Mark Solway, Author at The-Hogs.net

Redskins Hoping Montae Nicholson Can Fill The Void at Safety

June 1, 2025September 23, 2017 by Mark Solway

When Washington drafted Montae Nicholson with the 123rd pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, it’s doubtful that even the most optimistic of Redskins’ staff imagined him playing in week two of his first regular season. Maybe not even Nicholson himself. And yet against the Rams on Sunday, that’s exactly where the rookie out of Michigan State found himself.

Nicholson was likely viewed more as a project when he was drafted. In college, he was a track athlete as well as football player, and he has great athletic ability. The Redskins love the speed he possesses at 6’2″ and 216 pounds; they just probably didn’t envision having to call on it so quickly.

In 2015, Nicholson helped Michigan State make the college playoffs when he led the team with 83 stops and three interceptions. He’s also an intelligent guy having majored in engineering. He definitely possesses a lot of upside.

The Redskins saw the player they drafted in the fourth round as a project that could benefit from playing with the likes of DJ Swearinger and DeAngelo Hall.

The Mystery Behind Su’a Cravens’ Early End to the Season

June 1, 2025September 22, 2017 by Mark Solway

Source: Su’a Cravens via Facebook.

The rumours and innuendo surrounding wether or not Su’a Craven would be re-joining the Washington Redskins for this season, were obviously answered last week. The young strong safety had been struggling with some personal and family issues, and that subsequently affected his desire to play football.

Redskins Offensive Line Powers Running Game Against Rams

May 3, 2025September 20, 2017 by Mark Solway

The Washington Redskins were held to 64 total rushing yards in their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles; it was one of the key reasons the team lost 30-17. A week after the embarrassing loss, the Redskins turned to their running game to lead them past the Los Angeles Rams, 27-20.

This week, NFL betting sites have the Redskins as underdogs against the Oakland Raiders, but the Redskins believe they have what it takes to get the win.

During the offseason, Washington coach Jay Gruden emphasized that he wanted to have a more balanced offense, after relying heavily on quarterback Kirk Cousins last year. It was difficult to get their run game going against the Eagles in their season opener because they fell behind quickly.

Against the Rams, the Redskins could run the ball more since because they didn’t have to deal with a big deficit, and they finished the game with a healthy 229 net rushing yards. Washington should be able to get some yards on the ground this week because the Raiders allowed the Jets to rush for 126 yards last week, and have been shaky on defense this season. They’re averaging 4.8 yards per carry (against) in the first two games, and will have to do better than that against the Redskins.

Can Bill Callahan Keep Redskins From Sliding into Crisis Mode

June 1, 2025September 14, 2017 by Mark Solway

Bill Callahan is a great coach. Everyone in the NFL respects him and for good reason, but did he bite off more than he can chew when he came to Washington? The Redskins are just one game into the season, and already appear to be heading in the wrong direction. This isn’t the time to worry about NFL Week 2 Picks. After managing just 240 total yards and posting four painful turnovers against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Redskins have a lot to work on offensively.

Offensive line coach Bill Callahan gets a lot of money. There are few assistant coaches in the NFL that take home as big a cheque as Callahan. So Callahan has a lot to prove. And unfortunately for him, the challenge is nothing to scoff at.

Redskins Facing Tough Test this Week Against Rams

May 3, 2025September 11, 2017 by Mark Solway

The Washington Redskins kicked off the 2017 season with a gut-wrenching loss to their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. The team now has to put their disappointing season opening loss to the Eagles behind them, and turn their attention to their week two opponents, the Los Angeles Rams.

Since they were picked by many experts to finish fourth in the NFC East, the Washington Redskins season winning predictions are still on track.

The Rams are coming off a season opening win against the Indianapolis Colts. Sean McVay, the Redskins 2016 offensive coordinator, gets his first chance to go up against his former team as the head coach of the Rams. The game between the two teams is scheduled to start at 4:25 PM. ET.

McVay, who turned 31 in January, is the youngest head coach in NFL history. At the same 31-years-old, Washington coach Jay Gruden was coaching in the Arena League as the head coach of the Orlando Predators.

Redskins Nation Unimpressed With Redskins’ Effort Against the Eagles

June 1, 2025September 11, 2017 by Mark Solway

It only took one game, but one thing was quite certain on the social network airwaves on Sunday, Redskins fans were downtrodden. While 1/16th of a season does not a season make, it was apparent that the fan base saw next-to-nothing that would inspire even a glimmer of hope in Washington’s 30-17 loss to the Eagles.

It started bad. It finished bad. What happened in between was mediocre at best. The defense played better than the offense, but the Vienna Boys Choir might have put in a better offensive showing, so that isn’t saying much. And when the dust settled after the game, it was clear that this fan base is beat up. Tired of losing. Tired of fielding an embarrassing product. Tired of turning their head when they answer, “I’m a Redskins fan.” Tired of spending money on a product that doesn’t ever seem to do anything but go in big, bad circles. And it didn’t take sixteen games, it took one.

Here’s a collection of reactions to yesterday’s game from THN’s Twitter account. I actually thought that the mood was so somber that I would try and lighten the mood a bit. I tweeted:

How about a game? Tweet me your ONE WORD #Redskins game descriptions. #httr

— TheHogs.net (@TheHogsdotNet) September 10, 2017

Here are the sobering results – caution, some tweets are NSFW language – they weren’t removed because this is about the raw emotions of Redskins Nation:

Redskins vs Eagles: Everyone Eager to See What Josh Doctson Will Do on Sunday

June 1, 2025September 8, 2017 by Mark Solway

What does it take to transition from college football to professional NFL football? That’s the question surrounding Josh Doctson. Philadelphia Eagles Coach Doug Pederson keeps fielding questions about the athlete.

And reporters are not the only ones curious about the Redskins wide receiver. Fans cannot help but wonder what he can do on the field, whether he has the capacity to boost production against the Eagles and how he will affect the NFL odds for the Redskins in the long run.

Pederson needs to worry about Doctson because he will have a hard time getting his team ready for the wide receiver. There are no NFL game tapes of Doctson to review, no prior data from his professional football career for the Eagles Coach to analyze.

REDSKINS VS BENGALS: Junior Galette Not Impressed by Long-Awaited Debut

June 1, 2025August 31, 2017 by Mark Solway

Junior Galette was in the lineup for the Redskins in their Sunday game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The athlete’s debut was a long-awaited event for many fans, and it could be argued that Galette didn’t do too badly. A study of the NFL Football Betting odds and lines will tell you that Junior Galette played as well as anyone expected. However, some people expected a little more from him, and Galette came out and said he still had so much more to give. That says something about his spirit.

He has a drive that Coach Jay Gruden is likely to appreciate in the long run. The Redskins’ coach was signing autographs after the walk-through on Saturday at Joint Base Andrews when he jokingly asked Galette if he would play on Sunday.

Redskins Hoping Defensive Additions Translates To Wins on the Field

May 3, 2025August 25, 2017 by Mark Solway

After a disappointing 2016 campaign, Washington Redskins focused on improving their defense during the offseason. With a revamped defense, the Redskins are hoping they can compete with their remaining NFC East rivals and make it back to the playoffs. The Redskins betting odds for the 2017 season have them finishing 4th in the NFC East, but the team is hoping for a better result this season.

While the other defensive signings have gotten most of the attention, Phil Taylor appears to be the most underrated of all their defensive signings.
Taylor, who signed a future/reserve contract with the team at the end of last season, seems to have found his groove with the Redskins and is looking like their opening day starter at nose tackle.

Taylor, who was drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, seems to have finally found a home in Washington after bouncing around the league for most of his career.

Can the Washington Redskins Win the NFC East Title in 2017?

June 1, 2025August 25, 2017 by Mark Solway

Source: Washington Redskins via Facebook

Washington had a disappointing 2016 NFL season. While key injuries may have hindered the Redskins’ chance of competing against their NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, ultimately they fell short in the grand scheme of things. For many Redskins fans, it felt like Jay Gruden’s men had failed to build, or improve on the 2015 campaign.

But the 2016 season has been and gone. Time to focus on the future, and can Washington challenge at the top of the division in the coming months? With a few favorable results in the opening few weeks of the year, Gruden’s side could hit the ground running, and early momentum could help the Redskins pull away from Dallas and New York in the NFC East title race.