3 » A healthy Donovan McNabb will make it even tougher for the Redskins to contend in the NFC East. And he looked very healthy Monday night.

4 » Hmm, so Chris Cooley can block. He hates the task (and is inconsistent), but did a good job of it on Sunday. He was asked to seal the ends and did just fine. Now, about that blog …

5 » Shaun Suisham’s kickoffs are much longer this season. He already has three touchbacks after only six in 2007. Hey, maybe that YouTube video with him was no farce after all? Nah.

6 » Jason Campbell’s demeanor was the same after Sunday’s win as it was after the opening loss. It never changes. He takes heat and praise the exact same way.

7 » This is what CBS Sportsline’s Clark Judge included among the things he liked Sunday: “Washington’s Jim Zorn playing the fourth quarter Sunday as he did not in the season opener. Zorn promised to make changes, and he lived up to his word.”

8 » The Saints bemoaned not having three defensive starters available Sunday. Yes, it made a difference. Then again, weren’t the Redskins missing two defensive starters?

9 » The Redskins will have more defensive success vs. finesse offenses such as New Orleans than against smash-mouth ones like the Giants.

10 » Why risk Santana Moss on punt returns? He’s finally healthy, scares defenses and is a major weapon offensively. Don’t wear him down for the sake of a few more yards.

Redskins notes


» Safety Chris Horton was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week Tuesday. He achieved a rare hat trick in Sunday’s win over New Orleans, recovering a fumble and intercepting two passes. The last Redskin to accomplish such a feat was Anthony Washington on Dec. 4, 1983. And the last Redskins rookie to do it was Brig Owens on Nov. 27, 1966.

The last NFL player to do this in his first career start was Miami’s Liffort Hobley during a strike game on Oct. 11, 1987. And the last rookie to record this trifecta occurred a week earlier in 1987 when Tampa Bay’s Paul Tripoli also did it in a strike game.

» Rookie punter Durant Brooks is averaging 36.8 yards, and 28.3 net, on nine punts.

“I haven’t proven myself,” Brooks said. “I’m sure there are tons of questions wondering if I can get the job done. I have to go out and prove myself.”

Outside the Beltway


» For my money, nobody had a more crucial fourth-quarter success story on Sunday than Washington and its fourth-year quarterback Jason Campbell. … As lost as Campbell looked in [Jim] Zorn’s West Coast Offense in Week 1 at the Giants, nobody needed a bigger Week 2 showing than the Redskins’ quarterback.

— Don Banks (CNNSI.com)

» Washington showed good balance on offense with a patient ground attack and a high-percentage, short passing game. Redskins QB Jason Campbell has became more comfortable in the pocket and delivered the ball to all levels as the game progressed. His vision and decision-making was excellent and helped give the Redskins their first victory of the 2008 season. … [He] stayed in the pocket to distribute the ball effectively and picked apart the Saints’ zone coverages.

— Scouts Inc. (ESPN.com)