5 Bright Spots

[12thMan]

In light of a heart wrenching lost yesterday, I thought bright spots would be appropriate. The theme yesterday was all about individual performances. Whether good, bad, or otherwise it wasn't a team effort. But there were some definite positives. Let's get to it, shall we.


Sean Taylor: Sean Taylor probably should have broken the all time record for interceptions for one game. But two picks 'aint bad at all. I'm starting to get the feeling that Taylor is finding his groove back there at the safety position. Can anyone cover the field in the NFL quite like Sean Taylor? If so, I don't know what planet he's from. It's becoming more and more appearant that his ability to play center field is allowing Coach Williams to be more flexible and gamble more with his schemes up front. Mr. Taylor, keep up the good work. At the very least, we'll see you in Hawaii next year.


Jason Campbell: Statiscally Campbell probably could have had a better game (see dropped balls), but I do get the feeling that he matured a great deal yesterday. If there was one lost that will serve Campbell best in the future, the near future, it will be the one he just played in front of a hostile Green Bay crowd under adverse conditions. The stats and completion percentages will come in time, but what's invaluable is the manner in which Campbell tried to pull his team up by the boot straps yesterday and direct them to a win. In the end, even Campbell's courage couldn't overcome the untimely errors that were committed. I think we have a real gem here guys. Let's keep our fingers crossed that he never makes the cover of Madden.


Chris Cooley: There's no doubt in my mind when Chris Cooley has the ball, he's one of the best TEs in the NFL. After a career yesterday, I'm sure Cooley will start to play a more integral part in our game planning. Time and time again, Cooley has proven to be a threat in either the red zone or moving along the sidelines. As Cooley get's more touches, I think the overall productivity of the offense will benefit.


The Defense (secondary): The defense really has been lights out this year; particularly the secondary. It's unfortunate that two losses have overshadawed how they've kept three top flight quarterbacks in check. (McNabb, Favre, Kitna). Between the emergence of a few holdovers from last season (Rocky McIntosh, Andre Carter, C. Rogers) and Gregg Williams' adjusting his scheme somewhat, this group is playing top notch defense.


Consolation: This was a tough one to take on the chin yesterday, but we should rebound against an ailing Cardinals team. If the Redskins can stay within one game of the Cowboys for a few more weeks, we should be setting ourselves up for, at the very least, a wildcard playoff spot. I have a feeling we'll be seeing those Cheeseheads again in December!

[bigSkinsfan61]

great thread... some of us need that after a heart wrenching loss like yesterday

[MTK]

Taylor had a good game and I'm not trying to nitpick here but the guy should have had 4 picks. Just saying it could have been a different game if he came up with some of those other very catchable picks.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Taylor had a good game and I'm not trying to nitpick here but the guy should have had 4 picks. Just saying it could have been a different game if he came up with some of those other very catchable picks.

Those drops are hard to swallow, man. It just killed us. But I get the feeling he won't be dropping those all season like Carlos did last year.

[EternalEnigma21]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Taylor had a good game and I'm not trying to nitpick here but the guy should have had 4 picks. Just saying it could have been a different game if he came up with some of those other very catchable picks.

i wouldn't sweat it. our receivers couldn't even catch yesterday, so our db's come away with 2 picks... i'm happy with that.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Taylor had a good game and I'm not trying to nitpick here but the guy should have had 4 picks. Just saying it could have been a different game if he came up with some of those other very catchable picks.

He has had 7 total picks in 3 years coming into this season. Yesterday, he doubled his total from ALL of last year.

Now he has 4 on the year. I won't complain.

[warriorzpath]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Taylor had a good game and I'm not trying to nitpick here but the guy should have had 4 picks. Just saying it could have been a different game if he came up with some of those other very catchable picks.

I personally believe that interceptions should not be expected. As long as the db is there in position making plays, then I'm good.

Especially with Taylor's 2 missed interceptions- one was catchable, but the other one was knocked out of his hands by Rogers. It's hard enough to catch the ball as a wr, when you know where the ball is expected to be thrown to. Just ask the redskins receivers from the packers game.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Taylor had a good game and I'm not trying to nitpick here but the guy should have had 4 picks. Just saying it could have been a different game if he came up with some of those other very catchable picks.

His second INT was interesting because it seemed like a blown coverage at first. Favre and Jennings really miscommunicated on that play and the result was a bad underthrow. If they had been on the same plays, it seemed like Taylor was late getting over, pretty much to the point of a blown coverage.

But because the ball WAS underthrown, it allowed Taylor to use his superior athleticism to come over and make a great play.

His instincts at the position just seem off, but he may be the best athlete I've ever seen at the safety position. That pretty much makes up for not totally grasping the position yet.

And the good news is that hes not done learning yet.

[mheisig]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Taylor had a good game and I'm not trying to nitpick here but the guy should have had 4 picks. Just saying it could have been a different game if he came up with some of those other very catchable picks.

At the same time, what did the offense do with the two picks that Taylor DID get? Jack squat. Who knows what could have happened had he pulled in all four of them, but we sure didn't capitalize on the two that he did manage to get us.

Massively wasted opportunities. What better time to light a fire under your team and rack up some game-clinching points then when your D comes up big and takes the ball away. I almost feel bad for Taylor, like he worked his ass off and nobody did anything with it.

[GridIron26]

Well done

[SouperMeister]

I say the D as a whole is a very bright spot. The back 7 might be among the very best in the NFL. I feel that the D-line play is a significant bright spot, and has been much, much better than expected. Anthony Montgomery is a legit player, allowing us to rotate Golsten. Andre Carter seems to get a sack every game now. Griffin is still solid in the middle, and Chris Wilson may prove to be a nice find as a situational pass rusher.

[Hog1]

I was posting some good stuff on another thread, but I overlooked. Our D is playing kick ass shut down stuff. THIS time, it was against a pretty good! NOT a questionable offense.
That's big

[redsk1]

Well done...

I'm usually pretty mad after a "we let one get away" game. For some reason I wasn't. The reason I wasn't is b/c I was impressed by a couple positives that you mentioned. Most notably:

JC's performance. I thought he had a great game in a tough place to play and adverse conditions. With really no running game & a patchwork at best o-line JC made some great throws. Several of those great throws were not caught, but JC really stepped up.

Sean Taylor and the D are for real. We're going to win 9+ games this year no doubt w/ this type of defense.

Bad outcome and their are definately some huge concerns but hey after next week we could be 4-2.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Yes, that will cure all ills.

And mark it down, we will beat NE. How? I don't know. We just will.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

Yes, that will cure all ills.

And mark it down, we will beat NE. How? I don't know. We just will.

I'm definitely feeling an upset in New England. I don't think it's out of the question at all.

Look, we've bottled up some teams that have put up points before playing us and after they played us the following week. Our defense is the real deal.