Just my thoughts on the rather boring 7-6 slug fest with the Buffalo Bills yesterday.
1. Robert Griffin III
All eyes were on RG3 as he made his professional debut. His stat sheet was quite impressive, 4 out of 6 completions for 70 yards and a score to boot, and a near perfect 145.8 QB rating. I'm not impressed and was not expecting to be. Lets go through the details. His first completion was on a short out route to Leonard Hankerson, this is was by no means impressive however, it's a throw that requires timing and is one that any veteran quarterback will hit 9 and half out of 10 times. That drive however ended when Griffin botched a hand-off to 2nd year running back Evan Royster. Royster never got the ball secured and that caused a turnover. While this seems like a Rex Grossman type thing to do Griffin has only been a Redskin since the end of April, and with reps those issues will work themselves out; never have I seen an NFL quarterback fail to master a hand-off. His two deep ins to a wide-open Pierre Garcon were good but again, not impressive. One throw actually made Garcon stop and kept him from getting more yardage. The final screen to Garcon was a 3 yard dump off that Garcon ran into the end-zone again, nothing stellar about a screen pass.
Am I bagging on RG3? Nope, I loved what I saw that day. Mike and Kyle Shanahan are both slowly easing RG3 into the NFL world and their plan is working. You don't see too many rookie quarterbacks looking that comfortable in their NFL debut. My favorite play was RG3's incompletion to converted tight end Niles Paul. He got immediate pressure but stayed calm, made his read and delivered a good ball. If he keeps this up in two or three years Griffin will be solid MVP candidate, an unheard of proposition for a Redskins player in recent years.
2. 1st Team Offensive Line
The 1st team offensive line to start the game consisted of a top 5 draft pick, last years 7th round draft pick, a free agent (Panthers 7th round pick in 2006), a rookie drafted in the 5th round and another free agent. 3 reserves and only two starters. Not much experience either. So obviously the line crumbled and Griffin left the field on a stretcher right? Surprisingly not, as this patchwork line held its own against a rather formidable defensive line including Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus, Griffin was not touched and once the passing game started to flow the linemen opened up some lanes for running back Evan Royster. This should be a good sign of building depth on what has been considered a shallow unit.
3. Brandon Banks
A speedster known for his electrifying returns on punts and kickoffs didn't get an opportunity to showcase either talent yesterday as Lindell's kickoffs went out of the endzone and Moorman's punts were either be fair-caught or let go for touchbacks. Banks needs to establish himself as a receiver that can contribute to the offense in order to make the team. He didn't make the best impression as his timing with the passers was off on many throws and nearly led to a Grossman interception. He got open on a couple of deep routes but passes were under-thrown and Banks was unable to make a play on them. He was targeted 8 times but only managed 2 receptions for a measly 7 yards. Stepping up against the Bears is a must if Banks wants to erase this game from the coach's memory.
4. The Replacement Officials
For those who are unaware there are new zebras out there on the NFL gridiron, in the same way the players needed a new collective bargaining agreement the referees' union also required a renewal. Due to disagreement over the new agreement the old officials we all love and know so well are currently locked out and replacements have been brought and instructed over a 2 month referee boot camp. This could spell trouble for the NFL season if the terrible calls (calling a ball that was downed at the 4 a touchback) and refusal to blow the whistle on time continue this could lead to many games being decided more and more by the zebras rather than the play of each team.
5. Other Odds and Ends
Kirk Cousins had a decent game for a 3rd stringer. I empathize with Cousins as the 3rd string quarterback gets minimal reps and doesn't get a chance to master the playbook or develop chemistry with their fellow players. Sav Rocca's punting scared me, he averaged around 36 yards per punt and dismal punting is not something the Redskins need to bring back. I'm eager to see the kicking competition between Rackers and Gano. Gano has the stronger leg but Rackers is battle tested veteran who has the mental capacity for an NFL kicker.
That about wraps it up for today. Stay tuned for my post about America's failing political system in a few days!
1. Robert Griffin III
All eyes were on RG3 as he made his professional debut. His stat sheet was quite impressive, 4 out of 6 completions for 70 yards and a score to boot, and a near perfect 145.8 QB rating. I'm not impressed and was not expecting to be. Lets go through the details. His first completion was on a short out route to Leonard Hankerson, this is was by no means impressive however, it's a throw that requires timing and is one that any veteran quarterback will hit 9 and half out of 10 times. That drive however ended when Griffin botched a hand-off to 2nd year running back Evan Royster. Royster never got the ball secured and that caused a turnover. While this seems like a Rex Grossman type thing to do Griffin has only been a Redskin since the end of April, and with reps those issues will work themselves out; never have I seen an NFL quarterback fail to master a hand-off. His two deep ins to a wide-open Pierre Garcon were good but again, not impressive. One throw actually made Garcon stop and kept him from getting more yardage. The final screen to Garcon was a 3 yard dump off that Garcon ran into the end-zone again, nothing stellar about a screen pass.
Am I bagging on RG3? Nope, I loved what I saw that day. Mike and Kyle Shanahan are both slowly easing RG3 into the NFL world and their plan is working. You don't see too many rookie quarterbacks looking that comfortable in their NFL debut. My favorite play was RG3's incompletion to converted tight end Niles Paul. He got immediate pressure but stayed calm, made his read and delivered a good ball. If he keeps this up in two or three years Griffin will be solid MVP candidate, an unheard of proposition for a Redskins player in recent years.
2. 1st Team Offensive Line
The 1st team offensive line to start the game consisted of a top 5 draft pick, last years 7th round draft pick, a free agent (Panthers 7th round pick in 2006), a rookie drafted in the 5th round and another free agent. 3 reserves and only two starters. Not much experience either. So obviously the line crumbled and Griffin left the field on a stretcher right? Surprisingly not, as this patchwork line held its own against a rather formidable defensive line including Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus, Griffin was not touched and once the passing game started to flow the linemen opened up some lanes for running back Evan Royster. This should be a good sign of building depth on what has been considered a shallow unit.
3. Brandon Banks
A speedster known for his electrifying returns on punts and kickoffs didn't get an opportunity to showcase either talent yesterday as Lindell's kickoffs went out of the endzone and Moorman's punts were either be fair-caught or let go for touchbacks. Banks needs to establish himself as a receiver that can contribute to the offense in order to make the team. He didn't make the best impression as his timing with the passers was off on many throws and nearly led to a Grossman interception. He got open on a couple of deep routes but passes were under-thrown and Banks was unable to make a play on them. He was targeted 8 times but only managed 2 receptions for a measly 7 yards. Stepping up against the Bears is a must if Banks wants to erase this game from the coach's memory.
4. The Replacement Officials
For those who are unaware there are new zebras out there on the NFL gridiron, in the same way the players needed a new collective bargaining agreement the referees' union also required a renewal. Due to disagreement over the new agreement the old officials we all love and know so well are currently locked out and replacements have been brought and instructed over a 2 month referee boot camp. This could spell trouble for the NFL season if the terrible calls (calling a ball that was downed at the 4 a touchback) and refusal to blow the whistle on time continue this could lead to many games being decided more and more by the zebras rather than the play of each team.
5. Other Odds and Ends
Kirk Cousins had a decent game for a 3rd stringer. I empathize with Cousins as the 3rd string quarterback gets minimal reps and doesn't get a chance to master the playbook or develop chemistry with their fellow players. Sav Rocca's punting scared me, he averaged around 36 yards per punt and dismal punting is not something the Redskins need to bring back. I'm eager to see the kicking competition between Rackers and Gano. Gano has the stronger leg but Rackers is battle tested veteran who has the mental capacity for an NFL kicker.
That about wraps it up for today. Stay tuned for my post about America's failing political system in a few days!
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