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ES Coverage: 2009 Patriots at Redskins (FINAL)

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ES Coverage: Washington Redskins Vs New England Patriots

08/28/09

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Ouch.

New England 27 - Washington 24

:helmet:

Redskin Pre-Game

Hello and welcome to ES coverage of the Washington Redskins Vs the New England Patriots. Bredskin live on site with Murf. It is a wet FedEx Field. Hopefully it clears as expected. This is the all important third pre-season game, which is usually a good dress rehearsal for the regular season. The starters should go for at least a half against a perennial Super Bowl contender. It should be a good test for Washington, going up against one of the NFLs best franchises.

Offensively, I will be watching our west coast passing game. The first team offense’s performance has been sub-par through the first two pre-season games. It should be quite interesting to watch Jason Campbell go up against a New England Patriot defense that is susceptible to the pass. I look forward to Campbell getting the 15+ repetitions he needs to get ready for the New York Giants.

Jason Campbell, Malcolm Kelly, Santana Moss, Devin Thomas, and Fred Davis are players that I will be watching. All are going to be counted on in a big way this season.

Defensively, I will look at our pass rush and how we defend the New England spread offense.

Last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the new look Redskin defense unleashed its pass rush with impressive results. The addition of Albert Haynesworth was felt immediately, often collapsing the Pittsburgh pocket, creating opportunities for Cornelius Griffin, Andre Carter, and Philip Daniels. Brian Orakpo also made his presence felt, applying pressure frequently when playing with his hand in the dirt. Although the Pittsburgh Steelers are the defending Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots may present a greater challenge. Tom Brady’s quick release passing game can take away the effectiveness of a pass rush. It will be fun to see if they can get to the future Hall of Fame passer.

The secondary will be tested again tonight. The Washington zone was victimized on numerous third and long situations when they didn’t get to the Pittsburgh quarterbacks. They found the sweet spot of the Washington secondary, the middle of the field. With Carlos Rogers nursing his bad calf, all eyes will be on Justin Tryon and Fred Smoot, as they should see plenty of Tom Brady passes coming their way.

In the front seven, I will be keeping an eye on Albert Haynesworth and Brian Orakpo . In the secondary, Justin Tryon, Fred Smoot, and Kevin Barnes should get plenty of work.

From a special team perspective, the two hundred return yards we gave up against Pittsburgh cannot be repeated. I am sure Danny Smith will get that corrected this week.

Check back before the game and we will update you with the inactive / injury list

:helmet:

Inactives

Fred Smoot to start for Carlos Rogers....

Shawn Springs will sit this one out for NE

Washington Redskins

Rock Cartright

Carlos Rogers

Big Mike Williams

New England Patriots

Julian Edelman

Brandon Tate

Shawn Springs

Kevin Faulk

Sammy Morris

Ray Ventrone

Mark LeVoir

Darryl Richard

Wes Welker

Myron Pryor

Ron Brace

Shawn Crable

First Quarter

Nice three and out by the defense. Freddy Smoot broke up a third down Tom Brady pass to force the punt.

Great drive by Washington. Very nice passing game. Several receivers got involved, Kelly, Moss, and Randle-El. Kelly drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone..setting up the Marcus Mason 1 yard TD.

That is the drive that we have been waiting for!!

Redskins 7 Patriots 0

The Patriots answer with three big passes. Brady hit Randy Moss who beat DeAngelo Hall for a 26 yard TD. Moss had the inside position and Moss was just too big. Moss beat Hall earlier on the drive with a crossing route. Smoot was also beat for twenty yards by Joey Galloway when he gave up way too much cushion.

Redskins 7 Patriots 7

Second Quarter

The Patriots drive down the field following a three and out (Campbell missed Santana Moss for a sure TD) and get a 27 yard TD pass from Brady to Moss beating LaRon Landry. The Patriots were bailed out by DeAngelo Hall's personal foul, which kept the drive alive.

Redskins 7 Patriots 14

The Patriots dinked and dunked their way down the field with several plays by Laurence Maroney. The Redskin defense looks tired. An offensive interference call halted their drive and nullified a Randy Moss first down. The Patriots settle for a Stephen Gostkowski field goal.

Redskins 7 Patriots 17

After getting the ball on the nine yard line, Campbell hit Cooley for a 73 yard catch and run. Campbell goes in for four yards for the TD.

Redskins 14 Patriots 17

Washington drove the field in a two minute drill, 9 plays 51 yards, leading to a Dave Rayner field goal. Campbell ran a nice drill with completions to Devin Thomas, Ladell Betts, and Chris Cooley. Marcus Mason also had a nice run. Campbell's fade to Kelly was too tall on third down.

Redskins 17 Patriots 17

First Half Thoughts

Offense-

The Redskins first drive was exactly what they needed. Using mostly the pass, Campbell moved the offense down the field for a score. The next three drives only manufactured ten total yards. They play calling was not very imaginative during that stretch. The fourth drive featured the 73 yard play by Cooley, who looks in mid-season form. The young wide receivers, Kelly and Thomas, got into the mix and contributed on multiple catches and Kelly drawing the interference penalty in the end zone, setting up the first score. The two minute drill was also nice to watch. The Redskins looked more efficient than they have all pre-season and I am somewhat relieved that the offense has been able to move the ball on the first team defense of the New England Patriots.

Defense-

After a solid performance by the first team last week against Pittsburgh, the defense struggled for much of the first half. The ferocious defense line I spoke of in the pre-game was held at bay. Tom Brady looked very comfortable in the pocket. The defensive backfield was abused by the vaunted Patriot passing attack. I thought they would go after Tryon, but the starters, Hall and Smoot, were easy pickings. They gave up way too much cushion and do not have the size to match up against Moss.

But, then again, they are the New England Patriots.

Third Quarter

Following a Laron Landry interception of a deflected (Rocky McIntosh) Kevin O'Connell pass, the Redskins used a short field to put themselves in position to score. But, Colt Brennan threw an ill-advised pass in the flat and Jonathan Wilhite intercepted the pass, returning it 98 yards for a TD. Not a good pre-season for Colt.

Redskins 17 Patriots 24

Kareem Moore out for the game with a pulled hamstring.

Following a great interception by Kevin Barnes. Colt hits Marko Mitchell (33 yards) on a deep route for a touchdown. Good bounce-back Colt..

Redskins 24 Patriots 24

Marcus Mason is out with a rib contusion.

Fourth Quarter

Gostkowski seals the deal...

Redskins 24 Patriots 27 FINAL

:helmet:

PHOTOS

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To see a slideshow of ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE

To see the complete set of ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE

:helmet:

AUDIO

To listen to comments from Kevin Barnes click HERE

To listen to more comments from Kevin Barnes click HERE

To listen to comments from Andre Carter click HERE

To listen to comments from London Fletcher click HERE

To listen to comments from DeAngelo Hall click HERE

To listen to comments from Chris "The Predator" Horton click HERE

To listen to comments from LaRon Landry click HERE

To listen to more comments from LaRon Landry click HERE

To listen to comments from Chad Rinehart click HERE

To listen to comments from Chris Samuels click HERE

To listen to comments from Fred Smoot click HERE

:helmet:

Reffkin's Final Thoughts

The Washington Redskins starters were able to compete with the New England Patriots starters. For the thirty minutes they were on the field together, the Washington Redskins looked like they belonged. It wasn't a perfect performance on either side of the ball, but in certain areas, it was an improvement.

The starting offense moved the football. The one thing I wanted to see get done, was to move the ball through the air. Jason Campbell was very efficient on the first drive and followed it up with a solid two minute drill. Was it a perfect performance? No, he missed a couple of throws, including Santana Moss deep. He threw the ball about 15 yards too late and instead of hitting him in stride, tried to lob it to Moss and overthrew him badly, costing the Redskins a TD. With that being said, I am ecstatic that he had twenty-two attempts. I think he got the work in that he most definitely needed. He moved well in the pocket and seemed to make good decisions.

The starting offensive line seemed to hold up well, providing Campbell the time he needed. There were a couple of occasions where Campbell was driven from the pocket, but for the most part, they played well. They did not surrender a sack. Considering that New England did send blitzes at Washington. That is certainly a positive.

Chris Cooley had a huge play when Washington really needed one. With a 73 yard run and catch, Cooley showed what everyone already knows; he is a playmaker and is extremely difficult to bring down.

The young wide receivers are looking more veteran each game. Malcolm Kelly is big strong body and can now be relied on as a solid second receiver. Devin Thomas also played well and showed flashes. Marko Mitchell has locked up the fifth wide receiver position by consistently making big plays and has shown the ability to get into the end zone.

The young backs also looked strong. Marcus Mason, Anthony Alridge, and Dominique Dorsey did well against the tough Patriot defense. They all showed a strong burst and could provide a nice change of pace back the Redskins need. If the Redskins keep a fourth back, Dorsey could get the nod. Mason banged up his ribs and looked very uncomfortable in the locker room after the game. The injury may have cost him a job.

Defensively, the Redskins went up against one of the best passing combinations in Randy Moss and Tom Brady. In certain instances, they were just too good. If you don’t check Randy Moss at the line, you will get beat. Hall and Landry were both victimized. Fred Smoot also continued to give up a lot of cushion, but I don’t think that will change. Carlos Rogers would have helped against New England. If we have a bump and run corner, he is it. Kevin Barnes came up with a pick; he will be a good player in the next year or two.

I would have liked to have seen greater pressure from our front seven, but New England does have a very good offensive line.

From a backup perspective, Colt Brennan continues to force throws, giving up a pick six. He did come back with a nice pass to Marko Mitchell for a touchdown. Will he beat out Chase Daniel? We may have to wait until the end of the Jacksonville game to find out.

It was a performance that the Washington Redskins can certainly build on. I am not grinning from ear to ear from tonight’s performance, but I am much more comfortable with this team after tonight.

:helmet:

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