Since cars will be designated where to park at Fedex Field, Redskins' groups find new ways to travel to home games to ensure they can tail-gate together.

View full size photo uploaded June 22, 2009

Why does it always seem like when the Redskins change the rules, the people that end up getting the most crapped on are the hardcore fans? The chances that the Redskins are ever blacked out locally are extremely low. But that doesn't seem to stop the powers that be from constantly discovering new ways to piss off the most ardent of Redskin supporters.

Before we all go off the deep end and incorrectly claim that the team is anti-tailgating, we should point out that instead of eliminating tailgating, the team is going to try and manage it the way they see best. This is of course their prerogative. So they hired a "consultant" and determined that the best way for them manage their lot is to tell us where to park.

Let's skip to the ways this sucks for the people who actually care about the team, and let's emphasize that this is our knee-jerk reaction to the rule changes. But let's contemplate for just a second who this hurts the most--the average fan who makes a day out of it on Sundays by setting up shop in the parking lot...NOT the muckity-muck who rolls in at 12:55 acting like he owns the place.

1) Getting there early and hanging out by the gates waiting for them to open will no longer get you that primo spot you and your family have been tailgating at for the last 10 years.

2) If you are not part of some "multi-tailgater" group, you will be directed by parking lot attendants into a spot of their choosing. Let's be clear, the parking lot attendants have NEVER been very helpful. They routinely act as if they don't care, EXCEPT when you question their "authority", in which case they relish the opportunity to wield the "power" they have been granted through their orange vest and orange flag. Now they are responsible for assigning seats at this party? These are the same people who could easily see a row of spots is 100% full, yet they send car after car down the row from the front of the lot, creating a nightmare for the people trying to find spots.

3) Between navigating the beltway, exiting the beltway, crossing whatever lanes of traffic necessary to end up in the proper turn lanes for the stadium, and the free-for-all lanes of traffic where everyone tries to get in the proper lane for their lot's color--keeping a group of tailgaters together seems next to impossible. Yet on the face of it, this is what you may very well have to accomplish to ensure you are able to park next to your friends.

4) If you don't all arrive together, you will NOT be able to park next to (or near) each other--allegedly.

5) The experience you have been enjoying and perfecting over the last 10 years is OVER if these rules are enforced the way they seem to be written as of now.

They will argue away all of our complaints by saying that tailgating will "still be welcome". But how do you plan for and implement a kick-ass tailgate when you can't even ensure all your people will a) know where you are, b) be able to get all the tools and ingredients to your spot, and c) not get hassled into a spot far, far away from the tailgate?

The parking lot has long been the sanctuary of the die-hard fan. I worry that the complaints of the people who think they can whiz in to the purple and orange lots at 12:45 and make 1 PM kickoff have dictated this policy change. You know...the people who are there to entertain clients, getting tax write-offs and not at all caring about the game itself.

I was recently called by the Redskins ticket office and offered 50% OFF DISCOUNTS on additional seating in my section THIS YEAR. My Uncle was called just this past Thursday and offered additional seats in his section for a deal. My father and his buddy who have been ticket holders for a while were also asked to participate in additional ticket deals. The three examples represent the upper bowl, the club level, and the lower bowl. Which means they are ALREADY having trouble selling all the tickets. What is going to happen when they piss off all of the die-hard ticket holders that have been willing to stomach all the shenanigans in recent years because they still looked forward to tailgating every week?

And I would be lacking the full "objectivity" that Mike Florio claims I don't have if I didn't mention that when they made their pitch to my Uncle and I, the Redskins' representative actually said that we should buy the additional seats and put them on StubHub to make money off of them. This is INSANE. First of all, they are basically saying, "Please buy these seats and then do our job for us by selling them yourself." The Redskins have a promotional agreement with Stubhub that nets Snyder six digits a year. So something stinks. Secondly, they are saying they don't care who buys the seats, just that they are bought. If they have 50,000 people in line to buy seats, they should not be asking me to buy extra tickets to sell on StubHub. They should be selling them to the tens of thousands of Redskins fans they claim are waiting to be called.

Seriously, how likely is it that Dan Snyder will become unable to sell that place out?

I have had the opportunity to contact multiple sources, and they all advise me that Mike Florio has no idea what he is talking about. Does he ever come outside? Where does he get his sources? First he drops a completely unfounded rumor that LaRon Landry is asking to be traded. When we asked the Redskins Public Relations about the rumor, they responded that they had not heard of anything even remotely like that. Then LaRon himself denied that anything like that was going on.

Today he "reports" that Clinton Portis is creating a huge problem in Redskins camp. Again, we asked the Redskins, "What's going on?" We were told that this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it is a classic case of Florio manufacturing the news. He trotted a quote from Riggins that is about 6 months old, and the quote about Clinton thinking he is above everyone else smacks of a quote from last year as well. This is what NBC is paying for?

Florio recently claimed that his story about the Redskins going after Brett Favre was all about Dan Snyder's "history" and the unpredictability of Favre. Is this guy for real? He based a story about Dan Snyder and the Redskins pursuing Brett Favre on absolutely NOTHING. Instead, he files it in the "Rumor" section so he gets the free pass. The guy is worse than Perez Hilton--which is saying something, because Perez is about as low as there is out there. But at least Perez knows who he is. Florio thinks he is adding something to public discussion. But all he is doing is giving a lot of haters ammo to bash teams for the stereotypical things they have done wrong in recent years. His whole site has deteriorated to an unwashed mob ripping on players and owners, while Florio feeds them manufactured tidbits that he knows will whip them into a frenzy.

I can just see him in his little bunker somewhere crapping out awful headlines for his uninformed readers to devour:

"Indictment Coming in Cincinatti for Chris Henry"

--"Inside source informs me that Henry may very well be charged with something in the next few months."

"Vikings Players Opening New Credit Cards to Rent Boats and Hookers In the Offseason"

--"Based on the Vikings history and tendencies, it certainly is possible."

"The entire Broncos' Defense Asks to be Traded"

--"It has been a rough season for Denver, and if recent history has proven anything, it is that this story may have some legs."

Let me see if I have figured out how this works: Hogs Haven RUMOR MILL

"Mike Florio Is A Douchebag"

--I spoke with a source I know and trust, and they told me that Mike Florio is, in fact, a douchebag.

"Mike Florio joins NAMBLA!"

-- Several of his thousands of readers are teenage boys, so it's only logical this is the next step.

NBC! Are you reading this? I am ready to sign my mega-contract now. Does anyone have a pen?

*****

Please give us your best "Florio Rumor" in the comments section. Best rumor/headline gets a prize.

The Redskins' coaching staff appears happy with the current state of the offensive line. Should we be so happy? I found a couple interesting bits that bring me back to reality from this la-la land that everything is glorious. The Redskins currently carry fewer lineman on their roster than all the teams that already have solid lines! That seems odd to me. Shouldn't a team that has a weak offensive line have MORE players on their roster to a.) force competition, and b.) have a larger pool of players to select from? I mean, the Redskins currently don't have a full roster anyway.  Why not have more guys competing?

Redskins 14 Offensive lineman roster as of 6/19/2009:

# of O-lineman on roster as of 6/19/2009 (TEs not included):

Patriots: 17
Giants: 16
Colts: 16
Cardinals: 15
Eagles: 15
Cowboys: 15

The Skins recently cut Jon Jansen to get to 14. In 2008, the Redskins carried 10 offensive lineman on their 53-man roster. The 6 shoe-ins are Heyer, Samuels, Dockery, Thomas, Rabach and Rinehart. So, that leaves approximately 4 spots for 8 guys. So let's break down the competition among the 8 guys and assess the talent. I suddenly get nervous when I think of these guys having to back up our starters should a likely sudden injury occur. 

D'Anthony Batiste* - Undrafted free-agent first signed by the Cowboys and sent to the practice squad. The Carolina Panthers singed him in 2006, but he never saw any action. The Falcons signed him in 2007 where he started 4 games, but he did not make the team in 2008. The Skins signed him in December of 2008.

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More photos » by LM Otero - AP

2 months ago: Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips, left, shakes hands with team owner Jerry Jones during the football minicamp at Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, Friday, May 1, 2009. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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Since OTA's are in full force around the league, Hogs Haven spent some time emailing with the NFC East SB Nation bloggers to get a feel for their 2009 squad. We did a Q&A with the Giants bloggers last week, so this week we focus on the Dallas Cowboys. A special thanks to David Halprin from Blogging the Boys to take some time to answer our questions:

HH: Tony Romo is gaining a reputation for not being able to win the big games from college, with Dallas, and now golf. Is anyone internally to the Cowboys in panic mode yet?

Blogging the Boys: If you mean internally, as in the Cowboys organization, the answer is no. Tony Romo still has the full confidence of the organization, and he should. He’s won a ton of games for Dallas and will only be entering his third full season as a starter. Expectations have been high, maybe too high, since he burst on the scene - mid-season - in 2006. Let’s give him a few more seasons before starting any kind of panic, let’s see if he starts winning in the post-season. Now, there is a group of Cowboys fans that might be panicking a little bit, but they would be a small minority.

HH: Wade Phillips is a defensive-minded coach, yet the defense seemed to really under-achieve last year given the considerable talent. What do you anticipate his impact on your defense will be this year, and how will you be better than last year?

Blogging the Boys: We were ranked 8th in overall defense (yards/game) last year but we ended up 20th in scoring defense. We gave up too many big plays and scoring opportunities. Our special teams stunk, putting the defense in impossible situations all year long. Injuries (and suspensions) also ended up hurting us to the point we were giving rookie CB’s significant playing time and our strong safety position was manned by strictly backup material for most of the year. We did lead the league in sacks but that didn’t transfer into turnovers, one of the big failings of the 2008 defense. The rookie CB’s now have experience, we’ve added some options at SS and got rid of pass-coverage-liability Roy Williams and a declining Anthony Henry. If the coverage improves and they get some turnovers, the defense should be top-tier in 2009.

HH: Was anyone unhappy with Roy Williams’ departure? Who will step up to provide coverage skills from the safety position?

Blogging the Boys: For the most part, Cowboys fans were happy to see Roy Williams leave. Dallas couldn’t play the Phillips 3-4 the way they wanted to because they were trying to hide Roy in coverage. But you can only do so much of that and his skills seemed to be in serious decline. Even the big hits in the running game and on passes over the middle had severely diminished. We added Gerald Sensabaugh from the Jags in the offseason who is very athletic and is supposed to have some coverage skills. We drafted Michael Hamlin from Clemson and DeAngelo Smith from Cincinnati, who is a CB/S combo. Right now, my guess is it will be Sensabaugh starting next to Ken Hamlin.

HH: How are ticket sales going for the new stadium? Would we expect to see a lot of empty seats like at Yankees games because of such high prices and the terrible economy?

Blogging the Boys: I have no idea. I really haven’t followed that aspect of the Cowboys.

HH: With the loss of Chris Canty, who will be filling his shoes and is their a drop-off at that position?

Blogging the Boys: It’s funny, the rest of the NFL seemed to think that Chris Canty was a big-time loss for us, that the Giants really made out by getting him. Most Cowboys fans didn’t feel that way. Canty looks the part, and on occasion can play the part, but he was very inconsistent. Some games he totally disappeared. He’s a good player, but he’s not worth the money he got from New York. We were more than happy to exchange him for Igor Olshansky, who we got at a much cheaper price and who is equal, if not better, than Canty. Olshansky played under Wade Phillips in San Diego, so he knows exactly what to do in this defense. He’s got a high-motor and is extremely strong, we think we’ll improve at defensive end.

HH: Are there any names from the 2009 draft that will make a big splash for your team this year?

Probably not a huge splash, we didn’t have a 1st rounder and we traded out of the 2nd round. But some guys could contribute in specific roles this year. Jason Williams, a linebacker and our third-round pick from Western Illinois, has some people very excited. He wasn’t invited to the combine but at his Pro Day he wowed everybody in attendance with his physical skills. Plus, he produced in college. We needed a nickel ILB with the speed to cover but also with the ability to blitz, and Williams could be that guy. Stephen Hodge, a converted safety from TCU who will play ILB, could also compete for that role. The Cowboys are very excited about his ability to cover and he was also a special teams standout, a role Dallas is ready for him to take on.

One interesting guy is David Buehler, kicker from USC. We have Nick Folk for FG’s but his kickoffs were terrible, Buehler is supposed to be a kickoff specialist. But he’s also a big dude, he put up 25 reps of 225 lbs at the combine, he’s 6’ 2" 227 lbs. and wants to play on other special teams units and at safety, too. At junior college they used him as a FB and he scored quite a few TD’s. I don’t know if he’ll contribute other than kickoffs, but if he does, he’s going to become a cult figure.

Thanks again David. 

SportingNews.com recently posted their top 20 rankings for Tight Ends, Offensive Tackles, Guards, Centers, and Wide Receivers. With how poorly the Skins' offense did last year, I wasn't too optimistic they would fair well, especially after how low the Skins have ranked in the 2009 power rankings. In the words of Rodney Dangerfield, 'No Respect!'

Before I reviewed the Sporting News' rankings lists, I thought to myself it was a given Chris Cooley, Santana Moss, and Chris Samuels would highlight the page in some capacity. Next, I guessed Cooley and Samuels would be around #6, and Tanaman around #15.  Take a second to think yourself. One of the three fore-mentioned names didn't make the top 20, and I missed another Redskin completely, who squeaked in at a #19 spot....

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via photos.upi.com

View full size photo uploaded May 13, 2009

SportsIllustrated.com recently released the NFL’s Best and Worst Owners rankings, and not surprisingly, Dan Snyder was thrown into the bottom five with the Raiders, Bungles, 49ers, and the Lions.  Take a second to comprehend those four franchises the Redskins are grouped with. 

You HAVE to be kidding, right? 

I know I am late jumping in with my response to this article, but I thought hard about how I wanted to reply. My first reaction to seeing Snyder in the bottom five was anger since people always seem to judge Snyder on his past mistakes instead of how he is as an owner today. So let’s take a look at how each owner was graded by SI…maybe I missed something:

·  Team's success or failure on the field. 
·  Willingness to spend money to improve the team. 
·  Stability and capabilities of the front office and mgmt. 
·  Amenities at the team's venue. 
·  Club's culture and interactivity with fans.

OK…wait. Are we judging the owner on how they have improved their team the last few years, or for every mistake the owner has ever made in their tenure? If SI is focusing on the state of each team today, then I really don’t see how they came up with Dan Snyder as the 3rd worst owner.

Team’s success on the field. The Redskins have been to the playoffs two of the last four years with a .500 winning percentage. Does that make Daniel Snyder a top 5 owner? Of course not, but in this category, it does not justify putting him with the likes of the Niners, Lions, Bengals, and Raiders. Washington has arguably remained competitive, which is the least any non-rebuilding team can ask for from an owner. The Cowboys haven't won a playoff game since 1996, and don't get me started on their coaching/roster moves.

Willingness to spend money to improve the team. If Sports Illustrated did a Top 5 just for this category, Dan Snyder should be the CLEAR #1. Dan Snyder's list of personnel mistakes runs longer than the Potomac River, but when it comes to willingness to spend money, few can top Daniel Snyder. The Eagles are one of the worst when it comes to spending money, yet their coaching staff and player development do wonders to hide that year in and year out. I can't imagine how many Super Bowls the Eagles would have won if they paid out some money for a wide receiver not named Terrell Owens.

Stability and capabilities of the front office and management. Yikes. Is there a rock I can hide under right now? I’ve written about this before, and Snyder spoke about this in his media interviews before the NFL draft this year, but the Redskins really have made big strides in this department. The Skins' owner currently is not in charge of any of the roster moves and never has been since Gibbs took over. Snyder has openly admitted his trigger-happy mistakes from the past, and he boasted how much he learned after bringing Gibbs back for a second tour. Gibbs decided to move on and now Washington is entering the Zorn era. Stability is easiest when a Coach leaves his successor a Super Bowl team like Bill Cowher did for Mike Tomlin. Either way, things are running much smoother in DC, but as fans we have to live with outsiders only knowing Snyder for his free agent hirings and firings from the early 2000s. As for stability, there have been a ton of coaching and coordinator changes over the years, so I’ll let the bottom 5 ranking slide for this category. I firmly believe the team is progressing to a top 15 ranking in this category with an anchor for a Defensive Coordinator, Greg Blache, and a Head Coach who shows much more confidence entering his second season. 

Amenities at the team’s venue. Well, this is one I have to take my medicine on too. I sit in the club level for all the games, so for me, the amenities are everything I can ask for with the indoor bar, restaurants, the live music before, during and after games, and the cheerleaders. However, a major embarrassment for the fans inside Fedex is the outdated scoreboard and Jumbotron (with all the money that stadium makes, the lack of a Hi-Def screen is unforgivable). The sheer size of the stadium makes some sections/seats hard to reach, and nose-bleed fans sit a very long way from the action. Given the onslaught of newer stadiums and facilities since Fedex opened, it is understandable that Daniel Snyder would slide in this category, with a first-class marvel of a football stadium just up I-95 in Baltimore.

Club's culture and interactivity with fans. This is another unfortunate category where Dan Snyder’s reputation precedes him. In 2000, Snyder charged fans for training camp, which he deservedly got blasted for, but he admitted his mistake and we moved on. This is such a hard category to assess for any team because what does it really mean? The Redskins throw a wildly successful—FREE—draft day party allowing fans to play on the field, take pictures with the Super Bowl trophies, walk through the locker room, get autographs from players, hear the Coach speak, and meet the cheerleaders. I don’t know of many (or any) other teams that do that. I’m sure the Redskins make a killing in apparel and concession sales, but it is a business after all. In addition, the Redskins organization bends over backwards doing charity work, something Dan Snyder personally does more than you can imagine. How can the Redskins possibly be in the bottom five here? 

Ugh. It’s just frustrating to see such a large media outlet do a highly publicized article without doing any ample research. If you ask any random fan who they think are the best and worst owners, they would probably come up with this list, but what do they really know? I don’t know the inner details of the 49ers organization, but if I were to compile a list of the Top and Bottom 5 worst owners, I would certainly attempt to interview ex-players and coaches and get some concrete evidence. Every single Redskins player speaks highly of Snyder, even the ones that leave. Demetric Evans was very vocal for his distaste of how the Redskins run their roster, but that is a shot at the front office, not the owner. To me, the results from these half-ass, generic rankings come with the territory. Until the Redskins win an NFC title, Snyder will always undeservedly be thought of as the "worst" owner that is responsible for every bust signing. 

In the never-ending world of second-, third-, and fourth-guessing professional general managers/front offices, we lay out each draft class in the NFC East, assess posittions of need, and ultimately ask Redskins Nation what they think about the newly minted rivals.

Cowgirls Draft

This draft is full of guys that caused eyebrows to raise pretty much every time a new name was called. Jerry Jones possibly saved Vinny from making David Buehler a Redskin in this draft. Unfortunately for Dallas, the kicker might be the most recognizable name on this board, thanks to his studly combine performance (HGH Colada, anyone?) This draft was roundly panned by critics and Cowgirl haters alike. Of course, they burned their best ammo on Roy Williams. He is a pretty good receiver, but that trade still looks awful for Dallas, especially given Roy's stats as a Cowgirl and the absolutely zippy impact he had on their postseason chances. We know, however, that at least one guy from this draft will give us major headaches in the next 5-7 years. Who is it going to be?

As for the Giants... Continue reading this post >>

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So with all the news of Michael Vick being a free man in 3 weeks, it took all but 14 milliseconds for some schmoe to post a blog that the Redskins should bring in Michael Vick, the  the culprit blogger today is Chad Hensley from the Bleacher Report:

It's no secret that current starting quarterback Jason Campbell isn't wanted in D.C....Vick would actually be a good fit for the Redskins.  He is from Virginia and starred at Virginia Tech.

Where do I start with this one? So, the Charles Manson of puppies is from Virginia, that makes him a better Redskin? John Riggins, Darrell Green, and Charles Mann...none of them are from Virginia. If anything, Ron Mexico being from Virginia HURTS your argument because all of his degenerate friends live in the area and would be more likely to bring him down.

So Chad, you never mentioned specifics for how #7 would be "a good fit." If you want to say because the O line is suspect, and he has the best chance of avoiding a sack, then maybe, but that does not automatically make him a good fit. The Redskins need an accurate passer and more importantly, a confident leader on the field. Matt Cassell took more sacks than Campbell and the Pats won 11 games.

...it isn't a reach to say there are still thousands in Virginia who would love to see Vick in Burgundy and Gold.  That means jersey sales, media attention, and other dollar signs for Snyder and company.

Thousands!!!! Well, if he has THOUSANDS...then by all means sign him!! Heath Shuler still has thousands of fans. I'm actually kind of pissed now. As for the jersey sales, this has to be a joke. No parent is going to buy a jersey either for themselves or for their kid. Knowing all the loyal Skins fan I do, I am pretty certain no one would buy one, unless it had 'Mexico' on the back. OK...so continue...

On the field, Vick is not as good of a passer as Campbell, but would still be an upgrade because of his unbelievable athletic ability.  That is, if he still has that ability.

You just counter-argued your own statement. Why would you say he is a 'good fit' if you don't even know if he still has it?

The word is he has stayed in shape and even quarterbacked for the prison's football team.  It's probably safe to say there weren't any players like Demarcus Ware breathing down his neck in the pen, though.

Dear Lord. You can't be out of the league this long and can jump right back into your prime. But it's OK, I mean, you're thinking Cerrato would sign Vick as a free agent, right?

The Redskins still have the 2010 first round draft pick, and although they kept good on their word not to trade it during the 2009 draft, I can see it happening.

AHHH. The Redskins wouldn't trade their 2010 #1 pick for Mark Sanchez, so why would they do it for Vick?!!? Lord help us all. Snyder was very sincere how much he learned from Coach Gibbs and how signing players of good character are essential. This is all old news, where have you been, Chad?