It's Skins vs. Buffalo in the 3rd game of the pre-season. The stakes are low, but there is still much to be learned about the team. Below are 4 observations about RB depth, kickoffs, turnovers, and backup QBs.
Roy Helu looks great as the 2nd-string RB. Last year Helu was injured and there was a big dropoff after Moris. Evan Royster got the bulk of work as Morris' backup, but Royster lacks Helu's speed and Morris' vision and cutting ability. In addition, to my eyes Royster does not appear to be progressing as a runner. It may be telling that Royster saw no action in pre-season games 2 and 3. (Edit: Shanahan said in the post-game conference that Royster has a sprained foot.)
Kai Forbath still struggles on kickoffs. Forbath is extremely accurate as a FG kicker, which is wonderful. But he has a problem with shallow kickoffs, which give opponents opportunities for long returns and good field position. Today Forbath hit a couple deep kickoffs but also a couple very shallow ones. The Skins currently have Potter, a kickoff specialist, on the roster. If Potter makes it past Tuesday's cuts, it may suggest the Skins are considering keeping two kickers on the roster. (Edit: Potter did not surviveTuesday's cuts.)
Lucky on turnovers. It's impressive that the Skins' offense moved well with neither RGIII or Kirk Cousins playing. But we should acknowledge that things could have been worse. The Bills dropped what should have been an easy INT thrown by Rex Grossman, and Grossman later threw a deep, jump-ball pass to a triple-covered Santanta Moss. Also, Helu had the ball stripped cleanly and was fortunate to recover his own fumble when the ball took a friendly bounce. Ball security needs to improve for the regular season.
3rd-string QB controversy? Near-turnovers aside, Grossman looked quite good leading the Skins offense in the 1st quarter. It's well-established that Grossman knows the offense very well and is able to anticipate pre-snap which receivers will be open based on the play call and defensive formation. However, Shanahan gave Pat White playing time in the 2nd quarter when many starters were still in the game. This suggests Shanahan wanted to evaluate White as a potential replacement for Grossman. White looked good at times, leading a nice 2nd-quarter TD drive with many starters still on the field, but other times he took unnecessary sacks and had trouble making basic throws.
The two QBs have very different strengths: Grossman brings knowledge, experience, and the ability to mentor 2nd-year QBs RGIII and Cousins, whereas White brings athleticism, speed, youth, and the ability to run the read-option.
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