From my blog entry from March 15th entitled, "Why the Skins were right to sign Larry Johnson"...
In essence I’d forgotten about the 2005 Clinton Portis; the guy who made the runs against the Giants and Eagles late in the season where he had defenders chasing him to the edge, and then kicked it up 2 gears. Don’t forget, CP came into the league at 204 pounds. He’s currently listed at 221. Of course, he added the muscle to avoid getting beat to smithereens after he came to DC and Joe Gibbs decided to run him like John Riggins. I’d like to see if Portis slimmed down and worked on his speed (and practiced regulary) what he could accomplish in the Shanahan offense. He was great in Denver. If he slims down and still can’t run away from anyone, we have our answer folks.
From Today's Redskins Insider by the Washington Post's Jason Reid, entry entitled, "Shanahan expects Portis to 'be in great shape' and at a lower weight"
Of course, perfect attendance is not enough for Shanahan. He expects Portis to be in top shape for the season.
"He was 205 or 210 pounds and averaged [nearly] six yards a carry for two years [with the Broncos]. That's what I expect him to be - in great shape and doing the things he's always done with me. He knows he's got to be lighter, sure.
"I think we'll know as time goes on [what Portis's playing weight should be]. ... I haven't talked to him about it, but I would say that he'll probably be shooting at 210, 212, 214 range. I think Clinton knows what's best for him and his body, what type of offense we run with the zone blocking scheme that gives him the best chance to be successful."
Should I do this now or later?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F11rXOUF5o
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
The stakes just got a whole lot higher...
January 9th, 1988. It's a date that Washington sports fans should never forget; but it’s one almost no one remembers. On that winter Saturday, one of the bigger NFL playoff upsets took place as the Wild Card Minnesota Vikings (who barely made the playoffs that year at 8-7 in the strike shortened season) knocked off the 13-2 San Francisco 49ers, the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl that year. And it really wasn't that close as Minnesota put up huge yardage totals on the way to the 12 point win. Now the reason this one had significance in DC was that it switched homefield advantage from the Niners to the winner of the next day's game between the Redskins and the homestanding Chicago Bears. Of course you probably know what happened, Doug Williams throws a few TD's, Darrell Green returns a punt and Joe Gibbs squad went from looking at playing 2 playoff games on the road to hosting the NFC Championship game - and winning it to go to the Super Bowl where they beat Denver. Suffice to say, the Skins caught a huge break that year and the turned it into a Lombardi Trophy.
Fast forward to this year's NCAA Tournament. Kansas, pretty much the slight favorite over Kentucky to win it all, goes out in a Saturday 2nd round game, to "traditional power" (sarcasm intended) Northern Iowa. You know who the Panthers face next? The winner of Sunday's Maryland - Michigan State game. Now while Northern Iowa can play some ball, facing them isn't the daunting task of playing Kansas. So it’s very possible, that if the Terps can navigate their way through the Spartans (no gimmie considering MSU's propensity to dominate in rebounding) they could be looking at a relative breather to the regional final...or at least not having to play Kansas.
Fast forward to this year's NCAA Tournament. Kansas, pretty much the slight favorite over Kentucky to win it all, goes out in a Saturday 2nd round game, to "traditional power" (sarcasm intended) Northern Iowa. You know who the Panthers face next? The winner of Sunday's Maryland - Michigan State game. Now while Northern Iowa can play some ball, facing them isn't the daunting task of playing Kansas. So it’s very possible, that if the Terps can navigate their way through the Spartans (no gimmie considering MSU's propensity to dominate in rebounding) they could be looking at a relative breather to the regional final...or at least not having to play Kansas.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Why the Skins were right to sign Larry Johnson
To start this off, if you;re anti-Johnson because of his comments on twitter (not going to defend them) I’m not going to change your mind, so stop reading.
All week long I’ve listened to the outrage on sports talk radio and read the anger in print about the Redskins signing free agent running back Larry Johnson last weekend. And while the argument that he’s a bad person (the gay slurs used on twitter, being violent towards women, generally a dick) is a valid one, it’s not the only one I’ve heard. Johnson is done! He’s the same running back Portis is! It just amazes me that people – in a football sense – could be so dumb.
I see three main reasons for bringing this guy in…
1 - Cheap and available – The old Spurrier argument when he picked up every Florida Gator that was in the NFL at the time. While all of those guys had proven (repeatedly) that they sucked, LJ isn’t to that point, yet. On the surface his 3 year, 12 million dollar deal looks expensive, but its supposedly pretty backloaded and if he doesn’t produce, Washington should be able to get out of it pretty easily without being hamstrung.
2 – Johnson is no shrinking violet – Because he was arguably the best running back in college and the NFL at one point, he’s got an ego. Probably bigger than it should be, but its there. Unlike Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright who silently grumbled while they carried the load in practice while Clinton Portis “rested up” for games I can’t see Johnson being a caddy for CP this year. Johnson is going to make sure he plays and if he doesn’t, it will be because Portis had a resurgence unseen before in running backs his age (he turns 29 in September). Betts and Cartwright likely didn’t say anything because they knew it wouldn’t be good for their careers, considering Clinton’s chummy relationship with Daniel Snyder. You get the feeling Johnson’s the type of guy who will just be a general nuisance to Mike Shanahan if he feels like he’s being shortchanged…or he’ll go up to CP, bitch about him not practicing, and then punch him in the face. Either way, I get the feeling Portis will be challenged in camp for the first time in ages.
3 – a Portis/Johnson backfield is a perfect fit – LJ a 230 pound bruiser and CP the one cut, home run threat. But Jeremy, you’ve told anyone who would listen for the last 3 years that Portis is done! True, but I watched this a few weeks ago…
http://www.hulu.com/watch/124239/team-highlights-2005-washington-redskins
In essence I’d forgotten about the 2005 Clinton Portis; the guy who made the runs against the Giants and Eagles late in the season where he had defenders chasing him to the edge, and then kicked it up 2 gears. Don’t forget, CP came into the league at 204 pounds. He’s currently listed at 221. Of course, he added the muscle to avoid getting beat to smithereens after he came to DC and Joe Gibbs decided to run him like John Riggins. I’d like to see if Portis slimmed down and worked on his speed (and practiced regulary) what he could accomplish in the Shanahan offense. He was great in Denver. If he slims down and still can’t run away from anyone, we have our answer folks.
All week long I’ve listened to the outrage on sports talk radio and read the anger in print about the Redskins signing free agent running back Larry Johnson last weekend. And while the argument that he’s a bad person (the gay slurs used on twitter, being violent towards women, generally a dick) is a valid one, it’s not the only one I’ve heard. Johnson is done! He’s the same running back Portis is! It just amazes me that people – in a football sense – could be so dumb.
I see three main reasons for bringing this guy in…
1 - Cheap and available – The old Spurrier argument when he picked up every Florida Gator that was in the NFL at the time. While all of those guys had proven (repeatedly) that they sucked, LJ isn’t to that point, yet. On the surface his 3 year, 12 million dollar deal looks expensive, but its supposedly pretty backloaded and if he doesn’t produce, Washington should be able to get out of it pretty easily without being hamstrung.
2 – Johnson is no shrinking violet – Because he was arguably the best running back in college and the NFL at one point, he’s got an ego. Probably bigger than it should be, but its there. Unlike Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright who silently grumbled while they carried the load in practice while Clinton Portis “rested up” for games I can’t see Johnson being a caddy for CP this year. Johnson is going to make sure he plays and if he doesn’t, it will be because Portis had a resurgence unseen before in running backs his age (he turns 29 in September). Betts and Cartwright likely didn’t say anything because they knew it wouldn’t be good for their careers, considering Clinton’s chummy relationship with Daniel Snyder. You get the feeling Johnson’s the type of guy who will just be a general nuisance to Mike Shanahan if he feels like he’s being shortchanged…or he’ll go up to CP, bitch about him not practicing, and then punch him in the face. Either way, I get the feeling Portis will be challenged in camp for the first time in ages.
3 – a Portis/Johnson backfield is a perfect fit – LJ a 230 pound bruiser and CP the one cut, home run threat. But Jeremy, you’ve told anyone who would listen for the last 3 years that Portis is done! True, but I watched this a few weeks ago…
http://www.hulu.com/watch/124239/team-highlights-2005-washington-redskins
In essence I’d forgotten about the 2005 Clinton Portis; the guy who made the runs against the Giants and Eagles late in the season where he had defenders chasing him to the edge, and then kicked it up 2 gears. Don’t forget, CP came into the league at 204 pounds. He’s currently listed at 221. Of course, he added the muscle to avoid getting beat to smithereens after he came to DC and Joe Gibbs decided to run him like John Riggins. I’d like to see if Portis slimmed down and worked on his speed (and practiced regulary) what he could accomplish in the Shanahan offense. He was great in Denver. If he slims down and still can’t run away from anyone, we have our answer folks.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
ZOOperstars
Disclaimer – this blog entry was written under the influence of drugs…though they were just antibiotics so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Do you ever have one of those moments where you laugh hysterically at something that is quite stupid, fully realizing you’d crush people for doing the same? Happened to me when I saw this…
http://www.zooperstars.com/Characters/ZOO_Characters.asp
Inflatable characters, based on real athletes (or pop culture icons), that are here for your enjoyment! Good Grief. Just look at some of these guys, say the names out loud, and try not to laugh. Clammy Sosa! Cow Ripken, Jr! Dick Flytale! Mackerel Jordan! And my personal favorite…Snail Earnhardt, Jr.
On second thought, I’d better check that prescription again.
Bonus Action – a compilation of mascots eating people. Brilliant!
http://deadspin.com/5485997/a-childrens-treasury-of-mascots-eating-people/gallery/
Do you ever have one of those moments where you laugh hysterically at something that is quite stupid, fully realizing you’d crush people for doing the same? Happened to me when I saw this…
http://www.zooperstars.com/Characters/ZOO_Characters.asp
Inflatable characters, based on real athletes (or pop culture icons), that are here for your enjoyment! Good Grief. Just look at some of these guys, say the names out loud, and try not to laugh. Clammy Sosa! Cow Ripken, Jr! Dick Flytale! Mackerel Jordan! And my personal favorite…Snail Earnhardt, Jr.
On second thought, I’d better check that prescription again.
Bonus Action – a compilation of mascots eating people. Brilliant!
http://deadspin.com/5485997/a-childrens-treasury-of-mascots-eating-people/gallery/
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