As I’ve documented the last couple of weeks, being a Washington Redskins’ fan is really tough sometimes. Not only do you have to deal with losing, but you often have to deal with losing and simultaneously being the laughing stock of the sports world too. If they don’t lose because of a childish ball or helmet flinging incident, it’s usually because of some coaching blunder, having an offensive line or defensive secondary that provides about the same resistance as a grocery bag, or something else even more horrific. Take yesterday, when 2 players, who would at worst be considered important role players if not starters at times, knocked each other out in pregame warm-ups. To add insult to injury, Redskins’ kicker Billy Cundiff seemed hell-bent on trying to lose the game all on his own by missing 3 field goals, 2 of which were extremely makeable.
So, when the Skins’ D let Tampa QB Josh Freeman march right down the field to set up a Connar Barth go-ahead field goal with under 2 minutes remaining in the game, I was about to burst through my own skin. The game should have long ago been well in hand, but it looked as if defense and special teams would once again spoil a pretty solid day for RG3, Alred Morris, and the Redskins’ offense…until RG3 came to the rescue, that is.
With 1:42 left in the game and with only 1 timeout remaining, Griffin marched Washington 56 yards in 7 plays to set up a possible redeeming field goal try for Cundiff, who looked like he was going to be the Redskin to officially s*** the bed on this particular day filled with plenty of potential burgundy and gold bed-s***ters to choose from. These ranged from the terrible 2nd half pass defense to Mike Shanahan’s continuation as the worst head coach of all time in challenging calls to Kyle Shanahan’s dubious choices for 60 yard bombs when what the Skins really needed to do was get 1st downs and chew up clock in the 2nd half to Kory Lichtensteiger’s inability to keep from jumping offsides before Griffin was even able to get under center…sigh. At least Cundiff had the decency to describe his own performance as “crap” even after he snaked his last try through the upright, but without RG3 none of that really matters.
Nevermind that Tampa boasted 1 of the worst pass defenses in the league going into this game, or that the offense stalled a little bit in the 2nd half, or that this particular Redskins’ team is most likely going nowhere in particular this year. In a vacuum, this was probably the best 2-minute drill I had watched the Redskins execute in 20+ years as a fan. (No, that is not hyperbole on my part.) Mark Brunell once beat the Cowboys with 2 heaves to Santana Moss with the clock winding down, but that was more flukiness than anything else. There have been other game-winning drives in that span of time, but they usually seem more bumbling and chaotic, where the Redskins appear to win the game almost in spite of their own ineptness. This looked like what a game-winning 2-minute drill is supposed to look like: crisp and organized where every yard and second counts…and all that while RG3’s headset supposedly went out.
I will try not to gush, but Griffin’s numbers through 4 games are staggering, especially considering the Donovan McNabbs, Rex Grossmans, and John Becks we’ve had to stomach the past 2 seasons: 1,070 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, and a completion percentage of nearly 70%, all while only throwing 1 pick so far. Add in a 6.5 yard per carry clip and 4 rushing TDs, and it’s even harder not to gush. Just imagine if Griffin had an actual offensive line, a defense, or a big time receiver to work with. While the losses to St. Louis and Cincinnati exposed Washington as a team with flaws o’ plenty this year, 1 thing should be certain by now (if it wasn’t a given already): they have a quarterback…on to the next.
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