vs. 
The Redskins travel to the unbeaten Patriots, 4:15pm ET. Hope is a powerful thing and FOX agrees, check out how much of the nation will be watching this game.
The week started with the coaches, Joe Gibbs in specific, taking the blame for the offense becoming too conservative at the end of games, I think Joe Gibbs is still in a world where he's got the hogs (and that is where the name Hogs came from, just big piles of meat) to run it down your throat even when you know it is coming. Those days are gone. The Redskins are going to need more than a promise not to be so conservative this week.
Curly R aside: isn't Chris Hanson the creepy guy on MSNBC that barges in on the naked guys that show up to that house hoping to have sex with teenagers? Well now he's punting for the Patriots and I don't think I want to see or hear the locker room behavior in New England....(commence daydream sequence)
(scene opens with quarterback Tom Brady and receiver Wes Welker clad in towels joking about how Tom is going to 'stick it in there' for Wes 'about a dozen times' on Sunday to which Wes says you know me the more I get it the more I want it.
Enter Chris Hanson in suit
Chris Hanson (to Tom and Wes): it's fine, have a seat guys
(camera pans to Tom and Wes, concerned and confused)
Chris Hanson (to Tom): you said you were going to find an opening to stick it into (turns to Wes) and you said if there was no opening you would make one...what are you guys talking about?
Tom (growing concerned): um it's uh nothing we were just kidding around
Wes (clearly nervous): yeah we'd never really do any of that stuff
Chris Hanson (holding up hardcopy of IM exchange): that's not what it says here. Last night you two had an IM conversation about finding the soft spots on Sunday and penetrating deep again and again and how if Tom can't find another...(look of mild revulsion) outlet that Wes will...(look of open disgust) sustain Tom as long as he needs. If you think none of this matters you guys are free to go.
(Tom and Wes leave locker room, are gang tackled by Boston police and cuffed in the felony prone position.)
Chris Hanson: I'm Chris Hanson and you're watching To Catch A Predator: NFL Edition only on MSNBC.
(end daydream sequence)
The Washington Post seems to be laughing nervously when they run two pieces on the same day about how well the Redskins match up to the Patriots. I can think of a few things that make the Redskins a not so good matchup:
1. Skill positions. Redskins receivers have zero catches for touchdowns and Clinton Portis is averaging under four yards per carry.
2. Offensive line. The Redskins still have not fielded the same players on the offensive line two games in a row. Casey Rabach aka Casey Nutsach is getting better after his groin pull two weeks ago against Green Bay. Todd Wade aka Big Head Todd aka 8 Ball played hurt after his injury replacement Stephon Heyer hurt himself. It's a disaster and already shaping up to be the deciding factor in the Redskins season.
3. Redskins' performances against big spreads as underdogs. Not good, including this one from 1972 also against the Patriots.
4. Football sense. The Patriots bagged Randy Moss for a fourth round pick. The Redskins landed Brandon Lloyd for a fourth round pick. Read the rest and weep for the idiot Redskins.
Yeah I basically agree with the Post, but it's easier said than done: control the clock, limit Randy Moss, pressure Tom Brady and keep the crowd out of it, which is a joke get it because the Foxborough regulars are about the drunkest lot of them all and pretty much out of it starting at the tailgate. And I think the Post can get rid of Campbell's Corner, I haven't learned anything from these gameday pieces, except that Jason has leared to speak in those perfect sports aphorisms, one game at a time, we nee dto give it our best, they are a great team yada yada.
On the injury front there was a whole list of dinged after the Cardinals game: center Casey Rabach aka Casey Nutsach, linebacker Marcus Washington, cornerback Carlos Rogers, return man Rock Cartwright, and backup tackle Stephon Heyer all are dinged.
The good news is that the defensive backs are pretty much healing up and only Randy Thomas and Rock are out for sure.
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My take in 40 words or less: it starts with the Redskins secondary. If Tom Brady can pick apart the Redskins with the same ease he has done so to all comers so far there is nothing Jason Campbell, Clinton Portis and Santana Moss can do.
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With this profile piece Rock offically becomes a dedicated special teamer. I hope he sticks with the team as a return man but he has little future as a ball carrier. Curious too, this week there were three other profile pieces, one on London Fletcher, one on Sean Taylor and one on Anthony Montgomery. With the normally talkative defensive unit (Fred Smoot and London Fletcher can always be counted on saying something interesting) being a quiet as a little mouse for fear of generating clipboard material for the Patriots it looks a lot like the team and it's orbiting sycophants including me and the WaPo were looking for something else to talk about besides the possible Sunday trainwreck of a 16.5 point underdog Redskins.
Washington Post game preview, Redskins Gameday (PDF). Redsksins roster, Patriots roster, Redskins projected starters.
Other previews: The Redskin Report statalicious, rundown; Greg Trippiedi at Hog Heaven (10 Reasons), AOL Redskins Fanhouse has several, here's Sportz Assassin's 5 Questions with a Patriots blogger (hrmm, wonder where that idea came from) and preview, and Belichick-Gibbs matchup; Bram Weinstein at Covering the Redskins, Riggo's Rag number one/number two, The Fun Bunch (no preview but there are cheerleaders).
This is a gameday open thread.
NFL helmets from here.
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