Shot glass half full...
by CJHutch on Sep 14, 2009 7:23 AM EDT
Email
PrintOK, so I meander downstairs this morning, and I find last night's mess. Beer bottles all over, empty chip bags strewn about, pizza crust all over the place. Well, right before I call my wife down to clean it all up, something catches my eye. It's my Redskins shot glass, with a half a shot of Jameson's still left in it. So I think to myself, "what a waste." Then it hits, me - it doesn't HAVE to be a waste. So I down it. Now this moment of clarity gets me thinking - maybe the Skins don't have to be a waste either. Here's why...
1) - We're going undefeated. I know this is cliche, but it's still the truth. You are gonna lose some games. It's just tougher when you lose the 1st one. But that's no reason to condemn the team for the year. What's the point of that? These are the guys (and coaches) we have now, so if we're gonna win, this is who we're gonna do it with.
2) - the Giants are better than us. Realistically, I think the rational ones of us already knew this. So it shouldn't be a surprise. Now, that being said, how much WORSE could we have played?
Our secondary, which was a strength last year, was atrocious. There still wasn't enough pressure, and when there was pressure, there wasn't enough Eli hitting. (it's also evident that Orakpo is not gonna come around for awhile at SLB. He looked totally lost in coverage, and I didn't see him in Eli's face at all)
On offense, Campbell still looks too mechanical. But even worse was the playcalling. I understand the 50-gut mentality, but that only works if you're getting 4-5 yards a pop every time. If they stop it, you need to run a different way. Portis' left shoulder is probably bruised as hell today, while his right one is fine. They obviously STILL have no faith in Heyer's run blocking. We may be the first team to shuttle our right tackles - Heyer for pass plays, Williams for run plays. And why they STILL refuse to make Kelly, Davis, Thomas, or Mitchell part of the gameplan just baffles me.
OK, now that I've vented that, here's my point - we can only get better. Even the Giants know that you need to play better in December than you do in September. Sure, you need all the wins you can get. But, after playing that bad, we STILL only lost by 6 points, on the road in front of a hostile crowd. If Campbell steps up a little more, or Samuels holds Osi off for 1 more second, we could be looking at something totally different, even after getting outplayed.
So, no, we didn't draw the long straws like Dallas and Philly. We had to play the best team in the division coming out of the gate, while they got patsies. Well, now it's out turn with the patsies. I don't wanna hear the doom and gloom after one game against a damned good team. Let's get warmed up before the worry warts start popping up.
40 comments
|
9 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
My wife agrees with you
She doesn’t understand why I get so frustrated during the first game of the year and offers condolences such as those you list above, but the precedent is set.
Barring some remarkable sudden “getting it” of mindsets and understanding, the play calling is going to continue to be terribly predictable and Campbell is going to remain a talented, but stunted, quarterback.
I’m a long time fan, a rational fan, and have even defended Campbell over the past two seasons from knee-jerk fans willing to jettison him the first time he makes a mistake, but I really came into this season with high hopes and am entirely dejected to have watched, despite the off-season changes and assurances of the growth of the kids and the stability the second year of a system brings, etc., pretty much the same crummy performances as last season… on both sides of the ball.
I’m optimistic about the next few weeks (although I recall losing to the lowly Rams at home last year) and do understand that it’s only one game, and it was against a good opponent, but if that’s how they play in the first game of the season, against a division rival, in a statement game with our QB in a contract year and with a chip on his shoulder, then all indications are that it’s going to be a long season.
Is it hockey season yet?
you're wife's a smart woman
I'm to young to Die Danny...don't make me do it tomorrow....
That was one of the qualities that brought us together
and she may be right, but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept.
Is it hockey season yet?
Thanks CJ, I was thinking the same thing
Last night was the WORST I could of expected us to look and we lost to the best team in the division, on the road, by less than 7 points. We’ll crush the Rams next week and don’t freak out everybody theres 15+ weeks left!
Quite a stretch
The Giants were playing banged up. They didn’t have all of their starters out there and this game was nowhere near as close as the score looked. I love the Skins and hope they kill it the rest of the year but they looked bad, plainly put. The coaches looked bad and the QB looked bad. It’s not as far of a stretch to say, “We stink” as it is to say, “We ALMOST won that game!”.
by Kung Fu Fo You Foo! on Sep 14, 2009 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I disagree
I think there were 4 critical plays in the game that changed everything:
1) Randle El stupidly not throwing the ball away in that 1st trick play. We had some momentum with CP’s breakout run, and that killed it.
2) JC’s illegal forward pass turned INT. Dumb.
3) JC not stepping up in the pocket and getting the ball stripped, which followed in Osi luckily finding the ball and having an open field to run a TD.
4) Smoot, Carter, and Hall all playing two-hand touch with Manningham while he danced down the sideline into the end zone.
Those 4 bonehead plays changed the course of the game in their favor. Besides that, it was smashmouth football that could have easily gone either way.
But...
I wouldn’t dispute any of that. But look at how many more plays they ran. Look at that time of possesion. Our defense isn’t going to hold NY to 10 points. We don’t move the ball with any consistency. Forget the D. When was the last time the Skins were an offensive threat? Seriously, I can’t recall the last time they were even in a shootout. 2 of your 4 game changing plays involve JC. And his were turnovers that KILLED us. I’m afraid he’ll be even more afraid of throwing now. Hopefully he turns into a great QB by next week though and he takes us into the playoffs.
by Kung Fu Fo You Foo! on Sep 14, 2009 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions
On the other hand
Without three critical plays that could have gone either way, the Skins probably don’t score more than 7 points.
1) If Moss (ours) doesn’t fall asleep on the fake FG
2) Landry doesn’t make an all-out diving play on the INT (great, great play to cover for Hall, who was beaten for a good 25-30 yard gain. And then he throws his arms up in the air like it was all him on that play. Ass)
3) The fact that Eli is looking at his shoes because his facemask is pulled down to his chin on the FF (sure the play was covered from the official’s point of view, but dammit he is supposed to be looking at the QB)
Every single football game comes down to a handful of plays. They go one way or another, and the game is decided.
Homer: Aw, twenty dollars! I wanted a peanut!
Homer's Brain: Twenty dollars can buy many peanuts!
Homer: Explain how!
Homer's Brain: Money can be exchanged for goods and services!
Homer: Woo-hoo!
by bigbluethruandthru on Sep 14, 2009 11:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Every single football game comes down to a handful of plays.
No, some teams just get SPANKED, which is what some of your cohorts are implying happened to us. And that is simply untrue.
Furthermore…
[My opinion] that Eli is looking at his shoes because his facemask is pulled down to his chin on the FFYour opinion was overruled by the NFL officials who actually know the rules. Watch how Carter doesn’t catch a fine this week.
only thing i can say to that
is that all of those things DID happen, and the better teams in the league dont make those mistakes. trust me, i hope things turn for the better, but i saw more bad than good happen yesterday. im not an optimist, im not a pessimist, im a realist
I hope
you remain this pessimistic if when we rack up 2 or wins in a row. Seriously
The Giants were playing banged up.
It’s football. Who cares? Were they saying this about us last year when we were banged up? I won’t say we “almost won that game.” What I’ll say, ONCE AGAIN, is that we had a chance to win, on the road, against a division rival with perhaps the best lines in the league, AFTER playing like crap the whole game.
i was at work for the game
so i wasn’t able to blog. i checked out the live thread and have one question. do we have a lot of fairweather fans here? or was it just the anger from losing that made people throw in the towel game 1 of the season?
I'm to young to Die Danny...don't make me do it tomorrow....
yeah
I’ll admit I was a little premenstrual myself during the game. I’m not sure this live blogging is good for my health. It is just frustrating watching the ship hit the iceberg while it seems nobody was willing to turn right. I guess I get heated at the bad play, and playcalling, during the game, and save the perspective for afterwards.
hmm
I guess I get heated at the bad play, and playcalling, during the game, and save the perspective for afterwards.
Some people aren’t even doing THAT.
I'm to young to Die Danny...don't make me do it tomorrow....
yeah
well, they’re turds. No team is gonna go undefeated. Losses happen. I think some people feel better when they have something to complain about.
by CJHutch on Sep 14, 2009 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
So True...
Look at how many people on this blog are bitching about certain players yesterday (DHall/JC/etc.) Not one person has focused on the good things that we saw.
Its amazing the G-Men were in the Red Zone 3 times and came away with nothing. This game could of easily gone the other way if something was different in the 1st Quarter, like if Horton would of got that diving pick or if Westbrook got them pinned back on the one. One thing that does make me mad though is Landry always racking up personal fouls.
I’m really interested to see the Giants-Girls game next week.
by Parks Smith on Sep 14, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Rec'd after the first paragraph.
The playcalling was baffling. It felt like Zorn had absolutely no faith in being able to line ‘em up and let the playmakers (esp. the young guns) make a play. Thats really the only thing that I’m going to remained concerned about until I see evidence to the contrary.
The offensive line played GREAT against the best D-Line in the league. Campbell needs to step up in the pocket and the receivers need to get open. Tuck blew the play up single handedly a couple times, but you can’t pin this one on poor blocking.
Maybe the Giants were content with letting us drive down and get a touch with 1:30 left in the game, but thats doubtful. That drive was executed very well, and if you compare that drive to all of the others you will see one key difference: passing on first downs, throwing downfield, and (gasp) throwing into the endzone.
Oh and even though the Giants basically picked up yards at will, the D forced a couple turnovers and played great in the redzone. If the offense had sustained a few drives in the first half I think we would have seen even more from them. They were just gassed.
Boo...Tend to agree
Where was the deep bal to Thomas, Kelly or Marko
Where was two TE set and throwing the get the players to sball to Davis
Where was the Betts screen
Stop the play calling as if it won’t work, and start the play calling to make the players, players
24 hours later, the Redskins can be a good team but it starts with the Coach believing and letting players play!
Kelly and Moss at least
were covered out of the stadium. There was a reason ARE had 8 catches, he was going against our 5th CB playing as our nickel.
Homer: Aw, twenty dollars! I wanted a peanut!
Homer's Brain: Twenty dollars can buy many peanuts!
Homer: Explain how!
Homer's Brain: Money can be exchanged for goods and services!
Homer: Woo-hoo!
by bigbluethruandthru on Sep 14, 2009 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions
and if that was the case
why in the hell wasn’t our coach calling for the playbook that held the 4 and 5 receiver sets?
That’s all that anyone on this side is saying. Not disparaging the Giants personnel but the brains and balls of our own coaching staff.
I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused....
Exactly
Not disparaging the Giants personnel but the brains and balls of our own coaching staff.
Step up Don’t always take what you think the Defense gives you, try to force it once in awhile
Maybe some 4 and 5 reciever sets would have slowed down the pass rush or made the line step it up some. Zorn, closes the playbook to what he thinks will not work because of a few plays.
-Running right
-Deep bombs
-4 and 5 reciever sets
Just because they didn’t work and it appears the defense has it covered doesn’t mean you completly abandon the plays…MIX IT UP WITH THE ENTIRE PLAY BOOK
Running to the left
wasn’t working all that well either, yet Zorn had no trouble calling it over and over… and over again.
you cant run with 8 in the box. play action please! WTF!
by liger99 on Sep 15, 2009 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
-4 and 5 reciever sets
That’s what surprised me the most. Half of JC’s new toys (DT, Davis, Marko) were either warming the bench or playing decoy. We have to get these guys involved in this offense. At least make someone else besides Moss the first progression in a passing play. Especially when Moss is being covered by their only good CB.
you didn't have 5 receiver sets
cuz the Giants would just blitz the hell out of it
They had to have Portis in teh backfield so Campbell didn’t get killed.
What the f$%k is the internet?
by FreeBradshaw on Sep 15, 2009 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions
this is true
but had we opened up the passing game, it could have led to five receiver sets. The point is to make them pay for blitzing with big plays. I know you may say that we aren’t capable of that, which may be true. But the reality of it is nobody knows, because we never try.
that's bs
you use the gun and you wait and see who isn’t covered, you wanna blitz that, then fine, you take your chances, especially if you have safeties on guys like Thomas and Mitchell, or god forbid linebackers. The game is about mismatches and manufacturing opportunities. Not saying that the Giants didn’t do there part. Again the point here is you take your chances and make opportunities. I guarantee you, the ‘Skins have two of their top three db’s out, how many times you think the Giants are gonna run 4 and 5 receiver sets? Any wideout worth his salt will relish the opportunity.
I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused....
Half empty or half full:
Before the Skins-Giants game I watch some of the Kansas City game. New coach, new offense, and much change in roster, yet they stayed with 2008 #2 defense most of the game. Brodie Croyle has less experience than Campbell, but he certainly looked a lot better – http://www.kcchiefs.com/player/brodie_croyle/. Between Zorn and JC half full seems like a better perspective.
fill'er-up and empty the shot glasses
Salute the win, but drink away the performance…shot glass is no longer half-full
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
