Let's get this out of the way: Your Head Coach wins his game-calling debut 30-16 and his quarterbacks play out of their minds, the hyperbole will run wild. So that I don't have to keep reminding reader(s) of the fact below, all my pending effusive phrase should be contextualized by the fact that it was a preseason game against an injured Colts team (Indy fan reaction here). Still, it's hard not to be impressed by...

19 of 22 for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns with zero picks. Cumulative QB rating is 144 including the less impressive works of Derek  Devine and Todd Collins. Colt Brennan was a 157 QB Rating with a 90% completion percentage and Jason Campbell was even better (157.7 QB Rating, no incompletions). I've said it before I'll say it again and again and again: the people who will benefit most from the Jim Zorn experiment are the quarterbacks, as one could hardly hope for a better mentor than a guy who has spent his entire professional career either learning or teaching others to learn how to pass the ball effectively. That was the conventional wisdom going in being confirmed to the extreme at least after the tiny sample size that is this young season. Could any of us have reasonably expected better production out of our starting three quarterbacks, all of whom have had to learn an entirely new offense?

And look at how much we spread the ball around through the air: ten different players had receptions on just 22 throws. I don't know if that's unusual for a preseason game whatsoever (to be fair, the other team had 13 players with receptions) but receiving progressions were clearly read. Campbell was: Cooley, Randle El, Moss, Moss, Cooley. Even better was Brennan, who passed all over the place: Mason, McMullen, Davis, Mann, Goode, Cartwright, Mann, Davis, Mason.

We didn't draft Fred Davis just to look pretty as tight ends appeared prominently last night; Davis and Yoder led the team in receptions with 3, and Cooley tied for 2nd with two receptions. All three quarterbacks completed passes to tight ends.

The runners would not be outdone, though. Ben at Curly R has a prepetual love affair with Marcus Mason, and I can see why: He carried the lion's share of our 155 yards rushing. His 5.4 YPC average was superb and an enormous credit to him for keeping his eyes forward and legs moving. Reader dr WNC noticed that Mason round lowground. No dancing or dipping or diving or dodging, just solid lower them shoulders and move towards the chains and endzone.

Cartwright also aqcuitted himself well with 58 yards on 13 carries, though he did pick up many of those yards on his first run against a 10 man Indy defense.

Speaking of the defense... Chris Horton was player of the game by a mile. He was second on the team in tackles (5) but added 2 sacks, the last one looking effortless. Rookie Rob Jackson added another sack for 3 on the day. Matteral Richardson closed the game out with a nice pick six late in the 4th. Jared Lorenzen, one of my favorite non-Redskins to watch, was not amused.

Before we get to the peanut gallery, a Redskin fan/friend of this site/obvious Colt Brennan partisan was screaming quarterback controversy to me after the game. I told him that's way premature but couldn't deny that Colt Brennan really could not have done better. He was throwing laser beams peeyow pachow bizzang all over the field and looked generally menacing towards an admittedly subpar defense (made up of backups). In other words: he played much like he did in college, as an incredibly accurate passer who knows how to get the ball in the endzone.

Moving on, the bloggers said, starting with Redskin Report:

I didn’t originally catch that Chris Horton recovered the onside kick… and with that hair, it was well into the 3rd quarter before I caught that it was Horton (all I could see was #48).  But #48 was ALWAYS near the ball.  In a defense that was giving up WAY too much yardage, he seems to have a been a true bright spot in the defense.  My wife even started commenting on it, stating he seemed to have a good instinct on where to be.  Even on plays where he’s NOT making the play, he’s almost always right there by the ball.  Early return says our 7th rounder may be a keeper.

He benefitted from the dreads, as that made him the most recognizeable Redskin on the field at any given time. He didn't hurt himself, as Lee Gibbons pointed out, by constantly being in the play.

Curly R:

Marcus Mason is still the man, 18 carries for 98 yards and saw action in all four quarters. I am telling you people, this is the Redskins future tailback.

I am more convinced of that today than I was yesterday.

Redskins Insider, emphasis added:

The team has made a couple of moves, releasing safety Stuart Schweigert and linebacker Danny Verdun-Wheeler and signing safety Patrick Ghee and fullback-tight end Pete Schmitt.

1. Stuart Schweigert didn't play all that well but was hurt more by the great performance of Chris Horton, in my opinion. As telling perhaps as the way he played on the field was the fact that Chris was constantly on the field in the first place. He was on special teams to start and making sacks to finish. Best wishes to Schweigert.

2. Praise jeebus Pete Schmitt has returned -- JaLa should've said resigned. I don't know how long he'll last on the roster given he plays behind Nemo and Sellers and has already been cut once. Just speculating here, but wouldn't Schmitt make the perfect goal line player? He is being trained to block like a fullback but has phenomenal hands. His emerging hybrid playing style could do serious damage in the redzone a la Sellers circa 2005. Just sayin'. Hogs Haven still loves Pete Schmitt.

Hog Heaven:

The big concern when Joe Gibbs left was “continuity,” especially regarding Jason Campbell’s grasp of the offense. After a two year investment in Al Saunder’s offense, you figured the big payoff for Campbell would come this season. It was put at risk when Daniel Snyder sacked Saunders. 

Jim Zorn’s time invested in the quarterbacks showed in the Hall of Fame game. Campbell (5/5, 61 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) was sharp leading the offense to an opening drive touchdown. Todd Collins, said to be struggling in training camp, was less effective, yet completed five of six passes. And then there was the Colt Brennan show (9/10, 123 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT).

Chris Cooley's iPod speaks.

TORB (The Pickler!) has the scoop on Malcolm Kelly which I can't quote because to do so would be to steal the entire post's content. To paraphrase: Kelly to have surgery, will be out at least two weeks. My hat is also tipped to TORB (The Magnificent!) for finding The Om Field, run by former Extreme Skins mod Om (hence the name). Om is a talented writer and an extremely passionate Redskins fan, and he probably likes Art Monk even more than I do:

I’ll be honest, what I've come to realize is that I don’t really want to know what it is that moved me so deeply last night, watching Art Monk stand tall, silent and humble as wave after wave of pent-up adulation washed over him ... all before he’d said a single word. Hell, two minutes into that tribute, as far as I was concerned he could have simply nodded, maybe given a little smile, and walked silently back to his seat.

AOL Fanhouse:

The only thing that truly disappoints me is that the interviews with the Hall of Fame class are too short. Usually, they invite each member into the broadcast booth and spend a few minutes with them. Now, they don't have everyone in the booth (some interviews are done on the sideline) and all the interviews are painfully short. I mean, ask a better question than "how does it feel?"

Of course, if I had my druthers it probably would've been more Art Monk, more Darrell Green, all the time, although that's horribly selfish of me. Fug it.

Washington Times quoting Jim Zorn:

On whether he took time during the game to take in the moment:

"I was very excited about calling plays. I was wondering how it was going to be on the sideline. What last night showed was that our staff has a lot of experience and everybody did their job. We had a lot of veteran leadership on the sideline, and all of them stayed in the game and rooted on the younger players."

Mark Newgent giving appropriate love to Darrell Green and Monk:

How fitting it is that Art goes into the hall with his teammate Darrell Green. For Redskins fans of a certain vintage, the names Art Monk and Darrell Green conjure up nostalgic reflections of our youth, the glory years. Watching the game with our families, turning the volume on the television down and the radio up to hear Sonny, Sam, and Frank call the game, when the playoffs were a given, and all that mattered in our lives was a win on Sunday. The Redskins provided moments, Art and Darrell’s among so many others, that transcend football.

Ben aint' alone in Marcus Mason love:

He was decisive, quick to the hole, and he had a sneaky way of dodging through traffic to make the most out of each carry. He wound up with 98 yards on 18 carries. Mason also caught a touchdown pass from Colt Brennan, improvising like a veteran as the rookie QB rolled out of the pocket.

And yet...

Barring injury, Mason has a very small chance of making the final 53. It's a numbers game, as simple as that.

And, finally, before I head to dinner, Mr. Irrelevant has the floor:

Loser: Shaun Suisham — Missed a 39-yarder, makes me hate kickers.

Loser: Me — Actually watched a full preseason game and blogged about it.

Kindred spirit, that guy.

And now I tag, which should probably take me another 10 minues. I'll be back tomorrow with more, make sure you keep an eye over at Buffalo Rumblings this week as we face him this coming weeked (I'll be in Las Vegas!). Cheers and HTTR.

The only good news is that Ben is back, the bad news chronicled well over at Redskin Report by Lee Gibbons:

Devin Thomas, Hamstring

Malcom Kelly, Hamstring

Phillip Daniels, Knee

Alex Buzbee, Achilles

Anthony Montgomery, Hand

LaRon Landry, Hamstring

HB Blades, Knee

Eric Shelton, Shoulder

Rian Wallace, Hand

Stuart Schweigert, Leg

Anthony Mix, Hamstring

Kareem Moore, Leg

Chris Wilson, Leg

The above list being Person Injured comma Place Injured. What is it with the damn hamstrings, again? Acknowledging that more of the stress one places on a body during typical football activities (running, changing directions, carrying veteran equipment, farting) manifests itself in the lower half of one's body, is there reason for concern that we've had at least 13 injuries thus far in this unborn season, 10 of which have hit below the belt? A representative example, per Redskins Insider:

Linebacker H.B. Blades, who sprained his left knee in this morning's practice, will undergo arthroscopic surgery this week, according to a Redskins source with knowledge of the situation. The exact nature of the injury is not certain, but the source expects Blades to be out at least two-to-three weeks, returning toward the end of preseason.

The acceptable news here is that he's returning before the season starts and, given the way lady luck has beaten the tar out of the team so far, maybe it's better he's safe on the sideline and not on the field where disaster strikes like the second half of a Behind the Music special. The reality, stated here as the bad news, is that our young backup middle linebacker will already have gone under the knife once in 2008 before he gets an opportunity to step on the field. Knees don't like being injured.

Don't forget: Rocky McIntosh also recently underwent knee surgery. London Fletcher is an epic iron man, but since he was born 33 years ago, I wonder whether reality won't strike him sooner rather than later. Marcus Washington is now two seasons removed from starting all 16 games, though RESPECT to him for starting 48 games in a row prior to injuries as recent as both 2006 and 2007.
Khary Campbell is three years removed from an ACL injury but, to his enormous credit, played in 16 games last season. To sum up: Rocky McIntosh and The Hamburgler won't be long removed from surgery when the season starts (ditto linebacker Rian Wallace), neither Marcus Washington nor Khary Campbell are that far removed from injury, and London Fletcher ain't a kid (but he has one, and congrats to him). Behind the starters at linebacker are a bunch of people I haven't heard of, really, but I remain irrationally optimistic nonetheless. It's all up to you, do work, Danny Verdun-Wheeler.

Just off the top of my head the Redskin Report list above (13 players) must be incomplete, perhaps only including players still with the team. The injury bug may be affecting our chances of having reliable depth at linebacker this coming season, but they are also ruining or setting back substantially the professional careers of younger players who desparately need to remain healthy just to assure themselves a paycheck in this cruel league. Appalachian State's Kerry Brown was released due to injury. Says the partisans, who my fan-heart goes out to:

Looks like Jon Jansen is gonna have to carry his own helmet again. App State great Kerry Brown has been waived by the Redskins.

He could still stick with the team per the Official Site, pending a contingency I doubt the player hopes for:

The Redskins have waived defensive lineman J.T. Mapu and offensive lineman Kerry Brown. They could be placed on injured reserve if no other team picks them up.

Oh woops, make it two names the RR list left off:

Mapu suffered a knee ligament injury... in Friday's practice.

If we have to sign fake Chad Morton or fake it's real, damn you Heath Shuler, so be it. I just want to make it through TC with a 53 man roster, mang. How does all this happen, under Icing Guru Derek Devine's watch, no less!? At least the beards are safe.

I'd open up a poll with loaded answers such as: How much do you hate Training Camp?

1. A lot

2. Even more, 'yotch.

But what's the point? I know exactly how 100% of Redskins fans feel about training camp so far, which is to say: Injuries are suck. Did Clinton Portis really hurt his ankle last week? Honestly, at this point, I might start telling people to fake it; that field is cursed.

First off, sorry for my absence. I work. A lot. But, like General MacArthur said and Arnold paraphrased, I shall be back. Err, something like that.

Anyway, Training Camp is the place where we finally get to see the team that was put together in the offseason. Draft picks, veteran signings and trade-brought players (word up, Jason Taylor) alike will be together. And, hopefully, everyone remembered their alarm clocks.

So, without further ado... the three biggest camp battles as I see them:

#3. The Cornerback Position. This is going to be interesting. Springs and Smoot are set. Rogers is out for a while. Leigh Torrence filled in pretty well last year (as long as he wasn't covering Randy Moss... apparently that's a bad matchup.) Rookie Justin Tryon is in a great position to step in a be the #3 guy. This could be an important position, especially with Jason Taylor putting pressure on the opposing QB, because there might be more than a few balls thrown early and up for grabs. Tryon is younger and more athletic, Torrence has no learning curve.

Advantage: Torrence early, Tryon before the end of the year.

via media.scout.com

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#2. The Wide Reciever Position. This seems kinda weird to be in the top 3, but the new West Coast offense, especially the variety that new Head Pooba Jim Zorn came from in Seattle, employs 3 and 4 WR sets frequently. If heathy, Moss and ARE are #1 and #2... for now. The interesting part come after those two. Rookies Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas are both the prototypical WR bodies that NFL GMs drool over. They are fighting for the 3rd and 4th spots. Anthony Mix has the 5th spot locked up so no need to even discuss the others (sorry Burl Toler, Billy McMullen, Maurice Mann, Horace Gant, and (regretfully) James Thrash.) James Thrash was a Gibbs guy, through and through. I just don't see him being a Zorn guy.

Advantage: Thomas over Kelly, Mix over the others, Thrash as the #6 guy, if Zorn keeps 6.

via www.nfldraftdog.com

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#1. The Safety Position. Newcomer Stuart Schweigert and old hand (despite going into his 3rd year) Reed Doughty are fighting it out to see who gets to line up next to LaRon Landry. Schweigert was a part of some very good Oakland defenses under Rex Ryan and has plenty of experience. Doughty stepped up big last year after the death of Sean Taylor and became a fan favorite... at least around these parts.

Advantage: Doughty.

via media3.washingtonpost.com

As I stated in SP's earlier post, the punting "competition" isn't a battle at all. Durant Brooks is the new punter. Get used to it (and better field position.)

As always, hit up the comments. What's your biggest position battle?