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30Mar

raising the bar

In blog, football by b murf / March 30, 2009 / 1 Comment

(photo by Brian Murphy)

There’s an interesting article on ESPN.com this morning by someone named Tim Graham, in which some light is shined on the release of Jason Taylor from the Washington Redskins earlier this month.

Here’s the pertinent portion of Graham’s article:

The Redskins released him on March 2 amid reports he wasn’t interested in committing to the offseason program. Taylor refuted such accounts, claiming he and Redskins owner Dan Snyder hashed out his release.

“We sat down here in Miami and I told him point blank I didn’t want to steal from him,” Taylor said. “I didn’t want to go up there and take the eight-and-a-half-million dollars and not be productive. It wasn’t fair.

“I took a lot of heat last year for the lack of productivity, and the injuries and whatnot, but after you play in a certain system and a certain situation for 11 years and make the Pro Bowl six times, then they tell you now play the other side, it doesn’t always work that way. We couldn’t find that mix last year.”

Taylor, who will turn 35 in September, was coy about his future plans. He was definitive that he will play somewhere, but claimed he had no timetable to make a decision. He also stated “it’s not about the money. I walked away from the money in D.C.”

This solidifies the conventional wisdom that no one at Redskins Park truly cared whether or not Taylor participated in the team’s offseason workout program. It was simply used as a convenient excuse to help show the former NFL defensive player of the year the door after one failed year in town.

The part that will continue to drive us nuts is when Taylor says, “After you play in a certain system and a certain situation for 11 years and make the Pro Bowl six times, then they tell you now play the other side, it doesn’t always work that way.” As we’ve said all along, we don’t blame Taylor for his failure to live up to expectations last season. Sure, he was arrogant and phony behind the scenes, but through no fault of his own he was a square peg in a round hole the moment he arrived.

It reminds us of our conversation with Redskins running back Ladell Betts from last week when we asked him about whether or not he thought the ‘Skins should make a play for Denver quarterback Jay Cutler.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Betts said. “Guys are good in certain systems … I’m not saying Cutler is a system quarterback, but you can’t just assume that someone is just going to go somewhere else and automatically put up numbers and be better than somebody else. I mean, that’s an unknown situation. There’s no way anybody can say that with certainty. I think we’re just fine with Jason as our quarterback.”

Taylor knows it. Betts knows it. But sadly, the Redskins front office doesn’t know it. Just because a guy is good in one system, doesn’t guarantee he’ll flourish in your system – especially if you’re doing things drastically different from his previous experience. It has been reported that the front office talked with defensive coordinator Greg Blache prior to acquiring Taylor from Miami and that Blache voted against making the move. Our best guess is he knew Taylor was a bad fit and said so, but for reasons unknown management made it happen anyway.

Should the Redskins ever get to a point where they return to the days of glory, these are the self-inflicted issues they’re going to have to grow out of.

If you want to bring in a Jason Taylor, you either need to adapt your defense to suit the player, thereby ensuring you maximize that player’s potential in your system or you make them adjust to fit what you’re trying to do. For the record, option two is much easier said than done when we’re talking about 34-year-old veterans who are already thinking of life after football.

We know it sounds like common sense and that we might even be entering “beating a dead horse” territory here, but this is a problem that absolutely needs to be corrected if the Redskins ever plan on being anything more than a .500 team.

27Mar

note: only in washington

In basketball, blog, note to self by b murf / March 27, 2009 / No Comments

(courtesy photo)

Over the last several years, I’ve been lucky enough to have access to the Washington Redskins, and recently I have also begun covering the Capitals. I’ve never tried to attain a media credential for the Wizards, mostly because they suck.

But if I did have a credential, I would use it to track down Gilbert Arenas and tell him one simple sentence – “don’t do it.”

Word on the street is that Arenas, who seemingly a lifetime ago was known as Agent Zero, Hibachi and a relevant basketball player, is planning on making his triumphant return to action this weekend after being sidelined for nearly a year due to a knee injury.

While it’s great to see a player anxious to bounce back from injury, this is quite possibly the worst decision Arenas can make. Doesn’t he know that this year’s Wizards are on the verge of something special?

Had the Wiz not rallied to steal a 95-93 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats at home last night, they would have become the first team in NBA history to go winless in their division for an entire season. Now, they’re 1-14, meaning they’re bad, but not bad enough to be memorable. For the year Washington is currently 17-56, which is the second-worst record in the league (ahead of only Sacramento, who is 15-55). Again, bad, but not enough to actually do any good.

If the Wizards were to finish with the worst record in the NBA, it would increase their chances of landing the number one overall pick, which means they’d be able to draft Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin to help turn things around. But because they’re the Wizards, I don’t even know why I’m getting my hopes up.

When healthy and at their best, Washington is a fundamentally flawed franchise. General manager Ernie Grunfeld is one of the best in the league, but what he’s built in D.C. is a team of jump shooters who either cannot or will not play defense. They can’t score tough baskets when the game is on the line and they give up entirely too many easy buckets to their opposition which means, best-case scenario, they’re good enough to qualify for the playoffs but have zero chance of doing anything once they are there. Teams that can’t score tough points in the paint don’t last long in the postseason, but because the bar was set so low for so long, no one seems to actually acknowledge this.

Click here for the full article.

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

25Mar

batch of links

In blog, football, hockey, links by b murf / March 25, 2009 / No Comments

(courtesy photo)

Believe it or not, but some high-quality reading actually comes from outside of Homer McFanboy. And because we know you’d much rather spend your time at work surfing the net than actually being productive, here’s what we’re reading this morning:

Our buddy Dan Steinberg usually leads the pack when it comes to quality content. Unfortunately, his latest work feels more like a sucker punch than anything else as he tackles the long-standing myth that Andre the Giant once tried out for George Allen and the Washington Redskins. Up next for Steinberg, proving there is no Santa Claus and assassinating the Easter Bunny.
After having your hopes and dreams crushed by the DC Sportsbog, head over to the Redskins Official Blog to read a story of ‘Skins linebacker Rocky McIntosh joining a group of young teenagers for a game of paintball. Photos and video are included.
Although the Washington Capitals lost last night in Toronto 2-1 via shootout, the real winner was superstar forward Alex Ovechkin, who sported a “Coach’s Corner” t-shirt prior to the game in honor of blowhard Don Cherry. Suck on that, old man.
If you’re more interested in what’s going on with the Caps on the ice, then be sure to check out Japers’ Rink breakdown of defenseman Mike Green’s impressive season. It turns out after you look at the numbers, Mike Green is pretty good.
Although we’re still a month away from the NFL Draft, a lot of folks around town are already diving into mock drafts and speculating what position the Redskins will target in the first round. Our buddy Mark took a different approach – disecting every player selected with the 13th-overall pick over the last 40 years. It took a ton of research to compile, so go check it out.
Finally, ESPN’s Matt Mosely sat down with head coach Jim Zorn this week to get his take on Albert Haynesworth, Jason Campbell and last season’s trio of rookie pass catchers.

24Mar

finishing up with betts

In blog, downtime, football by b murf / March 24, 2009 / 5 Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Yesterday we ran part one of our exclusive interview with Washington Redskins running back Ladell Betts in which he talked about how he’s spent his offseason and his plans for life after football. Here is part two where we chatted about the team’s free agent acquisitions, how Betts views himself and those pesky quarterback rumors swirling around town these days. Enjoy.

The team was also able to bring back cornerback DeAngelo Hall. What are your thoughts on having him around for a few more years?

“You know, that one didn’t surprise me as much,” Betts said. “I kind of had a feeling that we would try to keep DeAngelo, especially after the way he played once he got here. I mean, I don’t know what happened, as far as when he got out in Oakland, that’s not really for me to dig into. But I think he was a pleasant surprise when he got out here. He meshed well with the team, everybody got along well with him and he immediately created turnovers. That’s something that the defensive coaches and the head coaches were looking for, so it wasn’t a surprise to me that we would try to keep him – especially with him being so young.”

Even Randy Moss didn’t look like Randy Moss when he was in Oakland, so we’re not going overboard trying to analyze Hall’s time with the Raiders.

“Everybody has things like that that happen,” he said. “And sometimes things happen for a reason. He’s a hometown guy anyway, so like I said, it didn’t surprise me that we kept him.”

The other guy the ‘Skins brought back was offensive lineman Derrick Dockery, who you obviously know well. What’s it like to see him return to town?

“I tell you what, that was probably one of the guys I was most glad to see come back,” Betts said. “I was sad to see him go in the first place. Being a running back, he was one of the guys who always paved the holes and he helped me – or I guess we helped each other – to get new contracts back in 2006. It was good to see Big Dock make his way back to the city and just from talking to him since he got back, I think he missed being here.”

We’ve talked to some of your teammates recently and tried to figure it out, but no one really has a good answer. What the hell happened to you guys to make you finish the season 2-6?

“I think it’s a series of things,” Betts said. “There’s really no excuse for it, but we had injuries take place. I really think that was the biggest thing, injuries caught up with us and we just weren’t playing with the same level of confidence. I think once you drop a few games here and there, you get into tough ballgames and people sometimes tend to look at it and say, ‘Oh no, here we go again’ as opposed to the first eight games if something happened nobody even blinked. We kept fighting through and pushed through to get those close games. In the end it didn’t work out that way. We got banged up a little bit, but that happens to every team. We just didn’t finish the same way we started. There ain’t no excuse for it, it’s just something that happened.”

We talked earlier about your decision a couple years back to re-sign here and stay in Washington. Do you see yourself as a guy who could go to another city and be the feature back or are you more comfortable here backing up someone like Clinton Portis?

“I think I definitely have the capabilities to go somewhere else and be the guy if I needed to,” he said. “But at the time, I wanted to come back here basically because I’ve always enjoyed this city and I’ve always enjoyed the fans and playing for this franchise. Clinton and I have never had a problem getting along and I’ve always envisioned myself being a part of the offense if I did come back, which it did and didn’t work out. I think last year it was beginning to manifest itself, as far as me being a part of the offense again up until I got hurt. I was playing quite a bit until I got hurt and then it was all down hill as I was trying to get back and trying to fight through the pain. I wasn’t the same player when I came back.”

We’ve told you before we really like the idea of utilizing you and Clinton in the backfield at the same time to keep defenses on their heels. Any chance we’ll see more of that this year?

“You never know,” Betts said. “I haven’t talked to Coach Zorn about that yet, so I don’t know what they have in the works. I think that’s definitely a possibility because when we were both healthy they tried to sprinkle it in at the beginning of the season. It even got to the point where they were giving me series of my own, a couple series a game. It was working out well for me up until I got hurt. I had a good average going, I was catching balls and was running the ball well. Unfortunately I had the injury about midway through.”

The hot topic these days is Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, with fans jumping up and down begging their respective teams to make a play for him. So let us ask you, do you believe Jason Campbell is the real deal? Can he get this franchise to where we all want it to be?

“I think so,” he said. “I think he showed it during the string of the first eight games with us going 6-2. Jason played lights out. They were doing features on him, talking about him on SportsCenter about how he wasn’t turning the ball over and whatnot. He’s shown the capabilities, but along with the rest of the team, we just didn’t play at the same level in the second half. I think if he can pick that up where he left off, as far as the first half of the season and bring that into this year, he’ll play solid football. He’s our quarterback and I think D.C. will be proud of him.”

So you’re saying we don’t need Cutler or any of those other names out there?

[Editor’s note: Dear Redskins front office, please read Betts’ last answer over and over until it sinks in. Just because a guy like Jason Taylor excelled in one town in one system does not mean he automatically will play at a Pro Bowl level in Washington. Please write this down or at least refer to Ladell before mortgaging away future draft picks and cap space. Thanks.]

23Mar

catching up with betts

In blog, downtime, football by b murf / March 23, 2009 / 4 Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Washington Redskins running back Ladell Betts is not your stereotypical NFL player. While most fans might think of football players as nothing more than flashy young millionaires “making it rain” at their choice of gentlemen’s club, Betts is busy setting himself up for success after he hangs up the cleats. We caught up with the eighth-year pro to see what he’s been up to and were surprised with his answers. Here’s part one of our interview.

How was your summer vacation? Did you do anything exciting during your time off?

“Nah, I didn’t do anything too exciting,” he said. “I went down to Puerto Vallarta for a little bit, but other than that I just kind of kicked back and relaxed. I went up to Wharton too, for the Business Management and Entrepreneurship Program.”

Is that an NFL program?

“Yeah, the NFL puts it on,” Betts said. “They have them at different schools. They have one at Stanford, one at Northwestern University and one at Harvard, and I did the one at Wharton.”

Tell us a little bit about that. If we remember correctly, Renaldo Wynn and some other Redskins players have participated in that program in the past.

“Well, they teach you about different business management opportunities,” he said. “The one I did at Wharton has a heavy emphasis on real estate. It’s like a crash course, basically. You go there for four days from like eight in the morning until like seven at night and then you go back for more later, which I’m about to go back and do in a week or so. They teach you about the do’s and don’ts – what to look for and what to be leery of. How to approach things, how to read financial statements and everything. It’s a good course.”

You hear horror stories about folks making one bad business decision and getting taken for all their money, so it’s cool that the NFL is trying to set you guys up for better success, right?

“Yeah, that’s basically what they’re doing,” Betts said. “It’s a good idea and I’m glad I went. I was a little hesitant about going because I’ve never been fond of school, but I’m glad I went. It’s been pretty fun to go.”

Do you call Virginia home these days? Do you stay in the area during the offseason?

“I do. I do,” he said. “I’ve been living here since I got in the NFL. I bought my house my second year in the league and this has pretty much been home for me ever since.”

We know you had the chance to explore free agency a couple years ago and decided to stay here, but it’s nice to know you consider this area home now.

“I think the D.C. market, just as far as the people and the opportunities, as far as business and stuff away from football – life after football – I think D.C. is one of the hardest markets to walk away from,” Betts said. “There’s not very many places in the United States that have this kind of diversity and business opportunities. There’s so many different people you can network with and I just think it’s a good opportunity for me.”

We hate to state the obvious here, but you know you’re still young, right? You’re only 29 and you’re already sitting here planning life after football.

“I am young, but the thing about football is I think too many guys don’t approach it that way and then the next thing you know your name isn’t on the back of that jersey anymore and now you’re out in the real world and you haven’t made any contacts and you haven’t really tried to establish yourself outside of football,” he said. “For most of us, we’ve been doing this since pee wee league through elementary or junior high or whatever. We don’t know much else other than football. At some point in time you’ve got to branch out and try to make that transition smoother, and that’s all I’m trying to do. I’m not trying to retire from football, I’m just trying to make it so when that day does come I’m not out in the dark wondering what I’m going to do now.”

That brings up an interesting question – what would you be doing with your life if you never made it to the NFL?

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Betts said. “That’s a tough question to ask because, for me, football has always been there. I think from every step of the way since high school … you know, for most of us, if you’re a stand out player in high school you probably envisioned yourself going to college and being a stand out football player. When that happens, you just automatically jump to thinking about the NFL. I never really envisioned myself doing anything other than playing football, so I think that’s why over the last couple years I’ve tried to wrap my mind around what I’m going to do after football. That’s what I pretty much have tried to focus on in the offseason.”

Other than a quick trip to Mexico and some business classes you haven’t done anything exciting with your time off?

“Yeah, that’s really about it,” he said. “I have a daughter that lives in Chicago, so I’m back and forth between here and there a lot so I can spend as much time with her as I can, but she’s in school so she can’t really come out here until school’s out for the summer. I travel back and forth for her so I can try and spend as much time with her as I can, but other than that, I just try to kick back and relax. Football is such a grind and you’ve got injuries and your body is sore. A lot of times guys just want to kick back and relax. Maybe take a trip here or there, but mainly you just want to relax.”

Who from the team do you keep in touch with during the offseason?

“Not too many guys,” Betts said. “I keep in touch with Rock [Cartwright], but I think that’s probably about it. It’s not really by design or anything, but I think once you get to the NFL and you’re like me going into your eighth season, most of the guys I came in with or are my age, they’ve got lives of their own. Most guys have families – you know, wives, kids and all – or live other places, so they all go off and do their own thing. Rock just happens to be one of the guys I’ve been pretty close with since I’ve been here and I keep in touch with, but other than that, I think most of the guys just go their own way.”

Like you said, you’ve been here a while. Does anything surprise you anymore when it comes to the Redskins and their free agency habits?

(Laughs). “I was surprised that we did get [Albert] Haynesworth,” he said. “Word on the street was that the asking price was going to be pretty large, so I didn’t know if we were in the market for that kind of player, but it’s a pleasant surprise. I’m glad we did. I’m fortunate enough to be able to turn on the TV on Sundays after our games and see the damage he did to other teams. Hopefully he can bring that intensity out here.”

Obviously he’s a game changer, but what does Albert Haynesworth bring to the table?

“First of all, he’s going to take up blocks,” Betts said. “That’s not a guy you’re going to take out one-on-one. He’s going to draw double teams and teams are literally going to have to gameplan for him because of his size, his stature and his level of play. He’ll be able to create matchup problems for other guys and hopefully free up some other guys off the edge and free up some linebackers. At the same time, he can do his damage as well, as far as making a push up the middle and not allow quarterbacks to step up. He’ll just crash that pocket and wreak havoc in the trenches.”

So wait, you’re telling me Ladell Betts can’t just drop his shoulder and level a guy like Albert Haynesworth?

(Laughs). “You know, of course, I like to think I can, but now I don’t have to worry about doing it,” he said.

Check back with us tomorrow for part two of our interview with Ladell Betts.

19Mar

note: lessons learned

In blog, football, note to self by b murf / March 19, 2009 / No Comments

(courtesy photo)

The National Football League is probably the most cyclical of the professional sports leagues.

For years everyone felt that teams needed a proven entity as their head coach. Even if the guy wasn’t any good, teams just felt comfortable going with retreads. If Wade Phillips was good enough to get fired from two other teams, then dammit, he’s good enough to fail me too!

More recently though, the tides have changed and teams have changed their philosophy. Owners got “smarter” and decided, “Why overpay for Marty Schottenheimer when I can pay a third of his salary to some no-name thirty-something who will be so happy to have a job he’ll do whatever I tell him?” Next thing you know, young guys are en vogue and players suddenly find themselves in the same age group as their new bosses.

While hands-on owners love having a young guy as their puppet … er … coach, there’s a definite drawback – in many cases, these first-time head coaches have no clue how to run a team and are instantly in over their head.

Take for example the current situation in Denver. Now that Mike Shanahan (also known as the dirty cheater who blatantly circumvented the salary cap with under-the-table deals that directly led to the Broncos’ two Super Bowls) is collecting unemployment, owner Pat Bowlen opted for a youth movement and brought in Brian Xanders as the new general manager and Josh McDaniels as his new head coach.

Xanders previously worked in Atlanta as the Falcons’ chief contract negotiator and salary-cap manager and McDaniels, at 32, was the offensive coordinator for New England. By all accounts, both were very good at their respective jobs, but the truth is, there’s a lot more to running a professional franchise than balancing the salary cap and drawing up plays for Tom Brady and Randy Moss.

And while both were very solid in their respective roles, apparently neither had any experience with tact. If so, there’s little reason to believe that the Broncos would be in their current predicament in which franchise quarterback Jay Cutler has all but demanded being traded out of Denver.

By now everyone knows that Denver screwed the pooch by making a run at former Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel in the days leading up to free agency. While Cutler is an above average quarterback, McDaniels apparently felt more comfortable with the idea of Cassel, with whom he worked with in New England, running the show.

There’s nothing wrong with a first-year coach wanting to surround himself with some sort of familiarity, but here’s the key – look into bringing in whoever you feel is the best fit for your team, but ensure you don’t alienate what you’ve already got in the process. Cutler should have never found out that his name was mentioned and in this case, the minute he did, you needed to show up at his house and soothe things over face-to-face.

Now, because both the head coach and general manager are young and inexperienced, you’ve got a full-blown clusterfuck.

Click here for the full article.

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

18Mar

so which is it?

In blog, hockey by b murf / March 18, 2009 / 1 Comment

(photo by Steve Mitchell)

This is what makes the Washington Capitals must-see TV. Or maddening. You pick.

Just 24 hours after getting trounced by the lowly Atlanta Thrashers 5-1, the Caps responded with an authoritative 3-0 victory over the Florida Panthers Tuesday night. Most teams look better on the first night of a back-to-back set. But where’s the fun in that? Sure, these Capitals are as talented as any team D.C. has had over the last decade, but we’re truly starting to believe that they’re also bipolar.

Even if you missed the Atlanta game, one look at the boxscore should have been enough to guess how the game played out. The Caps took 50 shots but scored only once, which meant the team settled for long-range shots instead of creating traffic in the crease. The Thrashers scored three powerplay goals, which meant some players took bad penalties and defense apparently wasn’t much of a priority. Washington goalie Jose Theodore was pulled from the game after allowing four goals on just 19 shots, but it was a safe bet he wasn’t the only problem. Sound about right?

Well, thank the hockey gods for Bruce Boudreau. Thanks to him, this talented but still immature team rarely mails it in two games in a row. So last night the Capitals played inspired hockey. Players were backchecking. Defensive players were rarely caught out of position. The team got much-needed secondary scoring (which essentially means goals from people not named Alex). Instead of giving up multiple powerplay goals, the team actually scored a shorthanded goal against Florida. And in the end, Theodore secured his second shutout of the season. Sound about right?

And here’s the stat of the night – the Capitals did not allow a single shot by the Panthers in the third period.

“I’ve never been involved in a game where that’s happened,” Boudreau said in his post-game press conference. “It’s a great testament to our players. They proved they can do it when they want to do it. It was a total team win and we got that secondary scoring.”

Ahead 1-0 heading into the final frame thanks to Brooks Laich’s shorthanded goal from an impossible angle, the team clamped down in their own end and got the job done. Because they didn’t try to force the offense (remember that five-on-one breakaway over the weekend?) and just took what the opposition gave them while playing Capitals hockey, everything is right in the hockey universe, for another day or two at least.

Here’s the funny thing about these two back-to-back games – Theodore faced 19 shots in both affairs. When he was hung out to dry, he was pulled from the game. When his defense actually gave him a chance, he picked up a shutout. We know a lot of people think he can’t carry the load for this team, but we’ll continue to support the guy. Once he got over that awful habit of allowing a goal on one of the first two or three shots of the night from earlier this season, Theodore has been solid.

Of much greater concern should be the Capitals’ erratic defensive play, as well as the offense’s lack of desire to roll up their sleeves and get dirty. Viktor Kozlov scored the second goal of the game because Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun was screened and never got a clear view of the puck. Good things happen for this team when guys crash the net, but it’s apparently much more fun to play finesse hockey and attempt to skate circles around opponents. If you want a reason why this team might not yet be ready for a legitimate Stanley Cup run, that’s it. Don’t take it from us, take it from Boudreau who has been telling his players as much all season long. It’s up to them whether they listen or not.