Week 4 : Redskins vs. Buccaneers

Well, I'm sitting here after this game thinking that I should be pretty happy. The Redskins won. They sit at 2-2 through 4 weeks of the NFL season with a rookie quarterback. On paper, it doesn't look half bad. But, jeez, it's pretty damn bad. This game leaves a bad taste in my mouth, even though it's technically a victory.

Keeping with the same format as my other posts, let's do positives. Like always, Robert Griffin III was stellar. A quick interesting stat that could predict the Redskins' future: In games where RG3 has thrown over 300 yards, the Redskins are 2-0 and in games where he has thrown under 300 yards, the Redskins are 0-2. This blatantly tells us that the passing game needs to be the main focus of this offense. Today, Griffin was 26 for 35 with 323 yards passing. He also rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown(almost two). So, looking at this game, we can see that Griffin is feeling more and more comfortable in the pocket as the games progress. Although there were no huge electrifying pass plays off the arm of RG3 today, all in all, he had another solid performance. If I was Kyle Shanahan, I would continue to trust Griffin to win games with his arm. Yes, the speed and legs help, but for the team's sake and for the future's sake, keep his feet on the ground.

The main positive in this game was no question Billy Cu-, I mean Alfred Morris. The man was unbelievable today. He has been having a great start to the season, but today was the day for him. Morris rushed for 113 yards on 21 carries and a TD. Morris' first career 100 yard game was highlighted by a 39 yard touchdown run in the 2nd Quarter. What most impressed me about Morris today was his toughness. There are plays were it takes 3 guys to get him down, or even just push him back. His speed  and quickness on top of his strength makes for one hell of a back that was clearly overlooked in this year's draft. Also, with the return of FB Darrell Young, the Redskins are looking awfully dangerous on short yardage situations and in the red zone. Young had a bunch of key receptions early in the game to keep drives moving on. The Redskins run game seems to be one of the few high points of the day. The greatest thing about today's ground game was how it opened up play-action passing for Griffin. According to ESPN.com, Griffin completed 8 of 10 play-action passes on first down for an average of 13.6 yards a play. This is a huge factor in breaking a defense, and it seems like it's working.

I really cannot think of anymore positives...on to the bad stuff.

I can't even express the frustration I have when I watch this defensive unit step onto the field. It's miserable. The injuries to the D-line are one thing. You can understand the lack of pressure to the quarterback, but the secondary is pathetic. I know this is turning into a weekly theme, but it's unavoidable. Deangelo Hall started the game off great with an interception and some key stops, but then it all returned back to normal. He was burned on two deep plays to Vincent Jackson. He cannot cover. He cannot tackle. He cannot do anything right. I am sorry but D-Hall, get the hell out of DC. I am so sick of the lack of discipline you play with and the ability you have on the field. I hope you enjoyed your run here, but it needs to end. Something needs to be done. A defense cannot have Josh Wilson as their best CB. And Reed Doughty as their best safety. No, it needs to end. Let's wake up here, Jim Haslett. Something ain't right.

And last but certainly not least, my man Billy. Mr. Billy Cundiff after starting the season 4 for 4, has missed 3 of his last 5 kicks. Mr. Clutch did end up delivering the game-winning field goal as time expired to make the score 24-22,  but there is no reason that they should have been in that situation at all. Cundiff missed 3 kicks today, two of them were completely shanked either right or left. No excuses for missing a field goal inside 40 yards. There needs to be a kicking change in DC, it's not going to get any better. This was not a fluke.

I guess I should be happy. We won, right? But, doesn't feel good. Things need to change. Going into a game against the undefeated Atlanta Falcons, I don't think momentum is on our side.

Hail.

Week 3 : Redskins vs. Bengals

This week, our beloved Redskins took on a dark-horse in the AFC North in the Cincinnati Bengals. In the past, the Bengals have tended to be the laughingstock of the AFC, with legal troubles, discipline issues, and just abysmal football. Today, things were a tad different. The Bengals, coming into this game with a record of 1-1, had some momentum after winning last week in Cleveland. The Skins on the other hand were recovering from a boneheaded play from WR Josh Morgan in St. Louis. 

So, today was the home opener at FedEx Field. Robert Griffin III's first regular season game in the house that Snyder built. The stadium was sold-out, as the anticipation was high for RG3 to take the field and hopefully spark some "Hail to the Redskins". Well, the game started off in a very unorthodox way. The Bengals lined up in a Wildcat formation with QB Andy Dalton split out wide and WR Mohamed Sanu under center. Sanu connected with second-year sensation WR AJ Green for a73 yard touchdown pass. This proved to be the start of a long day for the Redskins defense. During the week, the Redskins had to declare DL Adam Carriker and OLB Brian Orakpo out for the season with injuries against STL. Probably, one of the absolute worst things that could have happened to this team in a year of such promise. The loss of Carriker and Orakpo not only weakens the D-line but also allows the offense to focus more on Ryan Kerrigan on the other side. There is really no silver lining for the loss of these key players. 

To say the least, the defense needs work. Today, the defense gave up 385 passing yards and 4 passing touchdowns. You cannot win football games giving up 38 points. It's not feasible. The offense has produced over 30 points in all three games this season. That should be enough to win a game in the NFL. I'm not placing all the blame on the defense here, but something needs to be done. When your offense is producing, just like they should be, the defense needs to step up and make something happen. Sure, Josh Wilson recovered a fumble in the 3rd Quarter and Rob Jackson had an interception, but it's not all about huge turnovers. A defense needs to be able to succeed a mostly one-weapon offense. I'm sure Andy Dalton was having a lot of fun throwing the football around with AJ Green today, because that is all it looked like. Just a Sunday afternoon in the Dalton's backyard. DeAngelo Hall had a tough task covering Green today, and there is only so much you can do to stop the guy, but there has to be a way to at least diminish his influence on the game. Green(9 recs, 183 yds, 1 TD) was everywhere today. Hall could not for his life keep up with him. We know that D-Hall is not a cover corner and I do not understand why Josh Wilson was not on Green. Wilson has proved himself this season as a solid, secure cornerback. Take a chance on him, Haslett, he might surprise you. 

Now for what is proving to be a common theme for all of the games so far: RG3 is the real deal. Griffin completed 21 out of 34 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. He also ran 12 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. He has been the most consistent, complete player on the roster for the first 3 games of the season. And once again, he led the Skins back from a large deficit in the 2nd half. The Skins were down by 17 points, when Griffin started heating up. I cannot stress enough how important his ability to see the field while being mobile is. He has extended numerous plays into large gains or just to avoid bad plays. Through this point in the season, the only complaint I have with RG3 is his tendency to try to extend plays a little too much. For example, during the final seconds of the game, Griffin was wrapped up by a Bengals lineman, escaped, fumbled, recovered, and then got sacked again. This took at least 10 ticks off the clock, and with no timeouts, sometimes it is better to just take the sack. 

Let's talk about the whole coaching situation. If you've read my blogs before, you are aware of my dislike of the Shanahan coaching clan. Today, really emphasized my disapproval of their coaching strategies. I am far from a NFL coach, but the management of the clock and timeouts were poorly done today. Shanahan called two timeouts in 3 downs inside the red zone in the beginning of the 3rd Quarter. This is just irresponsible. With the game in reach, you cannot use two timeouts in the span of one minute. It's pathetic coaching and awful decision making. Also, the challenge that wasted the final timeout was completely and utterly pointless. That play would have had a minimal impact on the outcome of this game. Maybe, Mike isn't seeing the play from the same angles I am, but the ball clearly was bouncing on the goal line. And last, but not least, how about Kyle having some choice words for the referee after the sack? I will not write the quote out here, but I'm sure you could find it. This comment spurred the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, pushing the Skins to a rather difficult 3rd and 50 to end the game. 

All in all, a game that could have been won, but due to miserable defensive play, and just careless coaching, the game was lost. I don't like where things are headed, but we'll see what Josh Freeman and the Bucs have in store next week. 

Hail.

 

Week 2 : Redskins vs. Rams

After a stunning week one display of football by the Redskins, who would have thought that the Rams, I mean, the RAMS, could beat them in Week 2....Well, it happened. However, am I that surprised? Not in the least. If we take a step back here and think about the situation, then no one should be surprised. Week 2. A rookie QB. Expectations higher than ever. Against the Rams, a team who always seems to beat the Skins. It all adds up to a loss. But then again, this game should have been won.

On the first play from scrimmage, Josh Wilson recovered a fumble by Danny Amendola and ran it in for six. A great indicator of where this game was going; ugly. After this play, the stage was set for 60 minutes of physical, embarrassing, pathetic, electrifying and just confusing football.

I'm not even going to get into the summary of the game right now. This post I want to focus on mistakes. Simple mistakes. But, before the negatives, we can talk about the positives. Again. Robert Griffin III delivered. The kid can play football, we know this. But, tonight he played a different kind of football. He had to play against a team who actually had NFL game film on him. From the first play, Jeff Fisher's defense came at him from every angle, with different blitz and cover packages. Griffin responded well. At first, it was an adjustment, rushing throws, looking flustered, but eventually, he got the hang of it. He began to extend plays with his feet while still looking upfield. One of the most impressive things about him is his patience. He can start a play in shotgun, go play-action, roll left and have a lane to run. Normally, a quarterback with Griffin's speed would automatically run 4 yards and duck out of bounds. Griffin, on the other hand, will start inching towards the line of scrimmage, while looking at his receivers. Once, the middle linebacker bites, Griffin will unload the ball. By having this versatility, defenses are tentative to either cover or press the quarterback. This makes the Redskins offense dangerous. Bottom line is, he's the real deal. He showed once again that he was worth the trade.

Let's get negative here. First of all, can we please get the real officials back? This game was one of the worst officiated games I have seen. Starting with two terrible late-hit calls, a unchallengeable play being challenged, and about 40 false starts, this was just pathetic. It's about time the NFL bites the bullet and pays the dough to the zebras. Can't take amateur hour anymore.

Many people watched this game and blame the loss on Josh "Mr. Maturity" Morgan. Not taking any blame away from the dude, but Aldrick Robinson had one of the worst drops imaginable today. During the 4th quarter, RG3 delivered a deep pass off a play-action rollout down the field to a wide-open Aldrick Robinson. The ball bounced off of his hands and onto the ground. This was six points guaranteed, if he caught it. After being promoted to the number 2 receiver because of an injury to Pierre Garcon, he did not cash in on the opportunity. This drop proved costly when the game was lost by 3 points. The words that came out of my mouth watching that play were not pleasant, and I can't imagine how RG3 felt.

Back to Josh Morgan. After a gift from the gods, the Redskins had the ball with under 2 minutes left. A perfect opportunity for Griffin to prove his talent as a rookie. Everything was going well. A nice throw. A nice run. All they needed was one first down and Billy Cundiff could send the game into overtime. And then it happened. Griffin delivered a strike to Josh Morgan on a 3rd and 9 for about 9 yards. After, fighting for extra yards, Morgan was brought down. He then proceeded to throw the ball into the defender, forcing a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty, pushing the Skins back to a 4th and 16. This put Cundiff in a terrible position, forcing him to kick a 62 yard field goal. Obviously, that won't happen. I have one thing to say to Josh Morgan. You are a punk. A first class selfish, overpaid punk. Why, you are still on this team at the moment, I don't know. But, man, you are the worst. The game is about the team. Not how your pretty boy figure looks after being knocked over. Get your head out of the clouds and realize who is paying your salary. Be a team player and not a punk. It's unbelievable how selfish the players in the NFL are. Mike Shanahan needs to get this team under control. Get them disciplined. It's time to get serious.

Hail.

Week 1: Redskins vs. Saints

Saints suspended coach, Sean Payton

The Redskins season kicked off today against the highly-talked about New Orleans Saints. A Saints team plagued with a terrible bounty scandal and without their successful head coach, Sean Payton, for the year. So needless to say, the Saints have their issues. But then again, you have Mr. Drew Brees. A quarterback who threw for 5,476 yards and 46 touchdowns last season. He's got some talent. Regardless, this was the Week 1 opponent.

Coming into Week 1, the expectations for rookie QB Robert Griffin III were high. After giving up everything but the kitchen sink to the Rams for the 2nd overall pick in this year's draft, the kid had to produce. The preseason didn't give us much to look forward to or be scared of, with RG3 only throwing 12 passes. Was this a ploy by Coach Shanahan to confuse defenses? Would RG3 actually run the ball? After the preseason, Redskins fans had no insight into how this season would play out.

Robert Griffin III

That brings us to today where our young quarterback was put in one of the toughest environments to play in, let alone open his NFL career in, the Superdome. So again. what do we expect? Well, I expected a 21-10 Saints victory with RG3 throwing 3 picks and 1 TD. I was totally prepared to find a couple positives in his game and be able to feel comfortable in the future off of that. Shows how much I know. The Redskins lost the toss and kicked off. New addition to the team, Billy "Wide Left" Cundiff, showed off his leg and booted it out of the end zone. On came the always unpredictable Redskins defense and on came the Pro Bowl QB Brees. I was a little scared for the damage that Brees and Jimmy Graham would do to that secondary. However, the first drive ended with a 3 and out, punt. Okay. RG3 took the field and automatically took command. For a rookie QB, this kid has composure and confidence in the pocket. He led the offense down the field with screen pass after screen pass, resulting in a field goal by Cundiff. Solid start. Then, as expected, Brees to Graham, touchdown. Surprise, surprise.

This is when Redskins fans everywhere gained hope. On the first play of the Redskins second drive, RG3 connected with newly acquired Pierre Garcon on an 88 yard touchdown. It was a simple slant route which drew the safety in and opened up the field for Garcon. After bringing in the high throw, Garcon did what no Redskins receiver in many years, could do. He made something happen. Garcon saw daylight and took it home. The Redskins had not had a passing play that long since 1987. That's a couple years back. No one on the roster for the past 5 years had the talent or playmaking ability to make that play. This Griffin-Garcon connection could be a start of an era. Let's not get too far ahead here, it's not Montana-Rice, or Manning-Harrison, but it's a tad better than Ramsey-Gardner or Brunell-Lloyd.

The rest of the game showed me why this kid was drafted. Turning potential 15 yard losses into just an incompletion, or even a 15 yard gain. Griffin knows what he's doing on that field. He sees the defense, he sees the options and he just gets it. The "it factor". Griffin was 19/26 passing with 320 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Aaaaaaand, NO PICKS. The ultimate rookie mistake was not made today. Just those stats alone, gives me optimism for this team. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't perfect. But, damn, did he look good. There were some miscommunications with handoffs, there were some busted plays, but he makes it look easy out there and he knows how to make plays. The Redskins haven't had a franchise QB since Theismann, and I think we may have something here.

And how about Aldrick Robinson? A 6th-round draft pick out of SMU in 2011 who had 1 catch last year, finally got a chance to play today after Garcon left in the 2nd Quarter with a foot issue (X-rays negative, not to worry). Robinson had 4 catches for 52 yards and 1 touchdown today. But, he also drew the defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone, leading to an Alfred Morris touchdown (28 carries, 96 yards, 2 TD's). A lot of upside from the young guys today.

Now on to the negatives...

Aldrick Robinson after his first NFL touchdown.

The 4th quarter was rough. It always has been an issue for the Skins; closing out games is a tough thing to do, and they never seem to be able to do it. This one almost felt the same way. Going into the 4th up 30-17, it seemed as if the defense stepped back. It felt like a couple guys got cocky and didn't realize who had the ball on the other side. Again, Drew Brees. You can never count this guy out. Brees definitely didn't count himself out, and neither did his receivers. With a Redskins secondary featuring Josh Wilson, DeJon Gomes, and Cedric Griffin, you don't expect much. However, they delivered as much as 3 "C-List" defenders can do. I was really impressed with Griffin today. Signed this offseason, Griffin had a forced fumble and just had lock down coverage all game. A huge upside to a not so great secondary. The game was too close at the end with the final score being 40-32, but it leaves this defense a lot to work on.

Overall, I give the offense an A today and the defense a B. It's tough to play New Orleans in New Orleans, especially with a young team, but they delivered. Say what you want about the Redskins past, but something special is here and isn't going away. But, beware Redskins fans. Robert Griffin III may wear Superman socks, but he isn't Superman. He's going to struggle at some point. He is still a rookie and a young kid with a lot to learn. There are going to be interceptions, fumbles, and sacks. But, hey, we got something to look forward to now. I can proudly say "Hail to the Redskins". It's going to be an interesting season, guys.  We got the Rams next week, who actually looked pretty good against Detroit today, and for some reason the Rams always give us a fight. Celebrate tonight everyone, but there are still 15 more games left. Keep the optimism in check.

Hail.