How about Mark Brunell??? Highest passer rating of his career this year!!!!!

I'm kidding of course...

If somehow the Skins turn this thing around you have to go with Troy Vincent, not only saving the season with the block but with his leadership.

I would probably vote for Sellers, but I'm becoming more and more of a Rock fan. The guy is a Skin, through and through. That bit about him going up to Novak after his miss against Dallas was key.

He also stepped up his return game after the TJ trade. When's the last time we had a solid and dependable, game-after-game return guy?

Sellers gets my vote too, but Thrash is close behind. I love players who do their job well, have a great work ethic, and keep their mouths shut.
Also JLa, I loved the headline in the notebook today "Props to Vincent". Has props made it into the journalistic vernacular, or did you forget you weren't blogging with your peeps at the moment?
Also can't believe we forgot the likes of BDP, Big Daddy Kane, and Cypress Hill yesterday. 10k!!!!!

I would go with Sellers also.

Todd Yoder

I apparently missed two things in the last couple days being busy. Would one of you guys (or ladies if that may be the case, madam megskin or Cindy) fill me in?

1) What's the contest that's going on here? A Spurrier book? Isn't that like giving away construction grade toilet paper?

2) What was the question/topic that received all the music and band answers?

I love Sellers and Thrash as well. Sellers is an all around great guy and he really wants to win. Thrash is Mr. Dependable. I also like Rock Cartwright.

Rock Cartright, hands down. I think Sellers gets his due gennerally amonst fans....

JLaC - So you grew up in B-More? When the WaPo hires you guys, do they make sure you are not a Redskins' fan so you can be more independent?

Sellers is a given, but I'll give a shout out to the 2 rookie DTs. We really needed help at the DTs and even though they didnt do squat for the Indy game; they've played over there heads and have shown flashes of toughness. They are not above Sellers or even Thrash, but they do deserve some love.
-- trying to 'change it up' from the usual suspects.

You guys have pretty much covered it. You have got to give a nod to Rock Cartwright but Sellers is a BAMF. I love the dudes that just stick their noses in on special teams and fill in where and when they can.

Some other unsung guys (maybe unsung because it would be hard to describe them as 'good' but have contributed):

Golston, being thrust into duty very early and holding his own when we had injuries

Ok, on second thought, that's it.

I would go with Sellers as well, though sometimes he gets stupid personal foul penalties but I guess thats the price you pay for intensity.

I will say this though: My dad loves, LOVES, James Thrash. Everytime he sees the guy on the field he says "there's a guy who knows how to play the game the right way". Can't say I disagree. I think any good, successful team has to have at least a few thrash-type (and sellers for that matter) players on it.

What about Fudge-Ums?

The two in my mind have already been mentioned. Sellers and Golston.

I like Sellers, because he's been the apparent spunk in an offense that's been totally lacking it. He does his damndest to do everything asked of him. He shows the fire and the mojo about laying into people, getting the ball, and just moving forward. Besides, he's the player on the team I see as most likely to holler, "Pain Train's comin'! Wu-WOOOO!" as he's running at and through people.

Kedric Golston's also in that unheralded class, right now. He's got stuck in that unenviable position of being the rookie having to fill in for veterans, and being thrown straight into the fire, nevermind the pan. But he's managed well, and he's been more than adequate in the role. Yes, he hasn't had any sacks or brilliant plays, but in a team with so many problems, NOT hearing about a position player tends to be a good thing. A few more years of tutileage from Griffin, and we might be wearing his jersey in a nick of time.

Has anyone seen Len Paquereli's mid-season All-Pro team? He did not list a Punt Returner. Only a Kick-returner which was the guy from NYJ. Could it be that he did not want to give any props to a Redskin (Randel El, who is by far the best PR man in the NFL) so he just decided to not list anyone for the position?

Sellers and Thrash are the two guys that stick out in my mind. Without Sellers we'd have lost that Jacksonville game.

Thrash is just Thrash. Unselfish, proffessional and hard working. A "core" redskins.

I don't know if he's unheralded but Renaldo Wynn has accepted demotion quite well and still is a leader on the team. I think that speaks volumes.

sean taylor. i've never seen him not show up for a game. every broken play he's there to clean it up. no matter what the score or the record. god knows what it would've been like without him back there.

if anyone's guilty of playing their guts out every single game it's hima and #53, Marcus washington.

SFSKIN, i watched your girl(polosi(?)) with amazement last night. gazillion times better than Billary Clinton!!!! you think she has a shot in 2008? i only saw a minute of her speech. she has charisma, she can talk. why are dems so hungup on Billary? i say her and obama in 2008 baby! it's about time we as a nation shattered some sexist and racist barriers all in one election!

Bucktown, we hit 10,000 total comments in the previous thread (A Soggy Moss...). Cindy came up with the idea of a prize and the best (worst?) she could do was the Spurrier book. Dealer was the one that came up with the country-rap-video-lyrics topic that got so many comments...

I guess I'm watching different Redskins games then everyone else here, Sellers is a liability IMHO.

I always seemed to remember FB's in Saunders offense catching the ball out of the backfield and being an excellent blocker. I don't see either of those in Sellers, sorry.

Here's his line this year:

Rushing: 6 for 27 yards
Receiving: 11 for 59 yards
No TD's, 1 fumble

As a side note Duckett has 5 attempts for 24 yards and he's played in one game.

Sorry I just don't see it. He's a career special teamer if nothing else.

- Ray

Ex-Golden Domer
Solid and dependable
He is my Wynn-er

Much to the dismay of my good friend John, I've always liked Thrash. He's damn good on special teams (2 or 3 punts downed inside the 5, or the 3!) and he comes up big on offense when needed.

An aside: I'm in Manhattan this weekend and had remembered that someone had listed a spot up here that showed 'skins games. Any help?

I would have to say Duckett for not making the horrible way this team is treating him turn into a media problem. The team is near the goaline and cannot get in on 7 plays while Duckett is on the sideline? You have GOT to be kidding me. This issue would have been talked about more if the Skins did not get the unlikley events at the end.

Ray, I think you just proved our point on Sellers. The dude does whatever he is asked to do no matter how un-glamorous. Heroes have huge stats, unsung heroes are guys that are underappriated because their contributions often times go unnoticed. Sellers does everything he is asked to do and is a great leader on our squadron.

Thrash -- Just hated it when he went to Philly.

To go with my last post...

BREAKING NEWS -- Terror Alert in: Washington, DC

Wash. (DC) - The Washington Redskins football practice was delayed nearly two hours today after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field. Head coach Joe Gibbs immediately suspended practice and called the police and federal investigators.

After a complete analysis, FBI forensic experts determined that the white substance unknown to players was the GOAL LINE.

Practice resumed after special agents decided the team was unlikely to encounter the substance again this season.

A Spurrier book? Isn't that like giving away construction grade toilet paper?

buck, I HATE YOU!!!!

ohh and MV Dame won the contest. he is the reigning 10K Poster!

and i'm gonna get that PRIZE(yes, it's a prize to me and that's all that matters) cuz mv dame said so before he won it.

ps...Lost was so bad i'm thinking about boycotting it.

Mike4169...classic on many levels.

Oh ..and yes..I couldn't stay away. Did anyone miss me?

My vote is for Mark Brunell's ribcage flak jacket, it's my hero.

The skins should realize that they would get better investment on their return if they worried less about Archuletas and Carters and Lloyds and stocked up on more Sellers, Rocks, Thrashes, Prioleaus and Sala'veas.

I believe that was the same breaking news posted by you a few weeks ago, if I'm not mistaken.........

Thrash. He should be in on every 3rd and whatever play because he WILL get the first down.

Also, Thrash brought my girlfriend over to the Skins. She loved him when he was with the Eagles, and when he came back home, she came over with him.

Ray, I think you're crazy (respectfully so). Sellers is a very good blocker. Does anyone else remember him blocking on the edge last year, giving Portis the "follow me" hand wave mid run and then allowing Portis to hold onto his jersey to steady himself and score? Amazing...

When you have a great RB and a very good backup RB (who can both catch passes), other than blocking, the fullback's role is diminished even more.

But don't sleep on how important Sellers is to this team. The man is a straight up BEAST... and I gaurantee anyone who gets blocked by him knows it.

christian fauria

Can I still vote for Pierce?

Ray,

If you don't see him as a great blocker after the Jacksonville game then you aren't paying attention. He was the MVP of that game by a long shot. He basically crushed the will of there defense.

If you want to go by stats alone then look at his stats for last year.

Cause last year he put on his pants like everyone else, except when he put on his pants. He made touchdowns.

Saying Sellers isn't any good by pointing to his stats is like saying Don Warren wasn't a good Tight End because he didn't rack up huge numbers.

As AM2TS said: both of those guys do (did in Donny's case) the dirty work that doesn't show up on the stats sheet. Go ahead and discount Sellers' energy and what that brings to the huddle--I think it's foolish though.

And dealer mentioned Washington: he had a pretty damn good game against Dallas, hard to argue that he isn't having a good year. He's not posting huge numbers but that's because teams make sure the play goes nowhere near him.

Taylor is always "sung" about, so I don't think he falls into this category.

James Thrash has always been good at anything he does; one heck of a player, but I still think Sellers gets the nod on this one.

No love for the O-line, anyone?

Also Ray, think about the tightest highlights from last year on O. One of them should be the play where CP was holding onto Sellers' jersey as that man plowed a road to the end zone. That play was just exceptional.

In Summation:

Mike Sellers is the cock-in-the-walk baby.

Sellers has my vote if we're talking just this season. Last year he was catching TD's so I'm not really sure if the 'unsung' label sticks retroactively. He handled the Duckett acquisition well and is a wrecking ball blocker. Plus, overcoming his troubles in Cleveland and knocking around the CFL for awhile makes a good story. Rock is a very close second- the dude is a Redskin through and through and has delivered in more ways than one. He was a great 3rd down back during the OBC's tenure. Thrash is right up there and after Sunday I'd like to see him get more involved. Wynn is an interesting case- but backing up JaLa w/ a vote for Sellers...stats don't say it all.

hey T: As a DC ex-pat living in NYC, the hands down best spot to take in a skins game is '200 5th' on 5th Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Forget the bars in the city. This place has a great menu, a ton of beers on tap and a tremendous football atmosphere (although the Giants fans are p.i.t.a.) I'd join ya, but I'm out of town this week. There's usually a good 10-15 skins fans there...give my crazed Asian metalhead homie in the burgundy and gold a high-five for me. Take the B or D train from the city to Atlantic/Pacific and walk up to 5th Ave.

deion sanders

Megskins,

Who on the O-line? Samuels gets paid big money and is a Pro-Bowler so definately not unheralded. JJ hasn't had a good year. Raybach has been a dissapointment. Thomas has played ok but gets paid big money. Dockery started off strong but hasn't done much lately and Portis is having the worst year of his career.

No love for the O-line. I'd give it to Goldsten if anyone, on either line and he hasn't played all that great. I love the kid and he's played well for a 6th rounder don't get me wrong but, not all that great.

No love for the O-line -- they haven't earned it.

T, since the giants are playing the features sunday night game, Fox is carrying the game in NYC, so it should be available almost anywhere this week/.

jury's still out on the o-line. They need to make up for their performance in week 2 at Dallas and in Indy.

I vote for Terrell Owens...He was definately the key to victory last weekend.

Jeff Hayes, that sounds pretty cool. I live in Brooklyn Heights, and I know there is a huge Redskins contingent at Mercury Bar in Manhattan.

I watch at a buddies place on NFL Ticket, but it's cool to know that there is a Brooklyn spot too.

CMoney's Unsung Heroes

Offense: Sellers (the man is a beast)

Defense: Wynn (plays all line positions; does a nice job as the straight man on MNL)

Teams: Rocky (is a heck of an open-field tackler)

Coach: Byner (his handling of Duckett proves that he's ready to be the Skins' next head coach)

I have to admit I am like you and have a soft spot for Sellers, he is such a monster and plays with alot of heart.

But how about Khary Campbell, or the other Campbell as I like to call him? That dude is every bit of the special teamer that Sellers is.

I think the jury has delivered the verdict on the O-line. They are over-rated.

Sellers is the guy. Measuring his worth by his stats is like measuring Bushwick Bill's lyricism by his height. It doesn't make any sense.

SP, are you sure about that? The Jets play at 1PM too I believe.

Will FOX show the skins and the Jets at the same time?

Gotta go with my boy Rock Cartwright. Gets it done (when he's not fumbling)... big fan of his behind the scenes no glory hussle.
Sellers I think gets local props and is very much a sung hero up here. Maybe not nationally, but hey... Mack Strong was that guy for 13 years before he actually got a pro bowl nod. I got to meet Mack Strong when I was 17 or so, and that was a classy guy. Great on and off the field. How Strong? Mack Strong!
Back to the Skins. Yeah, Sellers gets his local love.

PS- Am I the only one who thought MV Dame was a chica this whole time??? I must have missed a few comment posts here and there cause, whoosh, missed that one.

The Rock. Cartright version. . . He not only runs back kickoffs, he's also had quite a few tackles on kick coverage. I think he comes up big down the road again . . .maybe the other rock (mac version) also gets an opportunity to contribute beyond levelling people on kick coverage!

Who on the O-line?(...)and Portis is having the worst year of his career.

I don't know; in my opinion they look like they're having a bad year. But I asked because maybe someone sees something I don't. Besides the game against Jax, to me they look like they haven't really blown anyone off the line.

Right behind the D, the O-line has to be my biggest disappointment of the year. I know we were supposed to be a hot-S offense, throwing the ball down the field left and right, our defense was supposed to be great, stuffing the run and harrassing quarterbacks--and not having those is disappointing, don't get me wrong. But at least you'd think that when those things failed to pan out, that we'd still be able to fall back on running the dang ball.

Dorf, yeah you missed it. Haikuman tried to hook up a 3-way a few with MV and Megskins about 4-5 weeks ago. That's when we found out the Dame was that of Notre and that he's man, baby! MV Dame has come a long way from his humble beginnings.

Khary Campbell blew some plays in Indy, granted he was starting in place of Marshall, but don't think the term 'hero' can be applied.

C Money: Byner as HC? Are you nuts? you're letting your fandom do the thinking on that one.

Bucktown: been by the Mercury Bar a bunch but never for a game. 200 5th definitely rocks- Jacksonville game was nuts there.

still stuck in my craw from Sunday: forget about all the non-holding calls (ones not called on Cowpies and invisible holding on Fauria alike)

-why was nothing said of Romo's pass that seemed awfully close to or beyond the line of scrimmage? Is that challengable?

-Second, on a punt in the 4th quarter Carlos Rogers clearly touched the ball at the 1 although he did not retain control and the ball went into the end zone. Dallas got it at the 20. Shouldn't that have been downed at the 1?

Al Saunders is my choice. He is a BAMF. I think, after we take this L coming out of Philly, you are going to see the offense really come together, whoever the QB is. The Randle El option play was so fetch. That was 48 yards in the Cowboys eye-piece. Gibbs would have never called that play the last few years.

I think Saunders has been let down by the awful play of the O-Line to date (except for Sunday) and that has been the biggest reason for the inconsistency with offense. Parcells is right, Jansen is not the same player. AMTTS and I have been spot lighting him all season and he gets beat like an upside down bucket at a Sidwell go-go party week in and week out.

So my choice is Al Saunders. I believe we have not even seen a glimpse yet of how tight that dude is. Perenial BAMF. Did I spell perenial right? Someone help.

P-e-r-e-n-n-i-a-l, perennial.

An old man and his wife have gone to bed.
After laying there a few minutes the old man farts and says,"Seven Points."

His wife rolls over and says, "What in the world was that?"
The old man replied, "It's fart football!"

A few minutes later the wife lets one go and says -
"Touchdown, tie score!"

After about five minutes the old man farts again and says -
"Touchdown, I'm ahead 14 to 7!"

Not to be out done the wife rips another one and says, -
"Touchdown, tie score!"
Five seconds go by and she lets out a squeaker and says -
"Fieldgoal, I lead 17 to 14!"

Now the pressures on and the old man refuses to get beat by a woman so he strains real hard but to no avail. Realizing a defeat is totally unacceptable he gives it everything he has but instead of farting he poops the bed.

The wife looks and says, "What the heck was that?"

The old man replied, "Half-time, Switch sides!"

"he gets beat like an upside down bucket at a Sidwell go-go party"

Awesome. Best analogy to date. Unfortunately, I wear his jersey every Sunday, if for nothing more than the strange looks I get at the bar since I'm 6'5", 195lbs.

How do you print in italics again?

Perennial, according to MS word. Still looks weird though.

Mike 4169--Thank you, man. That was an exceptional report from Redskins Park! I'm waiting for the news early next year about Democrat leaders in the House chagrined over an attempt by Rep. Heath Shuler to pass a bill, only to have it picked off by the opposition and returned for 6.

When a player plays on a certain team and starts for a while, people begin to assume that said player is better than he is. I call this 'the Jansen' paradigm. Paradigm, bang.

Megskin, and the others that haven't been positive on the O-line - I'm still in the "jury's out" category. Yes, as far as results, they've been underperforming, but I think that's as much due to the general pressure from the defenses they're facing rather than just their own play. It's been 7 or 8 men up front practically all year.

Defenses seem to know that you stop CP by getting him before he gets out of the backfield through a seam. Defenses have also probably figured out that you can mitigate the speed of the Skins WRs by keeping Brunell moving and not giving him a chance to set properly to throw (or better yet, flush him out of the pocket and get him to Fosse himself away from a thorough Ramseying). Until they can break defenses out of that thinking, the O-line's going to continue to look pathetically incapable.

While i'm not a big fan of passing on info/analysis from Dr. Z-gomaniac here is what he said in this weeks column:

Here are two safeties in the NFC East who vie with each other for the Big Hit championship. I think the Redskins' Sean Taylor carries the most lumber. When he hits 'em, they fly. The trouble is that he'll pick up too many penalties, he'll blow a zone assignment every now and then. But man, he can strike 'em. Roy Williams of the Cowboys formerly had the title. I don't see him really flying around anymore. But I see him always with an eye out for the highlight reel kill shot, sometimes at the expense of the guy he's covering

Sean Taylor...The trouble is that he'll pick up too many penalties, he'll blow a zone assignment every now and then.

I'll say it again: don't care as long as he keeps destroying peoples spinal cords.

This isn't flag football.

Most under rated player this year is Ladell Betts! Anytime C-Port goes down with a hang nail, LB is the dependable friend you call at 2am when your broken down on RT 66 to come get your ass off the side of the road....

Geez Megs, take a zoloft or something...Spinal cords?

So Portis is Lightning McQueen and Betts is Mater?

Sonny you just had to one up me didn't you. That was great! Please give me permission to use that one!

As for whoever claimed I have given that breaking news before.. While it might have been posted before it was not I. I have only posted here maybe 3 times.

My true unsung hero pick, just to pick someone different, will be Betts for having a career year and taking the big hits on 3rd and long with the stupid dump passes to him.

Daggum!

O-Line - Jury is still out for me as well. This is a new system for them to, as well as Bugel's. But, they have all been together for 2 years now (4 years for all except the center). So, I would only give them their 8 games for a learning curve. The next 8 will be very telling......

Taylor vs. Williams - HAnds down is Taylor, but after Sunday's game there is no way Mike Peralla (sp?) can tell us that the Refs are not after Taylor. He is sure fire for a 15 yarder per game, but I don't blame him for it.

Thrash
He's the new B Mitch

Mr. Hayes

The Romo beyond the line of scrimmage pass definitely should have been challenged. Don't know that they would have overturned it, but it's absolutely a reviewable play...

Rogers touching the ball at the one means nothing if he can't keep it from going into the endzone. The touchback was correct...

GOO!!! MV DAME! I'll be pulling an Ace Ventura "crying game" after work today. Ick. Too funny. thanks for clarifying Joe

Skinz: great Blue Oyster Cult ref. For what its worth, Christopher Walken takes care of his business on SNL.

Fudge-Ums has yet to step on the field. No way does he qualify for unsung hero. He and JC will just have to wait. They are the future. JC on O, Fudge-Ums on D. Redskins Super Bowl push 2008!

Betts for unsung hero. If it wasn't for him, Brunell's QB rating would be about 56.1

Betts for unsung hero. If it wasn't for him, Brunell's QB rating would be about 56.1

Boy Dorf mancrushing
Despite lack of manboobage
Notre Dude flattered

I love me some Cartwright, but he'd be the first to say he's slumping a bit in recent weeks. Kedric is one to watch and I love what he's done, but for a rookie fill-in I think he's got a fair share of love.
Ladell fits the bill for unsung.
Sean Taylor, is anything, probably gets more praise and hype than his overall game is worthy of because he makes spectaular plays - whether good or bad - but to mee has a logn way to go in coverage and still misses his fari share of tackels from taking poor angles or selling out entirely for the decapitation hit.

I think the O line is as up and down as it's always been. That's who they are I guess. I am far from overwhelmed with them this year.

Boy Dorf sings...

"Do you really want to hurt me? Do you really want to make me cry?"

Can o' Worms Dame.

I'm kinda partial to D Dockery. Keeps his head down, does the job.

Sellers is hard to argue against, however I have to go with TJ. We see these drama queens all the time creating havoc when they don't get the ball or play as much as they want. Hell the other night Lebron walked off the court. TJ has been a stand up guy and gets my vote and I hope he gets paid after the season. Love the Skins but what they are doing to him is just wrong. (you know he is going to go to philly and kill us next year as pay back)

I'm just playin', Dorf. Don't be mad...

thanks for clarifying MV. I always saw Betts as 'sung' but after taking a second look he certainly deserves some votes. Sellers is still my man...it's the intangibles he brings. The dude is a runaway dumptruck with pass catching ability.

JLa: what's the skinny with Nick the Kick around the park? Is coach Danny going to get those things to straighten up and sail right or are we all gonna be in knots every time he lets one fly?

Jeff, without looking at it on the internet.com, think of the last time the skins have had a reliable kicker. Hard to remember isn't it? First person to say Brett Conway gets hit with a hot sack of nickels.

We haven't had one since Lohmiller. That is just not how the skins role...

Unsung hero for the Skins is a 3 way tie right now among Parcells, TO and Roy Williams.
Parcells for going for 2 like an idiot,
TO for dropping a TD and being an idiot, and Roy Williams for getting burned deep against the skins yet again and for making the people who vote him into the Pro Bowl every year look like complete idiots.

Duckett can't get "sung"
When Coach won't even let him
Step up to the mike

dead on #81. This is a glaring flaw of the recent era skins. Dependable kicker = points. Points lead to wins. Not calculus.

For sheer originality and "Jeez, he has a point"-edness, I gotta go with jm. The Duckster has been a gem.
Otherwise, I go with Thrash by an eyelash, then Sellers....

How about C.Griff?? apparently played with sevre injury to his hip+ ... improved play v the 'Boys coincided with his return to monster status

JCL who took the snaps yesterday since the old man sat out? (please say Campbell)

MV Dame think if it was T.O. or any of these other dram queens? Can you imagine the hell they would cause?

Kyle Kosier gets honorable mention (if only I had two Spurrier books...) 'cause I'm pretty sure the first thing you learn in fubbawl school is to not get flagged at crunch time in a tie game....

Duckster in the ring of honor!!

Be careful what you say on this blog!!!! Now that we've decided betts can play, vinny and the gang will be sure not to resign him, thus letting him go play for the giants, Duckett will not re-sign, Thrash'll retire and we'll go out and pay 30 million to anyone with a nice highlight reel to replace those guys.

Rock Cartwright gets my vote. He gives it a 100% every time he gets on the field and he has a great attitude.

JM, I think we're on the same page of sheet music, just singing different verses. Duckett on his best behavior has been a blessing for us. I wouldn't even want Keyshawn here, let alone TO. But we can't sing Duckett's praises as a "hero" when Coach won't let him put on his cape and fly.

Thrash is probably the true number one here because firstly he's been getting into games, and secondly he's been performing once he gets into those games, coming through in the clutch even. And you don't hear a peep out of him either way.

Strictly speaking, this is the first that anyone on this blog has truly been singing about Thrash, and that says a lot. Sellers, who's a close (eyelash, Cindy) second, we've been singing his praises for a while now...

bobbo-

I don't know if Cornelius Griffin qualifies for an "unsung hero", especially since he will be the 6th highest paid Redskins next year (and will cost us 6 million towards our cap).

That's star money. Unsung player should go to someone who is paid like it as well.

"Your gun is sticking into my hip" Aack!! Well now that we have MV Dame's gender determined, as is well in the Redskins Insider. I would like to give love to TJ for not turning the locker room into a viable hell (sure would give JLaC something to write about) but that doesn't qualify as being unsung. Score me a goalline TD or get me a 4th and inches 1st down and we'll start the love, but til then he's just a classy guy who is getting the raw end of crappy trade. Again, not his fault... but as the old adage goes "what have you done for me lately?"
Howard Bryant's article hints at something that does give some perspective though: maybe the powers that be aren't playing Duckett to keep Betts, Rock and Sellers happy. So far, Betts is playing well and showing the front office he's worth resigning, Rock is doing his thing on special teams and Sellers is "a runaway dumptruck that can catch" to paraphrase genius. Now if only all this would result in more wins. It comes down to Wins and Losses. Unless you're the Chicago Blackhawks. Zinger.

Stats of the week:

Did you know that Mark Brunell is ranked 8th in passer rating and completion percentage among QB's in the NFL this year. Higher than Palmer, Brady, and Eli Manning. His average pass per attempt is ranked 11th which is higher than Tom Brady.

Stat of the week:
Redskins are the 21st ranked passing offense in the league and have scored fewer passing touchdowns than anyone besides Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Minnesota, Tennessee, and Oakland.

MV Dame good points about Thrash. But I am sticking with my guns and TJ. Ok, crew lunch is over back to work for me. Hit you all up around 4 when I get home. JLC gives us an update on the old QB.

On a team full of big contract, free agent busts, I can understand the desire to recognize the guys who are actually earning their paychecks. Only 3 viable candidates? That speaks volumes, but I'll agree that Sellers, Rock, Thrash are limited talent, maximum effort guys who i'd take in a second. For the most part, the Skins (as currently constituted) performed well elsewhere, came to DC to "get paid", and left their competitive juices on the flight into Reagan. Let's get serious and do a "most overrated" list - that would at least provide more than 3 options.

Before last weeks game, when you took out YAC Brunell had the lowest Avg. Pass per play in the league.

Also, remember that many of his "Pass" show up as runs on the stat sheet because they are laterals.

Caveman- just a joke. Can't see how TJ can be called a hero when the dude has played 5 snaps. Class act, absolutely...but hero? C'mon!

Higher than Palmer, Brady, and Eli Manning.

Cut it out with the idiotic QB-rating posts. Next person to post one of those gets to wear a dunce cap and sit in the corner the rest of the year.

Like Brunell is better than Tom Brady, goodlord.

Novak's approach is not entirely fluid. He needs to work on his follow through.

Selles, Cartwright, Golston and Thrash.

Thats about it.

So Brunell is having a career year?

I vote for Kenny Wright. He would have stopped the bus to talk to those fans...

QB rating is an absurd stat and takes an even lesser meaning when 'pig skin sandwhich' and 'can't run to the sticks' are in your arsenal.

i personally don't care about duckett and don't get why everyone is carrying such a torch for him. sellers is the same player and is the one they need to keep happy with touches - and they seem to be doing that right at least. He's been here and proven himself and i'm glad they're not just shoving the hot new thing out there.
as for the O-line: here again brunell's inability to get the ball down the field causes real problems. teams can stack the box and when brunell does pass he holds the ball too long.

I'd take Brunell over Brady any day...he's a lefty! Huge advantage, he can't get hit from his blind side because he's already facing that direction.

brunell also appears to have more guts for fighting out

my bad...forgot about the guts. Automatic first down.

he can't get hit from his blind side

Brunell has two blind sides. One of them is the middle of the field.

At least he's not Aaron Brooks.

I'd take Brunell over Peyton Manning any day. The way he pats/taps/drums the football in the pocket shows that he has good rhythm. And broadcasters are always talking about an offense having good rhythm. Therefore, Mark Brunell > Peyton Manning.

jm220,

ComcastSportNet showed a "clip" of practice yesterday and Campbell was taking the snaps.

Gang, I will throw some love the O line's way...at least toward Samuels. He has been left alone out there with no help. Doc Walker said the other day that he is playing really well and that unless you have played that position you have no idea how tough it is.

Brunell praises God for his ability more than Peyton so I agree.

How on god's green earth can you have ANY heroes on a team that's 3 & 5??? I'm a Skins fan, but 9 out of 10 of them just don't get it. Too many excuses are made for the team and they're held on a pedestal. Believe me, football ain't what it used to be. I've heard there's a rule proposal to put skirts on the quarterbacks next year.

My mistake. I meant "God's"

That's why we're talking about the 1 out of 10 that DO get it.

I can agree with Sellars. Always thought that he could be a bigger part of the offense. He has good speed and athleticism for his size.

Vincent is too big of a name to be considered unsung (pro-bowler for several years) and he has only been with the team for a couple of weeks. I do hope, though, that they give him an extension because he seems to be the defensive leader that we have been looking for so far this year.

I would like to say, however, to get off of Lloyd. Granted, he is not putting up big numbers, but he makes plays when given the chance (which Brunell has not given him until recently) and seems to be a "team first" guy (He always seems to be just as excited when his teammates do well as when he does well).

been a skins fan,35 years.the unsung redskins hero if i were to pick it would be troy vincent,he blocked the kick,he got the confidence of the other players up on that play,and he's been a team leader.all the more impressive because he has only been on the team about 3 weeks!

I got to give the love to Sellers without a doubt. Hasn't had any of those bone head penalties this year and I even remember him calming the shank down after he got that 15 yarder againist Indy.
I bet the Jacksonvlle linebackers would give him props, he personally play after play beat them down.
Coming in second has to be James Thrash, never hear him complain, dependable and clutch. Rock would be third, needs to cut down the fumbling but all in all he deserves some love. Last I would go with Demetric Evans, whenever he's in the game he makes something happen and if not for Andre Carter's contract he would be starting.

you don't get it: waay aggro brah. But justified. Someone put clips of last year's time on You Tube and as you watch them it's evident that this year's gang doesn't have the fire or big hit capability... falls into the same category as Brunell's fear to run to the sticks. Last year he did. This year they just don't want it.

'scuse me: last year's TEAM

I like ur insights JLC, but "At 36, Brunell rests when warranted and is coming off a strong showing against the Cowboys."

Strong showing? He should have been picked four times. He had a few nice passes. Strong is when Peyton throws for 300 yards and 2 TDs. Mark is average at his best.

Joe: I meant the fans don't get it.

AMEN!!! Jeff. AMEN!!! You DO get it!!

speaking as a fan, I'll always be behind the team...good or bad. Just because the team is 3 and 5 doesn't mean they don't possess unsung contributor that deserves more praise. If you call yourself a fan, why attack your brethren?

we're all in this TOGETHER

I'm kinda partial to D Dockery. Keeps his head down, does the job.

Gonna hafta to disagree with that one. I think Dockery blows more assignments than anyone else on the line. In a recently game he single-handedly gave up two sacks in three plays. He's always pulling on a run play and not finding anyone to block.

I think he still has potential, but I also think he's the weak link.

"Up here", I'd have to say the unsung hero is the entire team, because "we're all in this thing together"

re: sean taylor as the unsung skin.

meg, i don't think he gets enough respect still. did you hear troy aikman and joe buck going on and on and on about roy williams? it was sickening! i'm sittin there going ummmmmmmm there's a better safety on the field. he didn't even get a mention 'till the last(secnod) play of the game. c'mon!

and the way he just shows up every single game like a professional.

jason, i disagree with your analysis about sean. i think he was hindered by archieletta most of the year. trying to cover up his mistakes et. all. he's known to bite (last year) but he doesn't do it as much roy williams. and not as nearly enough to warrant "coaching". only experience will teach him not to. just my "average joe" opinion watching at home. maybe you have better angle in person?

Unsung Hero = Dan $nyder

Let's get serious and do a "most overrated" list

Been there, done that--it's called: every thread on this blog.

did you hear troy aikman and joe buck going on and on and on about roy williams?

Well, one is a former Dallas QB and the other a complete a$$-kissing schmuck. Neither of their opinions mean much of anything to me.

...nothing's worse than Baldinger and The Goose tho. All of em give Dallas a bj.

something's been bugging me this season ever since the announcement that "gillian barbery" was coming back to fox pregame show to do "weather".

full disclosure: i used to watch laguna beach because of that one girl who was last seen with matt leinart. not only she was attractive but she was good. she was the whole show.

you don't have to read the rest of my bs because i ask one simple question:
Do we need traditional female "cheerleaders" at NFL games?

last night i was watching "inside the nfl" and the first highlight was preceded by a story on raven's cheerleader who was 40 years old with 3 kids. and as i'm watching this my objection towards NFL cheerleading grew stronger and stronger.

honey, you look good, really good for having 3 kids and being 40. and i don't care how you got there you look good. and you're in good shape and you'll probly be rewarded with longer life. but break out of the mold baby.

in highschool i actually looked at the cheerleaders for the sake of cheerleading (getting signs and help in spelling gar-field). in college i looked at the "cheerleaders" for their choreography (and it doesn't hurt that they're attractive neither).

BUT i can't justify it in the NFL. who's actually watching the cheerleaders during games? what is their purpose? who can hear them? heck, how many people can actually see them? and people who can and do look at them, why are they looking at them? because they're pretty? that's it right? (asking sincerely, cuz that'll be the only reason i'd be looking at them.)
if there isn't any other reason then WHY would you make it a feature story on god dang national show? because clearly, judging from this blog there are women fans who watch NFL so it's not that they're pandering to all the viewers. unless they really don't give a crap about women viewers.

i'd rather see something blow up or a wrestling match and watch someone get their a$$ kicked during the halftime(or even during a boring game) than a cheerleading session.

why don't they have cheerleaders in baseball? you'd think that's the one sport that could use it. i'm not proposing it i'm just asking why in the NFL and not in baseball?

of course cheerleading is degrading to women. it's not freedom, it's conforming. is there anyone who out there who'd like to argue otherwise? i won't expand on this because i think it's that obvious.

i'm just pi$$ed off. how is making women cover their bodies head to toe different from applauding them for dancing half-naked simply so MEN can have some viewing pleasure?

*steps off his soapbox*

Vote for Danny Smith!
Special teams have won two games --
Blocked field goal play planned!

Save The Cheerleader

okay, didnt read all the comments, but browsed through them. I cant believe i havent seen more mention of Ladell Betts. He stepped up and had good games with Portis out. He is reliable and he might not be the best back in the world, but hes better than nothing.

Dealer, don't know if you'll read this because it's an old thread, but you make some interesting points about the cheerleaders. I'm NOT a cheerleader guy. You know, the one who gets the calendar and tries to get it signed at training camp. That said, two things that I think:

(1) It's part of the Americana aspect of football. Fall, football, tailgates, cheerleaders -- it all goes together as part of the experience.

(2) In the NFL they're more like dancers than the traditional "Lets Go Team" cheerleader. There has to be something during all the TV timeouts and you can only do the Funky 4 once per game.

joe, that's why i posted it here because it was an old thread and wouldn't really disturb the flow of the blog. and whomever wants to discuss it can discuss it here.

okay i see your points. tradition and entertainment. and i'd counter that with traditions aren't always good. many traditions come to my mind that were good once but not anymore. actually i lie cuz i can't think of any cuz i got one eye on the window...i'll come back to this...and if someone else can help me out with an example of a tradition that isn't good anymore i'll be much obliged.

but entertainment...to me entertainment at a sporting event is another sporting event. like how they have "undercard" in boxing. how about a boxing match, or a mascot wars (like in baseball)... cheerleading is so ice skating to watch.

Slavery was a "tradition."

Nice skimpy outfits
No man should ever complain
Dancing eye candy

I'm cool with HS and college cheerleading. I appreciate the athleticism and choreography. I think it has its place in the football tradition.

As a professional sport, the NFL is an extension of that tradition, so it seems reasonable to me that there would be NFL cheerleaders. You can probably call into question the way its been implemented in the NFL - perhaps too much eye candy and not enough Lets Go Team?

Interesting topic. I don't know, I'm just saying...

You're supposed to say Natrone "Refried" Means, Berman style, I believe.

The Marlins have cheerleaders.

I respectfully disagree everyone, sorry.

He had one good year last year and everyone here is ready to put him in the HOF. I guess I just don't see it.

He misses his blocking lanes a lot and on special teams last week he messed up on the TO penalty and jacked up Cooley on a play.

I'm sorry, I just have no love for Sellers. And please don't compare the guy to D.Warren, he was highly respected around the league as the BEST blocking TE in his time.

I was just making a point with the stats because he hasn't gotten "chunk of yards" at all this season like Jason suggested.

He just doesn't fit Saunders offense, he's a liability.

- Ray

mv, i was trying to stay away from that example. but here's one: it was an american tradition for a woman to stay at home (to cook, clean, raise kids) while the man did his thing.

also mv, i hear you on eye candy. but my point is who gets to see the eye candy? not many people. unless you gotta a telescope in your pocket. all you really see is those pom poms and all they do is shake 'em and raise 'em and run around. and during half time, i know not even the most sheovenist(sp) of men would mind seeing a race/fight (man vs. animal) than girls jumping up and down that they can't even see.

that dude in NJ jets, fireman something now he's a cheerleader! we need someone like that here at fedex to get all the yuppies/new comers off their a$$es.