The final 2:38 4th qtr. Nothing much has changed. LJ runs out of bounds.

[Arsenic]

ZIIINNG!

That is similar to what she said.

[Gregpeck99]

To the poster who crticized RWilliams ... RoyDel was open and an accurate pass would have hit him stride.

McNubb's inconsistencies (read inaccurate passing) rendered Skins offense effete.

[S.T.real,lights,out]

What killed me was using 2 TO in like what the 1st 5 mins of the 3rd Q! :doh:

[KingGibbs]

The "buttefly effect" created by that play resulted in DAL getting to the WAS 13yd line with a great look for the win. Thank you sir, for your contribution to this thread.

You seem upset that we won. Took the Cowboys, huh?

[rd421]

What killed me was using 2 TO in like what the 1st 5 mins of the 3rd Q! :doh:

Yeah that SUCKED

[Devastate]

There is a difference between running out and being drug out of bounds.

[HBnotBlades]

If there wasn't a holding penalty on that last play there would probably be a thread ripping LJ for not staying in bounds. It would have been much easier for the defense if the cowboys only had 1:07 to score instead of 1:45. Remember, the Cowboys didn't get into our Redzone until there were 12 seconds left in the game.

He ran 30 yards from where he took the hand off to the sideline and didn't show any desire to stay in bounds until he was 2 yards away from stepping out. The cut up field should have been made much earlier. It's not like the defender picked him up between the hashes and dragged him all the way to the sideline.

It seems like when we win, few people acknowledge our bad plays, but when we lose, few people acknowledge our good plays.

[jamestrash]

the 3rd & 7 playcall was worse than LJ's move.

[Gart Monk]

You seem upset that we won. Took the Cowboys, huh?

Ha! I knew the Redskins were going to win all week. Phillips/Garrett is no match for Shanahan/Haslett on opening day, prime time at FEDEX Field. I'm grateful for the win and love watching the Cowboys suffer but that game should have ended in victory formation. We were fortunate to get that penalty. Roy Williams was wide open and Romo sits to pee is a playmaker that has the ability to find another way to get that ball in there.

I don't think harping on the LJ play is a nit pick. This team is still programmed to lose games and it showed on Sunday. The Redskins used 8 out of 9 lives to get that win.

[skinsfan242]

It's actually really simple. Alot has changed. We won a game that we would have lost in previous years.

[Roblowsta]

thats what she said.

sorry, i had to.

Good one.

[Dan T.]

the 3rd & 7 playcall was worse than LJ's move.

Yeah that was bad. Even if it was completed, momentum would have carried the player (Roydell Williams?) out of bounds.

[Capt. Kaos]

It's actually really simple. Alot has changed. We won a game that we would have lost in previous years.

/close thread

This is exactly what I came in here to say. Last year, we lose this game. No Question.

Part of becoming a good football team is finding ways to win these types of games and we did just that. A lot has changed and I like it!

[UK Redskins Fan]

/close thread

This is exactly what I came in here to say. Last year, we lose this game. No Question.

Part of becoming a good football team is finding ways to win these types of games and we did just that. A lot has changed and I like it!

Even bad teams win close games from time to time. Part of becoming a good football team is learning from your mistakes even when they don't cost you the game. We missed several opportunities to close out the game and that should be a concern even though we got away with it on this occasion.

[buckeyeG]

Bottom line...Carlos"paddle hands"Rogers catches that INT...game is over.

[Hubbs]

If Im not mistaken LJ tried to stay in bounds and I think was drug out.

HLF is correct.

Tried to cut back inside but the defender kept his feet moving and pushed him out of bounds.

RIght. Should have been ruled that his foward progress was stopped, clock keeps running; however, we are talking about Jerruh's boys, so consider this another gift from the officials. That play almost did cost us the game.

Yeah, and Mark Sanchez tries to be a good quarterback.

I don't give a rat's ass if LJ "tried" to stay in bounds at the last second. He should never have been that close to the sideline in the first place.

Actually he ran towards out of bounds then at the last possible second stopped only to be pushed out. Fact is he shouldn't have been close enough to get pushed out. When he ran out of bounds I nearly punched a wall.

Ding ding ding.

[skinfan2k]

things have changed. we won despite him going out of bounds. in years past, the redskins would have lost that game

[paloffs]

There is a difference between running out and being drug out of bounds.

What I'm gathering is that either LJ needs to get stronger and not allow himself to be dragged around or he needs to get smarter and not go to the sidelines when his team is trying to kill the time.

[jflow78]

He shouldn't have been that close to the sideline. That was a bad decision, but in the past we would have lost that game. Not that we nearly didn't, but Orakpo pretty much saved the day.

The things I saw were that enormous miscommunication with the DBs allowing Austin to have a 35 or 40 yard passing play that should never have happenned and WRs dropping passes that should have been caught. I do think, however, the game wouldn't have been nearly as close if LJ doesn't go out of bounds. They never would have gotten the ball into the end zone.

[stevenaa]

It is imperative to get Thomas and Kelly on the field for possession grabs.

Hope you don't expect to see Kelly this year. :doh:

:

[Redskins Anonymous]

. When he ran out of bounds I nearly punched a wall.

Dude why would you do that with all the injuries to Washington sports icons? Hopefully you were going after his brother or cousin...

[Tastes Like Chicken]

The coaching staff won this game for us, no doubt in my mind. And I'll take an ugly 'W' every time.

[Gart Monk]

The coaching staff won this game for us, no doubt in my mind. And I'll take an ugly 'W' every time.

The coaching staff had the team ready to play and they outplayed the Cowboys. Attitude is everything.

[Frostx08]

Even bad teams win close games from time to time. Part of becoming a good football team is learning from your mistakes even when they don't cost you the game. We missed several opportunities to close out the game and that should be a concern even though we got away with it on this occasion.

Great teams win close low scoring games too lol. At least we have an excuse

[Atlanta Skins Fan]

How many times has a bad team (or a good team having a bad day) come into FEDEX Field and just hung around for the entire game just to steal it at the very end? I am concerned with the sequence of events that led up to the final play of the game.

(2:38 4th qtr) 1st & 10 DAL34 (clock running). LJ runs out of bounds and the clock stops:doh:

DAL defense was on it's heals and would have had to start burning timeouts if LJ stays in and the clock goes to 2:00. Instead the Skins have to burn a down to get the clock moving again.

(2:00 4th qtr) 3rd & 2 DAL26. False Start #71 -5yds:doh:

Instead of having two chances to run on 3rd& 2 (DAL would had have to burn 2 timeouts) The Skins are in a passing situation with a stopped clock and DAL still has 3 timeouts.

(2:00 4th qtr) 3rd & 7 DAL31 Incomplete pass to Roydell Williams.:doh: Clock Stops!

WTF? Roydell Williams? In 5 plays, the Redskins burn only 38 seconds of clock and DAL uses none of their timeouts. Roydell Williams? Really?

You are entirely correct. Those who are content with winning by a whisker and luck will lose by a whisker and (bad) luck in future games.

There is definitely a problem with playcalling and use of personnel on the offensive side of the ball. The Shanahans are going to need a couple of games to mesh, I think, just between themselves. I have an odd feeling that either one of them would have called a better game than the two did together. I say this in great admiration for each individually. The sum was less than the parts, game 1, in my opinion.

What's more, that last drive showed that the Shanahans have not focused on how to win games by finishing them properly: by plan, and by repetition with the players in practice. So much novelty has happened in the offseason, the coaches have apparently not focused on how to win when ahead by less than a score. It's sort of shocking (for the Shanahans), but I trust that they will fix it. I hope they work on fixing it immediately.

Fix it means:

• Put the ball in the hands of the starting running back's hands. This is no time for feel-good footsie with the backup RB.
  
• Every practice, have a drill where the defense tries to drag a RB out of bounds, and the RB refuses to be driven out of bounds.
  
• Drill the OL into the dust on the extreme importance of not false-starting on 3rd and short. It would be much better if they are a half-step slow, than a half-step too fast.
  
• Have a few pass plays that are locks for completions on 3rd down. Draw them up for the most reliable receivers. If you must throw on 3rd down, at least ensure that the ball is thrown at a reliable receiver for a completion, and let the receiver try for the final yards. If this is too many words, let me boil it down: throw only to Chris Cooley in these situations. If Chris Cooley isn't open, guess what? Don't throw the ball! Of course, you are rolling McNabb out of the pocket, so maybe he can run. Contained? Slide to the turf, take the 40 seconds, and punt.
  
• On Fridays, have a drill called "Finish the Win." In which you do all these things, up and down the field a few times, against the starting D, who knows what you're trying to do. See if they can stop you. Run the drill until they don't.
  
• Have a serious think about why Larry Johnson is on the roster, and why you put him in the game for that drive. It feels ... like making good on a promise. He did the hard work you asked, and his competition made Portis better. Quid pro quo, he makes the roster, he gets in games. But that's not quite the same thing as earning it, is it? Never again put the ball in the hands of anyone other than #1, when the game situation demands #1 to get the win. And don't let Keiland Williams rot on the inactive list. Let LJ know you are going to rotate the #2 spot until one of them earns the spot for the stretch drive to end the season.
  

That is all.