Fight For Old DC - A DC Sports Blog

Harper signs plus draft pick updates

32 signed, 1 more to go

The Nats have signed 32 of their 2010 draft picks, including 24 of their top 26. That number will reach 25 when Bryce Harper signs, as forecast expert Ollie Williams predicts. The Nats went over slot over the weekend to sign 2nd, 4th and 12th round pitchers Sammy Solis, A.J. Cole and Robbie Ray. All other Nats picks who have signed have played in the minors except 33rd round LHP Ryan Sherriff. Here is a recap on how the other draft picks taken in the top 20 rounds have fared in their professional baseball debuts (recaps for rounds 21 on as well as undrafted FA signings will be posted tomorrow).

Redskins Preseason Preview: Buffalo Bills (Game 1)

Tonight gives us all our first opportunity to look at the new and (hopefully) improved 2010 Washington Redskins. Most people are quick to disregard the importance of preseason, and it's certainly obvious that not a lot of tonight's action will really matter in the grand scheme of things, but there are some things to keep an eye on this evening. Here's what I'll be watching for when the Skins take to FedEx Field for the first time in eight months:

Donovan's Debut

McNabb is only expected to see between 15-18 snaps tonight, but as a fan, I want to see how crisp his passes are during live action. A lot of people have commented that Donovan hasn't been particularly sharp in camp, and it will be interesting if that carries over tonight. Most Redskins fans expect a lot out of our former nemesis, and if he struggles during preseason, don't be surprised to see people panic. Hopefully he'll come out, make a quick and efficient appearance, then trot off to don a baseball cap for the rest of the night. However, his success will largely depend on...

Alison Krauss & Union Station Tickets

Will Roydell Williams impress everyone after two years out of football? Will Joey Galloway turn to dust? How will Devin Thomas respond to his third-string status on the depth chart? Who the hell is Anthony Armstrong? This group has far more questions than answers right now, and McNabb could be doomed to failure as a result. It will be interesting to see if anyone can step up. It could be...

The Tight Ends

How will fan-favorite Chris Cooley and Fred Davis co-exist in the offense? Keep an eye on how often Shanahan sends out two tight ends tonight. Many people have speculated that Cooley and Davis shouldn't be competing for playing time, but taking the field together. If Shanny can make it work, he adds two quality weapons to an otherwise stagnant offense.

The 3-4 Defense

I'm interested to see how the defense will suit the strengths of some guys on the Redskins' defense, including Brian Orakpo and LaRon Landry. I'll be paying attention to how often the team blitzes, and how close the safeties play to the line of scrimmage in particular.

The Alexander/Carter Battle

A lot has been made of the battle at outside linebacker between former defensive end Andre Carter and former jack-of-all-trades Lorenzo Alexander. Alexander shed a lot of weight in the offseason to adjust to the position, and he's already listed right behind Carter on the depth chart. Coaches have complimented his motor and his work ethic throughout the summer, but it might not matter against a character guy like Carter who's working hard to adjust to the new coaching staff at Redskin Park. Carter struggled in the 3-4 as a linebacker for the 49ers, but he's been a willing contributor throughout summer workouts and should be able to make an impact at the position.

Hokies are #6 in Preseason Coaches' Poll

For those of you that weren't already salivating over the upcoming college football season, ESPN tossed us another bone this morning by releasing the results of the USA Today preseason coaches' poll. The Hokies come in sixth, which is (I believe, or at least according to ESPN and HokieSports.com) the highest preseason ranking in school history. That ranking is one spot better than their preseason ranking a year ago (#7) and four ahead of their final ranking (#10 according to the coaches). The Hokies will also face a top-five opponent to open the season for a second straight year, with Boise State falling one place ahead of them at #5. Based on these rankings, this game should be what we all expected it to be: hard-fought, close, and extremely exciting. Fortunately, the rankings just help build up the hype for the season and give us all the more reason to talk about it! Here are some other thoughts on the top-25 as a whole:

Conference: Miami, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Florida State all rank in the top twenty, which says something about the respect the ACC is already receiving this season. With big out-of-conference games against the likes of Ohio State, LSU, Georgia, BYU, Oklahoma, and Florida, this group has its work cut out to live up to the hype. The SEC leads all conferences with six in the top-25, followed by the ACC's five. The Big Ten checks in with four (Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State), Big Twelve has three (Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska), while the Big East (Pitt, West Virginia) and Pac-10 (Oregon, Oregon State) bring up the rear with two each. Three non-AQ teams also made the cut, including Boise, TCU and Utah.

Rivals: West Virginia came in tied for twenty-fourth this season, despite high hopes for star running back Noel Devine. Looks like breaking in a new quarterback knocked them down a few pegs...oh, and the fact that Bill Stewart is still their coach...

Hokies' Schedule: The Coastal division boasts four top-twenty teams, so the Hokies' schedule already looks like a murder's row. They will face #13 (Miami), #17 (Georgia Tech) and #18 (North Carolina), along with the possibility of facing #20 Florida State in the ACC Championship. Not a bad SOS if I do say so myself.

Overall Thoughts: I think that Florida and Texas, while both loaded with blue-chip talent get a little too much credit considering that they have to replace their long-time starting quarterbacks this season. Boise should probably be a little higher, and the Hokies should probably be buried a little deeper in the top-ten (maybe #8 or #9) because they have to replace so many impact defenders. Iowa could be a little higher, as could Georgia Tech.

What are your guys thoughts? Are the Hokies too high or too low? What about our rivals? Tell us what you think in the comments!

Jarmon Remains in the DE Rotation

Mike Shanahan addressed the status of defensive end Jeremy Jarmon today as the second-year pro prepares to return from a knee injury that cut short his rookie campaign last season.

"Well Jeremy Jarmon, the reason why he is staying at the defensive end position [is] we thought we needed more depth there," said Shanahan at his daily press conference. "He went up to 295 pounds, so he gained a few pounds and he's been playing well especially now playing that position a little bit. It's nice to get him back; he's healthy. I think it's always different when you've been out for a while to put pads on and actually get started, but it's been very positive and I think he'll just keep on getting better."

Jarmon was taken by Washington last season in the third round of the supplemental draft out of Kentucky. He played in 11 games, starting one before his season ended after he tore his ACL in a week 12 loss to the Eagles.

Being drafted in July left Jarmon facing a steep learning curve. He still managed to show flashes of potential in a week four win over Tampa Bay in which he stripped Buccaneer RB Clifton Smith late in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.

After rehabbing his way back into playing shape over the offseason, Jarmon has packed on about 20 pounds of muscle so he can withstand the beating of playing defensive end in a 3-4 defense.

Initially, there was speculation that Jarmon would be moving to outside linebacker along with Chris Wilson, Andre Carter, and Lorenzo Alexander, but Jarmon possesses more of a defensive end build, and the added weight will make him a valuable member of the rotation of .

Welcome Back Fisticuffs

I'm about a week late on this news, but the Caps acquired enforcer D.J. King in exchange for 2008 seventh-rounder Stefan Della Rovere. The King trade will certainly spark up the enforcer debate among the Caps' faithful that has smoldered since George McPhee allowed Donald Brashear to walk after the 2008-2009 season. While many people think this is a response to some recent comments made by a certain Penguin, others believe that King can add some toughness to a team that was often viewed as too soft last season (and postseason). Unfortunately, we don't have a large body of work to analyze when it comes to King, because he's only been able to play thirteen games over the past two seasons due to some freak injuries (hand, shoulder). According to George McPhee, King was not acquired for the sole purpose of fighting (or so he wants us to believe), and has faith that King (6'3" 230 lbs) has enough physicality to contribute on the forecheck and wear out opponents. Prior to the trade, the Blues signed King to a two-year, one-way deal, so we should expect to see him in a Caps sweater (or the press box) for the next two seasons. With that in mind, let's take a look at what the guy has to offer (spoiler: he doesn't bleed like Matt Bradley):

Meet the New Clipboard Guy: John Beck!

This afternoon, the Redskins acquired former Dolphins' second-round draft pick John Beck from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for free agent signee Doug Dutch. This trade means the end of the Colt Brennan era in D.C., as well as the end of the circus that always seemed to surround him. In an attempt to make Beck sound more interesting as the new third-string quarterback, we've pulled these facts* off of the internets for you to peruse:

• Beck didn't start his college playing career until he was 22 because of a mission trip to Portugal (he's Mormon, and a BYU alum).
• He speaks fluent Portuguese as a result of that three-year mission.
• He is an Eagle Scout.
• Beck was drafted in 2007, played in five games for the 1-15 Dolphins and was benched in favor of better options like Chad Pennington, Cleo Lemon and Chad Henne.
• Among his greatest professional accomplishments, he beat out Josh McCown for the Dolphins' third-string job in 2008.
  
• In the five games he saw the field for Miami, he managed to fumble the ball seven times and lose five of those. He was sacked ten times, threw three interceptions and only one touchdown.

*facts based upon Wikipedia and other unverified, illegitimate sources.

If you aren't convinced that Beck is a stellar prospect just yet, enjoy this little clip from a 2007 game against Buffalo:

This Colt Deserved To Be Cut

The backup quarterback is traditionally a popular figure in Washington, but now-former benchwarmer Colt Brennan was especially beloved by many fans for his gunslinger mentality and candid personality. However, the Brennan era is now over and after Brennan was cut today, the Cult of Colt will ride off into the sunset. Brennan was the figurehead of an underground movement of 'Skins fans looking for a rowdy, frat-boy gunslinger they could relate to. Brennan fit that prototype and his fans ate it all up. We would see ridiculous blog post and threads proclaiming Colt the next big thing at the quarterback position. Brennan played with reckless abandon; he was a gunslinger with no conscience.

As time wore on and Jason Campbell began to lose his luster, other fans grew to love Brennan because he was an alternative to a QB they felt was not effective. Campbell was a model citizen during his stint with the Redskins, but he lacked charisma and flair; something Brennan possessed. Many turned on Campbell as he struggled through several disappointing seasons, clamoring  for Brennan to start.

How Important is Mistake-Free Football for Boise?

Throughout the summer, there have been a lot of arguments thrown out as to why Virginia Tech will win or lose their opening game of the 2010 season against Boise State. Many people point to Boise's 21 returning starters, prolific offense, solid defense, or penchant for playing up to their opponents in big games as reason that they will be hard to topple on Labor Day. Other people feel that the Hokies simply have too many holes on defense or the offensive line to hang with the Broncos. Boise is currently favored in the match up, and there are a lot of reasons to pick them to come out on top when they make their way across the country to play Tech. However, there's still one major reason that I think the Hokies have an edge in this kind of game to start the season, and it probably won't surprise you.

It's Beamerball.

On a few different BSU message boards and blogs, I've notice people making the comment that Tech only has a chance to win if they play mistake-free football. While that might be the case, I believe that the pressure is on the Broncos to perform in this one, and those jitters could cause some mistakes that turn the tide against the Hokies. I understand that Beamerball has been extensively explained and examined, but when I was perusing the 2010 Media Guide, I was really surprised at just how manyways Beamer's teams have managed to force mistakes out of their opponents in the past. In a noisy, hostile environment (like FedEx will be), the Broncos will face an uphill battle, but if they are prone to mistakes like so many of Virginia Tech's opponents have been in the past, it could be a long night for the boys in blue. Let's look at some raw numbers and break them down a little bit.

Haslett's Flexibility On Defense Ensures Carter Will Be Productive In 2010

Fight For Old D.C. would like to welcome it's newest team member, Jack Anderson into the fold. Jack is an aspiring journalist in the D.C. Area, and he's worked hard to develop his Redskins Blog "SkinsTalk." He also recently started the "Kings of Leonsis" Caps Blog and is earning a great reputation among the D.C. blogging community. We're certainly happy to have him help cover the Redskins this season!

I was unable to attend camp today so here's some camp notes from the Examiner's John Keim.

Something I've wondered about is Andre Carter and how much he will factor into the new 3-4 at outside linebacker. He can rush the passer as well as anyone on the team, but I have been worried about his issues in coverage.

The Redskins have Lorenzo Alexander taking the majority of the first team reps at OLB, but Carter did take some reps with the first team yesterday. Keim told me that Carter is "getting a little more action," with the first team today, and that he had one good play in coverage against Fred Davis.

You won't find a nicer, more positive guy on the team than Carter so it's tough to gauge how he's actually handling the transition, but outwardly he has been upbeat and positive so far. He is coming off a torn bicep, which limited him over the offseason, but he looks to be in tip-top shape now.