Send in the Clowns

Ladies and Gentlemen and children of all ages; Welcome to the NFL's answer to Ringling Bros. The team that we all love to hate: The Dallas Cowboys .

Prelude to Week 4

DALLAS WEEK!

No other 2 words in the English language can get the blood flowing in a Redskins fan more....well except for "Touchdown Washington!". It's a conglomerate of excitement, anticipation, nervousness, hope, fear and smack talk. This rivalry goes back as far as I can remember. I long for the days when coach George Allen would rally the team and tell them to "go kick some Cowboy arse!"

Very few of today's younger players even "get it" when it comes to Dallas week. If they've been a Redskin for any amount of time, they kinda-sorta get it, but not like the "ol' skool" guys. I mean Dexter Manley still insists on bringing it with him every where he goes. When he appeared at this year's Beach Blitz in VA Beach, the only question he posed for the newly appointed head coach was, "Are we going to beat Dallas 2 times this year?". The rookie coach committed a small breach in etiquette by saying, "I don't know about that Dex." To which Dexter replied, "we better!" Needless to say the crowd erupted!

The 2 franchises have had their scrapes along the way. One team peaking while the other is bottom feeding. Dallas currently holds the upper hand in wins with 52, while the Skins have 33. But the tides have slowly but surely started to change.

I believe one of the most memorable meetings of these 2 teams took place just a few short years ago on a Monday Night in Texas Stadium. That game has been dubbed by Skins fans as the "Monday Night Miracle in Dallas". On that particular night, Sep 19, 2005, we stepped into God's toilet(yes...that's what that hole is for in case you're wondering) hoping against all hope that we could survive that game and get out uninjured. The Skins had not done anything the whole game. No scores on the board well into the 4th quarter. It was 13 - 0 Dallas with about 4 minutes to go. Most of America had turned in for the night as the hour was getting late. Redskins fans disgusted by yet another loss to our arch nemesis, Cowboy fans thinking they had put us on ice. Then, lightening in a bottle struck. Mark Brunell, an aging, veteran QB, threw a touchdown pass to Santana Moss. 13 - 7. As I jumped for joy and hooped and hollered in my living room, I started to formulate in my mind that the Redskins could actually win this game. Dare I think it? "We just need to get the ball back!" "If we can get the ball back, we can do that again!" I was frantically wishing, hoping, praying. Then it happened again! Mark Brunell to Santana Moss for 6. Extra point good....14 - 13! Good night Cowboy nation! I screamed and ran up and down my hallway! It was after 11pm and here I was running and screaming to the top of my lungs. I will never forget that game. The looks on the faces of Cowboy fans the next day was priceless! This series has held that kind of tenacity for quite some time.

It seems however, that it's starting to lose some of it's luster. Coaches that are new to the league or to either team don't see it in the same light. You have alot of other distractions now that get thrown amongst the battlefield. Players that have done jail time, suspended from the league for some crime or another, dating big celebrities and taking vacations before playoff games, telling you to "get yer popcorn ready" or loving them some them. Even the younger Skins players don't seem to get it. Just this past week, a rookie Redskins player was seen speaking to the media in enemy paraphernalia(a T.O. t-shirt). Give me a break! Them's fightin words! Can't the younger generation get anything right? A question best answered on another day!

The Skins are facing a formidable Cowboy team on Sunday. Loaded with talent. They've generated quite a bit of offense in their first 3 outings. Defense....not so much! Opponents have been able to score..not at will mind you...but able to score nonetheless.

Can my Skins win on Sunday? Sure...anythings possible! Will they? I can't answer that question, the crystal ball is in the shop for repairs. If the Skins can put together a good, solid, error-free game, they have a chance to get one from the home team. Realistically, I don't see the Skins winning this game. From a fan's standpoint, I HOPE they will.

KEEP HOPE ALIVE!!

So Hail to the Redskins! Let's kick some Dallas booty! Prediction: Realistically: Dallas - 28 Redskins - 17. The Homer in me: Redskins - 21 Dallas - 17.(Let's hope for the latter..shall we?)