Tomorrow, as the Washington Redskins host the Indianapolis Colts in the third preseason game of 2012, rookie quarterbacks Robert Griffin, III and Andrew Luck will go through what is being billed as a “dress rehearsal” for the coming season. The starting groups for each team will likely play in the first halves of the game plus a small portion of the second halves.
As in any new year, there are lots of questions which may or may not be answered during this third game. There is plenty of information out there to guide the NFL fan through what to look for during the game… here are a few things for which the fan should not watch:
1. Don’t Watch for Griffin to Have Poise in the Pocket
Redskins fans obviously want to see Griffin drop back, stand tall, go through his reads and launch the ball 40 to 60 yards down the field into the waiting arms of Pierre Garçon as he stays in stride and waltzes into the end zone. They want to see run plays designed to capitalize on Griffin’s blazing speed as he scoots out of Dwight Freeney or Jerry Hughes’ reach for a first down while the offensive line holds off the linebackers. And they might well see a few of these plays.
But even more likely, Redskins fans will see some broken plays, missed blocks and Colts’ defensive linemen chasing their quarterback or even sacking him. It’s these situations that will show, in part, Griffin’s confidence and athleticism.
Can he keep his wits about him while the play is breaking down? Can he move away from the pressure, stand tall and continue to look down the field as his receivers try to get and/or stay open long after the snap?
In a perfect world, Washington’s offensive line will protect him as long as he needs the protection, no matter what is going on with the Colts’ defensive front. But it’s not a perfect world and RGIII’s first line of protection – the starters on the offensive line – is injury-laden which means he is really going to have to stay calm and poised even with Dwight Freeney breathing down his neck.
Hopefully, the amount of pressure that Griffin had to face from the Chicago Bears got Griffin’s O-linemen fired up, no matter who is starting tomorrow afternoon. They will try to do whatever they can to keep their quarterback upright. But if they don’t, the way Griffin deals with any adversity will say a lot about whether or not he can succeed in the NFL.
2. Don’t Watch the Two Rookie Quarterbacks’ Stats During this Game – Unless You Want to Witness History In the Making
It’s a well-know fact that Griffin and Luck will be joined at the hip throughout their careers in the National Football League. Both have had similar experiences so far in the preseason, each showing why they were drafted so high but both behaving like rookies.
Luck’s passer rating in Week One was 142.7 against the St. Louis Rams as opposed to a 51.3 in Week Two, playing against the much better Pittsburgh Steelers.
Griffin had a similar ratings although he did not pass as much as Luck did in either game. In Week One against the Buffalo Bills, he had a passer rating of 145.8 and last week against the Chicago Bears – a much better defense – he graded out at 79.7.
Over the first two games, the two quarterback’s stats were:
LUCK: Drives: 11, Plays: 66, TDs: 3, Turnovers: 2, Points: 28, Passes Attempted: 41, Completed: 26, Intcs: 2, Pctg: 63.4, Yds Passing: 363, Rating: 87.8, Rushes: 2, Yds rushing: 10
GRIFFIN: Drives: 10, Plays: 55, TDs: 1, Turnovers: 2, Points: 10, Passes Attempted: 14, Completed: 9, Intcs: 0, Pctg: 64.3, Yds Passing: 119, Rating: 114.9, Rushes: 4, Yards Rushing: 17
These two guys will likely end up joining the Carolina Panthers’ QB Cam Newton in becoming the yardsticks by which all other young quarterbacks are measured.
3. Don’t Watch Which Players Are on the Field After the Starters Are Finished Playing – Unless You Want to Know Who’s Really On the Bubble
Mike Shanahan must cut his roster down to 75 players by 4:00 pm (EST) August 27th. Some of the starters are set in stone but many, while they can be predicted, are not. Playing time – especially for some of the wide receivers and especially during the fourth quarter- could be an indication of who needs to show that they belong on this team.
I maintain that, while Pierre Garçon was a good addition to the team, Washington had plenty of receiving talent on this team at the end of 2011. They just didn’t have an elite quarterback throwing to them. Who knows what some of the guys currently “on the bubble” could have done with a guy like Griffin taking the snaps?
Two guys we have not seen much from so far but that deserve a chance to showcase their talent in these last two preseason games are wide outs Anthony Armstrong and Terrence Austin.
Anthony Armstrong is probably the fastest guys on the team. He can get behind a safety or cornerback and catch passes up the field and outrun many defensive backs into the end zone. In 2010, “AAA” had 974 yards and five touchdowns. Unfortunately, he has been dealing with a shoulder injury recently and did not play in the first two preseason games. He is scheduled to see some playing time tomorrow and, hopefully, he will be able to display some of his speed in the passing game. Armstrong is a good special teams player.
Terrence Austin has only had one catch so far this preseason for 11 yards and that was last week. However, he made a point of coming back this year heavier and stronger and, during training camp; he has made some great catches. He is a special teams beast and it behooves Shanahan to let him have some playing time tomorrow. Austin was drafted in the 7th round in 2010 and Shanahan should be willing to develop his draft picks.
Guys who need to see some playing time tomorrow are cornerbacks Kevin Barnes, Cedric Griffin, Brandyn Thompson, David Jones, and Richard Crawford – all obviously looking for a roster spot on this team. Watch to see who returns kicks and punts tomorrow. If Crawford does and does a good job, he will help his case – a lot – what with Brandon Banks fighting for a spot at wide receiver.
Safeties Brandon Meriweather and Madieu Williams are shown on the depth chart as the starters but Meriweather was helped off of the field last week and won’t play again until the regular season. That leaves Reed Doughty, DeJon Gomes, Tanard Jackson and Jordan Bernstine fighting for spots on the roster. Hopefully, Luck won’t pick the secondary apart like the Bears’ Jay Cutler did last week.
Watch the time Jackson spends on the field in these last two games. He played in both of the first two games, making three tackles and assisting in another. If he doesn’t play, does that mean that defensive backs’ coach Raheem Morris has already gotten Jackson a roster spot or that they have too many other guys to watch?
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Kick-off for tomorrow’s Redskins’ game against the Colts is at 4:00 pm EST and is going to be aired nationally on the NFL Network and locally on NBC and Comcast. I would not be at all surprised if it was the most watched game of the entire preseason.
Hail.