 Pro-Bowl Quarterback Carson Palmer has openly expressed negative emotions toward the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati was an organization where Palmer thrived in the past. Perhaps this unfortunate turn in Cincinnati could be the answer to Washington’s Quarterback problem.
The Washington Redskins currently don’t have a clear path to look down as far as their Quarterback situation is concerned. Currently they still have Donovan McNabb under contract. However, the redskins stand to lose money by keeping him around. Obviosly, they are going to get rid of him. He gave the redskins an average run through the NFL season and left most redskin fans battered. Of course, benching him four games before the end of the season probably wasn’t the best course of action. They should have let him try to finish out the season. Who knows he may have gotten the hang of the offense a little better and blown the boards up.
Any way, the redskins have a major problem on their hands now with Donovan Mcnabb. It must be taken care of before the organization plans on rebuilding. Also they still have Albert Haynesworth under contract and they need to get rid of him.
Albert Haynesworth has been nothing but a team cohesion killer. His self-envolvement has brought a negative light to the good redskins name. He got his payday so now he doesn’t care. That is partly the redskins fault. Why are they throwing money around like that on a player who thinks he can get away with kicking a player with his helmet off.
Now he did show signs of a good football player while in Washington, but it was always followed by a pathetic attempt to pretend to try hard. This was followed by him going straight to one knee and an oxygen tank. It is as if he has lost all drive to play football at a high level. I think i know where his head is at though. Surrounded by hundred dollar bills and off-road vehicles. Why would he need to win a superbowl ring when he could just buy a hundred. There may be a great football player somewhere in him but i don’t think it will ever come out in Washington. And thats why it would be better for both parties to split ways.
Since Carson Palmer still has a high market value it is going to be hard to trade Donovan straight up for him. But, if they throw Haynesworth in the mix then suddenly the trade is looking more attractive. After all Cincinnati can handle a hand full super stars without completely crumbling. In fact, if that trade does go through i feel like both teams will have better records than last season. So why not?
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As a Redskins fan i am worried about the state of the Quarteback position in Washington. We have too many options open right now to not see advances in the upcoming seasons.
One of those options is w e stay with Rex Grossman at quarterback until he disappoints the redskins fans or hopefully retires as a redskin. And when i say retire i say it with the best possible intentions. I would want nothing more than for Rex Grossman to go down as an all-time redskin great and when many super bowls here, in Washington. After all he did take the Chicago Bears to a super bowl and they almost upset the Indiannapolis Colts.
Back to reality, I do realize that this is probably not a safe bet to make considering most fans in Washington want to see Rex go. He started in the last four games of the redskins season last year and in a couple of those games he put up some really good numbers. However, turnovers seemed to pouring out of him left and right in other games. Either way, every game Rex played in the redskins were fighting and competing for the win.
Rex should stay in Washington. In fact, he should start next season for the redskins. He has drive and he knows what it takes to make it to the super bowl; a quality that most redskins have not even touched. Don’t forget about the Shanahan boys on the side-lines calling the plays. Those boys seem to favor Rex over any other quarterback on the team. They like his aggresion and his ability to move down the field with his arm. I also like those abilities of Rex however, i feel his most desirable ability is his quick release. He reminds me of Drew Brees when he passes those quick slants.
The redskins need to atleast give Rex one more year in a burgandy and gold uniform before they let him go. If they are planning on picking up a Quartback in the 2011 draft than they could use Rex to teach the rookie the new system. If Rex begins to struggle than maybe we could put in the rookie and give him a chance to take control of the team.
The draft is getting closer and closer with each passing day. And in about a month the redskins will have the number ten draft pick. After this we will know what player we have selected. If the redskins do draft a Quarterback then the above plan would make perfect sense. And if the redskins draft someone like Cam Newton i believe he will be ready to get on the playing field sooner than we thought.
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 If your reading this blog than your probably a redskins fan. If that is the case then you probably thrive on watching the Dallas Cowboys stumble. Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant was ejected from an Dallas shopping mall after a dispute over dropping pants.
Bryant and three of his companions rolled up to the mall wearing their pants way too low.
A police statement on Tuesday says officers working off-duty on Saturday as security at NorthPark Center encountered Bryant and three companions.
According to the statement, when the officers asked the four to pull up their trousers, Bryant launched into a storm of profanity that prompted the officers to escort the four from the mall.
Police say Bryant refused to leave, however, until his “representative” could arrive and he parked in a fire lane until a friend arrived and persuaded him to leave.
No charge was filed. Bryant’s agent, Eugene Parker, declined to comment. The Dallas Cowboys did not respond to requests for comment.
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The game was an exciting nail-bitter all the way to the end but the real story took place in the stands.
The day was September 6th, 2010. I awake much earlier than I normally do. The day started for me at 7:30 am. I was scheduled to meet some of my friends at the local Harris Teeter grocery store where a 70 foot RV would take us to Fed Ex field in Landover, Md. When I arrived at the grocery store I met up with ten of my close friends that I have known for many years. Four of them went to Virginia Tech and were very excited to go to Fed Ex field and see their number 10 football team play number 3 Boise State. The other six of us had attended different colleges and weren’t huge VT fans but we went for the good times.
On the way to Fed Ex field we had a great time in my buddies 70 foot RV. The RV was equipped with five flat screen T.V.’S, a bathroom, 3 beds, a full kitchen, and two couches. And how could I forget the full bar. It took us about an hour to finally reach our destination. We parked next to other RV’S and made friends very fast. We hung out around the RV for a couple of hours until it was time to go into the game. My buddy Tyler had told me that he had our tickets in his pocket, so obviously I trusted that they would still be there. All ten of us walked to the stadium and were ready to go in. When we got to the gate I asked Tyler if he had our tickets and when he reached into his pocket they weren’t there. He had lost them at some point in the day. So as we watched our other friends enter the stadium we had to figure out a way in. Since all of our friends had club level seats we knew we had to find a scalper with club level seats for sale. We spent about 30 minutes looking for club level tickets but we had no luck. Unfortunately all we could find were 30 dollar upper level seats. So we bought them off of what seemed to be a trustworthy scalper.
The tickets we had got us into the stadium. When we arrived at our seats we noticed that there were two people sitting in them. I asked the people to show me their tickets and so they did. When I looked at their tickets I was in shock. Our tickets and their tickets were exactly the same. We had bought counterfeit tickets. After much dispute we finally went to customer service where many of the employees were reluctant to give us different seats. Finally, they gave us two more tickets right around the previous seats. When we got to those seats there was a giant pole in front of them. After contemplation I decided it wouldn’t hurt to go back and ask for different seats. When we went back to customer service a nice lady reached into a manila envelope and pulled out two tickets and said, “I hope these tickets work out better than the last ones”. To my amazement when I looked down I noticed that she had given us club level seats.
We rode the escalator all the way to the club level and met up with our friends after a huge ordeal. When we got to the club level we were greeted with many beverages. Even though Virginia Tech lost we still managed to salvage a great time out of the whole situation. On our walk back to the RV Tyler had to stop at the Porto potty because he had one too many beverages. As I was waiting outside I noticed on the ground near a trash can what seemed to be a very familiar envelope. When I opened the envelope I saw our two club level seats. I told Tyler and he said they must have fallen out when he threw a can away.
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 ASHBURN, Va – The Briar Woods Falcons were fresh off a win and ready for action. Then they ran into the Potomac Falls Panthers.
Luke Mihailovich had 19 points and led the Panthers to an 86-61 win.
Zach Curran hit two 3-pointers and supplied the Panthers with 13 points.
Myles Tate led the Falcons with 25 points. The Falcons were able to hold on to an 11 point deficit at half-time. But after coming out of the locker room flat they found themselves trying to catch-up the rest of the game. The surging Panthers never panicked and showed poise by draining basket after basket.
“They do not miss shots.” Briar Woods head coach Michael Benson said. “They do not make a lot of mistakes.”
Corey Faciane finished the game with a total of 12 points, all of which were 3-pointers. Yves Kouame also tried to fend off the panthers by providing the Falcons with two 3-pointers and 12 points.
“Potomac Falls is just a very very good team right now. They’re playing at the top of their game. We ran into a train tonight. They are a very smart experienced team.” Head coach Michael Benson said. “Teams get better during the season and individuals get better in the off-season.”
This game sends the Briar Woods Boys Basketball team to the off-season.
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 Last Wednesday was my girlfriend’s birthday. So of course I l told her we could do whatever she wanted to do all day. Then she hit me with all the requests.
She wanted to go shopping, eat at a nice restaurant, and see a movie. So I thought no big deal, all of those things don’t sound that bad. After shopping for about an hour at the mall she wanted to go to a different store. The store was a thrift store. I hadn’t been to one since I was young so I was a little nervous.
When we got to the thrift store I was impressed by its enormous size. I had never seen a thrift store like this one. After entering the front doors I noticed that I was a little out of place. The store wasn’t as clean as I would have liked but I decided to give it a chance.
After about an hour I became extremely bored. My girlfriend was completely entranced in shopping so I decided to wonder myself. After looking at what seemed to be a bunch of useless stuff I found a bin of sporting equipment. The bin had been pushed under a collection of blankets and didn’t look as if anyone had looked through it in a while. I noticed a basketball at the bottom of the bin so I decided to get it out. Just about two weeks prior to this I was at a local park and I left my basketball behind and when I went back it wasn’t there.
I started pulling some of the equipment out and placing it on the floor beside me. As I got deeper in the bin the equipment seemed to be getting older. I noticed a wood golf club, a wooden baseball bat and a rugby ball. After removing a Hockey mask from the bin I noticed a white panel football. When I examined the football closer I noticed that there were two signatures on it. The first signature was a printed on signature from the NFL’s former commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The second was a real signature that was done in black marker. To my surprise it was a Darrell Green autograph.
The price tag on the football was two dollars and 93 cents. So, I decided to buy it. I am unsure of its true value but I intend to find it. Even if the football isn’t worth more than a couple of bucks a Darrel Green autographed football deserves more than to be smashed in a bin at a thrift store.
Darrell Green is a Washington Redskins legend.
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 The real question here is should Cam Newton play for the Washington Redskins next season. Given his past I don’t feel that the Redskins should add him to the roster.
However, I do know that the kid is talented. After taking Binn College in Texas to a national championship, he turns around and takes Auburn to a National Championship. One has to ask if he can be stopped. The NFL is going to be a huge jump for him but with his current resume I have a hard time saying he isn’t going to be a great NFL player. He has all the physical attributes that a good Quarterback in the NFL needs. He is large in stature and has incredible speed. The only down side to his physical attributes is his throwing arm. Some NFL coaches believe he doesn’t have the accuracy that an NFL player must possess. I agree with them. He struggled at the NFL combine in accuracy and at times he seemed frustrated with himself. A quality we have yet to see from Cam.
Despite all the negative things about his accuracy that have been said I have to look at all the good things because there are so many. The greatest attribute Cam possesses is the ability to win at any measure. He brings swagger to a team. He brings hope and belief to a team. That is something I believe the Redskins desperately need right now.
After the 2009 NFL season the Redskins had a record of 4-12. After many changes within the organization fans were supposed to buy into a changed culture. However, what fans were handed with was a week to week struggle. The Redskins finished the 2010 NFL season with a record of 6-10. There was little improvement from last year but not enough to make anyone believe that big things are ahead for the Redskins.
If Cam Newton came to Washington I believe he will be a great football player. He has what it takes to win. He understands that over every aspect of the game the most important one is winning. This attribute seems to have been lost here in Washington. Redskin’s players seem to want to pine over all the mistakes that have been made.
Another important thing that must not be overlooked is the position. Cam Newton is a quarterback. The Redskins just so happen to need a quarterback after chewing up Donovan McNabb and spitting him out. After seeing what Rex Grossman can still do I believe we should allow him to start the season and teach Cam the offense? If Rex starts to fall short of expectations than we can make a switch and see what Cam has.
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 Former Georgetown Hoya’s Head Coach Craig Esherick sat down with my Sports Journalism class on Thursday to relate his personal experiences to our class topics.
Of course, this feat proved very easy for Craig considering he was a co-author of our class textbook.
His presentation started out very casual. In fact, he was seated the whole time. His first topic of discussion was about his experiences putting our textbook together.
He also weighed in on what he currently is doing. He is a professor at George Mason University and teaches Sports Management.
He also is a commentator for college basketball games. He was formerly an assistant basketball coach and scout for the 1988 U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team.
With all of his basketball experience I found it only fitting for him to weigh in on our schools current basketball team.
He stated his concern on why the team wasn’t getting the proper ranking. Craig said “they don’t have the television package the big six conferences”. Meaning they aren’t in one of the more popular conferences that get most of the nation’s attention.
Craig also stated, “That’s why they are not ranked in the top 25. They should be 13 or 14”.
This conversation led him into his personal experiences as a head coach in the NCAA. Perhaps, one of the most interesting story lines in this conversation was the amount of basketball legends Craig has coached. He has coached Allen Iverson, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Dikemba Matumbo.
Craig was very involved in Georgetown’s recruiting. He said, “You try to judge a person’s athletic ability and character in a short window of time”.
Since recruiting can make or break a college organization finding the right players to fit in is a crucial responsibility.
One of the Toughest and best decisions Georgetown ever had to make was to recruit Allen Iverson. At the time Allen Iverson was ready to play College Basketball he had a felony charge pending. Allen Iverson’s mother brought her son to Craig and asked him if Georgetown would take Allen.
Craig said, “Allen was coachable. The media was fair with Allen. Allen was liked they respected someone that small that could play that hard. He was not concerned about the media.”
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 Chapter 8
Event Management
Event management can be categorized into three primary events: game management/ game-day operations, press conferences/ media days, and special events.
A sports information director must excel at preparation, organization, and communication, all while being a hospitable host.
There are three types of operations in order to host a sporting event: pre-game, in-game/ game-time and post-game.
Pre-Game Preparation
A sports information director must ensure that the press box/ press table is functional weeks before the season-opener.
The SID is responsible for many tasks including: stocking of media guides for both his/her school and the opponent, seeing that enough accessories are ready (paper, pencils, working copy machine) and ensuring the internet is available for the media that will be using it either via wireless or Ethernet connections.
The SID will also plan for the food that will be served in the press box/ press row during the season. An SID’s budget will dictate many of the decisions regarding food but meals for each home game are determined well in advance.
Obviously, giving everyone a nice sit down dinner would be ideal, but some teams simply do not have the budget. High profile, division 1 schools often provide sit-down dinners. Smaller schools can only provide niceties. They often provide coffee, soda, and donuts in working media areas.
An in-season game work week begins on Sunday. This is right after a traditional game which is played on Saturday. The SID is responsible for updating the team statistics from the previous day and nominating his/her players for conference, regional, and national players of the week awards. SID’s also assist the coaches with any media responsibilities and prepare the weekly game notes for the upcoming game.
Another very important task that the SID is responsible for is issuing credentials. He/she will issue credentials to any local, regional, or national media that request to attend and to report on the upcoming game.
Also, during the week of a game, a schedule of interview availability for the organization’s coaches and players should be distributed so that any media planning to follow the SID’s organization that week are aware of interview opportunities.
If the game is on television, the SID is responsible for seeing that the television talent meeting with some of the team’s notable players and coaches. This is to possibly follow up on some story lines. This is a great opportunity to further promote your team.
On game-day the SID must arrive no later than two to three hours before the start time to assist with any media issues.
In-Game Operations
Once the sporting event has begun the well-prepared SID has the school’s, conference’s, and NCAA’s record books readily available should any statistical feats from the contest set new standards. And, if that happens then the internal and external public address announcers, television, and the home radio broadcasters should immediately be informed so the general public and the media are aware of the record-breaking information.
Also, today we have many technological advances that allow us to get information out the the general public faster than ever. We can use twitter and many other forms of social media while the game is happening.
Post-Game Duties
The primary duties of an SID in the post-game involve managing the head coach’s press conference, win or lose, and bringing the requested players into the press conference once the coach has finished.
Even if the team loses the media still has a job to do.
The quotes from the entire press conference should be recorded, transcribed, and distributed with the contest’s entire statistical package to the media as quickly as possible after the game. A press-release story needs to be written for the organization’s website and for immediate distribution to members of the media that were unable to attend the contest.
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 Monday Night Briar Woods hosted a Dulles District quarterfinal game. The game featured the Briar Woods Falcons hosting the visiting Freedom Eagles. Intensity was in the air for this Valentine’s Day match up.
After Freedom had jumped out to an 8-3 lead Briar Woods knew they had to make some adjustments. Even distribution of the ball put Briar Woods in a position to shoot for the lead. Freedom tried to maintain a steady lead throughout the first half but Junior guard Myles Tate and the Briar Woods Offense was consistent. Every basket Freedom made Briar Woods had an answer for. Going into the half Briar Woods made a strong push for the lead to let Freedom know they weren’t going down without a fight.
With a competitive game under way Briar Woods took their momentum from the end of the first half and applied it to the beginning of the second half. Briar Woods used an onslaught of presicion passing and off ball screens to open up the driving lanes for Myles Tate.
Freedom looked to Junior Guard Sean O’Rourke to try to shut Tate down. The two had been playing each other tight all night. Sean O’Rourke’s hustle gave Freedom the opportunity to make a push for the lead.
Late in the Third quarter Briar Woods had the lead 32-24. However, Freedom’s Sophomore forward Darren Hawkins had been cruising under the radar with his impressively steady game plan, and he was only picking up momentum. With time running out for Freedom Darren Hawkins put the team on his back. He provided Freedom with a scoring spark and continually crashed the boards to force second chance points.
Unfortunately, Freedoms efforts never amounted to a lead. Myles Tate was too much for Freedom’s defense. He maintained the lead and the momentum in the final stretch of the game. His strikingly quick drives finished the Freedom Eagles off.
In the end, the team effort for Briar Woods was more effective than Freedom. The Briar Wood’s Falcon’s defeated the Freedom Eagle’s 48-39. Darren Hawkins was the majority points scorer with 20 points. In fact, it took five of Freedom’s other players just to score 19 points.
Briar Wood’s keys to winning included more of a diverse point distribution. Myles Tate scored 17 points. Junior guard Corey Faciane and Sophomore forward Matt Rolin each put up 8 points and four other Briar Woods players combined for 15 points.
Briar Woods moves on to the next round of districts where they will host Woodgrove High School on Wednesday, February 16th.
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Pro-Bowl Quarterback Carson Palmer has openly expressed negative emotions toward the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati was an organization where Palmer thrived in the past. Perhaps this unfortunate turn in Cincinnati could be the answer to Washington’s Quarterback problem.
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