Studs
RB Ryan Torain. He had probably two bad runs all night, once trying to stretch too wide on a run around left end, when the cutback was available. Another time near the goal-line he ran backside (probably by design), but it was not clear. He could have turned upfield for a good run. However … other than those runs Torain was excellent. He’s not a burner by any means, but he can break tackles and did so consistently. Loved how he pressed the hole on some runs. Even on his 9-yard touchdown run, which was well-blocked, he froze the linebackers by making it appear he would run up into the hole. He didn’t and took it outside then juked the corner and … touchdown. Another time he froze a linebacker (stuck behind a teammate being blocked by a double team) by pressing the hole and cut inside.
WR Anthony Armstrong. He caught five passes but only for 46 yards. Still, he showed that he can run multiple routes and he caught one post route in which he knew he’d get clobbered. He’s developing into a solid contributor. But what was impressive were the blocks; he cracked back a few times on linebackers and even an end (as he did on Torain’s touchdown run). Joey Galloway threw a couple nice blocks and Santana Moss was responsible for some backside blocks. But Armstrong was consistent with his blocks.
Special teams coverage. It’s not just one guy, it’s a handful. When you have good special teams, you usually have this: athletic big men. The Redskins have that in abundance with Lorenzo Alexander, H.B. Blades, Mike Sellers and Chris Wilson. Sellers had a huge hit; Alexander forced a fumble. It just seems like every week someone on this unit is blowing someone up. It’s hard to imagine another coverage unit that is more physical.
P Hunter Smith. He punted six times for a 46.2-yard average, sticking the Colts inside the 20 twice and another time at the 22. He also had a 56-yard punt from his own end zone; it was returned 13 yards but a 43-yard net in that situation is darned good. The defense then force a punt so he deserves an assist on that one. Just as important is that Smith is getting good hang-time, allowing the coverage to do its job.
CB Phillip Buchanon. He received his most extensive playing time of the season and he did a fairly good job. But he gets on this list for one series. With Washington needing the ball back, and just under three minutes remaining, Buchanon came up with two excellent plays. Both came vs. Reggie Wayne. Both featured excellent position. The first was a short throw, but it set the tone for the series. On the second, Buchanon read Wayne as he sprinted downfield, turned at the last second and knocked the pass away. The Colts had to figure they’d take advantage of that matchup, but they did not and it forced a punt.
Duds
RT Jammal Brown. He struggled most of the game vs. Robert Mathis. Why? Because Brown has a hard time getting low and a speed rusher like Mathis will take advantage. Once, Mathis’ head was just below Brown’s chest. Brown likes to let defenders get into him, but for a guy like Mathis that just lets him do what he does best: spin. And Brown couldn’t stop him unless Artis Hicks or Keiland Williams provided help. On the next-to-last series, Mathis one time spun so fast by him that Brown whiffed on his attempt to hit him. Amazingly, on the last touchdown series, Brown was beaten by Mathis five times but quick throws or helpful teammates bailed him out.
LT Trent Williams. Sunday night, I didn’t think he played that poorly. And maybe he didn’t considering he was facing Dwight Freeney. But he didn’t fare well, even though Freeney only finished with modest stats (two quarterback hurries, one pass defensed). But he constantly pushed Williams back and applied pressure. Like Brown, Williams needed more help than normal; Kory Lichtensteiger helped him out on occasion as did Keiland Williams. That’s how it’s supposed to work, but, regardless, Williams had problems. He did have some nice blocks, but Freeney controlled him. The hard part for Williams is that, unlike Brown, he would get low. But Freeney would get lower. There was one time (on the final play) when Williams was too low – his chest was parallel to the ground and he ended up falling. Williams also was called for holding twice (once vs. Freeney).
FS Kareem Moore. He adds a lot of speed in the secondary, but he failed to make plays and he missed too many tackles. Maybe he’ll develop, but he most definitely has not been a stud in the secondary. Not yet anyway. Sunday, he dropped an easy pick (he was near Carlos Rogers; maybe he caught something) and it appeared he was eyeing the open field instead of looking the ball in – he also tried to catch it more with his body. That’s a bad combo. On the second one, it would have been a nice pick as he was lunging forward. But it was manageable. The missed tackles are an issue. He missed one on Joseph Addai’s 46-yard run; he missed another a couple plays later on a draw that went for a touchdown. And he took another bad angle on a pass route leading to a 24-yard gain. Gave up way too much extra yardage.
CB DeAngelo Hall. Give him this much: he owned up to his mistakes and never ducked responsibility. He simply blew the coverage on the touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon. It appeared LaRon Landry was late getting back, but that’s wrong. Landry was covering his quarter and Hall was simply beat. Hall also missed a tackle and was beaten by Blair White – Blair White! – for a crucial catch. Just got past him at the line.
QB Donovan McNabb. He’s measured differently so an average game by him will be marked accordingly. Aside from the final touchdown drive, McNabb was not at his best. In fairness, the pressure broke down as the game wore on and the best plays he made came outside the pocket (as usual). McNabb was 10 for 11 for 78 yards on the last TD march. The rest of the game he was 19 for 34 for 168 yards; not good. Cris Collinsworth touched on this and it was noticeable: his footwork is inconsistent. At times McNabb strides into his throw. That leads to inaccuracy and a slower delivery (resulting in passes behind receivers). Meanwhile, Peyton Manning’s feet were well-spaced when he was in the pocket; no need for a stride; accurate passes. Now, McNabb is a different QB and, again, does his damage outside the pocket. But it was striking. And one of the first things Mike Shanahan looks for in a QB is footwork. He made a mistake on the first interception; Santana Moss was never open and he forced it to him.
CB Carlos Rogers. Once again he played pretty well for most of the game. And sometimes I give him a pass with his hands. But not this time. In a game where you know you’re facing a quarterback such as Manning and when the other team is likely to score a decent amount, you MUST take advantage of turnover opportunities. I’ll let him go for the second drop because Dallas Clark was right there (it was good coverage) but Rogers had terrific position on the first one and just dropped it. Really can’t figure out why his hands stink. They’ve provided all sorts of reasons/excuses (looking at the open field all the time; hogwash) but it really is simple. He can’t catch. Next up on the news: Dog bites man. Also, Rogers was fooled on Austin Collie’s touchdown pass; Collie played it like a run and Rogers relaxed and then watched the receiver sprint into the end zone for an easy score. Rogers didn’t have many bad plays – he’s playing the best of the corners. But in this game he really needed to make a play and he didn’t.
Suds
LB Brian Orakpo. Man, this was a hard one. He should be a dud because, except for one play, he did very, very little. But Orakpo has a way of making that one play and it helped the Redskins get back in the game. He was clearly gassed because of the tempo and it prevented him from rushing as low as he normally does. Which is why we rarely saw him do much. But he did get low on his sack-fumble of Manning (really a strip) to set up a touchdown. Still, zippity-do-da the rest of the game.
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