The questionable decision left them with Rex Grossman, whose dismal play eventually led him to the bench, and John Beck, who didn’t exactly master coach Mike Shanahan’s complex offense.

This year, Washington isn’t likely to repeat their mistake, and may opt to corral arguably the highest profile free agent in NFL history.

“Everyone” CBSSports’ Mike Freeman spoke to in the NFL believes the Skins will sign Peyton Manning if/when the future Hall of Famer hits free agency.

“And I mean just about everyone,” Freeman affirmed.

Freeman also notes that Manning and owner Jim Irsay, both of whom aren’t on the best of terms lately, plan to meet “within the next 48 hours,” as Peyton first wants his brother, Eli, to hold the limelight for a bit after winning the Super Bowl.

This report just confirms speculation that the Redskins are among the front-runners for Manning’s services, along with the Dolphins and possibly the Cardinals.

Surprisingly enough, the ‘Skins have a ton of cap room to work with, and need a QB to compete in the NFC East; Shanahan’s job may depend on it.

However, is the interest from Peyton mutual, knowing he’d play outdoors, in a different conference, and against three defenses that specialize in rushing the passer?

That’ll be the $28 million question for Manning, which we should know the answer to in the coming weeks.

A few hours after the game ended, receiver Jabar Gaffney let his emotions boil over on a certain social media outlet.

According to the Washington Times, Gaffney took to Twitter and engaged in a war of words with a Cowboys fan, who (mistakenly?) tweeted the ‘Skins are 3-9.

“we 3-7 u dumb [expletive],” Gaffney responded. “3-7 ain’t a record to be proud of I’m just proud I ain’t you get a life or kill urself.”

A little while later, presumably after a PR staffer got wind of the situation, Gaffney issued an apology — sort of.

“I don’t want the man to really kill himself it was just a way of saying [expletive] off or leave me alone to all you lames keep up or don’t follow,” he said.

The aforementioned tweets have since been removed from his page altogether.

Despite a good showing on the field by Gaffney, who hauled in seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, he blatantly violated the NFL’s policy on social media interaction, all the while looking completely unprofessional.

After the exorbitant punishment Rex Ryan received, Gaffney should’ve learned a valuable lesson: Don’t negatively interact with the fans.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Redskins claimed Choice off waivers from the ‘Boys on Monday.

Choice was dumped by the Cowboys on Saturday after an uneventful performance in Week 7 suddenly made him expendable. In fact, his whole season thus far has been less than inspiring, as he’s rushed for just 75 yards on 28 carries while dealing with several minor injuries.

Washington, however, is experiencing its own woes, with starter Tim Hightower done for the season and backup Ryan Torain looking abysmal when thrust into the featured back role. In a Week 8 loss to the Bills, Torain rushed for just 14 yards against a below-average Buffalo run defense. Their lack of a running attack contributed significantly to the goose-egg the ‘Skins left on the scoreboard.

With Choice now in the mix, the Redskins will likely split carries between him, Torain, and rookie Roy Helu going forward. It’s not too bad of a scenario for Choice, who has a chance to stick it to his former squad if he can overcome his ailments.

Chris Cooley

Chris Russell of ESPN 980 spoke to people “inside the organization” that told him Cooley “most likely” has played his last snap at tight end for the Redskins.

Although Russell cautions that it’s “far from absolute certain to happen,” the move would make a bit of sense from both a practical and financial standpoint.

Cooley, who turns 30-years-old next year, appears to be chronically plagued by injuries, having missed 20 games over the previous three seasons. He broke his left index finger in Week 6 and has experienced ongoing soreness in his surgically repaired knee, prompting the team to place him on injured reserve Tuesday.

While the ‘Skins still have plenty of time to decide Cooley’s fate, he’s scheduled to earn $3.8 million in 2012, a high price to pay for a player who simply can’t stay on the field.

Also, with the emergence of Fred Davis, who’s five years younger and more of a playmaker, Washington may feel now is their best chance to move on from its best tight end in franchise history.

According to Chris Russell of ESPN-980 AM, the Redskins’ medical staff “strongly believes” running back Tim Hightower suffered a torn ACL against the Panthers. He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday morning.

During the third quarter of the game, Hightower was trying to cut when he went down awkwardly and without contact, typically a sign of a serious injury. Although he personally didn’t think the ligament was torn, Hightower, whose accumulated 321 rushing yards this season, left the stadium on crutches.

Assuming Hightower is out of commission, Ryan Torain figures to take over as the team’s featured back, with rookie Roy Helu as his main backup.

Unfortunately for the ‘Skins, the backfield wasn’t the only positional group affected Sunday.

Russell is also reporting that receiver Santana Moss will miss the next 3-4 weeks with a broken left hand. Moss fractured the hand during the first half and was seen on the sideline with a noticeable wrap on the appendage. The team has already declared him out for Week 8, unsurprisingly.

With Moss on the shelf, Jabar Gaffney should step in as Washington’s top wideout, which isn’t great news for quarterback John Beck. Up to this point, Moss has totaled 301 yards and two touchdowns on 25 receptions.

The injuries keep piling up for the Redskins, who also lost tight end Chris Cooley for an indefinite amount of time after he broke his index finger in Week 6.

For an offensive group already struggling to move the ball and put points on the board, these are all major blows. Coach Mike Shanahan has his work cut out for him if he’s aiming to contend for the division this year. It doesn’t get any easier in Week 8 as the Redskins travel to Buffalo to take on the upstart Bills and their opportunistic defense.

UPDATE 10/24: Hightower indeed tore his ACL and is done for the year. Moss’ prognosis isn’t as bad, but worse than originally reported — he’s out 5-7 weeks following surgery on Monday, the team said.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, John Beck will start for the Redskins on Sunday, replacing the ineffective Rex Grossman.

The move to go with Beck had to be done by coach Mike Shanahan. Grossman was awful against the Eagles in Week 6, tossing four interceptions and stagnating the offense series after series. When Washington’s defense put them in a position to score, Grossman squandered the opportunities.

Beck, a sixth-year pro, entered the game late in the fourth quarter, and led the team to a scoring drive, showing good command of the offense. However, it was too late to the save the game for the ‘Skins, who dropped to 3-2 on the year and are now in second place in the NFC East.

Beck has an excellent matchup Sunday against the ‘Cats, who give up 27.2 points a game, fifth-worst in the NFL.

If he has a decent game, minus any head-scratching turnovers or disaster plays, it’s safe to assume the Beck Era will continue on in D.C.

During the first quarter of the game, Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha hit Cooley directly on his left hand, which caused him to exit the field and head immediately to the locker room.

As it turns out, Cooley broke his left index finger, according to beat writer Grant Paulsen, and is done for the day. He returned to the sidelines without any pads on.

Fred Davis stepped in to the lineup as the starting tight end and will close out the game in the same capacity.

Cooley figures to get an MRI done after the game to confirm the injury, so we should know more soon enough.

UPDATE: Per the Washington Times, Cooley indeed shattered the finger and will need surgery. He’s expected to be out indefinitely.

“I’m frustrated that I can’t keep playing and that I can’t stay out there for us,” said Cooley, who was instructed not to talk about his injury. “It just wasn’t an option.”

UPDATE #2: Just how long is indefinitely? Paulsen, citing a source, reports Cooley will miss six weeks and will undergo surgery Monday. It’s not clear whether or not the Redskins plan to place him on injured reserve at this time. Even if they don’t, though, there’s no telling how effective — if at all — he’ll be upon returning.

Per ESPNDallas.com, Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall said Wednesday that he’ll be specifically targeting the injured ribs of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on Monday night, hitting him whenever possible with the intent of inflicting additional pain.

“Absolutely. I want to get a chance to put my helmet on whatever’s hurt,” Hall said. “Romo’s ribs — I’m going to be asking for some corner blitzes.”

Another banged-up Cowboy — running back Felix Jones — won’t be spared by Hall or his defensive teammates, either.

“If I know Felix Jones’ shoulder’s hurt, I’m not going to cut him. I’m definitely going to try to hit him up high, so that’s just part of it,” Hall said.

“If somebody gets injured, you want to go after that injury,” (Brian) Orakpo said on a conference call with Valley Ranch media.

As for Romo, who suffered a fractured rib and a punctured lung in Week 2, he was specially fitted for a protective vest that would shield some of the beating his midsection is going to inevitably take, a necessary precaution if he’s aiming to suit up on Monday.

Ironically enough, the same company that manufactured the vest also made one for Eagles quarterback Michael Vick last season when he suffered damaged rib cartilage against, you guessed it, the Redskins.

Even this early into the season, inter-division grudge matches are always intense and hard-hitting games; bloodbaths, if you will. New levels of this rivalry have been reached now that there’s a bulls-eye squarely on Romo’s torso, and a chip likely planted atop Dallas’ collective shoulders. It should make for a very entertaining three hours of football.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Cardinals dealt running back Tim Hightower to the Redskins in exchange for a conditional late-round draft pick and defensive end Vonnie Holliday.

Hightower presumably wore out his welcome in Arizona after coughing up the ball multiple teams in the last few seasons. Even though he’s a solid pass-catching option, Hightower couldn’t correct his fumbling problem and was quickly demoted in favor of Beanie Wells.

In Washington, Hightower will likely have a niche carved out in coach Mike Shanahan’s offense, and is a good bet to take over as the starter.

The Cardinals will move on with Wells as the feature back with Ryan Williams as his direct backup.

Holliday, who remains productive, will join a talented Cards defensive line but is nearing the end at age-35. He was likely just thrown in to sweeten the deal, though it never hurts to have additional depth in the trenches.

After a flurry of moves and rumors, give Cardinals general manager Rod Graves a ton of credit; he’s willing to take any necessary steps to improve his team. Next up on his hitlist? Braylon Edwards, perhaps.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Redskins traded defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to the Patriots in exchange for a 2013 fifth-round draft pick.

Haynesworth has long been on his way out of Washington after two failed seasons there. Having never fit into their plans, the ‘Skins must be thrilled just to get any sort of compensation for a player they would’ve otherwise released.

In typical Pats fashion, they’re willing to gamble on someone that possesses loads of talent, and also a potentially detrimental attitude. They’ve taken on reclamation projects in the past — such as Randy Moss — so they know what it takes to get the most out of a disgruntled player.

Haynesworth has previously complained about playing nose tackle, but he shouldn’t have to worry about that with Vince Wilfork occupying the middle. It’s a good bet that Haynesworth will start from day one at one of the defensive end slots.