Studs
QB Rex Grossman. Yes, it was a terrific effort but the Redskins also left points on the field and Grossman got away with a couple throws and decisions that have hurt him in the past. And when you’re about to be sacked, the ball must be tucked. That’s what landed him in trouble in the past; it’s not about scheme, it’s about instincts under pressure. Needs to change. And his second play of the fourth quarter, right before his fumble, was another bad decision. Grossman was about to get hit when he flipped a pass to Santana Moss across the middle; ball had nothing on it and Corey Webster was right on Moss. He even tipped it away. Got lucky on that one. Not picking on Grossman, but just pointing out plays that make you pause. Until Grossman plays well for a season, there will be nit-picking.
Now, onto the good. After all, he did play well, especially after the first two series – zero for four followed by 13 of 17 for the rest of the half. Liked how he didn’t flinch under pressure. Despite getting hit a number of times and sacked four times, Grossman kept his eyes downfield and not on the rush. Liked how he did a good job with his eyes, looking defenders off. Liked how he avoided bad plays, too. On the third series, he looked at Santana Moss to the right, but Kenny Phillips had the inside so Grossman immediately dumped the ball over the middle to Tim Hightower. Those quick decisions result in positive plays. Next play, Grossman felt the pocket pinch and stepped up on the 23-yarder to Fred Davis. Leading a touchdown drive at the end of the first half was critical and he capped it with a perfect fade to Anthony Armstrong. Finally, on the touchdown pass he created an opening for Jabar Gaffney’s slant route by looking to the left; the linebacker bit and Grossman went back right. There was a narrow opening but he stuck it in for the score.
TE Fred Davis. It was easy to see what he did, catching five passes for a career-best 105 yards. Finally, we saw the same guy we usually see early in training camp. Davis is fast enough to begin with, but with the emphasis on misdirection in this offense, if you lose him for a second you’re in trouble. That seemed to happen Sunday a few times. He broke tackles on his 22-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter. He made a leaping catch for a 23-yard gain in the first – how many tight ends can make that play? Not many. His blocking was OK; helped seal the end a couple times. Missed a couple, too. But he’s on this list for the big plays he made.
WR Santana Moss. He caught only six passes for 76 yards, but I just like how he has a huge knack for finding soft spots against defenses. He also gets tough yards after the catch for a guy his size. And he moves the sticks. On a third and four in the first quarter, he froze the linebacker with a hard jab inside, then cut back outside for a first-down catch. Had a crucial catch on fourth and 5 on the Redskins first scoring drive. He got open deep but was missed; Grossman needed to air it out a bit more.
Duds
RT Jammal Brown. Good thing Justin Tuck wasn’t playing. Brown did not start well and there were too many times where I jotted down, “Tollefson pushes back Brown” in my notes. Now, as long as the QB doesn’t get hit, no harm no foul, right? Well, yeah; except if this is happening vs. Dave Tollefson – who had five sacks in his first 61 NFL games – then what will occur vs. better ends? Tollefson, and sometimes Mathias Kiwanuka, would get into Brown’s pads and just move him back. He looked slow while trying to block down on tackle Linval Joseph, allowing him to hit Grossman as he completed a pass. At the end of the third quarter, Tollefson went around him for a pressure. He later pushed him back again. Finally, on Grossman’s last touchdown pass, Kiwanuka went right past Brown. Not sure he and Chris Chester are smooth yet on handling stunts; got one but not a second one. He also was called for holding. Brown had a couple good blocks, but overall not his best day.
LT Trent Williams. First things first: Jason Pierre-Paul is going to be a heck of a player. Which means this is going to be a matchup to watch over the next several seasons. Pierre-Paul won this battle handily, not just in the pass game but also on the ground. It’s not the sort of start Williams or the Redskins wanted. And it didn’t just happen vs. Pierre-Paul. On the first series, Williams tried to cut DL Chris Canty. He failed. Next play, a blitzing linebacker knocked Williams back. Next play, Williams blocked down vs. Pierre-Paul slanting to his left. But that left a huge gap for the linebacker to come through for an easy hit on Grossman. At best Williams was inconsistent the rest of the half; got moved back a little too much on the stretch runs, which completely messes the play up. In the second half, Pierre-Paul beat him inside on the second play (though Kory Lichtensteiger helped) and three plays later he beat him wide. On a near interception in the fourth quarter, Pierre-Paul got his hands into Williams and appeared to be heading inside, causing Williams to lean that way. But PP went wide for a pressure. Next play, PP set up Williams by faking in, then out, then going back inside. Williams was left with only his right arm to block him. PP went past him en route to the sack-fumble of Grossman. Think you’ve got the picture. Williams needs to play better. Much better. He’s supremely talented, but that only takes you so far. In some cases I wonder if it’s about recognition; other times it looks like he could be more patient in how he reacts. I’m not smart enough to know what the problem is; just know that in this game it was a problem.
Notes
…The Redskins unofficially ran two tight end sets 20 times (13 in the first half); three tight end sets 11 times (seven in the second half) and a one tight end set 33 times.
…WR Terrence Austin threw an excellent block on Hightower’s 22-yard run in the first quarter. Austin later lost a block that led to a poor run.
…Thought it was interesting that Roy Helu was in the game in the fourth quarter with the Redskins trying to run out the clock. But here’s a stat for you: Helu did not fumble once at Nebraska. Tim Hightower lost eight fumbles the past two years combined. Think the coaches are aware of these stats?
…Hightower made one of the bigger tackles in the game on the fumble recovery, preventing a tying touchdown. His day other than that was rather pedestrian, with 25 carries for 72 yards. Two carries went for 35 yards. His blitz pickups were OK, but he’s a little inconsistent. Tends to lunge at guys and gets in trouble. But give him credit for playing all but two snaps.
…Hightower’s previous high in carries was 22. Sunday marked only the second time he’s surpassed 18 carries for a game.
…Thought LG Kory Lichtensteiger played well at times. Not enough to be a stud, but he was far from a dud. He bailed out Williams at least twice; got to linebackers a few times. He lost his share of battles, but he was fine. He was improved over last season.
…WR Jabar Gaffney was nearly a stud. But he was a play short of being one; perhaps his drop? Or maybe the time where Grossman missed him long? Make one of those, time for a Stud. Still, he merits mention because he still caught three passes for 54 yards, including a 39-yarder to the Giants’ 15-yard line to set up a tying touchdown at the end of the second quarter. And he caught the game-clinching four-yard strike from Grossman. He also ran an excellent route to get open deep but was missed. So, yeah he dropped one but he wasn’t hit on this one either. Plus, he picked up a blitzing safety on one run play that enabled Hightower to cut back for a short run. Had others made their blocks (that’s you, Santana) then Hightower would have had a much better gain.
