SB Nation DC: All Posts by Samuel Chamberlain

2013 NFL Playoffs: Seahawks vs. Redskins: Two thoughts on Sunday's game

2013-01-07T01:48:56Z

Dan Shiferaw was at FedEx Field Sunday, so we'll leave the majority of the authoritative thoughts to him (and they'll be along later). For the time being, a couple thoughts from us.

1. It's time for the Redskins to take the FieldTurf plunge. We're no horticulturists, but FedEx Field simply isn't designed for natural grass. The stadium is a large, enclosed structure that allows for sun, rain, and little else to reach the ground. Unless the Redskins want to undertake more costly renovations to allow proper aeration, it's time to bring in the new stuff. Because that field was a disgrace Sunday night, a dog track with yard lines and hashmarks whitewashed on, unfit to be seen by millions in a nationally televised playoff game, much less tramped on 22 players at a time. For a league that makes billions of dollars hand over fist, having one of its most valuable teams offer a safe, fair track isn't too much to ask.

2. Mike Shanahan can fairly be called a lot of things. We don't believe that he is a sadist or a sociopath. His body language during his postgame press conference (admittedly viewed through the medium of TV) suggested that he had begun second-guessing himself the second Griffin crumpled to the turf in the fourth quarter. (We thought we observed similar body language in 2010 regarding the manner of the benching of Donovan McNabb, though not the benching itself.)

If you ask us, Shanahan had a Grady Little moment Sunday. Some would say he choked. Some might say he panicked. Some might use another word again. Regardless, here's what we think happened: Shanahan knew and could see that Robert Griffin III wasn't himself. However, with Washington's lead dwindling and eventually falling away, it became harder for Shanahan to insert Kirk Cousins and ostensibly remove his best player from the field just when he was ostensibly needed most. As a result, Shanahan seized on any affirmative response from RGIII, no matter how untruthful, as proof of his ability to go. (For the record, we would have pulled the trigger after the interception on the deep ball in the second quarter.)

It was a gamble, it failed spectacularly, and there's no question a heart-to-heart between Shanahan, Griffin, Bruce Allen, Daniel Snyder, and especially Dr. James Andrews is required to get everyone on the same page. But accusing Shanahan of garden-variety meatheadedness, we think, doesn't get us anywhere.

Thanks for reading our coverage all season long. As we said, Dan will have his thoughts here shortly, and we hope the gif above will give you a good chuckle throughout the summer.

Seahawks vs. Redskins: Rookie QBs find instant success, meet in playoffs

2013-01-04T21:58:50Z

Last year, two rookie quarterbacks faced off in the playoffs for the first time in the Super Bowl era when the T.J. Yates-led Houston Texans took down Andy Dalton's Cincinnati Bengals. It didn't take another 46 years for two rookie quarterbacks to meet in the playoffs again. This Sunday, Russell Wilson leads his Seattle Seahawks into Landover, Maryland to take on Robert Griffin III's Washington Redskins in a matchup of two quarterbacks with different stories but similar instant success.

While Griffin carried high expectations well before the moment he was selected 2nd overall and paired with offensive guru Mike Shanahan, the tale of Russell Wilson is indeed very different. With pricey free agent signing Matt Flynn penciled in atop the Seahawks quarterback depth chart, the 24-year old Wilson was viewed more as an undersized-but -scrappy sort of backup who could push Flynn in camp and provide some upside potential if an injury to Flynn happened to thrust him into a starting role for a middling Seahawks team. Armed with extensive college experience and the proverbial chip on his shoulder, the third round selection from Wisconsin drew rave reviews throughout camp and preseason, ultimately stamping his seal on the starting job well before the season opener.

Wilson would finish the season having tied Peyton Manning for the most touchdown passes by a rookie (26), and breaking Ben Roethlisberger's rookie passer rating record by throwing up a cool 100.0 on the dot. Not to be outdone, Griffin surpassed both Roethlisberger and Wilson, setting a new rookie record for passer rating of 102.4.
Despite the massive successes of each rookie quarterback, Wilson's performance might not be the most unexpected for a rookie this season, while Griffin's might not even be the most impactful for his own team. Sixth round pick Alfred Morris proved to be a true workhorse back for the Redskins. Morris finished the season with 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns, both good for second in the league. Playing for the NFC East crown in what could essentially be viewed as Washington's first playoff game, in the very last game of the regular season Morris delivered the finest performance of his rookie campaign against the rival Dallas Cowboys. Toting the rock 33 times, Morris rushed for a career-high 200 yards and three scores, leading the Redskins to 28-18 victory and a spot in the playoffs.

Of course, Seattle's Marshawn Lynch surprised nobody with his numbers, and is perennially one of the best backs in the NFL. This season, he finished third in the league with 1,590 rush yards. Given that Wilson and Griffin each threw the football 393 times, lowest among quarterbacks with a dozen or more starts, it is fairly likely that we will see each back carry upwards of 25 times in what should be a close game.

Seattle enters Friday as a three point road favorite; the tightest margin of any game this weekend and only one in which the visitor is favored. ‘Skins fans are certainly eager to witness a home "upset" against a team that actually recorded all five of its losses this season on the road: According to TiqIQ's secondary market data, Redskins Tickets are at an average of $308 per ticket to this game. While this has decreased over the course of the week, the number is still more than double the season average of $151.50.

And remember, for all NFL playoffs tickets check out Ticketmaster, the official exchange for NFL tickets.

-- Dan Groob, TiqIQ

RGIII surprises Mike Shanahan at press conference, asks coach how he spent New Year's

2013-01-02T20:43:29Z

There will be three rookies starting NFL playoff games this coming weekend. So far, only one of them has posed as a reporter to ask his head coach how he spent his New Year's Rockin' Eve (registered trademark of Dick Clark Productions, a former subsidiary of Red Zone Capital Management).

Video below via CSN Washington.

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Of course, keep in mind that RGIII's opposite number, Russell Wilson, is coached by Pete "pumped and jacked" Carroll, who's so easygoing, he probably does the same thing to his players every week, just to keep things fresh.

Anyway, Griffin's stunt was completely harmless, and actually got a chuckle (followed by a relatively straightforward answer) from the head coach.

Ah, these are such happy times in Ashburn. The sun is shining, birds are singing, the Redskins are back in the playoffs, the traffic on Interstate 66 is almost tolerable ... well, actually scratch that last one.

2013 NFL Playoffs: Washington falls 24-14 to Seattle, Robert Griffin III injured again

2013-01-02T16:21:09Z

The Washington Redskins season ends with a home loss in the NFC Wild Card round.

The Washington Redskins will host the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round of the 2013 NFL playoffs on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Sunday's game will mark the first time since the 2007 season that the Redskins will make an appearance in the NFL's second season. Coincidentally, that game also featured a matchup against the Seahawks in the Wild Card round. Washington lost the game by a final score of 35-14.

Sunday's game will be broadcast nationally on Fox and will be the final game of Wild Card weekend.

The other NFC playoff game will feature a rematch of the Minnesota Vikings against the Green Bay Packers. The two NFC North Division rivals split the season series, with the Vikings' winning the most recent meeting in Week 17 to clinch the final Wild Card spot in the NFC.

The game will be broadcast nationally on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

In the AFC, the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans will kick off Wild Card weekend on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

The Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens will act as the opening game on Sunday. The game will begin at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

NFL Playoffs: Seahawks vs. Redskins: Team announces Sunday's game is sold out

2012-12-31T20:46:38Z

Shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday, the Washington Redskins issued the following statement:

The Washington Redskins announced today tickets to the NFC Wild Card Weekend playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Jan. 6 are sold out. In the event there are player or visitor team ticket returns, fans are encouraged to check with Ticketmaster for availability.

Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to avoid traffic and enjoy the 1 p.m. playoff games.

The Redskins have copped a lot of flak over the years for various season ticket and attendance-counting shenanigans, but we have no doubt that Sunday afternoon, just like Sunday night, will see a truly full house for FedEx Field's first NFL playoff game since the 1999 season.

By the way, if you're still willing, our partners at TiqIQ are offering tickets for sale beginning at $167. If you want to go the Stubhub route, there's always that option, too. Happy hunting!

Alex Ovechkin announces engagement to Maria Kirilenko

2012-12-31T17:26:13Z

Washington Capitals star left winger Alexander Ovechkin is engaged to tennis player Maria Kirilenko, according to a Twitter post by Ovechkin's agent David Abrutyn.

Congratulations to @ovi8 and @mkirilenko on their engagement!!

Abrutyn's announcement was backed up by former WUSA man and current Tennis Channel anchor Brett Haber.

Hey #DC, hearing that @ovi8 is engaged to tennis star @mkirilenko. #LockoutOver #caps

And finally, Ovechkin himself confirmed the news to the world.

We are engaged !!!!!!! )))))))))

The two have been dating since at least November 2011, when Ovechkin outed Kirilenko as his "queen" on his Twitter account. The 25-year-old Kirilenko, who previously dated fellow Russian tennis pro Igor Andreev, had a very good 2012, making the Wimbledon singles quarterfinals, the doubles final at Roland Garros with partner Nadia Petrova. The two also teamed up to win a bronze medal in women's doubles at the 2012 Olympic tennis tournament, also held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Naturally, Ovechkin spent most of his summer cheering Kirilenko on.

We wish Ovi and Maria the very best, and now present a fond look back at the Great 8's bachelor days.

Cowboys vs. Redskins: NFC East title game posts record ratings

2012-12-31T17:00:42Z

Part of our job description is to monitor Twitter, and we were genuinely stunned Sunday to see how many people were tweeting about that night's Redskins/Cowboys game. Even those poor schmucks covering the ongoing Congressional fiscal cliff negotiations were wondering if they would be able to go home in time to catch the game.

You can see where we're going here.

NBC Sports' PR arm has the staggering numbers, and released them via Twitter Monday morning.

Last night's @Redskins @DallasCowboys gm on @SNFonNBC drew 18.3 overnight rating, 30 share, best ever for a primetime reg-season gm on NBC.

Washington D.C. drew 44.6 overnight and 68 share, best primetime reg-season rating for DC market in Nielsen People Meter history (1987)

Top Mkts: D.C. 44.6/68, Richmond 42.8/60, Norfolk 37.1/53, Dallas 36.9/55, San Antonio 28.4/44, Austin 28.4/48, Albuquerque 27.6/41

True story: we ordered a pizza at around 7:30 p.m. Sunday night. (Big sucker, too.) The delivery man showed up at our door and asked "getting ready for the game?"

Indeed, we were, sir, and so were a lot of other people.

Cowboys vs. Redskins: Man tackles Christmas tree to celebrate Redskins playoff berth

2012-12-31T14:00:08Z

We think it's appropriate that the man in the clip you're about to see is wearing a John Riggins jersey, because this is precisely the sort of thing that The Diesel himself might have done in his pomp.

Yes, that's a grown man with a home and a family throwing himself on to a Christmas tree to celebrate Sunday night's 28-18 win by Washington over the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East title and secure a home playoff game next Sunday against Seattle.

Now, look, we understand that New Year's is traditionally the time for taking down Christmas trees (we prefer to keep ours up through January 6th, since, you know, 12 Days of Christmas and all), but we would like to cordially suggest that this gentleman carefully remove the lights and decorations first before he tries to knock the thing over. Just a thought.

Anyway, we can't wait to see what he might do for an encore if Washington beats Seattle Sunday.

First flagged up by @dcsportsbog on Twitter.