Redskins 6, Steelers 23

INT DOCTOR'S OFFICE IN ASHBURN, VIRGINIA -- MORNING

Jim Zorn enters after sitting in the waiting room for two hours.

JIM: Hi, doctor.

DR. JULIUS HIBBERT: Hello, Mr. Zorn. What seems to be the problem?

JIM: Please, call me Jim. Makes me feel better. Better yet, call me Zorn. Actually, call me Zorny. Yeah.

DR. HIBBERT: Umm, OK... Zorny. How can I help you?

ZORNY: Well, doc, it’s like this -- I’ve felt pretty good for the past couple of months. Real good, actually. There’ve been a few ups and downs, but for the most part, I’ve felt better than I have in years.

DR. HIBBERT: Good to hear. So why are you here?

ZORNY: Well, something happened last night. I can’t really explain it, but all of a sudden I feel like I could pass out. It’s like someone snuck into my room while I was sleeping and sucker-punched me.

DR. HIBBERT (scribbling furiously on his notepad): Interesting. Go on...

ZORNY: ...has anything like that ever happened to you?

DR. HIBBERT: Yeah, once... in 1967. I’m pretty sure it was some bad acid, though. Have you done any drugs lately?

ZORNY: No, sir. I’m a straight-shooter. Nothing extracurricular for me, unless reading a few pages of a mystery novel between drills counts.

DR. HIBBERT (laughing): No, that wouldn’t do it... although it could be somewhat distracting.

ZORNY: Yeah, it could be. Can we get back to the subject at hand?

DR. HIBBERT: Certainly.

ZORNY: So like I was saying, I feel like something happened last night. My stomach is upset today, my head hurts -- come to think of it, my whole body hurts. It’s like someone came along and just took the wind out of my sails. Do you know what I mean?

DR. HIBBERT: Sure do. What did you do last night that may have caused these feelings?

ZORNY: I coached a football game. It was kind of a big deal.

DR. HIBBERT: Now we’re getting somewhere! Tell me more about this football game.

ZORNY: Well I coach a local team, and we’ve been pretty good this year. Exceeded expectations, actually. But last night’s game didn’t go so well. We played this other team from a few hours away and they pretty much destroyed us.

DR. HIBBERT: I’m sorry to hear that.

ZORNY: Thanks. So anyway, there was a lot of hype heading into this contest. I kept telling my team to keep it medium, though, and to focus on the task at hand and not get caught up in all the hoopla.

DR. HIBBERT: I take it they didn’t listen?

ZORNY: I told them to keep doing what they’ve been doing for the past couple months. Stay strong on pass coverage, protect the quarterback, run it up the gut. You know, the usual.

DR. HIBBERT: And I take it they didn’t listen?

ZORNY: Did I not answer your question?! Are you OK?!

DR. HIBBERT: Take it easy, Mr. Zorn. I’m just trying to help.

ZORNY: I’m sorry... I get a little excited sometimes. My apologies.

DR. HIBBERT: It’s quite alright. Keep going.

ZORNY: No, they didn’t listen. I’m afraid I didn’t listen, either. I didn’t take my own advice, which may be why I feel the way I do.

DR. HIBBERT: How do you mean, you didn’t take your own advice?

ZORNY: Well I strayed from what’s been working, I’m afraid. I got caught up in the hoopla. I even busted out some old jerseys that I thought would work to our advantage and get the crowd pumped up.

DR. HIBBERT: Oh, you had a crowd gathered for this match, did you?

ZORNY: Yeah, there were a few people there. The other team’s supporters came out with a vengeance, though. Kind of felt like an away game.

DR. HIBBERT: That’s never good.

ZORNY: Tell me about it. I guess those visiting fans didn’t pay attention to our “Quiet! Offense at work” signs.

DR. HIBBERT: Ok, we’re getting distracted. More about the game, please.

ZORNY: Well a few guys in particular just didn’t get it done, which is really frustrating.

DR. HIBBERT: I can imagine. You never want to see anyone underperform.

ZORNY: Exactly. One guy named Carlos -- wait, this is all confidential, right?

DR. HIBBERT: Always is. Patient-doctor something-or-other. I think I signed a waiver back in medical school.

ZORNY: So Carlos -- he pretty much shit the bed. Pardon my language... I’m not a swearing man, I promise.

DR. HIBBERT: It’s OK.

ZORNY: Carlos didn’t get the job done. He’s been playing really well this season, but last night was a disaster. He dropped an interception that could’ve been a potential pick-six.

DR. HIBBERT: A pick-what-now?

ZORNY: Pick-six. It’s when a guy returns an interception for a touchdown. Pretty stupid expression, I know, but it’s what the kids are saying these days. Anyway, he dropped an interception that was right in his frigging hands! And he committed a really stupid 43-yard penalty that gave the other team possession in our end of the field for the first time all night. And then he practically escorted some marijuana-smoking receiver into the endzone late in the game. His effort was weak at best, doc.

DR. HIBBERT: That doesn’t sound good.

ZORNY (getting noticeably aggravated): Oh, it’s not. And another guy -- a veteran named Chris -- last night he committed a bunch of stupid penalties, didn’t block worth a damn and let our bread-and-butter quarterback get pummeled. I’m so mad I could spit!

DR. HIBBERT (interrupting): Don’t do that.

ZORNY: I’m sorry. It’s just—

DR. HIBBERT: ...frustrating, I’m sure. Whenever someone is under a lot of pressure, a negative result can do a lot of damage to the psyche. Was there a lot of pressure last night?

ZORNY: Is that a serious question? First of all, yes. You know today’s election day, right?

DR. HIBBERT: I’m not stupid, Mr. Zorn.

ZORNY: So today’s election day, and the two major candidates were interviewed at halftime and apparently the results of the game would directly affect the outcome of the election and -- oh gosh, nothing like this ever happened while I was coaching quarterbacks in Seattle...

DR. HIBBERT: Oh, you’re a transplant, are you?

ZORNY: Of course. Who in this frikking town isn’t? I mean, there are a ton of people from here, but you wouldn’t have known that last night. It seemed like half the crowd was waving these little yellow towels above their heads.

DR. HIBBERT: That’s cute.

ZORNY: No, it’s not cute! Our team colors aren’t yellow! They’re maroon and black!

DR. HIBBERT: Please, Mr. Zorn, take a deep breath.

ZORNY: I’m sorry. Can you at least begin to understand why I’m so upset, doc? Nothing seemed to go right last night. I mean, the defense played pretty well for the most part, I guess, but our offense couldn’t move the ball for squat. We went into the game with the league’s best running back and he was pretty much a non-factor. Our best receiver was hobbled with a thigh injury and -- and I don’t really want to talk about it anymore, to be honest. I knew this job wasn’t going to be easy, but man, I feel like the entire region is standing on my shoulders and the weight is becoming unbearable.

DR. HIBBERT: I understand, I really do. I coached my son’s little league team a few years ago and—

ZORNY (interrupting): Seriously? You’re trying to equate a professional football team to little league?

DR. HIBBERT: You’re right, that was the beginning of a terrible analogy. I don’t know what you’re going through, and to be honest, I don’t know if I can really help you. Are there any positives that came out of last night’s game?

ZORNY: Well we have a pretty good punter.

DR. HIBBERT: HA! Hey, I like to be as optimistic as the next guy, but having a good punter is like having a good waterboy.

ZORNY: Doc, we must've punted 38 times last night.

DR. HIBBERT: Oh.

ZORNY: Yeah. Anyway, besides the decent punting, I guess our special teams played pretty well. Our kicker is pretty good, too. And our kickoff return guy has a lot of heart. But we didn’t capitalize when we had the chance, you know? It’s like... it’s like borrowing your dad’s car to take this real special girl on a date, and then when you pick her up and she looks all nice and you scratched the car and all you can think about is getting yelled at instead of trying to kiss the girl that you’ve been ogling for months...

DR. HIBBERT: I have no idea what you’re talking about.

ZORNY: The bottom line is this, doc -- we need to do something. We play our biggest rival in two weeks. They have some major issues right now, but they are going to be fired up. We need to be fired up, too, or else we’re going to blow it and be right back where we started. If that happens... well, I don’t even want to think about it. The division that we play in is super tough, and we need to keep up the momentum or our hot start is going to be all for naught. Help me, doc. Please.

DR. HIBBERT: OK, I think I know what to do. Can you take a week off?

ZORNY: Hold on, let me check my calendar. Yeah, we can, actually. My luck is staring to turn!

DR. HIBBERT: Take a week off. Let your players rest. Don’t dwell too much on this devastating loss, because it’s not going to do you or anyone else any good. I’m sure the guys in that locker room are just as fired up as you are, so just take a few days to relax and before you start to think about the game in two weeks. Do you like bike rides?

ZORNY: Indeed.

DR. HIBBERT: Good. Take a bike ride. Be one with your thoughts. If you’re exceeding expectations, don’t let this one loss get you down too much. It sounds like you’ve got a good group of guys, so just be patient.

ZORNY: You know what, doc? You’re right. Our team is 6-3 and in second place. Everyone thought we’d be at the bottom of the standings, so what we’re doing is pretty good, I guess. Heck, this is my first time calling plays full-time. I’m bound to have a few ups and downs here and there, right?

DR. HIBBERT: Well, I think you need to st—

ZORNY: I mean, seriously... I was promoted to head coach of one of the most storied franchises in professional sports, I was basically an unknown before I came here, but now we’re sitting pretty comfortably heading into our bye week. Life is pretty good, I must admit.

DR. HIBBERT: But what about feeling like someone sucker-punched you? What happened to that?

ZORNY: Are you trying to bring me down, doc? Because if you are, I’ll take you down faster than O’Halloran.

DR. HIBBERT: No, I’m just trying to bring you back to rea—

ZORNY (running out the door): Enough with the small talk, doc! I'm cured! Zorny for president! Hip hip...

END SCENE

An open letter to Peter King

Dear Peter,

I’ve known your body of work, in some capacity, for about 15 years. A former subscriber to Sports Illustrated, I actually enjoyed your commentary on various subjects while watching SI’s “Year In Sports” in both 1993 and 1994. Watching “Inside The NFL” off and on for a few years, it was clear that you have a rather extensive knowledge of the game of football, which is one of the reasons I read your Monday Morning Quarterback column each week.

For the past year or so, however, I’ve found your opinion rather predictable. You flock to certain teams -- Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers -- and certain players -- Romo, Favre, both Mannings -- with such consistency that it’s more surprising not to read about them than it is to read about someone else. As a professional writer for a national publication, your views should be, for the most part, unbiased.

With that having been said, I’d like to mention two things that have bothered me recently.

First, with regards to your “Fine Fifteen,” it’s beginning to seem as though your rankings have little to do with the outcome of games but rather how you feel about teams in general (which, admittedly, should factor into it).

For example, after the Redskins beat the Cowboys in Week 3, you immediately ranked them higher, which is completely understandable. The following week, however, the Redskins beat the Eagles (on the road) and Dallas barely beat Cincinnati (at home), yet you somehow decided that the Cowboys were once again the better team. You explained your position after receiving a ton of e-mails (which, let’s be honest, you had to expect), but only by saying something along the lines of -- and I’m paraphrasing here -- “I am more comfortable with Dallas in general than I am with Washington.”

Now fast forward four weeks. Dallas is out of the picture in terms of comparisons, having dropped 3 of their last 4. However, you have teams like Buffalo (who just lost, at home, to Miami) catapulting a few spots to number 5, while the Redskins (who just won in Detroit) drop once again despite winning for the sixth time in 7 weeks. Cleveland has some issues, but they beat the Giants and the Jaguars on either side of losing to the Skins, so it took some work for Washington to get the W at home last week.

Carolina got completely embarrassed two weeks ago by Tampa, bounced back against New Orleans and Arizona (both teams the Redskins beat), but somehow sit at Number 4 overall, despite having the same record as Washington. Pittsburgh is resting comfortably in the third spot, despite losing to the Giants and despite being led by a shaky quarterback who just threw 4 interceptions and has been sacked a billion times so far this season.

It just doesn’t make sense.

Second, I’d like to address a point you made in today’s column. In your “Ten Things I Think I Think” -- which is the dumbest header in history, by the way -- you said the following:

I know you love Clinton Portis, Jim Zorn. And you should. But that little tete-a-tete on the sidelines in Detroit with Mr. Portis should tell you that you're dealing with what Tom Coughlin has dealt with over the last three years with Plaxico Burress. High-maintenance guys. But great players. You've got to make peace and move on.

Wait... back up a minute. Did you seriously just compare Clinton Portis to Plaxico Burress? Let’s look at these two players from a “high-maintenance” perspective:

Plaxico Burress has been fined “40 or 50 times” by the Giants organization since being traded from Pittsburgh in 2005, mostly for skipping team meetings and essentially ignoring some of the higher-up personnel in New York. Police in New Jersey have reportedly been called to his house on more than one occasion in response to domestic abuse charges. He came out after being suspended by the team a couple of weeks ago and basically told the media that he didn’t care what the team thought and that, basically, he moved on and so should they.

Burress, though an incredible receiver, is a serious locker room issue. He has been for years and continues to be. When teammates were asked about his suspension earlier this year, a few came right out and said that they didn’t really care when he came back.

Clinton Portis, on the other hand, has only been fined by the NFL for not wearing league-issued socks. He has been vocal in the past, but I think most would agree that his speech has often been out of frustration with himself and with injuries than out of disrespect to the Redskins organization. He likes to have fun and is very emotional, but to equate those two traits to being “high-maintenance” makes me think that you aren’t quite sure what that phrase means exactly.

Sure, Portis has publicly acknowledged in the past that he does not like to practice. Given his production this year, however, I think his case is a pretty valid one. When healthy, he is one of the premiere backs in the NFL, an irreplaceable component in any offense and one of the biggest -- if not the biggest -- reasons the Redskins are 6-2.

Comparing an emotional player after one outburst to someone who has had “me first” written on his sleeve for years is not only absurd, it’s also unfair to Number 26.

After yesterday’s game, it was revealed that the “tete-a-tete” between Portis and Zorn was little more than miscommunication. That’s a far cry from admitting that his team comes second, wouldn’t you say?

Please, Mr. King, know all the facts before you write something so scathing, and please, start to factor in more than your loyalties when giving the public your opinion.

Sincerely,

MWP

Redskins 17, Rams 19

This wasn’t supposed to happen. The Washington Redskins were not supposed to lose to a previously-winless team from an inferior division, especially not in front of 90,000 burgundy-and-gold-clad fans.

The St. Louis Rams -- not only cellar-dwellers this year, but since the beginning of last season -- were not supposed to come to FedEx Field and beat up on arguably the hottest team in the league. Despite having a Pro Bowl running back, a potential Hall of Fame receiver and a quarterback who signed a gigantic contract in the offseason, the Rams simply haven’t been able to assemble their weapons effectively enough to generate victories.

Until yesterday, of course.

For those placing the blame on Pete Kendall -- including himself -- I say shame on you. Sure, that was a costly turnover, but there were plenty of other things that went wrong yesterday. Examples and more -- in what I will cleverly call my “Likes and Dislikes” -- from yesterday’s disappointing debacle in Landover...

I like that Clinton Portis is doing everything on the field and nothing off of it. Aside from calling out the offensive line at the beginning of the season, Dolemite Jenkins has been a consummate professional in street clothes and an absolute menace on the gridiron. If there is anyone on this team that has shown more signs of maturity both in his game and in his demeanor, I’d like to know who that person is. CP, for all intents and purposes, is having an MVP-like season so far.

I DON’T like the fact that the Skins defense dropped two easy interceptions. LaRon Landry and London Fletcher were both given incredible opportunities, with Marc Bulger throwing the ball directly into their hands, but neither of them capitalized. If Carlos Rogers got heat for missing a few interception chances against the Giants, I think Landry and Fletcher should spend Tuesday morning on a bed of hot coals.

I like Shaun Suisham’s ability to kick 35-plus yard field goals on a regular basis. He was a stud last week against the Eagles and did what he had to do yesterday. The Skins haven’t had a more consistent field goal kicker since the great Chip Lohmiller.

I DON’T like that Shazaam booted the ensuing kickoff out of bounds. The Skins repeatedly gave the Rams great field position yesterday, as if to say “hey, you guys are winless and we’re on a hot streak... we might as well make this interesting.” Cutting the field short, no matter who you’re facing, is never going to end well.

I like Chris Cooley’s hands. Despite turning the ball over in the first quarter, the catch he made in double-coverage in the 2nd quarter was borderline incredible. The fact that he held onto the ball after being clobbered was even more impressive.

Original image borrowed from the Washington Post

I DON’T like Durant Brooks. I hate to be so blunt about it, because I know he’s going to receive a ton of criticism this week, but he’s just not a very good punter. Again -- field position is huge in a game like yesterday’s, and giving St. Louis the ball on the 32 (or whatever it was) is unbelievably unacceptable. Derrick Frost seems like a damn Hall of Famer compared to this kid.

I like Randle El’s ability to step up when Santana is being double-covered. Antwaan is having a pretty solid season so far, and despite dropping a few passes here and there, he’s really showing that when a play needs to be made in crunch time, he can be counted on to get it done.

I DON’T like Santana being double-covered. Coach Zorn said after the game that Moss’s number was called numerous times and the plays just weren’t there. Somehow I just don’t believe it. It’s no secret that the Redskins are now in a West Coast scheme and prefer short routes rather than long bombs, but everybody knows what 89 can do. He’s still faster than most secondaries, so unless he’s getting up-ended at the line of scrimmage, I want to see one or two shots downfield. First and 10 from midfield, early in the game... take a chance. For me.

I like that the Redskins are 4-2.

I DON’T like Brian Mitchell calling yesterday’s opponent, in all seriousness, the Los Angeles Rams. The team left Tinseltown 14 years ago, B. Mitch.

I like Jim Zorn’s post-game press conferences. Equating the team’s fortunes heading into halftime to a teenager coming home after scratching his dad’s car, while a rather random anecdote, does make a bit of sense. There’s a time to light a fire under your team’s collective ass, but there’s also a time to let them dwell on their mistakes. I’m pretty sure the men in that locker room knew how poorly they were playing, so kicking them when they were down could’ve potentially done more harm than good.

I DON’T like the New York Giants in tonight’s game. When’s the last time Cleveland hosted a Monday nighter? 15 years ago? There are few fan bases that have stuck with their team through thick and thin better than the Browns’, and I’d imagine tonight’s atmosphere will be electric. Does that mean the 1-3 team will prevail over the 4-0 team? Certainly not. If the Rams can beat the Skins and the Cardinals can beat the Cowboys, however, who’s to say the Browns can’t beat the Giants?

I like the fact that the Redskins continue to pound the football and dominate the stats. 22 first downs, close to 400 total yards, better time of possession. This isn’t something they did very often last year, so it’s a sign of things moving in the right direction.

I DON’T like the fact that the Burgundy and Gold turned the ball over 3 times. Against the 31st rank defense in the league, the Redskins’ offense put the ball on the ground at the most inopportune times. Fortunately, all three responsible -- Cooley, Rabach, Kendall -- know what they did wrong, and all three have been in the league long enough to be able to put it past them. Expecting an offense to hold onto the ball for more than 5 games is unrealistic, so it was only a matter of time before someone slipped up. We can only hope that yesterday’s performance didn’t start a trend in the opposite direction.

I like that the Redskins continue to fight late into games. In previous seasons under He Who Shall Not Be Named, this team was notorious for blowing halftime leads, for allowing teams to get back into games and for folding when they were down heading into the final quarter. If there’s a positive in all of this, it’s that the Skins are certainly not without heart.

I DON’T like to see Carlos Rogers laughing it up on the sidelines mere seconds after committing a special teams holding penalty. Rogers has been playing pretty well this season, so it’s hard to get too down on him, but Trevor Matich was right in his postgame assessment -- aside from a few players, this team didn’t seem to have the focus yesterday that they’ve had for the past few weeks.

I like the fact that the Redskins play at home again next Sunday. It’s rather cliché to consider a loss like yesterday’s a “wake-up call,” but at the end of the day, it really should be. Everyone in the league knows what this team is capable of, but with a 4-game winning streak came a premature ride on cloud nine for the Burgundy and Gold. They started to take their good fortune for granted, excusing a team like the Rams as a second-rate opponent, and it came back to bite them in the ass.

The good thing, if there is one, is that the Washington Redskins are back to reality. They should practice hard this week, approach the Browns game as though they are the underdog and focus on the task at hand, not at the prospect of being a 6-3 or 7-2 team heading into the Week 10 bye. This team thrives on being “disrespected,” and after a shocking loss to the previously 0-4 Rams, they should be right back to where they want to be.

It’s time to stop acting like a playoff-ready team and get back to playing like one.

Redskins 23, Eagles 17

I’ve been a Skins fan since the day I was born, but there have been few Sundays (if any) in the past 15 years as glorious as yesterday.

Riding the Metro from downtown DC to suburban Maryland to watch the game, I noticed some graffiti by the Brookland / CUA platform. Catholic University received a lot of media attention in the NFL last week for hosting the Arizona Cardinals between their losses to the Skins and Jets, and being my alma mater, I thought this was a rather fitting place to see the following tag:

That's some damn fine work.

Getting excited for the game, as if it wasn’t easy enough, was just made easier. Another Sunday... another huge NFC East matchup... another game with so much at stake.

When the Eagles took their first possession, drove down the field and scored seemingly at will, the high hopes I had heading into the game were quickly brought back down to Earth. Desean Jackson’s punt return minutes later -- making the score 14-0 less than halfway through the opening quarter -- was like a knock-down sucker punch to the face. Add to that the fact that the Skins would be playing in front of a hostile Lincoln Financial Field crowd, without 3 defensive starters, and it appeared as though the men on the field and the fans watching at home were in for a very long and painful day.

For the past 10+ years, the Washington Redskins would be at a certain disadvantage in situations like this, both physically and psychologically. Climbing out of a two-touchdown hole, regardless of the circumstances, was as likely as signing a free agent Pro Bowler and having him return to Hawaii the following year (it could happen, sure, but I wouldn’t bet on it).

The Zorn Era, however, is clearly different.

Down but not out, the Burgundy and Gold showed yesterday that they are absolutely a team on the rise, one that is on a 4-game winning streak not because of a fluke play here or there, but because they possess the complete package. The offense is playing well, the defense is suffocating, the special teams is doing just enough to get by, the playcalling is sound and the desire to win, most importantly, has yet to fade.

While a certain former coach always praised his players for “fighting their guts out,” at times it seemed as if his assessment couldn’t be more off. Too often fans would witness a complete collapse, watch their beloved team play a game not to lose -- rather than maintaining an aggressive approach and finishing opponents off -- and simply get out-coached by sometimes-inferior opponents.

Not any more.

Yesterday’s win in Philadelphia, under mostly sunny skies yet in a rain-storm of penalty flags, was certainly not the prettiest in Redskins history. There were more than a few mistakes -- too many men on the field, worse-than-average punting, blown coverage but plenty of dropped balls -- but at the end of the day, Washington left the City of Brotherly Love with another crucial victory in the insanely-competitive NFC East.

Now they sit comfortably in second place, with arguably the toughest 3 road games on the schedule behind them. They still have yet to commit a turnover -- quite possibly the most unbelievable stat throughout this electrifying start -- and are mixing it up enough on offense to keep opposing coaches honest and on their toes. Couple those facts with the ability of the defense to limit some of the most productive offensive units in the game -- New Orleans, Arizona, Dallas, Westbrook -- and all of a sudden these Redskins are looking quite fierce.

Having said all of that, it’s easy to look ahead at the next 3 games and envision a 7-1 start. Unlike years past, when close wins like those over Dallas and Philadelphia were more right-place-at-the-right-time than anything, the current roster is playing with so much poise and confidence that it’s hard to imagine them losing at home to teams that, to put it bluntly, are not very good.

Am I going to be nervous hosting a team like St. Louis? Of course; this is the NFL, after all, and when you see a team like Miami blow out New England and then San Diego, you know that anything is possibly (with apologies to Kevin Garnett).

The Skins are on a roll, however, and until they start to show some major flaws, being optimistic is what it’s all about.

Danny Boy and Coach Z can act like kids all they want, because while many people doubted the Burgundy and Gold after their Week One loss, it’s becoming quite obvious that they are most definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Hail.

Redskins 26, Cowboys 24

There are so many potential things to talk about today, it’s hard to narrow them down and focus on just a few. I will try and do just that, however, because that’s what I want to do and, frankly, I think Redskins fans should be able to do whatever they want today.

Thinking about showing up to work wearing nothing but a burgundy and gold Speedo? Do it. Considering starting a Hail to the Redskins sing-along on a crowded Metro train? Rock it. Trying to decide whether or not it would be appropriate to ask that Cowboys fan in your office if he had a good weekend? Hey, you’re only being polite...

Below are my thoughts on the glorious victory at Texas Stadium, and also a few general notes on the current state of the Burgundy and Gold.

01. Yesterday’s game seemed like a bit of an enigma. Unlike the MNF comeback that stunned the Cowboys in 2005, the Redskins’ most recent triumph in Dallas was so complete that it quickly began to feel expected and almost natural. I was nervous heading into the game, sure, but I never felt like the Skins were on the verge of a breakdown. As a fan for so many years and a witness to many second-half collapses, this was an unbelievable relief.

When the last few seconds ticked off and that final whistle blew, I simply stood there and thought “Wow, that was ridiculous... I can’t remember the last time the Skins looked so dominant against what was supposed to be the better team.” I didn’t jump up and down like I did when Santana shocked the world 3 years ago -- I just crossed my arms, thought about how huge the victory was and let it all soak in.

Original image borrowed from the Washington Post

02. Needless to say, the lack of turnovers the Redskins have produced on offense is perhaps the biggest reason the team is 3-1 and has a ton of momentum heading into Week 5. They are the first team since 1995 to enter their fifth game without an offensive turnover, which the statistics show is no easy feat.

The receivers and backs are doing a great job of holding on to the ball, but more importantly, Jason Campbell is learning how to protect himself, take sacks and throw it away when he has no other options. Even though accepting a loss of yardage is tough to watch, it’s a necessary evil at times and much better than seeing an errant pass or stupid mistake give the other team possession.

03. The Redskins are showing great depth on both sides of the football, something they have not been able to do in the past few seasons. Injuries are inevitable in the NFL, and while the Redskins’ secondary struggled last year after Rogers went down and Smoot rotated in and out, the overall strength of the reserves has been impressive in these last 3 games. Shawn Springs was having a career day against Terrell Owens before he left with a strained calf, but Rogers, Smoot, Reed Doughty and Chris Horton contained the Dallas passing attack as well as anyone could’ve hoped.

04. Speaking of Chris Horton, if he continues playing as well as he has been, I think fans and media alike will have to give Vinny Cerrato and Dan Snyder a ton of credit for selecting him so deep in the draft. Choosing him when they did could turn out to be one of the better out-of-the-blue picks in the recent history of the franchise, which is something Snyder isn’t exactly known for.

While the replay of Horton’s pick of Romo in the third quarter showed just how pretty and textbook-driven that play was, I think he is beginning to show that he has more than great hands -- his open-field tackling of Jason Witten and Marion Barber was very impressive, especially for a seventh-round rookie.

05. When Jason Taylor went down against Arizona and it was revealed on Monday that he’d need a few weeks to recover, people all across the country were quick to say that his absence could be the deciding factor against the Cowboys. That it was not a major issue is yet another testament to the depth of experience on the defensive side of the ball.

06. Seeing Washington’s Big 3 -- Campbell, Portis and Moss -- play more efficiently than their Dallas counterparts was obviously sweet. What was even sweeter, though, was seeing them do it so swiftly and soundly. Campbell is looking more confident than a quarterback has in the Burgundy & Gold in years; Portis is running the ball comfortably and with purpose; Moss has returned to 2005 form and is showing secondaries that his quad injuries from the past are not only a non-issue, but that his speed is more than most of them can handle.

07. Hey, Terrence Newman, I think that’s a piece of your jockstrap on the 30 yard line. Oh, and there’s another piece just outside the end zone.

08. I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but aside from the clock management and play-calling issues in the Meadowlands, Jim Zorn has looked like an extremely good fit for the Redskins. One hire does not a reputation make, of course, but let’s assume for the sake of argument that Zorn continues to do well this season and eventually leads this team back to the playoffs (at the risk of getting too far ahead of myself, perhaps even as NFC East champs)...

Do Snyder and Cerrato get the respect they deserve, or will people chalk it up as simply a lucky guess?

Think back to February of this year, when most people thought Gregg Williams should be promoted after Gibbs’s retirement. Fast forward a couple of weeks, when it was decided that Gregg Williams would no longer be with the organization in any capacity. Jim Fassel, Brian Billick, Al Saunders -- all with head coaching experience, all considered, none selected. Snyder and Cerrato chose to promote a relative unknown in Zorn and, so far, that move has turned out to be golden.

When Bobby Beathard and Jack Kent Cooke introduced Joe Gibbs in 1981, it was not without its share of skepticism. With the latest head coach, the same unknowns existed -- with Zorn, however, has come an astonishingly-quick level of success. Yes, he inherited a playoff team, and yes, it’s early, but to produce as well as he has in his first stint as a head coach is nothing short of remarkable.

09. One thing that is impressing me more and more with Jason Campbell each week is his improvisation. His footwork and ability to escape pressure have improved significantly since last year, and against Dallas, he seemed to find second and third options with relative ease, making plays on the run and scrambling out of the pocket rather comfortably.

--

The Burgundy and Gold showed the NFL yesterday that they not only belong in the ultra-competitive NFC East, but that they have the potential and the overall combination of skill, quality play-calling and game management to take the division and the conference by storm.

A Philadelphia loss to Chicago last night means the Eagles will be entering next Sunday’s game with their heads a little low -- especially if Westbrook is unable to play again -- while the Redskins will be heading up 95 with a confidence that could ultimately prove to be the difference.

If JC & Co. are able to continue making smart decisions on the field, win the turnover battle once again and provide enough spark with their numerous offensive weapons, the Burgundy and Gold should be able to return to Washington in a position few people thought possible -- in the driver’s seat.

It's official: Bill Simmons hates the Redskins

I’m not sure when or why Bill Simmons -- known in the writing world as "The Sports Guy" -- came to hate the Washington Redskins, but it’s become pretty obvious over the last few years of reading his columns that he most definitely does. In fact, I think he’s made it rather clear that he isn’t too fond of any other of DC's sports teams, either.

Simmons continuously rips on the Wizards, despite the fact that they’ve made the playoffs for the past 4 seasons and have had a broader range of success in that span than his beloved Celtics (pre-Garnett, of course).

He’d blast the Capitals if he had the chance, I’m sure, but aside from the Bruins, he admittedly knows very little about hockey. (Besides, given the fact that the Caps have one of the most promising young teams in the NHL and the game’s most exciting player, he’d be spewing nothing but nonsense if he trashed George McPhee or Ted Leonsis.)

Major League Baseball is a different story, as the Nationals are irrelevant and it’s hard to argue with the recent success of the Sox. I don’t think I’d bat an eye or get remotely upset if he chose to rip their situation apart, as he wouldn’t be the first to do so.

So where does this hatred of our Nation’s capital come from?

Maybe little Billy took a class trip to DC when he was in middle school -- which, growing up on the East Coast, I’m sure he did -- and got separated from the group at the Washington Monument. Maybe he had a relationship with a girl who went to GW, Georgetown or Catholic and she dumped him after realizing a) he was slightly weasel-like, b) he didn’t have a whole lot to offer and c) he cared about nothing but Boston-area sports.

Regardless of the reason, The Sports Guy simply doesn’t like our franchises (or, as far as I’m concerned, our city). He especially doesn’t like the Burgundy and Gold, as he rarely, if ever, spends more than a sentence or two discussing the games in which they play when he does his “weekly picks” column for ESPN.com.

This isn’t the first time I’ve thought this, so before you think that I’m basing everything on today’s column, allow me to explain...

Even when the Redskins have found themselves with a little bit of confidence and respect from other teams in the league -- which hasn’t been often, as they’ve teetered on the brink of mediocrity since 1993 -- the Sports Guy has never given them credit. In fact, more often than not, he’ll simply start by saying something random about their opponent and then go off on a completely unrelated tangent (like he so often does in his increasingly similar columns).

There’s nothing that says “I don’t give two shits about your franchise” than completely ignoring them, as far as I’m concerned. Take this snippet from a column before last year’s Week 2 games, for example:

EAGLES (-7) over Redskins

Big game for Donovan McNabb, even bigger game for Andy Reid. And since I can’t think of anything else to say, do you think Andy Roddick has ever thought about having Roger Federer killed? He’s definitely thought about it a few times, right? Maybe after about 10 drinks, but he’s definitely thought about it. You can’t convince me otherwise.

This little gem is from a "professional sportswriter," mind you, one who gets front-page treatment on ESPN.com when his weekly picks come out. Yes, I know he doesn’t claim to offer an analyst’s opinion, and that most readers probably read his columns more for his humor than his knowledge, but at some point it gets ridiculous.

In today’s column, Simmons had this to say about the Redskins (who he ranked 17th in his "weekly power poll"):

They just beat the Saints and Cardinals, so, um ... yeah. You know what scares me about the Redskins other than the fact Dan Snyder is a stubbier, less successful Mark Cuban? Poor Jim Zorn looks like he's wound tighter than a substitute teacher at Watts High. And it's not like a Mike Shanahan thing in which it looks like he's trying to melt a referee's brain; it's more of a "Don Draper running into an old friend from the Korean war back when everyone called him Dicky" type of nervous intensity, like he's battling a complex about never having been a head coach before. If Dallas beats the Skins by 25 this Sunday, I could see Zorn screaming, "I'm in charge here! OK? All right? I am the one in charge!!!!!!" and losing the locker room for good. He should start drinking red wine during games. I don't see this ending well.

Never mind the fact that a lot of sportswriters are quick to criticize the Burgundy and Gold -- that’s fine. There are always going to be skeptics, people who may know a little something that the fans don’t or people that look more at the past than the present.

What Simmons is saying, however, is not true. Yes, Jim Zorn looked terrified against the Giants in the Meadowlands in Week One -- I even said so myself on this very site, and I can imagine that most first-time coaches would have butterflies the size of pterodactyls if their first game was nationally-televised, in New York and against the defending Super Bowl champions.

For the past two games, however, he has looked as comfortable as anyone could in just his second and third games as The Man. His play-calling has improved tremendously, his demeanor has been calm when necessary; fired-up and overly passionate when required. But the most important fact of all -- which Simmons is hinting at but clearly has no idea what he’s talking about -- is the potential for Zorn to lose the faith of his players. Barring the most knuckleheaded coaching decisions -- calling all 3 timeouts in the first 30 seconds, putting Shaun Suisham under center, keeping Durant Brooks -- that potential simply doesn’t exist.

Even if the Redskins come out on Sunday and completely lay an egg against Dallas (which they won’t), I don’t see anyone’s attitude changing. Since the man who invented the “Z-shades” entered training camp, there has been nothing but talk of complete respect and admiration for one of the few people who has ever succeeded a coach whose bust is already in Canton. Players seem to go out of their way to praise Zorn’s attitude, work ethic, reliability, tenacity, smarts and overall character. They think he has what it takes to be a great coach in this league, and if his development through 3 weeks is any indication, it’s hard to argue with them.

Simmons is a decent writer, I will give him that. His act has gotten extremely stale and his head increasingly large over the past few years, but that may be more ESPN’s fault than his -- after all, they are the ones that are treating him like an Oscar-winning director when his body of work consists of Porky’s and the American Pie Trilogy. What he does with the position he’s in, however, is on him.

You can insert humor into nearly any topic of conversation, as far as I’m concerned, but there’s a definite line between which is the more important objective. Are you trying to be funny and just a little bit analytical, or are you trying to offer some serious insight and show that you have a good sense of humor?

Since the increased presence of blogging, writers like Matt Mosley of ESPN.com often incorporate wisecracks into their analysis, as it keeps readers interested and breaks up the monotony of answering technical questions and breaking down X’s and O’s.

Bill Simmons, it’s quite obvious, is trying to be the funny man, so my plea to him is this:

Stay away from anything related to predictions or rankings, Sports Guy. In fact, stay away from anything that involves serious insight into the games we love. It’s painfully obvious that your knowledge exists in a bubble, so do us all a favor and stick to writing about pop culture and stop hating on our teams. I’d like to take your columns for what they’re worth, but when you insult my beloved Burgundy and Gold, you make it increasingly hard to do so.

Redskins 24, Cardinals 17

In theory, going to a Redskins game to cap off your bachelor party weekend is an incredible idea. A few beers, friends, nothing but blue skies and not-completely-hot-as-balls temperatures -- a recipe for certain good times, right? Well, yes. Unless, of course, you’re more hungover than you’ve ever been and fighting off puke scares all afternoon.

Don’t get me wrong... yesterday’s game was great. The Skins looked very solid and the outcome was certainly favorable -- it’s just hard to really enjoy a game when you feel like your head is going to explode midway through the first quarter. Am I right?

My impressions of yesterday’s game at the Stadium Formerly Known As Raljon (from what I remember)...

01. It was hot. Definitely hotter than it should’ve been (and hotter than those damn meteorologists said it was going to be). Maybe it was the fact that we were 3,800 feet above the field and therefore that much closer to the sun -- who knows. Regardless, it was brutal. (And yes, I know it was about 15 degrees hotter last week against the Saints, but I wasn’t there, so I can’t compare.)

02. I’m more likely to buy something from a vendor who makes an effort and / or makes people laugh. “Ice cold lemonade! Tastes better than my ex-wife!” That’s what one of the guys said as he was soliciting the fine patrons of Sections 412 and 413. He looked kind of young to have an ex-wife, sure, but he gets bonus points for that brilliance.

Taken by the author's sherpa.

03. The Redskins looked good. Not Super Bowl good, but much better than I thought they would just 3 weeks into a new offensive package. Jason Campbell’s confidence, after being essentially shattered in the first game, has to be higher than it’s ever been. Heading into Week Four and not having thrown an interception is impressive -- I don’t care who you are.

04. Certainly helping the confidence situation is the man I like to call Santiggity. Why I call Santana that, I have no idea -- all I know is that I love that dude. He’s got better hands than he had last year -- remember that game in Green Bay? -- and he’s getting some nice yards after the catch, which is where he can be potentially explosive. I do think that the Skins need to take more shots down the field, but I’m very content with the current situation, so I’ll be patient.

05. Speaking of Santana, I wish he had a chance to actually do something as a punt returner rather than let the ball bounce into the endzone. Let’s hope that wasn’t a one-time gig and he gets another shot in Dallas next week.

06. Speaking of Dallas, I spotted quite a few irrelevant jerseys at the game yesterday. A Romo jersey here, a T.O. jersey there, a Brian Westbrook jersey there. What gives with these people? Why would you possibly wear the jersey of a team that’s not playing at the game you’re at? Are you trying to prove a point? I don’t get it. Help me understand this.

07. Speaking of Chris Horton -- I didn’t actually mention him... just seeing if you’re paying attention -- it looks like he may have snuck past Reed Doughty on the depth chart. After Doughty got burned by Fitzgerald on that deep bomb from Warner, I knew we weren’t going to see much more of him (at least not in this game). It sucks that he may have lost his starting job due to getting sick before last week’s game, but this is the NFL, and sometimes these things happen. Horton has been a stud so far, so I think the Skins need to ride that train until it runs out of steam.

08. Nice INT by Carlos Rogers. I know everyone and their mothers have been talking about he saved himself after being ridiculed for having bad hands, but that was sweet. Good for him for having the sense to get up and take off, too -- that was the biggest play of the game.

09. Malcolm Kelly Devin Thomas, you knucklehead. Two offensive pass interference calls in one game? Seriously? You’ve got potential, bromaldehyde, but you’ve got to get your head out of your arse if you want to make some noise in this league.

10. How about Clinton Portis? Just a long week after he made the comments heard ‘round the Beltway, I’d say Dolemite Jenkins is doing pretty well, wouldn’t you? Sure, his yardage hasn’t been earth-shattering, but he’s found some holes that he wasn’t finding last year and has been great where it matters most -- in the red zone.

11. Speaking of the red zone -- is it me, or are the Skins capitalizing way more efficiently than they were under Gibbs? Just something to think about.

12. Walked right past Mike Sellers after the game. Good gracious, that guy is a monster.

13. Good to see Zorn mixing up the playcalling a bit. Randle El is an aerial threat on both sides of the ball, and the laser that he fired to Cooley in the second half was sweet. I’d love to see more of that down the road.

14. All things considered -- it’s only Week 4, it's their first meeting of the year -- is next Sunday’s game in Dallas one of the biggest between these two bitter rivals? The NFC East is a collective 10-2, with both of those losses coming within the division (the Skins to the G-men and the Eagles to the Cowboys). If the Burgundy and Gold can take the swagger that they’ve shown in the past 2 games into Texas Stadium, do the unthinkable and walk out of there 3-1, the best division in football would potentially turn into one of the best division races in league history. Sure, the season is very young, but it’s been pretty damn exciting so far, hasn’t it?

15. Hail.

Redskins 29, Saints 24

I was hoping to provide a full re-cap of Sunday's game by now, but this week is going to be crazy busy and I just don't think I'll have time to put my thoughts into coherent sentences. With that said, below are the notes I made during the impressive comeback win over N'Awlins.

As always, feel free to comment (or share your own thoughts).

Hail.

--

First Half

01. Carlos Rogers personal foul call (throwing out of bounds) -- absolutely, 100% unacceptable

02. Timeouts (burning all 3 in the first 12 minutes?!)

03. Turnovers -- good work by Rocky McIntosh

04. Lack of capitalizing on turnovers... throwing to Portis with his back turned on the 4 when they need to at least get to the 2?!

05. Randle El -- you gotta hold on to the ball on punt returns!

06. Loss of Jason Taylor? Ouch.

07. Missed field goal -- nothing to show for the nice Portis-led drive... 4th and 1 from the Saints’ 11 yard line -- taking a chance by going for it? Will chances ever be taken?

08. Three drives inside the Saints’ 20 resulting in 2 field goals. Two missed FG by Suisham -- one from 49, one from 30? Bad hold by Durant Brooks... was cutting Derrick Frost a mistake?!

09. Great overall playing by the defense -- Rocky McIntosh playing very well

10. No urgency at all! Do they work on a 2-minute drill? You’ve got momentum -- use it!

11. Third and 9 from the Saints’ 20, Campbell rolls out, fakes a handoff (to nobody!) and overthrows the endzone by 10 yards

12. Confusion on the line -- even after a timeout! What is being discussed during timeouts? Are plays being called, or are guys just catching their breath?

13. Letting them roll right down the field and get a field goal just before half -- weak

14. Controlled the entire first half on defense -- failed to capitalize on offense, but held them strong... lost all momentum by letting them drive in the final 60 seconds

Second Half

01. Came out real flat on defense... weak coverage... no pressure... open on the outsides on 3rd downs... letting the Saints drive the field with ease

02. Good overall play by Jason Taylor

03. What happens to this team at halftime?!?! They just got completely burned to open the second half on all accounts

04. Offense is moving the ball well but can’t finish!

05. Campbell gets very fixated on certain parts of the field, has trouble rolling out and seeing more options than the initial receiver that the play was called for

06. Great plugging away by Portis -- finding holes well and making room when there is none

07. Good TD run when it looked like he could’ve been stopped shortly past the line of scrimmage

08. Going for 2 -- good move or bad?

09. Suisham doing well kicking the ball out of the endzone

10. Why the fuck did the Skins cut Derrick Frost?!

11. Terrible punt by Brooks, terrible hold -- not a good game

12. LaRon Landry repeatedly talking shit to Reggie Bush... I understand it’s part of the game, but that may have just sparked that punt return for a TD

13. Santana Moss is having a pretty decent game -- why not take chances and go deep? Rather than throwing directly down the sidelines, can’t he cut back in 15-20 yards down the field and get hit in stride? Does Campbell not have the accuracy or confidence to hit those plays?

14. The Saints’ secondary is very depleted -- Brian Baldinger has been talking about it all day... why not try and take advantage of that?

15. Lack of smart play-calling? Again?

16. Third and 12 -- throwing it 6 yards... what is that going to accomplish?

17. 28 yard punt! Who decided to keep this guy?

18. Randle El pretty ineffective on punt returns... hasn’t been able to get a good first step... always tries to cut back and often loses yardage

19. Great sequence of throws to Randle El, Cooley and Moss with +/- 8 minutes to play... good escape by Campbell on the throw to Randle El

20. 7:02 to go, first down throw to Randle El... he got out of bounds, so why didn’t the clock stop?

21. Another great run by Portis for a TD -- very solid overall game

22. Unbelievable throw by Campbell to Santana Moss!

23. Great great great two drives by the B&G

24. Who is Chris Horton?! Two interceptions in place of Reed Doughty! Great game

25. Awesome games for Moss and Portis

Hijacking the Brennan Bandwagon

It’s amazing how quickly people point fingers when a team opens a new season with a loss.

Don’t get me wrong -- I’m as guilty as the next guy when it comes to criticizing a coach’s game plan, a player’s lack of smart decision-making, etc., but I also like to think that I’m constructive in the way I analyze games. I like to break down what went wrong and can sometimes come across as accusatory, but I also try to be patient with the current situation, not jump to conclusions and suggest a complete overhaul.

A slew of Redskins fans, however, have a different attitude.

Over on The Official Redskins Blog, comments are flying left and right to replace Jason Campbell with Colt Brennan, the 3rd string rookie quarterback from Hawaii who impressed in the preseason and who, evidently, has an extensive fan club. After one game.

Says "chaddyboy808":

Couldn’t be much worse. How long will the Redskins nation suffer behind poor performance after poor performance with JC? He will never lead the Skins anywhere but the cellar. Colt is the key.

Says "Roland":

I am sorry, but I am not sure that Jason Campbell will be a successful quarterback in the NFL.

Says "redskinsman":

Time to trade JC to Baltimore or Minnesota and get something while he still has some value.

Let’s take a step back and look at the circumstances, shall we?

First off, I think Campbell could’ve played a better game against the Giants, there’s no doubt about that. He never seemed to find a rhythm, was stuck fleeing linemen too often and appeared flustered from the opening snap.

What fans need to realize, however, is that these things were not necessarily Campbell’s fault. The Burgundy and Gold played rather poorly in the Meadowlands, and as I pointed out in my previous post, I think there could’ve been some much better choices made by the personnel on the sidelines as well.

More importantly, though, the play of the offensive line needs to improve dramatically. A quarterback is only as good as the men blocking for him, and with an extra second or two in the pocket, I think we’d see a significant increase in JC’s performance (and, more importantly, confidence).

A new offensive scheme has come to town, whether we like it or not. With the limited number of preseason snaps for starters, it would take any young quarterback a regular-season outing or two to get things right. The window of opportunity is small in a 16-game season, sure, but history has shown that an 0-1 team has absolutely no need to panic.

For the past however-many years, fans of the Washington Redskins have been very vocal about the direction in which Dan Snyder has taken this organization. They jump on his back when he tries for the quick fix and rip on him when he goes out and grabs a high-profile player with the hope that said player will turn things around overnight.

One poorly-constructed game into the 2008 season -- in New York, against the reigning Super Bowl champions -- and some fans are calling for the exact thing they so quickly criticize. While there are plenty of supporters that have stayed sane during the past 6 days, it's tough to ignore the naysayers that think the world is coming to an end.

If Jason Campbell's supporting cast can step up and give him the chance to get into a groove, I sincerely believe that he can produce as well as we need him to. Games before the Week 10 bye include homestands against Arizona, St. Louis and Cleveland and a road trip against Detroit. If the Skins are looking at 3-6 or worse -- let's be honest, 4-5 would be damn near miraculous -- I think it's fair to question whether or not he's the man for the job.

Until then, however, I think we need to be patient and give #17 the shot he deserves.

Redskins 7, Giants 16

In yesterday's Washington Post, there was an article by Mike Wise that asked Redskins fans to be patient with the team's new head coach, pleading for them to remember that the first game against the Giants would not dictate the rest of his days in Washington.

I realize that Coach Zorn has an unbelievably tough road ahead of him and agree with Mike, but after watching last night's opener, I have to admit that I'm just a little scared.

"Baptism-by-fire" is how Wise described the situation, and while it's obviously just an expression, it really did look like Zorn was feeling the heat on the sidelines. Every time the camera showed the head coach, he appeared confused, at times emotionless and often alone. Not a good sign, considering the position he's in.

Original image borrowed from the Washington Post

So the Redskins started the season with a big fat L and showed very few -- if any -- signs of the cohesion and chemistry that I said were necessary to get this train moving in the right direction.

Instead, fans were treated to the following:

01. 3 False Start penalties, two of them on Antwaan Randle El. Yes, Giants Stadium is loud, so I can imagine it's next to impossible to hear the quarterback (especially as a receiver), but these guys are professionals. I'm not sure if Campbell isn't projecting his voice enough, the players are distracted or there's something else going on, but false starts are such a devastating waste of yardage. Every time it happens, the drive becomes that much harder to survive and getting in a rhythm becomes that much more difficult.

02. Poor coverage. Something I mentioned the other day as a major point of concern is the Redskins' secondary, and last night, Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot simply got abused. Plaxico is a great receiver -- I'm still not sure how he caught that bobbled ball in double-coverage -- but even third-stringers seemed to be running routes with ease.

Not having Shawn Springs on the field is always tough, but Smoot and Rogers have shown (occasionally, at least) that they are somewhat capable starters. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case last night. Giving receivers a 7- or 8-yard cushion is a problem with the scheme; biting on a pump-fake and leaving your man wide open for a 20-yard gain is a player issue. These guys need to step it up, or elite receivers like Plax (T.O., Fitzgerald, Edwards, etc.) are going to make this a very long and painful year.

03. Complete physical domination. When your team's biggest hit is by the starting running back on a block, that's not good. The hit that Portis laid on an unsuspecting Mathias Kiwanuka was thunderous indeed, but there was certainly no need to celebrate, considering the Skins were then faced with yet another 4th down.

On the other side of the ball, LaRon Landry -- one of the guys on the roster that can really put a lick on receivers -- was absolutely steamrolled by Brandon Jacobs and, on more than one occassion, looked like a child playing with men.

The Giants as a whole seemed to have no trouble wrapping guys up on defense, pressuring Campbell by handling the Skins' offensive line and simply out-manning (no pun intended) the Burgundy and Gold.

04. Terrible clock management. Does Jim Zorn not realize that he has the ability to stop the clock? Down by 9 with a little over 4 minutes to go, you would think that someone might suggest using one of Washington's 3 remaining timeouts. Instead, they let the clock roll, ran the ball just as often as they passed and showed no signs of urgency. None.

05. Questionable play-calling. This is something that has bothered me for years with this team, and given the fact that I've never stood on an NFL sideline -- or any football sideline for that matter -- there may be a reason for why things are done the way they are.

One thing that I can't quite figure out is why, in a 3rd and long situation, the Redskins choose to run the ball. Sure, defenses will obviously plan for a pass play, but handing off to Portis greatly reduces the chances of getting a much-needed 1st down. Punting the ball is a necessary evil, but making an effort to move the chains would be nice.

06. Suspect officiating (warning: severe bitterness ahead). The New York Giants play in one of the largest markets in the country, won the Super Bowl last year and hosted the league-opening game on national television. Of course they are going to get a few calls.

I'm not one to question Ed Hochuly -- seeing as he could probably rip my head clear off my shoulders -- but there were two situations on the first drive alone that should've been penalties in the Redskins' favor.

First, Marcus Washington getting slapped upside the head after the play, with the official standing right there, should've been a personal foul (even if Plax was just messing around).

Second, a receiver getting tangled up with the corner should, at the very least, be a non-call. When the flag was thrown, I assumed it was offensive pass interference, as it appeared that Amani Toomer clearly pushed off. After a short zebra conference, however, they decided to penalize Fred Smoot, giving the Giants the ball on the one yard line and setting up an Eli Manning touchdown.

Bogus, I say.

07. The lack of taking chances. At the risk of sounding like Gregg Easterbrook, I think teams need to start being more bold when it comes to going for it on 4th down. The Redskins, down by 9 early in the second half -- not a panic situation, by any means -- had the ball on their own 46 yard line in a series that saw Portis break a run for 23 yards.

4 yards away from Giants territory with a slight bit of momentum and only 1 yard to gain, I think it would've been the perfect opportunity for Coach Zorn to pull out all the stops. Whether he chose to go for it straight-up or get tricky and fake the punt, a little excitement would've gone a long way in a game that didn't feature a whole lot of it.

---

Opening a new campaign with a loss is certainly not the end of the world. The same New York Giants that won the Super Bowl last year were beaten by Dallas and, rather handily, by Green Bay to start the season.

To paraphrase what Wise said in the aforementioned article, "one game does not a team make," but if the Redskins have any intentions of putting together a successful season, they have some serious work to do.

The playcalling needs to be more varied -- where in the shit was Chris Cooley? -- and more chances need to be taken on first down. Getting Campbell more time in the pocket and the offense more opportunities in general (last night was 3-and-out city) would be a good start, but it's tough to make strides when your backs are continuously against the ropes.

I'm hoping the overall effort on display last night isn't indicative of what we're in for this season, because if it is, it's going to be a long one.

The Saints come marching to FedEx next Sunday, a team with no shortage of weapons and one that is looking to make some noise this year. The Burgundy and Gold have 10 days to put last night's debacle behind them... here's hoping they capitalize on the extended week and open things at home with a newfound purpose and intensity.

Hail.