Juan More Time

Former Maryland star Juan Dixon is returning to the Wizards, which means the Dixon bobblehead on my desk is now only a throwback in the sense that it's from a time when some people thought he could score 20 points per game as a full-time starter.

Washington selected Dixon with the 17th pick in the 2002 draft and even then some wondered whether that was too early to take the spindly 6-foot-3 guard. I like Dixon as much much more than the next guy, but six years after he carried the Terps to their first national title, it's clear that he will never approach the same star status in the NBA. In nearly 400 career games, he has averaged 9 points while making only 34 percent of his three-point attempts. Still, based on what became of some of the players selected after Dixon that year, the Wizards could have done much, much worse. Take a stroll down memory lane, which in this instance is littered with trash.

18. Curtis Borchardt, C, Stanford: Drafted by Orlando and promptly traded to Utah, the oft-injured Borchardt missed his rookie season and then averaged 3.1 points in parts of two seasons with the Jazz. He's now playing in Spain.

19. Ryan Humphrey, F, Notre Dame: Humphrey averaged 2.3 points in 85 games with Memphis and Orlando. He's now playing in Italy.

20. Kareem Rush, G, Missouri: Drafted by Toronto and traded to the Lakers. Has averaged 6.8 points in over 300 games.

21. Qyntel Woods, F, NE Mississippi CC: Drafted by Portland, Woods fit right in with the Jail Blazers. During the 2004-05 season he plead guilty to first-degree animal cruelty for staging dog fights at his house. On the court, Woods played more like a pitbull with lipstick during his forgettable NBA career. He's now playing in Bologna.

22. Casey Jacobsen, G, Stanford: Put it this way: The highlight of Jacobsen's post-college career was winning finals MVP of the 2007 German Basketball Championship -- with a team called the Brose Baskets.

23. Tayshaun Prince, F, Kentucky: OK, so picking Prince might have been a better decision.

24. Nenad Krstic, F, Yugoslavia: Yawn.

25. Frank Williams, G, Illinois: Deron Williams > Dee Brown > Frank Williams > Kenny Battle

26. John Salmons, F, Miami: Has blossomed in Sacramento the last two seasons after four years as a reserve with the Sixers.

27. Chris Jefferies, F, Fresno St.: He played 72 games in the NBA, averaging 3.9 points.

28. Dan Dickau, G, Gonzaga: At least his girlfriend was hot.

An Open Letter to Carlos Rogers

Dear Carlos,

Heck of an interception, man. Nice return, too. The Redskins couldn’t have won yesterday without you. You know all those nasty things I’ve said about you recently, comparing your hands to those of Chubs in Happy Gilmore and whatnot? Well, I think I probably, uh, kind of, owe you – hold on.

I think you cemented your reputation in my mind as having cement hands back in ’06. You were in Seattle, playing the Seahawks in the second-round of the playoffs after an improbable run to the postseason and a win over Tampa Bay the week before. You guys were up 3-0 in the second quarter, the Qwest Field fans were unusually quiet, and they were about to be reduced to silence. Matt Hasselbeck dropped back to pass and eyed Maurice Morris in the flat. You, playing Cover 2, read the play like a book and jumped the route, nothing but daylight – light rain, really – between you and the end zone. You were about to go ahead 10-0, on the road, in the playoffs. Strike up the band, Hail to the Redskins, this magical streak was going to continue. But you dropped the ball, Seattle eventually scored a touchdown on the drive, and you never led again.

“I had it in my hands, for a second,” you told reporters after the game. Little did anyone know at the time that those words would define the first few years of your career. You were abysmal in 2006 and sadly blew out your knee last year. If only you had torn three ligaments in one of your hands, you wouldn’t have had to miss any time because, well, you don’t use them anyway. You worked hard in rehab during the offseason, though, and it was good to see you back on the field against the Giants in Week 1. Until, that is, Eli Manning decided to pick on you and I wished you were on the sideline. To your credit, you bounced back and played well the following week against the Saints.

And then there was yesterday. The interception, with the assist by Leigh Torrence, was a thing of beauty. As the tipped ball fluttered into your hands – and (gasp!) stayed there – Redskins fans at the bar where I was watching shot up out of their seats. Two guys in front of me knocked over the same bottle of beer twice while slapping hands during the ensuing celebration, a fitting display if there ever was one after an interception by you!

So what I was trying to say, ‘Los, is that I shouldn’t have been so quick to compare you to Edward Scissorhands. You’re more like Roberto Duran. But seriously, I hope you savor the win, rest up, and watch a lot of video of Patrick Crayton. And Carlos? I'm finally confident you won't drop the remote.

Sincerely,
Scott

[Photo: The Washington Times]

The 'Tana Man Can

In the span of 10 days after a humiliating season-opening loss to the Giants, the Washington Redskins re-learned the intricacies of football; namely, the orange first-down markers on the sidelines are not pre-Halloween decorations and throwing the ball beyond them from time to time is generally a good idea. Jason Campbell, who showed a presence in the pocket that was lacking in Week 1, delivered a beautiful deep ball to Santana Moss for the winning touchdown. A Redskins QB hasn't thrown a ball that far since Mark Brunell, who watched from the Saints' sideline Sunday, hooked up with Moss for two miraculous touchdowns to beat Dallas in '05. Clinton Portis complemented the Skins' aerial attack with a game that can only be described in true Gibbsian fashion as hard-fought.

The defense was stout, with Chris Horton finding himself in the right place at the right time for a pair of interceptions that even Carlos Rogers could have made. Cornelius Griffin came up with a huge sack, Jason Taylor played like the All-Pro that he is, and LaRon Landry continued to show why he will be the hard-hitting face of the defense for years to come.

Arizona comes to Landover next Sunday and could provide a stiffer test, believe it or not, than the Saints. While New Orleans was without star wide receiver Marques Colston and several starters on defense, Arizona's offense is rolling behind Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin. That trio figures to test Rogers, Springs and Co. all afternoon; Todd Yoder willing, they'll answer the challenge.

Phelps: Australian for Fast

Poor Michael Phelps. After delivering an unspectacular performance as host of SNL's season premiere, the Golden Boy Dolphin was probably hoping to watch Sunday night's Browns-Steelers game while drinking what appears to be Foster's out of the spotlight. Let's just hope he was adhering to the "No Guzzling" rule.

Ryan Zimmerman is Todd Boeckman

Though both of their respective teams lost, Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman had a decidedly better individual performance Saturday night (2-for-3, BB, R) than Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman (14-for-21, 84, 2 INT). Or did he?

Poor Carlos Quentin

By now you've heard that White Sox wunderkind Carlos Quentin broke his wrist by slamming his right hand against his bat after fouling off a pitch on Friday. Methinks Quentin was actually more angry about the fact that his alma mater's game at Arizona State tonight is only on Fox Sports Net Arizona than a silly foul ball.

Coming Out Flat

I'll say this about Jim Zorn's head coaching debut: It sure made watching the Republican National Convention afterward seem enjoyable. In their first meaningful game since upsetting the previously undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl, the Giants spoiled another bid for perfection with an easy 16-7 win over the Redskins at the Meadowlands. So much for 19-0; 0-16, though, looks attainable.

Where to start?

Carlos Rogers belongs in the Arena Football League. No, he belongs in AFL2. He can't cover, he can't tackle, and he evidently can't catch. I know he and Fred Smoot are defensive backs and not wide receivers for a reason, but they both have two hands, 10 fingers, and, unlike Sen. McCain, can lift their arms above their shoulders. Combined, the chopstick-handed duo dropped three balls that should have been intercepted. A shortlist of potential replacements that Vinny Cerrato should invite to Redskins Park this week: Edward Scissorhands, Jim Abbott, and Antonio Alfonseca.

I know Halloween is right around the corner, but those first down markers on the sidelines aren't just for decoration. Why, then, did the Redskins repeatedly call plays on third down that left them a yard or two short of the sticks? Credit the Giants for making open-field tackles when they had to, but come on, Jason Campbell and his receivers need to be more aware of where they are and how many yards they need on a given play.

Zorn's clock management late in the game left something to be desired. Running the 6-minute drill when you're trailing by 9 points isn't going to cut it. The play-calling as a whole was atrocious. Campbell looked flustered in the pocket, the offensive line allowed too much penetration and the revamped defensive line showed little push for most of the night.

I'm not about to jump off the Bandwagon and I don't think that criticizing the Redskins for one of their most embarrassing performances in recent memory makes one a disloyal fan. Bring on New Orleans. 15-1 aint' so bad.