Interview with Texans running back Ben Tate

This summer, I’ve been given the opportunity to write a piece for What’s Up? Annapolis Magazine to profile local athletes from Anne Arundel County (my home county) and Maryland’s Eastern Shore who have made it to the professional level.

I’ve been trying to kick it into second gear and actually talk to some of these players.

Fortunately, some have been receptive, including Houston Texans running back Ben Tate, who grew up on the Eastern Shore.

I had the chance to talk to him on Thursday. Most of the conversation centered around his time growing up in Salisbury and going to school in Berlin, Md. and how it helped him get to where he’s at now. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Ben Tate, Bo Jackson, Dallas Cowboys, Emmitt Smith, Houston Texans, Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Washington Redskins

Redskins Start with Grossman

Photo courtesy of Jake Russell

We all know that Rex Grossman has been to the Super Bowl, and conventional wisdom says he went on the backs of his defense. We consider it the same as the 2003 Ravens who won the Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer who only started the last half of the season.

Clearly, Baltimore won the Super Bowl in spite of their quarterbacks that year.

Maybe we judge Grossman too harshly. The 2006 Bears were 2^nd in the league in scoring that year putting up 427 points. I’m not sure we can say that Chicago made it on defense alone like Baltimore did.

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Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman, Trent Dilfer, Washington Redskins

Beltway Battle Preview: Ravens

The Washington Redskins will square off against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night at FedEx Field. The third preseason game is often a very telling tale of what fans can expect to see in Week 1 of the regular season, but will that be true in 2011? With a lockout shortened offseason, NFL teams may very well need that fourth preseason game as well to get ready. Normally, that game is reserved for determining depth positions and/or special teams, but expect to see evaluation throughout the lineup this year. So what should you look for tomorrow night? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Donte Stallworth, FedEx Field, Jarvis Jenkins, John Beck, Mike Sellers, Rex Grossman, Rocky McIntosh, Washington Redskins

Recapping Days 1 and 2 of Free Agency

The Redskins took a little time to begin Tuesday’s opening of free agency but as the afternoon and evening went on, they stopped being shy and went right at it.

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Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Barry Cofield, Brandon Stokley, carlos rogers, Denver Broncos, Donovan McNabb, Donte Stallworth, Jabar Gaffney, Jason Campbell, Jeremy Jarmon, Josh Bidwell, Josh Wilson, Kellen Clemens, Larry Johnson, Matt Leinart, Mike Shanahan, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, Rex Grossman, santana moss, Seattle Sehawks, Willie Parker

Redskins/Ravens – Postgame Thoughts

photo by Jake Russell

Okay, so the Ravens game was everything the Bills game wasn’t; it was ugly. That being said, it wasn’t without it’s glimmers of hope. For example, Donovan McNabb’s completion percentage may have been dismal, and at times he looked like he was off target (well, was off target) but when he did connect it was for first down yardage. He completed 11 passes for 206 yards.

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Tags: Albert Haynesworth, Baltimore Ravens, Bobby Johnson, clinton portis, Donovan McNabb, Larry Johnson, santana moss, Washington Redskins

Samuels, Geisinger Placed On I.R., James Released, and Much More

The Redskins made a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday, the biggest one being the placement of five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels to injured reserve with a torn triceps muscle.

The Redskins also placed reserve offensive lineman Justin Geisinger on injured reserve with a knee injury suffered againt the Baltimore Ravens on Sundy night.

To fill their spots, the Redskins elevated offensive lineman Devin Clark from the practice squad to the active roster and signed former New York Jets and Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Will Montgomery.

The Redskins signed former Carolina Panthers guard Rueben Riley to the practice squad to fill Clark’s spot.

The Redskins also announced the release of defensive end Erasmus James, the former Minnesota Vikings first round pick who was acquired in a trade this summer. James saw very limited action during the 2008 season. No move has been made to fill his void at this time.

In addition, the Chicago Bears signed wide receiver Devin Aromashodu off of the Redskins practice squad onto their active roster.

To replace Aromashodu, the Redskins signed wide receiver Marques Hagans to the practice squad.

Hagans is in his second season. He entered the league with the St. Louis Rams as a fifth round pick out of the University of Virginia in 2006.

Aromashodu is the fifth member of the Redskins practice squad to be signed to another team’s active roster this season.

For all updated roster moves, please visit our Redskins Transactions and Roster pages.

For more on these moves, please check out:

Redskins Insider Blog at WashingtonPost.com

Redskins.com

The Official Redskins Blog

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Chris Samuels, Devin Aromashodu, Devin Clark, Erasmus James, Justin Geisinger, Marques Hagans, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Rueben Riley, St. Louis Rams, University of Virginia, Will Montgomery

Early Play-Off Look For Redskins

Its definitely too early to really make play-off predictions, but Steve Wyche did so any way. There’s no real surprise information here. Obviously, he has the Giants, Panthers and Cardinals as locks, since all three of these teams are the class of their division, at least as it presently looks in the standings. He also lists Tampa Bay as being “In good standing.” Again, no surprise. They are 7-3 and playing pretty good football. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 2009 playoffs, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, philadelphia eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins