Redskins vs. Falcons: Are the Redskins or Falcons For Real?

Will the Redskins be able to methodically move the ball in order to score and keep Matt Ryan off the field?  Or, will Matt Ryan be able to rain down 20-30 yard passes against a depleted Redskins secondary in order to win the game?  Does any of this even matter?  It does matter when you consider that two of the three touchdowns the Redskins gave up last week were on passes of 30 yards or more, and now they have to play against Matt Ryan and Julio Jones.  It matters when the Falcons give up less running yards per offensive possession than the Redskins' previous foe; The Philadelphia Eagles.  It all matters when the game on paper looks like an air raid conducted with impunity by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones that will crush any hopes of this season being anything but salvageable for the Redskins.  It is easy to point to a depleted Redskins secondary to state the keys of the game, but that does not mean that it is the wrong answer.  The Redskins will need to find an answer for the likes of Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, and their old pal Leonard Hankerson in order to limit the amount of big plays the Falcons are able to convert against their defense.  The Falcons will need to get the Redskins off of the field on third down, and clog up the short to mid range passing lanes in order to fluster Kirk Cousins into one of his patented 3rd quarter, back breaking, interceptions.  The subtleties of this game are far deeper, and the Redskins would be wise to learn from these outlines in order to be successful on Sunday.   

Scoring when we get inside the Atlanta 30 yard line: Any scoring will do.  The Redskins are only scoring on 32% of their drives as opposed to Falcons scoring on 45% of their drives.  If the Redskins expect to win against a team that outscores them 34-19 on average this season they need to get points whenever they cross the Falcons 30 yard line.  Touchdowns are preferable, but field goals will serve their purpose.  The Redskins just need to show that they can score on every possession and put the pressure on the Falcons to do the same.  Take a lesson from the Giants game on Thursday Night, and see how field goals can be integral to success.  Dustin Hopkins needs be perfect in order for the Redskins to win the game.  One missed kick (field goal or extra point) will cost them the game against a team that has the ability to score quickly against a depleted secondary.  This scoring will do no good, however, if the Redskins cannot continue their time of possession dominance and limit the Falcons chances at scoring.

Get Yards the Hard Way: Running the ball will be the Redskins best friend.  Atlanta's defense has faced the second least amount of rushing attempts in the league this season (77), and they are giving up the eighth most yards per rushing attempt (4.4).  The Redskins are averaging the third best yards per attempt average in the league (4.4), and they are averaging the most rushing yards per game (139.5).  They also showed versatility within the running game last week with the emergence of Chris Thompson.  Thompson gives their running game and added dynamic of speed and catching ability out of the backfield, and if the Falcons are unable to shut down one of these running backs it could be a field day for the Redskins running attack.  They should run the ball at least 30 times in order to control the clock, put themselves in manageable down and distances, and to test a Falcons defense that has not been run on heavily over the first three games.  As much as I love Alfred Morris because he is on my fantasy team, I see Matt Jones getting a bigger workload this week in order to show the Falcons some breakaway speed between the tackles. Chris Thompson should also see between 5-10 carries in order to set up screen passes on third down.  Expect to see one Thompson screen pass go for over 20 yards in this game.  Running the ball will limit the Falcons's possessions, but the Redskins cannot hold onto the ball forever.  The defense will need to step up in big situations.

The Most Dangerous Receivers Do Not Wear #11: Julio Jones will get his. There should be no analysis on what to do about him because you know he is going to get the yardage if a pass can be thrown to him.  The Redskins need to make sure that they can put as many people on Jones as possible by stopping Leonard Hankerson and Devonta Freeman in the passing game.  Hankerson has benefitted from Jones taking the pressure off of him and allowing him to go for 14.2 yards per reception so far this season, which is a better average than Julio Jones. Freeman has just as many receptions as Hankerson, and the Falcons will look to keep the linebackers and safeties looking for the short pass in order to open up deep routes for Julio Jones. The Redskins need to find a way to marginalize these two receiving threats in order to put more of their energy in stopping Julio Jones.  If Hankerson and Freeman go for more than 120 combined receiving yards it shows that the Redskins are unable to stop the Falcons secondary passing attack, and that they will be relying on Kirk Cousins to once again engineer a magnificent performance. 

Need Another Big Day From Cousins and Linebackers: Who has given up the fourth most passing yards in the league so far this year?  That's right. It's the Falcons.  And those yards have come in 175 attempts with a 65% completion rate and averaging 305 yards per game.  Those numbers are not outrageous, but it shows that this team can be thrown on.  Look for Cousins to have another efficient game if we want to win, and look for an increased role for Rashad Ross to burn downfield in order to open up the intermediate passing lanes.  The linebackers also need a big day getting to Matt Ryan and containing Devonta Freeman.  Murphy and Kerrigan need to flash some lateral speed in the flat, while splicing in some rushes that force Matt Ryan to move his feet in the pocket.  Preston Smith should see an increased workload in order to provide more speed on the outside, and don't be surprised if you hear Jackson Jeffcoat's name called more than once in celebration of a big play.  Anything less than 300 yards passing and no sacks spells doom for the Redskins.

The recipe for success against the Falcons is that they need to be challenged on the ground so we can hold the ball, and then hope that Julio Jones shows mercy.  Cousins also needs to show that he can string together two good performances in a row and win on the road.  The Redskins have not met a matchup as hard as this one, but neither have the Falcons.  Ultimately, I see The Falcons home field advantage being too strong for the Redskins to overcome this week in Atlanta.

24-21 Redskins lose.

The University of Under Armour Needs a New Coach

Randy Edsall just didn't cut it.  He didn't cut it from the moment he was announced as the head coach in 2011 and everyone had to Google his name to figure out who he was.  Instead of Mike Leach locking players in cramped spaces and running ridiculous offensive spread sets that would turn Byrd Stadium into a track meet facility; we got Randy Edsall.  Edsall was a tepid choice at best, especially when the recently hired Kevin Anderson canned a beloved alumnus to hire a guy whose persona and football style catered to a demographic that was old enough to remember D-Day.  Leach was the choice that moved the needle, but in 2011 Anderson was more concerned with image rather than ticket sales and not thinking about who paid the bills around the University of Maryland's Athletic Department.  With Edsall looking to be on the outs as early as next week, Kevin Plank will be reminding Mr. Anderson that he has a large emotional and financial stake in the hiring of the new coach based on what Under Armour has done for the University of Maryland.

The New York Times puts all of this in perspective in one great article written in August of this year.  Kevin Plank, whether implicitly or explicitly, want Maryland to be Oregon East.  He wants to make his alma mater the athletic Mecca that will attract athletes and innovators in the field of athletics to College Park for decades to come.  He wants Lord Baltimore's coat of arms to be worn around the country so that The University of Maryland will be synonymous with winning in a cool way.  He wants this so long as all of this comes with an Under Armour logo on the side.  He has proven this by putting up $25 million "gift" for the new Cole Field House renovations that will create the premier athletic research and training facility in the country.  The article also states that Under Armour extended their contract with Maryland that pays the University $33 million in cash and apparel, and Plank has been noted to test new apparel out with the Maryland football team.  And then there is this beautiful nugget from the article that explains it all:

Mr. Plank’s influence at Maryland does not extend to the hiring and firing of coaches, according to Maryland and Under Armour officials. But he is not a passive check-writing machine. Mr. Anderson said his interview process, which culminated with his hiring as the athletic director in 2010, included an interview with Mr. Plank.  

This is a nice way of saying that Kevin Plank works behind the scenes.  It is the old adage, "If I'm not in the room to see Kevin Plank or Under Armour involved in the hiring of coaches/development of the athletic budget/recruitment of athletes, then it never really happened, right?"  This is not to say that it actually happens.  I have no proof of that.  But suffice to say that Plank and Under Armour's financial influence within the University of Maryland's Athletic Department has grown exponentially since Edsall's hiring in 2011, and they are expecting returns on their investments that Edsall was not meeting.  Forget the reports that state the players were tuning him out and look to the more important fact that attendance has been going down this year to the tune of 13% lower than last year.  Kevin Plank cannot have another ho-hum pick at head coach and luckily there is one right up I-95.

Chip Kelly.  Everyone says it is crazy, but Kevin Plank should be loading up dump trucks full of money to send to Chip Kelly's house right now.  His hiring would set College Park on fire, and it is not too far fetched to think he may come given a Godfather like package.  His position in Philly is tenuous at best and his reputation was made in the college ranks.  He would not have to move far, and he would be set in a fertile recruiting area with the full backing of the University, Kevin Plank, and Under Armour.  Kelly could also have the chance to prove himself against the likes of fellow spread offense aficionado Urban Meyer and resident Big 10 Golden Boy Jim Harbaugh.  There are downsides to Kelly coming here, and it may cost a pretty penny for him to leave the Eagles, but 2011 showed that the safe hire gets you safe results and Kevin Plank is not shelling out $33 million per year to go 7-6.  It has to be Chip Kelly, if for no other reason than he will electrify the boosters and fan base in a way Randy Edsall never did. Edsall was hired for the University of Maryland's image. Chip Kelly will be hired for one thing and one thing only.  To win for the University of Under Armour.

Redskins vs. Eagles: Redskins Must Not Revive Another Nemesis's Season

Do you know what nemesis means? One of the Redskins' nemeses got theirs last Thursday night as the Redskins began to fill their obligatory annual quota of bad losses in big situations that revive the other team's season.  The Redskins gave a reprieve to another floundering Giants team last Thursday night and breathed life into their otherwise pathetic season.  We will see if that win means anything to the Giants, but after a week of high hopes and nickname contests for the Redskins running back tandem HTTR nation was brought back down to Earth after the loss to the Giants.  Now all the cynicism and insecurities have been running rampant for the last 10 days as another nemesis comes to town looking for a little pick me up for their season.  The Eagles offense finally came through last week, and they look to a Redskins team in limbo and a soggy FedEx Field to resuscitate their chances at an NFC East title.  The Redskins were too happy to oblige the Giants when they were in dire need of a win, and the Eagles present a style of play that could wreak havoc on an injury ridden Redskins team. The weather will also produce challenges of its own, but the Redskins must trust in their system and know that the Eagles' flaws are gaping and could be exploited to great effect.  The keys to this game are as follows:

Let Sam Bradford Throw The Ball:  Just do not let the Eagles running attack get going.  The Eagles win last week was predicated on Ryan Matthews and Darren Sproles running for 123 yards last week and taking the pressure off of Sam Bradford and the Eagles passing offense that has been statistically abysmal this season.  They are tied for last in the league in yards per completion (9.3) and longest completion (32 yards), and they are next to last in yards per attempt (5.8).  Couple that with an offense that has the worst average time per drive (1:48), the lowest average yards per drive (21.4), and scores on only 22.5% of their offensive drives (second worst percentage in the league), and you see that the Eagles rushing attack was their savior last week by lengthening drives and allowing Bradford's short passing game to be effective.  Bradford is not throwing the ball far, but he can be effective if given short down and distances and a depleted secondary to throw against.  He will get the latter on Sunday as the Redskins will probably be missing their top two cornerbacks in Chris Culliver and DeAngelo Hall.  What the Redskins need to do is win the yardage battle on first down, contain the Eagles running attack, and support a depleted secondary by blitzing selectively.  If the Redskins become too blitz happy it may give Bradford easy pre-snap reads and the ability to catch them overcommitting against the run.  The Redskins defense should drop back to cover the medium to short passing routes and not leave their young corners on an island.  They will also need a big push from the defensive line to control the running game.  If Matthews and Sproles are able to do what the Giants did and put the Redskins defense in short third downs it may be a long day for the Redskins defense.

Limit the Eagles' Opportunities:  Sproles returned a punt last week, and the Eagles were also able to get a touchdown off of a Brandon Marshall fumble that gave them a short field to work with.  This allowed them to go up big on the Jets.  Special teams returns and turnovers are something that the Redskins may have a tough time avoiding, and it has nothing to do with Cousins's penchant for throwing interceptions. The Eagles Defense is forcing a turnover in one out of every five offensive possessions they face this season, which is third best in the league. They have only turned two of those turnovers into points, but in a game that could be a monsoon it does not bode well for the Redskins who have an interception prone quarterback, a rookie running back with a history of ball control issues, and a special teams unit that is just itching to give up a game breaking return.  Both offense and special teams need to be sharp if they are to limit big plays and execute the final key to success.

Ball Control/Cousins Bounce Back:  Cousins had a bad game last week, but he has shown better resiliency this season in coming back from mistakes within the game.  He will need to show that he can come back from game to game because the Redskins Offense faces another stout run defense.  The Eagles run defense is allowing the lowest yards per attempt in the league (3.1), and with the Redskins' offensive line possibly being without Morgan Moses, Kory Lichtensteiger, and Josh LeRibeus it could be another long day for the Redskins running attack.  Cousins will need to prove that he can throw the ball effectively and efficiently to take pressure off of the running game.  Jordan Reed is an easy person to mark as needing to have a big game, but also look for Jamison Crowder and Chris Thompson to turn short passes into big gains with their legs that could keep the Eagles defense honest if they begin to crowd the line of scrimmage.  Jones and Morris should be given the ball early to give the Redskins favorable down and distance, but they also need to make sure they get positive yardage to give Cousins a chance to extend drives.  Chip K
elly's offense runs at a quick pace, and if the Redskins Defense is out there for too long they become more susceptible to big plays.  The Redskins need to run the ball over 25 times for at least 80 yards to be successful.  Anything less means they are not controlling the clock, Cousins is having to throw more, and the Redskins will not come out on top. 

This could be Thursday Night all over again.  Philly has the ability to stop the Redskins running attack and force Kirk Cousins into doing what he does best; throwing untimely interceptions. They also have the up-tempo offense needed to put the Redskins in a hole that will force them to throw if they get down by a fair margin.  The Eagles, though, have shown the ability to have crappy drives that give the ball back on downs.  The Redskins need to force Bradford to make decisions after the snap by dropping into coverage, and they need to control the ball with positive runs, accurate passes, and a little speed here and there from the likes of Thompson and Crowder.  This is going to be an ugly one, but all the Redskins need is a win and they will get it.

20-17 Redskins Win.

Redskins vs. Giants: Into the Heart of Darkness

 When the Redskins walk into The Meadowlands on Thursday they will be entering a place that has haunted them for years.  Since 2000 the Redskins are 4-11 against the Giants in East Rutherford and they have been outscored 291-187 in those fifteen games.  The Redskins will also literally walk into darkness as they play at night, where they are 5-14 since 2000 in either Monday or Thursday Night games.  But alas Jay Gruden has espoused the mantra of a New Day for this Redskins team. The St. Louis game gave the fan base cause to buy into this notion, and the win against the Rams also forced the pundits of the world to come up with a better argument than condescending laughter to the notion that the Redskins can contend in the NFC East.  With the way the Giants have been playing it should not be outright lunacy to think that the Redskins can go on the road with their new found sense of grandeur and come out with a win that could cripple one of their challengers to the aforementioned division title.  But if 2007 taught us anything it is that the Eli Manning led Giants respond well to adversity, and they find themselves in the same position as in 2007; 0-2 and facing the Redskins.  If Washington expects to win in the Meadowlands for the first time since 2011 they will need to show that the Rams game was not a fluke, and the focus of this game plan should be on one man.

Kirk Cousins Needs to Drive the Offense:  This may sound crazy based on the way the Redskins have been able to run the ball the past two weeks, but the game plan should be focused on giving Cousins opportunities to move the offense.  Matt Jones and Alfred Morris are the best running tandem in the league, but it may surprise you that the Giants run defense has only given up 136 yards rushing and allows only 3 yards per rushing attempt.  The Giants know this and may take the advice of almost every talking head and load the box in order to try and stop the Redskins running attack.  If this is the case, and one can almost assume the Giants will at least try this, it means that Cousins will have to take control of this offense in order to keep drives moving on a defense that has given up 702 passing yards so far this season.  Those yards were given up to pass happy teams, but the Redskins may need to show that they can get a little pass happy in order to take pressure off of the run game.  Cousins already sports the fourth best completion percentage in the league (75.9%) and half of his completions have gone for first downs.  This means that he is asked to throw the ball in pressure situations in order to keep drives moving and he delivers in those situations more often than not.  This game will challenge Cousins to be more than a situational passer by seeing if he can make mid to long distance throws in order move the ball, and Sean McVay must give Cousins a game plan that allows him to throw the ball downfield.  Cousins will need to throw for over 250 yards if the Redskins expect to win in a game with less than 2 Giants turnovers.  Which brings us to the defense.

Secondary Needs to be on High Alert: The Redskins number one ranked defense may have benefitted from the fact that they did not have to face a top tier receiver the past two weeks.  They will Thursday when they face Odell Beckham, and he is the difference in an otherwise pedestrian passing game.  Eli Manning has a lower completion percentage, yards per attempt average, passing attempts, and passing yards than Ryan Tannehill so far this season so one begins to ask why should this week be any different than the past two for the Redskins secondary.  The answer is Odell Beckham.  He opened up last week and showed he can be a threat to score or get big chunks of yardage on every play.  The secondary must find a way to limit his big play ability, and keep his average under 15 yards per reception.  Aside from his 67 yard touchdown last week, Beckham averaged 11 yards per reception so anything over 15 yards per reception means Beckham is going for big catches that will lead the Giants to victory.  The secondary also needs to be on high alert for runs to the outside, and play action off of those runs.  The Rams were able to get the most yards on the ground from jet sweeps and runs away from the middle, and their touchdown was scored on a fake jet sweep that caught the corner looking in the backfield with no safety help.  You can bet the Giants will try to set the edges and test how physical the corners really are, and don't think they haven't noticed that the Redskins defense really has not been tested this year in the run game.  The Redskins have the lowest amount of rushing attempts against them in the league yet they give up the seventh highest yards per attempt.  Expect Culliver, Hall, and Breeland to be busy in both run and pass defense as the Giants try to favor the outside runs early to set up the Redskins cornerbacks for big plays later on. 

Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Object: The one area where the Giants stand out statistically is in the efficiency of their offensive drives, and it may be the key to this game.  The Giants have scored on 45% of their drives and average about 6.6 plays per drive.  The Redskins defense, however, has allowed teams to score on only 19.6% of their drives with an average of 4.9 plays per drive.  Something has to give.  Either the Redskins stymie The Giants' offense and allow their offense to have a chance to operate their brutal running assault with impunity, or the Giants field goal themselves into a position to hit Beckham on a long touchdown late in the game that forces the Redskins to abandon their run heavy approach.  Limiting turnovers and big plays will be the key to winning this nerdy stat game. 

This has the makings of a game that has an outcome that no one saw coming.  The Redskins' running game could be shut down to the point where Kirk Cousins needs to make plays on a regular basis and have a respectable NFL stat line.  The Giants could come out running the ball to test the Redskins defense in order to open up things for Odell Beckham and keep the Redskins defense on the field longer than they have been all season.  All of these will be attempted, but Morris and Jones do their best vintage Joker impression and show the Giants who the new beasts of the east are:


Score: 27-20 Redskins win.

Redskins vs. Rams: Whose Afraid of the St. Louis Rams?

This is a fair question to ask.  What makes the St. Louis Rams so special that the Redskins need to put on brown pants to hide their fear from the viewing public?  Could it be because the Rams are 6-2 against the Redskins since 2005?  Could it be their mauling defense that has five first round picks in their front seven?  Is it because the Redskins feel some sense of buyers remorse for the RG3 trade? Whatever the reason may be, if you absorb the main stream sports media you would think that the '85 Bears were coming to FedEx Field on Sunday.  While the Rams have a good defense they are not without their flaws, but so are the Redskins, so it will take some semblance of game plan and coaching that the Jay Gruden led Redskins have yet to show over the past 17 games.  While the media seems caught up with sack numbers (the Rams' defensive lineman combined for 22.5 sacks last season and combined for another 5 against the Seahawks in Week 1) and cute monikers (The
Rams are the most physical/nasty/competitive 6-10 team you will ever meet) the Redskins should be looking at their personnel and saying, "F these guys.  We are just as tough as they are and here's how we are going to ball control our way to winning this game."

Big Receivers = Big Game: Pierre Garcon and/or Jordan Reed (if healthy) need to be the focal points of a ball control offensive plan that relies on possession receiving first.  The Rams lost five of seven games last season when they allowed a receiver who was over 6'0" tall and weighed more than 200 pounds to go over 80 yards receiving.  Garcon and Reed both fit this bill, and their possession skills need to be in full effect if the Redskins expect to win.  If Garcon or Reed can go for eighty plus yards with a 7-9 yard per catch average it means the Redskins are taking longer drives that are looking to keep the St. Louis offense off the field.  It is not out of the question either.  The Rams' intimidating sack numbers from last year look less intimidating when you consider that Miami had a lower Net Yards Per Pass Attempt (6.2) than the Rams (6.7) last season.  A breakdown of those averages shows that the Rams had only one more sack than the Ndamunkong Suh-less Dolphins and still gave up over 300 yards more in passing on only three more passing attempts than Miami last season.  Within that difference in attempts the Rams also allowed 30 more completions that the Dolphins, so the Rams showed they can be susceptible to a possession style passing game but it will only be effective if two things occur.

Positive Running/Long Passing: Alfred Morris silenced all the Matt Jones trumpets last week by proving he is one of the best running backs in the NFL at getting positive yardage in tight spaces.  He is not the type of back who will hit the hole and take it 60 yards to the house, but he has the agility and vision to go for four or more on every single carry.  The Redskins need to take advantage of that by putting themselves in 2nd or 3rd and less than 7 situations more often than not so they can exploit those plays for long pass gambles.  No Desean Jackson means that it is time for Jamison Crowder, Rashad Ross, or Ryan Grant to prove they are good for at least one big pass play per game from the slot.  My money is on Ross who looks to have the best speed of the three, and deserves a legitimate shot at being the short term replacement for Jackson as the resident burner for the Redskins' receiving corps.  Either way, the Redskins will win this game if they can complete a pass play of 40 yards or more at least once and if they can manage the down and distance on each drive by running Morris 20 times or more.  Whatever the case may be, it will be for naught if the Redskins' defense cannot wake up from the...........

Nightmare of Tight End Seem Routes, Running Back Screens, and Special Team Returns:  The two leading receivers for the Rams last week were tight end Jared Cook and running back Benjamin Cunningham.  Those two positions have given the Redskins defense fits in the past, and if they want to win on Sunday they need to limit the production of at least one of them. Quick.  Name the leading wide receiver in receiving yardage from last week.  I know you fantasy degenerates picked up Tavon Austin this week, but it was actually Stedman Bailey who led the Rams' wide receivers in receiving yards.  We need to limit Cook and Cunningham in the passing game and force the Rams receivers to beat us.  And since Tavon Austin already returned a punt for a touchdown last week, you can believe he is licking his chops against the Redskins.  No TD's allowed by the special teams will mean a win for them, even if a return is stopped at the one yard line it means the Special Teams did not give up a touchdown.  What would be even better is for the special teams to actually learn from their mistakes and not give up big returns.  If the Redskins defense cannot contain the non wide receivers in the passing game, or Austin has a big day on punt returns, it may be hard to vanquish the Rams.

So who is afraid of the St. Louis Rams?  The Redskins shouldn't be.  The Rams should not be taken lightly, but statistically their defense is not any better than Miami.  If Washington can get a possession game going with a combination of Garcon, Reed, and Morris while getting one or two big plays and containing the Rams' running back and tight ends, we may be sitting at 1-1 going into New York next week.

The Nationals Need to Give Harvey What He Wants

The Nationals find themselves in as advantageous a position as they could have hoped for leading up to their three game series with the Mets.  They are four games back, their bats have come to life, and they seem to be playing at the level everyone expected them to be at all season long.  What is even better is that the Mets seem to be cooling off and possibly imploding right before our eyes with Matt Harvey's arbitrary innings limit that he failed to notify anyone of until about two days ago.  But don't worry Mets fans, he will pitch in the playoffs. If he can get there.  What the Nationals need to do is post this article around the locker room as fodder for merciless ridicule and to arouse visceral motivation that leads them to granting Harvey his 180 innings limit. The Nationals need to say things like, "This is the guy who compared himself to Batman because of how tough he was?" and "Are we going to let a team led by a guy who pulls this kind of crap take our division title away from us?".  The Nationals are as metaphorically close to the NL East lead as they have been since they were swept by the Mets in a three game series at the end of July that precipitated the Mets' rise to power.  Now, the man who led off on the mound in that series could be the undoing of his franchise's playoff hopes if the Nationals can channel some late season magic.

It seems that both franchises are coming to a Frostinian fork in the road.  The Nationals looked all but dead as they could not take advantage of the Mets' miscues in August and let the Mets' lead perpetually stay at six games.  The Nationals now find themselves only four games back, with their closer calling out their fans' passion and an opportunity to have a 1 in 23 chance of pulling even with the Mets if all goes to plan between now and Wednesday evening.  After the Mets swept the Nats in that three game series they went 16-6, and it seemed as if the Mets were destined to take the division from the Nats. The Mets have since gone 4-5 in their last nine games, and Harvey's innings limit fiasco must be causing at least some distraction based on David Wright's dreaded vote of confidence.
The Nationals and Mets' seasons seem to be showing signs of what statisticians call regression to the mean, but Matt Harvey's innings limit makes this three game series anything but average.


This series will feature the two pitchers whose shutdowns caused their respective fan bases to lose their minds when an innings limit was announced.  If it were up to the baseball gods, or if Vince McMahon were running the MLB, it would be Stephen Strausburg pitching on Tuesday, instead of Wednesday, opposite Matt Harvey.  There are similarities between when Strausburg was shutdown and Harvey's recent revelation .  Both the Mets and Nats were leading the division when it happened, it happened around the same time of year, and both were huge stories in the local and national media.  Harvey himself commented about being on an innings limit during the Strausburg shutdown due to the Mets wanting to keep him from wearing himself out at a young age in their AAA system.  He stated:

“I kind of knew [being put on an innings limit] was going to happen, so I kind of avoided thinking about it because that would just cause problems — clutter, as people would say. I just try to take it day by day. I’m going to prepare for the rest of the season even if they do shut me down. I’m pretty sure I’m still going to throw bullpens and stuff.”

Weird right, given the current sate of affairs?  This statement was made by Harvey in 2010, but life is a little different when you are the ace starter instead of some hot prospect.  The Mets are showing signs that they could be slowing down with their top player having to do damage control in the media rather than on the field.  It is time for the Nationals impose their own innings limit on Harvey by winning this series and putting themselves closer to being back in the position everyone thought they would be in at this point in the season. 
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Redskins vs. Ravens: Cousins Makes The Redskins A Team

No more daily injury status updates.  No more endless analysis of self-aggrandizing tweets.  No more attention seeking press conferences and sound bytes.  No more personalized catch phrases with a clothing line attached to them.  No more Robert Griffin in Washington .  Jay Gruden's comments on Sunday may turn out to be the final blow to Griffin's fall from grace in DC despite Gruden giving Griffin the dreaded vote of confidence.  All logical sense points to the Redskins parting ways with Griffin at some point this season, and more than likely before they take the field against the Dolphins in Week 1.  Whatever the Redskins decide to do with Robert Griffin, it is clear that the ascension of Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback has shifted the narrative from the Redskins fate hinging on the health of one person, to their fate being in the hands of 53 people working together.

The biggest difference between Griffin and Cousins that has been noted this offseason is the fact that the offense seems to operate at a higher level when Cousins is under center.  The Baltimore game clearly showed that Cousins has a better command of the offense, but his new found role as the Redskins starter has done more than just bring the team together on the field.  By naming Cousins the starter, Gruden has released the rest of the team from the media fetters that RG3 has placed on them over the past three years.  Ever since Griffin was drafted all you heard about what RG3, and the players could not get away from having to answer questions about Robert's health or performance.  That was fine in his first year when he was tearing up the field; "Winning is the deodorant that covers all the stink" as Charles Barkley would say.  But once the winning went away it became more of a burden for the team to constantly have to hear about what Robert just said, or tweeted, or what they think of his injury status.  It became more about RG3 the persona than about his performance on the field, and it has come to a head this preseason because this team feels that they have amassed quite a collection of talent that should be fielding questions about their own performance rather than RG3's lack thereof.  With RG3 riding the bench, people should start to notice what the Ravens game highlighted; The Redskins maybe deeper an more talented that you think.

Ryan Grant showed that he has the prowess to keep pace with starting level talent, and he showed that the Redskins can trot out four legit WR's, plus have guys like Jamison Crowder and Rashad Ross to back them up.  The OLB's continued to impress with Preston Smith flashing his closing speed and evolving pass rush and Jackson Jeffcoat showing his ball hawking and plain old fashioned hustle skills.  Matt Jones continued his reign of terror over the Ravens' front seven as they tried to bring him down once he got downhill, and Chris Thompson and Tre Williams proved that they can be a sneaky change of pace to Jones and Morris when called upon.  Even Jordan Reed's athleticism showed up and made some people bring back the notion that he could be the next big TE in the NFL.  And don't look now, but Stephen Paea may prove to be the most valuable offseason signing.  He has shown he can get behind the line, which has freed up Jason Hatcher to some degree and made him more productive.  Finally, David Amerson has shown that offenses are rolling the dice if they throw a comeback pattern on him.  He has good closing speed when defending those routes.  Now if we can only get him to take better tackling angles. 

Sure, there were things that left something to be desired in the Ravens game, such as the fact that the offensive line had trouble opening holes for Alfred Morris, whatever Dashon Goldson calls physical safety play may need some self reflecting on his part, the Redskins failed to convert two fourth and one plays, and the Special Teams.  Oh the Special Teams.  Justin Rogers may have secured a spot on the team with his tremendous tackle to save a kick return touchdown.  The problem was that it came 103 yards after the Ravens returner caught the kickoff, and the Redskins MVP last year (Tress Way) continues to be average at best.  I can see us losing at least one game this year because of special teams play if it doesn't improve.

What the Ravens game really showed us, though,
 is that the Redskins have a lot of talent on this team that should not go to waste trying to figure out whether RG3 can compete at a high level again.  Gruden heeded that call by naming Cousins the starter, and in doing so he may have inadvertently shown a commitment to the rest of the team.  A team that has one of the best receiver tandems in the league with Garcon and Jackson.  A team that has four running backs that could wreak havoc on opposing defenses in various ways.  A team whose front seven is looking more physical and talented than it ever has before, doing it all with a limited contribution from Ryan Kerrigan so far this preseason.  A team with a group of corner backs that, at the very least, proved they will be physical and in your face, and a group of about 40-50 other players who have bought in to that mantra of physicality and intensity.  This may be the best collection of talent at the offensive skill positions that the Redskins have had in a long time, and the defense will at least be better than it has been.  The one position that needs to bring it all together is the one that everyone else no longer has to answer for because of Jay Gruden's decision to not let that be a distraction. Cousins brings a higher level of performance to the offense, and more importantly, he makes the Redskins more of a team both on and off the field.