Birthday Gift!

What a great gift my wife got me. We're going to be in Maryland visiting relatives over the Christmas holiday (we live in the San Francisco Bay Area) and I'd talked about catching a Redskins home game one of these days when we make the occasional trip back every few years. Well, this time, she stunned by getting me tickets while we were going to be in town. She coordinated it with my cousin and uncle, who are also big fans and will join me at the regular season finale on Dec. 30. The three of us will see LaVar make his return to FedEx Field for the first time and delight in watching Eli get put on his back time and time again.

Washington Post

There has been a dearth of updates in the Post's Redskins section. Am I the only one suffering? The Post used to be the best resource for getting the latest updates. It hasn't updated in weeks.

Instead, Redskins.com has become the go-to source. With the insider view that Larry Michael provides on the video side including 1-on-1 interviews, its value as a resource to fans has really taken off.

Shadow Jersey

I'm sorry but I think it's dumb. I am really sorry for offending anyone out there who just bought it because they love the way it looks. It absolutely does NOT appeal to my aesthetic tastes. I find it so blech. My feeling is if you want a Redskins jersey, you are doing it to don burgundy and gold, possibly on white. But black and gray has nothing to do with the Skins. That's the Raiders.

Feel free to post with your opinions.

Brandon Lloyd

Smooth as silk.

I have to say that when I heard about the acquisition of Brandon Lloyd that I wasn't particularly excited. He was the number one option in a woeful offense. He gained 733 yards last season. In an earlier post I compared him to Rod Gardner. Gardner was also the number one option in a woeful offense his rookie year and he went over 1,000 yards (barely).

Lloyd makes some acrobatic catches capable of making the highlight reels. But I never saw any explosive speed from him. I never saw him run past anyone. I didn't see him take over a game and be a difference maker in any games. At least Randle El has explosive potential in addition to the excitement of versatility for trick plays. To me, Lloyd doesn't bring the speed or sharpness that would make him a great number two receiver.

In a group where we're set at H-back (now TE) with Chris Cooley and fullback with Mike Sellers, regularly playing 3 receivers means that we're taking one of those guys out of the equation. More often than not, it'll probably be Cooley since Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson ran behind fullback Tony Richardson to great rushing seasons. Cooley isn't as big or fast as Tony Gonzalez. Nor is he as fast as any other receiver to be split out wide on a regular basis. Therefore, you end up sitting one of your best weapons from last season.

I dearly hope that Brandon Lloyd proves me wrong. I'd like nothing better.

Sean Taylor

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/06/16/bc.fbn.redskins.taylor.ap/index.html

Unbelievable that he was able to avoid jail time in the holdup case. It's pretty ridiculous the naivete of the young man who keeps getting himself in trouble. He's got all the right folks around him, from a great supporter in Gregg Williams to a fatherly role model in Joe Gibbs to hard working fellow Miami alum in Portis and Santana Moss. Yet he continues to screw up.

It's like Michael Westbrook all over again except that Taylor doesn't have the injury/health question. And he's more talented. And seemingly more dedicated to making himself a better player.

The Skins are lucky to be even getting playing time out of him because of his off-field antics. Let's hope he can make it a full season.