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(photo by Brian Murphy)

[Because Kanye West was seemingly the only artist New York radio stations played the entire, I’ve dedicated this week’s playlist to him.]

1. “Dark Fantasy” by Kanye West

Realistic fans of the Washington Redskins know that this season is a transitional year as head coach Mike Shanahan tries to change a culture of an inconsistent and underachieving franchise.

Yes, the guy does have two Super Bowl rings on his resume, but even he’s not a miracle worker. So expecting Shanahan to suddenly transform the Redskins from a doormat to a perennial championship contender overnight is only asking for heartache and despair.

But what ‘Skins fans do have a right to expect is a professional product. The Redskins don’t have to win every game, but they at least need to show up prepared and not get embarrassed week in and week out. And that’s the problem – for the second time in four games Washington was outclassed from the opening kickoff.

From their first possession, the Giants looked like they could have sent their junior varsity squad out onto the field and still dismantled the Redskins. The only shocker about the 31-7 final score was that New York didn’t try to humiliate their divisional opponent even more.

But maybe that’s because they’re starting to feel sorry for Washington. After all, the Redskins have gone just 6-14 against the Giants since 2000, so it’s not like they should view the burgundy and gold as any sort of threat.

2. “So Appalled” by Kanye West

The only victory under Washington’s belt in their last nine games against the Giants came courtesy of back-up quarterback Todd Collins in 2007. So maybe this was the game where Shanahan should have turned to Rex Grossman, rather than his desperation move in Detroit back on Halloween.

After all, assuming the head coach didn’t question his starting quarterback’s intelligence or conditioning, it’s not like anyone could have been angry seeing Donovan McNabb take a seat Sunday. Several times this season McNabb’s offensive line has prevented the 11-year-pro from any real chance to lead his team to victory. But against the Giants, McNabb was his own worst enemy.

McNabb threw two interceptions and fumbled three times against New York. There’s zero chance a team can overcome a game when their quarterback plays that poorly – especially this Redskins squad which has very little margin for error to begin with.

Add in fumbles by receiver Anthony Armstrong, tight end Chris Cooley and running back Keiland Williams and it’s clear that no one on offense deserves a game ball for their performance against the Giants. I mean, Shanahan could have presented it to someone, but chances are they wouldn’t have been able to hold onto it.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “The End” by Pearl Jam

It’s one thing to watch your favorite team get crushed on primetime television against a divisional opponent. It’s quite another to witness them lose to a dysfunctional 3-7 team that can barely stop in-fighting long enough to focus on an opponent.

And for that reason alone, the Washington Redskins’ 17-13 loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings hurts the most. When the Redskins get outmatched from the very first play against Philadelphia, you can chalk it up to “one of those days.”

When the Vikings show up to town with an under-the-weather 41-year-old quarterback who leads the league in interceptions thrown and an interim head coach making his debut, it goes to show just how far the Redskins have to go before they truly are anything more than average.

Coupled with humbling losses to the St. Louis Rams (5-6) and Detroit Lions (2-9), the Vikings loss proves once and for all that – regardless of what head coach Mike Shanahan said in his introductory press conference – this is a rebuilding year for Washington.

“It’s frustrating because this is the third bad team we’ve lost to,” said tight end Fred Davis. “It’s one of those games where we should have won it.”

That “win now” mentality might work when you’re selling tickets, but it’s not working with the group that is currently in place. The Redskins desperately need to stop trying to slap a band-aid on their systemic problem and admit that they’ve been doing it wrong for more than a decade.

Cutting receiver Joey Galloway is a start, but now’s the time to throw everyone under the age of 25 out there on the football field to see who can play and who needs to go. The competitive portion of the 2010 season is over. So throw everyone from Terrence Austin to Will Montgomery to Kevin Barnes into the fire and see what they’re made of.

What’s the worst that can happen? You lose more games. So what. That’s been going on for more than a decade. At least this way ‘Skins fans can take solace in the fact that brighter days might eventually be on the horizon.

2. “Misery” by Maroon 5

The day started about as perfectly as possible. The Redskins won the coin toss and promptly marched down the field with ease. An offense that has consistently struggled to score touchdowns suddenly looked to have figured it out, with quarterback Donovan McNabb completing all eight of his attempts for 84 yards.

The drive ended with Davis finally scoring his first touchdown of the season and, coupled with three catches for 32 yards by Chris Cooley on the drive, it appeared McNabb had finally figured out that he’s got possibly the best tight end combo in football waiting to be utilized.

Sadly, that was it for the Redskins offense.

They never found the red zone again and McNabb completed just 13 for 27 passes for 127 yards the rest of the game. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Washington’s leading rusher – rookie James Davis – finished with 11 yards on the ground.

What happened, you ask? It’s simple – the Redskins offensive line was completely overmatched. McNabb was sacked four times on the day, and pressured countless other times. When he did get rid of the ball before the next inevitable hit, his receivers too often dropped the ball.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Giving Up The Gun” by Vampire Weekend

The Washington Redskins were coming off of one of their most lopsided losses in franchise history – a 59-28 dismantling at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.

That loss, mind you, was on the heels of the debacle in Detroit, where quarterback Donovan McNabb was benched and everyone not-named Brandon Banks had plenty to work on after yet another defeat at the hands of a Lions team that is routinely at the bottom of the NFL standings.

Their opponent was a Tennessee team that had a 12-game winning streak against the NFC, which was tops in the league. And, oh by the way, the Titans had already defeated the rest of the NFC East earlier this season with relative ease.

So naturally the Redskins won. Why wouldn’t they?

Even though the last month had been filled with disappointment and heartache, the Redskins somehow managed to resemble a profession football team once again. The offense, which had been missing in action for weeks, racked up 465 total yards – 107 on the ground and 358 in the air.

McNabb and friends ran 86 plays, converted eight of 16 third-down chances (which had plagued the team all season long) and held the ball for more than 40 minutes. Because the offense was able to sustain long time-consuming drives, the defense was finally able to get some much-needed rest.

One week after allowing 600 yards of offense to Philly, the Redskins defense shut down the Titans attack. Tennessee’s offense finished the day with 373 total yards, converted just three of 11 third downs and failed to reach the end zone.

The only reason the game was even close was an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown by Tennessee returner Marc Mariani. Otherwise, the game never would have made it to overtime.

2. “You Will Leave A Mark” by A Silent Film

Making this victory even more impressive is that the fact that the Redskins were so decimated by injuries that linebacker Chris Wilson suggested the were living in the movie “Final Destination.”

Redskins running back Chad Simpson didn’t even make it through warm-ups before he was out for the game with an injured foot. Running back Clinton Portis lasted just five carries before re-aggravating his groin injury. Safety Anderson Russell, who started because safety LaRon Landry is also hurt, left the game with a knee injury, and linebacker Lorenzo Alexander was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

And let’s not forget the offensive line. Both center Casey Rabach and guard Derrick Dockery were sidelined due to knee injuries, as was defensive lineman Kedric Golston, and rounding out the injury report, linebacker Rocky McIntosh left the game with an injured groin.

Add in Landry, cornerback Carlos Rogers, guard Artis Hicks and running back Ryan Torain who were already out of the lineup before the Tennessee game and it’s safe to wonder if the Redskins will even have enough players to field a team next week against Minnesota.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Wasted Hours” by Arcade Fire

For the second consecutive year, the Washington Redskins traveled to Detroit and fell victim to the Lions in humiliating fashion.

And for my money, this year’s 37-25 drubbing was far worse than last season’s 19-14 loss. That’s because the Redskins are now led by head coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Donovan McNabb, as opposed to nice guys Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell.

Sure, last season’s loss helped snap Detroit’s 19-game losing streak, but dammit, this is supposed to be a professionally run football team now. They’re not supposed to give away games to doormats like the Lions and St. Louis Rams anymore.

“Last year we really came into this game not to lose, didn’t want to be the first team to lose to them,” said linebacker London Fletcher. “That wasn’t our mindset this year. We’re here with a mindset to win a football game. This is more disappointing because we had an opportunity to go 5-3, to stay a game within our division lead.”

It was also more disappointing because everyone currently employed by the Redskins knew what happened in last year’s game. They had seen, heard or experienced first-hand Washington playing down to the level of their opponent once again and allowing a bad team to hang in there with them.

Eventually Detroit players realized that their opponent was willing to bumble away the game and they decided to see what winning was like. Fast forward to this season, and while the Lions still have more wins than losses, they also have much more talent on that roster. And the fact that they were victorious against the Redskins a year ago was also fresh on their minds.

So they showed up to play some football Sunday. Too bad the majority of the Redskins can’t say the same thing.

2. “When The Lights Go Out” by The Black Keys

Here’s what I don’t get – Shanahan is notorious for holding his cards close to his vest. Anyone who has tuned in since he came to town can verify that he rarely says much of anything in his press conferences and/or post-game media sessions.

If that’s the case, then why on earth would he openly volunteer that he benched McNabb with just under two minutes to play in the game? Think about it. Just one week ago, he stood in front of the media after the win over Chicago and said safety Kareem Moore didn’t play as much as usual because he was banged up and they were trying to keep him healthy through the bye week.

Was that actually the case? No one knows for sure, although I saw first hand just how pissed Moore was after the game. It’s hard to believe that if Moore actually thought the team was looking out for his best interests, he’d be that angry following a victory.

Either way, that was the story Shanahan opted to sell to the media one week ago. Now, everyone knows McNabb is not 100 percent. He’s dealing with a few nagging injuries and the reaction would have been drastically different had Shanahan stuck with the “protecting my injured player” story rather than divulging that he went with backup Rex Grossman over McNabb with the game on the line because he thought Sexy Rexy gave him the best chance to win.

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(photo by Charles Rex Arbogast)

1. “Hail, Hail” by Pearl Jam

While the entire 53-man roster traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears at Soldier Field Sunday, it turns out all the Washington Redskins needed was cornerback DeAngelo Hall and defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth.

Those two did the heavy lifting and paved the way for a 17-14 victory that improved the Redskins’ record to 4-3 – matching their win total from a year ago with nine games remaining on the schedule.

Say what you will about the Redskins, who have yet to put together a full 60-minute effort this season, but they find a way to win, even on a day when not much is going their way. The games might not always be aesthetically pleasing, but head coach Mike Shanahan has this team believing they can win and, more times than not, they’re able to make that one key play when the game is on the line.

The Redskins offense “featured” one running back, one receiver and one tight end. I’d include the quarterback, but for the second consecutive outing, Donovan McNabb was off his game. And while Ryan Torain, Santana Moss and Chris Cooley all had respectable performances, the Redskins still fumbled the ball six times against Chicago.

They were fortunate in that only one of the six fumbles was lost, but that’s not a trend that Shanahan is going to be happy with. Taking better care of the football is absolutely necessary moving forward. Well, that and scoring more than one offensive touchdown a game. Oh, and improving the pass blocking. And finding a true second option at receiver. And … well, you get the point. There’s plenty of work to be done with the Redskins’ work-in-progress offense.

2. “Unthinkable” (I’m Ready) by Alicia Keys

For as bad as the Redskins’ offense was, Hall was good enough to make up the difference. Seriously, he was so much better than anyone else on the field that Moss said it reminded him of a high school game. Cornerback Carlos Rogers, who said he’s never seen anything like Hall’s four-interception performance, compared it to a video game. Defensive lineman Adam Carriker joked that he felt like an offensive lineman, having to try and block downfield every time Hall got his hands on another ball.

Simply put – Hall played like the two-time Pro Bowler he is and single-handedly won the game for Washington. He became just the 19th player in NFL history to pick off four passes in a single game and tied the legendary Sammy Baugh atop Washington’s record book. It’s days like this that make ‘Skins fans forget about Hall being dragged by quarterbacks for a first down.

I am a big fan of Rogers, who is easily the best cover corner the Redskins have. But Hall is a game changer. He showed it against Dallas in the season opener, when he scored the team’s only touchdown on a 32-yard fumble recovery in a 13-7 win. But he elevated his game to a level we’ve never seen before as he picked off four second-half passes and took one of them 92 yards for his second touchdown of the season.

Even though Hall plays defense, his two touchdowns are good enough to tie him with Moss and Cooley for the team lead among pass catchers. In fact, the only player with more touchdowns than Hall this season is Torain, who has three rushing touchdowns on the year.

By the end of the game yesterday, I was openly lobbying for the Redskins to either keep their defense on the field to spare the offense from further embarrassment or to use Hall as a receiver, since he, unlike Joey Galloway or Roydell Williams, was actually capable of catching a football.

Neither happened, but it’s something to keep in mind moving forward – especially if the Redskins’ offense is going to continue to struggle.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “We Made It” by Busta Rhymes

The fact that the Washington Redskins were able to defeat the Green Bay Packers 16-13 in overtime Sunday is newsworthy in itself. The Redskins hadn’t beaten the Packers since 1988, and hadn’t beaten them at home since 1979.

So yeah, just getting the win is a big deal. And sadly, the victory was also noteworthy because it marked the first time Washington won back-to-back games since halfway through the 2008 season (when the defeated doormats Cleveland and Detroit in consecutive weeks).

Now the Redskins stand at 3-2, with their three victories coming over Dallas, Philadelphia and Green Bay – all of which made the playoffs last season, while the Redskins were just 4-12.

Forget that Washington would have to lose 10 of the last 11 games to match last season’s futility. This team, while still very much a work in progress, is finally starting to form an identity. They refuse to quit and, for the first time in recent history, they actually believe they can battle back if things aren’t going their way in the early stages of a game.

“This isn’t a game we would have won a year ago, a month ago or maybe even two weeks ago,” said linebacker London Fletcher.

Of course, a year ago this team didn’t have Mike Shanahan as the head coach and Donovan McNabb as the quarterback. Those two have proven track records and simply having them around has done wonders for changing the culture at Redskins Park.

“I just think it’s the whole new atmosphere around here,” said center Casey Rabach. “It’s what Coach Shanahan brings to it. It’s what the players in this locker room, with the character in this locker room, bring to it. I just think we have confidence in the scheme of this system, and confidence in each other. When the chips get down, you know in the past, we kind of cashed them in. Now, we finally have the leadership we need.”

2. “Written In Reverse” by Spoon

The way this game started, it could have gotten ugly quickly. Even after the Redskins created a turnover on the second play from scrimmage – with safety Kareem Moore recovering a fumble for his third turnover this season – the Redskins still couldn’t get anything going.

The offense gave the ball right back to Green Bay, who in turn marched right down the field and promptly took an early 7-0 lead. By the end of the first quarter, the Packers had more than 200 yards of total offense and the Redskins had to feel lucky they weren’t down by three touchdowns.

“I looked up at the scoreboard and, I think it was not even the second quarter, and they had 200-some yards and I think we had 20,” Shanahan said. “They got on us early, got that big run, got a little momentum going, then we had a goal-line stand and we started playing consistently for the rest of the game.”

Instead, Green Bay was only up 7-0 after the first quarter and 10-3 at the half.

“You know what was special about this week’s game,” asked safety Reed Doughty. “If you think about it, this game was like the Houston game in reverse. The Texans, we should have blown them out. We had them down. We had them on the ropes. We should have put them away. This week, they got us down early and we could have gotten blown out.”

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Home Sweet Home” by Motley Crue

It goes without saying that all eyes were on quarterback Donovan McNabb as the Washington Redskins traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles Sunday.

Since 1999, McNabb had been the face of the Philadelphia franchise, so the country was interested to see how he would fare against the Eagles and what kind of reception the Philly faithful would give him.

Leading up to the highly-anticipated NFC East matchup there was little reason to believe that Eagles fans would do anything other than what they’ve always done – boo the hell out of whoever is in front of them. It’s what they’re known for, so why change now?

So it was fairly surprising and completely classy when McNabb was greeted with a heartfelt standing ovation McNabb by the sold out crowd at Lincoln Financial Field.

Sure, they ripped into him as soon as the game began, but it must have been a special moment for the 33-year-old quarterback who owns every conceivable quarterback record in Philadelphia’s franchise history.

The Redskins got off to a fast start, built 17-3 lead on the road against a heated rival and then held on for a 17-12 victory to improve to 2-2 on the season and 2-0 in the division.

But that brief moment when Philly fans surprised the rest of the football-loving world, followed by an amazing first quarter by the Redskins, will surely be remembered by McNabb for the foreseeable future.

2. “Ready To Start” by Arcade Fire

Think about how awful the Redskins looked during the opening frame against the St. Louis Rams Week 3. The opening kickoff went out of bounds to give quarterback Sam Bradford and friends ideal field position, and then the Redskins defense forgot how to tackle running back Stephen Jackson, who broke off a 42-yard touchdown run.

Redskins receiver Santana Moss then turns the ball over and Bradford connects on a three-yard touchdown pass to someone allegedly named Daniel Fells for an improbable 14-0 lead. Even though the Redskins battled back and even briefly took the lead before losing 30-16, the first 15 minutes set the tone for the entire game and gave a team that had only won once in the previous 28 games new life.

Well, after the first quarter of the Redskins-Eagles game, I turned to a friend on the sideline and said, “I now know what it felt like to be a Rams fan a week ago.”

Instead of screwing up the opening kickoff, the Washington special teams unit actually found a way to contribute for the first time this season. The speedy Brandon Banks, who was signed to the 53-man roster roughly 24 hours before kickoff, returned the Eagles’ first punt of the day 53 yards to give the Redskins ideal field position for their opening drive.

Then, the combination of Clinton Portis and Ryan Torain at running back did the rest, with Torain punching it in from 12-yard out to take an early 7-0 lead. On the ensuing play, linebacker Lorenzo Alexander absolutely annihilated Eagles cornerback Jorrick Calvin and Philadelphia was unable once again to generate any offense on their next possession.

The Redskins got the ball back and McNabb led the Redskins offense on a nine-play, 78-yard drive that was capped by a 31-yard touchdown strike from McNabb to tight end Chris Cooley.

For the second week in a row, the underdog was up 14-0 after the first quarter. Unlike last week, the Redskins actually looked like a team playing with a purpose. And most importantly, the hometown crowd was absolutely taken out of the game.

So as bad as the Redskins looked at the start of the Rams game, they more than made up for it a week later in Philly – largely because the special teams guys stepped up and finally contributed something positive.

It’s also worth noting that Banks and Torain are both players who have already been cut by Washington this season, and yet, their strong play directly led to the opening score. There aren’t many young players on the current roster, but these two kids will hopefully be around to contribute for the rest of the season.

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