THN: It was written on the Washington Post’s Redskins Insider blog that Coach Blache said Albert Haynesworth isn’t the reason for your improved performance but you’ve said several times that he makes the people around him better, especially you. Why does what Blache says contradict with what you have said? http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/jason-reid/a-helping-and-from-haynesworth.html#more

AC: I couldn’t even tell you. I do know that the sacks I have is God’s gift. How I am playing is God’s gift. I have always worked hard and prepared my mind and body for the season. My faith and focus has grown from 2001 as a rookie to 2009 as a vet. Haynsworth has been a great addition but the other men on the field have done their part as well. I have worked with [Cornelius] Griffin, [Brian] Orakpo, [Kedric] Golston, when Haynsworth needed a blow. I thank all my teammates first and foremost.

THN: What, in your opinion, is it going to take to turn this ship around?

AC: Faith and believing that we can get this turned around.

THN: Is the team getting frustrated losing to division opponents (especially on national TV)?

AC: I think the team hates losing period no matter who we play. The division opponents hurt the worse because it puts you in a bind when you are trying to make a playoff run.

THN: How did you spend your bye week?

AC: I spent a lot of quality time with the family. Took my son on the merry go round and took many naps, during the day. I am well rested now.

THN: “Urgency, heart, ‘want-to,’ whatever. I don’t know. We’re lacking a lot of stuff right now. The fans are losing interest. The more games we play, the fewer fans come. It’s getting bad.” That was a quote from Albert Haynesworth by the Associated Press after the Eagles game. Is Albert correct and does he have a point? How does the team find its “want-to”?

AC: It’s about making a choice. We can choose to play hard and win or chose to be inconsistent. It’s the matter of having the want to.

THN: It seems as the defensive line improves and applies more pressure to the quarterback, the secondary gives up more big plays. Do you believe that assessment and if so, what will it take for the defense to come to a happy medium and be able to provide blanket coverage in the secondary to go along with pressuring the quarterback consistently?

AC: I feel as a defense we are getting better. There are many things we need to work on. Tackling, controlling our gaps, etc. One thing we do well is play hard, fast and together. As a defensive line we continue to communicate and focus on stopping the run and rushing the passer.

THN: Is the defense blitzing enough?

AC: Greg Blache makes the call and we go out and play. We haven’t blitzed as much I think due to the success of our four man rush.

THN: Clinton Portis only had 43 yards and was the team’s leading rusher against Philly. What is the reason for his lack of production (for his standards, at least)? Is it because of a decline on his end or the troubles with the offensive line?

AC: I really don’t know. It’s really hard to say.

THN: What do you do to handle the stress of a single loss or even a losing season? What do you do to get your mind right and do you think your teammates are taking to correct measures to appropriately handle the team’s current situation?

AC: My faith, my family and the great men and coaches that I work with gets me through the day. In life, if it’s good or bad, you always have to have a positive perspective.

It’s one thing to challenge the way Dan Snyder runs this organization, but aren’t you’re taking things to a whole different level when you start making it that personal?

Isn’t there an obligation to provide some sort of answer, or at least some type of rationalization, if you’re going to make that kind of defamatory remark?

Is taking a ‘I might know something that you don’t, but can’t tell you’ kind of stance really good enough given the weight of the comments?

At no time did Riggins provide any type of ‘reason’ for why Dan Snyder had a ‘black heart.’ He talked about things that might make him a bad football owner, and in Riggins’ opinion, a bad business person, but at no time did he offer anything that would qualify rationalizing such an assassination of character.

I’m on record as saying that I think this franchise needs wholesale changes from top to bottom, but I don’t profess to know Dan Snyder well enough to judge his character.

I see no evidence that John Riggins has any such knowledge either.

I’m not saying that he doesn’t, but no evidence has been provided.

What I am saying is that, in my opinion, leaving so much to speculation wreaks of sensationalism.

Big John always did like to cast the spotlight firmly on to himself, is this anything more than an extension of that?

Or is his crossing a line, a pre-meditated strategic maneuver? A bold stroke to try and draw the General out on to the battlefield?

For me, the thing about sensationalism, is that if I see it as such… it tends to taint my judgment, and desensitize me to anything further that person says. So I hope that Riggins will keep that in mind, because I know I’m not alone in feeling that way.

Riggins: “That is my take on it….I speak for the fans because these are the people that paid my salary for all these years. They are the ones that need to know that this is a bad guy.”

If he truly wants to act as an agent of the people, then he should think about the weight of that responsibility. This particular fan that he is speaking for, happens to think that open-ended innuendo, accusations, and attacks on character, only serve to exacerbate the problem. There are plenty of real issues to address, and letting personal animosities cloud the monumental task at hand, will serve only as an unneeded distraction.

So John are you speaking for the people, or are you speaking for yourself? If John truly wants the fuel behind a Redskin Revolution to be Diesel, then in my opinion, you have to learn the difference between speaking for Redskin fans because you share some common views, and speaking for Redskin fans because you have facilitated finding out what they really think.

This coming week is the half way point so this is still anyone’s to win.  Please remember to post all picks by 9pm eastern time on Saturday.  I got to tighten up and if you are late you will forfeit your picks.

Results through week 8:

1.  Deadskins….79-37….68.10%

2.  TeeterSalad….78-38….67.24%

3.  Mursilis….77-39….66.38%

4.  Countertrey….76-40….65.52%

5.  DesertSkin….75-41….64.66%

6.  Hoss….74-42….63.79%

7.  KazooSkinsFan….72-44….62.08%

8.  jeremyroyce….71-45….61.21%

      SkinsJock….71.45….61.21%

10. REDEEMEDSKIN….70-40….60.34%

       VetSkinsFan….70-40….60.34%

12. TincoSkin….67-49….57.76%

13. langleyparkjoe….64-52….55.17%

14. tribeofjudah….60-56….51.72%

Week 9 picks:

Washington @ Atlanta:  Washington

Arizona @ Chicago:  Arizona

Houston @ Indianapolis:  Indianapolis

Baltimore @ Cincinnati:  Baltimore

Kansas City @ Jacksonville:  Jacksonville

Green Bay @ Tampa Bay:  Green Bay

Miami @ New England:  New England

Carolina @ New Orleans:  New Orleans

Detroit @ Seattle:  Seattle

Tennessee @ San Francisco:  San Francisco

San Diego @ NY Giants:  NY Giants

Dallas @ Philadelphia:  Philadelphia

Pittsburgh @ Denver:  Pittsburgh

MNF Tie-breaker=  54

No… it has nothing to do with the growing realization that this season needs to be spoken of in the past tense.

While painful, it is not about the likely loss of one of the best LT’s to the potential of a spinal injury.

Chris Cooley will be fine… so, no, not that either.

It’s the growing realization that Snyder REALLY doesn’t get it. That his minions have him so isolated that, not only is he not functioning as a competent owner, but he doesn’t even know that he has completely lost the fan base. Snyder is obviously willing to spend the money. He obviously wants to win so badly he can taste it. Yet, he remains prisoner to the simple fact that he is not a football man. He must depend upon “football men” for their insights and judgements. Sooo… what about his “football man”?

Snyder built his millions through his marketing skill. Who the hell thought that it would be a good idea to play petty games with the faithful’s ability to express themselves at FedEx? Is that the mark of a marketing mind, Mr Snyder? Do marketing geniuses truly make their millions by infuriating their customer base? Who knew???

Who is advising you that further insulting the fans with clearly suspect lines about concern for fan safety is an effective means of explaning your operation’s cynical effort to suppress fan expressions of anger? Ummm… did it work, Mr Snyder?

So, now you have the flames of fan dissent stoked up. People are angry, Mr Snyder, and it isn’t getting any better.

But it’s nothing compared to what will happen if there are no major changes in the front office at Redskins Park. There is a palpable sense that Dan Snyder doesn’t view Vinnie as part of the problem. We can see it in the way Cerrato continues to peddle his ludicrous “we gave Zorn a team that had playoff portential” pap. He remains confident… sure of himself… unconcerned. There are two possiblities, here… either he completely delusional, or he is feeling very secure, because you have given him reason.

Not good. Look, even if it were true that Cerrato is blameless (funny, huh?), he is still “fruit of the poisoned tree”… damaged goods.

If he doesn’t go, if there aren’t substantial changes, if Snyder doesn’t give us reason for real hope… not the superficial promises and flash in the pan expenditures of the past… REAL hope… there will be a fan revolt. Here’s the thing, Mr. Snyder… you may own the team…

But it belongs to us… are you worthy of being the caretaker of our team? Not looking good. We are officially a source of jokes. The sad fans of our NFC East rivals smile at our good fortune, and weep at the damage done to the rivalrys of old. The rich history of the Redskins cannot possibly absorb the insults being visited as a result of the buffoonery of this season’s collapse. No longer does the football world look at the Redskins, and feel respect. More often than not, they feel pity. They feel sadness. Some even feel contempt. They see a hole in the great legacy. You don’t have to look or listen hard to find it. It’s there. It’s all over.

We are fast approaching the point where the management is painting the team into a corner. This WILL have an effect on the team’s ability to recruit potential coaches… While Gruden sounded like he was auditioning for the job during the Monday night broadcast of the debacle against the Eagles, does anyone really believe that he would be happy working for another hands on owner? He is quite candid, and very emotional… Snyder would know exactly what he thinks… all the time. I don’t see Mr Snyder being happy with that, either. Mike Holmgren was astonishingly candid regarding his opinion of how Zorn has been treated by the team… and it does not bode well for his candidacy… Cower seemed to find suggestions that his name should be in the running to be laughable. I don’t see this situation getting any better anytime soon. Honestly… does the owner? What is he going to do about it? I haven’t seen a hint of damage control. It may not be possible to convince a solid GM or Coach to come here. Respect, once lost, is very difficult to regain.

There is a hole in my heart, Mr Snyder. Thousands of us, Redskins fans, share that pain. You broke it. You fix it. You, and your friends, have just really screwed this up. Stop sending out your messengers, seeking to blame the Post, reporters with an agenda, fans with an agenda… bloggers with an agenda… Dude… the Post’s agenda has been there for most of a decade. We saw that. You got the benefit of the doubt… for years. You didn’t loose most of the rest of us until this year. No one to blame but you.

Clean it up, and make it work again. Your ownership legacy is not beyond salvaging… yet. You must clean house on the football side. Find a competent General Manager (COUGH! Chris Polian COUGH!), with a solid NFL pedigree. Give that person the reins. Let them rebuild the football operation. Bring back the respect. It will hurt. There will be changes that some of us don’t want to see. There will be changes that some of us will celebrate. It must be that way. It’s just how it is.

I just don’t have any confidence that Mr Snyder will figure this out. None. He is, whether he knows it or not, poisoning the well.

With the wins, the Bears improved to 7-4 on the season, good enough for first place in the East Division standings in the AHL, but only two points ahead of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

AHL standing an theahl.com

In Hartford, the Bears received goals from five different players, including a pair of tallies from last year’s leading goal getter, Alexandre Giroux, and goaltender, Jason Bacashihua, stopped all 26 shots he faced to record his first shutout in a Hershey uniform, as the Bears whaled away on the Hartford Wolfpack, 6-0.

John Walton’s recap of the game on JohnWaltonHockey.com

On Saturday at Giant Center, Bacashihua improved to 4-0 on the season by stopping 23-of-24 shots, and the Bears once again diligently distributed the scoring, getting goals from four different players to repel the Albany River Rats, 4-1.

My article on the game on JohnWaltonHockey.com

The Bears return to action on Wednesday night in Lowell, facing off against the Devils and former Bear, Louis Robitaille. The Bears conclude the week with three more road outings; on Friday night in Portland, on Saturday night in Manchester, and on Sunday afternoon in Providence.

If you call yourself a Bears fan and haven’t yet order your copy of Tim Leone’s wonderful work; Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer, do you yourself a favor and order it now. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.

Link to Facebook page on the book

For all of your up-to-date information and video on the Bears, visit JohnWaltonHockey.com

Since the bye week is almost at the half-way point, I thought I’d take a look at the things that were ‘good’ for the Redskins in the first half of 2009.

1) Albert Haynesworth – check last week’s blog to see what I think about Big Al and the way he’s played so far.

2) Andre Carter – In last week’s blog about Haynesworth, I mentioned the great season that Carter is having. So far Andre has 6.5 sacks, to go along with 34 tackles. He is consistently in the backfield disrupting the passer, and he has taken advantage of the inside pressure created by Haynesworth. He has also played much better against the run, and has 3 forced fumbles. If he can continue playing at his current level, he will have a good shot at the Pro Bowl.

3) London Fletcher – Speaking of Pro Bowls, it sure would be nice to see Fletcher finally make it to one. It’s criminal that he hasn’t already, but with 71 tackles going into week eight, he led all NFL players. As usual, Fletcher is quietly putting together another great season. Well, quiet in that he’s an unassuming man, but just ask Brian Westbrook if he plays quiet. London is the leader and heart and soul of the Redskins defense, and he leads by example. Sometimes it’s hard to notice how great a player is, when he’s so consistently great, but Fletcher is that kind of player, and has been again in 2009.

4) Brian Orakpo – Can you say real deal? This kid hasn’t even cut his teeth yet, and he’s hard for anyone to handle. There are many people that feel that having him play linebacker is a mistake, but there’s no denying that when he lines up with one hand down, he has shown that he is an absolute force. He has 3.5 sacks in his rookie season, and that with very minimal snaps at end rather than linebacker. It’s hard to move Orakpo to end when Carter is also playing so well, but the Redskins have to find more ways to get Orakpo up to the line. It’s hard for a Redskin fan to be patient waiting for a young defensive end to be used, when it’s so long since we had such a promising one. If the season continues to go South, it would be nice to see Brian get a longer look at end at some point, even if it means moving Carter to the other side. Carter isn’t really an ideal left end, so maybe platooning the two of them for a game or two, would allow the Redskins to let Orakpo get into a groove. He looks so hungry out there, that it’s hard to imagine that perpetual motor not coming into full effect and fully releasing the beast.

One more worthy Orakpo note – he may not be the best linebacker in the league, and have struggled slightly in coverage, but for a rookie to walk on to a starting NFL roster at a position that he doesn’t really play, is pretty darn amazing. The kid is a phenomenal athletic talent, and while others may have played slightly better than Orakpo in 2009, no Redskin has more up-side and future.

5) Chris Cooley – You can’t talk about who’s played well without mentioning Captain Chaos. He may be out for a while with the ankle injury, but he was putting together another good season. The Redskins continually fail to utilize him enough, but when they do, CC never disappoints – he’s one of the league’s very best tight ends.

6) Mike Williams – Surprised to see an offensive lineman on the list? Well I think it bears mentioning and acknowledging that Big Mike has actually done a very decent job stepping in after injuries to first Randy Thomas, and then Chris Samuels. Originally Williams got slotted in at guard where he did better than either of the other previous attempts (Chad Rinehart and Will Montgomery), and then when Samuels went down and Stephon Heyer moved to left tackle, Williams moved to right tackle. He has been effective in pass pro, and excellent in run blocking, and shown absolutely no signs of having not played football since 2005. He is a massive man, and has worked  himself into good football shape, and I think he has done a surprisingly bang up job. Kudos to Big Mike for the amazing dedication that it took to get back on a roster, let alone to play his way on to the field and play well.

7) Shaun Suisham – What can you possibly complain about when Suisham is perfect on the season? Obviously Shaun had a bad 2008, but it’s amazing to me that people just seemed to forget that his 2007 was the second best season EVER for a Redskins kicker in terms of accuracy. He is 9-for-9 on field goals in 2009, with a season long of 47 yards; it’s hard to do better than 100%, so its pretty safe to say that the Canadian kicker is having a good season.

8) Reed Doughty – While it was disappointing for many Redskin fans to see Chris Horton relegated to back-up status, give Doughty credit for playing his way back on to the starting roster. He has been steady and effective, and has 37 tackles so far in 2009.

9) Kedric Golston – The big defensive tackle continues to improve and contribute; he’s played very well along side of Big Al. Pretty good find in the 6th round.

Give yourself a break – think about some of the good things on the 2009 Redskins roster.

The players have the day off today, and boy do they need it. They played three games in four nights, and I’m sure they are exhausted.

The Caps played four total games last week and went 2-0-2, netting six of a possible eight points. Atlanta was their only divisional opponent, and they won that game in regulation.

Washington is 8-2-4 for the season and currently holds a commanding lead in the Southeast division with 20 points, followed by Tampa Bay in second place with 12, and Atlanta with 11.

We got a lot of games to cover, so let’s get to the recap!

Tuesday, October 27th vs. the Flyers – The Caps have been a “strike first” team this season, but after being held scoreless in the first period they found themselves down 2-0 after allowing Philly to score twice in the second period. Washington bounced back by scoring four unanswered goals and carried their win streak to five games.

It wasn’t for lack of effort – Philly peppered the net with 43 shots on goal, but it was “No Way” Jose Theodore that slammed the door shut stopping 41 of those shots including 20 in the third period alone. Even though Theo’s career record for shots faced in a game is 47, the 43 he faced Tuesday night were the most he had ever faced as a Washington Capital.

Can’t keep a good team down – The Caps have only had to come from behind on multifocal deficits twice this season, and in both occasions they have come back to win it. The previous time was the game immediately preceding this one where they found themselves down to the Islanders. Brooks Laich scored the game winner in OT.

Thursday, October 29th @ the Thrashers…again – It had to feel like déjà vu for the Caps who had just faced this Thrasher team the previous Thursday…also in Atlanta. It had to feel like déjà vu for the Thrashers as well as they fell to the Caps again on home ice. The Caps, who knew they had to play another game in less than 24 hours tried to put this game away early so they could start resting up their players for Friday night’s game. In a classic example of why you never “look past” you current opponent the Caps watched a three-goal lead evaporate in the third period. Atlanta, being down 3-2 pulled their goalie in favor of the extra attacker. Mike Knuble had no idea his empty net goal would be the game winner (it made the score 4-2) as the Thrashers got what would have been the tying goal in the last 1/2 second of regulation, but by then it wasn’t enough and the Caps held on for the 4-3 win.

Define: “Four Point” game – When you beat a division opponent in regulation, it is referred to as a “four point” game. You gain two points in the standings for the win, and at the same time cost your opponents two points by preventing them from winning. To really see it, you need to look at the season standings. Washington held a 7-point lead in the Southeast division going into Thursday’s game. Two teams were tied for second; Atlanta and Tampa. At the end of the night, the Caps still had a seven point lead in the division (Tampa won their game), but now had a nine point lead over Atlanta.

Back on Track – After a short slump where he was held without a goal for two games Alex Ovechkin came back and scored four goals in two games including two here versus Atlanta to give him 13 goals in 12 games.

Friday, October 30th vs. the Islanders – While the Caps were in Atlanta tangling with the Thrashers, the Islanders were in Washington helping themselves to whatever the Caps had in the fridge and kicking their feet up onto the coffee table. The Caps may have had the home ice advantage, but considering that they had just finished playing a game the night before, it was New York that had the advantage. The Caps kept it close and even held the lead a few times throughout the game, but just couldn’t seem to shake the Islanders and ultimately fell to them in OT by the final score of 4-3.

THN on Ice – Our own Jake Russell was at the game Friday night posting a live blog from the press box. Click here to check out his blog and video interviews after the game.

Sunday, November 1^st vs. the Blue Jackets – Even though the Caps lost Alex Ovechkin early in the second period, they weren’t going to go down without a fight. After scoring the game’s first goal, they found themselves trailing 2-1 at the beginning of the third period. Brooks Laich stepped up and scored the game tying and go-ahead goals putting the Caps up 3-2. A short while later Raffi Torres tied it up, but the Caps regained their lead when Quintin Lang scored with a little more than three minutes left to play in regulation. With less than half a minute to go in regulation, it was Torres who brought the score even at four and forced overtime where the Caps would fall 5-4.

Sometimes, it’s just not going to be your day – Jose Theodore played a great game, but was victimized by two unfortunate incidents that lead to goals. The first of which was in the second period when Theo went behind the net to play the puck, only to have the puck take an unusual bounce away from him, back towards the front of the net and straight to R. J. Umberger who stashed it home. The second came midway through the third where Theo had his stick knocked out of his hand as he slid left to protect against the wrap-around he had nothing to defend his right side where Raffi Torres was waiting to tap the puck in on the now stickless stick-side.

Coming Up – The Caps have three games this week starting Wednesday night in New Jersey. They then go to Florida to face the Panthers on Friday, and bring them back to DC for another meeting on Saturday.

In the meantime, we’ll all be crossing our fingers on Ovechkin!

C-A-P-S, Caps! Caps! Caps!

While it might be hard to think about the Pro Bowl in the middle of a dismal season, we as Redskin fans must unify and make sure that London Fletcher is selected this year.

The perennial powerhouse middle linebacker, and tackling machine, has NEVER been selected. With 71 tackles to lead the NFL this season, he deserves it on the merits of this season alone anyway.

Help us right this wrong, and support him by going and making your selections.

The New York Islanders come into the Verizon Center looking to avenge a 3-2 overtime loss to the Capitals just six nights ago in Nassau Coliseum. Making his first trip to the Verizon Center is 19-year old John Tavares. The 2009 No. 1 overall draft choice is second on the team with points and goals scored. The Capitals will also welcome a familiar face back to the rink when Brendan Witt hits the ice. Witt spent 10 seasons in Washington from 1995-2006. He was traded to the Nashville Predators in the second half of the 2006 season for Kris Beech and the Predators’ first round selection, which the Capitals used to select goaltender Semyon Varlomov.

1st Period Overview:

Not surprisingly the Capitals struck first with a goal from none other than Alexander Ovechkin, who is on pace for a third straight MVP season. The Capitals did a great job getting themselves out of jams by clearing the puck from behind their own net to across the rink on several occassions. That was until the Islanders were able to capitalize off of that pressure they forced and retaliated with a goal by Kyle Okposo (his third on the season) with an assist coming from Witt.

Goals: NY – 1 WAS – 1
Shots: NY – 11 WAS – 9
Power Play Goals: NY – 0 WAS – 1
Hits: NY – 9 WAS – 4

2nd Period Overview:

The second period was a tale of two scorers. There was not much defense to be had, especially in the final minutes. The Islanders struck first with a goal from Frans Nielson to go up 2-1, Tomas Fleischmann, who made his season debut last night against the Thrashers after missing the start of the season with deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot) in his leg, delivered his first two goals of the season to give the Caps their second lead of the night at 3-2. His second came with a little over three minutes to go. Just over one minute later, Nielson closed out the period with his second goal of the season as well with 2:10 remaining to tie it up at 3.

Goals: NY – 2 WAS – 2
Shots: NY – 9 WAS – 13
Power Play Goals: NY – 0 WAS – 1
Hits: NY – 2 WAS – 9

3rd Period Overview:

The Capitals spent most of their time as they did in the first period, trying to clear traffic out from goaltender Jose Theodore’s way. This period was a battle of defenses. The contest ended in regulation as it did on Satruday night with a tied score headed into overtime.

Goals: NY – 0 WAS – 0
Shots: NY – 8 WAS – 17
Power Play Goals: NY – 0 WAS – 0
Hits: NY – 8 WAS – 6

Overtime Overview:

The Islanders earned their first victory over the Capitals since February 2008 in the same fashion the Capitals earned their win last win against the Isles Saturday night; in the first minute of overtime. This time, Mark Streit is the hero of the night for New York, who shocked the crowd by taking advantage of a puck-handling error by Capitals defenseman Mike Green just 0:53 into overtime.

Goals: NY – 1 WAS – 0
Shots: NY – 2 WAS – 0
Power Play Goals: NY – 0 WAS – 0
Hits: NY – 0 WAS – 0

Tom Poti – Postgame Interview

Tomas Fleischmann – Postgame Interview

Bruce Boudreau – Postgame Presser