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The Good Stuff...

Boone

The Commissioner
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None of us wants to talk about the 'good stuff' we saw today after a loss, myself included. But it's important to note the small steps that are occurring amidst the losses and inevitable growing pains.

Here's what I saw, on the 'plus side' today:

1) The team doesn't care about the prognosticators. We were supposed to be trucked today from the outset. We couldn't compete with a juggernaut Miami team, darling of the mediots. Yes, they prevailed. But it was hardly a sure thing, and for much of the game, it was Dolphins fans that were worried, not us. I like that. It means the guys on this squad don't care about how good or bad they are 'supposed to be'. They came out strong and put the game result in question from the outset.

2) The team rebounded from tough plays. I lost count of how many times the team stumbled today, found itself in a predicament, yet somehow managed to extricate itself - but there were numerous examples of it. I liked seeing that resiliency. I think it bodes well for the future. We were never out of this game. And when things looked most dire, the guys stepped up and made plays. That's a big difference from many of the losses last year.

3) Kirk Cousins can play. Yeah, I know. He threw two picks. But beyond that, he made lots of great throws and great decisions. He got rid of the ball (mostly) on time against a DL that was supposed to eat him for lunch. They didn't. Cousins needs help - specifically from his WRs (I'm talking to you Andre Roberts) and OL (what's with the back to back holding penalties guys?) - but he is good enough to win. What I didn't see today was a QB over his head, or overwhelmed by the pressure. I saw a pretty steady, capable guy back there.

4) We have a running game. We may even have one hell of a running game. And it's only going to get better with time. Almo is a beast, Jones is a helluva speller, and Chris Thompson ain't half bad either. The Redskins, for brief moments today, reminded some of the Gibbs power rushing attack. That too bodes well for the future.

5) The Redskins D ain't bad folks. Color me generally impressed with Joe Barry's new defense. Our secondary entered today's game barely competent. With Breeland out for a one game suspension, Duke out with an injury, and DHall questionable health-wise, I was really, really worried about whether or not our DBs could hold up. For most of the game they did. Yeah, I know. Amerson is a liability (that remains to be seen). And when DHall went out, we gave up big plays. But overall, our defense pulled the Redskins chestnuts out of the fire again and again. I was very, very encouraged by what I saw today.

We lost today. We lost a tough game I thought, for 3 of 4 quarters, we would win. We didn't. But you know what? I am not depressed. I am encouraged. We need to remember (as I've said elsewhere) this is a rebuilding team. Progress will come in fits and starts and there will be some pain. There always is in rebirth. But I think there is more good than bad that we saw today. And I'll go on record predicting that we are going to kick the Rams ass next Sunday.

What did you see today?
 
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Very well said... I agree with you that, I'm not upset we lost because we actually didn't play bad, we need to play smarter. Desean going out hurt, too
 
Oh - and I would be remiss in not adding...is Robert Griffin a class act or what? I know most QBs in his situation (if there's ever really BEEN a QB in his situation!) would have good reason to be recalcitrant or grumpy. But what he was today, was positive, encouraging, unselfish. No matter how critical anyone is of his on the field play, the guy is the epitome of class.

Kudos Robert Griffin :cheers:
 
We started off promising, then unraveled a bit, and then completely fell apart in the end. It was the 'Iron Man 3' of football games.
 
The young right side of O-line did well. Media experts said that Suh and Wake would kill them. But you didn't hear them mentioned much. Was impressed...

Agree on the D. They only gave up 10 points. Wasn't expecting that...
 
Alfred Morris is just a beast. The man had no business getting positive yardage a few times, but still managed it. Any success we have this year will be on his shoulders, if Gruden is smart, he will run the ball 30+ times every game.

Defense got decent pressure on Tannehill sometimes. It was actually a little confusing, I need to go back and look to determine if the defensive playcalling changed or if we were inconsistent. I'm hoping the playcalling changed, which is easier to correct than if the Line just stopped getting a push.

Given that we were without our top two corners (Breeland and Hall) for a lot of the game, I thought our secondary was OK. I suspect that area will improve in the coming weeks when Breeland gets back and gets comfortable.

Overall, there were quite a few positives, particularly from a team that was supposed to get crushed by the Fish. Frustrating loss because we controlled the game for 80% of the game and then blew it in the 4th. This game had a very Norv-Turner feel to it, which defines frustration for me.
 
Dam you Boone, ya just had to bring rational thought to the discussion.....:kick_can:

Fair enough, just the good stuff.

The O line did a fairly solid job is pass pro for the most part. With essentially two rookies on the right side, I'd say that's very promising. I expected the run blocking to be very good being it's always easier to push forward then stand ground.

Cousins can be productive as we knew, and bounced back fairly well during the games mishaps.

Garcon is worth a lot to this team, and we really need to hang onto him, contrary to what many have said. Same goes for Reed, who is so good at finding the open spots, and a beast once he has the ball.

Jones did fairly well in relief of Morris, and we look to have a very dangerous combo.

Our D front can get pressure if we let them play aggressively, and go after the QB.

Cheerleaders looked to be in mid season form....
 
Oh ya, one more very promising thing.... Jameis Winston wasn't in a Redskins uni......
 
Miles, you bastard! I was literally just coming here to post something along those lines! :)
 
Dolphins went 5 of 12 on 3rd downs today. Certainly a step in the right direction for us.

We averaged 4.4 yards per carry. A positive there for our O-line vs. a pretty tough D.

I also thought we did a nice job overall of putting ourselves in good 2nd and 3rd down situations with positive plays on 1st downs. Especially in the 1st half.

Unfortunately, for a team going through a rebuild, losses like today are some of the painful steps we will have to take on the road towards success.
 
Yeah, not sure what anyone is thinking, who can't see Kirk is light years ahead of Griffin.

The first drive we dominated, came away with 3 points.
The 2nd drive we dominated, missed FG.

Score a TD and FG or 2 TD's on those 2 drives, this is a totally different ballgame.

The defense played very well in the first half...except the final drive of the half. We played soft and the fish took advantage of that. We did not blitz a single play until they got into the red zone. For every good play Amerson had, he had a poor one, like the TD where he got turned around by the receiver.

I don't think the Dolphins won this game, we gave it away. But there was a lot of good to see. For the first time since last year when Colt came in the 2nd half of the Titans game last year, I saw some promise. We did not look bad, just young and rusty.

Play call was questionable, but the team played like a unit most of the game.
 
Morris is a hell of a running back. He looks even better this year.
 
Reed looked damn good. He was towering and jumping over people and fighting smart for yardage. I was very happy to see him out there.

Scherff was solid. I didn't see too many issues with him.
 
We all keep saying this is rebuilding and we should keep our expectations low. Damn but they raised them that first half, only to dash them again. But, after some reflection, there were definite positives and clearly some pieces that can be built upon. Cousins doesn't have a full season of starts in the NFL. He's ostensibly an NFL rookie by playing time standards. If he continues to progress, he'll win us some games. Running game. Nuff said. Defense; Surprising, though I don't know the fins offensive capability to really gage it. They made some key stops and kept us in it. Even with the DB woes, they faired ok. If this is the starting point upon which they are built, there are definite possibilities.
 
Cousins definitely doesn't have griffin's weaknesses. that said, I don't see him as a long-term winner. seeing same accuracy issues I saw in pre-season. continues to falter in key situations. until convinced otherwise, I see him as an 8-8 type of QB. what?!! 2 picks against a first team defense? man o man...step up from pre-season second teamers perhaps?

goods

- right side of o-line: exceeded my expectations. could develop into something special over time

- defense continued to control the running game. not a fluke.

- running game looked very good

- despite dumb penalties Jordan Reed is a real difference maker

- d-line played well...but never really heard paea, billy jean called out...kerrigan below par this game

- robinson is turning into a tackler with purpose - he needs to train some of the others

- pot roast is a hustler...very nice addition

- nice play by Smith; great to see 4 draft picks playing in opening game - what a change!

- great grit by DHall

Concerns

- secondary

- no deep passing game without DJax

- continued bad & costly ST play

- stupid, stupid penalties

- missed field goal not good

- coaching and team collapse in second half
 
This was from the Post article about Scherff vs Suh.


Rookie right guard Brandon Scherff emerged from his first official NFL game without having surrendered a sack to Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

The fifth overall pick of the draft, Scherff had admitted during the week that he faced a monumental task as he lined up opposite Suh, one of the most dominant interior defensive linemen in the league. The rookie also expressed confidence that offensive line coach Bill Callahan would have him adequately prepared for his matchup.

Scherff kept Suh out of the backfield and limited him to two tackles and no quarterback pressures. Early on, Scherff neutralized Suh with chop blocks. A run-heavy attack helped hold Suh at bay as well.

“You know, he’s a great player and Coach Callahan prepared us well for the matchup,” Scherff said. “You know, we just try to go out and do our best.”

[Maske: A win but no style points in Suh’s debut]

Asked about Scherff’s play, Suh said, “Obviously he’s playing hard. He has a great coach over there. I know Callahan. He’s in good hands and has a guy who will take care of him.”

Suh played for Callahan at Nebraska.

Fellow first-year starter Morgan Moses, the starting right tackle, matched up with Miami defensive end Cameron Wake, who had 11.5 sacks last season, and prevented him from recording a sack or tackle all game. (Wake had one sack wiped out by a defensive penalty.)

“The guys knew they had a big challenge,” left tackle Trent Williams said of his young teammates. “They came out here with that big hat on today. Brandon did a good job on [Suh], Moses did a good job on [Wake]. We just knew we had to keep Kirk clean a little bit and he’d have time to find receivers and let it go.”
 
The good stuff:

I was impressed overall with the O-line. I was worried about that Miami D line, but that Redskins O-line did just fine.

Likewise, the Redskins D line played well. Hatcher seemed to be making plays. They did a good job keeping the run game down. A good front 7 will help that back 4 look better.

Preston Smith with the sack and strip, but not only that, he hustled 20 yards down the field to recover that NFL Football Follies worthy fumble. I love seeing guys hustle and I'm glad it paid off for him.

The run game was also really good today.
 
Sorry. Somehow it posted twice. Only winners get double posts.
 
Sorry, Cousins is not a rookie. He's not close to a rookie. He's a fourth year pro with starting experience in each of his first three seasons. I dont think we are going to see much more from him than we are already seeing. He looks like a fine, solid backup. Or even a starter with a wonderful team around him. I could be wrong, I often am, but I seriously doubt he just needs that sixth or seventh year to blossom into a Franchise QB. I think he is what he is.
 

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