What is there to say after watching the Skins blow a 17-3 lead in the second half? Not a whole lot but there were a couple of things that stuck out to me.
1. Despite the struggles in the second half, it was actually exciting to see Jason Campbell operate on that last drive. He is not there yet but he is going to be a good QB. He stayed poised and made plays at critical points in the drive, the only screwup being 4th and goal.
2. Speaking of 4th and goal, why didn't anyone mention to Campbell that he had 20 seconds to get a play off? There was no shot for a first down so why did they need to leave time on the clock? That is a situation Campbell can learn from but the coaches should have been slowing him down and telling him to make sure he didn't snap the ball until everything was set.
3. Eli Manning is not his brother. I don't know what other NFL QB's look like in slow motion when throwing the ball but Eli looks like he's throwing too hard because he has too much pressure to live up to something he will never be. I would even go as far as saying that he should probably be a backup instead of the center of the G-men franchise but he gets by solely on his name. Any other NY QB would have been shipped out of town by now.
4. Even though it would have been nice to be 3-0 heading into the bye, 2-1 is probably a lot better than most people thought. No one wanted to give our guys a chance to win many games this year and they are showing that while they won't win them all, they will be competitive. If we continue to play competitively, we will make the playoffs.
5. The defense is not entirely to blame for the 2nd half collapse. Granted, they let the Giants convert any and all 3rd down attempts that they wanted to but the offense only had the ball for 3 plays it seemed like in the second half. If they didn't go 3-and-out, they turned it over and didn't get the defense off the field. I don't care how good a defense is, no unit can play more than 25 minutes in a half and expect to shut the other team down.
No game for the Skins this week so enjoy some of the other NFC teams and lets see if we can figure out exactly who the competition will be this season.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Game 3: Redskins vs. Giants
Washington (2-0) vs. New York Giants (0-2)
Time: 4:15 p.m. ET at FedEx Field
ESPN game preview
How awesome is it that these guys are 2-0 despite the fact that it looks like the O-line is falling apart?
Hopefully it won't matter that Todd Wade and Jason Fabini are the new guys on the right side of the line, these guys have been solid pros in the past and with the way Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts can run, all these guys have to do is give them a little space. And if they can give Jason Campbell enough time to get the snap and make a quick throw, that will be a bonus.
Defensively the Skins are on fire and playing like they have previously under Gregg Williams. They should be able to continue that trend against a Giants team that is struggling on offense and there is no reason to think these guys won't be 3-0 heading into a bye.
Oh, and the throwback uni's are sweet. Hail to the Redskins.
Also, check out the Helmet Project, purveyors of the great helmets you see at the top of this post.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Game 2 recap
The best thing about Monday night's win isn't the fact that we beat Philly but it has to be the fact that the Skins are 2-0 for the first time since their last playoff appearance (2005). Here are a couple of other observations from Monday night.
1. I know this has nothing to do with the game but Charles Barkley actually made the booth enjoyable to watch. After hearing Mike Tirico stick up for the Eagles and saying they should have beat the Packers, Barkley responded with my favorite line, "If I didn't eat so much I wouldn't be fat."
2. Jason Campbell is still making young mistakes but he is getting better with each quarter he plays, as evidenced by the 2 TD drives he led in the 2nd half.
3. Joe Bugel is the best O-line coach in the NFL bar none. Depsite not having and losing Jon Jansen and losing Randy Thomas in the second half, the line still held up and gave Campbell the time he needed to make plays. It remains to be see how the backups will fare as starters the rest of the season but I really have no worries.
4. The NFC East is one of the toughest conferences in football, top to bottom. You can't tell me the 0-2 Eagles are that much worse than the 2-0 Cowboys or Skins and if the Giants could have avoided a couple of key injuries, they would not be 0-2 either.
5. Last year was an aberration defensively and if I hear another claim how awful the D was last year and act like that had been the trend in DC for years, I am going to start writing letters to ESPN, CBS and Fox telling them to open a stat book from the last five years and respond with where the Skins finished in total defense each of those years. When healthy our guys are just as good as New England, Baltimore and San Diego but because our offense hasn't been any good until now, the media has failed to recognize it. It's times like these that make me embarrassed to be a sports writer.
The reeling Giants are up next so let's see if these guys can get to 3-0 and be halfway to surpassing last year's win total.
1. I know this has nothing to do with the game but Charles Barkley actually made the booth enjoyable to watch. After hearing Mike Tirico stick up for the Eagles and saying they should have beat the Packers, Barkley responded with my favorite line, "If I didn't eat so much I wouldn't be fat."
2. Jason Campbell is still making young mistakes but he is getting better with each quarter he plays, as evidenced by the 2 TD drives he led in the 2nd half.
3. Joe Bugel is the best O-line coach in the NFL bar none. Depsite not having and losing Jon Jansen and losing Randy Thomas in the second half, the line still held up and gave Campbell the time he needed to make plays. It remains to be see how the backups will fare as starters the rest of the season but I really have no worries.
4. The NFC East is one of the toughest conferences in football, top to bottom. You can't tell me the 0-2 Eagles are that much worse than the 2-0 Cowboys or Skins and if the Giants could have avoided a couple of key injuries, they would not be 0-2 either.
5. Last year was an aberration defensively and if I hear another claim how awful the D was last year and act like that had been the trend in DC for years, I am going to start writing letters to ESPN, CBS and Fox telling them to open a stat book from the last five years and respond with where the Skins finished in total defense each of those years. When healthy our guys are just as good as New England, Baltimore and San Diego but because our offense hasn't been any good until now, the media has failed to recognize it. It's times like these that make me embarrassed to be a sports writer.
The reeling Giants are up next so let's see if these guys can get to 3-0 and be halfway to surpassing last year's win total.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Game 2: Redskins vs. Eagles
Washington (1-0) vs. Philadelphia (0-1)
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field
ESPN game preview
There really is nothing better than seeing your favorite team on Monday Night Football, even if your team and coach don't do so well historically in this situation. That's the situation that faces the Skins. Add in the fact that the Eagles are probably still upset they lost to the Packers and this has the makings of an ugly game.
Despite Jason Campbell's mistakes last week, guys stepped up and showed exactly what they needed to. Antwaan Randle El couldn't have picked a better time to step up and prove to critics that he really is capable of being a No. 2 receiver on a team that will throw the ball and Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts showed they can coexist. They need to continue that play for Washington to have a chance and I think they will.
The biggest question mark coming out of Week 1 is how will the O-line hold up after losing Jon Jansen for the season. Stephon Heyer did well replacing him last week but Todd Wade gets the start. I don't care which one of these guys gets the spot just as long as one of them gets the job done.
The only that will make this win better is knowing that the Eagles fall to 0-2 in the process while we go to 2-0. Hail to the Redskins!
Also, check out the Helmet Project, purveyors of the great helmets you see at the top of this post.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Game 1 recap
How great is it to open the season with a win. Depsite the fact that our prize QB had a poor outing against Miami (0 TD's and 2 INT's), the running game was in fine form and regardless of whether you win in regulation or OT, it's great to have a win.
Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts seemed to coexist pretty well and my biggest concern following the loss is the fact that the Skins may have lost Jon Jansen for the season. In nine NFL seasons Jansen had played in every game except for one year and now it looks like Washington will be dependent on a rookie (former Maryland Terp Stephon Heyer) or a journeyman (Todd Wade) to plug the hole.
It was injuries to key players that cost the Skins last year but it was an injury to Patrick Ramsey the year before that showed us Mark Brunell had one more playoff run in him. Sunday's game against Philly will tell us how much the Jansen injury will affect this season. If Heyer or Wade can fill in well, we could witness a season similar to 2005 and we can truly forget 2006.
Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts seemed to coexist pretty well and my biggest concern following the loss is the fact that the Skins may have lost Jon Jansen for the season. In nine NFL seasons Jansen had played in every game except for one year and now it looks like Washington will be dependent on a rookie (former Maryland Terp Stephon Heyer) or a journeyman (Todd Wade) to plug the hole.
It was injuries to key players that cost the Skins last year but it was an injury to Patrick Ramsey the year before that showed us Mark Brunell had one more playoff run in him. Sunday's game against Philly will tell us how much the Jansen injury will affect this season. If Heyer or Wade can fill in well, we could witness a season similar to 2005 and we can truly forget 2006.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Game 1: Redskins vs. Dolphins
Miami at Washington
1 p.m. at FedEx Field
It's the first week of the season and I'm already having trouble keeping up so this will be a streamlined post.
The games finally count so now we get to see what the Skins look like with guys like Clinton Portis, Marcus Washington, and Chris Samuels returning to the lineup this team looks good on paper. But then again it seems like they always look good on paper so hopefully this team will translate well to the field.
Hail to the Redskins.
1 p.m. at FedEx Field
It's the first week of the season and I'm already having trouble keeping up so this will be a streamlined post.
The games finally count so now we get to see what the Skins look like with guys like Clinton Portis, Marcus Washington, and Chris Samuels returning to the lineup this team looks good on paper. But then again it seems like they always look good on paper so hopefully this team will translate well to the field.
Hail to the Redskins.
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