1. Amazing job on defense. Yes, it would have helped if Maurice Jones-Drew had played. Rashad Jennings stutter stepped his way to too many holes, so you have to think Jones-Drew would have done more damage. Of course, you could say that about a half-dozen guys on the Redskins’ defense. And here’s the thing: it’s not like there were a lot of huge holes. The Redskins stopped the ground game not just because of who was missing, but because they won a lot of one-on-one battles all over the front. It was everyone. Nose tackle Anthony Bryant did a good job in the middle; had some bad plays but also saw him toss center Brad Meester to the ground en route to the ball. Bryant appeared to hold his ground well. I love Vonnie Holliday, not because he’s great but because he plays with veteran savvy. His leverage is excellent and that allowed him to get off blocks to make plays. He did that on each of the Jaguars’ first two possessions and a couple times later on as well. Holliday always understands his role, where he needs to be and why. Once, he took away a screen with a quick read, sprinting to the back and forcing the ball to go elsewhere. It’s easy to see why he’s lasted this long. CB Phillip Buchanon did a good job, too, especially in coverage. Yes, he got stiff-armed once, but he even made a crisp tackle in the backfield.
The outside ‘backers did a good job of pinching runs back inside, too. Jacksonville was slow to abandon the run; it’s what they do and it was rather windy. The Jags had a lot of open receivers early, yet tried to stay a little more balanced. This would have been a good day for them to use the pass to set up the run. But other factors were in play. Also, the defense prevented Jacksonville from making this a field position game; they kept forcing the Jags to punt from inside their own 40.
2. Also, give a lot of credit to the entire defensive staff. It’s not just about Jim Haslett calling plays, it’s about Steve Jackson getting guys like Macho Harris and Kevin Barnes ready to start at safety. They weren’t perfect but did anyone notice their inexperience? Maybe a few times, but they seemed to do their jobs. Really, that’s all you have to do.
Meanwhile, Haslett was aggressive, hoping to force Garrard into quicker decisions, protecting the secondary from having to cover too long or make too many decisions. Garrard likes to hold onto the ball, so this worked against him. And RB Rashad Jennings struggled in protection time and time again. Just look at the Kevin Barnes interception. Chris Wilson is starting to break free coming up the middle. Jennings is headed that way, but sees Rocky McIntosh coming free through the tackle gap. So Jennings heads that way. Why? MDM: Most dangerous Man. That’s the credo backs must live by in protection and the MDM is the guy coming up the middle. Wilson broke free and pressured Garrard into a horrendous decision.
3. The young kids helped. We can start with Barnes because of the interception. He wasn’t perfect; he flubbed a blitz once, running right past Garrard as if he’d already unloaded the ball. Instead, Garrard had pumped, held the ball then made a big pass downfield. But, cripes, he’s not a big guy and he was playing strong safety and made a couple stops at the line. He would need to get bigger to survive the long haul at this spot, but today he used his quickness to make plays. Harris really didn’t do a whole lot of note – good or bad. But for him it was really avoiding the big negative. Looked like he may have been slowed on a couple routes, frozen by the QB perhaps.
But the guy I was surprised by was Rob Jackson. If nothing else, he looked like someone worth watching down the road – in what role, who knows. But he certainly helped today. His hands were more powerful than I expected; he told us the other day that was his strength as a rusher. But still, it was better than anticipated. He stunned left tackle Eugene Monroe with his hands on one rush. And I know Terrence Austin only caught one pass, but what I liked on the play was his footwork; got the DB spun inside and then came back out. Also, with a little savvy, he even came back a step for the ball. It helped him get open for a key third-down reception. The only way the Redskins had a chance today was to get contributions from the young players. They did. Oh, and I forgot to mention a guy like Keiland Williams, who was not spectacular, but who protected well when he was in the game. Makes a difference. I don’t think the Redskins have a lot of future starters among their young players, but they do have guys who look like they can help.
4. Rex was Rex. No surprise, the quarterback position remains unsettled for the Redskins. After last week I thought the Redskins needed to find a QB of the future in the draft and after this week I think… the Redskins need to draft a QB. Grossman wasn’t helped by Chris Cooley’s four drops, though a couple passes weren’t exactly on target. Grossman said after the game the wind affected the pass that was intercepted in the end zone. We’ll give him that one. But he made several bad decisions throughout the game that could have cost him. It’s what he does. Heck, he threw one pass away that hit a Jaguars defender right in the helmet.
I worry about his athleticism; he’s a small guy so he really needs to be able to get wide and use his legs more, but not sure he has that sort of ability anymore (he had a couple surgeries while in Chicago that changed him). So what we’re seeing is that he’s a good backup. But give him credit on the touchdown drive in the third quarter and into the fourth; he delivered the ball where it needed to be. And it’s amazing how often in this offense a guy like Santana Moss or Cooley can be free in a crucial situation. Moss caught key third-down passes on the touchdown drive; Cooley kept getting free on bootlegs, etc. Twenty of Grossman’s 39 pass attempts went to these two players. Makes you wonder what can happen with consistent quarterback play and a little more talent. The design of these plays often result in opportunities.
By the way, and this really doesn’t fit in this category, but Graham Gano deserves a pat on the back for kicking well in adverse conditions. Making that 48-yarder seemed to calm him. He’s a strong kid mentally, in that he won’t get down from a bad game. But during the game he seems to gather, or lose, momentum with a make or a miss. Today he gathered the momentum.
5. Yes, I know this hurts the Redskins draft position. There are 11 teams with worse records than Washington, so this win could be costly come April. Does it matter? Well, a little bit depending on who might be available. Clearly it would be hard to trade up for Andrew Luck when you have a pick between 12-15. However, if you’re Carolina and you have a new coach who wants a QB – the new guy didn’t draft Jimmy Clausen – then is there any way you trade out of the top spot? Not if this guy is as good as everyone says he is now. So you really don’t know what will happen come April or who will even be in the draft. I’d rather see a team keep winning and adopt a certain mentality. This was a team headed nowhere with a number of guys sidelined with injuries playing on the road the day after Christmas and then going into overtime… and they won. Doesn’t mean they’ll contend next season, but it does mean they have a good mindset. I’d much rather see that than see a team lose. Besides, even if they were 5-10, it’s not like they were guaranteed a top-five pick. There are now seven teams with that record. And keep this in mind: Brian Orakpo was the 13th overall pick.
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