Skins fall, dawn of the "Rally Rag"

The Skins finally fell to Dallas 14-10.  Neither team looked sharp, but Portis looked great for a guy with a grade 2 MCL sprain.  He might of only gained 68 yards rushing, but his presence was well felt.

Met Dan Steinberg, DC Sports Blog, at Jared's tailgate.  Good guy, working hard, just as a journalist should.  He asked me about the "Rally Rag" the team was giving away to the first 50,000 fans.  I said, "Dumbest idea I've ever heard," and my colleagues backed me in my opinion.  He then asked if he could quote me.  I told him, "No," after some contemplating.  He quickly turned his attention to my two friends and refused to talk with me.  Rightfully so.  If I wasn't going to give him any material, why should he even waste his time talking to me.

I just didn't feel comfortable passing judgement on a idea or item, that I had yet to even see implemented.  I'd only heard rumors of what the rag was going to look like.  The rumors told me it was going to be a maroon towel, which in my opinion would be washed out by all the maroon jerseys and seats.  In reality it was a white rag with a Redskins logo on it.  When those 50,000 fans waved their rags, it actually looked pretty cool.

Here's where the rag will fail.  If Snyder really wants this to take hold, he needs to push it.  Just giving away the rag is not enough.  He needs to advertise for everyone to continue bringing them to the final two games.  He needs to sell the rags in his stores (you'd think he'd want to sell more stuff).  But my guess is that the organization will not do this.  If this ends up being a one-time event, it will be the, "dumbest idea I've ever heard."

Caps really turning it on, JaVale turning it up!

Caps are on a a 5 game winning streak.  They have looked especially good lately in the 5-1 win at Carolina followed the a 3-1 home win against the Devils.  This is the team everyone in DC expected to see when the season began.  Ovie is on a 3-game goal scoring streak (although the last one came as an empty netter), and Semin continues to be on top of the league's scoring sheets.  On Wednesday, the Ovie, Semin, Backstrom line combined for 12 points, a team record.  Lastly, my boy Fleischmann got another goal last night, pushing his total to 5.  He's really turning it on this year and becoming the player everyone expects him to be.  You can just see he skates with a lot more confidence.

On the flip side, the Wizards finally got their first win against a banged up Jazz team on Wednesday night.  JaVale was a freaking monster!  He played 27 minutes, scoring 13 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking 3 shots in the 95-87 win.  In the 95-77 loss last night to the Heat he had 13 points and 4 rebounds in 24 minutes.  Against the Jazz he had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.  He's the player the Wizards expected to get when they drafted Blatche.  Keep an eye out, this kid is good.

Wow, Let's Not Hope the Wizards Stink

Horrible opening night.  27 points from the "big 2" will no be enough for this team.  Horrible shooting at end of game (Blatche hit a jumper 6:02. The next field goal was also by Blatche, at the 11.8 second mark).  If you're not make buckets in the 4th quarter, you're not going to win.

JaVale McGee (seriously? that's his name?  I'm really curious what his middle name is, JaJuan?) had a good opener, yes I'm being serious.  He missed all four of his shots and grabbed two rebounds, but you can just tell, he has the ability.  All he needs in minutes.  Looking forward to seeing how he develops.

Big ups to Goodwin's favorite player, Jarvis Hayes, 6 of 9 shooting for 14 points in 31 minutes.  Got boo'd all night.  There's simply no love in DC anymore.  If you're not contributing, get out of town.  Hopefully they can recover from this, otherwise it's going to be a long 34 win season.

Walk Down Memory Lane, on The Strip

VolNation had an interesting thread going on before the Alabama game.  If you've ever watched the segment "Taste of the Town" during the Saturday night ESPN game, the fans were trying to figure out what local joint would be featured.  

The forum quickly changed to a walk down memory lane regarding places that are/were along "the Strip".  If you remember Quarters, Tall Pall, the Library, or simply want to know what goal post is hanging from the ceiling at OCI, I highly recommend reading through this thread.

Skins Can't Play Like That Against Pittsburgh

LaCanforia is correct. If the Redskins play Pittsburgh as poorly as they played the Lions, they'll be walking out of the Big Jack with a Big L.

Don't get me wrong, 6-2 at the midway point is better than most predicted, but the Skins are not playing their best ball right now. Hopefully this team will step it up against one of the top teams in the league under the Monday Night spotlight. This is the perfect time for Portis, Moss, Campbell, and Fletcher to showcase this team to the entire country. I hope the team that beat Dallas and Philadelphia on the road is the one that comes to play, and not the team that played the Rams, Browns, and Lions.

Volunteers lose, Berry gets a big hit

No shock the Volunteers lost at home to Alabama 29-9. UT hasn't beat a top 5 team at Neyland Stadium since they beat the Gators in 1998, 20-17 in overtime. They just aren't good at home, that's a fact.

The highlight of the game was Eric Berry's instant classic 360 hit. He continues to be a human highlight reel and is clearly the only reason to watch the Volunteers this year. Watch his hit on Knowshon Moreno.

Caps finally get a road trip win

Caps picked up a critical win last night.  Fleischmann's shots had some serious heat on them, best I've seen him play all year.  Federov pitched in with two goals, and Semin continues to have an oustanding year, taking home the game winner.  Let's see how they do when they come home to play the Predators.  Can't wait to ask their fans to give us their "fang fingers".