KDawg Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 ES Coverage: 2011 Redskins vs Giants 12/18/11 VICTORY!!!!!! Redskins 23 - Giants 10 :helmet: Welcome everyone to yet another edition of ES coverage. Murf (auto correct on my iPad really wants his name to be Murk, by the way) contacted me earlier in the week and gave me an offering I couldnt refuse. As per usual, if you have any pre game or post game needs feel free to ask, I'm here for you. 624 AM: I awoke about ten minutes ago... I'm tired. Hope the airport isn't too slammed, I need some coffee 647 AM: my shower didn't wake me up. Thinking about running a lap in the cold and snow to get toasty. Hmmm. No. Too frigid. 758 AM: changed up the coffee plan and got Subway. Footlong. Italian BMT. Hope they're a Redskin sponsor... If not I apologize for I know not what I've done. 853 AM: everyone in the airport is friendly today. Must be the spirit of the holidays creeping in. Although, the guy sitting behind me in the lobby is snoring pretty friggin loud. 910 AM: boarding. Talk to you soon at the New Meadowlands! :helmet: KDAWG PREGAME The Skins have been playing much better lately, and it's a trend I expect to see continue. But still, with Justin Tuck expecting to play today for the Giants, I can see Rex Grossman having another rough go of it. Grossman has played in 14 games for the Skins and has managed to turn the ball over in each of them. That's not a great trend when going against a tough Giants defensive line. But, with our running game beginning to blossom with Roy Helu, I can see Grossman doing what he does, showing flashes of success. We need both Santana Moss and Jabar Gaffney to come up big, but I expect David Anderson to have a big impact on the game. He runs incredible routes and reads defenses extremely well. He'll have at least one big play today, and if not I blame Murf. Defensively, the Skins need to get off to a good start. A few weeks ago against the Jets, the Jets moved the ball extremely well on their opening drive and held the ball for a large portion of the quarter. Getting off the field will be key, as Eli Manning can't be allowed to establish momentum. I'd also expect some chippiness. Brandon Jacobs gets under Skins players and fans skin more than anyone I've seen in recent memory. :helmet: MURF'S TAKE (PREGAME) Hello, boys and girls. I am coming to you live from the press box here at MetLife Stadium - the site for today's matchup between the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. Before I go any further, please take a minute to scroll back up to the top of the page and admire that photo of rookie linebacker Ryan Kerrigan's touchdown against the Giants back in the season opener. Not because it's a great photo (although, to be fair, it is), but because that play represents the high point for the 2011 season. The fact that it came in Week 1 ... well ... that serves as a tough reminder of just how bad things got this season and how quickly everything spiraled out of control. Seeing that play in that game against that team who always gives the Redskins trouble was an absolute delight. Since then, moments like that have been few and far between. And anyone looking for more highlights today along the same lines as Kerrigan's interception ... well ... I wouldn't hold my breath. I've been covering games for seven seasons now and playing the Giants in New York has brought very few reasons to celebrate. There was the Todd Collins game back in 2007, when I stood frozen on the sidelines as 60-mile-per-hour winds swirled around Meadowlands Stadium as the Redskins emerged victorious during their most recent playoff run, but that's about it. Otherwise, you're looking at a touchdown run by Hunter "The Punter" Smith and not much else when the burgundy and gold visit New York. It's why the Giants believe that if these two teams played 100 times, the Giants leave with bragging rights 99 times. Add in the fact that they're fighting for their postseason lives while the Redskins are playing out the final three games on another forgettable season and there's not much reason for optimism today. The Giants defense is still banged up, but Eli Manning is playing about as well as he ever has of late. Brandon Jacobs has always given the Redskins defense trouble and the New York passing game has enough talent to stretch the field and basically make the Redskins pick their proverbial poison. On the other side of the ball, the Redskins offense has played very well of late -- with Rex Grossman and friends racking up 93 points over the last four games. Unfortunately, the team is just 1-3 during that stretch because the defense has allowed 112 points. Simply put, that’s bad. Especially when the defense is supposed to be the strength of this franchise. Add in the fact that the Giants do a great job of pressuring quarterbacks and the Redskins are -14 in turnovers this season, and it's likely only a matter of time until Grossman fails to feel the pressure from behind and coughs up the football. If the Redskins want to play spoiler today and sweep the Giants, they're going to have to start strong, limit turnovers and get a better showing from the defense. If not, then take a small sliver of satisfaction knowing that Washington will likely have a Top 5 pick to use on a franchise quarterback. *cough*RobertGriffinIII*cough* Either way, I'm sure KDawg will help keep you guys entertained (once he gets his tardy ass to the stadium). In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions/concerns/etc. for me. Hail. :helmet: INACTIVES REDSKINS FB - Mike Sellers RB - Ryan Torain LB - Markus White OT - Jammal Brown WR - David Anderson DE - Kentwan Balmer GIANTS DB - Derrick Martin TE - Travis Beckum LB - Mark Herzlich C - David Baas DE - Osi Umenyiora DT - Jimmy Kennedy OT - James Brewer Notes: - Willie Smith will start for Sean Locklear at left tackle - Tyler Polumbus will start for Jammal Brown at right tackle - Reed Doughty will start for LaRon Landry at strong safety - DeJon Gomes will start for Oshiomogho Atogwe at free safety Other Notes: -Mike Shanahan is 3-5 versus the Giants, Coughlin is 8-7 versus the Skins. :logo:KD GAME ANALYSIS:logo: :logo:FIRST QUARTER:logo: 1st Drive: Offense -Flea flicker with a great crawl motion seal by Young to start it off. Moss had a step on the corner, Grossman lobbed one up that floated for about a year and it landed in the Giants hands. Make it 15 games and 15 games with a turnover for Grossman. 1st Drive: Defense -Good technique by Rak on the play, great coverage to bat the ball away. Good start defensively. -Rak on outside contain/flats responsibility. Gomes creeps up presnap. Manning eludes the pressure and gets rid of the ball to Bradshaw. Falls incomplete. Good, aggressive defensive start. -Perry Riley pressures Manning when he sees no Giants come into his zone. Fletch was covering the receiver running up the seam. Not sure that's a recipe for success. Fletch is decent in coverage, but I'd rather not make a habit of that. Three straight incomplete passes for the Giants. -52 yard punt. Incredible punt there. Out of bounds and away from the 'Skins weapon. Good move keeping it away from the spark plug. 2nd Drive: Offense -Young absolutely rocked Tuck on a block. Beautiful thing to watch. Do yourself a favor and watch him. Grossman to Gaffney, good connection. -Helu went east/west more than north/south on that play. I thought he had a seam inside. But hard run nonetheless. -Anthony Armstrong gets involved. Gets around the edge and utilizes his speed to get around the corner and gain a REDSKIN FIRST DOWN! -I-Form, leakage from the A-Gap and Helu gets crushed in the backfield. Tuck is hobbling off the field. -Not much available for Grossman, checks down to Young. Best he could have done there. -Montgomery's snaps are not very quick back to Grossman. Something I noticed in the Jet game, too. Good strike to a wide open Stallworth who looked to run a deep dig route. 19 yards. 1st down. Red Zone. -Willie Smith got shook hard by Pierre-Paul who applied the pressure. He has 12.5 sacks on the season, to keep it in perspective. -Helu inside. Not much inside. Giants closing zone running lanes very well. -Shotgun with a Badger look (TE in an upback role). Grossman fires one way short of the sticks to Moss, and it's not even close to him. Not a chance. Bring on Gano. -36 yard field goal attempt. It's good. WASHINGTON REDSKINS 3, NEW YORK GIANTS 0 5 plays, 52 yards, 5:01 seconds. 2nd Drive: Defense -Gomes misdiagnosed the play and attacked the backside, leaving a running lane to the side he originally lined up in. Gotta be smart with your reads. 17 yard gain. -Great pressure on the pass play by Rak and Kerrigan. Manning has to get rid of the ball quickly and the ball is knocked away by a 'Skin defender. Defense came to play! -Hakeem Nicks WIDE open, Gomes broke the cardinal rule of safety play, don't let anyone behind you. Nicks ran free and Nicks dropped a ball that hit him in the hands. Perfectly thrown. Caught a break there. Poor coverage all around there. -Another great punt by Weatherford. Almost downed at the half yard line but it rolled in the end zone for a touchback. 3rd Drive: Offense -Ace back with Paulsen in that Badger look. Grossman holds the ball too long and fires an off balance pass down field... to the Giants. Again. That ball hung up for awhile too. Unreal. Grossman was averaging roughly two turnovers per game for us going in, and he's kept that stat alive. 3rd Drive: Defense: -Doughty made a great save there... Too many lanes opening for the Giants rush attack so far. -3rd and 2. Giants 0/2 on the day. False Start backs them up. 3rd and 7 now. -Gomes creeps and comes up on the blitz, he gets into DJ Ware pretty well, and Ware gets just enough to slow him up. Ball delivered on point down field JUST out of reach of the Giant receiver. -Punt is muffed by Banks. 'Skins recover. 4th Drive: Offense: -Ace back, Young in motion, seals backside where we run a reverse to Niles Paul. The ;Skins have to be setting up a playaction play off of that reverse. Face mask gives us an extra 15. First down 'Skins. -Helu finds a seam and explodes through. Great hole by the line and great vision by Helu there. That's the Helu I've gotten used to seeing thus far this year. -Royster gets a carry. Finds a hole with good vision and gets through. Fights off an ankle tackle and keeps going. I like what he's shown the last few weeks. -Quick pitch transitioned into a run up the gut. Straight forward run. Gets 6, but Pierre Paul drags him down. 'Skins running game starting to show flashes. -False Start on Polumbus. 5 yard penalty. -Jason Pierre Paul knifes through Willie Smith's side and Darrell Young misses him. Sack number 13.5 by Pierre Paul on the season. Guy can play. Has a great pass rush repertoire. -Another poor snap by Monty. Come on man, get it to him. Pass delivered to Stallworth. Gets major YAC, just short of the first. (Murf, you said on twitter you wanted to see Stallworth get YAC... There it is, just for you. You must have whispered to him). -4th and 1. 'Skins are going for it. Helu in the ace formation, TE to the left. Grossman throws a speed cut out to Gaffney for a first down. Good play call, great execution all the way around. -Inside toss again. Helu tries to snake through a tiny hole right behind Young. Manages to get 4. Impressive run. -Outside zone toss to Royster. Gets 5. He looks tough as well. Good young RB tandem for us. :logo:SECOND QUARTER:logo: 4th Drive: Offense (cont'd): -3rd and 1 here for the 'Skins. Skins 1/3 on third downs going into this play. Armstrong is the lone split out receiver. The give to Young and a toss playfake. First down Redskins. -Outside Zone Toss to Helu. Not much there. No lanes, he lowers his shoulder and gets what he can. -Grossman has Gaffney open on a slant. He has time. He throws off his back foot, which I can't explain why. Ball sails high. -Tuck was on the nose. Stunt. Picked up well. Grossman throws a to the corner of the end zone to Santana Moss. Moss runs underneath it, taps both feet down, TOUCHDOWN REDSKINS! Play will be reviewed like all scoring plays. WASHINGTON REDSKINS 10, NEW YORK GIANTS 0 13 plays, 72 yards, 6:52 seconds 4th Drive: Defense: -Good Special Teams tackle by Alexander. -Cofield gets good pressure, ball gets dumped off to Hynoski, he carries Atogwe for 11 yards and a first down. -Manning with a clean pocket. Fletcher with GREAT coverage, ball bounces off and Atogwe makes an athletic snag. Pick for the 'Skins! Coughlin reaching for red flag. Tosses it out. Challenged. 5th Drive: Offense: -Ruling on the field is CONFIRMED. That means we definitely picked it off, no question. Good. 'Skins football. -Tuck gets outside leverage on Polumbus, and Helu sees it and cuts inside. Exploding through the running lane. He gets 8 on the carry. He's impressive to watch. -Fake reverse, Grossman hands off to Young and then proceeds to slam into him. Not very smooth there. But it worked. First down. -Royster looks fast as hell out there. That outside toss zone play works wonders for him. He's explosive as well. I love our backs. Gain of 7. -Great defensive play by Tuck there. Sniffed it out pretty well. He got up a bit slow. He's got lingering issues with that injury. -Skins are 3/5 on 3rd down. Helu inside for enough to get the first down. 'Skins now 4/6 on third downs. Good sign for the 'Skins. -Nothing there. Polumbus and Paulsen gets beat. Loss of 4 on the Helu carry. -Stacked receivers to the left. Empty backfield. Wheel route by Helu, pass thrown, Helu can't come down with it. Incomplete. -Skins are 4/6 on 3rd down going into this play. Slant to Gaffney, hauls it in and does a half spin to get outside. He's not freakishly fast so they get to him, but only after he got 16. Gaffney and Stallworth must have heard Murf complain! -Playaction fake on the reverse again. The Giants keep biting on that reverse. Darrell Young gets a six yard TD scamper. WASHINGTON REDSKINS 17, NEW YORK GIANTS 0 9 plays, 41 yards, 4:42 seconds 5th Drive: Defense: -Gano kicks it deep into the end zone. Touchback. -Inside hand off to Jacobs. Love or hate him, the guy is a tank. He just runs with authority. Kinda fun to watch. I still hope Fletch de-cleats him, though, for the record. -Rak was all over that play, but the false start backs them up 5. Manning saw something and wanted his receiver to motion all the way across rather than a short motion. Didn't work all that well. -What a catch by Victor Cruz. Ball was behind him and Cruz hauled it in. Wow. Extremely impressive. -Inside hand off to DJ Ware. Flags down. Illegal formation, they covered the TE (the receiver outside of him was lined up on the line of scrimmage) -Fake hand off, fake receiver screen, screen to Bradshaw. 'Skins all over it. They lose 2. Fletch makes the play. -Bad snap from the Giants center. Manning has great pocket presence. He steps up inside and fires behind to Cruz, Cruz can't come up with it that time, though. -Giants 0/3 on third down going into this play. They throw a screen to Manningham. 'Skins were ready for it and played safe. Manningham gets 10, but it wasn't enough on 3rd and 17. Weatherford on to punt. 'Skins take over on their own 25. 6th Drive: Offense: -Helu with a short gain. No running lanes anywhere to be found. The line didn't open up any holes there. -Outside toss to Helu. Pierre-Paul beats Smith and Moss. Smith is getting killed out there today. -Skins 5/7 on third down going into the play. Grossman delivers a pass to a wide open Moss downfield. Grossman got crushed by Pierre-Paul. Roughing penalty...First down Redskins. 6/8 now on third down. Wow. That's going to help big time when you can do so well on third down. -Helu isn't getting much of anything right now, but the 'Skins may have just called that play to get to the two-minute warning, and they absolutely did. Two-minute warning. Great idea, tick the time off the clock! -Grossman throws a deep out to Gaffney and it hits the ground just out of his reach and a bit shallow. -Skins are 6/8 on third down. Moss standing open down field. Grossman sees an open Paulsen as well. Delivers a high pass, hauled in by Paulsen. 4th and 1, gain of 9. -'Skins going for it. Rex pretends to call an adjustment. Helu behind center. Helu in the wrong spot, much too deep. he tries to adjust but the Giants are on to the Wildcat. Timeout. -Roll out, Rocky Bernard KNIFES into the backfield. Almost trips up Grossman, but Grossman heaves one deep to Stallworth. Over his head. Incomplete. Giant ball. 6th Drive: Defense: -Manning back to throw. Jake Ballard wide open. First down for the Giants as Riley pops him hard! -Good pressure by Kerrigan. Manning complete to Manningham, Hall goes for the strip but can't get it. First down Giants. -Manning to Nicks down the sideline. Incomplete. Wilson on the coverage. -Manning has such a clean pocket its ridiculous. It's knocked away, but Bradshaw somehow hauls it in. WOW. Incredible catch. 12 seconds left in the half. -Manning to Manningham. He's not open at all, ball is thrown away. Field goal unit on. -40 yard field goal for Tynes falls through for three points. WASHINGTON REDSKINS 17, NEW YORK GIANTS 3 6 plays, 46 yards, :58 seconds. :logo:HALFTIME THOUGHTS:logo: The Redskins that showed up today is not the same team that's been playing on Sundays during that 1-8 debacle. This Redskin team is playing extremely good football and they seem to have short memories. They are making mistakes, but the guys who are making them are coming back and making big plays. Atogwe got dragged by Hysnoski on one play, but then came up with an amazing pick. Grossman threw two picks, but has since made some good reads and connected with Redskin receivers running wide open. The defensive seven for Washington is flying around the field, and while they aren't getting much true pressure on Manning they are managing to hurry him just enough. The Giants can't be sure what's hitting them right now. The playcalling has been tremendous for the 'Skins on both the O and the D. The 'Skins have to continue to be aggressive and they need to keep the Giant offense off the field like they have through the first part of this game. Keep bringing the heat from both sides of the ball. Our special teams needs to come alive in the second half with an electric return to help spark the offense. The 'Skins appear to have gone extremely run heavy, and that plays as a major advantage for their team. Play keep away. :logo:3rd QUARTER:logo: 7th Drive: Defense: -Giants take over on the 25. Bradshaw with the inside hand off. Carricker shuts down the gap and makes a play to give up only a short gain. -Manning picked off by DeAngelo Hall. Nice one hand interception. Incredible catch. Not sure why Manning threw that into double coverage. When did Grossman switch uniforms, numbers and names? 7th Drive: Offense: -Skins ball on the Giants 34. Outside zone toss. Helu explodes into contact and gains 5. -Helu runs inside for 4. Grossman did a great job carrying out the play fake, he wound up out by the numbers on the Giants sideline. Great job by him there. -Skins 6/9 on third down going into this play. Maurice Hurt ran off the field and Erik Cook ran in prior to the play. Helu on the carry for a gain of 0. 4th and 1. Field Goal unit on. -Gano attempts a 43 yarder, and it's GOOD! WASHINGTON REDSKINS 20, NEW YORK GIANTS 3 4 plays, 9 yards, 2:09 seconds 8th Drive: Defense: -Gano with the touchback. Giants will take over on their own 20 yard line. -Manning pass to Hynoski for 2. -Neild in at nose. He got blown back about four yards. Jacobs on the carry, explodes into the secondary for a gain of 11, Fletch and Gomes on the tackle. -Perry Riley/Carricker in on the tackle on Jacobs. Neild blown back again, but he made a correction and got to the point of attack. -Jacobs off and running again, a huge running lane opens for him, he's brought down by a knee tackle from Reed Doughty. -Giants are 0/4 on third down so far. Nicks breaks a Kevin Barnes tackle and gets a ton of YAC. -DeAngelo Hall and Ryan Kerrigan get "Olayed" as Nicks scampers down the sideline on a screen. They HAVE to wrap up or they will not be successful. -Jacobs on the inside zone play. He cuts backside, has a lane and gets popped by Fletcher who causes the fumble. Cruz recovers. Josh Wilson down on the field for the 'Skins. He's back up and off the field on his own power. -Fletcher makes a great tackle on Bradshaw. He makes contact and keeps his feet driving. Powerful tackle there. Not a big hit, just pretty. -There's a trap play by the Giants. Their backside guard wheels around and Bradshaw gets 4 before being popped by Riley. What a hit! -Giants 1/5 on third down going into this play. Sacked by Stephen Bowen who gets his ankle and Manning decided to fall. -Giants field goal unit on. NO GOOD! 8th Drive: Offense: -The line has outstanding pass pro there, but Young whiffs on a block on a DE. Grossman still completes to Helu for 9. -Fake reverse, fullback dive... Again. 'Skins have to be setting up a playaction pass off of that. Young gains two. 1st Down! -Inside toss. The line appeared to do their job and Helu found a hole, but the Giant defense just made a solid play and Bernard tackles Helu after a gain of four. -Playaction fake... Pass to Gaffney. He does the half spin move again. The Giant DBs have been overaggressive in their pursuit of our receivers. Smart plays by Gaffney by using that aggression against them. -Same play again to Gaffney. Gaffney went for the same spin move, but the Giant DB saw it coming that time and made the tackle. 'Skins keep going to the same well. -Young looked a bit lazy on the block there. Royster doesn't get much, Pierre-Paul and Tuck made a solid play. -Timeout, Redskins. -The entire Giant DL in on the tackle there. Helu got gang stomped there. -3rd and 10. 'Skins 6/10 on third down going into this play. Grossman checks down to Helu. Normally, Id be upset with that play. But in this circumstance its a smart play. Gain of 7. The 'Skins are going to bring on the field goal unit. :logo:4th QUARTER:logo: 8th Drive: Offense (cont'd): -Going to be a field goal attempt. FIELD GOAL IS GOOD! WASHINGTON REDSKINS 23 NEW YORK GIANTS 3 10 plays, 59 yards, 5:31 seconds 9th Drive: Defense: -Giants take over at their own 23. -Quick screen to Manningham. Kevin Barnes with a perfect form tackle. That's how you're taught to tackle! WOOO! -Ramses Barden on the catch, Kerrigan in coverage. Kerrigan is so much stronger he was able to pull him out of bounds with his finger. -Manning throws complete to Manningham. Hall in coverage, Manningham got behind him. Gain of 34. -Manning to Nicks now, gain of 20. 'Skins coverage breaking down. -Manning throws to the back of the endzone for Manningham... Josh Wilson is wide open in the corner! PICKED OFF! REDSKIN FOOTBALL! Rex must have thrown on the Giant uniform at the half! 9th Drive: Offense: -Outside zone toss. Helu finds the edge, tries to tip toe down the sideline but he had too much momentum. Forced out after a gain of 5. Pierre-Paul with good pursuit on the play. -Helu tackled after a gain of one. Could have tried for extra yardage by going more to the sideline, but he made the smart play by staying away from the sideline and keeping the clock moving. -Skins 6/11 on third downs. Grossman once again throws off his back foot. Falls incomplete. Rocca on to punt. I haven't said that a whole lot today. -Good roll on the punt. 10th Drive: Defense: -Manning with a year and a half to throw. Complete to Cruz who is wide open. -Manning complete to Pascoe. Tries to hurdle and Riley upends him. Cruz was running wide open in the middle of the field deep. Whew. -Manning to Nicks, Westbrook dives to knock it away. He stayed right on Nicks' hip. Perfect technique. -Manning looks to Cruz, Hall tries to jump it, but the ball is underthrown and it falls incomplete. -Giants 1/6 on third down going into this play. Manning heaves one deep... Double coverage. Doughty tackles the receiver. Pass interference. First and goal Giants. -Jacobs tries to get around the outside, and the OL fights off our Dl pretty well, but the 'Skins string it out to the sideline and Riley and Fletcher get to the edge to tackle Jacobs for a loss of one. -Manning tries to get the ball to Nicks again. Good coverage by Hall, ball delivered in a perfect spot. Through Nicks' hands. Again. But Hall WAS right there. -Touchdown Giants. Looked like he didn't have possession of the football. Play is being reviewed. Annnd he didn't. The ball is placed at the 2. -4th and 2 from the 2. Rak got mauled badly. Called. 4th and 12 from the 12. -Ryan Kerrigan sacks Manning. REDSKIN FOOTBALL! 10th Drive: Offense: -I'd guess the 'Skins are going to milk the clock the rest of the way here. I'll be heading down to the locker room soon. So my in-game coverage will be stopping soon. -Gaffney has been a machine. Complete for a gain of 13. Skins get a fresh set of downs. Royster seeing more carries now. -Royster gets the 'Skins another fresh set of downs. :helmet: PHOTOS To see ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE :helmet: AUDIO To listen to comments from Lorenzo Alexander click HERE To listen to comments from Stephen Bowen click HERE To listen to comments from Oshiomogho Atogwe click HERE To listen to comments from Barry Cofield click HERE To listen to comments from DeAngelo Hall click HERE To listen to comments from Roy Helu click HERE To listen to comments from Stephen Bowen click HERE To listen to comments from Brian Orakpo click HERE To listen to comments from Donte Stallworth click HERE :helmet: MURF'S TAKE (POSTGAME) The last time the Washington Redskins swept the New York Giants in a season was 1999. To put that in proper perspective, outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan was 11. So was running back Roy Helu. At 13, linebacker Brian Orakpo had just become a teenager. “What grade is that? Seventh? Seventh grade? I was a young cut,” Orakpo said with a laugh. “It feels good – especially to sweep a team in a season like this, man. The only pessimistic thought I have is I wish we played like this all year. We played a full 60 minutes. This is a game we can truly learn and grow from because we started fast and we finished strong. Guys just continued to play throughout the game. We didn’t worry about all of the other stuff going on; we just continued to play the game.” Clearly, the Redskins’ 23-10 victory over the Giants was well overdue. But the Redskins came out strong, set the tone of the game on both sides of the ball and really took it to a divisional rival with much more at stake in this match-up. “We all came out here today and decided we were gonna make plays,” said cornerback DeAngelo Hall. “I was telling the guys on the bench that it’s a scary thing when this team decides to play football. We’ve definitely got a lot to look forward to.” Considering some guys from the Giants were mouthing off about being able to beat the Redskins 99 times out of 100, you’d think they would be able to put forth a better effort against such a supposedly inferior opponent. Maybe next year. ----- Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman threw an interception on the first play of the game. He was picked off again on the first play of Washington’s third offensive series. And yet, the Redskins somehow managed to hold a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. Why? Because New York’s offense was simply unable to capitalize on turnovers. Giants quarterback Eli Manning failed to complete a single pass in the entire first quarter – missing on all six attempts. When Manning did put a pass on target, his receivers dropped the ball. New York’s first five possessions resulted in four punts and an interception. Things were so ugly that an impartial observer might have had trouble figuring out which team was in the hunt for a playoff spot and which team was in last place in the division and headed for a top five pick in the NFL Draft. But the Redskins were able to weather the storm and overcome a few Grossman miscues and the defense rose to the occasion. In 12 games this season against teams other than Washington, Manning has thrown for more than 3,837 yards with 25 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 97.2. In two games against the Redskins though, Manning has zero touchdowns with four interceptions and a QB rating of 56.7. His completion percentage drops from 62.3 to 56.9 when playing against the burgundy and gold. His two lowest quarterback ratings of 2011 are the two Redskins games. Simply put – the Redskins are able to shut down Manning in a way no one else in the NFL can. “We just know these guys,” Hall said. “We’re pretty familiar with them and we pick up on little things they’re trying to do. It’s been frustrating not being able to get more wins, but we felt really good coming into this game that we had a pretty good gameplan.” ----- Over the previous four games, Grossman and friends had begun to show signs of life on offense – averaging 23 points per game. Unfortunately though, the Redskins went just 1-3 because Washington’s defense allowed an average of 28 points per game. Just as importantly, the Redskins came into the Giants game a depressing minus 14 in turnovers for the year. When Grossman committed two more turnovers in his first three possessions, it wouldn’t have been surprising if momentum swung in New York’s favor and they jumped out to a big lead that Washington was unable to overcome. But the defense, and specifically the team’s secondary, turned in the best performance of the season – with three timely interceptions that ensured the hometown faithful had little to cheer for on this day. Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe hauled in an acrobatic interception that sparked a 13-play, 82-yard touchdown drive for Washington. Hall followed that up with a highlight-worthy one-handed grab to start the second half and cornerback Josh Wilson picked off a pass in the end zone that effectively ended any hopes the Giants had of making the game competitive. ----- The Giants came into this game with an obvious gameplan that involved shutting down Helu and the Washington rushing attack. That makes sense because, if a team takes away the ground attack, that means the ball is in the hands of Grossman more often. But even though Helu was held to just 53 yards on 23 carries, the Redskins were able to keep drives alive because of the creative playcalling of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan dialed up a flea flicker, reverses and anything else he thought might catch the Giants’ aggressive defense off guard. Receivers Anthony Armstrong and Niles Paul each had a carry. Fullback Darrel Young had four rushes – including the first rushing touchdown of his career. Most importantly, the Redskins were able to convert on third downs (going eight of 15 for the game) to extend drives and wear down the New York defense. If the Redskins needed 14 yards on a third down, they found a way to pick up 14 and a half yards. Receivers like Santana Moss, Jabar Gaffney and Donte Stallworth found small slivers of space in the defense and picked up just enough yardage in key moments to frustrate the miserable souls who braved the cold at MetLife Stadium. All in all, it was a day in which Helu never really got going and Grossman turned the ball over early and often. And yet, the Redskins offense still managed to hold the ball for 35 minutes against the Giants. Can’t say anyone saw that coming. ----- By all accounts, the Redskins turned in their most impressive victory of the 2011 season. And yet, there are going to be a few so-called fans out there who ***** and complain about the team’s win hurting their draft pick. To that I say – what the hell is wrong with you? Seriously, think about it. If you can’t be happy when your favorite team wins, then why root for them? And honestly, the Redskins would have picked in the top five of next year’s draft prior to Sunday’s win. After the victory, it looks like they’ve dropped to seventh – which still puts them in solid shape to secure a franchise quarterback. So please, enjoy the win and worry about stuff like the draft down the road. Wins are so hard to come by in the NFL that every one of them is cause for a celebration. If you can’t be happy when the Redskins win, then it’s probably time for you to switch your allegiance to one of the other NFC East teams. Their fans are always thrilled when the Redskins lose. KDAWG'S TAKE (POSTGAME) The first thing I thought of walking through the parking lot of the seemingly drearily lit Giant Stadium was how much some of our fanbase was going to hate this win. I chuckled to myself as Murf was in a full sprint towards his rental car. I still think he was trying to ditch me at the Stadium. We started talking back and forth about it, and just as Murf said in the line above, he said to me outloud. "If you can't be happy when the Redskins win, then you're probably not a real fan" said Murphy, seemingly undaunted by the near record setting pace he took on his sprint to his rental car (which he neglected to fill up with gas)... Naughty, naughty. But he's right. If you can't be happy with a win like that, I don't know what to tell you. Did part of my insides curl up into the fetal position and begin crying like a small toddler when I realized early in the game that our draft position was going to plummet? Absolutely. We all want to improve at the quarterback position (or one of several other positions). But the bottom line is simple. This wasn't like Seattle, where we tried to lose and Seattle managed to somehow out perform us in that vain. This was different. This was total annihilation. From top to bottom and back to the top again. There's no way, that as a Redskin fan, you should dislike this win. The 'Skins haven't swept the New York Giants since 1999. 1999 folks. Twelve years ago. And not only that, they did it convincingly. The defense played motivated, the offensive play calling kept the Giants defense guessing. It was just a total joy to sit back and observe the game. Our third down percentage dropped a bit in the second half, but in the first half our third down conversion rate, and our defense's ability to stop the third down converstions of the Giants was almost comical. It was the opposite of how the majority of this season felt. You know what I mean. When you're sitting there on your couch, or in the stadium and you just knew the Redskins were going to blow it. In this game, though, somehow you had to know that we were going to continue giving it to the Giants. I turned to one of the media seated next to me on that 3rd and 17 and said, prior to the play, that we were going to get it. Well, we didn't, but Stallworth almost made me look great with his effort on that play. We converted on fourth down instead. It was just one of those games. It was Coach Mike Shanahan's 165th career win. The players were talking about it afterwards as well. You could see the excitement in their faces. Barry Cofield said, at one point, "We wanna win out and set the tone for the offseason". And you know what? If we can play like that every week from here on out, I say go for it. Draft picks be damned. A team that has seemingly found its niche, and is playing to the strengths of the roster rather than trying to force feed the passing game down everyone's throats, needs to see success in order to really be competitive in the future. Let's keep some things in mind. We ran the ball 40 times yesterday. Was it the Redskins most efficient day running the football? Absolutely not. But it accomplished a few things. One, it kept Rex's mistakes to a minimum. Two, it kept the defense off balance, so that when the 'Skins did throw the ball, passing lanes were open and Rex had a clearer view of the field. Three, it kept our defense off the field and the Giants defense on it. Every aspect of the game plan worked, including Kyle's "bag o' tricks", which the players really enjoy. Stallworth said in the locker room post game, "Man, Kyle's got all sorts of tricks". They seem to support Kyle Shanahan. And it doesn't just seem like canned support. It seems genuine. And I can't blame them. The last few weeks I've seen Kyle shift his mindset for this team and play to our strengths. The pundits like to say its a passing league, and you have to pass to win nowadays. Well, like all things, that's merely a trend, and it's a recipe that comes out like the best Christmas cookies ever for some teams, and for others it's a recipe that comes out like sand paper with no moisture or flavor to the dough. Trends don't always need to pertain to the whole league, and sometimes, it's the teams that don't follow the trend that become successful. Why? Because organizations gear up to stop the trends, and they're sometimes more vulnerable to the opposite. Heck, the players even seem to support Grossman. I can't get on that bandwagon, but I can certainly say this at the very least... If we're going to have a quarterback who has ups and downs, and has turned the ball over in all fifteen of his games as a Redskin, then at least he has his fellow player's support. And yeah, some of it may be the players saying it just to keep the locker room free of drama. But I think the players appreciate Rex's approach, especially the receivers. A couple of the receivers in the locker room could be heard saying that as receivers, Rex is great, because he gives them an opportunity to make a play. Great for them, not always great for fans and the team. But, again, at least he's seen as someone that they like out there and they're willing to play for. This team isn't quite there yet. For sure. There are several spots where we could use some upgrading. We all know that, even the most staunch homer is aware of that. But this is how you start building a winning tradition and building confidence. Sweeping the Giants for the first time since 1999 is no small task, and this Washington Redskin team managed to do just that. Rebuilding, or whatever you want to call what we're doing is a process. And the players seem to know it given the mood and excited tone in the locker room. They sense a better future. And so do I. Hail to the Redskins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HapHaszard Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Welcome back Kdawg, looking forward to your reporting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 Thanks Hap. Every time I do this I'm so humbled. I'm no different than a lot of this fan base, but here I am waiting to fly in to the game. It's such an amazing opportunity and I can't tell everyone how excited and thankful I am for this chance. It's unreal. Thanks for all the support you give, Hap, and all others. It's really a dream to get this opportunity. Let me know if anyone needs anything, I'm here for you guys, and I want to make sure everyone enjoys this feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEREALTOR1 Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Welcome everyone to yet another edition of ES coverage. Murf (auto correct on my iPad really wants his name to be Murk, by the way) contacted me earlier in the week and gave me an offering I couldnt refuse. As per usual, if you have any pre game or post game needs feel free to ask, I'm here for you. Also looking forward to your game notes KDawg (you lucky SOB ) Grossman has played in 14 games for the Skins and has managed to turn the ball over in each of them. Well at least he's consistent. He'll have at least one big play today, and if not I blame Murf. Murf's like the George Bush of all the redskins woes. If something goes bad, its because Murf touches kittens I'd also expect some chippiness. Brandon Jacobs gets under Skins players and fans skin more than anyone I've seen in recent memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 That hit Fletch put on him was incredible. I wanna see 59 knock a cleat off someone today. Ps: follow me on twitter.... @KoSh9984 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HigSkin Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Win or lose I don't see how anyone can't be pumped about the competitiveness and direction of this team. Mike Shanahan on Friday on ESPN 980 with Coach/Doc : "I know we will win" He said all the critcs will hop on the bandwagon and say 'we believed in what you were doing.' Shanny said "I knew it wouldn't be easy. We're gonna do it the right way. I think we have a great future here." Hail yeah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 Hig, thanks for that post. I hadn't seen it yet and that one quote makes me believe in this teams future far more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 It amuses me that one of, if not the best report of the game coming out of NJ today will be from one of our own doing it for the sheer pleasure as opposed to so called professional's who the majority don't know their ass from their elbow 9 times out of 10 when it comes to this team and this game. Show them all up to all heck as per KD. We wait on your words with relish. Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HapHaszard Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 What is the weather like up there in the Frozen North? Any chance it will have an effect on the game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Forgot to mention that everyone at the team hotel got a rude awakening this morning thanks to someone pulling the fire alarm. Not sure if someone was goofing off or if there was a legitimate issue, but it did cause us all to have to evacuate the hotel for a few minutes this morning. Oh, and one more thing -- KDawg said in his pregame thoughts he expects David Anderson to have a big game and make at least one big play. Chris Russell said last night he's hearing Anderson will be inactive today. Odds of KDawg's "bold prediction" coming true today don't seem to be in his favor. ---------- Post added December-18th-2011 at 11:31 AM ---------- What is the weather like up there in the Frozen North? Any chance it will have an effect on the game? It's currently 27 degrees and will apparently get no warmer than 34 today. Doesn't appear to be overly wind as of this moment, but that's typically the issue you have to factor in when playing on a chilly day here in New York. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 If he's inactive its because you pulled the fire alarm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HapHaszard Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 It's currently 27 degrees and will apparently get no warmer than 34 today. Doesn't appear to be overly wind as of this moment, but that's typically the issue you have to factor in when playing on a chilly day here in New York. Sounds like a heat wave for up there, the wind was more on my mind that the cold, the old stadium would give kickers fits and I guess the new one will too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herb mul-key Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 love that pic of Fletch demolishing Jacobs!!! Huge hit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 Have no fear, I am here. ---------- Post added December-18th-2011 at 12:37 PM ---------- Mike Shanahan is 3-5 vs. the New York Football Giants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Slamming Butcher Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Wow...Anderson inactive? I was hoping for big things from him today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 Wow...Anderson inactive?I was hoping for big things from him today... You're telling me! yeesh! ---------- Post added December-18th-2011 at 01:01 PM ---------- Sav looks like he's booming the ball right now in warm ups. Doesn't look like he's slowed by the injury suffered a few weeks ago in the least. Grossman throwing 50 yard bombs down field. More hang time than Rocca's warm up punts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskin faithful Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 :doh: Interception already! Here we go.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 Yeah. His pregame passes looked like he had a hot air balloon attached they hung up for so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 I should be enjoying this. A road divisional game. Looking at a sweep of the Giants for the first time in 12 long years. A Redskin team totally dominating. But I'm just sat here numb watching thinking of the bigger picture slipping away fast with this and the Vikings to follow next week. Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 I should be enjoying this. A road divisional game. Looking at a sweep of the Giants for the first time in 12 long years. A Redskin team totally dominating.But I'm just sat here numb watching thinking of the bigger picture slipping away fast with this and the Vikings to follow next week. Hail. GHH, bro, all you can do is enjoy it. We are playing amazing football right now. There's another half and we'll see what happens. But if you're going to win at this juncture, this is how you want to do it. ---------- Post added December-18th-2011 at 03:18 PM ---------- We're completely dominating. Some due to great play, and some due to the Giants poor play. Again, if you're going to win a game in a lost season, this is how you do it. So fun to watch!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HapHaszard Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Great Job Kdawg, excellent work. Thanks for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 Great Job Kdawg, excellent work. Thanks for your time. Thank you sir. Hope to put my final thoughts on it in either today or tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 For those who missed it, the photos, audio and my post-game thoughts have all been added to the thread. Even if KDawg is a complete and total slacker, I'm still delivering the goods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 For those who missed it, the photos, audio and my post-game thoughts have all been added to the thread. Even if KDawg is a complete and total slacker, I'm still delivering the goods. Ya, ya. I didn't get home until 3 am, flight kept getting delayed, and i literally worked all day up until now. Ill come through tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 My final thoughts are posted. Gotta break down the audio when I get time. There were some good quotes that I absolutely need to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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