In Shanahan We Trust

The Washington Redskins are 1-2 and if you listened to fans in the D.C. area you might think that the apocalypse is coming.

When the Redskins beat Dallas fans went into a frenzy.  Shanahan had righted the ship in one off-season and it was time to stick it to the rest of the NFC East.  Then the Redskins blew a huge lead against Texans in a game where McNabb had a banner day, and then looked hungover and lethargic against the Rams in St. Louis.  The one good thing is that at least the rest of the division is still looking pretty down at the moment.

If any of us thought this was a Super Bowl team this year we were foolish to begin with.  Mike Shanahan was handed the keys to and old, beat-up, broken down car.  This is a team that went just 4-12 a season ago.  While he was able to plug some holes, it was unrealistic to think he could address every team need in one off-season.  The fact that they were able to beat Dallas shows that Shanahan can get anyone to play for him, but to win consistently; he will need to upgrade the talent on both sides of the ball again next off-season.

At 1-2 the season is not over.  No one is predicting a Super Bowl, but with the way the division is shaping up right now, a playoff appearance is not out of the realm of possibility.  McNabb will be fired up to play at Philadelphia which will be an emotional, hard fought game.  Afterwards the 'Skins are faced with Green Bay and Indianapolis, two tough opponents, but both opponents they get at home; Indy being on Sunday Night Football.

The season isn't over, the franchise isn't in disarray, and the world is not coming to an end.  If anything, Shanahan is getting to evaluate everyone in meaningful games so that he can make the key changes to move forward in 2011.  We just have to trust that Shanahan knows what he is doing.

Stern Tells Arenas to Keep Quiet

NBA Commissioner David Stern views Gilbert Arenas' gun incident in the Washington Wizard's locker room last year as a black eye for the NBA. Stern is so upset about the occurrence apparently that he has issued a gag order for Arenas and the Wizards organization. Neither party is to talk about the incident in public anymore.

When Arenas was originally charged with his crime, everyone wanted to jump down his throat right away. We were all quick to crucify him and wish that he wouldn't be allowed to play in the NBA, hope for jail time, and some us even hoped the NBA would allow the Wizards to void his contract.

I'm not saying what Arenas did was okay, but we have allowed superstars to come back from much worse. If a star athlete was coming back from a drug addiction or a battle with alcohol abuse we would allow him to talk about his comeback in the public eye. He would be able to describe the difficulty of the battle, how he'd learned the error of his ways, and how he was going to show us he was a changed man.

Why is it any different with Arenas? The man knows now that what he did was wrong. He served his time, even if it was entirely too short. We all attacked him in the public spotlight; why shouldn't Arenas have the same opportunity to redeem himself in that same light?

Commissioners make some awful decisions sometimes, but issuing a gag order on a player coming back from something that was extremely difficult for him and allowed him to be made an example of in the spotlight has to be near the top. All it has done is make the issue seem even bigger than it was and force Arenas to not defend himself while he continues to be vilified by the public and press.

Putting It All in Perspective

It's not time to jump off the ship just yet.  Over Saturday and Sunday night there was a lot of talk about drastic changes that needed to be made to both the Terps and Redskins after their losses this weekend.  Everyone that was so high a week ago now seems to think the apocalypse is coming.  We all just need to take a step back and look at the situation.

Both the Terps and Redskins had some defensive lapses this weekend.  Both teams gave up big yards, but both defenses also had takeaways that put their team in great position to score.  In the second half of the Terps game, and for most of the Redskins game, the offenses were clicking.  They had moments (for the Redskins more than the Terps) where they looked like they knew what they were doing going straight down the field.

All is not lost in the first couple of weeks of the season.  For the Terps, I was so jazzed about beating Navy because they were a good team in my mind.  And when we laid 62 on Morgan State, I thought 'this is what a good team does to bad teams'.  The Terps lost on the road to a Top 25 team in a hostile environment and still made a game of it in the second half after going down big.  They still come home for FIU and Duke, and when you look at it all, the Terps can very well be 4-1 and 1-0 heading into the bye week.

The Redskins win over Dallas had me giddy all week.  It was such an emotional win that you had to feel as if a letdown was inevitable.  That kind of emotion and fire is hard to match for 16 games.  But the Redskins surprised everyone and came out firing on all cylinders en route to a 27-10 lead over the Texans.  Yes, the defense faltered in the end, and a few plays didn't bounce our way, but we now know the 'Skins offense can put points on the board.  Washington won't see anything as good as the Houston offense every week, and this week they can get back on track against St. Louis.  Besides, there's a three team log jam at the top of the NFC East right now.

At the end of the day, both teams are only two or three weeks into the season.  Both teams have looked very good at times.  The Terps and Redskins have opponents they should bounce back against this week and everyone can remember why we had such optimism and faith early on in the first place.  September 20^th is a little early to start hitting the panic button.

Country Roads, Take Me Home...

Finally, road trip season is back.  All week the anticipation for today's road trip to Morgantown has been building.  Today it's overflowing the pot.  I am at work and literally cannot wait for 2:05 to come so I can run to my car and begin the trek to West Virginia.

Any fan who has ever gone on a legitimate road trip knows just how fun they can be.  Today is a short trip; maybe four hours.  Driving in the car with friends listening to music and getting pumped up for the next day's game as we drive through the western interstate lined with trees overflowing with color changing leaves.  Getting into enemy territory, grabbing a bite and then invading their favorite bars.  This is all part of the fun of the road trip.

Tomorrow we will wake up early from a presumably rough night, and hit the parking lots at 6:30 a.m. to let the real fun begin.  There is not much more fun to be had than tailgating with fellow Terps' fans in the opponent's area and talking trash to each other about the impending doom.  We will get to walk to the stadium, have insults hurled at us and maybe even a few full beers thrown our way.  But we'll be in a sea of red walking up together, chanting the Maryland Victory Song and waving our flags proudly.

Every road trip along the way gets filled with certain memories to carry forever; even if it's not dealing with the game itself.  There was the time we drove 12 hours each way to Georgia Tech in a span of about two days in a two-door Saturn with four guys piled in.  The time we heard "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon at least ten times during a Wake Forest road trip.  There's the first Clemson trip where we slept in a house with no heat and no furniture, and a second Clemson trip where we invaded the bars on Friday….at 2 p.m.  (It helped we've ripped their hearts out both times)

Anytime someone questions whether or not to go on a road trip, I always try to push them in the 'yes' direction.  Even if the game doesn't go the way of your team, there are sure to be memorable moments that will stay with you forever.

I'm literally pacing in my classroom, waiting for the final class to come and go.  I'm excited to hit the road, and excited to watch the Terps take down our hated rivals en route to a 3-0 record.  Thank goodness road trip season is back.

Why I HATE Dallas

Hate is a strong word. A very strong word. The use of it is usually inappropriate in almost any context. There are very few things in this world that when it boils right down to it anybody really hates. To hate something is to detest it. If you hate something you cannot stand the look of it, the thought of it, and especially seeing or being around it. With all that being said...

...I HATE DALLAS.

There is nothing more in this world that I feel a pure, absolute hatred toward than the Dallas Cowboys. Just thinking of that team makes my blood boil. The sight of their colors sends me into a rage that is borderline unacceptable of a sports fan. Their players are disgusting primadonna's and their fans are ignorant of anything to do with football.

Besides the rivalry on the field, which I still claim is the best in any professional sport, fans of Dallas that live in the DMV are something that really gets my hatred accelerated into fifth gear. How someone can live in this area their entire life and root for Dallas is beyond comprehensible. They have lived here forever, yet the proclaim their love for a city they know nothing about. They have no link to the city or anything to do with the team, and most likely have never visited that area. But damn if they won't claim their undying love for the team and let you know how beneath them you really are.

My favorite claim by Dallas' organization: America's Team. Says who? When was there a decision that Dallas, Texas would represent the United States as our best and favorite team? Hell no. Where is Dallas on the grand stage of America? Does anyone ever talk about Dallas except for when Tony Romo is dating a new singer? No. Last I checked, the NATION'S CAPITAL has a team. I would not expect Dallas fans to necessarily understand that logically though. The team that represents the capital of the free world should definitely never be "America's Team"...

...Finally, the Dallas Cowboy colors. VOMIT. I'm not sure what made Dallas think that the white on a hideous shade of a silverish color looked awesome, but news flash: it doesn't. It looks terrible. And for the couple of games where the ugly blue jersey is on; it still looks horrendous. There is nothing appealing about the Dallas uniform. It's disgusting, it's ugly, and there's nothing about it that makes me ever want to look something that hideous again...

There are two weeks out of the year that I have trouble keeping my emotions for football in check. They are the week Dallas comes to Washington, and the week Washington goes to Dallas. I'm sure many Redskins fans will echo it, but for me, I mean it in the most literal way possible: I HATE DALLAS.

Undefeated And It Feels So Good

The Terps are 1-0.  It sure does feel good to say that.  Undefeated.  For one week at least we can say that Maryland Football is undefeated for the 2010 season.

And with saying that, with that reality comes at least one more week of dreaming of what could be.  Surely the Terps should handle Morgan State this Saturday.  Teams from the FCS sub-division may have given them fits in the past, but the Terps do not usually lose those games.  And with a team that just beat Navy there's no reason to think they will start now.

 

Now the dreams really take shape.  One begins to believe in what could become a magical season.  Seemingly all that stands in the way of being 5-0 heading to a road game at Clemson is a game against West Virginia.  Morgan State, Florida International, and Duke are all cream puffs and should be easy home victories for the Terps.  West Virginia isn't really that scary this year, they just have home field advantage.  It's a toss-up game that now has cautiously optimistic fans thinking 'hey, we CAN do this.'

 

The passing game was non-existent on Monday.  The defense did a lot of bending and gave up a ton of rushing yards.  But the offense also screamed out to a 14-0 lead early.  The special teams units looked good.  When Navy was in the red zone, time after time they failed to put any points on the board.  And when it really mattered, on fourth and goal at the one yard line with the game on the line, it was the Terps that came up with the big play.

 

So give me my positive aspects, give me the win over a solid Navy squad, and give me my dreams of an ACC Championship season.  Because Maryland football is undefeated; and it really does feel good to say that.

That Sinking Feeling...Again

Nothing can come close in reality to the dagger Korie Lucious threw in to Terrapin's fans hearts last March. But last night felt pretty darn bad, and it was Michigan State delivering the blow to Maryland again, this time in soccer.

Maryland played terribly all game and trailed 2-0 for most of it deservedly. The Terps could not finish chances, they could not play any defense on the back line, and All-World goalkeeper Zac MacMath had what may have been his worst game in goal as a Terp.

And then with under fifteen minutes left, all hell broke loose at Ludwig Field.

The Terps somehow came up with goal off of an awarded penalty kick and a scissor-kick goal within minutes of each other. Suddenly, after trailing by two for the entire game, the Terps had salvaged a draw at least, and one had to feel good about the chances to score a goal in extra time for a win.

Maryland didn't wait for extra time when they added one more with under a minute to play in regulation. Cue pandemonium in the stands. People falling over, everyone screaming, objects flying, and men embracing more than some should. Life was good.

Goal, Michigan State. Nine seconds later.

The rest is history as the Terps missed a golden opportunity in extra time which was immediately turned around down the field with a floating, golden goal for the Spartans.

At the end of the day, it's not the end of the season. It's one game. But as my buddy Stro pointed out, the Terps seem to have a way of going in the post-season as their opening game of the year goes. Everyone is to blame. All of the players were pretty poor in performance, and though Sasho has brought two national championships to Maryland, he has to get some of the blame for not being able to have a team focused and composed enough to close out a game with under a minute left, much less a direct goal in nine seconds.

As that final goal floated through the air, I could not help but have that same disgusting, sinking feeling as I did when Lucious daggered Maryland back in March, even if it didn't mean nearly as much. There's nothing to do now but put the trust in Sasho to right the ship and refocus the team, which he will. Sunday will be a completely different story.