The Redskins do have an offensive pulse » The play-calling was aggressive vs. New Orleans, but the play designs were good, too. The game plan called for a lot of misdirection, via motion and play fakes. It was a smart scheme. But the play-calling also was good, as it got a lot of players involved. It’s too bad the Redskins didn’t demand from the start that Jim Zorn focus on being a head coach rather than also calling plays. But it also helps that players such as Devin Thomas and Fred Davis are maturing.
Marcus Mason is not a short-yardage back » Though he runs hard, he has not broken tackles or made defenders miss. He’s better on earlier downs when teams don’t know if the Redskins will run the ball. On two of his runs in the red zone early in the fourth quarter, Mason appeared to cut too soon or run too wide, leading to stops. Granted, plays occur even faster in this area. But the proper cut in either case would have resulted in a first down and, perhaps, a touchdown instead of a field goal.
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The defensive line had one of its best games against the run this season » Kedric Golston was excellent, particularly at getting penetration in short-yardage situations. But the ends also did a good job of holding the edge. And the safeties came down hard when needed. Washington stayed in the game because it could stop the run with mostly a seven-man front. Had the line not done its job, New Orleans would have run away with the game early.
The double move is effective » No kidding. Who would have thought New Orleans might, you know, try it again? The Redskins need to be much more disciplined in the secondary. The funny thing is, the defensive back who is ultra aggressive at going after interceptions — DeAngelo Hall — rarely gets beat by double moves. So aggressiveness is not an excuse.
