Sanders 83 Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Here come the 'Dirtbags' http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20040606-011554-6723r.htm By Mark Zuckerman THE WASHINGTON TIMES There are few positive connotations anyone can derive from being called a "dirtbag." However, the Washington Redskins' offensive linemen have proudly accepted assistant coach Joe Bugel's nickname and wear it honorably. "That's what we're playing like," tackle Chris Samuels said. "Dirtbags — just a bunch of nasty guys up front." OK, so it doesn't have quite the same oomph as "The Hogs," Bugel's legendary nickname for his offensive linemen of the 1980s. But it carries the same weight, especially when it comes from Bugel, who was the first of Joe Gibbs' old assistants to re-enlist when Gibbs was hired in January. It's also an accurate description of the Redskins' O-linemen. They have a nastier edge than perhaps they had shown in the past, and their teammates are noticing. "I had to tell Buges today, he's a heck of a coach," linebacker LaVar Arrington said following minicamp practices yesterday. "I can see everything that's going on with the linemen. He's got them crankin' right now." It's difficult to put into words what's different about Washington's front line. The names — Samuels, Derrick Dockery, Lennie Friedman, Randy Thomas and Jon Jansen — haven't changed from a year ago, when the unit was regularly chastised for poor pass protection. But make no mistake. Something is different, and the credit for that is given to Gibbs, Bugel and their fellow coaches. "There's a mentality that the coaches brought: 'This is how we're going to do things. This is how it should be done. Forget anything you had been taught the last couple of years. This is how it's going to be done,' " said Jansen, who is working under his fifth head coach in six seasons with the Redskins. "It's just how guys approach practice. There's a lot more pride that guys are taking in their jobs. That's a tribute to the coaches." Said Dockery: "Buges brings something extra to the table — his demeanor. You see him out there, and he's excited, he's enthusiastic. It just rubs off on his players. He's a role model. He's going to do things to make you a better player, and you don't want to disappoint him." Bugel redirects the praise, saying he noticed the players' enthusiasm and desire to work hard from the first day he arrived in town. "The day Joe got up to speak to them, you could tell how excited they were because they knew they were going to be part of a running offense," Bugel said. "And when you've got the quality of men that we have here — Jon Jansen, Chris Samuels, [veteran center] Cory Raymer, that winning attitude is contagious." There's a bounce in the offensive linemen's steps these days, one that certainly wasn't there last fall, when the group became the scapegoats for Steve Spurrier's faltering offense. Several linemen individually enjoyed solid seasons. Thomas, a free agent acquisition from the New York Jets, had what some felt was a Pro Bowl-caliber year (he wound up a third alternate). Jansen felt his season was among the best in his career. Even Samuels, who by his own admission did not play up to his career standards, managed to earn third-alternate honors based on his reputation as one of the NFL's top left tackles. Perhaps no player has impressed coaches and teammates more than Dockery, last year's third-round draft pick who was forced into the lineup after starting left guard Dave Fiore injured his knee in September. Dockery, a 6-foot-6, 345-pound behemoth of a 23-year-old, understandably struggled. He was soft-spoken, timid and looked like he wasn't ready to handle the complexities of the pro game. Quietly, though, Dockery progressed as the year went on. And as he embarks on his second season, plenty of people have noticed how much he has matured. "I thought Dock did well his first year. He made some simple rookie mistakes out there, but everybody makes those," said Samuels, who has taken Dockery under his wing. "Now he's taking a veteran approach to things, even though he's not a vet yet. He's definitely growing up." Though there may have been positive signs sprinkled throughout the Redskins' line last year, the entire offense's struggles made them easy to overlook. Bugel doesn't believe that will be the case this season. He knows Gibbs' system is built around the offensive line. And he's convinced that if the system succeeds, it will be in large part because of the gritty play by the five men he so affectionately refers to as "Dirtbags." "These guys won't go unrecognized in this offense," Bugel said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MumboSauce Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 dirtbags..hehehe. good read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 I like it! DIRTBAGS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonef1de Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 The confidence is starting to spread. This line unit with multiple H-back and tight end sets is going to be a thing of beauty. Bring it on:dallasuck :eaglesuck :gaintsuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yank Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hogs, Dirt Bags ... its's all the same. If we can all pull it off... Root around in the dirt ..thats where the Hogs cane friom .. abd give them a new name ... thats cool ... the bottom-line is that the juices are flowing ... on both sides of the ball ... even within the fans. But the juices shown within the team are the most important .. We havent heard this stuff for ... oh .... a decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnacpa Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 I love it ... give the group a new name that they can define in terms of ability and prowess and leave the "Hogs" to the original men who earned that honor. With the talent and projects that we have for Bugel, hopefully we will have a killer line for years to come like Dallas had throughout the 90's and what we had throughout the 80's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Punani2 Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 I LOVE IT!!! I can't wait to see some slobber-knocker football!!! It's going to be a thing of beauty.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 This is the crux of the whole season, the value of the OLine. This is the one area we should he hanging our hopes on comepletely. Brunnel and Portis? Not gonna do much without the line. But they will both have great seasons! I wouldn't be suprised to find out, that after Buges came in and did his "consulting" last year, he came home and called Gibbs and said something like, "Hey coach, the Skins have some SERIOUS talent on the OLine. I could turm those kids into Champions, no sweat". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselPwr44 Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Originally posted by bubba9497 I like it! DIRTBAGS Great picture Bubba. Some t-shirts need to be made with Pig-Pen on them with "Dirtbags" above the pic. How awesome would that be for a new group of fans to show up,wearing those shirts, sitting beside the Hoggettes? I love it...Dirtbags.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kappaluvacee Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Dirt-bags sounds so blue collar. It's a good fit for the unit. It's not glamorous but a seeing a dirt bag evokes thoughts of the journey it has taken and what is at stake if you attempt to interact with it (you're going to get dirty). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sag Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 DIRTBAG'S.......Love it.........Find a muddy field, dress them in the Home whites, let them roll around for a while...get them together...snap a picture. What a poster THAT would be, with DIRTBAGS as the heading. I'll take 12, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins26 Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Swagger almost any team can beat any other team in the NFL today if they have the swagger. Its the most important thing to have. Not thinking of how we're going to blow a certain game but knowing how we are going to win it. :wewantd: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 I don't really care for "The Dirtbags" as a name. However, if that's like being a pledge and after a season or two of kicking ass, they get promoted to Hogg. then its all good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redskins4evr929 Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Dirtbags!! I love it. The media will eat it up. The O-line will have an identity and try to live up to it. But, if you talk the talk, you better walk the walk. Go Skins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boozeman3 Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Originally posted by Redskins4evr929 Dirtbags!! I love it. The media will eat it up. The O-line will have an identity and try to live up to it. But, if you talk the talk, you better walk the walk. Go Skins! IMHO...it is a pretty obtuse name... Which means John Madden will be all over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSF Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 You're just jealous Boozer. Why don't you come up with a name for the Cowboys line. How about the "drug dealers that crap themselves"?:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bird_1972 Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Originally posted by GSF You're just jealous Boozer. Why don't you come up with a name for the Cowboys line. How about the "drug dealers that crap themselves"?:laugh: :laugh: Man, I love this site! Too funny!:laugh: :wewantd: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC4 Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Originally posted by DieselPwr44 Great picture Bubba. Some t-shirts need to be made with Pig-Pen on them with "Dirtbags" above the pic. How awesome would that be for a new group of fans to show up,wearing those shirts, sitting beside the Hoggettes? I love it...Dirtbags.... That's a great idea We could use PigPen and have him in a Redskins shirt too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Oh yeah, wood after reading that one. :jerkoff: Dirtbags. I love it. And I have a feeling we may have to thank Kim Helton for Derrick Dockery. Things can obviously change, but at the moment, it sounds like he'll be a 'Skin for a number of years. Out of all the "dirtbags" Buges seems to be highest on him. There's a reference to him in every article written on Buges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terpfan Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Woohoo thats a feel good article!! I can just see the Dirtbags paving the way for Portis! Maaaaaaaan is it September yet? :logo: :logo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WM_Marylander Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 i think that's pretty funny, and probably fitting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrfriedm Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 I love it. I hope this just continues to steam roll right into the season, and we are able to just punish teams up front. God!!! How great would that be!!! :point2sky::wavetowel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luca Brasi Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 Perfect. We have a very talented bunch, and now they have an identity. Buges is a master motivator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrfriedm Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 I really have a good feeling about this group. My only concern is injury. If we can keep everyone healthy, then we will have a solid group of line men in the pro-bowl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom [Giants fan] Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 So I can actually call the Redkins "dirtbags" and not get kicked off the board. :applause: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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