There was palpable relief in the air at FedEx Field last night when the clock wound down on the Redskins' first win in five tries. You could’ve hardly imagined a more difficult or unique losing streak either, marked by unspeakable tragedy off the field and bad luck and poor execution on it. Last night, when things really seemed like they couldn’t get much worse for the Skins – two missed field goals kept the score... more ›

Here's the good news: Jason Campbell looked good in his first game as, well, anything for the Washington Redskins. The descriptives you'll hear all week will be "poise" and "command," traits that he showed in abundance both on the field and, with an easy charm mixed in that'll only make you want to root for the kid more, in his post game interviews. His stat line isn't world-changing: 19 of 34 for 192 yards only... more ›

In Jason Campbell's last full season as a starting quarterback, the then-senior at Auburn threw for a massive 2700 yards, completed nearly 70% of his passes, and accumulated 20 touchdowns offset by 7 interceptions. This translated to an unreal 172.89 passer rating. That's the good news for Redskins fans, who learned Monday that Campbell would be starting in place of embattled veteran Mark Brunell this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Bucs. The bad news for fans isn't necessarily that bad: Campbell is completely unproven at the pro level, having logged zero minutes on the field of play. more ›

Turns out we didn't have to wait one more week. In a move that's sure to be met with approval by the hordes of fans at FedEx Field who have clamored for his insertion for weeks, Washington Redskins Head Coach announced yesterday that second-year quarterback Jason Campbell would get the start against Tampa. The bad news is the move is tantamount to conceding the season. The good news is that this brings the Mark Brunell era to a close. more ›

>> Following the footsteps of Beck, Middle Distance Runner sent out an e-mail announcing a secret show tonight at DC9. They'll be playing with Cloud Cult and Hot IQs as part of the DAM! Fest Hangover party. Festivities start at 9 p.m. >> We've got wood. Today the Capitol Christmas tree started its journey from Washington State to D.C. where it will be adorned with 3000 kids' crappy hand-made ornaments. Even Mom knows when it's... more ›

Earlier this week, the Washington Post ran an article enumerating a list of suggestions that the team might take to improve their 2-4 standing. In the wake of handing the Tennessee Titans their first win, it looked like a lot of the old "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic"--although, in those deck chairs' defense, the Post failed to mention that there have been times this season that some strategically placed deck chairs might be capable of offering Mark Brunell pass protection superior to that of his animate counterparts. more ›

It took overcoming a shaky start, but the Washington Redskins wound up running away in Houston with the win they desperately needed. Led by a restored Clinton Portis and a scintillating, Billy Chapel-esque performance from Mark Brunell, Washington's offense played inspired ball, and the Texans conceded their third defeat, to the tune of 31-15. As the two teams traded opening series, Washington fans had to wonder if the team's woes were going to continue. Ceding... more ›

Joe Gibbs and Charley Casserly, who successfully collaborated at Washington during Gibbs' first coaching tenure, meet this weekend as rivals, with Casserly currently serving as the VP/General Manager of the Houston Texans. Both still have one thing in common, however: their respective teams are off to disappointing starts this season, and eye this weekend's contest as a chance to put themselves back on the right track. This week, Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell found himself back... more ›

Coach Joe Gibbs, despite having posted a career win-loss record that is just to die for, has never once won an opening week game on a Monday night. It makes you wonder why he’d willingly go through it again, especially after last night’s dispiriting loss to the Minnesota Vikings and their newly befuglified uniforms—squandering both a home game and a match against a very beatable team. In a game set against the backdrop of September... more ›

Geezers need excitement. And for two of them, Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell and former Redskin/now-Viking QB Brad Johnson, ESPN's Monday Night Football premiere will be providing it as these two NFC foes duke it out at FedEx Field tonight at 7:30 p.m. For Washington, who miffed and mussed and stunk their way through the preseason, all eyes will be on the offense. Widely deemed a depthless liability toward the end of last year, a heavy... more ›

This is why preseason football sucks. The Redskins travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in what should be a routine, even dull, first preseason game, and not ten minutes into the exercise, your team’s most important player suffers an injury that could end up haunting the team all year. That’s what happened to Clinton Portis last night. Racing after Bengal Kiewan Ratliff, who had just picked off Mark Brunell (always an encouraging sight),... more ›

It's been a rough spring training for the Nats, particularly where pitching is concerned, and the approaching World Baseball Classic might induce some additional nervousness for Washington fans, as Nationals' arms are put to the test. Fireballing Mets reliever Billy Wagner withdrew from the U.S. roster yesterday, allowing Nats relief pitcher Gary Majewski to step into his spot. Majewski joins closer Chad Cordero on the American team, while Washington players Luis Ayala and Tony Armas... more ›

Going into the weekend, Redskins fans had a lengthy wishlist. A New England win over Tampa Bay, a Pittsburgh victory in Minneapolis, and Atlanta loss in frozen Chicago (which was aided and abetted by Rex Grossman, which means we can no longer say that Steve Spurrier never did anything for us), and, of course, a December victory over arch-rival Dallas Sunday evening at the Jack. So, umm…check, check, check, and, CHECK. The end result... more ›

After the Washington Redskins and the Arizona Cardinals slogged their way through a first half that made an outright joke of the notion of professional athletics, Washington got even and then got over by a 17-13 score in a game that kept their razor thin playoff hopes alive. The first half was largely given over to a surreal orgy of turnovers, mutually engaged in by both squads. Mark Brunell offered up a trio of... more ›

For a football team climbing toward a playoff berth from the mushy middle of the conference standings, the way that ball bounces can make you or break you. Last week, after the win over Philadelphia, the fortunate bounces emerged as a talking point among the Redskins’ players—all of whom seemed keenly aware how important it was that they got to those loose balls whenever the need presented itself. Against Tampa Bay, however, the Skins... more ›

For three quarters on Sunday, the Redskins rode a solid gameplan, gritty defense and a scintillating performance from Mark Brunell, taking a lead on the visiting Seattle Seahawks. In the end, however, it took some late-game heroics and a few lucky breaks to secure the win and remain undefeated as the team pulled out a 20-17 overtime win. What’s to be done when your team has a peerless defensive side but an offense that’s... more ›

For three and a half quarters last night, the first meeting between the Redskins and the despised Dallas Cowboys played out according to the worst fears of hometown fans. The offense was cover-your-eyes awful. The Skins committed turnovers and penalties in the face of a swarming rush. Dallas’ defense stacked the line, keeping Clinton Portis in check and forcing the ball into the hands of Mark Brunell. And Mark Brunell obliged the home crowd... more ›

In a comment last week, Andrew Wiseman posed what amounts to the $64,000: “Will this team ever win with Snyder as owner?” Snyder’s tenure has thus far been marked by frustration, personnel turnover and inordinate sums of money being thrown at whatever problem seems to be in vogue. Lately, Snyder’s had trouble beating the trees in his own backyard. But no single statistic is as emblematic of Snyder’s mostly inept reign than the team’s... more ›

Well, that didn't take long. Patrick Ramsey's tenure as the Redskins free-and-clear starting quarterback lasted just three offensive series, after which Joe Gibbs named Mark Brunell as the new starter going into next Monday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys. The decision was made at a news conference yesterday. Gibbs expressed some measure of regret at the announcement, telling the Post "You don't like doing this. I don't. Sometimes you don't chart the circumstances or... more ›

Last year, the Washington Redskins were a football team only a neoconservative could love. A season opening touchdown run by Clinton Portis kicked off the campaign with a shocking, awesome touchdown run. But by midseason, the team had gotten bogged down. It was clear that the defensive unit was capable of winning the war, but week in and week out, it was just as evident that the offense was taking the field without a... more ›

The Redskins are back in camp this week, preparing for a second season of The Passion of The Gibbs. New faces abound and new strategies are being hatched, but there are old questions lingering from last year’s campaign and a tumultuous offseason that are never far away. Cable sports channels and the internet have bred a new type of football fan—where a decade and a half ago, local diehards might give even the preseason game... more ›

Late season improvement, a top caliber defense and the end of the Mark Brunell Experiment bred some hope among the faithful in the late weeks of the 2004 season, and a thorough dismantling of the playoff-bound Vikings the final week had some Redskins fans feeling renewed in their faith in Coach Gibbs. But two months into the offseason, some Redskin enthusiasts are wondering if Coach Gibbs’ best work is being undercut by another important personage:... more ›

Thomas Boswell may namecheck “Amazing Grace” in his profile on Coach Joe Gibbs, but best we can say about the Redskins, floundering in the NFC’s lower depths at 3-7, is that they’re neither lost nor found, just looking to turn a corner on this season and get the “ship” righted. Coming out of their battle with the Philadelphia Eagles at the Linc this Sunday, the 28-6 score says everything and nothing about the season thus... more ›

Once again DCist is happy to bring you the football coverage of Jason Linkins aka The DCeiver. There are NFL teams that you know have the capability to walk onto the field and pitch and catch their way down your throats. The Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers — Mike Martz this weekend opened with what? 300 straight passing plays? But the Redskins are built differently. They are built on the foundation of running the... more ›

It wasn’t pretty or fun to watch but Joe Gibbs and the ‘Skins ended their 4 game skid yesterday with a close victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Those fans that view the glass as half full will note the career high 36 carries for beleaguered running back Clinton Portis that resulted in 171 yards. Those that view the glass as half empty will point to the shaky play of QB Mark Brunell... more ›

Coaching legends Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells squared of once again last night as the eyes of the nation, not to mention a Redskins record crowd of 90,367 at FedEx Field, were focused in on their Monday Night Football clash. The result? Same old, same old. The Cowboys used a halfback option late in the game to pull out a 21-18 win. Parcells has now beaten Gibbs seven straight times (granted their last meeting... more ›

Think you had a bad day yesterday? I bet Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington�s was worse. He was fined $5,000 by the NFL for a hit on Giant�s RB Tiki Barber last week and then had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The current prognosis has him sidelined for two to four weeks, although no official timetable for his return has been set. Head coach Joe Gibbs offered the typical coachspeak about... more ›

DCist will go out on a limb and say it�s not going to be much fun at �Skins practice this week. Not after the team committed seven, count �em, seven turnovers in their fugly 20-14 loss to the hated NY Giants yesterday in New Jersey. You name the malady, this game had it: - Fumbles by sure handed Clinton Portis? Check (two of �em in fact) - Mark Brunell getting injured? Check (pulled hammy)... more ›

The NFL football season begins tonight with a rematch of last year�s AFC title game. This means the 2004�05 kickoff for the Redskins is only a few days away. The Skins open their season Sunday at FedEx Field with a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Expectations are running high in the nation�s capital with the return of former head coach Joe Gibbs and the trade that brought in Clinton Portis for... more ›

From DCist contributor Rebecca Walters: As Washington fans got their first official taste of the area's �Return of the King,� little did they think one of their stars would be sidelined before the season even got off the ground. The 20-17 Redskins pre-season win over the Broncos was bittersweet as veteran Jon Jansen went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon. What this means for Washington�s 2004 hopes and dreams? Well, DCist can still see a... more ›