Redskins Reality Checks: Team loses game, Alex Smith, but not hope
By Tim Payne
The Redskins future was altered Sunday at FedEx Field. But what will it mean? The Redskins’ Reality hasn’t been this cloudy for a long while.
Before the game on Sunday, there were a few things I knew *for sure* as a Washington Redskins fan. Alex Smith was the quarterback for the next three years at least. Jay Gruden was highly unlikely to remain as coach if the team didn’t make the playoffs this year. The pair of them were gradually (if much too gradually) developing chemistry. The team had a solid and reliable backup quarterback, just in case. The identity of the team was as follows: Solid special teams, bend-but-don’t-break defense, win the turnover battle. The offense didn’t have the firepower to come back from two scores behind, but would rarely make back-breaking mistakes.
By the end of the game, the Redskins’ reality was much less clear. Vernon Davis had dropped two passes, making major contributions to a two-score deficit. Jordan Reed made another route mistake, leading to Smith’s pick-six and taking the Redskins back to a 10-point deficit after they had cut the lead to three, and were about to take the lead or at least tie the game.
Smith’s horrific broken leg muddies the future quarterback plans for this team. Joe Theismann had almost the exact same injury 33 years ago, to the day, and he never took another snap. Colt McCoy came in and gave the offense a spark, leading them from 10 points down to ultimately take the lead in the fourth quarter.
Behind McCoy, the Redskins’ identity will certainly change for this season and have more explosiveness… both positively and possibly negatively. Any fan who watched that second half has to have a little bit of hope that the Redskins can yet grind out an NFC East title this year. The Redskins not only don’t have a solid backup quarterback, now… they have Mark Sanchez as their backup quarterback.
On top of it all, does losing his starting quarterback give Jay Gruden yet another reprieve, even if his team finds a way to lose the division they were so close to clinching? One thing is for certain: The next six weeks are going to be interesting. Let’s put a bow on Week 11 with a look back at the Redskins Reality Checks.