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By Rich Campbell

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Week 14: Game Balls, Gassers and Observations

Dec. 16, 2009 12:37 am

This is my recap of the best and worst performances from the Redskins' 34-13 win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, plus some observations from watching the game film. Enjoy:

GAME BALLS

DE/LB Brian Orakpo: Orakpo got himself back into the defensive rookie of the year conversation with a record performance. Everyone out there clamoring for him to ditch the linebacker experiment must realize that his first sack came from the linebacker spot. Orakpo did a fantastic job reading blockers on the fly. On his second sack, he cut underneath DT Kedric Golston when he saw Golston pushing upfield occupying two blockers. He mixed up his moves and changed speeds to throw off linemen. He's strong and tenacious when he's going after the quarterback. In addition to his four sacks, he had just as many pressures. He'll have tougher tests against New York and Dallas, so he'll really make a case for ROY if he can add a few sacks to his total against those stout lines.

TE Fred Davis: Davis gets open with regularity, something you can't say about WRs Devin Thomas or Malcolm Kelly. I'm most impressed, however, by his blocking. He threw a key block in space on Santana Moss's 8-yard screen pass in the fourth quarter, which set up a touchdown. He drove his defender back three yards with his initial punch in helping RB Quinton Ganther gain six yards on a third-and-5 in the second quarter. He also turned a linebacker to the outside on a 3-yard run in the first quarter. Davis still missed a couple of blocking assignments, including a whiff on CB Nnamdi Asomugha on an end around to WR Devin Thomas in the fourth quarter, but overall his improvement is significant.

QB Jason Campbell: We've got to keep Campbell's recent strong play in perspective. He needs to maintain this for the rest of the season to totally convince doubters that he deserves to be the Redskins' quarterback in 2010. That said, there's a dearth of better options out there. At this point, it seems foolish to send him packing. Campbell's improved play has corresponded with his ability to withstand the rush. Consider the Kansas City game in which he was benched: he took his eyes off his receivers and focused on the pass rush throughout the first half. Against the Raiders, though, he kept his eyes downfield, absorbed hits, moved around effectively in the pocket and even threw a touchdown pass to TE Fred Davis while running forward. That's maturity, folks. He also audibled to a pass in the fourth quarter and connected with WR Santana Moss with a perfect back-shoulder throw for a 28-yard gain on the play.

MLB London Fletcher: Led the team in tackles. Again. Yawn. Watching him diagnose a play is like watching me at a breakfast buffet. He knows how to attack and he finishes with such precision and authority. One of his team-high nine tackles was a vicious hit in the backfield on a third-and-1 run in the first half. Fletcher also tackled TE Zach Miller in the fourth quarter after slipping off him at first. Even when the guy misses a tackle, he still makes it! Fletcher also broke up a pass in the third quarter to keep the Raiders out of field goal range. If he doesn't make the Pro Bowl, he should be disappointed.

TE/FB Todd Yoder: After watching the game on Sunday, I thought Yoder played pretty well as a fullback and lead blocker. After watching the game again, I'm increasing my level of praise to outstanding/phenomenal. He did not miss a block in the second half. I counted more than a half-dozen quality lead blocks out of the I-formation. To get an idea of how good he was, consider that RB Quinton Ganther finished his second touchdown run by landing stretched out on top of Yoder in the end zone. Now that's a lead block. We saw why RB Clinton Portis wanted to run behind Yoder instead of FB Mike Sellers earlier this season.

DL Lorenzo Alexander: He was outstanding on punt coverage, making a pair of quality tackles in space. In span of four snaps in the fourth quarter, Alexander recorded a sack, batted a pass down at the line of scrimmage and drew a holding penalty. If only the offensive line's undrafted free agents could play this well.

RB Quinton Ganther: A superb homecoming for the Richmond, Calif., native. Once again, he displayed an ability to make defenders miss. He broke two tackles on a 42-yard catch-and-run in the first quarter. On his 11-yard run in the fourth quarter, he gained seven yards after contact. He was patient at the goal line and used lead blocker Todd Yoder effectively. His pass protection was poor, though. He gave up a sack in the third quarter when he exposed Jason Campbell's blind side by trying to block a rusher coming off the right edge. He also missed a blitz pickup against Oakland CB Nnamdi Asomugha that got Campbell hit in the third quarter. But I'm feeling generous, seeing as how this is the holiday season!

DT Kedric Golston: The more I watch Golston, the more I'm impressed. He does a fantastic job of maintaining a lower pad level than the guy who's blocking him. It helps him get a significant surge and makes him a force in the running game. In my opinion, he outshines DT Cornelius Griffin on a weekly basis. Like last year, Golston will be a restricted free agent after the season (regardless of the NFL's labor agreement). The Redskins would be wise to lock him up.

K Graham Gano: He made field goals of 46 and 41 yards in his NFL debut. He wasn't affected by the soggy turf, either. He also had two exceptional directional kickoffs into the corner and booted a pair of touchbacks. You know my belief that releasing Shaun Suisham was justified. Might as well give someone else a tryout, considering that Suisham's body of work wasn't convincing. So far, so good for Gano.

GASSERS

LT Levi Jones: Another bad game for the offensive line. Let's assess the culprits. Oakland DE Trevor Scott came unblocked around the left end for a sack on the Redskins' first drive after Jones doubled down on the tackle inside. Jones was driven back into QB Jason Campbell on the first of the Redskins' two 7-step drops in the game, forcing Campbell to abort the play and run. He didn't sustain his block on a second-quarter draw, and his defender outworked him to make the tackle for a 1-yard loss.

PR/WR Antwaan Randle El: What has he done well as a punt returner this year? His longest return is 15 yards; a whopping 44 players have had longer returns this season. Contrast him with Philly's DeSean Jackson, who's a threat to score every time he's back there. Now guess which team is leading the NFC East and is likely headed to the playoffs. Yeah. This highlights one of the Redskins' biggest problems: they don't have enough playmakers. As for the game, Randle El muffed a punt, let a punt drop and roll 18 yards in the wrong direction and dropped a easy completion on a slant. Time to give someone else a chance to return punts. What's the harm at this point? Paging Devin Thomas...

LG Derrick Dockery: He was too upright on several plays. For example, he stood straight up at the snap on the first play of the third quarter and was driven into the backfield, which stymied RB Quinton Ganther for a 1-yard loss. He also was flagged for being illegally downfield in the first half.

RT Stephon Heyer: He surrendered a second-half sack on which DE Matt Shaughnessy got under his pads after an ineffective punch. Shaughnessy brushed Heyer's hands to the side with ease, got Heyer's shoulders turned and blew by him. Heyer was driven back a couple yards on a fourth quarter run, and that clogged up the play in the backfield.

OBSERVATIONS

*The Redskins have not handled prosperity well this season. They've blown leads and generally haven't capitalized on the majority of their opportunities. That's the hallmark of a bad team. But credit the Redskins for seizing the moment on Sunday. For example, they received a pair of gifts near the end of the first half in the form of a phantom catch interference penalty and another 15-yarder on the Oakland bench. Washington proceeded to march 60 yards in four plays and score a touchdown before halftime. That's winning football.

*I've been impressed by LB/DE Chris Wilson this season, but Sunday wasn't one of his better games. He blew coverage on TE Zach Miller in the left flat in the third quarter and missed a tackle on the next play. He also drifted out of position on the Raiders' 41-yard kickoff return in the first half. However, I didn't give him a gasser because he delivered the most critical hit of the game. With time winding down in the first half, he blew by the right tackle with a stunningly-powerful swim move and hit QB Bruce Gradkowski. Wilson didn't intend to tear Gradkowski's MCL on the play, but he did. Gradkowski had to leave the game; JaMarcus Russell came in; game over.

*S LaRon Landry also had an up-and-down game. He was victimized in man coverage twice by Raiders RB Darren McFadden. Redskins coaches wisely scrapped that plan after the first quarter and matched cornerbacks against Run DMC. Landry also got incredibly lucky when TE Zach Miller dropped a pass after beating him deep down the seam. Landry did well around the line of scrimmage, though. He blew up a run play in the third quarter and delivered a couple of wicked hits. His diving interception in the fourth quarter was a tremendously athletic play, and it helped seal the game.

*RG Mike Williams is an OK run blocker, but he's a liability in pass protection. He hasn't improved at all in that area. He doesn't keep his head up, and that throws him off balance. It has been a problem all year. He was beaten on back-to-back plays on the Redskins' first touchdown drive. If he's a starter on this team next season...nah, that couldn't possibly happen. Could it?

*It was not a banner afternoon for the special teams. Yes, Graham Gano made both his field goals in his NFL debut. But the Redskins were offsides on a field goal in the first quarter; committed a delay of game penalty on a punt; Antwaan Randle El muffed a punt; they surrendered a 41-yard kickoff return and burned a timeout on a field goal attempt in the second half. Sheesh.

*For some baffling reason, the Redskins decided to try two 7-step drops after going four games without one. I guess they felt lucky after the offensive line didn't give up a sack against New Orleans. Well, on the first one Campbell had to scramble after LT Levi Jones was beaten. On the second one, Campbell connected with TE Fred Davis for 27 yards despite getting drilled. Here's guessing that we won't see any 7-step drops against New York or Dallas.

*FS Kareem Moore had a pair of rugged tackles. He stood up TE Zach Miller at the 1-yard line and delivered a highlight-reel hit in forcing KR Gary Russell to fumble a kickoff return.

*C Casey Rabach is the Redskins' best offensive lineman, and even he isn't having a good season. Of all the hits on QB Jason Campbell on Sunday, Rabach was responsible for the worst. DT Gerard Warren ripped under Rabach in the second quarter and plunged Campbell into the turf, injuring Campbell's left shoulder.

*The turf at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was garbage. Players were slipping all over the place. It negatively affected both offensive lines, in particular. Blockers had trouble anchoring without their feet slipping out.

*I'd be remiss if I didn't mention CB Carlos Rogers' tough tackling. The shots he delivered weren't quite as glamorous as Kareem Moore's, but he rocked Johnnie Lee Higgins on a slant and made a nice diving stop on RB Gary Russell in the right flat. Rogers isn't the best cover corner, but he can be physical.

*Second-year DE Rob Jackson played about a half-dozen snaps. He and DE Phillip Daniels sandwiched QB JaMarcus Russell on one pass in the third quarter.

*LB H.B. Blades didn't take many snaps on defense. He played quite a bit against Dallas and New Orleans to help with run support and covering the tight end. Even though TE Zach Miller was a focal point of Oakland's offense, Blades didn't have an impact.

*RB Marcus Mason played his best game of the season in limited action. He was patient in finding running lanes, and it sure helped to have Todd Yoder leading the way for him in the second half. (Did I mention how good Yoder was?) Mason also picked up a blitz on a third-and-3 in the fourth quarter, allowing QB Jason Campbell to find WR Malcolm Kelly for a first down that extended a touchdown drive.

*How brutal was Dick Stockton on the call for FOX? I guess we know why he's working Redskins-Raiders in December, huh? I could picture his producer writing "oh-RACK-po" on a piece of paper and hanging it in the booth at halftime. And I laughed out loud when he referred to the play clock as the "shot clock." Classic.

*I'm eager to see what the Redskins can do against some better competition the rest of the way. I'll have a close eye on QB Jason Campbell. Let's see if he can maintain this improved play and prove that it's more than just a hot streak.

...Notice anything that I missed? Have a few thoughts of your own about the win? Leave a comment, shoot me an email or get at me on Twitter @Rich_Campbell.

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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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