Redskins vs. Giants: The Good & The Not-So-Good

You know, the more I think about it, a 31-7 beatdown was exactly how I thought things would go for the Redskins on Sunday. They haven’t beaten the Giants in nearly three years (a span during which the team has been outscored 138-50), so it’s not like I was holding out any hope for an upset win. I was, however, still determined to still hold the team to the standard of what has become my unofficial mantra for the ‘Skins 2010 season: “Just don’t embarrass yourselves, guys.” But like always, they didn’t even meet that expectation. Here’s the good and as much of the not-so-good as I can stomach from Sunday’s loss in New Meadowlands.

Good

• James Davis at running back: On just 9 carries, Davis averaged 4.4 yards per, and generally looked faster and showed more burst than anyone else in the Redskins’ backfield. It’s exciting to think what effect his speed might have when the ‘Skins aren’t down by three scores and passing on every down.
• Anthony Armstrong: Remember when this team didn’t have any kind of legit pass-catching threat outside of Santana Moss and Chris Cooley (and no, I’m not counting opposing teams’ defensive backs)? Well, they’ve finally found another offensive weapon in 27-year old practice squad product Anthony Armstrong. Armstrong caught 6 passes for 97 yards, including a 33-yard TD from Donovan McNabb when he was left uncovered and raced behind the Giants’ secondary. He may not be a true #2, but at least he’s been stepping up.

Not-So-Good

• Offensive line: This unit yielded four sacks and never really gave McNabb much of a pocket from which to throw. The worst offender (if there was one) had to be Stephon Heyer, who was beating around the edge almost regularly and who also was flagged for a false start. Sure, he was only playing because Trent Williams was out for most of the afternoon with a shoulder injury, but still, a little more effort, man.
• Defensive line: The ‘Skins lack of a true nose tackle is starting to catch up with them. Maake Kemoeatu was consistently getting pushed back off the line of scrimmage. Because of that, the entire defense began to break down. The result was zero pressure on the quarterback and zero contain in the run game. Really, they might as well have not taken the field at all.
• Santana Moss: History may lay the blame for McNabb’s end-zone interception in the 4th quarter and overthrown deep ball in the 4th quarter solely at McNabb’s feet, but I still think that Moss deserves a share of it, too. McNabb was just trying to make plays, and in the NFL, making plays is a two-way street. Sometimes, when your QB puts it up there, you just have to go get it. And I’ve seen less talented receivers than Moss bring down similar passes for big plays. That’s why I’m not giving him a pass.
• General lack of enthusiasm: This by-line was originally going to be about turnovers. But that was when the ‘Skins had only turned it over twice. Two fumbles and two interceptions later, I decided to chalk it up to that fact that the team simply didn’t care anymore. Seriously, they didn’t even look this worn out when the Eagles opened up a can of “35-point lead in the second quarter” on them a few weeks ago (completely inept, sure, but not this blatantly ambivalent). At some point, they just started phoning it in, and the Giants were happy to reap the benefits.

This game serves as the clearest example yet of just how much works needs to be done to get this team back into competitive shape. And that work needs to start in the trenches. Without strong offensive and defensive lines, this team will never be able to get off the ground.

 The entire game of football revolves around having good blocking. That’s why the Redskins always seem to stall out after whatever kind of strong start they can muster. Teams adjust to them, but they can’t adjust to those adjustments because they have to compensate for their lack of quality personnel up front. Better teams like the Giants will beat them every time. Until the Redskins can fix their personnel issues, this team doesn’t even remotely belong in any kind of discussion about competitive franchises.