There was no good way to say it when it happened.There is no good way to say it now.But this is how Sean Taylor's death struck me then, so I will continue to make this silent tributefor as long as the feelings remain unchanged. (Reprinted from November 28, 2007)It’s not a long drive to my son’s high school, maybe 15 minutes.Most mornings, we share sleepy wise cracks—which...

I don't get to write very often these days. But there's so much to write it's driving me crazy keeping it bottled up. So I'm going to try the shotgun-style thing for a while. Again.In no particular order, and definitely not exhaustively ...DC Jim HaslettFew doubted Haslett earlier or more pointedly than I when the Redskins brought him in to implement the transition...

Two short weeks ago, the 2-0 Washington Redskins were viewed by the football-watching world as an afterthought. Heading into tonight's Monday Night Football showdown with their arch-rival Dallas Cowboys, however, the burgundy and gold are suddenly a sexy story. Like the emerging 3-0 Detroit Lions and Buffalo "Really?" Bills, the Redskins quick start has forced people...

Just one week of pretend games to go. Gracias al cielo.The first three weeks of the 2011 preseason have been a bit of a revelation. Ever since that first opening offensive drive against the Steelers three short weeks ago, these young(er) 2011 Washington Redskins have done nothing but surprise, impress, excite and even begin to alter expectations placed upon them.I admit it—I'...

Time to get out front on the whole Beck vs Grossman thing. Seems only fair to do it before tonight's meeting with the Baltimore Ravens.I will not denigrate Rex Grossman. He has more than earned respect in this town—or should have—for both his on- and off- field performance as a Redskin. But the truth is, if I’m coaching against the Redskins offense this season, my preference...

Last week's game setup was easy. Football was back. Even an ugly loss would have been borderline okay* (it's just preseason, right?). Point was, we were watching live Redskins football again.But something unexpected happened. Not only didn't the Redskins lose, but they won. And looked damn good doing it. Aainst none other than the Pittsburgh Steelers. The AFC Champions...

And just like that, the endless offseason ... does.It is never hard to do the traditional "Preseason Game One" scene-setter post. This year it's even easier than usual. ● It's hard to imagine ever completely losing the childlike expectation and anticipation that comes with the preseason opener. When the Washington Redskins take to the field tomorrow night to...

The most overlooked factor surrounding the 2011 Washington Redskins is the fact it is the new regime's second season. If that simple statement does not resonate, perhaps it should. The team head coach Mike Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen inherited in 2010 was, in the most generous terms, adrift. Twenty years of regime changes and organizational about-faces had taken...

When the Washington Redskins released running back Clinton Portis on March 1, 2011, the curtain came down on one of the most mercurial, memorable careers in team history. His was truly a shooting star—sometimes brilliant, often frustrating, never ordinary. Yes, there have been colorful characters in burgundy and gold before. Troubled defensive end Dexter Manley springs to mind...

You kinda expect it from the Washington Post. It's what they do.With the Shanahans apparently determined to promote the former third-stringer, one thought comes to mind: For their sake, this had better work.And it's predictable catch-a-wave content for the average blog:The man who is certain to take over as the team’s starting quarterback by sheer force of positive will...

Don't mind me ... just kicking the tires in case these gentlemen ever extricate their rectally inverted collective crania and give us back our game.NFL lockout talks progressing, but...And on the seventh day of "secret" talks there was still no immediate agreement between the NFL and NFLPA to end the lockout, but sources on both sides maintained they're getting...

BGO DRAFT TRACKERIt's not like I'm going to ignore this completely, you know.Round 1, Pick 10 (10) - Round 2, Pick 9 (41) - Round 5, Pick 13 (144) - Round 5, Pick 24 (155) (from New Orleans) - Round 6, Pick 12 (177) - Round 7, Pick 10 (213) - Round 7, Pick 21 (224) (from Indianapolis) - Round 7, Pick 50 (253) (compensatory pick) -

Thursday night, the Washington Redskins will have the option of making the 10th overall selection of the 2011 NFL Draft. Should they use the pick instead of trading it away or abdicating (obligatory royal wedding reference), the young man selected could turn out to be a Hall of Famer. The great DB Rod Woodson was drafted tenth overall in 1987 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the immortal...

There are precious few slices of cyberspace out there today that do not contain sincere, in-depth X and O breakdowns of the who, what, how and why of what's going to happen in Super Bowl XLV. You found one. Let's get right to it.Who I Want to WinGreen Bay. Why? I like 'em better. I like QB Aaron Rogers--the man looks like someone we all played pick-up ball with as kids...

As fans, coaches and players of the Tennessee Titans watched the Redskins’ patchwork offensive line hold its own against their sack-happy defense two weeks ago, they could be forgiven for invoking Butch Cassidy.“Who are those guys?”As Minnesota Vikings interim head coach Leslie Frazier and his reshuffled coaching staff studied film of that game last week, in preparation to...

There was no good way to say it when it happened,there is no good way to say it now.But this was how Sean's death struck me then, so I will continue to make this my silent tributefor as long as the feelings remain unchanged. (Reprinted from November 28, 2007)It’s not a long drive to my son’s high school, maybe 15 minutes.Most mornings, we share sleepy wise cracks—which...

To those who stand in harm's way for the freedoms we at home too often assume a birthright, and not the single greatest blessing one human can offer another, won at inconceivable cost, please accept one free man's humble, heartfelt, sincerest gratitude. A safe, peaceful and happy Thanksgiving to all.

By the time you read this, the Washington Redskins will have spent a very long week stewing over their embarrassing 58-29 nationally televised home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and turned their attention to the Tennessee Titans. The Redskins will have either lost their third straight game, fallen to 4-6 and seen any realistic shot at a late-season wildcard playoff run disappear...

You'd think the annual nationally televised embarrassment the Redskins subject us to would get easier to take over time.They don't. Sometimes reality sets in. Other times it clubs you over the head.Only one thing is clear this Black Tuesday morning ... there will be no feel-good, worst-to-first turnaround from last year's 4-12 debacle.At 4-3 you could indulge the speculation...

The title refers to both the 4-4 Redskins and (with apologies for injecting myself into the mix) yours truly. On the former ... you may have heard about the Redskins' latest fun and games. They lost again to the Detroit Lions (apparently trying to balance out universal karma since between 1782 and the mid-2000's they beat the Lions 2,113 straight times. Apparently they also...

Occasional, recurring short-form posts about the Washington Redskins, NFL and maybe even Life. Almost like a blog.Redskins 17, DaBears 14Season Record: 4-3 (2nd, NFCE)Don't mind me. Just enjoying da view. Been a while since I felt like I was watching something being built. Yes, Jim Zorn started 6-2 in his debut season, but with Vinny Cerrato and Jason Campbell large and in charge...

When Mike Shanahan accepted the Redskins’ head coaching job last January he made it clear right from the beginning that his first season would be no rebuilding project. He acknowledged that certain areas of the roster—the lines in particular—needed rebuilding, but didn’t agree the Redskins needed the kind of raze-it-to-the-ground fresh start many fans and observers were clamoring...

As Redskins placekicker Graham Gano lined up to kick a potential game-winning 33-yard field in overtime against the Green Bay Packers, I jotted down the phrase that would become the title of this column. In the heat of the moment the comment seemed utterly reasonable. If in the cool light of hindsight it reads a little hyperbolic, that is because Gano coolly drilled the kick down...

Occasional, recurring short-form posts about the Washington Redskins, NFL and maybe even Life. Almost like a blog.Six games into the 2010 season, the Redskins are 3-3, one game out of first place in the NFC East and heading to Chicago to play the Bears. Transition year (new Redskins regime) or not, it's a Big Game. Win on Sunday, and the happy vibes and upward trend in DC continue...

Synaptic Shotgun LiteRandom short-form day-after reactionsto the mini-dramas that are Redskins gamesColts 27, Redskins 24The Redskins never really seemed to be in it. Oh, they tied it up at seven early, but it didn't last. Peyton Manning pretty much did what he wanted, when he wanted to, and reclaimed the lead. You just never got the sense the Skins would take, or if they somehow...