Live Blog: Redskins at Jets (1st Half)

I’m back… and tonight’s game is live on the NFL network so let’s live blog it.  Seems like a pretty quiet week I missed, the best kind possible in the pre-season.  The 1st team offense looked good again last week which is a great sign.  Anyways tonight is going to be a Favrefest, hopefully its local broadcasters and not an NFL network show.  Back at kick-off.

1st Quarter

• Tom Cruise is here… if you care.  So it could be a Brett Favre/Tom Cruise broadcast… fun fun.   Looks like we have Jets coverage for the 1st half at least.  I!an Eagle…  is a usual CBS broadcaster, so that’s decent despite the weird name pronunciation.
• Suisham with a touchback to avoid the dangerous Jets return game.  I know he boomed one against Indy, perhaps the leg is a bitter stronger this year.  Rocky McIntosh is starting along with Kareem Moore, no Carlos Rogers.
• Andre Carter blows up a run for a five year loss, Favre has completed three passes but held short of a first down on a nice tackle by Springs and Washington.  But the Jets covert on 4th and short.  Washington and Griffin combine on a sack to set the Jets back in a 3rd and long… and the defense holds.  Byron Westbrook is returning the punt for a decent gain (14 yards).
• No Clinton Portis today and no Randle-El either.  Ladell Betts and James Thrash starting in their place… looks like Devin Thomas going as the 3rd wide-out.  1st drive is ineffective as Campbell misfires on an open pass to Santana Moss (too high).  Durant Brooks is punting, pretty flimsy 1st punt (40 yards) and Devin Thomas takes a penalty (staying out of bounds on the punt)…..  all around not a great start for the Skins.
• Nice Favre pass to Cotchery has the Jets in scoring position and another pass for a TD with the TE beating Rocky McIntosh.  The penalty to Thomas was a killer here putting the Jets in the Redskins side of the field to start the drive.  Pass defense looking a little weak here, still no Laron Landry however.   Jets 7 Redskins 0
• Devin Thomas returns the kick for a small gain.  First offensive 1st down on a good pass to Mike Sellers, followed up with another nice pass to Santana Moss for a 2nd 1st down.  Ladell Betts with a 16 yard run… good blocking on that one.  Campbell overshoots on a couple of long passes to Moss and Cooley but the Redskins get a couple of 1st downs on a penalty and a Betts run on a draw.
• Uh oh… Betts shaken up on a run… although he’s walking off and looking ok.  3rd and goal… and the quarter expires.

2nd Quarter

• And its an incomplete pass… wasn’t going to be a TD anyways.  Suisham nails the 30 yard FG… and its Jets 7 Redskins 3
• Looks like the 2nd string defense is in…  Leigh Torrence, Byran Westbrook and Chris Horton are in the secondary. Favre is also done… and its a 3 and out.  Westbrook with a nice return and the Skins will have decent field position.
• Todd Collins is in, along with Rock Cartwright.  1st string defense is in for the Jets.  And its a quick three and out… nothing really of note on the drive.
• Kellen Clemens looks pretty garbage.. and its another 3 and out.  A nice bat down by Lorenzo Alexander on 3rd down.  Westbrook muffs the punt (shoulda called for a fair catch) but the Redskins recover.
• Collins goes deep to Thomas… but its broken up.  Thomas has a shot at it but it bounced off his hands and the defender had good position.  Cartwright doing much of the work this drive but not really getting anywhere.  Its another punt…. Brooks hasn’t been spectacular by any stretch tonight and that’s a touchback although that was still a net of 31… and there was a shot to down it.
• And we’ve got a nice dead silent interview with Joe Namath now… can’t hear anything he’s saying.
• Clemens scrabbles around and completes a deep pass to some guy beating Leigh Torrence.. but it was a scramble play so tough to blame the corner.  Rob Jackson complete destroys Clemens who fumbles it but Jets recover.  Clemens guffs around some more… and the Skins force a punt.  Westbrook stays away this time and it bounces around near the 10.
• Cartwright busts a huge run on the ensuing drive…  73 yards and the Redskins are in the redzone.
• Uh oh…. Collins gets cranked and he’s hurt.  Chris Rinehart gets burned and Collins take a big shot to the backshot.  He looks ok but he may be done.  Derek Devine is in.
• And picked off on his 1st throw… forcing it to Todd Yoder… no points for the Skins.
• More flubbing around from the Jets 2nd string unit and the Redskins get to work the 2 minute offense.   Good news… Collins is back.
• #78 has some long hair out there.  Collins is dinking and dunking the team up the field.  Near mid-field after a pass to Rock Cartwright.  And that ends unimpressively as well.  Clock runs out after Fred Davis can’t get out of bounds on a short pass that wasn’t going to lead to anything anyways…  looked a little Brunell-esque out there.

1st Half Thoughts

It was a clunker… nothing looked very impressive.  It was one of those games where one team wants it more.  The debut of Favre gave the Jets a boost and the Redskins seemed to be playing in neutral.  Some players who’ve been impressive thus far in pre-season took a step back tonight… Billy McMullen took a penalty and has another pass he could have caught but let by… Byran Westbrook muffed that punt and Durant Brooks wasn’t that good either.  In man-crush news Anthony Mix didn’t see the field that half while guys like Mann and McMullen were out there a bunch.  Devin Thomas had a rough NFL debut… taking a penalty and missing a catchable deep pass.  The 2nd string defense played well and Rob Jackson continues to impress.

2nd half blog here.