Redskins Get The Boot in OT
Carolina's Kasay Kicks Game-Winner: Panthers 23, Redskins 20
By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 15, 2004; Page E01
Joe Gibbs walked into FedEx Field at 5:20 yesterday evening, waltzed past security -- no need to frisk the Washington Redskins' Hall of Fame coach, now -- and was led into the dressing room for his first home game in 12 years. All of the surroundings were new to him, having established his legacy at RFK Stadium, and there was much to get acquainted with.
"It was certainly different for me," Gibbs said after a 23-20 overtime loss to Carolina. "I hadn't been here coaching in this stadium. . . . It was a little bit strange."
Gibbs's offense appeared just as uncomfortable, as the first team slogged through a sloppy first half in soggy conditions in Washington's second preseason game, during which quarterbacks Patrick Ramsey, Mark Brunell and Tim Hasselbeck completed just 16 of 41 passes and threw four interceptions. Ramsey and Brunell, competing for the starting job, did little to impress against Carolina's starters, although Washington's defense and special teams showed positive signs. Overall, there were far more penalties, turnovers and miscues than Gibbs would like; there is significant progress to be made before the regular season begins less than a month from now.
"I think our defense is playing extremely well right now," Gibbs said. "Offensively, just way too many mistakes. . . . We've got some concerns. We're not running the football. We've got a lot to work on."
Washington fumbled two snaps early on -- one that nearly resulted in a safety -- safety Matt Bowen somehow managed to flub a sure interception that deflected into his hands and a Carolina punt struck back judge Steve Freeman at the 2-yard line, a fluke play that pinned the Redskins deep. Unnecessary penalties on punts further hurt Washington's field position, and when the Redskins finally began to move the ball the Panthers struck for two long touchdown passes in the third quarter, and Hasselbeck's interception led to John Kasay's game-winning 52-yard kick.
Only the most hardcore of the team's fans braved the elements to take in all of this. The allure of having Gibbs, winner of three Super Bowls, back on the home sideline succumbed to the relative unimportance of the game and the unrelenting rain that pelted the area. So the largest stadium in the NFL -- one that has swelled to a capacity near 92,000 -- appeared half empty (a crowd of 58,876 was announced), making it impossible to mount a raucous salute for Gibbs.
Ramsey was given the start after Brunell played first Monday. The third-year quarterback was ineffective, completing two nice passes to Laveranues Coles but finishing 4 of 11 for 62 yards with an interception. That came when Ramsey badly underthrew Coles four yards from the end zone in the second quarter, resulting in an easy interception for cornerback Dante Wesley.
"I played about as badly as I can remember playing in a long time," Ramsey said. "I've got to improve."
The performance was similar to Monday night, when Ramsey was 3 of 8 for 12 yards, and, as in that game, Washington's offensive starters mustered only three points. John Hall kicked a 23-yard field goal yesterday with about five minutes remaining in the first half, tying the score at 3 and capping a modest 35-yard drive that was set up by reserve safety Todd Franz's interception of Carolina backup quarterback Rodney Peete.
Ramsey lost control of a snap on each of Washington's first two drives -- tackle Chris Samuels alertly recovered one on the goal line -- and the Redskins' third drive was derailed when Ramsey was sacked by Carolina's bullish end, Julius Peppers, who beat tackle Kenyatta Jones, the replacement for injured star Jon Jansen.
Brunell took over midway through the second quarter and at least bettered his predecessor. He found rookie tight end Chrisey, Washington's third-round pick, a few times, including a 24-yard pickup when Carolina left him utterly open, but failed to build any momentum from drive to drive. Carolina put pressure on Brunell in the third quarter, twice dislodging the ball from him, and the veteran was 5 for 14 for 58 yards with an interception before lofting a pretty 61-yard touchdown pass over Darnerien McCants's shoulder to tie the game at 10 with about four minutes left in the third quarter, his lone highlight.
"The focus right now is getting our offense on track," Brunell said. "Getting everybody together, moving the ball, being efficient, scoring some points. We have not done that yet."
The running game provided those two quarterbacks with little relief. Gibbs left his starting offensive line in for the first half, and it played against Carolina's second-string defensive line in the second quarter, yet Washington could not gain yards on the ground. Starting running back Clinton Portis carried five times for 15 yards. Rock Cartwright rushed eight times for 47 yards, but 34 of them came on one carry.
"It's something we'll take a good hard look at and evaluate," Gibbs said of the stagnant running game. "That's one of the things that's bothering us."
Washington's defense was sharper. Carolina, which lost a thrilling Super Bowl to New England in February, was contained in the first half. Linebacker LaVar Arrington made a big stop on former Redskin Stephen Davis (seven carries for 28 yards) inside the 5, rookie safety Sean Taylor forced a fumble (that Carolina recovered) and the special teams contributed with big hits on kick returns, and a blocked field goal.
The Panthers produced two quick drives in the third quarter, however, with Chris Weinke connecting with wide receiver Keary Colbert for touchdowns of 42 and 68 yards. Carolina led 17-10 entering the fourth quarter. Cartwright plowed ahead for 34 yards and running back Sultan McCullough followed that with a 14-yard touchdown dash to tie the game with about 11 minutes to play. Third-string quarterback Hasselbeck engineered a 54-yard drive on the next possession that was capped by Ola Kimrin's 34-yard field goal with six minutes to play.
Kasay answered with a 37-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Aug14.html
The Offense Is Wet, and Not All That Wild
By Thomas Boswell
Sunday, August 15, 2004; Page E11
The Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers played a preseason game at FedEx Field last night that was so ugly it deserved to be rained on. Instead, even the remnants of Hurricane Charley refused to show up.
The tropical storm, and roughly half a stadium of no-shows, missed little. If the nasty storm thinks it was down in the dumps before it got to the mid-Atlantic states, thank goodness it didn't show up for this stinker. Who would have guessed the first home game of Joe Gibbs's return would drive TV watchers to the arms of synchronized diving from Athens?
No one knew that, except for some early-game drizzle, the expected torrential downpours would never arrive. Having prepared to play a game designed for a quagmire, the defending NFC champions and the revamped Redskins could hardly have been more ragged if they had played in rain blowing sideways.
If you love punts, followed by unforced turnovers, followed by more punts, this was the game for you. The score well into the third quarter -- 3-3 -- seemed more like the number of well-executed plays by the two teams.
Yes, it's early. But it's not March minicamp either.
For those who like irony, this game's conclusion -- played entirely by reserves and rookies -- produced a similar result to Monday's game against Denver in Canton, Ohio. With third-string quarterback Tim Hasselbeck at the controls, the Redskins scored 10 fourth-quarter points to lead 20-17. However, this time Hasselbeck also threw an interception that helped the Panthers send the game into garbage-time overtime. His interception in overtime, on a badly overthrown ball intended for rookie Chris
In their first game after a Super Bowl appearance, the Panthers have excuses: rust and a lack of motivation. The Redskins had considerably fewer explanations. They already played, and won, a preseason game on Monday. Perhaps the short week of work hurt them. That's reasonable. But the Redskins also used many of their offensive starters a full quarter longer than Carolina, and still managed only three points and three first downs (excluding penalties) in the entire first half.
Patrick Ramsey, ostensibly in competition for the starting quarterback spot with Mark Brunell, had a second straight homely and uncomfortable performance in Gibbs's system. Ramsey fumbled snaps from center twice in the first quarter. That makes three in two preseason games, plus all the snaps he has fumbled in practice. Such deeds make Gibbs's hair curl.
Patrick, this is your center, Lennie Friedman. Lennie, this is Patrick. Can we work this thing out? No more high school mistakes are allowed. They were supposed to leave town with the last administration.
Lots of things drive the meticulous Gibbs crazy, few more than fumbled exchanges. However, Ramsey also under-threw Laveranues Coles, who had a step deep for a potential touchdown bomb. Instead, Ramsey was intercepted. That's high on Gibbs's list of sins, too. Ramsey finished 4 of 11 for 62 yards and a quarterback rating of 18.0.
Brunell did little until his last play of the night -- a perfectly thrown 61-yard scoring strike to Darnerien McCants deep up the left sideline late in the third quarter to tie the game at 10. However, before that, he had been intercepted, gotten stripped in the pocket for an unnecessary fumble and, along with Ramsey, was responsible for a truly worrisome first half when, for the second straight week, Gibbs's offense looked unpolished and utterly ineffective as long as the opponents' first team was on the field.
All summer the Redskins have crowed about the running game they hope to have with Clinton Portis running behind what they have evaluated as a potentially first-rate offensive line. The loss of injured Jon Jansen, damaging as it is, should not shut down an entire running game, even against a defense as fine as Carolina's. Washington averaged 1.6 yards on 12 carries in the first half and didn't have a quality running play until all the Panthers' top players were long since resting for the night. Tackle Kenyatta Jones, getting the first shot at replacing Jansen, allowed one sack of Ramsey to Julius Peppers, a fate common to many, but still not reassuring.
In Monday's feisty win over Denver in , the defense of new boss Gregg Williams distinguished itself with its gambling pressure. This time, the pressure returned occasionally. But it also came at a huge price. Twice in the second half, Carolina wide receiver Keary Colbert caught ridiculously uncontested touchdown passes of 42 and 68 yards.
On the first score, a blown defensive assignment left Colbert alone by 10 yards with no Redskin in his vicinity until he dove over the goal line. On the second, defensive back Ifeanyi Ohalete probably wishes he could claim he didn't know what defense he was playing. Colbert turned him inside out so badly that he was open deep by more than five yards -- the NFL equivalent of a country mile.
No wonder Williams spent much of the game with the expression of perplexity or annoyance on his mug. This isn't his norm and likely won't be tolerated for long.
While the Redskins have been as "rough" in these two games as Gibbs has described them as being in practice, they are also playing with extremely high energy and clearly have a revived sense -- at least for now -- that they can compete with winning teams. Granted, the Broncos and Panthers have lacked any special motivation. And the Redskins have been psyched like little kids by their new old-school coaching staff. At the minimum, a Redskins team that finished last season by losing 10 of its last 12 games, and was utterly dejected, is now playing with a sense of purpose and commitment.
Years from now, if the Gibbs II Era goes well, all that will be remembered is that he "inspired" the Redskins to preseason victory immediately. If matters don't go so well, then tapes of these games can be exhumed to document a "rough" and ragged Redskins operation that still has considerable work to do. And only four weeks before the opening game to do it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Aug15.html
Notebook
Game Features a Noble Return From Injury
By Nunyo Demasio
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 15, 2004; Page E11
Brandon Noble played his first NFL game in more than a year when the Washington Redskins faced the Carolina Panthers at FedEx Field last night. The 6-foot-2, 304-pound nose tackle missed Washington's preseason opener on Monday, a 20-17 victory over the Denver Broncos, because of a broken right hand suffered in practice last week. The injury (a fractured third metacarpal) was relatively minor, and Noble was able to play wearing a protective cast.
Noble's relatively quick recovery from a serious knee injury has been described as remarkable by the Redskins. Last Aug. 16, in a 20-13 preseason loss to New England, Noble tore his medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments after being entangled under three players. Noble didn't fully participate in a practice until June 4.
The Redskins made revamping their defensive line a priority this offseason, signing tackle Cornelius Griffin and defensive end Phillip Daniels.
Armstead Returns
Panthers reserve linebacker Jessie Armstead, who played the past two years in Washington, returned to FedEx Field. Armstead, 33, was released by the Redskins soon after Coach Joe Gibbs was named coach in January. The departure of Armstead, who had 99 tackles and a team-high 6 1/2 sacks last season, allowed LaVar Arrington to slide to his old spot of weakside linebacker.
Armstead defends former Redskins coach Steve Spurrier, who finished 5-11 last season before quitting.
"We had one time where we went to a meeting and Coach Spurrier was like, 'Fine this guy and fine that guy for not being at the meeting.' Well, we had to tell him, 'Coach, those guys already got cut. They're in their cars going home,' " Armstead told the Winston-Salem Journal in yesterday's editions. "That's the thing that makes you wonder who's running the ship. . . . At the time, you don't know if it's the coaches or someone else in the organization. That makes it kind of hard for the players.
"I don't know how they're doing it now, but I think things trickled down from the top. I'm pretty sure with Coach Gibbs in there, that they're going to let him do things his way."
Taylor on the Rise
Rookie safety Sean Taylor appears to be moving up the depth chart after starting the preseason on the third team. Last night, Taylor entered the game early in the second quarter when Washington inserted much of the second-team defense. On his second play, the 2004 first-round draft pick viciously tackled tailback DeShaun Foster and ripped the ball away for a fumble, which was recovered by Carolina.
Ailments and Absences
Tight end Fred Baxter was forced to leave with 1:26 left in the third quarter after he slid to the wet ground and appeared to twist his right knee. Baxter was helped off the field by two trainers and the specific injury wasn't known before the game ended. . . . Declared missing in action before the game: linebacker Mike Barrow (left-knee tendinitis and strained quadriceps), cornerback Rashad Bauman (hamstring), running back Ladell Betts (hamstring), defensive end Phillip Daniels (abdominal strain), cornerback Walt Harris (knee), center Ben Nowland (sprained knee), wide receiver Cliff Russell (hamstring) and tackle Brandon Winey (ankle sprain). Punter Tom Tupa (sprained back) also didn't play, and was replaced by Kevin Stemke, a left-footer. . . . Right guard Randy Thomas started his first game after missing the preseason opener with a swollen knee. Rookie offensive lineman Mark Wilson broke his nose in the middle of the third quarter and was forced to leave the game.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Aug15.html
Offensively, Redskins Look a Bit Out of Line
By Nunyo Demasio
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 15, 2004; Page E10
The Washington Redskins' offensive line played its first game without its rock, right tackle Jon Jansen, who ruptured his right Achilles' tendon last week. The so-called Dirtbags have resembled a worn-out punching bag after being hard hit by injuries recently. And the first test for the undermanned unit came against one of the NFL's most formidable defensive lines, led by Carolina Panthers sack specialist Julius Peppers.
The Redskins looked out of sync with mishandled snaps and little room for Washington's runners along the line of scrimmage. Although the first unit protected the quarterbacks fairly well, the running game sputtered during a 23-20 loss last night at FedEx Field, as the offense struggled yet again.
The Redskins rushed for 102 yards on 26 carries, an average of 3.9. But the final statistics were skewed because the biggest gains came against third-stringers and players likely to be released by the regular season. Clinton Portis, the linchpin of Joe Gibbs's run-heavy offense, had 15 yards on five carries.
"It's disappointing to us and to the guys," Gibbs said. "It's something we have to take a really good look at and evaluate."
Right guard Randy Thomas played after missing the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos with a swollen knee. "I felt kind of rusty," he said. "It was fun to be out with those guys. But I don't think any one of us got anything done tonight. We've got three more games to go to get better. I think we'll be fine. This is my first time playing a game with the line this year so we'll get that chemistry again."
The focus of the line was on Jansen's replacement, Kenyatta Jones, who entered the preseason as the backup to left guard Derrick Dockery. Jones was in the spotlight against left defensive end Peppers, one of the league's premier pass rushers. Peppers lived up to his billing in the first quarter by outmaneuvering Jones to sack Patrick Ramsey on the Redskins. On third and nine from the Washington 29, Peppers dropped Ramsey for a seven-yard loss.
Experience was one factor in the Redskins choosing Jones to replace Jansen: In 2001, Jones started 11 games for the New England Patriots, who won the Super Bowl. Except for the sack, Jones held his own against Peppers, and the first unit had time to throw in the first half. "He's in a tough situation," Thomas said. "But we have faith in Kenyatta. He did well tonight, especially in the situation he was in."
For much of the first quarter, the offensive line played as if it was pieced together for the first time. On second and five from the Washington 7-yard line, Ramsey fumbled a snap from center Lennie Friedman. The fumble was recovered by left tackle Chris Samuels near the end zone, and he managed to get the back to the 1-yard line.
Washington's offensive line, especially its right side, flourished early in the fourth quarter when both team's reserves were in. On first and 10 from the Washington 48, Rock Cartwright (eight carries for 47 yards) zipped through a huge hole on the right side for 34 yards, bringing a roar from the crowd of 58,876. Bill Ferrario at right guard and Daryl Terrell at right tackle created another hole for Sultan McCullough -- the ultra-quick tailback competing to make the roster -- who dashed right and then cut left before galloping into the end zone to tie the game at 17.
The left side of the line has been sturdy with Samuels, the two-time Pro Bowler, attempting to bounce back from a lackluster season and Dockery, a second-year player. The strength of the left side is one reason that Bugel didn't re-jigger the line and put Dockery at right tackle, a position he played at the University of Texas. "We weren't all in sync," Dockery said. "We'll check it out on film. We didn't do well on the run so that's what we'll have to fix."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Aug15.html