11/10/2008 - Dateline, FedEx, November 10, 2008
The Steelers came to town looking to right their ship after getting beat up by the Giants the week before. We were surprised by their pass rush and with the number of their fans inside FedEx Field, twirling their gold "Terrible Towels". There were a bunch of them, too many. The game started with a surprise on-sides kickoff, which the Redskins managed to cover. But they could not pick up a first down and had to settle for 44-yard field goal. The first time the Steelers got the ball, a pass got batted into the air and intercepted by Cornelius Griffin. Again the Redskins could not muster a first down and had to settle for a 43-yard field goal. Thank goodness we have a good field goal kicker. Bad omen though, instead of leading 14-0 early in the first quarter, the Steelers were only down 6-0 after the first four minutes of the game. The Redskins defense played great in the first quarter, only allowing one pass completion in eight attempts, with one interception, a total of 34 yards, and three punts. But the Redskins could not muster much offense either. Then in the second quarter, the Steelers got a huge special teams play, blocking a punt and recovering it on the Redskins 13 yard line; Halftime score: Steelers-10, Redskins-6.
The Steelers got the second half kickoff and after an almost five-minute drive scored another touchdown to take a 16-6 lead (They missed the extra point.). Then the Steelers' number one defense, and especially their pass rush took over the game. The line play looked like a jail-break. Campbell was running for his life and had no time. The Steelers bullied the Redskins all over the field. The Redskins got the ball two times in the quarter. First they lost five yards deep in their own territory and punted. They had a good drive going the second time they got the ball until Campbell's first interception of the year on a tipped ball. The fourth quarter was a nightmare. The Redskins only got the ball three times, once on a 31-yard short field and got into the Steelers' Red Zone all three times, but ended up scoring no points. It is hard to win if you do not score points. It was a tough night for the home team, losing 23-6.
The Bye Week was much needed. Hopefully the players were able to heal a little bit and the coaches were able to come up with a better pass protection scheme and some cleaver ways to score touchdowns. The team is 6-3, which is good, but they need to score more points. The first game after the Bye is Dallas in FedEx. The Redskins need to get healthy on the Cowboys. If they don't, the second half of the season could be a real struggle. The Cowboys have their own problems, but that is their problem. The Redskins need to send them packing and come out of Sunday night at 7-3.
Until next time, cheers...
10/30/2008 - Dateline - FedEx - October 29, 2008
The Redskins traveled to Detroit to take on the winless Lions, always a dangerous situation. Nobody wants to play a no-win team; they could win. In the first half, the Redskins managed to rack up a bunch of first downs and control the clock for over 21 minutes, but were unable to score any touchdowns (TDs); too many mistakes and penalties. Thank goodness Suisham is kicking great, scoring a 47-yarder with no time left in the first half: Lions-10, Redskins-6. Another long field goal in the third quarter got the Redskins to a 10-9 deficient. Although Campbell played great, completing 23 passes in 28 attempts, he put the ball on the ground twice; the Redskins losing one that ended up being a Lions’ touchdown. The other one the Redskins recovered thanks to a very athletic, hustling play by Jon Jansen.
This tight game turned on two big plays by Santa Moss. One was an excellent 50-yard TD pass; the other a spectacular 80-yard punt return only an athletic player like Moss could have pulled off. He was all over the field to get to the end zone. After that, the defense, lead by London Fletcher, had to rise up and make some plays to stop the up-start Lions from scoring late in the game. They did, final score: Redskins 25, Lions 17. All you want to do for a game like this is get out of the dome with a win and nobody hurt too bad after playing on that carpet-covered concrete field. Moss has a hamstring problem; Portis, after his fifth game in a row rushing for over 120 yards, has a ankle problem; Chris Samuels did not even suit up with a knee problem; and Jason Taylor, who probably should not have played as much as he did, even though he was a defensive force, has to have his calf operated on again and will miss the Steelers’ game.
Now the always tough Pittsburgh Steelers come to town for a Monday Night game. They just lost to the Giants 21-14, with a 53-yard TD pass called back. Roethlisberger got sacked five times, got knocked down 18 times, and threw four interceptions. But the Steelers run defense held the Giants’ running game to less than 100 yards. Sounds like the Steelers have a great run defense and a poor O-Line. I hope the Redskins D-Line can put some heat on Big Ben; it’ll be a key to who wins this game going into the Bye Week.
Until next time…
Mikey T, Boss Hog
10/28/2008 - Dateline FedEx Field, October 23, 2008
The Browns came to town having just knocked-off the Super Bowl Champ Giants. Us Redskins' fans did not know what to expect. Especially after hearing that Clinton Portis had not been able to practice much for the Browns' game. So what do the Redskins go out and do? Portis ran for 175 yards and the team got almost 200 yards rushing. The O-Line is doing a great job. The first half was strictly a defensive battle and field position game, with the Browns punting six times and the Redskins five times. The half ended with a Redskins high-snap field goal attempt bouncing off the right upright; score 0-0.
Both teams finally scored in the third quarter, the Redskins a touchdown, the Browns a field goal. The Redskins scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter on a nice pass to Moss and nifty run. The Redskins stiffened nicely on the goal line, holding the Browns out of the end zone for a bunch of plays, with the Redskins finally taking over the ball on their own three. Unfortunately Portis, after a really nice 24-yard run, got tomahawked from behind and coughed up the ball. The Browns then scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion to make it 14-11, with 2:44 left in the game.
The Redskins could not ice the game with a first down or two, so had to punt the ball back to the Browns with 1:51 on the clock. The Browns got to the Redskins 36 yard line, but missed a 54-yard field goal wide-right; not a very high percentage kick. Our visiting friends from England got to see all of this action up close since their seats were in that end zone. Game over.
Now the Redskins travel to the 0-6 Detroit Lions. I hope we can get out of there with a win and no injuries. We are off to watch the game with Maryland Redskins fans and help raise funds for a family with a very sick little girl.
Until next time, Cheers...Mikey T., HoF '98
10/17/2008 - Germantown, Maryland, October 17, 2008
The “thud” heard in the D.C. area late last Sunday afternoon was the Redskins coming back down to Earth. After two very emotional wins in Dallas and Philadelphia, the Redskins players just could not get it done for the Rams, the scary team that had not won a game this season. My words haunt me. The law of averages could catch up with the Rams. From what I have heard, the Redskin players are hyping each other up to take the Rams very seriously. Any NFL team can knock-off any other NFL team on any given Sunday. The Boys will have to mind their P’s & Q’s. I guess I should have kept my thoughts to myself.
The ultimate “trap” game jumped up and grabbed our Redskins with the nightmare loss, stealing the game: 19-17, on Josh Brown’s last second 49-yard field goal. Mr. Brown has beaten the Redskins before, in similar fashion. The Redskins were one play away from pulling this game out. I can’t believe this game turned on the most bazaar play I have seen in a long time. The Redskins were driving late in the first half. Campbell tried to pass, but the ball got batted into the air. Redskins’ guard Pete Kendall reached up and secured the volleyball. Then he started to run. Rams linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa nailed Kendall with a thunderous tackle, his helmet spearing the football out of Kendall’s grasp. The ball started bouncing around until Ram’s safety Oshiomogho Atogme (these names are amazing) picked it out of the air on a dead run, ending up 75 yards later in the end zone for six. Instead of the Redskins going into the halftime locker room leading 14-3, they were down 10-7.
The Rams controlled the second half kickoff for over six minutes, kicking a field goal to make it, 13-7. One play, and the Redskins could be leading. They battled back scoring a touchdown and a long field goal in the fourth quarter to take a 17-16 lead. But, they left too much time on the clock, over three and a half minutes; way too much time for most NFL teams. The Redskins’ defense hung tough, not allowing the Rams to move until, on fourth down, they connected on the infamous long, but under thrown, pass (always best for the offensive player) to get inside the Redskins Red Zone. Then the kick and the game is over.
There were so many key plays that could have turned this game around. If Campbell falls on a loose ball; if Kendall knocks the ball to the ground or catches it and falls to the ground; if the defense comes up with one more play they get the team out of a bad day with a tough win. But, it was not to be. The only good thing was both the Giants and the Cowboys lost, too. The Giants got beat bad by the Redskins next opponent, the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns come to town with the big win over the Giants and not much else. I have heard this week the Redskins’ defense is banged up and Portis has not practiced much, this is not good. The Redskins have three new players, all ex-Seahawks; a punter, a safety, and the great Sean Alexander; intere
10/11/2008 - Pig Pen
How about them Redskins!!! Was that a great effort Sunday against the Eagles or what. Back-to-back wins in Philly and Dallas, since when has that ever happened? We are talking ‘Hog Heaven.’ How sweet it is! What a fun day for all Redskins fans. The defense was strong again, knocking Westbrook out of the game with two broken ribs and shutting down their passing game. But it sure didn’t start out that great, did it. The first quarter reminded me of the first quarter in the San Diego Super Bowl against the Bronco’s. Everything worked for them, nothing worked for the Redskins. But the guys just kept hanging in there, chipping away, chipping away, one field goal, then another, when our kicker hit the third one just before the half, I was heartened we had a chance to pull this baby out. Cooley caught a lot of passes and Moss did a lot of downfield blocking for Portis on some solid running plays. I like the efforts of this O-line a lot; I am liking the “New Hogs” or “Hogs II”. The running game is very healthy, establishing the passing game, and allowing the offense to really keep their defense on the defensive; not knowing what the Redskins are going to do. Execution is, all in all, very fundamental and high quality. No offensive turnovers in the first five games, that is unbelievable. I loved watching the Eagles standing on the sidelines during those last three minutes of the game, with their long faces getting longer, since they could not get the ball back. When Portis tells the Z-Man on fourth and two, “I want the ball.” Then goes out and moves the pile with the help of his friends the guards and center, we are watching a determined team. The Eagle’s run defense was high caliber, but they could not stop Portis & Co. when they had to. How sweet it is!! But now it is onto a team that has not won a game this season; how scary is that. The law of averages could catch up with the Rams. From what I have heard, the Redskin players are hyping each other up to take the Rams very seriously. Any NFL team can knock-off any other NFL team on any given Sunday. The Boys will have to mind their P’s & Q’s.
Until next time, Cheers…MikeyT.
10/07/2008 - Dateline - The Pig Pen, Oct 2, 2008
How about them Redskins?!? Was that a great effort Sunday evening against the best team in the NFL or what. I had to chuckle, all of the guys on Fox Sports telecast before the game picked the Cowboys. I guess they did not know about the "secret weapon". This past Sunday was the first time in 37 years (1971) that a rookie Redskins Head Coach took his team into Texas Stadium and whipped up on them Cowboys. What a fun day for all Redskins fans.
First, the defense shutdown the Cowboys running game. What a difference a month makes. In New York, the safeties were the last ones able to tackle the Giants big back, getting killed in the process of tackling him too high. Against the Cowboy's beast of a running back, there were at least three or four hats hitting him, mostly in the backfield. The Redskins knocked the Cowboys right out of their running game plan. They became one-dimensional, and Mr. Romo was having an off day, then the defense started putting pressure on him. The Redskins' pre-game planning was exemplified by the pick No. 48 made. For that situation at that position on the field, it looked like 48 was lined up as a linebacker. As soon as the ball was snapped, he took off running toward, I am going to guess here, TO on the sideline, able to arrive just in time to intercept the pass intended for that receiver. Now that was perfect planning with perfect execution.
The offense was clicking on all cylinders, throwing high percentage passes and gaining big chunks of yardage running the ball with either Portis or Betts. The Redskins controlled the clock the entire game. The entire game, in Texas Stadium, that was stellar play by every player on the team. And yet, it came down to one play; an on-sides kick with 1:42 left in the game to ice it. The Cowboys almost pulled it off. The kick was just right, the Redskins in the area of the ball were flatfooted, and the Cowboy player was elevated and the ball hit his hands. He should have come down with it, but he didn't, and the ball went out of bounds; Redskins ball, game over.
One play I'd like to walk through, even though it was a touchdown nullified by a penalty, it shows where the offense is today. The ball was snapped in the Red Zone, but the rush broke down the blocking (one of the few times all day), so Campbell had to avoid a couple of guys and he rolled out to his left. He could have run some, maybe even gotten the first down, but he saw a receiver he could get the ball to and he did. The receiver caught the ball and made it into the end zone for a touchdown. Unfortunately, when the center saw his Qback starting to run, he took off to make a block, so he was caught down field when Campbell passed the ball. I like that Campbell is not going to run unless it is the last resort. Quarterbacks get hurt too often, it is better to get the ball into the hands of a gent trained to run. The fact the Redskins were able to avoid a great rush and get the ball into the en
10/07/2008 - TitleDateline: The Pig Pen, Sept. 24, 2008
Boys & Girls, it is Dallas Week. But more about that later,
let's talk about the last two weeks. The Redskins had a very good home stand, beating two very dangerous teams, the Saints and the Cards. Both teams have a lot of talented players and are capable of winning a lot of games. Both teams fought the Redskins hard, but our guys found a way to win twice. The Redskins finished both games, instead of almost finishing them.
The Saints came to town with a talented offense, featuring Drew Brees and Reggie Bush. The Redskins defense used a swarming defense to keep Bush hog-tied. He only got away on one punt return for a touchdown. There is a new sheriff in town; the Z-Man is trying to win games, he is not trying not to lose games. Against the Saints, he ordered a quick-in pass to Moss, pretty much impossible to stop, high percentage to complete. Moss has one of the quickest first steps in the game. Then the bomb to Moss late in the game was picture perfect, not only the pass and catch, but the adjustment Mike Sellers made to block a freed-up D-lineman who was about to jump on Mr. Campbell was beautiful to watch. Truly an 11-man play.
I can't believe the Cards game came down to a ball that bounced off a helmet. Rogers made a nice play to catch it, then took off for 40 yards to create a short field for the offense to score the winning touchdown. If you look at the photo in the newspaper of Rogers just before he caught that ball, his eyes are not focused on the ball, they are looking above the ball. He was lucky to come up with the handle. Anyway, the Redskins are 2-1 and get to play the 3-0 Cowboys in Dallas this week.
Our Rookie Coach and Co. get to play what the experts call the
most talented football team in the NFL. Well, I guess the Redskins
should just throw in the towel and give up before the first snap. I do not think that is going to happen. Z-man and this team have brass.
They are going to go into the last Redskins-Cowboys game in Texas
Stadium believing they can pull off an upset. That would be fun. TO is a horse, Barber is a bull. The Cowboy defense has a lot of talented players, I am kind of mystified they have given up so many points. Course the Eagles can play, too. This Cowboy team is a little sloppy, if our guys can take advantage of a couple of mess-ups, and not have too many bad plays themselves, it could really be interesting come late next Sunday evening. The secret weapon will be in place. Go Skins!!!
Cheers, Mikey T., Boss Hogette, HoF '98
* I use the term "Redskins" with respect and love in my heart for all of our Native American brothers and sisters. That is my intent. I thank GOD for Jim Thorpe, a Native American and wonderful athlete, who helped start pro football, the passionate Sunday afternoon game we love today.
09/11/2008 - TitleWASHINGTON REDSKINS* COUNTRY - From the Pig Pen Dateline: Fairfax, Virginia, September 11, 2
Well, the 2008 Redskins' visit to the Meadowlands was pretty much consistent with most since Jim Burt started this foolishness of throwing ice water on 'The Tuna' back in 1984. The first half of this game reminded me of the first quarter of the Super Bowl against the Broncos in San Diego. Nothing the Redskins tried worked very well, and just about everything the Giants ran pretty much worked out for them. You could just see the Redskins' Qback thinking his every move. Transition years are so sucky.
The Giants pass rush is alive and well. I don't know who they are, but they got the job done, putting pressure on the Redskins' passing game to the point where we had to keep Cooley in to help block. That cuts down on a lot of positive yards for the Redskins' offense, taking Cooley out of catching passes. One play I did not understand: "Why did our Qback run towards the pass rush? Usually, to avoid the pass rush, you run away from it, don't you?" The Redskins running game was O.K., but the Giants run defense is Super Bowl caliber, too. Portis & Co. worked hard, but running was not a big weapon on this day.
The rest of the Redskins pass offense was just a little off; touched a long pass, but could not bring it in. Another long pass was thrown to the inside, where if it had been thrown to the outside, at the post, Moss might have had a better chance to gather it in. I have to note; Did you see the pass block Portis put on the D'End on that one play? Not only did Clinton hit the guy, he knocked him up in the air so that the gent landed flat on his back. What an awesome block. I just hope Portis did not get hurt on the play. I can recall a play like that in high school, where the back hit a rusher like that, creating a loud roar from the home crowd of about 5,000. The problem was, because of physics, (For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.) the rusher's right foot kicked up and caught the blocker square in the cupless-groin. The blocker's eyes watered and he rubbed his elbow for the longest time. Clinton looked unscathed.
The Redskins defense only gave up one touchdown, and less than 20 points. That is pretty good. A Manning keeper, he better cut that out, he'll get hurt. The Giants' running back (27) run all over the place, with too many D'back tackles eventually bringing him down. And what is with the D'back's tackling? Since when do 190 - 210 lbs backs tackle a 250 lbs running back running at speed at the knees? Haven't our guys ever watched Darrell Green or Tony Peters or Pat Fischer tackle big guys ankle high? I am sure there was still a lot of Icy Hot being applied over the weekend. And the Redskins' D'Back could not catch a cold; how many interceptions were dropped, that could have flipped this game around? Man, it seems like Collins and Colt could spend several hours a day helping the Redskins' D'back better intercept game-speed passes.
But I am too negative, we now know where this team is, 0-1, in a division where the other two teams won big the first week. This loss was not really a big surprise. Oh, it would have been a great win, but the Redskins were not the best team on this field on this day. Much can be built from this first game of a 16-game season. There was a telling photo in the paper, it showed the defense sitting on their bench near the end of the game. Their looked like they had left it all on the field, but their heads were up and it looked like a lot of teeth were being gritted. It is up to the players to turn this around, starting with the visiting Saints this Sunday, a team who had their way with the Bucs. The Saints look like they have a lot of talent offensively, but I doubt their defense is the same caliber as the Giants.
I just hope our home town fans give our team lots of support...and patience. They will right the ship. These guys are fighters.
Cheers, Mikey T., Boss Hogette, Pro Football HoF '98
09/05/2008 - WASHINGTON REDSKINS* COUNTRY - From the Pig Pen Dateline: New Jersey, September 4, 2008
'Let the games begin.' The practice games are over, the ones that count start tonight with the NFL Kickoff game between the Washington Redskins at the Super Bowl Champion N.Y. Giants. A tough place to start for our rookie head coach (Z-Man). But, it could be a great place to start, how many expect the Giants to blow the Redskins back to our nation's capital. What if the Redskins beat the Giants, in front of GOD & country. It'd be a heck of a start. If the Giants win, nobody will be surprised. The Redskins have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
The preseason ended 3-2, with the Redskins going out 3-0, but then scoring six points in the last two games. These Redskin players have a lot of pride, I do not think this trend will continue for long, course, I am prejudice. Just remember the pre-season are practice games, primarily for 'player evaluation'; who are the players who are going to make the final roster. Some difficult decisions had to be implemented, most notably, shifting the stalwart Jon Jansen to the roll of backup guard and tackle. This is a hard move, but with the injuries Jon has suffered over the last three seasons, he may become the best fill-in guy since the position was unveiled and extend his career several years.
This Redskins team is considerably younger than it has been in a while, which makes it a faster team. Speed is good in all sports, but especially in football, where players need to create space to make plays. I think we saw what this team is capable of doing in Canton. Course, if the Qback doesn't have time, we could see a lot of repeats of the last two pre-season games, I hope not. Time will tell.
The Giants have lost their two D-ends, one retired and one was injured for the season. I would think this would make their pass-rush less potent, not like it was in the Super Bowl (SB) where they pressured Brady into tough spots throughout the game. But they have their talented Qback and wide receivers. Their primary tight end plays for the Saints now, but their replacement tight end was very capable in the SB. I suspect their new guys at D-end can play the game. This is going to be a typical NFC East game, played the full 60 minutes, with both teams capable of winning it. It is good to get the real season underway, let the best team playing today, win one for whoever.
Cheers, Mikey T., Boss Hogette, HoF '98
* I use the term "Redskins" with respect and love in my heart for all of our Native American brothers and sisters. That is my intent. I thank GOD for Jim Thorpe, a Native American and wonderful athlete, who helped start pro football, the passionate Sunday afternoon game we love today.
08/23/2008 - Canton, Ohio, August 4, 2008
Canton 2008, a fantastic weekend for all Redskins' fans, especially those lucky enough to be there (nine Hogettes made it). It was like the center of the Redskins' Nation moved in mass to the seat of professional football, the beloved Canton, Ohio. How often have two players from the same team (and one of their coaches, too) been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (The Hall) at the same time. What a moment. It was worth the wait. Art, the consummate team player, and Darrell, the fastest, smoothest runner with a football, I have ever seen play, were terrific. To me, to share their moment was a honor.
Both Art and Darrell are Godly men, so they thanked Him for giving them the basic skills to play football to the highest level. Then they talked about a combination of wonderful coaches (great teachers), player mentors, solid team programs, and lots of individual hard work to get better as a player. It never ceases to amaze me that the best players are the ones who work the hardest, always working to sharpen and improve their craft. All of this added up to propel them into the ultimate legendary NFL careers recognized by their induction into the Hall. Once again, congratulations to Art and Darrell, you are among the best in the game, and you are wonderful gentlemen.
This was also the tenth anniversary of the NFL Ultimate Fans going into the Hall. I cannot believe it has been ten years since these guinea pigs were honored by the Hall. It was great seeing many old friends from around the league, tipping an adult beverage or two with them, and catching up on their lives. Over the years we have lost too many, but some have survived major calamities and it was great seeing them again. The camaraderie, the positive banter of sportsmanship, and the shared concern and interest in helping hometown charities are marvelous aspects of this small group of NFL fans. One of our goals is to spread these concepts throughout the NFL so that maybe, someday, all visiting fans can be safe going into any NFL stadium to root for their team. From my view, the model fans are found at Texas Stadium. Over the years these folks have treated us (the Hogettes) like kings. Our ten to 12 visits to Texas Stadium have been wonderful experiences.
On top of all of this, the Hall of Fame game was Coach Zorn's (Z-Man) first as the new head coach of our Washington Redskins. Preseason games are hard to evaluate, but I liked what I saw. I liked the control the Z-Man projects. I liked the pace and team energy level. I liked the play designs and the gang tackling. And I liked that our guys scored more points than the other guys. Sergeant Colt now knows by heart, all of the words to, "Hail to the Redskins". From here in it is building each week in preparation for our opener in the Meadowlands against the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. A tough place to start a season. Welcome to the NFL.
08/03/2008 - Hogettes site is back up!
After some issues with the Hogettes site, I am proud to announce the return of the official Hogettes site! There will be more messages to come and we will try to update the site more often to keep everyone up to date with what we are doing and how to help us support the Skins!
Root 'em out!!! Root 'em out!!! Go 'Skins!!!
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