First let me say Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I hope that the next few days allow each one of us to reflect on how blessed we truly are.
As for this football team that interests us so much – on the surface there may not be a lot to be thankful for with a 3-7 record, but as someone who has covered this team for years, let me submit to you a few thoughts.
I will start with an obvious one.
How thankful is Donte Stallworth these days? He was released before the Miami Dolphins game and then brought back for Dallas, and boy did the 9-year veteran make the most of his second chance. Four catches for 51 yards against the Cowboys including a spectacular touchdown catch that helped send the game into overtime.
How thankful is this team to have London Fletcher? The man is in his 14th season and is still a tackling machine! He produced not only a game-high but a league-high 16 tackles last Sunday. He is clearly one of the most underrated players in the game. Enjoy watching him while you can!
Be thankful that you don't have to worry about your punter. People laughed at me when I said at the beginning of the year that Sav Rocca would end up being the MVP of this team. Besides the aforementioned Fletcher, who is doing more consistently for this team? In a game that relies heavily on field position, Rocca has done his part. He kicked a season-high 63 yarder against Dallas and is averaging 45.5 yards per punt. Graham Gano's kicking may be frustrating to watch, but not Sav Rocca's punting!
Linebackers Ryan Kerrigan and Perry Riley and safety DeJon Gomes played well in a big-time game vs. Dallas, combining for 26 tackles and a sack. Be thankful that the team has emerging talent at many spots on defense. Remember, we never had a chance to see rookie defensive line Jarvis Jenkins, who showed promise before his preseason knee injury! With a league-high 31 sacks, be thankful that this defense can consistently get to the opposing quarterback.
It has been a long time since anyone can be thankful for this, but the Redskins have had a promising and productive draft class. Kerrigan, Gomes, Roy Helu, Leonard Hankerson and Chris Neild have all shown that they can play in this league. Fans can even be more thankful that the team has all their draft pick for next year and have managed the salary cap well enough to make some offseason moves.
The Redskins played well against Dallas, but unfortunately the Cowboys are not on the schedule every week to motivate them. Although the team lacks focus and productivity is worse than last year, there are still some things to be thankful for!
