Redskins sign CB Phillip Buchanon

The Redskins signed free agent CB Phillip Buchanon to a 1-year deal worth $1.5 million with another $750,000 in incentives that could be earned. Buchanon tweeted: "I'm a Redskin!!!" Last week I wrote about the Redskins possibly signing Buchanon and wasn't incredibly enthused about it. Buchanon began his career with the Raiders with great promise, but he never became much of a football player. He's been a starter on and off with the Raiders, Texans, Buccaneers and, last year, the Lions, but he's never been able to stand out much. He seemed like a terrific athlete in college, but he's one of those guys who got into a league full of great athletes and he began to look ordinary -- or less than ordinary.... I suppose Buchanon may be of some use as a backup cornerback and punt returner, but that's about it. That still seems right to me. Once again, here is the Scouts, Inc. report on Buchanon: Buchanon has been with three teams over his seven-year career and has been a starter off and on. He started all 16 games for the Buccaneers last year and had one of his better seasons. He is athletic with quick feet and supple hips. He can re-align and change directions to mirror most receivers, but lacks the premier top-end speed to stick with fast receivers deep. He likes to sit on underneath routes and tries to jump on routes, but will get out of position at times. He can flip his hips to turn and run with receivers, but due to his lack of top-end speed he will fall behind on go routes. He is not real physical in run support and will often back off to let a teammate make the play. He shows some competitiveness and willingness to get physical when trying to press receivers at the line of scrimmage, but lacks the size and strength to jam effectively. In other words, Buchanon is strictly a depth guy. I wouldn't expect him to beat out DeAngelo Hall or Carlos Rogers and he might not be able to beat out Justin Tryon. We'll see about that. Overall, though, he's probably an upgrade over Fred Smoot and also earns less money than Smoot. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Buchanon get a shot at returning punts. The Redskins don't seem to have a punt returner right now and I'm not sure where they will find one among the players currently on the roster. Edit Tags Add comment (0) Hits: 28   Obama to toss first pitch, now get a puck! Washington Nationals Written by Mark Buterbaugh    Monday, 29 March 2010 11:28 President Barack Obama, fresh off domestic and foreign policy victories, will take his roll to Nationals Park  and toss out the first pitch at Opening Day at Nationals Park.  "It's one of the things that makes baseball in Washington so unique and makes it so special," Nationals President (that probably should be president, huh?) Stan Kasten said. "It reminds us of the game's roots, but it's also very contemporary. That's what makes it so great that we're going to have the leader of the free world here at our ballpark." Kasten and the Nationals have given the President a long-standing, open invitation to throw out the first pitch on opening day. This year, it came together, "just the way these things do," Kasten said. "The president was able to fit it into his schedule. We're had great cooperation from the White House and we're going to have great enthusiasm from people looking forward to it. I know I am." "I am proud that President Obama will continue the long Presidential tradition of throwing out the first pitch of opening day in Washington D.C.," said baseball commissioner   Excellent.  The rejuvenated and re energized President will trade his favored basketball for baseball and make the pitch on Monday April 5th.  Mr. President, given your recent policy successes, you must be ecstatic.  You should be.    Congrats on Nuclear Arms reduction, now. . . If you want that rejuvenation to turn to absolute excitement and thrill, then Mr. President, it is time for you to grace the turnstiles at the Verizon Center and watch the most dynamic offensive team with the best record in the NHL, the Washington Capitals.  It's time Mr. President.  Health care and nuclear arms reductions were big policy wins for you.  Turn that energy and momentum to further your contact, admiration, and respect for Russia.  It is time to take the Russian relationship to the next level Mr. President.   You have met, respected, and dealt wisely with Russian leaders Dimitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin.  But you have still yet to meet and grace your presence with the most popular of all Russians.  His name is Ovechkin.  Alexander Ovechkin.   For more information Mr. President, please visit HERE.  Add Tags Add comment (0) Hits: 71   Your Caps playoff expectation poll Washington Capitals Written by Mark Buterbaugh    Monday, 29 March 2010 10:39 Tags: nhl poll stanley cup It's VOTE or DIE time.  That's right.  It is time to vote.  Your Washington Capitals have won their third straight Southeastern Division title, and last night, with a New jersey loss, clinched their first ever Eastern Conference title.  So, the only thing left is for you to tell us just how far you think these Washington capitals will travel in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  The poll is now up live on the top left of the main page.  Vote.  Do it.  Than, LINK HERE to discuss with us your thoughts on how far you think the Caps will advance.    Edit Tags Add comment (0) Hits: 87   Fire that rotten GM! Washington Wizards Written by Tom Threlkeld    Monday, 29 March 2010 09:25 Tags: ernie grunfeld ted leonsis washington wizards He assembled a ridiculously expensive NBA team that won nothing. He gave a gigantic contract to an injured player and has produced almost nothing for 3 years. He traded away a lottery pick for two mediocre players because he thought his bad team was ready to win right now. His name is Ernie Grunfeld and unfortunately he's the general manager of the Washington Wizards. If the above wasn't enough for you to fire this comically-incompetent bonehead, we now get word that the Wizards have decided to let Alonzo Gee, the talented and cheap 6'6" wing player who scored 19 points in his first NBA start, leave for absolutely nothing. That's right, the San Antonio Spurs, a team with an NBA GM who as actually won something [well, a lot of something] have signed Gee to a contract that guarantees him for the rest of the year and gives him an un-guaranteed deal for next season, too. Gee's second 10-day contract expired on Sunday and the Wizards could have easily signed him up for the rest of the season, particularly since he had played pretty well and had recently moved into the starting lineup due to injuries to players like Randy Foye and Al Thornton. How did this happen? On Friday night, Michael Lee tweeted that Wizards head coach Flip Saunders said the Wizards would sign Gee for the rest of the season. In other words, the coach wanted Gee and thought he would be around. However, the team has now decided that they don't want to tie up cap space next year on Alonzo Gee. However, this is an incredibly stupid argument to make. First of all, Gee will cost very little next season -- probably around the NBA minimum -- so the cap argument is absurd. Secondly, the Spurs gave him a non-guaranteed contract for next year so they have -- wait for it -- ZERO cap space tied up in Gee next year. If the Spurs did this, the Wizards obviously could have and should have done this. The Wizards brought Gee up, saw him play well, gave him a few starts, glimpsed the potential in his considerable athleticism, and then let him walk away to a better team FOR NO GOOD REASON! I understand Gee is unlikely to be the difference between a good and bad team next year for the Wizards, but the guy can play and to give him away for nothing, for no reason, is just further evidence of the amazingly inept way this team is run from the front office. When Ted Leonsis, current owner of the Washington Capitals and future owner of the Washington Wizards, first bought the Caps, he made a smart decision by hanging on to the GM from the previous regime, George McPhee. In the years since, McPhee has abundantly  justified Leonsis' faith in him. This just demonstrates that what Leonsis did with the Capitals cannot be replicated move for move with the Wizards. The Wizards are a far more troubled, chronically mismanaged team. The late Abe Pollin never won a championship with the Capitals, as he did with the Wizards more than 30 years ago, but he really did a better job running the Caps. The Caps were certainly not a great team when Leonsis bought them, but they were better than the Wizards; they were not a national joke. The Wizards are a mess and Ernie Grunfeld is the single biggest reason why this is so. Job #1 for Leonsis, upon taking control of the team, will be to fire Ernie Grunfeld and get a good general manager to make this franchise into something other than an embarrassing laughingstock. First, fire Ernie Grunfeld. Then go on from there. Edit Tags Add comment (0) Hits: 98   Go see girls in skimpy outfits! Washington Redskins Written by Tom Threlkeld    Monday, 29 March 2010 09:06 Tags: cheerleaders washington redskins Do you like football? Do you like girls in revealing outfits? Then you should head over to the Bethesda Theatre at 7719 Wisconsin Avenue in my home town of Bethesda, Maryland at 7.30 PM on Thursday, April 1, where the Redskins will be holding their final auditions for their 2010 cheerleading squad. General admission tickets cost $15 and the doors open at 6.30 PM, so if that's your kind of thing, you know where to be. By the way, if you're looking to eat before the doors open, head over to Philly Mike's just across the street and get a cheesesteak sandwich. Edit Tags Add comment (0) Hits: 103   Caps/Pens in Winter Classic 2011? Washington Capitals Written by Mark Buterbaugh    Monday, 29 March 2010 07:40 Tags: caps and pens nhl winter classic Reports are circulating on the possibility of a Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins show down for the 2011 Winter Classic.  The bitter arch rivals have been frequently part of NBC's NHL coverage with nationally televised games, as NBC and the NHL continue to hype, sometime over hype, the rivalry between the sport's two biggest superstars, Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.    The Penguins participated in the outdoor game in 2008 when they played the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium, while the Capitals have long been rumoured to be one of the teams the NHL wants in its marquee regular-season match. If the league gives Heinz Field — home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers — the green light, it will end a two-year run where the game was played at a baseball park. This season the Boston Bruins hosted the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park. Before that, the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings met at Wrigley Field. The Winter Classic has been a huge success for the NHL.  The first Winter Classic played was between Pittsburgh and Buffalo in 2008.  The game drew a NHL record 72,217 fans in attendance.  The 2009 Winter Classic drew the highest TV rating in 33 years for the NHL and had 40,818 in attendance at Chicago's Wrigley Field.  The 2010 Winter Classic was held in Boston and featured the Boston Bruins versus the Philadelphia Flyers.  The game drew 38,112 at Fenway Park and posted a 2.9 over night rating and a 6 share, highest in 13 years for the NHL.  The rumored game fro 2011 is slated to be in Pittsburgh at Heinze Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.   Considering that both teams will once again be likely contenders to top the Eastern Conference and the featured draw of the two best players ont he planet, the NHL may very well be on to the biggest ratings buster yet.  Stay tuned.    Edit Tags Add comment (0) Hits: 102   Caps win Eastern Conference for the first time Washington Capitals Written by Mark Buterbaugh    Monday, 29 March 2010 07:26 The Washington Capitals may have fell to the Calgary Flames 5-3 yesterday, but the New Jersey Devils also lost yesterday at that translated into the Washington Capitals winning the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history.    Congrats to the EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS Add Tags Add comment (0) Hits: 61   2 years probation for Arenas Washington Wizards Written by Tom Threlkeld    Friday, 26 March 2010 14:54 Tags: gilbert arenas legal washington wizards Judge Morin sentenced suspended Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas to 2 years of probation as punishment for his guilty plea in January to a felony gun charge. This is a victory for Arenas and his legal defense team, who were arguing he did not need to go to prison. The prosecution, citing alleged efforts to cover up the crime and lack of genuine remorse, asked for Gilbert to be sentenced to 3 months in prison. Gilbert could have been sentenced to 5 years in prison, though there was very little chance of that happening. Gilbert was also sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house and 400 hours of community service, so that should keep him busy. In addition, he must pay a $5000 fine. The sentence was handed down just before 4 PM in Washington, D.C. Edit Tags Add comment (4) Hits: 160   Is it prison for Arenas? Washington Wizards Written by Tom Threlkeld    Friday, 26 March 2010 11:16 It's a big day for Gilbert Arenas -- as in, Big House. Gilbert Arenas could be going to jail today for his guilty plea to a felony gun charge last January, stemming from the gun-brandishing episode of December 2009. Arenas will be sentenced today and while his lawyers are hoping to keep him out of prison, earlier this week the prosecutors, in a blistering memo accusing Arenas of having no real remorse and engaging in a conspiracy to cover up his crime, recommended 3 months in prison. The judge gets to decide and he could give Arenas anything from no time in prison to 5 years behind bars, though nobody expects anything like the latter. The fact that Arenas has a prior gun violation conviction from 7 years ago in California [while a member of the Golden State Warriors] won't help his case. On the other hand, the probation department is recommending probation for Arenas and giving him very high marks in their dealings with him. The guess here is that Arenas will get something like the 3 months the prosecutors want. ESPN legal analyst Lester Munson seems to agree. He will do time in jail. It will be difficult, if not impossible, for Judge Morin to ignore the previous gun charge and the fact a sentence of probation will be viewed as evidence of special treatment of a celebrity athlete. There seems to be no doubt that an unknown citizen who was a repeat offender, was represented by a public defender and was charged with the same crime would be sentenced to jail. The government's assertions that Arenas lied about the event and made a clumsy attempt to cover it up are compelling arguments that will produce a jail sentence. Morin enjoys a splendid reputation as a jurist who is capable of independent and insightful decisions. He is the kind of judge who could rely on the letters of support and the pre-sentence investigation's apparently favorable recommendation to decide on a sentence of probation, but it is more likely that he will send Arenas to jail. I've got no problem with this. It seems pretty clear to me that Arenas tried to cover up his crime and even attempted to co-opt other team members into helping him do it. I don't know if the gunplay was, as Arenas claims, a joke, but I have my doubts and even if it was a joke, it was a stupid and dangerous one. Gilbert is very good at talking about how he learns and matures. He spent all offseason talking about that. He was no longer Agent Zero, he was going to be a more sober and adult team leader. That didn't last. Maybe what Gilbert needs is a few months in prison to truly wise up. Nothing else has worked so far. PHOTO: AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt Add Tags Add comment (0) Hits: 90   Leonsis agrees on price to buy Wizards Washington Wizards Written by Tom Threlkeld    Thursday, 25 March 2010 15:41 Tags: ted leonsis washington wizards Well, it looks as if the deal is much closer to getting done. Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and the estate of sports entrepreneur Abe Pollinhave reached an agreement on a price for Leonsis to purchase the Washington Wizards and Verizon Center, overcoming the single biggest obstacle in his path to take ownership, according to several sources familiar with the negotiations. The entire value of the team and arena is pegged around $550 million, according to sources, though the exact cost to Leonsis's group is far less than that because it already owns 44 percent. If the agreement is finalized, it would make Leonsis one of the most powerful figures in Washington business and sports. He would have control over a mid-Atlantic sports and entertainment empire spanning three professional sports leagues, and an arena that hosts everything from presidents to rock bands to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Now, let's get the non-financial details settled and put Ted to work on doing to the Wizards what he's done to the Capitals. This town needs more than one good pro sports team. Edit Tags Add comment (0) Hits: 163

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Last week I wrote about the Redskins possibly signing Buchanon and wasn't incredibly enthused about it.

Buchanon began his career with the Raiders with great promise, but he never became much of a football player. He's been a starter on and off with the Raiders, Texans, Buccaneers and, last year, the Lions, but he's never been able to stand out much. He seemed like a terrific athlete in college, but he's one of those guys who got into a league full of great athletes and he began to look ordinary -- or less than ordinary....

I suppose Buchanon may be of some use as a backup cornerback and punt returner, but that's about it.

That still seems right to me. Once again, here is the Scouts, Inc. report on Buchanon:

read more at

http://www.dcprosportsreport.com/articles/washington-redskins/redskins-sign-cb-phillip-buchanon.html