Cowboys Edge Redskins

Dallas had a few people hurt or injured (yes there is a difference, you can play hurt, you can’t play injured).  Everything was set up for the Redskins to go to Dallas and blow out the Cowboys.  The Cowboys didn’t have a chance to win that game Monday night.  And then reality set in.  Even with my man Miles Austin hurt and Romo playing with what was essentially a bulletproof vest on, Dallas managed to get six FGs and edge the Redskins 18-16.  If am a Cowboys fans, I am happy with that win, because you did it with a few key injuries.  If I am a Redskins fan, I am very disappointed in that performance because you had a very winnable game in your reach on National TV and you lay an egg.  But hey, most people had the Redskins going 3-13, so being 2-1 right now ain’t too bad.

Washington’s Defense looked very good Monday night.  And to be honest with you, I think that game was a Classic.  I had to watch it twice.  Tony Romo did what he had to do, when he had to do it.  I’ve said it time and time again, Tony Romo is a good QB.  But most people want him to be a great QB.  Maybe greatness isn’t in him, but being good can win you a Super Bowl.  Don’t believe me, just ask Drew Brees or Trent Dilfer.   And the young WR in Dallas hasn’t even scratched the surface of his talent potential.  Dez Bryant is a Prime Time Player.  Just imagine what that young man is going to do once he figures out how to play his position.  He’s going to look like Calvin Johnson.  Bryant made a play when the Cowboys needed him to make one.  On 3^rd and 20 with the game in the balance.  I could make the argument that Jim Haslett is a jackass for going all out Blitz with no Safety help knowing that a long pass was coming.  I mean the Redskins were hitting Romo, but they weren’t getting sacks.  So why go for an all out Blitz in that position?  Sorry Coach Haslett very bad call.  I just hope that the Redskins can bounce back.

See this is a short work week.  Washington has to go to St. Louis to take on the Rams, a team that has been a thorn in the Redskins’ ass for the past few years.   Just like the Lions, the Rams have a way of exposing all of the good teams’ weaknesses.  Washington’s glaring hole is at CB.  Say what you will about Carlos Rogers, but I have not seen him get beat in Press Coverage.  In my opinion, Rogers is one of the best Press Cover CBs in the NFL.  With him on the Redskins, DeAngelo Hall can play the other team’s #1 and #2 WRs on and off the entire game.  That in essence, frees up Hall to be the ball hawk that he is. Rogers gives you flexibility.  I’ll bet that the Redskins are kicking themselves for letting Rogers get away.  He definitely would have made a difference.  But I am not going to take away from Dallas’ win.  It is what it is.

Dallas has a nice young talented team that still has some growing to do.  Imagine if Miles Austin, Brady James and Mike Jenkins were all healthy.  The game may not have been that close.  Even with the young WRs frustrating the hell out of Romo, he still got enough out of them to get the win.  Romo earned more of my respect Monday night.  People say that he’s not a leader.  Sure as hell looked like he was Monday night, directing the young players and coaching all night.  People say that he's not tough.  Sure as hell looked like it Monday night playing with cracked ribs and a punctured, and possible, collapsed lung.  Some people say that he chokes at clutch time.  Sure as hell looked like he was clutch Monday night moving the ball on Dallas’ last two possessions and getting points when the Cowboys needed them.  Tony Romo is the reason why Dallas won Monday night and his teammates and all of the Cowboys fans should be proud of him.  Hell, to a man, I am and I have no shame admitting it.

I will give credit when credit is due.  Romo won the game and might have just saved the Cowboys’ season.  As for Washington, the will have their hands full against a very talented, but young Rams team.  But when it’s all said and done   In a very ugly contest I expect Washington to win but a FG.  I just hope our Offense can put more points on the board.

This week’s game ball goes to Tony Romo for a gutty performance. 

Late FG Just Lifts Cowboys Past Redskins 33-30

So I was really pissed off about the Redskins benching Donovan McNabb. That was the ultimate disrespect for a guy who has been nothing but a class act in the NFL for the past 11 years. Manning, Brady nor Favre would have been done like that. At least the Packers told Brett ahead of time that he was being phased out by Aaron Rodgers. Favre was still offered a starting job in two other places after Green Bay. But McNabb is at the point of his career where he needs to put his foot down and tell someone to kiss his ass. And after all that, the Redskins had a game to play. Not just any game though. It was a game against Dallas. You know the D.C. natives get up for the Cowboys every time we play them. This particular week was very weird. The Cowboys were an afterthought. More was being made of the McNabb benching. And it showed in the first half of the game as Dallas mounted a 20-7 lead.

Santana Moss' 8 catches, 72 yards and 2 TD catches were not enough to help the Redskins Sunday.

I am just as shocked as anyone that team with so much talent is only 5-9. Everyone had Dallas slated to go to the Super Bowl and play the game at home. That sounded great but someone forgot to tell the Cowboys that they have to play at least 18 games to get a shot at playing for an NFL Championship. A team that boasts talents such as Bradie James, Michael Jenkins, DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Felix Jones, Dez Bryant and Mr. Hollywood himself, Tony Romo should be 12-2 at this point of the season. But when you have coaching problems and injuries you will find yourself in a similar situation. And Jon Kitna is the perfect backup QB. There is no surprise that Kitna played the way he did Sunday. The Cowboys narrowly escaped with a win, 33-30. But considering that Marion Barber, Roy Williams and Tony Romo were all out Sunday, Dallas played well enough to come away with a win. But as much as the Cowboys were happy to come away with a win, Washington was just happy to be competitive.

Rex Grossman has developed into a viable backup QB. Grossman is the ultimate pro and is a good locker room guy for any NFL squad. The problem is, Grossman is starting for Washington. That alone should explain the trouble that Washington is in, and the trouble ahead for GM Bruce Allen. Now where do you go next year? Does McNabb come back? Do you draft a QB in the 2011 NFL Draft? Do you bring Grossman back as a starter? Does Albert Haynesworth come back? Do you trade Haynesworth? Do you bring back Kyle Shanahan? Hell, do you bring back Mike Shanahan? With all of this going on in D.C., it is amazing that Washington was able to play a game and be competitive Sunday. To be honest with you, I really didn’t care if we won the game or not. I was more interested in how Grossman would play. And in the first half, it was gross man!!! There were blown assignments, bad reads by both Grossman and a couple of Wide Receivers, and INT’s. But in the second half Grossman did a great job of moving the ball and putting up points. So much so that Washington had a chance actually win the game, but as usual, Washington couldn’t come up with the big stop when they needed it and Dallas marched right down the field and kicked what would prove to be the game-winning FG. Now at 5-9, the Redskins have to gear up to play the Jaguars next week.

In case you haven’t noticed, David Garard has the Jaguars playing well this year. And with young talents like Marcedes Lewis and Mike Sims-Walker on the same team with guys like Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashean Mathis, the Jags are a very tough outing. Now how do you concentrate on the Jaguars when you have so much turmoil going on in your backyard. McNabb gets moved to the #3 QB on the depth chart. Haynesworth is suspended, Safeties LaRon Landry and Chris Horton are on the IR list. And the fans in D.C. are turned off by the latest happenings. If I am a Redskins player, I am already planning my vacation. I want to get as far away from Ashburn, VA as I can. I don’t want to talk to a reporter until training camp opens next year. As a matter of fact, I may not even do an interview until training camp next year. What do I have to talk about? If I have to answer on more Albert Haynesworth, Kyle Shanahan or Donovan McNabb questions, I just may punch someone in the head. And after the way this season has gone for the Redskins, could you blame me? Next stop Jacksonville.

Running On E vs. Big "D"

I am not a fan of quitting. Nor am I implying that the Redskins quit. But if they did who can blame them? I have never seen my team so worn down and frustrated in all of my years of following them. Dallas is peaking at the right time, while Washington just can't wait until January 4, 2010. A lot of what happened to Washington had to do with organizational turmoil. Not to take anything away from Dallas. They've been playing well over the past few weeks. But let's keep it real. If the Redskins were able to play to the level of their own talent, Dallas would have been blown out of the water. But the Redskins didn't and the Cowboys did. The Cowboys won and they deserved to win. Bottom line. No excuses. But what caused Washington to perform the way that they did last night?

I have watched the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry for about 25 years now. I have seen some lopsided affairs. But last night was only the second time that I have seen the Redskins playing like they just wanted the season to end. The first time was December 14, 2003. Tim Hasselback came in, in relief, for Patrick Ramsey who played poorly, but was he really the blame? The Redskins could move the ball, we just could not score. Sound familiar people? Final score of that game Dallas 27, Washington 0. Some of the exact same issues that plagued the Redskins that day in 2003 reared it's ugly head again this season. The wrong combination of coaches, players and system(s). Jason Campbell took another beating. Players looked frustrated and were acting out. Dallas was, by no means, completely dominating Washington. But, they did come up with timely plays. The Cowboys even opted to go for it on 4th Down twice, and were stopped both times. But it went for naught. Final score Sunday night, Dallas 17, Washington 0. Dallas goes to the playoffs, Washington goes home to lick their wounds and prepare themselves for, what is shaping up to be, a very interesting offseason.

The Redskins have a lot of soul searching to do from the owners all the way down to the last man on the roster. Dallas, on the other hand, is in unfamiliar territory. Tony Romo has taken the brunt of a great deal of criticism over the past 3 seasons. Everything has been said about him from him being out of shape, to him just not being good enough to win the big one. He sure as hell looked like he was in shape and ready for big stage Sunday night. I still get a kick out of watching Miles Austin play well. Here is a guy who was a virtual unknown, undrafted and unheralded. And now, he may be unavailable to other teams when his contract is up. If Dallas is smart, Austin gets locked up in a long term deal, in season. Dallas has no soul searching to do. If the Cowboys win their game against the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday, they will lock up the NFC East. And if the Vikings drop their next two games, the Cowboys lock up the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs. No soul searching their. The Redskins on the other hand are preparing for the NFL Draft. When you are preparing to pick #1-#10 in the draft, you didn't have a good season.

Most people say that the one word to describe the Redskins season would be disappointing. My word for this season would be inconsistant. Overall I am bit disappointed, but at certain points during this campaign, I have seen the team that I thought we had when the season started. Many believe that blowing up the team would be the answer. Well folks, how many teams have you seen blown up, and then go and win the Super Bowl the very next season? Take your time, I have all day. It just doesn't happen. So if the organization decides to blow up the team, don't expect anything good for at least 2 seasons. Bill Cowher, John Gruden and Mike Shanahan are all at the top of the wish list for coaches. Will that mean a new Offensive and/or Defensive system? Will that mean a new Quarterback, Running Back(s), and a new group of Wide Receivers? Will that mean a group of new Linebackers, Cornerbacks or Safeties? What's going to be different? If Jason Campbell comes back, but Coach Zorn is fired, will that mean Jason Campbell will have to learn yet a new system? Are they expecting Jason Campbell to learn that new system in one year? Thank goodness Campbell is smart, but, I feel like he is being set up to fail.

Here is a solution. How about we fix all of the problems surrounding Jason Campbell and let's see what happens. Don't fix all of the problems for someone else. Jason Campbell, for the umpteenth time, is not the problem folks. Are we going to go draft a Free Safety? LaRon Landry is one hell of an athlete, but is NOT a Free Safety. LaRon is playing that position by default. Landry is a Strong Safety, get it right. Are we going to fix the Offensive line for another running back? How about we fix the line for Clinton Portis and see what happens. I'll admit the situation surrounding Clinton Portis not practicing bothers me. But let's not get amnesia folks. Portis racked up 1,487 yards in 2008. People want to bury him, but I seem to remember people saying the same things about Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Randy Moss, Issac Bruce and Terrell Owens. The last I checked, all of those guys are still productive. Clinton Portis still has a few good years left in him. But I think the problem with the Redskins starts in training camp.

See here is where my training back background, although limited, comes into play. With the rash of hamstring injuries that we have had, two things come to mind. Either we are running these guys to death in training camp, or we are not training the hamstrings correctly. Do we stess the importance of proper nutrition, including hydration? Are we focused on their flexibility and mobility? Why do we have to run them to death if they are involved in OTA's (Organized Team Activities) just about all damn year? Should we not be able to tell who is in shape and who isn't before training camp starts? Why is it that people want our Cornerbacks to play physical, but they have not gotten any bigger or stronger. I mean LaRon Landry, for all of the criticism that he endures, is ALWAYS in shape. And here is a piece of information for you to chew on. Landry does not work out at Redskins Park during the offseason. Hmmmmm!!! I wonder what he does during the offseason. How many times is Randy Thomas going to tear his tricep? Why does Malcolm Kelly look slower this season? Why does Antwaan Randel El look slower here in Washington, as opposed to when he was in Pittsburgh? Why are Chris Samuels, Santana Moss, Mike Sellars and Derrick Dockery among the better conditioned players, but everyone else looks like they are struggling each and every season? These are some of the questions that I think need to be answered to move forward. I will tell you one thing. Most of the Redskins problems are not even visible, so just imagine the kind of work that the organization has to put in this offseason. Good luck Danny.