Here are 5 quick thoughts I had following the Redskins, ahem, thrilling 19-17 victory over the Titans at Fed Ex on Sunday.
1) The Real McCoy – I don’t know what Colt McCoy’s NFL future looks like, or even if he will start next week against the Cowboys, but I will tell you this – he should. He was sharp coming off the bench, and provided Washington with exactly the right mix of spark and conservativeness. His very first pass hit pay dirt when Pierre Garcon took it 70 yards to the house. Colt showed great poise down the stretch too, especially on the last drive. He finished his first start as a Redskin, 11 of 12 for 128 yards. You could ask nothing more of the young man… near back-up perfection.
2) Kissing Cousins – Kirk looks like he’s lost a very valuable thing along the way in these last few games – his confidence. He looked shellshocked again on Sunday, and that interception was as brutal as any he’s thrown so far (most in the NFL). Captain Kirk may have beamed himself off the USS Redskin for more than just the second half of the Titans game.
3) Trouble at the AlMo? – Alfred Morris struggled again against the Titans, and had just 54 yards on 18 carries. That paltry average indicates two things – one, that the offensive line is playing inconsistently, and two, Morris just isn’t breaking any tackles or making people miss right now. He is literally just gaining what is blocked each time. Wherever that bone crushing mentality went… it better find it’s way back soon, or Alfred might find himself talking to Kirk on the sidelines and watching Silas Redd get a hack at it.
4) Compton Scattering – Ever heard of it? It is an inelastic scattering of a photon by a quasi-free charged particle, usually an electron. Cool huh? It results in a decrease in energy of the photon, called the Compton effect. How does it relate to the Redskins? Well Tom Compton was the “quasi free charged particle” on Sunday, and created his own Compton effect, when he supplanted Tyler Polumbus at right tackle. This resulted in a decrease in energy in the Polumbus photon – potentially scattering it across the NFL universe for the rest of eternity. It’s okay though, the Polumbus photon had already committed a bad holding penalty, and acted as a turnstile on the errant interception throw by Cousins.
5) DY Jelly – Oooooh wee, I love me some DY jelly! DY blocks well, runs well, receives well, and does it all so quietly. He is becoming one of the most complete fullbacks in football. It was good to see him return to action after a couple of games on the shelf. The Redskins backfield needs all the help it can muster right now.
The game itself may have been a bit ugly, but they don’t “rank” the wins and a win is a win. Something a spiraling 1-5 team desperately needed. So enjoy your victory Monday.
Dallas next, so strap in. We all hate us some Cowboys.