1<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878</id><updated>2026-09-28T03:48:52.853-04:00</updated><category term="Redskins"/><category term="expectations"/><category term="Hall of Fame"/><category term="Opening day"/><category term="giants"/><category term="jets"/><category term="preseason"/><category term="Art Monk"/><category term="Buffalo Bills"/><category term="Mangini"/><category term="NFL"/><category term="Panthers"/><category term="Tribute"/><category term="blowout"/><category term="concerns"/><category term="demons"/><category term="disappointment"/><category term="favre"/><category term="hype"/><category term="kissing your sister"/><category term="meadowlands"/><category term="mitigating circumstances"/><category term="nerves"/><category term="oh shit"/><category term="overreaction"/><category term="predictions"/><category term="reality"/><category term="zorn"/><title type='text'>The Om Field</title><subtitle type='html'>Washington Redskins - a literate, dry-witted, heartfelt dedication to a lifelong burgundy and gold obsession.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default?start-index=26&max-results=25'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>223</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-6569303160673369624</id><published>2020-07-15T15:42:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2020-07-16T16:01:14.909-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Redskins Name Change - On Turning the Page</title><content type='html'>The Washington Redskins, after 83 years, are changing their name. <br /> 2<br /> 3As a lifelong fan it comes down to two fundamental questions for me. First, <i>should</i> they? And second, as a passionate follower of the team for fifty years, how do I feel about itâhow will it affect my fandom?<br /> 4<br /> 5On the sobering question of âshould ...â<br /> 6<br /> 7For most of my adult life I have defended the team name based on a simple premiseâthat the only real data I had ever seen suggested <i>some</i> Native Americans were offended by the name or saw it as demeaning, but that they represented far less than a majority. It seemed like a simple equation, one applicable to any social movement. What is the magic number? Should ten percent speak for the majority and force change? Should twenty percent? Forty? I posed that question for many years and never received a considered answer. <br /> 8<br /> 9So I hailed my Redskins and moved on.<br /> 10<br /> 11Over the past few months, given developments in this country, my perspective has ⦠evolved. For one thing, I am seeing more and more evidence in the public domain that has me wondering what those data points might look like if gathered <i>today</i>. Maybe âoffendedâ and âdemeanedâ have always been subjective terms. <br /> 12<br /> 13There is also a far broader context. <br /> 14<br />
15Something is happening in our country. Itâs no longer just about a sports team mascot. It is America in the early 21st century, lurching forward in great fits and starts, crashing into guardrails along a road that leads, with a little luck and lots of perseverance, toward a more enlightened, just, and long-lived future. We are all here for the long haul, with our wildly different backgrounds, beliefs and desires, so we are going to have to figure this thing out together. There are existential challenges waiting out there that are going to demand our undivided attention. <br /> 16<br /> 17Societal change is <i>hard</i>.&nbsp; Inclusion, tolerance, justice, compromise, equality ⦠these cannot just be buzzwordsâthey should be foundation stones.<br /> 18<br /> 19As for my fandom ...<br /> 20<br /> 21I have spent considerable time reflecting on fifty years of Redskins fandom, trying to put a finger on what part of that passion might have been about the <i>name</i>. Iâve looked back on the most heartfelt things I can recall writing about the team, and its place in my life, and found they were about ⦠the team. Not the name. Not the brand. The entity. <br /> 22<br /> 23The sense of identity I feel with and toward the Washington Redskins has always been about an connection to somethingâto a team playing a game I love, representing my home, through which I have shared highs, lows, history and hopes with family, friends and neighbors. It was about the camaraderie, the crowd, the colors.<br /> 24<br /> 25I must acknowledge some wistfulness about such a fundamental change, but I believe that had all other things been equal, I would have felt the same about my team no matter what they had been called. <br /> 26<br /> 27Except maybe <i>Cowboys</i>.<br /> 28<br /> 29Many of my fellow Redskins fans, whose passion I do not question, have long said that if the team ever changed its name they would be done. Out. And I think they believed that. I also think that when the Washington ______s become a relevant, contending football team, most will find their way back. It will not be about the name on the banner or logo on the helmet, but passion for the sport, and for the visceral journey of following a team that <i>means</i> something to them chasing a championship.<br /> 30<br /> 31In 1971, on the final day of the Major League Baseball season, my ten-year-old heart broke as my Washington Senators played their last game. They lost, of course, when the home fans stormed the field, turning an improbable comeback to seemingly win their final game into a soul-crushing forfeit to the NY Yankees.<br /> 32<br /> 33I donât remember thinking about the team name then, they were just ⦠my team. And for a time, they continued to be âmy team,â even after becoming the Texas Rangers. I followed them via the daily sports section, checking the box score, checking the standings, wondering how Jeff Burroughs had done the night before. That lasted a couple of years, but eventually they stopped being âmyâ team. They were Texas, I was Virginia. <br /> 34<br /> 35I followed the Baltimore Orioles for a few years, admiring Cal Ripkenâs class on and off the field, but I never adopted them or experienced the gnawing in the gut when they lost. I feel wins and losses with Washington on the jersey. Eventually, when the Nationals came to town and âweâ had a team again, I did enjoy having a new local team to follow, even if I didnât think much of the name. <br /> 36<br /> 37The passion didnât come back right away though. Know when it did? When they became a relevant, contending team. So there I was one late night last Fall, no longer a kid but now pushing sixty, chewing my lip, with my gut in a twist, as Washington was <i>this close </i>to winning the World Series for the first time since ⦠forever. <br /> 38<br /> 39Nationals, huh? Kind of has a ring to it.<br /> 40<br /> 41I remember when Lew Alcindor became Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar. I remember when Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali. I remember people much older than I saying they would never respect those men again. I was a kid, I didnât understand. People were people right? <br /> 42<br /> 43I did find it strange (they just <i>changed their names</i>âcan you even do that?). I found it kind of cool (the names were exotic, classy). And for the first time I became aware certain individuals felt strongly enough about some things to take such a life-altering stand despite the harassment and sheer inconvenience (maybe someday <i>Iâll</i> feel that strongly about something).<br /> 44<br /> 45My real light bulb moment on the name change didnât come from analysis, though. It c
45ame from the heart.<br /> 46<br /> 47My oldest daughter is engaged to be married. Like most fathers, I wouldn't hesitate to give my own life for hers. I donât know if she plans to take her future husbandâs name. I do know, should she choose to, that I will celebrate her decisionâthat it would be right for her. <br /> 48<br /> 49I also know, beyond any trace of a doubt, that if she does change her name, it will not change my memories, or how I feel about her, or what she means to me. A new name would change nothing that truly matters. <br /> 50<br /> 51So, one last time ⦠Hail to the Redskins. <br /> 52<br /> 53Onward and upward. <br /> 54<div> 55<br /></div> 56</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/6569303160673369624/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/6569303160673369624' title='43 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/6569303160673369624'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/6569303160673369624'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2020/07/redskins-name-change-on-turning-page.html' title='Redskins Name Change - On Turning the Page'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>43</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-3205560247348525294</id><published>2017-11-30T08:58:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2017-11-30T08:58:30.659-05:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'><br /> 57<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 58<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Redskins vs Cowboys. 59Thursday Night Football</b>. </span></div> 60<br /> 61<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 62<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Injuries and precarious placement in the standings aside, itâs 63still a big deal when these teams meet. At least it is to Redskins fans. So, 64given the opportunity to blog this thing, seems like some âanalysisâ is in 65order. </span></div> 66<br /> 67<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 68<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Rather than solemnly run through a dozen or more angles, Iâm 69going to winnow it down to these few. Because, well, theyâre the ones I kept 70coming back to this week.</span></div> 71<br /> 72<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 73<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">In no particular order â¦</span></div> 74<br /> 75<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 76<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Redskins QB Kirk 77Cousins</span></b></div> 78<br /> 79<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 80<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">No mystery here. He needs to bring it if the Skins are going 81to win. Which, given his history, is actually encouraging at first glance. In 82six career games against the Cowboys, Cousins has averaged 68% passing, thrown ten 83TDâs versus three picks, and racked up a QB rating of 100. Which is pretty 84good. </span></div> 85<br /> 86<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 87<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Unfortunately, </span><a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CousKi00/gamelog/?opp_id=dal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">heâs 88also 1-5</span></a><span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">, which is not. </span></div> 89<br /> 90<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 91<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">The one win came in January 2016, when the Captain was just 92about perfect, going 12 for 15 for 176 yards, 3 TDâs, no picks, and a QB rating 93of 155.1. Chances are heâs not going to have that kind of night again 94Thursdayânot behind a reeling OL, without his top two running backs, without a 95reliable proven WR, without mercurial TE Jordan Reed, etc. So while Kirk is 96definitely going to have to play well, heâs also going to need help. Not having 97to face Redskins-killer LB Sean Lee (see below) is a plus, but Cousins will also 98need a running game that resembles an NFL running game, tight ends and 99receivers to come up with key catches and maybe a bit âo YAC, and the defense 100to show up for more than, say, 56 minutes. </span></div> 101<br /> 102<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 103<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Which brings us to â¦</span></div> 104<br /> 105<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 106<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Redskins DC Greg 107Manusky</span></b></div> 108<br /> 109<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 110<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">I love Greg Manusky. Except when I donât. </span></div> 111<br /> 112<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 113<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">I love that his defense shows attitude and generally plays 114hardâthatâs something that has not been a given here in many years. I love that 115his short-handed group generally seems to come out of the gate fired up and 116dialed in, and holds other teams down early in games while the offense tries to 117settle in. </span></div> 118<br /> 119<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 120<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">donât</i> love that weâre 121back in familiar statistical territory, near the bottom of the NFLâ20<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> 122yards allowed; 25<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> points allowed; 19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> passing; 15<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> 123rushing. And I donât love that I have to hold my breath and watch through my 124fingers late in games again, fearing The Collapse. </span></div> 125<br /> 126<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 127<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">This is a defense that, despite myriad well-chronicled 128injuries, can hold Seattle wizard Russell Wilson and the Seahawks, on the road, 129to 14 points; and hold Drew Breesâ crazy-hot Saints to 16 points for 56 minutes 130(before collapsing and giving up 18 to blow the game). Conversely, it can also fail 131to show up at all, as in the home game against guy-at-the-end-of-bar Case 132Keenum and the Vikings. Sure, Keenumâs a nice enough story, and playing well. 133But the Redskins were humiliated on defense that day, allowing this future 134football trivia question to carve them up for 304 yards and 4 TDâs in a 135defensive effort that still has me shaking my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></div> 136<br /> 137<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 138<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">I love Manusky today. Iâm&nbsp;reserving the right not 139to again Thursday night.</span></div> 140<br /> 141<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 142<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Cowboys LB Sean Lee</span></b></div> 143<br /> 144<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 145<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">The Cowboys will be without unlikely-looking superman Lee, by 146far their best defensive player. Throughout his career Lee has seemingly been in 147the Redskins offensive huddle, always seeming to know exactly where to be, when, 148and never missing a tackle once he arrives. No joke ... his absence looms large 149for the Redskins. How large? </span></div> 150<br /> 151<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 152<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Lee has played the Redskins nine times in his career. His 153first came in his rookie year in 2010âthat crazy MNF season-opener at FedEx which 154the Skins won 13-7 on the back of DeAngelo Hallâs fumble-return TD. </span></div> 155<br /> 156<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 157<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QojdPaQc7gQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QojdPaQc7gQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div> 158<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 159<br /></div> 160<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 161<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Since then? </span><a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LeexSe99/gamelog/?opp_id=was"><span style="color: blue; font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Dallas 162is 8-0 against the Redskins in games Lee has played</span></a><span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">, 4-4 in games he 163hasnât.</span></div> 164<br /> 165<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 166<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Yeah, I knowâsilly stat. But heâs out. Weâll take it.</span></div> 167<br /> 168<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 169<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Enough âanalysis.â Hereâs how this one feels.</span></div> 170<br /> 171<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 172<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Dallas has been blown out three straight weeks. That will 173stop Thursday night. The Redskins wonât win by 20-plusâitâs just not what they 174do. If the Redskins show up, meaning both sides of the ball, teams, and 175coaching, at some point Thursday night theyâll have a lead, momentum, and it 176will feel like theyâre on their way to evening their record at .500. </span></div> 177<br /> 178<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 179<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">But they wonât âclose the dealâ and let us enjoy the fourth 180quarter. Itâs not what they do. Theyâll find a way to open the door and let Dallas 181hang around. When you close your eyes, you can almost see it. A penalty on 182offense that keeps them from converting a key first down. A completed 11-yard 183pass on a potentially game-clinching 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd-</span></sup>and-12. A sack taken by 184Kirk, commendably keeping his eyes down the field in the face of the rush, but 185infuriatingly not stepping up into the pocket or wheeling out of it to extend 186the play. A blown assignment on Dez Bryant that turns a short-gainer into a long 187touchdown.</span></div> 188<br /> 189<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 190<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">I honestly donât consider this negativity, by the way. To me 191this is the accumulated experience of observed patterns over the course of many, 192many games, over many, many seasons.</span></div> 193<br /> 194<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 195<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">I recognize that nationally the Redskins are finally seen as 196a team with some resiliency, some toughness, some character, a team capable of
197competing with anyone on a given day. But theyâre so much more than that. </span></div> 198<br /> 199<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 200<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">I recognize and grasp the significance that the team 201we saw stomp the Oakland Raiders way back in week three, before seemingly 202losing half their starters and key reserves to injury, is long lost to memory 203and not taking the field Thursday night ⦠I also recognize that this patchwork 204Redskins team can overcome crazy odds and win inspiringly, as they did in 205Seattle.</span></div> 206<br /> 207<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 208<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">I recognize that they can show up looking utterly 209unprepared and lose, albeit to a good team, like they did at home to Minnesota, 210while making a nice story like Case Keenum channel Aaron Rodgers for a day. And 211that they can thoroughly dominate a good team on the road for 56 minutes, hold a 21215 point lead, and still somehow, incredibly, find a way to lose. Oh yes, Drew 213Brees is pretty goodâa first-ballot Hall of Famerâbut the Redskins owned him 214for 56 minutes before suddenly remembering that they were, in fact, the 215Redskins.</span></div> 216<br /> 217<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 218<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">So what does all this mean?</span></div> 219<br /> 220<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 221<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">It means no one who has been paying attention to this 222franchise for the past few weeks, years and decades has any clue what Redskins 223team will show up. They could not show up at all, allow Dak Prescott and Dez 224Bryant to get healthy at their expense and roll them on national TV. They could 225show up looking like the inspired group that shut down Russ Wilson and the 226Seahawks, and do just enough to take a nail-biter on the road. They could 227dominate ⦠for a long time ⦠and give it away at the end in head-shaking 228fashion.</span></div> 229<br /> 230<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 231<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">What do I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">think</i> 232theyâll do?</span></div> 233<br /> 234<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 235<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">No fucking idea. Itâs the Redskins. </span></div> 236<br /> 237<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 238<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">But Iâll be watching.</span></div> 239<br /> 240<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 241<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Hail.</span></div> 242<br /> 243<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 244<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">*</span></div> 245<br /> 246<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 247<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Okay, I wonât cop out. My prediction: </span></div> 248<br /> 249<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 250<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">Cowboys 24, Redskins 25120</span></b></div> 252<br /> 253<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 254<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">When I pick the Skins they lose.</span></div> 255<br /> 256<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 257<span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;">&nbsp;</span></div> 258</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/3205560247348525294/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/3205560247348525294' title='58 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/3205560247348525294'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/3205560247348525294'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2017/11/redskins-vs-cowboys.html' title=''/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author>
258<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/QojdPaQc7gQ/default.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>58</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-4001673908488260524</id><published>2016-09-23T13:35:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2016-09-23T13:38:07.525-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Facebook, Bad Hair and Redskins vs Giants</title><content type='html'>So this happened:<br /> 259<br /> 260<br /> 261<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 262<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC1LDCswxboEekvovzRIvi5XuMEc30o7yh_oeuM7fu74hqVi-rqgziPzbdrlw97bW9-knvme1ZK99gU00GKXz7YV69DgHotEKmmAHQ76lGabTmh7xKyHmg7fF_eHzyPC56lAFRdDChvI/s1600/fb_warning.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC1LDCswxboEekvovzRIvi5XuMEc30o7yh_oeuM7fu74hqVi-rqgziPzbdrlw97bW9-knvme1ZK99gU00GKXz7YV69DgHotEKmmAHQ76lGabTmh7xKyHmg7fF_eHzyPC56lAFRdDChvI/s400/fb_warning.png" width="400" /></a></div> 263<br /> 264<br /> 265Thanks for the nudge, Mr. Zuckerman. Although I don't know what the problem is. Over the past four years&nbsp;I've published like, six&nbsp;posts. That's&nbsp;1.5 <em>per year</em> for the luvagod.<br /> 266<br /> 267<br /> 268Anyway ...<br /> 269<br /> 270<br /> 271Here we are again.<br /> 272<br /> 273<br /> 274At 0-2, the Redskins head up to New York on Sunday to take on the New York Giants. Not Tom Coughlin's Giants any more, mind you, but some guy named McAdoo's Giants. Dude with <a href="http://media.nj.com/njcom_photos/photo/2016/01/04/19488043-standard.jpg" target="_blank">bad hair</a> and zero&nbsp;resume.<br /> 275<br /> 276<br /> 277I always hated going to&nbsp;play Coughlin's Giants every year ... his teams always seemed so <em>competent</em>. So I was kinda happy when the old guy&nbsp;finally was shown the door. I mean, respect and all, but damn.&nbsp;Enough.<br /> 278<br /> 279<br /> 280Turns out the Redskins are&nbsp;4-12 up in the Jersey swamp&nbsp;over the past 16 games.&nbsp;Not good.&nbsp;Coaches get fired for&nbsp;4-12.<br /> 281<br /> 282<br /> 283Add to that&nbsp;Kirk Cousins hasn't exactly lit up the Giants in his brief&nbsp;career either.<br /> 284<br /> 285<br /> 286<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2016/09/21/kirk-cousins-vs-giants-secondary-the-record-isnt-pretty/"><em>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2016/09/21/kirk-cousins-vs-giants-secondary-the-record-isnt-pretty/</em></a><br /> 287<em><br /></em><br /> 288<em>"Cousins, 28, has had four starts against the Giants in his Redskins career, and the statistics arenât pretty. With Cousins at the helm, the Redskins split their meetings with the Giants last season but were beaten by double digits in each of his starts in relief of Robert Griffin III in 2013 and 2014.</em><br /> 289<em><br /></em><br /> 290<em><strong>In four starts against the Giants, Cousins has completed 88 of 160 throws (55 percent), with three touchdowns, eight interceptions and one lost fumble</strong>.</em><br /> 291<em><br /></em><br /> 292<em>The ugliest outing came at FedEx Field in Week 4 of 2014, which was Cousinsâs second start after Griffin suffered an ankle injury in Week 2. The Redskins turned over the ball six times </em><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/kirk-cousins-has-five-turnovers-eli-manning-has-five-tds-and-giants-top-redskins-45-14/2014/09/26/cf6b8294-450a-11e4-b437-1a7368204804_story.html" target="_blank"><em>in the 45-14 loss</em></a><em>, and Cousins accounted for five of the teamâs six turnovers, fumbling once and throwing four second-half interceptions. The Giants scored 31 points off turnovers."</em><br /> 293<br /> 294<br /> 295So we have that going for us.<br /> 296<br /> 297<br /> 298It'
298s not hard to contemplate what next week will look like around DC if the Redskins should do what the football world expects, and have&nbsp;their posteriors handed to them&nbsp;this weekend. At 0-3, all that happy offseason talk about&nbsp;patience and a steady franchise rebuild under&nbsp;GM Scot McCloughan will get&nbsp;drowned out&nbsp;by&nbsp;fast-rising drum beats from the hills, incensed and indignant calls for pink skips, and brisk pitchfork sales all around the DMV.<br /> 299<br /> 300<br /> 301What I'm saying is, this would be a really good time to steal one, Washington. The difference between 0-3 and 1-2, with the woebegone Cleveland&nbsp;Browns coming to town offering a chance at .500, is&nbsp;impossible to understate. <br /> 302<br /> 303<br /> 304If 2016 is to stay on the rails for the Washington Redskins, it had better start with a gutty and improbable win against Mr. McAdoo's undefeated (yeah, I know) New York Football Giants.<br /> 305<br /> 306<br /> 307<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 308<a href="http://prod.static.redskins.clubs.nfl.com/assets/images/imported/WAS/photos/2015-Photos/2015-Articles-615x255/redskins-giants-2014-line_615x255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://prod.static.redskins.clubs.nfl.com/assets/images/imported/WAS/photos/2015-Photos/2015-Articles-615x255/redskins-giants-2014-line_615x255.jpg" height="132" width="320" /></a></div> 309<br /> 310<br /> 311<br /> 312<br /> 313<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/4001673908488260524/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/4001673908488260524' title='53 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/4001673908488260524'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/4001673908488260524'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2016/09/facebook-bad-hair-and-redskins-vs-giants.html' title='Facebook, Bad Hair and Redskins vs Giants'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC1LDCswxboEekvovzRIvi5XuMEc30o7yh_oeuM7fu74hqVi-rqgziPzbdrlw97bW9-knvme1ZK99gU00GKXz7YV69DgHotEKmmAHQ76lGabTmh7xKyHmg7fF_eHzyPC56lAFRdDChvI/s72-c/fb_warning.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>53</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-1734748393414997036</id><published>2016-01-08T13:18:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2016-01-08T13:22:44.143-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Redskins vs Packers - Thoughts and Prediction</title><content type='html'>Itâs a rare treat to write about an upcoming Redskins playoff game, much less one they can reasonably be expected to win. Nonetheless, that is what exactly has come, shall we say, to pass.<br /> 314<br /> 315Which leads directly to one of the two key components I believe Redskins vs Packers will come down to.<br /> 316<br /> 3171. The Redskins passing offense. <br /> 318<br /> 319The first key to continuing the 2015 Redskins unlikely march to respectability (and beyond?) for another week will be whether or not the passing game can remain at or near the productivity level of the past month. <br /> 320<br /> 321The Redskins running game hasnât scared anybody since week threeâit has become the occasional body shot, thrown less to affect serious damage than to keep the opponent from comfortably keeping his hands high protecting only his chin. And It has worked. The passing game, on the other handâthe relentless effective jabs and occasional right crossâhas progressively ramped up over the second half of the season to the point where the Redskins come into this game boasting arguably the hottest passing offense in football. <br /> 322<br /> 323There has been a lot of talkâunderstandably soâabout the Redskins having to mitigate against an elite quarterback in the Packâs Aaron Rodgers if they have realistic hopes of winning Sunday night. Truth is, given recent trajectories, it could reasonably be argued that the Packers will have to mitigate just as warily against a currently lethal Redskins passing attack.<br /> 324<br /> 325As Kirk Cousins, DeSean Jackson, Jordan Reed, Pierre Garcon, et al, go Sunday night, so will go the Redskins. If those guys show up, the Reskins have a better than even chance of being the ones holding helmets high as they run off the field Sunday evening. They have become the identity of a surging, suddenly legitimate and increasingly confident team, and its strongest case to legitimacy as an NFL playoff contender.<br /> 326<br /> 3272. The Redskins defense on âoff-scheduleâ plays. <br /> 328<br /> 329Washingtonâs defense has been operating on the edge all season. Playing with leads down the stretch, they have been able to back off defensively, forcing opponents to put together long drives and consume enough time to ultimately allow let Skins to walk away winners. <br /> 330<br /> 331They donât put consistent pressure on the passer rushing only down linemenâthey rely heavily on sending extra rushers to generate pressure. In this particular game, against a Packers offense that has struggled the second half of the season, the concern is less with their ability to contain on-schedule plays, but their ability to track down Rodgers and maintain coverage down the field once plays breaks down and Rodgers starts moving. Thatâs where the Redskins shortage of true defensive playmakersâboth up front and in the backfieldâwill ultimately prove their biggest test.<br /> 332<br /> 333Few are better than Aaron Rodgers at buying time, sliding, rolling, and ultimately delivering accurately on the move. The Redskins will probably need some breaksâa couple of crucial drops, perhaps a tipped ball INT, or more likely, what has been their defensive salvation several times this year, their knack for tearing the ball loose from receivers after the cat
333ch.<br /> 334<br /> 335Their ability to cause/recover fumbles this season may well be the reason the team was able to hang around .500 long enough for Kirk Cousins and the passing offense to finally catch fire as they have over the past few weeks. The Redskins are almost certainly going to need turnovers to beat the Packers. Seasoned elite QBâs rarely tank it in playoff gamesâwe have to assume Aaron Rodgers is going to âbring itâ all day long. No lead may be truly safe until time finally runs out. <br /> 336<br /> 337Some general thoughts, since youâve come this far:<br /> 338<br /> 339- Itâs not hard to envision the Skins starting fast Sunday night, and even building a substantial lead heading into the 4th quarter. But unless the Washington ball-control passing gameâand maybe even some well-timed runsâcan achieve meaningful time of possession down the stretch, itâs also not hard to envision a frenetic finish with Rodgers going sandlot, moving around and gunning his team back into the game.<br /> 340<br /> 341- Washington is the hotter team heading into this oneâthatâs not in question. What is in question is whether or not that will carry over into the first playoff game in which they can reasonably be considered favorites for this coaching staff, this quarterback, most of this roster, and this franchise in many years.<br /> 342<br /> 343- Will Cousins be the Cousins weâve seen over the last half a season, completing 70% of his passes and directing multiple long scoring drives? Will he be the stone cold killer in the red zoneâ51 of 84 (60.7%), 22 TD, 0 INT, 4 TD rushing, QB rating 109.7âhe has been all year? Or will the biggest stage and brightest lights of his young career push him a step back?<br /> 344<br /> 345Many long years of disappointment and shattered hopes make it easy to look at this one and see the Redskins coming out flat, making mental errors, turning the ball over, giving up big plays on defense, and ultimately failing to get the job done. No long-suffering Redskins fan can be faulted for harboring those demons. <br /> 346<br /> 347But this Redskins team has also seemed to change the paradigm.<br /> 348<br /> 349Itâs only been ten weeks since they were 2-4, trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at home, 24-0 in the second quarter, staring into the abyss of a bye week at 2-5 and a road trip to then-undefeated New England on the horizon. The quarterback looked average at best, the running game was stuck in the neutral, the head coachâclose to halfway into his second season sporting a 6-16 record with no clear signs of evident improvementâand the team reeling with significant injuries. <br /> 350<br /> 351It was hard to see much light in all that darkness.<br /> 352<br /> 353Since then?<br /> 354<br /> 355The Redskins came back and won that Tampa game, in historic fashionânothing short of the greatest comeback in the storied 78-year history of the franchise. They have since shouldered aside a host of âyeah, butâsâ ⦠you know them by heart by now ⦠âcanât win a road gameâ (theyâve won three straight) ⦠âcanât win in prime timeâ (they beat Philadelphia in their own house to claim the division title) ⦠âdonât have a quarterbackâ (you donât hear much âinterception machineâ or ânot clutchâ talk these days) ⦠âthe head coach is a failureâ (donât tell that to the guys who play for him). <br /> 356<br /> 357I do believe the magic theyâve harnessed over the past month isnât illusion. I think this team is what the vast majority of Redskins fans hoped they would be, heading into the seasonâa rebuilding team showing signs of turning into a pretty good oneâand maybe a bit ahead of schedule. There were few predictions of this team finishing above .500 this year, much less hosting a playoff game and having a legitimate shot at winning. <br /> 358<br /> 359Hey, I hear the demons stillâtheyâre tenacious little ****ers. But the harder and longer I look at that light coming from down at the other end of the tunnel with this team, the less it looks like the oncoming train Iâm so used to getting flattened by and more like, well, a legitimate NFL team on the rise.<br /> 360<br /> 361This is where I think Iâm required to post a prediction:<br /> 362<br /> 363It will almost certainly not be easy. In fact I can practically guarantee it wonât be. <br /> 364<br /> 365It might come down to a last-second field goal by the revelation that has been Dustin Hopkins. <br /> 366<br /> 367It might come down to a Rodgers Hail Mary as time expires falling harmlessly to the turf or nestled in the arms of a Redskins DB playing only because it seemed we lost every-damn-body who was <em>supposed</em> to be playing back there along away this year. <br /> 368<br /> 369It might be one Alfred Morris, offering a symbolic skyward middle digit to all his critics and convert
369ing a crucial 3rd and 2, with 1:30 left in the game and GB out of time-outs, allowing Kirk Cousins to genuflect in Victory Formation a couple times as the faithful gutturally levitate FedEx. <br /> 370<br /> 371This has all happened very fast, this apparent Redskins Revival, and thereâs been precious little time to really step and back assess the big picture ⦠but as I sit here today, I find myself believing. <br /> 372<br /> 373Feels good. Damn good.<br /> 374<br /> 375<strong> Redskins 27, Packers 24</strong><br /> 376<br /> 377Hail. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/1734748393414997036/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/1734748393414997036' title='34 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/1734748393414997036'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/1734748393414997036'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2016/01/redskins-vs-packers-thoughts-and.html' title='Redskins vs Packers - Thoughts and Prediction'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>34</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-8906771837156541462</id><published>2015-10-28T10:22:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2015-10-28T10:37:08.221-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Cousins: A Tale of Two Quarterbacks</title><content type='html'>There have been two Kirk Cousins in 2015.<br /> 378<br /> 379<br /> 380Seven games into his first season as a full-time starter, in four home games Cousins has shown a confidence and competence that make a strong case for him as a legitimate NFL quarterback:<br /> 381<br /> 382<br /> 383<em>108-for-144 (75%), 1006 yds, 6 TD, 2 INT, QB rating 101.8<br />Record: 3-1</em><br /> 384<br /> 385That's a top-ten guy. Elite, no. Legit, yes.<br /> 386<br /> 387Unfortunately, NFL teams play half their regular season games on the road. And through his first three road games in 2015, Cousins has simply not looked like the same player. His body language has been different, his decisions and throws have been different, and of course, the results have been different:<br /> 388<br /> 389<em>76-for-124 (61.3%), 731 yds, 3 TD, 6 INT, QB rating 65.6<br />Record: 0-3</em><br /> 390<em><br /></em><br /> 391That's a guy you have to scroll pretty far down the stats page to find.<br /> 392<br /> 393And therein lies the rub. When you put the two Kirk's together, by NFL standards you have Just A Guy:<br /> 394<br /> 395<em>184-for-268 (68.7%), 1737 yds, 9 TD, 8 INT, QB rating 85.1<br />Record: 3-4</em><br /> 396<em><br /></em><br /> 397So where do the Redskins go from here? Easy. They spend the balance of 2015 finding out if Kirk Cousins can take his act on the road and be more than Just A Guy. <br /> 398<br /> 399<br /> 400They might find out he cannot. They might even find out he heads the other direction and brings his shaky road act home. But until and unless that happens, his performances and results at home have shown enough promise to make it imperative the Redskins let him play out the season as starter. They cannot cave to public sentiment or anything other than pure football merit and pull the plug on Cousins in 2015. <br /> 401<br /> 402As a rebuilding team long starved for legitimate, consistent quarterback play, the Redskins need to let him either prove he can take his act on the road, continue to grow as a player and leader, or if he is unable to overcome the road demons that have thus far scared the <strike>dickens</strike> heck out of him and anyone with a passing interest in the burgundy and gold.<br /> 403<br /> 404<br /> 405<br /> 406<br /> 407<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/8906771837156541462/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/8906771837156541462' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/8906771837156541462'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/8906771837156541462'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2015/10/cousins-tale-of-two-quarterbacks_28.html' title='Cousins: A Tale of Two Quarterbacks'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-9107726459538577236</id><published>2015-09-15T15:26:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2015-09-15T16:14:04.093-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Upon Further Review: Game 1 - Dolphins 17, Redskins 10</title><content type='html'><strong><br /></strong><br /> 408<strong>The Washington Redskins</strong> opened the 2015 regular season at home last Sunday with a 17-10 loss to&nbsp; the Miami Dolphins.<br /> 409<br /> 410<br /> 411What did we learn?&nbsp; Debatable, given the whole "sample size" thing.&nbsp; But two things I think we can&nbsp;safely surmise, at least for the moment,&nbsp;are:<br /> 412<br /> 413<br /> 4141.&nbsp;That the home team did not make the transformative leap forward that fans, at least privately, once again had quietly been asking of the Gridiron Gods on yet another opening day.&nbsp; I admit itâwhen TE Jordan Reed caught&nbsp;that&nbsp;sweet fade pass&nbsp;from QB Kirk Cousins in the corner of the end zone,&nbsp;capping off a 17-play, 88-yard, 8:49 drive,&nbsp;and giving the Redskins a 10-0 lead late in the second quarter of&nbsp;a half&nbsp;they had dominated in the trenches, I allowed myself to look directly into the sun. <br /> 415<br /> 416<br /> 417When I squinted just right, I could see a 27-10 throttling of those overrated, overhyped Dolphins, and a sweet Monday morning spent poring over local and national media stories by pundits&nbsp;falling all over themselves&nbsp;telling us how they saw it coming all along. <br /> 418<br /> 419<br /> 420Ndamukong <em>Who</em>?&nbsp;The Redskins Are Back!&nbsp; <br /> 421<br /> 422<br /> 423But ... by the time the Redskins&nbsp;allowed Miami to cruise easily back down the field to score an answering TD of their own in the closing minute&nbsp;of the half ...&nbsp;and after&nbsp;the Redskins then&nbsp;methodically shot themselves in the proverbial cleat enough times throughout the second half to let&nbsp;Miami to leave town a relieved winner ...&nbsp;we had learned something else: <br /> 424<br /> 425<br /> 4262)&nbsp;&nbsp;That while the 2015 Redskins did&nbsp;<em>not</em> in fact&nbsp;open the season flying,&nbsp;heralding that The Corner Had Been Turned, neither did they get&nbsp;Obliterated&nbsp;or Otherwise Humiliated at the hands of the&nbsp;big bad&nbsp;<em><a href="http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/dolphins/bottlenose-dolphin.html" target="_blank">Tursiops truncatus</a></em>, as so many had predicted.<br /> 427<br /> 428<br /> 429Which is good.<br /> 430<br /> 431<br /> 432So,&nbsp;because the Redskins were neither awesome nor awful, and because until they become a winning team again&nbsp;they remain a losing one,&nbsp;fans are obliged to keep looking to&nbsp;
432numbers and trends, searching for arcs and developments good and bad,&nbsp;from which to&nbsp;try to glean meaning.<br /> 433<br /> 434<br /> 435Thusly couched ⦠there <em>was</em> good to be found. <br /> 436<br /> 437<br /> 438RB Alfred Morris (25 carries, 121 yds.) ran over, through and around the Dolphins all afternoon, and after one week is the 4th leading rusher in the NFL.&nbsp; Even better, combined with rookie Matt Jones, the Redskins head into week two ranked third in the league in&nbsp;rushing.&nbsp; <br /> 439<br /> 440<br /> 441The right side of the offensive line, featuring top rookie draft choice RG Brandon Scherff and second-year RT Morgan Moses, acquitted themselves just fine, thank you, despite&nbsp;apocalyptic predictions, against a Miami defensive front expected&nbsp;to overwhelm&nbsp;them.<br /> 442<br /> 443<br /> 444And new defensive coordinator Joe Barryâs defense, new scheme,&nbsp;multiple players, missing and injured starters and all, allowed 10 points.&nbsp; Only one team in the NFL would have lost on opening weekend allowing just 10 pointsâthe woebegone Jacksonville Jaguars, who scored nine in a home loss to the Carolina Panthers.<br /> 445<br /> 446<br /> 447Unfortunately for the Redskins (here comes some bad stuff), NFL teams are also expected, from time to time, to field Special Teams,&nbsp;and the 2015 Redskins picked&nbsp;right up in that area&nbsp;where they have left off for more years than we care to&nbsp;recall.&nbsp;&nbsp;In a seven-point loss, the Redskins special teams directly cost the team&nbsp;ten&nbsp;points; a missed 46-yard FG under ideal conditions, and a lethal, game-deciding 69-yard punt return touchdown, straight up the middle, with nary a fingertip laid upon grateful Dolphins return man Jarvis Landry.<br /> 448<br /> 449<br /> 450Not to rub salt in the wound, but the 17<em> total</em> points surrendered by the Redskins would have been enough to win any game played in the NFL opening weekend ⦠except for the one they actually played in.&nbsp;Which is a roundabout way of saying that <em>scoring</em> 10 points&nbsp;just is not going to get it done.<br /> 451<br /> 452<br /> 453The offense moved the ball (349 total yards), but could not scoreâan all-too-familiar formula. <br /> 454<br /> 455<br /> 456Special teams, once again, were an albatross with an anvil tied around its ankle (assuming albatri have ankles).<br /> 457<br /> 458<br /> 459And the aforementioned defense, while playing well enough to limit Miami to 10 points, left seven points on the field as well, as&nbsp;a sure pick-six interception somehow defied physics and passed <em>through</em> new starting CB Chris Culliver&nbsp;into the&nbsp;surprised and relieved hands of a beaten Dolphins receiver.<br /> 460<br /> 461<br /> 462Bottom line?&nbsp; The <a href="http://www.bgobsession.com/sons-washington/97369-good-stuff.html" target="_blank">good stuff</a> could not overcome the <a href="http://www.bgobsession.com/sons-washington/97399-bad-stuff.html" target="_blank">bad stuff</a>, and&nbsp;the 0-1 Redskins&nbsp;head into week two, against a St. Louis Rams team fresh off beating&nbsp;the two-time defending NFC Champion Seattle&nbsp;Seahawks, knowing that, but for a blown play here and there, they could be 1-0 and handing out sunglasses. <br /> 463<br /> 464<br /> 465Instead, Rebirth will have to wait another week.<br /> 466<br /> 467<br /> 468<div style="text-align: center;"> 469***</div> 470<br /> 471<br /> 472Meanwhile,&nbsp;until we have something&nbsp;more uplifting&nbsp;(and by that I mean <em>winning</em>) to talk about,&nbsp;weâll start tracking some of the more relevant stats here that, over the course of a season, more often than not support the âwinning teamâ versus âlosing teamâ&nbsp;formula when all is said and done.<br /> 473<br /> 474<br /> 475<strong><u>QB Play</u></strong><br /> 476Kirk Cousins: 21 for 31 (67.7%), 196 yds., 1 TD, 2 INT (21st&nbsp;
476yds., 29th QB rating)<br /> 477<br /> 478<br /> 479<strong><u>Turnover Differential</u></strong><br /> 4801 takeaway, 2 turnovers (-1, T20th NFL)<br /> 481<br /> 482<br /> 483<strong><u>Third Down Conversions</u></strong><br /> 484Offense â 6 for 14 (43%, 15th NFL)<br /> 485Defense â 5 for 12 (42%, 14th NFL)<br /> 486<br /> 487<br /> 488<div style="text-align: center;"> 489<em>Happy Birthday, Dad!</em></div> 490<br /> 491<br /> 492<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/9107726459538577236/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/9107726459538577236' title='8 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/9107726459538577236'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/9107726459538577236'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2015/09/upon-further-review-game-1-dolphins-17.html' title='Upon Further Review: Game 1 - Dolphins 17, Redskins 10'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>8</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-6942771476018306320</id><published>2015-02-25T10:56:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2015-02-25T11:44:49.645-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Redskins first-round draft picks "that got away." Or did they?</title><content type='html'><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 493<blockquote class="tr_bq"> 494&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;"<i>Since 1984, a span of 31 drafts, the Redskins have taken 20 players in the first round. Only two of them, 2000 first-round picks LaVar Arrington and Chris Samuels, have signed second contracts with the Redskins. Some, like Brian Orakpo, have stayed on the franchise tag. Carlos Rogers, the teamâs top pick in 2005, was kept around another year as a restricted free agent. But for the most part the Redskinsâ first rounders have moved on when their rookie contracts were up if not sooner."</i></blockquote> 495<br /> 496Initial reaction to the <a href="http://realredskins.com/2015/02/24/redskins-focus-in-free-agency-needs-to-be-on-their-own-players/" target="_blank"><b>Rich Tandler piece</b></a> excerpted above? <i>Damn, this team needs to learn to hang on to its young talent.</i><br /> 497<br /> 498Second thought, based on memory of the last 30 years? <i>What young talent?</i><br /> 499<br /> 500Clearly, retaining only two out of 18 first round selections over 31 years does not sound too good. But the implied conclusion of the pieceâthat the Redskins need to get better at retaining their home-grown young talentâmay not be the right one. For one, it pre-supposes those picks were worth re-signing in the first place. And, if they were not, it points to a very different conclusion.<br /> 501<br /> 502Here is the Redskins first-round history since the chosen starting point of 1984, accompanied by highly scientific notes and observations. <br /> 503<br /> 504<i>(Why 1984? Beyond possible Orwellian connotations, I'm thinking it was because the three first-round picks prior to thatâArt Monk (1980), Mark May(1981) and Darrell Green (1983)âdidn't exactly support the thesis.)</i><br /> 505<br /> 5061984â1990. No picks.<br /> 507<br /> 5081991âBobby Wilson. Whiff.<br /> 509<br /> 5101992âDesmond Howard. Just a guy. Yes, he got a Super Bowl MVP trophyâfor someone elseâon the wings of one shining moment in one really big game. Bey
510ond that, the Heisman Trophy winner was just an average NFL ⦠kick returner. The Redskins did not err letting him go. The Green Bay Packers let him go during the off-season <i>after</i> his moment of glory.<br /> 511<br /> 5121993âTom Carter. Just a guy.<br /> 513<br /> 5141994âHeath Shuler. Whiff.<br /> 515<br /> 5161995âMichael Westbrook. Whiff.<br /> 517<br /> 5181996âAndre Johnson. Double-whiff.<br /> 519<br /> 5201997âKennard Lang. Whiff.<br /> 521<br /> 5221998âno pick.<br /> 523<br /> 5241999âChamp Bailey. The only no-brainer on the list. He should have been re-signed. True, the Redskins did not choose <i>not</i> to resign Champ Bailey based on on-field performanceâthey ended up trading him away because they, and he, believed they had to based on off-field considerations that we will not rehash here today.<br /> 525<br /> 5262000âLavar Arrington and Chris Samuels. Both re-signed. One turned out to be far more flash than substance. The other was the exact opposite. <br /> 527<br /> 5282001âRod Gardner. Whiff.<br /> 529<br /> 5302002âPatrick Ramsey. At best a âmaybe.â Some still suggest the Redskins âruinedâ Ramsey by allowing him to get pummeled in Steve Spurrierâs un-lamented gimmick offense, but I have never subscribed to that theory. Even at his best, Ramsey never looked to me like anything more than a solid NFL backup. Joe Gibbs, apparently, agreed, benching Ramsey in favor of a geriatric Mark Brunnell at the very first opportunity.<br /> 531<br /> 5322003âTaylor Jacobs. Whiff.<br /> 533<br /> 5342004âSean Taylor. Please donât be the one to comment that the Redskins would not have re-signed this once-in-a-generation player.<br /> 535<br /> 5362005âCarlos Rogers. Retained one year beyond his rookie contract, then not re-signed. Because he went on to find success elsewhere (49ers), this one can arguably be considered a mistake by the Redskins. That said, few Redskins fans will have forgotten the level of frustration they felt during his time in Washington (read: <i>Hands of Stone</i>). &nbsp;The feeling then, almost universally, was âgood riddance.â That the team felt the same should not be surprising, nor held against them for purposes of this discussion.<br /> 537<br /> 5382006âno pick.<br /> 539<br /> 5402007âLaRon Landry. At best a maybe. Great physique, lack of technique. A great physical specimen who was (and is) simply not a great football player. Certainly not one that the teamâs decision not to retain should be considered a mistake.<br /> 541<br /> 5422008âno pick.<br /> 543<br /> 5442009âBrian Orakpo. Retained under the franchise tag. But dare we say it? Yes. At best a maybe; great physique, lack of ⦠you know. If he ends up getting paid top dollar elsewhere, will the team be criticized for the decision not to retain him? Probablyâbut only because the Redskins have made themselves an easy target. Would it be fair in this particular instance? No.<br /> 545<br /> 5462010âTrent Williams. No-brainer. The Redskins will almost certainly re-sign him.<br /> 547<br /> 5482011âRyan Kerrigan. No-brainer. The Redskins will almost certainly re-sign him.<br /> 549<br /> 5502012âRobert Griffin III. The jury is out. It is not unreasonable to suggest at this point, however, that should he end up not signing another contract in Washington, it will likely be because he fits squarely into a category Redskins fans are quite familiar with: Great physique, lack of technique.<br /> 551<br /> 552Letâs wrap this up.<br /> 553<br /> 554Four of the 20 players the Redskins selected in the 31 NFL drafts between 1984 and 2014 (Brian Orakpo, Trent Williams, Ryan Kerrigan, Robert Griffin) are still under contract. As such, while germaine to the greater conversation going forward, they are not fair fodder for criticism of the team in terms of free agent retention at this point.<br /> 555<br /> 556Breaking down the first-round selections the team either did not or could not re-sign to date:<br /> 557<br /> 558One (Champ Bailey) was inarguably worth resigning. While it is true that the underlying reasons for his non-retention were not related to on-field ability, and also true that it may or may not have been the team's prerogative anyway, it is hard to look back and wish they had not found a way.<br /> 559<br /> 560One (Sean Taylor) was going to be re-signed. Book it.<br /> 561<br /> 562<div> 563One, (Rogers) was retained by restricted free agency, then allowed to depart. Maybe a case could be made they should have fought harder to keep him, but in no way can he be classified as a no-brainer for retention.&nbsp;</div> 564<div> 565<br /> 566Two (Patrick Ramsey, LaRon Landry) were at best âmaybes.â Again, neither close to being no-brainers.</div> 567<div> 568<br /></div> 569Nine (Bobby Wilson, Desmond Howard, Tom Carter, Heath Shuler, Michael Westbrook, Andre Johnson, Kennard Lang, Rod Gardner, Taylor Jacobs) were âjust guys, whiffs or double whiffs.â<br /> 570<br /> 571Over the past 31 years the Redskins stepped to the plate 20 times.<br /> 572<br /> 573They hit home runs in Champ Bailey, Chris Samuels and Sean Taylorâonly of whom "got away."<br /> 574<br /> 575They went extra bases on a couple of guys they <i>will&nbsp;</i>re-sign in Trent Williams and Ryan Kerrigan.<br /> 576<br /> 577They arguably squeezed out singles in LaVar Arrington, Patrick Ramsey, Carlos Rogers and LaRon Landry. <br /> 578<br /> 579And they went down swinging eleven times.<br /> 580<br /> 581The Redskins problem has not been re-signing young talent. Their real failure has been an inability to consistently identify talent worth fighting to keep at all.</div> 582</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/6942771476018306320/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/6942771476018306320' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/6942771476018306320'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/6942771476018306320'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2015/02/redskins-first-round-draft-picks-that.html' title='Redskins first-round draft picks "that got away." Or did they?'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-8297734258541596474</id><published>2014-01-16T08:47:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2014-01-16T08:53:38.977-05:00</updated><title type='text'>The Curious Case of Redskins Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett</title><content type='html'>Four years ago, to the day, I wrote the piece linked below when new Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan first brought in defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. The piece was written in reply to a response then-Redskins.com blogger Matt Terl wrote about an earlier piece I had done about Haslett: <br /> 583<br /> 584<a href="
584http://www.theomfield.com/2010/01/digging-deeper-defensive-coordinator.html">Digging Deeper: Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett<br /> 585</a><br /> 586Well, four years later, Mr. Haslett is still the Redskins DC, and nothing--nothing--in his record, before or since, has provided the slightest empirical, objective reason for me to believe it's going to change now.<br /> 587<br /> 588The only X-factor I can see that make any sense are that new HC Jay Gruden has enough history with Haslett (who hired him as an assistant when Haslett coached in the United Football League) that he was too uncomfortable and/or unwilling to let him go. <br /> 589<br /> 590And maybe, just maybe, the last four years of general defensive ineptitude really weren't Haslett's fault. Maybe he really did fall victim to some witches brew of inadequate talent, the cap penalty, and Shanahan's rumored heavy-handedness. One can only hope.<br /> 591<br /> 592One can also only hope things will change in 2014 and beyond. Unfortunately, there is nothing that would stand up in court as evidence to support that notion.<br /> 593<br /> 594I've been asking for four years, and have yet to get a substantive answer.<br /> 595<br /> 596Why Jim Haslett?<br /> 597</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/8297734258541596474/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/8297734258541596474' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/8297734258541596474'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/8297734258541596474'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2014/01/the-curious-case-of-redskins-defensive.html' title='The Curious Case of Redskins Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-7662354075301748603</id><published>2013-02-15T13:26:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2014-01-16T12:38:54.786-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Just Sayin'</title><content type='html'>I am embarrassed&nbsp;to have allowed&nbsp;the most recent&nbsp;post on my own personal <strong>Washington Redskins</strong>&nbsp;blog be a goofy picture of another team's player for so long. A <em>rival </em>team's player, no less. What the hell is that?<br /> 598<br /> 599To those kind enough to have asked ... no, you aren't rid of me yet.&nbsp;I'm still around, and&nbsp;still planning&nbsp;to write about the Redskins for&nbsp;as many years as the fates allow.&nbsp;It's been a busy time for me the last couple of years, no question, but there is&nbsp;light at the end of the tunnel.<br /> 600<br /> 601My sincerest&nbsp;thanks,&nbsp;and here's to the burgundy and gold renaissance we are privileged to be living.<br /> 602<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> 603<br /></div> 604<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> 605Hail.</div> 606<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> 607<br /></div> 608<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 609</div> 610<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> 611<br /></div> 612<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> 613<br /></div> 614<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> 615</div> 616</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/7662354075301748603/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/7662354075301748603' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/7662354075301748603'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/7662354075301748603'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2013/02/just-sayin.html' title='Just Sayin''/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-3655202942830368294</id><published>2012-11-30T12:41:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2012-11-30T12:41:32.274-05:00</updated><title type='text'>NY Giants WR Victor Cruz Is Not Particularly Perspicacious</title><content type='html'><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 617<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharl6ykzTvDj5Nufz74YRK4InIIfWK1p5e-zGS-yWe9RfjCb-6OqjU8hJ3B_VdHwnqYX7a6EO1fvVQVWnxQXNiojZT2Aysn4Mg9VMh1RI0snLSw9YQOrByDCiigRTgjzlsEwN6hGUq6T8/s1600/cruz-salsa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharl6ykzTvDj5Nufz74YRK4InIIfWK1p5e-zGS-yWe9RfjCb-6OqjU8hJ3B_VdHwnqYX7a6EO1fvVQVWnxQXNiojZT2Aysn4Mg9VMh1RI0snLSw9YQOrByDCiigRTgjzlsEwN6hGUq6T8/s1600/cruz-salsa.jpg" height="174" tea="true" width="320" /></a></div> 618<br /> 619<a href="http://www.csnwashington.com/football-washington-redskins/talk/cruz-redskins-not-legitimate-contenders" target="_blank"><strong>Just sayin'.</strong></a><br /> 620<br /> 621If you&nbsp;see him, and have a&nbsp;couple hours, feel free&nbsp;to explain. <br /> 622<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/3655202942830368294/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/3655202942830368294' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/3655202942830368294'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/3655202942830368294'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/11/ny-giants-wr-victor-cruz-is-not.html' title='NY Giants WR Victor Cruz Is Not Particularly Perspicacious'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author>
622<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharl6ykzTvDj5Nufz74YRK4InIIfWK1p5e-zGS-yWe9RfjCb-6OqjU8hJ3B_VdHwnqYX7a6EO1fvVQVWnxQXNiojZT2Aysn4Mg9VMh1RI0snLSw9YQOrByDCiigRTgjzlsEwN6hGUq6T8/s72-c/cruz-salsa.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-5605315068187080103</id><published>2012-10-19T12:14:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2012-10-19T13:38:01.073-04:00</updated><title type='text'>RG3's Brilliant Playâno, not that one</title><content type='html'>Fans of the Washington Redskins&nbsp;have&nbsp;seen the 76-yard, game clinching&nbsp;Robert Griffin III touchdown gallop&nbsp;against the Vikings last Sunday&nbsp;dozens of&nbsp;times by now.&nbsp;And that is as it should beâthe play&nbsp;is already ingrained in Redskins lore.<br /> 623<br /> 624Here, enjoy it again.<br /> 625<br /> 626<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 627<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/lowT19aQETQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div> 628<br /> 629What I want to call attention to, before the team rides that wave off to New York for a chance to measure themselves against the defending champion Giants, is a play&nbsp;that&nbsp;many watching the game, if not most, will have barely noticed at the time.&nbsp;And that I'd wager many of those who&nbsp;did&nbsp;notice&nbsp;have already relegated&nbsp;to the cerebral archives&nbsp;given&nbsp;what&nbsp;happened&nbsp;later that day.<br /> 630<br /> 631If I might set the stage...<br /> 632<br /> 633It's&nbsp;the middle of the second quarter. The Redskins have been taking punches since the opening kickoff and trail Minnesota&nbsp;9-3.&nbsp;It could&nbsp;be much worse.&nbsp;The Vikings&nbsp;offense has been moving the ball at will but&nbsp;thus far been unable to punch it into the endzone, having to&nbsp;settle for three field goals.&nbsp;Good thing too, because at 21-3, or even 17-3, the game&nbsp;has&nbsp;an entirely&nbsp;different feel at&nbsp;this&nbsp;point. <br /> 634<br /> 635The Redskins offense has finally gotten off the schneid,&nbsp;putting together a drive in their previous possession but&nbsp;having been&nbsp;forced to settle for three points of their own on a 50-yard field goal by new kicker (and <a href="http://www.bgobsession.com/blog.php?b=442" target="_blank">budding legend</a>) Kai Forbath.<br /> 636<br /> 637They get a defensive stop and get the ball back deep in their own end. The Redskins are&nbsp;penalized for holding on an apparent first down completion from Griffin to TE Fred Davis out over the 20, and face a 2nd-and-13 from their own 7-yard line. <br /> 638<br /> 639Griffin drops back from under center, briefly turning his back on the&nbsp;line of scrimmage. Behind him, Viking DE Jared Allen comes clean and bears down on Griffin as he starts to come around.&nbsp;As the rookie&nbsp;turns back to face the field, he's one yard deep in his own end zone.&nbsp;&nbsp;Allen is two paces away to his left and charging. <br /> 640<br /> 641Freeze frame.<br /> 642<br /> 643<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 644<a href="http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z312/bschurm/N3H_7491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" nea="true" src="http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z312/bschurm/N3H_7491.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 645<br /> 646This is where the Redskins of the past generation stumble. Or worse.&nbsp;They get sacked for a safety ...&nbsp;sacked for a fumble and defensive touchdown ... throw wildly and get&nbsp;intercepted ... get called for intentional grounding. You know, something&nbsp;not good. You can see it&nbsp;quite readily&nbsp;in your minds eye, if you're the masochistic sort.&nbsp; <br /> 647<br /> 648Instead, the young&nbsp;quarterback, still&nbsp;on his heels,&nbsp;spots&nbsp;RB Alfred Morris at the 5-yard line&nbsp;and snaps off a&nbsp;sidearm bullet that hits Morris between the numbers. Morris catches the pass and bulls forward to the 16. Griffin takes a pop from Allen a split second after delivering the ball and gets dumped on his arse. <br /> 649<br /> 650He sits up, shakes it off, rises and&nbsp;walks calmly to the huddle. <br /> 651<br /> 652No turnover, no penalty, no incompletion. Just cold execution.&nbsp;And instead of facing 3rd-and-potential disaster, the Redskins face a makeable 3rd-and-five, well out from under the shadow of&nbsp;their&nbsp;goal posts. <br /> 653<br />
654On the next play RG3 calmly stands in a collapsing pocket and finds WR Santana Moss between two defenders for a six yard gain and a first down. The Redskins proceed from there on an&nbsp;11-play, 90 yard touchdown drive to take&nbsp;the lead and turn the game around. <br /> 655<br /> 656No, I haven't put a stopwatch on the play, but it's not&nbsp;about however many&nbsp;tenths of a second it took for him to make that play.&nbsp;It's about&nbsp;a Read/React/Execute Algorithm&nbsp;that&nbsp;is&nbsp;simply off the charts. Particularly if those charts happen to track quarterback play&nbsp;in the nation's capital. Think about it. Rex Grossman&nbsp;sure doesn't make that play. Neither do Jason Campbell, Mark Brunnel, Patrick Ramsey, Brad Johnson or any other of the loooong list of names&nbsp;who have started at quarterback for this team over&nbsp;the last 20 years. <br /> 657<br /> 658But Griffin makes the play.&nbsp;Not only does&nbsp;he&nbsp;not make&nbsp;a<em> negative</em> play, he turns it into a positive that, arguably, is&nbsp;the&nbsp;turning point in a game the Redskins were in danger of seeing get out of hand early, not unlike what happened to them against the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this season. And&nbsp;he makes it looks so routine&nbsp;announcer Dick Stockton's voice doesn't even change&nbsp;making the call. <br /> 659<br /> 660The 76-yard heroic touchdown sprint to ice the game later that evening will live on in NFL Films glory forever.&nbsp;But&nbsp;for this one longtime fan of the burgundy and gold, the&nbsp;seemingly routine play much earlier in the day, a play&nbsp;that turned potential disaster (and&nbsp;potential 2-4 start) into a chance for the team to find its legs, right itself and roar off to a feel-good win and 3-3 start&nbsp;...&nbsp;is not one&nbsp;I shall&nbsp;soon forget.<br /> 661<br /> 662Only a very special player makes that play, and makes it look that routine, all of&nbsp;six games into his NFL career.<br /> 663<br /> 664Kid is the real thing.<br /> 665<br /> 666<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/5605315068187080103/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/5605315068187080103' title='6 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/5605315068187080103'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/5605315068187080103'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/10/rg3s-brilliant-playno-not-that-one.html' title='RG3's Brilliant Playâno, not that one'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>6</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-5516007050144772057</id><published>2012-09-28T12:44:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2012-09-28T15:27:28.900-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Week 4 Storylines: RG3, Haslett and Redskins Embattled Defense </title><content type='html'><br /> 667<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 668<a href="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/gameon/2012/09/13/C06_RANKINGSgriffin_12-x-wide-community.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" kea="true" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/gameon/2012/09/13/C06_RANKINGSgriffin_12-x-wide-community.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 669<br /> 670In Tampa Bay this week,&nbsp;where the&nbsp;Buccaneers&nbsp;are preparing to host the Washington Redskins&nbsp;on Sunday afternoon, the&nbsp;talk is about "<a href="http://www2.tbo.com/sports/bucs/2012/sep/28/4/containing-griffin-is-bucs-top-priority-ar-515733/" target="_blank">containing RG3</a>."&nbsp;As it should be.&nbsp;From the outside looking in, the&nbsp;most intriguing&nbsp;thing about&nbsp;the&nbsp;Redskins&nbsp;is their&nbsp;suddenly dangerous offense, led by&nbsp;dynamic rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III.<br /> 671<br /> 672The phrase "
672highest scoring offense in the NFL" has a certain cachet, after all. It gets&nbsp;attention.&nbsp;It's also a legitimate concern to&nbsp;opposing teams. The Redskins are scoring&nbsp;a&nbsp;crisp 33 points per game, which projects out over the course of the season to&nbsp;528 points.&nbsp;Clearly,&nbsp;preparing to play Washington had better&nbsp;involve crafting&nbsp;a&nbsp;plan designed to keep the&nbsp;hotshot rookie&nbsp;from "going off" and dominating Sunday night's Sportscenter highlights.<br /> 673<br /> 674What the Bucs are not saying publicly, however, but what Redskins fans and observers&nbsp;know all too well they are probably thinking, is that&nbsp;to beat the Redskins these days what you&nbsp;really need&nbsp;to do&nbsp;is throw the damn ball.&nbsp;Like,&nbsp;throw it a lot.&nbsp;All day,&nbsp;all over.&nbsp;Deep, short, left, right, middle,&nbsp;whatever--just throw it. <br /> 675<br /> 676Because&nbsp;the Redskins <em>defense</em>,&nbsp;statistically&nbsp;sound enough against the run (9th overall), has been&nbsp;performing so abysmally&nbsp;against&nbsp;the pass&nbsp;(31st)&nbsp;that the team is giving up&nbsp;33.7 points per game.&nbsp;To put that number in perspective, the&nbsp;Redskins&nbsp;are&nbsp;on&nbsp;pace to&nbsp;set the all-time NFL record for points allowed (539) in a 16-game regular&nbsp;season. That infamous distinction&nbsp;currently belongs&nbsp;to the 1981 Baltimore Colts, who&nbsp;rolled over to the tune of 533.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /> 677<br /> 678So rather than&nbsp;reveling in&nbsp;the&nbsp;surprisingly&nbsp;prolific training-wheel phase of their&nbsp;young franchise quarterback's career, and enjoying&nbsp;realistic discussions about&nbsp;Washington competing for a playoff spot (rarely a&nbsp;realistic expectation&nbsp;behind&nbsp;a rookie quarterback), Redskins fans&nbsp;face&nbsp;each successive week more convinced that the defense is simply incapable of&nbsp;stopping anybody, or&nbsp;of holding any lead.<br /> 679<br /> 680The Redskins face the first real crossroads game of&nbsp;2012 on Sunday. With a win, they&nbsp;can finish the first quarter of the season 2-2, with both wins&nbsp;against NFC opponents.&nbsp;A 2-2 September would bring&nbsp;another few weeks of playoff relevance in a season that, in the long view, is more realistically&nbsp;the launching pad&nbsp;to&nbsp;a new era.<br /> 681<br /> 682With a third consecutive loss, however,&nbsp;and a fall to 1-3 in&nbsp;the deeply competitive NFC East,&nbsp;the 2012 season almost certainly&nbsp;will become&nbsp;an extended&nbsp;test lab for 2013 and beyond. That&nbsp;would not be the end of the world, obviously--not in view of&nbsp;the dawning reality that this franchise&nbsp;fellow is the real deal--but still a huge disappointment given the&nbsp;unexpected early success of the offense.<br /> 683<br /> 684At 1-2 the Redskins are on the edge.&nbsp;It didn't have to be that way.&nbsp;Consider:<br /> 685<a name='more'></a><br /> 68616&nbsp;games were played in the NFL last week.&nbsp;Know how many teams scored enough&nbsp;points&nbsp;to overcome the 38&nbsp;the Redskins&nbsp;surrendered in&nbsp;their 38-31 loss to Cincinnati? Two.&nbsp;Tennessee and Detroit played one another in a 44-41 overtime thriller.&nbsp;That's it.&nbsp;Care to guess how many teams&nbsp;<em>won</em>&nbsp;scoring 31 points or less?&nbsp;Thirteen. <br /> 687<br /> 688Two weeks ago, on the road against the St. Louis, the Redskins scored 28 points against the Rams and lost, 31-28. Care to guess how many games&nbsp;NFL teams won&nbsp;that week scoring 28&nbsp;or less?&nbsp; Thirteen.<br /> 689<br /> 690In week one against New Orleans, Washington put 40 on the board. A good thing, as it turned out, because the game still came down&nbsp;to Drew Brees lobbing one potentially blown Hail Mary call into the Redskins end zone&nbsp;for a&nbsp;tying touchdown on the final play of the game.<br /> 691<br /> 692I have heard&nbsp;talk&nbsp;this week about the "sample size" of three games&nbsp;being too small to seriously consider in projecting out how poor&nbsp;the Redskins defense might&nbsp;be this season. Fair enough.&nbsp; What I have&nbsp;not heard much about is the larger defensive picture.&nbsp;What about&nbsp;eight games? Here are the points allowed in&nbsp;the last eight games the Redskins have played:<br /> 693<blockquote class="tr_bq"> 69412/04/11 vs Jets&nbsp;(L) â <strong>34</strong><br /> 69512/11/11 vs Patriots (L)&nbsp;â<strong> 34</strong><br /> 69612/18/11 @ Giants (W) â <strong>10</strong><br /> 69712/24/11 vs Vikings (L) â <strong>33</strong><br /> 69801/01/11 @ Eagles (L) â <strong>34</strong><br /> 69909/09/12 @ Saints (W) â&nbsp;<strong>32</strong><br /> 70009/16/12 @ Rams (L) â&nbsp;<strong>31</strong><br /> 70109/23/12 vs Bengals (L) â&nbsp;<strong>38</strong></blockquote> 702Take away the outlier against Eli Manning and the defending Super Bowl champion G
702iants, who for some reason served as Jim Haslett's personal loofah last year, and over the past half a season the Redskins defense has surrendered a dismal ...&nbsp;33.7 points per game.&nbsp; <br /> 703<br /> 704The problem hasn't just surfaced this year. It isn't&nbsp;just about the loss to injury and knuckleheadedness of safeties Brandon Merriweather and Tanard Jackson, respectively.&nbsp;It isn't that&nbsp;cornerbacks Josh Wilson and DeAngelo Hall are incapable of even average play.&nbsp; It isn't&nbsp;just about losing linebacker Brian Orakpo and defensive end Adam Carriker for the season in week two.&nbsp;The harsh truth is that Redskins defense has been broken for a while now, and it says here that should come as no&nbsp;surprise. <br /> 705<br /> 706When Mike Shanahan&nbsp;accepted the head coaching job in Washington,&nbsp;he hired Jim Haslett as his defensive coordinator. He did so&nbsp;for reasons no one has&nbsp;ever made particularly&nbsp;clear.&nbsp;Haslettâs resume as&nbsp;defensive coordinator at that time&nbsp;was average at best: <br /> 707<blockquote class="tr_bq"> 7081996 (NO) â 13th overall (20th scoring, 3rd passing, 27th rushing)<br /> 7091997 (PIT) â 6th overall (11th scoring, 18th passing, 1st rushing)<br /> 7101998 (PIT) â 12th overall (7th scoring, 18th passing, 13th rushing)<br /> 7111999 (PIT) â 11th overall (12th scoring, 4th passing, 26th rushing)<br /> 7122006 (STL) â 23rd overall (28th scoring, 8th passing, 31st rushing)<br /> 7132007 (STL) â 21st overall (31st scoring, 21st passing, 20th rushing)</blockquote> 714For a more in-depth look at those years, and&nbsp;some&nbsp;context into the units&nbsp;he both inherited and left behind, feel free to <a href="http://www.theomfield.com/2010/01/jim-haslett-really.html" target="_blank">look here</a>.&nbsp;As to the&nbsp;past two years and three games in Washington?&nbsp;&nbsp;Haslett's tenure in D.C.&nbsp;has done little to allay the initial skepticism, or to light any candles of&nbsp;hope that&nbsp;he finally his this NFL thing figured out and is about to join the ranks of&nbsp;elite coordinators:<br /> 715<blockquote class="tr_bq"> 7162010 (WAS) â 31st overall (21st scoring, 31st passing, 26th rushing)<br /> 7172011 (WAS) â 13th overall (13th scoring, 13th passing, 18th rushing)<br /> 7182012* (WAS) â 30th overall (29th scoring, 31st passing, 9th rushing)</blockquote> 719<em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; * through 3 weeks</em><br /> 720<br /> 721Yes, Haslett can come up with the occasional&nbsp;gem..&nbsp;Every season he turns in&nbsp;a few&nbsp;games where the matchups fall right,&nbsp;the play-calling works, and the adjustments seem sound.&nbsp;The majority of the time, however, the game plans appear&nbsp;inconsistent week to week, he gets&nbsp;outguessed and burned too often calling plays, and the in-game&nbsp;adjustments&nbsp;yield too little improvement.<br /> 722<br /> 723All of which begs the question ... would a midseason change help?&nbsp;Imposible to say.&nbsp;&nbsp;Only Mike Shanahan, the other coaches and the players know if Haslett has "lost" the team, or if there is a better option already on the staff.&nbsp;But the alternative, unfortunately, is to continue&nbsp;sending a defense out week after week that comes up with a handful of big plays but simply cannot&nbsp;keep teams out of the end zone.<br /> 724<br /> 725Worse,&nbsp;as time goes by, we&nbsp;hear more and&nbsp;more suggestions from other teams and coaches that the Redskins defense&nbsp;isn't&nbsp;hard to diagnose. The two most recent examples that spring to mind are St. Louis head coach Jeff Fischer and his&nbsp;"bring it, we got answers" attitude when asked about&nbsp;concerns&nbsp;over the Haslett blitz packages.&nbsp;And just this&nbsp;week, word&nbsp;whispered out of&nbsp;Cincinnati that the Bengals drew up that soul-killing&nbsp;wildcat touchdown bomb on the first play from scrimmage&nbsp;specifically&nbsp;to beat&nbsp;clear tells they had seen in Haslett's predictable zero-blitz response to the wildcat formation. <br /> 726<br /> 727That kind of thing, over time, adds up.&nbsp;Particularly so when the stark evidence of the numbers seem to back it.&nbsp; There really is no polite way of saying it, and I actually do kind of like the man's tough-guy, glowering image,&nbsp;but what it has come down to for&nbsp;me is the impression man is in a little bit over his head.<br /> 728<br /> 729<br /> 730<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 731<a href="http://larrybrownsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jim-haslett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kea="true" src="http://larrybrownsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jim-haslett.jpg" /></a></div> 732<br /> 733In fairness, Jim Haslettâs Washington biography is yet to be written.&nbsp;At this point there is no way to really know in which direction his trajectory is headed.&nbsp;The winds at present are are definitely blowing cold, though,&nbsp;and&nbsp;
733should it continue that way, the expression âzero blitzâ could&nbsp;end up joining&nbsp;ârocket screenâ and âwhat we do worksâ in the Redskins Ring of Lexicon Infamy.&nbsp; <br /> 734<br /> 735To my eye, Haslettâs record as an NFL defensive coordinator speaks for itself.&nbsp;And whether the 2012 Redskins defense turns it around and performs at an even average level, enough to&nbsp;give&nbsp;RG3 a fighting chance to have a winning rookie campaign,&nbsp;remains to be seen. For the record, though, I think Jim Haslett will be coaching elsewhere in 2013.&nbsp;Numbers alone never tell the whole story, that is a given. But sometimes what you see really is what you get.<br /> 736<br /> 737Now for&nbsp;a little&nbsp;psychic whiplash:<br /> 738<br /> 739Given the defensive disaster, there is every reason to tune in&nbsp;this Sunday hoping for the best but expecting the worst.&nbsp;Another 34-31 type of loss is&nbsp;easy to picture.&nbsp;On the other hand,&nbsp;Redskins recent history suggests&nbsp;that this is precisely the kind of game they&nbsp;play best in.&nbsp;They&nbsp;seem to reserve their best efforts for games they are expected to lose.&nbsp; <br /> 740<br /> 741I am on record as thinking Jim Haslett is a lame duck.&nbsp;That said, history shows he also manages every once in a while to craft an unexpected&nbsp;gem that buys him an&nbsp;eleventh-hour reprieve&nbsp;and another few weeks of benefit of the doubt.&nbsp;So against my better judgement, I am taking a deep breath, squaring my shoulders, and hanging this weekâs prediction hat on Sunday&nbsp;in the Sombrero being&nbsp;being such a time.<br /> 742<br /> 743<strong>Washington 26, Tampa Bay 23</strong><br /> 744<br /> 745<br /> 746<br /> 747<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/5516007050144772057/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/5516007050144772057' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/5516007050144772057'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/5516007050144772057'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/09/week-3-storylines-rg3-haslett-and.html' title='Week 4 Storylines: RG3, Haslett and Redskins Embattled Defense '/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-963989601206681084</id><published>2012-09-13T11:59:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2012-09-14T08:57:39.518-04:00</updated><title type='text'>1-0 Redskins Raise the Bar</title><content type='html'><br /> 748<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 749<a href="http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/001/880/394/hi-res-151653189_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&amp;h=440&amp;q=75" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="270" src="http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/001/880/394/hi-res-151653189_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&amp;h=440&amp;q=75" width="400" /></a></div> 750<br /> 751Last week I&nbsp;predicted that the Redskins would make a game of it&nbsp;Sunday in New Orleans, but&nbsp;in the end their defense would not be able to control the quick-release and savvy of Saints QB Drew Brees.&nbsp;Nothing beats being loud wrong than&nbsp;being loud&nbsp;wrong about losing.<br /> 752<br /> 753Mr. Haslett?&nbsp;Well done, sir.<br /> 754<br /> 755<strong>Some Kid Named Bob</strong><br /> 756<br /> 757Millions of&nbsp;words have been written this week about the sparkling debut of Robert Griffin, III, the Redskins instant-star rookie quarterback. "Obviously," as head coach Mike Shanahan might say, "any time a&nbsp;rookie quarterback&nbsp;makes&nbsp;his first NFL start, on the road against a playoff contender, and&nbsp;plays&nbsp;smart and as well as Robert did and has the best debut of any rookie quarterback in league history, you have to be happy."<br /> 758<br /> 759By and&nbsp;large,&nbsp;talk from the media and fans alike have&nbsp;reflected that fuzziness.&nbsp;And of course there&nbsp;were&nbsp;a few&nbsp;obligatory "yeah but" contributions.&nbsp;That's what we have writers like <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/robert-griffin-iii-what-we-still-dont-know/2012/09/11/aebf99b8-fc55-11e1-a31e-804fccb658f9_story.html" target="_blank">Sally Jenkins</a> for. Hard to tell if she&nbsp;really believed the football world&nbsp;needed reminding&nbsp;it was just one game, or&nbsp;simply drew the short straw when they were handing out assignments Monday at the Washington Post.<br /> 760<br /> 761So, rather than try to find a fresh way of saying "wow,"&nbsp;let me&nbsp;simply&nbsp;single out a&nbsp;piece&nbsp;that&nbsp;stood out for me.&nbsp;The last paragrash, in particular, succinctly puts into words my&nbsp;own takeaway from week one,&nbsp;
761heading into the nascent RGIII era. From <a href="http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/36841/back-to-school-how-mike-shanahan-is-using-rg3s-college-offense-with-the-redskins" target="_blank">Chris Brown at Grantland</a>:<br /> 762<em><blockquote class="tr_bq"> 763<em>Griffinâs advantage is that he adds an element to Shanahan's pro-style offense that can't be understated. It cannot be emphasized enough that all those supposedly "easy" passes Griffin threw early on were decisions he had to make based on how the defense played. That may be the most exciting thing about his debut. Unlike many NFL coaches whose egos and lack of creativity won't allow them to utilize their playersâ strengths and weaknesses, Shanahan is evolving his offense into a reflection of his young quarterback. Robert Griffin III is not a "running quarterback," but rather a quarterback who can also run; Shanahan's Redskins offense is not a college-style spread offense, but a blend of a pro-style system that also incorporates some of college footballâs newest and best ideas. Griffin certainly has a long way to go, but his development â and the development of this offense â will be fun to watch, unless, that is, you're the one trying to stop it. </em></blockquote> 764</em><strong>Coaching â Gameplan Edition</strong> 765<br /> 766<br /> 767Mike Shanahan and Jim Haslett had months to prepare for New Orleans. And Shanahan's&nbsp;NFL opening day record (15-4) speaks for itself.&nbsp;Week&nbsp;two is different.&nbsp;Week two settles into&nbsp;the "normal" preparation cycle with&nbsp;current game&nbsp;tape to study for&nbsp;both his own team and the upcoming opponent.&nbsp;St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fischer is no slouchâyou can rest assured he will have his team ready to play, fundamentally sound,&nbsp;and will throw&nbsp;looks at the Redskins that they will not have seen before.<br /> 768<br /> 769This will be a good early test of the 2012 Redskins' brain trust. Will their game plans&nbsp;prove&nbsp;as on-target and effective with one week to prepare?&nbsp;Will they succeed in keeping&nbsp;the young Redskins from suffering a classic "letdown" game after the emotional upset win against the Saints?<br /> 770<br /> 771One thing about the NFLâlast week is always a long time ago.<br /> 772<br /> 773<strong>Coaching â In-Game Edition</strong><br /> 774<br /> 775If the Redskins&nbsp;succeed in building a two- or even three-possession second half lead again, will they, unlike last week, feel comfortable enough to let their rookie quarterback step on the proverbial snake's neck and finish the Rams off?&nbsp;Because last week, it says here, they&nbsp;did not.<br /> 776<br /> 777The Saints game should&nbsp;never have come down to a 40-yard Drew Brees lob into the endzone from possible overtime.&nbsp;It should never have been that close;&nbsp;not with as dominant as the Redskins had been in building a 16-point&nbsp;lead heading into the fourth quarter.&nbsp;The Saints hadn't stopped the Redskins all day, nor had&nbsp;much luck moving the ball againt them.&nbsp;It all seemed to change then, in a way that felt eerily foreboding.<br /> 778<br /> 779<a href="http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2012090906/2012/REG1/redskins@saints#menu=drivechart&amp;tab=analyze&amp;analyze=playbyplay" target="_blank">Judge for yourself</a>...<br /> 780<a name='more'></a><br /> 781With 1:07 left in the third quarter, the Redskins led 33-17 and had just been gifted a first down at their own 30-yard line when New Orleans was flagged for&nbsp;offsides&nbsp;after apparently stopping the Redskins on 3rd-and-five.&nbsp;The offensive playcalling at that juncture went, in a word, conservative. <br /> 782<br /> 783At least that's the way it felt in my living room. <br /> 784<br /> 785I haven't read much about that&nbsp;angle this week, however, so I am allowing for the possibility it was my own "here we go again" fears talking, hard-earned&nbsp;over the past 20 years, and not an indicator that the 2012 coaching staff will be&nbsp;stuck in a "play not to lose" mentality when holding&nbsp;second half leads.&nbsp; <br /> 786<br /> 787Yes, RG3 did go deep once after that. Maybe seeing that pass almost intercepted was enough to get Kyle to pull in the horns.&nbsp;And yes, RG3's tight pass to TE Logan Paulsen to convert a crucial late first down was a notable exception.&nbsp;But I am willing to bet real money&nbsp;I was not the only Redskins fan watching the team take the air out of the ball,&nbsp;and loosen up the defensive collar just a bit, and seeing the momentum predictably swing&nbsp;the other way&nbsp;the lead slowly dissipate, who suffered a few dark imagings. <br /> 788<br /> 789Had that Brees lob as the clock expired bounced to a Saint instead of S Reed Doughty, how many among us would have believed&nbsp;the Redskins would stop the subsequent two-point conversion?&nbsp; And need I ask what we would have thought heading into overtime?<br /> 790<br /> 791<strong>Expectations</strong><br /> 792<br /> 793Expectations have shifted after the Saints game, I think there is little&nbsp;doubt about it.&nbsp;How many Redskins fans out there are thinking&nbsp;the Redskins <em>shouldn't</em> leave St. Louis on Sunday evening undefeated? <br /> 794<br /> 795If the Redskins beat the Rams, and&nbsp;RG3 continuies to impress, and the team&nbsp;heads into its&nbsp;home opener&nbsp;at 2-0 against a Cincinnati Bengals team that (forgive me) is at worst&nbsp;"beatable," even those among us&nbsp;who went into week one cautioning against reading too much into it, win&nbsp;
795or lose, are going to have a hard time not getting caught up in the excitement. Because even though&nbsp;the&nbsp;opener was "Game One of Year One of the New Era," as some stick-in-the-mud solemnly cautioned last week,&nbsp;the thought of heading into October with,&nbsp;say, at worst a 3-1 record ... with legitimate quarterbacking ... well, let's just leave it at that for today.<br /> 796<br /> 797<strong>Let Youth be Served</strong><br /> 798<br /> 799I must have commented three or four times&nbsp;watching the Redskins outclass the&nbsp;Saints on Sunday,&nbsp;"<em>that's</em> one of the young guys too." Among several&nbsp;great impressions&nbsp;from game one was the overriding sense that in two years, the Washington Redskins have gone from one of oldest teams in football to one featuring youthâmuch of it baby-youthâcontributing heavily. I jotted some&nbsp;names down on a piece of paper during the course of the game as those&nbsp;names kept coming up big at crucial&nbsp;times. It's not an exclusive listâfeel free to throw in a guy like FB Darrell Young (25) for instanceâbut you get the drift: <br /> 800<blockquote class="tr_bq"> 801QB Robert Griffin, III (22)<br /> 802RB Alfred Morris (23)<br /> 803WR Aldrick Robinson (23)<br /> 804WR Pierre Garcon (26)<br /> 805TE Fred Davis (26)<br /> 806LT Trent Williams (24)<br /> 807TE Logan Paulsen (25)<br /> 808FS DeJon Gomes (24)<br /> 809DE Jarvis Jenkins (24)<br /> 810LB Perry Riley (24)<br /> 811LB Ryan Kerrigan (24)<br /> 812LB Brian Orakpo (26)</blockquote> 813Don't get me wrong.&nbsp;Veteransâtake a bow, LB London Fletcher (37) and&nbsp;K Billy Cundiff (32)âprovided huge contributions too. But the<em> other</em> albatross&nbsp;this organization&nbsp;has carried for so many yearsâthat the Washington Redskins&nbsp;are too old and too slow for today's NFLâhas suddenly, to quote&nbsp;lead-eating Warden Norton, up and vanished like a fart in the wind.&nbsp; <br /> 814<br /> 815<strong>Fabulous Future FedEx Field Fan Flury?</strong><br /> 816<br /> 817Speaking of&nbsp;charged air ... anyone else wondering if&nbsp;the thought hasn't occured to Dan Snyder&nbsp;that it might have been a mistake to drop&nbsp;seating capacity at FedEx Field by 12,000 seats?&nbsp;If&nbsp;his Redskins beat St. Louis this&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;and come home 2-0,&nbsp;landing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ticketliquidator.com/tix/washington-redskins-tickets.aspx" target="_blank">Redskins Fedex Field tickets</a>&nbsp;to see RG3 and the burdundy and&nbsp;gold&nbsp;at home might&nbsp;soon become&nbsp;a labor of love again. RFK Stadium veterans,&nbsp;
817you know what I'm talking about.<br /> 818<br /> 819Just food for thought. <br /> 820<br /> 821<strong>Funny Thing One</strong><br /> 822<br /> 823It's not the Redskins offense I'm concerned about against the Rams. RG3 doesn't have to be Superman, he just has to continue to play&nbsp;smart, controlled football, and let his talent and the talent around him do their thing. They won't score 40 point every week (probably), but unless they get&nbsp;careless and turn the ball over&nbsp;several times, it's not hard to imagine them putting up mid- to high-20's on a regular basis. <br /> 824<br /> 825This week I'm more interested in seeing if defensive coordinator Jim Haslett can follow up on last week's sterling effort, and&nbsp;his defense can turn in another solid across-the-board performance. With the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kmov.com/sports/football/Feldman-Rams-offensive-line-facing-major-challenges-169490476.html" target="_blank">offensive line problems</a> the Rams are facing, logic suggests the Redskins front seven "should" be able to control the line of scrimmage, and keep QB Sam Bradford and stud RB Stephen Jackson from going off.&nbsp; To me this is the single biggest key to the game.<br /> 826<br /> 827<strong>Funny Thing Two</strong><br /> 828<br /> 829Thing two goes back to what I wrote aboveâa killer instinct. Even amidst&nbsp;the sweet, smoky&nbsp;afterglow of opening day victory, I cannot quite shake&nbsp;the&nbsp;feeling I had, and suspect many of us had, at the end of the&nbsp;Sainst&nbsp;game. As Drew Brees and Co.&nbsp;roared back from dead-in-the-water to within one tipped ball of probable overtime,&nbsp;I'm guessing&nbsp;Redskins&nbsp;Nation was holding its' collective&nbsp;breath and trying NOT to think, &nbsp;"we've seen this movie before." <br /> 830<br /> 831No, it wasn't the old "prevent defense." But it felt like it. It looked like it.&nbsp;Was it percentage football? Perhaps.&nbsp;Was it damned hard to watch, with all the weight of recent&nbsp;history pressing down?&nbsp;Oh yeah.&nbsp;Close the deal, Messrs. Shanahan and Haslett. Please.<br /> 832<br /> 833It's 2012. It's a new day. <br /> 834<br /> 835Go for the kill.<br /> 836<br /> 837<strong>Redskins 29, Rams 23</strong><br /> 838<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/963989601206681084/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/963989601206681084' title='7 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/963989601206681084'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/963989601206681084'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/09/1-0-redskins-raise-bar.html' title='1-0 Redskins Raise the Bar'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>7</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-8235179600333720577</id><published>2012-09-11T14:39:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2012-09-11T14:46:54.223-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Remembrance and Celebration</title><content type='html'>Tuesday, September 11.<br /> 839<br /> 840It is something I know, deep in my bones, yet only occasionally acknowledge. Let today be such a day.<br /> 841<br /> 842This...<br /> 843<br /> 844<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 845<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lRFrIRv4OHw4xeMOEazAYLUXNgLlgWI6EIfStdRalmVj8wau-AIKiqnfJMwzaaxWIpP670s9FKL2U5R5z0MLRKvQzc8pMWV1a7CHrA2z3efOtfQtuSFE6C9owe_Bi9zrV3wUjpOhb0E/s1600/american-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lRFrIRv4OHw4xeMOEazAYLUXNgLlgWI6EIfStdRalmVj8wau-AIKiqnfJMwzaaxWIpP670s9FKL2U5R5z0MLRKvQzc8pMWV1a7CHrA2z3efOtfQtuSFE6C9owe_Bi9zrV3wUjpOhb0E/s320/american-flag.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 846<br /> 847... grants the unselfconscious, joyful gift of celebrating this:<br /> 848<br /> 849<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 850<a href="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/c99.0.403.403/p403x403/295220_10151231753914574_227708152_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="320" src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/c99.0.403.403/p403x403/295220_10151231753914574_227708152_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 851<br /> 852Hail.<br /> 853<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/8235179600333720577/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/8235179600333720577' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/8235179600333720577'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/8235179600333720577'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/09/remembrance-and-celebration_11.html' title='Remembrance and Celebration'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author>
853<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lRFrIRv4OHw4xeMOEazAYLUXNgLlgWI6EIfStdRalmVj8wau-AIKiqnfJMwzaaxWIpP670s9FKL2U5R5z0MLRKvQzc8pMWV1a7CHrA2z3efOtfQtuSFE6C9owe_Bi9zrV3wUjpOhb0E/s72-c/american-flag.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-5913217688054037606</id><published>2012-09-07T11:03:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2012-09-07T11:15:04.819-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Redskins New Era Faces Stern First Test </title><content type='html'><br /> 854<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 855<a href="http://cdn2.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/elite-daily-robert-griffin-iii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="266" src="http://cdn2.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/elite-daily-robert-griffin-iii.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> 856<br /> 857With the 2012 NFL season and&nbsp;dawn of a new era in Redskins football (make no mistake,&nbsp;boom or bust, history will&nbsp;record 2012 as the beginning of the Robert Griffin III&nbsp;Era)&nbsp;just two&nbsp;days away, let us take a last&nbsp; lingering look at the Big Picture.<br /> 858<br /> 859Because come&nbsp;Sunday,&nbsp;and then over the five months to follow, we will spend our time burrowing deep into&nbsp;into the delicious minutia of the games themselves.<br /> 860<br /> 861<div style="text-align: center;"> 862<em>* deep breath * </em></div> 863<br /> 864The&nbsp;preseason (3-1) was certainly satisfying.&nbsp;There&nbsp;were&nbsp;plenty of positives:<br /> 865<ul> 866<li>flashes of RG3 potential</li> 867<li>surprisingly crisp&nbsp;rookie backup QB Kirk Cousins</li> 868<li>powerful rookie RB&nbsp;Afred Morris</li> 869<li>as&nbsp;deep&nbsp;and athletic a WR corps as we have seen&nbsp;since The Posse</li> 870<li>something&nbsp;only veteran&nbsp;Redskins observers can recall--apparent depth.&nbsp;This is something the Redskins have&nbsp;NOT&nbsp;boasted in recent memory.&nbsp;The thorough dismantling and domination of Tampa Bay's backups by Washington's offered, at the very least,&nbsp;a&nbsp;comforting sense that <a href="http://www.theomfield.com/2012/04/rg3-can-be-redskins-rising-tide.html" target="_blank"><strong>the tide may indeed be rising</strong></a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li> 871</ul> 872Did the preseason provide reason for optimism, even <em>with</em> the first-half egg the team&nbsp;laid up in Chicago? Absolutely.&nbsp;There were unmistakeable&nbsp;signs of emerging talent and&nbsp;a team coming together.&nbsp;If one squinted his/her&nbsp;eyes just a bit,&nbsp;one&nbsp;could&nbsp;even&nbsp;see the realistic possiblity that&nbsp;the first year of&nbsp;the&nbsp;new era could&nbsp;feature&nbsp;meaningful games in December.<br /> 873<br /> 874<div> 875</div> 876<div> 877Coins, of couse,&nbsp;have two sides.&nbsp;There were also&nbsp;reminders&nbsp;that this Redskins team is still very much a work in progress.&nbsp;One need only cue up&nbsp;the aforementioned first half in the Windy City as Exhibit A.<br /> 878<br /> 879The preseason&nbsp;saw: </div> 880<ul> 881<li>clear&nbsp;"rookie moments" from the young franchise quarterback</li> 882<li>hold-your-breath, cover-your-eyes moments courtesy of the&nbsp;offensive line's pass protection</li> 883<li>perhaps most&nbsp;saliently (heading&nbsp;into a week one matchup against&nbsp;New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees and his high-flying&nbsp;passing circus),&nbsp;a defensive secondary that may&nbsp;test the metro area's Pepto and Advil&nbsp;reserves&nbsp;this fall. </li> 884</ul> 885<div> 886Cause for concern?&nbsp;Of course there is. The team is not a finished product (assuming there is such a thing in today's NFL).&nbsp;In addition to starting a raw rookie at quarterback, the offensive line remains transitionary at best and the defensive secondary could wear question marks&nbsp;instead of numerals. Which would be better than targets, but still.<br /> 887<br /> 888So just as&nbsp;it is possible to imagine meaningful games in December, it is&nbsp;also possible to imagine playing out the string by November. Damn&nbsp;coins.<br /> 889<br /> 890The 2012 preseason in a nutshell?&nbsp;More good than bad.</div> 891<br /> 892<div style="text-align: center;"> 893<em>* flush *</em></div> 894<div> 895</div> 896<div> 897<br /> 898On to Game One...</div> 899<div> 900</div> 901<div> 902<a name='more'></a><br /> 903The 2012 Washington Redskins take the field Sunday carrying a new&nbsp;banner,&nbsp;one that represents&nbsp;the single biggest positive change in the franchise's fortunes&nbsp;in a generation.&nbsp;By all accounts, the team has, finally, acquired&nbsp;a legitimate NFL starting quarterback.&nbsp;It is not hard to&nbsp;to lose sight of just how important that is, particularly in the early days, before The Change becomes apparent to all.<br /> 904<br /> 905But no one has beaten the <a href="http://www.theomfield.com/2010/07/qb-theory-donovan-mcnabb-could-be.html" target="_blank"><strong>QB Theory</strong></a> drum longer or louder than your humble scribe, so let us&nbsp;not revisit that today.&nbsp;Suffice to say, if RG3 is indeed the real deal he is almost universally accepted to be, things are about to change around here.<br /> 906<br /> 907When that change begins to manifest in the won-lost column is&nbsp;another matter.&nbsp;I am a firm believer that it's going to happen--perhaps even by the end of this season--but I don't believe it's going to happen this Sunday.<br /> 908<br /> 909<div style="text-align: center;"> 910<em>* balloon, meet pin *</em></div> 911<br /> 912<em>Can</em> the Redskins beat New Orleans?&nbsp;Sure they can.&nbsp;No one saw last season's opening day win over the NY Giants coming, either.&nbsp;Will they?&nbsp;The brain&nbsp;says no.&nbsp; <br /> 913<br /> 914Griffin III could pass&nbsp;for 375 yards and&nbsp;2 TD's, plus run&nbsp;for a third, but unless&nbsp;his team upsets the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome, the general sense will be of disappointment.&nbsp;Natural enough. As fans we may know intellectually that 2012 is&nbsp;The Franchise's rookie campaign--his requisite get-up-to-speed&nbsp;
914year--but the emotions of the game itself&nbsp;will make it hard to focus on&nbsp;much beyond&nbsp;"0-1, here we go again" come&nbsp;Monday morning.<br /> 915<br /> 916I&nbsp;expect&nbsp;the Redskins&nbsp;offense will&nbsp;have an inconsistent afternoon featuring&nbsp;a few dazzling Sportscenter&nbsp;highs, but also&nbsp;just enoughg&nbsp;gut-wrenching lows to tip the scale.&nbsp;Such is life with a Rookie QB Phenom.&nbsp;I&nbsp;can see the&nbsp;offense&nbsp;putting up 20-24 points.&nbsp;To win, however, I think the Redskins are going to need&nbsp;30-35.&nbsp; </div> 917<br /> 918Why?&nbsp;Drew Brees.&nbsp;Because the Saints have what the Redskins as yet do not--a franchise&nbsp;QB and surrounding cast&nbsp;already ramped up and&nbsp;established. What sets New Orleans apart is the polished package&nbsp;Brees brings: savviness, experience, mobility and a lightning-quick release.&nbsp;Unfortunately for the Redskins, those assets are precisely the tools you want to use to attack the burgundy and gold defense. <br /> 919<br /> 920The Washington front&nbsp;seven&nbsp;looks to be upgraded from 2011.&nbsp;At times this season it may even&nbsp;even&nbsp;prove powerful, dominating against both&nbsp;the run and rushing the passer.&nbsp;But&nbsp;power and athletic quickness are different animals, and&nbsp;the latter would serve them better this week.<br /> 921<br /> 922Drew Brees&nbsp;is&nbsp;masterful at getting the ball out&nbsp;quickly.&nbsp;He won't stand long and tall in a collapsing pocket, willing to take&nbsp;hits to deliver at the last second.&nbsp;Brees with&nbsp;will either snap off the&nbsp;ball before the&nbsp;rush gets there, or slide,&nbsp;move, create space&nbsp;and throw accurately on the run.&nbsp; Look for TE Jimmy Graham in the deep middle, and RB&nbsp;Darrin Sproles&nbsp;anywhere on the field,&nbsp;on enough third down conversions&nbsp;to&nbsp;be the difference.<br /> 923<br /> 924And on the subject of the defense...<a href="http://www.theomfield.com/2010/01/jim-haslett-really.html" target="_blank"><strong>I remain tepid on defensive coordinator Jim Haslett</strong></a>&nbsp;and his ability to take a&nbsp;defense to the highest&nbsp;level--to craft schemes capable of overcoming personnel shortcomings against specific opponents, and&nbsp;make the right calls at the right times in crucial spots late in games.&nbsp;The statistical improvement last season was undeniable, but I have yet to see evidence&nbsp;his unit will create turnovers, his blitzes will be any better disguised&nbsp;or less&nbsp;predictable,&nbsp;that he will not&nbsp;continue to get outguessed on&nbsp;the game's most critical calls, or that&nbsp;his unit&nbsp;won't continue to shine&nbsp;on first and second downs and&nbsp;then, all too often, going maddeningly soft on third.&nbsp; <br /> 925<br /> 926<div> 927</div> 928<div style="text-align: center;"> 929<em>* ouch *</em></div> 930<div> 931</div> 932<div> 933<br /> 934Sorry about the downer.&nbsp;Just calling it like I've been seeing&nbsp;this game&nbsp;play out in my mind.&nbsp;Yes,&nbsp;anything can happen.&nbsp;&nbsp;Come&nbsp;Monday we <em>could</em> be savoring an improbable,&nbsp;inspiring victory and trying our best not to get too high as to the possibilities.&nbsp;More likely, however, is a scenario that sees the Redskins&nbsp;hang tough,&nbsp;make a game of it&nbsp;into the second half,&nbsp;but in the end succumb to <em>another</em> franchise quarterback--this one a future first-ballot&nbsp;Hall of Famer rolling&nbsp;at the&nbsp;top of his game.<br /> 935<br /> 936There will be&nbsp;jump-out-of-your-seat&nbsp;moments.&nbsp;As Redskins fans we will see&nbsp;signs of good things to come, and&nbsp;Sunday night Sportscenter will be running&nbsp;sweet RG3 highlights&nbsp;over and over again.&nbsp;But in the end, the defense, and its not-ready-for-prime-time secondary,&nbsp;will&nbsp;fall prey to&nbsp;Brees magic.<br /> 937<br /> 938Saints 31, Redskins 23.<br /> 939<br /> 940I will say it again&nbsp;though.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sunday's result&nbsp;will <em>not</em> mean&nbsp;that RG3 is a bust,&nbsp;that these are&nbsp;"the same old Redskins" or that the&nbsp;Mayans were right and none of this&nbsp;matters anyway. It will simply&nbsp;mean&nbsp;we&nbsp;have to&nbsp;suffer the&nbsp;slings and arrows of the lemmings in sporrts&nbsp;media and on the web for a little longer. </div> 941<br /> 942Game One, Season One.&nbsp;Remember to enjoy the journey.<br /> 943<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/5913217688054037606/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/5913217688054037606' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/5913217688054037606'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/5913217688054037606'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/09/redskins-new-era-faces-stern-first-test.html' title='Redskins New Era Faces Stern First Test '/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-4163540271410884889</id><published>2012-08-24T08:56:00.004-04:00</published><updated>2012-08-24T09:27:06.229-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Redskins vs Colts, Week 3 - A Tale of Two Realities</title><content type='html'><span style="font-family: Times, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"> 944<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 945<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, it is the age of wisdom, it is the age of foolishness, it is the epoch of belief, it is the epoch of incredulity, it is the season of Light, it is the season of Darkness, it is the spring of hope, it is the winter of despair, we have everything before us, we have nothing before us ...</span></em></div> 946</blockquote> 947<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 948</div> 949</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Best? </em>Easy. Robert Griffin, III&nbsp;vs Andrew Luck. Third game of the preseason, when teams incorporate&nbsp;game-planning. When starters play up to three quarters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As close to "real" NFL football as we have seen since the Super Bowl ended last February.</span> 950<br /> 951<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 952<br /> 953<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Worst? </em>Also easy. RG3 vs Luck, in preseason, being sold as&nbsp;<em>meaning</em> something. When "starters&nbsp;playing three quarters" is interpreted by many as&nbsp;said veteran starters, as&nbsp;a group,&nbsp;taking it even remotely as seriously as they will when the games count. When "game-planning" is being sold as even remotely comparable to the hyper-targeted scheming we will not see until&nbsp;the results matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inevitable truth that, even knowing it is but&nbsp;a glorified&nbsp;scrimmage, we will, at some point, find ourselves emotionally caught up in the moment. </span></div> 954<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 955<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Wisdom?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; Of course.&nbsp;</span>Our higher intellects do still rule the day. Win or lose, look great or look awful, in our heart of hearts we accept that preason is meaningless.&nbsp;Even Joe Gibbs said so&nbsp;("nothing matters less than preseason").</span></div> 956<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 957<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Foolishness?</em>&nbsp;You think? Skip Bayless.&nbsp;Chris Berman. Handsomely paid television, radio and interweb experts&nbsp;solemnly attesting to&nbsp;the meaning to be found wihtin the meaninglessness, if one is simply willing to&nbsp;accept their genius. Armchair quarterbacks, coaches, and general managers&nbsp;finding interwebbian soapbox opportunites galore&nbsp;from which to share <em>
957their</em> told-you-so genius. </span></div> 958<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 959<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Belief? </em>You bet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>When RG3 sidesteps an unblocked pass rusher and&nbsp;whips a 25-yard laser in the seam to a&nbsp;streaking Pierre Garçon for a touchdown, we cleave to it as&nbsp;portent of&nbsp;much awesomeness to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>When the defense&nbsp;stones the Colts on fourth-and-1 from our own 38-yard line, to turn away a potential scoring drive, it strikes us&nbsp;as&nbsp;sufficient&nbsp;evidence that defensive coordinator Jim Hazlett is, indeed, the right man for the job.&nbsp;</span></div> 960<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 961<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Incredulity?</em> Without a doubt. We are two short weeks from the season opener, on the road against the New Orleans Saints, and our projected starting offensive line has yet to play a down together.&nbsp;Heading&nbsp;into week three of the preaseason, we are looking at the very real possibility that our workhourse featured running back in said </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">season opener&nbsp;will be a sixth round rookie out of Florida<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Atlantic. And our defense continues to seemingly deal only in </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">extremesâBills dominance,&nbsp;Bears flatulenceâand&nbsp;little in between.&nbsp;</span></div> 962<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 963<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Season of Light? </em>Please.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>It's Fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>It's the Redskins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Life is Good.<o:p></o:p></span></div> 964<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 965<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Season of Darkness?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;Sigh. </span>Summer is almost over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mind-numbing incompetence that has been&nbsp;Redskins football for&nbsp;the last twenty years casts a&nbsp;long </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">shadow indeed, even </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">over&nbsp;the apparent Redskins Spring&nbsp;that dawned the&nbsp;brisk March&nbsp;morning&nbsp;we learned they&nbsp;had traded up in the draft for the chance to land their first franchise quarterback in&nbsp;a generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we have been reminded so many times over that forlorn time, hope can be a dangerous thing.&nbsp;</span></div> 966<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 967<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Spring of hope?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Damn straight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>After 20 years, we actually <em>have</em>&nbsp;what even stone-cold reason tells us is a legtimate NFL quarterback prospect. We know it's going to take timeâprobably two or&nbsp;three yearsâbefore his tide fully&nbsp;raises all Redskins ships, but&nbsp;w<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">e&nbsp;</span>are okay with that.&nbsp;The joy is in the journey, not the destination.</span></div> 968<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 969<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Winter of despair?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;Wait.&nbsp;T</span>wo or three more <em>years</em>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>I can't take this anymore.</span></div> 970<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 971<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Everything before us?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Four o'clock Saturday afternoon, the Washington Redskins&nbsp;take to their&nbsp;home field for the first time since January&nbsp;1, 2012. Leading the charge through the fireworks and thundering&nbsp; music will be none other than The Man himself, Robert Griffin, III.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>He will&nbsp;play up to three quarters of football, with a little systemic supp
971ort around him finally, perhaps even allowed to run a few plays of the&nbsp;offense we will see in September. We will&nbsp;finally get a glimpse&nbsp;of the magic&nbsp;we believe&nbsp;will be ours to savor for a decade and more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;<em>O</em></span><em>ur</em> house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span><em>Our</em> man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span><em>Our</em> team.</span></div> 972<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 973<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><em>Nothing before us?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;Nod. </span>It's preseason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>No matter how hard "they" try to sell </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">it&nbsp;otherwise, the truth is that nothing matters less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></div> 974<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 975<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Ah, well. Take heart friends. The regular season is but two short weeks away. </span></div> 976<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> 977<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">It is a far far better thing...<o:p></o:p></span></div> 978</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/4163540271410884889/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/4163540271410884889' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/4163540271410884889'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/4163540271410884889'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/08/redskins-vs-colts-week-3-tale-of-two.html' title='Redskins vs Colts, Week 3 - A Tale of Two Realities'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-8708045987154852707</id><published>2012-08-15T13:49:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2012-08-15T15:34:25.155-04:00</updated><title type='text'>RG3 Unspectacular But On Schedule in Preseason Opener</title><content type='html'>Week 1 of the preseason is&nbsp;less about&nbsp;analysis than it is celebrating The Return of NFL Football.&nbsp; It is for reveling in the moment.&nbsp;It's about&nbsp;seeing your favorite team hit the field&nbsp;for the first time in a seeming eternity.&nbsp;As long as no key player goes down with serious injury, the preseason opener is largely ceremonial. <br /> 979<br /> 980But now that the&nbsp;initial breathless<em>"here we go"</em> moment has passed, and we have seen with our own wondering eyes young QB Robert Griffin III, in a Redskins uniform, in live action, for the first time, it's time to take a deep breath and begin to narrow our focus. <br /> 981<br /> 982In that spirit, here are&nbsp;some&nbsp;semi-serious (it <i>is</i> still preseason) thoughts after the warm fuzzies have faded from week one: <br /> 983<br /> 984I thought much&nbsp;of the media reaction to RG3's brief appearance, particularly from the national media, was strangely&nbsp;over the top. To my eye, the man barely broke a sweat.&nbsp;Six pass attempts, one successful audible, zero&nbsp;drama.<br /> 985<br /> 986<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 987<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/UoD7T3H95Bw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div> 988<br /> 989To be sure, it was good&nbsp;to see him looking poised, standing tall in the pocket and delivering accurately.&nbsp;But until we begin building a meaningful sample size of&nbsp;kind of âoff scheduleâ plays that head coach Mike Shanahan keeps talking about, and that are what is supposed to make Kid Bob special, we really wonât&nbsp;learn much about&nbsp;where RG3 is in his development<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">â</span>not so much in his&nbsp;physical development, but&nbsp;the mental side.&nbsp;The&nbsp;in-game, on-the-fly judgment side. <br /> 990<br /> 991Until the first time he has to come back on 3rd-and-12, having&nbsp;just been smacked&nbsp;in the mouth and landed upon by an irritated&nbsp;6'3", 315 lb. defensive tackle on second down, we wonât begin to see beyond all the shiny, seductive potential and into, shall we say,&nbsp;the afterglow reality. <br /> 992<br /> 993Not to overstate the case, but with two&nbsp;brief nod-of-recognition exceptions, what I took from RG3's&nbsp; brief&nbsp;debut&nbsp;was much ado about not much. The three completions&nbsp;he made to open WR's Pierre GarÏon and Leonard Hankerson were throws I frankly expect any professional quarterback to make.&nbsp;He went through his progressions, yes, and that was noted and appreciated.&nbsp;But&nbsp;
993there was really nothing unusual to them, good or bad. <br /> 994<br /> 995His best pass of the night, easily, was the sideline 3rd-down&nbsp;incompletion to GarÏon that many feel should have been called complete. Friggin' faux zebras.&nbsp; The throw&nbsp;showed true NFL accuracy and touch.<br /> 996<br /> 997But even that one didn't really get my attention.&nbsp;Here's what did: <br /> 998<br /> 9991) the one RG3 moment&nbsp;of the night that I might call "off schedule"<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">â</span>the ad-libedb, off-platform <em>in</em>completion to TE Niles Paul. On that one, Griffin III spun out of a break to his left to&nbsp;find an unblocked Bills defender in his face. He insitinctively stopped, twisted and snapped off an athletic,&nbsp;accurate throw in a flash that, if nothing else,&nbsp;turned a potentially bad play into a harmless one. I don't mind telling you that made me smile. <br /> 1000<br /> 10012) the WR screen that GarÏon took to the house for the game's only TD.&nbsp;Why? Becuase RG3 made it look easy, and <em>that </em>is something that those who have watched Redskins quarterbacks struggle mightily&nbsp;for a generation can attest it was&nbsp;not. The pass may have only covered a few yards, but it was on time, well-paced and on target. <br /> 1002<br /> 1003Professional, even. <br /> 1004<br /> 1005Both of those plays showed me hints&nbsp;of what I have been looking in vain for in a Redskins QB for too many years to countâthe ability to throw quickly and accurately, if necessary from improvised platforms, when the natural rhythm of a play breaks down or a quicker-than-normal&nbsp;release becomes necessary. <br /> 1006<br /> 1007Or, put in&nbsp;more&nbsp;in-vogue terms&nbsp;... off schedule. <br /> 1008<br /> 1009All in all, the 2012 preseason opener was a satisfiying appetizer. Tasty, not too filling, whetting the appetite just so.&nbsp;With our palates now&nbsp;awakened, here's to&nbsp;a slightly more zesty second course,&nbsp;and further&nbsp;promise&nbsp;of what is to come, Saturday night against the Chicago Bears. <br /> 1010<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/8708045987154852707/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/8708045987154852707' title='5 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/8708045987154852707'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/8708045987154852707'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/08/rg3-unspectacular-but-on-schedule-in.html' title='RG3 Unspectacular But On Schedule in Preseason Opener'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>5</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-4580724210505637715</id><published>2012-05-25T13:07:00.003-04:00</published><updated>2012-05-26T08:50:44.531-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Redskins Palate Cleanser</title><content type='html'><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1011Tired of&nbsp;salary c(r)ap?</div> 1012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1013<br /></div> 1014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1015Bummed&nbsp;preseason is still 76 days away?</div> 1016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1017<br /></div> 1018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1019Frustrated with Redskins.com's&nbsp;flaccid OTA coverage?</div> 1020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1021<br /></div> 1022<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1023You're not alone.</div> 1024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1025<br /></div> 1026<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1027If I&nbsp;might make a suggestion ...&nbsp; </div> 1028<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1029<br /></div> 1030<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1031Feed your passion.</div> 1032<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1033<br /></div> 1034<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1035Feed it.&nbsp;</div> 1036<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1037<br /></div> 1038<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1039&nbsp;<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='
1039https://www.youtube.com/embed/qQusPmH7eD8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div> 1040<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1041<br /></div> 1042<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1043<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/txdvPyrbgrw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div> 1044<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1045<br /></div> 1046<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1047<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gfO4GVO-R64?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div> 1048<br /> 1049<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/4580724210505637715/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/4580724210505637715' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/4580724210505637715'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/4580724210505637715'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/05/redskins-palate-cleanser.html' title='Redskins Palate Cleanser'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-322840476192247921</id><published>2012-05-16T13:52:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2012-05-16T14:20:05.080-04:00</updated><title type='text'>The Waiting</title><content type='html'><br /> 1050<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1051<a href="http://www.bgobsession.com/images/misc/RG3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" kba="true" src="http://www.bgobsession.com/images/misc/RG3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 1052<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> 1053<br /></div> 1054<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> 1055In the days and weeks following the St. Louis/Washington trade, up to and through the NFL draft and&nbsp;subsequent Redskins rookie camp, feeding the daily Robert Griffin III&nbsp;obsession&nbsp;was easy. There was such a&nbsp;cornucopia of news available&nbsp;that&nbsp;the difficult&nbsp;part was trying to <em>assimilate</em> it&nbsp;all in the few hours a working person has to spare.</div> 1056<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> 1057<br /></div> 1058<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> 1059But now the dust has settled.<br /> 1060<br /> 1061In the interminable&nbsp;lull between camps, the available nourishment&nbsp;has been pared down&nbsp;to&nbsp;following linksâany linksâeven if they're&nbsp;about <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;frm=1&amp;source=newssearch&amp;cd=3&amp;ved=0CDUQqQIwAg&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcwashington.com%2Fblogs%2Fcapital-games%2FGet-Your-RGIII-Socks-Now-151631545.html&amp;ei=PdizT7v_JpCA6QG88tG4CQ&amp;usg=AFQjCNGdNSeHpy7-G2wb23icqQJ_85bPBg&amp;sig2=vNjO6f1fRk1sA10bTUf47Q" target="_blank">socks</a>.<br /> 1062<br /> 1063These days the&nbsp;morning ritual includes&nbsp;a quick stop&nbsp;on&nbsp;Google's sports&nbsp;news roundup, typing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&amp;gl=us&amp;tbm=nws&amp;q=RG3" target="_blank">"RG3"
1063 in the search field</a> and scanning&nbsp;the entire list.&nbsp;You know,&nbsp;in case someone somewhere&nbsp;wrote&nbsp;something new about the Redskins, their&nbsp;new&nbsp;quarterback phenom, and&nbsp;their inevitable&nbsp;return to&nbsp;rightful&nbsp;gridiron relevance. </div> 1064<br /> 1065Or better yet there might be a new <a href="https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&amp;gl=us&amp;tbm=nws&amp;q=RG3#q=RG3&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=us&amp;tbm=vid&amp;source=lnms&amp;ei=Q9OzT_PEJOTs6gG-rd2aCQ&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=mode_link&amp;ct=mode&amp;cd=4&amp;ved=0CBoQ_AUoAw&amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&amp;fp=8feb62effbc746d6&amp;biw=1152&amp;bih=702" target="_blank">video</a>.<br /> 1066<br /> 1067At first, the Baylor games were the video prize.&nbsp;On-field heroics. Amazing throws, breathtaking runs. Having watched them all&nbsp;repeatedly, however, today&nbsp;the off-field,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhyqhn1LJps" target="_blank">who-is-this-guy</a> version&nbsp;have become&nbsp;equally prized.&nbsp;Maybe&nbsp;more so, given that&nbsp;ultimately&nbsp;they are what&nbsp;led to&nbsp;the kid getting&nbsp;under our Skins.<br /> 1068<br /> 1069Twenty-two year old Robert Griffin III&nbsp;has spawned more man-crushesâparticularly&nbsp;among men who generally&nbsp;cringe&nbsp;at&nbsp;mention of such a thingâthan anyone&nbsp;since Art Monk&nbsp;was&nbsp;hailed into Canton.<br /> 1070<br /> 1071And no,&nbsp;it's not just about the kid.&nbsp;Any thinking soul knows there is more to it than that.&nbsp;It's about the kid becoming&nbsp;quarterback of the&nbsp;<strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIEuNvosg5I&amp;feature=related" target="_blank">Washington Redskins</a></strong>.<br /> 1072<br /> 1073So will&nbsp;this all prove just another too-good-to-be-true infatuation? Jeremy Lin 2.0? Yeah maybeâshit happens.<br /> 1074<br /> 1075But not yet.&nbsp;Not today ...<br /> 1076<a name='more'></a><br /> 1077Today it's all about promise.<br /> 1078<br /> 1079And so&nbsp;we wait. With 84 days to go before the preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills, we know what we have to do. We'll will find things to occupy our time;&nbsp;things to distract us.<br /> 1080<br /> 1081We will mow the grass.&nbsp;Alot. Maybe&nbsp;hit the beach if we're lucky.<br /> 1082<br /> 1083You know, attend to daily life.<br /> 1084<br /> 1085We'll keep one&nbsp;eye on&nbsp;the first-place Nationals, who,&nbsp;as of this writing,&nbsp;are slowly,&nbsp;blood-vessel by blood-vessel,&nbsp;reclaiming&nbsp;the hearts of&nbsp;Washingtonians whose first&nbsp;baseball love was ripped from their chests forty years ago.<br /> 1086<br /> 1087We'll wish&nbsp;we still had those&nbsp;<em>pre</em>-preseason scrimmages with the Pittsburgh Steelers up&nbsp;in Latrobe.&nbsp;Some of us&nbsp;more seasoned&nbsp;types remember tuning in, at high noon&nbsp;on&nbsp;certain sweltering&nbsp;August Saturdays, to catch some position drills, a little 7-on-7,&nbsp;and&nbsp;at the end, a&nbsp;four-series-each, full-squad scrimmage, where&nbsp;two different sets of uniforms actually lined up, ran a few plays, tackled, and even kept score.<br /> 1088<br /> 1089Imagine what a circusâand how much funâ<em>that </em>would be this year.<br /> 1090<br /> 1091Alas, it is not to be.&nbsp; <br /> 1092<br /> 1093So we wait.<br /> 1094<br /> 1095We understand&nbsp;that the first time we&nbsp;see these new Redskins take the field, and get to watch&nbsp;Robert Griffin III walk up to the line of scrimmage in "live" action (air-quotes denoting&nbsp;<em>preseason</em>), we will only get a glimpse.&nbsp;A morsel. He'll throw&nbsp;eight, maybe&nbsp;ten passes.&nbsp;He&nbsp;might even take off and run once&nbsp;(though the&nbsp;bet here is that if he does, he'll scamper&nbsp;out of bounds and/or slide quite early, so as to&nbsp;not make his coach and every living soul within a million mile radius of Redskins Nation pucker in unison). <br /> 1096<br /> 1097But he will have <em>played</em>. In Redskins colors.<br /> 1098<br /> 1099And&nbsp;when the first preseason game&nbsp;is over, we will dive in and take&nbsp;the full nine days&nbsp;until the Redskin play again (at Chicago)&nbsp;to&nbsp;dissect every step,&nbsp;decision, throw,&nbsp;body-language cue and post-game comment that can&nbsp;be gleaned, inferred, or simply&nbsp;made up, from repeated slow-motion replays of bad local network television coverage, and Youtube mashups,&nbsp;as&nbsp;is humanly&nbsp;possible. <br /> 1100<br /> 1101It will all mean exactly nothing of course. Preseason is still preseason. It will be preposterous, indulgent,&nbsp;and a complete waste of time.<br /> 1102<br /> 1103It will also be&nbsp;absolutely,&nbsp;unapologetically glorious.<br /> 1104<br /> 1105<br /> 1106<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1107<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="
1107http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/uMyCa35_mOg/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uMyCa35_mOg&fs=1&source=uds" /> 1108 1109 1110 1111 1112 1113<param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> 1114 1115 1116 1117 1118 1119<embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uMyCa35_mOg&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/322840476192247921/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/322840476192247921' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/322840476192247921'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/322840476192247921'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/05/waiting.html' title='The Waiting'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-1110172626826503150</id><published>2012-05-09T13:03:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2012-05-25T13:15:57.881-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Space Rocks and Matriculation: The Case for Kirk Cousins</title><content type='html'>For the record, as I write this,&nbsp;my second monitor is sporting&nbsp;jpegs of&nbsp;<a href="http://jenlars.mu.nu/rabbit.jpg" target="_blank">rabbits feet</a>, <a href="http://pondplantsdirect.com/image/pond-plants/four-leaf-water-clover.JPG" target="_blank">four-leaf covers</a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;random&nbsp;<a href="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0bX99Lj8JNgu1/600x640.jpg?fit=scale&amp;background=000000" target="_blank">Redskins&nbsp;cheerleader</a> (which may not bring luck&nbsp;but <em>damn</em>). I&nbsp;am also whispering an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.gregroelofs.com/humor/zelazny_agnostic.html" target="_blank">agnostic's prayer</a> to beat the band.<br /> 1120<br /> 1121With that preemptive apologia in mind ...<br /> 1122<br /> 1123<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1124<a href="http://cbssports.com/images/blogs/rg3-starter-cousins-burrito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="177" src="http://cbssports.com/images/blogs/rg3-starter-cousins-burrito.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> 1125<br /> 1126What if <a href="http://www.redskins.com/team/roster/Robert-Griffin%20III/ea45ad36-da31-473a-990f-473496382179" target="_blank">Robert Griffin III</a>,&nbsp;the Washington Redskins prized rookie&nbsp;quarterback and potential "franchise saviour,"&nbsp;were to&nbsp;mysteriously&nbsp;go missing&nbsp;this summer,&nbsp;never to be heard from again?&nbsp;Or&nbsp;get&nbsp;clonked on&nbsp;the head by a&nbsp;meterorite,&nbsp;contract amnesia and&nbsp;no longer&nbsp;be able to read the free safety?<br /> 1127<br /> 1128You know, what if&nbsp;something <em>bad</em> happens,&nbsp;and&nbsp;it turns out RG3 doesn't&nbsp;Captain My Captain&nbsp;the Redskins out of the woods after all?<br /> 1129<br /> 1130The question has to be asked. Not in the abstract, but in the practical,&nbsp;the concrete, the "we better have a Plan B in place or we risk some very real, very&nbsp;unhappy consequences."<br /> 1131<br /> 1132One thing the Redskins absolutely&nbsp;could&nbsp;not&nbsp;afford to do&nbsp;was head into 2012 and beyond&nbsp;with no one&nbsp;but RG3 or Andrew Luck&nbsp;(I admit it, there were&nbsp;moments&nbsp;I wondered if&nbsp;knucklehead Indianopolis Colts owner Jim&nbsp;Irsay maybe&nbsp;<em>was</em>&nbsp;that flighty)&nbsp;standing between them and Rex Grossman. <br /> 1133<br /> 1134You can hear the critics, right?&nbsp;If&nbsp;the Redskins&nbsp;not drafted a second quarterback in April, there would be a host of critics&nbsp;complaining,&nbsp;"so...if RG3 goes down we're back to <em>Grossbeck</em>?!"<br /> 1135<br /> 1136I can pretty much guarantee&nbsp;the&nbsp;question was asked at Redskins Park in the days and weeks leading&nbsp;up to the NFL Draft.&nbsp;It<em>&nbsp;better</em> have been asked, because if it was not, the Asbburn Brain Trust would&nbsp;not have been&nbsp;doing their jobs.<br /> 1137<br /> 1138Enter former Michigan State quarterback <a href="http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/cousins_kirk00.html" target="_blank">Kirk Cousins</a>...&nbsp; <br /> 1139<a name='more'></a><br /> 1140If you're reading this, you have probably&nbsp;already heard most if not all of the arguments suggesting&nbsp;the Cousins pick was, for lack of a better word, dumb, e.g.,&nbsp;it could undermine RG3's confidence; it could&nbsp;create a quarterback controversy;&nbsp;that the pick should have been used to bolster the roster elsewhere, etc.<br /> 1141<br /> 1142Well, I never bought any of them.&nbsp;I'll admit to a mild surprise when the pick happened--I didn't see it coming. But my first reaction was not negative.&nbsp;It was a slow nod of understanding.&nbsp;Which has grown steadily&nbsp;into admiration as the&nbsp;inevitable knee-jerk reaction&nbsp;exploded.&nbsp;The Redskins had to have known&nbsp;they'd get pilloried, but they&nbsp;did what they had to do.&nbsp;I like that.<br /> 1143<br /> 1144To me quarterback is far and&nbsp;away&nbsp;
1144the most essential position on an NFL team, and as such you simply can never have too many viable options.&nbsp;The old saw about the backup quarterback being "one play away" from starting is <em>real.</em>&nbsp;Ask Kurt Warner. Ask Tom Brady.<br /> 1145<br /> 1146The best soup-to-nuts case&nbsp;I've read so far in support of&nbsp;the Cousins pick&nbsp;is <a href="http://metalkathlete.blogspot.com/#!/2012/05/yo-cuz-redskins-got-4th-right.html" target="_blank">this piece by Bram Weinstein</a>, on his&nbsp;undiscovered gem of a blog <a href="http://metalkathlete.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Me Talk Athlete</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Here's the gist:<br /> 1147<blockquote class="tr_bq"> 1148[T]o suggest the Redskins "wasted" a pick on Kirk Cousins is to suggest that they were definitively going to find someone who could have helped their roster in a more profound way. The numbers say (at least from 2008) that the odds are against it. And with Rex Grossman under contract for one year and knowing that he won't supplant RG3, it's safe to say he'll be shopping himself to better scenarios next off-season, thus the Redskins will need a back-up quarterback. And according to the scouts, the Redskins got a steal in terms of talent and value in Cousins selected at that stage of the draft. Reality is, the Redskins may have made one of the shrewdest moves of this particular draft, whether you want to believe it or not.</blockquote> 1149Take a minute to read the entire piece,&nbsp;and bookmark Bram. Man gets it.<br /> 1150<br /> 1151No, Kirk Cousins&nbsp;is&nbsp;almost certainly not ready to play (if by play&nbsp;one means win the job and keep it) in 2012 should misfortune&nbsp;befall Griffin.&nbsp;He&nbsp;may not be ready to play ever--unfairly or not, the truth is he gives off a bit of a&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Husak" target="_blank">Todd Husak</a>&nbsp;vibe&nbsp;to me, and&nbsp;that's not something I'm&nbsp;really in the mood to contemplate.<br /> 1152<br /> 1153But&nbsp;make no mistake, they needed to make the pick.<br /> 1154<br /> 1155Shanahan&nbsp;has said&nbsp;the Redskins had Cousins rated as the third best quarterback in this draft.&nbsp;Most pre-draft&nbsp;ratings had him going&nbsp;considerably higher than&nbsp;the&nbsp;fourth-round.&nbsp;For a team as bereft of talent&nbsp;at the position as the Redskins have been for a generation,&nbsp;finding that kind of "value"&nbsp;in&nbsp;the fourth round was a gift they simply could not refuse.<br /> 1156<br /> 1157Close your eyes and&nbsp;imagine (painful as it&nbsp;might be) that&nbsp;at some point between now and, say, next year's draft, RG3 is suddenly removed from the equation.&nbsp;Likely?&nbsp;Of course not.&nbsp;Possible?&nbsp;Damn right.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /> 1158<br /> 1159Okay, open your eyes. Not a pretty picture. <br /> 1160<br /> 1161The&nbsp;Redskins had to find a second option they believe has a chance to develop into a legitimate NFL quarterback. No, there are no guarantees, and&nbsp;Cousins may not work out.&nbsp;But the Redskins&nbsp;had to take him when he fell to the fourth round.<br /> 1162<br /> 1163And looking ahead,&nbsp;if&nbsp;Cousins turns out to be just another guy, the Redskins should plan to take another quarterback next year, in the developmental rounds, regardless of how well RG3&nbsp;plays and avoids falling space debris.&nbsp;They simply cannot afford to risk being one play away from ...&nbsp;you know.<br /> 1164<br /> 1165Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs believed in drafting&nbsp;a quarterback every year regardless of the status of his current starter.&nbsp;He fully understood what the position&nbsp;meant in the NFL. As the only man to have ever&nbsp;matriculated (that's for you, Hank Stram and Ron Jaworski) three championships out of three&nbsp;quarterbacks, perhaps his&nbsp;counsel is worth heeding.<br /> 1166<br /> 1167That is all.<br /> 1168<br /> 1169*<br /> 1170<br /> 1171PS.&nbsp; Robert?&nbsp;Please&nbsp;render this&nbsp;whole teapot tempest moot.&nbsp;Look both ways.&nbsp;Look <em>up</em>.&nbsp;Floss. And&nbsp;for chrissakes avoid&nbsp;wood-chippers.<br /> 1172<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/1110172626826503150/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/1110172626826503150' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/1110172626826503150'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/1110172626826503150'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/05/space-rocks-and-matriculation-case-for.html' title='Space Rocks and Matriculation: The Case for Kirk Cousins'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-2650154017043005841</id><published>2012-05-04T09:02:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2012-05-25T13:17:42.270-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Welcome Home, RGIII</title><content type='html'>It has been a generation.<br /> 1173<br /> 1174<u><strong>1991 <u><strong>â 2011</strong></u></strong></u><br /> 1175<blockquote class="tr_bq"> 1176Mark Rypien<br /> 1177Cary&nbsp;Conklin<br />
1178Rich Gannon<br /> 1179John Friesz<br /> 1180Heath Shuler<br /> 1181Gus Frerotte<br /> 1182Trent Green<br /> 1183Brad Johnson<br /> 1184Jeff George<br /> 1185Tony Banks<br /> 1186Danny Wuerffel<br /> 1187Shane Matthews<br /> 1188Tim Hasselbeck<br /> 1189Patrick Ramsey<br /> 1190Mark Brunell<br /> 1191Todd Collins<br /> 1192Jason Campbell<br /> 1193Donovan McNabb<br /> 1194John Beck<br /> 1195Rex Grossman</blockquote> 1196<strong><u>2012 â</u></strong><br /> 1197<br /> 1198<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1199<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/niQqpvx7sAM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div> 1200<br /> 1201If you are a Redskins fan, you understand.<br /> 1202<br /> 1203Hail.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/2650154017043005841/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/2650154017043005841' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/2650154017043005841'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/2650154017043005841'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/05/welcome-home-rgiii.html' title='Welcome Home, RGIII'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-5582618551269650112</id><published>2012-04-27T14:55:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2012-04-27T15:31:51.335-04:00</updated><title type='text'>RG3 vs Luck Angle I Wish I'd Had the Guts to Post First</title><content type='html'><br /> 1204Rat farts.<br /> 1205<br /> 1206I've&nbsp;been batting&nbsp;around a&nbsp;possible <strong>Robert Griffin III vs. Andrew Luck</strong>&nbsp;comparison&nbsp;angle for a couple of weeks now,&nbsp;but&nbsp;had yet to think&nbsp;through enough to&nbsp;try to give&nbsp;written form.&nbsp; <br /> 1207<br /> 1208It's a&nbsp;good one too,&nbsp;one of those&nbsp;potential&nbsp;"<em>I&nbsp;called it!"</em> moments&nbsp;one&nbsp;either ends up getting to crow about down the road&nbsp;or, alternatively,&nbsp;cringing from&nbsp;hoping no one remembers.<br /> 1209<br /> 1210Wish I'd pulled the trigger.<br /> 1211<br /> 1212I stumbled across&nbsp;<a href="http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/04-27-12-why-the-colts-will-bemoan-taking-andrew-luck-over-robert-griffin-iii-for-a-decade/" target="_blank"><strong>this column</strong></a> by Chris Baldwin today.&nbsp;Baldwin&nbsp;claims it, nails it,&nbsp;owns it and punctuates it in&nbsp;a way that needs no elucidation.&nbsp; He does&nbsp;to this concept&nbsp;what Heinlein did&nbsp;to any storyline he decided&nbsp;to explore.<br /> 1213<br /> 1214So much for my future&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-W76OXqAgc" target="_blank"><strong>act-like-you-been-there</strong></a>&nbsp;moment of confirmation.<br /> 1215<br /> 1216The article speaks more than clearly enough for itself, so you don't need me to add anything ... but for those not inclined to click links, it boils down to this:<br /> 1217<br /> 1218<blockquote class="tr_bq"> 1219<em>The problem is the Colts picked a Sam Perkins with an MJ&nbsp;on the board.</em></blockquote> 1220<em><em></em></em><em><em></em></em>Yeah. <br /> 1221<br /> 1222So on the off chance&nbsp;the Redskins charismatic new&nbsp;quarterback&nbsp;becomes an NFL legend,&nbsp;helping the Washington Redskins carve&nbsp;new championship notches on their belts and becoming a cultural and international icon,&nbsp;I&nbsp;hereby humbly claim the right to point&nbsp;back to April 27, 2012, and, if not&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwHWbsvgQUE" target="_blank"><strong>go all Tarzan</strong></a>&nbsp;about it,&nbsp;at least say:<br /> 1223<br /> 1224<br /> 1225<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1226<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="
1226http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/VH8_FWPUA_I/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VH8_FWPUA_I&fs=1&source=uds" /> 1227 1228 1229 1230 1231 1232<param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> 1233 1234 1235 1236 1237 1238<embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VH8_FWPUA_I&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div> 1239<br /> 1240<br /> 1241Thanks for&nbsp;understanding,&nbsp;Chris.<br /> 1242<br /> 1243Hail.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/5582618551269650112/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/5582618551269650112' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/5582618551269650112'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/5582618551269650112'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/04/rg3-vs-luck-angle-i-wish-id-had-guts-to.html' title='RG3 vs Luck Angle I Wish I'd Had the Guts to Post First'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-9032810502546075923</id><published>2012-04-25T15:32:00.003-04:00</published><updated>2012-04-26T10:20:47.558-04:00</updated><title type='text'>RG3 Can Be Redskins Rising Tide</title><content type='html'>April 26, 2012 could well be the&nbsp;day the tide finally came in for the Washington Redskins.<br /> 1244<br /> 1245Sometime around 8:30 pm&nbsp;on Thursday evening,&nbsp;NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will officially announce that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdNnvnlTmbA" target="_blank">Robert Griffin III, Quarterback, Baylor University</a>,&nbsp;has been selected by the&nbsp;Redskins.<br /> 1246<br /> 1247There will be much rejoicing, and&nbsp;I will be among those letting my inner child dance.&nbsp;Anyone who has lived the burgundy and gold life for any length of time will understand. <br /> 1248<br /> 1249Sure,&nbsp;there are âifsâ involvedâin the real world there always are.&nbsp; As people are quick to remind us, there are no sure things.&nbsp; <br /> 1250<br /> 1251So let's deal with them right off the top.<br /> 1252<br /> 1253Yes, RG3&nbsp;played at Baylor, and&nbsp;yes, it is true that no great NFL&nbsp;quarterback has ever come out of the Big 12 Conference.&nbsp;There are familiar Big 12 namesâVince Young, Sam Bradford,&nbsp;Colt McCoyâbut&nbsp;no&nbsp;Big 12 quarterback has ever established a championship or&nbsp;Pro Bowl&nbsp;legacy&nbsp;in the NFL.<br /> 1254<br /> 1255So while one can&nbsp;opt&nbsp;to&nbsp;project&nbsp;from that RG3 will&nbsp;continue the trend, I submit that there is another wy to&nbsp;look at it.&nbsp; Before&nbsp;<a href="http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=290" target="_blank">Jerry Rice</a> no one talked much about the SWAC either.<br /> 1256<br /> 1257Great players are not defined by where they played in college.<br /> 1258<br /> 1259Then there is the eye ball test.&nbsp;This one I admit will linger for a while, even for some&nbsp;of those among us who are "all in" on RG3.&nbsp;The first time I watched one of his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=RG3+highlights&amp;oq=RG3+highlights&amp;aq=f&amp;aqi=&amp;aql=&amp;gs_nf=1&amp;gs_l=youtube-psuggest-reduced.3...6050.13300.0.13670.16.16.1.3.3.0.610.1150.2-1j1j0j1.3.0." target="_blank">ubiquitous&nbsp;highlight reels</a> I had the same reaction&nbsp;I got&nbsp;when I first studied&nbsp;the St. Louis Rams' Sam Bradford&nbsp;two years agoâthe man ainât big. In fact, he tends to thin.&nbsp;Those runners&nbsp;legs, and&nbsp;that&nbsp;track-star body in general, may not hold up.<br /> 1260<br /> 1261Griffin's&nbsp;measureables, 6' 2 3/8" ht., 225 lbs., are fine on paper.&nbsp;But the&nbsp;eye&nbsp;test suggests&nbsp;a lithe, sinewy athlete and&nbsp;not&nbsp;necessarily an&nbsp;NFL stud. With the way&nbsp;pro quarterbacks&nbsp;get hit these days, and the way NFL pass pockets buzz with linebackers and defensive linemen creating mayhem at knee level, you would&nbsp;kind of like your franchise&nbsp;quarterback to have trees for legs,<em> a la</em> Ben Roethlisberger.&nbsp;RG3, for all his world-class speed and&nbsp;athleticism, has sprinters legs.<br /> 1262<br /> 1263For&nbsp;a guy who will be&nbsp;standing and moving&nbsp;in and around in traffic as much as he is going to be, particularly early in his career,&nbsp;and&nbsp;who is going to be taking his fair share of big&nbsp;hits and&nbsp;in-traffic takedowns, that lean body and&nbsp;hurdlers legs are&nbsp;going to be at risk.&nbsp;There is simply no way around it.&nbsp;I&nbsp;expect I will&nbsp;not be the only Redskins fan cringing every time he goes down in a pile.&nbsp; <br /> 1264<br /> 1265So yes ... there are ifs.<br /> 1266<br /> 1267Happily, as I dug&nbsp;deeper and started&nbsp;researching him in earnest, I discovered&nbsp;that what sets Robert Griffin III&nbsp;apart, and makes the cost the Redskins paid to secure his services&nbsp;more than palatable, are&nbsp;not&nbsp;primarily his&nbsp;eye-popping athletic skills&nbsp;and measurables. Although they are real, and they are spectacular. <br /> 1268<br /> 1269No, what sets&nbsp;this guy apart&nbsp;is&nbsp;what he has inside ...<br /> 1270<a name='more'></a><br /> 1271This is when I&nbsp;"fell:"<br /> 1272<br /> 1273<a href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-combine/09000d5d82742179/RGIII-shows-his-smarts" target="_blank">RGIII Shows His Smarts</a><br /> 1274<br /> 1275Before I watched&nbsp;that clip of his interview with NFL.com's Steve Mariucci, all I knew about this Baylor kid with the braids (I have it on good authority they are <i>not</i> dreadlocks) and cute moniker&nbsp;was what the collective&nbsp;media kept&nbsp;saying about his freakish athletic skills.&nbsp;&nbsp;When I&nbsp;saw the way he handled himself with Mariucci, howeverâand specifically, the way he handled the chalkboard portion, including&nbsp;poking fun at Mariucci&nbsp;for his distraction tactic, then&nbsp;drew up the protection scheme unbiddenâI became convinced there was a man there.&nbsp; <br /> 1276<br /> 1277Watch Mariucci's face at around <em>3:05</em>. I felt the same way.<br /> 1278<br /> 1279It'
1279s true what they say about first impressions.<br /> 1280<br /> 1281I first wrote about "rising tides" in football context it&nbsp;in a piece about <a href="http://www.theomfield.com/2008/09/rising-tide.html" target="_blank">Jason Campbell&nbsp;in&nbsp;2008</a>,&nbsp;when it looked like he might be on his way.&nbsp; That was before we discovered that,&nbsp;for all his positive traits, Campbell&nbsp;lacked the field generalship and playmaking ability to become The&nbsp;Man.<br /> 1282<br /> 1283I&nbsp;wrote about it&nbsp;again when the Redskins traded for <a href="http://www.theomfield.com/2010/07/qb-theory-donovan-mcnabb-could-be.html" target="_blank">Donovan McNabb in 2010</a>.&nbsp;That one was less about McNabb&nbsp;than it was about the impact a franchise&nbsp;quarterback can&nbsp;have on an organization;&nbsp;what landing one can and will mean for the Redskins if and when they finally get one.&nbsp; I was hopeful then McNabb could be that guy for&nbsp;2-3 years while the Redskins found and groomed his successor.&nbsp; That&nbsp;history, sadly, has been written otherwise.&nbsp;No&nbsp;need to&nbsp;flog that deceased equine.<br /> 1284<br /> 1285The point that&nbsp;<em>is</em> worth making again is this:<br /> 1286<br /> 1287The Redskins have thrown their hat in the franchise quarterback ring.&nbsp;Not for a veteran stopgap on the downhill side of a career this time,&nbsp;but for a young potential superstar&nbsp;whom only&nbsp;the tiniest fraction of&nbsp;observers&nbsp;fail to praise, in glowing terms,&nbsp;for his physical abilities, leadership and character.&nbsp;And&nbsp;one who also potentially represents what&nbsp;Redskins fans&nbsp;have longed&nbsp;for for many yearsâa <em>homegrown</em> quarterback star.<br /> 1288<br /> 1289The one constant through&nbsp;20&nbsp;years of awful-to-average (read:&nbsp;non-winning) football the Redskins have endured&nbsp;has been substandard quarterbacking.&nbsp;No quarterback equates to no sustained success in the NFL.&nbsp;In 2012, the Redskins have boldly pulled the trigger and taken&nbsp;a calculated gamble to finally, mercifully, stop the bleeding. <br /> 1290<br /> 1291With a legitimate&nbsp;quarterback to build around, the Redskins can&nbsp;join the&nbsp;ranks of teams fans and experts alike&nbsp;love to heap praise upon, teams like the New England Patriots and&nbsp;the New York Giants, who <em>have</em> the services of such a player, and&nbsp;embark on the&nbsp;less difficult&nbsp;(using that term advisedly)&nbsp;task of building around him piece by piece.&nbsp; Receivers, running backs, linemen, coachesâeveryone associated with an NFL franchiseâbecome better with The Man at quarterback.&nbsp; <br /> 1292<br /> 1293If Robert Griffin III&nbsp;survives his&nbsp;inevitable learning-curve and&nbsp;avoids serious injury long enough to mature,&nbsp;it will&nbsp;allow&nbsp;the Redskins&nbsp;build around himâ¦&nbsp;and&nbsp;the long years of wandering&nbsp;the NFL desert may&nbsp;well be&nbsp;over for Redskins fans.&nbsp; Yes, it's a big if.&nbsp; The biggest. But the right answer can be transformational.<br /> 1294<br /> 1295It may very well&nbsp;all be turning around for the Washington Redskins ... if they have&nbsp;found their&nbsp;franchise quarterbackâthe rising tide that lifts all ships.<br /> 1296<br /> 1297<br /> 1298<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 1299<a href="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/001/754/003/134186475_crop_650x440.jpg?1325571972" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" oda="true" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/001/754/003/134186475_crop_650x440.jpg?1325571972" width="320" /></a></div> 1300<br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/9032810502546075923/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/9032810502546075923' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/9032810502546075923'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/9032810502546075923'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2012/04/rg3-can-be-redskins-rising-tide.html' title='RG3 Can Be Redskins Rising Tide'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-8000179329027558561</id><published>2011-11-29T11:52:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2011-11-29T12:07:50.653-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Sean's Gone</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: center;"><i>There was no good way to say it when it happened.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>There is no good way to say it now.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>But this is how Sean Taylor's death struck me then, &nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>so I will continue to make this&nbsp;silent tribute</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>for as long as the feelings rem</i><i>ain</i><i>.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>&nbsp;&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Reprinted from November 28, 2007)</span></i></div><br />
1301Itâs not a long drive to my sonâs high school, maybe 15 minutes.<br /> 1302<br /> 1303Most mornings, we share sleepy wise cracksâwhich of us looks worse; whose day projects out the bigger pain; the lameness of a certain radio commercial.<br /> 1304<br /> 1305Sometimes we talk daily routineâremembering to turn in an order form; calling if he needs to be picked up; the logistics of an upcoming outing with friends.<br /> 1306<br /> 1307Sometimes we talk a little sports. Redskins, mostly.<br /> 1308<br /> 1309Once in a while, as events dictate, we talk real lifeâthere will be other girls; they just discovered an Earth-like planet 20 light-years away; itâs junior year partner, these grades <i>count</i>.<br /> 1310<br /> 1311Tuesday morning, we rode in silence.<br /> 1312<br /> 1313Heâd had a strange look on his face as he came down the hall from the living room, where the morning news was playing, when we readied to leave the house. His voice had a flatness to it when he spoke.<br /> 1314<br /> 1315âSeanâs gone.â<br /> 1316<br /> 1317I wasnât fully awakeâI didnât understand. Then I saw the look in his eyes, the awful news story I had fallen asleep thinking about came flooding back, and I understood only too well. I donât remember now if it was raining as we headed out into the dark, but it always will be in my memory.<br /> 1318<br /> 1319As we were pulling out into the road a minute later, a voice on the car radio confirmed the reality.<br /> 1320<br /> 1321âWashington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died this morning from a gunshot wound suffered in his home â¦â<br /> 1322<br /> 1323We drove in silence, staring straight ahead.<br /> 1324<br /> 1325I donât really know if the time it took to get to the school took forever, or if it flashed by in an instant. Time has a strange quality to it in times of stress. What I do recall is the unsettling jumble of disjointed thoughts, feelings and impressions...<br /> 1326<a name='more'></a>I remember thinking I should âsay something.â My boyâs favorite athleteâin his eyes one of those larger-than-life figures we all hold up to the light that help form our young selvesâhad just been senselessly shot down in the prime of his life. I should be a rock. Paternal. Wise.<br /> 1327<br /> 1328I thought I shouldnât let him see me cry. A father teaches his son that men are steady in a storm. And then I thought I absolutely should let him see me cry. A father should teach his son there is not shame, but honor, in sharing his humanity.<br /> 1329<br /> 1330I felt the onset of fury, the urge to say somethingâdo somethingâabout this insanity. About yet another needless violent death, about yet another fatherless child.<br /> 1331<br /> 1332I felt the wearying, familiar heaviness in my chest, as just the latest in an endless parade of manâs-inhumanity-to-man headlines unfolded around me. They say one grows colder, harder inside as one gets older. That has not been my experience.<br /> 1333<br /> 1334I thought about the burgundy â21â jersey hanging in my sonâs closet ⦠and how when we watch the games together, we always exchangeâexchangedâknowing grins when a Redskin flashed into the screen to blow up an opposing runner, or an opposing receiver inexplicably short-armed a promising ball.<br /> 1335<br /> 1336âTaylor.â<br /> 1337<br /> 1338I tried to push away thoughts about the on-field impact this would have on my favorite football team, and wished I was the kind of man who didnât have to remind himself there will be a time for that, and this was not it.<br /> 1339<br /> 1340I sensed the displacement one gets when events transpire that shatter the perceived normalcy of modern daily life. How emotions ebb and flow of their own volition. How linear thinking gives way to something less structured, more organic. How one can feel utterly in the moment, yet oddly removed at the same time.<br /> 1341<br /> 1342Perhaps that is what life is like for those who have lived, and still live, in circumstances not yet âcivilized,â as we like to think ours are, spending their days scratching out sustenance, standing watch over loved one
1342s through uncertain nights, wondering if the coming day might be the last.<br /> 1343<br /> 1344Yes, people die tragically every day. And itâs true ours would be a better world if we did not largely grow numb to that reality in our daily lives. But the truth is, itâs often only when someone who has touched our own lives is lost, that the numbness disappears.<br /> 1345<br /> 1346Tuesday was such a day. The reality of it was brought home through my own eyes and, more powerfully, reflected in the eyes of someone I love, someone to whom personal loss has not yet become a familiar aspect of life, someone whose shock and pain I could not shield.<br /> 1347<br /> 1348My sonâs experience that morning was both like and unlike mine. At his tender age, the tears were of shock, outrage, incomprehensionâan unfamiliar and frightening ripping at his gut over the loss of a man he looked up to and admired.<br /> 1349<br /> 1350At my not-quite-so-tender age, the tears were for all of those things, but also for the flood of unwelcome emotions the event had reached down into my soul and dragged to the surface, about the dark underbelly of the human condition.<br /> 1351<br /> 1352My son never met Sean Taylor. The closest he ever got was standing outside the ropes, watching him practice with the team. Neither did I. The closest I ever got was watching Sean from across a crowded locker room after a game or having him walk past me after practice on his way to the showers.<br /> 1353<br /> 1354But he was most certainly part of our lives.<br /> 1355<br /> 1356We marveled at his once-in-a-generation athletic gift. We thrilled at the highlight-reel plays he made look routine. We took pride in the fearsome on-field reputation he earned as a member of our Redskins.<br /> 1357<br /> 1358We watched hopefully, almost gleefully, as the birth of his first child brought a stability and maturity to his life that had sometimes seemed wanting before, which in turn brought with it the prospect of watching this unique and somewhat mysterious young man evolve into an all-time great wearing our colors.<br /> 1359<br /> 1360Instead, in an instant, Sean Taylor was gone.<br /> 1361<br /> 1362And so we found ourselves under the lights in the high school parking lot, my son and I, having not said a word. I think it was still raining.<br /> 1363<br /> 1364<br /> 1365It was all I could do to say what I finally managed, and I donât believe I did well trying to steady my voice. âThere are no magic words.â<br /> 1366<br /> 1367He looked at me, nodded. âI know.â<br /> 1368<br /> 1369We usually fist-bump before he gets out of the car. This time, we found ourselves clasping hands, soul-brother style, for a long moment. Then he was opening the door and starting to climb out.<br /> 1370<br /> 1371I heard myself say, âSometimes life just doesnât make sense.â<br /> 1372<br /> 1373âYeah,â he said quietly. âItâs going to be a depressing day.â<br /> 1374<br /> 1375All the things Iâve ever wanted to tell himâand my wife, two daughters, parents, brother and sister, extended family, friends, colleagues and fellow human beings who have lived and died since our species beganâall the things that are always there but tend to surface only when events dictate, were on the tip of my tongue ... love, loss, beauty, fear, joy, pain, perspective, regret, longing, empathyâhopeâand so much more.<br /> 1376<br /> 1377It becomes increasingly more difficult, as one gets older and the children grow from kids into young adults, to say the truly important things in a way that conveys meaning without preaching. But you do the best you can, while you can, in a way you hope doesnât embarrass them, and hope they might carry with them when you are gone.<br /> 1378<br /> 1379So as my own flesh and blood made to walk away into what cold reality had once again proven an uncertain, often dark world, I said the only thing I could. <br /> 1380<br /> 1381I told him I loved him, and didnât try to hide the tears.<br /> 1382<br /> 1383You will be remembered, Sean Taylor.<br /> 1384<br /> 1385Godspeed.<br /> 1386<br /> 1387<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaNa-Rzle6AH04B7V06IlQBO5m8k9cZDx6mij2jdNOCwoiQTE0mds5w8V9TrJLrdYe-Io3IWpn0WHWoh-AQ8vqDYuLPvMP3rmBjuHBqiefqZayt5sbrvo18iCHvI9ZZpL7IR_7slmrS8/s1600/21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaNa-Rzle6AH04B7V06IlQBO5m8k9cZDx6mij2jdNOCwoiQTE0mds5w8V9TrJLrdYe-Io3IWpn0WHWoh-AQ8vqDYuLPvMP3rmBjuHBqiefqZayt5sbrvo18iCHvI9ZZpL7IR_7slmrS8/s320/21.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/8000179329027558561/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/8000179329027558561' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/8000179329027558561'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/8000179329027558561'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2011/11/seans-gone.html' title='Sean's Gone'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author>
1387<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaNa-Rzle6AH04B7V06IlQBO5m8k9cZDx6mij2jdNOCwoiQTE0mds5w8V9TrJLrdYe-Io3IWpn0WHWoh-AQ8vqDYuLPvMP3rmBjuHBqiefqZayt5sbrvo18iCHvI9ZZpL7IR_7slmrS8/s72-c/21.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-1049545506195854467</id><published>2011-10-06T12:08:00.007-04:00</published><updated>2011-10-06T13:42:37.740-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Synaptic Shotgun: 3-1 Washington Redskins</title><content type='html'>I don't get to write very often these days. But there's so <i>much</i> to write it's driving me crazy keeping it&nbsp;bottled up. So I'm going to try the shotgun-style thing for a while. Again.<br /> 1388<br /> 1389In no particular order, and definitely not exhaustively ...<br /> 1390<br /> 1391<b><u>DC Jim Haslett</u></b><br /> 1392<br /> 1393Few doubted Haslett <a href="http://www.theomfield.com/2010/01/jim-haslett-really.html" target="blank"><b>earlier or more pointedly</b></a> than I when the Redskins brought him in&nbsp;to implement the transition from a 4-3 to 3-4 defense&nbsp;last year. And, through the end of last season I had seen little to change my mind. But fair is fair, and credit where it's due:<br /> 1394<br /> 1395Mr. Haslett, the product you have put on the field so far in 2011 has been&nbsp;a revelation. I am happy with the game-planning, happy with the rotation, happy with the halftime adjustments, happy even with almost all the playcalling. My only&nbsp;nitpick is with&nbsp;still too-often&nbsp;telegraphed blitzes&nbsp;that don't get there. Even then,&nbsp;I understand that kind of second-guessing is easy for armchair coordinators. And I recognize&nbsp;that the view from the living room is a little different than the view from the sidelines.&nbsp;In the same way,&nbsp;for instance, as planning to get in shape, and actually <em>getting</em>&nbsp;in shape, are a little different.* <br /> 1396<br /> 1397Hell of a job so far. For the record, I would like nothing more than to see you continue to rub it in the faces of doubters like me for a long time to come.<br /> 1398<br /> 1399<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwc03bkXia0f5AyyEPyYyQuifCNpfGA0CjXusknqRjNK5Qj3t18ipBYSI1SIbU3QA86oMi6gVuPwe2M4i7mgU7qEo1FuR49SUqIQAXJDdhScpbPHmtAqMHG0LqH0NEYPEe6Q93sJ0Swhc/s1600/Bradford+Sammich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwc03bkXia0f5AyyEPyYyQuifCNpfGA0CjXusknqRjNK5Qj3t18ipBYSI1SIbU3QA86oMi6gVuPwe2M4i7mgU7qEo1FuR49SUqIQAXJDdhScpbPHmtAqMHG0LqH0NEYPEe6Q93sJ0Swhc/s320/Bradford+Sammich.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> 1400<b><u>QB Rex Grossman</u></b><br /> 1401<br /> 1402... is perhaps the only 3-1 quarterback in&nbsp;NFL history to garner&nbsp;a lower approval rating in his own home town than the sitting President.&nbsp;Well, there is nothing like raising the bar on preseason <em>team</em> expectations to make everyone forget that the&nbsp;current trigger man&nbsp;was never going to be more than a placeholder&nbsp;to begin with. Crawl a couple games above .500 and suddenly it's not "rebuilding year," we're <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2011/10/tim-hightower-predicts-redskins-will-be-in-super-bowl/1" target="blank"><b>talking Super Bowl</b></a>.<br /> 1403<br /> 1404Sigh.<br /> 1405<br /> 1406But back to Rex...<br /> 1407<a name='more'></a><br /> 1408At some point, sooner or later, our man&nbsp;is going to throw one too many&nbsp;inexcusable interceptions, or fail to sense&nbsp;the blindside rusher and get strip-sacked (a term which, in practically any other context, sounds distinctly obscene) with a game on the line, and head coach Mike Shanahan's forehead vein is going to explode.<br /> 1409<br /> 1410At which point the John Beck Era will summarily&nbsp;begin. <br /> 1411<br /> 1412And, at which point, the John Beck Era will immediately find itself&nbsp;on the same frantic countdown clock as the Rex Grossman Era&nbsp;seems to be&nbsp;now. Because unless Beck can, you know,&nbsp;<i>play,&nbsp;</i>the generation-long search the Redskins have suffered for a legitimate, long-term NFL-caliber starting quarterback, will begin anew&nbsp;the moment the final whistle on their&nbsp;2011 season sounds. So don't blink. When the Rex-to-Beck transition comesâand it willâit's going to happen fast. And there'll be no going back. Just ask Donovan McNabb. <br /> 1413<br /> 1414As for&nbsp;the Beck-to-??? transition, we shall simply&nbsp;have to&nbsp;wait and see what the inscrutable gridiron gods have in mind.<br /> 1415<br /> 1416<b><u>QB John Beck</u></b><br /> 1417<br /> 1418So be ready, brother. Put this indeterminate number of understudy weeks to good use. Study.&nbsp;Work out.&nbsp; Do agility drills. Befriend offensive linemens. And, as a personal favor&nbsp;(because all it's all about me, after all), please set your internal stopwatch to "Get Rid of the Damn Ball." Why? So that once you <i>do</i> get in there you don't become road kill. The big mean ugly guys on the other side of the line are going to come after you, fast and hard (context again), to test the stuff of which you are made.<br /> 1419<br /> 1420<b><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/post/Terrell-Owens-returning-in-a-month-?urn=nfl-409493" target="blank'"><u>WR Terrell Owens</u></a></b><br /> 1421<br /> 1422No.<br /> 1423<br /> 1424<b><u>Philadelphia Eagles</u></b><br /> 1425<br /> 1426Honestly? I have zero doubt they will take down the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, perhaps convincincly, to avoid starting the season 1-4 and being essentially done for the year. That'
1426s not a knock on Buffalo. If there is a feel-good-story in the NFL year so far, it's the boys in throwback Bills unis led by a <a href="http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/page/cspr20110927/ryan-fitzpatrick-leads-cross-sport-power-rankings-field" target="blank">hirsute Harvard grad</a>. But it is a reality check. <br /> 1427<br /> 1428The universe just does not grant Washington Redskins fans favors like seeing the prohibitive divisional favorite, national media darling and anointed Dream Team <i>du jour</i>, fall on their collective faces and totally off the face of the earth. I mean really. <br /> 1429<br /> 1430Philly will find a way to win Sunday.<br /> 1431<br /> 1432However ... when the men in green travel to Washington the <i>following</i> weekend, they may be surprised to find that these Redskins, even with The Punchline at quarterback, have become a rather difficult out. Mike Vick's wheels better be balanced, rotated and ready to roll. <br /> 1433<br /> 1434In a league where every week's game is big, and every week a case can be made&nbsp;for a particular game being a "must win," the (2-3) Philadelphia vs (3-1) Washington tilt is going to be big. As in, possible season-defining big for two&nbsp;franchises.<br /> 1435<br /> 1436Just a friendly word to the wise, Philly ... don't leave your lunch in Buffalo.<br /> 1437<br /> 1438<b><u><a href="http://rantsports.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/dallas-cowboys/files/2011/10/Romo-collapse.jpg" target="blank">Dallas Cowboys</a></u></b> and <b><u>QB Tony Romo</u></b><br /> 1439<br /> 1440<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schadenfreude" target="blank">Schadenfreude</a>, at times like these, is unavoidable. <br /> 1441<br /> 1442<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://rantsports.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/dallas-cowboys/files/2011/10/Romo-collapse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" kca="true" src="http://rantsports.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/dallas-cowboys/files/2011/10/Romo-collapse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> 1443<b><u>Schill Out</u></b><br /> 1444<br /> 1445I'm generally not&nbsp;an ad guy, but will&nbsp;make the occasional exception as&nbsp;merited.&nbsp; If you really, really want to get to the game (or just about&nbsp;any&nbsp;event), but just&nbsp;can't seem to scare up the requisite passes, give these <a href="http://www.ticketliquidator.com/tix/washington-redskins-tickets.aspx" target="blank">TicketLiquidators</a> guys a look. That is all.<br /> 1446<br /> 1447<br /> 1448<br /> 1449* Yes Kyle, that was for you. Love you man.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.theomfield.com/feeds/1049545506195854467/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3845486561905685878/1049545506195854467' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/1049545506195854467'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3845486561905685878/posts/default/1049545506195854467'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.theomfield.com/2011/10/synaptic-shotgun-3-1-washington.html' title='Synaptic Shotgun: 3-1 Washington Redskins'/><author><name>Mark "Om" Steven</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author>
1449<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwc03bkXia0f5AyyEPyYyQuifCNpfGA0CjXusknqRjNK5Qj3t18ipBYSI1SIbU3QA86oMi6gVuPwe2M4i7mgU7qEo1FuR49SUqIQAXJDdhScpbPHmtAqMHG0LqH0NEYPEe6Q93sJ0Swhc/s72-c/Bradford+Sammich.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry></feed>
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