Which team is our team? Which one will show up week after week? Will it be the one that put on the kind of show (4th quarter mainly) that makes them look like a real good team with a strong defense and an explosive offense, or the one that stunk up the joint against the Giants?
This year's team resembles those of the past in that you are not sure who they are because they have talent but don't always use it in the right manner. The fact that Portis, Moss, Cooley, and yes....Jason Campbell showed up when they needed to and put the game away. The way that they ran the ball and mixed in the passes was a thing of beauty. Portis showed some of the patience that he needs to hit the holes for big gains. Campbell remembered that Cooley is on his team and that opponents usually need 4 or 5 guys to bring him down. Cooley is the most powerful runner that this team has had since John Riggins and should be the focal point of this offense every week. Moss has always shown the separation and speed that he put on display yesterday but has not had his number called very often to the team's detriment and yesterday showed what he can do when he is used correctly.
The defense was solid in the Giants game but showed a new sense of passion and fight against the Saints. They were flying all over the field, constantly getting their hands on balls, batting them in the air and actually catching the ball! The new kid, Horton, looks like a real find in the secondary and seems to have taken away the position from Doughty. Landry is a monster who still hasn't learned the full scope of the position but seems to be a natural. Taylor got a sack and seemed a bit more reliable on running plays along with a better showing of the entire defensive line. Overall the defense seems to be, once again, the strongest unit on the team.
The special teams were...horrible! They missed 2 field goals, fumbled, punted like high schoolers and covered just as bad. As good as they looked at times in the Giants game they were equally as bad yesterday. Other than Cartwright, the special teams were the worst unit on the field on either team. Randle-El should not return a single punt for the rest of the season until he wants to or he learns that you need to run north to get to the end-zone, everytime he starts dancing my heart skips a beat.
The coaching staff was finally what I was looking for after seeing the first few games of the preseason, bold. Jim Zorn showed that he has some guts when he called for a 4th down throw to put away the game. Last year that would have been a 4th straight run and, most likely, a turnover on downs. He used a nice change up at half-time to get his Quarterback back in rhythm and picked on an inexperienced corner to bury the Saints. He looks out of sync at times but has the gusto and bravado needed from a coach to inspire his players.
The jury is still out on Zorn as much as his team, but he looked much, much better than last week as they all did. The issue as a Redskin fan is whether they will take this and grow from it or go back to the cocky attitude that has plagued them over the past 4 years where 1 win can make them feel as the best team in the league, just to go out and play like garbage a week later. They are truly a Jekyll and Hide team that has not shown the consistency to look past anyone in this league.
As a fan I am cautiously optimistic about this year but I know, as the scars of the past 17 years have shown, that they have been anything but consistent. I hope that this year we can get over the hurdle and start to resemble a team that makes opponents take notice and not the afterthought that we are today.
Keywords: Washington Redskins
