Vision Quest: Destiny

Destiny.

It is one word that means so much. It brings up images pf prophets, heroes, wars, and victory.

Throughout history the thought of controlling one’s own destiny has been the pinnacle of human achievement. Men have given up wealth and power just to be able to determine their own destiny, to make their own way.

The Redskins, for the first time in a long time, have that same opportunity.

With Sunday’s thrashing of the hated Dallas Cowboys, and Atlanta and Minnesota each losing, the Redskins have fallen into a 4-way tie for the final playoff spot in the NFC. By virtue of their strong NFC record, they also hold the tiebreakers. If the Redskins win their final two games they are assured of a playoff spot.

In short, the Redskins control their own destiny.



Not since 1999 have the Redskins been so close to the playoffs at this point in the season. Great accomplishments come through great adversity. And the Redskins have had that this year. After starting strong they went out west to get spanked twice. The Redskins took out their frustration on San Francisco beating them so bad Ike Turner turned off his TV set. But then the Giants whipped us touching off a tumultuous 5 game funk where the Redskins lost 4 of 5, only beating the hapless Philadelphia Eagles and losing three straight to beatable teams. But like great champions with their back against the wall they won three straight, with two road victories and are now on the verge of making the playoffs.

Last Sunday was something special though.

After the first Cowboy defeat this season I wrote an article simply entitle Redemption. This was something different on Sunday. This was Revenge. Revenge for all the sweeps in the last 7 years where the Cowboys swept 6 season series. Revenge for the fans that were abused and laughed at by their ugly counter parts. Revenge for Joe Gibbs who seemed to always be bested by Bill Parcels. And come to think of it, revenge is a dish best served with tuna.

This was a different, more focused Redskin team. It went for the jugular and closed the game. They smelled blood, pumped up by the 90k faithful in Fed Ex. They didn’t want to just beat Dallas, they wanted to destroy them. Even Joe Gibbs got caught up in it. Early on the Redskins ran a flea flicker to show the Cowboys you can not tell what we were going to do. Suddenly this WAS your Daddy’s Redskins, and that was a very, very good thing. The Defense was lighting up the Cowboys running Gregg William’s plan to attack the rookie tackles aggressively. When they had the chance to take advantage of a short field and score, they did so with touchdowns instead of field goals.

This team has become something special and Fed Ex has become a special place to play. Joe Gibbs and company have built a squad full of team-first players. Not only are they team-first, they are fan-first. Whether it was Renaldo Wynn’s excited utterances after the first Dallas win, or Randy Thomas pumping his fist in the air to the adoring 90k+ at Fed Ex after his broken leg. These players have come to love the fans and vice versa. There is a new attitude at Fed-Ex that you can tell even being 1000 miles away in the bitter cold of Upstate NY.

(One other thing about Randy Thomas. Many of you that were at the game may not have seen this but as he was being wheeled off he knew that his leg was broken and more then likely he would be done for the year. At first he looked sad and then he pumped his fist into the air prompting the crowd to go nuts. After going into the tunnel he twice said “You gotta love it” referring to the fan support directly into the camera. That is a man right there. In pain, future uncertain, grinning and bearing it for the fans. Randy Thomas is going on my special player moments list along with Renaldo Wynn's excited utterance after the last Cowboy bashing in Dallas.)

The fans at Fed Ex have also become a serious factor in each game. Opposing players are false starting because the noise is so deafening. Dallas was so rattled that I am certain every one of their offensive line committed a false start. The Defense seemed to run on the fan noise and geared up for each and every play by waving their arms in the air. The crowd was loud and in charge all game long. When the Redskins needed them they got behind them cheering and chanting and screaming their lunatic heads off.

(Another aside, for those cowboy fans that said we disrespected them by playing the “Momma Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboy’s” song. Listen I at first agreed with you and by the way so did Joe Gibbs who signaled for the song to be shut off, however then I was reminded of something. You scheduled your ring of fame ceremony this year when we came to town. You treated us like a homecoming game. You deserved what you got. And do you want class? How about the standing ovation Marco Rivera got when he got carted off? I doubt you would have done the same if we were in your house.)

At the end of the game though came the penultimate sound though. The chants of “We want the Giants!!” came rolling over the field shaking the ghosts of seasons past from their graves and commanding the players not to have a let down like what happened earlier this year.

I for one believe they won’t. Coach Gibbs knows that part of the reason for the tremendous beat down we received in NY was the result of over confidence from the 49er win. The players know it too. The very fact that we did get abused Marsellus from Pulp Fiction style last time will keep them focused. I am sure they are ready to get medieval on their ****Censored by Spence***.

The Giants will be a hard opponent though. Tiki Barber is the real deal. All the experts say he is the most underrated running back in the league the problem with that is they keep talking about him every week and every game. He is no longer underrated. Manning is coming into his own as well. However they are beatable. Manning gets confused in complex coverage schemes and Tiki can be stuffed.

The Redskins need this game more then any other this season. The playoffs are STILL on the line and so is their self respect. Time for some more revenge.

More Help from our Friends

I know there are some who will say “Redskins need to win and we are in” and you know what, I am one of them. But the Redskins have some tough tough games against NY and Philly. So we, the fans, should still take a look at the out of town scoreboard and let the players worry about winning the games. Remember there is still a possibility of winning the division and a remote possibility of getting the first round bye, so scoreboard watching is not necessarily all bad.

However to win the division AND get a first round bye we would need more things to line up just right then Tammy Faye Baker trying to look like a super model. But hell, if Chris Cooley can date not one, but two Redskin cheerleaders with the mug he has, and on top of that still be dating one of them after she got fired for dating him, then anything can happen.

Here is what it will take for the Wildcard, Division, & First Round Bye scenario:

Wild Card: Win out and we are in, period. We have the NFC conference record tie breaker, so as long as we remain tied with the Atlanta, Minnesota, and Dallas for the final two spots, or as is the case now, the Redskins are in. Thus if the Redskins lose one, Atlanta, Minnesota and Dallas must lose as well or the Redskins are out. We are walking a tight rope and we have to be perfect or we may fall.

Division: Pure and Simple. We need to beat the Giants this weekend and then also beat Philadelphia on the final weekend. The Giants must lose to Oakland in the final weekend and then the Redskins will win the division because of the better division record. This is the only scenario that works for the division win.

First Round Bye: Pigs must fly and Cows jump over the moon. But just in case of flying pork and orbital steak is a real possibility, here is the scenario. The Redskins must win the Division as above. Chicago must also lose their final two games to Green Bay and Minnesota. Carolina must lose its final two games to Dallas and Atlanta to bring their record to 10-6. Tampa must lose at least one of their final games to either New Orleans or Atlanta. This could end up with a 3 way tie for the NFC south with Carolina, Tampa, and Atlanta or just Carolina and Tampa, or just Carolina and Atlanta all with 10-6 records.

It is not important who wins the NFC North and South as long as it is not the combination of Minnesota and Tampa Bay. The Redskins own the Conference record and in the case of a 3 way tie in Division winners, the Conference record is the tiebreaker, unless one team has beaten both of the other teams. Tampa has beaten both Minnesota and the Redskins so that is why they can not win the South and Minnesota won the North. If Tampa wins the South and Chicago wins the North then the Redskins still get the first round bye because Tampa bet the Redskins, The Redskins beat the Bears, and the Bears beat Tampa. Once again Conference record is the key, and the Redskins projected 10-2 record is tops in the league.

So with that in mind here is your Playoff Rooting Card for the weekend:

Saturday

Atlanta at Tampa Bay. Ok. Right off the bat we have a very hard choice. A loss by Atlanta extends our lead and helps gives us some margin for error. However I can’t let go of the hope that we win the division and possibly get a first round bye. For that to happen we need Tampa to lose. However the fear of not making the playoffs at all outweighs my hope for the first round bye. So go Tampa Bay!!!

Dallas at Carolina. This is the exact same scenario as above. A Carolina win assures not only gives the Redskins some breathing space but combined with a Redskin win would actually eliminate Dallas from the playoffs. A Carolina loss is needed for the win the division, get a first round bye, super fat chance in hell scenario. Well I can’t root for the Cowboys so if they win I will take it as consolation. Go Carolina!!!!

Sunday

Chicago at Green Bay. Ok this is purely part of the win the division, get a first round bye, cow over the moon, pigs flying scenario. But what the heck, maybe Brett Favre has something left to prove. I also would hate to see Grossman do well again and give Chicago big time momentum going into the playoffs. Go Green Bay!!!

Minnesota at Baltimore. Again Minnesota losing here can give the Redskins some breathing space. It also helps out the first round bye scenario a little so what the heck, it can’t hurt. Go Baltimore!!!

To Be or Not To Be

So now that I took some time to talk about the playoff permutations I want to remind the Redskins and their fans that our Destiny is firmly in our own hands. And to do this I quote Shakespeare’s famous monologue from Hamlet.

“To be or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?”

The Redskins have taken up arms against their opponents but two remain. It is time to go out their and finish the job. Do it for Randy Thomas, the fallen warrior who will cheer his comrades from the sideline. Do it for Coach Gibbs, who has remained constant and lead them to the precipice of greatness. Do it for the fans, which have come to every game and supported the Redskins in ways not seen since the Glory Days of the Redskins. Do it for themselves, because everyone wrote them off three games ago after the San Diego loss.

But whatever you do, just win on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. A Christmas gift and a New Year’s resolution. That is what the team must be focused on and why we must support them with all our voices, even if like me it is from your living room.

Hail To The Redskins!!!!!!