Redskins (2-2) vs. Falcons (2-1)
The Redskins' 2004 preseason comes to a close this weekend as Washington and head coach Joe Gibbs play host to the Atlanta Falcons at FedExField on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET. The game will provide the Redskins with their final tune-up before the regular season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 12 at FedEx Field.
Mark Brunell will start at quarterback. He will attempt to help the Redskins bounce back from a 28-3 loss on the road to St. Louis last week.
"Obviously, there is a lot for us to learn from that game," Gibbs said following the loss to St. Louis. "For all of us, we have to realize that if we don't play tough, hard-nosed, smart Redskins football, there's a chance we can have this [kind of loss] happen to us again. Hopefully, it'll be a lesson for all of us."
The Falcons opened the 2004 preseason with a 24-0 loss at Baltimore on Aug. 12 before rebounding with a come-from-behind 27-24 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in their preseason home opener. Last week, the Falcons moved past the .500 mark with a 37-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Matt Schaub, a rookie out of the University of Virginia, started in place of Michael Vick (hamstring) and threw for 214 yards and three TDs in the first half.
In their most recent meeting, the Redskins defeated the Falcons 33-31 in Week 2 of the 2003 season. Patrick Ramsey, who will back up Brunell this year, completed 25-of-39 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
The Falcons claimed victory in the most recent preseason contest in 2001 at FedExField, defeating the Redskins 27-6.
Gibbs rejoined the Redskins in January and returns to coaching after 12 seasons. The offseason has been a busy one for Gibbs and his staff, spending extensive time getting ready for the 2004 season both on the practice fields at Redskins Park and in the meeting rooms. Gibbs, who coached the team from 1981 to 1992, turned the Redskins into an NFL dynasty during his first tenure. He led the Redskins to four Super Bowls--winnning three titles--and accumulated a 124-60 record during regular season play and an amazing 16-5 postseason record.
The Redskins released 14 players this weekend. The team's roster now stands at 76 players, with the final roster cutdown date looming on Sunday, Sept. 5 when the team must pare the roster down to 53 players. The day after, on September 6, the team will establish an eight-man practice squad.
Washington features many new faces this season after another busy offseason of free agency acquisitions including running back Clinton Portis, linebacker Marcus Washington, defensive linemen Phillip Daniels and Cornelius Griffin, Brunell, cornerback Shawn Springs and 2004 first-round draft pick safety Sean Taylor.
Redskins fans can watch the continued progress of the team Friday night at FedExField and on the regional WUSA-9 CBS broadcast.
http://www.redskins.com/gameday/