Five Bullets: Redskins Collapse in 2nd Half and Lose 45-21

This is my first draft but I don't have the time to proof it today so bear with the mistakes, they'll be gone tomorrow. 

1. Kyle Shanahan had a Horrible 2nd Half
RG3 ran for 7 yards the whole game. Why? Because Alfred Morris nearly had 100 yards in the first half. The offense got a couple first downs but failed to finish drives until a Broncos punt gave the Redskins the ball at their own 5. One sustained drive later the Redskins had the game tied at 7. Two turnovers later the Redskins are sitting pretty at 21-7. Inexplicably, at this point Kyle Shanahan decides to abandon the team's most productive offensive player as Alfred Morris got maybe one or two carries in the entire 2nd half. This lead to quick, successive punts which put a tired defense out against the absolute best quarterback in the league this year. The play calling abandoned what worked in the 1st half. Combine that with RG3's poor decision making and inaccuracy lead to some 38 unanswered points by Denver and another loss on the record books.

2. Robert Griffin III Needs to Improve His Vision
There were many times in the game where one of two things happened. Either receivers were wide open on a play and RG3 just didn't see it, despite ample time in the pocket. Or he found them but threw it late, or made a horrible throw. He finished the game with a 50% completion percentage, less than 150 yards passing and 1 touchdown compared to two interceptions. He needs to get the ball out quicker, and see the field better. Vision is a hard thing to coach and it's usually one of those things where if you have it you have it and if you don't you don't. Last year I was impressed by his ability to go through his progressions but he just isn't doing that this year. I don't know what it is but he has got to fix it. And he lost another fumble this week. Not even close to the amazing player we saw last year. Lets see how he responds in Week 8, the original deadline I had set for 2012 RG3 to return.

3. The Defense Played a Winnable Game
Jim Hasslet's group, starting without their top two safeties, were faced with the enormous task of fending off the record shattering Bronco's offense. Everyone predicted a massive shootout but through sound tackling and a little luck, the defense only gave up 7 points in the first half. Holding Peyton Manning 13' to a single score in two quarters is an amazing win for any defense. To top it off they got two turnovers, returning one for a touchdown and setting up the other one close enough for the offense to finish up the job. The defense made this a 21-7 game and needed some rest. The offense failed to match the defense's tremendous effort.

4. Special Teams Played a Winnable Game
I've been ripping on Keith Burns and the Redskins special teams over the past few games and expected a train wreck against Trindon Holliday. I was happily proved wrong as he was held to a mere two returns. One punt return and one kick off return. He got 10 on the punt and 30 on the kick off. Nothing too bad. There was one mishap as Sav Rocca shanked a punt for 15 yards giving the Broncos the ball inside their own 30. That wouldn't have happened if the offense could just do their job.

5. The Redskins are an Interesting Bad Team
Our record indicates we suck. The tape also indicates we suck. However, this team's success is directly proportional to RG3's success. If he plays well, we're always in the running to win games. If he sucks, we're probably going to lose. Our 2-5 record this year is solid evidence of that. These past three games have all been winnable, unlike the first few games. If RG3 can pick up his game then this team can easily turn around and finish the season 8-8. The receivers also need to catch the few good balls that come their way. Drops are not the best way to help a struggling quarterback. But our success really depends on one player who has the potential to be a superstar. If he turns it around, so does the team.

Bottomline: No one really expected the Redskins to win this game but when games are in reach they need to finish and win. Many are already looking to next season, with another draft and an extra 18 million in salary cap this team can really build what is an already a pretty solid roster. Unlike other bad teams we don't need to rebuild, a key player here and there can transform this team. That is the benefit of sticking with Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen these past few years. Look alive Redskins fans!

Looking Ahead to Next Week: The formula is pretty much the same as Phillip Rivers has been playing great and is coming off a bye. The Charger's 6th ranked passing offense is going to be a challenge but the defense and especially DeAngelo Hall continue playing at the level they have any game is winnable. It simply depends on if the offense is going to show up or not.

Five Bullets: Redskins Top Bears in Wild Shoot-Out

This edition of Five Bullets is the first with a new Looking Ahead to Next Week section! 

1. Robert Griffin III is Back!
I've been saying this for a while now, give the man until week 8 and we'll start seeing the old RG3 again. Seventy seven rushing yards last week was just a teaser as his passing game didn't match the success of his legs. Things changed this week as RG3 showcased the talent and accuracy that won him Offensive rookie of the year last year. He did have one bad throw where he didn't see Charles Tillman sitting at the end of Hankerson's crossing route but that was about it. He finishing with almost 300 yards with 2 passing touchdowns, coupled with 84 rushing yards on the ground. This is vintage RG3 and something the Redskins need to continue to win games with a porous defense. Looks like RG3 is back and only going to continue getting better from here. The Redskins also controlled RG3's throws with only 29 pass plays compared to 42 rushing attempts. If the success on the ground continues, big things are in store for this offense.

2. Special Teams are the Epitome of Inept
Special teams gave Dallas two touchdowns last week and another this week on a long punt return to Devin Hester. Not only is the punt coverage horrible with sloppy tackling, the return game does nothing either. The Redskins did not field a punt and had three kickoff returns with an average of 17 yards and kept the Redskins inside the 20 on those three returns. Kick coverage wasn't as bad, mostly because Kai Forbath's kicks either went out of the end zone or were squibs. The Redskins didn't have these problems when Danny Smith was here, and I'm sure fans across the country are missing him right now.

3. Jordan Reed is the MAN
Jordan Reed had amazing game with 9 catches on 9 targets for 138 yards and a score. He even came through with clutch 3rd down conversions and is quickly becoming RG3's go to safety blanket. After yesterday's game I think it's clear the Redskins will not be resigning Fred Davis to a long term deal, as he has been outplayed by the 3rd round rookie in pretty much every game this year. A quick comparison:

Jordan Reed: 26 Catches 298 Yds. Avg. 11.5 Yds. and 2 TDs
Fred Davis: 3 Catches 25 Yds. Avg. 8.3 Yds and 0 TDs

Barring  a miracle comeback in the 2nd half of the season Fred Davis seems to be out of the Redskins long term plans. Jordan Reed, if he continues to develop, can easily be a Rob Gronkowski or Aaron Hernandez type player on the field.

4. Defense was Inconsistent
The Redskins defense played about six quarters of solid defense, only to fall apart in the 2nd half against the Josh McCown led Bears. After yielding 46 offensive yards in the first half they gave up a whopping 300 in the 2nd, along with 24 points in the 2nd half. They played well enough to win, only because the offensive was on fire with 5 touchdowns. But giving up over 40 points a game is not a recipe for consistent success, especially not against Peyton Manning's Broncos next week, who would've won that game had Ronnie Hillman not fumbled at the goalline.

5.Roy Helu is the perfect complement to Alfred Morris
With 41 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on 11 carries Helu didn't get the workload of a starter, with most of the running done by Alfred Morris, but his speed, quickness and pass catching ability is a perfect complement to Alfred Morris' tough, downhill running. Helu improved as coaches gave him more opportunities on the ground, instead of just utilizing him in passing situations as they did in previous weeks. If Helu can continue being a consistent and reliable runner/catcher out the backfield then the Redskins will have a dangerous and complete rushing attack to supplant a recovered RG3.

Bottomline: RG3's awakening has made Redskins football fun to watch again in D.C. and the defense has been playing well enough to win games. If special teams can get their act together look for the Redskins to make a comeback in the NFC East.

Looking to Next Week: Next week's matchup will be the toughest of the season, especially with Denver coming off it's first loss. Expect Peyton Manning to be firing on all cylinders which should lead to another shoot out for RG3 and company. The offense and defense will be pushed to their limits by a solid 6-1 Denver team and any special teams mistakes will blow any chance, however small, the Redskins have of going on their first winning streak of 2013.

Five Bullets: Redskins Fall to 1-4 with 16-31 Loss at Dallas

1. Robert Griffin III Cost Us The Game
I've been continuously saying that by Week 8 RG3 will be back to his normal self. For the first half I thought he was. He moved like his old self, moved well in and out of the pocket, and had the offense moving down the field. More importantly he was running with the quickness we haven't seen since 2012. He finished with 77 yards on 9 carriers for a solid average of 8.6 yards. Those are RG3 numbers from last year. So why didn't the Redskins beat the Cowboys for the third straight time in a row? Inconsistency. RG3 fumbled twice in the game, losing one inside our own 5 yard line and costing us a score. Not only that, he had the team driving down the field only to throw an ugly interception on what appeared to be a miscommunication between Santana Moss and RG3. That pick sealed the game and the Cowboys were able to close it out with three minutes left.

RG3 was also making some very errant throws, missing receivers and throwing it 10 yards over their heads. He threw a couple of ducks and that's something I've never seen from anyone with RG3's arm strength. He didn't set his feet on some throws and he didn't ever looks like he was stepping into his throws either. The zip on a good throw comes from good footwork and from properly shifting your body weight by stepping into the throw. For whatever reason RG3 hasn't been doing that and its been costing him competitions. His pocket awareness is virtually nonexistent. On Sunday night he was moving well in the pocket but he had no sense of when to get rid of the ball. If you are sitting in the pocket for 7 seconds and still can't find an open guy you tuck it and RUN. Plain and simple. Quarterbacks should have a natural time-bomb in their head which should alert them to when the ball should be out by. RG3 seemed to lose sense of how much time he had and took some costly sacks, one of which lead to the aforementioned lost fumble. RG3 needs to be more aware of the pocket, step into his throws, and for heaven's sake stop fumbling. (Of all players since 2012 RG3 has the most fumbles in the entire league)

2. Receivers Did Not Get Open
Props to Dallas' secondary for completely shutting our receivers down when it mattered. No one was able to beat press coverage or take advantage of one of one matchups. It's shameful when the quarterback has over five seconds to throw the football and he can't find a single receiver open. Pierre Garcon can't do it himself, and even he had a couple drops in the game. When the quarterback isn't playing his best the receiving core must step up and help him out.

3. Special Teams was Downright Horrible
I was upset when longtime special teams coach Danny Smith left for Pittsburgh. When he was here special teams weren't a problem. They did what they had to do and got off the field. This year, special teams are costing us games. One missed field goal and two huge punt and kickoff returns set up two easy Dallas touchdowns. The game was close and special teams gaffes gave the Cowboys a comfy lead. And I mean gave, it's one thing if they march down the field and score and earn it, but we just handed it to them on a silver platter. If special teams play doesn't improve we aren't going to be winning many any more games.

4. Defense was Absolutely SOLID
Let's remember that this Dallas team dropped 48 points on the Denver Broncos last weak and is one of the top offenses in the league. Dallas scored 31 points. One was a special teams touchdown so the defense took no part in that. They essentially gave up 24 points in the game. Which is remarkable considering that on two of those 3 given up touchdowns Dallas STARTED their drives in the redzone. The defense stuffed Dallas's running game holding them to under 40 yards. They held Romo to one touchdown pass and rectified it with an interception. DeAngelo Hall balled out against Dez Bryant and saved a touchdown on a play where his assignment was to cover the flat and let the receiver go. If the defense continues this high level of play we are going to be in good shape.

5. Coaches Need to Embrace the No-Huddle.
If I'm Mike Shanahan I'm spending practice teaching Robert how to run the no-huddle. It's when our offense is at our best and when we can really move the ball. A couple no-huddle drives every half should help inject some life into our low scoring offense.

Bottomline: As much as I'm bashing the team this game was improvement. I thought we were going to comeback until RG3's last pick, unlike previous games when we were done by the 1st half. RG3 needs to stop turning the ball over and start making better throws. Special teams needs to keep returners on their half of the 50 and the defense needs to continue their level of play and we can win games. I'm not even going to bother talking about playoffs. 

Three Problems With Congress

It's funny how putting 435 "leaders" in a room together and telling them to fix ONE problem by October 1st doesn't seem to work. I mean come on, isn't that why we're herded into groups of four and told to make a poster in high school? That's what they told us, no matter what job you get when you're older you need to learn how to work with people; you have to compromise, communicate and get stuff done. So you'd think 435 ivy league educated smarties would be well suited to the task, because to get into those ivy leagues you need to be a 'leader' and such. Apparently not, as even Miley Cyrus's infamous wrecking ball videos have a higher approval rating than congress' lowly 10%.

So what's the problem? Well three things are really holding up the operations on Capitol Hill, not counting the whole government shutdown deal: political parties, riders and a metaphorical rod up everyone's behind. 

Political parties are the bane of an efficient political system. The most basic tenet of democracy is voting. You vote for what you believe in and the majority wins. In a representative democracy you vote for people who best represent you. Political parties seemingly streamline that last part. Democrat or republican; you're one or the other. Does anyone else see the problem with trying to compartmentalize 300 million peoples' political views into two groups? It's like telling the world to pick one type of pizza: meat-lovers or veggie supreme. Everyone decides to pick one or the other even though most would enjoy some banana peppers with their chicken pizza. It's stupid beyond reason and exactly why George Washington didn't want our government to form said political parties. People are forced to side with democrats or republicans if they want to have a say. Since 1776 there have ZERO independent presidents. As of today there are ZERO independent representatives in the house and a whopping two in the senate. If you want your vote to count you better vote democrat or republican. Most often it comes down to picking the lesser of two evils. How do we fix this problem? Dissolve all political parties and make voting anonymous. No more house and senate whips, no more log rolling, no more trading favors, and no more filibusters. Let each individual vote on the merits of the bill instead of voting for or against the party that proposed it. And once a bill passes you deal with the result. My dad is currently sitting on the couch watching T.V. instead of working because republicans are upset Obamacare passed and can't deal with it, which transitions nicely into my next point about riders.

So what's a rider? It's an attachment to a bill that literally has nothing to do with the bill. Let's say I draft a bill

"NO I WONT PASS A BUDGET,
NO NO NO NO!"

saying that gambling is illegal for people under 18. I send it to the house and I get it back approved, but all of the sudden the bill says "gambling is illegal for people under 18...AND we're going to raise taxes by 2% to help fund a bridge in Montana." That last part of the bill is called a rider and it happens all the time. More recently there was a budget proposed in the house that would have stopped any thought of a government shutdown. Why didn't it pass through the senate? Because house republicans put a rider on the bill to handicap Obamacare. The democratic senate didn't like that and sent the bill back and here we are today. You see the two problems? One is the rider on the bill and the second is a republican house and a democratic senate. This 5 star recipe for not getting shit done has proven to be one of the best as Congress suffers its lowest approval ratings...ever. It should be common sense that when you vote on a budget bill it should only be about the budget, nothing else. But these "leaders" must know what they're doing, since they're so educated and such right?

Now for the metaphorical rod, it seems like the mentality isn't even to form a solution but rather to "win." Instead, congress is yapping away at the taxpayers' expense, blaming one another for the budget crisis while families on WIC don't get a check because nobody is getting paid to send them out. The debate over Obamacare is simple: Republicans are arguing that Obamacare is evil and will destroy small businesses, while democrats say this makes healthcare more affordable and gives more Americans access to a necessity. Yes, taxes don't help the economy, but the majority of taxes are coming from the wealthiest Americans and large corporations. Instead of solving the budget issue and keeping $200 million from going down the toilet everyday the government is shutdown because republicans decide they don't want Obamacare to take effect even though the majority voted for it. It's like a whiny 5 year old who can't figure out how to beat a game at the arcade, and instead of trying to figure it out just smashes the game to bits so no one else can play either. It's so miserably sad, to have that one job, to be in session and working and failing to accomplish it. Now instead of working together with all the brilliant minds on capitol hill congress has shut the damn government down. I have a solution, fill any budget deficits with a percentage of congressional pay. Each day those bumbling morons fail to pass a budget increase that percentage by 10%. If they go over 10 days make them sell their summer homes and keep paying. Bet you the government will be open for business bright and early tomorrow.

In conclusion there are a couple of things to get from this article. My sarcasm with the word leader which all the more increases my distaste of why it's so favorable on college applications, and my constant repetition of the phrase common sense, which is something all these people, in the most powerful government in the world, lack. The refusal of congress and government to follow basic LOGIC is beyond me and really frustrating. All I ask of you people who supposedly "represent" the citizens of this country is to stop your little teenage girl hissy-fits for two minutes so my dad can go back to work. Thanks.

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