ES Coverage: 2009 Redskins vs Giants (FINAL)

[NoLeafClover]

ES Coverage: 2009 Redskins vs Giants

12/21/09

BEATDOWN!!!

Giants 45 - Redskins 12

:helmet:

What a difference half a season makes.

The Washington Redskins opened up their season at the Meadowlands, where they lost to the Giants 23-17. Back then, Chris Cooley caught the first offensive touchdown, Clinton Portis was the go-to running back and Shaun Suisham was the first guy to hug Hunter “The Punter” Smith after his improbable rushing touchdown.

Fast forward to Week 15. Cooley, Portis and Suisham are nowhere to be found, while guys like “Sleepy” Fred Davis, Quinton “Q” Ganther and Graham Gano have been thrust into larger roles. A lot has gone wrong for the Redskins during this 4-9 season, but at least the situation has forced an impromptu youth movement.

On the other side of the coin, the Giants started the season 5-0 and had the top ranked defense in the NFL. Since then, they’ve gone 2-6 and their defense has allowed 40 points in a game three times. They now find themselves fighting for a wild card spot.

The Redskins offense continues to improve over the second half of the season, with guys like Davis and Devin Thomas carrying the load. With Corey Webster and Aaron Ross both battling injuries, the Redskins really have a chance to exploit an already depleted secondary.

However, the Giants have history on their side. They have won six out of the last seven times these two storied franchises have squared off (with the lone Redskins’ win coming with Todd Collins overcoming 60 MPH winds to best the Giants). For what it’s worth, New York also holds an 88-61-4 lifetime record against the ’Skins.

But another reason for Redskins fans to be optimistic is the unexpected resignation of Vinny Cerrato, which was quickly followed up with the announcement that Bruce “Hey, remember my dad?” Allen had taken over his job. The rumor is that before signing Allen, Daniel Snyder also contemplated hiring Terry Robiskie’s kid, hiring Norv Turner’s brother or bringing back Steve Spurrier.

Oh, by the way, while the organization did an amazing job clearing out the snow from FedEx, the field is sodden and it is currently a blustery 35 degrees. So if you are headed out to the game, dress accordingly (or get a few beers in you and find someone to snuggle with).

Also, one final note – I heard an unconfirmed rumor that Jon Gruden will be at FedEx Field tonight, watching the game and evaluating the Redskins. As you probably already know, Gruden and Allen worked together in both Oakland and Tampa Bay, so I can only assume that Gruden is here to interview for Jim Zorn’s job. I mean, why else would he be in town?

:helmet:

Redskins:

CB - Kevin Barnes

OL - Edwin Williams,

LB - Alvin Bowen

LB - Curtis Gatewood

OL - Paul Fanaika

WR - "Free" Marko Mitchell

DT - Cornelius Griffin

QB - Dick Bartel (3rd QB)

Giants:

WR - Ramses Barden

CB - Corey Webster

RB - D.J. Ware

CB - Aaron Ross

DT - Adam Koets

T - Kareem McKenzie

WR - Sinorce Moss

TE - Darcy Johnson

:helmet:

THE NEW GUY'S RUNNING DIARY

7:18 PM - I'm here in the press box, Murf will be down on the field, acting as ExtremeSkins own Suzy Kolber. Make sure to follow him Dont forget to follow on Twitter for the latest from the sidelines.

7:20 PM - Speaking of Murf's Twitter, he already checked in with an update: "Over last 7 games, Jason Campbell has thrown for 1,749 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions with a 92.3 QB rating. Clearly, he stinks."

7:30 PM - I forgot to mention it in the intro that Shaun Suisham has signed with the Dallas Cowboys, meaning that he will have a shot at a revenge game next week. Sounds like just the kind of sizzle needed to really heat up the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry.

7:34 PM - With Christmas is only four days away, I'm reminded of a few Christmases ago, when my brother got an Xbox Live headset that was modeled after the ones the NFL head coaches use. At the time, he said he was going to sneak it onto the sideline and pretend to be a coach. Little did he know that several years later, Jim Zorn would actually steal his idea.

7:37 PM - For all you fashionistas out there, the Redskins will be rocking burgundy on burgundy tonight (including a Monday Night loss to Pittsburgh last year). They are currently 0-2 in these outfits, so let's hope that means they are due for a win.

7:59 PM - Fun facts from the media guide: "Jason Campbell is 0-5 against the Giants in his career. He has completed 94 of 156 passes (60.3 percent) for 986 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. In Week 1 vs. the Giants, he went 19 for 26 for 211 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception."

"Santana Moss has three 100-yard games in 10 career games against the Giants. The most recent 100-yard performance came in 2006, when Moss caught six passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. In Week 1 vs. the Giants, Moss caught two passes for six yards."

"Albert Haynesworth has started two games in his career against the Giants. In those two games, Haynesworth had nine tackles and no sacks. In Week 1 vs. the Giants, he had four tackles, including one for a loss."

8:10 PM - Right now, there appear to be more blue jerseys in the crowd than burgundy ones. There are still a lot of empty seats though, so let's hope that just means the 'Skins fans are all still outside tailgating.

8:35 PM - The Redskins win the toss and defer. Are you ready for some football?

8:45 PM - Brandon Jacobs is having his way with the D right now. They really need to close up those holes or it's going to be a long night.

8:48 PM - Renaldo Wynn with a tackle. Welcome back, Lugnut.

8:52 PM - A 16 plays, 80 yard, 9 minutes 13 second drive ends with a three-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw. The defense is looking rather lackluster thus far. Here's hoping they get it together sooner rather than later. 0-7

8:52 PM - The Giants' Rich Seubert is out with a knee injury; his return is questionable.

8:58 PM - From Murf's Twitter: "Everything New York did on that first drive was designed to use the aggressiveness of the Redskins defense against it."

END OF FIRST QUARTER

0-7 - The Giants time of possession is currently 13:13. Not good.

9:16 PM - An 11 plays, 63 yard, five minute drive ends with four-yard touchdown carry by Ahmad Bradshaw. The defense simply looks incapable of stopping the Giants at this point. 0-14

9:20 PM - Three total yards of offense for the Redskins thus far. It's nice to see the offense matching the defense's intensity.

9:27 PM - Fred Smoot can't haul in a gimme interception in the end zone. It's just that kind of night.

9:28 PM - Albert Haynesworth comes up with a big sack the fires up the home crowd and forces the Giants to settle for a field goal. Let's hope it fires up the team too.

9:29 PM - Thanks to Haynesworth, the nine play, 27 yard, four minute and 40 second Giants drive ends with a 38 yard field goal. 0-17

9:32 PM - From Murf's Twitter: "17-0? Bring back Cerrato."

9:39 PM - Stephon Heyer is out with a knee injury; his return is questionable.

9:40 PM - A four play, 56 yard, two min and five seconds drive ends with a six-yard TD pass to Steve Smith, which was set up by a 45 yard pass to Hakeem Nicks on the previous play. This is getting out of hand quickly. 0-24

9:50 PM - From Murf's Twitter: "Can we agree the burgundy on burgundy look on Monday night is a bad idea?"

9:54 PM - Hakeem Nicks is sidelined with a hamstring injury. That's the first good news I've heard all day. It's just sad that he probably hurt that hamstring running down the field at will.

9:55 PM - Jason Campbell is headed to the locker room early. Classy moment when the fans stood and clapped as he walked off. The official word is a shoulder sprain; his return is questionable.

9:57 PM - Todd Collins first pass is a 46 yard completion to Santana Moss. Keep your fingers crossed for 60 MPH winds.

10:03 PM - A trick play to end the second half accomplishes nothing but ruining Hunter Smith's passer rating. (Unless, of course, the goal was to show someone else how hard Jason Campbell has been getting hit all game.)

HALFTIME

0-24

The first half by the numbers:

First Downs: Giants 16; Redskins 2

Total Yards: Giants 232; Redskins 78

Passing Yards: Giants 162; Redskins 50

Rushing Yards: Giants 70; Redskins 28

Penalties (Yds): Giants 0(0); Redskins 4(27)

Turnovers: Giants 0; Redskins 1

Punts (AVG): Giants 1(42); Redskins 4(37)

Time of Pos.: Giants 21:51; Redskins 8:09

10:15 PM - Jason Campbell is back out on the field warming up.

10:22 PM - Devin Thomas is sidelined with an ankle sprain; his return is questionable. It sure would be nice to have Marko Mitchell active right about now.

10:24 PM - There is no truth to the rumor that Daniel Snyder tried to switch Jim Zorn's and Jon Gruden's headsets at halftime.

10:25 PM - A beautiful 51-yard completion from Jason Campbell to Rock Cartwright pretty much doubles the Redskins passing yards for the day.

10:27 PM - An eight play, 86 yard 4 minute and 36 second drive ends with an 11-yard TD pass from Jason Campbell to Fred Davis, who fought for those last few yards into the end zone. The extra point is blocked (fire Suisham ... oh wait). 6-24

10:32 PM - The ref gets in the way of Brian Orakpo in coverage. At least the Redskins knocked someone out of his shoes tonight.

10:35 PM - At least the Redskins cheerleaders look cute in their Santa outfits.

10:36 PM - A seven play, 77 yard, four minute and nine second drive ends with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Derek Hagan. Manning has all the time in the world out there today. 6-31

10:41 PM - Who knew that Vinny Cerrato was the glue that held this team together?

10:43 PM - Terrell Thomas picks off a pass for a touchdown. The stands are starting to clear out. It's probably a bad time to mention that we still have a whole other quarter to play. 6-38

10:51 PM - The announced attendance is 78,359. I'd be interested to know what the actual head count is at this point in the game.

10:52 PM - A nine play, 77 yard, five minute and 58 second drive ends with a Redskins touchdown. The last four plays - a 20-yard run by Marcus Mason, an 11-yard pass to Fred Davis, a 17-yard pass to Mason and a one-yard TD carry by Quinton Ganther. The offense finally has some momentum, but they are definitely in quite a hole at this point. Making matters worse, the two-point conversion is no good. 38-12

END OF THIRD QUARTER

38-12

11:04 PM - Albert Haynesworth ends up with a 15-yard penalty; Brandon Jacobs doesn't get called even though it looked like he swung first. It's that kind of night.

11:05 PM - Two plays after the penalty, the Giants score once again. A five plays, 64 yards, two minutes and 21 second drive ends with a 25 yard pass from Manning to Manningham. Another wave of fans head for the exits. The people left appear to be mostly Giants fans at this point. The Giants special teams players are actually pumping up the crowd, which is just disheartening to watch. 45-12

11:06 PM - From Murf's Twitter: "Ganther's touchdown almost didn't happen. Zorn tried to call a timeout."

11:17 PM - Chase Blackburn picks off a Jason Campbell pass on fourth-and-20 and runs it for 24 yards. Another wave of fans head for the exits. David Carr is in at quarterback; the Giants have officially reached the Pee Wee football "the team is winning, make sure everyone gets a chance to play" portion of the game.

11:32 PM - The stadium is now as empty at Oakland was at the start of last week's game.

:helmet:

PHOTOS

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 Ethan Albright click HERE

To listen to comments from Rock Cartwright click HERE

To listen to comments from Fred Davis click HERE

To listen to comments from Reed Doughty click HERE

To listen to comments from Quinton Ganther click HERE

To listen to comments from DeAngelo Hall click HERE

To listen to comments from Brian Orakpo click HERE

To listen to comments from Hunter Smith click HERE

To listen to comments from Devin Thomas click HERE

:helmet:

THE NEW GUY'S TAKE

What do you say about a 45-12 home loss to a division rival on Monday Night Football?

The Redskins won the coin toss and deferred; the Giants took the ball. On the Giants first play on offense, Eli Manning completed a nine-yard pass down the middle of the field to Bear Pascoe. From there, they systematically drove down the field, putting together a 16-play, 80-yard drive that took nine minutes and 13 second off the clock and ended with a three-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw.

And that’s the closest the Redskins came to keeping the game competitive.

While the Giants looked like a team desperate to make the playoffs, the Redskins looked like a team that had simply given up. New York dominated every facet of the game. They had the ball for 34 minutes and 15 seconds, racking up 114 rushing yards, 273 passing yards, no interceptions and 23 first downs. Eli Manning completed 19 of 26 passes for 268 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 144.4. Ahmad Bradshaw averaged 6.8 yards per carry, ending the day with 61 yards and two touchdowns.

The Redskins finished the day with 302 total yards – 89 rushing and 213 passing. Honestly, though, the final numbers are misleading. To see just how badly the Giants beat them down, you have to look at the first half number. At halftime, the Redskins were trailing 24-0. They only had 78 yards of total offense (28 rushing, 50 passing). They held the ball for only eight minutes and nine seconds and earned only two first downs. The Giants, on the other hand, already had 232 yards of total offense (70 rushing, 162 passing), held the ball for 21 minutes and 51 seconds and earned 16 first downs.

After making positive strides and looking like a team fighting for pride and for their jobs, this week the Redskins looked like a 4-9 team with nothing to play for. They simply had nothing in the tank. They came out against a division rival on a national stage and were completely embarrassed. No excuse is going to erase the fact that this team just suffered their worst home loss in eight years.

So where do we go from here?

Next week they play the Dallas Cowboys, a team that fans desperately want to see them beat. The Cowboys are coming off a surprising win against the previously-unbeaten New Orleans Saints. The Cowboys will come ready to play because it’s a rivalry game, and more importantly, they are thick in the playoff hunt. This game will not be easy, by any means.

The question is – will the Redskins? Vinny Cerrato has already resigned. Everyone believes Jim Zorn will be the next to go. Will the players still rally around their coach and come out with something to prove? Will the outside concerns of who will stay and who will go prove to be too much of a distraction? Will they play for pride or will they simply give up and simply wait for the season to end?

While we have to wait and see the answers to these questions, one thing is clear – they really need to burn those god damn burgundy on burgundy jerseys. It’s either that or beg the league to stop putting them on Monday Night Football.

[GhostofSparta]

:rotflmao: @ "Free" Marko Mitchell

Man, I wish they'd give guys like Edwin Williams, Marko, and Barnes a shot at this point in the season.

[themurf]

Hey folks, I'm heading down to the field. As always, if you think of something or someone you'd like me to key in on from the sidelines, post a comment here and NoLeafClover will shoot me a text. I'll post what I can on Twitter and you guys will, once again, have the chance to get answers to your questions during the game from your very own sideline correspondent.

[redskin faithful]

RE:Also, one final note – I heard an unconfirmed rumor that John Gruden will be at FedEx Field tonight, watching the game and evaluating the Redskins. As you probably already know, Gruden and Allen worked together in both Oakland and Tampa Bay, so I can only assume that Gruden is here to interview for Jim Zorn’s job. I mean, why else would he be in town?

You're joking right????

:silly:Thanks for the coverage.

[JuicyJ]

Also, one final note – I heard an unconfirmed rumor that John Gruden will be at FedEx Field tonight, watching the game and evaluating the Redskins. As you probably already know, Gruden and Allen worked together in both Oakland and Tampa Bay, so I can only assume that Gruden is here to interview for Jim Zorn’s job. I mean, why else would he be in town?

For a second there, I thought you were being serious

[JuicyJ]

You're joking right????

You do know he's a part of the MNF cast.

Thanks for the coverage.

[GhostofSparta]

Also, one final note – I heard an unconfirmed rumor that John Gruden will be at FedEx Field tonight, watching the game and evaluating the Redskins. As you probably already know, Gruden and Allen worked together in both Oakland and Tampa Bay, so I can only assume that Gruden is here to interview for Jim Zorn’s job. I mean, why else would he be in town?

But what color is his tie? These are the vital questions we as fans are faced with!

[scskin]

C'Mon Man!!!!:hysterical:

[NoLeafClover]

[/center]

But what color is his tie? These are the vital questions we as fans are faced with!

His tie is red. Not quite burgundy, but close enough to signal to Snyder that he is ready to sign on at the end of the season.

[GhostofSparta]

His tie is red. Not quite burgundy, but close enough to signal to Snyder that he is ready to sign on at the end of the season.

And obviously that whole "I'm not going anywhere" is a smokescreen to drive up his price. He's shrewd.

[NoLeafClover]

And obviously that whole "I'm not going anywhere" is a smokescreen to drive up his price. He's shrewd.

Exactly.

And it's that kind of brilliant planning that will serve him well when he takes over the team next year.

[JimmiJo]

What are the field conditions like?

[Jumbo]

What are the field conditions like?

Apparently, they've been maintained with an eye to facilitating the Giants run game.

[Jumbo]

For a second there, I thought you were being serious

No Leaf is always deadly serious.

[Jumbo]

murf...how much blue do you see in the stands???...and maybe track how our fans are reacitng depending on how the games goes...curious if attitudes are already substantially more forgiving or if they quickly go back to a few weeks ago if the game isn't well-played on our end..

[SKSFN813366]

Inflate those defensive tires because they are FLAT!!!!

[NoLeafClover]

What are the field conditions like?

From Murf: "Awful. Soggy. Muddy. Nasty."

Keep the sideline questions coming, guys.

[SKSFN813366]

Football is a game of emotion and, just as inspired as they looked against the Saints, the team looks flat tonight. This is why Jim Zorn has to be fired. He does not appear to inspire his team.

[JimmiJo]

JimmiJo: Why are the Giants not running anymore?

Noleafclover: Because they felt bad?

[JimmiJo]

The team is playing like ass. Where is the fire? Where is the intensity? Where is the defense?

I ask you.

[FP]

Just a great way to show your new GM who shoul stay or go....

[LizKauai]

My online streams are not happening. anyone got a link? Haaaalp!

[TK]

What's the shiny object on the sidelines that keeps distracting Landry when he's in coverage?

[FP]

"This is the worst tail kicking I have see all year" from the ESPN crew....

[JimmiJo]

What's the shiny object on the sidelines that keeps distracting Landry when he's in coverage?

Our expectations for him?