ES Coverage: Redskins @ Ravens

 

08/10/17

 

DEFEAT 

Ravens 23 - 3 Redskins

 

Welcome my friends to another season of Washington Redskins Football (queue applause)!

 

I can think of no better person to kick off this season than me, JimmiJo. Along for the launch is my partner; Spaceman Spiff. In our time together we have inadvertently glanced at more NFL locker room manhood than is acceptable in polite company. 

 

All that aside, we will do our best to bring you the sights and sounds of tonight's action.

 

Story line for me is how the offense will look with new 1st and 2nd receivers, running backs, and tight end. Is this offense plug-and-play enough to swap out arguably the two most important pieces and keep on going? We will start to see tonight.

 

And then there's the defense. How will a Greg Manusky defense perform? Likely we won't see anything like a defensive game plan. All eyes will be looking to see good execution in a bland scheme.

 

Let me take this first preseason game and get this out of the way:

 

- I believe this to be Kirk Cousins. Blame it on irreconcilable differences. From afar it appears Cousins never got over what he thought a pauper-offer his first year of free agency. Can Washington throw enough money at him, or be willing to do this dance again to kick keep him? Hard to see but I am wrong all the time. Just ask my ex-wife.

- The question will then become whether you keep Jay Gruden to develop the next guy? Survey says; depends on how the season plays out.

 

Gonna be fun to watch.

 

Season record; a very generous 9-7 trying to eek into the playoffs. Most of you are smarter than me so I will look to see what you say.

 

In the meantime it is time for some free food.

 

Stand by...

 

Kickoff

 

The teams are taking the field ahead of the National Anthem and then kickoff.

 

Here's to good running, passing, scoring, tackling, and no injuries.

 

Talk to you at halftime. Follow in-game on Twitter @Skinscast. 

 

 

 

 

Half

 

Wow that was bad. 

 

The Washington Redskins appear unprepared and uninspired. I hope the coaches see something good on tape to look at, cause from here in the press box I am not sure there was much.

 

Not that the Ravens were much better. But they did enough to keep the chains moving. Their own difficulties limited points, but did not prevent them.

 

The game's highlight was the Ravens' 59-yard field goal to end the half.

 

Baltimore 13 - 0 Washington

 

 

 

 

JimmiJo

 

There really isn’t much to say about the game. At least, not for the Washington Redskins.

 

They came out flat, and got worse as it went.

 

In fairness the starters only played six plays. But to be precise, the Redskins offense accomplished very little between the two drives.

 

Kirk Cousins went 1-2 for 5-yards over the span. Anything he thought he was going to do was thwarted by the pressure from Baltimore.

 

After Cousins, the offensive highlight belonged to Vernon Davis, who pulled in a 31-yard grab later in the night.

 

Washington started poorly, and the second-teamers were every bit as bad. But for a single drive to start the fourth quarter that resulted in 3-points; there was very little of note.

 

Unless you count the inability to sustain drives, ill-timed turnovers and big-plays surrendered.

 

The worst part is that no questions were answered.

 

We don’t know if the offense will function with the new receiving corps. At least, as it did with the old.

 

We don’t know if the defense is an improved with the new coordinator.

 

We don’t know if the run-game is any better.

 

Ditto play-calling. We do know what we saw was not particularly good.

 

In the old days a coach like Joe Gibbs would use a performance like this to bludgeon and then inspire the team to respond. Then again, it is only the preseason.

 

Many a rotten-egg game 1 of the preseason has turned into a more respectable affair later on.

 

That said – there just isn’t much talk about or takeaway from this one.

 

Your reporters had a terrific time however.

 

 

 

 

Click here for the ES photos from this game.

 

Click here to download a copy of this game's Game Book.