The
New England Patriots
squandered the majority of a seemingly comfortable lead last weekend, leaving an uneasy feeling even after their fourth straight
victory.

They left no such doubts the last time they faced the
Washington Redskins
.

The nation’s capital, however, remains the only NFL city where the Patriots have never won, a distinction that will disappear
Sunday unless the Redskins can pull off the upset and avenge a historic rout four years ago.

New England (9-3) charged to a 28-point lead against winless Indianapolis last Sunday, but was outgained 266-11 and outscored
21-0 in the final quarter, securing a 31-24 victory only after pouncing on an onside kick in the final minute.

Although the Patriots are tied for the AFC’s best record, the near-meltdown reinforced concerns about a patchwork defense
that ranks last in the NFL both overall (412.1 yards allowed per game) and against the pass (310.0).

New England’s starting safeties against the Colts were
Nate Jones
, who was making his Patriots debut, and
Matthew Slater
– typically a wide receiver.

“It’s disappointing. Go back to the drawing board and try to improve,” linebacker
Jerod Mayo
said. “We just have to learn how to put two halves together next week.”

The Patriots certainly did that against Washington during their perfect regular season in 2007, opening the game with 52 straight
points before a late Redskins touchdown made it a 52-7 final.

That remains Washington’s most lopsided loss since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

Losing has become all too familiar for the Redskins in recent seasons. The Patriots have won eight division titles – they
would clinch another Sunday with a win and a
New York Jets
loss to Kansas City – since Washington last won the NFC East in 1999.

The Redskins (4-8) lost 34-19 to the Jets last weekend, falling to 0-4 in their last four home games, 0-3 against AFC foes
this season and 1-7 since their promising 3-1 start.

They got even more troubling news after the game, learning that tight end
Fred Davis
and left tackle
Trent Williams
would be suspended for four games – the rest of the regular season – by the NFL for repeated violations of the league’s substance
abuse policy.

“Am I disappointed in them? Big time, yeah,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “Because they affect not only themselves but this organization
and their teammates. That’s a bad decision, and they know they put us in a heck of a position.”

The Redskins selected Williams with the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2010, and Davis leads the team with 59 receptions and
796 receiving yards.

The Patriots have also used their tight ends as major weapons in the passing game – particularly
Rob Gronkowski
, who scored three more touchdowns last week. One went down as a rushing score because it was ruled a lateral by
Tom Brady
, leaving Gronkowski with 13 receiving TDs – tied with
Vernon Davis
(2009) and
Antonio Gates
(2004) for the single-season NFL record for tight ends.

“He is a tough kid and he knows how to run the routes,” Colts defensive back
Jerraud Powers
said of Gronkowski. “It also helps when you have one of the greatest quarterbacks.”

Brady may face a bit of a challenge against a Washington defense that has not allowed a 300-yard passer all season. The reigning
NFL MVP has averaged 303.3 passing yards during New England’s four-game winning streak, throwing 10 touchdowns and no interceptions
in that stretch.

Brady, though, struggled against Shanahan’s teams when the coach was in Denver. Including a postseason loss, he went 1-5 against
Shanahan’s Broncos, completing just 56.5 percent of his passes and posting a 78.1 passer rating.

Teammate
Andre Carter
played for Shanahan last season, his fifth year with the Redskins, but the defensive end didn’t fit in the 3-4 scheme. With
the Patriots moving largely to a 4-3 this year, the veteran has clicked, leading the team with nine sacks.

“He’s a very professional guy that’s smart, a well-conditioned athlete,” coach Bill Belichick said. “He really works hard
at football and things are really falling into place for him here.”

Two former Patriots –
Jabar Gaffney
and Donte’ Stallworth – are now wide receivers for the Redskins, but one player is notable in his absence from both rosters.
Each club has parted ways with
Albert Haynesworth
this year, with Washington trading the controversial defensive tackle to the Patriots, who waived him last month.

The Patriots, who’ve won at every other NFL franchise’s home venue, are favorites to defeat the Redskins on the road for the
first time. New England has only played two previous regular-season games at Washington, most recently losing 20-17 in 2003
– a game in which Brady threw three interceptions.

Redskins safety
LaRon Landry
will miss his second straight game Sunday because of a groin injury.

As the clock hit zero and the final score 20-9 flashed across the screen, I couldn’t help but feel confused and disappointed. This season has been the tale of two quarterbacks that no one else wanted but were the subject of great debate this offseason.

Redskins fans were just  happy to move past a season where conflicts between Mike Shanahan, Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth made headlines week in and week out. With the lockout coming and going without canceling any parts of the season, the Redskins—and Grossman specifically—boasted of winning the NFC East, with several new young players hungry to contribute.  

By opening the season 3-1 against weak and injured competition, Grossman and the Skins were riding high atop the NFC East. The defense carried the team with Grossman doing just enough, throwing six touchdowns and five interceptions in the process. After horrible outings from Grossman against St. Louis and Philadelphia after the bye week, Shanahan turned over the reins to John Beck, who had never won a start in his entire NFL career.  

Beck’s inexperience was apparent, as he lost three consecutive games while never being able to establish the passing game down field. Against Buffalo, Shanahan suffered his first shutout of his 24-year career as a coach or coordinator in the NFL.

With the loss of several key players on the offensive line as well as the likes of Santana Moss, Tim Hightower and Chris Cooley, the team has spiraled back down to their usual dwellings at the bottom of the division.    

Grossman has the confidence needed to lead a team, but his stubborn nature and inability to realize when not to force the issue had resulted in his subpar outings. By forcing the issue often, he is tied for fourth-most in the league with 11 interceptions despite having about half the pass attempts as the other quarterbacks on the list. 

The game against Miami was a prime example, as Grossman moved the ball down the field several times but committed a crucial interception in the red zone when he tried to force the ball to a well-covered Leonard Hankerson, effectively sealing the loss for the Skins.

This quarterback carousel has caused uneasiness in fans and players alike, as no one is sure week to week who is going to be at the helm come game time. These two quarterbacks are very different in their executions of the offense, but no matter what, the result has been the same.

As the losing streak has now hit five games, talks of next season have already entered the conversation. With little left to play for other than pride and continued learning of the systems in place, Shanahan should just stick with a quarterback and remove the added stress and drama surrounding a new starter each week.   

While the personnel that plagued our team last year has moved on, the dysfunction and uncertainty lives on with Shanahan as the puppet-master. Teams are a reflection of the coaching in place, and transparency is crucial in running a smooth operation from the top down.

As the Redskins will most likely limp to another losing season, it begs the question: how much longer will Shanahan be allowed to right the ship before Dan Snyder stops sitting idly by and does something even more drastic?

To say the Washington Redskins have a quarterback controversy would be somewhat of an understatement. What they have is more like a quarterback conundrum.  

Head Coach Mike Shanahan has a choice. He can start a quarterback who possesses the mentality of a gunslinger but lacks the requisite talent, someone who can throw the ball down field and usually does so right before throwing the ball to the other team.

Or he can start a quarterback only capable of throwing check down after check down after check down, a player whose shaky pocket presence and boyish looks make you want to rub his head and give him juice box after a tough loss. 

It’s Rex Grossman or John Beck. Not since the days of Shuler or Frerotte has the Redskins quarterback situation been this compelling.  

At this point, it’s not likely but somewhat probable that the Redskins will lose all of their remaining games. They will face a murderous schedule down the home stretch and can’t seem to find the end zone regardless of who has his hands under center.  

On Sunday, conditions were ripe for the team to snap a four-game losing streak against the lowly Miami Dolphins, another franchise whose glory days seem long behind them.  

The Redskins defense forced two turnovers, rookie wide receiver Leonard Hankerson recorded a career day with eight catches for 106 yards, and the team received several very generous roughing the passer calls that extended drives and provided much needed yardage. 

Despite all these positives, Grossman found a way to give the game away in the fourth quarter. With the ball on the Miami 10-yard line, the Redskins trailing 9-12, Grossman dropped back and stared down wide receiver Jabar Gaffney. By the time he got around to releasing the ball, Miami linebacker Karlos Danby had put himself in perfect position to intercept the pass.    

Grossman’s second interception prevented Washington from kicking the tying field goal, much less scoring a go-ahead touchdown, and Miami promptly marched down the field against a Redskins defense that looks a little older and a little slower each week before sealing the win with a Reggie Bush touchdown.  

I’ve written before that Beck is not a legitimate NFL quarterback, and I stand by that assertion. But Grossman’s penchant for turning the ball over negates all the positive throws he makes and prevents the Redskins from having a chance to win the games in which he plays.  

The nickname Good Rex/Bad Rex used to refer to the way Grossman would follow a good game with an abominable one. Now it can be applied on a much smaller scale: He follows a great throw with an interception at least once a game.  

It’s clear that Grossman has some talent, and at some point the coaches responsible for designing the offense, Shanahan and his son, Kyle, have to shoulder some of the blame for putting their quarterback in a position where he can turn the ball over on a consistent basis.

I’m not excusing Grossman for his mistakes, but considering that in San Francisco Jim Harbaugh has turned Alex Smith from a joke to a solid quarterback illustrates how coaching plays an integral part in determining a quarterback’s success.  

Shanahan’s tenure in Washington has been defined by personnel problems. It started with the infamous Albert Haynesworth conflict, which was followed by a spat with Donovan McNabb, the quarterback Shanahan signed in 2010 offseason to run his offense. McNabb ended getting benched in favor of Grossman, and some people cried foul at Shanahan’s handling of the situation. 

This year the story in Washington has been the controversy at quarterback. Shanahan brought in Beck, a career journeyman deemed unworthy of a starting job by the league’s other 31 teams, to compete with Grossman. He boldly pronounced that either man would be good enough to lead the team. That statement has proven false, and now Shanahan can’t seem to make up his mind over who he wants to lead his team.  

Whether Shanahan decides to stick with Grossman or whether he continues to oscillate between the two will tell us more about the state of mind of this once great coach than it will about either quarterback. It’s clear neither player has the chops to be an NFL starter, but playing switcheroo with the most important position on the field only illustrates a lack of confidence on the part of the coaching staff.  

Changing head coaches can be a tiresome process. But if the Shanahans can’t catalyze any offensive improvement in the coming weeks, or at least decide on a starting quarterback, then owner Dan Snyder would be wise to cut them loose. 

ASHBURN –

Last weekend, Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan held a news conference at an unusual day and time: Saturday at 9 a.m.

It was an exercise in fulfilling a technicality, virtually useless from a news standpoint. Any and all updates for the next day’s game against the St. Louis Rams had been given the previous afternoon when the coach addressed reporters after practice.

Shanahan was holding court solely because the NFL requires coaches to speak a certain number of times per week. He declined to do so on Tuesday following the Monday night loss at Dallas a few days earlier. Never mind that the NFL’s media rules explicitly suggest that he do so. Never mind that every Redskins coach in recent decades — including Hall of Fame inductee Joe Gibbs — never had trouble finding a few minutes after a Monday night road game to help feed the public’s insatiable appetite for the latest up-to-date word on the nation’s most popular sport.

Instead, Shanahan called the league office and begged off.

“I’ve got to do the best thing for the organization,” Shanahan said. “And the best thing for the organization for me to do when you get back at 5 o’clock in the morning when we have no sleep is to get ready for the next day.”

Shanahan’s different in lots of ways. A week earlier, just before a game against the despised Dallas Cowboys, a television reporter asked the coach if he had a special message for the fans. It’s a standard question before a rivalry game, and Redskins coaches usually take that softball and hit it out of the park.

Shanahan was almost speechless.

“To who? What fans?” he said, before being asked again if he had a message to convey to the team’s supporters. “No, hopefully they’ll enjoy it.”

Actually, that’s one of the few times this season Shanahan has been caught off guard. Everyone expected life at Redskins Park to be take a sharp turn when he arrived a year ago, but it’s taken him a year to get his hands firmly on the steering wheel. There were episodes that spiraled beyond even his controlling grasp during his first season, most having to do with Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb.

This year, he is in control beyond doubt. He has the roster the way he wants it. He has the coaching staff on the same page. He’s much more relaxed. And, of course, it helps that his team is defying expectations with a 3-1 start headed into this weekend’s bye.

“I think you’re always more relaxed in your second year,” Shanahan said. “I think, first year, you have so many things going on — with evaluating personnel, and you’re evaluating coaches, you’re evaluating your support staff, and you’re getting ready for a football season.”

ASHBURN, Va. – Last weekend, Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan held a news conference at an unusual day and time: Saturday at 9 a.m.

It was an exercise in fulfilling a technicality, virtually useless from a news standpoint. Any and all updates for the next day’s game against the St. Louis Rams had been given the previous afternoon when the coach addressed reporters after practice.

Shanahan was holding court solely because the NFL requires coaches to speak a certain number of times per week. He declined to do so on Tuesday following the Monday night loss at Dallas a few days earlier. Never mind the NFL’s media rules explicitly suggest that he do so. Never mind that every Redskins coach in recent decades — including Hall of Fame inductee Joe Gibbs — never had trouble finding a few minutes after a Monday night road game to help feed the public’s insatiable appetite for the latest up-to-date word on the country’s most popular sport.

Instead, Shanahan called the league office and begged off.

“I’ve got to do the best thing for the organization,” Shanahan said. “And the best thing for the organization for me to do when you get back at 5 o’clock in the morning when we have no sleep is to get ready for the next day.

“So I think I owe it to our football team, our organization, to spend the whole day, 24 hours, getting the game plan ready for that Wednesday.”

Shanahan’s different in a lot of ways. A week earlier, just before a game against the despised Dallas Cowboys, a television reporter asked the coach if he had a special message for the fans. It’s a standard question before a rivalry game, and Redskins coaches usually take that softball and hit it out of the park.

Shanahan was almost speechless.

“To who? What fans?” he said, before being asked again if he had a message to convey to the team’s supporters. “No, hopefully they’ll enjoy it. And hopefully we can make our fans happy.”

Actually, that’s one of the few times this season Shanahan has been caught off guard. Everyone expected life at Redskins Park to be take a sharp turn when he arrived a year ago, but it’s taken him a year to get his hands firmly on the steering wheel. There were episodes that spiraled beyond even his controlling grasp during his first season, most having to do with Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb.

This year, he is in control beyond any doubt. He’s got the roster pretty much the way he wants it. He’s got the coaching staff on the same page. He’s visibly much more relaxed. And, of course, it helps that his team is defying expectations with a 3-1 start headed into this weekend’s bye.

“I think you’re always more relaxed in your second year,” Shanahan said. “I think, first year, you have so many things going on — with evaluating personnel, and you’re evaluating coaches, you’re evaluating your support staff, and you’re getting ready for a football season.”

It shows in the way Shanahan banters with reporters. His answers about players’ injuries have become notoriously repetitive and uninformative, to the point that when someone asked for an injury update a few days ago, he laughed and said: “Aw, you guys know — I never tell you the truth anyhow.”

Like any good politician, he skirts around questions he doesn’t like and sticks to his message. Ask him about a particular interception, and he’ll talk about another one instead. And don’t dare challenge him with a premise or an assertion without the facts to back it up. You know how golfers can amazingly recite the exact yardage and club for every shot over 18 holes? That’s Shanahan with a play-by-play.

“First run we had a plus-6. Second run we had a plus-5. We had first-and-goal from the 1; we put it in the end zone,” he said, rattling off a sequence from the Cowboys game as if it were his ABCs.

He offhandedly said earlier this season that he could remember all of the plays from the loss to Houston a year ago. Can that really be so?

“Usually the games you lose, you can remember most of them — if not all of them,” he said.

Shanahan also went into detail about a replay review that caused the time to be changed from 1:23 to 1:39 when the Redskins were about to about to close out a one-point win over Arizona in Week 2. Those 16 seconds were key: Given the number of timeouts the Cardinals had remaining, the coach immediately knew he couldn’t run out the clock with kneel-downs.

“Those are scenarios you go through 100 times in your mind,” he said.

But those final seconds of a game can get frantic. Does he have an assistant coach in the booth upstairs assigned to help with clock management?

Shanahan chuckled. Of course he doesn’t. He runs the game himself.

“If I can’t do that,” he said, “then I’m really in trouble.”

It’s a curious note that Shanahan’s record (9-11) is worse than predecessor Jim Zorn’s (10-10) at the 20-game mark of his Redskins tenure. But Zorn’s time in Washington was marred by confusion and disorder, although much of it had to do with the front office structure at the time.

Shanahan is not into confusion. He’s won two Super Bowls, so he knows what he’s doing. And things will be done his way, even if means holding a news conference that competes with Saturday morning cartoons.

That’s no guarantee of success, but it certainly makes things more orderly, and it helps push the recent troubled Redskins seasons appear more distant in the rearview mirror.

“What’s happened in the past really doesn’t relate to what you are right now,” Shanahan said. “If you think you’re in the past, you are in the past.

“This is a new team; we’ve got a lot of new football players. We do have some players that were here before, but the players that are here are obviously hand-picked for this type of offence, defence and special teams and the type of people that they are. Hopefully, we can create our own identity, and hopefully it will be positive.”