More Questions Than Answers After First Game
How's that for a Mile High dose of reality? Washington Redskins star right tackle Jon Jansen is out for the season. Quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Patrick Ramsey combined to throw for 30 yards. Clinton Portis ran for 11 yards. The Redskins' kick coverage units seemed to part like the Red Sea, and the defense got lit up by . . . Danny Kanell?
The Redskins' 20-17 victory over the Denver Broncos in last night's Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, left more questions than answers with about a month left before the Sept. 12 regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs made a triumphant return to the NFL after an 11-year hiatus, but only after reserve kicker Ola Kimrin's 39-yard field goal sneaked inside the right upright as time expired. The Redskins' offense looked sluggish, like it had during the first nine days of training camp, and the defense looked surprisingly porous at times. The special teams looked like, well, the Redskins' special teams.
Jansen, a team captain and offensive line coach Joe Bugel's favorite "Dirtbag," ruptured his left Achilles' tendon with about five minutes left in the first quarter. Jansen, who had never missed a game (and only one play) in his five-year NFL career, will likely be sidelined for the entire season. So, before Saturday night's second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at FedEx Field, Bugel must shuffle an offensive line that was expected to pave the way for Gibbs' power running game.
The Redskins have some options in replacing Jansen. Second-year pro Derrick Dockery, a third-round pick in 2003, could move from left guard to right tackle. Dockery, 6 feet 6 and 345 pounds, started six games at tackle during his senior season at Texas. But he doesn't have the quickest feet, and the right tackle protects the left-handed Brunell's blind side. If Dockery moves to right tackle, center Lennie Friedman would probably move to left guard, and oft-injured Cory Raymer would start at center.
Moving reserve guard Kenyatta Jones to right tackle would have less effect on the rest of the offensive line. Jones, who missed all of the 2003 season with a pectoral injury, started 11 games at right tackle for the New England Patriots two seasons ago. Other options are starting rookies Mark Wilson, a fifth-rounder from California, or Jim Molinaro, another fifth-rounder from Notre Dame, in Jansen's spot.
If Brunell starts at quarterback, which seems less and less likely each day, another option would be moving left tackle Chris Samuels to the right side. Samuels, a first-round pick from Alabama in 2000, struggled mightily last season and complained of the blocking schemes used by former Coach Steve Spurrier's staff. Samuels has played better during the preseason this year, but do you want a revolving door protecting Brunell's back?
As for the quarterbacks, neither Brunell nor Ramsey were effective during the first 2½ quarters against the Broncos. Brunell's first pass was his best, as he completed an out pattern to Rod Gardner for a first down during the Redskins' first possession. The Redskins went three-and-out on Brunell's next two series, and he threw incomplete on second-and-third when the Skins were backed up to their end zone.
Ramsey, who was battered during 10 starts last season, took over with 9:40 left in the first half. Fittingly, he was knocked down on his first pass attempt from his end zone. On third-and-11 from the Skins' 7, Ramsey overthrew running back Chad Morton, who was open downfield. The Redskins picked up one first down by penalty during Ramsey's second series, and were driving into Broncos' territory when Rock Cartwright fumbled. Near the end of the first half, Ramsey's pass was tipped on third-and-4 from the Redskins' 25.
Not until third-string quarterback Tim Hasselbeck entered the game late in the third quarter did the Redskins' offense get a spark. Hasselbeck, who started five games last season, completed his first two passes to Darnerien McCants. Hasselbeck seemed to have a good grasp of the offense and made quick reads.
With the Redskins leading 10-9, Hasselbeck threw down the left sideline for rookie Gari Scott, who hauled in the pass for a 30-yard touchdown with 6:54 remaining. The Broncos tied the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:26 left, but then Hasselbeck drove the Redskins back down the field. He completed passes of 35 yards to rookie Jafar Williams of Maryland and 21 yards to McCants, which set up Kimrin's game-winning field goal.
Yes, Hasselbeck was working against Denver's third-stringers and scrubs. But the former Boston College star has quietly been Washington's most consistent quarterback during training camp, and Gibbs has noticed. "I've been bragging on him all the way," Gibbs said. It's too early to throw Hasselbeck into the competition for the starting job, but if Brunell and Ramsey continue to struggle, then the Redskins may not have a choice.
With Brunell and Ramsey struggling, Portis got a dose of what he could see all season – a stacked line of scrimmage. With the Broncos keying on their former teammate, Portis ran for only 11 yards on seven carries, his longest run being seven yards. Cartwright and Sultan McCullough found little room, too, although McCullough broke off a 13-yard gain late in the game. All in all, Gibbs kept his offense pretty vanilla – how else to explain the H-backs' and tight ends' limited roles?
While Redskins rookie free safety Sean Taylor stole the show with a pair of interceptions, including one he returned three yards for an interception early in the third quarter, the first-team defense struggled. Tailback Quentin Griffin, the former Oklahoma star who should replace Portis in the Broncos' backfield, ran six times for 46 yards before leaving the game. The Redskins, playing without injured middle linebacker Mike Barrow, had problems tackling him.
Denver quarterback Jake Plummer struggled, throwing an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by cornerback Shawn Springs on the game's first possession. But Kanell came off the bench late in the first quarter, and led the Broncos on a 10-play drive for a field goal. The Redskins' lack of pass rush, perhaps the team's biggest concern going into training camp, is now an even bigger worry.
At least it's only the preseason.
– By Mark Schlabach
My mom got this as a newsletter in her email so I figured I'd scoop everyone here.
