The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

quarterback
Looks like Patrick Ramsey will get the nod at quarterback Monday. Mark Brunell is out with a hamstring injury he suffered against the Giants. Throughout preseason, Ramsey has looked very shakey in the pocket and seems to try to make plays that are not there. Against the Giants Sunday, he made some good plays and he made some bad ones. He was able to hit Rod Gardner for some big gains and hit Portis for a touchdown when he lofted the ball above 2 defenders in the endzone. He also had 3 interceptions in the game, where he seemed to force things a bit. On one occasion, the receiver was not open and actually stopped running his route, but Ramsey threw the ball to him even though the receiver had stopped running his route and there were 2 Giants defenders right smack in front of him. If the Cowboys can get to him and make him hear footsteps, you can definitely force him into some bad throws. But he is still deadly accurate and has weapons that he can get the ball too.


halfback
They have a pretty good halfback in Clinton Portis. He has shown the ability to run as well as catch the ball. He had 2 fumbles against the Giants, but is not really known as a fumbler. Something tells me that he could have a nice day catching if Ramsey is given enough time to throw the ball.


receivers
They have a pretty good pair of receivers. Rod Gardner is a very effective weapon in the passing game, but I have observed that he is what my old highschool coach use to say "A positive negative guy". During the Giants game, he made some huge catches on Will Allen, but other times he just dropped balls where he was wide open. On one play, he ran a slant pattern and an easy touchdown pass thrown by Ramsey went straight through his hands. Laveranues Coles is a major home run threat but I dont think he will demand a double team, although I am sure Zimmer will make sure he knows where he is. Personally, I think Rod Gardner or whoever is man-up on Hunter has a huge advantage and I am hoping Hunter will step up to the Challenge. James Thrash provides another option for Ramsey in the passing game. Rookie Chris ey is a very good pass catcher too. I like his catching and blocking ability. There maybe some opportunities for him, if Portis gets going in the running game.


offensive line
The offensive line has been solid for the most part. 41 year old Ray Brown played in place of Kenyatta Jones Sunday, who seems to be bothered by bone spurs. Jones said he could have played, the Coaching staff had other ideas, so I am not sure what is going on. Right Guard Randy Thomas and Chris Samuel are the class of this line. Both are good run and pass blockers who can really dominate their men. The weak link seems to be at Center. Friedman is a very good run blocker but he is undersized and can be exploited in the passing game. The Skins do alot of pulling, especially to the left side and love to get those lineman in the second level and pancake linebackers. They had a little of a setback Sunday in pass protection. I actually saw the line give up a sack when the Giants went to a 3-man rush. Glancing over my notes here, I noted that Ramsey was actually sacked on his first play .


defensive line
The Defensive line was exposed a little Sunday. Against Tampa Bay, Gregg Williams was very agressive, blitzing on almost every down, mainly from the left and with Matt Bowen coupled with either Washington or Arrington. When Brad Johnson was able to get the ball out, the Tampa Bay receivers were dropping the balls left and right. The play Galloway got injured on was when he dropped an easy touchdown pass. Against the Giants it was a different story. The Giants had weapons at every level, Tight End, Receiver and Running Back. This fact made the defensive play calling a lot less agressive and the Defensive line was really exposed. Like us, they seem to have to blitz linebackers and safeties to get pressure on the quarterback. They went out and got Cornelius Griffin and Rush End Phillip Daniels to shore up the line and both have played well. Unfortunately for the skins, Daniels is out for this game with a groin injury. In Daniels place will be former CFL standout Ron Warner who had a good training camp. I just dont see the offensive line who has gone up against two very talented defensive lines already having any trouble protecting Vinny Testeverde. The Redskins like to blitz, but the weapons we have on offense should have a negative effect on the aggressive defensive play calling.


linebackers
The Linebackers are without a doubt the strength of our ememy. Marcus Washington, a victim of Peyton Manning's huge contract is a very solid player and is a very important player. He holds down the strong side and allowed Arrington to move to his natural position at Will Linebacker. Antonio Pierce is the middle linebacker and has played pretty good in the 2 games that I have seen him. The good linebacker play kind of gives me a feeling Witten will not be as big of a factor as he was in the Browns game. I think his stats will be similar to the Vikings game, where they also feature very fast and capable linebackers who are good in pass coverage.



secondary
The secondary is okay. Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs are two capable corners. I have noticed that they give up plays at times when the quarterback has time to throw. Against the Rams in the preseason, they struggled at times and Holt and Bruce really look like they were playing by themselves. Tim Carter of the Giants had some nice catches against the secondary, one touchdown was caught on Matt Bowen. The safties are okay. Matt Bowen had 2 sacks against the Bucs in Game 1 and was the blitzer of choice. But during the Giants game, he was benched (although I am not sure what the exact reason was) and he was beaten by Tim Carter of the Giants for a huge touchdown. Sean Taylor is a blue chip safety but has been held out of the starting lineup. Mainly due to growing pains. They think he will be a very good blitzer and has alot of upside. If Vinny gets time to throw the ball, I just think the secondary can be exploited.

I wrote this up earlier this week, so it does not take into account the news that Arrington will be out for about 2-4 Weeks.

I am not to keen on the versatility of the Skins linebackers. So I am not sure if Barrow comes back, if they would move Pierce to weak or have Lemar Marshall play there. I think Witten probably gets alot of balls his way now that Arrington is out.

I know very little about Lemar Marshall, but from what I have read and from his ESPN scouting, seems there is going to be a gigantic dropoff in play with him slated to replace Arrington.

But, that is to be expected....


- Mike G.

i HATE to say this but nice post "mickgreen58"....very good points .... but we will see MONDAY NIGHT .....oh i have not seen you before welcome to THEHOGS.NET .

OMG... an actual intelligent, well-thought out posting by a 'Pie fan... can it be? Good post, mick. Might not agree with everything that is said in it, but the information is presented rationally and intelligently.

I was wondering where this post went to.

Hahaha, buried in back pages.

I was here a while back, and things got pretty ugly. I admit, myself along with a few Skins fans were pretty immature and said some stupid things.

But that's in the past...

- Mike G.

mickgreen58 wrote:I was wondering where this post went to.

Hahaha, buried in back pages.

I was here a while back, and things got pretty ugly. I admit, myself along with a few Skins fans were pretty immature and said some stupid things.

But that's in the past...

- Mike G.

hey man as long as you keep it cool us REDSKIN FAN will treat you with respect .... now if you get all "cowboys are going to win the superbowl every year thing " going, lord help you !!!
so far so good !!

mickgreen58 writes

I was wondering where this post went to.

Hahaha, buried in back pages.

Actually, I moved it to "Game Day" because I felt it was the appropriate forum instead of "Hog Wash". Not intending to "bury it", just to place it in the correct forum.

Nice post, though.

Very thoughtful post, Mickgreen. Thanks.

Since Brunell is starting, it will definitely have an effect on how the Boys prepare. I dont think anything the Boys throw at Brunell will rattle him, as oppose to having Ramsey in.

I am wondering if Brunell will be able to go the entire game. Something tells me we will see Ramsey in this contest.

- Mike G.

Hey MG did youu have a few birthdays since you were last here?? I'm enjoying your posts much more this time around! Stick to football and leave the BS to the kids welcome back!

That has to be the best post by a 'Pie fan that I have ever seen. Clear, well thought out, complete sentences... Are you sure you're a 'Pie Fan? You still left out your prediction for the outcome. Welcome closet 'Skins fan.

Boys 21
Skins 13

- Mike G.

Ahhh the real Mike is back...3 TD on our D ain't happening unless two are defensive TD's the firts team to 16 wins

DEHog wrote:Ahhh the real Mike is back...3 TD on our D ain't happening unless two are defensive TD's the firts team to 16 wins

Well, the way our offense is scoring, it could very well be 7 field goals by Billy Cundiff, in a repeat performance he had on Monday Night around this time last year.

Levar Arrington is a very valuable weapon in the Redskins scheme of getting pressure on the quarterback. I just think you guys will miss him there and his ability to knock good tight ends off their routes or keep them in for blocking.

Looking at the Boys oline versus the Skins dline, I just dont see any matchups on there I can give you guys and edge on.

Torrin Tucker has played very well earning high praise from Bill Parcells, and he will be man-up on Renaldo Wynn, who had a nice game against Tampa Bay, but was silent in the Giants game.

Joe Saleve'a will be going up against Matt Lehr, who started every game at center for us last year. Lehr is undersized, but is definitely our most versatile lineman. He did a good job against Kevin Williams of the Vikings in relief of Andre Gurode. Joe Saleve'a is very undersized and will actually be giving up 8-12 pounds when facing off against Lehr.

Corneilius Griffin has earned praise from Gibbs recently but he will be going up against future hall of famer Larry Allen, who has really come on this year. As of now, Allen is really having a Pro Bowl season and has done a good job on Warren Sapp, Robaire Smith, and Chris Hovan throughout the course of the Preseason and Regular season. I just dont know if Griffin can get passed him.

Of course, Ron Warner, who had an excellent training camp and was a standout in the CFL will be going up against Pro Bowler, Flozell Adams. Adams has had a pretty good season thus far, but has had a little trouble with penalties. I just dont see Ron Warner giving Adams too much trouble in the trenches, although Adams did give up a sack to Ebenezer Ekuban last game, the ex-cowboy and all world sack master wink wink, but I say advantage Dallas.

All that adds up to the Skins either blitzing or playing conservative like they did against the Giants because of the matchups outside.

I just have this feeling Witten will have a good game along with Antonio Bryant.

I am wondering if Sean Taylor will be lined up on Bryant on occassion because that Walt Harrison/Antonio Bryant looks damn good down here in Texas . I definitely see some opportunities on the outside, but as I stated, Smooth and Springs are no pushovers.

- Mike G.

The Giants offense didn't beat us in that game though, our offense did.

I just don't see what makes you think that the stingiest defense in the league is going to give up a whole lot to your offense.

I think the real story in this game will be the Dallas D vs. the Washington O.

To be honest, I think the Redskins defense is improved, but I am not sure if you can go by the rankings as of yet.

Tampa Bay's offense is ranked 29th overall in Total Offense, and as I mentioned in my write-up, they are without Keenan McCardell, their receivers drop so many balls, I totally lost count. During that game, their biggest offensive weapon became Michael Clayton, a rookie, once Galloway went down. Of course, it was fitting that Galloway would get hurt on a play where he dropped an easy touchdown. Your defense did what it had to do, but Tampa Bay is in shambles and are experiencing major problems on the offensive line.

The Giants are 11th in the league in total offense, but probably have one of the worst offensive lines in Profesional Footabll. They gained a ton of yards in the air and on the ground on a very suspect Philadelphia defense, who absoulutely cannot stop the run. Moss was used sparingly against the Eagles, and that Philadelphia defense still looked suspect and the game was proabably lost because of stupid penalties and turnovers.

It is way too early to talk about statistical rankings at this point in the season.

- Mike G.

No doubt, Mick. It IS way too early to do the stat thing. There should be a good half season before they do rankings, in my view.
At any rate, I liked the initial post, and I liked the follow up. You've done your homework.
The thing that we can't measure here, though, is heart. Who wants this win more ? I have to believe the Redskins do. After a while, you have to get tired of being on the losing end of the deal. Campo's last game non-withstanding, we just haven't shown any heart in these games. This is where Gibbs can do his best work to date. Rekindle the rivalry, and give us all something to look forward to.
The question, as you pose it, is "Do the Redskins have the talent to go man-for-man on the 'boys ?"
It surely doesn't look that way, does it ? Still, I'm looking for a nice game....and I think I'm going to get it.
Good luck, and enjoy it while you can. There are two masters roaming the sidelines, and it's going to be a treat to see them opposing one another for the first time in over a decade.

First, I've never mentioned statistics. But, most 'Boys fans are really concentrating on how well their offense has done thus far and ignoring how well the 'Skins defense has done thus far. I think both points in that equation are invalid at this point. The match-up really will be between a struggling 'Skins offense and a still-good 'Boys defense.

Also, you can continue to say the Giants suck, but they just killed Cleveland, who I recall the 'Boys had a bit of trouble with.

Monday's loser is the bottom of the division. Should be a fun game!

cvillehog wrote:First, I've never mentioned statistics. But, most 'Boys fans are really concentrating on how well their offense has done thus far and ignoring how well the 'Skins defense has done thus far. I think both points in that equation are invalid at this point. The match-up really will be between a struggling 'Skins offense and a still-good 'Boys defense.

Also, you can continue to say the Giants suck, but they just killed Cleveland, who I recall the 'Boys had a bit of trouble with.

Monday's loser is the bottom of the division. Should be a fun game!

Yes, I would also put the Dallas Cowboys Offense in the same boat I put the Skins' Defense. It is way too early to tell how good offense and defense of each team respectively is until you play a little bit more games and go up against teams that are very good in stopping what we think is each team's strength.

As far as the Giants...

I didnt get a chance to watch the Eagles and Browns game today, but they did some good things and they did some bad things against you guys. Shockey had a case of the drops and and personally noticed him barely touch a defender when they blew right by him to go after the quarterback, their secondary, especially Will Allen looked very suspect, and they had issues protecting the quarterback. They are still a very dangerous team

But...

The Browns game was a little too close. I have already stated here and abroad that I really hated the play calling in the Browns game. Garcia had a 0.00 QB rating but he really did miss on some easy completions and at least 2 touchdowns. The Cowboys had the lead most of the way in the 2nd half and the 3 interceptions Vinny had were all late in the game deep in Browns territory. If you watched the game, you would see that the Cowboys running backs would get 3-4 yards on first down, and then Vinny would throw for most of the series and on one occasion he missed Jason Witten wide open for an easy touchdown, of which he was berated heavily by Parcells on the sidelines.

He threw 35 times in the game (50 against minnesota), which Parcells said all offseason he didnt want to do. I dont think he has really explored the running game enough like he did last year. Last year, he would run Troy Hambrick to death no matter how many yards he failed to get. To put it in prospective, one of Vinny's interceptions came on 2nd and 9 around the 20-30 yard line of the Browns, late in the game with a lead .

I just think if the play calling was a little bit better, I beleive the game would not have been that close, but that is JMO.

Giants are good, which the more I watch them, I think it will be about which offense can put more points on the board because Tim Carter has really looked good and Toomer is always solid.

- Mike G.

Listen guys... It's going to be ugly, for us. The skins will NOT win this game. They are just to beat up and the cowboys will be sending no less than 6 guys every snap. It will be a long night for us to watch but watch we must.

What the heck is the deal?? I cannot believe that you said that patjam???? Why are you a fan if you go into the game saying "we are going to lose". Why bother cheering? We are not going to lose. We are not playing the Eagle here. The Cowboys have shown major weaknesses. So saying something so negative isn't helping anyone. Be a fan and talk good about your team.

patjam77 wrote:Listen guys... It's going to be ugly, for us. The skins will NOT win this game. They are just to beat up and the cowboys will be sending no less than 6 guys every snap. It will be a long night for us to watch but watch we must.

I like that analysis.

Nah, this game will probably be really close.

- Mike G.

NikiH wrote:What the heck is the deal?? I cannot believe that you said that patjam???? Why are you a fan if you go into the game saying "we are going to lose". Why bother cheering? We are not going to lose. We are not playing the Eagle here. The Cowboys have shown major weaknesses. So saying something so negative isn't helping anyone. Be a fan and talk good about your team.

NikiH, how do you see the Redskins attacking the Cowboys, on defense and offense?

- Mike G.

mickgreen58 wrote:

NikiH wrote:What the heck is the deal?? I cannot believe that you said that patjam???? Why are you a fan if you go into the game saying "we are going to lose". Why bother cheering? We are not going to lose. We are not playing the Eagle here. The Cowboys have shown major weaknesses. So saying something so negative isn't helping anyone. Be a fan and talk good about your team.

NikiH, how do you see the Redskins attacking the Cowboys, on defense and offense?

- Mike G.

Not directed at me, but I'll but in.

I think we'll attack your rushing defense.

Hold on and calm down... just because I said I think we are going to lose, don't imply that I shouldnt root for them or that I'm being too negative... I live and die with these guys, just like you, but this is my opinion. The skins just won't be able to match the cowboys in this game. but hey, they do get to play the browns next week and I think they WILL win that one!