1. Showing Heart The Redskins showed great heart Sunday Night in Miami. They scrapped, clawed and fought the entire game. As a team, they never quit - but fell short in their effort to stay alive in the NFC East. In spite of having every opportunity to cave, buckle and go through the motions… this team gave tremendous effort. In the end, too many mistakes and a lack of TD's cost the Skins the game - but the effort wasn't in question.
2. Bad Angles From my living room, I've diagnosed Matt Bowen with the lingering effects of Concussion Syndrome. Bowen has shown a remarkable knack for clobbering ball carriers. In the game versus Miami, he was slow to react and took poor angles on multiple plays. Bowen took more bad angles on more plays than a Quazimoto trying out pick-up lines at a disco. Not everyone has the skill to make such a diagnosis from the comfort of his or her living rooms - please don't try this at home.
3. Are You Ready Yet? Watching Patrick Ramsey get slammed to the ground, repeatedly, for the past four weeks gave Tim Hasselbeck one over-riding message: Get Ready! Sooner, rather than later, Hasselbeck had little doubt he'd be forced into action. It would have been easy to shy away from the duty. But Hasselbeck proved to be a more-than-capable backup. He moved in the pocket, audibled, hit the deep throw and marched the team down the field. Tim's older brother, Matt is the starter for the Seahawks. Good QB genes run in this family. Could we find a family with good offensive lineman genes?
4. Who's on the Bench? The Redskins needed two safeties and a defensive lineman going into the 2003 NFL Draft. One safety spot was filled with Matt Bowen, the other was to be filled with… well nobody knew then, and nobody knows now. DT Brandon Noble was injured in the preseason, Dan Wilkinson signed with Detroit and Daryl Gardener didn't get his ransom demand. The Skins drafted a Florida Gator WR named Taylor Jacobs who is drawing comparisons to Michael Westbrook - not a good thing. With Laveranues Coles and Rod Gardner on the roster - why draft another WR when there are obvious needs elsewhere?
5. Who's Brandon Winey? The Skins are thin on talent, having to start Brandon Winey at OLT in place of the injured Chris Samuels. Samuels hasn't played well all season - so there won't be much of a drop-off. Anyone weighing over 210 lbs seen at Redskin Park is asked the same question - can you block? Has anyone ever heard of Brandon Winey? - OK, put your hand down Mrs. Winey. Anyone else? Anyone?
6. Saints, Aints and Paints The New Orleans Saints drove the ball inside the Eagles one-yard line last week. After what looked like consecutive scoring plays were not signaled by the officials the Saints attempted another scoring play. But they fumbled into the endzone where an Eagle player fell on the ball. Instead of a TD with an extra-point, the Aints gave up an 80-yard drive to the Eagles. A demoralizing, crushing blow that removed any momentum the Saints/Aints might have had. At this point in the season, the Saints are in second place in their division at 5-6, tied with the Buccaneers behind the 8-3 Carolina Panthers. No matter how it's painted, the Saints are in for another disappointing season. Hmm, sounds all too familiar.
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