Looks Like Someone Has a Sixpack of the Mondays

1. Hmmmmm...this is starting to really get out of hand.

2. In 2012, the majority of the fanbase was looking for the young players on the roster to step up, contribute and show promise. Many of those young players did just that. We wanted Robert Griffin III to prove that he was worth the sizable investment the organization traded away to get him. I believe (many of us do) that he did. Progress...improvement...respectability. These were the words we place at or near the top of our wish list--in 2012.

3. I glanced at my calendar this morning and saw that we are, in fact, in 2013. Through the magic of the fast-forward button, we entered this season as the defending NFC East champions with a high-octane offense returning largely intact. It is fair to suggest that we had (and perhaps still have)...ahem...greater expectations in 2013, using words like contention...dominance...home-field advantage. After three straight losses--all conference losses by the way--to start the season, the Washington Redskins are close to having to defy the longest of odds to finish the season anywhere close to contention.

4. I did not expect us to lose yesterday. I really didn't. I don't think the 2013 Redskins are losers. I think we are a pretty decent team, and I think the wins are coming. That is my honest assessment, but it really rings rather hollow this week, doesn't it? We are 0-3. Say it with me. There hasn't been a single opponent that we have played so far that we aren't capable of beating. Green Bay--at Lambeau--is a hard out no matter which way you slice it. Philadelphia and Detroit (without Reggie Bush) are teams that the Redskins are capable of beating.

5. One thing I have learned over the years is that games are not won and lost on one play. That said, some plays are more important than others, and the truth is that the fumble lost by Griffin in the fourth quarter was incredibly costly. It happened right in front of me, and immediately after ball bounced away from #10, I exhaled and looked up at the sky. It might not have looked the same as three turnovers and a safety in the first quarter, but the result was the same. Certain mistakes are just too monumental to overcome, and the timeliness of the errors we have made have led to insurmountable odds against us. To those who would argue that praying for onside kick recoveries at the end of games is a "form" of still being "in the game"...I respectfully disagree.

6. I won't blow sunshine up your ol' five-hole this morning. (That is a different post later in the week when the pain of the previous loss has worn off slightly and Oakland appears clearer through the windshield.) Still, I see a big difference between 0-3 and 3-6...you have to REALLY want to see it. With thirteen games remaining on the docket, there is time to make some noise in what has become a very underwhelming division. At this pace, the NFC East will be mathematically eliminated from Wild Card contention by Thanksgiving (at the latest). Our margin for error is being systematically eliminated each week. We are not yet in sync enough on the field to breed the confidence that can propel teams on runs, but it is something that could happen soon (hopefully soon enough). We will need both a mid-season run AS WELL AS a late-season run to get this thing accomplished. Odds are stacking up against us, but we can't wait until the last second like we did last year to make our move.