ProFootballFocus.com: Re-Focused: Redskins @ Seahawks, Week 12

[Califan007 The Constipated]

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/11/29/re-focused-redskins-seahawks-week-12/

With the Washington Redskins down by 10 in the fourth quarter, it looked like Mike Shanahan was going into unchartered territory with a seventh straight defeat. Tarvaris Jackson had just thrown a strike of a touchdown, and made it 17 unanswered points to further rub in the woes of a Washington team that had been unable to turndominance into points.

But then something happened. Working off a slightly shorter field because of a Golden Tate penalty after his touchdown grab, the as ever inconsistent Rex Grossman marched his team down the field with four consecutive completions, before a gutsy call to run the ball on third down resulted in a highlight reel touchdown run by Roy Helu that swung the momentum in the Redskins favor. They would never surrender it...

Washington – Three Performances of Note

Wonderful Williams

As the 4th overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft, it’s safe to say a lot is expected out of Trent Williams (+5.3). At the same time it’s safe to say he hasn’t exactly lived up to those lofty goals just yet. In recent weeks we’ve seen plenty of average performances from Williams mixed in with the occasion sloppy game, but his performance against Seattle earned him the highest grade he’s received in his career. Coming into the game you figured Chris Clemons may have some joy against him, but Williams responded with his second perfect game in pass protection, and followed it up with some dominant blocking in the run game. Can he keep this up? We’ll see, but the lack of mistakes bode very well for the future.

Rex

When you watch Rex Grossman (-0.9) you never know exactly what you’re going to get, but you know it’s going to be an interesting journey. Sometimes he looks incredibly poised in the face of oncoming pressure, and other times he looks like a guy that believes in his arm a little too much, forcing throws he has no right to. That was, along with four penalties, the biggest problem for Grossman in this game as he earned his interceptions by forcing the ball into areas he really shouldn’t have, with the result a couple of INTs and some pass deflections that were not a million miles from adding to those figures. It takes away from a lot of the good he did, especially when he was given time where he went 20-of-24 for 242 yards. There’s no denying he can make plays, it’s just a shame they aren’t all good ones.

O-sack-po

When you’ve got two former first round picks going head to head, something often has to give, and so it proved when Brian Orakpo (+4.2) met Russell Okung. Truth be told this was an even encounter for much of the game, with Orakpo picking up just two pressures in the first three quarters. Then came the 4th quarter and what was once even, became a demolition job. The Redskin ROLB picked up another three pressures to go with his fourth down sack as he constantly beat the 6th overall selection in the 2010 NFL draft off the edge, before the play that defined his performance (Q4 2:13) saw him bull rush Okung before sacking Jackson. I’ve given up on Orakpo ever being a complete player (too often he is blocked out of plays in the run game), but it’s something you can live with when he rushes the passes like this.

Game Ball

It’s going to a Redskin and it’s going to a former first round pick? The question is whether to go the left tackle, or edge rusher? In the end I’ve plumped for Trent Williams because subduing Chris Clemons is no mean feat, and by doing so he prevented us seeing more of the ‘Bad Rex’.