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| R. Wilson Quaintance, IV. 6th November, 2008 - 10:29 am
 On Monday night the Washington Redskins hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers at FedEx Field.
The Redskins' performance in the first quarter was both poised and lucky. The Steelers came out with an on-side kick. How often do we see that?
Shaun Suisham kicked two field goals, which would be the only points the Redskins put up in the entire game.
The first half was a tug-of-war with both sides fighting to gain momentum. The Steelers never possessed the ball in Redskin territory in the opening quarter, but the half ended with a score of 16-6, in the favor of Pittsburgh.
To say the least, the remainder of the game lacked luster on the part of the Redskins. The Steelers remained cool and calm, executing plays and moving the ball down the field.
The game ended with a score of 23-6, with the Steelers coming out on top. Redskins still hold the #2 spot in the NFC East, and Clinton Portis remains the NFL's top rusher for this season.
The Steelers are one of those old, solid teams that year-after-year impose themselves, even if they're having a down season. Their perseverance carried them through this game, and they stand at the top of the AFC North.
Washington's Carlos Rogers has dropped numerous interceptions through the team's first nine games. Butterfingers, I say! The headline on Redskins.com after the game read "For Rogers, Interceptions Keep Slipping Away".
He knows it, too. On Monday he dropped a pass that he could, and would, have returned for a touchdown. Skins writer Gary Fitzgerald wrote, "Head coach Jim Zorn thinks that Rogers may be visualizing a big play before it happens". This is a fantastic quality to possess, however, he shouldn't put the cart before the horse.
We've all had moments like that, though. Either you visualize yourself messing something up and that negative projection makes it so, or you get so excited that everything falls apart. Someone once told me: "whether you think you can or you think you can't, either way, you're right". How true.
It is often the attitude of the quarterback that permeates through the feel of the front line. Jason Campbell needs to stop letting the opposing defense rattle his cage. He is a very accurate and dangerous quarterback when the pocket remains solid.
His scramble is almost non-existent. Of course it's hard to zip a pass down the field under pressure, and certainly so if you're worried about getting hit. There was one 'roughing the passer' call against the Steelers. It was a late hit that ended with Campbell's helmet bouncing hard against the field.
From a spectator's point-of-view it's easy to think that he needs to 'toughen up' or 'walk it off'. Maybe it's not that easy. These are demons he will eventually have to slay. Shake it off, Jason. We know you can do it.
Another player that deserves mention is safety Chris Horton. He's the one with dreadlocks and 42 tackles, 33 of which have come unassisted. He is young, and a lot of fun to watch.
Washington has a bye this week. They will spend this time regrouping and reexamining their strategies. Given the strength of character of this club, and how quickly they have gelled as a team under new leadership, the Skins will undoubtedly bounce back and learn from this loss. |
