Redskins versus Titans thread

[FanFromArizona]

I realize this is a few days early, but I wanted to get this thread created and toss out this question for conversation:

How critical is a good performance from our first team defense in this particular game?On the one hand, it's the first preseason game of the year, so we won't get much to evaluate because the primary starters are not going to be playing too many series.

On the other hand, it's fair to say that our first-team defense should make some kind of statement against an offensively-challenged Titans who have more questions on offense than they had last year. The Titans are struggling to determine who the starting primary RB will be(White or Brown) and the loss of Drew Bennett to St. Louis opens up yet another can of worms as to who the primary receiving target will be(Moulds or Givens). Young is their only threat, and if we can contain him, we should be victorious.

For me, I am looking to see the first-team defense to contain Young inside the box and force many three-and-outs. That would be statement enough for me.

[shally]

I realize this is a few days early, but I wanted to get this thread created and toss out this question for conversation:

How critical is a good performance from our first team defense in this particular game?On the one hand, it's the first preseason game of the year, so we won't get much to evaluate because the primary starters are not going to be playing too many series.

On the other hand, it's fair to say that our first-team defense should make some kind of statement against an offensively-challenged Titans who have more questions on offense than they had last year. The Titans are struggling to determine who the starting primary RB will be(White or Brown) and the loss of Drew Bennett to St. Louis opens up yet another can of worms as to who the primary receiving target will be(Moulds or Givens). Young is their only threat, and if we can contain him, we should be victorious.

For me, I am looking to see the first-team defense to contain Young inside the box and force many three-and-outs. That would be statement enough for me.

as long as they can shut down the run, i will be satisfied.

but on offense, we need to see how well the o line protects

[The Skinsinator]

as long as they can shut down the run, i will be satisfied.

but on offense, we need to see how well the o line protectsThat is very important as Henry had a field day last year. Our loss to the Titans was the low point of the season last year. We need to have a strong 1st quarter for several reasons.

[FanFromArizona]

as long as they can shut down the run, i will be satisfied.

but on offense, we need to see how well the o line protects

you don't expect anything more? I know I am setting the bar for this game higher because that Titans team is going to finish with a top 5 pick due to lack of players.

Who do they have that we can't handle(besides Young), would love to see a tackle from ST or LL if Young goes to scramble. Send him past go straight to IHOP(pancake heaven) and order up some "young" pancakes.

STOP THE RUN? You betcha!

STOP THE PASS? You betcha!

MANHANDLE their defense? You betcha!

Anything short of that will be a disappointment in my eyes. It'll be a sad testament in my eyes about the state of our defense if the Titans do ANYTHING against us.

[ryflan47]

i can't watch.. after portis last year, i cant do it

[The Skinsinator]

i can't watch.. after portis last year, i cant do itPortis needs a few touches in this game. As long as he doesn't try to be a tackling machine he'll be fine. 3-4 touches is ideal in this one. I didn't even see him in the scrimmage yesterday.

[shally]

you don't expect anything more? I know I am setting the bar for this game higher because that Titans team is going to finish with a top 5 pick due to lack of players.

Who do they have that we can't handle(besides Young), would love to see a tackle from ST or LL if Young goes to scramble. Send him past go straight to IHOP(pancake heaven) and order up some "young" pancakes.

STOP THE RUN? You betcha!

STOP THE PASS? You betcha!

MANHANDLE their defense? You betcha!

Anything short of that will be a disappointment in my eyes. It'll be a sad testament in my eyes about the state of our defense if the Titans do ANYTHING against us.

still first pre season game and gibbs wants to avoid injuries. if we arent playing many of the first string, i dont expect that much after the first qtr.

but i would love to see a couple of unexpected players flash

[shally]

Portis needs a few touches in this game. As long as he doesn't try to be a tackling machine he'll be fine. 3-4 touches is ideal in this one. I didn't even see him in the scrimmage yesterday.

i dont expect to even see him touch the ball until game 3 of the preseason..

[FanFromArizona]

Portis needs a few touches in this game. As long as he doesn't try to be a tackling machine he'll be fine. 3-4 touches is ideal in this one. I didn't even see him in the scrimmage yesterday.

One.Series.Nothing.More

[FanFromArizona]

i dont expect to even see him touch the ball until game 3 of the preseason..

Especially in his current state with the tendonitis. I think he'll sit this one out and get a few series in Game 2.

[shally]

Especially in his current state with the tendonitis. I think he'll sit this one out and get a few series in Game 2.

that is just a convenient reason to keep him on the sidelines

[FanFromArizona]

still first pre season game and gibbs wants to avoid injuries. if we arent playing many of the first string, i dont expect that much after the first qtr.

but i would love to see a couple of unexpected players flash

What do expect the score to be after the first teams leave? I'm just looking for us to be winning significantly and in all the measurable stats on both sides of the ball.

Redskins first teamers should DOMINATE the Titans first teamers(both offensively and defensively), don't you agree? Anything short of domination would be a disappointment in my eyes.

Yeah, I'd like to see what kind of depth we have and who our hidden gems are, but more important to me is that we have a healthy lead when both first-teamers are done for the day.

[shally]

What do expect the score to be after the first teams leave? I'm just looking for us to be winning significantly and in all the measurable stats on both sides of the ball.

Redskins first teamers should DOMINATE the Titans first teamers(both offensively and defensively), don't you agree? Anything short of domination would be a disappointment in my eyes.

Yeah, I'd like to see what kind of depth we have and who our hidden gems are, but more important to me is that we have a healthy lead when both first-teamers are done for the day.

nah

i expect a sloppy first quarter. lots of 3 and out by both team. probably 3-0.

there will be scoring in the second half. but i do not think that gibbs is gonna put much emphasis on the first game.

i think they are targeting a 2-2 preseason and nothing more. again, NO INJURIES

i dont think that gibbs wants to dominate anyone.. now shutting off the run will be important

[FanFromArizona]

nah

i expect a sloppy first quarter. lots of 3 and out by both team. probably 3-0.

there will be scoring in the second half. but i do not think that gibbs is gonna put much emphasis on the first game.

i think they are targeting a 2-2 preseason and nothing more. again, NO INJURIES

i dont think that gibbs wants to dominate anyone.. now shutting off the run will be important

I would hope our offense can score more than 3 points against that defense.
You have to figure we're gonna have a lineup of JC with Betts and Sellers in the backfield and Cooley, ARE and Lloyd as targets.

[superskin]

I'd love to see Montgomery make some plays at DT. They've talked about his progress alot, and I want to see if its true.

That would go a LOOONG way to helping that line this year.

[The Skinsinator]

I would hope our offense can score more than 3 points against that defense.
You have to figure we're gonna have a lineup of JC with Betts and Sellers in the backfield and Cooley, ARE and Lloyd as targets.I agree. Avoiding injuries is paramount however we need to establish and instill some offensive confidence with Campbell and co. I want to see offensive/defensive cohesion and efficiency in the 1st qt. The other 3 are for roster spots more than anything else.

[silverspring]

To me the critical point in pre-season is that our first team offense and our first team defense get a lot of reps using the real schemes. To me the biggest problem was that last year we protected our schemes so well our own team never even learned them. I truly hope we learn from that mistake. This is football, injuries will happen, but i would rather take the risk of injuries than the risk of going into the real season not knowing the playbook and not being able to execute plays properly.

[LATrueRedskin]

I'm expecting a pretty sloppy game throughout, but I'm hopeful to see progress from McIntosh and Landry on defense, as well as Todd Wade on the offensive line. Sure, I'd like to see Jason Campbell light it up, but I'm not expecting it. It's a shame he got no work in during 11-on-11 drills in the scrimmage, so I'm expecting a lot of mistakes from him during the first game of the preseason. I'll also be looking out for any gems that show themselves throughout the game (i.e. H.B. Blades, Stephon Heyer, Justin Hickman, Anthony Montgomery, etc.).

[FanFromArizona]

I agree. Avoiding injuries is paramount however we need to establish and instill some offensive confidence with Campbell and co. I want to see offensive/defensive cohesion and efficiency in the 1st qt. The other 3 are for roster spots more than anything else.

No disagreement that we need to avoid the I-bug first and foremost, I was trying to focus on what kind of performance we should set the bar at for this game. I'm hoping for a TROUNCING this weekend.

[shally]

I'd love to see Montgomery make some plays at DT. They've talked about his progress alot, and I want to see if its true.

That would go a LOOONG way to helping that line this year.

he was unimpressive against the ravens, i thought

[IMALILTEAPOT]

is it only gonna be available on nfl network???

[LATrueRedskin]

is it only gonna be available on nfl network???

It should be played locally as well.

[FanFromArizona]

is it only gonna be available on nfl network???

thankfully for us out-of-town-ers this is all we can get.

[jaylen]

I want to see if the defense can generate any turnovers. Vince Young in the 1st quarter I'm guessing won't scramble as much and he's no great passer we might be able to force a to.

Offensively I'd like to see us move the ball with JC in there,and maybe get a td in the redzone with the 1st string offense.

I'd like to see a couple of the sub De's flash and get some pressure .

[esmith1790]

With players being held out for a couple of reasons, the 1st stringers will consist of some 2nd/3rd stringers. Hopefully, they wont be the reason the O of D is exploited, thus making the 1st stringers appear to be playing bad. You could match up against the back-up and exploit it.

[Hrabanmaur]

I hope our D does well against the first stringers, and I think they should. I'd imagine the Titans will have Young try to stay in the pocket rather than scramble (no need to risk the injury of getting flattened while out of the pocket). If you take away Young's ability to run, you've taken away the best part of the Titans offense.

For our offense, I'd like to see good routes by the receivers (besides Moss who already has proven himself) and adequate pass protection from the O-line.

[JsMaViSd]

i expect Jordan Palmer to shine in our first preseason game..

that TD pass he threw vs the ravens was RIGHT on the money..and i expect it to happen again.

i expect Palmer to take out Collins on our roster if he shows more this game then collins does, which i expect

and portis will most likely not be playing this game, but i do expect Wade to get a lot of reps

[culpeper]

wow, everyone is expecting a lot. lets just see the guys play smart and give a solid effort. we dont have to win the game, just look like were competitive. if you go into this one with high expectations you are going to feel AWFUL afterwards.

i can see having a list of expectations for the 3rd PS game, but like mike tomlin said last night, "we'll see what happens in a month, this really doesnt mean much." and they looked good against the saints.

[JsMaViSd]

wow, everyone is expecting a lot. lets just see the guys play smart and give a solid effort. we dont have to win the game, just look like were competitive. if you go into this one with high expectations you are going to feel AWFUL afterwards.

i can see having a list of expectations for the 3rd PS game, but like mike tomlin said last night, "we'll see what happens in a month, this really doesnt mean much." and they looked good against the saints.

exactly

[dj_stouty]

I don't believe Portis will play a single snap this preseason. Between what happened last season, as well as his very convenient excuse of his tendonitis, Gibbs won't make him play.

All I care about on Defense is seeing an improvement of the d-line making initial contact on the RB at/or behind the LOS...as well as our back 7 defending the big pass play. If I see improvment in those areas, I'll be happy.

[Hr fan]

Preseason is for setting the regular season's line-up. We have plenty of questions - do we have an adequate b/u OLT? do we have an OLG? how are our D corrections panning out (Smoot, Fletcher, Rocky, LL, etc.)? are the STs shaping up? who is the 3rd and 2nd WR? is JC showing progress under game conditions (recognizing defenses, etc.)?

JG isn't going to show anything - he never has. Agreed we should physically dominate, but this will be on a play by play basis, position by position basis, not score.

[dannyskins]

I don't believe Portis will play a single snap this preseason. Between what happened last season, as well as his very convenient excuse of his tendonitis, Gibbs won't make him play.

All I care about on Defense is seeing an improvement of the d-line making initial contact on the RB at/or behind the LOS...as well as our back 7 defending the big pass play. If I see improvment in those areas, I'll be happy.

I hope Portis does not play as well. I am intersted in seeing the "D" as whole though. To see if Williams is back to his style of play in 04 and 05.:bsmile:

[firehawk157]

I hope Portis does not play as well. I am intersted in seeing the "D" as whole though. To see if Williams is back to his style of play in 04 and 05.:bsmile:
I'm only looking at a couple of things...

Offensively:

How is Wade doing??? Is he getting push on running plays?

As bad as Stephon Heyer reportedly did (though I don't remember him giving anything up), it was against arguably the best DL in the game. Still, one week of reps at first team isn't going to help very much, so if there aren't many yards gained running to that side, I'm not going to throw either of those players under the bus.

I want to see if Campbell can be smart with the football. I know checkdowns aren't sexy, but I'd rather him take a 7 yard gain over trying to squeeze it in 50 yards downfield. Having said that, he needs to take his shots downfield when they present themselves. We have some great downfield receivers and dumping it off 90% of the time isn't going to cut it.

Defensively:

Overall DL play... We need to stop the run and at least get something LIKE pressure. Now, I can hear it now "well GW didn't put in his scheme so there won't be pressure", to which my response is, there needs to be some semblence of pressure with the front four. It's not about scheme in the trenches, it's about physically beating the guy in front of you.

Some solid man coverage by Smoot and Rogers (we know what Springs is capable of). Again, I understand that there will be little scheme, but man coverage is about physically beating the guy lined up across from you. Also, Rogers, if you get two hands on the ball, catch it. I will be unbelievably relieved if this happens.

Solid tackling. Again, this isn't about scheme. If you miss a tackle, then scheme isn't to blame, because your in the position to make the play. You just need to wrap up the ball carrier and bring him down.

That's pretty much all I got.

[redskinz#1fan]

I don't see Portis taking a snap all preseason....I would be really surprised if he did....ok maybe 1! I don't expect too much from the team in this 1st game, but would love to see them light it up.

[HAWGZHEAD]

All I care about on Defense is seeing an improvement of the d-line making initial contact on the RB at/or behind the LOS...as well as our back 7 defending the big pass play. If I see improvment in those areas, I'll be happy.
Took the words right outta my my mouth. Also I would like to see some neopolitan offense, throw some chocolate and strawberry in with that vanilla.

[dj_stouty]

Also I would like to see some neopolitan offense, throw some chocolate and strawberry in with that vanilla.

LMAO. I'm going to have to remember that phrase for later usage. Nice!

[skinsfan36]

i get excited about preseason first off to see how our first team looks but i watch the whole game because i like to see how the young kids are(if we have any gems)
things ill be looking for
-can rogers catch a pick
-our new secondary
-how our young guys are progressing(monty,golston,eubanks,landry,blades,ot her rooks/2nd year guys)
-i want to see collins suck so we can get rid of him lol
-this arm strength corey bradford talked about from brunell(ie if his shoulder has healed)
-a healthy dline,the backup dline vs the run and getting to the qb
-our oline

[Desmond Howard]

For Preseason...Im just interested in the first 3 series...I really want to see us against the Titans running game!

[Battle Cat]

I want to see our offense move the ball. For the last several years I have heard we are paying things close to the vest and not giving away anything as a reason why our offense does not do well in the preseason. Which is directly followed by our offense in the first 3-4 games looking exactly like it did in the preseason. I want us to open it up and throw it all around the field and score like crazy in the preaseason since I don't think the vanilla not show anythign to anybody has worked.

[SkinsfaninNJ]

I want to see our offense move the ball. For the last several years I have heard we are paying things close to the vest and not giving away anything as a reason why our offense does not do well in the preseason. Which is directly followed by our offense in the first 3-4 games looking exactly like it did in the preseason. I want us to open it up and throw it all around the field and score like crazy in the preaseason since I don't think the vanilla not show anythign to anybody has worked.

I think there is an in-between in there that I would like to see. I don't need Spurrier's Japan Redskins, but let's get proficient at what we intend to do in the regular season.

[LadyNRedskinsfan]

i think its more important for our defense to start with some energy and get off the field on 3rd down, than it is for our offense to start with a good drive. the defense is the unit that needs to step up BIG TIME in order for this team to go anywhere this season. the offense can move the ball and not score on the first drive, but in the next drive we need to be able to move and get some points since offense is more about timing and rhythm, which only gets better as time goes on. and please, no major injuries for either team.

[Hr fan]

i dont expect to even see him touch the ball until game 3 of the preseason..

Agree. He has nothing to prove, and only needs to cement timing. 1-2 series in the 3rd exhibition, and probably not an appearance in the 4th game.

PS Could not agree more about stopping the run. It was the one encouraging thing about the Ravens scrimmage, and the foundation og GW's D.

[Spence]

Nobody get injured.

Gibbs might actually try to win a game or two in the preseason, after the disaster of a preseason last year. Me, I'm not superstitious. Just don't get injured.

[Meatsnack]

Things I want to see:

1) Campbell getting the ball out of his hand quickly and on time. If he is making good, quick decisions with the football it means his presnap reads, footwork, and new release are all working.

2) Players being assignment sound. No running around looking confused.

3) Physical O-line play. Can we out punch Tennessee?

4) D-line agressiveness. I don't expect Grilliams to show much in the way of blitz packages so can we get anyting upfiedl with the down 4?

[dannyskins]

I'm only looking at a couple of things...

Offensively:

I want to see if Campbell can be smart with the football. I know checkdowns aren't sexy, but I'd rather him take a 7 yard gain over trying to squeeze it in 50 yards downfield. Having said that, he needs to take his shots downfield when they present themselves. We have some great downfield receivers and dumping it off 90% of the time isn't going to cut it.

I agree, I'll just add I hope we won't be so easily programmable on particularly 3rd down in that we seem to only pass to Cooley and Moss. Give all the wr's more opportunities.

Defensively:

Overall DL play... We need to stop the run and at least get something LIKE pressure. Now, I can hear it now "well GW didn't put in his scheme so there won't be pressure", to which my response is, there needs to be some semblence of pressure with the front four. It's not about scheme in the trenches, it's about physically beating the guy in front of you.


The pressure I'm afraid will only come with scheming unless we get another DE or Evans blows up. GW's rep is on the line this year I think so I don't think we will see him have much patience on anyone not getting the job done. I still think he knows a little about defense.:cool:

[hogskins]

I want to see our offense move the ball. For the last several years I have heard we are paying things close to the vest and not giving away anything as a reason why our offense does not do well in the preseason. Which is directly followed by our offense in the first 3-4 games looking exactly like it did in the preseason. I want us to open it up and throw it all around the field and score like crazy in the preaseason since I don't think the vanilla not show anythign to anybody has worked.

Although I'm not that concerned with scoring like crazy in preseason (I guess that I'm remembering the Spurrierskins), it will be agony watching the O look as pathetic and confused as they did last August, and listening to people keep saying that "preseason doesn't matter". I'll be happy with incremental improvement Signs of effective execution will be good, too...

[culpeper]

like i said before...all we have to do is compete, and at least look like we belong in the NFL. we dont have to win, do anything fancy, or even score IMO. just look like a solid football team and be competitive.

the steelers looked great, but that doesnt mean they are better than the saints. they have just put things together faster. the saints still moved the ball and were competitive, regardless of what the score was.

[gibbsisgod]

if the skins play it close to the vest this year.. so be it. I just hope the coaches do a better job of putting the players in the right postion.

[DUCKIN_TACKLERS]

I just want to see a passing offense that looks like it could move the ball if called upon i.e. against a stacked box. On D I want to see the LB core and how it has gelled with fletcher and Rocky.