On the decisive drive and probably the most telling moment of this season thus far, the Redskins had a 30-23 lead with less than two minutes left in the game. They had driven the length of the field after the Saints made it a one score game on the previous drive. The Redskins could have taken some risks and tried to punch it into the endzone. Instead, they were content inside the 5 yard line to set up a short field goal, and Suisham missed it.
They did not see the bigger risk of taking their foot off the gas–and taking their foot off the neck of the Saints. And they paid for it.
They lacked the killer instinct. The Saints did not. The Saints, like the team of destiny they must believe they are becoming, executed like a champion when they had to. They grabbed a win when the Skins opened the door a crack. That is the mark of a champion, a team with a killer instinct.
As a result, the Redskins lost more than a momentum-building game heading into the offseason. This could have been the kind of win to signal to Dan Snyder this team could play with anyone. It may have suggested that only a few more pieces and some patience were needed to turn this group of players into a winner.
Now, they look like losers afflicted as with a disease for turning near success into massive failure. This begs him to massively overhaul this team–and perhaps give Jason Campbell the boot, even though he played mostly a great game today.
The Redskins did not quit today, but they did not seize the day either. Perhaps that is a form of quitting. Out of respect for this team and its effort, I won’t conclude there, but I will say that the killer instinct is a level of discipline to which they have not yet attained.
And it is very much in question if they ever can do so without a football man at the helm–the kind of leader who demands discipline up and down the organization and has no interest in anything other than building a winning culture in Washington again.
So close, and yet so far. With Snyder as young as he is, this sad saga could go on for a generation.
One answer is for me not to take football so seriously. But that is hard to do when I think of the way sports is a window into all of life–for life is war.
It is especially hard when I watch guys I really respect, especially guys like Jason Campbell and Jim Zorn as the public faces of this franchise, take it on the chin week after week.
Maybe this is what each of those guys need to become (on the field at least) some nasty SOBs that would as soon rip your heart out as shake your hand. Maybe that is the greatness they need, and maybe I have been wrong all year and they don’t really have that.
Eeesh. I could drive myself crazy thinking about it all. I can only imagine how hard this must be for the team and the coaches.



