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Redskins' Upset Shakes Up NFC East

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 30, 2008

ASHBURN, Va. - In less than a month, the mood needle on the Washington Redskins has swung from overwhelmed to overjoyed.

Whether it's Coach Jim Zorn leading cheers of "Hip, Hip, Hooray!" in the locker room or the usual pandemonium that follows any victory against the team the fans love to hate, the supposed bottom-feeders of the potent NFC East have made it known they intend to be a player when postseason berths are on the line in December.

"We're not pulling up the rear," receiver Antwaan Randle El said Monday. "We're in the mix."

No argument there, not after a 26-24 upset against the double-digit favorite Dallas Cowboys in the Redskins' final regular-season game at Texas Stadium. After a dreadful opener against the New York Giants, Washington (3-1) has won three straight heading into another showdown Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles - a game that, thanks to the oddball schedule, will be the last divisional road trip of the season.

"It was a game that helped keep the NFC East even, if you will," said Zorn, the first Redskins coach to win at Dallas on his initial try since George Allen in 1971. "All four teams are solid teams, and it's still anybody's division. Our goals are still ahead of us, and we made that so by beating Dallas in Dallas."

Linebacker London Fletcher arrived home late Sunday to find that a neighbor posted a sign on his door celebrating the victory. She told him watching the game on TV almost moved her to tears.

"Beating Dallas," Fletcher said, "is a lot different from beating somebody else."

Fletcher apparently dressed in a hurry Monday morning, however. He dared show up at Redskins Park wearing two shades of blue, a fashion faux pas that escaped his attention until someone pointed it out as he stood before the cameras.

"Dallas colors, huh?" he said, pulling his shirt up to his chin. "I got to take this shirt off."

Fletcher then addressed the issue of the day. Given that everyone in the organization - Zorn included - had warned it would take a while for the team to get rolling under a new coach, how it is that things have clicked so quickly?

"Maybe people underestimated our resolve," Fletcher said. "And just how battle-tested we were from last year, how it carried into this year. We knew we had a good football team last year."

Keyword: Sports, for coverage of Monday night's late Ravens-Steelers game.

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