Michael Wilbon may have unwittingly inspired the Washington Redskins this season. Or at least their fullback.
“A lot of people counted us out, whether it be Michael Wilbon, whether it be Stephen A. Smith,” Darrel Young told Comcast SportsNet’s Chris Miller during Tuesday’s Wizards game.
I found this to be one of the sadder sideline interviews with a Redskins fullback during a New Year’s Day Wizards game I’ve ever witnessed. Because in my mind, pro athletes wouldn’t need to find inspiration in the slights perpetrated by Michael Wilbon. Plus, why was Darrel Young at the Wizards game on New Year’s Day? Talk about sad.
Regardless, Young should be pleased, because Wilbon appears to be a believer at this point. Here’s what happened when Tony Kornheiser asked Wilbon to forecast the Seahawks-Redskins game on ESPN 980 this week:
“Tony, this is the NFC title game,” Wilbon said. “These are the two best teams in the NFC. With all due respect to the 49ers and Atlanta, THESE are the two best teams in the NFC. They’re the hottest teams, and I think they’re the best teams. They’re both having magical seasons.
“I think Seattle’s a little better team, because they’ve been at this a little bit longer,” he went on. “They were able to get to the playoffs [in 2010], they had the defense built, they don’t have the injuries the Redskins do. But the Redskins have played around those injuries, which is startling. All praise to Jim Haslett for getting around the defensive losses that they had early in the season, which were crippling.
“But I think Seattle’s just a little bit better. So whatever advantage the Redskins have for playing at home I think is sort of negated by Seattle being a little bit stronger and healthier. And I don’t know how you separate the two teams. I think that the winner of this — if this game doesn’t take everything out of that team — I could see the winner of this game winning the NFC, representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. I think the winner will beat Atlanta. I think the winner’s a better team than Atlanta. I would never use the word upset. I think the Redskins are better than Atlanta, and I think Seattle’s better than Atlanta.”
Bold. And spicy. With vibrant notes. And audacious flavor profiles. I’ve never been as confident in picking what shoes to wear in the morning as he is about the notoriously impossible-to-predict NFL playoffs.
For the record, Seattle (6-1) and Washington (8-1) are the fourth and fifth choices to win the NFC, according to Bovada.
(Random Griffining wedding photo via @Coach_TommyG. Wilbon quotes via @missyrosenberg.)
