"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.

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More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Is Albert Haynesworth capable of rallying a team to fight their hardest despite the circus going on all around them? If not, then who?

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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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More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

It would seem like sacrilege to trade a guy like London Fletcher. But so much about this season has been unholy already, and the Redskins could use the draft picks.

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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.

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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.]

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More photos » by Rick Havner - AP

As the referees explain to Coach Jim Zorn that you can't challenge a loss, Zorn wonders if owner Daniel Snyder will let him fly back home with the team.

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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."

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

A Redskins fan does her best KevinE impression after the Skins move to 2-2 against the Bucs.

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On the same week when Starbuck's releases its VIA instant coffee, we bring you a condensed version of Pour Some Sugar On Me. I am on the road this week but I still have ten thoughts from the previous weekend of football. Let's get to it:

1) Jeremy Jarmon and Brian Orakpo looked good rushing from the opposite ends. I respect you Philip Daniels. I respect you Andre Carter, Give me Jarmon/Orakpo earlier and often.

2) In an upcoming episode of PSSOM we are going to bring out some of my predictions and analysis from the preseason to see where I may have been right and where I may have been drunk. Here's a hint: I was on to something when I told you that Patrick Willis and Mike Singletary had something going on in San Francisco.

3) P.S. I TOLD you Darren Sharper was a huge addition in New Orleans.

4) When did Major Dad start coaching the Vikings?

5) THANK YOU DALLAS! Your 2-2 start is going to draw some serious attention in the national media. Appreciate it.

6) Is it irony if a defensive end who has been arrested/charged with DUI three times is a guy you would kill to do some boozing with at some point? Jared Allen looks like someone who would be a LOT of fun to share a 30-pack with while watching a slate of games.

7) Steaming Pile of Manure award goes to the Cleveland Browns...again...uhhhh...why don't you guys just hold onto the trophy and we'll let you know when we need it back?

8) Kansas City is getting better. In two weeks they will either be the best 1-4 or 0-5 team we have ever played against.

9) Antwaan Randle El is a good player. I am not telling you anything you don't know. Whenever I see him though, I see a guy who is keeping guys off the field--guys we need to start learning some things about. His decision-making in the return game continues to baffle me.

10) KevinE reports that Snyder kept the brown bags out of the stadium. I was at the stadium and I did not see them, so I kind of just thought that nobody decided to wear them with the game on the line. As much as I hated the idea of people putting bags on their heads, Snyder's censorship is also very troubling.

That said...

Welcome to Day 7 of The Revolution. We continue to put it together. Our goal will never be to embarrass the players or the team. But we will be heard. Thanks for all of the kind responses and support for our new endeavor. We will be rolling it out more in depth in the coming days and weeks.

More photos » by Susan Walsh - AP

Snyder and Cerrato have been the common denominators for the last decade or so of mediocrity. (Are their hands in each other's back pockets?)

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While the sentiment is not lost on me, it is simply unrealistic to "Blow it up" in today's NFL after Week 3. First of all, when people want to blow it up and collect draft picks, WE are the ones they call since WE are the ones who have placed such a low premium on draft picks in recent years. Secondly, the Washington Redskins are currently worth LESS than the sum of all their parts. To think we would net any serious haul of draft picks or compensation in deals to ship out certain players on our roster is foolish. This goes back to the question we have asked ourselves so many times after disappointing seasons when it came time to determine who was a "core Redskin" worth keeping at all costs: "Yeah...but, the core of what?" More on this further down. Additionally, the people currently making the decisions in our front office would be left to "Blow it up" and rebuild--who among us is brimming with confidence in that crew?

Finally, despite being 1-2 on the heels of an HISTORIC loss to the Detroit Lions, one senses it just can't get much worse. I mean, short of Snyder announcing a 10-year contract extension for Vinny Cerrato, I am about as sick as I could be over this team. But the bad news is that it can get worse...a LOT worse. And we would be locking in that doomsday scenario by throwing in the towel in Week 3. Might as well see what kind of "character-building" we can do in the next three months. (my first attempt at calling out Snyder on this blog after the jump)

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More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Coach Jim Zorn simply must do a better job. From my seat at FedEx, he had the worst day of anyone on the Redskins sideline this past Sunday. It seems a few (hundred thousand) people agree with me on this.

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People have come to expect unbridled optimism from me, both in this space and in general. And while I am far from beaten down, the fact is that I am alarmed. Jim Zorn had a bad day. The failure to convert red zone opportunities into touchdowns against the Rams was bad all by itself. But the fact that this has become a trend straddling two seasons in this offense is alarming. I am there. Where I am NOT though, is in a pissed off place after a win. You only get 16 chances to win each year (unless you make the playoffs of course), and regardless of the opponent, kneeling out the clock for the win is a feeling that needs to be enjoyed and celebrated in these parts. I mean, who do we think we are? The Patriots? The Colts? We are not a team that can afford to downplay or discount a victory. We simply are not in that position. We don't have to be blind to the general state of things, but on Sundays, as Redskins fans, shouldn't a win be enough right now? I struggle to reconcile our recent history on the field with the uncompromising expectations to "blow out an inferior opponent." I was right there with my Friday Night "Mights" predicting big things, but the failure to achieve some of those numbers would never constitute a failure on the part of the team (unless I start really lowering the bar on those "Mights".)

As for the booing in the stands, you won't hear me arguing with those people. But while I respect the right of people to boo, I don't believe in booing the home team. I'll leave it at that because it does no good to argue this point. Robert Henson may have chosen his words poorly, but I appreciate his energy and emotion. Of course players don't want to hear booing from their own fans. But ultimately, I know and you all know that the only way to silence the booing is to show us something better than we have been watching for what seems like a very, very long time.

What can we do on offense to establish a red zone identity, or even a touchdown scoring identity period? (read on after the jump to find out)

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