Skins should do as '07 Giants did: Stay solid, save best for last

The Redskins, off to a 4-1 start, could be the NFL's most surprising team.

That's a popular thing to say around here, as opposed to Nashville, Tenn., home of the equally surprising 5-0 Titans.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys, a healthy 4-1 after an unimpressive victory over the winless Bengals, are considered a surprising disappointment.

Things became so dicey Sunday in Dallas that owner Jerry Jones began counseling pouty Terrell Owens on the sideline in the third quarter. Jones also huddled with the defensive unit between series, imploring his employees to make a stand.

It should be noted that Jones stopped short of grabbing a headset or joining the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders for a high-kicking dance routine.

It would be a duller NFL without the Dallas sideshow. But in some circles, Jones' hands-on, in-game theatrics are seen as further proof that the Cowboys, a favorite to reach the Super Bowl, already are in trouble.

As the league's most overanalyzed team, drama naturally follows the Cowboys. But let's resist reading too much into the latest installment of the Big D soap opera.

Why? Because it's only the second week of October.

Stop me if you've heard his before, but it's a long season. A strong break from the gate is as important for the Redskins as it is to the Titans, but the league isn't handing out hardware on Halloween.

Not that the Redskins haven't looked title worthy the last two weeks; they've been rock solid.

In victories in Philadelphia and Dallas, most of the attention has gone to the play of quarterback Jason Campbell and the play-calling of head coach Jim Zorn, but more impressive to these eyes has been the rock-ribbed performance of the Redskins' offensive and defensive lines.

Both lines are dictating play. Against Philly, the O-line opened up holes big enough for Clinton Portis and his posse to run through.

Washington picked a good year to be better than people thought. There is no great team this season, no dominating presence.

A year ago, the league was broken into two categories: The Patriots and everybody else. New England was a juggernaut and everybody else was playing for second place. Or so it seemed last October.

But even the Patriots' closest peers - the Colts, Cowboys and Packers - were more dominant than anyone appears to be this season.

Without Tom Brady, the Pats are no longer an elite team, and nobody has filled the vacuum.

The Colts, 2-2, would be an unfathomable 0-4 except for a pair of last-minute comebacks. The Giants, 4-0, might be a budding power, but it's hard to say. They caught the Redskins early, when Zorn was still more puzzled than precocious. Since then, New York hasn't played an opponent of real quality.

Which teams will rise to the top? It's anybody's guess. Even with the perfect Patriots in their path, the 2007 Giants demonstrated the relative randomness of the championship process.

In the process, they suggested that there's nothing much to be gained from playing your best football early in the season. In fact, it might be something to avoid. The Cowboys and others can take hope from that.

Those Giants hid in the weeds; they were nobody's idea of a title contender. Which team this season will take a page from that playbook?

Two of the last three Super Bowl champions - the Steelers were the other - have been wildcard entries.

Something to keep in mind when we try to see the future from early October.

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com