Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Nov 29, 2011, 11:52 am
There was no good way to say it when it happened.There is no good way to say it now.But this is how Sean Taylor's death struck me then,  so I will continue to make this silent tributefor as long as the feelings remain.  (Reprinted from November 28, 2007) It’s not a long drive to my son’s hig...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 6, 2011, 12:08 pm
I don't get to write very often these days. But there's so much to write it's driving me crazy keeping it bottled up. So I'm going to try the shotgun-style thing for a while. Again. In no particular order, and definitely not exhaustively ... DC Jim Haslett Few doubted Haslett earlier or more pointe...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 26, 2011, 10:36 am
Two short weeks ago, the 2-0 Washington Redskins were viewed by the football-watching world as an afterthought. Heading into tonight's Monday Night Football showdown with their arch-rival Dallas Cowboys, however, the burgundy and gold are suddenly a sexy story. Like the emerging 3-0 Detroit Lions a...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 31, 2011, 11:36 am
Just one week of pretend games to go. Gracias al cielo. The first three weeks of the 2011 preseason have been a bit of a revelation. Ever since that first opening offensive drive against the Steelers three short weeks ago, these young(er) 2011 Washington Redskins have done nothing but surprise, impr...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 25, 2011, 10:14 am
Time to get out front on the whole Beck vs Grossman thing. Seems only fair to do it before tonight's meeting with the Baltimore Ravens. I will not denigrate Rex Grossman. He has more than earned respect in this town—or should have—for both his on- and off- field performance as a Redskin. But th...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 19, 2011, 10:04 am
Last week's game setup was easy. Football was back. Even an ugly loss would have been borderline okay (it's just preseason, right?). Point was, we were watching live Redskins football again. But something unexpected happened. Not only didn't the Redskins lose, but they won.  And looked damn g...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 11, 2011, 2:47 pm
And just like that, the endless offseason ... does. It is never hard to do the traditional "Preseason Game One" scene-setter post.  This year it's even easier than usual.  ● It's hard to imagine ever completely losing the childlike expectation and anticipation that comes with the preseason...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 2, 2011, 9:09 am
The most overlooked factor surrounding the 2011 Washington Redskins is the fact it is a new regime's second season. If that simple statement does not resonate, perhaps it should. The team that head coach Mike Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen inherited in 2010 was, in the most generous term...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Jun 17, 2011, 10:06 am
When the Washington Redskins released running back Clinton Portis on March 1, 2011, the curtain came down on one of the most mercurial, memorable careers in team history. His was truly a shooting star—sometimes brilliant, often frustrating, never ordinary. Yes, there have been colorful characters...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Jun 16, 2011, 8:47 am
You kinda expect it from the Washington Post. It's what they do. With the Shanahans apparently determined to promote the former third-stringer, one thought comes to mind: For their sake, this had better work.And it's predictable catch-a-wave content for the average blog: The man who is certain to t...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Jun 15, 2011, 4:08 pm
Don't mind me ... just kicking the tires in case these gentlemen ever extricate their rectally inverted collective crania and give us back our game. NFL lockout talks progressing, but... And on the seventh day of "secret" talks there was still no immediate agreement between the NFL and NFLPA to end ...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Apr 28, 2011, 10:49 am
BGO DRAFT TRACKER It's not like I'm going to ignore this completely, you know. And away we go ... Round 1 (16) - Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue With their first pick in 2011, the Redskins make news by not making news. They trade down from 10 to 16 (JAX) and grab a potential impact bookend to Pro Bowl OLB...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Apr 25, 2011, 1:54 pm
Thursday night, the Washington Redskins will have the option of making the 10th overall selection of the 2011 NFL Draft. Should they use the pick instead of trading it away or abdicating (obligatory royal wedding reference), the young man selected could turn out to be a Hall of Famer. The great DB ...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Feb 6, 2011, 12:24 pm
There are precious few slices of cyberspace out there today that do not contain sincere, in-depth X and O breakdowns of the who, what, how and why of what's going to happen in Super Bowl XLV. You found one. Let's get right to it. Who I Want to Win Green Bay.  Why? I like 'em better.  I like QB...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Dec 1, 2010, 8:56 pm
As fans, coaches and players of the Tennessee Titans watched the Redskins’ patchwork offensive line hold its own against their sack-happy defense two weeks ago, they could be forgiven for invoking Butch Cassidy. “Who are those guys?” As Minnesota Vikings interim head coach Leslie Frazier and ...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Nov 27, 2010, 10:35 am
There was no good way to say it when it happened,there is no good way to say it now.But this was how Sean's death struck me then,  so I will continue to make this my silent tributefor as long as the feelings remain unchanged.  (Reprinted from November 28, 2007) It’s not a long drive to my son�...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Nov 25, 2010, 8:43 am
To those who stand in harm's way for the freedoms we at home too often assume a birthright, and not the single greatest blessing one human can offer another, won at inconceivable cost, please accept one free man's humble, heartfelt, sincerest gratitude. A safe, peaceful and happy Thanksgiving to a...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Nov 23, 2010, 7:52 am
By the time you read this, the Washington Redskins will have spent a very long week stewing over their embarrassing 59-28 nationally televised home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and turned their attention to the Tennessee Titans. The Redskins will have either lost their third straight game, fall...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Nov 16, 2010, 7:52 am
You'd think the annual nationally televised embarrassment the Redskins subject us to would get easier to take over time. It doesn't. Only one thing is clear this Black Tuesday morning ... there will be no feel-good, worst-to-first turnaround from last year's 4-12 debacle. At 4-3 you could indulge ...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Nov 4, 2010, 9:20 am
The title refers to both the 4-4 Redskins and (with apologies for injecting myself into the mix) yours truly. On the former ... you may have heard about the Redskins' latest fun and games. They lost again to the Detroit Lions (apparently trying to balance out universal karma since between 1782 and ...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 28, 2010, 1:38 pm
Occasional, recurring short-form posts about the Washington Redskins, NFL and maybe even Life. Almost like a blog. Redskins 17, DaBears 14Season Record: 4-3 (2nd, NFCE) Don't mind me. Just enjoying da view. Been a while since I felt like I was watching something being built. Yes, Jim Zorn starte...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 25, 2010, 8:13 pm
When Mike Shanahan accepted the Redskins’ head coaching job last January he made it clear right from the beginning that his first season would be no rebuilding project. He acknowledged that certain areas of the roster—the lines in particular—needed rebuilding, but didn’t agree the Redskins n...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 22, 2010, 10:07 am
As Redskins placekicker Graham Gano lined up to kick a potential game-winning 33-yard field in overtime against the Green Bay Packers, I jotted down the phrase that would become the title of this column. In the heat of the moment the comment seemed utterly reasonable. If in the cool light of hindsi...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 21, 2010, 1:19 pm
Occasional, recurring short-form posts about the Washington Redskins, NFL and maybe even Life. Almost like a blog. Six games into the 2010 season, the Redskins are 3-3, one game out of first place in the NFC East and heading to Chicago to play the Bears. Transition year (new Redskins regime) or no...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 18, 2010, 11:09 am
Synaptic Shotgun LiteRandom short-form day-after reactionsto the mini-dramas that are Redskins games Colts 27, Redskins 24 The Redskins never really seemed to be in it. Oh, they tied it up at seven early, but it didn't last. Peyton Manning pretty much did what he wanted, when he wanted to, and recl...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 11, 2010, 8:14 pm
Given the dramatic swings from week to week during an NFL season, it is difficult to get a sense of how good a given team might be or project where they might be headed. That holds true for teams recognized as “elite” heading into the season, to hopeful playoff teams looking to break through, t...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 8, 2010, 1:36 pm
Occasional, recurring short-form posts about the Washington Redskins, NFL and maybe even Life. Almost like a blog. Remember the offseason? Remember how looooong it was? Me too. Thank god it's Friday before a Redskins game. ● I will keep beating this drum 'til there's reason to stop. Through four...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 5, 2010, 11:02 pm
When Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder hired Bruce Allen to succeed Vinny Cerrato as head of personnel last fall, long-frustrated fans of the burgundy and gold took notice. Deliverance was a long time coming. When Allen and Snyder landed future Hall of Fame head coach Mike Shanahan to succeed ...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 4, 2010, 10:32 am
Synaptic Shotgun LiteRandom short-form day-after reactionsto the mini-dramas that are Redskins games A few quick Monday morning thoughts: Ø      Why Bookies Wear Bling. At kickoff yesterday, I think it's fair to say 90-plus percent of Redskins fans and media had effectively written the stumbli...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Oct 3, 2010, 12:48 pm
If the Redskins hadn't overslept last week, and failed to realize they were in an NFL game until it was too late, previewing today's tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles would have been a different exercise. We would have been discussing two hot, 2-1 teams vying for undisputed hold over first place ...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 30, 2010, 4:26 pm
I don't care, you know. I don't care about DeAngelo Hall's diarrhetic mouth, Clinton Portis' rubber legs or the vaccuum that is Albert Haynesworth's intellect. I don't care if Mike Shanahan, Bruce Allen and Donovan McNabb are Sons of Washington or adopted sons passing through. I don't care if Dan...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 27, 2010, 9:28 pm
When you think about certain NFL teams, you tend to think about individuals. At mention of the Indianapolis Colts, one pictures Peyton Manning. His brother Eli is the New York Giants. If the subject is Green Bay, even three years after his departure it remains Brett Favre. With the myriad changes ...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 26, 2010, 10:33 am
Occasional, recurring short-form posts about the Washington Redskins, NFL and maybe even Life. Almost like a blog. Yeah, I know. Sorry—long week. No way I let a gameday go without posting though. Boiled it down to just a couple of things. EXPECTATIONS You know it's true. Today's game against the 0...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 21, 2010, 3:53 pm
There are any number of ways to contrast the NFL of a generation ago from today’s game—the size of the players, the money they make and the media’s breathless year-round saturation coverage... But there may be no more revealing a data point, particularly to those who follow the Washington Red...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 19, 2010, 10:58 am
Occasional, recurring short-form posts about the Washington Redskins, NFL and maybe even Life. Almost like a blog Can't let this go unsaid. If I came to you after today's game against Houston and told you why I'd seen the Redskins' win coming, you'd think I was catching a wave. That wouldn't do. I'm...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 17, 2010, 8:45 am
The sounds of silence. It's quiet. Too quiet. Nature (and the media) abhors a vacuum. Cliches become cliches for a reason...they generally bespeak an underlying truth. Based on nothing more than having lived for a while in and around the periphery of today's 24/7/365 hypermedia scrum surrounding th...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 16, 2010, 8:52 am
Occasional, recurring short-form posts about the Washington Redskins, NFL and maybe even Life. Almost like a blog. Begging your indulgence, here are a few final thoughts on the Dallas opener before officially turning the page in order to focus, with proper deference and solemnity, on the mi...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 14, 2010, 2:53 pm
Welcome to the first regular season installment of the 2010 Washington Redskins' Key Stats Tracker. This is a weekly feature that will run all season focusing on three specific statistical categories—turnover differential, third-down-efficiency and red-zone-efficiency—plus any specific obs...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 14, 2010, 8:28 am
Among the seemingly endless storylines surrounding the 2010 Washington Redskins, one that has been largely overlooked is the potential career crossroads faced by defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. By accepting the job that two-time Super Bowl winning new head coach Mike Shanahan offered, Haslett ac...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 13, 2010, 4:36 pm
Yeah, I went there. I'm hearing more than a few "yeah but's" today. Can't say I'm surprised to hear them from Cowboy backers--it's what fans of the losing team do. I am a little surprised to hear it from Redskins fans. I'm talking about the line of thinking that, yeah, technically the Redskins won...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 11, 2010, 10:11 pm
I wondered all week how to distill this game down to a single manageable piece. There are so many angles and layers, so many keys and so much intrigue, I could have easily written a trilogy. As much time as one spends trying to predict, anticipate and best guess, however, it is often an offhand comm...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 10, 2010, 9:11 am
Welcome to the fourth and final preseason installment of the 2010 Washington Redskins' Key Stats Tracker. This is a weekly feature we will run all season focusing on three specific statistical categories—turnover differential, third-down-efficiency and red-zone-efficiency—plus any specific...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 3, 2010, 11:58 am
It's that time. Turn it up. Remember to breathe.
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Sep 2, 2010, 11:25 am
Occasional, recurring short-form posts about the Washington Redskins, NFL and maybe even Life. Almost like a blog. Okay so it's more bazooka this time. Tonight's loosely football-related event involving the Washington Redskins and Arizona Cardinals is the reason there is a "hate" component to my...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 30, 2010, 1:24 pm
Welcome to preseason installment three of the 2010 Washington Redskins' Key Stats Tracker, a weekly feature focusing on three specific statistical categories—turnover differential, third-down-efficiency and red-zone-efficiency—plus any specific observations/anom...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 28, 2010, 3:22 pm
You know, I have to say this. It's preseason. It's meaningless in almost every regard. But sometimes you just really want your team to beat someone else. Last night was one of those nights. The New York Jets are doing everything they can these days to call attention to themselves and assu...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 27, 2010, 12:47 pm
Occasional, recurring short-form posts about the Washington Redskins, NFL and maybe even Life. Almost like a blog. Redskins vs NY Jets - August 27, 7 pm EST ● According to Mike Shanahan the Redskins will be gameplanning tonight's game against the Jets. A little, anyway. So far against Buffalo...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 27, 2010, 12:34 am
With Russ Grimm's recent induction into the Hall of Fame, the number of Washington Redskins in the Hall from the Joe Gibbs glory years rose to five—Gibbs, John Riggins, Darrell Green, Art Monk and now Grimm. It has long been an article of faith among Redskins fans that the Hall was somehow bi...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 24, 2010, 9:13 am
Welcome to installment two of the 2010 Redskins Key Stats Tracker. This is a weekly feature focusing on three specific statistical categories—turnover differential, third-down-efficiency and red-zone-efficiency—plus any specific statistical observations/anomalies that ...
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Mark S. posted an article on The Om Field - Aug 24, 2010, 12:25 am
Proud and excited to be part of a singular, bold new Redskins adventure.  Which I will let speak for itself. Hail, indeed.
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