Redskins Rehash-- Bumpy Landing...

What, you expected a smooth ride this fall on Burgundy and Gold Airlines? A tough loss to a wounded division foe always brings one back to earth. And while the Skins are better than 2010... which was better than 2009... they remain a work in progress. Truth be told, I was a little sluggish coming out of the bye week myself... and needed extra editing as I'm the ultimate progress in work. Just keep the tray table up and your seat belt on until-- what...Buffalo's 4-2? San Francisco's 5-1? Flight Attendant? Can I have a top for my coffee cup?

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- FOUR INTERCEPTIONS. Mr. Grossman's 9 of 22 performance earned him a seat on the bench in the third quarter. One had a feeling a game like this was out there; and now it's up to #8 to prove that Sunday was an abberation as opposed to a growing trend.

Is Beck the Answer, or just the beginning of another question?-- the backup came in and directed the offense to a fourth quarter touchdown on a clock-consuming drive (Sonny Jurgensen was railing at the slow pace despite being down two scores). And while his wheels got him in the endzone for the team's only touchdown, naming him the starter for Carolina might be a little rash. But not unprecedented.

Ground to a halt-- of course, when your running game nets 42 yards on 14 carries it's going to be tough sledding. Ryan Torain two weeks after reaching the century mark averaged 2.2 yards a carry on 10 tries. Thank goodness John Beck was able to garner 14 yards on 2 tries.

Third and forever-- the Skins converted just 1 of 10 third downs... not moving the chains on that crucial down until the fourth quarter. Grossman's first INT came on 3rd and 16... and his final pick came on a 3rd and 9. While 7 of the 10 third down situations were long distance (3rd and 7 or more), the Burgundy and Gold went 0-3 on 3rd and 3 or less. Not good.

Feeling Fredtastic and the Cold Autumn of Mr. Cooley-- Mr. Davis led the Skins in receiving with 6 catches for 95 yards... increasing his total to 22 for 343. A 70-catch pace that used to be the norm for Chris Cooley, who after catching one pass for -1 yard finds himself banged up again. A broken hand will sideline #47 for six weeks, and a knee injury has limited him to 8 catches for 65 yards with a long of 17.

Feeling Defensive-- after forcing a three and out on the Eagles' first possession, the Skins D allowed three straight drives of 10 plays for 69 yards or longer... resulting in a 17-0 deficit. On the two touchdown drives, the Eagles faced four third downs: converting 3rd and 1, two 3rd and 2's and a 3rd and goal from the 7.

Safety in numbers?-- Oshiomogho notched 6 tackles with 2 assists while tallying an interception as well as a sack. Laron Landry led the team with 8 solo tackles. Many a coach will tell you it's never ideal when your safeties are leading the team in solo stops.

Hoping Past isn't Present-- a second year Redskins coach had the chance to bury a 1 win Eagle team and create some distance in the division with his NFC East leading 3-1 squad... only to come up short. I'm talking about 2003, when a Patrick Ramsey incompletion on a two point conversion sealed a two point loss that would have made Donovan McNabb and company 1-4... and Steve Spurrier's bunch 4-1. Instead, the Eagles would wind up winning the division and the Skins would finish the Ballcoach Era on a 2-10 run that wrapped up with resigning via fax from a golf course. But that was then, right? This is a much different organization with a lot more sanity in charge, right? Buckle up.

Aint Missing You At All-- it could be said that Rex Grossman didn't have as bad a day as his two predecessors: Donovan McNabb was benched in Minnesota's loss to Chicago after completing 19 of 24 passes for 177 yards while getting sacked 5 times. And Jason Campbell? A broken collarbone in Oakland's win over Cleveland.

Really Not Missing You-- Albert Haynesworth's autumn in New England continues at an amazingly nonproductive pace. No tackles, sacks, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries or interceptions tallied against Dallas this past Sunday... leaving his total at 2 tackles for 2011. He hasn't made a play of note since tallying two stops over a month ago on Monday Night Football against Miami.

Dissecting the Division-- the Giants' win over Buffalo propels Eli Manning and company into first place by a half game. Dallas remains a half game ahead of Philadelphia for third place (although the Cowboys are 2-3, they're 2-1 in the NFC).

Go North-- In the early division scramble, the NFC and AFC North Divisions have established superiority. Green Bay's gang is 15-9 while Baltimore's bunch is 14-8. Again, a major caveat: last year the NFC South boasted the best record in the league yet New Orleans and Atlanta went 0-2... both getting blown out of the postseason.