Cowboy Dan: Taking the Loss

“dude what happened to the cowboys, geez”

That was the text I got from Cooley and instantly after that familiar feeling in my gut crept back; the same feeling I had on Sunday around 7:30.

As die hard fans, regardless if it’s the Skins or the Boys, we are all familiar to that feeling. Usually, the week leading up to the big game, we all do our share of trash talking to our friends, family, co-workers; hell anybody who isn’t rooting for our team. We lay ourselves out there, completely helpless (except in Chris’s case) of helping our teams get the victory. All we have is the anxious, fired up feeling to get us through the whole game, all of us hoping for that crushing win. In the back of our minds however is that if God forbid our teams don’t win, we will endure one hell of a ribbing from the opposition. Most of us will turn all phones off, unplug the computer, close the blinds and turn off the lights. Those who are either brave or stupid will welcome the ribbing with excuses that try to take away the pain of losing.

Of all the differences, Redskins and Cowboys fans have, we both share that same feeling twice a year. Its one hell of an exciting week leading up to the big game, and for half of us, it’s one shitty week following the big game. Unfortunately, my week is only half over.

Written by Cowboy Dan

License Plates

We're looking for the best Redskins license plates in America.  The more creative the better.  Send them to our email fanmail@chriscooley47.com.  We will be doing a bulletin board on Friday. Thanks

The 0 must go for Dallas

So yah, we're pretty damn good. We knew it was going to be a hell of a game going down to Texas Stadium and we played our asses off all day. For everyone who told us we couldn't win, especially all the Dallas commenter's on this site, hail to the Redskins!

The night before the game we talked about two things. The first point was that it was going to take an unbelievable effort by everyone to win the game. Z talked about "jumping off." He's reading a book about Kit Carson and his trip from Missouri to New Mexico in the early 1800's. When someone decided to leave Missouri for further west they were jumping off. This was crazy dangerous and took a huge leap of faith and commitment. I know it sounds way corny and it did to us the night before the game, but if you think about it, it was relevant to our situation. Jump off to beat the Cowboys. Maybe Z is the pep talk expert. I mean, before the New Orleans game the topic was "be excellent." A line from George Carlin in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.

The second thing we said is that when we get back in the locker room after the game we will know we could have won the game. Whether we won or not, we knew that the Cowboys were a team we could beat. Obviously, winning was a much better option for us.

Now three weeks in a row that we have put together an entire team performance. This team is starting to click on all cylinders, wearing opponents down throughout the game. Nothing could have felt better than to pound the ball down field at the end of the game. Well, skipping out of Texas with a shit-eatin smile was alright. Again, we worked our asses off.

Fantasy Week 4

TC: Top Stories during Dallas Week

To stick with the theme of "Dallas Week" on the blog I thought people would enjoy this little gem.


For me, nothing else happening in the sports world matters besides Sunday's game between Washington and Dallas but to some of you it might. If it does, here you go.

When you miss a workout in the NFL you lose $$$. Not that I'm happy Plaxico got suspended but I just wish it happened in week one.This isn't quite as embarrassing as the loss at home to Stanford, but come on. My guess, we get to see OSU and USC play one more time this year. Hurray!

Like a lollipop (Yeah)
Lil' Wayne is bloggin' like a lollipop (Yeah)

It's a good thing Jerry, Emmit, and Jason all went before Warren because we wouldn't want everyone to think that all of the NFL's top dancers are ass****s.

“We’re told Sapp talks down to everybody (especially the guy dancers and production assistants), yells at people and consistently walks out of rehearsals with partner Kym Johnson.”

Way to represent Mr. Sapp.

And I saved the best for last..."We want Dallas"

Cooley's Picks of the Week

I'm excited about the picks this week. Coming off a 12-4 performance in week three my confidence is way up. There seemed to be a lot of close calls, but I really thought about this and I think I'm gonna knock it outta the ballpark. Week 4 will be another great showing for Cooley Zone picks.

Cleveland at Cincinnati Cleveland
Minnesota at Tennessee Tennessee
Denver at Kansas City Denver
San Francisco at New Orleans New Orleans
Arizona at NY Jets NY Jets
Green Bay at Tampa Bay Tampa Bay
Atlanta at Carolina Carolina
Houston at Jacksonville Jacksonville
San Diego at Oakland San Diego
Buffalo at St. Louis Buffalo
Washington at Dallas WASHINGTON
Philadelphia at Chicago Philadelphia
Baltimore at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh

Thursday, Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys very well might be the best team in football.  They're probably the biggest offensive and defensive fronts in the NFL. Romo is outstanding at moving around and getting guys the ball. He has a crazy receiving combination with T.O. and Witten and no one can overlook how hard Marian Barber runs the ball.  They have zero let down as far as personnel goes on the defensive side of the ball.  They are the type of defense that lines up and say, "We're here, but you're not gonna beat us." Demarcus Ware may not just be the best linebacker in football, but possibly the best all around defender.  In my scouting report this week Ware was graded as "no holes" in the weakness category. Their depth carries over into their secondary where they feel like they have good enough players to cover everyone one on one. 

That being said, were not going to Dallas for anything but a win.  This is a huge game for the Washington Redskins and there isn't anyone in the NFL who will intimidate us.  I have tremendous respect for what kind of team Dallas is, but I can't wait to get on the field this Sunday.  We're a smart, physical, hard working group of guys who will never give in.

Both the last two days have been excellent practices for us.  There is a new excitement in the air and everyone has been flying around.  No question whether or not that will carry over to Texas. I can say this from experience, there has been nothing better than to have a big game against Dallas!

HAIL!

Vladimir on Redskins/Cowboys

Dallas week continues with our new friend Vladimir telling us how he feels about the game and this year's Cowboys.

The Sweats Are Here

After a week of anticipation the sweats are finally in the store. Hope everyone enjoys. The women in the Cooley family love them!

A Big Week Before Big D

Written By The Guru

Coming off a week three win at home, the Redskins are gearing up and carrying the momentum into week four at Dallas. The storied rivalry in the NFC East comes to a head on Sunday, the last game between the two at Texas Stadium. Obviously the players are running drills, working plays, and fine-tuning their game, but what does a Redskin fan do to prepare for such a big time game?

It’s a complicated process really, and it has many angles dealing with it. As ‘The Guru,’ I like to sit down and look at last week’s game, looking at several things that would work perfectly against Dallas. In addition, I also look at the Cowscrubs’ last game, finding different ways that they could have been stopped. But of course, that’s not all that comes into play.

In between classes and other responsibilities, I am glued to both ESPN and Redskins.com, looking for press conferences, updated injury reports and anything that will further the excitement coming up into such a MONSTROUS week in Dallas. As Chris mentioned about last week, the motto was “The 0 must go,” referring to the 0 in the loss column of the Cardinals. The same holds true for this week. Many analysts look to the Cowpokes to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and it’s the Redskins’ job this week to put doubt in that idea.

Being from Maryland, you would think that there would only be Redskins and Ravens fans, with some Steelers fans lingering. However, I know of several Cowgals fans, most of which are friends of mine. This week is big for fans like us who have friends who are fans of the Cowboys. Sunday, we all will sport our jerseys (mine the #47 ‘repli-thentic’) and scream at the TV and each other during the game. We are friends outside of Sunday, but as soon as they put on the blue jersey, they are our foes.

As fanatics of the Redskins, I think we can all agree that this game is the most important, especially for those of us who have 'friends' that are Cowboys fans. No true fan could miss this game. This game is about bragging rights, and I am firm in the thought that the Skins will do it this week.

Hail to the Redskins!

Fantasy Update Week 3

Another big fantasy week for Cooley's Zornado. I haven't been the highest scoring team every week, but I have found a way to win and become the only undefeated team in the Cooley Zone.

There were some outrageous scores including Smoot scoring 105 points and Santana only putting up 25. Ironically these two teams were only separated by one point a week ago.Although I'm the last standing undefeated, Santana, Mike Sellers, and the Girls remain win less.

This week I will be looking forward to taking down Reed. I need big games from Adrian Peterson and Willie Parker, not to mention another breakthrough fantasy performance from JC. The girls take on Fred Davis "The Chocolate Assassins," which will probably be another loss. To make matters worse there is a quarterback controversy.......I guess?

Cooley Fans

I read an article the other day that said Chris was in the top 20 in jersey sales in the entire NFL. I was honestly amazed by that statistic. I knew I had been seeing a lot of Cooley jerseys at the games, but there are 1696 players in the NFL. Top 20 to me is very cool so at the Cardinals game I asked some fans why they were Cooley fans and why they bought their jersey.

Skin the Birds

Like BTO, we're taking care of business. Taking care of business every day. We just finished off what could have been the most underrated home stand I've ever been a part of. The 2008 Cardinals are an outstanding football team, a team that nobody should be surprised to see win their division. Lets also not forget that the Saints are within 7 points of being 3-0 and being considered one of the best teams in the game.

We're becoming a team. Not just a bunch of Redskins walking around with a swagger saying we have enough talent to beat anybody, but a team. We're a group of men that will go to work and we've proved it the last two weeks while we've worn down our opponents in the fourth quarter. Of course we can become more consistent, and that's exactly what we will do as we continue through this season, but I think I speak for everyone to say it's been an awesome feeling putting teams away.

A little more to the tune of my game, I was excited to be a big part of the offense again this week, and think I can keep getting better and better. I had a chance to get into the end zone if I would have just went up over the top. Really, when I saw the blocking set up I felt like I was going to sneak in, their safety came down an hit me on the hip, but I'm gonna be pissed when I see it on film. At least I can say I sacrificed the touchdown for Yoder, a trade that I would make anytime. I was stoked to make the catch at the end of the game. I love that Z man will get after defenses with the game on the line. When JC called the play in the huddle I looked at the O-Line promising them I would get the first down. Before the play started I knew there would be no one in the flat, they lined with a safety in the middle of the field so the corner on my side was going to have to run off with the receiver. I have to give a run fake on the linebacker who had me in man coverage and he bit hard down inside. It was actually a tough throw for J who had to roll to his left and squirm his body around to get me the ball. Once it was in my hands I knew the game was over, but I was trying to score, no Brian Westbrooks here, I was going for the end zone. I mean, I already gave up my fantasy points to Yods! Really I was just so happy we could finish off another one.

With it officially being Dallas week we got to gear it up again. I mean really gear it up. Coming into last week the Cards were 2-0 and the motto for the game was "the 0 must go." It worked pretty well for us so I'm sure we'll stick with it. The 0 must go for big D, and we're gonna get after it. Not much of a break for the Skins, team run today is at 11:15. I'm sure the gassers are gonna feel so good!

photos by Brian Murphy

Chris Cooley vs. The Wasps

Ghosts Don't Exist

"A ghost hunter losing faith in what he believes is about to retire, but decides to take one last case when a potential client guarantees he'll provide the proof he's been looking for. Upon arriving to the home, the client announces that he himself will make good on the promise by contacting them from the beyond, then shoots himself in front of them."

On Thursday night we had an investor meeting for our movie, "Ghosts Don't Exist."I finally met the other Executive Producer, James P. Mercurio, who enlightened us on how this movie is going to be made and be successful. He really got me excited for what we are trying to do and the only thing we need now is great people who want to help make this thing happen. Director Eric Espejo and the rest of 19th and Wilson are great to work with and what we are trying to do for them is help this project grow. So if you are on this list please contact 19th and Wilson. If you would like to help with the project click here.

Media's Idea of Chris Cooley

TC: College Football GOW

Before I get into this week’s preview I will say a few things about last week. To play for Michigan at the current time = :-( , Maryland isn’t that bad, and BYU IS that good. Football isn’t hockey and 3 to 2 victories should never happen. Finally, WV has likely seen the top 25 for the last time this season after losing to Colorado who now, 3-0 will probably see the top 25 for the first time this year.

Florida at Tennessee is like UNC and Duke in college basketball. It is always a good game. But I say this, Tennessee ranks above Florida in every offensive category except the one that matters, scoring. If the Gators can do what they do, not give up points (13 in two games) the King of Vols is in for a long afternoon tomorrow.

If you read about the LSU Auburn game you are going to come across a fact that is worthless, but a fact none the less. LSU has not won at Auburn in 10 years! And that matters why? The senior class of these two teams was in the 7th and 8th grade the last time LSU won at Auburn. College isn’t the NFL. Careers aren’t ten years long. The only facts that matter to me are that these teams are 1, in the SEC and 2, undefeated. If I had to choose, LSU ends a meaningless streak tomorrow night beating Auburn.

East Carolina is in position to start a season 4-0 for the first time since 1999, but getting there won't be easy after two key players were injured last week. I have said good and bad things about the ECU Pirates. Now I will say nothing and use a quote instead.

"We've come a long way," Coach Skip Holtz said after the 2-0 start. "There was a time when we couldn't win three in a row. We certainly have to play better than we did last week. I think it's going to take more of an effort like we put together for West Virginia if we want to have a chance to go over there and have a chance to be successful."

This week, like many in college football, an in-state underdog will play a ranked opponent. I want to know who has a better chance of winning, Rice at #7 Texas or Florida International hosting #12 USF.

Finally some quick hits other games this week. Notre Dame will try to run the tables on the state of Michigan by heading to Michigan State this week. Utah State hosts Idaho and will make a valiant effort to win their 4th game in 3 years. Va. Tech travels to North Carolina in a must win for the Hokies considering they only have 1 home game in October. Last one, Wake Forest at Florida State, both ranked, both good, check it out.

Enjoy the games this week.

Picks of the Week

After going 9 for 15 for a miserable 60 percent on my picks last week I hope I can redeem myself here. Like I said before, we do these picks of the week just for fun at Christy's work. Winning and losing is only worth pride and last week I didn't do to well. So here are my picks for this week.

Atlanta
Buffalo
Tampa Bay
Tennessee
Carolina
New England
Giants
Washington
San Francisco
Seattle
Denver
Philadelphia
Indianapolis
Baltimore
Green Bay

San Diego

New Helmet

A lot of questions have been asked about what the hell is on my head in the game.  Helmets have evolved into a crazy futuristic dome.  I actually feel like I'm getting ready for a Motocross event when I put that thing on.  

 

Really what the helmet is, is a new version of the Riddell Revolution.  The helmet actually has a couple of stickers under the face mask that say speed, so maybe it is the Riddell speed version of the revolution.  The company came out with some trial samples for guys on different teams to wear and I got the one for the Skins.  At first I was a little concerned with the look, but after I put it on and realized the comfort  I was hooked.  This thing is like the ultimate lazy boy of helmets.

  

Autographs

Friday night I will be signing autographs in Tysons Corner. It will be from 7-9 p.m. and will be in PSGamegear. If you would like any more information or to pre-purchase a ticket their phone number is 703-448-1701. The signing will only last for two hours and I will be signing 125 items.

I will be donating all of the proceeds to schools in D.C. through the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation.

Training Room

I took a big hit on my first catch of the game. It was a pass play, but I was initially left in blocking on the right side of the formation. No one was open early as the play started to break down. I moved out into the flat and Jason started to scramble toward me. As he threw the ball I felt like I was left by myself. Little did I know the corner was quickly making his way toward me while the ball was in the air. Before I knew it I was on the ground thinking where did that guy come from.

It took me about two plays off while I dry heaved on the sideline to make it back to the game. Really what it ended up being was a massive charlie horse in the side of the leg. The bad thing about these little injurys is they hurt like hell the next day. My buddy Larry thought the plunger technique was first in line for the healing process. We also tried a little "cupping" as well as some massage. Let me just say this, our training staff takes care of business, they're the best!

All pictures and comments were taken into consideration and edited before posting on the site.

Fashion Police

When Malcom Kelly say, "I got a sag in my jean, man I'm lookin clean." I am concerned because I wouldn't want this to happen.

A 17-year-old spent a night in jail last week after police arrested him for wearing low pants in Riviera Beach, southeast Florida.

Yes that is right, baggy pants = jail time. I mean how dare a kid show off his underpants. What would they do if he accidentially...no, I won't even go there. But honestly, if I'm a cop, I feel like there are bigger issues than playing fashion police but maybe I'm wrong. Apparently there could be a more extreme punishment for wearing low-slung pants.

In Delcambre, Louisiana, offenders can be fined up to 500 dollars or jailed for up to six months.

You heard, SIX MONTHS for low riding. So be safe buy a pair of mom jeans next time

Really the Cowboys?

We thought it would be fun to have a Cowboys blogger on the site every week. Just a enemy fans point of view and at least everyone can crush him. Let's face the facts though, as long as we cheer for the Skins, we're gonna have to deal with the Cowboys. We'll just call our new man Cowboy Dan.

With all the attention put on Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson's off the field relationship what's one more conversation going to hurt? From shaking her amazing goodies in an owners' box, to their much publicized playoff bye week trip to Mexico she has been crazy. Add her prediction last week about the Cowboys kicking the Eagles ass, and much speculation has been made that all this attention has a drastic effect on Tony Romo's level of play. Seriously, what else does the guy have to do to prove himself a notable quarterback in this league? Since he has become a starter, in 27 games he has 56 TD's, over 7400 yards, 2 Pro-Bowl appearances and a QB rating of 96.7. Let's all stop worrying about what his girlfriend is doing or saying and just sit back and enjoy watching him and the Cowboys kick everybody's ass in the league. At least he isn't showing his junk all over the place.

Fantasy Update

Our match up of the week between Tana and Smoot definitely came down to the wire. After scoring an embarrassing 16 points last week, Fred's team managed to even out this week with his one point victory over Santana. I wonder what makes Tana happier, Shockey fumbling to cost him this weeks fantasy win or Shockey fumbling and actually helping us beat the Saints? You be the judge. Anyways, the rest of the results will be up in the morning on the sidebar tomorrow so be sure to check them out.

We're Dumb

All apologies from the website.  We are very sorry that we showed a penis on our website all day yesterday.  That was by no means our intention and we did not want to offend anyone.   The picture wouldn't have been up for so long, but we were in the middle of winning a big game.  Once again, this was a complete accident and we regret not reviewing the post more closely.  Thanks.

Fantasy Matchup of the Week

Smoot and Santana have been picked as the matchup of the week.  Both took losses in the first week, and Smoot scoring under 20 points and losing Tom Brady for the season was devastating.  I caught them at breakfast this morning for a little preview.

Bonaroti

A great tradition began three years ago. Ristorante Bonaroti is what I consider the best resturant in the entire DC/Virgina area. Wait, really if I think about it my favorite resturante of all time. In just three years I have so many great memories there. The owner Sergio and his wife Noel are two of the best people I have ever been around.

So anyways, back to the tradition. For the last three years we have been eating there before every home game. It's always been Yoder and I, sometimes we incorporate some different faces (Colt Brennan tonight), but me and Yodes have never missed.
I even have my own appetizer on the menu, unbelievable by the way - buffalo mozerella wrapped in dry aged filet minon. It's called brezola, really I don't know if that's how you spell brezola, and I can't ever pronounce it right, but it's damn good!
Although I am listed on the menu, I haven't actually ordered from it in over two years. When Yoder and I show up, we just ask Serg whats the best thing we could order and he hooks it up every time. Tonight I went spaghetti, best spaghetti in the world, and I'm counting on the energy in the heat tomorrow. Bonaroti's never fails!

TC: College Football GOW

I don't care who you are or where you're from. North, South, East, or West the college game this week has got to be #5 Ohio State heading to Hollywood to take on the top ranked USC Trojans. Are these teams that good? Yes. One of them has played for the national title each of the last four seasons and this game could determine who will go this year. Should you watch this game? Yes.

"We love competing against the top teams," USC quarterback Mark Sanchez said. "That's why I came here. It's going to be a great day for college football. The (Los Angeles) Coliseum is going to be rocking."

God came down and handed me that pick of the week but here are some others that I feel are notable.

#23 Cal is coming to College Park - Will this be a good game? If a good game to you is watching one team destroy another, then yes it will be great. I mean Cal is sort of good. In 2 games they've scored 102 points and only given up 34. Maryland on the other hand lost to Middle Tennessee State last week...enough said

I know that a good one will probably be Kansas at South Florida but instead I am highlighting #6 Missouri vs Nevada at 12:37 pm. Why this game? Because Nevada is in the WAC...and I hate them. Plus the 12:37 kickoff jumped off the page at me so I had to check it out.

After saying that WV was going to "beat ECU's ass" I owe a true apology to them. Like I said before, my knowledge is still on the west coast. But after beating the Mountaineers last week ECU jumped to #14 in the polls and should have an easy win over Tulane this week. GO PIRATES!
Being fresh out of college I still have plenty of friends that play football for the Aggies. No, not Texas A&M, not New Mexico State, but the Utah State Aggies. I feel like I can say that because after losing to Oregon 66-24 last week the Ducks actually moved up two spots in the polls. Good job with the strength of schedule on that one computer. And this week doesn't get any easier for the Aggies as they try not to lose their 11th straight game against #22 Utah. Good luck guys, at least it won't be snowing Logan.

Normally the Michigan/Notre Dame game is a good one. This year...not so much. They just aren't that good anymore. But thanks to NBC you can still check it out at 3:47.

My final game worth noting this week is UCLA at #18 BYU. I briefly mentioned how I wanted to be watching BYU last week against Washington, a game was won on a blocked extra point that was long because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but I chose Cincinnati/Oklahoma instead (head slap). So this week I am putting them on the charts.

So fellow fans, check the blog regularly tomorrow and give me your thoughts on the games. I know I will need something besides football to fill my day.

Papelbon Gone Wild

Besides being a Ryan Zimmerman fan, Chris loves the Red Sox. So when I saw this, I knew it had to go on the blog.

In May Rob Bradford, then of the Boston Herald currently of WEEI.COM, told me that Sheila Papelbon (Jonathan’s mom) had a video tape of her son and the rest of his high school teamates in heels, dresses and wigs at high school rally. We later learned the tape also showed Pap playing the role of Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing with his best friend then and now playing the role of Jennifer Grey.

If you didn't catch it last night on Washington Post Live. You have to see it. I don't even know where to begin describing this thing so just watch the video.

This isn't the first time Papelbon has made an ass of himself on stage. Watch here and here to see more great stuff from the Red Sox closer.

Leg

I had a minor quad strain in practice this morning. It wasn't a pull, it really wasn't a big deal. There was just a little bit of tightness in the middle of my leg and the training staff and I felt that there was no reason to risk practicing full speed today. There is still a full range of motion in my leg and as of tonight very minimal soreness. If I had to play right now I definitely could. I will rest tonight and plan on making it out to practice tomorrow.

The major disappointment of the day was that I broke a five year streak of never missing a practice. What's worse, it wasn't even a game injury. Needless to say, I'll be in early tomorrow getting better. Stupid quad!

Picks of the Week

Every week Christy and I do picks of the week at her work. Last week I only won 8 games. Pathetic I know but I thought it would be fun to post my picks of the week on the blog. I'm sure there will be some criticism for some of the picks and even more after the games on Sunday but it's just for fun.



Cincinnati
Green Bay
Kansas City
NY Giants
Indianapolis
Washington
Chicago
Buffalo
Seattle
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
NY Jets
Miami
Denver
Pittsburgh

Dallas

Fantasy Files

I just compiled the 197,756th view on my Reebok fantasy files commercial. Then I spent the next 30 minutes reviewing the comments. The biggest question on any of these commercials was could it be done or not, but the question that surprised me the most was whether or not I actually punched through the wall? There was a lot of concern that a professional athlete wouldn't be allowed to punch through a wall in a commercial because of potential harm.

Due to the greatness of the actual trick I do not want to give away any secrets other than to say I have a great sense for the ball. I will answer the question of punching through a wall. Let me first say that this commercial was not the first time I've punched through a piece of drywall. I first learned this wall punching technique in the 7th grade after losing a game of Super Tecmo Bowl to my little brother. I figured punching the wall was better than breaking another one of my fragile controllers. Of course mom disapproved of the tantrum at the time, but I think she would be proud of it now. In hindsight I think she may have even encouraged my controller smashing, wall punching, 12 year old fits. I also became just as good at fixing holes in the wall as I did making them.

Anyways I figured we could at least re-do the wall punching part of the commercial. Although no harm was done in the making of this commercial, I did end up with a few scrapes and scratches around the elbow. I'll still make it to practice tomorrow.

8 Years a Backup is Finally Paying Off

When you wake up Friday morning and throw on your jersey before you head off to school, butterflies already in your stomach, you think, “I wonder what college scouts will be at the game tonight. USC? CAL? OREGON?” Well that’s probably the thought that ran through the head of Matt Cassel the last time he started a game at QB. For Chatsworth High School. But if anyone has trouble remembering after 3 Super Bowls here’s a refresher; in 2001 Tom Brady’s name wasn’t on the news...ever. He was the backup to big Drew. And if being a fan of the NFL has taught me anything, it’s that all some guys need is a shot.

“Nothing changes for me from a preparation standpoint,” Cassel said when asked if his preparation this week was any different given Brady’s status. “You go out each and every week with the same intensity. You have to be ready to play at any given time. The hard part about it is you never know when you’re going to get that opportunity.”

Ya, that is the hard part isn’t it? I mean after playing behind two Heisman winners in college and charting plays for a two time Super Bowl MVP for, well, your whole career you don’t really prepare for a shot let alone expect one. So good news for the Patriots is that Tom has been hurt since February and my gut tells me that Matt got his butterflies out in the 4 preseason losses this year. I have a crazy feeling that Matt Cassel is going to drop bombs on Brett and the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets on Sunday. At least I hope so -- last week I said ECU would get their asses whipped by WV and look what happened there. Prove me right Matt, I know you can.

Stats

If anyone wondered if players in the NFL care about how others at their position are doing, they do. This Sunday sucked for me watching so many tight ends put up big games. I hate not being productive and I hate being so far down this list. I guess Fasano and Rosario are ballers. It's gonna take some serious work this week just to get back to even. I think both I and the Redskins need it.

Fantasy Update

Last Thursday's loss was a very tough one for me to deal with. After thinking about it and watching the film, I am ready to move on and start preparing for the Saints. I am confident that we will bounce back and come ready to play on Sunday against a great opponent that is 1-0. These next two home games can and will define this team. Becasue if we can come out and get a couple of wins before heading to Philly and Dallas, we will be in great shape.

Now as for our fantasy football league here is what happened over the weekend. Even though I am losing to Colt's MENEHUNE I still have AP and Berrnard Berrian who I am hoping can muster up enought to win this week. What a move it was for me to sit Fast Willie Parker! The high scorer as you can see was Jason (even though I managed to score him zero points this week). The surprising low of the week, Fred Smoot, 14 points. I don't even know how that happens but it did.

MENEHUNE 46 - Cooley's Zornado 39
Team Red Snapper 70 - Better Halves 55
Lionel Richie Boys 92 - Cavemen 47
Hurricanes 36 - Bulldozers 46
chocolate assassins 52 - DC Lumber Co 14

So everyone out there with Adrian Peterson on their team, pray for him to stay healthy and score a TD or 2 or 3 cause I want to win at something this week, even if it is Fantasy Football.

Breakfast with the Cooley's

TC: College Football GOW

Moving across the country does a lot to a person especially a college football fan. I mean, I am used to teams like Utah State, BYU, and Utah. I can easily list every team in the WAC, Mountain West, and Pac 10. But now, I have to totally adjust my life and my knowledge of college football to from the Aggies, Utes, and Cougars to the Terps, Hokies, and Mountaineers. Not that I am complaining about having 5 times the amount of teams within an afternoons driving distance but who do you cheer for?

After being let down by Va. Tech last week and struggling to stay awake in the Maryland/Delaware barn-burner, I’m not going to lie about how not excited I am for the matchups this Saturday. Richmond @ Virginia, Furman vs. Va. Tech, Maryland @ Middle Tennessee or ECU coming to get their asses beat by West Virginia. Now I don’t want to rag on anyone’s team here but I would rather watch a repeat of the Skins Giants from last night than any of those games.

This makes it tough to pick a winner to watch this week since obviously those others aren’t on the charts for game of the week. So…my “east coast” team of the week to watch is going to be Cincinnati. They beat down Eastern Kentucky last week and won 10 games last year leading me to believe they are a legit team to watch. Plus with QB Dustin Grutza having a 200 rating I get the feeling that they can compete against the 4th ranked Sooners this weekend.

So get your cooler out and put your game gear on cause instead of watching #15 BYU play Washington State or my alma mater square up against the #18 Ducks, I will be watching the Bearcats and Sooners in the battle of the…well hopefully it will be a battle cause this is my pick for college game of the week.

Countdown to Kickoff

30 hours. Why do they put Direct TV on a bus? Super Bowl XXV conveniently played while we rolled down 66 toward Union Station. The Giants in their highest glory, but the overhanging trees and multiple overpass bridges were enough to interrupt the signal every 10 seconds. By the time the ride was over I didn't know if I was more nauseous from the scrambled championship viewing or seeing Tyree's helmet catch for the 500th time.

29 hours. A rickety ass train ride was not nearly enough to detour the euker cards from being dealt. Euker is our new game of choice, it's almost like a white dude's version of spades. The game is played with a partner (Todd Yoder) against another pair of partners. (Suisham and Rabach) The basic story of the game is that euker passes shitty train riding time like a frenzied roller coaster. After all was said and done, me and Yod walked away with two extra per-diems.

24 hours. I'm fucking starving. This morning I weighed about two pounds more than I wanted and there is no way I'm gonna be a fat ass for week one. Fat acts as a break on the football field. Now I've tried to contain myself all day, avoiding all kinds of terrible traveling foods. I'm waiting for the team snack at 9. I could have went to dinner with my newly acquired euker money, but I would end up eating way too much. Yea, great self discipline.

23 hours. Team meeting. We go through the first 15 plays of the game. I was hoping for about 8 scheduled catches on that play list, I guess I'll leave the anticipation for what happens there. Film review for a half hour, more Super Bowl action. Then Zorn talks, he is ready to battle with us.

19 hours. Can't sleep. My TV is a piece of shit. I guess that's becoming a theme of the trip. Every five minutes it goes fuzzy and gets really loud, constantly ruffling the serenity of my night. I like to play this little game at night in the hotel where I try to fall asleep during the commercials. I'll watch whatever show is on then roll over during the ads. Every damn time I roll over the TV starts blasting static. Of course I could turn it off, but that's not part of the routine. So now I have to get out of bed every five minutes and beat some sense into it - pounding it three or four times on the sides seems really successful. Probably not good in the long run for the TV, but the weird thing is that the harder my fist hits the side the longer it functions normally. Whatever.

18 hours. TV off, I'm not very happy.

14 hours. Someone thought a wake up call at 5 would hilarious. Preliminary suspect: Clinton Portis. Who doesn't want to be watching Sportscenter reruns at 5 AM?

12 hours. Sleep again. I would've been crushed had this not happened.

9 hours. I watched that Nichole Kidman movie where the world gets some weird virus if they fall asleep. Virus movies scare me more that horror movies.

8 hours. Breakfast. The coffee in our hotel is terrible, but after yesterday's eating limitations breakfast is smelling perfect. We always have an omelet and waffle station in our road trip dining rooms. Usually I go with a more conventional bacon and eggs, but we stayed here three weeks ago when we played the Jets and I found out first hand this hotel sucks with bacon. So I headed to the omelet stand.

7 hours. Another team meeting. Only on night games do we include this time filling meeting. It's pretty much an hour of re-watching game film that everyone has seen 10 times. Last week in this same meeting Yoder and I played the "vagina game." The object of this game is to say "vagina" louder than the person before you. By the end of the meeting we were yelling vagina. I think coaches were a little concerned, but we would yell in context of the meeting. "That right guard is a complete VAGINA." There may have been a little too much pressure building up this week to be screaming vagina, but I smiled inside thinking of great moments to slip it in.

6 hours. I'm sitting naked in room 909, my back and ass pouring sweat into a shitty black leather chair. I showered and I'm waiting to put my nice clothes on. I guess I'll be showering again. I've brushed my teeth three times. I have a pimple in my eyebrow and it's swelling up because I go back to the mirror and squeeze it every thirty minutes. I know I haven't gotten it all yet so I haven't stopped, but it really is starting to hurt. I have nothing to do right now. Boredom is fusing with excitement, creating a stoppage of time in my world.

5 hours. Two hours until I board the bus the hell out of Hasbrouck Heights and into Giants Stadium. I'm starting to get pre-game nerves, one of my favorite feelings in life. I could not be more ready to play than right now. Thank God football is back.

Redskins Fantasy Week 1

Cooley's Zornado
QB Jason Campbell
WR Derrick Mason
WR Chris Chambers
WR Bernard Berrian
RB Adrian Peterson
RB Steven Jackson
TE Kellen Winslow
K Shaun Suisham
DEF Tampa Bay

MENEHUNE
QB Ben Roethlisberger
WR Randy Moss
WR Roddy White
WR Deion Branch
RB Maurice Jones-Drew
RB LenDale White
TE Jason Witten
K Shayne Graham
DEF Washington

Better Halves
QB Peyton Manning
WR Braylon Edwards
WR Hines Ward
WR Donald Driver
RB Reggie Bush
RB Jamal Lewis
TE Tony Gonzalez
K Adam Vinatieri
DEF San Diego

Cavemen
QB Matt Hasselbeck
WR Chad Johnson
WR Laveranues Coles
WR Lee Evans
RB Brian Westbrook
RB Edgerrin James
TE Antonio Gates
K Josh Brown
DEF Seattle

Bulldozers
QB Derek Anderson
WR Plaxico Burress
WR Greg Jennings
WR Vincent Jackson
RB Joseph Addai
RB LaDainian Tomlinson
TE Heath Miller
K Phil Dawson
DEF Pittsburgh

DC Lumber Co
QB Tom Brady
WR Marvin Harrison
WR Torry Holt
WR Devin Hester
RB Larry Johnson
RB Ronnie Brown
TE Vernon Davis
K Stephen Gostkowski
DEF Minnesota

Hurricanes
QB Carson Palmer
WR Andre Johnson
WR Reggie Wayne
WR Anquan Boldin
RB Fred Taylor
RB Darren McFadden
TE Jeremy Shockey
K Rob Bironas
DEF New England

Lionel Richie Boys
QB Drew Brees
WR Santana Moss
WR Roy Williams
WR Terrell Owens
RB Frank Gore
RB Thomas Jones
TE Chris Cooley
K Nate Kaeding
DEF Chicago

Team Red Snapper
QB Donovan McNabb
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh
WR Wes Welker
WR Calvin Johnson
RB Marion Barber
RB Clinton Portis
TE Alge Crumpler
K Jason Elam
DEF Dallas

Chocolate Assassins
QB Tony Romo
WR Larry Fitzgerald
WR Marques Colston
WR Dwayne Bowe
RB Marshawn Lynch
RB Willis McGahee
TE Dallas Clark
K Nick Folk
DEF Baltimore

Quotable

So many awesome comments have gone forgotten over the my years with the Redskins. I won't stand for it any longer. Last weeks Bugel quote spurred a commitment in my note taking. Something gets said and you can bet your sweet ass it's going in my notebook.

This week our coaches were nothing short of outstanding in our NYG preparation. We even had a special owner pep talk to kick off our week and let me say Dan Snyder is a exceptional speaker. Really, no bullshit, he was awesome! He walked out the door and I was ready to put the pads on. 

After all was said, it was too tough to narrow my quote of the week to one, so I've chosen three.

Dan Synder "Redskins football is violent, physical, violent f****** football! If we play that way we will win...if we don't...we will lose.

Joe Bugel "Take that field that first play and somebody's gonna get hit in the mouth - and somebody's gonna bleed.

Sherman Smith (This one was short, but held so much value in context) "It's about team men!"

Fantasy Football 2008

A couple weeks ago we had a fantasy football draft with a bunch of the guys. We will be running our league through Yahoo sports. This should be an awesome year for fantasy football as we will be giving you updates both here and on comcastsportsnet.  Be sure to check out the winners and losers from each week, give us your picks, expert fantasy advice, and anything else we should know.   

Yode's Corner: Final Cuts Ode to Boss

Final Cuts -- The day that ends the dream for some NFL players. After final cuts, over 500 NFL players are now looking for work. For some, they will land jobs with other teams and a few younger players maybe get picked up on a team’s practice squad. For many of the younger players their quick minute of glory and hopes of making it into the NFL are now over. They will go on with their lives trying to find work in the real world and telling stories of how they had a shot in training camp and almost made it in the big league. That final day is almost like a funeral because it signals death to some guys.

As a player it sucks as you lose some teammates that you have become close to who are great people. This year it was Ryan Boschetti; a friend, a father with a wonderful family, a hard worker, a great teammate, a below average poker player, and a great guy.  I will miss the Greasy Meatball and hope he picks up somewhere else. But as life in the NFL rolls on, we have to get ready to play our opening game against the Giants and Ryan's name becomes just one of many that have been on teams that I have played with to get cut. 

In my position I have probably seen some 25 TE's come and go through 9 seasons. I have even felt the pain of being released. Three years ago in Jacksonville I received a phone call from the Grim Reaper himself. It was a call that ripped my heart right out of the chest, because everything I had worked towards for the past years of my life was gone. It had a profound effect on my wife and family as well because it meant relocation, moving them away from friends and our home. It was definitely the low point in my career as I didn't know what would happen next. But I lucked out and found a new home here in Washington. Making this day of final cuts  for a guy like me, a day of life, a day of exhilaration because I made it another year. I get to continue playing football for one more season.

Team Captains

This season the Washington Redskins had an official, secret ballet vote for team captains. I was hoping we would use the "close your eyes and raise your hand method," but Zorn just passed around some papers with blank lines. Yoder said that we should have made Cooley campaign pins, but it got procrastinated too long to be ready for our "high school" election. I guess there is always next year.

We now have 2 captains from the offense, defense, and special teams. I'm sure that most Skins' fans could have made their team captain assumptions and came very closely to the actual selection but here they are. On offense Jason Campbell and Chris Samuels. Defensively London Fletcher and Cornelius Griffin (I thought both were obvious choices). And finally, not trying to leave out our special guys, Rock Cartwright and Khary Campbell made the cut.


Something discussed amongst the team during stretch today: The population of white players on the Redskins is exactly 25 percent and no white captains were selected (no big deal, just something we observed).

Also notable: Reed Doughty is the only white player on the defense.

Lastly: Not that I feel like I have to justify my previous notables, but I will. I love the black man! I love black people! I'm every body's motherf*****!