A whole long list of losers after the 23-0 loss to Baltimore Thursday. Not all was lost; it just felt that way.
Winners
RT Mike Williams. Was not awesome, but was fairly consistent. Maybe he looked better because the linemen he played with did not look that sharp. He was moved back in one pass set, again because of hand placement. But he looked pretty strong in the run game and even got to the linebackers on occasion, something most of his linemates can not say.
QB Todd Collins. Just looks much sharper than Colt Brennan at this point. There’s no real race for No. 2. Collins one questionable throw came when he could not step into the throw because the pocket had been shoved back to his face. He was helped by a nice Malcolm Kelly grab over the middle, but Kelly could have sustained an earlier drive with a better catch and run on third and six.
DT Lorenzo Alexander. Played fast.
DE Brian Orakpo. At linebacker he has a lot to learn about diagnosing plays and being more consistent against the run. But he showed his burst at end. On one play, the back chipped him before going out and the guard helped out against him. Yet Orakpo still nearly got through. He also applied pressure on a stunt up the middle, showing economical footwork; no wasted steps and that’s why he forced a hurried throw.
DT Cornelius Griffin. Looked strong when facing one-on-one blocking.
CB DeAngelo Hall. Had a nice pass defense at the goal-line.
DT Antonio Dixon. Has no real shot to make the roster, but did a nice job with his technique in the second half, getting under the pads of the lineman and making himself noticed. More nights like that and the practice squad beckons.
Starting DEs. Andre Carter batted a pass, played the run well (when facing a tight end) and caused some havoc. Phillip Daniels showed his strength on one run to the right side. Todd Heap tried to block him, but he simply moved Heap back to where the runner was headed, got off the block and made the play. Hard to block him with a tight end. Real hard.
Losers
LT Devin Clark. He showed the same things he had in practice, an inability to pass protect and not much of a run blocker. He also had a false start, another common issue with him. They have no backup LT on the roster.
TE Fred Davis. Two fumbles on two catches? Wow. He was better as a blocker than he was as a receiver.
WR Marques Hagans. Dropped an easy pass on a crossing route, the sort designed to use his speed.
CB Justin Tryon. After good practices the first two weeks he reverted to his rookie ways. However, don’t be fooled by all the early hype: the one area he has struggled in practice was covering in the slot. He had problems there last night as well. Yes, he faced bigger receivers, but that’s who he’ll face often this year. He’s not physical enough to play here. And this is an area where Washington will sorely miss Shawn Springs.
FS Fred Smoot. The Redskins are experimenting to see if he could play here at times. But he showed that he has a ways to go, particularly on his angles to the ballcarrier.
RG Chad Rinehart. Does not yet do a good job on combo blocks and struggles to get to the linebackers. Got shoved back into the QB’s face by a backup DL on one pass set. Got moved around on others. He wasn’t completely awful, but he needs to show more if they’re trusting him to be the primary backup guard.
RT Stephon Heyer. He was OK in pass sets, but his run blocking continues to be an issue. Last season he too often failed to get to the linebackers and that prevented cutback lanes to his side. He still needs to improve in this area. And when he gets there, he has to drive his man back. He did not. He got beat inside on one rush, but Mike Sellers was there to help.
DE Renaldo Wynn. He’s looked fast in practices, but he did not do a whole lot Thursday against a linemen others had beaten. Other ends looked better at times, even Alex Buzbee flashed thanks to good technique. Part of it is, we expected a little more based on how he’s practiced.
DE Rob Jackson. Did nothing and was moved inside too easily against the run.
CB Kevin Barnes. Allowed a touchdown pass over his head in zone coverage. Looked like he wasn’t sure of the coverage and handed off the receiver too soon.
LB Alfred Fincher. Allowed a long pass play because the tight end, L.J. Smith, juked him at the line with one step to the outside. Fincher bit too easily and it cost him.
LB London Fletcher. Overall solid on most plays in his one series, but the 34-yard pass play he surrendered really hurt. He came up hard and the running back slipped past him easily.
QB Colt Brennan. Not the star of this preseason opener. He grew tentative after his interception, which is not in his nature. He didn’t always have time to throw — as one team employee pointed out to him in the locker room — but he really didn’t do much to get excited about. He threw an interception, though the receiver (Hagans) didn’t exaclty help him on the play.
KR Dominique Dorsey. In pregame, he fumbled the first punt he tried to catch. In the game, he dropped the first kickoff that came his way. He’s done this in practice once or twice and it simply can’t happen. They say his hands are good; he needs to prove that.
