(photo by Joel Auerbach)

For the 31 teams who did not win the Super Bowl the previous year, NFL draft weekend represents hope – hope that through hard work and a little bit of luck they’ll walk away with the missing pieces to help propel their respective franchise to championship level.

Like anyone else, fans of the Washington Redskins are cautiously optimistic that this weekend will be the next step in seeing their favorite team return to glory. To help prepare folks for this weekend’s festivities we asked some local experts to share their take on how things might possibly shake out when the Redskins are on the clock. We’ve heard from Redskins official blogger Matt Terl, up next – beat writer Ryan O’Halloran of the Washington Times.

Before we get started, let’s take a rational look at the Washington Redskins roster as currently constructed. Which areas are most in need of an upgrade heading into the draft?

Strong-side linebacker. There isn’t an established starter currently on the roster and the Redskins seem to be downgrading the importance of the position even though it’s a position of importance in the NFC East because of the physical style of their rivals. Granted, Marcus Washington had become strictly a two-down player but finding a new starter at strong-side linebacker is important because we don’t know how long Rocky McIntosh’s knees are going to hold up at weak-side linebacker and if he becomes a liability on third down, it amplifies the importance of the strong-side linebacker.

Left defensive end. Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn are great guys and everything but do the Redskins really want to head to the Meadowlands for Week 1 with a two-man rotation of over-30 ends? They shouldn’t. The Redskins need to boost their pass rush or it won’t matter how good DeAngelo Hall and Carlos Rogers are in coverage.

Offensive line. This rebuilding effort has to start sooner rather than later and the Redskins have to take it seriously. The “Todd Wade Left Guard Experiment” didn’t work in 2006 and Pete Kendall cost them two draft choices. The Chad Rinehart Project won’t pay a dividend this year, which forced the Redskins to bring back Derrick Dockery.

Assuming the Redskins can’t trade out of the 13th pick, who would be the smartest pick at that spot? Safest pick? Riskiest pick?

Smartest pick: A defensive end who is big enough to play in a 4-3 scheme yet as an ability to rush the passer. Candidates would include Penn State’s Aaron Maybin and Tennessee’s Robert Ayres. I don’t expect Texas’ Brian Orakpo to be around.

Safest pick: Probably USC linebacker Brian Cushing. He’s capable in coverage and appears to be physical enough to play the run right away. He didn’t rush the passer much in college so that part of his game would require development.

Riskiest pick: A trade into the top 10 that nets them USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. It would probably cost the Redskins their 2010 first-rounder and I always hate when a team deals a future first-rounder and the return isn’t a veteran player. And Sanchez has started for only one year. How long will it take for him to get ready? Can he be a franchise passer?

If everything fell into place for the Redskins front office, which player do they end up with and what draft spot do they take him from?

Now this is dangerous stuff, trying to get inside the minds of The Danny and The Vinny. If it’s up to them, they trade into the top 10 and grab Sanchez. More than likely, they stay put at No. 13 and draft a defensive end. But for all I know, they could be targeting a receiver … again.

Can you give us two or three players who don’t play quarterback who the ‘Skins could possibly be interested in?

Since I talked about Cushing already, I’ll mention Maybin. He has good height (6-3.5) and weighed in at 250 pounds during the Combine. But he was very productive as a senior (20 tackles for lost yardage, 12 sacks) and his athleticism would give Greg Blache some options and move him around.

Everette Brown from Florida State put up some huge numbers last year (14.5 sacks, 21.5 tackles for lost yardage). The Redskins could trade down in the low teens or high 20s to get him. At 6-2 and 256 he would pose match up problems for bigger offensive tackles.

I’m interested to see what kind of interest the Redskins have/had in Rey Maualuga. The Redskins are set at MLB but maybe they think Maualuga is smart enough to make the quick transition to outside linebacker.

We’ve covered their dream situation. We’ve identified potential targets. When it’s all said and done, who do you think the Redskins end up with after the first round is complete?

As Vinny put it the other day, the scenarios are trade up, trade down or stay put. The most likely I think is trading down. The Redskins have only one of the first 79 picks and that’s not the ideal way to get younger. If they like Michael Oher from Mississippi and they see him slipping, expect a trade down.
Ultimately, I’ll predict they trade down and draft Florida State’s Everette Brown.

(photo by Donald Miralle)

For the 31 teams who did not win the Super Bowl the previous year, NFL draft weekend represents hope – hope that through hard work and a little bit of luck they’ll walk away with the missing pieces to help propel their respective franchise to championship level.

Like anyone else, fans of the Washington Redskins are cautiously optimistic that this weekend will be the next step in seeing their favorite team return to glory. To help prepare folks for this weekend’s festivities we asked some local experts to share their take on how things might possibly shake out when the Redskins are on the clock. Up first, Redskins official blogger Matt Terl.

Before we get started, let’s take a rational look at the Washington Redskins roster as currently constructed. Which areas are most in need of an upgrade heading into the draft?

I don’t think there’s a lot of debate here: youth at left defensive end, an every-down right tackle, and strong-side linebacker (unless the coaches know something about Robert Thomas and/or moving Chris Wilson that we don’t).

Assuming the Redskins can’t trade out of the 13th pick, who would be the smartest pick at that spot? Safest pick? Riskiest pick?

I don’t see a lot of risky picks falling to 13. At one point, I would’ve projected Andre Smith in that role here, but it certainly looks like he’ll be a risky pick in the top 10 instead. So let’s see …

Smart pick: tough to say, not knowing who’s gone. If any of the four big-name tackles lands here, I think that’s the smart pick. I’d be thrilled to come away with a Michael Oher.

Safe pick: Brian Cushing, I think. He fills a need, seems unlikely to be a bust, and will almost certainly be available.

Risky pick: After the endless rumor cycle of the last week, do you have to ask? Mark Sanchez. Even if he falls to here – which seems exceedingly unlikely – he doesn’t fill a need, will enrage a portion of the fanbase … but might pay huge dividends down the line. Seems like the definition of risky to me.

If everything fell into place for the Redskins front office, which player do they end up with and what draft spot do they take him from?

Eben Britton at pick 20 after trading back with the Lions to get an extra pick or two.

Can you give us two or three players who don’t play quarterback who the ‘Skins could possibly be interested in?

Well, the four top tackles plus the next few guys down the line – Britton, Phil Loadholt, maybe Beatty – if they can move back.

Aaron Maybin, if they believe he can play off the left side. Brian Cushing. Ray Maualuga.

We’ve covered their dream situation. We’ve identified potential targets. When it’s all said and done, who do you think the Redskins end up with after the first round is complete?

Brian Cushing at 13.

(AP photo)

This past weekend, Washington Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes was fined $500 and benched for being late to a game against the Florida Marlins.

Nats acting general manager Mike Rizzo and (acting) manager Manny Acta opted to fine and bench Dukes because the controversial outfielder was late and his excuse was not a team-sponsored event. They even went as far as to warn Dukes that if he was tardy again, he could be demoted to the minor leagues. Sounds great, right? The team should be applauded for trying to instill discipline and accountability to a young and immature lineup, right? In the words of the immortal poet Lee Corso, “Not so fast, sweetheart.”

Dukes was running behind because he was speaking with the Great Falls Little League in Northern Virginia. After addressing the kids, he stuck around to sign autographs and watch a parade of little leaguers, so he got to the ballpark a few minutes later than he intended. He didn’t miss the start of the game, he simply arrived late for warm ups, stretching, etc.

“We are going to change the culture here, regardless of how well a guy is playing,” said Acta. And why wouldn’t he? I mean, what kind of message does it send when a player goes out and gives back to the local community? The Nationals have gone out of their way to alienate the local fanbase since the moment they arrived in town and here’s this jerkwad trying to do his own thing. This kind of insubordination simply cannot and will not be tolerated. Clearly this is grounds for waterboarding.

When the idea of a professional baseball team relocating to our nation’s capital was first broached, I was all for it. In my lifetime your choices were to either cheer for the Baltimore Orioles, who were a great option until Peter “Satan” Angelos came into the picture, or don’t watch baseball. Sure, bandwagon fans could jump on the Yankees, Red Sox or Cubs because that’s what trendy people do, but that wasn’t really my thing. So I stuck with the Washington Redskins, Capitals and Bullets.

But then Major League Baseball, even in spite of Angelos’ protests, brought baseball into the fold. Before the start of the 2005 season, the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington D.C. and became the Nationals. A new generation was ready to whole-heartedly embrace the national pastime. Or at least that was the plan.

Click here for the full article.

Note to self is a weekly sports column written for HoboTrashcan.

(photo by Julie Jacobson)

With apologies to the wildly-popular “Rock the Red” campaign, it seems only fitting that a Washington Capitals team of playoff virgins attempting to capture their first postseason series would get on track while sporting white jerseys.

Last night’s 4-0 thumping of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden was a much-needed shot of confidence to a Capitals team that had yet to play a complete game this postseason. In game one, the Caps’ offense looked sharp, but goalie Jose Theodore fell asleep at the wheel. Game two featured solid goaltending from rookie Simeon Varlamov, but Washington’s offense took the night off.

Folks started to wonder if this talented, but still very young roster, truly grasped what it takes to be successful when the Stanley Cup is on the line. So much so that on Pardon the Interruption Monday, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, two hockey experts in their own minds, openly compared Alex Ovechkin and the Caps to Tracy McGrady and the perennial underachieving Houston Rockets, who are simply unable to advance past round one of the playoffs.

Well, we doubt either Kornheiser or Wilbon actually tuned in last night, but if they did they saw the Capitals’ most inspired effort in recent memory. Backed by Varlamov’s 33-save effort and a three-point night from the enigma that is Alexander Semin, the Caps cruised to an easy victory in front of a sellout crowd in New York.

It seems that before they even arrived at the rink the Caps were in a feisty mood Monday. Ovechkin decided to play some head games with the Rangers and swung by to watch their morning practice (until he was asked to leave). Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau got in on the fun when he had his guys skate in one set of lines during pregame warm-ups and then switched everything around at the last minute to keep his opponent guessing.

Whatever they did worked to perfection, as the Caps came out with more intensity, grit and determination than the Rangers. Of course, sitting center Michael Nylander in favor of forward Donald Brashear never hurts a team looking to send a message, but we digress.

The Caps hustled, checked and played sound hockey from the opening faceoff. Semin had two point-blank quality scoring chances early and failed to convert either. But instead of getting rattled, the Capitals dug in even more and Semin ended up scoring two first-period goals anyway – both with a higher degree of difficulty than the two early “gimmies” he whiffed on.

After taking a 1-0 lead on Semin’s first goal of the night, the Caps got a huge break when Rangers forward Ryan Callahan missed a wide-open net in one of the rare moments when Varlamov looked human. Instead of “putting the biscuit in the basket,” Callahan’s shot rang off the post. Next thing you know the Capitals are breaking out the other way and Semin picked up his second goal of the night with just over eight minutes left in the second frame. Most importantly, both goals were scored during five-on-five play.

“It’s the luck of hockey and the luck of sport,” Boudreau told the media after the game. “Some guy hits a post on a great opportunity and you go down the other end and score. And instead of 1-1 you’ve got 2-0, and you’re team is going in after the first period with a lot of confidence.”

Forward Brooks Laich and defenseman Tom Poti each added powerplay goals as the Capitals solved Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvuist, for one night at least. The three stars of the game were, in order, Varlamov, Semin and defenseman John Erskine.

Let’s start with Varlamov, who posted the first shutout of his professional career. Through eight NHL games (including both the regular and postseason), Varlamov has gone 5-1-1 with a 1.75 goals against average and an astounding .935 save percentage. In two playoff games, Varlamov has stopped 56 of 57 shots he’s faced for an unheard of .982 save percentage. That, my friends, is called getting it done.

Semin, along with Ovechkin and center Nicklas Backstrom, provided all the necessary offense Monday night. He finished with two goals and an assist and the “young guns” line of Semin-Ovechkin-Backstrom picked up eight points (two goals and six assists).

The final player whose effort needs to be highlighted is Erskine, who we lovingly refer to as “Dumb & Dumber” because of a resemblance to Jeff Daniels’ Harry Dunne character. Erskine, who may be the most unheralded player on the current roster, was magnificent Monday night. If nothing else, he flipped the script and beat Ranger agitator Sean Avery at his own game.

Avery makes a living by getting under his opponent’s skin and making them focus on everything but the game at hand. For one night, Erskine “out Avery-ed” Avery, who was so flustered throughout the game that while he was on the ice for a total of 16 minutes and 28 seconds, he managed to rack up 18 minutes in penalties – four minor infractions and a 10-minute misconduct. Not only did he take bad penalties, but he did so in the final two periods while the rest of the Rangers were playing catch up. He wasn’t the only reason the Rangers lost the game, but he certainly didn’t help their cause.

If this is the Capitals team that shows up again Wednesday night then Caps fans should feel confident that maybe – just maybe – this team is finally ready to walk down that aisle.

(AP photo)

There was a time, way back in the regular season, when the Washington Capitals would jump out to an early lead and then cruise to an easy victory. There was also a time when the Capitals were simply unbeatable at the Verizon Center.

Well, those days are gone.

Through two games the Capitals have outshot the New York Rangers 27 to 10 in the first period, and yet, have been outscored 1-0. In all, the Caps have outshot New York 70 to 45, but have been outscored 5-3 and have held a lead for just 1:09 total this series. That sobering statistic bears repeating – Washington has had a lead for just one minute and nine seconds through two games.

So what’s the problem? For starters, they have fallen back into an all-too-familiar rut of settling for long-range (i.e. – low percentage) shots. The Caps have fired an astounding 160 shots through the first two games. But not all shots are good shots. Of those, 70 have actually found their way on net. Rangers defenders have blocked 50 shots and the other 40 shots have simply been off target.

“A lot of our shots were coming from the outside, but rebounds were coming to spots where we should be, we just weren’t there to see it,” said Capitals defenseman Mike Green.

This should be fairly obvious at this point, but Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist is too good to beat with fluke goals. If you don’t create traffic in front of him and attempt to screen Lundqvist, you’re not scoring. By placing a forward at the top of the goalie crease, you give yourself a chance of a deflection, rebound or Lundqvist simply not seeing the initial shot. Forward Brooks Laich does this. Unfortunately, he’s about it.

Regardless of who is in net for New York, the Capitals, as a team, need to roll up their sleeves and get dirty. Forwards need to be more aggressive in the offensive zone (and not in the “Alexander Semin takes an ill-advised retaliation penalty” kind of way).

Fifty blocked shots says the Caps’ offense also needs to be less predictable. An extra head fake or deke move might freeze the Rangers’ defense long enough to get a better shot.

Even Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, who has done a masterful job at pushing all the right buttons during his two years in D.C. sounded agitated when asked about all of the Rangers’ blocked shots.

“Their defense is doing a helluva job, blocking us out,” he said. “We talk about getting to the net and going for rebounds. It’s not like we’re sitting there saying we’re going to take the shots on the side.”

The Capitals also need to understand this is still a team game. Green and Alex Ovechkin combined for 87 goals in the regular season, but have yet to recapture their magic. Both were pressing too much during game two and at times seemed to try and single-handedly win the game Saturday. Not coincidentally, they combined for zero goals and something like 16 turnovers.

Whether you’re the best player in the league or a minor-league call up the game remains the same. Take what your opponent gives you and work with your teammates. Create traffic. Don’t force high-risk passes. Remember that it’s still legal to score a goal during five-on-five situations.

None of this is “rocket surgery,” as Joe Theismann would say, but it all bears repeating as the Capitals find themselves on the brink of elimination after one of the most promising regular seasons in franchise history.

(photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The story of game two was rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov, he of just five career NHL starts. The 20-year-old got the nod over Jose Theodore, who looked pedestrian allowing four goals on 21 shots in a 4-3 game one loss to the New York Rangers.

Sure, Varlamov posted a 4-0-1 record with a 2.37 goals against average and a .913 save percentage during the regular season, but this is the playoffs. You make a move like this and it backfires and you’ve essentially guaranteed yourself a one and done for the postseason. Benching your only goalie with any sort of playoff experience removes the safety net. For better or worse, from this point on, your Stanley Cup fate is essentially tied to an unproven rookie.

Heading into his first-career playoff start, we loved the kid’s instincts, pure athleticism and the general X-factor Varlamov brings to a game, but let’s be honest – this was about as ballsy a move as Bruce Boudreau could humanly make. Could the kid live up to the supreme expectations? Did the move completely alienate Theodore? Whatever the case, this series became one of the biggest can’t-miss first-round matchups the moment Boudreau made the switch.

As we all know by now Rangers forwards Marcus Naslund and Ryan Callahan executed a two-on-one breakaway to perfection, beating defenseman Tom Poti and Varlamov with 12:16 left in the first period for the only goal of a day. Although Varlamov was sharp and showed no signs of a young goalie in over his head, the Caps now trail the Rangers two games to none as they head to New York.

Thanks to a Russian journalist who was willing to play translator, we (along with the rest of the media) were able to catch up with Varlamov in the locker room after his postseason debut.

What did you think of your first NHL playoff game?

“The first thing I thought was this was a very important game because you don’t want to go down 2-0 in the series,” Varlamov said. “Now it’s going to be very difficult for us to play in New York, but we’re ready for it.”

Did the long delay before the game started rattle you at all?

“Yeah, I was bothered by it frankly,” he said. “There was a bit of an incident down on the ice because the goal wasn’t fixed in properly and it kind of bothered me.”

Were you nervous at all?

“It’s normal for a goalie to be nervous before a game, so yeah I was,” Varlamov said. “But it’s not really that bad. It’s not like it was in Montreal before my NHL debut when my hands were shaking.”

Do you think you should continue to play?

“Well of course I want to play, it was my dream from childhood – it is not a secret,” Varlamov said. “Anybody who is on this team wants to play. We did play well both on offense and defense, we just couldn’t score and of course, [Rangers goalie Henrik] Lundqvist was great.”

Did Theodore say anything to you before the game?

“After the warm-up, he walked over to me and say ‘Don’t worry about it. I was 20-years-old when I play my first game, it was in Montreal. You know don’t worry about it, I think you’ll do fine,’” Varlamov said.

According to the Caps’ media relations department, Varlamov joined Jim Carey, Byron Dafoe and Bob Mason as the only rookie goalies to ever start a playoff game for Washington. Also, Varlamov became the 19th goalie in NHL history to make his playoff debut before his 21st birthday Saturday afternoon and stopped 23 of 24 shots (for a sparkling .958 save percentage).

Even though he only allowed one goal on the day, Saturday was the first regulation loss of Varlamov’s career. His combined regular season and playoff goals against average is 2.16 and he has a save percentage of .923. With numbers like, it’s easy to see why Boudreau would turn to the kid in such a high-stakes situation. Now, if only the offense could remember what it takes to light the lamp, the Caps just might have what it takes to become a legitimate contender.

(AP photo)

The Washington Capitals finished the regular season with 108 points, the most in franchise history. But that meant absolutely nothing to the New York Rangers, who came to the Verizon Center as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and stole game one, 4-3.

Capitals goalie Jose Theodore went 32-17-5 during the regular season, but came into the game with a pedestrian 19-26 career playoff record. To say all eyes were on him heading into the series would be a vast understatement.

The Rangers scored an average of just 2.44 goals per game during the regular season, third lowest in the league. And yet, their offense exploded for four goals on 21 shots – none of which were particularly impressive. Any questions on whether Theodore is a dependable goalie come playoff time remain unanswered.

“For playoff hockey, obviously, [I was] not good enough,” Theodore said. “They only had a couple of shots in the first, and after that, I tried to find a rhythm. I’m not happy with my game. I wasn’t good enough. But in the playoffs, you bounce back and that’s it – you have to turn the page. I’ve been around long enough that there’s really no excuse. When you’re out there, you have to be ready to make a couple of key saves and key moments, and tonight, that just wasn’t the case.”

One of the first questions Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau faced in his post-game press conference was essentially, “Theodore said he wasn’t good enough tonight. What do you say to that?”

“He’s right,” Boudreau said. “There’s times when you sit there and you can say that I didn’t make the save that was needed. But I’m sure he’s going to bounce back. He’s a professional and he’s played this game long enough. I’m sure he feels bad enough.”

So coach, did you consider making a switch in net – pulling Theodore in favor of your talented, but unproven backup Simeon Varlamov?

“Not during the game. They scored the fourth goal and there were seven minutes to go in the game. That’s not the time to put your backup goalie in. You never want to look like you are panicking and that’s what that would have looked like.”

What about for game two?

“There’s a chance anything can happen,” Boudreau said. “I said earlier, when you lose, you make changes. I’m not saying in goal, but there’s a possibility of changes in a couple of positions out there.”

While on the subject of possible changes for game two, may we humbly suggest that defenseman Jeff Schultz be scratched from the lineup. Longtime readers know our stance on Schultz – he’s got a big body and loads of potential, but he’s allergic to contact and as a wise man once said, “potential just means ain’t done shit yet.”

Watching Schultz get embarrassed by Rangers center Brandon Dubinsky on the eventual game winner just reinforced our belief that the 23-year-old defenseman is not ready for prime time. As Dubinsky skated down the wing Schultz crossed himself up while attempting to slow the speedy forward. Next thing you know, Schultz has tripped over his own feet and Dubinsky is celebrating a back breaking goal with just over eight minutes left to play.

We don’t want to make this just about Schultz. Truth be told he’s not the only reason the Capitals now trail the Rangers one game to none. But with the Caps already concerned about reliability issues with their goalie, the team would be wise to shore up the defense in front of whoever is in net. If that means sitting Schultz in favor of Brian Pothier or someone else, then so be it.

One final note, Theodore has gone 0-2 with a 5.00 goals against average and a .838 save percentage over the last two games. That’s bad. Add in the fact that the Florida Panthers and Rangers were 17th and 28th in scoring this season and that’s really bad. Theodore’s got two choices – he can either get it together now or spend his rapidly approaching offseason trying to figure out what the hell went wrong.