History Will Not Be Kind to the Jim Zorn Years

We'll always have Z-Shades

The way things went down at the ragged end of 2009 you just knew the whole idea in owner Dan Snyder's mind was to wipe it away as fast as possible and move on and he did, in a big way. The problem for Dan Snyder though is that, like a bad breakup ex girlfriend in the same social circle, Jim Zorn popped right back up down the road in Baltimore, as a result Redskins fans, love or hate Jim Zorn, are not going to get the chance to move on any time soon.

First get into the Wayback machine for a one graf review of 2009:

A crappy team and managerial infighting bred fan unrest and the Burgundy Revolution, the team was actually removing fans and threatening cancellation of season tickets for articles of clothing and paper signs. Then with three games to go, all three turned out to be losses, shadow general manager Vinny Cerrato quote resigned unquote and in less than two hours was replaced by Bruce Allen, son of Redskins legend George Allen, as real actual general manager. Head coach Jim Zorn was marched all night from San Diego then dispatched at dawn, we had butterfiles for 24 hours as Mike Shanahan was spotted in town then BAM it was over, time to close the door on the Jim Zorn Era.

And that era is going to be remembered as the true bottom of the barrel, amateur hour in Ashburn, a two year slow burn of incompetence that left the team, its players, its fanbase and its history in blasted wreckage.

It all started in the muddled coaching search after Joe Gibbs left in January 2008, the team spent 32 days into February looking for a coach and making the team a league laughingstock, into this moment shadow general manager Vinny Cerrato was promoted to Executive Vice President of Football Operations.

Jim Zorn was hired as offensive coordinator largely on perennial candidate Jim Fassel's recommendation, though at the time I thought it looked more like the rubber stamp of a guy that would have done anything to get a head coaching job. After chasing off all the other respectable candidates and taking Steve Spagnuolo's advice not to consider lack of coordinator experience as a black mark on Jim Zorn's resume, Redskins management interviewed Zorn for the job and by all accounts Vinny Cerrato, who would be system-connected to Jim Zorn from Bill Walsh through Mike Holmgren, became a big Jim Zorn fan and the deal was done.

Well we all know how that worked out, 6-2 then 2-6 in 2008, by the start of the 2009 season Jim Zorn and Vinny Cerrato were not speaking, that whole second Jim Zorn year was a series of Inception-like bad dreams within bad dreams, while the season collapsed in extreme slow motion on the next level down the fans and the team were at war, and on the next level below that Dan Snyder was interviewing for every position on the team, including that of Vinny Cerrato, Dan's confidant and bulletproof guy for a decade.

Now it is all in the rear view and Redskins fans have reason to hope, even if just for hope's sake. So what are the big takeways of the Jim Zorn era? Many of them are obvious and do not require advanced degrees to discern: A players hire A players, B players hire C players; Management, coaching and players need to air differences indoors; As a rule do not interview an assistant for his boss's job; Leave the fans alone, they are the conscience of the team; Building and maintaining a roster really is hard; If you do not believe in a guy, let him go that moment, do not string anyone along.

I think I could go on and if you have a good one liner takeaway from the Jim Zorn debacle, drop it in comments.

In the aftermath, a year and a half after he was hired and seven months after he was fired I have a view on the whole thing: It could have worked.

It was not really Jim Zorn that was the problem, yes he was inexperienced and yes he was unable to motivate a veteran team with a lot of big contracts and not enough hungry youth.

The problem lay in the management atmosphere. A guy like Jim Zorn can succeed if he has defined boundaries and a strong support infrastructure, make a play yard for the guy and let him be him, make good roster and contract decisions, back up the guy in public and give him time to get it together.

Andy Reid and Jon Gruden, they had some success moving from analogous positions to head coach and they had the infrastructure to make it work. In the new generation of wunderkinds, every Josh McDaniels and Raheem Morris is not going to light it up out of the gate, I will bet the ones that do have the support of a real football organization around them. For two years the Redskins did not when they really needed it and it sank everyone.


Nota bene, Jim Zorn and Dan Snyder have not talked since coach Zorn was fired and he is not certain if they will talk Saturday. Remember kids, every year the Redskins do not play the Ravens in the regular season, they play in the preseason so we will be treated to this awkward fest annually for as long and Jim Zorn is in Baltimore which I hope is a long time.



Jason Campbell and Jim Zorn: Gregg Trott / Getty Images from here.

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The Receivers Situation Is Really Much Ado About Nothing

Out though

Since the Thursday Night Massacre when Antwaan Randle El was released, Redskins fans knew receiver was going to be sore spot for Washington in 2010. Santana Moss is now five years past his franchise record for receiving yards¹ and Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly made no significant strides as franchise receivers in their second years in 2009.

The 2010 free agency crop of receivers was not terrific, even adjusting for the fact that in the current collective bargaining agreement environment team owners are more inclined to stay out of the market. There was some quality there, check the names (op. cit.), aside from Antonio Bryant and Vincent Jackson though the Redskins never seriously went into the top drawer.

This past April's draft was also not bursting at the seams with receiver talent, in the first round only two receivers were selected and none higher than number 22, and there were only four selected in the first two rounds; the Redskins never even mentioned a receiver's name in draft consideration that I can think of.

So heading into camp the team had a motley collection of receivers in camp, from classic cars like Joey Galloway to untested coupes like Brandon Banks, with a bunch of sport wagons and a couple of beaters in between.

One of the big stories, maybe the biggest story in a camp where many positions are all but settled, has been the competition among these receivers, who will make the team and who will be on his way. Depth charts change by the day, playing time in preseason game one may or may not be an indicator.

One guy muffed the opening kickoff and then caught a 44 yard second half touchdown. Another caught quarterback Donovan McNabb's first competitive touchdown pass as a Redskin except he bobbled it and if the game had been live the Bills would have challenged the score and won (or maybe they would have just lied there a bit longer and let the Redskins finish before taking a shower). One guy dashed 77 yards for a dazzling second half punt return score, but not before muffing the punt return before that one. A bunch of other guys got one or two ball tossed at them, nothing enough to evaluate and one guy has been hurt all camp and cannot play.

I am ready to make a couple of early predictions about who makes the team and they are based on a couple of factors.

First, I think head coach Mike Shanahan might keep four ball carriers. Now that Brian Westbrook is out of the picture coach is free to execute his plan. All three Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson and Willie Parker will make the team, barring a complete meltdown or some revelation that one or more of them simply cannot play at this level. Both Ryan Torain and Keiland Williams looked good in action Friday, and coach Shanahan may want a young set of legs to mix it up and get some experience. If not then both Ryan and Keiland look to be eligible for the practice squad, which of course would mean that either or both would have to be cut and then pass through waivers and not be signed by another team which they would be if they were scouted as quality by the rest of the league but I digress.

So four ball carriers would imply a higher likelihood of five receivers instead of six. There is also a natural economics to NFL football, in most offenses there is really not room for more than three receivers at most, and you know the tight ends and or tailbacks will count for many of the passing yards in Dono's first year in Washington.

So in my opinion to a great extent there is no benefit to keeping more than five receivers on the roster, you can always find a body to put on the practice squad and in the event you are down to playing your fourth and fifth or practice squad players then you have had serious injuries or the bottom has dropped out of your season and you are auditioning for next year anyway.

So who do I think will make the team? Well one is easy, Santana Moss, this season will be his swan song in Washington.

The next is easy as well, Devin Thomas. Even though his place on the depth chart has fluctuated that is because coach Shanahan is playing mindgames with Devin, trying to tease out a motivation that has been lacking the last two years and find out once and for all if Devin looks so mediocre because he is not talented or because he has not been properly motivated. One of those conditions can be corrected by a guy like Mike Shanahan.

The next is the hard working everyman, Bobby Wade. Bobby is only 29 and has put up consistent number three receiver production the past four season. He can step by pushed into the number two spot if Devin pulls another disappearing act. Bobby gets the nod over Roydell Williams on experience, Roydell has been out of the game for two seasons and there are a lot of guys with more experience in his salary band, and over Mike Furrey on production, Mike has number four receiver numbers.

The fourth is the grizzled veteran, Joey Galloway. Every team needs an Art Monk or a Henry Ellard, a wily vet that can put out just enough production to keep the chains moving and can tutor the guys on the sideline in the ways of the NFL. Plus Joey has a relationship with new real actual general manager Bruce Allen from Tampa Bay days, I think Bruce considers Joey a quote character guy unquote and you like to have these guys around your team.

The fifth is the wild card, it will be one of the three musketeers, Brandon Banks, Anthony Armstrong and Terence Austin, whichever distinguishes himself in preseason play, as both a receiver and special teams player.

And Malcolm Kelly is done, his Redskins career will be over. That he has been unable to play is bad enough, I also think Mike Shanahan will be looking for other examples of old guard players to turn out as he remakes the team in his image. That process started with the aforementioned Thursday Night Massacre, continued with quarterback Colt Brennan and will conclude on cut day with Malcolm Kelly.

One or two of the young guys will land on the practice squad, unless they are claimed by another team in which case it will be time to go to market and nab some other team's castoffs.

There are some caveats here, this configuration I have put together has only one receiver over six feet tall, Devin Thomas at six feet two inches. If coach Shanahan wants more height explicitly his options are Malcolm Kelly at six feet five, Mike Furrey at six feet zero and rookie Shay Hodge at six feet two.

And of course it may be that the team has no intention if jettisoning Malcolm yet, they could keep him at number five and play a four receiver rotation until Malcolm's hamstring heals.

I just tend to think back to something I heard Randy Cross say on Sirius NFL Radio's Opening Drive years ago, and that is guys usually are what they are, and Malcolm has shown no signs of being a legitimate number one or number two receiver. So with hungrier guys out there why keep him?


1. Official NFL Record and Fact Book 2009 (New York: Time Life Books, 2009), 227.



Malcolm Kelly: AP photo from here.

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Steve Spurrier-like Numbers

Welcome aboard tiger

Takeaway Drill: First time out was a pretty smooth ride, record setting in fact; get used to it folks, Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan are real and they are here; quality depth and a tantalizing hint of rookie speed in a place where it is needed.

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Quick jump to

Monday Walkthrough :: Soapbox :: Chattering Class :: Omnibus Spotlights :: Recaps and Stats

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Monday Saturday Walkthrough: All of Washington practically explodes as the Redskins come out, look good, suffer no injuries and reveal depth at many positions in a record setting 42-17 blowout preseason win over Buffalo, the ease with which the Bills were dispatched leaves me nervously confident.

The Redskins get the ball to start the first quarter, Clinton Portis gets the first call, for one yard, then a Santana Moss end around for a yard, McNabb's first pass as a Redskin is a completion to Chris Cooley and the Redskins HAVE A FIRST DOWN, the rest of this drive is unremarkable and Josh Bidwell and the Redskins punt. The Bills get the ball for the first time, Kareem Moore commits a facemask giving the Bills fifteen yards, the Bills seem able to move the ball at will, on second and ten the Bills line up four wide with a tight end, Brian Orakpo and Andre Carter blitz on second down, Trent Edwards finds Roscoe Parrish as the hot man, somewhat typical of this Bills drive, after a holding penalty on the Bills twelve yards on a third and thirteen and the Bills are kicking, Rian Lindell 37 yards and field goal good, 3-0 Bills. The Redskins get the ball for the second time, Dono still on the field, false start to get this drive going, Clinton hits for six, a good run, Roydell Williams down the right side for 21 yards next, two plays later a roughing the passer penalty gave the Redskins another first down, Ryan Torain enters the game at tailback, playfake on third and inches and Dono guts it out for the first down, THEN A NICE THROW TO CHRIS COOLEY FOR NINETEEN, Clinton bulls to the five for four, on third and four Dono finds Anthony Armstrong for four, touchdown, Graham Gano extra point is good and the Redskins take a 7-3 lead. The Bills get the ball for the second time, on second and ten Trent Edwards is forced to throw off his back foot by Adam Carriker, DeAngelo Hall picks it off and returns it for 33 yards, almost a touchdown. On the turnover Washington gets the ball for the third time, Dono is out and Rex Grossman in is at quarterback, Sext Rexy gets a seven yarder to the right to rookie Terence Austin, then Ryan Torain for no gain and that is the end of the first quarter, 7-3 Redskins.

The second quarter starts with the Redskins continuing their third drive, a Ryan Torain and Keiland Williams run later and Keiland goes in for a two yard touchdown, extra point good, Redskins 14-3. Buffalo gets the ball for the third time, pretty sure it was a three and out P-U-N-T. Washington gets the ball for the fourth time, unremarkable until third and nine, Rex Grossman to Bobby Wade, bobbles the ball then pulls it in for 21 yards, then Ryan Torain up the middle for 15 yards, Keiland Williams, Anthony Armstrong and Darrel Young figure in, on third and nine Rex gets out of danger and finds Fred Davis who makes a nifty move on the left sideline and touchdown nine yards, extra point good and the Redskins lead 21-3. The Bills get the ball for the fourth time, Albert Haynesworth appears at nose tackle and is felt immediately as Trent Edwards is pressured by Perry Riley off the Albert double team, third and fifteen for the Bills, long complete and the Bills choose to punt on fourth and one. The Redskins get the ball for the fifth time, Bobby Wade draws a pass interference penalty, Devin Thomas gets into the action for eleven yards, seven yard dumpout to Keiland Williams, a long completion to Keiland was nullified by penalty, incomplete and the Redskins are punting. Buffalo's fifth possession Ryan Fitzpatrick the Harvard Hurler, comes in at quarterback for the Bills, a nice playaction on second down fooled me, I thought it was a sure safety but was an 18 yard ground gain, that is it for that drive and the Bills are punting. Washington gets the ball for the sixth time, rookie receiver Brandon Banks muffs the punt but recovers, nothing nothing nothing and the half ends with the Redskins leading 21-3.

Buffalo gets the ball to start the third quarter, the Bills sixth possession, Ryan Fitzpatrick looks good but can't get a first down and the Bills are punting. The Redskins get the ball for the seventh time, oops no they do not, Kansas State rookie receiver Brandon Banks who muffed the last punt takes this one around the right end with some wheels and a cut, 77 yards for a touchdown, extra point good, Redskins lead 28-3. The Bills seventh possession is a short run and two incomplete and a PUNT. Washington's seventh possession, Rex Grossman still in the game, Rex scrambles on third and five to keep the drive alive, a bullet to Bobby Wade, third and one to Devin Thomas for nine and a first down, a couple of inconsequential plays then deep long to Devin Thomas on third and ten, 44 yards and a touchdown, extra point good and the Redskins lead 35-3. Buffalo is struggling to exist and gets the ball for the eighth time, a good return for the Bills but useless as they go three and out. The Redskins get the ball for the eighth time, John Beck surprises into the game, he was not scheduled to play based on lack of familiarity with the playbook, it looks that way as the Redskins punt… and Ellis Lankster of the Bills muffs the punt and it is recovered by receiver Roydell Williams. Washington continues its eighth drive into the ninth drive, it is starting to get sloppy as the Redskins three and out, John Beck still in at quarterback and does not look sharp at all, Washington three and out. Buffalo's ninth possession, sloppy by Washington with a good run by Chad Simpson, then a touchdown by some guy from the Harvard guy and it is 35-10 Washington. Washington gets the ball for the tenth time with seventeen seconds left the quarter, one play and that's it with Washington leading 35-10.

The Redskins continue their tenth possession into the fourth quarter, John Beck still in the game and gets creamed then Washington punts. After a return into Redskins territory the Bills begin their tenth possession, on second and three rookie tailback Joique Bell takes the ball 28 yards through the right side for a Bills touchdown, 35-17 Redskins. Washington gets the ball for the eleventh time, wow the dropoff in talent is precipitous, I am really out of energy for this game, blah blah Redskins punt. Buffalo's eleventh possession is blah blah some new quarterback and a punt. The Redskins twelfth possession is a steady diet of Ladell Betts lookalike Ryan Torain ending with Keiland Williams through right side for a touchdown, Redskins 42-10. My wife is complaining. The Bills get one final possession, their twelfth, it seemed long but I could not tell, from the Buffalo 32 to the Washington 39 then bubble safety Lendy Holmes intercepts and that is that for Buffalo. Washington's thirteenth and final possession is a one play kneel down by John Beck, and that is all folks, Redskins win the first preseason game of the Mike Shanahan era, 42-10.

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Soapbox: Well sports fans, what did we think? Last night's game featured the most Redskins points in a preseason game since 2002 when Patrick Ramsey, Shane Matthews, Kenny Watson, Rod Gardner, Jacquez Green and James Tuthill piled onto the Buccaneers for 40 points in head coach Steve Spurrier's fourth preseason game of his first year as head coach. Some company for Mike Shanahan! This game also bested the Redskins best preseason output ever, 41 points in a game I cannot confirm, if someone could drop me a comment with a reference I would appreciate it.

During Buffalo's opening drive I must say the Redskins looked pretty soft, the Bills went from their 20 to the Redskins 20 in seven plays, including a fifteen yard facemask on free safety Kareem Moore, Trent Edwards from five of six and Washington seemed back on their heels.

Then that was about it for the Bills. And here is the thing I most struck on for this game, it seemed pretty much like an effortless ass beating.

And by effortless here I mean specifically that the offense did not appear to be executing complicated plays, the playcalls did seem pretty vanilla, rather it seemed that the Redskins just were able to execute on pretty much everything they tried, the Bills on the other hand did not seem to be executing much like a professional team.

Why is this? I have two theories. First, the Redskins are just better two weeks into camp. The Shanahan system is taking hold, players understand their assignments. Upgraded personnel along the offensive line means plays get off to a better start and stay hard longer.

Second, the concept of depth is a little different with the Redskins this year. If you step back and look at the roster and where new real actual general manager Bruce Allen and head coach Mike Shanahan have made additions and subtractions, many familiar Redskins players are now taking the field with the second or third string.

In some cases this is as it should have been, the talent level was not necessarily there for some of these players, players like cornerback Justin Tryon and linebacker Robert Henson, so they are playing where they should have been all along. Others, like nose end Albert Haynesworth and receiver Devin Thomas may not belong down there and may elevate, or not. We pretty much know Albert will be back with the starters, not so for Devin.

In any case, many players we saw in the second, third and fourth strings have plenty of real game experience, if not starting experience, so one would expect a projected backup with live games under his belt to play better on average than a backup with little or none, and for the Redskins here I am talking about guys like Chad Rinehart, Will Montgomery, Chris Wilson, Edwin Williams, HB Blades and others.

In sum, my main takeaway from this game was the Redskins can execute and they have some depth, two bedrock principles that were lacking coming out of last season.

As for rookie receiver Brandon Banks, he of the 77 yard punt return touchdown, before we get all in a tizzy over him and start celebrating his end zone dances, let us take a sober second to remember that he muffed the previous punt. It was nice though to see someone other than Antwaan Randle El back there fielding punts.

Speaking of muffs, not good for Devin Thomas to muff the opening kickoff, not good at all.

And hey, what the fuck with the broadcasts? Due to a dinner obligation I arrived at neighbor Bill's to watch the game on ShedTV^TM around 8:15 pm, I found neighbors struggling to find the beginning of the game, neighbor Bill had set local NBC-4 high definition to record, that station was on blackout until 7:29 left in the first quarter and when it came back it was broadcasting in standard definition, luckily the other tuner was on NBC-4 standard definition, and we only missed the opening kickoff and first two plays of the game. Neighbor Bill is on FIOS.

Who fucked this up and what station do I need to be on to see preseason games in high definition?

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Chattering Class: Mike Wise at the Washington Post makes the observation that goes without saying but bears repeating: The entire key to Washington's 2010 season is keeping Donovan McNabb healthy and upright, while I agree that is the case for the team to make a legitimate run at the playoffs in the first year of all new all everything I will also say that Rex Grossman did not look terrible in the number two spot, playing more than two quarters and finishing eleven of eighteen for 140 yards and two touchdowns, everyone loves to beat up on Rex, I think the Redskins could do a lot worse at backup. Mike also tosses a little Jason Campbell reference in there, if Dono is injured and the Redskins wind up sucking wind in 2010 we will realize how much we took Jason's durability for granted.

Tracee Hamilton, also at the Washington Post, focuses on the improvement up front along the offensive line, with three new starters, added depth and an all new blocking scheme, there is not a lot we can take as articles of faith after one game against a team that was 6-10 last season and already riddled with injuries two weeks into camp, even with the vanilla playbook for this game (op. cit.) I can swear the blocking was improved in both the run and pass games.

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Omnibus: Broadcasters: Kenny Albert and Joe Theismann for the Redskins broadcast network, getting pretty tired of these guys.

Uniform watch: White jerseys with burgundy pants, this will always be my preferred combination.

So far one Buffalo drive into the game and it looks like the Redskins defense ain't that good.

In the first quarter, Redskins second drive on first down after the 21 yard Roydell Williams catch, the play was a playaction long incomplete down the right side to Joey galloway, the cameraman was fooled, when we saw the pass on replay Joe Theismann made the helpful remark that for Dono to be successful he needs to keep the ball in the field of play. Thanks Joe.

Fucking Redskins scratch off lottery commercial in the first quarter, I hate that the NFL and Redskins have gotten into the business of lottery.

Butterfingers: Redskins second drive, first quarter, Anthony Armstrong touchdown catch from Dono, looked to us like Anthony lost the ball going over the line, by the time he got it back he was down, then after declared a TD, Anthony tried to spike it… and the ball slipped from his hands. Believe me when I tell you that this will not be missed by the coaches. That's a challenge in the regular season.

Nice penetration by former Ram Adam Carriker, Bills second possession first quarter, caused Trent Edwards to throw off his back foot for an INT, DeAngelo Hall for 33 yards return.

I learned that my longtime football partner neighbor Paul has a particular Redskins shirt that he only wears for preseason games, never for a regular season game.

Early in the second quarter owner Dan Snyder made an appearance in the booth with Kenny Albert and Joe Thiesmann, what is less important is the content of this interview, what is more important is that Dan is making himself more available to media now that he is deliberately less involved in the football operations, he also talked about the improvements to the stadium for this year, including the hundred foot high definition screens in either end zone.

A little weird to see someone other than Ladell Betts wear number 46, Ryan Torain looks a lot like Ladell doesn't he?

Nice play on Redskins fourth drive, second quarter, on third and goal Rex Grossman makes a move to get out of danger, pulls the ball back and finds Fred Davis, his second or third receiver, then Fred makes a good move to get free of a tackler, touchdown. Confidence.

The way it is supposed to work: on the next drive Albert Haynesworth comes in at nose tackle, he occupies two blockers and linebacker Perry Riley comes right in for a QB pressure, incomplete by Trent Edwards.

Nice interstitial of rookie Trent Williams in the second quarter, did not pay any attention to what he said, was looking at his neck tats and his Michael Strahan teeth.

Got to say at halftime of this game, Rex Grossman looks like a pretty good option at quarterback. The Redskins were pretty much statistically dominant in the first half.

From cut to contract: Former Kansas State receiver Brandon Banks muffed the punt to start the Redskins sixth possession, then nullifies the seventh possession by returning it 77 yards for a touchdown. That dude has some wheels.

35 points: most points in a preseason game scored by the Redskins since 2002, under Steve Spurrier. Really.

Quote from neighbor Scott in third quarter, Bills ninth possession, I wonder how it feels to be a running back named Simpson in Buffalo. Talking about Chad Simpson of course.

So sick of the Papa Johns plugs in the booth from Joe Thiesmann, just stop it.

John Beck had a horrible night, I hope the coaches are able to discern whether it was John or the blocking or some other problem.

Into to Bills final possession, off the Redskins punt cornerback Ramzee Robinson grabbed the ball right at the goal line to pin Buffalo at the two yard line. Nice play.

Joe Thiesmann right sentiment, wrong statement: With XX left in the fourth quarter and discussing Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, Joe said Jim was heroic for getting New Orleans through Hurricane Katrina… in 2000. In fairness Jim was Saints head coach in 2005.

Did we see Willie Parker or Larry Johnson at all? No we did not and apparently that was by design (op. cit.) and we will see more of them in the upcoming preseason games.

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The Mastermind: Even though it has been since January that Mike Shanahan became the head coach of the Redskins it was still a bit odd to see him prowling the sidelines in a burgundy logo'd shirt. His demeanor was calm and he carried the affect of a man that knows preseason games are not the end but rather the means to an end, unlike his new peer in Redskins history Steve Spurrier, who seemed to think all games were for winning. Nice to have you aboard coach.

Number Five: Same here, even though we have seen pictures and video of quarterback Donovan McNabb in burgundy and gold it was a little jarring to see him take the field in my preferred white jersey burgundy pants Redskins uniform, the guy that has made Redskins fans so miserable for more than a decade now suddenly is playing for my team. Whoa factor nine point five. As far as Dono's performance, he stayed out for seventeen plays, tossed a touchdown pass and scrambled for a first down on third and one when needed. His passing was crisp and it looks like Dono and Chris Cooley may make beautiful music together.

Silver and Back: Last night was rookie left tackle Trent Williams first time out and I must say the guy looks equipped to start right away in the NFL. Only time will tell if he can play at a high level right away, probably not consistently and if he can hack a whole NFL season, he will likely hit the wall about twelve games in and kind of disappear, to look at him though he is the physical package. For six feet five inches and 318 pounds, he looks like most of that weight is located right in the breadbox, he will knock your ass over.

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Washington Post recap, photo gallery. NFL recap, box score, full play by play, Gamebook (PDF), photos, video highlights.


Next up, get ready for an awkward reunion as Baltimore comes to town, will Dan Snyder greet former Redskins head coach and current Ravens quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn warmly on the sidelines? Or will Dan ignore and pretend the last two seasons never happened? I hope coach Zorn gets a cheer when he hits the field, he is a good guy and got a raw deal here.





Donovan McNabb: AP photo from here. Jim Zorn tutoring Ravens quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Troy Smith: AP photo from here.

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Preseason Game 1: Redskins (0-0) vs. Bills (0-0)

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
The Story So Far :: Curly R Aside :: Oppo Research :: Trainer's Table Gameplan :: My Take in 60 Words or Less :: Preview Generalia
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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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Andy Reid Banning Fan Attire = An Eagles Team with Issues

Seriously?

Thanks to lifetime Eagles fan, season ticket holder and Curly R reader/lurker Wilbert Montgomery for the tip on this one, yesterday's Eagles training camp morning practice at Lehigh University in Bethlehem Pennsylvania was open to the public, an Eagles fan by the name of Jim Devlin showed up wearing a number five Donovan McNabb jersey which would normally not be a big deal for the Eagles and their fans.

Except this guy was wearing a number five Donovan McNabb Redskins jersey. And team security confronted Jim and told him to take it off. Why?

Because Eagles head coach Andy Reid told them to.

Optically this looks really bad, I cannot believe a guy as cool and collected as Andy over the past decade lost his shit over seeing either a piece of Donovan McNabb paraphernalia, or a piece of Redskins paraphernalia. Dono was a stalwart on that team for eleven years, coach Reid and Dono were joined at the hip and with one of the safest home fields in the league, Andy and the team never had a problem with gear from other teams, I can tell you from experience that fans take care of that problem.

They did not, they let Jim hang out in his burgundy and gold and white for the exact reason you think they would: they still love Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia.

Andy Reid getting all Dan Snyder about what you can and cannot wear at an Eagles practice tells me that Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb have had more of a falling out that we have heard about and that relationship is done.

Or that coach Reid is nervous about how his team is going to do this season, that he knows Kevin Kolb is no Donovan McNabb and that as insurance against team failure in 2010, Andy needs to do his level best to destroy the memory of Donovan McNabb.

I will be wearing my number five McNabb Redskins jersey on 3 October 2010 when Wilbert Montgomery and I travel to Eagles Stadium to see Washington and Philadelphia play, it will be our 22nd of the past 23 Eagles-Redskins games, and my 20th straight in any stadium. Now I not only need to wonder if I am going to get the shit beat out of me, I also need to worry about security asking me to take it off.


Poorly played coach Reid.



Jim Devlin being accosted by Eagles security over his Donovan McNabb jersey: Uncredited image from here via here.

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Happy Birthday Curly R!

Old enough to know it was once young

Four years ago today a media property called The Curly R appeared, obssessed as I am with the Redskins of the NFL, it seemed like a good idea at the time, essentially conceived as one long rant thread with breaks for game coverage and notes on Redskins history. In fairly short order I realized there is literally no end to topics of conversation about something you love, I could spend eight hours a day on this gig and still have stuff fall off at the margins.

Four years later Curly R is still here, and proud to be a voice covering the Redskins and the NFL. A great big thank you to all our readers, to our peers and colleagues who do this for a living or in their spare time, to my friends and family who tolerate my habit and suffer my workshopping of material on them, there is a recursive nature to this business, the more I learn, the more I know and the more I know, the more I want to share.

Thanks for stopping by, Curly R rolls into year five and is not slowing down.


1272 posts and 340,000 visits later let's see those Redskins start a new winning tradition in 2010.

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Year one: 286 posts, 17000 visits, 0.8 posts per day, 48 visits per day
Year two: 372 posts, 80000 visits, 1.0 posts per day, 225 visits per day
Year three: 366 posts, 101000 visits, 1.0 posts per day, 276 visits per day
Year four: 238 posts, 142000 visits, 0.8 posts per day, 399 visits per day



Fourth birthday cake with a prominently featured sperm and not so subtle 'oops' from here.

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It's Back

I never forgot you

Back in the summer of 1991 when I was supposed to have finished college, my father, the original Redskins fan named Ben Folsom, gave me a Redskins rocking chair, it was in sincerity the only thing to which I was truly attached in that period of life when everything you own will fit into a Ford Escort.

This piece of Redskins paraphernalia accompanied me through two residences in Charlottesville Virginia, waited patiently for me three years while I toured the nation as a rock band sound engineer, moved back into my parents' house with me for a while then came with me to Arlington Virginia for three moves before accompanying me to my current residence in Alexandria.

It is unequivocally the most comfortable piece of furniture I have ever sat on to watch football or play video games, the Redskins rocker got me through many 3:00 am games of Madden 92, 93, 94 and 95 and every Redskins game for more than a decade.

The Redskins rocker finally failed me in January 2006. A week after the surgical strike on Tampa, when a high school friend and I were part of the rowdy Redskins contingent that used a compromised password to buy club seats at Buccaneers Stadium reserved for existing Tampa Bay season ticket holders, we flew in, partied hard, saw the Redskins win a tough game 17-10 with no Santana Moss, no offense and Sean Taylor ejected for spitting on Michael Pittman and flew back all in twenty-two hours, the Redskins were playing the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional playoff round.

Well we all know the Redskins lost that game and in addition to the 2005 season, a collateral casualty of that game was my beloved Redskins chair, the upper vertical support came away from the rear riser, the screw broke clean off in the seat.

Well life and other things conspired to separate me from my rocker and for the last four years it has sat in the shed or in the back of the pantry, closed in and obscured by the rag bag, paint supplies and the tie dye bucket.

I always knew it was an easy fix, let me tell you folks I am that lazy, I abandoned the one piece of Redskins gear to which I was most bonded as an adult Redskins fan, I do not know how it happened, in retrospect I suppose the number 89 Santana Moss jersey I bought specifically to wear to that Tampa Bay playoff game, I had never owned a team jersey of any type before that game in my life, became my new Redskins avatar and I let the chair go like a kid growing out of an old toy, once the favorite and now too familiar.

My wife, a football fan herself with a clear understanding of what that chair meant to me, gave me a year to fix it, then began pleading for me to let it go and move on, there would be other rockers, other opportunities to associate my direct physical comfort with the football team that has been the only one I cared about my entire life. I filibustered and it was stashed.

Two weeks ago, when our three kids, ages eight, eight and three, were away in Fredericksburg at Camp Wilbert Montgomery, an annual affair that will reverse in two weeks when lifetime Eagles fan, season ticket holder and Curly R reader/lurker Wilbert Montgomery's two kids come to stay with us for a week, we did what every married couple with young kids does when their children are out of town... CLEAN LIKE BUNNIES (hey, what did you think I was going to say?)

We re-orged the pantry from bottom to top and I found the chair. Tonight, with the wife out having fun with her friends and after all the kids were out, I finally did what I should have done four years ago: I fixed the damn thing.

In the end, it took five minutes, I drilled a pilot hole above the existing slot, the one with half the screw still in it, then sank a wood screw in and voila, my Redskins rocker is back. I sit in it as I write this post. It is Curly R's new home and my old one.

It is funny how things work, I can get motivated to raise a family, get to work every day, have a social life and find the time to publish nearly 1300 pieces on my little blog, I could never take five minutes to fix my Redskins rocker. Now it is like I am home again.



Photos by me.

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