Five thoughts from the first half of Washington’s game vs. Baltimore.
1. Brian Orakpo is a stud — at end. He looked much more comfortable at end than at linebacker. Orakpo drew a holding penalty and applied pressure on several occasions. Once, the tackle took a wider step than normal so he could slow Orakpo. It didn’t work. Orakpo still got by him. Now, it was a backup tackle so take that for what it’s worth. But still.
2. Mike Williams is powerful. As a run blocker Williams had a good first half, showing power. He allowed pressure on one occasion and set up flat too many times; good speed rushers would get past that. The Redskins have been encouraged by his improvement during camp, particularly as a run blocker. He still needs to be consistent with his technique as a pass protector, particularly with the hands.
3. Secondary issues. Fred Smoot opened the second series at safety as the Redskins see if he can play the role once performed by Shawn Springs. Smoot must get used to the angles he has to take at this position. He blew it on one run, coming up flat and allowing Willis McGahee to get past him. Meanwhile, Justin Tryon showed that maybe he really hasn’t improved. Listen, he honestly looked better in practice. And now we hear that Darrell Green worked with him in the offseason and proclaimed him an eventual starter. If only people could remember how many guys Green annointed as his eventual replacement when he played — and how often he was wrong.
4. Hands. Fred Davis fumbled twice. Man, another guy who looked good — and his hands weren’t an issue in camp unlike last summer. Then there’s Dominique Dorsey, who was said to have good hands. But he dropped the first kickoff he fielded. Another bad sign: he did the same thing in warmups.
5. Right side of the line. It’s hard to focus on everything, but right guard Chad Rinehart and right tackle Stephon Heyer didn’t do a bad job in their limited action. Rinehart did miss his guy on one play, but the quick passes limited the need to do heavy pass protection. I’ll have more on that Friday after watching the game again.
