NCAA Ref’s Get It Wrong

It was one of the worst judgment calls you will ever see — no your eyes and instincts and sense of fairness didn’t deceive you.

When Washington quarterback Jake Locker ran for a 3-yard touchdown to put the Huskies within a converted PAT of tying their game with BYU, he threw the ball behind his neck so he could hug his teammates in order to properly enjoy a thrilling moment as the fans went bonkers.

He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for his celebration, a point of emphasis for officials this season.  Upon reviewing the play and the emotion of the player and the action of the ball being thrown up in the air, this was not taunting, or it’s all about me . There was no over the top cell phone in the goal post stunt. But, the emotions of a college player that scored a touchdown and threw the ball up in the air. 

The NCAA ref’s got it wrong and sorry for the Huskies who lost the game but in all fairness still could’ve sucked it up and won the game.  But, the bigger picture is the call was not justified, neither was common sense.  Locker was not show boating or spiking the ball he merely showed emotion that was not unsportman like conduct.  I agree with having the rule in place so there’s no cell phone or other over the top bragging going on.  College should be respectable and free of the Ocho Cinco’s and Terrell Owens stunts.

But this is something that was really uncalled for the ref’s will argue it’s in the rules, but common sense has to take over as well.  Admit it NCAA Ref’s you messed up a good game on a bad call, a really bad call.

DEM’S SCARED OF Sarah Palin? Not Likely

It’s quite obvious that the ONLY reason and I mean only reason that John McCain picked Palin is to go after the Hillary voters, and reach out to small town America to feel sorry for him.  Sarah Palin is no more qualified to be vice President or President in the case of McCain’s health thana “Pit Bull wearing Lipstick”.  Her small town roots and politics from Alaska does not farewell with the Republican machine, as party members are still upset at McCain’s selection

The Democrats are we Democrats are not scared at all of Sarah Palin just shocked at how some of the Hillary supporters will fall for a candidate selected only because she is a woman.  I mean I thought we are beyond that ype of thinking.  Some of theses Hillary cross overs to the Republican party just don’t get it. I call them bitter and ignorant to fall for McCain’s tricks.  They will see how abused and misused they will be after McCain and the Republican party will dismiss them like second class citizens. 

The biggest laugh will be when Obama and Biden win the Presidential race.  Are we scared of Sarah Palin No not one bit, McCains is just riding a little wave till the debates take hold on national television.  Then we will see how Palin is schooled to quickly know about government .  Not small town use your power to go after your ex-brother in law.  I thinks it Sarah Palin who needs to be scared, can she handle the pressure, I don’t think so. It’s all about Obama and McCain.  So to all of those Republican and would be Hillary cross overs “Don’t Believe the Hype”.

Beat Down In Raider Town

It was a dismul night in Oakland, CA, where the Oakland Raiders were not only beat down but the fans with all of that Raider make up and halloween gear really looked pathetic.  From the team to the fans the Oakland Raiders are going to be the dolphins of last year.  Oh I am sorry it’s 41 to 13 the Raiders get a gimme Touchdown by the Broncos to make them feel good.  As Raider nation erupts into a frenzy like d their team really did something. 

It’s due time since the last two decades for Al Dacis to keep his paws of this team and stop the madness of ruining an NFL team.  The Raider fans don’t seem to care to much as long a s they can keep coming to the staduim in Halloween dress up and make up.  I can hardly believe that the Raiders are that sad.  I feel sorry for the fans.  Too bad  I am not a raider fan even though I do live in the SF Bay Area, I remenber the days of Ken Stabler as a kid and Jim Plunket and Marcus allen and comnapny.  When the Raiders stood for something.  Oh well there’s always next Sunday for the Raiders, no wonder Mike Shanahan left the Raiders and continues to hunt his old employer still to this day.

Whats next Raider fans !!!!!!!!!!!!

21 Months of Tree Sitting at UC Cal Berkeley

Ok, I am proud to be an San Francisco Bay area native, but this Tree sitting business at UC Berkeley is ridiculous.  I mean 21 months of people sitting in tress 24/7, defecating and urinating in bottles and god know what else.  This action would not even be an issue in any other major universities. The police would’ve tear gassed or just went up and pulled these idiots out of the trees.

The city of Berkeley is not my favorite in the bay area by no means and many people feel the same way.  The embarrassment to the Bay Area of supporting this madness by a University that’s known for above all else is it’s education and extreme liberal views has to grow up and know when there is a line call “Common Sense”. Watching this parade of fools on the news and their demands to have the police stand away from the bottom of the trees to save face and show some dignity is a crook of %$#$#!!!! 

 I say put them in jail and let them grow up.  This stance of these trees are part of an ancient Indian burial ground next to the stadium classic stupidity of the Berkeley crowd.  With so many other pressing issues within the city such as homelessness, crime, and educating more of the minority kids into college.  These tree sitters, most of them not even students at UC Berkeley are just fools trying to make a name for themselves.

How dare they use the words WARRIORS!!!! I don’t see any warriors I see a bunch of idiots that are to scared to go and fight for thier country.  The real warriors are in IRAQ and Afganistan.  I should know been their, done that.  Tree Warriors I think NOT!!!!!!!!!!  more like people trying to relive the 1960’s. The embarrassment to the university is a shame by the fools who would bring such stupity to this issue.  No where else in the country would this take place.  Do you think USC, Texas, Harvard, Princeton, UCLA, LSU, Boston U.  No only the in the city of Berkeley where extreme liberalism can be so stupid.  And guess what, they still lost LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!  LOL!!!!!!!!!!! 

in any other city this would not have taken place, not even for 24 hours.  Tree sitters go home and stop smoking to much weed it’s time to grow up and report back to class.

                                                                                                                My Emotions and Common Sense

View: The View Bashing McCain and Palin, Hitting Them Where It Hurts

(CNN) — Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, appearing Friday on ABC’s “The View,” was aggressively pressed on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s qualifications to be vice president as well as his new campaign ads that several independent fact-check groups have called misleading.

Sen. John McCain faces some tough questions Friday on ABC’s “The View.”

1 of 3

Co-host Barbara Walters immediately questioned McCain about a remark he’d made that Palin might be the most “marvelous running mate” ever, asking, “That’s not a little strong?”

“We politicians are never given to exaggerations or hyperbole, as you know,” McCain joked, before praising Palin as the most “popular governor in America” and one who has united a “spark in America.”

Walters went on to press Palin’s reformist credentials, noting McCain has served in Washington for more than two decades and asking repeatedly, “Who’s she going to reform, you?”

McCain answered by saying Democrats have controlled Congress for two years, but then Walters quickly interrupted: “But tell me who she is going to reform — we aren’t talking about the economy, we’re not talking about housing; she was chosen to reform, who is she going to reform?”

Appearing somewhat frustrated, McCain said, “The Democrat Party, the Republican Party, even an independent. She’ll reform all of Washington.”

Walters, seeming somewhat exasperated, asked, “How? What will she do? What is she going to reform specifically, senator?”

McCain said Palin had a strong record on vetoing earmark spending.

“The fact is she was a reform governor, she took on an incumbent governor of her own party and defeated him. She sold the airplane and fired the chef,” McCain said, referring to Palin’s efforts to put her predecessor’s state jet up for auction on eBay and her dismissal of the governor’s personal chef.

“She sold the airplane at a loss,” Walters interrupted.

(The jet failed to draw sufficient bids on eBay and later was sold at a loss through an ordinary aircraft brokerage.)

McCain later was pressed on the increasingly derisive tone of the campaign and his new television commercial that carries the widely discredited claim Obama supported comprehensive sex education for kindergartners as an Illinois state senator.

McCain defended the ad’s claims as well as those of a Web ad that said Obama’s “lipstick on a pig” comments were directed at Palin. He added that the tone of the campaign might have been more amicable if Obama had agreed to his proposals for a series of town-hall meetings.

“If we had done what I asked Sen. Obama to do, I don’t think you’d see the same tenor of this campaign,” he said. “Why don’t you ask Obama the next time he’s on this show why won’t he be in town meetings with me?”

Walters responded, “You bring us Sarah Palin, and we’ll ask Obama.”

McCain also appeared Friday on “The Rachael Ray Show.”

Meanwhile, the McCain and Obama camps accused each other of engaging in lies, unfair attacks and gutter politics in a series of television ads and memos Friday.

McCain’s campaign released a television ad, titled “disrespectful,” that accuses McCain’s Democratic rival of launching desperate attacks and smears against Palin.

In the McCain ad, the announcer says that the Obama camp had “lashed out at Sarah Palin” and dismissed Palin as “good looking” as the Democratic nominee’s face appears on the screen. The announcer also says the Democrats had said Palin was doing “what she was told” and had “desperately” called her a liar.

“How disrespectful,” the announcer says. “And how Gov. Sarah Palin proves them wrong, every day.”

Obama never made any of the statements the McCain camp released to support the ad, and the comment that Palin was “good looking” was made by the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Sen. Joe Biden, in a self-deprecating joke when he was asked what the “obvious” differences were between the two vice presidential nominees. Watch the McCain ad »

Biden repeatedly has said on the campaign trail that he respected Palin and that he thought she was qualified for the vice presidency.

And FactCheck.org pointed out that the quote from an Obama adviser that Palin was doing “what she was told” was taken out of context. The quote is taken from the response of Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, in which he said Palin had misrepresented Obama’s legislative record. “Maybe that’s what she was told” about his voting record, Axelrod said.

A day after the two campaigns agreed to a truce on the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Obama camp launched two television ads. In one, the campaign paints McCain as being out of touch by showing pictures of him when he first entered the Senate in 1982 as disco music plays. The ad also highlights McCain’s own admissions that he lacked computer skills and does not use e-mail. Watch the Obama ad attacking McCain »

“After one president that is out of touch, we can’t afford more of the same,” the announcer of the Obama ad concludes, a reference to President Bush.

In the second Obama ad, the candidate himself appears. “We’ve heard a lot of talk about change this year. The question is, change to what?” Obama asks.

“To me, change is a government that doesn’t let banks and oil companies rip off the American people,” the Illinois Democrat says. “Change is when we finally fix health care instead of just talking about it. Change is giving tax breaks to middle class families instead of companies that send jobs overseas. Change is a president who brings people together.”

The ads come as Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, issued a tough memo to reporters that accused McCain and his campaign of turning to “smears, lies and cynical attempts to distract from the issues.”

While their campaigns sparred, Obama was to campaign in New Hampshire, first stopping in Dover to discuss tax relief then moving on to Concord.

Biden had planned to campaign Friday in Texas but canceled events after Hurricane Ike began to threaten the Galveston and Houston areas. His Republican counterpart, Palin, was in Alaska on Friday and was to appear for a second time with ABC’s Charlie Gibson, part of her first one-on-one interview with the national media

 

Gov. Palin “Hand Caught in the Power Jar”

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) — A former ethics adviser to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin warned in July that firing her public safety commissioner would become a “grave concern” for her administration.

Gov. Sarah Palin is fighting allegations she improperly tried to force the firing of her then brother-in-law.

Wevley Shea, a former U.S. attorney and fellow Republican, urged Palin to apologize to former Commissioner Walt Monegan and fire anyone on her staff who discussed her former brother-in-law, state Trooper Mike Wooten, with the commissioner.

“Your ‘political advisers’ have given you poor counsel; the situation is now grave,” Shea wrote in a July 24 letter to the governor. “I recommend the following action ‘now’ to restore your credibility and Alaska’s bright future with you.”

Palin, now the Republican nominee for vice president, is battling allegations that she and her advisers pressured Monegan to fire Wooten. Palin has said she fired Monegan over budget issues and denies any wrongdoing, calling Wooten a “rogue trooper” who threatened her family during his divorce from the governor’s sister.

Shea, who says he’s an admirer of Palin’s, said Thursday that the governor’s aides are trying to stall an investigation into Monegan’s dismissal by the state Legislature.

“The problem, in my opinion, is that there has been out-and-out cover-up and misleading statements by staffers in the governor’s office,” he said. “And the parallel that I tried to draw is, you know, the problem with the firing or terminating of the U.S. attorneys.”

The governor has not publicly answered questions since Republican presidential nominee John McCain picked her as his running mate August 29, and her representatives did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Thursday.

Shea had acted as an informal ethics adviser to Palin, but he told CNN that his advice on the Monegan firing was unsolicited.

“If they would have done what I said, I think it would have been over,” he said.

Don’t Miss

• Head of Palin trooper probe will stay, lawmaker says
• Trooper in Palin probe tells his side
• Palin trooper probe moved up three weeks

He also recommended that Palin and her husband apologize “for any overreaching or perceived overreaching” regarding Wooten, who was involved in a child custody dispute with the governor’s sister.

“Trooper Wooten was/is a grave public safety threat to your family. It was/is a very personal, emotional matter, which was either mishandled or covered up by certain individuals,” Shea wrote. But, he added, “I am extremely concerned about certain ‘wolves’ if my recommended action is not taken immediately.”

The state Legislature launched an investigation into Monegan’s dismissal in July. In August, Palin disclosed that members of her staff had called state police officials nearly two dozen times to discuss Wooten and pledged to cooperate with the inquiry.

But since she became McCain’s running mate, her representatives have attacked the investigation as a “political circus” and argued that it should be conducted by the state Personnel Board.

Lawmakers have scheduled a Friday meeting on whether to subpoena a list of top advisers in their investigation, and the state Personnel Board was to meet Thursday afternoon to discuss Palin’s request for a separate probe.

The Legislature’s inquiry is scheduled to be completed by October 10. But the state attorney general’s office is now warning that the administration is likely to challenge any subpoenas in court.

Shea said he did not believe that Palin was pushing for the Personnel Board inquiry, but “there may be tactical reasons to do that from a legal standpoint.” However, he said, the board would be unlikely to take an “independent look” at the conduct of Palin’s aides.

“The Personnel Board, number one, is appointed by the governor,” he said. “Number two, it’s a delaying tactic, because what the Personnel Board then has to do is appoint another investigator, which the attorney general would appoint this time. And who does the attorney general work for? The attorney general is appointed by Gov. Palin.”

“Bluntly and to the point, we think there is a legitimate concern that this investigation is no longer being conducted in a fair manner — and therefore is potentially violative of Alaska’s constitutional due process safeguards,” Senior Assistant Attorney General Mike Barnhill wrote in a letter Tuesday to the bipartisan committee that launched the investigation.

State Sen. Hollis French, the Anchorage Democrat managing the investigation, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

French has drawn fire from Palin’s supporters for suggesting that the investigation could yield an “October surprise” for the Republican ticket and that officials in her administration may have violated state law by obtaining confidential information from Wooten’s personnel files.

Complaints about Wooten from Palin and her family have been under scrutiny since the governor’s July firing of Monegan. Monegan has said that no one directly demanded Wooten’s firing but that his refusal to sack the trooper led to his dismissal.

Palin placed one aide, Frank Bailey, on leave after disclosing a tape-recorded call in which Bailey discussed Wooten’s case with a state trooper lieutenant.

Shea blamed the controversy on “yes people” in Palin’s administration who he said were “doing what they think makes them look better in the governor’s eyes.”

Wooten and Palin’s sister, Molly McCann, began divorce proceedings in 2005 after four years of marriage. Palin, then a private citizen, and other members of her family filed several complaints about Wooten with the state police, accusing him of threatening his in-laws and other improper conduct.

Wooten was suspended for five days in March 2006 after state police commanders determined that he had used a Taser on his 10-year-old stepson “in a training capacity;” drove his patrol car while drinking beer and illegally shot a moose using his wife’s hunting permit.

As early as October 2005, more than a year before Palin became governor, a judge hearing the divorce case warned her relatives against trying to get Wooten fired, according to court records.

Superior Court Judge John Suddock said the family appeared to be putting Wooten’s job at risk at a time when he would be required to pay child support and warned them “not to slay the goose that lays the golden egg.”

And in his final divorce decree the following January, Suddock warned against the “disparagement” of Wooten by his ex-wife’s family and said it could lead him to transfer custody of their children if it continued

A Must Read for McCain/Palin Supporters

SEX Pheromones or POW Electric shock!

McCain meets Palin and in 15 minutes he is giving her the VP slot, how
else could you explain this? “This is my soul mate” said McCain!
McCain’s brain has been fried, how could you explain him calling his
wife a trollop,cunt in public. Then telling repeated lies of late,
McCain said ” Palin knows more about energy than any one else in the
USA”!

May be the electric torture he received during the time he was POW!

All ECT (electric shock) does is produce brain damage. …If you want
brain damage, it’s your prerogative… there’s no more effective way
than ECT. It’s more effective than a car wreck, or getting hit with a
blunt instrument.”
- Dr. John Friedberg, Neurologist

“Well, what is the sense of ruining my head and erasing my memory,
which is my capital, and putting me out of business? It was a
brilliant cure but we lost the patient.”2. – Ernest Hemingway, Nobel
Prize-winning author who killed himself after complaining that
psychiatric electric shocks had ruined his career by destroying his
memory.

Listen UP OSU Fans !! USC WILL WIN!!!!!!!!

Quite a week for Ohio St. Star running back Beanie Wells. He’s gone from reportedly near 100%…to doubtful…to game time decision. Bill Belichick can’t believe how ridiculous you’re being with the injury report, Ohio St.

Either your medical staff is incompetent and can’t make up its mind, or Jim Tressel thinks there some edge to be gained with this would be a “Beanie Jedi mind trick”. This isn’t high school, ‘Vest’. This sort of gamesmanship might work in the “Little Ten”, but not out here. Who do you really think you’re fooling with all this? Certainly not Pete Carroll, who is used to coaching in…and actually winning big games. Do you really think Carroll is in Heritage Hall changing his game plan every time you change Wells’ status? Do you think he’ll be gripping in warm-ups, scanning the silver helmets looking for Beanie? Of course not. Because he knows you’re going to lose either way; it’s just a matter whether or not it’s a blow out…and if Wells doesn’t go or isn’t right, it will be.

If you couldn’t move the ball on Ohio U without him, what are you going to do against the top ranked Trojans and the freaks they have flying to the ball defensively. Count on Todd Boeckman to win you the game??! To quote White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, ‘Psst, pleaseee!’

Nice try, ‘Vest’…you probably knew just lining up and hoping you had better players and a better scheme wouldn’t be enough, so you gave it a shot. I get that. Buckeye fans just better hope you have something else up your sleeve. Oh wait, you don’t have sleeves…you’re ‘The Vest’. Best case scenario, you lose honorably, compete and avoid the humiliation that comes with another beat-down on a national stage. Both the program and the Big Ten’s cred are riding on it.

OSU Fans Stop Whinning You lost to a Way Powerful USC Team

Ok, Stop with the execuses and whining of the Beat Down  you were given by the USC Trojans Saturday night.  It’s funny how the true crying fans of OSU will make every single execuse in the book about how the game went down.  Did you even see the game??  I don’t care if you did get that score back in the second quarter. Look at the A@$# Whooping you recieved, you were beaten in every segment of the game!!!!!!

Admit it, your team is not a #5,6, or 7 ranked team, more like a # 18 team that needs to re tool for the Pac – 10. Give credit to your team just showing up buckeye fans, I am sure your back in Ohio, putting down a couple of stiff ones, to help you sleep at night.  Maybe the dreams of the USC Trojans running all over Ohio and renaming your school “Trojan Victim #2 State University” is the reason your dreams and “I TOLD YOU SO” by the rest of the country.

 

Get over it Buckeye fan’s you your Big Ten Team lost and if Beanie Wells had played, odds are his pyche would’ve been hurt for the rest of the season. So till next time Buckeye fan’s root for those mighty Trojans and take note.

Redskin’s Campbell finds his Way Go Redskins !!!!!

Skins edge Saints as Santana Moss helps Campbell transform offense

Also See

• Saints extend head coach Payton through 2012

Team Stat Comparison
1st Downs	16	25
Total Yards	250	455
Passing	195	306
Rushing	55	149
Penalties	5-55	4-26
3rd Down Conversions	3-10	3-11
4th Down Conversions	0-0	1-1
Turnovers	3	1
Possession	25:46	34:14

Air/Ground Leaders
New Orleans Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Brees 22/33 216 1 2	Washington Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Campbell 24/36 321 1 0
New Orleans Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Bush 10 28 0 9 McAllister 2 10 0 5	Washington Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Portis 21 96 2 13 Moss 1 27 0 27
New Orleans Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Bush 7 63 0 14 Patten 5 55 0 22	Washington Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Moss 7 164 1 67 Cooley 5 72 0 27
New Orleans Fumbles   FUM LOST REC Shockey 1 1 0	Washington Fumbles   FUM LOST REC Horton 0 0 1

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER				NOR	WAS
	FG	01:27	Shaun Suisham 22 Yd	0	3
SECOND QUARTER				NOR	WAS
	FG	13:24	Shaun Suisham 36 Yd	0	6
	TD	08:34	Pierre Thomas 1 Yd Run (Martin Gramatica Kick)	7	6
	FG	01:04	Shaun Suisham 35 Yd	7	9
	FG	00:00	Martin Gramatica 49 Yd	10	9
THIRD QUARTER				NOR	WAS
	TD	09:47	Robert Meachem 19 Yd Pass From Drew Brees (Martin Gramatica Kick)	17	9
	TD	05:01	Clinton Portis 9 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion Failed)	17	15
	TD	00:02	Reggie Bush 55 Yd Punt Return (Martin Gramatica Kick)	24	15
FOURTH QUARTER				NOR	WAS
	TD	05:59	Clinton Portis 8 Yd Run (Shaun Suisham Kick)	24	22
	TD	03:29	Santana Moss 67 Yd Pass From Jason Campbell (Shaun Suisham Kick)	24	29

Associated Press

LANDOVER, Md. — “Avoid, reset and throw.” Jason Campbell did just that, then hit Santana Moss for a 67-yard touchdown pass that won the game.

 

Campbell and new Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn’s West Coast offense succeeded in Week 2 as spectacularly as it failed in Week 1. Campbell went from uncomfortable to prolific, completing 24 of 36 passes for 321 yards in a 29-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

 

 

Fast Facts

• Santana Moss finished with 164 receiving yards, his second most yards in a single game and the most in a home game in his NFL career.

• Jason Campbell passed for 321 yards, his most in a home game in his career and the second most overall.

• Reggie Bush recorded his second career punt return for a touchdown and led the Saints in receiving with seven catches and 63 yards.

– ESPN research

 

The big play came with 3:29 left and the Redskins trailing 24-22. Campbell avoided the rush, stepped forward and hit Moss in stride, the receiver one step ahead of cornerback Tracy Porter.

 

Zorn had chided Campbell for failing to “avoid, reset and throw” on a similar play in the season opening loss to the New York Giants, costing the team a potential long touchdown pass to Moss.

 

The completion was the longest of Campbell’s career. Moss finished with seven catches for 164 yards for the Redskins (1-1).

 

Seventh-round draft pick Chris Horton, making his first NFL start because of Reed Doughty’s illness, was in the right place at the right time with two interceptions off tipped balls and a fumble recovery — accounting for all three Saints turnovers.

 

Horton’s second interception, a pass tipped by teammate Demetric Evans, ended the Saints’ last drive with 2:59 to play.

 

Reggie Bush returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown that gave the Saints (1-1) a 24-15 lead at the end of the third quarter. But Clinton Portis‘ second touchdown of the game — an 8-yard run — and the strike from Campbell to Moss more than erased the deficit.

 

While Zorn was getting his first win as a head coach, the Saints stole the spotlight, announcing before the game that coach Sean Payton had been given a contract extension through the 2012 season.

 

Bush, whose promising rookie year was followed by a sophomore slump, carried 10 times for 28 yards and caught seven passes for 63 yards. But his day was more or less mediocre until his second career punt return for a touchdown. He avoided three Redskins and flew down the left sideline, the play marred only by his taunting penalty near the end of the run.

 

Robert Meachem, an oft-injured first-round pick a year ago, was active for the first time in his pro career because of Marques Colston’s thumb injury. His first catch was a touchdown: 19 yards from Drew Brees in the third quarter. The play capped an 80-yard drive that opened the second half and gave the Saints a 17-9 lead.

 

The Redskins responded with an 83-yard drive, aided by a defensive holding penalty on Jason Craft that kept it alive after a sack on third-and-10. Portis (21 carries, 96 yards) ran through a crowd around the left side for a 9-yard touchdown, but the 2-point conversion attempt failed, keeping the Saints ahead 17-15.

 

All of Washington’s five first-half drives ended in field goal attempts, with Shaun Suisham finding the mark from 22, 36 and 35 yards and missing from 49 and 30, the latter due to a bobble by holder Durant Brooks.

 

The Redskins ran more than twice as many plays (38) in the first half as they did in the first half against the Giants (18). They outgained the Saints 203-112 in the half, but the Saints stayed in the game with a 1-yard touchdown run by Pierre Thomas that followed a fumbled punt by Washington’s Antwaan Randle El.

 

 

 

#1 USC Trojans Keeps Pace in BCS Rankkings

Southern California is now a no-doubt-about-it No. 1 in the AP Top 25, and there’s a new No. 2 as Georgia slipped again.

Poll Positions

The top five teams in The Associated Press poll:

1.	2.	3.	4.	5.
For complete AP and USA Today polls, click here.

 

The Trojans’ resounding 35-3 victory against Ohio State on Saturday night made USC an overwhelming No. 1 in the media poll. USC received 61 first-place votes and 1,596 points on Sunday. The Trojans had 33 first-place votes last week.

Oklahoma moved past Georgia into No. 2. The Bulldogs barely got past South Carolina 14-7 on Saturday and the Sooners notched their third consecutive blowout victory, winning 55-14 at Washington.

Georgia is the first preseason No. 1 to drop that far after starting 3-0 since Oklahoma in 1985. The Sooners also fell to No. 3 after winning their first three games.

“I’m really not worried about it,” Georgia coach Mark Richt told reporters, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We can’t control it. We can control trying to win the Eastern Division. You can control whatever game you’re playing. We want to win every game we can and put ourselves in position to possibly be there in the end. But so much time has to pass. So many games have to be played.”

The Bulldogs received two first-place votes this week. No. 4 Florida received the other first-place vote and Missouri moved up a spot to No. 5.

Ohio State dropped eight spots to No. 13.

No. 6 was LSU, followed by Texas, Wisconsin, Alabama and Auburn. Half the top 10 teams are from the Southeastern Conference.

Two Pac-10 teams dropped out of the rankings after losing: California and Arizona State.

Clemson moved back into the rankings. The Tigers started the season ranked ninth and fell all the way out after losing their opener 34-10 to Alabama, and returned as No. 23.

Florida State also moved into the Top 25 for the first time since the middle of last season. The Seminoles were No. 24.

Texas Tech is No. 11, followed by South Florida, Ohio State, BYU and East Carolina, which slipped one spot to No. 15 after squeaking past Tulane 28-24 in its first game as a ranked team since 1999.

Penn State was No. 16 and Oregon was 17th, followed by Wake Forest, Kansas and Utah.

The final five were West Virginia, Illinois, Clemson, Florida State and Fresno State, which lost 13-10 to Wisconsin.

Usain Bolt”One for The Ages”

Can’t stop the Usain-ity
Usain Bolt has taken Beijing by storm at the 2008 Olympics. Bolt electrified 90,000 fans at the Bird’s Nest, striking not once but thrice with world records. First, he blew away the field in the 100m on Aug. 16, lowering his own world record to 9.69 seconds despite looking around, raising his arms out and then pounding his chest over the last few meters. Then he become the first man since Carl Lewis to sweep in the 100m and 200m at the Olympics, and he broke Michael Johnson’s 12-year-old record in the process. Bolt dominated the field to clock 19.30, bettering Johnson’s mark by .02. Finally, Bolt ran the third leg of Jamaica’s 4×100m relay, handing off to Asafa Powell, who brought it home for an easy gold. 

World’s Fastest Man
Bolt already owned the world record in the 100m coming into Beijing, despite little experience at that distance. On May 31, Bolt ran his way into history when he shattered the world record, running 9.72 seconds to win the event at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York. Bolt’s time, which was run with a 1.7 meters-per-second tailwind, lowered the mark of 9.74 set in September by fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell. Making the record even more remarkable is the fact that it came in only his fourth race at the distance in major international competition. 

Athens experience 
As an 18-year-old at the Athens Olympics in 2004, Bolt, still feeling the effects of a hamstring injury suffered that spring, was eliminated in the first round of heats in the 200m.

Speed to burn
Known more for his prowess in the 200m, Bolt proved that he also was an Olympic medal threat in the shorter sprint on May 3, when he won the 100m at the Jamaica International Invitational in a blistering 9.76 seconds. The time was just .02 off the world record set in September by Jamaica’s Asafa Powell.

Global impact
Although he dominated the World Junior scene, the senior circuit had been a different story. In 2003, Bolt was left off Jamaica’s roster for the World Championships in Paris because officials felt that at age 17, he was not ready to compete on that level. At the 2005 Worlds in Helsinki, Bolt qualified for the 200m final but finished last in 26.27 seconds, almost six seconds out of seventh place. But Bolt made the most of his 2007 opportunity in Osaka, Japan, winning 200m silver in 19.91. Tyson Gay took gold in 19.85.

Seriously fast
A series of injuries that threatened to derail his career, reports of hard partying and lack of interest in training had caused many to write Bolt off as another over paid, spoiled athlete. But on June 24, 2007, Bolt crossed the finish line of the 200m in 19.75 seconds, breaking the Jamaican record set by Olympic legend Donald Quarrie in Cali, Colombia in August 1971, 15 years before Bolt was even born. “Over the years, I have learned a lot and it forces you to grow up quickly,” Bolt said in an IAAF interview. “I am hungry for a title under my belt and if you want to be a champion you have to be serious, buckle down and do the work required.”

Comeback season
During 2006, Bolt ran a total of seven times under 20.30 seconds, including a second-place 19.96 at the Athens World Cup and a 19.96 third-place finish at the World Athletics Final. But most significantly, for the first time since his appearance on the international circuit, Bolt remained injury-free throughout the whole summer.

Flash of the future
Bolt found himself in the thick of a great 200m race in Lausanne in 2005, the fastest since the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. He clocked a World Junior record 19.88, a time that under any other circumstance might have won the race. But it was only good for bronze as Xavier Carter won in 19.63 and Gay finished second in 19.70 with Wallace Spearmon a close fourth in 19.90.

Comeback season
During 2006, Bolt ran a total of seven times under 20.30 seconds, including a second-place 19.96 at the Athens World Cup and a 19.96 third-place finish at the World Athletics Final. But most significantly, for the first time since his appearance on the international circuit, Bolt remained injury-free throughout the whole summer.

Flash of the future
Bolt found himself in the thick of a great 200m race in Lausanne in 2005, the fastest since the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. He clocked a World Junior record 19.88, a time that under any other circumstance might have won the race. But it was only good for bronze as Xavier Carter won in 19.63 and Gay finished second in 19.70 with Wallace Spearmon a close fourth in 19.90.

First with a burst
On April 11, 2004, Bolt sped to a superb 19.93 World Junior record making him the first, and to-date the only teenager to break the 20-second barrier. Knee and back injuries that year rendered him unable to defend his World Junior title in Grosseto.

Home cooking
Bolt’s road to success began when his country hosted the 2002 IAAF World Junior Championships. Rarely had a junior track and field competition produced the incredible scenes witnessed on July 19, when the tall 15-year-old won the 200m final in 20.65 seconds before a sellout crowd of 36,000 in Jamaica’s National Stadium in Kingston. At 15 years and 332 days, Bolt became the youngest-ever male World Junior champion. Bolt holds the world age group records for 15- and 16-year-olds, and the World Youth and World Junior records.

Lightning strikes
Bolt, who signed his first professional contract at age 17, just out of William Knibb Memorial High School, is nicknamed “Lightning Bolt.” Bolt has been running since age 10, when he was in primary school, and was a fast cricket bowler when he was younger, but no longer plays the sport.

 

Week 3: Redskins (1-1) vs. Cardinals (2-0)

 

The Redskins host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 21 at FedExField. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET.

FedExField is a natural grass surface. The stadium seats 91,704.

The game will be televised on FOX. Kenny Albert handles the play by play with color commentary by Daryl Johnston. Tony Siragusa serves as sideline reporter.

On radio, the game will be broadcast locally on ESPN 980. Larry Michael handles the play-by-play with color commentary by Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff. Rick “Doc” Walker serves as sideline reporter.

The Redskins are 1-0 at FedExField this season. They are coming off a 29-24 come-from-behind win over the New Orleans Saints last Sunday at FedExField.

Jason Campbell threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss late in the fourth quarter and Clinton Portis rushed for two touchdowns as the Redskins rallied to beat the Saints.

Defensively, Chris Horton logged two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the win.

The Cardinals are in first place in the NFC West with a 2-0 record. It is the first time they have started 2-0 since 1991, when current Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel was at the helm as head coach.

They are coming off a 31-10 win against the Miami Dolphins at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Arizona rolled up 445 yards of total offense, with quarterback Kurt Warner passing for 361 yards and three TDs, all to wide receiver Anquan Boldin.

The Cardinals have scored 20+ points for an NFL-best 10 consecutive games.

 

---

 PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS

OFFENSE
Pos.	Redskins	Cardinals
WR	89 Santana Moss	11 Larry Fitzgerald
LT	60 Chris Samuels	69 Mike Gandy
LG	66 Pete Kendall	74 Reggie Wells
C	61 Casey Rabach	63 Lyle Sendlein
RG	77 Randy Thomas	76 Deuce Lutui
RT	74 Stephon Heyer	75 Levi Brown
TE	47 Chris Cooley	82 Leonard Pope
WR	82 Antwaan Randle El	81 Anquan Boldin
QB	17 Jason Campbell	13 Kurt Warner
FB	45 Mike Sellers	45 Terrelle Smith
RB	26 Clinton Portis	32 Edgerrin James

DEFENSE
Pos.	Redskins	Cardinals
DE	99 Andre Carter	94 Antonio Smith
DT	96 Cornelius Griffin	97 Bryan Robinson
DT	64 Kedric Golston	90 Darnell Dockett
DE	55 Jason Taylor	55 Travis LaBoy
SLB	53 Marcus Washington	56 Chike Okeafor
MLB	59 London Fletcher	54 Gerald Hayes
WLB	52 Rocky McIntosh	58 Karlos Dansby
LCB	24 Shawn Springs	26 Rod Hood
RCB	22 Carlos Rogers	25 Eric Green
SS	37 Reed Doughty	24 Adrian Wilson
FS	30 LaRon Landry	21 Antrel Rolle

SPECIAL TEAMS
Pos.	Redskins	Cardinals
P	14 Durant Brooks	9 Dirk Johnson
K	6 Shaun Suisham	1 Neil Rackers
H	14 Durant Brooks	9 Dirk Johnson
LS	67 Ethan Albright	48 Nathan Hodel
KOR	31 Rock Cartwright	15 Steve Breaston
PR	82 Antwaan Randle El	15 Steve Breaston

---

SERIES HISTORY

Since Arizona was a divisional rival in the NFC East prior to NFL realignment in 2002, Washington has played the Cardinals franchise 112 times in regular season play.

The Redskins hold the series lead 69-42-1. The record includes games against the Cardinals franchise when it was located in Chicago, St. Louis and Arizona.

Washington also holds a 44-18 advantage at home and a 6-1 record in games played at FedExField.

The Redskins are currently on a six-game winning streak against Arizona. Prior to that, the Cardinals had won three of five contests.

The last five games between the two clubs have been decided by 10 points or less.

The last time the two clubs played was on Oct. 21, 2007, at FedExField.

London Fletcher picked off quarterback Kurt Warner and followed a caravan of Redskins into the end zone for a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown. The Redskins built a 21-6 lead in the second half.

Arizona rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns, but a game-tying 2-point conversion attempt failed.

 The Cardinals had one last chance as kicker Neil Rackers attempted a game-winning field goal with seven seconds left. The kick sailed wide left.

 

---

 TALE OF THE TAPE
 

REDSKINS 2008 RANKINGS
Offense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Offense	11	332.0
Rushing Offense	15	116.5
Passing Offense	13	215.5
Defense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Defense	14	302.0
Rushing Defense	17	104.5
Passing Defense	19	197.5

CARDINALS 2008 RANKINGS
Offense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Offense	7	365.0
Rushing Offense	19	95.0
Passing Offense	5	270.0
Defense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Defense	7	263.5
Rushing Defense	10	90.0
Passing Defense	12	173.5

---

 FAMILIAR FACES ON THE CARDINALS
 

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt played for the Redskins as a tight end and H-back from 1989-90. Whisenhunt played nine NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Redskins and New York Jets. In 74 career games, he caught 62 passes for 601 yards and six touchdowns.

Assistant head coach-offensive line Russ Grimm played for the Redskins from 1981-91. He also served as tight ends coach for the Redskins from 1992-96 and offensive line coach from 1997-2000. Grimm started 11 seasons at guard for the Redskins and helped lead the team to four Super Bowl appearances and three victories.

Quarterbacks coach Jeff Rutledge played quarterback for the Redskins from 1990-92.

Cornerback Ralph Brown was with the Redskins in the 2004 offseason, but he was released by the club prior to training camp.

 

---

REDSKINS-CARDINALS NEWS & NOTES

 

– First-Year Head Coaches

With a 1-1 start, head coach Jim Zorn aims to lead the Redskins to their third winning season in the last four years.

He is also looking to become the seventh Redskins head coach to record a winning record in his first year at the helm.

The list of first-year head coaches with winning records includes Ray Flaherty (7-5 in 1936), Dutch Bergman (6-3-1 in 1943), Dudley DeGroot (6-3-1 in 1944), Dick Todd (5-4 in 1951), Vince Lombardi (7-5-2 in 1969) and George Allen (9-4-1 in 1971).

Seven first-year head coaches finished their rookie campaign with a .500 mark, while 12 finished with a losing record.

– More On Grimm

Russ Grimm, the Cardinals’ assistant head coach-offensive line, is regarded as one of the greatest Redskins in team history.

Grimm started 11 seasons at guard for the Redskins from 1981-91 and helped lead the team to four Super Bowl appearances and three victories.

He was voted to four consecutive Pro Bowls, was a first-team selection to the 1980s all-decade team, and an original member of the Redskins’ renowned “Hogs” offensive line.

As a Redskins assistant coach, Grimm was credited with the development of tackles Jon Jansen and four-time Pro Bowler Chris Samuels.

– Fletcher and Warner

A pair of long-time NFL veterans, London Fletcher and Kurt Warner, re-unite on the football field. Fletcher and Warner were both members of the St. Louis Rams in 1999 when they won Super Bowl XXXIV.

Fletcher anchored the Rams’ defense from his middle linebacker spot, while Warner directed the Rams’ high-powered offense.

Last year in the Redskins’ 21-19 win over the Cardinals at FedExField, Fletcher had 10 tackles and returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown. Warner was 27-of-41 for 282 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Fletcher has opened 121 consecutive games, a figure which ranks eighth among active players.

– Moss On the Rise

Santana Moss’s 67-yard touchdown catch from Jason Campbell in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints marked the fifth straight game in which he has caught a touchdown.

The mark includes the Redskins’ Wild Card playoff game at Seattle last season.

It’s the second-longest streak of Moss’s career, trailing the seven straight games he caught a touchdown pass in Weeks 5-11 of 2003.

Moss becomes the first Redskin since Charlie Brown in the first five weeks of 1982 to record a TD grab in five straight games.

– Cooley’s Emergence

Chris Cooley has caught a pass in 58 straight regular season contests, dating back to Week 9 of the 2004 season.

Cooley needs eight catches to pass Redskins great Don Warren for second place on the Redskins’ career receptions list by a tight end. (Jerry Smith is first.)

With two more receptions, Cooley would tie Larry Brown for 10th all-time in Redskins history with 238.

– On the Stump

Assistant head coach-running backs Stump Mitchell played for the Cardinals franchise from 1981-89. He was a ninth-round draft choice in 1981 by the Cardinals.

Mitchell remains the Cardinals all-time leader in combined yardage with 11,988 yards and ranks second with 4,649 rushing yards on 986 attempts. He has 32 career touchdowns.

His 177 kickoff returns for 4,007 yards are both franchise records.

– More Former Cardinals

Offensive line coach Joe Bugel was the head coach of the Cardinals from 1990-93. He posted a 13-35 record in three seasons.

Offensive quality control coach Bill Khayat served in a similar capacity with the Cardinals from 2004-06.

Left guard Pete Kendall played for the Cardinals from 2001-03.

– Quick Hits

Jason Campbell ranks second in the NFC in fourth quarter passing, trailing only New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Campbell has completed 18-of-26 passes (69.2 percent) for 258 yards and one touchdown for a passer rating of 113.9.

Jason Taylor started his 132nd consecutive game. That streak is currently the seventh longest in the NFL. Taylor needs 3.5 sacks to tie Clyde Simmons for 13th on the NFL’s all-time list.

With one more rushing touchdown, Clinton Portis ties Terry Allen (1995-98) for third most in Redskins franchise history with 38.

Justin Hamilton celebrates his 26th birthday on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

– Warner, Horton: Players of the Week

The reigning NFC Players of the Week will face off against each other on Sunday at FedExField.

Rookie safety Chris Horton won the NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor for his performance against the New Orleans Saints. He intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble in the Redskins’ 29-24 win.

Quarterback Kurt Warner won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor for his performance against the Miami Dolphins. He completed 19-of-24 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns.

– Cards Headed On a Two-Week Road Trip

The Cardinals will pack a little more gear than they normally would for a road trip this week as they head east for back-to-back games against the Redskins and New York Jets. The road trip is basically a 10-day road trip.

The Cardinals will fly to Washington on Friday. Following their game against the Redskins at FedExField, the team will stay in Tysons Corner, Va., for the week of practice leading up to the Jets game.

The club will hold practices at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., which counts Cardinals team president Michael Bidwill as an alum.

For the McCain/Palin Supporters “I Approve This Message”

I am sure there is plenty of commentary to go the other way, but I thought this was interesing anyway…

 

* If you grow up in Hawaii , raised by your grandparents, you’re “exotic, different.”
* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.* If your name is Barack you’re a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow , Trig and Track, you’re a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you’re well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate’s Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran’s Affairs committees, you don’t have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you’re qualified to become the country’s second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 daughters, all within Protestant churches, you’re not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you’re a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If , while governor, you advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state’s school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you’re very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family’s values don’t represent America ’s.
* If you’re husband is nicknamed “First Dude”, with at least one DUI conviction and no college education, who didn’t register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

Barack Obama and “I Approve This Message“

 

Wall Street Journal Blasts McCains Economy. “A Buffoon” YES

When you graduate 894th out of a class of 899, eventually it will show up.

And John McCain’s mediocre performance at the Naval Academy is showing up big time this week in his total lack of understanding of the nation’s financial crisis.

He told us he didn’t know much about the economy… now he’s proving it.

So much so that the Wall Street Journal, perhaps America’s leading financial publication, is blasting McCain over what its editorial board sees as inaccurate and, quote, “unpresidential” comments about the crisis in America’s financial system.

If you’re a Republican running for president of the United States and the Wall Street Journal basically says you’re an incompetent buffoon, you’re in serious trouble.

Specifically the paper pointed to comments McCain made yesterday about SEC Chair Christopher Cox.

McCain pointed the finger at Cox and said if he were president, he’d fire him for “betraying the public’s trust.”

The Wall Street Journal called that assault “both false and deeply unfair.”

The Journal also said, “In a crisis voters want steady, calm leadership… not easy, misleading answers that will do nothing to help.”

Here’s my question to you: What does it mean when the Wall Street Journal slams Mcain on the economy?

Obama hammers McCain over Social Security “More Bush Tactics”

Sen. Barack Obama told voters in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Saturday that if Sen. John McCain became president, he would privatize their Social Security.

Sen. Barack Obama, with Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, speaks in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Saturday.

It’s a debate over the program that could resurface as a major issue in the closing weeks of the campaign, given the wild swings in financial markets.

“If my opponent had his way, the millions of Floridians who rely on it would’ve had their Social Security tied up in the stock market this week. Millions would’ve watched as the market tumbled and their nest egg disappeared before their eyes,” he said.

“I know Sen. McCain is talking about a ‘casino culture’ on Wall Street, but the fact is, he’s the one who wants to gamble with your life savings, and that is not going to happen when I’m president. When I’m president, we’re not going to gamble with Social Security.”

The McCain campaign disputed Obama’s assertion, calling it “a desperate attempt to gain political advantage using scare tactics and deceit.” Election Center: Where the candidates stand on Social Security

Obama also highlighted an article McCain penned in this month’s issue of the American Academy of Actuaries magazine, called “Contingencies,” in which he said consumers would have more choices for health insurance products if the market was opened to more “vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking.”

“He wants to run health care like they’ve been running Wall Street. Well, senator, I know some folks on Main Street who aren’t going to think that’s such a good idea,” Obama said. Listen to Obama’s Saturday radio address »

The Democratic nominee has one more event in Jacksonville before heading to North Carolina for an event Sunday in Charlotte.

The campaign announced that Obama will spend several days next week in Tampa, Florida — a spot along the Interstate 4 corridor that is considered a crucial swing vote region for both candidates — prepping for Friday’s first presidential debate.

In a radio address Saturday, McCain blasted Obama’s ties to failed mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

“While Fannie and Freddie were working to keep Congress away from their house of cards, Sen. Obama was taking their money. He got more, in fact, than any other member of Congress, except for the Democratic chairman of the committee that oversees them,” he added. Fact Check: Did Obama ‘profit’ from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac?

Last week, Obama’s campaign highlighted the fact that several of McCain’s top advisers had lobbied on behalf of the two lenders.

Nonetheless, the McCain campaign released an ad Friday linking Obama to former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines. Watch McCain lash out on Obama’s financial plan »

“Who advises him?” the female announcer asks. “The [Washington] Post says it’s Franklin Raines, for ‘advice on mortgage and housing policy.’ “

But on Saturday, Obama debunked those accusations.

“My opponent attacked me for being associated with a Fannie Mae guy who I met once and talked to for maybe five minutes. He did a TV ad saying this guy was my adviser. The guy actually had to send out a letter saying, ‘That’s not true. I actually don’t really talk to the guy,’ ” Obama said.

And the head of the lobbying shop at Fannie Mae turned around and said, ‘Wait a minute. When I see photographs of Sen. McCain’s staff, it looks to me like the team of lobbyists who used to report to me.’”

Also Friday, McCain’s team fired off an ad about Obama’s relationship with Jim Johnson, the former Fannie Mae chairman who resigned as head of the Democrat’s vice presidential vetting team after allegations that he had received preferential terms on a mortgage from Countrywide Financial. Watch an analysis of the new political ads »

Meanwhile, McCain will stop by his 50-year class reunion Saturday at the U.S. Naval Academy football game.

The Arizona senator, who often mentions his time as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam era, graduated from the Academy in 1958 along with John Poindexter and Robert “Bud” McFarlane, two consecutive national security advisers under President Reagan who played a role in the Iran-Contra affair.

Also Saturday, a new CNN poll of polls in Michigan suggests that Obama has a 5-point lead over McCain, 47 percent to 42 percent, with 11 percent of voters undecided.

Seventeen electoral votes are up for grabs in Michigan.

The current financial crisis from Wall Street to Main Street will more than likely be a major factor in Michigan, a state dealing with hard economic times.

“The struggling economy could be Obama’s trump card,” CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib noted.

“Obama is doing slightly better in CNN’s Michigan poll of polls than in CNN’s national poll of polls in large part because Michigan is ground zero when it comes to the country’s current economic hardship. The unsettling news from Wall Street over the last few days could play to Obama’s advantage, especially in the Rust Belt,” Silverleib added. Interactive: CNN’s Electoral Map

Michigan has voted for the Democratic candidate in the past four presidential elections, but it was quite close in 2004, with Sen. John Kerry beating President Bush there by just 3 points.

The latest CNN poll of polls is an average of the three most recent surveys in Michigan. They are a Big Ten Battleground poll conducted September 14-17, an EPIC/MRA survey taken on the same days and a Marist poll conducted September 16-17

Redskins Gaining Momentum in The NFC East

Even Leigh Torrence wasn’t sure how he deflected the ball. He got a piece of it with his hand, he thought. Maybe it then bounced off his helmet.

 

What really matters is that he was there, swinging the tide Sunday with a solid defensive play in the fourth quarter. He kept pace with Steve Breaston deep over the middle and caused Kurt Warner’s pass to bounce high into the air and into the hands of diving teammate Carlos Rogers.”I knew I was going to deflect it,” Torrence said, “but I wasn’t sure how.”

 

Rogers got to his feet and took off, running 42 yards to the 15-yard line. Two plays later, Santana Moss scored on a 17-yard receiver screen with 12:10 remaining, giving the Washington Redskins a 24-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

 

“They got the bounce on that one,” Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “The momentum was kind of in our favor when that play happened. That play hurt.”

 

They were two teams stingy with turnovers in their first two games, and the team that kept that reputation intact came out the winner. Jason Campbell completed 23 of 31 passes for 193 yards with two touchdowns. No completion gained more than 26 yards, but hasn’t thrown an interception this season.

 

Clinton Portis ran 21 times for 68 yards and a touchdown for the Redskins (2-1), who have only one lost fumble in three games and have won two straight for coach Jim Zorn since a sputtering start against the New York Giants in Week 1.

 

“After the game against the Giants, we said that the next two games were must wins,” tight end Chris Cooley said. “This was a huge win. I think that if we continue winning, we will look back and say that this was when we became a good team.”

 

The Cardinals (2-1) had been looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 1974, but they committed their first giveaways of the season and ended a 10-game streak in which they scored 20 or more points. They also fell to 2-15 in the eastern time zone since 2003, a major reason why they’re staying in the Washington area this week ahead of next Sunday’s game in the Meadowlands against the Jets.

 

Warner completed 16 of 30 passes for 192 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Larry Fitzgerald caught seven passes for 109 yards and one touchdown, but field position was the nemesis: Between the lack of takeaways and three penalties on kick and punt returns, the Cardinals didn’t start a drive beyond their 42.

 

“It’s a shame,” Whisenhunt said. “We were kind of behind the 8-ball all day.”

 

Campbell completed his first eight passes, giving him 16 straight over two games. He dinked and dunked his way down the field on the game’s opening drive, going 6-for-6, with Portis scoring on a 3-yard run.

 

A pair of Cardinals mistakes helped Washington extend the lead. A fourth-and-inches delay-of-game penalty — disputed by Warner, who claimed the play clock still had one second remaining — forced Arizona to punt when it had lined up to go for it.

 

NFL.com Video

Watch highlights from the Arizona vs. Washington game.

 

Then, on the last play of the first quarter, Edgerrin James‘ fumble after a completion gave Washington the ball at the Cardinals 34, setting up Shaun Suisham’s 48-yard field goal.

 

The Cardinals tied the game with Warner’s 4-yard touchdown toss to Anquan Boldin and Neil Rackers‘ 26-yard field goal. Campbell’s 2-yard pass to Todd Yoder put the Redskins back in front, but the Cardinals tied the score again on the game’s first offensive play of more than 20 yards — a 62-yard post pattern to Fitzgerald late in the third quarter.

 

The Cardinals then forced the Redskins to punt and were feeling good about their chances — until Torrence stuck his arm over Breaston’s shoulder and sent the ball flying.

 

“You feel like you play a good game and you don’t make any mistakes,” Warner said, “and then you get one that goes off a helmet and gets picked off, and it turns the game around.”

 

Game notes
Moss has a TD catch in six straight games (including last year’s playoff game), tying Bobby Mitchell’s franchise record set in 1964. … Redskins RT Stephon Heyer sprained his left shoulder. … Both teams had a wide receiver throw a pass: Arizona’s Jerheme Urban’s completed his first NFL attempt for 18 yards to Tim Hightower, and Washington’s Antwaan Randle El hit Cooley for an 11-yard gain. … The Cardinals reported no significant injuries.

 

 

 

NFC East: Redskins-Dallas Game Day Preview “Week 4″

Week 4:
Redskins (2-1) vs. Cowboys (3-0)

 

The Redskins renew their long-standing rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Texas Stadium. Kickoff is 4:15 p.m. ET.

Texas Stadium, located in Irving, Tex., has a FieldTurf surface. The seating capacity is 66,675.

It’s the last regular season matchup for the Redskins and Cowboys at Texas Stadium. The Cowboys move into a new stadium in 2009.

Texas Stadium has been tough on the Redskins over the years. The Redskins hold a 13-33-2 mark, a .270 winning percentage, at Texas Stadium.

The Redskins are 0-1 in NFC East play this year. They lost to the New York Giants 16-7 in Week 1 of the regular season.

The game will be televised to a national audience on FOX. Joe Buck handles the play by play with color commentary from Troy Aikman. Pam Oliver will serve as sideline reporter.

On radio, the game will be broadcast locally on ESPN 980. Larry Michael handles the play-by-play with color commentary by Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff. Rick “Doc” Walker serves as sideline reporter.

Last week, the Redskins improved to 2-1 with a 24-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals at FedExField.

Jason Campbell continued his steady play, completing 22-of-30 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns. He threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss to provide the winning points in the fourth quarter. Carlos Rogers had a key interception to help set up the game-winning score.

The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Green Bay Packers last Sunday to improve to 3-0.

Quarterback Tony Romo was 17-of-30 for 260 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Jason Witten was his top target with seven catches for 67 yards, but Romo’s big play came on a 67-yard touchdown strike to reserve wide receiver Miles Austin.

The Redskins have announced that Jason Taylor is out for this Sunday’s game due to a calf injury.

The Cowboys have announced that left guard Kyle Kosier (foot injury), safety Roy Williams (arm) and fullback Deon Anderson (knee) as out for Sunday’s game.

IT’S About Time Lion’s Fans “Change is In The Air”

 

<!– –><!– –> <!– –>

You got your wish Lions’ fans…GM and “Motown pariah” Matt Millen is out! It’s not known whether he resigned or was fired, but what is clear is that he had to go. Great player, better guy…and a very poor executive! Nothing he did worked! No one he hired stuck. The Lions won just one playoff game and were an NFL worst 31-84 under his watch. It’s a miracle he lasted as long as he did. You almost got the sense he was the one person in America, in any industry, who was un-fireable. That he could go in, date the owner’s wife and they’d just extend his contract. But even Millen couldn’t survive another disastrous Lions’ start. He just better not try to blame it on the Q.B., because Jon Kitna says it’s not his fault. And he shouldn’t be benched: “…I don’t think I am the problem. I am all about winning. If they feel that it’s necessary, then so be it, but I don’t think I am the problem.” Trust me, Jon, you are the problem! Matt Millen is the problem…you’re all the problem! It takes an entire organization to melt-down for a franchise to be this inept. And if you’re all about winning, what were you doing ripping off your helmet and walking off the field after throwing a back-breaking pick in week 2 vs. the Packers? And if you’re not the problem, what you’re really saying is, your teammates are the problem. The same guys you should be “diving in front of bullets” for, not “opening fire on” and “mowing down”! I’m beginning to think wide out Roy Williams is right. Maybe the franchise is cursed. Either that or it’s the worst run franchise in all of pro-sports! Take your pick.

Redskins Target “The Boys” Jason Campbell is The Key

When the regular season opened Sept. 4, the Redskins didn’t look completely ready for prime time.

 

 

First-year coach Jim Zorn was making his debut as a playcaller. Quarterback Jason Campbell wasn’t crisp making his reads and running the offense. The offensive line struggled. Of course, the Redskins were going against the Super Bowl champion Giants, whose defense can make a lot of offenses look offensive.

 

 

Washington’s fortunes have improved considerably since that 16-7 loss in the Meadowlands. The Redskins have recorded home victories over the Saints and the Cardinals, and their offense is showing signs of

Now, the Skins embark on their most important two-game road trip of the season. It starts Sunday in Dallas and concludes in Week 5 in Philadelphia. If they win at least one of those games, the Redskins will establish themselves as contenders for the NFC East title. Losing both will make them 0-3 in the division and extreme long shots.

 

 

 

The NFC East is the beast of the NFL. Just ask the Packers and the Steelers. After their narrow Monday night victory over the Eagles in Week 2 , the Cowboys dominated the Packers six days later at Lambeau Field. The Eagles, also on only six days’ rest, then played more physically than a powerful Steelers team. Through three weeks, the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants rank as the league’s three best teams.

 

 

But the Redskins don’t have to hide. Despite their division, it’s not out of the question for them to have a 10-win season. Like their division-mates, the Redskins play four games against the NFC West and four against the AFC North. Barring unforseen events, any NFC East team could go 3-1 or better against each of those divisions. In the two non-common games, the Redskins already have beaten the Saints and get to play the woeful Lions. If things go right, the Redskins could think about an 8-2 non-division record.

 

 

The key to their season is doing something positive in the NFC East. They can’t afford to go 1-5 in division play. A split in the next two weeks could make them players in the division race because they finish the regular season with three NFC East home games between Nov. 16 and Dec. 21.

 

 

It won’t help that defensive end Jason Taylor will miss Sunday’s game following an emergency procedure on his leg. Taylor was acquired when the Redskins lost defensive end Phillip Daniels for the season. With Taylor, the Redskins had six sacks in the first three games. They might have to do some blitzing to force Tony Romo into making uncomfortable throws.

 

 

The Cowboys come in with all the confidence in the world. They rank No. 1 in offense, averaging 440 yards a game. They are outscoring opponents 32-21 on average. More than anything, though, they are playing loose and having fun. Coach Wade Phillips has set up a great environment in which this team thrives.

 

 

Dallas’ defense is aggressive and hard-hitting. The offense has confidence. Romo continues to grow as a quarterback and a leader. The running game looks unstoppable.

 

 

Still, this is a great rivalry. The Redskins know that. They just have to get one win in the next two weeks to solidify themselves as one of the four beasts in the NFC East.

explosiveness.

Beat Down in Dallas “Redskins Out Muscles The Cowboys”

Team Stat Comparison
1st Downs	22	21
Total Yards	381	344
Passing	220	300
Rushing	161	44
Penalties	5-30	3-15
3rd Down Conversions	6-15	6-12
4th Down Conversions	0-0	0-0
Turnovers	0	1
Possession	38:09	21:51

Air/Ground Leaders
Washington Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Campbell 20/31 231 2 0	Dallas Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Romo 28/47 300 3 1
Washington Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Portis 21 121 0 31 Betts 11 32 0 7	Dallas Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Barber 8 26 0 15 Owens 2 11 0 6
Washington Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Moss 8 145 0 53 Randle El 4 36 1 17	Dallas Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Witten 7 90 1 21 Crayton 7 87 0 26
Washington Fumbles   FUM LOST REC Team 0 0 0	Dallas Fumbles   FUM LOST REC Curtis 1 0 0

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER				WAS	DAL
	TD	00:30	Jason Witten 21 Yd Pass From Tony Romo (Nick Folk Kick)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER				WAS	DAL
	TD	10:25	James Thrash 3 Yd Pass From Jason Campbell (Shaun Suisham Kick)	7	7
	TD	05:27	Antwaan Randle El 2 Yd Pass From Jason Campbell (Shaun Suisham Kick)	14	7
	FG	01:53	Shaun Suisham 20 Yd	17	7
	FG	00:00	Nick Folk 36 Yd	17	10
THIRD QUARTER				WAS	DAL
	TD	12:26	Terrell Owens 10 Yd Pass From Tony Romo (Nick Folk Kick)	17	17
	FG	07:31	Shaun Suisham 33 Yd	20	17
FOURTH QUARTER				WAS	DAL
	FG	10:48	Shaun Suisham 33 Yd	23	17
	FG	03:22	Shaun Suisham 29 Yd	26	17
	TD	01:42	Miles Austin 11 Yd Pass From Tony Romo (Nick Folk Kick)	26	24

 

Jim Zorn will go down in history as the only Washington Redskins coach never to lose a regular-season game at Texas Stadium.

 

Better yet, the Redskins are going into October as a legitimate contender in the NFC East.

 

Jason Campbell threw two touchdown passes and Clinton Portis ran for 121 yards, leading Washington to a 26-24 victory Sunday that gave the Dallas Cowboys their first loss and made the toughest division in the NFL even more interestingThe Redskins came in with consecutive wins since a lousy performance in the opener, but there were still questions about how good they were. Going on the road to beat one of the most talented teams in football certainly improves their perception. For now, at least, Washington has turned the NFC East into a four-team race.

 

“It feels good watching our players take these strides,” Zorn said. “The football team believes in what we’re doing and that feels good.”

 

A few weeks ago, there was doubt whether Zorn was the right guy to replace Joe Gibbs. Now, he’s off to a great start, including being 1-0 against Washington’s biggest rival and ending a 1-for-12 skid at Texas Stadium. With Dallas moving to a new stadium next season, the only way he’ll coach here again is if it’s in the playoffs.

 

“I’ve always said this is going to be a process,” he said. “We have to maintain our composure after this win, too. We’re not going to the Super Bowl next week.”

 

The Cowboys of course weren’t either if they had won, but with a soft October schedule, fans saw this as a gateway to an 8-0 start and an early November showdown with the New York Giants. Now, Dallas has to fix a running game held to 44 yards, a passing game that worked hard to get big plays out of Terrell Owens and a defense that had too many players on the field during a critical play midway through the fourth quarter.

 

“The reality of it is, you have the opportunity to go 16-0 every year in the regular season, but that’s not realistic,” said quarterback Tony Romo, 1-3 against Washington and 22-6 against everyone else. “We’re a confident bunch. I think we’ll come back next week with a lot to prove.”

 

Romo was 28-of-47 for 300 yards with three touchdowns, but wasn’t able to move Dallas (3-1) as well as the stats suggest. Two of his best drives came in 2-minute drills, with the second — an eight-play, 82-yard march that ended with an 11-yard touchdown to Miles Austin — giving the Cowboys a chance for a stirring rally.

 

A field goal away from the lead, Dallas went for an onside kick with 1:42 left. The ball came up high and catchable for receiver Sam Hurd but he wasn’t able to hold it, losing the ball out of bounds. The Cowboys were out of timeouts, so the game was effectively over, causing team owner Jerry Jones to grimace on the sideline; wherever Redskins owner Dan Snyder was, he was certainly celebrating.

 

“Everybody has to look at the Redskins in a different light now,” running back Ladell Betts said. “This is a great team. We can beat anybody. We can play with anybody. We proved that right now.”

 

Campbell was 20-of-31 for 231 yards, Santana Moss caught eight passes for 145 yards and the Redskins made it four straight games without a turnover on offense. Shaun Suisham was 4-for-4 on field goals, none longer than 33 yards.

 

Washington’s defense held what had been the NFL’s most-explosive offense to its fewest yards and points of the season. Marion Barber ran for only 26 yards on eight carries and Owens had seven catches for 71 yards, but none longer than 18. He did have a 10-yard touchdown catch that tied it at 17 early in the third quarter.

 

“It’s no secret, when I get involved, we move the chains. When I don’t, we’re more stagnant in our offense,” Owens said.

 

Campbell turned a 7-0 deficit into a 17-7 lead by picking on Dallas cornerback Terence Newman for a 3-yard touchdown pass to James Thrash, a 2-yard touchdown to Antwaan Randle El and a 53-yard strike to Moss that led to a field goal after Moss landed out of bounds on a third-down fade.

 

After Dallas tied it, Washington scored two touchdowns on its next series — yes, two — and neither counted because of penalties, both on center Casey Rabach. The Redskins wound up with another field goal, then Romo threw an interception, leading to yet another Washington field goal and a 23-17 lead.

 

Aiming for a go-ahead touchdown, Romo instead threw three straight incompletions to Owens on the next drive. Then Dallas’ defense made a big third-down stop, but it didn’t count because there were 12 men on the field. The Redskins again got a field goal, the one that put the lead out of reach.

 

“It’s a reality check,” Dallas cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones said. “Truly, I think we needed it as a team. … It will all work out at the end of the year.”

 

Game notes
Zorn challenged the opening kickoff of the second half because he thought Dallas’ Anthony Spencer signaled for a fair catch before returning it. It wasn’t reviewable, a good thing for Zorn because replays showed Spencer followed the rules. … Moss’ six-game scoring streak ended.

 

 

Reskins Review: Week 5 Redskins (3-1) vs. Eagles (2-2)

Week 5:
Redskins (3-1) vs. Eagles (2-2)

 

The Redskins stay in the NFC East with a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 5 at Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET.

Lincoln Financial Field has a natural grass surface. The seating capacity is 68,532.

The Redskins are in second place in the NFC East at the quarter-point of the regular season. They are 1-1 in NFC East play this year. They defeated the Dallas Cowboys 26-24 last Sunday and lost to the New York Giants 16-7 in Week 1.

The Redskins have rebounded from the opening loss to the Giants to post three consecutive wins. It’s currently tied for the longest winning streak in the NFC with Tampa Bay and the Giants.

The game will be televised to a national audience on FOX. Joe Buck does the play-by-play with color commentary by Troy Aikman. Pam Oliver is the sideline reporter.

On radio, the game will be broadcast locally on ESPN 980. Larry Michael handles the play-by-play with color commentary by Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff. Rick “Doc” Walker serves as sideline reporter.

Sports USA Radio Network broadcasts the game nationally. Larry Kahn does the play-by-play with color commentary by Tim Pernetti and sideline reports by Tony Graziani.

---

 PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS

OFFENSE
Pos.	Redskins	Eagles
WR	89 Santana Moss	10 DeSean Jackson
LT	60 Chris Samuels	72 Tra Thomas
LG	66 Pete Kendall	79 Todd Herremans
C	61 Casey Rabach	67 Jamaal Jackson
RG	77 Randy Thomas	62 Max Jean-Gilles
RT	74 Stephon Heyer	69 Jon Runyan
TE	47 Chris Cooley	82 L.J. Smith
WR	82 Antwaan Randle El	86 Reggie Brown
QB	17 Jason Campbell	5 Donovan McNabb
FB	45 Mike Sellers	29 Tony Hunt
RB	26 Clinton Portis	36 Brian Westbrook

DEFENSE
Pos.	Redskins	Eagles
DE	99 Andre Carter	75 Juqua Parker
DT	96 Cornelius Griffin	98 Mike Patterson
DT	64 Kedric Golston	97 Broderick Bunkley
DE	92 Demetric Evans	58 Trent Cole
SLB	53 Marcus Washington	57 Chris Gocong
MLB	59 London Fletcher	55 Stewart Bradley
WLB	52 Rocky McIntosh	96 Omar Gaither
LCB	24 Shawn Springs	22 Asante Samuel
RCB	22 Carlos Rogers	24 Sheldon Brown
SS	48 Chris Horton	27 Quinin Mikell
FS	30 LaRon Landry	20 Brian Dawkins

SPECIAL TEAMS
Pos.	Redskins	Eagles
P	14 Durant Brooks	6 Sav Rocca
K	6 Shaun Suisham	2 David Akers
H	14 Durant Brooks	6 Sav Rocca
LS	67 Ethan Albright	46 Jon Dorenbos
KOR	31 Rock Cartwright	39 Quintin Demps
PR	82 Antwaan Randle El	10 DeSean Jackson

---

SERIES HISTORY

The Redskins and Eagles have met a total of 147 times over their long rivalry, which dates back to 1934. They have played a home-and-home series every year since 1936.

The Redskins hold the series edge at 76-66-6, but since 2000, the Eagles have won 11 of 16 games.

The two teams split both games a year ago.

In Week 2, the Redskins defeated the Eagles 20-12 at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday Night Football.

Jason Campbell completed 16-of-29 passes for 209 yards, and his 16-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cooley late in the first half was a key play in the game.

The Redskins fended off a late comeback by the Eagles, as LaRon Landry broke up a pass to wide receiver Kevin Curtis on fourth down near the goal line.

Philadelphia returned the favor in Week 10. The Eagles staged a furious fourth-quarter rally to win 33-25 at FedExField.

Donovan McNabb threw a screen pass to Brian Westbrook, who followed key blocks downfield and raced 57 yards for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

The Redskins and Eagles have clashed once in the postseason, with Washington winning 20-6 on Jan. 4, 1990 at Veterans Stadium in the Wild Card playoff round.
 

---

 TALE OF THE TAPE
 

REDSKINS 2008 RANKINGS
Offense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Offense	14	342.0
Rushing Offense	11	132.5
Passing Offense	17	209.5
Defense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Defense	14	315.2
Rushing Defense	11	92.2
Passing Defense	23	223.0

EAGLES 2008 RANKINGS
Offense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Offense	6	364.8
Rushing Offense	24	88.5
Passing Offense	5	276.3
Defense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Defense	3	245.5
Rushing Defense	1	53.8
Passing Defense	11	191.8

---

 FAMILIAR FACES ON THE EAGLES
 

Kicker David Akers played for the Redskins in 1998. His first NFL game was with the Redskins, on Sept. 20, 1998 vs. Seattle.

Defensive end Chris Clemons played for the Redskins from 2003-05. He joined the Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2005.

Pro scout Louis Riddick served as director of pro personnel and pro scout with the Redskins from 2001-07.

 

---

REDSKINS-EAGLES NEWS & NOTES

– Zorn’s First Season As Head Coach

Jim Zorn is 3-1 in his first three games as head coach. He is aiming to lead the Redskins to their third winning season in the last four years.

Zorn is looking to become the seventh Redskins head coach to record a winning record in his first year at the helm.

The list of first-year head coaches with winning records includes Ray Flaherty (7-5 in 1936), Dutch Bergman (6-3-1 in 1943), Dudley DeGroot (6-3-1 in 1944), Dick Todd (5-4 in 1951), Vince Lombardi (7-5-2 in 1969) and George Allen (9-4-1 in 1971).

Seven first-year head coaches finished their rookie campaign with a .500 mark, while 12 finished with a losing record.

Like Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, Jim Zorn made the jump from quarterbacks coach to head coach.

Reid was named head coach of the Eagles in 1999 after he was quarterbacks coach of the Green Bay Packers.

Zorn was named head coach of the Redskins last February after he was quarterbacks coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

– Winning the Turnover Battle

The Redskins are tied for the NFL lead with a +6 turnover ratio. They have intercepted five passes and recovered two opponent fumbles, while the Redskins’ lone turnover was a fumble on a punt return.

Washington is the only NFL team without an offensive turnover and Jason Campbell is the only starting quarterback to have not thrown an interception.

As a team, the Redskins have gone 253 pass attempts with an interception in the regular season, dating back to last season.

Campbell is currently on a streak of 146 consecutive attempts without an interception, which is the second-best mark in franchise history.

– Defending the Best

In playing the Giants, Saints, Cardinals and Cowboys in the first four weeks, the Redskins have faced the NFL’s fourth-, third-, fifth- and second-ranked offenses, respectively.

The Redskins have held each of those teams to their lowest scoring and yardage output of the season.

Last week against Dallas, the Redskins’ defense forced the Cowboys into four 3-and-out possessions, which was just one less than their total in their previous three games combined.

This week, the Eagles’ offense is ranked sixth overall.

– Smith’s Special

Washington’s kickoff units, led by special teams coach Danny Smith, have been one of the league’s top groups in 2008.

The Redskins have the fourth-best average starting field position in the NFL, at the 29.6-yard line.

The kickoff unit has allowed opponents an average starting field position of the 22.3-yard line, fifth-best in the league.

Last week, the group held Dallas, which featured dynamic returner Felix Jones, to a 14.5-yard average on six returns. The Cowboys entered the game with a league-best 35.1 yards per kickoff return.

Smith coached special teams in Philadelphia from 1995-96, then switched to defensive backs coach for the Eagles from 1997-98.

Smith coached in Philadelphia under Ray Rhodes, who was the Redskins’ defensive coordinator in 2000.

– Go West, Jason Campbell

Jason Campbell has been one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in 2008, his first season in the West Coast offense at the pro level.

In the last three games, he has posted QB ratings of 108.4, 112.2 and 104.1, the first time a Redskins quarterback has had three straight games with a passer rating higher than 100.0 since Mark Rypien did it in games 13-15 in 1991.

Campbell’s cumulative QB rating of 102.2 is the fourth-highest in the NFL and second-highest in the NFC.

Campbell has directed an offense that has not committed a turnover this season. He is the only quarterback in the league that has not thrown an interception through four games.

– Moss, Portis Among League Leaders

Santana Moss’s 27 catches are tied for third in the NFL and tied for first among NFC wide receivers. He is also second in receiving yards with 421 (trailing Green Bay’s Greg Jennings, 482).

In addition to his receiver yards, Moss has a 27-yard rush, giving him 448 total yards from scrimmage, a figure which ranks sixth in the NFL.

Clinton Portis is tied for fourth in the NFL and tied for second in the NFC with 369 rushing yards. His 86 carries are the third-most in the league.

Portis has accounted for 22 first downs this season, which is tied for third in the NFL. His eight first downs in the fourth quarter of games this season is tops in the league.

– McNabb vs. the Redskins

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has an all-time record of 10-5 in games against the Redskins.

McNabb has completed 59 percent of his passes vs. Washington, for 3,107 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His QB rating: 86.4.

McNabb has compiled 535 rushing yards and three touchdowns against the Redskins. In the last five games in the series, McNabb has rushed for 84 yards on 18 carries.

– Westbrook Brothers

Redskins defensive back Byron Westbrook, on the club’s practice squad, is the brother of Eagles running back Brian Westbrook.

They both hail from Washington, D.C., and attended DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md.

Byron, 5-10 and 202 pounds, earned a practice squad spot on the Redskins following preseason.

Westbrook was asked last year if there was any downside to being Brian’s brother.

“The only negative thing is that people expect me to fill his shoes,” Westbrook said. “But I’m not a running back, I’m a cornerback. I play on a defense. I’m trying to hit him.”

He added with a smile: “And if I’m on the Redskins, I’d have the chance to get back at him two times a year for the 22 years he’s been punishing me since I was a baby.”

– Thrash an Eagle and a Redskin

Redskins wide receiver James Thrash has alternated between Philadelphia and Washington in his NFL career.

Thrash signed with the Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent in 1997. He was then picked up by the Redskins following the 1997 preseason.

Thrash signed with the Eagles in 2001 as an unrestricted free agent. He led the Eagles’ receiving corps with 49 receptions in 2003.

In 2004, Thrash was traded to the Redskins for a fifth-round draft pick.

Thrash had his best game against the Eagles in Week 10 last year. He caught five passes for 85 yards, including 4-yard and 12-yard touchdown catches in the first half.

– Hunt a Local Product

Philadelphia Eagles rookie running back Tony Hunt attended T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va.

He rushed for more than 2,000 yards in high school, before going on to play his college ball at Penn State.

The Eagles drafted Hunt, regarded as a big, bruising back, in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

– Redskins Captains

The Redskins have elected six players as captains for the 2008 season. They wear a black “C” on their jersey during games.

On offense, Jason Campbell amd Chris Samuels are the captains.

On defense, Cornelius Griffin and London Fletcher are the captains.

On special teams, Rock Cartwright and Khary Campbell are the captains.

– What’s Next?

The Redskins return to FedExField to host the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET.

It will be the first game for new Rams head coach Jim Haslett, who succeeded Scott Linehan on Monday.

Former Redskins assistant head coach-offense Al Saunders is on the Rams’ coaching staff.

Redskins Week 9 Game Preview; Redskins (6-2) vs. Steelers (5-2)

 

GAME PREVIEW

The Redskins open the second half of the season at FedExField against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. Kickoff is 8:30 p.m. ET.

FedExField is a natural grass surface. The stadium seats 91,704.

The matchup features teams with the third-best (Washington) and fifth-best (Pittsburgh) records in the NFL.

Washington enters Week 9 on a two-game winning streak and winners of six of their last seven games. They are coming off a 25-17 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

Pittsburgh dropped to 5-2 after falling to the New York Giants 21-14 at Heinz Field last Sunday. Both of the Steelers’ losses this season are to NFC East teams. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 15-6 in Week 3.

The Redskins are 3-1 at FedExField so far this season and 1-0 against the AFC.

The game will be televised on ESPN. Mike Tirico handles the play-by-play with Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser providing color commentary. Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber serve as sideline reporter for the broadcast.

On radio, the game will be broadcast locally on ESPN 980. Larry Michael handles the play-by-play with color commentary by Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff. Rick “Doc” Walker serves as sideline reporter.

The game will also be broadcast on Westwood One Radio, with Wayne Larivee doing the play-by-play and Boomer Esiaison adding commentary.

---

 PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS

OFFENSE
Pos.	Redskins	Steelers
WR	89 Santana Moss	86 Hines Ward
LT	60 Chris Samuels	77 Marvel Smith
LG	66 Pete Kendall	68 Chris Kemoeatu
C	61 Casey Rabach	62 Justin Hartwig
RG	77 Randy Thomas	72 Darnell Stapleton
RT	76 Jon Jansen	74 Willie Colon
TE	47 Chris Cooley	83 Heath Miller
WR	82 Antwaan Randle El	10 Santonio Holmes
QB	17 Jason Campbell	7 B. Roethlisberger
FB	45 Mike Sellers	34 Carey Davis
RB	26 Clinton Portis	39 Willie Parker

DEFENSE
Pos.	Redskins	Steelers
DE	99 Andre Carter	91 Aaron Smith
DT	96 Cornelius Griffin	98 Casey Hampton
DT	64 Kedric Golston	99 Brett Keisel
DE/LB	92 Demetric Evans	56 LaMarr Woodley
LB	53 Marcus Washington	51 James Farrior
LB	59 London Fletcher	50 Larry Foote
LB	52 Rocky McIntosh	92 James Harrison
LCB	22 Carlos Rogers	24 Ike Taylor
RCB	27 Fred Smoot	26 DeShea Townsend
SS	48 Chris Horton	43 Troy Polamalu
FS	30 LaRon Landry	25 Ryan Clark

SPECIAL TEAMS
Pos.	Redskins	Steelers
P	1 Ryan Plackemeier	17 Mitch Berger
K	6 Shaun Suisham	3 Jeff Reed
H	1 Ryan Plackemeier	17 Mitch Berger
LS	67 Ethan Albright	60 Greg Warren
KOR	31 Rock Cartwright	21 Mewelde Moore
PR	82 A. Randle El	21 Mewelde Moore

---

SERIES HISTORY

The Redskins and Steelers have met a total of 75 times in the regular season, with Washington holding a 42-30-3 edge in the series.

The last time the two clubs met in the regular season was in November 2004, when the Steelers defeated the Redskins 16-7 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers used three field goals by Jeff Reed, nifty running by Antwaan Randle El on punt returns and a 100-yard effort by Jerome Bettis to secure the win.

In preseason, the two clubs have met 18 times, with the Redskins holding a 12-5-1 lead.

Washington and Pittsburgh last faced off in the preseason in 2007, with the Steelers pulling out a 12-10 victory at FedExField.

 

---

 TALE OF THE TAPE
 

REDSKINS 2008 RANKINGS
Offense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Offense	7	364.2
Rushing Offense	2	155.2
Passing Offense	18	209.0
Defense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Defense	6	278.1
Rushing Defense	5	82.8
Passing Defense	11	195.4

STEELERS 2008 RANKINGS
Offense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Offense	25	291.7
Rushing Offense	18	107.3
Passing Offense	24	184.4
Defense	Rank	Yards/Game
Total Defense	1	236.0
Rushing Defense	3	71.6
Passing Defense	1	164.4

---

 FAMILIAR FACES ON THE STEELERS
 

Free safety Ryan Clark played for the Redskins from 2004-05 and established himself as a starting caliber defender with the Redskins.

Defensive backs coach Ray Horton began his NFL coaching career as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Redskins in 1994-96.

Running backs coach Kirby Wilson served in the same capacity with the Redskins in 2000.

 

---

REDSKINS-STEELERS NEWS & NOTES

– Redskins On Monday Night Football

Since the inception of Monday Night Football in 1970, the Redskins are 26-29 all-time playing in the nationally televised Monday contests.

The last time the Redskins played on Monday Night Football was in Week 2 of the 2007 season. The Redskins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 20-12 at Lincoln Financial Field.

The last time the Redskins played a home game on Monday Night Football was the 2006 regular season opener at FedExField. The Redskins lost to the Minnesota Vikings by a 19-16 score.

The Redskins and Steelers have played just once before on Monday Night Football. On Nov. 5, 1973, the Steelers won 21-16 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

– Steelers’ Marks

The Steelers own a 36-22 all-time record on Monday night games. They are 13-17 all-time on the road on Monday night, however.

In Week 4 this season, Pittsburgh defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in overtime on Monday Night Football at Heinz Field.

The Steelers have won 13 of their past 17 games against the NFC (including Super Bowl XL against the Seahawks). They had won eight consecutive games against the NFL prior to their 21-14 loss to the New York Giants on Oct. 26.

– Randle El’s Old Team

Antwaan Randle El, who played for the Steelers from 2002-05, faces off against his former team for the first time in the regular season.

Randle El was a second-round draft choice by the Steelers in 2002. He has plenty of great memories in Pittsburgh.

In four seasons in Pittsburgh, Randle El developed his skills as a wide receiver and was a key component in the Steelers’ run to Super Bowl XL in 2005.

Randle El’s Steelers beat Seattle that year by a score of 21-10. Jim Zorn was a quarterbacks coach on the team and Shaun Alexander was the Seahawks’ running back.

Randle El’s most memorable play? On a wide receiver option, he threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward to provide the final points ofn Super Bowl XL. He became the first wide receiver to throw a TD pass in a Super Bowl game.

Randle El, who signed with the Redskins as a free agent two months after Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl, said the ’05 Steelers were a confident group, mostly because they knew they could compete with any team in the AFC that year.

“We had played Cincinnati twice already and we knew we could beat them [in the Wild Card round],” he said. “We played Indianapolis and we knew we could stay with them [in the Divisional Playoff round].

“And then there was Denver [in the AFC Championship game]–that was the only team we weren’t sure about. But we had a game plan going against Denver like never before–on offense and on defense. It certainly worked out on the field.”

– Zorn’s First Season As Head Coach

Jim Zorn is 6-2 in his first eight games as head coach. He is aiming to lead the Redskins to their third winning season in the last four years.

Zorn is looking to become the seventh Redskins head coach to record a winning record in his first year at the helm.

The list of first-year head coaches with winning records includes Ray Flaherty (7-5 in 1936), Dutch Bergman (6-3-1 in 1943), Dudley DeGroot (6-3-1 in 1944), Dick Todd (5-4 in 1951), Vince Lombardi (7-5-2 in 1969) and George Allen (9-4-1 in 1971).

Seven first-year head coaches finished their rookie campaign with a .500 mark, while 12 finished with a losing record.

– Tomlin’s Background

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin began his coaching career in 1995 at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va. He entered the NFL as a defensive backs coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001.

Tomlin was defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings in 2006 and he coached current Redskin Fred Smoot.

As a player, Tomlin was a three-year starter at William & Mary froom 1990-94 and he finished his career with 100 receptions for 2,046 yards and a school-record 20 TD catches.

Tomlin was born in Hampton, Va. He attended Denbigh High School in Newport News, Va.

– Moss An Award-Winner

Santana Moss has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance last Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

With the Redskins clinging to a 16-10 lead in the fourth quarter at Ford Field, Jim Zorn and Danny Smith called on Moss for only his second punt return of the season. Moss made the most of his opportunity by bringing back Nick Harris’s punt 80 yards for a touchdown.

“Santana proves again he is an amazing athlete,” Zorn said. “He had one opportunity and not only scored, but also made the key play for the win. This is an honor that caps off a great week for Santana.”

On the play, Moss collided with teammate Devin Thomas shortly after fielding Harris’s punt. He kept his feet, avoided tacklers and broke free down the left sideline for what proved to be the game-winning points.

It was Moss’s third career punt return for a touchdown and first with the Redskins. He also has a returned a punt for a touchdown in a postseason game as a member of the New York Jets in 2004.

– Leftwich Returns to D.C.

As a youth growing up in Washington, D.C., in the mid-1980s, Steelers backup quarterback Byron Leftwich would often sneak into RFK Stadium with his older brother Kevin to watch their beloved Redskins on game day.

Leftwich went on to be a first-round draft pick of the Jaguars, and has since played for the Falcons and Steelers. He has put his childhood rooting interests behind him, but he keeps plenty of ties to the Washington, D.C., area. He attended H.D. Woodson High School in the city.

Who was his favorite player growing up?

“Whoever played good that week,” he said in a 2006 interview. “Sometimes it was Mark Rypien. Sometimes it was Darrell Green. Sometimes it was Earnest Byner. Sometimes it was Doug Williams. It was everybody, man.”

– Balanced Attack

Washington has been equally efficient on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball this season.

The Redskins are ranked seventh in the league on offense and sixth in the league on defense. They are one of four NFL teams to rank in the top 10 in total offense and defense. All four teams are members of the NFC East.

The Redskins and Giants are the only two teams in the NFC to place in the top five in both offense and defense, while the Redskins net yards per game differential of 86.2 is second in the league behind only the Giants.

The Redskins’ defense has held its last four opponents to less than 275 total yards of offense.

– Portis vs. Pittsburgh

The last time Clinton Portis played the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was a tough day for the running back.

On Nov. 28, 2004, Portis posted six carries for just 17 yards against the Steelers and was visibly upset on the bench midway through the game.

Portis is off to a special season this year. He leads the NFL with 944 rushing yards on 187 carries. His seven rushing TDs are second in the league and first in the NFC.

Portis’s 48 first downs on the ground and 52 overall also lead the NFL.

– Redskins Captains

The Redskins have elected six players as captains for the 2008 season. They wear a black “C” on their jersey during games.

On offense, Jason Campbell amd Chris Samuels are the captains.

On defense, Cornelius Griffin and London Fletcher are the captains.

On special teams, Rock Cartwright and Khary Campbell are the captains.

– FedExField Attendance

FedExField is the largest stadium in the NFL with 91,704 seats. It is more than 11,000 seats ahead of the second biggest stadium, Giants Stadium.

The Redskins set a single-game attendance record–90,910–in the Dec. 30, 2007 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

– What’s Next?

The Redskins have a bye on Nov. 9, and then host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football on Nov. 16. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. ET.

The Redskins defeated the Cowboys 26-24 in Week 4 at Texas Stadium.

Rays Second Chance at Redemption

If starting the game was a mistake, the next question is卍id Selig stop it at the right time in the middle of the sixth? Depends who you ask. Philly hates it, while the Rays were probably partying down the hall!

Never has a team, down 3 games to 1, and facing elimination in the other guy抯 house, felt so good. Bud Selig personally went out there and hooked Cole Hamels for the Rays. Short of it snowing for the next week, that抯 probably the last the R$ays are going to see of him.

When Philly touched Scott Kazmir up for two runs in the first, you抮e looking at a boat race and Phillies officials are getting the riot police, dogs and horses ready卋ecause that series is over. No way, the Rays are coming back on Cole Hamels at home. Instead, the rain kicks in, acting as the great equalizer, affecting Hamels andthe guys behind him. And suddenly he抯 not 揝andy Koufax?

Next thing you know, normally sure-handed Jimmy Rollins 搆icks?a groundballin the sixth hit by B. J. Upton, who comes around to score on a 搆nock?that Pat Burrell couldn抰 charge, and Bud Selig is 揵ailed out? 揃ailed out?because he let them play long enough for the Rays to tie the score and didn抰 have to change the rules of the sport on the fly! Making this game official after 5卆nd handing the Phillies the World Series would have made the 2002 All-Star Game ending in a tie a career highlight for the Commissioner?by comparison.

Still, this is bad and it could get worse before it gets better. Either way, I抎 have the SWAT teams, dogs and horses standing by, because if Philly does come back and finish, they抮e going to need them! But if the Rays rally, send it back to Tampa and the Phillies finish the 揷hoke攨they抣l have to call in the National Guard and declare 揗arshal Law?

49ers Singletary Has Respect of The Team; What’s Up with Jim Rome

Not often you see an NFL coach kick one of his best players off the field. And, the 49ers should have ripped the 搃nterim label?from Mike Singletary right then and there! There抯 no way Singletary 搇ights up?Vernon Davis like on the basis of that one play. Clearly, this has to be a guy that has been on his nerves for a while and playing the game the wrong way, I抦 sure, as far as Singletary is concerned.

Sure, he wants to make an impression and get his team抯 attention. But, there抯 no way you take a guy, who抯 a former 6th pick overall, jerk him out of the game and then humiliate him publicly after the game like that. Unless, there are some deep-rooted problems there! Unless, there抯 some sort of football related pattern of abuse. No way!

There抯 just no way Singletary lays out a guy like that for that one penalty. It was a stupid penalty on his part卋ut not that stupid! Not stupid enough for Singletary to 搇ight him up?the way he did. That抯 not only an NFL player, that抯 a former first rounder卼he sixth player taken overall卆 multi-millionaire, kicked off the field by his head coach like a high school kid with a bad attitude! Like, 揼et outta?my faced Davis卛n fact, get the hell of my field Vernon, you make me sick!?BR>
It pumped all of us up, but what effect did it have on his players?! Don抰 lose track of the obvious. They got 揾ammered?by a bad Seattle team. So it doesn抰! How fired up we are by that presser? He might have their attention. He might have their respect. They might even fear him, but all of that together won抰 make bad players good. It won抰 make J. T. O’Sullivan a 揝teve Young?

Redskins Review Week 8 Redskins (5-2) at Lions (0-6)

Ranking the NFC Beast’s QB trios, Redskins Jason Campbell Leads The Way

My friends at The Legend of Cecilio Guante blog have nominated the Kansas City Chiefs as having the worst quarterbacking trio in the NFL. If you’ve been fortunate enough not to watch the Chiefs this season, they’re now going with former Coastal Carolina great Tyler Thigpen as the starter.

The underappreciated Ingle Martin IV, one of Brett Favre’s backups in Green Bay, is currently the No. 2 man in K.C. And occupying the third spot is former Jacksonville quarterback Quinn Gray. When signing Quinn Gray gives your offense instant credibility, you’ve got problems.

Guante also brings up the Detroit Lions‘ trio, but I think the addition of Drew Henson gives them too much name recognition to be the worst in football. The Guante blog entry has inspired me to rank the best quarterbacking trios in the NFC East. The worst thing that can happen to a trio is for one of the backups to actually receive playing time — as you’re seeing with Brad Johnson right now in Dallas. Now, I present the first annual NFC Beast quarterbacking trio power rankings:

1. Washington Redskins: Jason Campbell has emerged as one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league. He never turns the ball over and he can extend plays with his feet. Campbell’s backup, Todd Collins, is easily the best backup in the division. He led the Redskins’ improbable playoff run last December and he’s the perfect caretaker quarterback. Colt Brennan is streaky, but he showed enough during preseason to stick around for at least a year.

2. Philadelphia Eagles: Donovan McNabb has been up and down this season, but he’s still an effective quarterback. I think Kevin Kolb made huge strides this past offseason, and he would fill in nicely for McNabb. The third quarterback, A.J. Feeley, hasn’t lived up to expectations, but he can definitely get you through a game or two. He’s one of the best third-string quarterbacks in football. The Cowboys would kill to have Feeley right now.

3. New York Giants: With Eli Manning, you have a quarterback who’s been through a lot in a relatively short amount of time. He was remarkable during last season’s Super Bowl run, and that did wonders for his confidence. David Carr hasn’t come close to living up to expectations, but that has a lot to do with the fact that he took about a 1,000 sacks in Houston. For a short stretch, Carr could actually get you a couple wins. Behind this line, he could use his mobility to find receivers downfield. Even though he’s on the practice squad, we’ll count Andre Woodson (oops, he’s been cut) as the third guy. GM Jerry Reese likes the fact that Woodson has a chip on his shoulder and the former Kentucky great does some nice things.

4. Dallas Cowboys: You can make an argument that Tony Romo is the best quarterback in the division, but his backups are dreadful. Brad Johnson has had a nice career, but the speed of the game last Sunday appeared to catch him by surprise. With a team that likes to throw downfield, Johnson is a liability. Brooks Bollinger is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, but his 2-8 record as a starter isn’t too impressive. Does he give you a better chance to win than Johnson? I actually think so.

Anthony Cathirells NFL Week 8 Picks and Overview

 

 

 

 

Tampa Bay @ Dallas	Tampa Bay	Tampa Bay	Tampa Bay	Tampa Bay	Tampa Bay
Washington @ Detroit	Washington	Washington	Washington	Washington	Washington
Buffalo @ Miami	Buffalo	Buffalo	Buffalo	Miami	Buffalo
St. Louis @ New England	St. Louis	New England	St. Louis	St. Louis	New England
San Diego @ New Orleans	San Diego	San Diego	San Diego	San Diego	Sam Diego
Kansas City @ N.Y. Jets	N.Y. Jets	N.Y. Jets	N.Y. Jets	N.Y. Jets	N.Y. Jets
Atlanta @ Philadelphia	Atlanta	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	Philadelphia
Arizona @ Carolina	Arizona	Carolina	Carolina	Carolina	Carolina
Oakland @ Baltimore	Baltimore	Baltimore	Baltimore	Baltimore	Baltimore
Cincinnati @ Houston	Houston	Houston	Houston	Houston	Houston
Cleveland @ Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Jacksonville
N.Y. Giants @ Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	N.Y. Giants	Pittsburgh	N.Y. Giants
Seattle @ San Francisco	San Francisco	San Francisco	San Francisco	San Francisco	San Francisco
Indianapolis @ Tennessee	Tennessee	Tennessee	Tennessee	Tennessee	Tennessee
Week 7 Record	11-3	11-3	10-4	10-4	8-6
Overall Record	61-41	61-41	60-42	66-36	66-36

 

 

 

Ryan to be tested by Eagles defense: From the moment Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey started thinking about his game plan for Sunday’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, he was charting and dissecting defensive coordinator Jim Johnson’s mind-bending concoction of blitz schemes.

 

 

The Eagles, second in the league in sacks with 21, are expected to test Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan by coming at him early and often.

 

 

“Whether you are a cornerback, strong safety, free safety or linebacker, you’re going to get an opportunity to blitz,” said Falcons head coach Mike Smith, himself a terrific former defensive coordinator in Jacksonville. “It’s a very complex package that can create a lot of issues, if you’re not on top of your game.”

 

 

Dale Zanine/US Presswire

Falcons QB Matt Ryan has been a pleasant surprise in his rookie season so far.

 

But against the blitz, Ryan has been very on top of his game. Though he is making only his seventh NFL start, Ryan has already proven to be adept at recognizing pressure and defeating it.

 

 

Check out these numbers on the guy they’ve called Matty Ice since high school: So far in 2008, Ryan has been blitzed 48 times, according to Stats Pass. On those 48 attempts, he has connected on 30 passes — a completion percentage of 62.5 — for 335 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

 

 

Here’s the key statistic: Ryan has not been sacked while being blitzed. Indeed, he’s the only starting quarterback in the NFL who has not been sacked off a blitz — pretty good for a rookie.

 

 

But the Falcons know Johnson’s defense is among the best in the league. The expectation is that Atlanta, to keep pressure off Ryan, will try to hammer the Eagles defense with the run. Philadelphia gave up 203 and 131 rushing yards in the past two games, surrendering an average of 4.75 yards per carry against Washington and San Francisco.

 

 

However, Falcons running back Michael Turner will have another important job: protecting his young quarterback. The running backs, he said, have been put on “alert” to pick up the blitz.

– Sal Paolantonio

 

 

Manning prepared to face pressure from Steelers: Like a kid who knows the schoolyard bully is waiting at recess, Eli Manning is aware he might get beat up a little this weekend in Pittsburgh. So far this season, Manning has escaped relatively unscathed — he has been sacked just six times, thanks to excellent play by the offensive line and his own ability to get rid of the ball quickly. But Manning says that gets harder this week.

 

 

“The thing about this defense is that they play a lot of different coverages, where it is hard to throw some of the quick stuff. You are going to have to hold it some. And that is where they get some pressure,” he said.

 

 

How much pressure? Enough that the Steelers are now the NFL’s top-ranked defensive unit, allowing 228.3 yards per game. More specifically, they are No. 1 against the pass, allowing an average of just 158.7 yards, and No. 2 against the run, allowing 69.7 yards per game.

 

 

“As an offense we have to play smart football,” Manning said. “You never know what kind of game it is going to turn out to be, but we know they have a talented defense. Hopefully we can’t put our defense in a bind and by turning the ball over or giving their offense good field position.”

– Rachel Nichols

 

 

 

 

Frustration mounting in Dallas Jerry Jones has often described himself as a frustrated football coach, has noted that he has the authority to appoint himself as head coach of the Cowboys and has mentioned that he might be interested in doing so if only it paid as well as the positions he currently holds. Jones is owner/president/general manager of one of the most underachieving teams in the NFL.

 

 

This week, Jones has intervened in coach Wade Phillips’ decision-making in the most obvious of ways. He scolded the team after the debacle against the Rams after Phillips’ weekly address, an indication that Jones believed his sweaty multimillionaires needed to hear more. And then Jones demanded that Phillips do what he promised when hired as the replacement for Bill Parcells: Call his own defenses rather than delegating to coordinator Brian Stewart. Tension has existed for weeks between the players and some defensive assistants and Jones discussed those concerns with several players. Phillips admits his defensive expertise has been lost and that he needed to be more involved. Question: Why did it take seven games and a red-faced owner to make him realize that?

 

 

 

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Jerry Jones has had little to smile about over the past few weeks as the Cowboys have lost three of their past four games.

 

When asked how involved Jones has been in the decisions made this week, Phillips said, “He’s involved in all of our decisions. We don’t leave him out of anything.”

 

 

And believe this: Jones has been quietly scrutinizing and evaluating everyone this week at practice — from the water boys to the players to every coach on the field. So the question now is what happens if backup quarterback Brad Johnson fails to win against the Bucs and Giants before Tony Romo returns? Will Romo — whom Jones laughably made the backup quarterback after the owner personally supervised a pregame warm-up that somehow involved no coaches or medical staff — find he has already played his last game for Phillips?

 

 

Jones has stated emphatically that will not happen during the season. While he has replaced every coach the franchise has ever had — including Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson — Jones has never made a midseason coaching change. But with his injury-decimated team failing badly and the bye week approaching, Phillips has reason to be wary.

 

 

The first reason is that Jones told me before the season that last year’s Cowboys were the best team he has ever been associated with that failed to win it all, meaning Barry Switzer’s failure in 1994 has fallen to second. So in Jones’ mind, the Phillips-coached Cowboys have already cost him a Lombardi Trophy. So Jones might not be willing to waste this season if he concludes a coaching change might prevent it, and never before has Jones had the man he perceives to be the next head coach — offensive coordinator Jason Garrett — already in the Valley Ranch complex and high on the payroll. Of course, any coaching change will reflect badly on the owner who turned a potential Super Bowl team over to a head coach who inherited John Elway in Denver and Doug Flutie in Buffalo and couldn’t manage to win a playoff game with either of them.

 

 

“They are the most talented team in the league, and it’s not even close,” said one opposing head coach whose team played the Cowboys during their current 1-3 stretch.

 

 

That is an indictment of the players, the head coach and the GM. The owner can’t replace the players, and he won’t fire the general manager.

 

 

 

 

Man Ram Wants Big Money From LA, Sorry LA Fans Man-Ram Is Outta Here

Hey Dodgers?fans卬ot that you didn抰 know this already, but 揗an-Ram?ain抰 coming back! Not if you consider what JRIB forum panelist and SI.com columnist Jon Heyman is reporting.

Heyman says the Dodgers might be willing to pay Manny Ramirez 揂-Rod type?money, but only for two years. Of course, 揗an-Ram抯?been 損opping off?about a six year deal.

Look, he抎 take five and probably settle for four if the 搄ack?is right, but he抯 not showing up for two. Yeah, because he busted out of the remaining two years of his deal with Boston so he could sign another two year deal. Juan Gonzalez saying no to $140-mill?from Detroit thinks that抯 ridiculous!

Does this sound like a dude who is looking to cut the Dodgers a hometown discount, quote: 揑 want to see who the highest bidder is. Gas is up and so am I.? He knows he has a 揼un to Frank McCourt抯 head? He knows he packed his yard, put his team in the playoffs, beat the Cubs all by himself, and personally sold all those 搘igs? 搑eplica jerseys?and ?0 dollar beers? Just as he knows the Dodgers will go back to a 揻lat-lining?.500 team that were playing in a dead ballpark if they don抰 bring him back.

I抦 not looking for you to start with your best offer, but you抮e going to have to do a lot better than 2 years! Man up, Frank. Just because Andruw Jones came 搃nto your house?揹rank your beer? 揳te your grub?and 搒lept in your bed?is no reason to hold it against 揗an-Ram? Never has $27.5 million a year felt so insulting.

Canseco Sorry for Writing Book, Apology Not Accepted

Jose Canseco is now doubling-back and saying he regrets writing the book 揓uiced?and ratting out so many big name players. During a documentary for the A&E network, he says, 搮I never realized this was going to blow up and hurt so many people.? So you抮e sorry for hurting people and ruining their reputations and legacies?! Wasn抰 that the entire point of the book?! To hurt people and ruin their reputations and legacies?! That if you were going down, you were going to take some bodies with you?! You抮e sorry you wrote that book?!

How sorry could you be, you wrote a sequel to it as well! You抎 finish off that 搕rilogy?if you had anything less to say and there was another check in it for you. You抮e sorry for the people you hurt, or sorry that you抳e run out of ways to get in front of camera and get paid? You抮e sorry?! Sure you aren抰.

Look, you抮e a lot of things, Jose, but you抮e not stupid. Saying you had no idea the book would blow up, people would be hurt and reputations would be ruined is at the very best disingenuous, or more likely, a bold faced lie! You knew exactly what would happen if you started 揵umping your gums? That抯 why you wrote that book! You were looking to get paid, and take down as many people as you could.

What did you think was going to happen if you said Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro were on 憆oids卬othing? Apology not accepted.

Phillies Take Game 1 of World Series

Phillies 3, Rays 2

Recap Box Score Play-By-Play Photos Conversation

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
PHI	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	8	1
TAM	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	5	1

Final

 

W:	C. Hamels (1-0)
L:	S. Kazmir (0-1)
SV:	B. Lidge (1)

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The waiting game turned into a winning game for Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Hamels escaped trouble to win his fourth postseason start, Utley hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in the World Series opener Wednesday night.

 

The worst-to-first Rays flopped in their first game in baseball’s ultimate event, managing just five hits — none after the fifth inning.

 

For now, this puts an end to the rest vs. rust debate.

 

“I don’t think it threw off our timing too much,” Utley said of the six-day layoff. “I think tomorrow we should definitely be more back on track.”

 

Philadelphia will try to make it two in a row at Tropicana Field when Brett Myers pitches against James Shields in Game 2 Thursday night.

 

The team that won the opener has captured the Series 63 of 103 times, including 10 of the last 11. But the team with home-field advantage has taken 18 of the last 22 titles.

 

“It’s huge,” Phillies closer Brad Lidge said. “You try and downplay it, but obviously you’re coming into a place like this, you want to make sure you get the first game, especially because you got your ace on the mound. It’s really important to do that.”

 

Hamels, MVP of the NL championship series, improved to 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA this postseason. He had only a pair of 1-2-3 innings, but the composed 24-year-old left-hander allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings.

 

He benefited from the extra rest.

 

Phil-ing It

With the win Wednesday, the Phillies became just the second team since LCS play began to have at least six days off and win Game 1.

Since LCS Began in 1969

Year	Team	Days Off	Game 1	WS Result
‘08	Phillies	6	W, 3-2	?
‘07	Rockies	8	L, 13-1	L, 4-0
‘06	Tigers	6	L, 7-2	L, 4-1
‘96	Yankees	6	L, 12-1	W, 4-2
‘95	Braves	6	L, 3-2	W, 4-2

 

“I think for a starter it’s almost better sometimes, just because it gives you more time to heal up,” Hamels said.

 

Ryan Madson pitched a perfect eighth. Lidge worked the ninth for his 47th save in 47 chances this year, silencing the Rays and their cowbell-clanging fans.

 

“If you want to take the wind out of the sails,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said, “you shut the cow bells up and get some home runs. That will do it — except in Citizens Bank Park. If you hit enough there, they ring a bell. They ring the Liberty Bell.”

 

Manuel could crack the jokes. Not much to yuck about for the Rays and their fans. While Carl Crawford homered, playoff stars B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria went a combined 0-for-8.

 

Scott Kazmir, selected two picks ahead of Hamels in the first round of the 2002 amateur draft, struggled with his control and gave up three runs, six hits and four walks in six innings.

 

“It wasn’t an easy night, and I felt like I had to battle every single inning,” Kazmir said.

 

Philadelphia could have romped but went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners. Their other run even scored on an out, an RBI grounder by Carlos Ruiz.

 

“It’s better to come up empty with a lot of guys in scoring position than not have any at all,” Utley said.

 

Seeking the city’s first major title since the NBA’s 76ers in 1983, Philadelphia had six days off after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL pennant, while the Rays didn’t finish off the Boston Red Sox until Game 7 on Sunday night.

 

Fast Facts

• For the first time this postseason, Tampa Bay’s 2-3-4 hitters were held hitless.

• Ryan Howard struck out three times Wednesday. All three times, there was a runner in scoring position — twice on third base.

• After getting a hit in nine straight postseason games, B.J. Upton is hitless the last two games with two strikeouts.

• Wednesday was the first time this postseason the Phillies won the first game of a series in a visiting ballpark.

• The last time the Phillies won the World Series in 1980, they won Game 1 against the Royals by one run, 7-6.

– ESPN research

 

Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia’s leadoff batter, flied to right fielder Ben Zobrist, who has made just two regular-season career appearances at the position. But then Jayson Werth walked and Utley, after fouling off a bunt attempt, homered on a 2-2 pitch, sending the ball into the right-field seats and becoming the 34th player to homer in his first Series at-bat.

 

Only 13 of Utley’s 33 homers during the regular season were against lefties, and Kazmir allowed just one homer to a left-handed batter in 131 at-bats, with Boston’s David Ortiz connecting Sept. 15.

 

“Fastball, middle of the plate,” Utley said. “I was just trying to put the ball into play.”

 

Mitch Williams, an analyst for Comcast SportsNet, started pumping a fist and cheering. The Phillies’ last World Series appearance ended when Williams allowed Joe Carter’s game-ending homer in Game 6 at Toronto.

 

Philadelphia had a chance to pad the lead in the second following two walks, but Upton, the center fielder, made a nifty one-hop throw to the plate on Rollins’ fly to short center, and catcher Dioner Navarro applied the tag on Shane Victorino for the inning-ending out.

 

Tampa Bay loaded the bases with one out in the third on two singles around a walk. But third baseman Pedro Feliz went to his left for an impressive pickup on Upton’s grounder and started an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.

 

“Definitely the kind of momentum swing into our favor,” Hamels said. “If they can load the bases with less than two outs and not be able to score, then you definitely have the upper hand.”

 

Ruiz hit an RBI grounder in the fourth following Victorino’s leadoff single, but Crawford’s homer on a hanging breaking ball cut the lead to a 3-1 in the bottom half.

 

Akinori Iwamura reached down for an outside 3-2 pitch and drove an opposite-field RBI double to left-center in the fifth, and Upton followed with a foul pop that Ryan Howard reached into the stands to grab — veteran fans at places such as Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium likely would have not allowed the first baseman to make the play.

 

Carlos Pena reached leading off the sixth when Howard allowed his grounder to pop off his glove and midsection for an error. But Hamels froze Pena with a pickoff throw and he was easily thrown out at second. Rays manager Joe Maddon screamed unsuccessfully for a balk call, maintaining Hamels’ foot landed too far toward the plate.

 

“I thought it was clearly a balk, and obviously you can’t argue a balk,” Maddon said. “You get kicked out arguing a balk. What I did was even inappropriate.”

 

Said Hamels: “Yeah, he was out. That’s all I can say. “

 

Utley singled with one out in the seventh, stole second and took third on a wild pitch. But J.P. Howell fanned Howard and, after Pat Burrell walked, Grant Balfour struck out Victorino.

 

“It’s never easy when you’re down 0-1,” Shields said. “But I think we’ve been pretty resilient all year long.”

 

Game notes

It was the first Series game on artificial turf since 1993 — the Phillies’ previous one. … The Rays played an exaggerated shift on Utley and Howard, often putting three infielders on the right side. … The Phillies also won the opener in 1980 against Kansas City, starting them to their only title since beginning play in 1883. Philadelphia also started the Series with wins in 1915 and 1983, but dropped the first game in 1950 and 1993.

 

 

Faulk sticks by Favre and Bounty is No Big Deal

Marshall Faulk wasn’t afraid of big hits. AP

 

The NFL Network’s Marshall Faulk was an offensive player but he has no problem with guys trying to make big hits.

Faulk says that before Paul Tagliague outlawed bounties, teams like Buddy Ryan’s Eagles would knock guys out. Faulk says the bounty in some senses isn’t a big deal because the big hitters are rewarded with high salaries anyway.

Faulk had an interesting point on Brett Favre. Favre has always been honest about things like addiction problems and emotions. So why shouldn’t we believe him now?

Faulk says knowing Favre personally, there’s no way he would have given real substantive advice to the Lions before their game against the Packers.