Request for ESPN Insider Article

[SkinsGlory]

I'm not sure if it's ok to request for someone to post an article, but the first three paragraphs were interesting. Anyone able to post it? SETH WICKERSHAM wrote it.

[REDPepper]

The office of Al Saunders, Washington's associate head coach/offensive coordinator, isn't really an office. Sure, he has a desk and computer, but it's more of a boardroom, half of the walls covered in dry erase boards, a huge TV screen for viewing film, and large picture windows with the shades drawn so that viewing film is easier. The only hints that it's an office are a few books and a few good luck cards. Other than that, football dominates that room.

Written on those dry erase boards were examples of how difficult Saunders' offense is for not only the quarterbacks but also the offensive line. About 120 plays were written in blue ink; the other 30 or so in red. The plays in blue, Saunders explained on Saturday afternoon, were carryovers from last week's game plan against the Texans. They were passes that he didn't call.

Even though I was interviewing Saunders for an ESPN The Magazine story that has nothing to do with the Redskins-Jaguars, I could tell how excited he was for this game. It would be a good validation game. The Jags have one of the NFL's best defenses, and the Redskins have finally started executing Saunders' offense. Even though he said that Washington "made as many mistakes against the Texans as we did in our first two games," the Redskins cruised to their first win of the season. Saunders knew because of Jacksonville's aggressive defense that Santana Moss would be in position for game-changing plays. The key would be Washington's O-line.

Jacksonville's strength is its front seven, and the Redskins entered Sunday's game with 30 pass protections designed to neutralize the Jaguars. And those protections, along with calling 39 running plays -- Washington technically had 40 rushes but one was a pass-turned-run by Antwaan Randle El -* did the job in a 36-30 overtime win. Clinton Portis had 112 yards against a defense that hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 13 straight games.

Saunders called only 30 passes, and Mark Brunell wasn't sacked. The offensive line's continuity came into play on what turned out to be the game's final play. On second-and-13 from the Redskins 32, center Casey Rabach saw Jacksonville in its Nickel defense, a 3-3-5 alignment, and knew the Redskins' Jet Right Turnback protection would work. It's a six-man protection, and Washington shaded it toward the weak side of the formation. Brunell took the snap, saw that every Jaguar was accounted for, and threw deep to Santana Moss, who split two Jacksonville defenders before outrunning everyone the rest of the way for his third touchdown. Just as they drew it up.

Random Stuff from the Redskins-Jags

• On Sunday I saw the best tailback that won't be getting many votes for Offensive Rookie of the Year: Maurice Jones-Drew. I knew a lot about him thanks to a terrific Bruce Feldman story in ESPN The Magazine last year, but seeing him play in person gave me a glimpse as to how dangerous he can be. Last week he had 135 total yards from scrimmage, including 103 on the ground. Washington took away Jacksonville's running game (15 carries for 33 yards), so Jones-Drew had to get the ball in space to be made an impact. He did in the second quarter, when he caught a short pass over the middle and raced for a 51-yard touchdown. If Laurence Maroney weren't chewing up huge amounts of yards for the Pats and Reggie Bush wasn't, you know, Reggie Bush, Jones-Drew would be the rookie back on everyone's mind.

• This is why Portis is Washington's most valuable offensive player: On Moss' first touchdown, Portis started the play in the backfield next to Brunell in the shotgun. He blocked for Brunell, helping him get the ball away, then ran downfield hunting for someone to block. He drilled a Jaguar, fell to the ground, got back up, and raced to catch up with Moss and drilled John Henderson so wickedly that the 6-foot-7, 325-pounder hit the turf.

• Covering a Redskin game is Exhibit A of why media members should never complain about their jobs. When I entered the press box at FedEx field, a staffer gave me a handheld TV. As I was sitting in my press seat, I could literally watch and flip between every NFL game. Then, late in the fourth quarter, the Redskins allowed the press onto the field for the remainder of the game -- a perk the Manginis and Belichicks of the NFL will never allow.

[SkinsGlory]

Thanks much!

[Henry]

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