Pretty good. The starting offense played one series and had a near flawless drive (granted, it was against the Jags second team defense). Campbell was 5-5 for 55 yards and a TD to Randle-El. The only flaw was a 5 yard penalty on the second play of the game. Kendall looked much better than Pucillo or Wade so that was positive. We had some better runs which was also encouraging. Still, I was very pleased with Campbell. He showed maturity and patience. A couple of times he stepped up in the pocket and hit his receiver in stride (Cooley heading for the sideline). I also liked one play he wanted to go deep but it wasn't there so he checked off and hit Betts who was wide open as his safety valve. Betts ended up getting a nice gain out of the play. It was a nice way for Campbell to finish and head into the regular season.
The second team defense played pretty well. Kept the Jags to 10 points in the first half. Byron Westbrook missed a tackle and let in a Jag WR for a TD right before the half which may have cost him a spot on the roster. Brunell was solid in his play 4-5 for a TD in the first half. It will be interesting who gets the backup QB job. I don't particularly care. Collins and Brunell seem like one and the same to me.
Palmer came in to play QB in the second half and struggled. I didn't watch much of the second half which was pretty much everyone fighting for the final few special team jobs. Doesn't seem like we did that well as the Jags took control.
Still, all in all, I was pleased with the effort and now it's time to get ready for Miami. Can't wait.
5 comments:
I couldn't agree with you more about Campbell. He looked sharp and made some nice reads. He stepped up into the pocket, checked down to 2nd and 3rd options, and looked confident and healthy.
The starting defense held Jacksonville to 6 yards rushing in the first quarter...also good to see. The game was essentially meaningless after the first quarter, but it was enough to give me confidence that we'll be very competitive this year.
After the game, Brett Haber of channel 9 reported that Brunell will be traded to the Seahawks this week for a draft pick. If it happens, it'll be a great move as Collins looks to be more than capable as the 2nd stringer. We can pick up an adequate 3rd string QB in FA if needed.
Actually, our starting defense didn't even play but it was good to see guys like Blades step up and continue to play well.
If that news on Brunell is true, I agree that it would be a good move. As mentioned, Brunell and Collins are one and the same and we don't need both. Get Brunell off the books and lets move on. I would welcome that move.
The Redskins starting offense hasn't even played together yet.
Coming off of an injury-plagued year, Portis didn't participate in OTAs, has not played or practiced all of summer and he is supposed to get in and just start running in Game 1. Right.
Samuels hasn't played or practiced in a month, Kendall just joined the team, and Jansen looks like he as lost a step.
Opening day, Pete Kendall is going to turn to Chris Samuels and say, "Hi, I'm Pete, nice to meet you."
On top of all of that, there are still questions about who the #2 receiver will be AND you have an inexperienced QB.
But all of that will come together and the Redskins will just be a great offense. We'll see what happens when real schemes and real defenses play against this unit.
No one is saying the 'Skins are going to run away with a Super Bowl victory dude. Optimism due to positive signs doesn't mean anything except that there's obvious improvements since last year. That's all I'm saying. We're younger and better at QB. RB is solid. TE is solid. The o-line was a strength and even though it's going to take time for the line to gel, it will not be a major weakness, unless, as you said, Jansen has in fact lost a step. Even if Randle El and Lloyd haven't locked up the #2 receiver spot, both can contribute and be adequate options after Moss and Cooley.
For someone as sensitive as you when it comes to criticism of your team, you do a lot of unnecessary hating yourself.
I put my predictions down for both the Bears and Redskins on my blog. I cannot wait to see you and JKD put your thoughts down. We'll see who is right.
I was listening to Sportstalk 980 last night and Redskin fans were calling in saying the team was going to make a run at the Super Bowl and they would go 12-4, 11-5, 14-2, 13-3. Every now and then a realistic fan would say 5-11, 6-10, 7-9. I am just amazed by the delusional confidence.
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