Thru B&G Lenses

The Bottom Line

2008-12-09T20:33:00.004-05:00

Week 13

Skins vs Ravens

As our season rapidly draws to a close most fans are either hoping for another miracle, ala 2007, or mailing in their cheers from empty hearts.

It's been said that the higher you climb the further you fall. And fall is what we've done.

A lot of people blame Jason Campbell and his inability to throw with any accuracy, the deep ball.

Some people blame the once anointed Jim Zorn for being less than creative with play calling.

Some people blame the injuries that have accumulated as the season has progressed.

Some people blame management, front office personnel and the team owner for our less than stellar performances of late.

I say it's a combo of all those things and more.

Kinda like the Big Mac Combo with fries, a drink and then you add a salad, an apple pie, and a sundae just for fun.

Let's look at each one just so I'll have some sort of a resemblance to a "pro" blog.

Jason Campbell --

I will admit that I like Jason and that he impressed me in the 1st half of the season. I will also admit that I was disappointed in his level of play last season but he seemed to have left that in 2007 after watching our first 8 games. But I've seen flashes of that Jason Campbell over the past few weeks. The game against the Ravens, in my opinion, was by far his worst performance in terms of throws. He seemed to be throwing the ball at the feet of players. As far as I know receivers can't catch the ball with their feet. A great deal of his poor performances have been attributed to the ineptitude of the aging and injured O-line. Which brings us to the O-line.

O-line --

The average age of these guys is 32.(This number was reached by using Jansen, Kendall, Rabach, Thomas and Samuels). While 32y/o for you and I is not really old, for an athlete it's on the down side of things. Especially with the kind of punishment often dealt to the pro football players. Now with injuries sustained recently, we will be losing 2 of those guys, 1 is definitely out for the rest of the way. Portis got it right. It's hard to complete a pass while lying flat on your back on the ground. The degeneration of the O-lines level of play is obvious to most. Why it's not obvious to the "higher ups" within the organization is real cause for concern. The Redskins rank somewhere around the bottom feeders of sacks allowed this season. (They're #16 btw). That translates into less passing yardage and less passing completions due to being hurried in the pocket. Ina ll fairness to the decrepit O-line, earlier in this season, Jason Campbell was making adjustments and finding ways to make something out of nothing. Not sure why that has all but gone by the wayside.

Jim Zorn --

Rookie head coach who came out of the gates on fire! The flames have since been extinguished. How good is a rookie head coach supposed or expected to be? Is that expectation fair just because the team was playing exceptionally well in the front half of the season? Most folks I know prior to the season didn't even expect us to finish with a winning record much less a playoff berth. Yet here we sit, our destiny in the hands of someone else (again). There are several 1st time head coaches around the league. How do their records stack up?

Jim Zorn 7-6
John Harbaugh 9-4
Mike Smith 8-5
Tony Sparano 8-5

Hmmmm. Notice anything? I think our expectations are just that. OURS! I don't think it's fair to Jim Zorn to heap our high expectations onto him and then nail him to the cross when the team fails to deliver what we wanted or envisioned. There is some type of learning curve in the NFL. If we finish with a winning record, I will consider his rookie season successful. I have seen his style of play calling change. More conservative, less risque'. Did he scale it back to fit the players better? That doesn't make sense because he has the same bodies now as he did in September with a few exceptions. If they can pull it off in September what changes for December? I suppose a lot of things are taken into consideration when you're drawing up a game plan. Shouldn't we NOT fix what isn't broken?

Injuries

This is where everything you pre plan for goes up in flames in an instant. Injured typically mount as the season progresses. However, we had a few injuries before the season even got underway.

Phillip Daniels -- Veteran defensive lineman with a knee injury. Out for the season. Hurt during training camp.
Malcolm Kelly -- Rookie who came to camp with knee problems. Has played very little.

We've had the usual dings ad nicks that every team accumulates through your average season. Betts, Springs, Jason Taylor, Jansen, Heyer, Fletcher and Portis have all suffered with some type of injury though out this season. Some missed games. Some didn't. Our rookie receivers, you know the ones we spent draft picks on and didn't really need, have either been hurt(see above)or haven't been willing or able to learn this offensive system thereby leaving them on the outside looking in. Does this justify the deterioration we've seen in this team's ability to win? I think on some level it does. However, when you look around the league and see other teams handling their business, it makes you start to wonder. Admittedly, I don't know enough about other teams' rosters to know the impact of losing any 1 player to injury would have on their level of play. I do know that when Dallas' QB, Tony Romo, was out with a broken finger, that team lost several games. So is it the player, the position that person plays and how good they are at their position that dictates the impact on the team? I say a resounding YES! For example, if Portis is lost in game 3, we will feel that much more as opposed to Betts being out. So I know injuries play a role but I'm not so sure it's the end all that some make it out to be. While backups are backups for a reason, they should be able to do an adequate job if the need arises. The injuries to the O-line will factor in to the upcoming games.

Management, Front Office personnel, Owner

"If the head rots, the body will soon follow." A quote I've heard many times over my years. The trickle down effect is in full affect here. If you can't spot talent, you can't possibly be good at drafting talent. If you're not good at drafting talent your team will have little talent. If you don't address the problems and just treat the symptoms, the problem will recur. If you don't address the needs then the needs will eventually address you.

Football teams I've often read and heard, are built from the lines outward. It's the begat syndrome. Poor line play begats poor QB play, begats poor RB play(although some will get theirs regardless...Portis is sometimes that back), begats poor receiver play, etc. etc. Poor D line play begats poor back field play begats increased level of play by opponents. We've made bad QB look good at times.

So what have we learned? There is no 'I' in team(cliche' I know..couldn't resist). The plunging play of our beloved team is not single-fold. If we win as a team, we should lose in the same fashion. I've always thought that no one person is greater than a team but there are players who can put a team on their backs and literally carry them to glory. Those players are few and far between in this league. But they do exist.

Bottom Line: I overestimated this team in the beginning based on what my eyes were seeing at the moment. Thereby proving the famous line in a favorite song, "believe half of what you hear and none of what you see".

I've since scaled back my expectations therefore softening the blows that will undoubtedly come before this season is finished.

And like I do every season, I'll regroup and find a way to be positive about this season and I'll cheer the rest of the way and hope for the best possible outcome. But I fully expect December will end our season.

The critics will came and pick the bones. Not I. I love this team unconditionally. And when the draft rolls around next year, training camp gears up and preseason kicks off, I'll once again put on these burgundy & gold glasses and watch the chips fall as they will.

Hail to you and Hail To The Redskins!

Giant Frustrations

2008-12-04T15:07:00.007-05:00

Week 12

Skins vs Giants

Wishful thinking lead to downright disappointment last Sunday. As I watched my beloved team crash & burn in front of the home crowd, I knew that the hopes of a better than average season that I had conned myself into believing, were a mere delusion.

The Redskins gathered themselves quite nicely after the opening day butt whoopin that the G-Men put on them back in September to open my favorite sport. Won a series of games that none, including myself, thought possible. We beat New Orleans, Arizona, Dallas and Philadelphia. The sky was the limit in my overly, simplistic football imagination. Visions of playoffs and division titles danced on the edge of my reality, beckoning me to buy into this surprisingly good team. No one thought we'd have a chance to even contend this season. Rookie Head Coach, new offensive coordinator, new(kind of)defensive coordinator, new running backs coach, and a few new, rookie players that may or may not contribute. But we came out like a team on a mission. Leaving teams battered & bruised in our wake. The sheer joy in my mind was so intoxicating and heady, I almost forgot about 2006, a 5-11 team that looked pathetic in the wake of a playoff run in 2005.

Then we played St. Louis. At home. Lost. No big deal. Right? So what if we lost to what was then a win less team? It was a fluke. All teams have down weeks. We couldn't expect to maintain that kind of a showing each & every week. Could we?

Then, we played the Browns. Hung in there to get that 'W'. Whew. A close call. Then came the Lions. We scraped by on that one too. Had some folks apparently take the week off on that game. Funny, I don't ever remember the Redskins being the kind of team that people thought we could afford to rest anyone on any given Sunday. I don't ever remember seeing Riggins or Theismann or Kilmer or Monk sitting out a game unless they were injured. But I'm not the coach nor am I the one to question whether a player is truly hurt or not. I understand the logic but I didn't like it.

I digress.

We then proceeded to drop 3 of the next 4 games. Managing to beat our playoff nemesis for the past few years, the Seattle Seahawks, whose record is on course with that of the Lions this season.

Still as a true Redskins fan, you always HOPE your team will come out and take it to 'em no matter who it is they're facing that day or night. The Steelers and their fans let it be known that the Redskins are not the only team loved in this area. Their fans filled our stadium and cheered louder than we did.

Dallas came in to town and blew through us like a hot knife through butter. We're lucky it was only a 4 point loss. I guess Wade didn't want Tony over exerting that already broken finger of his too much. So they only scored 2 TD's.

On to the Giants. In all fairness, the Giants are probably playing the best football of their lives at this point. A 10 - 1 record as they entered our house. We honored our fallen star on the 1 year anniversary of his death and then we proceeded to hand the game to the Giants in true Redskins fashion. Failure to score. Failure to move the ball. Failure to pressure Eli Manning more than 2 - 3 times. Shucks, we even beat our own guy out of a interception. How this happens, I don't know. But leave it to my Skins to find a way.

Did I really expect to win this game? No. Not really. Did I expect us to actually resemble a NFL team? Yes. Did we? No. Catching passes that were 1 & 2 yards shy of the first down markers was on the menu. And Jason kept ordering them over and over. Dropped passes also plagued us with at least 3 - 4 drops from our less than stellar receiving corp.

Is Jason the answer to our offensive woes? Some say not. I like him. He has a rocket arm but he's a bit slow on getting the ball out to his receivers. When he does manage to do that, his wonderfully talented receivers manage to drop them on a regular basis. Thanks for all of the help guys.

I videotaped myself at intervals while I watched this debacle. I've watched it a few times. It's funny to see yourself react to something that you have zero control over. You know you're going to crash, yet you can't stop watching.

If you want to really know the frustrations of the fans of this team. Take a gander at my home made video.

That says it all. Doesn't it? Now we're off to Baltimore to face the Ravens. Can we make enough changes to get a win? I certainly hope so.

I'm back to my old self as a Skins fan. Not taking anything for granted and hoping that they can get it done. Crossing our fingers so that we may have a chance at post season play. Once again we're on a wing and a prayer. Depending on others to get us there. If we don't make the post season where will this team go next season?

I think Jim Zorn was the right choice. I hope our owner can be a bit more patient and hold out to see what a new season may bring. We need to shore up the lines and give our quarterback a chance to make some plays.

Until then. I'll see ya after the Ravens game. Here's hoping we can get out of there in 1 piece and with very little damage.

Hail!

Sean's Gone

2008-11-27T23:28:00.004-05:00

I chose(borrowed)this title from a post I read this same time last year.

Simple. To the point. Devastating.

Those 2 words captured the pain and shock of Redskins Nation on this date, Nov. 27, 2007.

For that is the date when we lost our best player.

He wasn't traded nor did he retire. He was stolen from us by people with less brains than brawn.

Sean Taylor, safety extraordinaire for my Redskins since 2004. One moment he was limping off of the field during the Eagles game, the next he lay lifeless in a Florida hospital. Shot in the groin by intruders who broke into his home. He was protecting his family it seems. He gave little regard for his own well being that night. Everything worth anything to him that night, was in that house with him and he desperately wanted to protect them.

(Tribute Song & Video by Chris Louis.

He succeeded. We lost.

One year later

As I sat at the table preparing to seat the feast that my Mom had prepared for us, my mind wandered down I-95 to Florida.

Another family was sitting at a table preparing to eat but something is different this time. There's an empty chair at their table. It will not be filled again, in this lifetime, by the young, vibrant, strong, football player of a guy, that used to sit there.

It seems so unfair when someone so young, so alive, leaves us. It seems especially cruel when that person leaves because of the actions of another.

How do I know you ask?

I know because there's an empty chair at my table also. My son once filled that chair. He, too, left because of others' actions.

The Taylor family have faced a plethora of firsts since Sean's death. It will get a little easier as time pushes on. But they will never forget.

For as painful as it is for us, the fans who loved watching him on Sundays, his family's pain is far greater.

We knew him as the best safety to ever play this game.
They knew him as a son.
We knew him as the hard hitter that created nightmares for receivers on every team.
They knew him as a brother, father, grandson and friend.
We knew him as a quiet threat whose love for this game captivated us and gave us hope.
They knew him as a provider, a protector and an important part of what made them who they were.

Who do you think suffered the greater loss?

Sean's gone. We miss him. He fulfilled his purpose, whatever that may have been, while he was here.

We'll never forget.

It's not about his on field play. It's not about his hits or his interceptions. It's about a son, brother, cousin, uncle, father and friend who lost his life doing what more men ought to do. Protect what's important to them.

What was important to Sean was what he died protecting.

His daughter and his fiance'.

RIP Young Man!

Well Done!

Sean M. Taylor

4/1/1983 - 11/27/2007

You Can Go Home Again

2008-11-25T22:13:00.010-05:00

Week 12

Skins vs Seahawks

The highly anticipated return of Seattle's prodigal QB, Jim Zorn is done and over with. Kryptonite is no more!

Our new, fearless leader entered his old stomping grounds and left with the victory in hand.

It didn't happen in a very dominant fashion. In fact, we barely got out with a 'W'. 20 - 17 when the dust cleared. 3 points or 300, it doesn't matter the margin, it's a victory and I'll take that any day.

While this was no "barn burner" of a game, some things did manage to improve. We moved the ball reasonably well. Sustained some pretty decent drives but still didn't manage to score TD's with each trip to the red zone.

I will admit here that this game actually became background noise because my husband became ill and needed an ambulance ride to the ER.

Being the dedicated Skins fan that I am, I have found ways to deal with such things. Thank God that there is a local branch of the Redskins Radio network in this area now. I can listen to the games via the radio. My old cell phone has a FM radio built in and it stays charged for times such as this. I usually take it to church so that I can listen to the pre game shows that start 3 hours before the 1 pm games start. If you use a cell phone for this, folks just figure you have a headset on in case you get an important call. Win - Win.

But on this day, it becomes my only connection to my beloved team. So as I walk around my hubby's ER cubicle, I hold the phone in different positions to find the spot that affects the least static. After about 10 minutes of searching, I find the "perfect" spot. It was at the head of his bed, next to the sink, right below the window. I just had to hold the phone against the wall. Simple! I can do that! But then I got an arm cramp from trying to hold the phone against the wall while cursing the poor play I was being told about by Sonny, Sam and Larry. I even gave my daughter updates as the game progressed. A "mom play by play" if you will. I'm such a good mother aren't I? My daughter just shook her head and said, "I can't believe you're listening to that here." I was like, "what?" "I'm supposed to miss this game just because my husband has the audacity to get ill during a Redskins game?" "I think not young lady." She laughs and says, "Momma, you're crazy." I say, "darn straight..I'm a Skins fan!"

Shortly after that conversation, the doctor walks in to the room. She makes a brilliant observation. An observation that only someone with 8 years of med school could make. She looks at me and says, "so I guess you're a Redskins fan". I say, as I stand there in my Redskins hat, t-shirt, jacket and backpack, "what was your first clue Doc?" She laughs and asks me if they are playing today. I say yes, that's what I'm listening to on my phone. She then calls an orderly in to the room and says, "turn that TV on for her so that she can watch the game". He does, but the game is over by then. I thank her anyway.

My husband gets admitted to the hospital. He's got some sort of infection in his dialysis access tube. Happens quite a bit. He'll be ok.

So will I since we came out the victor.

Coach Zorn's triumphant return to the land of Starbucks and Space Needles was everything he said it would be. Tough, hard fought. We got a few turnovers. Interceptions by Landry and Springs. A miscue from Betts near the end of the game almost had me reaching for the oxygen that was plugged into the wall over my husband's bed. But on the following play, Springs get his gift specially wrapped by Matt Hassleback(beck..tomato..tomahto). Seattle's out of time outs. We simply kneel to run out the clock and head back to DC with a 7 - 4 record.

We face the Giants on this coming Sunday. A rematch of the debacle of opening day. Hope we fair better this time around.

In a few days, Redskins nation will face a painful memory as we mourn the 1st anniversary of the death of one of our own. That will be handled in a different blog on Thursday.

We'll see if that motivates or overwhelms them. Only time will tell.

Off to tace the pain and the Giants.

HTTR!

From Rally Rags.....

2008-11-20T20:15:00.004-05:00

To Crying Towels...

Week 11

Skins vs Cowboys

Some NFL promotions are born just so they can fail. This was one such promotion.

If you don't know what I'm talking about then you're no Redskins fan.

I knew the moment I heard a certain radio station was going to hand out what they were calling "Rally Rags" to the first 50,000 fans in attendance at last Sunday night's game, we were in for a rough ride. The last time that a towel was handed out at Fed Ex field it was for a very different reason. The outcome of the game however, was the same.

Anytime you pick pocket another team's mojo, you create bad karma. These "gimmicks" often accidentally create many pages of auctions on ebay due to the "collectability" of the swag.

But I digress.

We attempted to copy Pittsburgh's long standing fan participation of waving the "terrible towel".

Bad karma plain and simple!

Dallas came to town on Sunday night and I'm just now recovering enough to write this week's blog. That should tell you something.

High hopes of a sweep plummeted as the game went into what seemed like it's 50th hour(actually it was the 4th quarter). Skins clinging to a 3 point lead at 10 - 7. I knew down in my B & G soul that 10 points wasn't going to be enough. As that dreaded time clock,(you know the one that advances so slow through 3 quarters of play and then miraculously moves at the speed of light once the opposition scores the go ahead points.), did what it always does and showed 4 zeros that indicates time's up and the Redskins on the short end of the stick.

14 - 10 was the final score but not the Coup De Grace. Those "stolen" towels waved in a mockery to those of us not lucky or unlucky enough to see that game in person. Constant reminders of our lack of originality. Kinda like the way our offense has been playing. (Did I say that out loud?)

Some of our "firepower" was gimpy. Others were gimpy and sucked it up in order to give us a fighting chance. But even Superman has a few bad days.

In the end, it was another game of missed opportunities. 2 INT's that resulted in zero points.

Overthrows and sacks plagued Jason Campbell, the O-line showing it's age with each passing game.

The defense did a better job than the 'O' overall. After all it takes skills to hold down a 4-fingered QB in his prime (sarcasm meter overload). Seriously though, by the end of the 4th quarter these guys were whupped! Dallas controlled the ball for over 11 minutes of that quarter. Can you say tired & winded? I knew that you could!

There were a few questionable calls made by the men in zebra shirts on both sides of the ball. So you can't really walk with that crutch very far.

Although it appears that if you wear a blue and silver uniform with a star on your hat, you can score a TD without the ball actually breaking the plane of the end zone. Who knew? (Sarcasm meter reading 10 on a possible scale of 10). I wasn't aware of this rule as it only applies to one team in the league. Bummer for the us and the rest.

So where do we go from here? To Seattle of course!. The kryptonite of the Redskins, Qwest field. The Seachicks record won't dazzle or warm the cochles of any of their fans' hearts but I bet they're beside themselves with joy that it's Washington a coming to call.

Perhaps we snap out of whatever nightmare we've been living in for the past few weeks to pull one out on the left coast. All things considered the worse part about this past Sunday's game was simply the fact that it was against Dallas. That fact alone causes great anguish. The chance to bury your hated, divisional rival doesn't or hasn't been a frequent occurrence. We should learn to jump on that bone!

I like what I see for the most part on the field. Zorn will be more than anticipated I believe. I'm not giving up on him or the team. But let's stop reverting and start the forward progression again. Then maybe these towels will be used to wipe up the opponent's tears the next time.

After The Bye..

2008-11-11T17:43:00.016-05:00

Well, the 'bye' week has come and gone. Time to go to work again. I've slowly come to appreciate the "bye". No worries. Sit back and watch other teams squeak out wins or absorb losses. There was a time in my Redskins fan history when I viewed the bye as a reprieve from the disaster that was a horrendous season of failed coaches and player experiments. "At least we'll win this week, we have the bye." "Huh?", is what I would usually get. "Well at least we can't lose this week", I would then say. "Oh yeah that much is true.", was often the final comment. The only thing about the bye is that it's only 1 Sunday. Does it make a difference? Sure. Ask anyone and they will tell you it does. It's a time for the players to rest weary, banged up bones, coaches to relax and figure new and creative ways to get the same plays to look like something different, for fans to collect their brains and soothe their often overused cardiac muscles. Exhale, inhale. Exhale, inhale. Better. Now comes the game after the bye. Ours happens to be against our chief rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, folks....Dallas week is upon us again. And despite the Redskins being a game ahead of the Cowboys in the division, the Redskins are the underdogs for this game. Oh, silly me, I forgot, they're the Cowboys. You know the team everyone thought would be #1 in the NFC east and promptly march right into Tampa and take that Lombardi back to Texas without so much of a whisper of disagreement from the other 31 teams in the league. But here we are, week 11, the good guys are 6 - 3 and the evil ones are 5 - 4. Evils are starting to get desperate in order to live up to their own fantasies. They're coming off their bye as well, so we shouldn't even bother to play this game. Romo may be back(everyone knows that's the only reason they've been struggling of late right?) (uh huh mmmmkay). Forget that Dallas lost to the Redskins in their first meeting with Romo at the helm. That makes no difference; that was then, this is now. (So say the mediots.) The bye apparently has transformed the Cowboys' defense into some sort of a resemblance to a good defense. I wasn't aware that the bye is a miracle worker of that magnitude. Then I hear that Clinton Portis may NOT play! Seriously? Is he hospitalized? Is he on death's doorstep? I'd be ridiculously surprised if CP doesn't get on that field come Sunday night. My rested heart would immediately require an oxygen supplementation if he can't play. So much for the bye helping the fans. Dallas week stirs the very soul of every Skins fan from sea to shining sea. "Only death would keep me from it!"(Color Purple sound byte alert!) We've added some new blood to the mix. DeAngelo Hall, cornerback extraordinaire. Hails from Chesapeake, VA. Attended VA Tech. Had a bout of diarrhea of the mouth on some occassions but landed in Oakland, which seems to be the NFL's dumping grounds for those players not willing to get along well with others. He only played 8 games with them, which translates to $9 million per game with that contract that the old coot gave him. Not bad when you're only 24. He should understand the depth of this rivalry having lived in VA. Perhaps this time someone else's trash becomes our treasure. We'll watch Mr. Hall and hope he lives up to his own self image. We also get the luxury of coming off the bye to face Dallas on the national stage. Football Night in America. We have the Sunday night game which I don't like. We just poo-poo'd the game against Pittsburgh on last Monday night so I'm not a fan of the spotlight games. There was such a bruhaha made about how many Steeler fans "invaded" our house. I still don't understand the "shock". There are tons of Steeler fans in the surrounding area. Plus Pittsburgh is only about a 3 hour trek. This phenomena was discussed ad nauseaum on a number of message boards and blogs. So I'm not going to pander to that crowd especially since it's about 2 weeks removed now. I expect Skins fans will show up in huge numbers for this game. If they don't, then they don't. It's not the worse thing that can happen. The worse thing would be to receive a spanking at the hands of this shell of a Dallas team. So sharpen up your spears, tone up your vocal chords and bring your 'A' game Skins fans. We've made it through the bye week and it's time to get back to work. It's Dallas week and that means only one thing: WE WANT DALLAS!!

*The above video was put together by a fellow fan for the RedskinsHeads.com community. This talented young man has given us a song for each week of the season. I believe this is by far his best work. If you like what you hear..check his web page out at http://www.chrislouis.com/

Momma Said

2008-11-05T20:14:00.007-05:00

Week 9

Steelers at Skins

There'd be days like this, there'd be days like this my momma said. And it was.

Once again, Skins fans braved the emotional rollercoaster ride that is Redskins football.

High Hopes

We've got high hopes, we've got high apple pie in the sky hopes. On the verge of 7 - 2, wanting to take the Nestea plunge into the upper crust of NFL society. A win would have silenced the doubters. Doubters that seem to multiply as the season plays out. Not just the media doubters, but the fan doubters as well.

*THUD* That's the sound hope makes when it falls.

Monday Night Football. National stage. ESPN cameras. The commish was in the house. A chance for the Skins, my Skins, to shine. Unfortunately, the Steelers had other plans for the evening.

The game started well. An on-side kick, Skins grab it! "Cha-ching!" We have the ball in Steeler territory on the first play of the game! The football gods were posed to say "cheese". But the gods can be cruel. Ball on the Pittsburgh 36 yd line. We couldn't muster a first down. FG team comes on. It's good for a 3 - 0 lead. No need to panic. Kick off.

Steelers with the ball. Turnover, a la Pete Kendall-ish. "Here", the football gods say, "take it, we'll even put it on a platter for you." 3 plays later, we say, "no..that's ok, we'll just kick another FG". 6 - 0.

Somewhere down in the pit of my B & G stomach, I know the tone has been set in the wee minutes of this game. This isn't good by any one's interpretation. No way!

The Reality

Clinton Portis -- 13 carries for 51 yards. (stomach bubbles & tumbles)

Jason Campbell -- 24 of 43 for 206 yds and 2 interceptions. He held out as long as he could. He had thrown 271 passes without an interception. He exhaled. It had to happen sooner or later. I'm glad it's done with. Now perhaps we can get past this "perfect QB" moniker. That must have been a pressure cooker for him. He was also put onto his back 7 times! 7!

Steeler 'D' is ranked #1 for a reason. They're pretty good. They came ready to play. And play they did. Offensive series after offensive series was squashed by the Steelers ferocious 'D'. Nothing we did seemed to work. Sputtering like that old '74 Pinto I used to drive in high school.

I wished this game to be over but it kept lingering like the leftovers from last week's main menu sitting in some one's stomach.

There was a glimmer of hope when it was reported that a gimpy Rothlisberger was done for the moment and the back up was sent in to man the helm. Byron Leftwich, draft pick bust extraordinaire! I was almost giddy with the notion that the Steelers were reduced to bringing in Leftwich.

Just when you think you know is when you really don't. As the football gods often do, they mocked & laughed at Skins fans as "Lefty" sustained the longest drive of the game upon his entrance. It resulted in a TD. The rest, as they say, is history.

You know it's not your teams' day when the back up QB comes in and hand you your rear end on a platter.

Yes, momma said there'd be days like this. But she didn't say I had to like them!

VIVE LA BYE! We need it! HAIL!

Taming The Lions

2008-10-27T19:49:00.009-04:00

Week 8

Skins vs Lions

This weekend was a weekend of firsts for me. I had to work a half day on Saturday. Haven't done that in over 15 years(qualifies as a first in my book since that many years have passed). Went to sleep on Saturday night at around 9:00pm. Haven't done that since I was a kid. I watched this game at home with my daughter. Yep. I stayed home. It wasn't of my own choice, however. For reasons unbeknownst to me, my sister-in- law sent me a text message on sometime between Saturday afternoon and Sunday at noon informing me that I was no longer welcomed in their home to watch the games. To add further insult to injury, when I inquired as the reasons why, I was totally ignored (twice btw) by both her and my b-i-l. I spent most of the day wracking my brain as to where this came from and decided that it's their loss and I will survive. I was hoping my luck wouldn't transfer to the team.

After watching the first half, I thought, "so much for that bit of hoping, I guess luck is transferable".

Penalties and predictable play calling were par for the course. It was frustrating to say the least. It seemed at every turn, we'd find a way to shoot ourselves in the foot!

I don't know what the "issue" with Portis and Zorn was on the sidelines but lets' get it fixed and move on.

And they did. (Whew!)

The 2nd half was a much better sight for sore eyes. We dominated in every aspect of this game.

Time of Possession - check
Total Offense Yardage - check
QB rating and stats - check
Score - check (but not until later in the game)

Time after time we continued to give the Lions hope. We didn't shut the proverbial door and they kept peeking their beady eyes and large heads through to see what we were doing.

Ironically, special teams actually saved us this week. Suisham was 4/5 and 1 extra point for a total of 13 points. Santana Moss returned a punt for 6 bringing the special teams point total to 19.

The offense scored one (1) TD and we tried a 2 pt conversion. Not sure why we did that and it was unsuccessful. When these work, coach = genius, when they don't, not so much.

While it wasn't a "blowout" by any stretch of the imagination, we piled up yards and stats to beat the band:

Total Net yards - 439
Time of Possession - 35:45
Portis - 24 carries for 126 yds 0 TD
Campbell - 23/28 for 328 yds and 1 TD and 0 INT's
Moss - 9 catches for 140 yds 1 TD
Cooley - 6 catches for 74 yds
Randel El - 3 catches for 47 yds

Yoder, Thrash, Portis, Thomas and Alexander all had 1 catch. So the ball was spread around pretty well.

A 'W' is a 'W' and that's what's important. We're 6-2 midway the season. A nice feeling and a sense of pride because it was more than anyone expected.

I'd like to see a few of the FG's be TD's, a few defensive turnovers would be nice along with some pressure on the opposing team's QB. My list isn't too "pie in the sky" as far as I'm concerned. What does concern me however, is the fact that we're moving into the back end of the schedule and we have some pretty decent teams yet to face. We're going to need more points to defeat the likes of Pittsburgh, New York, Dallas and Philly.

Let's hope they get if figured out before the Steel curtain(old skool alert) comes to town.

Hail.

Dawg Day Afternoon

2008-10-20T19:30:00.006-04:00

--Week 7

Skins vs Browns

Mirage. Fluke. Optical illusion. All words that could be used to describe what happened last Monday(Oct. 13th) when the Browns handed the Giants a sound whipping.

After seeing with mine own eyes, the juggernaut that was supposed to be Cleveland, I thought, "how did they pull that off?", "Evidently the Giants were asleep at the switch."

Another Sunday was upon Redskins Nation. I felt strangely detached from this upcoming game for some reason. Not really sure of a win but not really thinking we'd lose either. After all, the Browns had just put a beat down on the defending Super Bowl champs less than a week ago.

Dread was lying deep within my belly, stirring up the acids into overdrive. I tried to go about my business like nothing important was on the horizon but my heart knew better.

10:45am -- Went to church with very little sense of urgency about me. A late game makes for a leisurely trip to the House and back. Plenty of time to mingle and actually listen to folks as they chat it up.

1:30pm -- Home. I pick out the clothes that will be worn for battle(Cooley storm jersey, gray Skins sweatpants, gray Skins hat, and gray and white Nike's). Cooked up some cheddar cheese melt Hamburger Helper (not bad...a trip down the palatable memory highway). Served it with mashed potatoes(homemade tyvm! I'm a southern gal what can I say?) and biscuits(canned..I just can't get the homemade version of these down). Rib sticking good!

2:00pm -- Enjoying the happenings around the league. St. Louis is beating Dallas to the tune of 21 - 7 at the half! That's always a pick me up for a Skins fan.

2:30pm -- Ran out of the front door as my across the street neighbor motors up to his driveway(He's a Cowboy fan). I seize the moment! I can't help myself. I say, "How bout dem cowboys?"

"Shut up" he says. I wave him off as the bandwagon fan that he is. A half hour later he's knocking on my front door saying and I quote, "you know your team is playing bad when they switch to another game in the middle." "Welcome to mediocre football", I say. He leaves with his tail tucked between his legs. Top o' the world Ma! Top o' the world!

3:15pm -- I throw on the battle gear, jump into the Escort, start my journey to my Sunday home, my b-i-l Andrew's house.

3:45pm -- The gang's all here! We're ready for a rebound! Let's beat those Browns!

4:15pm -- We have lift off! We kick. That means getting the ball to start the 2nd half. YAY! That's a plus for me!

5:30pm -- Halftime! FINALLY! I think I may have dozed a few times! It was like watching a tennis match. Back & forth...back & forth. "No, you take it...No...you take it". Lots of punts by both teams. On a positive note, that enabled the Skins to get a gander at the leg of our newly acquired punter. A 240 lb bruiser of a punter. Not a bad performance considering he was signed less than a week before this game.

We even got treated to seeing Shaun Alexander 2.0. Seemed funny seeing him in the burgundy and gold. Odd to cheer for someone that I've always hoped would fail during our games.

2nd Half -- We finally show some signs of having a pulse. Clinton Portis, again does what is quickly becoming a habit for him. Another 100 + yard game. (175 yds on 27 carries, 1 TD). He, unfortunately, coughed up the ball at the worse possible moment in the game but I gave him a pass for that because 1) we won, 2) the guy stripped him from behind while trying to get extra yardage. Not much you can do to prevent that.

Campbell had a pretty decent game once again. Solid. No picks or fumble from him yet. He's in record setting territory here. Spreading the ball around ensured Randal El, Cooley and Moss each having 4 catches for a combined 163 yds. Getting Moss involved again proved to be the icing on the proverbial cake. He moved after the catches very well and was rewarded with a TD that ultimately won the game.

London Fletcher = tackling machine! (7 tackles) 'Nuff said!

Defense played a great game! Holding Cleveland to no touchdowns until the 4th quarter.

Carlos Rogers laid the smacketh down. Horton still looks amazing living up to his nickname, "The Predator". That is no optical illusion for sure. The goal line stance was amazing. They gained a lot of respect with that series. If not for the untimely Portis fumble, the defense would not have given up a touchdown again this week. But with mistakes comes payment. The Browns scored and then got 2 on the subsequent conversion. Can we expect them to hold everything? Yes..can they? No. As good as they are...they're only human. Well , except for Horton and Fletcher that is.

Special teams still need work. Randel El isn't the answer on returning punts. And our coverage needs to be better.

For the first time in a while, we actually had to sit on the edge of the sofa, hoping the Browns would be...well...the Browns. They took one last gasp of O2 and tried to kick a 54 yd field goal to send the game in to OT.

The Browns are who we thought they were! Derek Anderson missed receiver after receiver after receiver. His numbers told the tale: 14/37 for 136 yds and 1 TD. Jamaal Lewis was their only bright spot on offense and even then you had to squint to see it. He had 80 yds on 19 carries. It made for a long afternoon for Browns fans I'm sure.

7:00pm -- The End! Redskins seal a win to improve to 5-2 overall. We high five all around and are glad that we rebounded from last week. We relax and eat some pizza. We get ready for football night in America. We laugh a lot at Dallas getting beat and now don't feel so bad that we lost by 2 to the same team that just rolled over them 34-14. The Rams winning in that way makes the blow to our egos a little softer.

We start to think ahead to next week and decide that's best left for another day. We bask in the afterglow of taking the #2 spot in the NFCE, just ahead of the 4-3 Cowboys.

HOW SWEET IT IS!

Body Snatchers

2008-10-13T20:57:00.004-04:00

Skins vs Rams

Week 6

All NFL fans experience this phenomena at some point in their "fandom". some teams' fans experience it more often and for longer period of times than others.

As a Redskins fan, this phenomena has been "how we roll" for more years than I care to admit.

Let me clarify the "Body Snatcher" experience. This occurs when a team takes the field on any given Sunday and looks nothing like the team they were the week before. Sometimes it's a good thing...sometimes not.

This phenomena reared it's ugly head in DC Sunday. The win less Rams came to town to face a high stepping, chest thumping, Redskins team that had beaten 2 divisional opponents in their stadiums on back to back Sundays. Unbelievable!

Now the history of this team suggests that at no time should they ever "overlook" an opponent at any time. But most of us, I think based on the previous 4 games, thought that the Redskins would win this game. We had played with an intensity not seen in quite some time around these parts. But the team that took the field Sunday looked entirely different from the team that had beaten Dallas and then turned around and handed it to Philly.

Flat. No fire. No expectation of winning. Could they have actually bought into the media hype? Did they actually look past an 0-4 Rams team? Several things occurred here.

Butterfingers --(Not the candy bar.) Turnovers were the order of the day. 3 fumbles in the 1st half. After 5 weeks of no offensive turnovers, the Redskins committed 3 in the 1st half. Cooley, Kendall, and Rabach/Campbell all coughed up the ball. Kendall's was definitely the most costly as the Rams scored their only TD after returning that fumble 75yds.
Dropsy -- Too many dropped passes on the offensive side of the ball + 2 dropped INT's by the defensive side = here a drop, there a drop, everywhere a drop drop.
Punting -- Bring the punter, he'll do what we need him to do. Oh wait that was another season. I will admit that I thought Brooks was the real deal after seeing him boot that ball during training camp(I know...it was training camp..but still). But he has yet to "get 'er going". And from the rumblings out in cyberspace, Mr. Brooks(not the movie)may be sent on his merry way. We still need improvements on kick coverage and field position.

We took some dings to our egos and to our personnel. The knees have it with Betts, Samuels and Thrash respectively, sustaining injuries. A groin strain to Smoot(SMOOOOOOOOOT!..I love his name) and an ankle strain to Horton<gasp>.

So when you really look at everything and realize these guys are the actually the same people as last week, what does that leave you with? A team that has a virgin head coach with his own brand and style of coaching, players that looked as if their reserve tanks had been emptied the previous weeks and fans that crashed back down to earth in .623 seconds.

Does this mean this team is done? Is this the beginning of the so-called end? I think not! It is what it is. A loss. The fact is that if we had taken a loss in Dallas or in Philly there wouldn't have been so much as a passing glance in our direction by the powers that be. There would be no fan meltdown or disappointment. But when you are flying as high as we were prior to Sunday's shenanigans, it's a big, belly whopper of a return to planet earth.

The measure of this team will be how it responds to this adversity. If this is what I think it is then next week we'll return to "pre-Ram" form against the Browns. Thank God the Browns have 1 win.

Fight on Sons of Waaash-ing--ton! Rah Rah Rah!

In the Rearview Mirror

2008-10-10T22:16:00.006-04:00

I remember, as a kid riding in our car to see relatives, asking my Dad, "why do you keep looking in the rear view mirror?". He answered, "so I can see where we've been". As a long time Redskins fan, I have a tendency to glance in that mirror from time to time. Hoping the past is getting further and further in the distance as they try to get themselves to the top of the NFL heap. I get struck by the view in that mirror when this team plays well enough to attract national attention. Will it be "Ground Hog Day" yet again? This team I love, back in the day, was always in the headlines. I am lucky enough to have witnessed the 3 Super Bowl victories and the numerous playoff runs that seemed unending to a kid like me. Those were the good ol' days. But every since that glorious 1991 season, this team has been nothing more than a spoiler for the most part. Players came and went, coaches came and went and fans even came and went. No one was left but those of us often referred to as "diehards". Kick us when we're up, kick us when we're down. We'll still keep coming back for more. Year after year, season after season. We can't change. It's who we are. Redskins fans! We got used to being disrespected. We expected to lose games that we were supposed to win. We accepted mediocrity as a way of life. Sometimes embracing a 9-7 record with the excitement of a kid at Christmas time. We clung to any signs of improvement as if our very lives depended on it, only to be plunged back into the abyss by the lowliest of teams that were on our schedules. But as of late, I've sat in the living room of my favorite in-laws' house and watched my beloved team start to resemble my beloved team of days gone by, it suddenly occurs to me that I've become timid in my "fandom". I've gotten excited numerous times before and suffered for it. After being bitten by a dog so many times, you learn to tip toe around it to get where you're going. While I watched this team poke holes in "America's Team", I realized that I don't like what I've become. Afraid to believe, afraid to talk trash! I find myself almost wanting to push success away for fear of failure. The "hair of the dog" remedy has repeatedly failed me over the years. I could hardly believe what I saw 2 weeks ago in Texas. I certainly couldn't convince myself that we would cruise into Philly and pull the rug out from under McNabb & Co. But we did it! Then came all of the "what if's": "What if...Shaun Suisham had missed those field goals?", "What if ....Cooley had dropped that pass thrown to him by Antwaan Randel El?" STOP IT!, I tell myself. Just stop it! You've waited all these years for this and now you won't allow yourself to enjoy it! The play calling, the execution, the determination, the tenacity have all come together to make the Redskin faithful downright giddy and confident. All of the pieces have fallen in to place thus far. Just like the movie of the same title, "The Perfect Storm", all of the elements necessary for doling out devastation to other teams have manifested in this team at this moment. But will it last? Can it last? History dictates to this Redskins fan to say a resounding "NO!". So forgive me when this team rushes out of the gate and takes the NFL by storm and I say, "Hold on a minute". I temper my excitement because of what I see when I look into the rear view mirror. I must let go of these images that keep cropping up in my mind's eye. I must reach out and grab the prize while the grabbing is good or I'll miss the most excitement this team has dished out in years. Let's not miss what's in front of us because we're looking at where we've been. Let's embrace this new "Zorn'd out" team with it's new found confidence and old skool swagger! Since we're the most loyal fan base in the NFL, we deserve a season like this. It's the price we pay to wear the B&G! Good or bad, win or lose, I am a Redskins fan. No pain..no gain. HTTR! (But let's not get too cocky..it's bad karma!) 35-14 Redskins over the Rams! Can you say 5-1? Hail!

A Bird in the Hand....

2008-10-06T22:08:00.012-04:00

Week 5

Skins at Philly

After many years of frustration, impossible losses, penalties at critical times, etc. etc., a Redskins fan can sometimes be hesitant to take that leap. You know, the leap that allows you to believe that the team you've loved for so long, has finally, seemingly started to click on all cylinders. We were coming off of the high of beating "America's Ho's"(did I just type that?) in their backyard. We all heard the dismissiveness from all of the "ho" fans: "You only won by 2 points", "you guys cheated", "you got lucky", blah blah blah. I sat and watched that game. Saw every down, every pass, every score! Celebrated with my fellow skins fans. Pranced around all week, waiting, wishing, wanting a Cowboy fan, any Cowboy fan, to approach me and say something stupid(and they inevitably did). After that game, the family and I talked about how cool it would be to go into Philly this coming week and steal this game. How awesome would that be? VERY AWESOME! We all agreed. But years of being conditioned by this team to not take anything for granted, I couldn't bring myself to actually even fathom that a win in Philly was remotely possible. I couldn't even allow myself to think it much less believe it! Hoped it could happen. Wanted it to happen but not actually believe it! Not in my Redskins scarred heart! So...I wake up Sunday morning feeling excited but scared. Waiting for that other shoe to drop. For the Redskins of 2007 to somehow resurrect themselves in the bodies of the 2008 Redskins. I go to church...say a prayer for them (yes..I pray for them), leave early, rush home, change clothes (attire for the day: Redskins baseball jersey, Redskins shorts, new $5 Wal Mart Skins hat, new reebok Skins socks and my ever present Skins clogs), gave my hubby his lunch (BBQ chicken, mac & cheese and biscuits), ran out the front door, set out for the in-law's house. Got caught in some kind of traffic jam. Got upset because I didn't know what the hold up was and got to the in-law's and they're not home! YES...NOT HOME! What kind of jack legged set up was this? I text him and he said.."I'm on the way". So I waited for the hosts and it got a little warm..so I ran over to the local drug store to get an iced tea (Gold peak...sweet w/no lemon..this is good bottled tea), turned on the radio upon returning to the parking lot, ate some peanuts, got out the Redskins camping chair and had a mini, solo tailgate. That's the way you improvise if you're a real fan! It was fun..even if I was all by myself. I could have stayed there for the remainder of the game. FLASHBACKS - The first 5 or so minutes of this game had me reeling back to those days of yore and by yore I mean last season. Playing lights out one week , playing in the dipsy dumpster the next. 14 - 0 right out of the gate! But wait! What is this funny feeling I'm having? There's no gastric upset, there's no gnashing of teeth, no feeling of doom. I have a vision. A vision of a world with no panic. I'm calm and cool and hear myself say, out loud mind you, "it's early yet, 1st quarter, we have time". As soon as I said it, I looked around to see who said it. 2nd quarter - Things began to look a little better. "We can still pull this out" I hear myself say. Half time - The first half went by so quickly. 3 field goals..uuuggghhh! 14 - 9. Within reach. Not bad. 3rd quarter - Wow! Wow! Wow! 4th quarter - Wish we could have scored a few more TD's. But the bad guys never got a chance to make a run for it. We didn't allow them back on the field. We took over with a little over 7 minutes on the clock and ran it out. 4th & 1 - got it! I liked it! The whole team, with a few exceptions here and there, played very well. We have ourselves a real football team here ladies and gents! It felt good! It felt invigorating! Free to believe in this team again. To allow myself to believe the dream that I thought was still a few seasons away. They're impressing everyone with their confidence, composure and execution. Good, solid football is what I'm seeing. Get punt coverage beefed a little, get the punter to kick it up a notch, give Randel-El some sticky for his hands and we'll be set! So what did we learn from this game? Let me tell you what I learned. WHEN YOU HAVE A BIRD IN THE HAND....YOU CRUSH IT! Especially when it's of the Philly variety. 4-1, back home to face the lowly Rams. Can we look ahead yet? Ummmm ....no! Old habits are hard to break.

Mmmm Mmmm Good

2008-09-29T21:28:00.008-04:00

"That's what Jason Campbell is....mmmm mmmm good!" No? OK...how about this? (Sing to the tune of "I Feel Good" by James Brown)

"I feel good.....I knew that I would now.......I feel good.......I knew that I would now....So good....so good...cuz we beat you! I feel nice.......cuz we put Dallas on ice now...I feeeeel nice...cuz we put Dallas on ice now...So nice.. So nice..cuz we beat you!"

Yeah..that's more like it..don't you think?

Well, well, well...it's been a great day to be a Skins fan if I do say so myself. All is right in Redskins Nation! According to the "powers that be", the Skins just pulled off a football miracle! "This team can't compete with the Dallas Cowboys", "this team is going to come into Dallas and get blown out by a much better Dallas team", "this team is no match for the high powered offense of Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys".

Yeah..ok...how'd that work out for ya? Hmmm?

I was on edge all week long in anticipation of this game. It loomed on the horizon like an angry storm cloud. Caught in the unending cycle of "I know we can win this game...but will we?", "I know we can win this game...but (insert excuse here)". This ever present lack of confidence came about from years of "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" at almost every venue we played in. It's not something that I hold in high esteem about me. I've been burned so often by the Skins that I rarely "trash talk" anymore. Gun-shy is what it's called. It's amazing what a string of losing season does to one's psyche.

Anyhoo....Sunday came. No skipping church this week as the game was set to go at 4:15pm. So I could relax after church for a few moments. I decided I was going to contribute chicken wings to the buffet eau'de Brinkley(my in-laws' abode). I stopped at the local grocers and as I was perusing the vast array of chicken wings(who knew there were so many different brands?), I came across something interesting. A bright red bag loaded with Tyson's Any Tizers. On sale..cha ching! Got em. 2 bags...1 buffalo style....1 honey BBQ style. Have you seen these little bits o' Heaven in your frozen foods section? Pre-seasoned, frozen wings ready to heat and eat. 18 - 20 minutes in a hot oven and viola'...chicken wings! There were about 20-25 wings per bag...plenty for a guest list of 5-7 people! Best invention since sliced bread! And yummy to boot! Less work...great taste! Check 'em out!

3:20pm - Load stuff(camera, tripod, chicken wings)into car. Drop daughter off at job(thank God for fast food joints..they employ 18-20 somethings..yay...less empty pockets for me).
3:35pm - As I'm getting ready to pull away from the daughter's job when I saw a young man heading for my car. He stopped at my window, with 3 Miller Lite beers in a bag and a backpack that was overloaded with God only knows what. He asked me for a ride "just around the corner from here". He seemed nice enough with red hair and freckles. He assured me he was no ax murderer and then he added the "coup de grace"..."I'm a Redskins fan too(with a way too cheezy grin). How could I say no? He jumped in the car, introduced himself as "John"(nicely done..indiscreet name), showed me his HVAC tech credentials(I don't know either..but he was proud of it just the same), we chit chatted the whole 2-3 miles that I drove him down the road. Dropped him at a convenience store, he offered to pay me for the gas, I turned him down because sometimes it feels good to be nice just because.
4:05pm - Park at the in-laws, grab my stuff and run upstairs to their apartment. Everything was set up and ready to go; the Skins rug was in place, the Skins chairs were in place(2 of those btw), the Skins chip holder helmets were on the table and filled to the rim with Doritos (nacho cheese and cool ranch for those keeping score) We are so pumped we can hardly contain ourselves! We wait with bated breath for the Fox crew to throw it to Troy and Joe!
4:15pm - Kickoff! We've welcomed another member of our Redskins family tree to the party! Andre'(nicknamed Beep... for reasons I do not know). We watch as we get the ball and proceed to punt after few good plays. "It's early" we say. What did we expect? So we settle in for what may or may not be the most wonderful game this season. The 'other team' comes in before we know it...TD for them! Uggghhhhh! We can't believe it! But we remind ourselves that it's early yet and we don't need to panic. Beep brings his 9y/o son, Andre' Jr(better known as lil Beep)who has taken up the role of antagonist. Little did he know that Uncle Drew had a big surprise in store for him. So as lil Beep ran around saying, "deadskins suck" and "yall are going to lose this game 0 - Dallas' infinity", he was oblivious to the fact that the abundance of food was intended for Redskins fans ONLY! He soon found out that Redskins vs Dallas at Uncle's house isn't for the weak or the hungry! No food for lil Beep until he cooled his heels with the trash talking. I felt sorry for him at times but I did wave a few Doritos under his nose before crunching down on them in his tender, youthful ears! He held his ground for about 1 hour. Then it happened. After being mad, hungry and doggedly determined, he fell because of his lust for Doritos! Those dastardly, triangle shaped bits o' heaven. They've been the downfall of a many young kid. Mission accomplished! Lil Beep was a Skins fan! Well at least until next Sunday!
Halftime - We're happy! Things have gone well for the most part. We all think there's too much time left and that it should be the 4th quarter by now! We're not comfortable at all. But we do eat. Wings, pork BBQ sandwiches w/cole slaw, mac and cheese, beer for the drinkers, sodas for the light weights(that's me!)
3rd Quarter - Not feeling the "squib" kick off to start the 2nd half. Blame that for the ensuing TD by "that team"! Midway through this quarter, our resident Cowboy fan makes an appearance, complete with a girlfriend in tow wearing a Cowboys jacket. They sit, they can't believe the score.
4th Quarter - Time is running out for the fan of the evil ones! We are laughing..he is not! He's pouting! Honest to goodness pouting! He attempts to argue that with no timeouts and a minute something left on the tick tock, his team "can still win this thing". We ignore him and start the countdown, like we're about to do the NASA shuttle launch! 12, 11, 10, 9, 8......YAY! It is finished! We're ecstatic...he is NOT! Drew asks him..."what does that make you Cowboy fan?" "I'll tell you what it makes you...tied with the Redskins!". It's too much for his fragile Cowboy fandom! He retreats with Ms. Cowboy fan looking totally disinterested in everything including this game! We celebrate! What a day! What a game!

The team looked really good. Minor things that can be fixed hopefully will be. Campbell continues to improve. We looked comfortable in that place! We came, We played, We conquered! We still endure little to no respect. Cowboy fans, licking their wounds, lash out, trying to steal our joy! (FAT CHANCE!) Telling us that "we only won by 2!" Ummmm..you do know that means that you LOST by 2 right?

We know the gravity of what occurred there in "Big D". Something so outrageous that the talking heads can't wrap their lips around the words. Here let me help you...Redskins go into Texas stadium and get a win..outplaying "America's Team" in every way on this day! The numbers don't lie. Take a gander if you must! It's good stuff! The score is not indicative of the dominance that was Redskins football on this day!

It does feel good! Aaaaahhhhhhh..."I'll take a steak-medium well, a baked potato with sour cream, a side salad, and a helping of Dallas Cowboy whip arse to top it off!

Well done Skins...well done! On to Philly, home of the less than human fans! Enjoy the new "Dallas chant"!

Send in the Clowns

2008-09-24T22:22:00.016-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen and children of all ages; Welcome to the NFL's answer to Ringling Bros. The team that we all love to hate: The Dallas Cowboys .

Prelude to Week 4

DALLAS WEEK!

No other 2 words in the English language can get the blood flowing in a Redskins fan more....well except for "Touchdown Washington!". It's a conglomerate of excitement, anticipation, nervousness, hope, fear and smack talk. This rivalry goes back as far as I can remember. I long for the days when coach George Allen would rally the team and tell them to "go kick some Cowboy arse!"

Very few of today's younger players even "get it" when it comes to Dallas week. If they've been a Redskin for any amount of time, they kinda-sorta get it, but not like the "ol' skool" guys. I mean Dexter Manley still insists on bringing it with him every where he goes. When he appeared at this year's Beach Blitz in VA Beach, the only question he posed for the newly appointed head coach was, "Are we going to beat Dallas 2 times this year?". The rookie coach committed a small breach in etiquette by saying, "I don't know about that Dex." To which Dexter replied, "we better!" Needless to say the crowd erupted!

The 2 franchises have had their scrapes along the way. One team peaking while the other is bottom feeding. Dallas currently holds the upper hand in wins with 52, while the Skins have 33. But the tides have slowly but surely started to change.

I believe one of the most memorable meetings of these 2 teams took place just a few short years ago on a Monday Night in Texas Stadium. That game has been dubbed by Skins fans as the "Monday Night Miracle in Dallas". On that particular night, Sep 19, 2005, we stepped into God's toilet(yes...that's what that hole is for in case you're wondering) hoping against all hope that we could survive that game and get out uninjured. The Skins had not done anything the whole game. No scores on the board well into the 4th quarter. It was 13 - 0 Dallas with about 4 minutes to go. Most of America had turned in for the night as the hour was getting late. Redskins fans disgusted by yet another loss to our arch nemesis, Cowboy fans thinking they had put us on ice. Then, lightening in a bottle struck. Mark Brunell, an aging, veteran QB, threw a touchdown pass to Santana Moss. 13 - 7. As I jumped for joy and hooped and hollered in my living room, I started to formulate in my mind that the Redskins could actually win this game. Dare I think it? "We just need to get the ball back!" "If we can get the ball back, we can do that again!" I was frantically wishing, hoping, praying. Then it happened again! Mark Brunell to Santana Moss for 6. Extra point good....14 - 13! Good night Cowboy nation! I screamed and ran up and down my hallway! It was after 11pm and here I was running and screaming to the top of my lungs. I will never forget that game. The looks on the faces of Cowboy fans the next day was priceless! This series has held that kind of tenacity for quite some time.

It seems however, that it's starting to lose some of it's luster. Coaches that are new to the league or to either team don't see it in the same light. You have alot of other distractions now that get thrown amongst the battlefield. Players that have done jail time, suspended from the league for some crime or another, dating big celebrities and taking vacations before playoff games, telling you to "get yer popcorn ready" or loving them some them. Even the younger Skins players don't seem to get it. Just this past week, a rookie Redskins player was seen speaking to the media in enemy paraphernalia(a T.O. t-shirt). Give me a break! Them's fightin words! Can't the younger generation get anything right? A question best answered on another day!

The Skins are facing a formidable Cowboy team on Sunday. Loaded with talent. They've generated quite a bit of offense in their first 3 outings. Defense....not so much! Opponents have been able to score..not at will mind you...but able to score nonetheless.

Can my Skins win on Sunday? Sure...anythings possible! Will they? I can't answer that question, the crystal ball is in the shop for repairs. If the Skins can put together a good, solid, error-free game, they have a chance to get one from the home team. Realistically, I don't see the Skins winning this game. From a fan's standpoint, I HOPE they will.

KEEP HOPE ALIVE!!

So Hail to the Redskins! Let's kick some Dallas booty! Prediction: Realistically: Dallas - 28 Redskins - 17. The Homer in me: Redskins - 21 Dallas - 17.(Let's hope for the latter..shall we?)

Bye Bye Birdies

2008-09-22T23:29:00.008-04:00

Forgive me Father, for I have played hooky! Yes, that's right. I skipped church in favor of football. I couldn't help it! I had way too much to get done before the game; laundry, cook dinner for my husband(I mean, the man has to eat right? I can't leave him without food for the day, can I?) No....no....of course not! So I wasn't able to squeeze Amazing Grace in between washing and cooking. Heaven help me. I hope Jesus is a football fan.

Funny....the Cardinal is VA's state bird but AZ can't seem to win in these parts. <snicker>.

Skins - 24 Cards - 17

As we close out week 3 and look ahead to week 4, we notice that time-proven, veteran QB's don't always belong as high up on the pedestal as the media types tend to put them.

We all heard the typical, over-hyped press about AZ. "It's the Cardinals' year this year", They've replaced Leinart with Kurt Warner and he should be able to get this team going." "Kurt Warner had a perfect QB rating last week. That makes 2 of those for him. WOW. Can you say comeback kid?" Cardinal fans are still waiting.

Skins fans, on the other hand, are stepping a little higher, feeling a little better and timidly getting a little swagger in their walks. It's an all around brighter day in Redskinsville. We've beaten 2 teams that most of the "pros" thought we wouldn't compete with. Although to be fair a few of them made the "gutsy" call and picked the Skins to win this one. According to our favorite, color commentator, Darryl "Moose" Johnston, "AZ beat themselves". Someone please tell him that the Redskins were on the field at some time during this game and scored 24 points while the Cardinals beat themselves. Let's cut to the chase here. The pluses on Sunday:

SPREADING THE WEALTH - Seven(7) different targets for Jason Campbell. Way to get others involved. Loved it! Moss, Cooley, Randel El, Thomas, Betts, Sellers, Yoder, and Portis all got a piece of the action.

IMPROVEMENTS BY JASON CAMPBELL - He was able to get the ball away a little quicker imo. Finding his targets and getting the ball there looked nice. I was elated to see him run for some quick and needed yardage at critical times. I couldn't understand why he wasn't doing that in the previous games. Glad he turned that around. He looked more comfortable and executed at a higher level. His numbers: 22/30 193yds 2 TD 0 INT's. The offense racked up 323 total yards and kept the ball for a little over 33 minutes.

DEFENSE - Heads up play again this week for the most part. 2 turnovers(1 INT & 1 fumble recovery) that resulted in 10 points. Carlos Rogers reeled both of these in. McIntosh forced the fumble. London Fletcher added 7(3 solo, 4 assists) more tackles to his resume' for a season total of 31 thus far. Go Fletcher! We pretty much kept Aquan Boldin in check(3 catches for 25 yds, 1 TD). We pressured or hurried Kurt Warner a plenty. Had 2 sacks as icing on the cake.
Special Teams - Better than last week, but not as good as they could have been. Suisham missed a 52 yarder. Had the distance..accuracy ...not so much. Although it seems by the actions of the head coach afterwards, the place holder had a hand in that. Speaking of Brooks, he punted better than last week with kicks of 35, 45, 56 and 35 yards respectively.

The Minuses

We failed to contain Edgerrin James. He was able to accumulate 93 yards on 18 rushes. We must get a handle on this lack of run stoppage from the defense before we roll into Dallas this coming weekend. I don't quite understand, however, why the Cardinals didn't continue pounding James down our throats instead of allowing Warner to sling all over the place.
There are few little things that we need to get cleaned up. We drove down the field, picking up pieces of real estate little by little and when we make it to the red zone, we take a time out! Imo, a team should continue smacking the opposition while you have them reeling from the previous blows. When you have an opponent pinned on the mat, don't allow them to get up to gather themselves. My head tells me this is a rookie head coach issue, my heart says to me.."WTH?". While it isn't the most significant piece of the puzzle, but you can't complete the portrait with a piece missing. Let's get it cleaned up.
The running game didn't quite get off the ground like we're used to seeing. Although we did use the 1-2 punch effectively for a while. Campbell, Sellers, and Thomas also took a few strolls around the park. I, personally, was elated to see Campbell use his feet to pick up much needed yardage. My biggest concern here was with Clinton Portis. 21 rushes for only 68 yards or about 3.2 yards per carry. Dismal IMO..at least for him. However it is refreshing to NOT see him gasping for air at the end of the day and perhaps it may save his legs for further use i.e. the post season. Things that make you go HMMMMM!.

Overall, I give us a good grade on this game. I'm happy with the steps we've made up to this point. Not a SuperBowl team but we're not the Browns either!

Watch out Texas the Skins are coming to town. Be afraid...be very afraid!

Hail!

A Redskins Lunch....*Homerism style...

2008-09-16T17:23:00.007-04:00

Defense wins championships.....and offense wins games!

And win is what my Skins did on Sunday! The Saints came marching in (I know...but I couldn't resist) and the Skins went marching up and down the field.

I missed kick off due to religious commitments. I was held up at church. I expected this and had prepared myself for such a time as this. I attached my old Nokia (complete with a FM radio player)on my hip as I went out the door. I fulfilled my duties as usher and proceeded to the last pew. Inserted the "wired" earpiece and turned on the ESPN980 pregame show (which is fed through 102.1 The Game here locally). The blah, blah, blah from Sheehan & Co. intermingled with the fiery word of God made for interesting entertainment. Sermon over, trustee duties assumed. I looked at the clock over the exit and was pleasantly surprised that it was 12:45pm. He had ended early! Thank the Lord, my Pastor is a football fan after all! I looked at my fellow trustee and said, "let's get to the back and get this done and get out of here!" "Ok", she agreed. Fast forward to 1:10pm . Trustee duties finished, I headed for the parking lot. Jumped in the car, raced over to Hardees to get lunch for my husband who doesn't participate in our Sunday rituals. I get behind this humongous, white truck that is unashamedly sporting, not 1 but 2, cowboy flags. I groan internally and say to myself, "I can't believe it..Only I get stuck behind a cowboy fan on my way to watch the Skins play". It was as if someone was sticking toothpicks in my eyes having to watch those horrible things sway in the breeze. Ordered food, paid, raced home, threw food on the table, raced to my room, threw on the Moss jersey, skins shorts, and clogs. Ran back to the living room, said 'hail' to my husband(no dap because we lost the last time I did that, so no more dap for him). Jumped in the car, raced to my b-i-l's house, ran up the stairs, knocked on the door, gave high 5's all around and then proceeded to gorge on my Redskins meal for the day.

A wonderful, combo meal of passes, runs and heads up defensive plays, turned this game into a much needed victory at home.

THE BIG MAC - Amidst a sweltering heat and oppressive humidity, our QB, who just a week or so ago looked as if it were his first time on a football field, came out and played like he was made for the game. For the Redskins faithful, this was pure joy. Jason Campbell made us all breathe a sigh of relief. His numbers told the story of how well he played and they definitely improved from the opener. 24/36 321 yds 1 TD 0 INT
THE FRIES - Clinton Portis. What else can you say about a dude who just does what he does game after game? He plays hard, shows up every game and gives it his all. 'Nuff said!
THE CHOCOLATE SHAKE - Santana Moss. A 67 yd pass from Jason, in stride, ala 2005 against a hated rival, was the go ahead play. We haven't seen this 'Tana for a while. He's been in a rocky patch over the past several seasons. I think most of that was due to little, nagging injuries that he acquired here and there. His numbers were good as well. 7 catches, 164yds! Shake it baby!
THE HOT FUDGE SUNDAE - De-fense De-fense. Say it with me now! The defense stepped it up to another level. Some of the regulars were inactive which allowed a rookie safety to prove his worth. And he answered the call. Chris Horton, a rookie out of UCLA came up with some larger than life plays that in the end sealed this much needed victory. I think most of us(skins fan that is)saw something in Chris Horton during the pre-season. We were just kinda laid back about it because preseason is....pre season after all. But after his performance on Sunday afternoon, we are certainly glad our gut reactions were correct about this young man. London Fletcher added 7 more tackles to bring his total tackles for 2 regular season games to 24. Can you say tackling machine? I thought you could!
THE HEARTBURN AND INDIGESTION - There's always room for improvement. Even though I'm a complete homeristic fan of this team, I still manage, from time to time, to see beyond my own myopic view, and recognize areas where there can be improvements. As good as Jason Campbell's numbers were, they weren't as good as they could have been. There were some times when he settled for his "check down" receivers when there were 1st and perhaps 2nd options available. Now in all fairness, I wasn't at the game on Sunday, so I am relying on others' viewpoint. IMO, Jason is still holding the ball too long. His timing is still off and needs work. Drop, step, pass...boom, boom, boom! Hopefully that will come when he's more comfortable. Special teams, which is usually an area where there have been few complaints of late, just couldn't get it going for whatever reasons. Shaun Suisham missed 2 field goals. Neither one was that unmakeable in my eyes. And we allowed Reggie Bush to show us his best imitation of Devin Hester. But Reggie Bush then showed us his TO imitation and was flagged for taunting during that return which set their ensuing kick off back a few hash marks. The offense's inability to get to the promised land after sustaining some good drives. We must get better at getting the 6!

So where do we go from here? Upwards, I hope! Will we have the staying power to compete in this division? Perhaps. But it's a first year head coach and a new offense, how much should we expect? For now, I'm enjoying one game, played reasonably well. As for the rest of the season....Let's make it a combo meal to go!

Mardi Gras in D.C.

2008-09-11T21:24:00.006-04:00

Week 2

Skins vs Saints

Doesn't that sound like fun? Since Henny Penny and the Gang are now safely back in the barn, the rest of Redskins nation can venture into the land of optimism once again. This week the Skins have the opportunity to prove that the last 3 games of their young season were just an optical illusion. They can step into their destiny by beating the Saints this weekend in their 2008 home opener. The Saints seem to be garnering a lot of attention this season and a win against them would go a long way in calming the collective nerves of Redskins fans the world over.

I remember the days when Saints fans wore paper bags over their heads to their games. What an awful thing to be forced to do. But this is football. Anything and everything can be achieved if given the proper tools. A picture like this does speak a thousand words.

As week 2 gets ready to get underway, some Redskins fans are beginning to ask if those Saints fans possibly kept some of those infamous bags from years gone by and if they can have them just in case. Yes, it's inevitably time to "do the poo" or get off the pot! Never mind that we've been on a perpetual coaching merry-go-round for years. And each coach brought a new "solution" to our problems. None of them actually HAD the answer, mind you, and if the truth be told, some weren't given the necessary time to grasp the problems, much less solve them. Another new season brings yet another go round on that carousel.

There's been nothing glamorous or "hip" about being a Redskins fan for quite some time. But it's a life that I'm not willing to lay aside. Each Sunday, it happens. That small, glimmer of hope, ignites into a passion of fire for this team that can't be denied. (If you're a Skins fan..you get it). It seems so unfair really. We're probably some of the most loyal and dedicated fans in the league, yet each year we stand by as the flames get stomped out by opposing teams on their way to the big show. We have most of the tools to emerge from the depths of mediocrity. But can we? Can we put the pieces of the puzzle in the right places at last? I know that a great majority of fans feel that Jason Campbell needs to kick it up a notch and fast. But is it fair to expect him to come out and perform flawlessly after yet another change of offense? To be honest, I've been a bit disappointed in his overall performance at the helm. I really thought he would "take off" last season. We saw flashes of his abilities from time to time. When he was on, he played very well, when he wasn't, he stunk up the joint. Have circumstances conspired to keep him less than stellar? It may not sound like it, but I'm in the camp of folks who think the guy deserves a chance to prove his worth in a more stable environment vs the "coach-go-round" that has been Washington for the past few years. Studying his craft from the bench for a year, getting his chance after an aging and injured journeyman QB failed to satisfy the appetite of this hungry franchise and it's owner, enduring the tragic loss of a teammate, and finally, sitting after a scary, but not career-ending (thankfully) injury, makes for a bumpy ride on the way to the top.

With all that said, time is moving on and Redskins fans aren't getting any younger or any more patient. If only it were as easy as putting words on a blog. Our leader has appeared, at times, lost and confused on the field. That is a BIG concern for the B&G faithful. This game is going to be the barometer for the rest of this season believe it or not. And like it or not, we will face our demons come 1:00pm on Sunday. All we want is to see some sort of improvement, a grasp of the fundamentals at the very least.

We want 'Mardi Gras' in DC! The Saints will come and they will bring their somber looking, black and gold uniforms and try to make our demons run amok in Fed Ex.

Will it be 'Fat Tuesday' or 'Black Sunday' ? Time will tell and Jason holds the keys to car. I only hope he's paid attention in driver's ed.

Prediction: Redskins -- 17* Saints -- 13

*Pure homerism at it's best! And I know you thought I was going to start with..'When the Saints go Marching In'...I admit it was tempting but in the end I didn't want the Saints to steal my thunder.

One Small Step, One Giant Leap

2008-09-05T20:48:00.011-04:00

I sat at work yesterday evening waiting for the clock on the wall to strike 6:30pm so I could high tail it out of there and get on to more important things. My Skins were about to open their 2008 football season and I was primed for an unbelievable night of Redskins madness. I raced to the parking lot, jumped into the Escort(yes..that's a Ford Escort ZX2 5 spd), and started down the road. I only live 15 minutes from the place of my employment, so I knew I had plenty of time to make it home before kickoff. Now, if any of you reading this have ever driven in the Hampton Roads area, you know that getting home sometimes can be a monumental task. Usually, there is very little rush hour traffic and the ride home is typically uneventful. But NOT on this night. I caught every red light on the 6 mile trek to my house.(That's about 12 all together). I got behind the oldest, slowest and most non-driving human being in the great state of VA! I dodged and weaved and finally pulled into my driveway at 6:50pm. During this trying drive home, my brother-in-law sends me a text and asked me why I'm not at his house yet to share this moment! I calmly text him back(not recommended if you're driving at the time btw) and explained to him that I was trapped in red light hell and behind some one's grandmother whom the DMV should know ought not to have a license still. Hold the fort, I'm coming! Ran into the house, spoke to my husband as I ran into my bedroom, threw open my Redskins T-shirt drawer, picked out the white franchise tee that I bought years ago and my Skins shorts, and of course on my feet were the Skins Crocs that I had worn to work for good measure.(Never underestimate karma..mmmk?) Ran back through the living room, shouted something to my husband about the Redskins game, opening night, we're gonna win, gave him "dap" and I was on the road. Turned up the radio that was tuned into Sonny, Sam and Larry, out of DC for the game. I laughed and shook my head as Larry Michael informed the listening audience that Khary Campbell had somehow managed to get injured DURING THE COIN TOSS! "The coin toss?", I said. "You've got to be freakin' kiddin' me! No one gets hurt on the coin toss! Did the coin fly out of Mrs. Upshaw's hand and bean him in the eye or something?" This was not a good sign. Only the Redskins can get hurt during the coin toss I shouted out of my window to no one in particular. Luckily, I was close to my destination at this point. Got to my b-i-l's just after the opening kick. Not too bad for an Escort!

Have you ever heard the saying "I should have stayed in bed"? Well, the Redskins should have stayed in bed last night. We not only managed to get a player hurt during the coin toss, we could get nothing in gear for the entire first half save the last 2 minutes. Campbell was sacked on the 1st offensive series, penalties, missed receivers, dropped passes(you get the picture). The Giants,however, scored a TD on their first offensive series. The Giants scored 2 more times during the first half and I felt the pain.

"Or will they struggle just to get a first down?"

Remember this question from the previous entry in this blog? The answer to this question is YES! The Redskins had 1 first down in the 1st quarter and that was given to them on a roughing the kicker penalty late in that quarter. It was an abysmal picture to say the least. We finally were able to put some sort of an attempt at playing the game together close to the end of the half when Jason Campbell hit Santana Moss with a 12yd strike and he scooted into the end zone for a TD. All present clapped and said, "we'll take it!". (At that point, we would have taken blood from a turnip if it meant something positive.)

There were a few bright spots mixed in with the darkness of defeat.

Clinton Portis looked decent enough. He gave all that he had and he became frustrated at the lackluster performance of those around him. I saw him once giving advice to Jim Zorn on the sideline and then he broke for a respectable run.
Our rookie punter got plenty of practice(unfortunate in one way..good in another)and he didn't perform too shabbily. There were a few glitches but all in all, he seems to be the real deal (we hope).
We were able to keep the champs from scoring in the 2nd half. But of course we didn't score either so take that for what it's worth. [snort..big sigh]
London Fletcher is one of the best defensive players in the league. He's of small stature but he's of huge heart. I thanked the Almighty for him many times during the game last night.

As the game progressed, the Redskins seemed to have slowly made their way out of the fog and clouds of preseason and took a few, small steps into their new direction. It's apparent that this team has a ways to go before we can talk about the success or failure of our new coach.

As a faithful and die hard fan of this team, it's painful to see, yet again, that we are starting over. As I contemplated this game all day on Thursday, I was hopeful that we could keep it close. We did, but not entirely on our own merit. The Giants actually had a hand in the small steps that we managed to take. The penalties, the interception, the missed throws and shades of old Eli, kept us in the game. The Giants, for the most part, played well. Hats off to them.

As for my Redskins, this is just another step on the journey to the top. While I was disappointed in how this season started, I am hopeful that as a team, my Redskins can pull it together and show their fans that with a lot of patience, a lot of learning and a little luck, this franchise can once again, stake it's claim to fame.

I must endure yet another mediocre season of football. I'll make excuses, justifications and pick out with a fine-tooth comb, the positives every week. One small step into the new direction of this team, one giant leap is yet to be made. I'll be waiting patiently just like I have over the last 17 years. Sooner or later, it will pay off.

'Twas the Night Before...

2008-09-03T21:39:00.007-04:00

Aaaaah yes...just like Christmas Eve has it's own giddiness surrounding it for the kids of the world, so does the night before opening day of the football season for fans all over this country. We've waited patiently, asked the football "Santa" for a just few things in the off season:

A new head coach that we can all get behind and support. (check)
Don't waste a lot of draft picks on players we don't really need(almost got that one..it improved over the previous years..so I count this one as gifted to me)
Don't allow us to lose over abundance of players to injury during practice, training camp and pre season games(this also wasn't too shabby although some of our warriors are gimpy, most are in one piece)
That our record be better than the season before(high hopes I know...but hey look at the name of the blog...'nuff said)

With everything on the list checked off, we started the long wait from the tumultuous end of last season to this...the night before opening day in the NFL. Can you feel it? Soon the day of reckoning will be upon us. Come 7:00 pm EST tomorrow, the wait will be over and the kick-off will take us into the realm of helmets hitting, pads crunching, footballs flying, clashings of the titans on tap for opening night. All of the what ifs, how-to's, and do overs will be finished. All of the chalkboard X's and O's will be real people with real intentions of winning this game. And just like waking up Christmas day and tearing open the packages to find just what you wanted or the exact thing you didn't want, our emotions will rise and fall by what transpires on that field. Until then, it will feel, to every Redskins fan, like we're standing on a cliff, teetering on the edge and whether we fall or not, depends on this team's ability to rise to the occassion and leave no doubt about what direction this franchise is going.

There's so much that we don't know about our beloved team and it leaves us(me is more accurate)with a somewhat uneasy feeling going into this season. So many questions that beg to be answered. Will they be the consummate pros, executing with precision the playbook that was laid before them? Will they thrill us with their polished passes and spot on defense? Or will they struggle just to get a first down? It can be nerve wracking to say the least. Add to that the fact that we're jumping directly into the fire by playing the defending Super Bowl champions and our collective nerves are strung tighter than a guitar string about to be plucked by Jimi Hendrix. (that's for my over 40 friends)

Our opponents will receive their "bling-bling" and all the accolades that come with that prior to the contest. There will be a feeling of superiority in the air that surrounds the Meadowlands tomorrow night and I'm hoping that there is just enough "super bowl hangover" to allow the Skins to "sneak in the back door" and snatch the prize without so much as breaking a sweat(ok..ok..so that's a bit over the edge. Can't blame a girl for trying though).

As I call it a night, on this the day before THE DAY, I have visions of an upset dancing in my head. The bubbles of Giants fans bursting as we fade out of sight. On Campbell, on Portis, on Moss and Cooley, take 'em home boys before this crowd gets unruly!

One can only hope. Ready or not...here we come NY!

Look Out Yall, Season's About to Begin

2008-08-31T00:06:00.004-04:00

I'm so excited. Come Thursday, Sep 4, 2008, my beloved Skins will step onto the field to start yet another season. We're(yes I'm vested in this team that much)facing the defending Super Bowl champions. From what I've seen thus far in the preseason, we may or may not be equipped to handle this game. We made the last of the cuts today. We let go of 22 players in order to get down to the required 53 man roster. The helmets are all shined and the cleats are all laced up. The team has done all it can to prepare for this game. All that's left for them to do is play. Will we be a pitiful specimen of a team this season? We've gotten ourselves a nice, brand new shiny head coach in Jim Zorn. He brought a few of his buddies with him when he came onboard. Those few have been mixed with the coaches that were left after the last regime left town. We didn't go crazy in the draft like we've done so many times in the past. I've just been so hopeful that the Skins can get it done this year. It's been a long and winding road. No date for the big dance since 1991. It's been a drought of epic proportions! A change must come. Will it be this year? That's what we always say; the undaunted, the dedicated, the loyal to a fault, Redskins fans that we are. We make up this proud faction of the burgundy & gold nation. We can talk smack about them, but the rest of you, may not. This blog will be my attempt to bring my love and passion for this team to the masses that are just like me. I'll post the reactions, the questions and the frustrations that come along with being a fan of this team. I hope you'll catch a little bit of my lightening in a bottle and allow this team or this game to consume you in the way that it's consumed me. It's a great feeling.......