In yesterday's Washington Post, there was an article by Mike Wise that asked Redskins fans to be patient with the team's new head coach, pleading for them to remember that the first game against the Giants would not dictate the rest of his days in Washington.
I realize that Coach Zorn has an unbelievably tough road ahead of him and agree with Mike, but after watching last night's opener, I have to admit that I'm just a little scared.
"Baptism-by-fire" is how Wise described the situation, and while it's obviously just an expression, it really did look like Zorn was feeling the heat on the sidelines. Every time the camera showed the head coach, he appeared confused, at times emotionless and often alone. Not a good sign, considering the position he's in.
I realize that Coach Zorn has an unbelievably tough road ahead of him and agree with Mike, but after watching last night's opener, I have to admit that I'm just a little scared.
"Baptism-by-fire" is how Wise described the situation, and while it's obviously just an expression, it really did look like Zorn was feeling the heat on the sidelines. Every time the camera showed the head coach, he appeared confused, at times emotionless and often alone. Not a good sign, considering the position he's in.
Original image borrowed from the Washington PostSo the Redskins started the season with a big fat L and showed very few -- if any -- signs of the cohesion and chemistry that I said were necessary to get this train moving in the right direction.
Instead, fans were treated to the following:
01. 3 False Start penalties, two of them on Antwaan Randle El. Yes, Giants Stadium is loud, so I can imagine it's next to impossible to hear the quarterback (especially as a receiver), but these guys are professionals. I'm not sure if Campbell isn't projecting his voice enough, the players are distracted or there's something else going on, but false starts are such a devastating waste of yardage. Every time it happens, the drive becomes that much harder to survive and getting in a rhythm becomes that much more difficult.
02. Poor coverage. Something I mentioned the other day as a major point of concern is the Redskins' secondary, and last night, Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot simply got abused. Plaxico is a great receiver -- I'm still not sure how he caught that bobbled ball in double-coverage -- but even third-stringers seemed to be running routes with ease.
Not having Shawn Springs on the field is always tough, but Smoot and Rogers have shown (occasionally, at least) that they are somewhat capable starters. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case last night. Giving receivers a 7- or 8-yard cushion is a problem with the scheme; biting on a pump-fake and leaving your man wide open for a 20-yard gain is a player issue. These guys need to step it up, or elite receivers like Plax (T.O., Fitzgerald, Edwards, etc.) are going to make this a very long and painful year.
03. Complete physical domination. When your team's biggest hit is by the starting running back on a block, that's not good. The hit that Portis laid on an unsuspecting Mathias Kiwanuka was thunderous indeed, but there was certainly no need to celebrate, considering the Skins were then faced with yet another 4th down.
On the other side of the ball, LaRon Landry -- one of the guys on the roster that can really put a lick on receivers -- was absolutely steamrolled by Brandon Jacobs and, on more than one occassion, looked like a child playing with men.
The Giants as a whole seemed to have no trouble wrapping guys up on defense, pressuring Campbell by handling the Skins' offensive line and simply out-manning (no pun intended) the Burgundy and Gold.
04. Terrible clock management. Does Jim Zorn not realize that he has the ability to stop the clock? Down by 9 with a little over 4 minutes to go, you would think that someone might suggest using one of Washington's 3 remaining timeouts. Instead, they let the clock roll, ran the ball just as often as they passed and showed no signs of urgency. None.
05. Questionable play-calling. This is something that has bothered me for years with this team, and given the fact that I've never stood on an NFL sideline -- or any football sideline for that matter -- there may be a reason for why things are done the way they are.
One thing that I can't quite figure out is why, in a 3rd and long situation, the Redskins choose to run the ball. Sure, defenses will obviously plan for a pass play, but handing off to Portis greatly reduces the chances of getting a much-needed 1st down. Punting the ball is a necessary evil, but making an effort to move the chains would be nice.
06. Suspect officiating (warning: severe bitterness ahead). The New York Giants play in one of the largest markets in the country, won the Super Bowl last year and hosted the league-opening game on national television. Of course they are going to get a few calls.
I'm not one to question Ed Hochuly -- seeing as he could probably rip my head clear off my shoulders -- but there were two situations on the first drive alone that should've been penalties in the Redskins' favor.
First, Marcus Washington getting slapped upside the head after the play, with the official standing right there, should've been a personal foul (even if Plax was just messing around).
Second, a receiver getting tangled up with the corner should, at the very least, be a non-call. When the flag was thrown, I assumed it was offensive pass interference, as it appeared that Amani Toomer clearly pushed off. After a short zebra conference, however, they decided to penalize Fred Smoot, giving the Giants the ball on the one yard line and setting up an Eli Manning touchdown.
Bogus, I say.
07. The lack of taking chances. At the risk of sounding like Gregg Easterbrook, I think teams need to start being more bold when it comes to going for it on 4th down. The Redskins, down by 9 early in the second half -- not a panic situation, by any means -- had the ball on their own 46 yard line in a series that saw Portis break a run for 23 yards.
4 yards away from Giants territory with a slight bit of momentum and only 1 yard to gain, I think it would've been the perfect opportunity for Coach Zorn to pull out all the stops. Whether he chose to go for it straight-up or get tricky and fake the punt, a little excitement would've gone a long way in a game that didn't feature a whole lot of it.
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Opening a new campaign with a loss is certainly not the end of the world. The same New York Giants that won the Super Bowl last year were beaten by Dallas and, rather handily, by Green Bay to start the season.
To paraphrase what Wise said in the aforementioned article, "one game does not a team make," but if the Redskins have any intentions of putting together a successful season, they have some serious work to do.
The playcalling needs to be more varied -- where in the shit was Chris Cooley? -- and more chances need to be taken on first down. Getting Campbell more time in the pocket and the offense more opportunities in general (last night was 3-and-out city) would be a good start, but it's tough to make strides when your backs are continuously against the ropes.
I'm hoping the overall effort on display last night isn't indicative of what we're in for this season, because if it is, it's going to be a long one.
The Saints come marching to FedEx next Sunday, a team with no shortage of weapons and one that is looking to make some noise this year. The Burgundy and Gold have 10 days to put last night's debacle behind them... here's hoping they capitalize on the extended week and open things at home with a newfound purpose and intensity.
Hail.
Instead, fans were treated to the following:
01. 3 False Start penalties, two of them on Antwaan Randle El. Yes, Giants Stadium is loud, so I can imagine it's next to impossible to hear the quarterback (especially as a receiver), but these guys are professionals. I'm not sure if Campbell isn't projecting his voice enough, the players are distracted or there's something else going on, but false starts are such a devastating waste of yardage. Every time it happens, the drive becomes that much harder to survive and getting in a rhythm becomes that much more difficult.
02. Poor coverage. Something I mentioned the other day as a major point of concern is the Redskins' secondary, and last night, Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot simply got abused. Plaxico is a great receiver -- I'm still not sure how he caught that bobbled ball in double-coverage -- but even third-stringers seemed to be running routes with ease.
Not having Shawn Springs on the field is always tough, but Smoot and Rogers have shown (occasionally, at least) that they are somewhat capable starters. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case last night. Giving receivers a 7- or 8-yard cushion is a problem with the scheme; biting on a pump-fake and leaving your man wide open for a 20-yard gain is a player issue. These guys need to step it up, or elite receivers like Plax (T.O., Fitzgerald, Edwards, etc.) are going to make this a very long and painful year.
03. Complete physical domination. When your team's biggest hit is by the starting running back on a block, that's not good. The hit that Portis laid on an unsuspecting Mathias Kiwanuka was thunderous indeed, but there was certainly no need to celebrate, considering the Skins were then faced with yet another 4th down.
On the other side of the ball, LaRon Landry -- one of the guys on the roster that can really put a lick on receivers -- was absolutely steamrolled by Brandon Jacobs and, on more than one occassion, looked like a child playing with men.
The Giants as a whole seemed to have no trouble wrapping guys up on defense, pressuring Campbell by handling the Skins' offensive line and simply out-manning (no pun intended) the Burgundy and Gold.
04. Terrible clock management. Does Jim Zorn not realize that he has the ability to stop the clock? Down by 9 with a little over 4 minutes to go, you would think that someone might suggest using one of Washington's 3 remaining timeouts. Instead, they let the clock roll, ran the ball just as often as they passed and showed no signs of urgency. None.
05. Questionable play-calling. This is something that has bothered me for years with this team, and given the fact that I've never stood on an NFL sideline -- or any football sideline for that matter -- there may be a reason for why things are done the way they are.
One thing that I can't quite figure out is why, in a 3rd and long situation, the Redskins choose to run the ball. Sure, defenses will obviously plan for a pass play, but handing off to Portis greatly reduces the chances of getting a much-needed 1st down. Punting the ball is a necessary evil, but making an effort to move the chains would be nice.
06. Suspect officiating (warning: severe bitterness ahead). The New York Giants play in one of the largest markets in the country, won the Super Bowl last year and hosted the league-opening game on national television. Of course they are going to get a few calls.
I'm not one to question Ed Hochuly -- seeing as he could probably rip my head clear off my shoulders -- but there were two situations on the first drive alone that should've been penalties in the Redskins' favor.
First, Marcus Washington getting slapped upside the head after the play, with the official standing right there, should've been a personal foul (even if Plax was just messing around).
Second, a receiver getting tangled up with the corner should, at the very least, be a non-call. When the flag was thrown, I assumed it was offensive pass interference, as it appeared that Amani Toomer clearly pushed off. After a short zebra conference, however, they decided to penalize Fred Smoot, giving the Giants the ball on the one yard line and setting up an Eli Manning touchdown.
Bogus, I say.
07. The lack of taking chances. At the risk of sounding like Gregg Easterbrook, I think teams need to start being more bold when it comes to going for it on 4th down. The Redskins, down by 9 early in the second half -- not a panic situation, by any means -- had the ball on their own 46 yard line in a series that saw Portis break a run for 23 yards.
4 yards away from Giants territory with a slight bit of momentum and only 1 yard to gain, I think it would've been the perfect opportunity for Coach Zorn to pull out all the stops. Whether he chose to go for it straight-up or get tricky and fake the punt, a little excitement would've gone a long way in a game that didn't feature a whole lot of it.
---
Opening a new campaign with a loss is certainly not the end of the world. The same New York Giants that won the Super Bowl last year were beaten by Dallas and, rather handily, by Green Bay to start the season.
To paraphrase what Wise said in the aforementioned article, "one game does not a team make," but if the Redskins have any intentions of putting together a successful season, they have some serious work to do.
The playcalling needs to be more varied -- where in the shit was Chris Cooley? -- and more chances need to be taken on first down. Getting Campbell more time in the pocket and the offense more opportunities in general (last night was 3-and-out city) would be a good start, but it's tough to make strides when your backs are continuously against the ropes.
I'm hoping the overall effort on display last night isn't indicative of what we're in for this season, because if it is, it's going to be a long one.
The Saints come marching to FedEx next Sunday, a team with no shortage of weapons and one that is looking to make some noise this year. The Burgundy and Gold have 10 days to put last night's debacle behind them... here's hoping they capitalize on the extended week and open things at home with a newfound purpose and intensity.
Hail.
Posts
One game at a time bro.
ReplyDeleteWe just better hope that they play each and every game with some serious intensity and passion.
I still believe in JC..........I still believe!
Amen, GO SKINS!!!!!
I think it was Jacobs who smacked Marcus Washington upside his head, and didn't get penalized.
ReplyDeleteWhatever the case, that should have been an unsportsmanlike conduct 15 yard penalty...
Oh Hail...that's about what I thought of the game. JC needs to get on the same page with the west coast offense and get that ball out of his hands quickly.
ReplyDeleteIts one game in a very long season. Lets get our game on!! GO SKINS!!!