Tony McGee on Dallas Cowboys 2010

[Gmanc711]

Hello Everyone,


It’s good to be with you for another season of Redskins football & it was nice for the team to start out on a winning note.

Starting with a look at the game as a whole, I didn’t think either team was particularly impressive. However, it was good to see the Redskins win that type of game, as that was the type of game the past couple of years they would have lost. The Skins’ need to have a better run game as a whole and they need to give Donavan McNabb some more time to find receivers and get into the end zone. The Redskins cannot let opportunities slip away like they did in the 3rd quarter with a chance to score and really put the game in firm control. At the same time, the Dallas front 7, on defense is one of the best in the NFL, so they were going to give the Redskins some trouble regardless. In any event, it was a good win for the Redskins against a team a lot of people were picking to go to the Super Bowl, which is a positive.

What surprised me the most from game one? I was actually surprised on how well Dallas was able to move the football against Washington. The Redskins defense was able to step up when it mattered and Dallas started to get close to the Red Zone, which is the ultimate goal. However, Dallas had nearly 400 yards of total offense, dominated the time of possession and they really let the game slip away by not being able to move the ball as they got close to scoring range. The Redskins defense only gave up 7 points, but they’re going to need to play better as a whole and not allow teams to dominate the time of possession and field position in these games. On the other side of the football, I was surprised at the lack of production from the Redskins wide receivers. I think only two wide receivers caught any footballs for Washington. I thought Santana Moss had a nice game, but someone is going to have to step up and be another consistent target. This leads well into our next question… What does Devin Thomas need to do to be a contributor at wide receiver? I’m not sure if it’s how he looks in practice or what? However, he just needs to be consistent across the board. I thought he had a very nice game on special teams, and he has shown flashes of being a good wide receiver and play maker... but he is lacking the consistency he needs to be on the field with the first team offense.

What is the difference about preparing for opening day against the rest of the year? It’s funny, everyone says how you should expect teams to be a little sloppy the first week of the season, but I think they should be sharper. The rest of the season, you get your information on Monday; go hard on Wednesday and Thursday, light on Friday and a walkthrough on Saturday. Teams have 2-3 weeks to game plan for the first game of the season, so I’d think they’d be much sharper at that point in the year. Not a whole lot is different, but you have a lot more time to prepare for the first game. After week one, things tend to be packed together a little more.

My thoughts on Albert Haynesworth effort level and the difference he made for the game? I didn’t think the defense was any better when he was in there. If he’s supposed to be such a big play maker and doing all sorts of different things, I’d like to see him start to make these big plays. I need to see a little bit more out of him.

My thoughts on the uniforms? They were OK, but I went to two Super Bowls and I didn’t go to either of them because I looked good in a uniform.

Finally, looking ahead to this week’s game against the Texans, I think the Redskins will need to be better than they were last week to beat Houston. This team is dangerous, and I think that they’re better than the Cowboys. If you remember, the Cowboys played the Texans the 3rd game of the preseason just a few weeks ago and handled Dallas. Houston’s front seven on defense can play with anyone in the league; and I think they’re right on the brink from being an elite team in the NFL. I think this is going to be an intense game, and it will be interesting to see what type of a game plan each team has, with the knowledge the coaching staff has with one another.
I look forward to a good game this weekend, and I hope everyone enjoys!

Thanks,
Tony



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Be sure to watch Tony McGee's Pro Football Plus this Saturday at 11:30am as Tony answers this weeks' "TheWarpath.net Fan Question of the Week"

Tony McGee's NFL career started in 1971 where he was a starting defensive end for the Chicago Bears. In 1974, Tony began a 7 year stint with the New England Patriots and earned the nickname, "Mac the Sack." His unique ability to swarm opposing quarterbacks helped coin the phrase, "designated pass rusher." Tony's career as a Washington Redskin began in 1982, and included a Super Bowl championship. Tony ended his spectacular career in 1985 with 106 career sacks and played in over 200 games -- a feat achieved only by a select group of NFL defensive linemen.

[Chico23231]

Yep, if Thomas is gonna be a contributor on the offense, let him play with the first team. Get him rotation with Armstrong as the second wide. Split time with him, and for god sakes get Galloway off the field. I dont get why he is on the field, he did nothing in the preseason games and nothing in the first game. Thomas was great on kick off returns

[NYCskinfan82]

Good observation, It's very early in the season but DT needs to get WR time.

[Hog1]

AS ALWAYS Tony, thankyou for your time and insight!

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Thank you as always, great job and we all appreciate your effort.