Redskins: EVALUATE THIS!
Between the Redskins’ win and news of Kate Middleton’s baby, I can say with certainty it was the happiest Monday I’ve had in a while.
So maybe when Mike Shanahan said a few weeks ago that it was time to evaluate, his words were taken out of context. Maybe he meant, it is time to evaluate…HOW AWESOME PIERRE GARÇON IS. Or Robert Griffin III. Or Alfred Morris. Or London Fletcher. Because, really, how awesome are these guys?!
I can’t say it was the prettiest win of the season. In fact, the Giants may have lost the game more than we won it. But a win is a win, and we are now .500. EVALUATE THAT! We beat the reigning Super Bowl champs on Monday, 17-16, and won our first Monday Night Football game since 2007 (which, coincidentally, was also when I was young enough to stay up until midnight and watch Monday Night Football without copious amounts of caffeine). Between the Redskins’ win and news of Kate Middleton’s baby, I can say with certainty it was the happiest Monday I’ve had in a while.
The game started off super slow with the Giants dominating both time of possession and yardage. I mean, it didn’t look good. And I was watching the game with a bunch of Giants fans, making the first half even more difficult to swallow. At one point, I jumped on my soapbox for a brief diatribe about Vinny Cerato, Dan Synder, and the new era of Redskins football. After being called “feisty,” I realized that it might be in everyone’s best interest if I just watch these games at home. But the game picked up in the second half: our defense was able to hold Eli, and our offense was able to make some seriously long, clock-crunching drives. The defense kept New York to only one touchdown and three field goals, saving some very scary drives. Griff also ran for 72 yards, bringing his total to 714 and breaking Cam Newton’s record for most running yards by a rookie QB.
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Positives
- RGIII’s fumble in the first quarter that landed in the arms of Josh Morgan—and resulted in a touchdown. We can totally call that a pitch, right?
- Jon Gruden said that FedEx sounded like RFK Stadium in the second half. I wasn’t there, but I’m sure that isn’t the case. Nevertheless, I appreciated the flashback. Also, John Gruden has a huge man crush on RGIII, which is kinda adorable.
- London Fletcher has been questionable almost every game. Despite playing hurt all season, he can still make the most amazing, almost cringe-worthy, tackles. ESPN also miked him as part of their “Soundtracks” series, and if London Fletcher can’t get you pumped for the Redskins, no one can.
Negatives
- Redskins fans did a lot of moaning about Alfred Morris after his fumble. I get that it wasn’t the best play, and it was painful to watch. But why are we so quick to overlook what an incredible athlete he is? He also got the first down that sealed the deal on the victory. Oh, yeah, and he ran 120 yards Monday night. And has rushed for more yards than any rookie in Redskins history. No biggie.
- Cedric Griffin is banned for the rest of the season for failing a drug test. Awesome.
- I know a lot of fans love Garçon’s ball spinning celebration. I think it’s obnoxious (albeit not as obnoxious as Victor Cruz’s salsa celebration). I guess I can get on board with him doing it after a touchdown, but it makes me super nervous when he does it after a reception. If we end up with a delay of game penalty because of it, I might lose my mind
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.So, I think we can talk about the playoff picture. Maybe it’s too soon, but I’m just so excited! And scared! A little like this. The Giants have a fairly tough schedule for the rest of the season with games against New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. If they manage to go 2-2, and somehow we can pull off 3-1, we will beat them in a tiebreaker for the division because we have a better division record.
We have to take on Baltimore next week, which won’t be easy. But LB Ray Lewis has a torn tricep and it looks like LB Terrell Suggs will be sidelined with a torn bicep, which is great news for RGIII (and even better news for our offensive line). The Baltimore Sun has called RGIII “scary good,” so that’s a positive sign, right?
I also watched this video, mocking Redskins fans in preparation for Sunday’s game. I’ll admit, it’s pretty funny. But do fans around the League really think people are jumping on a Redskins bandwagon? I love ‘em, but if you were going to pick a bandwagon, would it really be the Redskins? Really?
The good news is that December football definitely means something for the Redskins this year. The bad news is that I’m already sporting a few new gray hairs. It’s going to be a long, heartburn-inducing month, but I’ll take it as long as we keep winning!
Hail!
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Love
My son and I went to the game, and it was very loud, very exciting, and the fans were the 12th man, in every sense. One fumble? C’mon. He is still doing his job. And what we did to the Giants is what the Ravens did to every team in 2000 (I think) when they won the superbowl. They did it by shutting down a potentially explosive offense. How many times have we seen Eli do a 4th quarter drive to win? Not last Monday!!!!!! The worst thing I can say about the game is they have to figure out a a smoother way to exit the stadium that doesn’t take 90 minutes.