The MDB Mania- 11/24/10

Hey all- at least this week I'm in a little better sports mood then a week ago lol. The Redskins pulled out through another close victory, but it so beats getting blown out at home. Them losing Clinton Portis for the season is going to hurt though, especially with protection for McNabb when the offensive line has been playing shaky the last couple games. They've got big games coming up the rest of the season and if they can pull out like 4 or 5 of the 6 games, then they have a shot of making it in the playoffs but they'll have to play strong and hope other teams like Philly,Giants,Bucs,Bears,etc. fall off and struggle

I'm sorry but I can't get into the whole Michael Vick love. I know he's changed his ways & has made strides to be a good person, but I still can't forget about what he did to the dogs a few years ago, and think its a matter of time before he starts getting figured out by other defenses and starts to struggle, and knowing how the Philly sports fans tend to whine, I'm just waiting for something to happen where they'll cry about being cursed again while they throw batteries at Vick or any Eagles lol

If you'd ask me today who I predict who'll play in the Super Bowl(barring what happens tomorrow), I can see it end up being the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints. I think both teams are starting to get in a late season groove and can see a matchup of Brady Vs. Brees which I'd enjoy!

Something NBA related, I was watching the 4th quarter of the 76ers/Washington Wizards game last night & have been impressed by the young #1 pick of the Wiz, John Wall, out of Kentucky. This kid can ball and he's been proving it the first couple weeks. I don't see the Wizards being great this season, but I can see in 2-3 years time with them becoming a decent team in the NBA. More then anything...please change the name back to what I grew up on- The Washington Bullets! Hey it could happen, now that Ted Leonsis runs the team and I've noticed a few times being at the Verizon Center lately that they repainted the stairways there red and blue....coincidence? ;)

Here's my NFL picks for this week along with my gal friend Terri's picks & thoughts herself:

Thanksgiving Day:

New England Patriots(8-2) at Detroit Lions(2-8) -CBS 12:30pm

Mark's pick: Patriots
Mark's opinion: Not much to say about this one. If Matthew Stafford was playing, it'd be closer but NE just overmatches Detroit in talent


Terri's pick: Patriots
Terri's opinion: I am feeling very "Patriotic" this Thanksgiving...I am going with New England on this one!

New Orleans Saints(7-3) at Dallas Cowboys(3-7) -FOX 4:30pm

Mark's pick: Saints
Mark's opinion: I'm really just rooting for the Saints since my Fantasy QB Brees is playing and loathe the Cowboys lol

Terri's pick: Saints
Terri's opinion: Oh when the Saints...go marchin' in....oh when the Saints go marchin' in! :)

Cincinatti Bengals (2-8) at New York Jets(8-2) -Thursday Night Football on NFL Network)

Mark's pick: Jets
Mark's opinion: Not much to say about this one, but the Bengals could make this one surprisingly close too...figured since the Bengals are playing the Jets on Thanksgiving tomorrow night that I'd share this video I did from late February that included Chad Ocho Cinco(Bengals) & Darrelle Revis(Jets)



Terri's pick: Jets
Terri's opinion: I'm leavin' on a "Jets" plane...don't know when I'll be back again! :) Jets


Sunday 11/29

Minnesota Vikings(3-7) at Washington Redskins(5-5)- FOX 1pm

Mark's pick: Vikings
Mark's opinion: Not much I can say other then I hope the Skins can pull it out

Terri's pick: Redskins
Terri's opinion: Wishy washy on this one but I am going to say the Skins...Vikings should have fallen apart at this point.

Green Bay Packers(7-3) at Atlanta Falcons(8-2)- FOX 1pm

Mark's pick: Falcons
Mark's opinion: I find this matchup to be one of the top 3 hardest games to pick this week, but since its in Atlanta and Matty Ice is really good at home, I'm going with the Birds

Terri's pick: Falcons
Terri's opinion: My old address...ATL!

Jacksonville Jaguars(6-4) at New York Giants(6-4)- CBS 1pm

Mark's pick: Jaguars
Mark's opinion: I'm sensing another Giants late season collaspe...and the Jags are getting on a streak lately

Terri's pick: Giants
Terri's opinion: Giants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kansas City Chiefs(6-4) at Seattle Seahawks(5-5)- CBS 4pm

Mark's pick: Seahawks
Mark's opinion: Seattle is a good home team this year when Hasselbeck plays and as much as I'd like seeing KC win and think the Seahawks are boring, I think SEA will win this one

Terri's pick: Chiefs
Terri's opinion: I think the Chiefs are going to go all the way for some reason! Go Chiefs!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers(7-3) at Baltimore Ravens(7-3)- FOX 4pm

Mark's pick: Ravens
Mark's opinion: Another one of my top 3 games thats hard to pick, but I'm going with Baltimore in a close one

Terri's pick: Ravens
Terri's opinion: Baltimore...geez, I am not being faithful to the Florida teams...maybe that's because I can't stand the heat and humidity anymore! :D

Philadelphia Eagles(7-3) at Chicago Bears(7-3)- FOX 4:15pm

Mark's pick: Bears
Mark's opinion: Its a matter of time before Vick has an average game

Terri's pick: Eagles
Terri's opinion: Eagles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

San Diego Chargers at Indianpolis Colts(6-4)- NBC 8:20pm

Mark's pick: Colts
Mark's opinion: The Chargers are starting to get hot, but I think Peyton will cool them down this week

Terri's pick: Colts
Terri's opinion: Go Colts!!!

Hope everyone has a Happy Turducken Day and enjoy all the food and foodball....er football you can handle! :D

The MDB Mania- 11/17/10

Hey.....yeah there's much else I can saw about that Monday Night game other then how much of an embarassment that was. Normally I don't post sports talk radio stuff on here, but Chad Dukes of 106.7 The Fan here in DC is right on the money with his 12 minute long rant that shares the thoughts of all the diehard Redskins fans here who've had to put up with a Daniel Snyder ran franchise the last 10+ years...It's worth a listen. I miss having Jack Kent Cooke for an owner :( This rant is the best one I've heard in a long time because its so true...some of these pics used in the vid did make me laugh though I'll admit lol



http://1067thefandc.cbslocal.com/2010/11/16/chad-dukes-rant-on-the-redskins-59-28-loss/

Here's my picks for week 11 of the NFL picks:

Chicago Bears(6-3) at Miami Dolphins(5-4) -Thursday Night Football on NFL Network
My pick: Bears
My opinion: I think with the Dolphins losing Chad Henne & Pennington that its going to hurt them the rest of this season, & the Bears will pull it out

Oakland Raiders(5-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers(6-3)) -CBS 1pm
My pick: Raiders
My opinion: This is a pick I hope I'll get wrong but I read that the Steelers released Kicker Jeff Reed and signed up Shaun Suisham?! From experience, here comes some missed FGs ahead for the Steelers

Seattle Seahawks(5-4) at New Orleans Saints(6-3)- FOX 4:05pm
My pick: Saints
My opinion: Saints are coming off a bye week and I see them being motivated to finish the season strong

Indianapolis Colts(6-3) at New England Patriots(7-2)- CBS 4:15pm
My pick: Patriots
My opinion: I think NE got their mojo back last week and will carry it on


New York Giants(6-3) at Philadelphia Eagles(6-3)- Sunday Night Football on NBC
My pick: Eagles
My opinion: Yeah I'm not a fan of their fanbase, but the Eagles are playing strong and the Giants I don't think are as good as their record is

Mark

The MDB Mania- 11/10/10

Hey guys & gals

Welcome welcome to this week's edition of the MDB Mania

I recommend you guys checking out Fred's post underneath this column called "Can We Save Football?". He made alot of valid posts, so go check it out!

Yep its that time of the year- getting closer and closer to holiday shopping. Unlike years past- I've already started my shopping! Usually I'd wait until mid December to start, but NOPE not this time! It's good to get gifts earlier so that way all the money you spend on items, you'll be able to get all of that money back working at your job before Xmas time

Onto the sports field, or I guess for now just football since basketball and hockey are early in their seasons. Looking at the standings, there's a 5 team tie for the best record in the NFL with 6-2. Those teams are the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. To be honest, a few weeks ago I thought the Giants were a pretender- but lately they've been picking up their game so for now I have to say that they are one of the teams to beat in the NFC, but that could always change. I think it comes down to the Ravens and Steelers in the AFC. I still think the Steelers will be the team to beat. I mean, yeah they lost to the Ravens earlier in the season but don't forget that they were 35 seconds away from beating the Ravens with CHARLIE BATCH in that game as their QB. Even though the Jets and Patriots have struggled a little in their last 1-2 games, they'll be down to the wire too. I wouldn't sleep on the Atlanta Falcons, as long as they play at home since they are a very good home team but weak road team

Pretty much a must win game this Monday night for the Skins Vs the Eagles! Hopefully with them coming off a bye week, they've had time to heal up any injuries & be able to focus away from the drama of McNabb being benched 2 weeks ago and move on from that. It's gonna be interesting to see how their matchup with Philly goes this time since the Redskins were the team who injured Mike Vick and beat them. With it being a Monday night game, it'll be on the big national stage- and hey the Skins aren't playing a mediocre team this time....so they have a better shot then playing vs the Lions & Rams sadly! lol. At least they play tough teams the rest of the season so maybe they will get their gear together and play more like a contender then a on again off again pretender

I'll get into the whole off the field problems with some NFL players these days. Ben Roethsliberger & Brett Favre, 2 QBs that I've always liked but in the last year have lost respect for. You guys know better then to do what you've done in a bar & through text messages. Lets hope these dudes know to play it safe for now on, I mean seriously! lol

You might of noticed that the blog went through a bit of a makeover since last week. I wanted to change the look of it and make it more professional looking and easier to navigate and read text on. I've heard good feedback on it so glad its a welcomed changed :) I also put our season standings & picks of the week on the right side of the page if you wanna check them out and follow them throughout the rest of the NFL season on here!

I'll give you my picks for the 4 selected games this week, & also from my bud Terri(picture below) with her picks and her thoughts:



Baltimore Ravens(6-2) at Atlanta Falcons(6-2) -Thursday Night Football on NFL Network)

Mark's pick: Falcons
Mark's opinion: This is gonna be a hard one to pick since they both share the same record, but Atlanta is a good home team and only has lost 1 game at home since Matt Ryan has been their QB. I think this game is going to go down to field goal kicking since each defense will make stops to cause alot of FGs


Terri's pick: Falcons
Terri's opinion: Hmmmm...which bird do I want??? Going with my old hometown of ATL on this one!

Minnesota Vikings(3-5) at Chicago Bears(5-3) -FOX 1pm

Mark's pick: Bears
Mark's opinion: Originally I was going to go with the Vikes, but I think all the distraction about the players hating their head coach Brad Childress is going to take a toll on the team & the Bears will take advantage of that, even with Jay Cutler's addiction to Interceptionitis lol

Terri's pick: Bears
Terri's opinion: Da Bears! Still mad at my old favorite Brett Favre!!!

New England Patriots(6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers(6-2) -Sunday Night Football on NBC)

Mark's pick:
Mark's opinion: This is gonna be a challenge for both teams, but I think the Steelers have the momentum & are going to pull it off in a close one

Terri's pick: Steelers

Philadelphia Eagles(5-3) at Washington Redskins(4-4) -Monday Night Football on ESPN)

Mark's pick: Redskins
Mark's opinion: Yeah I know its a homer pick lol, but I'm nervous about this game since I know the Eagles and Vick are dangerous. For some reason, I get a vibe that the Skins are gonna control the tempo

Terri's pick: Eagles
Terri's opinion: Hate to do it to ya...but I am going with the birds on this one! But if Washington wins...I'll be happy for YOU!

One last thing before I go for this post. 2 weeks ago, I actually received an award from a company that supports the Department of Transportation office I work at for a Work Achievement award which was a nice feeling :)

-Me & my co-worker PJ, good dude

Hope you all have a great upcoming weekend & for all of my mates taking part in the SFBOM NFL picks, good luck! If I finish in the the bottom of the pack again, then I have no choice.....I'll have to workout to a RICHARD SIMMONS video....Oh no lol :D



Mark

Can We Save Football?

There are quite a few things ruining the game of football these days. What are they? I’m glad you asked.

I know you’re waiting for me to bring up this ignorant new crack down on hard hits, but we will get to that in time my friend, in time. The downward spiral of the NFL has been coming for quite some time and not many saw it coming. Unfortunately for us fans things will get ugly before they get any better. Let’s get started with the biggest thing, in my opinion, destroying the sport of football.

Athletes vs. Football Players

There is an ever growing trend in football to go based off numbers and numbers alone. Owners and coaches see a guy blaze a 40 yard dash time of 4.2 seconds and they ignore the fact that he has been investigated for murder and been arrested 3+ times for possession of illegal narcotics. Let’s be realistic, I’m sure we could all find 30 examples to justify this argument, but to save your time and my fingers, we will go with the most glaring example.

April 2001, all eyes are glued to ESPN watching and waiting to see the results of the electric Michael Vick’s NFL combine run. Some said Michael Vick could throw the ball 70 yards or longer. Sure, Vick had a 38 in the vertical jump and some very impressive numbers, but no one cares. They all want to see one thing. Vick lines up behind the white line, lined up in his 3 point stance and every room watching the combine on TV goes silent. Vick does not disappoint as he blazes to a 4.33 40 yard time. A QB that runs a 4.33? That is a wide receiver and a cornerback time, not a QB. Michael Vick has all the intangibles. Vick can throw the ball deep, he can throw on the run and if there is no one open he will torch the defense with his legs. The team that drafts him will win it all for sure, most likely several times right?

Vick went on to do some incredibly athletic things. He set the single season rushing record for a quarterback, he embarrassed defenses with his legs, and he was a human highlight reel. Problem is there is only one thing you never have and never will see in a Michael Vick highlight reel, Mike Vick taking a single snap in a Super Bowl. We all know where the story goes from there. Dog fighting, prison time, shunned by the franchise that viewed him as an NFL God, release from prison, signed by a new team and still fighting to prove he is worth a damn in the NFL.

Let’s look at the other end of the spectrum; One of the most embarrassing NFL Combines in recent memory, Tom Brady. Brady posted an embarrassing 40 yard time of 5.23. 5.23 seconds? There are linemen that torch that. He’s going to be a flop. Brady was too small, too skinny and too slow. All Brady has done was go on to win a few Super Bowls and break a couple meaningless records like most touchdowns in a single season. All he did was lead one of the most improbable Super Bowl wins against the Rams and eventually lead one of the most feared single season offenses in recent history.

We, as an NFL, are putting a premium on the wrong things. We look at numbers and measurements like the 40 time, vertical height and win loss records in college. Alex Smith had a phenomenal career at Utah, but who did they play? Vick ran a 4.33 40 time, but can a running QB win? Anyone who has watched football or researched into players before their time will come to one conclusion, you cannot measure the intangibles that it takes to be successful in this league. Pacman Jones, Michael Vick, the list goes on and on of players that are athletic freaks, but don’t have the intangibles to play football. Peyton Manning is possibly the least athletic player to ever be drafted into the NFL. Manning is easily the most dominant player since he has been drafted. Donovan McNabb, Warren Moon, Joe Montana. If you were to line up and compete with them in track and field, none of those names would frighten you. Put them in a football uniform and you’re done before the whistle blows. Jerry Rice could not outrun half of the NFL, but on several occasions embarrassed the great Deion Sanders (honestly no sarcasm there, much respect for Deion). I’ll say it again, you CAN’T measure what it takes to win in this league with tests. Stop denying us true football players for athletes that can’t play football.

The ESPN highlight reel.

The creation of ESPN has lead to billions of sports nuts to be able to follow even the most unwatched sports, kudos to ESPN for that. I will however curse ESPN for the rest of my days for how they have ruined sports with the highlight reel. Before the highlight reel, what would an NFL player have done when they see a fumble? Look around, gauge whether it’s smarter to simply jump on the ball or if it’s safe to attempt to recover for a touchdown, and then act accordingly. Now? Every moron in an NFL uniform wants to make the highlight reel, so no matter how unsafe everyone tries to be a hero. Has it led to some amazing plays? Absolutely. Just as often, if not more often, we witness someone bumble the ball out of bounds, or attempt to pick it up and it ends up in the other teams hands.

How about 2009, Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers? The great Dre’ Bly (all sarcasm intended) makes a BEAUTIFUL interception against Matt Ryan. Bly then proceeds to put his hand behind his head and proceeds do the Deion high step. No problem right? Absolutely no problem, if you’re about to score. Bly still had 70 yards to go and was surrounded by Falcons players. Needless to say, Dez White tackled Bly, forced a fumble and the Falcons went on to win the game. A game that had Bly just returned the ball as far as he could the Niners would have won that game. The highlight reel far too often costs teams the game, thanks ESPN.

Crackdown on hard hits.

I’m going to make this fairly short and sweet because this atrocious topic doesn’t deserve the time or effort. I have supported Roger Goodell through most of his ventures. This, I cannot and will not agree with him on. Football is a violent sport, it’s half the appeal of the sport. Any moron that disagrees is stupid or lying. There are too many intangibles to football you can’t control. It’s a violent sport. It is very easy to lead with your shoulder and because of the angle and force of the impact there is helmet to helmet contact. Are there dirty players? Sure. Problem is, these new rules are also punishing the players making clean hits. There is little difference in taking a shot to the head by a helmet versus a shoulder pad if it’s coming from a 6’5” 250lb line backer. Period. Let’s just go ahead and change NFL uniforms so they are pink in color and come with skirts and not pants.

How about we enforce the rules on the field that we already have? The reason for all these injuries is not the rules, it’s the fact that the penalty flags are glued into the referees pants. Every time I watch an NFL game I see late hits on QBs, QBs being slammed to the turf well after he has thrown the ball, players being decked when they have no involvement with the play, facemasks, cut blocks, horse collar tackles, clipping/blocks in the back and blatantly intentional helmet to helmet hits.

The rules are not the problem, it’s the lack of enforcement that is the issue. Stop the dirty players and we WILL see less injuries.

Salaries.

I am a firm believer in the fact that there needs to be a change in the salary structure in the NFL. No doubt athletes are overpaid. It’s the nature of sports. The issue I hold is with rookie contracts. Being a Niners fan, I’m embarrassed whenever I see Michael Crabtree step onto the field. The day that a 20 year old can hold a billion dollar NFL franchise hostage until they pay him the money he DEMANDS, all while he has not stepped foot onto an NFL field, is the day the end of the sport is soon to come. Speaking of stepping foot, did I mention while Crabtree was demanding his money he had a boot on his foot because he had broken his ankle and missed a ton of the final year of his college career? Pathetic. The day the 49ers caved and gave Crabtree his contract, my 49ers fan-hood died a little that day. I strongly considered selling all my Niners gear and finding another team. You’re going to let some 20 year old punk jerk you around? What has Crabtree gotten use since? Has he lead the league in receiving? Does anyone mention his name? I’ll tell you what he has gotten us, a lack of confidence in a coach. There is no way the players still buy into Singletary’s no none sense, team first, tough attitude when the franchise caves into a rookie. I was embarrassed to be a Niners fan that day. More so than when we went 2-14, more than our playoff drought since 2002. We showed no guts and no heart and we deserve our current struggles.

Roger Goodell, if you truly wish to fix what’s wrong with the NFL, FIX THESE THINGS! These are what is leading to the downfall of the sport.

The MDB Mania- 11/5/10

Hey everyone!

This has been a busy sports week indeed. World Series....week 1 of the NBA season....the NFL drama,etc.

I'll start off with that Redskins/Lions game. If you remember on my last posting here last week, I picked the Redskins to win but said that the Lions are a better team then their bad record, and sure enough they picked up the win over my team :( I don't know what it is about the St.Louis Rams & Detroit Lions- 2 teams who have been mediocre the last few seasons, but yet when they play the Redskins- they end up pulling out wins most of the time. I'll add onto what my brother Matt posted on here about the coaching move with Mike Shanahan benching Donovan McNabb. I have no idea what that was all about and the motivation behind it. Rex Grossman(the backup) is not a better QB(2 minute drill and all) then McNabb. With the upcoming weekend being the Redskins' bye week, the last thing they needed was pointless drama about the whole QB situation. On the other hand, I'm thinking if there's something behind that decision from Shanahan. Makes you wonder if he's trying to anger McNabb into playing more accurate & motivated the rest of the season. I do remember 2 years ago the last time McNabb was benched during a game- he wound up getting his team on a hot streak and was 1 quarter away from going to Super Bowl- so I wouldn't push the panick button on the Skins, there's still another 8 games left in the season. I'm actually happy that the Skins finally have a bye week since for once I won't have to be stressed watching a nail biter game lol, since all their games this season have gone down to the wire and no comfy games

Randy Moss as a Tennessee Titan? We'll have to see how that turns out but I don't think he's as good as he thinks he is. Vince Young isn't as consistant & good of a QB as Brett Favre & Tom Brady are, so I don't expect Moss to have that many big games this season. He's still better then the average WR though and with him and Chris Johnson on the same offense- that could become a hard offense for defenses to defend.

Congrats to the 2010 World Series champions San Francisco Giants on their World Series victory- to the vismal of my fellow SFBOM collegue Jenn lol ;)

I spotted this new ad on youtube that I saw on PTI on ESPN today where the city of Cleveland did a reply to Lebron James' new Nike commericial, I think its great since I think Lebron has too big of an ego & Lebron didn't have to be such a jerk about leaving Cleveland during the offseason:



For my NFL Picks this weekend, I'll go with the 4 best games on schedule for this Sunday/Monday along with picks from me, Jenn, Krista, Fred, and a few other newbie pickers here & I'll add and update all our picks throughout the weekend:

Sunday 1pm
(CBS)Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens

Mark: Fins - Miami has proven that they are a good road team this season and can see the Ravens having a letdown after their bye week

Jenn: Ravens

Krista: Fins

Fred:Ravens

Terri: Ravens

New Jack: Ravens

Matt: Ravens

Mike: Ravens

Jerry: Ravens

(FOX)Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

Mark: Falcons- I think the Bucs are a young upcoming team but don't think they are an for real team when things are all set and done this season when their in the same division to the Falcons and Saints. Not to mention their blowout home losses to the Saints & Steelers showed me that the Bucs are lucky to be 5-2

Jenn: Falcons

Krista: Falcons

Fred: Bucs -Fred's "Upset of the Week"

Terri: Falcons

New Jack: Falcons

Matt: Falcons

Mike: Bucs

Jerry: Falcons

Sunday 4pm(CBS)
(CBS)Indianapolis Colts at Philadelphia Eagles

Mark: Colts - Peyton is getting in the zone now and thats a dangerous thing for all defenses playing against him

Jenn: Colts

Krista: Colts

Fred: Colts

Terri: Colts

New Jack: Colts

Matt: Colts

Mike: Colts

Jerry: Colts

(CBS)Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Mark: Chiefs- look for the Chiefs running attack of Thomas Jones and Jammall Charles to bust some big runs on the Raiders and for Raiders QB Jason Campbell to throw some INTs

Jenn: Chiefs

Krista: Raiders

Fred: Chiefs

Terri: Chiefs

New Jack: Raiders

Matt: Chiefs

Mike: Raiders

Jerry: Chiefs

I went 1-3 last week while Jenn & Krista went 2-2, and Fred won the pack with a 3-1 record. For the rest of the season- I'm adding a few more of my close friends to make their picks on here as well who have contributed to the blog in someway!

On a last note for this column, wanted to recommend you all check out the Dan Patrick Radio show, on TV & radio. Its been airing on DirecTV's Channel 101 the last year but recently start airing nationally throughout the country. For all of my Florida friends, it airs on FOX Sports Net Florida from 9am-12pm weekdays ;) Dan Patrick is the best radio show personality out there and his show is so entertaining and funny to watch, what was ESPN's loss is NBC's and ours gain:



I changed the look of the blog too to make it more appealing looking. For the new viewers of the blog, if you'd like to see how this Skins, Fins & Bears...Oh My! blog journey started, click on the bottom of the page where it says "Older posts" or check out the first blog post on here from late September-
http://sfbom.blogspot.com/2010/09/mdb-mania-92410-debut-column.html

Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy the start of November!

I just don't get it...

*Post Caveat: I've never played football. I've only watched from the comfort of my couch, and a few times from a stadium seat. But I like to think I know a little about it.*

This is getting ridiculous.

When it was first announced that Mike Shanahan was going to replace Jim Zorn as head coach for the Washington Redskins, I was relieved. Finally, a coach with some experience and a history of winning and success. Sure, we had Joe Gibbs a few years back, but it wasn't the same as the glory days of the 80's.

But I'm beginning to have some doubts. The way he handled the last 2 minutes of the game this weekend against the Lions was terrible. Deciding to bench Donovan McNabb in favor of Rex Grossman, a quarterback who has only played in 1 NFL regular-season game since November 2008, was inexcusable. But Shanahan had his excuses. A few of them, actually.

First, it was explained that Shanahan thought Grossman was better prepared to run the 2 minute offense. If this was actually the case, why haven't they put Grossman in during previous games for the 2 minute offense?

Second, it was said that he thought McNabb's "cardiovascular endurance" wasn't where it should be to run the offense effectively, and some nagging hamstring injuries would hamper him. But his hamstring injury didn't seem to be that big of an issue on his long run that set up the first Redskins' score. Shanahan also had plenty excuses for Grossman's fumble that led to the Lions' last touchdown ("We weren't counting on pressure coming up the middle"....because that wasn't happening all day?).

Given McNabb's experience and ability, I'm baffled as to the real reason of this decision. He's been playing football for most of his life. He knows what to do. A couple of out-patterns, a few ball spikes. Standard procedures for going the length of the field with no timeouts. Unfortunately, he's become the scapegoat (yet again). Yes, some of his passes have been off the mark and his completion percentage is about 8-10 points lower than I'd like it. But our offensive line is awful. And our receiving corps are probably bottom 5 in the league.

Doing what Shanahan did, and not actually giving the truth behind it, not only alienates fans, but the players too. It also stirs up controversy that didn't need to be stirred. We've had enough waffling between quarterbacks for too many years now.

Hopefully this is just a minor bump on a long, successful road.