And Awaaaaaay We Go...

With another NFL (pre)season now officially underway, you can now expect the return of Washington Redskins coverage to The Train (otherwise known as the Redskins Ranting & Humiliation Station). With so many other credible sources for Redskins news and updates, I really have no business even trying to discuss the events and goings-on associated with the team. While I'm better served just directing you to better posts and articles than I could provide through links, this blog will occasionally read more like the diary of a frustrated, know-it-all Redskins fan so I want to thank you all for bearing with me. Now it's time to sit back and watch the rage flow freely as the season progresses.

When we checked in on the first day of Redskins training camp last year, the team was already in full-scale shitstorm mode. We had lost our starting left d-end for the season on the very first play of the very first 7-on-7 drill of the very first practice (... I'll calm down), as well as a key reserve for the exact same position. Nevertheless, we got off to a flying start, only to come crashing reasonably back down to Earth, where we probably deserved to end up all along, and then I became enraged several times during the offseason.

I have given up on the business of making predictions for how I expect the Skins to fare. I am so very wrong so much of the time that I'd rather not embarrass myself, plus with the Redskins, one truly has no clue what to expect heading into any given season.

With so many variables and plot lines affecting our upcoming campaign, what I will do is list which ones to watch for:

1. HOW WILL JASON CAMPBELL PROGRESS? -- Our owners publicly undermined their faith in him twice by trying to acquire Jay Cutler, then later USC QB Mark Sanchez. Hell, we may even do it again! The fact is that there is a lot of pressure on Campbell to perform, especially since his contract is up after this year, and how he plays will dictate most of Washington's success this year. Since, you know, he's the quarterback and junk.
2. WHAT, IF ANY, PLAYMAKERS WILL EMERGE ON OFFENSE?-- Everybody already knows our holy trinity of Clinton Portis, Santana Moss and Chris Cooley can make plays. The problem is that we got squat in terms of production from literally anybody else. Without making any major additions to our skill positions, we will need someone to step up big time from within or we'll likely face the same issues of last year's offense, which grew more stagnant as the year went on.
3. HOW WILL JIM ZORN FARE IN HIS 2ND YEAR? -- I thought Zorn did extremely well in his first year as an NFL head coach - considering he had never even been an NFL coordinator. But after teams got film on his offense, the big plays dwindled down the stretch of the season. Will he be prepared for a new season with any wrinkles to the offense? Will he continue to grasp the dynamics of keeping peace and chemistry in the locker room? All of this remains to be seen.
4. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM OUR DEFENSE? -- In terms of yards allowed, we had a solid top-five defensive unit. We've made that corps stronger with the additions of Deangelo Hall, high-prized free agent Albert "Hey-Hey-"Haynesworth and standout rookie Brian Orakpo. However, we weren't able to generate many sacks or turnovers, which generally causes momentum shifts in games, or be truly dominant. We looked good on paper, judging by averages and other stats, but failed to snuff out teams when games were really on the line. These moves were made to address that, but no one knows for sure if they will actually work.
5. IS OUR OFFENSIVE LINE REALLY ANY BETTER? -- The play of the offensive line is so overlooked by football fans and analysts. I can't emphasize enough just how shitty our o-line was last year and how much that affects what you can do with both the running and passing game. Again, we made one significant upgrade by signing former Redskin Derrick Dockery, but the rest is left to aging stars, inconsistent project players and huge risky gambles that may or may not work. It bears repeating that we have failed to address adding any real depth along the line, so the instant anyone gets injured, and they will get injured, it's back to drawing board, or relying on unproven players to step in and get the job done. While I'm ecstatic that we drafted Orakpo and think that it was pretty much a no-brainer to take him, we may look back at a 2009 draft class that featured three potential franchise left tackles and have it bite us in the ass for not making a move on any of them.
   

So there you have it. We'll check back in tomorrow and find out who we've lost for the season, or that we've signed Jeff George to a conditional contract after failing to sign Michael Vick. Or, we won't. But through all the anger and cynicism and doubt and sarcasm and masochism, it truly is an exciting ride for all NFL fans and the opening of training camp really does feel like the first day of Spring.

Caps Win First Playoff Series in 11 Years, Will Face Hated Pittsburgh in Next Round

This is what I wrote one year ago, after the Washington Capitals lost Game 7 of last year's first round series against the Philadelphia Flyers after fighting back from a 3-games-to-1 deficit:

I guess I got so caught up in the excitement of having playoff hockey around again that I forgot to mention a few things. First, that as exhilarating and fun as the playoffs can be, they can be equally as devastating when you lose. In a game filled with dubious calls, including one which gifted Philadelphia a power play goal in OT, to lose at home after clawing all the way back from a 3-1 series deficit... well, it just sucked, quite frankly.

The other thing I neglected to mention, probably out of fear of bad karma, was that the words "Playoffs" and "Disappointment" have gone hand in hand throughout the Capitals' history. Apart from one magical run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998 (which we lost, 4-games-to-0, to the Detroit Red Wings), Washington was known for blowing the big games. I thought it would be different this time because those teams of the past never had Alex Ovechkin, but I found myself reliving the same familiar memories from elementary school of a first or second round exit for the Caps.

Last night's 2-1 win over the New York Rangers effectively saw playoff hockey karma pay back the Capitals and their fans after dealing us such a devastating circumstance 12 months ago.

Being in the building with JJ, I can assure you that an entire fan base released all the pent-up frustration and anxiety from last year's loss as soon as Sergei Federov - the elder statesman - scored with 4:59 remaining in the 3rd period, and that release of emotion lasted until the final whistle. To find ourselves back in a 3-1 hole in the first round, after witnessing what happened last year, not to mention watching as overtime approached with the teams knotted at 1-1, well it felt like déjà vu all over again.

However, the stakes were even higher this year. Last year's loss was so crushing since we were so, so close to advancing after nearly not even making the playoffs. This year, though, there were a ton more expectations for this team to succeed, to build on the foundation and the experiences of last year and ascend to that next level of greatness. A first round loss this year would have hurt more. Staring that reality in the face for three consecutive games and staving it off is a truly heroic feat.

Lost in all the madness of this win and our upcoming opponents, the Pittsburgh Penguins, is the fact that the Caps haven't advanced past the first round since we went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. In essence, last night's win wasn't just about exorcising the demons of last year; it represented a return to form 11 years in the making. It's one thing to make the playoffs on a regular basis, but it basically means squat if you can't advance even one round.

With that being said, we haven't won the Stanley Cup yet. While it's great to win a playoff series, that isn't enough to consider this season a success. Missing the playoffs this year would not have been just inexcusable, it was not even a possibility for this team, as stacked as it is. Losing in the first round would have been an utter failure, without question. This team is good enough to play for the Eastern Conference title, which would make a second round loss even a disappointment.

I will write an entirely different post about the Caps-Pens heated, albeit lopsided, playoff history. But if you're going to truly measure yourself against the best teams in the league, you want to travel through the most difficult road possible to glory. Playing New Jersey would have been nice and would have undoubtedly helped our chance of advancing to the conference finals. But if this season really is about redemption, then we have bigger demons to overcome than just a first round exit and the biggest and baddest demon of them all is the Penguins in the playoffs.

I will never forget last night's game. The incredible noise inside the building. The jubilation on F Street and all around Chinatown after the game. But the Capitals' playoff journey continues on Saturday at 1 p.m. and, in my opinion, our real test of mettle well and truly begins.

Bring it on.

DCJonesy's Awesome Guide To Watching the NFL Draft

I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself, which means one of two things; either Tracy Wolfson is conducting a sideline report, or the NFL Draft is here! Some of you out there may be in need of some tips, maybe even some strategies, as to how to watch the draft in the best way possible. After all, it is two jam-packed days of action, some 10+ hours of programming in total. With my help, you can decipher and track all of this information without falling asleep from utter and absolute boredom by the 21st pick of the first round!

First, you'll need to study up on the many potential draftees in the days and weeks ahead (although it's sort of too late to do that now, as the draft is tomorrow). Make sure to take stock of the various, plentiful mock drafts on the web, even though they rarely accurately predict what will actually happen.

Be sure to take the word of sites like nfldraftbible.com as... you know, gospel. It's not just an NFL Draft Torah, or even an NFL Draft Qu'ran, it's a bible! Nevermind that they falsely reported and then failed to retract that players had failed drug tests for steroids and marijuana prior to the draft, even after the reports were disproved. I'm still pretty sure most of the other stuff they report is pretty legit. I mean, it's a bible!

Finally, once the clock strikes high noon on Saturday, the time has finally arrived for the draft to begin. You've done all the necessary prep work, listened to the experts break down every last draft-day scenario and you're ready to get locked in for a long day of name-calling, podium-walking and hat-wearing.

At this point, you should leave your house now. Right now. Like, literally go outside. Go for a walk to the nearest, nicest park to you. Bring a book with you. Read it. If you live in the D.C. area, it will be 85 degrees and sunny. Do you have a bike? You could go for a bike ride.

Honestly, do anything that keeps you away from a television screen for six or seven hours. Now, go print out the list of who got drafted online. Congratulations! You have just won the NFL Draft.

What Do You Know From Stupid?

Ladies and gentlemen: the top ten dead
money contract* salary cap hits of the 2009 NFL season:

1. Terrell Owens WR DAL $9,675,000
2. Dre' Bly CB DEN $9,450,000
3. Ken Lucas CB
CAR $8,330,000
4. Cory Redding DT DET $7,333,334
G5. ibril Wilson S OAK
$7,000,000
6. Marvin Harrison WR IND $6,400,000
7. DeAngelo Hall CB OAK
$5,833,334
8. Derrick Dockery OG BUF $5,400,000
9. Anthony Weaver DE HST
$5,400,000

I was actually reading this list, thinking to myself "Oh my wonder! There aren't any Redskins on this li-" until I saw number 10. Brandon fucking Lloyd. $5.3 million.

And yes that's right, Brandon Lloyd is still accounting for $5.3M against the Redskins cap, despite not being on their roster since the 2007 season. This results from the salary cap rule that applied the signing bonus acceleration from a termination to the next year's cap, if that termination occurred after June 1 or was designated as a post-June 1 termination despite occuring prior to that date. For example, if a player had $4M in total signing bonus proration left on the remaining 4 years of a contract (meaning $1M of proration in each year), and that player was released after June 1st, then $1M of proration would remain as dead money in that year and then the remaining $3M would accelerate into the next year.

Due to 2009 being the final capped year, this post June 1 rule is no longer in effect; therefore, when a player is released this year all of their proration in future years accelerates into the current year.

Is it any wonder, then, that our team is owned by the same man whose "business management" skills ran Six Flags into the ground?

The Train of Thought Lounge: Rise and Fire!

So, I forgot to post a new installment of The ToT Lounge on Friday because I was busy drinking all day and watching the NCAA Tournament. My bad!

Unfortunately, my beloved Terps were bounced by Memphis, although I was very proud of Maryland's efforts in upsetting Cal in the first round. Who ever thought that Gary Williams' job was in jeopardy? Oh that's right... everyone did.

Even though I'm very late with this, today's lounge will honor my favorite announcer in the world, Gus Johnson. Two years ago, the excitable wordsmith and Howard alumnus (Bison!! YOU KNOW!!) blessed the world with some of his most unforgettable calls. So let's relive the magic! After all, it's all that will keep me going until the games pick back up on Thursday.

Caps make it hurt so good

Photo courtesy of Puck Daddy (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy)

Fortunately, I wasn't at last night's 4-2 Capitals loss at the hands of the despicable Philadelphia Flyers. Unfortunately, the H.B.I.C. (Head Blogger In Charge) was, along with friend of the blog K Bizzle. While it's never a good feeling to lose to Philly, especially the way we did last night, games like that are what make a rivalry great and also serve as very important warnings to a team like the Caps to not get to big for their britches just yet.

Last night's loss was just the sort of wake-up call we needed. Firstly, we were so sorely reprimanded for taking shifts/periods/games off. Up 2-0 midway through the second period and cruising, the Caps rested on their laurels a bit too much and were stung for it by a Claude Giroux goal to draw the Flyers to within one. After a series of wasted chances, our defense went to shit in the third frame, Theo lost his confidence after a 2-1 lead turned into a 3-2 deficit in two minutes and before you could blink it was 4-2, Philly. In truth, we're lucky the scoreline didn't end up at 5 or 6-2.

The second thing we learned was that we need to acquire a veteran backup goalie. Like right now. This is no indictment of Jose Theodore, who has played very, very well since being pulled from the Rangers game on Dec. 23. I even thought most of the goals last night weren't his fault, apart from the bizarre fourth goal in which he either dropped his stick or had it kicked out of his hands before flailing awkwardly at Arron Asham's shot.

The problem with Theo is that he's extremely hot and cold. Cold for much of the season before Christmas (maybe inconsistent is the more accurate word here), he has been rock solid in the time since. However, you need your goalie to get hot right in the middle of the playoff swing - and then stay hot through them - for a successful postseason run. I'm worried that the other shoe is going to drop with plenty of time remaining before the playoffs actually start and without Brent Johnson, all we have are two very talented, but very young and inexperienced options. Plus, if Theo got hurt right now, what would we do? Perhaps Varlamov and Neuvirth are ready for a trial by fire, but I would prefer it if there was at least another option for us in case they aren't.

The enduring lesson of the night, though, was that the Caps HAVE TO BECOME MORE DISCIPLINED when it comes to taking silly, lazy and sloppy penalties. Plain and simple, committing nine to ten penalties per game is not going to lead to many wins, especially when those penalties include too-many-men-on-the-ice and delay of game (playing the puck out of the rink in the defensive zone). I know that Semin was unlucky to play it off the ice last night as replays appeared to show the puck come off his stick completely wrong and purely accidentally. But good lord, the Capitals continue to shoot themselves in the foot in this department and one has to wonder how many wind-sprint filled punishment practices it takes to get them to correct it.

All in all, the Caps are still alright. If they are able to learn from these lessons moving forward and continue to beat the teams they're supposed to, then games like this are actually beneficial. But as sweet as this past Sunday's win over Pittsburgh was, it was just as sour to fail to make an enormous statement to the rest of the NHL that the Caps are a legitimate force. Wins over Boston and Detroit this year have already done that; missing an opportunity to dispatch two of our biggest rivals in consecutive home games definitely hurts.

NCAA football to get one more Black coach... at some unknown point in time

In the past few weeks, all the talk surrounding coaches at the University of Maryland involved whether or not Gary Williams would lose his job as the men's basketball coach (oh wait, apparently the answer is no).

So to take some of the heat off of that situation, I guess U-Md. officials decided now was the best time to name offensive coordinator James Franklin as Ralph Friedgen's successor as head football coach. This is significant for many reasons, none larger than the fact that an abysmally low number of head coaches in NCAA Division I-A (or FBS, as it's now known) are Black. As it stands, seven out of 120 schools had Black head coaches. Of that group, only Randy Shannon at the University of Miami coaches at a BCS conference school (read: a premier football program).

So, in a sense, this is fantastic news. Not only will another Black coach get a job at a decent school, but it's going to be at Maryland. A few minutes up Rhode Island Avenue from here. Sweet.

However, there are also some things about naming a successor this far in advance that cause me some concern, so I'll outline some of the pros and cons.

Pros:

• Aside from the diversity angle which I discussed above, Franklin has plenty of college and NFL coaching experience for a 37 year-old and had coached at Maryland before.
• He was lauded as a top recruiter by rivals.com, as evidenced by the team's success in landing several talented local recruits this season upon Franklin's return.
• Franklin is also said to be very enthusiastic and passionate about coaching and seems to get along well with the current players and administration. Perhaps this offensive mind is the breath of fresh air that is needed in College Park to get the Terps to that next level.

Cons:

• For starters, his offensive mind wasn't enough of a breath of fresh air in his first season as Maryland's offensive coordinator. Maybe this was down to the players learning a new system and once all of his recruits are in to fit with that system, the offense will mesh better. Either way, season one under Franklin was not a good showing.
• My main gripe with this move is that there no timetable of any kind as to when exactly Friedgen will retire. The Fridge gave a three-to-five year window, speaking hypothetically, as a possible time-frame. The Post article said that if Friedgen's contract is extended beyond 2012 (when his current deal expires), Franklin would be free to leave. But with Ralph being 61 and reports of his health being on the decline, I seriously doubt that would happen. Plus, the team's performance as of late hasn't warranted another contract extension for him, so anything short of an appearance in a BCS bowl wouldn't cut it either.

Multiple articles mention that Franklin had received offers to join more NFL coaching staffs (namely, from the Tampa bay Buccaneers) and that Maryland was doing this to get him to stay. If true, then it's going out on quite a limb to hand him the reigns, no matter how far down the road it is. However, as risky as the move is, the school seems justified in wanting to keep him.

Many other Maryland fans (myself included) would have rather seen us go after another former assistant, Mike Locksley, who just became the head coach at the University of New Mexico. Locksley is also an African American and has ties to the Washington D.C. area. While he was the offesnive coordinator at Illinois, he was able to successfully recruit the DMV area, landing Dunbar's Arrellious Benn and Vontae Davis (take my word for it, two future superstars).

The truth may be that Locksley was out of our league. In order to make a play for him, the school would have to dump Friedgen and though the team has been infuriatingly inconsistent, they have stayed afloat and won bowl games in a competitive (if not mediocre) BCS conference.

All in all, kudos to Maryland for thinking progressively and I will sincerely be rooting for this to work when he takes over. For now, let's just focus on not losing to GODDAMN MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE!!! Sorry, almost lost it there (wouldn't be the first time).

One more reason to hate the C*wb*ys

As if you needed any more, just thought now would be a good time to remind everyone that NFL Hall of Famer, former Dallas C*wb*y and douchebag Michael Irvin once stabbed a teammate in the neck because he refused to get of out of a barber's chair to let him get his hair cut first. The C*wb*ys organization, classy as they are, then paid the rookie not to go to police or the media about the incident.

I'm not making this up.

Case of the Mondays: Dallas Week edition

Perhaps I wouldn't have felt quite so bad this Monday if I hadn't stayed up until almost 3 a.m. watching videos of Obama's victory celebrations. Oh well, it was still probably worth it. While the events of last week helped remind me that there are much, much more important things in this world than football, it's hard to underestimate it's importance to this city. A lot of times, "Washington" is used interchangably by people with the word "government," overlooking the fact that the District is a residential city with a truly unique identity. Me and JJ were talking yesterday about how the mood of the city is reflected by the Redskins' performance; success for them results in more civic pride and happiness throughout the city.

Which brings us to Washington's next game, which will be one of the most important regular season matches in some time. The rivalry between the Redskins and the C*wb*ys is so big, that the whole week leading up to the game has a name: Dallas Week.

The Skins come in at 6-3, while the enemy stands at 5-4. A Redskins win would drop Dallas to 5-5, give us a full two-game lead over them in the standings and result in a 1-3 record for them against division opponents. In addition to the humiliation of a season sweep for us over the Boy-Toys, we would also improve to 3-1 in the NFC East. This game is going to be huge.

The Obama celebrations were bigger than any Super Bowl win. All around the country and even the world, people danced in the streets as Tuesday turned into Wednesday. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that something more significant than the Redskins winning the Super Bowl just occured, as stupid as that may sound. But, this is still Dallas Week. Time to get in gear.



WE. HATE. DALLAS. Game on, gentlemen!

Oh great, we're 6-2: Why Redskins fans should start panicking now

The Washington Redskins are 6-2. Ok, let me try saying that again; the Skins are 6-2. As in, six wins against two losses. Eight games into the 16-game regular season, that puts us on pace to finish 12-4 (highly unlikely, though still true). I, like most other Skins fans, was not very optimistic heading into this season with a new coach who had never even been a coordinator, in the toughest division in the NFL. So 6-2 wildly exceeds my pre-season expectations for where we would be at the midway point.

Then why do I feel so worried?

It's simple. Two words: Detroit Lions.

No, I'm not referring to our anything-but-convincing 25-17 victory over one of the league's worst teams this past Sunday. Wanna take a guess at the Lions' record last year through eight games? Yep, 6-2. They finished last season 7-9 and out of the playoffs.

Let's not get carried away here, Redskins fans.

One of the most painful memories of my childhood was the entire 1996 NFL season. That year actually saw the Skins go 7-1 through the first half. Inexplicably, we finished the year 9-7 and missed the playoffs. So I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that in my short lifetime as a Redskins fans, I'VE SEEN IT ALL. I'VE SEEN US FUCK UP THINGS THAT YOU'D THINK WERE IMPOSSIBLE TO FUCK UP.

I don't want to be the messenger of doom and gloom, I just want to impart that our remaining schedule features numerous pitfalls. Winning those two road games in the division at Dallas & Philly back-to-back was amazing, unexpected and helped us tremendously. However, the flipside of that is that we still have to face the Giants again, as well as C*wb*ys and Eagles teams that will be hungrier than ever to return the favor to us. None of these games are a gimmie, not even at home.

My high school soccer coach used to always tell us that anything you do in one half can be done to you. In that case, he was referring to the first half of a game but the same is true for the first half of this season. Sheeeit, I've seen it happen!

If anything were to happen to Jason Campbell, Clinton Portis or Santana Moss right now, we would be in serious... well, see above... and our second half would take on a whole different outlook. Don't get me wrong; I would ALWAYS choose to be in this position rather than to dig a hole to have to climb out of, as we've done the last few years we've made the playoffs. Improbable late season winning streaks (5 in a row in 2005 and 4 straight last year) to end the year are certainly fun, but it would be more fun to enter the playoffs comfortably and at a reasonable pace.

Next up, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who'll come into town bitter after laying an egg against the defending champs. Ladies and Gentlemen, we may be 6-2 but we still have our work cut out for us.

Best. Monday. Ever.

Some of you may have checked the blog this morning and asked, "No Case of the Mondays, what gives? You remember, that weekly feature you promised us?" Well, the reason is that The Train of Thought DOES NOT in fact, have a case of the Mondays! The Redskins whooped Dallas' ass and nothing makes me happier on a Monday morning than C*wb*ys fans having to eat crow.

Add to it that it was the final meeting between the Skins and Cowgirls in horrible Texas Stadium, the backdrop of so many nightmares over the course of my life. Also add in that Dallas was previously undefeated and not only was there an extra pep in my step today, but I literally ran at a full sprint to work and burst directly through the plate glass doors.

It is for this reason that The Train is in a celebratory mood today (and probably for the rest of the week). I now present to you a song about the aforementioned whooping. 3-1, baby!

Vinny Cerrato is beyond ridiculous

For the past few weeks, I've been planning a comprehensive post on my conflicting feelings when it comes to supporting the Washington Redskins. Ultimately, I'll continue to love and root for the Skins simply because it's what I've done for as long as I can remember. Still, with an insane owner who surrounds himself with yes men, not to mention the abomination that is the team's nickname, you start to feel somewhat guilty to be a Redskins fan.

When it comes to yes men, there is none more demented or powerful than Vinny Cerrato, the recently promoted EXECUTIVE vice president of football operations, which is about a hundred syllables longer than just calling him the general manager just to piss everybody off (JJ pointed out Cerrato's pretentiousness here before).  I wasn't even going to get into the idiocy of him hosting his own radio show, but in only his second segment, he took his well known feud with Washington Post Redskins beat reporter Jason La Canfora to an all-time low by accusing him of calling the NFL to charge the Redskins with tampering.

From the D.C. Sports Bog:

Cerrato: Ok, let me read the tampering rule. It says about head coaches: "During a club's playing season, no club may request permission to discuss employment with a head coach for the current or future season." Last time I checked, Frank, we do have a head coach, and there was no discussion there of anything to do with a head coach or job opportunities. All it was was discussing his opportunity with a guy from NFL Network, Adam Schefter, who that's his job is to talk about these things. And that's what we discussed, about him being fired, which will probably happen today from what everybody's reporting. And there was also mention that I read on Pro Football Talk about him possibly going to Syracuse. So I don't see why Jason La Canfora would call the league office to charge us with tampering.

Michael: Vinny, Vinny.

Cerrato: Yes George?

Michael: Let me ask you this. If it were tampering--and that is a very serious thing--if it were tampering, what would happen to the Redskins?

Cerrato: Well, this George: If we were caught tampering, we would lose draft picks and be fined heavily. Look at the New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, a lot of teams that have had these things happen lately. You're gonna get fined heavily. So this guy, one of the reasons I want to do this show, George, is to give my opinion on these things, so when things come up I can voice my opinion. But when a guy is trying to hurt the franchise of the Washington Redskins, I'm gonna stand up and I'm gonna defend the Washington Redskins. Because there is nothing that happened on that, this is just a guy attacking us, and I wish that he would just be professional like the rest of his colleagues that cover the Redskins. Period.

Hanrahan: Vinny, my question is how did you find out that...?

Cerrato: The NFL called.

Hanrahan: Ok, they called you? And what did they say?

Cerrato: They just thought it was kind of a joke. They were just giving us a heads-up that Jason La Canfora called and wondering....I mean, it was ridiculous, you know? Maybe he should be out at practice watching practice, George.

This is just shameful, clear evidence that Cerrato and Snyder have it out for La Canfora. The Washington Post's sports editor responded to the accusations on La Canfora's blog, the Redskins Insider:

Emilio Garcia-Ruiz asked me to share this with you:

We've had some calls and emails about statements made today by Vinny Cerrato, who said on his radio show that Post reporter Jason LaCanfora had called "the league office to charge us with tampering."

Jason did not "charge" anyone with anything. He called the NFL's public relations staff last week to ask how the league's anti-tampering rules would come into play if Vinny Cerrato answered a question during his new radio show about a player or coach under contract to another team. Sports radio hosts are often asked these sorts of questions, and we were curious whether Cerrato would be limited in the way he could respond by virtue of his position as a team GM.

Jason did not make any sort of complaint whatsoever. (In fact, reporters cannot charge teams with violations of NFL rules. Only other teams can file charges like tampering.) He referred to Cerrato's questions about Raiders coach Lane Kiffin only to provide context for the question he was asking. He did not write about the issue.

It's clear that La Canfora wasn't "charging" the Redskins of anything, as he's not even able to do so as a sportswriter (it would have to come from a fellow NFL executive or official). The Redskins brass don't like him because he writes negative things about the team. Guess what guys... that's called journalism, you idiots! He is supposed to provide an unbiased perspective of the team and I think he does that well. Having guys like this in charge of my favorite team is as infuriating as it is insulting.

How can Redskins fans defend behavior like this? The sad truth is that we can't and devoted fans are forced to root for the Skins in spite of their ownership.

Everything you ever need to know about Vinny Cerrato

His first words on the first edition of his own radio show:(Via DC Sports Bog)

"Good morning everybody, I'm George Michael," George Michael said around 10:04 this morning. "Now, from the deepest corners of Redskins Park, behind all those secret meeting rooms, behind the 'Do Not Enter Under Fear of Death' room, ESPN 980 presents 'Inside the Red Zone'...with Vice President of Football Vinny Cerrato.

"EXECUTIVE vice president," Vinny Cerrato said.

I hope that one day he's wandering around the Redskins Park when a full speed LaRon Landry divides him in half. And then Derick Frost drives down from Green Bay to punt him in the balls.

Media notes: Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt

This post is not going to be very extensive or researched; I just wanted to ramble for a second about what I have perceived to be unequal treatment between the two biggest newsmakers at this year's Olympics. Without a doubt, Michael Phelps' historic eight gold medals has to be the top story, especially when added to all the ones he's won before. We truly witnessed history in real time and this feat may not be touched for years to come.

I found myself watching every race of his, even the preliminaries because it was just that captivating. This is coming from someone who, like most Americans, could not care less about swimming any other time except for right now. So I don't want to sound insane by suggesting for a moment that Phelps does not deserve top billing here; I'm not.

It's just that you have to consider what Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has done: he shattered the most glamorous world record there is, the 100-meter dash, the most basic determinant of the world's fastest human. He also easily broke the 200m record (which is his original event; supposedly he entered the 100m trials as a fluke on the suggestion of his trainer and broke the world record this past May, prior to destroying his own record to win the gold in Beijing) and won his third gold today in the 4 x 400m, again breaking a world record.

You cannot say that Bolt isn't an extremely close second to Phelps in terms of having the most incredible Olympics of any single athlete possibly in history. Not that many people are arguing that, actually, but what has me upset is this underlying resentment of Bolt's accomplishments from the media and fan reaction.

It may just be me, and I'm curious as to other people's thoughts on this subject, but it seems like every time Bolt's name is mentioned, it's followed by "never one to be shy," or "as much as he loves the cameras/spotlight/attention," or something along those lines (here is one example in the lead graph of a story on today's gold medal win). Okay, maybe it was a bit much when he shifted down on the last 20 meters of the 100, started pumping his chest mid-race AND STILL EASILY BROKE THE WORLD RECORD. I know that rubs a lot of people the wrong way. But in my mind, that is not enough to chastise him as being selfish and arrogant at every turn.

I don't know, I haven't seen any interviews of him so he may actually be arrogant. Still, if you were that fast seemingly without even trying that hard, wouldn't you have to be kind of arrogant? How can you not enjoy yourself on the world's biggest stage when you're having the kind of success he is?

I also don't want to paint this as strictly a racial double-standard in terms of media coverage, even though part of me feels that there is some truth to this. What this is unquestionably an example of, though, is an international double-standard set by NBC, whose coverage of this year's games has been terrible in my book. If an event doesn't feature an American in some way, I feel NBC has pushed it to the background. In fact, most of Bolt's exploits weren't even shown live, thus losing some of their luster. I feel as though this stance has been somewhat justified when it comes to sports such as gymnastics, where the host country is just clearly not playing by the rules. But even in events in which other nations thrive, all you hear is commentary about what the Americans did wrong, or how the Americans could have done better, or excuses for the Americans poor showing, or... you get the idea.

Okay, I feel like I've ranted about as much as necessary here. Whew, I feel a lot better now.

Reasons #301 and 302 why I love Alex Ovechkin

Even during the off-season, the guy is still a freaking hero. First we start with A.O running into a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer at the Olympics(Via J.P):

Near the back, I came upon Alex Ovechkin sitting alone on a wall over a pond. The Russians brought the Washington Capitals winger and reigning NHL MVP here to help promote the Sochi Games.

"You all by yourself?" I asked.

"No, I'm with friends," he said, although they were nowhere in sight.

I told him I was from the Pittsburgh paper and had interviewed him several times.

"Pittsburgh?" Ovechkin said, lighting up a bit. "Tell [Sidney] Crosby hello."

"What about [Evgeni] Malkin?" I asked.

"Him, too."

Simply awesome. Second, via japer's rink and tuvanhillbilly we have this. Apparently it's from a Russian comedy show, but it really speaks for itself.



My mind has been shattered. And we have this guy for 13 years? It's too good to be true.

Is it hockey season yet?

Zorn to receivers: "F*** the bulls***"

Though met with raised eyebrows at the time, the decision to hire Jim Zorn as head coach of the Redskins in beginning to look more and more like the right one. This has nothing to with the team winning its first pre-season game, or the fact that Zorn sounds like an alien overlord from a bad sci-fi movie (ALL HAIL ZORN!!! RULER OF THE KINGDOM OF THE SEVEN SUNS!).

I was very impressed when I saw this:

Washington Redskins Coach Jim Zorn chided Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas yesterday for their lack of conditioning and said he anticipates the injured rookie wide receivers will have a hard time having an impact on the offense early this season...

"I've had this happen in other places I've coached, and it's very difficult," Zorn said of young wide receivers missing training camp time. "When you interview them, 'It's going to be easy.' They're going to walk around and go: 'This is nothing. I'll get this right away.' But once they get out there and they really see what they have to do and how exact they have to be and the speed at which they have to play and the intensity -- then I think they'll see. Now, can we get them in and work them in? Yes. Will they get up to speed? Yes. But this is valuable time."

Not only is it great to see Zorn lighting a fire under these two rookies, but this is really a new side of him that no one really knew or thought was there. He comes off very quiet and unassuming, almost as much of a "Nervous Nellie" type as his predecessor, Joe Gibbs. But on the sidelines this past Sunday, Zorn was calm, collected and almost emotionless, looking every bit the part of NFL head coach. I wonder if they teach Holmgren & co. to look like that as part of the West Coast offense?

Now, I'm not flying off the deep end. As refreshing as it was to see Zorn's offense run smoothly, we must take into account that it came against an Indianapolis Colts team playing virtually no starters and who also have five pre-season games, so it's not like players are really breaking their backs for that first game (especially on defense). However, Zorn is taking major steps to reassuring me that he might have been the right choice after all. While I'm not as worried he'll be a liability as I was before, let's see him keep up the good work as we approach that September 4th opener against the reigning champs.

Just your typical start to training camp

I'm going to start this post with a public warning to everyone who has read this blog over these last few months. When I was invited to come aboard, it was the middle of March, otherwise known as the depths of the NFL doldrums for me. The Super Bowl had long since passed and as a precaution for my own well-being, I had shut my mind off of the Redskins so as not to drive myself to insanity by realizing just how far away football season was.

Well, now training camp has started and so too resumes my personal Redskins Obsession Period. You know, the one where we can win the Super Bowl and visions of Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley and sugar plums dance through my mind all day long. I hope you're all prepared for the Skins-centric turn this blog is about to take as the 2008 NFL season approaches. You've been duly warned.

So the players returned to training camp over this past weekend, but what's the big deal? I mean, it's not like anything really important can happen in the very first day of camp.

Oh, wait.

So, in what is pretty old news by now, Washington's projected starter at left defensive end, the 35-year-old Phillip Daniels, goes down for the season on the very first play of 7-on-7 drills, then reserve d-end Alex Buzbee was lost for the year as well after rupturing his Achilles' tendon. Before the end of camp on Sunday, the team dealt for superstar Jason Taylor, who had famously pissed off the Miami Dolphins by participating in reality show "Dancing With The Stars" instead of training with his teammates earlier this offseason.

All that stuff has been pretty well documented, with the usual expert analysis from the Redskins Insider. As for my take, I kind of have to agree with La Canfora & company on this one. This deal does not get done if not for absolute necessity, which is why I like it. When Taylor was being shopped around in the previous months, word was that the Redskins were not major players, whereas in the past we would have been all over this deal from the outset. But under the circumstances, we went from having a glaring hole in our lineup to almost an upgrade at the same position, doing so in an unusual 48-hour span.

Some will point out our return to trading away valuable draft picks, in this case, next year's 2nd round pick (and a less valuable 6th rounder in 2010). However, if you look at our recent commitment to keeping draft picks, and the fact that we actually USED three 2nd round selections in this year's draft, and I think we can afford to trade next year's. So that's what I think about it, what about you?

I'm gonna try to keep updating the major headlines throughout Skins' camp without just repeating what has already been written in the Post or by other more reputable people than myself. Also, I realize that not all of our readers follow the Redskins like I do so feel free to send suggestions or other ideas, sports-related or otherwise, to us at the train of thought at gmail dot com (spelled out like so to avoid spammers). Let's hope for somewhat tamer storylines from here on out, especially with the injuries (for serious, guys!).

Washington Nationals: From bad to inconceivably bad

Since there has been so, so much going on, within the realm of this blog as well as outside of it, I wanted to quickly preface this post. Between JJ's jet-setting between France and Hungary, and now to Texas, and Nick's computer crashing, I myself lost internet service at my house for about nine days. This, coupled with the fact that I started a new internship at a publishing company last week, explains my lack of posts as of late. Thankfully, I got my internet connection back today and I wanted to get a post in before JJ's Netroots Nation coverage (by the way, congrats homie!).

With all that out of the way, I had been planning to write about the Nats for quite some time but while I had been planning exactly what angle I wanted to explore on the subject, the team's fortunes have continued to take an unbelievable plunge. At this, the All-Star break, eight of the Nationals' nine opening day starters are on the disabled list (the one player who isn't is actually Cristian Guzman, Washington's lone All-Star representative). The Nats have the worst record in baseball, and really that wasn't expected to be the case this season. The team greatly overachieved last year when it won 73 games and improved on its 2006 win total (71), despite some people ridiculously predicting that the Nats would break the all-time record for single-season losses. But this year? After picking up a few young bats on the cheap and with '07's surprisingly-successful young pitching staff returning, things were never supposed to be this bad.

Yet somehow, this year's struggles have gone beyond simply losing games on the field. Last week, the DC Sports Bog sparked an internet and talk radio firestorm, reporting that the Nats' TV averages were appallingly-low. This kicked off a week in which the Lerner family entered a dispute with the D.C. government over $3.5 million of rent money, GM Jim Bowden was implicated in an FBI investigation looking into illegal signing practices of players in Central America, and two fans were killed in an accident involving the team's free shuttle from the RFK lots to Nationals Park, all of which was detailed by Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell yesterday. Seriously.

Even as write this, I don't believe it. I was originally going to write something about how important it was to stand by the Nats through thick and thin, or how better times would be on the horizon... or something. However, opening the paper to news like this every day is enough to make you think that some sort of hex has been put on the team. I guess my point is still the same though; try not to judge this team by wins and losses this year. Instead, 2009 will tell baseball fans in D.C. whether or not this franchise intends to make a go at being a contender anytime in the near future, or if they will continue the long, rich tradition of losing baseball teams set forth by its predecessors, the Washington Senators (customary cool old school logo to follow). This year's silver lining remains the new stadium and if you haven't been yet, it is definitely worth checking out. But this year, as hard as it may be to do, the Nats still need local support.

I'm not the biggest baseball fan to begin with, but it was still very exciting to see the sport return to my hometown after growing up without one. Since the District had been without baseball from 1972 until 2005, there have been obvious growing pains as the city re-adjusts to the sport, the team adjusts to us as a new region and simultaneously tries to become relevant in a sports scene dominated by the Redskins, Wizards, Capitals, D.C. United and multiple college sports teams. It is only fitting though for baseball to thrive in the nation's capital, not because it the so-called "national pastime," because that's football now, but because D.C. is one of the greatest cities in the world, as well as an important sports town. Only time can tell us where the Nats go from here, but at least it can't be much lower than it is right now.

Spain wins Euro 2008

¡Viva España!

Spain won its first major trophy in 44 years, capping off an excellent European Championship tournament. I couldn't find the TV ratings for the final just yet, but early indications here and here are that the tournament boasted successful TV ratings for the previous stages. Just more great news for soccer fans in the U.S.

A quick note about D.C. United before I sign off; yesterday's match against David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy at RFK Stadium (the lead-in to the Euro final yesterday on ABC) was just amazing. From the blowout win, to the awesome pre-game display for Ben Olsen, to his stirring and unexpected introduction in the 75th minute, and even to the disorienting and stifling heat, yesterday was just a day I will never forget. And I was about as wrong as I possibly could have been about United earlier this season. A public apology to Coach Tom Soehn, Luicano Emilio (nine goals in his last six matches, including two yesterday), and the entire team, who are beginning to look like the most dangerous squad in MLS again.

It's been a long time comin'

A historic moment occurred for Capitals fans tonight, as Alexander Ovechkin became the first player in team history to win the NHL's Hart Trophy, given annually to the league's most valuable player. In addition to Ovie's milestone, coach Bruce Boudreau was honored with the Jack Adams trophy for coach of the year, the first given to a Caps coach since Bryan Murray in 1984. Furthermore, Ovechkin won the Lester B. Pearson award for MVP, as voted by the NHL players themselves, joining his Maurice "Rocket" Richard (most regular season goals scored) and Art Ross (most regular season points) trophies in his total awards cache.

It's not as if this man could become any more impressive going into the awards ceremony, but somehow, that's exactly what he did. Ovechkin just defies logic at every possible turn. A 22-year-old, hard-working, polite, humble, team-oriented superstar in this current climate of athletes is simply not something you see very often. I've been in attendance at the Verizon Center when he receives the puck in the midst of play and the buzz that resonates throughout the building at that very moment is unlike anything I've experienced before. The whole crowd is just expecting him to do something unexpected. With a haul of 65 goals and 47 assists last season, they had every reason to do so.

Granted, the Washington Capitals have only been in existence since 1974, a relatively short lifespan compared to other clubs in the league. In that short history, the Caps can claim a few truly great players, or players that would go on to achieve greatness after having played with us.

But Ovechkin is something entirely different.

For the first time ever, the Caps have, without a doubt, the best player in the league (and the world, for that matter). Really, when has any Washington sports team ever had the best player in its respective sport? The Wizards had Jordan, but way beyond his prime. The Bullets won an NBA championship led by Wes Unseld, but in no way was he the best player in the league. Honestly, I can only think of Sammy Baugh for the Skins and maybe Walter Johnson of Washington Senators fame, each one of them playing decades upon decades ago.

What I'm trying to say is that Alexander Ovechkin is truly re-writing history in the here and now. I feel like it will be a really significant thing to say you got to see him in person one day. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I hope tonight's haul of trophies will lead to Ovie lifting the most prestigious one of them all in the future.

CONGRATS TO OVIE, BOUDREAU AND THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS!