D12 WELCOMEBACK


The Redskins hadn’t beaten Green Bay at home since a 38-21 victory at RFK Stadium in 1979.


EZ SU


KLMNO Redskins 16, Packers 13 (OT) RUNNINGGAME


Green Bay running back Brandon Jackson rushed for a career-high 115 yards on 10 carries Sunday, including a 71-yard, first-quarter run that set up the Packers’ only touchdown. Jackson is subbing for the injured Ryan Grant.


5


The number of completions of 50 yards or more thrown by Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb so far this season.


WR Armstrong carves out a role


BY RICKMAESE Washington Redskins players


and coaches knew they couldn’t put their entire receiving game solely on Santana Moss’s shoul- ders. That was clear in the offsea- son, whenMoss had arthroscopic knee surgery and was limited in someof theteam’sminicampsand organized teamactivities. The unlikely player who took


Moss’s place in the lineup then is the same onewho helped turnthe tide in the Redskins’ 16-13 over- time win over Green Bay: first- year wide receiver Anthony Arm- strong, whose improbable climb through football’s ranks culmi- nated with Sunday’s game — his first career score and Washing- ton’s lone touchdown against the Packers. Armstrong lined up in Moss’s


place while the Redskins veteran was recuperatingintheoffseason, andhemade a strong caseSunday to be considered for the starting lineup, finishingwith 84 yards on three receptions, including a 48- yard touchdown headed for the highlight reels. The Redskins’ running game


JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST Redskins quarterback DonovanMcNabb looks for a receiver while a pair of Green Bay defenders apply pressure in the end zone. MIKE WISE Somehow, the Redskins find a way to beat Green Bay wise from D1


Bay Packers into a pulsating 16-13 overtime finish, you needed to hearwhat Fletcher told his teammates afterward. “Hewas like, ‘Those are the


games thatwe need towin, that’swhat theNFL’s about,’ ” Golston said. “It comes down to three points or less, andwe need towin those games ifwewant to bewherewewant to be.” Fletcher essentially told them


theywould have folded a year ago. “That’swhat he said,” added Golston. Seeing that unsightly first half


inwhichWashingtonwas fortunate not be trailing by two or three touchdowns at halftime, I’mwilling to buy the character- over-talent-and-ability argument only because there is no other plausible answer at the moment. Really, nothing about this


teamfeels dominant or overwhelming. The defense again gave up


more than 400 yards.Missed tackles or blown coverage, it didn’tmatter; JimHaslett’s crew is on pace to cedemore land than France in 1803. DonovanMcNabb doesn’t


have enoughweapons and, at times, his passes look dreadful. Some of hiswinging-it throws have the compass of a 15th century explorer,whomwe now knowwas lost before he got lucky and instituted the original VictoryMonday. The adjustment period for a


newscheme is understandable. But they keepwasting costly timeouts because of miscommunication, including onewith less than seven minutes left in the third quarter Sunday that seemed to leave Kyle Shanahan, the offensive coordinator barely 30 years old, fuming. Sometimes, if youwatch both


their demeanors during the game, it feels likeMcNabb is the experienced employee, reluctantly taking orders from the new, young bosswith an unnerving voice. “NowDonovan, if you do it


right once, you’ll never have to do it again.” But justwhenMcNabb looks


like he’s about to roll his eyes at the next intricate, swell play designed by the by-the-book son ofMike Shanahan, something happens. TheWest Coast offense is simplified at halftime, McNabb tells someone like AnthonyArmstrong to essentially “Go long,” and all is well in Redskinsville again. Sonny Jurgensen,who once


played for a decent coach, summed it up fairlywell. “Vince


TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST


Chris Cooley, somewhat of a forgotten man in the Redskins’ offense this season, rumbles for extra yardage following a reception. Cooley finished with seven catches for 69 yards against the Packers.


Lombardi once told us: ‘Gentlemen, the gamewill be decided by two or three plays. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you which two or three plays they will be—therefore you’re going to have to play all of them.’ “That’s this teamright now.


They’re playing every play.” Chris Cooley is a prime


example.He has been underutilized formany quarters already this season. But he waited.Andwaited. AndMcNabb found himand


SantanaMoss in the second half, again and again. “At any time in the game,


Donovan canmake a play,” Cooley said. “When you’re in the huddle and you knowyou have that, it’s a good thing.” Afewmorewords about


McNabb: For everyone looking at his rawnumbers and slow adjustment to a newscheme, look at somethingmore important first—what a seasoned quarterback brings a teamin the final fewminutes. Hope, for one.And in three of


the four games that have come down to a final play for the Redskins in this already palpitating season, victory. When he stepped behind


centerwith 3minutes 58 seconds left in regulation, the length of the field in front of him, the thoughtwas, “This is what you gotDonovanMcNabb for.”Nomatterwhat happened between 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday before the finalminutes of the fourth quarter, this iswhy a big-


game quarterbackwas brought toWashington: becauseMike Shanahan felt he couldwin now with him. Andwhat does he do, other


than use the Packers’ secondary as his canvas to lead the team toward a game-tying field goal? First, finding JoeyGalloway


sliding for a first down on a deep out on the right side. Then Cooley caught this seemingly innocent pass in the flat and starting rumbling. Like a snowball growing in size, he became an avalanche,mowing over everything in his path, dragging along linebackers and defensive backs as if theywere annoying Chihuahuas nipping at his ankles. Suddenly, the defense that


saved JoeGibbs from embarrassment in his second tenure and has been the hallmark of this franchise for more than five years reappeared. BrianOrakpo bull-rushing.


Fletcher flying all over the field. LaRon Landry picking off that pass, setting up the game- winning kick. Call it good fortune if you


need to—in-game injuries to opposing playmakers like Philadelphia’sMichaelVick or Green Bay’s ClayMatthews or a goal post in theway of the Packers’ game-winning field goal try. Document their lack of depth


and flaws all youwant. It’s easy and rote at this point. The truth: TheRedskins just won a gamewithoutAlbert


Haynesworth and Clinton Portis.However polarizing those figures the past couple of years, they are thought of as playmakers. As uneven as the play-calling


and production looked early, they felt good enough about their offense that they cutDevin Thomas on Saturday and inactivated an apparently healthyDerrickDockery on Sunday. After next Sunday, the


Redskinswill have faced Peyton Manning, TonyRomo, Rodgers andMatt Schaub—four of the top 10 quarterbacks in football. AndMcNabb has already


beaten two of them. Hearing Fletcher in the locker


roombefore dusk Sunday night, there is only one answer forwins that keepmaterializingwhere losseswere before. “We’rementally tougher this


year,” he said. “Weweren’t a mentally tough football team the last two years. It justwasn’t. It all startswith Coach Shanahan, thatmental toughness.” So, you really don’twin this


game the last couple of years. “No,we don’twin that game.


Now,when it’s close,we do. What does that say?” It says thatwhether you agree


withMy-WayMike Shanahan or not—and there are good reasons to take umbragewith many of his decisions—it really doesn’tmatter; thus far, the plan isworking.


wisem@washpost.com


has struggled in four of the team’s five games; rushers totaled just 51 yards on 21 carries Sunday. That has actually shined light on some of the deficiencies in the passing game. As a group, the Redskins receivers have struggled to con- tribute. Starter JoeyGalloway has only seven catches in five games. Roydell Williams has only two, BrandonBanks one.DevinThom- as lined up for just a single offen- sive play this season before the Redskins finally released the third-yearwidereceiverSaturday. With 188 yards on seven catch-


es, Armstrong is carving out an important niche in the offense, showing that he’s a deep threat and awelcome target for quarter- backDonovanMcNabb. “Armstrong is just kind of that


big-play guy,” McNabb said. “You neverknowwhenhe’llexplodefor that 40- or 50- yard catch.” McNabb was among several Redskins who credited Arm- strong’sbigtouchdowncatchwith sparking the offense in Sunday’s come-from-behind win. Before that drive—theRedskins’ second possessionof thefourthquarter— Mosswas the only receiver to reg- ister a catch. But McNabb found Galloway for a 12-yard gain on firstdownandthentargetedArm- strong deep. The 27-year-oldwide receiver had to leap high andwait for the ball to fall into his hands. “I was floating,” Armstrong


said. “I had a Red Bull, so it gave me a little bit ofwings.” The touchdown changed the


flow for the offense. Prior to the score,McNabb completed 15 of 28 passes for 176 yards. After it, he


was 11 for 21 for 181 yards.Hewas also finally able to spread the ball around. If Armstrong and Galloway


can’t get involved more, defenses can afford to focus their attention onMoss and tight endChrisCool- ey,whohave combinedto account for 52 of the team’s 96 receptions this season. “Now they got to worry about


number 13 [Armstrong] and 84 [Galloway] out there, running by them, catching passes under- neath and whatnot,” Armstrong said. “It’s going to make defenses play more sound, it’s going to make it easier on our offense to move the ball up the field.” Armstrong,who spent 11weeks


on the Redskins’ practice squad last year, entered training camp just hoping to make the roster, andhewouldhave accepteda role on special teams if that’s all the coaches felt he deserved. But he had a chance to practice with the starters in the offseason and said that helped prepare himfor these regular season games. “IthelpedbuildtrustwithDon-


ovan, ithelpedbuildtrustwiththe coaches,” he said. “You’re going against the top competition on the team.” It also helped separate him


from the other wide receivers in camp, which he’s continued to do in the regular season. With 408 yards on 29 catches,


Moss is still unquestionably the team’s top wide receiver, which becomes more clear with each passing week. On Sunday, Moss finished with 118 yards on seven catches. “Santana, he’s been consistent


over the years,” said McNabb. “There’s a reason why he’s been doingwhat he’s doing.” After Moss, Cooley has been


McNabb’s top option. Moss and Cooley were both targeted 12 timesonSunday, andCooley’s 303 receiving yards on 23 catches are second on the team. For the offense to succeed and


fordefensestoplaythemhonestly, someone else has to step up.Arm- stronghasbeenshowingsince the offseason that he might be the team’s next-best option. “He’s an outstanding route-


runner,” Cooley said. “He’s way faster than anyone really sees. I think he’s sneaky fast.” FullbackMikeSellerswasmore


succinct. “The man can flat-out run,” he said. As theRedskinsprepare for the


Indianapolis Colts next Sunday, Washington coaches will try to refine an offense that’s still searching for its identity. Getting moreplayers involvedwillbenear the top of the to-do list. “They keep sending balls my


way,”Armstrongsaid, “I justgot to keepmaking plays.” maeser@washpost.com


MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2010


TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST


“I was floating,” Anthony Armstrong said of his fourth-quarter touchdown. “I had a Red Bull, so it gave me a little bit of wings.”


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