Cranky 'I Told You So's

This season has been frustrating to say the least.  Obviously, the mature thing to do is shout three huge I Told You Sos to Skins management.

1) I told you RGIII would not play like his normal self this year.  RGIII is currently ranked 20th in Win Probability Added/Game and 26th in completion percentage.  This "all in for week 1" stuff was a sham.

2) I told you the Skins will never have a good defense under Jim Haslett.  Haslett's most consistent trait going back to the late 90s is to produce defenses that underperform.  I told you this back in 2011, and tried again in 2012.  This year the Skins defense ranks 28th. Beginning with 2012 and working backward, the Skins defense has ranked 20th, 20th, and 24th.  Before Haslett arrived the Skins defense ranked 14th, 9th, and 8th.

3) I told you not to cut Graham Gano, that he was all-pro caliber, and that cutting him "feels like [cutting] David Akers all over again".  This year, Gano is 14/15 on FGs including 5/5 from 50+.  In addition, Gano leads the league in touchback percentage, while the Skins are ranked 30th -- if you don't think touchbacks matter, consider that they are equivalent in value to a QB sack.

So there it is Skins management.  I told you so.

Skins vs. Bear: The Great, the Good, and the Not-So-Good

The Skins beat a solid team, and hope remains that the Skins can still make something of this season. Still, today's wild win against the Bears had almost as many lows as highs.

The Great

• Jordan Reed.  The Skins rookie tight end out of Florida not only had 9 catches for 134 yards and a TD, but 0 drops (which cannot be said for the Skin's core of veteran receivers).  
• Rushing Game.  More than 200 yards on the ground between Alfred Morris, RGIII, and Roy Helu.

Not much to do but wait and see... (REVISITED)

We revisit this pre-Cowboys game post:

"Either RGIII's physical and mental readiness will continue to show improvement, or he'll stay rusty like many do the first year back from ACL repair."

• REVISITED: RGIII looked, well, maybe a bit more mobile?  He was certainly not the confident RGIII of last year.

"Either the Skins' defensive secondary will mature and work better together, or they'll continue to allow gobs and gobs of passing yards."

• REVISITED: The Skins' defensive secondary looked not terrible.

"Either Kai Forbath will return to his ultra-accurate form, or he'll continue to struggle with injuries, accuracy, or both."

• REVISITED: Forbath looked sharp and comfortable on three short FGs, and pulled a 49-yarder.

"Either the Skins will emerge from the bye ready to take over a weak NFC East, or they'll continue the year as a weak team in a weak conference."

• REVISITED: Looks like it will be a long year. As noted earlier, history is against QBs making quick returns to form after ACL repair.  But the same history shows that QBs can be great year 2 after ACL repair.

Not much to do but wait and see...

The first quarter of the season is over, and there's not much to say.

• Either RGIII's physical and mental readiness will continue to show improvement, or he'll stay rusty like many do the first year back from ACL repair.
• Either the Skins' defensive secondary will mature and work better together, or they'll continue to allow gobs and gobs of passing yards.
• Either Kai Forbath will return to his ultra-accurate form, or he'll continue to struggle with injuries, accuracy, or both.
• Either the Skins will emerge from the bye ready to take over a weak NFC East, or they'll continue the year as a weak team in a weak conference.  

We'll learn a lot tonight when the Skins take on the Cowboys.

Skins vs. Lions: The Great, The Good, and the Not-So-Good

At least the game was competitive...

The Great

• John Potter, maybe.  In relief of an injured Forbath, Potter was 2/2 on FGs and had 3 touchbacks on 4 kickoffs.  

The Good

• RGIII.  Very mixed game from RGIII. He had some strong, accurate passes, and showed a bit of speed. But he also had two very Rex Grossman-like turnovers: a throw-away that became an INT, and a fumble caused by no one.  

Skins vs. Packers: Quick Observations on a Lousy Game

• David Amerson was abused repeatedly. He struggled with both coverage and tackling, and the Packers noticed and took advantage often.

• In general, the Skins' secondary, which relies heavily on rookies and non-starters, is overmatched by NFL offenses. It's hard to see this improving anytime soon.

• RGIII's passing looked better but his throws still arrive less accurately and less quickly than in the past. The result is more dropped and defended passes. 

• The Skins front seven can generate good QB pressure.  

• Theoretically, as the season progresses RGIII will continue to return to form, the offense will find its 2012 rhythm, and the Skins defensive rookies will noticeably improve, so there's reason to stay optimistic ... probably ... maybe ... hopefully ... ugh.

Skins vs. Eagles: The Great, the Good, and the Not-So-Good

The game was a mess, and I'm ready to move on, so let's get this over with.

The Great

• Ryan Kerrigan.  7 tackles, a sack, and a huge forced fumble that translated to 7 points.  Hopefully he passes his concussion test and stays healthy.
• Kai Forbath's Kickoffs.  Forbath, who struggled on kickoffs all of last year and all of pre-season, kicked 3 touchbacks on 4 tries.  Touchbacks are each worth an average of more than 10 yards on field position, so this is important long-term.
• Perry Riley.  Riley had a sack, a fumble recovery, and a thousand tackles.