Friday, 5 September 2008 16:24 by
Dave It has been a long week for Park View Coach Andy Hill.
It started with his team having to play on Monday night after a weather postponement last week. The Patriots had little time to bounce back from the 34-6 loss to Herndon, playing again Friday night against Jefferson County (WV). Despite the short week, Park View battled back from an early deficit and led 36-22 going into the final four minutes.
Jefferson rallied, scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion to make it 36-30. Things still looked good for Park View, as they took the ensuing kickoff, ran a few plays before making a first down, and had the ball with 1:40 to go while Jefferson had no timeouts left. Three running plays, and the Patriots should have been able to run out the clock.
On the first play, however, Park View fumbled, and Jefferson quickly went down the field to score the tying touchdown. Needing only an extra point to win, a driving rain made a kick improbable. Jefferson instead elected to throw to the corner of the end zone and missed, setting the stage for overtime.
In the OT, Park View went first and couldn’t get the ball in the end zone. Jefferson did not waste the opportunity, scoring on two running plays to win 42-36. The game took over 3 hours to play, with much of it in rainy conditions.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, Hill’s parents live near Annapolis and are big fans of Navy. While Park View and Jefferson were playing, ESPN televised Navy and Ball State. The Midshipmen lost 35-23. Considering how things have gone this week, I sure hope Hill isn’t a Redskins fan…
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
While district play in the Dulles District doesn’t start for another two weeks, a couple of trends are emerging; one is that this will not be a two-team race like last year, where Broad Run and Park View went into the final week of the season undefeated; the other is that if you can’t score a lot of points, you need not apply for the district race.
Three teams are currently 2-0 on the young season, and all three – Broad Run, Heritage and Potomac Falls – all scored more than 54 points Friday night. Potomac Falls, which garnered absolutely no respect in preseason predictions by area media pundits, laid 68 points on Hedgesville (WV) in a 68-0 rout. Combined with their surprise 39-30 win over Martinsburg last week, the Panthers are within a win of their victory total last season, and they’re averaging 53.5 points per game.
Heritage, which many see as the biggest challenger to Broad Run for the district title, made it 2-0 with a 56-28 win over North Hagerstown. Broad Run, which beat Ballou last year 40-0, beat the D.C. team by the exact same margin for the second year in a row, winning 54-14. The two teams have the same opponent in their next game, which should give some indicator of each club’s strength. Heritage plays Brentsville next Friday, while Broad Run has the weekend off. The following week, Heritage has an open date while the Spartans take on Brentsville.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Finally, what can you say about Stone Bridge? They routed West Springfield last week, and in the highly touted rematch of their only loss last season, whipped Robinson 49-7 in Ashburn. They can move the ball at will, have a tough defense, and quarterback Patrick Thompson doesn’t seem to be bothered by the hand injury that was supposed to keep him off the field for six weeks.
The only concern I’d have if I were a Bulldog fan is that all of this sure seems to be coming too easy too early. Two years ago, many were whispering that the 2006 Stone Bridge team might have been the best the school had ever had as they rolled through every regular-season game with ease. But when they did get hit by injury and adversity in a playoff game with Edison, they struggled and lost.
The early loss to Robinson last year undoubtedly helped that team keep its focus throughout a long season. I’m sure coach Mickey Thompson wouldn’t mind seeing a close game or two some time during the season to help his team to the same this year.
Dulles District Standings
Friday's Games
Stone Bridge 49, Robinson 7
Broad Run 54, Ballou (D.C.) 14
Potomac Falls 68, Hedgesville (W.Va.) 0
Heritage 56, North Hagerstown 28
Freedom 22, Brentsville 14
Handley 49, Loudoun County 21
Forest Park 16, Loudoun Valley 0
Jefferson County (W.Va.) 42, Park View 36 OT
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Thursday, 4 September 2008 23:50 by
Dave I don’t ask for much from a football team. I don’t expect the teams I pull for to win every game, or win a title every season. All I want is for the team to be competitive enough that starting the fourth quarter of every game, there is a chance – no matter how remote – that the game is winnable.
Which brings us to the Washington Redskins.
There was not a single play last night in which any sane person would have thought the Redskins had a chance to win. The Giants took the opening kickoff , easily cruised for a touchdown, and despite only scoring 16 points, were never threatened. It was the most lopsided 16-7 game you will ever see.
My worst fears about Jason Campbell were confirmed. He played horribly against Carolina in the next to last exhibition game. He played even worse in the last exhibition game against Jacksonville. It annoyed the heck out of me that when interviewed on the sidelines, he didn’t seem upset at all. “We’ve already put it behind us,” he said at halftime of the Jacksonville game.
Well Jason, your play Thursday night also needs to be put behind you. Then you need to wipe and flush. Wash your hands too.
Campbell doesn’t seem to get it. Four straight times on third down, he completed passes, only to come up short of a first down. Sonny Jurgensen asked him about this in post-game interviews, and Campbell just cliché’d it off, saying the team had to work hard and trust each other more. Hey Jason, how about picking out the receiver who is past the first-down stakes instead of staring down the easiest check-down receiver who is open so you can get a completion?
Campbell rarely threw deep, and he only completed one pass to Chris Cooley, the inspirational tight end who made things happen last year. More often than not, the offense was a series of handoffs to Clinton Portis, making you think that not even head coach Jim Zorn has confidence in Campbell to throw the ball down the field.
Zorn, in his first regular-season game as a head coach, just looks like he’s in over his head. He seems frustrated on the sidelines, his play calling is ultra-conservative, and he manages the clock the same way Ralph Friedgen manages his weight. So deliberate and plodding was the offense in the fourth quarter, you’d have thought the Redskins were leading instead of down by two scores. They showed a sense of urgency usually displayed only by those working in the fields of government or cable television repair.
Keep in mind, when we last saw our heroes, they had just lost a playoff game. They had an incredibly tough defense, led by an experienced and well-respected assistant head coach in Gregg Williams, and an offense that struggled until Campbell got hurt. Then it got a lot better.
In the offseason, the Redskins "braintrust" made huge changes necessitated by Joe Gibbs' retiring. Somehow, they decided not to promote Williams to head coach and fired him. They named Greg Blatche to the head defensive position before Williams had even been fired, thinking the defense wouldn’t miss a beat. By naming Zorn head coach, the Redskins thought he would bring new innovative offensive ways to the franchise. On paper, it sounded good.
On grass, it looked awful. Last night, New York moved at will in the first half. The defense did better in the second half, but I’m not sure if it was the defense playing better, or New York doing stupid things like refusing to keep the ball on the ground.
The offense, however, never got going. It made the Gibbs days look like the greatest show on turf. If last night's game is any indication, the Redskins need to install a beeping sound on their website, because this franchise is going backward. The odds of the team making a second straight trip to the playoffs are good only if they buy tickets and sit in the stands.
It was bad. Someone needs to get mad. Someone needs to take charge. Someone needs to start making plays at quarterback. Someone needs to lead.
If not, soon we’ll all be putting this team behind us.
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Thursday, 28 August 2008 23:09 by
Dave
As you can probably tell from an earlier post this week , I really enjoyed the story The Washington Post wrote on Mickey and Patrick Thompson Wednesday. But there was something about the picture they ran with it that has been nagging at me.
If you’ll look at it, both Thompsons have a stern, serious look to them. The background is foreboding: dark storm clouds are overhead, making it appear that at any moment, Stone Bridge High School and the rest of Ashburn would soon be hit with a pretty serious storm. The picture had everything except Garth Brooks singing “The Thunder Rolls” in the background.
Now if that picture had been taken yesterday, when it finally rained (although not enough) here in Ashburn, I’d have no problem. But I live a mile and a half away from Stone Bridge, and the beige carpet in my living room and the grass in my front yard are the same color. Neither has been growing these days because until yesterday’s gray conditions, there hasn’t been a hint of any rain at my house in quite some time.
This means either the picture was taken under conditions where it was dark and stormy at Claiborne and Hay Road, but bright and clear at Windmill Park…or the picture was doctored with a different background for a dramatic effect.
If the latter was the case, why stop at just a dark sky for drama? These are the defending state champion Stone Bridge Bulldogs, for crying out loud. This is Ashburn, where we make drama an art form. You want dramatic? Well, here’s a picture where the background will REALLY get your attention.
Of course, I’m not aware of any nuclear explosions in Ashburn in the last few weeks.
But until yesterday, I hadn’t seen any rain, either.
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Thursday, 28 August 2008 02:53 by
Dave The preseason checklist has been completed. Bratwurst? Check. Hot dogs? Natural Casing. Three kinds of Mustard? Honey, Stone Ground AND Deli style. Buns? Fresh baked from the Harris-Teeter deli. Onions? Vidalia. Chili? 12 cans, Steakhouse Reserve. Cole Slaw? Sweet Southern Style. Batteries for the remote? Just replaced.
I’ve got all the essentials. Football season can now begin.
Now before you say “defibrillator? Check.”, I need to confess that I may take football a bit too seriously. From now until the Super Bowl, every day is a tailgating opportunity. I subscribe to about every football TV package, and I cram four TVs into my study so I can watch multiple games at once. I’ve always believed hot dogs taste better at a football stadium, so a few years ago I acquired one of those grills with the rotating steel bars from a restaurant supply company to recreate the flavor at home. I even bought the bun steamer.
It should be noted that those purchases sparked some controversy on the home front, thus stalling my attempts to acquire a nacho machine. But hope springs anew with the start of each season.
Hope should be springing all over the place tonight, as Broad Run plays at Wakefield to start the high school season. The rest of the teams play Friday, including Milbrook at Briar Woods and West Springfield at Stone Bridge. The Stone Bridge game can be heard locally over WAGE (AM 1200), and Comcast will be televising the Briar Woods game on tape delay. You can see the replay Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m on Comcast Cable Channel 2.
Paul Draisey and I will be returning for our third straight season of calling high school games. Starting next week, we’ll also be on Cable Channel 2 multiple times during the week with our weekly show, “Sportsbeat”, a 30-minute look at high school and local sports in Loudoun County that will include video highlights and interviews from several area games.
Comcast will be showing 11 regular-season games plus the playoffs every weekend from now until all the local teams have been eliminated. I’d give you all 11 right now, but all it takes is a few upsets or a few rainouts, and the schedule changes every week after the first six weeks of the season. But we’re pretty firm about these: Robinson at Stone Bridge (Sept. 5), Brentsville at Heritage (Sept. 12), Stone Bridge at Loudoun Valley (Sept. 19), Briar Woods at Broad Run (Sept. 26), Broad Run at Heritage (Oct. 3) and Potomac Falls at Park View (Oct. 10).
Comcast, which would probably prefer I not point this out, shells out a considerable amount of money (including some to Mr. Draisey and I) on these broadcasts. It’s pretty expensive to maintain all the cameras and equipment, then hire a crew to shoot these games. Comcast does not run or sell any advertising in these games, and eats the entire cost. It’s all done as a community service.
I realize few people view the cable, telephone, or electric companies in a positive light all the time, but this is a pretty nice thing Comcast does. With each passing day, more and more companies are trying to make a business (and profit) off of high school sports, and there will probably come a day very soon when you’ll be going to the “ACME Car Care Dulles District Championship Football Game.” But Comcast doesn’t look at it that way.
As a result, many parents can reach into a drawer and watch a DVD of a Comcast broadcast they recorded of their child playing football or basketball well after their kid has stopped playing. Trust me, aside from the “do you guys really know Erica Garman?” question, the most often thing I hear is “can I get a copy of the (fill in the school) game?”
So if you’re at Briar Woods Friday, stop by and say hello. Don’t worry about interrupting us, by the way, as in television, you learn to focus on watching the action and talking while a director, via something called an IFB, talks to you in one ear. It’s a challenge at first, but you soon figure out how to tune out the unimportant stuff, and only pay attention when you absolutely need to. Being married for 27 years has been a huge help.
Now if I could just figure out how to get that nacho machine…
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 11:59 by
Dave Much has been said about how well Stone Bridge quarterback Patrick Thompson played last year, but today’s Washington Post confirms an impression I got of him late last season.
It was after an early playoff win. There was all the talk, and all the pressure of getting his father, Mickey, the state championship that he had just missed in earlier years. Yet Patrick, despite all of this, seemed to be your normal high school junior. He was having fun, spoke of football as if it were a game instead of life or death, and flashed a huge smile when asked about his teammates’ errant attempt to dump Gatorade on the head coach. “We WON’T miss next time,” he said.
That’s pretty special when you consider the pressure Patrick actually was under. Not only for a 16-year-old. It’d be special for a 36-year-old.
Preston Williams’ feature on father-son coaching situations looks closer at the Thompson situation. The story documents the controversy Mickey Thompson faced when moving Patrick from tight end to QB despite Patrick never having played the position.
When a father does that with his son anywhere, people are going to gripe. When you do it here in Ashburn, where we all not only have opinions, we make sure they’re heard by everyone, it’s a bit more intense. Lest you require evidence, I point you to this earlier post. Mickey even had to deal with questions under his own roof. His well-educated wife Kathy (a Virginia Tech graduate) even raised the question at home.
Then add in the family factor. Father-son relationships are complicated enough when you’re 16. Although mother-daughter situations are viewed as more so, I believe they’re pretty close. The only difference is mothers and daughters seemingly need to trade thousands of words in their battles. Fathers and sons have to get along in one and three-word increments.
Patrick then had to bear another burden. As a young man, it’s tough enough molding your own reputation; he had to carry the weight of his father’s as well. If he played bad, not only were there questions about him as a player, there were questions about his Dad as a coach. Many of us struggle throughout our lives carrying on the family legacy. To have to carry it at 16 when most only have to worry about girls, getting a driver’s license, girls, school work and girls…that’s a lot on your plate.
So Patrick had to deal with all this, plus his head coach gets to come home with him every day and be in his ear about football if he somehow falters. And in the second game of the season, Stone Bridge gets bliltzed by Robinson, and folks throughout the community are saying the Bulldogs’ reign of being the area’s elite team may be over.
Many would struggle under such circumstances. Patrick dealt with it all – plus a couple of significant injuries – with grace and poise and was still standing the first Saturday in December, throwing four touchdown passes as Stone Bridge won a state title.
Is he a great quarterback? His body of work is only one season, so it’s hard to say. But can he deal with pressure, filter out the noise of the world and do the job he’s supposed to? In short, can he lead?
Read the story. Look at the results. The answer is pretty easy.
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Friday, 22 August 2008 01:03 by
Dave
By now, you’ve heard about the University of Virginia’s decision to ban signs at athletic games. It is a thinly veiled attempt to stop folks at football games from holding up signs to television cameras that say “Fire Al Groh” or some variation, no matter what the administration says.
Some are up in arms about what amounts to censorship. Others point out the irony of a University founded by Thomas Jefferson denying free speech. Both are certainly valid.
But I don’t like the decision for a different reason: It chips away another small piece of the unique character of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
I grew up with the ACC when it was a conference of great basketball and average football. Even while watching C.D. Chesley broadcasts (you may stop humming “Sail With The Pilot…”) on a 19-inch television, the ACC had a definite mystique. When I finally reached the point in my life where I could see some of these games in person, that mystique only grew. Much was due to certain schools’ fans, and their talent at turning a sign into a piece of biting commentary.
The leader in the clubhouse was always Duke. Who can forget being at Cameron Indoor Stadium, when thousands of Blue Devil students carried in signs of Maryland Coach Lefty Driesell with a gas gauge on his forehead pointing to empty? Time after time, they figured out how to get under another team’s skin with a few words and a small piece of cardboard.
Virginia also excelled in this area. As a Virginia Tech graduate, I must give the good people of Charlottesville their due. They are a clever group of very smart people, who when not puking their guts out from drinking enough alcohol to numb a small herd of cattle, bring sarcasm and satire to a level that rivals an art form.
Pictures like the one above add flavor to a rivalry. I don’t, for example, remember the details of certain Tech-Virginia football games of the 1970s. But I sure remember the drum major dressed up as Colonel Sanders, leading the UVA pep band waving an oversized drumstick. And I also remember Virginia Tech’s band responding with a musical salute to Thomas Jefferson, playing “Lay Down Sally” for Jefferson’s good friend Sally Hemings.
Banning signs takes some of this flavor away. The intense pressure these days to be ultra politically correct removes even more. Pretty soon, the ACC will be just like the NFL.
But there is hope. College students in general, and UVA students in particular revel in doing what they’re not supposed to. That spirit of rebellion against censorship should be particularly strong at a University founded by the man who authored the Declaration of Independence. So I’m guessing we’ll still see signs from UVA students this season. Quite a few, in fact.
If not, maybe they're too busy with other things. Like delivering pizza.
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Wednesday, 20 August 2008 17:22 by
Dave He’s not grabbing headlines. But when you read deeper into the stories, Jeron Gouveia-Winslow (who appears to be picking up the moniker “JGW” in Blacksburg) seems to be getting it done at Virginia Tech.
Earlier this week, much was made of the early struggles prize recruit running back Ryan Williams was having, with specific attention made to a play where a defensive back blew by him as he was trying to block. That defensive back? Jeron Gouveia-Winslow.
Today was another of the team’s scrimmages, with this one having certain restrictions. The starting quarterbacks (Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor) would play, but everyone else would be non-starters. The logic, I’m guessing, would be to see who can play before decisions regarding red-shirting are made this weekend.
Willilams, not having to face the first-team defense, looked much better. He had 94 yards on only two carries, and both quarterbacks seemed to have fun as well. Glennon was 5 of 9 for 98 yards and one interception; Taylor was 7 of 8 for 102 yards, no INTs.
So who made the day’s only interception? That would be No. 43, Stone Bridge’s own JGW.
Kyle Tucker of the Virginia Pilot posted preliminary stats after the scrimmage, and the leading tackler was Lorenzo Williams, with 11. Second on the list was Gouveia-Winslow, who had six tackles and the above-mentioned interception.
When you read the coach’s quotes in state newspapers, JGW isn’t being singled out, so I don’t know how well he’s doing. But he seems to still have that knack for being around the ball. And when he is, he seems to be either catching it, or knocking down the player who does.
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Tuesday, 19 August 2008 13:50 by
Dave It’s amazing the memories that sometimes linger in your head. I can recall, for example, walking across the field at Broad Run one Friday night as the song “Crank Dat” by Soulja Boy was blaring over the PA. Paul Tenorio of the Washington Post and I had both gone over to Mike Burnett before the game to say hello, and as we were both walking back toward the press box, Tenorio smiled and said “isn’t that a great song?”
Um, sure Paul. Right up there with “Achy, Breaky Heart.”
But the song was everywhere at high school sports events for awhile until it jumped the shark. By then, you could see videos on youtube of everyone, including SpongeBob SquarePants, doing the “Crank Dat” dance. That, it turns out, is the universal sign that it’s time to move on. Being played as elevator music couldn’t have been too far behind.
Music is a lively topic in my house. I’ve been a musician for just about all my life (primarily keyboards), and it seems my daughter and I have been debating what’s good music for just about all her life. By her definition, there is “my music” (70s, 80s and 90s music) and “her music” which is, to hear her tell it, “anything good.”
It’s not as if either side is unaware of the other’s music. We have a simple house rule about downloading music to Ipods or computers: I do it. This way, I make sure no FBI agent shows up at the door in the middle of the night with a warrant for illegal downloading, and I get to listen to the music. In some cases, it’s opened my eyes to some very good songs I normally wouldn’t have listened to. In others, it’s made me aware of some obscenity-laden verses that did not end up on a household music device.
Not surprisingly, control of the radio when we’re all in the car is a battle. My wife adds a third perspective to this, as she has somehow morphed from a country music listening Southwestern Virginia girl to a hip hop fanatic who believes Hot 99.5 is the only station worth listening to. I’m not sure when she decided to become our household’s Queen Latifah, but all my tunes are now deemed “geezer music.” It’s probably only a matter of time before she threatens to “bust a cap off” in part of my anatomy.
This past weekend, songs like Manfred Mann’s “Blinded By The Light” (which has the greatest verse of all time: “Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun. But Mama….that’s where the fun is”) came on while we were driving around, followed by Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” and The Who’s “We Won’t Be Fooled Again.” Your generation, I told my daughter, doesn’t have songs like that. “Sure we do,” she answered. “You just don’t listen to them.”
Which brings me back to the music at high school sports events. With Crank Dat thankfully going to the great Crank Vat in the sky, what am I going to hear in the 30 minutes before kickoff? What songs will teams be running on to the field to?
The leader in the clubhouse for now and years to come would have to be Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” If you’ve ever been to Lane Stadium as Virginia Tech is coming through the tunnel, it’s an amazing, emotional experience as 66,000 are jumping up and down and roaring through the first 40 seconds of the song. Oddly enough, when you actually hear the entire song, you find yourself asking yourself “there’s more to that song than just the intro?”
Most schools use that one. I guess if your team isn’t very good, “Wake Me Up Before September Ends” by Green Day might be appropriate. If I were running onto a field, the section of “We Won’t Get Fooled Again” where Keith Moon’s signature drum solo is interrupted by Roger Daltry’s primal scream might get you going, although some might suggest “Teenage Wasteland” from the same album may be more appropriate for a high school game.
Other geezer classics? How about “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. “Vertigo” by U2. “Born To Run” by Bruce Springsteen. “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince. “Panama” by Van Halen. Even “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple or “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos. And as earlier mentioned, “Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty or “Blinded By The Light” by Manfred Mann might work.
“You’ll never hear those,” my daughter said. “That’s YOUR music. High school kids want THEIR music.”
Sad by true. So I’m curious as to what I’ll hear August 29 when I head out to Briar Woods to see Milbrook play Briar Woods. I’ve showed my cards. Let’s see what they’re holding.
But if I hear the word “crank” in any of the lyrics…
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Monday, 18 August 2008 15:41 by
Dave In today’s email, I got one of the dozens of emails I get from the Washington Redskins every month, this time telling me I could still buy some parking passes if I needed them. I usually delete them, because they send them to every email address I’ve ever had, but this one caught my eye.
The message said that in order to take advantage of the offer, I should click on a link, enter my season ticket number (which was provided in the message) then enter my password, which THEY PRINTED IN THE EMAIL. The first rule of any computer based program or communications program is that you NEVER, NEVER display someone's password in a mass mailing.
Feeling generous toward my favorite NFL team, I called the ticket office to alert them that they had just created a pretty big security risk for their season ticket holders. After 10 minutes on hold, a lady answered and asked if she could help me. I explained the problem, and she said “yeah, we sent that out to everyone. Everyone’s message has their password in it. It’s no big deal.”
I was stunned. Anyone who accesses these emails can get into the message-holder's Redskins account, change the address where the tickets are delivered, order parking passes, or do some other mischief. The “it’s no big deal” was quite a surprise.
So I’ve changed my password, and if you’re a Redskins season ticket holder, you should too. As much as we kid about the Redskins, I hate to admit that sometimes it’s true: They’ don’t have a clue.
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Monday, 18 August 2008 11:19 by
DaveA few Monday morning thoughts…
- I tend to pull for all area players to do well, but if I had a favorite this season, it would be Stone Bridge quarterback Patrick Thompson. Several of his teammates (including his brother Zach) have signed Division I scholarship offers, but Patrick has been relegated to the “two star” group of area players, something I think is a bit misleading.
We’ve all seen our share of unsuccessful QBs with strong arms. The really good ones have an intangible leadership quality, and Patrick has it. He led his team to a state championship last year, battling through injuries, and seemed unflappable. The morning of the state title game, there was some thought he may not play due to arm and shoulder problems. All he did was throw four TD passes that day, then afterward acted like it was no big deal.
I thought he’d be the surprise player of the area this year. But he’ll have a big uphill battle now. In Friday night’s scrimmage with Broad Run, he injured his throwing hand and according to Dan Sousa at Loudounprepsports.com, could be lost for up to six weeks with a ruptured tendon in his throwing hand.
Next man up? Kyle Gouveia, younger cousin of Jeron, who is only a sophomore.
- Speaking of the Gouveia family, I can’t help but wonder if Virginia Tech is going to be forced to take a look at Jeron at wide receiver this season. He was recruited as a defensive back, and he’s been mentioned in a few blurbs out of Blacksburg for making a good play or two. This Friday is when the Hokies have their final scrimmage, and that’s when decisions regarding who is going to be redshirted are made.
Tech was an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver the last few years, with players like David Clowney, Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan and Justin Harper. They’re all doing well in the pros, and this year’s starters were supposed to be Brandon Dillard and Zach Luckett. Dillard was injured during the summer and is out for the year. Luckett was suspended indefinitely yesterday for a DUI-related offense.
Somebody has to play wide receiver. Jeron caught a 99-yard touchdown pass, among other things last year….
- Finally, the Redskins’ plan to imitate Steve Spurrier’s first season seems to be going according to plan. They may be 3-0, but they really didn’t look good against the Jets Saturday night. Alarm is starting to creep in when you look at how QB Jason Campbell is moving the team, and backup Todd Collins still hasn’t figured out the offense.
It’s interesting that the team is looking worse as the preseason progresses, because it’s as the preseason goes on, opponents play more of their starters longer. That’s why Spurrier got so excited with his first win in Osaka, only to watch his offense revert to the stone ages when teams started playing their real players.
But if you are bi-lingual, there is some news. Owner Dan Snyder is going to convert one of his multitude of radio purchases to all-spanish sports. He’ll be carrying ESPN Desportes. I don’t know if we’ll be hearing Michael de Larry calling the actually Redskins games, but if they do a postgame call-in show, I’m going to have to bone up on my Spanish. Anyone know how to say “we suck?”
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