1. Gold pants – I am an unapologetic traditionalist. There should be “gold” in Burgundy & Gold. Joe Gibbs did a lot for the Redskins, so I forgive him for that whole white jersey-burgundy pants thing. Burgundy and white is not what we are. (Yes, I’m a “we” fan.)
2. Pitch & catch – I do not have high expectations for the Redskins’ passing game. The receiving corps is on par with the quarterbacks. Adequate to play, not world-beaters. The throwers and catchers are a cut above the offensive line. All I asking for is quarterbacks who throw the ball where the receiver can catch it and receivers who hold on. “Yards after catch” can come after (later). Just hold on to the ball, please. Icing on the cake: 7 yards per pass attempt and average reception of 13-plus yards. A couple of passing touchdowns won’t hurt.
3. Offensive Line Fundamentals – Legal blocks for 2.5 seconds. No sacks or tackles for a loss.
4. Offensive Line, the disappearing tight ends – Last season, the O-line needed more dedicated blocking by Chris Cooley and Fred Davis. This is not a healthy development. Cooley blocking is Cooley wasted as a receiver. This hurt the Redskins in the Red Zone. Cooley should own that area, but cannot when he is blocking. I don’t expect or want to see Cooley tonight. Keep him healthy by keeping him out. Chip blocks by Davis, Logan Paulson and Mike Sellers, please.
5. Offensive Line, beyond the scrimmage – Rushing average better than 4.5 yards. Not typically thought of as a line stat, but when the rushers average close to five yards, it means that the blockers have reached the second level (linebacker, strong safety) of opposing defenses. If individual rushers average better than five yards per carry, that’s a great night for the player. If the team average is greater than 4.5 yards, that’s a great night for the line.
6. Defensive Front Seven Pressure – Joe Gibbs sold us on coverage sacks to make opposing quarterbacks hold onto the ball longer than he wants. We could see it with Sean Taylor paired with LaRon Landry and Shawn Springs lurking in the corner. It hasn’t really worked since we lost Taylor. I cannot picture coverage sacks against Michael Vick. The Redskins aimed to fix this by bringing in Albert Haynesworth, figuring that one big man was worth three or four productive defenders, or offensive linemen.
Washington is on a better track with the likes of free agents Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen and draftees Ryan Kerrigan and Jarvis Jenkins. I love this approach. Now we just need to see if these guys were well chosen. I do not expect to see much of Kerrigan since he missed the first week of practice with an injury. I want to see why Jenkins got all those rave reviews by the Redskins media. I respect those guys, but practice doesn’t tell much.
7. The score at the half – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he will play is starters for 10 series. By “series,” I’m not sure if he means 10 plays or 10 sets of three downs. Whatever he means, the score when the Steeler starters leave the field is more important than the score at the end of the game. We “win” if we are ahead, or are competitive, at that point. The dramatic, fourth-quarter comeback by our scrubs over their scrubs tells us nothing.
We’ll grade the Redskins on these points tomorrow.
Point after: REDSKINS TONIGHT! HAIL!
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