Week 4 Preview: Redskins vs Eagles

The biggest game of the NFL regular season occurs today at 4:15 P.M. as Redskins travel to Lincoln Financial Field to face the Philadelphia Eagles in a key divisional matchup. This game will heavily focused in the media as Donovan McNabb returns to Philadelphia wearing a Redskins uniform. It will be interesting to see how Eagles greet the six time pro bowler, but they should really cheer for him.

Under McNabb's tenure, the Eagles went to five NFC championship games, one NFC title, and one Super Bowl appearnce. McNabb is also the all time franchise leader in career wins, pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. However, injuries and other solid quarterbacks in the depth chart led to McNabb arrival in Washington. Today, McNabb wants to prove to the Eagles organization that he can still play at a high level and lead the Redskins to the Super Bowl down the road. However, Philadelphia sports fans tend to be very obnoxious, so don't be surprised if McNabb gets boos from the fans today.

If McNabb wants to lead the Redskins to victory, they will have to improve on red zone efficiency, and on 3rd down attempts.  Last week, the Redskins went 0-3  in the red zone and only settled with field goals. That didn't work out well against the Rams, and it will certainly have the same result against the Eagles. Given that the Redskins is last in the league in total defense, scoring touchdowns in the red zone is very critical in this game today. Also, converting on 3rd downs will help because it keeps the offense on the field and gives the defense a rest.  Going 1 for 10 on 3rd downs isn't going to win any game in the NFL. Finally, the Redskins need to establish the run game for a full 60 minutes.

The defense will have a very tough task today. The Eagles are led by quarterback Michael Vick, who appears to resurrect his NFL career. So far this season, Vick has thrown for 750 yards, 6 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He has a 60.7% completion rate. Vick has a golden opportunity to steal the spotlight from McNabb today. He has a great wide receiving core such as Jeremy Maclin, and Desean Jackson. Since the Redskins have been terrible in pass coverage, this could be the game that Vick goes into another level and return back to being an elite quarterback in the NFL.

Prediction: Statistically, the Eagles should destroy the Redskins because the Eagles are a hot team and the Redskins are struggling everywhere. But this is a divisional game and the Redskins always play tough at Philly. Therefore,  I expect a shootout and a close football game that will come down to the final possession. I think McNabb leads the Redskins on a late 4th quarter drive and Graham Gano kicks the game winning field goal. McNabb will get his revenge and the Redskins move to first place and a 2-0 record in the NFC East.

Redskins: 28, Eagles: 27

Video of the Day: Albert Haynesworth Thoughts on Mike Shanahan and the Redskins

Albert Haynesworth has been a frequent visitor to the media lately. Last weekend, he was on "the Kevin and Rock" show on 106.7 the fan making his idiotic slave comment, and last night on Sportscenter, he had some thoughts on his relationship with Mike Shanahan, and the treatment he received during training camp last summer.  The interview was ironically conducted from ESPN reporter Sara Walsh, who used to cover the Redskins and other D.C. sports teams for WUSA-TV. Enjoy the video clip!!!

Going From Hope To Despair

Before I do my analysis on the Redskins lost to Rams 30-16, lets look at the key statistics for each team.

Redskins Stats: 1-10 on 3rd down attempts, 116 total rushing yards (1 yard rushing only in the 2nd half), 0-3 in Red Zone attempts.

Rams Stats: 7-16 on 3rd down attempts (2-2 on 4th down), 2-6 in Red Zone attempts, 365 total yards on offense (133 rushing, 232 passing), and had time of possession for 34:50.

These statistics are very infuriating. How can this football team let the Rams offense, (ranked 24th in total offense and losers of  27 of 28 games) put up over 350 yards of offense under a rookie quarterback Sam Bradford at the helm??  How can you let the Rams run for over 120 yards without having Steven Jackson in the 2nd half?? Luckily, there is a simple solution to this disastrous problem. The Redskins are running the wrong defensive scheme and have no running game.

Before the season started, head coach Mike Shanahan wanted the defense to switch from the 4-3 to 3-4 because it creates more problems for opposing teams. During the past several years, the Redskins were ranked in the top 10 in defense mostly because of their successful play under the 4-3. With the adjustment to the 3-4, the Redskins brought in Jim Haslett as their new defensive coordinator. Several players on the roster are playing out of position despite adding some players familiar with the 3-4. Therefore, the defense has the wrong personnel to run the 3-4 in most areas, and it results going from a perennial top-10 defense to last in the league.

It is just frustrating to see this defense give up big play after big play to a terrible Rams team. When I saw Andre Carter playing at outside linebacker, I nearly wanted to throw my baseball at the TV. Carter is a 255 pound defensive end. He supposed to rush the quarterback, not to play in pass coverage. When I saw De-Angelo Hall slipped on the field while covering Mark Clayton, I wanted to throw my remote control at the TV. Hall said last week that this is his defense, and he will cover the best receiver. He basically throwing his teammates under the bus. Clayton is probably a 3rd receiver option in other teams, and Hall couldn't cover him. It's no wonder why Hall is one of the most disgruntled players in the NFL.

The offense still couldn't score inside the opponent's 20 yard line. The Redskins had to settle for field goals, and only scored one touchdown following Kareem Moore's interception late in the 1st quarter. Anytime the offense had a big play or too, an holding infraction will be committed from Stephon Heyer. It's amazing why Heyer is even on this team. He basically penalty prone on any given play. I surely hope Trent Williams returns next week against the Eagles.

On the ground game, Clinton Portis had a big 27-yard run in the 2nd quarter, but he slide on the field because he wanted to protect the ball. It appeared that Portis suffered a wrist injury during the game and was mostly in the sidelines when the 2nd half began. Rookie Ryan Torain shows some promise early, but became an afterthought later in the game. Overall, the running game was improved in the first half, but it became ineffective in the 2nd half. Finally, special teams was a disaster even before kickoff. Punter Josh Bidwell suffered a hip injury during pregame warm-ups and he was out for the game. Graham Gano had to do the punting duties in addition to kicking field goals. Look for the Redskins to get a new punter this week.

Overall, this game was like watching a bad dream. I'm not sure if this loss was worse then the Lions game last year, but you can make the case on that easily. Ironically, both of those losses occurred on thrid week of the season. So even with new management, the Redskins find ways to compete with good teams for 60 minutes, and then lay an egg against bad teams. This trend has been happening for 10 years, and it's getting really frustrating. The more I think about this loss, the more I put blame on the players. They are getting paid millions of dollars and they aren't performing to the level of their competition.

Looking ahead to the next five games, the Redskins have a brutal schedule. They will play the Eagles, Packers, Colts, Bears, and Lions. If Shanahan and Haslett doesn't correct their errors on the 3-4 scheme and continues to have an ineffective ground attack, then a 1-6 record going into their bye week seems to be a distinct reality.

Next game: @Philadelphia
Time & Network: 4:15 P.M on FOX 
Commentators: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Donovan Mcnabb returns to Philadelphia to face his old team, and the reaction from Eagles fans will be interesting to watch. I will do a special preview on this big NFC East matchup later this week.

Aerial Show Ends In A Heart-breaker

I actually needed more days to dissect this devastating  loss, because it was probably the most painful loss I've experienced in a while. The Redskins blew a 17 point lead in the 4th quarter and lost to the Houston Texans 30-27 in overtime.

The Redskins actually played their hearts out on both sides of the ball, and they still couldn't finish. Quarterback Donovan McNabb threw for 426 yards and one touchdown. McNabb became the first Redskins quarterback in 19 years to throw for over 400 yards in a single game. Running back Clinton Portis had another mediocre performance, but he still rushed for two touchdowns.  Overall, the offense had 421 total yards, a stellar improvement over their poor showing against Dallas in week one.

However, the Redskins collapsed in the 4th quarter because of three factors; the lack of a running game, blown coverage on defense, and missed opportunities on special teams.

First, the running game was a non-factor at all. The Redskins only had 18 yards rushing. That's simply isn't going to win any games in the NFL. It is very critical for the Redskins to have an efficient running game, especially when they play against a high-powered offense like the Houston Texans. That way, you keep Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and Arian Foster off the field. More importantly, you control the clock, and essentially the ballgame. As for the running game itself, I just can't see Clinton Portis being the number one running back the rest of the way. I know he had a great offseason, but he doesn't have the speed or cutback ability he had a few years ago.

 The Redskins did make some moves to address the running game. This past Tuesday, they released Larry Johnson, and rookie Keiland Williams will backup Portis. The Redskins did add another running back, Chad Simpson, but its mostly for special teams. We'll see if the running game improves next week at St. Louis.

The offensive line did get a scare when rookie left tackle Trent Williams suffered a  knee injury. The good news is that an MRI shows no damage to his knee. Theoretically, Williams could be ready to start next week, but it could be a game-time decision.

Secondly, the defense had no answer to stop Houston's explosive offense. Schaub went 38 of 52 with 497 yards with three touchdowns, and an interception. The defense had sometimes blown coverages on their receivers.  However, the defense had an opportunity to seal this game. With less then three minutes to go in regulation and the Redskins leading 27 to 20, the Texans faced with 4th and 10 in Redskins territory.  With the game at stake, Schaub rose to the occasion.


Everyone in the stadium knew that Schaub is going throw to Andre Johnson and the defense was prepared. Reed Doughty actually did a good job covering Johnson, but Johnson made a great catch. It is always a complete mismatch when any corner or safety covers Johnson, especially in one-on-one coverage. There is a reason why Andre Johnson is the best receiver in the NFL.

Finally, special teams killed our chances to win as well. There were blocked kicks, and missed field goals.  Graham Gano's 29 yard field goal was blocked and it eventually swung the momentum towards the Texans. Gano had a chance to redeem himself in overtime, and it appeared he made a 52 yard field goal to win the game. But Texans coach Gary Kubiak burned a timeout just seconds before the ball was snap. After the timeout, Gano missed the field goal. I just hate it when coaches do that to iced the kicker. It is a horrible way to lose the game.

The good news from this is that the offense is back in sync except the running game, and the defense continues to be aggressive, but it cost them by giving up some big plays. 

Next Week's game: @ St.Louis
Time & Network: 4:05 pm on FOX
Commentators: Dick Stockon, Charles Davis and Jim Mora

Did you know the Redskins are 0-5 against rookie quarterbacks? They will be facing another one in Sam Bradford. Well, here is some good news. Those five losses came last year under former head coach Jim Zorn and quarterback Jason Campbell. The Redskins had a mixed performance during the last two games, and if they can get the running game going and continue to establish the passing game, then they should win this game easily.

The defense needs to do a better job on pass coverage, and not give up big plays down the field. I like the aggressiveness that defensive coordinator Jim Haslett is bringing in under the 3-4 defense, but the last thing I want to see a blown assignment in coverage. Causing turnovers, and scoring some points can help too. Then again, this is the first road game for the Redskins this season, and the Rams usually play well against the Redskins. Despite that, I expect a big Redskins victory this weekend.

Prediction: Redskins: 31, Rams: 14

Clinton Just Being Clinton

This was suppose to be a good week for running back Clinton Portis. The Redskins are coming off a big victory against Dallas despite Portis not rushing for 100 yards, and the team is preparing to face Houston this Sunday at FedEx Field. Now, Portis is rejuvenated and he is back to being himself  by presenting crazy costumes and comedic gestures to the media, but this occasion was for all the wrong reasons unfortunately.

His recent comments on how New York Jets players treat a female reporter in the locker room has cause issues with the team and the NFL. I don't know why the NFL have a problem with Ports's comments. He basically said the truth about the ordeal, and media just blows this non-issue out of proportion. Sometimes, the media can be full of  hypocrites.

So when he was ask to talk about it for the first time since his controversial remarks, Portis simply kept his mouth shut the old fashion way with a little help from his teammate Albert Haynesworth.



Hahahahah, stay classy Clinton!!!!!

Better To Be Lucky Than Good

Last Sunday night, the Washington Redskins hosted the Dallas Cowboys in front of a epic atmosphere at FedEx Field, and a record crowd of  90,670 people were treated to a heart-stopping finish.  Before I do the recap of the game, let's go back to the last play of the game.





So Alex Baron's third holding call of the game gives the Redskins an 13 to 7 win over the Cowboys. This was the Redskins first victory within their division in two years even though they didn't even score a touchdown against Dallas for the third time. As usual, the rivalry provided another wacky ending, and it was only fitting that the Cowboys, who committed 12 penalties for 81 yards, blow this game on a holding call. While Redskins fans savior this victory against their hated rival, there were some key concerns and positives on both sides.

The defense had a mixed performance, but they were largely responsible for the Redskins first take-away and six points of the season.With three seconds left in the 1st half, the Cowboys, who had the ball at their own 30 yard-line, decide to run a screen pass to thrid string running back Tashard Choice. Choice was tackled for a minimum gain, and then gets the ball strip from a Redskins defender, which lead to De-Angelo Hall returning 32 yards for a touchdown. The Redskins went to halftime with a 10-0 lead.  Not many coaches will run a screen to close the 1st half while having possession at your own territory. But this is Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett. They are known for making stupid calls on offense.

Anyway, the defense did had trouble stopping the run from Cowboys running back Marion Barber. Also, quarterback Tony Romo had a field day throwing screen passes to Felix Jones, Choice, Barber,  Miles Austin and Dez Bryant and the defense had no answer to stop them. The Cowboys ended up with 380 total yards on offense, but luckily, they only scored seven points. If the Redskins defense doesn't get their act together on the stopping the run and the screen , they could have serious problems next week against Houston.

The offense however, couldn't score a touchdown during the contest, but they face a very good Cowboys defense, and the Redskins have historically  struggled against Dallas on offense. But Donovan Mcnabb had several opportunities to score. Early in their 3rd quarter, Mcnabb tried two fade passes to rookie wide receiver Anthony Armstrong, and it failed. Even worse, the Redskins couldn't score at all because of failed snap by place holder Josh Bidwell.  Other then that, Mcnabb seems to have very good chemistry with wide receiver Santana Moss and tight end Chris Cooley, and he made some nice throws to other receivers as well. I think this offense should improve over the course of the season, but they will have to score touchdowns if they have any chance to win.

Mcnabb did finished the game with 15 of 32, for 171 yards. Either way, the offense got a big break  because their defense got a turnover and fumble return for a touchdown, the Cowboys committed too many penalties, and horrendous play-calling from Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett. This victory is also great for long suffering Redskins fans, who endure a rough two years. Finally, it is great to see FedEx Field rocking again, and it's a great start to the Mike Shanahan first game as Redskins head coach. This victory will re energized this fanbase that is hungry for change and getting a competitive team on the field.

Next Game: Week 2: Vs. Houston
Time & Network: 4:15 P.M. on CBS
Commentators: Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts


The Redskins face another high powered offensive Texans team led by Matt Schub, Andre Johnson, and rookie standout Aaron Foster. The defense will have their hands full on stopping not only the Texans aerial attack, but on the ground game from Foster. Unlike Dallas, Houston will not abandon their run game if it works to their advantage. However, their defense is still their Achilles heel, and the Redskins can easily get some points on board and try to get the running game going. Let's see how Mike Shanahan orchestrates his offense since he seen a lot of Texans last season since his son Kyle was the offensive coordinator last season.

Season Predictions For 2010

As the 2010 season starts in two days, it was good time for me to post another prediction for the Washington Redskins after watching some of these preseason games. I'm not gonna be one of those crazy Redskins fans who picks them to go to the Super Bowl because we have Mike Shanahan and Donovan Mcnabb, sorry!!  However, I will be as realistic as possible with these predictions. Here is the 2010 schedule with my predictions of their wins (W), and losses (L) on each game.

Sept. 12: vs. Dallas Cowboys (Sunday Night Football) 8:20pm (W)
Sept. 19: vs. Houston Texans: 4:15pm (L)
Sept. 26: at St. Louis Rams :4:05 (W)

Oct. 3: at Philadelphia Eagles : 4:15pm (W)
Oct. 10: vs. Green Bay Packers : 1pm  (L)
Oct. 17: vs. Indianapolis Colts (Sunday Night Football) 8:20pm (L)
Oct. 24: at Chicago Bears : 1pm (L)
Oct. 31: at Detroit Lions: 1pm (W)

Nov. 7: BYE

Nov. 15: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Monday Night Football) : 8:30pm (W)
Nov. 21: at Tennessee Titans : 1pm (L)
Nov. 28: vs. Minnesota Vikings: 1pm  (L)

Dec. 5: N.Y Giants: 1pm (L)
Dec. 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers :1pm (W)
Dec. 19: at Dallas Cowboys: 1pm (L)
Dec. 26: at Jacksonville Jaguars :1pm (W)

Jan. 2: vs. New York Giants: 1pm (W)

As you can see, I think the Redskins main goal should be going 8-8 this season for two reasons. First, not many teams in the NFL go to the playoffs following a 4-12 season. Thomas Boswell from the Washington Post pointed out a good statistical reference for teams switching coaches following a bad season.

"Is there even a chance the Redskins could make the playoffs? Sure, there is. Unfortunately, it's just not much of a chance - less than 20 percent. Since '90, there have been 54 teams that lost 11 or more games, then got a new coach before the next season. How many made the playoff the first year? Ten of 54, or just 19 percent."

So there is a 19% chance that the Redskins make the playoffs this year. That's a pretty low chance, but it can happen. The 2008 Miami Dolphins won the AFC East following a 1-15 season a year ago. The 2008 Atlanta Falcons won the NFC South following their dismal 4-12 record in 2007, and the 1992 San Diego Chargers did the same as well.

However, Boswell then shows another daunting statistic.

"In the last 20 years, 115 NFL teams have changed coaches after the season. Just 17 of them - or 14.9 percent - improved by five wins. That should be sobering. But it gets worse. Of the 17 teams that showed big jumps, how many went backward in the new coach's second season? Answer: 13 of the 17. So prepare yourself. Get your mind right. This is going to take time. Enjoy a respectable losing season or celebrate a .500 year. Call it progress. Don't wake up screaming every time the Redskins lose 23-3." 

I agree with Boswell 100%, and every Redskins should agree with him too. This season is about making progress since they have a lot of new players on the roster this year. There will be games that the Redskins could lose by 10 or 20 points because they playing a brutal schedule. The Redskins will face 11 of their 16 games are against teams that won 8 or more games last year, that includes seven games against teams that had 11 or more wins.  So there could be some weeks that the Redskins have a rough day, and that's okay since they are playing perennial playoff contenders this year and they adjusting to the new schemes on both sides. Also, I think Shanahan is more then capable to lead this team to the playoffs in 2011 because he has done it before in Denver, but I will save that for another time.

Anyway, another reason is that this team had so many issues on both offense and defense last season. The defense was okay, but never created turnovers and making a big stop in the 4th quarter. The offense was just pitiful and non-existent. Despite some free agent acquisitions in the offseason , staying healthy will be a key once again. How long can Mcnabb stay healthy with a sprain ankle he suffered 3 weeks ago? Can the offensive line avoid key injuries? Can the defense successfully transitioned to the 3-4 defense and make big stops in the closing minutes? And how effective the running game will be?

For the Redskins to be a playoff contender, so many things have to go their way, such as the team itself being injury free, Mcnabb making big plays on offense, and the defense still playing at a high level, but creating key turnovers to change the momentum of the game. Either way, this team will be fun to watch and much more competitive then in the last two seasons.

What do you think? How many wins do you see the Redskins winning in 2010? Do you see them making the playoffs, or remain at .500?