Marcus Washington: Suffering in Silence

An apparent diluted urine sample resulted in the increased scrutiny of Marcus Washington for suspected drug use. It was during a routine sampling of urine that Washington's his sample was flagged as suspicious, it was found to be dilute. He was subsequently placed into Stage One of the NFL's substance abuse program. In the Stage One program he was subjected to random drug testing and a psychiatric evaluation.

Through the course of the increased scrutiny Washington never tested positive for the substance abuse. Nevertheless, the increased scrutiny resulted in significant emotional distress, as Washington feared that such scrutiny might tarnish his reputation.

"The thing of it is once your name gets tossed into something like this, it's hard to get it back, even if you know in your heart you didn't do anything. People are going to think what they're going to think," Washington said. "No matter what you do, they'll have that in the back of their minds. I didn't want that for me."

In addition to playing under the air of suspicion, Washington suffered injuries to his knee, hip, and elbow which limited his effectiveness. He has entered this year's minicamp with a renewed enthusiasm that this season will be both personally as well as for the team.


Howard Bryant's article on Marcus Washington

This was certainly an interesting article regardint the NFL's drug testing policy. It is unfortunate that Marcus Washington suffered under the scrutiny of suspected substance abuse, but, it is important to see that the NFL is doing a better job of keeping substance abuse out the sport than is MLB. The NFL will hopefully, improve the program so that athletes will no longer face unwarranted suspicions.

Redskins ranked 28 out of 32 at Quarterback

In a column by Mike Tanier the Redskins were ranked 28 out of 32 at the quarterback position. At the number one position were the Colts, undoubtedly carried to the number one position on the shoulders of Peyton Manning. Tom Brady and the Patriots claim the number two spot. Undoubtedly, the Redskins do not belong anywhere near the top 10 for quarterback rankings. This year's starter Jason Campbell has a mere seven starts under his belt and is backed up by Mark Brunell who is long past his prime. It is true that he remains largely untested but in his seven starts he suffered only seven sacks with one fumble. If the offense relies largely on the yardage gained by Clinton Portis, as long as Campbell does not give the ball away with errant passes, fumbles, and poor decisions the Redskins will be ahead of where they were last year. With a solid performance perhaps even a playoff berth.

Mike Tanier's Article

Ladell Betts great season as Sub - but Portis still the starter

Ladell Betts put up great numbers last season after Clinton Portis injured his hand. Betts finished the season with nine starts and a total of 1,154 yards. His yardage included a streak of five consecutive games with 100 or more yards rushing. Despite his awesome performance, it was a dismal season for the skins, and the fans will likely be happy that Portis will return to the starting position. Will this be the return of Portis to his peak performance? Only time will tell, but it is a long season, and the coaching staff must be happy to know that Betts is capable of stepping in and performing at a high level.

Redskins Blown Out!

Once again the Washington Redskins take advantage of the meaningless preseason games. The Redskins were routed by the New England Patriots. It was an ugly 41-0 defeat, which featured an impotent offense, and a leaky defense. Mark Brunell was again an embarassing 7 for 16 for 51 yards, and as a team rushed for only of 74 yards. From the preseason stats it seems that the offense is as weak as ever, and the defense appears ineffective as well. For at least one more game, the team and the fans have the consolation that these games don't count.

T.J. Duckett now a Washington Redskin

In an unexpected trade the Redskins acquired T.J. Duckett from the Atlanta Falcons. It was a three way trade that sent Denver Broncos wide receiver Ashley Lelie to that Atlanta Falcons, Duckett to the Redskins and draft picks to the Broncos. It was a surprise trade because the Redskins were already stacked at the runningback position with Portis, Betts, and Cartwright. At 6'0" and 254 pounds Duckett is expected to be used in short yardage situations. Last year he ran for 380 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games. Duckett's short yardage specialty will hopefully spare Portis from the hard hits in short yardage situations and help keep him healthy throughout the regular season.

Redskins defeated 19-3 by Cincinnati Bengals

The Washington Redskins verus the Cincinnati Bengals. To say the least it was an ugly game for the Redksins. The Redskins were defeated 19-3. It was evident early in the game how the Redskins luck would be. Mark Brunell threw an interception to Bengals cornerback Kewan Ratliff, Clinton Portis came out of nowhere to lay a monster-size hit on Ratliff. Unfortunately, Portis got the worst of the hit. He suffered an injury to his left shoulder. His injury is to be discussed more later.

Quarterback Mark Brunell had a lackluster performance with one intercepion, mentioned previously, on a 4 for 9 performance with 66 yards passing. Backup quarterback Todd Collins appeared paralyzed in Al Saunder's offense he was 6 for 13 for 68 yards and one interception.

This meaningless game, became meaningful because the injury suffered by Clinton Portis could resonate into the regular season.

David Patten bounces back from viral meningitis and serves as inspiration

Action photograph available at Amazon

David Patten was recently released from the hospital after a bout with viral meningitis. Patten has bounced back and returned to training camp. Viral meningitis has served as only as an additional challenge that Patten has had to overcome. Patten was undrafted out of college in 1995. He paid his dues in the working world, in Arena Football League never giving up on his dream to play in the NFL. He finally found a place in the league in 1997 with the New York Giants. This year will be his 10th year in the league.


"Bottom line is, you deal with the hand that you're dealt, and you play it and you give it your all."

-David Patten

Read more about Patten's obstacles in the below article:

Patten a pro at overcoming obstacles