Down and Out

There will be no Tony Romo miracles this season.  There will be no team scared to come in to Dallas, even in the primetime, and take on the oh-so-talented Cowboys.  No, this year, it will be nothing but misery for the Dallas faithful.

As if there was any glimmer of hope for Dallas after their 1-4 start to the year, the door was shut on that glimmer as Tony Romo was slammed to the turf last night and the 2010 season was, in effect, officially over for the Cowboys.  Even as Dez Bryant took one back to the house, anyone watching could see that Giants were completely man handling Dallas.

For a team that appears to be one of the most talented in the league it is dumbfounding how they are one of, if not the worst team in the NFC on the field.  One has to look obviously at Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett.  These are two men not fit to lead any team, and it has become very apparent lately that Garrett is not someone to be entrusted with offensive play calling.  Now the question is: Where do the 'Boys go from here?

Enter Jon Kitna.  Before last night, the man had not taken a regular season snap in over two seasons.  Now he is in charge of leading the Dallas offense on a comeback, a task that not even Tony Romo was up to par for.  With Romo, Dallas was competitive.  With Kitna, Dallas may become the whipping boy in the NFC.

At the end of the night, fans of all NFC East teams rejoiced.  No one (no one with half a brain anyway) was concerned about the Giants being one game up on the Eagles and Redskins.  The only real, half-worry, was that a talented Dallas team could potentially begin to revive its season on Monday night.  Now the Cowboys are left for dead, and the Giants, Eagles and Redskins are left to battle it out for the NFC East title. 

No Surprise: Ovechkin Delivers the Dagger

As I watched the Caps game last night, I had a real sense of calm.  At no point did I get mad or upset, at no point did I scream for the Caps to do more.  Last night just had that feeling that there was no way Washington would be denied.

Last night I knew we had the best offense in the league.  And I knew we had the greatest player in the league.  The Caps were not going to let Ottawa come into D.C. and leave with a victory.  And even as the final minutes ticked down, I knew they would find a way to win.

When the first score was pumped in I was excited.  But as we sat at the bar watching the game, my friend turned around to see the score was now 1-1.  "When did it get tied up?  I never saw you freak out," he said.  "No need to," I replied, "we're going to win this game."

The Caps continued to stymie the Senators on power plays and ended regulation with a tied game.  Even though the game was going to overtime, I was confident.  The clock ticked to 90 seconds left in OT, and my roommate commented that it looked like the game was going to shoot out.  I said that there was still plenty of time for this offense.

And then with under a minute to play, who else but Alex Ovechkin blasts one through the five-hole from the right side of the ice.  The game was over, the Caps won, and I had never worried about it for a second.

When you have the best player in the league who happens to be a part of one of the best offenses, it relaxes you as a fan (at least until the playoffs).  Monday night is Ovie to the rescue, and I am sure before the season is over, he will have many more daggers to deliver to then entire league.

Well Coached Teams Find a Way to Win

Anthony Armstrong.  Brandon Banks.  Ryan Torain

Many people may not know who these players are, and for good reason.  They are either brand new to the NFL or have never done anything worth mentioning.  But yesterday, these three men lead the way at FedExField to an upset over the Green Bay Packers.

It was Ryan Torain who paved the open holes with his bruising runs.  It was Brandon Banks establishing himself as a legitimate threat on punt returns, continuously giving the Redskins great field position.  And it was Anthony Armstrong's spectacular grabs that put Washington in a position to win the game.

Shanahan has proven through five games that you do not need an all-star cast in the NFL to win games.  The 'Skins were the more disciplined team, committing only four penalties to the Packers nine.  Washington won the turnover battle.  The defense's 'bend but don't break' mentality is a testament to defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.

When Brandon Jackson took off on a long run, defenders didn't give up on the play, and it saved a touchdown.  With a third and goal from inches away, the 'Skins defense stuffed a quarterback sneak, and were not fooled when the Packers tried a pass on fourth down.  They didn't give up the big scoring plays, and when they needed a turnover, that's exactly what they got.

The results speak for themselves.  In five weeks the Redskins have beaten Dallas, Philadelphia and Green Bay.  They have held those teams to seven, twelve, and thirteen points respectively.  That is the sign of a well coached team.

The Redskins will be tested again this week by Peyton Manning and the Colts.  But the game is at home and on Sunday night, so you have to feel good about the chances to win.  A win here could allow us to legitimately start thinking playoffs.  And I'll take this Shanahan coached team against anyone right now.

As for Dallas fans: I hope your necks aren't too strained looking up the standings at the first place Washington Redskins.

Locks and Shocks - October 9th and 10th

Last week I was listening to sports radio and on one of my favorite shows, the guys were discussing what the easy wins of that weekend were going to be, and what team's were going to shock the nation. I ended up talking with one of my roommates about this, which led to our own discussion of that weekend's slate of games. Turns out I got a couple of them right, which led me to the decision to have a weekly post on my own "locks and shocks" of the weekend. So without further ado...

College Football:
This weekend has some great rivalry match-ups on the slate. Michigan-Michigan State is always intense, and the rivalry between Florida State and Miami should reach a fever pitch tonight. Usually when you are only making a few picks, it's good to stay away from a rivalry, but I won't shy away here.

LOCK: #18 Michigan over #17 Michigan State...Forget the fact that the game is in The Big House. All you need to know are two words: Denard Robinson. The Spartans won't contain Robinson, heck, they may not even touch him.

SHOCK: Oregon State over #9 Arizona...They are traveling to the Wildcats house, but it won't matter. I like Arizona, they're a very likable team. But their ranking is inflated by wins over not-so-good schools, and Oregon State has been the victim of a tough opening schedule. Oregon State is better than you think, and they'll show it with a big upset in Arizona tonight.

NFL:
Talk about tough match-ups. Show me where there are any locks this week. There is such parity in the NFL this year that it's hard to know if anyone will definitely win each week.

LOCK: Cincinnati over Tampa Bay...The Bengals had a tough loss last week at lowly Cleveland. But T.O. had a huge day, and the team will be hungry for a quick rebound this week. This one may get ugly quick.

SHOCK: Washington over Green Bay...It's tough to pick, because it's been a mystery which Redskins defense will show up each week. That's really what it comes down to. The offense will do just enough, and the crowd at FedExField will be enough of a factor this week to complicate Aaron Rodgers life. The defense shows up big, and the Redskins put this one away in the fourth quarter.

HORN, HORN, HORN!

It's official.  The pre-season is over, the red is out, and the horn is back.  The path to Lord Stanley's cup begins tonight for the Caps in Atlanta.

It may still feel early in the fall for hockey season to be starting, but for many Caps fans the opportunity to put last year's playoff debacle behind them cannot come soon enough.  With a new season comes new hope.  Every year there is cause for excitement in D.C. while Ovechkin is here.  Washington is sure to make the playoffs, but how far can they make it this time?  As we saw last year, being the best team in the regular season means nothing.

For Coach Boudreau, he has to know that he is on the hot seat this year.  Washington fans cannot take another year of playoff disappointment, and with the tools he has if Boudreau can't get them over the hump this year, it will be time to find someone who can.

The team did not have a massive overhaul in the off-season after last year's first round disappointment; and for good reason.  While glaring mistakes may have shown against Montreal, what the boys did for the seven months prior to that should not be discredited.  The offense was unreal last season.  A lot of us (myself including) were quick to hop on Alexander Semin for a terrible playoff series, but the man had the hot stick in the regular season, and getting rid of him would have been just plain silly.

It's still football season, and on Saturday's and Sunday's I'll still live and die with the Terps and Redskins.  But I sure as heck cannot wait to see Ovie and Semin pumping pucks into the net.  I'm ready to watch Greenie and Poti wreak havoc on opposing forwards.  I'm excited to see faces of depression as Semyon Varlamov stone walls opposing teams.  And when the team comes back for their home opener on Saturday, I can't wait for the first Ovie goal and for him to go flying into the boards in celebration.

Hockey season is officially back.  C-A-P-S Caps, Caps, Caps!

For the 'Skins, It's a 7-10 Split

The Washington Redskins are 2-2 and sitting atop the NFC East.  After a great opening win and two disappointing losses, the 'Skins got an emotional victory in Philly to pull in to first place for at least a week.

For Washington, the next two weeks will go a long way in shaping the rest of the season.  In two straight weeks the Redskins must now face Green Bay and Indianapolis; two high powered offenses.  It may not be as bad as it seems though.

The defense was shredded in back-to-back weeks by the Texans and rookie QB Sam Bradford of the Rams.  But these are sandwiched between performances where the Redskins allowed less than 14 points, including completely taking Desean Jackson and Jeremy Macklin out of the game against the Eagles.

More than likely, this bipolar defense will have a letdown at least one game against these offenses.  But if they can step up one game they can pick up a difficult, much needed split.  3-3 after six weeks including games against Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Green Bay and Indianapolis wouldn't be terrible with this much parity in the NFL.  It is also critical (and good for the 'Skins) that both games are at home, including a Sunday Night Football game against the Colts.

Completing the sweep would be difficult, and being swept would be devastating.  But picking up a split here may be the extra push the Redskins need if 2010 is to be a playoff year in D.C.