It has been stated that there is a different air about this team this season; a determination not seen in years past that has kept them fighting in close games where they had wilted in the past. This comes as a surprise to a fan base whose Pavlovian response in the last two minutes of a close Redskins game is to settle in to their favorite chair and calmly wait for the meteor of disappointment to make its inevitable crash into the depths of our hearts. But the attitude of this team has changed because the Redskins finally have players in leadership positions that have shown that determination in their career arcs through this league and the franchise. Think about Will Compton and Chris Baker who had to work their way off the practice squad to become central leaders of this defense. Pierre Garcon had to prove that he could emerge out of Reggie Wayne's shadow and produce on his own, and he has anchored this receiving corps for the last four years. Rob Kelley won his starting role as an undrafted free agent this season and has sparked a renaissance in the Redskins running game. DeSean Jackson has always had to overcome issues with his size to prove himself to teams that drafted Devin Thomas and Fred Davis over him in 2008 (We also let the Packers draft Jordy Nelson two picks after we took Devin Thomas). We finally hit on a big name free agent in Josh Norman, who may have been a bad ass last year but he was not so hot being drafted in the 5th round out of Coastal Carolina in 2012. We also hit on the wily veteran free agent who surprisingly has something left in the tank. Vernon Davis has been rejuvenated playing in front of his hometown crowd after being left for dead in Denver last season. And the ultimate leader of this team is a guy most everyone thought was a waste of a draft pick and would never see the light of day playing behind the franchise's golden boy, and some still believe we can go it without him next season after all he has done. All of these players fill leadership positions and have fought to get where they are and still have something to prove. This combination is why we have seen the Redskins continue to fight on both sides of the ball, regardless of what has transpired during the game. It is a delicate balance that Scot McCloughan would be wise to keep intact as much as possible, and the win over the Vikings provided some telling portends about the future of this franchise.
The Vikings game provided two pieces of information about the Redskins future. The first is that Kirk Cousins is going to be a franchise quarterback for us if we resign him. He not only led the team on four scoring drives in the second half, but his two touchdown passes showed that he has the ability to throw people open in the red zone (the Jamison Crowder TD) and that he can throw an accurate deep ball (the Vernon Davis TD). He is the leader of this team, and if we let him go we will be letting go of the invaluable intangibles that he brings to this team. Kirk Cousins needs to be back next year. Unfortunately for DeSean Jackson, this game proved that he may not be as valuable as we once thought. He obviously makes the Redskins better, but how bad are they without him? The Redskins moved the ball efficiently enough to show that Jackson's deep threat may be more of a myth than reality as long as the run game stays healthy. This is not to say that his deep ball is not helpful, but the argument was that the threat of Jackson going deep opens up the passing game for everyone else. The offense looked just fine against Minnesota without DeSean streaking down the field, so don't be surprised if the Redskins let him walk at the end of the season.
Onto the Packers on Sunday Night, where the Redskins determination will be put to the test in a thickening NFC playoff race.
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