Last Sunday in Washington, the Redskins were running out the clock in a victory over the Arizona Cardinals when fans provided a reminder, chanting, “We want Dallas!”
At Wednesday’s practice, Zorn noticed a more lively tempo and sharper concentration, what he called, “a mindset that was understanding” who they were about to face.
So, yes, Zorn knows it’s more than just another game when his club plays the 3-0 Cowboys at Texas Stadium today.
There’s only one problem.
“I just don’t have the animosity yet,” said Zorn, who actually has fond memories of breaking into the NFL with Dallas in 1975 as a backup to Roger Staubach. He didn’t last long on a team that carried 12 other rookies on its way to the Super Bowl, but he still can’t hold a grudge.
“I’m the head football coach here and we’re supposed to (hate Dallas),” he said. “But I’m sure I’ll get there at some point down the road here. There are certain things that create that. I’m just waiting for it.”
Rivalry aside, the mere fact it’s an NFC East game ups the ante.
The NFC East is again the beast of the NFL. It’s the only division in which every team has a winning record, plus it boasts the only two unbeatens in the NFC. Clubs are a combined 10-2, with both losses in head-to-head games. That means nobody outside the NFC East has beaten anyone in the division.
It’s also a continuation of what happened last year, when there wasn’t a losing record to be found. Three teams made the playoffs, with Dallas earning the NFC’s top seed and the New York Giants going on to win the Super Bowl.
Although the Redskins were among those in the playoffs last season, the Philadelphia Eagles were expected to pass them in the division hierarchy because of quarterback Donovan McNabb’s improved health and the Redskins’ transition from Joe Gibbs to Zorn.
Washington was easy to dismiss after looking discombobulated in the opener. Now, that judgment might have to be dismissed; after all, it was the first game for all those new people and systems, plus the Redskins were on the road against the reigning Super Bowl champs.
They’ve won both games since, with the offense yet to turn the ball over in three games. If they win Sunday, they’ll be a half-game behind the idle Giants, owning the same record as those hated Cowboys and the same as or better than the Eagles.
“Each and every time you play each other, you know it’s going to be a hard-fought game, and you know it’s going to be a physical game,” Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell said. “You also know that everyone is fighting for the same thing; you’re trying to reach that same common goal.
“You’ve just got to have a focus and a mentality to continue to compete. But it’s good to be a part of a good division.”
The Cowboys agree. After folding in the playoffs the last two years, they need all the high-intensity games they can get. They’re coming off two in a row, beating the Eagles 41-37 in a wild Monday night home game, then edging the Green Bay Packers 27-16 on the road last Sunday night in a homecoming of sorts for quarterback Tony Romo.
Romo dismisses any notion of being prime for an emotional dip. As evidence, he described the feeling in the Lambeau Field locker room after the victory.
“You’re glad you won, but you’re like, ‘Ooh, we didn’t execute as well as we’re capable,’” he said. “That’s a good sign - you’re winning games, but you know you have to pick up your execution.”
The Cowboys sure seem to be rolling on offense, with the most yards and second-most points in the NFL. Terrell Owens has only two catches for 17 yards in the last six quarters, but that’s mostly because teams have decided not to let him beat them. That’s helped open up things for tight end Jason Witten, running backs Marion Barber and Felix Jones and even little-known receiver Miles Austin.
Washington’s defense, meanwhile, will be without Jason Taylor, the defensive end who arrived following a standout career in Miami.
Taylor’s streak of 133 straight games ends this week because he had an emergency operation Monday morning to release blood that was pooling in his calf. His absence means no family reunion with first-year Dallas linebacker Zach Thomas. The two played together for years with the Dolphins and became brothers-in-law when Taylor married Thomas’ sister.
Unless there’s a Dallas-Washington playoff game at Texas Stadium, this will be the Redskins’ final visit to the building with the hole in the roof. Their record so far is 13-33-2, with two straight losses. They also were on the losing end of some of the stadium’s most memorable games: Clint Longley’s Thanksgiving rally in 1974 and Staubach’s comeback in the 1979 season finale, which was his final regular-season home game.
Washington fans will prefer to remember the 2005 Monday night game when Santana Moss spoiled the Ring of Honor induction night for Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin by catching two touchdown passes in the final 3:46 for a 14-13 victory.
That is, unless Campbell and Zorn can top it today.
