Analyze the Enemy: Washington Redskins

In the preseason publications back in August, most people thought the Washington Redskins would likely finish 4th in the always difficult NFC East. But, I am not sure anyone thought that this much chaos would be waiting ahead for them in 2009.

It has been one of those disheartening years that has tested the resolve of even the most hard-core Redskins loyalist.

They sit at 3-6, presently, and are coming off the best win of their season when they beat a Denver team that is in the middle of its own slump by getting plays from unfamiliar names like Hunter Smith and Todd Yoder.

On the road this year, the Redskins are 0-4, with losses against a few good teams like the Giants and Falcons, but also they distinguished themselves as the team that helped break the Detroit Lions 19-game losing streak (the 2nd longest losing streak in the history of the NFL) at Ford Field back in Late September. A loss all the more humiliating because so many people were picking the Lions to win that Friday across the league - which of course means it wasn't that much of an upset.

Much of the blame of this version of the Redskins seems to head directly to its current head coach, Jim Zorn, who was hired amidst confusion, and has appeared to be a "Dead Man Walking" for weeks. The Redskins want him gone, but know that firing him now would be costly and wouldn't solve a thing. So, they humiliated him (Sherman Lewis) and hoped he would resign. He knew that this meant leaving the paychecks behind, so he has refused to do that, but rather hang in there and demand that he gets every cent owed to him.

Analyze the Enemy: Green Bay Packers

Admittedly, this is a fairly odd position for me to be in this week, but over the 12 seasons of covering Dallas Cowboys football, there have been several meetings between the two teams, so I have certainly grown accustomed to the oddness.

In fact, I offered an essay on this back in 2007 if you care...

To me, the Green Bay Packers do not represent the "enemy", but for purposes of continuity, the title of the piece shall remain the same. Also, since I don't play for the Cowboys, any awkwardness would be for Tony Romo (another life-long Green Bay fan) to work through, at it appears he hasn't had any difficulty doing such a things. His numbers in his 2 games against Green Bay are a 2-0 record, 36-60, 569 yards, 569 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT and a passer rating of 105.5. He seems pretty nervous.

In 1967, the Green Bay Packers finished a run of 5 World Championships in 7 years by beating the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II. It was the 2nd time the franchise had won 3 consecutive NFL Titles (something that no other franchise has ever done even once). Vince Lombardi left the franchise a few days later.

From 1968 until 1991 (24 seasons), the Packers enjoyed just 4 winning seasons (never consecutive). They made the playoffs just twice, and only once (1972) in a legitimate full NFL season (sorry, but making the playoffs in the bogus 1982 season with a 5-3-1 record does not impress anyone). They were an absolute mess, who had totally undone everything that Vince and the Packers dynasty of the 1960's had built. The Green Bay Packers franchise was irrelevant in the NFL, aside from being the punchline destination for players who angered their teams.

Then, in 1992, Ron Wolf was hired to be the GM of the Packers. He hired Mike Holmgren. They traded for Brett Favre by sending the #19 pick to Atlanta for him, and both teams felt like they won the trade decisively.

For the next 7 years (92-98), Holmgren, Favre, Wolf, and Reggie White helped design a model-franchise. 7 years, 7 winning season, 6 playoffs, 3 NFC Championship games, 2 Super Bowls, and 1 World Title. It was too good to be true. Their franchise QB had won the NFL MVP in 1995, 1996, and 1997, and was now just 29 years old. The sky was the limit for how many more could be won.

This was a time when successful NFL Coaches would take their success as a sign that they needed to do more. "Buy the Groceries" was a cliche Bill Parcells used, but it applied to many others - including Holmgren. Despite having one of the most successful stints an NFL Coach had ever had in such a short time with a team, he had to be the GM, too. The Packers had Ron Wolf already, so there was no opening in Green Bay for that title. Therefore, Holmgren resigned from the Packers to take an 8 year contract from the Seattle Seahwaks to be both Head Coach and General Manager of that franchise.

It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but Green Bay fans were not sure it was that big of a deal, since they still had the NFL MVP running the show. It was a very big deal. Holmgren knew how to coach Brett Favre. He knew how to harness him. And most importantly, Favre was interested in hearing what Holmgren had to say.

Analyze The Enemy - Philadelphia Eagles

There are certain parallels that we can draw between our local sports teams. They all play in divisions that contain rivals who many of us obsess about and cheer against at every opportunity. For instance, who do Mavs fans feel more negative feelings towards than the San Antonio Spurs? For the Rangers, I bet it would be the Angels, and for the Cowboys it would have to be the Eagles in the last decade.

You don't care for them for many reasons. They win too much is somewhere on that list. We don't like to admit our dislike (sometimes hate) for our opponents is usually stemmed in jealousy, but it often is. They are enjoying success - more than the team we love - and we want to hold on to the few shreds of dignity that remain for us by pointing out what the rivals can't do.

For the Spurs, they give us nothing to grab on to. Since 1999, they have won 4 World Titles. Pretty difficult to ridicule them unless you want to tease them for not winning 5. For the Angels, all it takes is one World Series in 2002 to make Rangers fans just sit and stew. And then we have the Philadelphia Eagles. They are to be strongly admired - through all of the disdain - because they have built the organization the proper way. Yet, they have never won the ultimate prize, and because of that, we seem to rationalize the last decade with some level of humor. The Eagles never won the Super Bowl, and therefore we don't consider them the model franchise in this 10-year span of time. But, should that be the barometer?

Or should it be how they stack up against their NFC East bunkmates?

From 2000-Present - NFC East Standings

Team	Reg Season	Playoffs (SB Rec)
Eagles	97-53-1	10-7 (0-1)
Giants	85-67	6-5 (1-1)
Cowboys	76-75	0-3
Redskins	68-83	1-2

Table Tutorial

These numbers tell quite a story; In 10 years, the Eagles are basically averaging a 10-6 record, the Giants 9-7, the Cowboys are 8-8, and the Redskins about 7-9.

Analyze the Enemy - Atlanta Falcons

THURSDAYS: We catch you up on this week’s opponent with an overall portrait of their team. This is not breaking down this week’s match-up, because that happens on Friday. This is just to set the table in preparation for laying out the gameplan.

Some teams are not as good as you think they should be based on their level of talent. And other teams are actually better than you think they should be because they play well as a team. They are coached well. They seldom beat themselves, and they just play football the way it was meant to be played. I suggest to you that one of those teams could very well be the 2009 Atlanta Falcons.

Analyze The Enemy - Kansas City Chiefs

THURSDAYS: We catch you up on this week’s opponent with an overall portrait of their team. This is not breaking down this week’s match-up, because that happens on Friday. This is just to set the table in preparation for laying out the gameplan.

Seven teams are undefeated in the National Football League through 3 games. Most of the 7 have major expectations this year for the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl. The Saints, Giants, Vikings, Ravens, and Colts are thought to be amongst the best teams in the league. The final two teams are quite a surprise to the football world. The New York Jets - who offer a new coach and a rookie QB, and the unlikely story of this week's opponent, the Denver Broncos.

Having watched the last two Denver games (at home vs. Cleveland; Away at Oakland) you certainly are impressed with a few aspects of this Broncos team. But overall, you are left wondering if their 3-0 start is more just a product of how their schedule is stacked.

Analyze The Enemy - Denver Broncos

THURSDAYS: We catch you up on this week’s opponent with an overall portrait of their team. This is not breaking down this week’s match-up, because that happens on Friday. This is just to set the table in preparation for laying out the gameplan.

Seven teams are undefeated in the National Football League through 3 games. Most of the 7 have major expectations this year for the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl. The Saints, Giants, Vikings, Ravens, and Colts are thought to be amongst the best teams in the league. The final two teams are quite a surprise to the football world. The New York Jets - who offer a new coach and a rookie QB, and the unlikely story of this week's opponent, the Denver Broncos.

Having watched the last two Denver games (at home vs. Cleveland; Away at Oakland) you certainly are impressed with a few aspects of this Broncos team. But overall, you are left wondering if their 3-0 start is more just a product of how their schedule is stacked.

Analyze The Enemy - Carolina Panthers

THURSDAYS: We catch you up on this week’s opponent with an overall portrait of their team. This is not breaking down this week’s match-up, because that happens on Friday. This is just to set the table in preparation for laying out the gameplan.

In Week 3, The Cowboys welcome another playoff team from 2008, those Carolina Panthers for a little Monday Night Football. The Panthers are certainly another team that has its share of critics across the league, and as usual - the targets on that team are two familiar positions for football criticism, Head Coach and Quarterback.

John Fox, entering his 8th year as head coach of the Panthers, took the job over after serving 5 years with the New York Giants under Jim Fassel, where the Giants went all the way to Super Bowl 35. Led by their defense, Fox was the hot name for a few offseasons, and in 2002 he took over the Panthers who were coming of a 1-15 2001 under their previous coach, George Seifert. In fact, as hard as it is to believe, Fox has been the coach of the Panthers longer than Seifert and Dom Capers combined. Capers only coached in Carolina for 4 years (going to the '96 NFC Championship game), Seifert for 3 (going 16-32). Fox, 63-49 in his 7+ seasons, took the Panthers to the brink of a Super Bowl 38 victory in his 2nd year, and to the NFC Title game in his 4th year, before losing to the Seahawks. His 3rd trip to the playoffs was last season where the Panthers equaled a franchise-high 12-4 record, but then were demolished in Charlotte by the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs.

Analyze The Enemy - New York Giants

THURSDAYS: We catch you up on this week's opponent with an overall portrait of their team. This is not breaking down this week's match-up, because that happens on Friday. This is just to set the table in preparation for laying out the gameplan.

This week's foe needs no introduction. I remember when I first arrived in Dallas in 1998, I was always interested in the discussion of who is the Cowboys biggest rival (according to Cowboys fans). They are very similar to the University of Texas in the rivals department as everyone counts them as their biggest game, but what did you feel?

I can't remember what the results were in my survey, because the important thing I learned is "it depends who you ask". Well, if you ask me, the Giants are the biggest current rivalry in my mind. These two teams do not like eachother. At all. In fact, they go out of their way to say it. And it is pretty clear that bulletin board material is not a very big worry for either side.

This is an amazing division, as their are traditional powers in every direction. Off the top of my head, I believe it is the only division in football with all 4 teams owning NFL Titles (yes, in 1960, the Eagles last won the NFL Title; and no, I will not count AFL Titles for the purpose of my point).

Analyze The Enemy - Tampa Bay Bucs

On Thursdays, one of the in-season features we are having for Cowboys Season will be to simply checking all corners of the net to know our opponent as well as we possibly can. This will generally involve plenty of links for you to read as much as you want. Since I read it all to prepare for our radio show and the pregame show on Sunday, I thought you might like to read the same stuff. Then, on Friday, I will attempt to provide some guesses on what the game plan will be and what the key match-ups that will decide the game will also be.

So, basically, 2 posts at the end of each week to prepare you for what lies ahead. Today, I will also attempt to provide 2 more posts - one with my full league predictions, and another is a chat I recently had with the great Albert Breer from the Sporting News as we break down the Cowboys and NFC East for you. So, on this Texas Rangers off day, you should get plenty of NFL Opening Day content from Inside Corner.

Now, on to the Buccaneers breakdown: