Game Girl

Admit it.  You thought it was crazy when the Skins drafted Kirk Cousins in the fourth round last April.  I mean, like wacky-crazy.

You did.  I know it. 

Let's review:  we drafted RG3 number two overall, and in the process, gave away nearly all of our draft collateral for the forseeable future.  We bet the farm on this guy.  Mortgaged our team's future.  Left us without a first-round pick till my oldest daughter hits middle school.  So, during the draft, just for kicks and giggles, weren't you thinking, "Hey, we couldn't at least grab a corner, a lineman or a safety in one of the late rounds, just to be safe?"

If you are like me, surely you thought the Shanahans, and Bruce Allen, had gone a little nuts during the draft.  Like maybe all the excitment of picking so high up had rendered them temporarily insane.  Seemed a bit Vinny Cerrato-like, actually.  (Ugh, remember him?)

Well, they all look like draft geniuses now, don't they?  Wow.  Think about it.  Kirk Cousins comes off the bench in the final minutes of a close game -- in what was shaping up to be a classic Beltway showdown -- and with ice water in his veins, the dude puts us into overtime!

Then, Richard Crawford does what our old pal Brandon Banks has seemed incapable of all season.  He runs a punt back for a big-time gain in overtime.  Nearly scores a touchdown all by himself.  (Thank goodness, because I was beginning to think the days of decent punt returns were gone forever.)

And the hits kept coming. Jordan Pugh let loose on a safety blitz that set up a Flacco sack.  Other seeming no-name draft picks were pressed into service, under pressure and with the game and a possible play-off berth looming down the road, and kicked it into high-gear. 

As far as I'm concerned, the depth of our bench suddenly looks pretty impressive.  Hell, our new kicker is still a perfect 13-0 since we brought him in!

All of this with a number of serious injuries, suspensions, and other issues that have sidelined a number of our best players.  The big men in charge managed to keep things intact despite having guys like Orakpo and Carriker out for the year, which tells me they have at least somewhat of a clue about what it takes to build an organization. 

Finally.  And without any Snyder-vention to mess things up.

With RG3's health in doubt for Sunday's upcoming game, I'm suddenly feeling like things might turn out OK for this team.  Aren't you? 

Yeah, uh, Vinny...I think we've got things under control now, buddy.

He did it during the draft.  During mini camp, training camp, and the preseason.  During our first few games this fall.  Against the Giants back in October.  And most recently, on a nationally-televised stage on Thanskgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys, in one of the most revered and storied NFL rivalry games.

RG3.  Exceeding expectations.  Staring down the pressure under the glare of the national spotlight.  Succeeding in ever-impressive ways.  And tonight, on Monday Night Football, my bold (or maybe not-so-bold, considering his recent history) prediction is he will do it again.

He will rise to the occasion.  Facing a hated division rival on Monday Night Football, under the watchful eyes of Jon Gruden, Al Michaels, and an entire nation eager to see if he's for real, RG3 will do what he's consistently done since he was drafted last April (and really, since his football career began in his youth):  He will stay poised, calm, confident, and in control.  And most likely, he'll win.

He will answer the call.  Despite the pressure, or maybe because of it, he will continue to impress.  Against a formidable Giant's defense, he'll scramble, escape, maybe throw an unlikely bomb to an unlikely receiver like Santana Moss.

He will do it with grace.  With style.  With confidence. With leadership.  And unlike so many players in the league today, he WON'T need to toot his own horn while showcasing his talent.  His athleticism, his leadership, and his talent will speak for themselves.

After the Gruden interviews, the pre-game media hype, the unyielding scrutiny, he'll do what he always does tonight.

He will just get it done.

Yesterday's game was definitely the start of something big.  Our NFC East rivals better be paying attention, because with Griffin on our team, the Skins are clearly ready to compete on a completely different level.  Justin Tuck, DE for the Giants, said in his post-game news conference last night he's not looking forward to playing against Griffin twice a year, and that Griffin is "the real deal".

But we already knew that.

Now, however, with the latest injury to TE Fred Davis -- who has really stepped up his game this season and has obvious chemistry with Griffin -- and with receiver Pierre Garcon sidelined with some bizarre toe injury that seems destined to linger, Griffin is going to have to go it alone.

Sort of.

Next man up?  Chris Cooley.  Dust off your cleats, put down your paint brushes, loosen your already sloppy tie, and give up your seat next to Dan Hellie on Channel 4's "Locker Room Report", dude.  Looks like you're going to be pressed into service after all.

Kyle Shanahan can only do so much to mask the lack of playmakers we currently have on offense.  Griffin is magic - yes - but he needs SOMEONE to throw to, at least some of the time.  Now that Davis is out for the season, I guess that someone is going to be Cooley.

Remember back in training camp when they cut him?  Remember the outrage, the indignation, that absolute outcry from Cooley loyalists who were horrified at his treatment by the Redskins?  And yet, as good of a player as many of us (me included) thought he was, Cooley didn't get that big paycheck from another team we expected.  Instead, he stayed in town and took a seat in the locker room, reporting on the Redskins for Channel 4 News and waiting.

Waiting for his chance to play for the Redskins, the team who drafted him.  Waiting for his chance, perhaps, to be a part of what he must have known all along was going to be a unique opportunity to play with a superstar quarterback.  Cooley probably saw Griffin's ability, his skill, his smarts, and his leadership back in July and thought to himself, "Why go play for another team for a league-minimum salary when I might have the chance to return and hook back up with a playmaker like Griffin?"

He rolled the dice and it might have paid off.  He's going to get his chance to play with the team he loves, with a quarterback he clearly respects, in a season that still might turn out to be more than just a practice season for the future.

Let's hope Cooley's gamble pays off for ALL of us.

Quit.  Yes, I realize I'm quoting MC Hammer...the poet laureate of the '80's (not!)  I'm sure I can find a more relevant and updated reference to express my level of joy.  But honestly, in my humble opinion, our man RG3 truly IS too legit to quit.

Literally.

The guy just doesn't quit.  He never gives up.  He never stops looking downfield for an open receiver.  Never stops fighting to make a play.  Never stops, period.

He seems like he's always reading the opposing team's defense, like he's always in control.  And when in doubt, we KNOW he's always ready to take off and run.  He even learned how to slide this week in practice, thankfully (so we can breath a sigh of relief that he might actually live to fight another down...)

His style of play is controlled, but still unpredictable for opposing defenses.  When he's on the field, you just KNOW something good is going to happen. 

When he's got the football in his hand, I personally never hold my breath anymore waiting for the traditional sack, strip, fumble plays that used to befall our former quarterbacks of old.  Instead, I'm left gaping at his abilities.  He can run, of course, but he can also throw.  His passes are sharp and accurate.  His receivers seem like they are running the right routes, and he seems like he knows where every offensive weapon is on the field at all times.

For years, our offense has let us down.  Our quarterback play has been erratic, at best.  Players like Santana Moss -- old reliable -- have been subject to tipped passes, overthrown balls, and UN-thrown balls from unprepared or incapable quarterbacks that were often stripped and taken the other way for touchdowns.

Not anymore.

RG3 has given this team hope.  He'll keep fighting until he wins the game or they cart him off the field (God-forbid).  For the first time in two decades, we've got a team we can believe in, because we have a player who is athetically gifted, incredibly poised, and a truly capable and effective leader both on and off the field.

To that I say...Can't Touch This.

Have I mentioned recently that being a Redskin fan can sometimes be hard work?  It really can.  (No, this post isn't about RG3's concussion.  I just can't face that drama right now, so I'm going to pretend the issue isn't looming over all of us like a ton of bricks just waiting to wreck our season.  I prefer to stick my head in the sand and pray that the recently-tightened NFL concussion rules will bring Griffin back ASAP.  Emphasis on the S - SOON!)

In any event, back to things being hard for us Skins fans.  Especially when you live in an area that is sort of muddled, fan-wise, like I do.  Yesterday, I faced one of those situations that had me thanking my lucky stars my DVR had been pre-set.

I took my kids to a party in Baltimore, fully expecting the Raven's game to be on the main TV and the majority of the guests watching the game.  Fine, no sweat.  I can manage, right?  I'll just slip down to the basement, where the "other" TV is, and join the group of dudes gathering down there to watch what I assume will be the Redskins game. 

Guess what?  It wasn't the Skins game they were watching.  It was the Eagles/Steelers game.

Crap. 

So, I had a couple of choices.  Stay in the basement and pretend to care about the Pennsylvania bowl.  Head back upstairs to the main level where the Ravens are involved in a very boring defensive game against the hapless but feisty Chiefs.  Race to my car and try to grab the occasional update from Sonny and Sam's broadcast.  Or just give up and wait until I got home to watch the game on DVR.

I was so distracted and annoyed by those dudes in the basement I wanted to scream.  I mean, the Ravens thing I understood.  But who put the Eagles' fans in charge of the other TV?  Why did THEY get to decide to hog the downstairs TV like they owned the damn thing, when there were clearly at least one or two Redskins fans who wanted to see the game? 

I am happy to report I managed to control myself and stay calm.  I didn't get obnoxious with the downstairs guys.  Nope, I even tried to cheer them up (sort-of) when Vick kept fumbling the ball, time and time again.  I was polite.  Affable.  Not even a HINT of rudeness.

I suppose I could have asked to change the channel, but I'm not sure I would have been very effective or convincing.  Trying to get a bunch of dudes watching football to take a woman like me seriously can be diffcult indeed.  And with Eagles fans, well, it could have been downright dangerous.

So, I suffered in semi-silence, made my excuses, and headed home in time to catch Redskins Postgame Live.

Next time, I'll know to stake my claim a little earlier!

One of the best parts about having a blog is being able to share what's on my mind.  And what's on my mind today is friendship.  Specifically, the very important matter of girlfriends.  Besties.  Gal pals.  Guys, you can probably skip this post...it's really just for chicks.

Anyway, I got to thinking about my own girl friendships, and how much I value them.  How much I dearly love my girlfriends.  Old and new.  The old ones I've had since the fourth grade, and the more recent moms I've become friends with from my DAUGHTER'S fourth grade.  The friends who make me laugh.  The friends who support me.  The friends I go shopping with.  The friends who love my kids.  The ones who listen, and laugh, and love.

Girlfriends.

What do they have to do with football, you may ask? 

Well, I started thinking about how much my "team" of girlfriends are somewhat similar to my favorite (Redskin) football team.  How critical each part of the team can be to the whole.  And how you really need all the different parts of the team to make it function as a unit.

My girlfriends are just like that. 

I've got my offensive line friends -- the ones who will go to the mat for me, for my kids, for my family.  Through thick and thin.  No matter what.  These girls call me, check in on me, make plans to hang out, and are always there.  And vice versa...I do the same for them.

I've got the defensive line girls.  These chicks are in my corner all the time.  Mess with me and you'll have to deal with them.  'Nuff said.  I've got your back, girls, and I'm thankful you have mine.

My special teamers are the fab specialty friends.  We do cool stuff together, these girls and I.  They're my concert-going friends, the movie night and book club chicks, my awesome new bible study friends.  They are all special in different ways, just like the kick returners and long snappers for the Skins, and can always be counted on for fun, for sharing, and lots of good times.

I've got my quarterback "best friends".  My wide receiver divas who can be flashy, but in a GOOD way.  My halfback dependables.  My running back go-to girls.  My reliable tight ends.

If you are fortunate to have a team of girls like I am, consider yourself lucky.  Remember to be grateful for your team.  Celebrate your team.  Be a team player back.  And don't ever, ever take your team for granted.

Hail to my girlfriends!

When was the last time you felt good about a situation that didn't look good?  I know, it seems like a strange question to ask.  But humor me.

It's first and ten on the Redskins 1-yard line with about a minute and a half left in the game.  Down by a touchdown, the Skins have to march down almost the entire field in order to tie the score and put the game into overtime...or go for two and win the game outright (which would normally be so far out of the realm of possibility it wouldn't even be worth mentioning!)

Impossible.  Skins have been in this position countless times over the past, what, 20 years, right?  No way to overcome the odds.  No way to get a first down, much less imagine tying the game.  And winning it?   Well, forget it.  Too hard.  No way.  Not gonna happen. 

How have these scenarios played out over the past multitude of miserable seasons?  You know how.  The Skins go 3-and-out.  Shank a punt.  The opponent gets the ball on their own 40, score a touchdown, and we lose by 14. 

Or, we manage to eke out a first down -- by hook or by crook -- and call a timeout when we don't actually HAVE a timeout.  Throw a challenge flag when we don't have one to throw.  Misjudge the leg of our kicker and miss a field goal.  Fumble a snap and don't manage to kick the field goal at all.

Any number of disasters could befall us.  And they have.  Over and over again.  Year after miserable year.

Except this year, we've got RG3.  And the impossible suddenly doesn't look so impossible anymore.

RG3.  He's in complete control.  He lines up under center on his own 1 yard line and starts moving the offense down the field.  Quickly.  No huddle, no stress, no fear.  No confusion.  He just gets our team moving and off they go.

OK, so we didn't actually score the touchdown.  There WAS some confusion, a false start penalty on what looked to be a go-route into the end zone, and some bizarre unsportsman-like conduct flag that I STILL don't understand.

But so what?  Didn't you feel, for the first time maybe ever, that with RG3 in charge, that winning the game was totally possible?  Maybe even probable? 

I did.  Three games into the season, this team is in a totally different situation than they've been in a long, long time.  We have a captain at the helm who can beat the odds.  With his arm.  With his feet.  With his smarts.  His calm.  His leadership.

So, don't be discouraged about yesterday's loss.  I know, I know, the defense is a mess.  Special teams ain't looking so special right now.  But with RG3, remember, ALL things are possible!

What a debacle!  Yesterday's slate of NFL games were some of the worst I've ever witnessed. Fights between players.  Missed calls.  Non-calls that SHOULD have been calls.  Flags thrown, then picked up.  Beanbags thrown because a ref couldn't FIND a flag in his own pocket.  Interminable wait times between plays.  Frustrated players, fans, coaches and TV broadcasters.  It was, as Chris Ryan put it on the FOX Redskin broadcast I was watching, "A mess.".

I concur.

I'm wondering what Roger Goodell's endgame is here.  Is it to prove a point?  What point?  That the replacement refs can change the outcome of a game?  I would hope not, but it's too late for that.  Seems they've already burned that bridge.  Just ask Baltimore, or DC, or any number of other teams yesterday who found themselves in totally unacceptable situations that turned the course of their games.

Why is he keeping these unskilled, untrained, in-over-their-heads replacement refs -- whom I'm sure are all very nice people but who are CLEARLY not ready for the bright lights of the NFL season -- in these games?

What is it going to take for Goodell and the NFL to relent and pay our real refs what they deserve so we can move on from this disaster before any more damage is done?  OK, it's a typical labor/management stand-off, and I do understand the logistics of negotiations.  Going through a pretty ugly one myself right now, and I know all about waiting for the other guy to blink first.

But in this case, it's not going to be about who blinks first.  I'm fearful it's actually going to be who breaks a LEG first, or worse, sustains a horrible injury, before things turn around.

It's unsafe to have these replacement referees out there officiating these games when they clearly can't protect the players.  We are a tragic injury away from things getting totally out of hand.  And when they do, Goodell is going to have a really serious problem on his hands.

And then it won't matter who blinks.

Yup, it's time!  With training camp and all its sweaty fun behind us, tonight is the night.  The night we all come back to life as die-hard football fans.  The night we can all breathe a sigh of relief, knowing the interminable wait is finally over.  The night we welcome Al Michaels and my all-time secret crush Jon Gruden back into our living rooms for the season. 

We're back, baby.  We're back.  Sigh of relief. Football is BACK.

What else can I say?  Even with two of my least-favorite teams playing tonight (God, I hate the Cowboys!), I can't wait! Can't wait for the best song EVER sung by a long-haired hippie redneck country star to put me in the mood.  Yes, my friends, I AM ready for some football.

I'm ready for major football.  I'm ready for 24-7 football.  I'm ready for good football, bad football, and semi-crappy football.  I'm ready for fantasy football.  Foorball pools.  Football jersey Fridays at my kids' school.  Football arguments in the bank line.   Those awesome football balloons in the grocery store.  Even those dumb football cupcakes they sometimes sell (often in Ravens purple, much to my dismay) here in my town.

We've endured another long off-season.  Another draft.  Another set of mini-camps, training camps, cut-down days, and that awful fourth pre-season game even I don't ever watch.

So, now it's time.  We've been patient, and it's paid off.  We deserve it, so enjoy.  And get ready for another great season of the best game ever played.

It's not fair.  Watching the highlights from Redskin Park this week, it feels like the Skins are actually in camp, doesn't it?  The helmets.  The jerseys.  The perfect spiral passes RG3 is lobbing at his receiving corps.  The water boys...OK, NOT the water boys, but you get my drift.  It's hopping over at the Park these days, isn't it?

But it's all an illusion, folks.  A smoke screen.  The Skins aren't REALLY in training camp, at least not yet.  But all of that footage from the Park can definitely be misleading, that's for sure.  If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck, right?

Nope, not a duck.  Just minicamp & those pesky "voluntary workouts" they say aren't mandatory but we all know otherwise -- there's nothing voluntary about them, at least not this year.  Thankfully for our team, it looks like we've got full compliance from most, if not all of our guys in terms of particpation.  The guys seem ready and willing to get out there and compete.  Eager to see what RG3 can do when given the ball, an offensive playbook, and some room to run.  Ready to put last year's disaster behind them and redeem themselves.

Well, they're not the only ones!  I personally am counting the days until training camp opens, just like always.  Except the minicamp footage that usually looks so dismal and uninspiring is looking anything BUT this year.  It looks like the real deal.  The big kahuna.  Training camp at its best.

But alas, it's still not time yet.  Soon.  Very soon.  But not yet.  We need to hang on just a little bit longer.  Endure a few more weeks of those practices-before-the-practices.  We're almost at the end now.  The end of the longest season of the year...the season without football.  We're close.

So take a page from my playbook.  Try to keep busy just a little while longer..  Focus on things outside of football if at all possible.  Go for a run.  Swim at the beach.  Take a vacation.  Because come the end of July, we'll be playing for keeps, folks.  And so will our Skins.

Yes, it's really me! Redskins Gamegirl, at your service and back in action. No, I didn't fall into a pit of despair during last year's miserable season, although it WAS a pretty tough slog there, wasn't it? Actually, my absence was part Redskins fatigue, part personal drama, but suffice it to say, I'm not sure we really missed all that much by not chronicling the hideous ins-and-outs of last year's season/debacle. Best to just forget it and move on, shall we?

I must say, I'm using that mantra in many parts of my life right now, and it's working out quite well...just move the carcass out of the road and keep going. So I'm applying the technique to our Redskins, too. Turn the page and don't look back. In with the new and out with the old. Good riddance. Don't let the door hit you on the you-know-what. We're moving forward, no holds-barred.

And so, with all of that misery behind us, it's almost time. Yup, we're finally, FINALLY, going to draft ourselves a quarterback tomorrow night, and honestly, I couldn't be more excited! RG3 certainly looks and sounds like the real deal, doesn't he? He is charsimatic, personable, charming, and hell, can this guy run. He's Michael Vick without the baggage (hopefully). He's one-part athlete, one-part charming front man, one-part Redskins savior. A lot to put on one guy's shoulders, but I'm betting he can take the pressure. Did you hear his interview with local beat reporter Chris Russell today? The dude is slick, but heartfelt. He is -- I think -- the real deal. At least so far. As the song says, only time will tell. But hey, it sure will make the rest of the off-season and training camp more fun than usual. And for me, that's saying somehing, cause you KNOW how much I love me some training camp. But I digress.

Tomorrow night promises to be the beginning of the next phase in Redskins history. Maybe we'll finally have a franchise quarterback to lead our team to victory. It certainly can't get much worse than what we had to endure last year, right? I mean, seriously. I nearly had heart failure every time Rex Grossman had the ball in his hands. And I'm not even going to TALK about John Beck. Enough said.

So, here we go, Skins fans. It's time. Time for new beginnings and fresh starts. Time for high expectations and lots of hope. Maybe even time to invest in a new jersey, RG3-style. I might really be all in this time.

So, at 8:00pm tomorrow night, I'll be on my couch, waiting with baited breath for the best words of 2012 thus far:

"With the 2nd pick in the 2012 NFL draft, the Washington Redskins select...Robert Griffin, III. Quarterback, Baylor University".   Amen.