Don't Laugh, People

No, this is not a post about how terrible the Redskins are now, and will forever be hereafter. They may be. But while the Redskins' season has come to a horrible yet merciless finish, the focus for sports fans around the DC Metro area should turn to hope.

You see, there's a star who had early success, struggled, dealt with fan and media backlash, came back from injury and showed flashes. No, I'm not talking about embattled QB Robert Griffin III. I'm talking about Washington Wizards' point guard John Wall. The major difference between the two, is that John Wall has now found his groove and started to really come into his own.

Wall is perhaps the most exciting athlete to watch in Washington sports right now. He's very young, and has a lot of growing left to do on the basketball court. But the promise he shows now only makes his capabilities later that much more intriguing, and hopefully special. Wall is as complete a defender in the NBA as there is, whether he e…

We talk about this all the time. In a passing league, many feel it is better to have 4 LB's than 3 on the field as it clogs passing lanes over the middle of the field to hopefully take TE's out of the game. But you need to be sound. Yet a sound 4-3 defense can do the same. Look no further than the Seattle Seahawks.

Choosing between a 4-3 defense and a 3-4 defense is simply about the players you want to find. In a 4-3 defense, you want leaner defensive linemen and linebackers can be more physical. In a 3-4 defense, you typically want a bulkier DL and leaner LB's. There are plenty of all types available in the draft every year, and many players succeed at being available as hybrids by shedding or adding some weight. The Redskins are a unique team, because they have a bunch of those hybrid players who could flip depending on what the team has, wants, and needs.

If the Redskins, as they stand right now, were to flip back to a 4-3 defense, there would not necessarily be a ton …

Yet another week, yet another Washington Redskins embarrassing loss.
Wherever you go, there you are. - Some asshole somewhere, sometime.
Like much of the past two decades, the Washington Redskins have dissolved into a puddle of obscurity before season's end. There were bad plays. There were bad penalties. There were bad attitudes. There were bad play calls. There were bad decisions by players. There were bad decisions by coaches.

In New York, Washington was bad like they have been in Washington. Like they were in Indianapolis before that. San Francisco before that. Minnesota before that. Wherever they go, there they are.

The problems are bigger than any one person, or any one group. The Redskins are bad by collection--and I mean that more than saying it's on everyone. I mean--literally--the pieces that the Washington Redskins have collected have made them bad. From hiring GM's, presidents, assistant presidents, public relations, coaches, assistant coaches, scouts, free age…

January 26, 1992 – I was 4 years old and my mom brought me down to her family's house to watch the Washington Redskins play in Super Bowl XXVI against the Buffalo Bills. My whole family was excited. They were certain the Redskins were going to win, but they bickered over every dumb play and watched with the nervous equivalent of reckless abandonment. My uncle sat on the right side of the room yelling at the idiot miscues. My aunt was being optimistic telling him that Mark Rypien would settle down and get in a zone. I was enamored by how important all of it seemed.

The Redskins went on to defeat the Bills 37-24. My uncle was a nervous wreck until the final play even though it was clear the game was already over. My aunt was ecstatic from the moment the Redskins got their final possession of the game to run the clock down. The rest of my family celebrated together. Me, growing into a Skins fan myself, could not believe just how much better this win felt to everyone than any other. My…

Mike Shanahan was hired by the Washington Redskins to take over for the 2010 season as the Head Coach and general manager. The two-time Super Bowl (head coach) winning Shanahan did many things in his tenure with the Redskins, the first of which was to set out and let players know that none of them are bigger than the team. Albert Haynesworth was the key example. Then Donovan McNabb. Then, to a degree, LaRon Landry.

What the Redskins did next was establish youth across the board for the Redskins. Going from one of the oldest teams in the league under Joe Gibbs and Jim Zorn, the Redskins quickly became one of the younger teams in the league (especially at the top of the depth chart) and this was a major part of their ability to contend in 2012 and win the division championship for the first time since 1999.

But youth does not bring great leadership. There needs to be a balance. London Fletcher was a tremendous leader, but his skills on the field were fast-declining and this made it tou…

After yesterday's huge event, with official announcements for Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War (Pt. 1 & 2), and much more, Marvel has finally released the first HD trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron.


All day yesterday, we had a bunch of people releasing videos of the trailer filmed from their couch of their television. Marvel has given us the actual trailer now, in 1080p.
The trailer is much the same as the leaked version that the world saw last week, however, Marvel decided to throw in the Mjolnir challenge at the beginning of the trailer (perhaps a last-minute decision because fans already saw the rest). We see Tony Stark try to lift the hammer, and then he adds an Iron Man glove. Then comes War Mach.. err... Iron Patriot... with a glove from his suit of armor, attempting to help Tony Stark to no avail. Then Steve Rogers, b.k.a. Captain America, gives it a shot, where we see Mjolnir move a little (…

So today, October 28, 2014, Marvel Studios (Disney) held an event, with announcements being promised.

The Marvel event is getting ready! Photos via Marvel. pic.twitter.com/9x9INCWqa7
— Superhero Report (@SuperheroReport) October 28, 2014


This was a major deal, because Marvel's last release of the upcoming dates for their films had a bunch of dates with no titles associated, and fans were only able to speculate as to what they could be seeing.

One of the first major announcements at the event, being teased for Avengers: Age of Ultron:

I just launched a campaign over on TeeSpring and I hope you'll go check it out for me.
http://teespring.com/hoesorhappiness
They always said money can't buy you happiness. Someone told me on Twitter they would choose unlimited money over unlimited love because they "could buy hoes." Well, that's where the shirt comes into play!
Please go do what you can to help out. There are tees, long-sleeve tees, hoodies, and women's tees. At the very least, hit the share buttons, let your Facebook friends and Twitter followers know to go check it out.

As I am sure you all are aware, DC Comics announced their movie lineup and release dates centered around The Justice League movie. Fans were finally given an outline of what and when to expect from what many feel is the long overdue Justice League universe. The next step was to make a few more major announcements about the upcoming movies, and who will play the heroes and villains.

We already knew Henry Cavill would be returning as the Man of Steel. We knew Ben Affleck would debut as the caped crusader Batman. We had confirmation that Jason Mamoa would become Aquaman. We got news that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would take on the role of Black Adam in Shazam. Then we got news this past week that Ezra Miller would become The Flash. In an update which was later posted to that article: "UPDATE: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Miller will indeed be playing Barry Allen - the same character Grant Gustin stars as in The CW series - as, "The story centers on Barry Allen,…

I got my October Loot Crate. I was extremely excited Friday afternoon when it arrived. I was not expecting it to come on the 17th of the month when I got my first two crates on the 25th of August and September. I decided since I got it early, I was in a decent mood, and I was on the last crate of my first subscription plan, I would make the unboxing video special compared to the first two, and actually do a face-cam.
If you are not familiar with my first two videos, I basically just showed off the crates, the items, and my hands sorting through them. They weren't terrible. The crates were literally the focus of the videos. This time though, it felt more personal, more connected to the audience, and I was able to show off my reactions so you could see how exciting or maybe even (not likely) underwhelming any of the items in the crate were.
The theme is FEAR, which should make all the sense of the world. If you go to Youtube to view the video, use the link in the description and go…

It seems like forever ago. In many ways, it really is. A lot of bad has come out of the years following the loss of Sean Taylor, the departure of coach Joe Gibbs and his assistant coach Gregg Williams. We got stuck with Jim Zorn. Our defense failed to make an impact every single year. We had the Vinny Cerrato disaster. We brought in Bruce Allen, who brought in Mike Shanahan and son Kyle. Mike brought in Jim Haslett. The defense has been in shambles since. Mike Shanahan is even gone and the things the defense did while he was head coach, they’re still doing with Jay Gruden at head coach. That says a lot.
A year ago, I asked why this defense seems to try to not make the play. I asked why the offense seems so anti-adjustment, flat, and unable to take a single pawn from the opponent’s side of the chess game. One player, then another, and then another chimed in with the same idea: Mike Shanahan coaches practice so that the offense is set up to win every single play. It made all the sense …

What Are Your Halloween Plans? Halloween is just around the corner, and for many people that I know, Halloween is one of the most fun holidays of the year in the United States, and it's gaining momentum worldwide. Little kids dress up and go trick-or-treating; high school students go to costume parties; college students go to bigger costume parties and host events at bars and clubs if they're legal; adults spend time with their children or even going to parties themselves with friends.
How are you going to spend your Halloween this year?
What Costume Are You Wearing? We all know about the stereotypical girl Halloween "rules"... cute and sexy, not scary!
DUH!
Costumes are what makes Halloween fun, unless you're #TeamSkinnyFatAss like me and some of my friends and just want to binge on candy. While I don't personally condone you acting out like Ice in Hocus Pocus--being able to enjoy yourself with a belly full of 3 Musketeers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, a…

The Purpose of a Website The purpose of any website is to inform. That is, and will always be the case. The most successful sites are very specific.
However, "to inform" could be interchanged with "purpose," so to give a more specific answer of what the purpose of a website is, it's purely about attention. A website has to provide in demand content, it has to grab attention with it's layout and wording, and it has to keep consumers returning through long-term tactics such as giveaway, sales, subscriptions, etc.
What is the Purpose of Don't Laugh, People? I have always considered Don't Laugh, People to be an extension of myself and other like-minded individuals who author posts here. I have wanted to promote DLP as being a less-specific entity, because no human in our possible audience is specific to one medium. However, as I have begun researching more and more, I would like to do something here that would reshape the identity of Don't Laugh, P…

Before I begin, I am not sponsored by Loot Crate. I wish I was, and I hope somehow I find a way to be sponsored by them in the near future, but I am genuinely writing this post from the bottom of my heart. I love Loot Crate!

So I heard about Loot Crate at the beginning of the year, and got really interested. If you don't already know, I'm a geek, and a lifelong gamer. Loot Crate advertises themselves directly to geeks and gamers, so it's a match made in Heaven.

I missed out on July's epic VILLAINS crate, and there were so few when they released it as an old crate that it sold out in minutes. The crate had Deadpool socks in it, so my disappointment in missing out was amplified tenfold.

I did, however, sign up right away to get in on August's HEROES crate. It was only logical to believe they would have the summer's biggest blockbuster's most beloved hero involved in some way, and Loot Crate did not disappoint. The addition of the anthropomorphic tree got the…

So I have a lot to blog about—especially on this topic, which I’ve now added more to the list in the last 4 hours since I initially opened the page to start blogging this—and plenty to tell you all about in regards to Don’t Laugh, People. I will start with the topic at hand, and I will probably post my updates about Don’t Laugh, People on a different post.

Google Google (and services) has really been a nuisance for me this past month. It started with Youtube, and advanced from there. I initially wanted to change my Youtube account so that it would be associated with my Google+ account, not with the Google+ page Youtube automatically set up with it. Unfortunately, the only way to do so would have been to change my Youtube name to whatever name was associated with my Google+ account, and I did not want that name. So lo and behold, I was stuck with a bullshit Google+ page for the Youtube account that I did not want, and could not associate my actual + page with my Youtube account.

Probl…

Based on recentevents, Goodell is even closer to being forced out of the National Football League. I beg, I plead, I respectfully urge you all consider me when talking about who the next NFL Commissioner should be.

Here is my list of reasons why I would make the best next Commissioner of the National Football League.


I will personally take an 80% pay-cut as Commissioner. Goodell made $44.2M last year on his salary, bonuses, and other compensation.I will give that 80% cut to retired players of the National Football League to help ease their transition from the game into the world.I will personally fight to establish a retirement account for every single NFL player for them to draw from in the later years of their lives, encouraging a better financial handling for each individual player.I will personally, regularly meet with players and coaches from all 32 teams in the NFL in order to get to know them all and allow them to speak their piece on the workings and worries of the National Fo…

...or on thin ice. Or in hot water on thin ice.

Following the backlash of the Ray Rice situation, many have called for Goodell to answer for how the National Football League reviewed and handled matters in the Ray Rice domestic violence case.

While it was made clear by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office that "It's grand jury material. It would have been improper -- in fact, illegal -- for the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office to provide (the video) to an outside/private/non law-enforcement entity," many are still calling for Goodell to be transparent now, since he and the NFL weren't before. Others are calling for Goodell to step down altogether.

And in a strange twist, some are even suggesting Goodell abused the authority he was granted in the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement in which his stipulation to personally oversee all personal conduct matters but advancing the suspension of Ray Rice from 2 games to indefinite.

Roger Goodell did release a…

Today, September 8, 2014, the entire world was rocked by TMZ's release of camera footage from within the elevator of the Ray Rice domestic violence incident.

The video can be seen after the jump.

Like I said, I was going to start messing around on Youtube uploading videos of my gameplay from Call of Duty; I've started. Eventually I'll start adding stuff like Madden gameplay, etc. But for now, I'll stick with Call of Duty as that's the community I'm most intrigued by regarding Youtube.

"A New Sniper" was my first ever attempt at video editing, and it started on Playstation 4's Share Factory. I liked what I had there, initially, and transferred the file over to my laptop, where I edited the transitions a bit using Windows Live Movie Maker, and Sony Vegas Pro 13.0. When I was rendering the final product in Vegas Pro, I was really happy with what I had and thought it was an incredible project (for a starter), so I uploaded it to Youtube, and this is what I had:

As you can see, it looks relatively clean, but the transitions ran too long, and they drowned out the end of the previous clip, where I had initially cut one second after a kill... so too …

First of all, I want to thank the DLP community for keeping up with the site even though we haven't been too active recently. It says a lot that we've actually seen an increase in viewers even though we haven't been keeping up with posting. All of my writers and myself have been busy elsewhere, or just not too interested in blogging, and I even asked in advance if anyone wanted a platform to write.

I am hoping to get back into posting here, especially now that I have a desire in a new hobby... POSTING my gaming videos. I have been watching a lot on Youtube recently of Call Of Duty snipers like Pamaj & the FaZe guys, and there is a really cool community in that specific area. I feel like I have a good enough base for promotion already, and doing something like that could help that base grow.
Let's keep it real though, I'm not even half as good as those guys are... but I never classified myself as a sniper before. I always played with SMG's and AR's... o…

Dear Mom,

I chose to do this a day after Mother's Day because no one day should ever define what you mean to me. I have a birthday where my thoughts are with you, not with the years I've lasted on this planet. Because if not for you, my birthday would not be my birthday.

I don't always express my thankfulness or tell you how much you mean to me. I know that you know how I feel about you. Of course, it's always nice to have that recognition. Every single day, I try to compose myself in a way that would make you proud and hopefully let others see that I am the product of a great mother.

I have never asked of you to be anything near what you are. You could have very well been a dead-beat mother who did not care. But you have, for coming up on 27 years, been everything great that you could be, and more, for me and Kenny. Even when times were tough, when things could have been easier on you for you to step back some and be a little less supportive (which we would have unde…