If there was ever a way to guarantee

.... that the Washington Redskins will blow one of their next two games, it would be to write a blog bragging about how great they have looked over their last four games. After beating the Eagles in Philadelphia (For the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons) on Sunday, the Redskins sit at 4-1 and have already played the 3 toughest games on their schedule: @NYG, @ Dal, and @ Phi. The Skins have survived the hardest portion of their schedule with one of the best records in the NFL and have games against the Rams, Lions, 49ers, Seahawks, and all four members of the AFC North still to come.

Redskins QB Jason Campbell is having a great year and still hasn't turned the ball over through 5 games. Call him the anti-Tony Romo. Clinton Portis is having an MVP type season. Santana Moss still isn't injured. Chris Cooley is blogging away. And the Redskins defense has held up very well despite injuries to starters CB Shawn Spring, LB Marcus Washington, and DE Jason Taylor and facing some of the league's top offenses in the Giants, Saints, Cardinals, Cowboys, and Eagles.

On Sunday, the Skins showed me two things that they haven't in years. First, they proved to be resilient when they came back from a 14-0 deficit, on the road, against an Eagles team that Vegas has power rated somewhere between the 1985 Bears and the NFL's 75th anniversary team. In recent years, the Redskins would never hesitate to lay down in the face of adversity. (See: Last year's trip to New England.) Second, Jim Zorn showed a willingness to go for the kill. Up 23-17 late in the 4th quarter, the Skins faced a critical 4th down in Philadelphia territory. In years gone by, the Redskins would've punted the ball (Probably into the end zone), gone into a zone defense, and prayed that the clock would run out before the other team scored. But on Sunday, they went for it, putting the ball in the hands of their best player, picked up the first down, and sent the few Eagles fans still watching the football game instead of the Fightin' Phils heading for the exits.

I don't want to get carried away but I am feeling pretty good about this Redskins team right now. In fact, I feel good enough to break out the infamous Redskin Country video: "I'm doing this for the Washington Redskins." That video is from the night of the Redskins-Seahawks divisional playoff game in January of 2006. It's amazing how much has changed since that day. Just two and a half years later, the Redskins have a new coach, a new starting quarterback, and the best defensive player from that team is deceased. But I'm sure all those kids are still drunken idiots.

A few additional thoughts from Week 5 of the NFL season:

* Portis has been great but the NFL MVP through 5 weeks has to be Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. The play he made on 3rd down late in the 4th quarter of the Jackonsville game was unbelievable. No one takes more of a pounding than Roethlisberger does and he's now playing with a 3rd string RB. Yet he keeps carrying the Steelers to victories. I'd like to see him and Tony Romo swap supporting casts. Imagine what Big Ben could do behind a great OL, with stud RBs to hand off to, and the best WR and best TE in the NFL to throw to. He'd be bigger than TGTB. Meanwhile, it'd be interesting to watch Romo smash the NFL's turnovers in a season record playing behind a patchwork OL.

* In Sunday's blog, I admitted that I would like to see Eagles RB Brian Westbrook suffer an injury and be carted off the field. So I did find it amusing that he injured his ribs against the Redskins and appeared to be a shell of his healthy self during the Eagles loss. I'm really not an asshole. I have nothing against Westbrook, even if he did go to DeMatha. I just want to see key players to the Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles get hurt. It's as simple as that.

* The Houston Texans could be the best 0-4 team in NFL history. I don't know how they lost that game to Indianapolis on Sunday but if you bet Colts -3, you should donate your winnings to charity. And if you parlayed the Colts and the Titans.... you are a lucky idiot.

* The sharps had a rough week in the NFL, with noted sharp's sharp Hoffy suffering through a rare losing weekend and notorious square C-Jack cleaning up. C-Jack came to work on Tuesday bragging about his 2nd half bet of Saints -6 in the MNF game and boasting about his decision to parlay that side to the over. If you have a second half bet that requires two punt returns for TDs to cover by one point, you should cash your ticket, take your money, and never mention it again. And if you have an 'Over' bet that requires two punt return TDs AND a long TD pass from Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian in order to win.... you really shouldn't be betting.

* CB always tells me that the Vikings won't win anything because of their QB situation and their coach, Brad Childress. Well, I finally agree with him. How could you possibly punt the ball to Reggie Bush in the second half of Monday's game? That was incredible. And it almost cost me a dumb bet on the Vikings that I forced out for two reasons: I had already won my early dumb bet on the Rays over the White Sox and Ed told me all the kids were on the Saints. So, I forced out a bet on the Vikings at a mediocre number. Now that's how the pros do it.

Already tired of me "Humping myself", as Ed would say? Well, get used to it. Seeing as how the (vast) majority of my predictions go to hell, I feel it's necessary to point that I correctly predicted the outcomes of all four MLB divisional series. I even called the exact number of games it would take the Rays and Red Sox to dispose of the White Sox and Angels, respectively. You guys must be dying to read my takes on the upcoming League Championship Series, so that you can run out and fade me.

MLB League Championship Series Previews:

Dodgers-Phillies

It really is an indictment of the entire National League that Game 1 of its LCS will be played in Philadelphia. The Phillies are a completely gutless, loser team that's only here because the Mets choked like dogs and the Brewers had no pitching left for their NLDS matchup. My first reaction to this series was that everyone would be playing the Dodgers, so the Phillies had to be the right side. But can Philadelphia really go to the World Series with their current cast of chokers? I just don't see it. The Dodgers come into this series on a roll while the Phillies seem to be here by default. The Mets didn't want it and the Brewers had nothing left for Philadelphia. The Dodgers, on the other hand, look like they have a lot left.

Dodgers in 6.

Red Sox-Rays

If you had told me back in February that the Rays had a realistic chance of going into the World Series, I would've called you a crazy person. I would've looked at you like you were out of your mind. I would've mocked you behind your back to every person I knew. Seriously, ask Hoffy. He did tell me that and he knows that I said/did all of those things. (Except for that talking behind his back thing. He doesn't know about that.... yet.) But here we are in October and the Rays are four wins away from the World Series. I think Boston has a better team than Tampa Bay. I think they are deeper than the Rays. I know they have way more experience in these situations. But it seems like the Rays always find ways to win. And they have home field advantage in this series. (The home team was 15-3 in this matchup during the regular saeson.)

Rays in 7.

Trivia Question for Wednesday: Okay smart guys. Impress me. Which future All-Star did the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays select in the 1997 MLB Expansion draft and then trade for Kevin Stocker?

Sunday's Answer: The 1998 Philadelphia Eagles finished 3-13, 6 games worse than the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC East and the worst record in the NFL. The team went 0-8 on the road that year. (The Eagles did not get the 1st overall pick the next season because the Cleveland Browns expansion franchise did.) The Eagles were led into battle in '98 by the brilliant Ray Rhodes and a QB platoon anchored by Bobby Hoying, that COMBINED to throw 7 touchdown passes all season. The next year Andy Reid was hired, he drafted Donovan McNabb 2nd overall after the Browns whiffed on Tim Couch, and the Eagles have gone on to be one of the most successful NFL franchises of the decade, appearing in the divisional playoffs 6 times, the conference championship game 4 times, and Super Bowl XXXIX.

Reid's reward? A petition to get him fired started by Eagles "Fans." Fortunately, for Andy, Ed is one of the few literate Eagles fans on the planet, so I doubt this petition will get too many signatures.

What a sports town.

Red Sox-Angels got the most votes for best LDS. Hard to argue with that. New poll, new pictures, and this promise: I'll mention both Jeff and Jorgie next time.

Enjoy the game.