Extremeskins: Behind the scenes at Skins vs Bengals (FINAL UPDATE)

[Tarhog]

Extremeskins: Behind the scenes at Skins vs Bengals (with Pre-Game and Game Photo Libraries)

Not to be redundant, but....

Wow.

The Bengals game marked a turning point for Extremeskins as we enjoyed our first taste of true fan access at FedEx Field. Arriving at the media lot several hours before the game, Brian Murphy (themurf) and I were shuttled to the media gate. The first impression of FedEx Field as we obtained our media credentials and entered the tunnel is that its essentially a small city. And its run by a highly effective, efficient government The Redskins know quality people when they see them, and they've hired lots and lots of them. Despite our media inexperience (lets face it - we're FANS, not reporters!), we were graciously helped along by professional staff every step of the way.

After getting our bearings Brian and I headed through the tunnel out onto the field. Soon, Redskins and Bengals began trickling out onto the field for pre-game warm-ups. Standing on FedEx Field and seeing the players up close was more than a little surreal. In addition to watching the team warm-up, we got some bonus experiences, such as seeing Darrell Green, Joe Theismann, and Brian Mitchell doing some interviews. Hue Jackson made an appearance as well. The players seemed loose and excited to be playing at home for the first time in 2005. All 3 quarterbacks were solid as a rock during warmups.

As we approached game time, I headed up to the Pressbox for the 1st half.

The press box is a corner of the endzone opposite the jumbotron, above the lower bowl. Everything you could want is available, rosters, stat sheets, internet/phone access, TV monitors, refreshments. Its a beautiful setup. I stayed in the Pressbox for the 1st half while Brian snapped sideline photos.

But I couldn't resist the allure of the field for the 2nd half.

Being on the sidelines for the 2nd half was one of the most exciting experiences of my life - right up there with stepping off for the ground war in Desert Storm!

Its amazing, not only just to be there, but to see the plays develop at ground level, and to see the dynamics of the players and coaches on the sidelines as the game progresses. Navigating through and past the Redskin's cheerleaders is a challenge at times, but Brian and I made that sacrifice so we could bring you guys some great pictures!

After the game, we headed to the interview room to hear Coach Gibb's post-game remarks (the question about the play of our special teams was Brians), and to the locker room where we listened in on some player remarks you'll find on Redskins.com. To close out an incredible night, we did a brief interview with Darnerian McCants .

I've barely slept, and haven't read a word of what you guys have written on the board about the game. But I'll give you my quick impressions. Ramsey was Jekyll and Hyde out there tonight. He made some great throws, and seems to be developing a real affinity for David Patten. His footwork has definitely improved this year. But he also inexplicably threw right at clearly covered receivers a number of times, with predictable results, and several times held on to the ball instead of getting rid of it resulting in negative plays. Overall though, I was more encouraged by his play than I suspect most will be. Our wide receivers were open all night long. My only concern there is that we appear to have no one (save possibly D-Mac) who is effectively going to be able to go after the 'jump ball'. Ramsey threw several lame ducks that a bigger, taller receiver might have come down with.

Brunell looked solid guys. One thing he is adept at, and which Ramsey struggles with, is making some lateral moves to avoid the rush. On at least 3 plays last night, Brunell avoided what looked to be clear sacks to make a completion. I'm seeing progress with Patrick on that front, but with Brunell, its almost instinctive and effortless. Earning an 85.9 QB rating to Ramsey's 66.7, it came down to making fewer mistakes last night for Brunell (albeit against 2nd and 3rd stringers). I'd have to say, overall, the offense looked better. Rock Cartwright is making some serious noise (a 7.3 yd per carry average last night!), Betts was solid as a rock (no pun intended) and averaged 5.0 yds/carry. And Nemo continues to impress and picked up some very tough yds, averaging 3.3 yds/carry.

Our Special Teams play looks vastly improved over last year. We're pinning teams on kickoffs and punt coverage (for the most part) and Antonio Brown continues to be a scary threat on run backs. Brown ran for 69 yds on 3 kickoff returns, and 31 yds on 2 punt returns. He also caught 3 passes for 46 yds, more than Santana last night. He's slowly working his way up the WR depth chart as well, and I think its likely Antonio turns out to be a far more prolific offensive weapon this year than any of us predicted heading into 2005. We nearly blocked several punts, and our kickers looked sharp.

On defense, Marcus Washington was all over the field last night, and I thought Pierson Prioleau looked great as well. Rogers looked like a rookie corner a couple times, but overall played well. Garnell Wilds, Ryan Boschetti, and Charles Howard had solid games. The Bengals were able to run wide on us at times, but were generally stuffed going up the middle. Tackling was strong and there were definitely some strong hits being laid. Gregg Williams was very animated on the sidelines and clearly thinks his guys can do better.

This game, despite the mistakes, was a better performance overall than last week against the Panthers. The offense, althought it made some drive-killing mistakes at critical junctures, showed it could move the ball. This despite being without Clinton Portis. That to me, despite Ramsey making several questionable throws, is encouraging.

As was probably clear to all who watched the Redskins.com post-game comments, Coach Gibbs was definitely not happy with the errors. As he said, they cost us the game, and despite this being just a pre-season game, those are the types of errors winning teams can't make. The hallmark of every Gibb's-coached team of the past has been forcing the other guys to make those mistakes, and limiting them on our side of the field. We've got a ways to go on that front. On a positive note, Special Teams continued to shine in this game. Coach Gibbs spoke to their continued improvement in response to a post-game question from Extremeskin's own Brian Murphy.

Thanks to the incredible Washington Redskin's Staff for making our first peek behind the curtain an incredible one. As we get a little more skilled at navigating our new environment, we hope to bring you better game coverage from a FAN'S PERSPECTIVE than you can get anywhere on the net. Stay tuned to this thread for lots and lots of photo's to come over this weekend!

:helmet: Pre-Game Warmup Photos

:helmet: A View from the Pressbox

I took quite a few pics from the Pressbox, and I'll share a few with you....but once you see the sideline photos, you'll understand why I quickly abandoned the box and got down on the field.

2nd Half Game Photos

As Brian relates, its a fine line between getting a good photo, and getting decked by a player making a sideline play. The cheerleader pom poms alone are a hazard (although admittedly, one worth risking). Bobzmuda asked for some anecdotes, so I'll share one Brian experienced....after Carlos Rogers got burned and was coming off the field, Darrell Green pulled him aside and whispered some 'helpful hints' in his ear.

Rogers nodded and patted Green on the shoulder. Brian asked Green 'Hey Darrell, what'd you tell Carlos?'. Greens a slick cat. His reply 'I don't remember'. Additionally, I'd like to add that Randy Thomas is one of the funniest and classiest guys on the team. As he was coming off the field, a female fan was screaming loudly for him and asked him for his gloves.

He smiled, shook his head, and finally threw them at her.

They fell short, and for a brief moment, Brian Murphy held the glorious items in his hand. But being a class act (or maybe because the fan in question was nice looking and flashing her baby blues) he surrendered the gloves to her. She was, apparently, pretty excited

[jds84]

Great report Tarhog! First pic doesn't seem to load completely. Totally agree with the Ramsey description ("jekyl and hyde"). Would really like to see Gibbs not necessarily start Brunell but at least give him some 1st string snaps. That way we, as well as the coaches, can make a more apples to apples comparison. Hail Skins!

[bubba9497]

Overall though, I was more encouraged by his play than I suspect most will be

:notworthy

Bingo!

I have been excited all morning about last night...... the OL could be dominate, and when CP starts tearing up, play action will be scary good .

[PCS]

I'd comment but I'm busy turning about 50 different shades of green with envy right now. Get back to you on this.

Great stuff John. Thanks.

[LarryBrownsFan]

Thanks, man. This is like having a buddy go to the game and then tell you all about it. You get more enjoyment out of the hearing just because you can tell how much fun your buddy had! You get excited because he's excited while he's telling you what happened. And you know there's no BS. He's telling you EXACTLY what went down. You both may not agree on evrything but he know's you want to hear everything he has to say. This is going to be a great season!

[Blondie]

Tar,

If I put my hair under a cap, do you think I could pass as one of you and get on the field?

Great stuff you lucky devil.

Blondie

[Master Chief]

You Guys are the luckiest in the world. Great report:eaglesuck

[Tarhog]

Originally posted by Blondie

Tar,

If I put my hair under a cap, do you think I could pass as one of you and get on the field?

Great stuff you lucky devil.

Blondie

I have something nice for you Blondie - your guy had a big night, and we've got some great pics of him doing it.

Btw....sorry guys for the delay in photos - but they'll be up this evening!

[jbooma]

Tar,

Are you going to be able to do this for every game?? You da man :notworthy

[TK]

Originally posted by LarryBrown

Thanks, man. This is like having a buddy go to the game and then tell you all about it. You get more enjoyment out of the hearing just because you can tell how much fun your buddy had! You get excited because he's excited while he's telling you what happened. And you know there's no BS. He's telling you EXACTLY what went down. You both may not agree on evrything but he know's you want to hear everything he has to say. This is going to be a great season!

He gets it. He really gets it.

[TK]

John, how's that 'wow' factor now?

[Isifhan]

Great stuff guys if this is what we have to look forward to for the rest of the season access wise it's going to be a great year :notworthy

[Tarhog]

Several staff members will be covering every game. Its early here, so we're just now working out how we'll cover games. Its possible we may do a live-game blog kind of a thing, where we give you updates as the game progresses, we're just not sure yet. But if you all have ideas on what you'd most like to see and hear, let us know. One thing we WILL be asking you all is WHO do you most want to hear from in post-game interviews from the locker room. We obviously can't make guarantees, but we'd certainly go out of our way to talk to the guys you all are most interested in (we may even solicit questions during the game from you guys, and ask those if its possible).

There are a lot of possibilities.

Coolest thing here is, fans have never been this close to their team, and we're only getting started. Props to the Redskins for caring enough about their fanbase to give us this opportunity

[themurf]

From Nunyo's article this morning:

Ramsey received a smattering of boos on Washington's unsuccessful first drive. On his third drive, on second and seven from Cincinnati's 48-yard line, Ramsey overthrew Patten and heard about it from the crowd. "Quarterbacks . . . have [to have] a tough outer shell," Gibbs said.

The fact that Nunyo mentioned this particular play is very funny to me. As the ball sailed past Patten, I looked up and thought "Man, I can't believe how close I am to the action."

Seconds later I quickly moved out of the way as Patten sprinted out of bounds and knocked over my camera bag that was sitting on the ground right in front of where I had just been standing.

So let it be known that with 13:10 left in the first quarter, I was so close to the action that David Patten almost plowed me. And I loved every second of it.

[Neophyte]

Thanks guys. Great stuff. I am with PCS in the "green with envy" catagory right now. Wow.

[iheartskins]

Thanks John, I'm down in your neck of the woods right now, (Wise, North Carolina on Lake Gaston) without a working TV. Your report provided a great perspective on all the goings on.

I appreciate it!

[TK]

Originally posted by themurf

From Nunyo's article this morning:

Ramsey received a smattering of boos on Washington's unsuccessful first drive. On his third drive, on second and seven from Cincinnati's 48-yard line, Ramsey overthrew Patten and heard about it from the crowd. "Quarterbacks . . . have [to have] a tough outer shell," Gibbs said.

The fact that Nunyo mentioned this particular play is very funny to me. As the ball sailed past Patten, I looked up and thought "Man, I can't believe how close I am to the action."

Seconds later I quickly moved out of the way as Patten sprinted out of bounds and knocked over my camera bag that was sitting on the ground right in front og where I had just been standings.

So let it be known that with 13:10 left in the first quarter, I was so close to the action that David Patten almost plowed me. An I loved every second of it.

Reminds me of a story from mini camp involving myself, a camcorder, & Marcus Washington during drills.

[Art]

JB,

I think we're going to have a hard time getting to the Denver game this year, so we may miss that. Part of being a bit understaffed for the new access is leaving some things on the table. Having only one staffer at particular games or having no one at at least one is what we'll see.

We'll be requesting help from guys who can write -- including writers from other sites who are ready to make the move to the ONLY place they can get access. At this point, though, we're still learning the ropes ourselves.

[Art]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, once we figure out what the heck we're doing, it won't just be those of us on staff or added to staff who'll be able to go to the games. We're going to start selecting fans here to come with us so we hope a lot of you eventually, over the years, get opportunities to tag along and experience something you've not experienced before.

This partnership with the team is designed to improve the experience for all of you, not just the staff here. And we're going to try to follow through to make that happen for a lot of you.

[airborneskins]

Originally posted by themurf

So let it be known that with 13:10 left in the first quarter, I was so close to the action that David Patten almost plowed me. An I loved every second of it.

:notworthy :notworthy :notworthy

[riggins44]

Originally posted by Art

JB,

We'll be requesting help from guys who can write -- including writers from other sites who are ready to make the move to the ONLY place they can get access. At this point, though, we're still learning the ropes ourselves.

Guess I better take an English refresher course. I am well versed

in "bubbaonics". :laugh:

[Skinsfan1311]

Wow! Thanks for the report. While reading it, I felt as if I was right there! Thanks, again Tarhog....keep up the good work. For the record...I'm extremely jealous!!

[DieselPwr44]

Great job Tarhog and Murf. I can't wait to see the pics you guys have. I won't get to see the replay until later tonight(NFL Net.) but between the game thread and your report, I 'll know a little bit of what to look for.

BTW, how did we do in the penalty dept. last night,especially the offensive line?

Great stuff as always.........

[slackermike]

I have to agree with PCS, I'm green with envy also. Sounds like a real experience to be that close to the action.

I remember how I felt just looking out at the field when I entered FedEx the first time. I can't imagine actually being on the sidelines during a game.

[Ax]

Originally posted by Art

Oh, and I forgot to mention, once we figure out what the heck we're doing, it won't just be those of us on staff or added to staff who'll be able to go to the games. We're going to start selecting fans here to come with us so we hope a lot of you eventually, over the years, get opportunities to tag along and experience something you've not experienced before.

This partnership with the team is designed to improve the experience for all of you, not just the staff here. And we're going to try to follow through to make that happen for a lot of you.

I would like to officially offer my services, as a translator, to the Extremeskins staff.

My specialty is Hillbillybonics.

As an example of my expertise, I offer a translation of the following two paragraghs, from Tarhog's excellent report.

After getting our bearings Brian and I headed through the tunnel out onto the field. Soon, Redskins and Bengals began trickling out onto the field for pre-game warm-ups. Standing on FedEx Field and seeing the players up close was more than a little surreal. In addition to watching the team warm-up, we got some bonus experiences, such as seeing Darrell Green, Joe Theismann, and Brian Mitchell doing some interviews. Hue Jackson made an appearance as well. The players seemed loose and excited to be playing at home for the first time in 2005. All 3 quarterbacks were solid as a rock during warmups.

As we approached game time, I headed up to the Pressbox for the 1st half. The press box is a corner of the endzone opposite the jumbotron, above the lower bowl. Everything you could want is available, rosters, stat sheets, internet/phone access, TV monitors, refreshments. Its a beautiful setup. I stayed in the Pressbox for the 1st half while Brian snapped sideline photos (which I'll share later today), but I couldn't resist the allure of the field for the 2nd half.

After figgerin’ out where we was, Brine in me ambled on through the tunnel what leads out to the feeled. After waitin’ a spell, sum Redskins in Bangles come a runnin’ out. They musta bin cold, cause they was all a trying to warm up. Standin air on Fedex feeled, in seein’ all them there players up close was a hoot! Sides all that, we got sum extra treats, like seein’ nat itty bitty little feller what run down Tony DoorSet that time, in nat guy what broke his leg on Mundy Night Football, in Brian Mitchell talking a bunch. Even one’em X coaches done showed up. All are boys seamed loose n’all, but you could see they had a reel hankerin’ to play the firsten at home in such. All three QB’s were hotter’n a two dollar pistol, so they musta warmed up reel good.

‘Fore kickoff, I figgered I’d better get to goin’ up to the Reeporters Box for the first hayuff. The Reeporters box is across from at big TV. (Sorry Tarhog. I changed this a little because everybody knows they ain’t no corners in an oval stadium )

Ever thing a good ole boy needs is right dare. They’s roosters, fat sheep, minnow nets/phony accents, (not sure what to make of them Tarhog) TV monitors, and dranks! It’s parrot ice! I stayed up air for the first hayuf while Brine took pitchers (and they’s mine), but I couldn’t resist the manure of the feeled for the second hayuff.

As you can see, I'm only limited by what Tarhog wrote originally. But as a faithful member, if he wants to talk about manure on the field, who am I to criticize?

I hope you will consider my offer.