"Round and round and round they road ... Oh, what an episode!"

I’ll spotlight the Washington/ Houston game in just a second, but before I get to that let’s get an arial view of some other teams in the NFL. The season is still in it’s infancy, but there are teams that may be sinking and teams that may be rising, and if I may steal a lyric from the late Waylon Jennings, “I don’t think Hank done it that way”.

Minnesota, ah yes, Minnesota, now here’s where the jack-knifed semi is sprawled across all lanes on I-35 cutting the Twin Cities off from the rest of the NFL. And, of course the driver of that Viking’s semi was none other than Brett Favre aka Kid Shelleen, (the old fart gunslinger in the movie Cat Ballou). As he was being interrogated, he had blood shot eyes, and there was the strong odor of narcissism on his breath. They towed the truck to Chilly’s chop shop (the only place, where Chilly’s in charge), and he’s got all hands on deck, but it’s too early to tell how quick a turn around they can do.

Down in Dallas a lesson was learned the old fashioned way. Chicago came to play, and Dallas came to lay --- down on the job --- an egg ---- or out. They are disorganized at this juncture of the season, and they now have to go to Houston next week. Houston knows the same thing the Cowboys know: Houston is the better team. Dallas will need luck to win this game and if they don’t get it they will be 0-3 and in free-fall with a bye- week ahead. If I’m Wade Phillips as far as my office goes, I’d be getting all my personal items located.

Houston is a legitimate team; they were on the cusp last year, and were a legitimate turn-key team when this season started two weeks ago. Washington just does not have the ponies to play with the Texans; Houston has too much talent and fire power. Same can be said about Green Bay.  We all know Aaron Rodgers can play, but that defense looked dominate yesterday, albeit against the Bills. Got to mention the Jets. I thought they were a lovable bunch of blowhards with a Cowardly Lion for a quarterback --- not this week!

Alright let’s take a look at what happened yesterday at the Warehouse in Landover. I thought going into this game Houston would stomp a mud hole in the Burgundy and Gold’s derriere. Washington was on the Texans as a cat jumps a mouse, but they must have known early on; they were not engaged with a defenseless rodent.

The first half Washington played close to a flawless game, sans a running game. McNabb was getting the ball to receivers, that many times were running with no defenders close to them. He was getting no good protection and they were not making mistakes.

The defense sacked Schaub 5 times with numerous hits, but in the end they did not have any dominate defensive linemen. They are going to have trouble stopping the run and unless Hasslett continues to confuse the offenses with ingenuity, the pass rush will be spotty. The reason Houston did not run the ball more was not the dominance of Washington, but the circumstances of the game.

The Washington defense has some dominate players; the problem is they have few. Brian Orakpo, LaRon Landry, and London Fletcher are those players, and these guys are as good as anybody in the league at their respective positions. After that, Rocky McIntosh gets an honorable mention and then poof, it’s the end of the line. On offense it’s even more tenuous, who are the playmakers? Moss, Cooley, and McNabb are those guys, but in all fairness they are not among the league elite. 

The players did not choose this roster --- that distinction lies with Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan. Regardless of who’s on the roster or who’s not on the roster, it appears to me, Shanahan and his other mad scientists are working overtime in the laboratory to give Igor life.