The bye week could not come at a better time for the Washington Redskins. After the compete thrashing they took from the Steelers they will need the extra time to lick there wounds and check to make sure their balls are still intact. Last night’s game was hyped for featuring the most physical matchup of the season, the number one defense against the number one rushing offense. Instead we saw first hand why defense wins championships and why the Redskins are still a one dimensional football team. So much for Campbell being an elite QB. From the start Campbell was over matched both mentally and physically. He never figured out the Steelers blitz packages and coverage schemes and as a result looked like a scared, lost, little boy trying to find his mommy. What he found instead were big scary Linebackers and Defensive Lineman donning the black and gold.
Don’t get me wrong the Redskins are still a solid football team. There defense made mistakes but played solid throughout. Who knows, if Rothlisburger never gets injured the Skins may very well win this one. But there are always what-if’s in the NFL. Like what if Carlos Rogers could catch? Well for one the Redskins are probably up 13-3 at halftime. Rogers would also probably be on his way to the Hall of Fame. I would really like to know something. Do they practice throwing to the cornerbacks in practice form different angles to simulate interceptions. I would assume they do and I would really like to know how many of these balls Rogers actually catches. Does he make the catch 10% of the time? 20%? Honestly how do you make it into the NFL without knowing how to catch a football?
The problem with this team lies in the offense’s inability to take advantage of fortuitous situations. A recovered onside kick in the beginning of the game leads to a short field yet they fail to even get a first down. Then an interception by Griff off a tipped pass but again, not even a first down. We settled for two field goals when we should have gone right for the jugular. Granted the Steelers have the #1 defense but a great team, and that is what we thought we had here in DC, a great team would have at least put the ball in the end zone once in this situation. Everyone wants to talk about how Zorn is much more fiery and brings more excitement to this team than Gibbs II. But the truth is this team is starting to look more and more like the Gibbs era than the Zorn era. Like Gibbs’ team, this team cannot score touchdowns. In fact the Redskins are tied for 19th with 3 other teams, Miami, San Fransisco, and Baltimore, in scoring despite having the leagues leading rusher and a QB who before last night had a rating over 100. How could this be?! You never want your team mentioned in the same sentence as Baltimore and Miami when scoring is the subject. So is Zorn really a genius? Is he a Zornstar? Or did D.C get a little carried away with a strong 6-2 start. The second half of the season will tell the tale. But in my opinion this is still a work in progress.
Beasts:
London Fletcher- Continues to be the heart and soul of a very good Redskin defense
Chris Horton- I’m convinced, Vinny actually found a gem.
D-Line- Got pressure on Burger and held fast Willie in check for most of the game
Herbs:
Carlos Rogers- Another dropped interception which could have been the game changer + pass interference= HERB
Jason Campbell- Looked lost and scared all game. Even at the end when most QB’s rack up their “garbage yardage” Campbell still looked inept.
Zorn- Called a poor game. We need more shotgun and no huddle for Campbell.
O-Line- Gave Campbell very little time. Jansen may be demoted again.
ESPN.com- For keeping the Redskins at number 5 in the power rankings. No way is this the fifth best team in the league right now.
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