It’s Monday after Thanksgiving. We’ve talked most Redskins fans off the ledge, though most would like to push Jay Gruden and Joe Barry off it.
C’mon, fellow fans. What did the Cowboys game tell us about the Redskins that we did not already know?
That this is a still-flawed team, even with their 2015 success? That the maligned O-line improved to competitive average? That there were questions about the D-line and safeties? That the receivers looked strong, but that the top brass thought the QB was a fluke? That the offense can move the ball on anyone?
The Cowboys loss didn’t expose those things. It confirmed them.
As footballlocks.com put in preseason:
“On the downside, the Redskins are ranked lower at running back and defensive line compared to the same time entering last season.”
They projected the ‘Skins to win 6.5 games this year.
Here’s how Rotoworld.com pegged Kirk Cousins after the Dallas game:
“Like a poor man’s Drew Brees, Cousins waited for the open man to break open and consistently delivered, dicing up the Cowboys’ Mo Claiborne- and Barry Church-less secondary. You can keep doubting Cousins or you can embrace reality: This is a top-12 NFL quarterback with a Top-5 supporting cast, and that equates to Top-10 fantasy stats.”
Yes, Virginia, there are real world implications to fantasy football.
Hog Heaven loved Jay Gruden’s high octane offense against the Packers. We won’t (much) criticize his risky choices against the Cowboys.
Even with a win, we weren’t likely to catch the Cowboys. A Redskins win would have helped the Giants more than ourselves.
So why not throw everything at the high-flying Cowboys?
Gruden, like his quarterback, is still developing at the position. Mistakes will be made, so allowances must be made for sake of the future.
The Cowboys game is one of those times.
The one critique Hog Heaven holds to is the team’s over-dependence on the passing game.
53 passing attempts to 19 rushing attempts when you go up against the best team in football? Really? Pretty much the same pass to run ratio as in the Week 2 Cowboys game — another loss.
Gruden did not make that call alone. He colluded with the front office to enter the season that way.
It’s why they put resources in O-line depth, which is paying off, by the way.
It’s why the Redskins’ top three running backs are a free agent, a fifth-rounder and a third-rounder (Kelley, Thompson and Jones) after they let veteran Alfred Morris walk. But they are young, still adapting to a 16-game schedule. Maybe Gruden is saving their legs.
it’s why GB Scot McCloughan punched the wall when he learned first-round Draft pick Josh Doctson was injured in training camp, which revealed his hopes for Doctson as an end zone target.
The Redskins are what we thought they were – a team that’s almost there. A team that will finish with Hog Heaven’s preseason prediction of 7 to 9 wins.
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