On September 19, 2005, Washington traveled west to Texas Stadium to face bitter rival Dallas on Monday Night Football. What unfolded in the last minutes of the game was one of the most thrilling and memorable spectacles in the last 25 years of Washington football. Get Your Commanders Tickets Here: https://bit.ly/3SpwKU3
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Rising last defense.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
That's in a shutout.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Thirteen uh puns had turned off their televisions. Under five
minutes remained in the fourth quarter of a week two
primetime showdown between Washington and Dallas. The air is hot
and thick in the domed Texas Stadium.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Cowboys are on top thirteen zero.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
He's like a great relief pitcher. Dunge in with the
lead and if he has a thirteen or more point
lead anytime in the fourth quarter. Seventy seven and oh.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
The Burgundy and Gold hadn't won in Dallas in a decade.
In his entire Hall of Fame career, Dallas head coach
Bill Parcells had never lost when leading by thirteen or
more points anytime during a fourth quarter.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
I'll tell you.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
We have seen something probably to these years. This was
only a thirteen nothing game, but this one ran right
up there in terms of improbability.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
A killer born, the heart of a team revealed. What
happens is one of the most exciting, one of the
most memorable spectacles in the last twenty five years of
Washington football. This is hail Tales stories from Washington football history.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
The Monday Night Miracle.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Heading into the two thousand and five season, there were
embers of hopes moldering in Washington. A year earlier, the
legendary Joe Gibbs had come out of retirement to become
head coach of the team again. All Pro defensive back
Sean Springs remembers the crescendo of optimism in Ashbourn.
Speaker 6 (02:11):
Well, I think it started with four where you know,
we all have a whole bunch of free agents. Myself
Marcus Washington Clinton Ports got traded from Denver to Washington.
We had a pretty good group of free agents that
came in and coach Gibbs first year, so he had
pretty much changed over for the whole organization and team,
(02:33):
and we had a rough two thousand and four, but
we felt like we were building on something. In two
thousand and five, we'd had one year under I belt
with being with coach Gibbs, we had a great offseason
great spring.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Springs was part of a Washington defense led by defensive
coordinator Greg Williams that had all the talent, toughness, and discipline.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
The unit in two.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Thousand and five feature other difference makers like Sean Taylor.
Speaker 7 (03:03):
Is intercepted by Sean Taylor, his second pick today, Sean Taylor,
Tanner Tanner, my god, Tannler, this John Taylor at the
knockout punch?
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Maybe wow, LeVar Arrington.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
He's a big hit from LaVar Arrington if he did.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
And Marcus Washington.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Kicking night.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Where most of the questions swirled was around the other
side of the ball. Former Washington beat writer Jason Locknfora explains.
Speaker 8 (03:46):
Really for me, it was about is this going to
be a modern NFL offense or isn't it? Are they
going to be able to produce an offense that's even
close enough to league average to allow what had been
a really defense to kind of lead them somewhere? Could
they be a playoff team or wild card ish team.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Moves were made in the offseason to ramp up the offense.
Quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave joined the staff, adding the shotgun
formation to Washington's playbook. Left tackle Chris Samuels was given
a contract that included the richest signing bonus in franchise history,
and a very important weapon was added to Washington's wide
(04:30):
receiver room.
Speaker 9 (04:35):
Wide receiver Lavernius Cole traded to the Jets for Santana
Moss In Moss the Redskins obtained an explosive wide receiver
with blazing speed who is also a dynamic punt returner.
We're excited to have Santana Moss. Vice president Vinie Ferrado
said yesterday, He's been a touchdown maker and he has
great speed.
Speaker 10 (04:55):
Just looking at this season as a whole two thousand
and three to two thousand and four, I was then upward,
you know, especially still on my rookie deal, and I
remember coming into the season at four with perhaps an
agreement of verbal agreement with my agent and the ownership
of Hates to be going to take care of Tena,
you know, probably before the season or why the season
(05:16):
going on, and then all of a sudden in three
sixty things changed.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
So to come to get.
Speaker 10 (05:21):
Into the offseason after a playoff Berth that would have
been my third playoff appearance in four years, and to
hear that I'm about to be traded, I scratched my head.
But at the same time, when I understood what was
going on, I was ecstatic about the opportunity and just
knowing that I had some guys over here in Washington
(05:41):
that I couldn't.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Wait to play with again.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
The storylines about Washington's offense and defense would be underscored.
In the team's season opening win against the Bears.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
Everything expected, close, defensive battles certainly offen except for reporters.
Speaker 7 (06:00):
One hundred and twenty one yards not a lot to
look at, but the Skins win the game.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
No touchdowns scored by Washington.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Defense was the star of the show, and the task
ahead would only be tougher.
Speaker 11 (06:16):
Anytime you go going to Dallas and you playing the Cowgirls,
it gets even more intensified.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Clinton portis NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, two time
Pro Bowler, member of Washington's ninety greatest.
Speaker 11 (06:31):
You know, the city is kind of an electric especially
coming off a weed.
Speaker 12 (06:36):
So the Sydney.
Speaker 11 (06:37):
Electrop everybody Cowboys, Cowboys, Cowboys Week Cowboys.
Speaker 13 (06:42):
People ask, you know, what do you miss about the
NFL not being there.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
It's that rivalry.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Joe Gibbs, three time Super Bowl champion, Hall of Famer
and coach of that two thousand and five team.
Speaker 13 (06:56):
As much as when you say Redskin and Cowboys, nobody's
on the fence.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
You're one or the other.
Speaker 13 (07:05):
That's what makes I think the NFL really special because
you do build up rivalries and that comes from playing
somebody twice a year.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
And in this era of the rivalry, two renowned coaches
were facing off in Gibbs and Dallas's Bill Parcells.
Speaker 13 (07:26):
Bill Parcells to me was I think one of the
most talented guys to ever coach in the NFL. I
had great respect for him. I laugh. I said, now
sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the
night with the nightmare, it's Bill parcellsick. I thought he
(07:48):
was really gifted as a coach. Didn't like going to
get parcels. And when he was with the Giants, we
had some classic battles. And then.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I said, it's the worst thing that happened. Now they
get in coaching the Cowboys.
Speaker 12 (08:05):
I said, that's not a good thing.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
So the stage was set.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Week two of the two thousand and five season, Washington
heads to Dallas for a showdown at the iconic Texas Stadium.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
It was different.
Speaker 10 (08:28):
I mean, even though the stadium was considered old at
that time, it was star studded. I mean, you can
honestly feel a different energy.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
In the building when you're there. The way it was.
Speaker 10 (08:38):
Set up, the way it looked, I mean, just the
arrival along how the fans greeted you. It was like
you was coming into a place where you wasn't liked
and the fans that you know out the gate, but
beyond that's just when you enter that stadium, when you
saw that big star in the middle of the field,
you knew this is what I watched before, you know,
as a kid man watching big games being played in
(08:59):
this stadium.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
The pregame buzz was particularly amplified for kicker Nick Novack.
Speaker 12 (09:06):
My first NFL game was a Monday night game.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Novak, a Charlottesville, Virginia native who had played at the
University of Maryland, had just been signed a couple of
days earlier after spending time on Dallas's practice squad.
Speaker 14 (09:21):
Getting the opportunity to go from Maryland to now the
Washington Redskins was it was a rare opportunity. I think
a whole lot of guys, I think it played for
their their hometown team. And I even stayed in n
Ashburne with my cousins, stayed at their house so i'd
be close to home.
Speaker 12 (09:37):
I was.
Speaker 14 (09:37):
It was during the season, so I got picked up,
and you know, I didn't know where I was going
to stay. Definitely heard what the neighbors had to think
about the game and all that stuff after every game.
Speaker 12 (09:46):
So that was fun. But yeah, I knew it was
it was. It was.
Speaker 14 (09:51):
It was everything to try to beat that team. And
I'm sure if I stayed on the Cowboys back in
preseason it'd be it would be the opposite thing.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Here we go the end of the week. Number two
Tyson Thompson, a great looking lookie out of San Jose State,
maybe the fastest guy.
Speaker 12 (10:08):
On the team.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Nick Novack just signed as a quick cup against John Holm.
Is hurt to put it in the air and the
Cowboys would take it from the.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Seven yard line.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
The game does not start off well for Washington. Former
center Casey Rabach remembers.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Offensively, we were just flat. We really were.
Speaker 15 (10:27):
It wasn't from lack of preparation or anything like that.
It just came out flat, just kind of not not
in tune with each other. We couldn't get the run
game going, the passing game was non existent. Protection wise,
We're horrible upfront.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Drive started.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
At the Washington thirty one yard line.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
We're now out of the shotgun, a formation that Washington
did not use.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
It all last year, and maybe that's one of the ragons.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Brunell loves the shotgun, but Dad Win was able to
They did not want a single play and the shotgun
last year, and their first play is that.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Second and sixteen. Here's we know one of the shotguns swings.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Because the out side's in a second nine none at
the forty yard line. Newman will sit Dallas up in
grave field position at the beginning of the second quarter
because that's the play that aids the first period.
Speaker 11 (11:24):
A lot of the stuff that we practice we weren't doing.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Dallas gets on the board with a field goal in
the second quarter.
Speaker 10 (11:32):
Then ty your first half.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
It's like we in won those matches.
Speaker 10 (11:35):
You know it's a gross match and you know one
of us is going to come out on top.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
We knew that we could keep you know, any week
we played, we could keep.
Speaker 6 (11:43):
Us in the game, right regardless of the offer score
thirty points of the score twelve we work on give
up a lot of points.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
That will slot to the right shotgun. Here, let's show
a third down and eight players over the middle and
next court, but shy of the first down, as Sean
Springs made sure Jason Witten doesn't get the first down,
and Damas is forced to punt.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
You know, that's one thing that really impresses me with
his Washington redskin corners is that they're good tackles. And
the play before we saw Wald Harris make a good
open field tackle and then on that one Sean Springs
make a good open field tackle.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
At halftime, the score is three to zero Cowboys.
Speaker 16 (12:20):
Hell al I spoke to both coaches at the half,
starting with Joe Gibbs.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I asked him.
Speaker 16 (12:23):
About his defense being on the field almost seventeen minutes
in the first half in this heat. He said the
reason for that turnovers, returned the ball over twice. For
his offense struggling to move the ball in the first half,
he said, we have to do a better job with
the ball. Ask for Bill Parcells. He said, hey, we
are struggling just like they are, despite having the edge
in time of possession, a decent field position. He said,
(12:46):
we've slowed down a bit. We got to get our
running game going.
Speaker 17 (12:50):
It wasn't like I wonder what amazing, you know, halftime
adjustments they were going to make. It was more like,
can anybody take advantage of a busted coverage and make
a play? Like can somebody catch a screen pass out
in the flat, they catch a couple of blocks and
get fifty yards at yack and turn nothing into something
like it was.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
The bar was was set pretty low.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Dallas pulls even further ahead in the third quarter, first
in twenty years.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
And the toss could lets.
Speaker 7 (13:22):
From Jones and anything to Glen put a touchdown.
Speaker 13 (13:29):
That game was so disappointing because really there wasn't much
for a Redskin fan to cheer.
Speaker 12 (13:38):
Four in that game.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Although down by ten and struggling to put points on
the board, Washington still is within striking distance and there
was a belief that this team could still turn the
game around.
Speaker 12 (13:55):
I never give up.
Speaker 11 (13:56):
You know, anything could have their own thing you liked,
especially for us by in that day, it was like, man,
we need to get a turn of or we just
need to score to get points on the board.
Speaker 12 (14:07):
And again it was weird situations.
Speaker 11 (14:10):
When you got Tanner, you got Coolly. Myself, it was
always hey, man, like somebody can make a players and
you know, having sarantee of having a defense that we.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Had at the time, like anybody can make the plays.
But it was kind of on us.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
We always took up like as a challenge in the
fourth Dallas as a field goal.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Washington is down thirteen zero.
Speaker 15 (14:37):
Amazingly, when you went to the sideline, you never felt
the panic button pushed, and guys still believed. Guys still
were into the game, and you know, had had faith
that we're gonna win this game.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Somethingow some way.
Speaker 10 (14:53):
I took my hamelet off and I had this frown
on my face. And then that's when Porters walked up.
Speaker 11 (14:58):
Tannel was kind of hot, you know, on the sideline,
couldn't get nothing going on at Tanner like man, like
what's up? You know, you got this crazy look on
your face, you know what I mean? And he just like,
you know, old tann Away, like, man, we've been practicing.
Name needs to calling it like what was right?
Speaker 10 (15:18):
Don't get me wrong, It's never been about me. I
mean any team I played on, I won't even mention
that I'm not getting the ball if the ball did
come away, because I believe everybody has a job and
I shouldn't never have to tell a coach or coach
is that your number one receiver needs to get the ball, you.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Know, saying Tanner Man. We call him Tanna Man. Eight
and nine. He won't speak up for himself. He will
not like he's not the typical receiver where he'll be like,
don't be the damn ball or I'm an he's not
that guy. He won't do that. He'll just he'll just
be like, you know, sitting on the bench or whatever.
And I saw see Pete talking to him, and.
Speaker 11 (15:59):
I just will old coach like man tying to say
he can he can get get safety, like let's run X,
Y Z, And.
Speaker 12 (16:05):
Then here you go.
Speaker 10 (16:06):
Coach Gifts come back and like, hey, you want to
run a dino if we get the ball back, And
I'm like, look up at the clock, and no disrespect
I didn't want to be disrespectful. So I'm like, sure, coach,
like you know, I had to look him up, and
he's like, now you want to throw this ball to me?
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Washington does get the ball back.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Second ten from thirty eight.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Pressure around Bruno and then you've got one Williams coming
into prety is a good chance you're gonna see, yeah, sack.
Speaker 18 (16:33):
And that's what happens here.
Speaker 15 (16:35):
Mark Maya got sacked either on second down or third
down somewhere around there.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
And I think Mark said something. I remember saying something
in the halloway we hallo up after that. One of
the fact of get your head out of here. Let's
go win this game.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Under four minutes left to play, fourth and fifteen.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Broad rising. That's three fans to put some in the shutout.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Thirteen nothing. They'd have to get to the twenty four yards.
Went to throw Georgia.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Brunell hanging in, going deep and pass touching out by satan.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
On Marn and boom.
Speaker 10 (17:19):
The first touchdown was strong.
Speaker 12 (17:21):
It was it was.
Speaker 10 (17:21):
It was a denal route that I had, you know,
saw previously ran by Marvin Harrison when he was playing
at Indy against Aaron Glenn, when Aaron Glenn played with
me in New York, and so I was a young
pup watching Marvin Habison run this route and it was
always closer to the end zone. Coach said, Hey, what
the heck, Tanneker run? I just run it from wherever
(17:42):
we at on the field. Like if you look at
that play over and look how close it was for
me not making that catch, Like I believe Roy Williams
was right there. If he would have just launched it
and took the pass interference, I'd probably get hit. The
ball probably bounced off of both of us and it's
no catch, but Roy didn't want to pass in affair call,
so he just kind of like swiped out my hand
(18:02):
and boom the ball fit perfectly, great pass throw by
Mark Brunell, and come jog or trot to the sideline,
and everybody kind of like it has a it's like
a breath of fresh air now on our sideline. And
Coach Gibbs like, hey, like, I guess this kid know
what he's talking about.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Damn we caught it, like he's scored. We back in it.
So then it was like defense, get up.
Speaker 12 (18:23):
We just need to stop.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
We just need to stop. And everybody was just like
re energized, and we just went out there.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
And then I think sometime I sposed to two minute
running left for Washington. You think that we know the
way for ourselves, just played through the years. He loves
to play clock Bulls had the running game. But tonight
that Washington defense is steimy Dallas. You've got Jones carrying
nineteen times for sixty five yards only two point nine per.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Rush tonight or doubting, the defense holds strong, Dallas is
forced to punt the Buyers punk is.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
Too deep.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
And that will come out to the twenty yard line,
so they'll have to go eighty yards in two fifty two.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Not the game is closer. No offense getting the ball back.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
You know we weren't you know, we had that one
big explosive play and you're thinking, all right, Dallas is
gonna wake up now.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
They've been playing good defense all game.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Washington has the ball under three minutes left. On the
first play of the drive, Brunell dumps the ball off
to Portos for ten yards first and ten on Washington's
thirty yard line.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
Yeah, this is when you find up out about your
offensive defense. So this is what good offense is, when
you can make plays in this situation are good defense
is when you can stop those plays.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
From the thirty yard going.
Speaker 7 (19:48):
Ten on r for a touchdown.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
Wow, unbelievable.
Speaker 10 (19:55):
It wasn't the same play, but it was. Coaches like,
what's they're playing flat foot back there? I see Roy
Williams want to play up in a box more so
than he want to be be a deep safety. So
and just from where the corner was playing me was
he was out wide and he was deep. So I'm
like I knew right there in there some kind of
bracket going on against you know, for me just basically saying,
(20:15):
all right, both of us got him. We're gonna disguise
this in a way to where it looks like we
play in one position, but we both have him. And
so the second touchdown was just a post route, a
deep post and being the receiver that I am, I
was looking at the lineman and I say, instead of
me running this with the angle or that I will
normally give it, I'm going to run cheating a little
(20:36):
more towards the safety, so I can already give myself
a good jump away from the dB the cornerback and
when by the time I put my foot in the ground,
that means I would be on top of the safety
because he's already flat. So I angled towards the safety
more so than the straight up the field. So when
I put my foot in the ground, the safety won't
have a clear cut to come, you know, ring my bell.
(20:57):
So by doing that, when I was able to get
on him, ain't ground and knowing Roy Williams wasn't going
to back up by the time I took that, what
I guess I was counting in my head probably my
twelfth step when I put that foot in the ground
and go to the post. You know, normally when you
have a deep post, you're telling yourself by my second count,
you know, my second step out of that post, out
(21:19):
of that initial plant, the ball should be in the air.
When I planned it, I was like in my head,
I'm like one, two and getting ready to say three
to look back now for the ball. The ball was
coming down. So I'm like Mark Brunell, the genius of
Mark Brunell. He just knew Tanner's go on to beat him.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
So let me get this ball up.
Speaker 10 (21:39):
High and with an arc and quick.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
And he did so.
Speaker 10 (21:43):
Man, And it made it simple enough for me, or
it made it easier for me to be able to
catch it without having to worry about Aaron Glenn coming
into the picture at the last minute.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
If you want to go back and.
Speaker 10 (21:52):
Watch it, Aaron Glenn's hand just barely misses it. So
being that Mark Ronell pull up with a perfect time
and just knew where I was going to be at man,
it was like you could you would have thought me
and Mark will had been doing that all summer.
Speaker 6 (22:05):
A long come out again, Mark, those who bombed the Santana,
And You're like what like like this? Where where was
this for the first three quarters while waiting any give
everybody a heart attack all and then when Santana caught
it and ran it in. I just remember him spinning
the ball, you know his classics Tan of man spinning
the ball.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Thirteen thirteen, Nick Novak steps up to hopefully kick the
game winning extra point in his first ever NFL game.
Speaker 12 (22:36):
You know, extra points a little different now.
Speaker 14 (22:38):
Back then, if you're kicking from the ten yard line,
so it's only a twenty yard trip shot, you know.
Speaker 12 (22:43):
Now it's from the thirty three, so you got a
thirty three yard field goal now. But uh, you know,
I just just normal routine.
Speaker 14 (22:52):
It's pretty common to be post one hundred percent on
still go or extra point accuracy from that range. So
I wasn't worried about missing or any of those thoughts.
Speaker 12 (23:02):
Weren't creeping in my mind. It was just get the
job done.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
And Novak bangs one crew in his NFL debut. So
with two thirty five remaining in regulation, it's now.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Fourteen thirteen, the job gets done on that part of
special teams. Novak is then called into action in a
different capacity just seconds later.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
So on this night when the crowd and they're always
into the Redskins and the Cowboys had things in hand,
and all of a sudden hit a dog fight. Down
by one, Tyson Thompson is back to return the kid
novakcins at skyward. It comes down to a two yard line.
This is the rookie Tyson Thompson past the twenty that
(23:48):
they burst their speed and Novaka kicker makes the tackle
at midfield.
Speaker 12 (23:54):
I was able to stop him and it was for
sure going to be a touchdown.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
A touchdown prevented, but Dallas does get great field position
for a chance to rip the victory from Washington's hands.
Speaker 13 (24:08):
They really intense thing for me was then we had
to stop them on the drive. I got to tell you,
I was so uptight. Those are the things that I
just wonder sometimes, how how fast was my heart beating,
because now you know you're you are so wrapped up
(24:29):
in that, and now.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
You're down to one last play barring a pass interference
ball which could also set up a field.
Speaker 18 (24:36):
Goal, and it throws under knee and it's drolls and
let the gold the gin and then a look a lot,
a look of ten.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
And that's the way the ball game will end.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
After that, you looked at their sideline and just pure defeat.
It was freaking awesome. It was absolutely awesome.
Speaker 13 (24:58):
Means so much to me, So the fan base, for
everybody that posts for the Redskins in those days, all
those people to be able to celebrate that, it's just
it's one of the great thrills in life.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
That odds defying, heart stopping win showed who Washington was
and where this team could go.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
I think that the game was like we needed that,
we needed that, we needed that way.
Speaker 11 (25:42):
I think the Extember brownout A team was generman.
Speaker 10 (25:45):
That year was magical. You know that that that team,
you know, we really fought and and and went went
through games that year. I don't know if you can
consider or call that game one of the starting points
to us knowing that we was pretty good and.
Speaker 11 (25:58):
It was one of those tough teams that we knew
we had all of too. Coach Gibbs and staff just like, hey,
Greg Williams gonna call it a tough place, defense, a
tough game, You're gonna hit people, and offensively, who's gonna
grind it out?
Speaker 4 (26:15):
We're coming down here.
Speaker 11 (26:16):
So it was like everybody had brought into our identity
and we knew who we were.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
Like that lump we're gonna leave lump song. That's what
Coach Gibbs. So we're gonna leave some lump songs.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
You know you played us for Santana Moss. The performance
immediately endeared him to his new city.
Speaker 11 (26:33):
Two touchdowns within three minutes, four minutes, Sue mc bombs
and that.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Created the cowboy killer.
Speaker 10 (26:42):
That's the way you want to be recognized. That's the
way you want to tell them, like, this is what
you're getting, you know. And I think that's what That's
what I was more pleased with than anything. I didn't
care about how we wanted, how I always care. I
went into both of those games we won, and we
two of like I'm gonna show you who sent Tenta
Moss is.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Like subscribe, comment and stay tuned for more Hailtales episodes
this summer. This episode of Haletals was narrated, produced, and
researched by me Hannah Liechtenstein, senior copywriter for the Washington Commanders.
It was produced and edited by Jason Johnson, edited by
Nick Lianos. Executive producers are Ryan Yoakum and Kevin Klein.
(27:34):
Additional voice over help comes from Bram Weinstein Graphics, designed
by Zach Osborne and Matt Cashman. Thank you to our
guests for their contributions, and thank you for listening.
Rising last defense.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
That's in a shutout.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Thirteen uh puns had turned off their televisions. Under five
minutes remained in the fourth quarter of a week two
primetime showdown between Washington and Dallas. The air is hot
and thick in the domed Texas Stadium.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Cowboys are on top thirteen zero.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
He's like a great relief pitcher. Dunge in with the
lead and if he has a thirteen or more point
lead anytime in the fourth quarter. Seventy seven and oh.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
The Burgundy and Gold hadn't won in Dallas in a decade.
In his entire Hall of Fame career, Dallas head coach
Bill Parcells had never lost when leading by thirteen or
more points anytime during a fourth quarter.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
I'll tell you.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
We have seen something probably to these years. This was
only a thirteen nothing game, but this one ran right
up there in terms of improbability.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
A killer born, the heart of a team revealed. What
happens is one of the most exciting, one of the
most memorable spectacles in the last twenty five years of
Washington football. This is hail Tales stories from Washington football history.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
The Monday Night Miracle.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Heading into the two thousand and five season, there were
embers of hopes moldering in Washington. A year earlier, the
legendary Joe Gibbs had come out of retirement to become
head coach of the team again. All Pro defensive back
Sean Springs remembers the crescendo of optimism in Ashbourn.
Speaker 6 (02:11):
Well, I think it started with four where you know,
we all have a whole bunch of free agents. Myself
Marcus Washington Clinton Ports got traded from Denver to Washington.
We had a pretty good group of free agents that
came in and coach Gibbs first year, so he had
pretty much changed over for the whole organization and team,
(02:33):
and we had a rough two thousand and four, but
we felt like we were building on something. In two
thousand and five, we'd had one year under I belt
with being with coach Gibbs, we had a great offseason
great spring.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Springs was part of a Washington defense led by defensive
coordinator Greg Williams that had all the talent, toughness, and discipline.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
The unit in two.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Thousand and five feature other difference makers like Sean Taylor.
Speaker 7 (03:03):
Is intercepted by Sean Taylor, his second pick today, Sean Taylor,
Tanner Tanner, my god, Tannler, this John Taylor at the
knockout punch?
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Maybe wow, LeVar Arrington.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
He's a big hit from LaVar Arrington if he did.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
And Marcus Washington.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Kicking night.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Where most of the questions swirled was around the other
side of the ball. Former Washington beat writer Jason Locknfora explains.
Speaker 8 (03:46):
Really for me, it was about is this going to
be a modern NFL offense or isn't it? Are they
going to be able to produce an offense that's even
close enough to league average to allow what had been
a really defense to kind of lead them somewhere? Could
they be a playoff team or wild card ish team.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Moves were made in the offseason to ramp up the offense.
Quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave joined the staff, adding the shotgun
formation to Washington's playbook. Left tackle Chris Samuels was given
a contract that included the richest signing bonus in franchise history,
and a very important weapon was added to Washington's wide
(04:30):
receiver room.
Speaker 9 (04:35):
Wide receiver Lavernius Cole traded to the Jets for Santana
Moss In Moss the Redskins obtained an explosive wide receiver
with blazing speed who is also a dynamic punt returner.
We're excited to have Santana Moss. Vice president Vinie Ferrado
said yesterday, He's been a touchdown maker and he has
great speed.
Speaker 10 (04:55):
Just looking at this season as a whole two thousand
and three to two thousand and four, I was then upward,
you know, especially still on my rookie deal, and I
remember coming into the season at four with perhaps an
agreement of verbal agreement with my agent and the ownership
of Hates to be going to take care of Tena,
you know, probably before the season or why the season
(05:16):
going on, and then all of a sudden in three
sixty things changed.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
So to come to get.
Speaker 10 (05:21):
Into the offseason after a playoff Berth that would have
been my third playoff appearance in four years, and to
hear that I'm about to be traded, I scratched my head.
But at the same time, when I understood what was
going on, I was ecstatic about the opportunity and just
knowing that I had some guys over here in Washington
(05:41):
that I couldn't.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Wait to play with again.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
The storylines about Washington's offense and defense would be underscored.
In the team's season opening win against the Bears.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
Everything expected, close, defensive battles certainly offen except for reporters.
Speaker 7 (06:00):
One hundred and twenty one yards not a lot to
look at, but the Skins win the game.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
No touchdowns scored by Washington.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Defense was the star of the show, and the task
ahead would only be tougher.
Speaker 11 (06:16):
Anytime you go going to Dallas and you playing the Cowgirls,
it gets even more intensified.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Clinton portis NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, two time
Pro Bowler, member of Washington's ninety greatest.
Speaker 11 (06:31):
You know, the city is kind of an electric especially
coming off a weed.
Speaker 12 (06:36):
So the Sydney.
Speaker 11 (06:37):
Electrop everybody Cowboys, Cowboys, Cowboys Week Cowboys.
Speaker 13 (06:42):
People ask, you know, what do you miss about the
NFL not being there.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
It's that rivalry.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Joe Gibbs, three time Super Bowl champion, Hall of Famer
and coach of that two thousand and five team.
Speaker 13 (06:56):
As much as when you say Redskin and Cowboys, nobody's
on the fence.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
You're one or the other.
Speaker 13 (07:05):
That's what makes I think the NFL really special because
you do build up rivalries and that comes from playing
somebody twice a year.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
And in this era of the rivalry, two renowned coaches
were facing off in Gibbs and Dallas's Bill Parcells.
Speaker 13 (07:26):
Bill Parcells to me was I think one of the
most talented guys to ever coach in the NFL. I
had great respect for him. I laugh. I said, now
sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the
night with the nightmare, it's Bill parcellsick. I thought he
(07:48):
was really gifted as a coach. Didn't like going to
get parcels. And when he was with the Giants, we
had some classic battles. And then.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I said, it's the worst thing that happened. Now they
get in coaching the Cowboys.
Speaker 12 (08:05):
I said, that's not a good thing.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
So the stage was set.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Week two of the two thousand and five season, Washington
heads to Dallas for a showdown at the iconic Texas Stadium.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
It was different.
Speaker 10 (08:28):
I mean, even though the stadium was considered old at
that time, it was star studded. I mean, you can
honestly feel a different energy.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
In the building when you're there. The way it was.
Speaker 10 (08:38):
Set up, the way it looked, I mean, just the
arrival along how the fans greeted you. It was like
you was coming into a place where you wasn't liked
and the fans that you know out the gate, but
beyond that's just when you enter that stadium, when you
saw that big star in the middle of the field,
you knew this is what I watched before, you know,
as a kid man watching big games being played in
(08:59):
this stadium.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
The pregame buzz was particularly amplified for kicker Nick Novack.
Speaker 12 (09:06):
My first NFL game was a Monday night game.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Novak, a Charlottesville, Virginia native who had played at the
University of Maryland, had just been signed a couple of
days earlier after spending time on Dallas's practice squad.
Speaker 14 (09:21):
Getting the opportunity to go from Maryland to now the
Washington Redskins was it was a rare opportunity. I think
a whole lot of guys, I think it played for
their their hometown team. And I even stayed in n
Ashburne with my cousins, stayed at their house so i'd
be close to home.
Speaker 12 (09:37):
I was.
Speaker 14 (09:37):
It was during the season, so I got picked up,
and you know, I didn't know where I was going
to stay. Definitely heard what the neighbors had to think
about the game and all that stuff after every game.
Speaker 12 (09:46):
So that was fun. But yeah, I knew it was
it was. It was.
Speaker 14 (09:51):
It was everything to try to beat that team. And
I'm sure if I stayed on the Cowboys back in
preseason it'd be it would be the opposite thing.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Here we go the end of the week. Number two
Tyson Thompson, a great looking lookie out of San Jose State,
maybe the fastest guy.
Speaker 12 (10:08):
On the team.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Nick Novack just signed as a quick cup against John Holm.
Is hurt to put it in the air and the
Cowboys would take it from the.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Seven yard line.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
The game does not start off well for Washington. Former
center Casey Rabach remembers.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Offensively, we were just flat. We really were.
Speaker 15 (10:27):
It wasn't from lack of preparation or anything like that.
It just came out flat, just kind of not not
in tune with each other. We couldn't get the run
game going, the passing game was non existent. Protection wise,
We're horrible upfront.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Drive started.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
At the Washington thirty one yard line.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
We're now out of the shotgun, a formation that Washington
did not use.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
It all last year, and maybe that's one of the ragons.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Brunell loves the shotgun, but Dad Win was able to
They did not want a single play and the shotgun
last year, and their first play is that.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Second and sixteen. Here's we know one of the shotguns swings.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Because the out side's in a second nine none at
the forty yard line. Newman will sit Dallas up in
grave field position at the beginning of the second quarter
because that's the play that aids the first period.
Speaker 11 (11:24):
A lot of the stuff that we practice we weren't doing.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Dallas gets on the board with a field goal in
the second quarter.
Speaker 10 (11:32):
Then ty your first half.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
It's like we in won those matches.
Speaker 10 (11:35):
You know it's a gross match and you know one
of us is going to come out on top.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
We knew that we could keep you know, any week
we played, we could keep.
Speaker 6 (11:43):
Us in the game, right regardless of the offer score
thirty points of the score twelve we work on give
up a lot of points.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
That will slot to the right shotgun. Here, let's show
a third down and eight players over the middle and
next court, but shy of the first down, as Sean
Springs made sure Jason Witten doesn't get the first down,
and Damas is forced to punt.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
You know, that's one thing that really impresses me with
his Washington redskin corners is that they're good tackles. And
the play before we saw Wald Harris make a good
open field tackle and then on that one Sean Springs
make a good open field tackle.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
At halftime, the score is three to zero Cowboys.
Speaker 16 (12:20):
Hell al I spoke to both coaches at the half,
starting with Joe Gibbs.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I asked him.
Speaker 16 (12:23):
About his defense being on the field almost seventeen minutes
in the first half in this heat. He said the
reason for that turnovers, returned the ball over twice. For
his offense struggling to move the ball in the first half,
he said, we have to do a better job with
the ball. Ask for Bill Parcells. He said, hey, we
are struggling just like they are, despite having the edge
in time of possession, a decent field position. He said,
(12:46):
we've slowed down a bit. We got to get our
running game going.
Speaker 17 (12:50):
It wasn't like I wonder what amazing, you know, halftime
adjustments they were going to make. It was more like,
can anybody take advantage of a busted coverage and make
a play? Like can somebody catch a screen pass out
in the flat, they catch a couple of blocks and
get fifty yards at yack and turn nothing into something
like it was.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
The bar was was set pretty low.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Dallas pulls even further ahead in the third quarter, first
in twenty years.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
And the toss could lets.
Speaker 7 (13:22):
From Jones and anything to Glen put a touchdown.
Speaker 13 (13:29):
That game was so disappointing because really there wasn't much
for a Redskin fan to cheer.
Speaker 12 (13:38):
Four in that game.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Although down by ten and struggling to put points on
the board, Washington still is within striking distance and there
was a belief that this team could still turn the
game around.
Speaker 12 (13:55):
I never give up.
Speaker 11 (13:56):
You know, anything could have their own thing you liked,
especially for us by in that day, it was like, man,
we need to get a turn of or we just
need to score to get points on the board.
Speaker 12 (14:07):
And again it was weird situations.
Speaker 11 (14:10):
When you got Tanner, you got Coolly. Myself, it was
always hey, man, like somebody can make a players and
you know, having sarantee of having a defense that we.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Had at the time, like anybody can make the plays.
But it was kind of on us.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
We always took up like as a challenge in the
fourth Dallas as a field goal.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Washington is down thirteen zero.
Speaker 15 (14:37):
Amazingly, when you went to the sideline, you never felt
the panic button pushed, and guys still believed. Guys still
were into the game, and you know, had had faith
that we're gonna win this game.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Somethingow some way.
Speaker 10 (14:53):
I took my hamelet off and I had this frown
on my face. And then that's when Porters walked up.
Speaker 11 (14:58):
Tannel was kind of hot, you know, on the sideline,
couldn't get nothing going on at Tanner like man, like
what's up? You know, you got this crazy look on
your face, you know what I mean? And he just like,
you know, old tann Away, like, man, we've been practicing.
Name needs to calling it like what was right?
Speaker 10 (15:18):
Don't get me wrong, It's never been about me. I
mean any team I played on, I won't even mention
that I'm not getting the ball if the ball did
come away, because I believe everybody has a job and
I shouldn't never have to tell a coach or coach
is that your number one receiver needs to get the ball, you.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Know, saying Tanner Man. We call him Tanna Man. Eight
and nine. He won't speak up for himself. He will
not like he's not the typical receiver where he'll be like,
don't be the damn ball or I'm an he's not
that guy. He won't do that. He'll just he'll just
be like, you know, sitting on the bench or whatever.
And I saw see Pete talking to him, and.
Speaker 11 (15:59):
I just will old coach like man tying to say
he can he can get get safety, like let's run X,
Y Z, And.
Speaker 12 (16:05):
Then here you go.
Speaker 10 (16:06):
Coach Gifts come back and like, hey, you want to
run a dino if we get the ball back, And
I'm like, look up at the clock, and no disrespect
I didn't want to be disrespectful. So I'm like, sure, coach,
like you know, I had to look him up, and
he's like, now you want to throw this ball to me?
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Washington does get the ball back.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Second ten from thirty eight.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Pressure around Bruno and then you've got one Williams coming
into prety is a good chance you're gonna see, yeah, sack.
Speaker 18 (16:33):
And that's what happens here.
Speaker 15 (16:35):
Mark Maya got sacked either on second down or third
down somewhere around there.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
And I think Mark said something. I remember saying something
in the halloway we hallo up after that. One of
the fact of get your head out of here. Let's
go win this game.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Under four minutes left to play, fourth and fifteen.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Broad rising. That's three fans to put some in the shutout.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Thirteen nothing. They'd have to get to the twenty four yards.
Went to throw Georgia.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Brunell hanging in, going deep and pass touching out by satan.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
On Marn and boom.
Speaker 10 (17:19):
The first touchdown was strong.
Speaker 12 (17:21):
It was it was.
Speaker 10 (17:21):
It was a denal route that I had, you know,
saw previously ran by Marvin Harrison when he was playing
at Indy against Aaron Glenn, when Aaron Glenn played with
me in New York, and so I was a young
pup watching Marvin Habison run this route and it was
always closer to the end zone. Coach said, Hey, what
the heck, Tanneker run? I just run it from wherever
(17:42):
we at on the field. Like if you look at
that play over and look how close it was for
me not making that catch, Like I believe Roy Williams
was right there. If he would have just launched it
and took the pass interference, I'd probably get hit. The
ball probably bounced off of both of us and it's
no catch, but Roy didn't want to pass in affair call,
so he just kind of like swiped out my hand
(18:02):
and boom the ball fit perfectly, great pass throw by
Mark Brunell, and come jog or trot to the sideline,
and everybody kind of like it has a it's like
a breath of fresh air now on our sideline. And
Coach Gibbs like, hey, like, I guess this kid know
what he's talking about.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Damn we caught it, like he's scored. We back in it.
So then it was like defense, get up.
Speaker 12 (18:23):
We just need to stop.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
We just need to stop. And everybody was just like
re energized, and we just went out there.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
And then I think sometime I sposed to two minute
running left for Washington. You think that we know the
way for ourselves, just played through the years. He loves
to play clock Bulls had the running game. But tonight
that Washington defense is steimy Dallas. You've got Jones carrying
nineteen times for sixty five yards only two point nine per.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Rush tonight or doubting, the defense holds strong, Dallas is
forced to punt the Buyers punk is.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
Too deep.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
And that will come out to the twenty yard line,
so they'll have to go eighty yards in two fifty two.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Not the game is closer. No offense getting the ball back.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
You know we weren't you know, we had that one
big explosive play and you're thinking, all right, Dallas is
gonna wake up now.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
They've been playing good defense all game.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Washington has the ball under three minutes left. On the
first play of the drive, Brunell dumps the ball off
to Portos for ten yards first and ten on Washington's
thirty yard line.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
Yeah, this is when you find up out about your
offensive defense. So this is what good offense is, when
you can make plays in this situation are good defense
is when you can stop those plays.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
From the thirty yard going.
Speaker 7 (19:48):
Ten on r for a touchdown.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
Wow, unbelievable.
Speaker 10 (19:55):
It wasn't the same play, but it was. Coaches like,
what's they're playing flat foot back there? I see Roy
Williams want to play up in a box more so
than he want to be be a deep safety. So
and just from where the corner was playing me was
he was out wide and he was deep. So I'm
like I knew right there in there some kind of
bracket going on against you know, for me just basically saying,
(20:15):
all right, both of us got him. We're gonna disguise
this in a way to where it looks like we
play in one position, but we both have him. And
so the second touchdown was just a post route, a
deep post and being the receiver that I am, I
was looking at the lineman and I say, instead of
me running this with the angle or that I will
normally give it, I'm going to run cheating a little
(20:36):
more towards the safety, so I can already give myself
a good jump away from the dB the cornerback and
when by the time I put my foot in the ground,
that means I would be on top of the safety
because he's already flat. So I angled towards the safety
more so than the straight up the field. So when
I put my foot in the ground, the safety won't
have a clear cut to come, you know, ring my bell.
(20:57):
So by doing that, when I was able to get
on him, ain't ground and knowing Roy Williams wasn't going
to back up by the time I took that, what
I guess I was counting in my head probably my
twelfth step when I put that foot in the ground
and go to the post. You know, normally when you
have a deep post, you're telling yourself by my second count,
you know, my second step out of that post, out
(21:19):
of that initial plant, the ball should be in the air.
When I planned it, I was like in my head,
I'm like one, two and getting ready to say three
to look back now for the ball. The ball was
coming down. So I'm like Mark Brunell, the genius of
Mark Brunell. He just knew Tanner's go on to beat him.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
So let me get this ball up.
Speaker 10 (21:39):
High and with an arc and quick.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
And he did so.
Speaker 10 (21:43):
Man, And it made it simple enough for me, or
it made it easier for me to be able to
catch it without having to worry about Aaron Glenn coming
into the picture at the last minute.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
If you want to go back and.
Speaker 10 (21:52):
Watch it, Aaron Glenn's hand just barely misses it. So
being that Mark Ronell pull up with a perfect time
and just knew where I was going to be at man,
it was like you could you would have thought me
and Mark will had been doing that all summer.
Speaker 6 (22:05):
A long come out again, Mark, those who bombed the Santana,
And You're like what like like this? Where where was
this for the first three quarters while waiting any give
everybody a heart attack all and then when Santana caught
it and ran it in. I just remember him spinning
the ball, you know his classics Tan of man spinning
the ball.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Thirteen thirteen, Nick Novak steps up to hopefully kick the
game winning extra point in his first ever NFL game.
Speaker 12 (22:36):
You know, extra points a little different now.
Speaker 14 (22:38):
Back then, if you're kicking from the ten yard line,
so it's only a twenty yard trip shot, you know.
Speaker 12 (22:43):
Now it's from the thirty three, so you got a
thirty three yard field goal now. But uh, you know,
I just just normal routine.
Speaker 14 (22:52):
It's pretty common to be post one hundred percent on
still go or extra point accuracy from that range. So
I wasn't worried about missing or any of those thoughts.
Speaker 12 (23:02):
Weren't creeping in my mind. It was just get the
job done.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
And Novak bangs one crew in his NFL debut. So
with two thirty five remaining in regulation, it's now.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Fourteen thirteen, the job gets done on that part of
special teams. Novak is then called into action in a
different capacity just seconds later.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
So on this night when the crowd and they're always
into the Redskins and the Cowboys had things in hand,
and all of a sudden hit a dog fight. Down
by one, Tyson Thompson is back to return the kid
novakcins at skyward. It comes down to a two yard line.
This is the rookie Tyson Thompson past the twenty that
(23:48):
they burst their speed and Novaka kicker makes the tackle
at midfield.
Speaker 12 (23:54):
I was able to stop him and it was for
sure going to be a touchdown.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
A touchdown prevented, but Dallas does get great field position
for a chance to rip the victory from Washington's hands.
Speaker 13 (24:08):
They really intense thing for me was then we had
to stop them on the drive. I got to tell you,
I was so uptight. Those are the things that I
just wonder sometimes, how how fast was my heart beating,
because now you know you're you are so wrapped up
(24:29):
in that, and now.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
You're down to one last play barring a pass interference
ball which could also set up a field.
Speaker 18 (24:36):
Goal, and it throws under knee and it's drolls and
let the gold the gin and then a look a lot,
a look of ten.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
And that's the way the ball game will end.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
After that, you looked at their sideline and just pure defeat.
It was freaking awesome. It was absolutely awesome.
Speaker 13 (24:58):
Means so much to me, So the fan base, for
everybody that posts for the Redskins in those days, all
those people to be able to celebrate that, it's just
it's one of the great thrills in life.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
That odds defying, heart stopping win showed who Washington was
and where this team could go.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
I think that the game was like we needed that,
we needed that, we needed that way.
Speaker 11 (25:42):
I think the Extember brownout A team was generman.
Speaker 10 (25:45):
That year was magical. You know that that that team,
you know, we really fought and and and went went
through games that year. I don't know if you can
consider or call that game one of the starting points
to us knowing that we was pretty good and.
Speaker 11 (25:58):
It was one of those tough teams that we knew
we had all of too. Coach Gibbs and staff just like, hey,
Greg Williams gonna call it a tough place, defense, a
tough game, You're gonna hit people, and offensively, who's gonna
grind it out?
Speaker 4 (26:15):
We're coming down here.
Speaker 11 (26:16):
So it was like everybody had brought into our identity
and we knew who we were.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
Like that lump we're gonna leave lump song. That's what
Coach Gibbs. So we're gonna leave some lump songs.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
You know you played us for Santana Moss. The performance
immediately endeared him to his new city.
Speaker 11 (26:33):
Two touchdowns within three minutes, four minutes, Sue mc bombs
and that.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Created the cowboy killer.
Speaker 10 (26:42):
That's the way you want to be recognized. That's the
way you want to tell them, like, this is what
you're getting, you know. And I think that's what That's
what I was more pleased with than anything. I didn't
care about how we wanted, how I always care. I
went into both of those games we won, and we
two of like I'm gonna show you who sent Tenta
Moss is.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Like subscribe, comment and stay tuned for more Hailtales episodes
this summer. This episode of Haletals was narrated, produced, and
researched by me Hannah Liechtenstein, senior copywriter for the Washington Commanders.
It was produced and edited by Jason Johnson, edited by
Nick Lianos. Executive producers are Ryan Yoakum and Kevin Klein.
(27:34):
Additional voice over help comes from Bram Weinstein Graphics, designed
by Zach Osborne and Matt Cashman. Thank you to our
guests for their contributions, and thank you for listening.
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