After 14 mostly amazing seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Peyton Manning is a free agent, and the speculation over whether or not he will come to the Redskins is more cacophonous than ever before.

It’s been a long time since the Redskins last defeated the Giants. You’d have to go back to Week 15 of 2007 to find one in the win column, when the Redskins were charging their way into the playoffs, spurred on by a sizzling 66-yard passing performance (yes, for the game) by Todd Collins. Joe Gibbs must have taken the recipe to beating the Giants with him into retirement, as the Zorn Era ushered in a brutal stretch against Washington’s division rival. Games got out of hand by halftime, if not earlier, and the Giants held an astounding 11-minute average advantage in possession over the two-year span. Neither team is going into Sunday’s game on a particularly high note, although the Redskins defense has played better in the two weeks following the Philadelphia disaster and the Giants stole a win from Jacksonville to snap a two-game slide. Only thoughtful, detailed analysis can truly show us who will take this sure-to-be epic NFC East clash.

The Redskins would be 0-4 were it not for Alex Barron’s inability to block and Jason Avant’s butterfingers. The Redskins would be 3-1 if the defense didn’t lay down and Graham Gano’s muscle memory could replicate a successful kick. (There is no hypothetical reversing the outcome of the Rams game, unfortunately.) The reality is that the team sits at 2-2, with both wins coming against NFC East rivals Dallas and Philadelphia. It’s becoming increasingly clear that each team in the NFC East is going to be plagued by inconsistencies this year. Dallas has both the best offense in the division and the tendency to flake out at the worst possible time. The Giants have been maddening, alternating between getting their ass kicked by Indianapolis and laying a defensive beatdown on the Bears. Philly has to pray that Vick gets healthy soon, because Kevin Kolb is not the answer at quarterback. Is it so wacky to think that the similarly inconsistent Redskins could find a way to sneak away with the NFC East title for the first time since 1999?

On paper, the Redskins’ 2009 schedule looks a lot like their record last season: average. The ‘Skins get three primetime games in 2009, all at home: Week 7 and Week 15 against the Eagles and Giants on Monday Night Football, and Week 16 against Dallas on Sunday Night Football (after playing Philadelphia in Week 15). Washington also gets last season’s 0-16 Lions in Week 3. The “random” matchup will be Week 17 against San…

Over the weekend, the Washington Wizards fell victim to that old saying “be careful what you wish for.” After barely holding off most of the Central Division for the fifth seed and a matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers (whom the Wizards beat 3 out of 4 times during the regular season), they had a front row seat for the playoff coronation of King James. The 21-year-old LeBron James, already an MVP candidate in his third…

>> Oh those clever Redskins. First they use the NFL labor talks as an opportunity to buy out disgruntled linebacker LaVar Arrington and then while the area media whips itself into a frenzy over the move, the club quietly announces that, much like the Wizards, ticket prices will be going up, up, up next season. Surprising no one, the ‘Skins attributed the increases to putting the team more in line with other teams in…

The Washington Redskins treated their fans to a fantastic Christmas Eve by continuing their remarkable reversal of fortune with a well-fought win over the NFC East leading New York Giants, 35-20. The game’s completion ended what had been a remarkable week for Washington that began with a beatdown of the hated Cowboys and continued as every team that needed to lose to put the Redskins into playoff position did so en masse. It was…

It’s so nice to get to talk about someone else’s TO problem for a change. If you’ve only recently been rescued from a near-fatal spelunking accident, here’s the story: two years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles were weary of playing bridesmaid to the NFC Champion. To get over that hump, they solicited the services of a preening, narcissistic headline generator named Terrell Owens. With Owens on board, the Eagles went to a Superbowl, and ever…

Coming into this weekend’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, the Redskins have a little to buzz about. Their dramatic, come-from-behind victory in Dallas went a long way in sating fans’ appetites for victories. Santana Moss has put up a pair of fantastic games at wideout. The defense: as good as it gets. And even though the NFC East hasn’t presented a team that’s likely to bring home a championship this year, the division seems poised…

When Joe Gibbs became the head coach of the Washington Redskins, way back in the early days of the First Coming, things did not begin well for the young Don Coryell acolyte. That first season, the Redskins sputtered and flamed out during their first five games, losing all of them and descending into the cellar of the NFC East. However, over the rest of the season, Gibbs righted the ship and won eight of eleven,…