vs. 
Out of the Box: Welcome to NFL Redskins 2010 campers, football fetishists may finally come out into the open with your banging and your booming and your stuff hanging out, the Buffalo Bills are in town for a preseason game, 7:30 pm ET on local media in both cities.
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Quick jump to
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The Story So Far: New head coach and staff, new real actual general manager, new starting quarterback, new second and third string quarterbacks, new defensive scheme, [mostly] new offensive line, not a lot of owner Dan Snyder, what is not to love about the 2010 Redskins?
But before we go any further, let us go back, way back to 2009. Booed off the field in a home win, intrigue and backstabbing as the owner interviewed black men for positions that were not technically open, hiring a retired bingo caller as offensive consultant then handing him playcalling duties, fan discontent, disturbing imagery, uprising, war on the fans and a Burgundy Revolution, injuries, injuries, injuries, injuries, injuries, injuries, injuries, injuries, injuries and more injuries, all culminating in a 4-12 record.
Shadow general manager Vinny Cerrato dismissed finally and a new real actual general manager hired, head coach Jim Zorn fired on the plane ride home, speculation, then new coach Mike Shanahan. A disappearing owner, HOLY SHIT DONOVAN MCNABB, offensive linemen by the truckload, a new defense. An obvious strategy to rebuild in place and win now.
Basically the 2010 Redskins are an whole new team, even if much of the plumbing remains.
Two weeks into training camp and the team is whole, Albert Haynesworth finally passed that dang test and fuckall if he don't like the defense after all. What was that offseason holdout all about again?
Competition at all positions, no serious injuries yet in camp.
Things are looking good so far. Any questions?
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Curly R Aside: Conflatulations to Redskins former right guard Russ Grimm, Russ was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame on Sunday and did it with class, citing his linemates as the the real reason he gained the Hall's notice. Russ was a tough ass and larger than life player who starred on the Redskins in the adolescent and high school primes of my Redskins fandom, as Redskins fans we knew early in life the value of a solid offensive line, Russ' eleven years on the team, 1981 through 1991, perfectly encapsulated Washington's most successful years, Redskins fans were so drunk on power in those days that the hangover of mediocrity the past twenty years has hard to come to terms with.
Aside from Brian Mitchell, the most prolific return man in NFL history, and former left tackle Joe Jacoby of the Hogs era, I cannot think of another Canton-worthy Redskins player in the past thirty years. If you can, drop it here in comments.
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Oppo Research: It is the frigging Bills, what the hell am I supposed to know about them? Is there anything knowable about the Bills? They are like a Jackson Pollack painting, I do not get it and cannot understand why anyone would spend money on it. Check Hogs Haven here and here and Buffalo Rumblings for more, one thing I can say for certain about the Bills, just knowing there is a Bills team out there makes me feel better about being a Redskins fan.
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Trainer's Table: Future ex-Redskins receiver Malcolm Kelly will miss this game with the hamstring that has kept him out of practice every day but the first of 2010 camp, Malcolm suffered a hammy pull at Hell Week with quarterback Donovan McNabb in July, Malcolm has not gotten on the field at all and it is almost safe to say that the window is closed for him. I could be calling it too early, I just think coach Shanahan will make an example out of a couple of legacy Redskins players and Malcolm fits the suit.
Newly acquired right tackle Jammal Brown is also out for this game with a sore hip (op. cit.), his problem does not sound as serious though. Third slash fourth string quarterback Richard Bartel is out as well, he has a mild hamstring pull. Defensive end Phillip Daniels and tailback Clinton Portis also got knicked in the practice week (ibid.), I have not read that they are ruled out though.
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Gameplan: With quarterback Donovan McNabb and the principal starters only expected to take fifteen to eighteen snaps, maybe two drives, three at most, and newly acquired third slash fourth string quarterback John Beck not yet familiar enough with the Shanahan playbook to take it out for a spin (op. cit.), expect that second string quarterback Rex Grossman will play basically the whole second, third and fourth quarters of the game, we will get a long look at Sexy Rexy.
Tailback is a good question, Clinton Portis is the nominal starter, will coach Shanahan play fellow old guys Larry Johnson and Willie Parker through a whole preseason game? Or are they already known quantities?
At receiver the story is Santana Moss and _________ . Joey Galloway, Devin Thomas and a surprising Roydell Williams are locked in a deathstruggle for the second starting receiver, expect to see one of these guys in on every play in the game.
Other positions to look at are nose tackle and cornerback, Albert Haynesworth will play in this game and presumed incumbent nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu recovered from heat exhaustion on Tuesday (camp day six) will be in the lineup. At cornerback, Philip Buchanon, Justin Tryon and Byron Westbrook appear to be fighting for one spot.
Everyone else, get out and play!
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My Take in 60 Words or Less: First test drive, lots of new parts.
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Washington Post preview. Broadcast coverage (little different than before from The 506, they simply list the local stations that cover preseason games, check the Bills and Redskins entries for where you can see this game).
Enjoy the game folks, 2010 starts tonight, after two separate offers of tickets (one brought to you by Razorgator if you are reading Carrie) I will be starting the season the Swarthmore way, on the street, in neighbor Bill's backyard watching on ShedTV.
This is a gameday open thread.
NFL helmet logos from here.
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