Sept 16, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan looks at Redskins wide receiver Josh Morgan (15) after Morgan received a penalty with less than 2 minutes left in the game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams defeated the Redskins 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

By now you probably are all aware of what went down near the end of the Redskins-Rams matchup on Sunday.  It was no doubt the stupidest decision an NFL player has made in quite some time.  It not only cost the Redskins fifteen yards, but essentially a chance at tying the game.  Josh Morgan’s ill-fated intentions to hurl the pigskin at Cortland (“The Instigator”) Finnegan after being tackled resulted in a fifteen yard penalty that turned a 47 yard field goal attempt for Billy Cundiff into a 62 yard one.

Whether the rumors are true that Finnegan provoked Morgan by poking his eye, this is something that cannot happen, especially at the end of the game.  Mike Shanahan indicated earlier this week that he would not discipline Morgan, but in larger terms, this is an extraordinary lesson he must use now for the entire team. The lesson being that no individual can have lapses in judgment during any course of the game that could potentially prove devastating.

The question that lingers now though, is whether Morgan’s boneheaded decision should have deserved some sort of team suspension.
Tempers do flare in the NFL and as inexplicable a play that Morgan’s was, the Redskins still have to let it pass.  Shanahan’s job as a coach is to put the best options on the field that give his team the best shot at winning.  If Morgan is one of them, he should continue to remain there, regardless if his selfish endeavor cost them the game.

If it were high school, I’d urge Shanahan to run out on the field with Morgan after practice this week, act the part of Herb Brooks in the movie Miracle, and tirelessly blow his whistle.  The NFL is not a league that works like that however.  The only thing Shanahan can do now is to make certain those intentions never reoccur from any player on his team.  There are way too many issues involving their actual play in Sunday’s game that must be fixed before they face the Cincinnati Bengals in their home opener.

It is a league where a common phrase repeated is “move on to the next play.”  Shanahan and his team must move on from Morgan’s mistake (to put it mildly) and be poised enough to withstand adversity.  Each week is too valuable to hand over potential wins because of selfish actions.

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Sept 16, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan looks at Redskins wide receiver Josh Morgan (15) after Morgan received a penalty with less than 2 minutes left in the game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams defeated the Redskins 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

That city-wide groan of bewilderment you heard ringing throughout the DC-area as the boneheaded, noodle-armed Josh “Captain” Morgan incomprehensibly shot-putted the football at Cortland Finnegan’s helmet (watch the replay – it was as embarrassingly wimpy of a throw as it was incomprehensively moronic of a move) was drowned out only by the piercing 10-year-old-girl-like shriek of unadulterated hysteria coming from my living room as Stephen “Snausuges” Gostkowski of the New England Patriots did his best Phil Mickelson-under-pressure-tee shot impersonation, shanking the game-deciding 42-yard field goal attempt so far off to the left that it may very well have hit Robert Kraft sitting in his sideline luxury box.

Much like when Al Del Greco lost his standing as the greatest NFL football player of all time, I just do not have the heart to go on providing survivor league picks. In a world where the Patriots lose their season opener at Gillette Stadium for the first time ever to a football grouping (no – not a team, a grouping) led by Kevin “Please Don’t Hit Me” Kolb, what is the point? But I must. You – my fellow Redskins radicals, count on me to keep your Wednesday workday afternoons entertaining as you feign being productive and profitable for the Man.  Alas, I’ll keep going.  Just for you… and, well, my job kinda requires it too.

So, for the 20% of you that are still alive in Survivor Leagues, this week does not have any clear choices.  Remember, Houston and Cincinnati have now been used, not that I would touch either of those games this week.  (Since this is for those of you still alive in your pools, I am going under the assumption you picked Cincinnati last week based on this column’s poll that was conducted.)  The Skins (1-1, RR Power Ranking 18, SI Power Ranking 16) host an overrated Cincinnati Bengals club (1-1, RRPR 19, SIPR 20) at FedEx Field. The Burgundy and Gold are a 3 ½ point favorites, and -180 on the money line. I like RG III to lead the Skins to victory in this one (just as long as the “Captain” stays anchored on the sidelines). The Bungles had a difficult time at home last week beating “rookie” Grandpappy Weeden, and got embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens (1-1, RRPR 5, SIPR 4) in Week 1. However, I think there are better picks on the board.

For my money (pretending there is any left after Snausuges Gostkowski), I like the San Francisco 49ers (RRPR 1, SIPR 1) over Minnesota (RRPR 26, SIPR 26). While I typically do not choose road teams, this week offers a pretty weak slate of home favorites. Almost 30% of Survivor players are picking the head-coachless New Orleans Saints (0-2, RRPR 21, SIPR 23) at home over the gawd-awful Kansas City Chiefs (0-2, RRPR 27, SIPR30). However, I choose teams who have yet to win a game even more rarely than I do road teams. Plus, my Spidey-senses are telling me the Saints are an inch away from a total implosion. If the Aints find themselves losing early, it could be over for New Orleans… for the whole season.
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September 16, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Josh Morgan (15) and St. Louis Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan (31) exchange words during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams defeated the Redskins 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

This has to be one of the toughest and most physical games played that I’ve witnessed in a very long time. Both sides were very chippy and over aggressive from the first quarter all the way to the final whistle. Here’s a recap of yesterday’s action.

Starting off the game with a bang, Washington capitalized early with a forced fumble returned for a touchdown by Josh Wilson. It appeared as though the defense came ready to play. That is, until Sam Bradford remembered that the Redskins have always had problems defending small quick receivers. He began to target Danny Amendola as if he were the only person eligible to receive a pass. Amendola tied his career high in receptions (12) in the first half. For those reading this that have yet to see any action from the game, that was not a typo. Amendola is the reason that this game didn’t get out of control early for St. Louis. The Washington offensive attack did their job well in the first half, by scoring on two drives which included a touchdown run by Griffin III and a 68 yard bomb to Hankerson. Griffin III finally got his first interception out of the way, as he was attempting to hit Fred Davis crossing the field. Cortland Finnegan read Griffin III’s eyes and made a spectacular one handed catch reaching behind him.

Sep 16, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Aldrick Robinson (11) misses a catch as St. Louis Rams free safety Quintin Mikell (27) pressures during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams defeated the Redskins 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

Miscues

For the second week in a row, the Redskins allowed  a blocked punt. These are mistakes that absolutely cannot be allowed at any point in the game as it seems to always be proven to be drastic. The reason you are punting in the first place is because you are not in ideal scoring range for yourself, but in perfect scoring range for your opponent. Washington needs to re-visit punt protection immediately because it seems as though the league has found a hole in their protection.

The 4th quarter is no time for players to try to be a hero by not doing your assignment on a designed play, especially in the goal line set. On the play action play where Bradford found a disturbingly wide open Mulligan in the back of the end zone, every linebacker was chasing Bradford rolling to the right like he was Vick racing towards the pylon. Nobody saw Mulligan run past their face and set up shop in the back of the end zone praying that Bradford saw him. Reviewing today’s red zone performance and growing from it will be key for Washington as the road they face doesn’t get any easier.

Sep 19, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan yells at an official during the first half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

Penalties. Penalties. Penalties.

Washington has the ball with 4:54 remaining in the 4th quarter and Trent Williams is called for holding on 2nd down. Now faced with 2nd & 20, Washington is forced to change their game plan to move the ball and eventually get forced into a 3 &out. You cannot afford to have wasted possessions in the 4th quarter when you are trying to come back from behind. That holding penalty destroyed any chance Washington had to have a relaxed drive to attempt to win the game. Thanks to the defense getting a stop, the Skins had a 2nd opportunity but we all know that’s not always the case. If S. Jackson is on the field, would there have been a fumble?

Josh Morgan…the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty doesn’t bother me. In a physical game where there was pushing and shoving all game, when you get pushed in the head by a defender, you are supposed to be angry. There is no excuse whatsoever though for throwing the football at a defender. If you want to show your frustration, get up and bark in his face…anything but throw the football at him especially on 3rd down. If he had not drawn that penalty would Washington have won the game? Maybe. Is Josh Morgan’s penalty the reason Washington lost the game? No, there were many contributing factors. However, his penalty is the reason that the Redskins weren’t able to take full advantage of their last scoring opportunity and that ended up being the miscue that hurt the team the most.

Rookie play

I think that these two games are enough for Washington to stop playing like they are scared for Griffin III to be tackled. This is football and football plays have to be made as often as possible. I understand that Griffin III prefers to stay behind the line of scrimmage and throw the ball, but part of being a great quarterback is understanding what is necessary for every situation. There were a few plays in which it would’ve been best for him to take of and run but ended up resulting in throwing the ball away. Griffin needs to take advantage of all running opportunities so that he can get adjusted to the speed of the NFL as soon as possible. I am positive that this will make reading the field for him as easy as it was in college.

Morris had another strong performance. He tallied up 89 yards on 16 carries which comes out to be 5.6 yards per carry. With an average like that and your team playing with the lead most of the game, there should have been a lot more of #46 touching the ball. Washington did not do a good job of controlling the ball like they did vs New Orleans and the results of that were obvious. If the Redskins are going to trust Morris as their starting running back then they have to use him as if he were amongst the elite in the NFL. It is unacceptable to have a running back average 5.6 yards per carry and only run the ball 16 times. Unacceptable.

Sep 19, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris (46) rushes for a first down against the St. Louis Rams during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams defeated the Redskins 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

Overall, the Redskins are moving in the right direction. They aren’t showing the struggles to score like they have in the past and it is refreshing. I got tired of not having free toppings on my Papa John’s pizza on Mondays! The defense needs to find their identity quickly because the last thing Washington needs is to become a scoring machine with an unreliable defense. At the end of the day, there is always something a team can point to in a loss and say, “We need to work on this.” There are always aspects of the game that could use some fine tuning. What I saw yesterday was a team that refused to back down, refused to stop fighting and refused to lose. I saw faces of disappointment after the game which means that there has been a change for the better in Washington. This team expects to win and is equipped to do it. Keep your heads up Redskins Nation, the future of the Burgundy & Gold is in good hands.

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