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" »
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
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
COLT BRENNAN IS my new favorite quarterback.
For whatever reason — maybe because it's my job — I stayed tuned in during the second half of the first of five meaningless preseason games for the Redskins Sunday.
Brennan made it worthwhile. He looked every bit the gunslinger we heard he was at Hawaii.
John Madden went positively gaga for the Redskins' third-string quarterback, calling at least two of his passes "perfect."
For perspective, let’s remember Brennan most likely won't see the field once September rolls around. And if he is playing, then something has probably gone terribly wrong.
Yet, at least for a week, there is new cult hero in Washington.
Dubious? Just think back to Babe Laufenberg. Are you too young? OK, everyone knows Gus Frerotte around here.
D.C. loves the backup quarterback; always has, always will.
Brennan took his first steps to some sort of immortality, completing nine of 10 passes, two of which went for touchdowns. Plus, he showed the exuberance of Brett Favre — I almost made it a whole column without mentioning the Packers quarterback.
For fans, that is what the exhibition season is all about. Most starters don't play, and you just hope no big names get injured. Both were true against the Colts.
Wait until Brennan plays at FedEx Field. A new controversy could develop — not for first string, but for Jason Campbell's backup.
Brennan versus Todd Collins? It doesn't get much better than that in August.
Photo by Preston Keres/TWP
YOU CAN'T LIVE in the past.
The Redskins proved that the past four seasons under Joe Gibbs, who, though he tried, never quite found the same magic he had in the 1980s.
Every once in a while, though, it doesn't hurt to look backward. This is such a weekend for Redskins fans.
Two of the team's greats, Darrell Green and Art Monk, are going to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They may be the last players enshrined from the era that brought three Super Bowl titles to the nation's capital.
It's the time that made many area residents the Redskins fans they are today.
Some call Washingtonians spoiled for expecting greatness from the football team. We just have good long-term memories.
There's a lot of tradition behind the burgundy and gold.
That's why it was just a bit disheartening to hear new coach Jim Zorn dub the Redskins the "maroon, black and yellow" at his introductory press conference. He's no doubt heard endless jokes about that.
But he should know entering his first preseason game Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts that he is being held to the standard set during Green and Monk's prime.
Sunday night's game is meaningless, as is the entire exhibition season. As of the game Sept. 4 against the Giants, Zorn will have to prove he is not in over his head.
This weekend, the Redskins will be reliving their glory years. It will surely remind fans that they’re still waiting for the next Gibbs.
The question is whether Zorn is the coach the nation's capital has been waiting for.
Photo by Rich Lipski/TWP
THIS IS A SUMMER of hope at Redskins Park.
Washington is banking on Jason Campbell's living up to his billing as the quarterback of the future, just as the team is relying on three second-round picks who excelled as college receivers to hit the ground running in the NFL.
And most of all, the Redskins are trusting that Jim Zorn is up to the task as head coach — even though he already muffed the team's color scheme once.
Optimism shouldn't be unfounded. The team made the playoffs last year, after all. You'd think Greg Blatche should fill in nicely for Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator. Plus, Zorn's enthusiasm is infectious.
But here's the reality check.
Continue Reading "Swengali: Question Marks Abound at Redskins Camp" »
THERE WAS A time not long ago when Brett Favre's circus would almost certainly have landed in Washington.
Mercifully, Dan Snyder's taste seems to have soured on ancient stars after Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders and — look away before reading this name — Jeff George.
When the Green Bay soap opera finally ends, at least D.C. won't resemble "Jurassic Park" yet again.
As much as Favre has meant to the NFL, the city of Green Bay and even the cheesy state of Wisconsin, I take the Packers' side in this ongoing saga.
Favre may be 38, but he's acting like a petulant teenager who can't make up his mind.
For the past several years, he's cried wolf about retiring — baiting the Packers to beg him to come back. The team got sick of it, so when "There's Something About Mary's" old boyfriend called it quits, they let him.
Since that fateful day in March, Favre's toyed with returning to the point where he demanded his release last week. The Packers have rightly moved on to a new chapter (Aaron Rodgers) but won't cut Favre so he can sign with division rival Minnesota.
How sick are Packers fans of Favre's childish act? A mere 200 people rallied for his return Sunday at Lambeau Field. That's less people than the number who watch the Nationals' games on TV.
Favre's a great player, but he's a worse prima donna than any movie star.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
DAN SNYDER BUYING SportsTalk 980 should be a great thing for Redskins fans on Sundays.
For the first time since Snyder moved his team's games under the umbrella of Red Zebra, Washington fans will be able to listen to the action anywhere inside the Beltway.
The big question surrounding this week's purchase, though, is what will happen to D.C.'s original sports talk station Monday through Saturday.
Whether you like the station's entire lineup or not, WTEM presents a group of hosts who have built reputations by delivering objective and sometimes provocative analysis.
What will Snyder do if Steve Czaban or Andy Pollin call out Jim Zorn if the first-year coach looks as in-over-his-head as he did during his introductory press conference?
Czaban was already let go from Comcast SportsNet's postgame TV show for being too critical, and Snyder has no monetary control of that station.
NOT TOO LONG AGO, D.C. had a few contenders who could be crowned King of the Local Advertisers.
No more.
While Matthew Lesko and the Senate Insurance "Kiss My Bumper!" guy are faint, annoying memories, the Eastern Motors jingle, with its surprisingly infectious mix of mariachi instrumentation and rap vocals, has achieved a kind of earworm immortality. Plus, the advertisements feature motley crews of superstar athletes from the Redskins, Ravens, Wizards and more along with regular peeps — sometimes even mouthing the words to the jam and bouncing to the Eastern beat.
After watching these commercials, it would take a lobotomy to dislodge the "Your job is your credit" slogan from your brain. Still, some are better than others, which is why we've ranked the Top 10 Eastern Motors ads.
Nurse, get me a scalpel and drill bit, stat!
Continue Reading "The Ads Are Their Credit: Eastern Motors" »
HAVING GROWN UP in an era when you had to drive to the old Capital Center to see most of Washington's sports teams play, I find the idea of keeping the locals inside city limits appealing.
I hope D.C. United gets its new stadium in Southeast, and I suspect it will, given the backing of former mayor Marion Barry and current Mayor Adrian Fenty. (Remember when Fenty was very against using public funds for sports venues?)
More than that, though, here is what I wish for: I dare to dream that someone will come into a huge stash of TNT and use it to blow FedEx Field to Timbuktu.
It seems so backward that the Wizards, Capitals, Nationals and United are playing in D.C., when the one team that enthralls the nation's capital more than any other is stuck in Prince George's County. And not only that, but the Redskins' stadium stinks — more than Heath Shuler ever did as a quarterback.
Lacking any atmosphere, and being not the most accessible of venues, FedEx Field is a monstrosity. I know Jack Kent Cooke tried to get a new home in Washington, but city officials balked at paying for better roads and infrastructure.
Now we are stuck paying for that mistake, as in that $35 parking fee Dan Snyder charges at the decrepit house Cooke built.
Perhaps D.C. has learned from losing the Redskins, which is why new stadiums keep cropping up. Now let's hope Fenty can save enough cash to lure back the one that got away.
Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Addison Road
