Redskins vs. Falcons: The Most Important Dan Snyder Era Season Begins

Last night's preseason game against the Falcons kicked off what will be the most significant season The Redskins franchise has faced since Dan Snyder became owner.  Never before have The Redskins had an incumbent quarterback come off such a successful season without a major injury or quarterback controversy in the Dan Snyder Era.  Never before has Dan Snyder invested so much money into the quarterback position.  Never before in the Snyder era have the Redskins surrounded their quarterback with as much talent at the WR and TE position.  Finally, never in the last 15 years have we amassed as much talent on both sides of the ball to give the fan base a reasonable sense that this team could do something it has also not done since Dan Snyder took over: Have back to back winning seasons.  The quest for consecutive winning seasons means more when you figure that the Redskins have put together a team that will metaphorically, and literally, stare down the fate of this franchise over the course of the 2016 season.

The Redskins and Kirk Cousins will have their fate for the next four to five seasons hanging in the balance every week. If Gruden and Cousins can repeat the magic of last season, both may be able to continue that magic for the long term here in Washington.  If not, it could be back to the drawing board at quarterback as we have seen Scot McCloughan be stingy about a long term contract for Cousins so far.  The Redskins will literally stare down their fate as Robert Griffin will more than likely be starting for the Browns when they come to FedEx Field on October 2nd.  If that is the case then all that has been built over the last 18 months will come down to that one game.  The Redskins win and Gruden and McCloughan made the right decision going with Cousins over Griffin.  The Redskins lose and they will suffer a symbolic setback that they may not be able to recover from.  Suffice to say that this season will determine whether the Redskins can become a perennial winning team or continue their five year cycle of one amazing "no one saw that coming" playoff season followed by four years of 4-12 turmoil.  It all began with the preseason opener against the Falcons, and here are the high a low points:

If the faith that Jay Gruden has in Kirk Cousins's abilities was not apparent, it is after last night's performance.  Cousins went 5 for 5 on one drive and called it a night.  Cousins did what he was the best in the NFL at last season, which was completion percentage, and his limited playing time should give fans solace that Gruden knows that Cousins can make plays.  Kudos also go out to Ryan Grant, who made the most of his targets from Cousins and showed that he may yet have life on this crowded receiver corps, and to Rashad Ross who may be moving himself into the returner role with an impressive opening kickoff return.  Robert Kelley and Mack Brown looked like they could fight or an RB spot on the team, although they may need to showcase their talents against tougher competition.  Team awards go to the first team defense and the punt coverage team.   I think Madden 2017 may need to consider giving Tress Way that 99 rating they so graciously gave Matt Turk because the punt coverage team did an amazing job all night of covering punts, especially the first one that they downed inside the one. Following that punt, the first team defense was able to hold the Falcons from moving the ball and looked every bit of the defense we saw from last season.  Martrell Spaight made some great plays that showed he wants to make an impact after his injury from last season, Su'a Cravens showed flashes of brilliance in run support, and Trent Murphy made a case that he may not be done yet at outside linebacker.  Negatives were abound, however, and the biggest ones have to do with the running game.

Matt Jones was the darling of last year's preseason, but he did not show much in this first game.  It could be that the Redskins do not want to over work him due to last year's injuries, but all the other running backs were able to make some big plays that were lacking in Jones's performance.  If this continues do not be surprised if Chris Thompson gets the starting nod at least some point this preseason.  The running game was also a problem on the defensive side of the ball.  The defense was able to shut down the outside running lanes but they were gashed on runs between the tackles.  These runs up the middle were the backbone of the Falcons's first scoring drive, and it could become a glaring weakness considering the Redskins did not really address the DT position after the departure of Terrance Knighton.  The backup secondary looked shaky as well.  Quinton Dunbar had a long night covering former Redskin go route specialist Aldrick Robinson, and he received no help from Will Blackmon at safety.  Finally, while the punt team did it's job, the kickoff team figured that Dustin Hopkins must run a 4.3 and left it up to him to cover the kick coming out of halftime.  They found out otherwise and need to sure that up for next week.

Onward to the Jets for next week, where we should get more from the first teamers and a better idea of who should be starting at running back this season.

Katie Ledecky's Dominance Should Transcend the Pool

Katie Ledecky's dominance should transcend what she does in the pool, but somehow that narrative has not yet seeped into the mythos that Ledecky has built for herself through her outright bludgeoning of anyone who has stepped into the pool with her over the past four years.  In the prelude to the Rio Olympics, Ledecky's accomplishments have been brought to the forefront of the athletic community to the point where some have stated that she is the most dominant athlete in the world.  If you hold any skepticism towards that statement, maybe an excerpt from Dave Sheinin's article in the Washington Post about Ledecky will give you some perspective:

           

               “She’s the greatest athlete in the world today by far,” said Michael J. Joyner, an anesthesiologist and researcher for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., specializing in human performance and physiology. “She’s dominating by the widest margin in international sport, winning by 1 or 2 percent. If [a runner] won the 10,000 meters by that wide a margin, they’d win by 100 meters. One or 2 percent in the Tour de France, over about 80 hours of racing, would be 30 or 40 minutes. It’s just absolutely remarkable.”

Yet it is this dominance that has been highlighted ad nauseam in every article written about Ledecky over the past six weeks with very little mention of what that means for her persona.  It is great to hear how hard she trains, how much she has sacrificed to be in a position to do something that has only happened once in the history of swimming at the Olympics (win gold in the 200, 400 and 800 meters), and how her stroke mechanics have changed over time.  But Ledecky's narrative should go beyond mere regurgitation of her dominance in the pool and move towards what she means for the female athletic movement as a whole.

In this time of hyper awareness of women's accomplishments and issues in athletics, Katie Ledecky should be the poster child/role model for the female athletic movement because she has become the most dominant athlete in the world solely due to her performance in the pool.  One needs to look no further that the Sports Illustrated Cover for the Rio Olympics to see that symbolically she has reached this pinnacle.  Ledecky is in the forefront right next to Michael Phelps and in front of everyone else including Kevin Durant.  Ledecky didn't do this by wearing ostentatious outfits, or appearing in a Beyonce video, or posing in ESPN's Body Issue, or partaking in a national endorsement campaign, or making outrageous posts on social media.  She is on this cover because of what she has done in her respective sport.  This is not to demonize female athletes for partaking in any of the aforementioned mediums, but it sends the message to young female athlete's that they cannot succeed based on their performance alone.  There has been no Tim Duncan in female athletics; until now.

Katie Ledecky's accomplishments have made her the most dominant athlete in the world, and it should make her a beacon for all young female athletes who wish to pursue their craft.  It may be hard to get that message out considering that she turned down millions in endorsement deals to swim at Stanford, but that should also go to perpetuate what she means to the athletic community as a whole.  Katie Ledecky is the antithesis of what we expect from high profile athletes, and that message should especially resonate with young female athletes. The young female athlete of today should see Katie Ledecky and realize that they do not need to objectify themselves, that they can choose an education over millions of dollars, they can be outwardly humble and internally competitive, that they do not have to be omnipresent on social media, and that they can be recognized as an athlete first and a celebrity second.  When Katie Ledecky steps up on the blocks this coming week, people will know that she is not up there for money, endorsements, or personal exposure.  She may be the first major athlete in a long time that is up there for the love of the sport and the thrill of competition. That, more than her training and ability, is what should make Katie Ledecky's dominance transcend the pool and make her a role model for all young female athletes.