1. Gotta love the Experts
Isn’t it great listening to all the gloom and doom the prior to the game? Merrill Hodge, on ESPN’s Sunday Matchup was certain the Redskins would score no more than 10 points and would fall to the might Arizona Cardinals. He cited a lack of production from RB Stephen Davis and a multiple failures in the redzone. Hodge wasn’t alone. Powerpolls from most of the media outlets listed the Redskins in the bottom ten teams in the NFL. Keep up the good work boys!
2. Con-way
‘No coach, it’s just a cramp – I’ll be fine.’ Brett Conway should have business cards printed with this slogan! For years, Conway has managed to kick well enough in ‘workouts’ (workouts for a kicker consist of walking, kicking 15 balls and a brisk trott to the showers) to convice the coaching staff he’s able to perform kicking duties for the upcoming game. This week it caught up to him, probably for the last time. I don’t wish injury on any player. But when a player conceals an injury knowing it will hurt his teams’ chances of winning… that’s selfishness.
3. Be on the look out for Levens
One time Green Bay Packers RB Dorsey Levens has a new home in Philadelphia. The Eagles lost part-time starter Correll Buckhalter in the beginning days of training camp. Since then, Levens has been very productive. Levens runs well, inside, outside, catches the ball out of the backfield and picks up blitzes. Not a bad pick up for a guy nobody seemed to want. Duce Staley is still dangerous, but we’ve seen him for years. I would imagine the Skins will dig up all the game tape they can find on Mr. Levens.
4. As OG’s improve, so will the O
As Brenden Stai settles in as the starting RG next to Jon Jansen. David Loverne stepped in to start at LG. While the overall line play was solid against the Cards. The O line will need time together, working through the changes. Larry Moore was very steady in the middle. The Cards were unable to get consistent pressure last week, but the Eagles will bring multiple blitz packages including their corners and safties. With each game, our offensive line will need to improve – so far, so good.
5. Gardner, Thompson and Lockett
Early in training camp, I was convinced the Skins needed help at WR. To my great surprise and enjoyment – we don’t need help at all. Derrius Thompson was relegated to special teams duties, and fought injuries last season. This year, he’s elevated his game to that of a legitimate starter. Rod Gardner proved he could play last year – and he’s even better this year. Gardner and Thompson are big, physical receivers. Sixth year man, Kevin Lockett has done a great job of catching everything thrown his way. This is a very talented group of pass catchers – they’re going to cause plenty of problems for even the most talented secondary units.
6. Johnny U, in the huddle with God
One of the greatest things I’ve ever heard said about any player was: ‘When Unitas was in the huddle, it was like being in the huddle with God.’ Several of his teammates said it for many years. His strong, calm, father-like personna lead the Baltimore Colts for over a decade.
Yesterday, the great Johnny Unitas passed away as the result of a heart attack at the age of 69. While the peak of his career was slightly before my time, his heroics are well documented by the folks at NFL Films. For those too young to remember, watch for his highlights and clips. For those lucky enough to have seen him play live, you know already – Johnny Unitas IS in the huddle with God.
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database. It was originally posted by Scott Moore