It Never Felt So Good to be Wrong

One of the dangers of writing stuff down is that sometimes people actually pay attention.  And when people pay attention, they remember things – things you said, even if those things were said a long, long time ago, like three weeks.  And perhaps those things you said may have been ever-so-slightly ‘wrong’.  Now, in many cases, this is a bad thing, unless you work for ESPN, in which case you just ignore what you said previously, and ESPN wipes all evidence of it from the face of the earth, problem solved.  I don’t have that luxury.

So some weeks ago when I seemed to imply that the Redskins would most likely lose on the road to the Cowboys and the Eagles, I was wrong.  But here’s the weird thing – I was so wrong, that I came back full-circle to being right again.  This type of circular relationship between being right and being wrong doesn’t happen all the time – for example, with my wife, I’m either wrong, or even more wrong.  There’s no getting back to right.  It’s like a long, steep one-way decline into the dark hole of wrongness, slicked with grease and with a bleacher full of wives cheering your descent.

Anyway, let me explain my new-found rightness.  I claimed that after a difficult first five games, we’d find out what kind of character this Redskins team has.  Could they climb out of the hole they would supposedly be in?  Or would they fall apart, shaken by their early losses?  Well, I got the losses wrong, but the part about the importance of how this team will react after their first five games is dead on.  The Redskins are flying high right now, and face some dangerously bad teams in the next few weeks.  If they can maintain their focus and energy, we’re looking at a very good football team, perhaps as good as the media now seems to think they are.  However, if they fall into the trap, we’ll sink into the mediocrity that our opponent’s fans are predicting.  Time will tell.

Tough putting together drivel this week, by the way.  The Eagles just aren’t that funny.  No wonder they don’t have any Lombardis (zing!).

My head is shaved, too, remember?!?  While I was happy for Mrs. Donuts, I was appalled at the inequality of Jason Taylor face time compared to cheerleader face time.  My guess is that the producer of the game was one of three things: 1) a woman; 2) a gay man (not that there’s anything wrong with that; 3) Jason Taylor himself.  Anyway, I like that seeing Taylor on the TV every five seconds encouraged Mrs. Donuts to watch the game with more interest – even if she did fall asleep in the fourth quarter.  This is the same woman that attempted to bring a book to an Orioles game ‘in case it got boring’ (justified, perhaps, given the level of play), until she saw the fire shoot from my eye sockets.  Okay, where was I?  Cheerleaders, right.  More cheerleaders!

Two wrongs make a right.  Not only did the refs bungle the call on the punt return – unless Khary Campbell is the only player in history able to block himself in the back – but they bungled it again later on a Redskins kickoff, calling Tank Daniels (again, no. 50) for a block in the back….on himself.  Is it just me, or is the officiating lacking this year?

‘And Leon’s getting larger!’  I’m no Michael Phelps myself, but Andy Reid seems to have gotten quite a bit larger this year.  I know he’s been dealing with some serious family issues this past year, but hopefully he can turn it around and get healthy, because he looks very unhealthy at the moment.  And two points to you if you get the Leon reference.

I hate Brian Westbrook.  The same way I hated Lawrence Taylor and Troy Aikman.  I hated them because they were so darn good.  Quincy Carter, not so much hate there.  But I have to give props to Westbrook.  You could tell he hurt his ribs (which we later found out are broken) on the first drive, and yet he continued to play.  I bruised my ribs playing flag football this year, and for the next two weeks cried every time I sneezed.  The guy is one tough dude.

‘Doink!’  This is the sound that is made when a sure interception bounces off of Carlos Rogers’ stomach.

Squeeze me.  I’ll admit that I’ve given Shaun Suisham some crap here in the past, but the guy has come up big that past couple of weeks.  The kicks he hit against the Eagles were not easy, and had a huge impact not only on the score, but on the momentum of the game.  After the one he hit at the end of the first half, you could see how much it inflated the Redskins sideline.

And now I contradict myself…That kickoff at the end of the first half was UG-LEE.  Maybe the ugliest kickoff I’ve ever seen.  I mean, it almost hit a cheerleader, for crying out loud.

The future.  For those of you who may question whether Jim Zorn feels like Devin Thomas has a future with this team, consider that on a critical 3rd and 11, Zorn called Thomas’ number, and he delivered.

Jason Taylor who?  Andre Carter was a monster on Sunday.  All day he put pressure on McNabb, made tackles in the backfield, and knocked down passes.  He was the first guy there on the critical 3rd and one on the goal line late in the game.  And he looked pretty jacked up about it.

I can’t say it – this is a family web site.  I have some choice words to describe the level of physical play that Desean Jackson, the Eagles’ number one pick, displayed on Sunday, and it rhymes with ‘wussy’.  The guy ran out of bounds every chance he got, instead of taking a hit and trying for a few more yards.

CP’s Truck of the Week!This week’s winner is Stewart Bradley, who was trucked by Portis on a long run in the third quarter – this time with a defensive tackle hanging all over Portis.  Congratulations to this week’s Truck of the Week winner, who will receive as a prize a year’s supply of treatments at Mel’s Concussion Center, where the motto is ‘Your brain ‘matters’ to us!’

Ouch.  As a Red Sox fan, it hurts me deeply that Troy Aikman is one also. 

‘Doink!’  This was certainly not the sound that was made as Rogers crushed Avant on a hit in the 3rd quarter.  Rogers, in fact, had a great game, also making a key tackle on a screen pass on a 3rd down to force a punt.

Poetry in motion.  The touchdown pass by Randle-El was a beautiful thing to watch (and rewind and watch again, ad nauseum).  As he came around the corner, for a split-second Randle-El tucked the ball and looked as if he were going to run.  This drew Dawkins up, and left Cooley open for the score.  A sweet play.

MVP.  As I watched this game, I could not help but notice how absolutely vital Mike Sellars is to the running game, and to this team.  I’m sure CP would agree with me.

All phases.  I’ve already mentioned how important Suisham’s field goals were.  The defense at one point forced four 3-and-outs in a row from the Eagles offense.  And all the offense did was get the ball up by six with 7:12 on the clock, and proceed to run out the clock by punishing and demoralizing the Eagles defense. 

Excuse me, your jugular is bleeding.  I questioned whether Joe Gibbs would have gone for it on fourth and one with 2:48 remaining in the game.  I came to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter, and I don’t care.  I love that Zorn has a ‘kill them now’ kind of attitude.  It may backfire one of these days, but that’s how good teams play – to win, not to not lose.

Tito, get me a tissue!  Okay, the Redskins are a multi-million dollar business.  Can we not afford a few tissues for Coach Zorn?!?  In the past two games, I’ve seen him wipe his runny nose on his hand, his sleeve, even his sleeve-less arm.  Yech.  Please.  Get the man a tissue.