1. Loved watching Tim Hightower play. He is not the fastest guy and he has his issues as a runner; it’s why Arizona traded him for near nothing. But he also probably fits here better than in Arizona when it comes to the stretch zone. However, what stood out is the energy he’ll bring with his runs and his blocks. Hightower will break tackles and have those 10-yard runs that fire up a sideline. And those blitz pickups were reminiscent of Clinton Portis. What I liked is how aggressive he was getting linebackers coming up the middle. He was able to cut them and both times he did Rex Grossman had a terrific lane, one of which resulted in a touchdown.
2. Grossman was solid and had time to look for his receivers. So he was able to take what was available. That didn’t always happen in this offense last season. And I liked that he was aggressive going downfield to Donte Stallworth on the bootleg. Stallworth had a step and had Grossman thrown a better pass it’s a touchdown. Yes, Fred Davis was open underneath and was annoyed after the play that Grossman went elsewhere. Davis would have turned it into a 25-yard gain. But Grossman went for the score because it was there. Honestly, those are the plays in past years that Jason Campbell did not go for enough.
3. I do wonder how effective that bootleg pass back to the other side will be the more it’s run. The Redskins have run that an awful lot in practice and used it last year. Yes, it’s hard to stop. I also wonder what they’re going to set up by showing this play a lot. But the key to this play is running the ball effectively. The linebackers must react to the action of the quarterback and it opens up the backside.
4. Shayne Graham’s ugly missed field goals is exactly what we’ve seen in training camp. When he’s missed it’s not by a little, it’s by a lot. Just can’t trust him at this point. Graham Gano made all three of his kicks. He said he worked a lot on increasing his leg speed, in part so he wouldn’t have to kick the ball as hard. Don’t know if that made a difference tonight; we need to wait and see his consistency.
5. Um, oh yeah, that’s why Brandon Banks made the roster last year. With all the talk about him being in trouble, have to ask yourself this: How many playmakers does this team have? Can they afford to lose one? Banks is dangerous every time he touches the ball. Every time. Why did he return a ball eight yards deep? Because he’s a playmaker who wants to make a play. Sometimes that will result in stops around the 15-yard line. Other times it’ll mean a huge gain. And I loved his patience on the 20-yard punt return; he set up his blockers well and in doing so prevented any potential blocks in the back.
But Banks did let one long punt hit the ground. Not sure why – and it cost the Redskins valuable yards. The thing about his night is that Banks said he’s still not 100 percent and lacks the explosiveness he had last summer.
6. The more I see of Terrence Austin the more I like. He’s not a star in the making, but he does a lot of things right. He catches the ball well, runs good routes, can help on special teams. He’s not as explosive as Banks; he wasn’t about to bring it out from deep in the end zone. But on his punt return, I liked how he used his feet (his strength); he jabbed inside to create room outside and it worked. But can they find a spot for him on the roster? It’ll be tough.
7. Rookie linebacker Ryan Kerrigan is a smart kid. His rushes weren’t bad, with his best work coming against the lesser Steeler linemen. His stop on the third down run showed his value, a combination of brains and quickness. All he did was his job; he anticipated the play based on the situation (third and one) and read it quickly and got inside the tight end with no problem. Barry Cofield clogged the middle on the play, but Kerrigan would have made the stop regardless. There was one time where Kerrigan tipped his rush by being too antsy and moving a little before the snap (he’s done that in practice too). I did see him get controlled by a couple blocks and he got caught inside on a run that bounced back his way (actually, the play before the third down stop).
8. You could tell how comfortable Evan Royster started to get late; his runs were a little more patient. He’s a good fit in this offense; he lacks explosiveness but he’s adept at getting consistent gains. Liked how he picked up the blitz, though he did lunge at a linebacker one time (expected a bull rush but the guy went outside). Meanwhile, fellow rookie Roy Helu showed his quick feet, making a defender miss in space with a quick jab in then out on a pass. Helu wasn’t helped by big Mo Hurt getting moved back a few times on stretch runs.
9. Receiver Leonard Hankerson dropped a ball that we’ve seen him drop several times in practice. This time, he turned his head upfield before he caught the ball. That’s precisely what the coaches have talked about. But you don’t give up quickly on 6-foot-2 players with talent; first you see if the drops can be corrected through focus/concentration. Hankerson works awfully hard; I’m not sure why some think that’s an issue. He’s also the sort of kid who takes criticism well.
10. Want to see more of the offensive line when I watch the game again Saturday. But they seem to do a good job. But as Will Montgomery said, it’s tough to go against a team like them in a first preseason game where you don’t prepare the same. Saw some issues flare up; where the guards got moved back in one-on-one situations. But it didn’t cost them Friday. And the coaches do a good job of making sure the defense is on the move; the Redskins didn’t use many straight dropback throws. Jammal Brown appeared to move much better than he did a year ago.
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