Andre Woodson Is Our New BFF

We loved him from afar all along. No really.

Let the games begin, in a sign the Redskins intend to be as annoying to the Giants as the Giants are to them, the Redskins picked up castoff Giants third string quarterback Andre Woodson and signed him to the practice squad. With Colt Brennan on injured reserve and Chase Daniel gone, this move gives the Redskins three quarterbacks, at least as far as the roster goes.

Wonder if Andre did like dickhead LaVar Arrington did when he went to the Giants and kept his Redskins playbook. Oh I see here Andre did the right thing and turned his in.

After much hoopla in the preseason, the Redskins opted not to keep Chase, even after Colt went on injured reserved with a hip, hamstring, something or other I am still not entirely sure what happened there, Chase was let go in the round of 53 cuts.

At the time I was certain Chase would be signed back to the practice squad, once Colt went on injured reserve he would not be available again for the entire season, and despite being five foot ten inches tall and only knowing the offense for two months, Chase Daniel is now the third most knowledgeable quarterback in head coach Jim Zorn's offensive system. On the planet.

But no, Chase evaluated his options and signed with the New Orleans Saints onto their practice squad, once again I underestimated Chase Daniel, where I thought he was toiling in obscurity for the right to be our Rudy, in fact other teams were keeping an eye on him.

Drew Brees is the starter there and still in his prime, he is not going anywhere, but after releasing Joey Harrington in the round of 53 cuts, the Saints were heading into the season with just two quarterbacks, and the second QB in town is almost 39 year old former Redskin Mark Brunell. So for Chase the situation in New Orleans is better than in Washington, in addition to a spry starter and a Methuselah backup, Washington also had a Colt in Chase's way.

So good luck to Chase, thanks for the excitement of 2009 training camp.

And now the Redskins needed a third quarterback. Setting aside the notion of simply having two regular quarterbacks available to play in games, teams simply need a third player at that position to get through practices and drills. Between the starters, depth players, receiving drills and mimicking the other team's quarterback in practice there is no way two is enough.

So the Redskins went out and signed Andre Woodson, the former 2008 6th round draft pick just released by the Giants. Yes the Giants, the same team the Redskins play in game one of the 2009 season in what we hope will not be a repeat of last year's dreadful opener at New York.

For his part, head coach Jim Zorn refuted the notion that Andre would be a mole and actually thinks Andre might be good for the team. Giants coach Tom Coughlin on the other hand is not happy about the signing (op. cit.) by the way he can suck it. He is already all whining about the team just signed Andre to pump him for information on the Giants, their offensive particulars and their week one gameplan for Washington.

Well Tom would be irresponsible not to complain on behalf of his team, this is an aspect of the game that is off the field and therefore the players cannot influence.

But it happens all the time, there is no rule against it. And while Tom alternately complains then dismisses Andre's value to the Redskins and the New York media and Giants fans have one more made up reason to pile on the Redskins, I do not recall anyone outside the Patriots organization complaining when Lawyer Milloy signed with the Bills after being cut at the end of 2003 training camp.

Who was the Bills week one opponent? The Patriots, Lawyer's former team. And what happened? The Bills kicked the shit out of the Patriots, 31-0.

Now before you space bar down to comment, yes I know Andre is no Lawyer Milloy, at that time already a four time Pro Bowler. Just sayin is all.

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In the public relations department the Redskins did it again on this one. Instead of simply agreeing on the facts, that Chase Daniel was no longer an option and Andre Woodson represents the type of player Washington was looking for and that the signing had nothing to do with the Giants, instead mister motormouth Jim Zorn had to step in it.

When pressed on the issue he first agreed Andre could help the Redskins specifically with the Giants and their snap count. Then argued that they liked Andre in last year's draft and were looking at him before ending up with Colt Brennan in the sixth round.

Let us look back at last year's draft, Colt was selected by the Redskins 186th overall, Andre 198th overall. I understand all quarterbacks are given a rating and that it might be true, or at least plausibly true, that the team was looking at Andre, but they passed on him. Then passed on the next guy they took, Chase Daniel.

I think in general it is best in the face of the other team accusing you of signing their guy just to get a jump on the first game to avoid the idea that you really liked the guy you had a shot at and then passed on.



Andre Woodson: Uncredited Washington Times image from here.

A Curly R Quickie

Fucking geniuses

No one gives a shit what Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin or Steve Mariucci think about who will get to the Super Bowl. Not too hot on Marshall Faulk either.



Rendering of Super Bowl trophy from here.

Practice Squad Formed

Hanging on

Final cuts come down at the end of every NFL training camp, 700 guys hit the street and have 24 hours to get picked up by another team, after that they can sign onto the practice squad, the eight man mini roster each team has for stashing extra and developmental players. There are eligibility rules for the practice squad, this is one mechanism that keeps the NFL turning over with new players, it does not give a team a place to stash an injured veteran or old geezer needed for spot duty in a playoff run.

The Redskins have filled their eight spots, the makeup of the practice squad continually changes over the season as teams release players from it, sign new young players and occasionally promote guys to the regular roster. Here is your Redskins 2009 season opening practice squad:

S Lendy Holmes
DE Rob Jackson
WR Onrea Jones
WR Trent Shelton
DE JD Skolnitsky
FE/TE Eddie Williams
QB Andre Woodson
LB Darrel Young

Safety Lendy Holmes and linebacker Darrel Young are two of the undrafted rookies the Redskins signed, they showed some promise in training camp but are at spots with some depth, Lendy is tall at six feet one inch but is a reed, listed at 201 pounds, hard to be a big hitter when you weigh so much less than the thing you are hitting. Darrel is the opposite, listed at five feel eleven inches and 245 pounds, he is in the London Fletcher mold with a low center of gravity and the weight to make big hits near the line. I think the team is looking at these guys are real developmental opportunities.

Defensive end Rob Jackson was a 2008 draftee, he was active for every game last season but saw almost no action, like Lendy and Darrel he plays a position where there is some depth. I think the team would like to keep him.

Receiver Onrea Jones has bounced around the league in two short years, he has been with the Texans, Chargers, Packers, Colts and Cardinals beofre stopping here, to have made so many stops and not been washed out or brought to a roster, he must truly be on the verge of being NFL caliber.

Receiver Trent Shelton was one of the five wideouts battling for the fifth spot on the roster, that spot eventually went to seventh round pick Marko Mitchell, Trent looked decent enough, I think he and Keith Eloi were about even.

Defensive end JD Skolnitsky, he is perplexing, he did not see much action, he is tall at six feet five inches and big at 255 pounds, he is this year's Alex Buzbee, a Georgetown grad who made the team as a walk on in 2007, JD went to James Madison. Perhaps they see potential in him, we did not get a good look at him in training camp.

Fullback Eddie Williams is this year's Nehamiah Broughton, the incumbent fullback Mike Sellers is 34 years old and the team needs an insurance policy, but not so badly they need him on the roster. Great fullbacks are very hard to find and some would argue Mike is not a great fullback but he is a good fullback.

And of course the flavor of the week, quarterback Andre Woodson, he late of the Giants, at six feet four inches and 230 pounds, he is physically much more the kind of quarterback needed in Washington than either Chase Daniel or Colt Brennan, I look forward to seeing his skills, he was a record setter at the University of Kentucky, it will of course be telling if the team cuts Andre right after the Giants game Sunday.


The Redskins had been interested in keeping quarterback Chase Daniel, defensive tackle Antonio Dixon and linebacker Cody Glenn, a 2009 draft pick, Chase saw the writing on the wall and signed with the Saints and is on their practice squad, Antonio was claimed off waivers and signed to the Eagles' active roster and the Colts claimed Cody and put him on their active roster, that is how the cookie crumbles.



Trent Shelton in the final preseason game against the Jaguars: AP photo from here.

Cut Day

Hoya Saxa

Coach wants to see you. Bring your playbook.

The Turk came to visit the Redskins locker room, final cuts are in, training camp is a wrap, everything after this is for real. No big surprises in the veteran department, tailback Marcus Mason made the roster for the second time in three years, in 2007 he was cut after game one and spent the rest of the season on the practice squad.

Full list of cuts:

Round of 75 cuts, Tuesday 1 September 2009:

OL Devin Clark
DT Michael Marquardt
WR Marques Hagans (Wahoowa!)
LB Alfred Fincher
S Michael Grant

Offensive lineman Devin Clark was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent before last season, was let go on 2008 cut day and was signed back to the practice squad. He was promoted from the practice squad before the dreadful game fourteen against the Bengals, Devin appeared in that game and game fifteen against the Eagles.

Linebacker Alfred Fincher was a late 2008 training camp signee, he was a sparkplug and appeared in a few games mainly on special teams, his best moment in a Redskins uniform came in the Terrible Towel game nine of last season, the Monday Night Football debacle at Redskins Stadium against the Steelers, Pittsburgh bizarrely opened the game with an onsides kick, Alfred grabbed the ball in heavy Steelers traffic.

Round of 53 cuts, Saturday 5 September 2009:

TE Robbie Agnone
TB Anthony Aldridge
OL Jeremy Bridges
OL Scott Burley
DE Alex Buzbee
QB Chase Daniel (signed to Saints practice squad)
DT Antonio Dixon (signed to Eagles active roster)
TB Dominique Dorsey
CB Doug Dutch
WR Keith Eloi
LB Cody Glenn (signed to Colts active roster)
WR DJ Hackett
S Lendy Holmes (signed to Redskins practice squad)
DE Rob Jackson (signed to Redskins practice squad)
K Dave Rayner
OL Ruben Riley
WR Trent Shelton (signed to Redskins practice squad)
DE JD Skolnitsky (signed to Redskins practice squad)
LB Robert Thomas
TE/FB Eddie Williams (signed to Redskins practice squad)
LB Darrel Young

Tailbacks Dominique Dorsey and Anthony Aldridge suffered from injuries and fumblitis in training camp, Anthony also dropped the opening kickoff in the final preseason game against the Jaguars, that is sure to get you cut if you are on the bubble. These guys were let go in favor of my man Marcus Mason.

Offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges was signed in May with the hope that he would challenge for the starting right tackle spot in the wake of Jon Jansen's release. He was uneven in camp and released in favor of former 400 pound man Mike Williams.

Defensive end Alex Buzbee was an undrafted free agent in 2007, he was the first NFL player from Georgetown University since the 1950s, Alex made the team against long odds. He tore his achilles tendon in the first practice of 2008 training camp, the same day Phillip Daniels was injured, it was Phillip's and Alex's loss that spurred the Redskins to trade two draft picks for Jason Taylor.

Quarterback Chase Daniel was the sensation of 2009 training camp, challenging 2008 sensation Colt Brennan for the number three quarterback spot. Chase's play was solid all preseason, his problems are his inexperience (curable) and his size, he is maybe five feet ten inches (not curable). With his cut we all thought he would sign back with the practice squad, which we now know would not happen.

Linebacker Cody Glenn was a 2009 draft pick, fifth round, and along with free agent signee Robert Thomas was beaten out by wildman Robert Henson. With the departure of Marcus Washington the Redskins were suddenly lacking linebackers, with those players and the addition slash conversion of Brian Orakpo and Chris Wilson suddenly there was a logjam at linebacker.

Defensive end Rob Jackson was a 2008 draft pick, seventh round, Rob was on the active roster last season but saw very limited action, this season add back Phillip Daniels and newly hybridized defensive endbackers Brian Orakpo and Chris Wilson and there was no place for Rob, another draft pick is shown the door. Practice squad signings are next.


With these cuts, two of six 2009 draft picks and two of ten 2008 draft picks are no longer in uniform. FYI the Redskins are still holding two of five 2007 draft picks and four of six 2006 draft picks.


Previous cut days: 2008 2007 2006



Alex Buzbee: AP photo from here, this is a picture of Alex peering down the tunnel at the field at Redskins Stadium before the 2007 preseason game versus the Ravens at Redskins Stadium, this game was ultimately rained out amidst a terrible electrical storm.

It's Complicated

Nothing complicated about that. Might even call that easy.

Takeaway drill: A slopfest only for the hardest of the hard core, some obvious roster calls and some not so obvious takeaways, on balance we learn nothing new, bring on the real games.

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Monday Saturday walkthrough: The starting unit on offense gets all of one drive, the starting defense gets about two and that is it, all evaluation and last gasp tryouts from there as the Redskins lose 24-17 to end the preseason 1-3. Many players stood out, most the good way, a couple the bad way. Cuts are next.

The Jaguars won the toss and elected to receive to start the first quarter, David Garrard and the Jacksonville offense moved easily on their first drive over seventy yards, the Redskins held at the goal line and the Jaguars were forced to kick a 23 yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead. Washington's first possession... never happened, Anthony Aldridge took the kickoff at the two yard line, took it thirteen yards and fumbled trying to switch the ball to his outside hand, Jaguars defensive back Tryon Breckinridge scooped up the fumble and took it back for the touchdown, Jaguars now lead 10-0 with more than seven minutes still left in the quarter. Anthony managed not to fumble the next time and the Redskins actually started their first possession, Jason Campbell in the game, it is a hard fought drive, ten plays over only 30 yards, penalties help to cut it short and the Redskins are punting. The Jaguars begin their second possession, starting offense still in the game, starting defense still in the game, the Redskins serve up some punishment and the Jaguars are three and outing. Chase Daniel comes in for the Redskins second possession, along with Marcus Mason, one play and that was it, quarter ends 10-0 Jaguars.

The Redskins continued their second possession into the second quarter, on third and ten on their own territory Chase throws a four yard route and the Redskins are three and out. The Jaguars third possession sees the Redskins second team defense come out and it showed on the first five plays but not the next three as the Washington defense poured into the Jacksonville backfield, the Jaguars then kick an improbably long 52 yard field goal to move ahead 13-0. Washington comes out for their third possession and laid another egg, a busted play forces Chase Daniel to scramble for one yard, then Marcus Mason is hit in the backfield then Chase is hit for a sack, he fumbles, the ball is recovered by Jacksonville at the Redskins fifteen. The Jaguars fourth possession starts with a short field, Jacksonville only needs three plays to score, with the two point conversion the Jaguars now lead 21-0. The Redskins fourth possession is scrap and claw, another penalty, this one a block in the back by Marko Mitchell, helps cut it short and the Redskins are punting after moving the ball nine yards. Jacksonville starts its fifth possession, this drive is characterized by solid Redskins defense at the line and spotty defense in the secondary, Jacksonville moved down the field to the Redskins two yard line and with a touch of preseason politeness opt to keep driving and not kick the field goal, time runs in the half before the Jaguars can score, Jacksonville leads 21-0.

The Redskins get the ball to start the third quarter, Washington's fifth possession, Chase Daniel still in the game, Rock Cartwright now in at tailback, this drive starts out well and stalls at midfield, time to punt. The Jaguars get the ball for the sixth time, it is starting to get hard even for me to evaluate play and individual players, the Jaguars seem to be moving easily until Justin Tryon stepped easily in front of receiver Jarrett Dillard and returns it 24 yards but a personal foul on linebacker Robert Henson called it back fifteen yards. Washington's sixth possession starts with excellent field position, Colt Brennan is in the game, all passes and not good ones at that, the Redskins set up and kick a 48 yard field goal, incumbent Shaun Suisham, the Redskins get on the board 21-3 Jaguars. Jacksonville's seventh possession looks good... for the Redskins defense, Chris Wilson and Robert Henson are everywhere, then facing second and thirty (30!) from the Washington 38, Todd Bouman hooks up with tailback Rashad Jennings on a 21 yard catch and run, Rashad simply ran over everyone in his path, including Doug Dutch and Robert Henson, that's it for the third quarter, Jaguars lead 21-3.

The fourth quarter starts with the Jaguars continuing their seventh possession, one more play and Jacksonville kicks a 42 yard field goal to extend its lead to 24-3. The Redskins get the ball for the seventh time, Colt Brennan still in the game, and DAMN Washington's offense comes to life, Dominique Dorsey on the ground, four carries for eighteen yards, and Colt Brennan, 4-5 for 58 yards, Dominique carries it in from three yards out for the touchdown, 21-10 Jaguars. Jacksonville gets the ball for the eighth time, Alvin Pearman in the game for Jaguars (Wahoowa!) and he looks good, on first and ten in Washington territory quarterback Todd Bouman trips trying to hand the ball off and fumbles, linebacker Robert Henson is once again in the right place and scoops up the ball, Washington gets the ball for eighth time. Clearly the coaches have made their decisions on tailbacks and are making Colt throw on every down, he appears hurt, is clearly favoring his left side, Colt comes out of the game and is replaced by Chase Daniel, wait, why is Colt on the trainer's table on the sideline? A turnover on downs and the Jaguars get the ball for the ninth time, there is nothing happening, Jacksonville turns it over on useless downs and the Redskins get the ball for the ninth and final time. Chase Daniel is on the field as Colt Brennan limps along the sideline, Chase moves the team 63 yards in one minute on an awesome drive, ending with a four yard touchdown pass to Marko Mitchell, Redskins pull to 24-17 Jaguars, it is now a one score game with under a minute to go. The Redskins line up for the onsides kick, Jaguars receiver Ernest Wilford pulls it down, two kneeldowns comprise Jacksonville's tenth and final drive, game over, Jaguars win 24-17, and that's a wrap on the preseason.

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Soapbox: Not much to go on with this game, it produced lots of, as we say in he consulting world, bad data. I really think at this point in the season management and the coaches have their minds made up and are just going through the motions, waiting for someone or something to come along and change their minds. As a result it is hard to view the game critically as anything other than a bunch of people running around.

The competition for number three quarterback was not decisive, Chase Daniel was midding against the Jaguars starting defense, Colt Brennan was good against the backups until he got hurt, then Chase was good against the scrubs. I think it has to come down to your gut if you are head coach Jim Zorn, who has the better upside and I think that is still Colt Brennan.

And speaking, how bad was Colt hurt? He says it is not serious (op. cit.) but Joe Theismann in the broadcast booth started talking about how putting Colt on injured reserve could create problems for the Redskins, did Joe know something. As we now know, Colt was in fact put on IR with hip and hamstring problems.

Receiver Malcolm Kelly appears to have won the starting spot opposite Santana Moss (op. cit.), Malcolm was out with the starters.

There are other decisions down the depth chart, will the Redskins keep a fourth tailback? Marcus Mason has been a Curly R fave the past three training camps so count us as a hopefully yes on this one.

Defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery has been an on and off starter since the team drafted him in the fifth round of the 2006 draft, last year he fell to backup of Kedric Golston after supplanting Kedric as starter in 2007. Now he is the number four defensive tackle, will the team keep him for depth, knowing Albert Haynesworth has not played sixteen games in a season since his rookie year and that he cannot go every play on every game?

All in all, hard to argue with a training camp and preseason with no major injuries (ibid.).

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Chattering class: Of all the pundit pieces written about the Redskins the day after this game, the first one I read was this one from Tom Boswell, it is about the Redskins ticket scandal, the selling of tickets directly to brokers, tickets that do not go to Redskins fans on the waiting list and which end up in the hands of fans of opposing team; the suing of season ticket holders that have defaulted on multi year packages in this age of mega recession. It is one of the most damning pieces ever written about Dan Snyder. And for the record, I agree that some of these rich guys buy professional sports teams to fill holes, to get the attention they missed as a child or to fill some outsize ego that comes from privilege, yes that is true and I think that is true in Dan Snyder's case. However I think there is a much simpler, more elegant explanation for why an organization like the Redskins would take our generations of goodwill and routinely and seemingly for no reason try their hardest to squander it: they are bad businessmen, bad football people, bad managers, shortsighted and greedy with the belief that the Redskins have an infinitely elastic demand, Dan Snyder chief among them.

They will get theirs, one day very soon, maybe even this year we will learn the truth about the sham season ticket waiting list, as the Redskins approach blackout status you will see them get increasingly desperate, realizing too late that trying to harvest every single dollar out of every single sucker with a burgundy and gold hat was not a smart way to run a business that depends ultimately on fannies in seats.

Let me reiterate something about the Redskins and all the other entities occupying similar places in society and in the hearts of their fans and supporters: the Redskins do not belong to Dan Snyder, they belong to us, the fans, Dan Snyder and his crew of overpaid hack managers are just the stewards. The Redskins will still be a part of the DNA of this city and the of the legions of displaced and distant fans when Dan Snyder is long long gone.

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Omnibus: Mike Patrick was gone from the broadcasting team, replaced by Kenny Albert, teamed up with Joe Theismann. Kelli Johnson from Comcast SportsNet and Lindsey Czarniak from NBC-4 as usual are on the sidelines, is it me or is it inappropriate for the broadcast team to wear Redskins attire? It is preseason and it is a production of the team so maybe, it just seems awkward to me.

Seventy-eight degrees at kickoff and the stadium was empty, does not seem like the Jaguars have the attention of Jacksonville, at least from that pregame shot. Maybe the parking lots are full of Floridians getting drunk.

Amateur broadcast coverage: on the opening play David Garrard went back to pass, threw the ball... and the camera stayed on David. The pass was caught but we did not see it. This is why the big networks do this stuff for real.

On defense London Fletcher, Carlos Rogers and Albert Haynesworth did not play, London I assume is a veteran getting the night off, Albert we knew had a stomach bug and Carlos was sketchy. I am worried about Carlos being ready for game one next week. On the offense Clinton Portis and Randy Thomas did not play.

Anthony Aldridge fumbling Washington's opening kickoff? Buh bye, that's a cut.

Although back to back penalties against Washington helped to kill Jason Campbell's only drive, penalties were not as prevalent in this game. Good looking last pass by Jason on that first drive, a deep one to Antwaan Randle El, it was not tipped and was right on the money, Antwaan just missed it.

Nice Redskins defense to start the Jaguars second drive, Brian Orakpo coming across from the backside of the play forced the fullback to commit a hold. The second play was a coverage sack, then punt. Love it.

Effusive praise by Joe Theismann for linebacker HB Blades? That he has done everything he needs to emulate London Fletcher? Has HB become that good of a linebacker?

Oofuh, on the Jaguars third possession Torry Holt showed why he has been in the league so long by simply torching rookie cornerback Kevin Barnes.

Damn! Was that Reed Doughty in the second quarter sneaking through the line then coming up to sack David Garrard from behind the play? And damn was that Chris Wilson forcing a near intentional grounding on the next play? And was that Reed Doughty again on the next play, hitting David Garrard as he threw?

Washington's third possession was brutal, on third down former 400 pound man right tackle Mike Williams lets defensive tackle Derek Landri go wide and get back to Chase Daniel, causing the fumble. Not quick against the edge players that Mike Williams.

Joe Theismann made a good comment, with six minutes left in the second quarter the game already looked like it was the end of the fourth quarter of a preseason game, slop.

Great halftime Redskins Legacy piece on Charley Taylor, Hall of Fame receiver from 1964 to 1977, I did not know that he was drafted and started his NFL career as a tailback before switching to receiver. When Charley retired in 1977 he was the all time leading receiver in NFL history with 649 catches. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984. Great piece, but where was Charley? The only spot of him talking looked to be filmed in the 70s. Charley still lives in the DC area, is he still bitter about being fired from the receivers coach position under Norval Turner in 1994? If so, that was before Dan Snyder, he would have had plenty of opportunity to rebuild bridges.

As Washington came out for the second half it appeared as though the blocking schemes were changed to run quicker plays requiring less protection. Which is good because there was not a lot of protection going on back there. The one time on that first drive of the second half that blocking was needed, the second and twelve deep pass to DJ Hackett, it was not there and forced Chase Daniel to throw up a pass before he was ready.

Thanks to the broadcast team for reminding me, I had forgotten that the Jaguars had the draft the Redskins should have had, Jacksonville pulled down Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, it looks like these two rookie tackles will be starting on opening day and if they work out, the team is set for five years or more at the tackle positions.

Jaguars sixth possession, third quarter, receiver Jarrett Dillard was not even looking for Todd Bouman's pass, Justin Tryon had no competition for the ball, man is he fast on the return, I hope to see him have some more opportunities to do that trick in the future.

We did not get a great look at the Todd Bouman fumble on a hit by Chris Wilson on the Jaguars seventh possession third quarter, due to the inane Lindsay Czarniak interview with injured cornerback Carlos Rogers, the holding penalty on Jacksonville was obvious, Chris Wilson still fought through it to force the fumble but we never saw the illegal contact by Redskins rookie linebacker Robert Henson. That was Robert's second penalty of the night. Two plays later Robert makes a head up play to stop a catch short, then on the next play gets caught out of position for a long Jaguars catch, then on the very next play Chris Wilson again is in the Jacksonville backfield, this time forcing an intentional grounding. Great work for both players, Robert is a good prospect and needs to keep his head., Chris is of course a Curly R favorite.

Does Joe Theismann know something we do not? Colt Brennan was obviously hurt on the Redskins eighth drive, fourth quarter, stayed in a couple of plays and then came out and limped over to the trainer's table. Immediately Joe Theismann begins to talk about what were to happen if Colt were to go on injured reserve. At this point they are calling it a hamstring, we know Colt has had hip problems.

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Shooter: One series for quarterback Jason Campbell, back to back penalties against tight ends Robbie Agnone and Todd Yoder put Jason in a bad spot, he almost erased all that with a deep post to Antwaan Randle El, Antwaan could have caught the ball but heard footsteps and it went off his fingertips. Jason is rock hard and ready to go.

Fat Contract Albert: Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth did not make the trip to America's City, he was balled up with cramps, I offered him some of my wife's Midol.

OH CRAPPO: As with the previous game, hybrid defensive endbacker Brian Orakpo was in the game with the starters, he hustled but did not stand out, I think the team was keeping the defense under wrap.

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Washington Post recap, photos. NFL recap, box score, full play by play, Gamebook (PDF), photos, video highlights.

Next up, a live game kids, the Redskins take on NFC Beast division rival New York Giants and beady eyed Tom Coughlin in game one of the 2009 NFL season.



The high class ladies of Jacksonville, Rick Wilson / Jacksonville Times-Union from here. Tom Coughlin tenderly caressing the Super Bowl trophy: John McDonough / Sports Illustrated from here.

Preseason Game 4: Redskins (1-2) at Jaguars (0-3)

at

Out of the box: For the second year in a row the Redskins close out the preseason with the Jacksonville Jaguars, this time hitting the road to America's City, buckle up kids this is it, bubble players get your gear on and get ready to be Redskins.

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The story so far: The picture is clearing for the Redskins roster, round of 75 cuts came on Sunday night (ibid.), thanks for the memories to Alfred Fincher and Marques Hagans (Wahoowa!).

Tonight's game is the last chance for those on the wrong side of the bubble to make a case, another 22 players will be cut within 24 hours. Problem is, by this point the coaches and managers have a good idea of who they want so a bubble player not only needs to dazzle, it has to come at the expense of a player the team thinks it wants to keep.

Malcolm Kelly is ahead of Devin Thomas for the second receiver spot (op. cit.), going into training camp Devin was the presumed leader and it is all that more surprising to Redskins fans that remember Malcolm as an injured player in poor condition that never made an impact his rookie year. Devin had his moments last week against New England, especially on kick returns (ibid.). Rock Cartwright is the incumbent at this position, he has been around a while and who knows if the team is looking to make a change.

You might think all this talk about number two receivers would be a bummer to incumbent number two receiver Antwaan Randle El. You would be wrong. Antwaan will do well this season as a dedicated slot receiver, he is supremely confident of his ability (as a receiver anyway) and his work this summer with the young receivers will end up benefiting the team as a whole.

Marko Mitchell seems to be in the lead for the final receiver spot, he has had a solid preseason, has caught two touchdown passes and showed some downfield blocking.

Meanwhile back on the planet of the reserved spots, Jason Campbell showed this is his team and the offensive line appears to be playing at least decently. As ever I have concerns about the length of the season and their ability to hold it together, but so far so good.

The team has made it this far without major injury, and controversy seems to be heading in the productive direction, which is to say down.

In other news from this week, Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon is predicting the NFC Beast as follows: Redskins 10-6, Eagles 10-6, Giants 8-8 and Cowboys 7-9. Wilbon is no Redskins homer neither, I have made a note in my Google Calendar to come back after the season and see how accurate he was.

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Curly R aside: Somehow I missed Rock Cartwright dropping the flag on the ground at midfield in the pregame ceremonies against the Patriots, I was in the stands but did not notice and if it were not for Rock apologizing profusely while citing his credentials as an Army brat (op. cit.) I would never have known, did anyone for a second really think that even if Rock were an American hating librul that he would flaunt it on a stage as large as an NFL game? He made a silly mistake and one that is not that big a deal to begin with. The flag is not the nation.

Curly R aside continues: WTF is up with defensive coordinator Greg Blache blowing up at TV analyst and former Redskins long snapper Trevor Matich in the postgame interview session after the Patriots game? Coach, Trevor's a journalist and you looked like an idiot.

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Oppo research: Jacksonville. What do you want, they are 0-3 in the preseason, we have not played them in the regular season since 2006, they were disappointing last season and head coach Jack Del Rio is now quote embattled. If you want more information about the Jaguars, head over to Curly R fave Big Cat Country.

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Trainer's table: Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth missed practice Sunday with an unidentified stomach ailment and was still ailing Monday, Tuesday it was announced he would not travel with the team.

Another serious concern at this point is cornerback Carlos Rogers, he has battled a strain of his left calf all training camp and by Monday was not looking ready to go for a game Thursday (op. cit.), Tuesday he was still uncertain (ibid.).

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Gameplan: Jason Campbell and the starting offense will play one series (op. cit.), then the bulk of the game will be dedicated to evaluating quarterbacks Colt Brennan and Chase Daniel (op. cit.), despite the humbled Colt's spotty play the last two games and Tracee Hamilton's WaPo column yesterday, I still have a hard time believing an NFL team would seriously consider going with a five foot ten inch quarterback, Chase may have great heart and be a terrific student of coach Zorn's system, at some point a team needs to stop looking at how well a guy does in preseason and in practice and look at what his real limitations might be in a live game. That said at some point Colt needs to stop throwing interceptions down near the goal line and then looking for hugs. Maybe it's the visor.

Tailback Clinton Portis will not play (ibid.), it is just as well, the ground game has not been a huge part of the preseason, let us keep what we have under wraps. More time for Marcus Mason, assuming his ribs are better from last week, also be sure to check out Marcus' plan for ensuring he does not get the call on cut day.

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My take in 60 words or less: Fourth and final game, let us see who makes the team. As far as I am concerned the whole starting offense should stay home. Defense? Let em go nuts.

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This is it kids, after this they count.

And hey, what the fuck is this story about the team selling tickets directly to brokers and suing fans? I think Curly R will have to tackle this story all on its own...

This is a gameday open thread.



NFL helmets from here.

D. All of the Above

Ta-da!

Takeaway drill: solid first team play, good offense, good defense, some areas for improvement; this was a good game to take into the final week of preseason.

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Monday Saturday walkthrough: Jason Campbell reminds us he really is a quarterback as the Redskins go toe to toe with the Patriots before falling 27-24 in the final seconds amidst scrubs to fall to 1-2 in the preseason. Colt Brennan made more boo boos, including another goal line interception, one depth receiver solidified his argument and we sure did see a lot of a bubble player whose name rhymes with barkus basin.

The Patriots took the ball to begin the first quarter and there was an immediate redo as Reed Doughty was offsides on the kickoff. After starting with excellent field position the Patriots three and out on their first drive thanks to a great third down hit on Joey Galloway. The Redskins get the ball for the first time with great field position thanks to a New England personal foul, cannot make much happen on the ground but Jason Campbell goes four for his first four and draws a pass interference in the end zone, Marcus Mason went in from the one yard line on the next play to put the Redskins up 7-0. New England got the ball for the second time, London Fletcher causes a fumble near midfield but the Patriots recover it, three pass plays later Randy Moss catches a Tom Brady 26 yard catch for a touchdown, game tied 7-7. Washington got the ball for the second time and could go nowhere on a three and out. The Patriots' third possession was cut and scratch until DeAngelo Hall grabbed Randy Moss' facemask, the play would have been short of the first down, instead New England's drive gets new life, then the quarter ended with the game tied 7-7.

New England continued its third drive into the second quarter, on the first play, a third and one, Tom Brady starts from the shotgun, pumps, resets and tosses it deep to Randy Moss for the touchdown over LaRon Landry, Patriots take the lead 14-7. The Redskins' third possession has no room for Clinton Portis to run then a Patriots jailbreak and Washington is three and out. The Patriots get the ball for the fourth time, as if New England was not moving easily enough, some joker on the Redskins sideline started jawing and earned an unsportsmanlike fifteen yard penalty, add that to a steady diet of Laurence Maroney and New England is kicking a 43 yard field goal to put the Patriots ahead 17-7. Washington's fourth drive, starting offense still in, three passes and a punt and it is back over to New England for the fifth time, Fred Smoot nearly grabs an interception on the first play, two plays later on third down Andre Carter holds Patriots right tackle Nick Kaczur long enough to spook Tom Brady who goes down for the untouched sack, New England three and out. Washington's fifth drive starts with a Devin Thomas special teams facemask penalty to give the Redskins an extra fifteen yards to move, getting a first down is a struggle but they do thanks to Santana Moss, then came the big play: Jason Campbell hits a wide open Chris Cooley, Chris take it sideline for 73 yards down to first and goal. Two plays later and Jason Campbell is faking the throw to freeze Patriots linebacker Paris Lenon and taking it in on his own from four yards out (see headline photo above) to pull the Redskins to 17-14 New England. New England's sixth drive is another three and out featuring no Randy Moss, Patriots punter Chris Hanson boots a weak one out of bounds and the Redskins have the ball for the sixth time, near midfield. Washington moves it well on a two minute drill, Jason was four for six on the drive spreading the ball around to Chris Cooley, Devin Thomas and Ladell Betts, Marcus Mason even got in there with a seven yard run to give Washington new set of downs with nineteen seconds left. On third and goal with five seconds left in the half and no timeouts Dave Rayner comes in and kicks a 25 yard chip shot to tie the game at the half, 17-17.

The Redskins got the ball to start the third quarter, Washington's seventh drive opened with Jason Campbell and most of the starters still on the field, Marcus Mason got things started with a twelve yard run blown open by a pulling block by left guard Derrick Dockery, the drive ended four plays later with a Jason Campbell pass to no one, Redskins punt. New England's seventh drive saw Kevin O'Connell and I presume the rest of the Patriots second team, the drive was pokey until LaRon Landry pulled in a tipped pass for the interception, Redskins ball for the eighth time. Colt Brennan is now in along with the entire second team, the only run on the drive was called back on a penalty, after moving the Redskins with his arm twenty yards down to the New England three yard line, Patriots cornerback Jonathan Wilhite stepped in front of DJ Hackett on the right side of the end zone and intercepted the pass, he took it 99 yards untouched for the touchdown, 24-17 Patriots. So the Redskins get the ball right back, Washington's ninth possesion, Colt still in the game. Marcus Mason figures heavily into this drive but the team can only move three yards on five plays and the Redskins punt. New England's eighth possession was really brief, on third and eight in Patriot territory quarterback Kevin O'Connell rolls right and throws for receiver Sam Aiken, rookie third round pick cornerback Kevin Barnes stepped in front and pulled in the interception, Kevin's second of the quarter. Colt Brennan was still in for Washington's tenth drive, now Dominique Dorsey is in at tailback for the Redskins, one play after committing a false start penalty, rookie seventh round pick receiver Marko Mitchell pulls in a deep pass from Colt Brennan for the 33 yard touchdown catch, game tied at 24-24. New England got the ball for the ninth time with ten seconds left in the quarter, a silly penalty and an incomplete pass and the quarter was over, tied 24-24.

The Patriots continued their ninth possession into the fourth quarter with a roughing the passer penalty on Chris Wilson and a holding penalty on New England, Kevin O'Connell moves the team down to the Washington eleven yard line, on first and ten New England tailback Chris Taylor went into the pile and appeared to fumble, the whistle blew but cornerback Byron Westbrook picked it up and started to run but stopped, thinking the play was dead. The ruling on the field was runner down by contact and Jim Zorn challenged the call, the play was reversed and possession given to Washington, their eleventh. Colt Brennan is still in the game, Marcus Mason takes the first handoff and injures his ribs, he would not be back, this drive is mostly Anthony Aldridge on the ground, the Redskins move 56 yards on twelve plays, stalling on the New England 34, incumbent kicker Shaun Suisham comes out and misses a 52 yard field goal to give the Patriots the ball back for the tenth time, an unremarkable three and out as the Patriots are clearly ready to go home. The Redskins are as well on their twelfth drive, three Anthony Aldridge runs into the line and a Hunter Smith punt, Patriots punt returner Patrick Chung returns the ball 33 yards through Redskins scrubs to the Washington 23. With 1:39 left in the game and the score tied at 24, Patriots tailback Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis runs it twice for eleven yards in the New England eleventh possesion, with twelve seconds Steven Gostkowski kicks a 30 yard field goal to put the Patriots up 27-24. Washington got a pitiful thirteenth drive, one Colt Brennan hail mary with two second left, it comes down incomplete and game over, Patriots win 27-24.

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Soapbox: The big takeaways for this game are easy: Jason Campbell does not suck, and the first team looks like it is together. Go a little deeper and there is a lot to talk about.

Washington's starting and startingish offense was terrible at run blocking. As for pass blocking it was passable no pun intended, Jason seemed to have the time he needed for the most part, even when Jason was hurried he was able to make fairly accurate throws.

The thing that goes without saying but bears repeating is this: Jason Campbell has a long windup and a big arm and he can throw it deep and accurate. Instead of trying to worry away his natural mechanics and turn him into the quarterback you wish we had, try focusing on what Jason needs and that is an offensive line that can give him time.

And while Jason's performance in the first drive may have been great, I counted three three and outs on the following three drives. The final drive of the first half, starting with less than two minutes to go and covering 51 yards on nine plays was well put together and well executed.

As for the starting and startingish defense, the main problem seemed to that the Patriots are just good, it is hard to fault the team for allowing the Patriots starting and startingish offense to move, that is what they do (op. cit.). I do not feel bad about this unit at all.

When the game started to move down into the reserves and bubble players, it did not get any tighter, sloppy play and penalties continued, overall this game had 22 penalties for nearly 200 yards. And after a turnover free first half with the starters in there, the second team defenses combined for three interceptions in the third quarter. I look forward to seeing real football.

Fred Smoot had a monster game, perhaps is is true that he is looking at his career and realizing he needs to find the next level of conditioning and awareness as a veteran in order to keep pace with younger and rawer players.

Despite not starting at the number two receiver spot, that was Malcolm Kelly, Devin Thomas had a good overall game and a great game as a kick returner. That gives the team additional options and may cast a shadow over Rock Cartwright.

Colt Brennan did not do himself any favors (op. cit.), for the second game in a row he threw an interception at the goal line. I persist in thinking Colt is getting more of the offense to run and Chase Daniel getting less so there is some weighting in the evaluation, still not good for Colt. On that 33 yard touchdown pass to Marko Mitchell in the third quarter, Colt stared down Marko, who beat a rookie with a stutter step, I attribute that play to Marko moreso than to Colt. To make matters worse Colt gave up a six yard sack in the fourth quarter to put the field goal out of range, Phil Simms was right when he said of the play that as a quarterback you must always be aware of field goal range and when you are in and out, although Colt did not cost the team three points, the eventual margin of victory, he did not contribute to putting the team in the best position to score. The fact that Colt stayed in the whole second half tells me the team really wants him to take the number three spot and if it is not already a foregone conclusion that Colt will stay warts and all, he may be in trouble. I still cannot see an NFL team going with a five foot ten inch quarterback.

And speaking of Marko Mitchell (ibid.), I think he might be a keeper.

Overall for the team, this game was not bad. Not bad at all.

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Chattering class: Washington Post columnist Tom Boswell writes that the team looks to be better prepared for each game so far this preseason.

Mike Wise, also at the WaPo, acknowledges no matter what you think, this is Jason Campbell's team, and I agree.

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Omnibus: This was a CBS broadcast and they kicked it off with a ridiculous One Shining Moment salute to... CBS. Guys, just stick to the football, there is no need to spend the money on the full orchestra to film a two minute piece.

The broadcast team was Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, I do not hate either of these guy, they are just blah for me. They are a CBS team so I expect they will talk more about what each play means for New England rather than Washington. Their Washington soundbite

Uniform watch: the Redskins were in the preferred home uniform of white jersey and burgundy pants.

Dave Rayner kicked off, overall I still get no sense of where is the competition between Dave and incumbent Shaun Suisham. After the Reed Doughty offsides the second return by New England was 21 yards longer than the first. Nice work guys.

Was that Fred Smoot coming up to make the physical hit to force a Patriots three and out on the first drive? Good first play in place of the injured Carlos Rogers. On the next New England drive Fred played too far off Joey Galloway and Joey made the catch but Fred made up for the big buffer by laying a hard hit.

So far two possessions in the game and there have been four penalties combined, including a holding call on Stephon Heyer, the new permanent right tackle.

And Jason Campbell opens the game three for three, good passes to Malcolm Kelly, a great sideline out to Santana Moss on a seven step drop, a hook to Santana and a catch and run for a first down to Antwaan Randle El. That catch by Antwaan took the Redskins from second and 22 to first and ten.

When enough is not enough: Jason tossed his fifth pass to Malcolm Kelly from the Patriots 24, Patriots cornerback Darius Butler committed pass interference in the end zone enabling Marcus Mason to score on the short run. Good looking first drive.

I can tell DeAngelo Hall and Randy Moss are going to be locked up all night, on the Patriots second drive Randy cut in while DeAngelo was playing back for a thirteen yard gain, then two plays later DeAngelo was blanketing Randy, Randy still caught the touchdown.

The first play on the Redskins second drive, Jason Campbell went playaction deep to Santana Moss, even with pressure from the left side it was nearly complete, ie not a wild throw. The third play on that drive was a bad read, Jason's throw was almost intercepted by Adalius Thomas, if the ball had made it past Adalius there were three defenders in the area.

The Patriots are so obviously just Tom Brady, Randy Moss and a bunch of guys in blue. Neutralize either of those first two guys and you have a game.

Terrific jumping juggling catch by Santana Moss on the first play of the Redskins fourth possession, unfortunately on the third play of that drive Santana dropped an easy one, ending the drive.

A great play by Jason Campbell and Chris Cooley on the Redskins fifth drive for 73 yards, it looked as though Chris was Jason's first read on the play and Chris was WIDE open. Good awareness by Chris to stay in bounds and great downfield block by bubble receiver rookie Marko Mitchell, Marko is having a good camp.

That same drive ended with Jason Campbell taking the ball in on his own from four yards out, the key aspect of that play was obviously the toss-fake by Jason to freeze New England linebacker Paris Lenon, but there was something else going on with that play as well. Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour, all six foot six 310 pounds of him, slid past Redskins starting left guard Derrick Dockery and had a clean path straight to the quarterback. Who was in the hole blocking Richard? Why it was tailback Marcus Mason, all 210 pounds of him. So much for the meme that Marcus cannot make this team because he cannot block.

The third and six incomplete on the Patriots sixth drive was the play when Albert Haynesworth broke through the line and drove Tom Brady into the turf, injuring his throwing shoulder to a degree still not known, the NFL thought this moment so important as to give it its own highlight on NFL.com, which is linked from the play by play. And while it is tempting to congratulate cornerback Justin Tryon for making the play on Greg Lewis to prevent the catch and first down, it should be noted that Justin never looked back for the ball, that is a play that could have been called pass interference and if his timing is off on the disrupt even a teensy bit, it would be.

As part of the non stop pimping of this year's Super Bowl to be broadcast on CBS, during a commercial spot they ran a quick spot on the 1998 Fog Bowl between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, for anyone old enough to remember Jerome Brown, the Eagles defensive tackle from that monster late 80s early 90s defense that included Reggie White, Clyde Simmons, Andre Waters and Seth Joyner, after Jerome died in a car crash in the 1992 offseason, a clip of him walking alone with his helmet in hand, disappearing into the fog was used for the video tributes.

More questionable penalty calls: the illegal contact call against Kevin Barnes at the end of the third quarter seemed kind of ticky tack, yes he was past five yards but come on, the receiver was cutting inside and Kevin's putting his hands on the player did not interrupt his route or knock him off balance. The big problem with calling these kinds of penalties tight is that they cannot be enforced uniformly, let us let them play and save the penalties for serious infractions.

The Chris Taylor fumble and subsequent challenge by the Redskins and eventual awarding of possession to Washington was the first example I have seen this year of the new rule that allows for a clear fumble recovery to be awarded to the defense even if the whistle is blown. The tailback went into the hole and dropped the ball, the referees could not see the fumble and blew it dead, the ball was sitting there and Byron Westbrook picked it up, he had a free lane to the end zone around the right side of the pile but stopped, thinking the play was dead. After the challenge the ball was awarded to Washington. So they did not get to advance the ball but they did get it. I think this is a reasonable rule, since as Joe Gibbs said in 1992 about the original instant replay, the league needs to be sure to get it right since the fans will see the bad call over and over.

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Shooter: Quarterback Jason Campbell looked good, the first and last drives of the first half were well done, Jason is our man, let's ride my friends.

Fat Contract Albert: Earned his money, figuratively that is considering this is preseason. Defensive tackle Albery Haynesworth is a player you can build a defense around, I just hope he can play a whole game when they go live. Putting Tom Brady into the turf was nice.

OH CRAPPO: Not so much from hybrid defensive endbacker Brian Orakpo this week, his presence was felt along a line that pressured Tom Brady in the first half, against New England's experienced offensive line he seemed to disappear. All part of the learning curve.

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Washington Post recap, photos. NFL recap, box score, full play by play, Gamebook (PDF), photos, video highlights.

Next up, the final preseason tuneup in Jacksonville against the Jaguars and embattled coach Jack Del Rio, the Jaguars were also last season's preseason final opponent. Roster cuts are coming folks.

Jason Campbell celebrating a first half rushing touchdown: AP photo from here. Jack Del Rio from here.