TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2010


KLMNO PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL In NFC East, Redskins pointing the right way redskins from D1


is huge.” It is much too early to make


any sense of how the NFC East will play out. The Giants and Eagles are both 2-2, but neither has a division win; Philadelphia is 0-1, and the Giants haven’t played an NFC East opponent. Dallas, which had a bye week and so has played only three games, is 1-2 with a division loss to Wash- ington — and with no chance to notch its first win in the division until Oct. 25 against the Giants. Shanahan is well aware of all of


this.He describes the importance of play within the division to anyone who will listen, including his team. “That’s what we emphasize all


the time is the division games,” Shanahan said. “We’ve talked about it, I believe, with the press as well. If you win your division, you’re guaranteed a home playoff game.What betterway to start off the postseason than, obviously, a game in your back yard?” It is, no doubt, early for realis-


tic talk about playoff games, par- ticularly at home. Washington hasn’t won the NFC East since 1999, when it took its only divi- sion title since its last Super Bowl championship, which came after the 1991 season. But consider the difference in


one calendar year. Last season, Washington failed to win a single division game for just the second time in franchise history. As they went 0-6 against Dallas, Philadel- phia and New York, the Redskins were outscored by an average of two touchdowns, 23.8-9.8. The nadir came in December, with back-to-back home losses to the Giants and Cowboys by a com- bined margin of 62-12, games that ensured then-coach Jim Zorn would not be back. Already, the Redskins find themselves in a better position in 2010. The first tiebreaker to de- termine whether one teammakes the playoffs over another with the same record is head-to-head matchups. Just a month into the season, the Redskins have guar- anteed they can’t lose that tie- breaker to the Cowboys,whothey play again in Dallas on Dec. 19, or the Eagles, who come to FedEx


4-7 finish to the season – and no playoff berth when one seemed ensured. Sowhat did the Redskins prove


Sunday? “Not a lot,” cornerback DeAn-


gelo Hall said. “We still drop games that great teams win. We [were] up 17 against Houston [and lost]. Against St. Louis we just don’t bring our A-game. We’re not a great team yet.” That may be true of their three


division opponents as well. Phila- delphia quarterback Michael Vick is listed as “day-to-day” after Hall and safety KareemMoore hit him Sunday, knocking him out of the game with a rib injury. The Cowboys opened the season with losses atWashingtonandathome to Chicago before beating Hous- ton. The Giants looked horren- dousin consecutive losses to Indi- anapolis and Tennessee, but bounced back to defeat the previ- ously undefeated Bears on Sun- day night. The result: A mess, one that


almost certainly won’t be sorted out until December. The Red- skins have four more games – home against Green Bay and In- dianapolis, then at Chicago and Detroit – before they next face an NFC East opponent. Their season could turn in any number of directions between now and Phil- adelphia’s visit to FedEx Field. “I think week in and week out,


we just got to go out and find a way to win,” running back Clin- ton Portis said. “What we proved is right now we’re 2-0 in the division, and that’s what we need.” They need to continue that


JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST


Field onNov. 15. “You know you’re setting your-


self up for great chances in the postseason,” offensive lineman ArtisHicks said.


Anthony Armstrong had a 57-yard catch against the Eagles, as the Redskins reached 2-0 in the division. Such a promising start against


their most important rivals doesn’t, however, guarantee any- thing. The Redskins have person- al experience with that. In 2008,


MIKE WISE Time for Redskins and McNabb to go long wise from D1 If you’reMcNabb, this reason


would pierce the psychemost: Maybe Shanahan is still unsure you’re his guy for the long haul. After 11-plus years of establishing yourself as an elite NFL quarterback and taking your teamto the NFC championship game five times in the past nine years, you’re inexplicably still auditioning for the lead role for a franchise that hasn’t been there since the 1991 season. Shanahan can say all the


right things aboutMcNabb being tethered to the team’s future, but real commitment amounts to a contract extension. It’s notMcNabb’s fault he


joined the franchise during a new era of fiscal responsibility, where the people in charge have pledged to be smart with Daniel Snyder’smoney, or that he plays in an era where 30-something quarterbacks are suddenly resetting the bar for past-their- prime productivity. His extension will be the new


regime’s first big financial splash, and after all themoney the Redskins have pilfered away in the Snyder era, Shanahan and Allen understandably want to make doubly suremoremillions for another town’s star don’t go to waste. In fact, two former NFL


executives, who spoke on condition of anonymity last Friday, said they believed Shanahan wanted to wait


SUNDAY’SLATEGAME Giants pick up their first victory by smacking down the Bears


Umenyiora, Tuck spearhead nine-sack first half in 17-3 win


BY TOM CANAVAN


east rutherford, n.j. — The New York Giants’ pass rush was so good against Jay Cutler and Chicago Bears, it brought back Super Bowlmemories. The difference this time was the Giants simply got a much-


needed win while knocking the Bears from the NFL’s unbeaten ranks. Osi Umenyiora and Justin


Tuck recorded three sacks apiece, the Giants knocked out Cutler (concussion) with a nine- sack first half, sent his replace- ment to the sideline late in the fourth quarter and limited Chi- cago to 110 total yards in a 17-3 victory on Sunday night. “It’s fun to watch our defense


when they are doing that,”Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. “When they get the sacks, it gets


the crowd fired up. They set the tempo early on in the game, played outstanding. We had to help them out sometime and we did a decent job.” Thewin left theNFLwith only


one undefeated team: the idle Kansas City Chiefs (3-0). The Giants (2-2) did just


enough on offense to beat the Bears (3-1),whose offensive high- lightswere limited to not turning the ball over much until the fourth quarter. Chicago only managed six first downs. It was just what the Giants


needed after a week in which many wondered whether Coach Tom Coughlin was losing the team after a disappointing 2009 season and two straight losses. The defense answered in a


resounding manner and the of- fense went along for the ride in a so-so effort. “We just came out tonight and


forgot about what all the people were saying about us and got back to having fun on the foot- ball field,” Tuck said. Umenyiora said the effort re- minded himof the 17-14 win over


the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, a game in which Tom Brady spent a lot of time getting hit. “It’s something that we need


to do,” Umenyiora said. “We’re capable of doing that to a couple of different people.” The Giants also got a big game


fromAhmad Bradshaw. The half- back rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown against a defense that had allowed 119 yards on the ground in its first three games. Lawrence Tynes added a 22- yard field goal and Brandon


Jacobs, whose fourth-quarter fumble inside his 30 set up RobbieGould’s 40-yard field goal for Chicago, capped the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run with 4 minutes 31 seconds to play. On a night theGiants inducted


22 of their greatest players into their new Ring of Honor, includ- ing Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson, this defense emulated some of the great ones of the Giants’ 86-year history.


— Associated Press


between eight to 10 games to gaugeMcNabb’s ability to adapt to a new scheme and show his wares as he approaches 34 years of age before showing himthe money. Fine. Great. Do your


homework. But don’tmakeMcNabb your


first example of frugality. Unlike the other underachieving names the owner has spent lavishly on, this guy actually deserves a big deal. If not, why spend two high


draft picks—including a second-rounder—to acquire him? If he plays just one season in


Washington, irrespective of whether he gets the teamto the postseason, this goes down as a bad trade. It’s another time in which the future wasmortgaged on a big name. (Hello, Jason Taylor.) Why thismight not be a done


deal: One of those former executives said he was told Shanahan was surprised McNabb had a hard time digesting a new offensive system —somuch so that the playbook was simplified prior to the game against the Texans.Most of McNabb’s production now comes off bootlegs and play- action deep passes, the same kind of improvisation thatmade himso good in Philadelphia. Like the Eagles, the Redskins


have to be willing, long-term, to live with some of the inaccuracy and “What-was-he-thinking?” throws because of all the intangiblesMcNabb brings.


TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST


DonovanMcNabb has embraced his newsurroundings inD.C. But I would add a fewmore


that have nothing do with football and everything about perception:McNabb gives the Redskins legitimacy. He’s the consensus builder who can convert a skeptical congregation. A brief confession: I was one


of the few who didn’t like this deal when it wasmade. AcquiringMcNabbmade sense for a contender such as Minnesota or Arizona, inmy mind. But by the time the Redskins were truly ready to


make a deep playoff run in, say, three or four years, the feeling wasMcNabb would be past elite status, too old to get a teamover the hump. Also, I wasn’t convinced when the trade was made in April thatMcNabb genuinely wanted to be here beyond a season. But four weeks in, this NFL


season is literally a crapshoot, not a single surefire Super Bowl pick out there.What’smore, this teamand town have grown on McNabb almost as quickly as they have on him. He showed up


to lift weights with teammates before his first news conference. He initiated a HellWeek at his offseason Scottsdale, Ariz., home, inviting receivers and quarterbacks to the dry heat before training camp began. Promoting himself and the


team, he seems to have two sets of clothes: fine Italian wool and an endless supply of No. 5 burgundy-and-gold jerseys, which he actually wears in public. I’mhalf-expecting himto


show up onmy doorstep after the temperature drops below 50, steaming bowl of Chunky Soup in hand. Whether it’s been a career day


against Houston or twomore NFC East wins than the Redskins had all of last year, he has been good for business. When he said in the locker


roomSunday, “Everybodymakes mistakes in their lifetime, and theymade one last year,” as he held the game ball aloft, McNabbmade it clear the Eagles erred in letting himgo. There is only one bigger


mistake an NFL teamcould make with him: lettingMcNabb go after one year. Memo to Shanahan: You


courted himwith the idea he had long-termrelationship potential. He has shown you he’s serious by beating Dallas and his former team. Now let’smake this a genuine commitment. Put a rock on his finger with the hope that he will return the favor one February. wisem@washpost.com


trend if they’re going to achieve the goals Shanahan has laid out, both privately and publicly. They are goals – winning the division, hosting a playoff game – that haven’t been achieved in Wash- ington sinceNorv Turner was the coach. Five other men have coached the Redskins since then, and none has accomplished what Shanahan wants now. “That’s your first goal as a


Washington followed a season- opening loss at New York with road victories at Dallas and Phila- delphia to briefly take control of the NFC East at 4-1. The result: a


football team is winning your division,” Shanahan said. “It’s something you talk about.” svrlugab@washpost.com


Staff writer Paul Tenorio contributed to this report.


Redskins com/redskinsinsider


Corners contain Jackson, Maclin Cornerbacks DeAngelo


Hall and Carlos Rogers were on the spot. They did not play


particularly well in aWeek 3 loss to St. Louis, and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett challenged them to do more Sunday against standout Philadelphia wide receivers DeSean Jackson and JeremyMaclin. WithHall and Rogers


playing physically, Jackson andMaclin combined for just four catches for 34 yards and no touchdowns in Washington’s 17-12 victory. “We locked up them guys


down the field, and they their main two targets,” Rogers said. “To eliminate them guys . . . we know that was going to be a big thing.” Rogers andHall jammed


Jackson andMaclin at the line and played tight.Haslett usually prefers to blitz, but with the Redskins facing dynamic Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who was injured late in the first quarter and did not return, Haslett most often tried to generate a pass rush with just four players and committed everyone else to coverage. Haslett was willing to give


up some short passes, and Philadelphia running back LeSeanMcCoy finished with 12 receptions for 110 yards. The Eagles’ deep passing game, however, never materialized.


Team awaits PortisMRI The Redskins are awaiting


the results of an MRI exam on running back Clinton Portis, who injured his groin against Philadelphia, Coach Mike Shanahan said. . . . Running back Keiland


Williams, released last week to open a spot for Brandon Banks on the 53-man roster, is expected to clear waivers and rejoin the team on the practice squad, a person familiar with the situation said.


Sliding time On third and four from


theWashington 22-yard line late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Donovan McNabb scrambled to gain 18 yards. The Redskins led 17-12 and the play helped them extend the drive as they tried to run out the clock. Only one problem:


McNabb ran out of bounds instead of sliding, stopping the clock. Obviously, that was not the correct move, Shanahan said. “That’s what we call our four-minute offense,” Shanahan said. “And any time you have the ball and you’re on four minutes, you’d like to stay in bounds. I think Donovan was very aware of that after he went out.”


Thomas to be dealt? It was apparent in


training camp Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan do not believe wide receiver Devin Thomas is a good fit for their long- term plans. Citing a source, the


National Football Post reportedMonday the Redskins are shopping Thomas in advance of the October trading deadline. During the offseason, teams inquired about Thomas’s availability, according to two people familiar with the situation. —Rick Maese and Jason Reid


EZ SU


D7


Insider 6Excerpts from voices.washingtonpost.


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