The battle for the bottom

At Giants stadium on Sunday during the blistery afternoon, the 4-8 Washington Redskins and New York Giants battled to determine who would carry the disgrace of being the worst team in the NFC East.

Well, the Redskins won 20-7, but the victory has little meaning except for keeping some of their dignity. The highlight of the game was Bruce Smith capturing the all-time NFL sack record with 199 career sacks. The veteran Smith, in what is likely his last season, has been a solid leader on this team and deserves the record. Smith had been on the verge of setting the record for several games.

Coach Steve Spurrier was able to lead the Redskins to a solid victory. While, quarterback Tim Hasselback got his second NFL start, as Patrick Ramsey remained sidelined with a foot injury. Hasselback proved that he is a competent back up and that he can win games in the NFL. Despite the windy weather, Hasselback had two touchdown passes.

Still, the first half of the game was nasty. The Giants had two of their three turnovers and both teams missed short field goals. The Redskins went into the locker room up 10-7, however both teams showed why they will not be making the playoffs this season.

The victory was not due so much to the outstanding performance of the Redskins, but the Giants poor play. The Giants turned the ball over three times and allowed six sacks. Starting quarterback Kerry Collins was knocked out of a game with a sprained ankle.

Fortunately, few Giants fans showed up for the unimportant game. The seats were about half-full on the chilly afternoon.

The Redskins will hopefully not finish in last place in the NFC East now, but the prospects of reaching 8-8 are low and would not validate the season or ensure Spurrier's future with the Redskins.