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19Dec

redskins-giants playlist

(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “1999” by Prince

The last time the Washington Redskins swept the New York Giants in a season was 1999. To put that in proper perspective, outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan was 11. So was running back Roy Helu. At 13, linebacker Brian Orakpo had just become a teenager.

“What grade is that? Seventh? Seventh grade? I was a young cut,” Orakpo said with a laugh. “It feels good – especially to sweep a team in a season like this, man. The only pessimistic thought I have is I wish we played like this all year. We played a full 60 minutes. This is a game we can truly learn and grow from because we started fast and we finished strong. Guys just continued to play throughout the game. We didn’t worry about all of the other stuff going on; we just continued to play the game.”

Clearly, the Redskins’ 23-10 victory over the Giants was well overdue. But the Redskins came out strong, set the tone of the game on both sides of the ball and really took it to a divisional rival with much more at stake in this match-up.

“We all came out here today and decided we were gonna make plays,” said cornerback DeAngelo Hall. “I was telling the guys on the bench that it’s a scary thing when this team decides to play football. We’ve definitely got a lot to look forward to.”

Considering some guys from the Giants were mouthing off about being able to beat the Redskins 99 times out of 100, you’d think they would be able to put forth a better effort against such a supposedly inferior opponent.

Maybe next year.

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12Dec

redskins-patriots playlist

(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Make Me Proud” by Drake

It’s safe to say that expectations were low heading into the weekend, as the Washington Redskins hosted the New England Patriots.

That’s because, if the season ended Sunday, one team was playing for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs while the other was in the hunt for a top five pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. One team was 9-3 and featured first-ballot Hall of Famer Tom Brady, while the other was a 4-8 squad that trots out Rex Grossman each and every week.

And, oh by the way, the Redskins were without the following Week 1 starters: left tackle Trent Williams, right tackle Jammal Brown, guard Kory Lichtensteiger, running back Tim Hightower, tight end Chris Cooley and tight end Fred Davis.

Even though New England had somehow never won a road game against Washington, there was little reason to believe the Redskins could make it competitive — let alone win the game.

And yet, after Washington got off to its customarily slow start — spotting New England a 14-3 lead just over nine minutes into the game — the Redskins ended up giving Brady and friends more of a fight than they bargained for.

Led by the one-two combo of Grossman and rookie running back Roy Helu, one of the least-heralded offenses in football amassed 431 total yards while playing some of the most enjoyable football ‘Skins fans have seen all year.

Regardless of how bad the New England defense is, 270 yards and 20 points in one half is outstanding for an offensive-challenged offense like Washington.

The Redskins’ offense was a dream come true for the Shanaclan — with seemingly anything they drew up in the sand executed to perfection. Washington was a perfect balance on offense, with 33 passes thrown, 34 rushing attempts and more than 36 minutes time of possession.

There isn’t a team in the league who wouldn’t take that level of production and balanced playcalling in a heartbeat. So while the Patriots walked away victorious, with a hard-fought 34-27 win, there was still plenty to be satisfied with for the hometown faithful.

“When you are playing a good team like that, who is, year in and year out competitive for the Super Bowl, I thought our guys on offense and defense battled for 60 minutes,” Grossman said. “They gave their best effort.”

And let’s just say that, even though the won the game, the Patriots weren’t exactly busting out the champagne as they left town.

“We started off strong, kinda faded away in the middle of the game, finished the game strong,” said Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo. “But it won’t be good enough any other week. This week, we’re fortunate enough to win the game, but any other week, it won’t be.”

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05Dec

redskins-jets playlist

(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Things Ain’t Like They Used to Be” by The Black Keys

In many ways, the Washington Redskins’ 34-19 loss to the New York Jets was a perfect representation of the 2011 season.

In both instances, the team looked at its best the first time it took the field, gave the fans plenty of reason for hope and then the wheels suddenly came flying off leaving everyone involved wondering what the hell just happened.

Like many other times this season, Washington played well enough to win. The Redskins even held a 16-13 lead with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

But, as has been the case all too often over the last decade or so, the team failed to close out a vulnerable opponent and was left searching for answers after another disappointing defeat.

“It’s frustrating,” said Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan. “You come out in the second half and I think we had three series of three-and-outs. On offense we had a chance to get the momentum of the game and we didn’t. They come back with a pretty good play with a little sluggo call. They got the touchdown but we’re still in the football game. I’m just disappointed in the way we finished.”

2. “Doing It Wrong” by Drake

The key play Shanahan that referred to was a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez to receiver Santonio Holmes with 4:49 left in the game. Holmes beat cornerback Josh Wilson cleanly and caught an easy over-the-shoulder pass to give New York their first lead of the game.

Despite having three different leads through the game, the Redskins looked shell-shocked after that score and never recovered.

During the final four minutes of the game, the Jets padded their stats with two touchdowns by running back Shonn Greene to seal the game, but this wasn’t a game that was lost solely by the Washington defense.

“I just thought we were very average collectively on offense,” Shanahan said. “We started out good and for whatever reason we lost – I wouldn’t say we lost our poise – but they got the job done and we didn’t. I thought we took it to them in the first quarter and a half. We had the momentum going and all of a sudden it didn’t seem like we could get anything going. They picked up their run defense a little bit and we went in the other direction.”

After starting the game with an opening drive touchdown for the second-consecutive week, quarterback Rex Grossman and friends struggled to move the chains for most of the game.

The Redskins racked up 133 yards of offense on their first two possessions and then took the rest of the day off. Sadly, their next seven series resulted in six punts and a fumble, which is not going to win many football games.

“That’s why I was disappointed coming out in the second half with three series with pretty good field position, three plays and out,” Shanahan said. “You got a decent opportunity against a football team that’s got a pretty good defense. We didn’t do that. We did it in the first quarter and most of the second quarter. I’m disappointed we didn’t get the ball in the end zone and disappointed with the way we started out the third quarter. We had a chance to at least get ahead by 10 and we didn’t.”

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28Nov

redskins-seahawks playlist

(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Territorial Pissing” by Nirvana

The last time I was in Seattle, it was to cover the only playoff game I’ve been on the sidelines for.

After the shocking death of safety Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskins rallied to win their final four games of the 2007 regular season to sneak in the postseason.

Emotions were high as Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs and the Redskins traveled west to face the Seattle Seahawks, and everyone involved felt there was a destiny of sorts attached to that particular team as they headed into the wildcard weekend.

Unfortunately, real life doesn’t always play out like a Disney movie and the Redskins ultimately lost to the Seahawks 35-14. The game ended up being the last of Joe Gibbs 2.0 and paved the way for the Jim Zorn Era, but what I remember most from that fateful trip was just how shitty Seattle fans were.

Maybe it’s because they live in a dark and dreary place that sees rain far too often, but by kickoff it was already clear that Seahawks fans are a perfect blend of insecure little men and loudmouth douchebags. The fact that the “12th Man” schtick originated in Seattle only further encourages their unruly behavior.

Well, I probably could have lived with all of the obnoxious taunts and foul language, if they’d have left it at that. But alas, the Seahawks fans were in rare form that day and they apparently needed to make sure their presence was felt.

So one of them dumped a beer on me for no apparent reason other than the fact that I was wearing a Washington Nationals hat on the sidelines when receiver Santana Moss caught a touchdown pass from backup quarterback Todd “The Tasty Drink” Collins to give Washington the lead, 14-13.*

I wasn’t jumping up and down and acting like a fool. I wasn’t wearing burgundy and gold. No, I was simply taking photos on the sidelines and one of them wasted a perfectly good beer down my back.

*This is the photo I was able to capture before spinning around hoping to identify which coward got me. If nothing else, it is a pretty amazing shot of a special moment.

If you’d have bet me money which city I would have had my first incident in, I’d have probably guessed Philadelphia or New York. But no, that distinction goes to the land of Starbucks and crappy computer-operating systems.

And for that, I will always despise all Seattle sports fans.

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21Nov

redskins-cowboys playlist

(photos by Brian Murphy)

1. “Difference” by Childish Gambino

What does it say about the state of the Washington Redskins franchise that local fans can actually live with a loss to a hated rival?

No ‘Skins fan ever wants to see the burgundy and gold fall to the Dallas Cowboys, but seeing the team shows signs of life for the first time in more than a month should be enough to help ease the pain of the 27-24 overtime loss.

The game started much like every other Redskins game in 2011 – with the offense missing in action in the first quarter. Washington’s first three offensive plays were two end-arounds and a fumble.

Their first five drives resulted in four punts and a fumble as the Redskins racked up a grand-total of 26 yards, and it seemed as if it was only a matter of time before Dallas took control of the game and blew out the home team.

And then something crazy happened.

On 3rd-and-7, Quarterback Rex Grossman connected with receiver David Anderson for a 23-yard gain that seemed to spark the Redskins offense.

Three plays later, Grossman scored just the fourth rushing touchdown of his career and the Redskins had a first-half touchdown for the first time since the St. Louis game, Oct. 2.

As if that wasn’t reason enough to celebrate, the Redskins struck again with 14 seconds left in the first half – when Grossman connected with receiver Jabar Gaffney on a 3rd-and-6 play for a 16-yard touchdown that gave Washington a 14-13 lead at the break.

Just how unexpected

For starters, the Cowboys were coming off of a 44-7 win over the Buffalo Bills. Those same Bills shutout the Redskins 23-0, so basically, logic dictates that the Cowboys should have beaten Washington 67-7.

If that’s not enough, that seemingly innocent one-point lead represented Washington’s first lead in any game since that same St. Louis game 48 days ago.

It goes without saying that if a team never has the lead, they don’t win many football games.

2. “Get That Dirt Off Your Shoulder” by Jay-Z

Anyone familiar with Grossman’s body of work knows to expect the unexpected. Depending on the week, the nine-year veteran can either single-handedly win or lose a game.

Against Philadelphia earlier this season, Grossman was at his worst – throwing four interceptions and opening the door to the miserable John Beck era in Washington.

But then there are games like the season-opening victory over the New York Giants when Grossman proves to be the difference maker in a positive way.

That’s the way it goes with the Rex Cannon – you never whether you’re getting Good Rex or Bad Rex until the proverbial bullets start to fly.

After the first 15 minutes of play, it seemed like the Redskins were going to have to settle for another less-than-stellar outing from the quarterback position.

But then Sexy Rexy stepped up and treated the FedEx Field faithful to the most exciting game of the year. Grossman orchestrated back-to-back scoring drives late in the second quarter and, if nothing else, showed his teammates that he is capable of moving the chains and keeping drives alive with his arm.

Grossman completed 25 of 38 passes for 289 yards with three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and one interception. His quarterback rating of 95.2 is the second-best showing he’s had this season – behind only his 110.5 rating in the season opener.

And best of all, Grossman played with an attitude that screamed “I’m tired of all these critics talking shit about me.”

His swagger was noticeable from the moment he took the field (see photo above) until the moment the game ended and his teammates like tight end Fred Davis admitted that they feed off Grossman’s energy during the games.

It’s too bad that Grossman doesn’t have these outings more often, because I found myself absolutely enjoying the show as Good Rex took command of the game.

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14Nov

redskins-dolphins playlist

(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Different Names For The Same Thing” by Death Cab For Cutie

Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins set out to silence their critics against the Miami Dolphins Sunday.

While some fans inexplicably believe the Redskins’ head coach is content to lose the rest of the games on the schedule in hopes of securing the best draft pick possible, Shanahan made a series of pre-game moves that seemingly killed that theory.

After three uninspired starts, quarterback John Beck was relieved of his duties in favor of unstable veteran Rex Grossman. Beck might not turn the ball over as much as Grossman, but he also took too long to make decisions with the football and rarely attempted to challenge defenses.

Middle linebacker Rocky McIntosh was also removed from the starting lineup — giving way for Perry Riley’s first NFL start. Running back Roy Helu, who made his first career start one week ago, was bumped in favor of Ryan Torain and while receiver Anthony Armstrong wasn’t a starter to begin with, it appeared most of his playing time was given to David Anderson, who has been on the team less than a week.

None of those moves suggest a coach who is waiving the white flag. They all suggest Shanahan was doing anything and everything within his power to right the ship and salvage a season on the brink of total collapse.

Unfortunately for the two-time Super Bowl winner, those moves had little to no impact and the Redskins lost for the fifth-consecutive game — as Miami won their first home game in 364 days, with a 20-9 victory over Washington.

Even though the Dolphins were just 1-12 in their last 13 home games and play in front of one of the most indifferent crowds I’ve ever witnessed in person, Miami was able to secure the win because the Redskins offense still fails to mount any sort of consistent attack and the defense still gets gashed for chunks of yards at the worst-possible time and struggles to get off the field when the game is on the line.

Now, Shanahan must deal with the first five-game losing streak of his illustrious coaching career as the Redskins dropped five in a row for the first time since Marty Schottenheimer’s 2001 campaign.

And while Schottenheimer was able to bounce back from an 0-5 start to finish the season 8-3, there’s little reason to think these Redskins are remotely capable of anything similar. That’s because it’s tough to envision this dire situation suddenly improving — not when Washington lost to a one-win team for the fourth time in nine games this season.

2. “Temporary Remedy” by Ben Harper

I’ve always believed in the saying “moral victories are for losers,” but there were a few players who did have respectable outings against the Dolphins.

For starters, there was rookie receiver Leonard Hankerson. You might remember him as the guy who couldn’t make even the simplest of catches during the preseason or as the youngster who was inactive for Washington’s first five games of the season. Well, on Sunday he went from liability to clutch, as Hankerson became the team’s only reliable weapon on offense against Miami.

In just his second NFL start, Hankerson hauled in eight catches for 106 yards — making him the first Redskins rookie wideout to finish a game with at least 100 receiving yards since Rod “Stone Hands” Gardner back in 2001 (162 regular season games ago). To put those numbers in perspective, players not named Hankerson finished the game with 13 catches for 109 receiving yards.

“It just felt good to go out there and contribute to the team,” Hankerson said. “I’m out there capable of making plays and catching first downs and stuff like that.”

Of course, because this season is destined to be a disaster, Hankerson left the game early with a hip injury and was seen leaving the stadium on crutches. So naturally, before fans can even enjoy his breakout performance, they’re now left wondering when is the next time Hankerson will be able to take the field.

3. “Every Chance I Get” by T.I.

Another rookie who continues to be a lone bright spot this season is linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, who finished the game with two sacks, two forced fumbles and six tackles. While fellow linebacker Brian Orakpo has struggled during the second half of the each of his two previous NFL seasons, Kerrigan showed no signs of slowing down what has been an outstanding first season.

Kerrigan leads Washington with four forced fumbles, is second on the team with five sacks and remains the only defensive player to score a touchdown this season. As grim as this season has been, I can’t even imagine how sad things would be without Kerrigan in the lineup.

The only other player who bothered to show up in Miami was Riley — the seldom-used linebacker who was making his first NFL start. The second-year pro finished the game with nine tackles (seven solo) and made more of an impact than McIntosh has in years.

Unfortunately, it’s tough to celebrate something even as significant as your first pro start when your team is playing the worst stretch of football in a decade, so Riley wasn’t in the most festive of moods in the post-game locker room.

“I felt like I did some good things out there and made some mistakes as well,” said Riley. “I’m not worried about the things I did well, just worried about the things I did bad, fixing them and getting the Ws. That’s why we play this game.”

4. “Gasoline” by Seether

Just how bad was this game? So bad that Dolphins running back Reggie Bush, who is known more for taking money in college and sleeping with the Kardashians than actually playing football, rushed for two touchdowns against Washington.

Bush hadn’t rushed for two touchdowns in a game since 2007, so once again, the opposition can send a thank-you card to Redskins Park as another opponent was able to get well at Washington’s expense.

Conversely, Torain continues to be one of the least effective running backs in football.

Since Tim Hightower suffered a season-ending injury (also known as when the Redskins needed him to step up most), Torain has been awful. In the four games before Miami, Torain had 21 carries for 33 yards (1.5 yards per carry). Against Miami, Torain rushed 11 times for 20 yards (1.8 yards per carry).

I can understand why Shanahan made the moves concerning Grossman and Riley, but what exactly does the coach see in Torain at this point?

5. “Comatose” by Pearl Jam

Regardless of whether Beck or Grossman is the starting quarterback, the Redskins continue to boast one of the worst offensive imaginable. Washington has just one touchdown in their last 36 drives and has scored a grand total of 20 points over the last three games.

During the current five-game losing streak, the team has scored just 53 points (while allowing 115) and seemingly follows the same script each and every week.

The Redskins get off to a slow start, punt the ball a bunch and then pray the defense pitches a shutout and the kicking game doesn’t get an attempt blocked. Washington hasn’t scored a first half touchdown since the St. Louis game (which also happens to be their last win) and has racked up a depressing 16 points in nine first quarters this season (one touchdown and three field goals).

Other than that though, things have been great for the Redskins.

Finally, here’s a link to my favorite photos I was able to capture during the game.

07Nov

redskins-49ers playlist

(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “I’ll Follow You into the Dark” by Death Cab For Cutie*

John Beck has been so bad since taking over the starting quarterback role for the Washington Redskins, that he’s rewriting history.

One week after a Mike Shanahan-coached team was shut out for the first time in his 18-year career, Beck’s inability to mount any sort of offense helped two teammates set franchise records.

Thanks to Beck, kicker Graham Gano now owns the record for longest field goal in Redskins history – after connecting on a 59-yarder right before half that represented the first points Washington had scored in six quarters of action.

And because his quarterback was unable to complete anything other than check downs, running back Roy Helu set a franchise record with 14 receptions during the game – surpassing the great Art Monk in the process.

While it’s nice to end up in the history books, it’s safe to say that neither record happens if Beck is halfway decent at his job.

Sure, Beck is a likable guy who is easy to cheer for, but when it comes to leading an offense and putting points on the board, he’s yet to show he deserves an NFL paycheck.

After falling to the San Francisco 49ers 19-11, the Redskins are now a disappointing 3-5 on the year – with Beck still searching for his first NFL victory.

Of course, wins are hard to come by when the offense scores a grand total of 31 points in the three games since Beck was named the starter.

And yet, for reasons that remain unclear, Beck continues to have the support of his head coach.

“I thought he did some good things,” Shanahan said, although, to be fair, he wasn’t strapped in to a lie detector, so there’s no way of knowing if even he believes that nonsense.

But let’s pretend Shanahan sincerely believes that Beck “did some good things.”

What exactly did Beck do on Sunday that could possibly qualify as a positive? Make it to the stadium on his own? Get dressed in his uniform without any assistance? Remember which sideline to come to after going three-and-out once again?

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