Washington Redskins (hc09)

[Aurabolt127]

(quick summary, after this it'll be better boxscores)

POURING RAIN MATCHES TEARS, REDSKINS LOSE A TOUGH ONE

Beginning the season against the Super Bowl Champs, in their own house no less, is a tough task; but the Washington Redskins almost pulled off the upset during a pouring rainstorm, 37-24.

The Redskins struck first on a 4 yard Kolb to Cooley td pass. The Giants opening drive answered with a field goal after a tremendous goal line stand.

The second quarter started with a classic Manning to Toomer td pass that gave the Giants a 10-7 lead. Then, disaster struck. Kevin Kolb's first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by OJ Otogwe. The Giants now led 17-7. FB Sellers was hurt and had to leave the game for good. Eric Shelton took over at fullback, but it was a tough blow to our run game.

Kevin Kolb kept his composure though, and led the Redskins down the field, capping off the drive with an 8 yard TD pass to Chris Cooley for both of their second scores of the day. The Giants still led 17-14, but the Redskins felt their confidence growing.

With just under a minute left in the half, Suisham nailed a 27 yard field goal to tie the game! However, their joy was short lived, as Eli had no trouble driving down the field to retake the lead on a 34 yard pass to Plaxico Burress with 31 seconds left! We did drive down for a field goal, but Suisham hooked it. Not good.

In the third quarter, Lawrence Tynes gave the Giants a little breathing room and increased the score to 27-17. Once again the Redskins fought back, and this time it was the rookie, Fred Davis, blowing through the coverage and outracing the defense on a sweet deep pass for a 35 yard score. 27-24 as the 3rd quarter wound down.

The teams traded punts more than once in the 4th quarter, but the Super Bowl champs were resilient, and Eli was able to hit Jermey Shockey for a 5 yd TD with just over 3 minutes left in the game. 34-24.

With :54 seconds in the game, London Fletcher was knocked out of the game with a torso injury. We couldn't get anywhere, and the Giants started taking knees to end it. Of course, with 3 seconds left, they had to add one more field goal... and with that, the Redskins lost.

Final Score: 37-24

Passing:
Kolb 14-29 268 3/2
Manning 21-35 314 3/1

Rushing:
Portis 15-52, Thompson 8-44
Jacobs 20-97

Receiving:
Cooley 6-83-2, Kelly 3-62, Davis 2-55-1
Burress 7-136-1, Toomer 5-69-1, Shockey 4-86-1

Sacks:
Washington 0
New York 7

Interceptions:
Washington 1
New York 2

With the loss, the Redskins start the season 0-1. My approval is now 45

London Fletcher is out 2-3 weeks and Sellers will miss 3-4 weeks.

The Washington Redskins have signed RB/FB Jason Snelling to a one year contract worth $600k. Snelling will immediately become the team's starting fullback until Sellers is healthy again.

[Mike3207]

I've seen Mcfadden fall before, but usually not to 14.Usually 9-13.


What skills and special skills did your HC pick to start out with? What philosophy and position philosophies?

[Aurabolt127]

Here you go - a quick rundown on my coach and philosophies, etc.

Since Kent Austin is a former QB, QBC, OC, etc I will gear his skills/special skills towards his background. I won't take anything defensive-related, for example.

I put Chem/Play Call/Strat/Perf at 3 and will prob leave them there for a while. He's a LONE WOLF and I gave him ambition (since he's obviously very successful and very ambitious.) I took QB Readiness as it's part of his backgroud and career skillset strength.

I gave up no control except GM. I gave up full control there, most 1st time head coaches don't get any say on who their boss is. If I win a Super Bowl, or have extended success, I'll start giving myself increased control to mirror real world clout I would have earned.

Trade - heavy/aggressive. I have to be active to turn over a roster with almost no cap room.

Draft - scouting/drafting best available. Medium school focus.

Contract - rarely use the franchise tag, prefer 3 mil in cap room, spend money on biggest need and haggle

All my coaches career goals are locked.

QB - pure passer
RB - workhorse
FB - ball carrier
WR - speed (depending on how long moss/randle el are here, if Kelly/Monk take over, I'll start building the team to tall/red zone
TE - playmaker
OL - G size/strength C balanced T size/str
DL - Prototype/Prototype
OLB - Prototype
MLB - 3-4 tackler
DB - CB man coverage FS prototype SS prototype
K - balanced P Big foot

I never read much on the nuts and bolts but I always took it that prototypes have the "tools" but not always the refinement. So, for a rebuilding/roster turnover needed team that's the way I want to go this season. Once I get the right guys in the right positions, I will adjust my philosophies to key in on the best fits. This year, I want athletes. I'll get more specific for the draft the year after. Maybe it's not 100% accurate, but it makes sense in my head.

Right now I'm set to build through the draft and favors upside

Play call - it man coverage, with DC control. 3-4 base, blitzing often.

rarely using the no-huddle and the OC has control over the playbook - and leaning towards west coast heavy pass.

I prefer to bench media complainers. I am balanced on everything else. We keep our problems in house, or you'll find a new home.

I will run with aggressive injury playing status.

One more game to put the quick stats up for - then hopefully I'll have time to play week three tonight!

Any questions, shoot

[Aurabolt127]

THE SAINTS CAME MARCHING IN!!! AND MARCHED OUT WITH A LOSS!!! Washington dominates from the get-go to win their home opener, 21-13.

Kevin Kolb guided the Redskins down the field on their first possession, capping off a nice drive with a 21 yard touchdown pass to Chris Cooley. An ultra-aggressive defense kept the Saints on their heels, and they were unable to match the Redskins score the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Saints benefited from an amazing leaping catch by veteran tight end Mark Bruener to get into field goal range. A sack, a short Bush run, and an incomplete pass later and the Saints got their first points on a John Hall field goal to make it 7-3. Then, Clinton Portis took over.

With just under three minutes left in the half, Portis took the first handoff of the possession and raced through the left side on a blistering 80 yard touchdown run! The PAT made it 14-3, but the half wasn't over yet.

New Orleans got the ball, but weren't able to drive far and punted. Fully intending to run the clock out, Portis was handed the ball for a 6 yard gain. Only one more carry and the half would be over, but Portis broke through and ran 74 yards for a second score, breaking a tackle at the 5 yard line to bring the score to 21-3!!

The Saints started the third quarter with a methodical, 8 minute drive - capped off with Reggie Bush's 3 yard plunge, making it 21-10. Washington drove right back, but aging corner Mike McKenzie caught Kolb unaware, and picked him off at the goal line to end the threat.

After that, the Redskins got a little conservative; but were unwilling to risk throwing another pick that could get the Saints back in this one and instead relied on their defense to win the game. Only once more did the Saints threaten, and added one more field goal to bring them to within a score - but that was their last gasp. Washington was victorious 21-13!!

There was a moment of silence for the Redskins as they honored Sean Taylor. In addition, to keep with the tradition started by Coach Gibbs over 30 years ago, the Redskins wore white jerseys at home - and he was all smiles as they notched their first victory.

New Orleans Saints at Washington Redskins
Sep 14, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New Orleans Saints (1-0)	0	3	7	3	13
Washington Redskins (0-1)	7	14	0	0	21

Team Stats Comparison
	NOR	WAS
Total Offense	299	323
Rushing Yards	22	229
Passing Yards	277	94
First Downs	16	9
Punt Return Yards	18	4
Kick Return Yards	98	47
Total Yards
Turnovers	1	1
3rd Down Converstion	5-12	4-11
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/0	0/0
Penalties	2-20	1-10
Posession Time	29:01	30:54

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		NOR	WAS
08:20	(WAS) Cooley 21 yd pass from Kolb (Suisham PAT)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		NOR	WAS
02:47	(NOR) John Hall 40 yd FG	3	7
02:42	(WAS) Clinton Portis 80 yard run (Suisham PAT)	3	14
00:20	(WAS) Clinton Portis 74 yard run (Suisham PAT)	3	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		NOR	WAS
7:13	(NOR) Reggie Bush 3 yard run (Hall PAT)	10	21
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		NOR	WAS
12:21	(NOR) John Hall 21 yd FG	13	21

New Orleans Saints PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Drew Brees 28/41 306 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Reggie Bush 9 27 1 Drew Brees 1 -5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Terrence Copper 8 97 0 Reggie Bush 6 26 0 Marques Colston 5 75 0 Devin Thomas 4 63 0 Lance Moore 2 11 0 Kris Wilson 2 15 0 Mark Bruener 1 19 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jonathan Vilma 12-5 0 0 0 Mike McKenzie 0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG John Hall 2/2 1/1 7 40 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Durant Brooks 4 167 41.7 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Leodis McKelvin 4 98 24.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Leodis McKelvin 2 18 9.0 0

Washington Redskins PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kevin Kolb 8/17 94 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Clinton Portis 10 163 2 Tyson Thompson 9 27 0 Eric Shelton 5 33 0 Jason Snelling 3 5 0 Steve Slaton 1 3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Tyler Ecker 2 12 0 Jerome Mathis 1 13 0 Tyson Thompson 1 7 0 Malcolm Kelly 1 23 0 Santana Moss 1 6 0 Chris Cooley 1 21 1 Clinton Portis 1 12 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD LaRon Landry 9-0 0 0 0 Kentwan Balmer 2-1 1 0 0 James Butler 4-1 1 0 0 Rocky McIntosh 5-2 1 0 0 H.B. Blades 3-2 1 0 0 Marcus Washington 5-1 1 0 0 HB Blades 1 FF Laron Landry 1 FF KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Suisham 0/0 3/3 3 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Keeley 6 210 35.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Randle El 1 22 22 0 Mathis 1 25 25 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Randle El 1 4 4 0

[Gronk4M13]

Great win over the Saints. Following.

[Mike3207]

It was weighed pretty heavily on run/pass in favor of running the ball. I hope you can get the passing game more involved in the future.Good win though.

[Aurabolt127]

Yeah, like I was saying after they scored and I threw that pick in the 3rd quarter, I got pretty conservative. My current game I'm playing is in 20 mph and the rain, so not sure my passing numbers will improve! LOL!!!!

[Aurabolt127]

Battle of Batted Balls ends in Washington Victory!!

Redskins defeat Cardinals on last minute field goal to notch their second victory, 27-24.

This was one crazy game in the middle of a torrential downpour. Both teams threw early and often, sometimes to disastrous results. Kurt Warner and Kevin Kolb combined for 5 interceptions, but neither side seemed willing to abandon the pass.

The game stayed close throughout, and it seemed that whoever made the last mistake would lose this game. As the fourth quarter wound down, Redskins LB Marcus Washington stopped Edgerrin James on a 3rd and inches - injuring himself, but forcing the Cardinals to go for a 44 yard field goal to take the lead. Rackers missed, and the Redskins were able to complete a couple quick passes and give Suisham the shot at the win.

He nailed it, relieving a lot of the pressure on him since that missed kick in the 2007 playoffs. The game was also marred by several short-term injuries on both sides - though Rocky's injury knocked him out for the game and concerns me. The Dallas Cowboys are up next, and that is a TOUGH game. I'd like to be as close to 100% as possible!

Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins
Sep 21, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Arizona Cardinals (1-1)	7	7	0	10	24
Washington Redskins (1-1)	7	14	3	3	27

Team Stats Comparison
	ARI	WAS
Total Offense	372	352
Rushing Yards	136	54
Passing Yards	236	298
First Downs	20	18
Punt Return Yards	63	15
Kick Return Yards	159	107
Total Yards	594	474
Turnovers	2	3
3rd Down Converstion	3-8	4-9
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/1	3/1
Penalties	6-70	5-45
Posession Time	31:43	28:01

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		ARI	WAS
10:02	(WAS) Kelly 3 yd pass from Kolb (Suisham PAT)	0	7
4:16	(ARI) Rolle 52 yard punt return (Rackers PAT)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		ARI	WAS
7:07	(ARI) Edgerrin James 2 yd run (Rackers PAT)	14	7
5:55	(WAS) Clinton Portis 2 yd run (Suisham PAT)	14	14
1:44	(WAS) Randle El 13 yd pass from Kolb (Suisham PAT)	14	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		ARI	WAS
13:01	(WAS) Suisham 39 yard FG	14	24
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		ARI	WAS
4:14	(ARI) Marcel Shipp 0 yard run (Rackers PAT)	21	24
3:00	(ARI) Rackers 33 yd FG	24	24
00:12	(WAS) Suisham 26 yd FG	24	27

Arizona Cardinals PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kurt Warner 21/27 236 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Edgerrin James 16 79 1 Marcel Shipp 9 41 1 Kurt Warner 6 16 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Larry Fitzgerald 8 74 0 Ben Patrick 5 58 0 Leonard Pope 2 8 0 Josh Morgan 2 29 0 Terrelle Smith 1 23 0 Brandon Jones 1 9 0 Anquan Boldin 1 24 0 Edgerrin James 1 11 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Geno Hayes 7 0 0 0 Chike Okeafor 6-1 1 1 0 Jamar Williams 5-0 0 2 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Neil Rackers 1/2 3/3 6 33 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Scott Player 5 124 41.3 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD A Rolle 3 78 26.0 0 J Morgan 3 81 27.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD A Rolle 2 63 31.5 1

Washington Redskins PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kevin Kolb 19/31 298 2 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Clinton Portis 17 50 1 Kevin Kolb 1 6 0 Tyson Thompson 3 -2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Antwan Randle El 7 122 1 Santana Moss 5 99 0 Malcolm Kelly 4 57 1 Chris Cooley 2 16 0 Clinton Portis 1 4 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD H.B. Blades 8-0 0 0 0 Rocky McIntosh 4-1 1 0 0 Fred Smoot 4-0 0 2 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S Suisham 2/2 3/3 9 39 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 B Keeley 3 142 47.3 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD J Mathis 4 107 26.7 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD A Randle El 2 15 7.5 0