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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.

photo by Brian Murphy

This isn’t breaking news or anything, but Washington Redskins fans love a quarterback controversy. Always have. Always will.

If you’ve been in the D.C. area for football season, you know this.

That being said, if you’re convinced that Jason Campbell was the only reason the Redskins fell apart last season, you’re a sad cliché.

We’ve always felt Campbell was a solid quarterback. In our eyes he’s good, but not great, and with the proper tools around him, is more than capable of getting the job done. But until this point, that was more of a gut feeling than anything else. We didn’t really have any legitimate proof to back up our stance.

That all changed recently when we picked up a copy of the Football Outsiders Almanac 2009. For those not familiar, this book is one of the most ridiculously thorough resources available to fans who really want to learn about football. These guys chart and research everything. If you can dream it up, it’s probably in the book.

We openly admit that we’re homers for Campbell. But the Football Outsiders crew has no such allegiance. If the numbers showed he couldn’t get the job done, they’d have no problem saying so. Even though we’re fans of Campbell, even we were surprised at what we learned.

Here’s what Redskins fans know about last season: Campbell completed 62.3 percent of his passes, threw for 3,245 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions and had a QB rating of 84.3.

Here’s what most fans don’t know about last season (again, courtesy of Football Outsiders Almanac):

1. Campbell’s receivers led the league in dropped passes with 39. We repeat – Redskins receivers dropped more passes than anyone else in football in 2008.
2. Receivers Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El both ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in dropped passes. Moss ranked second with 12 (behind only Cleveland’s Braylon Edwards with 15), while Randle El was tied for ninth with nine drops.
3. Running back Clinton Portis only had six drops. Compared to Moss and Randle El that seems okay, but he was actually third in the league in percentage of dropped passes (17 percent).
4. Campbell was also in the top 10 in the NFL last season in passes defended with 50 – meaning if Campbell threw a “jump ball,” more times than not, the defender beat the receiver on the play.
5. Campbell was sixth best in the league in percentage of overthrown passes. He overthrew his wideouts 18 times, which works out to 3.6 percent. Conversely, Derek Anderson of the Browns overthrew his receivers a league-worst nine percent of the time.
6. Campbell was second best in the NFL in underthrown passes (6.4 percent), trailing only Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans (4.9 percent). It should also be noted that Campbell attempted 126 more passes than the injury-prone Schaub. Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell led the league in underthrown passes (16.5 percent).
7. Campbell was fifth in the NFL in QB hits with 47, and tied for third in quarterback knockdowns with 88. In fact, Campbell got knocked down more than 16 percent of the time he dropped back to pass, which was eighth most in the league.
8. In spite of all of this, Campbell was eighth in the NFL in quarterback accuracy at 85.7. This statistic factors in passes that are not thrown ahead or behind, overthrown or underthrown or out of bounds.

Now let us change gears for a minute.

In the first eight games of 2008, Portis rushed for a league-best 944 yards. He averaged five yards per carry and racked up seven touchdowns. In the second half of the season, Portis rushed for 543 yards at 3.5 yards per carry, and had just two touchdowns. Did Portis suddenly forget how to play the position? Were people calling for Ladell Betts or Rock Cartwright (the Colt Brennan of Redskins running backs) to supplant Portis as the feature back? Of course not.

Most fans understood that the offensive line was so bad down the stretch last season that, many times, Portis had to make magic happen just to get back to the line of scrimmage.

And let’s not forget, Jim Zorn told Sports Illustrated this offseason that he had to change his playing calling last year because he knew there were plays in his playbook that the offensive line simply couldn’t do their job long enough to set up.

People heard those comments and Portis got the benefit of the doubt. But because this town simply cannot help but obsess over a potential quarterback controversy, Campbell never got the same respect (even if he played behind the same putrid offensive line). Here’s how Campbell fared during the same stretch:

In the first eight games, Campbell completed 66 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,754 yards, with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions.

In the final eight games, Campbell completed 59 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,491, with five touchdowns and six interceptions.

What’s more, Campbell’s yards per pass attempt dropped from 7.6 yards the first half of the season to 5.4 yards per attempt down the stretch. That only reinforces our belief that Campbell simply didn’t have enough time to look downfield, so he routinely had to settle with check downs and dump-offs.

So, to recap, because of a substandard offensive line, Campbell faced as much pressure as any quarterback in the league. And yet, statistically speaking, he was one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL. His throws were almost always on target, but Campbell’s receivers dropped more passes than anyone else.

His offensive line failed him. His receivers failed him. And at the end of the day, fans (and even his own front office) figured it was easier to blame Campbell than to admit there are much larger problems with Washington’s offense. It makes sense though. It’s easier (and cheaper) to replace one guy rather than half the offense – even if he’s not the problem.

Our only hope is that after this season, Campbell finds himself in a city where he’s truly appreciated and is surrounded with enough talent to show critics exactly what he’s capable of. Just know that when it happens, we’ll be here saying, “Told you so.”

We’ve said our piece, now let’s open it up to Campbell haters …

photo by Brian Murphy

The moment the Washington Redskins front office opted to select three pass catchers in the same round of the same draft, those individuals knew they would be forever linked.

Should one out of the three – wide receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, as well as, tight end Fred Davis – go on to greatness, the story of the other two and their wasted potential won’t be far behind. Should two of them become legitimate contributors at the NFL level, the third player’s name will still be mentioned just as often. Like it or not, that’s a fact.

Honestly, Davis probably has it the easiest of the three, playing a position with more perceived depth than Thomas and Kelly. He can take his time to grow into the role and learn from Pro Bowler Chris Cooley and a blue-collar worker like Todd Yoder. But while Davis is able to avoid the spotlight, the same cannot be said of Thomas and Kelly.

That’s because the ‘Skins have needed a legitimate second option at receiver since Santana Moss came to town back in 2005. And truth be told, the issue was there even before that. When was the last time the Redskins had two wide outs finish a season with at least a thousand yards receiving? Sadly, it was 1999, when Michael Westbrook and Albert Connell each had more than 1,100 yards on the year.

So yeah, this town is more than ready for another breakout performance from a Redskins receiver. We caught up with Thomas and Kelly following the preseason opener. Sure, the team got blown out 23-0. But we were interested in talking with Kelly, who had three catches for 25 yards and Thomas, who started the game and had one catch for 12 yards.

Hey Malcolm, before we get started, we’ve got to talk to you about something. We’ve been telling everyone that whenever we’re at practice, you catch absolutely everything thrown your way. Well, your 13-yard catch against the Ravens, when you had to reach up and pluck a floating Todd Collins pass out of the air, was exactly what we’ve been talking about. So thanks for making us sound like we know what the hell we’re talking about.

(Laughs). “It was just a play where I was coming across and, you know, it’s crazy man, because I like balls like that,” Kelly said. “I know if the ball is down here, we both have a chance for it. I have a chance to catch it and he has a chance to knock it away. When the ball is up in the air like that, I don’t know anyone that’s going to jump up there with me to get the ball. When the ball left his hand and I saw how high it was, I had a smile on my face.”

It’s no secret this team is in desperate need of a big-bodied receiver who can make those tough catches. Are you telling us that’s you?

“Oh yeah, oh yeah,” he said. “That’s exactly what they brought me in for. I’m just trying to do whatever they ask me to do. Actually, I’m trying to do even better than what they ask of me.”

And your health, are the knee problems a thing of the past?

“Aww, man, I’m good,” Kelly said. “I’m great actually. I’m feeling good. The hamstring, I got it stretched out before practice. My knee couldn’t feel any better. I just have to stay on the maintenance program that I’m on, man. It’s keeping me healthy.”

Talk to us about Devin Thomas. What are you seeing from him?

“He’s doing his thing,” he said. “I know people always say that we’re in a competition, but honestly, we’re best friends. That’s what it is, man. We both go out there on the field every day because we both want to be good football players, but it’s not a deal where I want to be good and if he drops a pass, I’m back there clapping because I think I’m one step ahead of him. It’s not like that. If both of us can get out there on the field during games, it’ll be that much better. That’s how we feel.”

You’re a professional, and of course you want to play. But the way we see it, if you both do your job, you’re both going to end up on the field …

“Exactly,” Kelly said. “That’s what people have to realize. You know, the more threats you can have out there on the field at one time, the better for the team.”

From there we went to find Thomas, to see if there was any truth to this best friend talk.

“Yeah, man, we’re definitely best friends,’ Thomas said. “We know the situation at second or third receiver or whatever, but really, we just want to be on the field together. We feel like us out there together, makes this offense a viable threat. If he’s making a play or if I’m making a play, we’re happy for each other. We feed off of each other, so anytime that happens it’s great for both of us.”

If you’re both making plays, then we’re fairly sure the team is going to be smart enough to find ways to use you both, right?

“Exactly,” he said. “Coach Zorn realizes that too, and he really wants that to happen for us. As long as we’re both making plays, we’re going to be getting victories. That’s what he’s definitely looking for.

“Malcolm has natural catching ability, and with him being a tall guy, if the quarterback does throw it a little high, he’s got no problem going up and bringing it down,” Thomas continued. “I’m more the speedy guy. I can get the ball in a short space and make something happen. His combination of stretching the field with his catching ability and me being able to squeeze through holes and get extra yardage, man we’re a duel threat.”

We know you hear the whispers that you guys are fragile little snowflakes who are never going to be able to stay healthy …

(Laughs). “You’ve got to understand, its football,” he said. “You can’t predict injuries. I’ve never been injury prone or anything like that. It’s just one of those things, you know. We’re definitely not fragile at all. Both of our games involve being physical, so we’re going to try and break tackles and get extra yardage. Hopefully we’ll be able to erase those thoughts.”

Changing the public perception is very easy to do – just go out and perform. Remember Westbrook and Connell? Yeah, the bar is set so low in Washington, that duo was the last to stand out. Thomas and Kelly have looked much improved from this time last year and if they can both stay healthy, then they’ll be well on their way to erasing those negative perceptions hanging over them.

photo by Brian Murphy

Yes, preseason games are meaningless. That’s something we can all agree on. As soon as the regular season begins, no one remembers how teams fared in the preseason.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t watch.

When the Washington Redskins traveled to Baltimore to take on the Ravens last week, it gave ‘Skins fans their first real glimpse into what one might reasonably expect from this year’s rookie class. Until now, these young players have been nothing more than camp fodder – youngsters so green that they don’t even have logos on their helmets yet.

Good, bad or ugly, this game was our first impression of rookies like linebacker Brian Orakpo, defensive back Kevin Barnes and defensive end Jeremy Jarmon. Will each of these three athletes play an integral role on what should be a top 10 defense? Or will this draft class be like 2008’s, which saw the meteoric rise of safety Chris “The Predator” Horton, and not much else?

Horton is actually the perfect example for why fans should tune in for preseason games. Sure he made a name for himself against the New Orleans Saints last September, with two interceptions in his first-career start, but he’d already shown flashes. People tend to forget that “The Predator” first showed what he was capable of in the preseason, when he picked up two sacks against the Indianapolis Colts during the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. But that kind of individual effort is more than enough reason to tune in during an otherwise meaningless evening.

So while the ‘Skins took a beating, losing 23-0, we were more interested in watching the rookies play and hearing how they thought they fared.

Okay, Mr. Orakpo. You just finished your first preseason game. How’d you do?

“You know, I’m not sure,” Orakpo said. “I’ve got to watch the tape. It was my first preseason game, and I know I made some mental errors and some mistakes, just like anybody would. But overall, if we can just improve on some things – I thought I did some good things and defensively we did some things good, but we can always improve.”

How did you feel in pass-rushing situations?

“I felt pretty comfortable,” he said. “That’s something I know I have an advantage in – coming off the edge and putting pressure on them. That’s somewhere I know I can continue to improve and at linebacker, I can continue to improve as well. I need to be reading stuff and flying around a lot faster, instead of trying to think too much.”

You said you thought you’d be nervous heading into your debut. So be honest, were you?

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Orakpo said. “Once that first drive was over with, it was back to football. This is the NFL, but at the end of the day, it’s just football. After that first series, I was able to stay calm and just play.”

Not to take anything away from Orakpo, but we wanted to touch base with a veteran or two and see what they thought of his first game as a member of the Washington Redskins.

“He did really good,” said defensive end Andre Carter. “He looked really comfortable out there. Whatever he applied on the practice field, he took it to the game. That’s important because, as a rookie, the last thing you want to be is a ‘practice player.’ You’ve got to be able to apply that to gameday situations.”

It looked to us that the Ravens were double teaming Orakpo pretty regularly. Is that what you saw?

“Yeah, they were,” he said. “And that’s great. They were definitely chipping him up a little bit. I don’t want to give him too much credit though, I’m sure it was part of their gameplan.

(Laughs). “No, no, he did good,” Carter continued. “He looked good on the line and also at linebacker. He did really good out there and looked like he belonged.”

Horton also noticed the amount of attention given to Orakpo’s side of the field whenever he put his hand on the ground and lined up at defensive end.

“That says a lot,” Horton said. “Teams have enough film on him from college to know he’s a special player. You pretty much have to double him because he’s so good, chances are, he’s getting a sack.”

Orakpo was among the starters, and although most of them played one series before calling it a night, the former Texas Longhorn standout found himself on the field for much of the first half. During his extended playing time, Orakpo logged two tackles and pressured Ravens quarterback Troy Smith into throwing an incomplete pass, which was enough to make an impression on head coach Jim Zorn.

“I thought he had exceptional speed,” Zorn said. “I thought he played hard. I liked what I saw. I think we got a player there.”

While Orakpo stood out for the right reasons, Barnes wasn’t so lucky. He got caught looking on a double-pump move by Smith, who connected with Justin Harper for a 19-yard touchdown. We caught up with Barnes in the locker room following the game to get his thoughts on game one.

“I feel like I finished harder than I started,” Barnes said. “It was kind of a blur … well, not really a blur out there, but I made a couple of mistakes. I had to rebound, come back and play harder in the second half.

“When you play in practice, everybody’s good,” he said. “But when you play here, everybody’s definitely good – especially playing against a different opponent. Everybody’s out there playing for their job.”

Are you beating yourself up over the touchdown?

“A little bit,” Barnes said. “I made the same mistake a week ago. That’s why I’m so mad at myself. I don’t like to make the same mistakes twice.”

While Barnes was very critical of his performance, Horton was encouraged by what he saw from the rookie.

“This was his first time out there,” he said. “Everybody’s goal is to come out the gate strong, but it doesn’t happen for everyone. Sometimes you’ve got to get a feel for how it is on this level. I think that every week he’s going to get better. He knows he didn’t start well, but he got better. That’s what you want to see from a young guy like him.”

While Orakpo was solid, but unspectacular and Barnes wished he could have a do-over on a couple plays, Jarmon looked right at home seeing live action for the first time in his professional career. He had several quarterback pressures and made a nice play to shed his blocker and batted down a passing attempt.

“I did okay, for a rookie,” Jarmon said. “I went out and felt like I played hard, made some plays. There were some plays that I have to make if I’m going to be able to help our team out this year. You know, I was able to flush the quarterback out a few times. I got my hands on him on three occasions and failed to bring him down. I’m frustrated in that aspect, because I have to capitalize on plays like that.”

“I was getting up the field and the tackle attempted to chop block me,” he said. “He tried to cut my legs out from underneath me and I just used my hands, got him off of me and looked the quarterback right in his eyes. I was able to get both hands on it and it would have been nice to get the interception. That didn’t happen, but it was a good play.”

What can you personally take away from a game like this?

“Our backs were up against the wall,” Jarmon said. “We came into the game and the score was 13-0. It was on us to reserve the field and get our offense better field position. The pressure was on us in the second half to make some plays, and we didn’t make enough plays. We weren’t consistent enough and that’s something in this next week of practice we’re just going to work harder on.”

And what did Carter think of Jarmon’s inaugural performance?

“He’s another guy who is going to be ready to play and help us out,” Carter said. “I don’t know if he’ll be ready to contribute this year or if he’ll be able to learn things from us – like how we run things – to better prepare him for next year. Either way, once he gets on the field, he’s going to be ready to go.”

Overall, what can these kids take away from a game like this?

“It’s always a learning experience,” Carter said. “The good thing about preseason games – they don’t count. It’s just preseason. You’ve got to have short-term memory, which I’m sure they know. And second, you’re not going to get cut after the first preseason game.

Orakpo, Barnes and Jarmon each stood out at times during the Ravens game. Sometimes they were good. Sometimes … not so much. But if each of these rookies uses that experience as a starting point and continues to work hard on and off the field, each of these three players could become regular contributors sooner rather than later.

It’s a good thing each of these rookies will have plenty of time to slowly make the transition though, right?

“Now the second preseason game, that’s when you have to step your game up,” Carter said.

Nevermind.

photo by Brian Murphy

Earlier this week, we posted comments from Washington Redskins defensive end Phillip Daniels about rookie defensive end Jeremy Jarmon, who the team acquired in the supplemental draft.

After Daniels told us he was hopeful he’d be able to sign Jarmon as one of his first clients once he becomes an NFL agent, we wanted to get the rookie’s reaction. We recently caught up with the promising youngster to get his take on that and whatever else was on his mind.

Okay, you’ve been a professional football player for a few weeks now. How are you handling the transition?

“It’s coming well,” Jarmon said. “It’s football. I’m out here trying to get better every single day. Some of the guys are a lot faster [than in college], but the overall speed of the game isn’t necessarily faster. The biggest difference is the pace at which you have to comprehend what’s going on. But I played in the SEC, which is the closest conference you can compare to playing in the NFL. I played against a lot of teams with great size and speed.”

So your head isn’t swimming?

“No, every now and then I get out there and something throws me off,” he said. “But for the most part, I’m just staying focused. At night, before I go to bed, I’m taking mental reps to understand the plays so when the play starts to develop, I know exactly what I need to do.”

You’re so new to town, that folks might not know much about you. What’s the scouting report on Jeremy Jarmon?

“I just think I’m a very versatile player,” Jarmon said. “I think I play with very good leverage, which gives me an advantage against guys that are bigger than me, stronger than me or outweigh me by a lot. I have enough weight to hold my own in the running game, and I think I have the speed of a smaller defensive end to turn the corner. I have a lot of expectations of myself as the season opens up and we begin the preseason. I can’t wait to get going.”

We talked to Phillip Daniels, who stressed he and the veterans got with you on day one to offer their support and veteran perspective. Has that been the case?

“Absolutely,” he said. “They’ve been very generous with that information. I don’t even have to go to them and ask for things. They come to me and say, ‘Hey you did good there’ or “Next time do this.’ In the meeting room or after practice, they’re always pointing out ways I can improve. I’m taking all of that in, and that’s what I’m coming back out here and building on every day.”

He also mentioned that he was hoping to sign you as a client once he became an agent. Have you guys talked about that?

“Yeah, Phil told me that once I got here,” Jarmon said. “He said, ‘Unbelievable. I’ve been scouting you over the past few months and now you’re here.’ You know, it made me feel good to hear that from a guy of Phillip’s caliber. He’s a great guy and a true professional. For a guy like that to have scouted me and to have wanted to represent me, that means a lot to me.”

Jarmon began to catch people’s attention by picking up two sacks during the team’s scrimmage last weekend. Having a chance to finally talk with the guy, we walked away impressed that Jarmon has the right mindset heading into his rookie season, and if he continues to push himself, he could contribute to this defense a lot sooner than people realize.

photos by Brian Murphy

Since his arrival in town, Washington Redskins reserve linebacker Alfred Fincher has been known as a solid, but unspectacular, player who made a name for himself as a dependable special teams guy.

Most casual fans wouldn’t recognize the four-year veteran – even if he walked by them while wearing his jersey. But if Fincher has his way, that will soon change. That’s because the former UConn Husky has followed in the footsteps of Capitals defenseman Mike Green, Chad Ochocinco and half the Wizards by rocking the Mohawk.

There’s just one problem with Fincher’s master plan – he failed to check with his teammates first.

You see, we first noticed Fincher’s new hairstyle last week, and when we broached the topic, he informed us that he’d done it the night before and his teammates had just informed him that there would be a team vote to determine if he’d be allowed to keep his new look.

When we ran into Fincher this past weekend after the scrimmage he still had the Mohawk, so we decided to get to the bottom of things.

Hey Alfred, last time we talked you told us your teammates weren’t on board with the new look and they wanted to put it up to a vote. We see you’re still rocking it, so what happened?

(Laughs). “You’ll have to ask our fearless leader right there,” said Fincher as he gestured towards middle linebacker London Fletcher. “They took a vote on it because the guys were making fun of it a little bit. The vote was – half of them liked it and half of them didn’t believe I did it by myself. But the consensus says, they like it. The bottom line is, I like it, and I’m keeping it.”

So what inspired this new look?

“Nothing man,” he said. “Camp gets routine, so every time camp comes guys keep beards or do something to change it up. I just wanted to change it up a little bit.”

Is this something we’re going to see on you for a while?

“You know what? If I’m feeling it during the season, I just might keep rocking it,” Fincher said. “I’m superstitious a little bit, but we’ll see how it goes.”

After hearing Fincher’s side of the story, we felt obligated to check in with Fletcher.

We were just talking with one of your fellow linebackers about his new hairstyle. What’s your take on it?

(Laughs). “Well, the Mohawk’s not the problem,” said the sage veteran. “It just wasn’t a good one. The barber that he hired wasn’t good. That’s the issue.”

He swears he did it himself …

“It looks like it,” Fletcher said. “Put it this way, if he didn’t do it himself, I’d be disappointed with the way that turned out.”

He admitted the team took a vote on whether it stays or not. How close was it?

“Well, most people thought he could keep it, but that he should be fined,” he said. “A couple guys didn’t want to fine him, but …”

And what’s your take, since you’re a veteran leader on this team?

“Oh, it’s fineable,” Fletcher said, laughing as he walked away.

The moral of the story is simple – sometimes attention ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. You might intend for things to play out one way, but ultimately end up facing a whole new set of consequences. Sure, the Mohawk might get you some notoriety, which is great, so long as you don’t mind donating a few dollars to your teammates.

(Apologies to Dan Steinberg, who has owned the D.C. athlete’s hairstyle beat for years.)