ES Coverage: 2011 Redskins vs. Buccaneers (Final)

[SkinsHokieFan]

ES Coverage: 2011 Redskins vs. Buccaneers Preseason

VICTORY.

Redskins 29 Bucs 24

Good morning wonderful people of ES. I am Skinshokiefan and will be covering the final stages of the QB battle and the battles to make the 53 man roster tonight.

I want to thank Murf and the rest of the staff for giving me this opportunity. A few weeks back Murf contacted me about this and I figured out everyway to make this work. Thanks so much!

Tonight you can also follow me on Twitter.

Generally week 4 of the preseason is the least riveting and incredibly dull for the average fans. You have the starters play a series, if that, and afterwards its a bunch of guys who will be selling car insurance in 3 weeks playing out the last of their NFL careers.

In Washington DC its different. As has been the case many times over the past 20 years, a QB battle is brewing and we do not have a clear cut winner. This harkens us back to the days of Shane Matthews vs Danny Wuerfall in 2002, and Heath Shuler vs Gus Frerrote in 1996. If you recall, Spurrier in 2002 made his decision at the end of a blowout loss to the Patriots that Shane would start in week 1. And the '96 preseason was no picnic for either Heath or Gus. So will it by Sexy Rexy or Mr. Beck? We'll see how the Shanahans play it out tonight.

The battle for the last few roster spots is also alive and well tonight. Our favorite distance bike rider is gone now (Malcolm Kelly) but will Brandon Banks also be left off the opening day roster due to his health? Will we see Niles Paul make a case that he must stay on this roster. Which of the Redskins d-ends fills in for Jarvis Jenkins? Is this the last we are going to see of Chris Horton, Mike Sellers, Horatio Blades in a Redskins uniform?

Tonight we also will see Ryan Torrain on the field at RB. The last time he played the Bucs he gashed them in December. This his chance to remind everyone that he is still a pretty good RB for the ZBS and make some decisions very hard for the coaching staff

The players I will be focusing on in particular tonight will be the rookies. One of the unique things about this NFL season has been the lack of any offseason, which put all the rookies in the NFL behind the 8 ball. Ryan Kerrigan seems to have adjusted quite well to his new role, but where would he be right now with the benefit of OTAs and some classroom work back in May? Would Niles Paul be in better position to make the team? Is Chris Neild comfortable at NT right now? Could Evan Royster have made more of an impression on the coaches had they seen him more? Is DJ Gomes where he needs to be with the coverage schemes?

I want to find out how the adjustment for them to the NFL has been. In June, these guys were doing what most 22 year old out of work college kids would be doing, either working out or playing video games. Only Ryan Kerrigan had a playbook. What did they do with that time to prepare for the NFL?

Check back in tonight as I will keep this thread constantly updated. Feel free to add in any questions/concerns or something you want me to focus on.

The best news? The next time the Redskins take the field after tonight, it will be a real NFL game

5:22: Finally after braving an hour of rush hour 395 traffic I am situated in the press box, lap top fired up and connected to the WIFI. A nice endzone view. From the fan's view, lets see what there is to eat

5:55 Murf is finally here. Now the fun begins

6:09 No Rex Grossman tonight? Is the QB battle done?

7:10 Media seems to be doing their final mingling, eating, gossiping. Looks like we are getting close to kickoff

7:27 Its very obvious Grant Paulsen is the stud of the press box. All the local female media stop by his spot to say hello and chat it up

7:28 The fireworks go off. 10 minutes to kickoff. Don't expect to see many starters tonight

7:35 Time to kickoff the backup bowl!

7:37 HomerMcFanboy: "Things I wonder: why doesn't Graham Gano point to the sky after making kicks in warmups? #Redskins"

7:45 One very cool thing is sitting by the stats guys. About 5 guys discuss what happened on a play, what number guy had the ball, who fumbled, who recovered, how many yards, etc. Once consensus is reached, a guy then announces to the rest of the press box

7:47 HomerMcFanboy: "Mike Sellers jumped. Drink."

7:51 Why would Cowboy fans in Romo sits to pee jersey's show up to a Redskins preseason game?

8:01 HomerMcFanboy: "John Beck is as hell bent on throwing to Mike Sellers as Mike Shanahan is about playing Beck."

8:09 The banter that the press box spotters have is great. I seriously need that job

8:38 Homer McFanboy: "My favorite part of Josh Wilson's interception? The guy screaming his head off cheering for Roy Helu. #WrongNumber26"

10:11 I am realizing I ate far too many chicken tenders in the first half

1st Quarter

Banks returns kickoff to 16, facemasked, ball at 30

Beck attempts to go deep on first down, nailed as he threw the ball

2nd down, Helu fumbles, picked up by Tampa, down at the 19 of the Redskins. Not a good start for the backups

Tampa moves the ball inside the 10. Ball at the 7 yard line after a 12 yard second down run

Good coverage on first and goal by the Redskins. Bootleg roll out, Westbrook all over it

3rd and goal. Redskins stuff the play at the 1/2 yard line.

4th and goal, Tampa goes for it. Man on man football, Redskins stuff Tampa at the 1 yard line!

Redskins 2nd possesion

Beck on a bootleg completes a nice safe pass to Mike Sellars. 9 yard gain

2nd and 1, Beck off a play action completes an 18 yard strike to Anthony Armstrong. 1st down

1st and 10 from 29 Royster runs for 1 yard. Starting o-line not getting anywhere in the run game

2nd and 9 Beck completes another strike, this time to Niles Paul. I like Beck's short to medium passing, very quick release, very accurate

1st and 10 Beck flushed out of pocket, incomplete pass to Sellars

2nd and 10 Royster gains 4 behind Trent Williams blocking

3rd and 6 shotgun Beck's pass incomplete to Terrance Austin. Not sure if that would have been a first anyway

4th down, punt to 10 yard line

1st down for Tampa, gain of 2

2nd down, QB runs for 6. Perry Riley on the tackle

3rd down, incomplete pass to Desmond Briscoe. This may be the last time you ever hear the name Briscoe again

4th down punt to Banks, tackled immediatley at the Redskins 42

1st down Beck with another pass to Sellers. His favorite target tonight

2nd down Beck with a quick pass to Austin, only gains 1. 3rd and 4

3rd down Beck with a quick pass to Niles Paul, very nice catch by Paul. 1st down

I am discovering that nobody really will care about a play by play NavyDave game day thread style. Gonna post big plays and more random observations I see from the press box

Bucs win challenge on punt. Crowd boos loudly. First time I really notice the crowd tonight

On 3rd and long, a PF on DeJon Gomes as he "hits a defenseless WR." That is not a penalty 3 years ago

Phillip Buchanan totally juked out of his socks on that 3rd down play. He is down with an "injury" I am calling that injury "missedtackleitis"

BOOM huge hit by Rob Jackson on the sack fumble, picked up by Markus White who takes it to the 2 yard line. Very nice pass rush by Rob Jackson. This kid can play. He best be on the squad

And John Beck proceeds to fumble the snap on 1st and goal

Finally a TD. Evan Royster scores on a 1 yard gain

Announced in the press box: "Washington drive 3 plays, 2 yards, 59 seconds" That is offense people

And that ends the first quarter.

2nd quarter

Just like that Brandon Banks shows why he needs to be on the 53. He is just so fast. 95 yard punt return for a TD

But did Banks pull a DeSean Jackson 2008 by high stepping into the endzone and fumbling at the half yard line. Lost my fantasy game because of that

And the TD stands. I don't think Banks will do that in the regular season

Announcement in the media box is the Redskins ahve not allowed a 1st quarter preseason point this year. Championship

For some reason Josh Wilson is still in the game. He picks off a pass returns it to the 23

Gano with a short FG after a stalled 7 play 19 yard drive. 17-0 Redskins

Michael Spurlok for Tampa with a catch. That only matters to me because in the December 2010 game I found his name to be like an evil star trek character

Crowd boos Tampa for punting away from Brandon Banks

Some life from the crowd as Kedric Golston gets a sack

Crowd boos again as Tampa kicks FAR away from Brandon Banks

Beck's fade pass to Niles Paul is INT'd in the endzone. Looked like quite a bit of contact there

And Tampa puts points on the board on a FG. 17-3 Redskins.

Half Time. Its Ben's Chilli bowl time in the press box

2nd Half

The guys who get free gear and earned James Davis money in training camp are on the field

Tampa getting the big plays with a 96 yard catch and TD run

Redskins have been perfect on 3rd down defense tonight. Tampa is now 0 for 10

Tampa muffs the punt, looks to be Skins ball at the 23 of Tampa. Lets see if the 3rd string can run up the score

Gano with another FG. Skins up 23-13 now

5 minutes left in the game. Skins backups trying to make a last minute goal line stand

Some drama at the end of that game there. Tampa scores, get the 2 point conversion, Donte Stallworth with the big TD catch to retake the lead and the defense comes up with a "stop" to seal the deal

POSTGAME

As usual a hard fought close game for the Redskins, which has been a theme of the Shanahan era thus far. The Redskins jumped out early and it became a nail biter in the end, which led to a long night here at the stadium for the media crew. Yea they all seem really happy about that right now.

In the post game locker room, rather then just talking about this game or how players played, I got to speak to some of the rookies, Chris Cooley and Santana Moss about the rookies and their offseason. From Santana and Chris, we have some good rookies. From the rookies themselves, they understand they have a long way to go and are willing to work. Each of them (Helu, Kerrigan, Niles Paul) talked about working and studying hard to get to where they need to be. This is a good class that due to circumstances beyond their control aren't where they want to be. But they recognize it.

Roy Helu talked about the adjustments he had to make, saying that "he is far from satisfied and knows I am not where I need to be. It never came to mind to compare and contrast the experience of the 2nd year guys." On the scheme "its great, no matter who is running" And on his Nebraska teammates being here with him "its been awesome, it feels country, Ashburn, we are not really in a city here, we didn't have to have awkward moments with my Nebraska guys being here"

Ryan Kerrigan on his different rookie year "This is all new, the NFL, this is normal to me I guess, its all I know, it would have been tough if we had OTAs or not, maybe a little easier, the coaching staff and the veteran guys have been great in helping us" On if he is where he needs to be or wants to be "I better be there because we have a game in 10 days against the Giants. OTAs, short off season or not on the 11th of September I have to be ready"

Santana Moss had very high praise for the rookies and the work they had put in saying "hands down the best group we have had since I have been here, and the best set of rookies since I have been in my career, you gotta tip your hat off to them, considering the circumstances they have done as good of a job as they could. The mentality of showing up and working, not showboating, not worrying about outside things has contributed to them picking things up quickly. We can all improve and get better, but they are putting the work in"

In talking with Chris Cooley, he really broke down how things work in a regular offseason and why this has been a tough one for the rookies, "we would have had the base offense installed in all the OTAs, thats how it worked my rookie year. By training camp the majority of the reps go to the first team guys to get them ready to play, so its tough as a rookie if you don't have that base of reps to get in there and make an impact. I think Mike came up with a real good plan this summer in working these guys in and getting them reps, but it shows that they missed a lot of time during the summer, time when that base is installed"

Niles Paul talked about the help he got from Santana Moss and Donte Stallworth "They have been great, I have been picking their brain, they have helped me put myself in the best position possible, I learned so much from them on watching everything they do, shape the game I do." On where he is now with the work he did during the unusual offseason "I feel I did everything I could, did everything I can here, work on special teams, block my butt off, do what needs to be done to make this team."

Niles Paul had a fantastic game catching the ball and said he was targeted more, especially in the end zone "I can go up get jump balls in the endzone, if the ball is put up high enough I can go and get it. As I get more comfortable with the quarterbacks I'll have the opportunity to make plays."

One "fun" note on talking with Niles Paul was for a good 2 minutes I was able to interview him 1 on 1 before the cavalry arrived. At that point it became a 5 minute Niles Paul gaggle.

FINAL WRAPUP

In talking with Santana Moss I also got the feel he, and team have really enjoyed the "boring" offseason. "We showed a lot in preseason of who we can be as a team, and we can build off that. Its nothing to get too excited about, I just feel like now we have a piece of mind that this team is a team. We have a lot of great individuals, but we are coming together"

This is what we as fans have witnessed the past few weeks, for the first time in a very long time, a team coming together. Really the two points this decade we may have seen this was during the 2005 and 2007 playoff runs, a team, a sum greater then its parts.

The past 4 weeks have shown some extremely talented rookies, who have had circumstances lined up against them from the start. Ryan Kerrigan switching to a 3-4 LB from a 4-3 DE, and coming up with 2 sacks. Jarvis Jenkins showing us an explosive d-line player. Roy Helu and Brandon Royster showing a combination of speed and power. DJ Gomes and Bryndyn Thompson patrolling the secondary. These guys are part of a group that Santana Moss called "hands down the best group I have seen..."

There is a quiet confidence with this group. Walking around the locker room, it wasn't celebratory, but business like. There was a sense of focus in the room.

What it means for this season remains to be seen. To my dismay the Redskins will not be in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, there are too many good players and too many character players to let that happen. The rookies are working too hard to be non contributors.

What was witnessed the last 4 weeks though was a professional football organization. No drama. Just business. The Redskins Way

Are you ready for some football?

:helmet:

PHOTOS

To see ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE

:helmet:

AUDIO

To listen to comments from Brandon Banks click HERE

To listen to comments from Stephen Bowen click HERE

To listen to comments from Adam Carriker click HERE

To listen to comments from Barry Cofield click HERE

To listen to comments from Reed Doughty click HERE

To listen to comments from Graham Gano click HERE

To listen to comments from Kedric Golston click HERE

To listen to comments from Chris Neild click HERE

To listen to comments from Rob Jackson click HERE

To listen to comments from Markus White click HERE

To listen to comments from Josh Wilson click HERE

[SnyderShrugged]

very cool SHF!

I am following you on twitter now and am excited to follow your tweets this evening

[SkinsHokieFan]

very cool SHF!

I am following you on twitter now and am excited to follow your tweets this evening

Awesome! I'll do my best to keep it entertaining

[KDawg]

Congrats, SHF. Have a blast. Make sure you hit the dinner spread... carving station... mmmm.

[SkinsHokieFan]

Congrats, SHF. Have a blast. Make sure you hit the dinner spread... carving station... mmmm.

After a month of fasting, I'll be eating everything in sight

[KDawg]

After a month of fasting, I'll be eating everything in sight

I ask one favor... When Murf puts his little red pinney on before he goes down to the field, let us know what number he's wearing. He was #288 last time, and if he keeps changing numbers I'll never be able to buy his jersey. He's not real thoughtful about that stuff

[themurf]

I ask one favor... When Murf puts his little red pinney on before he goes down to the field, let us know what number he's wearing. He was #288 last time, and if he keeps changing numbers I'll never be able to buy his jersey. He's not real thoughtful about that stuff

Smartass.

[Stugein]

Are the starters are playing tonight? I know 4th preseason game they usually don't, but with a limited off-season and the QB competition still on-going, the first squad is going at least for a bit, right?

[SkinsHokieFan]

Are the starters are playing tonight? I know 4th preseason game they usually don't, but with a limited off-season and the QB competition still on-going, the first squad is going at least for a bit, right?

From Rich Campbell

How long will quarterbacks John Beck and Rex Grossman play in their final showcase? Coach Mike Shanahan said the competition will last into next week, so the preseason finale is important. But would Shanahan risk playing Beck and Grossman for an extended period behind the second-string line? Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris said his defensive starters won’t play, so how much can we really learn about the Redskins’ quarterbacks? A lot of moving parts will impact the evaluation.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/31/redskins-buccaneers-5-questions/

[Xandtar]

Greetings from the Tampa Bay fanbase.

The Buccaneers already said on their website that their starters were barely going to play, this was a game to assess talent behind the first string.

That said, I for one shall be very interested in seeing your up-and-coming defense against Josh Johnson, our backup quarterback who has seemingly matured a great deal behind Josh Freeman. As our backup offensive line is downright offensive, I expect you all to pressure him severely and painfully for most of the game, in fact I hope you do. I want to see how he performs when the game is still on the line, he didn't get much of a chance last week as his line spent most of the third quarter drawing stupid penalties.

Most of all I want to see no one get hurt, this game isn't worth it.

Good luck and I'll keep rooting for the other guys, win or lose.

[S.T.real,lights,out]

Nice, cant wait to see the Train on the field tonight!!!

---------- Post added September-1st-2011 at 02:55 PM ----------

I ask one favor... When Murf puts his little red pinney on before he goes down to the field, let us know what number he's wearing. He was #288 last time, and if he keeps changing numbers I'll never be able to buy his jersey. He's not real thoughtful about that stuff

[Jumbo]

Way to go, SHF! I think you called it in the OP--this 4th game will be extra interesting for 'skins fans. Glad to see you there---don't let murf stick you for the check and remember to keep the door locked when you're in the hotel bathroom and he's around.

[HapHaszard]

Way to go, SHF! I think you called it in the OP--this 4th game will be extra interesting for 'skins fans. Glad to see you there---don't let murf stick you for the check and remember to keep the door locked when you're in the hotel bathroom and he's around.

good advice, and remember when Murf is in the bar, don't bother him he is communication with his inner self. oh yeah, when murf says pull my finger don't do it.

[flexxskins]

Following someone on twitter during a game will be a first for me.. Tweeting is new for me, so this should be pretty interesting.

Thanks for doing this fan.:notworthy

[TK]

I ask one favor... When Murf puts his little red pinney on before he goes down to the field, let us know what number he's wearing. He was #288 last time, and if he keeps changing numbers I'll never be able to buy his jersey. He's not real thoughtful about that stuff

Smartass.

I lol'd.

[Coolio47]

Me before every game:

cbpccXp6Swo

[Jimbo]

Greetings from the Tampa Bay fanbase.

The Buccaneers already said on their website that their starters were barely going to play, this was a game to assess talent behind the first string.

That said, I for one shall be very interested in seeing your up-and-coming defense against Josh Johnson, our backup quarterback who has seemingly matured a great deal behind Josh Freeman. As our backup offensive line is downright offensive, I expect you all to pressure him severely and painfully for most of the game, in fact I hope you do. I want to see how he performs when the game is still on the line, he didn't get much of a chance last week as his line spent most of the third quarter drawing stupid penalties.

Most of all I want to see no one get hurt, this game isn't worth it.

Good luck and I'll keep rooting for the other guys, win or lose.

Thanks for the insight on the Bucs. I definitely agree on the "hoping no one gets hurt". Unfortunately, it seems like at least one guy goes down in the last game every year and ends up on IR. Hoping this year is the exception.

Normally, the last preseason game is boring with few starters playing but with no OTA's or minicamps this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see Beck and Grossman play the entire first half. With so many receivers and RB's on the bubble, the best way to evaluate them is to let them play with a guy who is capable of starting. That said, the first three quarters will probably be about execution and allowing guys like Banks, Austin, Stallworth, Paul and Hankerson to get reps and, hopefully, shine. While Kyle will try to keep things balanced, I expect a few more pass plays than runs. Hightower might get one series with Moss and Gaffney perhaps getting two. After that, the backup O-Line along with guys like Torain, Royster, Keiland Williams and maybe Helu will get most of the PT.

Defensively, I expect Haslett to rotate the D-Line pretty extensively in the first half. While starters may only play about a quarter or less, we'll get a good long look at depth guys who are more likely to make the team through the middle of the third quarter. After that, it's all about who shines during "scrub time".

It's gonna be hard to NOT over-analyze this game.

EDIT: CSN is saying Sexy Rexy is expected to sit this game. That's a little surprising but I guess it could mean we might see Beck for almost the entire first half.

[SkinsHokieFan]

Just saw this posted by the Redskins

RedskinsRedskins.com

REDSKINS BUILDING INDOOR PRACTICE FACILITY http://www.pitchengine.com/washingtonredskins//170855/

[SkinsHokieFan]

Bump for Murf's awesome picture of Rob Jackson getting the sack/fumble

[#BgMase76#]

so does no Rex make him the starter?

[Frediemac]

Reggie Jones is the worst player on the 79 man roster EASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SkinsHokieFan]

Bump for final and some fun comments from Santana Moss on the rookies