Every win is a good win, even the ugly ones. The Washington Redskins 17-14, um, beat-down of the Chicago Bears is as butt-ugly good as any win we’ll see this season. The worst that can be said is that neither team played well enough to win a playoff game.
Lets save those thoughts for another post.
The thinking around here is that the defense is the stronger part of the team and that the defense would carry the offense until McNabb and company jells. Thus, Washington’s last placed defense through six games is asked to cover for a top-ten offense.
If you are a regular reader of Redskins Hog Heaven, you know that last place defense doesn’t mean the worst defense. The NFL ranks teams by yards. Yardage doesn’t tell you enough about a team.
The Redskins had the 10th best defense in yards last season, yet they were hardly the 10th best defense. Washington snagged 11 interceptions in 16 games, scored no defensive points, and finished with 12 losses in 2009.
This year, the ‘Skins have eight interceptions in seven games, five by DeAngelo Hall, four of those Sunday against the Bears. Washington has scored defensive touchdowns on an interception return and a fumble recovery, both by Hall.
So stop the hand wringing about last place in yardage and bask in the disruption of opponent’s scoring drives. With that, I tip my hat to Hall. At last, his performance is worth the money.
Concerns about Washington’s offensive line make us look oh so provincial. (Yeah, that includes me.) We have our issues, but I’ll take our O-line over the Bears’ or Eagles’ line any day.
The world is a circle and life repeats
Much was made of Donovan McNabb’s return to his Chicago roots Sunday. Some referenced Mike Shanahan’s former association with Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler when both were with the Denver Broncos, big losers on Sunday to Jason Campbell and the Oakland Raiders.
It was Cutler’s hissy-fit upon Shanahan’s departure that led to Snyderrato’s unseemly efforts to trade multiple draft picks to Denver for Cutler to replace Campbell. Denver used Washington’s offer to extort Kyle Orton and multiple draft picks from Chicago who turned to Orton after dumping Rex Grossman who is now Washington’s back-up quarterback.
Cutler’s experience in Chicago is less than he hoped. He surely wishes to be reunited with Shanahan in Washington in preference to Mike Martz’ offense in Chicago.
What if the Bears dumped Lovie Smith and offered Shanahan the chance to return to his Chicago roots (Franklin Park, Illinois) to coach?
After that 59-14 beat-down by the Raiders, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen might be second-guessing his decision to replace old school Shanahan with the fresh new thinking of Josh McDaniels.
Jason Campbell is struggling in Oakland, but he is 2-0 against McDaniels who coldly rejected him as Cutler’s replacement. Oakland’s point-a-minute offense was more the result of Darren McFadden’s four touchdowns and 196 yards of total offense than Campbell, but Jason finished the day with a substantially better QB rating (127.9) than Orton, Cutler or McNabb.
It’s a small world and a round one.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
