Joe Theismann rolls to his right as well as his left in our interview at FedEx Field. Image via www.tristarproductions.com

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As I said earlier this week, we can't simply reserve our complaints about the current debacle surrounding our team for weeks when we lose. However, during Dallas Week, we can tone it down slightly so that the focus of the week remains firmly where it should be--on the reviled Cowgirls.

I had a great opportunity to interview Joe Theismann at a recent event at Fed Ex Field. The event was a Health Awareness program for veterans, sponsored in part by GlaxoSmithKline. In the beginning of the interview, I gave Joe a chance to speak about both the event itself as well as how he came to be a part of it. I had the opportunity to mingle around with some of the veterans' groups that had set up booths, and I have to tell you it was great to talk to so many folks who are doing so much to help both our current troops as well as former members of the military. I'd like to say a special thank you to the folks at Cohn & Wolfe for coordinating this interview with Hogs Haven and Joe Theismann. Video after the jump...

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Book available via Amazon.com

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I had the fortune last week to speak with former Broncos great, Karl Mecklenburg, after his literary publicist contacted me regarding his debut book,  Heart of a Student Athlete: All Pro Advice for Competitors and their Families. Per Karl's website,  the former Denver Broncos' captain and All-Pro, Karl Mecklenburg rose from being a college walk-on and a 12th round draft pick to a pro career that included six Pro Bowl and three Super Bowl appearances.  Considered the NFL's most versatile player, Karl played all seven defensive front positions. Karl divides his time between his ongoing charity involvements and his motivational speaking for student athletes, parents, and corporate team-building.

Motivation and leadership has been a huge concern for me in regards to the Washington Redskins, and Karl delivered some great advice. The specific topics we covered include:

- Is it imperative to have vocal leaders in the locker room?
- What do high-priced free agents do to a team's chemistry? (Portis)
- Why Jay Cutler is not a leader and DEN wanted him out
- How does a leader fix motivation and focus problems (missed tackles and dropped balls)?
- How does a player stay motivated when the front office is mis-managed?
- Thoughts on Mike Shanahan as the next Skins Coach/GM (this post coming tomorrow)

Hogs Haven: Before getting into your book, I thought I'd start with a question Redskins' Nation would appreciate. Do you still see Timmy Smith and Doug Williams in your nightmares?    

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Miss Fedex challenger, Dannia, (on the right).

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Back by popular demand, it's time to meet our first challenger in the Miss Fedex 2009 competition, Dannia.This past Sunday's game at Fedex was a glorious day. I went 5-2 in tailgate beer pong (which is not that great), the Skins won, the Redskins band did their post-game jam (every win outside section 111), and of course the weather was warm, which means lots of Miss Fedex candidates. Let's meet Dannia (more pictures after the jump):

Hogs Haven: How long have you been a Redskins fan and what is your favorite Redskins moment?

Dannia: I'm pretty sure I was a Skins fan in my mother's womb. My favorite Redskins moment was last season when we beat the Cowboys IN Dallas for the first time in forever - Campbell threw two touchdown passes and Portis ran for 121 yards.

Hogs Haven: Who is your favorite Redskins player and why?

Dannia: Tough question! I love the way London Fletcher leads the team's defense, but Chris Cooley exerts the most effort and has a huge impact on the team's success.

Hogs Haven: If you could go on any date with a Redskin, who would it be and where would you go?

Dannia: Jason Campell is a hottie and seems like a sweetheart... completely my type. I am not sure how well the date would go seeing as how he does not take criticism very well. He complains in the papers about all the criticism he gets... would I be able to correct his table-manners? Could I correct his acts of chivalry... or lack-thereof? I am not high maintenance. An ideal date for me would be a chill sports bar where we can kick it, throw back some ice cold bruskees and eat some buffalo wings. 

Maybe Campbell will read this and dump his current girlfriend, Miss DC 2007 for me. Can you see it now? REDSKINS QUARTERBACK JASON CAMPBELL DUMPS MISS DC 2007 for MISS FEDEX FIELD 2009!

Hogs Haven: What should happen to Coach Zorn at the end of the year?

Dannia: Well, they have already stripped him of some key duties and the chances of the Redskins continuing with the same situation next year is unlikely. He needs to get the boot. Call me crazy, but I'm all for bringing Joe Gibbs back for a trillionth time.

Hogs Haven: If you got to meet Dan Snyder, what would you say to him/want to talk about?

Dannia: How bout... "Your the worst thing that ever happened to Washington, DC". No but really, I'd want to talk to him about what career he plans on pursuing after he steps down next year (wishful thinking!!). I would also tell him he needs to hire a better publicist, i.e. myself - www.mokimedia.com.

Current reigning Miss Fedex: Sabrina [click for pics/profile]

More pictures of each candidate after the jump...

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The equivalent of how Redskins fans feel towards their Front Office.

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It's time for another exciting installment of Interview with a Fan. A great friend of mine, Jimmy Mac, has lived in Philly pretty much his whole life, with a brief stint in Baltimore commuting from his time as Monty and Manager at Rosecroft Race Track in MD. So, gambling comes into play here. He's must have heard the "How many Super Bowls you got?" comeback from me at least 13.5 gazillion times, but with the current state of the Redskins, I've shelved that one for an undetermined amount of time. I hit Jimmy with 5 questions:

1.)    Why does Andy Reid refuse to run the ball?
2.)    How much does Witherspoon add to a depleted LB core?
3.)    Six weeks in, any regrets letting Dawkins go?
4.)    Has McNabb lost a step?
5.)    Barbaro trash talk and Game Prediction.

Hogs Haven: Philadelphia had 60 offensive plays vs the Raiders (a whopping 46 of them passes and just 12 of them runs) - despite the fact that Brian Westbrook gained 50 yards on just six carries. 0 Wildcat plays with Vick. The Raiders have a 28th ranked defense against the run (145.3 ypg)....any explanations why Andy Reid refuses to run the ball? This has killed the Birds it seems at least 1 game a year.

Andy Reid's game-plan versus the Raiders (as most cases against bad teams) is to take them out early with the pass, get a huge lead, and then run later in the second half. Obviously, the plan did not work.  Here is Reid's biggest weakness as a head coach; it is making adjustments in-game when the original game plan did not work. Reid refused to run the ball and continued to throw the ball every down even though the Raiders can't stop the run and King Dunlap was getting literally run over by Seymour and McNabb was taking a beating. To most observers, this was unexplainable. Most every Eagle fan can explain it very simply: Arrogance. Reid refuses to make adjustments when things aren't working because he believes his way is the best way and he will go down with the ship throwing the ball. We have seen it for a decade and its sickening. The Eagles will either blow out teams or lose the game. Either Reid's initial game plan works and they win big or he will make no adjustments and the ship will sink. Simple as that.

Hogs Haven: It's now Week 7 and Macho Harris seems to be having a so-so year. What's your sentiment now on if the Eagles should have re-signed Dawkins?

The Trotter re-signing is basically the Eagles admitting they totally screwed up by not resigning Dawk. I don't think they brought back a 31yo LB who hasn't played in 2 years and couldn't run 3 years ago for his athletic ability. Harris will be a good player and isn't doing a bad job on the field as a rookie.

Hogs Haven: How much does the addition of Will Witherspoon help the Birds this week? I'm glad to see someone else suffer with Trotter besides the Redskins, but Witherspoon does have good skills covering TEs, which is basically the Redskins only offensive weapon.

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via extras.journalnow.com

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OK. So the Redskins are playing another winless team. Who doesn't feel good about this one besides me? At Carolina. Steve Smith. DeAngelo Williams. Julius Peppers. I gave the SB Nation Panthers' blogger, Jaxon, 5 questions ranging from 'How does Delhomme still have a job?' to all the statistics of how a team with so much talent is winless. He also makes his prediction. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section, and he will respond (SB Nation is the greatest platform).

Hogs Haven: How is it that Jake Delhomme still has a job? (I feel like we've been asking this question for 3 years now). Can you pinpoint what has contributed to such a drop-off of a former Super Bowl QB, and do you feel like he can turn it around?

There are some Panther fans that ask that question routinely but for the most part we still feel he can lead this team to a winning season. As far as his problems, he's made some bad decisions but he isn't alone in taking blame for the turnovers. I think the problems are correctable and yes, he certainly can turn it around. Panther fans really have no choice but to be patient since we have no better choice on the bench. Can you relate?

Hogs Haven: How is it a team with such great weapons (DeAngelo Williams, Steve Smith, Julius Peppers) is 0-3 and averages only 12.3 points per game offensively? 

That's easy. 11 turnovers in 3 games would kill any offense. Combine that with a rushing defense giving up 180 yards per game and you have the formula for an offense that can't afford mistakes. If the Panthers can limit their turnover and in turn run the ball more they should put themselves in better position to win.

Hogs Haven: What are the weaknesses in the Panthers defense that can explain why they are 5th worst in the league giving up 21.3 first downs per game?

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This is some amazing audio and look into Dan Snyder, Vinny Cerrato, and Jim Zorn. Steinberg blogged some of the text highlights of this 25 minute interview, but all the questions we would EVER want to ask Snyder, George Michael, who is a friend of Snyder, answers them in HEATED fashion:

"Let me tell you the truth: Dan does make I think most of those big-type decisions," Michael said. "He says 'Let's get this guy, let's get that guy.' And the guy that takes the heat for it--and it's why I think he's never gotten fired--is Vinny Cerrato...You need a coach who says 'I don't need that! I don't want that.'....if Zorn beat the Lions he'd have that type of power....Vinny Cerrato is a ZERO when it comes to public relations and building relationships with people in the world. I'm sorry."

"I'll tell you this. Dan Snyder does not want to fire Jim Zorn...on my kids life....you have to take risks. That's what Snyder did with Zorn."

Are the Bucs of old back (for this year at least)?

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My weekly piece interviewing the opposing team's fan has always had a hint of arrogance, but given the eggs the Skins have laid the last two weeks, I can't even make fun of an 0-3 Bucs squad!  My Uncle, Roger Vaughan, has lived in Tampa even before the team's 1976 inception, so I looked forward to including him in this weekly piece given his vast knowledge on the Bucs. He cc'd his son in law, Matthew, on my email chain regarding the interview who replied all, "My attitude towards the Bucs may be at an all time low. I don't know if I can muster the 'give a sh!t' to even answer the questions." Classic! That should give you an idea of how fed up the fan base in Tampa is. Sounds familiar, right?

Roger and I hit up multiple topics in our conversation, including: Haynesworth, firing their offensive coordinator 10 days before week 1, Doug Williams's progression as Player of Personnel, the fall of Jon Gruden, and Josh Freeman's combine.

Hogs Haven: A lot of things have happened recently in Tampa with Offensive Coordinator, Jeff Jagodzinski, getting fired 10 days before week one, your free agent QB you brought in getting benched after week 3, you change the defense but not the personnel...things appear in disarray...would you say that?

Roger: I would.

Hogs Haven:Is the team re-building or is it trying to find an identity?

Roger: They're trying to re-build. The new coaching staff basically inherited Gruden and [Bruce] Allen's players. So they didn't really draft these guys. They had a first round pick and they drafted Freeman who's a year or two out...if he even makes it. They benched Leftwich because he's a statue...he doesn't move. With the line they have, you can't have an immobile quarterback, so they went to a guy that can actually run, Josh Johnson. On defense, their third round draft choice, Roy Miller from Texas…they picked him b/c he's fits what they're looking for...an interior tackle. Jim Bates is re-doing the defense and wants a huge body in the middle. They couldn't get Haynesworth, who would have been the perfect guy for him, so they got this rookie in there. They have Chris Hovan who I think put on 20 pounds in the off-season to bulk up to play inside, but they don't have any outside pass rushers and those are the guys that really...in the Bates defense...are the keys to putting pressure on the Quarterback. When you don't get a pass-rush, that puts a lot more pressure on your secondary.

(Thought to self..."Yea, Skins fans know about terrible pass-rushing all too well")

Our starting Strong Safety Tanard Jackson got suspended the first four games because he didn't show up for a pee test. They were short-handed in the secondary anyway, so they have some real problems.

Hogs Haven:You say you are re-building, so why would you go out and pay $80-100 million for a Haynesworth? Especially when you don't have any pass-rushers to take advantage of the 1-on-1 matchups he creates?

Roger: I don't know. I don't think we were really in the hunt. I don't think he would have wanted to come down here. In any event, I think that was to make the fans feel better. We're $30 million under the cap right now. You could do a hell of a lot with $30 million.

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It's Wednesday and thus it is time to put the Rams game, the drama with Coach Zorn, and the Robert Henson TwitGate behind us. Who would have thought the Lions game would mean as much as it does? Zorn is deflecting hot seat questions on his own radio show, and the Redskins are fighting to avoid being the first team to lose to the Lions in 20 games. Trivia...who was the last team to lose to the Lions?

Continuing the "Interview a fan" fun from last week, a friend of mine from the D.C. Improv, Philippe Cicchini, hails from Michigan. I can't recall one of his Facebook updates not belittling mentioning the Tigers, Pistons, or Lions in some form. I threw some Q&A his way hitting such topics as whether the Lions should start Culpepper, the Lions firing ALL their defensive backs after last season, and what he would do if he ran into Matt Millen in a dark alley.

Hogs Haven: The Lions have given up an average of 390 yards per game (granted, it was the Vikes and Saints they had to face). How do you think the defense will hold up against a sputtering Redskins offense, especially now that the Lions lost their starting LB Ernie Sims?

Phillipe: Being without Sims will definitely hurt the team's chances on defense.  He's easily one of their biggest teeth-rattling hitters and an emerging leader on that side of the ball.  But, even with him in the lineup the first two games, they were giving up an average of 134 yards on the ground.  If the Lions are able to contain Clinton Portis, the Lions might have a shot, since Jason Campbell will be coming in with a bum ankle, thus possibly hindering his mobility and ability to make plays through the air.  So, the Lions are catching a break this week in that they're finally going up against a quarterback whose last name isn't Brees or Favre.  But, the Lions haven't won a game since, seemingly, Abraham Lincoln's administration.  CAN the defense hold up?  It's entirely possible, but the D-line's going to have to play smart and put pressure on Washington's QB, especially if Campbell can't go.  WILL the defense hold up?  If history's any indication, we're probably looking at loss number 20 in a row if the offense doesn't figure out a way to hold on to the ball.

Hogs Haven: Against the Vikings, the Lions used Stafford conservatively. Do you think Duante Culpepper should be trying to get the first win or is Stafford ready to play? (The Lions have a NFL worst 40.5 QB rating through 2 weeks.)

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