STATSBOMB Bye Edition: Halfway Home

It's week 9 in the NFL, and the Redskins are on their bye week.  At this point, they are bruised and embattled, having spent the final two minutes of the first half of the season developing an existential identity crisis.  Who is this team?  What will it be?  Are victories over Green Bay and Philly a taste of things to come, or are losses to St. Louis and Detroit - complete with backbiting and mistrust - indicative of the Burgundy & Gold's fate in 2010?  

Most importantly - wither Donovan, franchise-wise?  Is he the dug-in leader of this team, seeking to install more hardware in the glass case at FedEx at all costs, damn the torpedoes?  Or is he the latest one-and-done symptom of a chronic disease that has Landover in its grasp?  Will shinythingatitus claim another season or will the organization buckle down, come together and will themselves to become a unit?  

Looking forward from the halfway mark.

The key, I think, lies along the nexus I'll call McShanAllen.  If those three get into sync about the state and direction of this franchise and move forward with united purpose, this team might shake the monkey of the past years off its back and return to glory over the next few years.  If they don't move together and begin pulling in opposite directions, looking for the closest and most self-protecting exits, all is lost, and reboot 2011 will reek of deja vu and humiliation.  

The crazy thing is that these two scenarios, one hopeful and one dire, could each manifest in the same record at the end of the season.  The Skins could be 8-8, or even make the playoffs at 9-7, but if they do so in the spirit of the latter philosophy, they'll just be kicking the crisis can down the road.  This season, the issue isn't wins - it's slaying the institutional dragons that feed on negative energy and division.  12 men, together, can't lose.  But 12 men with all the talent you could ask for, playing selfishly - that's the 2010 Dallas Cowboys.  

Franchises like New England, the Giants, and Pittsburgh are great because they hold together and move to the same beat.  That's about institutional culture, and the Redskins do not have a healthy one.  These are the stats that belie that sickly culture:

• Penalties Committed by Redskins Through 8 Games: 59 (7.4 per game)
• Yards Lost From Penalties: 401 (57.3 yards per game)
• Nullified Yards Due to Penalties: 239 (29.9 yards per game)
• Total Negative Yards Due to Penalties: 640 yards
• Estimated Additional Points Foregone Due to Penalties (640 / (Total Passing + Rushing + Return Yards [3,771] / Points Scored [155])): 26.3, or an additional 3.2875 points per game
• Number of Games Lost by 3 Points: 2
• Redskins Point Differential with Additional 26 points: +11 (it's currently -15)
• Number of Stalled Drives Following a Penalty: 22
• Number of Drives 10 Plays or Longer: 7
• Number of Games Without a Drive Lasting 10 Plays: 4 (Redskins went 1-3 in those games)
• Number of 3-and-Outs: 27
• Number of Non-Scoring Drives Shorter than 6 Plays or that Resulted in a Turnover: 54 (averaging 8.75 per game over weeks 5 through 8)
• McNabb's Completion %: 57.4%
• McNabb's TD to INT Ratio: 7:8
• Number of Wide Receivers with a TD Reception: 2
• Percentage of Redskins Non-Gano Scoring by Defense or Special Teams: 18.8% (3 DEF/ST TDs vs. 13 OFF TDs)
• Percentage of TDs Scored By Players that are Currently Injured: 43.75% (Portis: 2, Torain: 4, Banks: 1)

Indeed, the Redskins do not have a healthy institutional culture.  Yet.  But there is a foundation on which to build a new football city, one that electrifies fans and intimidates opponents.  That foundation is defense (with a little help from special teams).  The case for hope:

• Number of Passes Deflected by Washington Defense: 54 (6.75 per game)
• Number of Fumbles Forced by Washington Defense: 16 (2 per game)
• Number of INTs by Washington Defense: 9
• Number of Sacks By Washington Defense: 18
• Opponents' Field Goal Percentage: 65% (13/20)
• Opponents' Field Goal Percentage at FedEx: 53.8% (7/13)
• Number of Hunter Smith Punts Downed Inside the 20: 14
• Number of Hunter Smith Punts that Resulted in a Touchback: 1
• Percentage of Hunter Smith Punts Downed Inside the 20: 25%
• Percentage of Hunter Smith Punts that Resulted in a Touchback: 1.8%
• Turnovers Caused By Redskins D: 19
• Redskins' W-L Record at the Bye: 4-4

Bring on the second half.

 

STATSBOMB: Week Eight - Washington Redskins 25, St. Louis Rams 37

Ruh-roh.  Here I was, watching the final minutes of the beatdown that Detroit laid on Washington thinking to myself that we got beat by a surging team that played with passion and conviction - not such a bad way to record an L - but then my television showed me an unfortunate couple of shots.  The first was Rex Grossman wearing a helmet.  The second was Donovan McNabb wearing a baseball cap.  Oh dear.  I am not at all pleased that we came away from this game with not only a loss but a bonafide QB sabotage.  Ineffective play my ass - you should take your lumps and regroup for the next game.  Remember when McNabb led a late comeback against the Packers?  I do.  Let him have the ball.

Anyway, on to the stats from this year's Annual Motown Meltdown (hat tip: Mike Wise), starting with the bad ones, and finishing with a few positives:

• Average yards per carry by Redskins running backs: 2.3 (35 yards on 15 carries)
• Net yards gained by Santana Moss minus lost yards on six sacks: -3 yards
• Net yards gained by offense: 275
• Net yards gained by Brandon Banks (not counting called-back TD): 271 (213 kickoff return yards, 58 punt return yards)
• Number of 3 and Out Drives by Redskins: 7
• Number of Drives where Redskins Lost Yardage or Gave up a Defensive Score: 5
• 3rd Down Conversion Rate: 14%
• Number of Penalties: 10 for 77 yards
• Combo Redskins D made Stafford to Johnson look like: Montana to Rice
• Redskins' Touchdowns Called Back by Penalty: 1
• Lions' Touchdowns Allowed by Redskins' Penalty: At least 1
• Cumulative punting yards by both teams: 759 yards

A few upsides:

• Minimum number of oh-wow returns by Brandon Banks: 3
• % of Redskins' Points Scored or Directly set up by Brandon Banks: 88% (22 of 25)
• Athletic Sack of the Day Award: Albert Haynesworth
• Passes Deflected by Washington: 9
• % of Stafford's Passes Either Deflected or Intercepted: 22%
• Turnovers Forced by Redskins D in 2010: 19
• Reasons to Think that Detroit's D-Line Won't Abuse Other O-Lines: None - they are nasty

STATSBOMB: Week Seven - Washington Redskins 17, Chicago Bears 14

Pluck out my eyes! This performance looked like a couple of naked mole rats bumping uglies, but at the merciful conclusion, the victory was Washington's, and as they say - a win is a win is a win. In today's Statsbomb, I'm going to flip the script and start with the bad stuff, finishing with the positive stats.

• McNabb's Completion %: 53.1
• Possible Explanation: Donovan has a grudge against the ground and wanted to pummel it with footballs
• McNabb's QB Rating Advantage Over 4-pick Cutler: 2.5
• Points scored after D-Hall's 3rd INT at the Chicago 13 Yard Line: 0
• Number of balls put on the ground by Washington: 6 (5 recovered)
• Latest player infected with the Clinton Portis "Falling Sickness": Brandon Banks
• McNabb's Best Play: Delay of Game penalty, negating pick-six
• Offensive Points Scored: 10
• Best Coaching for the Redskins: Lovie Smith, failing to challenge Cutler's sneak at the goal line
• Consecutive Offsides Penalties Committed by Brian Orakpo: 2
• Number of Drives where Redskins Failed to Gain 10 Yards: 8
• Number of Drives where Redskins Gained 10+ Yards: 7
• Number of Drives Started in Chicago Territory: 4
• Points Scored From Those Drives: 3
• Washington 3-and-outs: 6
• Person Who Should Never Cover Redskins' Games Ever Again After Spending 20 Seconds Arguing that D-Hall's Pick-Six Should Have Drawn an Excessive Celebration Penalty: Troy Aikman
• Rank of Fan Rating for WSH-CHI on NFL.com among Sunday's Games: Last Place
• Candidates for Most Typical Play of the Game
• An errant Cutler throw ricochets off of the front of Landry's helmet, kisses the Goodyear blimp, and then falls complete into the arms of a Bears' O-lineman who catches a case of the falling sickness
• The aforementioned McNabb pick-six negated by a delay of game penalty
• Brandon Banks/Ryan Torain/Donovan McNabb/Chris Cooley fumble, then somehow prevent disaster from happening by recovering
• Donovan McNabb throws the ball at the ground, hard

There was at least one pretty moment on offense.

And the good...

• Number of Rushes Netting 10+ Yards by Torain: 5
• Number of Chicago Drives that Did Not Exceed 3 Plays:  8 (6 3-and-outs, 2 INTs)
• Redskins 2010 Turnover Margin: +8
• Ratio of 2010 Wins to 2009 Wins: 1:1
• Ratio of Total Turnovers Forced in 2010 to 2009: 1:1 (17 turnovers in each year)
• Interceptions by DeAngelo Hall:  F*CKING FOUR F*CKING INTERCEPTIONS IN ONE F*CKING GAME!!!!!
• Returned Prodigal Son: Albert Haynesworth
• Sequence of Chicago's Final Seven Drives Following it's TD: Fumble, INT, INT, Fumble, INT, Punt, INT (it's like Morse Code for "FAIL")
• Rank of D-Hall among Chicago Receivers: T-2nd (4 catches)
• Best Anecdote: In the locker room after the win, the coaches wanted to award the game ball to D-Hall, but he deferred and passed along the honor to Haslett for his scheme.

STATSBOMB: Week Six - Indianapolis Colts 27, Washington Redskins 24

Another excellent loss!  The Redskins made it a hell of a game, and the faithful believing that they can play with anyone (OK, maybe not the Steelers), and make plays in all phases of the game.  On to the stats:

• Best two game streak: Redskins win time of possession battle
• Ryan Torain's YPC: 5.0
• 360 Spins by Torain: At least one
• Redskins 2010 Turnover Margin: +5
• Result of Indy's Third Offensive Play: False Start (way to go FedEx!)
• Dropped or fumbled returns by Brandon Banks: 0
• Reasons to think Banks is NOT the real deal on returns: None
• % of Completed Passes to People Not Named Cooley or Moss: 55.2%
• Average # of Targets for Armstrong over the Last Two Games: 7
• Chris Cooley Catch Rate and YPC: 62.5%, 7.4
• Fred Davis Catch Rate and YPC: 75%, 7.7
• Rank of Santana Moss Among WRs for # of Receptions: T-4
• Clinton Portis' 2010 YPC: 4.0 (on 49 carries)
• Ryan Torain's 2010 YPC: 4.2 (on 61 carries)
• Best Playcall: 4th Qtr, 3:41 left - Following 9 consecutive passing plays, Keiland Williams rushes right for 14 yards to the Indy 5.
• Best performance on a single drive: Philip Buchanan vs. Reggie Wayne in the last 4 minutes of the 4th - two pass deflections

 From the Let's Not Make It A Trend Files:

• Holding penalties on Trent Williams: 2
• Worst Penalty: Illegal Wedge, nullifying 29 yard punt return
• Number of opponent's spectacular receptions that really cost the Redskins: 2

STATSBOMB: Week Five - Green Bay Packers 13, Washington Redskins 16

Hail yeah!  The Skins won at home in a manner that chased away some of the ghosts haunting this team's recent history - they came from behind against a strong opponent and won a close game by gutting it out.  On a day when Dallas reminded us that bad teams find creative ways to lose, Washington found a way to win.  This game was certainly not pretty, especially in the first half, but the Skins made some adjustments and hit Green Bay in the mouth over and over, until they were decimated.  By the end of the game, the Packers D had that disinterested hands-on-hips stance between plays that shows that they had resigned themselves to losing, and Washington seized the opportunity.  A good day for Redskins nation, and while this is exactly the type of game that can't be accurately reflected in statistics, I'll stick to the plan and drop a STATSBOMB:

• % of Redskins' Time of Possession vs. Green Bay: 51.2%
• Redskins' Time of Possession Battle Standings in 2010: 1-4
• Time that Washington held Green Bay scoreless in the Second Half and OT: 29 minutes, 24 seconds
• Green Bay's 3rd Down Conversion Rate: 15.4%
• Washington's 3rd Down Conversion Rate: 29.4%
• # of Redskins WRs with 3 or More Receptions: 3

• # of Punts by Hunter Downed Inside the 20: 5 (62.5%)
• # of Rushes Called by Washington (no QB scrambles): 19
• # of Rushes Called by Green Bay (no QB scrambles): 13
• Penalty Differential: Green Bay +5
• First Down Differential: Washington +4
• Washington First Downs by Penalty: 5
• Washington Season Turnover Margin: +4
• Number of Games Washington Has Had More Turnovers Than Opponent: 0
• % of Sub-50 Yard Field Goal Attempts Made by Graham Gano: 100%
• Average Green Bay Kickoff Return: 13.6 yards
• Rank of Redskins Among NFL Teams with Passes of 50+ yards: 1 (5 plays)
• Name of Team That Played More Physical Football on Sunday: Washington Redskins
• Rank of Laron Landry for Solo Tackles in NFL: 1 (41, + 11 assisted)
• Adjectives Appropriately Describing the Play of Brandon Banks: Electric, Explosive, Field-flipping
• Deafening Chant Begun By Fans in OT, Unprompted by A/V Cues: "DE-FENSE!"
• Approximate Number of Seconds Chants of "Go Pack Go" Lasted Before Being Drowned Out By Skins' Fans: 1
• Players That Are Amazing to Watch This Season: Brian Orakpo, Laron Landry, Anthony Armstrong, Brandon Banks, Hunter Smith, Graham Gano, Lorenzo Alexander, Trent Williams, Donovan McNabb, Chris Cooley, Santana Moss

From the WTF Files:

• Status of Offensive Guard Derrick Dockery: Inactive
• First Half Defensive Gameplan: Run to Spot on Field, Hope that Green Bay Receiver Also Runs to Same Spot
•  Steaks Eaten and Workouts Completed to Slow Jams by Laron Landry Within 13 Hours of Kickoff: 2, 2

STATSBOMB: Week Four - Washington Redskins 17, Philadelphia Eagles 12

It's a win in Philly!  Skins move to 2-0 in the division, but again showcase Jekyll and Hyde tendencies.  The ground game got going and the D played like 2008, but it would be inaccurate to say that this team is scaring anybody.

The bright spots:

• Redskins' rushing yards vs. Eagles: 169 on 35 attempts (4.8 ypc) 
• Chance that a Redskins playcall was a rush: 63.6% (including scrambles)
  
• # of quarters since a Redskins punt return went for 50+ yards: 108
• Ratio of hits by Redskins to hits by Eagles that made you wish Jacked Up still existed: 3:0 (Torain on Mikell, Alexander on Calvin, Hall/Moore on Vick)
• McNabb's first half QB rating: 156.2
• Average receiving yards by Eagles top 2 WRs through weeks 1 through 3:  155 yards per game
  
• % of this average allowed by Redskins: 22% (34 combined yards for Jackson and Maclin)
• Redskins' average yards per reception vs. Eagles: 15.6
• # of fumbles forced by Redskins: 4 (1 recovered)
• Redskins' 2010 Turnover Margin: +3
  
• # of sacks surrendered by Redskins' offensive line: 1
  
• Redskins' players who outperformed their statlines: Albert Haynesworth, Brian Orakpo, Stephon Heyer (for run blocking), Santana Moss (also for run blocking)
• # of holding penalties called on Orakpo's blocker: 2
• Best joke about Orakpo: Dude must not have been held enough as a baby.

 

The better-but-but-still-not-good stats:

• Improvement in % of time of possession from Weeks 1 through 3: +2.3% (45.1% possession vs 42.8%)
• Improvement in offensive play deficit to opponents from Weeks 1 through 3: +8 (Eagles ran 13 more plays than Skins, vs. average of 21 in Weeks 1 through 3)

 From the WTF files:

• Elapsed time in second half before Redskins were down to sole remaining timeout: 86 seconds
• Points scored on that 2-TO drive: 0
• McNabb's second half QB rating: 1.7
• % of total Redskins' points scored in 4th quarter and OT: 4.1% (3/73)
• % of opponents points scored in 4th quarter and OT: 35.4% (28/79)
• # of WRs who had a reception that gained yardage: 2 (Armstrong and Galloway)
• # of times Santana Moss was targeted: 1
• # of plays that could have turned out differently that would result in an 0-4 record: 2
• Nominees for most typical Redskins play:
A)  Donovan McNabb scrambles for crucial first down with less than four minutes left, but runs out of bounds instead of sliding   B)  Carlos Rogers prolongs another game with a dropped INT   C)  The game ends with the other team having a shot to win   D)  Shanahan burns his second TO in the second half with over 28 minutes left   E)  Armstrong gets jacked up by the turf monster

STATSBOMB: Week Three - Washington Redskins 16, St. Louis Rams 30

Ugh. As they did last year against the Lions, the Redskins lost a Week 3 matchup against the worst team in the NFL in truly hope-killing fashion. Aside from the second quarter and the first drive in the third, Washington played horribly, committing stupid penalty after stupid penalty, handing three and outs to the unimpressive Rams defense and generally looking reminiscent of last year's team.

Here is my statistical indictment of the team:

• % of Time of Possession Vs. the Rams: 41.9%
• % of Time of Possession (Season): 42.8%
• Average Additional Plays Run By Opponents Vs. Plays Run By Redskins: 21
• % of Second Half Time of Possession Vs. the Rams: 31.7%
• # of Redskins Second Half Drives Longer than 3 Minutes: 0
• # Shorter than 1 Minute: 2
• Average Redskins Plays Per Drive Against Rams: 4.0
• Average Rams Plays Per Drive Against Redskins: 7.2
• Ratio of Plays Run by Rams to Plays Run by Redskins: 3:2 (75 by Rams to 50 by Skins)
• Rushing Yardage Gained by Redskins in First Half: 115 yards
• Rushing Yardage Gained by Redskins in Second Half: 1 yard
• Time of Final Redskins Rushing Play that Gained Yardage: 13:53 left in the Third Quarter
• # of Rushing Plays Called Afterward, Each Netting Negative Yards: 3
• # of St. Louis Rushing Plays Following Final Positive Redskins Rush: 23
• # That Were Stopped For Negative Yardage: 0
• # of People Who Would Describe Clinton Portis as "Sure-Footed:" 0
• Average Additional Penalties Committed by Redskins With Each Successive Week: 2
• Third Down Conversion % Allowed by Rams in Weeks 1 & 2: 40%
• % Third Downs Converted by Redskins: 10%
• # of Games Where Redskins Have Outgained Their Opponent in 2010: 0
• % of Redskins Points Scored in the 4th Quarter: 5.4% (3/56)
• Ratio of Yards Gained By Stephen Jackson in Weeks 1 & 2 to Total Rams Yards: 212/535 (39.6%)
• % of Rams Yards Gained by Jackson Against the Redskins: 17.5% (64/365)
• Last Time the Rams Scored 30 or More Points: October 19, 2008

A Few Sips of Kool-Aid:

• Average Devin Thomas Kick Return in 2010: 28.4 Yards (11 kick returns for 312 yards)
• Sub 50-YD Field Goals Missed by Gano: 0
• Rams Plays Following a First Down at the Washington 1 Yard Line: 6
• Number of Rams Points Scored on that Drive: 0

Skins Beat Cowboys: The Celebration!

Just thought I'd post this video of the celebration at FedEx Field a couple of minutes after the Skins beat the Cowboys on September 12, 2010.

STATSBOMB: Week Two - Houston Texans 30, Washington Redskins 27

Sadly, it was a loss (to the #3 team in the NFL according to ESPN, no less), but there is a ton to be excited about this season, including:

• The Redskins are the only NFC East team to have scored more points than their opponents
• Turnover Margin: +2
• Redskins vs. Opponents total sack margin: +2 (6 to 4, with Ware and Williams across the line of scrimmage)
• Average opposing passes deflected per game: 8
• Average % of passes deflected by Skins' D: 16% (16/100 passes attempted)
• McNabb's QB rating: 93.6
• McNabb's Yards Per Attempt Rank Among QBs: 5th (8.53 YPA)
• Projected Total Yardage for McNabb: 4,776
• # of Redskin RBs/TEs/WRs with more than 40 yards of offense: 7
• # of Redskin RBs/TEs/WRs with more than 80 yards of offense: 4
• Average combined yardage per game by Cooley and Moss: 155 yards
• Solo tackles by Laron Landry: 21 (28 total)
• Josh Bidwell's average punt: 43.9 yds (Net: 40.0 yards)
• Devin Thomas' average kickoff return: 28.4 yards
• Average Fan Rating for Redskins' Games per NFL.com: 84.5
• Rank of Average Fan Rating for Redskins Games among entire NFL: 1
• Milliseconds I was worried about a line drive kickoff straight to Mike Sellers: 3
• Starting field position after Sellers' return: WAS 37

But as a counterweight to all that optimism, here are some scary facts and stats that highlight some glaring holes in this team:

• Rank of Redskins rushing yards per game: 31st (53.5 ypg)
• Number of TDs by a wide receiver: 0
• Average % of possession of football: 43.1% (56:04 to 73:52)
• Average additional offensive plays run by opponents vs. offensive plays by Redskins: 19 (Total Skins' plays: 114, Total Opponents' Plays: 152)
• Number of Iced Redskins Kickers: 1
• Individual Redskins who each had opportunities to win the game on Sunday and did not make the play:  Joey Galloway, Fred Davis, Chris Horton, Graham Gano, Reed Doughty
• Redskins Points Scored By Quarter: FIRST: 9 pts - SECOND: 21 pts - THIRD: 7 pts - FOURTH: 3 pts
• % of Redskins Points Scored in First Half: 75% 

STATSBOMB: Week One - Dallas Cowboys 7, Washington Redskins 13

Welcome to the inaugural STATSBOMB post on We Want Dallas - this first edition is actually just copied from an email I wrote, but due to positive reception, I'll be posting one of these after each game this season.

Number of Redskins wins after Week One

My goal with STATSBOMB is to put together a collection of meaningful stats and facts from both the most recent game and from emerging season-long trends. I intend to pull and create stats that interest me and tell an interesting story about the game and the team, but I won't be tracking stats just for the sake of stats.

So here goes - STATSBOMB Week One 

• Statline for Landry: 17 tackles (13 solo), 1 pass deflected 
• Pass Deflections by the Redskins D: 8 
• Percentage of Tony Romo passes deflected: 17% 
• Redskins average kickoff return: 38 yards (both Devin Thomas) 
• Number of field goals missed by Graham Gano: 0 
• Number of holding penalties called on an O-lineman blocking Brian Orakpo: 3

Number of teams wearing gold pants last night: 1
Ratio of gold-pants-wearing to wins: 1:1

• Games at FedEx that I've been to where the crowd was as loud: 0 
• Number of plays (offense or defense) for which Micah and I were sitting down: 0 
• Minimum types of meat eaten by Micah and I yesterday: 8 
• The perfect amount of beer for an 8 hour tailgate for two people: One case + 2 beers 
• Number of high fives: 8.467 million (approx.) 
• Time spent at FedEx: approximately 14 hours (arrival: 11:45 AM, departure 1:45AM

The 2010 Kool-Aid is Delicious

Ah yes, the familiar taste of August Kool-Aid when you're a Redskins fan, hoping against hope that this year is different - that this year the team will be what you want it to be. For DC, it's as perennial a pleasure as beach vacations and Restaurant Week. And with one preseason game in the books, I can say that this year's batch of Kool-Aid is f*cking delicious.

Granted, the game was against the lowly Buffalo Bills, who were still able to march down the field and put up 3 points against the Skins' starters, but this post is not about the warning signs - it's about 42 points!!!

In the spirit of the season, I'll leave off the realism and focus on the positive and hopeful.


To lead off, the stadium experience is a huge improvement from the 2009 debacle - the video boards are amazing, almost too amazing. I sometimes found it easier on the eyes to watch plays at the other end of the field on the epicly bright monitors, rather than the live action on the grass. I felt like a bit of a sellout doing so, but I can't complain about the extra details you pick up on when Brian Orakpo is 35 feet tall. The fan experience was markedly improved, with more cheering and Bills' false starts flowing therefrom than I could remember from last year. Maybe my new and improved seats this year have given me burgundy-colored glasses, but I really felt like the whole crowd was in a better mood due to the video boards and the knowledge that Vinny Cerrato wasn't hovering around waiting to screw up everyone's fun like a field trip chaperon who hates his life.


Next, the offense looks great. We now have a WR controversy! In a good way! With Portis, Johnson and Torain, there are going to be three very good running backs on this team, and we'll have to let a couple decent RBs go. The O-Line protection was fantastic and probably the greatest reason for the positive vibes. It's hard to get excited about an offense when the QB is marked for death on every down, but on Friday, McNabb and Grossman got to do what was unthinkable last year - execute the plays as designed. While standing up. Oh, and Grossman - wow. Wherever that confidence came from I don't know, but it quieted my anxiety about a McNabb injury a fair bit. Cooley reminded us that he was the man, Davis remained in excellent form and even Devin Thomas looked at times like he might be a dependable receiver.

On defense, the greatest news was that Albert is getting to like this system. Conditioninggate is over, and Shanahan's gamble paid off in a big way. Coach made Big Al his bitch in front of the team and the city. For his part, Haynesworth thanked coach for the lesson by easily absorbing and at times pushing through double teams (admittedly second-stringers, but still) at the line. D Hall made a play after the defensive front put Buffalo's QB in a panic, and while patchy in run stopping, the LBs covered and tackled well.

On special teams, Brandon Banks returned a punt more than 6 yards, did the John Wall dance on television, and there was much rejoicing among the people.


It's so easy to root for a guy who would have to look up to Snooki - and did you see him burn past the punter before he even realized that he was going to have to try to make a play? That is something special, and while I know it's preseason, Banks needs to make the team just to have a "secret weapon" in the minds of the fans - we're going to get loud every time that guy gets the ball, and he's earned three free fumbles before I'll change my tune.

I now have hopes that this team will be able to win a couple games this year by comfortable margins, just by having the system, personnel and confidence to execute a handful of plays in a row and get a rhythm going. Last year, I remember this feeling that no matter the play before, each down was a chance for things to go horribly wrong, or to simply be the start of an ineffectual drift into the loss of possession. This year, kicking back with a tall glass of the red stuff, I'm not afraid anymore. Drink up me hearties, yo ho.