What's amazing about week one of the NFL regular season is that although the games are count in the standings (as opposed to the August mirage)... it takes a while for reality to shake out. Now I'm not saying that the first Sunday is meaningless (many a year one has seen a weak week one Redskin effort en route to a season of double digit losses)... but there's a long way from 1-0 to 11-5 or even 8-8.
But didn't they look good? Wasn't it nice for Redskins Nation to have a victory by more than a touchdown (first double-digit win over a division foe since 2007)? Wasn't it nice to win inside the NFC East for the first time in almost a year? Didn't it feel good to have faith in the franchise's brain trust regarding both long-range and short-term situations? Yes, Redskin Stock is ridiculously high-- but at least it feels like there's a foundation in place.
Maximus Rex-- so I guess it looks like coach Mike Shanahan made the right call? Mr. Grossman completed 21 of 34 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns... despite under pressure where he was sacked four times. Will every week be this incredible? Likely not-- but it's a nice ceiling to have.
Taking the Third-- on the Skins game-clinching drive, they converted 3 of 3 third downs (granted one was via penalty, but still...)- something they weren't able to regularly last year. Defensively they shut the door on the Giants... who moved the chains on just 1 of 10 tries. That is how you win consistently in the NFC.Rise of the Rookies-- first year linebacker Ryan Kerrigan put the Skins ahead to stay early in the third quarter by returning an interception for a touchdown-- so much for my concern that changing a position and a formation in wake of a lockout would hamper the Purdue grad's growth-- while 7th round pick Chris Neild tallied two sacks and forced a fumble.
Lowering Hightower-- Tim gained less than 3 yards a carry... not ideal. But the team had enough confidence in the ex- Cardinal to continue to call his number in the fourth quarter.
Who Needs the Triumvirate?-- with Malcolm Kelly cut and Devin Smith playing for the Giants... Fred Davis posted 5 catches for 105 yards- a total that all three would have been proud of in 2008-09. The tight end says he lost about 12 pounds in the offseason to be in better shape for what the team wanted of him this fall. I know Chris Cooley has been a fixture in the passing game since 2004 (averaging at least 4 catches per game played)-- but Davis is a more traditional, at the line of scrimmage lineman-receiver hybrid. Here's two plenty of double-tight formations this fall.
Reining in the run-- after allowing allowing the Giants to rumble for 63 yards on 13 carries in the first half, the defense held Big Blue to 12 yards on 7 tries after intermission.
Winning the flag fight-- the Skins were penalized 3 times for 25 yards, with none of the infractions resulting in a Giants first down. The Giants? 8 penalties for 63 yards and a crucial first down on the Skins game-clinching fourth quarter possession.
Donovan's Debut not dominant-- the former Redskins quarterback completed 7 of 15 passes for 39 yards with a touchdown and an interception in Minnesota's 24-17 loss at San Diego. 39 yards? I thought it was a typo or a computer glitch at first-- seeing how McNabb gained 32 yards rushing. The Vikings gained just 26 yards after halftime and wasted a 10 point lead... Purple and Gold fans are settling in for a long winter.
What's a Haynesworth?-- the ex-Skins defensive line and stone in the shoe notched two tackles for New England in the Patriots 38-24 win at Miami. The ten year veteran is already on pace to double his 2010 totals-- although he played just 8 games last season. No word on how many days off he would need to recover after a Monday night in South Florida.
Dissecting the Division-- technically the Skins begin the season in first place as their victory over the Giants give them a 1-0 division record (first tiebreaker after head-to-head)... Philadelphia's dream team stands in second after a 31-13 thrashing of St. Louis. Dallas for the first time coughed up a 14 point fourth quarter lead in a 27-24 loss to the New York Jets... and the Giants bring up the rear at 0-1. Before we start wondering what font the banner will be in, remember they began 2010 in first place after an opening night win over Dallas-- only to finish the season in last.
1 comment:
Haynesworth looked great when he was asked to play. On the Patriots he is part of a team doing a job. Nothing more. Right now his job is to play the 4-3 packages and be a run stopper. His two tackles came at key points in the game. He plugged up the middle allowing Patriot linebackers to do their jobs at other times. He looked focused and prepared for what he was going to be asked to do. Sounds like maybe the problem was the Redskins fans were expecting too much from him.
Nice column otherwise.
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