Every week after the Redskins play I plan to include
on Dibbles and Bits my thoughts about the game.
I tried this last season and, due to having my mind elsewhere, rarely
followed through. Much like RGIII’s
first half mechanics last night, or my putting stroke, a constant distraction
away from my erstwhile sports blog. But,
with a new season comes new beginning and new resolutions.
By now you have likely heard all the potential
storylines from this game, but I will make the argument that the cause for
concern has been embellished on offense.
Don’t get me wrong, RGIII looked downright awful in the first half last
night. I rarely parrot Jon Gruden, but
as a former quarterbacks coach he recognized the Cutler Syndrome early on. Griffin did not step into his first few
throws, significantly affecting accuracy.
His numbers reflect this, with 5-for-11 for 53 yards in the first
half. And I will certainly emphasize
that this looked to be rust. He has not
played a live action game or even been smacked under the lights in almost nine
months. Griffin was bound to have second
thoughts about his repaired knee and, while the Eagles threw unorthodox
pressure schemes at him, had also not needed a pocket presence since January. That said, his first interception was quite
likely the worst decision he’s made in a professional uniform, as Santana Moss
was bracketed by at least two defenders, if not three. Chuck Norris isn’t completing that pass.
But, for all his struggles early, I am confident
with Griffin going forward. 25-for-38
and two touchdowns in the second half showed he had found some rhythm, and the
offense hummed as a result. Most
impressive about Griffin is that he led a furious comeback with an uninspiring
group of wide receivers. His passing
looked good in that second half. As far
as the running game, pundits want to bemoan his unwillingness to expand the
pocket last night. I agree that Griffin
worked wonders out of the bootleg last year, but did anyone truly expect him to
trample around the field after the offseason knee surgery? He also used his legs when necessary,
providing good evidence that he’s at least listened to the news in the past few
months. It wasn’t a sparkling
performance by any means, but not too bad by the end.
I will, however, continue to take issue with Kyle
Shanahan. While I would never call him
incapable, he seemed unable to grasp the idea that the offense needed to
sustain a drive for no reason other than giving the defense some rest against
Chip Kelly’s attack. After a huge sack
by Ryan Kerrigan moved the Eagles out of field goal range, Shanahan dialed up a
deep pass on first down, followed by an Alfred Morris run, concluded by another
deep pass, all with the Skins down only 12-7.
The three plays combined for zero yards and the Eagles scored four plays
into their next drive. Earlier in the
first quarter, the defense faced 18 plays in six minutes with only a minute of
rest, resulting in a DeSean Jackson touchdown.
The ability of the Redskin offense to not extend drives or stay on the
field ultimately decided this game, and I think in a key spot, Shanahan didn’t
do well. He clearly knows RGIII can find
rhythm on the short passes…at one point in the third quarter the offense had
167 receiving yards with 162 of those coming after the catch. Moving the ball to shifty receivers on the
outside took advantage of the Philly pressure late in the game. While I give him points for that adjustment,
Shanahan showed no sense of easing RGIII into a gameplan based on short,
accurate passes designed to increase his confidence. After nine months of no live-action play, I
think that would have helped.
On defense, I also think there is some small cause
for optimism. The front seven
consistently pressured Vick and looked stout in pass rushing.
The run coverage, however, was spotty. I understand that McCoy is a shifty back, but
he victimized the Skins on the backside of running plays. He consistently ran around the ends and
outside linebackers who over-committed to the running play, forcing one-on-one
tackles in the open field. And while
we’re on that subject, any discussion of the secondary needs to begin with
tackling questions. Rookie Bacarri Rambo
spent much of preseason looking for his jock and last night was no
different. Both McCoy and Vick very simply
juked around Rambo on multiple occasions.
E.J. Biggers also struggled to tackle in the open field, but not being a
safety by trade means he gets a little less scorn for playing poorly. Otherwise, this is a tough game to judge from
a defensive perspective. The blitzkrieg
unleashed by Chip Kelly was entirely new to the league and given the offensive
ineptitude, I’m unwilling to place much blame on the defensive unit as a whole
besides awful tackling.
Looking to next Sunday in Green Bay, the Redskins
will need to solve the offensive woes to keep up with the Pack. Regrettably, Green Bay’s aerial assault might
be too much for our beleaguered secondary, but the offensive line for the
Packers looks spotty without tackle Bryan Bulaga. The Packers, by virtue of playing San Fran on
Sunday, are conditioned to accept the read option and defend against it. As such, I’d bet on RGIII to try to beat them
through the air, much like Kaepernick was able to do this week.
On a final note, the Chip Kelly offense debuted
wonderfully last night, but it will be interesting to see how the scheme fares
against a defense that has time for a cold one on the sidelines. The first drive was immensely impressive and
should bring some fun and fireworks to the team, but taking advantage of a
gassed DC defense also accounted for some of that success. For my money, don’t expect the Eagles to
replicate the absurd number of plays per half, but it’s not inconceivable that
they average 30 points a game this year.
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