So Nature deals with us

As I mentioned in my bio, I grew up in the wake of the Colts’ exodus from Baltimore and turned to the loving arms of the Washington Redskins.  I was guided there by my father, and together we cheered the Washington Redskins through three superbowl wins.  Football was a bond we shared and I always treasured watching games with him. 

On July 5th, Redskins Dad  –my beloved father– passed away early in the morning.  He taught me how to be a proper football fan.  He taught me to appreciate sportsmanship and loyalty.  He taught me to hate those stankin Cowboys and Eagles and Giants, but to also have respect for your enemy.  He taught me to never give up and he taught me to have faith in my team.  He also taught me many new swear words when Marcus Allen ran for that touchdown in the Superbowl against the Raiders.  Many of my best memories of him revolve around football, and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that football brought us closer together.

So I hope you will all indulge me and take a moment to pay some respect and appreciation to those that got you interested in this wonderful game.  We may have different teams and different loyalties, but we share the same love of the game.  Let’s remember that.

Thank you

Redskins Guy

 

Gratuitous Redskins Cheerleaders!

This little number is courtesy of Kissing Suzy Kolber.  I had to share. Enjoy!

 
 
 

Malcolm Kelly Saves Lives and Clinton Portis Action Figures are Only a Matter of Time

Clinton Portis has been working hard.  He ran a race against LaRon Landry.  He showed up to some voluntary workouts.  He signed a fat new contract with the Redskins.  Now he’s getting ready for another facet of his game…the press conference. That’s right, now you can vote to determine which zany character Clinton Portis will dress up as for a press conference next season.  Each character has their own little bio and personality.  Personally, I like the dentist (he did Strahan’s teeth!) with the Ultimate Fighter coming in as a close second.  Fortunately, confidential sources have revealed that the additional characters will NOT require separate contracts and will have no effect on the salary cap. Whew! The question remains, is this a distraction for the team? Is it harmless fun?  Is it a boost for morale?   The Washington Post has hinted that some teammates resent the special attention he receives; does this rub it in even more?  Only the other players can say for certain, but I’d tend to think that it’s more on the harmless fun side.  Clinton has always shown care to only pull out the characters when the team is performing well which is an important factor. All too often these days we see players on the losing end of a 43-7 drubbing and dancing little celebratory happy dances when they get a first down.  Clinton Portis isn’t like that. He truly does want to win.  So I say let him have his goofy characters.  They’re cute and silly and they give him a little personality.  As long as he doesn’t go too overboard, what’s the real harm? In other more serious news, Redskins Draft Pick Malcolm Kelly will be leading a group of private citizens to Liberia to help the medical relief effort out there.  At a time when his peers are out buying mansions and sports cars and drinking and partying and – yes — oversleeping and showing up late to a new job, this young man is leading a delegation to Africa to try to save lives.   You can read more about it here.  I was originally going to post a picture of one of Portis’s characters to headline this article, but I think Mister Kelly has earned a little face time.  He’s shown above, catching what I hope will be the first of many passes as a Washington Redskin. Finally, as I mentioned earlier, the Redskins have now signed rookie defensive end Rob Jackson, seventh round pick out of Kansas State.   Let’s hope he pans out since we could certainly use the help to our d-line.  Four of our ten draft picks have signed and with luck the other six will fall into place soon enough.

Sassy New Jaguars Site takes on Landry Hat

Sometimes it warms my heart to be part of the Fansided Network. Everyone please give a warm welcome Black and Teal, a site devoted to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Black and Teal’s writer Jeanne dared to write a humorous post about Jason Witten, showing him getting tackled by a small child.  As you probably know, Dan from Landry Hat has considerable Man-love for Witten.  He’s so far out of touch that he has claimed that Witten is the best tight end in the NFL and a future Hall of Famer who will have better career numbers than either Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates.

Jason Witten is to the Landry Hat what McNabb is to Ian from Inside the Iggles.  Needless to say, Dan did not take poor Jeanne’s article well. She’s been battling Cowboys fans ever since. If you get a chance, give her a more proper welcome and say hi.  Let her know that not everyone out there is a deranged lunatic with a fetish for Tight Ends.

Redskins sign Tryon, Horton; Other Skins Updates

The Washington Redskins signed cornerback Justin Tryon, a fourth round pick, to a four year contract. Tryon has good speed and cover abilities but he’s a little short and may have problems covering some of the larger NFL wide receivers.  We’ve had some success with undersized cornerbacks before, so let’s hope it works out. Like his teammate Fred Smoot, he’s known to have a mouth and enjoys trash talking. 

We may end up needing him, since Carlos Rogers is coming off major reconstructive surgery to repair torn ligaments late last season. There’s a decent chance he could start off the season on the Physically-Unable-to-Perform list.  Rogers never quite lived up to expectations, but has been a part of some top-ranked Gregg Williams defenses and his absence could pose a problem for us.

 In other injury news, Rocky McIntosh is also coming off of season-ending knee surgery but the Washington post reports that he is scheduled to be medically cleared to play on June 19th.  This is, of course, great news since Rocky was really having a breakout year before his injury. 

Finally, the Redskins signed their seventh round pick, safety Chris Horton.  With Horton and Tryon signed, we still have eight players left to sign.  Washington’s front office is going to start negotiations with their three second-round picks next week.

New Contract for Portis Guarantees Three More Years as a Redskin

Once again, the Washington Redskins have reworked Clinton Portis’ contract, clearing up cap space and ensuring that he will remain a Redskin for at least three more years. The contract includes a $9.3 million signing bonus in March and a guarantee of at least $15.7 million through 2010. Portis has reworked his contract in each of the last three years, so this is nothing new for the skins.

What is new, however, is that the team seems to be expecting him to participate more in practice and off-season activity. The Washington Post reports that Portis has been notorious for avoiding off-season workouts and unnamed former teammates complained that he was regularly seen goofing off when he does attend. Fortunately there’s signs that he’s been buckling down and working hard this year. Zorn and his people have also indicated that Clinton will no longer receive special privileges that he used to receive, including the ability to take himself out of the game when he felt like he needed to.

At 26, Portis still has time to mature and become an elite back. If he can be a top 10 back while goofing off, one has to wonder if he can break into the top 5 when he buckles down and gets to work. He’s already got the single season record for rushing yards for the team. What else can he accomplish if he puts his mind to it? Perhaps that’s just the homer in me. Perhaps that’s just wishful thinking. But I like that this new regime under Jim Zorn isn’t letting anyone slide. I like that people are buckling down and working hard. We’ll just have to see if it pays off this September when it counts.

Attention Citizens: Snyder Hailed for Purchase of Radio Stations

Greetings citizens of Redskins Nation! I am here to happily announce that Dan Snyder and his affiliates in the Ministry of Truth have purchased the remaining Sports stations within the DC area, including Sportstalk 980 which is often known for it’s scathing criticism of the Redskins ownership.  You can read more about this triumphant event here.

 This change will allow us all to benefit from having a closer connection with the team that outside, third parties could never hope to achieve.   No longer will reporters and radio hosts have to dig to find a story; it will be now sent to them via courier every morning by the Ministry. 

Rumors that Brian Mitchell and Rick “Doc” Walker have been siezed by the Ministry of Love and taken for re-education are grossly exaggerated.  Representatives from the Snyder organization have stressed that nothing has been decided regarding the status of either of their shows. However, the Ministry of Love does want to stress that thoughtcrime is still a serious violation and that you should report any illegal activity to your local Party affiliate.   Failure to Hail the Redskins or to demonstrate loyalty to the Redskins is now a crime punishable by death.  Criticizing any member of Redskins management is now a crime punishable by death.  We want to take this opportunity to remind you that Dan Snyder loves you and wants you to be happy.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Free Safety Schweigert signs with Redskins

The Washington Redskins signed free agent Stuart Schweigert yesterday.  You probably haven’t heard of him because he played for the Raiders, but he was a starter there until last year.  He’s apparently thrilled to leave the Raiders, and rightfully so.  “It feels like a thousand-pound bear’s been lifted off my chest,” Schweigert said.  He probably should have simply asked Warren Sapp to get off him, but I can understand why he’d want to leave the Raiders.  

In four years, Schweigert has accumulated 316 tackles and 4 interceptions. This is hardly anything to get too excited about, but he’ll add depth to a position that needs it.  Sean Taylor’s death was a terrible blow on so many levels, and nobody is going to ask people to fill his shoes, but someone has to start now that he’s gone.  It’s always good to have more options.

Jason Taylor will stay if Dolphins can Win; Pigs Fly

Jason Taylor wants to win.  He claims that he’s not demanding a trade, but that requirement alone seems to disqualify the Dolphins.  Even with the Erasmus James trade, the Redskins still have a need at defensive end.  A high-priced aging superstar is looking to make a splash in a new team, and yet there are no Redskins trade rumors.  To me, this is largely a good thing.  It’s not that I wouldn’t love to have Jason Taylor for one year, but the price tag is simply too high, and it would indicate a return to the old Dan Snyder mentality.

Taylor has stated that he only wants to play for one more year.  This could be a tactic to lower Miami’s asking price, but even if it is, he wasn’t going to last more than 2-3 years tops.  Furthermore, as it stands, the Dolphins have been asking for a first round pick. Even if the price drops to a 2nd or 3rd rounder, it’s just not worth it to borrow a guy who clearly has one foot out the door.

So of course the smart move is to wait.  The longer he stays untraded, the less leverage Parcells will have.  I’m sure Taylor would love to have an excuse to sit out of training camp; after all, why add unnecessary mileage to a vintage car?  Also, the longer this battle lasts, the more exposure he gets which can only help him in his second career.  There’s no rush.

Parcells on the other hand, is in a precarious situation.  He’s on the verge of alienating Dolphins fans everywhere if he treats their aging hero badly.  They might be able to accept the bitter necessity of him being traded, but I don’t know how well they’d like him being treated like dirt.   Taylor was savvy enough to avoid being the bad guy.  He didn’t pout or stomp his foot or have a hissy fit.  He didn’t put down the Dolphins organization or his teammates.  He just smiled and enjoyed the media attention and politely asked to be on a winning team, wherever that may be.  

So be patient Redskins fans.  Sometimes the best move is to do nothing at all.  I know it’s more boring than we’re used to, but it’s better to be bored now than in the Playoffs. 

Skins Outsmart Other NFL Teams; Acquire Erasmus James

The Minnesota Vikings have traded Erasmus James to the Washington Redskins for a conditional 7th round pick.  You can read some of the details here, but it looks like the Vikings only get the pick if James makes the Roster. Everyone else was waiting like vultures for the Vikings to cut the talented but injured Defensive End.  The Washington Redskins showed some cunning by recognizing that they’d never be able to get him on waiver, but that they could get him from the Vikings to trade him for next to nothing. 

The Vikings prosper because they get a chance to get something for nothing.  The Redskins prosper because they get a chance to pick up a player that would never have normally fallen to him.  James gets to feel slightly more wanted and has a second chance to produce. It’s win-win-win.  
 

If he makes the team, this could do a lot to help our Defensive line woes.  Granted, there are a lot of questions about James, but we have nothing to lose.  In many ways, this mirrors the Dallas trade for Adam “Pac Man” Jones.  Target a risky player with some upside and make a trade with some clauses to ensure that you don’t lose anything if the player doesn’t pan out.  Way to learn from our enemy, Vinny!

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