Skins-Bears Wrap
by
Aug 19, 2012 -- 11:19am

Quarterback performance is what everyone will be focused on after tonight but it's so hard to evaluate the QB position in preseason when there's little thought given to attacking the other team's weaknesses, i.e game-planning.  With that understood, I'll take a shot at it anyway as part of the good, bad, and more..

Good:

1. Kirk Cousins:  You've done something right when you throw 3 touchdown passes in a half on 18-23 for 264 yards. Who it came against (i.e. back-ups) matters for sure but Cousins looks capable of making a run at the backup quarterback spot.

2. Alfred Morris:  His first two carries locked up a spot on the final 53-man roster if he didn't have one already. He's strong, decisive, and has the kind of vision required to be a good zone-scheme runner.  He looked like Ryan Torrain on his first run.

3. Brandon Banks:  If he's not the kick and punt returner in New Orleans on September 9th then he better be injured.  In addition to the 91-yd punt return, he also averaged 30.0 yds on his two kick returns.  Who cares if he can't play wide receiver.  His big-play ability on special teams is too important to cut.  Also, he can be used in other ways offensively out of the backfield.

4. Ryan Kerrigan:  He got pressure on most pass plays and his run-stopping was solid.  I'd be shocked if he doesn't have a huge year.

Bad:

1. First-teamers.  A rough night for both the offense and defense. Pass-protection hurt the offense and pass-coverage/poor tackling killed the defense.  Additionally, RG3 didn't help on a couple of those pass pressures by turning into the pressure instead of feeling it and bouncing away from it.  With that said, I thought his best play of the night was the 3rd and 5 run where he did feel the pressure well and made something good out of bad.

2. Injuries.  Orakpo and Merriweather went down and MRI's are pending.  The Redskins need some good news on both fronts.

3. Dropped INT's and Passes.  Like last week, a couple of dropped INT's at least.  Wilson and Kehl had easy ones slip through their hands.  Kehl's would have given the Skins a win.  Garcon dropped a would-be first down ball early.  The throw was a bit behind him but it should've been caught.

More:

1. Rackers' miss from 54 yards out looked a lot like Gano's misses from similar distances last year.  The ball was kicked well, but just barely missed going through.  The Redskins need what the Bears have...a kicker like Robbie Gould who is totally dependable from any distance, in any weather, on any field.  He's huge for the Bears, a team that hasn't always been able to put the ball in the end zone but almost always comes away with points.

2. Jarvis Jenkins looked good.  He's a pocket-collapser.

3. Niles Paul's performance in the 2nd half was huge for him after another drop in the first half.  His blocking looked solid.

4. Not sure why the Redskins didn't call a quick timeout after their first completion on the final drive of the game.  They lost roughly 10 seconds.

5. The 34-yd pass interference penalty against Chicago's Tillman against Garcon was an awful call. 



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