Wow. What a game.
The unspoken heroes of the game are Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan and OC Kyle Shanahan who everyone was ready to throw under a bus if things didn’t turn around this season. At this point, even if things go south, they still did the impossible and they have earned another year.
They took a rookie QB and made him totally ready for the first game against a Super Bowl level team. Yes, he’s extremely talented, smart and hardworking. Nonetheless, readiness for the NFL as a QB in one training camp is the athletic equivalent to getting a PhD in Nuclear Physics in 4 months.
The other thing they did that blew me away in this game was to grow DeJon Gomes and Aldrick Robinson into serious players. In some ways, I appreciate these two even more than the diamond finds of Alfred Morris and Richard Crawford. The reason is that Morris and Crawford can produce now (actually, we are going to see them get a LOT better as the season rolls on). Gomes and Robinson had to be cultivated more slowly. In a business where they have a gun to their heads to produce now, the Shanahans were able to show patience and forward thinking.
Mark my words, Aldrick Robinson is going to be on a Pierre Garcon level within a couple years. He is absolutely electrifying to watch. His strength and power are astounding for his size. (Compare his 225 lb. bench press reps to those of OFFENSIVE LINEMAN we drafted).
Defenses have to match their fastest corner on Garcon. They have to do the same for Robinson. I think Kyle noticed that, and must be licking his chops to throw them in together on some plays.
Regarding Gomes – I was struck by Gomes sheer determination to get into that end zone after his interception. That same determination made him seem like he was the same size as Jimmy Graham when they both scrambled for the fumbled ball via Cedric Griffin in the end zone.
I can’t wait to watch the players mature and get better as the season develops. I think the Shanahans and their plans are going to be just as exciting.
More ~
Mike Jones reported that Kirk Cousins was on the active roster for the Redskins – Saints game as back-up to Robert Griffin III. Rex Grossman travelled with the team, but was deactivated for the game.
And you thought Jon Jansen was tough for playing games with two broken thumbs. ‘Skins long snapper Nick Sundberg broke his arm late in the first half of the Saints game … and kept on playing for nine more snaps. Heck, you snap with your hands, not with your arms.
Mike Shanahan reports that rookie safety Jordan Bernstine tore “almost everything,” ACL, MCL, PCL, in his knee during the Saints game. Bernstine was carted off the field. The Redskins placed him on the Injured Reserve list, ending his season. They signed free agent safety Jordan Pugh to replace him.
My Twitter friend @BurgundyBlog started the #Griffining movement and it is going viral. I put palm to forehead and smh at that. Sounds like #Griffinsanity to me.
Lost in the Griffin mania is the fact that the Redskins ran the ball 44 times against the Saints compared to 26 pass attempts. That’s not as unbalanced as it appears. Robert Griffin III made 10 of those attempts for an average of 4.2 yards per rush. Viewed that way, RG3 had 36 touches of the ball compared to 34 for everyone else. See? Balanced offense.
Redskins fans are thrilled with RG3, but man are they going to be pissed when Washington shuts him down in December.
— Gus Ramsey (@GusRamsey) September 10, 2012
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