn't involve animals and the cruelty to them that caused his incarceration. He's nowhere near close to being in a position to test his judgment with regards to animals, but at what point does a team want to subject itself to the cavalcade of the media circus and the constant scrutiny day in and day out pertaining to Vick?

Tony Kornheiser has stepped down from the Monday Night Football telecast. He will be replaced by Jon "Chucky" Gruden, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach. Kornheiser stated his fear of flying as the major reason for giving up the spot.

Gruden appears to be a great choice. As the third man in a three man booth, he will have to fight for time against Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski. One thing Gruden has over Kornheiser is that since he is a recent coach, he can bring insight that Mr. Tony could not. Kornheiser had previously stated his struggle for voice/face time in the MNF booth against the seasoned ESPN veteran Tirico and analyst and former player Jaworski.

Still yet to be determined is Kornheiser's future plans. While he will continue doing Pardon the Interruption daily on ESPN, he did give up his daily radio show a couple of years ago. He cited that his MNF duties would consistently conflict with radio. Coincidentally, Kornheiser and the Washington Post separated "permanantly". For the past year or so, he had been doing video for the website and rarely penning a short column. Only one I really remember is his annual March Madness bracket breakdown.

Left only with PTI, will he return to radio? He had mentioned in the past that radio was his favorite gig. That would be very interesting to see how this would work out. There is no obvious choice in AM/FM radio in the DC area for late morning drive, which is the only schedule that he would take and not conflict with PTI. What's left may be satellite radio, since he famously had a "vacation" from ESPN radio years ago. Besides, their schedule is packed too.

Thanks Mr. Tony, for MNF. It was short lived, but let's say you were so much better than Dennis Miller.

The Redskins choice for the draft was not QB Mark Sanchez. Nor was it any one of the wide receivers. In an effort to improve the defensive line, they selected DE Brian Orakpo out of Texas. Orakpo fell to the Redskins after a series of moves and surprises before them. The New York Jets traded up to #5 to take Sanchez. And in Al Davis' brilliance, the Oakland-LA-Oakland Raiders took Terp WR Derrius Heyward-Bey.

Orakpo fills a void the Redskins have had since the days of Charles Mann and Dexter Manley. Sure, they've had players there, but while stars were targeted, then turned out less than stellar in their Redskin careers. Orakpo may finally fulfill that role.

Back to the moves that caused Orakpo to fall to #13, the Jets taking Sanchez left the Redskins with no reason to move up in the draft. Then the Raiders surprise pick of Heyward-Bey, who was projected at a mid-first rounder at best, made WR Michael Crabtree available to teams who figured he wouldn't be there for them. The Heyward-Bey pick was criticized by many including the one and only Mr. Draft Mel Kiper, who said that the Raiders should've traded down if they wanted Heyward-Bey that bad. Nobody was going to go after him that early. We're all happy for Heyward-Bey as now he can demand a Top 10 conract. His pick also caused some Redskins fans, including the Sports Freak and myself, to worry that Crabtree might interest the Redskins. There was little chance he would fall to 13, but if San Francisco had not picked him up at 10, who knows what would have happened?

While Orakpo was a lucky break for the Redskins, it's also a smart one. It also again puts pressure on Jason Campbell, since the defense has shored up some more. He needs to prove himself throughout the 2009 season to justify a new contract. Otherwise, he'll follow in the footsteps of Gus Frerotte, Patrick Ramsey, and other Redskins QB's of the past in journeymen roles. That's if he's lucky.

Rumors along with Dan Snyder meeting the USC QB Mark Sanchez have many wondering if the Redskins will draft the QB if he's available at the current pick 13th overall in the 1st Round or if the Redskins will trade up to draft the QB. Not only would it signal the end of the Campbell era, but it would also mark the start of another rebuild around new leadership at the QB position. By the time the potential QB would be ready, Portis, the OL, and LB unit may be too old.

Could all of the draft speculation about Sanchez be unfounded? Could the Redskins be looking to play the game to encourage teams to trade up to the Redskins pick or move past the Redskins to draft Sanchez allowing a better OT or DL to slip to the Redskins? Could the Redskins deploy such a mysterious game of draft strategy that they're positioning themselves to move up for DT Raji to play along side Haynesworth or the highly touted DE Orakpo to generate more of a pass rush or even OT Monroe? This would involve a high degree of mastery of the interworking of the NFL Draft. The Skins have usually sold draft picks away for too little and under delivered on the additional picks they've garnered.

Is it possible that the Snyder could be learning from his neighbors up north in Baltimore as to how the draft is supposed to help a franchise? It's possible, but unlikely. Anytime Snyder's team is repeatedly mentioned with such fervor it's worth monitoring. Let's hope for Skins fans that owner Dan Snyder is working the phones and media to his advantage to gain the upper hand in the draft.

So here we go again on our own. Sorry, I couldn't think of an appropriate message from Bon Jovi, so Whitesnake will need to do. The Eagles get a second shot in the first round and after OT Eben Britton, they need to look elsewhere. While they have running backs, one could argue all they've got is Brian Westbrook. He's 30 and has never played all 16 games in a season. While we've seen in the past his injuries do not hamper Philly greatly, they are pressing their luck going yet another season without solid backup.

28th pick: Knowshon Moreno, RB Georgia

Cheesesteak-ville could use Moreno in Andy Reid's version of the West Coast. A good receiver and tack in back to back 1,000 plus rushing yard seasons for the Bulldogs, he should give the boost the Eagles need in the running game, as well as adequately fill in for Westbrook when the inevitable injury comes along. Besides, what team doesn't want two quality backs? His drawback might be his rough version of play, making him vulnerable to injury as well.

The New York Football Giants are on the clock for the 29th pick.

John Madden announced his retirement yesterday after nearly 30 years in broadcasting (as he started in 1979). He was a head coach in the NFL for ten seasons, won Super Bowl XI, and was inducted into the NFL Hall of fame. It almost sounds like a headline for someone departed, but to so many football fans it’s just like losing a good friend. Madden will still be around, but no longer beamed into your television set every week.

His keen insight and analysis was striking. It didn't take long for fans to take notice of Madden. His robust personality will be missed. From his Taste Great/Less Filling Miller Lite commercials ripping through the paper wall to his trademark video game, fans from across generations appreciated everything Madden had to offer. Madden had become so popular that even his video game spawned a TV show on ESPN.

Fans will always remember his artistry and mastery of the telestrator, as well as his joyous commentary like "Doink!" As his star power and personality grew the last few seasons, he never seemed to allow the fans to turn on him like so many broadcasters face when on the air so long. Over time the shared knowledge can turn to perceived arrogance as many fans who once enjoyed listening to Billy Packer turned on him years later. Such an episode never occurred with John Madden and that's also what made him so adored and why so many fans will miss hearing him on Sundays.

As the Redskins prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft next weekend, they should look at their roster over the next few years to formulate a plan to better position themselves not just this coming season, but in future seasons too. The lack of looking past the current season has been a sticking point for Redskins fans for years now. It's blatantly obvious how poor the pass rush has been for the past two decades, as well as how much criticism the offensive line has received. These are two most immediate areas of need for the team, but neglecting other positions could prove just as disastrous in the long term future of the team.

The team's most productive unit the past couple of seasons has been its linebackers. They've been worn down due to the lack of pressure and production by the front four. The Skins already released Marcus Washington. London Fletcher played most of the season despite various injures and will turn 34 in May. Rocky McIntosh battled through aching knees down the home stretch of the season and may face these problems the rest of his career. What once was the strength of the team could quickly become the weakest if adequate steps aren't taken. Re-signing Washington would be a good start.

Portis has carried quite the load since coming to Washington. Gone are the gashing long runs that Portis had in Denver and in comes the power running game that's shouldered most of the load for Redskins victories all on Clinton Portis' back. He's nearing 30 and with the pounding Portis takes the team should look to find the next running back for the team.

Here are a few possible options to help acquire some draft picks and talent:

Monday brought some sad news for all sports fans with the passing of Harry Kalas. His booming baritone, instantly recognizable, served as the voice of the Phillies for 38 years. Football fans will also be familiar with Kalas's more than three decades of voiceover work for NFL Films. Kalas's enthusiasm and love of baseball, best captured in his signature "Outta here!" home run call, will be sorely missed from Phillies broadcasts. Spring and summer will never sound the same in Philadelphia. The fact that he had become so closely identified with one city and one team, a rarity for sportscasters in this day and age, makes his passing all the more difficult for fans. Thankfully Harry did live to see the Phillies finally win another World Series title last fall, and was there to make the call in a thrilling moment for the city and its longsuffering fans. Fans and friends should take comfort in the fact that he died in the pressbox doing what he loved.

The Baltimore Ravens are now on the clock with the 26th Pick in the Draft.

Baltimore would draft a top receiver in this position if there was one worthy of taking at this point. The Ravens would have loved to have taken Darrius Heyward-Bey from the University of Maryland. The brain trust in Baltimore knows when to take the best player available and have always found a way to retool the DL & LB groups.

26th Pick: James Laurinaitis, ILB Ohio State

Who better to groom the next Ravens Linebacker than Ray Lewis. Laurinaitis athletic ability resembles Brian Urlacher. He should fit in well with a team known for its strong linebacker play and defense.

The Indianapolis Colts are now on the clock with the 27th Pick in the draft.

The Miami Dolphins are on the clock with the 25th Pick in the draft.

Miami's most obvious need is to increase the level of production coming out of the receiver position and begin to stretch the field more. Being able to pass more efficiently will back off the safeties and create more running lanes for Brown & Williams.

The 25th Pick: Kenny Britt, WR Rutgers

The Dolphins will look to Britt to demonstrate the same production he displayed in the Big East. His 6'3" frame should help with patterns over the middle and if he can duplicate racking up the yards after the catch that he had at Rutgers, Miami's offense should become much more balanced and potent.

The Baltimore Ravens are now on the clock with the 26th Pick in the draft.

The Atlanta Falcons are on the clock with the 24th Pick in the draft.

Matt Ryan and Michael Turner could definitely use some help on offense besides the break out year from receiver Roddy White. The top rated TE Pettigrew may garner some attention with the mindset that he could be the safety valve and intermediate target for Ryan.

Just like any receivers taken in the draft, historically it usually takes two to three years to develop a receiver at the NFL level. Looking back the draft has yielded few tight ends worthy of taking in the 1st Round and none of them has carried a team to the Lombardi trophy. The Falcons need help on offense now. They may look to help Ryan with a veteran like an aging Harrison while they can develop one in a later round or trade for a receiver.

The Falcons have gone two for two with Ryan & Turner and will look to continue this by taking the best player available.

24th Pick: Robert Ayers, DE Tenn.

The Falcons may not be able to draft an immediate impact player on offense, but can find a pass rushing end that can help get Ryan and the offense the ball in better field position and hopefully more opportunities.

The Miami Dolphins are now on the clock with the 25th Pick in the draft.
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The New England Patriots are on the clock with the 23rd Pick in the draft.

23rd Pick: Clay Matthews, OLB USC

The loss of Vrabel to Kansas City as part of the Cassel trade and the exposure of the aging Patriots defense makes Matthews the perfect fit. His quickness and athleticism should help the aging linebacker group immediately and infuse the speed that's been lacking the past few seasons near the end of the season and in the playoffs.

The Atlanta Falcons are on the clock with the 24th Pick in the draft.

The Minnesota Vikings are on the clock with the 22nd Pick in the draft.

22nd Pick: William Beatty, OT Connecticut

I'm surprised the Pats haven't rushed in their pick already. Oh wait, that was the previous head coach. Ah oh well, that clip of the Ravens running up the pick before the Vikings should be played on ESPN Classics.

The top receivers are already gone and by taking one that would be more of a stretch than Beatty. Beatty may be a reach and taken a little early, but should be able to contribute and play a significant role this season. QB Freeman may be available, but how many projects do the Vikings need at QB. They passed on Cassel and Cutler. The Vikings recent draft history in the first round other than Peterson has been mediocre at best. Another QB project can be taken in a subsequent round.

The Vikings could also consider upgrading at DT or finding another pass rushing DE to have book ends on the edge. Ayers at DE could be someone Minnesota takes a look at for the 22nd pick, but ultimately adding depth and looking towards the future of the OL with such a gifted runner as Peterson makes the OT seem logical especially with plenty of receivers available in later rounds.

The New England Patriots are now on the clock with the 23rd Pick in the draft.

Jeff Garcia finally gets signed by a team. ESPN report that Garcia has signed with the Oakland Raiders for one year. He is slated to be the backup to JaMarcus Russell.

This move seems to put the Raiders in a good position for QB. While Russell is the starter, if they see potential for a good run they could replace him with Garcia to improve the offense, should Russell struggle. Obviously not a long term fix at QB, Garcia gives them a good veteran to help develop Russell, even if he is on the sidelines.

The Eagles are on the clock with the 21st Pick in the Draft.

Philadelphia could look to get younger along the offensive line. They've drafted busts at the OT position before in drafts, but with Eben Britton being the last of the projected 1st Round OT left on the board they'll hope that "Beanie" Wells is still available with the 28th Pick in the draft.

Wells would provide a good one two punch with Westbrook. He'd also be able to run late in the games between the tackles, which the Eagles have had problems with under Head Coach Reid. Wells would provide a little more thunder to Westbrook and hopefully extend his career.

21st Pick: Eben Britton, OT Arizona

As Tra Thomas left and signed with the Jacksonville, Britton should be able to challenge for a starting position on the roster. He's a brawler that should help open up gaping holes in the running game while protecting McNabb's blind side.

The Minnesota Vikings are on the clock with the 22nd Pick in the draft.

Filling in for Q - the Lions are on the clock with the 20th Pick in the Draft.

The Lions have so many needs. They obviously could use some additional help on the offensive line. Drafting Eben Britton to push Backus at OT may be where the Lions go to ensure adequate protection for their new QB.

20th Pick: Peria Jerry, DT Mississippi

Detroit finished last in rushing defense and near the bottom in passing, too. Although the Lions allowed 52 sacks last season, some of that can be attributed to QB's holding onto the ball too long. If the Lions are going to keep the games competitive and their QB upright they'll also need to stop the run to prevent the offense from passing so frequently putting their QB at risk. Jerry should help slow down the oppositions running game and keep the game more in check as he becomes the future anchor of the DL.

The Philadelphia Eagles are now on the clock with the 21st Pick in the Draft.

The aftermath of the Cutler trade from Denver to Chicago left the Redskins reassuring their starting QB that he's still their guy. Michael Wilbon often expressed the opinion that someone needed to grow up on George Michael's "Full Court Press." Jay Cutler's reaction to his name being offered in trade talks may have spurred some in the media or fan base to rally around the Redskins QB a little too much. Wilbon's remark from the old show could be used here and about Cutler.

We're talking about players being paid millions of dollars to play a game. Quite often players hold out in training camp during contract negotiations and their teammate's reactions are it's just the business so why shouldn't any organization try to make a trade if they believe it's in the best interests of their team? Doesn't every fan base want to improve the team and see it win?

In MLB near the trade deadline many names often appear in trade rumors, but ultimately may never be traded. It's a business and all the players mentioned go back out and play. Why is the NFL trying to be so different?

As part of the Jay Cutler and Josh McDaniels' fall out in Denver, the Bears acquired Cutler by surrendering a 1st Round Pick in 2009, a 1st Round Pick in 2010, a 3rd Round Pick in 2009, plus Orton QB and receive a 5th Round Pick in 2009.

Below are the Winners & Losers from this trade:

Losers:

Detroit Lions - How could the Lions not make an attempt at acquiring Cutler? It's one thing if your QB is as good or better to not be interested in Cutler, but to totally stay on the sidelines and rebuff the notion of improving the team makes no sense. Most insiders would take a proven veteran with a locked in contract vs. an unproven rookie (potentially if Detroit takes a QB with the 1st Pick in the draft) more times than not. It also allows the Lions to avoid the risk of drafting a player as the #1 overall pick in the draft and all the evaluations afterwards.

There certainly have been a lot of changes this offseason for the Buccaneers. Not only have they made a change at Head Coach and GM, they have two new coordinators (one which is changing a system that has been in place for over a decade and has its own name), a couple new playmakers, and must replace a number of people on the defensive side of the ball, including a first ballot Hall of Famer in Derrick Brooks.

The Chicago Bears are on the clock with the 18th Pick in the draft.

The Bears Defense hasn't lived up to its usual form the past couple of years since Rivera left as coordinator. There isn't an impact player available to improve the defense significantly and since the Bears seem committed to Orton at quarterback there's two positions the Bears may consider with the pick.

The New York Jets are on the clock with the 17th Pick in the draft.

Although the Jets may like to address other areas of need on the defensive side of the ball, the loss of Coles (WR) leaves New York with only Cotchery as the top receiver. Finding another option at receiver to stretch the field will be a primary concern heading into the season.

17th Pick: Percy Harvin, WR Florida

Harvin's speed, versatility, and play making ability will be welcomed in New York. It's always a treat to watch Jets fans at the NFL draft. They may be satisfied with Harvin. He can even add some excitement in the kick return game. He may not have the size most teams look for in a receiver, but that shouldn't be new to the Jets. Coles wasn't a tall receiver either.

The Chicago Bears are now on the clock with the 18th Pick in the draft.

The San Diego Chargers are on the clock with the 16th Pick in the draft.

The Chargers can improve the roster by drafting any one of the following players Percy Harvin (WR), Knowshon Moreno (RB), or Rey Maualuga (ILB).

Percy Harvin could provide one more scoring option to open up the field for Tomlinson and Rivers. Harvin's a playmaker with excellent speed. A more balanced and spread offense with a healthy LT should confound opposing defenses. Greater running lanes for LT and more holes in zone defenses and mismatches in press coverage should increase Gates numbers, too.

Historically it usually takes two to three years for receivers to significantly contribute to the offense and whether Norv Turner has that type of time remains to be seen. Chargers fans are learning what Redskins fans learned a long time ago. Turner as a head coach can't take a team to the title with or without talent. Norv may be on a short leash and not be afforded the luxury of adding another scoring weapon that will take time to develop. Not every receiver makes the immediate impact of a DeSean Jackson.

So recently we've heard about Twitter creeping into the professional sports world. Charlie Villenueva of the Milwaukee Bucks tweeted about his play and how he has to step up. Shaquille O'Neal actually twitters away at all times of the day. OK, really night. You can follow Shaq at @THE_REAL_SHAQ. The amazing part is that he does a bunch of it from his Crackberry Blackberry.

There are also a few parodies of front office people. Like your hockey? Follow Brian Burke or Bob Gainey. For a local twist, Vinny Cerrato is waiting for you.

If you did not already know, you can follow @thedcsportspage for some live commentary. We tweet often.

To continue our own mock draft, the Washington Redskins are on the clock with the 13th Pick in the draft.

Assuming the Skins still have this pick and haven’t traded up or down or acquired Jay Cutler, Washington has several areas of needs. The Redskins could definitely use help along both lines, as well as upgrading a line backing unit that was battered and aging all last season. Washington also needs to plan for the future and draft a cover corner and running back. Betts and Portis are approaching 30 and with the load that Portis has carried it has him mirroring an Earl Campbell like ending.

Below are the positions of need with analysis:

To continue our own mock draft, the Denver Broncos are on the clock with the 12th Pick in the draft.

The Jay Cutler debacle could completely change what direction the Broncos take in the draft. With Sanchez already gone in our draft and assuming that Cutler is still a Bronco, Denver may look to address the pass rush off the edge.

12h Pick: Everett Brown, DE/LB, Florida State

He's a player that could provide exactly what Denver needs in that hybrid position DE/LB as the Broncos move to the 3-4 Defense. Brown's stock may be slipping on some draft boards but his upside and potential could be too much for the Broncos to pass on as his skills and versatility can create matchup problems for offenses.

The Redskins are now on the clock with the 13th Pick in the draft.

To continue our own mock draft, the Buffalo Bills are on the clock with the 11th Pick in the draft.

The top tackles and defensive ends are now off the board. TO was added to provide another scoring threat, but the key may be at the quarterback position. Is Trent Edwards really the answer? Will he provide the stability and steady hand that will keep Owens happy? While other teams have addressed other needs the best player available in the draft may just be the right fit for the Bills.

To continue our own mock draft, the Green Bay Packers are on the clock with the 9th Pick in the draft.

9th Pick: Aaron Maybin, DE/LB Penn State

The Packers don't need a receiver or quarterback and are always able to find a good young running back. Ryan Grant will look to rebound from last season's performance. As the Packers move to a 3-4 defense this season, Maybin should provide the speed and pass rushing skills necessary to build on the 34 sacks from last season. The secondary could use some help, but more pressure on the quarterback should limit the secondary's time spent in coverage. It's not a great draft for corners and coming away with an edge pass rusher couldn't hurt.

San Francisco is now on the clock with the 10th pick in the draft.

To continue our own mock draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock with the 8th Pick in the draft.

The Jaguars will look to rebound from a dismal 2008 campaign and return to the 2007 form that saw them reach the AFC Championship game. To do this, they will need to improve on both sides of the ball. At #8, they will have options to address a number of different areas. It appears there most pressing needs are on the offensive side of the ball. With the recent signing of Tra Thomas, they appear to have addressed one position that needed an upgrade, at least for the near future. They will still need to address an underwhelming offensive line, but do they do that here or try to add a playmaker at WR.

To continue our own mock draft, the Oakland Raiders are on the clock with the 7th Pick in the draft.

7th Pick: Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech

Owner Al Davis may need to hire Smithers from the Simpsons to wipe away the drool from his face as WR Michael Crabtree is still available. Maclin may be slightly faster, but a playmaker like Crabtree doesn't come around very often. Complimenting McFadden and Russell by adding another scoring threat would greatly improve the offense in Oakland. ILB Rey Maualuga could also be an option as he fits the mold of a tough hitting defensive player that would look great donning a Raiders uniform, but in the end Crabtree just seems like the right fit.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are now on the clock with the 8th Pick in the draft.

To continue our own mock draft, the Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock with the 6th Pick in the draft.

The Bengals have so many areas to address that not all of them will not be resolved even through the draft. The player they may have coveted the most on our mock draft is now gone. Monroe (OT) would have been the ideal fit. He's the most NFL game ready OT and doesn't have any character related issues on a team that desperately needs quality individuals and talent. An OT would have helped the running game and in the protection of Palmer. Andre Smith (OT) seems like too much of a risk for a team that has had player character issues. Selecting Oher (OT) is too much of a reach this early in the draft.

To continue our own mock draft, the Cleveland Browns are on the clock with the 5th Pick in the draft.

Cleveland has added many players to the defense the past few seasons and has yielded little in the way of total sacks. They need more of a presence on the edge to help create turnovers and change the battle for field position.

5th Pick: Brian Orakpo, DE Texas

Orakpo should deliver the pressure Cleveland is looking for to build on the 17 sacks they produced last season. His athleticism should also help when needed in dropping into a zone blitz package for coverage.

The Cincinnati Bengals are now on the clock with the 6th Pick.

To continue our own mock draft, the Seattle Seahawks are on the clock with the 4th Pick in the draft.

The signings of WR TJ Houshmandzadeh and Colin Cole DT give the Seahawks the flexibility to go in several different directions heading into the 2009 Draft. A team that ranks near the bottom in most statistical categories on both sides of the ball and offers little help for Matt Hasselbeck at the skill positions improved itself during the free agency period.

Seattle may still consider stand out wide receiver Michael Crabtree as another target for Hasselbeck and immediately becomes the receiver of the future. They may also have an eye on B.J. Raji at defensive tackle. His stock has risen since his combine workouts. He's a DT that can stuff the run and apply pressure up the middle.

To continue our own mock draft, the Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock with the 3rd Pick in the draft.

It didn't take long for new GM Scott Pioli and new head coach Todd Haley to make improvements to the roster this offseason. The Chiefs could go in a number of different directions with the 3rd Pick in the draft, but the acquisition of QB Matt Cassel from the Patriots for a 2nd Round pick makes things a bit more clear.

So as a Redskins fan, I have little reason to cheer for the Philadelphia Eagles. I got to give them props for the way they handled themselves in the playoffs and we know in the Snyder era, they've come closer to the Superbowl than the Redskins. But never fail, the Eagles will burn that goodwill for this stupid act.

Fire an employee for saying something on their Facbook status? Granted, I don't know how Snyder would react if a ticket taker at Fedex did the same thing. But I wonder what would have happened if say Jason Avant said the same thing? Or Donovan McNabb if he didn't have that great comeback late in the season. The employee removed the offending status, realized his mistake and apologized and they fire the guy. If you take game time work only, and let's say he works 8 hours a shift for 10 games (including the pre-season games). At a generous $20/hour (not his actual salary), we are talking $1,600 for the season. Cold and heartless. I hope they change their mind. The guy seems to be a big fan and genuinely wants to work for the Eagles.

We thought it would be fun at The DC Sports Page to run our own mock draft, rotating the picks among the bloggers. We'll be bringing this to you over the next few weeks.

Much has changed in the league due to free agent signings, trades, and recent waivers. The Lions look to rebound and rebuild again after casting off the demons left behind by Matt Millen era. The under achieving shouldn't entirely fall on Millen's shoulders as disagreements with ownership occurred as well as failures at the coaching levels hurt Millen. He wasn't helped by his poor decisions and drafting after the first round.

After jettisoning Jon Kitna for CB Anthony Henry, it becomes apparent that the franchise saw the reward of drafting young quarterbacks like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco in Atlanta and Baltimore as it looks to replicate the results.

1st Pick: Matthew Stafford, QB Georgia

As Detroit looks for some magic and leadership at the QB position, Stafford leads the top of the list. He doesn't possess all of the poise and play calling skills that Ryan learned at Boston College, so dumping Kitna so early may take a toll on Stafford. Hopefully for the Lions, he's able to make it though the season and not worry about protection instead of looking down field. Finding another veteran QB to take some of the heat while Stafford adjusts to the professional levels could only benefit him and the orginazation in the long run.

Terrell Owens signed a 1 Year $6.5M deal with Buffalo. Entering the upcoming draft this allows the Bills to go in several different directions, as well as, leverage their draft position. They can draft a receiver in the hopes that by year two they can contribute or look to bolster the defense.

It also forces the Bills hand whether Trent Edwards is a franchise quarterback with talent around him such as TO or if a quarterback should be drafted to lead the organization in the future. Sanchez from USC may slip back to Buffalo if such a need occurs. A TE like Pettigrew could also be tempting to compliment TO.

Owens switches to an AFC team for the first time in his career. Signing a contract so quickly after being cut also indicates the shrinking market for TO's services .

So the rumored cut of Terrell Owens from the Dallas Cowboys spurred new rumors of who will sign him. The Washington Post reports today that the Redskins are saying no.

Good for them and us. There is no argument that he could help the Redskins on the field. Antwan Randle-El would probably have to go, but Santana Moss and Owens starting would be a pretty strong receiving team. But at the cost of his money and his mouth? Probably not. Of course until Owens is actually signed by a team, he could always use the Redskins as a ruse to get a bigger contract. Or then again, like last season, a key injury to a player might bring a trade or in this case, a signing that was denied earlier.

I like T.O. as a player. He is on my fantasy team right now. But if you ask me if I want him on the Redskins, I might would say no.

The Redskins decided to part with Jason Taylor yesterday. After Taylor declined to spend the majority of time in town working out in the offseason to spend more time with his family, the Redskins severed ties with the former all pro defensive end. Taylor was in the last year of a contract. He was due to count $8.5M against the cap.

Although the move itself isn't too surprising the timing of it may have caught some off guard. Would it have been necessary to cut Marcus Washington if releasing Taylor would have provided the same salary cap relief? In a weak free agent season for defensive ends Washington will scramble to fill the void and most likely reach out to Evans and Daniels. The vacancy at outside linebacker has yet to be filled and with so few draft picks and so many needs, the team may use the additional cap space for more depth in the secondary, offensive line, or a starting linebacker.

The loss of Taylor for some wasn't that great at all. Would it have been nice to see what Taylor could do in a pure pass rushing role next to Haynesworth? Absolutely! It's difficult to judge last season's performance by Taylor amid all the injuries contributing the lack of success. Another year older and unwilling to stay in the area for team workouts, the writing was on the wall as the two parties decided to part ways.

Minor free agent spending could come across the tickers with new found cap space and many vacancies to fill. What takes place next will have an impact on the draft, as well. Offensive Tackle an obvious need, but the Skins could also find themselves with a decision among one of the four top offensive tackles, Orakpo (DE), Maualuga (LB), or even Raji (DT) if he slips that far.

The huge contract Haynesworth signed with Washington worth a record guaranteed $41M and a total amount of $115M that includes $15M in incentives represents more than money but a returned focus to interior line play. Some critics believe that Haynesworth's great play the past two years has been fueled by the Titans keeping him hungry while in two consecutive contract years. His effort level on every play has been questioned as has maturity for the longest suspension for an on field incident. Yet since the suspension he's dedicated himself to be the best at his position making this record contract possible.

Is it the money that's drawing such stark criticism or that few teams were willing to compete for Haynesworth's services at such a price? No matter how much the pundits express that Dan Snyder is back to his freewheeling spending ways, no one can argue that the Redskins have "the" best defensive tackle in the game while he's in the prime of his career. It isn't the same situation as the best available player that became overpaid such as Stubblefield or Gilbert. The closest comparison would be the Packers signing Reggie White. The difference in the two signings being Haynesworth is younger and in his prime, while White entered into a Packer uniform near the end of his career and as the final piece of a puzzle to win a title in Green Bay.

Haynesworth's ability only makes the defense and offense stronger due to pressure and turnovers. Much like UPS here's what Haynesworth can do for the Redskins.

Can we put to bed this notion that the Super Bowl is usually a boring blowout that doesn’t live up to the hype? I can understand how that attitude came about, when from 1984 to 1995 there were numerous lopsided games. That was 25 to 14 years ago. Since then there have been plenty of close, competitive games that have come down to the wire that should have ended the perception that the game is anti-climactic. The New England Patriots won three Super Bowls in four years by three points each time. Then they lost last year’s Super Bowl to the New York Giants by three points. It’s time to stop expecting the Super Bowl to be dull and to start looking forward to the kind of excitement that this year’s game provided.

What has been the NFL team with the worst regular season record to host a conference championship game? I don’t know the answer for certain, but I have a good guess: this season’s Arizona Cardinals with a regular season record of 9-7.

As the Chargers and Colts gathered themselves at midfield in this past Saturday's playoff game for the standard overtime coin toss, "GAME OVER" was yelled by Rivers after winning the coin toss. All league MVP Peyton Manning could do was watch from the sidelines as the Chargers led by Rivers marched down the field for a game winning touchdown in overtime.

The NFL rule is very specific about over time. A coin toss determines who receives the ball in a sudden death format where the first team to score wins. The NCAA allows both teams to have a possession. Both teams start at the same yard line and every subsequent tie moves the ball closer to the goal line for teams to start. Many fans have voiced their displeasure at the existing NFL rule after this game. It seems fair, plain, and simple. Each team has a defense. If the defense can stop someone to get the ball back their offense will have a chance. The Colts illustrated why a championship winning defense is important. The Titans or Ravens may not have fared any better on a game winning drive, but you'd like their chances better.

The college rules should stay in college. The NFL is a professional sport and as such a defense of professionals is paid to perform and stop the opposing team's offense the same as they're paid for the first 60 minutes.

After the improbable 6-2 run to start the season, the Redskins finished a mere 8-8. On offense the team has several areas of concern from Zorn completing a full second season as coach, Vinny & Danny's making the right personnel decisions, finding a starting receiver opposite Moss, to Santana's shoe shine problems, the offensive line woes, Clinton's outburst, and Campbell's execution on the field. The only position without concern is that of starting TE, Chris Cooley.

On most championship teams the most vocal or inspiring player on offense is the quarterback. He leads by his command of the game, the ability to bring out the best in players around him, and by execution. In some cases the leader on offense leads by example, but it's the quarterback the rest of the team listens to and follows. The quarterback is the extension of the coaching staff's game plan. After days of preparation, it's the job of the quarterback to execute the offense to perfection and lead the team to victory.

There have been many great running backs that never won a title let alone made it to the Super Bowl. Eric Dickerson never made it to the Super Bowl neither did Barry Sanders. There have been other great running backs in a similar situation and the striking similarity regarding the leadership stemmed from the quarterback position. Make no mistake about it. It was Eric Dickerson's Rams and not Jim Everett's. Just like this is Clinton Portis' team not Jason Campbell's.

This beckons the question; does Jason Campbell have 'it'? No quarterback can win without a strong running game, but can Campbell lead the Redskins to another Super Bowl?

Another effect of the unfairness of NFL divisions and playoff eligibility, which I wrote about yesterday, is to expose the double standard that the sports media applies to the NFL as opposed to other sports.

College football uses a system that is broken to determine its national champion. The entire sports media gets all up in arms every year at this time to go out if their way to tell the public just how messed up the system is. But not a single critical word is uttered in the national media regarding how unfair the NFL divisional format is. In fact, on today’s episode of The Sports Reporters, Howard Bryant’s parting shot was an attempt to justify the NFL’s misguided playoff eligibility. After stating in an earlier segment that “a monkey playing cymbals can make the playoffs in the NFL once every five years. The rules are set up to do this,” Bryant argued that the 11-5 Patriots had no right to complain about not making the playoffs because they had a weak schedule and had only defeated one playoff team. Hello Mr. Bryant, the 8-8 Chargers beat zero playoff teams during the regular season!

This just goes to show that while members of the media are quick to ridicule various aspects of sports, the NFL is treated as some sort of sacred cow that gets a free pass from the media. Steroids in baseball? Outrage is cried by the media. Players are stained for life by the media. Steroids in the NFL? The media reports it then ignores it. When is the media going to wake up from its love affair with the NFL to see that it has just as many flaws as other sports.

How many talking heads is enough for an NFL show? Apparently eight IS enough on NBC. Roll call on NBC places Olbermann, Patrick, Costas, Bettis, Barber, King, Collinsworth, and Millen all on football night in America. It's a painful program to watch and is less entertaining and informative than any other network. How many different diagnoses of a single game can warrant this many broadcasters and analysts? This came to the attention of BMT and I as we watched the playoff games on NBC. Other network are broadcasting and covering multiple games in progress while NBC has only one game to cover. They may have highlights of the earlier games but eight talking heads is excessive.

It's down to two. Anabel and Noriko have made it to the finals. Much like in sports where the teams might bring a little different game, we have new photos for each contestant. Voting will last until 1/4/09. Many thanks for those of you who voted in the past.

We have a winner. Thanks to everyone who voted.

After a promising 6-2 start to the season, the Redskins mercifully end their season with a dismal loss to the San Francisco 49ers to end the season going 2-6 in the second half. The game itself displayed the same issues which has plagued this team the entire season.

Week 1 playoffs are done. Here is the week 2 lineups. We are featuring 3 this week because Dawn and Anabel ended in a tie. Unfortunately Poll Daddy is having issues again this morning. Maybe they are depressed because of the cold weather and the holidays. As soon as it's working, we'll get the new poll up.

Update: 3 PM The poll is up now.

Update: we have a winner!

The Redskins won a hard fought low scoring affair 10-3 and essentially made the way to the playoffs very difficult for the Eagles. The team demonstrated heart and toughness. It showed a team in support of the coaching staff as opposed to the first five games under Coach Marty where the players didn't buy into system or practice methods before pride kicked in after the ridicule in the media and late night shows.

Landry was everywhere on defense from helping stop the game tying touchdown at the end of the game with no time left on the clock to separating the ball from the Eagles Jackson with a jarring hit in the first half. Troy Aikman also brought up on TV the ability of Hall to step up into the play and make tackles along the line.

Uh, what happened? Last I checked, the Cincinnati Bengals are bottom feeder. The Redskins were playoff contenders, although in a long down-spin. The Bengals dropped the Redskins 20-10 and also erased Washington's playoff chances.

The Sports Freak and I agreed that no pre-game analysis was needed. It's been the same for weeks...keep up the defense and step up the offense. Glad I didn't waste those 30 seconds of my life. Chris Cooley, of all players, fumbled the ball on the first drive to allow Cincinnati to score early. Then they never looked back. The offense was slightly better as they seemed to go down the field more often. Santana Moss was getting looks, passes, and receptions down the field. Of course with this incarnation of the Redskins, downfield means more than 10 yards. Even Fred Davis, the backup to Cooley, got a catch.

But there were so many problems, it's hard to say what caused the loss. Besides, Cooley, Mike Sellers fumbled the ball at the goal line to give up an easy touchdown. The Redskins kicker, who I will not address by his name any longer, because that would mean I have an ounce of respect for him, sent a kickoff out of bounds again. I don't know how many he's kicked out this season, but it feels more than just accidental. The defense, who has played pretty admirably all season with constant injuries, could barely stop the Bengals. The Bengals The only bright side seems to be the patchwork offensive line. But even then, they've played as well as they have all season, so that's not saying much.

While playoffs are out of the picture, the team has to get their act together next Sunday when the Eagles come to town. We should work hard to spoil their chances.

After 4 weeks of voting, we have some results so we'll put on playoffs. This week features Toccara and Noriko, winners of the first two weeks of voting. We'll pit the third and fourth week winners after this poll ends and then the championship the following week. At least we put our championship unlike the BCS. Poll on the right hand side.

Update, 12/14, 4 PM: Poll Daddy seems to be having trouble on their website. As soon as it is back up, I'll post the poll.

Update, 12/14, 4:45PM: It's working now. Poll on the side.

The Results are in!