themurf Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 (photo by Brian Murphy) Like it or not, the Washington Redskins have been the definition of mediocrity over the last decade — going just 68-92. And yet, even though Washington is 24 games under .500 during that time frame, they’ve somehow managed to emerge victorious in seven of 10 season openers during that span. Conversely, the Redskins have lost nine of their last 10 games against the New York Giants, with their lone victory coming in 2007 as backup Todd Collins improbably lifted the burgundy and gold to a 22-10 win at the Meadowlands during the team’s last playoff run. I don’t want to get anyone too excited, but it should be noted that the last two seasons the Redskins won a game over the Giants were 2007 and 2005. What do those two seasons have in common? They also represent the team’s last two trips to the postseason. So basically, if Washington can win one of their two games against the Giants this year, it’s a lock that the Redskins will be playoff bound* once again. *Maybe. Defensive tackle Barry Cofield has a unique perspective on the Redskins-Giants rivalry. Since his rookie season in 2006, Cofield was in the lineup for all nine New York victories over Washington. With that in mind, I caught up with Cofield to gather his thoughts on playing for against the team that drafted him out of Northwestern and why he thinks the Giants have been so dominant over the Redskins recently. I’ve got a random question for you – how does a veteran player such as yourself pass the time on the sidelines during the fourth and final preseason game when you know going into it that you won’t set foot on the field? “I’m just out there enjoying the game,” Cofield said. “I mean, it was a great game to watch. Luckily it was a very dramatic and exciting game, so they gave me something to watch. Leading up to the game though, since you know you’re not going to play, you know you can get a head start on the next game. Other than that, you just root for your teammates – the guy you’ve been putting in time with during training camp and everything. It was a great chance to see them shine.” Since you brought it up, I guess I’ll ask a follow-up question – who do you guys play Week 1? (Laughs). “I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I’m looking to the Sept. 11 match-up with the Giants because it’s going to be a big deal for many reasons. Obviously, for me personally, it’s going to be special. I think it’s a new era in Redskins football and we’re excited to show what we can accomplish.” This is my seventh season covering the Redskins, and seemingly every time the Giants come to town they take our proverbial lunch money. What do you guys have to do to ensure that the hometown team emerges victorious? “We’ve got to do a lot of the things we did in the preseason,” Cofield said. “The offense needs to continue to do what they’ve been doing – running the ball effectively and don’t turn the ball over. That’s something the Giants defense thrives on is creating turnovers. Defensively, we’ve just got to continue to grow under coach [Jim] Haslett. With the talent and scheme we have, I think we can contain their offense. I like our odds.” Click here for the full article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.T.real,lights,out Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 “There’s a lot of new faces, and the holdovers we’ve got are guys like London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh, Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker,” he said. “Those guys are the cornerstones of this defense. The rest of us are just trying to fit in and help out wherever we can. I think we’re off to a great start, but we’ve got to continue to grow because there’s still a long way to go. You know, it’s not about where you start, it’s where you finish. So we want to be playing good football on Sept. 11th and continue to get better throughout the season.” I loved reading this. He seems like a really cool guy with an awesome attitude! Cant wait for Sunday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWFLSkins Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I like the Redskins odds with Cofield on this side of the line. Good Job once again Murf, nice read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurgeh Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I believe that stopping the run is the key, even though I'm not comfortable with our defense in pass coverage. If the Giants can keep it on the ground like they did in that horrible 2010 game we've got no chance. Make Eli throw under pressure, and maybe he'll cough it up; after all he's lost Boss and Smith as targets. Cofield is vital in both respects, blocking the middle for the run and collapsing the pocket from the front. I like to think that in a year or two, in post season, Albert will be sat at home watching Cofield play NT for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman21ST Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 That's something I didn't know. Eli Manning = 50 TDs, 53 TOs over the past two years. Rex Grossman is laughing at you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss_Hogg Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I've always liked Cofield, I was super excited when we got him last month. It's so refreshing to have a 4-3 DT not complain about switching to a 3-4. Manning has 58 touchdowns and 53 turnovers over the last two seasons, meaning he’s a high-risk, high-reward player. Not to hijack the thread, but these numbers remind me of Rex Grossman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick7423 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I've always liked Cofield, I was super excited when we got him last month. It's so refreshing to have a 4-3 DT not complain about switching to a 3-4. Not to hijack the thread, but these numbers remind me of Rex Grossman. To be quite honest, I would rather have an efficient short game passer with good long ball capabilities, even if he takes chances and risks. That is something we have not had in a LONG time. Turnovers are part of the game but to be overly conservative (as has been the Skins mantra these past 4 years or so) is just asking for trouble because the opponents just know that you will not go deep and are not afraid of it when you do. Go Skins, Go Rex, HTTR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jflow78 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 So, I know this is insignificant, but I really like that most of our players call their coaches "Coach Haslett" or "Coach Shanahan" instead of by their first name like our previous prima donna players. It doesn't really matter, but it shows respect and that they are a little more willing to do what those coaches ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martytheman Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 That's something I didn't know. Eli Manning = 50 TDs, 53 TOs over the past two years. Rex Grossman is laughing at you. And yet everyone dumps on Rexy and acts like Eli is the second coming of his brother. granted Eli has won a sb and Rex has not, but at least he took his team to one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Too many people, but not everybody. Rivers and Roethlisberger take a dump on Eli Maning, yet Manning was too much of a diva to play in San Diego. He and his daddy had to have him play in a big market. Imagine if the Giants had Rivers at QB. I'd be scared to death. Instead they have Eli and I'm not worried at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman21ST Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Too many people, but not everybody. Rivers and Roethlisberger take a dump on Eli Maning, yet Manning was too much of a diva to play in San Diego. He and his daddy had to have him play in a big market. Imagine if the Giants had Rivers at QB. I'd be scared to death. Instead they have Eli and I'm not worried at all. I've never liked Eli since then, and I've always kind of had a soft spot for Rivers. Don't know why about Rivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo#44 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I still am very, very nervous about this game. Jacobs and Bradshaw love to run all over us.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I still am very, very nervous about this game. Jacobs and Bradshaw love to run all over us.... That changes this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter44 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I really like Barry, the more he talks, the more I like him!! HTTR :giantsuck: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC9 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I ordered a Barry Cofield jersey for my son the other day. This guy is a class act and I'm very happy to have him on the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 Not to hijack the thread, but these numbers remind me of Rex Grossman. In his last 32 games, Eli Manning has thrown for 8,032 yards with 58 touchdown passes and 53 turnovers. In 41 career games, Rex Grossman has thrown for 7,081 yards with 40 touchdowns and 56 turnovers. That's a thousand more yards and 18 more touchdown passes in nine less games for Eli while the turnovers are basically the same. Not sure your comparison works. ---------- Post added September-8th-2011 at 10:43 AM ---------- I ordered a Barry Cofield jersey for my son the other day. This guy is a class act and I'm very happy to have him on the team. He reminds me of Cornelius Griffin -- another classy guy from New York who wore No. 96. If he's half as productive as Griffin was during his time here, I'd be very, very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss_Hogg Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 In his last 32 games, Eli Manning has thrown for 8,032 yards with 58 touchdown passes and 53 turnovers. In 41 career games, Rex Grossman has thrown for 7,081 yards with 40 touchdowns and 56 turnovers. That's a thousand more yards and 18 more touchdown passes in nine less games for Eli while the turnovers are basically the same. Not sure your comparison works. You said it yourself...High-risk high-reward Rex strikes me as a high-risk, high-reward type of player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrypticVillain Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 He reminds me of Cornelius Griffin -- another classy guy from New York who wore No. 96. If he's half as productive as Griffin was during his time here, I'd be very, very happy. I never thought to compare him to Griffin...... I like the comparison. The first time I see him hit that don't taze me bro in that burgundy and gold, I am going to max out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouvan59 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 He reminds me of Cornelius Griffin -- another classy guy from New York who wore No. 96. If he's half as productive as Griffin was during his time here, I'd be very, very happy. Especially that first year here. He was absolutely dominant. It's too bad his back gave him so many problems down the road. I like what I've seen from Cofield so far. Seems like an extremely intelligent player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinklein Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I don't know if 68-92 could be considered 'mediocre'. I think 'piss poor' might have been the appropriate description there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouvan59 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 In his last 32 games, Eli Manning has thrown for 8,032 yards with 58 touchdown passes and 53 turnovers. In 41 career games, Rex Grossman has thrown for 7,081 yards with 40 touchdowns and 56 turnovers. That's a thousand more yards and 18 more touchdown passes in nine less games for Eli while the turnovers are basically the same. Not sure your comparison works. He's also had a lot more continuity than Rex has. One of my favorite Bang cartoons ever was the one where a catepillar turns into a butterfly and it flies through a park and lands on Rex's leg and snaps it in half. While hysterical, it was born in truth. Rex just couldn't stay healthy when he was younger. It's also a big issue with us only carrying two QBs. But comparing Rex's numbers in this offense last year he averaged more completions, yards, better TD %, lower Int %, fewer fumbles per start than Eli did. Now obviously that is a very, very small sample size but there is reasonable evidence that we aren't going to be totally outclassed at the QB position against the Giants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redskins4ever Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Eli Manning throws INTs. The Redskins defense is aware of this. They need to get after Manning and force him into making mistakes. The defense also needs to contain Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. If they can limit the Giants to under a 100 yards rushing, and keep constant pressure on Eli Manning with Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan coming off the edge, they can limit the Giant offense from sustaining long drives and cause more three and outs to give the ball back to the offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Est.1974 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Cofield gives great interviews. The things he says just sound right. Very classy, respectful and intelligent by the looks of it. If that translates onto the field, he is going to be a key individual on this roster for a few years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Now he needs to break them apart into pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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