Grassroots Sports Reporter

Finding respect in a not-so-respected sport

2009-03-25T21:42:00.007-04:00

What could be worse than pouring your heart, soul and body into something you love, only to have people mock your endeavor?

On top of that, having some of the closest people in your life simply not understand your passion.

I'm not sure how many people could handle this, but for up-and-coming mixed martial arts fighter Emily Dubas it is what it is.

"I get mixed reviews," Emily told me tonight, just days after winning her first match. "I mean like at the fight, my friends who came... one of them was shouting and he was like, 'Rip her head off,' [jokingly]. And then the people behind them were like, 'Rip her shirt off.'"

Emily realizes that the latter comment sums up the way the recreational fan is going to look at her, but she claims it doesn't even faze her.

"It's just one of those things," she said of people looking at it as just girl-on-girl action. "There's gonna be people who are gonna say it. They obviously aren't in the sport and don't understand what you go through and everything like that, so it doesn't even bother me."

Like any good fighter, Emily has the ability to drown out any surrounding distractions while she's in the cage or training at the Mixed Martial Arts Institute in Harrisonburg.

After only about six months of training in Tae Kwon Do and a variety of other disciplines, the 20-year-old sophomore at James Madison University was able to forget about the naysayers and dominate in her debut against Mary Scott.

Scott, a sophomore at Christopher Newport University, definitely looked the part. She packed on at least 10 more pounds than Dubas — and let me say, it was definitely muscle.

Emily entered the cage with her hair loosely tied back — a stark contrast to Mary's tightly woven corn rows. (Somehow I knew that her ponytail was going to come undone; luckily for her, by the time it did, she was in firm control).

Consider me part of the problem. I honestly didn't think Emily had a chance when they first touched gloves. How wrong was I!

After taking a couple punches to the head, Emily woke up and dominated through the last 2 1/2 rounds. Credit Mary for hanging tough as her nose bled profusely, while right jab after right jab connected cleanly. The Tae Kwon do came into play in the second round when Emily cracked her right foot squarely against Mary's jaw.

They call it Martial Arts for a reason. It's about mastering technique and being able to channel aggression and strength through that technique.

The lankier-looking Emily managed to keep her technique despite never being in the cage before. Mary admitted losing control.

"Any person in their first fight will say your nerves get to you, you get excited and technique's out the door and you just wanna brawl and that's what I did," Mary said.

Brawling is probably the last word people who love the sport, would like associated with it. Emily's parents haven't come around to the idea and her father Larry declined to comment on his daughter's fighting.

"They still don't really like the whole idea, but they said that they were proud and everything," Emily said. "They just don't really like violence or hitting or anything."

Consider convincing her parents just one of a number of obstacles that accompany a female in mixed martial arts.

Emily has already overcome her first fight, as well as gained the respect of the rest of her gym, where she is the only consistently attending female.

She said she prefers training with the guys because it's more challenging and that when new girls show up, it almost seems to easy.

"It's kind of hard," she said,"when you go to a gym full of guys, you have to prove yourself to them and show that you can do everything that they can do.

"... They'll try to like baby you and be like, 'We'll you can do girl push-ups if you want,' or something like that, but like no I'm gonna do the regular push-ups like everyone else."

Two obstacles down, many more to go. But as is the sport of mixed martial arts.

Unexpected... yet expected with No. 7

2009-03-16T18:42:00.006-04:00

Custodians and star athletes aren't exactly synonymous.

Today, star athletes are known as much for their off-field antics and complaining as they are for the behind-the-scenes hard work they put in.

Custodians are probably just as visible in our daily lives but we often just pass by them without the appreciative "Thank You," or a warming "Hello."

The two became one Friday night at the James Madison University Convocation Center.

Rodney Landers, the Dukes' record-shattering dual-threat quarterback of the past two years and soon-to-be graduate, was humbly sweeping the lower level stands at close to 11 p.m.

Landers could be seen on press row at most men's and women's home basketball games this season as he was working on a practicum for his sport management major. He helped with media streaming and keeping track of play-by-play.

But when his practicum duties were done on Friday, after the women's team beat Northeastern in the quarterfinals, he quietly picked up a broom and started helping the Convo's custodial staff — a responsibility often reserved for students needing community service after earning a strike or some other reprimand.

Landers wasn't in trouble though.

That's just the type of guy he is.

Repeatedly, a manager of the clean-up crew thanked Landers for sticking around and being so selfless. He politely said "your welcome" and "no problem."

He should be used to saying "your welcome" after JMU's superfans had plenty of gratitude to show after two years of dominating football the NFL hopeful played.

It's moments like this that you'd wish more athletes could be seen participating in. At the same time it's nice that only a few people will likely read this because it seems like few would really appreciate it.

Hopefully, this week, scouts will embrace his character, as much as his athletic ability, when he puts in more thankless work during JMU's Pro Day.

It's Been Way Too Long

2009-03-11T13:20:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe my last blog entry was over a year ago at the CAA basketball tournament. I guess it took me going back to the Richmond Coliseum to remind me how much I like blogging.

Matt McGovern and I had a blast covering the tournament and decided to stay through the championship game before we knew JMU would be ousted on Saturday. Blogging throughout almost every game and talking to various coaching staffs was quite rewarding, despite the fact that we knew nobody was reading.

The Tourney
The tournament saw its championship played out on Sunday in the first semifinal game between Virginia Commonwealth and Old Dominion. The rivalry saw VCU pull away for a 61-53 win that trumped the competitiveness of the Monday's final with George Mason.

VCU guard Eric Maynor was ridiculous all tournament and made sure that sophomore forward Larry Sanders got involved early and often. Sanders took down two tournament records and tied a third — all of which were held by future Hall of Famer David Robinson.

Sanders scored 18 points, ripped down 20 rebounds and blocked seven shots. The 20 rebounds in a game nudged Robinson and three others, and his 40 rebounds for the tournament beat Robinson's mark of 39.

Maynor scored 25 points to go with eight assists. A ninth assist would have come on a lob to Sanders, but an offensive foul negated the powerful slam.

Non-basketball highlights from the tournament included meeting a number of accomplished columnists throughout the state (including Dave Fairbank and Paul Woody) and story time with JMU play-by-play announcer Mike Schikman.

I'm hoping to make this a daily thing again and probably more frequent than that.

Keep in touch and let me know if you'd like to get an e-mail whenever I blog.

William & Mary??????

2008-03-09T17:45:00.002-04:00

RICHMOND — Wow! The William & Mary Tribe in the CAA championship?

Yeah they were the No. 5 team in the tournament and crazier things have happened in March, but this is truly memorable stuff.

Not only has the Tribe never won the CAA tournament in 22 years, but it's never even played in the title game.

After winning the tournament last year and beating Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament, it seemed a foregone conclusion that VCU would repeat after going 22-6 in the regular season. Well at least I was pretty sure they'd be playing tomorrow night on ESPN.

But the Rams will now have to wait it out and see if the committee thinks they're worthy enough for an at-large bid. Non-conference wins over Maryland, Houston and Bradley might help, but a semifinal loss to No. 161 W&M in the RPI — who is 0-5 against the top 100 — could dash any hopes and send them to the NIT.

And it all might be because of the clutch play of W&M senior forward Laimas Kisielius. The 6-foot-8 Lithuanian native, who made only third-team All-CAA, played like a first-teamer with his game-high 23 points including the game-winner on a runner with three seconds left in the game.

Sophomore Danny Sumner chipped in 19 points for CAA Head Coach of the Year, Tony Shaver, and gave VCU's Eric Maynor, the conference player of the year, some of the toughest defense he could handle.

Maynor finished with a team-high 16 points including four 3-pointers, but was unable to get his hands on the ball for the game's last shot.

The Tribe will try to continue its impressive run with a fourth win in as many games tomorrow night against the winner of George Mason and UNC-Wilmington. At halftime Mason leads UNCW 31-25.

Northeastern 73, JMU 55

2008-03-08T00:38:00.001-05:00

For final analysis of the game and JMU basketball check out my article and Matt McGovern's at thebreeze.org.

LIVE:In Game- JMU 25, NU 38 at Half

2008-03-07T21:23:00.002-05:00

Northeastern is shooting 54 percent through the first 20 minutes to JMU's 39. Juwann James has seven and Terrence Carter and Abdulai Jalloh each have six, but no Duke has established himself as a clear threat to the Huskies' zone or man-to-man pressure.

NU's Manny Adako leads all scorers with 12 points with his 5-for-8 shooting from the field. Eugene Spates has also provided a spark of the bench for NU with two 3-pointers.

Like much of the season JMU has struggled to defend the perimeter. Both teams reached the bonus as James has picked up three fouls and four other Dukes have two. Adako and fellow post player Chris Alvarez have two for the Huskies.

JMU needs to create a turnover frenzy in the next 10 minutes to make this a capable ball game down the stretch.

LIVE: In Game Blog- CAA First Round No. 7 Delaware vs. No. 10 Drexel. Final.

2008-03-07T20:14:00.004-05:00

Delaware 60, Drexel 51

In the end it was junior forward Jim Ledsome that made the difference on both ends of the floor for the Hens.

With 31 seconds left and Delaware only holding on to a three-point lead, the Dragons went to their star player Frank Elegar in the post. The big man's turn-around was blocked cleaning by Ledsome. Ledsome then converted a three-point play on a flagrant foul after Tramayne Hawthorne missed a 3-pointer -- Drexel's last shot.

Delaware will play No. 2 UNC-Wilmington in the quarterfinals.

In the day's previous two games, No. 5 seed William & Mary held seed over No. 12 Georgia State with a last second shot by the Tribe's David Schneider.

The sophomore hit a pull-up jumper from the top of the key with 1.5 seconds remaining. The 3-pointer gave W&M a 58-57 victory and quarterfinal matchup with No. 4 Old Dominion.

No. 9 Towson started the day with an 81-66 win over No. 8 Hofstra. The Tigers had to hold off a late rally by The Pride and senior Antoine Agudio. The first-team All-CAA selection scored 27 points in his collegiate finale.

Towson junior Tony Durant provided much-needed energy for the Tigers and finished 20 points just two behind team leader Josh Thornton's 22. Towson will play the No. 1 seed VCU in the quarters.

LIVE: In Game Blog- CAA First Round No. 7 Delaware vs. No. 10 Drexel.

2008-03-07T19:17:00.002-05:00

Approaching the midway point in the second half, Delaware has begun to open it up with defensive adjustments.

Early in the half the Hens went to a 2-3 zone that enabled them to double down on Elegar more and really disrupt the rhythm he attained in the first half. Drexel has tried to counter with high-low post looks to draw Delaware's second post defender out of the baseline.

At the 12:50 mark he took a breather with only one point in the half.

Delaware's Herb Courtney has also started asserting himself on the low block and has eight points in the second half.

At the under 12:00 media timeout Delaware leads the Dragons 43-33.

LIVE: In Game Blog- CAA First Round No. 7 Delaware vs. No. 10 Drexel. Halftime.

2008-03-07T18:30:00.002-05:00

Delaware has scrapped its way to a 28-25 advantage through the first 20 minutes of its first round game with Drexel.

The Blue Hens are led by freshman guard Alphonso Dawson's team-high 10 points. It was junior guard Marc Egerson that gave the Hens the spark at the end of the half scoring all six of his points in the final seven minutes.

Senior Frank Elegar of Drexel leads all scorers with 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Elegar has made three of his five free-throw attempts, but the Dragons have made just 6-of-14 as a team. Delaware has managed to shoot only four from the stripe and will need to get Elegar and the Dragons in foul trouble if this game stays close.

LIVE: In Game Blog- CAA First Round No. 7 Delaware vs. No. 10 Drexel

2008-03-07T18:12:00.001-05:00

The headline name in the third matchup of the day is second-team All-CAA selection Frank Elegar. The 6-foot-9 senior center is leading the 12-19 Dragons with eight points as Drexel leads 15-14 with over 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

Elegar provides a tough draw for Delaware forwards Herb Courtney and Jim Ledsome because of his height as well as his athleticism. The two teams split wins in the two previous Colonial Athletic Association meetings this season, with the Blue Hens winning on the road by four and the Dragons also winning on the road by two.

The game is a physical man-to-man battle at this point but Delaware could be in trouble if they don't get Elegar off the block.

What is Snyder Doing?

2008-02-08T10:39:00.002-05:00

At this point in the Redskins search for a new coach, I think it's fair to speak for Redskins fans and say that this is ridiculous.

I'm still confused at why they couldn't hold onto Gregg Williams and promote him to head coach. For some reason he and Daniel Snyder must not have gotten along, but without knowing specifics I'd have to just side with Williams.

If Snyder knew anything about football or even team continuity — and apparently after nine years he still doesn't — he would have known that after a roller coaster season like that it may have been to stay in-house.

But no he didn't even make a concerted effort to keep Williams around at all. Instead the Redskins fired the defensive coordinator who helped Gibbs lead a team to the playoffs after the slaying of undoubtedly the best player on the defensive side of the ball, Sean Taylor.

I can't imagine how irate some of the veteran players on this ball club are. They had a lot going for them with that late run to make the playoffs. Gibbs made a decision that you can't disrespect. He was getting up there in years and his grandson has leukemia.

But Gregg Williams built this defense into one of the best in the league. Before Sean Taylor's death the Redskins defense was playing nasty and giving every team all it could handle, minus the Patriots' blowout.

At this point it seems like the Skins are gonna just have to settle because Giants' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has turned down the offer and resigned with New York. I cant imagine having Jim Fassel on board it just reminds me of having an old stiff like Marty Schottenheimer and that didn't work out.

It's apparent that they are just looking for a figure head considering the two coordinator's are already in place, so Steve Mariucci wouldn't be awful. He brings a lot of energy but has been out of the league for awhile now. Ron Meeks is the other name being thrown around and I do like that he is a defensive mind and one who really turned the Indy D into Super Bowl caliber. Pete Carroll has been mentioned but he's got it made at USC and could still win a few more national championships with that program.

Whoever it is gonna be, Snyder needs to hurry up and stop jerking around his players and fans.

What is Snyder Doing?

2008-02-08T10:39:00.001-05:00

Mason In the Headlines Again

2008-01-20T14:40:00.000-05:00

If you saw the highlights last night of a little George Mason point guard wearing the number 1, you may have thought back to Tony Skinn.

Skinn was Mason's floor-general during the Final Four run two years ago, but it was his successor, Dre Smith, who captivated the JMU Convocation Center Saturday night.

Smith became the only player in NCAA history to connect on all ten of his three-point attempts. No matter who was one him of what defense JMU was in, Smith was able to elevate over everybody to release his bombs.

Eight of the triples came in the second half en route to his career high 34 points. JMU had to also worry about Mason senior forward Will Thomas, arguably the best post player in the league leaving the arc open somewhere all night.

Smith began a 16-2 Mason run to begin the game with his first three coming from NBA range. Later in the game the 6-foot guard pulled up closer to half-court than the three-point line. The Dukes were helpless as they tried to dig out of the early hole.

JMU managed to cut the lead to seven with less than seven minutes in the game, but Smith continued to shoot and continue to not miss.

He will probably never do that again, but it appears that Mason might be more dangerous than 14-5 record may indicate.

Washington Owes A Lot to Joe, Good Luck Coach

2008-01-08T10:31:00.000-05:00

Much to my dismay Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs is scheduled to officially announce his resignation later today.

It is gonna be hard to see him go especially after the job he did this season holding the team together. It's really unfathomable what he and all the Skins went through this year with Sean Taylor's murder. Gibbs led the way he always had though, with integrity.

Obviously bogged down by the emotions of that tragic week, he made a key error in calling two consecutive time-outs against Buffalo. But he took full responsibility for the mistake and refocused himself and the team to run off four straight wins to make the playoffs.

More people will remember him as the Redskins coach of the eighties and late-nineties, but some of us younger folk will remember the courage he had to come back after already being inducted in Canton. He stuck it out for four injury plagued years and one last tumultuous season.

I'll always remember the fortitude he instilled in the young players especially the ones he drafted like Sean Taylor. Nobody else could have brought the excitement and swagger back to D.C. like he did. I'll also always remember going to training camp each summer and seeing him and Joe Bugle really push the offense to get better.

His teams always played hard and respected the man. How could you not? The devout Christian was known as a coach who elected not to use curse words but instead be a model citizen for his young, impressionable team.

Nobody can really fault Joe for the decision. Joe is 67 years-old now and suffers from diabetes. He also has a two year-old grandson who was diagnosed with Leukemia in January. It's clear he wants to be with his family and he should be. Good Luck Joe Gibbs and thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and of course little 2 year-old Taylor.

Chris Bosh's College Recruiter Weighs In

2008-01-03T17:29:00.000-05:00

After seeing Chris Bosh's video campaigning for votes to the NBA All-Star game and laughing almost hysterically, I quickly remembered that he went to Georgia Tech.

That meant that JMU basketball coach Dean Keener probably coached him a few years back. This worked out nicely because I'm pretty bored here in Harrisonburg considering few of my fellow students have returned from break.

So I moseyed around Keener's practice today waiting for him so that I could get his impression of Bosh's video.

Keener was actually the top recruiter of the now Toronto Raptors' starting forward and had just heard about the video today.

"Was there something on SportsCenter last night?" Keener asked. "Somebody sent me an email today, but I couldn't pull it up."

I then explained to him the video and he smiled remembering the easy-going Bosh.

"It doesn't surprise me that he would dress up and look funny and act funny," Keener added. "He's still very much a kid at heart.

"Any opportunity we get to talk, he'll return my call. He's just a really good person. He was really easy to talk to even as a 17-year old he'd be engaging on the phone, whereas a lot of kids especially All-Americans think...that you owe them something like 'Why are you calling me.' He was great. He was always on time. During recruitment he would always return calls. He made recruiting fun."

Keener added that he would give Bosh his vote regardless and believes that he's among the top 10-12 players in the league.

JMU Shocks VCU, Move to Top off CAA

2008-01-03T12:37:00.000-05:00

It’s got to be hard for the JMU faithful to believe Wednesday’s 62-61 win over VCU at the Convocation Center.

The Dukes not only won at the buzzer on a Juwann James lay-up, but led at halftime and had to overcome four separate second-half deficits.

These kind of feats against a Colonial Athletic Association team wouldn’t have been imaginable a year ago, or two years ago, or maybe three, four, five, six and seven years ago.

At 9-3 overall and 2-0 in the CAA, JMU has won half as many games as Coach Dean Keener won in his first three years at the helm. Oh and if you don’t think Keener knows it think again.

Following the roller coaster, back-and-forth game that saw 11 lead changes and nine tied scores, Keener rejoiced.

The referees quickly convened at mid-court in front of the scorer’s table and agreed that the bucket was scored in time. Keener, in a sense, made it official for the 2,997 in attendance when he pumped both fists in the air, following the discussion.

Keener then grabbed the public address microphone, pleading with the fans to bring someone else with them on Jan. 12 when Madison returns home to face UNC-Wilmington.

“I kind of had it in my mind that if we won the game I had to talk to the fans,” Keener said. “One of the biggest things is protecting home court. And one of the things I’ve instilled in the guys is to make the Convo a tough place to play.”

The fans buying in, is a matter of time and inevitable if the wins keep coming. The team can also take consolation knowing that the game was played during the mid-semester break.

But more important to the fans buying in, is the fact that it seems like the players have finally bought into this coaching staff and more importantly to each other.

The last minute of the game was just a microcosm of a tough battle between the conference foes, but a magnification rather of how much faith Keener’s recruits have in each other.

The newfound faith continued to grow with 58 second remaining in the contest when team leader, but notoriously shaky free-throw shooter Juwann James stepped to the line.

James didn’t even have two guaranteed shots as JMU was still in the one-and-one bonus. But he confidently stepped to the line swishing the front-end and just as smoothly stroking the back-end.

VCU junior Eric Maynor — who made a name for himself by leading the Rams over Duke in the first round of the 2007 NCAA tournament — answered James with a clutch time-out call.

After missing a runner, Maynor’s shot was tipped around until it came back to him as he was falling backwards. The conference’s preseason player of the year, signaled for time-out as he fell, retaining possession for the Rams. The offensive rebound also turned the shot clock off with 27 seconds left.

Following the time-out the Dukes got the ball out of Maynor’s hands, but VCU senior guard Jamal Shuler stepped up, hitting a runner with 10 seconds remaining.

JMU called time-out and set up its final shot which one could have assumed to be junior guard Abdulai Jalloh’s. Jalloh led the Dukes with 17 points, but Keener wisely used the explosive scorer as a decoy.

Sophomore guard Pierre Curtis instead took a screen at the top of the key from senior forward Terrence Carter and spun through the lane. Curtis could have gone up with his patented floater — that beat VMI last year at the buzzer — but instead found James cutting down the baseline. VCU freshmen forward Larry Sanders had little choice but to step in on the driving Curtis thus leaving James uncontested.

A year ago Curtis, or any other player on the team for that matter, may have elected to keep the ball and overlook the cutting teammate.

“It was a great move by Pierre and we just had to make an extra pass,” James said.

Conversely, Curtis was confident laying it off to his older roommate.

“At the last second I saw Juwann and dished off knowing he could finish it,” Curtis said.

That extra-selfless pass gave JMU the win and put it on the CAA map. The Dukes are now tied atop the league with Delaware and Old Dominion. That’s the former bottom-feeder of the Colonial is now ahead of the conference darlings of the last two years, VCU and George Mason.

And although there are 16 conference games remaining, it’s hard to overlook what the 2007-2008 Dukes have accomplished thus far.

Skins make Playoffs with 21-point win over Dallas

2007-12-30T23:17:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately I wasn't able to cover this monumental game for the Washington Redskins, but the Associated Press was and so I will admit that their article on espn.com clued me in on the score.

27-6. The Redskins not only dominated the Cowboys (yes I know, a not-so-motivated Dallas team, having already clinched the NFC 1 seed) but they did it by the same margin as the number worn by their slain teammate Sean Taylor.

This is special stuff. If you are a Redskins fan you were probably aware of some of the accomplishments that Dallas looked forward to in this game, regardless of a win or loss. The AP article highlighted how well Washington played on both sides of the ball to ruin any possible icing on Dallas's cake.

"The Cowboys (13-3), who will have a bye next week, tried to muster any motivation they could find, but almost none of their goals were realized. They had hoped to win a 14th regular-season game for the first time in franchise history. Jason Witten caught only two passes, falling four short of becoming the second tight end to get 100 in a season. Receiver Terry Glenn, active for the first time all season, failed to catch a pass.

Marion Barber not only finished 25 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard season, but Barber (minus-6 yards) and Julius Jones (7) combined for 1 yard -- setting a new franchise record for rushing futility. The Cowboys defense allowed a 100-yard rusher for the first time this season. The offense went 0-for-11 converting third downs, and Dallas lost its season finale for the eighth straight year."

Stifling defense might be the best way to sum that all up. The Redskins truly went our there the last four games and played the way Sean Taylor always did — with a purpose and a passion like each game was his last.

Unfortunately Sean is gone and has played his last, but the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the NFL playoff teams better believe the Redskins don't want to play their last one of the season anytime soon.

Sean continues to be a source of inspiration for this team whether it is the No. 21 towels, his name hanging in the Ring, the No. 21 on the jerseys and helmets or an autographed photo written by an unknowing soon-to-be victim of senseless murder.

Sorry Seattle but it just doesn't look too good for you. Todd Collins and coach Joe Gibbs have revitalized this team with their play and motivation, respectively, and aside from the 16-0 Patriots, Washington has the hottest team in the league.

Oh and the autograph Taylor once signed has three words that will be echoing throughout the game next week as Washington looks to take care of business: WE WANT DALLAS!

Skins make Playoffs with 21-point win over Dallas

2007-12-30T23:17:00.001-05:00

Slackin' for a Reason

2007-12-29T00:08:00.000-05:00

I'll get back to this thing once I'm done being the statistician at the Chantilly tournament I work. And in case you were wondering, no the field is not good this year. There have been some incredibly boring games and we still have 7 more tomorrow.

Tomorrow's championship games feature both Chantilly teams. The girls will probably lose to a much more disciplined and better-coached Georgetown Visitation team and the guys shouldn't have too much trouble beating Landon.

Get ready for some Skins' action because this Dallas game is huge and although I wasn't granted press credentials for this one i'll be dissecting it closely.

Be Smart and Stay With Collins

2007-12-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

With yesterday's convincing win over Minnesota at the Metrodome, Washington is now in the driver seat.

A win Sunday against the Cowboys puts the Redskins in the playoffs with the sixth and final spot in the NFC and they have a patient backup quarterback to thank for it.

Todd Collins has led a once emotionally-drained football team to where even Jason Campbell may not have. Since Campbell's gruesome-looking knee injury against the Bears, Collins has put the Redskins offense on his back and pulled out three straight impressive victories.

And it's not like he's just been handing it off. When facing three solid defenses with impressive front-fours, coach Joe Gibbs needed his quarterback to be able to make plays through the air.

Collins has done just that. Last night's performance may have been the most impressive; 22-of-29 for 254 yards and two touchdowns. But in the last about two and one half games Collins has four touchdowns and a huge ZERO interceptions. A completion percentage above 60 has also helped Collins reach a passer rating of 107.

So now all of the talk has started about whether or not you stick with Collins if Campbell practices and is healthy. The answer is yes you stick with him because he is the guy who has helped turn things around and he has the hot hand. It's that simple.

Is Collins a better athlete and the future of the team? No, of course not Campbell is. But the Skins can't worry about the future right now they need to ride Collins' solid play as long as they can. That might mean that Campbell gets back in during the playoffs but for all the people who say you cant lose your job to injury, you're wrong.

Hopefully Gibbs — who has a tendency to be conservative — wont just go back to Campbell because it's convenient. He and the coaching staff have made some big mistakes this year, but have helped make up for it over the last few weeks. They're playing loose and making big plays, like Portis' halfback option pass to Randel-el.

Let Collins keep throwing it deep up the sidelines and let Portis and Betts do the majority of the work through the middle of the field. With the Cowboys nursing injuries this simple formula should work for Collins and the offense.

Oh and the Defense. Not too much to worry about there. They've been doing their thing all year and will continue to do just that.

Important Reminder During Christmas Season

2007-12-24T01:09:00.000-05:00

I'll get to my Redskin blogging tomorrow, I'm still pumped and soaking it in. Plus we have one more game to handle so no getting too far ahead.

But I was forwarded this great video and I want to share it with you. Just remember that whether or not you support the cause our soldiers fight for, you need to support them and let them know we are always there for them.

God Bless the U.S.A., Merry Christmas and enjoy.

Check Out My JMU Posts on SportingNews.com

2007-12-22T12:56:00.000-05:00

Check out my JMU basketball blogs at the campus watch section of the sportingnews.com.

Today I will be listening to the Dukes over the radio and will likely do a blog at halftime and following the game. When live at the Convocation Center I will usually only do a postgame blog because there is no internet connection there.

Click the link above and check out my college blog along with many others across the country.

Sean Taylor: Rightfully Honored

2007-12-19T00:56:00.000-05:00

I cant really say that I thought it was a possibility, when I saw a facebook group lobbying for Sean Taylor's vote in the Pro Bowl.

Obviously they left his name on the ballot, but I just wasn't sure people would be compassionate enough to understand that he truly deserved it.

And I'm not just saying it because I'm a big Skins fan or because he died and I think it is a nice gesture. At the time of his injury two weeks prior to the tragic murder, Sean was leading the league in interceptions with five.

The interceptions were a product of his improvement in coverage which was a testament to his overall maturation as a man. The story has been told over and over, but I think it's important that people know he was turning his life around.

Defensive coordinator Greg Williams along with Jason Campbell and other players have spoke of Sean being that guy who was the first in and the last to leave. That kind of commitment gets you numbers like 46 tackles (34 solo), 1 forced fumble, 5 interceptions for 96 yards and 9 other pass deflections through about 8.5 games.

His numbers along with a ever-menacing presence to opposing wide receivers was surely going to place him in his second consecutive Pro-Bowl. Thankfully the fans, players and coaches see it like I do and have voted Sean to the starting safety position where he should be this February.

Not having you still here with us Sean is awful, but I'm glad we can remember you with this gesture and continue remembering the good things that allow us to celebrate you instead of mourn.

Rest in Peace # 21.

Not Pretty, but Back at .500.

2007-12-16T23:48:00.000-05:00

With tonight's win the Skins are 7-7 and building some momentum for a run at the wild card.

The winds at Giants Stadium gusted, but Todd Collins — making his first start in over 10 years — guided the Redskins to the win.

Collins completed only 8 of 25 passes but a couple of key deep balls to Santana Moss set up scores for the Redskins. A 36-yard reception in the second quarter set up the game's first touchdown on Ladell Betts' first carry of the game. The 14-yard rush gave the Skins a 13-0 lead.

The Skins would eventually go up 22-3 before a touchdown pass from the Giants' Eli Manning to Kevin Boss cemented the 22-10 final. Brandon Jacobs had success for New York with 130 yards on 25 carries, but the Giants struggled to put points on the board.

Conversely, Redskins' running back Clinton Portis picked up 125 yards on 25 carries and gave the Redskins their other touchdown to go along with Shaun Suisham's three field goals. Suisham snuck some knuckle-balls through the uprights, going against swirling winds.

The Skins now finish off with Minnesota next Sunday night and Dallas at home on Dec. 30. With Tampa's win the NFC South is clinched, leaving only the two wild cards open in the NFC.

At 9-5 the Giants would be the first team in right now followed by Minnesota if they beat Chicago tomorrow. If not though the Vikings would be tied with the Skins and New Orleans at 7-7, bringing tie-breakers into play.

Assuming Washington won out and the Giants faltered against Buffalo and New England, the Skins could possibly win a tie-breaker there and get in with at least one of the wild cards.

Nothing is for certain yet, but I'll break it down further after tomorrow's Vikings and Bears contest.

Skins @ Giants: Halftime

2007-12-16T22:02:00.001-05:00

Win-or-go-home-time.

So far the Skins look like they want. The biggest thing right now is that they are putting points on the board despite the high winds.

In recent years they haven't been able to rely on all these field goals, but Shaun Suisham is getting it done like John Hall never could. Three field goals in the first half and Betts' ballsy touchdown run have the Skins ahead 16-3 in the Meadowlands.

They need to keep the ball on the ground. Portis has 16 carries for 88 yards and the skins are consistently getting in the redzone. Collins is struggling — 4 of 18 — but still has 105 yards and the wind is bothering Eli just as much. Lil Manning has only 51 yards and is 6 of 21.

I'd like to see the blocking backs, whether it is Betts, Sellers or Cooley to get in behind Stephon Heyer who's struggling with that monster D-Line of the Giants. But once that ball is past the line of scrimmage the Skins wide-receivers need to continue blocking down field cause a big play or two could put this one away.

Check back after the game.