[SFREDSKIN]

Excellent as usual:

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Thoughts and observations from the Washington Redskins 31-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys:

1. Colt McCoy can play better than he did Thursday. He’ll have to. The reality is he still hasn’t practiced with the starters considering all they had was a walk-through. So, yes, I think he is capable of better games. The question is: By how much? The two areas I wondered about with McCoy were turnovers and durability. He wants to make big plays and will sometimes force passes. The beauty of Alex Smith is that he often did not and therefore limited turnovers. I know players – Vernon Davis/Jordan Reed – have told me McCoy has a strong arm, it’s more about his anticipation and throwing with a lot of trust. So the ball arrives quick in the receiver’s mind, but it’s more about timing than pure strength. “I was a little rusty,” McCoy said afterward. It was evident in the pocket when maybe he wasn’t as comfortable and on some of the reads. But what I love about McCoy is the competitiveness. Despite an up-and-down game he doesn’t wilt. That will help him moving forward. I know I’ve written a lot about his knowledge and work ethic; but those traits don’t guarantee success. It could just mean he’ll be a hell of an analyst or coach someday. But it does give him a chance to look better than he did Thursday.

2. My problem with the early throwing (nine of first 11 plays) wasn’t as much how many they called -- though I did think they were overly aggressive. Rather, it’s the fact that they just don’t execute play-action passes all that well anymore. On the first play from scrimmage, for example, there’s no hard fake and the linebackers never moved forward. These are fast linebackers, mind you. Allowing them to drop into coverage without a good fake is difficult. Sure enough, Jaylon Smith almost intercepted a pass that shouldn’t have been thrown. But you see that too often. It’s also about slowing the rush, but on a play like this you want the lane cleared and it wasn’t. Play action absolutely does not rely on a team running the ball well. If you have some level of commitment to the run and you can sell it – through formation, action of the play -- teams must honor and it works. This really isn't connected here, but just figure it's worth saying how much they'll be helped by Chris Thompson's return (I'm guessing for the Eagles game). Not just with the ball in his hands, but in protection. Kapri Bibbs has done a nice job and, when it comes time to cut one of the five backs, I would keep him. He can help on third downs or first down. Trey Quinn is a good player; not a game breaker at this point and may never be, but tough and definitely helps. I like how he creates separation on his routes. On his touchdown, he leaned into the defender as if cutting one way and broke free the other. I forgot this summer how savvy I thought he was running routes.

3. If the run game doesn’t improve, the Redskins’ offense has no chance to be effective. There were a couple times Sunday where I wondered: What would Derrius Guice do with that hole? Adrian Peterson looked a bit slower on some of the bounces. But after I watched a few more of his runs, I felt it was a lot about Dallas’ speed at inside linebacker than anything. Dallas’ defense is good in part because of Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch; both are fast and instinctive. The Redskins have speed, toughness and instincts at linebacker, but not always in the same person. It makes a difference. On one run in which Peterson cut off left tackle Smith was there about three yards off the ball. Peterson probably should have just bulled forward and gained four yards. He tried to bounce wide. He gained two. Smith made him look slower. However, Peterson had injured his shoulder in pass protection earlier in the game and that also could have impacted his decision to try and bounce, avoiding more possible damage.

4. Yes, losing right guard Brandon Scherff has made a big difference in the run game. There were enough missed blocks, especially early in the game that made it difficult to run. It wasn’t just by Scherff’s replacement, Tony Bergstrom, it was by center Chase Roullier and right tackle Morgan Moses and others. On one Peterson sweep to the left, receiver Josh Doctson turned inside because he was going to crack the end. But tight end Jeremy Sprinkle blocked him instead. So Doctson looked for someone to block and couldn’t find anyone. Meanwhile, the safety was the one unblocked and made the tackle for no gain. I don’t know who had the breakdown, but it cost the Redskins a possible four- or five-yard gain. That’s not a lot, but for a team that needs to be in positive down and distance, it’s a bigger deal.

5. I love the jet sweep action in the run game, but it hasn’t made a lot of difference lately. Early in the year you could see a couple defenders widen on the action, but Dallas did not. On a jet action early in the game for example, only the outside linebacker moved as Maurice Harris ran that way. Nobody else did. It left everyone in good position to fill their gap. The problem is, Harris just isn’t a threat on this play. That’s not his fault; he’s doing what he’s asked. But he’s not fast, or even quick and shifty. It’s not a strength. If he gets the ball, there’s not much threat and a guy like Smith, who might have widened with a different target, can recover if Harris gets the ball. When you run that play with a fast player? There’s danger and it opens gaps. The Redskins just don’t have that guy now. Add it to the offseason wish list. They need a healthy Paul Richardson (has been an issue in his career) and another fast player. Problem is, let’s say Alex Smith does start the season. That means Smith, Richardson and another newcomer in the pass game wouldn’t have worked together in the offseason. Not ideal.

6. I don’t understand why the Redskins did not have corner Josh Norman travel with Amari Cooper. Maybe not on every play but more. And I know that Cooper caught a couple passes on Norman. He’s an excellent route runner and too often crossed up a corner. He did it to Norman on an early third down, getting inside him when Norman was trying to keep him outside. He also did it to Quinton Dunbar on the 40-yard touchdown. Just beautiful footwork. But Norman at least makes tackles after the catch. That’s not a knock on Dunbar, who is still dealing with his shin/nerve injury. He hasn’t been 100 percent and defending someone such as Cooper with excellent short yardage moves has to be difficult. “He creates space with the route running he has,” Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott said after the game. Indeed he does. The Redskins do not have a receiver close to him. Still, his longest gain before Thursday was 24 yards. He had a 40-yard score and a 90-yard score and while you can credit him for getting open, the defensive backs botched it big time too. Dunbar didn’t miss a tackle as much as he stumbled after getting crossed. The Redskins need to keep adding corners to make sure they have better depth if nothing else. They don’t have it now.

7. But the Redskins also needed stronger safety play from Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. After the game, coach Jay Gruden said Clinton-Dix has helped with communication, etc. But on at least two touchdowns he was the last guy and failed. I’m not sure where he was on the 40-yarder (actually, I know he was near the sideline; not sure why because no one was over there. But I don’t know his job on that play). The Redskins entered the season thinking they possibly had a long-term safety in Montae Nicholson. They won’t exit the same way. Maybe they re-sign Clinton-Dix, but at what cost? And what’s the impact? In some games he’s been fine and wasn’t the issue. Will wait until the final five games to fully judge; he’s still new.

8. If you want hope, it’s still along the defensive line. It’s not just Matt Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, it’s also Tim Settle. I know he needed work on his technique early in the season, but damn that kid is quick off the ball. I can’t believe they couldn’t find a few snaps for him earlier considering how much they were using the main three. None of those three had played that much in an NFL season and there’s a natural wearing down. The run game in nickel depends so much on them getting off blocks that you’d like to keep them fresh – like they do with the outside linebackers (rotating them sometimes too often). But this group up front can be very good. I know the run D has been bad lately, but a lot of that is on the linebackers or defensive backs. On some runs Thursday they were caught in a corner blitz with the safety rotating to cover the bubble – and a gap opened that Dallas exploited. When the linebackers can’t attack the line, the run D suffers (vs. Dallas the first time, one would delay and another would attack to slow Elliott). And if the linemen aren’t getting off blocks, then it’s even harder. They can’t do it every time and need help from others. Regardless, it’s a terrific base. The key will be developing other areas.

9. Based on conversations this summer, it seemed the redskins wanted to keep Preston Smith hungry which is one reason he wasn’t signed early. They wanted to see more. Smith has played well of late and if he hits the open market he’ll get a damn good deal. He’s only 26 so he’s just entering his prime; he’s talented and long and can play the run or rush the passer. He’s not Khalil Mack or Von Miller, but he’s good. There’s a dropoff when he’s not in the game. That’s why he’d be hard to replace; you can draft someone but how long will it take that player to develop? They tried that by letting Brian Orakpo go and then getting Smith. It takes time. But will they want to pay him what the market might suggest? Even if they re-sign him, I’d still draft another outside linebacker for depth purposes if nothing else; get some speed on the edge. Overall, the Redskins do not have a fast team in an era where offenses are being more creative and using the entire field and putting defenders in more stress. Again, look at Dallas’ inside linebackers. They can play a certain way because they can recover. Heck, that speed issue is on both sides of the ball. Get more.

10. I know there were some missed calls. The Redskins did not lose because of them. Until you make tackles that don’t lead to touchdowns of 40 and 90 yards and don’t turn the ball over three times, you can’t look at anyone but yourself for a loss. I’m not into conspiracy theories; I’m not into karma. I’m into knowing that good organizations win over time. The Redskins can’t move past a certain level for a reason and it’s not because of the men in stripes. That said, the NFL has gone out of its way to protect quarterbacks and called some ticky-tack fouls on pass rushers. Yet somehow Jordan Reed gets drilled in the head in the open field and nothing is called? This isn’t about whether it cost the Redskins – again, 40, 90, 3-- but if you’re trying to protect players then you have to make that call. It was quite an easy call; it was botched.