I am not a writer. In fact, quite far from it. That said, I was inspired this morning. I love reading the 'Post on days like today. Here's to more of it and to all the great writers for the WP, keep it coming.

Detroit Experiences Indian Summer

The weather was unseasonably warm yesterday at FedEx Field with nary a cloud in the sky and an occasional refreshing breeze but the Detroit Lions will tell you they heard thunder for the better part of the afternoon. Mike Sellers, Shawn Taylor, Andre Carter and even Clinton Portis saw to that. In arguably one of the Washington Redskins' most thoroughly dominant victories since the return of Joe Gibbs, it was the little things that stood out in the Redskins' 34-3 rout of the Detroit Lions. A downfield block here, a blitz pickup there and almost no penalties coupled with quarterback Jason Campbell's best outing as a Redskin proved too much for the upstart Lions to handle Sunday afternoon.

The Lions sported the league's top-rated passing attack coming into this game and many an analyst touted them as the best of the one-loss teams. Quarterback John Kitna sat atop the league in passing efficiency coming into yesterday's game, besting such names as Brady, Favre, Palmer and Manning. From the very beginning of the game the Redskins' defensive line applied pressure thanks to the brilliant secondary coverage. Kitna, stymied by the lack of open receivers, was sacked 5 times including once in the end zone for a safety. Further, the Lion QB was hit 16 times and forced to make desperate throws resulting in two interceptions including one that was returned for a touchdown by Carlos Rogers late in the fourth quarter.

On offense, the Redskins exploited the Lions' defensive line. Jason Campbell had time to throw and the triple-threat of Portis, Betts and Sellers wore down the Lions like a boxer throwing body punches. The Redskins outfought the hapless Lions from the very start of the game after coming off a bye week and losing to the NY Giants. One particular play in the first quarter seemed to be a microcosm of the entire day for the Lions when Jason Campbell completed a 25-yard pass to Mike Sellers who ran over a would-be tackler like a truck over an ice cream cone to the tune of a thunderous 'Oohhhhhhh' from the 92,000 fans and even the reporters in the press box. Even the instant replay looked painful as the 6'3" 280lb. fullback flattened his opponent. The average fan might not have even noticed that Washington's offensive line was playing without 2 of their best linemen and Jason Campbell's receiving corps consisted of 2 players the Redskins just signed off the street for yesterday's game.

The victory did come at a price, however. Antwan Randel El sat out the second half with a high hamstring strain joining already-injured Santana Moss on the bench. Fred Smoot left the game after making a key third down tackle and appeared to have injured his right arm/shoulder. When asked about the seriousness of his injury, Smoot responded, but we're not sure exactly what he said. Hopefully the fact that he was smiling and nodding tells us all we need to know.

This win was also due in no small part to the often-criticized, seemingly stratified coaching staff which on Sunday seemed to flow decisively. The red zone offensive play-calling bore the trademark of Offensive Coordinator Al Saunders' creativity and timing. The Redskins even finished the second half with all of their time-outs.

Maybe they can save them for next week when they travel to Green Bay.

You were right on about the upset of the week even though I questioned you choice. Pakers made to many mistakes-penalties & turnovers.

Keep the good prose coming. And I have to be right about a few picks every now and then, considering how awful my picks were last week.

In the previous two weeks, Wilbon has said what I've been saying for a few years now....that Mike Sellers is a MONSTER. I'll concede that I am a Skins fan, but let's be pragmatic here. The guy is 6'3 and 285 lbs, and is a better athlete than he's given credit for. He punishes people on blocks as well as those who TRY to tackle him when he's carrying the rock (ask that poor safety from Detroit). He has hands, as evidenced by his 7 touchdown catches in 2005. Let me repeat that....7 catching touchdowns in 2005, plus one rushing touchdown, totalling 8 for the year - He was a touchdown machine who got the short end of the TJ Duckett deal! Whatever this guy lacks in hype, college name recognition or celebrity appeal he makes up for with his straight-up in your face, let me show you the lights, get-off-me-punk play on the field.

The reality is, he's been playing on a Pro Bowl level for at least 2-3 years but has been used sparingly. I can appreciate cute offensive schemes, but Sellers is the epitome of smash mouth Redskins football, he embodies the grittiness of the HOGS in their prime (and yes I recognize the HOGS were the O-line, but you get the point). I also see the rest of the offense energized by his play. When you see one of your leaders dragging two or three tacklers after feeding them huge platters of shoulder pad it becomes infectious.

I loved that the coaches used him the way they did yesterday against the Lions...even though it took them long enough to go to him with that many plays. If they continue doing so, do you think any team in the league would have a more dynamic backfield than the Skins? I don't think it would be close. He better be selected for the Pro Bowl this year.

And let me say in closing, that's a downright sin the way the last four coaches of the Redskins have underused Mike Sellers. I don't care about their reasons, or excuses or who else was on the roster. ALL of them should have used Sellers more and smarter. If he'd carried the ball against the Giants on the goal line that game would have gone to OT. Coaches like to impress upon you that THEY know the game and nobody else does. Well, give me Sellers at the goal line and I'll whip most of their behinds in those situations...Gotta run...Happy Columbus Day (is there such a thing) and see you next week, from Atlanta

hey keech -

when copying someone's EXACT WORDS, use quotes, otherwise you're just plagerizing. what, you think other people don't read/participate in wilbon's chat house? get an original thought.

sheesh.

To all of the Redskins fans and sportswriters who are so excited about the
dominant performance against the Lions, please remember it's the LIONS. As I stated earlier today, Detroit sportswriters and fans knew the Lions lacked the linemen on both sides of the ball and the d-backs to be competitive. When they finally start drafting quality
linemen, d-backs and sign productive free agents then this 0-21 road record against the Redskins will end. Here's a Lion fan hoping the Lions meet the Skins in the playoffs some year at FED-EX field and finally win. It is going to happen eventually and I'll be there when it does.
Congrats to the Redskins fans, their players and coaches for a great victory.
Joe Gibbs is great coach and a great man.

hey rsunder,

This is a blog, not a thesis. Do you have anything to contribute to it, or are you just one of those lame napolean complex dweebs who need to interject in a public forum as a way to have your presence felt?

I was going to suggest finding some kids to tutor, but it's evident that such a move would be adverse to their interests. Clearly I was providing Wilbon's comments to provide context to my ORIGINAL THOUGHTS, which have only been bolstered by the recent performance of Mike Sellers. Further, someone who plagerizes for the sake of pretense would not mention the name of the source from which he/she is plagerizing. But if it makes you feel better or smarter, I'll apologize for not accomodating you with quotes and, in turn, confounding you to the point where you cannot discern where one person's comments end and another's begins.

Hello! Quality content! Regards,