It is “Dallas Week” here in Washington but, according to some in the media – both national and local – the only people who pay much attention to this are Redskins fans in the District of Columbia metropolitan area and perhaps some in scattered pockets of the U.S. where they hide out and follow the goings-on of the team. According to some of these media folks, were it not for die-hard fans, the team’s PR group and long-time NFL followers, the term “Dallas Week” would not be at all significant.
But if the undefeated Washington Redskins go into the Dallas Cowboys’ house this Monday night and win, the rivalry that has gone on since 1960 will get a much-needed boost in relevancy and popularity.
Do they celebrate “Washington Week” in Dallas? I didn’t find any official record of it but Cowboys’ head coach Jason Garrett recognizes the importance of the rivalry and feels it has not changed since its “hey-day” in the 80s and 90s.
“Well, I don’t think the rivalry is any different to be honest with you,” Garrett said during a conference call yesterday in answer to a question regarding whether or not it is the same as when he entered the league. ”Certainly those [Washington and Dallas] teams were awfully good in the 90s on both sides, with Washington coming off of Superbowls and the Cowboys going into a stretch where they won three Superbowls in four years. So they were outstanding football teams competing against each other.
“But, to me that has not a whole lot to do with the rivalry. The rivalry exists and has existed throughout the history of these franchises. It’s been one of the great rivalries in the National Football League and it’s been fun to be a part of it, both as a player and now as a coach.”
“Dallas Week” has been a big deal in the hearts and minds of Redskins fans since even before Redskins’ General Manager Bruce Allen’s father, George, was the head coach of the team. In 1972 the Redskins had an 11-1 record in a 12-game season and, having battled for it since 1967, beat out the Dallas Cowboys for the division title. Obviously, that didn’t sit well with the Dallas fans or their team.
Here’s a history nugget for long-time Redskins fans: raise your hand if you were a fan in 1985 and you remember an awful Redskins-Dallas game that was played on then-Washington quarterback Joe Theismann’s birthday (September 9). The final score was 44 to 14 with Dallas the victor. Recall that Theismann had one of his worst games, completing only 15 of 35 passes attempted for 206 yards, one touchdown and five – you read it correctly – five interceptions. Does anyone remember that some the Cowboy players led some of their fans in “Happy Birthday to You” to Theismann that day?
Ouch. If that wouldn’t perpetuate a rivalry, I don’t know what would.
Nationally, this rivalry just isn’t important anymore because neither of the teams has been as competitive as they were in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s when it seemed they would regularly fight for the NFC East division title. In fact, on the NFL Network recently, analysts agreed that the Washington – Dallas rivalry doesn’t come close to that of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens or the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.
As much as NFL players say that it doesn’t matter who they’re playing next – that it’s just another game that must be planned for – playing Dallas does matter in a special way to the Washington Redskins. With the Redskins entering the game Monday night at 2-0 with one of those wins coming against an NFC (East) division opponent (NY Giants) and another against a conference opponent (Arizona Cardinals), the contest takes on an importance that fans in Washington haven’t seen since the aforementioned decades.
There is one current Redskin that has helped this rivalry stay relevant – at least to Redskins fans – because, when the Cowboys come to town or Washington travels to Dallas, this former Miami Hurricane seems to take his play to another level. That player is wide receiver Santana Moss, a.k.a. “The Cowboy Killer.” Moss has, since coming to Washington from the New York Jets in 2005, caught over 65 passes against the rivals for more than 750 yards and eight touchdowns. He knows what “Dallas Week” means to Washington fans and he knows that when the burgundy & gold meet up with the silver (and in my humble opinion, rather ugly) stars, anything can happen.
“Dallas is Dallas” Moss said Wednesday about playing against the Cowboys. “We play them twice a year and you get up for them the first time and you gotta get up for them a little bit more the second time… …it’s a big game. We know what Dallas means to everybody else in the world because, without that star it’s almost like it isn’t football (chuckle, head shake).
“Dallas was one of those teams that I watched as a kid,” he explained about his amazing play against them. “I’ve always been a fan [of theirs] so when its time for you to play and get on that stage with them you kind of – well, there’s something a little more extra. You never know what it is, it just happens, you know?”
“It is a big rivalry,” Redskins defensive lineman Kedric Golston said in the locker room Wednesday. “It’s the Cowboys and Redskins. I can remember playing ‘Cowboys and Indians’ while growing up so it just naturally fits. This is a big rivalry. The fans and everybody knows that it’s always, ‘Just win two games! And make sure they’re [against] Dallas!’
“Even going back to the 80s and 90s, this is a huge deal. Hopefully we can have the success we need so that, I guess, the ‘National Media’ will hear about it.”
Washington linebacker Brian Orakpo is only in his third year in the league but he is well aware of the rivalry and how big the game will be.
“I mean, it’s gonna be a huge game,” he said yesterday after practice. “Everybody knows about the Cowboys/Redskins game. It’s gonna be phenomenal. We’re 2-0. I don’t know what their record is right now but it really doesn’t matter. We know it’s gonna be a great game.”
Winning Monday night, especially in front of the entire nation (which is entirely possible given the way this team has played so far), would put Washington in a very good place. Going into their bye week, which comes the week after the game, not only undefeated but having beaten two division opponents as well as a conference opponent, would give them huge momentum which could help them later in the season when they get to the toughest part of their schedule.
Unfortunately, the Cowboys have played well recently as well. It is very likely that, with the injuries Dallas quarterback Tony Romo sustained last week, his exceptional play after the injury, and the comment that Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall made in the locker room yesterday about targeting those injuries, the Cowboy players will be just as fired up… just as aware of the long-standing rivalry… as the Redskins are. Those are the types of intangibles that can help a team win regardless of circumstances. But then, that is as it should be I suppose.
“If you can’t get up for games like this, then you shouldn’t be in this profession,” Redskins’ head coach Mike Shanahan said during his Wednesday press conference. “From a coaching standpoint or a player’s perspective, Monday night, especially in Dallas… it’s just a great venue. This – to me – is why you’re in this game.”
This rivalry is ongoing and it’s relevant. To quote a few Redskins fans from Sunday afternoon as the team beat the Arizona Cardinals:
“We want Dallas!”
Hail.