1. The momentum gained from last week’s win over New York? Gone. And that was the fear after that game: Was it a one-week blip or the start of something? A good team can build off such a win, even in a season where they’re going nowhere. But a loss at home to a 2-12 team on Christmas Eve? That’s where the Redskins are and have been for a long time. You don’t finish with three straight double-digit loss seasons any other way. The funny thing is, they continue to find positives (Evan Royster) while still finding ways to lose. This time, the defense allowed too many big plays. Penalties killed the Redskins, too.
2. I thought this was a big game just from the standpoint of needing to build on last week’s positives. That was a complete win and if you’re able to put another game or two like that in a row, then you can start feeling better about the direction of this regime. Realistically I thought they could get to 6-10, putting them on track where I thought they were before the season started. They still have the same needs that many have thought they had for the past five months. One more win would not have changed that, but a few in a row would have at least provided a belief that it wasn’t that bad. And if the defense had shut down Minnesota, you’d say that they should have considering what the Vikings lost Saturday (RB Adrian Peterson, QB Christian Ponder). But what does it say that they allowed 389 yards to a team that lost those two? It happens, sure. But the defense is supposed to be the strength here and the side of the ball that needs to be relied upon. “We took a step back today,” Brian Orakpo said. “It’s unacceptable to run the ball like that against us.” So now it’ll be three straight years of double-digit losses and four straight last place finishes in the NFC East. This is a long process folks. “It sucks, that’s all I can say about it,” receiver Jabar Gaffney said of the 10-loss season.
3. Rex Grossman. Two more turnovers. Twenty four in 12 starts this season. Not about to change. Do I need to continue?
4. The more Evan Royster plays the more comfortable he gets. He was a tough player to measure this summer because he wasn’t really able to run the way he wanted. He stutter stepped before cuts and therefore did not run with the same sort of confidence that he’s showing now. He’s a move-the-chains sort of guy, as he was at Penn State. That’s just another way of saying he’s not a game breaker. However, there’s enough to like and it was evident Saturday. He showed patience, yes. But it’s more about his confidence. He clearly got into a rhythm. “Once you get going it’s hard to stop,” Royster said. The thing about Royster is that he always seemed to be moving forward when he cut, which makes a huge difference. He had some huge lanes to run through – on his 28-yard run he was not hit for the first 15 yards. But Royster did a good job of locating holes and getting yards after contact.
5. I don’t know where Royster fits in for next season, but I do know the Redskins should have a strong backfield, assuming they bring in one more veteran –whether it’s Tim Hightower or someone else. Royster does not provide game-breaking speed and I wonder about Roy Helu’s durability. But the mix of those two would be OK. And a difference for Royster today is the cutback lanes that the line opened up. Seemed to be on a consistent basis, but sometimes you really don’t know until you watch the game again. However, there were a few times when the backside blocks did their job and Royster did his job. It’s what he did in college.
6. Seems like this has been a big kick lately, but I like when players who have had rough games talk to the media. It’s tough — who wants to answer questions about why you had a bad day? But it’s also necessary. Again, learned this from covering guys like Brian Mitchell, Darrel Green, Champ Bailey etc. That’s why it was good to see Darrel Young talk after the game. He initially said he didn’t want to, but the guy is a good talker and very approachable. A PR rep spoke to him and Young changed his mind, as I figured he would. Best to get it done now and handle it the right way. Nobody was in Young’s face about it; rather the group was several yards back. That’s why it was so disappointing to see how Mike Sellers handled it, loudly telling the media that “he said he’s not talking.” And essentially trying to tell Young not to talk. Why? What’s to gain from that? Fortunately, one of them handled the situation like a pro.
7. Young blamed himself for the loss because it was his offsides penalty on fourth down that extended a drive that ended in a touchdown. And it was his holding penalty that wiped out Brandon Banks’ 59-yard touchdown run. On the hold, Young said, “A bad play. I cost the team the game. I just have to overcome it and hopefully have another chance to do it.” And on the offsides, Young said, “I heard something and I jumped and it cost the team a touchdown again. They are just mistakes that cost us two touchdowns.” Young had a tough day, but cost them the game? Many plays did. London Fletcher admitted he did a poor job on Toby Gerhart’s 67-yard run of forcing the play back inside. And Grossman threw wide of an open Donte Stallworth on a slant that would have been a touchdown. Instead, they settled for a field goal. So, no, Young did not cost them the game. Oh, and, yes the penalty on Young was a little tough. Was it legit? Guess so, but worse examples haven’t been called.
8. Sellers didn’t help with his inability to execute a block on Brian Robison in the first quarter. Sellers went in motion to his left, then cut back to his right after the snap. He sort of hesitated and took a poor angle, then continued at Robison but it was too late. Robison stripped Grossman of the ball and recovered to set up a field goal. Maybe Grossman could have helped by stepping up into the pocket, but he was hit 2.49 seconds after the ball was snapped – and he had to execute a play-action fake too. If Robison hadn’t gotten the ball, another Viking was about to drill Grossman.
9. It’s still a treat to watch Fletcher play. He’s not perfect, but he had 17 tackles – eight more than Reed Doughty, who was second. I’m not sure I’ve covered a player more hungry to make a tackle. Some players jump on piles to get credit for assists (see Smith, Bruce on the pursuit of the sack record). That’s not what Fletcher does. He attacks players because the guy still loves to play. Christian Ponder was just about down; maybe he gets free but that didn’t seem to be the case. Fletcher came up and drilled him. And his hit on Adrian Peterson at the goal line was … well I was going to say incredible except that it wasn’t. It’s what Fletcher does. A week ago he knocked a 280-pound tight end backwards on a hit; Peterson isn’t going to run him over. I don’t know if Fletcher will make the Pro Bowl. I do know he’s playing as well as he did the past two years. I will say, he didn’t have much of a chance on the TD to Percy Harvin. Loved the play in which Harvin starts running from the left slot as QB Joe Webb fakes a handoff from shotgun formation. The linebackers both started to their right as Harvin headed behind the line and out on his route. That play-fake created all the separation Harvin needed.
10. A couple odds and ends: Willie Smith had his negative moments against Jared Allen, but it seemed like he did better in the second half after some rough plays early. Tough to really focus on this matchup. The Redskins did give him help, but Smith still had to handle him one-on-one….Graham Gano had a good game; he swung very easy on his 53-yard field goal…Jabar Gaffney just runs routes like a pro. A great catch, too, on the one-handed grab. Broke off his route and Grossman did a good job staying with him. “It was pretty sweet,” Gaffney said. “I just put my hand out and it stuck.”…Orakpo has definitely improved against the run; did a good job getting inside for some stops.
11. Merry Christmas. You know, I felt bad for a minute because I had to work on Christmas Eve and would miss a few hours with the family. That thought quickly passed when I considered there are people spending it away from their families overseas in the military. God Bless ‘em.
