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05Aug

rookie spotlight

In football by b murf / August 5, 2008 / 1 Comment

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Unlike some fans, I wholeheartedly believe that very little can be taken away from a preseason game (well … unless Steve Spurrier decides to try out his entire playbook during the meaningless exhibition). Veterans go into these games with two objectives — avoid injury and enjoy finally hitting someone in a different jersey. If they work out a few kinks or iron out some flaws in their techniques that’s great, but after lining up against teammates twice a day for a couple weeks I cannot convey how much they relish hitting an opponent.

So right out the gate, I’ll say that this post is meant to simply satisfy the desires of the diehard fans who believe football season can’t start soon enough. Instead of worrying about veterans who saw little or no playing time, I’m going to focus on the Redskins 2008 draft class. Here’s where Cousin Vinny’s rookies stand after their first NFL preseason game:

Devin Thomas, wide receiver, Michigan State — The ‘Skins top draft pick did not play in Canton due to a hamstring injury.

Fred Davis, tight end, USC — “Sleepy” Davis hauled in three catches for 23 yards in his debut. His longest catch was for only eight yards and he averaged 7.7 per reception, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t stand out in head coach Jim Zorn’s eyes.

“We wanted to give Fred Davis the ball a couple times, and he not only caught it, but he turned up field and showed that he is a tough runner after the catch,” said the rookie coach. “He did very well sustaining blocks, and we were pleased with the way he handled things one-on-one.”

Malcolm Kelly, wide receiver, Oklahoma — Like Thomas, Kelly was forced to sit the game out due to injury. In fact, Kelly underwent arthroscopic knee surgery the day after the game to remove loose particles in his left knee and is expected to miss two weeks.

Chad Reinhart, offensive lineman, N. Iowa — Offensive tackles Todd Wade (sprained ankle) and Stephon Heyer (strained knee) were both injured during the ‘Skins-Colts game, forcing Reinhart into additional playing time.

“Chad Rinehart played both tackle and guard, and he did an excellent job for a young guy,” Zorn said. “He really is aware of what is going on, and as he gets more reps, he will continue to improve. He will be a factor this year as a guy that can play two positions.”

J.T. Tryon, cornerback, Arizona State — Not a great day at the office for Tryon. By my count, the brash rookie got beat twice on defense and fumbled a kickoff.

Durrant Brooks, punter, Georgia Tech — The ‘Skins obviously wanted to give Brooks the chance to win the job, choosing to bench veteran punter Derrick Frost in favor of the youngster.

“What we wanted to do is see if he could handle a whole game,” Zorn said. “There were no shanks which I was excited about. We got to see him hold one field goal, which we missed, but the hold was just right. Overall, I was pleased with his performance.”

Kareem Moore, safety, Nicholls State — I had to double check the gamebook to see that he did, in fact, play in the game. Guess it’s safe to say Moore didn’t make much of an impact.

Colt Brennan, quarterback, Hawaii — Let me put it this way, the first time Todd Collins threw an incomplete pass (on 3rd and 4 during the ‘Skins first drive of the second quarter) more than a few fans began calling for Brennan. By the time the rookie QB finally trotted out to the field, you’d have thought that Art Monk was jogging back into the Redskins huddle as fans voiced their approval. So how did Colt fare? Brennan completed 9 of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Redskins back-ups to a victory over the Colts back-ups. A couple more outings like this and the ‘Skins might have the first-ever back-up quarterback controversy.

Rob Jackson, defensive end, Kansas State — Jackson might have only finished the game with one tackle and one sack, but he was definitely noticeable whenever he was on the field. The guy seems to have the abilities, he just needs to get more reps to avoid moments like when he got too excited and jumped offsides.

Chris Horton, safety, UCLA — While most fans exited the stadium gushing over the play of Colt Brennan, Horton’s play was what impressed me the most. That’s because the seventh-round pick finished with five tackles, two sacks and recovered the Colts’ onside attempt to start the game. People will remember Jason Campbell’s perfect touch pass to Antwaan Randle El for the touchdown, but that never happens if Horton doesn’t make the play.

All in all, the play of Horton, Brennan and Davis should give fans (and Randy Thomas) a reason to smile moving forward. If this is the starting point as the players continue to improve and adjust to the NFL game, then maybe, just maybe Vinny Cerrato knew what he was doing when he brought these guys into town.

04Aug

home away from home

In football by b murf / August 4, 2008 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Just got back from a highly-enjoyable weekend in Canton. Since “exhausted” is the word of the day, I will simply leave you with this photo of Darrell Green and Art Monk from the pre-game ceremony of the Redskins-Colts preseason opener and the memory of the four-minute standing ovation Monk received after finally being voted into the Hall of Fame.

31Jul

note: army fumbles again

In murf, note to self by b murf / July 31, 2008 / 1 Comment

(courtesy photo)

Someone in the Pentagon owes a thank you note to Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers.

While the biggest story of the weekend revolved around the Wisconsin-based soap opera As the Favre Turns, the U.S. Army was quietly trying to sweep a public relations mess under the rug after once again mishandling a story involving the National Football League.

That’s because, on the eve of training camp, the powers that be in the Department of the Army decided to call an audible and force rookie safety Caleb Campbell, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the NFL draft, to head for the showers so that his alter ego, 2nd Lt. Caleb Campbell, could returned back to West Point immediately for duty.

Surely, there was an explanation, right? No one would object if it turned out that Campbell was in a high-demand branch the Army was understaffed in and was needed immediately to deploy in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Football is supremely popular in our culture, but not to the point that anyone expects troops to be picked off the battle lines in favor of playing special teams and garbage time for a perennial loser in Detroit. All it would take is one high-ranking officer standing in front of a podium explaining that this was the case and no one would have thought twice about it.

But much like the Pat Tillman nightmare, the Army assessed the situation, figured out the worst possible way it could play out and then called that play.

Click here for the full article.

31Jul

catch a beat running like …

In football, ufc by b murf / July 31, 2008 / 5 Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Santana Moss will forever be remembered for his late-game heroics during a Monday Night Football game in Dallas back in 2005. His 39 and 70 yard touchdowns propelled the ‘Skins to an improbable 14-13 victory over the rival Cowboys in a game they had no business winning. The following season, Moss struck again, hauling in a 68-yard game winner in overtime to shock the Jacksonville Jaguars 36-30 (in what I consider the most exciting game I’ve covered). These are the moments that define the diminutive receiver.

Unfortunately, these moments were few and far between last season. After a solid start, a strained groin slowed Moss for much of the rest of the 2007 season. We had a chance to catch up with Santana recently and chatted about everything from marriage to mixed martial arts. Oh, and we even found time to discuss a little football too.

How frustrating was last year, with all of the nagging injuries and everything?

“It was, but at the same time, when you overcome it, it builds you to be a stronger person,” Moss said. “One thing I take from every year, I look at what I go through and I say to myself ‘How did I finish?’ Or ‘What did I accomplish?’ If you can get something out of — because no one in the NFL is going to play with everything alright — but when I go through stuff like that it just builds me stronger and makes me understand that I’m doing things when I’m not at full speed. I’m just looking forward to having one of those years where, if nothing’s bothering me, I’ll just be able to dominate the whole time.”

So are you tired of training camp, or are you actually getting something out of this?

“I like to put in the work and really look forward to what we gonna be able to show after the whole thing is done,” he said. “Training camp is one of those experiences where there’s gonna be dog days and it’s gonna be hard, but as long as you put the work in you have something to look forward to when it comes to the season.”

Congrats on getting married this offseason. Has that changed anything between the two of you?

“Nah. I’ve been with her like 13 years already, so it just made an honest woman out of her. That’s all,” Moss said.

Naturally, the topic of marriage made me think of mixed martial arts, so I asked Santana about MMA and was surprised by his answer.

“I like that. I actually enjoy watching that. I actually trained — I did a little of that training-wise this year, and it’s some tough shit, man,” he said.

What did you do?

“All kinds of stuff,” he said. “The conditioning is crazy — the fighting, the punching and the kicking. You think you can do that for hours, and those guys can do it. But it’s not easy at all. So my first couple of months when I was home, instead of doing football stuff, just to keep my wind right. There wasn’t a day that I did it that I was in shape. I felt like it broke me down every day. There was something new that I experienced every day.”

What are you seeing from these rookie receivers?

“I see a lot of potential,” Moss said. “When you come into this league young, with so much going on, you’re trying to settle in and trying to do this and do that. What I see with these guys, they’re confident. They already know that they’ve got guys in front of them that’s gonna help them. There’s no envy. We all here together. We’ve all been in this situation, so I’m gonna let them know everything that I know, and the stuff that I don’t know we’ll learn together.”

What can Redskins fans expect from you guys this year?

“You know, it’s early,” he said. “All we can do is be the best that we can be. I don’t like to talk the talk. I like to go out there and show it. All they can know is that we’re gonna line up every week and be the best team.”

A healthy and motivated Santana Moss is just what this team, and especially Jason Campbell need for the 2008 season. With things looking up both on and off the field for Moss, Redskins fans can reasonably expect a return to the Pro Bowl level they’re used to seeing. And with some mixed martial arts under his belt, we can only hope that the first time Adam “Pacman” Jones or Asante Samuel attempt to jam him at the line of scrimmage, he breaks out a rear-naked choke and makes them tap.

And heaven help Roy Williams if he tries to horse collar anyone when the ‘Skins and Cowboys meet again.

25Jul

hit the road jack

In football, murf by b murf / July 25, 2008 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Pictured above is the aforementioned Jon Jansen training camp RV. When they’re not on the field or in meetings, it’s a safe bet Jansen, Rabach and friends are hiding away in here. Figured since it was mentioned in an entry earlier this week, the least I could do was provide a shot of it. This picture is also symbolic because I’m hitting the road. Instead of camping out at Redskins Park, I’m headed down to the Outer Banks for a weekend getaway. I’d like to tell you I’m sorry, but honestly … I’m not.

See you next week.

25Jul

rookie hazing

In football by b murf / July 25, 2008 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

“Momma never told me there’d be days like this.

If you could guess what is on the mind of rookie wide receiver Devin Thomas, who suffered a hamstring injury Thursday and will be out for at least the next 10-14 days. If that’s not enough, this is also the week we were finally able to track him down and give him that long-awaited father-son type talk. Some of you may remember that Thomas won the 2008 Rookie Madden Bowl back in May, but that win was clearly tainted because of questionable tactics used by the Michigan State Spartan — namely using the Dallas Cowboys to win the video game tournament. On Wednesday, just 24 hours before he suffered the first setback of his professional career, we tracked him down and set him straight on the one simple rule to survive in this town.

Tell me about this Madden tournament we heard about, I said.

“Oh yeah, it’s a little competition they have for the rookies and I won,” said Thomas, full of confidence. “I handled it pretty well. I took out some guys that were pretty good, and I’ll tell you, it’s fun, man. If anybody wants to challenge me in that Madden they can come get it.”

He had no clue, but someone was in fact about to challenge him. I paused for a second and then asked, “What team did you use?”

“I was using the Redskins at first,” said Thomas, realizing where this interview was heading.

That’s not the rumor, was my reply.

“At first. I said at first,” he said. “Then I had to go ahead and sneak in the Dallas Cowboys.”

He was already using words like “sneak.” Clearly the kid knew he did wrong.

Did no one pull you aside and tell you there’s one team you’re not allowed to use? You know, the arch rival of the team that gives you a paycheck now.

“Uh … I mean … it was just a situation where I had to use the guys I used to play with, so I had to bring out someone I was comfortable with,” Thomas said, backpeddling as fast as he could.

We continued to chat while he signed autographs for fans after practice. Once the interview was over and the recorder was off, Thomas promised me that he knows better now and will refrain from sullying the Redskins good name by using a team that would have sent George Allen over the top (well, if he knew what video games were).

All in all, he’s a good kid and he seems to have a decent head on his shoulders. Let’s chalk this up to a momentary lapse in judgment and never speak of it again.

24Jul

introducing "mcdreamy" taylor

In football by b murf / July 24, 2008 / 1 Comment

(photo by Brian Murphy)

I guess I should mention the newest addition to the Washington Redskins. You guys may not know this, but #55 is not Dallas Sartz. It’s actually a defensive lineman named Jason Taylor, who men know from his distinguished football career and women drool over because he tap danced his way into their collective hearts on a reality TV show. Seriously, ask any woman nearby what she thinks of Jason Taylor and watch her melt in front of you. It’s absurd.

So yesterday at practice a group of ‘Skins fans were calling Taylor “J.T.” every time they saw him. That, my friends, is a no go at this station. Those initials — much like L.T. is reserved for Lawrence Taylor and LaDainian Tomlinson has to settle for LDT — are taken. As everyone knows, J.T. is Justin Timberlake. And it’s okay to admit you know it, fellas. He was awesome in Black Snake Moan and even this past week at the ESPY awards. The guy is bringing sexy back, so show him some respect and don’t name new guy after him.

Instead, from this point on, we’ll be referring to Jason Taylor as “McDreamy.” Girls gets that retarded look in their eye when you mention his name, just like when they’re talking about Grey’s Anatomy, so it kind of works out. Plus, that means we can call Jason Fabini “McMuffin” and Chris Cooley “McLovin.” Seriously, it’s a win-win.

Oh, and before I forget, whoever first suggested that Taylor looks like King Xerxes from the movie 300 … well … let’s just say that I got a good chuckle out of that one. Thanks for making my day.