Yayyy Skinsss!!!! :)

Let me preface this fine piece by saying, over the last couple of weeks, the general feeling of those loyal, die hard, Skins fans has been exemplified by their completely heterosexual away messages (see headline as example).

With that being said, it's time for a Cowboys fan to do something I haven't done since I was born. Here you go Skins fans, I am finally giving your sorry organization something you will hold dearly for the rest of your lives: props.

Rewind to week 14. Going into the Chicago game, the Skins were sitting at a stellar 5-7, including a dogfight with Miami (yes, they played into overtime against the Dolphins) Arizona, the Jets, and Bills (which they had lost after their HOF [possibly an Alzheimer's patient] coach tried calling 8 timeouts to ice the Bills kicker, only to draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty reducing the game winning kick from 51 yards to a chip shot 36 yarder). They has also endured a 45 point drubbing by the Pats (a loss is acceptable but 45 points !!?!), and had recently let Terrell Owens get in the end zone FOUR times in a loss to arch-rival Dallas.

So here they sat, the hapless Redskins. Even though they had done very little worthy of praise all throughout the season, Skins fanatics stuck by their side. Unconditionally optimistic, fans everywhere of the Burgundy and gold didn't rule out the post-season. They argued, even though those games against the bottom feeders of the NFL were so close, a win is a win, and we got the job done. The odds of going undefeated to end the season were definitely small, but the motto of the Redskin faithful still held strong, "we still have a chance".

The most important part of the rest of their season would be their focus. You'd think focus would be a seemingly easy task when you are getting paid millions of dollars to do your job, and know your entire lively hood relies on it right? However, the focus of Redskin Nation was shaken in the worst possible way. On November 27, Sean Michael Maurice Taylor, standout safety, new father, and recently righted member of society was tragically gunned down in his home in Miami. The fans who thought the world of him, the players who bled, cried and fought hard with him, the coaches who molded him, and his family who loved him all mourned his death to the greatest extreme. Never mind the fact that the franchise had just lost one of the most explosive players in the league (led the league in interceptions when he passed away) and has just experienced a huge set back in terms of developing their defense, they still had to FOCUS on the task at hand which was to finish this season.

Back to week 14..... Heavy hearted, the Skins were playing inspired football against the Bears. In a must-win, the Skins were thrown another curve ball that would have a huge effect on the rest of their season. In the second quarter, starting quarterback Jason Campbell went down with a dislocated left knee cap which would most likely shelve him for the remainder of the season. Ice cold off the bench comes Todd Collins, who had been a backup in the league and seen no meaningful PT for the last TEN years. Collins, doing his best Tom Brady impersonation, went 15 of 20 for 224 and 2 TDs as he and the Skins went on to beat the Bears.

Since then, Collins has been nothing short of magnificent. "In Todd We Trust" had become the slogan of the Skins playoff campaign. Starting the next three games (under intense pressure no less, as these games were virtually must-win for the Skins playoff chances) Collins was highly efficient and threw 3 TDs and no picks in three huge wins. The first of those coming on the road at division rival New York who was also scrapping for the post-season. After that it was on the road again against a hungry, Minnesota team who need a win just as badly as the Skins. Finally came Dallas, who, due mostly indifference, but also to the fact that Skins were determined, got whacked.

Now the Skins wild ride has come to a brief halt as they have reached their short term goal. They earned themselves a spot in the post-season in form of a trip to Seattle this weekend. Whether they continue their story-book second half and pull off a win against the same team that knocked them out of the playoffs two years ago, and then go to Dallas and wipe the ever-lasting smile off Tony Romo's face, by knocking off the king of the conference Cowboys thus adding to arguably the most intense rivalry in sports, and then put on their long underwear and and go beat the rejuvenated, gun slinging Hall Of Famer while overcoming the greatest home field advantage in sports, before conquering the best team in NFL history behind Todd Collin's six touchdown passes and Reed Doughty's three interceptions of the best QB ever is yet to be seen.

To this point however, the Redskins have been living a dream. Whether it's destiny, a new focus, or just purely putting together the pieces they had all along, the Redskins have been taking care of business. And for that... I applaud them.