The Washington Redskins took a gamble with Antonio Dixon. When the preseason was over, they allowed the 6-3, 322-pound defensive tackle to hit the waiver wire. The Redskins figured that no one would want the rookie free agent out of Miami. Once Dixon cleared waivers, they had every intention on signing Dixon to their practice squad.
The Eagles ruined those plans.
Dixon was snatched off the waiver wire by the Eagles and was thrown into the lineup immediately. He's played in all five games and has earned significant reps in the defensive tackle rotation. He may have only one tackle to his credit, but he's been a disruptive force. Against the Bucs, Dixon lined up over center Sean Mahan on a fourth-and-1 and caused a bad snap that was fumbled by quarterback Josh Johnson.
On Monday night, Dixon will get the chance to face the team that let him go.
"It's not personal. It's all business," Dixon said. "I never thought I would be playing against the Redskins."
And what about playing on Monday Night Football?
"Even though I didn't get drafted, I knew God had a plan for me to play football," Dixon said. "I always knew I was going to play. I've been waiting for this for a long time."
When he was with the Redskins, he got to practice everyday with one of the top defensive tackles in all of football in Albert Haynesworth.
"I learned a lot of stuff from him and Griff (Cornelius Griffin)," Dixon said. "He's just athletic. He's 350 pounds, all 350 pounds and 6-6. He's real gifted. He's a beast."
Those practices also mean that he knows the ins and outs of the quarterback that he'll be trying to bring down in Jason Campbell.
"He's a talented quarterback, but he holds on to the ball long," Dixon said. "When I was there we had the first scrimmage between the offense and defense and the offense scored a lot."
The offense isn't scoring a lot now for the Redskins. The Redskins are averaging just 13.2 points per game, which is 29th in the NFL. The Eagles offense is coming off of a nine-point showing against Oakland, and the Redskins defense is stingy giving up just 16.0 points a game. Where should the Eagles attack the Redskins defense?
"The secondary," Dixon said. "They're pretty good, but they're inconsistent."
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 9:22 a.m., October 25
