Pour Some Sugar On Me
Pour Some Sugar On Me - Roger Goodell Establishes What the Fine Will Be If Dan Snyder Does Not Fire Vinny Cerrato
In case you missed it, the Tennessee Titans owner was filmed giving Buffalo Bills fans the ol' bird from his perch on Sunday. If you aren't a Bills player, fan or employee--or Roger Goodell--you probably laughed your ass off. Goodell dropped a $250,000 fine on Bud Adams today...which leads me to my headline...because if Snyder does not fire Cerrato, he will be essentially flipping the entire Redskins fanbase the middle finger, and should be fined at least the same $250,000 amount.
Ten Yard Fight - 10 Chances To Make One Good Point
It's Dallas Week, so this week, instead of covering the league, I got 10 great memories of involving the hated Cowgirls. This is not an exhaustive list, nor is it any particular order. Feel free to add to this collection in the comments section below.
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Friday Night "Mights" - Washington Redskins vs. Denver Broncos
It was pointed out last week that I should make the disclaimer about this article very clear on the front side. These predictions assume a Redskins victory. They are meant to provide at least some relief from the serious issues we have with our team. That said, I can honestly tell you that, "Yes, I do think we will win this Sunday." And here's how:
1) Ladell Betts will run for 150+ yards and 2 touchdowns. Inside the red zone, the bulk of our plays are going to be running plays. Rock Cartwright is going to get his share of carries this week (5-10 I am guessing) and we will lean on the new guy, Levi Jones, for better or worse. One thing that has seemed to work for this team in the past is having Ladell Betts take over as the starter down the stretch. I worry about our right guard situation, and find it laughable that we are calling it a "Battle" to see whether Chad Rinehart or Will Montgomery will start. But I think Mike Sellers and Todd Yoder will log some healthy blocking downs and enable Betts to move the chains.
2) Brian Orakpo, in addition to yet another sack, will also log an interception. I am tempted to say he runs it back for a score, but I think he outruns his blockers early in the run-back and gets tackled. I am extremely excited to see what he looks like with the ball in his hands. He is the kind of player you wish you could play at running back in Madden. Big, strong, fast...no way the first tackler brings him down.
3) Jason Campbell will have zero turnovers. This is going to be huge for us this weekend. The game is going to be a close one throughout, so ball protection is key. I don't see JC testing Champ Bailey regularly, which does not bode well for Santana Moss' stats, but I am hopeful that Fred Davis can be responsible for moving the chains in the passing game. He killed us last week with the botched tip that turned into a Falcons defensive touchdown (I know, it wasn't a great throw, but you don't initiate a tip drill like that.)
4) We will score on a trick play. Since I have the ability to see the future, I can tell you that it will be a double reverse handoff to Devin Thomas who will race into the end zone for a touchdown. The key to the play will be two amazing blocks. The first will be Jason Campbell giving up his body to give Thomas the edge. The second block will be Malcolm Kelly down field.
5) Shaun Suisham kicks the game-winning field goal. What a difference a year makes I guess. From the worst kicker (statistically) last season, to the one guy on offense we have been able to count on. He is one of only 5 kickers to have not missed yet this season, and among those kickers, he has the second most attempts--including a 48-yarder. I am putting the game on him this week.
I hate predicting the final score, but I'll go ahead and call it 24-23. No passing touchdowns by JC, but otherwise a solid day for the beleagured quarterback.
Here is what I am really hoping for: The Broncos travel cross-country on a short week this week and have next week's opponent--the San Diego Chargers--squarely in their sights. The lack of respect they probably have for our team will lead to a sloppy performance and leave just a big enough opening for our offense to score their season-high point total. Also, Kevin and I have both talked this week about the prospect of using the no-huddle to prevent the Broncos from shuffling their defensive personnel in the manner they prefer. If Sherm Lewis and Jim Zorn trust JC with the keys to the no-huddle, it might prove to be a huge factor.
Your bold predictions and cracks at me are now welcome.
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Pour Some Sugar On Me - One More Year For Zorn Edition
We are now through Week 2 of the Sherm Lewis experiment. In two weeks, we have managed 17 points per game. Hmmmm...that strikes me as EERILY similar to our offensive output for the last few years. You guys mentioned it yesterday and it bears repeating--the adjustments that were made at halftime were reminiscent of the kind of adjustments that made previous teams in this town famous. Sherm Lewis put something together in the second half that resembled a legit offense. His play-calling skills are sharpening to be sure. Part of my problem with this setup though is that it adds yet another category on the Spin-the-Wheel of excuses that every TV analyst on ESPN and Fox is using for their explanation for why this team continues to struggle. So no matter how successful Sherm is, it becomes impossible to separate his role as "consultant" from the circus that is our front office. If we started winning, it would be easier to ignore that aspect. But that leads me into my other issue with this whole setup. At 2-6, is the Sherm Lewis experiment more about saving our season or saving Vinny Cerrato's job? Nobody wants this team to win more than me/us. But I am seriously conflicted with regard to my rooting for Sherm Lewis. The complexity of this soap opera is hilarious. One character in this thing though that I find myself more and more drawn to is Jim Zorn.
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The Revolution - Redskins Fans Are Getting Through To Snyder
"All that's necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
When Benjamin Franklin said these words, history found itself carefully perched atop a virtual mountain of international conflict. As the men we now refer to as patriots sought the favor of history, words like these were carefully chosen and circulated to stir the masses. They continue to provide inspiration to us today, and can be applied to multiple parties in our current situation. Listen, I get that we are not in a life and death situation here like they were in Franklin's days. I am simply saying that for us to ignore what is going on here would be even more foolish than me comparing the American Revolution to our Revolution. And I would know, as I am the author of many foolish posts on this site and others.
First, let me just say this: I know some of you are getting tired of reading (or not reading) posts dealing with the state of the franchise. But I believe it would simply be irresponsible to not add to the commentary of what is so obviously happening in our little world right now. This has bled a little into other pieces I/we do and that may be unfortunate, but the fact of the matter is, these issues run very deep...these issues cut very deep. And we will continue to talk about them. You don't hear us calling for a walkout during a game. We aren't selling "Fire Snyder" t-shirts, and we aren't advocating for any overly negative actions that would further embarrass the fans or the players. I do agree though with some of the commenters yesterday that something fun has been missing recently. That is why I am picking back up my Redskins By The Numbers piece starting immediately at #29. I have been consumed with other articles and topics since the season began and left the Numbers piece to pick back up again at the end of the season (the offseason is LONG when you don't make the playoffs.) But I want to try and offer something that was fun for all of us even in the midst of all this turmoil. I realize it is a small gesture, but I hope it is received well.In addition to that, I will try and keep my ranting at least mostly limited to this Revolution post. Maybe that will bring around some of you Hogs Haven old-timers in these discussions more. Now back to the business of the day.
50 comments | 3 recs |
Pour Some Sugar On Me - Now With 33% Less Negativity!
As I watched the Monday Night Football game last night, I was thinking, "I could totally live with just having to deal with a team that was slightly underachieving but had some hope for the future." Instead, we get the added debacle of our current ownership and management mess. But I'll save thinking and writing about that for tomorrow. Today, my thoughts are squarely on last season's anomaly--that is, starting 6-2 and finishing 2-6. Watching that first half of the season, you would have been hard-pressed to find someone--anyone--that would have picked the Redskins to miss the playoffs. The losses to teams like Pittsburgh and the Giants notwithstanding, the team had a very real chance to get the wins necessary to make the postseason. But the free falling Skins could not save themselves.
Is it possible that we have a team that can reverse its 2-5 start? Not probable, but possible, yes. No team has a tougher schedule in November than the Redskins. Our opponents combine for a .750 winning percentage. Going on the road this week in Atlanta will be very tough, especially with those guys coming off a loss to their division rivals.
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Pour Some Sugar On Me - Redskins Offense, Front Office, and Trade Winds (Things That Blow)
As the NFL trade deadline approaches, I wonder about the team's chance to strengthen its future by trading a player or two off of the current roster. Two things that have plagued this team's ability to get better through trades are the absurdity of the contracts Redskins players carry and the notion that so many players are considered untouchable by the organization.
The rumor mill has Anthony Montgomery on the block. There's some good news and bad news when Vinny decides a player is available to be traded. The good news is that most other general managers in the league probably could care less what Vinny's opinion of a player is when evaluating possible trades with this team. The bad news is that if Vinny doesn't want you on a team that can not afford to lose a single guy with even a shred of talent, you might not get us anything in the way of a trade.
If we truly care about the immediate and long-term future of this team, we have to be willing to trade some players who still have some tread left on their tires. We need to be willing to unload a player who can actually help the team he is going to in return for a much needed draft pick or two. The following are just a few guys I think we should try and trade off in the hopes they net us some valuable picks for next year or even the following year. Let's assume for a moment that these guys could be traded without incurring some kind of debilitating salary cap situation this year.
45 comments | 1 recs |
Washington Redskins Fans Unite! - The Revolution Part Deux (Day 17): What Can We Hope To Accomplish?
I was asked by a fellow sports writer who we all read regularly if I thought naming this movement "The Revolution" would help or hurt our chances of being taken seriously. It was a great question that I had spent some time considering prior to rolling this thing out. And my answer to him was what I wanted to discuss today...after the jump.
[Don't think we have forgotten about Kansas City by the way. All of you out there wishing to get to the game that matters this week, have no fears--we will.]
78 comments | 2 recs |
Pour Some Sugar On Me - I Said What? A Look Back at Redskins and League Predictions and How They Have Fared
In today's episode of PSSOM, I look back at 10 predictions/statements/preseason quotes out of yours truly.
10 Yard Fight: Ten Chances to Make One Good Point
1) "Matt Hasselbeck will be up for comeback player of the year." OK, so I started off on one that I look good on. On Sunday, Hasselbeck proved that if he can stay upright, the Seahawks are capable of scoring and looking very impressive. Even their defense played better with him under center.
2) "Buffalo is in trouble. Trent Edwards has been somewhat schizophrenic." This Bills team came out gangbusters against the Patriots in week one, barely losing by a one-point margin. They stuck it to the Buccaneers, before losing in succession to the Saints, Dolphins, and...uhhhhh...the Browns. They lost 6-3! That's a score from a set of tennis! They are in fact in trouble.
3) "Kyle Orton looks as good as he ever did...in Chicago...where he didn't look that great..." See? I can admit when I was wrong. I mean, Orton did look pretty terrible in the preseason at times, but the truth of the matter is that they stripped him of Brandon Marshall and then he hurt his hand. I ripped on him because it was there, but Orton is a guy who can play ball and he is proving to be a leader and an extension of Josh McDaniels on the field.
4) "I'll say it again--Kurt Warner just doesn't look like he is playing his best football right now." Hmmmm...I guess what happens in the preseason stays in the preseason, eh? Kurt Warner has thrown for 1,165 yards and 6 touchdowns thus far, completing 66.3% of his passes and carrying an 89.7 QB rating. The Cards are hanging tough in an AFC West that looks worlds better than the disaster it was a year ago. I would have bet Warner would be done for the year by now after the second week of the preseason. I would have lost that bet.
5) "The Giants are the class of the NFC East and I don't think it is close." This one doesn't go in the books as one of the all-time boldest predictions, but I seem to recall the Cowgirls and the Eagles stealing a lot of headlines this offseason. The Giants are a legit Super Bowl contender. I hate it but Eli looks simply spectacular.
6) "I think a team that will make a huge leap this year is the San Francisco 49ers, but I am not sold on their passing game, and wonder if they can score the points necessary to get into the playoffs..." Does this count as a nice prediction? I watched very San Francisco preseason game and I simply loved what Mike Singletary was doing. I never got the sense this team saw itself as anything less than capable of winning games all season long. And the defense flashed this preseason as well. Patrick Willis is a beast.
7) "...there is plenty to suggest that they (the Redskins) could be this year's version of the Atlanta Falcons." Ouch. This one was just way off. Even if the Skins turn it around, they wouldn't be last year's Falcons. That Falcons' team was pretty good right out of the chute. The Skins have not done very much at all offensively and the defense has not played up to expectations. I was wrong.
8) I picked the Titans to make the playoffs out of the AFC, with these words about Jeff Fisher: "...he rocks a killer 'stache." I stand by my Jeff Fisher thoughts, but the Titans at 0-5 are a prohibitive longshot to get to the postseason.
9) Here was a bad call by me: Alfred Fincher is our top defensive backup. Keep in mind, I made this statement on May 16th. That doesn't make it any less stupid-looking though. Who is our top defensive backup by the way? I would love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments section.
10) I saved the best for last...I had this to say about the Cincinnati Bengals: "I actually like this team to win the AFC North." YEAH! That was on on July 15th, before I had seen any episodes of Hard Knocks and before I had seen Carson Palmer return to the field. Here was my Carson Palmer thought: "If Carson Palmer can return to form--and it says here that he will--then this team will score plenty of points, and they will be able to do it against the defenses in their division and the rest of the AFC." Lots of season left, but this one looks good so far.
Give Me the Numbers, Stat!
I am sitting here watching the Jets-Dolphins game and something about Braylon Edwards reviving his career and reputation in front of my eyes has me thinking positive, hopeful things. I was shocked to see that the Redskins are tied for 5th (with the Steelers) in the NFL in yards per game. We are 9th in scoring defense (3 teams ahead of us have had their bye week.) What has killed us is of course obvious to all who watch: we are 23rd in 3rd down percentage, allowing opposing offenses to convert 41% of their 3rd down attempts. On offense, we only convert 33% of our 3rd down attempts, good for 21st in the league. These are the two stats we need to work on and improve upon if we are going to have any chance to keep the sun from setting on this season. As Bob Dylan sang, "It's not dark yet, but it's getting there."
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