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ES Coverage: 2010 Redskins vs Cowboys (Final)

themurf

By themurf
in The Stadium

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themurf

themurf

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ES Coverage: 2010 Redskins vs Cowboys

12/19/10

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DEFEAT

Cowboys 33 - Redskins 30

:helmet:

TODAY'S INACTIVES

Redskins:

James Davis

Andre Brown

Macho Harris

Erik Cook

Kedric Golston

Derrick Dockery

Jeremy Clark

John Beck (third quarterback)

:helmet:

Hello everyone and welcome. I'm your host, Brian Murphy, and I'm joined by ... no one. Sadly, the infamous Art was supposed to join me on this trip and was ordered by doctors to stay home. I'm not sure exactly what is ailing Art at the moment, but I can say with confidence that it has to be serious because the Dallas game is always our favorite road trip of the year.

Unlike the assclowns who have never been to the state of Texas, and yet claim the Cowboys as their own, the majority of Cowboy fans in Dallas are actually very friendly and respectful people. So a brash and confident soul like Art can walk around Dallas all weekend long rocking his burgundy and gold polo without fear of some Philly-type fan going postal.

This is my fourth time covering the Redskins at Dallas, and the second season I've gotten to exerience "Jerry's World." For those 'Skins fans looking for a place to take in an away game, I honestly can't think of a better venue to experience a football game. Seriously, this place really is worth all of the hype. The only problem with the stadium, as best I can tell, is the team that plays in it. You just know The Danny is secretly dreaming of ways to eventually one-up this place. It might not happen for another 40 years, but when he does, it's gonna be sweet.

Now, onto the game itself. Can you imagine if this was the year you dropped a ton of cash to take the family across the country to see the Redskins and Cowboys square off? Sure, you're all excited about the possibility of seeing Tony Romo sits to pee take on Donovan McNabb in an epic battle, but by the time the actual game rolls around, you're left watching Jon Kitna and Rex Grossman.

Not exactly the matchup TV executives dream of. But even with guys like McNabb, Clinton Portis and Albert Haynesworth out of action, the stakes are always raised when the Redskins take on their biggest rival. You might hear some folks try to tell stories about how Philadelphia or New York is now considered a bigger rival with Dallas, but that's definitely not the case.

In fact, all you had to do was tune in to the local sports talk radio in Dallas (103.3) two hours before the game to hear passionate fans talking about "no matter how bad the season has gotten, a win today over Washington makes it all better." Sound familiar?

Let's just hope that Grossman does the unexpected - meaning provides a much-needed spark to a stagnant Redskins offense and keeps this game competitive. If he can do that, then maybe I won't be nearly as critical of Mike and Kyle Shanahan moving forward.

Because I am flying solo for this game and will be on the sidelines taking photos during the game, I highly encourage you to follow my Twitter feed. Once the game is over, I will then post everything here in the coverage thread.

[update: here's a recap of my Twitter posts throughout the game.]

Going from 34-year-old McNabb to 30-year-old Grossman wasn't the youth movement I had in mind.

Three Dallas cheerleaders just autotuned the anthem and it actually sound good.

McNabb took the field as a captain for the coin toss, now he's done for the day.

The insane @redskinsblog bet me a six pack of choice that Rex Grossman will lead #Redskins to a TD on one of first two drives.

Fat Tire for everyone!

Rex Grossman needs to drive #Redskins 98 yards or @redskinsblog owes me a six pack. I think I win either way.

When was the last time Rex Grossman led his team back from a double digit deficit on the road? #Redskins

Ryan Torain, when healthy, can be a franchise tailback. Love the way he plays the game. #Redskins

By the way, it only took six quarters, but the #Redskins finally found the end zone in Jerry's World.

#Redskins are actually getting pressure on Kitna, they just need to get it together in coverage.

I realize Beck is 29, therefore not exactly a youngster, but I'd like to see him get some snaps before end of season. #Redskins

Grossman, Armstrong and Moss march down the field with ease. Where's that passing game been all year?

Down by 8 with great field position, this is how Sexy Rexy can win over #Redskins fans.

If The Rex Cannon leads #Redskins to a win, I'm buying @redskinsblog a case of his choice. It'd be worth it.

I'm gonna say it, #Redskins look a little frisky in 2nd half. Can defense keep momentum in Washington's favor?

Biggest shocker of day: Mike Sellers remembering how to catch a football. Grossman is a miracle worker!

A QB sack one play after a dropped catch. Dammit.

Make that two sacks.

Now is a good time for Brandon Banks to show he actually made the trip to Dallas.

:helmet:

PHOTOS

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To see a slideshow of ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE

To see the complete set of ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE

:helmet:

AUDIO

To listen to comments from Kevin Barnes click HERE

To listen to comments from Jammal Brown click HERE

To listen to comments from Chris Cooley click HERE

To listen to comments from Fred Davis click HERE

To listen to comments from Vonnie Holiday click HERE

To listen to comments from Brian Orakpo click HERE

To listen to comments from Casey Rabach click HERE

To listen to comments from Perry Riley click HERE

To listen to comments from Carlos Rogers click HERE

:helmet:

MURF'S TAKE

It should come as no surprise that the Washington Redskins lost 33-30 to the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. After all, the Redskins have lost six of their last seven games after starting the season 4-3.

But the story of this game is the fact that the Redskins officially ended the Donovan McNabb era and willingly turned the football over to backup quarterback Rex Grossman.

Forget pedigree. Forget resumes. Throw out accolades and accomplishments. In the end, head coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan decided they’d rather have the Redskins offense run by The Rex Cannon.

“I thought Rex did an excellent job today,” Shanahan said. “I wanted to give him an opportunity and I thought he took advantage of that opportunity. It’s always tough when you don’t play for a while, especially with the type of week we had in practice, the conditions were a little tough, but he did a good job. He came back in the second, demonstrated a lot of poise and played well.

It’s a crazy turn of events – considering all the talk of how Shanahan never won a Super Bowl in Denver without John Elway, and all of the comparisons between McNabb and Elway during the offseason. With that in mind, it’s nearly impossible to imagine that it took just 13 games to decide the Redskins are better off without McNabb.

But that’s where we are, and now it’s simply a matter of how the Shanahans choose to end the McNabb era. Do they handle the situation with class and show respect to the veteran on his way out the door or do they continue to attack McNabb’s character as they did earlier in the year when benching him against Detroit was justified by questioning Donovan’s intelligence and conditioning?

If I had to guess, I’d say the dynamic coaching duo doesn’t suddenly flip a switch and handle McNabb with grace and class. But hell, after this, nothing these two do would really surprise me at this point.

-----

So how did Grossman do in his burgundy and gold debut? Well, he had a pretty outstanding showing – completing 25 of 43 passes for 322 yards with four touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble and a quarterback rating of 93.4.

The offense was nowhere to be seen early, but Grossman didn’t panic. He calmly let his teammates know that they were only a play from turning things around and then, surprisingly, Grossman began to deliver.

“We didn’t get a lot of things going early,” Grossman said. “[We] couldn’t pick up a first down to try and get through our game plan, but once you make first downs and get able to run all the plays that are in the game plan that offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan drew-up, then you can start attacking what they’re doing on defense.”

It’s no coincidence that Grossman gave a shoutout to the younger Shanahan in his post-game comments. The two aren’t exactly kindred spirits in the sense that former Redskins backup Todd Collins and former offensive coordinator Al Saunders were, but the two obviously have a comfort level and familiarity with each other.

No one can argue with a straight face that Grossman is a better quarterback than McNabb. But what the Shanahans have said definitely over the last few days is that in their opinion, Grossman is better suited to run their offense.

-----

In the season opener against Dallas, receiver Miles Austin had a field day – finishing with 10 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown against Washington’s secondary. This time around, it was Cowboys tight end Jason Witten who couldn’t be stopped – racking up 10 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown as Redskins defenders bounced off of him and struggled to slow down one of the NFL’s elite tight ends.

On the day, Witten was targeted by quarterback Jon Kitna 12 times and caught 10 of them. You got the feeling that Dallas could have thrown every single pass at their Pro Bowl tight end and the Redskins couldn’t have stopped him.

The Redskins defense actually did a good job of pressuring Kitna throughout the game, but when he was able to get the ball out of his hands, it typically ended up in the hands of Witten, who responded with a 14-yard-per-catch average.

The worst part? Nearly all of Witten’s catches came in the middle of the field. It’s never a good sign when your defense is that vulnerable up the middle, and Witten’s strong showing only solidified concerns about some of the current faces on the back half of this defense.

-----

It would be difficult to find a player less popular in Dallas than Redskins receiver Santana Moss – who is openly referred to as a Cowboy killer for his consistently strong performances against the ‘Boys.

So it seems only fitting that if Redskins’ offense was to suddenly wake from a season-long slumber, it would be in large part because of Moss (Sidenote: Cowboys fans also noticed Grossman wearing #8 because more than one Dallas fan mentioned to me the déjà vu they felt as a quarterback rocking Mark Brunell’s old number connected with Moss seemingly at will)

For the day, Moss had eight catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns. And thankfully for everyone involved, he was less stressed in the post-game locker room than he was a week ago when he seemed on the verge of tears after such a disappointing 2010 season for Washington.

“I had confidence that we would finish the game strong, period. I don’t look at the points. You see it, but you don’t look at it like, ‘I’m down 20 now, so I’m going to stop playing,’ You have to go out there and take every play one play at a time. And whether you score on that drive, you keep giving yourself the opportunity to climb closer.”

-----

Quit possibly the oddest site Sunday was watching a newly-demoted McNabb jog out to participate in the coin toss as a team captain for the Redskins.

Several players said McNabb is still very much a leader in the locker room and therefore, it didn’t seem unusual to them at all to see the 11-year-pro in that role before the game, but it definitely stood out to me as I watched from the sidelines.

Maybe it was something that the coaching staff simply overlooked this week, but I’m of the mindset that maybe it’s best for everyone involved if Grossman or anyone else from the offense participate in the coin toss the last two weeks of the season. Hell, since John Beck has moved ahead of McNabb now on the depth chart, let’s give that honor to him.

I just can’t imagine any team – even one as dysfunctional as the Redskins – trotting out their third-string quarterback in a ceremonial role like that. You’re either making a mockery out of McNabb or the role of team captain (or both), so why not give the honor to Cooley. After all, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Captain Chaos make an appearance.

And finally, a moment of zen:

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But Redskins fans aren't impressed.

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themurf

themurf

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Man, I'm so excited for this game I could just pee myself.

Say what you will about JimmiJo (and I usually do), but he at least physically arrives at each game he's assigned to cover. He might not do anything once he gets to the stadium, but at least he's in the house. That's gotta count for something.

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themurf

themurf

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It is going to be an interesting game to see how Sexy Rexy will do in his first game.

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket or anything, but I just don't know how anyone can expect Grossman to do anything exceptional. I mean, he's Rex Grossman. We're familiar with his body of work. He's played in 38 games over eight mediocre seasons and has thrown 36 interceptions with a QB rating under 70. He is who we thought he was.

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TK

TK

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That just seems messy and inappropriate.

Everyone knows that peanut butter is meant for sandwiches, not manwiches.

Not according to Tarhog. :)

---------- Post added December-21st-2010 at 10:50 AM ----------

To see a slideshow of ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE

To see the complete set of ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE

Let me toss out a quick hint. :)

You should really be viewing pictures with Cool Iris. Makes for really good screen captures for you graphics guys. In fact, it's what I've been using for screen captures to make a LOT of the newer, higher resolution avatars with. It takes a few minutes to get used to it, but once you do, you'll see that it kicks ass. Much like the Rex Cannon. :D

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themurf

themurf

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Our cheerleaders are so much better than overrated Dallas, their Santa uniforms:doh::puke:

Redskins Santa uniforms:cheers:

I hate to break it to you, but on overall talent. the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are the best I've seen in the NFL this year. The Redskins were the best for a couple years there, but I think Jerry Jones made it a mission to restock his talent and it's clear they went out and found the next wave of hotties. Now the ball is back in our court. Hopefully the Redskins will return the favor and bring in a few more ringers next season to regain the crown.

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Tarhog

Tarhog

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Not according to Tarhog. :)

Dude, what Tarhog and murf do on their own time with their own peanut butter is between them!

...or at least that's what they tell me. :D

That's right. Besides - it varies. I'm a 'crunchy' guy. Murf likes the PB&J in the same jar swirly stuff.

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