From Where I'm Sitting

Openers are not harbingers.

Over the course of history, more than 20 Broadway plays have closed after the opening-night performance, including one starring Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain, which should have been the definition of a sure thing. So much optimism dashed.

You know where this is going, don’t you? Opening games in the National Football League can either be an oasis in the desert or a mirage. That’s why they play 15 more, and why it’s not smart to read too much into them.

The closest thing to an opening-night Redskins mirage occurred on Sept. 6, 1993. It was Richie Petitbon’s debut as head coach, and no one knew exactly what to expect. The year before, Joe Gibbs’ first final team finished 9-7. There were major questions about quarterback Mark Rypien, a new starting back in Brian Mitchell. RFK Stadium wasn’t sold out for a single preseason game.

To make matters worse, it seemed, Petitbon’s opening opponent that Monday night was the world champion Dallas Cowboys, formidable to say the least despite playing without holdout back Emmitt Smith.

But the Redskins mopped the floor with their archrivals. Rypien threw three touchdown passes – one more than in any game the previous season; Art Monk caught three passes, one for a touchdown, and Mitchell rushed 21 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

“I wish I had longer to enjoy this one because this is one I’d really enjoy,” Petitbon said after the team’s 3516 triumph.