Taking a Knee

[LoyalSkinsFan]

Wednesday morning after the first preseason game of the 2007-2008 football season and I'm now feeling like I've been able to digest what occured on the field last weekend.

I began typing a thread on Sunday morning, but didn't want to dive in too quickly. A knee-jerk reaction does nobody any good. No matter how high or low we are, we have to recognize that we'll be looking at things from a slanted perspective....to close, still, to what happened in the game to be in a position to make an objective assessment.

So I waited.

No knee-jerk from me. You know what they say, "If you knee-jerk, you make a jerk out of you and me..."

They don't really say that...I don't know who would.....but you get the idea.

So, here's where I ended up:

On an emotional level, I was disappointed. How could you not be? But, still, on an intellectual level, not. Year in and year out we've all heard football experts go on and on about how the defenses are always ahead of the offenses during preseason. That it takes more time for the offense to gel and to get it's timing and rhythm down. Well, I think we saw that for ourselves. Campbell didn't turn in a performance that could be seen as explosive by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd say that he was solid. If the offensive line, already beset by injuries, can get healthy in time for the games that count and give him time to do what he needs to do I think our offense is going to be just fine. He showed patience...he showed confidence.....and he showed flashes of skill. He connected on a number of mid-range to deep balls.....all of which gave me hope and just a glimmer of an opened-up. balanced Redskin offense. Though it was far from a perfect performance, I'm not yet worried about that side of the ball.

On the defensive side, I saw only good. Keep in mind that the coaches are trying new things and new people in an effort to see who's capable and who's not. Overall, I like what I saw. Fletcher was consistently in the right place at the right time. Rocky, like Campbell, showed flashes. The line, while like it's offensive counterpart was also not at full strength, was solid. Landry showed me that he's ready to start....ready for life in the NFL after only one preseason game. I'm not looking past the fact that Vince Young sat this one out, but Kerry Collins and Tim Rattay are not slouches. Both have been successful starters in the league and to keep the Titans to a couple scores given what our offense did was a good showing. Yes, it speaks again to how offenses are behind the defenses....but in there is further reason not to knee-jerk on our own offense as well.

Our special teams are, like last season, solid overall. The coverage team had a bit of a burp allowing the one big return (relived the Norv Turner years there for a minute) but shut things down after that. Frost had, from what I could tell, an exceptional game. My big concern would be with Suishan.....who shanked one kickoff out of bounds (which just can't happen) and barely missed a long, but potentially momentum shifting field goal. He's got potential, I think, but his consistency needs to be....well....consistent.

One thing not mentioned much on the boards that I found particularly positive in this game.....was how even with all the negative play and disheartening miscues.....the Redskins somehow found a way to win the game. Granted it was with third and fourth team players...but still, it was a win. A year ago, aside from the implausable Cowboys game, those bounces just didn't go our way. In the NFL, those lucky bounces are what can separate the teams from success and failure. From winning close games to losing them. We lost a large number of games last season that were decided by five points or less. These bounces are the kinds of things that will help us win those close games. And, like we all hear from the practices, I saw Redskin players diving on loose balls at every opportunity, whether it was a dropped pass...or a ball coming free after a tackle. We ALL remember the helmetless effor that Alexander put forth. That kind of effort will breed opportunity. To me, that's a huge and welcome upgrade from last year.

Well, there it is in a nutshell. Sorry for the ramble. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that they looked great at every turn....we all know better. But I'm not gonna sit here and say that they looked like sh*t either and that we should hit the panic button now, before it's too late. We have to let the injuries heal so we can see our full compliment of players on the field...and we have to let the coaches do their job and sift through the masses to determine who those players are that are best suited to take us through the year. I'm a Gibbs fan....and even though for the first time I had a fleeting moment of doubt creep into me during the second quarter of the game last weekend....I'm not ready to panic. I'll be patient and wait to see what comes of all this. I have a feeling it's better than we've seen so far.

I'm not a jerk...and for now, I'm gonna take a knee rather than let it fly.

HTTR

[CPortJGibbs89]

Great post I agree. Its not time to jump ship just yet, give it another week and then we can all jump ship....:laugh:

[KDawg]

Great post I agree. Its not time to jump ship just yet, give it another week and then we can all jump ship....:laugh:

In another week it's still early preseason football.

[onnie007]

Good Post. Let's see what happens on Saturday!

[jgwyn500]

I really like JC, that kid throws a beautiful pass. And our D was playing much improved from last season imo. I'm not jumping ship, but i need to see some improvement from our first team OL this weekend.

Betts had 4 carries for 6 yards. thats a 1.5 avg. and 2 sacks allowed.

[skinsandgibbsfan]

When the OL is healthy again and when Portis is back, there should be an improvement in our offense. We just have to wait and see. But what I saw from the defensive was very good. The linebackers and DL are meshing well.

[#98QBKiller]

Good Post. Let's see what happens on Saturday!

I can guarantee one thing will happen...I will get drunk in the parking lot at FedEx before the game. :chug:

[RFK Lives]

Good post and great thread title!

[Om]

Like the post, LSF. Pretty much how I saw it. Bummer as the O did pretty much nothing with it's repeated line plunges and pass pro breakdowns while the fan in you wants the team to KICK ASS ... but lots of good things (DEFENSE) that showed up on closer inspection after the adrenaline subsided. The OL situation bears watching obviously, but overall, I walked away feeling like we got off to a solid enough start, on the road, in preseason "game" one.

Oh ... gotta call you out on the "knee jerk makes a jerk out of you and me" thing though. Maybe if you'd worked a "Knights Who Say Ni" in there somehow I could have let it slide, but as it stands ... drop and give me 20.

[cuchip703]

Nice post....have lots of the same sentiments

[bschurm]

Great analysis, I do have a couple of concerns though.

I think the WR position is a great concern. It just didn't seem like they were getting open. Granted the o-line did not perform as we would have liked, but still there were too many plays that Jason did not have a receiver to throw to and had to check down. Cooley wasn't in their to bail him out since he was blocking so.... but still.

Now, on the defensive side of the ball, I was very pleased w/ the performance of our D. But I am concerned about the quality of their offense. Vince Young did not play. How would we have fared against him? Kerry Collins has past his prime if he ever really had one. Not to mention they don't really have a number one running back.

I am not trying to be a Chicken Little here; after last year I have learned to be cautious. I see us surprising a lot of people and can see a 10-6 record on our horizon. But we have to improve.

[Brandon Lloyd Christmas]

anybody that can watch the game again you should. its much harder to actually break stuff down when its happening. i watched again yesterday, and campbell looked much better than i thought. he threaded a few nice passes in, and got some big gains, pretty much proving he can stretch the field. heyer who i thought looked bad initially, actually looked pretty solid and its good that we found this kid because he looks like solid depth/potential future starting material. i sold golston short when i first watched, after watching again he did a great job, as did salavea (who i thought looked good initially). there were a lot of positives from that game that were kinda overshadowed by some negatives (jansen, run blocking, blitz protection) but all in all, as om said, we did pretty much run the same plays over and over so its kinda hard to tell what were capable of.

our defense was great, but we still need to get pressure from our ends. our DTs were getting closer to the QB than the DEs were, and we need carter or someone else to step up and make it happen. maybe this chris wilson kid surprises everyone.

[LoyalSkinsFan]

Like the post, LSF. Pretty much how I saw it. Bummer as the O did pretty much nothing with it's repeated line plunges and pass pro breakdowns while the fan in you wants the team to KICK ASS ... but lots of good things (DEFENSE) that showed up on closer inspection after the adrenaline subsided. The OL situation bears watching obviously, but overall, I walked away feeling like we got off to a solid enough start, on the road, in preseason "game" one.

Oh ... gotta call you out on the "knee jerk makes a jerk out of you and me" thing though. Maybe if you'd worked a "Knights Who Say Ni" in there somehow I could have let it slide, but as it stands ... drop and give me 20.

Well, it's been a rough week and, as you know, sometimes you really have to streeeeeeeetch for a witty line to go with an otherwise decent title to tie the whole thing together. I don't think going with the "shrubbery" angle would have been any better (and yeah, I know that movie by heart -line by line- like any normal male in this country should).

Another thing I forgot to mention though -getting back to football- was that I was a little disappointed in Brunell. I'm not convinced that, after one decent series, Collins is any more than third tier, but Brunell showed me more of the same that bothered me in the past. He got pressure, sure, but he brought that on at times by holding onto the ball WAY too long....and wasn't able to get rid of it just to avoid the sack like he has in the past. Physically, he is what he is....but mentally I worry that he's a little shellshocked right now. Doesn't mean I'd dump him, though. He may not help us much, but he's our best chance right now at having someone that won't hurt us too badly. That's not much....but it's something.

HTTR

[sens11]

Well, there it is in a nutshell. Sorry for the ramble. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that they looked great at every turn....we all know better. But I'm not gonna sit here and say that they looked like sh*t either and that we should hit the panic button now, before it's too late. We have to let the injuries heal so we can see our full compliment of players on the field...and we have to let the coaches do their job and sift through the masses to determine who those players are that are best suited to take us through the year. I'm a Gibbs fan....and even though for the first time I had a fleeting moment of doubt creep into me during the second quarter of the game last weekend....I'm not ready to panic. I'll be patient and wait to see what comes of all this. I have a feeling it's better than we've seen so far.

I'm not a jerk...and for now, I'm gonna take a knee rather than let it fly.

HTTR

That's well said my friend! Good thread!! :applause:

[Touchdown Redskins]

Well done on not out-thinking yourself. You took what the defense and offense gave you, so to speak. I agree with your post 100%. The W might be the best thing we take away from this game. All we gotta do is win one more preseason game, and we're guaranteed .500! Sweet!

[Ellis]

Very nice write up.

I've had time to think about a lot and my knee jerk reactions after the game were somewhat justified based on the Skins recent history. Most noteably, the Kicking situation that haunts the Skins. I wish consistancy was a blessing for the Kicking Team but I fear that 2007 might be more of the same... games lost by small margins due to missed FG's. Suishan was a nice breath of fresh air at the end of the 2006 season and based on just one preseason game, he looks just like the ones who have come and gone.

He has 3 games to fix this...

[Om]

Another thing I forgot to mention though -getting back to football- was that I was a little disappointed in Brunell.

Well, despite the knee thing, you're clearly a smart guy.

Here's a note I took while watching the tape last night that probably won't make it into the blog this week (way too long already) that goes to that same thought:

Never was the difference between how fans perceive preseason games and veteran players do than in watching Brunell in the fourth quarter. As the clock ticked down toward the six minute mark and the Skins had the ball, trailing by six, Brunell’s body language and facial expressions seemed more picnic pickup game than NFL affair. He was smiling, unhurried, and clearly not suffering from Gnawing Gut Syndrome, as were the tens of thousands of Redskins fans watching.

Gotta admit, even understanding how it must look from his side, it was a little hard to take ... if for no other reason than you’d like your QB on the field at that time to give all the other young guys trying to make it on the team his best effort, and maybe squeeze out an extra set of downs or two to try to make an impression. I have a ton of respect for the man, but sure wouldn’t mind seeing him exhibit a bit greater sense of urgency on the field in that situation.

[PigSkins47]

I completely agree with your assessment - although one thing I noticed from last year and this past scrimmage was JC's short passes. He seems to consistently overthrow and/or float them. This concern was exemplified by the one pass he threw to ARE in which he pretty much left him out to dry (thankfully he was ok). I think it could just be that he needs to relax a bit...should come in time though.

Any thoughts?

[LoyalSkinsFan]

Well, despite the knee thing, you're clearly a smart guy.

Here's a note I took while watching the tape last night that probably won't make it into the blog this week (way too long already) that goes to that same thought:

Who said I'm not smart....I want names......

I saw Brunell smiling alot too.....didn't cognitively assess that but I remember that somehow bothering me.

I completely agree with your assessment - although one thing I noticed from last year and this past scrimmage was JC's short passes. He seems to consistently overthrow and/or float them. This concern was exemplified by the one pass he threw to ARE in which he pretty much left him out to dry (thankfully he was ok). I think it could just be that he needs to relax a bit...should come in time though.

Any thoughts?

I have a feeling JC will settle down and get it right as he becomes more comfortable. Though he did leave ARE hanging out there pretty badly, he showed great touch on some other passes....like the one to Moss. I'm not too worried just yet.

HTTR

[C26 Run]

Well written post:applause: . I admit I hit the panic button just cause I know how good we can be and how deseperate I am for a winner. I do not want Gibbs to leave the 2nd era with empty hands. I'll remember to take a knee until the regular season of course. :helmet:

[mel25]

One thing not mentioned much on the boards that I found particularly positive in this game.....was how even with all the negative play and disheartening miscues.....the Redskins somehow found a way to win the game. Granted it was with third and fourth team players...but still, it was a win. A year ago, aside from the implausable Cowboys game, those bounces just didn't go our way. In the NFL, those lucky bounces are what can separate the teams from success and failure. From winning close games to losing them. We lost a large number of games last season that were decided by five points or less. These bounces are the kinds of things that will help us win those close games. And, like we all hear from the practices, I saw Redskin players diving on loose balls at every opportunity, whether it was a dropped pass...or a ball coming free after a tackle. We ALL remember the helmetless effor that Alexander put forth. That kind of effort will breed opportunity. To me, that's a huge and welcome upgrade from last year.

good point, i tell people all the time that this was the main difference between our 6-10 and our 10-6 seasons. our offense was a little better, but i think the ball bounced our way a few more times than the season before. we beat a few teams the same way we got beat the year before, if that makes any sense. not to make excuses for the team, but we lose our share of games because of tough breaks, and not because teams our better than us. it felt good to see one go our way for a change and i hope it continues.

[LoyalSkinsFan]

good point, i tell people all the time that this was the main difference between our 6-10 and our 10-6 seasons. our offense was a little better, but i think the ball bounced our way a few more times than the season before. we beat a few teams the same way we got beat the year before, if that makes any sense. not to make excuses for the team, but we lose our share of games because of tough breaks, and not because teams our better than us. it felt good to see one go our way for a change and i hope it continues.

I'm telling ya.....every year you look at the teams who go far and it's without question those that get those "lucky" bounces and breaks. Teams that get on a roll get somewhere...those that don't...don't.

Even though this was just the first preseason game and it was played mostly by scrubs in the second half, I like the trend that perhaps got started there.

HTTR

[The Rook]

I tell you something else that I took as a positive was the way the bench reacted when we got the second TD. Winning is infectous and wanting to win is professional. Granted, it is a small thing, but they add up.

:helmet: The Rook

[LoyalSkinsFan]

Winning IS infectious.....and it breeds more winning. Opportunity knocked last Saturday and the Redskins FINALLY answered the door.

Looking forward to a lot more of that.

HTTR

[mel25]

Winning IS infectious.....and it breeds more winning. Opportunity knocked last Saturday and the Redskins FINALLY answered the door.

Looking forward to a lot more of that.

HTTR

exactly, just havin an attitude or a feelin that you will pull it out in the end takes you a long way. if i can use our basketball counterpart for an example, as long as the wizards are close, i'm always confident that arenas is gonna get us a win. because over time he has always found a way to do so. however with the skins, even when we are up i'm thinkin "don't mess up?" because we always find a way to give the game away. so like you say i'm hopin that they take advantage of every opportunity they get.