Weekend Roundup
Sep 15, 2008 Eagles Rumors
First of all. Holy crap. $613 billion in debt. That is insane. I try and keep politics out of this blog and will continue to do so, but it’s probably time for this country to change direction economically. This is going to be a bad, bad, bad week on Wall Street.
A nice pat on the back for BFH, as I had a little payday when the Skins beat the Saints. Did anyone follow my advice?
If you watched any of the Seahawks/Niners game you saw one of the most horrible first quarters imaginable for a winning team. The Niners fumbled twice, blocked a punt which was recovered by the Hawks and ran for a first down, and trailed by 14.
The Bills are for real and fans in Western NY are officially losing their minds. I’m sure many of my co-workers are checking for flights to Tampa this morning. Oh yeah, their next three games: Oakland, @St. Louis, @Arizona. They have a legit shot at 5-0.
They are going to need to start running the ball at little more efficiently, though. The addition of Jason Peters didn’t help there.
Cuse football is a disgrace right now, but it isn’t keeping me from being excited about The Express.
NFC East Off-Season Analysis: Redskins
May 21, 2008 Eagles Rumors
It’s really too bad the Redskins got to watch Jevon Kearse play twice last year. Without that firsthand account of his ineffectiveness, you’d think the Redskins would have been knocking down walls to sign the aging “star” to a ridiculous multi-year deal. He’s really their kind of free agent: old and not so good.
But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. In fact, the Redskins somehow avoided signing an overpriced, over-aged free agent altogether this year. Don’t worry, there’s still time. But if I were a fan in DC, I’d feel cautiously optimistic that I had gotten away with something.
Key Losses
Brandon Lloyd
What it means:
It means the Redskins finally realized what the rest of the league did two years ago: Lloyd is a bum. A locker room disturbing bum at that.
Mark Brunell
What it means:
No reason to keep the old timer on the roster anymore with Jason Campbell and Todd Collins firmly entrenched at their spots. Better to use that #3 QB spot on a young guy.
Key Additions
The Redskins really made some interesting moves in the draft. No, not trading away their first round pick. That is pretty much standard for the Skins. What I’m talking about is how they used their three second round picks.
First came Devin Thomas –the tall possession receiver from Michigan State. Later in the round they selected Malcolm Kelly — the tall possession receiver from Oklahoma. Sandwiched between those two picks was Fred Davis, the tight end from USC.
Those picks were curious because the Redskins, obviously, already have talent at all of those positions, which are now pretty dang crowded. Kelly and Thomas will be competing with Antoine Randle El to determine who is the #2, #3, and #4 behind Santana Moss.
Fred Davis is added to a roster that already includes the talented (and crazy) Chris Cooley. If Davis is going to get a lot of playing time, it will need to be in two tight end sets.
Other Moves
The Skins re-signed two quiet but valuable members of the squad — Jason Fabini and Rock Cartwright.
Conclusion
It’s hard to know what will become of the Redskins this year. They really needed to add a playmaker or two on defense and certainly have not done that. The one position that was screaming for attention – defensive end – only got some in the form of seventh round pick Rob Jackson, who will be a long shot to make the team.
On the positive side, the Redskins could certainly have a bevy of weapons on offense. The tall bodies of Kelly and Thomas should compliment the speed and quickness of Moss and Randle El nicely.
First year coach Jim Zorn is an offense-oriented guy, and he won’t suffer from a lack of options. Will yet another new playbook stunt Campbell’s growth though? Will there be anything resembling a competent defense? This year will be very interesting in DC.
Tags: Washington Redskins
Quick Hitters
Apr 30, 2008 Eagles Rumors
The Lions are stupid. Or so says Drew Sharp of the Free Press. He argues that the Lions should be trying to move Roy Williams because he has no value to a team that is once again rebuilding. Sharp mentions the Cowboys and Redskins, but not the Eagles.
[Detroit Free Press] If the Lions weren’t interested in moving Williams, they’re stupid.
Keeping with the same theme of calling organizations out for their stupidity, I really want to take the time to thank Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder for keeping my life a little more entertaining than it otherwise is.
Was it wise for the Redskins to draft both Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly when they really needed help on the other side of the ball? No. Am I pleased with their decision? Certainly.
Likewise, the Cowboys trade for Pacman Jones really put a hop in my step. That team is already a steaming pile of crazy, throwing Pacman in the mix could be quite fun.
It could be a long season for Ed Werder.
Wow
Apr 22, 2008 Eagles Rumors
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| Clown |
Daniel Snyder hates draft picks!
How serious are the Cincinnati Bengals about not giving in to Chad Johnson‘s trade demands?
Serious enough to swat away an offer from the Washington Redskins that could have netted the Bengals two first-round draft picks, team and league sources said.
The Redskins offered its first-round pick, No. 21 overall, and a conditional third-rounder in 2009 that could escalate to a first rounder if Johnson and the Redskins hit certain performance levels, the sources said.
If I were a Bengals fan I would be torn. On the one hand, I want the team to take a stand and put this clown in his place.
On the other hand… holy crap. That’s an incredible offer.
[ESPN] — Sources: Skins offer ’08, ’09 first round picks for Johnson
Portis 2008 — 1800 yards?
Mar 28, 2008 Eagles Rumors
Stump Mitchell, apparently, is a bit delusional. He’s the running backs coach of the Redskins, and he thinks Clinton Portis can rush for 1800 yards in the new offense to be implemented by Jim Zorn.
Sports Illustrated reports that Redskins assistant head coach/running backs coach Stump Mitchell is optimistic that RB Clinton Portis will have a big year playing in Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense. “We think that he can be a 1,800-yard back this season,” Mitchell said. “Running behind that offensive line, he should average four-and-a-half to five yards per carry.” The story adds that Portis is working out in D.C., not Miami as his usual custom, and that Portis is a candidate to catch more passes out of the backfield after getting 47 receptions last season, mostly on check-down passes.
That’s pretty laughable on a lot of levels. For one, Portis has been nothing more than an average running back while he’s been with the Redskins. His YPC average last season was a terrible 3.9 (it has gotten worse each of the last two years).
In order to run for 1800 yards one of two things has to happen — either the running back has to be able to stay healthy through a 400+ carry season (a dubious proposition for a running back who already has a lot of mileage) or the running back has to average more than five yards a carry (which Portis has never come close to).
On top of that, this is yet another new offense for a team that is challenged in that area. In a division with three good defenses.
Not. Gonna. Happen.
Snyder
Mar 5, 2008 Eagles Rumors
I like to imagine there’s a bright red “Redskins” phone in every front office that each franchise lets Dan Snyder call. You don’t ever want to let a Snyder trade offer go to voicemail.
Banner: “Hello.”
Snyder: “Hey, Joe? This is Dan Snyder. I hear Lito Sheppard is available for trade. I’ll give you a first and a fourth.”
Banner: “Wow, Dan, that’s a lot better –”
Snyder: “Fine, I’ll give you Shawn Springs too.”
Banner: “I suppose that would be fine.”
Do Redskin fans constantly live in fear of this sort of thing? Do they actually expect the Redskins to still have a full supply of draft picks by the time April is here?
Tags: Dan Snyder, Lito Sheppard, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
