During his first stint with the Redskins, Mike Sellers used to make plays like this every so often. He was particularly fond of scoring against the Cowboys.
The Redskins' quarterback, typically Brad Johnson, would flip the ball to Sellers in the flat. Sellers would square his shoulders and head to the end zone.
Smallish linebackers or defensive backs would have their hands full, to say the least, trying to find a way to haul down the 6-3, 278-pound Sellers as he steamrolled toward them.
That's what happened yesterday at FedExField in one of the key sequences of the Redskins' 20-17 overtime win versus Seattle.
On a first-and goal from the 4-yard line at the 7:19 mark of the third quarter, Mark Brunell located Sellers in the flat and the burly H-Back was not to be stopped. Trying to bring him down was Seahawks linebacker D.D. Lewis, a four-year veteran and a solid player.
On Sunday, Lewis came up with seven tackles, second on his team to impressive rookie Lofa Tatupu's 10 stops. But on the third-quarter sequence yesterday, Lewis was no match for Sellers, who outweighs him by roughly 40 pounds.
Sellers bounced into the end zone to put the Redskins up 14-3 in a game they would go on to win 20-17 in overtime on Nick Novak's 39-yard field goal.
"Everybody in the league knows I'm a blocking back," Sellers said, jokingly. "That's fine. Let them think that way. I'll savor this one. Just let me score a TD every once in a while."
Sellers, a Redskin between 1998 and 2000 who rejoined the team last year, put on the cap of a historian yesterday after Washington improved to 3-0 for the first time since 1991, the franchise's last Super Bowl season.
"Let's face it: It's been a long time since the Redskins have started off like this," Sellers said. "It's better than 0-3, I can tell you that.
"All three phases of the game kicked in. These are the games we didn't win last year, the games that we should have dug out. Now, we've found that extra 'Oomph' and we're getting it done."
A native of Thurston, Wash., Sellers would rather beat the Seahawks than any opponent on the roster. "It's about bragging rights," he says. "In the offseason, I hang out with some of those guys, like Marcus Trufant and Jerramy Stevens."
Sellers entered Week 4 with no catches on the season and he made his only reception versus Seattle a really significant one.
Brunell, who was 20-of-36 for 226 yards with two TDs and one interception, was able to spread the ball around and employed seven receivers.
Seattle corner Kelly Herndon, who intercepted Brunell with 1:00 left in regulation on a pass that skimmed off Clinton Portis, said he was impressed with the veteran QB's playmaking abilities.
Added Herndon: "Everyone knows Brunell from when he was younger. The guy is a tremendous athlete. It just goes to show you that if you stay in shape, you can be starting. He still makes plays, not just with his arm but also with his legs. He got us a couple of times today. It's pretty amazing."
In their Week 1 win versus Chicago, the Redskins received a clutch sequence from Cornelius Griffin with the game on the line.
Then, at Dallas, Brunell and Santana Moss came through with a pair of improbable plays. The Redskins continue to stretch their roster and depend upon new wrinkles. Yesterday, that included a rookie kicker and a veteran H-Back who contributed in ways he used to back in 1999 and 2000.
