Okay.
Wow.
Uhm…it all boils down to this:
It’s the fourth quarter. There are just over six minutes left to play. Washington trails 21-16. It’s been a rough day. The Redskins got in a hole early, giving up two touchdowns on, or soon after interceptions. At one point, it was 21-3. It looked like the rout was on.
But, Ladell Betts kept on running. Jason Campbell, who you’d probably have forgiven if he’d simply fallen into a deep funk after that second pick, had gathered himself. The defense started getting Jeff Garcia and the Philly offense off the field with regular success. And slowly, patiently, the Redskins had mounted a comeback. With three and a half minutes gone in the fourth, Washington got the ball on their own 15 yard line, and mounted a nice, clock-chewing drive. Tough runs, balanced QB plays, and a well-timed gadget pass (complete with charitable call from the zebras) got Washington to the Philadelphia 3 yard line. First and goal.
So. What would you do? Apparently, if you are a Redskins coach, you think to yourself: “Okay. We have four shots to go three yards, with time, the crowd, and momentum on our side. Right now, Ladell Betts is having a career day. He’s breaking off big runs into the teeth of the Philly defense, to the tune of 5.2 yards a carry. He’s been our mainstay all day long. I think the choice is clear: let’s make sure Betts NEVER GETS TO TOUCH THE BALL.”
That’s right. Instead of handing it off four times to Betts, a strategy that should have netted an easy touchdown, Washington instead called the following plays: handoff to TJ Duckett (who’d carried the ball only twice all day–once for two yards, once for -1 yards), pass incomplete, penalty for having too many men in the huddle, sack for a nine yard loss, Suisham field goal, the Redskins never touch the ball again, and DCist sportswriters start feeling stabby.
There’s really nothing left to say about the game. For the second week in a row, the Redskins coached the game away, this time after the players had mounted a valiant comeback. Not to be too melodramatic about it, but if there were any justice in the world, Msrs. Gibbs and Saunders would be too ridden with shame to accept their paychecks for this week’s work. Appalling.
