Adam Dunn's last victory lap at home as a National? (Photo: Associated Press)

Jokes about home games against the Phillies actually being road games aside, there's a significant chance this could be Adam Dunn's last game as a National inside Nationals Park. MASN's Ben Goessling reports that sources have told him it's unlikely the Nats will resign the first baseman.

Fittingly, Dunn was the hero in last night's 2-1 win over the Phillies. Sam Chamberlain reports Dunn didn't have his mind on nostalgia after the game.

Continue Reading

Coach Mike Shanahan has a tough task ahead of him. (Photo: Associated Press)

Just as fan confidence is at its lowest, Washington will have to deal with a brutal schedule in the three weeks ahead: at Philadelphia, followed by home games with Green Bay and Indianapolis.

The Eagles didn't seem like an overly imposing opponent until recently, when Michael Vick got the keys and made the offense suddenly lethal. Green Bay is 2-0 going into its Monday night game with Chicago, and has looked awfully good on the way. Indianapolis rebounded from its Week 1 loss to Houston by throttling the Giants and Broncos.

Continue Reading

Stan Kasten will be leaving the Nationals at the end of the 2010 season. (Photo: Associated Press)

Nationals fans may have been prepared for President Stan Kasten's announced resignation by this morning's Thomas Boswell column in The Washington Post. Boswell didn't break the news that Kasten will be leaving at the end of the 2010 season, but it sure was a finely timed column examining the issue.

Now, fans are speculating on the Nats' future, and revisiting Kasten's legacy. Will he be missed as an advocate for the owners opening up their wallets, or was he just as responsible for all the Nats' misery as anyone else?

Continue Reading

Larry Johnson runs from tacklers, presumably in the correct direction. (Photo: Jay Westcott)

Larry Johnson, who proved against the Texans that he is not Barry Sanders by taking a brutal 10-yard loss on an unnecessary backward loop, was cut by the Redskins today. His final line as a Redskin: 5 carries, 2 yards.

It looked to be an exciting offseason at the running back spot, as Johnson was one of two former Pro Bowlers the Skins signed. The other, Willie Parker, was cut during training camp.

Continue Reading

In a not-so-delicate suggestion – in fact, it wasn't a suggestion at all – DeAngelo Hall assigned himself to the opposition's top receiver for the rest of the season. He hadn't run it by defensive coordinator Jim Haslett yet, but he didn't hesitate to tell reporters about his plan.

Bold, to be sure. But did he have a point?

Continue Reading

When everyone's tired in the fourth quarter and your team is winning, there's nothing better than seeing a running attack that jams the football down the defense's throat, keeping the clock running and keeping the ball away from the other offense.

Sure would have been nice, huh?

Continue Reading

The Texans' Arian Foster is either the guy you wish you drafted or the guy you should have traded after one week. (Photo: Associated Press)

The Houston "Potential Sleeper Team Since 2008" Texans' Arian Foster got the country's attention in Week 1, especially if you play fantasy football. A season debut of 231 yards and three touchdowns will do that.

Combined with a surprising takedown of the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts, the Texans are all of a sudden looking like as much of a challenge as Dallas, if not bigger.

The Cowboys managed 103 yards rushing against the Skins, putting the Skins' rush defense in the middle of the pack in the NFL at No. 16. For a larger sample size, that's exactly where they ended the 2009 season.

Are you confident the Skins can keep Foster from repeating his performance from last week?

Continue Reading

Call it a cliche, or call it a nugget of football wisdom supported by countless instances of regret: Never take points off the board.

Skins fans can be happy that this question doesn't truly matter today. Had Alex Barron not needed a hug on the last play of the game, it might be discussed a lot more.

To review: Graham Cano gave the Redskins three points in the third quarter, only to see an offsides penalty by the Cowboys give the Redskins a first down. The drive quickly stalled, and holder Josh Bidwell pulled a Romo on the next field goal attempt, leaving the Skins with nothing when they once had three points in hand.

We're aware that hindsight is 20/20. But what did you think at the time? And having seen the impact it nearly had, would you make the same decision if it happened again next week?

Continue Reading

As the cliche goes, a win is a win. And a win over a hated division rival is even better. It doesn't get much better than taking down the division favorite in the season opener…especially when it's the Cowboys.

But we'll hear a lot of people saying – especially if they're Dallas fans but also a lot of Redskins fans – that the Cowboys beat themselves.

Yes, the Cowboys inexplicably handed the Skins seven points before halftime – but then, the Redskins took three of their own points off the board in the third quarter. And yes, the Redskins' offense never got much going, but there's no denying it was a great defensive performance, too.

So did the Skins earn this win? Or should Skins fans just be happy to take it?

Continue Reading

Albert Haynesworth could be on his way out of town, according to ESPN.

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the Redskins and Titans are discussing a trade that would send Albert Haynesworth packing.

We won't bother revisiting the history here...you know it well. What we want to know: What would a Haynesworth trade mean to the Skins on the field? Would it damper your expectations for this year, or have you already moved on from expecting a contribution from him?

And if he does stay, what do you think the Skins will get out of him?

Continue Reading

NL pitchers have barrelled through Nyjer Morgan this year. (Photo: Associated Press)

Nyjer Morgan has been a bad, bad boy lately. TBD's Samuel Chamberlain has his docket sheet of recent transgressions, including charging the mound last night (video), but it boils down to his mouth and fists causing more problems for the Nats lately than his bat and defense have been worth.

Mark Zuckerman has the must-read on Morgan, and there are too many good points to summarize. He reports that Morgan's teammates are sticking up for him -- but, as William Yurasko points out, teammates have a tendency to stick up for each other (until they reach Albert Haynesworth levels, we guess).

From a baseball standpoint, Morgan has been a disappointment this year (stats). After an electric six-week debut with the Nationals last year, his on-base skills have dipped (.396 OBP to .317) and his power has disappeared (.435 SLG to a disturbingly low .318). Even his beloved speed has disappointed, as his 33 steals are more than offset by the 15 times he's been caught, which leads the league.

But he really was good after arriving from Pittsburgh last year. Does he have enough potential to remain part of the Nationals' future, or is he not worth the trouble?

Continue Reading