Redskins vs. Broncos, 1st quarter review

As always, the play by play is taken from the official NFL game book and my commentary is added in its own font.



S.Suisham kicks 67 yards from WAS 30 to DEN 3. E.Royal to DEN 33 for 30 yards (K.Moore).

Byron Westbrook takes a pretty blatant block in the back on the return.

Denver Broncos at 15:00, (1st play from scrimmage 14:53)

1-10-DEN 33 (14:53) K.Moreno right end to WAS 39 for 28 yards (C.Rogers, A.Carter).

Good job sealing the edge by the RG and TE. Moreno is lead around the right side by the FB and the pulling RT. Doughty is streaking in but the RT takes him out. The FB doesn’t get a solid block on a second incoming (unidentified) DB, but forces him outside enough that he can’t make the tackle. The next man with a chance is London Fletcher, who eventually gets past a block but not until he is forced far enough outside that he can’t recover when Moreno cuts inside. On a side note, something goes wrong with the technology that puts that “1st and 10” arrow graphic on the field, because it seems to be given priority and all the players on the right side become silhouetted, so we have a bunch of ghostly figures playing football. Kind of spooky really, and possible evidence that FedEx was built on an ancient Indian burial ground (not a “redskin” burial ground, though – that would be racist).

1-10-WAS 39 (14:10) K.Moreno right end to WAS 40 for -1 yards (A.Carter, C.Griffin).

The RT is forced into the backfield by the disembodied head of Philip Daniels (still some on-field graphic problems), cutting off Moreno’s angle to the corner. Moreno thinks about cutting it outside, but he’s cut off by Orakpo who has unsurprisingly won his battle against the slot receiver. He is forced to make a second cut back to the inside, and by that point Andre Carter has shed off his block to stuff him.

2-11-WAS 40 (13:37) K.Orton pass short right to K.Moreno to WAS 40 for no gain (B.Orakpo).

3-11-WAS 40 (12:56) (Shotgun) K.Orton pass deep left to B.Marshall for 40 yards, TOUCHDOWN

Redskins blitz two off the edge – Landry from the offensive left and Rocky McIntosh from the right. The TE successfully runs Landry upfield, then when it looks like Landry might recover and threaten Orton from behind the TE simply grabs him by the collar and yanks him backwards, which is apparently legal these days. Rocky is picked up solidly by the RB, and the linemen easily handle the two rushing DEs – boths DTs drop into pass coverage to compensate for the blitzers. Carlos Rogers, as you already know, bites horribly on a fake cut by Marshall.

M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-L.Paxton, Holder-M.Berger.

DEN 7 WAS 0, 4 plays, 67 yards, 2:13 drive, 2:13 elapsed

M.Prater kicks 70 yards from DEN 30 to WAS 0. R.Cartwright to WAS 22 for 22 yards (M.Haggan).

Washington Redskins at 12:47, (1st play from scrimmage 12:42)

1-10-WAS 22 (12:42) L.Betts right end to WAS 24 for 2 yards (R.Fields, K.Peterson).

Betts runs into Casey Rabach’s back, because Rabach has been carried by the DT right into the running lane.

2-8-WAS 24 (12:05) J.Campbell pass short right to F.Davis to WAS 31 for 7 yards (D.Williams).

Three step drop, and Campbell knows where he’s going as soon as he hits that third step and gets the ball out immediately, all West Coast offense-like.

3-1-WAS 31 (11:21) (Shotgun) R.Cartwright up the middle to WAS 33 for 2 yards (B.Dawkins).

The interior line blocks this play well and gets some push, but its Randle-El (or whatever coach designed the play) that deserves credit for the first down. ARE motions from the left slot to the right, where he becomes the innermost of three WRs. A LB follows him to the slot to man him up, and is baited further outside when ARE pretends to set up for a quick hitch. This missing LB would should have been plugging Rock’s running lane.

1-10-WAS 33 (10:45) (Shotgun) J.Campbell pass incomplete short right to D.Thomas (R.Ayers).

An attempted screen to Thomas. The problem is, both Fred Davis (at RTE) and Stephon Heyer (RT) think they’re supposed to head outside to be part of the blocking convoy, so neither one bothers to block the OLB rushing from the offensive right. Campbell ends up throwing it right into the guys hands, and if the LB had had his wits about him this could easily have been a touchdown in the other direction.

2-10-WAS 33 (10:37) L.Betts up the middle to WAS 38 for 5 yards (D.Williams).

Rabach and old/new RG Chad Rinehart double team a DT and smother him, then Rabach sheds off and puts a LB on his back, creating Betts’ running lane. Fred Davis controls the RDE well enough that Levi Jones is free to bear down on another LB and drive him backwards right out of the play.

3-5-WAS 38 (10:00) J.Campbell pass short left to L.Betts ran ob at WAS 44 for 6 yards.

1-10-WAS 44 (9:33) R.Cartwright left end to DEN 39 for 17 yards (B.Dawkins).

Levi Jones and Fred Davis seal the RDE and ROLB to the outside (remember the Broncos run a 3-4, so the OLB will often be filling a role similar to that of a DE in a 4-3 defense). The interior line is less successful at sealing the inside, but they trip the Broncos up enough to buy time and Rock is quick through the hole. The Broncos defenders are probably also thrown off by the fact that Rock again runs through the down and distance graphic and briefly straddles the worlds of the living and the dead. During this play Rock Cartwright may or may not have gained the ability to foresee how you will die.

1-10-DEN 39 (8:55) J.Campbell pass short left to A.Randle El to DEN 29 for 10 yards (B.Dawkins) [M.Haggan].

A LB blitzes up the middle. Rock picks him up and tries to block him low, but the LB leaps over him and has a shot an Campbell. Jason steps aside and takes only a glancing low blow, and with his feet still tangled up makes an accurate throw to Randle-El on an out pattern.

1-10-DEN 29 (8:11) J.Campbell pass short right to F.Davis to DEN 5 for 24 yards (A.Davis).

Davis makes the catch in the flat off of Campbell’s bootleg, and gains 22 yards after the catch without leaving his feet once. He’s learning! By my count, he gets past five defenders by keeping moving forward and using minimal direction changes to prolong the time before contact. It’s like Cooley loaned Fred Davis his open-field running talent, since Cooley doesn’t need it at the moment.

1-5-DEN 5 (7:21) J.Campbell pass incomplete short left to D.Thomas.

Thrown a bit behind Thomas, but still counts as a drop in the end zone. A talented WR should bail his QB out on that kind of “close-enough” throw.

2-5-DEN 5 (7:17) L.Betts right guard to DEN 2 for 3 yards (D.Williams, R.Hill).

Jones, Dockery, Rabach, and Rinehart form a wall hemming in most of the Broncos front seven to the offensive left. Heyer successfully kicks his guy out to the right. Randle-El runs a fake slant pattern and takes out a DB in the running lane. Unfortunately Rock cuts left into all the traffic – if he cuts right he could have a touchdown.

3-2-DEN 2 (6:37) J.Campbell pass short middle to T.Yoder for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Pass rush punches through the line, but a bootleg makes it irrelevant. Just like last week, an opposing defense is once more victimized by their lack of respect for Yoder as a receiving threat, as the Broncos ignore him to focus on Malcolm Kelly at the back of the end zone and Rock in the right flat.

S.Suisham extra point is GOOD, Center-E.Albright, Holder-H.Smith.

DEN 7 WAS 7, 12 plays, 78 yards, 6:15 drive, 8:28 elapsed

S.Suisham kicks 57 yards from WAS 30 to DEN 13, out of bounds.

Denver Broncos at 6:32

1-10-DEN 40 (6:32) K.Orton pass short right to T.Scheffler to DEN 49 for 9 yards (D.Hall).

2-1-DEN 49 (5:55) C.Buckhalter right end to WAS 48 for 3 yards (A.Haynesworth).

1-10-WAS 48 (5:17) B.Marshall left end to WAS 39 for 9 yards (L.Landry). End around

Andre Carter overpursues to the inside and is hoplessly out of position for the end-around. The only other Redskins with a chance to hold the corner is Rocky McIntosh, but he is taken out by the TE.

2-1-WAS 39 (4:46) C.Buckhalter right end to WAS 31 for 8 yards (L.Alexander). FUMBLES (L.Alexander),RECOVERED by WAS-R.Doughty at WAS 31. R.Doughty to WAS 31 for no gain (C.Buckhalter).
WAS-D.Hall was injured during the play. His return is Questionable.

The RT pulls to the outside, and goes low to take out a (unidentified) DB. Purely by luck, this manages to trip up three pursuing Redskins who otherwise would have stuffed the play after a yard. Lorenzo Alexander initially gets hung up at the line, but after the play is long past him he comes out of nowhere to surprise the RB with a hit from behind and knock the ball loose. Alexander gets a point for hustle.

WAS-D.Hall was injured during the play. His return is Questionable.

Washington Redskins at 4:36

1-10-WAS 31 (4:36) L.Betts right tackle to WAS 32 for 1 yard (R.Fields).

2-9-WAS 32 (3:59) (Shotgun) J.Campbell pass incomplete short right to L.Betts.

Awful throw, missing Betts while he was wide open on a swing route. There was no pressure to serve as an excuse.

3-9-WAS 32 (3:56) (Shotgun) J.Campbell pass incomplete short middle to S.Moss.

A second inaccurate throw to an open receiver with no pressure.

4-9-WAS 32 (3:49) H.Smith punts 43 yards to DEN 25, Center-E.Albright, fair catch by E.Royal.

Denver Broncos at 3:46

1-10-DEN 25 (3:46) K.Orton pass deep middle to B.Marshall for 75 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

The play action slows down the pass rush, except for Orakpo who almost fights through the TE to lay a hit on Orton but is a split second too late. DeAngelo Hall plays outside leverage apparently thinking the safeties are responsible for the middle, but the nearest safety (unidentified) jumps an underneath crossing route and takes himself out of the play. No way to know who screwed up here, but someone did because WRs aren’t really supposed to be open by 15 yards in the NFL.

M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-L.Paxton, Holder-M.Berger.

DEN 14 WAS 7, 1 plays, 75 yards, 0:11 drive, 11:25 elapsed

M.Prater kicks 71 yards from DEN 30 to WAS -1. R.Cartwright to WAS 24 for 25 yards (S.Larsen).
PENALTY on WAS-C.Wilson, Offensive Holding, 9 yards, enforced at WAS 18.

Washington Redskins at 3:35, (1st play from scrimmage 3:20)

1-10-WAS 9 (3:20) L.Betts right end to WAS 15 for 6 yards (R.Hill).

Rinehart, Heyer, and Davis seal defenders to the outside to create the inside cutback lane. Rinehart in particular mauls his guy.

2-4-WAS 15 (2:46) L.Betts right end to WAS 15 for no gain (M.Thomas).

Levi Jones blocks to the inside, and with no TE on the left there is no one to seal off the backside pursuit.

3-4-WAS 15 (2:06) (Shotgun) J.Campbell pass deep right to A.Randle El pushed ob at WAS 41 for 26 yards
(C.Bailey).

Heyer (remember he's at RT now) and Rinehart are threatened to the outside by the LDE and DT, but manage to take them far enough upfield to survive. Rabach and Dockery double team the other DT and smother him completely. Jones is almost overwhelmed by OLB Elvis Dumervil but buys enough time for Campbell to step up and escape the pressure. Campbell makes an accurate throw right into Antwaan Randle-El’s hands as he works the sideline.

1-10-WAS 41 (1:39) J.Campbell pass incomplete deep left to S.Moss.

Campbell stand behind a solid wall of blockers, and just overthrows Santana who had badly beaten the CB.

2-10-WAS 41 (1:32) L.Betts left guard to WAS 47 for 6 yards (L.Smith, A.Davis).

Interior line forms an inside seal, Jones kicks his guy outside, and Sellers puts a hat on the first LB in the hole.

3-4-WAS 47 (:50) (Shotgun) J.Campbell pass incomplete short middle to F.Davis.

Campbell has plenty of protection, but senses pressure where there is none and scrambles forward to throw on the run when it’s not necessary. Because of this his throw sails high, although it hit Davis’ hands and he should have made the catch.

4-4-WAS 47 (:45) H.Smith punts 38 yards to DEN 15, Center-E.Albright. E.Royal to DEN 15 for no gain.

Denver Broncos at 0:38

1-10-DEN 15 (:38) K.Moreno left guard to DEN 20 for 5 yards (R.Doughty, L.Fletcher).

Haynesworths gets penetration on the LG’s outside shoulder, so Moreno cuts inside where an unidentified DT is buried by a double team and an equally unidentified LB misses a straight-on tackle at the line of scrimmage (if you guys want to take up a collection to get me HD we can end all this “unidentified” crap).