The Redskins Blog

First Quarter Impressions

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Prior to two weeks ago, Brian Orakpo was the team’s leader in sacks during his tenure with the team, having never registered a full sacked on a division quarterback.  Against the Giants, he brought Eli Manning down for the first of his career.  Against the Eagles, he took care of things early, “Orakpo-ing” Michael Vick on his first third down pressure.

Now that the divisional sack monkey is off his back, Orakpo looks to be flogging it.  Orakpo is also the first Redskins defender with eight or more sacks in three consecutive seasons since Dexter Manley achieved the feat between 1983-89.

The Redskins defense is getting good pressure on Vick today, which could prove to be effective.  Vick has been bothered by various contact related injuries this year, including broken ribs, and looks to prefer passing today.  I’m certain the Redskins will be spying him all afternoon, but it’s nice to know that he has a vested interest in being a passer first.

On offense, running back Evan Royster got the first crack today, continuing his success from last week.  The Redskins initially viewed Roy Helu as a change-of-pace back earlier this season, and the same dynamic could be in place today, with both backs healthy and active.  The Redskins have also continued to pitch the ball on almost all running plays, something that head coach Mike Shanahan attributed to their ability to get the ball, pick their hole, and get a full head of steam going through the line.

The running game hasn’t necessarily been effective in the first quarter, but this is an important facet of the game that the Redskins need to stick with.

With the 20-yard pass from quarterback Rex Grossman to fullback Darrel Young, Grossman passed 10,000 passing yards for his career.  For the Redskins, he passed for 3,779 yards in his first 16 games before today.

Punter Sav Rocca has been a model of consistency in his first season in Washington, but badly missed his first punt this afternoon, kicking it out of bounds for 12 yards.  The play essentially acted like a turnover, but the defense held on a short field, yielding only a field goal.

Rocca bounced back on his next two kicks, downing both inside the 20-yard line, tying a career-high for the season with 28.  Nice recovery from the Down Under Thunder.

At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles lead by a field goal: Washington 0, Philadelphia 3.

After the first quarter in the “2012 Social Showdown,” the Redskins fans have pulled it close, trailing by 40 fans.  #HTTR, #BeatPhilly

Grossman, Moss Provide ‘Little Smiles’

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Yesterday, as the team buses arrived at the hotel, one of the biggest and bravest Redskins fans was there to meet them.

Tyler Litts is a 7-year-old from Strousburg, Pa., and loves to watch the Burgundy and Gold every weekend with his dad.  His favorite Redskins are Santana Moss and Rex Grossman, because those are his dynamic duo on Nintendo DS.  He’s also a big Chris Neild fan, given that he goes to his same elementary school in Strousburg.

Tyler receives oncology treatment at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.  He and his family have been staying at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House during treatment, and he’s been looking forward to the Redskins-Eagles game in Philadelphia all year.

Through the Little Smiles program, in conjunction with the Redskins and the Eagles, Tyler got his wish to see the Redskins coming into the hotel, as he was visited by two Redskins in particular:

Read more »

Gaffney’s Grab Makes ESPN Top Plays

On Saturday, receiver Jabar Gaffney tied his career-high in touchdown receptions (5, New England 2007), and did it in spectacular fashion.

With six minutes left in the third quarter and the ball at the Vikings 5-yard line, Grossman dropped back to pass. Gaffney did a simple slant from the right side, and got one-on-one coverage in the middle of the end zone.  Grossman fired the ball to him high, the only place where Gaffney could make a play.

And he did: Read more »

First Quarter Impressions

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Much like last week, the Redskins turned the ball over early, but not because of aggressive play call down the field.  Instead, it came via a breakdown in protection that led to a sack-fumble.  The defense had a stellar stand, yielding two yard, but the Vikings were already in field goal range.

Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell doesn’t miss those: 3-0.

Running back Evan Royster has been a capable replacement for Roy Helu in the running game, gaining 24 yards on five carries.  He looks strong to the hole and fast through it, but he isn’t quite the weapon so far in the passing game.  On a downfield pass attempt midway through the quarter, there was some sort of miscommunication between Royster and Rex Grossman.  On the play, Grossman went long with the pass and Royster curled back in.

Not sure who misread who, but it was a mistake that didn’t hurt the team.  Hopefully that good luck will continue while they work out the kinks–the offense needs these two players to produce.

The Redskins top player in the first quarter was cornerback Josh Wilson, who has been playing out of his mind the last two weeks.  Wilson has three tackles in the first quarter, a decent game statistic for him position.  He has also stopped, slowed and prevented plays that could have potentially broken for big gainers.

Redskins trailing early with the Viking driving: Washington 0, Minnesota 3.

First Quarter Fundamentals

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Shortly before kickoff, the Redskins won the toss and elected to receive.  They did not, however, elect to drive the ball first.

On the first play from scrimmage at the 18-yard line, quarterback Rex Grossman hit cornerback Corey Webster way down the field on a failed flea flicker.  Because of the subsequent Giants’ field position, it essentially amounted to a punt.  After the defense held the Giants to zero yards, Giants actually did punt the ball, giving the Redskins the ball around the 25-yard line.

In a round about sort of way, the Redskins gained seven yards on that sequence.  I don’t recommend putting that in the playbook though.

From there, the Redskins marched 52 yards down the field and Graham Gano banged one through from 36 yards.  After another suffocating defensive effort, the Redskins had an early shot at momentum, but gave it back with another deep pick.

I can appreciate the aggression and creativity in the play call, but the results certainly weren’t what they were looking for.

If there’s anything fortuitous to be said about the interceptions, it’s that they were both deep down the field.  The Redskins defense has smothered the Giants’ offense so far, but they need to get off the field.

One matchup to keep an eye on for the rest of the afternoon is undrafted left tackle Willie Smith vs. Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.  Smith hasn’t gotten beaten since Andre Carter in the first quarter of last week, and he looks good against the Giants 4-3 front.  It’s difficult for some players to adjust to the 4-3 look after going against the 3-4 everyday in practice and most Sundays.

The Patriots aided in this preparation, as they run a base 4-3, but run plenty of packaged with only three down linemen.  Smith, left guard Maurice Hurt, and right tackle Tyler Polumbus will look to continue their success week against one of the best front sevens in the NFC.

For the record, when Pierre-Paul sacked Grossman in the first quarter, it was a botched communication in protection.  Not sure whose fault it was, but it wasn’t because Smith got beat.

Redskins looking physical and aggressive after the first quarter.  Manning has zero completions in the first quarter (zero-for-six).

Washington on top early: Redskins 3, Giants 0.

Giants’ Rolle Calls 99 Percent Chance Win

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Usually we’re not in the business of odds-making on this site, but I’m always happy to report on guarantees.  And in the world of guarantees, there’s confidence, and then there’s the reportedly “very, very confident” Giants’ free safety Antrel Rolle.

Following the Redskins Week 1 victory over the Giants, Rolle reportedly told WFAN, the sports talk radio station in New York:

“We know the Redskins are not a better team than us. If we played them 100 times, they might win five.”

Technically, this factors out to a 95 percent guarantee of victory.

But in a followup interview, yesterday on WFAN, Rolle corrected the host (and himself), saying “I said ninety-nine.”  Considering that the Redskins already won in Week 1, they would mathematically be expected to lose the next 99 times they played them, or every time for the next 50 years.

But that’s not to say that Rolle is guaranteeing victory.  Nay, that would be too bold (via Paul Schwartz, New York Post):

“I don’t plan on losing to the Redskins, I’m going to be honest with you,’’ Rolle said. “I’m not guaranteeing a victory, I’m not doing any of that, we got to play the game come Sunday, but I’m very, very confident in this team and very, very confident we’re going to get the job done.’’

Very, very confident though he may be, Rolle has left his teammates with a check that they’re not quite as confident in cashing.  Receiver Victor Cruz spoke with the Washington media this afternoon and discussed how Rolle can talk, but the onus is on the team to back it up.

“Yeah, y’know, he’s a passionate guy that believes in our team,” Cruz began, carefully.  ”We understand that a guy like that, we have to rally behind him, and we understand that he’s always for the team.  We understand his words, and we understand that we have to back him up 100 percent.”

Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman also responded to Rolle’s predictions to the New York media today, pointing out the obvious fallacy in winning 99-of-100 games (via Schwartz, New York Post):

“It is the NFL and nobody is going to beat anyone 99 out of 100 times,’’ Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman said Wednesday on a conference call. “I am confident about where we are. We haven’t finished games lately and we need to finish and everything should take care of itself. I understand that there is a lot of pride in the NFL and a lot of people go about their business with a lot of pride and ego and we do the same thing.”

It’ll be interesting to see how Rolle’s ‘confidence’ manifests itself on Sunday, but don’t expect the Redskins coaches or players to have the same level of understanding for Rolle’s ‘passionate’ predictions.

Trick Play A Keeper With Southpaw Banks

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Last week, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan saw something in the Patriots’ defense that caused him believe they were susceptible to a trick play.  The quarterback would take the snap, hand it off to the running back, who would run to the right side of the field.  He would then flip it to the receiver, who would run an option to the left and either keep it or throw it.

All he needed was a speedy, left-handed receiver that could get the ball downfield.

Enter Brandon Banks:

And that’s pretty much exactly what it was supposed to look like.

“We practiced it a couple of times this week–probably four or five times,” Banks said after the game.  ”They played around with me throwing it, but it was a joke at first.  This week it was kinda serious though, obviously.” Read more »

Patriots In The Rear-View Mirror

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The last time that the Redskins clashed with the Patriots was in 2007 under mildy New England skies.

Quarterback Jason Campbell threw a touchdown and an interception, in addition to fumbling the ball three times on three sacks.  The Redskins rushing attack managed only 47 yards on the ground, while the defense yielded 486 total yards to the Pats’ fabled offense.

Fans who watched it all the way through managed to see the Redskins tack on a touchdown onto the scoring parade, with the game mercifully ending at 52-7.

The scary thing is that some people expected that to happen again, yesterday–or worse.  But the Redskins showed up in a big way.

This season has been defined by progress.  When the team came out of training camp with 25 players with less than three years experience, it was considered a sign of progress towards a much-needed influx of youth.  When the team started out 3-1, it was seen as progress towards competitiveness.  When the team lost six-straight, but kept fighting and didn’t fracture emotionally, it was considered progress in character.

And when the Redskins showed up yesterday, they proved that they have the heart to show up ready to play.  Last week’s late loss to the Jets could have deflated this group, but they rose to the occasion.  Injuries and suspensions have utterly decimated a Redskins’ offense that nearly out-dueled the NFL’s No. 2 offense.  The defense picked off Tom Brady, who hadn’t thrown an interception since Week 9.

Even in a loss, yesterday was a fine example of progress, as the Redskins played perhaps their best game all season.  Yesterday, the Redskins showed that their progress is paying off, and that there’s a lot to look forward to, both immediately and in the future.

Special kudos for yesterday’s game go out to the following players:

On Offense: Roy Helu

Who else?  This young man is showing the vast potential of mid-round backs in the Shanahan system, putting up three-consecutive 100-yard games with his 126 yards yesterday.  With yesterday’s performance, he is:

• The first rookie running back to accomplish this feat in franchise history.
• The first of his 2011 rookie draft class to do so.
• The first Redskins running back since Clinton Portis went five-straight in 2008.
• The first 100-yard rusher against the Patriots this season.

Even though he didn’t get his first career start until Week 8 against San Francisco, Helu has already accomplished multiple feats never seen before in this organization.  That’s not just noteworthy, that’s downright impressive.

On Defense: Barry Cofield

Cofield will never get the credit that he deserves as the 3-4 nose tackle in Washington, but fortunately, he doesn’t seem to mind.  He finished yesterday with five tackles, putting him at 55 on the season.  He added in a half-sack of Brady, and was credited with his league leading (among nose tackle) ninth pass defensed.

On Special Teams: Brandon Banks

Admittedly, this recognition goes for his overall performance, not just what he was able to do on special teams.  Banks got all of his work on kickoff returns yesterday, managing 117 total return yards.  But when you combine that with his 49-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter–now we’re talking.  Notes on that pass:

• Was the first by a Redskins receiver since Oct. 5, 2008, when Antwaan Randle El threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Cooley at Philadelphia.
• The longest by a non-quarterback in Redskins’ history, beating the previous long of 48, set on a Randle El pass to Moss vs. the New York Giants on Dec. 30, 2006.
• It was the first of Banks’ career. He did not attempt a pass in college during his time at either Kansas State or Bakersfield College (Calif.).
• The touchdown reception was the 35^th of Moss’ tenure with the Redskins, tying him with Ricky Sanders for seventh-most in team history.

Here are the rest of your random assortment of game notes: Read more »

Redskins-Patriots Halftime Report

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It’s said that playmakers make plays, no matter where you put them.  It’s said that Brandon Banks is a playmaker.  But no one said that Banks could throw the ball.

The Redskins lined up with Roy Helu in the backfield, who took the handoff from Rex Grossman, and pitched it to Banks, who had snuck into the backfield.

The Patriots defense doesn’t view Banks as a viable pro passer, and they shouldn’t.  He’s a speed demon by trade, and this was clearly a play where the Redskins were looking to seal off the edge and rush the ball with Banks.  The linebacker was closing in, the safeties were charging in, and the cornerbacks were cheating off of their receivers.

That is until Banks slowed his roll-out, looked up field, and threw the football across his body to a wide-open Santana Moss, about 35 yards downfield.  Moss had to come back for the reception, but had his man beat, and danced his way to the end zone.

That gimmick play looks like a keeper.

The receiver-to-receiver pass was the first since Antwaan Randle El hit Chris Cooley for an 18-yard touchdown on Oct. 5, 2008 against Philly.  The 49-yard completion was the longest by a non-quarterback in Redskins history, and the longest of Brandon Banks’ life.

He never threw for a longer pass in college or high school–Pee Wee stats were unavailable.

The play was also Moss’s third touchdown this season, 55th for his career and 35th as a Redskins player, tying him with Ricky Sanders for seventh all-time.

The kickers tacked on the additional four and six points to bring the game to a 20-20 tie at the half.  This is six points more than the Redskins have put up all season in the first half.

Brand new ball game in Washington, with the Redskins and Patriots knotted at 20.

First Quarter First Impressions

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For better and for worse, this is not how the Redskins expected to start.  This has been a weird first quarter for both teams.

After their respective first scoring drives, the Redskins had 60 passing yards and the Patriots had 24.  The Redskins were able to drive the length of the field–albeit for a field goal–and the Patriots got their touchdown on defense.

In the first three minutes, Redskins returner Brandon Banks had three opportunities and two returns for a total of 38 yards. Donte Stallworth had his longest reception as a Redskins player at 51 yards, which happened to be Grossman’s longest pass of the year, and the Redskins’ longest offensive play of the season.

Kicker Graham Gano put the only Redskins points on the board so far, but he’s also responsible for a 20-yard penalty for kicking the ball off out of bounds.

In the stands in front of the press box there was a fight between fans–two Patriots fans, that is.

Somewhere, Vince Lombardi is politely inquiring what’s going on out there.

With the Patriots jumping out to a quick lead and the Redskins responding, this game has all of the makings of a track meet.  Stallworth–who is tied with Gronkowski for most yards in the league this Sunday–has seen a lot of playing time alongside Anthony Armstrong.

Following two consecutive 100-yard games on the ground, Roy Helu is churning and burning his way, to the tune of 51 yards, good for third in the league today.

Defensive end Stephen Bowen–who has had an emotional week with the funeral of his mother-in-law–burst through the line to end the first quarter with a sack.  He’s playing with a heavy heart this week, but was all heart on that play as he dragged No. 12 to the turf.  Well done, Stephen.

My picture-perfect moment of the first quarter was watching Jabar Gaffney do a FedEx leap onto Patriots fans who were not interested in catching him.  But the second row of Redskins fans hauled him up and celebrated his touchdown properly.

Redskins marching, down by four after the first quarter: Washington 10, New England 14.