The Redskins Defense Of Your Fantasy Dreams

Repeat after me: The NFL's lowest ranked defense does not mean the NFL's worst defense. The Washington Redskins defense is suddenly the hot fantasy football play.

The Redskins are the fifth-best fantasy defense according to ESPN.com's fantasy scoring rank. Washington's D has 71 fantasy points after seven weeks. Washington was the second-best fantasy defense for week seven, thanks toDeAngelo Hall's heroics in Chicago. The Redskins scored 23 fantasy points, trailing the top ranked Cleveland Browns by a single point.

Only Chris Cooley approaches that achievement for the offense. Cooley is the seventh best scoring tight end on ESPN's fantasy ranking.

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Root For Dallas?

I've never been able to watch more than 15 minutes of the movie Napoleon Dynamite so I never got as far as the Vote for Pedro scenes in the movie. Napoleon Dynamite has some sort of cult following and those who enjoy it strike me as odd.

The Dallas Cowboys have some sort of cult following and fans of the team strike me as, um, heathen savages. It's so odd that I will be cheering for the Cowboys (1-4) against the New York Giants (4-2) tonight.

The Redskins intercepted their way in Chicago to a 4-3 record. If the Giants lose to the Cowboys, the Beast will be knotted in a three-way tie for first place, with the 'Boys a game and a-half behind.

The Giants are playing as if they are serious about winning the conference. They sacked Jay Cutler nine times in the first half of the Chicago game, a 17-3 win, but have yet to face a Beast team.

The Giants are ranked seventh in the Bloguin.com NFL Week 6 Power Poll. The talented but inept Cowboys are ranked 26th in the same poll.

In the idealized world of sports competition, the better teams win out. The Redskins need work, so any back door help is appreciated. I don't want the 'Skins to chase the Giants before they face them on December 5. New York plays Dallas twice and Philadelphia once before then.

Washington already has wins against Dallas and Philadelphia. A division loss by New York helps the cause. It won't hurt the Eagles or Cowboys, either. The best chance for a Giants division loss is tonight in Dallas, or November 21 at The Linc in Philly.

So just for tonight, I'm for Dallas even though it will feel as odd as watching Napoleon Dynamite. I'm going to do it alone, in the dark, very quietly with beer.

If the Cowboys win, I'll vote for Pedro. I promise.

Washington Less Sloppy Than Chicago, Beat Bears 17-14

Every win is a good win, even the ugly ones. The Washington Redskins 17-14, um, beatdown of the Chicago Bears is as butt-ugly good as any win we'll see this season. The worst that can be said is that neither team played well enough to win a playoff game.

Lets save those thoughts for another post.

The thinking around here is that the defense is the stronger part of the team and that the defense would carry the offense until McNabb and company jells. Thus, Washington's last placed defense through six games is asked to cover for a top-ten offense.

If you are a regular reader of Redskins Hog Heaven, you know that last place defense doesn't mean the worst defense. The NFL ranks teams by yards. Yardage doesn't tell you enough about a team.

The Redskins had the 10th best defense in yards last season, yet they were hardly the 10th best defense. Washington snagged 11 interceptions in 16 games, scored no defensive points, and finished with 12 losses in 2009.

This year, the 'Skins have eight interceptions in seven games, five by DeAngelo Hall, four of those Sunday against the Bears. Washington has scored defensive touchdowns on an interception return and a fumble recovery, both by Hall.

So stop the hand wringing about last place in yardage and bask in the disruption of opponent's scoring drives. With that, I tip my hat to Hall. At last, his performance is worth the money.

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven....

Grief and Albert Haynesworth

The writers at Redskins Hog Heaven figured the Washington Redskins for seven or eight wins this season. The Redskins are on that pace. The only surprise is the three teams they actually beat

The scenario  we envisioned for the Redskins to break out to nine or more wins involved Albert Haynesworth and tonight's opponent, the Indianapolis Colts.

This is the last round of weekend games before the NFL trading deadline on October 19. What better time for Big Al and Mike Shanahan to work together on the outcome they both seem to want--Albert elsewhere. Both have been saying all the right things lately. That can be interpreted as talking up Haynesworth's trade value.

A great showing tonight might brand Haynesworth enough as a "must have" player that some GM might kick in the draft picks Washington needs to restock the team. GMs will just sit on their hands otherwise and wait out the Redskins who may release Haynesworth next season.

Haynesworth suffered a death in his family. He took bereavement leave from the team and did not return until Thursday. People deal with death in ways unique to themselves. We don't know how Big Al is coping. Whether he plays or not is a game time decision and it's likely his decision.

Working your craft while dealing with death is incredibly difficult. If you are my age, you've been through it. If you have, then you know what must be going through Big Al's head today. If you are under 40, just sit tight. Your day is coming.

To over-simplify the point, one can cope by withdrawing from work, or throwing oneself into it. If Haynesworth's head is not in tonight's game, he should remove himself without any comment or finger pointing from the peanut gallery.

Sports teams are entertainers and losses suffered by NFL players are very public. Its affect can take strange turns in the locker room. Look no further than what happened at FedEx Field December 2, 2007.

to see the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven....

No Fear Of Payton Manning and the Colts by the Redskins

Redskins Hog Heaven's preseason guess at the Washington Redskins final record was seven or eight wins. As gratifying as is Washington's 3-2 start, neither that record nor the Redskins middle-of-the-pack performance should cause visions of sugarplums this Christmas. The Redskins will be closer to 4-4 by midpoint of the season than to six or seven wins.

But hey, an eight win season is the benchmark of success for new coaches. Check the list of head coaches who finished 8-8 in their first year:

Joe Gibbs, Washington, 1981
Mike Ditka, Chicago, 1983 (First full season)
Marty Schottenheimer, Cleveland (4-4), 1984
Marty Schottenheimer, Cleveland, 1985
Marty Schottenheimer, Kansas City, 1989
Mike Shanahan, Denver, 1995
Marty Schottenheimer, Washington, 2001
Marty Schottenheimer, San Diego, 2002
Jim Zorn, Washington, 2008

The list is not exhaustive, and yes, you could call it the Marty and those other guys list. An eight-win season would be an accomplishment for Mike Shanahan. A win over defending conference champion Indianapolis Colts would cause everybody to rewrite their season projections to nine-plus wins for Shanny and the 'Skins.

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven....

Biggest Contest Between Donovan McNabb and Peyton Manning Is On Paper, Not On The Field

When I was very young, back in the last century, I had a contest with my friend. We were about to make our first jump into the deep end of the swimming pool. The pre-jump dialog was something like "you go first." "No, you go first." "No,you go first."

The most interesting contest between Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb won't be on the field when the Indianapolis Colts visit the Washington Redskins. The contest is who is first to sign a contract extension. Both McNabb and Manning are in the last year of their current NFL deals.

I can envision the text exchange between Manning and McNabb. You first. No, you first.

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven....

NFL May Throw Brett Favre For A Loss Before The Redskins Do

The Minnesota Vikings play the Redskins at FedEx Field on November 28. The Washington Redskins never beat Brett Favre when he was with the Green Bay Packers. Should they be worried now that he is with the Vikings?

They may not need to. The NFL may sack Favre before he gets here.

In what may be another case of jocks behaving badly, sports-comedy web site Deadspin.com broke the story that good ol' boy Brett may have sexted hottie Jenn Sterger when both were employed by the New York Jets, Favre as the team's savior-quarterback and Sterger as the team's "GAMEDAY Host."

Favre supposedly texted suggestive invitations to Sterger that might have included revealing images of Favre's masculinity. Deadspin makes clear that Sterger was not the source of the stories, or of the voice recordings and images in their possession.

Typical twenty-something male readers of sports blogs will laugh at all this. We at Redskins Hog Heaven sometimes focus on the business of sports. From that angle, this story is more serious than you might guess.

Lawsuit serious.

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven....

Jason Campbell, Todd Collins Named Ex-Redskins Of The Week

Ex-Redskins Of The Week: Jason Campbell, Quarterback, Oakland Raiders

Jason Campbell came off the bench in the second half to lead touchdown drives of 93 and 73 yards for the Raiders in the win against the San Diego Chargers. Campbell was benched in the second game of the season in favor of back-up Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski suffered a shoulder injury mid-way in the game. Campbell in relief competed 13 of 18 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Oakland's win snapped a 13 game losing streak to the Chargers.

Ex-Redskins Of The Weak: Todd Collins, Quarterback, Chicago Bears

To see the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven. 

Whoda Thunk It? Redskins Over Packers 16-13

Woop! The Washington Redskins beat the Green Bay Packers. This is no time to nitpick. It's time to celebrate.

We'll have more of our Redskins Hog Heaven thoughtful analysis early this week. For now, here are a few first impressions.

There are real concerns about the offensive line once you get past the starters. You knew that already. The line held up, um, ok, in the few plays when both Trent Williams and Jammal Brown were out. It worked for today, but could have been worse. Please don't make me watch that again.

The Redskins offense looked a lot better with Packers linebacker Clay Matthews out of the game. One "gets" the 3-4 defense by watching the Packers. The Packers defensive linemen pushed the Redskins linemen around far too much, giving Matthews shots at McNabb and the backfield. The Redskins' 3-4 did pretty much the same to the Packers; four sacks.

Is there anything Lorenzo Alexander can't do? Next time I buy a Redskins jersey, it's going to be an Alexander.

Read the rest of this story at Redskins Hog Heaven.

How Donovan McNabb Is Like Barack Obama

Both Donovan McNabb's and Barack Obama's arrived in Washington amidst high hopes, great fanfare, greater expectations and enormous curiosity in the rest of the country about how their stories would play out.

No matter the success of either man in DC, they are bound to disappoint. It would take magic for McNabb or Obama to do all the things their fans expect of them.

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven.

McNabb vs. Vick Missed The Point. Sunday's Game Was About Snyder vs. Reid.

All that hype about McNabb vs. Vick when the Washington Redskins visited the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday was just to sell tickets. Quarterbacks don't face against each other. They face defenses.

Sunday's more cogent contest was Daniel Snyder vs. Andy Reid. Snyder and Reid follow opposite paths to build a football roster. Both made significant changes to their rosters this year. Both followed their unique approach. The finished products were both on display at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday.

Andy Reid: Cycle players, conserve the cap, and build for today and tomorrow

The Eagles' approach under Reid couldn't be more different from Snyder's. They trade players for draft picks, and then use those picks to restock the team. Philadelphia had 13 picks in the 2010 NFL Draft, including the second round pick acquired from Washington for Donovan McNabb. The Redskins had six picks and are looking at four in the 2011 Draft.

Why on Earth would the Eagles trade Donovan McNabb?

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven.

Brandon Lloyd, Todd Collins Named Ex-Redskins of the Week

Without fanfare, Lloyd emerged as the NFL's No. 2 wide receiver after four games with 454 yards on 25 receptions.

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven.

Hi. We're From Washington and We're here To Beat You. Redskins Surprise Eagles 17-12

It turns out that the best defense against Michael Vick is to knock him out of the game. Vick left in the first quarter of the Washington Redskins-Philadelphia Eagles contest after being crunched by CB DeAngelo Hall and Kareem Moore.

Vick's injury came after a 23-yard scamper to the Redskins one-yard line. It was vintage Vick. His elusiveness still strikes fear whenever he plays. But this time, a holding call wiped out a game changing play. The penalty reset the Eagles down and distance to third down-16 yards on Washington's 34 with the birds down by 14.

The Eagles could do no better than a David Akers field goal. It was not enough to change the course of the game.

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven.

Redskins Re-sign Banks, Waive K. Williams

The Washington Redskins re-signed wide receiver Brandon Banks to the roster this afternoon. The team released running back Keiland Williams to make room.

Mike Shanahan continues to tinker with the roster. It's interesting that he added a wide receiver, the shakiest group on offense. Banks, 5-7 and 150 pounds, caught eight passes for 129 yards during preseason. He averaged 15.4 yards per punt return.

Williams appeared in three games this season and seemed to be a receiving option out of the backfield. He caught six passes for 29 yards.

Also posted to Redskins Hog Heaven.

Matt Mosley: Michael Vick to Struggle Against Redskins

Matt Moseley, the NFC East blogger for ESPN.com has a hunch that Michael Vick will struggle against the Washington Redskins this Sunday. Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles fans might have a hard time buying that after watching the Skins stumble against Sam Bradford and the Rams last Sunday.

Moseley says the Redskins will force Vick to scramble. That sounds like a bad idea to me. Vick is at his most dangerous when he's running. Here's how Moseley described in his Final Word post Washington's approach to defending Vick:

"I think [Jim Haslett] will have a defensive back spying on Vick at all times. He has told his players to get their hands up earlier than usual in an attempt to disrupt Vick's rhythm. The Eagles' quarterback looked brilliant against the Lions and Jaguars, but those teams did a poor job containing him. The Redskins will try to lure Vick into throwing the ball across his body...."

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven.

Redskins Plunge in Bloguin Power Poll

The Washington Redskins dropped to 22nd place on the Bloguin NFL Power Poll following their 30-16 loss to the St. Louis Rams. The Skins were ranked 15th last week.

Washington's loss to St. Louis, the second in their last three games with the Rams, was unsettling if only because of defensive breakdowns. Defense has been a Redskins strength. The players are still adapting to Jim Haslett's schemes as shown by individual breakdowns. The Rams two touchdown runs were the result of whiffs by safety Kareem Moore who played his first game of the season following an injury.

To see the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven.

Challenge For The Redskins: Defend Michael Vick

Vick Week officially began at 10:15 AM, ET, Monday, September 27, when Wall Street Journal blog, The Daily Fix,published Prepare For a Week of Vick vs. McNabb. Vick vs. McNabb in The journal? Really?

FOX promoted the upcoming Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles game unremittingly during the St. Louis beat-down. We expected that. When The Wall Street Journal blogs about Vick vs. McNabb, we've crossed the threshold of cultural significance. Yes siree.

It helps salve the wounds of the loss to the St. Louis Rams for fans already pronouncing the Dannyhan era a bust. You know who you are and shame on you. It's way too early to draw any conclusion about the season or anyone on the team.

We wonder, however, how can a defense that couldn't pressure rookie Sam Bradford suppress the elusive Michael Vick?

When the Redskins Hog Heaven writers predicted the season early this month, I called the Eagles game a win. Football is played emotionally. The emotion of Donovan McNabb's return to Philly to face the man who replaced him, Kevin Kolb, would sweep the Redskins to an upset win. To my chagrin, and FOX's delight, Kevin Kolb became Michael Vick. Oops! The Eagles are a lot harder to beat now.

Scouting Michael Vick

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven.

Rams Butt Redskins 30-16

(Sigh) Our punter injures himself during pregame warm-ups. Is that a bad omen, or what?

Everyone circled the St. Louis Rams as the beatable team of the early schedule. I did. So did you, brother. And why not, for a team whose rookie quarterback suffered six sacks and five interceptions on the way to a 68.1 Quarterback Rating? The Rams generated 136 fewer yards of offense than the Washington Redskins. They did that against weaker teams than the Redskins faced.

In the euphoria of beating Dallas and the good fight against Houston, it was easy to overlook that the Skins were one holding call away from an 0-2 record going into Sunday's game.

No more.

Credit where it's due. The Rams did not resemble the team of the first two weeks. Sam Bradford was impressive in a game plan that suited him. The St. Louis offensive line was not the sieve we expected. Were the Rams supposed to control the ball that much when Steven Jackson was hurt?

Kudos to the Rams. They deserved the win. Two of their four wins since 2008 have been at Washington's expense. Ironically, Jim Haslett was coaching in each of those wins, as the Rams' interim head coach then and as the Redskins defensive coordinator now.

If you buy the cliché that more games are lost than won, you have plenty of evidence in Washington's 30-16 loss.

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven....

Redskins Are the Highest Ranked Beast Team on Bloguin Power Poll

The Washington Redskins are the highest ranked NFC East team on Bloguin.com's weekly NFL Power Poll. The Redskins gained by precipitous falls of the 1-1 New York Giants and the 0-2 Dallas Cowboys.
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Redeeming Daniel Snyder's Rep

The rehabilitation of Danny Snyder's reputation takes another turn for the better in an upcoming (Oct. 11, 2010) Forbes Magazine profile. The Passion of Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder article was released online today on Forbes.com.

While noting Snyder's desperation to win a Super Bowl and his habit of plowing his fortune back into the team, Forbes author Monte Burke calls Snyder "the most reviled owner in professional sports."

"Naysayers point to the Redskins' failure on the field during his 11-year tenure (only three winning seasons and an overall record of 75--96); his imperious personality (he's been accused of demanding that employees address him as 'Mr. Snyder'); his 'meddling' ways (seven different coaches); his profligate spending on overhyped coaches and over-the-hill players ($5 million a year for college coach Steve Spurrier, who went 12--20 in two seasons; a five-year, $23 million contract for 37-year-old defensive lineman Bruce Smith). 'I have made some mistakes,' Snyder admits."

Would fans prefer a cheapskate, asks Burke?

Read the rest of this story at Redskins Hog Heaven....

Redskins Release Larry Johnson

The Washington Redskins released running back Larry Johnson this afternoon, according to a story by Jason LaCanfora on NFL.com and Gary Fitzgerald's story on Redskins.com.

Both report that the team made the move to make room for someone else in advance of the Rams game this Sunday. Could that someone be a former Ram?

See the rest of this story on Redskins Hog Heaven.

Five Things To Like About The Washington Redskins

The nature of Washington's play against the Houston Texans gives rise to optimism. It's pretty clear that the Skins are going to be competitive in every game. Washington was competitive last year too, in spite of top to bottom ineptitude. The competitiveness is of a higher quality now.

The fault lines on this team are still there--depth on offense, talent at wide receiver. But after two good showings and with the afterglow of beating Dallas (well, who doesn't?) we're just not going to focus on that today. So here are five things to like about the 2010 Washington Redskins:

1. LaRon Landry leads the league in tackles after two weeks. (London Fletcher ranks third) Landry wasn't cutting it at free safety. Jim Haslett moved him to where his skills are best applied as linebacker-lite, a.k.a. strong safety. Haslett is making better use than Greg Blache did of Landry and all the talent on defense. Lets hope Haslett is open to whatever suggestion DeAngelo Hall has for improved coverage--and that Hall is open to improvement after viewing game tape. We know how that conversation would have gone with Blache. Haslett is still learning about his players and has to do something to fix the bottom-ranked defense in the league. But I digress. Landry can be had in pass coverage and he still tends to hit late, but he's the beast we expected when we drafted him. We can work with beasts.

2. Donovan McNabb....

To read the rest of this story, go to Redskins Hog Heaven.

Redskins Hold Off Cowboys in 13-7 Thriller

The Mike Shanahan era is off to a good start with a game plan that was not brilliant, but an astute use of the talent on the team, especially the defense. Dallas gained 282 passing yards and a touchdown, and 103 rushing yards, but the Redskins brought pressure to kill drives (five of 13 third downs converted) and disrupt plays. The Skins front seven exploited the Cowboys offensive line. Tony Romo handled that pressure to give Dallas its first lead as time ran out, only to see it evaporate when back-up OT Alex Barron couldn't handle Brian Orakpo.


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