themurf Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 (photo by Brian Murphy) With two weeks to prepare for a key matchup against a divisional opponent on the brink of a total collapse, the Washington Redskins laid a big, fat egg. While other teams have had success against the Philadelphia Eagles this season by getting off to a quick start on offense and then aggressively pursuing quarterback/turnover machine Mike Vick on defense, the Redskins were unable to do either. Instead, the Redskins offense was horrifically inept and the defense was unable to avoid costly penalties while simultaneously failing to stop (or even slow down) Philadelphia’s balance of passing and rushing plays. Basically, it was the perfect storm of suck and the team’s abysmal start doomed Washington’s chances of driving the final nail in the coffin of hated rival on a week when people in Philadelphia were already calling for the firing of their head coach, Andy Reid. Unfortunately, the fact that the Redskins were thoroughly unprepared when they took the field shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone who has been watching the team in 2011. That’s because the Eagles game was just the latest chapter in the team’s continuing struggle to resemble a competently-run offense during the opening stages of a contest. Forget mid-game adjustments, the coaching staff – led by head coach Mike Shanahan and his hand-picked offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan – needs to completely re-evaluate how they approach game-planning the first 15 minutes of action. Why? Because the Redskins have scored just one first-quarter touchdown this season, and it came against the winless St. Louis Rams. In the team’s other four games, Washington has been outscored 24-6 in the opening quarter. Aside from a 10-play, 42-yard drive that resulted in a field goal against Dallas, the Redskins have been at their worst on the opening drive. In the other four games, the burgundy and gold’s opening drive has resulted in two punts and two interceptions. With numbers like that, it’s nearly impossible for the Redskins to make a worst first impression against an opponent. And let’s be brutally honest about the situation – we’re not exactly talking about a murderer’s row of competition here either. Washington’s opponents through the first five games this season have had a combined 9-18 record. What’s going to happen when the Redskins have to face teams that are actually good? On second thought, please don’t answer that. Some things are clearly better off left unsaid. In the season opener, the Redskins opening quarter drives consisted of two punts, a missed field goal and a touchdown run by Tim Hightower.* *Remember him? Neither does Kyle Shanahan. The following week, against the Arizona Cardinals, the Redskins were able to muster two interceptions and a field goal in the opening frame. Week 3 featured an offensive explosion – at least by local standards – when the Redskins put together drives that resulted in two field goals and a punt in the first quarter against Dallas on Monday Night Football. Up next was a matchup against the Rams, a winless doormat that has been unable to stop the run all season long. So naturally the Redskins outsmarted themselves and started the game with five consecutive passing plays. After 15 minutes of action, the Redskins had a punt and a touchdown pass from Rex Grossman to receiver Santana Moss against St. Louis. And last weekend, the Redskins’ first quarter “featured” an interception and a punt. To recap, that’s five punts, three interceptions, three field goals, two touchdowns and a missed field goal attempt in 14 first-quarter possessions this season. In other words, Washington has been unable to put points on the board nine of the 14 times they’ve had the ball in the opening quarter in 2011. When a team is that slow out of the gate and routinely lets mediocre opponents hang around, the margin for error is almost nonexistent. It’s unfortunate too, because Washington’s defense has been stout for most of the season. Jim Haslett’s revamped defense currently ranks third in the NFL in points allowed per game (16.6) and sixth in yards allowed per game (321.6), and yet, the Redskins are just 3-2. On paper, this team appears to be custom-made for the NFC East, thanks to a solid stable of running backs and an aggressive defense. But games aren’t played on paper and the coaching staff continues to baffle Redskins fans with a knack for abandoning the running game – even though that’s pretty much what made Mike Shanahan the highly-respected coach he is today. Even though the rest of the NFL thinks Grossman’s skills rank him somewhere between “game manager” and “backup,” the Shanahans continue to take the ball out of the hands of Hightower, Roy Helu and Ryan Torain in favor of the Rex Cannon. In related news, Grossman has just 827 passing yards with four touchdowns, 10 turnovers (nine interceptions and a fumble) and a quarterback rating of 55.1 in his last four games. Click here for the full article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsinparadise Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Not to pile on Rex but I noticed even in the pre season, Rex often seems to start off rusty in terms of accuracy, i wonder if that has something to do with it too. I am gathering most teams start the game stacking the box and ready for the run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWFLSkins Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Great job again Brian. The only thing that glared out to me after you wrote this- "While other teams have had success against the Philadelphia Eagles this season by getting off to a quick start on offense and then aggressively pursuing quarterback/turnover machine Mike Vick on defense, the Redskins were unable to do either.", was the fact that you or anyone of late note that Kerrigan was virtually non-existent. You mentioned the two things the Redskins failed to do. I agree about the offense, but the D simply regressed IMO, maybe spending too much time on the field will do that to you. That said however the Eagles line was considered weak and prime for the flogging. The combo of Rak and Kerrigan failed to deliver in this very important game when they should have been licking their chops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 In the season opener, the Redskins opening quarter drives consisted of two punts, a missed field goal and a touchdown run by Tim Hightower....The following week, against the Arizona Cardinals, the Redskins were able to muster two interceptions and a field goal in the opening frame. Unfortunately, neither of those scores occurred in the 1st quarter lol... We are currently ranked #27 on offense in terms of 1st quarter points scored. We're #18 on defense in terms of 1st quarter points allowed. Neither of those are good. ---------- Post added October-19th-2011 at 10:20 AM ---------- Great job again Brian. The only thing that glared out to me after you wrote this- "While other teams have had success against the Philadelphia Eagles this season by getting off to a quick start on offense and then aggressively pursuing quarterback/turnover machine Mike Vick on defense, the Redskins were unable to do either.", was the fact that you or anyone of late note that Kerrigan was virtually non-existent. You mentioned the two things the Redskins failed to do. I agree about the offense, but the D simply regressed IMO, maybe spending too much time on the field will do that to you. That said however the Eagles line was considered weak and prime for the flogging. The combo of Rak and Kerrigan failed to deliver in this very important game when they should have been licking their chops. The Eagles used a lot of 3-and-5 step drops and quick strikes to help neutralize Orakpo and Kerrigan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoLeafClover Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 You could definitely see the momentum shift this past Sunday. The defense came out strong against Philly on their first drive and shut them down, then the offense - as you put it - laid an egg and it took the D right out of the game. They definitely need to find a way to strike early and build momentum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbyst21 Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Man i have but lost hope in this offense this year. Again. :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herb mul-key Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 we still need to stock up on o-line young talent!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitejimmy Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Homer McFanboy? More like Hater Mc****enmoan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poman Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Homer McFanboy? More like Hater Mc****enmoan A well thought out, poignant rebuttal to a very respected memeber of this community. Well done sir...... On a side note, watching this inept offense is so tiresome..... I thought all year the running game could carry the team, but it is also inneffective....troubling to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoCalMike Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Was it the Eagles lack of respect for our passing game that allowed them to make adjustments to stop our running game? I find it odd and depressing that the Eagles, a horrible team against the tun, was able to stop the Redskins rushing attack, which has been pretty decent so far in 2011. Of Course no one seems to be able to stop our running game quite the way Kyle Shanahan does, so there is that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWFLSkins Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Homer McFanboy? More like Hater Mc****enmoan You been coming round these parts pert near 8 year and thats all ya got? Posting like that there is goint git ye a special type avatar I reckon. ---------- Post added October-19th-2011 at 03:34 PM ---------- We are currently ranked #27 on offense in terms of 1st quarter points scored. We're #18 on defense in terms of 1st quarter points allowed. Neither of those are good. The Eagles used a lot of 3-and-5 step drops and quick strikes to help neutralize Orakpo and Kerrigan. And Haslett had an entire game to adjust to what the Eagles were doing, but somehow he sees an entirely different D. Hall than I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brotherz Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Homer McFanboy? More like Hater Mc****enmoan Cmon man. You gotta be kidding. At least spend 5 minutes reading his other threads before you type this. There are PLENTY of haters in here who will strain logic to type something negative about the team but this guy isn't one of em'. To the contrary, he's been reasonable enough and impartial enough and educated enough, that when he points out a deficiency like first quarter efficiency (or inefficiency) of this team, its actually MORE believable, not less. Its not hating to point out reality. Are you actually happy with the team's first quarter productivity this season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitejimmy Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 okay, okay, I surrender, the OP has a well supported, thoughtful post. I was just struck by the irony of his moniker given the negativity. I'm actually feeling pretty good about the team. The defense is fantastic. Special teams is even looking good. We have a stable of young WRs and RBs. If our next offseason is half as successful as this past one, we're sitting pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brotherz Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 okay, okay, I surrender, the OP has a well supported, thoughtful post. I was just struck by the irony of his moniker given the negativity. I'm actually feeling pretty good about the team. The defense is fantastic. Special teams is even looking good. We have a stable of young WRs and RBs. If our next offseason is half as successful as this past one, we're sitting pretty. No sweat jimmy! I tend to agree with you. I think we are definitely going in the right direction. I was steaming Sunday. I hate the freakin fecals. HATE. But when I can step back and take a long term perspective its all really a matter of order isn't it? When he inherited the abomination of the wreckage of the Vinny/Zorn regime he had to completely overhaul: 1) The salary cap situation 2) Offensive and Defensive lines 3) Running back 4) Wide Receivers 5) Special teams 6) Quarterback 7) Free Safety 8) outside linebacker besides rak 9) culture and distractions 10) our age He HAD to fix all of it. He has had less than 24 months to do so thus far. He and Bruce have completely fixed our finances. We are millions under the cap. His first move was to draft the left tackle who for the most part has been solid (unfortunately not great but very solid and still very young). Lest we forget the Stephon Heyer/Levi Jones era?? He brought in competent inside lineman. Got rid of Rabach, added Lichtensteiger, cook, montgomery, and replaced Heyer with Brown. Its reallyy not bad work there considering where we were. Remember Antwan Randle El? Rock cartwright? Suisham? "Hunter the punter"? Now its Banks, Gano, and Rocca (my MVP of the season by the way). Wide Recievers ? Book is out on Hankerson. Niles Paul is decent and contributing. Resigning Moss was smart. I like Gaffney and Armstrong too. We are better. We aren't great. But we are better. Don't forget the guy who was dominating in camp was Jarvis Jenkins not Kerrigan. That tells me alot because Kerrigan is legit. I can only assume Jenkins would have been a beast too. Haynesworth, Carter, etc. Now Bowen, Cofield. Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. We are significantly younger too and the contracts are all manageable. Haslett is proving to be a good coordinator. Otogwe has been really solid and Landry is finally playing in position. Hall is Hall. I like Wilson at least as much as Carlos. Running back? I love em all. I really do. We don't need a back. We probably have one too many. All of them are better than what he inherited (at least at the stage of the career they were in when he inherited them). The culture is COMPLETELY different. The most drama we've had is right now and its about FOOTBALL! Itswho gives us the best chance to win football games at QB. We have been saying for years that we are one or two pieces away from competing for the division. We are actually right when we say that now. We need our franchise QB and a big strong reciever (who may be on our roser in hankerson for all we know). He could have gotten the QB first, and we'd be complaining about how putrid the defense is and how the line can't protect the kid on offense etc. He just couldn't do it all in one off-season and one without free agency. We need one more off-season. I really believe that. I think We get the QB next year without a doubt. We add some more O-line depth and maybe an additional big time reciever as well as a guy to eventually replace london. Jarvis comes back from injury etc. I don't see how anyone can look at this regime and not be really impressed. The only way they couldn't would be to completely forget where we were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitejimmy Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 (spot-on analysis clipped) Concur with everything. You could add Terrence Austin and Darrell Young as other good, young players with upside. One more offseason to bolster just the OL and we're contenders. Yeah, I'm assuming McGruber pans out. I think we are making the right move starting him. We need to see if he can run the offense. Often new QBs jump in and look good for two or three games until defensive coordinators find their weaknesses and expose them. We need to take a good long look to see he can be the guy. If he doesn't pan out, hopefully a team like the Rams (i.e., a team that already has a franchise QB) will win the Luck sweepstakes and make a trade. I don't see us picking lower than 10th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 Unfortunately, neither of those scores occurred in the 1st quarter lol... Each of those drives started in the first quarter, which was why they were included in the breakdown. Homer McFanboy? More like Hater Mc****enmoan Of everything I've written over the last seven seasons, a breakdown of how slow the team's offense has been in the first quarter was what put me over the top on your hater list? Really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwpanic Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Not to pile on Rex but I noticed even in the pre season, Rex often seems to start off rusty in terms of accuracy, i wonder if that has something to do with it too. I am gathering most teams start the game stacking the box and ready for the run. agree 100%. every week it seems like rex needs at least one quarter to get his bearings. it's almost as if someone shakes him awake 5 minutes before kickoff to let him know there's a game going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingGibbs Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Homer McFanboy? More like Hater Mc****enmoan What is the matter sweetheart. Can't handle the truth? Clearly it was a well thought out and researched thread. Helluva lot more than a shmuck like yourself could ever offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportjunkie07 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 they just like to make games interesting. thats my story and im stickin to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BucketHTTR Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Nice read, good job man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botched Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Sounds about right to me. It seems like this has been going on for years. We always come out flat, it's like a Redskins tradition. Then somehow we put it together in the second quarter, and then look like **** again right after halftime. Bye weeks screw us up too. It's like if we have any break whatsoever, everyone needs a quarter to remember how to play football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Est.1974 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 and the defense was unable to avoid costly penalties......and a touchdown run by Tim Hightower.* *Remember him? Neither does Kyle Shanahan. Nice read, couple of points, The penalties against Trent were killers in the early part of the Eagles game. That set the rot in. SecondIy, I was under the impression that Hightower has been injured. There wasn't much point putting a banged up RB in behind that OL on Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Unfortunately, neither of those scores occurred in the 1st quarter lol...We are currently ranked #27 on offense in terms of 1st quarter points scored. We're #18 on defense in terms of 1st quarter points allowed. Neither of those are good. Especially when you have a defense that seems to be designed to play best with a lead. That is, mediocre versus the run but real good when they can pretty much pin their ears. Also, from what I understand of our running scheme, it would do a lot better if we could get into the defenses playing on their heals which is most defenses do when you got a lead but they also know you can strike quickly. Don't know if you remember but during Gibbs 1.0, defenses often played like they were behind big even when they had the lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildbill1952 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 In his defense, he surrendered. Not as good as an apology, but something. As an elder statesman and respected by at least 98% of the board (myself included), you can squash anyone like a bug if needed. You don't need to. I understand if you want to, but you don't need to. You have a lot more interesting things to write. I'd say let it go. So on to the interesting part: the first quarter breakdown shows why the Skins start every game coming from behind. Interceptions fall on the QB, not the play-calling. Like every fan who thinks he knows something about football, I've conveniently forgotten when I thought a play was stupid that turned out successful and feel free to complain about the unsuccessful ones that I thought were stupid. If you were to assign a percentage to the fault of the abysmal first quarter offense, where would you point? My thought is to split the blame among play-calling, QB play, WR/TE play, or protection/blocking. I haven't done a play-by-play analysis, but gut feel says its 25/45/20/10 (which admittedly, could be way off). Thoughts? Still, like other writers have said, I see enough to be hopeful. I still feel Shanny and Allen have done wonders fixing the defense and they chose to do that first. The offense still needs a couple of studs to totally fill out the offense. The Skins really need a WR outside of Moss and now Davis) that opposing defense want to double-up all game. I am pleasantly surprised at Montgomery's performance at Center, but last week's injuries will show for sure if we have any depth on this OL. One o two more stud's and I think the OL can go from good to very, very good. The question of the relative need for QB will be determined by season end. It is obvious Grossman is not the answer. I'll wait on Beck until he has 4 or 5 games under his belt. He's either the answer to the question or he answers the question. Again, thanks for another interesting thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GibbsFactor Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 What about these two factors: Bye teams wer 1-4, most looked out of sync. The Eagles changed both Offense and Defensive philosophies. Gone were the 7 step drops in favor of the shorter 3 steps. More running. The Eagles were in the wide 9 for less than 30% of their snaps. Those have to count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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