SportsCrack

Playoff Interview Special: Washington Redskins

You all know the drill: I'm interviewing a fan of each Wild Card team in anticipation of the playoffs. Well, it's the same deal here except that I'm actually interviewing someone who was beneficial in me beginning to write about sports. I've visited his sports blog daily for the past year and a half and it is an honor to get his answers to my questions about his favorite NFL team: The Washington Redskins. Who is the interviewee you ask? Chris Chase (http://www.chrischase.com). Go read it, it's fantastic.



Football Crack (FC): What was your favorite moment from the Redskins regular season?

Chris: On Christmas Eve morning I was walking around a Best Buy in Columbia, MD, aimlessly looking for some last-minute gifts when I overheard two employees discussing the Redskins. One was explaining to the other how the Redskins now controlled their own destiny and would likely make the playoffs as the second Wild Card team if they beat a Dallas team that had nothing to play for. This was, of course, not news to me as I had played out that same exact scenario in my head for weeks. But, for some reason, hearing it from a stranger in a random location near Ravens-country made it more real. And that made me happy.

FC: Least favorite?

Chris: The second defensive play of the Buffalo game, after the Redskins played with ten men on the first one. It was at that point that Sean Taylor's murder, and the fact that life and football would be moving on, was most evident.

FC: As much as I love Sean Taylor and would like to focus many questions of this interview on him, I'm only going to ask one question about him: What is your favorite Sean-Tay moment of all time?

Chris: Week 2, Monday night, 2005. After outlasting the Bears in week 1, the 'Skins were down 13-0 to the Cowboys with 3:56 remaining. Two fourth-down conversions and Brunell-to-Moss bombs later, they were up 14-13, but with plenty of time remaining on the clock. A long kickoff return by Tyson Thompson set-up the Cowboys in good field position. A few plays later, they were on the edge of field goal range when Drew Bledsoe threw to Patrick Crayton on a 3rd and 4. Crayton caught the ball right at the marker and appeared set to move the chains and, likely, get the Cowboys into range for the game-winning field goal.

But, out of nowhere, SeanTay laid his helment in Crayton's chest and the ball flew backwards seven yards. It was an incomplete pass. The Redskins went on to win. That's the forgotten play of that memorable game, but it was just as important as the two TD bombs.

FC: I remember watching that hilarious Clinton Portis hot dog clip on your site a month or two back. What was your favorite quirky Clinton Portis moment this season?

Chris: His outfit after the Cowboys game; hands down.

FC: Out of all the Redskins rookies that have played this year, who would you give the Redskins Rookie of the Year award to?

Chris: Laron Landry is the obvious answer here, but I'm going to go with Lorenzo Alexander, a do-everything 300-pounder who went undrafted out of Cal. Alexander plays offense, defense and special teams and does each very well. He's an unheralded guy, one you won't likely hear about much, but he's a player.

FC: What do you drink, if anything, during Redskins games?

Chris: I've cut back on the gameday drinking in recent years because I like remembering what happened the next day. But I usually drink three or four of either Sierra Nevada or Sam Seasonal.

FC: What's your prediction for the Skins/Hawks game?

Chris: I'm really superstitious and I've vowed not to pick any 'Skins games this year. Let's just say that I'm not all that impressed with Seattle and their weak resume. However, I am afraid of that 24-3 home record over the past three seasons, the 'Skins kicking game and the cross-country flight.

FC: Building on the last question, what are your predictions for the year?

Chris: Quiet as it's kept, the Redskins have been in every single game they've played this year with the exception of the Pats game. They dominated the Packers at Lambeau, but turned the ball over too many times. They had Dallas on the ropes in Big D, but couldn't defend T.O. without Sean Taylor (who was injured for that game). There's no reason they can't keep their winning streak going and make a deep run into the playoffs. But that's a conversation, hopefully, for another day.

FC: Jason Campbell or Todd Collins: Who is the Redskins QB of the future?

Chris: Campbell is the quarterback of the future; but Collins is the now. The only way Campbell should not have a lock on the starting gig next year is if Collins is sublime in the playoffs.

FC: Who is the MVP of the 2007-08 Washington Redskins?

Chris: If we're talking abstractly, Joe Gibbs is the MVP. People who don't follow the 'Skins like to make jokes about how Gibbs is senile, mainly based on the misunderstood timeout error. And it's true, Gibbs' clock management hasn't been the best this season. Much of this has to do with his young quarterback, but either way it's still a valid point. But nobody else could have rallied this team after Sean Taylor's death; not Dungy, not Shanahan and certainly not that cheating prick Bill Belichick.

On the players side, my vote goes to Shawn Springs who has managed to stay healthy and has returned to shutdown corner form this season. Now that I've said that, he's going to give up two deep TD passes tomorrow. Dammit.

FC: Is there a Redskins fan nickname for the team or the offense/defense? A la the Steel Curtain, Purple People Eaters, etc.

Chris: Nothing too clever, unfortunately.

FC: What parts of the team as a whole does the organization need to focus on in the upcoming draft?

Chris: D-Line; without a doubt. This means the team will draft another safety.

FC: Just how many coaches are there on the actual coaching staff?

Chris: Does Joe Bugel's hair count as a coach? Cause that hair is awesome.

FC: When Jason Campbell went down, did Redskin Nation have a collective heart attack?

Chris: When Todd Collins completely looked lost on his first series, that's when everyone freaked out. When he hit Todd Yoder for a TD pass as the first half came to an end in that Chicago game, we breathed a sigh of tempered-relief.

FC: If you had to think of a motto for this year off the top of your head, what would it be? Real quick!

Chris: It's their density... I mean, destiny.

FC: Well, that's it for the questions. Insightful and humorous as always, Chris -- thank you for the interview!

Playoff preview: Jaguars @ Steelers

Well, here we are. The best time of the year: The NFL Playoffs. Over the next couple of days I will be previewing the AFC and NFC Wild Card games to get even more amped up. In typical Football Crack fashion, I will be previewing the games in a offense vs defense and vice versa, coaching match ups and when warranted, special teams. As well as anything else that comes to mind.

Next up: The Saturday night game -- Jaguars @ Steelers

Main storyline: This has to be that these two teams played each other less than 3 weeks ago. The Jaguars won the game, which was in Pittsburgh as well, 29-22.

When the Steelers have the ball

Steelers offense: Originally I thought the biggest problem for this unit would be the absence of Willie Parker. After interviewing a Steelers fan however, I am convinced it is the Steelers offensive line woes.

Left tackle Max Starx is out for the season, leaving many to call on Steely McBeam to jump into the mix and protect Big Ben. No matter who fills in for Starx though, they are going to need to protect Big Ben well because I don't see Najeh Davenport doing too much against the vaunted Jaguars 4-3 defense. Although it's not what it used to be, they are still ranked 11th against the rush this season.

Jaguars defense: While they only allowed Big Ben to 147 yards passing in the previous engagement, they did give up 3 TD's and 100 yards even to Willie Parker. While I don't expect Davenport to put up nearly as much (I'm saying... ehh 60 yards) they do need to contain the pass since the Steelers most likely will be focusing a bit more on the pass in this matchup.

How well the Jaguars defend the pass is going to be key in this game, as well as how much they control the time of possession with there rushing offense.

Edge: Steelers

When the Jaguars have the ball

Jaguars offense: While the Jaguars offense is clearly on fire (they scored the most points in the league for the second half of the season - even more than the Patriots) you have to wonder how much the field conditions are going to come into play here.

I'm expecting the Jaguars to run the ball straight at the Steelers with the Freddie T/Mojo combo and leave it to Garrard to minimize his mistakes and complete some passes when he needs to. With the field conditions though, will they have to pass more than they'd like?

Steelers defense: What's there to say? The Steelers have the best defense in the league. However, that still doesn't explain the 421 yards the Steel Curtain let up in the last contest which was in the snow AND at home.

The Steelers D will need Polamalu at his best for this game and there are some concerns after he missed his second straight practice on Thursday. He is set to suit up for practice today but it's still a major concern.

Edge: Jaguars

Coaching

Coaching: While Mike Tomlin's inexperience in the playoffs isn't a concern per se, Jack del Rio only has one playoff game under his belt (the loss to the Patriots back in 2005). It's a bit hard to compare coaches in this way but you have to give it to Del Rio due to his overall coaching experience.

Edge: Jaguars

On the special teams front, it appears Alan Rossum is out for this game and he returned one kick for a TD. Jones-Drew on the other hand returned one as well and he's always a threat to do so. I wouldn't say the Jaguars have an edge for this, but it's interesting to take into account none the less.

The Steelers home field advantage is obviously a factor, even though it was not in the previous match up. I don't expect the Steel Curtain to give up nearly as much yards as they did last time, but I don't think they'll come out of Heinz Field with a W, unfortunately.

Prediction: Jaguars 20 Steelers 17