"DC" Skins PREgame #12 - vs Minnesota - Purple and Horned

First I want to get some more apologies out of the way for not blogging a lot more during this holiday break. I was spending some quality time with my family, mostly my nephew and niece. I hope you have had as nice and interesting of a few days as I have this holiday. Let's just say I am probably one of the most experienced single, child-rearing adults out there who has never actually sired a seed of his own, nor babysits for a living (that's a blog for another time). But, win or lose, since I've been consistent with doing my Redskins predictions week in and week out, I figured I should keep with it. I will make this short though.

The Vikings fired their coach this week. Does it mean that the organization and team will be inspired with new leadership and possibly play harder? Maybe. Take a look at the Cowboys.

With that being said, the Vikings still have been a mess as a team, and in the center of all that (literally and figuratively) has been their QB Brett Favre. His turnover numbers and passer rating are just plain atrocious, he's been playing hurt, and he's definitely had one of his worst years he's had in recent memory. And I didn't even get into his off-the field issues. (Let's just say that he's appropriate that he is a Viking, because his situation with Jen Sterger shows that he is one "horny" dude.) Favre is slated to start, but I do think the Vikings have a better chance if he gets out of the game (which, in my opinion, he may).

As far as the Redskins are concerned, even though the win against the Titans have gave them some renewed hope for the season, they are still a mess as an organization too. Not to mention, that win last week came with a huge price, as most of the players ended up banged up, or hurt considerably (as in the case of Clinton Portis and others, hurt for the whole year).

I think the Redskins will win this game. Though the Redskins are banged up (most especially on the offensive line), the offense should do enough, while their defense will probably carry the team by causing the Viking offense (mainly Favre) to make mistakes and put them in decent field position. However, I do think the Vikings will keep this game close. As I said, the Redskins are a dysfunctional organization as well, and some of that is going to show on the field somehow. Not to mention, though Favre will probably be expected to make mistakes, Adrian Peterson can ease him off a little bit on offense, as that Viking O-line is a lot more solid than the Redskins'. Furthermore, I did say earlier that the Vikes may have more of a chance if Bret Favre comes out sometime during the game. And with the history of the Redskins defense hurting people this year, there might be a chance he comes out... which may actually help them.

Final Prediction Redskins 21 Vikings 17

I just have a feeling this will be an ugly game, on both ends. And I think the Vikings the "ugliness" can hurt the Vikings more. As of now, it doesn't look like any serious championship contenders will be playing in this game, and it will probably show in the scoreboard.

The Redskins also have proven to play down to their competition, which is why I picked such a close score. But, I do think the Redskins need this game. They need all the wins they can get though, and they must pick up the games that they are expected to win down the stretch. Since they are at home, this could be one of those wins.

If the Redskins win, they will go 6-5. They simply can't go in a key matchup next week against the Giants at 5-6. Therefore, the sense of urgency should be up (despite what we've seen this season), and it should help make a difference. 

But, we'll see come roughly quarter after 4 PM EST.

HTTR,

-OBE

"DC" Skins PREgame #11 - at Tennessee - Remember the Titans

The Redskins are coming off one of the most disappointing losses in recent memory against the Eagles. In my opinion they simply have to get a win here to get back in the conversation as far as "playoff contenders". Most people aren't picking the Redskins to do a lot in this game, and that's understandable, considering that they stunk it up on National TV last week, and the Titans have some weapons on offense, and are pretty solid in defense. If they win a game that they are supposedly not to win, that will at least get a little of that bad taste out of their mouth, and get them confident for the next week.

But, as far as if it's actually gonna happen, that may be a whole different story. After this past week, most of the fans have been dejected and disappointed, and even the most loyal ones realistically believe they can't win this game, and to expect disappointment again. As it was said, Tennessee has way too many offensive weapons, with Chris Johnson, Vince Young, and Randy Moss (who was acquired not too long ago). And with the way the Redskins offense has been playing lately (mainly, the offensive line getting McNabb destroyed), the Titans D can shut them down.

I consider myself a pretty loyal Redskins fan. But realistically, like a lot of other Redskins fans out there, if you look at the situation realistically, it's just hard to pick them in anything right now. They're offensive line is terrible, they're missing a few key players on defense, and right now, they're just not a good team.

Prediction: Redskins 21 Titans 37

I will say, that Clinton Portis finally coming back should help the Redskins out a lot, and can possibly get McNabb that pass protection he needs, as a solid blocking running back. Ironically, Albert Haynesworth can be an ex-factor in this game too. He's coming back to his original team, and might be motivated to play, since that is where his brother died. Conversely, the way Shanahan and the defensive coaches play Haynesworth could have a huge say on this game as well.

As I always do whenever I picked the Skins to lose... I hope I'm wrong. But right now, all signs point to the Titans winning, and I just can't avoid those signs (especially if they're too obvious). Fortunately, realistically picking a team to win, and hoping for a win are two different things. So, although I'm doing the former, there's no reason that I can't believe in the latter.

But like I said, we'll see what happens.

HTTR,

-OBE

PS: If there are a lot of mistakes in this blog, I did most of it when I was only half awake. (Just so you know).

"DC" Skins PREgame #10 - vs Philadelphia - Redemption Part 2

This is only going to be a quick thoughts blog, just because it a bit after 8:15 PM kickoff is in more or less 15 minutes. I'm just going to get a few quick thoughts in, and then my predictions.

First thought... the Redskins had a very long bye week to sit on their loss. They played the early game in Week 8, and play the final Monday Night game in Week 10. Unless they have huge injuries (like Clinton Portis) there should be no excuses that they aren't prepared or refreshed for this match.

In the two weeks leading into this matchup, all that the DC sports media can talk about is benchgate... did Shanahan do the right thing benching McNabb?, how would this affect McNabb and contract negotiations?, the long-term future of the Redskins?. But whatever happened two weeks ago, is the past. The Redskins have a chance to forget what happened two weeks ago with a huge victory tonight and right the ship (so to speak).

Some breaking news took place today as well. McNabb finally signed his contract extension. This is important because he doesn't have to worry about a contract anymore, and he can just focus mainly on football.

I do think the Redskins are going to win this game, but it's gonna be far from easy. The Eagles are coming off one of their biggest wins of the season against Peyton Manning and the Colts, a team that the Redskins lost to. The Eagles defense were able to contain Peyton Manning and the offense, and Mike Vick and their running back were able to capitalize on the suspect running defense of Indy. 

With that being said, the Redskins should be prepared with their two weeks off. McNabb and his team needs to redeem themselves after letting an opportunity slip two weeks ago. And given it's the Eagles and it's McNabb's former team and it's Monday Night football, they should be giving a bit more effort.

Prediction Eagles 24 Redskins 27

Whether I'm right and wrong in this prediction, we can all agree that this game is a crossroads of destiny for this Redskins team. In my opinion, whatever the results will be will be a huge indicator of how they will finish the season.

HTTR...

-OBE

"DC" Skins PREgame #8 - at Detroit - A Win is Needed... I Ain't Lion.

I'm gonna try to keep this short... the Redskins need to win this game.

As this game is played, the Redskins have a huge chance to go into their bye week with a lot of momentum... as they currently have with a 4-3 winning record, a 2-1 NFC record, and they're unblemished at 2-0 in their own division. If they win against Detroit, they will be 5-3, and be alone in 2nd in the NFC East, and only a half-a-game behind the New York Giants for the division lead.

However, they can't afford to look back. The Lions are 1-5, and some people say the Redskins should win this game (since they should be motivated after what happened in Week 3 last year), but it's gonna be far from an easy win. As I said in last week's blog, the Lions have been in every single game they were in, and their win-loss record does not do them justice of how good this team is this year.

And, despite of the 1-5 record, this team has improved from last year. They've drafted a playmaking pass-rusher in defense with Ndamukong Suh, who can potentially have a field day and give McNabb a lot of trouble. They still have Calvin Johnson, who look like he's gotten even better. Their running back Jahvid Best, though struggling currently, is a solid young guy. And on top of that, their quarterback with the big arm, Matt Stafford should be back, who had his way with the Skins last year. Add that to the fact that the gamblers at Vegas are favoring the Lions to beat the Redskins to win by around 3 points, this should be far from an "easy win".

However, do I think the Redskins can rise above all that and pull of a win? Yes I do. Although, I do potentially see McNabb having some problems with the improved Lions pass rush, I do think he'll get some off to his tight ends. Not to mention, as crazy as it may sound, Ryan Torain and the Redskins running attack can have a big game this week. And I do think the Redskins defense will be aggressive against Stafford, and will never get that Detroit running game going. I do think that they will remember the loss from last year, and really use it as fuel to turn up the aggressiveness. Add that to the fact that the Redskins have put someone out in just about every game this year... the Lions may not be an exception, and can potentially hurt someone.

Final prediction... Redskins 27 Lions 19

Like I said, the Redskins really need this win, and the players and the coaches should be up for it. It would not only be great to go into a bye week with a win, but they'll go in as one of the more solid teams in the NFC with a 5-3 record. Add that to the motivation they should have for being humiliated last year, should add up to a Redskins win. Afterward, they can rest up on a long bye week and meet the Eagles at their homefield on 11/15. If they can pull off the win, it looks like the stars may start to align for a nice run for a playoff spot, or a division crown during the 2nd half of the season.

But, one thing I find interesting is that in this game, two specific players are playing in opposing teams... Kevin Barnes and Jahvid Best. This is what happened the last time these two met (in the college level)...

I doubt this would happen, considering that Kevin Barnes is far down the depth chart for the Redskins, but the fact that these two are on opposing sidelines. I'm kind of surprised this sports potpourri hasn't been mentioned in the airwaves (if it has, I must not have heard it).

Hopefully, I'm right with this prediction. A win really will get people around here very excited for the first half of November, and that's something I'd like to look forward to.

HTTR!!!

-OBE

"DC" Skins PREgame #7 - at Chicago - Contender or Pretender?

For the Redskins, this game against Chicago has to be the biggest non-divisional game they've had this year. They are 3-3, and the Chicago Bears are 4-2. If you check at various power rankings, most "experts" will have these two teams ranked close to each other. More importantly, this game would put a bit of separation between the "midcard" (to put it in pro-wrestling terms), against the headliners of the NFC. To put it in layman's terms, this game will make the losers look like pretenders, and the winners look a little more like contenders possibly in line for a "push".

So, to break it down...

To win this game, the Redskins have to continue the ground game going. Ryan Torain had a pretty good game last week against Indianapolis. Although, as I said before, the Colts, have historically had bad run defenses. Chicago's defense, in my estimation, should be a bit tougher (as they have 3 playmakers in Urlacher, Briggs, and Peppers). So, if Torain doesn't have a good a game as he had last week, there shouldn't be a surprise. On the other end, they shouldn't allow big plays to opposing running backs (who happen to be slumping). During the past two weeks, Brandon Jackson of Green Bay, and Joseph Addai from Indy, who managed to be slumping, caught the Redskins in big plays. Matt Forte of the Bears is also slumping in the ground, and if the Redskins somehow let him get off the snide for this game, it may be tough.

But the most important key to the game, I feel, is that the Bears offensive line is allowing the most sacks against their quarterbacks, 29 total. Their starter Jay Cutler, got sacked 23 times alone. If the Redskins can take advantage of this and keep this going, and not give Cutler the opportunity to use that strong arm of his to find his receivers, and make him look like Peyton Manning, the Redskins are going to be picked apart.

An X-Factor for the Bears, would be their returner Devin Hester. He's returned a few back for touchdowns this year, and seems to be back in the saddle when it comes to his return game. One interesting storyline they've talked about in regards to Devin Hester as it relates to this game, is that he has a chance to beat the record of Brian Mitchell (a Washington Redskins alumni) when it comes to returning punts.

With that being said, I do feel the Redskins will do enough to win. If Haynesworth is back (which early reports say that he will be), there will be a huge body eating double teams from that bad offensive line, and the pass rush will definitely get to Cutler. And if that's the case, the Redskins will definitely get a few sacks, and possibly get some picks and add on to their turnover ratio. The Redskins offense may have some troubles against this defense, but I feel they will do enough in this game to score more than the opponents. As far as the "X-Factor" is concerned, I do believe that the Redskins would shut down Devin Hester and not let them break Brian Mitchell's record.

Final prediction: Redskins 31 Bears 21

I do feel the Redskins need this game more than the Bears, because if they lose, they'll be 3-4, with a worse chance of recovering in a competitive division (in which 2 teams are currently tied for 1st at 4-2), than the Bears who will be at 4-3 at a competitive, yet recently slumping division (Packers lost 2 in a row, and the Vikings had a slow start). Hence, I'm picking the Redskins win. It's not necessarily gonna be an easy game, but I do think they should win.

Hopefully, when all is said and done, my hometown team will look more like a contender than a pretender.

HTTR,

-OBE

"DC" Skins PREgame #6 - vs Indianapolis - Man(ning) Up

After last week's win, Redskins Nation feels good. They are 3-2, coming off consecutive wins over 2 teams that most people didn't give them a chance with, they played hard when it counted, and shut down a couple of high powered offenses down the stretch. Therefore, Redskins fans felt pretty good all week, and they have all the confidence in the world against the Colts.

I, on the other hand, probably wouldn't be as confident as every Redskins fan in this area. This Colts team really worries the heck out of me. Considering how much Donovan McNabb got hit last week by Clay Matthews, Dwight Freeney has the potential to do the same and leave Donovan sore the next day. Not to mention, overall, the defense has been solid this year, while the Redskins offense still lacks a running game, doesn't scare anyone in the passing game (and outside of Cooley and Moss, doesn't have a weapon that can scare you), and they've had issues with the offensive line.

As far as the Colts offense, they are still solid, and solid for one reason... Peyton Manning. No matter who you give him at receiver, he will find a way to use him, and make him a threat, (with Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie being prime examples). Not to mention, they still have a solid wide receiver in Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark. And though the Colt running game hasn't been on par this year, it's probably as solid as the Redskins (if not, more threatening than the Redskins').

The Redskins do have a chance in this game though. The Redskins defense has been great when it mattered, especially late in games. They got pressure on the quarterback, and got key stops. If the Redskins can keep this up for most of the game, continue to get to Manning and get key stops, they have a great chance of winning. However, it would be a tough task, because Manning is such a great quarterback, and can direct an offense like no other QB in the game today. Technically, he's his own offensive coordinator. And as good as Aaron Rodgers is, and was last week until he was shut down by the Redskins in overtime, in my opinion, Manning is in a different level. He has been in the dance for a while... and have a tall task in shutting him down.

But, the best way to shut down that offense is to keep it off the field. As I said last week, it is CRUCIAL they find a running game and find some balance in that offense. Historically in the last few years, Indy has been weaker on the run. If they can keep the ball on the ground, play ground control offense, and pass when they need to... they can wear this Indy defense down, and more importantly, keep Peyton Manning and that offense off the field. If they do all this, the Redskins have an AWESOME chance of winning.

Many fans, and even prognosticators and radio hosts in this area are high on the Redskins, and feel they have a nice shot at winning this game. They feel the Skins have a lot of momentum going for them, their defense have been playing well, and they will ride this high to hold off Peyton Manning and the Colts (who have not been as impressive as they have been last year) at primetime. 

Although I do think the Redskins have a shot at winning this game, I don't think it's a big shot. Honestly, I do think that Manning would be too much. He has a high quarterback IQ and may figure out the Redskins and how to pick them apart. Not to mention, although the Redskins offensive line is healthier they have been than the past three weeks, I still think they are too banged up to contain the playmakers in the Colts' defense. So here's my prediction...

Colts 31, Redskins 24

I do think the Redskins will score some points, but the Colts will outscore them by a touchdown. I think Peyton Manning and his weapons will be too much for the Skins defense, and the Colts defense will be too much for McNabb, unfortunately.

However, I will say that an another reason I'm picking the Colts to win, is for reverse psychological purposes. I want the Redskins to win, and the past few weeks, I have been wrong more than I am right (regarding football prognostication). I'd be glad to admit I'm wrong if I'm proven wrong.

So to the Redskins, please prove me wrong. Hope they show me that Peyton Manning wouldn't be the calculating beast that I portrayed him to be in this blog entry.

HTTR,

-OBE

Mister Rodger's Offensive Neighborhood - "DC" Skins Pregame #5 - vs Green Bay

I haven't really had much of a chance to think about the Redskins game against the Packers. However, being the semi-pro motivational sports blogger that I am, I will still offer my thoughts.

Just at first glance, Green Bay has a high powered passing offense. Not only is Aaron Rodgers is probably one of the best young quarterbacks in the game, but he has a lot of toys to play with at the passing game. He has 4 viable weapons to throw to in his team, and his offensive line has kept him relatively clean. That offense does have a significant hole in their running game though, ever since Ryan Grant was lost for the season earlier in the year. On top of their offense, their defense is decently solid too. They have a great pass defense led by an outstanding corner in Charles Woodson, and they have very good young LBs in Clay Matthews and AJ Hawk. So based on all this, the Redskins have a lot of concerns.

However, I do believe that the Redskins can give this team a competitive game. If the game against Philadelphia last week wasn't an indication of how solid this Redskins team can be when it wants to be, then I'm not sure what is. Although Clinton Portis is out, the Redskins slowly look like they are starting to find their running game, and through Mike Shanahan-like fashion, possibly having a no-name tailback start to produce on the ground for the team. Not to mention, the offensive line is slowly getting healthy again. If you give a chance for McNabb to make some plays, he could really punish you, as he did previously against Dallas and Houston, and last week against Philly.

Although the Redskins look like they can make this game competitive... do I think they can actually win? I honestly think it may be a tough game. Although the Skins are coming off a huge win against a division rival with a lot of confidence and momentum, and even though they have proven they can step up their game when needed, and although the Packers haven't looked that impressive during the last few weeks (especially in their almost loss against the Lions)... realistically, I just see so many obstacles for the Redskins to overcome. They still don't have as many proven weapons as the Packers, and the new defensive scheme still hasn't fully adjusted to it's personnel.

Prediction... Redskins 24 Packers 27

Like I said, I do think that the Redskins should make this competitive, and the game might be decided late in the 4th quarter. However, if the Redskins could steal this game, I do see special teams having to do with that. The Redskins changed to a more solid punter, and the kicker has been pretty solid so far this year. And the return game has big play speed and capability.

If special teams does end up playing a factor and even steal a win for the Skins, then that would be great for Redskins fans, as it would be a huge win against another solid team. And that would be huge considering the next few games they have coming up in the weeks after. I'm hoping that is the case, but we'll see.

HTTR

-OBE

VickNabb - "DC" Skins Pregame #4 - at Philadelphia

From last week's result, the media and fans around the area have been extremely worried coming into this football game. With the embarrassing, and humiliating loss to St. Louis Rams last week, there's good reason for a lot of worry. 

The Skins are still near the bottom of the league when it comes to their ground attack, and the defense still haven't gotten in sync. Many people say it's the scheme, others say that it's personnel. Maybe, it's a little bit of both.

I was driving home yesterday, and I heard a replay of a Chris Cooley interview on Sports Radio. The radio hosts apologetically (and unintentionally) attacked his team and how they played during the last 5 quarters. Cooley even said that it was disappointing because it was somber in the locker room after the loss, and the whole team probably felt they let Coach Shanahan down. 

However, based from the Cooley's voice inflection and tone during the interview, the Redskins seem confident with their gameplan on Sunday, and he feels that they can really beat their team. Maybe they see something in the game film that they can exploit, or maybe they like a few matchups. But, what I got most out of this interview, is that they are really anxious to redeem themselves, and want to get this win for their coach, as well as their quarterback.

Whether they'll do it or not... we'll see. I will say, that based on what we've seen from the Eagles during the last two weeks, as compared to the Redskins... Redskins fans have a lot to worry about. Michael Vick has arguably been the hottest quarterback in the league, and he has weapons to utilize (mainly, the explosive DeSean Jackson). Not to mention, as it looks right now, the Eagle running game is certainly done better than the Skins', and their defense has been solid when it counted. So on paper, the Eagles should DESTROY the Redskins.

My inner homer fanboy instinct tells me to give the Redskins the benefit on this one. From what it looks like this early in the season, this team plays up to their competition, and could probably play a lot better if they really have a reason to be fired up to. For Week 1, it was a season opener against the hated Dallas Cowboys... enough said. For Week 2, they played well for 3 quarters until they poo-pooed a 17 point lead during the last quarter and a half against Houston because they were probably "content". In Week 3, it just seemed they were uninspired during the whole and expecting to rollover a team they should have beaten and prayed some really bad football. 

This week, the big story line is McNabb going back to Philadelphia... What's going on inside his head when he has to play the team he's played for 11 years? How will the Philadelphia crowd react to him? How will he compare to the QB that he lobbied so hard to go to Philadelphia last year... the QB that no one wanted? There are a lot of story lines in this match... and a lot of reasons to get up for this match. And with McNabb being the leader that he is, and being extra motivated to play against the city that traded him... I think he will play so hard because he doesn't want to be disappointed. That could make a significant difference.

But to add on, there's a lot in the line... as the winner of this game has the inside track for the division lead, and will momentarily be in first place of the NFC East.

The line for this game is that Vegas is picking the Eagles to win by 5.5 (maybe 6) points. Here's my prediction...

Redskins 33 Eagles 27

I don't think the Redskins defense will do extraordinarily well, but I do think they are due for a decent running game. Both teams will put up points, and could have a potential for a shootout. I don't think the Redskins will stop the Eagles from putting up points in the board, but do I think McNabb and the offense will do just as well against the Eagles D? Quite possibly. Based on the Cooley interview I discussed a few paragraphs ago, there might be some holes in the Eagles defense they can exploit, and McNabb has played against that defense for 11 years.

Maybe my fanboyishness of predicting the Redskins to win may make me look like a fool. The Eagles look so much better on paper. But, my I do have a gut feeling about this game. And, I do believe that something other than stat sheet measurables can influence this game. And that's where I feel the Redskins have the advantage.

This should be an exciting game though. Based on the storylines alone, this is some must-see TV. My brother, as well as a few of my friends are Eagles fans. So, I'm hoping that for my sake, I'll be smiling after this game is over... rather than getting an earful.

HTTR

-OBE

"DC" Skins Pregame - Week 3 - at St. Louis

After the last week Redskins disappointing yet encouraging loss, they are playing an 0-2 St. Louis Rams team. As I said last week, this good be a perfect bounce-back game for them, and I'm sticking by that.

When I listened to the DC media all through out the week, I heard that there were some worried about the game. Many were worried because of how the Skins played the Rams last year when they almost blew it, and also when they played them two years ago, when they blew it and gave them their first win. Some were worried because they played New England Patriots in the preseason, in the notable 3rd game that played the starters, and pretty much played well against them. Despite all of this, I am going against what a lot of people around here are saying, and say that this will be a relatively easy win for the Redskins. Here's why...

First of all, this Redskins team is clearly a different team from the last two years. They are better coached and seem to now have leadership at quarterback. So results that took place in the last two years shouldn't be overestimated. As far as these Rams blowing up the Patriots in pre-season, even though the starters got most of the reps that game, it still doesn't mean jack. I've noticed that most of the great teams in preseasons use the exhibition games more as tuneups rather than a serious measure of skill. And teams that usually end up very solid throughout the regular season would have bad pre-seasons (such as the Colts, who more often that not, have terrible pre-seasons).

Even though the Redskins lost last week, I still felt the positives outweighed the negatives. It's always bad to give up a 17 point lead, and currently have a 32nd ranked (out 32) running game, but McNabb and the passing game seemed to have woken up, and they lit up the scoreboard with just about everyone involved last week.

The Redskins defense was only bad for 1 quarter this season, and I don't think they'll be that bad at any point against the Rams. I see this defense getting to Sam Bradford, as he is still green and will commit mistakes, and the Rams offensive line has as much issues as the Redskins (if not more). The only notable weapon they have on offense is their running back Stephen Jackson, and I don't see him carrying the team enough to win the game.

And, as far as the Redskins' 32nd ranked running game, this is a good game to get better, as the Rams' have the 32nd ranked defense against the run. Clinton Portis, and whoever else will be in the backfield should have solid games and should break a combined 3-digits on the ground, which should ultimately set up the pass. And, after the defense got embarrassed last week in the final quarter, they should be looking for some redemption, and should protect the lead better should they get it.

The Vegas line has the Redskins as 4 point road favorites. I have them covering that total easily, as I see this being a double-digit win for the Redskins. Ultimately, the Rams still have more general issues all-around in both sides of the ball, and it should show up in the scoreboard. And like I said, the Redskins should be looking for some redemption.

Final score prediction... Redskins 31 Rams 17

I see the Redskins up significantly after the 3rd quarter, and I don't see them blowing that lead. I do see them giving up a garbage touchdown towards the 4th quarter during a prevent defense, but they should pretty much hold the Rams in check. 

I will say though, if the Redskins do happen to screw up, and blow this game, people around this area will start panicking. Although, people always say that it's hard to win in this level (since everybody is a professional), this is a game the Redskins should win. But, with how things turned out last year for the Redskins (with the team dealing many winless teams their first win), it would be understandable why this sentiment would be prevalent in this area.

But as I said, I feel this is a different team, and the results shouldn't be the typical results that fans of this team have come to expect during the past few years. We'll see in about 20 1/2 hours if I'm correct. I think I will be.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

"DC" Skins Pregame - Week 2 - vs Houston

As I said in last week's blog, I'm going to try to make these pregame and postgame blogs a weekly weekend habit, because this NFL football is a topic people in the blogosphere can really get into, and it is also a topic I love to talk about. Gives this blog a little bit of balance. ;-)

However, like I said last week, I'm just gonna focus on Redskins games. If I talked about a lot of different teams every week and all of the games playing this week, I don't think I could get all my thoughts down. (I mean, I can, but it would just take forever) I'm not a sports journalist, nor do I work for the organization. I just want to offer my particular "out-of-the-box" authentic view as a genuine fan of the game. (I will say, that to make these entries easier to identify, I'll prefix these particular blogs will be prefixed with "DC" Skins (Pre/Post game...). 

Now that I got the housekeeping out of the way, let me get this started...

This week, I'm not going to get into the off-the-field drama with the women in the locker room remark by Clinton Portis about Inez Sainz and the New York Jets locker room, or whether or not Albert Haynesworth is injured or not. I will just be focusing on my thoughts primarily about the game itself (such as players to watch, other notables), what I think the keys to victory are, and my predictions (as I hope to do every week).


With that being said, as a Redskins fan, this game scares me. Even though the 'Skins should be familiar with the offense because Kyle Shanahan coordinated the Texans offense last year, it still doesn't look as good in the Redskins' point of view. The Texans put up 34 points against a formidable Colts team, whom many are picking to go to the Superbowl. They have arguably the best wide receiver in the game in Andre Johnson, and they have the top (non-passing) offensive player of Week 1 with the sudden emergence of their running back Arian Foster, who had 231 yards rushing last week (and undoubtedly got picked up by many Fantasy Football owners). Their offense is clicking, and they outgunned Peyton Manning and the Colts (which says a lot).


The Redskins offense has a lot to do before catching up to this offense. Although they are patterned similarly, Houston is way ahead. The 'Skins didn't put up an offensive TD last week, and was outgained by Dallas in about a 2.5/1 ratio. And, as I said last week, even though I appreciated the win, the Redskins were extremely fortunate to get the win, considering how much Dallas shot themselves in the foot.

Many are saying if the Redskins are gonna have a shot at winning, the defense has to step up big time. I agree. The Redskins defense played relatively well against Dallas by keeping points off the board and making some plays (that turnover to TD to end the half didn't just happen by itself... DeAngelo Hall was a big part of that), however Dallas' bad playcalling and mistakes had a lot to with them not scoring many points either. I'm sure Houston's offense would be a lot more disciplined, and the defense has to match them.


Arguably, as it looks right now, the Redskins defense is better than the Colts defense, and I don't think they're gonna let Arain Foster put up 231 yds in the ground against them. And since they showed that they can make plays and force mistakes, that can really help them out. But, they still have to stop the big play, and not let Houston march up and down the field willingly (like Dallas during the end of the game). If they do, the game will be a lot uglier than last week's Dallas game.


I will say though, that these teams do know each other pretty well, despite being in opposite conferences. Houston head coach Gary Kubiak is under the Mike Shanahan coaching tree since he was his coordinator in Denver, and Kyle Shanahan (Mike's son) coordinated under Kubiak last year in Houston, and practically built Houston's high powered offense. Based on that, it should be an interesting chess match, especially on offense.


But based on everything I've said so far, and from what was seen last week, the overall edge goes to Houston. The Skins haven't really gotten their running game going yet, and the only the tight ends have shown some glimmer of hope on the offensive side of the ball. And like I said, the Skins still haven't scored an offensive touchdown. And even though I think the Redskins may have the edge on defense, Houston's defense is still nothing to sneeze at. The gap between the 2 offenses, in my opinion, is larger than the gap against the two defenses. As far as special teams go, when all is said and done, I don't think we'll be talking about ST come the end of the game. 

So I give the edge to Houston. The line for this game is Houston by 3. I think that sounds about right. As much as I would like the Redskins to win every game, and I would like to think that Redskins will perform better than they did last week, but even if they do perform better, the realist and prognosticator in me would think that it may not be enough.


Game prediction... Houston 28, Redskins 24.



Of course, I will be more than happy if I'm wrong and if the Redskins happen to pull out a win. It should be an interesting game nonetheless. Like I said, the coaching staff is familiar with each other, and from that, it should be an interesting match to watch.


HTTR,
-OBE



PS: I do regret, I probably won't be watching the whole game though. On an unrelated note, I do start my first day as a Youth Counselor in my church that evening, (which is another way to make an impact with "our future"). Therefore, I may miss a good chunk of the 2nd half. But, I will still post my postgame blog sometime after the game.