Redskins honor Taylor on first play

The message was perfectly clear: Sean Taylor is gone forever, and he is not forgotten.

For all of the No. 21 jerseys, twirling white towels and handwritten signs in the stands Sunday at Landover, Md., for all of the red-and-yellow flowers and burning candles at a makeshift memorial outside the stadium, for all of the pregame tributes to the Pro Bowl safety, the most stark reminder of Taylor’s plight came when the Washington Redskins lined up on defense for the first time since he was killed.

Instead of 11 Redskins on the field, there were 10.

When the visiting Buffalo Bills prepared to run their first play on offense midway through the opening quarter, the man who replaced Taylor in Washington’s lineup, Reed Doughty, stood near coaches on the sideline.

“It was important for the team to know that Sean was with us that one last time on the field,” Doughty said. “He’ll always be with us, but that was special.”

After watching while Bills running back Fred Jackson gained 22 yards, Doughty entered for the next play – and made the tackle.

Saints make wrong call in loss to Bucs

Exotic plays never look pretty when they blow up in your face. New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton needs not be reminded.

Payton had the football near midfield, the lead, the crowd, the clock and momentum on his side with just under four minutes to play against Tampa Bay.

The mission was simple. Run out the clock. The Bucs were already out of timeouts. So what does Payton call?

A double-reverse.

Bad idea. Reggie Bush’s pitch to Devery Henderson, streaking on an end around, was way off the mark and the mishap doomed the Saints.

Tampa Bay recovered the football and methodically marched down the field for the winning score in a 27-23 victory. And poof, now the Saints are three down with four to play.

“I regret the play call,” Payton said. “We thought it gave us a chance to break one open. … That’s my fault. I shouldn’t have called the play in that situation.”

McCown solid but overshadowed by Russell

Josh McCown had a good game. And if you didn’t really notice, that’s fine with him.

Another quarterback might have been bothered if he threw three touchdowns, his team won a second consecutive game and the buzz was all about the backup that who played two series.

Not McCown, who tied a career high by tossing three touchdowns on a day JaMarcus Russell made his NFL debut in the Raiders’ 34-20 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday at Oakland’s McAfee Coliseum.

McCown completed 14 of 21 passes for 141 yards while starting in place of Daunte Culpepper.

Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, completed 4 of 7 passes for 54 yards in two series.

“It was cool,” McCown said. “It was great for our team. It brought us energy. If it helps our team, I’m all for that.”