Questions asked before the game… now we have some answers
1. Will the Redskins be somehow inspired with the Albert Haynesworth distraction over? I know some are trying to say there was a correlation, but I don’t see it. They tackled better than a week ago, but they weren’t facing an explosive offense, either. They weren’t exactly dominant, nor did the line play some sort of inspired game. Was Sunday’s game much different than two weeks ago when they gave up 17 points and lost to Minnesota?
2. Who will replace him? Of course it depended on the situation, but the Redskins did not use a lot of nickel packages. When they did, Vonnie Holliday would be used along the front and sometimes would be joined by Kedric Golston or Phil Daniels. Anthony Bryant was the backup nose – and actually ended up playing more in the second half than Maake Kemoeatu. Jeremy Jarmon was inactive.
3. What is the impact of Ryan Torain’s return? I didn’t think he would carry as much as he did (24 times) and obviously he made a huge impact in the first half with 158 yards rushing. James Davis never ran the ball (and his pass protection was bad). Torain really fits this style, but it helped that Tampa’s front overpursued and left itself vulnerable to cutbacks. All it would take is a simple cut block on the backside, or someone getting to the linebacker, to set up a big run. The Bucs adjusted in the second half, with more blitzes by the middle linebacker and strong safety and that stopped the cutbacks. Still, a nice game by Torain, who never seems to get slowed by attempted arm tackles.
4. Will LaRon Landry and Carlos Rogers play? They didn’t, as everyone expected. Now it’s time to make a decision about their seasons and IR.
5. How will their absence impact the game? Landry’s loss impacts every game because he was playing that well. That’s not a knock on Reed Doughty, but Landry was headed to a Pro Bowl season. With a young QB, maybe Landry’s ability to disguise blitzes longer would have made a difference. Maybe just him blitzing would have created issues; the only time Josh Freeman seemed to make a bad decision came when he was under duress (and DeAngelo Hall dropped the pick).
6. Who will replace Rogers? Phillip Buchanon did, which surprised me a little bit since he was benched last week, mostly for his tackling. But he’s been good in coverage and he knocked away a third-down pass early in the game. He did attempt to tackle powerful LeGarrett Blount at the shoulder pads on one run, but overall he was fine. I thought Kevin Barnes might play more in his place, but he was limited to being the third corner.
7. How good is Josh Freeman? I liked him; he was mostly poised in the pocket and executed the game plan well. He’s big, too, and has strong hands which certainly helped him in the wet conditions. Threw a couple nice balls downfield to Kellen Winslow. He managed the game fairly well.
8. What is the impact of Tampa’s injuries? Cripes, it should have been big but give the Bucs credit: their offensive line, starting its seventh combination this season, was fairly solid. They didn’t open huge holes in the ground game and they sometimes didn’t get to the second level with the regularity of other teams, but Freeman was only sacked once in 25 pass attempts. And the Bucs lost two defensive players during the game and now have seven starters on IR. Yet they still found a way to win. Their youth helps as they play with an energy that’s easy to see. Sometimes that leads to mistakes – and big holes on the backside – but they won, right?
9. Where can they exploit Tampa’s defense? Thought the Redskins could commit to the run and they clearly did. Thought they could do fine in the passing game and Donovan McNabb had decent numbers (228 yards), though they never stung Tampa with any passes downfield. The biggest gains were screens or short throws that turned into long runs. Tampa gave up underneath passes and the Redskins took advantage.
10. How good is Gerald McCoy? Hard to say; he was disruptive on a couple runs, but he also left the game before halftime with a season-ending biceps injury.
11. Who will win? Well, I listed the numbers and then ignored them; Tampa was 7-0 this season vs. teams that were currently .500 or worse. Yet I thought the Bucs’ injuries would finally be too much to overcome. Wrong. Thought the Redskins’ running game would be the difference (it should have been) in a 14-10 win. Wrong again.
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