Playoff Rooting Card: Week 13

First off let me say, that in the first time as a fan of the Washington Redskins, I don’t mind if they lose this Sunday. Of course I will be rooting for them to win. Of course I want to see them win. But this tragedy that hit our team this week is beyond measure. In the span of 5 days the Redskins players and coaches will not only have to deal with the unthinkable loss of a friend and teammate and his funeral, but play 2 games with teams in the middle of a playoff run.

However there is not much I can do as a fan but be supportive of the team and it’s players. So I will continue to support them in every way possible. One of those ways is to root for them to make the playoffs. I have come to the conclusion over the last few days that I want the Redskins to finish the season strong. Not for me, but for them and the memory of Sean Taylor. In years to come the annals of Sports history will write about the murder of Sean Taylor and I would hate the post script for this saga to be the redskins failed to put together a strong playoff run because of the loss. Sean’s memory deserves better.

But our guys are going to need help to get in. That is why I am going to continue writing this rooting card feature. After losing three straight the Redskins still have a better then normal chance to get into the last playoff spot because just about everything else went their way last week. However winning out was an unlikely task even before the tragic events earlier this week. The Redskins are going to need help.

So with that in mind here are the standings for week 13:

NFC East Champion: Dallas Cowboys (10-1, 7-0 Conf, 4-0 Div)

NFC North Champions: Green Bay Packers (10-1, 7-1 Conf)

NFC West Champions: Seattle Seahawks (7-4, 6-2 Conf)

NFC South Champions: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4, 6-2 Conf)

Wild Card #1: NY Giants (7-4, 5-4 Conf, 2-2 Div)

Wild Card #2: Detroit Lions (6-5, 4-5 Conf)

The Pack
New Orleans Saints (5-6, 4-3 Conf)
Washington Redskins (5-6, 3-5 Conf, 1-3 Div)
Philadelphia Eagles (5-6, 3-5 Conf, 1-3 Div)
Arizona Cardinals (5-6, 3-5 Conf)
Minnesota Vikings (5-6, 3-5 Conf)
Chicago Bears (5-6, 2-5 Conf)
Carolina Panthers (4-7, 4-4 Conf)

The Washington Redskins have head to head tiebreakers over Detroit and
Arizona. Tampa Bay, NY Giants, & Dallas Cowboys all have head to head tiebreakers over the Redskins, though the Redskins can eliminate that fact against the Giants and Dallas with wins later in the year. The Redskins have the opportunity to get head to head tiebreakers over Minnesota and Chicago.

The team I am worried about the most is the surging New Orleans’ Saints. I am worried about them on a two fold basis. First we do not have the opportunity to play them and their conference record is currently better then ours. Also if they catch up to Tampa
Bay and get the South division, the Bucs have a head to head tiebreaker against us due to their victory last week. The NY Giants and Detroit Lions are both slumping and despite the Eagles close game against the Pats I am not worried about them either.

We are definitely going to see some separation in the pack this week as almost all of the Playoff contenders are playing another playoff contender. So with that in mind here is the rooting card for this week’s games:

San Francisco (3-8) at Carolina (4-7)

Carolina actually has a decent Conference Record and if they go on a run could get into the playoffs at 9-7. Rather have the 49ers take them out now and not have to worry about that. Go 49ers!!

Seattle (7-4) at Philadelphia (5-6)

I rather see Seattle win the west and beating the Eagles helps us out. Go Seahawks!!

Buffalo Bills (5-6) at Washington Redskins (5-6)

Of course I will root for our boys to win. But most importantly I want them to play with pride for Sean. Go Sean!!!

Detroit Lions (6-5) At Minnesota Vikings (5-6)

We get a chance to play the Vikings and get a head to head and we need to gain ground on the Lions. Go Vikings!!

NY Giants (7-4) at Chicago (5-6).

We get to play both of these guys but like above we need help to catch up to the NY Giants. Go Bears!!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4) at New Orleans Saints (5-6).

Probably the biggest non redskin Game of the weekend. A win by the Bucs goes a long way for us on so many levels. Go Bucs!!

Cleveland Browns (7-4) at Arizona Cardinals (5-6)

Arizona is doing it's best imitation of ...well Arizona. Every year they fall all over themselves to find a way out of the playoffs. Lets give them some more help. Go Browns!!

Ok that is the rooting card for this week. As always until next time, Hail to the Redskins!!!

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Vision Quest: In An Instant

We have all had those moments in our life. We have gotten laid off out of the blue. We have failed at a home improvement project. A child has been hurt and must go to the hospital. A divorce from someone you thought you would grow old with. These moments have been hard and life defining and become bookmarks in the chapters of our lives.

Not many of us have had to deal with the sad news that the Taylor family must deal with this morning.

Last night Sean Taylor, starting Free Safety of the Washington Redskins, but more importantly a loved father and son, passed away after a valiant fight for his life. A victim of a senseless crime just over hours before, his wounds proved to be too much for him to overcome. At the young age of 24, he is survived by his 18 month old daughter Jackie and his fiancé.

We don’t know much about the crime itself but this we do know. Sean Taylor was shot in his home, outside of his bedroom as he went to investigate an apparent robbery attempt. He died while doing the most instinctual of all human behavior, a father’s desire to protect his family and loved ones from harm. He was shot in the leg and it severed his femoral artery. He was airlifted to a nearby trauma center and endured 6 hours of surgery. The news throughout the day looked bleak as he remained unresponsive after surgery, however by the end of the day there was some hope for recovery.

That hope was dashed as he lost his grip on this world early this morning. Football seems so distant right now, so meaningless. But it is through football that we as fans got to meet this humble misunderstood kid. He was born on April fools day in 1983, but on the football field he was no one’s fool. His athletic talent was evident at a very young age. In high school he started at running back and defensive back and linebacker. In 2000 he rushed for over 1300 yards, and rushing twice for over 400 yards in his the state playoffs. He also racked up over 200 tackles in that same season. He was ranked the #1 skill athlete and an All American by SuperPrep.

In 2001 Taylor enrolled in the University of Miami at the Apex of that powerful schools football dominance. During his time there he changed the way a Safety played in college football. His 3 Interception returns for touchdowns in 2003 is a single season record for the University of
Miami. In addition he returned punts and blocked kicks, many times for scores there as well.

However we will remember him for his career in Burgundy and Gold. Taylor’s selection in the 2004 draft in the fifth spot was the subject of much debate amongst Redskin Nation. However shortly after his signing he proved all critics wrong as he displayed a combination of speed and size never before seen at the safety position. He had 89 tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack in his rookie season.

In 2005 despite a tumultuous off season Taylor turned in one of the best years of his now too short career. Stat wise he only recorded 70 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 sack, however he solidified his place as the hardest hitter in the NFL. Wide Receivers now feared crossing the middle of the field. Alligator arms was now a term that was commonly used during Redskin broadcasts as receivers routinely refused to lay out for balls across the middle for fear of a hit from Taylor. And in our only playoff win this millennium; Taylor had a key touchdown return that helped propel the Redskins to victory.

In 2006, Taylor was one of the lone bright spots in a struggling injury depleted Redskins defense. He recorded 129 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and 1 interception during this season. Despite the poor play of the Redskins Defensive unit, Sean was selected to his only Pro-Bowl. However he made it memorable as he leveled out punter Brian Moorman on an attempted trick play.

In 2007 Taylor was putting together his best season as a pro. In just 9 games he had already racked up 42 tackles, 5 interceptions, & 1 forced fumble. Playing a true free safety for the first time in his pro-career he had the ability to take away the deep ball single handedly. He was just starting to scratch the surface of his ability when a knee injury sat him down for the last two games. All signs though pointed to a triumphant return, perhaps as early as this Sunday.

However that will never come. We will never know how good Sean Taylor was going to be and the Redskins, in fact the entire NFL, are the lesser for it. Superstar athletes are increasingly becoming targets of crime because of their fame and wealth. We simply do not know at this point why this senseless tragedy happened. And in the weeks to come the investigation into this matter will no doubt answer many of our questions.

But for now we all must deal with the fact that this star athlete, this promising young man, this father, son, and soon to be husband is no longer with us. He was struck down in his home defending his family in the prime of his life. Now his family and friends must find a way to move on. And we as fans must find a way to say goodbye. We will never see the #21 and his bone-jarring hits, game changing speed, and pure athletic ability except in our memories.

And it is there I will remember Sean Taylor. I will remember Todd Pinkston absolutely refusing to catch a ball because Taylor was bearing down on him. I will remember him matching up against the opposing team’s best wide receiver and taking him out of the game. I will remember Brian Moorman digging his way out of the 6 foot hole Taylor planted him in. And I will remember him diving into the end zone in Tampa.

But mostly I will remember how I felt the day we drafted him. I felt proud to be a Redskin fan. I felt that we were drafting the Lawrence Taylor of the new century. I still feel that way, and always will. Sean will forever be in our memory and hearts, and in our collective consciousness he will gain immortality as he goes on to his next defensive assignment; to look down on his daughter from heaven and protect her.

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Vision Quest: Giving thanks

After the Redskins loss yesterday I contemplated many things, but the main was was this: How much has my life been shorted being a Redskin fan? The fact that we continually come up short in the 2^nd half of games this year is beyond frustrating. It would be one thing if this was the Spurrier or Norv Years. Sure we failed then, but I pretty much expected late game and season collapses. We could talk about the talent gap, or the coaching gap, or the Strahan’s tooth gap…there were plenty of gaps to blame.

What is so frustrating with this team is that we have the talent on both the coaching staff and the player side to not just compete in this league, but to win. Yet they are mired in mediocrity. First the offense was sputtering this season and the Defense was able to mask it’s inefficiencies. Now the offense is awakening but the league has figured out our schemes and the Defense is not adjusting. The only time we have put together a complete game was Detroit.

However I have decided that I can not do a blog full of vitriol and hate this week. Though we lost this last week, I truly expected a Patriot like blow out. We took the NFC’s best team, down to the wire and the outcome was in doubt until the last play of the game. Our offense has finally found a leader and identity and our defense, though horrible, will get better with Taylor back in a week or two.

So I have decided to take in the spirit of the Thanksgiving season and list the things that I, and the redskins, should be thankful for:

Jason Campbell. This kid has to be at the top of anyone’s list. He is growing each and every game. It is no longer a question of whether Jason Campbell is going to be a good quarterback in the NFL, it is now a question of how good. Sure he may fumble a little too often and has yet to give us the signature comeback win (though yesterday was close), but he is going to get a few in his time here in DC. Mark it down.

Clinton Portis. He may not be the CP of 2005 and had a bad game against
Dallas rushing wise, but he is still the heart and soul of this Redskin team. He makes hard runs and gives us consistency on offense. And when he is not running he is pound for pound the best blitz pick up in the league.

Chris Samuels. Easily the most reliable offensive linemen we have had during his tenure. He rarely misses a game to injury and is routinely asked to block the best defensive end on the other team without much help as all available help has been designated to the right side of the line. I for one appreciate one of the longest serving Redskins.

Parity in the NFC. Thank god because if it wasn’t for the mediocrity of this conference we could not be even thinking about a nplayoff run. But 9-7, maybe even 8-8 may get into the playoffs this year.

Sean Taylor’s Super Human Healing abilities. A man can hope can’t he? We need him back more then ever…soon. Without him the uncover-2 Williams likes to employ is more suspect then an email from the Bank of Nigeria.

Joe Gibbs: He may be slow to change. He may decide to kick Fgs with inches to go. He may not know how to call a TO properly. He may be too old and the game may have passed him by. But watching Gregg Williams arrogantly refuse to change his schemes makes me appreciate Joe Gibbs change in the offense as of late. Whether it was Saunders taking over, or Joe taking over, I am thankful for hope on the offensive side of the ball.

Mini Playoff Rooting Card

I usually reserve doing this until After Thanksgiving. But WTH, lets start it early on. To review here are the current standings for the Playoffs in the NFC:

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys 9-1

NFC North: Green Bay Packers 9-1

NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-4

NFC West: Seattle Seahawks 6-4

Wildcard #1: NY Giants 7-3

Wildcard #2: Detroit Lions 6-4

The Pack:
Washington Redskins 5-5
Philadelphia Eagles 5-5
Arizona Cardinals 5-5
Carolina Panthers 4-6
Minnesota Vikings 4-6
New Orleans Saints 4-6
Chicago Bears 4-6

The bad news is the Redskins are 1 game behind the last Wildcard spot. The good news is that currently they own head to head tiebreakers over Detroit & Arizona and none of the wildcard contenders have head to head tiebreakers on them, yet. The Redskins also get a chance at getting head to head tiebreakers on Tampa, Chicago, & Minnesota in upcoming games. All NFC games are must wins for the rest of the season because virtually all wildcard contenders have 3 or 4 wins in the NFC.

So here are the relevant games to scoreboard watch this weekend:

Green Bay (9-1) atDetroit (6-4)

Gotta go for Green bay here. Allows us to control our own Destiny. Go Packers!!

New Orleans Saints (4-6) at Carolina Panthers (4-6)

Interesting Matchup. Carolina has a better NFC record right now so I am going to root for New Orleans. Go Saints!!

Seattle (6-4) at St. Louis (2-8)

Seattle has a great conference record and I don’t want them in the mix for the playoffs, especially with us having a head to head tiebreaker against Arizona. Go Seattle!!

Washington (5-5) at Tampa Bay (6-4)

Though I want Tampa to win the South due to their better NFC record, they can do it next week. Go Redskins!!

Minnesota (4-6) at NY Giants (7-3)

We have a must wn game against the Giants coming up, might as well get them feeling bad before we go tho their house. Go Vikings!!

San Francisco (2-8) At Arizona Cardinals (5-5)

We may have a head to head onArizona but I want some cushion. Go 49ers!!

Denver (5-5) at Chicago (4-6)

Might as well knock Chicago down a peg or two as well. Go Broncos!!

Philadelphia (5-5) at New England (10-0)

Let New England be New England and put Philadelphia away. Go Patriots!!

If we win and Detroit loses we catapult into the top Wildcard spot. However with tough games at the Giants and with the Cowboys we need as much cushion as we can get. If we can get a handful of these to go the right way we can put ourselves in a good position to take the last wildcard spot.

As always HTTR!!!

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