Stephen Chakerian's Washington Redskins fan blog

It's amazing how quickly 10 minutes of a football game can change your opinion of a Quarterback and a Coach.  Sitting in the endzone section of a blisteringly hot match between the Saints and Redskins, the offense led by Jason Campbell and brought to DC by Jim Zorn was once again floundering.  I know I wasn't the only one who was approaching near-certainty that this West Coast offense could never work for JC.  I was truly convinced that we were going to be among the worst offenses in the league, a crime considering the talent on the roster.  And then Jason Campbell put together a 94-yard scoring drive capped off with a Clinton Portis touchdown run!  Not bad.  And then, a 67 yard bomb to Santana Moss for the go-ahead score.  Two convincing ways to score: a long, arduous march down the field, followed by a 1 play explosion.  And then the game was finished off with a nifty 8 yard quick slant pass to Moss.

Continue reading "Sudden changes of Opinion"

Big signings (not like in years past though) and big draftees, big names overall, and yet the unfortunate fact is that the Redskins have neglected the positions where it all starts: the linemen.  When was the last time we spent a 1st or 2nd round draft pick on either side of the line? I mean on someone not named Samuels or Jansen (and that was still, what, like 6 years ago?).  I'm thinking Kenard Lang...that's not good.  What is a Clinton Portis or a Santana Moss worth if there's no O-Line?  Further, Carlos Rogers and Shaun Springs can't cover 'til the cows come home if the 35 year olds up front can't apply pressure.

It seems every year going into the offseason people are calling for the Skins to draft linemen.  This is the first year when the line's age and lack of talent are really really showing, I don't think the 2009 draft will be skinny on linemen.   

Continue reading "Something we've overlooked"

This is a biased entry, because I do not like the Spurs.  My basis for this is that they play the boring, fundamental basketball game that sent the NBA into a post-Jordan depression.  In a sense, to root for the Spurs or the Pistons is to root against the NBA, their Finals series received the lowest ratings like, ever, for good reason.  Although I'll admit, the Spurs aren't quite so boring anymore.  I'd be lying if I said that Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli are not two of the more exciting players in the league to watch, albeit not in the typical style, chalk it up to their status as internationals.  Of course there is still Tim Duncan who I am not a fan of.  How can you get excited about a player whose nickname is "The Big Fundamental"?  The ways he looks down at the floor as he drives to the hoop after a post-up, the weird way he shoots free throws, I dunno...I don't like it.

Continue reading "The Spurs will do anything"

Really for no other reason than to say "I told you so" in the future, I want to express my firmly held belief right now that Jason Campbell is the real deal.  He's the second coming of Donovan McNabb, but with more of a competitive fire within (something you can develop playing at Auburn, as opposed to Syracuse).  I am fully confident that he will be an elite quarterback for the better part of the next decade, which will keep the Skins in the division and conference race almost every year.  Really it's good we have someone to match the suddenly impressive Eli Manning.  Nothing Campbell showed in 06 and 07 has led me to think otherwise.

Honestly though I'm not a huge fan of the West Coast offense that Jim Zorn is implementing, and I hardly see it as the ideal fit for Campbell.  But hey, hopefully with our newly-acquired, tall, rangy receivers (Kelly and Thomas) good things will happen.  Lord knows Campbell had a time squeezing the ball in to Moss and Randle El.

Continue reading "Jason Campbell is the FUTURE"

I didn't think there could be news that annoyed me more than the "Fred Davis Sleeps In" story, but I was proven wrong.  I dislike most off-season news; I cannot live without it, but I see it as a necessary evil.  The worst kind is injury news, provided to us just so you know that things are going wrong even before the season starts.  And I daresay it's a bit pointless, do I really need to know that Randle-El will be returning to practice sometime in July, a full two months before the season starts?  All that does is keep my mind NOT at ease.  I'm sure someone out there is dying to know this stuff...but for the rest of us, it's just a tease when we're scanning the paper daily for some good football news.

Continue reading "Jason Campbell tweaks his hamstring, and I don't want to know about it."

Just one thing..."Fred Davis sleeps in, misses first practice". Why is this headline news?

Continue reading "Fred Davis sleeps in..."

Well I had faith in the Hornets, but even I am surprised at where this series is at heading into Game 3 (two blowouts removed from a 2-0 Hornets lead).  I heard one mention of something thus far, and if this series doesn't get past Game 5 then I think I'll hear a lot more of it: How the Spurs had to throw down so much physically and emotionally in their first round battle with the Suns that they didn't have anything left to take on the Hornets.  I agree, somewhat.  I thought the West was so stacked that the Celtics had the rings wrapped up because whoever they meet in the Finals will be thoroughly exhausted.  So yes, the Spurs probably are tired.  But hell, let's not forget the Hornets beat the Mavericks in round 1, that's no cakewalk.  Let's not chalk up the

Continue reading "Spurs tired, Hornet fired...up"

I shall recant my previous statement that it would be good for the Wiz if Gilbert did not return next season.  I said that in the heat of the playoffs moment, very much in the same manner that I said Todd Collins should be the starter next year.  Obviously I said that at the conclusion of the Redskins' miracle run, I honestly thought at the time that Collins would give the Skins the best shot at winning.

Fortunately I stopped shooting my mouth off long enough to realize that Collins is inferior to Jason Campbell in all areas and JC most definitely gives us our best shot at taking down those ruddy Cowboys and Giants.  Like then, I am realizing now that to let Gilbert Arenas leave town would be a huge mistake.  In a recent article, Wilbon enlightened me to exactly how important having a GREAT player is in the NBA (Great = Hall of Fame calibre). Having a great player is damn near a prerequisite for winning a championship, and not that I'm saying Gil is Hall of Fame worthy (nobody would at this point), but when he's healthy he's certainly a top 5 in the league guy, and most team's would kill for that.  That is what it takes to win.  The Wizards are lucky enough to have such a player, he's our only hope to get past Queen James in the playoffs.  So all of you surely already knew this, but just try to appreciate my own epiphany.  

Continue reading "Maybe Agent Zero should stick around after all..."

As much hype as there was around the Spurs-Suns series (at least from Mike Wilbon), the games really didn't deliver.  San Antonio played their good ol' fundamentals game and the Suns most likely came to the realization that their Championship window is closing, if not already closed and locked up tight.  The upcoming Hornets-Spurs match-up promises to be far more entertaining.  The Hornets are basically what the Suns were a year or two ago, with Chris Paul playing just about as well as Steve Nash ever did.  Living in New Orleans this past year, I have had the chance to watch many a Hornets game, and I can say that the MVP trophy could have fairly gone to Paul.  You can't argue with Kobe getting his first MVP trophy (about bloody time) , but for this spectator it happens to be far more impressive seeing a man of Chris Paul's diminutive stature take over a game as opposed to KG, Kobe or LeBron, the other candidates for MVP.  But I digress.  These are two teams, the Hornets and Spurs, that are all about team play, and neither is going to go home without giving up a fight (evidently, I could not have said the same thing about the Suns).  If I had to give someone an official edge, it would have to be San Antonio, but only by default owing to their playoff experience vs New Orleans' lack thereof.  That is my official position.  If I were to put money on it (I won't), I'd go with the Hornets.  No one has wanted to take them seriously all season, from early on when they were a "nice surprise" to their first round playoff match-up when they were pegged for an upset.  Now I'm sure no one wants to believe they can take down the defending champs, the San Antonio Spurs: Old Reliable.  Well I've seen them play all year, and it is very possible.  What it comes down to is nerves, and personally I don't see CP getting rattled easily, he's as cool as they come.  I may be going out on a limb but let's just say if the Hornets win the series, all the experts will call it shocking, and they really shouldn't be. 

Continue reading "Hornets-Spurs, wow."

Looks like the Wizards blew it again. All that talk before the series even started really did not help.  Let's just hope we aren't this decade's version of the 90s Knicks, who MJ managed to keep down seemingly every year (and the Cavs too for that matter).  I mean let's face it, Queen James is only going to get better.

I for one will not be terribly torn up if Arenas is not back next year.  The team proved this season that they can win without him, and he just wants it to be the Gilbert Arenas show.  And while it's nice to have a franchise player, these aren't the New Orleans Hornets, on the brink of collapse thanks to lack of fan base.  The Wiz will pack the seats, because nobody beats 'em.  I can see Gil on a team like Charlotte, where they'll let him do whatever he wants.  It would be a shame for all those people with newly bought Agent Zero jerseys, but Caron, Antawn, DeShawn, and a few other players like Young and Mason are pretty exciting to watch, Arenas isn't the only one who can light it up.  

Continue reading "Way to go, Wizards"