As a lifelong Redskins fan I cannot remember when our team played a better and more balanced game. The team marched up and down on offense and seem to squash every attempt the Cowboys had to advance the ball, many times forcing them to 3-and-outs. T.O. pouted and moaned more and more as the Redskins defense seemed to switch things up on him and made him and his quarterback confused about what they were doing. They played man-to-man, zone, and mixed them up beautifully highlighted by the play (once again) by Horton when he lined up in the middle of the zone only to sprint over to cover the flat and step in front of the Romo pass and get another turnover. The special teams punted, kicked, and covered everything to a tee and seemed to be at the top of their games.
All of the great accolades thrown towards the team this week will focus on many separate areas but the biggest reason that the team won this game was Jim Zorn. His quirky and aggressive nature seems to be contagious. This year's team seems to be one that looks to score at will and doesn't get too down when things aren't going that well. After the Cowboys went up 7-0, the Redskins came out and marched down the field for a long drive and scored, mixing throws in to set up the run and had the Cowboys completely out of sync on almost every play. Zorn called a great game on both the X's and O's but also on the tempo and temperament that this team is showing when they would have run the ball on first and second down last year, this year he mixes in 1st down passes all the time so that the defense is never sure of when it is coming. The mastery that he displayed in making calls, time and time again, against what is expected seems to show a great deal of confidence in his players and a determination of playing to win. This is the biggest difference in this year's team, they do not simply try to stay in the game but look to drive the ball on every play and seem poised to overcome the blunders that happen during the course of any game. When Rabach cost the team a touchdown on 2 consecutive plays, the team rebounded to score a field goal that proved to be crucial in the development of the game and did not keep their heads down and came back and scored later on.
The offense seems to be a completely different unit this year and Jason Campbell is playing like a quarterback that actually knows what he is doing. Zorn seems to have instilled so much confidence in him and looks to always make sure that he comes back from a bad series because he knows that he can simply get back on the field and drive the team to a score. This team has not had that sense since the 80's where they dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage and moved the ball at will. The knock on Campbell was that he couldn't get to the 3rd or 4th read in his progression but yesterday he went back and forth across the field, stepped away from the rush and moved into a better position to make the play. The offensive line played very well and Portis was back to the form of that guy from Miami that cut and slashed his way to big plays routinely. Santana Moss seems to be open on every play and when he is covered, Cooley seems to bail the team out time and time again.
Defensively this team played almost perfectly. They bumped and harassed Owens and Witten all over the field and stuffed Barber every time he got the ball, which thanks to the flow of the game was not very often. They seemed to press man when needed and backed off a bit at the end to make sure that the clock was going to be the biggest hurdle for the Cowboys and, although they didn't get a sack, were in Romo's face all day causing him to be off in his timing and with that had them on their heels for most of the day. Horton was again big, his play was one of great scheme but also great athleticism as he had to run across the field and step in front of the receiver to make a huge play for his team, can we start him please?
The season is just one quarter in but this team is now 3-1 and in great position atop of the division. After going through a 7-1 start and finishing 10-6 we all know that nothing is done yet but the improvement and growth of this team instills a sense of confidence and pride in this team that we, as Redskins fans, have not had in many, many years. The final drive of the game seemed to sum it all up, total dominance up front. They controlled the ball for over 7 minutes and put the game away for the 3rd week in a row and ended the game with 3 kneel downs, the only thing that could have been better is to put the final kneel down on that stupid star in the middle of that garbage of a stadium.
The Cowboys love to say that they put the hole in the roof so that God could watch his favorite team play every Sunday, yesterday he saw them get completely dominated by a better and more aggressive team that showed that the pundits and experts don't know a damn thing, 11-point favorites...maybe it's time to re-think that one, huh?
Hail to the Redskins!
Keywords: Washington Redskins
