Week 2: Old Skins or New Skins?

Alright, the high from week 1's coming out party has almost worn down in the Nation's Capital and we are all back to wondering how we ever lived our lives without RG3. At this rate we are about 3 weeks away from Obama and Romney having a Griffin-off on the National Mall for the presidency so let's try not to get too far ahead of ourselves now, after all the Eagles beat the Browns by a point last week and they have the same record as Washington.

Speaking as the eternal pessimist, I have about as much faith in the Skins repeating the near perfection that they displayed in week 1 as I do in keeping up with this blog outside of the first month of the season. With that said, it's the Rams people! They should lose. They expect to lose. Problem is the Skins of the past 5 years have walked into each of their games against the Rams expecting the same, only to get punched in the mouth a few times. Whoever the ghoulish creatures are who amass the NFL schedule must have a thing for Rams-Skins in stereotypical trap games. It's usually about the time in the year when the average, mouth-breathing Skins fan in a mustard-stained Cooley jersey starts looking at the schedule counting "win-win-win-win, okay we play the '85 Bears, that one might be a tie. win, win..." It's always that week when the Skins face an "easy win" Rams team and find themselves on their knees praying for a 50 yard FG at the last minute when they thought they would be running their second string in the third quarter. The problem is that no one rolls over in the NFL, especially not before November. Prognosticating which teams will be dominant anytime before week 4 is an exercise in futility, gladly repeated on a weekly basis by "experts" like Peter King and Chris Berman. I know weathermen who are more accurate.

So the league wants to crown RG3 the prototype of the future. Thanks America, I hate you. You are the same people who bought millions of copies of Nelly's albums. That's right, a man from St. Louis was once at the top of the rap game. Read a book people. The only thing that St. Louis is good for is a layover on a flight from the East to West Coast. It's the Gateway city, as in they need a gate to keep anyone there, including their professional athletes. This coming from a guy who lives in Baltimore! So you know it's bad. What I am trying to say is that mainstream America is always trying to market something. It couldn't just be that RG3 was great in his first game, it had to be "Griffining" it had to be "the prototype." Can't a game just be a game?! I know it can't so I'm looking forward to what I think will be a less than super-human type game from RG3, but a solid one nonetheless. The Fisher-coached Rams are tough, Stephen Jackson is ageless and they are not going let the QB they [cough] gave away [cough] put on a highlight real on their turf while their fans boo yet another 0-2 start. They are going to knock RG3 around and try everything they can to make someone else beat them.

For RG3 it's just the second game of his career, again on the road, again in a dome and again with the weight of the largest, most desperate fan base in the NFL on his back. No pressure, no diamonds, right homey?



Underrated effort last week: Many candidates here (thank you Aldrick) but for me the honor has to go to Billy Cundiff (whom I'm sure will return to form with 2 missed FGs this week). Cundiff, in one week, was everything that Graham Gano never was for the Skins. Gano made a living making kicks that didn't matter and always seemed to miss kicks that ended up costing us momentum and eventually the game. Before we could process how crucial three more points in a game would have been Gano had already changed into his leotard and headed to his next ballet recital without catching nearly enough arrows from scathing fans. I still hate you Gano! Keep hittin 'em straight Billy.

Hopeless predictions:

Current line: Skins -3.5, U/O 43.5

Skins 23, Rams 22

• Alfred Morris puts in another solid effort but we see far more use of the backs as receivers in week 2 with Helu and Royster combining for more total yards than our new RB1. Morris still finds pay dirt once. 
• Over 50% of the Skins fans don't realize until 4:45pm that Jeff Fisher now coaches the Rams. Somewhere in Laurel a man finishes a Bud, crushes the can and yells at his wife to "Get that damn Titans coach off my screen."
• Fisher refuses to let RG3 dictate the speed of the game
• Early TDs are slowly replaces by plodding drives and FGs
• Bradford is able to spread the ball to his litany of journeymen finding success on crossing routes. The Rams convert far more third down attempts than the Saints were able to against the 3-4.
•  Orakpo gets held no less than 8 times, it's flagged once.
• Fred Davis finds the end zone
• RG3 throws for 240 1TD, 1Int, runs for 35
• More importantly, he remains composed as the Rams make a late charge to take the lead. 
• Pandaemonium in D.C. as the Skins are 2-0 and atop the division.
• Immediate sobriety reflecting on the fact that the Redskins started last year 3-0.
• Keep your pants on people, it is a long season.

Week 1: Bayou Beatdown

It's the most lovely time of year people! Football is back, the temperatures are dropping, leaves are changing, things are beginning anew....unless of course you are a Redskins fan, in which case it's that time of the year where you renew the never-ending cycle of abuse that is your relationship to the Skins. Every Spring they find a new way to lure you in with promises of grandeur only to be reduced to tears by October. This Spring's trophy however is oh so much more shiny than all of the years before. The man, the myth, the numerical fixation, RGIII. Unfortunately, the entire Washington area is going to be brought back down to Earth in about 36 hours when RGIII faces his first live action as an NFL player. I only say this because if he does anything short of flying from end zone to end zone the entire game on  Buick-Reebok-Gatorade-Old Spice sponsored wings he will fall short of "git r' done" expectations. The reality is Robert Griffin III has all the tools to be a successful NFL QB and, in all probability, he will be someday, the problem is that it is going to take time. This is a tried and true NFL truth only rebuked by recent flashes of greatness by Cam Newton. People quickly forget that the success rate for highly touted rookie QBs in the NFL is about 0% their first season, even Peyton Manning lost 14 games his first year, and Cam Newton wasn't getting 1/10 of the adoration that has been given to Griffin. The one thing I hope for this year, as a Redskins fan, is health and patience. I'll be shocked if I get either from the QB or the hepatitis-C laden fans who still promulgate "Skins Nation" but a boy can dream.

As for the short-term, the Skins drew the Brees straw week 1, in the Dome, against a team with something to prove and a vendetta to use scoreboards as their primary means of showing Roger Goodell what they think of his totalitarian state. With that said, its not the worst match-up for the Skins; they will get their yards on the ground against a beat up defense. The same vulnerabilities can not be said for the Saints offense which is formidable, if not criminally-loaded. With Washington's top two safeties out for the foreseeable future, sadly I see this game as a first glimpse at a painful first half of the season. The Who Dats will air it out relentlessly while the Skins will be happy to see their offense matching the Saints in the early part of the game before inevitably falling prey to the dangers of getting in a shootout with the sharpest gun in the South.

Hopeless predictions:

Current line: Saints -7.5 U/O 49.5

Saints 40, Skins 27

• Brees throws for 325 and 4 TDs
• The game is within a FG at halftime
• RG3 throws for 250 and 2 TDs with 2 turnovers
• The forgotten Santana Moss scores a touchdown and is the Skins receiver of the game
• Alfred Morris runs for 105 yards and takes the lead on the depth chart (doesn't start week 2)
• SHANIHANIGANS!
• We are painfully reminded how good Jimmy Graham is
• We are also reminded that Fred Davis is not Jimmy Graham
• Saints pull away late in the 3rd, never look back
• People begin calling D.C. radio stations demanding that Kirk Cousins gets a chance at QB1, these people will primarily be from LaPlata.
• Everyone calms down by Wednesday realizing that playoff baseball is only 4 weeks away. 
• Thursday, Strasburg is shut down and we are once again only thankful to not be Cleveland fans.

Grantland Fantasy Island Contest

So I failed to be selected for the Grantland Fantasy Island Final Competition (Top 5 fantasy players of 2012, 1 sleeper, under 750 words). It's not my fault that those hacks couldn't comprehend my genius, says the wittiest guy I know. Silver lining? The experience has motivated me to once again begin sharing the thoughts of a man on the brink. My submission can be found below.

I am America, so desperate for a job that an ad for an unpaid apprenticeship as a fantasy football blogger gets me as giddy as Mike Tyson in a pigeon coup. Hey, when you’re too old to send in audition tapes for The Real World 76 there just aren’t that many equally satisfying alternatives.

First, any submission for this contest submitted prior to midnight Thursday is inherently flawed.  Anyone who has ever played fantasy before knows that procrastination is a winner’s best friend. Two of the games biggest stars were in action last night, and therefore at risk of devastating injury, by including them in your ‘Top 5’ you were effectively telling the faithful readers of Grantland that you don’t care how their seasons unfolded. I AM SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE!

Without further adieu, I give you my top-five fantasy players. I root for the bad guy in movies so naturally each of these gentleman will be escorted down the aisle by their bad guy counterpart.

1. Ray Rice – Simon Phoenix (Demolition Man)

Like Simon Phoenix it’s difficult to tell if Rice was sent to us from the past or from the future. The only thing that is clear is that he has come here to destroy our preconceptions. Do you remember when RB1s touched the ball 25-30 times a game, scored at least every other week and considered 90 total yards a bad week? Even Mike Shannahan used to believe in such a thing. Rice is a dying breed, he rarely ever gets dinged due to his tree trunk thighs and his running style makes him approximately 3 feet tall.  He’s the safest bet in the draft, as his team will inevitably realize that Joe Flacco is their quarterback.

2. Aaron Rodgers – Hanibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)

Has anyone ever regretted drafting Aaron Rodgers at any point, in any draft, ever? Rodgers is Hanibal Lecter, he will literally dissect your team and you will feel yourself rooting for him. Is it the discount double-check? The back shoulder passes? The cheekbones? No one knows. What we do know is: he runs, he throws, he has weapons everywhere, and he hates losing (as in once in the year 2011). He will make your team competitive regardless of what you draft around him. No one ever wants to play against a guy who can drop 40 points at will.

3. Calvin Johnson – Megatron (Transformers)

R.I.P. Madden Curse. Madden could have double-covered Megatron and his efforts would have been futile. We may never see another creature exactly like Megatron again in our lives. He’s a freak of nature with no ceiling. If Stafford stays healthy for a full year it’s frightening what Megatron might be able to do. They literally changed a rule because this guy was doing things that the refs could not visually process. I’m not afraid to say I am in love with Johnson. Everyone that plays fantasy should have Megatron on their team at least once, its ecstasy. 

4. Arian Foster – Anton Chigurh (No Country For Old Men)

Call it, friend-o. Foster is a coin flip. He will either lead all fantasy backs in points or miss six games with a knee. If you like gambling and you have a top 5 pick go with Foster but anyone else on this list is less risky. Sorry I have to go I hear Ben Tate coming.

5. LeSean McCoy – Bane (Dark Knight Rises)

You know what I trust less than Michael Vick’s ribs? Mike Kafka’s arm. If you take LeSean in the Top 5 you are betting that Vick will not survive and the Eagles will once again rely on McCoy. McCoy is Bane, he’s the new kid on the block but lasting appeal is in question. This match is also appropriate because Eagles fans are the most likely to implode their own stadium if the Dream Team disappoints again.

Sleeper - Justin Blackmon – Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)

The second half of the draft is when leagues are won or lost. Getting value out of these picks is key. While most of your buddies are on their sixth beer and making the same Houshmandzadeh joke for the 5^th year in a row, draft the American Psycho. Rookie wide recievers notoriously struggle, especially when being thrown to by Blaine Gabbert, but Blackmon is going in the 11^th round in most leagues and even though he seems about as crazy as T.O. he may be as talented. 

Returning Fall 2012 - Stay Tuned

I <3 banks="banks" br="br" brandon="brandon">

Lots of big things happening in D.C. lately: Wall, Strasburg, Harper, Ovechkin, Shannahan, Wale and football is right around the corner. On that note, the blog will be back soon in some capacity. As always, temper your expectations as all logical Skins fans have learned to do.

Skins-Bucs Preview: "What are you gunna do?"

"Either we heal now as a team or we will die as individuals..."

If I've gotten one major complaint about this blog, besides how much it sucks, it's that I am too long-winded and people need a dictionary to know what the hell I'm saying. As a result I will keep the Skins preview short and sweet this week.

In the aftermath of the Lions game, D.C. seemed like the saddest sports town in the Nation. Radio stations are literally giving out paper bags tomorrow for disgruntled fans to wear to this weeks game that read, "Hate the owner, love the team." Some shmuck is selling his fan loyalty on EBay for $10,000+ (good riddance) and anyone from outside the Nation's capitol who viewed this spectacle would probably think the Redskins had just finished their 50th losing season in a row and were about to leave town. We're not Baltimore people. For God's sake! We aren't fair-weather sissies but we have had enough of this underachieving product over the past 12 months, errr 18 years.

The most shocking news I received all week was that we were 9-point favorites this Sunday. My first reaction was that I must have drank the wrong bottle from under the sink the night before, but when the line remained the same when I woke up sober on Tuesday, I immediately began wondering how terrible Tampa must be if they are that big of underdogs against the Skins. The answer is, they're pretty terrible. Bottom 5 offense in the league, bottom 2 defense in the league. Already turning to a back-up QB who has thrown a total of 10 NFL passes and the team is headed by a first year coach who may have bitten off more than he could chew.

Breaking down the game the most interesting statistic to watch tomorrow will be third-downs on both sides of the ball. The Bucs have the worst 3rd down offense in the league and the Skins have the worst 3rd down defense in the league (based on conversion %). Something has got to give. I can't imagine that the defense isn't pissed off after Detroit moved the ball up and down the field on them last week and I can't imagine that Tampa's offense can be too cocky seeing as Josh Johnson will be making his first start of his career without many weapons around him. Tampa's offense actually makes the Lions look pretty legitimate. Kellen Winslow should be good for as many personal fouls as catches and their most valuable weapon (Antonio Bryant) may not even play. If Tampa is going to be successful it will likely have to be fueled by their running game which has 3 very capable runners in Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward, and Earnest Graham. All said, Tampa will not be looking to turn this game into a shootout. They are probably going to try to grind the ball and hope to keep our offense out of the endzone as everyone other team has been able to do thus far.

Of course if I am going to mention injuries and running the ball it is noteworthy that Clinton Portis is questionable for the game and if he plays he will likely be very limited (under 20 touches, unless they shoot him up with some good shit). With that said it is likely that Jason Campbell will be airing the ball out and once again the passing game will be what makes or breaks this game. If there was ever a time for a statement game this is it and the two people in Redskins gear under the most scrutiny tomorrow will be Jason Campbell and Jim Zorn. Their fates are eternally linked. "You go, we go."

If I were Jim Zorn this week instead of fraternizing with Tom Cruise before the game, I would give a stirring rendition of this speech (my favorite cinematic football speech) and make sure that the team took the field with an "us against the world" mentality because that is the position we, I mean they, are in right now. Fuck the fans, fuck the owner, fuck Vinny, fuck FedEx field, fuck unemployed bloggers who foresee our demise each week, this isn't about anything but the 53 men in that locker room, coming together, and playing for each other. I know, I am an idealistic dolt and none of the millionaires in the locker room are going to stand up and say that, but you gotta dream, right? God where is George Allen when you need him!? (If you're a Skins fan and don't know who George Allen is, first kill yourself and then watch this video. "40 men together, can't lose!" )

As for a prediction, what use are those really? We are either going to be the same team we were in Detroit and lose this game 16-13 in overtime. Suicide rates will skyrocket in the D.C. area and more hermaphrodite Skins fans will jump on the Ravens bandwagon. Or, we are finally going to pull together and put a bad team away. Early and often. A stat that is particularly distressing is that the last time the Skins scored 30+ points in a game was December 23, 2007. As an aside, the Saints are AVERAGING 40 point per game this season! And the Lions thought they had a streak?? Even the Browns went over 30 twice in that span! Stick that in your pipe ESPN. I'm going to go out on a limb (which should come in handy if we lose) and say that if the Redskins win this game it won't be squeaker. My much-maligned heart says that if the Zorn-driven Skins are ever going to put together a complete game, this will be it and they will romp, 31-10. Take it as you will but we should know what we are working with after the first quarter tomorrow. It's hard to call the fourth game of an NFL season a must-win but that is pretty much where we are right now with the Skins. Get your paper bags ready ladies...

Queue Jack Kent Cooke rolling in his grave.

And here is some painful nostalgia because I hate you. Hard to believe this is the same franchise.

Friday College Football Preview

SECond to None

After last week's lousy slate of college football games the football gods have served up a nice offering this week as conference play kicks into high gear with 3 match-ups pitting top 25 teams against each other. Does anyone else agree that rankings should just be thrown out until after week 5? Each week we have to watch Lou Holtz poop his pants in studio because another "ranked" team gets blown out. Maybe this is because rankings in college football are about as arbitrary and fleeting as Teen Choice Awards...ask the Hanson Brothers how that worked out for them.

Anyhow we have to play the cards we are dealt and right now that consists of a weekly onslaught of crappy inaccurate rankings which fuel an even more fucked up BCS Championship system that will likely give us a national championship match-up the likes of the juggernaut Houston Cougars and the perennial fly in the ointment Boise State Broncos. I'll hold off on opening the BCS pandora's box for now and stick to this weekends games. Here are my picks, look over them while you ponder why no one is mentioning how good Texas has looked this year.

USC @ California (+4.5)

There's an old gambling adage in football that says only a fool bets on a game with a 4-point line. There is something about this crazy number that represents that gamblers have no idea what is going to happen. Usually it's the exact opposite of what common sense would tell you but it is nearly impossible to swallow your pride and go with that mindset so Vegas cleans up on these games annually. Our three big match-ups this week contain two games which have been hovering around a 4-point spread all week. What better time to put this theory to the test than in week 5 when we have no idea what the hell is going on in college football?

USC is undefeated with Matt Barkley under center but they have looked less than impressive in all of their games and California is coming off of an ass-whooping in Oregon (42-3), which put to rest any dreams they may have had of a national title. In all likelihood this game will decide who the Pac-10 favorite will be from here on out. While USC has more talent from top to bottom USC has played like dirt on the road this year, losing to Washington and squeaking out a victory against an Ohio State team that essentially gave the game away. Cal, on the other hand, has outscored their opponents 111-20 this year at home (granted those were against two bad teams). For me picking this game wasn't a matter of which team I liked better, rather which team I disliked less. I'll take Cal riding Javid Best heavily to a redemption game in Berkeley and count on Matt Barkely to finally blow a game and remind us why Pete Carrol acted like a jealous school boy bitch when Mark Sanchez declared for the NFL last spring. Confidence level: medium.

Oklahoma (-7) @ Miami

As much as I'd like to pick the boys from the U they embarrassed themselves last week in Blacksburg in a sloppy bad-weather game quieting the throngs of fair-weather fans who were ready to jump on the bandwagon and declare that the U was back. While I still believe Miami is the real deal their early season schedule has been beyond brutal (vs. Fla. St, @GT, @VT, vs. OK). It seems Florida State isn't quite as good as everyone believed at the beginning of the year leaving the Georgia Tech game as the biggest win of the year so far. While Miami will be in friendly confines this week and facing a back-up QB, I still think they are one year away from a return to glory. Oklahoma on the other hand has righted the ship after losing a stunner to BYU, and their starting QB in week one, not allowing a point against them in the last two weeks. OU will not shut out the Canes but they should be the toughest D Jacory Harris has faced yet in his young career and should have enough offensive firepower to cover the spread. I see OU winning this game easily setting up for a huge Red River Shootout in two weeks. Miami on the other hand should win out after this week to finish the season at 10-2 and may even have their shot at an ACC title this year if Virginia Tech stumbles along the way. Confidence level: high.

LSU (+4) @ Georgia

Ahhh the SEC. Finally a daytime showdown between two SEC powerhouses with far-reaching implications. It doesn't get much better. Both teams will be limping into this battle between the hedges coming in off of the narrowest of victories against inferior opponents. Georgia is likely salivating at the prospect of going up against an LSU defense that has allowed opponents to air it out at will throughout the year. The Bulldogs boast the best WR in the SEC in AJ Green (stat-wise, second to Julio Jones IMO), and Joe Cox will look to find him early and often. Georgia would love to make this game a shootout as they did last year in Death Valley trouncing the Tigers but Joe Cox is not Matthew Stafford and the Bulldogs no longer have a little guy named Knowshown Moreno in the backfield forcing teams to load up the box to stop the run. Georgia will get their points but in no way should this game be a shootout.

LSU's offense has looked pedestrian this year and a pre-season Heisman candidate, Charles Scott, isn't even the leading rusher on his own team. At QB, LSU may still be feeling the effects of the Ryan Perrilloux saga forcing Jordan Jefferson into a job two years ahead of schedule. Jefferson has been anything but explosive this season but one thing he has done, and will need to continue Saturday if the Tigers hope to win, is protect the football (1 int in 101 attempts).

The Tigers biggest opponent may be themselves. With the Florida game looming next week and Tebow just getting out of the hospital it is hard to imagine that LSU isn't licking their chops at the prospect of going up against the defending national champs without Jesus Christ...I mean Tim Tebow under center. LSU must avoid that kind of mentality or it's going to be a long week with a lot less fervor when they host Florida next week. The Tigers need look no further than what happened to California last week for motivation. Cal went into Oregon with this week's USC game on their mind and walked out with 42-3 smack-down at the hands of an "underdog" Oregon Duck squad.

All things considered Georgia should win this game and then become the Tigers #1 fans next week and hope they knock off Florida to give Georgia a clear path to the SEC Championship game. All the Tiger fans I've spoken to seem to have no faith in this team and are convinced that Georgia is going to exploit all of the Tigers weaknesses in a way Mississippi State began to last week. Like I said before, when everyone thinks they have a game figured out they are usually wrong. I'll go with my heart and not my mind on this one and take the Tigers to win by two on a last-second FG in a low-scoring, hard-hitting SEC game, setting up the game of the year next week versus the Gators. Confidence level: low.


Other leanings:

ATS:

South Florida (-6.5) @ Syracuse
Wisconsin (+3) @ Minnesota
Clemson (-12.5) @ UMD
UVA @ UNC (-13)
Ole Miss @ Vandy (+10)
Tulane @ Army (-6)
Washington (+12.5) @ Notre Dame
Air Force @ Navy (-2.5)
Georgia Tech (-5) @ Miss. St.
PSU (-7) @ Illinois
New Mexico @ Texas Tech (-34)
Auburn (+2.5) @ Tennessee
Houston (-14) @ UTEP
Wyoming (+3.5) @ Florida Atlantic

Home field advantage is over-rated.

Over/Under:

Michigan @ MSU Over 54
UCLA @ Stanford Over 46
FIU @ LA Monroe Over 55.5
Boise St. @ WHOEVER Over 55.5
Washington @ Notre Dame Over 53.5

Ohio St. @ Indiana Under 49
SMU @ TCU Under 52
Ark. St @ Iowa Under 45
Cincy @ Miami-Ohio Under 59
LSU @ UGA Under 51
Tulsa @ Rice Under 62.5


YTD ATS: 6-7
YTD O/U: 5-3

And for your moment of Zen, here is what it feels like to be a Redskins fan these days: click me.

Reflecting on the Detroit Meltdown...Looking Forward

Fail to the Redskins

So I figured I'd let the dust settle for a few days before really reflecting on the Lions game. The D.C. media has had a field day with this thing and it seems almost like half of our fan base was rooting for this type of a shit-the-bed game to illustrate the futility of the entire organization. No true Redskins fan could say they were surprised or caught off guard by what happened in Detroit. Everyone knew Detroit had improved this year and the Redskins didn't hide the fact that they have apparently forgotten how to put the ball into the end zone. Obviously there is no excuse for being the first victim to lose to the Lions in their last 20 games but it couldn't have happened to a more hapless group that the Redskins. I found myself so frustrated during the first half of the game that I began writing down my thoughts in an attempt to prevent my self from spitting on the television whenever they showed Zorn looking clueless. Here are those notes unedited from when I wrote them:

1st half

-It all starts with the coach…this team lacks discipline and motivation

- WR fumbles and D-Hall literally stood over the ball and watched a Lion slide in and cover it. Neat.

-The coaching decisions have been atrocious, even if it had worked out you never give a team another chance. 4th and 3 or 3rd and 13? Make them attempt the FG. You haven’t stopped them all day and then you call a Time out on 3rd down to save them time and then they go down and lay another score on you. Well done Zorn. Maybe you should have asked Tom Cruise (Stefen Djordjovic) to talk to the defense because his game in 'All the Right Moves' looks tougher than Blache's D right now.

-Defense jumping offsides multiple times...way to help out their rookie QB. Discipline. Where in the F is our pressure? Why aren't we blitzing?

-Guys hanging their heads right and left on the sideline. It's only 10-0 but it feels like 30.

-Only person I ever see Zorn interact with is Campbell

-No on is held accountable for their mistakes

-Is LaRon Landry still on the team, haven't seen him make a form tackle all year. Take out that damn lip ring bro! Please.

-Haynesworth collapses after first sack of season – like we didn’t see that one coming. See ya in 2010. (He came back into the game in the 3rd quarter).

-Have to feel bad for Portis he is a victim of a terribly predictable playcalling system, 4th and goal from the one, shocker that you are not going to run to the side without 2 backups on it. Not to mention we lined up for the play, they called timeout, and we came out in the same formation and ran the play anyways. Why run wide?! If you can't get one yard when you need it from your offensive line things need to change.

-Playcalling is always predictable. Nothing is ever set up, the Lions have been setting up Calvin Johnson’s reverse from the beginning of the game and the Skins D has to respect that while Kevin Jones rips off nice runs up the middle. (Lions then went on to finally hand the ball to Johnson on the reverse late in the 4th quarter to help run out the clock).

-Ive seen 4 people show any emotion in this game, Rocky McIntosh, Reed Doughty, Cooley and London Fletcher (as usual). 13-0 at the half. Lifeless. God please take my life.

2nd half

-Moss scores, somehow this doesn't feel like the start of a comeback but more like a lone highlight for Sportscenter.

-Randle El is telling Campbell to hurry up and snap the ball. Delay of game.

-JC is missing open guys high again, got WRs coming back to the huddle telling JC they were open.

-Obviously the refs should not be a factor in the games but calls like waving off a facemask after a ref saw it and called it from the best possible angle is egregious and obviously a product of some error. Questionable interference call on Horton but I almost find myself rooting for the Lions, they have dominated this game and are in 'Holy shit we are going to win, let's run out the next 15 minutes mode.'

-Skins gave the game away, refs finished them off. Two biggest plays of the second half for the Lions were a waved off facemask call and a pass interference on a desperation heave on third down to give them the ball inside the 10.

-One complement to Campbell is that his play-calling is better than Zorn we seem to move the ball better in a two-minute offense than we do throughout the game. Take the leash off him Zorn, there is nothing left to lose!!!

-I take that back Campbell, checking the ball down to a RB for a 3-yard gain with under a minute left is worse than throwing the ball away. This isn't news.

-Matt Stafford, put your fucking tongue away in this league if you want to keep it.

-In the NFL it boils down to this, either you are a playoff team or you aren’t. As a Redskins fan would you really want to be led to believe this is a playoff team with a weak schedule early in the year only to be let down this winter? Not me. I’ll take a consistently awful team, which we are. A team who may have the chance to ruin some teams playoff runs down the line but will in no way deserve to be involved ourselves. Our opening schedule is extremely weak but it will get much tougher should be a 6-10 season at best if changes aren't made.


End of notes.

A couple days later I have settled down but I don't really have anything to retract from my in-game comments. We show no passion out there and our potential is not even close to being represented on the field. The question then becomes, why? Who is to blame? Players? Coaches? Front office? LaVar Arrigton and John Riggins think it is the owner, the media think it's the coach (probably because they can't say anything negative about the owner or they will find themselves bound and gagged and thrown in the Anacostia River because he owns pretty much every media device in the area), and the players seem to be blaming themselves. It's only week 3 and we are on the heels of a full-scale implosion. Luckily for Zorn's job security he is a "yes-man" to Snyder and will likely hold onto his job more than someone who actual had testicles would.

Strangely my feelings about this game have gone from depression, to apathy to a weird sort of pseudo-optimism. Maybe I just hate the majority that much. Right now people are pissing on us for losing to the Lions because it ended their futility streak. Fair-weather Skins fans are jumping off the bandwagon (good riddance) and generally people in the District are overreacting (typical). Granted the Lions suck but you'll see them win 4-6 games this season and then this loss will just look like another blown opportunity to win a game away from home. It's no worse than any other loss we've given away over the past 10 years, and this in no way approaches the feelings durring the Spurrier era, it's just that this gives fodder to Redskins haters to say "haha...you all are a joke" which currently is dead on. The good thing is that losses like this usually inspire change, whether it be people getting fired, the team fighting each other and finding out who really wants it OR it could just lead to the wheels falling off: people not showing up to games, the team quitting on each other and generally finishing the season 3-13, which I don't think can or will happen with our potential.

Don't get me wrong we suck, 8-8 at best, but at least now we can play spoiler to legit teams and not have the false hope of actually making the playoffs like we do most years.

On a more depressing note the Terps are absolute do-do. I would love to incorporate some college football into this blog but they have made the thought of covering games less appealing than bathing with a toaster. I may just start betting against them every week to pay back my student loans. They couldn't get worse and until they prove otherwise I don't think they are worthy of taking the field against another D-1 school. They could conceivably only win 3-4 games this year and that is AT BEST. We've come a long way since Fridge led Vanderlinden's players to the Orange Bowl haven't we? Too bad he'd have to literally take his pants off, eat nachos and crap on the 50 yard line during a game in which the Terps are losing by 100 to be fired because Debbie Yow is a two-timing bull dyke (just speculating) and best friends with a coach who would rather see players graduate than win football games. I love having a woman for an Athletic Directior. Long live Title 9. Idiots.

In a rare attempt to end on a positive note the Caps season starts tomorrow and expectations have never been higher. The rest of the Washington area sports world has let us down royally and all our hopes and dreams will be riding on #8 this season. I'm trying not to get too excited because apparently the sports gods don't like to see me happy and they will spitefully tear his ACL in November if I start talking about the C-U-P potential of the Caps. I'll hold off on that for now and leave you with another D.C. area bright spot. The Nats locked up the #1 pick in next years draft last night and they are looking to draft Superman AKA the LeBron of Baseball (this kid is 16) and tonight Sherwood-UMD product Justin Maxwell hit a sweet walk-off grand slam to end the game, which I would enjoy even more if the Nats didn't have the worst play-by-play guys in baseball history. Smile while you can children, smile while you can. Happy Hockey Season.

And for your moment of Zen, I've figured out how to get the Redskins to perform better...more monkeys in Gucci bags!!!