October 6, 2008
Addicted to Zorn: Redskins Handle Eagles After Slow Start
Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld
Just who the hell is this team? For the fourth game in a row, the final seconds ticked off the clock and Jason Campbell was taking a knee. 'Skins fans haven’t seen anything like this in years.
At about 12:59 p.m., the stage was set for a very, very bad day. Coming off a thrilling win against Dallas last week, the Skins seemed overconfident and ripe for a letdown against one of the toughest teams in the league. The five point underdog Redskins announced that they would be without the services of defensive starters Jason Taylor, Marcus Washington and Shawn Springs. On top of that, the injured Eagles Pro-Bowl running back and Redskins tormentor Brian Westbrook announced he would start in the backfield for Philadelphia.
True to that hunch, the Eagles jumped out to a quick 14 – 0 lead behind a Brian Westbrook touchdown and a Desean Jackson punt return. But once again, these Redskins showed fight unlike anything we've seen in years. With grit and some impressive play calling courtesy of the Zornado, the Redskins turned things around in a hurry and left Philly with a convincing 23-16 victory.
So how is that this team, playing as the underdog, pulled out another game against a tough opponent? I think we all know the answer to that, and it rhymes with “dallops.” These Redskins not only stopped Philly’s potent offense, they also rushed for over 200 yards against a defense that had yet to allow 100 yards in a game this season.
AP Photo/Mel Evans
Clinton Portis had some huge runs, finishing with 145 yards and a touchdown. Chris Cooley proved that with or without pants, studying the playbook is paying off—ending with 109 yards and a touchdown pass from Antwaan “better suited as a quarterback” Randle El.
As much as any unit, the defense set the tone for this game. After giving up some ground on the Eagles’ first possession, the London Fletcher-led defense tightened on the Eagles, holding them to just another three points after the first quarter. When the Redskins made an impressive stop on third and one from the two yard line in the fourth quarter, the Philly “boo birds” were audible for the first time all game, which meant the Redskins were doing something right.
Indeed, the Skins are doing a lot of things right these days. Sitting at 4-1 with some tough road games in the rear view mirror, the Redskins are now viewed as one of the top teams in the NFL and still surging. Take note: people around the country are talking about the Redskins, and not because of expensive free agent acquisitions or lost limbs at Six Flags. My how things have changed.
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Now comes 3 bye weeks:
St. Louis
Cleveland
at Detroit
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whoa...WHOA!!!! Don't do that, RJ!!! Confidence is one thing...hubris is another.
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it is pretty odd to see this team taking a knee to close a game. for the first time in a while, "fought their guts out" seems to mean something.
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Whats more, it's odd to see this team playing to win rather than playing not to lose. I know it's an overused saying, but it's true.
Gibbs will always have a special place in my heart, but he would've have never gone for it on 4th down after a blown 3rd down. Zorn's got the stones of an elephant!
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Rhymes with "dallops"? What does, "gallops"? Seriously, what the hell is that supposed to mean?
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"whoa...WHOA!!!! Don't do that, RJ!!! Confidence is one thing...hubris is another."
Agreed. While St. Louis, Detroit and Cleveland are together the least intimidating teams in football, those are precisely the kinds of teams the Redskins could lose to at home. Because if 16 years of Redskins fandom has taught me one thing, it's that we have the power to win where no one thought we could win and lose at home to, say, Cleveland.
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dallops = scallops = nuts = balls = guts = get with it
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could it be? could the skins be the second best team in the nfc east?
the skins are showing some serious scallopitude. they get cushy for the next few weeks. time to get fat on juicy scallops.
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I think an overlooked element of this game has been the play of Suisham. The Redskins struggled for years with a slew of inadequate kickers. If it were not for the three 40+ yard kicks yesterday, the game would have gone to the Eagles.
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could it be? could the skins be the second best team in the nfc east?
It Be! It Be!
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good call, doug...not since chip loehmiller (sp?) have we seen this kicking consistency
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This team's candy ass schedule will set it up perfectly for bloated 13-3 record, a wildcard spot behind the giants and and first round loss to an 8-8 Green Bay. And scallops = balls? That's just silly.
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that ain't silly ManKind, that's the truth.
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The truth or the R-Truth?
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doug - the solid kicking game is an excellent point...those nine points got us that win...especially the kick before halftime. despite our painfully bad punting, special teams has been pretty good thus far.
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I'm not sure when or how this whole 'scallops' thing originated, but when something has to be explained over and over, that's a pretty good indication that it's really not that funny.
Skins are looking great, and while I agree that approaching the next few games casually is a bad idea, this team is much different than in years past. They'd lose games to weaker teams because they were incredibly inconsistent... this year, however, they've shown that they are for real.
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I'm with MJL. Its also fairly acceptable for the commentors to use it, but it shouldn't be in the posts by DCist staff.
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Good lord what is the deal with this scallop business? It was never funny or clever to begin with, and it keeps coming up. Who let the dogs out?
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Last I checked there was no official DCist style guide. So if commenters or writers alike want to start using their own slang, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Those in the know, know. Those that don't, will learn or, as evidenced by some of the earlier comments, hate.
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Seriously people, stop being Debbie Downers like my bitch neighbor yesterday. A group of us were outside after the game celebrating and cheering when skins fans drove by. She came out and said "you think you're the only people who live here?" to which my wife and I replied with a resounding YES!
Scallops to her and to ye haters of "scallops"
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Bollocks to you and your scallops.
Scallops sounds like it was conceived by and for effete metrosexuals who wear "product" in their hair and suckle beer from bottles topped by rubber nipples.
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Most importantly, "dallops" isn't a word at all, and if it's just a misspelling of "dollops," it's not pronounced the same as "scallops," dammit. I could care less about over-used but still little-known inside jokes, really, but at a minimum the references to them shouldn't be so ridiculously labored and downright incorrect.
I guess I should just be pleased that winning a football game isn't being likened to nonconsensual anal sex, again . . .
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mmmmmm.....nipples!
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Westbrook broke two ribs on the 8th play of the game.
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So Doug and MJL are laying together in a steaming mound of scallops. Well, the rest of us know what's up and are eating them right off the grill with a light spinkle of lemon.
Two things - Fletcher might be the most underrated LB in the league. Makes every big stop when we need it. Also - Our OL is great running the ball but not so hot protecting JC. If he could get some more time we could see some 350+ games from him.
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well knowing the post 92 skins, these next three weeks will be our toughest. if we can escape these upcoming three weeks, we will go into playing pitsburgh 7-1
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I heart London Fletcher!!
Hail to the Redskins!
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If the Redskins ever have to change their racist nickname, I think they should be known as the Washington Scallops. Replace the Indian head on the helmet with a pair of bacon-wrapped scallops.
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Hail to the Redscallops, Hail victory!
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Go worry about something else, HCE. With all that's wrong in this world, you're worried about a football team's name. Way to go.