1. John Beck certainly did not win the starting job tonight. Yes, his line did not provide him with a lot of help. But Beck’s interception in the end zone is one that will bother the coaches, unlike the one he threw vs. Baltimore. That one, in their minds, was much different; it was like a punt. But this one ruined a scoring drive. Yeah, he was under duress, but he still made a bad throw.
2. Beck appeared to stare down a couple receivers early in the game (one pass was almost intercepted). He threw a sidearm pass on third down over the middle when there was no pressure. In that situation, defensive linemen will sit back and raise their arms; you have to get it over the top. So there were instances when he looked like an inexperienced quarterback. But I did like the patience he showed on a third and 12 pass to Donte Stallworth. There was a heavy rush, but Beck did not flinch. He never looked at the rush, patiently waited for Stallworth to finish his route and connected with him for 16 yards. Beck also had a good back-shoulder toss to rookie Niles Paul.
3. The decision still comes down to this: Do you think Beck will get a lot better with more playing time? If he’s even with Rex Grossman in the coach’s minds, then it stands to reason that Beck is the guy. But there are definitely times when the offense is more fluid with Grossman. But Beck’s athleticism on bootlegs will be invaluable, especially as teams start to diagnose that play more. It would be helpful to have an athletic player to avoid whatever trouble that may cause (of course, if they’re running that well then it won’t matter. Heck, on one play-action tonight, all three Bucs linebackers flew up to the line, opening a lane for an 18-yard strike to Anthony Armstrong).
4. If the Redskins want to win now, they’ll opt for Grossman. The offense seemed fluid with him in control. He will make mistakes, but the Redskins also know he’s capable of big games. Will that be the call? Don’t know. Sometimes you can read between the lines with guys and after the game Mike Shanahan said “it was a little tough out there, a lot of different guys playing.” In other words, some of Beck’s performance could be blamed on other factors. But he kept saying he had to look at film to fully evaluate his play so we’ll see. Neither player scored a knockout.
5. Did not like the game by Washington’s starting offensive line. They were getting handled up front; I’m curious to see what it looks like when watching the game again. But the first impression was that too many guys were getting moved back – by Tampa Bay’s backups. The interior was not sharp; it looked like Kory Lichtensteiger had a tough night, but have to check that out. And it definitely wasn’t just on him as Will Montgomery had a holding penalty (no, one play does not a night make, but it was part ofa trend with the front five). But it looked like Chris Chester was beaten a few times too. This wasn’t a good way to end their preseason.
6. Brandon Banks. Playmaker. He’s been off that bubble for a while now. Yes, fans don’t like when teams punt out of bounds to avoid him. But not every punter is capable of kicking away from guys; that will eventually lead to shanked punts and good field position. The scary thing about Banks? He says he’s still not 100 percent. The big difference? It’s in his cuts; when he’s right that’s where we’ll see the difference. By the way, give Chris Horton a huge assist on that punt return. His block was the final one that cleared the path for Banks. Yes, Horton is on the bubble too. But with Kareem Moore a likely PUP list candidate, that helps his cause.
7. The Redskins must decide if they want to keep seven receivers and only two quarterbacks. If that’s the case, then they’ll keep Niles Paul. He did not stand out in any particular area, but he showed that he’s an all-around help. Not sure he’d help much at receiver for a while, but he can help on special teams. Mike Shanahan has kept two quarterbacks in the past so it’s not out of the question. One Redskins source said Paul might have been the best draft pick in camp this summer. Not sure about that; Jarvis Jenkins was pretty good. But the point was made; they like Paul. How much so? We’ll find out Saturday. My guess: Paul finds a way to stick.
8. Evan Royster had another decent game; as in his first game he ran better the more he was in the game – more decisive cuts later. Royster finally made a guy miss, with a little shake of a defensive back at the line. But for the most part he hasn’t made a lot of defenders miss or broken tackles. And he does not run with the same burst or power as Ryan Torain or the others. Early in the game he went down a little too easily. Still, Royster showed he is capable – and he did a decent job picking up the blitz. That was a question in the coaches minds entering the game. My opinion? He only makes the roster if they keep four running backs.
9. The kicking game has been very good this summer. How about that? Sav Rocca has been a worthy pickup so far; Graham Gano is drilling everything. He’s in a terrific groove and kicking like he was at the end of the 2009 season, when everything was down the middle.
10. The Redskins have good depth at linebacker, particularly on the outside with Lorenzo Alexander and Rob Jackson. Alexander played fast tonight; it could be that he was facing backups and should look faster. But he also is showing the impact of his offseason work and that he is more comfortable in the system. He’s looked fast in other games this summer too. And Jackson has cut out a lot of wasted footwork, making him a more effective rusher. Again, vs. backups. But it’s a start. Also like Markus White a lot, but over who? He’s still a raw player in terms of his overall game, but he’s definitely worth developing on the practice squad.
