(photo by Brian Murphy)

[Note: Every Tuesday I write a column for SB Nation DC. This is that column.]

When you root for a team often referred to as the NFL’s offseason champs, you become conditioned to splashy moves, overwhelming positivity and a constant barrage of headlines during the time of year when no actual games are played. That’s the life of Washington Redskins fans. You live and eventually, you learn to accept it.

This particular offseason has easily been the most intriguing since Joe Gibbs shocked everyone by putting his successful NASCAR career on the back burner and returning to the coaching ranks. Bruce Allen, Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb represent clear upgrades over Vinny Cerrato, Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell, so for that reason alone, the Redskins should be more competitive week in and week out. They might not win double digit games in 2010, but they’ll at least resemble a professionally run organization and take the field each week with a chance at victory.

For my money though, the biggest addition this offseason has to be rookie tackle Trent Williams. After a decade of ignorance by the Redskins braintrust, Allen stepped in and finally addressed the offensive line – using the fourth overall pick on the Oklahoma standout.

The move represented the first time a Redskins first rounder was used on an offensive lineman since 2000, when the team selected a tackle out of Alabama named Chris Samuels. Even though Samuels became a perennial Pro Bowler at one of the most vital positions in football, Cerrato and friends apparently didn’t feel that offensive linemen sold season tickets. So they continually focused their high draft picks on flashier positions and prayed the line held together in spite of them.

If McNabb is going to stay healthy this year, which isn’t guaranteed, he’ll need improved play from Washington’s offensive line. Getting guys like Stephon Heyer and Chad Rinehart away from the football field is a good start, but adding a bona fide talent to protect the blind side was key.

With Samuels retiring this offseason, the team was in dire need of a successor. By all accounts, they’ve found him.

During training camp, it was readily apparent that Williams was gifted. The rookie had more natural athletic ability and agility than anyone at 6-5 and 318 lbs. should. He just needed his head to catch up with his body. Once he gets his responsibilities down in this high-powered Shanahan offense, ‘Skins fans are confident he’ll solidify the position for the foreseeable future.

But here’s the funny thing: even though Williams has fared well for much of this preseason, he’s not in a hurry to pat himself on the back. The kid is staying hungry and humble – two traits you love to see in a rookie.

“I think I did okay,” Williams said after his preseason debut against the Buffalo Bills. “Nothing amazing and I can definitely do better, but I think I did okay for my first game. I thought after I got the first play over with that I would settle down, but I was still nervous the whole game.”

And why is that, you ask?

“As long as McNabb is in there, I was walking on egg shells,” Williams said. “He’s so vital to our franchise. We don’t want nobody to lay a finger on him.”

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Throw Some D’s” by Rich Boy

Statistically speaking, the Washington Redskins have had a top-tier defense for much of the last decade. Now, I say statistically speaking because, let’s face it, the defense has done much of the heavy lifting over the last 10 years, but timely stops and turnovers have always been hard to come by.

Preseason or not, vanilla offenses and defenses or not, what we’re seeing so far this year is a trend that could really swing things in favor of the Redskins defense.

The Redskins’ aggressive mindset on defense translated to four turnovers against the New York Jets in the team’s 16-11 victory. Instead of sitting back and reacting to what offenses throw at them, as was the preference during the Greg Blache years, Jim Haslett’s 3-4 defense is much more chaotic.

Redskins players love this brand of defense, which has helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win multiple Super Bowls since 2005. They love that blitzes come from all angles in any situation. They love forcing offenses into mistakes rather than passively waiting to be picked apart. They love dictating play. Basically, they’ve already completely bought in.

That was evident when DeAngelo Hall picked off his second pass of the preseason. Or when Phillip Buchanon, who was beaten on a short pass, made up for it by punching the ball free from receiver Santonio Holmes.

Linebacker Robert Henson did the same thing to running back Joe McKnight, dislodging the ball by getting a hand on it, and cornerback Ramsey Robinson recovered it for Washington. And finally, there was defensive lineman Darrion Scott, who forced former Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell into a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Kevin Barnes to effectively seal the win for the burgundy and gold.

Notice a pattern? The Redskins defenders, while playing straight-forward defense, are trying to get a hand on the ball whenever possible. It’s something simple, but it’s something the team practices every single week. It’s now ingrained into their heads that, if you get beat, hustle to make the play and be sure to try and get a hand on the ball.

After the Jets game, the Redskins entered the weekend tied for first in the NFL with seven forced fumbles and tied for seventh in interceptions with three. If the players continue to have that same aggressive mindset, this could finally be the year turnovers come in waves for the Redskins.

2. “Giving Up The Gun” by Vampire Weekend

Mark Sanchez, the franchise quarterback who Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was smitten with coming out of college, is now a glorified game manager.

Stunning really, when you think about it.

The second-year quarterback, who is surrounded by talented players such as LaDainian Tomlinson, SHonne Greene, Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and more, is now being treated like he’s Trent Dilfer or some other equally mediocre signal caller.

“You have to realize that there are times to take chances and there are times not to,” said Jets coach Rex Ryan of Sanchez. “The way we play defense, kick the field goal, so we’re up.  The way [Jets kicker] Nick [Folk] kicks off; the offense will have to drive 80 yards on us. I think that’s part of it. We don’t need to force passes. We have a good enough offense that the plays will be there. Go through your reads and make throws. He’s not going to be perfect by any stretch.”

I feel obligated to point out that Sanchez is going into just his second season in the NFL, so maybe it’s not wise for his coaching staff to rush to judgment just yet. But I watched from the sidelines as Ryan and friends were terrified to put the ball in his hands at the end of the first half.

There they were, taking timeouts and trying to move the ball quickly during their two-minute drill. Except, Sanchez wasn’t throwing any passes. Instead, he kept handing the ball off on delays. Even if Ryan said otherwise, it was clear by the playcalling that they have zero confidence in Sanchez at the moment.

And maybe it’s because the former USC standout is a little sensitive. We’ve learned that watching Hard Knocks this season. The first-team offense has been missing in action for New York and they needed to keep Sanchez in the game into the fourth quarter, just to get a meaningless touchdown. So maybe there is a method to Ryan’s madness. But it’s just a stunning turn of events for a guy who the Redskins were willing to give up multiple first rounders to acquire.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the seventh-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 this year.

Arizona Cardinals – Okay, wait – your gameplan was to let Anquan Boldin walk away and then make Matt Leinart your starting quarterback? That’s your idea of putting your best foot forward?!? Come on, son. You’re not even trying.

Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons are coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history. No pressure.

Baltimore Ravens – Purple camouflage.

Buffalo Bills – Ask the Maple Leafs the last time a team who willingly plays home games in Toronto won anything.

Carolina Panthers – The Panthers have one player worth a damn in their passing game – four-time Pro Bowler Steve Smith. How did he spend his offseason? Breaking his arm playing flag football.

Chicago Bears – Great idea putting Mike Martz and Jay Cutler together. I mean, these two have always been willing to set their egos aside when facing adversity, right? They’re definitely a match made in heaven.

Cincinnati Bengals – Stockpiling washed-up Dallas players who couldn’t win anything meaningful when they were Cowboys sounds like a great plan. What could go wrong?

Cleveland Browns – Because LeBron left.

Dallas Cowboys – Admit it, the thought of Jerry Jones watching two other teams play in the Super Bowl in his dream stadium is too awesome to cheer against. He’d cry after reading this, if his face was capable of showing emotions.

Denver Broncos – Everyone loves an athletic quarterback who can keep defenses guessing, right? Wrong. Mike Vick and Vince Young were better college players than Tim Tebow and how many Super Bowl have those two won?

Click here for the full article.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

With the Washington Redskins preparing to take on the New York Jets this Friday night, I couldn’t help but wish that these two franchises could magically change places.

I know what you’re thinking – the Jets came within one win of the Super Bowl a year ago while the Redskins went just 4-12. Of course I’d want to see the teams flip flop.

But that’s not what I meant. You see, the Jets are the featured team on “Hard Knocks,” HBO’s popular reality sports documentary series. For those not familiar, the show gives fans an inside peek at the life of a football franchise, whether it’s through the eyes of an undrafted rookie free agent hoping to earn a roster spot or a sage veteran trying to extend his career one more year.

I admit that the Jets were an easy choice for HBO. They’ve got more intriguing storylines than anything you’ve ever seen on “Entourage.” Just to name a few:

• They’ve got Rex Ryan, a second-year head coach full of piss and vinegar who happens to be the son of Buddy Ryan – the architect of the 46 defense. His colorful language alone was the talk of the first episode.
• They’ve got franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez, hoping to avoid a sophomore slump after a solid rookie season.
• They’ve got Darelle Revis, who, for my money, is the best cornerback in football (although he’s nowhere to be found at the moment thanks to his displeasure with his contract situation).
• They’ve got LaDainian Tomlinson, one of the best running backs of all time, who was cast aside by San Diego and is motivated to show the world that he can still be productive.
• They’ve got Antonio Cromartie, who provided one of the most enjoyable TV moments in recent memory when he failed to name all seven of the children he’s fathered in last week’s episode.
• They’ve got Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes, two productive receivers who have been known to find controversy off the field.
• They’ve got Bart Scott, the loudmouth linebacker who never met a microphone he didn’t like.
• Hell, they’ve even got a rookie fullback named Jon Conner, who his teammates have naturally nicknamed “The Terminator,” turning heads every time he has a chance to hit somebody.

Seriously, the Jets were a no brainer for “Hard Knocks.” I fully admit it.

It’s too bad though. If ever there was a year for the Redskins to be featured on the Emmy-award winning program, it’s this one.

Click here for the full article.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Oh No! Not You Again!” by The Heavy – While many folks would like you to believe that a rivalry exists between the Washington Redskins and the Baltimore Ravens, the truth is there’s nothing there.

The Redskins and their fanbase put plenty of time and energy into despising divisional opponents like Dallas, New York and Philadelphia, while Ravens fans (hon!) focus their hatred towards Pittsburgh. When the Redskins and Ravens square off, both teams obviously want to win, but it’s not like anyone cares about the “battle of the beltway” 10 minutes after the game is over.

Now, that being said, there was one guy prominently involved in this game who has to have strong feelings against Baltimore, and that’s Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb.

He might not ever say anything publicly, but rest assured that McNabb remembers the last time he faced the Ravens. That’s because he was benched after going just 8-for-18 for 59 yards with two interceptions and a fumble in the first half against Baltimore back on Nov. 23, 2008.

“I thought it might be a little bit of a spark, and we might be able to get some things going,” Eagles head coach Andy Reid said at the time.

Less than two years later, the Eagles said goodbye to McNabb and turned the team over to quarterback Kevin Kolb, who replaced Donovan against Baltimore that day. So yeah, it’s not much of a stretch to believe that seeing the Ravens again could drum up some emotions for the 33-year-old.

How did he fare the second time around? McNabb completed 11 of 26 for 206 yards and an interception in one half of action against a very aggressive Ravens defense. The 206 passing yards were the most a Redskins quarterback has thrown for in a half since 2002.

And honestly, McNabb’s numbers would have been even more impressive if his teammates could catch passes that hit them in the hands. You could go down the list – Fred Davis, Chris Cooley, Larry Johnson and Anthony Armstrong to name a few – all dropped catchable passes in the first half.

Maybe they heard footsteps, maybe one or two of the passes had a higher degree of difficulty, but the bottom line is – if it hits you in the hands, you’ve gotta catch it.

As for McNabb, preseason or not, you’ve got to love his gutsy performance. The man was under siege for much of his evening and he needed ice on his ankle after the game, but he chose to look at the 23-3 loss in a positive light.

“I felt great, I felt great,” he said. “I had a couple of throws I missed, some miscommunications and some balls that we missed. But, the thing about it is, they were opportunity plays. We made some plays throughout this game. We drove the ball and put ourselves in position to score, now we just have to capitalize.”

2. “Who Cares?” by Gnarls Barkley – Brian Orakpo might only be a second-year player, but the man is wise beyond his years. I swear the guy carries himself as a 10-year pro. So after the loss, I sought him out to get his perspective on the game.

The good news is Orakpo wasn’t worried about loss. He openly admitted that the Redskins defense didn’t watch film or gamplan for the Ravens. Unlike Steve Spurrier, who felt the need to use every trick in his bag during the preseason, Jim Haslett is content to go straight vanilla until meaningful games are played.

“I think we matched up pretty well,” Orakpo said. “They had a fluke play. I don’t think they’ll do that in the regular season, with the fake punt to get the ball back on the 1. I think we fared well against them. Obviously, I’m disappointed we lost, but the [starters] were able to get off the field and create turnovers. That’s a goal we emphasize each week, and we did a good job at that.”

I’ve always believed that moral victories are for losers, so there’s no real need to sing the praises of a team that lost by 20 points – preseason or not. But a few players did manage to have a solid game.

In addition to McNabb, the coaches should also be pleased with Armstrong, Santana Moss and Justin Tryon, who all stood out during an otherwise forgettable evening.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

While many focused on the debuts of Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb, my attention was drawn elsewhere as the Washington Redskins faced the Buffalo Bills in their preseason opener.

More than anything, I was interested in seeing how rookie left tackle Trent Williams handled the first real challenge of his professional career. Its one thing to go against teammates in practice, but it’s a completely different animal when you’re thrown into action against a hungry opponent.

Well, it took just three offensive plays for Williams to leave a lasting impression on me.

Williams will undoubtedly have several highs and lows as he settles into one of the most challenging positions in sports, but the Oklahoma product showed what he’s made of during that first drive.

The Redskins faced 3rd-and-8 on their own 18-yard line. As the ball was snapped, Bills linebacker Aaron Maybin, the 11th pick in the 2009 NFL draft, kicked it into high gear in pursuit of quarterback Donovan McNabb.

While Maybin, who is 6-4 and 250 lbs., is much smaller and quicker than Williams, the left tackle had no issue keeping up with the Bills’ speed rusher and continued to steer him further and further away from his quarterback.

McNabb, with all the time in the world, connected with tight end Chris Cooley for an 11-yard gain to keep the drive alive. And by the time the play was over, Maybin was at least 10 yards away from McNabb.

If this was a sign of things to come, then it’s safe to say the Redskins made the right decision drafting Williams as the successor to perennial Pro Bowler Chris Samuels. I caught up with Williams this week to get his thoughts on his Redskins debut.

“I feel really good now that I got that first one out of the way,” Williams said. “It was really nerve racking. But it feels great now that it’s over.”

Now that you’ve had a couple of days to watch film and break down the Bills game, how do you think you did?

“I think I did okay,” he said. “Nothing amazing and I can definitely do better, but I think I did okay for my first game. I thought after I got the first play over with that I would settle down, but I was still nervous the whole game.”

For what it’s worth, you didn’t really look nervous or out of place out there …

“Yeah, but as long as McNabb is in there, I was walking on egg shells,” Williams said. “He’s so vital to our franchise. We don’t want nobody to lay a finger on him.”

That’s exactly what it looked like you were doing out there on that first third down when you absolutely owned Aaron Maybin. What’s your mindset on a play like that when a smaller guy like that is trying to blow by you?

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

[Editor's note: For those who still haven't heard the news, I've started writing a weekly sports column for SB Nation DC. So every Tuesday, my contribution to society (or at least the D.C. sports scene) is located over there.]

Preseason or not, the Washington Redskins put together one of their most inspired performances in recent history with their 42-17 thumping of the Buffalo Bills Friday night.

In the debut of head coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Donovan McNabb, the Redskins had little trouble moving the ball on offense, they created constant pressure on defense and special teams, for the first time in seemingly decades, tilted the field in favor of the burgundy and gold.

McNabb was solid, completing five of eight passes for 58 yards and a touchdown in limited action. The 33-year-old even surprised a few folks by keeping the team’s second drive alive with his legs – something Philly fans were convinced he could no longer do.

Once the six-time Pro Bowler was done for the night, backup quarterback Rex Grossman saw his first action as a member of the Redskins. And if McNabb was good, then “The Rex Cannon” was great.

Having spent last season in Houston with Kyle Shanahan, it was readily apparent that Grossman has already found a comfort level in this offense. The only thing prettier than Rex’s first touchdown pass – a nine-yard dart to tight end Fred Davis in the second quarter – was his second touchdown.

On that play, Grossman was able to do something rarely seen during the Jason Campbell era – display touch and accuracy on a deep ball – dropping a 44-yard bomb into the waiting arms of receiver Devin Thomas to effectively end the competitive portion of the evening at 35-3.

If McNabb is ever forced out of action for any length of time this season, ‘Skins fans can only hope that Grossman is able to replicate his performance on this night. And if Grossman goes all Colt Brennan on us – playing lights out in his debut and never coming close to that level again – well, at least Hawaii will love him.

Jim Haslett’s 3-4 defense was equally impressive against Buffalo. While keeping things admittedly “vanilla,” the Redskins were able to pressure Bills quarterbacks to the point that even disgruntled defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth was impressed with the showing.

And special teams … wow. What can I say?

Someone allegedly named Brandon Banks came out of nowhere and is now the talk of the town, after busting out a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown. The undrafted rookie out of Kansas State finished the game with four returns for 97 yards and a touchdown.

To put those numbers in proper context, Antwaan Randle El finished the 2009 season with 17 punt returns for 102 yards. In 90 attempts over the last three seasons, Randle El never returned a punt for a touchdown and his longest return was 43 yards.

So basically, on Banks’ next punt return, he’ll likely match Randle El’s production for an entire year. Whether that says more about Banks or Randle El is your call.

In short, the preseason opener was everything ‘Skins fans could have ever hoped for. The stadium was rocking, the new high-definition video boards were a dream come true and the Redskins actually resembled a competent football team for the first time since Joe Gibbs said goodbye.

Here’s the thing though – none of it matters.

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