Game Thread: 2017 Week 8 - Cowboys @ Redskins

Welcome to the new Game Thread format! Use this thread in the days before the game, during the game and after the game to talk about this match up. There will be poll to vote on the outcome and has the week progresses we will add links to other game related threads like that week's Blognostication and Recon so you have one stop shopping for all your information. The thread will also be sticky from the point it is originally posted to the point the next week's thread goes up so that it is easy to find.

So let's talk some football!

Hail!

Game Preview - Redskins vs. Cowboys

Redskins Recon 2017: Week 8 vs. Cowboys

Blognostications 2017: Week 8 vs. Cowboys

Game Notes

Offical Inactive Lists

Post Game Quotes - Jay Gruden

Post Game Quotes - Redskins Players

Who knows at this point/

We are capable of beating them.
We are capable of getting spanked by them.
There is little that we can rely on in the Gruden era.

But HEY! How 'bout them fancy passing stats!

WoooHooo!

Well...

On a negative note... Our O-line is REALLY banged up. We have two busted up knees and two sprained ankles between 4 people. And one of those sprains is one that keeps on getting aggravated every week. Pryor has disappeared to moisturize his hands and Matt Jones apparently infected Crowder with the fumble bug before he left town. The Cowboys O-line is touted as being one of the best and our D-line is without Allen for the season and our secondary is now being being manned mostly with glove puppets.

On a positive note, EzeCott hasn't been anywhere near as good this year as last year and the cowboys look ordinary. Cousins is playing well, only 3 int's in 6 games and 12 td's, but he needs help.

Thus far we've played everyone tough, we an do this.

Gotta have faith

I'm saying we come out and whup em. Got a mean on after this weeks loss.

They'll keep it close for a half, fade down the stretch.

That's traditional Redskins football.

I'm not going to lie here, I'm going into this one with my glass half empty. We are beaten up badly and haven't shown and kind of consistently, so for me it's let's see what we can get out of this. Yup we could win and for sure, we could lose however at the moment I'm feeling more pessimistic than optimistic.
Normally I always look for positives but am struggling this week (it might be something to do with my soccer team getting beat in a derby match this midweek 😢) so help me find the positives guys 🙏🏻

Positive Trago... we seem to always (well, mostly) play Dallas hard.... they aren't the same team that started out undefeated last year; I know we're busted up pretty bad on defense, but perhaps it's time for the youngsters to step up. If Joe Gibbs can beat a veteran-laden team during the strike with ALL replacement players... whose to say we can't win this? Anything is possible. That's why they play the game.

Of course if it's a blowout by halftime, my pessimism will be there right with you.

I'm pessimistically optimistic which essentially means, I think we lose but also think we win. Without the injuries I would categorize my attitude for this matchup as 60/40 we win, with injuries I'm 60/40 we lose. If Cousins manages to not get happy feet we might have a chance, otherwise he'll put up nice 4th quarter numbers to at least help my fantasy team.

Well, if Gruden's "Plan A" works, we're good. Because there is no Plan B.

Ever!


EVER!

EVER!

I think with a healthy matchup, we're clearly the better team, and match up well with them. Their strength is the running attack, and our strength is stopping the run. Prescott is a solid QB, but he's probably not going to beat you on his own most Sundays.

But with the injury bug having bitten us all over... can't be super optimistic.

Best chance we have, as Brother Miles has suggested - bloody their noses early and often. Mr. Torrential Downpour might also be helpful if the forecast for rain holds. Kirk plays well in foul weather, and anything that slows down Elliott is a plus as well. We might win a sloppy, turnover-ridden, ugly game.

Last week didn't feel it - Eagles were/are on a roll. This week - yeah we got this. Depth will show and we win the second and fourth quarters to take it. As per usual Cowboys come out strong in first fade till halftime. We stuff their first two drives and it's gone. Same story in second half. Young uns show up - Doctson has 6 catches for 120 which opens up Reed and Crowder.

Fuller and Norman get take-a-ways.

There's your sunny forecast - hope for a great game!

Here we go! Join us in chat people.

Kinda anxious to see what the backups have to offer. Jay's gotta get back to pounding the rock for 4 whole quarters.

Disregard on the running game, Jay's against it.

We're in chat. Join us.

Well, unfortunately - this one worked out about as I expected it to. Just as seems to be the case in most games this year, the Skins had enough early success to get our hopes up. But ultimately, it comes down to the horses on the field, and today ours just weren't up to the task. I don't chalk all of that up to injuries, but the overall impact of having so many starters out or dinged ultimately hurt the overall cause. We couldn't protect Kirk long enough for plays to develop, and we couldn't stop the Dallas ground game. We had to do both of those things today to win - and we couldn't.

As for the Redskins prospects - the funny thing is - theoretically we're still well in it. Hell, we could run the table and finish 12-4. So the seasons hardly over. But it feels over. I'll still keep watching and hoping we can have a strong effort the rest of the way, maybe compete for a wildcard spot although today made that opportunity just a litle harder. I'm pretty down on my team right now, so for those that have felt that way for awhile now, I understand that mentality. I won't take the next step though which is to start believing this team cannot and never will consistently win again because we're a doomed franchise, have a fatally flawed organization, or whatever else you want to pile onto that belief system.

If I embrace that, there's no reason to continue being a fan, or to invest a lot of time, money, and energy into running a Redskins fan site. This organization needs to stay the course, keep on fighting, try to secure their long-term QB (yes - Cousins is still our best bet for the future), and do its best to compete the rest of the way and see what happens. Our 2017 prospects feel dim. But there are still 9 games to be played. And anything can happen with that many games to go.

Today's injuries -

Ioannidis - fractured hand
Paul - Concussion
Reed - Hamstring
TJ Clemmons - ankle

I don't know if it's my dad's philosophy drilled into me, or having had the privilege of living through successful years, or just knowing that football is really what I live for (no pity please), while I totally understand the mentality going on with some fans right now and in fact, I actually agree with some with regards to the organization, I just can't "give up" watching my team. The Redskins have been my team since, literally, before I was born. My dad was at the infamous "Pearl Harbor Game" and I grew up knowing that story. Am I as avid as I once was? No. Time, and age, and even health to a point, have taken over to a point. There was a time when I had to be at the stadium; when I moved to West Virginia, I gave up half the games and that was tough initially. This year we gave up our season tickets.... not because of the team's performance but because of money. And to be honest, while I'd still love to attend an occasional game, I love being in chat with the folks here during games more than I love driving to Maryland for a quick weekend to attend a game. While at the games, I almost enjoy the tailgating more than sitting in the stands. So I guess that means I've finally "matured" <grin>... but nevertheless. I agree with Boone with regards to the game yesterday. The team really buiilt up hope the first half. Even the fluke play a the end of the half didn't dim my optimism, but I felt it going downhill quickly the second half. I didn't WANT to feel it, but my intellect took over. Bottom line, I owe the Redskins a lot in my life... memories with my dad, meeting my husband.. and I guess for that I feel I owe them the loyalty I have always given them. They're my team, win or lose... now on to Seattle. It's going to be another tough NFC game. Hopefully we can put some healthier bodies on the field.

Sorry to babble. One other thing I've noticed over time is that a loss on Sunday doesn't totally decimate me for the week like it did when I was a younger fan. Yes I'm still disappointed and I'm not really looking forward to work tonight as my supervisor is a Dallas fan, but to give him credit, he's been a Dallas fan his entire life. not unlike my fandom in mine, so I can respect that. I know he won't give me a hard time.

Come on peeps... we may dislike the organization (still wish Snyder never got this team), but the players that take the field every week deserve our support. They don't have control over the "organization"... most, if not all, of those players play their hearts out every week and deserve the support that only the fan base can give.

End of vent/rant/whatever you want to call what I just wrote. lI'm going to post this before I erase it all for fear you all will think I'm insane

I'll never quit on my team either Doc.

But I find it harder and harder to believe Gruden will ever take us anywhere significant. Whatever "it" is, he doesn't have it.
Him getting caught yawning on the sidelines during the game wasn't an inspiring visual. That a an apparent inability to design and call plays to beat a blitz. Which has been the case going on 4 years now. Of course, maybe he has, and Crook Cousins is just too stupid to see one coming, change to the play to beat it, and then execute the play.

But, I'll be in front of the tv again next week, from beginning to end, regardless of the outcome.

Ax said:

I'll never quit on my team either Doc.

But I find it harder and harder to believe Gruden will ever take us anywhere significant.
But, I'll be in front of the tv again next week, from beginning to end, regardless of the outcome.

Click to expand...

Hey Ax (and all), I wasn't implying anyone specific was giving up... was more talking about general mentality I'm seeing in the "general population".. not here. The fact people are here, and being passionate about things, tells me that even though they are "threatening" to give up.. they're still HERE week after week.. tells me they're really not "giving up" but just using a defense mechanism to deal with what Snyder has put this team through since he's owned it.

We're in a lose-lose situation here... until Snyder, et al, does something to gain respect of the general NFL population, we may never have that coach that has the "it" factor you speak of., Does Gruden have it? I'm not sure I'm as positive as you are he doesn't, but he's the coach that has come the closest to some sort of improvement over time. However how do we get the respect if we can't get a coach and front office with that "it" factor.. Gibbs II had the inherent "it" factor but the death of Sean Taylor really cost us there.. I do believe Sean Taylor's death was the "straw" that caused Gibbs to retire for good. Who knows if he had stayed if there would have been a different course for this team.

Okay I'm rambling again. And I'll admit my knowledge of the intricacies of running a football team is probably my weakest area of general football knowledge. So bear with that

After we scored the last TD, I thought we had a far better chance of an onside kick, with 4 minutes remaining, especially the way their offense was running our defense down the field the whole game with long drives.
We were counting on a 3 and out, or a 6 and out, and I don't even think the defense did that the whole game.

Another thing I don't get, is a little over 2 minutes remaining, and there's a completion to Bryant, who is pushed out of bounds, and never hit the ground. Yet, the refs made the clocks keep running.