tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89293512009-11-08T01:49:31.955-05:00A blog for sophisticated Redskins Fans.Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.comBlogger884125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-54373215597707606082009-07-27T14:09:00.001-04:002009-07-27T14:09:34.481-04:00

I hate to be inconvenience anyone, especially since I should have been able to pull this off without doing so, but I was unable to transfer the RSS feed and email notifications from the old Real Redskins site to the new one. So, if you receive this please take a quick second to go to RealRedskins.com and sign up for either RSS or email notification there. You can't miss it, the links are right

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-80136647835926658212009-07-27T05:00:00.000-04:002009-07-27T05:00:02.229-04:00

I touched on one aspect of being a phenom in my article defining the term but I buried it and it needs some more attention.A player can only be a phenom once. By definition, once a player has moved through the initial buzz and excitement period he no longer is anonymous. Everyone knows which (usually small) college he went to, how a cousin of a friend of a position coach (never the same position

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-11528874559247293962009-07-26T16:00:00.000-04:002009-07-26T16:00:01.651-04:00

We're just about there.The beginning of the end of the longest offseason in sports comes on Thursday as the Redskins open up training camp. The pads will be popping at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Virginia. Eight practices will be open to the public:Thurs., July 30, 8:30 a.m.Fri., July 31, 8:30 a.m.Sat., Aug. 1, 8:30 a.m.Sun., Aug. 2, 8:30 a.m.Tues., Aug. 4, 8:30 a.m.Wed., Aug. 5, 8:30 a.m.Thurs.,

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-22857567777800387932009-07-24T06:01:00.001-04:002009-07-24T06:01:06.903-04:00

 The Redskins and Vikings have hooked up in some of the best games ever played at RFK Stadium. A couple of weeks ago I looked at a 1986 classic that the Redskins won on Gary Clark's overtime catch. This one took place 11 years earlier. What made is special was that it knocked the 10-0 Vikings from the ranks of the undefeated. From the pages of The Redskins Chronicle:  RFK Stadium—"It was the

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-62809762384138116352009-07-23T21:29:00.001-04:002009-07-23T21:29:15.735-04:00

Hey, folks, I just want to give you a heads up that I'm ending the pre-publication specials for my book The Redskins Chronicle on Monday. You can get $3.00 off of the cover price, a personalized autograph, and other perks besides being the first on your block to get your hands on a copy of the book. In addition, for each book sold I'm giving a donation to the Hogettes. They will take 100% of that

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-73413445599758031912009-07-23T12:12:00.001-04:002009-07-23T12:12:22.281-04:00

The Redskins have signed Kevin Barnes, their third-round pick in the draft. Terms were not disclosed.Barnes will battle second-year player Just Tryon for playing time as the dime cornerback.A player will have to be released to make room for Barnes. I will pass along word of that as soon as I hear it.

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-443073433160548372009-07-22T14:09:00.000-04:002009-07-22T14:09:00.300-04:00

This was the very height of the Sonny vs. Billy debate. Jurgensen, a future Hall of Famer, had suffered a shoulder injury in a preseason game the previous year. In came Kilmer, a veteran journeyman who was acquired in George Allen's first trade with the team. All he did was lead Washington to postseason play for the first time in 25 years.As they came to camp in Carlisle in 1972, Allen let the

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-49257296282406035582009-07-21T17:04:00.002-04:002009-07-21T21:13:43.509-04:00

I'm changing servers and providers and blogging software all at once and that's going to mean that this site will be down for a while. I'm going to start the transfer this evening about 8 Eastern and hopefully it won't take more than an hour or so. Actually, this site will be available via redskinsblog.blogspot.com so if you have to have a fix of Tandler's take on the Skins, that one will be

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-83116598367076669632009-07-21T12:05:00.002-04:002009-07-21T12:05:00.203-04:00

Between now and the start of training camp I'll be making my predictions about who will be on the final 53-man roster for the Washington Redskins--who's there, who's in, who's on the bubble, and who's out. The predicted roster will be revised and updated as preseason events warrant. Today, the wide receivers:Who's here Now: (10) Marques Hagans, Keith Eloi, Marko Mitchell, Antwaan Randle El,

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-40036932479913273582009-07-21T08:12:00.001-04:002009-07-21T08:12:36.612-04:00

Joe Gibbs appeared on the debut of Mike Wise's show on WJFK radio yesterday. Among the topics he addressed were the trials and tribulations of Jason Campbell, the quarterback that Gibbs himself handpicked to be the signal caller of the future. And here's what he had to say (as quoted by Dan Steinberg in the Sports Bog).On Jason Campbell's offseason: "The quarterbacks that we've been fortunate

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-81240169020141254532009-07-21T05:30:00.000-04:002009-07-21T05:30:00.307-04:00

A camp phenom, as discussed in an earlier post, is a player who creates a buzz in training camp. He is generally a rookie who was drafted late in the second day or not at all. Or perhaps it is a guy who has bounced around a few training camps looking for a chance.Whoever he is, he starts to get noticed. At first he is completely anonymous. At some point in the first few days of training camp he

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-13867382618132235162009-07-20T15:00:00.000-04:002009-07-20T17:42:58.101-04:00

Between now and the start of training camp I'll be making my predictions about who will be on the final 53-man roster for the Washington Redskins--who's there, who's in, who's on the bubble, and who's out. The predicted roster will be revised and updated as preseason events warrant. Today, the quarterbacks.Who's here Now: (4) Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt Brennan, Chase Daniel.How many will

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-65879998396156007992009-07-20T12:05:00.000-04:002009-07-20T12:05:00.603-04:00

When the Washington Redskins reported to training camp is Carlisle, Pennsylvania on July 23, 1982, there was considerable uncertainty in the air. A player's strike loomed on the horizon. Nobody quite knew what to make of the Redskins including the players and coaches themselves. Was their 8-3 finish in 1981 an indicator of better things to come in '82? Or, was the 0-5 start to that season a

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-5176379177113735722009-07-20T09:00:00.000-04:002009-07-20T09:00:07.680-04:00

In the final weeks before grind of training camp, you generally find NFL players in Bermuda, by a lake, sleeping in at home, hanging out in Las Vegas or engaging in just about any activity that does not involve a football.But not DeAngelo Hall. The Washington Redskins cornerback was in Minnesota last week attending a camp put on by Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The focus of the

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-27807128520746091022009-07-19T17:12:00.003-04:002009-07-19T18:29:51.702-04:00

They're as much a part of summer as sunburn, triple-digit heat index readings, and mosquito bites. Every August, young players hopeful of making an instant impact in the NFL pop up at Redskins training camp. These phenoms create a buzz among reporters and the fans. Sometimes the player winds up being a star and sometimes it's all sizzle and no steak.The original camp phenom was quarterback Sammy

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-86099628422982077202009-07-18T06:39:00.001-04:002009-07-18T06:39:32.664-04:00

A new player added to the mix on an NFL team means that the job of at least one other player is threatened. NFL rosters are a zero sum game. For each opportunity given to a draft pick or free agent signing, one is lost by another, usually older, player.After the April draft I like to take a look at the veterans have had their potential replacements drafted onto the team, the guys who should start

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-51990753346239998002009-07-17T08:37:00.001-04:002009-07-17T08:37:32.540-04:00

The Redskins' selection of Jeremy Jarmon came as a surprise to many; to almost everyone, in fact, except for readers of this blog (sorry, on the rare occasions that I get one right I have to toot my horn). Few were even aware that the Supplemental Draft was going on, not surprising given that the Redskins never before had taken a player in that draft.But even though Mel Kiper wasn't present and

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-9619252472864251762009-07-16T09:40:00.001-04:002009-07-16T09:40:11.175-04:00

It's draft day!Well, sort of. The NFL's supplemental draft is being held today and the league's teams will be mailing it in.Actually, they'll be emailing it in. Each team will send an email into the league office that may contain a draft-pick bid for each of the eight players who have, for various reasons, lost their college eligibility since the April draft. The team with the highest draft bid

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-75163115448776643582009-07-13T05:00:00.000-04:002009-07-13T05:00:03.220-04:00

This wasn't the biggest comeback in terms of sheer points, but it may well be the biggest from the point of view of points per minute. I've never heard a half-empty stadium so loud (yes, about half of the crowd were of little faith).In retrospect, though, it may have been better if they Skins had dropped this one. They were somewhat overconfident when they played the Raiders in the one that

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-63750131814286200232009-07-10T05:00:00.000-04:002009-07-12T21:55:33.390-04:00

It was 40 years ago today that Vince Lombardi had the first practice of his only training camp with the Redskins. It ushered in an era of hope that came to a crushing end when Lombardi died of cancer before he could conduct his second training camp. He brought the team its first winning season in 25 years.We often think that Lombardi was relatively old by the time he came here but the man

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-50323968843000954012009-07-08T05:00:00.000-04:002009-07-08T05:00:31.393-04:00

My book The Redskins Chronicle is (finally) on sale.I just put up a special Real Redskins landing page for preordering the book. What's the deal with preordering?You get a $3.00 discount off of the cover price. This applies to as many books as you order during this period so it's a good time to look at Redskins fans who have fall birthdays or are on your holiday shopping list.I'll put a

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-56546288130880049702009-07-07T05:00:00.002-04:002009-07-12T21:55:33.390-04:00

Since the Cowboys flashback was so popular the other day, here's another one. This one goes way back. It's the first Redskins game I remember. Actually I don't remember the whole game. I just remember Sonny standing there, with his hands on his hips watching the clock tick down. I was wondering what the neck he was doing but my dad said, just wait and see.This Dallas team, by the way, would go on

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-45862403720898572032009-07-05T22:00:00.000-04:002009-07-12T21:55:33.391-04:00

I don't know if this was a modern era record, but the Redskins scored six touchdowns and didn't get the point after following four of them. Three of them were missed and the fourth touchdown didn't have a conversion attempt because it was the game winner in overtime.In any case, this was a breathtaking classic, a prototypical game by a Redskins team that just never gave up.Played 11/2/1986, from

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-59225260854719378872009-07-03T06:31:00.003-04:002009-07-03T06:44:26.512-04:00

The scenarios were simple going into the last game of the 1976 regular season. The Redskins needed a win to secure a playoff spot. The Cowboys needed a win to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs. In a classic battle, the Redskins prevailed.From the pages of my upcoming book The Redskins Chronicle: Texas Stadium 12/12/1976—The Redskins moved past the Cowboys and into the NFL

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929351.post-49922486567765044892009-06-30T05:00:00.002-04:002009-06-30T05:00:07.668-04:00

This game, the 1987 regular-season finale, had no significance in and of itself for Washington. The Redskins already had wrapped up the division title and their playoff seeding was set.And, yes, even though both of the teams' records add up to 15 games it was the finale. This was a strike season and one game, the third one of the season, was cancelled. The replacement players started in week

Rich Tandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00217363186948078873rich.tandler@gmail.com0