Cousins & Morris Lead Redskins Past Browns & Giants

Saturday the news broke: No RG3. Sunday would be the Kirk Cousins show and he undoubtedly impressed. I personally hoped for this to happen so RG3 could rest up his knee and be 100% when he played again and everything worked out perfectly. Kyle Shanahan created a magnificent game-plan, easing Cousins into his first start and abusing the Browns desire to stop the run. Cleveland's game plan was simple: stop Alfred Morris and force Cousins to throw to the Browns decent secondary. Kyle Shanahan abused the Browns with naked bootlegs and hard play actions, taking advantage of their aggressive game plan. They finished with 3 rushing and 2 passing touchdowns and only one turnover compared to the Browns two.

Kirk Cousins had more passing yards than RG3 had in any one game this season. He even ran the read option and had the team's longest run of the day. Cousins was decisive and smart with most of his throws, he got off to shaky start, his first completion went to a Browns defensive back, but after that he got into a groove and never looked back. His accuracy was good on most of his throws, he missed a couple due to pressure but overall was sharp, especially for a first round pick. Despite his limited action every analyst agrees that he is at the very least better than Brandon Weeden and Nick Foles, two quarterbacks taken higher than him in the draft.

This is one the most instant impact draft classes the Redskins have ever had. In their rookie seasons
they all lead the NFL in some way. Alfred Morris is 3rd in the league in rushing yards and 4th in touchdowns scored. RG3 has more rushing yards than any quarterback in the league and leads the league in passer rating (104.2). Kirk Cousins has came in in three games and won two out of the three. In the one loss he at least tied the score before losing the game. He also has an above 100 passer rating like RG3. Richard Crawford hasn't done much but had what was a game winning punt return against Baltimore. These rookies are playing hard, making plays and winning games. And right now they sit atop the NFC East.

The Playoff Picture:
 The Giants and Bears both lost and the Redskins won a 5th straight game. They are now "tied" for first  with Dallas and New York but hold the tie breaker between all of them. Seattle holds the 5th wild card spot and may even win the NFC West but then in all probability the 49ers would get the wild card. That leaves one wild card spot open. The best case scenario would be for the Giants to lose one more and the Redskins to win out, this would keep both rivals out of the playoffs.

If they do end up winning the division then their first playoff game would most likely be at home against Seattle. Seattle has knocked the Redskins out of the playoffs the only two times they made it in the last decade and revenge at FedEx Field would be sweet.

What You Want to See:
The Giants and Cowboys losing. (Nothing new)
The Redskins making it 6 games in a row. (They already romped over Philly once)

Captain Kirk Caps a Thrilling Overtime Win Over Baltimore

Kirk Cousins waves to the crowd after the win!

After an explosive first half of offense from both teams the Redskins and Ravens went into half-time with the score 21-14, Ravens. Joe Flacco tore up the secondary for three scores while RG3 had a touchdown pass and Alfred Morris had a touchdown run. A shoot-out in D.C. was in the making...except not. With no other explanation than sheer witchcraft, both defenses stepped up in the second half, turning an offensive showcase into a defensive standoff. The Redskins held the Ravens from scoring in the third quarter and mustered two turnovers, on which the Redskins scored two field goals, narrowing the lead to 20-21.

The fourth quarter came in and neither offense was able to accomplish anything until a long drive engineered by Joe Flacco and Ray Rice culminated in a Rice touchdown run. The ensuing extra point made it 28-20, requiring a two point conversion to tie. The Redskins had all three time-outs and with little under four minutes to play, a touchdown was required, there was no guarantee of a second possession.  

Cue the T.O. crying saying "Thats my quarterback!"

RG3 took 6 plays to get the Redskins 35 yards down the field to their own 40. But it came with a price, after going to the ground Griffin took a jarring hit to his leg, twisting one half with tremendous force and putting all the pressure on his knee. Griffin stayed down and limped off the field as Redskins fans held their breath. In came fellow rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins, who in his only other action threw a 77 yard touchdown but also two interceptions against Atlanta. He gunned the ball to Pierre Garcon but it fell incomplete, thankfully Garcon was interfered with, giving the Redskins a first down. RG3 trotted back onto the field to finish the game. He played four more downs and got the Redskins to the 16 yard line of Baltimore, at which point he fell on all fours and had to be helped off the field. Griffin would not return to the game. 

On his last play Griffin caught a bad snap and hurled it out of bounds, resulting in an intentional grounding call, pushing Kirk Cousins back to the 26 yard line before his first play. With 45 seconds to go Cousins dropped back and gunned the ball to Leonard Hankerson, taking it to the 11 yard line with 36 seconds to go and no more time outs. The next play Cousins dropped back, pump faked, and rolled out to his right and lofted a pass to Pierre Garcon. There were no flags thrown, and the referee raised his hands in the air.

Touchdown. 

The score was now 26-28. The game rested on a successful two point conversion attempt, essentially another touchdown from the two yard line. Cousins dropped back, and pulled it for a quarterback draw -a sheer genius play call by Kyle Shanahan- and he walked into the end-zone. With 29 seconds to go Baltimore got the football back with the score tied. They didn't try anything and headed into overtime. 

He out-ran the whole defense...except the punter

The Redskins lost the opening coin toss and Baltimore got the ball to start. If they scored a touchdown, they win. Miraculously the defense came through, forcing a three and out and a punt on fourth down. The punter nailed a boomer, driving rookie Richard Crawford back to his own twenty to accept the punt. He caught it, made a move, sped down the sideline, then cut it back across the middle. He was gone...until he ran out of gas, he tried to cutback against the punter but got tackled inside the Ravens 25 yard line. Since this was the second possession of the game a field goal would win it for the Redskins. They ran the ball, got an offside penalty and ran it one more time to set up Kai Forbath on the left hash. Third down and on comes the kicker. Forbath was perfect in his NFL career, and hadn't missed a field goal all year. This was a chip shot but everyone knows what pressure has done to Redskins kickers in the past. Unlike them, Forbath had ice running through his veins and drilled the kick down the middle to win the game. 

Final score: 31-28 Redskins

The current playoff picture:

Earlier, I wrote about how this game was the one game the Redskins could afford to lose, and they haven't but at the same still still can't afford another loss. Seattle blew out Arizona, New York blew out New Orleans, and Minnesota edged out Chicago. This makes the two wild card teams both 8-5, the same record as the NFC leading Giants. 

The Redskins are one game behind in the wild card race and a loss by Chicago against Green Bay puts the Redskins in the drivers seat for the wild card seat. Chicago plays a tough one against Green Bay and an injured Jay Cutler (who will still probably play) may not be enough to top a hot Packers team making a nice comeback against the Lions last week. Seattle can easily win out if they keep playing like they are and they have a tie breaker in common games played against the Redskins. Seattle would probably need to lose two out of the next three which isn't likely. Ultimately, Chicago needs to keep losing for the Redskins to claim the wild card.

The alternative is for the Redskins to win the NFC East, which is probably easier than getting the wild card. The Redskins are one game behind the Giants and have the best division record in the NFC East. If the Giants lose to either Atlanta or Baltimore (preferably both) then the Redskins will also be in the drivers seat for the NFC East crown. 

What you want to see on Sunday:

Chicago losing to Green Bay

Seattle losing to Buffalo

New York losing to Atlanta

Redskins beating Cleveland

RG3 surviving for the rest of the season

Alfred Morris and RG3 Push Redskins to 3rd Straight Win

Following the Carolina Panthers game I had lost hope for the season. To win 7 straight games against mostly NFC East opponents was pretty much impossible, but three weeks and one round of NFC East opponents later, the Redskins are nearly halfway to their goal. This week featured a Monday night contest against the Giants, a team that the Redskins had almost beaten back in the Meadowlands. The Redskins needed a win to continue their hopes at making the post season while the Giants wanted to put a dagger in the rest of the NFC East. Needless to say the Redskins inched closer to their goal, while at same time pushing the Giants away from theirs.

The first half was disappointing. The first drive ended on what should've been a routine 5 yard hitch route. The Giants took the ball and held on for a little over 6 minutes, and finished off the drive with a field goal. They converted one third down on the drive.

After the kick-off the Redskins got the ball back at the 20. RG3 started up with a nice 25 yard pass to Pierre Garcon and then ol' reliable Alfred Morris rushed twice, amassing twenty seven yards. The Redskins scored on the next play when Griffin ran the triple option, pulled it, and then on his attempted slide fumbled the football right into the hands of Joshua Morgan who raced in for the touchdown. A lot of people are saying this was a fluke play and while it probably was, it would not have been possible if Morgan had not stuck to his assignment. On the triple option the pitchman is supposed to remain in pitch relationship with the quarterback, even if its obvious the quarterback isn't going to pitch it to him. (Pitch relationship is essentially being a yard behind and few yards to the side of the quarterback, so he is ready to receive a legal pitch when the need comes.) Griffin ran the ball and then slid; there was no logical reason for Morgan to follow except that those are the coaches' instructions. It paid off big time as he caught the lucky "pitch" and scored.

The Giants offense continued to tear up the Redskins secondary and get good yardage on the ground but faltered in the red-zone. Eventually the Redskins were up by one point in the 4th quarter and the defense stopped the Giants on a third down (a rare sight that night) and they punted with just under 4 minutes to go. Kyle Shanahan called aggressively, playing to win rather than playing not to lose, and it paid off when Alfred Morris took a third and three and romped through the defense for a game clinching first down.

The New and Improved: 

1. Alfred Morris:
I feel bad for this guy, after high school he got one scholarship offer for a crappy team that didn't win much in college. Then he gets drafted onto an NFL team, unlikely for players from his school, and becomes the number 3 rusher in the NFL, only to be out-shined by fellow rookie phenom RG3. No one chants Alfred Morris at games, no one watches his gritty five yard runs, no one puts him on the highlight reel unless he scores. He puts in work at a pro-bowl level but gets little recognition for it, and that's just how his humble-self likes it. Less people need to be like Chad Johnson (Ochocinco? I just can't keep track anymore) and T.O, and instead be like Alfred Morris: work hard and help your team win football games by letting your playing do the talking. Morris is definitely this week's MVP.

2. Robert Griffin III
He is smart, doesn't make bad decisions, is athletic and a natural born quarterback. He is also a winner. He's the Valium depressed Redskins fans needed after two decades of sub-par play. I write about him every week, there isn't much to say that hasn't already been said. Keep doing whatever you're doing soldier.

3. Defense:
While they still get gouged for the occasional big play and haven't really improved in terms of yards, they have buckled down in the red-zone and are keeping teams from scoring points. They held Philly and New York to under 20 points and they only gave up 3 to Dallas in the first half, allowing the offense to build an insurmountable lead. They get turnovers, and aren't giving up points and that's what they need to do.

4. Kai Forbath:
A perfect 11 for 11 on kicks, and not only does he make them, he drills them down the center; pure awesomeness.

5. Pierre Garcon:
After returning to action against the Eagles he has given new life to the offense. He is an electrifying play-maker and has scored in each of the last three games. His speed allows him to gain massive yards after the catch and his hands allow him to catch the rare off target throw from RG3. I can't wait to see him after his toe completely heals up.

The same old 'Skins. 
1. Defense 
The defense needs to get off the field on third down and find a way to pressure the opposing quarterbacks. They force teams into third down situations but give up the conversion more times than not. They get gassed out when they have stay on the field for more than half of the game. If they don't give up points then its all nice and dandy but this isn't a consistent way to win games.

2. Kai Forbath
His kick-offs are not good. They rarely make it into the endzone, even Billy could do that! This costs the defense in terms of starting field position and the coverage team might have one get by them for a touchdown. Not good.

Looking to next week:
The Raven's showed they can be beat after falling to the Charlie Batch led Steelers. The only difference is that the Steelers forced many punts giving the offense chance to score. This will be a competitive game but Redskins cannot get complacent or cocky after sweeping the NFC East. If they can win it'll be a great leap towards their playoff hopes but if they lose, it isn't the end of the world. If they have to lose one game during this stretch, it should be this non-conference one against a tough team.

Can't Stand Foams

Nike Foamposites. For those who don't know, Nike, one the world's most popular shoe makers, released a shoe for NBA star Penny Hardaway back in 1997. These were basketball shoes made for basketball players. Fifteen years later they still a smashing hit with teenage males in the United States.

These shoes are not ugly. They are beyond ugly. They look like Sarah Jessica Parker after a train ran over her face. But seriously, they look like pieces of plastic with curvy lines going through it. No symmetry at all and looks as though the designers puked on the drawing board and then sent it to the production lines.

They are staple in every PG County teen's closet. Why? They're completely hideous, make you look like a tool for wearing ugly shoes, and make you like an even bigger tool when people realize how much they cost. I've worn some ugly shoes in my day, that's because they were cheap. I was a Payless man all the way until the 9th grade at which point I got a pair of classic Chuck Taylor high tops (for only $30 at that). These shoes are EXPENSIVE. Here are some prices I found.


1. Pink Foamposite Ones: $400
These cost more than the laptop I'm typing this article on. My laptop cost me $250. (2nd Gen Series 5 Chromebook, a review will be up soon!) $400 dollars for shoes!? My parents haven't spent that much on shoes since they came to America! Ridiculous.

2. 2003 Blue/White Foamposite Pros: $1000
I pray I get to the point where I can afford $1000 shoes. And when I do have $1000 shoes they better come equipped with wheels and rocket boosters. And they better make me a sandwich too. Until shoes do that I will never spend this much on them. And even if they do end up with those features my cheap self will probably still go to Payless.

3. Galaxy Foamposites: $2500
Really? $2500 dollars? I'm just going to give a list of things you could do with the cost of those utterly repulsive shoes. 100 Movies with a large popcorn and drink at theatre prices. 5000 Spicy chicken wings from 7-11. 65 tanks of Gas for my Civic. A 95' Jeep Grand Cherokee, My Honda Civic (only paid $600 for it), 2000 Dodge Durango, 1997 Audi Convertible, two and half hours with a quality prostitute, the most expensive and latest iMac computer, 5 Dell Laptops, food for 6 months and the list goes on. All I'm saying is that an Audi > Shoes

4. Nike Air Foamposite Paranorman: $4500
Kill yourself.

I don't hate all expensive shoes. Like any other item there is some innate desire to possess nice clothing. And the nicer the clothing the more expensive it is. I can see myself buying expensive-ish suits once I'm older while hopefully making an income to afford such suits. I can understand when people spend their hard earned money on expensive clothes that look good and are well made, but spending $4500 bucks when 5 year olds in China and Vietnam make them for $2? No thanks.

It's one thing to waste your (or your parent's) hard earned money on this crap, that is simply your prerogative and while I encourage everyone to buy something else, it is your call. And if that were the end of it I wouldn't have that strong of a case, but not only are you wasting Dad's paycheck on shoes but you can also end up like Montre Bradley.

Montre Bradley, a 19 year old, was camping out with others hoping to snag a pair of the Foams at $220.  I'd camp out to buy foams with that ridiculous resale value. Except Montre Bradley didn't get a nice pair of Foams to take home to his parents. They got a body bag instead. You see, Montre Bradley was shot and killed by others who wanted the shoes. Beyond poor Montre there are many others who have gotten into fights and been hospitalized over these Foamposites.

Most teens my age don't have a proper sense of priorities. I don't either, it's just a part of growing up; regardless at some point you have to realize that the only one looking at your $500 shoes and thinking "Wow those were worth it" is you. There are better things to splurge on and an ugly pair of Foams isn't worth a dime.

Redskins Pushing for Playoffs After Big Win

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving, (or Thankstaking as I like to call it) a day where families across the country get together for a big meal and some football. Cowboys and Indians on Thankstaking. Oh the irony...

In the first half RG3 lit up the Dallas secondary for three touchdown passes while Alfred Morris ran another one in to make the score 28-3 at half-time. After a slow second half the Redskins drove down the field but were halted by a third and inches. Kyle Shanahan pulled the trigger and called a play-action pass and RG3 hit a wide open Niles Paul for his eighth touchdown in five days. The Cowboys came back and made it a one score game but the Redskins drove down the field, eating up clock and making it a two score game after a clutch Kai Forbath field goal. Dallas made a field goal and tried an onside kick, which was recovered by DeAngelo Hall who had a chance to score but slid at the two. The Cowboys failed to comeback and the Redskins won, 38-31.

DeAngelo Hall...this man messes up even when he plays good. He had a nice interception in this game and didn't get burned on any huge plays (that was Josh Wilson) and then he recovers the game icing onside kick and doesn't score with it. If this were any team except Dallas I would've agreed with his decision but COME ON! If you have a chance to drop 40+ on the Dallas Cowboys in their house you damn well do it! There was more of a chance of me becoming attractive than there was of the Cowboys winning if Hall scored. Those are some low odds. Creating humiliation of the Dallas Bamas and their fans is a requirement for every able Redskins player and D. Hall just messed up again.

Now then...Playoffs?

 While playoffs are still a long shot they are possible. The 5th wild card spot is reserved for the Bears or the Packers. That leaves a 6th wild card spot if the Redskins can't win the East for the first time since 1999.

Scenario 1: Win the NFC East

What the Redskins have to do: Beat the Giants, Browns, Eagles and Cowboys. This is very possible. The Redskins had the Giants beat until the secondary fell apart in the last 1:22. The Redskins romped over the Eagles and was beating down Dallas and kept the lead for the whole game. The Browns are not that bad of a team but are 3-8. They lose games and close them out. If the Redskins play them the same way they played in the last two weeks they should be able to win that game. We can afford a non-conference loss to the Ravens but the Redskins can remain competitive in that game.

What the Giants have to do: Lose next monday and lose to at least the Falcons and Ravens. This makes them 9-7 and will give the Redskins the tie-breaker because of their better division record (assuming the Redskins are 9-7 as well.)

Probability: 40% - The Giants are known for being relatively unstoppable during their usual late season surges. If teams can control their nasty pass rush then they are a very beatable team. But this scenario probably won't happen as I believe they can beat Atlanta.

Scenario 2: Win the 2nd Wild Card Spot

What the Redskins have to do: Same as above.

What other teams have to do: The Saints, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Cowboys and Vikings need to lose as much as possible. These teams are either 6-5 or 5-6. They all lost last week and have tough games this week. (Against Atlanta, Chicago, Denver & Green Bay) If they all can fall to 6-6 while the Redskins rise to 6-6 they will be in first place for that wild card spot since they have beaten the Bucs, Vikes, Cowboys, and Saints head to head.

Probability: 75% This is a very plausible scenario as all of these teams have shown weaknesses as of late. (The Bucs seem to be the best of this bunch) but the Redskins beat them and they have lost close games.

Bottom Line: All of these possibilites are useless if the Redskins don't win. Two losses and they are pretty much out. A loss to New York and they're out of the division race. If they play like they have recently, getting turnovers and raining points from the sky then they have shot at the playoffs, something they haven't had for a long time.

Notes: In 2005 the Redskins were 5-6 and won out to finish the season 10-6 and made the playoffs. In 2007 the Redskins were 5-6 after losing to the Bucs, and, after Sean Taylor passed away, lost one to the Bills, before going 4-0 and finishing 9-7 to the win the 6th playoff seed. 

Eagles Suffer a Classic NFC East Beat-down in Washington

The Eagles came into D.C. hoping to christen rookie quarterback Nick Foles with a win against one the NFL's worst defenses. The Redskins promptly showed them the door, keeping them out of the end-zone the whole game and beating them by a whopping 25 points, the highest margin in any Mike Shanahan era game. Final score: 31-6.

The Good:

1. RG3: 158.3 Quarterback Rating. 4 Touchdowns. No turnovers. 84 Rushing Yards. Two touchdowns over 40 yards need I say more? RG3 is a dynamic playmaker who is a better pocket passer than he is a runner. When you open up the dictionary and look for the word 'greatness' all you see is a huge page of RG3 pictures. 

2. Offensive Line/Running Game: They kept RG3 upright for the most part and lead the team to 150+ rushing yards. They started every game together as one cohesive unit and their progress has shown over the season. 

3. Jim Haslett: He finally adjusted to take advantage of the rookie quarterback. He blitzed, blitzed and blitzed some more, finally getting pressure on the quarterback. This also helps the secondary as they don't have to cover receivers as long and can jam them up more at the line of scrimmage. While they did give up some long plays they didn't break and kept the Eagles out of the endzone, and out of field goal range for the most part. They forced three turnovers, one for each of the last three games they lost, and killed momentum and transferred it to our offense. If the defense can play like this for the most part and keep the point total down, the offense can play with a lead which it does best. 

4. Kai Forbath: He has been perfect on field goals on the season and looks like a clutch kicker the Redskins haven't had since...Chip Lohmiller. Getting points on drives is crucial for a team like the Redskins and a good kicker makes winning 100 times easier. The special teams unit as a whole was also admirable with no long returns and good punt coverage minus one long return. 

5. Brandon Merriwether: His return sparked the defense to its lowest point total of the season. He was flying all around the field and is the talent and speed that the Redskins have not seen in the secondary. He made hits in the flat and downfield and even caught an interception. His return was desperately needed. 

The Bad:

1. Brandon Merriwether: This guy can't stay healthy! He look like he sprained his right knee this time. Post game he said he was fine but we'll see if he plays in a crucial game against Dallas on Thursday. 

2. Penalties: The penalties were by far the most glaring problem with the performance on Sunday. They killed drives and extended the Eagles drives. They are the most penalized team in the NFL. If they continue this, there is no way they can beat Dallas on Thursday. They need to be more disciplined if they want to win games.

That sums it up for my "analysis", now lets see what happens if they can keep this up.

Redskins road to lead the division: 1. Whack Dallas. 2. Watch the Packers beat the Giants. 3. Exact revenge on New York the following Monday night.

We can still make the playoffs and its not too difficult. In 2005 the Redskins were 5-6 and needed to win out to make the playoffs. They did. And they didn't have RG3, they had Mark Brunell. They even beat Tampa Bay in the wild card before falling to Seattle in the divisional game. All I'm saying is that it's possible, it might not happen at 4-6, but it's damn well possible. 

Why Mike Shanahan Needs to Stay in D.C.

The Redskins look to be on the verge of another losing season, barring a miracle in 5 NFC East games. Their winning percentage under Mike Shanahan is worse than during the Jim Zorn or Steve Spurrier eras. As sports writers and fans do every season, people are wondering if Mike Shanahan's job security is in question. Some say it is some say it isn't, and knowing Dan Snyder you can't ever be sure, but I'm going to make the case for Shanahan to stay.

Shanahan inherited a train wreck of an offense, an inconsistent kicker/punter and a pedestrian defense. In three years, three very painful years, Mike has slowly been piecing together the wreckage from previous coaches and turning those pieces into a contending football team. Despite the team's 3-6 record the fact is that in every game except two, the Redskins were contenders, losing by a touchdown or less. If they had a secondary that could cover they would probably be 7-2. Regardless the record is the record and they are 3-6. While the Redskins may seem like a mess they are honestly much better off than other 3-6 teams in the NFL. They are a few players away from being playoff caliber unlike others who are couple drafts and coaches away.

They have a superstar at quarterback in Robert Griffin III; a tremendous athlete and natural leader, he has a home in D.C. for the next 15 years.

They have a franchise player starting at running back in Alfred Morris, who at one point was the NFL's 2nd leading rusher and also has a home in D.C. for the foreseeable future.

The offensive line has been healthy for the first time in years and has established a cohesiveness to lead one of the NFL's most dominant ground games.

Their front seven on defense is an offensive line's nightmare, however, lack of depth has shown when two key starters were lost for the season due to injury. Bowen, Cofield and Carriker were a dominant trio before Carriker went down. Perry Riley is coming into his own at the inside linebacker spot, while the savvy London Fletcher holds down the other linebacker spot as he had since 2007. Orakpo and Kerrigan are arguably one of the bests 3-4 linebacker tandems in the NFL. But with Orakpo and Carriker gone the pass rush has become nonexistent. While we do need depth we do have some quality starters that other teams fear.

The secondary is clearly the Redskins most glaring weakness, and is also where Shanahan hasn't been as spectacular in his personnel decisions. Our starting cornerbacks are nickel corners at best, DeAngelo Hall is past his prime and Josh Wilson can't consistently cover the opposing team's top receiver. Madieu Williams and Reed Doughty would not be starting on any other team although Williams has played decently but has given up his share of big plays. They let former first round draft pick Carlos Rogers and LaRon Landry walk,  both of which are better than their replacements. The secondary needs an upheaval if the Redskins want to be competitive in the following years.

Shanhan has won multiple superbowls, drafted well and created a no drama environment where players can play football. They still have issues in terms of talent but two drafts and two free agencies should be enough to turn this team into a playoff contender. The alternative would be to fire Shanahan and let the team start over again from scratch which is something Redskins fans can't take anymore. Coaching isn't the problem, it's talent, and bringing a new coach won't fix the problems our defense is having. If the Redskins want to win, try keeping the same coaching staff for more than three years and let RG3 develop and improve in the same system rather than start over and keep learning new playbooks (Jason Campbell comes to mind for those who wonder why thats a bad thing).

In summary, vote Team Shanahan 2013,2014 and 2015 at least. Shanahan needs to stay and put the final touches on a rebuilding team that's almost finished. Firing him would demolish the tower he's almost completed and ask a lesser qualified person to rebuild the aftermath. 

My Thoughts on Maryland's Questions 4,6 and 7

My thoughts on Maryland's biggest new acts of legislation.

1. Question 4 aka Dream Act

What it is: This bill would provide conditional permanent residency to certain undocumented residents of good moral character who graduate from U.S. high schools, arrived in the United States as minors, and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment. (Wikipedia, unlike annoying teachers I find it quite the reliable source) 

What I think: Hells to the yeah! These kids had no choice in coming here and are trying to become productive members of society; the fact that we are giving them a boost is a great step in enhancing Maryland's workforce and keeping people off welfare. Plain and simple. 

2. Question 6 aka Maryland's Gay Marriage Bill

What it is: Redefines marriage in Maryland to the union of “any two individuals who are not otherwise prohibited from marrying.”

What I think: I'm against it. My religious views are against gay marriage and I completely believe that marriage should be defined as a union between a man and woman, as it has been for thousands of years until now. Simple biology proves my point. While I'm not particularly ecstatic about it its not that huge of a deal for me. This country is supposedly separated between church and state and is supposedly a democracy. With those two things in mind I don't care too much about the passing of Question 6. In a secular government religion shouldn't dictate laws and if the people vote for it the people vote for it. Simple as that. 

3. Question 7 aka Casino in the National Harbor
What it is: Allows a casino to be built in the harbor and allows for all Maryland Casinos to play certain table games. (Poker, blackjack, etc.) 

What I think: I hate it. Not because the money won't go where its supposed to, but because I dislike casinos and gambling in general. Gambling is addictive. The reason many Marylanders don't have that addiction is because Delaware, West Virginia and Las Vegas aren't readily accessible places. While I don't endorse it, it isn't nearly as harmful if a guy goes to Vegas for a few days, blows a $100 on Poker or something and has a good time knowing he was going to lose money. Take away the distance factor and now I can drive 20 minutes and get to a vast array of machines that will happily take my money. While proponents of Question 7 preach how it will reinvest Maryland money in Maryland the source of the money has to be taken into account. If this new money is from the pockets of irresponsible gamblers who are ruining their lives by spending paycheck after paycheck on gambling it hurts, rather than helps Maryland. Sure the gamblers could be to blame since they are the ones being irresponsible but the government shouldn't be setting up opportunities for people to ruin themselves, there are enough of them already. Its like communism in the sense you are sacrificing individual concerns for a supposed gain as a state. I don't like it and don't think it is a good thing to happen to Maryland, not to mention how casinos can be nice breeding grounds for crime.

Also I am happy to report congressmen Allen West and Adam Hasner lost their seats in congress. Working for CAIR, the names of racist, islamophobic bigots were driven into my mind as I saw countless acts of discrimination and hate against Muslims. Allen West and Adam Hasner are two big ones. While its probably not the entire reason they lost their seats, its good to see that the majority of voters in this country aren't supportive of racist bigots representing them. 

Comments? Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments! And as always, thanks for reading!

White House Retains its First Black Tenet for Four More Years

Sometime around 11:22 P.M. on election day Obama was projected to win Ohio, a crucial swing state, clinching the necessary 270 electoral votes needed to retain his presidency. More importantly, for my Maryland readers, here are the results of some important ballot questions:

Question 3 Passed: Also dubbed the Jack Johnson rule, if an elected official is convicted of a felony they can be impeached.

Question 4 Passed: Giving undocumented students instate tuition if they attend a Maryland college.

Question 5 Passed: Redistricting Maryland for its eight representatives. Also known as gerrymandering.

Question 6 Passed: Maryland's gay marriage question was put to a public vote, which has not passed in any other state.

Question 7 Passed: Allowing a casino to be built in the national harbor.

All of Maryland's representatives in the House and Senate were re-elected, minus congressman Roscoe Bartlett who was defeated by John Delaney.

Interestingly, after the 6 billion dollars spent on this election nothing changed. Democrats remained in control of the white house and senate while republicans maintained control of the house. This is solid evidence supporting a previous article I wrote called Indecision 2012: Why Campaigning is Stupid.  The money had so many other good uses but instead went to supporting a downright wasteful campaign. Just another showing of why we are where we are economically.

Why did Romney lose? To me he lost because he was out of touch with most American voters. Key things Romney said at one point or another simply lingered in the minds of voters and haunted him on election day. Lets take a look. (These are in no specific order)

1. If you can't afford college you should borrow from your parents
Really? Kids around the world are applying for financial aid, government grants, and student loans all to finance the cost of a higher education. I wouldn't be going through all the paperwork if my parents had two hundred grand laying around and neither would anyone else. Here Romney shows that his money has distanced him from the financial woes of most middle class American families.

2. 47% of Americans
In a private speech to some rather wealthy donors Romney claimed that 47% of Americans would vote for Obama regardless because they are dependent on the government and that they believe they are entitled to food, healthcare, and housing I'm no campaign manager, but insulting almost half the country's voters in order to gain some campaign dollars isn't going to win any elections. Any pre-schooler could tell you that. These people are on welfare because they can't find a job or they're disabled or they're veterans. Whatever the case may be its ridiculous to generalize half of America as a bunch of moochers. Furthermore, it makes it sound like Romney wants to get rid of those entitlements that so many people rely on which erases more votes from his side.

3. I pay a lower tax rate and its cool
In an interview with 60 minutes Romney was asked about paying a 14% tax rate while other families making less are paying 25%. He said it was fair because it encouraged business to work harder to improve their business and to hire more workers to do this since they have more money. The trickle down effect is a tried and true way of creating zero jobs. It hasn't worked in the past and won't work now; the executives just keep the savings as bonuses. And despite the fact that Romney does pay more taxes in terms of total amount paid, the percentages seem unfair to a majority of citizens, and Romney attempting to justify them makes him look like a rich fat-cat.

4. I'd stop abortion
This is just my personal belief, abortion should be pro-circumstance. If you were a drunk teen slutting around college campus and just don't want to deal with the consequences of your actions then you shouldn't have the right to kill an unborn child. If you were a victim of rape of some other situation that was out of your control then of course you should have the right to choose whether you want the child that was forced upon you or not. While this is essentially Romney's position he didn't try to reason with anyone and essentially threw away the woman's vote. He never really explained his reasoning and just says he would stop funding for Planned Parenthood and would run as a pro-life President.

5. I'd let Detroit go bankrupt
When asked about Obama's bailout to the auto industry Romney staunchly declared he'd let them go bankrupt. The reasoning behind it makes sense, a capitalist economy means the government sits back and lets you do your thing, and if you go bankrupt its because you didn't make right decisions as a business. But the fact that the bailout did resuscitate America's motor industry Romney sounds like a tool to not make a decision that would save hundreds of thousands of jobs. That results in really bad P.R. for the Governor and essentially cost him the election.

In America policy and ideas are only 1% of the election. 29% is how good you look. 50% is how well you speak and relate to the public. And the other 20% is being able to sell your plans for the country in a way the uneducated mass of voters can understand them. Romney didn't have the last two things and he lost.

It will be interesting to see how Obama runs the country now that he doesn't have to worry about the repercussions of his decisions in another election. He gets a chance to show his true colors. Whether this is good or bad for the country is a decision to be made in four years.  

Skins Head Into Bye Week 3-6

Coach Mike Shanahan and the players agreed. In order to salvage this season and have a shot at the playoffs the game against the Panthers was a must win. A record of 4-5 would be good enough for second place in the NFC East, and a bye week would rest up some key players, preparing them for a terrible stretch of divisional games.

Instead of that beautiful scenario the Redskins did what Redskins do: fall in crunch time to a ho-ho-rendous team. The 1-6 Panthers are 1-6 for a reason. They simply couldn't close games away, a trait they shared with the Redskins. Alas, the Redskins were better at losing than the Panthers and failed to capitalize on drives while the defense forced no turnovers. Today was the first day the offense had a goal-to-go situation and didn't score any points, also was one of the few times the Redskins failed to convert a fourth down on the season.

The offense still, was plagued by drops, and RG3 had an uncharacteristic amount of high and inaccurate passes. Penalties also hampered them, a 10 yard holding penalty ended a strong drive for Washington and kept them from scoring a touchdown. A couple of Josh Wilson pass interference calls set up big plays and got the Panthers a touchdown.

The Redskins, like last week, just played terribly, Shanahan made some questionable play calls and team got man handled on both sides of the line while failing to get pressure on Cam Newton. If the Redskins keep this up the Rams are going to have two really high draft picks next year. A brightside? DeAngelo Hall seemed to have learned from last week, played a decent game and had good coverage and knocked away a deep touchdown pass, and for the first time kept quiet and let his football do his talking. Good stuff Hall.

I'm keeping this short because I'm sick of writing about how horrible we played last week. It's like I suffered while watching the game and am reliving the pain now. The good thing about next week? The Skins can't lose and I'll take the bye week to write an article about something else...maybe about the results of tomorrow's elections...or about candy. I like candy. 

Steelers Dominate as Skins Drop to 3-5

For those wondering yes a pun is intended with the title.

The Redskins got handled in all three aspects off Sunday's game. They posted a season low 12 points and this was the first game that didn't come down to the last possession. The defense was picked apart like orange chicken from the teeth of a fat guy at Panda Express. The Steelers scored on EVERY possession of the first half. They didn't even punt until the second half. But even in the second half they still failed to contain a strong Steelers offense, giving up 27 points by the end of the game. They also failed to get a single turnover, another first for the defense this season.

The offense was uncharacteristically slow. But it's not because the rookie wonders got shut down. Alfred Morris and RGIII were doing good as usual. It was the 10 dropped passes, most of which were in the end-zone or for third down conversions. Coming in to the game they had a combined 11 drops. They nearly matched it in one game. I don't care if the ball was wet. You have gloves for a reason. If RGIII can sling a wet football into your hands then its dry enough for you to catch it. The drops kept the offense from scoring or sustaining drives, and kept the under-matched defense on the field. It was like watching a college quarterback pick apart a high school team. Simply pitiful and by far the worst game of the season. And its not just scrubs who were dropping passes, starting receiver Leonard Hankerson had a sure touchdown he just let slip, Santana Moss had multiple dropped passes, most of which were for first downs. All culminating in a season worst 12 points for the game.

Even the special teams had problems, the field goal unit had a kick blocked; although it looked like Kai Forbath should've angled it a bit higher since it was only an extra point. Sav Rocca shanked a punt for twelve yards that led to another Pittsburgh score. The punt coverage unit gave up a touchdown to Antonio Brown that was called back by a penalty that wouldn't have affected the play.

The Redskins faltered in all three phases of the game and make it a painful 3 hours of football. Hopefully they can get it together at home against Cam Newton's 1-6 Carolina Panthers.

You thought I was done? Nope, got one more thing I want to get off my chest. DeAngelo Freaking Hall.
I told you guys last week he needs to shut the hell up and play football. This week he did neither.

Dear DeAngelo Hall,

You are a starter in the league's WORST pass defense and have 2 interceptions on the season only because you've gotten beaten so many times that quarterbacks feel safe throwing it your way. Despite this you feel the need to mouth off at some point every game. I'm not sure why, because in the end you keep getting burned for catch after catch. Its a miracle it took 8 weeks for you get penalized for it.

There is no reason for you to be cussing out anyone, much less a referee who has the authority to take your ass out of the game. The ref didn't do anything, he didn't give up catches on third down, you did. Your teammates shouldn't have to keep restraining you game after game because you can't control yourself. Man the hell up, and let your football do the talking. If you like the attention you're getting because of it then pack your bags and head out and chill with T.O and Chad Johnson on the free agent list. There are no roster spots for divas in Washington.

In summary, shut up and play some football.

-Sincerely
Disgruntled Redskins Fans Everywhere

Redskins Fall From 1st to 4th In NFC East in 15 Seconds

A sobering end to such an intoxicating show of offense

I'm not going to bother telling you what happened...well maybe just little. Despite our defensive weaknesses and offensive turnovers the Redskins were up 23-20 with a buck fifteen or so left on the clock. Captain Clutch Eli Manning threw a 70 something yard bomb to Victor Cruz who salsa'd his way into the endzone for the win.

The Redskins have hope, but stupid mistakes keep pulling the curtain on the slightest glimmer of victory.

Week 2: RG3 drives down the field for a game tying field goal, unsportsmanlike conduct penalty makes it a 62 yard kick. Loss by 3.

Week 3: After coming back from 24 point deficit the offense couldn't get anything done in the beginning of the second half, and the defense broke, giving up two scores. The Skins made it a one score game but a false start and another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty later the driving Redskins offense had to settle for a hail mary from their own 30. Loss by 7.

Week 5: One the top if not the top team in the NFC, comes to Fedex field. Defense holds them to 7 in the first half. Sadly, a pair of interceptions by the backup quarterback and a defensive meltdown led to another defeat. Loss by 7.

Week 7: After coming back from a 4 point deficit and leading the game by 3 the defense gives up a huge touchdown pass that seals the win.

My point? The elite teams don't make these mistakes. Every single game we lost was winnable. A playoff team doesn't make those mistakes, they make plays. If the Redskins made plays, we'd be 7-0. Plain and simple.

A safety, a cornerback and all our injured players back will make the Redskins a dominate team.

In other news Fred Davis tore his achilles, a season ending injury. The bright-side is that Captain Chaos aka Chris Cooley is BACK! Everyone is eager to see if #47 is still the reliable monster he was before his knee injuries.

Pittsburgh is a winnable game next week, but by no means an easy one. Alfred Morris will need to continue his dominance in order give RG3 play action and keep the Redskins defense off the field.

And finally DeAngelo Hall needs to SHUT THE HELL UP! I'm sorry but every game this guy gets burned by someone and ALWAYS mouths off at some point. He needs to focus that energy on his coverage skills, not pissing off opponents and refs.

RGIII Back to Form as Skins Top Vikings 38-26

Opening Kick-off - 4th and goal - field goal.

Redskins Punt - Vikings 4th and goal - field goal.

Redskins Interception - Vikings 4th down - field goal.

Not too long in the first quarter the Redskins defense had already given up 122 yards and three scores while the offense gained some 7 yards total. The defense gave up yards but held Minnesota to three field goals, keeping the Redskins in the game. With the score 9-0 the Redskins took off.

On the ensuing possession the Redskins drove down the field but a holding call and some Brandon Banks rushes kept them around the 33 yard line. On comes Kai Forbath for his first NFL field goal, a measly 50 yarder. He drilled it down the middle, making it a one score game.

After forcing a three and out the Redskins drove down the field with authority, running the ball, converting third downs and eventually scoring. The Redskins never looked back. They scored a whopping 4 more touchdowns, one of which was the dagger in the hearts of the Vikings: a 76 yard RG3 run for a touchdown. The defense held the Vikings to no touchdowns until the fourth quarter, well after they built a commanding lead.

This game is a perfect example of what happens when all three units of the Redskins work in harmony. The defense keeps the game in range and forces 3 turnovers, the offense takes advantage of opportunities, capitalizing on turnovers and holding the ball allowing the defense to rest, and special teams did their job, containing Percy Harvin on kick offs and keeping punts form being returned (courtesy of Niles Paul) and actually making field goals when the offense can't finish the job.

Heres the punt coverage team at work, sorry for the quality but its the only non nfl.com video up.

Ultimately this synchrony is unlikely to keep up as our defense still has talent issues in the secondary but if they can keep the games manageable the Redskins have a shot at staying over .500 for the season and, with the way the NFC East is this year, are still in the race for the division title, tied for 2nd with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Next week's game against the Giants, arguably the NFL's number 1 team after their systematic beat down of the 49ers, is crucial. Its Griffin's first division game and a test to see how well the Redskins match up against the best in the NFL. They held the Falcons to 7 points in the first half, the Vikings to 9 and the Bucs to 6. If they keep this up and Griffin does what Griffin does then they might have a shot of making it 3 straight against New York's finest. 

Captain Kirk's Comeback Falls Short as Skins Fall to 2-3

As usual for one o clock games I missed the first quarter due to work but it didn't take a genius to realize the Redskins offense wasn't getting anything done.

The Redskins could move the ball, especially with rookie wonder Alfred Morris's hard running, but come third down they couldn't convert; be they bad plays, bad reads, missed blocks or dropped passes.

The defense played hard, limiting the offensive juggernaut of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Micheal Turner. They gave up a mere 7 points in the first half AND cancelled that out with a pick six by last year's top draft pick, Ryan Kerrigan.

Enter the second half where the offense starts moving the ball down field but fails to convert on the only third down of the drive. Field goal range and in comes Billy Cundiff for a gimmie. As usual he gave the gimmie to defense by hooking it right and missing. Next offensive possession the Redskins drove down field and had a third and goal but RG3 took a vicious hit near the sidelines and suffered a mild concussion. He seems good now is probable to play on Sunday. Cundiff was good on the short attempt.

Captain Kirk's fearless throws show his confidence..
and need for more practice

Atlanta's offense dominated in time of possession and wore the defense down. With the game tied at 10-10 the Falcons drove down the field in 3 minutes and scored on a pass to Julio Jones. Enter Captain Kirk Cousins (props to my boy Naeem for the nickname) who on the previous possession went three and out. Two plays later it's 3rd and 10 and Skins have yet to convert on a third down. Cousins dropped back and threw a laser to a wide open Santana Moss who raced down the field for a 77 yard game tying score. The crowd was jumping and so was I.

Sadly, the defense just couldn't hold on, like a climber stuck on a cliff for an hour he just couldn't hold on for the final few minutes and slipped. The defense yielded a touchdown a 13 yard touchdown to Michael Turner making the score 24-17 with a few minutes left. Could Cousins impress like he did in preseason against the Bears? Throw one more touchdown? Maybe two? Alas Redskins fans were brought down to Earth as Cousins ended the game with a pair of interceptions. He was a fourth round rookie tossed into a high pressure situation with minimal practice time, it would take a miracle for the Redskins to tie and then win the game in overtime. He did admirable with the preparation he had.

My takes from the game:

Good:

RG3's a trooper, I'll give him that but he needs to stay
healthy

1. RG3 was finally welcomed into the NFL. He has to realize that he simply needs to slide or run out of bounds. He's trying to help the team by giving 110% but an extra yard and a vicious hit isn't going to keep a franchise quarterback healthy. (Micheal Vick anyone?) He should learn from this and ease off the accelerator just a bit.

2. Alfred Morris is going to Hawaii. Yup after 5 weeks of football he has run for a little under 500 yards and 4 touchdowns. Good for a 4.9 yards per carry average. Astounding numbers for a 6th round rookie. Additionally, his size, running style and draft position match those of Terrell Davis while his stats through five games outshine him. We have a #1 running back in D.C.

3. Our defense is getting better. Last week the 26th ranked defense yielded 6 points to the Bucs for most of the game, after collapsing and giving up a total of 22 after the 2nd half was over with.. This week they yielded 7 to the vaunted Falcons offense for the entire 1st half. The offense needs to be able to give them a breather to stop the 4th quarter collapses.

Bad:
1. Billy Cundiff missed another kick. He needs to nail the rest of them for the entire year if he wants some job security. We can't keep throwing away points in close games.

2. Offense's time of possession  The Redskins need to control the clock better on offense to keep the opposing quarterback from shredding the secondary and to give the defense a breather so they have energy for the 4th quarter.

The Redskins are better team that years past but still have some depth issues to address before they become real contenders. Stay strong Skins nation! And lets hope the Nats comeback against the Cardinals. After winning game one of the NLDS they're currently down 1-5 in the top of the 4th. 

A Word About My Posts

In August I posted a whopping 10 times and got around a eight hundred page views from my amazing readers. Then school kicked in, and my September numbers dropped to 5 posts and around 300 pages views. On top of that 3 out of my 5 articles were Redskins articles which don't appeal to my non-football fans out there and for them I only posted twice in the month.

Needless to say senior year is stressing me out and consuming more time than junior year did. With three A.P. courses, a research project and paper and of course, the lovely college applications my time gets eaten up rather quickly and my brain loses its capacity to type coherent blog posts.

In essence, don't have many hopes for anything too good in October, I'll get out what I can but I doubt it'll be good. Expect to see my posts pick back up in January when I'm posting about other things than the Skins games and posting more frequently. In the meantime I highly suggesting perusing the archives for some articles you may have not read. My most popular ones are here, here and here. Check them out if you haven't already!

Also! If you have anything you'd like me to post about or a subject or anything you want me to satirize let me know in the comments! I'd love suggestions as sometimes I just don't know what to write about!

Thank you for choosing The Master Debater and we hope you'll fly with us again soon!

RGIII Leads Comeback as Skins Top Bucs

The #2 rushing offense in the league. They also happen to be the biggest
rookie sensations since...Heath Shuler and what not. 

As the Redskins trotted off to their locker room at half-time Redskins fans had much to be excited for. 21 Points scored by the offense, Alfred Morris averaging over 7 yards a carry against the #1 rush defense in the NFL and, best of all, the defense forcing a turnover and giving up a paltry 6 points. This looked like a team that meant business and made proper adjustments from last week's game. RG3 took only 20% of the hits he took last week. He's running out of bounds when he has to and is fearless down by the goalline. The defense was stout, keeping pressure on Freeman, stuffing the running game and not allowing points to be scored. This looked like a Redskins team we haven't seen since the 80's.

But of course, reality soon kicked in.

The Redskins didn't score a point in 29 minutes of a 30 minute 2nd half. Combined with missed field goals and not being able to drive the ball into the goal line they allowed the Bucs to comeback. Josh Freeman found a rhythm, and staring hitting Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson for huge plays. The Bucs scored and the Skins punted. Before you could blink the score was 22-21 Tampa Bay with under two minutes to go.

The Redskins of old simply wouldn't and couldn't win this game. 2 Minute drills were unheard of for Washington quarterbacks, especially game winning ones. And when they did drive close enough for a game winning or game tying field goal something happened. Bad snap, bad hold, a stupid penalty to move them back (look no further than Week 2 of this season) or a missed kick. But these are the new Skins, led by rookie tandem Alfred Morris and Robert Griffin III. They weren't going to lose three in a row. Backed up at the 20 and with a malfunctioning headset RG3 led a methodical drive, gaining big chunks of yards and managing the clock against a porous Tampa Bay defense. 7 seconds to go and the final timeout is called, setting up a Billy Cundiff 41 yard field goal try. Cundiff had already missed three on the day, one from 31 yards out. This was 10 yards longer. As the fans held their breath, the football watched as the field goal team set up.

Good snap, good hold and the kick squeezed within the left upright. The Redskins came back and made a game winning field goal. Been awhile since anyone has been able to say that.

Looking to next week
Next week includes a tough matchup for the 2-2 Redskins against the 4-0 Atlanta Falcons. This is a tough game but not impossible. For one the Skins are at home and last week proved a tough game for Atlanta, with Cam Newton running the ball and throwing it with good efficiency. Scoring 28 on the Falcon defense. Our offense can compete but the question is how strong our defense is going to hold. Roddy White and Julio Jones tear up defenses on a regular basis and DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson aren't shutdown corners and need to keep the game competitive. They can't afford to give up big plays and need to get the offense off the field on third down.

The best defense however, is offense. Matty Ice can't throw a touchdown from the bench and the offense needs to keep him there as long as possible. Its going to be a tough game next week but a test to see if the Redskins are going anywhere this season.

Redskins Drop Two in a Row as Dalton Shreds Defense

Redskins Defensive Statistics
Game 1:
358 Yards of Offense
339 Passing Yards
3 Passing Touchdowns
(Longest 33 Yard Bomb)
3 Turnovers: 2 Picks 1 Fumble
Total Points Given Up: 32

Game 2:
452 Yards of Offense
301 Passing Yards
151 Rushing Yards
3 Passing Touchdowns
(Longest 34 Yard Catch and Run)
3 Turnovers: 1 Pick 2 Fumbles (1 for a Touchdown)
Total Points Given Up: 31

Game 3:
478 Yards of Offense
385 Yards Passing
93 Yards Rushing
4 Passing Touchdowns
1 Rushing Touchdown
(Longest 73 Yard Bomb)
Total Points Given Up:38

After 3 weeks our vaunted Skins defense is ranked 30th, 30th out of 32 teams. They are simply atrocious. The Redskins knew the secondary was thin, they added Brandon Merriwether, Madeiu Williams, Rookie Richard Crawford, Crezdon Butler and Cedric Griffin. Merriweather and Griffin didn't play this last game but its clear our secondary is ho-ho-rendous. DeAngelo Hall had too much on his plate with A.J. Green but was never given help, he stayed on him man to man and Dalton kept hitting him. The strength of the defense is the front seven, but lost staples Adam Carriker and Brian Orakpo for the season.

Special teams came through, making all the field goals and getting good punts off with new long snapper Snow. Our offense took some time to get into a rhythm and quickly came back from a 24-7 deficit in the second half, making it 24-24. They then had two more offensive opportunites with the score tied but failed to capitalize as the Bengals defensive genius Mike Zimmer figured out how to stop the Brandon Banks, RG3 triple option, giving time for the Bengals offense to strike back. They scored twice. Making it 38-24. The Redskins made a valiant effort on offense to come back but failed. Final score was 38-31.

The Good:
For the first time since 1991 and the Mark Rypien era we have a quarterback in D.C. Redskins fans have to excited after the likes of Heath Shuler, Patrick Ramsey and the like. Griffin is displaying remarkable decision making is able to escape pressure and make plays. He keeps his eyes downfield and has good deep ball accuracy. He needs to work on fumbling and feeling the pressure a bit more but he is only 180 minutes into his professional career.

Alfred Morris is solid and here to stay. He appears to be set as the started barring injury and hasn't disappointed. Scoring at least once in all three games. The top rookie running back of the draft class.

Our offense has put up 28+ points in 3 straight games and that is remarkable after a decade of lackadaisal offense. Rarely putting up more than 17 points. They only won games because the defense was stout and kept the opposing offense in check.

This is also our third straight game with 3 turnovers forced. 2nd Straight with our defense scoring. This is a great change from previous years where our defense dropped interceptions and let fumbles get by.

Special teams made all the kicks and didn't have any blocks and Cundiff continues to knock kick-offs out of the endzone.

The Bad:
As stated previously our defense is giving up 30+ points a game and you can't have that period. RG3 can't keep playing catch up. Playing with a lead helps the running game and time of possession of an offense tremendously.

Our offensive line is banged up but thankfully Trent Williams MRI was negative so he won't be out for too long. RG3 has been sacked 9 times this season and been walloped a lot more. He can't keep taking these hits and pressure if he wants to stay healthy and produce.

Bottom-line:
As my old history teacher put it, "We got a quarterback." RG3 is the future and is sure to be a star and lead this team deep into the playoffs after another good draft or two. Mark my words, in 2014 if Mike Shanahan is still here the Skins will be a deadly team.

Science and God Complement, Rather Than Contradict

So yesterday I was bored out of my mind and ventured over to the wonderful writers on yahoo.com. (For those who don't know thats an example of the literary device known as sarcasm.)  My mouse soon clicked over a headline called "Will Science Someday Rule Our the Possibility of God?". For those interested the full article is available here. To summarize it briefly, the article discusses various leaps in science and how those leaps can further rule out the "need" for a God to answer what scientists cannot. My answer to the question posed in the title is flat out no.

If I created a coffee maker that grew its own beans, started the coffee whenever you woke up, added the right amount of cream and sugar depending on your mood, gave you a massage and a kiss to start your day, all without electricity or input form you I'd be considered a genius. Now, lets say scientists spent a good 25 years trying to analyze every aspect of my coffee maker and find out how every atom works. If they figure it out completely does that mean I no longer I exist? That just because the intricacies of my wonder can finally be explained I vanish and the coffee maker is just a by product of natural selection of previous coffee makers? Obviously not, but that is the point Ms. Natalie Wolchover is getting at.

She finishes off her introduction by asking "if science could really explain everything?". The answer to that question is no. People who truly understand the nature of this great universe and science in general know that with every discovery theres a thousand more things to learn about, new theories to test and many more to disprove. In essence, the more we learn, the more we realize we don't know.

Wolchover's first point is that scientists have pin pointed the Big Bang so thoroughly that they know what happened "10^-43 seconds" after the Big Bang until now. (For those unfamiliar with scientific notation 10^-43 is 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000001.) But also mentioned that the split second BEFORE that is still "murky" and cosmologists still haven't figured it out. She quotes a cosmologist from Cal Tech who says progress will eventually figure it out. And that an idea of a model that supports this theory is that the universe is like a big balloon that naturally deflates and inflates itself as time goes on. Even if this were true who put the universe here? Where did all the energy in the big bang come from? Basic physics states the matter and energy cannot be created, much less spontaneously appear from nothing. Its clear that there had to be an initial input at first, a creator, if you will.

She then mentions the point that "physical constants that define our universe" are so exact that modifying them "by a hair" essentially ruins the entire universe. But instead of saying that this is by design and God had a purpose in making the universe she argues the point of parallel universes; stating that there are endless universes in one complete multiverse, where every physical constant is represented, ones where electrons weigh a kilogram instead of 10^-31 grams. And thus, because all of them are represented we just got lucky by being in the perfect one. The problems with this are clear, where are all these multiverses and how in the grand scheme of things has not one been able to create a transportation method between all of them? And second even if this hail mary theory were true, it still requires a creator, a beginning. Universes don't just pop out of nowhere, life doesn't magically sprout from a lucky bacteria and turn into 1.7 million different species of animals. They are put here by design. There is a reason why no historical evidence exists of life spontaneously forming, because that isn't how it works and it never happened.

Science is breaking down and analyze the world around us. If belief in God meant no science then we would still be in our neanderthal days, playing with fire and finding berries for dinner. God created this world with a design, which why science works. Every electron is the same mass, gravity is equal throughout Earth, the Earth is the perfect distance from the sun to not burn or freeze us, the water cycle is a perfect way to replenish a finite water supply, there are simply too many phenomena to be explained by science. Laws of science simply state that things occur, they can't explain why my heart beats perfectly even when I'm not not awake, or how it happens to adjust to my needs when I'm exercising. "Oh but thats the sub-conscience of your brain!" Okay, care to explain how THAT works? How does my brain know what electrical impulses to send and when?

Any stat major will love to tell you how low the odds our of the right combinations of mutations to create a new living thing, which is yet another reason why it didn't happen like that.

Realizing that God explains what science cannot is key to understand the world around us. And Ms. Wolchover, whenever science does explain the entire universe it will confirm the existence of a deity, not disprove it.

Skins Fail to Stop Rams Rally as RGIII Throws First Pick

Before I get started on this train-wreck of a game let me begin a tirade on the tards working the NFL's corporate offices. The NFL is rich. The economy has not touched the NFL's revenue in any significant way. Through the sales of ridicously overpriced merchandise, insane television deals and revenue from all 32 teams the NFL is clearly one of the biggest financial powerhouses in the country, all because of a game called football. This begs the questions, why don't they pay the original refs?! I mentioned in one of my preseason blog posts about how the season would fare with these replacement officials and yesterday's game    is clear sign that the future does not bode well.

They botched so many calls I made from my couch at home. You can't challenge a play that's automatically reviewed. A late hit is only late if the hit is made AFTER the player is out of bounds. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a touchdown play means the score counts and the 15 yards is assessed on the kickoff. In a case where multiple players are fighting the one who instigated it gets the flag along with the one who retaliates. The inability and sheer stupidity of these officials, who look like deer caught in the headlights every five plays, is slowing down games and ruining a good season of football.

In terms of the game, we played like Skins of the last decade. If not for Robert Griffin III's altheticism and sheer brilliant quarterbacking the score would have been 45-7 Rams, the only Skins score coming off the defense. Its a typical Redskin thing to do to lose to team you're beating 21-6. The defense gave up yards but got lucky and held them to field goals in the first half. Come the second half they gave up touchdowns to a weak receiving core and made Danny Amendola look like Jerry Rice and Randy Moss wrapped up in a nice white shell. 10 catches for a 130 yards in the first half? It should have clicked in WAY before then that dropping 7 and playing zone IS NOT WORKING, but no they continued to give up yards through the air.

And our vaunted front seven? What happened to them? My grandmother could have walked through the holes Jackson had to run through. But he got benched before halftime. In comes a 7th round rookie who looks like Jackson's clone, ripping our defense for 83 yards on 15 carries. The time of possession and all the statistics made it look like the Rams ran away with this one, all stats except one: the score.

In spite of all this the defense forced a strong 3 turnovers, two by ageless stud London Fletcher. You gotta love Fletcher, he played a great game and had this to say afterwards: “You know what, defensively we didn’t play well enough to win. I take responsibility for that as a captain of the defense, and I don’t feel good about that.” said LB London Fletcher. “We need to be hard on ourselves. We have to look at the film, see what mistakes we made and come back and be ready to play next week.” 

That is the attitude the defense needs to have, especially after losing defensive anchors, Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker for the season. 

The special teams unit had another blocked punt. This is unacceptable. Teams are watching film and seeing that they can expect to get a blocked punt per game, when it should a max of 1 per season. I don't know whose fault it is but special teams coach Danny Smith needs to fix it before it costs us a game. 

There were some brightsides. Robert Griffin III was being abused by the Rams defense, taking hits (some of them uncalled late), a sack and being consistently pressured by a combination of a strong Rams defense and porous offensive line. But kept cool and was an efficient quarterback, hitting Leonard Hankerson on a bomb and hitting Aldrick Robinson in the hands with another. He rushed for 82 yards and 2 scores. Totaling a lovely 30+ fantasy points. He kept composure, rallying the team at the end of the game for a game tying field goal. I think all the start Kirk Cousins fans are putting their RG3 jerseys back on.

Speaking of composure, the last Redskin to catch a pass from RG3 that game didn't keep his. In a physical game where emotions ran high, Joshua Morgan caught a pass to put the team well within Billy Cundiff's field goal range. After the ball was caught he took a shove in the helmet from big mouthed cornerback Cortland Finnegan and instinctively threw the ball at him. You never throw the football at someone, and it was a penalty so obvious even the replacement refs called it. (Although the case could be made the both Finnegan and Morgan deserved a flag, both of which would offset.)

From my days as a benchwarming quarterback I learned that a player who can't control his emotions is never good for the team. RG3 kept his cool, and scored 3 times. Morgan didn't and cost his team a game. Whats left now is to learn from this, and make up for it by whacking the potent Cincinnati Bengals in the mouth.  

And because I hate Cortland Finnegan so much, here's a video of him getting dogged by Andre Johnson. The fun starts at 0:43. 

As always thanks for reading! 

Eleanor Roosevelt High School I.D. Policy Repealed

In breaking news today, Eleanor Roosevelt Principal Mr. Reginald McNiell announced that the school was cancelling its tedious I.D. badge policy in favor of a much simpler way to secure the building against trespassers. As in the last 30 years Roosevelt has had over TWO visitors without proper I.D. badges resulting in an astounding zero crimes. This is a clear need for stricter regulation as we're surely due for an act of violence by now.

Effective Tuesday, September 18th, every classroom will have a surgeon implant a RFID chip in every student's skull, complete with their birthday, full name, grade, homeroom teacher, ID number and suit size. The administrators and teachers will all have scanners to check attendance and make sure they have hall passes. The cafeteria is going to have to find other ways of getting kids trash duty...just kidding, I temporarily forgot the genocide that is 9 kids sitting at an 8 person table. No worries. Problem solved.

After spending most of the budget on the RFID chips and associated programming costs, Roosevelt's Budget Committee decided professional surgeons were out reach and settled for any med students. They also sent a memo illustrating the need for people with surgical experience and help setup an interview day for prospective surgeons. Everyone who showed up happened to be an Indian child whose parents stopped the reading the letter at the word doctor and simply herded up their kids and all their Indian friends and drove to the school while telling Aunty Sheela and Uncle Nandu that Rajesh is already a doctor.

Some parents spoke out against the policy, saying it should lab tested first, to which NHS Teacher of the Year in 2011, Mr. Hendley, replied: "Are you kidding me? IT'S TEST TIMEE!"

All the parents who spoke against the policy are currently unavailable for comment, three of which were quite irritated to find their cars dented as they parked in the student parking lot for over 15 seconds.

In other news Mr. Bagley announced his retirement, saying he just can't deal with in-school bums without letting off steam and yelling at the petrified freshman to get their I.D.s on.

"I TRIED CONVINCING THEM THAT THERE'S A POOL ON THE ROOF, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME JOY AS CATCHING KIDS WITHOUT THEIR I.D.S ON," said Mr. Bagley, who for some reason, has only one volume when speaking.

Roosevelt's student population also voiced their opinions on the issue. Here are some samples:

1. "Oh yeah girlaaa I ain't gots to wear my ID no mo! But I aint tryna get no surgery up in my weave!" -ShaniquabigBstaytattedratchetness Quarystulz (Pronounced Crystals)

2. "..." -That guy who never talks in class

3. "I dun care about no stupid IDs I just clutched a 2350 on my SAT!" -Asian guy whose lived long enough in P.G. County to learn the slang.

4. "Well, personally, I find the situation to be a staunch violation of my constitutional rights." -Educated person. (Representing a minuscule percentage of the student body)

5. "I.D.s? Who cares about I.D.s?! Chapter 1 is due TOMORROW and I STILL don't have a mentor!" -Science and Tech Student.

6. "Yolo" -Unknown.

This is sure to be a big milestone in the two time blue ribbon school, the perfect skin on the acne covered face of PGCPS. Other schools are slowly following Eleanor Roosevelt's innovate leap into the future, Charles Flowers is drawing blue prints of a dog collar that gives electric shocks when the student receives a text message, and a school in New York is mandating chemically unique uniform pants, that instantly dissolve weed, crack and heroin, making them unsuitable for sale. What do you think? Agree with the policy? Disagree? Email the editor at idontgiveadamn@aol.com.



As always, thanks for reading!

RG3 Stuns as Skins Upset Saints in the Season Opener

Tebowing is outdated. Griffining is the new thing

So many questions surrounded Redskins rookie, Robert Griffin III, before the season had even begun. First off, was he worth the 3 draft picks (2 first and 1 second rounder) to obtain him? You have to wonder, considering you are essentially giving up a starter each year with those first round picks. Or how Griffin was going to deal with all the hype in Washington D.C...; the pressure of leading a team that hasn't won its division in 12 years, a team that has only won two playoffs games since then (STILL 1 more than the Cowboys) a team that has reached double digit wins only twice in that span. Needless to say the new millenium has not been a good one for the Redskins, and its entire coaching staff and fan base is hoping Baylor product Robert Griffin III was the catalyst to drive this team into the winning ways of New England and the Manning led Indianapolis Colts.

We have yet to see if he is going to be this generation's Sammy Baugh but from what he showed in his first regular season game in New Orleans there is strong reason for hope in D.C. Now then, onto the game.

The Good

1. Robert Griffin III
By far the best rookie and probably the best quarterback on the field Sunday (Minus Matt Ryan). He was the only rookie quarterback to win on Sunday. He was the only rookie to throw for multiple touchdowns. He was the only rookie to throw zero interceptions. He out-rushed fellow rookies Trent Richardson and David Wilson. He was the first rookie quarterback to start the opener for the Redskins since the 1960's and the first rookie quarterback to lead a team to 40 or more points in its season opener. The first Redskin quarterback to lead a team 40+ points since Mark Brunell did it in 2005 against the 49ers.  Griffin showed remarkable poise and decision making ability in the game. He rushed when had to, slid when he had to and didn't take any unnecessary hits. He knew when to run and when to throw, as evidenced by a long pass to Santana Moss on a 3rd and 6 when Griffin had an open lane for a first down. He had good vision as well, finding Fred Davis for a 26 yard play all the way on the other side of the field. He only took 1 sack and turned many plays that weren't going anywhere into positive ones and didn't turn the ball over. Sure every game isn't going to be like this but Griffin is still learning and has no where to go but up.

2. Alfred Morris
Mike Shanahan's uncanny ability for finding running back gems in the late rounds continued this year with the 6th round pick of Alfred Morris. Morris showed tenacity on every run, finishing with a hit whenever possible; on his second touchdown he broke a strong tackle and toppled into the endzone on a first and goal, essentially sealing the game. He rushed for 96 yards and 2 scores, the only rookie running back to score on Sunday. He was also instrumental in dominating the Saints in time of possession. A whopping 39 minutes to the Saints 20 could only be accomplished from Morris's strong rushing attack.

3. Cedric Griffin, DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson and DeJon Gomes.
The Redskins were advertised as having a rather thin secondary but they proved otherwise. Griffin forced a redzone fumble after getting beaten by Marques Colston, saving a touchdown and breaking up several passing and finishing third on the team with 3 tackles. DeAngelo Hall also didn't allow any big plays and made solid tackles in the running game and also had a sack of Drew Brees. Josh Wilson also broke up a couple of balls, including a deep one where he landed hard on his shoulder. He had 3 tackles and 2 assisted tackles. DeJon Gomes is a Redskins late round pick from Nebraska and filled in for Brandon Merriwether and picked off Drew Brees just when it looked like he was mounting a comeback. He then returned it to the 3 yard line, setting up a Morris touchdown.

4. Billy Cundiff
Cundiff won the kicking job without competing in it and, yesterday, showed why. He nailed all four of his field goals and extra points with a long of 45 on the day. He also scored more than both Alfred Morris and Robert Griffin III. If he can keep his nerves set the Redskins should many close games they lost last year.

5. Offensive Line
Either the Redskins offensive line is seriously underrated after all these years or RG3 scares off defenders trying to rush him. Probably a combination of the two but a a bad offensive line doesn't allow 153 rushing yards or allow no more than 1 sack in a game. If the line can stay healthy and keep up this level of play, things look good for the Skins offense.

6. Defensive Front 7 

While it wasn't a sack Kerrigan gets a good lick on Brees.

Jim Haslett's front seven is as dangerous as we thought they were. They logged two sacks in the game but pressured Drew Brees the whole game, not allowing him to set in a rhythm until late in the 4th quarter. Orakpo blocked two passes near the goal line and nearly had an interception. Kerrigan had a sack and caught an interception but had it knocked away by Darren Sproles. The linemen were a relentless force, consistently pressuring Drew Brees regardless of who was trying to block.

The Bad

1. Shutting Down in the 4th Quarter
Early on in the 4th the Redskins had a decent lead but started running a vanilla offense, running the ball all three downs, trying to burn clock with 12 minutes still on it. This lead to punts, which lead to Drew Brees touchdowns and an imminent Saints comeback. Luckily Gomes bailed them out and allowed the coaches to learn this lesson the easy way.

2. 4th Down Defense
We gave up two touchdowns on two fourth down plays. 'Nuff said.

The ball makes up 25% of Bank's body mass

3. Brandon Banks
Banks needs to keep the ball secured if he wants to keep returning kicks. Hopefully today was an anomaly but if he keeps up this 2 fumbles per game look then Santana will be returning kicks and Banks will be looking for a job.

4. Penalties
Granted we do have some not so bright replacement officials but still, most of the penalties called were legitimate and the redskins racked up 127 penalty yards on 12 penalties. This is not acceptable, winning NFL teams have discipline and don't make stupid mistakes like this. The Redskins had 464 total offensive yards, imagine how many more they would have had they not went backwards for 127 yards.

5. Too much praise on Griffin
Griffin deserves the glory for playing a spectacular game but its important to put in perspective. The Saints had NO tape whatsoever of Griffin's actual offense. All they had to go on was Shanahan's vanilla'd down preseason offense. The element of surprise was helpful and definitely kept the Saints off balance, but pretty soon teams will be able to watch and observe Griffins weaknesses and capitalize on them. This is essentially what happened in 2008. Jim Zorn started the season 6-2 but once teams caught on to the tape and stopped his infamous stretch play the Redskins plummeted to an 8-8 record.

6. Punts
Yes a punt did get blocked and got the Saints back in the game but Danny Smith won't let that happen again because he's Danny Smith. Plain and Simple.

Next week is a real test for the Redskins to see if they dominate the Rams like they should or play down to the level of their opponents as they've done in years past.

Note: My hiatus from blogging is mostly due to schoolwork. College applications, 3 A.P.s and working in a lab does't leave as much to write as the summer did. And as always thanks for reading!