My favorite sport is football. Now, obviously, I never played the game, but I became enamored with it in the early 1980s. TV coverage at that time was mostly the Redskins, so I became a Redskins fan. Over the years, I’ve developed into more of a football fan than a Redskins fan, especially after Dan Snyder bought the team. (How in the heck did he expect diehard Redskins fans to accept him bringing in Deion Sanders from the hated Cowboys?) I also think that free agency has played a role. At one point, I watched the Chargers play because so many former Redskins, including Bobby Beathard, went to that team.
To indulge my passion for the sport, I have a 65″ high definition TV and a subscription to NFL Sunday ticket. Except for last season (when I was running for office), I typically spend my Sundays on the couch, watching games.
I still have a soft spot for the Redskins, though, and was ecstatic when Joe Gibbs returned from his hiatus. And I expected big things from him. I was surprised to see him hand over the offensive coaching and play calling to someone else, though. Has the game left him behind?
In any event, he wasn’t the one calling the plays yesterday and wasn’t the one responsible for leaving Clifton Portis in one play too long, or even playing him at all. Preseason is about evaluating players other than the starters. I’m not sure what value it has to start your number one running back and risk him getting hurt in a meaningless game. That’s what happened.
Had I been the coach, I would have held out all of my starters for this game. Maybe insert them for a single series in game 2, a quarter in game 3 and a half in game 4. But game 1 of the preseason? No way.
How long Portis will be out is anybody’s guess. One thing is for certain: this will have a dramatic impact on the team. I like Ladell Betts, his backup, but he’s no Portis. And there are no other top-notch running backs available. The longer Portis is out, the less the ‘Skins chances for making the playoffs.
Bad call to play him in this game.
And in case you missed it, did you notice that all three of the Redskins’ quarterbacks got intercepted? That’s not a good sign.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
A 65″ high-def screen for football must make for a spectacular experience, far better than my 15″ screen will get me.
Yesterday’s game was rather frustrating, even knowing Marvin Lewis’s ability as a defensive coach. If nothing else, it suggests that the Redskins may not have much depth this year, meaning that a Portis return will need to be soon, hopefully by the first game.
Still, I am not giving up hope. On paper, this should be the best Redskins team since the 1991 season. Hopefully, they will confirm this on the field.
Vivian,
A only good reason I can see to play the starters briefly, always a risk, is to make the team feel like a team. So, everyone has to participate.
Next time Portis finds himself suddenly playing defense he needs to remember how to tackle better — to hit the ball-carrier lower. If his injury is a slight as they are saying now, he should be ready in September and this injury may keep him out of harm’s way until then. Be glad he didn’t hurt his legs.
By the way, I’m not at all worried about how bad the team looked last night. These games don’t count, except to the guys on the bubble, trying to make the team.
Sadly, I’m having to tone down my Super Bowl talk and guarantees. It looks like another case where the Redskins defense is going to have to carry the Redskins offense until it can get its timing down. Still I’m pretty optimistic about this team. Brandon Lloyd looks like a solid addition at wide receiver, and the starting defense played really well . . . .
The Portis loss is tough, but I can understand the difficulty decision in deciding to have him start. New offensive coordinator, new offensive system that relies heavily on timing and new formations. An RBs role isn’t as involved as the QB and receivers, but there’s no way that Portis could have picked everything up in a practice environment. He had to do the work at game speed.
I’m a big advocate of cutting the preseason back a game. Give each team a couple weeks to get the starters in the flow, and the final game is used to evaluate talent that’s on the bubble. The fourth game doesn’t seem necessary to me.
“soft spot for the Redskins”
That’s called the offensive line.
CR – yes, that 65″ makes it pretty fun to watch. And I can do my own instant replays because of TiVO 🙂
Terry – ya see, I never played, so I don’t know about tackling techniques (except when I see guys missing tackles). My nephew played at UVA and is now a head coach at a local high school. Perhaps he can fill me in on the details of tackling. (He tried to teach me how to read the diagrams for plays – that didn’t go over too well 😦 )
JP – I still think he should have sat out. I understand the new system issues – Jason Campbell said it is his 6th system in 6 years!
Insider – the line did a pretty good job last night.
I enjoyed the hell out of Sunday… Life long Bengals fan :0-)