A Season On The Brink…and The “Scabskins”

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Greetings from The Booth!

Well, it only took one short sequence for the season to go off the rails. In a matter of minutes, the Washington Commanders saw a 2026 full of high hopes go right into the dumpster of disaster, and it only took 2 games. Trailing 17-10 against the Dallas Cowboys with just 3 seconds left in the half, and faced with a 4th and goal from the Dallas 1-yard line, the Commanders made the decision to give up a sure field goal and go for the touchdown.

If you’re a long-suffering fan of Washington football, you just knew it wouldn’t go well in a hostile environment. And it didn’t. Under center, quarterback Jayden Daniels had his foot stepped on by one of his linemen, and trying to brace his subsequent fall, dislocated his left elbow in grotesque fashion, and left the game on a cart. Oh, and by the way, the play ended with a desperation incomplete pass, and the score remained 17-10 Cowboys.

Any momentum the Commanders were gathering was snuffed out, points were left on the table, and the team once again lost it’s franchise quarterback–again. For how long, no one knows, but this feels like another lost season, just like 2025.

I think I’m done with Dan Quinn. The greatest coach in Redskins history–Joe Gibbs–always took the points. And my scorecard reads: Gibbs-3 rings, Quinn-0. Taking the sure 3 points at the end of the half makes it a 17-13 game, AND Washington gets the ball to start the second half, AND they still have a healthy Daniels, who was playing lights-out until the injury. Is all of this Quinn’s fault? No, but his bad decision created a domino effect that has most likely sent the season off the rails. At 0-2, a team has just an 11% chance of making the playoffs.

I hope Josh Harris has Mike Tomlin on speed-dial.

On to happier things. Today (9-22) is the anniversary of the NFLPA Players Strike in 1987. Why happy? Because for the 3 weeks of the strike, NFL teams had to field replacement teams, and no one took that more seriously than the Washington Redskins. Working with GM Bobby Beathard, Joe Gibbs molded a team of castoffs, wannabes, ex-cons, and underdogs into a team that won all 3 of their replacement games, including an improbable 13-7 Monday Night win against a Dallas team that included Danny White and Tony Dorsett, who had crossed the picket lines to play.

That 3-0 record by the replacement Redskins was instrumental in Washington winning the Super Bowl that year. When the strike ended on October 15 and the real ‘Skins returned to the field, they were out of sync, and were booed by many of the fans at RFK. A quarterback controversy between Jay Schroeder and Doug Williams hung over the team. The Redskins would eventually gather momentum and the rest is history, as Williams would put on one of the greatest offensive displays in Super Bowl history in a 42-10 win over Denver.

That would have never happened without the “Scabskins.”

Until the next visit from The Booth…HTTC, HTTR!

RW

Kick ‘Em When They’re Down

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Greetings from The Booth!

For fans of the Cowboys and whatever you want to call the Washington football franchise (a lot of Redskins swag is still being worn at Northwest Stadium), it’s Dallas Week, which hasn’t meant as much in the last 20 years. But, with the recent success and relevance of the Commanders, a new shot of life has been injected into the rivalry, especially for the burgundy and gold. Going into today’s Cowboys-Commanders clash in DC, there is somewhat of a role reversal between the two teams.

Under new ownership, front office leadership (and competence), and new head coach Dan Quinn, not to mention exciting young quarterback Jayden Daniels, 7-4 Washington is in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt, and if the season ended today, would be playing postseason football. Gone is the clown show culture of Dan Snyder and emotion-less, out-of-touch head coach Ron Rivera (“oh, we can be eliminated?”), replaced by a fun, almost college-like vibe under Quinn.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, are in free fall. Dallas sits at 3-7, and are on track for their worst season in 35 years. Owner Jerry Jones is the subject of national ridicule, quarterback Dak Prescott is lost for the season after signing an historic contract going into 2024, star receiver Cee Dee Lamb has been injured in recent weeks, and head coach Mike McCarthy is on the hot seat. Things are not well in Big D.

All the more reason to be worried. I take you back to 1991, when the 11-0 Washington Redskins were derailed by a Dallas team that was barely above .500 and coming off two consecutive losses. The 24-21 loss was only a bump in the road to a Super Bowl Championship that year, but at the time was a head-scratching defeat that ended the Skins’ dream of an undefeated season.

Today’s game is a must-win for the Commanders, in my humble opinion.  Washington is coming off 2 straight losses, and needs to get it’s mojo back. Jayden Daniels has not looked like the quarterback we saw in the team’s 7-2 start, and fans are anxious to see the early season version again. 3 losses in a row would feel like a return to the recent past.

Some experts have made the Commanders 10-point favorites for this afternoon’s contest, and today offers an opportunity to kick the Cowboys when they’re down. It’s a rivalry game, and strange things can happen. But you only have to go back to last season’s Dallas-Washington Thanksgiving game to remember the Cowboys having fun at the Commanders’ expense, pulling turkey legs out of the inflatable Salvation Army kettle at AT&T Stadium as they celebrated a 45-10 drubbing.

It’s time for a little Texas turkey today in the Nation’s Capital.

Until the next visit from the Booth, Happy Thanksgiving and Hail Commanderskins!

RW

Sports Dogs Podcast: NFC East Preview

It’s that time again! NFL Training Camps are underway, and optimism abounds in DC, fans in Dallas are scratching their heads, the Giants are in disarray, and the Eagles look to reclaim their perch in the NFC East. The Sports Dogs preview the NFC East in our latest podcast…

 

Dallas Week

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Happy New Year and greetings from The Booth!

It’s the first VFB of 2024, and for fans of the Washington football franchise, it’s Dallas Week, as another dismal campaign for the Burgundy and Gold comes to an end. When I think of Dallas Week and the twice-per-season meeting with the hated Cowboys, I think of the great moments of this storied rivalry (some not so great, but still memorable): The two NFC Championship wins against Dallas in the 1972 and 1982 seasons, Ken Houston stopping Walt Garrison at the goal line to preserve a Monday Night victory in 1973, the “Monday Night Miracle” with “Cowboy Killer” Santana Moss, RG3 putting it to the Cowpokes in 2012, and the list goes on. Yes, even the improbable Thanksgiving Day 1974 Cowboy comeback with one-hit wonder Clint Longley is on my list of memorable Dallas-Washington games.

But today’s upcoming game with Dallas in the season finale has got to be one of the strangest for me. There’s nothing I like better than seeing my Skins (yes, this is what I call them) beat “America’s Team,” no matter the circumstance. Even  a meaningless game, like last year’s season-ending 26-6 win at Fed-Ex Field was a cherry on the p**p sundae for me.

This Sunday, there is actually a lot on the line for both teams. The Cowboys can win the NFC East with a win this afternoon. For Washington’s long-term benefit, it would be more advantageous to lose today to Dallas. A loss potentially gives them a number two pick in the upcoming draft. So, who and what do I root for? It is almost sacrilege to want the Cowboys to beat my beloved team, but it’s what would be best for the future of the Washington franchise. I guess the perfect scenario for me would be a competitive effort by the Burgundy & Gold resulting in a 35-33 defeat. A moral victory on the field, but an actual one off the field (my apologies to Bruce Allen).

It would be “so Washington,” however, to somehow win this otherwise meaningless game, put the short-term screws to Dallas, and the long-term screws to themselves. A fitting way to end the Ron Rivera era. Today’s contest almost surely will be the last for the Riverboat, and a win would give him an overall .500 record, counting his stint in Carolina. This afternoon’s finale might even be the final game that Rivera coaches in the NFL as a head coach, so today’s game does have some meaning for him. He wants to win, as a final bird-flip to the haters.

Riverboat Ron’s legacy in DC will be one of failed personnel decisions, bad game management, and a posture of being almost disconnected on game day. I’m not going to beat that horse anymore. Yes, he did add some stability to an organization whose toxic culture under Dan Snyder made the team an NFL pariah. That is far outweighed by his on and off the field management. It’s now time for new owner Josh Harris to put his stamp on the team.

So, enjoy today’s game, and don’t get too worked up about the loss to Dallas. Tell yourself it’s for the good of the team. And if you look carefully at about 7:45, you’ll be able to see a Riverboat churning down the Potomac and out of Washington…

Until the next visit from The Booth, Happy New Year, and HTTR!

RW

 

Sports Dogs Podcast: We Want Dallas! (Maybe Not)

It’s Dallas Week for Washington Commanders fans, albeit a strange one, as a Washington loss means a higher draft pick for the Burgundy and Gold. What do you root for on Sunday–a Washington win (because you hate the Cowboys) or a Commanders loss to insure possibly getting your franchise QB in the draft? What is a fan to do? The Dogs break it down in their first podcast of 2024…

The Winds Of Change

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Greetings From The Booth!

If you’re a Washington Commanders fan, don’t go ordering your tickets to The Big Game just yet. (We’ll leave that to the Dallas Cowboy faithful, who do that every September. If the NFL had it’s Super Bowl at the start of the season like NASCAR, the Cowboys would have more banners than their massive new stadium could hold.) But there is reason today to think things are moving in that direction. For the first time since 2011, the burgundy and gold have started a season 2-0, following their heart-pounding 35-33 win against Denver on Sunday.

As one player put it, “this feels different.” And it does. The Denver game could have ended like the countless games we’ve seen in the last 23 years: with a last second loss or a blown lead or a comeback that falls just short. We’ve seen that movie over and over, and the ending never changes.

Only, Sunday it did. Calls that would have gone against Washington in the Snyder era went in their favor. The football bounced their way , and the Commanders even got a fortuitous no-call on the 2-point conversion attempt by Denver that would have sent the game into overtime. That play followed a  50-yard “Hail-Mary” touchdown pass by Bronco quarterback Russell Wilson on the game’s final play. I’m sure a lot of you were grumbling something  like, “here we go again, same-ol same-ol” (I took out the expletives) as I did when that happened.

And, how many of you turned your TV to reruns of “Naked and Afraid” when the score was 21-3 Denver, and the Broncos threatening for more after a long punt return? Amazingly, the game turned on that drive with a Denver turnover, and the Commanders were able to weather the storm and get to within 7 at the half. A fired-up Washington defense shut down Wilson and the Broncos while Sam Howell and the Washington offense built a 35-24 lead late in the 4th quarter.

Old habits die hard, though. When Denver got to within 8 and the Commanders left Wilson with 56 seconds to work with, the familiar feelings of the Snyder era came flooding back. But, Washington found a way, and in the process scored it’s biggest road comeback since 1990. You remember that year, right? That season, the then-Redskins would make the playoffs at 10-6, laying the foundation for their Super Bowl year in 1991.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Two games does not a season make. But, the winds of change are blowing, and at 2-0, the Commanders are finding ways to win, as opposed to finding ways to lose. It, indeed, “feels different.”

Until the next visit from The Booth…HAIL!

RW

Tidbits

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Greetings from The Booth!

I have no major topic this week, but I did want to weigh in on a few things, so here goes…

Let’s start with Dallas-Washington week, which used to be a big deal. It really isn’t anymore. George Allen and Tom Landry are long gone, and it’s been almost 30 years since the end of the Joe Gibbs era (not counting his mini-comeback in the early 2000s). Championships haven’t been on the line in this rivalry for awhile. And Dallas seems to own Washington recently. There’s absolutely no buzz about the game this week, and that’s a shame. Random thought: given all the team name changes recently, shouldn’t Dallas have to change it’s name to “Cowpeople”?

I’ll admit it. I’m a golf geek. I must be, because I watched way too much of the President’s Cup this past weekend. I know this because my wife’s irritation meter was about an 8 on a scale of 10. In case you don’t know, the President’s Cup is the team event that is held every other year, alternating with the more popular Ryder Cup, and is formatted in similar fashion. Unlike the Ryder Cup, which pits the USA versus Europe, the President’s Cup has the USA playing the International Team (minus Europeans). On paper, this year’s PC looked like a rout, an it ended up that way, as the Internationals were overmatched by an American team made up of the top names in golf: Thomas, Scheffler, Schauffele, Speith, Finau, etc. I’m sure only us golf geeks were watching on Sunday, when the only drama was how many points the USA would win by.

I have an idea for spicing up the President’s Cup. Let’s do away with the nationalism and have a PGA Tour versus LIV Golf event. The bad blood between the rival organizations is well documented and this would make for some great drama. Who wouldn’t want to see Rory McIlroy (my new favorite golfer) against Patrick Reed (my new favorite heel)? Man, this would be Flair versus Hogan stuff and the ratings would be off the charts. The only hurdle to making this a reality would be getting the 2 organizations to sit down and hammer out the details. Come on guys, make it happen!

Finally, on the date of this writing in 490 BC, the Greeks defeated the Persians at Marathon. A Greek soldier named Phidippides ran over 26 miles to tell the good news to Athenians, dying after his announcement, but was the inspiration of the marathon race. So it’s only fitting that this week, Eliud Kipchoge won the Berlin Marathon, breaking his own world record with a time of 2 hours, 1 minute, and 9 seconds. There are a lot of us who would celebrate a time of 2:01 in the half-marathon.

Kipchoge has actually broken the 2-hour barrier in the 26.2, but it doesn’t count as a World Record, because the feat came in a Nike-orchestrated event specifically created to have him break 2 hours. The Nike Sub2 Project had Kipchoge running on a controlled course with pacers, and generated some controversy in the running community. World Record or not, a sub 2-hour marathon was once unimaginable.

Come to think of it, I once had a pacer. It was an AMC Pacer. I barely broke the 4-hour barrier from college to home…

Until the next visit from the Booth…GO Phidippides!

RW

Remembering “Mr. August”

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Greetings From The Booth!

Well, the NFL Preseason is underway, and how strange was it to see the Washington Commanders in action last Saturday in the new uniforms that look nothing like the ‘Skins of old. It’s going to take some getting-used-to, as the saying goes. While the Commanders dropped their preseason opener 23-21 to the Carolina Panthers, which really is no big deal, one player stood out. Rookie QB Sam Howell played the entire second half, and led a Commanders comeback with 145 yards passing and 2 rushing touchdowns.

Now, before we crown Howell the next Tom Brady, let’s dial the excitement back just a bit. As we know, the second half of preseason games are filled with second and third stringers, some of whom won’t be playing pro football come September, at least not in the NFL. That being said, Howell seems to have all the tools necessary to be a quality pro quarterback. He has a strong arm, pocket awareness, and escapability, and athleticism. Let’s not forget that at one time Howell was projected to be a high draft pick before his stock fell a bit at the end of last season.  A few more performances like last Saturday, and Howell might move ahead of Taylor Heinicke as the Commanders’ backup.

Watching Howell Saturday made me think of a Washington quarterback who was nicknamed “Mr. August,” and though he never played a regular season snap for the burgundy-and-gold, became a folk hero in DC because of his exciting preseason play. Babe Laufenberg led many a Redskins comeback in games that didn’t count in the 1980’s. If you look up his NFL stats, you’ll see that Babe only played in 16 “for real” games, throwing for a grand total of just over 1,000 yards and had a less-than-stellar 45.9 passer rating.

Laufenberg was also a footnote in 2 of the ‘Skins Super Bowl appearances. In 1983, his rookie season, the Indiana University product was declared inactive in every contest, as Washington reached Super Bowl XVIII. After bouncing around with several teams in 1985 and 1986, including another stint with the Redskins, Babe was signed by Washington to be Doug Williams’ backup in 1987, but the players’ strike interfered, and replacement players were used. Long story short, Laufenberg was only on the roster for 2 games that year, and when the ‘Skins eventually won the Lombardi Trophy, he missed out on a Super Bowl share by one game.

Laufenberg would go on to play for the Dallas Cowboys, and again, was the bridesmaid, but never the bride, backing up the likes of Troy Aikman. It was in Texas that Babe would earn his fame after football, becoming a highly regarded broadcaster, earning several awards from the National Sports Media Association and working as a color analyst beside Cowboys play-by-play man Brad Sham. Laufenberg also suffered personal tragedy in 2019, losing his son Luke to lymphoma. But it’s those great Redskin comebacks that Babe Laufenberg will be remembered for in Washington.

Sam Howell has big shoes to fill…

Until the next visit from The Booth…GO COMMANDERS!

RW

 

SABF announce Sports Breakfast special guest speaker

Shenandoah Apple Blossom 2022

An email from Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival (SABF) representative Brenna Taylor announced the Sports Breakfast Special Guest Speaker 2022.

Dallas Cowboy’s Hall of Fame member Tony Dorsett will make his third appearance at the SABF.

Dorsett happens to be the father of the reigning Queen Shenandoah 95 Mia Dorsett and will also serve as the guest speaker for SABF’s Sports Breakfast.

Dorsett was the first Sports Breakfast guest back in 1985 and later crowned his daughter Jazmyn as Queen Shenandoah in 2012.

Tickets for all SABF events are available at thebloom.com.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.