Catching up...

Winston-Salem, NC -- Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which means stuffing ourselves with a home cooked smorgasbord of tasty dishes, waking up early to wave to Santa Claus at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and most importantly, watching football. Two years ago, the NFL instituted a third, night game on Thanksgiving, which was a grand idea. Thanksgiving became pretty quiet around 8:00 p.m. when the Cowboys finished devouring whatever hapless team they scheduled on that day. The Titans and Cowboys are the obvious picks for the regularly scheduled games, but the Arizona-Philly match-up is as juicy as the gravy running down the potato mountain on your plate. I like Philly at home; the Cardinals never ever play well on the East Coast.

Other Topics:

• The Orioles finally caved in to the fans' demands and placed "Baltimore" on the road jerseys. But check out the sweet sleeve patch on their '09 jerseys:

• I'll be attending the Skins-Giants' matchup on Sunday in Landover. This game will define the course of the Redskins' season. If they beat the Giants, they'll be a shoe-in for the postseason with Cincy, Philly, and San Fran still on the schedule. If they lose, they'll have to win-out to secure a spot with the strong NFC field this year -- the NFC South is all in contention in addition to the NFC East.
• I'm surprised that it wasn't LeBron James bobblehead night at MSG last night. It's 2 seasons until James can be a free agent, so please Knicks' fans, stop the tampering. Ridiculous.
• There are still some good college football games left this weekend... Vandy-Wake in my brotherly love match-up, the Peach State battle: UGA-GA Tech, and the Iron Bowl: Auburn-'Bama.
• The free agent market is more quiet than a Michigan bowl game. That is, of course, if you don't count Jeremy Affeldt's 2 year-$8M deal with the Giants.

I'll be traveling to New Jersey this afternoon, then down to Maryland on Saturday, and return to Carolina following the Skins' game on Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Weekend Wrap-up

Greensboro, NC -- Not much to say this morning as I'm trying to recover from a busy weekend of family events. Here's some hodgepodge of information; we'll get back to a daily topic starting tomorrow.

• What was believed to be athestrength of Wake Forest has turned into a major liability; the defense. The Deacs played some stout D in the first half, limiting the Cavaliers to only 3 points and sprinkling in some turnovers, including a pick-6. But Virginia threatened to make it close in the final minutes rallying from 25 down to bridge the gap to 11, and then knocking on Wake's doorstep before turning the ball over in the final two minutes. The Deacs play three out of their last four at home, so that's an advantage they'll have as they attempt to march to Tampa.
• Just by looking at their easy schedule, you knew that PSU was going to blow it somewhere in their attempt in an undefeated season and a BCS championship game. Losing to the Steelers, er... the Hawkeyes all but eliminated their chances for a national championship.
• I'm already looking forward to the SEC Championship game between Florida and Bama. Whoever wins that game will play one of the Texas schools... Texas Tech (if they don't choke) or Texas for the national championship.
• The Big 10 is having an off year.
• So is the mediocre ACC, but that's been going on for the past couple of years. I would think that if one ACC school could land a couple of big time recruits, they could build a perennial contender for years by beating the snout of their fellow ACC schools. But the problem is that ACC coaches don't have the track record of recruiting like SEC schools. I mean, I don't even know who Miami's head coach is.
• Speaking of coaches, it's been long overdue that Phil Fulmer stepped down at Tennessee. Spoke to a former UT player a couple of months ago, and he told me that playing for him is just awful -- one of the nastiest people you'll ever meet. I'm not sure if that method of coaching works anymore -- "tough love." But, I heard on College Gameday that Tommy Tuberville, if released from Auburn, would be a leading candidate to take over UT.
• A good comeback win for my Dawgs over Kentucky on Saturday.

The Weekend Slate

Greensboro, NC -- The weekend is finally here and I'll be busy with family in town. That won't stop me from checking out the following slate of games.

• Georgia at Kentucky, 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs need to rebound from the ugly lopsided loss to Florida. Lexington seems like the right place to get back on track. Also, before the Florida game, I was going to blog about Knowshon Moreno emerging as a Heisman Trophy candidate. He must have huge games here on out to be considered.
• Virginia at Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m. Saturday. I'll be attending this game at BB&T Field. Both of these teams have had roller coaster seasons. Wake, revealing their new stadium renovation and coming off of back-to-back bowl seasons, had huge expectations this year, especially since QB Riley Skinner is only a junior. It appears that the loss to Navy back in the end of September completely deflated their season.
• Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 8:00 p.m. Saturday. Can Texas Tech keep the magic going against the Cowboys from last week's thriller against Texas?
• Florida at Vandy, 8:00 p.m. Saturday. Last time that Florida played at Vandy, I was there! Let's see if Vandy can rebound from a very rough stretch of their schedule.
• New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:30 p.m. Sunday. There are no other spicy matchups this weekend, plus the Skins have a bye. I imagine I'll tune into this game when Sunday's festivities are over.

Enjoy the weekend. See you next week in the Bistro.

The Curse de Rojo Jersey

Greensboro, NC -- I'm blaming the Redskins' latest loss on Monday Night Football to the preexisting, ubiquitous "Curse of the Burgundy Jersey." Back in the day when fashion statements weren't the trend in the NFL or any other sports' league for that matter, the only time when the Redskins wore the burgundy jersey was in Dallas and occassionally Philly would wear their white jerseys at home to anger us. The Skins' all-time record in Dallas is not very good (9-26 at Texas Stadium), so I equate those burgundy jerseys to heartbreaking losses.




In 2001, where everything was a little bizarre in "Martyball," Schottenheimer enforced the Skins to wear the burgundy at home; a cardinal sin in my book. In the subsequent years, Spurrier chose to wore burgundy at home on occassion, which I blame him for not knowing the Skins' tradition and history. When Joe Gibbs returned in 2004, order was restored -- the Redskins wear white home! I prefer to see the white jerseys with the burgundy pants, but this year, the Skins have appeared to return to late in the 2005 season (when they won 5 in a row) by wearing white on white. This past Monday, I liked the burgundy on burgundy (kind of high schoolish though), but I knew we were doomed.


I attempted a Google search this morning and came up empty in my attempt to discover the Redskins' all-time record in the burgundy jerseys. I also checked in at the Elias Sports Bureau, but unless you're ESPN or have a truckload of cash, you're not touching their odds and ends database. So for now, please Zorn Master, let this game teach you a lesson, the white jerseys should be worn for the rest of the year. Aside from Dallas and maybe Miami, we're the only team that likes to wear white at home. I feel exclusive that way.

The Newest NFL Fad

Greensboro, NC -- In the neverending copycat league also known as the NFL, we've seen a new trend in this decade; "team first." Created by the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI, the winning formula in the NFL, in addition to the X's and O's, has been implementing a team first mentality. During that famous Super Bowl (when U2 played the halftime show!), New England opted to enter the field as a team, rather than conduct individual player announcements. It made the Rams look foolish and full of themselves when they were later upset in the game. Since then, numerous teams now enter the field "as a team," such as the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII, coincidentally against those same Patriots.

This point is further illustrated when players on losing teams voice their displeasure. The Redskins, for a better part of this decade, were a team assembled by free agency. Free agents usually have the "me first" mentality, putting their numbers (and future earnings) interest ahead of the team. In the limelight this year are the Cowboys, who Jerry Jones built through silly trades and free agency. Conversely, the Giants, who used all 7 of their 2007 draft picks in the playoffs last year, have employed the "team first" mentality. We'll just have to wait and see how much longer some of them can keep their egos in check before large paydays are sought.

How do you get players to adjust to this mindset? I believe that it's simply winning and proving yourself as a coach. Tom Coughlin had no respect from fans or players last year around this time. But Coughlin continued to preach his principles, coupled with a some road playoff wins, and he made some believers. Then, like Belichick, once you win the big game, you don't have to preach, you're in the position to lead.

Politics for One Day

Greensboro, NC -- One of the many charms living in a small town such as Greensboro is being able to walk into the polling station, cast your vote, collect your "I Voted" sticker, then leave in the span of a few minutes. I just casted my ballot for the next President of the United States, John McCain. Silly you might say. If McCain can hold onto Virginia and Florida or Ohio, he can still very much win. I'd be shocked if Obama took my "new" home state of North Carolina.

Virginia is the "wild card" of this election. They've had the loudest voice of disapproval in the past 4 years over the Bush Administration. While Senator Jim Webb may be the face of their disgust, this once Republican bevy has changed to a key battleground state. In my trip to Blacksburg this summer, I discovered that there were more "college town liberals" than pro-gun elephants. The population in Northern Virginia has grown dramatically over the years. The closer a population is to a major city (DC), the bluer one gets.

Should be an interesting night flipping through the channels. Let's see if there is another "upset" in the making. Remember in 2004 when Kerry had a solid lead of Bush in the polls? Hopefully, the pollsters broadened their scope of interviewees this year. Otherwise, we may see Chris Matthews foaming at the mouth once again around midnight.

Keys to Tonight's Game

Greensboro, NC -- Tonight's Monday Night Football matchup features two storied franchises squaring off on the eve of a critical election. To indicate just how far on the tip of the cusp we are to the election, Chris "Boomer" Berman will be interviewing both John McCain and Barack Obama at halftime; fitting since tonight's game is in Washington. The Redskins will play host to the Steelers tonight at 8:30 p.m. Let's look at the Skins' keys to the game.



On Defense

• Pressure Roethesberger. Just like fellow NFC East foes, the Giants and Eagles did in their games against the Steelers -- break through the weak offensive line. That means you Andre Carter!
• Prevent deep balls to WR's Hines Ward and Nate Washington. You cannot give up the big play and take the crowd out of the game.
• Contain whoever is playing running back. Parker and Mendenhall are banged up; let's capitalize on that.

On Offense

• Campbell needs to play like the 2008 Campbell. The Steelers have the number 1 ranked defense. Limit turnovers is a premium.
• Get Portis going. Whenever Portis runs wild, the Skins win. Of course, that is very difficult against the Steelers D.
• Have a trick play up the sleeve. I say let ex-Steeler Antwaan Randle El throw a flee flicker to Moss to throw the Steelers off.

I picked the Redskins to win this game 27-17 because they've played very well against good teams this year. They're also at home, which, excluding the Rams' clunker, has bode well for them. The NFL like any sport is a numbers' game. The Steelers, already 0-2 against the NFC East this year, surely wouldn't go 2-2 or 1-3 against a division in a season? I think that's the only factoid working against the Skins tonight. As the season goes on, the Redskins continue to get better. Let's hope another step is taken tonight. Hail to the Skins!