Studs
WR Jabar Gaffney. Sort of obvious here, right? He caught seven passes for 115 yards and a 16-yard touchdown pass in which he completely set up the DB with a move outside, causing him to lean, and then breaking back inside. He made a gorgeous catch of a high pass along the sidelines. Gaffney is a professional route runner in whom the QB has a lot of trust. Gaffney is not a burner so he needs the QB to have time to throw so he can get open on the intermediate routes. But he did so on Sunday.
QB Rex Grossman. He started off slow and didn’t have much of a rhythm until Brandon Banks gave the offense a boost with his returns. Grossman received good protection much of the game; I know he was sacked three times but one came on a slide. And considering he dropped back to pass 40 times, holding DeMarcus Ware to one sack isn’t bad. Grossman looked poised in the pocket and delivered a number of strikes. He made his mistakes: the interception, for one. He was hit right after he threw, but that ball was doomed regardless. Grossman can be fun to watch when he’s throwing in rhythm; he trusts the receivers will be where they are supposed to, as he did on the 16-yard TD pass to Gaffney. On the second play of the second half, with LB Anthony Spencer rushing inside, Grossman calmly slid to his right and threw deep left for 28 yards to Gaffney. He threw a perfect pass to David Anderson in the second quarter for 23 yards. Hard not to like the 89-yard drive at the end of regulation to tie, capped by a perfect pass to Donte Stallworth. Grossman had noticed the DB playing inside Stallworth, and went to him two plays in a row (one on a slant that was batted and then on the fade). In overtime, I liked how he felt the rush from Ware on the second play, stepped up and delivered a strike to Stallworth. There were some negatives, obviously; had trouble on the timing of the screens where he could have been a bit more patient. But this was a solid game and it showed why he’d be considered a good backup. Consistency is his issue, but he is capable of big games such as this one.
WR Donte Stallworth. He didn’t do anything until late, but he definitely produced when he finally got opportunities. He caught all four of his passes on the game-tying drive in regulation and the first series in overtime. And, really, he didn’t do anything special other than make the plays that were available to him. But he did it in a clutch situation – starting with a 20-yard grab on first and 10 from the 11. His best catch was the 4-yard TD grab on the fade in which he had little room but managed to get both feet in bounds.
LT Trent Williams. He had a rough start and there were times I didn’t think he played particularly well. He allowed two pressures in the first quarter and looked sloppy, allowing them to get inside. However, when he was matched up against Ware, he fared well. Had them one-on-one 12 times (there were times late when TE Logan Paulsen would start off vs. Ware with Williams behind them. Ware also lined up more one-on-one vs. Brown — 13 times — than Williams. Brown was fine, but his backside blocks weren’t.) and Ware got him for one holding penalty. It was a dubious call but it’s still a hold. There were a couple times Ware seemed to beat Williams, but he was able to recover. Ware nearly got him on a spin, but failed. He beat Williams wide, but he recovered. Williams had a couple issues in the run game (see below), but he wasn’t the major problem by any means.
PR Brandon Banks. Anyone still wonder why he’s still on the team? He received good blocking, from Terrence Austin in particular, on his two long returns. And his presence deep scared Dallas enough that P Mat McBriar booted a 23-yard punt to the Cowboys’ 32-yard line. That play provided the spark a struggling offense needed. But a major assist goes to Banks. His 32-yard return after the next punt set up the second touchdown. Banks had holes to choose from and that’s what he hasn’t had enough times this season. On the 55-yarder, I’m not sure he scores even if the punter fails to get him, that he scores. But he’s not someone who will break a lot of tackles so anyone who has the angle will stop him. It should have led to another score, but Graham Gano missed a 49-yard kick.
Duds
PK Graham Gano. Cut him slack last week when he missed two in Miami, citing the wind as a major factor. But Gano then went out and missed kicks from almost identical distances in Sunday’s loss in good conditions. Gano continues to be an inconsistent kicker with a terrific leg. Kickers take a long time to mature and the Redskins have been patient with him. The options aren’t great so do you just stick with him and hope that when you’re good – maybe next year – that he finally puts it together? My problem: He’s a good kid who doesn’t cave to pressure, but he almost overanalyzes his makes and misses. Not sure that’s the best thing for that position. Anyway, he missed a 49-yarder and the 52-yarder that would have won the game.
WR Anthony Armstrong. He’s just not producing. Don’t think he was at fault on the interception, but it appeared Grossman anticipated him cutting to the inside. But Mike Shanahan did not blame Armstrong on this play so neither will we. It’s not as if Armstrong did a lot wrong. He had one pass that skipped off his fingertips, but it had just been deflected as well. He was open one time deep and overthrown. But he only had two passes thrown his way and neither were caught. Meanwhile, Stallworth came up huge in the fourth quarter at the same spot.
LG Tyler Polumbus. Is it fair to put a guy on the Duds list who has barely played the position he’s in? You have to be fair and point that out. Polumbus is an offensive tackle who has been switched to guard for a team he’s only been with for a couple games. His was an emergency situation. However, I pinged Will Montgomery when he was at guard and shouldn’t have been. I pinged Maurice Hurt, even though he never looked like he’d be ready this season when we saw him in camp. The Redskins were put into a difficult situation and that’s where Polumbus found himself as well. It’s a difficult marriage. That said, he didn’t have a good game. Some of it was to be expected, no doubt. A second week starting could help. The bulk of the pressure on Grossman came through him; he had a holding penalty, he allowed a pressure that resulted in his man causing a fumble. He got beat a couple times to the inside. He whiffed on a pulling attempt once, leading to a loss and missed opportunity. It’s tough for a 6-foot-8 guy to play inside. Indeed, there were times when he would get low, but it wasn’t low enough and he’d lose leverage. I think his technique was more consistent than Maurice Hurt and the guy tried. Polumbus did have some nice blocks early in the game and maybe he can build off of those.
RB Ryan Torain. Listen, it’s not all his fault. Just look at the breakdown of the runs below and you’ll see that’s the case. But this is a production league and if Armstrong is on this list, then Torain needs to be as well. It’s fair to say that none of his five runs had much of a chance; hence, four yards. But it also can be said he’s not running the way he did last year or in the St. Louis game. And we can blame it on the O-line all we want, but the bottom line is: 57 yards on his last 36 carries. There have been some missed holes. There has been bad blocking – a lot of it actually. But he’s not making defenders miss; he’s not plowing over guys. He hasn’t provided the energy we’ve seen in other games.
TE Fred Davis. OK, maybe it wasn’t a fumble. Maybe it was. You can freeze frame it and see his knee on the ground with his hands on the ball. But a split second later the ball is out. Therefore, it was difficult to overturn the call – and would have been the other way as well. But the bottom line: Davis could have avoided this scenario by tucking the ball away after the catch. This team always gets in trouble offensively when guys try too hard to make a play. Instead of punting on fourth and 1, Dallas had the ball deep in Redskins territory and eventually scored a TD. His run blocking was inconsistent for a second consecutive week. Granted, the Cowboys’ outside linebackers do well against the run and there are bigger issues than Davis in the ground game, but he could do better. He needs to do better. He has done better.
NOTES
…OK, the big question remains at running back. Roy Helu had better numbers than Ryan Torain, but it’s not necessarily an equal comparison. I will say, though, that there were a couple chances in which Helu could have had a big run. There weren’t any like that for Torain. But Helu runs more out of passing sets, which helps him. It also suits him. Of his eight carries, Dallas had six defenders in the box five times. On three of Torain’s five runs he faced eight in the box.
Here’s a look at each of their runs (only 13 combined carries).
Torain:
1. First and 10, Redskins 25: Dallas has seven in the box. The Redskins use a two-tight end, two-receiver set. Torain runs a stretch zone left for five yards. Each offensive linemen was in front of the line of scrimmage. Had C Will Montgomery been able to block LB Sean Lee, the run could have gone a few more yards. Had Torain tried to go wide, LB DeMarcus Ware had easily shed TE Fred Davis’ block.
2. First and 10, Redskins 18: Dallas has eight in the box. Another two tight end, two-receiver set. This play – another stretch zone left — is a disaster as four Cowboys are behind the line of scrimmage when Torain receives the handoff. Three linemen were one to two yards behind the line after the snap. Torain cuts off Montgomery’s block of LB Bradie James. He also had to cut because LG Tyler Polumbus was two yards deep. Had the backside worked, it could have been a solid run. But RG Chris Chester tried to cut the DT but failed; and RT Jammal Brown tried to block Lee, but stayed on his outside. Lee makes the tackle. Two yards.
3. First and 10, Redskins 23: Dallas has seven in the box. Another disaster on a stretch zone left. Looked like Torain wanted to go wide, but LB Anthony Spencer came up hard and TE Logan Paulsen eventually lost him. Meanwhile, Montgomery and LT Trent Williams are both two to three yards behind the line. NT Jay Ratliff drove Montgomery back and when Torain cuts up, he and unblocked backside Lee are there. Had Torain been able to get wide, Lee is not a factor. Minus one yard.
4. First and 10, Cowboys 20: Dallas has eight in the box and has the numbers on the right side with six defenders. Torain runs a stretch to the left behind a different bunch combination: Fred Davis up front, FB Darrel Young on the right and David Anderson on the left. Williams is pushed back two yards by DE Marcus Spears. Davis blocks Spencer then releases to the DB; Young fails to take over Spencer and Torain cuts up. Have to say, his feet looked slow. But the real problem: five Cowboys were behind the line of scrimmage, with a sixth racing from the backside. Four players swarmed Torain. Minus two yards.
5. First and 10, Cowboys 34: Dallas has eight in the box. The play had no chance from the start. Davis, with a nasty split to the left, engages Ware off the snap. Trouble. Ware knocks him back and then to the ground as Torain runs to the left and cuts inside. Polumbus fails to get James who gets in on the stop. Zero yards.
Now for Helu:
1. First and goal, Cowboys 6: Dallas has eight in the box. Helu runs off right tackle, hitting the hole fast. Both Chester and Brown are blocking two yards downfield and Helu cuts off their backside. Paulsen has Spencer blocked on the outside. Helu made a good, quick cut. A nice run in this area. Four yards.
2. Second and 2, Cowboys 30 (1:10 left in the first half): Dallas has six in the box; the Cowboys are not set before the snap. The Redskins have the numbers to the right, which is where Helu runs behind a pulling Polumbus. He cuts off Polumbus’ block. Brown gets to Lee and seals him inside. Davis blocks Spencer out wide. Helu is untouched for the first six yards. 10 yards.
3. First and 10, Cowboys 20 (40 seconds in the first half): Dallas has six in the box; the Redskins are in shotgun. Helu takes an inside handoff and follows Polumbus through the hole on the right side. Had Chester and Brown not lost a double team on Ratliff, this play could have gone for 10 yards. But Ratliff squeezes through and makes the tackle. Instead: four yards.
4. Second and 25, Redskins 7: Dallas has seven in the box. Shotgun formation. Another inside handoff. James drops into coverage on the snap, expecting pass. Brown peels off a combination block on Ratliff, leaving him for Chester, who has him sealed. Brown takes care of Lee inside. Helu squirts through the right side. 13 yards.
5. Second and 10, Redskins 42: Dallas has six in the box with its linemen taking wider splits. Shotgun formation. Another inside handoff. Helu runs left, but Davis loses LB Victor Butler and Polumbus can’t hold his block on Lee. Both make the tackle. Three yards. There was a lot of room downfield had they held their blocks.
6. First and 10, Cowboys 29: Dallas has seven in the box. Helu runs a counter to the right. Polumbus pulls but whiffs on his block attempt of Spencer, who makes the tackle. Minus one.
7. First and 10, Redskins 48: Six in the box; Dallas is in its nickel defense. The Redskins have three receivers, but one tipoff: Polumbus is up in his stance, a sign that a run is coming. Does that matter? Don’t know. But Ratliff, lined up as a tackle on the left, immediately plays a run to his right. Brown can’t reach him. But Ratliff wouldn’t have mattered if Anderson, in the slot, had made his block on the corner. Had he done so, Helu could have slipped outside for a long run. Instead, he cut in and Ratliff was there. Four yards.
8. First and 10, Cowboys’ 36 (overtime): Six in the box; Dallas is not set again. But it doesn’t matter as safety Barry Church shoots through a gap on the right side of the Redskins’ line. Brown, moving right, doesn’t see him until it’s too late. He reaches back for him, but Church trips up Helu. Had he been blocked, Helu had room around the end. Minus 2 yards.
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