WHO: Philadelphia Eagles [3-6] at Washington Redskins [3-6]
WHAT: Week 11 of the 2012 NFL season
WHEN: Sunday, 18 November 2012 at 1 PM
WHERE: FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland
WHY: It's football and football is good.

WATCH: FOX TV or Livestream on NFL Sunday Ticket

LISTEN: SIRIUS 85

SPREAD: Washington -1.5

OVER/UNDER: 46

A weekly feature in which we update the performances of the locked-out Caps players.

(Due to the international break, there was no update last week)

Nicklas Bäckström: Swedish center Nicklas Bäckström, who turns 25 later this month, has continued the strong start to his KHL career in the wake of the international break. After changing his jersey number from #99 to #69, Bäckström appeared in two games since our last update, tallying three goals (by way of a hat-trick) and one assist. He was also +4. Through seven games with Dynamo Moscow so far, the Swede has four goals, three assists, and +3.

Jason Chimera: Jason Chimera became the latest cap to sign in Europe this past week, joining the Czech Extraliga’s HC Chomutov. He is expected to debut this weekend.

Joey Crabb: The only locked-out Cap not affected by the European international break, Alaska Aces (ECHL) winger Joey Crabb dramatically improved in the last couple of weeks. Crabb appeared in six games and scored three goals and four assists. He was +5. Crabb, who has much to prove, is playing well during the lockout, and so far has six goals and eight assists and is +3 in 14 games.

Marcus Johansson: It has been a rocky ride so far for young Swede Marcus Johansson. Mojo appeared in only two games this past week, the first of which saw him score one goal and one assist, and the second of which saw him go pointless, -3, and 0/6 on facoeffs. In his four-game BIK Karlskoga career, Johansson has two goals, one assist, and is -6.

Brooks Laich: It was a slow week for Caps center Brooks Laich and his Kloten Flyers. Laich appeared in only one game since our last update, and did not factor onto the scoresheet. Whether Laich is injured or not is unclear. Through 15 games, Laich has six goals, eight assists, and +8.

Michal Neuvirth: Michal Neuvirth has, more than any other Caps player, struggled since his arrival with Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga, but he was actually very good in the last two weeks. Neuvirth started two games for Sparta, and won both. In 3-2 wins over Skoda Plzen HC and PSG Zlin, Neuvy recorded a 2.00 goals against average and .946 save percentage. Impressive, considering Neuvy has won just three of 12 games, and has a total 3.24 GAA and .914 save percentage.

Alex Ovechkin: After recovering from bronchitis, Alex Ovechkin returned to action this week and was once again solid in limited appearances. In two games, the Caps captain notched two assists to add to his season tally. Through 16 games with his hometown Dynamo Moscow, Ovechkin now has six goals and 10 assists for a perfect point-per-game pace. He is also +5.

Wojtek Wolski: Did not play.

Stanislav Galiev, Braden Holtby, Tomas Kundratek, Dmitry Orlov, and Mattias Sjögren will play for the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

Karl Alzner, Jay Beagle, Troy Brouwer, John Carlson, John Erskine, Mike Green, Roman Hamrlik, Matt Hendricks, Jack Hillen, Mathieu Perreault, Mike Ribeiro, Jeff Schultz, and Joel Ward have yet to sign.

Tom Poti is injured.

Check out the old uniform and the guy in the Utah  uniform who is now in a Brooklyn uniform. It was that long ago.

In a move that could be interpreted as shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, the Washington Wizards cut backup PG Jannero Pargo and signed backup PG Shaun Livingston, who was recently released by the Houston Rockets. 

I'm in favor of this move because I never wanted Pargo on the roster in the first place -- I would have kept Shelvin Mack instead -- and I think a healthy Shaun Livingston does have some value for an NBA team, particularly one as desperate as Washington is right now. Livingston is barely above a replacement player level, but that's considerably better than Pargo, who was mind-boggling awful during his brief-but-not-brief-enough stint with the Wizards. Because he doesn't distribute the ball or penetrate the way you'd like a point guard to do, Pargo is only useful if he's hitting outside shots, which he was  not doing. [Pargo shot 25% from the field with the Wizards, 39% for his career.] 

You may recall Livingston from his 2009-10 stint with the Wiz:

During those previous 26 games in Washington, Livingston made 18 starts and averaged 9.2 points, 4.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds. In seven seasons with six squads, the 27-year old holds career averages of 6.8 points, 3.5 assists and 2.6 rebounds. Last season in 58 games with Milwaukee, Livingston averaged 5.5 points, 2.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per contest. He spent the 2012-13 preseason with Houston, appearing in four games and averaging 2.5 points and 3.3 assists in 13.8 minutes.

The question I have is why was this move made now instead of a month ago. The Wizards would have still been a bad team with Livingston on the roster, but they would not be winless -- his presence on the court late in games would have gotten the team at least one win. Pargo has been a disaster off the bench and AJ Price not much better in the starting lineup. Livingston was available and should have been starting all along until John Wall gets back.

This is just the dreadful Ernie Grunfeld doing what he always does -- trying to fix a mistake he made that could have very easily been avoided in the first place. I can't wait for the Wizards press release announcing Grunfeld's release, but I won't hold my breath on that one. Owner Ted Leonsis, as I wrote before, is in some sort of mutually-assured-destruction suicide pact with Grunfeld. 

Rich Tandler points out that RT Jammal Brown, who doesn't actually play NFL games, didn't actually practice yesterday due to soreness in his hip. Look, we can go on and on and on with this, if that's what the Redskins want. Head Coach Mike Shanahan gave up valuable draft picks to obtain Brown and so he is desperate to prove he got something in that trade instead of just getting fleeced the way he did in the deal with the Eagles for Donovan McNabb. But by now it should be clear that Jammal Brown is a broken man. His body is broken. It doens't work the way it has to work for him to play in the NFL. The sooner everyone accepts that and gets on with the rest of their lives, the better. 

Another Redskins player who is essentially a cripple right now is WR Pierre Garcon, the team's hugely expensive free agent acquisition. He's practicing, but just barely, and is a shadow of the person the Redskins thought they were getting when they gave him over $20 million in guaranteed money. It wouldn't surprise me if Garcon plays this week, but because I think the Skins have decided that additional rest won't help Garcon much so they might as well try to get something out of him before he does the inevitable and finishes the season on injured reserve. 

Per John Keim: 

Safety Brandon Meriweather was limited in practice, but Shanahan said he was feeling better about his chances to play vs. Philadelphia on Sunday.

“[Wednesday] it was a little sore, but he pushed through it and he had a good practice today,” Shanahan said. “I’m hoping there’s no setback [Friday].”

Keim has a fascinating article on how Philadelphia's unusual defensive alingment along their front four will alter the Washington running attack. 

"They crash the O-line every play whether it's a run or pass," Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. "It's hard to get outside on it. It can be a tough defense to run on. It can be a real tough defense to drop back and throw on."

The Eagles' defensive ends line up one to two yards outside the offensive tackles. Other teams have used this alignment vs. Washington -- St. Louis, for example. But the Rams played it differently. Their ends read the play, then reacted. The Eagles' ends align in a four-point stance with one goal in mind: get to the quarterback.

"Everything changes when you play a team that uses this technique," Redskins tight end Logan Paulsen said. "You can't take your normal footwork. You have to block for where they end up."

The Redskins like to run outside the tackles in their zone stretch scheme. But in two games against the Eagles last season -- when they first started using this defensive line technique -- they ran outside only seven times combined (for 14 yards) compared with 28 times between the tackles. In the second game they ran between the tackles on inside zones 19 times for 118 yards. With better vision and subsequent cuts, the Redskins could have gained more yards.

There were times last season when the Eagles had five defenders on the Redskins' side of the ball after the snap. But Washington still was able to gain positive yards. The Redskins ran a couple draws but often solved the issue with a fullback/tight end in the backfield blocking to the other side of the play. Or the tackles or tight ends would head to the outside linebacker, with the fullback cutting the end.

"Penetration scares a back. It can disrupt things," Redskins rookie running back Alfred Morris said. "But as a runner you have to adjust and adapt on the fly. A lot of games we get penetration, and a lot of times I make a cut and just keep running. It's not like I get shocked and freeze up in the backfield."

The tricky part could be running the zone read option. Philadelphia has yet to play Carolina, which also uses the zone read, to know how it might be impacted by this tactic.

"We'll run it a couple times and find out Sunday," Shanahan said. "It'll be interesting to see."

ESPN bloggers discuss the rookie QB competition between Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson.

The Redskins play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The Eagles fired their defensive coordinator, Juan Castillo, last week and replaced him with former Redskins safety Todd Bowles, who has been coaching the defense through three games. The comparisons between the defense under Castillo and under Bowles do not augur well for Bowles. 

♦ Opposing teams are converting third downs at a nearly 50% rate over the last three games. They were under 30% for the first half-dozen games.

♦ Bowles' defense (6.01) is allowing nearly a full yard more per play than Castillo's defense did (5.13).

♦ The last three QBs have completed 75% of their passes (62-82). That goes a long way to contributing to the 7.53 net-yard-per-plass-play number they have put up.

♦ Bowles' defense has as many sacks (7) in three games as Castillo's did in six games ...

♦ ... But Bowles Boys have yet to record an interception. Castillo's Cubbies had seven, although they bundled four of them in the Game 1 escape against the Browns.

There is more stuff from the Philly Inquirer so check it out. 

Redskins CB DeAngelo Hall was fined $30,000 by the NFL for his tirade against an NFL official near the end of Washington's loss last month to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Interesting that Hall was not suspended and the fine is, all things considered, relatively mild. It makes me think maybe Hall was telling the truth when he said the official he was screaming at was also screaming obscenities back at him. Hall didn't want to talk about it, though, when the subject was going to come up yesterday: 

As he came off the field following Thursday’s practice, reporters approached Hall regarding the fine, and he said, “Back up off me, bro,” and didn’t break a stride.

Football analyst and former NFL general manager Mike Lombardi went on the HTTR 24-7 podcast and ripped Redskins Head Coach Mike Shanahan a new one. Well, actually, he ripped Redskins GM Mike Shanahan a new one. I'm going to have more on this later today, but check it out for yourself right now. 

Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett hopes his bye week meetings with defensive players pay off this Sunday. I'm not counting on it. 

The Redskins face a rookie QB in Nick Foles making his first start this Sunday. Seems ideal for the defense, right? Just as likely it is idea for Foles, considering the Skins have strugged againt rookie passers and just don't have a very good defense anyway.

Washington has surrendered 301.7 passing yards per game, which is on pace to break the NFL record of 299.8 set last season by Green Bay. The Redskins have given up eight passing plays of at least 40 yards; only Tampa Bay has surrendered more.

Rich Campbell asks five pretty good questions about the upcoming Redskins-Eagles games. My favorites are whether or not the Skins can generate a pass rush with Philly missing starting center Jason Kelce and RT Todd Herremans, and whether or not the Skins defense can start forcing turnovers again. Philly has committed 21 turnovers this year -- second to the KC Chiefs -- but Washington hasn't forced a turnover in the last two games. 

PHILADELPHIA (3-6) At WASHINGTON (3-6)

Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX

OPENING LINE — Redskins by 3½

RECORD VS. SPREAD — Philadelphia 1-7-1; Washington 4-5

SERIES RECORD — Redskins lead 79-70-5

LAST MEETING — Eagles beat Redskins 34-10, Jan. 1

LAST WEEK — Eagles lost to Cowboys 38-23; Redskins had bye

EAGLES OFFENSE — OVERALL (8), RUSH (10), PASS (14)

EAGLES DEFENSE — OVERALL (12), RUSH (15), PASS (12)

DISCUSS THIS IN OUR REDSKINS FAN FORUM!

EAGLES: QB MICHAEL VICK is 3-0 in past 3 vs. Was. with 112 rating. In 11/15/10 game vs. Was., passed for 333 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs with 150.7 rating & rushed for 80 yards with 2 TDs. QB NICK FOLES made NFL debut last week & passed for 219 yards & TD…RB LE SEAN MC COY rushed for 126 yards & TD in last meeting. In past 3 vs. Was., has 407 scrimmage yards (135.7 per game; 233 rush, 174 rec.) & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.)…WR-PR DE SEAN JACKSON has 6 career 70+ yard TDs (4 rec., 2 PR), 2nd most in team history (TIMMY BROWN, 9). Incl. playoffs, Jackson has 32 TDs (25 rec., 4 PR, 3 rush) & avg. 45.5 yards per TD (1,457 yards). In career vs. Was., has 6 TDs (4 rec., 1 PR, 1 rush) & avg. 62.8 yards per TD (377 yards). WR JEREMY MACLIN aims for 4th in row vs. Was. with 100+ yards or TD. TE BRENT CELEK aims for 3rd meeting in row with TD…DE TRENT COLE has 5 sacks in past 6 meetings. Since 2007, has 56.5 sacks, 4th most in NFL. Rookie DT FLETCHER COX had 2nd career sack last week…REDSKINS: QB ROBERT GRIFFIN III leads NFL rookies with 65.6 comp. pct. & 93.9 rating. Among QBs with 200+ att., his 3 INTs are tied for fewest in NFL with TOM BRADY. Is 1st among QBs with 529 rush yards & 6 TDs. Griffin in 1st QB in NFL history with 1,900+ pass (1,993) & 500+ rush (529) yards in 1st 9 games…RB ALFRED MORRIS is 2nd among rookies with 793 rush yards. Griffin & Morris are 1st rookie QB-RB duo to each rush for 500+ yards. Morris has 75+ rush yards in 7 of 1st 9 NFL games, incl. 100+ yards in 3 of past 6…WR SANTANA MOSS aims for 7th division game in row with 20+ yard catch. Has 4 TDs in past 5. WR JOSHUA MORGAN has TD catch in 2 of past 3 vs. Phi. TE LOGAN PAULSEN aims for 4th in row with 4+ catches. Has 13 catches in past 3; entered 2012 with 13 career catches…CB DE ANGELO HALL has 3 INTs in career vs. Phi. Since 2011, LB RYAN KERRIGAN is only NFL player with 10+ sacks (12) & 2+ INT-TDs (2).

For more on Eagles and Redskins CONTINUE READING

The Washington Wizards began last season 0-8, a start to the season that eventually got Flip Saunders fired from the head coaching job. Assistant Randy Wittman took over and got a new contract after the team finished strong last year. [Strong by their standards, anyway.] Now, the Wizards are just one more loss from repeating that feat, as they fell to 0-7 last night after a 107-101 loss to a Dallas Mavericks team playing without Dirk Nowitzki or Shawn Marion. 

The Wizards fell behind by 22 at halftime and at the end of the third quarter before the reserves showed some signs of life and whittled the Dallas lead down to three with about five minutes left in regulation. However, as has been the case several times this year, the Wizards could not close in crunch time, instead crumbling once more. 

Unlike the loss the night before to the Charlotte Bobcats, when the Wizards shot under 30 percent, last night the Wizards shot well, almost 50 percent from the field, almost 50 percent from 3-point range and over 90 percent from the free throw line. The problem was that their defense, if you could call it that, let the Mavericks shoot over 50 percent, largely on the backs of complete domination of the paint by center Chris Kaman. In addition, the Wizards shot only 11 free throws, making 10 of them, while Dallas shot 33 free throws, making 26 of them. That more than made up for the fact that Washington hit 13 3-pointers to only three for Dallas. 

The starters struggled again, with point guard AJ Price as the only one of them to score in double figures. Price, though, injured his ankle and played only about 18 minutes last night. After the game, Price vowed to play on as long as his ankle wasn't broken. 

Jordan Crawford came off the bench to lead the Wizards back, scoring 21 points on 11 shots in over 34 minutes, and playing some point guard after Price went out of the game. Crawford certainly isn't an ideal point guard, as evidence by his five turnovers, but he played hard last night and made a real effort to involve his teammates in the game, as evidenced by his 7 assists. 

This season Jan Vesely has scored 17 points and committed 21 personal fouls. He didn't score again last night in 15-and-a-half minutes, though the team was +14 with him on the court. I don't see any real progression from Vesely in his second season. We understood when he was drafted that Vesely was a project and a project he remains. Maybe there is the potential for a real NBA player in Vesely, but, so far, there is no evidence of it. 

But that's last year's first round draft pick. This year's first round draft pick, Bradley Beal, whom I wanted very much with the third pick, was terrible again, missing 11 of 14 shots and growing increasingly frustrated with his inability to draw a foul. It's true that the refs are giving Beal even less respect than rookies normally get, but he does play for the Wizards after all. Besides, that doesn't explain why Beal misses so many open jump shots. For a player who came to the NBA with a reputation as a shooter with a great stroke, Beal looks like a one-trick pony who has forgotten his one trick. It's not good. 

Beal's Dallas counterpart, OJ Mayo, scored 25 points on 15 shots to lead all scorers last night. 

Kevin Seraphin bounced back from a bad night against Charlotte to score 16 points on 8 of 10 shooting against Dallas. Unfortunately, he still does not get to the line and he's still an average rebounder, at best. Nevertheless, Seraphin is about the only player on the roster the Wizards have been able to develop into a real NBA player. I'm not sure why he played onl 23 minutes last night -- it's probably time to move him into the starting lineup and give him some minutes alongside Emeka Okafor, who proved unable to handle Chris Kaman last night. 

Another thing that puzzles me is why swingman Cartier Martin gets so little playing time. On a team full of players who cannot shoot, Martin stands out as, well, someone who can actually shoot. If Beal was lighting the scoreboard up I could understand leaving him on the court and telling Martin to bite the bullet while the Wizards develop the 3rd overall pick in the draft. However, Beal looks terrible right now and Martin is doing what he does -- shooting the ball into the basket. He scored 14 points in less than 10 minutes last night, making 5 of 6 shots, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range. Again and again Martin hit a big shot to draw the Wizards close, sometimes to within three points, of the Mavericks and he seemed easily the team's most effective perimeter player. I would really like to see him getting more time on the court. Perhaps a lineup of Okafor, Seraphin, Martin, Beal and Price, if he's healthy, is the way to go. I don't see how it could do any worse than the starting lineup Randy Wittman is using right now. 

Anyway, the Wizards are terrible and the only winless team in the NBA -- again. It's time to shake this up. Preaching patience game after game, month after month, year after year, isn't going to cut it. There's no point firing the coach because I don't see how anyone else could do much better with this roster than Wittman is doing. And since owner Ted Leonsis is apparently joined in some sort of death-grip suicide pact with GM Ernie Grunfeld, there is nothing to do in the frontn office. That leaves the lineup. Change it up, Coach Wittman. Don't just keep losing with the same guys in there. Do something. Anything. 

Robert Griffin III is a rookie. 

A good one at that.

The Washington Redskins are also well aware of his maturity and what he means to the Redskins as a team.  Today, the Redskins announced that the rookie quarterback is one of three new team captains.  

It makes sense.

Let's not fool ourselves.  The Redskins are a 3-6 football team.  They are also a team that faces 5 NFC East Division games in their final seven games.  At 3-6, the Redskins are not yet out of the chase for a playoff berth.  With Giants at the top of the division at 6-4, riding a two game losing streak, the playoffs are still a shot for this team.  It's a tough road ahead, but with that many division games left, including one against the Giants, the Redskins are in the hunt.  Not a great shot, but a shot at least. m

That is precisely why it makes sense, coming out of the bye week, to name RGIII a team captain.  He is energized and has made the statements of a leader.  That is what the Redskins need.  Real leadership.  That is what RGIII has provided, even though just a rookie.   

Let's also not fool ourselves on the value of RGIII to this team.  The Redskins could easily be 1-9 without Robert Griffin III.  Griffin has single handedly led the Redskins on scoring drives that sealed Washington wins.  He has also been a mastermind at putting the Redskins in position to win several games, that turned out to be losses. 

Let's not forget the the 31-28 loss to the Rams was a 28-23 lead late in the third quarter, fueled by a Griffin drive and a Griffin TD dash for seven yards.  Yet, the Redskins defense failed to hold the lead.  Let's not forget in the 38-31 loss tot he Bengals, Griffin rallied Washington back deep in the third quarter to knot the game up at 24-24.  The Redskins defense allowed two TDs in the fourth quarter.  Who can forget the improbable comeback against the Giants topped off by a 30 yard TD pass from Griffin to Santana Moss with just 1:32 left in the game.  Yet, the Redskins secondary found away to let Victor Cruz open for a 77 yard TD reception just 19 seconds later.

Griffin has provided Washington the offensive spark they needed this season.  He has rallied this offense on big time comebacks.  He has led the Redskins offense to an 11th overall total offensive ranking.  He has helped propel the Redskins ground game to second overall in the NFL in rushing, adding himself 529 yards rushing and second overall in the NFC with 6 rushing TDs.  There is no question that this team would be far worse off without Griffin at the helm of the offense.  His contribution to this team are undeniable. 

Stats aside, Griffin has never given up on this season, to this very day.  He has openly stated that the payoffs are a realistic goal, even after Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan commented about the remaining part of the season being set aside for 'evaluation".  As Griffin entered the bye week, he was clear that it was a time to clear his head and come back hungrier than ever.  He feels completely full of energy for the post bye week run. 

Those kind of comments showed true leadership and depicted a rookie quarterback well beyond his years.  That is why the Washington Redskins players voted for Robert Griffin III to be a new team captain.  The player vote signified complete confidence in Griffin's leadership abilities and the players placed on Griffin as the person to lead this team over the final seven weeks.  It was an official acknowledgement by the clubhouse that Robert Griffin III has the reigns of this team, rookie or not.  It's called respect.  

Griffin will be joined by fellow captains also voted by the team as a whole:  DL Barry Cofield, DE Stephen Bowen, LT Trent Williams, LB London Fletcher, and LB Lorenzo Alexander.  

In Robert we trust!   

According to uber-agent Allan Walsh, Jason Chimera has agreed to terms with Czech team HC Chomutov.

Chimera becomes the seventh Caps player to sign in Europe for the lockout, joining Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson, Brooks Laich, Michal Neuvirth, Alex Ovechkin, and Wojtek Wolski, the eighth to sign with other teams, counting Joey Crabb in the ECHL, and the second to sign in the Czech top division with Neuvirth. Chimera is the second NHLer to head to Chomutov, joining Chicago Blackhawks center Michael Frolik and ex-Caps defenseman Milan Jurcina.

The 6'2", 205-pound left-winger spent the 2004-05 lockout with HC Varese of the Italian Serie A, recording 13 points in 18 games.

Here's hoping his stay with Chomutov is a short-lived one.

Indianapolis Colts 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 10

Colts- Whether he's scoring through the air or on the ground, QB Andrew Luck is producing.  He should be in your starting lineup most weeks.  WR Reggie Wayne continues to be the only other Colt worthy of starting consideration.

Jaguars- WR Cecil Shorts has emerged as a quality WR3 option (29 receptions, 561 yards and 4 TDs on the season).  With the Jags greatly struggling, they are forced to throw the ball often, which means Shorts is going to continue to get a lot of opportunities.

Cincinnati Bengals 31, New York Giants 13

Giants - The Giants' offense continues to struggle and the values of QB Eli Manning, WR Victor Cruz and RB Ahmad Bradshaw are quickly decreasing.  Traditionally the Giants struggle in November, so I think they'll be able to get going in the next couple weeks.  But, until they do, you may want to keep Manning on your bench.  Keep an eye on Bradshaw's injury.

Bengals- RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis continues to struggle, but has a great match up against the Chiefs this week.  If he can't get it done this week, he'll never get it done.

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If you bet on NFL football, this Sunday's game between the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles must be a tantalizing prospect. On the one hand you have the 3-6 Washington Redskins, losers of three straight and they looked downright terrible in the last two losses. Against the Steelers they couldn't catch the ball [13 dropped, including 3 for touchdowns] and against the Panthers they committed stupid penalty after stupid penalty [13 penalties for 96 yards], including two that negated touchdowns. The Redskins have a defense that does not rush the passer or cover receivers, so throwing the ball should be a snap for any competent NFL offense. Washington's players are undisciplined, evidenced by all those penalties and by the recent on-field meltdowns of cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson. Head Coach Mike Shanahan seemed to indicate immediately after the team's last loss that the season was effectively over and he would spend the reamining seven games evaluating players with an eye to next year. [Great to have such job security when you've done almost nothing to improve a football team in over two-and-a-half years.] Shanahan walked that back the next day, as everyone knew he would, but Redskins veterans must have wondered why they should bust their tails and risk career-ending injuries if the 2012 season is over weeks before Thanksgiving. 

On the other hand, you have the Philadelphia Eagles. Dubbed the "dream team" last year by flea-brained backup quarterback Vince Young, they famously crashed and burned to 4-8 before recovering enough to win out in December and salvage a .500 record. That strong finish was enough to convince many people that the team was still fundamentally strong and should come back in 2012 better than ever. The Eagles have struggled right from the start this season, winning early, but laboring mightily to dispatch weak opponents like the Cleveland Browns. The wheels have finally come off an offense that turns the ball over too often -- thanks to QB Michael Vick -- and doesn't protect the passer -- thanks the the leaky offensive line in front of Vick. The Eagles are in free-fall, having lost five straight games and the sands of time seem to finally be running out on Andy Reid's very-successful-but-not-quite-successful-enough run in Philadelphia. The team already fired the defensive coordinator, even though the offense is the real problem, and more sackings seem inevitable. 

So which team has the upper hand in this Battle of the NFC LEast? Well, the Eagles have won five of the last six, including the last three, from the Redskins and few coaches have known how to crush the Redskins as thoroughly as Andy Reid. On the other hand, the Eagles will have to play the Redskins without star former star QB Michael Vick, who will not play due to a concussion suffered in last week's loss to the Cowboys. Vick has not played well this year and had been dogged by rumors that he was due for a benching anyway, so it could be the Eagles will not suffer at all -- or will perhaps benefit -- from Vick's absence. Rookie Nick Foles gets the first start of his NFL career this Sunday. 

The game will be played in Washington and the Eagles are not a good road team this year, dropping 3 of their 4 contests away from Philadelphia. On the other hand, the Redskins continue to abuse the poor, deluded souls who fork over money for tickets to see the home team, having lost 3 of 4 games at FedEx Field this year. The Redskins have no home field advantage at all and have not for some time. 

I expect the Eagles to utilize a short passing game against the Redskins due to Foles' inexperience, lack of mobility compared to Vick and Philadelphia's problems protecting the quarterback. That will put pressure on Redskins defensive backs to tackle well -- something they don't do well at all. [What DO they do well, actually?] I expect the Redskins to emphasize a power running attack, giving the Eagles a steady dose of the superb rookie tailback Alfred Morris and featuring the mobility of rookie QB Robert Griffin III whenver possible. Washington's offensive line does not always protect the passer well, but it has done an admirable job creating holes for runners this year. 

I expect a close, hard-fought game between two desperate teams led by coaches frantically trying to convince their players not to quit on the season. It could be an exciting, even thrilling, football game, but it won't be the high stakes death match some envisioned back in September. Both teams look like they will be staggering across the finish line in 2012 -- well behind their betters in the division.