Editors note: After a...ahem...prolonged hiatus, I'm hoping to get back into the saddle. Cut me a little slack if I'm not perfectly proficient in the next few weeks. Just like RGIII, I've got to shake off a little bit of the rust. Even bloggers need a preseason.
Talk about getting kicked in the mouth. Last night was back to school night, and hindsight of course being 20/20, I wish it had gone even longer. I couldn't help as I watched Philly's total shoot up but reminisce about that Monday Night 3 years ago when Vick & Co. made mincemeat out of us 59-28. Now last night wasn't THAT bad, but it did get to 33-7 at the worst point so of course my mind went there. And I'll bet that the Shanahans felt the same exact way.
What to make of that offense...it was non-existent. Yes we went 4-0 in the preseason, but let me tell you something about 4-0 preseasons (and I mentioned this on Facebook as well).
-The last time the Skins went 4-0 in the preseason, our franchise QB eventually shattered his leg in one of the most horrific injuries of all time...on Monday Night Football (only one Monday Nighter left...)
-I do believe the 2008 Detroit Lions also went 4-0 in the preseason. And how many did they win went when it mattered? Wait, don't answer that.
Having not watched the entire first half, it's hard for me to really get a gauge on what exactly happened, but I can read between the lines. It was ugly. Griffin said in his presser that A) he doesn't throw picks, B) Morris doesn't fumble, and C) Forbath doesn't miss field goals. All 3 of those things happened last night. The Eagles scored a safety after a pitchout went awry when Morris couldn't handle it. There were lots of turnovers last night after a season when we had the best giveaway/takeaway ratio in the league, never a good sign going forward. They had 3 first downs in the entire half, and didn't cross the 50 yard line once. Meanwhile, Philly had 21 first downs...and 53 total plays on offense!
Speaking of that, I mentioned before the game that while I did think Redskins would win (and win quite handily at that), I conceded that Philly scared me because I had NO IDEA what they were going to do. I had seen that offense at Oregon, and you couldn't have a better guy to run it than Dr. Dog Killer himself, but I figured A) we had run that offense a lot last year, so we should know how to defend it (especially after the Seattle game), B) they don't have the kind of talent surrounding Vick and McCoy to run it with any consistency. However, they did exactly what I was afraid they were going to do in the first half: dictate the tempo. 53 plays! Lots of times, you don't get 53 plays in an entire game! It also didn't help that the tackling was pathetic. I got home just in time to see McCoy jaunt 30 yards into the end zone to make it 33-7, juking at least 3 guys out of their jock straps in the process.
Out of all of this, believe it or not, you can take away some positives (and if you know me, this isn't going to be the rabid homerism like you would expect out of say Kevin Sheehan). That 4th quarter, we did look pretty good on both sides. Now, I don't know if it was just because they were playing prevent or we figured something out, but we were able to establish a rhythm on offense and move the ball. Defensively, they let Vick get away on one scramble, but for the most part were able to stop them and even forced a turnover that led to a touchdown. So it leaves a somewhat better taste in your mouth than what they must have been tasting at halftime. I don't care what RGIII says, he was rusty. He looked like a QB that had only taken snaps against the scout team during training camp. Perhaps the first 3 quarters were *his* preseason, and by the time the 4th started he was in game shape. Don't know for sure, but knowing Bob Griffin on any other night, it doesn't take him 3 quarters to start playing the way we know him to play.
In other news...his knee did NOT buckle and Dr. Andrews on the sideline did not have a perturbed look on his face (at least not more than any other game).
Next week, it's the home opener at Lambeau. Both the Redskins and Pack are 0-1...but the two teams achieved that 0-1 in quite different ways. The Skins laid an egg, and the Pack went point for point with Kaepernick and the 49ers (and got screwed on a misapplied offsetting dead ball foul call). I watched that game from start to finish, and it was very interesting that San Francisco very rarely used the read-option scheme that shredded Green Bay in the playoffs last year. Kaep threw for 412 and 4 scores from the pocket. That kid is the real deal folks. Wow. Rogers still did his thing, and you know they'll come into that game hungry. If we want to get out of Wisco with our dignity, we have to be just as angry as they are. We almost have to treat this like an elimination game. Somebody is walking out of there 0-2 and we all know the statistics on 0-2 teams that make (or don't make) the playoffs. Griffin is more than capable of doing exactly what Kaepernick did to the Pack. We have to protect the football (of course), pound them on the ground (obviously), and keep RGIII healthy (without saying).
I'll have a more detailed preview later in the week.
Finally today, Mr. K. on Facebook proudly made the following declaration:
"Wow, I'm calling it. Griffin's been Tebowed. It might take a few years for it to come to full fruition, but don't forget where you heard it first. Pro career is over."
Um...I don't know why would even put RGIII and Tebow in the same sentence let alone compare the two as quarterbacks, but I do fear for his sake that this statement will come back to haunt him.
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