I had the privilege of attending yesterday's game in Landover, MD and, along with a sea of blue jerseys in the stands, enjoyed watching about 2 1/2 quarters of surprisingly dominant football from the NY Giants. Here are a few observations.
1. Tailgating was a lot of fun. Giants and Redskins fans co-mingled happily, shared liquor, and smiled widely all morning. Really nice atmosphere.
2. The mode was decidedly pessimistic inside the stadium. Everyone knew that the Sanchize was playing the Quarterback position, and everyone knew what that meant.
3. Giants D put 8 in the box from the very beginning and then pressed their CBs on Washington's WRs at the LoS. Only Curtis Riley played deep, daring said-Sanchize to throw it more than 15 yards downfield.
4. Said Sanchize refused.
5. BJ Hill is a beast. I mean that guy was the defensive MVP of the game in my book, as he clogged lanes, collapsed pockets, and got to ball carriers all day long. I don't know what the stat sheet says, but I thought he controlled the middle of the LoS from start to finish.
6. Curtis Riley had some fine moments out there, but honestly people he's just not very good at football. Josh Johnson made him look foolish out there in the 4th quarter. Yes, Josh Johnson did.
7. The first quarter was pretty putrid for both teams. You just got the feeling that neither side thought it was good enough to win as there were maybe two first downs between them over the course of about five possessions. Then the Pick Six happened and suddenly momentum swung over to the visitors. Game over.
8. Dixon's a good punter. His kicks don't go sixty yards, but he gets good hang time and understands the concept of "Directional Kicking." I can't remember Washington ever starting a drive with decent field position.
9. By the middle of the third quarter there were Skins fans in my section chanting "Fire Bruce." I think one of them was the dude who, while tailgating with me earlier that day, had informed me that the "Skins was gonna whup yo ass!"
10. Kyle Lauletta is not the answer at QB. He looked nervous on the sidelines before he came in the game and was dazed and confused once he got in. His ball floats and flutters, and the lack of zip made his throws easy pickings. He should've been intercepted twice more than he was - fortunately for him/us, Washington's DBs aren't very good at football, either.
11. The OL did him no favors in the 4th Q. I thought he had literally no time in the pocket to scan the field.
12. My son and I joyfully sang "Hail to the Redskins" as we walked back to the car after the game. Few joined in with us.
That is all.
Show me a team to lose two QB's who can be competitive and I'll pull my unicorn out of the closet.
When snyder has stepped away from making decisions, the team is OK - but they actually had the arrow pointing up until the injuries hit. They lost so much on the offense that the current results aren't surprising, yet the fans will foolishly try to blame it on effort, coaching or how the team was built.
What the Redskins are is a perfect example of life in the modern NFL. Good health doesn't automatically mean you'll be good, but horrendous health nearly dictates that you will be bad.
As for observations on players, watching Barkley in person (his run was directly at my lower bowl corner of the end zone seats), was a thing of beauty. Same for Eli's long throw down the sideline in the first half. Vernon looked more effective too, as did Goodson, but I'll leave the technical observations to Sy, Joey in VA and others who know about such things.
As for FedEx itself, it really is an unmitigated dump. Built on the cheap in a wasteland portion of PG County, it represents the worst of stadium architecture a mere 20+ years after being built. But it houses the franchise I despise most in the NFL and any fan unhappiness with the locale and team itself is most welcome.
Finally, playing the fight song when you "close the gap" from 40 to 8 seems a bit tacky. If you recall, the original lyrics included "Fight for ole Dixie" now changed to "old DC." So there's that too.
Snowflakes are everywhere.
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I find it demeaning when part of celebrating a win is to belittle your opponent, I would hope giants fans were better than that.
Snowflakes are everywhere.
Does #12 come with a trigger warning for the snowflakes?
It was nice to see Giants take advantage and put up the 40-burger.
Not sure why all 11 players on defense had to go into prevent-mode in 4QTR though, made JJ look like a pro bowler...
It was nice to see Giants take advantage and put up the 40-burger.
Not sure why all 11 players on defense had to go into prevent-mode in 4QTR though, made JJ look like a pro bowler...
Don’t forget the offensive playcalling as well! I wish they would have been a little more aggressive with the playcalling.