DCLance

Hip Hip.

// October 8th, 2008 // No Comments » // DC, Redskins, Sports

Games 4 & 5

My goodness this is fun. After five weeks, the Redskins are 4-1, have beaten the Cowboys and the Eagles on the road, and are ranked third on ESPN’s Power Poll. Not third in the NFC East, not third in the NFC – but THIRD. The Redskins to my knowledge have NEVER been third on ESPN’s Power Poll because quite frankly, I’m not sure ESPN.com even EXISTED the last time the Redskins were this good. I mean, we’re talking a good seventeen years here.

The Redskins are thirteenth in the league in giving up 303 yards per game on defense. Some may be concerned by that number, however the Redskins have played the first, third, fourth, fifth and ninth best offenses in the NFL through five weeks without a starting defensive end and arguably their No. 1 cornerback for the majority of that time. Meanwhile, the Redskins offense is the sixth highest rated in the league, with the second highest rusher.

The Redskins are wining with defense, they’re winning with a great run game, they’re winning with incredibly solid quarterback play, and they’re winning with “Hip Hip Hooray.” We could not have asked for a more ironically cool and quotable head coach. A great defense and a great running game combine to be the old school path to victory. Victories like these should have an equally old school cheer.

After the bungling of, the misinformation about, and public relations nonsense surrounding this January’s coaching search, I was pretty much over the Redskins. What started as pure anger and disgust in January had faded into apathy by July. I didn’t watch the draft, I didn’t read about training camp. I just didn’t care – and indifference about your favorite sports team is a great deal more tragic than hating it.

In January I made my “Rolling in His Grave Since 1999” and “Sell the Team” t-shirts and started composing my epic case against The Danny. After week one it looked like those t-shirts would sell lot hot cakes, and that piece when finished would be read by many. It’s funny how winning changes everything. Instead of hanging The Danny in effigy, we’re laughing with him as he makes an ass out of him in two consecutive weeks in the locker room after the game. Suddenly we’ve forgotten about the scoreboard, the parking lots, this purposeful misleading of fans and members of the media, the treatment of Gregg Williams and the subsequent coaching search, and all we’ve got is euphoria. And you know what, that’s fine by me.

Games 2 & 3: Euphoria

// September 25th, 2008 // No Comments » // DC, Redskins, Sports

As has been discussed here previously, my plans tend to be a bit more grand than my ability or time allows.  I had intended to discuss my thoughts about the Redskins’ performance after every game, but after the Saints/Redskins game, instead of discussing the team’s performance, Jason Campbell’s remarkable progress, the Santana Moss touchdown or the emergence of the Predator, I wasted 1100 words on the organization, design and enforcement of the orange parking lot and Michael Wiggins.

In all fairness I thought the Redskins were going to lose that game.  I thought they were going to lose big.  I’m not sure that even the most ardent Warpath Insider sunshine blower would have bet much on the Redskins winning that game.  But the Redskins did win – and because of that win, Carol Maloney and Comcast Sportsnet were able to craft a puff piece on the fans’ reaction to that win.  A puff piece in which I unwittingly took part.

My friend Matt has an eagle eye and the unique ability to recognize and place celebrities.  As Maloney was walking through the parking lot, celebrity spotter and heckler extraordinaire Matt began to give her the business, which surprisingly enough drew her to our tailgate.  After a few moments of banter concerning our Jack Kent Cooke and “Tailgating Our Guts Out” t-shirts, I was interviewed on camera about our tailgate and the state of Redskins nation.  During our discussion, I blathered for roughly two minutes on topics ranging from how disappointed and frustrated I was with the Redskins organization, the dickish ways of Michael Wiggins, the generosity of my parents and the fact that the Redskins would be very upset if they saw my t-shirt on Comcast Sportsnet.  Maloney then asked me how I felt about the Santana Moss touchdown, and after explaining how frustrated I was initially, I gave her the clip she was looking for:

I suppose this is a lesson learned.  When you are being interviewed, and you have one point you are trying to convey (for me, that was my disappointment with ownership and management), do not go off message for ONE SECOND, as invariably your message will hit the cutting room floor, and you’ll be left feeling LESS than euphoric.  Equally as annoying is the fact that the shot was framed so as not to show the Jack Kent Cooke design on my t-shirt for the entire sequence.  Thanks, Carol.

A few notes concerning the last two games:

• The tailgates have been great, with the Arizona game’s tailgate surpassing the New Orleans game’s for me (probably because it got off to a less douchey start).  Kris’ jambalaya and Kevin’s hurricanes for the Saints and Kurt’s fajitas and Kevin’s scorpions for the Cardinals were solid visiting dishes.  Ken’s post-win pork tenderloin is another nice addition.  The interview with Maloney and Matt’s post game discussion with Marcus Washington on 202 were also highlights of the Arizona game.
• FedEx Field is still not full, I’m still not sure how they’re counting these games as sell-outs.
• While the Durant Brooks pick looks super shaky with the botched hold and the brutal punting, the Chris Horton pick looks terrific.
• The Moss catch was in our corner of the end zone and it was the most exciting play I’ve seen in that corner since the Sean Taylor blocked kick return against Dallas.  Generally sitting close the field makes the game more exciting, but nothing beats an elevated corner view on long passes down the sideline.

Jack Kent Cooke T-Shirt

// September 21st, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Redskins, Sports

Rolling in His Grave Since 1999 T-Shirt

I’ve mentioned to a few people along the way that DCLance.com was the place to get the Jack Kent Cooke “Rolling in His Grave Since 1999″ t-shirt, but I realized I didn’t have a link to the site where you could actually purchase the shirts.  Here’s the link to the DCLance Spreadshirt Shop.  You can also pick up a “Tailgating Our Guts Out” t-shirt (in homage to Joseph Jackson Gibbs) or a “Sell the Team” shirt which I mentioned here previously.