In the first preseason game of the 2011 season, the Washington Redskins defeated the powerhouse Pittsburgh Steelers 16-7.
I'm writing this later in the week in hopes of refreshing the memories of Redskins fans, as we gear up for our next test against the Indy Colts.
While no one should put too much emphasis on this first preseason game performance, there are some things that fans should have been excited about, on both sides of the ball.
Let's start with the first offensive drive of the game against most of the Steelers' starting defense (minus marquee players James Harrison and Troy Polamalu). With John Beck sidelined with an injury, Rex Grossman started the game.
And boy did he start the game.
On the first drive, Grossman went 5/6 with 53 yards, completing passes to four different receivers. He got the ball out quickly and crisply, delivering accurate throws all over the field.
Part of Grossman's success had to do with the hard-running of newly-acquired Tim Hightower. On that first drive alone, Hightower ran with purpose for 30 yards on four carries, showing little sign of the "bumblin' fumblin" style he was infamous for in Arizona.
However, the drive stalled inside the 10-yard line, which resulted in a field goal attempt. Newly acquired, ex-Patriot Shayne Graham missed the 29-yard attempt, a sight all to familiar in Washington. Graham is now an ex-Redskin.
Luckily for Redskin fans the defense proved to be stout against the run, while putting pressure on the quarterback. The first two Steeler drives were halted by sacks on third down: Kenny Barnes tackled Ben Roethlisberger on the first drive, and ex-Cowboy Stephen Bowen got Byron Leftwich on the second drive.
There were two scoring drives in the first half: one for each team and both coming late in the second quarter. Grossman, who ended up playing the entire first half, connected with Santana Moss for an 8-yard touchdown with 5:54 to go in the half. On that drive, Rex again went 5/6, completing passes to three different players for a total of 76 yards.
So enough play-by-play. What should we focus on in the upcoming week against the Peyton-less Colts?
1) The defense: can the D hold up once again against a top-tier offensive scheme? They only allowed one touchdown, while forcing the Steelers to begin the game 0/5 on third down: quite the statement. Newcomers Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen made an impact, with Cofield providing push from the nose tackle position and Bowen off the edge. Can first-round pick Ryan Kerrigan build on the three tackles he had against the Steelers?
2) The quarterback position: John Beck is slated to start the game for the Skins this Friday. How much playing-time will he see? Will Rex respond after a stellar first preseason game where he posted a 109 quarterback-rating?
3) The rookies: Evan Royster was hands down the most effective rookie on the field against the Steelers. Royster (the Northern Virginia-product) was consistently running downhill, hitting the holes created by his offensive line. His 15 carries for 66 yards led the team. Will Royster steal the show again this week? Or will Cornhusker Roy Helu build on a solid first preseason game where he saw 8 carries for 28 yards?
4) Special teams: With Shayne Graham off the squad, can Graham Gano instill confidence in his teammates and fans? Or will he turn out to be the kicker he was last season, missing six field goals in the team's final seven games? Let's hope he can channel his college days when he won the Lou Groza award for the nation's best place kicker.
The bottom line is, although it's preseason, the team as a whole looked good. We gained 452 yards on offense, allowed only 152 on defense, and most importantly, gave up zero sacks. That's right. Neither Grossman nor Kellen Clemens were sacked.
Call me optimistic, but I was happy with how the team played.
Next week, I will highlight the secondary and wide receivers, in addition to other key happenings in the game against the Colts.
(Jonathan Wigginton is the Chat Sports Senior Writer for the Washington Redskins)
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