Author Archive

27Aug

a bitter homecoming

In blog, football by b murf / August 27, 2008 / No Comments

No sense in lying to you, this week’s game isn’t going to be easy for Homer McFanboy. You see, unlike Vinnie Cerrato, I was actually a fan of Gregg Williams and would have loved to have seen him become the next head coach of the Washington Redskins after Joe Gibbs raced back to NASCAR. But we all know that’s not how things played out at Redskins Park.

Jim Zorn was given the job and Williams landed in Jacksonville, where he takes over an already talented defense. With the Jags coming to town Thursday night, it seems I’m not the only person with “Gregg the Genius” on the mind. Jason La Canfora has a nice feature story on the ties that still bind Williams to D.C. If that’s not enough, Dave Elfin spends some time with London Fletcher talking about his old boss.

Once you get your fill of the return of Gregg, head over to Chris Cooley’s blog to help join the band of crime fighters taking on the case of Chief Zee’s missing tomahawk. And a quick note to all you humanitarians, whoever helps find and return the Chief’s prized possession can score a free autographed Cooley jersey for their troubles.

From crime fighting to the truly bizarre, we turn our attention to an entry by the Redskins official blogger, Matt Terl, who shares with us a FedEx Field cake. Three workers from Kristi’s Kakes spent 26 hours creating a replica of Dan Snyder’s least favorite stadium for a bar mitzvah. The least you can do is click the link and check out the photos for yourself.

And finally, a recovering alcoholic named Ned Bitters decides to take aim at your’s truly in his weekly “Overrated” column. I’d quote an excerpt from his tirade, but honestly, none of it is actually suitable for print. Let’s just say he thinks Homer McFanboy goes above and beyond the call of duty to provide Redskins coverage. Or something like that.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

26Aug

the final countdown

In blog, football by b murf / August 26, 2008 / 1 Comment

Last night on Skinscast, we tackled the topic of which players would still be members of the Washington Redskins once the final cuts are made and we’re down to the 53-man roster. This came after five players – wide receiver Burl Toler, linebacker Matt Sinclair, safety Vernon Fox, defensive tackle Babatunde Oshinowo and defensive end Dorian Smith – were given their walking papers in the first round of cuts.

Admittedly, this was not an easy process and we didn’t all exactly agree on how we thought the scenario would play out. Listed below is, barring injury, our best guess as to who’ll still be around this time next week.

QB: J. Campbell, T. Collins, C. Brennan (3)

Nothing out of the ordinary here.

RB: C. Portis, L. Betts, R. Cartwright, M. Mason (4)

Bottom line – Marcus Mason has been too good this preseason to let go. You’ve got to find a spot for him on the active roster because the second you attempt to stash him away on the practice squad another team will gladly swoop in and steal him away.

FB: M. Sellers (1)

Mike Sellers is that good. No help needed.

TE: C. Cooley, T. Yoder, F. Davis (3)

Honestly, this might be the ‘Skins deepest position on the roster.

WR: S. Moss, A. Randle El, J. Thrash, D. Thomas, M. Kelly (5)

We opted to cut both Anthony Mix and Billy McMullen, but had a harder time letting McMullen go. Really it came down to one roster spot for either McMullen or Marcus Mason, with Mason winning out.

OL: J. Jansen, C. Samuels, R. Thomas, P. Kendall, C. Rabach, S. Heyer, C. Rinehart, J. Fabini, J. Geisinger (9)

Todd Wade loses out here, mostly because he just can’t stay healthy.

DL: J. Taylor, A. Carter, C. Griffin, A. Montgomery, K. Golston, D. Evans, E. James, L. Alexander, R. Jackson, R. Boschetti (10)

This one was tough. I argued that Chris Wilson, who was third on the team in sacks last year, deserves a roster spot more than Boschetti, but was overruled.

LB: L. Fletcher, M. Washington, R. McIntosh, H.B. Blades, K. Campbell, A. Fincher (6)

When Matt Sinclair was waived because of an injury, the door opened for Alfred Fincher to sneak in and earn a spot in the linebacker rotation. Otherwise, not much has changed with this group.

CB: S. Springs, F. Smoot, C. Rogers, L. Torrence, J.T. Tryon (5)

No surprises here.

S: L. Landry, R. Doughty, K. Moore, C. Horton (4)

Take a look at the average age/experience of the Redskins safeties. If Landry misses any significant time due to injury this season, the ‘Skins become painfully thin at safety. That’s why you saw Shawn Springs spending some time at safety during the preseason.

ST: S. Suisham, D. Frost, E. Albright (3)

Derrick Frost, in my humble opinion, has outplayed rookie punter Durant Brooks. His 64-yard punt from his own endzone was better than anything we’ve seen from Brooks since he came to town.

If you think we got it wrong, then feel free to leave a comment or send us an email. And if you’re looking for a time waster today, then go listen to Skinscast.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

25Aug

panthers playlist

In football, playlist by b murf / August 25, 2008 / No Comments

Momma told me there’d be days like this. Doesn’t make it any easier to stomach though. Here’s this week’s playlist, inspired by the Washington Redskins-Carolina Panthers “game.”

1. “Rag Doll” by Aerosmith.

This goes out to quarterback Jason Campbell, who was sacked four times in one half of action. Sure, the scouting report on Campbell says he holds the ball too long at times, but if we’re being honest here, the offensive line looked overmatched pretty much from the coin toss on.

2. “Communication Breakdown” by Led Zeppelin.

Clearly this song was playing on a continuous loop whenever the ‘Skins defense took the field Saturday night. Nothing was working, whether the starters or backups were in, as evident by the 228 yards rushing they allowed on the night. Hopefully, every time they close their eyes and try to go to sleep this week the defensive players will be treated to visions of the 60-yard run by Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams and the 50-yard score by Daily Show host Jon Stewart.

3. “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head” by Dean Martin.

Adding insult to injury (or maybe in this case it’s injury to insult) defensive end Jason Taylor managed to sprain his knee after getting tangled up in one of the few plays the ‘Skins defense stopped the Panthers ground game. Anyone watching not only McDreamy, but his teammates’ reactions thought this injury was a bad one. Thankfully, it looks like Taylor will only be out two weeks.

4. “If I Ruled The World” by Nas.

This classic goes out to Redskins punter Derrick Frost, who unleashed a 64-yard punt when forced into action in his own endzone. There wasn’t much to be happy about in Carolina, so this will have to serve as the closest thing to a highlight the Redskins can walk away with. And as the title suggests, if I ruled the world, Frosty would be the ‘Skins punter this season.

5. “Low” by Flo Rida.

This one goes out to Redskins fan Tom Cruise. Yes, I know he was at last week’s Jets game and not in Carolina, but I needed a distraction after watching my favorite football team get their lunch money taken, so I took the wife out to see Tropic Thunder. Not only was the movie better than either of us could have reasonably expected, but Cruise stole the show. Fellow ‘Skins fan Matthew McConaughey is also enjoyable in the movie, and come to think of it, we even got a Kid Rock music video featuring diehard Redskins fan Dale Earnhardt Jr. before the movie started. So I guess Redskins Nation had a stronger showing than the team this weekend. Let’s not make a habit of that, fellas.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

22Aug

hall of fame contest

In football by b murf / August 22, 2008 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

To help celebrate the launching of the new Homer McFanboy website, we’re having a fan-participation contest.

Let’s start with the prize, participants will have the chance to win one Hall of Fame John Riggins McFarlane collectible. Only 3,000 were made and they were available exclusively to those folks who were at the Hall of Fame weekend festivities in Canton, Ohio. I happened to pick one up at the Art Monk-Darrell Green ceremony, and figured I should share the wealth with one lucky Redskins fan. What do they have to do to win? It’s simple – just prove how big of a fan you truly are.

Here’s what we’re looking for:

Write a poem (100 words or less) about your favorite current Redskins player. The player has to be on the roster as of this weekend’s Carolina Panthers preseason game, August 23. So if you write about Joe Gibbs, Art Monk or Sean Taylor you’re not going to win. If you write about Daniel Snyder, Larry Michael or your favorite cheerleader you’re out too (although I’d be up for people emailing poems about Larry Michael any day). This is all about the players and why that particular player is your favorite guy on the roster.

Also, here’s a few helpful hints:
– Bonus points will be awarded for funny. That’s pretty self-explanatory.
– Bonus points will be awarded for featuring lesser known Redskins players (meaning a “Might Casey at the Snap” poem about Rabach will do better than 100 words on Clinton Portis playing dress-up).
– Realize that the winner’s entry will be posted on the site. So if you’re sending an entry, you’re giving your consent for us to post it.
– I’m not the only judge. If you don’t win and are mad about it, you should know in advance that I’m going to say I voted for you but was overruled by a panel of literary professionals.

And that’s about it. The contest starts today and runs for one week, so entries must be turned in by noon Friday, August 29th. To enter, just email us here. Thanks, and good luck.

21Aug

quick hits

In football by b murf / August 21, 2008 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Here’s what Homer is reading today:

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Joe Bugel and his family after the loss of his daughter Holly, who was 35-years old.
Chris Cooley informs ‘Skins fans that it’s okay to call Fred Smoot “Fredlacio,” Ryan Boschetti “Greasy Meatball,” and Stephon Heyer a “Wookie.” If that’s not enough to get you to click the link, then I don’t know what is.
Here’s a blast from the past – an older, but fascinating feature story on former ‘Skins wideout Michael Westbrook.
In a rare interview, Redskins owner Dan Snyder tells the Wall Street Journal that the only people who had a problem with the Redskins acquiring local radio station WTEM is the Washington Post. “We have a problem in this marketplace with our local newspaper,” he said. “There’s a monopoly. I have no problems saying that.”
And finally, Corey Masisak of the Washington Times blogs an entertaining tale of running back Clinton Portis messing with his newest teammate, Jason Taylor. “Really I am just trying to figure out how to set him up and take advantage of him, so I am being friends with him now. Once we get into the season, I will stop talking to him and start bullying him around,” Portis said.

(See Corey, was that so hard? Professionals give credit when credit is due. So next time you want to write an article two weeks after you “found” the idea on this blog, feel free to let people know where the story came from. We’ll call it professional courtesy).

21Aug

a different perspective

In football by b murf / August 21, 2008 / No Comments

The biggest sham in professional football is not the fact that rookies are earning $20 million guaranteed before ever stepping onto the field. While that is troublesome and should be addressed at some point, the fact is that NFL team should be charged with robbery for forcing loyal fans to shell out regular season ticket prices to see meaningless preseason games.

Honestly, unless it’s the team’s third preseason game then chances are the marquee players the fans came to see are hitting the showers before most fans even have a chance to get settled into their seats. To put it in perspective, before the Washington Redskins-New York Jets game I asked Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen, “what can we expect to see from Brett Favre tonight?”

His answer?

“Eight plays.”

And that was about it. But that doesn’t mean that the Jets are giving their fans a break at the ticket office. Tickets for this game were the same as they would have been for a week 17 matchup with the playoffs on the line, and that’s the traveshamockery of it all.

While none of that may be groundbreaking news, it’s still enough to get even the most dedicated fans agitated with their favorite football team.

But I’d like to look at the preseason issue from a different perspective. We all know what the fans think about preseason, but what’s it like for the players who know they’re making the trip from D.C. all the way to the Meadowlands to play for less than 15 minutes? How tough is it mentally to prepare yourself to get in and get out, with the primary goal to simply avoid injury?

After seeing the Redskins play an uninspired brand of football for 58 minutes, I was lucky enough to catch up with the always refreshing Chris Cooley, who in addition to being a great interview also happens to be a Pro Bowl tight end. Here’s how it went:

Be honest, did you guys want to be here tonight?

“It’s hard to prepare yourself when you know you’re only going to play one quarter,” Cooley said. “You know, we didn’t gameplan the Jets – at least, as far as the players go. We practiced against our defense all week and we didn’t practice against the 3-4 look offensively. I know our defense didn’t prepare very much for them. Like I said, you know you’re only going to play a quarter. You know when a quarter ends you’re going out, so it’s hard to get in a mental state to get fired up to play hard.”

So what are you guys hoping to accomplish during that one quarter?

“I think our biggest goal is to just do what we want to do and to have a great drive,” Cooley said. “We did put one nice drive together and move it down the field. We had a penalty there that moved us back in the redzone and we didn’t score a touchdown, but I think we felt confident that we put a good drive together with our first team.”

Well, an ugly win is still a win. Talk to me about that ending.

“It was exciting. I was happy that we could have such a successful two minutes, and it’s fun to see Colt [Brennan] throw the ball,” Cooley said. “Even the guys on the sidelines are excited to watch Colt pass. I was surprised that they didn’t just go for the touchdown. I was surprised that they went in to tie it up in a preseason game. It’s different that they went for the overtime shot. I thought that they could get two plays at the endzone, but that’s them. We had a good time though. It was exciting and we had everyone up on their feet.”

You mentioned Colt Brennan. What do you see from the kid?

“Colt has a lot of confidence,” Cooley said. “Colt said to me on the sideline ‘As soon as I go in, I’m going for it.’ He wants to throw the ball down field. He’ll make smart plays, but he also wants to throw the ball down field. I think it’s good for a young quarterback to have that confidence.”

And with that I let Cooley off the hook as he headed out the door of the locker room. The biggest thing that stood out to me about the interview was when he mentioned that the offense hadn’t really gameplanned for the Jets and their 3-4 defense. You get the feeling that the coaching staff is still focused on making sure the offense grasps head coach Jim Zorn’s version of the West Coast offense. I guess they figured the team would be better suited ironing out the details of their offensive gameplan rather than worry about an AFC team’s 3-4 defense in the preseason.

While that’s understandable – afterall, the preseason is the time to work out the kinks – it does offer an explanation as to why quarterback Jason Campbell and the offense didn’t look as strong as they did in their first two preseason games. Let’s just hope everything goes smoother once the regular season rolls around and this offense sees a 3-4 defense again. Otherwise, some might look back to the Jets game as the offenses first sign of trouble against an aggressive and attacking defense.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

19Aug

caption this: the sequel

In caption this, football by b murf / August 19, 2008 / 15 Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Let me first take a moment to say welcome to the brand-new Homer McFanboy website. It’s been a process getting everything up and running and I’ve really had to call in help from a few friends and family members who are smarter than I am, but we’re here.

Hopefully this can be a place to help folks kill some time while not being productive at their respective places of employment. This isn’t just a blog about me. Reader feedback is strongly encouraged. Fan participation is a must, if we’re going to make the most out of this opportunity and my access. If there’s a player you want to know more about or something you don’t think I’ve gotten right, then by all means, drop me a line and say so. We’re all in this together.

Now, with that out of the way, I invite you all to play along with the second “caption this” contest. (Who could forget the first ‘caption this’ contest?) You might not win any cool prizes, but you at least get to be one of the cool kids and will get some love here on the blog.

Here’s my humble offering:

Redskins offensive lineman Jason Fabini sits in ‘time out’ after calling Todd Collins a product of Al Saunders’ system.

Think you can do better? Leave a comment below with your best caption.

[Update: We have a winner, and his name is Joel. “Nothing clears the Redskins bench faster than when Jason Fabini explains in detail why he chose the jersey number 69.” Thanks, as always, to everyone for playing along.]