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24Sep

caption this IV

In blog, caption this, football by b murf / September 24, 2008 / 20 Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time again for the game that is sweeping the nation – caption this.

Three times we’ve played the game (here, here and here), and each time we’ve had great reader-submitted captions and participation, so let’s keep up the good work. You might not win any cool prizes, but you’ll be formally recognized for being better than your peers and will get some love here on the blog.

Here’s my humble offering to get folks started:

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder pitches his idea for a “morning zoo” radio show featuring head coach Jim Zorn and offensive line coach Joe Bugel on ESPN980.

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

[Editor’s note: The winner is Paige, with a caption of, “I don’t care how good he was in Mission Impossible, we’re not putting Tom Cruise in at punt returns!” Thanks to everyone who contributed.]

23Sep

a wise man once said …

In blog, football by b murf / September 23, 2008 / No Comments

(photos by Brian Murphy)

When it comes to soundbytes, Pete Kendall is no Clinton Portis.

Come to think of it, he’s no Chris Cooley and he’s not much of a Fred Smoot either. In fact, up until now, the veteran offensive lineman might not have ever been considered a go-to guy for quotes.

But everything’s changed now. For what might be the first time since he joined the Washington Redskins last August, Kendall has got something to say and the hometown fans should listen – when the defense is on the field, go nuts. Scream until your lungs collapse. Have at it. But when ‘Skins offense has the ball, please sit down and shut up.

“Well, I’m sure I speak for everybody,” said the 13-year NFL veteran. “We appreciate their support, but not at that particular moment. Really, it makes our job harder than it needs to be. If they could contain their enthusiasm until after we score, that would help us out.”

The fans aren’t completely at fault here. For as long as anyone remembers, an “offensive explosion” at FedEx Field constituted 15 points scored in the same day. With the ‘Skins racking up 53 points combined in their first two home games, fans are clearly in uncharted territory. So while they might mean well or think they’re helping out by chanting “Let’s Go Red-Skins!” or “Cool-Ley! Cool-Ley!” that’s not the case. (And don’t even get me started on the wave).

Anyone unsure whether the offense is enjoying the crowd’s chants needs only look to Kendall, who for two games has flapped his arms like a modern-day KoKo B. Ware in hopes of convincing confused fans to simmer down.

“Like I said, I think everyone appreciates the fans that we have here and the fact that we sell out the stadium with 90,000 people in it,” Kendall said. “Now if we could just get them to wait until after the play …”

Kendall didn’t finish the sentence, but we know what he was going to say.

Now if we could just get them to wait until after the play, then the Redskins could officially retire the following message:

23Sep

the predator

In blog, football, predator by b murf / September 23, 2008 / 1 Comment

(photo by Brian Murphy)

My next door neighbor is the kind of kid you couldn’t pay to watch football. He’s a high school junior who would much rather play his guitar in his basement than tune in to see who the Redskins are playing, which makes this next statement that much more improbable – this past week he came up to me to inform me that rookie safety Chris Horton is his favorite Redskin.

After getting yelled at by his parents, the kid was seeking refuge at my house, only to discover I was actually at FedEx Field covering the ‘Skins-Saints game. So he sat with my wife and watched the maroon and black defeat New Orleans, thanks in large part to Horton’s two interception, one fumble recovery effort.

“He looks like the Predator,” said neighbor kid. “That hair makes him look like a complete badass.”

And just like that, he actually cares about the Redskins.

For those who may not be familiar with Horton’s background, he’s a 6’1”, 216 lb. safety out of UCLA. The Redskins drafted him in the seventh round (249th pick overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft, meaning he was the tenth and final player Vinny Cerrato selected. You probably had stopped watching the draft long before he was chosen, but don’t feel bad – only three other players heard their names called after Horton was drafted.

So if Horton was able to go from the seventh round to NFC defensive player of the week honors while simultaneously converting new fans after just one start, he’s definitely a player everyone needs to get to know. Here’s a transcript of our conversation:

Congratulations on being named the NFC defensive player of the week. Aside from the joke Randy Thomas played on you about the $100,000, how good did it feel to earn the honors after your first career start?

“It felt great,” Horton said. “Just sitting there when I was by myself thinking about it, you know, there’s guys that have been in this league a long time that have never been the NFC defensive player of the week. I feel like it’s a great accomplishment.”

Okay, let’s get it out of the way. Go ahead and give me the party line and downplay your accomplishments last week and say, “My teammates made the plays and I was just in the right place at the right time.”

“Oh, that’s what happened,” Horton said with a laugh. “Obviously if those guys wouldn’t have made those plays and gotten their hands on the balls, then I never would have gotten those picks. I just feel like it was me running to the ball and being in the right spot at the right time with those guys making plays. That’s how I was able to get those picks.”

This is the part where I remind you that this defense set a modern-era record for fewest turnovers in a season. They would get their hands on the ball, and for whatever reason they wouldn’t come away with the turnover. Whether you want to downplay it or not, the fact that you’re converting those turnovers is a big deal.

“Any time you can get turnovers it’s a big deal because you get the ball back to your offense and you get more opportunities for them to score,” said Horton, who only had four interceptions during his collegiate career. “Or, as a defender, if you get your hands on the ball like ‘Los [Carlos Rogers] did today, he almost scored.”

So clearly after such a great debut you should have been the starter this week against Arizona, right?

“No, not at all,” Horton said. “Not at all. I know my role on this team. My role is, if anything happens or when we go into extra packages, then I’m in the game. That’s my role. I’m not really concerned with who starts and stuff like that. I’m just going to keep playing and get better every week. Reed [Doughty] does a great job when he’s out there. To me, he’s the starter.”

Redskins fans are just getting to know you. Can you tell them what kind of player you are and what skills you bring to the table?

“You know, I’m going to hit you,” Horton said. “I’m going to get out there and I’m going to cover tight ends, and I’m not going to allow tight ends to catch the ball in the open field. I’m just a physical football player. I put in a lot of time studying the game of football and try to have the least amount of mental mistakes as possible.”

How the heck did you fall to the seventh round of the NFL Draft?

“Hmmm … ask those guys who said I wasn’t good enough to play,” he said. “I don’t really know. I don’t really worry about it now. Those other teams – they’ve got to be concerned when they see number 48 on film because when I show up, I’m gonna make some plays.”

Other teams beware: the Predator is coming to a city near you. All this film is missing is Jesse Ventura saying, “I ain’t got time to bleed” or maybe we’ll settle for Horton picking off Tony Romo this weekend in Dallas. Either way, this has the makings of a classic.

22Sep

high stepping for nothing

In blog, football by b murf / September 22, 2008 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Call it the best play of Devin Thomas’ career that never happened.

With just under nine minutes remaining and the Washington Redskins clinging to a 24-17 lead over the Arizona Cardinals, quarterback Jason Campbell rolled out to his right to avoid pressure and connected on a 68-yard touchdown dagger to Thomas, sending the sellout FedEx Field fans into a frenzy.

“We snapped it real fast and I think we caught the defense off guard,” said Thomas, the rookie wide receiver from Michigan State. “I don’t think they were in their set – whatever they was going to be in. The corner, he was kind of stuck, I went around him and I just ran up the sideline.”

What happened next was a scene much more common in high school football than the pros – Thomas was so wide open that the nearest defender was more than 10 yards away. If his quarterback saw him and got him the ball, there was little doubt what would happen next.

“With Jason [Campbell] rolling out everybody sucked up, so I was just waving my hands and hoping Jason could see me,” Thomas said. “He saw me, and I was just hoping I could catch the ball. All I cared about was catching the ball and then I just knew it was over. I looked up at the big screen and didn’t see anybody around me, so I just did what I did, like when I watched the guys back in the day. I started dancing and stuff … until I realized it had been called back.”

The play was called back after offensive lineman Stephon Heyer was flagged for unnecessary roughness because of a blindside hit on defensive tackle Darnell Dockett half a football field away.

“It’s alright, I was just happy we won the game,” Thomas said. “I was hoping that play could have helped us, but thankfully we was able to grind it out and get the ‘W.’”

With the game-clinching scored wiped away, the Redskins were forced to sweat it out a little longer, but still managed to secure their second-straight home victory. Thomas finished the day with one catch for seven yards, one rush for 16 yards and one apology from Heyer.

“I told Devin I was sorry,” Heyer said after the game. “I told him he’s got a lot of NFL left, he’ll make another touchdown.”

In the locker room after the game, I had one final word of advice for Thomas for when he does finally register his first NFL touchdown – get in the endzone first, then have fun. Don’t pull a DeSean Jackson and leave the ball at the one yard line.

“Nah, I’m not gonna do that at all,” Thomas said with a laugh. “I’m gonna make sure I’m in there.”

Here’s hoping Thomas gets to unveil his first touchdown celebration next week in Texas Stadium.

22Sep

cardinals playlist

In blog, football, playlist by b murf / September 22, 2008 / 1 Comment

(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Happy?” by Mudvayne

“He’s not smart enough.”
“He can’t work in the West Coast offense.”
“He’s not Zorn’s guy.”
“He wasn’t the one who got them into the playoffs last year, Todd Collins was.”

That’s just a small dose of the crap more than a few Redskins fans were spewing about Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell after the season-opening loss to the New York Giants. You’d have thought Danny Wuerffel was back behind the center the way folks were bashing him. At that point I really had to question everything – sure, Campbell didn’t look great in New York, but neither did anyone else on the roster. Were people calling for LaRon Landry’s job after he got bowled over by Giants running back Brandon Jacobs? No. But people love a quarterback controversy in this town, so it became the trendy thing to do.

Let’s fast forward two weeks and strangely, none of those twits are anywhere to be found. The offense, still led by Campbell last I checked, has put up 53 points these last two games and, for the first time in a long time, is actually capable of putting together time-consuming drives and connecting for quick strike touchdowns.

Against the Cards, Campbell was nearly perfect, completing 22 of 30 passes for 193 yards and two touchdown passes. He connected on 73 percent of his passes for a downright nasty 112.2 quarterback rating. If that ain’t getting it done then I don’t know what is. Through three games (including the Giants game, mind you), Campbell has connected on 63 of 91 passes for 647 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and no fumbles. That’s 65.6 percent, ladies and gentlemen. That also translates to a quarterback rating of 100.1 for the year. Speaking of QB ratings, Campbell has had a better rating that each of his three opponents – Eli Manning, Drew Brees and Kurt Warner – this season. Looks like the haters are going to have to find someone else to fixate on.

2. “Bombs Over Baghdad” by Outkast

Redskins receiver Santana Moss scored the eventual game winner on a 17-yard touchdown from Campbell in the fourth quarter. That’s noteworthy because it marked the sixth straight contest, including playoffs, in which Moss has caught a touchdown, tying a Redskins record held by Bobby Mitchell, who did it back in 1964.

Through three games, Moss has 19 catches for 276 yards and three touchdowns – ranking Moss fourth in NFL in receiving yards. On a team that took something like 12 games to get a receiver a touchdown last year, it goes without saying that Moss’ contributions are greatly appreciated. A healthy Santana Moss will go a long way in helping the continuing development of Campbell and preventing defenses from stacking eight men in the box against running back Clinton Portis and the ground game.

3. “Hey Hey What Can I Do” by Led Zeppelin

With just under nine minutes remaining and the Redskins leading the Cardinals 24-17, Campbell rolled out to his right to avoid the pressure and connected on a 68-yard touchdown bomb to rookie wide out Devin Thomas to all but end the game. After being called for two offensive pass interference calls earlier in the game, Thomas went from the dog house to the penthouse. Just one problem though – the play was called back after offensive lineman Stephon Heyer was flagged for a blindside hit on Darnell Dockett.

Thankfully, the boneheaded play didn’t end up costing the ‘Skins the victory, but it did take away Thomas’ first career touchdown. The stat sheet shows Thomas finished the day with one catch for seven yards, but in an instant Redskins fans saw a glimpse of what the rookie receiver is capable of.

4. “Bring ‘Em Out” by T.I.

Last week, safety Reed Doughty missed the game because of a stomach virus. In his place, rookie safety Chris Horton stepped up big time – hauling in two interceptions and a fumble recovery, earning NFC player of the week honors in the process. This week, the only time anyone noticed Doughty was when he bit on a fake by Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who breezed by him for a 62-yard touchdown in the third quarter. If Doughty wants to avoid the ire of Redskins fans looking for a new whipping boy other than Campbell, he needs to step up his game sooner rather than later.

5. “How Do You Like Me Now” by Toby Keith

These Washington Redskins are a team fans can get behind. They can score points in bunches, clearly illustrated by their offensive production (26.5 point per game) these last two weeks. On defense, the philosophy is always bend, but don’t break. While no one is thrilled that Cardinals running back Edgerrin James rushed for more than five yards a carry, the Redskins (Doughty’s play aside) did a solid job of preventing the big plays the Kurt Warner-led Cardinals are capable of. In fact, the ‘Skins held the Cardinals to 17 points Sunday, ending a streak of 10 consecutive games in which Arizona had scored at least 20 points, the longest in the league.

Redskins defensive back Carlos Rogers recovered a fumble and picked off Warner yesterday. Linebacker Rocky McIntosh forced a fumble for the second straight game. Defensive end Jason Taylor batted three balls at the line of scrimmage. And most importantly, the Redskins are winning the turnover battle (they’re a plus five for the year in turnovers). As long as the Redskins avoid careless mistakes on offense and continue to make the one or two game-changing plays on defense, there’s a chance this team may make some noise this season after all.

19Sep

shock jock

In baseball, basketball, blog, football, hockey by b murf / September 19, 2008 / 2 Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Chris Cooley’s nude study habits aside, the talk of the town this week is Vinny Cerrato, and the announcement that the Redskins’ executive vice president of football operations is ESPN 980’s newest radio host.

Starting today, Cerrato will host Inside The Red Zone With Vinny Cerrato, which is scheduled for two hours every Monday and Friday. Apparently, many folks in town feel that Cerrato, whose job description includes personnel decisions, directing the Redskins’ draft, identifying free agency needs and acquisitions, coordinating all pro and college player evaluations, and day-to-day football operations, should concentrate more on football and less on … well … anything else.

Honestly, I don’t get the big deal. ESPN columnist Bill Simmons completed a fantasy football trade on his podcast this week. How great would it be to hear Cerrato on the horn with the New York Jets or the Denver Broncos chatting about possible trade scenarios? If people are willing to listen to Clinton Portis and Brian Mitchell bicker on air, then they’d definitely tune in to hear Cerrato on the phone with player agents working out when would be best to fly in clients for the suddenly vacant punter position. There’s no real way I see this show not being a hit.

Actually, that’s not true. History shows that Washington-based general managers rarely succeed as radio hosts. Fans might not remember, but each of the other three local GMs had a short stint as a radio host, with all three shows failing to catch on in the local market. For those who don’t remember, here’s a recap:

Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden’s radio show never got off the ground because they refused to put any money into it. They showed up in a brand new market in the middle of the night, tried to get by on the cheap using a handful of nobodies off the street and expected a steady fanbase to appear over night. To read more about the show’s failures and terrible ratings, please read the next “kick ‘em while they’re down” piece by Dan Steinberg.

Washington Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld’s radio show never lasted because he continued to bring back the same mediocre cast season after season. Sure, it was offensive, but it didn’t bring much else to the table. If an angry caller ever phoned in with a negative opinion, there wasn’t anyone on the roster capable of coming to Big Ern’s defense.

Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee’s radio show failed because … um … have you heard the man? Whenever GMGM appears on the John Thompson Show they refer to him as the “Undertaker.” He might be able to put together a competent hockey team, but apparently personality costs extra. For what it’s worth, I hear his show always did well in Russia.

For more info on Cerrato’s new show, click here.

18Sep

note: not reggie

In blog, football, note to self by b murf / September 18, 2008 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

As I stood on the sidelines watching New Orleans “running back” Reggie Bush taunt a rookie punter during his return for a touchdown this past weekend, I almost felt bad for the guy.

Here’s an athlete who was seemingly on top of the world when he elected to forgo his senior season at USC. He was a Heisman Trophy winner and the biggest name on the biggest program in college football, and yet, today he’s forced to grand-stand and pose for personal accomplishments while playing on a winless underachiever.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. At least, that’s what the overall consensus was when the 2006 NFL Draft rolled around and everyone just knew the Houston Texans were going to select Bush with the top pick. Sure, there were some rumblings that Bush and his family might have accepted gifts, cash and other illegal benefits, but so did Shaquille O’Neal, and he went on to become one of the greatest of all time. If Bush went on to accomplish half of what Shaq did, then it would have been a wise investment.

But a funny thing happened along the way – Texans general manager Charlie Casserly met with Bush and decided it was best for his franchise to go another direction. He never said why, but some suggested it was because of the salary demands by Bush and his representatives or possibly even character issues. While no one knows Casserly’s reasoning for sure, the Texans passed on Bush and selected North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams. Bush went second to the Saints.

From there, things went from bad to worse for the Texans – with Casserly being crucified for the pick and Williams seemingly blamed for events that were out of his control, simply being drafted ahead of “Saint Reggie.” Some morons even suggested the move was one of the biggest blunders in the history of the NFL Draft.

And while Williams has gone on to have a solid career, Casserly is no longer with the Texans. He resigned as general manager and now does work as a television analyst, with the “blunder” tag still hanging over his head, even if history shows that wasn’t really the case.

Click here for the full article.

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