Still, Redskins refuse to put a lot of stock into blowout victory
The win — and the number of points that went with it — didn’t faze most of the Redskins’ principal players. They understood what Friday’s 42-17 win over Buffalo meant: nothing. OK, it meant a little something. But in the big picture?
“It’s preseason, but you can’t toot your horn too much about preseason,” Redskins receiver Santana Moss said. “But we wanted to come out and get something done.”
Said Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall: “You don’t put too much stock into it.”
Maybe not, but there are things you can learn.
Five observations from the game:
Brandon Banks is fast » Couldn’t you tell? The Bills did a poor job covering the outside, perhaps underestimating his speed. That won’t happen again. Banks received good blocks, but once he sniffed the corner, he was gone. Banks is the smallest guy on the roster and would be one of the tiniest in the league, but he has difference-making speed. He would be a long shot to help much at receiver, but as a returner? It would be hard to let him go, but he still has more to prove.
Albert Haynesworth still can dominate » Think the Bills knew he was on the field? His first three plays: double-teamed, freeing up Perry Riley to hit the quarterback on a blitz; splits a double team to pressure the quarterback; and drives the guard into the backfield for more pressure. As an end, he did appear to hit the wrong hole once, arriving at the same spot as Riley. That will lead to long runs. But overall Haynesworth did what he does best: disrupt.
The Redskins still need work at left outside linebacker » They’re not getting much of a rush from this spot, whether it was Friday night or in practice. Andre Carter is still learning to play upright, and that sometimes means his knees aren’t bent as much as desired. And that means a loss of explosion. Carter also was fooled on a run on which he got caught too far inside. These issues can be overcome, but they also bear watching.
The offensive line depth is questionable » The worst unit on the field was the second offensive line. Edwin Williams is excused because he actually played well. But right tackle Clint Oldenburg, right guard Chad Rinehart and left tackle Will Robinson all struggled. Robinson’s feet got crossed up several times, Rinehart was shoved into the backfield way too often and Oldenburg just all-around struggled, especially with his hands.
Rookie Trent Williams fared well » He wasn’t flawless, but he played a solid first game. His initial punch was excellent, and he made nice blocks on the move. However, there were a couple times when he had to zone block to his right and the defender controlled him. The first line was pretty good, though right guard Artis Hicks struggled again. His hands just are slow, a problem for a long-armed guard. When he got his hands inside the defender, he would win. But when he didn’t, he struggled, and it’s harder for him to recover than the others.
