‘Super Bowl flags’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

A couple of hours prior to the Monday night kickoff, Donovan McNabb signed a 5-year extension with the Redskins. It may have been poor timing given what happened later. The Eagles gave the Skins one of the worst beatings in franchise history, 59-28. It’s always hard to write something positive about your favorite team after they’ve been destroyed on national television. Michael Vick looked like an MVP, throwing for 333 yards and 4 touchdowns while rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles scored 35 points in the first 20 minutes and, while the Skins showed some life in the 2^nd quarter, the contest was all but over. This game needs to be placed in the rearview mirror quickly with the Titans coming up next week.

Positives – Obviously, there are not many positives after a loss such as this. In fact, the only one I could find was Keiland Williams. Subbing in for an injured Ryan Torain, Williams had 89 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving, and 3 total touchdowns. His play seemed even more impressive considering he wasn’t expected to start until right before kickoff when Torain re-aggravated his hamstring. I couldn’t find any similar stories on defense, especially after giving up 59 points.

Negatives – There are too many things to mention here but I’ll start with this: The Skins do not have the talent or desire right now to win games on a consistent basis. They are gradually trying to strip away the big contracts and overrated performers that have hurt them the past 10 years, but it will take another season or two to complete the turnaround. The game may have been over before it started. Laron Landry allegedly spit on the Eagles’ Mike McGlynn during pre-game warm-ups, which led to a heated exchange between both teams. I’m not sure if this psyched the Eagles into playing with more urgency but it appeared that way throughout the game. Offensively, the Skins looked sluggish and way too conservative early on. McNabb had some passes dropped and threw two interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown). The defensive unit looked as bad as the Broncos did in Superbowl XXII when the Skins scored 35 points in the memorable 2^nd quarter. Poor tackling, lack of a pass rush, and a weak run defense combined for a pitiful performance. The coaches also need to look at themselves, and wonder if they had the right game plan or made the necessary changes to give themselves a chance at victory. A lot of questions remain with little ti

Arjun Murthy

Just like the rapper Oddisee, born in DC and raised in Maryland. Spent several years at College Park pretending to study before joining a non-profit. Plays a few instruments, was in two garage bands, has a MySpace artist page, and is now attempting to create a successful accordion-punk outfit. If you happen to be in Dupont, you may find him browsing the stacks at Kramer’s or looking for CDs at Melody Records. Loves the Redskins even though they break his heart every year and is hoping they move back to the city so he can save $40+ on parking/gas when going to the games.