I’m shocked at what the Washington Redskins have accomplished. It took the ‘Skins one game after the death of teammate Sean Taylor to refocus and rededicate their 2007 season to his memory. The result has been four straight wins and an unlikely NFC Wild Card playoff berth after thumping arch rival Dallas 27-6 yesterday. Nobody would’ve blamed this team if they had packed it in and sulked through December losses to end their season. But what it boiled down to was needing a win or a Minnesota loss to secure the NFC’s final playoff spot. And both scenarios played out in their favor yesterday.

Looking back, after Sean’s death on November 27, the Redskins were understandably shaken in a 17-16 home loss to the Buffalo Bills. But since that game and Sean’s funeral the next day, they have been a team on a mission. I don’t think anybody outside of the Redskins’ locker room expected the ‘Skins to be where they are today — preparing to travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs. Especially when you consider they are winning these games without their starting quarterback, Jason Campbell. Enter veteran Todd Collins, a guy who hadn’t attempted a pass of any sort in three years. And he hadn’t thrown a touchdown pass in five years. Four games later he’s got a 106.4 QB rating.

It would have behooved the slumping Cowboys to dispose of Washington when they had the chance. Because if there is one team Dallas does not want to see in the playoffs, it’s these Washington Redskins. And if the ‘Skins get past Seattle on Wild Card Weekend, that’s exactly what will happen. Even on the road, I believe, advantage Washington — the hottest team in the NFC.

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Washington Grabs Last NFC Playoff Spot, Todd Collins Leads ‘Skins Over Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams has been suspended without pay for one game after committing his third illegal “horse collar” tackle of the season, the NFL announced today. NFL Director of Football Ops Gene Washington issued the suspension, which will sideline Roy for the Cowboys’ game at the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night (December 22) on NFL Network.

Grabbing the inside collar of the back of the shoulder pads or jersey, or the inside collar of the side of the shoulder pads or jersey, and immediately pulling down the runner is a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Roy was penalized for making such a tackle against Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb in Sunday’s game in Dallas.

It was the fourth violation of this rule by Roy in the past two seasons which leads me to say, simply, “Duh!” I believe Roy either a.) doesn’t get it or b.) doesn’t care. He was fined $12,500 for an illegal “horse collar” tackle against the Chicago Bears on September 23 and $15,000 for the same violation against the Buffalo Bills on October 8. He received a $10,000 fine for a “horse collar” tackle against the New York Giants on October 23, 2006.

The “horse collar” rule was adopted because of Roy Williams and prior to the 2005 season to protect player safety in open field tackling. It does not apply to a runner who is in the tackle box or to a quarterback who is in the pocket.

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Roy Williams Suspended One Game For Third Illegal ‘Horse Collar’ Tackle Of Season

Defensive tackle Tank Johnson was activated by the Dallas Cowboys earlier this week after serving an eight-game suspension for violating probation on a weapons charge. But he hasn’t been talking to the media all week and he won’t until after the Cowboys game Sunday against the Giants.

This is one action I feel shows that Tank is on the right path. Whether this was his idea or a brainstorm from his agent or the Cowboys media relations department, it’s smart. By talking to the media, he’s only opening the door for potential distractions and taking away from what the team is trying to do this week, which is win a ball game. Naturally, he’ll eventually have to come out of his shell and answer questions, some of them probably stupid, but the hoopla will die down as long as he keeps his nose clean and simply does his job.

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips hasn’t revealed how much Tank will play Sunday, only that he will be “part of the rotation” that includes starter Jay Ratliff. He later guessed Tank might get about a third of the defensive snaps. It will be interesting to see how Tank’s conditioning is, but at less than half the defensive plays, that shouldn’t be too much of an issue. How productive he is with those snaps is the real deal. If he can make some plays in limited time, he’ll soon be talking about his game and his past off-the-field exploits will be just that — a thing of the past.

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Tank Johnson: Activated but Not Audible

One of the games that caught my attention this past weekend was the Houston Texans beating the Dallas Cowboys 28-16 to win the “Governor’s Cup” in the state of Texas. Rookie WR Jacoby Jones (from tiny Lane College in Jackson, TN) once again stood out. His highlight-reel plays have been a fixture in all three of the Texans’ preseason games. Following his first two impressive outings, all the rookie third-round draft pick did for an encore was return a first-quarter punt 91 yards for a touchdown, the longest in Texans preseason history. Then he caught his first NFL touchdown, a leaping 19-yarder in the corner of the end zone. He’s the league’s preseason leader in TDs with three. This guy will not only thrive as a special teams ace, but he’s going to be a much-needed weapon at WR opposite Andre Johnson. QB Matt Schaub is smiling. Here’s a link to the game highlights from Texans Internet TV.

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The Eyes of Texas Are Upon Jacoby Jones

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$3 Million Man: Terrell Owens Gets Bonus