A part of me will always resent Dan Snyder for the way he's run the Redskins since he bought the team in 1998. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say that I have serious issues with an owner who is a cross between George Steinbrenner and Jerry Jones.Over the past few years, my festering hatred for the owner spilled over to the Redskins. Somehow Synder, through almost ten years of complete idiocy, mismanagement, and raised prices, has poisoned my love for the 'Skins. Gone are the fond memories of Darrel Green, RFK stadium, and those epic Philly beat downs of the 1990s.
But yesterday's win reminded me why I love the Redskins so much and why I can momentarily forget that Dan Snyder owns the Redskins. The Cowboys-Redskins rivalry, for anyone even vaguely familiar with the NFL, is the league's best rivalry. And yesterday's game was unbelievably awesome even if you hated both teams. Let's consider some facts about this game:
- The Redskins just beat the best team in the NFL, on the road, with a rookie coach. The rookie coach was also calling plays, a task he's never done before this season. Yes, Coach Zorn is an early favorite for Coach of the Year. And yes, we will move up in the power rankings because of this victory. I'm beginning to like the Jim Zorn era here in DC; very auspicious start.
- Assuming they don't meet again in the playoffs, this was the last Cowboys-Redskins match-up in Dallas stadium. I can't think of a better way to close down a stadium.
- The Eagles lost last night, the Cowboys beat the Eagles, and now we might face the Eagles next week without Brian Westbrook. Assuming we beat the Eagles, we'll have a shot at first place in the NFC East. That is, unless the Giants keep on winning.
- This was Coach Zorn's first road win and first win against Dallas. According to Fox, you have to go all the way back to 1971 to find a Redskins' head coach who beat the Cowboys on his first try. That includes George Allen and Joe Gibbs...decent company, I would say.
- The Redskins didn't sneak a victory past Dallas. They shutdown Owens for a half, shutdown Marion Barber, and managed to keep a lid on Jason Witten. On offense, despite poor pass protection, the Redskins moved the ball with consistency and found a way to convert in the red zone. (Red zone conversion and consistent ball movement were offensive features nonexistent under Gibbs 2.0) If we maintain this type of momentum, I see at least 9 wins in our future, if not more.
- My new favorite player, Chris Horton, had another amazing game. Horton is a rookie from UCLA and he went to De La Salle High School in New Orleans. He's already been the NFC's Defensive Player of the Week and thanks to his huge interception yesterday, the Redskins kept a lid on the Cowboys' offense down the stretch. I see a bright future for this guy. (And what's amazing is that Horton doesn't even start on the Redskins secondary. That should tell you a lot about our depth right now, assuming Springs stays healthy)
In summary, the win was an excellent moment for Coach Zorn and an excellent moment for a franchise embroiled in the Snyder quagmire. I know it's just Week 5, but if we beat the Eagles next week and the Giants lose, then the OFFICIAL Redskins bandwagon might have to make an appearance.
