All posts in football

28Nov

nick sundberg brings toughness to special teams

In blog, feature, football by b murf / November 28, 2012 / 1 Comment

[Editor’s note: This season, the Washington Redskins have asked my brother, Joel Murphy, and I to occasionally write feature stories for the team’s official website, Redskins.com. This article, which was written by Joel, is our latest contribution, so please check it out.]

The Redskins’ 40-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints to start this season will long be remembered as the impressive beginning of the Robert Griffin III era. But it should also be remembered as the game where Redskins long snapper Nick Sundberg played two quarters with a broken arm.

“We’ve got a story to tell to our kids and our grandkids, how we played with a guy who played a whole game with a broken arm,” defensive tackle Barry Cofield said after the game. “I’m going to remember both. RGIII’s going to come first, obviously, because that’s what they’re going to ask me about, but when my grandson scrapes his knee, I’ll tell him about the guy who played with a broken arm.”

During the first punt of the game, with under a minute left in the second quarter, Sundberg’s left arm got pinned between two helmets and he broke his ulna, one of the two long bones in the forearm. At halftime, the injury was confirmed by the training staff. The bone was broken three-quarters of the way through approximately three inches below his wrist.

“I had to make a decision on what we were going to do for the rest of the game,” Sundberg remembers. “Will Montgomery, the center – he’s our backup snapper – I was watching him snap a little bit and I made the executive decision that I’m going to fight and get through the game.”

As someone who would let his mom, who works for TASER, test out products on him growing up, Sundberg is no stranger to pain. Of course, breaking an arm is a different sort of pain from getting tased.

“The TASER hurts more for a shorter period of time,” said Sundberg. “It’s five seconds of agonizing pain, but after the five seconds, it’s over. You don’t have to feel it anymore. You get up off the ground like, ‘That sucks, but at least it’s over.’ The arm, it just lingers and lingers and lingers.”

To manage the pain during the game, Sundberg tried to convince himself it wasn’t that bad.

“I tried to use some positive reinforcement techniques to tell myself it didn’t hurt as bad as it really did,” Sundberg said. “I snapped the ball eight or nine times after that, but honestly it wasn’t nearly as bad on the field as it was warming up to actually snap. That’s a tough one because I’m crazy about my warm-up regimen. I snap a certain amount of balls before every snap. On the sidelines, trying to throw them back was more difficult than being in the game because, when I was in the game, I was able to turn everything off and let my body react. On the sideline, I was very much aware of how much my arm hurt.”

Somehow, Sundberg was able to make it through the rest of the game, snapping the ball for four punts, two field goal attempts and two extra points in the second half. The good news was that he was able to contribute to his team’s big win over the Saints. The bad news was that Sundberg was placed on eight-week injured reserve and the ‘Skins brought in Justin Snow to take over his job in the interim.

The third-year pro still showed up to the Redskins training facility every day, but he wasn’t able to practice with his teammates for the first six weeks. He still attended all of the team meetings and did his best to be an active part of the team, even though he couldn’t contribute on the field. Being injured and forced out of action was tough, not just physically, but mentally.

“I’ve never been hurt before. I’ve never missed practice, let alone a game, so I’ve never not been able to play. I think the most difficult thing was just watching my team play without me from home,” he said.

Head coach Mike Shanahan doesn’t allow players on injured reserve to stand on the sideline during games. So while Sundberg could have driven to FedEx Field to watch the games from a luxury box in the stands, he elected instead to watch the games at his house.

While he looked forward to seeing his team compete and wanted to see them win, it was still difficult for Sundberg to enjoy the game as a spectator.

“It’s hard to just be a fan because I’ve got so much more invested, especially with knowing everybody,” Sundberg said. “I wanted everyone to play well and wanted the team to succeed even if I wasn’t playing. It was tough, but I didn’t really have a choice.”

The most challenging part of watching the broadcast from home, Sundberg said, was listening to the commentators weigh in on his team and his teammates.

Click here for the full article.

27Nov

remembering sean taylor

In blog, football by b murf / November 27, 2012 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Five years ago today, players, coaches and fans of the Washington Redskins were left in shock and disbelief after the tragic death of safety Sean Taylor.

On Nov. 26, 2007, Taylor suffered a gunshot wound during a botched robbery attempt at his residence in Miami, Florida, and the the 24-year-old passed away a day later.

His death sent the franchise and the entire fanbase into mourning. There were candle-light vigils. There was a televised service which his entire team attended. And there were lots and lots of tears.

I remember two things about that time frame:

For starters, the all-pro safety was shot on my second wedding anniversary. The wife and I tried to go out to dinner that night to celebrate, but neither of us was really in a celebrating kind of mood.

Secondly, I remember the completely mediocre 5-7 Redskins rallying together and reeling off four-straight wins to earn a playoff spot on the final day of the season in Taylor’s honor.

Two of his closest friends on the team — running back Clinton Portis and receiver Santana Moss — essentially put the franchise on their collective backs and willed the team to victory during the final month of the season.

By the time the playoffs rolled around, the players were spent. The Seattle Seahawks were the better team that day, but it didn’t even matter. Simply getting there in Sean’s honor was enough.

27Nov

the story of RGIII, the WWE … and me?

In blog, football, murf by b murf / November 27, 2012 / 1 Comment

(photo by Brian Murphy)

It’s no secret by now that Washington Redskins defensive end Adam Carriker is a huge fan of professional wrestling.

In fact, I wrote an in-depth feature story about Carriker and his love affair with the squared circle back in 2010.

Well, since the 28-year-old suffered a torn quad tendon that prematurely ended his season during the second game of the season, he’s found an interesting way to keep himself busy — by co-hosting a weekly radio show called “4th and Pain” with Chuck Carroll.

Each week, Carriker and Carroll award an official WWE championship belt to the Redskins player they deemed who had the biggest impact in that week’s game. Previous winners this season include Alfred Morris (twice), Ryan Kerrigan (twice), Pierre Garcon, Lorenzo Alexander and Tyler Polumbus.

As you can see, while the rest of the football loving world has been focused on each and every snap taken by franchise quarterback Robert Griffin III, the guys from “4th and Pain” have gone out of their way to spread the love around.

Last week though, the inevitable happened — Griffin earned the belt after he was nearly perfect, completing 14 of 15 passes for 200 yards with four touchdowns as he torched the Philadelphia Eagles in Washington’s easy 31-7 victory.

A few days later, Carroll presented the championship belt to Griffin in an impromptu ceremony in the team’s locker room and that was that … until the powers that be at WWE decided to spotlight the occasion on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

Not only did they show RGIII accepting the belt (and honoring John Cena in the process), but the WWE also used two of my photos of Griffin during the video package. It was definitely a cool moment to see my work from the sidelines appear on one of the most popular cable shows of all time,* and it was even sweeter because I was the one who first broke the story of Carriker’s obsession with professional wrestling back in ’10.

*Although, to be fair, as you can see from the screen capture at the top of this page, they did manage to misspell my first name. Oh well.

So congrats to the guys from “4th and Pain,” and thank you for sharing the moment with me.

And for those who missed it, here’s a link to the video.

26Nov

the bigger the stage, the better robert griffin III gets

In blog, football by b murf / November 26, 2012 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

For most of the last 20 years, the Washington Redskins haven’t been very good at football.

For much of the last decade or so, they’ve been one of the doormat of the NFL — thanks to a dismal record and a knack for failing to show up in games with a heightened importance.

Anyone who has been a fan of this franchise for more than a few months should be able to close their eyes and instantly recall half a dozen or so disappointments — including letdown games seemingly whenever the Redskins found themselves in the national spotlight.

Simply put — no one outside the beltway ever had any reason to care about this team because whenever they saw them play, Washington usually found a way to lose.

Mercifully, it appears those dark days are over, thanks to a rookie quarterback by the name of Robert Griffin III.

This past Thursday, Griffin did something no other Redskins quarterback had ever done before — he beat the Cowboys in Dallas on Thanksgiving day.

With an entire nation watching, the face of the franchise completed 20 of 28 passes for 311 yards with four touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 132.6. While most Redskins players would have wilted in the spotlight, Griffin has already shown he’s not like most Redskins players.

23Nov

photos from the sidelines: week 12

In blog, football, photos by b murf / November 23, 2012 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

If you’re on this website, then you’re probably familiar with my body of work.

But if you’re new around these parts, here’s the rundown — I cover sports.

I write about sports. I shoot photos at sporting events. Most of my days are spent thinking about … you guessed it … sports.

That being said, while I was in Dallas for the Thanksgiving day game featuring the Cowboys and the Washington Redskins, there was plenty of action going on away from the field.

For example, rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III’s college coach, Art Briles, in attendance. One of the chicks from Wilson Phillips sang the national anthem. A dude from Duck Dynasty was hanging around the Redskins sidelines. Everyone from rapper Wale to former president George W. Bush was in attendance.

Oh, and the biggest name in country music today — Kenny Chesney — preformed during an extended halftime celebration.

It;s safe to say this game definitely felt a little bigger on the national stage, which makes Washington’s win all the more impressive.

So please feel free to peruse my favorite photos I was able to capture from the sidelines this week. After all, the Redskins had never defeated Dallas on Thanksgiving before. So let’s savor this one a little while longer before moving onto the next game.

23Nov

redskins-cowboys playlist

In blog, football, playlist by b murf / November 23, 2012 / No Comments

(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “How It Starts” by The Features

While many local sports fans felt good after the Washington Redskins 31-6 beatdown of the hapless Philadelphia Eagles one week ago, there was a lot less reason for optimism heading into their Week 12 match-up.

The Redskins had never beaten the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving day (0-6). They had yet to earn a victory at the new state-of-the-art Cowboys Stadium (0-3). Quarterback Tony Romo had never lost at home during the month of November (14-0). Oh, and the last time the Redskins actually won on Thanksgiving was back in 1973.

Thankfully, the league decided to go ahead and play the game anyway.

And what a game it was for the burgundy and gold, who finally put together a respectable performance while playing in front of a national audience as they earned an impressive 38-31 victory over their most hated rival.

All it took was one quarter of action to show that, as long quarterback Robert Griffin III is involved, anything is possible. For the second game in a row, RGIII could do no wrong — completing 20 of 28 passes for four touchdowns, one interception and a QB rating of 132.6.

Everything you thought you knew about the Redskins needs to be reconsidered. All of the tired storylines that have saddled this franchise in recent history (can’t win primetime games, can’t beat rookie quarterbacks, etc.) are slowly being washed away for good.

This kid represents the dawn of a new day in D.C. and even though the Redskins currently have a losing record (5-6), they’re quickly becoming a team no one wants to play.

“Easy to see why they moved up in the draft to get him,” said Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. “I think that everybody was really impressed with him in college; he was such a dynamic player at Baylor to win the Heisman Trophy. I think he’s been able to carry that same skill set to the NFL. Again, they use him well, they do those things that he did in college and he’s very effective at that. But he’s also shown he’s effective at doing other things. And he makes everybody else better.”

22Nov

marines provide redskins fans a reason to give thanks

In blog, football by b murf / November 22, 2012 / No Comments

(photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder)

Every once in a while, you stumble across something that makes you stop and truly give thanks for everything you have in life.

This beautiful photo of two deployed Marines and their working dog catching some sleep in Afghanistan did just that for me. Via The Unknown Soldiers blog, here’s a little background information:

According to Cpl. Lodder’s caption, the dog in the photo, Blue, detects improvised explosive devices. Blue is protecting his handler, Lance Cpl. Jarrett Hatley, 21, of Millingport, North Carolina, as he takes a quick nap (covered by a Washington Redskins blanket) after helping Afghan National Army soldiers clear compounds in the central Helmand River Valley, a volatile area rife with threats from insurgents and terrorists.

The other Marine resting in the photo is Lance Cpl. Matthew Scofield, 19, of Syracuse, New York. Both Marines are assigned to 3rd Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.

Now, I’m a veteran who happens to also be a fan of the Washington Redskins, so this image is obviously going to go over well with me. But even if I wasn’t, this photo would still have a strong impact on me because it represents just how much the brave men and women of our armed forces are willing to sacrifice to keep the rest of us safe.

So please, keep them in your thoughts and prayers as you sit down with loved ones this Thanksgiving.

Hail.