tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38454865619056858782024-03-17T23:03:29.621-04:00The Om FieldWashington Redskins - a literate, dry-witted, heartfelt dedication to a lifelong burgundy and gold obsession.Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.comBlogger223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-65693031606733696242020-07-15T15:42:00.001-04:002020-07-16T16:01:14.909-04:00Redskins Name Change - On Turning the PageThe Washington Redskins, after 83 years, are changing their name. <br />
<br />
As 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 it—how will it affect my fandom?<br />
<br />
On the sobering question of “should ...”<br />
<br />
For most of my adult life I have defended the team name based on a simple premise—that 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 />
<br />
So I hailed my Redskins and moved on.<br />
<br />
Over 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 “offended” and “demeaned” have always been subjective terms. <br />
<br />
There is also a far broader context. <br />
<br />
Something is happening in our country. It’s 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 />
<br />
Societal change is <i>hard</i>. Inclusion, tolerance, justice, compromise, equality … these cannot just be buzzwords—they should be foundation stones.<br />
<br />
As for my fandom ...<br />
<br />
I 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>. I’ve 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 />
<br />
The sense of identity I feel with and toward the Washington Redskins has always been about an connection to something—to 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 />
<br />
I 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 />
<br />
Except maybe <i>Cowboys</i>.<br />
<br />
Many 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 />
<br />
In 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 />
<br />
I don’t remember thinking about the team name then, they were just … my team. And for a time, they continued to be “my team,” 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 “my” team. They were Texas, I was Virginia. <br />
<br />
I followed the Baltimore Orioles for a few years, admiring Cal Ripken’s 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 “we” had a team again, I did enjoy having a new local team to follow, even if I didn’t think much of the name. <br />
<br />
The passion didn’t 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 />
<br />
Nationals, huh? Kind of has a ring to it.<br />
<br />
I 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 didn’t understand. People were people right? <br />
<br />
I did find it strange (they just <i>changed their names</i>—can 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>I’ll</i> feel that strongly about something).<br />
<br />
My real light bulb moment on the name change didn’t come from analysis, though. It came from the heart.<br />
<br />
My oldest daughter is engaged to be married. Like most fathers, I wouldn't hesitate to give my own life for hers. I don’t know if she plans to take her future husband’s name. I do know, should she choose to, that I will celebrate her decision—that it would be right for her. <br />
<br />
I 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 />
<br />
So, one last time … Hail to the Redskins. <br />
<br />
Onward and upward. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-32055602473485252942017-11-30T08:58:00.000-05:002017-11-30T08:58:30.659-05:00<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Redskins vs Cowboys.
Thursday Night Football</b>. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Injuries and precarious placement in the standings aside, it’s
still a big deal when these teams meet. At least it is to Redskins fans. So,
given the opportunity to blog this thing, seems like some “analysis” is in
order. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Rather than solemnly run through a dozen or more angles, I’m
going to winnow it down to these few. Because, well, they’re the ones I kept
coming back to this week.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In no particular order …</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Redskins QB Kirk
Cousins</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">No mystery here. He needs to bring it if the Skins are going
to win. Which, given his history, is actually encouraging at first glance. In
six career games against the Cowboys, Cousins has averaged 68% passing, thrown ten
TD’s versus three picks, and racked up a QB rating of 100. Which is pretty
good. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Unfortunately, </span><a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CousKi00/gamelog/?opp_id=dal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "calibri";">he’s
also 1-5</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">, which is not. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The one win came in January 2016, when the Captain was just
about perfect, going 12 for 15 for 176 yards, 3 TD’s, no picks, and a QB rating
of 155.1. Chances are he’s not going to have that kind of night again
Thursday—not behind a reeling OL, without his top two running backs, without a
reliable proven WR, without mercurial TE Jordan Reed, etc. So while Kirk is
definitely going to have to play well, he’s also going to need help. Not having
to face Redskins-killer LB Sean Lee (see below) is a plus, but Cousins will also
need a running game that resembles an NFL running game, tight ends and
receivers to come up with key catches and maybe a bit ‘o YAC, and the defense
to show up for more than, say, 56 minutes. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Which brings us to …</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Redskins DC Greg
Manusky</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I love Greg Manusky. Except when I don’t. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I love that his defense shows attitude and generally plays
hard—that’s something that has not been a given here in many years. I love that
his short-handed group generally seems to come out of the gate fired up and
dialed in, and holds other teams down early in games while the offense tries to
settle in. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">don’t</i> love that we’re
back in familiar statistical territory, near the bottom of the NFL—20<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
yards 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>
rushing. And I don’t love that I have to hold my breath and watch through my
fingers late in games again, fearing The Collapse. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is a defense that, despite myriad well-chronicled
injuries, can hold Seattle wizard Russell Wilson and the Seahawks, on the road,
to 14 points; and hold Drew Brees’ crazy-hot Saints to 16 points for 56 minutes
(before collapsing and giving up 18 to blow the game). Conversely, it can also fail
to show up at all, as in the home game against guy-at-the-end-of-bar Case
Keenum and the Vikings. Sure, Keenum’s a nice enough story, and playing well.
But the Redskins were humiliated on defense that day, allowing this future
football trivia question to carve them up for 304 yards and 4 TD’s in a
defensive effort that still has me shaking my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I love Manusky today. I’m reserving the right not
to again Thursday night.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Cowboys LB Sean Lee</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The Cowboys will be without unlikely-looking superman Lee, by
far their best defensive player. Throughout his career Lee has seemingly been in
the Redskins offensive huddle, always seeming to know exactly where to be, when,
and never missing a tackle once he arrives. No joke ... his absence looms large
for the Redskins. How large? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Lee has played the Redskins nine times in his career. His
first came in his rookie year in 2010—that crazy MNF season-opener at FedEx which
the Skins won 13-7 on the back of DeAngelo Hall’s fumble-return TD. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<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>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Since then? </span><a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LeexSe99/gamelog/?opp_id=was"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "calibri";">Dallas
is 8-0 against the Redskins in games Lee has played</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">, 4-4 in games he
hasn’t.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Yeah, I know—silly stat. But he’s out. We’ll take it.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Enough “analysis.” Here’s how this one feels.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Dallas has been blown out three straight weeks. That will
stop Thursday night. The Redskins won’t win by 20-plus—it’s just not what they
do. If the Redskins show up, meaning both sides of the ball, teams, and
coaching, at some point Thursday night they’ll have a lead, momentum, and it
will feel like they’re on their way to evening their record at .500. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But they won’t ‘close the deal’ and let us enjoy the fourth
quarter. It’s not what they do. They’ll find a way to open the door and let Dallas
hang around. When you close your eyes, you can almost see it. A penalty on
offense that keeps them from converting a key first down. A completed 11-yard
pass on a potentially game-clinching 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd-</span></sup>and-12. A sack taken by
Kirk, commendably keeping his eyes down the field in the face of the rush, but
infuriatingly not stepping up into the pocket or wheeling out of it to extend
the play. A blown assignment on Dez Bryant that turns a short-gainer into a long
touchdown.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I honestly don’t consider this negativity, by the way. To me
this is the accumulated experience of observed patterns over the course of many,
many games, over many, many seasons.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I recognize that nationally the Redskins are finally seen as
a team with some resiliency, some toughness, some character, a team capable of
competing with anyone on a given day. But they’re so much more than that. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I recognize and grasp the significance that the team
we saw stomp the Oakland Raiders way back in week three, before seemingly
losing half their starters and key reserves to injury, is long lost to memory
and not taking the field Thursday night … I also recognize that this patchwork
Redskins team can overcome crazy odds and win inspiringly, as they did in
Seattle.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I recognize that they can show up looking utterly
unprepared and lose, albeit to a good team, like they did at home to Minnesota,
while making a nice story like Case Keenum channel Aaron Rodgers for a day. And
that they can thoroughly dominate a good team on the road for 56 minutes, hold a
15 point lead, and still somehow, incredibly, find a way to lose. Oh yes, Drew
Brees is pretty good—a first-ballot Hall of Famer—but the Redskins owned him
for 56 minutes before suddenly remembering that they were, in fact, the
Redskins.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So what does all this mean?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It means no one who has been paying attention to this
franchise for the past few weeks, years and decades has any clue what Redskins
team will show up. They could not show up at all, allow Dak Prescott and Dez
Bryant to get healthy at their expense and roll them on national TV. They could
show up looking like the inspired group that shut down Russ Wilson and the
Seahawks, and do just enough to take a nail-biter on the road. They could
dominate … for a long time … and give it away at the end in head-shaking
fashion.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">What do I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">think</i>
they’ll do?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">No fucking idea. It’s the Redskins. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But I’ll be watching.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Hail.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">*</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Okay, I won’t cop out. My prediction: </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Cowboys 24, Redskins
20</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">When I pick the Skins they lose.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-40016739084882605242016-09-23T13:35:00.000-04:002016-09-23T13:38:07.525-04:00Facebook, Bad Hair and Redskins vs GiantsSo this happened:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<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>
<br />
<br />
Thanks for the nudge, Mr. Zuckerman. Although I don't know what the problem is. Over the past four years I've published like, six posts. That's 1.5 <em>per year</em> for the luvagod.<br />
<br />
<br />
Anyway ...<br />
<br />
<br />
Here we are again.<br />
<br />
<br />
At 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 resume.<br />
<br />
<br />
I always hated going to play Coughlin's Giants every year ... his teams always seemed so <em>competent</em>. So I was kinda happy when the old guy finally was shown the door. I mean, respect and all, but damn. Enough.<br />
<br />
<br />
Turns out the Redskins are 4-12 up in the Jersey swamp over the past 16 games. Not good. Coaches get fired for 4-12.<br />
<br />
<br />
Add to that Kirk Cousins hasn't exactly lit up the Giants in his brief career either.<br />
<br />
<br />
<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 />
<em><br /></em><br />
<em>"Cousins, 28, has had four starts against the Giants in his Redskins career, and the statistics aren’t 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 />
<em><br /></em><br />
<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 />
<em><br /></em><br />
<em>The ugliest outing came at FedEx Field in Week 4 of 2014, which was Cousins’s 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 team’s six turnovers, fumbling once and throwing four second-half interceptions. The Giants scored 31 points off turnovers."</em><br />
<br />
<br />
So we have that going for us.<br />
<br />
<br />
It's not hard to contemplate what next week will look like around DC if the Redskins should do what the football world expects, and have their posteriors handed to them this weekend. At 0-3, all that happy offseason talk about patience and a steady franchise rebuild under GM Scot McCloughan will get drowned out by fast-rising drum beats from the hills, incensed and indignant calls for pink skips, and brisk pitchfork sales all around the DMV.<br />
<br />
<br />
What 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 Browns coming to town offering a chance at .500, is impossible to understate. <br />
<br />
<br />
If 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 />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-17347483934149970362016-01-08T13:18:00.000-05:002016-01-08T13:22:44.143-05:00Redskins vs Packers - Thoughts and PredictionIt’s 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 />
<br />
Which leads directly to one of the two key components I believe Redskins vs Packers will come down to.<br />
<br />
1. The Redskins passing offense. <br />
<br />
The 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 />
<br />
The Redskins running game hasn’t scared anybody since week three—it 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 hand—the relentless effective jabs and occasional right cross—has 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 />
<br />
There has been a lot of talk—understandably so—about the Redskins having to mitigate against an elite quarterback in the Pack’s 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 />
<br />
As 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 />
<br />
2. The Redskins defense on “off-schedule” plays. <br />
<br />
Washington’s 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 />
<br />
They don’t put consistent pressure on the passer rushing only down linemen—they 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. That’s where the Redskins shortage of true defensive playmakers—both up front and in the backfield—will ultimately prove their biggest test.<br />
<br />
Few are better than Aaron Rodgers at buying time, sliding, rolling, and ultimately delivering accurately on the move. The Redskins will probably need some breaks—a 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 catch.<br />
<br />
Their 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 QB’s rarely tank it in playoff games—we have to assume Aaron Rodgers is going to “bring it” all day long. No lead may be truly safe until time finally runs out. <br />
<br />
Some general thoughts, since you’ve come this far:<br />
<br />
- It’s 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 game—and maybe even some well-timed runs—can achieve meaningful time of possession down the stretch, it’s also not hard to envision a frenetic finish with Rodgers going sandlot, moving around and gunning his team back into the game.<br />
<br />
- Washington is the hotter team heading into this one—that’s 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 />
<br />
- Will Cousins be the Cousins we’ve 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 zone—51 of 84 (60.7%), 22 TD, 0 INT, 4 TD rushing, QB rating 109.7—he has been all year? Or will the biggest stage and brightest lights of his young career push him a step back?<br />
<br />
Many 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 />
<br />
But this Redskins team has also seemed to change the paradigm.<br />
<br />
It’s 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 coach—close to halfway into his second season sporting a 6-16 record with no clear signs of evident improvement—and the team reeling with significant injuries. <br />
<br />
It was hard to see much light in all that darkness.<br />
<br />
Since then?<br />
<br />
The Redskins came back and won that Tampa game, in historic fashion—nothing short of the greatest comeback in the storied 78-year history of the franchise. They have since shouldered aside a host of “yeah, but’s” … you know them by heart by now … “can’t win a road game” (they’ve won three straight) … “can’t win in prime time” (they beat Philadelphia in their own house to claim the division title) … “don’t have a quarterback” (you don’t hear much “interception machine” or “not clutch” talk these days) … “the head coach is a failure” (don’t tell that to the guys who play for him). <br />
<br />
I do believe the magic they’ve harnessed over the past month isn’t illusion. I think this team is what the vast majority of Redskins fans hoped they would be, heading into the season—a rebuilding team showing signs of turning into a pretty good one—and 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 />
<br />
Hey, I hear the demons still—they’re 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 I’m so used to getting flattened by and more like, well, a legitimate NFL team on the rise.<br />
<br />
This is where I think I’m required to post a prediction:<br />
<br />
It will almost certainly not be easy. In fact I can practically guarantee it won’t be. <br />
<br />
It might come down to a last-second field goal by the revelation that has been Dustin Hopkins. <br />
<br />
It 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 />
<br />
It might be one Alfred Morris, offering a symbolic skyward middle digit to all his critics and converting 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 />
<br />
This has all happened very fast, this apparent Redskins Revival, and there’s been precious little time to really step and back assess the big picture … but as I sit here today, I find myself believing. <br />
<br />
Feels good. Damn good.<br />
<br />
<strong> Redskins 27, Packers 24</strong><br />
<br />
Hail. Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-89067718371565414622015-10-28T10:22:00.000-04:002015-10-28T10:37:08.221-04:00Cousins: A Tale of Two QuarterbacksThere have been two Kirk Cousins in 2015.<br />
<br />
<br />
Seven 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 />
<br />
<br />
<em>108-for-144 (75%), 1006 yds, 6 TD, 2 INT, QB rating 101.8<br />Record: 3-1</em><br />
<br />
That's a top-ten guy. Elite, no. Legit, yes.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, 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 />
<br />
<em>76-for-124 (61.3%), 731 yds, 3 TD, 6 INT, QB rating 65.6<br />Record: 0-3</em><br />
<em><br /></em><br />
That's a guy you have to scroll pretty far down the stats page to find.<br />
<br />
And therein lies the rub. When you put the two Kirk's together, by NFL standards you have Just A Guy:<br />
<br />
<em>184-for-268 (68.7%), 1737 yds, 9 TD, 8 INT, QB rating 85.1<br />Record: 3-4</em><br />
<em><br /></em><br />
So 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 />
<br />
<br />
They 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 />
<br />
As 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 />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-91077264595385772362015-09-15T15:26:00.001-04:002015-09-15T16:14:04.093-04:00Upon Further Review: Game 1 - Dolphins 17, Redskins 10<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>The Washington Redskins</strong> opened the 2015 regular season at home last Sunday with a 17-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.<br />
<br />
<br />
What did we learn? Debatable, given the whole "sample size" thing. But two things I think we can safely surmise, at least for the moment, are:<br />
<br />
<br />
1. 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. I admit it—when TE Jordan Reed caught that sweet fade pass from QB Kirk Cousins in the corner of the end zone, capping off a 17-play, 88-yard, 8:49 drive, and giving the Redskins a 10-0 lead late in the second quarter of a half they had dominated in the trenches, I allowed myself to look directly into the sun. <br />
<br />
<br />
When 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 falling all over themselves telling us how they saw it coming all along. <br />
<br />
<br />
Ndamukong <em>Who</em>? The Redskins Are Back! <br />
<br />
<br />
But ... by the time the Redskins allowed Miami to cruise easily back down the field to score an answering TD of their own in the closing minute of the half ... and after the Redskins then methodically shot themselves in the proverbial cleat enough times throughout the second half to let Miami to leave town a relieved winner ... we had learned something else: <br />
<br />
<br />
2) That while the 2015 Redskins did <em>not</em> in fact open the season flying, heralding that The Corner Had Been Turned, neither did they get Obliterated or Otherwise Humiliated at the hands of the big bad <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 />
<br />
<br />
Which is good.<br />
<br />
<br />
So, because the Redskins were neither awesome nor awful, and because until they become a winning team again they remain a losing one, fans are obliged to keep looking to numbers and trends, searching for arcs and developments good and bad, from which to try to glean meaning.<br />
<br />
<br />
Thusly couched … there <em>was</em> good to be found. <br />
<br />
<br />
RB 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. Even better, combined with rookie Matt Jones, the Redskins head into week two ranked third in the league in rushing. <br />
<br />
<br />
The 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 apocalyptic predictions, against a Miami defensive front expected to overwhelm them.<br />
<br />
<br />
And new defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s defense, new scheme, multiple players, missing and injured starters and all, allowed 10 points. Only one team in the NFL would have lost on opening weekend allowing just 10 points—the woebegone Jacksonville Jaguars, who scored nine in a home loss to the Carolina Panthers.<br />
<br />
<br />
Unfortunately for the Redskins (here comes some bad stuff), NFL teams are also expected, from time to time, to field Special Teams, and the 2015 Redskins picked right up in that area where they have left off for more years than we care to recall. In a seven-point loss, the Redskins special teams directly cost the team ten 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 />
<br />
<br />
Not 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. Which is a roundabout way of saying that <em>scoring</em> 10 points just is not going to get it done.<br />
<br />
<br />
The offense moved the ball (349 total yards), but could not score—an all-too-familiar formula. <br />
<br />
<br />
Special teams, once again, were an albatross with an anvil tied around its ankle (assuming albatri have ankles).<br />
<br />
<br />
And the aforementioned defense, while playing well enough to limit Miami to 10 points, left seven points on the field as well, as a sure pick-six interception somehow defied physics and passed <em>through</em> new starting CB Chris Culliver into the surprised and relieved hands of a beaten Dolphins receiver.<br />
<br />
<br />
Bottom line? 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 the 0-1 Redskins head into week two, against a St. Louis Rams team fresh off beating the two-time defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks, knowing that, but for a blown play here and there, they could be 1-0 and handing out sunglasses. <br />
<br />
<br />
Instead, Rebirth will have to wait another week.<br />
<br />
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***</div>
<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, until we have something more uplifting (and by that I mean <em>winning</em>) to talk about, we’ll start tracking some of the more relevant stats here that, over the course of a season, more often than not support the “winning team” versus “losing team” formula when all is said and done.<br />
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<br />
<strong><u>QB Play</u></strong><br />
Kirk Cousins: 21 for 31 (67.7%), 196 yds., 1 TD, 2 INT (21st yds., 29th QB rating)<br />
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<br />
<strong><u>Turnover Differential</u></strong><br />
1 takeaway, 2 turnovers (-1, T20th NFL)<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Third Down Conversions</u></strong><br />
Offense – 6 for 14 (43%, 15th NFL)<br />
Defense – 5 for 12 (42%, 14th NFL)<br />
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<em>Happy Birthday, Dad!</em></div>
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<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-69427714760183063202015-02-25T10:56:00.001-05:002015-02-25T11:44:49.645-05:00Redskins first-round draft picks "that got away." Or did they?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<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 team’s top pick in 2005, was kept around another year as a restricted free agent. But for the most part the Redskins’ first rounders have moved on when their rookie contracts were up if not sooner."</i></blockquote>
<br />
Initial 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 />
<br />
Second thought, based on memory of the last 30 years? <i>What young talent?</i><br />
<br />
Clearly, retaining only two out of 18 first round selections over 31 years does not sound too good. But the implied conclusion of the piece—that the Redskins need to get better at retaining their home-grown young talent—may 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 />
<br />
Here is the Redskins first-round history since the chosen starting point of 1984, accompanied by highly scientific notes and observations. <br />
<br />
<i>(Why 1984? Beyond possible Orwellian connotations, I'm thinking it was because the three first-round picks prior to that—Art Monk (1980), Mark May(1981) and Darrell Green (1983)—didn't exactly support the thesis.)</i><br />
<br />
1984—1990. No picks.<br />
<br />
1991—Bobby Wilson. Whiff.<br />
<br />
1992—Desmond Howard. Just a guy. Yes, he got a Super Bowl MVP trophy—for someone else—on the wings of one shining moment in one really big game. Beyond 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 />
<br />
1993—Tom Carter. Just a guy.<br />
<br />
1994—Heath Shuler. Whiff.<br />
<br />
1995—Michael Westbrook. Whiff.<br />
<br />
1996—Andre Johnson. Double-whiff.<br />
<br />
1997—Kennard Lang. Whiff.<br />
<br />
1998—no pick.<br />
<br />
1999—Champ 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 performance—they 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 />
<br />
2000—Lavar Arrington and Chris Samuels. Both re-signed. One turned out to be far more flash than substance. The other was the exact opposite. <br />
<br />
2001—Rod Gardner. Whiff.<br />
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2002—Patrick Ramsey. At best a “maybe.” Some still suggest the Redskins “ruined” Ramsey by allowing him to get pummeled in Steve Spurrier’s 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 />
<br />
2003—Taylor Jacobs. Whiff.<br />
<br />
2004—Sean Taylor. Please don’t be the one to comment that the Redskins would not have re-signed this once-in-a-generation player.<br />
<br />
2005—Carlos 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>). The feeling then, almost universally, was “good riddance.” That the team felt the same should not be surprising, nor held against them for purposes of this discussion.<br />
<br />
2006—no pick.<br />
<br />
2007—LaRon 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 team’s decision not to retain should be considered a mistake.<br />
<br />
2008—no pick.<br />
<br />
2009—Brian 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? Probably—but only because the Redskins have made themselves an easy target. Would it be fair in this particular instance? No.<br />
<br />
2010—Trent Williams. No-brainer. The Redskins will almost certainly re-sign him.<br />
<br />
2011—Ryan Kerrigan. No-brainer. The Redskins will almost certainly re-sign him.<br />
<br />
2012—Robert 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 />
<br />
Let’s wrap this up.<br />
<br />
Four 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 />
<br />
Breaking down the first-round selections the team either did not or could not re-sign to date:<br />
<br />
One (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 />
<br />
One (Sean Taylor) was going to be re-signed. Book it.<br />
<br />
<div>
One, (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. </div>
<div>
<br />
Two (Patrick Ramsey, LaRon Landry) were at best “maybes.” Again, neither close to being no-brainers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Nine (Bobby Wilson, Desmond Howard, Tom Carter, Heath Shuler, Michael Westbrook, Andre Johnson, Kennard Lang, Rod Gardner, Taylor Jacobs) were “just guys, whiffs or double whiffs.”<br />
<br />
Over the past 31 years the Redskins stepped to the plate 20 times.<br />
<br />
They hit home runs in Champ Bailey, Chris Samuels and Sean Taylor—only of whom "got away."<br />
<br />
They went extra bases on a couple of guys they <i>will </i>re-sign in Trent Williams and Ryan Kerrigan.<br />
<br />
They arguably squeezed out singles in LaVar Arrington, Patrick Ramsey, Carlos Rogers and LaRon Landry. <br />
<br />
And they went down swinging eleven times.<br />
<br />
The 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>
Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-82977342585415964742014-01-16T08:47:00.002-05:002014-01-16T08:53:38.977-05:00The Curious Case of Redskins Defensive Coordinator Jim HaslettFour 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 />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theomfield.com/2010/01/digging-deeper-defensive-coordinator.html">Digging Deeper: Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett<br />
</a><br />
Well, 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 />
<br />
The 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 />
<br />
And 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 />
<br />
One 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 />
<br />
I've been asking for four years, and have yet to get a substantive answer.<br />
<br />
Why Jim Haslett?<br />
Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-76623540753017486032013-02-15T13:26:00.000-05:002014-01-16T12:38:54.786-05:00Just Sayin'I am embarrassed to have allowed the most recent post on my own personal <strong>Washington Redskins</strong> 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 />
<br />
To those kind enough to have asked ... no, you aren't rid of me yet. I'm still around, and still planning to write about the Redskins for as many years as the fates allow. It's been a busy time for me the last couple of years, no question, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.<br />
<br />
My sincerest thanks, and here's to the burgundy and gold renaissance we are privileged to be living.<br />
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Hail.</div>
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Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-36552029428303682942012-11-30T12:41:00.002-05:002012-11-30T12:41:32.274-05:00NY Giants WR Victor Cruz Is Not Particularly Perspicacious<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<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>
<br />
<a href="http://www.csnwashington.com/football-washington-redskins/talk/cruz-redskins-not-legitimate-contenders" target="_blank"><strong>Just sayin'.</strong></a><br />
<br />
If you see him, and have a couple hours, feel free to explain. <br />
<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-56053150681870801032012-10-19T12:14:00.000-04:002012-10-19T13:38:01.073-04:00RG3's Brilliant Play—no, not that oneFans of the Washington Redskins have seen the 76-yard, game clinching Robert Griffin III touchdown gallop against the Vikings last Sunday dozens of times by now. And that is as it should be—the play is already ingrained in Redskins lore.<br />
<br />
Here, enjoy it again.<br />
<br />
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<br />
What 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 that many watching the game, if not most, will have barely noticed at the time. And that I'd wager many of those who did notice have already relegated to the cerebral archives given what happened later that day.<br />
<br />
If I might set the stage...<br />
<br />
It's the middle of the second quarter. The Redskins have been taking punches since the opening kickoff and trail Minnesota 9-3. It could be much worse. The Vikings offense has been moving the ball at will but thus far been unable to punch it into the endzone, having to settle for three field goals. Good thing too, because at 21-3, or even 17-3, the game has an entirely different feel at this point. <br />
<br />
The Redskins offense has finally gotten off the schneid, putting together a drive in their previous possession but having been 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 />
<br />
They get a defensive stop and get the ball back deep in their own end. The Redskins are 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 />
<br />
Griffin drops back from under center, briefly turning his back on the line of scrimmage. Behind him, Viking DE Jared Allen comes clean and bears down on Griffin as he starts to come around. As the rookie turns back to face the field, he's one yard deep in his own end zone. Allen is two paces away to his left and charging. <br />
<br />
Freeze frame.<br />
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<br />
This is where the Redskins of the past generation stumble. Or worse. They get sacked for a safety ... sacked for a fumble and defensive touchdown ... throw wildly and get intercepted ... get called for intentional grounding. You know, something not good. You can see it quite readily in your minds eye, if you're the masochistic sort. <br />
<br />
Instead, the young quarterback, still on his heels, spots RB Alfred Morris at the 5-yard line and snaps off a 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 />
<br />
He sits up, shakes it off, rises and walks calmly to the huddle. <br />
<br />
No turnover, no penalty, no incompletion. Just cold execution. And instead of facing 3rd-and-potential disaster, the Redskins face a makeable 3rd-and-five, well out from under the shadow of their goal posts. <br />
<br />
On 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 11-play, 90 yard touchdown drive to take the lead and turn the game around. <br />
<br />
No, I haven't put a stopwatch on the play, but it's not about however many tenths of a second it took for him to make that play. It's about a Read/React/Execute Algorithm that is simply off the charts. Particularly if those charts happen to track quarterback play in the nation's capital. Think about it. Rex Grossman 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 who have started at quarterback for this team over the last 20 years. <br />
<br />
But Griffin makes the play. Not only does he not make a<em> negative</em> play, he turns it into a positive that, arguably, is the 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 he makes it looks so routine announcer Dick Stockton's voice doesn't even change making the call. <br />
<br />
The 76-yard heroic touchdown sprint to ice the game later that evening will live on in NFL Films glory forever. But for this one longtime fan of the burgundy and gold, the seemingly routine play much earlier in the day, a play that turned potential disaster (and 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 ... is not one I shall soon forget.<br />
<br />
Only a very special player makes that play, and makes it look that routine, all of six games into his NFL career.<br />
<br />
Kid is the real thing.<br />
<br />
<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-55160070501447720572012-09-28T12:44:00.000-04:002012-09-28T15:27:28.900-04:00Week 4 Storylines: RG3, Haslett and Redskins Embattled Defense <br />
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<br />
In Tampa Bay this week, where the Buccaneers are preparing to host the Washington Redskins on Sunday afternoon, the 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>." As it should be. From the outside looking in, the most intriguing thing about the Redskins is their suddenly dangerous offense, led by dynamic rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III.<br />
<br />
The phrase "highest scoring offense in the NFL" has a certain cachet, after all. It gets attention. It's also a legitimate concern to opposing teams. The Redskins are scoring a crisp 33 points per game, which projects out over the course of the season to 528 points. Clearly, preparing to play Washington had better involve crafting a plan designed to keep the hotshot rookie from "going off" and dominating Sunday night's Sportscenter highlights.<br />
<br />
What the Bucs are not saying publicly, however, but what Redskins fans and observers know all too well they are probably thinking, is that to beat the Redskins these days what you really need to do is throw the damn ball. Like, throw it a lot. All day, all over. Deep, short, left, right, middle, whatever--just throw it. <br />
<br />
Because the Redskins <em>defense</em>, statistically sound enough against the run (9th overall), has been performing so abysmally against the pass (31st) that the team is giving up 33.7 points per game. To put that number in perspective, the Redskins are on pace to set the all-time NFL record for points allowed (539) in a 16-game regular season. That infamous distinction currently belongs to the 1981 Baltimore Colts, who rolled over to the tune of 533. <br />
<br />
So rather than reveling in the surprisingly prolific training-wheel phase of their young franchise quarterback's career, and enjoying realistic discussions about Washington competing for a playoff spot (rarely a realistic expectation behind a rookie quarterback), Redskins fans face each successive week more convinced that the defense is simply incapable of stopping anybody, or of holding any lead.<br />
<br />
The Redskins face the first real crossroads game of 2012 on Sunday. With a win, they can finish the first quarter of the season 2-2, with both wins against NFC opponents. A 2-2 September would bring another few weeks of playoff relevance in a season that, in the long view, is more realistically the launching pad to a new era.<br />
<br />
With a third consecutive loss, however, and a fall to 1-3 in the deeply competitive NFC East, the 2012 season almost certainly will become an extended test lab for 2013 and beyond. That would not be the end of the world, obviously--not in view of the dawning reality that this franchise fellow is the real deal--but still a huge disappointment given the unexpected early success of the offense.<br />
<br />
At 1-2 the Redskins are on the edge. It didn't have to be that way. Consider:<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
16 games were played in the NFL last week. Know how many teams scored enough points to overcome the 38 the Redskins surrendered in their 38-31 loss to Cincinnati? Two. Tennessee and Detroit played one another in a 44-41 overtime thriller. That's it. Care to guess how many teams <em>won</em> scoring 31 points or less? Thirteen. <br />
<br />
Two 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 NFL teams won that week scoring 28 or less? Thirteen.<br />
<br />
In week one against New Orleans, Washington put 40 on the board. A good thing, as it turned out, because the game still came down to Drew Brees lobbing one potentially blown Hail Mary call into the Redskins end zone for a tying touchdown on the final play of the game.<br />
<br />
I have heard talk this week about the "sample size" of three games being too small to seriously consider in projecting out how poor the Redskins defense might be this season. Fair enough. What I have not heard much about is the larger defensive picture. What about eight games? Here are the points allowed in the last eight games the Redskins have played:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
12/04/11 vs Jets (L) – <strong>34</strong><br />
12/11/11 vs Patriots (L) –<strong> 34</strong><br />
12/18/11 @ Giants (W) – <strong>10</strong><br />
12/24/11 vs Vikings (L) – <strong>33</strong><br />
01/01/11 @ Eagles (L) – <strong>34</strong><br />
09/09/12 @ Saints (W) – <strong>32</strong><br />
09/16/12 @ Rams (L) – <strong>31</strong><br />
09/23/12 vs Bengals (L) – <strong>38</strong></blockquote>
Take away the outlier against Eli Manning and the defending Super Bowl champion Giants, 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 ... 33.7 points per game. <br />
<br />
The problem hasn't just surfaced this year. It isn't just about the loss to injury and knuckleheadedness of safeties Brandon Merriweather and Tanard Jackson, respectively. It isn't that cornerbacks Josh Wilson and DeAngelo Hall are incapable of even average play. It isn't just about losing linebacker Brian Orakpo and defensive end Adam Carriker for the season in week two. The harsh truth is that Redskins defense has been broken for a while now, and it says here that should come as no surprise. <br />
<br />
When Mike Shanahan accepted the head coaching job in Washington, he hired Jim Haslett as his defensive coordinator. He did so for reasons no one has ever made particularly clear. Haslett’s resume as defensive coordinator at that time was average at best: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1996 (NO) – 13th overall (20th scoring, 3rd passing, 27th rushing)<br />
1997 (PIT) – 6th overall (11th scoring, 18th passing, 1st rushing)<br />
1998 (PIT) – 12th overall (7th scoring, 18th passing, 13th rushing)<br />
1999 (PIT) – 11th overall (12th scoring, 4th passing, 26th rushing)<br />
2006 (STL) – 23rd overall (28th scoring, 8th passing, 31st rushing)<br />
2007 (STL) – 21st overall (31st scoring, 21st passing, 20th rushing)</blockquote>
For a more in-depth look at those years, and some context into the units 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>. As to the past two years and three games in Washington? Haslett's tenure in D.C. has done little to allay the initial skepticism, or to light any candles of hope that he finally his this NFL thing figured out and is about to join the ranks of elite coordinators:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
2010 (WAS) – 31st overall (21st scoring, 31st passing, 26th rushing)<br />
2011 (WAS) – 13th overall (13th scoring, 13th passing, 18th rushing)<br />
2012* (WAS) – 30th overall (29th scoring, 31st passing, 9th rushing)</blockquote>
<em> * through 3 weeks</em><br />
<br />
Yes, Haslett can come up with the occasional gem.. Every season he turns in a few games where the matchups fall right, the play-calling works, and the adjustments seem sound. The majority of the time, however, the game plans appear inconsistent week to week, he gets outguessed and burned too often calling plays, and the in-game adjustments yield too little improvement.<br />
<br />
All of which begs the question ... would a midseason change help? Imposible to say. 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. But the alternative, unfortunately, is to continue sending a defense out week after week that comes up with a handful of big plays but simply cannot keep teams out of the end zone.<br />
<br />
Worse, as time goes by, we hear more and more suggestions from other teams and coaches that the Redskins defense isn't hard to diagnose. The two most recent examples that spring to mind are St. Louis head coach Jeff Fischer and his "bring it, we got answers" attitude when asked about concerns over the Haslett blitz packages. And just this week, word whispered out of Cincinnati that the Bengals drew up that soul-killing wildcat touchdown bomb on the first play from scrimmage specifically to beat clear tells they had seen in Haslett's predictable zero-blitz response to the wildcat formation. <br />
<br />
That kind of thing, over time, adds up. Particularly so when the stark evidence of the numbers seem to back it. There really is no polite way of saying it, and I actually do kind of like the man's tough-guy, glowering image, but what it has come down to for me is the impression man is in a little bit over his head.<br />
<br />
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In fairness, Jim Haslett’s Washington biography is yet to be written. At this point there is no way to really know in which direction his trajectory is headed. The winds at present are are definitely blowing cold, though, and should it continue that way, the expression “zero blitz” could end up joining “rocket screen” and “what we do works” in the Redskins Ring of Lexicon Infamy. <br />
<br />
To my eye, Haslett’s record as an NFL defensive coordinator speaks for itself. And whether the 2012 Redskins defense turns it around and performs at an even average level, enough to give RG3 a fighting chance to have a winning rookie campaign, remains to be seen. For the record, though, I think Jim Haslett will be coaching elsewhere in 2013. Numbers alone never tell the whole story, that is a given. But sometimes what you see really is what you get.<br />
<br />
Now for a little psychic whiplash:<br />
<br />
Given the defensive disaster, there is every reason to tune in this Sunday hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Another 34-31 type of loss is easy to picture. On the other hand, Redskins recent history suggests that this is precisely the kind of game they play best in. They seem to reserve their best efforts for games they are expected to lose. <br />
<br />
I am on record as thinking Jim Haslett is a lame duck. That said, history shows he also manages every once in a while to craft an unexpected gem that buys him an eleventh-hour reprieve and another few weeks of benefit of the doubt. So against my better judgement, I am taking a deep breath, squaring my shoulders, and hanging this week’s prediction hat on Sunday in the Sombrero being being such a time.<br />
<br />
<strong>Washington 26, Tampa Bay 23</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-9639896012066810842012-09-13T11:59:00.002-04:002012-09-14T08:57:39.518-04:001-0 Redskins Raise the Bar<br />
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<br />
Last week I predicted that the Redskins would make a game of it Sunday in New Orleans, but in the end their defense would not be able to control the quick-release and savvy of Saints QB Drew Brees. Nothing beats being loud wrong than being loud wrong about losing.<br />
<br />
Mr. Haslett? Well done, sir.<br />
<br />
<strong>Some Kid Named Bob</strong><br />
<br />
Millions of 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 rookie quarterback makes his first NFL start, on the road against a playoff contender, and plays 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 />
<br />
By and large, talk from the media and fans alike have reflected that fuzziness. And of course there were a few obligatory "yeah but" contributions. 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 really believed the football world needed reminding it was just one game, or simply drew the short straw when they were handing out assignments Monday at the Washington Post.<br />
<br />
So, rather than try to find a fresh way of saying "wow," let me simply single out a piece that stood out for me. The last paragrash, in particular, succinctly puts into words my own takeaway from week one, heading 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 />
<em><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>Griffin’s 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 players’ 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 football’s newest and best ideas. Griffin certainly has a long way to go, but his development — and the development of this offense — will be fun to watch, unless, that is, you're the one trying to stop it. </em></blockquote>
</em><strong>Coaching – Gameplan Edition</strong>
<br />
<br />
Mike Shanahan and Jim Haslett had months to prepare for New Orleans. And Shanahan's NFL opening day record (15-4) speaks for itself. Week two is different. Week two settles into the "normal" preparation cycle with current game tape to study for both his own team and the upcoming opponent. St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fischer is no slouch–you can rest assured he will have his team ready to play, fundamentally sound, and will throw looks at the Redskins that they will not have seen before.<br />
<br />
This will be a good early test of the 2012 Redskins' brain trust. Will their game plans prove as on-target and effective with one week to prepare? Will they succeed in keeping the young Redskins from suffering a classic "letdown" game after the emotional upset win against the Saints?<br />
<br />
One thing about the NFL–last week is always a long time ago.<br />
<br />
<strong>Coaching – In-Game Edition</strong><br />
<br />
If the Redskins 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? Because last week, it says here, they did not.<br />
<br />
The Saints game should never have come down to a 40-yard Drew Brees lob into the endzone from possible overtime. It should never have been that close; not with as dominant as the Redskins had been in building a 16-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Saints hadn't stopped the Redskins all day, nor had much luck moving the ball againt them. It all seemed to change then, in a way that felt eerily foreboding.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2012090906/2012/REG1/redskins@saints#menu=drivechart&tab=analyze&analyze=playbyplay" target="_blank">Judge for yourself</a>...<br />
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With 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 offsides after apparently stopping the Redskins on 3rd-and-five. The offensive playcalling at that juncture went, in a word, conservative. <br />
<br />
At least that's the way it felt in my living room. <br />
<br />
I haven't read much about that angle this week, however, so I am allowing for the possibility it was my own "here we go again" fears talking, hard-earned over the past 20 years, and not an indicator that the 2012 coaching staff will be stuck in a "play not to lose" mentality when holding second half leads. <br />
<br />
Yes, RG3 did go deep once after that. Maybe seeing that pass almost intercepted was enough to get Kyle to pull in the horns. And yes, RG3's tight pass to TE Logan Paulsen to convert a crucial late first down was a notable exception. But I am willing to bet real money I was not the only Redskins fan watching the team take the air out of the ball, and loosen up the defensive collar just a bit, and seeing the momentum predictably swing the other way the lead slowly dissipate, who suffered a few dark imagings. <br />
<br />
Had that Brees lob as the clock expired bounced to a Saint instead of S Reed Doughty, how many among us would have believed the Redskins would stop the subsequent two-point conversion? And need I ask what we would have thought heading into overtime?<br />
<br />
<strong>Expectations</strong><br />
<br />
Expectations have shifted after the Saints game, I think there is little doubt about it. How many Redskins fans out there are thinking the Redskins <em>shouldn't</em> leave St. Louis on Sunday evening undefeated? <br />
<br />
If the Redskins beat the Rams, and RG3 continuies to impress, and the team heads into its home opener at 2-0 against a Cincinnati Bengals team that (forgive me) is at worst "beatable," even those among us who went into week one cautioning against reading too much into it, win or lose, are going to have a hard time not getting caught up in the excitement. Because even though the opener was "Game One of Year One of the New Era," as some stick-in-the-mud solemnly cautioned last week, the thought of heading into October with, say, at worst a 3-1 record ... with legitimate quarterbacking ... well, let's just leave it at that for today.<br />
<br />
<strong>Let Youth be Served</strong><br />
<br />
I must have commented three or four times watching the Redskins outclass the Saints on Sunday, "<em>that's</em> one of the young guys too." Among several great impressions 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 youth–much of it baby-youth–contributing heavily. I jotted some names down on a piece of paper during the course of the game as those names kept coming up big at crucial times. It's not an exclusive list–feel free to throw in a guy like FB Darrell Young (25) for instance–but you get the drift: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
QB Robert Griffin, III (22)<br />
RB Alfred Morris (23)<br />
WR Aldrick Robinson (23)<br />
WR Pierre Garcon (26)<br />
TE Fred Davis (26)<br />
LT Trent Williams (24)<br />
TE Logan Paulsen (25)<br />
FS DeJon Gomes (24)<br />
DE Jarvis Jenkins (24)<br />
LB Perry Riley (24)<br />
LB Ryan Kerrigan (24)<br />
LB Brian Orakpo (26)</blockquote>
Don't get me wrong. Veterans–take a bow, LB London Fletcher (37) and K Billy Cundiff (32)–provided huge contributions too. But the<em> other</em> albatross this organization has carried for so many years–that the Washington Redskins are too old and too slow for today's NFL–has suddenly, to quote lead-eating Warden Norton, up and vanished like a fart in the wind. <br />
<br />
<strong>Fabulous Future FedEx Field Fan Flury?</strong><br />
<br />
Speaking of charged air ... anyone else wondering if the thought hasn't occured to Dan Snyder that it might have been a mistake to drop seating capacity at FedEx Field by 12,000 seats? If his Redskins beat St. Louis this Sunday and come home 2-0, landing <a href="http://www.ticketliquidator.com/tix/washington-redskins-tickets.aspx" target="_blank">Redskins Fedex Field tickets</a> to see RG3 and the burdundy and gold at home might soon become a labor of love again. RFK Stadium veterans, you know what I'm talking about.<br />
<br />
Just food for thought. <br />
<br />
<strong>Funny Thing One</strong><br />
<br />
It'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 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 careless and turn the ball over several times, it's not hard to imagine them putting up mid- to high-20's on a regular basis. <br />
<br />
This week I'm more interested in seeing if defensive coordinator Jim Haslett can follow up on last week's sterling effort, and his defense can turn in another solid across-the-board performance. With the <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. To me this is the single biggest key to the game.<br />
<br />
<strong>Funny Thing Two</strong><br />
<br />
Thing two goes back to what I wrote above–a killer instinct. Even amidst the sweet, smoky afterglow of opening day victory, I cannot quite shake the feeling I had, and suspect many of us had, at the end of the Sainst game. As Drew Brees and Co. roared back from dead-in-the-water to within one tipped ball of probable overtime, I'm guessing Redskins Nation was holding its' collective breath and trying NOT to think, "we've seen this movie before." <br />
<br />
No, it wasn't the old "prevent defense." But it felt like it. It looked like it. Was it percentage football? Perhaps. Was it damned hard to watch, with all the weight of recent history pressing down? Oh yeah. Close the deal, Messrs. Shanahan and Haslett. Please.<br />
<br />
It's 2012. It's a new day. <br />
<br />
Go for the kill.<br />
<br />
<strong>Redskins 29, Rams 23</strong><br />
<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-82351796003337205772012-09-11T14:39:00.001-04:002012-09-11T14:46:54.223-04:00Remembrance and CelebrationTuesday, September 11.<br />
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It is something I know, deep in my bones, yet only occasionally acknowledge. Let today be such a day.<br />
<br />
This...<br />
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... grants the unselfconscious, joyful gift of celebrating this:<br />
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<br />
Hail.<br />
<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-59132176880540376062012-09-07T11:03:00.002-04:002012-09-07T11:15:04.819-04:00Redskins New Era Faces Stern First Test <br />
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With the 2012 NFL season and dawn of a new era in Redskins football (make no mistake, boom or bust, history will record 2012 as the beginning of the Robert Griffin III Era) just two days away, let us take a last lingering look at the Big Picture.<br />
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Because come Sunday, and then over the five months to follow, we will spend our time burrowing deep into into the delicious minutia of the games themselves.<br />
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<em>* deep breath * </em></div>
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The preseason (3-1) was certainly satisfying. There were plenty of positives:<br />
<ul>
<li>flashes of RG3 potential</li>
<li>surprisingly crisp rookie backup QB Kirk Cousins</li>
<li>powerful rookie RB Afred Morris</li>
<li>as deep and athletic a WR corps as we have seen since The Posse</li>
<li>something only veteran Redskins observers can recall--apparent depth. This is something the Redskins have NOT boasted in recent memory. The thorough dismantling and domination of Tampa Bay's backups by Washington's offered, at the very least, a 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>. </li>
</ul>
Did the preseason provide reason for optimism, even <em>with</em> the first-half egg the team laid up in Chicago? Absolutely. There were unmistakeable signs of emerging talent and a team coming together. If one squinted his/her eyes just a bit, one could even see the realistic possiblity that the first year of the new era could feature meaningful games in December.<br />
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Coins, of couse, have two sides. There were also reminders that this Redskins team is still very much a work in progress. One need only cue up the aforementioned first half in the Windy City as Exhibit A.<br />
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The preseason saw: </div>
<ul>
<li>clear "rookie moments" from the young franchise quarterback</li>
<li>hold-your-breath, cover-your-eyes moments courtesy of the offensive line's pass protection</li>
<li>perhaps most saliently (heading into a week one matchup against New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees and his high-flying passing circus), a defensive secondary that may test the metro area's Pepto and Advil reserves this fall. </li>
</ul>
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Cause for concern? Of course there is. The team is not a finished product (assuming there is such a thing in today's NFL). In addition to starting a raw rookie at quarterback, the offensive line remains transitionary at best and the defensive secondary could wear question marks instead of numerals. Which would be better than targets, but still.<br />
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So just as it is possible to imagine meaningful games in December, it is also possible to imagine playing out the string by November. Damn coins.<br />
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The 2012 preseason in a nutshell? More good than bad.</div>
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<em>* flush *</em></div>
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On to Game One...</div>
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The 2012 Washington Redskins take the field Sunday carrying a new banner, one that represents the single biggest positive change in the franchise's fortunes in a generation. By all accounts, the team has, finally, acquired a legitimate NFL starting quarterback. It is not hard to to lose sight of just how important that is, particularly in the early days, before The Change becomes apparent to all.<br />
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But 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 not revisit that today. 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 />
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When that change begins to manifest in the won-lost column is another matter. 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 />
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<em>* balloon, meet pin *</em></div>
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<em>Can</em> the Redskins beat New Orleans? Sure they can. No one saw last season's opening day win over the NY Giants coming, either. Will they? The brain says no. <br />
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Griffin III could pass for 375 yards and 2 TD's, plus run for a third, but unless his team upsets the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome, the general sense will be of disappointment. Natural enough. As fans we may know intellectually that 2012 is The Franchise's rookie campaign--his requisite get-up-to-speed year--but the emotions of the game itself will make it hard to focus on much beyond "0-1, here we go again" come Monday morning.<br />
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I expect the Redskins offense will have an inconsistent afternoon featuring a few dazzling Sportscenter highs, but also just enoughg gut-wrenching lows to tip the scale. Such is life with a Rookie QB Phenom. I can see the offense putting up 20-24 points. To win, however, I think the Redskins are going to need 30-35. </div>
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Why? Drew Brees. Because the Saints have what the Redskins as yet do not--a franchise QB and surrounding cast already ramped up and established. What sets New Orleans apart is the polished package Brees brings: savviness, experience, mobility and a lightning-quick release. Unfortunately for the Redskins, those assets are precisely the tools you want to use to attack the burgundy and gold defense. <br />
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The Washington front seven looks to be upgraded from 2011. At times this season it may even even prove powerful, dominating against both the run and rushing the passer. But power and athletic quickness are different animals, and the latter would serve them better this week.<br />
<br />
Drew Brees is masterful at getting the ball out quickly. He won't stand long and tall in a collapsing pocket, willing to take hits to deliver at the last second. Brees with will either snap off the ball before the rush gets there, or slide, move, create space and throw accurately on the run. Look for TE Jimmy Graham in the deep middle, and RB Darrin Sproles anywhere on the field, on enough third down conversions to be the difference.<br />
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And 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> and his ability to take a defense to the highest level--to craft schemes capable of overcoming personnel shortcomings against specific opponents, and make the right calls at the right times in crucial spots late in games. The statistical improvement last season was undeniable, but I have yet to see evidence his unit will create turnovers, his blitzes will be any better disguised or less predictable, that he will not continue to get outguessed on the game's most critical calls, or that his unit won't continue to shine on first and second downs and then, all too often, going maddeningly soft on third. <br />
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<em>* ouch *</em></div>
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<br />
Sorry about the downer. Just calling it like I've been seeing this game play out in my mind. Yes, anything can happen. Come Monday we <em>could</em> be savoring an improbable, inspiring victory and trying our best not to get too high as to the possibilities. More likely, however, is a scenario that sees the Redskins hang tough, make a game of it into the second half, but in the end succumb to <em>another</em> franchise quarterback--this one a future first-ballot Hall of Famer rolling at the top of his game.<br />
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There will be jump-out-of-your-seat moments. As Redskins fans we will see signs of good things to come, and Sunday night Sportscenter will be running sweet RG3 highlights over and over again. But in the end, the defense, and its not-ready-for-prime-time secondary, will fall prey to Brees magic.<br />
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Saints 31, Redskins 23.<br />
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I will say it again though. Sunday's result will <em>not</em> mean that RG3 is a bust, that these are "the same old Redskins" or that the Mayans were right and none of this matters anyway. It will simply mean we have to suffer the slings and arrows of the lemmings in sporrts media and on the web for a little longer. </div>
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Game One, Season One. Remember to enjoy the journey.<br />
<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-41635402714108848892012-08-24T08:56:00.004-04:002012-08-24T09:27:06.229-04:00Redskins vs Colts, Week 3 - A Tale of Two Realities<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", 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>
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</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Best? </em>Easy. Robert Griffin, III vs Andrew Luck. Third game of the preseason, when teams incorporate 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>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Worst? </em>Also easy. RG3 vs Luck, in preseason, being sold as <em>meaning</em> something. When "starters playing three quarters" is interpreted by many as said veteran starters, as a group, 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 the results matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inevitable truth that, even knowing it is but a glorified scrimmage, we will, at some point, find ourselves emotionally caught up in the moment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Wisdom?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Of course. </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. Even Joe Gibbs said so ("nothing matters less than preseason").</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Foolishness?</em> You think? Skip Bayless. Chris Berman. Handsomely paid television, radio and interweb experts solemnly attesting to the meaning to be found wihtin the meaninglessness, if one is simply willing to accept their genius. Armchair quarterbacks, coaches, and general managers finding interwebbian soapbox opportunites galore from which to share <em>their</em> told-you-so genius. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Belief? </em>You bet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When RG3 sidesteps an unblocked pass rusher and whips a 25-yard laser in the seam to a streaking Pierre Garçon for a touchdown, we cleave to it as portent of much awesomeness to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the defense stones the Colts on fourth-and-1 from our own 38-yard line, to turn away a potential scoring drive, it strikes us as sufficient evidence that defensive coordinator Jim Hazlett is, indeed, the right man for the job. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", 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. Heading 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, "Times New Roman", serif;">season opener will be a sixth round rookie out of Florida<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Atlantic. And our defense continues to seemingly deal only in </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">extremes—Bills dominance, Bears flatulence—and little in between. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Season of Light? </em>Please.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's Fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's the Redskins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is Good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Season of Darkness?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Sigh. </span>Summer is almost over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mind-numbing incompetence that has been Redskins football for the last twenty years casts a long </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">shadow indeed, even </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">over the apparent Redskins Spring that dawned the brisk March morning we learned they had traded up in the draft for the chance to land their first franchise quarterback in 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. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Spring of hope?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damn straight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 20 years, we actually <em>have</em> what even stone-cold reason tells us is a legtimate NFL quarterback prospect. We know it's going to take time—probably two or three years—before his tide fully raises all Redskins ships, but w<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">e </span>are okay with that. The joy is in the journey, not the destination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Winter of despair?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Wait. T</span>wo or three more <em>years</em>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can't take this anymore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Everything before us?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four o'clock Saturday afternoon, the Washington Redskins take to their home field for the first time since January 1, 2012. Leading the charge through the fireworks and thundering music will be none other than The Man himself, Robert Griffin, III.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will play up to three quarters of football, with a little systemic support around him finally, perhaps even allowed to run a few plays of the offense we will see in September. We will finally get a glimpse of the magic we believe will be ours to savor for a decade and more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <em>O</em></span><em>ur</em> house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>Our</em> man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>Our</em> team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Nothing before us?</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Nod. </span>It's preseason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter how hard "they" try to sell </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">it otherwise, the truth is that nothing matters less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ah, well. Take heart friends. The regular season is but two short weeks away. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is a far far better thing...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-87080459871548527072012-08-15T13:49:00.000-04:002012-08-15T15:34:25.155-04:00RG3 Unspectacular But On Schedule in Preseason OpenerWeek 1 of the preseason is less about analysis than it is celebrating The Return of NFL Football. It is for reveling in the moment. It's about seeing your favorite team hit the field for the first time in a seeming eternity. As long as no key player goes down with serious injury, the preseason opener is largely ceremonial. <br />
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But now that the 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 />
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In that spirit, here are some semi-serious (it <i>is</i> still preseason) thoughts after the warm fuzzies have faded from week one: <br />
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I thought much of the media reaction to RG3's brief appearance, particularly from the national media, was strangely over the top. To my eye, the man barely broke a sweat. Six pass attempts, one successful audible, zero drama.<br />
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To be sure, it was good to see him looking poised, standing tall in the pocket and delivering accurately. But until we begin building a meaningful sample size of kind of “off schedule” plays that head coach Mike Shanahan keeps talking about, and that are what is supposed to make Kid Bob special, we really won’t learn much about 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;">—</span>not so much in his physical development, but the mental side. The in-game, on-the-fly judgment side. <br />
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Until the first time he has to come back on 3rd-and-12, having just been smacked in the mouth and landed upon by an irritated 6'3", 315 lb. defensive tackle on second down, we won’t begin to see beyond all the shiny, seductive potential and into, shall we say, the afterglow reality. <br />
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Not to overstate the case, but with two brief nod-of-recognition exceptions, what I took from RG3's brief debut was much ado about not much. The three completions he made to open WR's Pierre Garτon and Leonard Hankerson were throws I frankly expect any professional quarterback to make. He went through his progressions, yes, and that was noted and appreciated. But there was really nothing unusual to them, good or bad. <br />
<br />
His best pass of the night, easily, was the sideline 3rd-down incompletion to Garτon that many feel should have been called complete. Friggin' faux zebras. The throw showed true NFL accuracy and touch.<br />
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But even that one didn't really get my attention. Here's what did: <br />
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1) the one RG3 moment 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;">—</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 find an unblocked Bills defender in his face. He insitinctively stopped, twisted and snapped off an athletic, accurate throw in a flash that, if nothing else, turned a potentially bad play into a harmless one. I don't mind telling you that made me smile. <br />
<br />
2) the WR screen that Garτon took to the house for the game's only TD. Why? Becuase RG3 made it look easy, and <em>that </em>is something that those who have watched Redskins quarterbacks struggle mightily for a generation can attest it was not. The pass may have only covered a few yards, but it was on time, well-paced and on target. <br />
<br />
Professional, even. <br />
<br />
Both of those plays showed me hints of what I have been looking in vain for in a Redskins QB for too many years to count—the 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 release becomes necessary. <br />
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Or, put in more in-vogue terms ... off schedule. <br />
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All in all, the 2012 preseason opener was a satisfiying appetizer. Tasty, not too filling, whetting the appetite just so. With our palates now awakened, here's to a slightly more zesty second course, and further promise of what is to come, Saturday night against the Chicago Bears. <br />
<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-45807242105056377152012-05-25T13:07:00.003-04:002012-05-26T08:50:44.531-04:00Redskins Palate Cleanser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tired of salary c(r)ap?</div>
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Bummed preseason is still 76 days away?</div>
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Frustrated with Redskins.com's flaccid OTA coverage?</div>
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Feed your passion.</div>
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<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-3228404761922479212012-05-16T13:52:00.001-04:002012-05-16T14:20:05.080-04:00The Waiting<br />
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In the days and weeks following the St. Louis/Washington trade, up to and through the NFL draft and subsequent Redskins rookie camp, feeding the daily Robert Griffin III obsession was easy. There was such a cornucopia of news available that the difficult part was trying to <em>assimilate</em> it all in the few hours a working person has to spare.</div>
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But now the dust has settled.<br />
<br />
In the interminable lull between camps, the available nourishment has been pared down to following links–any links–even if they're about <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=newssearch&cd=3&ved=0CDUQqQIwAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcwashington.com%2Fblogs%2Fcapital-games%2FGet-Your-RGIII-Socks-Now-151631545.html&ei=PdizT7v_JpCA6QG88tG4CQ&usg=AFQjCNGdNSeHpy7-G2wb23icqQJ_85bPBg&sig2=vNjO6f1fRk1sA10bTUf47Q" target="_blank">socks</a>.<br />
<br />
These days the morning ritual includes a quick stop on Google's sports news roundup, typing <a href="https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=RG3" target="_blank">"RG3" in the search field</a> and scanning the entire list. You know, in case someone somewhere wrote something new about the Redskins, their new quarterback phenom, and their inevitable return to rightful gridiron relevance. </div>
<br />
Or better yet there might be a new <a href="https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=RG3#q=RG3&hl=en&gl=us&tbm=vid&source=lnms&ei=Q9OzT_PEJOTs6gG-rd2aCQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=4&ved=0CBoQ_AUoAw&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=8feb62effbc746d6&biw=1152&bih=702" target="_blank">video</a>.<br />
<br />
At first, the Baylor games were the video prize. On-field heroics. Amazing throws, breathtaking runs. Having watched them all repeatedly, however, today the off-field, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhyqhn1LJps" target="_blank">who-is-this-guy</a> version have become equally prized. Maybe more so, given that ultimately they are what led to the kid getting under our Skins.<br />
<br />
Twenty-two year old Robert Griffin III has spawned more man-crushes–particularly among men who generally cringe at mention of such a thing–than anyone since Art Monk was hailed into Canton.<br />
<br />
And no, it's not just about the kid. Any thinking soul knows there is more to it than that. It's about the kid becoming quarterback of the <strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIEuNvosg5I&feature=related" target="_blank">Washington Redskins</a></strong>.<br />
<br />
So will this all prove just another too-good-to-be-true infatuation? Jeremy Lin 2.0? Yeah maybe–shit happens.<br />
<br />
But not yet. Not today ...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Today it's all about promise.<br />
<br />
And so 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; things to distract us.<br />
<br />
We will mow the grass. Alot. Maybe hit the beach if we're lucky.<br />
<br />
You know, attend to daily life.<br />
<br />
We'll keep one eye on the first-place Nationals, who, as of this writing, are slowly, blood-vessel by blood-vessel, reclaiming the hearts of Washingtonians whose first baseball love was ripped from their chests forty years ago.<br />
<br />
We'll wish we still had those <em>pre</em>-preseason scrimmages with the Pittsburgh Steelers up in Latrobe. Some of us more seasoned types remember tuning in, at high noon on certain sweltering August Saturdays, to catch some position drills, a little 7-on-7, and at the end, a four-series-each, full-squad scrimmage, where two different sets of uniforms actually lined up, ran a few plays, tackled, and even kept score.<br />
<br />
Imagine what a circus–and how much fun–<em>that </em>would be this year.<br />
<br />
Alas, it is not to be. <br />
<br />
So we wait.<br />
<br />
We understand that the first time we see these new Redskins take the field, and get to watch Robert Griffin III walk up to the line of scrimmage in "live" action (air-quotes denoting <em>preseason</em>), we will only get a glimpse. A morsel. He'll throw eight, maybe ten passes. He might even take off and run once (though the bet here is that if he does, he'll scamper out of bounds and/or slide quite early, so as to not make his coach and every living soul within a million mile radius of Redskins Nation pucker in unison). <br />
<br />
But he will have <em>played</em>. In Redskins colors.<br />
<br />
And when the first preseason game is over, we will dive in and take the full nine days until the Redskin play again (at Chicago) to dissect every step, decision, throw, body-language cue and post-game comment that can be gleaned, inferred, or simply made up, from repeated slow-motion replays of bad local network television coverage, and Youtube mashups, as is humanly possible. <br />
<br />
It will all mean exactly nothing of course. Preseason is still preseason. It will be preposterous, indulgent, and a complete waste of time.<br />
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It will also be absolutely, unapologetically glorious.<br />
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<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>Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-11101726268265031502012-05-09T13:03:00.002-04:002012-05-25T13:15:57.881-04:00Space Rocks and Matriculation: The Case for Kirk CousinsFor the record, as I write this, my second monitor is sporting jpegs of <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> and a random <a href="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0bX99Lj8JNgu1/600x640.jpg?fit=scale&background=000000" target="_blank">Redskins cheerleader</a> (which may not bring luck but <em>damn</em>). I am also whispering an <a href="http://www.gregroelofs.com/humor/zelazny_agnostic.html" target="_blank">agnostic's prayer</a> to beat the band.<br />
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With that preemptive apologia in mind ...<br />
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What if <a href="http://www.redskins.com/team/roster/Robert-Griffin%20III/ea45ad36-da31-473a-990f-473496382179" target="_blank">Robert Griffin III</a>, the Washington Redskins prized rookie quarterback and potential "franchise saviour," were to mysteriously go missing this summer, never to be heard from again? Or get clonked on the head by a meterorite, contract amnesia and no longer be able to read the free safety?<br />
<br />
You know, what if something <em>bad</em> happens, and it turns out RG3 doesn't Captain My Captain the Redskins out of the woods after all?<br />
<br />
The question has to be asked. Not in the abstract, but in the practical, the concrete, the "we better have a Plan B in place or we risk some very real, very unhappy consequences."<br />
<br />
One thing the Redskins absolutely could not afford to do was head into 2012 and beyond with no one but RG3 or Andrew Luck (I admit it, there were moments I wondered if knucklehead Indianopolis Colts owner Jim Irsay maybe <em>was</em> that flighty) standing between them and Rex Grossman. <br />
<br />
You can hear the critics, right? If the Redskins not drafted a second quarterback in April, there would be a host of critics complaining, "so...if RG3 goes down we're back to <em>Grossbeck</em>?!"<br />
<br />
I can pretty much guarantee the question was asked at Redskins Park in the days and weeks leading up to the NFL Draft. It<em> better</em> have been asked, because if it was not, the Asbburn Brain Trust would not have been doing their jobs.<br />
<br />
Enter former Michigan State quarterback <a href="http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/cousins_kirk00.html" target="_blank">Kirk Cousins</a>... <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
If you're reading this, you have probably already heard most if not all of the arguments suggesting the Cousins pick was, for lack of a better word, dumb, e.g., it could undermine RG3's confidence; it could create a quarterback controversy; that the pick should have been used to bolster the roster elsewhere, etc.<br />
<br />
Well, I never bought any of them. I'll admit to a mild surprise when the pick happened--I didn't see it coming. But my first reaction was not negative. It was a slow nod of understanding. Which has grown steadily into admiration as the inevitable knee-jerk reaction exploded. The Redskins had to have known they'd get pilloried, but they did what they had to do. I like that.<br />
<br />
To me quarterback is far and away the most essential position on an NFL team, and as such you simply can never have too many viable options. The old saw about the backup quarterback being "one play away" from starting is <em>real.</em> Ask Kurt Warner. Ask Tom Brady.<br />
<br />
The best soup-to-nuts case I've read so far in support of the Cousins pick 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 undiscovered gem of a blog <a href="http://metalkathlete.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Me Talk Athlete</a>. Here's the gist:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[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>
Take a minute to read the entire piece, and bookmark Bram. Man gets it.<br />
<br />
No, Kirk Cousins is almost certainly not ready to play (if by play one means win the job and keep it) in 2012 should misfortune befall Griffin. He may not be ready to play ever--unfairly or not, the truth is he gives off a bit of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Husak" target="_blank">Todd Husak</a> vibe to me, and that's not something I'm really in the mood to contemplate.<br />
<br />
But make no mistake, they needed to make the pick.<br />
<br />
Shanahan has said the Redskins had Cousins rated as the third best quarterback in this draft. Most pre-draft ratings had him going considerably higher than the fourth-round. For a team as bereft of talent at the position as the Redskins have been for a generation, finding that kind of "value" in the fourth round was a gift they simply could not refuse.<br />
<br />
Close your eyes and imagine (painful as it might be) that at some point between now and, say, next year's draft, RG3 is suddenly removed from the equation. Likely? Of course not. Possible? Damn right. <br />
<br />
Okay, open your eyes. Not a pretty picture. <br />
<br />
The 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 Cousins may not work out. But the Redskins had to take him when he fell to the fourth round.<br />
<br />
And looking ahead, if 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 plays and avoids falling space debris. They simply cannot afford to risk being one play away from ... you know.<br />
<br />
Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs believed in drafting a quarterback every year regardless of the status of his current starter. He fully understood what the position meant in the NFL. As the only man to have ever matriculated (that's for you, Hank Stram and Ron Jaworski) three championships out of three quarterbacks, perhaps his counsel is worth heeding.<br />
<br />
That is all.<br />
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*<br />
<br />
PS. Robert? Please render this whole teapot tempest moot. Look both ways. Look <em>up</em>. Floss. And for chrissakes avoid wood-chippers.<br />
<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-26501540170430058412012-05-04T09:02:00.001-04:002012-05-25T13:17:42.270-04:00Welcome Home, RGIIIIt has been a generation.<br />
<br />
<u><strong>1991 <u><strong>– 2011</strong></u></strong></u><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Mark Rypien<br />
Cary Conklin<br />
Rich Gannon<br />
John Friesz<br />
Heath Shuler<br />
Gus Frerotte<br />
Trent Green<br />
Brad Johnson<br />
Jeff George<br />
Tony Banks<br />
Danny Wuerffel<br />
Shane Matthews<br />
Tim Hasselbeck<br />
Patrick Ramsey<br />
Mark Brunell<br />
Todd Collins<br />
Jason Campbell<br />
Donovan McNabb<br />
John Beck<br />
Rex Grossman</blockquote>
<strong><u>2012 –</u></strong><br />
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If you are a Redskins fan, you understand.<br />
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Hail.Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-55826185512696501122012-04-27T14:55:00.002-04:002012-04-27T15:31:51.335-04:00RG3 vs Luck Angle I Wish I'd Had the Guts to Post First<br />
Rat farts.<br />
<br />
I've been batting around a possible <strong>Robert Griffin III vs. Andrew Luck</strong> comparison angle for a couple of weeks now, but had yet to think through enough to try to give written form. <br />
<br />
It's a good one too, one of those potential "<em>I called it!"</em> moments one either ends up getting to crow about down the road or, alternatively, cringing from hoping no one remembers.<br />
<br />
Wish I'd pulled the trigger.<br />
<br />
I stumbled across <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. Baldwin claims it, nails it, owns it and punctuates it in a way that needs no elucidation. He does to this concept what Heinlein did to any storyline he decided to explore.<br />
<br />
So much for my future <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-W76OXqAgc" target="_blank"><strong>act-like-you-been-there</strong></a> moment of confirmation.<br />
<br />
The 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 />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>The problem is the Colts picked a Sam Perkins with an MJ on the board.</em></blockquote>
<em><em></em></em><em><em></em></em>Yeah. <br />
<br />
So on the off chance the Redskins charismatic new quarterback becomes an NFL legend, helping the Washington Redskins carve new championship notches on their belts and becoming a cultural and international icon, I hereby humbly claim the right to point back to April 27, 2012, and, if not <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwHWbsvgQUE" target="_blank"><strong>go all Tarzan</strong></a> about it, at least say:<br />
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Thanks for understanding, Chris.<br />
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Hail.Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-90328105025460759232012-04-25T15:32:00.003-04:002012-04-26T10:20:47.558-04:00RG3 Can Be Redskins Rising TideApril 26, 2012 could well be the day the tide finally came in for the Washington Redskins.<br />
<br />
Sometime around 8:30 pm on Thursday evening, 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>, has been selected by the Redskins.<br />
<br />
There will be much rejoicing, and I will be among those letting my inner child dance. Anyone who has lived the burgundy and gold life for any length of time will understand. <br />
<br />
Sure, there are “ifs” involved—in the real world there always are. As people are quick to remind us, there are no sure things. <br />
<br />
So let's deal with them right off the top.<br />
<br />
Yes, RG3 played at Baylor, and yes, it is true that no great NFL quarterback has ever come out of the Big 12 Conference. There are familiar Big 12 names—Vince Young, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy—but no Big 12 quarterback has ever established a championship or Pro Bowl legacy in the NFL.<br />
<br />
So while one can opt to project from that RG3 will continue the trend, I submit that there is another wy to look at it. Before <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 />
<br />
Great players are not defined by where they played in college.<br />
<br />
Then there is the eye ball test. This one I admit will linger for a while, even for some of those among us who are "all in" on RG3. The first time I watched one of his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=RG3+highlights&oq=RG3+highlights&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_nf=1&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 highlight reels</a> I had the same reaction I got when I first studied the St. Louis Rams' Sam Bradford two years ago—the man ain’t big. In fact, he tends to thin. Those runners legs, and that track-star body in general, may not hold up.<br />
<br />
Griffin's measureables, 6' 2 3/8" ht., 225 lbs., are fine on paper. But the eye test suggests a lithe, sinewy athlete and not necessarily an NFL stud. With the way pro quarterbacks get hit these days, and the way NFL pass pockets buzz with linebackers and defensive linemen creating mayhem at knee level, you would kind of like your franchise quarterback to have trees for legs,<em> a la</em> Ben Roethlisberger. RG3, for all his world-class speed and athleticism, has sprinters legs.<br />
<br />
For a guy who will be standing and moving in and around in traffic as much as he is going to be, particularly early in his career, and who is going to be taking his fair share of big hits and in-traffic takedowns, that lean body and hurdlers legs are going to be at risk. There is simply no way around it. I expect I will not be the only Redskins fan cringing every time he goes down in a pile. <br />
<br />
So yes ... there are ifs.<br />
<br />
Happily, as I dug deeper and started researching him in earnest, I discovered that what sets Robert Griffin III apart, and makes the cost the Redskins paid to secure his services more than palatable, are not primarily his eye-popping athletic skills and measurables. Although they are real, and they are spectacular. <br />
<br />
No, what sets this guy apart is what he has inside ...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
This is when I "fell:"<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-combine/09000d5d82742179/RGIII-shows-his-smarts" target="_blank">RGIII Shows His Smarts</a><br />
<br />
Before I watched 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 was what the collective media kept saying about his freakish athletic skills. When I saw the way he handled himself with Mariucci, however—and specifically, the way he handled the chalkboard portion, including poking fun at Mariucci for his distraction tactic, then drew up the protection scheme unbidden—I became convinced there was a man there. <br />
<br />
Watch Mariucci's face at around <em>3:05</em>. I felt the same way.<br />
<br />
It's true what they say about first impressions.<br />
<br />
I first wrote about "rising tides" in football context it in a piece about <a href="http://www.theomfield.com/2008/09/rising-tide.html" target="_blank">Jason Campbell in 2008</a>, when it looked like he might be on his way. That was before we discovered that, for all his positive traits, Campbell lacked the field generalship and playmaking ability to become The Man.<br />
<br />
I wrote about it 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>. That one was less about McNabb than it was about the impact a franchise quarterback can have on an organization; what landing one can and will mean for the Redskins if and when they finally get one. I was hopeful then McNabb could be that guy for 2-3 years while the Redskins found and groomed his successor. That history, sadly, has been written otherwise. No need to flog that deceased equine.<br />
<br />
The point that <em>is</em> worth making again is this:<br />
<br />
The Redskins have thrown their hat in the franchise quarterback ring. Not for a veteran stopgap on the downhill side of a career this time, but for a young potential superstar whom only the tiniest fraction of observers fail to praise, in glowing terms, for his physical abilities, leadership and character. And one who also potentially represents what Redskins fans have longed for for many years—a <em>homegrown</em> quarterback star.<br />
<br />
The one constant through 20 years of awful-to-average (read: non-winning) football the Redskins have endured has been substandard quarterbacking. No quarterback equates to no sustained success in the NFL. In 2012, the Redskins have boldly pulled the trigger and taken a calculated gamble to finally, mercifully, stop the bleeding. <br />
<br />
With a legitimate quarterback to build around, the Redskins can join the ranks of teams fans and experts alike love to heap praise upon, teams like the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, who <em>have</em> the services of such a player, and embark on the less difficult (using that term advisedly) task of building around him piece by piece. Receivers, running backs, linemen, coaches—everyone associated with an NFL franchise—become better with The Man at quarterback. <br />
<br />
If Robert Griffin III survives his inevitable learning-curve and avoids serious injury long enough to mature, it will allow the Redskins build around him… and the long years of wandering the NFL desert may well be over for Redskins fans. Yes, it's a big if. The biggest. But the right answer can be transformational.<br />
<br />
It may very well all be turning around for the Washington Redskins ... if they have found their franchise quarterback—the rising tide that lifts all ships.<br />
<br />
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<br />Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-80001793290275585612011-11-29T11:52:00.001-05:002011-11-29T12:07:50.653-05:00Sean's Gone<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, </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>so I will continue to make this 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> </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 />
It’s not a long drive to my son’s high school, maybe 15 minutes.<br />
<br />
Most mornings, we share sleepy wise cracks—which of us looks worse; whose day projects out the bigger pain; the lameness of a certain radio commercial.<br />
<br />
Sometimes we talk daily routine—remembering to turn in an order form; calling if he needs to be picked up; the logistics of an upcoming outing with friends.<br />
<br />
Sometimes we talk a little sports. Redskins, mostly.<br />
<br />
Once in a while, as events dictate, we talk real life—there will be other girls; they just discovered an Earth-like planet 20 light-years away; it’s junior year partner, these grades <i>count</i>.<br />
<br />
Tuesday morning, we rode in silence.<br />
<br />
He’d 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 />
<br />
“Sean’s gone.”<br />
<br />
I wasn’t fully awake—I didn’t 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 don’t remember now if it was raining as we headed out into the dark, but it always will be in my memory.<br />
<br />
As we were pulling out into the road a minute later, a voice on the car radio confirmed the reality.<br />
<br />
“Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died this morning from a gunshot wound suffered in his home …”<br />
<br />
We drove in silence, staring straight ahead.<br />
<br />
I don’t 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 />
<a name='more'></a>I remember thinking I should “say something.” My boy’s favorite athlete—in his eyes one of those larger-than-life figures we all hold up to the light that help form our young selves—had just been senselessly shot down in the prime of his life. I should be a rock. Paternal. Wise.<br />
<br />
I thought I shouldn’t 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 />
<br />
I felt the onset of fury, the urge to say something—do something—about this insanity. About yet another needless violent death, about yet another fatherless child.<br />
<br />
I felt the wearying, familiar heaviness in my chest, as just the latest in an endless parade of man’s-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 />
<br />
I thought about the burgundy “21” jersey hanging in my son’s closet … and how when we watch the games together, we always exchange—exchanged—knowing 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 />
<br />
“Taylor.”<br />
<br />
I 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 didn’t have to remind himself there will be a time for that, and this was not it.<br />
<br />
I 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 />
<br />
Perhaps that is what life is like for those who have lived, and still live, in circumstances not yet “civilized,” as we like to think ours are, spending their days scratching out sustenance, standing watch over loved ones through uncertain nights, wondering if the coming day might be the last.<br />
<br />
Yes, people die tragically every day. And it’s 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, it’s often only when someone who has touched our own lives is lost, that the numbness disappears.<br />
<br />
Tuesday 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 />
<br />
My son’s experience that morning was both like and unlike mine. At his tender age, the tears were of shock, outrage, incomprehension—an unfamiliar and frightening ripping at his gut over the loss of a man he looked up to and admired.<br />
<br />
At 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 />
<br />
My 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 />
<br />
But he was most certainly part of our lives.<br />
<br />
We 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 />
<br />
We 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 />
<br />
Instead, in an instant, Sean Taylor was gone.<br />
<br />
And 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 />
<br />
<br />
It was all I could do to say what I finally managed, and I don’t believe I did well trying to steady my voice. “There are no magic words.”<br />
<br />
He looked at me, nodded. “I know.”<br />
<br />
We 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 />
<br />
I heard myself say, “Sometimes life just doesn’t make sense.”<br />
<br />
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “It’s going to be a depressing day.”<br />
<br />
All the things I’ve ever wanted to tell him—and my wife, two daughters, parents, brother and sister, extended family, friends, colleagues and fellow human beings who have lived and died since our species began—all 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, empathy—hope—and so much more.<br />
<br />
It 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 doesn’t embarrass them, and hope they might carry with them when you are gone.<br />
<br />
So 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 />
<br />
I told him I loved him, and didn’t try to hide the tears.<br />
<br />
You will be remembered, Sean Taylor.<br />
<br />
Godspeed.<br />
<br />
<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>Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845486561905685878.post-10495455061958544672011-10-06T12:08:00.007-04:002011-10-06T13:42:37.740-04:00Synaptic Shotgun: 3-1 Washington RedskinsI 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 bottled up. So I'm going to try the shotgun-style thing for a while. Again.<br />
<br />
In no particular order, and definitely not exhaustively ...<br />
<br />
<b><u>DC Jim Haslett</u></b><br />
<br />
Few 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 to implement the transition from a 4-3 to 3-4 defense 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 />
<br />
Mr. Haslett, the product you have put on the field so far in 2011 has been 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 nitpick is with still too-often telegraphed blitzes that don't get there. Even then, I understand that kind of second-guessing is easy for armchair coordinators. And I recognize that the view from the living room is a little different than the view from the sidelines. In the same way, for instance, as planning to get in shape, and actually <em>getting</em> in shape, are a little different.* <br />
<br />
Hell 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 />
<br />
<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 />
<b><u>QB Rex Grossman</u></b><br />
<br />
... is perhaps the only 3-1 quarterback in NFL history to garner a lower approval rating in his own home town than the sitting President. Well, there is nothing like raising the bar on preseason <em>team</em> expectations to make everyone forget that the current trigger man was never going to be more than a placeholder 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 />
<br />
Sigh.<br />
<br />
But back to Rex...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
At some point, sooner or later, our man is going to throw one too many inexcusable interceptions, or fail to sense 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 />
<br />
At which point the John Beck Era will summarily begin. <br />
<br />
And, at which point, the John Beck Era will immediately find itself on the same frantic countdown clock as the Rex Grossman Era seems to be now. Because unless Beck can, you know, <i>play, </i>the generation-long search the Redskins have suffered for a legitimate, long-term NFL-caliber starting quarterback, will begin anew the moment the final whistle on their 2011 season sounds. So don't blink. When the Rex-to-Beck transition comes—and it will—it's going to happen fast. And there'll be no going back. Just ask Donovan McNabb. <br />
<br />
As for the Beck-to-??? transition, we shall simply have to wait and see what the inscrutable gridiron gods have in mind.<br />
<br />
<b><u>QB John Beck</u></b><br />
<br />
So be ready, brother. Put this indeterminate number of understudy weeks to good use. Study. Work out. Do agility drills. Befriend offensive linemens. And, as a personal favor (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 />
<br />
<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 />
<br />
No.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Philadelphia Eagles</u></b><br />
<br />
Honestly? 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's 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 />
<br />
The 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 />
<br />
Philly will find a way to win Sunday.<br />
<br />
However ... 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 />
<br />
In a league where every week's game is big, and every week a case can be made 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 franchises.<br />
<br />
Just a friendly word to the wise, Philly ... don't leave your lunch in Buffalo.<br />
<br />
<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 />
<br />
<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schadenfreude" target="blank">Schadenfreude</a>, at times like these, is unavoidable. <br />
<br />
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<b><u>Schill Out</u></b><br />
<br />
I'm generally not an ad guy, but will make the occasional exception as merited. If you really, really want to get to the game (or just about any event), but just 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 />
<br />
<br />
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* Yes Kyle, that was for you. Love you man.Mark "Om" Stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10977539052121255474noreply@blogger.com2