Tonight the Washington Redskins host the Cincinnati Bengals in the first preseason game leading to the 2006 kickoff next month. Preseason games don’t mean much in the course of the season, as they’re a chance for teams to find their rhythm more than anything. The first preseason game means the least. Starters will play one series, just to get the feel of the game again. I’m still excited.
I’m looking forward to seeing the Redskins juggernaut begin the campaign. I want to see how Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd fit into Al Saunders’ new offense. I want to see if Mark Brunnell’s resurgence was a one-year contract with the devil or a harbinger of the good times still to come in his career. I want to see Clinton Portis pound the ball up the middle. I want to see Sean Taylor and Adam Archuletta compete to see who can hit Rudi Johnson the hardest. I want Redskins football.
Just as interesting to me, I’ll scout my fantasy team. I have to decide if I want to keep Chad Johnson over Domanick Davis, and this will be a brief first look at Carson Palmer’s reconstructed knee. Johnson says he wants to break Jerry Rice’s single season record of 22 receiving touchdowns; I don’t want to miss that if he might. So I’ll pretend I’m a GM tonight.
To get you into the mood, enjoy the magnetic pull of Captain Chaos, as well as a few pictures I took last weekend at the Redskins-Ravens scrimmage.
Hail to the Redskins!