Well, it looks like it's gonna be a tough day today. Big win against Dallas last week, but today's going to be rough. First off, there's the drop-off after such a big win last week. It's going to be difficult to sustain the energy after that. Second, Westbrook is back for the Eagles. So is LJ Smith. For us, Springs is out. Taylor and Heyer were expected, but Springs was iffy through Friday. Also Marcus Washington's inactive for today. That's a lot of injuries. Key for us is going to be our O-line. Johnson's D is aggresive and one of the toughest in the league. Our line has got to open holes for Portis to run and keep Philly off of Campbell. If we can keep our QB off his ass, we will have a shot. Unfortunately, I think our streak of 0 offensive turnovers will end today. I hope not, but I think it will. Our secondary is going to have its hands full without Springs.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Cool Weekend
Well, I would say this was one of the better weekends we've had in a while. As background, back in April (I think), we went on a behind-the-scenes tour at Pimilico Race Course. During this tour, we were taken to one of the training stables, which due to budget restraints, have now moved to Laurel. Anyway, we met an adorable and sweet horse named Gammy's a Winner. 
Of course, once everyone found out that Gammy was racing that day, they crowded around him, fussed over him, got him all riled up and so on. So naturally, he got worked up, kicking his stall, wasting all his energy, and came in last. Chrissy and I still thought he was adorable, though, and continued to follow his progress. Well, we found out he was racing this past Saturday at Laurel, so we decided to go see him. Our friend Tonya joined us. Tonya didn't bet, she was just there to see horsies. Chrissy and I bet some, but realized early on that it wasn't going to be a good day for wagers. Fast forward to the 9th race - Gammy won! Not only did we basically recoup our losses for the day, but as we're cheering, his owner, Donald Metzger looks up from the Winner's Circle. We asked if he was Gammy's owner, to which he said he was. We told him how we met Gammy on the tour and had been following him ever since, so he says, "Oh? Well come on down and get in the Winner's Circle with me & Gammy for the winning picture!" Our jaws dropped! We immediately ran down into the Circle for the picture. After the photographer (Jim McCue - good guy) took the pic, Mr. Metzger told us he'd get an extra copy of the win photo for us! What a cool guy and what a cool day!
Then, as if that wasn't cool enough, the Redskins beat the Cardinals 24-17! The offense looks like it's coming together. Campbell is looking poised in the pocket, and best of all, is showing some pocket awareness. O-Line is giving him some time to scan through his options. Defense is looking good. D-backs are, for the most part, covering well. They're up for a challenge this week, though. Because this week is... DALLAS WEEK! We have two tough games back to back, against division rivals, on the road, against two of the best teams in the league. If we can really step it up, though, I think we have a shot.
Here are my "4 Keys to the Game." 1) The secondary really needs to jam the receivers at the line and cover TO like nobody's business. I'd rather give up five 10-yard receptions to Witten than one 50-yard pass to TO. Keep the long ball out of TO's hands and he'll be pouting like a baby on the sidelines. 2) D-Line needs to shut down Barber. He's too explosive to let him get a head of steam on his runs. 3) Most of all, we need to pressure Romo! Drop him on his ass a few times, get in his face. Make him make bad decisions. For all the talk about how wonderful he his, let's not forget that this is only his second full season as a starting QB. Watch any Dallas game when the opposing team can get pressure on Romo and you'll see that he will get flustered. 4) Finally, Durant Brooks needs to play like he's in the NFL. If we have to punt, we can't let the Cowboys start off with good field position. Pin them back in their own end zone! I know we have the ability to do all of the above. The team has demonstrated all of these abilities at one time or another. Now, we just need to bring it all together at once. I know we can do it. Hail to the Redskins!
Of course, once everyone found out that Gammy was racing that day, they crowded around him, fussed over him, got him all riled up and so on. So naturally, he got worked up, kicking his stall, wasting all his energy, and came in last. Chrissy and I still thought he was adorable, though, and continued to follow his progress. Well, we found out he was racing this past Saturday at Laurel, so we decided to go see him. Our friend Tonya joined us. Tonya didn't bet, she was just there to see horsies. Chrissy and I bet some, but realized early on that it wasn't going to be a good day for wagers. Fast forward to the 9th race - Gammy won! Not only did we basically recoup our losses for the day, but as we're cheering, his owner, Donald Metzger looks up from the Winner's Circle. We asked if he was Gammy's owner, to which he said he was. We told him how we met Gammy on the tour and had been following him ever since, so he says, "Oh? Well come on down and get in the Winner's Circle with me & Gammy for the winning picture!" Our jaws dropped! We immediately ran down into the Circle for the picture. After the photographer (Jim McCue - good guy) took the pic, Mr. Metzger told us he'd get an extra copy of the win photo for us! What a cool guy and what a cool day!Then, as if that wasn't cool enough, the Redskins beat the Cardinals 24-17! The offense looks like it's coming together. Campbell is looking poised in the pocket, and best of all, is showing some pocket awareness. O-Line is giving him some time to scan through his options. Defense is looking good. D-backs are, for the most part, covering well. They're up for a challenge this week, though. Because this week is... DALLAS WEEK! We have two tough games back to back, against division rivals, on the road, against two of the best teams in the league. If we can really step it up, though, I think we have a shot.
Here are my "4 Keys to the Game." 1) The secondary really needs to jam the receivers at the line and cover TO like nobody's business. I'd rather give up five 10-yard receptions to Witten than one 50-yard pass to TO. Keep the long ball out of TO's hands and he'll be pouting like a baby on the sidelines. 2) D-Line needs to shut down Barber. He's too explosive to let him get a head of steam on his runs. 3) Most of all, we need to pressure Romo! Drop him on his ass a few times, get in his face. Make him make bad decisions. For all the talk about how wonderful he his, let's not forget that this is only his second full season as a starting QB. Watch any Dallas game when the opposing team can get pressure on Romo and you'll see that he will get flustered. 4) Finally, Durant Brooks needs to play like he's in the NFL. If we have to punt, we can't let the Cowboys start off with good field position. Pin them back in their own end zone! I know we have the ability to do all of the above. The team has demonstrated all of these abilities at one time or another. Now, we just need to bring it all together at once. I know we can do it. Hail to the Redskins!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Well...
It's been about three weeks, and hardly a day goes by that I don't think, "Oh, I'm going to need to blog about that." Three weeks later, I've blogged about nothing and damned if I can figure out one thing that I was planning on blogging about.
Ok, one thing - The Redskins. We lost the first game against the Giants. We played pretty piss poor in the first half. The second half, the offense was still struggling, but the defense picked up a bit. As an optimistic fan, I look at the game like this: We were playing the defending Super Bowl champs, we had a new coach and our young QB was learning his 7th new offense in 8 years. We held the Giants scoreless in the second half and only lost by 9 points (7-16).
Second game was our home opener at FedEx Field against the Saints. Being a season ticket holder, I went to the game. I took my sister Gail, who is a big Chris Cooley fan. It was hot as balls out there! It was also insane!! Today (Thursday) was the first day my voice started to sound normal. Actually, someone did ask me this morning if I had a cold. Again, the defense looked pretty good. Offensively, we had a fairly lousy first half. I don't know what happened, but about 2/3 of the way through, Campbell connected to Cooley and BANG!, our offense started working. We were able to run. The vaunted West Coast Offense began connecting. It was amazing. We beat the Saints, 29-24.
I'm sure there's more, but it's late and I'm tired. More later.
Ok, one thing - The Redskins. We lost the first game against the Giants. We played pretty piss poor in the first half. The second half, the offense was still struggling, but the defense picked up a bit. As an optimistic fan, I look at the game like this: We were playing the defending Super Bowl champs, we had a new coach and our young QB was learning his 7th new offense in 8 years. We held the Giants scoreless in the second half and only lost by 9 points (7-16).
Second game was our home opener at FedEx Field against the Saints. Being a season ticket holder, I went to the game. I took my sister Gail, who is a big Chris Cooley fan. It was hot as balls out there! It was also insane!! Today (Thursday) was the first day my voice started to sound normal. Actually, someone did ask me this morning if I had a cold. Again, the defense looked pretty good. Offensively, we had a fairly lousy first half. I don't know what happened, but about 2/3 of the way through, Campbell connected to Cooley and BANG!, our offense started working. We were able to run. The vaunted West Coast Offense began connecting. It was amazing. We beat the Saints, 29-24.
I'm sure there's more, but it's late and I'm tired. More later.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Redskins Game
Yow. We got our asses handed to us by the Panthers last week! That one hurt. But, as I said before, maybe it's a good thing to get such a horrendous loss out of the way during preseason, where it really doesn't matter. Hopefully, now, Coach Zorn can get on with the business of winning some games! Now, don't get me wrong. I don't expect him to come in, wave his hand and take us to the Super Bowl. I realize Campbell, as talented as he is, is still a young developing quarterback learning his, what, seventh offensive system in eight years? I realize we have one of the toughest schedules in the league. But I'm still a fan, and I still hope to win every game we play, and still root for them to win, no matter what! Hail to the Redskins! I am, however, saddened to see that my favorite cheerleader from last year is not on the squad this year. (Yes, I am pathetic enough to have had a favorite cheerleader). Katie, I will miss you! :-p But seriously, I just hope we make it through the night without any injuries and looking not quite as pathetic as last week. We need to build some momentum before taking on the World Champion New York Giants in the NFL Season Opener (told you we had a tough schedule!).
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Grandma
Today would have been my Grandmother's 100th birthday. She passed away six years ago. Six? Has it really been that long? Hard to fathom. My sister, the writer, is much more eloquent than I am, and spent much more time with Grandma than I did (to my lasting regret). So, at the risk of appearing to pass the buck, I will allow her to express what I would not have adequate words to express.
Today - She would have been 100!
Today - She would have been 100!
Monday, August 11, 2008
I Know It's Only Preseason
So we're up to 2-0. I know it's only preseason, but two wins is two wins. Although Rob and I were saying that maybe Favre will light into us this week and Zorn will get his first taste of defeat. Naturally, we don't want the Skins to lose, but maybe it would be better if he lost his first game when it doesn't really matter.
Well, we couldn't sell our tickets, so Rob and I wound up going to the game. We took his step-daughters, and had our first IHTD day with the girls. We had a good time.
First team looked good. Campbell still looked sharp. Portis looked good. Betts looked good. Taylor made his first appearance on the D-Line. He & Carter looked good (I'm sure I'll get no argument from Gail). Collins didn't look great. Once again, Brennan came out to thunderous applause. And once again, Derek Devine came out in the 4th basically to hand the ball off. We'll see how the Defense looks against Favre & the Jets. Jeez, that sounds weird.
Well, we couldn't sell our tickets, so Rob and I wound up going to the game. We took his step-daughters, and had our first IHTD day with the girls. We had a good time.
First team looked good. Campbell still looked sharp. Portis looked good. Betts looked good. Taylor made his first appearance on the D-Line. He & Carter looked good (I'm sure I'll get no argument from Gail). Collins didn't look great. Once again, Brennan came out to thunderous applause. And once again, Derek Devine came out in the 4th basically to hand the ball off. We'll see how the Defense looks against Favre & the Jets. Jeez, that sounds weird.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Hall of Fame Weekend
A few observations on the Pro Football Hall of Fame weekend. Darrell Green & Art Monk are a couple of class acts. I was glad they both made it in. I liked what Darrell Green's son had to say about setting an example for future generations of young athletes, in work ethic and off-field behavior. It speaks volumes to Green character that his son seems so level-headed. Hopefully, he'll stay that way as his career progresses.
The team looked pretty good. Granted, there's only so much to see when half the starters are on the bench, or still rehabbing from off-season surgeries. Still, we got to see a little of the Zorn influence in action. Campbell looked very good. Quick, sharp, decisive. Much more confident than last year. It was great to see a healthy offensive line, too. Made all the difference in the world! Third string and backup RBs going 17-20 yards? As Monty Burns would say, "Eeeeeeexcellent." *steeples fingertips together*
One area of concern I did have was on Defense. I noticed in the 1st quarter seeing Reed Doughty all over the field on every play. I don't know if this is a design of Blache's defense, or if this was Doughty fighting hard for a starting position, but it's not something he will be able to keep up for 4 quarters every game. Hopefully, he just saw some opportunities to make some plays and took them.
Colt Brennan actually looked really good. Very comfortable in the pocket. Not at all thrown off by the speed of the game. He may give Todd Collins a run for his money as the #2 QB. Collins has the experience, but after his good but not spectacular performance last night, I wonder how much of his impressiveness last year was due to his familiarity with the Al Saunders system. Not that Collins did poorly by any stretch. It's just that Campbell and Brennan looked so good, it made Collins' solid performance look mediocre. I felt a little bad for Derek Devine, since basically, he just came in to hand off the ball and run down the clock.
The team looked pretty good. Granted, there's only so much to see when half the starters are on the bench, or still rehabbing from off-season surgeries. Still, we got to see a little of the Zorn influence in action. Campbell looked very good. Quick, sharp, decisive. Much more confident than last year. It was great to see a healthy offensive line, too. Made all the difference in the world! Third string and backup RBs going 17-20 yards? As Monty Burns would say, "Eeeeeeexcellent." *steeples fingertips together*
One area of concern I did have was on Defense. I noticed in the 1st quarter seeing Reed Doughty all over the field on every play. I don't know if this is a design of Blache's defense, or if this was Doughty fighting hard for a starting position, but it's not something he will be able to keep up for 4 quarters every game. Hopefully, he just saw some opportunities to make some plays and took them.
Colt Brennan actually looked really good. Very comfortable in the pocket. Not at all thrown off by the speed of the game. He may give Todd Collins a run for his money as the #2 QB. Collins has the experience, but after his good but not spectacular performance last night, I wonder how much of his impressiveness last year was due to his familiarity with the Al Saunders system. Not that Collins did poorly by any stretch. It's just that Campbell and Brennan looked so good, it made Collins' solid performance look mediocre. I felt a little bad for Derek Devine, since basically, he just came in to hand off the ball and run down the clock.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Ugh Ugh Ugh...
Ok, so I've been a little out of it lately. I'm not sure why. I was doing very well for a while. I seemed to be more focused. I was getting things done. Then, the last month or two, I've been a bit out of it. Not just blogging, but obviously, if you're reading this, then this may be where you noticed it. I'm going to try to get my shit back together. I won't catch up everything all in one post, but I'll try to ease back in a little at a time.
First off, my "What I'm Reading" section. I have updated for what I'm reading now, but in the past month, I have been through the next two books in the Star Trek: New Frontier series, Stone and Anvil and After the Fall. In addition, for nighttime reading, in honor of the new movie trailer that was just unveiled, I have been reading the Watchmen trade paperback of the series by psychotic, but brilliant Alan Moore. Now, I'm on to Stephen King.
Second, tonight marks the return of football! After the Hall of Fame inductions last night of Darrell Green and Art Monk, tonight, the Redskins take on the Colts in the Hall of Fame Game. I'm not expecting much, since many of the starters won't even be playing, but it's a chance to see Coach Zorn in action, and it's Redskins football! Woo Hoo!!
First off, my "What I'm Reading" section. I have updated for what I'm reading now, but in the past month, I have been through the next two books in the Star Trek: New Frontier series, Stone and Anvil and After the Fall. In addition, for nighttime reading, in honor of the new movie trailer that was just unveiled, I have been reading the Watchmen trade paperback of the series by psychotic, but brilliant Alan Moore. Now, I'm on to Stephen King.
Second, tonight marks the return of football! After the Hall of Fame inductions last night of Darrell Green and Art Monk, tonight, the Redskins take on the Colts in the Hall of Fame Game. I'm not expecting much, since many of the starters won't even be playing, but it's a chance to see Coach Zorn in action, and it's Redskins football! Woo Hoo!!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
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