(AP photo)

It’s that time of the week again.

Here’s our look back at who you, the Redskins Blog faithful, predicted would excel against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Wednesday’s preseason matchup, as well as who you voted as the MVR(edskin).

One quick note: I was very happy to see a big increase in participation for this game. I certainly hope this trend continues.

The first poll, posted before the game, gave you readers a chance to predict who you thought would shine against the Buccaneers.

Here’s how the vote turned out:

You readers showed your knowledge by picking Cousins, who had a good game by completing 15-of-27 passes for 222 yards, with a 47-yarder caught by wide receiver Brandon Banks.

Here’s how the rest of the candidates performed against the Bucs on Wednesday:

- RB Tristan Davis: He was injured early in the game and had no carries. I figured prior to the game he would get lots of second-half carries.
- TE Logan Paulsen: No catches against the Buccaneers
- LB Lorenzo Alexander: No defensive stats recorded
- CB Richard Crawford: 1 tackle, 1 interception, 1 pass defended

The second poll, posted after the game, asked you to name your Most Valuable Redskins player. Here’s how that came out:

This one was a very close vote, but I think you got it right here. Roy Helu Jr. averaged six yards per carry and showed that he should be good go to for the start of the regular season.

Bryan Kehl, meanwhile, was the star of the show for a defense that had a dominant night. He probably deserved a few more votes in my mind.

Thanks again for your participation, and we’ll be back in the coming days with the polls for Sunday’s season opener at the New Orleans Saints.

Whether veteran or rookie, “cut day” are two words you never want to hear.

That day is coming up quickly for the Washington Redskins — as in, by 9 p.m. Friday, the team must cut down its roster from 75 players to its final 53 men.

By noon on Saturday, an additional eight players are signed to the team’s practice squad.

Today is an off day for the Redskins players, who are fresh off their 30-3 preseason finale win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The coaching staff, however, is not taking the day off, and you can be sure that they’re meeting throughout the day today and tomorrow to make some difficult decisions.

And, as usual, several players went to Twitter in the past few hours to talk about cut day and their hopes for the rest of the week:

Quarterback Robert Griffin III:

Praying for all my brothers on this unfortunate cut day—
Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 30, 2012

Wide receiver Anthony Armstrong:

That was fun. Don't know what the cards hold, bit i sure do hope that wasn't my last time to walk off FedEx Field. #HTTR —
Anthony Armstrong (@MrArmstrong13) August 30, 2012

Wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe:

Morning twit fam! Blessed to have woken up this morning! Keep me in your prayers. Important day today!—
Dezmon Briscoe (@DezBriscoe89) August 30, 2012

Safety Jordan Bernstine:

The process is filled with so much stress but it's the progress that feels the best. #movingforward—
jordan bernstine (@JBernstine) August 30, 2012

Linebacker Markus White:

Lets see if the good out weights the bad #NoRegrets—
MarKus White (@Em_Whyte55) August 30, 2012

Cornerback David Jones:

Played my heart out for you tonight "Esco" no matter what happens this season is dedicated to you. R.I.P.—
David Jones (@_djones20) August 30, 2012

Offensive lineman Adam Gettis:

Cornerback Brandyn Thompson:

In gods hands—
Brandyn Thompson (@BThompson_BT) August 30, 2012

I also talked to a couple guys in the locker room last night whose spots on the final 53-man roster or the practice squad are still up in the air.

Defensive lineman Darrion Scott, for example, certainly helped his cause against the Buccaneers with four tackles — two for a loss — a sack and two quarterback hits.

Though he played well Wednesday, Scott still doesn’t know what the immediate future holds for him.

“I feel like, with the opportunities I had, I did my job, and that’s pretty much all I can do,” he said. “I’m confident and not down about it, but at the end of the day, a decision has to be made. I have no clue what’s going to happen.”

Scott — like several of his teammates — can only have a “wait-and-see” attitude at this point.

“Hopefully the decision that they make will keep me here — and I’d love to be here — but I don’t think I did anything to hurt myself [Wednesday],” Scott said. “So, you know, you just have to wait and see what happens.”

Nose tackle Marlon Favorite knows that feeling well. He’s been off and on 10 NFL rosters — not to mention two other professional football teams — in four years since leaving LSU.

Favorite also played well in Wednesday’s game, sacking Tampa Bay quarterback Brett Ratliff on the first play of the game, but said he remains level-headed whenever cut day comes around.

“In this world, especially in this business, all you can do is control what you can control, which is your work ethic in practice and in the game when given opportunities,” Favorite said. “So I just try my hardest to execute that to the fullest, and I leave the rest up to the man upstairs.”

(AP photo)

Of course the Redskins’ defense set the tone as the fourth quarter of tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got underway.

Linebacker Bryan Kehl continued his strong preseason with an interception — the Redskins’ third pick of the game — at the Bucs’ 6-yard line, and returned it 43 yards.

That play was just the icing on the cake of a strong defensive effort by the Redskins that saw three interceptions and five sacks in the Redskins’ 30-3 win, as the team finishes the 2012 preseason with a 3-1 record for the second straight year.

Here’s some highlights for the Redskins:

- The Washington defense had five sacks — Delvin Johnson, Darrion Scott, Bryan Kehl, Marlon Favorite and Kedric Golston earned those.
- The Redskins’ secondary had three interceptions — rookies Richard Crawford and Jordan Bernstine and Kehl had those picks.
- Roy Helu Jr. rushed the ball 15 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
- Quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 15-of-27 passes for 222 yards. He was picked off once.

Again, the Redskins coaching staff has some tough decisions to whittle the roster down from 75 to 53 players by Friday.

Here’s a chance to voice your opinion about tonight’s game:

(AP photo)

The third quarter didn’t start off so well for quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins’ offense.

Cousins was picked off on the Redskins’ first drive of the second half, giving the ball to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at their own 29-yard line.

But the Redskins’ defense continued its dominance from that point.

On that next drive for the Buccaneers, rookie cornerback Richard Crawford nabbed his second interception of the preseason, giving the ball right back to Cousins and the offense.

A 10-yard run by Roy Helu Jr., a 47-yard bomb to Brandon Banks and a 15-yard touchdown run by Helu Jr. later, and the Redskins offense was cookin’ again.

At the end of the third quarter, the Redskins remain in front of the Buccaneers by a score of 30-3.
A few minutes after that interception, Crawford was injured after being smacked into by a Tampa Bay offensive lineman attempting to push the pile forward. Crawford was able to walk off the field, however.

On that same drive for the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay kicker Kai Forbath got the away team on the scoreboard for the first time all game with a 43-yard field goal.

Cousins’ night was done from that point. He ended up completing 15-of-27 for 222 yards.

In came quarterback Jonathan Crompton for the Redskins, who led a nice first drive that saw several big runs. Roy Helu Jr. had a couple nice runs — including a six-yard touchdown run — while Brandon Banks ran for 43 yards on an end-around play.

The touchdown was Helu Jr.’s second of the quarter and, after the extra point, extended the Redskins’ lead to 30-3.

You can’t help but come away from the third quarter impressed by the all-around effort by the Redskins tonight. Throw out the opponent and which preseason game it is or who’s playing for either team — this game has been very one-sided.

There’s several men out there fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster, which must be determined by Friday. Tonight’s game has proven that there are some very, very tough choices for Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan and the rest of his staff.

CHIME IN: Who has stood out to you for the Redskins in tonight’s game? Feel free to comment below.

There were two guests at FedExField for tonight’s preseason finale between the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that were probably itching to get their shot at a field goal.

Becky Sauerbrunn and Lori “Lightning” Lindsey — both former standout soccer players at the University of Virginia whose U.S. Women’s National Soccer team won gold this summer at the Olympics — were seen walking around the field and the stadium, taking in all of the sights and sounds.

The Redskins Blog was fortunate enough to be able to catch up with Sauerbrunn and Lindsey. Here’s the video:

For those of you looking for a little more info about these two soccer studs:

Becky Sauerbrunn, 27
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/beckysauerbrunn

- Defender for U.S. Women’s National Soccer team
- Plays for D.C. United Women of the W-League
- Won a gold medal with the U.S. in 2012
- Born in St. Louis, but attended the University of Virginia and became the only three-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American selection in school history

Lori “Lightning” Lindsey, 32
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LoriLindsey6

- Midfielder for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team
- Plays for the Western New York Flash of the WPSL Elite League
- Was an alternate on the U.S. team in 2012
- Born in Indianapolis, but also played at the University of virginia, and was the school’s first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year (winning twice)

(AP photo)

The Washington Redskins’ sack party of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brett Ratliff continued into the second quarter of tonight’s game at FedExField, which at halftime features the Redskins leading the Buccaneers, 16-0.

Already with two sacks in the first quarter — by Marlon Favorite and Delvin Johnson — defensive lineman Kendric Golston came up huge on a 3rd and 10 from the Bucs’ 48, sacking Ratliff for a 8-yard loss and forcing the punt.

Later in the quarter, on another third down, linebacker Bryan Kehl downed Ratliff for a sack, ending yet another Buccaneers’ drive. Then, on first down with about two minutes remaining in the half, defensive end Darrion Scott broke free for a sack — the Redskins’ fifth of the game.

There were also some fireworks for the Redskins’ offense on their first drive of the second quarter.

Rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins found wide receiver Anthony Armstrong over the top for a 46-yard pass-and-catch to the Tampa Bay 14-yard line. Two plays later, running back Evan Royster rumbled 13 yards to the 1-yard line, setting up his own touchdown on the next play. It was a five-play, 59-yard drive that took 2:11 off the clock.

Going back to the defense: the team had a feeling going into this season that their defense could be a top-5 unit. With the depth on display tonight against the Buccaneers — and with the strong defensive showings by the first-teamers against the Bills and the Colts — this goal could turn into reality.

Another strong defensive play of the second quarter: rookie safety Jordan Bernstine picked off a Ratliff pass with about a minute left in the half.

Here’s another thought going into halftime: Cousins has a good feel for the plays that the coaches are calling for him. Two games after breaking out in the fourth quarter against the Bears, he continued his strong play in the first half tonight, completing 12-of-22 passes for 151 yards. A couple of those incompletions were Cousins realizing he didn’t have anything and throwing the ball away — which is a strong quality to have as a rookie.

We also saw new Redskins kicker Billy Cundiff miss a field goal — a 46-yard attempt — after hitting his first two attempts in the first quarter. But he got the chance to redeem himself at the end of the half, hitting a 22-yarder as time expired.

CHIME IN: Are you encouraged by the defensive performance in tonight’s game? Explain why or why not in the comments below.

(AP image)

Kicker Billy Cundiff gave himself a quick introduction to Washington Redskins fans in the first quarter of tonight’s preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Signed by the Redskins Tuesday, Cundiff’s opening kickoff sailed out of the back of the end zone for a touchback; after a three-and-out by the Buccaneers, the Redskins’ offense got to the Tampa Bay 21-yard line before stalling, leading to a 39-yard field goal on Cundiff’s first attempt as the Redskins kicker.

Cundiff’s ensuing kickoff was then downed at the back of the end zone.

It was a promising start for the Pro Bowl kicker in a first quarter that also featured a strong Redskins defensive second unit playing as starters tonight.

Defensive end Darrion Scott made a couple run-stuffing plays on the Bucs’ first two drives, while nose tackle Marlon Favorite and Delvin Johnson notched sacks of Tampa Bay quarterback Brett Ratliff.

After that first quarter, the Redskins lead the Buccaneers 6-0.

Rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins — getting the start in tonight’s game — has also looked smooth on a couple passes, one on a slant to Anthony Armstrong for 15 yards; another on a bullet to Joshua Morgan that got six yards.

Cousins also broke away on 3rd and 8 from the Tampa Bay 23-yard line on the Redskins’ third drive,  rushing and sliding for an 11-yard gain and a first down, leading to another Cundiff field goal, this time from 27 yards.

Oh, and his next kickoff — through the back of the end zone.

Brandon Banks has also had a couple nice punt returns of 15 and 22 yards, respectively.

With the regular starters out of tonight’s game, it’s nice to see the backups — particularly the defense — stepping up so far.

CHIME IN: What are your thoughts of the game so far? Liking what you’re seeing out of Cundiff? Feel free to comment below.

(AP photo)

Simply put, several men are fighting for their jobs tonight as the Washington Redskins take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField in both teams’ preseason finales.

With rosters currently at 75 — 15 less than on Monday — the final round of roster cuts down to 53 men is Friday. That means this game could be one of the final chances for several players to impress the coaching staff and the team’s front office personnel.

Though several starters aren’t playing tonight — they’re just wearing their jerseys without the pads — the rest of the team is, without a doubt, ready for some action tonight.

Here’s a video of some of the units and coaches taking the field tonight:

We’re about an hour from kickoff here at FedExField for tonight’s preseason finale between the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The players are currently getting in their final stretches and heading back into the locker room to suit up for the game.

Check out our shots of several players warming up — as well as many other players (mostly starters) signing autographs and meeting with fans.

He’s one of the most famous Redskins fans out there, and he’s getting his first look at his favorite team tonight in their preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 himself, has been hanging around FedExField tonight taking in the football atmosphere as he takes just a little break from his Diet Mountain Dew/United States National Guard/7-Eleven Chevrolet Impala in the NASCAR Spring Cup Series.

Earnhardt, 37, who races for Hendrick Motorsports, was on Redskins Nation prior to the game and talked with host Larry Michael, the Voice of the Redskins, about what he’s looking for from his favorite team this season.

The Redskins Blog snuck in and got some video of that appearance. Here it is:

Earnhardt, who once dreamed of playing for the Redskins, famously has the Redskins’ scores relayed to him over his headset during races.

“”During the race season, [if] I’m under caution, I’m getting stats and numbers told to me over the radio during the race,” Earnhardt once told the Associated Press. “I’ve got to know. I can’t concentrate on what I’m doing if I don’t know what the Redskins are doing. My fans tell me if I lose, it ruins their week. But if the Redskins lose, it ruins my week.”

We know the feeling, Mr. Earnhardt. We know the feeling.