Unbelievable game. Frankly, an unbelievable month for the Redskins. The last four games have been must win games for the 'Skins and they have won all four with two of them coming on the road. Yesterday, they pounded the Cowboys. I know the Cowboys rested a couple of their injured starters but other than that, they played their starters for at least the entire first half and we still dominated them. We held their rushing attack to 1 yard of rushing for the entire game. CP rushed for more than 100 yards against the Cowboys. It's the first time in 17 games the Cowboys have allowed a RB to rush for more than 100 yards on them. Todd Collins again had a great game. In three of the four games he has played his passer rating has been over 100.0. The defense as a whole was fantastic. Again, their play against the run was huge but even the pressure on the QBs and the pass defense were big. What's also been very key is the play of our playmakers. All of a sudden Moss and Portis are coming up big. When we have needed them most, they have stepped up.
I have been so impressed and proud of this team for this stretch and for what they have endured this season. Over the course of this 4 game win streak, they just seem like a different team/organization. It seems like they have all come together and are all playing with extreme confidence and desire. Gibbs seems to be coaching with absolute certainty and confidence. It also looks like everyone believes in each other and in their coaching staff. As a fan, it's really fun to watch.
I know the Vikings and Saints both ended up losing yesterday so it didn't really matter whether we won or lost as far as us getting in the playoffs but you don't want to back in to the playoffs that way. We came out and spanked the Cowboys. Again, we have played tremendous ball over the last month and are looking pretty dangerous. We have to be considered one of the hottest teams going into the playoffs. Frankly, many of the teams that are playoff bound have not played that well in recent weeks so it could get interesting. It's a new season now and everyone is 0-0 so lets see what happens.
Of interest was that we beat Dallas by 21 points (Sean Taylor's number). I know it is a little corny but many of the players felt like that was not by coincidence and that Sean Taylor has been with them during this run. Heard Shawn Springs and Gregg Williams talk last night in a post game interview how on Saturday night at the end of their defensive meetings, Williams put up a picture given to him by Phillip Daniels. It was a picture of Sean Taylor that he had autographed in training camp. He signed it and after his signature wrote, "We want Dallas!" Springs actually got a little emotional talking about it but apparently it served as a huge motivator for the team.
Again, there is something special about this team right now and hopefully we can keep it going. We have a tough game against Seattle this weekend. It will be particularly tough as we have to travel across the country and prepare in a short week (the game is on Saturday) and Seattle is a very difficult place to play. Also, Seattle is very much a pass oriented offense and presents different problems for our defense than the other teams we have played recently. You can probably expect Hasselbeck to throw 50 times so our secondary will have to really step up.
Again, I am very proud of this team and hopefully we can keep this thing going.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
4 comments:
We've seen our team play its best football in years over the last month. It's great to see some swagger in our players as we enter the playoffs. I don't think it's too crazy to think we could actually get far in the playoffs. No other NFC team has played with as much confidence and we have and no team has been more productive in the last few weeks.
Going to Seattle will be tough but they haven't faced a good team in weeks. They did beat the Eagles in Philly about 4 weeks ago, but that's nothing to boast about. I don't want to jinx it, but I think we can beat them.
A rematch with the Cowpokes in the divisional round would be next. How sweet would a win there be?
I think the NFC is wide open right now. The 'Skins can certainly beat any of the teams in the playoffs right now but the same can be said of many of the teams in the NFC playoffs. The good thing is that we are peaking at the right time. As they say, it's not how you start but how you finish. The 'Skins are playing with confidence and desire that we have not seen in a long time. Also, the coaches seem confident in their approach and most importantly, everyone seems to be on the same page. All season it was as if you would get pockets of good play from certain individuals or from one part of the team but you could never get the entire team to put together a solid 60 minutes of football. We are doing that now. Everyone is coming together and we are getting good performances for the entire game.
Going to Seattle will be tough. Again, they have a formidable passing attack that we will have to game plan against. I would imagine we will see more of Chris Wilson instead of Daniels. Wilson is undersized but a speedy pass rusher. He has been effective when he has been in there. I am curious if we will put pressure on Hasselbeck or if we will play a lot of nickel and dime defense. It seems like earlier in the year when we faced better passing teams, we stuck with more DBs and did less blitzing. Hasselbeck is a Pro Bowl veteran so seems like he could find the open receiver and make us pay if we blitz. I am actually a little concerned with Smoot. He has played pretty well during this stretch but he seems like he could get burned. I am very concerned about Torrence and/or Eubanks if he plays. They could get picked on. Another concern is the LB play. Not sure if Godfrey or Blades will get the start in place of McIntosh. Godfrey is a great run stopper but again we will need smaller more athletic guys out there. I'm not sure if Blades is much better but that will be something to watch. Whatever. I am confident that we will game plan accordingly and the guys will come out with intensity.
Agree, it would be sweet to have another crack at Dallas. Actually, I think we could do well in that game because we have played them well twice and I think Todd Collins could do well in Texas Stadium. The less external factors (poor weather, poor field conditions) the better for Collins. He understands the offense so well from a text book standpoint that he can execute it very well if the outside factors are removed.
Still, we can't look ahead. It sounds cliche but one game at a time and right now the focus needs to be on Seattle and stopping their passing attack.
The legend of Todd Collins grows. The D is playing well, but the bottom line is this, the Redskins have gotten an unbelievable play out of their journeyman QB. At some point that will run out. There is a reason that Collins didn't take a snap for 10 years.
I think Seattle is a bad matchup for the Redskins. The Redskins front 7 is really turning it on, but Seattle likes to throw and have a lot of good receivers. Secondary problems will hurt the Redskins.
On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks D is pretty stingy and they were fourth in the NFL in sacks. A stationary Collins makes for a good target.
Finally, the Seahawks are a different team at home.
If the Redskins beat the Seahawks - and I certainly think that is possible - then, I think they match up better against the Cowgirls.
I think Todd Collins understands the offense so well that he can run it efficiently. Todd Collins is a good QB in the Al Saunders offense. If he were to go somewhere else, he wouldn't be nearly as good. I still believe in JC and he is the franchise QB but Collins is the right guy for right now. I do agree that Collins is a stationary target so we will have to give him some extra protection against the Seattle D.
As far as the Seattle offense, because they are pass oriented, we should see more of Chris Wilson instead of Daniels. Wilson is a speedy DE that can get to the QB. We will need monster games from Carter and Wilson and the entire D line. We should also disguise some blitz packages. Still, a lot will be riding on our DBs. I have some concerns with Torrence and Eubanks. Smoot might give up a big play on a double move too.
Agree that home field advantage will play a factor as well.
Also, it looks like it may rain so that will be something that both teams have to deal with.
Still, the Redskins are playing good ball and have had great game planning the last several weeks so hopefully that will continue. Portis has played very well so hopefully we can get the ground game going early on. Also, we will need Todd Collins to add to his legend with continued solid play.
Hopefully the coaches will continue to be aggressive in their play calling. It has worked so far.
If we can get by Seattle, I like our chances against Dallas.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
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