(photo by Brian Murphy)

With apologies to the baseball trade deadline and celebrity soccer games, it brings me great joy to be able to turn my attention fully back to the biggest ticket in town – the Washington Redskins.

Over the weekend I had the chance to swing out to Redskins Park and see my first glimpse of the 2011 Redskins, and while many of the names and faces have changed from one year ago, there are still a few familiar characters in the line-up.

While last year’s 6-10 record was nothing to write home about, and the defense in particular was abysmal – finishing second to last in the NFL – there were a few small glimmers of hope.

One in particular for me was the play of defensive end Adam Carriker over the last quarter of the season. While it was clear some guys were content to pack it in and turn their attention to their offseason plans, Carriker’s play only got better the last month of the season.

With that in mind, I had the chance to catch up with the 27-year-old to talk about waiting to come back to work, his thoughts on the team’s draft and saying goodbye to a close friend.

Be honest, how great does it feel to have all of the labor nonsense behind you so that you can finally get back out here on the football field?

“I mean, it feels great,” Carriker said. “It was crazy. One day, someone would say you might have to go back and then the next, you might not. It was tough sitting around and waiting, so it’s nice to be focused back on what’s important.”

What kind of stuff did you do to keep in shape during the lockout?

“I was just working out, running and lifting,” he said. “I’m honestly the strongest I’ve ever been. So I feel good and ready to go.”

That’s good to hear, but I’m starting to think you might have more pull at Redskins Park than anyone could have imagined. First, I see the team use half their draft picks on Nebraska players and then they released your back-up Phillip Daniels. Are you calling the shots now?

“You know, I don’t want Phil to go anywhere,” the Cornhuskers stand-out said. “I was really sad the day they let him go. I think I was the first guy he told because I happened to see him in the hallway and as soon as I left, I called my wife and told her how sad I was because my ‘Bash Brother’ was gone.

“As far as the Nebraska players, it just shows they’re getting smarter in this organization,” he said with a big laugh. “Clearly they know what they’re doing upstairs.”

I don’t know. Daniels was the only guy stronger than you in the weight room, so part of you has to be relieved that he’s gone …

(Laughs.) “Hold on,” Carriker said in a way that clearly let me know I was getting to him. “Who said he was stronger? Just because I don’t post videos of myself on YouTube. I mean, I can do all that stuff, I just don’t post it online.”

Continue reading this post

(photo by Brian Murphy)

There might be hope for the Washington Redskins after all.

That’s where I’m at as the NFL’s first week of 2011 comes to an end and the Washington lineup continues to take shape.

Sure, there is still plenty of work to do (namely acquiring a quarterback who might even be good enough to be considered mediocre), but the Redskins front office has at least begun the process of pointing this wayward ship in the right direction.

If I was asked before the lockout ended to come up with a to-do list for the Redskins this offseason, it would have looked like this:

• Trade quarterback Donovan McNabb
• Trade defensive lineman/malcontent Albert Haynesworth
• Re-sign Santana Moss
• Upgrade interior of offensive line
• Give the fans someone other than John Beck to rally around at quarterback

Well, four out of five ain’t bad folks.

As I wrote earlier this week, getting anything of substance – even a pair of sixth rounders – for McNabb has to be viewed as a win for the team after the way Mike and Kyle Shanahan dragged his name through the mud.

The same must be said of Haynesworth, who netted the ‘Skins a fifth rounder in 2013 from the New England Patriots and enabled linebacker Brian Orakpo the opportunity to enjoy a drama-free camp for the first time since coming to Washington.

Seriously, the phrase “addition by subtraction” has never been more applicable in the history of the English language. The front office was never going to allow Haynesworth to choose his own destination – not with the Philadelphia Eagles lurking in the shadows.

So the Redskins had to find a trade partner – and sooner rather than later.*

*In less than a week, veteran players report to camp, and honestly, the thought of another year’s worth of “look at me” sports anchors doing conditioning tests on air in hopes of convincing someone – anyone – that they could actually be an NFL player just made me throw up in my mouth.

The Redskins had to dump Fat Albert’s body and, mercifully, the ego of the man in the hoodie came to the rescue.

Now, before we go any further, I feel obligated to address the nation media’s reaction to the Haynesworth trade.

Look, I get it. The Patriots win Super Bowls, while the Redskins win offseasons. If ever there were two teams who have earned their respective reputations, it’s these two franchises.

But the eagerness pundits have shown to drop to their knees and slurp New England head coach Bill Belichick’s every move is unsettling, to say the least.

Although it might not jive with popular opinion, at least one journalist seems to agree with my stance that folks are getting a little overanxious to rush to praise New England’s decision.

Darin Gantt seemed confused why there was such a “widespread temptation to compliment the emperor on his clothes when he trades for a turd,” and I couldn’t agree more.

Continue reading this post

(photo by Brian Murphy)

We all know by now that no team makes more headlines in a given offseason than the Washington Redskins – so feel free to take this with a grain of salt – but there’s a lot to like in our nation’s capital after the first 24 hours of the return of the NFL.

For starters, the Redskins re-signed their top in-house free agent – inking receiver Santana Moss to a three-year, $15-million deal.

Now, as I’ve said throughout the offseason, Moss told me personally that Washington was his first and only choice. He said his family loves the D.C. area and although the Redskins have been known for off-the-field drama more often than on-the-field success during his time in Washington, “the grass isn’t always greener.”

In other cities, a move like this would be automatic. Sadly, the same cannot be said in Washington.

While bringing back one of the most consistent performers should be a “no brainer,” we’re talking about a team that routinely undervalues their players while favoring overpaying for other teams’ talent.

Why reward one of your own top players when you can overspend on someone else’s shiny toy? That’s been the mantra of the Redskins since The Danny came into our lives.

While rumors of Washington still chasing after top free agents such as receiver Santonio Holmes still persist, the front office did the noble thing and brought back Moss, who has managed to remain productive – even though his head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback seemingly change on an annual basis.

All the while, Moss has remained a model citizen. He never gets in any trouble. He never rocks the boat. He never finds himself in trouble away from the game. The guy just goes out, does his job and then spends his down time with his loved ones.

Now that the 32-year-old Moss, who finished last season with 93 catches for 1,115 yards and six touchdowns, will likely finish his career in the burgundy and gold, the team can focus on other pressing needs – like filling some of the half dozen or so gaping holes in the line-up and finding new homes for Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth.

And if reports are accurate, one of those players could have a new mailing address sooner rather than later.

McNabb seems to be on the verge of relocating to Minnesota, which is an odd destination for over-the-hill quarterbacks, what with the cold weather and all. But who knows? Maybe McNabb can replicate Brett Favre’s success with the Vikings, and more importantly, he would no longer be part of a season-long distraction in D.C.

And for anyone scoffing at the alleged compensation for McNabb (rumored to be a pair of sixth rounders) just remember this: the Redskins would be lucky to get anything for a guy their coach went out of his way to publicly humiliate last season.

Continue reading this post

Just a quick programming note for the website. As you can see from the photo above, the McFanboy clan has signed a new free agent. After an extended stay at the hospital, everyone is healthy, happy and (finally) … home. It’s going to take us a little while to get the hang of this whole “parenthood” thing, so please bear with me if a couple days go by in between posts. I promise, the new guy is worth the trouble. Cheers.

(Getty image)

I’ve got a friend named Shawn.

He’s a good dude who is very easy going, never starts drama and he’s someone who I’ve always enjoyed hanging around.

Unless we’re playing poker.

If my group of friends decides to play a “friendly” game of poker, then Shawn is the last person in the world I care to see.

It’s not personal. It’s just that my buddy Shawn is skilled enough to have played his way into the World Series of Poker twice and at some point I realized that it was no longer fun donating money to the same guy over and over.

So if I know he’s going to be involved, I politely decline the poker invite.

We can still get together to do dinner, watch a football game or whatever, but poker is no longer an option between the two of us.

I bring this up because at some point I feel like this is what’s going to happen to Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee.

Eventually his peers are going to realize that no good can come from answering the phone when McPhee calls with a trade proposal, until one day the entire league has blacklisted GMGM.

The only question, at this point, is how long will it take his fellow general managers to catch on.

It’s like that scene in “The Wire” when you see some of Baltimore’s finest using a chessboard to play checkers because they don’t know the rules of chess.

Simply put, McPhee is playing a completely different game than his peers – both in hockey and our nation’s capital.

Take, for example, how GMGM handled the Semyon Varlamov situation. The Caps were saddled with a disgruntled player who was clearly unhappy with his current situation.

Rather than re-signing for a contract in line with what the Capitals paid fellow goalie Michal Neuvirth (who signed a two-year, $2.3 million extension in 2010), Varlamov wanted to be paid twice as much while also being guaranteed Washington’s starting job next season.

For now, I’ll refrain from stepping on my soap box and saying exactly how I feel about a player who is so afraid of healthy competition that he tries to force the team to promise him the job before ever stepping onto the ice.

This isn’t about injury-prone cowards who threaten to take their ball and go home. It’s about just how savvy McPhee is at what he does for a living.

So instead of calling out Varlamov for his clear lack of character, I’ll simply say that this particular youngster opted to put the Capitals in a tough spot by trying to force management’s hand.

Now, how does GMGM react? As cool, calm and collected as a hostage negotiator.

Continue reading this post