Another Preseason Flop

Chalk this up as another reason why you don’t volunteer to play 5 pre-season games.  You can only convince yourself to go full tilt when it doesn’t matter so many times; after a while you’re craving some real action.  Obviously the Redskins would have wanted to play better tonight (and last week) but I’m really not taking much from tonight’s action.  You won’t be seeing Marcus Mason or Devin Thomas out there on key downs next week, it’ll be Clinton Portis and Antwaan Randle-El.  It would have been nice to get some momentum for season opener, but surviving the pre-season with no serious injuries is really all that matters.

Now for the guys further down the roster, this mattered a heck of lot to a lot of them.  Some thoughts:

• Justin Tryon was just getting abused out there in the 1st half.  You would hope that in the regular season the defensive coaches would scheme to keep him away from 6’6 wide receivers (although that would likely mean he’s on the bench if the Skins ever play against Jacksonville), but he was getting dusted on virtually every passing play on the 1st couple drives.  I expect him to be the 5th corner to start the year (or on the practice squad) behind Springs, Smoot, Rogers and Leigh Torrence.
• Memo to the coaching staff: Don’t over think this punting battle.  We’ve all seen Derrick Frost for 3 years and we know he’s inconsistent and below average.  Durant Brooks has some potential and may actually turn out to be a good punter and if he flops and has to be released three weeks into the season, you can find a Derrick Frost type guy on the scrap heap.
• I know he’s been hurt and missed a lot of time but Devin Thomas really doesn’t inspire much confidence for one of the top WR’s taken in the draft.  He doesn’t have that one exceptional skill (size, speed or hands) that you’d expect to see in a relatively highly drafted receiver.  It often takes receivers two years to get established in the NFL, so patience is the word of the day when it comes to Thomas.
• People are looking at Billy McMullen’s preseason stats and assuming he’s going to make this team and I think they may be in for a surprise when the cuts come in.  This is a battle for the 6th receiver spot, its special teams ability that matters, not receptions.  If the Redskins 6th receiver is making catches at any point this year, its going to be a long damn season.  The key to McMullen’s hopes of making this team lie in Zorn’s confidence in Thomas and Kelly, if he doesn’t think they are ready to see the field (and at this point that’s a strong possibility) then McMullen makes it as a 4th WR who may actually see the field on offense.  If Zorn feels alright with Thomas and Kelly, then one would assume that Maruice Mann or even the virtually invisible Anthony Mix would have a better shot due to their special teams value.
• Before we lose all confidence in the defense, keep in mind that we’ve yet to see the full 1st unit in action this pre-season.  LaRon Landry hasn’t played at all, guys like Carlos Rogers, Marcus Washington and Jason Taylor have all missed time here and there.  I will admit the defensive performance has been darn near terrible for most of the pre-season but I think Blache is holding things back.  The defense is returning fully intact from last year with the addition of Jason Taylor, they know what they are doing out there so no need to show anything in pre-season.
• The guy who impressed me the most today was Alfred Fincher, he seemed to have some fire in his belly and looked like a guy who could help out on special teams.  Fincher isn’t a rookie, he’s spent parts of the past three seasons with New Orleans.