I can't say enough about how ecstatic I am over how good the Redskins have looked so far this season. And not in that mid-nineties, Norv Turner-era way--where the team would explode out of the gates, flash in the pan style, before inevitably settling into a second half (game or season, take your pick) collapse like cheap, imported clockwork--no, this team is for real; against some of the best competition in the whole NFL, the 'Skins have been playing 4 quarters of solid football per game.
I don't want to say that football is the most mentally/emotionally demanding sport there is, but football is the most mentally/emotionally demanding sport there is. If you disagree, you are not a Buffalo Bills fan and/or you were too drunk at the time to remember the Giants game from week one.
My point is, football is more than just X's and O's-level strategy; in fact, it's equal parts head and heart, and it's pretty hard to win consistently with only one of the two. As a Redskins fan, I'm completely familiar with this construct: the team's last coach who embodied both ideals was Joe Gibbs version 1.0. Norv Turner, the offensive architect of the 1990's Cowboys Super Bowl dynasty, became a Redskins head coach who was undeniably a master of X's and O's--yet a terrible motivator and game manager. The next two permanent Redskins head coaches who followed Turner--Marty "3 yards and a cloud of dust" Schottenheimer and Steve "5 wideout formations at all times" Spurrier--however, were neither great strategists nor motivators; failures in both regards. Joe Gibbs version 2.0 was merely the latter--a great motivator--but only a partial failure as an in-game strategist; as his offensive philosophies were simply too painfully out-dated to consistently succeed in today's NFL, especially against the sharper teams in the league.
Rookie Redskins coach Jim Zorn appears, at this early juncture of the season, to possess the strengths of both Norv Turner--a modern and innovative X's and O's strategy--and Joe Gibbs version 2.0--exceptional motivational skills--which, combined, make the 2008 Redskins a very dangerous team to the rest of the NFL.
As I posted on a fellow die-hard Redskins fan's facebook page, following the Redskins' most recent triumph over Philadelphia:
The Redskins, this season, have the personnel and the coaching staff in place to go far into the NFL playoffs. My initial prediction for their final record this season--11 and 5--may prove yet to be not generous/homerific enough. With the hardest segment of their schedule now behind their 4-1 record, the 'Skins are potentially a 12-4 or 13-3 team.
Book it.
P.S. - Oh yea, my fantasy football team is 5-0 right now...NBD.
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