Which team is our team? Which one will show up week after week? Will it be the one that put on the kind of show (4th quarter mainly) that makes them look like a real good team with a strong defense and an explosive offense, or the one that stunk up the joint against the Giants?

This year's team resembles those of the past in that you are not sure who they are because they have talent but don't always use it in the right manner. The fact that Portis, Moss, Cooley, and yes....Jason Campbell showed up when they needed to and put the game away. The way that they ran the ball and mixed in the passes was a thing of beauty. Portis showed some of the patience that he needs to hit the holes for big gains. Campbell remembered that Cooley is on his team and that opponents usually need 4 or 5 guys to bring him down. Cooley is the most powerful runner that this team has had since John Riggins and should be the focal point of this offense every week. Moss has always shown the separation and speed that he put on display yesterday but has not had his number called very often to the team's detriment and yesterday showed what he can do when he is used correctly. 

Continue reading "The Jeckyll and Hide Show"

Yesterday afternoon the Washington Redskins put us through some ups and downs, refusing to finish off the game until finally they woke up and put away an inferior team. The offense looked as if it could move the ball at will against the Cardinals but the defense tightened up and stopped the run almost entirely. They were able to regroup and put together a few good drives to win the game. Campbell showed more of what he did last week and the receivers were all over the field catching balls left and right, mesmerizing the defensive secondary and becoming almost unstoppable. The defense showed up again (minus the big play vs. Doughty) and Carlos Rogers caught the ball! After years of having the worst hands in the entire league, Rogers actually looked the ball into his hands and when he finally had it, got up and raced down the field for 40-plus yards. That play summed up the difference that a year makes (so far) between Gibbs II and the Zorn era.

Continue reading "The Z Swagger - Playing to win vs Playing not to lose."

It has become apparent that the rivalry that once was in not the same as before. The media seems to try to harp on the past and relive the great battles that have occurred but it just doesn't feel the same as it used to. Part of the problem seems to be that they have owned us in the recent years and that the games are usually lopsided in their favor. Until the Redskins can beat the Cowboys several times in a row and establish a type of domination over them, nobody will ever look at this rivalry as they did in the past.

Many boast about the Cowboys as the best team in the NFL and the Redskins are never mentioned if not for ridicule or for being mediocre. This is the legacy of the Redskins over the past 15 years and will stay that way until they make the league take notice. The past few years have highlighted this sentiment, every time the Redskins are in a nationally-televised game they seem to play their worst games (see Giants this year, stinker!). If you look at the point spread alone (11 points!) you can tell that nobody seems to feel that the Redskins have the slightest chance of winning this game. This week seems to be, in my opinion, the most important game of the year for this team, not because they need to win or else the season is over, but because it will send a statement of who this team is and what they are made of. If they go out and put up a great showing and are edged out by the Cowboys at home, everyone will feel some sense of accomplishment, not me. I am fully aware that the Cowboys are a very good team and that they should beat the Redskins most of the time but this is the chance where the Redskins can send a statement to the rest of the league that they are a good team as well and will not fear anyone. Maybe it's wishful thinking or maybe it's what we have been waiting for ever since the last time that this team was talked about around the league.

Continue reading "The Cowboys...."

Well, well, well...last game at Texas Stadium and the Cowboys are left scratching their heads wondering what happened to the "best" team in the NFL? Where was the explosive offense that could not be stopped? What about the terrifying defense that sacks and pesters every quarterback that comes in to face them? They got manhandled. It wasn't just a case of almost perfect execution by the players and coaches, but the fact that the offensive and defensive lines dominated the game and left the crying to the Cowboys who seem to be very good at it.

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.

Continue reading "Hail to the Redskins!"