Game Three: Caps 5, Flyers 6 (OT)

Well I didn't feel great about this one after the Capitals went 0-3 on the power play in the first period. You don't blow those types of chances and expect to control the tempo in Philadelphia. The Flyers energy (and some serious makeup calls) really hurt in the second period, where Mike Richards was dominant. There are a few things that raised questions in my head during this game:

• If the Caps go to the net against the Flyers, is it just automatically goalie interference? It seems to me that the Caps always manage to get burned by different interference rules against Philly...starting with that non-call in the '08 playoffs where Morrisonn was shoved into Cristobal Huet, causing an empty-net Flyers' goal. Last night, it was Brooks Laich receiving a call that should have gone against Ryan Parent...but really it didn't matter that it directly led to a goal. There were bad calls against both sides, and both teams probably have room to gripe, but that one stung.


• Why on Earth was John Erskine paired with Tom Poti? The less we see of #4, the better if he's in the lineup, I always say. He does perfectly well on a third pairing to add some grit, but more minutes that #55 and #26? That's a freaking joke. So was his -2 rating and two minors.


• A big question was Ovechkin's potential goal total this season, but what about Nick Backstrom's assist total? He's got eight in three games, and I know that's a rediculous pace, but with the Capitals playing in the Southeast Division, anything can happen. I'm going to call it here that he leads the league this season.


• Should the Mike Richards/Ovechkin rivalry be played up more? Richards has the talent to be mentioned in the same breath as the leagues elite forwards, but no one hears about how he and Ovechkin aren't big fans of each other. Richards and Ovechkin seem to have more respect for one another than say, Sidney Crosby and anyone else, but they still love to hit one another. As much as I hate Philly, I think Richards needs a little more love from the league's PR people.


• Will Danny Briere ever come out and admit that he's really Jason Mraz? This fact upsets me, because Mraz is a lovable little musician with a lot of talent, while Briere is a little midgit that pisses me off whenever he's on the ice...quite the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde conundrum for me...with more shots to the groin.

It was a good night marred by penalties for the Caps. Anytime you can take a point from a rival on the road is an accomplishment, but the Caps know they let one get away. I would be very surprised to see Erskine in the lineup on Thursday, and I also think Brian Pothier was missed for his puck-handling last night. Hopefully (and we always say this) Gabby will address the discipline problems in practice before the Rags come to town. Let's go Caps!

Wasn't Pretty: Skins Best Bucs

It definitely wasn't pretty but I'll take it. The wife and I refused to boo at the half, because frankly, the defense didn't deserve to be booed. Somehow, the Redskins found their hearts again and pulled out a gutsy win to stop the bleeding...at least for this week. There were some obvious issues, not the least of which was Jason Campbell, but here are my thoughts of the week:

• As for Campbell, he looked terrible in the first half and threw flat deep balls, but his bomb to Moss in the 3rd quarter along with his efficient drive that utilized Cooley were both really solid. He was what he's always been as a Redskin...up and down.
• Clinton Portis made an appearance, and even ran to the right. Nice.
• Big #75...Rhino Chad if you will looked a lot better this week after the first drive. Stephon Heyer...well, didn't.
• Brian Orakpo showed up all over the field, and it looked great. So did Reed Doughty. Sorry for that 2A/2B crack buddy.
• Still don't know how much Hunter Smith's injury affected that 4th and 4 call...but we'll just say I was none too pleased up in my seat on that particular call.
• I would love to know how to breed a child with cinder blocks for hands. Think you could help me out with that one Mr. and Mrs. Rogers?
• Justin Tryon got a sack? What?
  
• Alex Ovechkin should be our backup kicker based on what I saw out of him during warm-ups...speaking of backups...isn't Cooley supposed to be the backup punter?

In today's NFL, a win is a win. I don't know that I've seen more hate between Redskins fans after a win (other than the St. Louis game) before, but people need to calm down a little. The team still has talent, and a relatively "easy" schedule outside of the division. Let's take this momentum and bring things up to 3-2. Hail.

Sieve of the Week:

Carlos Rogers' Hands

Dook Fought Back: Hokies WIN 34-26

I remain unimpressed with what I saw of the performance on Saturday, but in this day and age, I'll take a win any way the Hokies can manage it. While our pass defense seemed atrocious, and big pass plays a week before playing Boston College terrify me just a little bit, we're finding different ways to win games, and that's what matters. Bryan Stinespring is slowly crawling his way out of the doghouse...very slowly. If Tyrod Taylor can beat teams with his arms and his legs, we might just have...dare I say it...an explosive offense. Overall, I'm happy with Josh Oglesby's efficiency, and Taylor's confidence, as well as the receivers' newfound ability to step up when needed. Something about Dyrell Roberts drop late in the Nebraska game seems to have sparked the whole corps play over the last two weeks. I would feel a lot worse about this week if we didn't have Bud Foster at the helm of the defense, but I fully expect he'll have the troops ready to roll come Saturday...and I can't wait for Enter Sandman. Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Go Hokies

Game Two: Caps 6, Leafs 4

Apparently somebody saw the Versus ad about defense, who needs defense. Vesa Toskala watched it. The Caps young guns are getting it done early and often so far. I know it's the second game of the season, but this looks nice. Unfortunately I was watching my drumline rock to a second place showing last night, so I couldn't watch the game, but my blackberry was humming. Let's add some more defense next time.

Week 4: Tampa Bay

TAAAAAAAAAAAAMPA BAAAAAAAAAAAAY (in the words of my man Nette). So this is a redemption game, right? Wrong. Nobody gets instant redemption from losing to the Lions by beating the awful Buccaneers, but a win would put us on the right track. Tampa is starting a new quarterback, Josh Johnson, who's younger than I am, and who almost started the season at wide receiver. The guy went to San Diego. No, not San Diego State...San Diego. As in the Torreros. And he starts in the NFL. If my favorite team wasn't the Washington Redskins, this fact would make me very happy. Unfortunately the tattoo on my leg is not a Falcon or a Fleur-de-lis, so my team will probably allow him to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Awesome.

In fairness, the Bucs are almost as much of a wreck as the Skins, without the added bonus of dead money and wasted draft picks. Cadallac Williams is a good back that tries to run without legs, since they've broken down on him so many times. Rhonde Barber went to UVA, and well, yeah. Plus he's 150 years old. Barrett Ruud is the only other guy I know on their defense. Do they still have Mike Alstott. Asshole.

Here's what to keep an eye on for the Redskins this afternoon, and things that will probably make me want to throw myself off the top of FedEx:

• Pass Defense. Can we stop anyone? Will Fred Smoot actually follow through and not just run by a guy, but run into the opposing endzone without the ball for no reason? Sounds about right. Reed Doughty took the starting spot back from Chris Horton, so look for further ineptitude, as those guys should be 2A and 2B on the depth chart right now.
• Run Defense. Will Albert Haynesworth stub a toe this week? Will he get poked in the eye? Maybe someone will blow on him. How many times will he need trainer help on the field?
• Pass Offense. Santana Moss showed up, but no one else did against the Lions. Look for Campbell to spread the ball around a little more evenly today, keeping Cooley and Kelly a little more involved.
• Rush Offense. Do we have one of these anymore? Did Clinton Portis die? What the hell is going on?

Good luck enjoying this one. It will probably be a jokefest like last week, but I'll stick with my obnoxious homerism and pick the Skins to start at 2-0 at home. Have we been 2-0 at home since the 80s? Don't think so. That would take a little bit of the hot garbage taste out of my mouth from last week.

Hail.

Redskins 23
Buccaneers 21