December 9, 2013
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
Just when it seemed the Redskins’ season couldn’t get any worse, it did.
Early Sunday morning, before the snow began to fall, a report was released, which stated that coach Mike Shanahan had originally planned to leave the team at the end of last season. Team officials quickly dismissed the report as false, but it didn’t do much to quiet the rumors of discord within the organization.
The obvious conflict, either within the locker room, front office, or both, has trickled down onto the field in recent weeks, culminating on Sunday with the team’s fourth straight loss. The Redskins were downright terrible, a fact no one tried to gloss over. “I didn’t have the players ready to play,” Shanahan said.
The Kansas City Chiefs (10-3) scored early, and often, going up 17-0 after just the first quarter and 31-0 midway through the second. Washington finally scored near the end of the first half, when Griffin connected with tight-end Logan Paulsen for their lone touchdown of the game. But the Redskins’ woes continued on the very next play, when Kansas City returned the punt for a touchdown.
It was a disastrous afternoon at FedEx Field, with Griffin getting sacked five times in the Redskins’ embarrassing 45-10 loss. Griffin was benched after the third quarter, replaced by Kirk Cousins, who was unable to mount a drive and picked up a sack of his own.
Afterward, linebacker Brian Orakpo’s comment summed up the afternoon perfectly. “It’s a terrible game to be a part of,” he said.
The drama continued on Monday, when Shanahan announced that he may keep Griffin benched, citing a desire to keep him healthy for the future. “I’m talking about his health,” the coach said. “I want to make sure he’s healthy.” If he decides to start Cousins over Griffin, it will be for the rest of the season, not just next week. He is expected to announce his decision on Wednesday.
At 3-10, the Redskins have been eliminated from playoff contention and have nothing to look forward to except next year. However, benching a player you are rumored to have a strained relationship with doesn’t do much to help the situation. Only time will tell whose days in Washington are numbered.
Capitals
After a four-game skid in late November, the Capitals are back on track, winning four of their last five. Their latest win came Sunday night against the division rival New York Rangers (15-15-1) at Madison Square Garden.
When the two teams met back in October, the Caps (16-12-2) got shut out 2-0. This time, the Capitals dominated the Rangers 4-1 on their home turf. After a scoreless first period, Jason Chimera and Steve Olesky scored just 25 seconds apart to give Washington a 2-0 lead. The goals snapped New York goaltender Henrik Lundgvist’s three-game shutout streak of the Capitals.
Mikhail Grabovski extended the lead to 3-0 late in the second period with a slapshot, and Nate Schmidt sealed the deal with another in the third. The win was the first NHL victory for rookie goaltender Phillip Grubauer, who made 30 saves in his fourth professional appearance.
A late game goal by Benoit Pouliot ruined a shutout for Grubauer, who chose to focus on the positive. “It would have been nice, but I got the win,” he said. “And that’s all that matters.”
