When Gibbs Is at His Best- December 28, 2007 While there's precious little that connects labor disputes and the killing of a player, fact is they are acts that put undue and atypical stress on any team. Yet, the longer we observe Joe Gibbs and his football teams the more certain we become that he is uniquely adept at dealing with upheaval that overwhelms most other men.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/27/AR2007122702382.html?nav=r... Jordan Sticks to the Plan- December 20, 2007 Eddie Jordan isn't one of those coaches who lives in a cave, without any idea of what's going on around him. He's not going to tell you he doesn't watch TV, doesn't hear what people are talking about. So when the Washington Wizards started the season 0-5, Jordan was acutely aware he was taking most of the blame. It was thought in quite a few NBA circles that the Wizards needed to have a decent NovemberDecember or Jordan, the longest-tenured coach in the Eastern Conference, might be looking at...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/19/AR2007121902710.html?nav=r... January Arrives Early- December 18, 2007 MINNEAPOLIS Nearly as sweet as the NFL playoffs is the desperation that precedes them. We saw it Sunday night in the Meadowlands, where the more desperate team, the one that simply couldn't afford to lose, beat the one that didn't have that sense of urgency -- yet. The playoffs may not begin until the first Saturday of January but don't kid yourself. Single elimination is here, or so teams feel going into the final two weeks of the regular season.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/18/AR2007121800019.html?nav=r... The Sentence Reflects the Lies- December 11, 2007 ATLANTA -- It caught most of us by surprise, the length of the sentence handed down Monday, when perhaps it shouldn't have. When two of his co-conspirators were sentenced a few weeks back to 18 and 21 months respectively, we should have known Michael Vick wasn't going to get a year or 15 months. He wasn't going to get less jail time than the people who delivered him to the feds. He wasn't going to get less jail time when it was his money that financed the dogfighting enterprise that was his...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/10/AR2007121002051.html?nav=r... A Big Win, A Big Loss- December 7, 2007 Usually victory on any given Sunday, Monday or even Thursday is about all that matters in the NFL, whether it's the undefeated Patriots, winless Dolphins or everybody in between. Pro football, demanding as it is, doesn't waste a lot of time with context.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/07/AR2007120700030.html?nav=r... With Tables Turned, No Mercy Is Shown- December 6, 2007 As sweet as his disposition is most of the time, Caron Butler can look at the end of the Wizards' bench and become annoyed quickly. The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers were in Washington, last April for the playoffs, Butler was sitting in the very last seat on the home team sideline, his broken hand wrapped, unable to play. "That seat right there," Butler said 45 minutes before last night's tip-off. "I was sitting right there, in that seat, looking over at Agent Zero, helpless to do anything..http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/05/AR2007120503083.html?nav=r... A Tale to Tell- December 4, 2007 BALTIMORE If the New England Patriots put together the perfect regular season, if they can do what no NFL team has done and finish 16-0, they'll undoubtedly tell the story of the one they stole from the Baltimore Ravens. They'll smile at the memory of surviving on a cold, blustery, contentious night when the outcome was in doubt, right down to the final desperate heave and incredibly unlikely catch-and-struggle 72 inches or so from the goal line.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/04/AR2007120400105.html?nav=r... |