In the past, the Washington Redskins were ‘messing me up, my whole head….teasing me, just like Tisha, did Martin,’ but now those days are over, and the quest for something bigger seems attainable for the tribe called Redskins Nation.
How did this team go from finding a way to lose to finding a way to win? Could the simple difference be a rookie head coach who wasn’t hired to captain the ship in the first place? A Cowboys fan, having lost that smirking smile at the losing ways of the Skins, seemed to find solace in telling me that Joe Gibbs should have been let go three years ago. Not so fast my friend. Joe Gibbs laid the foundation, allowing the current players to become men. Jim Zorn came along and has let those men loose.
Zorn has left ‘job on the line’ decision making out of his coaching strategy. In doing so, he’s brought “guts” to his team, and gained the respect of the players, all while providing a calming presence which allows for the disregard of an early 14 point deficit in the hostile territory of a division rival.
Under Jim Zorn, ‘panic’ is not part of the job description of the Washington Redskins. He’ll leave the ‘finger on the red button’ mentality to the obsessive-compulsive fans of the DC area.
Now, I must admit, upon going down by two TDs, I sent the following text message to my friends, “Boy, we look greeeeeeat. Yep, we’ll lose to the Rams next week.” Of course, my text was pessimism with intent, in mocking reference to the negativity I displayed during the Saints win. Was I genuinely concerned? As an endorser of Clinton Portis would say, “You betcha.” But did I believe my sarcastic fatalism would somehow reverse the fortunes of the day? That’s the story I’m sticking with.
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My initial thought was that Jason Campbell drastically matured in Sunday’s win against the New Orleans Saints…..not from just a couple big plays, but factoring in his entire body of work on the day. But then I said, ‘wait, this is his fourth season, isn’t it about time?’ However, I realized that it’s the growing up he did in Jim Zorn’s offense which counts the most, not the chances he had during game experience in the past.
The stereotype about Redskins fans goes that even after the most minuscule of battle victories (such as a media-hyped free agent signing or a preseason win), they assume that the war’s end result will ultimately culminate with a February victory cigar. I actually take this typecast purposely overboard to annoy my local Cowboys, Giants, or Eagles fan.
But let’s be honest, despite a great day across the board (my sarcastic in-game pessimism before Campbell led the team to a triumphant comeback didn’t sit too well with my friends), this team still has a long way to go before they are able to comfortably weather the unpredictable NFL storm.
The win versus the Saints does provide reasonable hope for increased Monday morning cheer among the Skins faithful in the future. How much Jason Campbell grew up on Sunday doesn’t really matter, rather it’s about how much he is able to build upon this accomplishment in the coming weeks.
Best of the Web:
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Redskins Nation will be killing the radio shows, blogs, and message boards over this one. I was defeatist at first, calling for a 31-3 loss after the hurtin’ Brandon Jacobs put on LaRon Landry. But then, as the defense got into rhythm, hope was built, albeit pessimistic hope….because after all, I am Redskins fan.
I’ve never been so silently frustrated at the offensive play calling…..even after witnessing years of persistent Joe Gibbs running it up the middle over and over again. I understand it was Zorn’s first outing, but couldn’t help wondering if he’d been on the sidelines of many live football games before. The first half would have been absolutely disastrous had the Redskins not scored. Not electing to call a timeout with all of them left and seconds ticking away in the Red Zone? Incomprehensible.
The Washington offense looked to be testing scenarios in the waning moments of an inconsequential preseason game when the fire was in the hole, down 16-7 as time was running out. The term “sense of urgency” will be thrown around in the coming days. So where was it? Do we chalk this up to Campbell’s insecurity with the offense? No, he’s not a rookie and Zorn wasn’t born yesterday. Shifting up a gear when the situation calls for it should have been refined, adequately at a minimum, before game one.
This season is going to be a learning process, we knew that after the last two preseason games. If things start to click, NFL history has dictated that momentum can turn at the blink of an eye. Maybe the players, led by Campbell and the ‘C’ on his jersey, need to focus on learning the offense, but it’s Jim Zorn’s job to get everyone on the same page. Zorn will learn quick that in DC, if you’re throwing others under the bus every week, eventually that bus is going to go in reverse and run over you.
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And now, knee-jerk quotes from the peanut gallery:
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