First quarter review: at Cowboys

» Loved the overload blitz on third down, with Brian Orakpo lining up at left end – a clue that something was up considering he’s almost always at right end or standing up – and dropping into coverage. London Fletcher blew the interception on this one when he mistimed the ball.

» It’s concerning that Dallas has stopped the Redskins’ two runs thus far. They’re getting penetration up front with Olshansky and Ratliff, opening up the linebackers to fill the lanes. That’s something Denver could not do last week.

» And it’s equally concerning how well Dallas has run the ball. Only a Marion Barber fumble bailed out the Redskins (a nice poke by London Fletcher).

» Nice play by Jason Campbell after pressure from a three-man rush when DeMarcus Ware got inside Levi Jones. Campbell kept his eyes downfield and, just before he was about to cross the line of scrimmage, he found Devin Thomas for 27 yards. Nice job. Good presence of mind.

» Fred Smoot is not as physical as Carlos Rogers and it’s showing on the ground. He failed to adequately pinch a run on the outside and missed a tackle on the first two drives.

» Dallas is closing down the cutback lanes for the Redskins’ backs. Washington is trying to use the same strategy as last week with all the two tight end sets. But I’m surprised they have not used more of the I-formation tactic used by Green Bay with some success vs. Dallas last week.

» That’s a crushing blow to lose Ladell Betts for the game, needless to say. Rock Cartwright whiffed on the blitz pickup vs. Keith Brooking that led to a sack – or it would have been had Terence Newman not been called for a penalty vs. Devin Thomas. Look for Dallas to test Cartwright more in protection.

» Too many lost one-on-one battles today. Also too many missed opportunities. The Redskins should have ended the first quarter with three turnovers as Rocky McIntosh also dropped an easy interception at the Dallas 39.

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