1. What was Mike Shanahan thinking? Donovan McNabb was not playing well; he was late on throws, his technique was ugly; and he made a terrible decision on his late interception. But Rex Grossman? Seriously? In a game where the O-line is getting manhandled, I’d want a guy who is a dual threat at the end of the game. Maybe McNabb breaks out of the pocket and picks up some extra yards with his legs or keeps a play alive and hits a ball downfield. He’s on the team for that reason. This is either coaching confidence or arrogance; take your pick. But here’s my other issue: if McNabb is not comfortable in the two-minute offense, then who’s fault is that? Yes, he has to learn the system etc. But it’s the coaches job to make sure their players understand it. If he’s one of your top playmakers, it’s imperative that they find a way that he can execute in that situation.
2. You have to wonder about the long-term impact of this move. Now, there’s eight games left and a lot can happen. For all I know, McNabb has looked at the roster, knows how much of an overhaul needs to come this offseason and is already thinking, “Hmmm, Minnesota’s a nice place to live.” If not, I can’t imagine this doesn’t impact his thinking. They exposed a lack of confidence in him in a critical part of the game; that wouldn’t sit well with any competitor. Not to mention the fact that he’s getting pummeled behind a line that could use at least three new starters, maybe four. Then again, if this is what they think of him in this spot then does this mean they don’t want him back? Which would mean losing a second-round pick and, likely, a fourth-rounder this year for one season? Wow. The other part is the locker room. There’s little doubt McNabb’s teammates will like what happened. Once again, McNabb is the basketball player who can miss his first 10 shots and yet still be the guy his teammates trust in a clutch situation. You can’t go overboard, but some decisions go beyond being about one game.
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3. Now, having said all this, here’s another thing: I started hearing whispers back in the summer that McNabb wasn’t picking up the offense that fast. Others have heard the same so that’s not a revelation. Still, it’s perhaps not that surprising that McNabb hasn’t yet picked up the two-minute drill. But if that’s the case, shouldn’t they have done more to put him in those situations during the preseason? Maybe run a hurry-up offense just to simulate the conditions? Or shouldn’t you simplify the offense at that point to fit him? And if they have already, then that’s a bigger issue and a problem that, again, will be felt for a couple years (if McNabb leaves). As for his performance Sunday, McNabb was bad. He underthrew receivers or threw late; he made a horrendous decision on his interception. Maybe his arm was hit, but he threw into triple coverage to a covered receiver. When under pressure, even if the rush isn’t on top of him, he reverts to bad mechanics – throwing as he’s falling back or leaning to a side.
4. One guy isn’t the problem with the line. Everyone wants Kory Lichtensteiger benched, cut and blamed for the sputtering economy. And, yes, he’s not a very good guard (he’s better at center). He’s a backup and I agree he shouldn’t be starting. But Derrick Dockery is not a savior. He’s an average guard, which, yes, would be an upgrade. But that won’t make this a good line. Problem is, Casey Rabach had a bad game and could be in his last season. He had some tough assignments, as they all did. And when he has to reach for some tackles, who have position on him, he has to make sure they stay along the line. He wasn’t doing that; just allowed too much penetration and was getting stonewalled off the snap, causing him to step on McNabb’s foot. Jammal Brown is ailing and ineffective. Stephon Heyer is Stephon Heyer. Artis Hicks is inconsistent and left tackle Trent Williams is not playing as well as he did before hurting his knee. He’s starting to bend too much; he lunges a little more and sometimes his head goes down as he blocks. Tough way to live on the edge. His athleticism can bail him out and has. But he isn’t playing at a high level. I still think he will; and the problem for him is, this line needs him to be. That’s a little unfair for a rookie. He’s also not helped playing next to an inexperienced player. There’s no way that can help him. Now, Dockery is not a guy to serve as his tutor either. Didn’t think they always worked well this summer, particularly on stunts. Goodness, this is a mess, for now and next year.
5. Ndamukong Suh is a stud. Once again, how’s that for some insight? But he’s even better than I imagined because of the impact he had on his teammates and on the Redskins’ game plan. They struggled to run the ball because of his penetration and, eventually, that of tackle Corey Williams. But there were times the Redskins paid almost too much attention to Suh. For example, Keiland Williams went his way to help rather than pick up a blitzing linebacker who wound up tackling McNabb for a short gain. But Williams is inexperienced, too; what can you expect? Guessing Clinton Portis would have helped in this spot. Another time, Trent Williams was caught looking inside because of Suh, who was going against Lichtensteiger. Meanwhile, Kyle Vanden Bosch, starting as a stand-up linebacker on the play, looped outside for a clean rush. And on the fourth-down play that McNabb was sacked, Suh rushed inside as a left tackle and drew the attention of Heyer. Of course, he also held Heyer but that’s another matter. Meanwhile, Cliff Avril went outside for the sack. Avril had a big day because of Suh.
Plus one: Brandon Banks was terrific and that needs to be said. He almost won this game by himself with his punt and kickoff returns. He returned a kick to the Lions’ 42; touchdown. He returned a punt to the Lions’ 49; field goal. He returned another punt to the Detroit 46; touchdown. And he returned one for a touchdown on his own. There was great blocking, yes. But what I like about Banks, and this is probably more true on punt returns, is for a young fast guy, how patient he is before he runs. He understands his speed and he knows when he has time to gather himself. That’s what he did on a fourth-quarter return that he returned to the Lions’ 46. He read the play and hit it hard.
Plus 2: I have to give Jim Schwartz some credit for going for a touchdown on a fourth and 2 with 3:17 remaining. I would have kicked the field goal, knowing the Redskins couldn’t run the ball with Keiland Williams and then gotten in position for another one. But that’s why Schwartz is a head coach and I am not. He has Calvin Johnson and that makes any throw into the end zone a good one. Matthew Stafford also threw to the outside shoulder, a nice throw. Oh, and this is not related to this, but on the Phil Daniels offsides play, the long snapper flinched. That’s why two others jumped. It was a close call; but that’s what happened.
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