Rich Tandler’s 5 thoughts possibly related to the Washington Redskins and other matters.
5. While I believe that you can still win a championship with defense, it has to be an attacking defense that gets a lot of sacks and takeaways and scores points. That description does not fit the San Francisco 49ers. Certainly 38 takeaways and 42 sacks represent a very respectable performance but the Niners defense scored just one touchdown this year. That’s why the New Orleans Saints will beat San Francisco in their playoff game this afternoon. It will be close for at least a half, maybe into the fourth quarter. But you can’t hold down Drew Brees and company for an entire game. Saints 24, 49ers 14
4. Can Tebow (and, oh, yeah, the 52 other players on the Broncos’ roster) do it again? I wouldn’t rule it out. If the Broncos can hang close until the fourth quarter another Tebow Time miracle is not out of the question. But I don’t like the chances of it being close entering the fourth. It is almost inconceivable that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and company will lose their fourth straight playoff game, going back to Super Bowl XLII, and their third in a row at home. Unless the Broncos can generate extraordinary pressure on Brady, the Patriots will score enough to make a possible late Tebow rally too little, too late. Patriots 28, Broncos 17
3. The fact that rookie Ryan Kerrigan played every defensive snap this season was impressive but I’m starting to think that it might have been a good idea to give him a rest from time to time. Looking at his stats, he seems to have clearly hit a wall after the team’s 12th game of the season. In that game, which was against the Jets, he had seven tackles. He had nine in the last four games combined.
2. I am not sure that the Redskins have any receivers on their roster who still will be with the team in 2013. I’m nearly sure that Leonard Hankerson will be there but he may or may not develop into a front line player. Santana Moss, Jabar Gaffney, and Donte Stallworth will be well into their 30’s by then and Niles Paul, Anthony Armstrong, and Terrence Austin have not accomplished enough to earn anything more than year-to-year status. Don’t be surprised to see an influx of new receivers through both free agency and the draft this spring.
1. Due to scheduling quirks, the Redskins and Rams will meet this coming season for the seventh time in eight years. Most of them have been ho-hum affairs but the 2012 game could carry some extra juice. The presence of Jeff Fisher, one of Mike Shanahan’s closest friends in coaching, as the Rams’ new head coach is interesting in and of itself. One top of that, however, Gregg Williams could be the Rams’ defensive coordinator. There are many fans who rue the day in January of 2008 that it was announced that Williams would not succeed Joe Gibbs as the Redskins’ head coach. Even if Williams stays where he is the Redskins will face him as they travel to New Orleans in 2012 as well.
Rich Tandler blogs about the Redskins at www.RealRedskins.com. You can reach him by email at RTandlerCSN@comcast.net and follow him on Twitter @Rich_Tandler.
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