Studs
WR Jabar Gaffney. I really enjoy watching him run routes, especially against rookie corners who have no clue (Prince Amukamara). Gaffney routinely creates two or three extra yards of space between he and the corner with a good hard step. Gaffney created space with Amukamara on the fourth and 1 in the first quarter by getting into his body then darting out. No push-off; no extension of the arms, but a good route. What I don’t understand is why the Giants played so much zone vs. the Redskins. Gaffney excelled at finding the soft spot all day. And, on his 17-yarder in the third quarter (the second of the two), his plant step caused corner Aaron Ross to back up to the sideline a yard or so while Gaffney cut inside. That, combined with overzealous linebackers biting on play action, is all the Redskins needed. And he drove Corey Webster off in the fourth quarter for a 13-yard grab over the middle.
RG Chris Chester. This was probably his best game of the season, or at least his most consistent. The line in general did its job, opening enough holes to get a steady ground game going. They weren’t great – there were enough plays in which if one more guy had blocked his man it would have been a long run. But they were overall solid and the scheme helped compensate for other flaws. But Chester was good from start to finish. It was probably into the second half before I pinged him for losing a block. Chester helped well in protection. He did a good job pulling. But what he seemed to do very well was working the combination blocks; counted at least three times where he started on the linemen, reached the linebacker and drove him back. On a seven-yard Evan Royster run in the second quarter, Chester blocked Linval Joseph and once C Will Montgomery took over Chester headed for linebacker Chase Blackburn and drove him back. On a four-yard Roy Helu run in the third quarter, Chester again drove into Joseph, standing him up for Montgomery to take over. Then he headed to Blackburn once again. Overall, a good job of moving his feet and showing a little more power than he has in previous games.
FB Darrel Young. I wasn’t going to put him up, but it seemed like every time there was a short yardage situation he came through – as a runner or a blocker. He gained some of his 14 yards on four carries because of the element of surprise. The Giants weren’t expecting him to run, certainly not four times. Jason Pierre-Paul didn’t even try to tackle him as he ran past on a six-yard touchdown. Instead, Pierre-Paul reached at him, then played for an end around as Young reached the end zone. Young made good cuts on his runs. On a third and 1 in the second quarter, his block on Pierre-Paul cleared the final hurdle for Helu to pick up a first down. Young’s blocking was still a little inconsistent. He’s not much of a threat to do anything after the catch. And he blew a block on the opening kickoff. But he was rugged when the Redskins needed him to be.
Notes
…Yeah, no duds. It wasn’t exactly an awesome game by the offense against a bad defense. They managed 300 yards which is OK. They started two drives in New York territory. They managed 23 points. They also held the ball for 35 minutes, which is pretty impressive. The line did a decent job overall, though I wasn’t crazy at all about left tackle Willie Smith or right tackle Tyler Polumbus. Anyone who is a Kyle Shanahan critic should take a look at what they’re doing with what they have. It’s pretty darn impressive. Guess it makes you wonder why they didn’t do better when there was better talent on the field. But it certainly seemed like they were able to get ahead, turn conservative and let the defense dominate. When they have better players they’ve been more aggressive.
…I know Rex Grossman recovered after his first two interceptions to play a strong game, helped by play calls that left him with open targets. On the first interception, yes Santana Moss could have helped with a stronger sales job of a run. He didn’t pause much on his route so corner Corey Webster was barely fooled. Still, the ball was badly underthrown. Grossman throws an inconsistent deep ball, so this is always a tough play to complete. And he needs the receiver to gain more separation.
On the second one, Moss was wide open on an intermediate crossing route. But this is the thing with Grossman: he seems to take the more aggressive route. Safety Kenny Phillips was in a single high and had the inside covered. Eventually he slid behind Gaffney and that’s where he made the pick. Point is, the play wasn’t there. Moss was open. This mindset will never change in Grossman. But you already knew that.
…Should I celebrate Grossman once more putting the interceptions behind him to lead a win? Nope. He’s good at doing this. But the defense and a conservative approach won this game after the early interceptions. Yes, Grossman did some good things. He usually does. Loved his pass to Santana Moss for a 20-yard score. I think the most important thing Grossman did on that play was locate one guy: Amukamara, who badly botched the coverage.
…Do not blame receiver Niles Paul for the sack by Jason Pierre-Paul. Paul’s job on the play: get to the flat as fast as possible. His step inside is supposed to freeze Pierre-Paul if only for a moment, allowing Young to get over for the block. Niles Paul executed this move earlier in the game. He’s not supposed to block the end.
…I like how Kyle Shanahan is trying to help the pass protection with the play calls. The play-action often freezes the linemen’s rush; the end arounds and reverses cause a little hesitation as well.
…Was gonna knock TE Logan Paulsen, but I liked how he helped in protection with his chips. They made a difference. Also, he had a good downfield block on Gaffney’s 16-yard catch and run on third and 17. Without the block, the Redskins are five yards shy of a first down instead of one. But Paulsen still gets shoved back too often in the run game.
…Running back Roy Helu did not have his best game. It wasn’t bad, but it was very ordinary. Mostly, he picked up the yards that were available and misread some holes. There were a number of times in which most of the blocking in front of him was sound, but one player would miss their block preventing a four-yard run from being twice that amount. Perhaps the one that sticks out most occurred with 4 minutes, 22 seconds left in the second quarter on a first and 10 from the Redskins 25-yard line. Helu takes a handoff out of I-formation running left. Darrel Young takes care of linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka. Rather than hit the opening through this gap to the outside, Helu cuts back inside for no gain. Had he cut to the opening, he’s looking at a long run because it was well-blocked.
…Left tackle Willie Smith has a long ways to go. He’ll have a few good plays, but he had issues, whether he was beaten or driven back, on six of the 25 pass sets. Considering his background, that’s to be expected. But let’s not rush out and say he should challenge at right tackle next season. He could use more lower body strength allowing him to anchor. His hands often are too wide, allowing defenders to get into his pads. That’s what Pierre-Paul did on a second and 12 from the Giants’ 39. Smith looked like he was about to hug Pierre-Paul, who quickly gained an advantage. But Helu saved Smith with a strong block. Yes, Smith is having to face elite pass rushers right away; tough to learn in these situations.
But Smith alternated good plays with bad. On a first-down pickup by Young in the second quarter, Smith got to the linebacker and drove him out of the play. There was enough good to keep him off the duds list, but I’m not going to go crazy yet about his potential.
…Right tackle Tyler Polumbus is not in a position to challenge Jammal Brown for a starting job next season. He, too, is pushed back too easy. Another backup type. Nothing wrong with that, but if you want improved play at right tackle and don’t want Brown, you’ll have to look outside this roster.
…Left guard Maurice Hurt played probably his best game. He still makes mistakes and still gives up plays, but he was a little more consistent. Not to the point where he was going in the Studs category, but he stayed out of the Duds list for a change. It’s progress.
… The perception is that the Redskins did a good job on yards after the catch vs. the Giants. Not sure that’s actually the case save for two runs. On 15 receptions, the Redskins gained 46 yards after the catch with 18 coming on two catches. On nine catches, the Redskins got two yards or less after the catch. So the YAC totals remain an issue.
…Gaffney has 134 yards after the catch for the season, which equates to 2.3 yards after each reception. Sunday, he had 13 yards after the catch on six receptions.
…For all the chatter about the three receiver, two-fullback look it wasn’t exactly a common formation. In fact, the Redskins only used this set on three occasions. The first time they tried it, Darrel Young went in motion from a tight slot right to an off-I formation to the left. On this play, the linebackers bit hard on a play-action to the left opening a seam for a 15-yard pass to Gaffney. The next time they ran it, Young did the same thing. This time, Paul took an end around to the right. It’s not as if the Giants were fooled; Jason Pierre-Paul stayed home and the corner came up. Young’s block, and Paul’s jab step inside to freeze Pierre-Paul, enabled him to gain seven yards.
The third time they used three-receivers and a fullback, Young lined up in the Tiger formation to the right. The play resulted in an incompletion. They used the same formation on the next play, but with tight end Logan Paulsen in the game.
…They used I-formation with a tight end 25 times. And they used three receivers and a tight end 18 times.
…Based on reports and talking to insiders, Giants linebackers have struggled all season with their pass drops and it cost them again Sunday. They sold out hard on play-action fakes, but it wasn’t just the fakes. The Redskins created gaps and seams in the coverages by sending the occasional crossing pattern in front of the linebackers. This is how Stallworth wound up catching a 19-yard pass in the first quarter. Santana Moss ran a crossing route in front of LB Jacquain Williams, who, because of it, failed to get necessary depth to force a tougher throw. Moss was a good seven yards from the first down marker. Had Williams dropped a bit more, it’s possible Grossman could have hit Moss and let him run for a first down. With the Giants in quarters coverage, the corner on that side was about eight yards behind the first down line. It looked like if Williams had gotten a little deeper or more inside, that Moss would have been wide open and probably have an easy time getting a first down. Still, you’d always want a throw underneath with an attempt to rally to the ball for a tackle as opposed to an open target beyond the line.
…There were three plays in which Pierre-Paul failed to get off the ball at the snap. The first time occurred on the 20-yard TD pass to Moss. Pierre-Paul doesn’t really move until Grossman receives the ball – in shotgun formation. The outside linebacker pressured Grossman to the inside, beating Willie Smith. Maybe Pierre-Paul did this on purpose to hold the guard and create an inside lane for the tackle. He also ran a stunt to his left on the play. Still, it was odd. The next time it happened was in the second half when Young converted a second and 1 run to the right. Pierre-Paul’s hesitation had no impact on the play. Another time he got off slow he ran a stunt from left end through the middle. Again, it almost seemed tactical rather than just a late get-off.
To subscribe to my Friday email report, click here.
