Every article that I’ve read about Jason Campbell in the past three days has stated the same things.
He’s confident... He doesn’t get rattled... He bounces back well from mistakes... He shows poise in the pocket... He scrambles well... He’s “Mmm mmm good...”
That last one, believe it or not, was on the front page of ESPN.com on Tuesday morning. A little cheesy, sure, but on the front page nonetheless.
Merely 12 hours after the Redskins traveled up 95 and stuck it to McNabb & Co. at Lincoln Financial -- a stadium notorious for getting in the head of opposing quarterbacks and where objects get thrown at opposing running back’s mothers – the biggest network in sports gave headline-worthy praise to a team they’ve shat on for the past 10 seasons.
Len Pasquarelli -- a guy who enjoys doubting the Redskins with every opportunity -- praised Campbell for a solid performance, essentially calling Monday night his coming-of-age game. The reaction from the media has been unanimous: his numbers weren’t outrageous, but Jason Campbell was damn impressive in the national spotlight.
Most writers point to the pre-halftime touchdown to Chris Cooley as JC’s defining moment. What did it for me, however, was not the touchdown but another pass to Captain Chaos.
On a third down in the middle of the fourth quarter -- I believe those were the circumstances -- the Skins needed about 8 yards to continue driving and put the game away. Campbell took the snap, the defense quickly applied pressure and he was forced to roll right. As linebackers charged towards him, assuming he was going to run for the first down, Campbell calmly hit #47 perfectly in stride for a seemingly effortless 12 or 13-yard gain.
A few plays later, Sheriff Gonna Getcha found a gap to the outside, did a borderline-dangerous, Frerotte-esque somersault into the end zone and the rest is history.
The Redskins are 2-0. The greater Washington area is in a collective frenzy. People are talking about a “return to glory” and how the Burgundy and Gold are back.
Needless to say, I love it.
But I think it’s a little early to start firing up the Bandwagon, don’t you?
Believe me -- I think this is the best the Skins have looked since Mark Rypien took them to Minnesota and cold-cocked the Buffalo Bills back in January of 1992. As I said last week, I think they will continue to get better, which means even greater things to come for the team that we love. But to sit here and say that they don’t have their problems would be naïve.
Joe Gibbs has led this team to consecutive victories over two rather mediocre opponents. Miami’s defense was pretty strong, but their offense was far from great. The Eagles were playing relatively well against Portis, Betts and Sellers, but when it came time for McNabb to step up, he kept his composure about as well as OJ in a Vegas suite.
There is something clearly wrong with McNabb. I almost feel bad for the guy, because he’s been treated like crap the entire time he’s been in Philadelphia. Their fans are ruthless, and he’s taken the brunt of the criticism since he came out of ‘Cuse, despite leading the Eagles to 4 consecutive NFC Championship games.
He didn’t look good on Monday, though, and the Redskins capitalized.
Not to say they didn’t earn the win, because they absolutely did. But in order to continue winning and building on a great foundation, Jason Campbell is going to need to play even better than he has. His stats so far have been average -- 431 total passing yards, 68 rushing yards, a touchdown and 3 interceptions. His accuracy, at times, is unbelievable (see the first quarter bomb to Santana). His accuracy, at other times, is not (see the fourth quarter bomb to Santana that would’ve put the game away).
A young team like the Redskins will need more than two games to find a rhythm that could ultimately prove championship-worthy, but the pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fall in to place. If they continue to play like they have been so far, there may be something very special occurring in the nation’s capital.
It’s not going to be easy, though.
The New York Giants roll into FedEx Field this Sunday, and it appears to be the perfect opportunity for Washington to go 2-0 in the NFC East. If the past few seasons have taught us anything, however, it’s that these are the types of games that are looked back on as the ones that got away.
I love confidence, and I think Campbell & Co. have every right to arrive at Landover on Sunday morning with their heads held very high. What I don’t want is for them to assume anything. The Giants have their share of issues, without a doubt, but they are still a professional football team and want nothing more than to get back on track with a huge division win on the road. And if the Redskins take this or any game on their schedule lightly, they may find themselves with quite the reality check.
Let’s just hope they prove me wrong and steamroll the G-men.
Hail.
--
3 thoughts on Monday’s game:
01. The hit that Sean Taylor laid on the Eagles receiver (not sure who it was) in the first quarter was ridiculous. He rolled him over, kept running and never even flinched. The fact that ESPN didn’t show a replay of it was infuriating, because you know that if Urlacher made that hit, they would’ve been all over it...
02. The second quarter interception that JC threw was a dagger, but the hit that Clinton Portis put on the Eagles’ cornerback was out of control. That guy loves to lay guys out whenever he gets the chance, and you have to love him for that. On the flipside, though, it also has to make you nervous whenever there’s a turnover...
03. The only word I can think of to describe the end of the first half is “whatthehellwasthat?” If Andy Reid didn’t call timeout in an attempt to ice Shaun Suisham, the Redskins would’ve gone into the locker room tied 6-6, their confidence shot by an embarrassingly-executed, poorly-managed final seconds. I’m not sure where the confusion lied, but situations like that define a team – and if Suisham indeed kicked the field goal, it could’ve been the difference between being 2-0 and 1-1...
He’s confident... He doesn’t get rattled... He bounces back well from mistakes... He shows poise in the pocket... He scrambles well... He’s “Mmm mmm good...”
That last one, believe it or not, was on the front page of ESPN.com on Tuesday morning. A little cheesy, sure, but on the front page nonetheless.
Merely 12 hours after the Redskins traveled up 95 and stuck it to McNabb & Co. at Lincoln Financial -- a stadium notorious for getting in the head of opposing quarterbacks and where objects get thrown at opposing running back’s mothers – the biggest network in sports gave headline-worthy praise to a team they’ve shat on for the past 10 seasons.
Len Pasquarelli -- a guy who enjoys doubting the Redskins with every opportunity -- praised Campbell for a solid performance, essentially calling Monday night his coming-of-age game. The reaction from the media has been unanimous: his numbers weren’t outrageous, but Jason Campbell was damn impressive in the national spotlight.
Most writers point to the pre-halftime touchdown to Chris Cooley as JC’s defining moment. What did it for me, however, was not the touchdown but another pass to Captain Chaos.
On a third down in the middle of the fourth quarter -- I believe those were the circumstances -- the Skins needed about 8 yards to continue driving and put the game away. Campbell took the snap, the defense quickly applied pressure and he was forced to roll right. As linebackers charged towards him, assuming he was going to run for the first down, Campbell calmly hit #47 perfectly in stride for a seemingly effortless 12 or 13-yard gain.
A few plays later, Sheriff Gonna Getcha found a gap to the outside, did a borderline-dangerous, Frerotte-esque somersault into the end zone and the rest is history.
The Redskins are 2-0. The greater Washington area is in a collective frenzy. People are talking about a “return to glory” and how the Burgundy and Gold are back.
Needless to say, I love it.
But I think it’s a little early to start firing up the Bandwagon, don’t you?
Believe me -- I think this is the best the Skins have looked since Mark Rypien took them to Minnesota and cold-cocked the Buffalo Bills back in January of 1992. As I said last week, I think they will continue to get better, which means even greater things to come for the team that we love. But to sit here and say that they don’t have their problems would be naïve.
Joe Gibbs has led this team to consecutive victories over two rather mediocre opponents. Miami’s defense was pretty strong, but their offense was far from great. The Eagles were playing relatively well against Portis, Betts and Sellers, but when it came time for McNabb to step up, he kept his composure about as well as OJ in a Vegas suite.
There is something clearly wrong with McNabb. I almost feel bad for the guy, because he’s been treated like crap the entire time he’s been in Philadelphia. Their fans are ruthless, and he’s taken the brunt of the criticism since he came out of ‘Cuse, despite leading the Eagles to 4 consecutive NFC Championship games.
He didn’t look good on Monday, though, and the Redskins capitalized.
Not to say they didn’t earn the win, because they absolutely did. But in order to continue winning and building on a great foundation, Jason Campbell is going to need to play even better than he has. His stats so far have been average -- 431 total passing yards, 68 rushing yards, a touchdown and 3 interceptions. His accuracy, at times, is unbelievable (see the first quarter bomb to Santana). His accuracy, at other times, is not (see the fourth quarter bomb to Santana that would’ve put the game away).
A young team like the Redskins will need more than two games to find a rhythm that could ultimately prove championship-worthy, but the pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fall in to place. If they continue to play like they have been so far, there may be something very special occurring in the nation’s capital.
It’s not going to be easy, though.
The New York Giants roll into FedEx Field this Sunday, and it appears to be the perfect opportunity for Washington to go 2-0 in the NFC East. If the past few seasons have taught us anything, however, it’s that these are the types of games that are looked back on as the ones that got away.
I love confidence, and I think Campbell & Co. have every right to arrive at Landover on Sunday morning with their heads held very high. What I don’t want is for them to assume anything. The Giants have their share of issues, without a doubt, but they are still a professional football team and want nothing more than to get back on track with a huge division win on the road. And if the Redskins take this or any game on their schedule lightly, they may find themselves with quite the reality check.
Let’s just hope they prove me wrong and steamroll the G-men.
Hail.
--
3 thoughts on Monday’s game:
01. The hit that Sean Taylor laid on the Eagles receiver (not sure who it was) in the first quarter was ridiculous. He rolled him over, kept running and never even flinched. The fact that ESPN didn’t show a replay of it was infuriating, because you know that if Urlacher made that hit, they would’ve been all over it...
02. The second quarter interception that JC threw was a dagger, but the hit that Clinton Portis put on the Eagles’ cornerback was out of control. That guy loves to lay guys out whenever he gets the chance, and you have to love him for that. On the flipside, though, it also has to make you nervous whenever there’s a turnover...
03. The only word I can think of to describe the end of the first half is “whatthehellwasthat?” If Andy Reid didn’t call timeout in an attempt to ice Shaun Suisham, the Redskins would’ve gone into the locker room tied 6-6, their confidence shot by an embarrassingly-executed, poorly-managed final seconds. I’m not sure where the confusion lied, but situations like that define a team – and if Suisham indeed kicked the field goal, it could’ve been the difference between being 2-0 and 1-1...
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