Redskins Survive in McNabb’s Return

Donovan McNabb was all smiles after the Redskins beat the Eagles 17-12

By Ben Linton

If you had told me five years ago that Donovan McNabb would be playing at Lincoln Financial Field as a visiting quarterback, I probably would have believed you. But If you had told me he would be playing for the Redskins, I would have called you crazy. In one of the most bizarre trades in NFL history, Donovan McNabb, at age 33 and no signs of slowing down, landed in the laps of the Washington Redskins in the biggest story of the 2010 off-season.

Although McNabb always has a “one game at a time” attitude a “We not Me” mentality with the media (as any franchise quarterback should), I’m sure deep down that this game was circled on his calendar from the start. I’m sure he payed close attention when he saw Kevin Kolb get injured in Week One, then Michael Vick took his place even when he was back and healthy. I’m sure he remembers how the Eagles used their excuse of shipping him to Washington as a beginning of the Kevin Kolb era and starting in a new direction. But when Vick started weeks two and three in Detroit and Jacksonville, it seemed as if the Eagles wanted any quarterback not named Donovan McNabb to be their leader in 2010. Slap in the face to Donovan if you ask me.

But Philadelphia redeemed themselves somewhat when McNabb was applauded as he was announced on Sunday. He was the one who would get the last laugh in the end as Washington defeated Philadelphia 17-12. Finally, Donovan got to say what was on his mind:

“But I just want to say, definitely, this right here defines team, and this is something we can feed off of going into the rest of the season. We are No. 1 in the NFC East, and we are gonna stay up there. Everybody makes mistakes in [their] lifetime, and they made one last year! So … thank you.”

Whether McNabb wanted it to be or not, this game was about him. He deserved to say that Philadelphia made a mistake, and proved it by beating them yesterday. This was a defining moment in McNabb’s career and for that I congratulate him.

Hold Your Horses, Cowboys!

By Ben Linton

The Washington Redskins were able to take advantage of numerous errors by the Dallas Cowboys and played strong defense en route to a 13-7 victory Sunday Night. The Redskins won the debut of the Shanahan-McNabb era when Dallas Cowboys Tackle Alex Barron held Brian Orakpo on the final play of regulation, ruling out a touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Roy Williams. Here’s the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from Week 1:

Good:

1. At the end of the first half, DeAngelo Hall made a game-changing play by stripping running back Tashard Choice and taking it to the house. It put Washington up 10-0 at the end of the first half and gave them huge momentum heading into the second half.

2. Any time you hold Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Jason Witten, Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Roy Williams, and Dez Bryant to 7 points, that’s a job well done. Game ball goes to the defense for sure for winning this one.

Bad:

1. In his debut in the Burgundy and Gold, Donovan McNabb was not very sharp. He did not play bad enough to lose the game or hurt his team. But 15 of 32 passing for a 63.4 QB rating is not going to get it done. McNabb threw numerous passes that were too low for intended recievers. He did do a job of spreading the ball to playmakers though (Cooley and Moss 6 catches each.)

Ugly:

1. After the Cowboys jumped offsides on a Graham Gano field goal, the Redskins had a perfect opportunity to score and put the Cowboys in a hole at either 17-0 or 13-0. Instead, the offense stalled at the goal line, running a fade to Anthony Armstrong on 2nd and 3rd down from the Dallas 5 yard line. Both passes were incomplete, and Josh Bidwell did his best Tony Romo impersonation on a botched hold, resulting in zero points for the Skins.

Any time you can win on opening day, there is reason for optimism. The offense must improve but the defense looked great. Beating your rival is always great, especially when they were division champs last year. For now the Skins need to take it one game at a time, starting with a home game against the Texans next week.

One Man’s Trash…Another Man’s Treasure

By Ben Linton

And you thought this was the year the Washington Redskins wouldn’t make an off-season splash? Guess again because here they come cannon-balling off the diving board in a trade that sends Donovan McNabb to D.C. Today the 33-year old veteran was sent packing to Washington for a second round pick in this year’s draft and a third or fourth round selection in 2011.

McNabb leaves behind a legacy in Philadelphia, which includes 5 NFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl appearance in 2004. He leaves as the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards, completions, attempts, completion percentage, and touchdown passes. The reigns will now be handed on to Kevin Kolb as the Eagles’ Quarterback of the future.

So now McNabb arrives in D.C., a place desperate for a quarterback after years of searching. It is odd that a trade like this would go down, especially within the same division, but it seems as if the Redskins are ready to move away from Jason Campbell and move on with McNabb and build around him. The Redskins also added Rex Grossman earlier this offseason, so this may mean the end for Campbell in Washington. Expect him to be traded, in a best-case scenario the Skins could get that second-round pick back for him.

This will make April’s draft even more interesting and important. The Redskins could select Notre Dame Quarterback Jimmy Clausen at No. 4, have McNabb mentor him, and then play him when he is ready. Or Washington could draft what they need, an offensive tackle, at that same spot and give McNabb protect. Weapons have already been added in running backs Willie Parker and Larry Johnson to go along with Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley, Fred Davis and Santana Moss. All McNabb will need is some protection and he can thrive in this offense.

This is a good move for the Redskins. They get a top-10 NFL quarterback, a proven winner, and I like the idea of a veteran coach and quarterback combination. That could equal success in the NFL. Although I will admit it will be weird seeing McNabb in a Redskins’ uniform next year, but I am ready for this change. All signs are pointed in the right direction thus far in Washington.

 

Finishing with a Thud

By Ben Linton

Following a 17-0 loss to rival Dallas, the Washington Redskins are scratching their heads wondering what exactly is going on. The past two weeks Washington has had home games on National Television against division rivals, and fell flat losing by a combined score of 62-12 (ouch). Some may wonder where the team was a few weeks ago that gave a much better effort, but with one game remaining most of these players are just ready for this disaster to be over. Whereas the Ravens wish there were more games to solidify a playoff spot, the Redskins can’t wait for this one to be over. No good, bad, and ugly this week. It was pretty much all bad if you ask me. This tragedy will be over this Sunday at 4:15 in San Diego.

Injury-plagued Redskins let another one slip

By Ben Linton

This is becoming a monotonous theme of the Washington Redskins’ season. This time, Washington blew another 4th quarter lead to a divisonal opponent, as the Philidelphia Eagles clipped the Skins 27-24 at Lincoln Financial Field. Although they were without stars Albert Hanyesworth, DeAngelo Hall, Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, and Chris Cooley, it was the way that the Redskins lost that really hurt. To give such a good effort and come up short can really kill a team’s morale. Here’s the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from Week 12.

Good:

1. For the second straight game, Washington was great on third down efficiency, converting 8 of 17 attempts. This is odd because usual these are passing situations when the offensive line can’t block, but somehow the Skins continue to get it done. The Redskins were only sacked twice this game, compared to five the last meeting.

2. DeSean Jackson has torched Washington this year for 3 touchdowns. But a big hit on him by London Fletcher gave him a concussion to put him out of the game. Although you never want to condone injuring another player, thats one way to take the opponents best player out of the game.

Bad:

1. Jason Campbell’s two interceptions two Asante Samuel were huge momentum swingers and led to 6 Philly points. To beat a good team like the Eagles, you can’t turn the ball over.

Ugly:

1. Once again the Skins failed to close out another game in the 4th quarter. They lead 24-16 with 11:42 remaining, but could not hold on. This was the 5th time the Redskins lost a game when leading in the 4th quarter. Not clutch.

Next Up: The undefeated New Orleans Saints at FedEx Field, a game that I am going to. Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.

A Big L in Big D

By Ben Linton

Tired of all these losing posts on All Metro Sports World? Well, sadly we as fans and bloggers have no control on the outcomes of these games but we must report them. Today, the Washington Redskins, a newly energized and revitalized team headed into Dallas today and suffered a demoralizing 7-6 loss that probably will sink them further down into the abyss then they were after losses to the Lions, Chiefs, and Panthers. Times Three. Here’s the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from Week 11.

Good

1. After showing signs of giving up big plays the past couple weeks, the Washington did a good job of limiting all the Cowboys weapons to minimum gains. The longest play the Cowboys had from scrimmage was 23 yards.

2. Jason Campbell was incredible with his third down passing, Get this: Campbell was 12 for 12 for 150 yards and seven first downs on third down alone. Forget what bad things you may have to say about Campbell, he came to play today.

Bad

1. The Washington Run Defense was definitely hurt by the loss of big Albert Hanyesworth in the middle, as Dallas could seemingly run the ball at its own will against Cornelius Griffin and Kedric Golston. The Cowboys ended up with 153 yards on the ground, 99 of which came from Marion Barber.

2. It seems as if on every Redskin drive this game, they would go one step forward, two steps back. Every time Washington makes a big play on offense they usually follow it with a turnover or a negative play or a penalty. This can’t happen, and thats why they didn’t get into the endzone today.

Ugly

1. Got Kickers? Shaun Suisham missed a 39 yarder at the end of the second half that could have put the Redskins up 6-0 and given them huge momentum. Then he missed a 50 yarder in the fourth quarter that would have given the Skins a 9-0, two possession lead. By the way Dallas was playing on offense, I’m pretty sure if he made that kick Washington would have won the game.

2. This is just a slap in the face, but Dallas pretty much played the worst game they could possibly play and still won. They gave the Skins numerous opportunities (two dropped INTs) but Washington failed to put the Cowboys away.

Next the Skins head to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in another tough NFC East matchup. Expect another slugfest.

Turnovers Haunt Redskins

By Ben Linton

The Philadelphia Eagles scored 13 points off of three Washington Redskin turnovers as they defeated the Redskins 27-17 on Monday Night Football. This loss puts  Washington at 2-5 for the season and sends Philadelphia home with a 4-2 record. Here is the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from week 7:

The Good

1. Other than two electric plays by DeSean Jackson, The defense stifled the Eagles offense throughout the night. They were constantly put in bad position after turnovers and a stagnant offense, but continued to fight and never gave up. They seem to be the only bright spot on this team. They really only gave up 14 of the points scored by Philadelphia.

2. After Chris Cooley got injured early in the first half, Fred Davis stepped up and caught eight balls for  78 yards and a touchdown. New Offensive Play Caller Sherman Lewis did a good job of getting the ball to the tight end; Cooley’s numbers should increase due to this change. The play calling cannot be blamed for this loss, at some point the players have to go out there and execute what is called.

The Bad

1. I guess benching Jason Campbell the previous week did not influence him to come out and play well. He threw one interception for a touchdown, fumbled deep in his own territory to set up a field goal, and got sacked plenty of times. Although the offensive line is not a standout bunch, Campbell is still taking too much time to make decisions when the blitz comes. Some of the sacks were on him.

2. Antwaan Randel El has continued to be a dud on the punt return unit; He bobbled another punt and gave Philadelphia the ball in the red zone. This led to a Philadelphia field goal, and was at a key point when momentum was shifting in the Redskins direction with the score 17-7.

The Ugly:

1. On Monday Night Football there was a great stat about Daniel Snyder. Since taking over the franchise in 1999, here’s what the Redskins have done:

• 78-88 record (10 seasons)
  
• 3 winning seasons
• 3 playoff appearances
• 6 head coaches
• 10 quarterbacks

In order to be a successful franchise, one must have stability at the head coach and quarterback position. Until this situation gets solved, the Redskins will continue to struggle.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

By Ben Linton

In their opening game, the Washington Redskins fell to the NFC East champion New York Giants in East Rutherford by score of 23-17. Although the Redskins lost, there are many positives to come out of this. But by no means is this a moral victory, for the Redskins need to improve in several areas to have a good season. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from week 1:

The Good

Washington’s red zone defense was exceptional, the Giants were 0-3 inside the 20 yard line and could only get 2 field goals and a turnover on downs. If it were not for these goal line stands, the game would have been a lot more lopsided. Also, Antwaan Randel El thrived in the slot today and showed that he will be a matchup nightmare for all defenses. He finished the day with 7 receptions for 98 yards.

The Bad

Although they faced arguably the best defensive line, the offensive line did not give Jason Campbell the protection necessary for him to do well. However, this can also be blamed on Campbell for taking too much time in the pocket. The Giants sacked Campbell three times, and forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, which was the gamebreaker. Also, the Skins only rushed for 85 yards on the ground. Give credit to the Giants stingy defense, but almost every time Washington runs for over 100 yards they win the game.

The Ugly

Santana Moss, on a day when two Giant corner backs were injured, only caught two passes for a measley six yards. To make matters worse, Moss got into an altercation with Giant corner back Corey Webster to give him a 15 yard penalty, even though they were offset. He will need to step his game up.

The next few weeks do look promising for Washington, as they face St. Louis, Detroit, and Tampa Bay in the following three weeks. Hopefully they can get back on track and win their first game of 2009.

A little trickery by the Skins!

Vick To The Eagles

 

Vick is now in Green

By Ben Linton

Mark my words, this will be the last Michael Vick post on All Metro Sports World. Today Vick signed a two-year deal with the Philidelphia Eagles to end his long search for a team. He will now join Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb as Eagles’ Quarterbacks.

Am I happy to see Michael Vick back in the NFL? Yes. But on a rival team in the division? Ehh. I don’t really understand the Eagles’ motive for signing Vick, because personally I think McNabb is the best quarterback in the NFC East. Its not like hes inept at scrambling either, which is Vick’s forte. But come to think of it, Philly fans have been trying to get McNabb out of there for a while now.

This certainly will add an element to Philidelphia’s offense. Vick is no doubt a playmaker, but also a bonehead. You got to take the good with the bad with this guy. Hopefully Vick can stay out of trouble and resurrect his career, just don’t beat the Redskins.

 

 

 

Sittin’ Pretty

Jason Campbell has suffered an emotional roller coaster this offseason. But is it as bad as other issues in the NFC East?

By Ben Linton

Whenever the NFC East is mentioned on Sportscenter, its always about three things: 1) The Cowboys and the loss of Terrell Owens 2) The Giants and losing Plaxico Burress and 3) The Eagles’ injuries at training camp. So where do the Washington Redskins fit into this? Nowhere, and that is exactly where they want to be.

The Redskins seem to be the only team that doesn’t have major offseason issues to address. Sure, the development of Quarterback Jason Campbell and a lackluster offense from 2008 will be important, but if you look around the division, the Skins have it easy compared to other teams.

The Cowboys released Wide Reciever Terrell Owens, leaving him to head for Buffalo in the offseason. Do they really think that Roy Williams, who recently stated that he had just lifted weights for the first time this offseason, be able to fill the void? I doubt that the corps of Williams, Miles Austin, Patrick Crayton, and Sam Hurd will be able to make up for the loss of T.O.

The Giants released Plaxico Burress after he shot himself in the leg. It was clear in the six games without Burress that Eli Manning struggled and the Giants could not get it done (2-4). So try having 16 games without Burress instead of just six. Plus, opposing defenses will have a lot more time to gameplan for the Burress-less Giant offense, which will make it even harder for Manning & Co.

The Eagles looked very promising heading into 2009, with the additions of rookies LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin to an already pretty potent offense. But with the loss of one of the greatest defensive coordinators of all-time in Jim Johnson, and the team’s leader in Brian Dawkins, where does that leave the Eagles? The only thing they could hope for was to stay healthy, which they have not. They lost linebacker Stewart Bradley (knee) and rookie tight end Cornelius Ingram for the year. Starting right tackle Shawn Andrews might not be a go for the start of the season. Then they lost Wide Reciever Hank Baskett and defensive end Trent Cole. Its hard to say right now that the Eagles will overcome all of these losses.

So that leaves the Redskins. Most preseason magazines already have written off the Skins for 2009, but the door of opportunity has flung wide open. Plaxico Burress and Terrell Owens have absolutely killed the Skins in recent games. The Redskins swept the Eagles last year, who eventually made it to the NFC Championship game. The Washington Redskins are surely flying under the radar right now and have been given a huge opportunity to make some noise on ’09.

Jim Zorn's offense will need to be more effective in 2009