Dallas: Some things to think about

[G-Prime]

Running Game:

A lot of so called "sports writers" don't have us winning this game, simply because they think we won't be able to run on Dallas's D. They may be right however they are overlooking a much improved Offensive line that managed to open up nice holes for Portis and Betts against a decent Bears run D. I look for Dallas to stuff the run early. Joe Gibbs will however dial up some plays to take advantage of their aggressive front. Look for Portis to have a 100+ yard day.

Passing Game:

A topic of fan and expert debate. The decision to bench Patrick Ramsey doesn't sit well with a lot of people.. And to some fans, the mere fact that people even question Gibbs is a sin. In any event like it or not, Mark Brunell is our starter. I don't believe there is as much cause for alarm as some may lead us to believe. Mark Brunell is not a dumb guy. He showed a rejuvenated arm this preseason and possesses enough skill outside the pocket, to buy time for Patton and Moss to get open.

Some will ask "What about the deep threat?". Well what about it? How many 30+ yard completions did we see from Ramsey that were successful. Keep in mind Patricks big gain in the Bears game, came from an 10 or 12 yard pass that Moss himself turned into 50 yards. Mark Brunell is physically capable of hooking up with his speedy receivers 5-20 yards down the field and letting them make something happen.

Turnovers will still be a concern. This preseason Brunell has proven to be the lesser of two evils in this regard, however last season he could of been crowned Mr Turnover himself. Lets see if the time off and a healthy body can bring some stability to Mark's throws. It's clear he's the leader of our QB pack in regards to decision making.

Look for Brunell to manage the game slowly and methodically. Dump off's underneath will have to be expanded by our receivers. This will also tighten up the defensive backfield and allow Moss to burn his receivers for big gains down the field.

Defense:

The Redskin's defense picked up where it left off last season. Punishing an upgraded Bears offensive line. Our front four was able to create pressure, however not consistantly. Dallas has a solid offensive line. Don't look for Greg Williams to get too exotic this time around. Unlike Orton, Bledsoe has seen it all and is capable of burning a blitz to pieces. This is where our excellent defensive backfield come in. Even on blitzes Bledsoe is going to be hard pressed to find anything open downfield quickly enough for him to escape.

Look for the immoble Bledsoe to have a very long day. On their running side, the aggressive Washington Defense is licking their chops at the sight of Bledsoe. This may leave a few holes for Jones to break long gains. Don't look for this to happen to often as Williams will waste little time in adjusting.

Special Teams:

The Redskins return coverage is anywhere from above average to good. Fortunately, the Dallas return coverage is fairly suspect. In a game where field position will be paramount, we will probably see big gains given up by both sides, but look for Washington to win most of these battles as their coverage units seem to get better as the game goes on.

Both units have guys that are capable of breaking one for six. The only true game breaking return man on the field is Santana Moss. Don't look for him to see to much action at this position since Betts and Thrash are more then capable of handling this duty.

That's how I see it from the Redskin's side.

[budski]

good post,

I also think the special teams will be the make or break in the game. If Bledsoe has to make long drives skins defense should be able to handle them.

I see the skins dinking here and there to make their way up the field. Taylor will

be very conscience about the long ball.

[jrocrb96]

Excellent post but here's a few counter points:

I think that both team's running games cancel each other out. Portis will have a good day against the Boyz defense as will Jones against the Redskins.

Mark Brunnell did look well in preaseason but that was mainly against second & third string players. Brunnell has not proven himself to be the leader of this football team. He's just the winner by default. Patrick Ramsey just doesn't make good decisions.

What's really going to be interesting is watching the Cowboys special teams because I agree with you that they may me a little suspect.

[red zone]

Nice post. Something tells me James Thrash will have a big game. :whoknows: I do believe the winner between the Portis v. Jones battle will tell the story in the end.

[Ryan21]

hey iam fairley new to the forum so wanted to say hi to every1....regarding his post i would have to say its not how brunell looked against 2nd and 3rd stringer sure he looked good..but the big thing is how good his passes looked...shar crip tight spirals he was on the money with every throw....with that said it might be different monday night but i doubt it....people judging gibbs' judgment to me doesent make sense remember hes been through qb carousels b4 he knows exactly what hes doing....this defense can keep us in any game this season main reason bruneelll is in there is so that offfense can do the same instead of giving oppositions points or a short field..anyhow i predcit 20-10 skins moss has along td and portis big day

[G-Prime]

Excellent post but here's a few counter points:

I think that both team's running games cancel each other out. Portis will have a good day against the Boyz defense as will Jones against the Redskins.

Mark Brunnell did look well in preaseason but that was mainly against second & third string players. Brunnell has not proven himself to be the leader of this football team. He's just the winner by default. Patrick Ramsey just doesn't make good decisions.

What's really going to be interesting is watching the Cowboys special teams because I agree with you that they may me a little suspect.

Yeah no doubt Jones will get his yards.. I don't think however he'll break 100 yards. Our coverage is so good we'll be able to stack the line if need be. I think our D matches up with Dallas O very well.

[G-Prime]

Nice post. Something tells me James Thrash will have a big game. :whoknows: I do believe the winner between the Portis v. Jones battle will tell the story in the end.

Portis isn't better then Jones imo, but he's different. Our O Line is just to good imo for him not to have a big game.

[WeownU]

Dallas' biggest weakness is thier kickoff return coverages. We looked pretty bad in preseason and against the chargers. Never underestimate special teams. Could be the difference between starting at your own 20 or the 40. With both our offenses, starting with a short field will be key.

Next, Bledsoe has to get rid of the ball quicker. He worried me last week by how long he likes to hold it.

Keys to a dallas win will be pretty basic, stopping Portis. We held LT under 80, and I really think we can do the same with Portis. Your O-line is better than last year, but that only brings them up to average. Last year it absolutely stunk. I think the way the cowboys are approaching the game is make 2-3 big plays, and they'll pretty much win the game. Nobody believes the skins can score more than 10 points so a few big plays offensively should do it.

Interestingly enough, on my drive home yesterday, they had Joe Thiesman on ESPN radio, he said Roy Williams was the best safety in the NFL. That surprised me, I would have though he would have been a little more biased towards Sean Taylor.

Speaking of old redskins on the radio, I heard John Riggins on the radio several months ago, now I really never knew much about the guy, but since he was a redskin, I immedietely dismissed him for a jerk. What a surprise, I had. He was funny, smart, down to earth, just a good old boy really, I really thought he was cool.

[THEHEREAFTER]

Running Game:

A lot of so called "sports writers" don't have us winning this game, simply because they think we won't be able to run on Dallas's D. They may be right however they are overlooking a much improved Offensive line that managed to open up nice holes for Portis and Betts against a decent Bears run D. I look for Dallas to stuff the run early. Joe Gibbs will however dial up some plays to take advantage of their aggressive front. Look for Portis to have a 100+ yard day.

Passing Game:

A topic of fan and expert debate. The decision to bench Patrick Ramsey doesn't sit well with a lot of people.. And to some fans, the mere fact that people even question Gibbs is a sin. In any event like it or not, Mark Brunell is our starter. I don't believe there is as much cause for alarm as some may lead us to believe. Mark Brunell is not a dumb guy. He showed a rejuvenated arm this preseason and possesses enough skill outside the pocket, to buy time for Patton and Moss to get open.

Some will ask "What about the deep threat?". Well what about it? How many 30+ yard completions did we see from Ramsey that were successful. Keep in mind Patricks big gain in the Bears game, came from an 10 or 12 yard pass that Moss himself turned into 50 yards. Mark Brunell is physically capable of hooking up with his speedy receivers 5-20 yards down the field and letting them make something happen.

Turnovers will still be a concern. This preseason Brunell has proven to be the lesser of two evils in this regard, however last season he could of been crowned Mr Turnover himself. Lets see if the time off and a healthy body can bring some stability to Mark's throws. It's clear he's the leader of our QB pack in regards to decision making.

Look for Brunell to manage the game slowly and methodically. Dump off's underneath will have to be expanded by our receivers. This will also tighten up the defensive backfield and allow Moss to burn his receivers for big gains down the field.

Defense:

The Redskin's defense picked up where it left off last season. Punishing an upgraded Bears offensive line. Our front four was able to create pressure, however not consistantly. Dallas has a solid offensive line. Don't look for Greg Williams to get too exotic this time around. Unlike Orton, Bledsoe has seen it all and is capable of burning a blitz to pieces. This is where our excellent defensive backfield come in. Even on blitzes Bledsoe is going to be hard pressed to find anything open downfield quickly enough for him to escape.

Look for the immoble Bledsoe to have a very long day. On their running side, the aggressive Washington Defense is licking their chops at the sight of Bledsoe. This may leave a few holes for Jones to break long gains. Don't look for this to happen to often as Williams will waste little time in adjusting.

Special Teams:

The Redskins return coverage is anywhere from above average to good. Fortunately, the Dallas return coverage is fairly suspect. In a game where field position will be paramount, we will probably see big gains given up by both sides, but look for Washington to win most of these battles as their coverage units seem to get better as the game goes on.

Both units have guys that are capable of breaking one for six. The only true game breaking return man on the field is Santana Moss. Don't look for him to see to much action at this position since Betts and Thrash are more then capable of handling this duty.

That's how I see it from the Redskin's side.

One of the better posts you'll see from a skins fan. Good to see something other than Bill Parcells is fat but then again this is a fan site and I understand where I am.

On special teams, expect to see T. Newman back there a couple times on punts. He showed flashes during pre-season and I think he's capable to make a big play.

I think Dallas has more weapons than Skins fans think right now and it will be hard to stop them all. Washingtons secondary will be tested attempting to stop Key, Witten, Crayton, Glenn, Jones and Price. Protecting Bledsoe will be Key. I think he's more likely to fumble than to throw a pick so the Dallas fullback(s) and Julius Jones will have their hands full all night picking up blitzers GW will send from all angles.

I'm not underestimating Washington but I believe if they don't force any turnovers as a neutralizer it will be a long night for the Skins. However, if Washington wins the turnover battle and Portis runs for 100+, they have a chance to win.

Both coaches will be digging into their bag of tricks for this one. Look for a trick play or two to swing the momentum and change the game. Washington has not won a game @ Dallas since the '95 season and Parcells has defeated Gibbs 8 straight games. I give the Dallas offense an edge on Washington... so I see Dallas winning a hard hitting tough game... 24-13

[slm2856]

One thing that worries me about this game is the fact that Brunell looks unable to get us in the endzone. Last season the reason we didn't go anywhere was because of our offense, plain and simple. Our defense is slightly better than Dallas, but our offense really needs to step up if we expect to win.

[G-Prime]

One of the better posts you'll see from a skins fan. Good to see something other than Bill Parcells is fat but then again this is a fan site and I understand where I am.

On special teams, expect to see T. Newman back there a couple times on punts. He showed flashes during pre-season and I think he's capable to make a big play.

I think Dallas has more weapons than Skins fans think right now and it will be hard to stop them all. Washingtons secondary will be tested attempting to stop Key, Witten, Crayton, Glenn, Jones and Price. Protecting Bledsoe will be Key. I think he's more likely to fumble than to throw a pick so the Dallas fullback(s) and Julius Jones will have their hands full all night picking up blitzers GW will send from all angles.

I'm not underestimating Washington but I believe if they don't force any turnovers as a neutralizer it will be a long night for the Skins. However, if Washington wins the turnover battle and Portis runs for 100+, they have a chance to win.

Both coaches will be digging into their bag of tricks for this one. Look for a trick play or two to swing the momentum and change the game. Washington has not won a game @ Dallas since the '95 season and Parcells has defeated Gibbs 8 straight games. I give the Dallas offense an edge on Washington... so I see Dallas winning a hard hitting tough game... 24-13

This is the kind of reply I was hoping for.. I laid down what I saw for the skins side, you laid it out for what you saw on the Boys side. Thank ya