Back to FedEx or Johnny Rockets??

Returning back to FedEx for last Saturday's game against the Steelers was good. Good to be back hanging in the parking lot and getting into the stadium. Got to see first hand the Danny's modifications to the stadium for this season including multiple Johnny Rockets on the lower level concourse. The workers were even wearing the paper hats as well. First thing that actually caught my eye was the new Budweiser bottles being sold that are blue for Bud Light and red for good old Budweiser and include the Redskins 75th anniversary logo on the bottle (what a collectors item), but with all good things the Danny always does us bad.... this time he jacked the price of a beer up to $8.00 for a bottle - at least I kept it for a souvenir.

As for the game, too many Steeler fans were around or as I was calling them "dirty cole miners". Knowing this was just pre-season I knew what to expect and I am just thankful the Skins were winning most of the game so I did not have to see those stupid yellow pieces of toilet paper the Steelers fans are always waiving around. I am looking forward to the 1st regular game knowing there might be about 10 Dolphins fans in attendance and they won't be waiving TP just some tissues after the Skins "D" is done with them.



We caught a huge break with Campbell's knee only being bruised (Jesus is a Redskins fan!!), that could have ruined the entire season but that is what happens when you have a non-drafted Rookie guarding your QB's backside; so hurry back Chris. Nice to see that B. Lloyd actually does catch passes in the endzone like he was supposed to be doing all last year.

What about Derrick Frost? Punting his guts out on the field as Coach Joe would say. Maybe the team was "super smart" not bringing another punter into camp?

As for Lemar Marshall being cut today, no surprise after watching him closely miss tackles against 2nd-3rd stringers against the Steelers. I think we should have held onto him until the final cuts in case of injury since he can play all of the LB spots even if he can't tackle. I guess we will see how this goes. Speaking of non-tacklers, maybe Jesse Armstead could always come back with his gold cleats. Actually he, Lavar, and now Trotter are all available so can someone please disconnect Cerreto's phone so he won't sign them up again.

Hope to see no additional injuries in the Ravens game this weekend. Probably without Campbell, Samuels, and Portis again not much offense but expect another good half of play from the "D".

REDSKINS WIN REDSKINS WIN REDSKINS WIN!!!

Ok everybody call up your local Greyhound and get those bus tickets to Arizona. Skins are headed to the show!! Seriously, a win will be good for the team and I really don't think it was as bad as it looked tonight. I knew going in today without Portis, Samuels, and Lloyd the offense would not do anything. It was still good to see Campbell make some good throws and at least attempt to throw to the right receiver. As for the "D" I was expecting good things which I saw. Fletcher looked great and so did Mcintosh!

My highlights of the game were the Skins kickers with Suisman already looking in mid-season form nailing the goal post on his field goal attempt. But he did actually kick-one through the end-zone, when was the last time you saw a Skins kicker do that? He also did kick one out of bounds... As for Frosty he almost broke his neck getting down field on that one tackle, but made a good play.

What's the deal with Snyder leaving with one minute before the big TD by the "D"? I am sure he was rushing to the chopper, very classy. He should be Boooed for that one.

Forget the 0-20, we got one "W" tonight.

Enjoy a fresh "AL-Aide" tonight with the victory!

Camp Time!

We are looking forward to camp starting Friday for the Skins. Per the coaches this camp should be a lot harder in the past so hopefully we will see better results from the start. Most importantly hopefully Gibbs can get across the press stage without falling for his first official press conference like last season (we should have known with his stumble we were doomed). Then of course who could forget the first offensive drive during last years pre-season. A great catch by B-Lloyd across the middle to keep the drive going and then possibly the play of the season - Brunell throwing a terrible pick and Portis chasing the Bengal down for a take down tackle which took Portis's shoulder out for the year. I guess the only question I have is how many carries will Portis get in the pre-season or will Gibbs even dress him? Thinking about this you don't want to get Ladell too many carries or injured in these worthless games. We might need several backs just to get through the pre-season.

The good news is everyone is healthy and is scheduled to practice as normal the first day of camp! Many players lost some weight in the off-season including Sean Taylor who is most likely trying to get into the feather weight boxing division, and most noticeable Jon Jansen. I hear they removed fat from Jansen's face to help repair his reoccurring thumb problems. I guess we will see if he can get through the first week of practice without another break.

I think we still should be very concerned with the D-Line. No changes as of yet from last year. I did hear that Tank Johnson was present at Chris Samuels B-Day Luau party last week. Not sure if this was a recruiting visit or if he was offering his firearm/ammo security for the party. Without any changes I could see this being a huge problem even with a great secondary. Marcus Washingon even on roids(??) or too much "water" can't get to the QB from the end.

With pre-season games just around the corner and the regular season games a coming we have been prepping all of the gear including my Skins golf shirts to be worn each Friday at work for the next five months. Even better news I hear the tickets are in transit via FedEx. It's like Christmas in July waiting to see what type of design will be on the tickets for each game. I just hope Tony Stewart does not spin out the Fedex man a la Daytona this year and the tickets arrive safely!

Just remember Uncle Al likes the pre-season game plans to be very "vanilla". He will save all 700 pages of that playbook for week 1 against the Dolphins!

Another Great Purchase

Yes it has been quiet for a bit but we finally have some news to talk about from this past week. So here we go...

As if the Danny can ever take a vacation? So this week he makes another big purchase and picks up Dick Clark Productions which includes American Bandstand, Golden Globe Awards and, yes, Dick Clark's Rocking New Years Eve. I can see it now for the 2008 celebration "Danny's Rocking Redskins New Years Eve"! Move over Dick and Ryan Seacrest the show will now be hosted by Larry Michael on Redskins TV and heard on the Triple X Radio stations across the DC area (hopefully it will be clear that night so we can get more then static). I am sure the Danny will be present for the big countdown which will move away from NY City and into Landover Maryland. The Waterford glass ball will drop onto FedEx field at Midnight with the Redskins Marching Band playing for the big moment. Cerratto will be in charge of booking the rest of the music talent so don't get too excited since everything he picks STINKS. As for Coach Joe I can see him showing up in a puff of smoke on the stage at 11:59 pm ready to press the button to get the ball moving almost like Muhammad Ali lighting the torch at the Atlanta Olympics in '96. So now that this is a done deal make sure to hurry and book those hotels in Landover Maryland for the big New Years Event.

Enough with the positive press for the Danny this week. Danny did have a bad day on Thursday with the Six Flags Amusement Park accident. I am sure the Danny has already got his people taking care of this and is ready to have everyone sign waivers when they enter his amusement parks going forward. I just hope they don't require these waivers at Skins games next season as we have all had some type of injuries over the years at the FedEx compound.

And then there was Lavar and his little bike accident this week; at least he had a helmet on. I can't believe he actually was able to find one that fit his fat head? I guess he needed to hide his mug since he did not even have a bike license. Last time I heard of Lavar he was on a little "Granny" scooter pulled up in front of Congress with a bum achilles talking about his half-ass agent. I guess with the injuries from the accident Lavar will probably have to get that battery charged up on his scooter to get around for a while. What a bust and it's sad to say he was the face of the Skins franchise for all but one of his years. Looking back at it now know wonder we stunk.

As for my last report about Dale Jr and Gibbs racing well I guess I was wrong. From what I am hearing Gibbs might switch from Chevy to Toyota next year which would have caused Jr to lose interest in Gibbs racing. We are headed to the Charlotte NC area this week to tour Nascar Race shops including of course Joe Gibbs racing. Supposedly his Hall of Fame Blazer is their with his Superbowl rings and some other Skins stuff. Hope to have some good stories from the trip so stay tuned.

Only 78 days till the 1st regular game of the season but who is counting??

Having a bad day? THIS WILL CHEER YOU UP!

Junior, Gibbs Racing, Snyder, Coach Joe, #3

So early last week I hear on the radio that there was a "top secret" meeting at Snyder's home with Dale Jr. and Gibbs flying over to the Snyder residence via copter to talk about the big free agent Jr. I guess Snyder and Cerrato played this NFL offseason a little cool, calm, and collected so when they heard about this big opportunity and heard the words "free agency" even in NASCAR they had to jump right in and get the copter gassed up to help Coach Joe out. So I begin to wonder why Snyder would be helping Gibbs racing unless maybe Snyder is thinking about starting his own race team with Gibbs help or maybe even partnering with Gibbs, similar to the Roush/Fenway merger this year. I decide to post a message on the Skins message board to see what others have heard and these are some of the better responses I got.

Originally Posted by 2skins (my post)
I heard on the EITM show this morning a few people calling saying they heard that Coach Joe and Jr flew in on the Danny's copter to Danny's house for a meeting. Could we being seeing a Redskins sponsored car in NASCAR with Jr driving for Gibbs? Or do you think it's possible the The Danny could start his own race team?

"Unless earnhardt can play defensive line then i dont give a crap".

"seriously, i think maybe jr is up for a role in a snyder-tomcat movie about a former racecar driver working at one of dannys themeparks".

DH + TS + JR = IONTOP's NASCAR heaven...

"It'd be awful hard to root "against" a burgundy and gold, Skins-logo-emblazoned car, owned by Joe Gibbs and driven by the biggest Skins fan in the sport".

So today I hear on the radio that somebody spotted Chris Cooley in Charlotte at the All-Star race on Saturday night. The word was he was there to help recruit Jr to sign on to JGR. I think to myself that the Skins Beach Blitz event was happening the entire weekend in VA Beach and Cooley was slated to attend. Another fan later calls the show and says that Cooley was definitely MIA from the blitz after Friday. I later found a post with someone stating that Cooley had told them that he had to leave the blitz early to go to Charlotte to do something for Coach Gibbs????

I am just wondering if Cooley brought with him the Superbowl trophies so Dale Jr. could take a picture with them on pit road or maybe they will hold that for the press conference announcing that Jr signed with JGR. Maybe even Snyder arranged Darrell Green and Art Monk to pay a visit to the late great Dale Earnhardt to help in the recruiting process since Sr was a big Redskins fan and that is how Jr jumped on the bandwagon as well. I bet part of the contract that Snyder has proposed or worked out for Gibbs is that the Late Great Earnhardt and Jr are both immediately inducted into the Redskins Ring of Honor at FedEx.

Who looks like the bigger loser here Gibbs, Snyder, Cooley, or even Jr himself? Snyder's first thought, as always when recruiting a big free agent, is to set up a meeting with the Redskins Salary Cap Specialist. In this case he was quickly reminded that the best thing about NASCAR is there is NO salary cap. Just imagine the marketing capabilities that Snyder could throw on that car??? Six Flags, Red Zebra, Danny Rockets, Red Zone, Redskins, or even better I am waiting for the Daytona 500 paint scheme of the Danny himself on the hood of the car with DAN SNYDER written all over it.

So if it is true that Snyder does help Gibbs land Jr or gets part of the team, I hear there are already plans to build a short track around the inside of FedEx field to have a parade of Danny's cars at half-time and possibly a NASCAR race in the NFL offseason. Snyder might have a problem luring in NASCAR since he will not allow fans to bring in their own concessions. I know Jeff Gordon would like this though, he would not have to dodge as many bottles and cans during his victory lap should he win. What's next for the Danny, joining the WWE? He can take Donald Trump's spot in the next Wrestlemania.

My prediction is that Jr will definitely sign on with JGR / or a new "Snyder" team. We all know once the Danny wants something he gets it. I just hope for JGR's sake we don't get another Archuleta in Dale Jr. I am not sold yet, but I guess I might have to actually cheer for Jr a bit now if this all happens. Stay tuned....

Guest Blogger - The Optimistic Cousin Ted

I have recently viewed Matt's predictions for 2007. 11-5? Two Questions - What are you smoking? And can I get some?

First, they will lose twice to Dallas, as usual and once each to Philly and the Giants, that's 4 losses.

Next is Dan "The Idiot" Snyder. He'll manage to overpay for some stiff who will piss off everyone in the locker room and destroy chemistry. That's good for 4 losses.

Then we've got "Norv" Saunders. Despite playing a team with the worst rushing defense in the league (remember indy last year?) he'll call 85 passes and 4 runs. 4 more losses.

Don't forget about the defense - The safeties can't cover past 10 yards, 1 loss, the corners will all get injured - 1 loss, the linebackers can't tackle - 1 loss, and the lineman can't rush the passer - 1 loss. That's 4 more losses.

Oh - I almost forgot the special teams. The punter is horrible, giving up an extra 10 yards to the opposition each punt. The kicker does the same on kickoffs. Plus he'll get hurt two games in. The coverage teams allow at least 3 td returns a year. All this adds up to another 4 losses.

Okay - where does that leave us? 4 in the division, 4 for the owner, 4 for "Norv" Saunders, 4 for the Defense, and 4 for the special teams. Looks like we're due for 0-20. I guess we'll have to include the preseason.

11-5 Very Good

Open up that best bottle of Ballatore the Skins are going to the playoffs this season! That's right Jim Mora, I said playoffs. By going 11-5 this season, which is my prediction, the Skins will be in the playoffs. Now we can all ponder for the next 151 days until the action begins. Looking at the games seriously this is how we get to the 11-5 (being modest of course).

9/9 vs Dolphins-"W"
With a new coach and Cul-pooper at the helm how could we lose?

9/17 @ Eagles-"L"
Tough Monday Night division game, Eagles still suck.

9/23 vs Giants- "W"
No Tiki-Time in NY, Skins learn to tackle, and win big!

10/7 vs Lions- "W"
Lions have not won in DC since like 1937.

10/14 @ Packers-"W"
Taylor takes out Favre ends streak. Favre cries goodbye again.

10/21 vs Cardinals-"W"
No Denny Green, but the Cardinals still crown the Redskins asses.

10/28 @ Patriots-"L"
This one hurts but I have to be honest. Skins now 5-2

11/4 @ Jets-"W"
Big rebound game, Skins take one on the road!

11/11 vs Eagles-"W"
Skins fans throw more beer on Eagles fan. Skins win.

11/18 @ Cowboys-"L"
Skins flush one down the toilet

11/25 @ Buccaneers-"W"
Skins win again in Tampa and sink the pirate ship.

12/2 vs. Bills-"W"
Skins win after coming home from two road games.

12/6 vs. Bears-"L"
Short week and a tough home loss.

12/16 @ Giants-"L"
Defense forgets to tackle again in NY.

12/23 @ Vikings-"W"
Payback for the embarrassing lost last year.

12/30 vs. Cowboys-"W"
FedEx home crowd, last game, nothing stopping us!

I am sure Uncle Al has already got the game plan in for the first six games. I just hope another member of the coaching staff actually takes a look at his plans before the year starts. My memo to Uncle Al is - Run the damn ball before week 9 or 10 this year. And speaking of game plans I received the following email from Joe Gibbs' ministries today, kind of weird for his 1st "game plan" of the bible coming out on the day the schedule is set. I guess Gibbs has got the bible covered, Uncle Al has covered the on-field prep, and I have now set the expectations.



From - joegibbsonline.com

"Dear Matt Stnons,

We hope you're having a great week! The first off-season Game Plan, "The Bible, God's Inspired Word," is now available. You can access the Game Plan by clicking on the links below.

Study 1: The Bible, the Inspired Word of God – Week of April 12, 2007 - Video
Study 1: The Bible, the Inspired Word of God – Week of April 12, 2007 - Audio
Study 1: The Bible, the Inspired Word of God – Week of April 12, 2007 - Hard Copy

God Bless,
- The Joe Gibbs Online Team