1. For a first start, John Beck was pretty solid. Once again, it all starts with the running game. The Redskins get the defense to stretch so far that it opens up the backside. The scheme does a great job of getting guys open – between the 20s. But the Redskins, and this goes back to last season too, have yet to figure out how to get it in the end zone. Much harder to cause that sort of confusion the closer you are to the end zone. Perhaps it could come down to just needing more playmakers, where you don’t have to rely on the scheme to always get someone open. In Houston, you could just get the ball to Andre Johnson. They’ve managed 867 yards in two games but only 32 points; that needs to improve. But that’s still a lot of yards and they keep giving themselves chances. It certainly beats just gaining a few yards and scoring few points. And then the running game must be able to sometimes slam it up the middle. It’s not built that way, however; especially the line. Regardless, the run game gave them a chance at big plays and helped sustain drives. It’s a good start.
2. Beck showed pretty good poise and was mostly accurate. Cripes, he only missed on three throws and one of them – to Mike Sellers in the back of the end zone – would have been a touchdown had Sellers not gotten his feet tangled up with the defensive back (who appeared to accidentally trip him). One thing that we’d sometimes see in practice with Beck is him not always putting it on the proper shoulder, allowing the receiver to run with the ball. That didn’t seem to be an issue Friday. There was one third-down play in which he threw wide to Terrence Austin, forcing him to dive. He gave Austin no chance to run. Other than that, Beck was on target. I’d like to see him go downfield more; does he have that mentality for the big play or not? Rex Grossman does seem to have that.
3. Beck’s athleticism was evident; he’s not the next Michael Vick, but Beck’s advantage over Grossman is his legs. He ran twice for 17 yards, but he sometimes holds onto the ball longer, perhaps thinking he can bail from any situation. He can’t. Will that be an issue when the games start? Grossman gets rid of the ball faster, at least he did last week. But the other play where Beck’s athleticism was evident came on the pass over the middle that Fred Davis nearly fumbled. Beck had to hop up to avoid congestion at his feet, but he completed the pass because of this maneuver.
4. Loved the way Tim Hightower and Roy Helu ran with patience and then burst. On Hightower’s long run, he let the blocks develop and took two linebackers out of the play by stringing out the run. But when he cut, he went hard. So, yeah, the line did a good job but he worked in concert with them. Also on the play? Chris Chester downfield blocking the safety. Chester moved well on the play, showing his athleticism. It completely opened up the backside and led to a huge gain.
5. The Redskins have a few guys who have been making defenders miss, with Helu, Hightower and also Darrel Young. OK, he’s only had two catch and runs, but he’s probably made a combined five defenders miss on those plays. Made three guys miss on his one catch tonight. And Austin routinely makes guys miss on punt returns. Honestly, very hard to cut Austin at this point. Very hard. However, Austin needs to work on his blocking. Got shoved back a few times on blocks; he’s not a physical player. But I’d hate to cut him at this point. In fact, I wouldn’t.
6. Does Helu make defenders miss on every play? Just seems that way doesn’t it? His balance and vision are excellent and I liked how he showed patience on one run out of the I-formation. Stayed a yard or so behind the fullback, read the play and made the cut for six yards. On the next series he took the handoff and sprinted around right end for 11 yards (making two miss). Oh, and the long run featured unreal footwork along the sideline where he stopped and then started again. Tough to get back up to full speed when you do that but it was impressive.
7. The offensive line was pretty good, though it gave up some pressures. But this line will have some issues at times; they excel going side to side, but when man up, they aren’t as strong. That’s OK; they’ll try to keep them out of this when they can and they’ll often use play-action when dropping straight back to freeze the rush.
8. There is one run block that needs to be highlighted, by center Will Montgomery. On the play, the Redskins ran a stretch zone run to the right. The tackle was just to the right of Montgomery; that’s a tough play to get on his outside shoulder. Last season, Casey Rabach struggled big time with this play and would allow penetration. But Montgomery quickly hooked the tackle and Helu gained five yards around that side. Not a huge play, but that’s a subtle improvement.
9. It was hard to accurately measure the defense with Peyton Manning sidelined. Unless you think Curtis Painter has a future as an NFL starter. Heck, in many ways this wasn’t bad. Thanks to an inept Colts’ offense, the Redskins had more opportunities with the ball. But the Colts’ used their starting offensive line into the second quarter so that provides a good gauge. One thing that is clear in the first two games: the Redskins should be able to collapse more pockets. Again, one play tells the tale: On a three-step drop, Painter threw with a hand almost in his face thanks to Barry Cofield’s quick pressure. Also liked a play in the first quarter where Ryan Kerrigan got his sack. He was relentless, but he got it thanks to others doing their jobs. Really, this is how it should work. Jarvis Jenkins collapsed the pocket (and drew a hold) while Stephen Bowen and Brian Orakpo forced the quarterback up. Kerrigan stayed after it following a chip by the running back and got Painter. A good job by everyone who rushed. And the sense you get with this group; they don’t care who gets the sack. OK, maybe a little, but they seem to have a lot of selfless guys. I’ll get more into the defensive side in the Tale of the Tape, but the more I see of Markus White, the more I like. Maybe not for now but for the future. Rob Jackson had a good game and showed strong hands. And Thaddeus Gibson got in and even applied pressure (out of a three-point stance).
10. Those corner blitzes should be more effective this season simply because of the extra pressure applied up front. Offenses will have to honor the front, which typically slants away from the where the blitzer is coming to open a hole. If they don’t pay attention to the line, these guys are capable of winning one on one battles often, especially Cofield, and causing problems.
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