Redskins vs. Saints: Studs and Duds (offense)
September 11, 2012 | 6:57 pm
John Keim
Staff Reporter - Washington Redskins
The Washington Examiner
Studs
QB Robert Griffin III. Guy gets his own report after that game.
Click here to read. Yes, you’d think there might be more Studs, but so much of the success was based off what Griffin did –or the threat of what he could do – as well as the play-calling. Griffin made that big a difference. He’s going to get Kyle Shanahan a head coaching job someday.
RB Alfred Morris. In the last seven games dating to last season, the Redskins have had five 100-yard games from rookie backs and a 96-yard game. That’s impressive. Sunday, it was a commitment to the run that mattered, as did playing with a solid lead in the second half. This stat is worth repeating: only two of his 28 carries lost yards. The line deserves some credit for that because it wasn’t as if the Saints were living in the backfield. But Morris is a good downhill runner. His longest run was only 18 yards so his was a steady, workman-like performance. Funny thing is, he entered the draft with a reputation as a fumbler, but his hands have been very good since camp opened. And Mike Shanahan trusted Morris enough to have him carry the ball 10 times in the fourth quarter while protecting a lead. Says a lot. Morris’ touchdown in the fourth quarter was a big boy run when he crashed into linebacker David Hawthorne at the 1 and bulled in. Morris is so good at getting low on contact that Hawthorne hit his shoulder pads and couldn’t drive him. Morris won. And obviously the 18-yard run was a nice one in which he bounced wide to the left (and received a nice block from Darrel Young on the end). Morris started to the right, bumped into the back of Trent Williams in the middle and bounced outside. You can see his eyes scanning for daylight, yet he wasn’t hesitating at all. Has nice vision.
WR Pierre Garcon. He only played eight snaps so it’s a little much to put him on a Studs list. But look at what he did in those eight plays: four catches, 109 yards and a touchdown. You score on an 88-yard touchdown, you make the Studs list. Look it up; it’s in the Studs and Duds CBA. That touchdown alone would have been worth it as it represented a play the Redskins never had last season. Or the previous one for that matter. Actually, for a long time. It also occurred right after a Saints touchdown and enabled the Redskins to punch back and regain control, establishing a tone for the day. Garcon didn’t do anything special on the play; but he did have to make a slight leap to grab the ball and then used his speed. That was enough.
WR Aldrick Robinson. With Garcon ailing, Robinson stepped in and produced in a big way. He only finished with four catches for 52 yards, but he had two big plays, a 29-yard catch and the pass interference penalty drawn in the end zone. Plus he caught a five-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown wasn’t anything special; rather, it was another well-designed play with Robinson, split wide to the right, almost rubbing off a pick from tight end Fred Davis, who was just off the line. But Robinson’s quickness is legit and it makes a difference. You don’t want him back fielding punts, but you do want this guy in an open-field situation and that’s what those bubble screens do for him. Robinson also had a nice block (as did Santana Moss) on the six-yard gain by Brandon Banks on a bubble screen. Finally, on his 29-yard catch, if Robinson doesn’t run his comeback with precision it’s an incomplete pass because Griffin threw it before he broke...
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