Live Q&As

Congrats on the 10-miler! I think yoga or meditation might be a better solution than swilling brandy from the bottle. Frankly, the person who should be doing that is Mike Martz. Or Jay Cutler. Or both.

Oh, God, another one of you with heart palpitations. Fortunately, I am trained in CPR. Oh, no, wait. The Heimlich maneuver. One of those. 

It was a relief...not that it exactly in the bag, but at least the Redskins were in control and weren't doing anything silly. 

Four interceptions in a single game ties a record held by 18 other guys. Rick Maese says the last time it was done was by Deltha O'Neal, with Denver, in 2001. A looong time ago. Funny how Troy Aikman kept telling the Bears that Hall was jumping routes and that there was a chance to capitalize on that. They ignored Helpful Troy.

Not to worry, Darn. I scooped it up, ran it into the end zone and, according to Troy Aikman, I should be flagged for excessive celebration. 

Not a significant factor. It really was a weird game. Steinberg tweeted that it might be the worst game he's ever seen. It really was meh, but, you know what, there's no "l" in meh. Feel free to put that on a shirt or bumper sticker.

It would seem to me that there's only so much space Hall can cover...go to someone else. Pick apart another defender. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Carlos. 

The return of A. Haynesworth, that they need to work more on establishing the run, that McNabb is gonna have some stinky games, that, at least not yet, they've still not gonna do more than they need to do to win.

All he needed this week was a little quality time with his defensive coordinator. 

Probably the prudent thing to do is to go with Kolb and use to a quick hook if he doesn't have it next time out. Of course, the Mind of Andy Reid (smells like a Dunkin' Donuts in there) is a wonderland. Who knows what he'll do?

The difference today is that McNabb wasn't helping himself much. The O line remains something unique to behold. ... On another note, Albert is addressing the media!

It prompted someone to tweet that he knew the exact moment when he became aware that McNabb would only be with the Redskins for one year. I don't agree, but it was not a good game by McNabb. I'd say it's his worst here, yes. I'd like to see the offense clicking into place a bit better by now. Is it the playcalling? Is it the changes the Shanahans have made in McNabb's technique? 

Good question. The offensive gameplan still isn't quick clicking into place, is it? 

I didn't get that at all, either. All DeAngelo Hall did was sink to two knees and raise his arms high. I thought it was neither excessive nor taunting. Aikman gets a lot right and he may be right on this one, but I don't happen to agree with him.

It took a long time for Torain to get into the game, didn't it? He's so strong and those legs are always churning...getting him involved early is so important. But the Bears defenders were constantly slapping at the ball, trying to create turnovers, too. Tough environment in which to get untracked. The bulk of his 125 yards came at clutch times in the second half.

Let's see what the rest of the day's games bring first, then decide about player of the week. 

I have to hear what he says postgame before I can answer that. And let's see how he plays next week. It does seem likely, though, that he and Landry and the defense has grown tired of being ranked so close to the bottom of the league. Maybe pride just kicked in.

Agree he's an upgrade over Jason Campbell...I'd re-sign him, but the people who matter are McNabb and Shanahan. McNabb has said a deal will get done. We'll see.

Torain has much lower mileage than Portis and you mention something that I've seen since he first got onto the field: his legs are always churning. That's why he's so much harder to bring down than Portis.

Trent Williams and Jammal Brown are upgrades, no question about it. Williams is a rookie, though, at a key spot. Takes time to get it together.

Boy, do you ever have questions! Evidently they feel they can do no better than Gano. That missed FG was a real thunkeroo, wasn't it? I thought a streetcar was going by. I think Hall should be defensive POW, yes. I imagine Shanahan is doing neither; I think he's happily congratulating the players. He's the first to see the flaws, that's why he's a good coach. I think guys who, for instance, say their 1-4 team is a good one are the guys who are delusional. (You know who I mean.) As for the Titans, that's vintage. They do that. Seems lame to me to run in a TD on the last play of a game that's over.

Troy Barkman! Love those DirecTV commercials. ("Moron!") I think it's possible that he was right about Cutler and Hall and the routes. No doubt a better QB, yes, Aikman at his best, could have exploited that.

Good points but the one that matters most at the moment is the second one. They're 4-3 and, at some point, the offensive TD ineptitude will catch up with them if they don't figure out a way to address their problems. Frankly, they may not get there. They may not have enough of the kinds of players Shanahan (both in terms of talent and temperament), but at this point, 4-3 (2-0 in the div) is fine. 

No urgency as with, for instance, the 6-minute drive last week? And the bounces and fumbles today? There will be a time with more on the line late in the season when we'll need to see precision and fire. Then, we'll know for sure. But I think McNabb is a fundamentally happy guy; maybe he's fine knowing he did his best and not winning it all. Probably makes him a better human being than some QBs.

I've been as perplexed and irritated by Haynesworth as any of the Redskins fans (he rode off on the cart in the universal gesture for "I'm done" and then returned to the game last year!), but he had a huge game today. I can't say enough good things about the way he played and the heart (yes, the heart) he showed today. You might argue that Hall wouldn't have had his thousand interceptions if Haynesworth hadn't been applying pressure. I think Big Al and the Redskins are a long way from having a happy marriage, but maybe it'll become tolerable for both sides.

Oh, I get that it may have violated the letter of the rule...I would just flag him for excessive harping on the topic. 

Who the heck knows? This team easily could go to Detroit and lose (sorry to pour the Morton's of precedent into your no-doubt still fresh wound). I'm guessing Shanahan will press them to maintain focus this week, pointing how sweet it would be to go into the bye at 5-3. Let that percolate in your noggin for a bit. 5-3.

How often did you hear the name "Julius Peppers" spoken? I have to watch the game again, but I think he had to have done solidly.

I think the Bears were adjusting. It did have that feel, briefly, of slipping away, didn't it?

I think it's a lack of quality WRs and a great running back. The running game never gets going and that puts more pressure on McNabb. If Carlos Rogers gets four picks...well, it's the ultimate sign of the apocalypse.

I agree...a one-year, two-year deal at most. It depends on whether they think they can sign one of the free agents, where they finish and who they might be able to get in the draft. I don't know about the grooming thing. That might take three years. Will Shanahan be here that long? 

Gotta find something better first. That's a key point to remember.

The absence of Clinton Portis is something the offense is struggling to adjust to. He's a terrific blocker and they miss that.

A miniature giraffe would be sweet. Then I could discreetly see what's going on in other cubicles at work. When you get one, go ahead and pick one up for me, too. I'm good for it.

On that note, I have to shuffle off. Thanks for hanging out here; see you next week. Dan Steinberg and I will be doing the DC Sports-o-Meter chat live at noon tomorrow, so let's continue this conversation then. Ping us (@dcsportsbog and @CindyBoren) with nominations for best three/worst three over the last week. And join Tracee Hamilton at 9:30 for First Things First.