Posts by Unsilent Majority at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

FanHouse is posting the top five current athletes for America's top 25 cities with the following criteria: 1) Who would a DC sports fan say is his/her favorite athlete? 2) Would the player's name (or face) be familiar to locals who don't follow sports?

Find your city's top five: ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DC | DEN | DET | HOU | IND | LA | MIA | MIL | MIN | NO | NY | SF | PHI | PHO | PIT | SD | SEA | STL

I want to say something before we get started. This is all about judging the most popular and relevant athletes in Washington DC. For those of you who may have forgotten this is a football town, the Redskins dominate the sports landscape for better or worse, depending on your perspective. So let me just apologize in advance to the loyal fans of the Nats and the United.

5. Roy Hibbert: The Magnificent Roy may be young but he's already been on the minds of DC sports fans for a number of years. After rooting against him for four years in high school I've had to learn to love him the same way he had to learn to run when he came to Georgetown (apparently Prep forgot to teach him that). This is going to be the year of Georgetown basketball and Roy will be leading the charge.

4. Alexander Ovechkin: DC isn't a hockey town but the Capitals have maintained a loyal and dedicated fan base despite the NHL's declining popularity in the wake of the recent lockout. It can be argued that Alexander the Great is solely responsible for that anomaly. He's an enigmatic young star at the top of his game and he talks good American. Of course he might be higher on this list if his nicknames weren't so pedestrian.

Jon Jansen isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and I couldn't be happier with the news. As part of the off-season long mission to fit under the salary cap Jansen's deal was restructured. He'll now see more money up front (in the form of a $10 million signing bonus) with two years being tacked on to the end of the contract.

The Redskins' leader in longevity has been a stalwart on the offensive line since he was drafted in 1999. You remember that, when we drafted good players that stuck around--weird. Well now the 31 year-old is locked up for five years with a total contract value adding up to $23 million. It's rare to say such a thing about a pro athlete, especially one wearing burgundy pants. Jansen's a warrior and he plays hurt even when the team is playing for nothing but pride.

Once again it's great to see the team getting all of this out of the way well in advance of the draft and the opening of free agency. They've got a lot of depth to add and a few holes to fill, the sooner their financials are in order the better prepared they'll be to overpay for whichever big name player doesn't get franchised. YAY!

No I'm actually quite optimistic, why do you ask?

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Lord of the Blogs aka Jamie Mottram fulfilled his greatest dream during Super Bowl week--and it had nothing to do with strippers! While covering all of the goings-on for Sports Bloggers Live Jamie had the opportunity to interview some of the big news-makers around the league, but nothing could match up to everybody's favorite Redskin. The man, the myth, the Clinton.

Below you can see some video Jamie shot over at the Madden Bowl competition. Apparently Clinton was a bit disappointed with his elimination and he's obviously not afraid to get vocal.

For more from Jamie, including his must-hear interview with the enigmatic back and pictures of the best dressed man in town check out Mr. Irrelevant. Oh and Clinton, nice choice on the Creative Recreations... truly a man after my own heart.

YouTube

If you've been hanging around these parts during the off season you're probably familiar with this running series (if not click here, here, here, and especially here). Well it's become apparent that I'm not the only one out there thinking this way; the Redskins front office has begun their own evaluations.

In this morning's Washington Post the indispensable Jason La Canfora informed us that the Redskins are ready to to set the salary cap wheels in motion, their first task--James Thrash. OK, he's not the most interesting case study of the off-season but the team expects to shave a reported $380,000 off of the wide receiver/special teamer's 2007 cap number. Remember, this doesn't mean he took some kind of pay-cut, all they've done is move around some bonus money to create room under next year's salary cap. In exchange for his willingness to do almost nothing the franchise rewarded Thrash by tacking two more years onto the back end of his contract.

Obviously this is a positive move for the Skins. At times I've been a bit of a Thrash hater (actually I just hate the single wide formation they run with him... way to sell the illusion of the pass Mr. Saunders!) but it's become clear that he's a great leader and part of the ever-so-fragile "core" of the team. He's never going to standout for his leaping ability, speed, or size but he makes plays every damn week without fail.

It's the first of many steps the Skins brass (as well as the capologist they keep locked in the closet 10 months a year) will take towards fielding a competitive team next year. According to La Canfora you can expect to see several of Thrash's more noteworthy teammates restructure their contracts. So far the team has been in contact with the representatives for such players as Mark Brunell, Shawn Springs, and Jon Jansen. Stay tuned for more...

I'm finally checking in from my vacation with a video worthy of my precious time. The guys at WPGC put together their remix to Chamillionaire's Ridin' Dirty, it's subsequently been set to images and uploaded onto YouTube. Enjoy the tribute and look for my draft prospect previews starting up this week.

Now that the "regular" season is over it's finally time to get down to business. If you're a true Redskins fan you know that our time to shine is nigh, it's the OFF-SEASON!

With that in mind Redskins Fanhouse will kick off the festivities by running down the team's unsigned free agents and potential cap-casualties (this could take a while). I'll try to offer up opinions on what I believe would be best for the organization and what I believe they'll really do.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is where the Redskins' off-season truly begins. Dockery is part of a dying breed, his talents have been developed in-house much like Ladell Betts. The way the franchise handles his contract negotiation will tell us how serious they are about reevaluating their philosophy regarding personnel.

2007 Salary Cap Number: Whatever the market will bear...

Importance to Team: With all due respect to Elvis Costello, nobody commits the false start quite like our own Double D. Regardless, young and physically dominating guards don't become available all that often. The team was fortunate to land Randy Thomas a couple of years back and they shouldn't be counting on another starter materializing in front of their faces. When the Redskins lack talent and continuity on the offensive line the team invariably struggles to find its way.

It really does suck when the Redskins aren't around to partake in the playoffs. Fortunately there are still reasons for local fans to watch this weekend, it's the DC Football Diaspora!

All over the league Washington's native sons are leading their own teams to glory. While I normally wouldn't enjoy watching teams like the Ravens and Colts there I have found a reason to remain riveted. Instead of rooting for teams that I hate I can cheer for the all the players I remember for their high school glory. Here's a sampling of the great local players still alive headed into the Divisional round of the playoffs.

Shawne Merriman San Diego- How can you not love a guy who's nickname was PEPCO? Changing it to "Lights Out" may have been better for the national audience but I'll always think of him when a begrudgingly pay my electric bill .

Jonathan Ogden Baltimore- Despite the fact that Ogden went to St. Albans (a hated rival) and now plays for Baltimore (just hated in general) I still love the guy. He's been a perennial Pro Bowler which is no surprise to anybody in the IAC.

Dhani Jones Philadelphia- The only NFL player to grace the set of the Colbert Report is also one of my favorite players (even though he's played for Philly and New York). The mercurial linebacker is also known for designing his own bow ties. Perhaps after the season is over he could come back to Churchill High in Potomac and figure out just what the hell is going on over there.

Now that the "regular" season is over it's finally time to get down to business. If you're a true Redskins fan you know that our time to shine is nigh, it's the OFF-SEASON!

With that in mind Redskins Fanhouse will kick off the festivities by running down the team's unsigned free agents and potential cap-casualties (this could take a while). I'll try to offer up opinions on what I believe would be best for the organization and what I believe they'll really do.

Today our task is not quite as difficult as others. We are here to examine the fate of Adam Archuleta. When we're done he can go cry himself to sleep on Jennifer Walcott's substantial pillows.

2007 Salary Cap Number: $2,428,000

Importance to Team: SPECIAL (teams)! We all know the story on Mr. Arch by now; first he was given the biggest contract in the history of the safety position, then he was written off as the biggest mistake in the history of free agency. If he were gone tomorrow it would have little impact on the team itself.

Over the course of the past week I slowly began to prepare myself for the unbridled misery of the NFL playoffs opening weekend. Not only did Dallas have a chance for glory but either the Giants or the Eagles are headed into the next round. Just thinking about it was enough to make me boycott the NFC playoffs (especially when you consider the crap-tastic participants).

Then last night happened, and suddenly I'm giddy like Gilbert on stage with Diddy. Watching Dallas blow last night's game in Seattle was pretty much everything I could have hoped for (if only Bill Parcells had gotten run over like JoePa!). In fact, it was the single greatest moment in the playoffs since the Giants fumbled that field goal snap against San Francisco. Things were just starting to look pretty good in Dallas and last night's events might be just enough to destroy their foundation. Parcells is going to bail, Jones is going to hire somebody stupid, and the Romo/TO feud will reach it's fruition come next season.

Last night's game has even gotten me excited for this afternoon's deplorable divisional match-up. Even though I can hardly imagine myself watching without the aid of some financial interest I know have something to root for, the complete and utter humiliation of one franchise. So what exactly could happen today that would match yesterday's debacle? Let's take a look.

1. Eli Manning plays the way everyone on Earth expects him to, he throws more interceptions than completions and prompts Giant fans all over the tri-state area to burn his Fathead in effigy.

2. Philly plays an amazing offensive game under the guidance of Jeff Garcia. The eastern half of Pennsylvania falls in love with his magnificently shiny forehead and a quarterback controversy rages throughout the off-season. Donovan gets so pissed off that he manages to opt out of his contract. A.J. Feeley manages to win the starting job and Heather Mitts lands a job on the cheerleading squad.

Enjoy the misery!

Thanks to our friend Skin Patrol from Hogs Haven I was able to view the greatest video ever assembled by man, beast, or machine. A website appropriately entitled Monk for the Hall has released 21 minutes of pure rebuttal to all those who choose to not vote Art Monk into the Hall of Fame.

While it features an incredible collection of video highlights chronicling his many records and milestones it's best feature is it's reasoned counter-argument. For ease of viewing it's available broken down into six glorious sections, but you should really watch the full opus. Even Dr. Z would have to back Monk's bid for Canton after a single viewing.

Perhaps my favorite part of the video is the praise Monk received from some of the most respected men in the league's history. First comes the gushing of Howard Cosell and John Madden, that's followed by countless endorsements from a wide spectrum of Monk's peers.

Of course all Redskins fans should feel compelled to watch the video but I urge others to watch it as well. It does a perfect job of presenting one of the greatest careers in NFL history. When they vote him in I'll be there to enjoy the enshrinement, that's about the only way you'll get me inside of Ohio.

Monk4theHall