Pro Bowl Open Thread

Means nothing, is still footballThe 2010 Pro Bowl kicks off in one hour, which is different from previous years, there is a whole lot to talk about: This is the first time ever that the all-star game has been held before the championship game; and to make matters even more different, this is the first time since 1979 that the game has not been held in Honolulu Hawaii, it is being held this year in the same town as the Super Bowl, in this year's...

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Championship Games Open Thread

Super Bowl on the lineTwo great games on Championship Sunday, this is the last time there will be two NFL games in the same day until the start of the 2010 season, enjoy watching the two berths into the Super Bowl determined.New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts, 3:00pm ET, CBSConsensus line: Colts minus 8.5Curly R spread pick: ColtsCurly R straight up pick: ColtsThe kind of game football fans love, when the Colts pulled Peyton Manning and their...

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Social Event Journal: Redskins Writers Night at the Ballpark, 6/10/2009

...has been moved here.All pictures and video by me except for the one of Joe Theismann coming off the field, that one is from the Washington Post he...

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Sunday Division Playoffs Open Thread

It's a beeg juanUpdate Monday 18 Jan by Ben: Man I love to see Tony Romo take a beating. And how can you not think the Colts-Jets game next week is going to be a great game?Two more playoff games to sate your ravenous hunger for football, and in the traditional 1pm and 4pm time slots, I like the 4pm and 8pm deal for Saturdays, it would not work for me tonight as the only thing that trumps playoff football is on tonight: the two hour season eight...

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This Is So Crazy There Is No Way It Can Be True

Right?This morning I got an anonymous comment on a thread from last week:Redskin QB rumor in Philly. Schanahan [sic] wants his old QB Jay Cutler. Philly trades McNabb back to his old hometown in Chicago, Chicago sends Cutler to Redskins. Philly gets draft picks in 3 way deal.I went on to the intertubes and was unable to find any substantiation, not even a recitation of the rumor. So I have no idea where that comes from.Still, conceptually there...

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What Are You Doing to Support NFL Playoffs?

Whatever it is, it is not as much we're doingA glorious playoff Sunday, fifty degrees Fahrenheit, still and no chance of rain, this is our playoffs configuration on Swarthmore, two propane patio heaters, a fire pit and Shed TVTM, that is neighbor Bill on the left and neighbor Scott on the right. As I write this we have already added two more, neighbor Paul and neighbor Michael, Tony Almeida cannot be far behind.Enjoy the game, this first one looks...

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Saturday Division Playoffs Open Thread

Bring it onWhat a glorious thing is playoff football, I will be glued to the toob from 4pm until midnight, we have two great games on tap for today.Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints, 4:30pm ET, FOXConsensus line: Saints -7Curly R spread pick: CardinalsCurly R straight up pick: CardinalsYou cannot do much better as a quarterback than Kurt Warners 154.7 quarterback rating last week in the epic slugfest against the Packers. Will Kurt continue...

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Take a Break Kids

ChillIt's what I'm doing, two draining hard days in the real world and I have no energy to write what must be written about the retirement of offensive line coach Joe Bugel and the hiring of defensive coordinator Jim 'bullcrap plays' Haslett.Hopefully these moves signal a wholesale changing of the guard, time for a fresh start for the Washington Redskins.In other new, the wife, in a move of epic galactic proportions is taking herself and my three...

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Jim Zorn Would Not Be a Good Fit in Chicago

Don't do it JimNow that the smoke of getting fired has blown over, Jim Zorn's name is surfacing as a candidate for other NFL jobs, we always knew, no matter how bad it got, that Jim Zorn had made a lot of friends in thirty years in the league and there would be PLENTY of suitors that would not hold his Washington experience against him, at least for positions below head coach.First it was Cleveland, that speculation swirled mainly before new president...

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Housekeeping

Definition of cock upThanks to Rich Tandler for the heads up, commenting on Curly R went down at some point since last week, I had been worrying about this and done nothing about it out of incredible laziness and a sincere hatred of blog maintenance.Haloscan, one of the oldest and simplest blog commenting platforms on the internets was acquired by JS-Kit in 2008, they had been nagging me for some time to migrate to their native platform and I declined,...

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Your Redskins Connection to Last Night's Record Setting Playoff Game

Barn burnerLast night we witnessed the highest scoring postseason game in NFL history as the Cardinals held off the Packers in Arizona 51-45, the total of 96 points surpasses the total of 95 in the Eagles 58-37 victory over the Lions on 30 December 1995.After putting my two year old to bed I headed over to neighbor Bill's to watch the end of the game, I arrived at his house with about twelve minutes remaining in regulation... and still witnessed...

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Sunday Wildcard Playoffs Open Thread

Rematch reduxUpdate by Ben Sunday 11pm: Once again I was wrong about both games, that drops me to 0-4 and 0-8 for the weekend, everyone loves to see the Patriots take a beating and if there is are local deal for free pizza toppings for every Cardinals or Packers touchdown, there are going to be some heavy pizzas delivered today.Sunday playoff football in the traditional 1pm and 4pm ET slots, a good way to cap a weekend and ensure my Monday is not...

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Saturday Wildcard Playoffs Open Thread

Rematch!Update by Ben, Sunday 9am: Boy was I wrong about both of these games, the Jets backed up Rex Ryan's trash talking, I would expect the Bengals kicker to face some competition in camp next season, if he makes it that long. In the other game, a strange combination of the Cowboys looking stronger than I expected with the Eagles looking weaker than I expected. Dallas just has too many weapons on offense, the Cowboys are neighbor Bill's pick...

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The Real Reason to Love the Mike Shanahan Hiring

Because it pisses off Cowboys fansA conventional wisdom formed as the 2009 season waned once it became apparent that Redskins coach Jim Zorn and Cowboys coach Wade Phillips were both on the hot seat, with Mike Shanahan wanting back in the game the football tastemakers wondered, was Dallas or Washington a better fit?That conventional wisdom was that Dallas was a better fit because the Cowboys were shovel ready, they were better put together from top...

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The Eleven Things to Hate Most About the 2009 Redskins

Only eleven?Danny Rouhier is here with his final Redskins video of the 2009 season, a list of grievances and sore spots from these past sixteen games, enjoy and please visit YouTube channel and tell him how much you enjoyed these videos.Danny, thanks for making us laugh and I hope to see you in the 2010 offseason.YouTube from he...

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Kevin Ewoldt from Hogs Haven and CSN's Rich Tandler on NBC 4

Wait I thought we always wore pajamasChris Gordon, longtime reporter for NBC's channel four affiliate in Washington DC, has been making the rounds of area Redskins bloggers to gauge reaction of the media underclass to the firing of Jim Zorn and the hiring of Mike Shanahan. Wednesday I got my thirty seconds on a street corner near Capitol Hill in the piece on the the hiring of coach Shanahan.Monday Chris caught up with Kevin Ewoldt of Hogs Haven, the SBN big dog Redskins blog, and Rich Tandler, the godfather of Redskins bloggers who writes for...

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Being and Becoming the Team Fans Want

Bet his first film study was this press conferenceMike Shanahan has begun his tenure as head coach of the Washington Redskins. It is true, that is a true fact. And that guy seated next to him at Wendesday's introductory press conference was not team owner Dan Snyder, it was new actual general manager Bruce Allen. The Redskins have a real actual general manager, also a true fact, that actually happened.You are not dreaming. Rub your eyes, it is all...

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Curly R's Appearance on NBC 4

I really don't look that much like Ted KoppelYesterday I spent five minutes outside for a blogger on the street interview with NBC 4's Chris Gordon on the Redskins' hiring of Mike Shanahan.FYI the point in this video where the audio cuts off in my shot is where the segment goes back to the studio for the live wrapup with Chris.Embedded video from he...

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The Redskins Got Their Football Guy

Student of the gameIt is official, the Redskins have hired Mike Shanahan to be the 28th coach in team history, completing a leap from a failed experiment with an inexperienced head coach and an ineffective football management team to a franchise with an actual general manager and coach with deep experience in football operations.Dan Snyder armed coach Shanahan with a five year deal worth approximately seven million dollars a year and handed over...

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Mike Shanahan Is In Charge of the Redskins

Oh yes there will be yellingIt is official, or rather not official official, it is leaked official, the Washington Post is reporting that the Redskins have signed former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan as head coach and head of football operations, coach Shanahan may have near complete control over football operations. Details will start to pour out in the morning and we will learn more, my expectation is that Bruce Allen is in charge of putting together...

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Report: Redskins and Mike Shanahan Have an Agreement In Principle

Coming to townQueue it up kids, the Denver Post is reporting that Mike Shanahan and the Redskins have an agreement in principle making Mike the seventh Redskins head coach in the Dan Snyder era, hat tip to Jason Reid for the news.The rumored contract particulars are five years in the neighborhood of seven million dollars a year and I would have to assume a high degree of control over player personnel.Dan Snyder is about to do it to us again.Mike...

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Can't Wait Around to Start Talking Offseason

Time is a wastingThe Washington Post's Jason Reid reports that Mike Shanahan's agent has been summoned from whatever wretched hive of scum and villainy agents dwell in to get down to brass tacks on a contract for Mike, it is still perplexing that it is taking this long, I mean seriously, the team negotiated a one hundred million dollar contract with defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth in five hours so what is the hold up?Methinks Mike has Redskins...

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GET ON WITH IT ALREADY

What is the hold up? We need to get moving!Come on guys, Mike Shanahan has been in town since last night, he was courted at Redskins owner Dan Snyder's riverside manse with the conveniently unobstructed view of the Potomac River, there was even a report that Dan and Mike were heading out to a Reston restaurant, I have a feeling they were not headed to Champp's for a beer and a bowl game.Move it people, the offseason is here and we need to get things...

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No Late Word on Shanahan But We Can Confirm He Is In Town

Maybe he's just here to visit Udvar-HazyThe first time I read Dan Hellie's tweet today that Mike Shanahan was in town and spotted getting into Redskins owner Dan Snyder's Maybach I thought it was a joke, hyperbole at worst, as I troll teh internets looking for late night leaks that the deal is done, I came across this video, it appears to depict actual Mike Shanahan at an airport getting into an actual Maybach.Let me tell Redskins fans that this is a done deal, Dan Snyder does not bring Mike Shanahan into town and be seen and risk the FAIL if the...

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Reports: Mike Shanahan Is In Washington

If this is the way it is going to be then let's get on with itThroughout the day reports placed owner Dan Snyder's Redskins One jet in Colorado then back in Washington, multiple sources have reported that Mike Shanahan was on that plane and is now in town.Tim Brant at ABC 7 reported that as we speak Dan and Mike are at Dan's palatial estate, the one with the unobstructed view of the Potomac River and that later they may make an appearance at a quote...

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Goodbye Jim Zorn

No longer your Redskins head coachAs we welcomed Jim Zorn on the day he was hired two years ago, so do we bid farewell to Jim Zorn on the day he was dismissed.Coach Zorn's tenure as head coach of the Redskins was 694 days and a wake up, or rather a stay up as he was dismissed in the wee hours after a sleepless flight from California and a late night in Ashburn.In those nearly seventeen thousand hours as head coach, the Redskins amassed twelve wins...

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I Can Already Feel the Rope

See you at dawnTakeaway Drill: Going out fighting and coming up short just like so many other times; could not even beat their backups; a familiar story with no blocking and critical mistakes from key players; Norval Turner ten years on looks like a pretty good coach.=====Quick jump toMonday Walkthrough :: Soapbox :: Chattering Class :: Omnibus Spotlights :: Recaps and Stats====Monday Walkthrough: Falling down, no blocking, mistakes from key players,...

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