Link: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/72242-pro-bowl-youve-got-to-be-kidding-me

I understand that voting for the NFL Pro Bowl starts early every
year. But as usual, it irritates me this year too. I don't have as much
problem with the Pro Bowl itself as many do, but it isn't even the
halfway point of the regular season yet!

Every year there are a number of players that are "snubbed" by the
Pro Bowl voting, and I'm sure this year it will be no different.

There may be some hope this season however because of the fact that
there is no single dominant team taking over media attention at this
point in the season. Let's hope so.

There is also a relatively loud clamour to not even play this game
every year. There are a number different reasons cited for this, from
the game itself being boring to watch to claims that most players don't
WANT to play in it.

Following Super Bowl XXXIX, former star Cowboys' quarterback Troy Aikman voiced his opinion on the matter:

"I know Paul Tagliabue isn't going to want to hear this: Nobody wants to play in a Pro Bowl," Aikman said.

"Everybody wants to be voted in. Everybody wants to be in Hawaii.
But nobody wants to play. The roster is filled with alternate players.
The guys who are voted in aren't even on the field."

To be fair, only 14 players withdrew from the Pro Bowl that year,
and some of the league's biggest star quarterbacks did in fact play.

READ MORE...

The punting situation is a problem, but let's not lose sight of the fact that the coverage has been terrible as well, seems to be no discipline in keeping their lanes on both punts and kickoffs, too many missed tackles.

And I was also disappointed in the pass rush, the Skins should have been able to get to Bulger more than they did, still got some pressure, but not enough hits on him.

And I agree with the idea that the coaches need to really start pushing the rookie WRs, the idea that a defense can take away ONE GUY FROM THE OFFENSE(Moss) and there is nobody else to go to in order to make plays down the field is a bad one. Zorn and Stan HIxon (WRs coach) need to push these and get 'me moving forward NOW.

JC is this team's long term answer at QB, and Portis is a beast, with those 2 spots playing as well as they are, the team around them needs to raise their level of play.

One bad loss, but it will hopefully prove to be a very healthy one in terms of lessons to be learned.

 
This is a difficult week in which to rank NFL teams, there are a number of teams in the middle that could easily be at the top of the "middle" or at the bottom of "middle". I go with the Redskins based on the difficult schedule they have had to play through, they have had the most difficult schedule in the NFL for the first five weeks, getting through it at 4-1 is an incredible feat. 

 For details on why I think the Skins are belong here, you go here.   

1. Washington Redskins    Sorry folks, but the Skins are for real.       
2. New York Giants    Very impressive win, but they won a single game yet as impressive as what the Skins have done.       
3. Tennessee Titans    Collins has only been sacked once this season. The defense is absolutely scary, they could well be the best team in football if they just had the chance to prove it against a quality opponent.       
4. Dallas Cowboys    Are the Cowboys in trouble? I dunno, but something just doesn't seem right with this team.       
5. Buffalo Bills    Without Edwards this team isn't very good. That means depth is an issue, which means they aren't THAT good.       
6. Carolina Panthers    Still haven't proven anything, but they are getting things done.       
7. Pittsburgh Steelers    Ben is in serious need of this bye, Steelers need him to get healthy, and to fix that terrible O-Line.       
8. Chicago Bears    Found more offense, very nice. Orton almost looks like an NFL quarterback.       
9. Indianapolis Colts    They still don't have a defense, but they do still have Peyton, miracles never cease.       
10. Denver Broncos    Finally a win where score wasn't 90 to 87, they do have a defense after all, then again, it was the Bucs.       
11. Philadelphia Eagles    When Westbrook isn't right, this team doesn't stand a chance. Broken ribs now, it could get ugly real quick for the Eagles.       
12. New Orleans Saints    Defense and toughness are two things this team doesn't have.       
13. San Diego Chargers    Took way too much effort to beat Oakland.       
14. Arizona Cardinals    Last week I asked: are they ANY good or not? Answer: not on defense.       
15. New England Patriots    Cassel finally got the message that Randy Moss wasn’t the one that got hurt.       
16. Atlanta Falcons    Man, "the formula" is working pretty damn good isn't it?       
17. Green Bay Packers    Ok, this is on the way to looking really bad now, the defense is falling apart and Rodgers is banged up, not good.       
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers    Losing a defensive show down to the Broncos isn't a very good sign for this offense.       
19. Baltimore Ravens    Man, this defense can be scary at times, but they don't handle a good smack in the mouth too well do they?       
20. Jacksonville Jaguars    Well, what can one say, they are struggling and Gregg Williams defense isn't looking so great just now. Skins fans, can you take him back now?       
21. Miami Dolphins    Very impressive win over the Chargers, not sure how far this game plan can take them, but their gonna nurse if for everything it's worth.       
22. Minnesota Vikings    Vikings fans are rollin' on the Gus Bus!       
23. New York Jets    A bye was probably a good thing for the Jets, a little time for Favre to get himself ready for a long stretch of football.       
24. San Francisco 49ers    O'Sullivan let me down, but I knew he would.       
25. Seattle Seahawks    Ok, I now I know they can't fix this anytime soon, that was nasty!       
26. Cincinnati Bengals    Nice fight against the Giants and now the Cowboys. Maybe their a little closer than their record indicates.       
27. Kansas City Chiefs    Last week was a mirage!       
28. Cleveland Browns    What's there to say, It's time for the Mighty Quinn!       
29. Oakland Raiders    What now? There must be something to laugh about, right?       
30. Houston Texans    Poor Sage, he almost had it!       
31. Detroit Lions    Ummmm… Sorry, they're just bad, even after the bye week.       
32. St Louis Rams    They've got a new coach and they get to go to Washington this week, boy their luck is getting better by the day!    

Link: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/62322-redskins-cowboys-keys-to-victory

The Washington Redskins visit the Dallas Cowboys in Week Four of the
2008 regular season. As the marquee match-up for this Sunday, I have
taken an extended look at this game.

For my detailed breakdown of this game see HERE, HERE AND HERE.

And now we'll note the keys to victory for each team as I see it.

The winning formula for the 'Skins on offense:

Score TOUCHDOWNS, early.

The Cowboys will likely be capable of running the ball nearly at will if given the opportunity. The Skins will need to put points on the board to prevent Cowboys' offensive coordinator Jason Garrett from feeling comfortable enough to to lean on their running game as they did against the Packers last week. The Skins can force him to put the onus on quarterback Tony Romo to make plays, perhaps enough pressure to force Romo into mistakes, which he has shown he can be counted on for maybe two per game. And if that happens, the Skins have to take advantage of those mistakes and score touchdowns, not field goals.

The winning formula for the 'Skins on defense:

See above first. A good defense often starts with the offense and it will be that way for the Redskins this week. Washington Redskins' defensive coordinator Greg Blache has done a fine job thus far game planning against three very good offenses. While the Redskins defense has allowed high yardage totals, and two 100 yard rushers, his defense has held three of the highest scoring teams to only 17 points or less (the Saints had a punt return for a touchdown to give them 24 points in Week Two). That said, this is the most potent offense Blache and the Redskins' defense have seen yet. Their focus has to be preventing the big play. But they also can't allow the Cowboys to hold a large advantage in time of possession. Last season, then defensive coordinator Gregg Williams tried to use a "bend, don't break" mentality against the New England Patriots. It didn't go very well. Williams couldn't get his players out of the mentality once the Patriots showed they could handle it, and it went down hill fast. Blache can't let that happen against the Cowboys. The will need to make plays behind the line of scrimmage early with penetration and early hits on the beast, running back Marion Barber and the speedy rookie Felix Jones.

The winning formula for the 'Boys on offense:

Pound the Skins into submission first, second, and third, and then show your explosiveness. Sounds easy enough. But the Redskins have played well against the Cowboys' running game in the last six meetings overall. Their last meeting, at the end of last season, the Redskins' defense held to Cowboys' to ONE yard rushing. ONE. The Cowboys entered that game having already clinched home field advantage through out the playoffs, and didn't bring any intensity with them from Dallas. Wide out Terrell Owens was the offensive starter who didn't play in that game, with Romo and the other starters playing into the third quarter before Wade Phillips gave up trying to save some momentum and sat the "important" guys. The Cowboys' offensive line is big, very big, and they should be able to wear down the Skins' defensive front, but they will need to prevent penetration into the backfield so Barber and Jones can get a head of steam before being hit. If they can do that, they likely won't be stopped.

The winning formula for 'Boys on defense:

The Cowboys' defense has shown itself to be very inconsistent. Giving up a lot of points to the Eagles, but nearly shutting the Packers out of the end-zone completely. They will need to stand up and show us who they really are. Stuffing the running game, and not letting Cowboys' Killer Santana Moss get loose for ALL FOUR QUARTERS could make for an easy win. But they will need to be very careful in putting too much attention on Moss. Redskins' head coach and primary play caller Jim Zorn has displayed dramatic improvement in his game management and shown a knack for keeping defenses off guard with his play calling. The Redskins also have many weapons other than Moss and the Cowboys defense will need to stay focused the entire game to prevent the Skins from finding a rhythm and keeping it.

If the Cowboys can keep the Skins out of the end-zone, they'll be able to pound on the Skins' defensive front, and cruise to a win much like they did against the Packers last week, thereby limiting the opportunities for Romo to make costly mistakes. The Redskins are currently leading the league in turnover ratio with a PLUS FIVE in that category. Zorn will run the ball when it seems he should throw it, and throw it when it seems he should run it, and has done both with relative success.

It should be fun to watch the game being played on the sideline just as much as on the field.

Link: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/55934-for-redskins-fans-change-is-a-painful-process

As difficult as it may be for Redskins' fans to admit, owner Daniel Snyder is a "Redskin" at heart. Surely he has made many mistakes during his tenure as owner, but he has also showed that he has learned and grown during that time.

With the apparent direction the team/organization has taken since the second retirement of Redskins' Icon Joe Gibbs, I do believe that the Redskins are undergoing a serious transformation of sorts. Very quietly, the Redskins are no longer the oldest team in the NFL. Add to
that the fact that so much of the youth is low round draft picks and undrafted players, workman type guys that most Redskins' fans can relate to and appreciate, just like "the old days".

What makes it difficult is the reality that so many people, the media and fans alike, simply won't let go of the past. Snyder screwed up with big name signings early in his ownership, trying to "buy" a championship. There is no debate about that, not even from Snyder himself.

The reality is that he really hasn't done that in a long time. What "big name", "over the hill" players have been signed in the last seven years? That's right, SEVEN YEARS. There have been several free agent busts during this time. But I would contend that Daniel Snyder hasn't "meddled" and made these decisions himself. I would contend that Snyder has in fact done what his Head Coach asked him to do. Offered full
support to his selected coach.

Marty Schottenheimer was a valiant effort to make dramatic change. Perhaps too dramatic. Schottenheimer wasn't given enough time for anyone to know whether or not the direction he had set forth would work, and that was another mistake by an inexperienced owner, an owner who has since outwardly admitted that
his impatience with Schottenheimer was one of the biggest mistakes he has made as an owner.

Steve Spurrier was apparently a mistake as well. But fans and the media don't remember that Snyder didn't fire Spurrier, Spurrier quit. Snyder was by all appearances prepared to live through the difficulties of a changing franchise, and let the coach he believed in try to get the job done.

Fans also don't recognize that the past four years were on Joe Gibbs, completely. The draft trades, the free agent busts, the poor planning for the future, all on Gibbs. Snyder just wrote the checks that Gibbs requested, and Cerrato did what Gibbs asked him to do.

For Gibbs' part in the "problems" everyone sites (free agent busts, trading away draft picks) his efforts here were devoted to turning over the roster, trying to re-create the character of the team as a whole, and he did that. One can look at the roster he had when he started and see that in his first 2 years, he turned over nearly 70% of the roster. Mostly with free agents (most of whom were, and still are, productive, as much as any other free agent signings around the league). Snyder deserves to be criticized for "over paying" players, but the players themselves were not of his choosing. They were Gibbs' choices, from recommendations by his coaching staff, his personnel men.

Now is the time to move forward with a plan. Vinny Cerrato, although people want to crucify this guy for the Redskins issues for the last 10
years, wasn't the guy making the decisions before now. And Jim Zorn is a new kind of coach and needs to be given the time to work through the identity of the Redskins and "Zorn" himself. The time to work through the difficulties of a new system, new coaches, and many young players.

The media and Redskins' fan base have been clamoring for real change in the direction of the franchise, to use draft picks to build the team, and now that it seems to have taken place, without instant success, these same people, the media and fans, want ANOTHER CHANGE. Isn't that what we have been complaining about for 10 years?

The impulsive, reactionary, and often misguided efforts of a rookie owner are now being called for by the very people who have ridiculed the Redskins' leadership for years.

Everyone knows that one cannot properly rate any drafted players for two to three years. So why the call for Vinny Cerrato's head? There is NOTHING to indicate that the Redskins' 2008 draft class will be anything at all, good or bad. There is arguably plenty of talent within each selection, and football critics have lauded the picks themselves as being good talent at each of the points in the draft which they were taken.

There are many drafted players that have outstanding rooki campaigns. Many of those players go on to fall apart, and never live up to the promise they created in their rookie years. There are many other drafted players that were invisible in their first two years in the league, and then the light comes on the they become pro-bowl caliber players.

So why don't we just calm down and let time tell us whether or not Cerrato (and Snyder) have done good things since Gibbs' announced his retirement? Why not let the 2008 draft class play a year or two and find out if any of them can really play the game? Why not let Jim Zorn learn from his mistakes, and grow into the head coach he can be, and
then pass judgement? Why not let Jason Campbell learn ONE offense for more than ONE year and see what he can do without THINKING about what's to take place on each and every play?

Why not show the patience that we have been calling for?

Change can be painful, but it may just be the road we need to travel in order to bring back the respect, the stability, the pride, and the tradition of one of the oldest and grandest franchises in football.

And maybe, just maybe, it will also bring a championship.