‘Jim Zorn’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

Redskins

Record: 3-7
Last Two Weeks: 1-1
Place: Last in the NFC East

Tom’s lack of optimism rings true of this week’s crushing loss for the Redskins against division rivals the Dallas Cowboys. Sunday’s match-up against the Dallas Cowboys came to a sudden halt with a 1-point, 7-6 loss. The worst part about it is that the Skins looked like they’d pull through this time.

What’d they do right? Shaun Suisham had the potential to be a game-winning hero. Instead, he gave his best shot, scoring two fields goals (one in the second and one in the third), keeping his team ahead of the opposition for the majority of the game. The Skin’s defense, along with Jason Campbell’s stellar work on third down plays looked promising.

“Two minutes is what we do very well,” Campbell said. “It wasn’t pressure because there’s still a lot of time on the clock. We felt like we could just continue to run our offense, move the ball, do our no-huddle, do two-minute.”

Well, that’s a shame because it didn’t work.

That’s when Dallas decided to start playing smart, scoring a touchdown in just nine plays to surpass their feeble competition. How’d they do it? Simple. The Skins had a 1:59 left with Moss set to receive the ball on the left side. But the Dallas defensive line would have nothing to do with that. A few seconds later, the ball was slammed to the ground by the Cowboys defense. Cowboys score. Game over.

Next week the Skins are at the Eagles, who are coming off a strong victory against the Bears. But if they’re sly and take home a W, the Skins run the risk of being a playoff spoiler for the Eagles — which at this point, is something worth their while.

‘DSC_5236’
courtesy of ‘photopete’

Capitals
Record: 13-5-5
Place: 1st in the Southeast

The Capitals are the victims of injury yet again with a 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs. Close to a third of their lineup are out and two games in two different countries this weekend didn’t help much.

Here’s what’s happening: injuries are sucking the life out of a once winning team. The past two games sum that up with two (yes, two) one goal losses to 21^st-place Montreal and 30^th-place Toronoto. Ouch – right?

The Caps need Semin, Poti, and Morrisonn back if they want anything good to start happening soon. Let’s not forget that injury is nothing new to the squad. They were one of the league’s five most injured teams last year.

Tonight, there’s a chance that the Caps will shred ice when they play the Senators at Scotiabank Place, despite the fact that they’re down seven starters from their opening-night roster.

‘Caron Butler at the line’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Wizards
Record: 3-9
Place: Last in the Southeast

Hockey isn’t the only sport suffering from injury. The Wizards continue to struggle due to a frazzled team fraught with sidelined starters. Saturday’s 106-84 loss to San Antonio was the biggest point deficit the Wizards have been faced with this season.

Gilbert Arenas claims that the Wizards faults are a result of “hidden agendas” within the team. Whether or not this is true remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure, a 3-9 record isn’t helping much.

Right now, the Wizards are one game better than they were at the same time last year. Why’s that? Egos.

“It’s very frustrating because our talent is not winning out over our egos,” Coach Flip Saunders said. “If you want to win, you have to check your ego at the door. Bottom line. If you normally score 20 and you don’t get your 20 but the team is winning, who cares?”

The Wizards are tied for the fourth-worst record in the NBA and are set to face Philadelphia, Miami, and Charlotte on the court this week.

‘IMG_0240’
courtesy of ‘wjarrettc’

United

Bye-Bye, Benny-Boy. Midfielder Ben Olsen is scheduled to announce his retirement this week. Olsen will be missed for his passion for the team and dedication to the game.

‘Nats Park Rally Cap’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Nationals

Rally caps are something you might see more of next season now that the Nationals have a new coaching lineup.

Returners include hitting coach Rick Eckstein, pitching coach Steve McCatty and third-base coach Pat Listach.

How about the newbies? John McLaren replaces Pat Corrales as bench coach, Jim Letts replaces Randy Knorr as bullpen coach, and Darn Radison takes Marquis Grissom’s place at first-base.

As for the rest of the coaching lineup, Spring Training awaits. Riggleman is positive we’ll see a difference in the team once the 2010 season begins.

“They bring professionalism, experience and knowledge. They bring some great attributes,” Riggleman said. “I think they will be great additions. They have a lot of years of Major League experience, as well as Minor League experience. […] They give us a well-rounded staff.”