MAYBE 6-10 WAS a bit too optimistic.
In the aftermath of Thursday night's 16-7 loss to the New York Giants, the Redskins barely resembled an NFL team, let alone one that will compete for the playoffs.
Among the problems:
» Jason Campbell looked wholly uncomfortable in new coach Jim Zorn's West Coast offense.
» The entire team looked ill-prepared during the opening quarter, in which Washington was lucky to only be down 10-0 after 15 minutes.
» Zorn's time management was worse than Joe Gibbs 2.0, which is saying something. There was no sense of urgency in the final drive when the team was only losing by 9.
Continue Reading "A Giant Disappointment: Redskins Falter Out of the Gate" »
ROGER FEDERER USED to make it look too easy.
During his prime, most of his matches were boring unless you studied the majesty of his groundstrokes — which is about as exciting as NFL preseason games.
Now, though, it isn't so easy for Federer. This past year, he's become the crafty veteran who must win with his brains more than with his skills.
Not that Federer has fallen off the map, but Rafael Nadal is considered the best player in the world.
IF YOU RUN into Martina Navratilova this week, chances are she'll be on the move. Not just because the legendary tennis player will be in D.C. exercising at the AARP's Life@50+ extravaganza, but also because she'll be bouncing to and from New York so she can compete in the U.S. Open. No wonder the organization for older Americans tapped the 51-year-old as its health and fitness ambassador.
» EXPRESS: What's the plan for your session at Life@50+?
» NAVRATILOVA: I will be doing an exercise regimen. I've been practicing the routine, and it's hard, particularly the arm moves -- I'm not Jane Fonda, so I don't usually lead aerobics classes. But this is something they can all do; parts of it can even be done sitting down. It's resistance exercises with body weight, so you control how deep and hard you go, and afterwards, you feel totally rejuvenated.
» EXPRESS: What do people 50 and older really need to focus on for fitness?
» NAVRATILOVA: The biggest thing is frequency. That's what I'll be stressing -- 10 minutes a day is better than an hour once a week. But we can't overdo it, of course, because we don't recover as fast as we used to.
» EXPRESS: Have you noticed any changes as you've hit the 50 mark?
» NAVRATILOVA: I'm going through menopause right now, so I get hotter than I used to, and it's harder to cool down. I weigh the same, but I'm less muscle and more fat.
Continue Reading "Serve Them Right: Martina Navratilova on Defying Age" »
TRY AS I MIGHT, it's hard for me to be overly optimistic days before the NFL opener between the Giants and Redskins.
Jim Zorn’s offense is going to be the Redskins' biggest liability this season.
Forget the preseason decline — though it was noticeably steep — or Derrick Frost’s spot-on criticism that, clearly, management has more sway than the coaching staff on the opening day roster.
Almost every time a new system is put in place, a team's offense struggles. Given this is a first-time head coach who never served as an offensive coordinator, a slow start should be expected.
The trouble is that if Washington digs itself a hole early, the schedule doesn't seem to offer much of a reprieve.
The Redskins face all three of their division rivals on the road within the first five weeks.
Let's say the powerhouse Cowboys split with the Redskins for rivalry purposes. The improved Eagles could be in a position for a sweep Dec. 21 if they are in playoff contention, as I expect. We'll give Washington a split with New York.
Outside the NFC East, home games against Pittsburgh and Cleveland, and a road contest in Seattle seem daunting.
Sure, wins should come against the Rams (Oct. 12), Bengals (Dec. 14) and 49ers (Dec. 28). With the Cardinals (Sept. 21) and Ravens (Dec. 7), there should be another victory.
That's it. It looks like a 6-10 season with hopes of drafting a stellar offensive lineman next April.
Photo by John McDonnell/TWP
MORE FOOTBALL. The idea is so ingenious that it's a wonder no one thought of it sooner.
According to The Washington Post's Mark Maske, the NFL is leaning toward expanding the regular season to 17 or 18 games — and shortening the preseason.
While a few years away, the prospect is exciting from a fan's point of view. It means fewer meaningless, boring games and more of the real stuff.
From the league's vantage point, this is clearly a winner. An extra game or two will bring in tons of extra cash. And, as The Post reported, the longer season would allow for more overseas games, which would only add to the NFL's popularity worldwide.
Then there are the players, and here is where it will get interesting during the next collective bargaining session.
To a layman, football players — just like other pro athletes and movie stars — are already overpaid. Yet you know they'll demand contract adjustments for playing more.
To be fair to the gridiron warriors, a greater risk of injury would be a given.
Since it appears to be a matter of when — not if — the NFL expands the schedule, I have one suggestion.
The rosters should grow with the addition of games to ensure the Super Bowl champion won't be a winner by attrition. Five extra spots would give each team enough of a cushion to absorb more games.
A day with a shorter preseason is coming. Hallelujah.
Photos by Steve Dykes/Getty Images
HAVING EASILY WON the gold to "redeem" the United States' reputation on and off the basketball court, there is but one question remaining about the 2008 men's Olympic basketball team.
Who would win: the so-called Redeem Team or the Dream Team?
There really isn't a wrong answer, since we're talking about two great squads. Yet there are some facts to consider.
First, the 2008 gold-medal run was more impressive than the 1992 championship because the competition was far better. There would have been no shame in losing to Spain or Argentina, and still the United States dominated until a tight championship.
Second, the 1992 stars were superior in the paint. Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and Karl Malone — all in their primes — would dominate Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer. And that's not even mentioning Charles Barkley.
Also, the Dream Team had better shooters in the form of Chris Mullin, Larry Bird (even with a bad back) and some guy named Michael Jordan.
The best argument for the Redeem Team is that today's players are faster and more athletic than the players 16 years ago were.
In the end, though, I'm not convinced the disparity is so great that Jordan and Magic Johnson wouldn't have found a way to put up tons of points.
If they played one game, I still wouldn't pick against Jordan in favor of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. In a series, the size and shooting of the Dream Team would prevail in six games.
Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
THE RUMBLINGS HAVE already started.
A 3-0 preseason record has sparked talk of momentum at Redskins Park.
Even play-by-play man Mike Patrick rejoiced in a 13-10 victory — courtesy of a missed 23-yard field goal — which was an important step under new coach Jim Zorn.
Let me tell you how much momentum the Redskins really have: none. But no other NFL team has any either.
Don't let all these experts fool you. These games don't mean a thing. There's a reason we never remember preseason records.
Steve Spurrier's Osaka moment of glory is all you need to recall when assessing what it means that Colt Brennan threw the Redskins' only touchdown pass last week.
I guess it's good Washington looks somewhat comfortable in its new offense. The running game is off to a strong start — but that's mainly behind fourth-on-the-depth-chart Marcus Mason.
The most encouraging signs are a lack of penalties, even fewer injuries and Zorn's unassuming personality.
Discouraging would be a good description of Jason Campbell's performance against the Jets and the lack of playing time for rookie receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, who both have battled nagging ailments.
Again, though — at least in Campbell's case — it doesn't matter all that much yet.
Once the Redskins have prepared for a meaningful game against first-stringers, we will learn just how good this team can be.
As for now, the wins are nice, but it's a resounding "no" on the "big mo" question.
Photo by Preston Keres/The Washington Post
DID MICHAEL PHELPS rescue your cat from a tree last night?
I heard a rumor that he cured the common cold.
My favorite: Phelps captured the Penguin and Joker before Batman got out of bed — and is in line to be the next Aquaman.
Everywhere you go, it's Michael Phelps this and Michael Phelps that. Until the paparazzi get their claws stuck in the Olympic swimmer, Phelps is the next American hero.
Can you even name a U.S. track star left to compete this week in Beijing? I'm already struggling with the name of the women's all-around gymnastics champion (it's Nastia Liukin).
IF IT'S NOT dead, patriotism is certainly muted in this country a majority of the time.
Yet this first week of the Olympics has brought a noticeable, and refreshing, change.
If you'e like me — and some may pity such souls — you are watching for two reasons: to see world-class athletes expertly perform feats we did in gym class and to cheer on Americans.
Two prime examples were the historic men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay that the U.S. swim team won and the women's team gymnastics competition that the Chinese captured.
It was amazing not only that the Americans set a world record in the pool last Sunday night, but also that the French's boasting motivated the team to a thrilling victory. There's nothing better than beating France, is there?
Oppositely, a loss to China's gymnasts has sparked more than a few whispers that Chinese gymnast He Kexin is 13, not 16, which would make her ineligible to compete. For the record, she doesn't look 13 — she looks 9 — but the budding rivalry between the democratic United States and communist China must have something to do with the bitterness.
Surely, the new wave of patriotism will diminish along with the Olympic torch a week from now. We should enjoy it while it lasts.
Then life can return to normal: Cowboys fans will have no place in D.C. and LeBron James will transform from an Olympic hero into a Wizards killer.
The Olympics are like a vacation from our typical rivalries. No wonder we're so into the spirit.
I UNDERSTAND THE appeal of picking China to host the Olympics.
It's like the undiscovered country to much of the world. The Great Wall, the Forbidden City and centuries of history, all — more or less — veiled by the clout of a totalitarian regime.
By granting Beijing the games, the International Olympic Committee made a splash years ago, and the anticipation seems higher than it's been in quite some time.
Yet, my anticipation is a bit dampened by a nagging feeling of dread. Any previous talk that the Olympics would force China to come up to world standards on human rights and pollution was quite obviously hogwash.
The IOC lived up to its checkered history — giving the games to Nazi Germany and communist Russia are two examples — in the run-up to this weekend.
Secret deals allowing censored coverage cloud a very smoggy venue even further.
The sports themselves will be as dramatic as ever.
Michael Phelps' pursuit to beat Mark Spitz's record is compelling and made more so by the great mustache he hopefully won't shave. I'm also curious how the U.S. basketball team will fare after a disappointing run in Athens. And then there are always the unknowns who emerge as stars.
Deep down, though, my sense is the games will be overshadowed by protest or something worse. Years of repression may manifest themselves in ugly ways with the Olympic spotlight on Beijing.
I hope for the best but fear the worst. Let's just hope the attention stays on the games.
Photo by Omar Torres/AFP/Getty Images
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