Monday, October 8th, 2007...1:39 am by Lee Gibbons
Redskins Dominate Lions
Jump to Comments
As Redskins fans we don’t often get to enjoy a blowout victory. Every game seems to come down to the last minute and we are left biting our nails while watching. That’s what made yesterday’s romp so much fun. The Redskins completely owned Detroit (warning link has sound) on their way to a 34-3 victory.
Positives
- The Defense: We’ll give individual accolades later in this list, but the defense as a whole deserves the most credit. It was a spectacular performance. The vaunted Lions offense was completely outclassed. That was a total team effort. Credit needs to be given to Gregg Williams for coming up with a smart game plan for dealing with a potent offense.
- Jason Campbell: That was Campbell’s first statement game. Will we look back on yesterday’s game as the day Campbell announced his arrival to the NFL? Who knows. But he answered a lot of questions with his accuracy and ability to drive the offense even without Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle-El for much of the game.
- Mike Sellers: Is it too early to start the Mike Sellers for Pro Bowl campaign? He is the prototypical NFL full back. He is a good blocker, great pass receiver and can run the ball a bit. Oh and don’t forget the ability to completely destroy defenders who make the mistake of getting in his way. (video - might be deleted by the NFL so check it while you can)
- Andre Carter: Granted the Lions offensive line isn’t exactly a juggernaut, but Carter was all over Jon Kitna. He ended up with two sacks but also had countless (well at least by me) pressures and was a force all over the field. After a slow start last year, he’s lived up to his big free agent contract.
- Coaching: We’ve covered Gregg Williams but Joe Gibbs and Al Saunders deserve credit as well. After the Giants game I complained about the ultra conservative play calling and I’m a happy boy today. The Redskins took the training wheels off Jason Campbell and let him make all sorts of plays. After ignoring mid-range range throws last game, Washington exploited this part of the field yesterday. The move to give the team the bye week off also appeared to pay off as the Redskins look rested and put together their best 2nd half of the season.
- Gary Clark: Clark was a great Redskin and a class guy. He is a fitting addition to the Ring of Fame.
Negatives
- More Injuries: Only one today but the injury to Antwaan Randle-El could be a big loss to the Redskins depending on the severity. Randle-El appears on his way to a breakout season and without him and Moss, the Redskins were forced to play a rag-tag group at receiver. Other injuries from the game: Marcus Washington injured his hamstring and was replaced by Randall Godfrey in the 2nd half and Phillip Daniels separated his shoulder in the game but did return to action.
2 Comments
October 8th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
I have to concur with some of your observations, Lee, but I saw a few points that should be brought up.
The first is on the Mike Sellers play (the YouTube video was the first spot I realized it). Kennoy Kennedy not only got just totally blown away, he committed what SHOULD have been a 15 yard penalty afterwards (Leg Whip and Tripping); pay close attention to what Kennedy does with his legs after Sellers bowls him over and proceeds down the field. The refs missed that.
Second, last year, when we were discussing the Redskins apparent busts, I said I didn’t think the door was closed yet on Andre Carter; that he could still be exactly what the Redskins thought he was; I said that because he looked like he was always just one or two steps away from a big play. He had a nose for the ball, and the QB, but was -just- too slow getting there. Late in the season, he proved me right with his turn around; now, he’s proving it again.
Third, JC will have his ups, and his downs; yesterday was DEFINITELY an up; I’m hoping that he has his down’s against the dregs teams, because we need him to step up and beat the good ones. We have some tough games, starting THIS WEEK, against Green Bay, where we need to be able to rely on him to win the game, not “just don’t lose the game for us”. He looks to me like he’s a very high quality QB in the making. I’m hoping for more games like yesterdays in the next few weeks.
Fourth, is it me, or did Gary Clark look like we just needed to sign him to the vet minimum and he’d be more than happy to lace up the pads when we take on our NFC East foes? I know, he’s OLD now (hard to believe it), but man he looked like he’s still nearly ready to go run down a bomb or two.
Fifth, Randle El… WOW. He’s better than I thought, and I was high on him from the time I saw him in that Preseason Scrimmage, back during the Spurrier era. And he just keeps getting better… I’d love to have seen what he would have done if he hadn’t pulled that hamstring. Here’s hoping he and Santana are both available again on Sunday.
Sixth, can we schedule Dallas next year for coming off of our Bye?
October 10th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Add in James Thrash.. he was incredible for coming off the bench like that. Too slow?? he blew.. blew past people. Some key blocks too. My hat goes off to Carlos “Taco” Rogers. I’m not a fan, but he played well.
Leave a Reply