A moment of silence for Sean Taylor

Sean Taylor, 1983 - 2007. Rest in Peace.

Skins - Boys .... It's ON!

Our lack of a receiver corps disturbs me. JC is really starting to turn on as a quarterback, and Gibbs is finally pulling the reins off of Al Saunders. And now they don't have any targets. McCardell and Caldwell need to come up huge for us if we are going to have any chance. I don't think our patchwork offensive line can hold up to the Cowboys in the run game. Our fate lies in the hands of our receivers.
Another issue is our secondary versus Dallas' receivers. Without Sean Taylor and Carlos Rogers our backups really need to step up against Patrick Crayton. With Shawn Springs on TO, Crayton is in position to embarass us unless our backups come in and play well. Our front four really need to throw a wrench in the running game as well. Marion Barber is playing like a man possessed.
This is a very important game for us. If we can win this game, it shows we can rise to the occasion and play short handed and hang tough. It would save our season. A loss would take us down to .500, an I fear the rest of our season would just be an attempt stay above .500, not a run at the playoffs. This game is pivotal.

Redskins - Eagles game

Okay. The win over the Jets was still a win. But I'm concerned. I previously posted about the rash of hamstring injuries, and they seem to keep coming back. Teams that stay healthy usually do so not neccesarily because of luck, but because of good strength and conditioning coaches. I'd like to see someone fired. Because now we are looking to go into the Eagles game without Randle El or Moss. This is sketchy. Brandon LLoyd couldn't catch a ball if he was giving himself an exam for testicular cancer. Thrash is slow and washed up, Caldwell is a non-factor, and Keenan McCardell should be watching games at home having a barbecue with Brunell. We seriously need to upgrade our receiver corps to include a tall receiver that will make those jump ball catches, and allow JC to take long strikes down the field that actually have a chance. His throws are consistently a couple feet above the receivers in vertical routes. A Randy Moss/TO/Calvin Johnson type could reach out and grab that ball for an easy touchdown. Moss and Randle El both live and die by their speed and quickness, and a hamstring/groin injury takes that away, and it just leaves JC with two receivers that are just too short. Our OL has played surprisingly well under the circumstances. Our offensive woes lie squarely on the shoulders of our strength and conditioning coaches. I firmly believe that we need a fast, tall receiver, but we would be infinitely better if we simply had a 100% healthy Moss OR Randle El, I'd even be happy if one of them were healthy. The key to this Sunday's game is our passing game, and how well Leigh Torrence can cover McNabb's receivers with Carlos Rogers out for the season. I will definitely say that another season ending injury for us on either side of the ball will not only end the players season, but the entire Redskins team as well.
Also, Gibbs needs to be relegated to the GM position, and let Saunders lead this team. Gibbs has been holding back Saunders playbook for a while. Give the guy some faith, we're paying him enough that we should trust him and let him air out the offense. It's starting to smell; our offense is offensive. We have the talent and ability to be every bit as good as the Pats. A healthy line, healthy receivers, and a coach that trusts his quarterback to take strikes down the field would take a lot of pressure off of our defense, making them a whole lot better. The Pats defense is so good because they are always faster then the other team; they're never on the field.
Westbrook, Westbrook, Westbrook. If we can shut him down and force McNabb to try to beat us in the air, I think we can shut them down. With a good pass rush from the front four, Our defense, even without Carlos Rogers, can shut down the Eagles. McNabb is not a mobile quarterback anymore. The key to this team is Brian Westbrook. When he plays well, they win.
So tomorrow get out your jersey and get ready for a show. I'm predicting, with the Eagles' secondary, that JC is going to have a great day, and look for McCardell and Cooley to have some stellar days, opening up the run game in the second half, allowing Portis to have back to back 100+ yard games. The OL has finally started to show some cohesion, and assert themselves on the other team. True, the Jets were hardly a test, but getting out there and manhandling someone, even if they aren't that good, is a boost for the confidence, allowing our line to play with some pride.
Go Skins!