We pick up the Friday Night "Mights" this week with the odds stacked against us. To your average betting man, there is a better chance of Hannah Montana filming a porn movie than the Redskins beating the Saints. However, your average Redskins fan has spent a lot more time fantasizing about the win over the Saints. How can we possibly pull this off? Maybe like this:
1) "Wild Hunter" offense must be in effect this week. At some point in the game, a midfield punting formation has to result in Hunter Smith running for a first down. It might not be for a touchdown, but keeping the ball out of Drew Brees' hands for a few more ticks of the clock will be clutch.
2) LaRon Landry will get a game-changing INT. He only lines up about 35 yards downfield on every play so he will be in prime real estate for this Saints' passing game. I will temper my enthusiasm by predicting he takes a tipped pass back for a touchdown (I can't see Brees just throwing it to him.)
3) Haynesworth will bottle up the Saints' running game. The Eagles got a little frisky early in the game with their inside runs. Any other coach besides Andy Reid would have probably called inside handoffs 99% of the rest of the game. The Saints are an accomplished running team. I think they are almost 50/50 in their run/pass ratio on the season. They can beat you a number of ways, but their success on the ground this season gets glossed over by the Uncle Rico-esque performances of Drew Brees each week. So with Haynesworth in the lineup, I think we make Brees test our top-rated pass defense. I leave it to each of you to grade this prediction subjectively.
4) Santana Moss returns a punt for a touchdown. If we are going to beat one of the league's best teams, this is the kind of play we simply have to have. I want partial credit if DeAngelo Hall takes one back. If ARE returns one for a touchdown, I should get zero credit, as I would never predict such a thing...ever.
5) Jim Zorn will make a few play calls during the game that change the outcome and in the press conference, you will hear him take the credit for them. And not 4th down plays or challenges, or whatever else he supposedly has the authority to decide on (headset volume, shirt tucked or untucked, Gatorade flavors, etc.) I am talking about a sustained drive where he sees something and overrules the nonsense on his headset and calls in a play or two to JC that results in points. At this point, I doubt he is worried about getting fired before the season ends and the chance to really stick it in Vinny's face would be something I think he would relish. I'll even tell you what play he switches to: deep ball to Marko Mitchell. There...I have said too much.
Alright...have at it.