You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.

Better late than never, they say….. Ouch. Losing in the playoffs is like getting drunk and having a one stand that you shouldn’t have had – not only does it have immediate repercussions (as in the embarrassment of getting out of there the next morning), but the potential long term ….um, ‘effects’ (in a burning sensation sort of way) are a bummer as well. The loss hurts now, and once you get over that, you can look forward to the realization that there’s another 7 months to go before you see your team on the field again. Excuse me while I throw up. If I have to listen to one word of that ’12th man’ crap, I’m gonna lose my balony sandwich. Yeah, it had such an effect on the Redskins that they took almost three and half quarters before they had their first false start. Open mouth, insert foot. Funny how Cris (or Chris, if you’re from Seattle) Collinsworth failed to mention his statement a few weeks ago after the Bears game that the Redskins had ‘no chance’ to make the playoffs. Perhaps it slipped his mind. And now, back to Antwaan in the studio… After watching Randle El’s introduction, tell me he won’t be on TV someday. Somebody get a doctor! I am convinced that Matt Hasselbeck has what I refer to as ‘Favre Disease’. The symptoms are an involuntary unsnapping of the chin strap immediately following the play, and trying to look cool. Get well, Matt. Wow. LaRon Landry was all over the place. How does this guy not get any recognition for Defensive Rookie of the Year? Aside from the two brilliant picks, he made tackles all over the field. Wait – and he’s only going to get better?!? Pressure, pushing down on me. In my opinion, the key to this game was pressure. The Seahawks applied to our QB, and we failed to return the favor. When we did, Hasselbeck made mistakes. When we didn’t, he hit his receivers perfectly. All the more reason we need a disruptive, strong, quick defensive end in the draft. And the effect of the pressure could not have been more apparent on the touchdown pass that should have been, if not for Collins getting pummeled and underthowing a wide open Santana Moss. Just like they taught him. Bobby Engram had a picture-perfect hold on Lee Torrence on the first touchdown. His shirt looked like sail, for crying out loud. Speaking of which… the officiating was HORRIBLE – both ways. Let’s see, aside from the blatant holding on the TD, there was Collins’ ‘incomplete pass’ which should have been at least called a fumble and then reviewed, Campbell’s low block on a kickoff return where he his the guy in the chest and then slid down, Betts taking a swing at a Seahawk with no penalty, and Torrence’s pass interference on Landry’s second pick. Bad day for the guys in black and white. It’s not you – actually, yeah, it is you. As much as I applaud Fabini and Heyer for stepping in and playing almost the entire season, I’ll be happy to see our right side back again in ’08. Fabini had a horrible day, and Heyer had his hands full. But I guess you can’t expect to go too far in the playoffs with half of your starting O’line in street clothes. Sweet! Knight Rider is back, baby! Who? If you don’t know how to spell ‘Hackett’, as Shawn Springs. He should have the name memorized by now, seeing as though he was looking at it most of the game. My official favorite play of the game. Smoot’s hit on Hasselbeck. True colors. Todd Collins has played admirably in place of Jason Campbell. But I think we saw that he is not the long term answer as he fell apart under pressure in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Both interceptions were not only poor throws, but worse – poor decisions. There is no reason to rush a throw to Moss in double coverage with five minutes left on your own 45 yard line. Turning point. You can blame Sean Squeeze ’em if you want, but by the time he stepped on the field to miss his 30-yarder, the tide had turned already. The Redskins recovered the ball on the 14 yard line after the botched kickoff return, and failed to score. Even if they hit the field goal, that’s a victory for the Seahawks. Keep in mind that Cooley dropped a pass on the two yard line on that ‘drive’. The Joe Gibbs School of English . Anyone catch Collinsworth saying that our guys ‘fought their guts out’? Stop making sense. As much as I can’t stand Collinsworth, he was dead on when he argued the benefits of a weak division. Having cruised to a fast start, the Seahawks had the luxury of resting players as they played the Cards, Rams and 49ers – a luxury we don’t have in the NFC East. True love. I absolutely LOVED seeing Landry sitting on the bench after the game with his head down. Do I like seeing our players depressed after a loss? Heck no. But tell me that guy isn’t feeling pain. His teammates are all shaking hands, laughing, joking, and he’s replaying the game in his mind over and over. Tell me he won’t be thinking about the game while he’s training in the offseason. Or during training camp. Tell me he won’t take the pain with him into next year’s playoffs. Bittersweet déjà vu. Having jumped on the bandwagon back in ’83, I remember the pain and shock I felt when Joe Gibbs retired the first time. You could almost sense the storm coming as he walked out the door. This time, I feel almost the same way, but more disappointment. I understand why he’s leaving, but are we really better off than we were four years ago? Are we a contender? I agree that we have more character than any other team in football, but is Joe Gibbs leaving us a winner? Only time will tell, I guess, but I’m a bit concerned that if a brand spanking new coach is hired, we’ll be starting from scratch yet again. Get me Dan Snyder on the line. Despite the NFL owners failing to take my advice when they discovered that Paul had been in a coma for nearly four years (no one noticed) and need to select a new commissioner, I’ll take a shot at my top three candidates to take over as head coach of the Redskins: 3. Steve Spurrier – ha ha ha! Whooo! Gotcha! ……Okay, not funny, I agree. Moving on… 2. George W. Bush – I have on good authority that he will be available around this time next year, and he has experience running a sports franchise (not to mention various other enterprises) into the ground (Texas Rangers). Plus, the added benefit is that you all get to see crazyhorse’s head explode with fury. 1. Rebecca Romijn – Yes, I may have a slight obsession with Ms. Romijn, but tell me you won’t tune into Redskins TV every freaking day to watch the interviews. She could join the cheerleaders at halftime, do post-game interviews clad in a bikini. You think we set attendance records this year?!? Only crumbs left in the donut box. So that’s it. Thanks for tolerating my drivel this year. I may pop my head in once or twice this year if my brain starts leaking uncontrollably. If I decide to give my other arm and leg to DirecTV for the NFL Sunday Ticket package next year, you’ll see me in 2008, like it or not. In the meantime, while I’ll closely monitor the selection of the new head coach of the Washington Redskins, I do need a break. It’s been a long, exhausting season, and I need lie down for a few weeks. And eat some…