Tough game. The final score was 23-17 but I wasn't thrilled with the performance. A few things in particular bothered me.
1. In general, we seemed to be beaten on both sides of the line play. We didn't get enough pressure on Eli and we weren't able to protect JC as well as hoped. It wasn't terrible but it certainly had an impact. Felt like Eli had a lot more time and was able to make plays particularly on third down and longs. Our O line wasn't bad but wasn't great. We need to do a better job of disguising our pass rush and I would like to see more blitzing and being more aggressive.
2. Didn't like the play calling too much. Felt like it was too conservative especially at the beginning. Didn't like on I think our second drive deep in our zone where we just ran it three times. Also, on a 3rd and 8, we ran the ball. JC seemed pretty effective throwing and I would have liked for us/him to be more aggressive. I'm not sure if it was Zorn calling it or JC making the changes at the line but I want to see us get more aggressive.
3. All in all, need more intensity.
4. JC was decent except for his two mistakes. He took too long on the stripped ball and should have gotten rid of it. Also, I don't blame him for the INT. I blame Moss more for not coming back to the ball and allowing the DB to just bump him out of the way and get the ball. However, I blame JC for running over the line before throwing. He needs to be more aware. JC didn't look at poised in this game particularly early on and I wanted to see more from our offense in general.
The good thing was that we went into the Meadowlands and despite the play, the score was fairly close. I didn't expect to win this game. I was hopeful but I think the Giants are still one of the best teams in the NFC so I'm okay with it. It's only the first game so no need to worry. The Rams come to town this week and it's our home opener. We need a strong showing against them and need to put up some points.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
14 comments:
It's only game one and it was tough going on the road.
That said, I never got the sense that the Redskins had a chance. The Bears and Redskins both lost by 6 points but I really felt that the Bears were matching the intensity of play. Mistakes did them in. For the Redskins it just seemed that they were just not as good.
We'll see what happens in coming weeks.
The Giants were clearly the better team going in, and they proved it on the field. We were able to hang around, but there were too many mistakes and not enough stops on defense at critical points for us to really make a game out of it.
I thought we were very successful through the air and we should have passed a little more. Cooley and Randle El were open all day...not sure what happened to Moss and Kelly, but who cares...We were open down the middle, but it almost seemed like we were forcing ourselves to run just to maintain balance...Go with what works instead.
I think the intensity was there. We have a bit of a problem in the secondary which prevented us from making more stops. I think the fact that we gave so much of a cushion to the Giants WRs was the problem. On 3rd down, our guys should get in their faces. We didn't and they converted a bunch of crucial 3rd downs.
JC's errors were obvious. I don't blame him for the INT either, but not stepping up when he fumbled and, in general, not taking off with the ball a little more often made him look very mediocre. He just needs to go out there and have fun. He seems to be thinking too much.
My biggest concerns...Manning had too much time and Heyer isn't very good at run blocking. These problems were magnified by the fact that we were up against one of the league's best teams.
Losing at the Giants was no surprise. I'm glad we didn't fold at 17-0 and we sort of made a game out of it. I didn't ever get the feeling we'd come back, but we should have a little confidence going into the upcoming stretch of relatively easier games.
I didn't feel the intensity because of the losing at both sides of the line and the lack of aggressiveness in play calling.
I agree that we should have passed more. We were successful when we did. I agree on not including Kelly or Moss but at the same time if we are making completions/yards, I don't care who the ball goes to.
I don't like the CBs playing off as well for two reasons.
1. These were inexperienced WRs and we should be taking it to them.
2. I don't think we were blitzing so we had more guys in coverage so get closer knowing there is help.
The third and long conversions were a result of not getting pressure on the Eli. He had plenty of time to make the play. That was one thing about the Packer/Bear game was that they did a good job of disguising looks and sending guys at the right times. We didn't do that and we need some of that to create turnovers. I will say that the Giants deserve credit as their lines on both sides of the ball are better than most in the NFL and the Skins will not have to face that every week.
Hopefully it was a good experience and we can use it as we go into the Ram game. We need a good showing against them. It's an early season must win.
The Rams at home is about as easy a game as you can expect in the NFL. If they lose that game - the Zorn watch will be in full effect. I'm sure the Redskins will get the win they need.
What happened to Kelly? Maybe he'll do something against the Rams. Doubt it, but we'll see.
The word of the day: Intensity. The Redskins could not keep up with the Giants' intensity level.
The most critical time for the Skins happened when they came out for the second half. If they had driven down the field and scored 7, it would have been a much different outcome. The sins of the first half would have been forgotten. They really needed to keep the momentum going and they blew it.
Maybe Zorn was too "Medium" in the locker room at halftime. I'm getting tired of his flakey approach to the postgame address.
It's the same argument that Paul and I always have: Paul thinks that just because they are professional football players they should be amped to play every game with the highest intensity. I argue that a team needs an insprirational leader to help his teammates rise above so that the team doesn't lose its focus and intensity. The Skins need the focus and intensity to avoid these stupid mistakes and penalties. That focus/intensity also helps them to win the positional battles.
They have to understand that the phrase, "my bad" should not be an acceptable phrase for this team. Their talent level is not high enough to afford a lack of alacrity at any position.
I don't necessarily think the head coach has to be the one to get intensity up. There needs to be guys in the locker room and even crazy assistant coaches who do that.
While I think intensity was an issue. I think the real problem for the Redskins remains mediocre talent. Their O-line is trouble (we'll see if it was just the superior front 7 of the Giants or a bigger issue in coming weeks), their wide receivers don't do much. Their pass rush should be better against lesser teams, but questions still remain about the Redskins front 7.
But in the end, the Giants appear to be a far superior team in terms of talent. The Redskins got beat on most of the one-on-one battles that make up plays. This is a talent problem. I heard Troy and the other dude say that the Giants get contributions from their draft picks and young guys - the Redskins don't. It is tough to win in the NFL when that is the case.
Tony Dungy was not a in your face kind of guy and he was a very much respected coach. Same is true for Bill Walsh. I'm sure I could think of plenty of successful coaches that aren't like that.
Coaches need to be able to get their players ready through practice and schemes and matchups against oppositions and put their players in positions to be successful.
It is an intense game but players should be able to pump themselves and each other up.
I'm not saying that an in your face coach is not needed but you don't need that guy to be successful.
I don't blame intensity for what I thought was poor play calling. We should have been more aggressive in playing calling on both sides of the ball (more passing which was successful and more blitzing to create pressure).
Again, it was one game. It was a tough game. It's not like we got blown out against a bad team at home. It was one of the better teams in the NFC, on their home field, and the score was close. We will not see that each week. I think it is a good learning experience and I expect much more this week against the Rams.
I listened to a bit of Zorn's press conf. today. He touched on two items that we've raised:
1. Malcolm Kelly - Kelly was open quite a few times, but JC opted to go to Cooley or Randle El instead. Zorn was ok with Kelly's performance.
2. The DBs - Zorn was not happy about how far off the line of scrimmage the corners were playing on 3rd downs. He said that is going to be a point of emphasis as the team tries to improve over the next few weeks.
Zorn's not a dummy, but let's see if he can get the necessary adjustments in and have them translate to better play all around.
I didn't even see Kelly out there that much. He was a complete non-factor.
I really do not understand why the Redskins want to pump the guy up so much. It is like there is a bubble around the guy so that he doesn't face criticism. He still may end up being a good player, but he just does not seem to make any difference on the field.
I guess if the other guys are open, JC is making the right reads. We'll see if he becomes a factor later in the season.
I didn't think they were pumping him up. They said that he has done well and was rewarded withe the #2 spot. Didn't realize that was pumping up.
Just curious, why do you hate Malcolm Kelly so much?
I don't hate him. But I cannot remember hearing so much about how great a guy is when that guy never does anything. Even in preseason he only had a couple of catches - and he was outperformed by Marko.
Larry "I love Danny" Michael, Zorn, and Vinny "I love Danny even more than Larry" have been crowing about how great Kelly is. Maybe he'll be more of a factor this week.
Why are you bashing Malcolm Kelly?
Because I want to and I really don't like the Redskins.
Yippee: The Redskins have finalized a 2 year contract extension with veteran fullback Mike Sellers.
I had heard that he wasn't happy with his deal, so this is great for him and the team.
Let's hope he makes the Pro Bowl again this year.
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