Redskins vs. Vikings, 1st quarter review

Hi everyone. Sorry about royally screwing up last week. Did you know they will let just any moron sign up for a Blogspot account? Now you do.

Anyway, the bold text below represents the offical play by play as cut and pasted from the NFL Gamebook, and my commentary is added below in it's own font.

FIRST QUARTER

R.Longwell kicks 59 yards from MIN 30 to WAS 11. B.Banks to WAS 17 for 6 yards (Erin.Henderson).

We avoid drawing the penalty on the formation of a blatant four man wedge. Not that is does us much good, as Rocky fails to angle off a coverage guy who shoots right up the middle and past the wedge to take down Banks.

Washington Redskins at 15:00, (1st play from scrimmage 14:56)


1-10-WAS 17 (14:56) K.Williams left tackle to WAS 17 for no gain (R.Edwards).

Davis, Trent Williams, Lichtensteiger (LG) and Rabach form an absolute wall to the offensive left. If only Keiland had somewhere to cut back to. Unfortunately Hicks (who did start at RG despite the official PBP stating the contrary) allows the backside DT to drive right through his inside shoulder and Cooley is unable to cut off the multiple defenders who close in.

2-10-WAS 17 (14:17) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to S.Moss to WAS 26 for 9 yards (H.Abdullah).

The SLB and MLB both blitz. The line adjusts to account for the DLs and SLB; the MLB comes clean but in doing so leaves an empty zone into which Santana, from the left slot, runs an easy hook.

3-1-WAS 26 (13:41) D.McNabb scrambles left end to WAS 29 for 3 yards (C.Greenway, H.Abdullah).

A DB blitzes clean off the edge, but turns to cover Keiland on his swing route to the offensive left. Meanwhile Davis, at LTE, runs a shallow cross momentarily freezing the LBs, who are shifted to the right anyhow. Trent has no one to block and waits at the LOS for the amount of time it takes for McNabb to complete his 3 step drop, then heads downfield. McNabb sees that an aggressive defense has his receivers covered but has also taken themselves out of position, and the only defender that would have an angle to stop him from getting the first down is a DB that has Trent bearing down on him.

1-10-WAS 29 (13:02) D.McNabb pass short left to F.Davis to WAS 35 for 6 yards (C.Greenway; A.Allen).


2-4-WAS 35 (12:25) (Shotgun) Direct snap to B.Banks. B.Banks left end to WAS 38 for 3 yards (H.Abdullah). QB McNabb lined up as WR.

Click here if you want to see how to properly run a Wildcat Counter play. Watch the Redskins if you want to see how to do it poorly. On the Dolphins’ (good) version note the unbalanced line that draws most of the defense away from the play side. Note how the flanker to the left side is a RB, who streaks across the backfield creating the viable threat of a sweep to the right (Steeler) and draws another defender with him. Note the backside linemen pulling to the left to seal in the defenders who had initially let themselves be sucked to the inside. Note how the Redskins do none of those things.

3-1-WAS 38 (11:45) D.McNabb pass short right to C.Cooley to MIN 48 for 14 yards (C.Greenway, M.Williams).

Keiland with a very effective cut block on the otherwise-unblocked LDE. Meanwhile Trent gets beaten terribly by the RDE but Lichtensteiger notices it, passes his DT off the Rabach, and slides over to save the day.

1-10-MIN 48 (11:06) (Shotgun) Direct snap to B.Banks. B.Banks up the middle to MIN 45 for 3 yards (H.Abdullah; L.Guion). QB McNabb lined up as WR.

OK, lazy Wildact ripoffs are a pet peeve of mine so sorry if this seems like it’s getting to me more than it should, but this play was even more utterly futile than the last one. Again Banks simply fakes a handoff to Keiland, who is lined up beside him, and that is the full extent of any counter action. The line blocks straight ahead. No WR or RB sweeps across the backfield to force the defense to commit to a given side of the field. There is no designed movement by the line that would draw the front seven to one side and then trap them there with the aide of pulling blockers. The whole point of the Wildcat formation is to allow you to manipulate the play such that you have more blockers bearing down on fewer defenders, but there is no effort here to accomplish that. You know, if you’re going to be two years late to a fad you could at least try to do it right.

2-7-MIN 45 (10:28) D.McNabb pass short middle to C.Cooley to MIN 40 for 5 yards (J.Allen; A.Allen).


3-2-MIN 40 (9:42) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short middle to C.Cooley to MIN 27 for 13 yards (H.Abdullah).

Hicks is badly beaten by a spin move from the DT, but Keiland puts a nice solid block on him to give McNabb time.

1-10-MIN 27 (9:04) D.McNabb sacked at MIN 32 for -5 yards (L.Guion). FUMBLES (L.Guion), and recovers at MIN 32. D.McNabb to MIN 32 for no gain (J.Allen).

The DT attacks the left A gap. He is initially doubled, and it looks like Lichtensteiger thinks Rabach will sustain the double team. But Rabach comes off the block to help Hicks, who for once is not getting beat by his man. So the DT works through Lichtensteiger’s inside shoulder (and runs through a hold) to swipe the ball out.

2-15-MIN 32 (8:25) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short middle to A.Armstrong to MIN 24 for 8 yards (C.Greenway). PENALTY on WAS-A.Armstrong, Delay of Game, 5 yards, enforced at MIN 24.


3-12-MIN 29 (7:35) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to R.Williams pushed ob at MIN 10 for 19 yards (K.Williams).

A little bubble screen to Roydell Williams, for some odd reason. Santana is in the left slot and gets the first key block, knocking the DB over Roydell to the outside. The linemen are late getting out, so Rabach and Lichtensteiger contribute nothing, but Roydell puts a good move on the guy Trent was supposed to block, thus freeing up Trent to get a more valuable block downfield that opens up the first down.

1-10-MIN 10 (7:13) D.McNabb pass short right to F.Davis for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Keiland again picks up the LDE, stopping his progress but failing to take him down with the cut block. The LDE maintains his footing and is able to leap to try to deflect the pass, but McNabb manages to float it just over him. Meanwhile Cooley from LTE runs a shallow cross which draws two of the LBs, who are in zone coverage. Sellers runs a flat route which draws the third. This means Davis is accounted for only by a single safety, but he is slow getting over and Davis’ post route gets outside him, and McNabb places the ball beautifully.

G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-N.Sundberg, Holder-H.Smith.


MIN 0 WAS 7, 13 plays, 83 yards, 7:53 drive, 7:53 elapsed


G.Gano kicks 54 yards from WAS 30 to MIN 16. P.Harvin to MIN 29 for 13 yards (P.Riley).


Minnesota Vikings at 7:07, (1st play from scrimmage 7:02)


1-10-MIN 29 (7:02) B.Favre pass short left to P.Harvin to MIN 33 for 4 yards (D.Hall; B.Orakpo).


2-6-MIN 33 (6:24) A.Peterson right end to MIN 38 for 5 yards (A.Carter).

Golston is at nose tackle and gets controlled by the RG and the TE takes Carter out of the play, allowing the RT to get out and neutralize Fletcher, who had read the play well and was ready to meet the RB in the gap.

3-1-MIN 38 (5:47) J.Dugan left guard to MIN 40 for 2 yards (B.Orakpo).


1-10-MIN 40 (5:09) B.Favre pass short middle to A.Peterson pushed ob at WAS 26 for 34 yards (P.Buchanon).

Peterson takes the screen pass with two blockers in front of him, but they are not needed because Orakpo overpursues terribly and Peterson cuts back inside to the open field without a block needing to be thrown. Then Fletcher and Doughty overpursue even worse, and a WR gets a good downfield block on Buchanon.

1-10-WAS 26 (4:35) B.Favre pass short right to V.Shiancoe pushed ob at WAS 13 for 13 yards (K.Moore).

The TE lets Alexander, at LOLB, slip past his block, opening himself up for an easy dumpoff in the flat, then he puts a move on Rocky to gain the first down.

1-10-WAS 13 (4:07) A.Peterson right end to WAS 5 for 8 yards (R.McIntosh, K.Moore).

Alexander stands up the TE and maintains control of the outside gap, but unfortunately Peterson happens to be good at his job and slips by him (holding by the TE helped prevent a solid tackle attempt from Alexander) and then somehow manages to keep his knees off the ground while running low through several tacklers.

2-2-WAS 5 (3:27) A.Peterson right tackle for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

A C-RG double team moves Maake off the line, while the RT successfully turns Carriker to the outside. Golston absorbs an initial blow from the LG but manages to fight his way down the line and meet Peterson in the hole, but Peterson just runs through him.

R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-C.Loeffler, Holder-C.Kluwe.


MIN 7 WAS 7, 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:46 drive, 11:39 elapsed


R.Longwell kicks 65 yards from MIN 30 to WAS 5. B.Banks pushed ob at WAS 37 for 32 yards (J.Brinkley).

Another rather obvious wedge. I swear banning the wedge has been a horribly enforced rule change, but of course they call it at arbitrary moments just to irritate me.

Washington Redskins at 3:21, (1st play from scrimmage 3:14)


1-10-WAS 37 (3:14) D.McNabb scrambles up the middle to WAS 41 for 4 yards (C.Greenway).

Brown maintains his width and adjusts to a spin move by the LDE, who is frustrated by this and responds by giving Brown a fist to the back of the head and getting past him (in case you’re wondering, no that is not legal). McNabb is pinched between this LDE and a DT who worked his way outside an initially solid block by Lichtensteiger, but he manages to slip up the middle to avoid the sack.

2-6-WAS 41 (2:35) PENALTY on WAS-T.Williams, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at WAS 41 - No Play.


2-11-WAS 36 (2:15) K.Williams right end to WAS 37 for 1 yard (J.Allen).

I swear I sometimes wonder what Mike Sellers is looking at. The LDE wins the corner against Brown and threatens Keiland in the backfield; but Sellers ignores him and Keiland is forced to cut back inside. But Sellers can still be useful, because Cooley has been unable to get out to the OLB and he is closing in. But Sellers runs past that guy too and goes after a safety many yards downfield while Keiland is getting swarmed back at the LOS.

Timeout #1 by WAS at 01:26.


3-10-WAS 37 (1:26) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete short right to C.Cooley.


4-10-WAS 37 (1:21) H.Smith punts 45 yards to MIN 18, Center-N.Sundberg. G.Camarillo to MIN 18 for no gain (M.Sellers).

Excellent closing and tackle from Sellers.

Minnesota Vikings at 1:11


1-10-MIN 18 (1:11) (Shotgun) P.Harvin right end to MIN 26 for 8 yards (R.Doughty).

Harvin starts in the slot but motions to Favre’s side just before the snap, then runs a sweep to the right. The TE gets outside of Alexander and seals him inside, then the FB loops around him to seal Rocky.

2-2-MIN 26 (:40) A.Peterson up the middle to MIN 29 for 3 yards (B.Orakpo, P.Daniels).

Carriker collapses the RT and shuts off the hole, but Peterson puts on a minimalist move allowing him to slip just to the outside, where Alexander is unable to get him due to being slowed by a cut block from the FB.