Report Card

[Beemnseven]

OK, now that I've had time to think about it...

Offensive Line -- Brunell was battered, beaten and sacked five times. Minus his scrambles, the line paved the way for Portis and Betts to amass a grand total of 69 yards on 21 carries for a 3.29 yard average per rush. Samuels and Thomas each had false start penalties, while Dockery was called for holding twice. Rabach, in a horrible performance where he was consistently treated like a tackling dummy against LaRoi Glover, also got penalized for a hold. Grade: F

Running backs -- Much of this grade is a result of pathetic offensive line play, so it may not be fair to judge their total of 69 yards rushing. Still, Betts had a critical fumble right before halftime, while Portis for the third time in a Redskin uniform against the Cowboys was basically a non-factor. Part of the reason the Cowboys have been able to master the Redskins for 14 of the past 16 games is their knack for taking otherwise dominant running backs in Stephen Davis and Clinton Portis out of the game early. Apart from the final score, last night was no different. Grade: D

Wide Receivers -- Before the miraculous catches by Moss in the 4th quarter, either Brunell didn't have time to find them, they weren't getting open, or they dropped the ball. Thrash contributed two crucial 3rd and 4th down conversions, making him the safety valve that came through last night in a big way. Jacobs continued his legacy as a Redskin, catching a nice, 9 yard out pattern, then promptly finding the medical staff on the sideline after an injury which will undoubtedly keep him from the lineup for another 8 to 10 weeks. Moss's speed was the deciding factor in the contest, and Gibbs should spend the next two weeks devoting all of his time figuring out how to maximize his talent. Bottom line about Moss is, he can win football games, almost by himself. Grade: B (that's being slightly generous)

Quarterback -- Brunell's 56 and a half minute display of ineptitude honestly has to be attributed to overall offensive buffoonery on practically every level at every position. But his tenacity won out, and should, at least temporarily quiet those who say he has no ability to throw it deep. That 25 yard scramble on 3rd and long to set up the first touchdown doesn't happen if Ramsey is under center. With the interception early, it's clear there is still much work to be done in order to get the passing game on track. Grade: C

Defensive line -- Virtually no pressure on Bledsoe, with or without blitzes. What happened to 'knocking him out of the game' ?? Only saving grace is run defense, with Jones getting nothing up the middle. He had more success around the ends, though. Grade: D+

Linebackers -- Marcus Washington and Lemar Marshall are co-MVPs for this game. Marshall had a critical tackle on Jones shooting up the gap and bursting through for a pivotal stop that made everyone forget about losing Antonio Pierce. Judging by the way Jason Witten was all but eliminated from Dallas' offensive weaponry, it's clear the coaching staff made it a point to key in on him, and the linebackers did an outstanding job of pass coverage against a Pro Bowl tight end who has given Washington fits in the past. But what everyone wants to know is, where's LaVar Arrington?Grade: A

Secondary -- Taylor still has the tendency to be too aggressive, as evidenced by the flea-flicker bite that led to Dallas' only TD, but it paid off tremendously for that bone-jarring hit of Crayton on 3rd down to seal Dallas' fate. If I had to choose, I'll take the aggressive Sean Taylor any day of the week. Walt Harris showed he is one of the best tackling corners in the league, and aside from Terry Glenn's 6 catches for 157 yards, the secondary did its job shutting down the rest of the Cowboy wideouts. And that was with absolutely NO PASS RUSH. Grade: A

Special Teams -- Nearly blew the game on the last kickoff return, and continues to follow every good return with a clipping penalty. Needs serious work. Grade: C-

Coaching -- As another Warpather astutely pointed out in another thread, the deep passes to Moss late were most assuredly NOT part of the game plan, and Gibbs simply must allow his quarterback to open it up more than he currently is. The playcalling was unimaginative, and in distinct memories of the Norv Turner days, falling behind by 3 and 10 points shouldn't cause you to give up so soon on a running back you paid a fortune to bring in. Defensively, the gameplan wasn't nearly as ferocious as Redskin fans wanted, but it worked. Whether it's the credit of an unrelenting coaching staff, or motivated football players, this team clearly didn't give up and fought like hell to break this nauseating spell of submission to the Dallas Cowboys. Grade: C+