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Blognosticator - Shi no Tenshi
The book on the 2014 Washington Redskins was written. This was a team that was a complete and utter mess. One that couldn’t get out of its own way, one that coughed up the ball as often as it scored touchdowns.
Many fans were even beginning to give up hope. We were doomed for a top 5 pick in the draft. It was time to brace for the pain of another losing season, with little to no positivity for the future.
Then Monday Night happened. Something no expert expected, and few of the faithful believed in: we took out our hated rivals, on their home turf, at the top of their game. They were the unbeatable Cowboys, darlings of the media, owners of the top rushing attack in the NFL. They could do no wrong. Yet, we waltzed in to Jerry World and put them right in their place, as the blowhards they so often are.
Now we find that the story has yet to be finalized for our beloved team. Our Redskins still have some fight left; they may yet show us that we still have a team to cheer for and believe in. We have young guys progressing: in Breeland, Compton, and Murphy. Important to note: we finally got Turnstyler Polumbus off the field.
It is time to see what we are made of. We now have a game versus the cellar dwelling Minnesota Vikings, a team that has a record equal to ours. A team that has just come off an OT win of their own, albeit against much worse competition. They are also a team that has questions about their QB future.
Unlike us, however, they do not have the offensive talent we do. Their 2 most vaunted offensive weapons starting the year, Adrian Peterson and Cordarelle Patterson, are either no longer playing football, or barely a part of the game plan. Their rookie QB is still having several growing pains, with the 31st ranked passing offense in the NFL.
Their defense is not horrible yardage-wise, but has not stopped their opponents from scoring (sound familiar?). They are listed as the 4th ranked passing defense, yet 13 of the 19 TDs scored on them are through the air.
A team to believe in is going to head on up to Minneapolis and put the Vikings down. Let there be no mistake: this game should not be close. We have the offensive weapons to take control of this game and put it well beyond reach. We just need to carry over what was started Monday Night, and execute.
Of course, we have our QB question. Griffin definitely has a lot to prove, and nobody but the coaches and him know how things will turn out. Colt McCoy gave us an excellent show on Monday, but has not been able to sustain success in his career so far. If we are going to grow as a team, and get to the Super Bowl as we all desire, the road is through Griffin, not McCoy.
If Griffin plays, and I believe he will, I do not think their defense will be able to keep up. He was just finding his stride when he got injured, and the confidence was starting to show again. The old energy was back. I think he is going to come back with a chip on his shoulder. The offense is being given back to him with a few of the kinks worked out. Still a lot of work left, but things are looking promising, with Jordan Reed making some sick catches, and DeSean Jackson making any safety think twice about crowding forward. Alfred is finally looking like his ankle is feeling better, and as long as the run game is committed to, he should be very effective.
Our defense should be able to feast this week. The O-line of Minnesota is susceptible, and their QB is by no means crisp. In the games I watched, their left side was often slow, and can be beat by speed. Kerrigan should be licking his chops. Bridgewater is missing passes to wide open backs in the flat. Our D should be fine, even playing a level significantly lower than against Dallas.
So once again, the question is: are we building towards something, or did we have our Super Bowl, as everybody in the media seems to insist?
I think we just found ourselves. It’s time to take control of our own destiny, and show some consistency. I think we find our 3rd win in a row up north. Griffin will throw for around 250, Morris will get around 80 on the ground. We’ll have around 150 yards rushing for the team. DeSean will break a long TD. I think we put up enough points to feel good about things going into our bye week.
Redskins win, 31-10.
The book on the 2014 Washington Redskins was written. This was a team that was a complete and utter mess. One that couldn’t get out of its own way, one that coughed up the ball as often as it scored touchdowns.
Many fans were even beginning to give up hope. We were doomed for a top 5 pick in the draft. It was time to brace for the pain of another losing season, with little to no positivity for the future.
Then Monday Night happened. Something no expert expected, and few of the faithful believed in: we took out our hated rivals, on their home turf, at the top of their game. They were the unbeatable Cowboys, darlings of the media, owners of the top rushing attack in the NFL. They could do no wrong. Yet, we waltzed in to Jerry World and put them right in their place, as the blowhards they so often are.
Now we find that the story has yet to be finalized for our beloved team. Our Redskins still have some fight left; they may yet show us that we still have a team to cheer for and believe in. We have young guys progressing: in Breeland, Compton, and Murphy. Important to note: we finally got Turnstyler Polumbus off the field.
It is time to see what we are made of. We now have a game versus the cellar dwelling Minnesota Vikings, a team that has a record equal to ours. A team that has just come off an OT win of their own, albeit against much worse competition. They are also a team that has questions about their QB future.
Unlike us, however, they do not have the offensive talent we do. Their 2 most vaunted offensive weapons starting the year, Adrian Peterson and Cordarelle Patterson, are either no longer playing football, or barely a part of the game plan. Their rookie QB is still having several growing pains, with the 31st ranked passing offense in the NFL.
Their defense is not horrible yardage-wise, but has not stopped their opponents from scoring (sound familiar?). They are listed as the 4th ranked passing defense, yet 13 of the 19 TDs scored on them are through the air.
A team to believe in is going to head on up to Minneapolis and put the Vikings down. Let there be no mistake: this game should not be close. We have the offensive weapons to take control of this game and put it well beyond reach. We just need to carry over what was started Monday Night, and execute.
Of course, we have our QB question. Griffin definitely has a lot to prove, and nobody but the coaches and him know how things will turn out. Colt McCoy gave us an excellent show on Monday, but has not been able to sustain success in his career so far. If we are going to grow as a team, and get to the Super Bowl as we all desire, the road is through Griffin, not McCoy.
If Griffin plays, and I believe he will, I do not think their defense will be able to keep up. He was just finding his stride when he got injured, and the confidence was starting to show again. The old energy was back. I think he is going to come back with a chip on his shoulder. The offense is being given back to him with a few of the kinks worked out. Still a lot of work left, but things are looking promising, with Jordan Reed making some sick catches, and DeSean Jackson making any safety think twice about crowding forward. Alfred is finally looking like his ankle is feeling better, and as long as the run game is committed to, he should be very effective.
Our defense should be able to feast this week. The O-line of Minnesota is susceptible, and their QB is by no means crisp. In the games I watched, their left side was often slow, and can be beat by speed. Kerrigan should be licking his chops. Bridgewater is missing passes to wide open backs in the flat. Our D should be fine, even playing a level significantly lower than against Dallas.
So once again, the question is: are we building towards something, or did we have our Super Bowl, as everybody in the media seems to insist?
I think we just found ourselves. It’s time to take control of our own destiny, and show some consistency. I think we find our 3rd win in a row up north. Griffin will throw for around 250, Morris will get around 80 on the ground. We’ll have around 150 yards rushing for the team. DeSean will break a long TD. I think we put up enough points to feel good about things going into our bye week.
Redskins win, 31-10.