The Luchadore has returned! posted by paperbagluchadore

Ladies and gents, I have returned....

 Lost in my own confused mind of rage and fury as I watched our Redskins foil a season into embarassment I took off the bag and lived amongst the mortals. I wandered around, wondering what i would do-

 Needless to say as the days turned into months, and then into more months, I was at the point of losing my faith.

 So the luchadore went amongst his Washington Redskins fan brethren and rekindled his spirit and faith in a franchise that has shown that with the tools they can attempt to change..

 And that my friends, foes, and all those in the middle, is the reason to why I have found the spirt again to pick up my keyboard and speak to you all.

 For the hour is near, and I can smell their fear.

The Luchadore has returned, all prepare.

 Needless to say we welcome Donovan McNabb, and I pray he does well, as we also welcome newcomer Mitchell from Oklahoma.

 Let's do this...

2010 NFL Draft: What to Watch for on Day One posted by Joe Anello

It's finally here. The 2010 NFL Draft is upon us and I couldn't be more excited to hunker down for two nights and another day of coverage. With the new format, tonight will only cover the first round, bringing the drama of the top picks to primetime television. 

Here are some storylines to watch for as tonight unfolds:

Four first-round quarterbacks?

It could happen. We all assume Sam Bradford is going number one overall to the Rams, but even Bradford doesn't know what's going to happen. The real question mark at quarterback is Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen. If you look at which teams have needs at QB, Clausen shouldn't make it out of the top ten. Other reports have him falling into the 20's and perhaps even to 30 for the Minnesota Vikings, who would be ecstatic. Seattle (picks 6 & 14), San Francisco (13 & 17), and Cleveland (7) are my likely destinations for Clausen.

Beyond the top two, we've heard Texas' Colt McCoy and Florida's Tim Tebow as second-round prospects. Now it seems likely that with the second round not starting until tomorrow, teams will trade back into the first round to ensure they take the QB they desire. Cleveland is being discussed as a player to move back up for McCoy while Tebow is being bandied all over the place. Tebow's agent told Pro Football Talk that they "pretty much know" where he'll end up. Denver is certainly in play for the Jesus of college football. 

What about Brennan? posted by Todd F. Dixon

Colt Brennan has a following, a "Colt" following if you please.  He was a 6th round draft-pick by the Redskins, with no other thought than being a backup at best.  Tom Brady had the same expectations, and I know it's a little far-fetched, but he turned out ok.

I'm not saying Colt will be the next Tom Brady, but how will we ever know without him being given a shot?

The Redskins QB situation is up in the air right now.  With the recent signing of Rex Grossman, the questions surrounding Jason Campbell, it's anyone's team. It seems that Colt has a certain swagger right now, he's healthy for the first time in his pro career. 

"Right now everything that has been said is that the best player will play. As I get to know our coaches, as I've gotten a chance to talk to Coach [Mike] Shanahan, I truly believe that. I truly believe that he's going to go out there and he's gonna test every single one of us, give every single one of us a chance to show ourselves and that he's really going to pick the best players to play. I really believe him in that." - Colt Brennan.

I think I like this kid, and it would be stupid not to give him a chance to compete.  He was a walk-on at Colorado, then went to Junior College, then was a walk-on at Hawaii.  The coach in Hawaii saw something in him to give him a shot, and he took it and went to the moon.  He ened up breaking records, going undefeated, and being a hard-working, badass QB.  Can he be the same for the Skins?  Hopefully, we will have a chance to find out.  I like Colt, he has heart, leadership, talent, and an underdog sorta status that I like.  Think Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, I'm not saying he is as good as them, but he has a similar story and could be that guy.  If he is that guy, should we toss him to another team?  Do you remember Trent Green or Brad Johnson?

Redskins Add Interception-saurous Rex posted by Todd F. Dixon

The Redskins signed Former Bear and Texan Rex Grossman to a one-year deal. 

 It is believed that ole Rex was signed to replace the aging Todd Collins as the #2 behind JC.  Although.....He did play for Kyle Shanahan (New Redskins Offensive Coordinator) and Matt Lafleur (New Redskins Quarterbacks Coach) in Houston last year.  I believed that he was only signed to help instill the offense Kyle runs, or maybe to mentor some young rookie QB.  The latest that I heard however, was that he is going to be challenging Campbell for the starter position. Let me display my feelings on this notion.  

 #1 - Grossman's overall QB rating is 65.9, Campbell's is 82.3.  He has a HUGE problem with forcing plays and always creates turnovers.  He is similar to the Jay Cutler of last year.  He's no Ryan Leaf, but he isn't half the QB Campbell is.  He's closer to a Kyle Boller.

#2 - I'm a little perturbed that another Redskins Quarterback will not get his chance (Colt Brennan) because of Rex.  Will he be good?  Will he be bad?  We will never know unfortunately.  

 #3- Yes, he led a team to the Superbowl, and lost to Peyton Manning and his Colts.  That isn't a bad loss, losing a Superbowl to one of the greatest QBs ever.  However, that Bears team had a punishing defense, great running game, solid O-line, and great Special Teams.  He was unspectacular that year anyway throwing 23 TDs - 20 INTs. Right now, the Skins have a horrid O-line, questionable Special Teams, old running game, and a Defense that doesn't even know what it is yet.   No QB can take the punishment JC can, except maybe Aaron Rodgers, or Big Ben.  Although it seems Ben's girls are the ones taking the punishment (Cheap-shot I know, sorry). 

Redskins Drop The Middle Men, Cut 10 players posted by Todd F. Dixon

     In my last post I stated that I was hopeful we were going to release some players.  All but two of the players I listed were released today, and a few more I didn't even think about were released as well.  Only two other teams released players thus far, and those teams (The Jets and The Bengals) released only one player each (laveranues coles and Thomas Jones). 

     The Redskins don't like to do things calmy, under the radar, or undramatically.  The Redskins are the "American Idol" of professional football, we are a soap opera, and it's exciting to watch how the team puts itself together.  Let's take a look at the players we released.

Ladell Betts - RB - Iowa

2nd round pick by the Redskins (#56 overall) in the 2002 draft.  Betts spent his career backing up Clinton Portis, and compiled 3,176 yards and 13 TDs in 7 seasons with the skins.  Betts was a very solid backup, and stepped in with great success when Portis got injured.  Betts suffered a horrible injury last year, ending his season.   Betts is the only Redskins Running back in team history to rush for consecutive 150+ yard games.  My memory of Betts was in a game against the Ravens in the preseason where his jersey read "Bettis."

Antwaan Randle El - WR/PR- Indiana

2nd round pick by the Steelers (#63 overall) in the 2002 draft.  Signed to a 7-year 31 million dollar deal as a free agent in 2006.  El was supposed to bolster the Redskins receiving core and help with the return game, but struggled in both positions.  El as a person is a great guy, very important to whatever community he is in, but is just past his prime and it was time we parted ways.  My memory of El was when we faked an end-around to him and he passed to Santana Moss on a 48 yard touchdown in week 17, 2006.

Upcoming NFL Draft posted by Todd F. Dixon

Ok, I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I've been asked about the draft, and I decided to break the silence and post an entry. 

 I haven't posted in awhile because of my disgust of where the franchise was going, and how angry me and the rest of the fans have been with the organization.  The hiring of Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan, and firing of Vin Dieseldorf have provided some hope though.  The fact that The Danny might be taking a step back from involvement has made us all a little less angry. 

So, with that said lets talk about the next step for the Redskins, the draft. Free agency is obviously gonna be rough this year without a new CBA agreement reached.  Which basically means all the unrestricted free-agents will now be restricted free-agents.  Here is what I think we should do with free-agency and the draft.

 Jason Campbell:  Keep him.  JC was a top 15 QB with the worst OL in football and almost the worst RB core in football (they ranked 28th in rushing).  I know Shamahan will draft "his" guy at QB, and he will need some time to learn, so JC can be the stopgap.

Carlos Rogers, Antwaan randle-el, Rock Cartwright, Randy Thomas, Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Todd Collins, and Fred Smoot need to go.  Rogers is a bust, El is a bust, Thomas needs to retire, Rock is worthless, CP is past his prime, Betts never has a prime, Collins should retire, and Smoot is a nickelback at best.  It's time to give the young guys a shot, and not pay so much for overrated talent.

The Five Best Super Bowl Winners Since 1985 posted by Colin Linneweber

The New Orleans Saints will play the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The Colts (16-2) are currently favored by nearly six points to defeat the underdog Saints (15-3) this weekend.

No matter what the ultimate outcome is, fans can expect to witness a thrilling game between the offensively explosive Saints and Colts.

In tribute to this weekend’s championship matchup, I have decided to rank the five best Super Bowl winners of the past quarter-century.

1)      The 1989-1990 San Francisco 49ers- The dominant 49ers (17-2) absolutely destroyed the overmatched Denver Broncos (13-6) by a score of 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV to repeat as champions at the Superdome in New Orleans.

To this very day, the 49ers lopsided margin of victory over the Broncos remains the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history.

Legendary Niners quarterback Joe Montana was justifiably named the game’s MVP after he completed 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards and five touchdown passes.

San Francisco’s underrated defense stifled John Elway’s aerial assault and they managed to limit Denver to a paltry 167 yards on offense.

Joe Montana is a four-time Super Bowl champion and he has been the focal point of many tremendous squads.

Still, the 1989-1990 49ers unit was the greatest one that Montana ever played on.

2)      The 1985-1986 Chicago Bears- The Bears (18-1) humiliated the New England Patriots (14-6) 46-10 in Super Bowl XX at the Superdome in New Orleans.

Exercising the Demons posted by Amari Harris

The Cowboys have a huge match-up this week against the #2 seed Minnesota Vikings.  But, I don’t think that will keep any Cowboys fan from relishing in what has transpired over the last month.  Over these last 4 weeks the Cowboys have exercised all of their “demons” and now simply have to go into the Metrodome and take on the 12-4 Minnesota Vikings led by Brett Favre to advance to the NFC championsip.  Piece of cake, right?  Well before we stuff ourselves, let’s digest the last month of the season and see what the Cowboys were able to stomach (pun intended). 

Demon #1:  DECEMBER

It all started in New Orleans when the Cowboys took on the undefeated New Orleans Saints.  They were coming off back to back losses to the Chargers and Giants and the December monster continued to loom.  Most experts predicted that the Cowboys would not only lose Saturday night in New Orleans , but that they could possibly free fall out of the playoffs with more late-season losses.  The Cowboys went on to man handle the Saints for the majority of the game and DeMarcus Ware added a signature performance  to his growing legacy. 

After handing New Orleans its first  loss of the season, the Cowboys took on a semi-surging Washington Redskins team that wanted to show what they had to new GM Bruce Allen.  Result:  17-0 shut-out, courtesy of Wade Phillips and his suddenly vaunted defense.  The Cowboys had punched their ticket to the playoffs but I have to admit that there were

The Cav Report: A New Era posted by Amari Harris

After the Cowboys beat up on the Washington Redskins a couple of weeks ago I had a chance to catch up with one of my old teammates, John Phillips, who currently plays tight end for the Cowboys.  We only spoke briefly but we did manage to discuss UVA’s recent hiring of Mike London as the new head coach.  I instantly realized that I had yet to publish my opinion on this hire and it is certainly a topic that deserves some discussion.

I’d like to say that I predicted that 2009 would be Al Groh’s last season as Virginia’s head football coach, but I think the writing was on the wall after the loss to William & Mary.  Groh is a good coach, so I think he’ll land on his feet real soon (hopefully in the NFL).  Now, UVA has to find a way back to its former glory.  The first step in the process was hiring a new head coach and I think the AD Craig Littlepage got it right with the hiring of London. 

As the Cavaliers defensive coordinator for 2006 & 2007, London had Virginia playing some of their best defense in over a quarter century.  Virginia finished in the top 20 in the nation in rushing yards, points allowed and sacks and managed to win 9 games that season despite their struggles on offense.  As a defensive line specialist, London turned Jeffrey Fitzgerald into a freshman All-American and Chris Long into the best defensive lineman in the country and second overall pick in the NFL draft.  He also led a shut-out performance against the Miami Hurricanes as the Cavaliers officially closed down the Orange Bowl with a 41-0 thumping of the ‘Canes in 2007.

Back in the tournament! posted by Amari Harris

With a shutout win against the lowly Washington Redskins the Dallas Cowboys split their December games (2-2).  While it is not a complete turn around from their previous struggles, they showed some mettle down the stretch and have officially punched their ticket into the tournament.  There are still many dominoes that need to fall into place to determine final playoff seeding, but at least the ‘Boys got a shot. 

While the defense dominated last night and the offense made enough plays to keep the game out of reach, there is still plenty to be anxious about.

Wade Phillips can breathe a small sigh of relief as his job is safe for the time being, but I’m not sure the same can be said about offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.  While the distribution and efficiency of the passing game is a reason for excitement, the continued failure to capitalize on critical conversion and scoring opportunities may cost this team in the playoffs. 

On five separate occasions, the offense was stuffed on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1 situations.  And it wasn’t even close.  Although some of the blame can be placed on Marion Barber (who was dancing around in the backfield like a ballerina), Garrett does not seem to have enough variation in the calls.  Everyone knows who’s getting the ball on 3rd/4th and short when Barber is in the game.  Even Emmitt Smith wasn't impressed with the play calling.  I’m not necessarily saying Deion Anderson is the answer on short yardage either, but in the playoffs the Cowboys will have to mix it up.  Maybe a fake to Barber (at fullback) with the pitch out to Felix Jones?  I’m not a professional coach or anything, but that seems to work around the league.  What about actually handing the ball to Felix Jones in the wildcat (That reverse to Austin was just ugly)?  A little misdirection never hurt anybody…except the defense. 

Redskins put WR Kelly on injured reserve (AP)

The Washington Redskins have placed Malcolm Kelly on injured reserve, ruling the third-year receiver out for the year. Kelly pulled his left hamstring before the start of training camp and has reinjured it multiple times since then. Kelly caught 25 passes for 347 yards last year. Meanwhile, running back Clinton Portis practiced Tuesday for the first time since spraining his right ankle last week... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Shanahan unsure on McNabb for opener

It could be a smoke screen or just a cautious assessment of hisquarterback's health, but Mike Shanahan says he's not certainDonovan McNabb will be available for the Washington Redskins'season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Shanahan unsure on McNabb for opener (AP)

It could be a smoke screen or just a cautious assessment of his quarterback's health, but Mike Shanahan says he's not certain Donovan McNabb will be available for the Washington Redskins' season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. "I really don't know for sure," Shanahan said Sunday. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Jets LB Pace hurts foot, out a few weeks (AP)

New York Jets linebacker Calvin Pace has injured his foot against the Washington Redskins and could miss a few weeks. Coach Rex Ryan says Pace has "something with his foot," an injury suffered in the Jets' 16-11 loss Friday night. Pace, who led the team with eight sacks last season, left the game in the third quarter. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

McNabb pokes fun at Haynesworth (AP)

If Albert Haynesworth can use air quotes to describe his injury, so can Donovan McNabb. The Washington Redskins quarterback poked a little fun at the disgruntled defensive tackle Wednesday. McNabb twice mimicked Haynesworth while talking about the sprained left ankle that will keep him out of Friday's game against the New York Jets. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports