Goodbye, Mr. Frost

I'd say it's been fun, but that would be a lie. Goodbye, Derrick Frost; I'm sure you are a much finer man than you were a punter.

Update: Maybe not. Frost blasted Vinny Cerrato on the way out of town and garnered above-the-fold headlines in this morning's Post sports page. Frost said:

"I feel like I was dealt with dishonestly," Frost said. "I want to thank [special teams coach] Danny Smith
for the three years he gave me here, and I feel like he always treated me well, and I will continue to think that. But I think we all know who made the decision, and when you've got a draft that isn't starting to look so good, you're going to do whatever you can to make it look as good as possible."

It's not a bad point, but here's the thing: Durant Brooks was drafted to become the punter of the Washington Redskins. He wasn't brought into compete. Just because it was Frost's last year doesn't mean that he had any rights to it this year. Is Kellen Clemens complaining in New York because the Jets brought Favre in?
However, keeping draft picks around so the draft will look good is totally something Vinny Cerrato do. (Not that it makes sense; cutting Justin Tryon yesterday might have looked bad at the moment, but if he ends up sucking, Cerrato's draft will look even worse than a pre-season cut.)
I wasn't going to mention Mike Wise's ridiculous column that defended Frost, but two lines can't be ignored:

Frost's lack of hang time, keeping the ball skyward until the return team could get down the field, was supposedly a constant concern for the franchise. Still, Frost had better preseason numbers than Brooks -- 45.5 yards per kick in 15 punts to 42.8 yards per kick in 13 punts.

Frost's lack of hang time isn't supposedly a concern, it is a concern. Plus, punting is about a lot more than numbers. A 44-yard punt that bounces into the endzone is infinitely worse than a 35-yard punt that lands on the 9.
Also:

He was inconsistent in Washington at times, but he often got the job done when it mattered. Was it enough to beat out the kid? That's not the issue. The issue is whether he got a fair shake, and the answer is no. It would have been nice if they had released him two weeks ago, though, before everyone held onto a punter for their 53-man roster.

Two gems here. "Inconsistent at times, but often got the job done," is a truly ringing endorsement, there Mike. It's amazing they aren't preparing Frost's bust in Canton as I type.
The other: what, the Redskins are supposed to cut Frost earlier in training camp so he can get another job? What if Durant Brooks had gotten hurt? What if he tested positive for horse tranquilizers? Then where would the Redskins be? This is a business and Frost knew that when he signed his contract here.

Update x2: I took this picture back in July when I visited Redskins training camp. Words cannot describe my excitement at getting a shot of Frost solemnly walking away from me towards the forest (or, the metaphorical great unknown, if you will). I didn't post it then because I was waiting until Frost got cut. If you've read this site over the past few days, you know that I thought that day wasn't going to come this week. Thrillingly, I was wrong.

Update x3: Per Redskins Insider, Frost sent an email to the press to clarify his remarks and to thank the team and its fan. It's a good follow-up to the rant he delivered on his way out yesterday, in that he never apologizes for ripping on Vinny Cerrato, but comes across as much more likable. The fact remains though, Frost is not a good punter and didn't deserve his spot on the team. Maybe Vinny is covering his butt by keeping all his picks around, but if that's the case, then his insecurity worked out better for the team in this instance.

Our Prayers Have Been Answered: Derrick Frost Cut

Hallelujah! In an amazing development first reported by Pro Football Talk, the Washington Redskins have cut punter Derrick Frost and will enter the season with rookie Durant Brooks as the starter. For once, Vinny Cerrato and company have made the correct decision. Now if we could just go back into time and take back the Malcolm Kelly pick...

They're SO Going to Keep Derrick Frost

I'm not going to be around when the Redskins announce their final roster cuts today, but as I'm all but certain that they're going to cut sixth round pick Durant Brooks and retain bane-of-my-existence Derrick Frost, I'll get this out of the way now: Bravo on another job well-done, Vinny Cerrato.

Not Even Chris Clemons Owns a Chris Clemons Redskins Jersey

I saw the most ridiculous jersey I've ever seen while driving down Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, MD with my buddy Jaffe a few years ago. Walking on the sidewalk, right past the Dick's Sporting Goods, was a gentleman in a #58 Redskins jersey. That number belonged to reserve linebacker Chris Clemons, who had exactly 7 career tackles at the time.
I bring this up today, because Mr. Irrelevant posts an even more impressive jersey choice today. One of his readers saw a dude rockin' a "BARACK OBAMA" jersey, numbered "08" of course. As of this writing, there have been no sightings of anyone changing the nameplate on a #72 MANLEY jersey to MCCAIN. With the Redskins hosting the Steelers on the Monday night before Election Day, I imagine there will be a lot of doofuses wearing similar jerseys in the crowd last night (with ESPN only too happy to show them air).
A few years ago, as my college roommate was preparing to watch his beloved Eagles lose in the Super Bowl, he discovered workmen had stolen his Donovan McNabb jersey from his house. When he asked me my opinion on which jersey he should get, I came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea: get an Eagles jersey with IVERSON written on the back. Wisely, he ended up just getting another Donovan jersey instead. If that one gets stolen this year, Falkow can always replace it with a CLEMONS jersey. The former Redskin currently plays in Philly.

The Deacs Start on a Good Note

It's only Baylor, and I've only watched a bit, as I just got home and have been flipping between game DVR and Obama's speech. The two are quite similar; both have shown great potential in picking on an easy target and seem a tad too confident despite not have done too much ever (Wake winning a weak ACC, Obama getting elected to the Senate, like, yesterday.) It's one thing to beat Baylor. But can the Deacs man up when Clemson is across the field? And it's good to give a great prepared speech on your home court, but can you do it in a debate where the lines aren't scripted?
But that's why we love the early-season games. The questions begin at the same time he answers start to trickle in. Is this making sense? Should I not have had that last Zombie? (Happy Birthday Klinny - that's back-to-back shout-outs for the Big Guy.)
What I'm getting at here is that it's just so good to see football back. In 163 hours I'm going to be as giddy as it gets, waiting for the Redskins and Giants to kick off the NFL season. Then, in about 167 hours, I'm going to wallowing in self-pity with my game-watching crew whilst trying to drown our sorrows in too-cheap beer while realizing that Jim Zorn isn't the answer and Greg Blatch is in over his head. Oh well, for the next six days though: We Super Bowl Bound, baby.

Klinny Strikes Back

Yahoo! Answers: Why is the typical Chris Chase blog commenter a humorless dejected troll?

ACC Basketball Schedule Released

View the schedule here:

* Wake Forest doesn't wrap-up the year with N.C. State, for what feels like the first time in at least a decade.

* Dino Gaudio's heralded freshman class will have some time to mesh; Wake's non-conference schedule is pretty tame. They could face Arizona State, St. Mary's or Baylor in the Anaheim Classic Tournament over Thanksgiving weekend, but there's not much else before the calendar flips to 2009 that should be too pressing for the Deacs. Thankfully Wake will once again take advantage of the two ACC "byes" and not have a non-conference game in the middle of the conference schedule. A trip to BYU after New Year's is the toughest non-conference game, and it's as tough as it gets. BYU will likely be owners of a 58-game home win streak when the Deacs roll into town.

* The non-conference slate is so easy, it could be detrimental to Wake Forest come Tournament time.

* My thought on the unbalanced ACC basketball schedule are well-known in these parts, but since that's not going to change, I guess I can be pleased that the Deacs only get UNC once this year, at home on January 11 to open conference play.

* Wake also only gets Miami once, which is good, but lose out on the opportunity to play Maryland and Florida State twice (which is bad; those teams are in for brutal seasons). The only "one-and-done" ACC game comes against Virginia and Virginia Tech; neither good, nor bad.

* The ACC schedule is pretty balanced for the Deacs. There don't seem to be any easy or difficult stretches that jump out, but that can always change come January.

* If Wake's non-conference sked is easy, Maryland's is a cakewalk. The Terps will face some high-quality opponents in the Old Spice Classic (which has a loaded field including Georgetown, Michigan State, Gonzaga and Tennessee), but nothing beyond that. Their final six games leading up the ACC slate are: Delaware State, American, Bryant, Elon, Charlotte and Morgan State.

* Just like last year, the ACC schedule makers did the Terps no favors by scheduling UNC and Duke back-to-back. Both games are at home for Maryland, though.

* Seth Greenberg didn't take the selection committee's criticisms to heart; the most-difficult non-conference game for his Hokies is Georgia. VT could face Memphis or USC in the finals of the Puerto Rico Classic though.

* STOP THE PRESSES: Duke will actually play a true non-conference road game this year. Well, sort of. They play at Michigan, which doesn't really count. Coach K will bring his boys to Madison Square Garden three times though (and they'll visit the Meadowlands once for good measure).

* Duke hosts Stephen Curry and Davidson on January 7 on ESPN in what might be the most compelling non-conference ACC game of the season. (Kentucky at Carolina on November 18 will be interesting too. We'll get to see how good UNC looks and whether Kentucky can rebound after a horrid 2008 season.)

* The ACC only announced two no-television games for 2009: Florida State/Miami (Jan. 21), Boston College/UVA (Feb. 4). A few others are listed with times TBA, which suggests that some of those will be off-air.

Update: ACC Basketball Schedule to be Released Today

Thanks to the anonymous tipster who sent along this blog post from Wake's official site:

The much-anticipated 2008-09 men's basketball schedule is set to be released by the ACC office on Tuesday, Aug. 26, in the afternoon.

Check back here later for Wake's slate and other thoughts on the ACC sked.

The Hater Becomes The Hatee

Yahoo! Answers: Why does everyone hate on Chris Chase?

(And, no, I had nothing to do with this line of questioning. If you haven't been reading Fourth-Place Medal, a recap: I've developed a healthy band of critics who think I'm racist because I had the audacity to write that the Chinese cheated by doctoring passports to get the 14-year old gymnasts into the Olympics. Read the comments -- not on this one, they had to shut them off -- they're amazing.)

Where's the ACC Basketball Schedule?

It's August 25 and the ACC has yet to release it's basketball schedule. What's with the delay? Are they waiting for Virginia Tech to finalize it's non-conference schedule with Alabama A&M and Presbyterian? Is the conference trying to figure out a way to get Ed Hightower to work all Duke games?
The schedule is always released in mid-to-late August, so it's not like the sked is too late. It should be coming out sometime this week. But I'm antsy. Maybe it's the Olympic withdrawal.

Jason Taylor Goes Down, Derrick Frost Having Game of Life

Derrick Frost has never had a good game in his professional career. Maybe in college, or high-school or in Pop Warner he boomed some punts, but it hasn't happened as a Redskin. (Maybe you've heard me mention that once or twice.) But tonight, in the game that will likely determine whether Frost or rookie Durant Brooks earns the starting punting role in Washington, Frost is kicking the daylights out of the ball. And because Danny Smith is so enamored of his punter, it will almost certainly clinch the job for Frost. (Not that Frost ever wasn't going to get the gig. This competition was rigged worse than a Beijing gymnastics event.)
Oh, and Jason Taylor went down with an injury. It looked bad. But, hey, at least it occurred with 8:30 left in the second quarter of the fourth-preseason game of the year... you know, when it matters.

Things Getting Chippy at Redskins Park

The Olympics are dwindling down so and I'll be back here soon, just in time for the NFL season which, awesomely, kicks off in exactly two weeks. One of the best parts of the Olympics is that the Games have managed to distract me from the awfulness of preseason football. But even hating commenters, dropped batons and American relay sweeps couldn't distract me from reading an interview Daniel Snyder did with The Wall Street Journal, which you should be reading before I get to the end of this sent-. In a clip loaded with quotable gems, this one stands alone:

WSJ: In June you bought a radio station, WTEM, which is a very popular local sports station. There's some concern among fans that it might become a propaganda tool for the Redskins. What do you say to that?

Mr. Snyder: It's actually just the Washington Post. We have a problem in this marketplace with our local newspaper. There's a monopoly. I have no problems saying that. They have been losing circulation by the droves, losing advertising by the pound load and they are desperate to create controversy. They had a Washington Post radio business at the time -- it's since gone out of business -- that was a competitor. We did write them a letter saying obviously you're a competitor, so don't use your newspaper to affect the business. Other than them, you won't find any of that type of talk.Bitter

Well-played Danny. If only you were as good at selecting second-round talent in the draft as you are at deflecting questions from reporters and turning them into rants about the company that should be reciprocally helping yours. Snyder speaks of the Post losing business all the time, but he should probably check both the ratings of his much-maligned DC sports stations that have eliminated all variety and choice in sports talk and also take a look at the back of the Post's business section to see how his Six Flags stock is doing. Here's a hint: You could buy a share with change you have in your pocket right now.

Then there's this: A Washington Post reporter going off on the Redskins. This is from the comments of Jason La Canfora's Redskins Insiders blog.

(70Chip) sent the following message on or about August 23, 2007:

Of course Kendall will start. We all know Joe is just covering for his guys. Don't take it so personally. He yelled at Steve Buckhants one time. It's all affectation. I would encourage you to get some Redskins employees to talk to you so you don't have to hunt down people from other teams. That way would be more "Insiderly."

_______________________________________________________
LaCanfora responds:

Gibbs treats people like they are morons, so I am calling him out on it. Don't insult that same fanbase you try to stroke all the time after you go 5-11.
trust me, i have no lack of people talking to me on this team, way more than gibbs can stomach. he can't stand the fact that i get the straight dope and don't write his dopish version of the truth in many instances (their crappy left side of the line a perfect case in point).
Thanks for reading.
Cheers.

Posted by: Deepthroat | August 14, 2008 8:18 PM

Taking a shot at a Hall of Fame coach who everyone reveres after he's left the building... classy. When I went to training camp two weeks back, La Canfora was dressed for work in flip flops, torn cargo shots and a goofy looking hipster t-shirt, along with a hat pulled low over his head. I commented to a friend of mine, "he looks like a frat guy who's late to an 11:00 a.m. class.) The other media people present were by no means dressed to the nines, but they all looked presentable. La Can looked like he was tailgating for John Mayer.
Who knows what that means, I just got the sense that La Canfora's lack of professional attire probably is a sign that he's not too professional in other realms. Maybe this could explain his hatred of Gibbs and the ongoing feud he has with Vinny. It would also stand to reason that this attitude is hurting him in developing contacts that break stories.
It makes no sense that Sportsline and Jay Glazer are breaking Redskins news, while La Canfora is getting worthless material from the guys he talks to who Gibbs can't stomach. Everyone is handling this thing wrong and, frankly, childishly and it won't get better until an outside party steps in to knock some sense in the Post and the Redskins. They both need each other. Two of the most visible businesses in the DC area can't continue this petty squabbling. This should be a happy marriage.

Note: Because La Canfora frequently does respond to comments, this thought hadn't occurred to me, but it's worth sharing: There's a chance that the "deepthroat" comment was from a La Canfora impersonator. On Fourth-Place Medal (which has been really good, by the way -- I hope you've been reading), the thousands of Chaz-haters have begun using my real name in their comments and posting racial and homophobic slurs. So, there's a shot that this wasn't La Can writing. The stuff about his attire is completely legit though. I'll look into the Redskins Insider comments later to see if I can figure it out.

The End of the Patriots Dynasty

From the AP:

The New England Patriots signed veteran cornerback Ade Jimoh on Wednesday. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.<

The 28-year-old Jimoh has tallied 28 tackles, five passes defended, and added 68 tackles on special teams in 69 career games with the Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears. The 6-foot-1, 187-pounder was originally signed by the Redskins as a rookie free agent out of Utah State in April 2003. Jimoh was released by the Redskins following the 2007 preseason and signed with the Chicago Bears in September 2007. He played in six games for the Bears last season and recorded three special teams tackles before being placed on the reserve/injured list in November.

My buddy Rob summed it up perfectly when he said, "and with this news, all speculation about Belichick being a genius immediately gets dismissed." Touche, Mr. Mackey... Touche.

Could Frost's End Be Near?

After a delightful, abysmal performance tonight in the 'Skins second preseason game, it's hard to envision a scenario that has Derrick Frost making the team over rookie Durant Brooks (or as I call him, "franchise"). I'd say I'm cautiously optimistic, but then I remember that this is the same team that thinks Shaun Suisham is good enough not to get challenged at camp, so I'll hold off with the euphoria until the cut actually comes.

Redskins Rookie WRs Out of Shape

The lead story on The Washington Post sports page today is headlined: "Zorn Tries to Whip Rookies Into Shape". It's one of the most appalling things I've read all year and only further indicates that Vinny Cerrato and Dan Snyder are completely hapless when it comes to talent evaluation. It also shows why - SHOCK! - you don't take receivers with your top picks.
I wanted to excerpt the interesting parts of the article, but then noticed I was cutting and pasting the whole thing. So, go ahead and read it for yourself. (Even if you're not a Redskins fan; particularly if you're not a Redskins fan.)
A quick recap: The two receivers the Redskins drafted with their highest picks in the draft showed up to camp out of shape, mainly because they didn't think they needed to be in shape. Content with getting taken and signing a contract, Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas couldn't keep up with older veterans during sprints on the first day of camp.
The lack of conditioning might have played a role in the injuries, particularly in Thomas who didn't stretch the morning he hurt his hamstring. He didn't stretch. Freakin' seven-year old kids stretch before playing soccer, and this moron didn't think he needed to. For crap's sake.
Both Kelly and Thomas were thought to be first-round material, but each slipped to the second. Why? Because Thomas played exactly one season at Michigan State and Kelly was hurt for much of his time at Oklahoma. Does that matter to the Redskins? Of course not! As long as Vinny Cerrato saw the names of Kelly and Thomas in the first-round of somebody's mock draft, they must have been good!
Zorn also says that, due to the injuries, Kelly and Thomas won't be able to grasp the intricacies of the West Coast offense early in the season. This doesn't bother Devin Thomas, as he says, "as far as making an impact from the get-go, I don't look at that as a difficult thing to do."
Oh really, Devin? You don't, do you? You think sitting on the sideline with a wrap around your hamstring isn't going to hinder your play-making ability? Jackass.
You'd think an attitude like that would have shone through when Cerrato and Snyder were talking to these guys before the Draft. But it probably wouldn't have even mattered. The Redskins front office is seduced by talent, and talent alone. They think that's where player evaluations begin and end, not realizing that everyone who gets drafted has talent. The ones who excel are the ones who work at it. And, right now, it doesn't look like that group includes Malcolm Kelly or Devin Thomas.

Football Is Back... Sort Of

A crisp, efficient offensive performance from a Redskins team playing under a first-time head coach in a made-for-TV preseason game? Hmm... Where have I seen this movie before? Oh right, when Steve Spurrier's Redskins put up 50 points in the Osaka Bowl back in 2002. Man, we all thought the 'Skins were going to the Super Bowl after that. So, consider my enthusiasm curbed this time around. Some things I did and didn't like though:

LIKES:
- Durant Brooks looked solid. There's only two things I care about this preseason: Nobody getting hurt and Derrick Frost getting cut as Redskins punter (and not necessarily in that order). The rookie, Brooks, had some good placement punts and boomed a nice 49-yarder that completely outran a coverage team that is used to chasing down 37-yard Frost shanks.
- Joe Bugel is back. It's fantastic that Buges stayed on with Zorn after his old buddy Joe Gibbs left. Bugel's presence makes the 'Skins o-line so much better. Last year, with Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas out for most of the year, Washington had one of the better lines in the league even though they were starting undrafted rookies playing out of position.
- Chris Horton. A 7th-round pick out of UCLA, the dreadlocked, Stephen Davis-number wearing Horton was all over the field for the 'Skins.

DISLIKES:
- Jim Zorn's shirt. This isn't Jersey, bro. Get a collar. Also, the Under Armour stuff doesn't look good on old men. Hell, it doesn't look good on most young men. The only way it works is if you're really ripped. So Jim, let's both you and I stay away from it.
- Shaun Suisham. It's unbelievable - UNBELIEVABLE - that the Redskins didn't bring anyone into camp to challenge their awful kicker. He missed a 30-yarder that would have nearly clinched the Wild Card game, and then he went out and missed a 39-yarder last night. You know which team has two kickers in camp? The Colts, and their starter is a guy named Adam Vinatieri. I hate Danny Smith.
- Preseason. I'd like to include Colt Brennan on the "likes" list but he was playing against a bunch of guys who will be looking for work in three weeks.

And for those of you who missed the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday, Awful Announcing (by way of Mr. Irrelevant) has a video of the highlight: the four-minute standing ovation for Art Monk. Redskins fans, our work here is done.

Art Monk: Finally

Art Monk's induction speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame was as eloquent as the man who delivered it. After all the years of waiting, Monk didn't disappoint. Seeing him up on the podium, soaking in the cheers from the sea of Redskins fans in the crowd was simply fantastic. It give me the chills.
Tom Jackson just said on ESPN that the three-minute standing ovation Monk received before his speech was the longest he's ever witnessed at the Hall of Fame. The amount of Redskins fans who invaded Canton was also said to be the most of any fan-base ever, besting the thousands of Broncos fans who showed up for John Elway's induction.
It was about time. Now that Monk is in the Hall, I don't know what I'm going to complain about. I'm sure I'l find something though.
(And in case you think I'm just praising Monk because he was my favorite player ever; another one of my favorites, Darrell Green, gave a boring, uninspiring speech that was instantly forgettable. However, it couldn't touch the awfulness of Bob Kraft's introduction speech for Andre Tippett, a completely self-serving ode to Bob Kraft. What a tool.)

Fourth-Place Medal

Note: This entry will be bumped to the top of this page through August. New posts will appear below this.

Visit me at Yahoo! Sports' Fourth-Place Medal blog for Great Wall-to-Great Wall coverage of the Beijing Games. And keep coming back here for periodic updates through the Olympics.

Art and Darrell's Day

* Today is the day I, and other Redskins fans have been waiting for for the past at least the past 16 years; Art Monk and Darrell Green will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
My thoughts on Monk have been well-documented on this site, but I thought I'd write one last paean to my favorite athlete of all-time. Then I read Thomas Boswell's column in this morning's Washington Post and realized that I wouldn't be able to say it any better.
Michael Wilbon wrote a great column on Monk yesterday, showing that he still has the chops if he puts some thought into his work. And Mr. Irrelevant has a great Monk football card retrospective.
The SI Vault has a great 1992 piece by William Nack on Monk as he approached the all-time reception record. It begins with Monk calling a players-only meeting in 1990, as the season was slipping away from the 6-5 Redskins. Over their next 26 games, the team would go 22-4 and win a Super Bowl.
I've read old articles on Monk like this before and I'm always struck by how it was all but a given that Monk would be a no-doubter for the Hall of Fame. It's stunning that it took him as long as it did to get in.

* I played golf with two other Red Sox fans yesterday and we all commented on how strange it was that Manny was gone, but was equally strange how not strange it really felt? You dig? Much like with the Nomar trade in '04, it was the right time to get rid of Manny. When every single veteran on a team says they'd prefer to get rid of their best hitter, that's about as strong a signal as you can get.
I still love Manny and I don't appreciate how the Red Sox and the Boston media are trying to paint him as the villain now that he's gone. I'm sure he was a clubhouse nuisance this year (and every year), but this "bash Manny on his way out" reeks of the Sox trying to write the script of his departure.