CAPS PREVIEW 2008

TIME TO GET JACKED UP FOR THE CAPS!!!

Caps open up tonight against Atlanta and the lines have been announced by Bruce Boudreau:

Line 1: Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Line 2: Laich-Fedorov-Semin
Line 3: Fleischmann-Nylander-Clark
Line 4: Brashear-Steckel- Bradley

The defense pairings were as follows:

Morrisonn-Green
Erskine-Poti
Schultz-Jurcina


The extras were Boyd Gordon and Eric Fehr. Gordon was assigned to the fourth line while Fehr skated with the third.


Goalies:

Jose Theodore

Brent Johnson

1st LINE

First, the four forward lines look pretty glorious. You’ve got the Ovie, Backstrom, Koz line back in tack for the full year under Boudreau. Backstrom is poised to have an even bigger year this year as reports say he looks poised and confident now that his rookie year is in the books. This line should dominate the score sheets.

2nd LINE

The second line, which played together frequently down the stretch last year, really seemed to gel with Fedorov in the center. Semin’s confidence and toughness took off last year after playing with Fedorov. Apparently Semin doesn’t speak very good English, and prior to Fed’s arrival, the only guy he could authentically communicate with on the team was Ovechkin. Fedorov has been an incredible mentor and friend to Semin, and this should translate to increased production for the two. Laich had a breakout year last year, as he grinded out over 20 goals, with both skill and grit. This line will also be very strong.

3rd LINE

The third line is intriguing and likely the most improved aspect of this team. Nylander, who was putting up numbers before Boudreau came last year, got hurt early in the Boudreau tenure, and was out for the year. He is back healthy and motivated, and could eclipse 90 points this year. Clark, who also was out for the whole Boudreau run, has recovered from his groin injury and is ready to match his 20 goal form from 2 seasons ago. He’s a grinder like Laich, with perhaps even more skill. He’s also back wearing the captain’s C. The interesting third wheel on this line is Fleischmann. He was signed last year to an extension and he’s shown flashes of brilliance but overall his play has still been spotty. He’s wearing a new number this year, 14 (43 before), so hopefully he will shed his inconsistent past. The good news for the Caps is that they aren’t “all in” on Flash. If Flash doesn’t produce, he’s got up and coming players Eric Fehr, and also minor league upstart Chris Bourque waiting in the wings to take his spot. Between those three, the Caps will get production from this line spot.

4th LINE

The fourth line is the checking line, which really was a winning x factor last year. Bruisers Brashear and Bradley will drop the gloves with anybody, and Steckel is one of the top faceoff and penalty kill men in the league. Boyd Gordon does all the same stuff and will rotate in with this line as well. This line isn’t going to score a lot of goals, (although they have proven they can score) but that is not what they’re there for. They provide an emotional and physical lift for this team, and look for them to be a big momentum changer when this team comes out flat every now and then.

DEFENSE

These four lines are competitive with any four in the league. The questions and concerns come in the defensive pairings. We really only have 3 good defensemen, Green, Morrison and Poti. Erskine is good at times, but can be inconsistent and commits stupid penalties which prevent him from being very good. Jurcina is not very good most of the time, and decent only some of the time, which is a problem. When he’s focused he can be solid, but he takes some terrible angles, makes some dumb passes in his own zone, and also commits flaky penalties. Couple him with the guy I like to call “shady” Jeff Schultz, and you have a really mediocre defense pairing. I have never gotten the whole Schultz project. He was actually drafted by us 4 slots BEFORE Mike Green, and in his defense was only 22 last year. However, he was really tentative, whenever he got the puck he was like the kid in gym class that sucked, he hurriedly passed the puck to someone who was good. He was not physical, which was astounding considering he’s about 6’5 230 pounds. These issues could be understandable for a young defensemen, but for some reason he logged more ice time than any other defensemen on our team in the playoffs last year. We love this guy! He plays ALL THE TIME! I feel like there’s something I’m missing here. Are we just touting this guy because the organization drafted him in the first round? Are we just hoping he gets better on the fly? I don’t know, but word is he’s working on being more physical this year (whatever that means) and handling the puck better. The good news is we also have Karl Alzner, a top pick from a couple years ago who tour up Juniors last year (he was defensemen of the year) waiting in the minors to likely take over one of our defensemen slots mid-year. Course, he’ll be an NHL rookie.

GOALTENDING

We lost Huet at goalie, and picked up Theodore. Theo was the top goalie in the league back in 02’ and has won multiple playoff series, which is what we like about him. What I don’t like about him is how his career GAA matches up with Huet’s-

Theodore . ...vs. ..Huet

2.65.....................2.43

I know you’re thinking, that’s not much, but over the last three years Theodore’s GAA has been in the mid 3’s while Huet’s has been in the mid 2’s. Huet’s GAA last year as a Capital was 1.63. Most of Theodore’s years where he was in the low to mid 2’s were early in the decade. Dicey to say the least.

OVERALL

Everyone is talking about how great the Caps can be, and I’m not going to argue, but I’m not ready to say we’re a cup contender. The reality is we lost to Philly in the playoffs, who got beat pretty easily by Pittsburgh, who got beat very easily by Detroit. We may in fact be the third best team in the league, but that doesn’t mean we’re on the brink of winning the cup. Detroit is so good we could be three defensemen and a good goalie away from just COMPETING with them. What the Caps should do this year is try to establish themselves as the best team in their conference. They can do this by beating Pittsburgh, which is no easy task with Crosby and Malkin. Luckily for us Pitt’s other stud, Martin Hossa, signed for half the money to play for Detroit. If Pitt got him back, I don’t think we could beat them. I think we’ll probably make the conference finals and lose. Still a great and exciting year. The reality of the NHL is simple. At least half the teams in the league have a problem consistently scoring goals. Just by being a good offensive team that can score goals, you’re in the top 10 of the whole league. Sample in some good defense and goaltending and make your offense GREAT, and you’re a top 3 team, which is where the Caps should be.

If you’re a DC sports fan and you went to sleep last year after the Skins lost the wildcard game last year in Seattle and just woke up today, get up and scream because we’re about to have two solid winners in DC who came out of nowhere. The Caps and Redskins. Sit back and enjoy DC, it’s going to be a hell of a winter!!

Skins take down Dallas

I first would like to apologize for taking this long to post this, Blogspot has been having problems - freezing for the past 2 days. Thanks for waiting because I wanted to make a quality post that would be entertaining. I make sure I gather all the information together first then give you my Picasso. F- Blogspot...I better post this before it locks up on me again....



In case you missed it here are all the key plays of the game:

Jim Zorn has to be the biggest surprise of all this year. But nothing is more surprising than what he did after the game. The 3 Cheers - Hip Hip Hooray! Was first done by Legendary Skins Coach George Allen. When a reporter asked Zorn after the game if he did that because of Allen- Zorn was CLUELESS. He said he never knew that cheer took place and he used to do it in Seattle for Coach Holmgren when he came back and coached a great game in the playoffs. Here is something else very interesting...

George Allen did this Cheer after the Redskins Beat the Cowboys in 1971. Allen was the first Coach to beat them in Dallas Stadium when he took over the team in his first year. Now Zorn did the EXACT same thing. Norv never won in Dallas, Marty never won in Dallas, Spurrier never won in Dallas, Joe Gibbs Never won in Dallas, BUT JIM ZORN WON.....

He does the same cheer that Allen did not knowing about it??? After Allen Beat Dallas in their stadium? That is erie. I think its a sign, A good sign. That things are changing for the good around here.

But one thing that is constant about our team is our passionate owner Dan Snyder. I have always been a Dan Fan, because he is willing to do whatever it takes to put the best possible product on the field year in and year out. In case you missed it after the game Snyder was seen in the locker room Hugging Jim Zorn and Yelling at the Players.....



Snyder either is excited that his team finally won in Dallas since he's been the owner, had several millions dollars on the game, had a bet to sell Six Flags to Jerry Jones if we lost or is sexually frustrated.

Either way, that's how passionate an Owner should be about his team.

MY GRADES:


Jason Campbell: A +


No Turnovers yet in 4 straight games. Campbell was 20-of-31 for 231 yards. He made several look offs to make the best pass. Inside the Red zone he looked comfortable, even without the Big Receivers in the game. He's doing it with the guys we've had for years, chemistry has arrived.



Clinton Portis: A


Got his first 100 yard rushing game (121 yds) of the season. The best run I have seen since his first game as a Redskin. The 30 yard sprint was what I have been looking for all year.

Santana Moss: B +

Didn't get in the endzone - the 6 game TD streak was snapped - which tied the franchise record. 8 catches for 145 yards.

Randle El: B

I don't get why he has to praise Allah every time he scores or does anything? He still doesn't get many yards after catch but got in the endzone and made a few key catches.

James Thrash: B+

He was running the TD route so hard he fell before the snap. It paid off because the coverage was about 2 steps behind him.

Casey Rabach: F

Cost the Redskins 2 TD's. One of which was an unbelievable play by Campbell avoiding the sack. How does a Center get an illegal down field lineman on the 5 yard line? Even if you thought Campbell was going to scramble hes a big boy and could fall forward 5 yards.

Chris Samuels: D

2 Sacks given up in the 1st Quarter. He is over matched all the time, Campbell is having to scramble and move around the pocket almost every pass. Keep it up Chris, you will be in the Pro Bowl yet again at the End of the Year.....

The BIG DEFENSE: A

I had to put this all together because it was a team effort to shut down the Leagues most powerful offense. Chris Horton another pick- Steal of the draft. Springs had great coverage on T.Uh-O. holding him to 2 catches for 11 yards in the first half. Springs went down with a calf injury Carlos Rogers came in and handled t, he had several nice deflections. Now remember we did this all WITHOUT JASON TAYLOR!! I mean we really proved that we are still a great Defensive Unit that can stop anyone.


Fun Stat:

***Tony Romo in his Career is 1-3 against Washington and 22-6 against everyone else***

The next two video's show why everyone hates Dallas Cowboy fans. Check out this guys shirt, plenty more things can be said about these guys but I will leave it up to you....

Well Dog my Cat!! I can get that on Ebay??

For some reason now I find Van Halen less appealing...



I feel like Ricky Bobby is going to come run on the screen and yell "SHAKE N' BAKE"

Just a couple of hilarious lines....

Start at 12 seconds "Just talk your trash baby, you dont have to come up with a...a......a.....a..(DADAThis is where my brain is sapose to werk?) stupid B.S. reason.

"WEAAAAAK!!!!" 1:00

"Yea, we got PacMan say what you want about him Homeboy can play - You kant doubt dat" 2:57

"We are the most Hated team in the league - BAR NONE" 3:28

Juan Dixon Signs Back with the Wizards- Eddie Too

Juan Dixon has come back to the area he loves. The Former Maryland Terp was selected the Most Outstanding Player of the 2002 Final Four for helping Maryland win the national championship, then was picked in the first round of that year's NBA draft (17th Overall) by the Wizards.





He will wear # 8, because of course Caron Butler wears his # 3. After 6 seasons with various teams in the league (Portland, Toronto, Detroit) he comes back to the Wizards.



First off, I'd like to say that I am happy he's back but where he will fit in is the question. I think he should replace DeShawn Stevenson at SG. DeShawn is dead weight. His antics are one thing but his inconsistent shooting is my main peeve. Dixon could fit in nicely.



Now what does this do about the Production of Nick Young? We got rid of Roger Mason Jr. because the fact we want Young to get more playing time. Could Dixon Run the Point while Gilbert is Out?



On that note, I think that this was a publicity stunt to get us interested in a team with out Arenas. They owe the fans something for this stunning injury to Arenas. Bringing Dixon here could be it.


I like Dixon for this reason here:


"I'm excited to return to the area and to resume my career with the Wizards," Dixon said. "I'm looking forward to the start of training camp and I'm ready to step in and contribute wherever coach [Eddie] Jordan and the team sees fit."

Juan Dixon is a team player. He will try to fit into our system however he can. We need more guys like this on the team. None of this "Im not getting enough minutes" ie Brendon Haywood. But if we compared everyone to Brendan Haywood then Kwame Brown would be an All-Star.

We also Extended Eddie Jordan contract thru 2009-10 season. Making Jordan the 3rd Longest Tenured Coach in the NBA. Eddie is the man, his substitution schemes are sometimes shady but overall a good coach that players want to play for. Jordan's record over five Wizards seasons is 196-214, but that includes a rebuilding 25-57 mark in his first year. Since then, he is 171-157.

Let me know what you think of the Juan Dixon Deal and how will he fit in our rotation? Before AND after Arenas comes back.

Week 3 Recap: Cardinals (2-1) vs. Skins (2-1)

This past Sunday, the Skins had a huge win. Not because if we didn't win, we would be heading to play the two toughest teams in the NFC next with a 1 and 2 record, but because we had yet another win against a possible playoff wild card contender.

With wins against New Orleans (1-2) and Arizona (2-0) - we have already solidified a tie-breaker ahead of those teams for a NFC wild card spot. I know its early to talk about playoffs but to have these things in place is worth mentioning.

MY GRADES:

Jason Campbell: A

He has yet to have a turnover- 0 INTS and 0 Fumbles. 4 TDs with a 100.1 Quarterback Rating - The next two games will really test his abilities.

Clinton Portis: C+

68 yards and a TD. For a "Supposed Top 10 Back" not having a hundred yard game yet is unacceptable. I am still waiting for him to break out...

Santana Moss: B+

7 Rec 75 yards and a TD, 2nd Game in a Row Winning TD

Chris Cooley: B

7 catches 72 yards 10.3 a catch...No TD but almost rumbled in for one. He needs to be apart of the offense more.

Lee Torrence: D

He is getting praise as if he found the cure for cancer! He had no idea where the ball was in the air - thus the ball bounces off his helmet. It was a very lucky play, he was in the right place at the right time but for the amount of press he received - he gets a barely passing grade.

Reed Doughty: Needs to Transfer Schools

Galudet please take him, he has one year of eligibility left....(Believe it or not he had 9 tackles, 7 solo but gave up TD to Fitzgerald)

Carlos Rogers: B

Great Awarness to snag the ball in the air for the game changing INT. If you told me that Rogers and Smoot would both have an interception before Laron Landry did, I would have called you a Liar. I guess they are both like retarted kids- I don't understand their "abilities" or lack their of.

Rocky McIntosh: A

10 Tackles and a Forced Fumble. He has Forced Fumble in back to back games.

Chris Samuels: C

1 False Start in the first Quarter. Keep it coming big fella - I smell that Pro Bowl....

Jason Taylor: B

He had 3 tipped passes in the game including 2 in the redzone. On a 2nd and Goal play and then a 3rd and Goal play. Hes a factor, but won't be in Dallas

Durrant Brooks: B

4 Punts 42.8 Avg, 2 Inside the 20. Longest 56 yards. Brooks isn't their to make tackles- so don't get upset if he looks like a kicker (because he is a kicker) going to tackle a RB...

Todd Yoder: A+++++

What more can you ask of this guy? Ok, maybe a reinactment on why Chris Cooley showed his D-Tip on his blog. But instead I will take his first TD of the season.

Overall: A-

The Cardinals coughed up their FIRST 2 turnovers of the year. Collectively our Run D gave up over 100 yards rushing. I would like to have seen that better but coming from a pass happy team I will take it. Arizona was held to under 200 yards Passing. This was a big win for a team and a town that needs an excuse to pull the razor blade away from their wrists.

Arenas has THIRD KNEE SURGERY

Yes, you heard it right, Gilbert Arenas had a 3rd Surgery that will now put him on the bench until at least December. Of course there are several words that come to mind maybe like:

NOOOO!!!! NOT POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

or

DAGGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Besides of obvious that we have paid this guy $111 million full knowing that he had a gimpy knee, apparently he wasn't even fully recovered from that injury in the first place. "This was a proactive procedure that will enhance his rehabilitation process," said Dr. Marc Connell, the Wizards' team physician. The Key word is: ENHANCE

He was still hurt and we were all to believe he was going to be fine and full strength coming into the season. No wonder why we hadn't heard any coverage about him practicing in August. I don't think he ever did.



There are several "Red Flags" that go off when hearing this "Surprise Surgery":

The Final Season Ticket Invoices were sent to the Fans. Meaning that if you hadn't re-upped your tickets by last week you wouldn't of been a Washington Wizards Season Ticket Holder for the 2008-2009 season.

Hmmmmmm, was this a strategic cover-up to not tell the fans that Arenas was going to have surgery - AGAIN?!?!?! Make sure they cash in their money for tickets and then we will tell them their superstar is out. Great Business Model.

Abe Polin was swindled again. The Old dirty baste rd, that literally looks like death wheeling around attempting to run over your toes in a wheelchair, paid extra money to a guy who's injury could be career ending. We are at the Luxury Tax limit because of Arenas Contract, not allowing us to sign anyone else to fill the void unless they take the league minimum. MJ Please where are you??

Did Arenas know he had to have this "Clean Up" Procedure before the signing? I think YES. Did the Wizards know about this Procedure? I say YES. But in order to not cause a big uprising in the fans, it was the don't ask, don't tell policy.

Now the Washington Wizards Franchise is attempting damage control. I heard this story at 5pm yesterday - But for some reason it wasn't on any 11 pm news OR Comcast Sports Net Coverage they have every night. Fishy, huh?? Right now they are trying to find as much info on Dee Brown so they can pump into our face telling us "We are okay people! WE HAVE DEE BROWN!!!"

Don't tell me about AD either. "He has a RING!!" Yea and he was on the bench when he got it. Now the Wizards have proved they can stay afloat without their top all-star. But why do I want to tread water when I can sit on a yacht? I am tired of hearing the old "When we had all of our guys we were the Best team in the Eastern Conference" Yes that might be true but WE WILL NEVER HAVE ALL OUR GUYS!!

Did you know that Nick Young has only played 13 career games with Gilbert??? That is Astounding. Shocking. Appalling. Sickening.

He has had 3 surgeries in 17 months. An injury that has been about 2 years. I won't be able to stomach Phil and Steve giving me all the "Excuses" during the games to why Arenas won't be playing.

Are you ready to deal with the constant struggle of......

"When will he be back?"
"How will we work him in?"
"Will he Start?"
"Will he come off the Bench?"
"Will he get hurt again?"

I can't handle that drama again. Yet we are right around the corner from hearing it all over again. Because there is "NO TIMETABLE" for his Return. Well I guess I'm just going to have to Quote a Wise Man that said:

"HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT!?!?!"

Mississippi Talk - Jason Campbell, Fred Smoot

The State of Mississippi has one major flaw (among many others): Speech

Trying to understand the Talk of Jason Campbell or Fred Smoot (Both from Mississppi State) can give some people a headache. But for others it can be quite the comic relief......

Jason Campbell is Country.......




Smoot Smack......






Dumb and Dumber....








Mike Sellers LunchBox Awards......*Note Phonics







Now, Santana Moss is from Miami but he sounds like he talks with Marbles in his mouth. 10 points to anyone who can figure out what Santana Said???








Work Edtic.....and the Go Go Gadget Feet

Week 2 Recap: Saints vs. Skins

WOW, What a game!! I'll admit I wrote us off when we were down two possessions with under 8 minutes left. Zorn's Offense was clicking, everyone was making plays, but the strides taken were much bigger than anticipated.

The Jason Campbell and Santana Moss Connection has officially hit stores this past weekend. The game winning pass (Which I've seen about 20 times - because apparently that was the only highlight of the game according to the major networks) was a thing of beauty. After a solid 3 years of working together the "Long Bomb" to Santana via Campbell hit full stride- literally.

The problem used to be that Campbell would overthrow or under throw Santana by 5 to 10 yards. This would either cause an missed TD pass or a bad INT. The throw was a perfect spiral, hitting Moss in the hands - with out breaking his stride - something we haven't seen since the Monday Night Miracle Dallas game. Brunell occasionally was able to hit Moss in stride but it was a rarity. Utilizing Santana's speed with out having him to slow down, jump, or break a tackle - is how we MUST use him.

In Week 1 Redskins: 5 players caught passes for 133 yards and 1 TD

In Week 2 Redskins: 9 players caught passes for 321 yards and 1 TD

Last Season, the Redskins did not have one game with at least 9 different players catching a pass.

The most exciting thing about the game was that we finally found a Safety!!!

Playmaker doesn't even describe Chris "Dreads" Horton. He had 2 INT's and a Fumble Recovery. His second interception was actually the most impressive one. The ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage, Horton was half turned around was able to locate the ball and snag it out of the air. His awareness is higher than Smoot and Rogers combined. I can't tell you how many times I see a ball deflect in the air and see those two guys not realizing it until it hits the ground. The Flashing White light that goes off during a fire drill is what Reed Doughty needs to locate that ball. In his first start of his career he does not disappoint.

Grades:

Jason Campbell: A

He made several play calls on his own at the line of scrimmage - Glimpse of Promise

O-Line: B +

Only 2 sacks given up.....Samuels did not have one. They were more focused than before- not as many penalties

Santana Moss: A

Week 1: 5 catches for 37 yds......Week 2: 7 catches for 164 yds

Chris Cooley: B

Had a huge 3rd down catch to keep the drive alive, won't be the last. Not enough broken tackles to get an A

Special Teams: F

Gave up a Punt Return TD to Bush, Brooks had several bad punts, Missed extra point. This isn't that big of a deal because these things are extremely fluke and correctable

Clinton Portis: B

Great Blocking led to those two TD's but still is lacking that burst...

Mike Sellers: A

He was the Blocking Stud on the Team this week. Crushed over guys esp. on Portis 1st TD.

Notables:

Taylor got his first sack and Skins fans got their second scare of a possibly injury.

Landry had 2 nice coverage plays preventing a TD and a big 1st Down

Fred Davis and Malcolm Kelly had their first catches of their career- Each for 6 yards