The Redskins are 2-0 for the first time since their last playoff season in 2007. I could spend quality blog time whooping it up about how 2-0 teams make the playoffs 65% of the time or something like that, but I'm not. This is the Redskins. We could just as easily take a 2-0 start and turn it into...say...5-11, just like we did in 2003. The NFL season is only 16 games, but a lot can happen. So let's not fire up those buses to Indianapolis just yet...after all, next week is Dallas week.
As far as this game is concerned, we saw some glimpses of Bad Rex in the first half. You just knew it was going to happen. We take the opening kickoff and drive down inside the Arizona 20 only to see Grossman throw a patented pick which could have gone all the way had he not been tripped up at the last second. As it stood, Grossman threw 2 picks in the first half and had several more batted balls. I'll admit, I was calling for Beck after the second pick. The patrons at the Greene Turtle reassured me that Beck for Grossman would just be one bum for another. Point taken, but I HATE giving the ball away. When you give the ball away, especially inside the red zone, things ought to happen to people, but that's why I'm probably not a coach. I'd have too happy a trigger finger to pull people out of the game for things like that. After the 2nd pick, Grossman kind of settled down, throwing touchdown passes to Fred Davis and Santana Moss (Moss's coming on 4th down). All of the batted balls are very concerning as well, as any one of them could just have easily been picked out of the air. I know he's small in stature, but he has to realize that as well. Move in the pocket. Offensive linemen have to keep defenders' hands down, but Grossman needs to adjust as well.
The good news is that this was definitely a Bad Rex game, and we still won. Some would say that this is Good Rex, but week 1 against the Giants was definitely Good Rex. Is that a good sign for down the road? You be the judge.
Outside of the quarterback position, I wish we would run the ball more. Tim Hightower was averaging almost 5 yards per carry (96 yards on 20 carries). Roy Helu also had 10 carries for 74 yards. Why don't we hand the ball off more? Our running game is good! Our backs have not lost a single fumble (yet), and the O-line is run blocking extremely well. I know the NFL is a passing league first and foremost nowadays, but teams won by running the football for decades. We dominated time of possession, which was a huge key in that it kept Arizona's passing attack and Larry Fitzgerald on the sideline. Fitz still went for 7, 133, and touch! I told you he was going to get his, but we had to keep the rest of them in check, and by keeping them on the sidelinek, we did. We still have to finish in the red zone. We kicked 3 field goals inside the 20 and had another one blocked. If we turn those field goals into TDs, this game is a blowaway.
On defense, we were not as sharp as I would have liked to see. We let them sustain some drives. Fitz may have had some big numbers, but most of those came on one play. Kevin Kolb ran a play action and bootlegged to the right. He could feel pressure coming but stepped up and fired as he got hit hard (had his helmet knocked off). DeAngelo Hall, who did a good job disrupting Fitz's route running for most of the game, bit hard on the play fake and allowed Fitz to get some 15 yards behind him. Despite the hit, Kolb hit him in stride and he took it all the way. If only Rex Grossman could hit our guys in stride...nevermind. Outside of that one play (and the fumble recovery on the last drive), the defense was good, but not spectacular. Our defense has the ability to take games over with takeaways and sacks. The defense needs to get turnovers if we want to escape JerryWorld with a win next Monday night. I know that Romo and Co. aren't exactly the 85 Bears, but they are the Cowboys, and they always seem to have our number at the most inopportune times.
It was not pretty, and we are a lot better than just 1 point over Arizona, but it's a win, and we're 2 wins to the good, which is certainly better than 1-1 or even worse 0-2. Depending on how Philly does tonight, we could be in sole possession of first place in the NFC East for the first time in years! Several people had given up on the Redskins this year, relegating us to 3-13 (or me...4-12), and I am quite pleased that I am already halfway to being wrong on THAT prediction. It's a long season though, and our next game is a huge test to say the least. Next week is Dallas week, if you didn't figure that out by now. Redskins-Cowboys has lost a lot of its luster in recent years. I'll discuss more about this rivalry and its significance later this week on the blog.
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