Redskins Have Two Weeks To Get It Right

I happened to catch the first half of the Giants/Browns game on Monday night. The first 15 minutes of the game was total domination by the defending champions. I immediately thought, "Wow, Zorn better get things going before September 4th". In case you missed it, the Giants ran the ball with ease, threw the ball all over the field, and scored at will....that was just the offense in the first quarter. Then their defense shut down the Browns (who were actually very good last season). They even knocked the Browns starting quarterback out with a concussion. And, for the hell of it, they blocked a punt for a safety, then returned a kick for a touch down. All of this happened in the first quarter. Score: 30 - 3.

The Washington Redskins will open the season in the Meadowlands in a couple weeks. I have liked what I have seen from Zorn & Campbell so far, and I think the defense will be just as good if not better than last year. But after that performance against the Jets it makes you wonder a little. Who will show up come September 4 when the Redskins and Giants kickoff the NFL season on prime time? Will Jansen and Samuels hold off Umenyiora and Tuck to give Campbell time to throw? Will Taylor and Carter keep Manning out of a groove? Will Portis and Betts out gain Jacobs and Bradshaw? Will Fletcher out-tackle Pierce? These teams are pretty similar, huh?

We'll have a better idea after Saturday's preseason game in Charlotte. This is the best chance to see what we've got. The Redskins plan on playing the starters a full half of the game. This is when Jason Campbell must take some shots down field...air it out, it's the preseason! This is a great chance to put Cooley and Davis in on two tight end sets...let's see how a defense responds to that. This is the chance for Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs to actually intercept a football instead of pounding the turf as the ball wobbles on the ground next to them (they've each dropped an easy pick this summer). This is when we should see Clinton Portis rip of a 75 yard run like Rock Cartwright did last week. Jake Delhomme seems like a fine specimen for the Andre Carter/Jason Taylor experiment to be unleashed on. And last, lets see a couple of those creative fleaflickers that Zorn dreamed about doing while being an assistant in Seattle all those years.

You see, some of these things need to be "tried" in case the season opener against the Giants turns into a shootout...or nail biter. So better test them this weekend for two full quarters. I don't think there will be much time the following week against the Jaquars. So Zorn, let it rip this weekend. Practice makes perfect. We may just need it come Thursday night, around 10:15 p.m. on September 4th.

Hail.