'Skins

- Everyone saw it coming, but not against the Rams who a. suck b. have a new coach c. were playing on the road. How many people lost money betting on the 'Skins this week?

- No one in the media is talking about Al Saunders as a reason why the Rams won yesterday. The Ram's offensive coordinator coached the Redskins for two years and obviously knows the Redskins as a team and organization (for example, he chose the players and learned about their strengths and weaknesses). And according to the Washington Post, Zorn has not changed the Redskins running game, so Saunders probably knew how to prepare the Rams for this particular team better than others. I'm just speculating here, but Saunders had to have been a factor this week.

- Either way, it's unexcusable to lose to the Rams, although the 'Skins always have a tendency to play down to the level of their oponents. Witness our losses to Oakland last year, Arizona the past three years, and the Texans in 2005. And then look at our wins over Dallas and Philly this season. Maybe the Redskins should hire an extra motivator / coach for the next two weeks when we play Cleveland and Detroit...

- Boswell, the WP, and others blame this loss on turnovers and how it was inevitable that after going five games without one, the Redskins would eventually have them and suffer as a result. This is true, but good teams still find a way to win and we almost did find a way to win, but since our punter can't even tie his shoes, we still lost the game. My sense is that Brooks is on the way out in Washington right now.

- Good news: we still have the Browns and Lions coming up...and then a bye. I think those teams have three wins between them. Bad news: the Browns just beat the best team in football, although Winslow may still be injured, and our stellar back-up running back is injured. Let's hope the Skins sign Alexander very quickly here.

- Every offensive lineman dreams about catching a pass or deflection and running it into the end-zone for a score. I actually did this in high school and I can safely say it was one of the best moments of my life, bar none. Our team ended up winning the game because of my score. But in the NFL, the stakes are obviously a lot higher. So what in the hell was Pete Kendall thinking when he tried to run the pass deflection he caught? It's not like he's ever had coaching on how to hold the ball while running. In fact, since he plays offensive line, he should recognize the limits of his athletic prowess and just fall to the skinking ground. Right? Am I onto something here?

- I can live with 4-2, but at least lose to the Browns or Lions and not the Rams.