Om Field: Becoming the Hunted

[-Om-]

Becoming the Hunted
Oct. 8, 2008

“Every NFC team will be hunting for us …” - Jim Zorn

So much for stealth.

Two short weeks ago, the 2-1 Washington Redskins were background scenery. Mayonnaise. Filler in the lineup of sexier early-season NFL headlines:

Patriots Lose Brady for Season
Favre Goes Gotham Green
Browns Crash Back to Earth
We Love Us Some Dallas Cowboys
Redskins Recover from Ugly Opener, Go 2-1

Well, as of this past Sunday, Washington is supporting cast no more.

After summarily dispatching a desperate Philadelphia Eagles team on the road, a week after turning in a physically dominating win over the presumptive Super Bowl favorite Cowboys in Dallas, the Redskins went from bit player in the NFL drama to central character in the blink of an eye.

Tune in to Sportscenter’s NFL segments and the NFL Channel heading into week 5. The burgundy and gold will be everywhere, referenced in “I’ll tell you what” tones by many of the same experts who, if they talked about them at all, were dismissing the Redskins as an NFC East afterthought less than a month ago.

When the new “power rankings” are all out this week, see how many you can find that don’t have the Redskins in the Top 3 (think about that ... the Redskins ... Top Three). And if you do find any, check to make sure they aren’t written by Dallas fans, Philly fans or Jason LaCanfora.

(Sorry, Jason. I know these last few weeks have been tough on you.)

But here’s the thing … as much fun as Redskins fan are having finding their favorite team suddenly getting the “media respect” we (for some reason) crave … and as undeniably cool as it is to flip on the tube to find burgundy and gold splashed all over the NFL highlights and promos … and as much pride as we take in having our team at long last again a central figure in serious national professional football discussions … we’re going to notice a change in the tenor of that conversation.

And it won’t take long ...

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[Dblock804]

If we loose it will all be about Zorn being a rookie bla bla bla... Funny how the talking heads flip flop and truly have no idea of who's who in the NFL until after the game is played

[GhettoDogAllStars]

Good article. I especially like this line:

The hype machine loves “the Next” … and right now we’re it.

[-Om-]

Originally Posted by Dblock804

If we loose it will all be about Zorn being a rookie bla bla bla... Funny how the talking heads flip flop and truly have no idea of who's who in the NFL until after the game is played

Most likely ... particularly if the team looks flat. As understandable as that would be given the last month's events, it would still be an opening for those unsold on Zorn to cut him down, suggesting he "couldn't keep his team focused" and the like.

When you're winning, each game gets bigger, and the stakes get higher.

Nice problem to have though.