There is an upbeat atmosphere at Redskins Park these days, reflecting the team's early season success.
Joe Gibbs, one of only four coaches to win at least three Super Bowls, was in his element Wednesday, dressed in a Washington Redskins parka and preparing his team for another important game at Giants Stadium.
Former pro quarterback Joe Theismann was also on the premises, giving his opinion about the stellar play of the current quarterback, Mark Brunell. The locker room buzzed with chatter, the kind of energy generated by teams counting the victories instead of counting the days.
The Redskins (4-2) are rolling again, and Sunday's National Football Conference East showdown against the New York Giants (4-2) will be another test for two teams riding momentum, sitting atop the division with the Philadelphia Eagles (4-2). The Dallas Cowboys (4-3) are just a half-game behind.
Washington has already exceed-ed expectations after a dreadful 6-10 season. Brunell is the top-rated quarterback in the NFC, a 35-year-old who is fooling those who figured he was washed up. Santana Moss leads the NFL in receiving yards, and his paralyzing speed resulted in two fourth-quarter touchdowns during a September game that Washington stole from Dallas.
Are the Redskins serious playoff contenders, or simply an early story line destined to fade away? At least people are asking. That means things have changed for the better.
"People are still looking at us and saying, `Wait and see,' especially because of the division we're in," said running back Clinton Portis, who has 544 yards rushing, eighth in the league. "Everybody in the division is good, and people may think the Redskins are going to be the team that doesn't pan out.
"So let's wait and see. But I'll say this: This isn't last year. Last year was a learning year for everybody, because nobody knew this offense. We had no vertical offense. This year, we've got guys making big plays. People respect our passing game. Mark is playing great. We've got a lot of guys playing well. And that's what it takes to win."
Gibbs made a bold move in Week 2, naming Brunell the starter and benching Patrick Ramsey. It was a typical Gibbs move, part logic and part instinct. Brunell had outplayed Ramsey during the preseason, but Brunell was coming off a terrible 2004, when he completed just 49.8 percent of his passes and lost his job to Ramsey after nine games. Hobbled by calf and hamstring injuries last year, Brunell looked old and slow, and his passes lacked zip. But after watching a healthy Brunell this summer, Gibbs followed his gut and made the change, knowing it would create controversy but believing that Brunell offered the best chance to win.
"He's a born leader, he has a lot of confidence, and that instills confidence in people around him," Gibbs said. "None of us can talk a team into believing in something. But if they believe the quarterback can do it, it means a lot. They're running the show."
Throwing for 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions this season, Brunell has turned the clock back to the mid-1990s, when he was one of the league's best quarterbacks with the Jacksonville Jaguars, playing under the Giants' current coach, Tom Coughlin. Brunell may feel vindicated by his resurgence, but he said he would rather focus on the success of the team.
"I didn't look at it as having something to prove," said Brunell, who has completed 58.6 percent of his passes. "We're 4-2, which is great. The statistic as a quarterback is winning games. I'd rather have a lower rating and five or six wins, but it is what it is. We're 4-2, and we're doing some good things on offense. What we're doing is probably coming as a surprise."
Theismann, who led the Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XVII, watched Brunell closely during training camp and expected his play to improve.
"People like to focus on a quarterback's arm, but I think his hamstring was so bad that he really couldn't set himself," Theismann said. "He even struggled with 5-yard passes a year ago, which was incredibly uncharacteristic. Either he had lost it completely, or he was hurt. I think it's obvious now that he was hurt."
Moss, acquired in an off-season trade with the Jets, has given Brunell the deep threat that every quarterback loves. The Giants have yielded more passing yards per game (295.8) than any team except San Francisco, so Moss will probably go deep early and often today.
"This whole Brunell-Moss thing is 80 percent Moss and 20 percent Brunell," Brunell said. "I've been around a lot of good ones, and he's right up there. There's nothing he can't do. The only thing he doesn't have is that he's not 6-foot-4. But he's competitive, he's smart, and when he catches the ball, he can do something with it."
Defensively, the Redskins are succeeding with a strong line anchored by a former Giants player, tackle Cornelius Griffin, and by linebacker Marcus Washington. But in last week's 52-17 victory over San Francisco, the Redskins went to a 3-4 alignment on many occasions, using linebacker LaVar Arrington to rush the passer.
Arrington, a former Pro Bowl player, had hardly seen action before the Niners game, playing just seven defensive snaps during the first four games. But he led the team with nine tackles against the 49ers, and the Redskins will probably use him on the blitz in passing situations, moving him to different spots and looking to pressure Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
Gibbs knows that Redskins fans are giddy over the team's start, but he has enough experience to preach caution.
"It's much improved, we know that, but I don't know how far we're going to go," said Gibbs, who returned to coaching last season after an 11-year hiatus. "Certainly, we've been pleased so far. But the next game is the only one you think about."
A victory Sunday would give the Redskins at least a share of first place in the conference and give them even more confidence heading into November. Playing in the NFC East, the only division with four teams over .500, the Redskins are happy with their start. But they seem more excited about their potential.
"We talk about winning our division games and winning games in our conference," Brunell said. "The games you play in September and October really count in December, when you're in the hunt. It's a big game for us, obviously. Hopefully, we can get this one."
the opposition
The Giants sneaked by a good Denver Broncos team on Eli Manning's touchdown pass with five seconds left. The younger Manning survived all kinds of blitzes, stayed cool and steered the Giants on two touchdown drives in the last 13 minutes 12 seconds. As Amani Toomer, who caught the winning touchdown pass, said, "He's just really calm. He never gets rattled. For a quarterback to be so young and have that kind of poise is just rare."
The Giants' defense, once the strength of this team, has become erratic. It gave up 191 yards rushing to the Broncos, who could do that to anyone, and the Giants' pass defense has been hurt by injuries to the secondary.
Defensive end Michael Strahan, the inspirational leader of the Giants' defense, said, "At some point, we have to make plays. We can't just leave it up to the offense to win it for us at the end."
Philadelphia (4-2) at Denver (5-2)
In the final moments last week, the Eagles won and the Broncos lost. The Eagles blocked a Chargers' field-goal attempt and returned it 65 yards for the deciding touchdown with 2:25 to go. The Broncos lost on a Giants' touchdown with five seconds left. Except for three kneeldowns at the end, 58 of the Eagles' 68 offensive plays were pass plays.
Even quarterback Donovan McNabb said, "You have to run the ball. You definitely do." Coach Andy Reid dissented, saying, "We're going to do what we think will get us a win."
Kansas City (4-2) at San Diego (3-4)
In their last game, moved up to Friday night in Miami to beat Hurricane Wilma, the Chiefs, with only one practice all week, rolled up 462 yards in dominating the Dolphins. The Chargers will give them a tougher test, even though a 12-4 team last year is 3-4 now. When the Chargers lost to the Eagles, LaDainian Tomlinson carried 17 times for only 7 yards, a career low.
"It's been a while since it's been like that." Tomlinson said.
With all that, the Chargers have the talent to become a playoff team.
Buffalo (3-4) at New England (3-3)
The Bills have been getting by on a flimsy offense. It failed against the Raiders, who held Kelly Holcomb to 159 yards passing and Willis McGahee to 50 yards rushing. McGahee made no excuses, saying, "All of us got manhandled. The offense got manhandled and I got manhandled."
The Patriots' once-unyielding defense has allowed 41, 28 and 28 points in their last three games. That defense misses linebacker Tedy Bruschi, but he thinks he is ready to play, eight months after suffering a mild stroke.
Jacksonville (4-2) at St. Louis (3-4)
In the two games before their bye week, the Jaguars beat the Bengals by three points and the Steelers in overtime. Quarterback Byron Leftwich insists it is not a big deal, saying: "We understand we've got a good team and that's all we know."
The Rams scored 21 points in the fourth quarter and beat the Saints. That was the first victory as a starter for quarterback Jamie Martin, an 11-year pro filling in for the injured Marc Bulger (sprained shoulder). Either of them doing it against the Jaguars may be something else.
Arizona (2-4) at Dallas (4-3)
The Cardinals got by the Titans by turning three turnovers into 17 points. Dallas lost to the Seattle Seahawks, giving up 10 points in the last two minutes.
"I hate it for the players. I hate it for the coaching staff and I hate it for our fans," Jerry Jones, owner of the Cowboys, said.
Chicago (3-3) at Detroit (3-3)
In beating the Ravens, the improving Bears allowed no touchdowns for the second straight week. With quarterback Jeff Garcia's broken left leg mended, he helped the Lions conquer the Browns and took the starting job from Joey Harrington.
Cleveland (2-4) at Houston (0-6)
Quarterback Trent Dilfer has eight turnovers in the last three games, but he and not the rookie Charlie Frye will start. Receiver Jabar Gaffney on the Texans' 38-20 defeat by the Colts: "It's terrible. It was just really depressing out there."
Green Bay (1-5) at Cincinnati (5-2)
The Packers collapsed at the end in losing to the Vikings, and now they have lost their best runner, Ahman Green, for the season. When the Bengals gave up 221 yards rushing to the Steelers, receiver T.J. Houschmandzadeh said, "I think we're better than them."
Minnesota (2-4) at Carolina (4-2)
The Vikings, 17 points down at the half, beat the Packers on a 56-yard field goal as time ran out. The Panthers' bye week gave quarterback Jake Delhomme recovery time after he was knocked unconscious the week before, and he is expected to start.
Oakland (2-4) at Tennessee (2-5)
After the Raiders trounced the Bills, defensive tackle Warren Sapp said: "When we're playing well, there are very few people who can stay with us. We can definitely play defense." Steve McNair, the Titans' banged-up quarterback, is reasonably healthy.
Miami (2-4) vs. New Orleans (2-5) at Baton Rouge, Louisiana
In the latest of their three straight defeats, the Dolphins gave up 462 yards and 41-plus minutes of possession time to the Chiefs. Now coach Nick Saban returns to Louisiana to oppose a Saints team that fell apart in the fourth quarter and lost to the Rams.
Tampa Bay (5-1) at
San Francisco (1-5)
The Buccaneers bye week gave them time to prepare Chris Simms, their new starting quarterback. The 49ers have lost five straight and the rookie quarterback Alex Smith has strained ligaments in his right knee, so look for the almost-discarded Ken Dorsey to start.
Baltimore (2-4) at Pittsburgh (4-2)
The Ravens mustered only 199 yards in losing to the Bears, and now linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed are out.
The Steelers ran so well in beating the Bengals that there was no pressure on second-year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his ailing knee.
Byes: Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons.
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