Month: February 2017

A big day for DC

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Washington DC has a lot going on right now in the world of sports. Aside from the Nationals, every team has something noteworthy going on. Lets dive right into it and break it down.

Redskins:

The Redskins finally tagged Kirk Cousins. Some people were surprised it happened essentially a day before the deadline, some are surprised it was an exclusive tag. If you don’t know the difference between a franchise tag and an exclusive tag, it just means the Redskins earned themselves just a tiny bit of control. The major question now is what happens next? Can they turn this into a long term deal?  My belief is that the exclusive tag was the only move possible. San Francisco was not going to give up two first round picks, and really they shouldn’t have. They could essentially wait it out and see if they can get Cousins next year for even less. So no sweetheart deal was coming our way. Cousins bet on himself and won. If the Redskins are ever going to DEFEAT THE CURSE they need to get Kirk to commit to a long term deal now before he has yet another productive year and we get put between yet another rock and hard place next off season.

Capitals:

The Capitals can smell the silver polish of the Stanley Cup. They salivate at the idea of skating around the rink and hoisting up that massive trophy. They define success by the simple phrase their GM Brian MacLellan was quoted saying: “Winning a championship”. Enter Kevin Shattenkirk. Easily the biggest fish available at the 2017 NHL trade deadline. The Caps paid a premium, took a risk, and won out in a bidding war with the Pittsburgh Penguins to bring in one of the best puck-moving defensemen available. Why is this move so huge? The core is shifting. Alex Ovechkin is closer to the end of his career and on his way down. The Caps most likely won’t be able to retain TJ Oshie AND Karl Alzner. Its simple, the Capitals have the best team in hockey by a large margin right now, but that can all change next year. Hopefully this move will catapult us back into the Stanley Cup playoffs and allow our whole city to smell that damn silver polish.

Wizards:

The Wizards will face the Warriors tonight. Steph Curry went 0-11 from the 3 point range last night. That was not a typo, Steph Curry tanked all this 3-point attempts. This does not bode well for a Wizards team that lost their last two games and have had a slow start since the break. Tonight will be a true representation of where this team stands and will magnify any glaring weaknesses we have. It’s no mystery we need help off the bench, especially at PG so that Wall can get quality resting minutes. Maybe we bring in Brandon Jennings, who as of this post, has given a verbal agreement with DC. The goal tonight will be to stay sharp on defense, not to turn over the ball and to hope and pray that Steph is off his game yet again. Typically, that doesn’t happen. Lucky for us fans, the Wiz tend to play up to their opponents and impress in the phonebooth. #FilltheBooth

Wizards Fast break: The Good, the Better, and the Ugly

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It’s been a while since we last posted about the Wizards, mainly for a couple reasons. The All-Star break was a snooze fest, the Wizards only played 2 games in the past 11 days, but then there was the trade deadline in which the Wizards made a move to acquire some bench help. I am feeling positive so in this blog series I am going to break it down to the good, the better, then the ugly.

Good

I am going to list Bojan Bogdanivic in the good category as of now. It’s too early to tell, this can easily move to the better or the ugly category. The Wizards gave up 2 players who haven’t played much this season, or haven’t lived up to their off season expectations and a protected first round pick for bench help and a developmental player in Chris McCollough. Bojan didn’t play too well in his first game as a Wizard on Friday against the 76ers, then picked it up against the Jazz scoring 15 points. Bojan hasn’t been able to create shots on his own, which is really what the Wizards needed. You have to give Bojan time to settle in, learn the style of play, the players, then see what he can offer. So far so good…let’s see what he can do mid March and beyond. I am excited to say the least.

Better

In this category one major thing happened, or I will say didn’t happen. None of the teams in the Eastern Conference really got better at the trade deadline. I was dead afraid of the Paul George to the Celtics rumors. That would make them a top contender in the East no doubt. They are still a scary team, but I would take my chances in a 7 game series. The Cavs you can say maybe got a little better with the trade in acquiring Deron Williams, a bona fide point guard. However he is probably past his prime, and who knows how the chemistry will work on that team. We all know that cry baby James is sensitive when things don’t go his way. In addition the team potentially took a big hit with the Kevin Love injury. Cleveland is still the favorite in the east but what we learned when they played here in D.C. is that the Wizards can contend with them. Then there is the Raptors who got better with a Serge Ibaka trade but got significantly worse today with the news of Kyle Lowry’s injury. I’ll never wish an injury on a player and I hope Kyle a full recovery, however this team is just not going to be the same without Kyle.

Ugly

There is no question about it, the Wizards backup point guard play is just plain old ugly. During Friday’s game against the 76ers, the ‘6ers pressured Trey Burke in the back court and he just had no answer. Pressuring your point guard and getting to him should not be a thing in the NBA. On Sunday Scott Brooks tried the Satoransky hand at PG, but that didn’t go much better. In turn having to pull John Wall off the bench after just a short rest. This is going to be the biggest Achilles heel in the Wizards lineup for the foreseeable future. Word on the street is that the Wizards are in play for Brandon Jennings’ services. At this point, I doubt it can get worse, so I am all in for it. The Wizards HAVE to find a way to give John more of a break, and this may be a possible solution. The Jennings watch has started..

 

Since the All-Star Break

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It’s been awhile since we’ve posted at Defeating the Curse. I’d like to say the reason was because we were working on some really exciting things to bring to the fans; but we’ve just been quiet. (Cough… Redskins management…cough).

Depending on who you ask, a lot has happened since the NBA All-Star break. Right before, the wizards had a FANTASTIC win against the OKC Thunder. That game was in Washington’s control from the start. I like to use the phrase “statement game” a lot. This was not one. This was just the wizards living up to their hype and delivering when they needed to. And on a nationally televised game. From there we beat the Pacers, take the All-Star break and begin trade rumors. The trade deadline is today at 3pm ET. So far the Wizards are getting Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough and giving up Marcus Thornton, Andrew Nicholson and a 2017 first-round pick. Additionally Trey Burke is apparently in the trading block for a second round pick. If that goes through, you have to question who would play PG with the second unit. It is likely that more trades are in the works today.

The Capitals suffered a few losses while we were gone. One came to the Detroit Red Wings via shootout, the second to one of the more aggravating teams, the NY Rangers. Thankfully we crushed the Philadelphia Flyers, which is always a good feeling. With the bye-week behind them, the focus now is fully on Stanley Cup and playing their best hockey yet. This should scare every team. Especially in the East. As fans of our local DC hockey team, we also need to be keeping an eye out on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Having them sneak into the playoffs could possibly mean a rough road for the Capitals in the playoffs. No team wants to have to go through the Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins. Side note — The curse applies here. Who would really be surprised to see a sudden hot Tampa team knock out a Washington team in the playoffs?

On to the Redskins. The now awkwardly quiet Washington Redskins. At first I was proud of my team keeping silent, working behind the scenes and not making any insane splashes that we as fans are used to. Now, I’m concerned. Someone tell us SOMETHING. Are we signing Kirk? Can we Keep Pierre? All of a sudden DeSean said he likes it here and wants to play with a franchise QB…does that mean Kirk? Since the same timeframe as the NBA All-Star break, Redskin fans have had to deal with the Washington Post publishing articles that frustrate almost every Redskins fan. Click-Bait much? There was a small fire surrounding Chris Cooley claiming our GM was drinking again, and Pierre Garcon asking “Y’all hiring” on his Instagram, which is now where us fans are receiving most of their information. Couple all those things with reports leaking out that it’s looking more and more like Kirk will not be staying with the Skins and I’d go full boycott. Hey…at least Bruce Allen put up a new sign!

Pierre Garcon is going to receive a lot of attention in free agency

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There are two headlines every Redskins fan is sick of hearing this offseason. The obvious is the Kirk situation, the second is our two free agent wide receivers. I’m reluctant to bring up the WR topic yet again, however I am starting to get concerned. From the first pass that RG3 threw, Pierre Garcon has been there. Sure handed, ready to play, and with a fight in him that you could tell ignited the entire team.

Before we get into it, you need to understand that this isn’t a post about choosing between DeSean of Pierre. If it were up to me, we’d keep both receivers. DeSean’s speed is unparalleled. Every defense has to account for him, simply because he can blow the top off any coverage. Pierre is the tough, over the middle, earn every yard receiver. Both are important. Both are talented. Both want to stay, yet both might be leaving. No disrespect to DeSean, but it doesn’t seem like teams are as interested in him as much as Pierre. To me that is shocking. His stats since 2008 are incredible. But we’ll save that for another post…

Pierre Garcon is generating a lot of buzz. According to The Washington Post’s Mike Jones, the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers are interested in Garcon’s services. Rumors are floating that the Ravens and Cardinals are interested as well. Thankfully he has stated many times he would love to stay in D.C., yet I find myself asking “who do you take in case PG isn’t around next year?” — My answer is Kenny Britt.

If I were Scot McCloughan I’d have a very difficult time deciding between the two. Kenny Britt is 28. Both DeSean AND Pierre are on the wrong side of 30. Kenny Britt is 6’3. DeSean is 5’10 and Pierre is 6’0. those few inches can make a huge difference. Especially with our red zone struggles. Kenny is also a 1000 yard receiver. 1,002 yard to be exact. Considering that was produced in the horrific Jeff Fisher-led Rams offense, I’m impressed. Who knew the Rams even gained that much yardage last year?! There are a few caveats you have to address however. Kenny Britt blew out his ACL/MCL back in the 2011/2012 season. He’s sprained his ankle, had a DUI, and overall kinda sucked before last year. Granted he was with the Tennessee Titans before Marcus Mariota and of course the Rams….two pretty bad teams.

Here is my dilemma – Pierre and Kenny will both want somewhere around 8m/year. Do you pay that much for an unknown receiver, who is younger and could possibly produce an even more productive year with a Kirk Cousins? Or do you pay your guy, who knows the team, the plays, the QB and has proven time and time again he is an integral part of the offense, but….is older? Also, you can’t forget about Jameson Crowder. One of the few draft picks the Redskins have that is actually producing. He’ll want his money next year. He can be your Pierre Garcon replacement. They are almost identical, except for the fact that Crowder is younger.

The decision is tough to make. Unfortunately the Redskins front office has kept all of us fans anxiously waiting for ANY news. Scot McCloughan and Bruce Allen have some big decisions ahead of them. Hopefully they make the right decision…and KEEP PIERRE GARCON!

Thats right. I don’t want him to go anywhere. The most important fact is Garçon worked alongside Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison, six-time Pro Bowler Reggie Wayne and surefire Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. You can see week in and week out he learned a lot from those guys. Hopefully he can stay and be that mentor to our up and coming receivers too.