Decision to go for two points was no good for both coaches

Gibbs was the worst offender. His kicker, Shaun Suisham, missed an extra point in the second quarter and Gibbs - a Hall of Fame football coach - crazily spent the rest of the day chasing that point.

With 3 minutes, 5 seconds left before halftime, a touchdown gave Washington a 12-7 lead. Rather than just kicking the extra point, as everybody in the world does, Gibbs decided to go for two - and failed. How bizarre was this? Consider: If the Redskins had scored on two field goals and a touchdown to reach 12, Gibbs never would have tried for two points. No coach would have.

"That was a coach's decision that can go either way," Gibbs said. "We had been having some success and felt good about what we wanted to call. We thought we had a good shot at getting two points in that situation."

Fine. The fact was, it was a crazy decision and it gave the Eagles a gift - at which point, Reid gave it right back. With 2:56 left in the third quarter, the Eagles scored a touchdown that brought the Eagles to within 15-13. That is when Reid decided to go for two points, and failed.

This is not a second-guess, by the way. Late in the third quarter is still way too early to be going for two points - because the downside is significant. Because the Eagles missed, when the Redskins scored another touchdown early in the fourth quarter, they had a nine-point lead at 22-13 instead of an eight-point lead at 22-14. Nine points is two scores. Eight points is one score. It is a monumental difference.

Or look at it this way: If Reid had kicked that earlier extra point, the Eagles' lead at the end would have been 34-25 instead of 33-25 - again, two scores rather than one. It is why the two-pointer isn't worth the risk until you absolutely need to take the risk.

Donovision

* Tight end L.J. Smith: "He's great, man. He's great. I have a lot of respect for him, for the things he goes through off the field and all of the things he faces on the field, it's just unbelievable. He had a great game today . . . He showed perseverance. He commanded that huddle."

* Guard Shawn Andrews: "Donovan, he's his own man. I think Donovan, he's just a guy that wants to win. A lot of people give him a lot of heat and I think he takes care of himself well. He's here to do one thing, we're all here to try to get a championship and get a ring. He faces so much scrutiny, but that's part of what we do. You have to take it."

* Center Jamaal Jackson: "You guys see it as a team, we see it as a family. When you guys criticize him, you're taking a shot at us." *