In Defense of Kirk Cousins

I know I said I was done with football articles, and I know it's been a while since I've written anything on here. However with my heart bleeding from the pain us Redskins fans became so used to over the past twenty years I felt the need to break my silence in the aftermath of the gut wrenching 19-10 loss to close out the season.

Here are the facts:

1. Cousins choked in two critical games this year. A win against Carolina would've cemented our standings in the playoffs at the time and given us control of our playoff fate. A win today would've overcome that game but he put up a stinker: throwing two devastating interceptions, the latter of which ended the game and the Redskins season.

2. He is the best quarterback to play for the Redskins since they moved to FedEx field, period. He's 6th all time in passing yardage and passing touchdowns in franchise history, 1st ever to go back to back seasons with 4000+ yards, and third in the NFL in passing yardage this year. He also led five 4th quarter comebacks -six if you want count the Lions game- this season alone. That's four out of the team's eight wins plus the tie. Last year he clinched the division by drubbing the Eagles in Week 16.

3. He is at the bare minimum an average quarterback. Few would disagree with this statement. He isn't Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. He will not win 13 games a year on his arm alone. However, by definition he is better than 15 or 16 other quarterbacks in the NFL. We can win games with Cousins at the helm. He has shown that more often than not he is accurate, capable of letting it fly and makes good decisions. Every now and again he's shown he can be clutch in the 4th quarter.

The Denver Broncos last year showed us that a great defense and mediocre quarterback play is enough to win the Superbowl. Cousins led the NFL's third best offense and the fact is you can do a lot worse than average over 400 yards of offense per game. My only point in writing this is anyone who wants a switch at quarterback is short sighted and can't see the big picture.

The Kansas City Chiefs are 12-4 with a quarterback that threw for 10 less touchdowns and around 1400 less yards than Cousins did. You can win games with competency, not excellence, at the quarterback position. If anything the end of the season gives the Redskins more leverage in paying less money for his services but they would be completely moronic to not try and get an extension at all.

There is no Andrew Luck in this year's draft. There may be a Russell Wilson or a Dak Prescott but there is no way they will perform better than Cousins will next season. The free agents options aside from Tony Romo (who is injury prone and unreliable as a starter at this point) are either garbage or unproven. And I don't need to remind Redskins fans how one season of great quarterbacking means absolutely nothing. See RG3, Nick Foles & Matt Cassel for examples.

As a final note I don't want to diminish the potential Cousins has shown. This is only his 2nd full year as a starter and his first year having gone through the off-season getting all the reps the starter gets. Cousins has similar stats to Matt Ryan, Phillip Rivers, Andrew Luck and Big Ben when you look at their first two years starting. And in general when compared with those four he has more touchdowns, yards and less interceptions in those first two years. Having around eight fourth quarter comebacks/game winning winning drives in his career demonstrates that he has the potential to be clutch under pressure and win games, it's just a matter of if he can do it just a bit more consistently as time goes on.

Ultimately Kirk Cousins is the Redskins best option at quarterback for the next season and moving forward. He provides stability the team can build around and will rarely be the limiting factor in football games, pushing the team to win more often than he holds them back.

Football, Sportswriters and The Stock Market

Stop me if you've heard this one before. X player plays well. Y analyst writes how he's the next incarnation of Jesus. Next week X player doesn't play well. Y analyst writes about how he's worse than Ryan Leaf.

The NFL is unique in terms of sports leagues. If a team loses a game in the NBA, NHL or MLB it's not the end of time. They still have a bagillion more games to play and fluke wins and losses don't usually play a huge factor in their final regular season record. There's only 16 weeks of football and every single game counts. That's why football fans go nuts on Sundays and sports media have so much to say after every single game.

We've seen the Kirk Cousins hype. He played two good games early on in the season and people we're quick to say he's a better quarterback than RG3, that the Redskins are saved and that RG3's career is over. He's now sitting behind RG3 and Colt McCoy on the depth chart.

More recently, as I spend most of football season in Pennsylvania, I saw last week's Eagles game. Quarterback Nick Foles, who led Philadelphia to a solid 5-2 record this year after finishing last season with 27 TDs and only 2 interceptions. Foles has been getting beaten up in recent weeks and went out of the game with a broken clavicle in the first quarter after throwing a touchdown and a pick-6 to keep the score even at 7-7. Enter disgraced ex-Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. He comes and throws a slighty underthrown bomb to Jeremy Maclin for a 74 yard gain on his first play. He finished with two touchdown passes and two interceptions and, more importantly, an Eagles win.

"Sports analysts", even the "good" ones on NFL.com started writing about how Mark Sanchez is reviving his career and how the Jets ruined him. Some say that he's the replacement for Nick Foles and that he's going to lead the Eagles even after Foles is healthy. After 3 quarters of football people want to dethrone the most consistent quarterback Philadelphia has had since Donovan McNabb for a proven turnover machine that even the New York Jets didn't want. For those who forget, Geno Smith has a better career completion percentage than Sanchez, add-in the facts that Sanchez left New York with more turnovers than scores and the fact that he's from USC and you see why these so-called analysts are really quick to jump the gun.

Let's turn now to the news. You ever hear people freaking out on the news because the Dow fell by 7 points or the S&P 500 is down 5 points? Do you know why most investors don't really care? Because they aren't in the stock market for a single day. Regardless of any single day's gains and losses (even the 08 crash took more than an single day) investors are pretty sure that over the long run they will end up with some positive growth. The smart people realize that anything can happen in a single sitting and that they need to observe a stock or fund for an extended period of time before making extreme judgments on it.

Sportswriters and fans are like the people who get extremely upset or happy after watching the day's stock market activity. Too reactive and too stupid to see the big picture. Is anyone questioning Tom Brady's job security now? No. And someone call in me in about 5 weeks after we see what Mark Sanchez's career renaissance looks like. I'm betting nobody will want to see him under-center next season.

The NFL is an extremely complicated sport. Game-planning and learning offenses and defenses are so much more complicated than any other sport. Players need time to develop their mental abilities to catch up to their physical capabilities. Receivers need to know when to break-off their routes and sit in a zone and what their quarterback is expecting of them on every route. The quarterback needs to be able to the read the defense pre-snap, make adjustments and then see what his options are when the play starts. This isn't something that happens overnight. Experience is necessary to become a solid NFL player. Russell Wilson & Andrew Luck are exceptions to the rule but their play is getting even better than their phenomenal rookie seasons with some NFL experience under their belt. Teams, coaches and players take time to develop and a smart fan never reads too much into any single game or even a single season. 

I'll Still Take Kirk Cousins Over Colt McCoy

After two turnovers in the first half Jay Gruden told Colt McCoy he was going to get some playing time today. McCoy played the entire 2nd half and with the team down by one point, lead the team down the field for the game winning field goal. I'm going to tell you why I still want Kirk Cousins to start against Dallas.

I was present at the game today, sitting up high in the nosebleeds at FedEx Field. When you watch a football game on television you don't see any passing plays develop. You can't see the defensive backs and you can't see the wide receivers. When Kirk Cousins lost the fumble he was in the pocket waiting for something to develop and not a single receiver broke open in the 5 seconds he had to throw. Not excusing him completely as he shouldn't have fumbled but if the receivers did their job then Cousins wouldn't have gotten sacked on the play. What I saw on the field today was not a failure of the quarterback to move the offense, but a failure in the play calling and offense as a whole.

Both of Cousins' turnovers were in situations where he had time to throw, but nobody was open. The interception was a classic Cousins throw, dead accurate into the hands of a linebacker. That one proved to be the nail in his coffin and he was benched shortly thereafter. He made a couple nice throws, one under duress to Niles Paul to start off the game and a deep throw on third down to DeSean Jackson. He moved the ball but was never able to score a touchdown in the redzone. He finished 10/16 for 139 with no scores and two turnovers.

Enter Colt McCoy, steps in and throws a 70 yard touchdown to Pierre Garcon. Electrifying, some would say. But that touchdown was 99% Garcon. He ran a simple 6ish yard hitch route and McCoy delivered the ball on time. Any high school quarterback could've make that throw. He didn't even go through a progression, he just started down Garcon and threw the hitch on time. If that exact play is called with Cousins I guarantee Garcon still catches a 70 yard touchdown. Gruden's play calling simplified when McCoy started throwing. A vast majority of his 11 completions were to wide open receivers on really simple routes. Take away the 70 yard touchdown -which only traveled 6 yards in the air- and McCoy's average completion comes out to 5.8 yards. Gruden simplified his play calling and that allowed McCoy to move the ball on the game winning drive.

I'm not saying that Gruden's offense is too complicated or that Cousins couldn't handle it, but rather when the receivers consistently aren't getting open on a consistent basis there's some blame on the coaches as well. Most of the time Gruden would isolate a receiver and have him beat the corner by running a simple timing route. High percentage pass plays make the quarterback more comfortable and get a couple yards. If you get really lucky like McCoy did then they turn into 70 yard touchdowns. This might be why Cousins is 2-1 coming off the bench unprepared but 1-7 as a starter.

The one thing McCoy had over Cousins was evident on three separate plays that didn't work out. People didn't get open so on two occasions McCoy tucked it and ran, and on another he ran away from some pass rushers and threw the ball away. No bone headed turnovers and methodical short passing was enough to win this football game. Could Cousins have led the team back in the 2nd half, absolutely. Would he have thrown an 'accurate interception' on that final drive? Possibly, and that 'possibly' is why Gruden benched Kirk.

I stand by what I said before. Cousins has shown flashes of being an upper echelon quarterback, he just needs to stop turning the ball over. It's a mental hurdle that can get better with experience. He definitely won't be getting over the hump sitting on the bench watching Colt McCoy throw 5 yard out routes. There will be no Superbowl in 2014 for the Washington Redskins and until RG3 is fully healthy I'd rather see Cousins play. Experience will help him get better and the offense is more potent with Cousins at the helm. McCoy had 24 games with Cleveland as the starter before he was written-off. Cousins has 8 scattered games across 3 seasons as the #2 quarterback living in Robert Griffin III's shadow. Give him a fair shot before labeling him as a career backup.

Keep in mind that during this game and the past 3 games where the offense has slowed down, Cousins has gotten zero help from his running game. It's hard enough to play quarterback when you learned the offense as a 2nd stringer during the off-season. That difficulty is significantly amplified when you become a one dimensional offense. The offensive line is decent at pass protection but horrendous at getting a push in the running game. That needs to change before the quarterback does.


Other notes:

• As injury riddled as our defense is they've been playing winnable football over the past few weeks. Holding Seattle and Arizona and only folding after giving the offense plenty of chances to get ahead. 
• Bashaud Breeland is getting better every week and is giving great production for a 4th round draft pick. Our two starting corners are young, physical and good tacklers. A bright spot on a poor team if you will. 
• Tress Way is one a hell of a punter, consistently boots it far and keeps it inside the 20 when he can. 
• This game should've been a rout but when you can't run the ball your offense isn't going to score points. I don't blame Gruden for not giving Morris carries, the line just isn't powerful enough to create running lanes.
• It's Dallas week and while the Cowboys are looking like one of the top teams in the NFL, it's important to note that when the Redskins and Cowboys play it doesn't matter where either team stands. Anything can happen. 

To the Morons Who Want Colt McCoy to Start

Kirk Cousins had a bad day last Sunday, failing to sustain drives and throwing 3 4th quarter interceptions to put the dagger in what was easily a winnable game. Because most NFL fans are short sighted and stupid to apply a hair of logic to a situation I have to write this article to say this: if you believe Colt McCoy is the answer at quarterback until RG3 gets back you are an idiot. Plain and simple.

If the Cleveland Browns, a franchise just as inept as Washington has been over the past decade, releases you after 3 years you are not starting quarterback material. He hasn't played a full season of NFL football in the five years he's been in the league. The most was 13 games in 2011 where he threw for 14 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Not only is McCoy skilled at turning the ball over, he's also been historically terrible at actually generating points. In terms of third string quarterbacks, he's pretty good. Maybe he could come off the bench one day and win you a game, but he isn't a starter. He's had a chance to prove it and he lost it. Both McCoy and Cousins have a good relationship with interceptions and fumbles but at least Cousins also flirts with touchdowns here and there.

Kirk Cousins has shown that he isn't clutch. Aside from the Ravens and Browns game in 2012 Cousins has simply been unable to get the job done. He went 0-3 as a starter in 2013 and he's 0-4 as a starter this year. He puts up gaudy passing numbers but always accompanies them with something that makes us question whether he's really that good. Against Philadelphia he threw a key interception and when he had a chance to redeem himself he threw three straight incompletions to end the game. Against the Giants he destroyed any chance of a comeback with 5 turnovers. Against Seattle he played okay but couldn't move the ball on several chances given to him by the defense. Against Arizona he had a total meltdown with 3 fourth quarter interceptions to end the game.

In my expert opinion as an ex-junior varsity-benchwarmer-quarterback Cousins lacks the mental focus to be a winner. There are three mental elements required to be a successful quarterback:
1. The complete understanding of the offense to where you aren't thinking but rather naturally reacting to what you get from the defense.
2. The ability to shake-off a bad play and throw like it never happened.
3. The ability to ignore high pressure situations and play as if it's any other drive.

In my opinion Cousins has number 1 but lacks either 2, 3 or possibly both. When he messes up he compounds it 100 times more instead of moving on. The "damn I just let my team down with an interception" feeling stays in his mind well after he throws an interception and messes with his ability to naturally read and react to the defense. This results in some pretty ugly looking interceptions at the worst possible times. This has never been a problem with RG3.

This is a fix-able problem and it only gets fixed with experience. He shows great potential, especially for a 4th round pick. With 10 touchdowns in only 5 games he'd be on pace for 32 in a full season, which would be good for #4 in the NFL last year. He needs to get over the mental hurdles and once he does that he will easily be one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Unlike McCoy, Cousins actually shows some ability as a upper-level quarterback who can move the ball well.

Quarterbacks used to develop for years before being thrust into starting duty. Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton & 2012 RG3 are all exceptional athletes who've raised expectations to unreal levels. Alex Smith was a late bloomer and there's nothing saying Cousins won't figure out how to shake off the bad plays. Will he? I have no idea but I sure hope he does. Until then however, he should still be the undisputed starter until RG3 comes back. 

On Kirk Cousins' Performance Against Philly

Last week I wrote an article saying that we need to tap the brakes on the Kirk Cousins bandwagon and actually let him play against a real team before we jump to such conclusions. Well ladies and gentlemen the time to jump is now. Kirk Cousins' performance today was amazing in multiple respects.

So from a basic statistical look he had fantastic numbers: 30/48 (62.5%) 427 Yards 3 TDs and 1 Interception,  numbers we haven't seen in D.C. in a long time. Cousins currently has a 105.8 QB rating which is good for 5th best in the NFL.

A slightly more in depth observation shows that MANY of Cousins' incompletions were right on the money in pressure situations but were forced out by defensive backs or dropped. Cousins rarely missed on his 48 pass attempts. His deep balls were always right there, he didn't overthrow on any long pass attempts. He also wasn't sacked and showed good awareness in both moving around the pocket and getting rid of the football on time, again almost always on the money.

Additionally, Jay Gruden put the team on Cousins' back as the running game was not there as it was against Jacksonville. Alfred Morris averaged 3.3 yards on 22 carries and Cousins was forced to move the ball through the air. He did so admirably, throwing for a whopping 427 yards. It's a lot harder to move the ball when you're one dimensional as the defense has a leg up on what you're going to do. It's hard to run when you can't pass and vice-versa but Cousins showed he can come through when we need him.

The one flaw everyone noticed at the end of the game was that Cousins isn't "clutch". Now this is a hard trait to define statistically or what have you, and is more anecdotal than anything but it's legitimate. It's sort of the like the concept of momentum in a game, hard to define but you know when it's there. With the team down a score Cousins came onto the field with 7 minutes to go in the 4th looking to even out the score. Instead of driving down he threw an interception, it looked like a mis-communication but nonetheless he turned it over. After getting the ball back Cousins lead a scoring drive to bring them to within 3. The defense held strong and got them the ball back on the Eagles' 44 yard line, maybe 9 yards away from field goal range. Cousins threw three straight incompletions to turn the ball over on downs and go on to lose the game by 3 points.

Here's what this means, if Cousins continues to play like this then Jay Gruden can't let RG3 play. The good from Cousins outweighed the bad. It's not a case of who has more upside or who did the team give up 2 first rounders to draft, it's a simple case of don't fix it if it ain't broken. Why would you bench a top 5 NFL quarterback? You simply can't justify it, especially when RG3 hasn't played a full season of NFL football straight through without getting hurt. If Cousins puts up 4 consecutive stinkers after this then we can talk, but at the very least he's earned the opportunity to show what he's capable of this season.

Other notes from the game:

• You can't win when you have 130+ yards in penalties, plain and simple. 
• Special teams gave up a touchdown and missed a field goal. That's -10 points for your team and is the difference in a game that ended 34-37
• Redskins run defense is amazing, giving up less than 25 yards to both Darren Sproles and LeSean McCoy, speedy backs who've burned the Redskins in the past. 
• Chris Baker's hit was dirty and inexcusable, division rival or not, there's no place in football for dirty play like that. 
• The Redskins pass defense was porous to say the least and will be worse off without DeAngelo Hall, who could potentially be out for the season with that torn achilles. Tracy Porter has yet to play because of a messed up hamstring leaving three healthy corners on the roster. They might bring up Chase Minnifield from the practice squad or sign a veteran to fill the void. 
• There's still 13 games left in the season and the way the team played against one of the better teams in the NFC is a good sign looking forward. 

On RG3 and the Redskins Quarterback Situation

So as some may have noticed we are now two weeks into the season and this is my first Redskins article. I found that for the most part my post game reaction pieces were mostly repeating the phrase "run the football" in as many different ways as possible. (Thanks Rashad!) That being said I'm now only going to write every now and then to keep my content fresh and insightful.

So Robert Griffin III got hurt after landing awkwardly on his ankle in the beginning of the Jacksonville game and was carted off the field. We now know that he has a dislocated ankle that won't require surgery and will leave him with the opportunity to return within a matter of weeks. In the meantime Kirk Cousins did an admirable job of stepping in and leading the offense to a massive 41 point finish after the 6 point dud last week.

"Sports analysts" and many fans are extremely impatient and draw way too much from single games. People are now saying that Kirk Cousins is the savior and was better than RG3 all along and that RG3's career is over. Let's be clear, there is no question as to who is the better quarterback, it's RG3. RG3 lead us to the playoffs while only throwing 5 picks the entire season. Then he had his nasty leg injury and spent the entire offseason recovering and played 2013 with a single week of practice under his belt. He had no play-makers at the receiver position besides Pierre Garcon and Jordan Reed, the latter of whom missed plenty of time with injuries. Despite this Griffin put up average numbers in 13 games. Not bad numbers but not great ones either. Matt Stafford, Eli Manning and Joe Flacco all had a similar quarterback rating last season.

 The team as a whole was garbage last year, Griffin didn't fair too well but Kirk Cousins was terrible. The three games he started were enough to make him the least efficient passer in the NFL. RG3 had 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for a ratio of 1.33 to 1 and a completion percentage just a hair above 60%. With the same team Kirk Cousins managed 4 touchdowns, 7 interceptions for a ratio of 0.571 to 1, a completion percentage of 52%, the worst quarterback rating in the NFL and not a single win in his 3 games.

In every game he's started he's turned the ball over until yesterday. He's 2-3 as a starter, both of his wins came against very weak teams that weren't sure if he was going to play that week.

Griffin was playing well in the limited action we saw this year. Last week he was really efficient against the Texans, throwing for 276 yards with a 78% completion percentage. Keep in mind that J.J Watt and the Texans defensive front forced the Redskins to take short 3 step drops for most the game and he didn't have time to throw it deep. RG3 made most of the passes from the pocket and was very accurate. Against Jacksonville, RG3 ran for two first downs, and had a deep bomb to DeSean Jackson that was right on the money but was ruled an incompletion by the incompetent referees. All signs pointed the Redskins offense having a good day until Griffin got hurt.

I'm not trying to bash Kirk Cousins, I love the guy and loved watching him go to work on Sunday. He's a little more polished in terms of being a pocket passer than Griffin because that's how he's played quarterback his whole life. What I'm trying to point out here is that we need to see some consistency from Kirk Cousins, especially against better teams. The evidence of the past 2 seasons shows that Griffin is the better quarterback with more upside and better decision making. Until we see a few more quality games against good defenses there is simply no quarterback situation and Robert Griffin III will be taking snaps as soon as he's healthy again. 

Five Bullets: Redskins Flat Out Suck

1. Special Teams Sucks
The main reasons Kansas City managed to empty out FedEx field by halftime was the shitty play of the entire special teams group. The only guy to be excused is Kai Forbath as he made his 50 yard field goal in the crappy conditions.They gave up two outright touchdowns and set up most of the other Kansas City scores with drives that STARTED in the red zone. Special teams don't have to be good, they just have to not absolutely blow. Special teams gave the offense no shot of winning this game and put the defense in an impossible situation. Not only that, but our kick/punt returners got almost nothing on their returns and the Redskins consistently started with a long field ahead of em. By far the worst part of a horrible team.

2. The Offense Sucks
Sure the weather sucked, but RG3 missed open receivers, was sacked 6 times and Alfred Morris had around 30 rushing yards. So much for top ranked rushing attack in the league. It's hard to stomach, especially after finally drafting the saviour franchise quarterback with 3 picks and winning the division last year. After having a dynamic rushing attack and efficient passing game the offense has receded into an anaemic, turnover prone slug. They can't stay on the field for more than two downs at a time. They score 3 points in the first half, and then score 3 touchdowns in garbage time against the opponent's 2nd string defense only to call it a "close game." 

3. The Defense Sucks
The defense was a known weakness heading into the season. It was the team's hope that draft picks David Amerson, Phillip Thomas and Bacarri Rambo would do something to improve the situation. It didn't really happen. When the defensive line would get pressure, the secondary would let someone get open. When the secondary would cover well, the line wouldn't get any pressure. And when the defense played well the offense wouldn't bother scoring until the defense broke-down. The cap-penalty and lack of a first round draft pick severely hampered the defense's ability to improve but this is the NFL. Thirteen games in and we're sick of making excuses. Play football.

4. Special Teams Sucks. Hard.
Let no one be confused as to how much the Redskins special sucked today. Kansas City had more plays in our territory than we did. Keith Burns has got to go.

5. The Coaching Staff Sucks
I want to make every excuse for Mike Shanahan and I honestly think that firing him will not help our situation, especially when it comes to RG3. I think he needs at least another year in the system to improve and see the accuracy we saw last year. That being said all the news stories in the media are not healthy for the team. Shanahan came and got rid of the media circus but now it's coming back. This isn't good for a growing team and there has to be something wrong in the management of a 3-10 football team that was 10-6 last year. Special teams and the defense have regressed. The Redskins defense used to be a force to be reckoned with until Haslett came along, not saying he is the definite problem as they were heading downwards with Greg Blache, just stating that they have regressed. And for heaven's sake fire Keith Burns. Losing Lorenzo Alexander hurts but one player can't do THAT much damage to your unit. When the offense or defense is struggling special teams can't be adding to the problem.

Looking ahead to next week: I think Atlanta has the same record as us, but they still have Matt Ryan, and so there really shouldn't be much to look forward to. Abandon all hope so that if they win it will be a pleasant surprise, and when they lose you'll have seen it coming.

Bottomline: Bench Robert Griffin III. He is our starter for the future. He is our starter Week 1 next season. That being said he is get whacked. He can't drop back for more that 0.005 seconds before the pocket collapses around him. When the offensive line gives him more than that the receivers can't get open. These past few weeks have not solely been on RG3 and at this point, I want to see Kirk play. Teams will get a look at what they may be trading for and, God-forbid, we may get a win or two.

Five Bullets: Redskins Fall Short in Philly, 24-16

1. RG3's Inconsistency is Costing Games
RG3 finished the 3rd quarter with a measly 60 passing yards. Alfred Morris rushed for more in the 1st half. He finished with under a 50% completion percentage and game sealing interception. He did come alive in the 4th with two big touchdowns and two big two point conversions to bring the game to within 8 points. He drove the team down near the 20 with 40 seconds to go. Third down and one, plenty of time on the clock and the pocket collapses and Griffin throws up a wobbly floater which was easily picked off and stopped the come-back short. One 60 minute game from RG3 is what this team needs to win. No one expected the defense to mend itself overnight and the offense was expected to pick up the slack. RG3 has his moments, but this just isn't his season. Losing Jordan Reed and Leonard Hankerson early on didn't help him either but big players step up when the pressure's on. RG3 did, and then just made a bad decision he's going to have to learn from.

2. Alfred Morris Continues to Shine
You'd think that the Redskins struggles to pass the ball would mean the running game would die down but that just hasn't been the case. Alfred Morris now leads the NFL's number one rushing attack with 155 yds/game. He has been consistent when the rest of his team has not. He makes play after play and doesn't get the love the other superstars get. Lets be fair, without Morris, this is an 0-9 team. He continues to grind away at defenses even when they stack the box, the kid fights and stays humble and is without a doubt the MVP of this offense.

3. Losing Sucks
It's horrible as a fan to have to draft a superstar quarterback, win the division for the first time since 1999 and then go into next season and revert back to the losing ways the poor fans have gotten used to. It's a sick tease and simply painful to watch. No matter how bad the team does they show flashes of the brilliance of last year and you go into each game with a glimmer of hope, that maybe, just maybe, the team can put it together this week. And then you watch and it looks like it's gonna happen only for them to collapse one way or another. From a fan's view, Washington's gotta their stuff together.

4. Mike Shanahan Needs Atleast One More Year
Give the current staff one more season. Jim Haslett knew the secondary was in bad shape and he couldn't do anything about it. The team didn't have a first round draft pick and no cap space to add any difference maker free agents. The unfair and absolutely ridiculous 18 million dollar cap penalty was a huge hit. 18 million is the equivalent of 3-4 quality starters the Redskins could've added. Instead they had scrimp and pick up value free agents, the best of whom is DeAngelo Hall who has been playing lights out for most the season. Give him one full offseason with a healthy RG3, one offseason with a normal salary cap and then see if he can deliver the wins. I believe in Mike and don't think he's the problem.

5. The Defense Buckled Down When They Had To
Sure they got bullied around by Shady McCoy and Nick Foles but they kept McCoy to under 100 yards and Foles to 0 TD passes. They only gave up 24 points which isn't bad considering the state of the defense. Not only that, but after that 3rd quarter score the defense shut down all scoring and gave the offense a chance to comeback. The defense played a winnable game, but when your offense waits untul the 4th quarter to score you aren't going to win football games.

Bottomline: Writing these articles after losses simply blows. That's all.

Looking Ahead to Next Week: The 49ers come to town and after making Josh McCown and Christian Ponder look like pro-bowlers I'm worried that we've going to be the team that Colin Kaepernick finally puts up his insane numbers from last year on. Their defense held the Saints to a measly 23 points so don't have your hopes up.

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. 

Five Bullets: Redskins Show a Pulse, Snag First Win Against Oakland 24-14

With 1/4th of the season gone don't forget to check out the NFL Probability Experiment at the top. This look's like my best week of picks. And if you haven't already, like The Master Debater on facebook by clicking here!

1. The Defense Played Defense

David Amerson's pick six was the turning
point in the game.

Let's not mince words. The Defense won the game in Oakland, not RG3, not Alfred Morris, not Roy Helu and not the offensive line. One touchdown was given up on a blocked punt, the other on a Matt Flynn touchdown pass. That adds up to the defense yielding a mere 7 points. And after David Amerson's pick six the defense netted ZERO points given up. Meaning that all the offense had to to do was cover up the gaffe on the blocked punt and score another point. We needed 8 points from our offense to win, and we got 17. The missed tackles were not as glaring and with 7 sacks the pass rush also improved. However, it's not much considering that we were playing the Raiders without their starting quarterback or top two starting running backs. Frankly, if our defense couldn't absolutely suffocate the handicapped Raiders then there would be no hope of salvaging the season. But zero net points given up, 12 third down stops out of 17 attempts, two turnovers forced and only 74 rushing yards given up to McFadden and Jennings is simply a solid outing for any defense, especially the NFL's worst.

2. Turnovers Are Still A Problem
RG3 had no turnovers, no interceptions, no fumbles. Good to finally see him taking care of the football after three bad games. However, we still turned the ball over twice. Once on a fumble and once on a blocked punt which resulted in a touchdown. Roy Helu fumbled as well but got away with it because the Raiders were offsides. The offense isn't producing points. They had a single good drive in the first half that ended in a field goal. That was it. Three points. Turnovers are not going to help this team win games and if we're gonna beat Dallas in two weeks this has to stop. We're getting demolished by opposing teams and don't need to shoot ourselves in the foot as well.

3. RG3 Continues to Improve
I will continue to preach that everyone needs to give him 4 more games to get back to form. By then RG3 should be the dynamic play-maker we've all grown accustomed to seeing. And I know it isn't a fair comparison considering all the garbage time they've had to play with but RG3 has the most yards and is tied for most touchdown passes among last year's quarterback class. Wilson has 6, Luck and Kaepernick* have 5, Tannehill has 4, and Weeden has 1 and is probably benched for the season. All three have been a little slow to start the season playmaking-wise. Granted Wilson and Tannehill are both undefeated but I'm simply talking from a numbers standpoint. He didn't throw a pick, he slid when he ran, and he had a touchdown pass. It's better than 300 yards, 3 tds 2 ints and a loss.

4. Ryan Kerrigan is a Stud 
In each of the first 4 games the Redskins have played, the defense has been attacked for their horrendous play. Lost in that barrage of hate and mediocrity is Ryan Kerrigan, the guy who plays linebacker opposite Brian Orakpo. He never misses a snap and has constantly pressured the quarterback in every single game this year. If he keeps this up he'll have twenty sacks (he has 5 right now) this season. Something unheard of since Dexter Manley's days in the 80's. Not only that but he's never caught an interception without taking it to the house. Every interception he's had has been for six points. Just an all around solid player. And to think people had us taking Blaine Gabbert in that draft...scary thoughts I tell ya.

5. Playoffs Are Suddenly a Possibility 
Don't get me wrong, the Redskins are not winning the Superbowl this year. Anyone who is says otherwise is one of those delusional Redskins fans that give us a bad rap. But with the NFC East so completely and utterly horrible the Redskins are now tied for 2nd place with the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas remains on top at 2-2 but face Peyton Manning's red hot Broncos next week. A win against Dallas after the bye and we're 2-3 and at the top of the East. If that happens then we're pretty much given a clean slate and a fresh start to the rest of the season as the first three losses won't mean anything.

Bottomline: To be honest, with games against San Diego, Denver, Atlanta, Kansas City (yes the Chiefs are for real), and San Francisco it's simply going to be tough come out on top. All the Redskins need to do is get healthy and focus on being the team that won 7 straight games at the end of last year. And despite all the raucous surrounding the NFC East and RG3 we just need to focus on playing football, one week at a time.

*Kaepernick wasn't in that draft class but emerged the same year so I included him.

Five Bullets: Detroit Gets First Ever Win in D.C. 27-20

I was on a bus for the duration of the game and heard most of it on the radio, so keep that in mind if you read something that you didn't necessarily see in game. 

1. RG3 Continues to Improve
As dynamic as RG3 was last year, he only threw for 20 scores. His 100+ quarterback rating was due to his paltry 5 interceptions thrown during the ENTIRE season. This year RG3 has 4 picks and 2 lost fumbles compared to zero first half touchdown passes. The turnovers are slowing what is already an anemic offense and the Redskins are paying the price in the win column. His passing accuracy is improving, and he is showing some playmaking ability with his legs on scrambles and bootlegs but he still isnt 12' RG3. It is unfair to expect superstar play from this guy. He is a human being. I don't care what he says during press conferences but when you step back out on the football field after being injured the way he's been injured it takes time for your mind to shake off the jitters of getting hurt again. His mind is clouded and scared and it affects his on the field performance. By the second half of the season I'm pretty sure we'll have the old RG3 we all know and love back on the field.

2. The Defense Has Been Stepping Up

D. Hall has scored more TDs in the first half than the
entire Redskins offense this season

Joique Bell was held to 63 rushing yards and the run defense overall was stout. David Akers kicked two very short field goals meaning the defense clamped down in the red-zone. They only gave up three offensive touchdowns while scoring one of their own. The net points given up by the defense was 20, so all the offense had to do was score 21 points or more in 4 quarters to win. Three touchdowns is easy picking for most teams, hell even Brian Hoyer threw for three scores against the Vikings. But as usual we couldn't. Sure Stafford threw for 385 yards, but with our secondary issues that's going to happen; it's an improvement over the 480+ yards Aaron Rodgers threw for last week. Not only that, but they held Detroit to a mere 4-13 on third downs. They gave the offense plenty of chances but they couldn't take advantage. The defense is playing at a winnable level, but only if the offense can put some damn points on the board.

3. The Defense Still Can't Tackle
As much as they have improved from the Eagle's nightmare on Monday Night the defense still can't tackle. This is how big plays and first downs are made against the defense. They still can't seem to wrap up or get hand on some of these ball carriers. Not only that, but there just seems to be so much more open space when the defense is playing. Granted it's been better than the first two games but runners continue to get extra yards simply because people don't know how to tackle. It needs to get fixed, ASAP.

4. The Return Game is Garbage
Every time someone kicks the ball deep into our endzone Chris Thompson or whoever is back returning kicks feels the need to bring out, and get tackled short of the 15. This horrible starting field position is a big reason the offense starts out games insanely slow. Punt returners gain 3 yards and kickoff returners end up behind the 15 yard line. You need the other units of your team to help when others are struggling and, simply put, the return teams have just been digging the sixth foot of the offense's grave.

5. Play-Calling and Penalties Need to Improve
Fifty pass attempts compared to only twenty rushes. The offense needs a spark and the play calling needs to facilitate that. Lets run the god damned read option. Our high flying offense was predicated on play action last year; and as we struggle offensively we continue to take away the one thing that gave our offense life. Establishing the run will make everything easier: shorter third downs, more time of possession, more open passing lanes and less time the defense is on the field. Sometimes the game situation just doesn't allow it, but I want to see more option/pistol plays from this offense.

Bottomline: This is season is looking bleak in terms of playoffs, granted I said the same thing after we beat the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, but it just looks like we're taking too long to get our footing this season. After the bye we face teams like Denver, Chicago, San Fran, Atlanta and San Diego and it just seems like to big a hurdle to overcome after starting our 0-4 or at best 1-3. Not the best bottomline but I hope I'm proven wrong.

Five Bullets: Packers Dismantle Redskins 38-20

As always you can keep up with my NFL Probability Experiment by clicking at the tab on the top or, if you're lazy, by clicking here.

1. RG3 Ain't Playing Like RG3
Sure he had his 2nd consecutive 300 yard game and threw for 3 touchdowns but RG3 only seems to be able to move the ball after the defense decides that they can give up a few touchdowns. His timing is off, his accuracy, albeit a little better than last week, is still downright horrible. He isn't making plays with his feet and his passes are not hitting their mark. While this week was an improvement as his first throw wasn't an interception, he wasn't much better at moving the ball when the game was close. I know I said this last week, but there is nothing we can do but keep playing him. Griffin needs games to get back to form. We were all expecting 2012 pre-injury RG3 to return after a shortened recovery period and no preseason action. It's apparent that that hasn't happened. Keep playing him, make the adjustments and let him find his stride.

2. The O-Line is not Helping
Despite starting the same group as last year the offensive line is not as dominant as it was last season. Most of Alfred Morris's 107 yards came in garbage time (which was the entire 2nd half) and RG3 rarely had time to let his routes develop and he had multiple passes batted down at the line. The best cure for a struggling quarterback is time in the pocket and a strong running game. The line can provide both but has yet to do either.

3. Third Down Conversion Percentage Must Improve
In two games of regular season play the Redskins are an underwhelming 5/21 (23.8%) on converting third downs. Two things happen when you miss third downs: 1. The offense stops moving and gives up the ball. 2. The defense must hurry back onto the field. The defense played a "decent" game in the first quarter, amassing 3 sacks and holding a potent Aaron Rodgers to 10 points. But when the offense kept punting the ball and kept sending the defense out on the field they eventually broke down, giving up nearly 150 rushing yards to Green Bay's backup running back and nearly 500 passing yards to Rodgers. If the Redskins want to win games and score in the first half, they must sustain drives and convert third downs.

4. The Defense is Worse than Last Season

Rodgers Actually Threw 5 TDs but a fluke gave the
Redskins a do-ever on this drive.

The Packers were 4/10 on third down. That's not a bad stat if you're the defense. However, the Packers scored SIX times. That means that Green Bay, at the very least, scored twice without converting, or having faced, a single third down. And that's assuming that they faced one third down each of their other scoring drives which probably didn't happen. Just like last week the defense is missing tackles, taking bad angles, and are no where to be found when a receiver catches the ball leading to huge gains every other play. One would think that with Orakpo back and rookies David Amerson and Bacarri Rambo added to the defense that they would improve but it seems as though they regressed to the absolute worst in the NFL.

5. The Season Isn't Over Just Yet
As terrible as these two games have been there are still 14 games to be played. Granted if any of these trends continue it is likely that we'll be drafting pretty high next year, (but not really since St. Louis currently owns our first rounder). Although you have to figure that talent that won RG3 offensive rookie of the year and went 10-6 last season is still in there somewhere, and when he comes out, we will not be getting blown out in the first two quarters of football. Not to mention the entire NFC East lost today, so we're only one game behind the division title. Hope is not lost...yet.

Bottomline: The past two games have been systemic, complete roster failures. Offense can't score before the 3rd quarter. Defense can't hold teams to under 600 offensive yards. Special Teams can't make a damn field goal. Improvement is inevitable simply because we've hit rock bottom but unless drastic changes are made this week, Matthew Stafford is going to getting me some serious fantasy points next week. 

Five Bullets: Redskins Fall to Eagles 33-26

Going to school 25 minutes away from Lincoln Financial Field meant that I would be living my next four years in Eagles territory. What better way for me set my mark then by watching all the Eagles fans in the room moan as the Redskins rip them apart for the third straight game. Sadly it was I who was embarrassed, so much so that in the 3rd quarter, when Kai Forbath missed the field goal, I threw the remote down and angrily stormed out of the lounge and never came back.

This year I decided to tone down the length of my Redskins articles to 5 bullets on what I took from the game. Hopefully this makes for some quicker reads and a little more substance rather than just game summaries. Also, my stat experiment isn't off to the best start, but I made a new tab just for it! So you can check out the results without searching through blogposts. Without further ado, here are my five bullets from last nights game.

1. First half was nothing but complete ineptitude on all levels

This sums up the day

The defense was giving up a first down every other play. Vick had enough time to go through his progressions twice, look back at the sideline, eat a sandwich, and still complete the ball. Philly ran for some 220+ yards. I could drive a truck through the holes LeSean McCoy ran through. However, they did score a touchdown and buckle down eventually to keep the game competitive. The real story is how bad the offense was. Alfred Morris fumbles on his first carry, RG3 throws a pick on his first pass, Alfred Morris fumbles a pitch which results in a safety, and no scores in the first half. This tired out the defense who just started getting a handle on Vick. Which resulted in 2 more Eagles touchdowns. Even Kai Forbath missed a field goal albeit not in the first half.

2. Robert Griffin III was not comfortable this game. 

Having not seen live action for over 8 months RG3 was bound to be rusty. He was scared, he didn't set his feet, he threw two picks, (that's almost half as many he threw ALL of last season) he barely ran the ball, he missed so many throws I thought it was the other RG3 (Rex Grossman III) out there. Luckily Shanahan kept him in because he needed to play. He started getting a grip on things in the 2nd half, running a little more, hitting more plays, running the no-huddle, and making better throws, albeit against what appeared to be a prevent defense. He finished the game with a respectable stat line, 300+ yards, 2 scores and 2 picks. Not spectacular but not Blaine Gabbert horrendous either. Fear not, he will have a much better game against Green Bay. He just needed to get his bearings back; he hasn't been healthy since last October.

3. The running game wasn't there.

RG3 and Alfred Morris combined for less than 75 rushing yards the whole game, a far cry from the 168 they averaged last year. It was a combination of the Eagles' game planning to stop our rushing attack and the lack of any passing threat from RG3 in the first half that bogged us down. RG3 can be a pocket passer and doesn't the read option but every quarterback needs some help from the running game to keep the passing lanes open.

4. Our defense looked worse than last year

McCoy ran for a whopping 184 yards, a per carry average of 5.9 yards. Vick chipped in with another 54. Vick passed for 200 yards and 2 scores. When we got pressure, the secondary didn't hold up. If the secondary held up, Vick would get 10 minutes to throw the ball. When McCoy ran it, nobody was within 5 yards of him, and when they were, they missed tackles. After letting them score 33 points the defense finally buckled down and had a scoreless quarter and a half, but by then it was too late and our offense couldn't fully catch up.  Run defense was a strong suit last year, and with the return of Orakpo it was only expected to get better. If Eddie Lacey runs like this next Sunday there's no way we can stop Aaron Rodgers.

5. Hop of off Chip Kelly

I'm not saying this because I'm angry we lost but people have been putting too much of an emphasis on Kelly's "fast paced" offense. The reason it worked so well was because it was NEW. Remember when the Redskins had a new offense with RG3 in the mix last year? Totally caught the Saints off-guard and gave us the win. Remember Jim Zorn? He had a new offense and we went 6-2 before everyone figured out how to stop it. Sure he uses the no-huddle a little bit more than others, good for him, but don't call him an NFL coaching guru after one game. Also, Vick played a near perfect game which made his offense succeed, not the other way around.

Bottomline: For Redskins fans, that game was a nightmare to watch but it probably won't get worse than that. RG3 is working his way back into the system and hopefully Brandon Meriwether will be healthy enough to play Sunday. Our defense had flashes of dominance but were on the field way too long to remain effective. Look for all that to change next week as we give the Packers a tough fight if nothing else.

Football is BACK! Skins 22 Titans 21

First off I want to say happy birthday to my blog. I started TheMasterDebater last year on August 4th. Since then I've wrote 41 articles with an estimated 50,000 words. I've also gotten 4500 page views, yay me! Now then, onto football.

Since it's the preseason I'll keep the articles short, no game summaries, only stuff I found to be of value.

I missed the first three overall scores in the game, but after watching the highlights I got caught up. Baccari Rambo thought he could get big hit in Chris Johnson on his touchdown run, but whiffed. And he REALLY whiffed. He looked like a player on madden when you push the hit stick at the wrong time and they just stumble. Welcome to the NFL rookie.

 Defense was mostly solid, Kerrigan and Orakpo both had a sack. David Amerson had a nice pass knock down and was second in tackles. Phillip Merling, a 4th year player vying for Adam Carriker's spot also notched in a sack. The problem was that the defense wasn't always solid, and got caught out of position on two plays and gave up back-to-back two touchdowns.

Rex looked like Rex, missing deep balls and hitting the third stringers on short routes, nothing special. Roy Helu and Evan Royster led the team in rushing with near identical numbers: 13 for 57 yards and 14 for 62 yards respectively. The story of the day was Pat White; from what I remember from his Dolphin days he mostly ran and threw one pass in a game before getting knocked out by Ike Taylor. He never looked sharp or decisive as a passer and was more of a Mike Vick with no arm.

He came to the Redskins as a training camp body to replicate, or attempt to replicate, RG3 so the offense could still get the reps in for the RG3 zone read plays. He was nothing spectacular in practice so I didn't expect much when he came out to play. I was pleasantly surprised.

His numbers are nothing impressive, 5/8 for 31 yards. That's it, no touchdowns and no interceptions. His

Pat White running after a quarterback keeper

decision making was great however. He had two consecutive drops where his throws were dead on target but simply dropped. Had that drive been extended White could've added to his numbers. He also lead the team down the field at the end of the game and at the goal line, looked at his options and ran in the touchdown. He also ran the option once for a nice gain of 15ish yards. Then came the two point try. With two minutes to go both teams just wanted to end the game so Shanahan eschewed the game tying kick. White rolled out to his left looked, looked, and at the last second threw a strike across his body for the 2 points and the win.

He'll have to do a lot more to have a hope of upsetting Rex as the third stringer but he sure is looking like a nice guy to have waiting on the phone should bad go to worse.

Penalties were horrendous but it was the first preseason game. Give the rookies a break.    

Redskins Close Out 2012 Season With Playoff Loss to Seattle

The Game

After four possessions of football in the first quarter the score was 14-0 Redskins. RG3 was on fire with 60+ yards and two touchdowns. Alfred Morris was doing his thing and the defense kept Russell Wilson under control. What looked like a blowout win turned into an old fashioned Redskins loss. On his second touchdown drive RG3 was hit late by a Seattle linebacker. On the radio Doc Walker was furious and called him a "coward" but if you look at the play you realize what Doc was meant. I'll just say it starts with a B and ends with an itch.

Then after throwing his 2nd touchdown RG3 looked like he hurt his knee again and had a slight limp to his step. He get his brace adjusted and leg taped and stayed in the game but RG3 looked more like Donovan McNabb in the pocket. He was inaccurate on many throws, couldn't run and could barely move in the pocket. For the last three quarters of the game he threw for a pitiful 16 yards along with an interception. He was ineffective and his play cost us the game. The defense kept the Redskins lead for as long as it could but eventually broke as the offense couldn't stay on the field for more than three plays. Late in the fourth quarter Will Montgomery threw another bad snap and RG3's knee collapsed in a gruesome way and stayed on the ground without even trying to get the ball. That's how bad he was hurt. He finally came out of the game but it was too little too late as Seattle had a two score lead and could easily play defense when the Redskins could only throw the ball. Seattle won 24-14 for its third straight playoff win against Washington.

Coaching Controversy 

It looks like RG3 has partial tears of ACL and his MCL, the same ACL he tore once before in college. This is a severe blow to Griffin's long term health as it seems unlikely his knee will be the same after all this surgery. The issue is why Mike Shanahan didn't take RG3 out of the game earlier. RG3 told Shanahan that he was hurt and not injured and he could stay in the game. Griffin is 22. He was born in the 90's. So was I. The point is the Griffin is a young football player with a ton of heart. He is a the leader of this football and needs to show it.

Mike Shanahan is the wiser head coach and needs to see what is best for the future of the team and the future of his quarterback. RG3 couldn't run and he wasn't making throws. On an option play RG3 kept it and hopped on one leg for nine yards. On another play he rolled out on a bootleg, had ample time to throw, and when he saw a defender coming right at him he took a sack. The real RG3 would've either sidestepped him or at least gotten rid of the football. After those plays Shanahan HAD to take him out of the game for his own safety. Whether Kirk Cousins could've stepped in an won the game is not even an issue. In all likelihood the Redskins were not winning the superbowl this year, and the future is more important than one game. Despite the fact Cousins has proven he is clutch and can handle pressure situations Shanahan kept a hobbled RG3 in the game it may have cost RG3 his explosive ability. At this point all Redskins fans can hope for is that RG3 makes a recovery in time for next season and can maintain his amazing level of play from when he was healthy.

A Look Back at 2012

Despite a horrible ending to the Redskins 7 game win streak the 2012 season was a major victory for the Redskins franchise and their fans. It all started in April when the Redskins drafted RG3 and Alfred Morris, two perennial all-stars at their positions. They also drafted Keenan Robinson, Kirk Cousins and Richard Crawford, rookies who have excelled when pressed into the line of duty. They also added some depth onto the offensive line with Adam Gettis, Josh LeReibus and Tom Compton. This was a very successful and impact-ful draft class, one of the best in Redskins history and is a solid building block for the playoff contenders the Redskins are about to be.

Our offensive line stayed healthy the entire year and the Redskins were one of the most prolific scoring teams in the league. Only 3 teams scored more touchdowns than the Redskins. They also had the number one rushing attack in the entire league. And rookie Alfred Morris fell second only to all-pro Adrian Peterson in yards and yards per carry, and second only to Arian Foster in rushing touchdowns. RG3 beat Cam Newton's rushing record and scored 8 rushing touchdowns. The Redskins had the least amount of turnovers since 1983 (the year they won their first superbowl) and RG3 threw for meager 5 interceptions, only Tom Brady threw less.

Our rushing defense was one of the best in the league and while the pass defense was a major problems this year, they generated turnovers on a regular basis and finished with an impressive +17 turnover ratio. The returns of Brandon Merriwether, Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker should help the defense next year.

We also found a clutch kicker in Kai Forbath who nailed 17 straight kicks, included a game winner against Baltimore, before knocking one off the uprights against Dallas. He finished the season 17 for 18 and set the record for most consecutive field goals made to start a career. The Redskins finally found an answer to their kicking woes of past.

And, most importantly, we went 10-6, went 5-1 in the division and swept the Cowboys and knocked Dallas out of the playoffs. We won the NFC East and this was a very successful season for the Redskins.

A Look to the Future

Unlike annoying Redskins fans who think we're going to the superbowl after two regular season wins I try to be as realistic as possible. After the Carolina game I wrote that the Redskins were on the verge of another losing season and I was happily proven wrong by their seven game winning streak. In my unprofessional opinion, with the addition of a solid free safety, a corner or two that plays like DeAngelo Hall has these past two games without the attitude, a big play wide receiver to accompany Pierre Garcon, and some depth in the linebacking core, the Redskins will be playoff contenders on regular basis. Give them two offseasons, two drafts and two free agency signings and they will be the team to beat in the NFC East.

Redskins Knock Out Cowboys to Clinch NFC East

I realize I haven't posted in a while and that's because I've had a crappy winter break. I didn't see the Redskins game as I was watching the Chiefs game with my cousins at Arrowhead and after that I got really sick and didn't get better until that following Friday. And I didn't post yesterday because I had to finish up the last of my college applications. Regardless here is my first article of 2013!

After getting torched for four touchdown passes last game, Dallas came into D.C. intent on stopping RG3 and the Redskins high flying passing attack. They were successful, RG3 threw no touchdowns and only had 100 passing yards. The rookie they forgot about however was 6th round running back Alfred Morris. The ground game was all the Redskins needed to sweep their bitter rivals. Alfred Morris amassing a whopping 200 yards and 3 touchdowns all on the ground. Combine that with RG3's 63 yards and one rushing touchdown the Redskins scored every point on the ground.

The Redskins defense was wonderful. Forcing two early Tony Romo interceptions they put the offense in position to do some damage. But all they got was a missed Kai Forbath field goal, his first miss of the year. After the Redskins failed to convert a third down Dallas got the ball back with 3 minutes of football to play and a one score game. The defense got immediate pressure and Romo threw his third pick to back-up linebacker Rob Jackson. The offense closed it out with Alfred Morris's 3rd touchdown run.

This game was historic in that the Redskins have not won the division at all since the new millennium started. The only times they have made the playoffs was as a wild card under the Joe Gibbs regime. Additionally, every time the Redskins DID make the playoffs they were knocked out by the Seattle Seahawks. Always at Qwest field.

This year the Redskins get a chance for revenge as the Seahawks are a mere 3-5 on the road and don't have their famous 12th man for this playoff match up. The Seahawks are the more talented team as their defense is better than the Redskins defense and they have the 3rd best running back in the league and Russell Wilson is on fire right now. It will take a gritty effort to win this game. RG3 can't afford any turnovers against a very opportunistic defense and they need to make every possession count. As Coach Shanahan put it "He gets one miss..." in reference to Kai Forbath. He can't miss anymore, not in the playoffs. This game is a matchup between two of the hottest teams in the NFL and only one will move on to the divisional round.

As the regular season ended here is a summary of the Redskins statistics this season:
Team Stats: 
4th Best scoring team in the NFL
5h Best offense in the NFL
20th Best passing offense in the NFL
Number 1 rushing offense in the NFL
+17 Turnover Ratio (Thats really good!)
Defense numbers aren't so pretty but they are the 5th best rushing defense in the NFL.
21 Interceptions
17/18 on Field Goals (With current field goal team)
5-3 Record both at home and on the road

Individual Stats:
Robert Griffin III:
3200 Pass Yards, 20 TDS, 5 INTS, 102.2 QB Rating
815 Rush Yards, 7 TDS, 6.8 Yards/Carry

Alfred Morris:
1613 Yards (#2 in the NFL), 13 TDS (#2 in the NFL), 4.8 Yards/Carry (#2 in the NFL)

Santana Moss:
573 Yards, 8 TDs

Pierre Garcon:
633 Yards, 4 TDs

Joshua Morgan:
510 Yards, 2 TDs

Leaonard Hankerson:
543 Yards, 3 TDs

Aldrick Robinson:
237 Yards, 3 TDs

The wild card playoff game is going to be televised on FOX at 4:15 P.M. on Sunday.

Cousins & Morris Lead Redskins Past Browns & Giants

Saturday the news broke: No RG3. Sunday would be the Kirk Cousins show and he undoubtedly impressed. I personally hoped for this to happen so RG3 could rest up his knee and be 100% when he played again and everything worked out perfectly. Kyle Shanahan created a magnificent game-plan, easing Cousins into his first start and abusing the Browns desire to stop the run. Cleveland's game plan was simple: stop Alfred Morris and force Cousins to throw to the Browns decent secondary. Kyle Shanahan abused the Browns with naked bootlegs and hard play actions, taking advantage of their aggressive game plan. They finished with 3 rushing and 2 passing touchdowns and only one turnover compared to the Browns two.

Kirk Cousins had more passing yards than RG3 had in any one game this season. He even ran the read option and had the team's longest run of the day. Cousins was decisive and smart with most of his throws, he got off to shaky start, his first completion went to a Browns defensive back, but after that he got into a groove and never looked back. His accuracy was good on most of his throws, he missed a couple due to pressure but overall was sharp, especially for a first round pick. Despite his limited action every analyst agrees that he is at the very least better than Brandon Weeden and Nick Foles, two quarterbacks taken higher than him in the draft.

This is one the most instant impact draft classes the Redskins have ever had. In their rookie seasons
they all lead the NFL in some way. Alfred Morris is 3rd in the league in rushing yards and 4th in touchdowns scored. RG3 has more rushing yards than any quarterback in the league and leads the league in passer rating (104.2). Kirk Cousins has came in in three games and won two out of the three. In the one loss he at least tied the score before losing the game. He also has an above 100 passer rating like RG3. Richard Crawford hasn't done much but had what was a game winning punt return against Baltimore. These rookies are playing hard, making plays and winning games. And right now they sit atop the NFC East.

The Playoff Picture:
 The Giants and Bears both lost and the Redskins won a 5th straight game. They are now "tied" for first  with Dallas and New York but hold the tie breaker between all of them. Seattle holds the 5th wild card spot and may even win the NFC West but then in all probability the 49ers would get the wild card. That leaves one wild card spot open. The best case scenario would be for the Giants to lose one more and the Redskins to win out, this would keep both rivals out of the playoffs.

If they do end up winning the division then their first playoff game would most likely be at home against Seattle. Seattle has knocked the Redskins out of the playoffs the only two times they made it in the last decade and revenge at FedEx Field would be sweet.

What You Want to See:
The Giants and Cowboys losing. (Nothing new)
The Redskins making it 6 games in a row. (They already romped over Philly once)

Captain Kirk Caps a Thrilling Overtime Win Over Baltimore

Kirk Cousins waves to the crowd after the win!

After an explosive first half of offense from both teams the Redskins and Ravens went into half-time with the score 21-14, Ravens. Joe Flacco tore up the secondary for three scores while RG3 had a touchdown pass and Alfred Morris had a touchdown run. A shoot-out in D.C. was in the making...except not. With no other explanation than sheer witchcraft, both defenses stepped up in the second half, turning an offensive showcase into a defensive standoff. The Redskins held the Ravens from scoring in the third quarter and mustered two turnovers, on which the Redskins scored two field goals, narrowing the lead to 20-21.

The fourth quarter came in and neither offense was able to accomplish anything until a long drive engineered by Joe Flacco and Ray Rice culminated in a Rice touchdown run. The ensuing extra point made it 28-20, requiring a two point conversion to tie. The Redskins had all three time-outs and with little under four minutes to play, a touchdown was required, there was no guarantee of a second possession.  

Cue the T.O. crying saying "Thats my quarterback!"

RG3 took 6 plays to get the Redskins 35 yards down the field to their own 40. But it came with a price, after going to the ground Griffin took a jarring hit to his leg, twisting one half with tremendous force and putting all the pressure on his knee. Griffin stayed down and limped off the field as Redskins fans held their breath. In came fellow rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins, who in his only other action threw a 77 yard touchdown but also two interceptions against Atlanta. He gunned the ball to Pierre Garcon but it fell incomplete, thankfully Garcon was interfered with, giving the Redskins a first down. RG3 trotted back onto the field to finish the game. He played four more downs and got the Redskins to the 16 yard line of Baltimore, at which point he fell on all fours and had to be helped off the field. Griffin would not return to the game. 

On his last play Griffin caught a bad snap and hurled it out of bounds, resulting in an intentional grounding call, pushing Kirk Cousins back to the 26 yard line before his first play. With 45 seconds to go Cousins dropped back and gunned the ball to Leonard Hankerson, taking it to the 11 yard line with 36 seconds to go and no more time outs. The next play Cousins dropped back, pump faked, and rolled out to his right and lofted a pass to Pierre Garcon. There were no flags thrown, and the referee raised his hands in the air.

Touchdown. 

The score was now 26-28. The game rested on a successful two point conversion attempt, essentially another touchdown from the two yard line. Cousins dropped back, and pulled it for a quarterback draw -a sheer genius play call by Kyle Shanahan- and he walked into the end-zone. With 29 seconds to go Baltimore got the football back with the score tied. They didn't try anything and headed into overtime. 

He out-ran the whole defense...except the punter

The Redskins lost the opening coin toss and Baltimore got the ball to start. If they scored a touchdown, they win. Miraculously the defense came through, forcing a three and out and a punt on fourth down. The punter nailed a boomer, driving rookie Richard Crawford back to his own twenty to accept the punt. He caught it, made a move, sped down the sideline, then cut it back across the middle. He was gone...until he ran out of gas, he tried to cutback against the punter but got tackled inside the Ravens 25 yard line. Since this was the second possession of the game a field goal would win it for the Redskins. They ran the ball, got an offside penalty and ran it one more time to set up Kai Forbath on the left hash. Third down and on comes the kicker. Forbath was perfect in his NFL career, and hadn't missed a field goal all year. This was a chip shot but everyone knows what pressure has done to Redskins kickers in the past. Unlike them, Forbath had ice running through his veins and drilled the kick down the middle to win the game. 

Final score: 31-28 Redskins

The current playoff picture:

Earlier, I wrote about how this game was the one game the Redskins could afford to lose, and they haven't but at the same still still can't afford another loss. Seattle blew out Arizona, New York blew out New Orleans, and Minnesota edged out Chicago. This makes the two wild card teams both 8-5, the same record as the NFC leading Giants. 

The Redskins are one game behind in the wild card race and a loss by Chicago against Green Bay puts the Redskins in the drivers seat for the wild card seat. Chicago plays a tough one against Green Bay and an injured Jay Cutler (who will still probably play) may not be enough to top a hot Packers team making a nice comeback against the Lions last week. Seattle can easily win out if they keep playing like they are and they have a tie breaker in common games played against the Redskins. Seattle would probably need to lose two out of the next three which isn't likely. Ultimately, Chicago needs to keep losing for the Redskins to claim the wild card.

The alternative is for the Redskins to win the NFC East, which is probably easier than getting the wild card. The Redskins are one game behind the Giants and have the best division record in the NFC East. If the Giants lose to either Atlanta or Baltimore (preferably both) then the Redskins will also be in the drivers seat for the NFC East crown. 

What you want to see on Sunday:

Chicago losing to Green Bay

Seattle losing to Buffalo

New York losing to Atlanta

Redskins beating Cleveland

RG3 surviving for the rest of the season