Washington Redskins fans were beginning to doubt Mike Shanahan’s judgment. After bringing in Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb last year, they were both let go during the off-season. Shanahan decided to start quarterback Rex Grossman, who has a less than stellar stat line for his past starts. And the Redskins paid a heavy price to bring running back Tim Hightower onto the team, a price that many thought was too high for a back with unproven quality.
But there seems to have been a method to Shanahan’s madness. In a couple of years he has started to turn the Redskins into a Mike Shanahan style team, like the Denver teams he had so much success with in the 1990s. They have a strong running game behind a reinvigorated Tim Hightower, Grossman has been efficient, and their defense has been staunch. And to the surprise of football prognosticators, the Redskins are tied for first in the NFC East.
The Redskins opened the season host to their NFC East rival New York Giants as a heavy underdog. Many experts predicted before the game that the New York defensive line would harass Grossman and lead the notoriously mistake-prone quarterback into multiple turnovers. But Grossman played a flawless game for the most part (he had one fumble), completing 21 of 34 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Tim Hightower rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown and the Redskins defense shut down the vaunted New York running game, holding them to just 75 yards rushing.
In week two, the Redskins hosted the Arizona Cardinals. Grossman didn’t play a perfect game this week, throwing two interceptions, and the Redskins saw themselves down 21-13 in the fourth quarter. Grossman, however, led them back, completing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss with 5:17 left in the fourth quarter to bring them to within two points. Then Grossman led them on a 48-yard drive that ended in the game winning field goal, kicked by Graham Gano.
This win put the Redskins in sole possession of first place in the NFC East, but next they had to travel on the road for the first time this season. They went to Dallas to battle an ailing Cowboys team nursing several injuries. Battered starting quarterback Tony Romo, however, led the Cowboys to an 18-16 victory as Dan Bailey kicked his sixth field goal in the game with just 1:52 left. Washington Redskins – primary running back Tim Hightower was held to 41 yards on 14 carries and Grossman had another mediocre game, throwing for 250 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
After week three, the Redskins still hold a piece of first place in the NFC East. While the Redskins always have a tough schedule because it includes their NFC East rivals, they have several other major tests this year when the New England Patriots and New York Jets come to town. But Mike Shanahan has the Redskins playing with something they haven’t shown in years: discipline and purpose. These qualities may be just what they need to make it back to the playoffs.
