Game Thread: Redskins vs. Buccaneers 9/1/11 - Preseason Week 4

[Don Quixote]

Beck gets the start.

Banks with a shaky return but fortunate to get the face mask penalty.

Nice pass attempt to Armstrong.

Abysmal fumble by Royster. 'Skins in trouble (and so is Royster).

[Don Quixote]

Great goal line stand. Miserable field position for the offense, though. They better get it in gear.

Gotta go...someone pick up the commentary..

[allstar1579]

Royster = cut.

Beck looks great. Holds the ball 1 more second and he had a TD to Armstrong.

[allstar1579]

Beck looks great with those throws over the middle. Good zip, right on target.

Nice play by Paul, he might be able to get me to warm up to him.

Ok...right after that and Beck looks HORRIBLE throwing on the run, he should stick to the quick release.

[allstar1579]

Defense bailing us out again.

[backwardsk]

My guys rob Jackson and markus white look great. Hope they both make the team.

Beck's had a rough start. I wonder how much it has to do without having his main receivers.

Also saw hankerson on kick off coverage. That's good to see.

[allstar1579]

Ok, Banks is on the team...

I take it back...if this does what I think it's about to do I cut him now...don't even finish the game. C'MON MAN!

[backwardsk]

Banks doing his desean Jackson imitation.

[backwardsk]

So does he make the team?

[allstar1579]

Creates an interesting issue. Aside from the fact that he is a KNUCKLEHEAD...I still would rather keep him for PR/KR and use Austin at WR. But how do you keep him, Paul, and Hankerson when you already have Moss, Gaffney, Armstrong and Austin ahead of them? 7 WR might be a bit much...well really it's 6 and a ST.

[allstar1579]

Again...defense.

What was up with Beck on that short throw? Expecting Torain to turn around sooner? Or just horrible throw?

[backwardsk]

Again...defense.

What was up with Beck on that short throw? Expecting Torain to turn around sooner? Or just horrible throw?

Rob Jackson is putting on a show.

Beck responds with a big 3rd down connection to stallworth.

[backwardsk]

Let's go to hankerson.

[allstar1579]

Rob Jackson is putting on a show.

Beck responds with a big 3rd down connection to stallworth.

Yeah I voted for keeping Jackson on the Post the other day, I've always liked him when he played.

Now you look at Stallworth and say, oh...hey...sure hands in key situations would be nice to have...hmmmmm. Going to be some problems making cuts. If Paul got that TD right there it would have been huge. Miscommunication.

[Dr. FLK]

Royster = cut.

Beck looks great. Holds the ball 1 more second and he had a TD to Armstrong.

I missed the beginning. Why do you say that about Royster?

[allstar1579]

I missed the beginning. Why do you say that about Royster?

Fumbled on his first or second carry, ball lost. I think he's really only playing because they don't want to risk hurting some of the guys that are ON the team.

[Dr. FLK]

Fumbled on his first or second carry, ball lost.

So you think they keep Hightower, Torain, and Helu...and no Royster? I kind of like what I've seen from Royster so far.

[allstar1579]

Easily could have been going into the half with no harm done....bad tackle attempt and then bad tackle for a penalty with 39 seconds left in the half? Inexcusable.

Seeing a lot out of players I wanted to see more of though...not all good.

[backwardsk]

Shaky night for beck. Hopefully they are done for the night. I was worried about Williams and brown getting hurt.

[Dr. FLK]

Man...I love what I've seen from this defense so far this preseason. These guys just play so hungry. They are aggressive, but smart. They are getting to the passer. They cover guys. They hit. I really hope this translates to the regular season.

[allstar1579]

So you think they keep Hightower, Torain, and Helu...and no Royster? I kind of like what I've seen from Royster so far.

Yeah, don't forget they have K. Williams and Sellers going with D. Young too. I'd say in order to keep them Royster has to go, and he hasn't outplayed Helu or Torain. Williams could be the next closest guy to cut for him, but he showed last year he's good at blocking and picking up blitzes and great hands in the flat, so I'd keep him over Royster.

[Dr. FLK]

Shaky night for beck. Hopefully they are done for the night. I was worried about Williams and brown getting hurt.

I think I prefer Sexy Rexy to Beck. Beck moves well, but he doesn't throw well when he moves. His accuracy doesn't seem to be as good as Rex's either.

[allstar1579]

Shaky night for beck. Hopefully they are done for the night. I was worried about Williams and brown getting hurt.

Yeah Beck had me a little nervous, rough showing, but had some really good moments too. I don't really completely blame him on the pick, he got flattened as he threw and got the ball JUST about where it needed to be.

[Dr. FLK]

Yeah, don't forget they have K. Williams and Sellers going with D. Young too. I'd say in order to keep them Royster has to go, and he hasn't outplayed Helu or Torain. Williams could be the next closest guy to cut for him, but he showed last year he's good at blocking and picking up blitzes and great hands in the flat, so I'd keep him over Royster.

I think I flat out discredit Torain because he just can't stay healthy. I had forgotten about Williams, who can be a solid 3rd down back. But, it's hard to keep him and Helu since they are both 3rd down backs. Sellers isn't viewed as a FB anymore, is he? They have more or less said he needs to make the team as a TE or he has no spot, right? I guess he can be a sort of H-back and backup FB.

It's really amazing that there are guys who I'll be sorry to see cut for once - and guys who I think will end up on someone else's roster. I wonder if they keep Royster on the PS.

[backwardsk]

So you think they keep Hightower, Torain, and Helu...and no Royster? I kind of like what I've seen from Royster so far.

I think that's right. I also thought that young and Williams would be the fullbacks, but maybe they find a spot for banks at the expense of Williams.

[allstar1579]

I think I prefer Sexy Rexy to Beck. Beck moves well, but he doesn't throw well when he moves. His accuracy doesn't seem to be as good as Rex's either.

Don't know if I agree with the last part. Rex likes to hold and wait for the big play to develop. He will churn out a 20 yard play every 6 or 7 attempts, but might get nothing on the other 5-6. Beck will churn out 4-5 yards every play. I agree with you said about him throwing on the run, but at least he can GET on the run, Rex would be sacked before he got to that point. Beck releases faster too, so I think a couple plays get made that Rex would be too late on getting out.

[Dr. FLK]

Don't know if I agree with the last part. Rex likes to hold and wait for the big play to develop. He will churn out a 20 yard play every 6 or 7 attempts, but might get nothing on the other 5-6. Beck will churn out 4-5 yards every play. I agree with you said about him throwing on the run, but at least he can GET on the run, Rex would be sacked before he got to that point. Beck releases faster too, so I think a couple plays get made that Rex would be too late on getting out.

I haven't been impressed with Beck's accuracy on passes downfield (say...passes > 15 yards down field). He does well on the short stuff, but I don't trust him going downfield.

Back to one point you made earlier...I think viewing Banks as a ST guy ONLY and not as a WR is the right way to look at it. They can keep 6 WR + him (I think).

Another interesting thing will be which LB get kept. These guys all look good.

[backwardsk]

Yeah Beck had me a little nervous, rough showing, but had some really good moments too. I don't really completely blame him on the pick, he got flattened as he threw and got the ball JUST about where it needed to be.

The pick was the least of my worries. He had a couple others that could have been picked. He did some good things. It was uneven. He had Austin in space and missed him.

[allstar1579]

I think I flat out discredit Torain because he just can't stay healthy. I had forgotten about Williams, who can be a solid 3rd down back. But, it's hard to keep him and Helu since they are both 3rd down backs. Sellers isn't viewed as a FB anymore, is he? They have more or less said he needs to make the team as a TE or he has no spot, right? I guess he can be a sort of H-back and backup FB.

It's really amazing that there are guys who I'll be sorry to see cut for once - and guys who I think will end up on someone else's roster. I wonder if they keep Royster on the PS.

Yeah Torain can be REALLY good when he's healthy though, it's hard to give up on him, at least when you have Hightower around to carry the main load. You are right, there's a hard choice coming somewhere, and if I'm choosing between Helu and Williams it's DEFINITELY Helu, he's going to be a GREAT player sooner than later.

I heard last week that they said they wanted Sellers to play TE for the first 2 weeks to get him some different looks, and then would move him back to FB after, which is what they have done, kind of testing his versatility I think, which he's done well doing. But yeah, I think he's the backup FB/Hback/ST captain when it's all said and done. I think it really comes down to Williams/Royster/Sellers at the bottom and it's a question of how many they keep. Depends on other positions I'm sure...do you keep one of them over Banks or Paul?

[allstar1579]

I haven't been impressed with Beck's accuracy on passes downfield (say...passes > 15 yards down field). He does well on the short stuff, but I don't trust him going downfield.

Back to one point you made earlier...I think viewing Banks as a ST guy ONLY and not as a WR is the right way to look at it. They can keep 6 WR + him (I think).

Another interesting thing will be which LB get kept. These guys all look good.

Yep, ANOTHER tough roster crunch...looking at that list they had up a little while ago, there weren't many LB I was ok with losing. I'm scared to see what happens there too.

[allstar1579]

The pick was the least of my worries. He had a couple others that could have been picked. He did some good things. It was uneven. He had Austin in space and missed him.

Yeah definitely had a couple short passes that looked really bad. I'm not convinced he was throwing to Austin on that play, I think he was looking at threading the needle to Stallworth in the End Zone and Austin just happened to get up and get a hand on it. The replay from one angle looked like the ball was dead on for Stallworth to turn in from the sideline and make the play, and with all that zip he put on it it made sense. I think Beck was saying it was his fault to Austin because he didn't even see him.

The other one to Torain I wonder about too because there were a couple plays where Torain got tangled up with Beck, I don't think he's as ready for gametime (prep wise) as he should be after sitting that long.

[Dr. FLK]

Yep, ANOTHER tough roster crunch...looking at that list they had up a little while ago, there weren't many LB I was ok with losing. I'm scared to see what happens there too.

The Skins have really done a great job of increasing the overall talent depth. They don't have a lot of "elite" talent guys, but they are deep. And it seems like every single piece that has been added to the roster is a guy who fits a specific purpose. They finally appear to be doing things right. I don't have a lot of confidence in this year's team competing, but I am confident with this group going forward.

[allstar1579]

The Skins have really done a great job of increasing the overall talent depth. They don't have a lot of "elite" talent guys, but they are deep. And it seems like every single piece that has been added to the roster is a guy who fits a specific purpose. They finally appear to be doing things right. I don't have a lot of confidence in this year's team competing, but I am confident with this group going forward.

Yeah I was talking about this in the Ravens thread last week with the guys. They are going to surprise people because they've done a great job of getting players that fit the system well this year. If a LOT of things went right I could see them having a chance at competing, more realistically, I could see them being in the thick of it next season.

Well...there we have it. Your starting QB for the 2011 season: Rex Grossman.
They played Beck a 1/2 with the 2nd stringers, and aren't playing Rex or Clemens at all this game. I think that means they are protecting the starters by benching them and Beck is the backup.

Now it COULD mean they wanted him to get some more reps in before the real deal next week and didn't want to risk his backups being hurt, but why run the risk of injuring your starting QB behind your 2nd string line?

[Dr. FLK]

And Matt Gutierrez just killed my motivation for watching the second half.

[allstar1579]

And Matt Gutierrez just killed my motivation for watching the second half.

Yep. Same here really. I watched last week because it was the Ravens, but tonight I'm kinda meh. If I wasn't in a heated game of Words with Friends I would probably go to bed soon.

[Don Quixote]

And Matt Gutierrez just killed my motivation for watching the second half.

This....

[allstar1579]

I can't stand listening to Theisman, but some really interesting nuggets he was ALMOST getting out of Allen.

Mostly talking about that last roster spot. I was under the impression in order to get that extra roster spot it had to be for a 3rd QB, but he said that they might not keep a 3rd QB and would keep a ST player. Joe went right for the throat coming off the convo about WR and asked oh, and there is your spot for Banks...and Allen didn't want to comment. Also interesting when talking about all the big WR, Gaffney, Hankerson and Paul, Allen said it's just unfortunate that we can't keep everyone. One of the two of them is being cut.

[Don Quixote]

...Aaaaand that is what happens when you do not form tackle.

[allstar1579]

Yeah I was talking about this in the Ravens thread last week with the guys. They are going to surprise people because they've done a great job of getting players that fit the system well this year. If a LOT of things went right I could see them having a chance at competing, more realistically, I could see them being in the thick of it next season.

Well...there we have it. Your starting QB for the 2011 season: Rex Grossman.
They played Beck a 1/2 with the 2nd stringers, and aren't playing Rex or Clemens at all this game. I think that means they are protecting the starters by benching them and Beck is the backup.

Now it COULD mean they wanted him to get some more reps in before the real deal next week and didn't want to risk his backups being hurt, but why run the risk of injuring your starting QB behind your 2nd string line?

Interesting interview with Williams. Did the starting Oline play the whole first half? I thought the backups were in there, but maybe I wasn't paying attention. Then Williams said, well yeah that's our starting QB out there you can't leave him high and dry.

Maybe I read it wrong...

[backwardsk]

So that's what a competent punter does.

[backwardsk]

Interesting interview with Williams. Did the starting Oline play the whole first half? I thought the backups were in there, but maybe I wasn't paying attention. Then Williams said, well yeah that's our starting QB out there you can't leave him high and dry.

Maybe I read it wrong...

All five guys played every snap even the last run by royster to run out the clock. I was holding my breath.

[backwardsk]

One thing that Bruce said was that they'll be listening to trades this weekend. It would not shock me if mcintosh is moved. If he's not, I see Orakpo, Fletcher, rocky, Kerrigan, Riley, fox, white, Jackson, and Alexander.

[allstar1579]

All five guys played every snap even the last run by royster to run out the clock. I was holding my breath.

Hmmmm...ok in that case I change my mind. I think Beck is the starter and they were giving him reps. There is definitely something to Rex and Clemens not playing at all and Beck playing a full half with the starting Oline. Not sad about that.

[backwardsk]

Hmmmm...ok in that case I change my mind. I think Beck is the starter and they were giving him reps. There is definitely something to Rex and Clemens not playing at all and Beck playing a full half with the starting Oline. Not sad about that.

Driving home before the game, they said that guys like moss, Orakpo, etc were all running wind sprints. Grossman was with them. Then he came back out in pads. I don't think they had any intention of playing him.

[allstar1579]

Driving home before the game, they said that guys like moss, Orakpo, etc were all running wind sprints. Grossman was with them. Then he came back out in pads. I don't think they had any intention of playing him.

Yeah none of the guys that didn't play were going to play from the beginning, I saw that early. It seemed like they were protecting all the starters, except the Oline was all out there, and they are risky to play so I didn't understand it. Now, if Beck is your starter, it makes sense why the starting Oline was out there, if he's not it doesn't make much sense.

Sidenote, pretty much no one in the game on D should make this team, they don't look good at all.

[backwardsk]

Need mcnabb here to run the 2 minute offense. I'd love to see them set up a 50 yarder for gano.

[allstar1579]

Need mcnabb here to run the 2 minute offense. I'd love to see them set up a 50 yarder for gano.

Or Stallworth complicate the WR problem by catching a bomb to go ahead with a minute left. Especially coming on the heels of Hankerson juggling (but at least catching) another one right in his chest.

I'm thinking by the way the game has gone that Paul is toast, and I'm HOPING but it's not looking particularly well for Hankerson either. Neither really showed much tonight, and they were still putting them out there in the 4th trying to see something. Cut day will be REALLY interesting this year.

[allstar1579]

Not looking great for Horton to be out there right now. I'm thinking S might be one of the spots they go light on for another position.

GREAT end to the game, but even more complicating because now Jones is out there wreaking havoc, and how do you keep HIM too???

Thompson didn't look real impressive to me, but I was hoping he would, we are thin at CB. Buchanon getting hurt (I think he was faking the injury after he whiffed on the tackle) might help his chances, but I don't know.

[backwardsk]

Stallworth will be cut. Hankerson makes the team. Paul makes it unless they keep banks and don't sacrafice the 3rd qb or the 2nd FB spot.

Stallworth gets picked up quickly.

Jones makes the final lb spot difficult.

[backwardsk]

Not looking great for Horton to be out there right now. I'm thinking S might be one of the spots they go light on for another position.

GREAT end to the game, but even more complicating because now Jones is out there wreaking havoc, and how do you keep HIM too???

Thompson didn't look real impressive to me, but I was hoping he would, we are thin at CB. Buchanon getting hurt (I think he was faking the injury after he whiffed on the tackle) might help his chances, but I don't know.

I'd agree with you if Landry and Atogwe weren't banged up. I think it'd be risky to be light on safeties at the beginning of the season. However I could see Russell making it over Horton.

[allstar1579]

Stallworth will be cut. Hankerson makes the team. Paul makes it unless they keep banks and don't sacrafice the 3rd qb or the 2nd FB spot.

Stallworth gets picked up quickly.

Jones makes the final lb spot difficult.

We'll see here, still disagree, it'll be fun to see who's right, but I think Banks is safe, after tonight, and I think Paul is gone and Stallworth probably gets kept, which I wouldn't have said 3 hours ago. I dunno, that WR mess is going to be crazy.

[backwardsk]

We'll see here, still disagree, it'll be fun to see who's right, but I think Banks is safe, after tonight, and I think Paul is gone and Stallworth probably gets kept, which I wouldn't have said 3 hours ago. I dunno, that WR mess is going to be crazy.

It's exciting because it's not Galloway, Thomas, and Roydell Williams!

I started a 53 man roster thread.

[allstar1579]

it's exciting because it's not galloway, thomas, and roydell williams!

I started a 53 man roster thread.

amen!!!