ASHBURN – It took one loss and one big day by an opposing receiver. Now Redskins corner DeAngelo Hall wants a change in philosophy.
Hall said he wants to cover the best receiver from the other team; and he wants to do it all game.
“I’m going wherever the [expletive] ball is going,” Hall said. “Wherever the receiver is going, that’s where the [expletive] I’m going. That’s something we’ve got to do in order to win games, so that’s what’s going to happen.”
What we’ve learned» The running game has a long way to go. It can be more difficult to get this in sync than pass protection, where the Redskins have been fairly solid — and where Donovan McNabb can improvise out of trouble. The problems are all over. It’s the linemen; it’s a tight end; it’s the receivers. And the backs aren’t getting a lot of extra yardage. There’s very little explosion. The offense can’t be consistent until the run game is better.» The NFC East is not that strong. Dallas is 0-2 while everyone else is 1-1. Philadelphia is last in the NFL in points allowed; New York is 30th. The Redskins are last in yards allowed while the Eagles are 25th and the Giants 22nd. Those three teams have undergone major changes, so these teams will take a while to mature. The Cowboys have no such excuse. And three of the four teams have already lost home games outside the division.» Graham Gano missed the 52-yard field goal to win the game, but he had an otherwise strong day. And not just on field goals. Gano was a weapon on kickoffs, particularly in pinning the Texans to a side. Returner Steve Slaton made some questionable decisions, but Gano’s kicks put him in tough spots, too. Of seven kick returns, only one resulted in Houston having possession beyond the 23-yard line.» The Redskins miss safety Kareem Moore, though he still has yet to prove himself in the regular season. But let’s be clear: If he’s in the game on the 34-yard touchdown to Andre Johnson, it’s hard to see how he would have done much better. He’s four inches shorter than Johnson. Also, corner Phillip Buchanon did not get deep enough when it was supposed to be double coverage. It allowed Johnson a clean look and less congestion to battle.Quarterback watchDonovan McNabbMcNabb surpassed 400 yards for the third time in his career with his 426-yard performance vs. Houston. Thing is, he was a few inches away from surpassing 500 yards. McNabb just missed receiver Joey Galloway for what would have been a 54-yard touchdown. Also, a wheel route to Mike Sellers went off his fingertips and that would have gained at least 30 yards. The Redskins helped him out with a lot of quick throws early, allowing him to find a rhythm. McNabb also found multiple receivers, with eight Redskins catching a pass.Player of NoteWR Santana Moss Moss has 16 catches in two games, which is the most he’s had in consecutive outings since grabbing 18 on two straight Sundays in October 2005. The difference? Moss is not getting as much yardage after the catch, averaging 10.4 yards overall with a long of 17 yards and no touchdowns. In essence, he’s serving as the running game with the number of quick throws made to him. On an offense that lacks a lot of speed, Moss offers an opportunity for some explosion. He does need better blocking on some of the screens.
Hall was upset that he did not cover Houston receiver Andre Johnson more in Sunday’s 30-27 overtime loss. Johnson caught 12 passes for 158 yards and a game-tying 34-yard touchdown.
More RedskinsCheck out John Keim’s blog, Redskins ConfidentialRedskins notes» The MRI on left tackle Trent Williams was negative, meaning there was no structural damage to his sprained knee. He was also scheduled to undergo an MRI on his big toe. However, it remains uncertain if Williams will play at St. Louis on Sunday. “He’s quite sore, we’ll find out Wednesday if he’s ready to go,” Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said. » Williams injured his knee in the fourth quarter Sunday — while allowing a sack. Stephon Heyer replaced Williams on Sunday and could do so again vs. the Rams. “I have a lot of confidence in Steph,” Shanahan said. “If Trent can’t play, he’ll go in and do a good job.”» The other option is switching Jammal Brown from right tackle; he made two Pro Bowls in three seasons as a left tackle in New Orleans. Regardless, if Williams misses a game, it would be a blow to the pass protection. Williams has not received any help, despite facing two elite pass rushers in Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware and Houston’s Mario Williams in the first two games.» Shanahan said he wasn’t sure if defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth (ankle) would practice Wednesday. He’s been running on the treadmill, but the key is being able to move laterally. Also, Shanahan said he’s uncertain if safety Kareem Moore (knee) will play Sunday. He’s in the fourth week of a four-to-six week recovery process.Up nextRedskins at RamsWhere » Edward Jones Dome, St. LouisWhen » Sunday, 4:05 p.m.TV » FOX
Hall later said on WJFK FM that defensive coordinator Jim Haslett told him he thought about putting him strictly on Johnson all the time, but, because they had not practiced it, decided against the move. So Hall remained on the left side.
Earlier on Monday, Hall said, “It don’t matter what he say. This my team. This my defense. I’m gonna follow the receivers around. If we’ve got to do that to win games, that’s what I’m gonna do.
“[Johnson] didn’t scare me. He didn’t do anything that looked spectacular. He didn’t do anything to make me feel like he was the best.”
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said he had no problem with Hall’s desire to play this way.
“I’m not sure how it was said, but I want all the players to think that way,” Shanahan said. “You want guys who believe in themselves and know they can get the job done.”
Hall was frustrated after the game with Johnson’s touchdown, in which the wideout outjumped safety Reed Doughty in the end zone. On the play, corner Phillip Buchanon looked like he needed to get much deeper to make an effective double team.
When asked if he would have liked to cover Johnson on that play, Hall said, “I guess we’ll never know. That’s an opportunity that I need … [Buchanon] kind of came off a little bit early, but you won’t expect Reed [Doughty] to win that battle anyway. It won’t happen like that again. When Andre Johnson is out there, I’m gonna be out there.”
The Redskins also played a lot of zone coverage Sunday, so it wasn’t as if any corner was covering Johnson one-on-one too often. Quarterback Matt Schaub also completed 11 passes to receiver Kevin Walter, who was adept at finding soft spots in the zone.
Hall used to be assigned to the top receiver while with Atlanta. He’s done that at times in Washington, too.
“Guys are gonna catch balls,” Hall said. “If you give me enough opportunities, I’m gonna make plays. It’s frustrating to go out there and be up 17 points and still lose the game.”
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