Give That Man A Raise Awards #GTMAR Nominee Voting

Howdy folks!

Last year I did a series of tweets online called the Give That Man A Raise Awards. No, there's no prizes for the winners, just recognizing folks publicly. Last year, it was just me and my thoughts and I felt like it would be more fun this year to get more people involved in the selection. Soooo here's what I've decided to do....

I'm selecting a panel of judges that will be announced once all the invites are accepted/denied. It will be an odd number of people to make it fair.

Each judge will need to nominate 5 people deserving of an award, whether it be a Redskin, Skins Reporter, Fan, whomever. There aren't any award categories, so make sure you say why you're nominating these people. You can inbox me with your nominations starting now, but I'll need them in by December 4. I'll post the list of nominees on the blog as well.

After all the nominees are in, the panel will need to cut the list down to the 12 winners and I'll announce them on Twitter and this blog.

A couple of last years winners were Chad Dukes - Best Rant and Anthony Armstrong - Outstanding Rookie Season (even though the NFL didn't recognize him as a rookie). There were plenty more winners, but I can't remember them because I never wrote them down. I'm trying to do better!!

I hope to announce these winners before Christmas if possible... So let me know what you think!

@NFLHustleBabe

Redskins Missing Person Report

The Redskins rushing attack has been absent the past couple of months and there's been a lot of shuffling of personnel because of it. Even to the point of signing a back from Dallas (did I just say that?). Even going into the fourth quarter of games with a lead, the Skins run game drops off from the first half, as if clock management won't win you a game or two. And in games where the pass attack doesn't exist, we have RBs struggling to find holes. Our most effective all around back went down a few games back against Philly with an ACL injury that ended his season. It was very unfortunate because he not only did a great job running the ball but also on pass protection. So then the rushing jobs have been shuffled back and forth between Roy Helu and Ryan Torain. I'm glad Torain is staying healthy as long as he has this year (knocking on wood). I'm also glad that Helu is having the early success he is having. He's getting better at pass blocking and has great vision on the field.

A couple of weeks ago, Redskins signed RB Tashard Choice and then didn't activate him. Which means, they only had two guys prepared to run the ball the last few Sundays: Torain and Helu. Nothing wrong with going with two backs... if you're anyone else's team. But this is a Mike Shanahan program. A team run by a man who believes the era of a one-back league is over. The same man who had at least 3 backs activated most of last year in every single game.

It's also been obvious that the run game has been struggling lately. This past game against the Dolphins, the team didn't have 70 yards on the ground... between two guys. I don't care who you are, that will NOT win games in the NFL. You have to find the holes. You have to be able to eat up the clock to give the other team less of an opportunity to score points because Lord knows, you're not scoring very many yourself. Plus it keeps your defense fresh. Teams that control the clock win football games.

We all know the history of running backs here the past couple of years and what devastating blows injuries to these guys were. So it's important to have more than just two guys activated to carry the load, just in case. Just in case someone gets injured. Just in case someone is having a bad day. You gotta be able to put in the guy who gives you the best chance to win... right Mike?

And there is a guy on our practice squad that deserves another shot. A guy who in four years at PSU racked up nearly 4,000 rushing yards on 600 some carries, 29 TDs, and the only back in school history to have three 1,000 rushing yard seasons. And he's not a bad blocker either. He's a guy who was doing pretty well during the pre-season before taking a blow to the head on 9/1 vs Tampa Bay (But apparently he's been cleared to practice so he should be okay). He's a guy who could come in and be a new unknown on a struggling offense in Washington. All this leads me to ask one question:


Where the hell is Evan Royster???


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Dear Kyle... Part Deux

"Dear Kyle,

Hope everything is well on your end -- well, besides the losing streak. First off, I just want to apologize for the four interceptions against Philly. Particularly how I handled the press conference. I wasn't feeling well, and I probably said some things I regret like throwing Fred under the bus or blowing off a couple of the picks like they weren't important. I acted immaturely and unprofessional.

Secondly, I'd like to thank you for allowing me to have a chance to redeem myself. I kinda felt like something was up around Wednesday or so when you gave me half the reps in practice with the first team guys... good to know you're still in my corner! I felt like I did okay yesterday. I'd like to have those two picks back... particularly the second one. A lot of reporters were saying the first one to Hank wasn't my fault because he was the one who fell, but I kinda felt like I may have let it go at the wrong time. He sorta started to trip up as I was about to throw, but I didn't think anything of it. It was a tough call. The second one, I was just really hoping Jabar would get open since that's the guy the play was meant for. I didn't even consider a second option, to be perfectly honest. Maybe he shoulda fought harder to get open, maybe I shoulda did better at checking down my other receivers, I dunno. I DO know that keeping the ball and running it in was out of the question. Do I look like John Beck? Ha!

I am feeling better now that I've gotten medical treatment though. That pneumonia was a killer! I felt horrible for the two weeks after that Philly game. On a positive note, I did shed those 5-6 lbs I mentioned that I gained during the lockout...

On another note, has anyone talked to John since your dad announced the benching?? I heard last week that your dad said he felt like he lost his swagger (I didn't know he knew what swagger meant!). It's really unfortunate. You know, I watched him a lot during the short training camp that we had and I noticed back then he couldn't complete anything accurately beyond 15 yards. Guess he doesn't have that Sexy Rexy Arm! I think Kellen Clemens kinda did, shame he couldn't stick around and get a chance to grasp the offense... oh well, more reps for you and me to work through! Just out of curiosity, why DID you guys decide to go with just two guys at QB anyway? I was kinda scared for John the past 3 weeks because I was sick and couldn't play. I heard your dad say that Terrance was the emergency QB... WHOA!! Said the same thing about Darrel. Nuts!!

I think Hank did a fantastic job out there today! He's a great target. I think he's really finding his way and I hope that hip injury is not a big deal. But what in the world happened with Ryan T?? I don't think he could have found a hole if he had a shovel. Maybe Helu should have played more... but I don't want to overstep my boundaries. You're the boss, Kyle!

I thought the D did a great job... well, minus some of those costly penalties and DeAngelo. I mean, it just seemed like he wasn't even there. Almost no tackles... nothing. And every time I look for him, I find Rak out in coverage and D blitzing. Don't know about that. But hey, I'll leave that to Jim to figure out.

Anyway, it's Dallas week now and I have to start getting some sleep. Going to be a big one this weekend! I promise I'll make you proud. Go Rexskins Redskins!!!

--Rex

P.S. - You never got back to me about that raise I asked about a month ago... I'd like to get a status update on that if you could. My wife is asking about extra money to do Christmas shopping on Black Friday next week. Thanks, buddy!"

Follow Me on Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe