| Craig Johnson. 20th September, 2005 - 3:45 pm
 The Dallas Cowboys night of heroics was cut short when the Redskins offensive implosion for just a little under eight quarters suddenly turned to an explosion in a barn burner 14-13 win.
For Skins fans ten long years have gone by since we have been able to rejoice a victory in Dallas, yet this year is one to remember. I know what it’s like to think that we have a game won and to only be let down by a miracle play that sends me to tears. This time the tears are for a sigh of relief. It’s okay now, we can feel an over emotional feeling that times are changing. A time that sees a good Washington team show the kind of resilience that reminds us that the game is 60 minutes long and not 55 minutes long. Brunell was not exactly over impressive but when it mattered he managed to find enough poise to get the Skins over that one-time seemingly impossible hump. Newly addition wide receiver Santana Moss played his part demonstrating why speed is considered the deepest threat in the NFL, connecting on two long touchdowns of 40 and 70 yards that have fans all over the country chanting “Hail To The Redskins, Hail Victory.”
If this rivalry is really dissolving then why was the temperature well above 100 degrees at kickoff? Hot enough that even Mother Nature knew that this was the year that the Cowboys fans would be sweating it out down the stretch. For Cowboys fans, welcome back to the times of the old when the Indians tie the noose around the feet of the cowboys dangling over the open fire. Not even Aikman, Irvin and Smith could save you now.
A ragged first half that simply flew by left fans clinging to their seats with many doubts that head coach Joe Gibbs might have lost the determination to want to scalp the Cowboys with a very conservative first half. Washington went into the half down 3-0 and only managed 85 yards of offense and once again Mark Brunell was only Mark and not the hopefully resurgence of the mistaken Scott Brunell. But just being down by three left Skins fans with the notion that just maybe Scott would take over Mark’s body and guide us to a victory. If you were not sick of the lack of the Redskins offense in the first half then I am sure the halftime party for the triplets, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith, was just enough to give you that same gut eating feeling that coach Gibbs and I share alike. To make that Cowboy gut eating feeling burn just that much more, Washington opened the second half with the same lack-luster 3-and-out offense that had me believing that the “Football God” just was not a Skins fan. A feeling that began to burn even stronger when Dallas coach Bill Parcells opened up his playbook even deeper and caught safety Sean Taylor cheating on the run that scorched him with a flea-flicker 70 yard pass from Drew Bledsoe to Terry Glenn for a touchdown upping the score to 10-0.
As defensive coordinator Gregg Williams rallied his unit together Skins fans were feeling down and then “ABC” gave us a feeling of hope with their “Bud Light Beer” commercial that had us all wishing that we could buy a home with a “Beer Tree” in the backyard. For once we had something to smile about. The ad was a hope of dreaming could make us believe. The defense held tough and kept Dallas to a field goal stretching the lead to 13 on a 41-yard field goal by Jose Cortez. Then with just under six minutes to go the hope of us waking up to a beer tree in our yard was just enough to keep us watching when Scott mysteriously took over Mark’s body and helped him scamper for 25 yards on a 3rd and 27. Then Brunell completed a pass to wide out James Thrash for a first down. A first down that led to the speedster Moss finding a seam in the Cowboys aggressive secondary for a touchdown. A big defensive stand that saw a would have been huge first down reception by Dallas wide out Keyshawn Johnson called back on a holding penalty, that resulted into a punt. At that point every Skins fan across the nation prayed for a Redskins victory and then at that moment….. Every nickel-and-dime pass that Gibbs had called for the first 55 minutes proved to be a setup when Brunell found the touch to get the ball over all the Dallas defenders for a 70-yard game-winning touchdown to Moss. There is a god and he very well may be a Redskins fan, but the truth of the matter is that if we can pray for a victory over Dallas then just maybe I will wake up to beer a tree tomorrow. And if I do then every Skins fan is invited to my home where we will not only celebrate the miracle of my beer tree, but we will celebrate the fact Washington is 2-and-0 and this is a tree that “Hurricane Rita,” couldn’t even intimidate.
One thing that we cannot forecast is hurricanes, but after tonight’s prayers just maybe we can forecast that the Washington Redskins and coach Gibbs are for real. My forecast for the future is, “ Hello Redskins”, and this time the powerful winds blow us straight towards the post season and join me for the ride. A ride that ignites a fire we won’t ever want to put out and something that will not be blown out. LET’S GO REDKINS. I know you feel it. This is the year, I just know it!!!!!!!!!!!
Craig Johnson can be reached at: myterps34@yahoo.com |
