POSITIVES from the game...
 

No Turnovers.

Good defense, considering the injuries and bad calls.

Brunell emerged as a quality qb tonight.

Rod Gardner playing like a high draft pick.

No more serious injuries, (unless Bowen is hurt bad...)

Great effort from the team, no letdown in effort as the game was getting away. They regrouped and fought back for a chance to win at the end.

Cooley continued to look like a good 1st rounder, let alone 2nd round pick. :httr:

Thanks for this thread, Bleed. It was sure OVERDUE!!!!

I agree, and would add the general statements:

- The offense finally opened it up. We should see a lot more of that.

- This team does not give up!!! Great comeback effort. (Well, I guess you already said that!)

- No one lost their cool or got sidetracked in reaction to completely disgusting, one-sided, incompetent officiating.

Well I'm still pretty furious about this loss but I'll add a couple of things

-James Thrash getting more involved in the offense

-Taylor Jacobs catching a pass in the endzone-granted it was a 2 point conversion, but still

-Can't say enough about Shawn Springs this season

Besides the huge improvement in Mark Brunell's play, two words: Rod Gardner. If he keeps that up, he'll be playing in Hawaii in February. I was getting discouraged about him in terms of consistency, but I think this guy is worth being patient about. What a talented player!

I loved the way we fought our way back into the game. It was classic Joe Gibbs. He showed his great leadership keeping us together and you know that guys want to win for him. We lost the game but I felt good about what I saw out there tonight, and I love Joe Gibbs, always have. Any mistakes we made were correctable.

I loved the offensive innovations we used, bunching the receivers together like that, using surprising formations.

This season, to me, is to get the ship on the right course, and get us prepared to make a real run at it in 2005.

I agree... there's no need to panic just yet- during the game, i didn't have that sense of dread when down by two scores... it just feels different this year. We'll work out the kinks (including getting the plays communicated easier from the sideline so we can get the ball off before a TO is called).

Time of possession: 35 minutes to 25 minutes.
Total yards: 384 to 287
Rushing yards: We doubled Dallas on the ground.

Yes, the important number (the score) didn't go our way... but the skins did not look like the skins of old (although losing to the 'boys didn't change).

Better clock management, communication, and system execution all come with time. Brunell finally looked like he was starting to get a groove. Just be patient.

Gardner finally played with guts, determination and emotion.

Did you see his reaction when he couldn't get out of bounds and realised it was over - and that was after taking a monster hit too.

I hope he keeps this going, I was really pleased for him.

The biggest positive to me was the offense really started to come together. You could almost see a light going on for them. Brunell started to look like the guy we had in mind when we brought him in, RG finally stepped up, Portis had a good game, all around you could really see the offense starting to 'get it'.

It sucks to lose one like that, but I'm staying focused on the positives, and to me they by far outweigh the negatives right now.

[QUOTE=BleedBurgundy]

Cooley continued to look like a good 1st rounder, let alone 2nd round pick. :httr:[/QUOTE]

Or a third round pick

The Good:

#1) Rod Gardner, RodGardner, Rod Gardner is our best WR so far this year. I think he silenced the angry mob for now. I am sure next time he makes the smallest mistake or doesn't tie his shoes correctly the calls to cut him will start again.

#2) Walt Harris, WOW! Welcome! I am glad he is healthy, he had a great game. That was a really bad pass interference call against him. We now have 3 great CB's. He is an excellent addition. I am glad the coaches had the patience to wait for him to get healthy.

#3) Ron Warner - this guy is playing great. He is partcularly strong at rushing the passer, something we desperatley needed. Another great addition.

#4) Cornelius Griffin & Joe Salavea - Two great additions. They played great last night. Why does Redskins web page (depth chart) still list Noble as the starter over Salavea? That is a slap in the face to Salavea who is playing great and deserves some props.

#5) Renaldo Wynn got yet another sack last night. He is doing alot better this year.

#6) James Thrash- great to have you back.

#7) The Old Man - Ray Brown is playing mistake free. Guy is a solid vet, unspectacular at his age, but still solid.

The Bad:

#1) Who the hell is #25 safety Ryan Clark? The guy got scored on more than a whore in a whore house. Why was Andre Lott not in there instead? Was Lott hurt? I am willing to give Mr Rayn Clark another chance, but he was really bad last night.

#2) We really missed#56 Lavar Arrington.

#3) #66 Derek Dockery had a bad game. Some key penalties that put us in a hole.

#4) Ade Jimoh - had a couple of penalties on special teams.

[QUOTE=Defensewins]The Good:

#7) The Old Man - Ray Brown is playing mistake free. Guy is a solid vet, unspectacular at his age, but still solid.[/QUOTE]


Uhh, the "old man" got smoked for a crucial sack late in the game against Greg Ellis. He was part of a line that got burned for five sacks, and couldn't get it done in short yardage situations. Not their best effort.

Not their best effort but you're talking about an aggressive and fast Cowboys defense.

The protection could have been better at times, but at other times it was very solid.

[QUOTE=Beemnseven]Uhh, the "old man" got smoked for a crucial sack late in the game against Greg Ellis. He was part of a line that got burned for five sacks, and couldn't get it done in short yardage situations. Not their best effort.[/QUOTE]

Ray Brown is the 3rd string RT and 40 something years old. Dallas had the #1 defense last year and got to one game from the super bowl largely on the strength of their defense. So he got beat for ONE sack in two starts. How many plays did he participate in and did not give up a sack? Nobody is perfect.

The short yardage issue is not soley the offensive lines fault.

wow.
cant believe none of you guys mentioned [b]CLINTON PORTIS[/b].

he had an AWESOME game. he played EXACTLY how Gibbs wanted him (except at the goaline, but thats partly his frame, partly the Oline's fault). he would eke out 4-5yds after contact, always jumping 3 yds north as he's falling down. even Madden had to say it. he caught passes, and have you guys noticed his blocks all season?? HE IS NOT AFRAID.

i've NEVER seen such a talented athlete in a Skins uniform. what a frickin WEAPON.

[QUOTE=Defensewins]#2) We really missed#56 Lavar Arrington.[/QUOTE]


Hell yeah we missed him. Marshall only had [I]one[/I] tackle!

Positives:

#1. This team will never give up. Never count them out of a game. They're playing with heart.

#2. Clinton Portis, Clinton Portis, Clinton Portis. Nuff said.

#3. Offense is starting to come around. Still a few things to iron out, but the passing game was whole lot better this game.

#4. Brunell is true leader and warrior. He played his ass off. Yes, he made mistakes, but he kept coming back

#5. Even though the defense gave up 3 tds. They still played well enough to keep us in the game. Mind you the first td was total BS.

#6. Glad to see that Thrash was used more this game. He needs more looks. Also, Cooley made a couple of good grabs......he needs more balls thrown at him also.

Classic Gibbs is to come out after half time and turn his team around. The offense got a boost from Gardner, Portis, Cooley and Thrash. Thrash is a Redskin by nature. He made three catches in a row and proved he belongs on this team. The play calling in the second half is what we should get used to seeing in the near future. While Gibbs wanted to start slow, he realized that this team can protect the passer and allow the TE's to get more involved. Let's look to scalp the Brown and get back to 500.

Huge positive from last night was the absence of a lot of stupid penalties - false start and lining up in the neutral zone. Those are killers; the Skins avoided them for the most part.

Frankly, I thought Marshall played a very solid game in pass coverage.

[QUOTE=illdefined]wow.
cant believe none of you guys mentioned [b]CLINTON PORTIS[/b].

he had an AWESOME game. he played EXACTLY how Gibbs wanted him (except at the goaline, but thats partly his frame, partly the Oline's fault). he would eke out 4-5yds after contact, always jumping 3 yds north as he's falling down. even Madden had to say it. he caught passes, and have you guys noticed his blocks all season?? HE IS NOT AFRAID.

i've NEVER seen such a talented athlete in a Skins uniform. what a frickin WEAPON.[/QUOTE]
I'm hoping last night will put an end to the stupid "If you take away his 64 yard run he's only averaging 3 yards per carry crap".

He had a solid night and consistently cranked out yardage. He can definitely do it all, run, catch, block, line up wide, etc. A great team player.

I don't think you can blame the offensive line for anything last night, most of the sacks were on blitzes and Mark was standing in the pocket for a long time and should have gotten the ball out sooner.

[QUOTE=Mattyk72]He had a solid night and consistently cranked out yardage. He can definitely do it all, run, catch, block, line up wide, etc. A great team player.[/QUOTE]

he's got all the intangibles too. you can feel his presence through the TV, imagine what he's like in the lockeroom or around the facilities. smart, always upbeat, funny, supremely confident without a speck of that ultra annoying arrogance of a Deion or TO. you see how he took that 2 fumble game last week? brushed his shoulder off, 'even Barry and Walter fumbled, it happens' , he can't be denied. what a HUGE find for our team. on the field and off.

good RIDDANCE Champ. hope you're enjoying those new contact rules...

James Thrash had a great game. Three catches in a row is exceptional for a 3# wideout. Chad Morton is not performing up to his abilities. Thrash should be allowed to be given a chance to return a couple of punts. I would like to see McCants but I'll be patient with this new offense.

The offense is starting to come around. I still think that we have 3 or 4 more games before we will start to see the offense start putting up 24 points or more. I saw real continuity for the first time last night in the second half. If Gardner would have drawn that pass interferance call in the end zone we would be 2 and 1 now instead of 1 and 2. Gibbs just needs to keep working at the game plan, Brunnell needs to get more comfortable with the receivers, and Portis needs to keep being Portis. When the Redskins get a two touchdown lead one of these days, we will get to see some huge numbers from Portis. I f we can go 4 and 4 at the halfway point, we should be in good shape for a strong finish.

I'm Positive!
 

[QUOTE=Defensewins]The Good:

#1) Rod Gardner Bad No-Call on his certain TD!
#2) Walt Harris, I am glad he is healthy. That was a really bad pass interference call against him.
#3) Ron Warner - Another great addition.

#4) Cornelius Griffin & Joe Salavea - Two great additions.
#5) Renaldo Wynn got yet another sack last night
#6) James Thrash- great.

#7) The Old Man - Ray Brown is playing mistake free. I'm Positive that Ray Brown is really #3 on the Depth Chart, and should stay there, if not be replaced by one of the two Rookies, Molinaro & the other guy!

The Bad:

#1) Who is #25 safety Ryan Clark?
#2) We really missed#56 Lavar Arrington.

#3) #66 Derek Dockery had two key penalties that put us in a hole.

#4) Ade Jimoh - had at least one penalty on special teams and should be cut![/QUOTE]

If there is ever a penalty on ST or in the Secondary, I have begun to especially look for Jimoh! I hope the coaching staff realizes he is more of a detriment!

1. Gardner!!! Wow, what a performance! Coles had a bad game, but just imagine when both of them are playing at the level Rod was.
2. Good to see Thrash getting involved. He is a clutch guy. Add him to the above statement, and our WR's will be unstoppable!
3. Portis - came "this close" to busting a big run at least a couple times. But even though he didn't, he fell forward for 3 more yards. This guy is amazing!
4. Brunell started out shakey, but pulled it together and "played his guts out". Towards the end of the game, I think we got a glimpse of what he and this offense will be able to do.
5. Defense played well again. 50 yards rushing....yeah, Dallas sucks at rushing, but our D is earning a very good reputation regardless. The pass rush was alright....pressured Vinny quite a few times, but only 1 sack (need LA back!). Fro the most part, the D-line is playing above their ability...the back-up DT Evans got good pressure on VT a couple times (I was like who the hell is that?)
6. Our CB's are a very, very solid group. Champ who??? ;)
7. Gotta love Cooley! The kid just makes plays. A steal in the 3rd round!

Overall, despite the loss....yeah, it really stings, but I think this game was a good step forward in everyone getting comfortable with the system. The offense seems to be on the verge of taking off, and the defense is proving to be top 5. We should beat Cleveland, then the big test will be against Baltimore....moving the ball and scoring on their defense, along with stopping Jamal. To me, that is the biggest non-division game that we need to win....if only for regional bragging rights for another few years!

The Good ....
-Gardner steped it up, bigtime. I know he proboly wont have a game like that again this year, but if he can be somewhat consistant, he will have everyone off his back.
-Portis is the best thing to happen to washington in a long time. He continuoulsy pounded the ball. There was the one fumble, but I dont know if that was on him or Brunell.
-Defense. This is a very good unit. Granted they let in 2 TD's ( that first one was bogus ), but they still kept us in the game after a poor first half on offense.

The Bad...
- Bowen needs to be back on the feild and quick. Ryan Clark got beat on 3 straight plays.
- Sean Taylors tackling. We need to wrap up Sean! Hes a rookie though, he will learn soon enough.
- Last night, for the first time, Coles. He made that one really nice catch, but he had a terrible game. THose drops were inexcusable.
- Goal Line play calling. Lemme tell you somthing. Clinton Portis is one of the best, if not the best RB in the league. But hes not a guy you send up the middle in a goaline or 4th and 1 situation. You need to either toss him the ball so that he can use his speed, or get Ladell Betts in there. Portis is a OUTSTANDING running back, but hes just not the 4th and 1/ Goal Line guy. 1st and Goal at the 1 , and just getting a feild goal out of it, is inexcusable.

[QUOTE=backrow]I'm Positive that Ray Brown is really #3 on the Depth Chart, and should stay there, if not be replaced by one of the two Rookies, Molinaro & the other guy!
If there is ever a penalty on ST or in the Secondary, I have begun to especially look for Jimoh! I hope the coaching staff realizes he is more of a detriment![/QUOTE]

Good point about Jimoh. IF he keeps committing penalties on special teams the coaching staff needs to revalute his paticipation. But I thnk they like his potential. They will keep giving him a chance.
Regarding Ray Brown, I am sure Joe Bugel would start Molinaro or Mark Wilson if they actually were ready or good enough. They are obviously still works in process.

I agree about the rookies. Do you remember Dockery last year. He made some huge errors, that proboly cost us that Philedalphia game. Ray Brown isnt exactly Jon Jansen or anything, but hes still proboly bettre than the rookies.

[font=Book Antiqua][size=3][color=black]positives-thought the offense and brunnell looked really good in the 2nd half,portis looked comfortable in the offense finally.gardner proved his worth,tupa has to be leading the league in punting.the defense only gave up 50 yds rushing to a pretty good o-line,not as many stupid penalties,gave up less than 300 yds passing.i would say the defense has to retain number-1- ranking.==negatives,inability to score on 1 yard line,where the hell is mike barrow?too many easy drops by coles,some of the subs in the secondary really showed how green they are.also can somebody tell me where TF darien mccants is?is he in gibbs doghouse?[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Book Antiqua][size=3]the best positive of all,WE STILL ALL ROYALLY,TRULY,HATE THE DALLS COWBOYS DO'NT WE????????[/size][/font]

Portis was a very good goal line/short yardage guy in Denver, seems to me the lack of push up front was more of the problem than Portis. Give the guy a crease and he'll slip through.

[QUOTE=Mattyk72]Portis was a very good goal line/short yardage guy in Denver, seems to me the lack of push up front was more of the problem than Portis. Give the guy a crease and he'll slip through.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. That was my main gripe with the play-calling....if the formation wasn't so tight, the defense would have been a little more spread out, and the chance of a crease would have been greater...he doesn't need much!
Portis can be successful on short-yardage/goal-line, but he is not a "heavy-jumbo" package type back.

[QUOTE=Defensewins]Ray Brown is the 3rd string RT and 40 something years old. Dallas had the #1 defense last year and got to one game from the super bowl largely on the strength of their defense. So he got beat for ONE sack in two starts. How many plays did he participate in and did not give up a sack? Nobody is perfect.

The short yardage issue is not soley the offensive lines fault.[/QUOTE]

Oh really? Then whose fault is it?

Don Warren seems to know a thing or two about these situations, he said on the Comcast Post game show that there's no one else to blame.

looks like we'll be drafting DEs OL and maybe another safety this year... or trading for them...

what happened to franz? why wasn't he in there instead of ryan clark (who was practice squad not that long ago)?

we have 3 good CBs, thats nice to know... our O line is alright, but the run blocking still isn't where it should be... having jansen out and a 41 year old (for running) hurts.

marshall was decent, but he's not lavar and he's not pierce... i rather see barrow/pierce next week... we have 4 good LBs, and 2 are injured :(

THRASH, did you see him breaking tackles? guy won't quit... no one could stop our 5 WR set (+ cooley/portis, your choice) even though gibbs would never call it.

Has Walt Harris played any saftey, if Bowen cant go next weekend?

or can franz be moved up the depth chart over ryan clark? and can clark go back to the PS?