1. Brian Orakpo came through » The Redskins put Orakpo on the left side only occasionally; they could have done it more but they clearly did it at the right time. RT Alex Barron could not handle Orakpo. Barron doesn’t bend his knees and Orakpo’s ability to roll his hips and get under his pads proved crucial. He drew two holding penalties on Barron because of this and created pressure another time.
2. LaRon Landry is home » Let’s see, 17 tackles seems to mean the switch back to strong safety agrees with him. Landry is a guy who needs to be involved in the action. He was emasculated at free safety (yes, for a while they had no choice). But it’s worth having Reed Doughty back there even temporarily just to keep Landry near the line. Doughty was slow on a couple passes in which he was in good position but failed to break quick enough. But Landry made more than enough plays; and his stop on a crucial third down midway through the fourth (set up by good run support from Byron Westbrook and Orakpo) was key.
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3. Run game » The Redskins running game was spotty, but I doubt they expected a whole lot more from the ground game tonight. Their main challenge was to control the ball and keep Dallas honest so it could use play-action. But eventually the patience and commitment to the run game paid off with a good drive late to consume clock and get a key field goal. The play calling was OK; wasn’t a fan of consecutive fades to Anthony Armstrong. They ran it out of the same formation and Dallas was ready both times. The pass protection was fine, as Clinton Portis did an excellent job picking up blitzes time and again.
4. The Redskins used a lot of looks up front defensively » They used the 3-4 base defense; they used a two-man line which, with the outside ‘backers up on the line, giving it 4-3 principles. That’s where Albert Haynesworth seemed to feel more comfortable. I don’t like him over the nose and tonight, when he played there, he was ineffective. I don’t think he knows how to engage the center in this look because his instinct is to attack. Now, he must hold the gaps and so he simply stands straight up rather than getting into the center and holding ground. He’s strong enough not to get mowed over, but he’s not effective. They used Vonnie Holliday more in the second half in the nickel. Sometimes, Holliday was the only lineman and a few times he rushed standing up.
5. Dallas loves Dez Bryant » Man, the Cowboys went to him in a lot of crucial spots. They didn’t seem to trust that DeAngelo Hall would tackle him, which seemed to be why they ran a lot of the smoke routes to him. He’s a big dude and the Dallas’ players have told writers down there that “he’s a beast.” He was a go-to guy in many situations and once ran away from Hall. Didn’t expect that.
Plus one » Trent Williams. The rookie was fine vs. DeMarcus Ware (who did move around a lot) considering it was his first start and he’s facing arguably the best rusher in the game. Ware set him up beautifully, using a speed rush for much of the early part of the game. It’s exactly what Chris Samuels told him would happen. Then once Williams set on that, Ware started going inside or using his bull rush. It worked. But Williams did show a nastiness with some of his blocks that was evident in camp. He finishes to the whistle and I like that; did it on a screen where he abused safety Gerald Sensabaugh. Got him on another run, too, just driving him downfield until the play ended. The rookie has a lot to learn, but he wasn’t the problem. Also, for those wondering, Kory Lichtensteiger was in the game because Mike Shanahan views him as close to Derrick Dockery. He’s lighter and perhaps a little quicker to reach blitzes. Dock struggles at times in that area, especially on some stunts. Stay tuned to that one.
Plus Two » The Redskins defensive players have always known to strip the ball when there’s a swarm of defenders around a guy. But I’ve seen more guys punching at balls and trying to get the ball out than I have in a while. So it was no surprise that Hall was able to strip the ball from Tashard Choice at the end of the first half. He knew he had help over there so he went at the ball.
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