Redskins 22-21 over the Cardinals. This win means a lot. No they aren’t a division opponent (anymore). But this win was special in that it was a close, hard fought game that we WON. Think about last year. And the year before. How many games did we see Washington with more yards, more first downs, and more time of possession than the teams that ultimately beat them? How many times did we see them lose a game by a single score in the 4th quarter? Yeah. Good teams win close games. We didn’t win; we weren’t good. But this game? This was the kind of game that shows at the very least that this team has some heart. It has some fight. This was a win that we can feel proud of because it heralds a new attitude in D.C. A winning attitude. This feels good because this is the game of game that last year, that for the last 5 years, we would’ve lost.

Oh and I have a new favorite place to watch ‘skins games in South Jersey. Boby Ray’s Place. Friendly staff, awesome burgers, lots of beers, and they give crap to Cowboys fans. This is my new spot for any game that I can’t make it to FedEx for. If you are in south jersey or philly, give it a shot.

Nice preseason, boys. No major injuries (though it is sad to see Jenkins go down; get well, man). The team looked solid. I like where this is going.

ES tailgate was fun as always, if a bit small (pre-season, combined with highway disasters made this the smallest ES tailgate I’ve ever been to).

Also give it up for my boy Jack for blowing it out on defense. He turns 8 tomorrow and was personally responsible for 3 Tampa penalties, a fumble and a sack. Damn straight.

Let’s get it on already.

Reed Doughty, one of my son’s favorite players, has signed on for another stint in Washington. Reed has always been great about making time with the fans and saying hi to the kids. Thanks, Reed. Good to have you back.

Lockout over, preseason only weeks away, training camps opening in days, and a free agent feeding frenzy on the horizon. Let’s get it on!

Clinton Portis was officially released by the Redskins today, ending a seven year stint that leaves him second behind John Riggins for the team’s all-time rushing yards and touchdown records.

For me this is a bitter-sweet announcement. I like Clinton Portis and have so many terrific memories of watching him play, and I know he brought it hard every single Sunday. On the other hand, I’m ready for a new era and I’m excited to see what comes next.

Good luck to you, CP. I wish you all the success in the world with whatever you do now. Well, unless that involves another NFC East team that is. ;)

Official Team Announcement

So my only blog post for the entire 2010 season consisted of the kickoff game against Dallas. Wow. I completely dropped the ball this year. To be fair though, the Redskins at home didn’t give us a whole lot to cheer about after that opening win. Our boys were atrocious at home and more often than not sent me on my long drive back to New Jersey without that warm winning feeling to make the trip better.

In any case, let’s go Bears. I want to see London in the Pro Bowl again.

With the labor strife, a top 10 draft pick, and Shanny/Allen off-season #2 coming up it should be an interesting first half of 2011.

I’d promise to update more frequently, but I know myself too damn well. ;)

5 hours until kick-off!
This cake is not a lie.
Jumbo TVs set up in the lots for the tail-gaters
The Redskins Marching Band
Dexter Manley!
Burger time!
Mmm…wings…
Mmm…booze…
Chief Zee is my home boy
The boys with the mighty Chief Zee
This guy won’t last long at a ‘skins tailgate
See?
Alex w/ Sombrero Guy, Jack desecrating an Emmitt Smith jersey

So about an hour after finally stepping onto the practice field after being out for most of the off-season work rehabbing a hamstring injury, Malcolm Kelly reaggravated his pulled hammy and will likely be out of commission for the rest of preseason, or longer.

I’m sorry, but it’s time to just let go. It’s become a running joke with this guy.

So tonight the Redskins are in New York to face the hard knockin’ Jets. Good times are to be had by all. We get to see Sexy Rexy unleash the dragon once more, and for much more of the game due to McNabb’s minor injury. I’m excited. I’m excited to see more of anthony Armstrong. I’m excited to see if Devin Thomas can step up and show us more. I’m excited to see if our O-line learned from their poor performance against the Ravens and protect better this week.

Sadly I am going to miss the first hour or so of the game. My sons both play for the PYAA Football Program and have practice tonight from 6-8. I’m also a coach on my younger son’s team, making my presence a must. Compounding the problem is that being out of market (we’re in the Philadelphia television market) I can’t exactly set TiVO to record it. So I’ll miss the first hour and watch the rest at my leisure, streamed online. I’ll be relying on you fine people to fill me in on anything significant I may have missed.

Let’s go, Redskins. Show me something tonight.