Week Twelve: Redskins @ Cowboys Preview

Written by tomblaz on . Posted in Washington Redskins

 

Where: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

When: Thursday, Nov. 22 at 4:15 p.m. ET

Watch: FOX

Listen: SportsTalk 980

Betting Line: Dallas (-3.5)

 

The Redskins are looking to break a three game losing streak against the Cowboys with Dallas winners in seven of the last eight meetings. The Cowboys are 28-15-1 all-time with wins in five of the last six years. Dallas has never lost in six Thansgiving Day meetings with Washington. After playing two games in five days, the 'Skins will have ten days before hitting the field again when the team returns to Fed Ex Field to face the New York Giants on Monday, December 3rd in Week 13.

 

DISCUSS THIS IN OUR REDSKINS FAN FORUM!

 

WASHINGTON REDSKINS  
Passing Cmp Att Yds TDs
Robert Griffin III 186 277 2193 12
Kirk Cousins 5 9 111 1
Rushing Car Yds Avg TDs
Alfred Morris 184 869 4.7 5
Robert Griffin III 93 613 6.6 6
Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs
Santana Moss 25 374 15 6
Leonard Hankerson 28 372 13.3 1

 

DALLAS COWBOYS  
Passing Cmp Att Yds TDs
Tony Romo 265 394 2916 13
Kyle Orton 9 10 89 1
Rushing Car Yds Avg TDs
DeMarco Murray 75 330 4.4 1
Felix Jones 88 321 3.6 3
Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs
Dez Bryant 57 735 12.9 4
Miles Austin 49 727 14.8 4

 

DALLAS

RB Felix Jones Ankle Questionable

WR Kevin Ogletree Concussion Questionable

CB Mike Jenkins Back Doubtful

RB DeMarco Murray Foot Doubtful

 

WASHINGTON

LB London Fletcher Ankle Questionable

WR Pierre Garcon Foot Questionable

TE Logan Paulsen Hip Questionable

 

Former Cowboys on Redskins:

Linebackers Coach Bob Slowik (1992 – Defensive Assistant)

DE Stephen Bowen (2006-10)

Former Redskins on Cowboys:

G Derrick Dockery (2003-06, 2009-10)

 

PREDICTION

The Redskins haven't won on Thanksgiving Day since George Allen led them to victory in Detroit. Washington's defense is riddled with injuries with linebacker London Fletcher a question mark. Does the Redskins offense have enough to outscore Tony Romo and the Cowboys? Pierre Garcon made a quiet return last week and is uncertain for Dallas and now tight end Logan Paulsen is banged up. A win by the Redskins moves them into a second place tie with the Cowboys in the NFC East, while a loss would be damaging to any post season hopes. We expect the 'Skins to score often, but the defense- especially the secondary- just doesn't have enough to slow Dallas.

Dallas 28 Washington 20

 

Tom Blaz Is Co-Owner of DC PRO & The Recruiting Eagle focusing on Auburn University Athletics.

 

 

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Mike Rizzo named Executive of the Year

Written by Mark Buterbaugh on . Posted in Washington Nationals

The Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association has named Washington Nationals General Manage Mike Rizzo the 2012 MLB Executive of the Year.  It would be quite difficult to justify any other choice.  The Mike Rizzo built roster has developed over the past few seasons based on a youth build model, building from within, supplemented by key free agent signings.  The Washington Nationals improved from 82-82 in 2011 to 98-64 in 2012.  The 98-64 record was the best record in Franchise history and the Nationals won the National League East division title for the first time in franchise history.  The Nationals appearance in the playoffs was the first by a Washington baseball club since 1933. 

Rizzo’s 2012 Nationals led MLB in victories (98) and run differential (+137) en route to ending D.C.’s 79-year postseason drought. Four Nationals players earned All-Star status, three won Louisville Slugger Silver Sluggers and another won a Rawlings Gold Glove. Upon entering the postseason fray, Rizzo had a hand in acquiring 21 of the 25 players on Washington’s NLDS roster.

Rizzo’s commitment to scouting and player development yielded the talent required to obtain hard-throwing lefthander Gio Gonzalez from Oakland in a six-player deal that included a quartet of home-grown prospects. Gonzalez subsequently signed a contract extension that runs through at least 2016 (club options ‘17 and ‘18) en route to leading MLB with 21 wins and finishing third in NL Cy Young voting.

n November of 2009, Rizzo convinced Davey Johnson, one of the game’s iconic minds, to sign on as Senior Advisor and help revamp the Nationals’ on-field operation. Little more than 18 months later, in June of 2011, Rizzo appointed him field manager. Last week, Johnson was named NL Manager of the Year by the BBWAA after completing his first full season at the Nationals’ managerial helm.

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Wizards fall to 0-9

Written by Thomas Threlkeld on . Posted in Washington Wizards

Determined to make last year's 0-8 start look like child's play, the Wizards fell 96-89 last night to the Indiana Pacers to fall to 0-9, with no end in sight to a season that is only a couple of weeks old, but already a complete nightmare. 

The Wizards went on the road to Indianapolis tonight and promptly dug themselves a big hole, falling behind by 15 points by the end of the first quarter. Once again, the starters were terrible, with QF Trevor Ariza compiling a truly amazing -22 court ratio in a mere 13 minutes. The starters hit 8 of 37 shots, or under 22% from the field. C Emeka Okafor played only nine minutes, missed all four shots he took, scored no points and grabbed one rebound. Washington's starting guards of AJ Price and Jordan Crawford combined to miss 16 of 20 shots and Price, the starting shooting guard, somehow managed to record zero assists in 24 minutes. 

This is a recurring theme with the Wizards, who get virtually no production from the starters, fall behind early and then depend on the reserves to get them back in the game. The reserves did that tonight, cutting the Pacers lead to three points twice in the fourth quarter, but, as always, they could not finish the job and the result is yet another loss in this truly embarrassing season. Inserting PF Jan Vesely and SG Jordan Crawford into the starting lineup does not seem to have helped.

As a team the Wizards shot 35.6% from the field and missed 13 of 17 from three point range. 

Jordan Crawford couldn't help the Wizards tonight [AP Photo/Darron Cummings]

David West destroyed Vesely and anyone else put on him by scoring 30 points on 10-14 shooting and a perfect 10 for 10 from the line. C Roy Hibbert battered the Wiz again, adding 20 points on 8 of 10 shooting, 12 rebounds and a +21 court ratio. Nobody else on the Pacers did much of anything, but their two big men were enough, as they completely dominated their counterparts on Washington all evening. 

Perhaps finally giving up on Okafor, Head Coach Randy Wittman started C Kevin Seraphin to begin the second half, but the young big man struggled with foul trouble, ending the game with five fouls. He scored 13 points on 11 shots in 25 minutes. Rookie guard Bradley Beal, who was demoted from the starting lineup, led the Wizards with 18 points, but he missed 8 of 12 shots from the field. New backup point guard Shaun Livingston led the comeback with 10 points on 12 shots and four assists, no turnovers and a +9 court ratio.

If it was me, I'd bench AJ Price, who is terrible and bears much of the responsibility for the team's consistently slow starts in games, and just start Livingston in  his place. Is Livingston truly ready to start for a team he just joined? Probably not, but he's still better than Price, who can't shoot, keeps shooting and does not distribute the ball well either. 

The Wizards are terrible and there is no sign of improvement on the horizon. Peraps they will be a much different team when F/C Nene and PG John Wall return to the lineup, but no one knows when that will be. In the mean time, Wizards fans -- and, miraculously, some do remain -- must suffer by watching perhaps the worst team in franchise history. 

And that's really saying something. 

Brandon Meriweather is done for the season

Written by Thomas Threlkeld on . Posted in Washington Redskins

Well, that didn't last long. [Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast/AP]

The 2012 season of Redskins SS Brandon Meriweather -- all 2+ quarters of it -- is over. Meriweather suffered repeated injuries to his left knee this season, which delayed his debut until yesterday, the tenth game of the season. Early in the third quarter Meriweather appeared to injure his right knee with no contact, collapsing to the ground. He later jogged on the sidelines and seemed to indicate the injury was not too serious. He was wrong.

Meriweather ruptured the ACL in his right knee, ending his 2012 season almost before it began. 

The strong safety played well in his Redskins debut, intercepting a pass in the first quarter and adding 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and two passes defensed for good measure. A solid day's work in just over half a game, but it is all the Skins will get out of Meriweather this year.

The Redskins will go back to SS Reed Doughty as the starter, I presume. 

Meriweather is in the first year of a two-year, $6 million contract he signed back in March. 

Tracking the Rookie Quarterbacks: Week 11

Written by Thomas Threlkeld on . Posted in Washington Redskins

 

Below is our week 11 evaluation of all the rookie quarterbacks starting in the NFL this season. Below that is how we have evaluated all the rookie quarterbacks over the course of the 2012 season. 

Week 11

PLAYER

COMP

%

YARDS

TD/

INT

AVG PER PASS

RUSH

YARDS

TD

PASS

RTG

W/L
Robert Griffin 93.3 200 4/0 13.3 84 0 158.3 W, 31-6
Andrew Luck 54.0 334 2/3 6.7 4 0 63.2 L, 24-59
Ryan Tannehill 50.0 141 1/2 5.0 7 0 46.9 L, 14-19
Brandon Weeden 57.1 210 2/0 6.0 0 0 93.8 L, 20-23
Russell Wilson -- -- - - -- - -- BYE WEEK

Not a close competition this week, as Robert Griffin III had a perfect passer rating, completing over 93 percent of his passes, throwing four TD passes, rushing for 84 yards and never turning the ball over. Essentially, he was Washington's offense in their 31-6 blowout of division rival Philadelphia. No other rookie QB playing this past week came close to that performance, arguably the best of RG3's young career. 

Andrew Luck did some good things against the Patriots, but he also helped the competition with four turnovers, including three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. In other words, he threw as many TD passes to the Patriots as he did to the Colts. And that's how you give up 59 points. After a couple of weeks where it looked like he  might take over this competition, Luck took a step back on Sunday. 

Ryan Tannehill struggled against a truly awful Buffalo Bills defense. [The Eagles and Patriots don't play great defense either, but the Bills are absolutely horrid at everything to do with stopping NFL offenses. Probably wouldn't be good at stopping college or high school offenses either.] Tannehill was having a very good October, but the wheels have come off the last two weeks, as he's thrown 1 TD and 5 picks in that time. 

Brandon Weeden played pretty well in Little D against the Cowboys, throwing two TD passes and turning the ball over only once, on a fumble. The Browns blew a 13-point halftime lead to lose in overtime, but at least Weeden showed some progress. After not throwing a TD pass in three straight games and looking quite horrible during that time, the 29-year-old rookie showed he hasn't hit the rookie wall yet. 

Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks enjoyed a bye week. 

Weekly WinnerRobert Griffin III [Redskins]

2012 Season To Date

PLAYER

COMP

%

YARDS

TD/

INT

AVG

PER

PASS

RUSH

YARDS

TD

PASS

RATING

W/L
Robert Griffin 67.1 2193 12/3 7.9 613 6 101.0 4-6
Andrew Luck 57.0 2965 12/12 7.2 163 5 77.2 6-4
Ryan Tannehill 58.1 2120 6/11 6.9 30 1 70.8 4-6
Brandon Weeden 55.3 2298 11/12 6.2 64 0 70.3 1-9
Russell Wilson 62.1 1827 15/8 7.2 189 0 90.5 6-4

SEASON WINNER TO DATERobert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

2. Russell Wilson [Seahawks]

3. Andrew Luck [Colts]

4. Brandon Weeden [Browns]

5 Ryan Tannehill [Dolphins]

Redskins Roundup: Victory Monday

Written by Thomas Threlkeld on . Posted in Washington Nationals

 

Robert Griffin III truly is one of a kind
 
 
When it comes to Washington's 31-6 rout of the Eagles yesterday, I have the good, the bad, the ugly and what it all means in The 5th Quarter. Check it out.
 
Who played well for the Redskins yesterday and who did not? Find out by reading Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down.
 
What did the experts think of Washington's win yesterday? Find out in the Monday AM Pundit Report.
 
Mike Jones writes about Washington's banner day on defense yesterday. Among other things, it was the first time the Skins defense had not given up a touchdown in a game since December 2008 against.... the Eagles. 
 
John Keim writes more about the defensive effort, particularly the improvement in the secondary. 
 
Strong safety Brandon Meriweather, making his season debut, intercepted a hurried Foles on the next series. Meriweather did nothing special on the interception other than to be in the right spot at the right time. He was active most of the game, though he left in the second half with another knee sprain. He will be re-evaluated Monday.
 
"He brought a lot of energy," Hall said. "He was definitely a playmaker."
 
Said Meriweather about the secondary: "It was just the fact that the four starters together for the first time [made us] upbeat. Everything falls on us, so we played like it."
 
 
The secondary all deserve game balls for holding DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin to a combined two catches for five yards (all by Jackson). They used a variety of coverages and there were times Cedric Griffin was covering one of the wideouts, so it wasn’t just one or two guys. They always mix man and zone and did a good job of it Sunday. They also took advantage of an Eagles’ line that has undergone many changes this season and had a different player at three positions this week. That leads to continuity and communication issues and the Redskins took advantage.
 
Here is a bit more on the impact SS Brandon Meriweather made in 2+ quarters on the field.
'
QB Robert Griffin III had a perfect passer rating of 158.3, the first rookie QB to do so. RG3 became only the third player in the Super Bowl era to throw for four TD and rush for at least 80 yards in a game. The others? Randall Cunningham of the Eagles in 1990 and Michael Vick of the Eagles in 2010 -- who did it against the Redskins on Monday night. RG3 also became the winningest rookie QB in Redskins history yesterday. If you want to see all those facts expressed as photos of TV chyrons, Dan Steinberg can hook you up.
 
However, the NFL won't recognize RG3's perfect passer rating. Rich Tandler explains
 
The NFL, however, will not recognize those accomplishments in its record book. That is because they have a minimum of 20 attempts for passer marks such as completion percentage or rating to count.
 
The idea is that they don’t want to let somebody sneak into the record books by doing well on just a few attempts. You can perhaps quibble with the number but it is what it is.
 
But here is the thing. If Griffin had thrown the five additional passes required to have his rating “count” in the record books and all of them had been incomplete he still would have had that perfect 158.3 rating.
 
That’s right. RG3 was so much better than perfect yesterday he had that much of a cushion.
 
Jason Reid gets it right: RG3 is carrying the Redskins offense on his shoulders. He was the difference between the Eagles and Redskins yesterday. But in a larger sense, he's the difference between the Redskins being the mediocre team they are right now and being the winless, hopeless team they would be without him. It's RG3 or the void, people. 
 
Rich Snider has more on RG3's perfect day.
 
Dan Steinberg writes up his best and worst from yesterday's win. My favorite is an ESPN stat: RG3 became the first Redskins QB to throw at least three TD passes of at least 60 yards since Mark Rypien did it in 1991. 
 
Rich Tandler gives us a quick peek at Washington's next opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, whom the Skns will play on Thanksgiving: 
 
The Cowboys’ line already was a weak unit but it looks like their best lineman will miss Thursday’s game and perhaps more.
 
Left tackle Tyron Smith suffered a high ankle sprain in the first Dallas’ overtime win over the Browns. Cleveland’s pass rush had a field day as they racked up seven sacks of Tony Romo.
 
Jermey Parnell, a second-year player who went undrafted coming out of Mississippi, played in Smith’s spot. That is quite a dropoff.
 
If Smith does miss the Redskins game, and it seems virtually certain that he will, it is not known if Parnell will play left tackle or if other shuffling will take place. In any case, it could be another opportunity for the Redskins, who sacked Nick Foles four times on Sunday, to get their pass rush rolling.
 
Dan Daly writes that the Eagles look as if they are on the verge of extinction.

Redskins Monday AM Pundit Reporty: 31-6 Win Over the Eagles

Written by Mark Buterbaugh on . Posted in Washington Redskins

New team captain, rookie QB Robert Griffin III, acted very much like a team captain and more.  In fact, with a passer rating of 158.3, Griffin was nearly perfect.  He threw one completion all day, completing 14 of 15 attempts, had an impressive 13.3 yards per attempt, and added four TD tosses to a great day.  On top of all that, Griffin rushed for 84 yards.  Griffin's effort were rewarded by a Redskins defense that did not allow a single Philly TD.  As RGIII stated, the Redskins are not out of the playoff hunt, but probably need to win out.  A 31-6 thrashing of the Eagles at home is a damn good way to start.  Let's see whatthe media pundits have to say on the Monday after. 

ESPN, Last Call, John Clayton

As if Eagles coach Andy Reid didn't have enough problems, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan taught him the proper way to use a rookie quarterback. Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan, Mike's son and the Redskins' offensive coordinator, understand one of the keys to having rookie quarterbacks succeed is to minimize the number of throws in a game. The more a rookie quarterback throws, the greater chance he has of losing. The 2012 class of rookie quarterbacks is 5-21 in games in which they attempt 31 or more passes.

CBS Sports, Judgements, Clark Judge

RG3 vs. Philadelphia. Not only did he produce a perfect passer rating (158.3); he missed only one of 15 passes for a 93.3 completion percentage and had four touchdowns. It was the best percentage for a quarterback with four TDs since Steve Young did it in 1994.

CNNSI, Monday Morning Quarterback, Peter King

Robert Griffin III just had a game for the ages. Anyone notice?

Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington. The best game of a precocious rookie season: 14 of 15, 200 yards passing, four touchdowns, no picks; 12 rushes, 84 yards, in the 31-6 rout of the Eagles. I talked to a long-time NFC East executive Sunday night, and he said: "I am not happy this guy's in our division for the next 15 years. In fact, I'm pissed." And this from Santana Moss, who made one of the touchdown catches, a spectacular one: "Robert's going to go out there and keep being special. He ignites our fire.''

CNNSI, Don Banks, Snap Judgements

Robert Griffin III could play another 15 years in the NFL and never have a crisper game than the one he turned in against Philadelphia. Griffin had just one pass hit the ground, going 14 of 15 for 200 yards, with four touchdowns -- nicely spacing them one in each quarter.  I think it's safe to say Griffin came out of Washington's bye week refreshed and ready to go. No sign of hitting the dreaded rookie wall just yet.

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Redskins Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

Written by Thomas Threlkeld on . Posted in Washington Redskins

THUMBS UP

ROBERT GRIFFIN III -- It's an obvious choice, but no less deserved for that fact. Griffin was almost flawless today, completing 14 of 15 passes for 200 yards [13.3 yards per attempt], with 4 TD, zero turnovers and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. Griffin also ran for 84 yards, with several runs coming on amazing scrambles that left multiple Eagles defenders grasping at air and the young signal-caller slipped loped away for a big first down. At times it seemed as if the only thing working properly on the offense today was RG3, which seems strange to consider since the team scored 31 points, but anyone who saw the game would realize the truth. The offensive line and even tailback Alfred Morris committed multiple motion penalties and once in the third quarter the Redskins had to take a timeout because nobody could figure out which personnel was supposed to be on the field. It was a real mess. RG3 bailed the Skins out on that drive by running for a first down on a third down scramble and then launching a 61-yard TD pass to WR Santana Moss, who beat two larger defenders to catch the ball. That drive was a metaphor for the offense today -- mistake-filled and often ugly, but ultimately successful because of the athleticism and skill of the rookie quarterback. When a desperate Redskins team need him the most, RG3 delivered with perhaps the best game of his young NFL career. 

PERRY RILEY -- Few have noticed that ILB Perry Riley has been the team's best linebacker this season and maybe the team's best defensive player. Riley had six tackles today, including three tackles for loss. He also had a beautiful sack on a great stunt blitz call by Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett, who sent the inside 'backer out wide to rush the passer. Riley also had two QB hits and knocked down a pass. The only blemish on an otherwise nearly-perfect performance was the roughing the passer penalty Riley drew in the fourth quarter. It wasn't an egregious foul by Riley, though, so I don't hold it against him too much. 

Honorable Mention: FB Darrel Young continues to be a quietly fantastic player. He touched the ball only once today, but made it count by slipping out into the flat for an easy 6-yard TD reception on Washington's second offensive play from scrimmage. The score gave Washington a lead it never gave up. Apart from that, Young just continued to be a fantastic blocker, both for Alfred Morris and RG3. You can see why Young is a favorite of the Shanahans -- he does what he is supposed to do and he almost always does it very well. 

THUMBS DOWN

PENALTIES -- Only one thumbs down today on an otherwise terrific performance by the Redskins today, but it is a big one. Washington committed 13 penalties for almost 100 yards two weeks ago, in their loss to the Panthers, just before the bye week. Today demonstrated the Redskins have done nothing to fix this glaring problem. The offensive line and tailback had constant problems with motion penalties and those were particularly frustrating because they are so preventable. The Redskins are the most penalized team in the NFL this year and the embattled coaching staff bears responsibility for this travesty. Is anyone being held responsible for these mistakes? Are punishments being handed out? Why do the same players -- I'm looking at you, LG Kory Lichtensteiger -- continue to make the same mistakes and there appears to be no consequences for this incompetence. Washington had 25 penalties for about 170 yards in their last two games. That's completely unacceptable. I know it. You know it. But do the players know it? If not, why not. If so, why does it keep happening. 

The 5th Quarter: Redskins 31 Eagles 6

Written by Thomas Threlkeld on . Posted in Washington Redskins

IT WAS OVER WHEN... Redskins QB Robert Griffin III dropped back to pass and, as the pocket closed around him, he calmly fired a frozen rope of a pass to the outside shoulder of TE Logan Paulsen, who hauled the ball in and twisted in the defender's arms into the end zone. The extra point put the Redskins up 31-6 with 10:35 left in the game. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING... Both rookie quarterbacks today threw for about 200 yards [200 for RG3, 204 for Nick Foles], but Robert Griffin III was far more efficient in doing so. Foles completed 21 of 46 passes [46%], threw two interceptions and averaged a mere 4.4 yards per pass for a passer rating of 40.5. RG3 threw only 15 passes, completed 14 of them, 4 for touchdowns and averaged 13.3 yards per pass for a perfect passer rating of 158.3. In addition to having almost literally a perfect passing day, RG3 also ran the ball 12 times for 84 yards [7.0 per carry], which includes a kneel-down at the end of regulation. 

Griffin completed 14 passes to nine different receivers and no receiver had more than three catches. All four touchdown passes were thrown to receivers who did not catch another pass all day. RG3 has no  go-to receiver because with TE Fred Davis lost for the season, no receiver on the team is good enough to merit that status. Understanding this, RG3 spreads the ball around, looking not for a reliable receiver, but just for anyone who might get open on the play. I believe this is improving Griffin's decision-making ability and should serve him well in coming seasons.

I LIKED THAT... The much-and-correctly-maligned defense did not give up a touchdown today. True, they were facing a rookie quarterback in his first start, but the Redskins defense has failed eight straight games against rookie signal-callers. Not today. The defense tackled well, adjusted to Philly's early success with the screen pass and did not allow dangerous deep wideouts Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin to do what they've often done against the Redskins -- get open deep for big plays in the passing game. 

The Redskins defense was hitting hard today, particularly SS Brandon Meriweather, ILB Perry Riley and F/SS DeJon Gomes. Meriweather had a very strong game before injuring his right knee to continue his cursed 2012 season. Riley, who has been Washington's best linebacker this year, had six tackles, a sack a pass defensed and three tackles for loss. If he hadn't gotten flagged for roughing the passer, Riley might have had a perfect game, too. 

RG3 was virtually perfect today. When the Skins needed him the most, Griffin may have played the best game of his young career. Not only was he mostly careful with the ball and making big plays in the passing game -- he threw a 49-yard TD pass to WR Aldrick Robinson and a 61-yard TD pass to WR Santana Moss -- Griffin repeatedly bailed out Washington's offense with his feet, rushing for 84 yards, including some big first downs. 

I DID NOT LIKE THAT... The Skins continue to be a mistake-prone team, both on offense and defense. They avoided the turnovers this week, which is good, but again they committed one stupid, careless penalty after another. Two weeks ago, in their last game before the bye, the Redskins committed 13 penalties for almost 100 yards against the Panthers, including two that negated touchdowns. Today, the Redskins committed 12 penalties for 75 yards, with the most egregious being the persistent motion penalties on the offensive line and TB Alfred Morris, who committed two by himself. The Redskins are a sloppy, mistake-prone, careless and undisciplined team and I wonder where the accountability is for all this. Is anyone being punished for all this? The Redskins are the most penalized team in the NFL and that is a terrible reflection upon the coaching staff.

 The Redskins had two chances to get 12 inches and failed both times, turning the ball over on downs at the Eagles' 20-yard line. The first play was a QB sneak that gained nothing and the second was a handoff to TB Alfred Morris that lost a couple of feet due to a complete collapse of the right side of the offensive line. The next time someone tells you the Redskins' offensive line has really played well this year, remember those two plays, when Washington could not get a foot on two chances. 

AND IT ALL MEANS... Eagles head coach Andy Reid feels a lot more heat than Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan -- at least for this week. The Redskins had lost the last three coming into today and the last two games looked very bad. The Redskins had lost eight straight games to rookie quarterbacks and Mike Shanahan had not won with the Redskins after a bye week. All those negative streaks ended. Meanwhile, the Redskins got to bury the Eagles, who lost their sixth straight game and sink to 3-7. 

The Redskins have six games left and four of them are against NFC East opponents. They will have a chance to make something of their season if they play well enough -- and that effort continues in four days on Thanksgiving in Dallas against the hated Cowboys. Washington's playoff hopes are laughably slim, but the notion that the Redskins have nothing to play for but talent evaluation -- an opinion impolitically offered by Mike Shanahan two weeks ago after the loss to Carolina -- is dead for now. The Redskins have something to play for in 2012 and it isn't pride or the future. Games still matter for the Redskins. That's the good news. 

The other good news: RG3 just gets better and better. If Washington can't build a championship team around this young man and his enormous talent, then... I don't know how to finish that sentence. Griffin has champion written all over him. Now he needs a team around him. 

Hapless Wizards Fall To 0-8

Written by tomblaz on . Posted in Washington Wizards

It was a great opportunity for Washington to pickup their first win of the season, but Utah handed the Wizards their eighth loss of the 2012-'13 campaign by a 83-76 count.

The Jazz were playing back to back nights, but used 21 points from center Al Jefferson to hold on for the win. The Wizards continue to play without injured stars John Wall and Nene.

"That's not an excuse," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "We've got enough here to win games, and we do -- and we've got to believe that. I've got to help them believe in themselves right now. We're low on confidence right now from an offensive standpoint."

Jordan Crawford led the Wizards with 20 points while Trevor Ariza was the only other in double figures with 16.

Fans seem more interested in a promotion late in the game and were rewarded with free sandwiches from Chick Fil-A.

The Wizards return to action tomorrow night against the Indiana Pacers at the Verizon Center.

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