photo by Brian Murphy

It goes without saying that football is a physical sport.

Roughly seven minutes into the game Friday night, this was emphatically reinforced when Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher delivered a crushing blow to New England Patriots running back Laurence Maroney (as seen above).

Our initial reaction when we saw the photo was – damn, all that for a two-yard gain? But then we got to thinking – how would Redskins players react to the image? We decided to have a little fun in the post-game locker room. We simply walked up to a player, showed the photo and asked him to describe what he saw.

“I see a hit like that and I think it’s fantastic,” said defensive end Andre Carter. “That’s just fantastic. As Marcus Washington used to say, ‘That’s Riddell on Riddell.’ And on that play, the Redskins’ Riddell got the best of the Patriots’ Riddell.”

Naturally, offensive players had a different reaction.

“I’m just praying for the guy that he’s okay,” said tackle Chris Samuels. “That looks crazy, right there. I’m just gonna pray that he’s okay.”

Some players saw the hit as a possibility of things to come.

“I see a very hurt Patriot and a very happy Redskin,” said cornerback Fred Smoot. “That’s the image we want to have for our defense – very physical. We don’t care about all the other accolades. We just want to be very physical. We want offenses to know that when they play us, they gonna get hit.”

Is the body meant to bend that way?

“No, man,” he said. “That’s what football does. You get bent in ways the body can’t go, but we bounce back. We’re athletes.”

Some players saw the play as a missed opportunity.

“That play, the ball actually came out,” said safety Chris Horton. “I tried to get it, but he somehow stuck his arms out there and got it back. But that was a great hit by London, and it shows why he’s our leader on defense.

“He’s a smaller guy, so he can get up under a lot of these running backs,” Horton said of Fletcher. “When he brings it, he definitely delivers a nice blow. That picture right there, it says it all. And I’m sure that guy is going to be feeling that hit on the plane ride home.”

And what was Fletcher’s reaction when he saw the image of Maroney being dumped on his head? He laughed.

“Well, it looks like he’s definitely not in a great position,” Fletcher said. “It was a big collision. I wish I could have kept my feet under me even better. It was a big collision, and that’s a great picture. I just try to use my leverage and deliver a big hit. I wish we had recovered the football though.”

And then there’s safety LaRon Landry.

“Dang,” Landry said. “Ass all up in the air. Head all in the ground. Can I really say what I want to say?”

Absolutely.

“He got fucked up,” Landry said. “That’s what I see.”

Yes he did, LaRon. Yes he did.

photo by Brian Murphy

Last week, we caused a bit of a ruckus with our post dedicated to Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell and the haters who love to blame him for all the world’s troubles.

Using some of the comprehensive research compiled in the Football Outsiders Almanac 2009, we attempted to show folks that a lot more than Campbell contributed to the Redskins’ second-half collapse.

We never claimed Campbell was without fault, but we attempted to remind the locals of other contributing factors – like the offensive line wearing down as the season went on and the receivers ranking surprisingly high in dropped passes – were as much to blame for the disappointing finish.

We admitted up front that we like Campbell and hope he’s given a fair chance to succeed. But in the interest of fairness, we opted for a second opinion on the matter. So we recently chatted with Doug Farrar, who wrote the Redskins chapter of the Football Outsiders Almanac 2009.

We might be homers, but Farrar lives in Seattle and has no allegiance to the Redskins. His take on the situation comes from hours upon hours of research and watching game tapes.

“Last year’s story was obviously the tale of two halves for Washington,” Farrar said. “Obviously they were marvelous in the first half. They were the first team in NFL history to go five games without a turnover. And then, in the second half, everything fell apart on offense.”

Okay, so from your vantage point, what went wrong?

“We can trace almost all of it back to Chris Samuels,” he said. “So, of course, the Redskins being the Redskins, did nothing to shore up their offensive line. Bringing back Derrick Dockery was an interesting move, but at the same time, they got rid of Jon Jansen and passed entirely on the two best back-to-back tackle classes in NFL draft history.”

Wait, did you just say the entire season was lost because of Samuels’ injury?

“They posted their three worst DVOA totals in week eight, when he was out with a knee [injury] and then the last few weeks of the season, once he was done for the year,” Farrar said. One of our stats – adjusted line yards – tries to separate as best we can, an offensive line performance from a running back performance. Weeks one through seven, they had a 4.86. Weeks eight through 13, it was 4.20. That was with Samuels out one game. Weeks 14 through 17, it was 3.74, meaning it plummeted an entire yard.”

For those not familiar, DVOA stands for defense-adjusted value over average. Without getting super technical, the stat measures the success of a given play and compares it to the league-average for that play given the situation at the time (score, time remaining, down and distance, field position, caliber of opponent, etc.). This is applied to every play during a season to provide DVOA rankings for individual players and teams as a whole.

So basically, the stats show the Redskins offense got a yard worse per play with Samuels on the sideline. And that’s not all.

According to Farrar, the Redskins power rank (which measures a team’s success rate in short-yardage situations) went from 86 percent to 50 percent. And running back yards went from 4.78 per play the first seven weeks to an anemic 2.92 the final three weeks of the season.

“It’s not often that you can trace an offense’s demise to the loss of one player,” he said. “The Patriots, without Tom Brady, had the best offensive DVOA in the second half of last season. So even with the best quarterback in the game going down, it doesn’t always necessarily show in the stats. But because of the lack of depth they have on the offensive line, losing Samuels for any length of time simply killed them. And that was just as true for Campbell and the passing game as it was for Clinton Portis and the running game.”

You mentioned Campbell. There is a section of the local fanbase – we’ll call them the vocal minority – who would rather see Todd Collins, Colt Brennan, Jay Cutler or Mark Sanchez running the Redskins’ offense. You have no dog in this fight, so what say you?

“Let’s start by looking at the other options,” Farrar said. “Todd Collins had nice continuity with the Al Saunders offense, which was one of the things that Campbell had to overcome. Collins played well in a specific offense he’d run for years and suddenly it was ‘Oh my god, let’s lock Collins up for the next 10 years.’ Colt Brennan is still learning the game. He’s still learning under center, and the success rate for spread offense quarterbacks isn’t really great. That doesn’t mean that he can’t be good, but he’ll have a longer way to go than a guy like Campbell – especially in a west-coast offense.

“If you look at Jay Cutler, his specialty – what makes him exceptional and an above-average quarterback – is his feel for throwing the deep ball,” he continued. “The last time I checked, you need an offensive line to at least provide reasonable pass protection to get your receivers downfield so you can throw those beautiful passes deep down the field. The Denver offensive line is marvelous. But if you put Jay Cutler in Washington, he’ll be throwing seven-yard check downs all day or he’ll get killed. There’s no way, with that pass protection, he’ll be able to do what he did with the Broncos.”

And Sanchez?

“Mark Sanchez had just 16 starts in college,” Farrar said. “Now, he’s kind of a prodigy when it comes to picking up an offense. I interviewed him before the draft and was tremendously impressed. I love what I see from him on film, but for him to succeed, he’s going to have to be set up for success like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco on a run-heavy, low-risk team. If you put Sanchez in Washington … I don’t even want to think about it. He’d have all those expectations and the people arguing against Campbell would be begging for him to come back in three months.”

So what about Campbell?

“I’m beginning to lose track, but he’s been in something like seven different offenses since he first got to Auburn,” he said. “I talked to Jim Zorn at the 2008 combine and asked if he planned to implement the entire Mike Holmgren west-coast offense. He said yes. He’s got Sherman Smith there and he wanted Clinton Portis to be Shaun Alexander, only with better pass-blocking abilities. He wanted Santana Moss to be a better Deion Branch. But there’s absolutely no way a quarterback, any quarterback, can pick that entire offense up in one year.

“Go back to Matt Hasselbeck’s first year,” Farrar continued. “He might not be a top-five quarterback, but it’s acknowledged that he’s above-average. He’s a Pro Bowler. If you watch him in his first year running Holmgren’s offense, it was embarrassing how bad he was. If you look at Brett Favre in his first few years in that system … I mean, the fights that Favre and Holmgren had were epic because that offense is based on timing, rhythm and tempo. It takes a while to get into a rhythm with your receivers. Now, if you add a system like that and add three rookie receivers to the mix, what do you think you’re going to get?”

Farrar wasn’t done.

“This is the part that I fail to understand,” he said. “This is not a simple offense. Zorn had to simplify it down the stretch because the pass blocking was so bad and the young receivers – Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly and Fred Davis – combined for just 20 catches for 163 yards and a 42 percent catch rate. I don’t care if you’re Tom Brady, you can’t win with that. I don’t know who you could have put in that situation that would have been able to succeed.

“I think Campbell can run this offense, but it takes two to three years for it to really begin to bloom,” Farrar continued. “Not just for him, but for everything else around him to click – starting with the offensive line, which is still a major problem for them. And the receivers, which is also a problem. I’m not really sure what people are expecting here.”

Needless to say, we had plenty more to talk about. More to come.

photo by Brian Murphy

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the six-annual “Why your team won’t win the Super Bowl” column. So head to Las Vegas and put money on it – this is why your favorite football franchise won’t get it done one this year.

Arizona Cardinals – I don’t care if he bagged groceries for Jesus Christ himself, Kurt Warner will not stay healthy for the entire 2009 season.

Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and friends snuck up on the league a year ago. You’ve got a better chance of spotting a pair of underwear on one of The Real Housewives of Atlanta than seeing the Falcons surprise the rest of the league a second time.

Baltimore Ravens – Other than The Wire, name something noteworthy to ever come out of Baltimore. And you’re not allowed to say herpes.

Buffalo Bills – The career of Terrell Owens is amazingly easy to break down. All you need is a quality quarterback and T.O., and he’s good for two things – elevating your offense to new heights while simultaneously driving your QB crazy. Buffalo brings an intriguing variable – they don’t have an NFL-caliber quarterback. What happens now?

Carolina Panthers – The last time we saw Jake Delhomme, he completed 22 out of 34 passes he threw. Unfortunately for Carolina, five of those completions were to Arizona defenders. Unfortunately for 2009 Panther fans, Delhomme is still your starting QB.

Chicago Bears – Great idea acquiring Jay Cutler. If only someone in the front office thought to bring in a capable receiver or two to go with him.

Cincinnati Bengals – It can’t be good when Chad Ochocinco has been a better teammate over the last year as a back-up kicker than he ever was as a receiver.

Cleveland Browns – If the Brownies had acquired Mike Vick, folks would have at least tuned in to see what happened the first time he came anywhere near the Dawg Pound.

Dallas Cowboys – Only in Dallas can you build a billion-dollar stadium with an illegal video board.

Denver Broncos – At least Jay Cutler kept things interesting.

Detroit Lions – Detroit Lions, banana peel. Banana peel, Detroit Lions. I know you’ve worked together for years, but I don’t think you’re ever been formally introduced.

Green Bay Packers – Brett Favre.

Houston Texans – Because the good Houston team now plays in Tennessee.

Indianapolis Colts – What has the world come to when Marvin Harrison is waiving a gun around?

Jacksonville Jaguars – Maurice Jones-Drew is a great all-around back, but someone has to give him a breather from time to time. With Fred Taylor (and groin) now in New England, who fills the void?

Kansas City Chiefs – Dear Matt Cassel, Dwayne Bowe and Bobby Engram are not Randy Moss and Wes Welker. But what do you care? You got paid.

Miami Dolphins – Ronnie Brown is fragile. Ricky Williams is high.

Minnesota Vikings – Brett Favre.

New England Patriots – Honestly, what have the Patriots won since they got caught cheating and had to start playing by the same rules as the rest of the league?

New Orleans Saints – Pierre Thomas is New Orleans feature back, and the French aren’t winners.

New York Giants – Eli Manning makes more money than Peyton Manning. Karma alone will keep the Giants from winning it until this egregious foul has been corrected.

New York Jets – Brett Favre.

Oakland Raiders – Because they’re the Raiders.

Philadelphia Eagles – PETA.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Big Ben gets sacked so often, even whores can bring him down.

San Diego Chargers – Last time I checked, Norv Turner was still the head coach. And last time he checked, Turner simply doesn’t win playoff games.

San Francisco 49ers – Wide out Michael Crabtree is holding out because, even though he was picked 10th overall in the NFL draft and Darrius Hayward-Bey was picked seventh, he feels he should make more money than DHB because he was “ranked higher on mock drafts.” Seriously, you can’t make this up.

Seattle Seahawks – Like grunge, Matt Hasselbeck was relevant a decade or so ago.

St. Louis Rams – Chris Long has his father Howie’s ruggedly-handsome looks. So at least he’ll have that going for him when his team is losing by double digits each week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Luke McCown. Byron Leftwich. Josh Freeman. Josh Johnson. Four roster spots, and not a quarterback in the bunch.

Tennessee Titans – With Albert Haynesworth gone, who will be the man to step up … on a Dallas Cowboys’ face?

Washington Redskins – The downfall of the 2008 Washington Redskins was a substandard offensive line. So naturally, the team spent the offseason adding Albert Haynesworth, Brian Orakpo and DeAngelo Hall to a perennial top 10 defense and largely ignored the offensive line.

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

photo by Brian Murphy

Unquestionably, the feel-good story of 2009 for the Washington Redskins is offensive tackle “Big” Mike Williams. After being out of the league for more than three years, Williams was given one last chance to prove he’s still NFL worthy.

When he came into our lives, the man affectionately known as BMW weighed in at more than 450 lbs. Since then, he’s dropped more than 100 lbs. (basically the equivalent of a supermodel holding a fat baby) and shown he’ll do whatever is necessary to reward the ‘Skins for giving him this opportunity.

Although he didn’t play against Pittsburgh last week due to an ankle injury, we caught up with Williams to check in on the big guy. As always, he was a pleasure to chat with.

Hey Mike, we know you’re anxious to get back out there on the field. How’s everything coming along?

“We’re pushing for this week and it’s looking very good for the New England game,” Williams said.

Preseason or not, we know you want to be out there. What do you do on the sidelines for three hours when you know you’re not going to play?

“Golly,” he said. “I just try to encourage guys on the field. I also make sure I know what the calls are while I’m watching the guys on the field and go through mental reps throughout the game. We’re going to play New England, and they run a 3-4 too, so their base defense is a lot like Pittsburgh’s. So it would be wise and veteran-like to get out there and pay attention … and also get some rehab in too.”

When you’re talking about taking mental reps, what does that entail?

“Going through the plays and blocking schemes,” Williams said. “You know, we can see what formations the defense is in – are they in base, in nickel? – and just kind of going through your steps and your assignments. It’s just like you’re picturing yourself in the game. If you see a linebacker shift or walk up to the line late, what do you do within the time before the ball snaps? That’s the kind of stuff you go through in your mind.”

So did you have a good mental game against the Steelers?

(Laughs). “Yeah, I had a good mental game,” he said. “Of course, it’s a little different when you’ve got the bullets flying at you, but you’re just doing it to make sure that you’re not losing a step because you’re not playing. You’ve got to get your mental reps.”

You’re a unique case, man. You haven’t been in town very long, but seemingly the entire fanbase is already cheering for you. Can you update us on the weight loss?

“What did we weigh in at – like 338?” he said. “That’s about 111 pounds.”

How on earth do you do it?

“Really, I’ve just been working out,” Williams said. “Now, I’m just kind of maintaining. My body is into a routine with what weight I want to sustain and stuff like that, so it’s not really hard. We still work out and everything, and obviously being out there on the football field in the hot sun keeps it down a lot.”

Is there anything on the menu that you’re missing these days?

“Um … not really,” he said. “There were just a couple things that I needed to let go, and I let go. It’s just kind of easy now. I’m used to the routine I’m in. It’s a life-changing kind of deal. What I used to eat back then, I don’t have a taste for anymore.”

And honestly, Williams has got this mental thing down so well, if he misses junk food, he can just mentally dig in. Spending a few minutes with him quickly reminded us why he’s so beloved already. The guy is one of the most positive athletes we’ve ever come across and his personality is downright contagious.

With cuts on the horizon, here’s hoping Williams is able to get back on the field this weekend against the Patriots and is able to show the coaching staff he’s deserving of making the final roster. The moral of this story is simple – we need more guys like Williams in this town. Not less.

photo by Brian Murphy

With five minutes left in the third quarter, Washington Redskins rookie cornerback Kevin Barnes showed fans the first hint at the player he hopes to become.

On second-and-10, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon threw a pass down the right sideline that was intended for Brandon Williams. Barnes started behind Williams, but read the play quickly enough to lunge in front of the receiver at the perfect time to break up the pass.

It wasn’t highlight-reel worthy. It wasn’t flashy. But it’s the kind of play the Maryland rookie needs to make if he’s going to earn playing time this season – especially after missing several opportunities against Baltimore one week earlier. So forgive Barnes for his momentary honesty.

While many would have downplayed things and resorted to bland athlete rhetoric, Barnes freely admitted the moment was so enjoyable that he planned on re-living it later that night.

“Yeah, it was a good play and I’m going to dream of it tonight,” Barnes said. “I broke on it so good, I really should have picked it off and scored. I’m definitely going to dream about that play tonight.”

So you’re saying you’ve got good enough hands to pick off passes like that?

“Definitely,” he said. “I think I’ve got some of the best hands in the secondary. I’m not going to say THE best, because I’ve got to show respect to the older guys. But I think I’ve got some of the best.”

Everyone’s seen the hits on YouTube, but we’re not sure people have seen too many interceptions for you …

“I mean, I didn’t really get too many balls in college, but the ones I got a chance on, I did catch,” Barnes said.

You were very critical of yourself one week ago against the Ravens. How do you think you fared against the Steelers?

“I think I did very good,” he said. “Coach [Greg] Blache told me before the game to just go out there and compete. I realize that a lot of times, he’s pretty tough on me. But if he didn’t care, he wouldn’t be so tough on me. Mr. [Vinny] Cerrato talked to me last week also. He told me I’m out there playing too timid. He was like, ‘I’ve seen you play more physical. Go out there and play more cocky.’ So I was out there on the field, bouncing around, talking trash a little bit and made sure I had fun.”

We were just about to bring that up, because it sure looked to us like you were getting down to the in-stadium music during the breaks in action …

“Oh, you’ve got to,” Barnes said. “You know corners love attention, so I’ve got to draw a little attention to myself.”

How important was it for you to rebound and have a big game this week?

“Like I said, I was kind of in a twilight last weekend,” he said. “I didn’t really know what to expect. But I made sure I stepped up. It’s about time for them to start making cuts and everything, and just because I was the second person drafted here, don’t mean I’m necessarily safe. I realize there are jobs out there for me to earn, so I just made sure I focused real hard on doing everything as best I could during practice. I wasn’t trying to necessarily hurt myself, but I was working so hard that I had nothing left at the end of the day.”

Come on now, you didn’t really think you were getting cut …

“I mean, anything is possible,” Barnes said. “We have a very deep secondary and the way I play the gunner, I’m hard on myself. The team needs another gunner, and the way I played last week, I didn’t feel like I proved myself. I feel like I did this week.”

So now that you’ve started to work things out, what do you have to do to keep heading in the right direction next weekend against New England?

“Go out there and watch film like I did this week,” he said. “And just be myself. Don’t be whoever I was last week. Don’t be that guy.”

It’s not unusual for a young child to dream of becoming an NFL player. It is, however, kind of odd when an NFL player dreams about … well … being an NFL player. And yet, when Barnes says it, we’re strangely okay with it.

Anyone who talks to the kid can’t help but walk away smiling. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t talk in “athlete speak” or maybe he’s too young to know any better. Whatever the case, if Barnes continues to make plays on the field and entertain off it, we have a feeling he’ll be someone local sports fans will have no problem embracing.

photo by Brian Murphy

Okay, seriously, this is getting absurd.

How long did it take for folks to start whispering and wondering about Danny Almonte, the imposter who pretended to be a little leaguer years ago?

We don’t care what the paperwork says, Brian Orakpo isn’t a rookie.

Rookies make mistakes. Rookies think first, hesitate, and then eventually learn to react. Not Orakpo. This guy is so naturally gifted and athletic, he’s already making established NFL offensive linemen look like fools.

First it was teammate Chris Samuels who was humbled by the former Texas Longhorn during one-on-one training-camp drills. This past weekend it was Max Starks, the starting left tackle for the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, who couldn’t keep up with the Washington Redskins first-round draft pick.

In just two NFL preseason games, Orakpo has already shown the league that opposing offenses need to either a.) double cover him or b.) deal with the consequences. And honestly, how do you consistently double cover him when you still have to contend with guys like Albert Haynesworth? There’s a reason the usually no frills Greg Blache was reportedly seen smiling during this past offseason. Teams aren’t allowed to trot out enough players to shut down all the weapons the ‘Skins seem to have.

When Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon fumbled a snap on a third-and-long in the second quarter, it wasn’t because of a poor exchange with the center. Dixon was in such a hurry to roll out of the pocket away from Orakpo, that he almost forgot the football. The young quarterback had to scramble just to recover the ball and still ended up under Orakpo for a loss.

Earlier in the game, Orakpo should have had a sack on Charlie Batch. But somehow, Batch was able to slip away just long enough to get rid of the ball and keep Orakpo from the inevitable (i.e. – his first professional sack).

After the game, we did something no opponent has successfully been able to thus far – slow down Orakpo … well, at least long enough to get a couple quotes from him.

Your second preseason game is officially in the book. How you feeling right about now?

“I’m feeling good, man,” he said. “The most important thing was, we got the win. That feels great for the whole team. It was a great team effort we had out there, and I’m feeling great after getting the ‘W.’”

During introduction you seemed to really be just taking it all in. What was that moment like for you?

“Man, it was great,” he said. “Introductions in a huge stadium to Redskins nation … it was just a great feeling for me and I was kind of in the zone, a little bit. It was a good feeling.”

How do you think you did against a pretty talented Pittsburgh team?

“I’ve got to see the tape, but I think I was a lot better,” Orakpo said. “That’s the most important thing – to keep improving. I think I really improved today. I didn’t play as hesitant, and was able to fly around, get on some tackles and just be productive out there. I was able to put some pressure on them, get the quarterback out of the pocket and do whatever I can to help my team.”

From where we were standing, it looked like Dixon fumbled the ball because he was trying to get the hell away from you …

(Laughs). “You know, I’m just trying to be productive out there,” he said. “I just want to keep on getting better. I’m not a guy that’s going to keep on making mistakes. I’m always trying to improve.”

We’re going to come right out and say it – you don’t look like a rookie to us. You look like you’re playing with the confidence of a veteran.

“Yeah, and that’s what the coaches and the players around here see,” Orakpo said. “I guess I’m just that type of guy. I love to work, love to get better and carry that persona with me at all times.”

We were glad to hear that Redskins players and coaches have formed the same opinion of Orakpo in the few short weeks he’s been in town. Taylor Jacobs (a.k.a. – the Justin Tryon of yesterday) taught us never to read too much into preseason performances, but all indications are that Brian Orakpo is a beast.

In all honesty, it wouldn’t surprise us in the least to see him, with all the loads of talent surrounding him on a stacked ‘Skins defense, flourish this year and possibly even take home the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year award.

We know there were a lot of fans out there who wished the Redskins drafted an offensive lineman with the 13th pick this year, but our bet is that Orakpo will quickly silence those folks – sooner rather than later.

photo by Brian Murphy

It seems like only yesterday we were referring to this town’s love affairs with backup quarterbacks.

We were specifically addressing fans who’ve taken it upon themselves to call for Todd Collins and/or Colt Brennan to take over for Jason Campbell. But in the interest of fairness, we felt obligated to acknowledge the surprisingly-strong play of fourth-stringer Chase Daniel.

The rookie out of Missouri looked downright at home in his debut at FedEx Field, leading the Washington Redskins (backups) to a victory over the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers (backups) 17-13, Saturday.

Daniel (or Daniels if you’re Joe Theismann) completed six of eight passes for 58 yards and the only two touchdown passes of the preseason for the maroon and black. When the Steelers turned on the heat, he responded by scrambling for 22 yards. And, most importantly, Daniel turned in the best performance by an Redskins offensive player in 2009. So let the QB controversy begin.

Daniel’s first touchdown pass was a fade route to fellow rookie Marko Mitchell. This play was noteworthy because it was quite possibly the first successful fade route thrown by a ‘Skins quarterback since Brad Johnson. We have no idea if that statement is actually true or not, but it sounds accurate, so we’ll go with it.

The second touchdown pass was an 18-yarder to tight end “Sleepy” Fred Davis that ultimately proved to be the difference against Pittsburgh.

“I had a feeling it could come to me,” Davis said of his first NFL touchdown reception. “When I saw that the safety bit, I was like, ‘Please throw it. I’m open. I know I’m going to be open.’”

And since Daniel did, in fact, throw it to Davis as requested, he felt obligated to say kind words about the young signal caller.

“He seemed confident,” Davis said of Daniel. “He slang the rock; running it. It’s like he knew what he was doing.”

Head coach Jim Zorn was equally as impressed with the littlest quarterback on his roster.

“Chase had a wonderful night,” he said. “He had six-of-eight. I think he had 58 yards and he was poised. We are working on some tempo things. He was excited, he hung in there, he got a nice scramble for a first down, he threw to Fred Davis for a touchdown and Marko Mitchell for a touchdown. I was excited for a guy not getting a lot of reps to perform with some poise.”

This was one of the first areas Daniel touched on with the media in the locker room after the game.

“Coach has said, ‘Don’t count your reps, make your reps count,’ and that’s what I’ve tried to do in practice, and to just take the practice field over here to the game field,” he said.

Basically, he knows he’s not going to get extensive playing time. But Daniel also knows when the coaches do put him on the field, he needs to take advantage of the situation.

But while many of the FedEx Field faithful might not have expected such a strong showing, there was at least one person in attendance who wasn’t surprised at all.

“Man, I played against him in college,” said wide receiver Malcolm Kelly. “He was in my conference in college, so I know all about him. We played them twice my junior year, the last year I was in school, so I know what he can do, man. He just has to get a shot. He’s an athlete, and he was born and raised in the state of Texas too, so that says a little something about him too.

“You know how we do it down there,” Kelly said.

Not wanting to take the moment away from Daniel, we opted to let Kelly’s comments about the state that shall not be named slide. That being said, if Daniel keeps making the most of every opportunity he gets, there’s little doubt that Daniel will continue to earn a living in the NFL. If not in Washington, then somewhere.

As let’s be honest – D.C. is the perfect landing spot for Daniel. None of us know if he’s actually going to become a legitimate NFL player, but that won’t stop fans from falling for him if he throws another touchdown or two before the preseason ends.