21 Things to Watch: Redskins at Giants (Sept 4, 2008)

1. Jason Campbell – can he take the next step and become a good NFL starting QB?  He worked hard this off-season but is again learning a new offensive system and results were mixed in the pre-season.  The Giants are expected to bring pressure on most passing downs so watch for Campbell’s tempo.  At times he holds on to the ball too long which results in sacks and fumbles.
2. Full Redskins Defense – Its unknown if Jason Taylor will play (although if I were a betting man, I’d assume he’s playing at least on passing downs) but after playing the pre-season games shorthanded we should see the full defense on the field tonight.  With Greg Blache taking over from Gregg Williams, will the schemes change much? 
3. New Giants Defensive Ends – Matthias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck are both highly regarded players and should be able to get some pressure on Campbell.  The questions is can they stand up against the run?  Kiwanuka played linebacker last year and may struggle against bull rushing linemen.
4. Eli Manning – Manning usually starts out the year hot.  The Redskins have had some success against Manning in the past (QB ratings of 63.7 and 51.1 in last year’s match-ups) and beyond Plaxico Burress the Giants don’t have many great receiving options.  Limiting Manning’s output is important as the Giants will likely be able to run the ball.
5. Giants Running Game – Expect Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw to see time during the game.  The use of Bradshaw will be interesting to see; he’s the scariest of these three backs in terms of game-breaking runs but the Giants are listing him 3^rd on the depth chart.
6. Carlos Rogers and Rocky McIntosh – Both players are returning from devastating knee injuries and expected to play key roles on the defense this year.  If either guy’s performance is sub-par, the Redskins don’t have a ton of depth to cover at either position.
7. Reed Doughty – He struggled mightily at times in the pre-season, failing to wrap up on tackles and being beat in pass coverage.  The hope here is that the return of Landry to line-up will allow Doughty to focus solely on his job and not worry about getting rookies into position and covering for missed assignments.  There’s been talk of the Giants focusing on having TE Kevin Boss, whose 6’6, match-up one on one with Doughty, but Boss isn’t a primary target in the passing game and is unlikely to get more than 1 or 2 receptions.
8. Clinton Portis – Portis was his usual invisible self for much of the pre-season.  He’s dropped some weight in hopes of regaining more of his break-away speed but he’s had a lot of carries over his career.  There has also been talk of Zorn using him in more of a pass catching role than ever before, so his all-purpose yardage totals this year could improve.
9. Durant Brooks – The new punter in town makes his NFL debut tonight.  Can he handle the pressure and stay consistent? 
10. Shaun Suisham – Speaking of Brooks, his holding ability will affect the play of Suisham.  We all remember Suisham’s last meaningful kick in the playoffs last year.  Can he put that behind him and have another solid season?  He seemed to have gained some leg strength in the off-season, so a touchback or two would be nice.
11. The 2^nd Rounders – Do they see the field at all?  Malcolm Kelly will be inactive and neither Devin Thomas nor Fred Davis has shown much in training camp.   It will be an upset if either makes a play on offense tonight. 
12. Giants Secondary – The Giants secondary was been considered the weak link of the defense for much of last year, but they played solidly in the Super Bowl win.  The concern is how they will stand up without the relentless ‘four aces’ pressure package.  If Campbell has time, Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle-El could have big games.
13. John Carney – With Lawrence Tynes out with a knee injury, the Giants signed 44 year old Carney to be their kicker for the week.  Carney can still knock through short kicks but hasn’t hit a field goal over 41 yards in 2 years.  His range or lack thereof may be a factor tonight.
14. Dominik Hixon – The Giants kick returner broke some big runbacks last season and had a big pre-season with two receiving touchdowns and a return TD.  Receiving-wise he’s one of the seemingly endless supply of fast receivers the Giants always seem to have (Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss) but his return ability will test the special team coverage units.
15. Jeff Feagles – Feagles begins his 90^th NFL season tonight (the Giants kickers are a combined 86 years old).  His leg strength has decreased over the years but he’s still one of the best directional punters in the game making it unlikely that Antwaan Randle-El will bust a long return.
16. Redskins Coverage Units – While the Redskins will return some special team stalwarts such as James Thrash, Khary Campbell and Rock Cartwright, the team did release some guys who made an impact on the coverage units in Vernon Fox and Anthony Mix.  Young guys like Chris Horton and Justin Hamilton will have to fill these roles.
17. Mike Sellers – The Redskins are going into the season with one fullback.  Nemo Broughton is ready on the practice squad if needed, but if Sellers gets dinged up during a game someone like Todd Yoder is going to have to take over that role.
18.  Kedric Golston – Many analysts were impressed with Anthony Montgomery’s work last year as a starting defensive tackle for the Skins, but he’ll start this year on the bench.  He’s been beaten out by Golston who held the job for much of 2006.  This will be an on-going battle between these two players and expect both to see a lot of action tonight.
19. Jason Taylor – Does the play or not?  Can he and Andre Carter combine to form the ferocious pass rush Redskins’ fans have long desired?  Taylor won’t be at 100% if he does play, but his presence on the field is enough to draw attention away from other defenders.
20. Ethan Albright – If all goes according to plan (and it usually does with Albright) we won’t talk about him again this year, so we’ll give him a token mention here.  Say what you will about long snappers, but I can’t recall Albright messing up a snap in his entire tenure here.  This guy is good.
21. Football’s Back – Finally the games matter and we can celebrate (or panic) for a reason tonight.  Enjoy the game folks.

Washington Redskins 24 New York Giants (-3.5) 21