OFFICIAL 1st preseason thread!

[Schneed10]

Offensive line looked great in pass protection. Run blocking didn't look that impressive, but it seems obvious to me that the Skins weren't focusing on the running game this week. Gibbs only called 19 handoffs the entire game, he usually tries to give 25 carries to Portis alone. I don't think the coaching staff emphasized getting the run on track this week. I think they went into the game with the intention of working on the passing game.

Of course, when you're not trying to run much, you end up with a lot of 2nd and long and 3rd and long situations. That made it tougher on the QBs.

In the regular season, Gibbs figures to call a lot more running plays. Ramsey was 8-12, although shaky on a few throws. But if you combine a 66% completion percentage with a decent running game, you've got yourself a mediocre offense that can at least move the chains.

Combine that with a decent defense, and the team can win some games. I want to see those corners get healthy though. Gregg Williams can't operate without them, as we saw last night.

I definitely want to see Ramsey look better, but I think it's important to remember that the threat of having Portis in the backfield goes a long way towards helping a QB find space. Once Gibbs decides to call the game like he normally would, I think we'll see some overall improvement in the offense. The Skins are still a run-first squad, and we didn't even try to use our #1 weapon last night, Clinton Portis.