ES Coverage

I'm sitting here in the press box with a personal conflict.  I want us to win, yes.  But I want us to win a Super Bowl.  This year, unless we have a Gibbs-like turnaround or 2012 going from 3-6 to 10-6, ain't that year.  We had high hopes out of the gate, the offseason seemed to be drama-free for the most part, it looks like we got something special in Scary Terry, and for the most part the draft seemed serviceable at least. 

Of course we started off with our starter-by-salary-only hurt, but at least we had McCoy with the steady hand.  Oh, wait, he's still hurt?   Um, okay, who do we have now?  Keenum?  Wasn't he in Minny and replaced by the other guy who used to be wearing number 8 here? Uh, okay, I guess that's fine.  Colt will be back any minute now, right?  Oh, that's a negative, too.  Well, we have that Haskins guy we drafted, but we'll sit him like the Jags and Giants are doing with their rookies.  More on that in a minute.  Then we have Williams holding out, us refusing to trade him for a ship ton of picks like Miami did, while he takes up the cap.  Reed gets hurt because why not and then we sign a couple of placeholders while our next big homegrown signing in, number 75, starts playing at 75% and then gets injured because, again, why not?

I'll change my name to Francis so that I can be frank:  This ain't going well.  Everything was fantastic when we were up 17-0 against Philly in their house, and it's just been a steady trajectory of suck since then.  With rumors swirling about this game potentially being the last straw for Gruden, it's not going well.

And on the other sideline?  All those LOL's at taking Jones at #6 have turned into quite chortles while our rookie sits behind a five-turnover game by the new guy.  Our coach is making excuses that our team has new players, which is the same for 31 other teams, and that we've got to execute.  The Giants, though, benched a two-time Super Bowl MVP (in case you weren't sick to your stomach by this team already) in order to start Daniel Ten Cents or whatever they're calling him.  Their alleged once-in-a-generation running back goes down, and now they look better than ever.  What do we do?  Have our once-in-a-draft running back get injured while our Hall of Fame back, um, sits?  I mean Thompson's on my fantasy team so there's some selfish plus to that, but, okay?

And of course injury bug.

So, this comes back to the conflict between the angel and devil on my shoulders.  Do we win today and really make a run at it, going 16-3 to win the Super Bowl?  Nah, the brownie I ate wasn't the special type, so I don't see that happening.  But do we want to beat the Giants just because Giants?  I guess.  But something that this team has really robbed of us is any real hope, replaced by a passionate apathy and a team logo of shoulder shrugs.

So, we'll see.  Nobody's gotten hurt at warm ups so far, so we've got that going for us.

Let's see if anything else gets going today.

INACTIVES:

McCoy

McLaurin (replaced with Harmon)
Colvin

McKinzy

Roullier (replaced by Bergstrom at center)

Scherff (replaced by Martin at right guard)

Reed (Obviously Vernon Davis at TE)

This does mean that Robert Davis is active and Dwayne Haskins is our #2.  If Keenum plays like he did last week, then be ready to see Haskins on the field.
 

Fun note:  If Haskins takes any snaps today, then he will be the SIXTH quarterback since November 2018:

• 
  1)  Smith
• 2)  McCoy

3)  Sanchez

• 4)  Johnson
• 5)  Keenum

Fifteen minutes until kickoff, and we had no visible injuries during warm-ups.  Woot.

FIRST QUARTER:

Let the stupid begin.  Stupid pass on that pick, RIDICULOUS decision to not decline the hold leads to a first down for NY at the 19.

And we're five minutes in and we've already had a pick, a dumb call to accept a failed third down, and given up a touchdown due to a miscommunication.

More self-inflicted BS.  The Giants dominated that quarter as we had ten or fewer plays from scrimmage.

Atrocious start, and the trajectory isn't pointing up.

SECOND QUARTER:

Let's see if we get a different result.  Keep in mind this drive started at their six, and at the beginning of the quarter, they're on our 44.

And at 12:01 left in the half, touchdown.  An unbelievable amount of stupid in penalties.  No update on Norman yet.

Norman back.  Hell of a hit by Settle and a pick by Dunbar at the 8:17 mark.

And the Haskins era begins at 6:35 left in the half.

Haskins with four good minutes, including that 14-yard scramble, rookie miss to Davis.

END OF THE HALF:

Well, this looks pretty bad.  Having the spark with Haskins was good, and he's already out-playing Keenum.  Unfortunately that's like being the tallest of the Seven Dwarves, but he was pretty okay.  Nobody expected him to light it up.

When it comes to the defense, we've got two picks on Daniel Jesus, but we keep extending drives and they're destroying us on TOP.  The biggest problem?  Penalties, specifically holds in the secondary.

It still doesn't feel like a win is coming, but it feels like maybe the tide is turning with the team.  Hopefully we will be able to play a little less stupidly and we'll see what that brings.  Still doesn't feel like we're doing too much right to outweigh the dumbass mistakes.

Let's hope that Haskins lights it up once we get the ball back.  Giants receive at the half.

THIRD QUARTER:

Well, Haskins threw his first TD pass, just to the wrong team.  We continue to have an ungodly amount of flags.  Stupid, stupid flags.  I feel like they can just take the burgundy out of our uniforms and just keep the gold, since that's the only impact we're having today.

Haskins is not lighting it up like Jones did, but folks, remember that this is how a rookie typically plays.

FOURTH QUARTER:

And with pick and loss number 4, we're out.

The battle for Tua begins Week 6.

____________________________________________________________

Well, here's at least something good with some of the fans here in Not New York.  And that's @TK giving the finger to this stadium so I have permission. #dontbanme

There were quite a few out there tailgating at about 9:00 (they open the gates at 8:00), probably twice as many as there were on Monday Night since, you know, nobody not wearing a Bears jersey was there after halftime.
 

In sales, there's a saying when you just can't get one on the books. A deal is like a jar of olives. They're there. You know they're there, but they're just not coming out because they're packed in tightly in the jar. But then when you eventually get that first one out, the rest start to come out easily.

Three weeks into the Season and the Redskins are still shaking their olive jar trying to get that first win. This weekend is their third Divisional game in four weeks. They're on the road and facing a rookie Quarterback in his second start. The Giants are also without their First Round running back pick from last year in Saquon Barkley. And OBJ was shipped off to Cleveland during the offseason. 

Is this the week the Redskins finally take a hammer to their olive jar and smash out their first win? 

Vote now! As usual, poll will close at kickoff. 

ES Coverage – Redskins vs Bears – MNF Edition

9/23/19

Can you say; “Must Win?”

“But Pappas, it’s only week 3, there’s all this football to be played, they could turn it around, there’s lot of stuff left to play for.”

Blow it out your rear end.

Evening friends. My name is JimmiJo (or John Pappas for short) and I am joined by The Spaceman Spiff for this latest installment of Washington Redskins football.

Speaking of which; if this team loses this game in this stadium on this night; something bad is going to happen somewhere. To somebody.

Look, what do I know? But this season and this team have already a sense of desperation. As in, fear of unemployment desperate.

Sure, we all knew the schedule was tough. But the hope was surely the Redskins would snatch a win out the first two weeks. And for one-half of week 1 it looked probable. Until it didn’t.

And if they couldn’t win, could they at least be competitive?

Apparently not, as the Redskins have not looked likely to win a match at any time since the first half of the Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Sure, they took an early lead against the Cowboys. And for approximately 20-mintues they were competitive.

But in both matches, once the wheels came off, defeat seemed inevitable.

And there is something to be said by the manner of the defeats. These were not down-to-the-wire close battles that could have gone either way. Both Philadelphia and Dallas won convincingly.

With that as a backdrop, there is the understandable unease surrounding the team.

On paper, Washington was expected to have a stingy defense that would create problems for offensive lines. Instead we have seen a defense allowing hundreds of yards of production rushing, while surrendering big explosive pass plays for scores.

Offensively, the Redskins have looked better than expected in areas, if those areas are quarterback. If you can’t say Case Keenum has played well (and I think you can), you can at least say there will be no controversy.

But they need to do more than look good in areas.

In Chicago they have a chance to get well. Chicago comes in 1-1. They are ranked 30^th in overall offense, but 4^th in defense total yards. They struggles on offense should present opportunities for the Redskins.

Opportunities Washington must take advantage of.

We predicted a Washington win. It would be kinda nice to be correct.

Stand by…

Inactives

The Redskins declared the following players as inactive:

o   No. 12 QB Colt McCoy

o   No. 23 CB Quinton Dunbar

o   No. 58 LB Cassanova McKinzy

o   No. 64 C Ross Pierschbacher

o   No. 67 G Wes Martin

o   No. 78 DL T.Y. McGill

o   No. 86 TE Jordan Reed

The Bears declared the following players as inactive:

o   No. 22 DB Kevin Toliver II

o   No. 27 DB Sherrick McManis

o   No. 38 RB Kerrith Whyte Jr.

o   No. 55 LB Josh Woods

o   No. 70 OL Bobby Massie

o   No. 88 WR Riley Ridley

o   No. 98 DT Bilal Nichols

Follow along in-game on Twitter @Skinscast 

JimmiJo

Stuff just got real.

I believe some games reveal things in a new way or in a manner that cements a point of view, or intuition.

For us, this was the night where I witnessed the rigidness of an offensive coach and seeming refusal to change a scheme based on the realities before him.

Of course I am talking about head coach Jay Gruden. He would disagree with this. How do I know? I asked him.

“We tried,” said Gruden was asked if there were things he could do to help counter the effect Khalil Mack was having on his offense (and the other rushers for Chicago. “We left a back in, would have the tight ends chip on the way to their routes, but he is a special player.”

It was encouraging to hear, as these are the types of things teams do to help with a premier rusher. Only I didn’t recall seeing it. But then Gruden then pointed out an extremely credible aspect.

“The real problem was being down three scores and then they know we become one-dimensional, having to pass. When that happens you get to see a special players do special things.”

Fair dues. But for my money this was a game of slow-to-no reactions to what was obvious issues protecting Case Keenum.

And then six turnovers happen. If Washington ever had a real chance in this it ended when they started giving the Bears the ball inside the 10-yard line.

And before you know it the Redskins were down 28-0 before they got off the snide with a 35-yard field goal with 43-seconds remaining in the 1irst half. A quick scan of the drive chart will reveal the success the Bears enjoyed:

1.      Punt

2.      Punt

3.      Touchdown

4.      Touchdown

5.      Touchdown

6.      Missed field goal

7.      Interception

8.      Punt

9.      Field goal

Just under 50-percent scoring effectiveness. And the drive chart does not reflect the pick-six interception to start Chicago’s scoring.

Conversely, the Redskins fared much worse in the first half.

1.      Interception

2.      Punt

3.      Missed Field Goal

4.      Fimble

5.      Interception

6.      Field Goal

Washington was more effective in the second-half

1.      Interception

2.      Touchdown

3.      Toucdown

4.      Fumble

5.      End of game

As for stand out players, there were a few, but for all the wrong reasons.

As good an early season as Case Keenum had, he strove to completely reverse it tonight, being involved in six separate turnovers, with five ultimately lost.

Keenum finished the night 30/43 for 331-yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and a passer rating of 78.7. What is not included in his QB stats are the three fumbles he was involved with it, two which were lost.

The Redskins were a little more productive in the run game; but barely. They finished the night 70-yards on 21-carries across three runners in Keenum, Adrian Peterson, and Chris Thompson.

Peterson went 37-yards on 12-carries for a 3.1 yard avg. Thompson finished-up 29-yards on 7 carries for a paltry 1.5-yard average.

Defensively, the team surrendered 298-yards total. They registered 3-sacks and an interception.

But they also allowed a third-down efficiency of 62-percent to Chicago.

Penalties were again a problem, with Washington logging 9 total for 61 yards.

Bottom line, this was a failure of coaching for me. Washington’s offense did not adapt to the pressure of Chicago’s front seven. And as they slipped further and further back their challenges became more profound as the Redskins had to more and more abandon the running game.

Despite Gruden’s assurances, the instances of keeping a back home to block or chipping Mack and others were noticeably absent. And it costs them as the front pressure of the Bears was the major contributor to the loss.

And where do they go from here?

This game may not be the catalyst for a change on coaching staff at the coordinator level. But it may have lit the fuse. At the end of the day the same old problems emerged and there are only so much excuses to give before it is apparent where the issues really lie.

The good news? There are still 13-games to go. Groan.

The Redskins have opened their 2019 season with two losses. Both against Divisional foes. Now they get to close out Week 3 at home on Monday Night against the visiting 1-1 Chicago Bears. The Bears don't have much of an offense but seem to have what may be an elite defense.

On the flip side, the Redskins have a developing passing attack and a disastrous defense. The Redskins haven't had a Defense this vanilla since Mike Nolan received his ice cream. Oh, and the Redskins already have more guys on IR then any other team this season. 

Will the Redskins finally put one in the win column? 

As usual, poll closes at kickoff. Go vote!

 In today's Divisional Debacle, the Defense under Greg Manusky in the first half, gave up 207 yards of offense (105 rushing/102 passing) and two touchdowns.  That said, they did manage a single INT on which the Offense actually managed to score a touchdown off of. They allowed 12 of 16 passes to be completed . 

In the second half it was 107 yards given up (58 rushing//49 passing) a field goal and a touchdown. They traded their first half pick for a second half sack. However, Dallas completed all five of their pass attempts. 

Don't read that thinking "Well it seems like they tightened up some in the 2nd half."  They didn't. They simply had about half the plays in the second half. 30 plays in the First and 18 in the Second.

So far in two Divisional matchups, the Defense has faltered in the Second half. They start out like a house of fire for the first few drives until their opponents gradually make adjustments. This Defensive coaching staff fails make any adjustments, whether in game or at the very least at Halftime. They've given up over 30 points per game for a total of 63 points given up in two games. While the Bears are up next, the Pats await and they've put up over 70 points in two games. Yeah. Ok. They did shut out the Dolphins today which is looking like the NFL version of ... ahem... shooting fish in a barrel. 

The frustrating thing is Manusky is the DC that the Front Office actively looked to replace during the off season without firing him. When you know they're looking to replace you, most people would make a concentrated effort to show an improvement. Yet Manusky's Defense still keeps acting like it's starring in Groundhog Day.
 

In his post game presser, when asked directly about if any coaching changes would be made, Gruden said "No, I think after two games – you’re talking about playing two very good offensive football teams and two of the best offensive lines in pro football we just played back-to-back. That’s no excuse whatsoever, but I don’t think we need to hit the panic button yet. We just have to continue to focus on what we can do better to win. Get Jonathan [Allen] in here, get a couple of our corners back in here and let’s go back and strap it up against Chicago [Bears] next week and see what happens.” 

Here's another frustrating thing. The defensive communication was an issue last season as well. Wasn't this supposed to have been worked on during OTA's and Training Camp? It's understandable that the rookies would still be on a learning curve, but NFL vets like Collins and DRC you'd think they would have down by the start of the season. 

Gruden said they're a very talented group on Defense but that they weren't reaching them. When questioned as to why the coaching staff that has been in place for several years, wasn't reaching them, he defended the comment as them being a young defense. “We have some moving parts now. Landon Collins is a veteran guy but this is his first year, [Montez] Sweat’s in his first year, [Cole] Holcomb, it’s his first year, [Jon] Bostic is in his first year. We’re playing Dominique [Rodgers-Cromartie] at corner and this is Jimmy Moreland’s first year, so it’s not like we are the most experienced group. We feel like were very talented, but we`re still fighting through somethings. There are a lot of things to look forward to, without a doubt, but we do have to play better and strap it up and get back to work."

ES Coverage Cowboys vs Redskins 2019

9/15/19

Do I look like I'm playing? I'm not playing. This is the Washington Redskins versus the Dallas Cowboys. If you are a fan of this game, and this one does not get you excited you might want to check your pulse.

Hello my friends it is I, JimmiJo, back for another year of this wonderful thing we call Redskins Football. This makes season 14 for me. I am joined by The Spaceman Spiff who will hereafter be known as "The Spaceman Spiff." 

Where's that dude that gets the big tattoos on his back? There's his next one.

So how important is this game? I don't know. What is the different between 1-1 and 0-2? The difference between batting .500 and zippy?

Throw in that this is their 2nd division game to start the year AND a home game and you have a critical match.

And once again they contend with critical injuries to start the year. Last year it was  their rookie star running back. This year its their 2nd year star...well you get the rest.  Darrius Guice is gone and not coming back this year. I think this really hurts him moving forward. Not sure who will build a scheme around him given his first two seasons.

So it is down to the veteran Adrian Peterson. I have no worries of ring rust for hum. None whatsoever. He knows what to do.

Anyway, almost time. Please share your thoughts.

Stand by...

Inactives

The Redskins declared the following players as inactive:

o   No. 12 QB Colt McCoy

o   No. 23 CB Quinton Dunbar

o   No. 31 Fabian Moreau

o   No. 64 C Ross Pierschbacher

o   No. 67 G Wes Martin

o   No. 86 TE Jordan Reed

o   No. 93 DT Jonathan Allen

The Cowboys declared the following players as inactive:

o   No. 10 WR Tavon Austin

o   No. 37 S Donovan Wilson

o   No. 57 LB Luke Gifford

o   No. 61 C Adam Redmond

o   No. 69 G Brandon Knight

o   No. 79 DT Trysten Hill

o   No. 97 DE Taco Charlton

Follow along in-game at Twitter @Skinscast 

JimmiJo

Head coach Jay Gruden said it is not time to press the panic button when asked if staff changes could occur on the defensive coaching staff. It may not be for him, but he might want to pay attention to the sounds coming from the owners suite at Redskins Park.

For example the sound of shouting and heavy objects striking walls could portend an early offseason for someone.

The Washington Redskins are now 0-2 to start the season. They are 0-2 in the division.

If that is not panic-inducing, they face a Chicago Bears football team (themselves in need of a solid win) on Monday Night Football next. A series they do not typically do well on.

In both games to open the campaign the winning teams had the game well in hand at the start of the fourth quarter, despite Washington taking leads in each of the games.

Against Dallas, the team began well again; taking a 7-0 lead into the second quarter. This was not quite the 17-0 start they had in Philadelphia. Nor did it take until halftime for the Cowboys to adjust.

It happened on Dallas’ fourth drive. Starting at their own 3-yard line at 9:44 in the 2nd period, the Cowboys employed a combination of runs up the middle and quick outs in the flats and sideline to advance the ball 97-yards in 7 plays and tie the game.

Following a three-and-out by Washington, Dallas went 74-yards on 11-plays to take the 14-7 lead at halftime.

The 3rd Quarter began with the Cowboys receiving the ball at their own 25. Nine plays  and 75-yards later they were leading 21-7.

The Redskins made it interesting with their own 11-play, 70-yard drive to cut he lead to 7.

But Dallas responded with a field goal. And would add another touchdown in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 17.

Washington’s consolation score with just under 3-minutes remaining allowed rookie Terry McLaurin to add a touchdown to his debut season.

The Redskins have developed a reputation for not responding well to adjustments. They had little answer for the adjustments Dallas made to their offense. Ditto the game in Philadelphia.

In both, Washington had a lead to protect and could not.

Coming into the season the defense was expected to the be the strength of the team. Yet in two games they have surrendered 910 yards (445 per game) and 63 points. Not exactly setting the world on fire.

Statistically the Redskins defense are near the bottom in points allowed and yards surrendered.

The coach wants to blame injuries. Not only the their excellent young nose tackle in Jonathan Allen, but also to the secondary which has already gone significant realignment to accommodate injuries to Quinton Dunbar and Fabian Moreau.

Still, with the specter of a season going off the rails after only two games, the fans want someone to blame.

Wont be the quarterback. Case Keenum has completed 68.2 percent of his passes. He has thrown 3 touchdowns against no interceptions.

Ditto other skill positions. Adrian Peterson did not his best outing but the team abandoned the run early. The receivers are doling their own, with guys like McLaurin shining.

And as bad as the collapse was last week and the home loss this, it feels too early to call for the head coach.

That leaves those in charge of the defense. Specifically, Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky.

Fan ire seems more and more to be falling on Manusky, if sentiment on twitter and sports radio means anything.

But they don’t decide who stays and who leaves. That is the job of the head coach who so far, is backing his guy.

But there is a higher authority at Redskins Park. Legend has it owner Daniel Snyder once put a gallon of vanilla ice cream outside a Redskins defensive coordinator’s door following a poor performance by the defense.  

Given the start to this season, Manusky could be hearing the ice cream truck in his sleep. And that would be better than what many of the fans are wishing for him.

Last year the Redskins home opener was 57,013 which was roughly 20,000 empty seats. And the Redskins had a 1-0 record

Two years ago, home opener attendance was announced as 78,658. 

This Sunday, the Redskins have their home opener in a Week 2 Divisional matchup against the 1-0 Dallas Cowboys. 

Cast your vote now & feel free to discuss below. 

Poll closes at Kickoff.

Let's start off by saying that if an NFL game was only 30 minutes long, then the Redskins would have left Philly with an easy win. They out controlled the Eagles with 16:41 on Time of Possession. It only took them 4:06 on their opening drive to go 80 yards in 7 plays when Keenum hit Vernon Davis on a short pass to the right sideline. Davis would hurdle the defender, not get touched down, and take it to the End Zone to hush the crowd. 

Rookie WR Terry McLaurin would introduce himself to the League in their 3rd drive. The drive started with a 2 yard run by Guice, a Time Out, and then Keenum hits McLaurin for a 69 yard Touchdown. This 52 second drive put the Redskins up 17-0 & in cruise control. 

It wouldn't be until a little over four minutes before the Half that the Eagles would avoid the shut out as the Defense would get torched by DJax for his first touchdown of 51 yards. It was like the old days before Chip Kelly released him and the Skins signed him. It doesn't matter who's running the Defense or who's playing on Defense, it just seems that the Redskins have yet to find a way to stop him. Well, except for that time they signed him. Maybe they should have found the cap space to re-sign him.

For an Offense that was believed to go through Guice and the run game, Guice could never get going in the First Half. Philly would continue to stack the box & take away the run. Even if AP wasn't a healthy scratch today, he may not have made much of a difference. The run game game managed to sputter out a measly 31 yards. Case Keenum managed to overcome this though the air with 257 passing yards.

At the Half it was Redskins 20 - Eagles 7. 

And then the wheels came off. In the Second Half the Eagles would flip the script and control the clock. The Eagles would come back with three unanswered touchdowns, one with a 2 point conversion, and a field goal. It would take the Redskins all the way to the final seconds of the game before they'd score again. Keenum would hit Quinn with a 4 yard touchdown pass to cut the final score to 32-27. 

This Sunday the Redskins open their season on the road in Filthadumpia. *

The Skins are on a streak of actually winning their last three road openers.

On the flip side, the Eagles have a four game win streak over the Skins.

Something's gonna give this Sunday. Who keeps their streak alive when it's all said & done. 

Cast your vote now. Poll closes at Kickoff. 

*Filthadelphia originally coined by @skins island connection

ES Coverage: Giants vs Redskins 

12/9/18

DEFEAT!!!

Giants 40 - Redskins 16

Greetings friends, JimmiJo here, and I am joined by my shivering partner, Spaceman Spiff. Together we will bring you this all important NFC East divisional matchup between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants.

When I was last with you the Redskins had command of the division and there was optimism to spare. Since, devastating injuries to quarterbacks, linemen, and cornerbacks has left this team losers in 4-of-5 contests.

But there is still everything to play for, and if they can manage a victory today and the Eagles to the same Washington will once again have a share of the lead.

I can dream can't I?

On paper, the future looks grim. A continued collapse will start the questions about the future of personnel and perhaps leadership. Yes, we can certainly point to injuries as the primary reason the team is struggling. But the record earlier in the year was masking some issues with the squad. No real arial threat. An inconsistent running game. And a defense that has been anything but consistent.

But these are questions for another time. Today, it is just two teams looking for a win.

See you at the half.

Follow along on Twitter @Skinscast 

Inactives

The Redskins declared the following players as inactive:

o   No. 12 QB Colt McCoy

o   No. 32 RB Samaje Perine

o   No. 46 RB Kapri Bibbs

o   No. 52 LB Ryan Anderson

o   No. 63 C Demetrius Rhaney

o   No. 66 G Tony Bergstrom

o   No. 99 DL Caleb Brantley

JimmiJo

I was happy to see players like Josh Johnson and Byron Marshall in the game. The marquee guys did not earn the right to play following the disastrous first half. It was historically bad.

Never before had the Washington Redskins trailed by as much as the 34-0 deficit they entertained today at the half.

I remarked to one of the writers that in 13-seasons I had never seen this team so outplayed as today. The offense led by Mark Sanchez was throw-up in mouth bad. At no point did you feel like they would or could score.

I tweeted before the game that it is time for Daniel Snyder to replaced head coach Jay Gruden. Yes injuries are the headline. But the offense was poor before the injuries.

No aerial threat and an inconsistent rushing. They only seemed to score 20-points per game.

What they did do well was hold on to the ball. And the defense was a takeover machine the first half of the year.

But turnovers tend to even out.

So I was more than glad to see those ‘backups’ play. All they did was show they should have been playing in the first half.

Especially Johnson. Take a look at your Redskins’ starter the rest of the way. From his first snap the offense looked different. There was energy. There was life.

And there was threat.

Johnson played with more command, accuracy and imagination than Mark Sanchez. He looked much more the accomplished quarterback.

A word on Josh Doctson. You are an idiot. Without the stupid penalty you are not letting the safety out-position you to make the pick with 5-minutes left.

Following this game, staring at the standings and considering possible scenarios for getting in the playoffs is fools’ gold. It is all about assessing who it worth keeping for next year.

I don’t believe head coach Jay Gruden is going to make the list. Nor should he. He has had nore than enough time to do something here. He had Kirk Cousins’ starting over 3-full seasons.

He had his chance.

I tweeted before the game team owner Daniel Snyder should let Gruden go and bring in Mike McCarthy. Washington Post writer (and friend) Rick Snider made a great counterpoint to that idea:

“Why would McCarthy want to come here? He has better options,” he said.

That sure feels like the truth. And if so, it may explain why Gruden is fast becoming one of the most tenured coaches in the league.

This was my last game for this season. I would like to thank Extremeskins and the team for the opportunity this year. I will see you guys next year.

Let me go on the record now and say I do not think Jay Gruden's position here is secure. Not with the likes of Mike McCarthy available.

I know, I know, that's a terrible title.   However, I've only been to one game here at the Linc, and we won.  Division championship in 2015, a thing of beauty.  I'm also 2-0 while writing these things.  At the same time, I was at the Monday Night Massacre/McNabb's Payday, so don't get too ****y. Philly has been fun-ish.  We went to Geno's to get some world famous cheesesteaks Steak-Ums.  More overrated than any free agent signing we've had since, well, you know.

No matter what this turns out to be, it'll be a nice break from all of the distractions off the field.  #yourenotwinningoffthefieldbruce  It's been something that's divided us intensely, and I'm glad that we can all agree that we're scared ****less about the ramifications of this game.  A few weeks ago we are two games up, Dallas is faltering, Philly is doing poorly, and Giants gonna Giants.  Now?  With a loss today, we're in third place in the division.  I mean, that's, ouch.  Some of us can see the bright side in the deepest cavern, and others of us only see shadows while staring at the Sun (I happen to fall into the latter category).   This game means everything.  It's not a tone-setter, it's as Code Red as Tampa three years ago.

It's definitely nice to see Thompson and Crowder back.  I hope that Stroman can defend Wentz, because he's gonna get picked on all day.  And that  #86, you gotta cover him.  As @TK said, that number is dangerous for both sides.  A big problem is actually following through on that.  We knew that Cooper was going to get the ball, but our safeties (I love ya, DJ, but ugh on Thanksgiving) were more like safety valves.  We cannot let that happen, even once, against this Eagles team that has Sproles returning.

As you've already read, Inactives:

Sudfield

Maddox

Mills

Hicks

Warmack

Mailata

Pryor

Quinn (ugh!)

Dunbar

Perine (forgot he was on the team)

Marshall

Howard

Ioannidis

So some hits on both sides.  Both secondaries need to really bolt down to give their respective teams a chance (don't worry, I didn't tell Philly that).  Oh, and then there's that Colt McCoy guy.  With a non-zero number of practices with the ones, hopefully he can actually do something.

With 38 minutes to go, it's not looking much better than FedEx.  I even heard cheers when our boys ran out.

Well, that's it for pregame unless something else happens.

With 13 minutes to go, the stands are maybe half full?  Nothing to Josh Norman's standards for sure.

With three minutes to go, we are at about 2/3 capacity.  All levels on the home side look full, but other than that it's not impressive.

FIRST QUARTER

7:31 Zach Ertz with the insane false start.  Except not.  So touchdown.

Well, looked like typical Redskins.  A little  help from the refs for the Eagles touchdown and then for two straight, and wasted, first downs.  But Doctson did something.  So at lest we have that.

SECOND QUARTER

McCoy hurt.  Sanchez in.  Peace out, season.

And I'm wrong.  Colt's first play after coming in, touchdown.  Sanchez's first play after coming in, touchdown.

Longest run in Redskins history.

At 4:03 - And a fourth down stop?

Sanchez with a nine-play, 40-something drive ending in three points.

At the half, the team is showing some grit.  Two bad calls by the refs led to 14 Philly points, the non-call on Ertz on their first touchdown and the ticky-tack roughing the passer by Stroman.  Moreau looking very, very good today, which is a relief.  Josh Norman needs to tackle, not strip.  It's costing us yards and on the Sproles run cost us seven.

Overall we're doing better than I thought we would.

THIRD QUARTER

Off to a bad start.  McCoy out for the year.

The rest of the third was also bad.  Another injured lineman, down to zero reserves.  Moreau injured after being awesome all game.

This isn't going to end in a win for us, unfortunately.

FOURTH QUARTER:

And it just keeps getting worse.  Sanchez, Sanchez, Sanchez.

That was awful.  In all ways.  I don't know how it could've been worse.  I'll finish this up later, emotions are too high in being too low.

Greetings from yet another Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium. Feels like this is starting to become an annual thing playing here in Dallas. Though last year the team stayed home & beat the Giants on Thanksgiving. Personally I wish the League would take off this schedule as it makes the holiday more enjoyable without having to worry about a game. 

And what a game this could be. The Redskins are still looking for their 600th franchise win. They also come into this one a game ahead in the Division with a chance to sweep the Cowturkeys. 

“Wait.” You’re saying to yourself. ‘Did he just use the word “Cowturkeys”?’

Yes. Yes I did. Think of it as a Turducken, but with red meat. 

Anywho, this game will also see Texas legend Colt McCoy take his first start in nearly two years due to Game Manager Alex Smith going down to injury last week & having his season ended after managing to help get the team to a 6-3 record. 

When McCoy took over last week, you instantly see a change in how the offense worked. They were faster. There was a sense of urgency. And McCoy gave more guys opportunities. He even gave Doctson three opportunities on go balls. 

While most will say McCoy just doesn’t have that canon arm that fans love to see fire off the deep ball, they’d be wrong. You see, McCoy has been building his arm back up again. He suffered a shoulder injury in the National Championship Game back in 2010 & a neck injury in 2014. During the last four seasons, he’s been following his shoulder exercises, but the team has also worked with him to compact his throwing motion. 

That said, with McCoy behind the wheel, the car will go faster, sound meaner, & take more off the line then the Smith driven to perfection luxury grandpa machine ever thought about doing. McCoy will get you pulled over once in a while, Smith is the guy in the right lane with the blinker on for the last five miles.

Expect a ticket, maybe even a reckless driving charge from McCoy today as it’s all on the line. The franchise’s 600th win. First place in the Division. And a two game lead on that same First Place before heading into an ECW street fight in Philly next Monday night.

Good afternoon Redskins nation!  I’m in beautiful Landover, MD with Spaceman Spiff who has been pulled away from Instagram models and tailgating and sent down to the field to do what he does best (roll around in the mud).
 
Let’s get down to business...  Can we block them?  There are other story lines entering into this game but worrying about them feels largely academic.  The Texans have two terrifying pass rushers and the Redskins intend to block them with optimism and underdog stories.  Alex Smith isn’t a statue but he does take time in making decisions and getting the ball out.  This combination looks disastrous.  The sort of thing that has us all after the game consoling each other with things like “well, it was just a bad matchup" and “we caught them at the worst possible time.” 
 
Or... we could walk away wondering just how the heck this team managed to pull off another improbable win.  Last week the gave up something like twelve thousand yards of offense to the Bucs, I’ll have to check those numbers to be sure, but only three points.  That’s not supposed to happen.  Maybe we can enjoy an outrageously unlikely result again.  Not probably, not likely, but you know... maybe.  I’m saying there’s a chance.   
 
I’m here for that chance.  (and you know... the free food and climate controlled free seats) 

1st Quarter Update