Recap: Redskins vs Steelers - I'm Still Not Impressed
by Kevin Ewoldt on Aug 23, 2009 3:26 PM EDT
in Redskins Recaps
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PrintWell, that was, uh, interesting. The young guys definitely have shown improvement, but they're still not displaying that big play ability I'm looking for. The play-calling and QB play could be a reason for this, but either way, things still aren't clicking offensively. Based on the game thread of what I was going to watch:
1.) ANYONE on offense to make a play. Seriously. I'm tired of reading and seeing who looks good in practice. It's time for one of the red shirt WRs to make a play....and I mean 30+ yard play and/or TD.
2.) 1st defense vs Charlie Batch: WIth Big Ben sitting out, I expect Charlie Batch to spend more time on his back than Paris Hilton.
3.) 3 and outs. I want to see the Redskins outnumber the Steelers in this 2-1.
For the 2nd consecutive game there was not a big play, except for the long Chase Daniel scramble. The TD catches by Marko and Fred Davis were smooth, but moving the ball still seems to be an issue.
As for the 1st defense, I wasn't impressed as I thought I'd be. Only 2 sacks and 0 interceptions. Orakpo was all over the field again, but missed a few tackles. Charlie Batch played well, which is not what I expected or hoped.
The Redskins were 9-18 on third down effiency while the Steelers were 7-16. The Steelers only went 3-and-out once in their first 5 drives while the Redskins went 3-and-out THREE times out of their first five drives (four if we hadn't pulled off the fake punt). There were multiple times Campbell scrambled and threw the ball into the dirt to kill the play. Can it get any more frustrating than that?
Dominque Dorsey to me seems like a nice try, but failed project. He didn't show the speed he needs to get around the corner on plays and he bumbled the ball ona couple of plays. As for special teams, I mean, Wow. It was consistently bad all game. Only once did the Steelers start a drive inside their own 20.
I came across a cool site at fangraphs.com that charts the progression of MLB games, so we'll be doing them for the Skins games. The Redskins first teams didn't control the momentum, while the backups did step up for the 2nd half. After watching the Redskins' first offense these first 2 pre-season games, we might not need to carry a kicker on the roster at all.
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3rd down
Maybe if the Skins D hadnt been 15 yd zones on 3rd and 8 the Steelers wouldnt have been 9 for 17. Ah the genius of the prevent D
that
ticky tack foul on Hall was the difference on the first drive. The ‘D’ had ‘em shut down before then. It was a weak call, but Hall probably could’ve pulled up.
As for the rest of the game, I’m glad to see us throw downfield twice in a MONTH, let alone twice in a quarter. JC was genuinely surprised that Kelly was that fast, so I’ll accept the underthrow. The pass to Moss on the sideline was awful, so he definitely needs to work on his timing. The “1 for 7”, while not very good, is not as bad as it looks. You can’t project off of preseason numbers. Plus, as well as the running game was going, he didn’t get the chance to start a groove.
I have yet to hear anyone talk about the running game. I’d say they looked pretty good going against Pittsburgh’s starters. I’d just love to see Mason slide up the depth chart one of these games. People keep saying he’s battling Rock, but I’d rather keep him over Betts. His vision is everything Betts’ never was, and he doesn’t need a truck-sized hole to get some yards like Ladell.
The other difference maker on D was the poor tackling by the D-line. They burst onto the quarter back at least 10 times but only sacked them 3 times. It was like they were shocked at how easy they got there. If they’d sacked every time they hit the QB this game it would have been lights out from the beginning, at least 6 sacks for the D-line
I think he's
still hurt.
Dorsey looked good, but I just don’t know about his overall size. I wish they’d give Mason a shot at returning kicks. I like Rock’s steady play back there, but Mason needs to get in on Teams somewhere to stick around. Personally, I think he should be given Betts’ job.
Despite his size
I liked the fact that he actually got hit and kept moving a couple of times. he wasn’t getting manhandled out there like I thought he would.
I'm to young to Die Danny...don't make me do it tomorrow....
AA returns to practice this week
I really want to see this guy return kicks in a live game. It just stands to reason that a guy who runs a 4.2 is going to get further down the field than a guy who runs a 4.6 (Rock) on kickoffs.
RAK EM UP!
we'll see
I’m not disagreeing with you, but part of kick returning is having a little bit of reckless abandon. Rock gets the ball and runs straight, much like B- Mitch used to do. Too many guys dance around, or run in circles, and end up sacrificing yards. (See, Antwan Randle El)
He is also good for a handful of 50+ yard returns a season. He won’t take it to the house, but he is probably on the most consistently good role players on the team.
we were 4th in KO returns last year…i think 28.4 yards per. I dont see the need to make a change. I like having the vet there to protect the ball, a turnover on special teams is a killer for the Skins. We didnt have the offense last year to come back when we lose the turnover battle and giving the ball up deep in our zone would just be crushing. Hopefully we see our D get us the ball in scoring position more this year…but I need to see it happen before im okay with taking a few more risks with players.
Having Betts and Rock as our backups is killing CP.
Portis needs relief – someone to step in and keep us marching down the field. Betts and Rock will bring nothing but 3 and outs if/when CP gets injured. We either need 4 RBs or Betts or Rock to get cut. Based on Zorn’s man-crush on Betts, he’s probably not going anywhere.
RAK EM UP!
I’m not at all excited about betts and rock as the backups at all. But I’m also not excited about AA, DD, and MM…I’m looking for something from them to give me reason to want them on the team. You know…a spark or flash of speed that make s me think they are about to make a big play or take it to the house at any time. I liked MM two years ago when it seemed like he was on the verge of a big run every time he touched the ball, but I have not seen that yet this year. If MM played special teams, I could see him making the team. Right now one of them making the team will be due to us just trying to get younger at the position, not b/c they outplayed betts or rock.
what about marvin harrison? anticipating the “wahh it’s another snyderesque impulse purchase”, reports make it sound like he’s available on the ultra-cheap - hence waiting until now —> now that his price’s hit trough’s bottom hardly qualifies as signing someone impulsively, and I still haven’t heard an unambiguously positive report on what they can do for us this season, he’s older but I seriously wonder if his age (37) and his price (sounds ridiculously low) = a downgrade in the development of KelThomas (which has seemed quite stop-and-go due to their own faults rather than lack of serious investment and training on the part of the Redskins) and a downgrade at the 2nd receiver position. I’m not saying it is the perfect sign, the calculus just seems to point towards signing harrison being either a net-wash (for KelThomas’s development) or a net-upgrade (everything else)
by Grand Tanyon Sturtze on Aug 23, 2009 9:25 PM EDT reply actions
No. Definitely not. Need to play the young guys. We forget that this is not likely a superbowl type year for the skins. Hate to say it. Just not likely with this o line. It’s not quite a rebuilding year, but it’s a year where it makes a lot more sense to play the young receivers than to sign a veteran. I hope Mitchel is the 5th guy.
good point, and
i think this changed my mind, it sounds like KelThomas’s improving http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfceast/0-13-148/My-thoughts-on-Skins—win-over-Pittsburgh.html
by Grand Tanyon Sturtze on Aug 23, 2009 10:23 PM EDT reply actions
Preseasn
Maybe it’s the Kool-aid or Maybe it was living through the Spurrier years. The preseason is practice.
The Defense plays a base defense, less of the man-to-man for evaluation, only a small number of the offensive plays are used, Trick plays are tried, and kickers are provided an opportunity to do their job in real time.
Players get to play who either can start in the NFL or who will be noted as solid backups.
It’s an evaluation, not a performance indicator. As a former player, Zorn should and does know this as well as anyone.
The first game showed a lack of enthusiasm, the effort was improved for the 2nd game.
RAK should be special, Devin and Kelly are read, the OL will struggle all year but should hold together
The real bell weather for this team will be the first game of the season, A good win, a good effort loss or a loss.
If the team plays the Giants game like last year, it will be a long season…it’s almost time for some real football
Finish the preseason with no injuries…
very good
assessment. The offense worries me, but I won’t panic until I see a full game. We have a lot more weapons this year, maybe more than we anticipated. Mitchell looks like a gamer, could be the next Marques Colston. Truthfully, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him overtake Devin Thomas. Kelly looks like starting material opposite Moss, enabling ARE to move to the slot where he’s a much better fit.
What REALLY impressed me was the running game. Especially considering they were going against the Steelers ones. Forget about the QB controversy (since there isn’t one), I think there SHOULD BE a #2 RB controversy. Marcus Mason is a much better runner than Ladell Betts. They’re talking about him battling Rock, but I say keep them both. Mason’s vision and burst are talents Betts never possessed. Add that to the fact that he’s a lot younger than Betts (and Portis), and I think Betts should be the odd man out. Unfortunately I haven’t heard any rumblings of this happening, but I can hope. Betts’ best days are behind him, and Mason looks to be a legit back.
Agree
Rock has a lot of heart and is a leader, he will not be going anywhere.
I really don’t think Betts will go away, which leaves Mason as the odd man out.
But the team would be wise to go away from Betts to Mason as you stated…hopefully I’ll be surprised
You've been beating that drum for a while
and I also agree. I keep watching Betts run and waiting to see flashes of that same guy who filled in so well for CP just 2 seasons ago. But there’s nothing there. CP just does so much more, with the same O-line, than Betts. The problem is that Zorn seems quite enamored with Betts and I find it hard to imagine he will want to cut ties. The best chance for Mason to make the final 53 is to go with 4 RBs (or someone gets injured).
RAK EM UP!
yeah
I guess I have said it a but much lately. In light of some of the other incessantly repeating themes on here, I will try to give it a rest. Betts or no Betts, I’d just like to see Mason kept around. I believe Theismann was right, he will make it on someone’s roster, hopefully it’s ours.
I didn't mean to give it a rest
You are exactly right! Maybe Betts will be too injured to play against the Patriots, and Mason will get his shot with the 1st team. We already know what Betts brings to the table by now. Let the young bucks play!!
RAK EM UP!
Injury
Sometimes an injury can be a good thing to push a coach.
Really do not want anyone to get hurt, but Horton’s performance last year may have been stuck as a backup a little longer if it was not for an injury to get him some game day performance time.
yeah, but who do we have that has the smallest potential to start at left tackle for us behind samuels?
please don’t say mike williams.
I think
he meant that a Betts injury wouldn’t be a bad thing. Sounds cold, I know. But I was just saying the same thing to a buddy earlier. Because of Betts’ long established role on this team, I just don’t see them giving him an open competition. Unfortunately, I feel like the team is still riding the coat tails of his ‘06 season. Time to move on. Give him and Mason equal reps with the starters, and see who’s better. (and yes, I’m wincing at what comments that statement may draw)
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