1. The players, London Fletcher in particular, declined having a Victory Monday day off. Fletcher told the guys they were coming in to work, so now they’re coming in to work. Yes, it shows the mindset of this team. Will it matter? Don’t know; Jim Zorn used to have the players come in the day after wins, especially early in 2008. But it’s different when it comes from the players; shows they’re taking ownership. There’s a strong belief in the locker room, especially in the coaches (something that wasn’t nearly as strong under Zorn). To be honest, the vibe I get with some of these players is exactly the sort I would have expected had Marty Schottenheimer returned for a second year. When players buy in, they want to work because they have confidence the coaches will make that work pay off.
2. Sunday was the good Rex Grossman – or was it the new Grossman? Don’t know yet because he’s had big games in the past. But some of this was not a surprise; given time, Grossman can pick teams apart and that’s what he did. He has a mentality that meshes with the coaches; he likes to be aggressive as do they with their play calls. I loved the pass he threw to Jabar Gaffney for a four-yard touchdown. Corey Webster was tight on Gaffney, yet Grossman fired it in there. A big-time throw. By the way, Grossman does a good job of taking the blame for whatever bad play happens. John Beck is more honest and will say exactly what happened. Grossman will take the heat regardless.
3. I don’t get why the Giants didn’t blitz more consistently. Whenever they did, they made big plays or pressured Grossman. New York blitzed on the Redskins first two series; Grossman was zero for four. But then they started laying off for much of the next two quarters. I didn’t get it. They did blitz on Anthony Armstrong’s 18-yard gain to the 1, but it was picked up. Still, when they blitzed in the fourth quarter, they forced an incompletion and then a sack/fumble. New York wanted to get pressure from its front four, but the Redskins did a good job of preventing that for the most part. The Giants played at times as if they still had Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. Had those two played, they would have pressured with four much of the night. But that tactic did not work.
4. Jason Pierre-Paul did a nice job against left tackle Trent Williams, getting inside him on a couple of occasions. Williams blocked down one time in the first quarter, doubling on a linemen and allowing a linebacker to stunt through the spot he vacated. Though the Redskins line pass protected well against three- and four-man fronts, the run blocking did not look very strong. Pierre-Paul, for example, was able to get inside Williams and either make plays or disrupt them. Too many blockers – Chris Cooley, Fred Davis – could not sustain blocks on the outside resulting in clogged lanes.
5. Tim Hightower was boom or bust in the preseason –14 of his 25 runs were for two yards or less. Sunday, he had two carries for 35 yards and 23 others for 37 yards. Again, it goes back to the blocking. The Giants do have a good front, but they were missing their two best ends and their middle linebacker. I expected the Redskins to run better than they did. But my guess is the run game will perhaps be more inconsistent than the passing attack. A linemen can get beat in pass protection, but if the quarterback unloads the ball in a hurry it doesn’t matter. But if a linemen allows penetration – especially in the direction the play is going – then it’ll be a bad play. The key is having a commitment to the run, like the Redskins did. They still threw more than they ran (by eight plays) but that’s OK.
6. It helps having a tight end like Fred Davis who can run. And what helps Grossman get him the ball is having time. On Davis’ first long catch, in which he was wide open on Grossman looked first to his left. That enabled Davis to get free on a deep out to the right. When Grossman turned back, it was an easy 25-yard completion on a second and 8 from their own 17.
7. Field position played a huge role in the second half. The Giants had seven drives in the final two quarters; only one started beyond their own 20-yard line. Six of the drives started between the 9 and 20. Credit the offense and the kicking game. The Redskins had just one three and out in the second half, which meant that they were moving the ball and putting themselves in a good punting situation. For example, their worst field position was at the 15-yard line; they moved to their own 43 before punting – and pinning the Giants at their own 9. That’s a huge change. Having a better offense doesn’t mean just points; it means having the ability to change field position and set up the defense. Four of Sav Rocca’s six punts were inside the 20 and all five kickoffs resulted in drives that started at the 20 or worse. That’s quite an advantage. Meanwhile, the Redskins started two drives inside their 20. For now, Graham Gano looks a lot like last year — good kickoffs, inconsistent on field goals. Not a good start, missing a 39-yarder.
8. Gotta admit, did not see this coming from Chris Neild. I considered him a practice squad sort because Anthony Bryant appeared to be ahead of him. Where would Neild fit? Turns out he fits on the roster. Now, he won’t get two sacks every game. He might not get two more the rest of the season. (But think about this for a minute: last season, no Redskins D-linemen had more than 2.5 sacks). But Neild showed that he can relieve Barry Cofield for a spell. He showed excellent instincts on the second sack, quickly reading pass and coming hard off the ball. I also liked how he wasn’t getting moved off the ball; he plays so low, but he’s using his leg strength much better than earlier in camp. Perhaps it’s just because he’s better at reading plays and getting off the ball a little faster. The reason I shouldn’t be surprised by Neild is because he fits well what this staff likes: a hard-working kid. Get a bunch of those mixed with some playmakers and you can be pretty good.
9. Ryan Kerrigan’s interception and return for a touchdown was impressive. Yes, the tip and pick were nice, but the way he avoided Kareem McKenzie’s cut attempt was terrific. Kerrigan was barely stopped and though he bent a little bit, he was able to spring up quickly. That play was a combination of smarts – clearly reading the play to avoid the cut – and athleticism. He does not have Brian Orakpo’s explosiveness, but clearly Kerrigan is a good athlete. By the way, on his touchdown the Redskins were in an all-out blitz. The Giants had called a Rocket Screen (remember that play?). Had they completed it, DeAngelo Hall would have needed to make tackle. If not, a loooong gain would have followed. By the way, Brian Orakpo had the block on the field goal. Some guys just know how to make plays.
10. No, Reed Doughty did not have his best game. No, he’s not the athlete LaRon Landry is; not many players are. And when Doughty must play deep it’s not his strength. He’s much better near the line of scrimmage, though he also missed a tackle attempt on Ahmad Bradshaw’s touchdown run in the second quarter. Doughty needs to play better; did not talk to him afterward but I’m guessing he knows that.
Plus 1. I was also a little surprised the Giants did not go back to the smoke routes vs. Josh Wilson in the second half. He missed tackles on this route twice in the first half. They did try this on Hall twice in the second half but he made the tackle both times. In fact, I wasn’t very fond of the Giants game plan. They had no rhythm, at least not consistently. They never really established the run. But they’re also not used to playing the Redskins while trailing. The Redskins did a better job of adjusting and sticking to what they wanted to do; plus they stayed aggressive on both sides. There will be some games that aggressiveness might cost them. Today, it won them the game.
