Most encouraging signs from yesterday's game for me...
1. The team didn't let poor officiating and bad calls get the best of them, especially with the Graham fumble that was whistled dead way too early in the sequence of the play. So many times in the past, the game would have gone sour after we were on the wrong end of a messed up call.
2. The team showed an ability to respond offensively and not feel sorry for itself. How many times in the past have teams made run in games while our offense sputters for multiple drives? The Saints convert with a TD to Graham, our offense delivers a counter-blow. The Saints block a punt and score a TD before halftime, we come out of the gates in the second half and deliver a TD on the opening possession. That was the drive of the game for me. We go three and out at the start of the third and things may have very well turned on us. We basically slammed the door shut any time the Saints started having belief in their ability to win yesterday.
3. Aggressiveness - (see pass to Logan Paulsen for evidence).
4. Ability to overcome mental lapses and obvious mistakes that could have buried us...Jarvis Jenkins' critical penalty, Helu's block in the back, M. Williams' bonehead hit. The defense prevailed despite doing its very best at times to help the Saints get back in the game.
5. Redzone efficiency. In previous seasons, Gomes' INT return inside the 5 would have taken 3 to 4 plays to punch into the endzone, and there was no guarentee that we would have even gotten in at all. What does Alfred Morris and the line do yesterday? Smash the Saints in the mouth on one play.
In addition, I will point out that as nice as yesterday felt, I will feel empty if we pull off a stunt like other Redskins teams of the past and go into next week half asleep. There is no way on Earth that you can go into New Oreans, beat them, and then lose the following week against an inferior Rams team. It's imperative that this team turns the corner and starts winning when everybody expects them to, as opposed to playing down to their level of competition.
- CH
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