Redskins Journal

By Rich Campbell

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Week 9: Initial thoughts

Nov. 9, 2009 12:50 am

I was able flush out my initial thoughts on the Redskins' 31-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons during my plane ride home. Making my flight was a little dicey, but I did thanks to the timeliness of the MARTA, some deft security line navigating at Hartsfield Airport and my blazing footspeed through the terminal. I looked like Michael Turner weaving through all those people (zing!) ...And a special thanks to the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Paul Woody for helping me keep my composure as missing my flight crept closer to reality.

Anyway, here are my initial thoughts on the game. Keep in mind that I haven't watched the game film yet and that these are in no particular order.

*The Redskins offensive line is a punchline by now. But all kidding aside--and I really mean this--I fear for quarterback Jason Campbell's physical well-being. The likelihood of him suffering a Joe Theismann-type of career-altering injury seems to be increasing. Atlanta's defensive line isn't considered among the best in the league, and it knocked Campbell out of the game TWICE! What's Elvis Dumervil gonna do next week? And DeMarcus Ware the following week?

*That said, Campbell's toughness was impressive. He easily could have called it a day after the ankle injury in the fourth quarter. He might not be the most poised quarterback under pressure, but he's earning respect for his grit.

*Raise your hand if at halftime you started wondering whether Vinny Cerrato was going to go back on his word about keeping head coach Jim Zorn for the rest of the season. That makes two of us.

*Ladell Betts showed some quickness that I didn't believe he still possessed. I thought he aggressively attacked the line of scrimmage, for the most part, and was more effective running the ball than Clinton Portis has been recently. Betts could be playing for his future at this point because a new head coach might not keep him. He's out to prove his value to the Redskins or another team.

*LaRon Landry doesn't get it. Here's what he had to say when I asked him what he saw when he hit Atlanta QB Matt Ryan out of bounds:

"When I looked up at the Jumbotron, I thought he had one foot in. I'm not arguing against the call. That's [the referees'] job, to call that penalty. I'm just trying to play football."

Why can't he just take responsibility? And considering Landry is a repeat offender when it comes to late hits, it's disconcerting that he still has this mindset. On a bad team, Landry comes off looking selfish and undisciplined.

*Landry's tackle of Aaron Stecker on third and 1 on a pitch left in the third quarter was a quality play. He ran really fast to catch Stecker on the edge and took the perfect angle. If he can duplicate that execution, he'll have a much more positive impact.

*One of the many NFL clichés refers to the fine line between winning and losing. That one came to my mind on Tony Gonzalez's first-quarter touchdown catch. Redskins linebacker Chris Wilson was frozen by the play-action fake for only a microsecond, but that was enough time for Gonzalez to separate himself from Wilson and catch the touchdown pass. Credit Matt Ryan and Gonzalez for executing better than Wilson did.

*Defensive end Andre Carter seemed quiet. I didn't notice Atlanta double teaming him, but I'll double check when I watch the game on DVR.

*On first glance, London Fletcher had his worst game of the season. He was credited with only four tackles (three solo), and I even saw him miss one--a rarity, indeed. Atlanta did a good job sealing off Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh a few times in the run game.

*Two plays made me say ‘Wow' out loud: McIntosh's interception and Todd Yoder's touchdown catch. Both guys made exceptionally athletic leaping catches. I was happy for Yoder. He's a nice guy who hasn't played much offense this season. He really made the most of his opportunity by hustling along with Campbell to keep that play alive.

*I didn't like the play-call on Redskins' failed fourth and 1 in the fourth quarter when Todd Collins threw to fullback Mike Sellers cutting back across the formation behind the line of scrimmage. The play was horribly executed, with Sellers tripping over several linemen, but to throw behind the marker on fourth and 1? I didn't get that.

*Brian Orakpo had two sacks and is now on pace for 11. I've searched the Redskins' media guid for what the franchise's single-season rookie record is, but I can't find it. (For the record, Dexter Manley's 18 sacks in 1986 are the single-season record.) Tony Gonzalez got his catches, but I'm not sure if that was Orakpo getting beaten in coverage. It's worth noting that Orakpo was distressed enough by the loss that in the locker room afterward he let an obscenity fly at no one in particular.

*Jason Campbell's awful sliding is nothing new. But, man, Jason Campbell is an awful slider.

*Sam Paulescu was ridiculous, huh? The guy gets signed off the street on Thursday and averages 50 yards on three punts on Sunday. His net average was 46. With numbers like that, Hunter Smith will have to take his sweet time healing that groin up.

*And I've gotta mention Shaun Suisham. He was money from 48 yards. Again. He's having a great season.

*I don't have a problem with all the rules that protect NFL quarterbacks because I know this is a business and quarterbacks are the money-makers. That said, I thought the roughing-the-passer call against Lorenzo Alexander late in the second quarter was harsh. It didn't appear that he hit Matt Ryan late, nor did he lead with his head, nor did he spike Ryan on the ground. That was a tough one for the Redskins to swallow because it gave the Falcons at first down after a failed third and 11.

*Marko Mitchell made the most of his two targets. He caught a pair of slants for 22 yards. He showed nice quickness in getting inside his defender and good hands catching balls in traffic. It'll be interesting to see whether Mitchell is given a chance to run routes other than the slant or fade during the second half of the season. Malcolm Kelly can see Mitchell is his rearview mirror now.

*There was a couple on board the flight tonight wearing black t-shirts with a Redskins' logo on the front. Only instead of the Indian head inside the gold circle, it was a headshot of Daniel Snyder wearing a Darth Vader helmet. Clever.

...What have I missed? Let me know in the comments section or @Rich_Campbell on Twitter

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Rich Campbell joined The Free Lance-Star as a sports writer in Sept. 2007 and covered the Washington Nationals until Jan. 2008. He is not related to Jason Campbell, but he does cover the Washington Redskins and local high school sports.

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