It's only fitting to determine the feeling of the Redskins fan base now.  So vote and discuss.  no comments

Time to drop the Thumbs Up part.  It would be easier to just say, I have no words.  Perhaps that would be the simple, more accurate article.  How do you lose to a 1-6 team, on your Alumni homecoming, at home, the week before a Bye Week?  Simple, you call yourself the Washington Redskins. 

Once again, thumbs down to the secondary.  Again, receivers were uncovered and they were bitten by another play by the best receiver on the opposing team, Steve Smith.  Oh, and that was Smith's first TD all season.  Fitting.  Very fitting.  

Thumbs down to undisciplined football.  The Redskins committed 13 penalties for 94 yards.  Two penalties came at the end of the game on two separate TD passes.  They both allowed more time to be eaten from the clock.  Really pathetic display of football.  

Have to give a Thumbs Down to Tyler Polumbus and Kory Litchensteiger.  They were both awful today.  With Litch, he gets a bad rap for a bad game.  For Polumbus, it is becoming nothing short of a disturbing trend.  You can thank Mike Shanahan led front office for that for relying on Jammal Brown to start at right tackle with a plethora of hip issues and Polumbus being the backup in waiting. 

Ummm, a 1 yard screen pass to Brandon Banks with under 20 seconds left in the game?  Really?  One thing we got out of that is that we now know it is a great idea to put the ball in Banks hand to run the clock down.  Pathetic.  Absolutely pathetic.

In what Mike Shanahan himself titled a 'must win' game, the Redskins looked horribly flat.  The has to fall on the shoulders of Shanahan.    Although we all love the fact that Daniel Snyder has stepped out of the active role as an Owner/Manager, you have to wonder what that man must be thinking.  You also have to wonder what if the shortened leash on Shanahan is becoming a choke collar.  This game  was ever so evident of a poorly coached game, from start to finish.   

Now, post game, Shanahan says 'now we have a chance to evaluate players".  Translation:  Season over.  But, what Mike Shanahan should be concerned about is whether evaluation will benefit him or if his tenure in Washington went down with the Redskins on the field today.  No, I don't believe Snyder will replace Shanahan mid-season.  However, after four seasons of Mike Shanahan, the team is faring no better than they were under Jim Zorn.  That folks is the honest truth. 

Mike Shanahan also said post game that HE has got to do a better job and takes full responsibility.  The problem with that statement is the fact Shanahan is now in his third full season, not his first.  Somehow, that excuse and acceptance of responsibility is simply not acceptable.   

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Here is the list of inactives for the Redskins today.

QB Rex Grossman

WR Pierre Garcon

S Brandon Meriweather

OG Adam Gettis

CB Richard Crawford 

OG Maurice Hurt

Of Note:  WR Aldrick Robinson will start at wide receiver today opposite Josh Morgan.  The drops of Leonard Hankerson have spoken loudly.  Additionally, for the first time this season, third round pick OG Josh LeRibeus is active.  Maurice Hurt is inactive instead of LeRibeus. 

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WHO: Carolina Panthers [1-6] at the Washington Redskins [3-5]
WHAT: Week 9 of the 2012 NFL regular season
WHEN: Sunday on 4 November at 1 PM
WHERE: FedE Field in Landover, Maryland

VOTE IN OUR WEEKLY PICK'EM CONTEST!

GAME PREVIEW!

TV: Fox

RADIO: Panthers Radio Network, Redskins Radio Network

Live Streaming: NFL Sunday Ticket

Betting Line: Redskins (-3.5), according to Bovada.

Over/Under: 46.5, according to Bovada.

INJURIES: Panthers Injury Report (via CBS Sports)

LB Antwan Applewhite, Thigh, Missed Week 8

DL Dwan Edwards, Ankle, Left Week 8

DL Thomas Keiser, Elbow, Missed Week 8

Redskins Injury Report (via CBS Sports)

LB Perry Riley, Hamstring, Probable

WR Pierre Garcon, Foot, Missed Week 8

DB Brandon Meriweather, Knee, Missed Week 8

DL Doug Worthington, Calf, Missed Week 8

DISCUSS THIS IN OUR REDSKINS FAN FORUM

Record: 3-5
vs. NFC East: 0-1
vs. NFC: 3-3
Home: 1-2
Road: 2-3

Opposition cumulative record: 33-26
Record of teams defeated by the Redskins: 10-12
Record of teams defeating the Redskins: 23-14

Offense: A [6th in yards, 2nd in rushing, 4th in yards per pass attempt, 7th in scoring

Defense: D- [28th in scoring, 29th in yards, 4th in rushing, 31st in passing]

Special Teams: D

MVP Offense: QB Robert Griffin III [67% completion, 8 TD pass, 3 INT, 6 TD rush, 6.8 ypc]

MVP Defense: ILB Perry Riley [41 tackles, 8 assists, 5 misses]

Rookie of the Year: QB Robert Griffin III

Free Agent Bust: WR Pierre Garcon [8 rec, 153 yards, 1TD]

Most Disappointing Player: ILB London Fletcher [14 missed tackles]

The Washington Wizards lost their home opener tonight 89-86 to the Boston Celtics 89-86. The loss drops the Wizards to 0-2 while the Celtics got their first win of the season against two losses. 

The Wizards started horribly tonight -- much like their season opener in Cleveland -- and fell behind 19-2 in the first quarter. Trailing 26-12 after one quarter, Wizards Head Coach Randy Wittman turned to his bench and that worked, as the reserves dominated Boston and outscored the opposition 30-23 to cut the lead to 49-42 at halftime. Backup forward/center Kevin Seraphin, playing for the first time this year, went five for five from the field in the first half, scoring 10 points in 11 minutes on the court. Guard Jordan Crawford also contributed, mainly because he stopped shooting deep jumpers and actually attacked the basket -- something he needs to do a lot more often. 

The Wizards fell behind by double digits again in the third quarter, but again the reserves led the team back and this time Wittman left Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor and Bradley Beal on the bench where they belonged. The guard duo of starter A.J. Price and Jannero Pargo platooned during the second half, with Pargo scoring 9 points [4-7 shooting] and dishing 4 assists in 20 minutes. But it was Kevin Seraphin [19 points, 8-9 shooting, 7 rebounds, +17 court ratio] and Jordan Crawford [21 points, 8-14 shooting, 4 rebounds, 3 dimes, +17 court ratio] who led the team back. 

With just over 30 seconds left in regulation Kevin Seraphin took the ball on the right blocks with Kevin Garnett climbing all over him. Seraphin wasn't double-teamed, but obviously felt intimidated by the defensive pressure of Garnett and he threw the ball wildly out of the post and, indeed, out of the court. The turnover returned the ball to Boston with 28.2 seconds left. 

The Celtics got the ball in across half court off a time out and let Rondo set up a play. The ball eventually made its way in to Garnett just inside the free throw line. Garnett spun and, with Seraphin's hands in his face, fired an arcing turnaround jumper. The ball bounced off the rim and was grabbed by the Wizards. A quick timeout gave Washington the ball with 4.5 seconds left, but the play was a disaster. Martell Webster took the ball and, while falling out of bounds, fired up a wild turnaround 3-point jumper at the baseline. It was an airball and the ball went out of bounds on the Wizards. Boston took the ball back with 1.5 seconds left and the Wizards were forced to foul, giving Boston the final winning margin. 

Wizards starters shot 9-35 from the field and were outscored by an average of 15.2 points. Rookie Bradley Beal, the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, was terrible, missing all five shots from the field, scoring two points and generally looking as if he didn't want the ball and didn't want to be in the game. If that was the case his wish was eventually granted, as Beal had to be pulled for ineffectiveness for the second straight game and played only 22 minutes tonight -- contributing nothing to the team's effort. 

Trevor Ariza missed all four of his shots, didn't score and didn't even grab a rebound in 17 minutes on the floor. Meanwhile, his Boston counterpart, Paul Pierce, led all scorers with 27 points, including 4 of 8 on 3-pointers. Center Emaka Okafor missed 5 of 6 shots, scored only 3 points and pulled down 7 boards in 17 minutes. 

Coach Wittman needs to look seriously at shaking up his starting lineup after only two games. Seraphin was playing very well at the end of last season and he seems to have picked up right where he left off. He dominated Garnett in the post early with a variety of jump hooks and sweet post moves, scoring with both hands. My favorite shot, though, was a mid-range jumper when he stepped outside, the sort of shot that, if he can make it consistently, will make Seraphin an absolute monster in this league. 

Crawford may also deserve to start. I know he's a shameless shot-jacker, but he can score when he's on or when he's driving to the hoop, as he was tonight, and the starting lineup just isn't scoring at all. Beal looks nowhere near ready to play in the NBA and he's only hurting the team at this point.  

The Wizards next play on Wednesday, 7 November, in Boston against these same Celtics. 

WIZARDS PLAYER OF THE GAME: Kevin Seraphin [8-9 FG, 19 points, 7 REB, +17 court ratio, 29 minutes]

WIZARDS GOAT OF THE GAME: Trevor Ariza [0-4 FG, 0 Points, 0 REB, 0 AST, -18 court ratio, 17 minutes]

Freshman forward Riley barber has been nothing short of sensational so far...

Riley Barber

RW - Miami (Ohio) University - 18

No Caps prospect has had a better start to the season than Miami RedHawks forward Riley Barber. In fact the 2012 6th-round pick has already established himself as one of his team’s go-to offensive players, with four goals and four assists through the first six games of his NCAA career. He has also racked up a plus-3 rating. Barber was named the CCHA Rookie of the Week twice in a row and was named the national NCAA Rookie of the Month of October. Not a bad showing for a freshman…

Greg Burke

C – University of New Hampshire (NCAA) – 22

Senior Greg Burke is in his last season of eligibility with the Caps, and needs to impress to earn a contract. His start has certainly been decent. In his first five games, Burke has notched one goal and one assist to go along with a plus-2 rating. The 22-year-old will likely still need to be better, but it’s not a bad start.

Travis Boyd

C – University of Minnesota (NCAA) – 19

In two development camps since being drafted in the 6th-round in 2011, Travis Boyd’s play has been nothing but encouraging, leaving Caps fans intrigued about the 19-year-old’s potential. His play early in 2012-13 has backed that up. In five games with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, Boyd has two goals and two assists and is plus-2. If he continues to play well over time, he’ll begin to establish himself as a legitimate prospect.

The next stage of the NHL Lockout is complete.  The NHL has announced that the big hockey game of the year, the NHL Winter Classic, that is played on January 1 of each year, has been cancelled for 2013.  The game was slated for January 1, 2013 at Michigan University, a matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

In the six weeks since the lockout began, the work stoppage has caused the cancellation of hundreds of regular-season games, significant revenue loss and what may be irreversible damage to the game's reputation.

Friday, however, was the darkest day yet.

"It's definitely very disappointing," Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard said. "Not only was I looking forward to it but so were all my friends and family. It was going to be a great event not just for us but all the businesses and hotels and fans excited to see us and Toronto play."

A source familiar with the league's plan had told LeBrun the decision to cancel the game was green-lighted after a final internal meeting at NHL offices in New York on Friday morning. The league is expected to announce the cancellation on Friday afternoon.

It might be time to accept that hockey will not be back this season.  In any regard, it will be interesting to watch next season the impact a second lockout in eight years will have on an already antsy fan base.  The fact that the big cash cow game, the signature event that helps capture casual fans, was cancelled, speaks volumes to the divide that still exists between NHL Owenrs and the NHL Players Association. 

Where: FedEx Field

When: Sunday at 1 pm ET

Watch: Fox5-WTTG

Radio: SportsTalk 980 WTEM

Point Spread: Redskins -3.5

Over/Under: 46.5

Following a pair of road games, the Redskins return home, hosting the Carolina Panthers at Fed Ex Field. It's the annual "Homecoming" contest, with kickoff set for 1pm. Quarterback Robert Griffin III is closing in on yet another record, if he completes 24 passes, he will break Norm Snead's team record for completions by a rookie quarterback. Sunday's matchup is the 11th between the two teams, with the 'Skins holding a 7-3 edge. Washington is 5-0 all-time against the Panthers in games played at Fed Ex Field, but the combined margin of victory totals only 15 points. The Panthers are led by quarterback Cam Newton and arrive with a 1-6 record. Don't think for a minute that Carolina is going to be an easy win. The Panthers were blown out by the Giants 36-7 in week three, but their other five losses have come by a total of 18 points. The unbeaten Atlanta Falcons and once beaten Chicago Bears both were fortunate to come away with victories against the Panthers.

REDSKINS RULE

Unless you have been in a cave for the past six months, you know the election comes two days after the game. Many are wondering if the "Redskins Rule" holds true. In 17 of 18 Presidential elections since the Redskins moved to Washington in 1937, a Redskins win in the final home game before Election Day has meant a win for the incumbent party occupying the White House.

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PANTHERS: QB CAM NEWTON had 256 passing yards w/ 127.5 rating & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 pass) in only career meeting. Had 5th career 300-yard passing game vs. Bears (314). Has 11 rush TDs in 11 career road games…Since entering league in 2006, RB DE ANGELO WILLIAMS ranks 2nd in NFL with 5.0 rush avg. (min. 500 att.). When RB JONATHAN STEWART has 15+ att., Panthers are 14-4 (.778). Aims for 3rd in row with rush TD vs. Redskins…WR STEVE SMITH had 7 catches for 143 yards (20.4 avg.) in last meeting. Aims for 4th in row with 5+ rec. vs. Was. WR BRANDON LA FELL had TD catch in last meeting. Has 20+ yard catch in 6 of past 7…DE CHARLES JOHNSON had 2 sacks & 2 FF last week. Has 22.5 sacks in past 29. Had sack & FF in last meeting. Rookie LB LUKE KUECHLY leads team with 62 tackles. LB JAMES ANDERSON had sack & FR in last meeting. DT DWAN EDWARDS has career-high 4.5 sacks. DE GREG HARDY had career-high 3 sacks vs. Chi. & has 5 sacks in past 4. DE FRANK ALEXANDER is tied for 2nd among NFC rookies with 2.5 sacks. Rookie CB JOSH NORMAN had 1st career INT last week…REDSKINS: QB ROBERT GRIFFIN III leads NFL rookies with 66.8 comp. pct. & 97.3 rating. Is 1st among QBs with 476 rush yards & 6 TDs. His 6 rush TDs are 2nd most by any player…RB ALFRED MORRIS ranks 3rd in NFL with 717 rush yards, best among rookies. Has 454 rush yards in past 5 (90.8 per game). Is tied for 2nd in NFC with 5 rush TDs. Redskins are only team with 2 players (Griffin, Morris) with 5+ rush TDs each…WR SANTANA MOSS had TD catch vs. Pit. & has 5 TD in past 6. WR PIERRE GARCON avg. 19.1 yards per catch. TE LOGAN PAULSEN aims for 3rd in row with 4+ rec. TE NILES PAUL had career-long 37-yard catch last week…LB RYAN KERRIGAN had sack last week. Since 2011, is only NFL player with 10+ sacks (12) & 2+ INT-TDs (2). DE ADAM CARRIKER had career-high 1.5 sacks in last meeting. DT BARRY COFIELD has 1.5 sacks in past 2 meetings. LB LONDON FLETCHER aims for 5th meeting in row with 7+ tackles.

CONTINUE READING for more on the Panthers & Redskins

Gold Glove forst baseman Adam LaRoche and dependable reliver Sean Burnett have declined their mutual club options, making both eligible to hit the free agency market.  Both moves by the players were expected. 

Washington is apparently negotiating with LaRoche.  Reportedly, both sides have discussed contract parameters and both sides are interested in consummating a deal.  LaRoche stated last week that 'progress' was made in talks on a new deal. 

We shall see.  As for Burnett, Washington could look to re-ink Burnett.  Burnett is looking for a multi-year deal after signing a two year extension with the Nats in 2010, after being acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.