Clarrett Explained

Maurice Clarett's story rivals any Greek tragedy. Sportswriter Scoop Jackson's espn.com article explains Clarrett better than any I've read.

Fatherless and unguided.

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Maurice Clarrett

All of my heros have been Redskins

Another Native American group is making a federal case of "Redskins" as the name of Washington's favorite sports team. They seek to remove trademark protection from the use of the Washington Redskins name and logo. I hope they lose.

Say Redskins to me and to a lot of other people around here, and neither Sitting Bull nor Geronimo come to mind. Clinton Portis and Joe Gibbs do. I think of my boyhood heros Bobby Mitchell, Charley Taylor and Sonny Jurgensen; and of my father, the hero who first took me to Redskins games. Ask someone in Washington to finish the phrase "dirty, stinkin' _______," and you'll get "Cowboys," not redskins. Not all cowboys, mind you; just those dirty, stinkin' Dallas people.

"Washington Redskins" does not mean what the plaintiff say it means. They refer to an archaic meaning from an unsavory aspect of America's past. In doing so, they discount the current use of the word. Sports teams, particularly football teams, are named for predators (Lions, Bears, Eagles), criminals (Vikings, Raiders, Buccaneers, Outlaws) and the heavily testosterone-laden (Bulls/Texans, Cowboys, Rams). The Washington Redskins assert that the name evokes a warrior spirit and this in a time when Native American warriors are thought of in a more positive light. The Washington team has studiously distanced itself from the antics of some it's more strident fans.

Many team names have issues. I met a woman from Sweden who could not understand why anyone would to refer to themselves as a viking. The connotation in Scandinavia is far different than here. Pirates and Buccaneers were the scum of the earth. I keep waiting for someone to accuse the Washington Wizards of Satanism. It's not all in the name. Minnesotans do not advocate raids on the coast of Europe. The people in Tampa Bay do not plunder ships. The Washingon basketball team does not worship the Devil, even when they play like hell. Technically, it's the Bison Bills (I just threw that in). These names mean nothing except to convey a fighting spirit. I want to be a Redskin. I'm not good enough, but if I were, I'd wear the name like a badge.

Word meaning evolves. I hope and trust that the courts weigh the modern connotation of "Redskins" along with what it used to mean. As to the logo, it is no more offensive than US government currency.

Losing the name means losing "Hail to the Redskins." That's too much to ask.
____________________________________________________
Other Bloggers' Opinion:
Anti-Redskins - the Curley R
Pro-Redskins - The DC Universe


Tag:
Washington Redskins

Taylor Misunderstood

A line in a song from WEST SIDE STORY goes "we ain't no delinquents, just misunderstood." The same could apply to Redskins safety Sean Taylor, according to a story on espn.com. Michael Smith's lengthy article "Taylor Has Strong Support System" describes Taylor's hitting abilities (big), his troubles (bigger) and his support by his teammates and coaches (the biggest). Linebacker Marcus Washington calls Taylor "Meast," half man, half beast. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams simply calls Taylor the best player he has ever coached. They say that with his talent, and with listening to his coaches, he could do for the safety position what Lawrence Taylor (no relation) did for outside linebacker.

Deep beneath his thuggery, he's a real nice guy. Really, he is.

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Sean Taylor
Washington Redskins

NFC East By The Numbers: Running Backs

The standard measure of running back efficiency is "rushing yards per attempt," with the benchmark being four yards per attempt. The back who exceeds four yards per attempt is an effective rusher. A journeyman achieves around 3.5 yards. Get less than that and a back better be good on special teams. Bill Walsh changed the rules with the west coast offense, where wide receivers caught for short yards in situations that once were the province of rushers. Concurrently, running backs emerged as primary receiving targets in hopes they would use their skills to gain yards after the catch.

The west coast changed the way backs are valued. While there will always be a place for a Jerome Bettis type ground pounder, twenty-first century backs are measured by total offensive yards. The table below compares career total offensive yards (total offense = rushing + passing yards) to total touchdowns. By this measure, Clinton Portis is a beast, taking the fewest yards to score of any back in the NFC East. Brian Westbrook is a close second. Half of his touchdowns have come through the air. Andy Reid is a Bill Walsh disciple, so Westbrook's numbers are no surprise. Portis does not play in west coast offense. His performance is an eye-opener.

Of course, no one is going to call Tiki Barber ineffective, despite needing more yards to score than his peers. Like Walter Peyton, his performance is due to longevity and steady improvement. The nine year vet has increased his rushing average in each of the past three years (4.4 rushing yards per attempt in 2003; 5.2 yards per attempt in 2005.) and he scores a lot.

The table below ranks NFC East running backs by offensive yards per score. The lower the yards to score, the more effective the back.


Related article: See The Redskins Report running back ranking here.

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NFC
Clinton Portis
Brian Westbrook
Tiki Barber
Julius Jones
Cowboys
Eagles
Giants
Redskins

NFC East By The Numbers: Quarterbacks

Mark Brunell and Drew Bledsoe are too old. Eli Manning is too young. Donovan McNabb suffers Post T.O. Stress Syndrome and has no one to throw to. The consensus of message boards and blogs is that every NFC East quarterback has major issues. However, it was the old guys who made it through last season, while McNabb was out by mid-year. No one to throw to? Without McNabb and Terrell Owens, the Eagles came uncomfortably close to knocking the Redskins out of the playoffs. Eli Manning is at the point where young QBs begin to thrive.

Football is the most team-oriented of organized sports. Teams work to maximize their strengths and minimize weaknesses. The outstanding coaches of the NFC East will work game plans to do exactly that, especially where their quarterbacks are concerned. Bledsoe, Brunell and McNabb are proven. They can get it done. Manning will not hurt his team in 2006. No weak quarterbacks here. Move on, folks.




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NFC
Mark Brunell
Donovan McNabb
Drew Bledsoe
Eli Manning
Cowboys
Eagles
Giants
Redskins