Om Field: At the Half - 2008 Redskins

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At the Half - 2008 Redskins
Oct. 30, 2008

At mid-season, perhaps the biggest surprise in the NFL is wearing burgundy and gold.

It hasn't only only caught outside observers off guard, either. The Washington Redskins have been a hugely pleasant surprise for their own fans; fans who just two months ago had little more to base their hopes and expectations on than last season’s emotional run to the playoff following the death of emerging superstar Sean Taylor ... and hopes that the winning would somehow carry over through a complicated transition from legendary head coach Joe Gibbs to new offensive coordinator-cum-rookie head coach Jim Zorn.

No doubt about it, the end of last season was quite a ride—as was the offseason that brought us to New York City opening night.

But it pales in comparison with what’s happened since.

Preseason Expectations

Blown out of the water. If you’re reading this, you probably already know the litany; new coach, new offense, QB learning yet another new system, etc. And yet here are the Washington Redskins, at 6-2, breathing rarified atop all the power rankings and giving very indication of being a team with not just a good shot at qualifying for the playoffs but making some noise once they get there.

Having burst from the gate as they have, of course, the Redskins have created for themselves a whole new set of expectations. For many fans and observers—regardless of how good or bad they thought the team would be before season started—anything less than a playoffs berth (and at least one game) after such a start will have them describing 2008 as a disappointment.

And frankly, unless the team gets hit with a significant number of key injuries, you’re probably looking (metaphorically) at one of them.

But that’s for later. For now, I hope I can safely say there are few fans of the burgundy and gold not feeling pretty damn good about things this week. As first halves of first seasons of new regimes go, I’d say this one rates at least as high as … well … can you think of one better?

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