Two teams separated by less than 40 miles and only three wins last season completed vastly different preseasons tonight. The Washington Redskins went 1-3, being outscored in the first half of their games by a combined score of 61-20 (0-13 @ Ravens, 3-10 v. Steelers, 17-17 v. Patriots, 0-21 @ Jaguars). The Ravens first and second team offense and defense posted impressive halftime scores, earning a combined edge of 55-13 (13-0 v. Redskins, 21-7 v. Jets, 14-3 @ Panthers, 7-3 @ Falcons).
Those scores are backed up by the stats. The Ravens surprised the league by going 11-5 last year and making it to the AFC Championship Game before being ousted by the eventual Super Bowl Champions. Many wonder whether Joe Flacco will suffer a sophomore slump after a rookie campaign in which he improved greatly as the season progressed. The preseason offensive stats for the Ravens starters (about four quarters total), Flacco included, are quite impressive:
Flacco QB - 40/61 for 470 yards, a TD and no INTs. Sacked twice without any fumbles.
Rice RB - 21 carries for 83 yards, 1 TD, 12 receptions for 108 yards
McGahee RB - 18 carries for 65 yards, 1 TD
Mason WR - 10 receptions for 146 yards
Washington WR - 6 receptions for 119 yards
Heap TE - 5 receptions for 46 yards, 1 TD
The Redskins counterparts show an offense with no discernable identity:
Campbell QB - 21/41 for 290 yards, no TDs, INTs, sacks or fumbles
Portis RB - 11 carries for 34 yards
Betts RB - 11 carries for 21 yards, 2 receptions for 24 yards
Cartwright RB - 17 carries for 67 yards, 2 receptions for 7 yards
Moss WR - 5 receptions for 56 yards
Cooley TE - 4 receptions for 108 yards (including a 73-yarder)
The Redskins are entering their second season with head coach and offensive coordinator Jim Zorn. After a 5-3 start last season, the Redskins offense stalled over the last half of the season, sputtering to an 8-8 record. This preseason, the Redskins showed many of the same conservative tendencies that crippled their offense last season. Defensively, the team is solid, especially on the line.
The Ravens are entering their second season with head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. In the preseason they ran a reverse and a statue of liberty play (for a touchdown). The offense moved the ball crisply and easily. The defense is still the defense.
Will the preseason carry over the regular season? Will the Ravens be overconfident going into their season opener hosting Kansas City? Will the Redskins show up at the Meadowlands against the Giants?
13 Responses:
I agree with you on the Ravens being better than the Skins, but I object to trying to derive anything from preseason results or stats. They just don't matter at all.
You're kidding, right? You're actually trying to judge the Redskins based on their preseason stats? How about this one--the last time the Redskins won the Super Bowl, they went 1-3 in the preseason. Also, how about this number--the Detroit Lions were 4-0 last preaseason, before going winless in the regular season. In other words, GET A LIFE--THE PRESEASON IS MEANINGLESS. You can't predict regular season success from the results of preseason. This article is a JOKE.
I totally disagree. The RECORDS mean nothing in teh preseason. First half statistics are meaningful, especially for teams that are improving or in flux. A team like the Patriots knows what they have and do not need to learn anything from the preseason. A team like the Redskins needs to build confidence after staggering to the finish last season. They can't afford to just vanilla it up and go full bore in Week 1 against a division opponent. That 1-3, and more importantly those statistics, ARE meaningful.
Unfortunately, I agree with J-Red.
Also, the recent series in the Post about the Skins ticketing policies, and how they love to sue their fans, has pretty much ended whatever allegiance I had left to the Skins. I think I'm a 49ers and Falcons fan this year...
J-Red, that's why you would never make a good coach in the NFL. What team wants to show their whole playbook to their regular season opponents during the preseason? That would be stupid. Preseason is about getting personnel ready for game tempo, not about game planning. And as far as stats go, I thought Jason Campbell looked very good in the last two preseason games. And, if you didn't, then you didn't watch the games.
What happened to the strategy of boosting the Redskins ego so that you could laugh diabolically later as the season falls to pieces?
J-Red, I'm with you on the idea that the preseason means something. Just because we may not want to watch, attend or cover the games, it doesn't mean that they have little meaning.
Having the Giants' beat over the last few years for a weekly paper, it's clear to see the value of preseason for certain players. The preseason is all about determining depth beyond the starters and even the regularly-rotated players. Certainly, you don't want to risk guys on playing too much in the preseason (for the Giants, keeping Brandon Jacobs off the field after the 1st Q. of each game was CRUCIAL for the long run, considering the kind of runner he is). Yet, you want to make sure that the players that would move up on the depth chart in case of injury are capable of performing against the schemes that opposing coordinators will throw at them.
Yet, I think you keyed in on why the preseason matters for some rather than others; confidence in the system and personnel. The reason why so many teams struggle throughout the year is a lack of stability. If you are changing your parts every season (or in other sports, half-season), it's hard to have continuity in the long-run. New players, new coaches and managers, new terminology, etc.
The teams that have the most success for more than a season are the teams that not only have a core of players, a core within the front office and those guys with the headsets. Those teams such as the Patriots, Eagles, Colts, Giants, Steelers, Ravens, etc. have that stability, even if there might be a major defection in the roster or on the sidelines. Washington isn't unlike other teams with stability issues such as Detroit, San Fran, Oakland and to some degree, Dallas and San Diego. So these games are about building that confidence, even if most people say they couldn't care less about them.
Now, with all of that said, maybe the exact numbers don't have a ton of meaning, but there's a reason why the word 'execution' is the buzz word until the regular season begins. Campbell may not have completed a pass in the first preseason game, but the coaches will be more pleased if he made his reads correctly. Now, by the second game, he better complete the pass. The numbers matter much more as the player gets more time on the field.
Adam,
I'm not saying any team should have any game plan geared towards their opponent in the preseason. It is, however, in every coach's best interest to at least try to call plays in a manner that allows their offense to get actual drives under their belt. Right now the Redskins are very well practiced at going three and out.
Do you really think there is much confidence in Campbell right now in at Redskins Park? Don't you think opening it up just enough to create a little would have been a good idea?
Jason is right, though, that we can't know whether Campbell and others made their reads and simply failed to execute. Perhaps Jason Campbell had a fantastic preseason and we're the only ones who don't realize it. Sure doesn't look like it though.
Here's what I take from this exchange. J-Red and Jason C have supported their arguments well. Adam: You should refrain from telling someone to "get a life" while you are arguing with a blog page.
W, have you ever interacted with a Redskins fan?
I hear they're something like Captials fans, which would make sense since both are representing Washington D.C.
I have interacted with Redskins fans. I find them sort of like Steelers fans except with teeth.
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