RGIII: Keeping Score

1 For 1 So far. The past week or so was the beginning of what's probably to come throughout Robert Griffin III's career here in the Nation's Capital. Someone trying to pick at him for a couple of duckets. I'm sure judging by how things blew over, he probably took notes from the chick at the W Hotel Restaurant when Fat Albert came in for dinner one night.

Yes, it's already begun. Still no word of an inked deal with Dan Snyder yet. But of course we already know about the Adidas deal... and of course there's other endorsements (including Subway and others). Someone is already after Griff's pot-o-gold. Some town idiot who he went to school with fabricates a story to get money out of the guy, after he makes it big.

[Town Idiot (n.) - A person known in some circles to make a complete buffoon out of him/herself amongst others and is known to do so on a repeated basis.]

Consequently, this T.I. was also seen on Judge Judy a few years ago trying to wiggle money out of someone else. The storyline was, she lost her chihuahua, he "found" it, paid for medical treatment for the dog for one price, took her to court for the amount of the treatment (plus additional money). I use the term "found" very loosely, because he knew this girl for four months before the incident. (You "found" her dog, huh? Yeah, okay buddy.)

Sure this kind of stuff happens all the time all over the place. But being the Nation's Capital already puts anyone on a pro team in a demographic that demands national attention. What would probably get blown over by other news stories in other cities becomes nation wide news when it happens here.

Albert Haynesworth sexually harassed a waitress at a local restaurant here in DC, it was a national story that the entire country followed. Same thing happened when he punched out a motorist in road rage. If this had happened in Tennessee, it would have probably made a small section of the post and no one in California would have even cared.

Clinton Portis dresses up as Southeast Jerome at a press meeting at Redskins Park, and all of America is following the stories to see who he becomes week after week. Someone would have assumed it was some sort of charity stunt or something had it happened in his hometown of Laurel, MS.

Bryce Harper hadn't been brought up from the minors yet. Of course this only really concerned the Nationals. But the whole country was watching when they finally let him play. If this was going on in Omaha, NE or somewhere, it would have just been considered some kid in the minors that wasn't ready for the MLB.

No one would care about who Alex Ovechkin's latest girlfriend is if he was back in Russia or in some other smaller demographic in the United States. But because he plays for the Washington Capitals, it automatically becomes a B.F.D.

Rod Strickland seems to have had terrible eating (and drinking) habits for quite some time. But no one would have paid attention if he were only throwing up in games at DePaul or some other smaller scale area. But because he was wearing a Bullets uniform when his stomach let go of the hot dog, pizza and soda he had before the game, everyone wants to know why he's had the same pre-game meal for so many years.

In the end of it all, no matter what RGIII will do... whatever socks he decides to wear... if he decides fully to get dreadlocks vs the twists/braids he currently has... The whole country will be watching. Not to mention other parts of the world. It's true everyone was already watching because this was going on at Baylor. But this fall he puts on the Burgandy and Gold and steps on the field as a Washington Redskin.

That's a big difference from a small school in Waco, TX.


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#Redskins: Camp On The Move?

Over the past several years (or decades, however you want to look at it), the world of Washington Sports has been quite the roller coaster. The charismatic figures... the drama... the losing... It's hard to watch the teams compete, but the constant news makes it hard to look away. When Gilbert Arenas was still in a Wizards uniform, yes there were plenty of people who were clammering for him to score 40 points every night. Then there are also those who tuned in to the games not because they were hoping the Wiz Kids would win and score over 100 points so they'd get a half off pizza the next day, but they watched because of the circle of drama surrounding Agent Zero's life.

Likewise, of course there's a plethora of Redskins fans all over the DMV (and the rest of the world). Of course they watch the games because they want to see the team win. Then, there's the other group of fans (and non-fans) who watched the games because of drama surrounding Albert Haynesworth's personal life or his latest decisions on where to take a nap. Forget how many sacks he was capable of racking up. They watched because they were waiting to see what new character C.P. would come up with next... not to see if he'd break 100 yards. They watched to see how well or poorly Donovan McNabb played... not because they wanted to see him lead the team to victory, but because of the poor relationship between he and Shanford and Son.

So then how do we rid the teams of the constant distractions? Cutting players? That never fully worked. Press conferences? Please. Moving training camp out of town? There's a thought.

Earlier this week, Dan Snyder decided to move the team's training camp down to Richmond, VA starting next summer. Some people think this is too far. For me, Ashburn is a long drive for fan appreciation days (didn't stop me from going). And then what about the people who made the voyage to Carlyle, PA for camp during the Joe Gibbs' era. Consequently, the level of distractions was significantly lower during that time. Seems as though the beauty of moving camp away is minimizing media exposure of the players... reducing at-home distractions... allowing the group to work through their on the field and off the field issues apart from everything else familiar to them.

If you ask me, given the track record of this team in recent years, Richmond isn't far enough.

HTTR...

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#Redskins Top 10: Collusion Suit

So if this collusion suit thing goes through, and the Skins get back the $35 million that they are owed by the NFL, here's my list of the top 10 things to happen should they get it back:


10. Get Darrel Young a backup.
Not that he doesn't play great, because he does. But with these injuries, you just never ever know.

9. Find a couple big men to block for kicks on special teams.
When Trent Williams went down, we saw just how big a hole he left not only on the offensive line, but on special teams. People blamed Graham Gano for the blocks... hits on the kicker... Gano can't be the blame for all of that. They have to protect him just like the quarterback. They have to make a clean path for him to get the football to through the goal post 50 yards down field. They have to get  better on the line for special teams if they intend to win.
8. Find a full time understudy for London Fletcher so the One Man Gang can return to his own devices.
There is no telling when Mr. Fletcher will call it quits. One thing is for certain, it will definitely be on his own watch. In the event he's ready to hang up his cleats for the very last time, someone has to be in place who has had the opportunity to shadow Fletch for some time and can fill his shoes (at least on the field anyway).

7. Bring in a strong safety at least 6'3" who has no history of hamstring or Achillies injuries.
It's not even necessary to explain the void a healthy LaRon Landry has left on this team (even when he was here). The tenacious force in the middle of the field that was fast enough to be anywhere and hit harder than anyone on the roster... those are big shoes to fill. But someone needs to fill those shoes for 16 games... not a handful. These smaller guys who aren't as fast and don't hit as hard aren't as effective on these mammoth tight ends and wideouts.

6. Refer to #3.

5. Give London Fletcher a REAL contract.
Ok, so we already have the quarterback that lured him back into uniform, but not paying the man for all he's done for this organization is just not fair. It's not everyday you come across a timeless talent like this. Still, to lead the league in tackles time after time while pushing 40... gotta give the man the respect (and contract) he has earned. He will probably only play for another year (maybe two), but you can guarantee he'll give 110% every single snap.

4. Get a legitimate backup for Trent Williams.
We all saw what happened when he went down for nearly half the season. This team was second in the league in most sacks/hits on the QB behind St. Louis. You think Shanford and Son will allow their prized quarterback to become the next victim in burgundy and gold to be trampled from the blind side by a defensive end charging at the pocket like its lunch? If Trent goes down with injury (or God forbid rolls another "j"), Griffin will likely be screwed.

3. Find another right tackle worth starting for 16 games.
They can't realistically be satisfied with Jammal Brown. And until we know what these rookie offensive linemen can do, Brown and other second string guys are all we have. There is no legitimate starting right tackle on this team. Remember what happened when DeMarcus Ware switched up in the fourth quarter of the first game last year vs. the Skins and Brown got eaten alive for 15 minutes? Uh huh. Yeah. Let's improve here, coach.



2. Go buy a shut-down corner.
And when I say buy one, I mean it. There isn't one readily available, so it will take some duckets to get one. DeAngelo Hall is a great player, but he thrives off of someone taking other guys out of the game for 60 minutes. He has plenty to thank Carlos Rogers for in the year he made his most recent pro-bowl appearance. There simply isn't a shut down corner on this team. 




1. Refer to #3.
Really can't stress that point enough. There's too much of an investment taking snaps to allow him to be clobbered by guys because there's no one blocking. If this money comes back to the budget, there is no reason whatsoever why they can't find the means to protect No. 10.


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