NFL

Why Ryan Kerrigan is the face of the franchise that the Redskins need

Posted on by Peter Hailey

When it comes to positions that are considered to be “face of the franchise” positions, linebackers are not very high on the list. Quarterbacks are obviously number one, but if a team doesn’t have a stud signal caller, then another offensive playmaker at running back or receiver is usually deemed to be an organization’s face. In Washington, however, this is not the case.

In my mind, Ryan Kerrigan is the face of the franchise, and when the Redskins announced Monday that they were signing the pass rusher to a five-year contract extension, they told the rest of league that he’s the guy who, next to Trent Williams, the team wants to build around moving forward. And they couldn’t have made a better decision.

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Ndamukong Suh to the Redskins? No thanks, I’ll pass

Posted on by Peter Hailey

Ndamukong Suh is one of the most disruptive forces in football, someone who causes offensive coordinators to wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, a player who can take over a game from a position where it’s rare to see that, and an absolute badass.

For those reasons and many, many more, I’d like to say an early congratulations to whatever team lands him in free agency, and I couldn’t be more excited for you.

Well, as long as that team isn’t the Redskins. Read More

February Fury: Constructing a bracket to determine who is the absolute worst Redskins offseason acquisition since 1999

Posted on by Peter Hailey

According to the calendar on my phone, it is currently February. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but that means March is right around the corner, which in turn means two huge sports events are almost upon us: March Madness and the start of offseason NFL moves.

As a college basketball fan, I couldn’t love March Madness any more. And as a Washington Redskins fan, I couldn’t hate the NFL offseason any more. However, there’s no denying the impact that both events have on me each year, so today, I’m going to combine the two in this post.

Because the Washington Redskins are infamous for their decision making in the offseason, I have created a NCAA-ish tournament bracket to figure out which offseason decisions were the absolute worst. Here’s how the bracket was made Read More

Finding out which factors matter most to Super Bowl winning teams while also debunking certain NFL myths

Posted on by Peter Hailey

The NFL is a league of mantras: “Defense wins championships.” “You can’t win without a quarterback.” “The most disciplined teams are the ones that win.”

These phrases are repeated so often that they have simply become accepted as the truth. NFL analysts can throw them out whenever they have nothing else to say, journalists can toss them into their articles to assist them in making their point, and coaches use them over and over in their press conferences.

Well, wait a second, has anyone actually researched these cliches to see if they are even TRUE? Read More

With the 2014 season officially ending today, the Redskins look just as lost as they always have

Posted on by Peter Hailey

I woke up this morning in Joplin, Missouri, the heart of Chiefs and Rams territory, where I will be for the next few days visiting my grandparents. Since I am in the Midwest, I was worried the Redskins-Cowboys game wouldn’t be on TV, but luckily (I guess it really should be unluckily) I was in fact able to watch the Skins season finale. And as I was watching, I realized a metaphor that perfectly captures how the whole year went for the burgundy and gold was unfolding right in front of my eyes. Read More

9 for 89: Counting down my 9 favorite memories from Santana Moss’ career with the Redskins

Posted on by Peter Hailey

The Redskins season ends this Sunday against the Cowboys, but something much bigger could be coming to a close, too. All signs indicate that this will be the last game in the burgundy and gold for Santana Moss, who has been a stalwart in the Redskins receiving corps for the past ten seasons.

This is something that makes me very, very sad; I’m really not ready to watch my favorite athlete of all time leave my favorite team of all time, if Sunday is indeed his last game as a Skin. However, I know this league is a business first and foremost, and the Redskins, in all likelihood, will not ask Moss to return next year, which means its time to reflect on all he’s done for the organization.

Santana Moss has had a successful, consistent, memorable, and under appreciated career here in DC. Over his ten years with the team, Moss has racked up 578 catches, 7,842 receiving yards, and 47 touchdowns. He is, in every category, one of the most decorated receivers in the storied history of this franchise.

While Moss has said in multiple interviews over the season that he thinks he can still play (side note: I believe him. It obviously won’t be as a starter, but he clearly still loves the game and is in great shape for an older receiver…I think he can definitely still produce as a third or fourth wideout), I’m a realist, and I realize it is the smart move for the Redskins to move away from him.

Therefore, as a way to look back at all #89 has accomplished with this team, I’ve come up with a list, ranking my nine favorite moments from his ten years with this franchise. In this post, you’ll find pictures, videos, and quotes that describe the player Santana Moss was and the plays Santana Moss made. Read More

Five eye opening lessons I learned about the NFL after playing a pickup football game with my friends

Posted on by Peter Hailey

About five weeks ago, I wrote about my experiences as an intramural referee, and the things that I learned from being one. Today, I’m going to do something similar.

Yesterday afternoon, I, along with nine friends, got together for a good ol’ fashioned tackle football game. Five on five, no pads, muddy field; it felt like we were in a Wrangler Jeans commercial. In fact, one of my friends, Greg, was actually wearing jeans. All we were missing was a pickup truck, a golden retriever, and Brett Favre.  

It was a lot of fun, but very eye opening, too. It was the first time we had a good, competitive, pickup football game in years. We used to play in high school all the time, but it’s been awhile; plus, that was when we were scrawny and weak. I think yesterday was the most physical game we’ve ever played.

Once the showdown ended, and we all limped home, I realized that I had come away with a greater appreciation for what NFL players do. Here is a list featuring some of the biggest things I learned. Read More

A lot to keep track of: Random but relatable thoughts on today’s Redskins-Giants game

Posted on by Peter Hailey

I woke up this Sunday morning as unexcited as I can remember for a game day. I wasn’t surprised by this though, as a December matchup between two very sub .500 teams isn’t exactly gonna get the blood flowing. However, as I sit here writing this post a few hours later, I certainly can’t say today wasn’t exciting.

The Redskins had (another) change at QB, saw their longest tenured player get tossed at halftime, got torched by a young star three times, gave up a lot more sacks, and got penalized a ton; they also had some big chunk plays, delivered some nasty hits, and competed, all things that were very different from last week’s shutout.

The one thing that stayed the same, though? THEY LOST AGAIN. That’s six in a row for those of you counting at home. With that being said, I started pumping my fist and cursing at the game for the first time in a long time.

Today, I found myself caring again, and at this point, I’ll take that. Here are my thoughts, with a few positives mixed in for the first time in a while, on today’s wacky loss to the G Men.  Read More

BOOM! Roasted: Taking shots at the people and teams who’ve been (and even those who haven’t been) taking shots at the Redskins

Posted on by Peter Hailey

Besides having an insane passion for DC sports teams, I also love watching TV. Yeah, a boy who likes sports and TV. I’m pretty unique, huh? Stop rolling your eyes.

Ok, anyways, one of my absolute favoritest shows on the tube is “The Office,” which Netflix describes as a “hit comedy that chronicles disgruntled office workers — led by deluded boss Michael Scott — at the Dunder Mifflin paper company.” Translation: it’s a super hilarious show about a bunch of miserable office workers, whose boss is an incredibly obnoxious jerk played by Steve Carell.

All nine seasons of it rock, but my absolute favoritest episode of “The Office” is what I like to call the “Boom Roasted” episode. If you have watched the show, you are nodding your head in agreement right now, while those of you who haven’t watched it are a bit confused.

No worries, non Office watchers, allow me to give you a brief synopsis of the episode: Read More