A Bad Fan

A funny thing happened last weekend. My son and I got into a bit of a fan rivalry even though we are both Redskin Fans.

You see, we were watching the Redskin Dallas game on TV and I was noticeably more excited every time the Dallas defense or kick return team had a good play. I would smile and say something like “yes! Another point for me” and he would moan is disbelief and complain about how poorly the skins were doing.

Dad ! what are you talking about? Are you routing for the Cowboys? How could you?

No son, I am routing for my fantasy football team.

You see, when I heard that Rex the hex was promoted to starting QB and knew that the Dallas Defense was doing well in the sack and turnover department (and oh by the way the skins offensive line is , well offensively BAD!) I picked up the Dallas Defense off of the waiver wire and put them in the starting lineup.

Since we count interceptions, fumbles, sacks, and return yards, I thought it a fairly safe bet. Well, 143 return yards, 2 interceptions, a fumble and 5 sacks later . . . my fantasy team had an impressive 18 points on defense even though the skins scored an impressive 30 points (which did count against the Dallas fantasy point total).

I must admit, that for at least one game, Rex did run the offense better than Donovan. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

But on with my post . . .

With my borderless league playoffs in full swing and my “Fun Bunch” team the last remaining East Coast representative left, the pressure was on for a win and a chance at the title next week.

Was this tactic enough to win?

Well, it helped.

The Dallas D scored 9 more points than Greenbay which I sat on the bench.
My decision to start Kenny Britt (15 points) over Anquan Boldin (0 points) also helped.
And least I forget DeSean’s last second TD return!

That helped too!

Final score:
Fun Bunch 130
Unemployables 118

In my League of Experts my team was also in the playoffs but lost Aaron Rodgers in the first round which gave both of us a major headache. Oh, well. . .

So now it is off to the championship game between my East Coast Fun Bunch and the West Coast Edumucation Team.

May the best my team win.

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Queue the Circus Music

Rex Grossman to start over Donovan McNabb Sunday


Probably should have seen this one coming with Shanny's statement the other day

"I like people getting prepared for a lot of different people," Shanahan said then. "Even though they say it's a meaningless game, it's not meaningless to us. We've got a big game. We'll get a lot of preparation. You guys will have to show up to view all of the starters."

The skins can cut him after this year and only be out $3.5 Million.

Guess the Vikings just might be able to get a decent QB next year after all...

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MoneysWorth

Well, it is now officially playoff season.

Fantasy Football Playoffs that is.

And I have managed to qualify in both my leagues.

First, in my Borderless League, I limped into the playoffs by loosing my last 2 games by a heart wrenching 6 total points. No matter, even though I had a mediocere 7 - 6 record, I had the second highest point total in the 12 team league. I won my division (the top 3 teams all tied with a 7 - 6 record) because of that high point total. That means I win the division and I get that all important 1st round bye and a guarenteed extra $50 bucks!

In my Fumbled Returns League of Experts I again won my division as well. Though no money was involved, I do get bragging rights! :-)

On the real football front, it appears that the Redskin organization has FINALLY getting around to expelling Sir Albert and attempting to recover some of the insanely high priced salary cap hit they have taken.



















Has this proven to be a distraction?
Yes.
Was signing him in the first place a stupid thing to do?
Yes.
Were Shanny and Allen dealt a bad hand?
Yes.
Now that he is "technically" gone, will this continue to be a distraction?
Yes.

Reports are asking, and will continue to ask every coach and player and fan possible...

Was this a distraction?
Are you glad it is finally over?
Do you think he will be back next year?

We should have cut him before the season even started, or at least put him on the physically/mentally unable to perform list.

You could have gotten a lot more money back.

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No 2 minutes drills this week...

Well, at least we don't have to worry about Donovan being able to run a two minute offense this week... Bummer :-(

Go DeSean! (he's on my fantasy league...)

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5 for 5

Wow, I knew they were working out a deal but this is truly surprising.

Guess Donovan was right when he said he wanted to stay a Redskin. This is more than I was expecting. 3 years with maybe a 4th but FIVE? !!!

And if the rumors are true about the $78 million contract extension, $40 million of which is guaranteed. This is not a bad deal for either party.

Donovan has average $9 million per year prior to this so it fits very nicely into the scheme of things.

Not too shabby for a hall of fame caliber QB and a 2nd round trade.

Congratulations to Donovan!

Congratulations to the Redskins!

Though, it does make me wonder what he could have gotten if he had been able to run a two minute drill....

Now go out there and toast the Eagles tonight!

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This week we saw -

Pike called up from the nether worlds to take command beside his highly effective offensive line and teammates.

BTW – That would be Tony Pike of the Carolina Panthers. Not Captain Pike of Star Trek but hey, I could not resist.

The Panthers burned through Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen and finally called Pike to get him some playing time because , well, just because.

With seemingly ever star name either out or on the bench, this team is really hurting.

But honestly, I can’t decide who is hurting more. Panthers, Bills or Cowboys.

The Bills proved that they stink no matter what country they are in.

They Cowboys proved that there is no low too low for them to go this year.
















If I were Jason Garrett, and thank god I’m not, I’d be worried.

Hey Jason, here is a tip from a devoted Redskins fan. Keep calling up those wonderful passing plays!

And on a more positive note.

The Browns took it to Uncle Bill and the Pats! (I actually picked that one in my pickem league)























I know, everyone else was baffled too.

The Redskins didn’t lose.

And I am still winning the division in both my leagues thanks in part to my being able to (unbelievably) pick up Jacob Tamme off of waivers this week. If he is still available in yours, he is definitely worth a consideration.


!!! UPDATE !!!

Cowboys dot Com site goes down due to registration failure !!!

Default Network Solutions page with two kids playing soccer is shown instead of all the wonderful personnel and player headlines !!!

Ha ! Ha ! Ha !

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Email Alert!

This is a real email (with names and other sensitive information removed)










From: Woody
To: Doug
Subject: Oh Lord!!!!!!!

JaMarcus Russell works out
Following the Redskins' final practice before players scatter for the bye week, several players took the field for tryouts, including the former Oakland QB.

What the hell is going on with the Redskins?

Woody

> From: Doug
> Subject: RE: Oh Lord!!!!!!!
>
> I don't know, maybe he can block?
>


Though I have to admit, Jamarcus and Redskins are two words I never thought I'd hear in the same sentence.

I think we just stole the media headline award back from the Vikings!

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Head Shot of the Week

Donovan McNabb is practically leading the league in 40+ yard plays so far this season.

This means he is the Reggie Jackson of Football. The home run and all or nothing cleanup hitter.

It makes for exciting highlight reels and lots of hair pulling near misses.
It also makes for a slightly less than perfect completion percentage.

Which is not what the Shanahans want.

They want a pro bowl QB who makes all the right plays, throws, completions and decisions to move his team down field, score points and win games every time on every play.

They want somebody to pick up the playbook and execute it to perfection. You know, just like they drew it up. But so far this season, Donovan has not been able to do that.

And it is not entirely his fault. Not all the good pieces necessary to make everything go as planned are yet in place.

Ever since the beginning of his tenure and the OTA’s, Shanahan has stressed his coaching style, work ethic and attitude. Nothing proved this more than the attendance and treatment of players, including everyones favorite 300+ pound diva, Albert Haynesworth.

This battle is well documented and actually had everybody guessing and offering advice from get rid of him to keep him and go back to the 4 -3.
But as we all know, AH is still with us and in fact is playing better than ever. But more on that later.

With this last though in mind, I think hindsight might prove Shanahans decision to bench Donovan McNabb to be good for the team in the long run.

But what does it do in the short term? It does carry a lot of risk. You introduce uncertainty into every players mind about your confidence in the starting QB. You know, the one you went out of your way to trade for and got rid of Jason Campbell for.

BTW, guess who now has a better QB rating so far this season?
But, guess who has given the franchise hope for success and a belief that we are better now than we were with the other guy.

And yet hope gets benched for book knowledge with only 2 minutes to go in the game and we hit the midpoint of the season in full turmoil and the possibility of winds of change coming.

It’s kind of ironic that we have mid term elections this week, mid point of the season, and change and uncertainty are everywhere.

But here is how I think things will play out.

I’ve heard more than one trainer, coach and advisor say that you do not practice on your weaknesses. Sure it is good to be critical and look to improve and correct your mistakes, but that is not how you achieve greatness.

You practice your strengths. You take what makes you good, what makes you stand out in the field and practice that to make it even better.

Look what has happened with the AH saga. He is now 100% committed to and behind the system. In exchange, the system is using his strengths to their best advantage. Yes he still lines up on the nose from time to time, but he is now playing the gaps much more and more importantly much more effectively because the coaches have adjusted the system to exploit what he does best.

They are practicing the strengths. The strengths of AH and the strengths of the defensive schemes.

Conversely on the other side of the ball. Reportedly The Shanahans have tried to adjust the play book for Donovan, by eliminating certain terminology, calls and plays.

They have tried to retrain him in his mechanics.

They have concentrated on the weaknesses and as a result, the Redskins have not gotten much better.

It appears to still be all about the Shanahan my way or the highway style of coaching and plan.

They have to start putting into practice what Donovan does best. Or at the very least, what he is used to doing best. Just as I think they have done on the defense with AH.

Until this happens, both the coaches and the QB will be just going around in circles and not really improving.

I actually thought benching Donovan might be worth while (I mentioned it last week here). He has a propensity for making bone headed throws and decisions. Benching him was the right decision, just that it was made at the worst possible time (with 2 minutes to go and your best hope for the franchise out on the field when and where it counts during the heat of battle. I just would have done it in between games or at the very worst at half time

By taking Donovan out, Shanahan has said “I don’t think you can help us win the big one yet”. They will take the next two weeks working on a plan to give the team the best chance to win. And Shanahan will give Donovan a chance to prove him wrong.

Hopefully the Shanahans will also get rid of this “my way or the highway” style of coaching the offense and mechanics of the game and play to everyone strengths just as they have with the defense.

But then again, I am not the coach of the redskins, nor am I being paid millions of dollars a year to restore this franchise.

So if they do not do this, I invite them to prove me wrong.

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The Hit Stick

How good is Devin Hester?

Devin Hester, the fifth-year player from Miami, returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown last week. It was the 13th kick or punt return for a score in his career. That ties him with former Redskins standout Brian Mitchell for the most all-time. Brian was a pretty darn good player with a nice combination of talent and attitude. The difference:

Mitchell returned 1,070 kicks and punts in his career. Hester has returned 262.

So, how do you stop him?

You break out your god given talent, mix it with a lot of attitude and add some good ol’ fashioned football competition. What does this give you?

The Hit Stick.

Mike Sellers, Lorenzo Alexander and most recently Chris Wilson made tackles that have jarred the opposing team and fired-up the Redskins - leading to a competition for who can dish out the most.

"We do the dirty work," Sellers said. "You got to find ways to let people know you can still play. Chris Wilson is figuring out me and Lorenzo's secrets, so we got to keep him out of the mix."

Currently there are 3 numbers on the stick - a 45, then a 97, then a 45.

Someone who delivers a major blow on special teams gets their jersey number on the stick and then gets to keep it in their locker. The catch: Such a blow must come in a win.

So Sellers's No. 45 is on the stick twice for tackles he made against Dallas and Green Bay. Alexander's No. 97 is on for a ferocious tackle against Philadelphia. But Wilson, who delivered a powerful hit against Indianapolis, is still waiting to see his No. 95, because he hasn't come through in a win.

Let’s put another number on that hit stick this week guys!

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Quote of the day

Carlos Rogers's hands are so bad it's amazing he can feed himself.

Thomas Boswell/Washington Post

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Dan the Man

In case you missed it. Dan Snyder sat down with ESPN and did an interview.

Thanks to Hogs Haven and YouTube for access to this really fascinating owner of the Redskins.

It does give a very different impression of Dan than many folks may or may not have.

But if one thing does come across in the interview is that he is media shy, loves the skins, and is always, as happens to be a common trait of entrepreneurs and successful business owners, trying something new.

And if they see something wrong or an opportunity to improve; jump right in and take care of it or as I believe Dan say "fix that".

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It's Official

Stink bugs have taken over!

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Who Da Thunk It

That we would have to deal with a sudden and unexpected death in the NFL after the second week. Thoughts and prayers to both the Mckinley family and the Denver Broncos.



Tampa Bay and Kansas City would be winning their divisions with a perfect 2 – 0 record.










That Carolina would be reduced to pinning their hopes on the Rookie Clausen by week 3.

Cutler leads the NFL in QB ratings!

Arian Foster 1st and Darren McFadden 2nd, lead AP who is 3rd and CJ2k who is 5th in rushing yards.

Da Boys AND the Purple Eaters are both 0-2 ! And Possibly going to 0 – 3 !
Cowboys vs Texans – I’ll take the Texans
Vikings vs the best 0 – 2 team (that really should be 2 – 0) Lions

And

Donovan could throw a 400 yard game and Galloway could still get behind the secondary. Who knew?
















That last pass (the one that just missed) was 70 yards in the air! Gee, he only had to throw it 69 ½ yards… Great play calling on that one by the way!

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Holding on

I'd like to personally thank both the Redskins and Cowboys for proving you do not have to play football well for it to be good and entertaining!














And maybe next time Calvin will not be so quick to celebrate! Even though, two hands, two feet, a butt and the other hand all said it was a completed catch, you still have to get back up off the ground with it.





At least the folks with the Titans know all about how to make a catch and keep possession!

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Getting Ready for Dallas

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GrandPa Hogette

From the DC Sports Bog:

Ralph Campbell -- who died last week at the age of 73 -- was one of the 11 original Hogettes. He was known as GrandPa.

For most of the past 27 years, being a Hogette was a huge part of Campbell's life -- he went to two Super Bowls, conducted the National Symphony, rode an elephant down Pennsylvania Avenue, and appeared in a Visa commercial.

The Navy veteran, who served in Vietnam, actually arrived in the D.C. area early in the Gibbs Era as a Cowboys fan, due to Roger Staubach's Naval connections. He was on the path to conversion when the Hogettes began, and that completed the trick.

Lori Cole, Campbell's youngest daughter recalls "All of our friends made fun of us . . .but later as we got older, we got to see all the events he did. We went to Joe Gibbs stuff, went to Gary Clark stuff, we actually saw the good in it, and then it got to be ok."

Campbell will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery next month, wearing a Redskins tie. He's the first original Hogette to pass away.

His daughter said that he was also an avid sailor, and a devoted father and grandfather, and a 27-year Navy man, but she said it was fine for him to be memorialized as a Redskins fan in a dress, tying balloons for kids and making silly puns and boasting about his yellow dress.

He would love to be remembered [that way], his daughter said, and we would love for him to be remembered for all the good he did.

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Our last great hope

ESPN said that Strasburges injury devastates not only Washington but the entire baseball world.

Does it really?

Now don't get me wrong. It is a total shame that this happened to him, the nationals and yes even the sport, and I wish him all the best for a successful surgery and complete recovery.

But is it really devastation?

A crabgrass infestation in all major league ballparks would be devastating. Trust me, once weeds take over, the grass never comes back.

From all accounts, the recovery, though long, is nearly 90% successful. And some say he has a chance to come back with an even stronger / more durable arm.

So, what would devastation in the sports world really be?

No Strasburg.

No 2011 NFL, or Fantasy, Season.

No Hockey.

No Basketball.

OMG! Ted, you better watch out! You, and your two teams are the last, best, greatest hope for saving the world of sports!

If they fail, then THAT would truely be devastating!

Forget about 2012 being the end of the world. If we loose sports, we loose all hope.

Come on Ted, if anybody can pull us through this tough time, you can.

But, until then, I have a few more practice mock drafts and over analyzing of draft boards to do before our Borderless League Fantasy Football Draft and Party on Sunday.

And perhaps this is the greatest thing about sports. There is always something to look forward to. Something to get excited about.

Queue the music...

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Ship AH to Tampa for Michael Clayton?

Hey, now here is a rumor that I could support!

From The Early Lead.

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Favre vs Shanahan Round 1

Brett Favre bumped Mike Shanahan from Sunday Night Football

From the DC Sports Bog . . .

As if you needed any more reasons to be bitter about Brett Favre's return, he managed to bump Mike Shanahan off NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast.

The Redskins coach sat down with Bob Costas early last week to tape an interview that was scheduled to air during halftime of the 49ers-Vikings game. Then some stuff happened with Brett Favre, and the world was overcome with fumes, and Al Michaels scored an interview with the grizzled one, and so NBC Sports producers decided that would be the halftime spot.

No arguments here. If you've got the noble gunslinger, and the Vikings are playing, you have to go with that interview at halftime. And since the Shanahan interview was pre-taped, there wouldn't be any new ammunition added to the Albert Haynesworth gunfight.

Still. Go ahead and add it to the list.

As for the lost Shanahan-Costas footage, an NBC Sports spokesman tells me it will air at a later date, likely during the Thursday night kickoff game.

Oh palease, Another Headline Ratings Op stolen by the Vikings.

Danny and Co. will have to come up with more "As Albert Turns" drama.

Guess I will just have to keep tabs and see what happens come Nov 28th!

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Feeling the Heat

Albert:

"I was in a hot tub, felt dizzy, got sick. They told me it was just a headache. Probably wanted to make themselves look good and me bad."

Them:

"I don't think it has anything to do with his head."





Shanahan and Allen have handled the whole Albert situation in such a way as to teach him a lesson.

Obviously he has not learned it.

Can we please do one of the following?

Cut, Trade, or place Albert on IR.

Too bad players who have accrued at least one season under contract can't be placed on the practice squad.

Imagine tha irony of putting Albert on the practice squad . . .

That would be too funny.

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