Oh HAIL yes.
I don't care that we're still 2 games under .500 right now; all that matters is the taste of those sweet, sweet Cowboy tears. I will say that Romo's injury makes them a bit salty for my liking--never want to see a guy get seriously hurt, no matter how much it might help a team I'm pulling for. And I do hope Romo is perfectly okay, because I don't want to hear any excuses when Dallas ends up 8-8 and gets trampled by a 'skins team streaking toward the playoffs!
Ahem. Right. Let's pump the brakes a little here. Long, long... long way to go for that. However, things are definitely looking up, and there's potential for a nice little stretch here with Vikings, Bye, and Tampa Bay on the upcoming slate.
Now, before we get to the bullet-list/rundown (gundown?) below, we have to tackle what is almost certainly foremost in every 'skins-fan's mind (even though we should be thinking about how awesome-tastic Breeland looked, not to mention the beast of a game Meriweather threw together).
That's right. The QB position.
What to do? Well, if it's just about the team, it's easy: play Colt until Griffin is ready. Like I said last week, not a controversy. But now that McCoy has engineered a win over Dallas (he's undefeated as a 'skin, by the way), it doesn't seem that simple.
What if Colt keeps winning? What if Griffin isn't 100%? What if Griffin looks impotent again--do we go back to McCoy?
We're getting ahead of ourselves, but I'll wager the coaches have thought about all this and more. And they've probably come up with the same solutions I'm about to mention (among others). The way I see it, the following three options seem "cleanest."
1) Start RG3 right away against the Vikings (so long as he's acceptably healthy).
If the guy is ready to play, I'm on board with this for a number of reasons. Like it or not, fan/media opinions will have their effects, positive and negative, and right now Colt is riding high. Before he potentially shoots into the stratosphere by feasting on 2 weak teams, let your franchise guy swoop in and vulture those wins (we can only hope they're wins), re-ingratiating himself with the DC fans (and perhaps the team as well, if locker-room divisions exist).
On the other hand...
2)Ride Colt until the horseshoes come off.
As noted earlier, McCoy is undefeated. Playing the hot hand here is tricky, even if we're still in nothing-to-lose territory. It only seems fair to let Colt notch a loss before he gets the hook, but the late-season schedule complicates things. Also, Gruden has said RG3 is the starter when healthy, and you don't want to go against your word (especially not as a new coach who is just starting to get traction). If going this route, it will be important to convince Griffin (and Danny Boy Snyder) that the franchise QB's best interests are being served. A bit more time to heal and strengthen certainly can't hurt Bobby G at this point, whether it's knees, ankles, or some hyper-fragile mutant joint most humans don't even have.
Aside from all this, we have McCoy. Colt has shown more moxie and composure in 1.5 games than our other QBs combined. The NoFunLeague is not a the-kid-deserves-a-shot type of enterprise, but still... if he gets 2-8 more starts, he'll have earned them. Regardless, the happy medium feels more likely.
3) Start Griffin against the Bucs coming off the Bye (again, if acceptably healthy).
Now, I do think Colt will get the nod against the Vikes, and I also think the 'skins get another tough win. If Colt plays well, that makes the decision a bit harder for Gruden and Co., but the schedule here is critical. You hate to switch QBs when one is essentially 3-0, but if the 'skins win against TB with McCoy under center, the situation only gets murkier. Say he's 4-0 going into the 49er game. Tough time to toss Griffin into the lineup cold. Better for Colt to start that one (and maybe lose) if he's still doing well.
But say he wins. Now everyone in DC is pretty happy, right? And we're over .500. Are you really going to yank a (currently undefeated) guy named Colt right before you go to Indianapolis? And do you really want Griffin squaring off against Luck in his first game back? Maybe you do--that D suddenly looked very suspect against the Steelers--but to me, this game is plastered in bad juju if it's RG3's comeback.
Anyway, you see where I'm going with this. If McCoy's the starter going to Indy and plays well, I don't see how you pull him after that without making a lot of noise. The remaining slate is Rams, @NYG, Philly, and Dallas. Say we're 6-6 with a close loss to Indy. I think we've waited too long to pull Colt unless he lost the Colts game for us. And I mean really shit the stable, especially with playoffs on the table (though winning out with Griffin could spin him as the hero of this fable).
Long term, the converse is worse--RG3 takes the 'skins budding playoff chances and stomps them out with his cleats. Sure, it's up to him and the team to produce wins whenever he plays, and if he wins out, he'll be celebrated. But if Colt's 5-1 or so, and you pull him and thrust Griffin into 4 must-win games... just seems like it's setting Bobby up to fail. He'd absolutely have to engineer at least a split in those games to avoid alienating the fans in that situation.
The layers of this decision--the fans, RG3's future, temporary team success, locker room solidarity, etc.--make it tougher than it should be. In short, if Colt keeps playing and keeps winning, things look bad for Griffin. The bad gets exacerbated if Griffin plays and loses. But the other side of the coin is that RG3 is golden if he can latch onto McCoy's little winning streak and keep it going.
Obviously this is all moot if Colt falters against the Vikes. But regardless of his success, I think starting Bobby G sooner rather than later is the way to go if he's still the 'skins future at QB. If you lose the fanbase (see: Matt Schaub) things can go downhill fast, and RG has some work to do to get DC back in his pocket. I'd like to see him get the chance to do it.
That said, you won't hear any rational complaints if Colt takes us to 11-5 (or even 9-7).
Woof. Enough about QBs. Lets get to the list.
Good:
- The run game. Not a blistering showing, but successful.
- The blocking. Much improved. Polumbus was inactive. Coincidence?
- DJax. Still doing what he does. Would call his night great, but (perhaps unfairly) we expect this of him.
- Colt McCoy's rush TD. Way to sell out!
- 3rd and 4th downs. 7-15 overall with the big 4th down play. Could have been better, but I'll call it good.
- Kerrigan. Just a muffed fumble-recovery from greatness. Awesome sack to end the 1st half.
Great:
- Haslett's game-plan (and sticking to the blitz when it worked). Looked like an extra man came around 60% of the time. Loved the extra aggression, and it paid dividends.
- Great job by the D allowing the blitz to keep coming. You have to make a defense pay for blitzing; Dallas didn't.
- Meriweather: 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. Again! Again!
- Breeland.
- Breeland.
- Did I mention Breeland?
- That strip of Murray in the red zone. (Breeland)
- Hot damn, now that's how you seal a game. (Breeland)
Meh:
- A number of Colt's 1st half throws, including the INT and the end-zone miss to an open Roberts.
- Missed opportunities. Early in the game, when the 'skins got a few fortuitous possessions in Dallas territory, we only came away with 3 points. Tough to win that way.
- Missed opportunities (again). Deserves a second mention. On 2 drives, one in the 2nd and one in the 4th, the 'skins took penalties and sacks that backed them out of field goal range. Can't afford those.
All right sports fans, that's enough for this week. Catch you after the Vikings game. Lots of work to do, but let's get to 4-5. Go 'skins.
I don't care that we're still 2 games under .500 right now; all that matters is the taste of those sweet, sweet Cowboy tears. I will say that Romo's injury makes them a bit salty for my liking--never want to see a guy get seriously hurt, no matter how much it might help a team I'm pulling for. And I do hope Romo is perfectly okay, because I don't want to hear any excuses when Dallas ends up 8-8 and gets trampled by a 'skins team streaking toward the playoffs!
Ahem. Right. Let's pump the brakes a little here. Long, long... long way to go for that. However, things are definitely looking up, and there's potential for a nice little stretch here with Vikings, Bye, and Tampa Bay on the upcoming slate.
Now, before we get to the bullet-list/rundown (gundown?) below, we have to tackle what is almost certainly foremost in every 'skins-fan's mind (even though we should be thinking about how awesome-tastic Breeland looked, not to mention the beast of a game Meriweather threw together).
That's right. The QB position.
What to do? Well, if it's just about the team, it's easy: play Colt until Griffin is ready. Like I said last week, not a controversy. But now that McCoy has engineered a win over Dallas (he's undefeated as a 'skin, by the way), it doesn't seem that simple.
What if Colt keeps winning? What if Griffin isn't 100%? What if Griffin looks impotent again--do we go back to McCoy?
We're getting ahead of ourselves, but I'll wager the coaches have thought about all this and more. And they've probably come up with the same solutions I'm about to mention (among others). The way I see it, the following three options seem "cleanest."
1) Start RG3 right away against the Vikings (so long as he's acceptably healthy).
If the guy is ready to play, I'm on board with this for a number of reasons. Like it or not, fan/media opinions will have their effects, positive and negative, and right now Colt is riding high. Before he potentially shoots into the stratosphere by feasting on 2 weak teams, let your franchise guy swoop in and vulture those wins (we can only hope they're wins), re-ingratiating himself with the DC fans (and perhaps the team as well, if locker-room divisions exist).
On the other hand...
2)Ride Colt until the horseshoes come off.
As noted earlier, McCoy is undefeated. Playing the hot hand here is tricky, even if we're still in nothing-to-lose territory. It only seems fair to let Colt notch a loss before he gets the hook, but the late-season schedule complicates things. Also, Gruden has said RG3 is the starter when healthy, and you don't want to go against your word (especially not as a new coach who is just starting to get traction). If going this route, it will be important to convince Griffin (and Danny Boy Snyder) that the franchise QB's best interests are being served. A bit more time to heal and strengthen certainly can't hurt Bobby G at this point, whether it's knees, ankles, or some hyper-fragile mutant joint most humans don't even have.
Aside from all this, we have McCoy. Colt has shown more moxie and composure in 1.5 games than our other QBs combined. The NoFunLeague is not a the-kid-deserves-a-shot type of enterprise, but still... if he gets 2-8 more starts, he'll have earned them. Regardless, the happy medium feels more likely.
3) Start Griffin against the Bucs coming off the Bye (again, if acceptably healthy).
Now, I do think Colt will get the nod against the Vikes, and I also think the 'skins get another tough win. If Colt plays well, that makes the decision a bit harder for Gruden and Co., but the schedule here is critical. You hate to switch QBs when one is essentially 3-0, but if the 'skins win against TB with McCoy under center, the situation only gets murkier. Say he's 4-0 going into the 49er game. Tough time to toss Griffin into the lineup cold. Better for Colt to start that one (and maybe lose) if he's still doing well.
But say he wins. Now everyone in DC is pretty happy, right? And we're over .500. Are you really going to yank a (currently undefeated) guy named Colt right before you go to Indianapolis? And do you really want Griffin squaring off against Luck in his first game back? Maybe you do--that D suddenly looked very suspect against the Steelers--but to me, this game is plastered in bad juju if it's RG3's comeback.
Anyway, you see where I'm going with this. If McCoy's the starter going to Indy and plays well, I don't see how you pull him after that without making a lot of noise. The remaining slate is Rams, @NYG, Philly, and Dallas. Say we're 6-6 with a close loss to Indy. I think we've waited too long to pull Colt unless he lost the Colts game for us. And I mean really shit the stable, especially with playoffs on the table (though winning out with Griffin could spin him as the hero of this fable).
Long term, the converse is worse--RG3 takes the 'skins budding playoff chances and stomps them out with his cleats. Sure, it's up to him and the team to produce wins whenever he plays, and if he wins out, he'll be celebrated. But if Colt's 5-1 or so, and you pull him and thrust Griffin into 4 must-win games... just seems like it's setting Bobby up to fail. He'd absolutely have to engineer at least a split in those games to avoid alienating the fans in that situation.
The layers of this decision--the fans, RG3's future, temporary team success, locker room solidarity, etc.--make it tougher than it should be. In short, if Colt keeps playing and keeps winning, things look bad for Griffin. The bad gets exacerbated if Griffin plays and loses. But the other side of the coin is that RG3 is golden if he can latch onto McCoy's little winning streak and keep it going.
Obviously this is all moot if Colt falters against the Vikes. But regardless of his success, I think starting Bobby G sooner rather than later is the way to go if he's still the 'skins future at QB. If you lose the fanbase (see: Matt Schaub) things can go downhill fast, and RG has some work to do to get DC back in his pocket. I'd like to see him get the chance to do it.
That said, you won't hear any rational complaints if Colt takes us to 11-5 (or even 9-7).
Woof. Enough about QBs. Lets get to the list.
Good:
- The run game. Not a blistering showing, but successful.
- The blocking. Much improved. Polumbus was inactive. Coincidence?
- DJax. Still doing what he does. Would call his night great, but (perhaps unfairly) we expect this of him.
- Colt McCoy's rush TD. Way to sell out!
- 3rd and 4th downs. 7-15 overall with the big 4th down play. Could have been better, but I'll call it good.
- Kerrigan. Just a muffed fumble-recovery from greatness. Awesome sack to end the 1st half.
Great:
- Haslett's game-plan (and sticking to the blitz when it worked). Looked like an extra man came around 60% of the time. Loved the extra aggression, and it paid dividends.
- Great job by the D allowing the blitz to keep coming. You have to make a defense pay for blitzing; Dallas didn't.
- Meriweather: 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery. Again! Again!
- Breeland.
- Breeland.
- Did I mention Breeland?
- That strip of Murray in the red zone. (Breeland)
- Hot damn, now that's how you seal a game. (Breeland)
Meh:
- A number of Colt's 1st half throws, including the INT and the end-zone miss to an open Roberts.
- Missed opportunities. Early in the game, when the 'skins got a few fortuitous possessions in Dallas territory, we only came away with 3 points. Tough to win that way.
- Missed opportunities (again). Deserves a second mention. On 2 drives, one in the 2nd and one in the 4th, the 'skins took penalties and sacks that backed them out of field goal range. Can't afford those.
All right sports fans, that's enough for this week. Catch you after the Vikings game. Lots of work to do, but let's get to 4-5. Go 'skins.
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