HUGE win for the Skins. It was essentially a playoff game as a win puts the Skins one game behind the Giants for the NFC East as well as one game back of the Seahawks for the wild card. A loss would have most likely ended the season. The game had a playoff feel as both teams understood the ramifications and fought hard and the crowd was unbelievable.
In the end, RG3 proved again how valuable he engineered a fourth quarter game winning drive. The guy is a superstar and there is no doubt about it. He has continually impressed and has shown he welcomes any opponent and loves to showcase his talents on the biggest stages. Just an amazing kid.
RG3 has the Redskins within a game of first place, leading a fourth-quarter rally in a 17-16 Monday night victory over the Giants, giving Washington a three-game winning streak in which it has dispatched division rivals -- Philadelphia, Dallas and now New York -- one by one.
The Redskins (6-6) appeared out of the running at 3-6 a month ago, but Griffin is proving his team can never be counted out when he's on the field. With the Giants (7-5) losing three of four and the Cowboys (6-6) also at .500, the division is up for grabs.
Some important notes on the game:
1. Offense was good again. Griffin completed 13 of 21 passes for 163 yards and ran five times for 72 yards, breaking Cam Newton's NFL record for yards rushing by a rookie quarterback. Alfred Morris ran for 124 yards on 22 carries, becoming the second Redskins rookie to run for 1,000 yards. Reggie Brooks had 1,063 in 1993. These two guys are just an amazing pair of rookies that have taken the offense by the reigns. Not to be lost is the play of the O line which has done a great job all year with the zone running scheme. Also, credit needs to go to Kyle Shanny for bringing an offense that suits RG3 very well. Finally, the team is clearly better with Pierre Garcon out there. He has had big plays in every game he has played in full.
2. Defense started off rocky but finished strong. It was a tale of two halves with the Skins D not doing the job in the first half. What was so painful was that the Giants offense were consistently shooting themselves in the foot in the first half with penalties and creating 2nd and long situations but our defense kept letting them off the hook as the Giants were able to convert and keep drives alive. The Giants controlled the clock and were executing their plan perfectly as their best defense was their offense and keeping RG3 off the field. Fortunately, we didn't give up huge points which was big. What bothered me was that I saw a lot of player rotation and different schemes and so forth but at the end of the day, we were not getting significant pass rush. We can't do it with just 3 or 4 guys. That issue combined with the fact that we have a less than stellar secondary, has proven disasterous. In the past, Haslett has either dropped everyone or sent the house. It's an all or nothing scheme that hasn't worked for two years. In the second half it was different. I liked what Haslett was doing. He sent an additional rusher regularly and it was coming from different spots and Eli was under much more duress. The result was the Giants were not able to score any points in the second half. Haslett and the defense deserve a lot of credit for those adjustments. Frankly, I have been saying that this is what needed to be done for a few weeks now.
3. Special Teams was solid. I am getting more and more comfortable with Forbath as he has yet to miss a FG and seems very confident in himself. His one issue is his kickoffs are short but I'll live with that as long as he makes the FGs.
In the end, as mentioned, it was a HUGE game. I loved how the crowd was in it and how Steve Young was saying that the sidelines were in it as well and how it looked like a college game with the intensity and excitement by the fans and players. Yes, it's exciting. Yes, it puts us in the thick of the playoff hunt. Still, it was one game and we have the Ravens this weekend. I never expected playoffs this season but given where we are of course I am hopeful. Still, if the rest of the season plays out like it has all season, I will be happy with this season whatever the result because it's clear with guys like RG3, Morris, T. Williams, F. Davis, Garcon, Kerrigan, Orakpo we have a solid foundation that we can build/improve on.
I like that the team is really coming together and starting to believe. This is a welcome change from the previous years with older, higher priced divas that fractured the locker room. It's a good time to be a Skins fan and it's great to have RG3.
HTTR!!!
8 comments:
It was a nice win for the skins. It was a game that could have gone either way. This time the ball fell the Redskins way literally. A freak lucky td in the first half and a missed giant field goal were the difference. Still though some luck is needed in every win. I don't really care about how RG3 carries himself in the public eye and with the media. I don't give much weight to that as many in the media and Redskins nation do. I mean what did they expect? He wasnt going to carry himself as a vile young black qb who has now surprised everyone with his so called maturity level. The base of that is very prejudice. He is human and probably carries himself as any normal person does in reality. You have to believe that he has been well schooled on dealing with the media and attention. What you see is a very watered down guarded version of what he is really like. Despite the expected saint like demeanor What I do see is that he is a legit superstar because of what he does on the field. because of that he has earned the right to lead the team. I enjoy witnessing this talented player make great plays and really lift this team on his back and will the Redskins to the p.......
I'm not really sure what JSR is getting at regarding RG3. "Vile young black qb"? You seem to be hinting at some negative stereotype that could have some ignorant people thinking RG3 wouldn't succeed. I don't think that was ever the case with RG3 in particular. By all accounts, the guy has always been known to have his head on right.
I can, answer the question JSR asks..."What did they expect?" As I just alluded to, I think everyone expected RG3 to be a bright, well spoken individual. That aspect was already well documented. What no one expected was that his maturity would translate so well onto the football field. The guy is an extremely quick study who learns from his mistakes and rarely repeats them. He clearly is able to read defenses and adjusts mid-play to make the most of each opportunity. No one expected this much out of him at this point except for, perhaps, himself.
So...regarding the game. Simply put, it was UH-MAY-ZING! AlMo and RG3 are like a god-send for this franchise. Both are well spoken, humble, and grounded individuals, who just happen to be great football players. "They put da team on they back tho." Over 200 yards on the ground against the G-men? Unbelievable.
I completely agree regarding Garcon who is proving to be more than some teams can handle. The Skins are 5-1 with him in the lineup. The O-line had its best game. T. Williams is a stud. RG3 took a few hits, but he was never really under duress. The play-calling was excellent as well.
The D has its weaknesses, but Haslett did a good job of masking them last night. The adjustments made in the 2nd half were the difference in the game. If the Giants were to continue converting 3rd downs, the game would have gone the other way. Our D got off the field and our O kept Eli off the field. All in all, this was a total team effort and a great win.
I just hope the team can keep its focus and bring the same intensity to the Ravens game next Sunday. The Ravens are a lot like the Giants so winning is not out of the question. We just lost Cedric Griffin for the season due to a controlled substance violation (adderal). It's too bad, because he had a good game last night and we're already thin in the secondary. Let's see what happens.
HTTR!
Yeah, I'm not exactly sure what JSR is getting at either. I don't think RG3 is putting up an act. I genuinely believe the guy is a good guy with a good head on his shoulders and a strong moral compass provided to him by good parent's. It's nice to see a guy come out of college and not only be a superstar but a good person with a good character. I agree with Deepie as well that the guy is a quick learner and he is also a natural leader. He understood what he was getting into and the pressure that he was going to face and he not only accepted it. He seemed to want it. It really is rare to see all of these qualities in such a young man. I have long said that you don't have to like the Skins but it really is hard to not like RG3.
As far as the lucky bounce and the missed FG, there are games every week that if the ball bounces this way or if this pass is completed or if this guy makes the tackle, or this and that. Point is that is football. This week we had a couple of bounces go our way. Good for us.
It was still an overall solid performance against a quality team. Whether we make the playoffs or not, I am comfortable with the season thus far and the direction of the Skins are headed.
I'm just saying that it's amazing to constantly hear the media and Redskins fans comment about how smart this guy is and how he is so mature and how bright he is. It just seems like its being made into such a big deal because of how extraordinary he seems to be. Extraordinary from the usual stereotype which would be a young black qb that is more known for physical abilities rather than using his head. And now all of a sudden there is RG3, a young black qb that is a freak of nature and knows how to use his head and everyone is in awe and amazed at how mature and bright he is. It's become so ridiculous that the media would make you believe that RG3 is the Einstein of the NFL. Prejudices are being exposed every time someone comments about how bright RG3 is and if you really think about it, it would have to be insulting to RG3 and black qbs everywhere. I am sure he realizes this. RG3 is a bright mature kid that is proving that he is way more than what the stereotype is by playing his heart out on the field and carrying this team. I just wish the media would stop insulting him by being so amazed and reporting on how mature and bright he is every 10 seconds of the day.
I don't think this is a racial issue at all. However, it is rare when you find a young man (black, white, asian, whatever) that is as mature, grounded, and respectful as he is. You can't help be impressed with how he speaks and carries himself. He is a rare combination of being supremely talented and confident but very humble in knowing he has to show everyone what he already knows to garner their respect. I think these attributes are what have impressed his teammates (and opposition) and what got them to vote RG3 to be a captain.
Again, I don't think he is putting up any kind of act. He appears to be an all around good guy. I don't think there is anything racial in people commenting on how well put together the kid is. Frankly, the guy is a breath of fresh air in that he is an electrifying athlete but he knows he is not beyond the game or his team.
Interesting interview I saw of him recently as he was asked if his parent's come to see all his games and he mentioned that he would like to take care of his parent's but that his father still works and doesn't want any "help" from his son. Even though RG3 probably has money to share and would like to do that, his father is teaching him another lesson on work ethic. RG3 mentioned that he respects his dad for his decision and how that attitude has helped shape his own work ethic.
I don't think that there is anything wrong with commenting about how he is a good kid coming from a good family that raised him right.
I agree to some extent. It may or may not be intentionally racial. But the possibility exists. I just think way too much is being made about the way he carries himself. Its not a extraordinary in my book. Most young superstar athletes carry themselves very positively. How much of that is just putting on a front or being fake is unknown. But it's really naive to believe that that's the way these athletes genuinely are and ignoring that they have been schooled in public relations which is helping them in saying and doing the right things is just not objective. I find it hard to believe that a young superstar multimillionaire athlete with the world at his feet is genuinely level headed and mature. Unless he's some religious saint.
These guys are athletes first and foremost. If a guy is fake, he may be able to fool people for a while but eventually he will show his true colors.
RG3 comes across as a genuinely good kid. Again, he may be an unbelievably gifted actor and is pulling the wool over our eyes but it seems clear to me this guy has been raised properly and is not only respectful but shows a level maturity that most people his age do not have.
It's also clear that he doesn't just act this way in the media as Cooley was being interviewed a day after the last game and the play where RG3 scrambled and fumbled into Morgan's hands for the TD, he mentioned that Rex Grossman turned to him on the sidelines and said with a smile, "He's a good kid. He just lives a good life." I'm sure his teammates (who see him when the cameras aren't rolling) recognize that he is a good guy.
It's fine though. Neither one of us know the guy personally so we'll never know for sure but I've read and seen enough about him that I am comfortable in thinking the guy has his head screwed on well.
I think JSR is looking at this from the wrong angle. It's not that Redskins Nation is making a big deal of RG3 because he's a black kid who carries himself well who also happens to be an amazing rookie talent. It's because he's and amazing rookie talent AND he's proving to be the first legitimate franchise QB this team and city has had since Theismann (and even he wasn't necessarily a truly great QB). DC has been starving for a QB for years and the team has been snake-bitten ever since Snyder took over in 1999. To finally land a QB who happens to bring so many positives is what's extraordinary.
DC's desperate need for a star on the Skins along with RG3 just happening to be a QB has caused a perfect storm, which is why there's so much buzz around him. He's charismatic, humble, and an extremely gifted athlete. If RG3 was doing the exact same thing in Indy or in Boston or in Green Bay, there would be a buzz, but not like this. Those cities are used to having a great QB. We're not. This is new territory for Skins fans and frankly, I don't mind the buzz at all. RG3 is a guy I can be proud to root for. He's someone I don't mind my son looking up to as a sports role-model. Guys like RG3 don't come around often and I'm glad that my team was fortunate enough to land him.
HTTR!
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