What? You expected a shootout?  The Redskins lost 24-17 in a game that was closer than shown by score, time of possession, or the exaggeration of this headline. 

The Falcons held a TOP advantage of 15:02 over the Redskins. That's one quarter of football. Yet, the 'Skins had a shot to tie in the last 1:21.

Kirk Cousins' two fourth-quarter picks killed Washington's last gasp. The second interception came as Cousins was hit on the attempt. I'm a Spartans alum who cheered for Cousins for four years. Football is a world of men. No excuses offered or accepted. As tempting as it was, Cousins should not have made that throw.

Cousins: "I tried to do too much." #Redskins

— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) October 7, 2012

Opposing defenses will not stay home for Cousins as they would for Robert Griffin III. They'll play a conventional defense instead – that means lots of pass pressure on rookie Cousins. Defeating it means quicker, shorter pass attempts to beat the rush.  

Oooh, but the soft coverage was such a tempting target. Cousins' second NFL pass was a gorgeous 77-yard scoring strike to Santana Moss who was all alone behind the Falcons defense. Cousins would complete another big play to Pierre Garçon for 20 yards, before throwing his first career interception in that same series.

Really, people? Not one handoff to Alfred Morris in that drive? The same Morris who averaged 6.4 yards per carry and made six first downs rushing?

With less than two minutes to go, not once did Washington hand off to their other Rookie of the Year candidate.      

Lets say that Cousins 77-yard scoring bomb and the urgency of the moment swayed the Shanahans more than it should have. Hog Heaven is critical of the series, but mildly so.

When Griffin III faced a similar situation last week against the Buccaneers, he completed short passes to Moss and Fred Davis and both made yards after the catch. Griffin made a 15-yard run that positioned Billy Cundiff's successful field goal attempt.

Griffin did that while calling his own plays because of a broken headset. Cousins had a working headset and the coach was calling the plays. Did that make a difference? You decide.

With Cousins in the game. Morris has to get at least one rush or reception. Something. Anything.

Cousins achieved more TD passes (1), higher YPA 12.3 and passer rating (97.2) than Griffin III. His passer rating was higher than Matt Ryan's was. That's not any consolation.  

Griffin's hit heard 'round the world

Robert Griffin III and concussion are words we never want to see in the same sentence, but here goes. RGIII's "mild concussion" is the biggest post-game concern for the Redskins. Sean Weatherspoon's hit was a legal kill shot (um) on RGIII at the end of a run on Atlanta's three-yard line. It's football. Hit happens.

Mike Shanahan said after the game the Redskins knew immediately that Robert Griffin III had suffered a concussion.

— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) October 7, 2012

Griffin and the Redskins are being lambasted for taking the hit. A look at the video appears to show that RGIII attempted to slide out of bounds, but had little room to do so.

It's Washington's nightmare scenario. Griffin will undergo concussion evaluation Monday to see if he can practice. Fans will look askance at Rex Grossman in uniform this Sunday if RGIII can't go.

Defense out of steam

Washington's defense forced Mattie Ice to throw 52 times in a possession passing game. Atlanta held the ball 37:01. Yet, Atlanta's final go-ahead score was a Michael Turner 13-yard run between OLB Rob Jackson and S Madieu Williams. Both defenders were well handled by Falcons linemen. Atlanta beat Washington's defensive alignment. Williams was up on the line, perhaps showing blitz. Ryan might have found as much success passing to exploit Williams' position. Atlanta had a good counter to Washington's scheme.

Washington's defense did not cause this much concern after their performance last year. We've touched on problems at safety in other stories. LaRon Landry is gone. So are Brandon Meriweather and Tanard Jackson. Both were Washington's answer to the loss of Landry.

I'm evaluating the defense by the Richie Pettibon yardstick – turnovers and third-down stops. Washington gets an "A" on turnovers, thanks to Ryan Kerrigan's pick-six of Matty Ice. Atlanta converted nine of 17 third-down attempts. Now you understand Atlanta's time of possession. Epic fail for that.

The defense could not get Atlanta off the field and they just wore down. Turner running untouched for the winning score was a sign of that.

Billy Cundiff

I can't think of any reason why the Redskins signed Billy Cundiff except that he is not Graham Gano. Just sayin'.

This seems like a good time to point out that the #Redskins didn't have Billy Cundiff work out for them (or kick) before they signed him.

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) October 7, 2012

With the loss, the Redskins trail the Eagles and Giants for the division crown by one game. Dallas was on BYE. (I'm tempted to say, the BYE beat them.)

Up next, the Minnesota Vikings – the 4-1 Minnesota Vikings.

Image: October 6, 2012 - Patrick Smith/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com.
Image: October 7, 2012 - Griffin III and Cousins, FedEx Field for Falcons warm-up, Redskins.com via Instagram.

Enjoy this story? Like it on Facebook and Tweet it to your Followers. Click the buttons below.

Quick hits for Falcons at Redskins

I'd call that a good start

Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III won honors for Rookie of Week 4 and Rookie of the Month for September. Wow. Just Wow.

Anyone else notice that Griffin does the Catholic Tebow before starting a game and after a score? Former alter boy here. I recognize the signs. 

For all the derision Tim Tebow get for for his public displays, the fact is most pro players and coaches are deeply religious. It's part of the package to excel in the ultimate team sport. Winning in football demands a sense of playing for something greater than yourself. That comes easier for players whose core is Divinely-guided. Most don't put it on public display like Mr. Tebow. Griffins' core might be why he plays so well. He would be the last to say so, I think.

The "me" players don't get that. For all their individual deeds, they don't help their team win titles . It's a bias, but I believe that anyone who wears the number "1" on their jersey is a "me" player. RGIII isn't anything like that. I pray to God he stays that way. 

I'd call that a good start II

Pierre Garçon expects to play against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday. The Redskins cleared WR Aldrick Robinson to play, too.

Garçon has speed (maybe) to stretch the field and undeniable yards after the catch ability. I'm not sure of his hands yet. He hasn't started enough games to tell. Garçon "appeared" in the Buccaneers game. What else do you call it when the No. 1 receiver is targeted once in the whole game?

Fortunately, Garçon made the catch for a 20-yard gain. Light duty is evidence Garçon isn't over his foot injury. It's better news that Robinson is ready to play. The Redskins held him out after that freak pregame collision with S Brandon Meriweather.

The right receiving balance

A gripe I've had since 2006 was that the tight ends were Washington's most reliable receiving threats. I didn't want Chris Cooley to catch fewer ball. I wanted the wide receivers to catch a lot more. The best offenses have wide receivers as top performers (see Falcons, Atlanta).

Washington is finding that balance, though they aren't quite there yet. TE Fred Davis is top receiver in catches and yards, but all of the receiving touchdowns have been scored by wide receivers. Leonard Hankerson trails Davis in catches by two balls. I see Robinson as a better receiver than Hankerson, so it's good that he is back. This Falcons game has "shootout" written all over it.

The wrong tackling balance

Linebackers should be the leading tacklers in the 3-4 defense. The two leading tacklers this season are CB DeAngelo Hall and S Madieu Williams. It's not a good sign that defensive backs are leading tacklers as it may show that offenses are throwing over the linebackers and targeting the DBs. That stat confirms what we see during games.

London Fletcher will end the season as the team's leading tackler. Ryan Kerrigan is the top ranked outside linebacker on Pro Football Focus list. There are no ball-hawking free agent DBs out there. Secondary talent is something Jim Haslett and Raheem Morris just have to cope with. Not a comforting thought with Atlanta in town.

S Brandon Meriwether and CB Cedric Griffin are  OUT for Sunday's game. DeAngelo Hall missed Friday practice with the flu.

Redskins, men in pink

The NFL supports National Breast Cancer Awareness Month every October. In partnership with this initiative, New Era, the official cap of the NFL, has created an exclusive line of pink caps that will be worn by all players, coaches and staff on the sidelines during games throughout the month of October. New Era has also donated women’s hats to every club to be distributed to breast cancer survivors and worn during games throughout National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Sunday marks the first game that Redskins players, coaches and sideline personnel will be wearing these pink caps. These special caps are available for purchase at www.neweracap.com, with a portion of proceeds going to breast cancer awareness charities.    

Images:
Griffin in prayer, September 29, 2012 - Source: J. Meric/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com.
New Era Breast Cancer Awareness Cap courtesy DKC Public Relations, New York, NY

Enjoy this story? Like it on Facebook and Tweet it to your Followers. Click the buttons below.

I'm a U.S. Navy admirer and wanna be. So, when I see that the Navy Band is giving a free concert, I'm intensely interested.

The Navy has no chance, however. They scheduled this concert for 4:00 PM, Sunday, October 14. Um, Kickoff for Vikings vs. Redskins at FedEx Field is 4:25 PM. If the Nationals survive NLDS, they will be playing somewhere Sunday afternoon or evening.

Not everyone is a sports fan, but the Navy will have a hard time holding the attention of the DC Metro male population. Should their main squeeze drag them to this even, the guys will just stream for live scores on their handheld thingie.

The concert is more attractively priced (Free) than any ticket you'll find for the Redskins game (Not free), so it you are interested in going, follow the link to Navy Birthday Concert.  

The concert takes place at Constitution Hall, 1776 D St NW, Washington, DC 20006.

Enjoy this story? Like it on Facebook and Tweet it to your Followers. Click the buttons below.

As training camp opened last July, Redskins Hog Heaven's Boss Hog wrote Five reasons why the Washington Redskins would win 10 games. With four games on the books, it's time to 'fess up. I was wrong. Let me count the ways.

1 – It ain't about the rookie. It's about the carry-over guys.

 WRONG. It's ALL about the rookie. In fact, it's about the rookies. The Redskins enter Week 5 as the league's third-ranked team in offensive yards, second-ranked in rushing yards, and fourth-ranked in points scored. All of that is thanks to Robert Griffin III, Washington's Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, and to Alfred Morris, Washington's other Rookie of the Year candidate. None of the burgundy-bleeding analysts foresaw that happening.

2 – The feared Redskins pass attack

Half wrong. The comment described Washington's front seven. The idea being the pass rush would offset weakness in the secondary. The Redskins are tied for 22nd place for sacks and have been gashed for big plays. Every game has been a shootout. That's what the defense was supposed to prevent.

Injuries have had their impact. Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker are lost for the season. Poor Brandon Meriweather has been snake bit since his arrival. The team misplaced its faith in the character of Tanard Jackson. (More on that at the end of this story.) I don't see the pressure I imagined from this group after last season.

Yet, there is a lot to like here. They are disruptive. Washington is ranked second in passes defended. They've snagged five interceptions. One was a pick-six. They forced five fumbles, recovered three and returned two for a score. The 'Skins are +7 in takeaways. For that, we count RGIII as an honorary member of the defense. He's in charge of the low giveaway side of the equation.

I want more pass pressure from these guys. Injuries are no excuse. You made the team. Do the job. But I can live with disruption and scoring.

3 – RBBC is a rookie's best friend.

Half right.  The idea was that Mike Shanahan's running back by committee of Tim Hightower, Roy Helu and Evan Royster would combine for 2,000 rushing yards. Shanahan's RBBC will work, only it's RGIII and Alfred Morris who are running. Could they really combine for 2,800 rushing yards and 32 TDs for the season? That's the straight-line projection after four games.

Morris is the kind of big back Joe Gibbs loved for his downfield offense. Gil Brandt compared him to Terrell Davis in an NFL.com story yesterday. Maybe it was astute scouting, or serendipity that he landed with the Redskins, but Morris adds Shanahan's legend of discoverer of undiscovered running backs.

The scout who found Morris deserves a bonus. A big one.

4 – It's Shanahan's third year and the Redskins don't suck.

The jury is out. Four games in to too soon to say, but I feel good about this one. This zinger targeted owners and a whole bunch of fans who see a quick hook as the answer to every setback. Three years is a magic number for coaches and players. Shanahan and Joe Gibbs are the only Snyder-era coach who got a third year. That's been a problem with the Snyder era. Staying the course should pay off.

The comment was also directed at media pundits who foresaw a two to four-win season for the 'Skins. That was idiotic from the get. The Redskins had talent for seven wins before trading up for Robert Griffin III. True, they only won five games last season, but should have beaten the Cowboys in game one and the Vikings at home – seven wins.

Washington didn't get worse during the offseason. Play the 2012 Redskins against the 2011 Redskins on Madden and the 2012 team would win every time. Anyone dispute that?

5 – RGIII has one job, be better than RGIII&Out

Right. We said Griffin III had to be better than Grossman III to win favor in the eyes of Redskins fans. Check.

FIVE REASONS WHY THEY WON'T WIN 10 GAMES

1 – NO Beast team will win 10 games this season.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. NFC East teams will waste themselves against each other and they play the NFC North. Nine games will win the Beast this year.

2 – RGIII is just a rookie.

Wrong. The point of this statement was to set expectations of Redskins fans who were over the top in Griffin mania. True RGIII is a rookie, but in five decades of watching football, I ain't nevah seen no Redskins rookie like Griffin III. But, I saw a rookie performance like his just last year. Cam Newton led the former two-win Panthers to six wins in 2011.

Rookie quarterbacks before Sam Bradford were not as good at boosting their team in their rookie years. Peyton Manning won three games as a Colts rookie. Andrew Luck will win five or so for Indianapolis. Andy Dalton took his team to the playoffs. Bradford had his team in playoff contention.

Bradford-era rookies are bigger. They pass more in college now. The best of them are multi-year starters at the BCS level, and they are coming into a NFL with coaching staffs more open to shotgun spread option concepts than a decade ago.

When Greg Trippiedi and I engaged in age vs. youth debates, I always took old age and cunning over youth and strength, especially for quarterbacks. No more. In 21st Century football, first-round quarterbacks should always start with high expectations of them.

3 – Pierre Garçon is a wash to Jabar Gaffney.

Wrong. Gaffney is better than Garçon when Garçon is on the bench. YAC ability and speed can't help the team from the bench.

4 – Secondary questions

Right. I won't waste any more words.

5 – I just don't know about Graham Gano. Do you?

Half right. It turns out that the coaching staff had as little faith in Gano as I did. The problem is they turned to Billy Cundiff as a fix.

Cundiff is the team's high scorer at 33 points, but he is six for 10 in field goal attempts. With that performance, I prefer Gano on loyalty alone.

Coach Shanahan made the correct decision not to try out new kickers this week (quick hooks don't help, remember), but that's not a performance that can continue.

Cundiff may simply have had a bad day against the Buccaneers. Atlanta placekicker Matt Bryant is 9 for 9 this season. Washington escaped with Cundiff's flubs against the Buccaneers. That won't work against the Falcons.

Now thinking of words that rhyme with "Cundiff," just in case. Let's see, there's stiff....

About Tanard Jackson

Because it's a football team, we forget that players are employees of Pro-Football, Inc., the corporate parent of the Washington Redskins. The Redskins follow all of the laws and good business practices that any company with $300 million revenue follows when it comes to employee benefits. 

The law considers drug addiction to be a disability. Companies want to give contributing employees a chance to beat their affiction and get back to contributing. We see coaches do that all the time, often in defiance of fans who want them to enforce society's punishment. That's not good business and it is sometimes legally risky, like firing a handicapped person. Look no further than the Bengals and the player once known as Pacman.

Jackson hurt the team by his action, but he might be fighting demons we don't know about. We can be critical, but not harshly so. We all have demons. Lets see how it plays out.

Image: September 29, 2012, Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com.

Enjoy this story? Like it on Facebook and Treet to your Followers. Click the buttons below.

The undefeated Atlanta Falcons visit FedEx Field this Sunday. The Falcons look like the class of the NFC South. The Redskins' flaws are all too apparent, but they look like high-scoring competitors in the Beast. How do the Redskins match-up with the Falcons? We turned to Kevin, our Bloguin colleague who covers Atlanta on the Grits Blitz Blog for answers.

Redskins Hog Heaven: Matt Ryan or Michael Vick?

Grits Blitz: Haha. Let's start with an easy one. Matt Ryan. And that comes from a guy that was a Vick defender and actually wanted to draft Glenn Dorsey over Ryan. In Matt Ryan, the Falcons have someone who is a willing leader, someone who will put in the time in the film room and someone who cares about his teammates. Not to mention that he's coming into his own and is on the verge of being an "elite" QB. Vick was a phenom when he played for the Falcons but he was a guy that never gave his all to be the best that he could be. Blame him or blame the regime that allowed him but as good as his flashes were, in the end he let an entire city down due to his selfishness. Matt Ryan is our guy and we aren't looking back.

RHH: Tell me about Falcons OC Dirk Koetter. Usually there is an adjustment period for new coordinators. I don't see that with Atlanta's offense. What is Koetter doing to get that performance?

GB: Dirk Koetter inherited some talent to play with in Atlanta. Coming from Jacksonville, I'm sure Koetter laughed maniacally after he compared the Falcons offensive talent with that of the Jags. Koetter hasn't done anything too out of the ordinary. Sometimes it's just a different voice that team can rally behind as Mike Mularkey was good for a while but ultimately he just got too stale.

One thing Koetter has done is he has opened up the pass game. Under Mularkey, the Falcons were reluctant to throw the deep ball and seemed set in their ways a little too much. Koetter has added the deep threat as well as an increased focus on the screen game and getting the ball to backs in the open field. 

Also, through the first three games the offensive line, behind new coach Pat Hill, was doing a really good job protecting Matt Ryan. Giving Ryan the time to read the field makes a huge difference. Last week against Carolina, the OL did not play as well and it showed, as the Falcons had to come from behind.

RHH: Julio Jones strikes me as spectacular but not reliable (31 targets, 16 catches). Is he all you expected given what Atlanta gave up to get him – not that Redskins fans question spectacular Draft trades anymore?  

GB: I think Julio will be all that we expect but he's been banged up a bit. He missed some games as a rookie and is currently working through a hand injury. Without a doubt, Julio has what it takes to be the best receiver in the NFL once he gets a little more experience under his belt. 

RHH: How do the Redskins stop the Falcons' offense?

GB: They have to get pressure on Matt Ryan early and often. If the Skins let Ryan sit back in the pocket, he will pick them apart. Ryan just has too many weapons...Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, Julio Jones, Harry Douglas, etc. The offensive line has been improved this year but struggled last week to contain Charles Johnson and the Panthers rush. 

RHH: How do the Redskins attack the Falcons' defense?

GB: The Falcons have struggled against the run. Right now, the Falcons play better defense in the nickel and that's what they use as their primary defense. I think the Redskins have to pick up decent yardage on first down to try to keep the Falcons in a base 4-3 and if they can run the ball, traditionally or with RG3, they could see some success.

The Falcons have had great play from their Safety's, William Moore and Thomas DeCoud, this year but last week Moore struggled a bit with the Panthers athletic tight end Greg Olson. The Redskins could find a mismatch or two in the secondary provided they can keep The Predator (John Abraham) away from RG3. 

Thanks, Kevin, for the insight. We answered Grits Blitz' questions about the Redskins that are up now. Click here to see what we said about our Redskins.

Enjoy reading this post? Like us on Facebook and Tweet us to your Followers. Click the buttons at the top of this story.

Image: September 22, 2012 - Source: Donald Miralle/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com.

Some writers have a way with words. Take Seth Wickersham, for example. Wickersham came up with an "I wish I wrote that" opening to an ESPN The Magazine story on Daniel Snyder:

"CONSIDER TWO REDSKINS fans. They are locals -- one from Rockville, Md., the other from Falls Church, Va. -- not only of the same generation but of the same generation of Redskins fans, introduced to the team in the losing 1960s, faithful throughout the uneven '70s and rewarded with Super Bowls in the '80s. For them, the Redskins are not just a way of life but a way through life -- a way to learn about love, holding the old man's hand at RFK or downing bowls of Mom's homemade Redskins chili; about death, when Vince Lombardi passed away; about geographical hatred, when George Allen waged war on the city of Dallas; about pain, when Joe Theismann fractured his leg; and about community, from the unified joy of three championships."

Wickersham could have written that about a legion of hereditary Redskins fans, including me. He wrote about two special fans, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and Dave McKenna, his newspaper nemesis and author of the famously hilarious The Cranky Redskins Fan's Guide to Daniel Snyder. The ESPN story recounts the feud between Snyder and McKenna that led to the hilariously infamous lawsuit against The Washington City Paper for publishing the story.

The Cranky Fan Guide was a compilation of Mr. Snyder's blunders running the Redskins and Snyder Communications, the business that made him rich. Snyder's silly lawsuit, supposedly prompted by PR executive Tony Wyllie, exposed two things about him.

1.       He knows nothing about the short attention span of the Internet.

2.       NFL owners like to intimidate people.

A story like The Cranky Fan Guide has a three-day life on the Internet. It was dead and forgotten ... until Snyder's lawsuit brought it back to life and gave it a national audience.

The suit struck even legal laymen as frivolous, subjecting Snyder the very derision it was supposed to suppress. The tactic came off as high handed, not unlike the lockout NFL owners imposed on players and game officials.

Their common love for the Redskins might have drawn Snyder and McKenna together instead of driving them apart. Wickersham's story, A thin line between love and hate, is a good read for Redskins wonks. You should go read it. We'll be here when you get back.

The Redskins need a better owner whose name is Daniel Snyder

I studied the careers of successful NFL GM's a few years ago and found some things were common:

·         They had a 15-year general manager career path; there were no short-cuts

·         A few, like Ozzie Newsome, were players. It was rare that a coach made a good GM. The coaching career path does not prepare one to be a GM.

·         GMs rose through scouting or player contracts as capologists. In pro football, owners have to be more loyal to the salary cap than they are to players.

Snyder tried to short cut that career progression at every step until the fan revolt of 2010 pushed him to the background. He hired Mike Shanahan to run the team. Shanahan would only come if Snyder hired the GM the owner once said he did not need.

Snyder's retreat to the background is better than Snyderrato, but that's not what the Redskins need. It takes a championship owner to run a championship team. A champion owner knows that his real team is his front office executives more than the players are. Championship owners know that being smart with the salary cap is different from being clever with the cap. The new Dan Snyder shows signs of getting it.

The old Snyder and Vinny Cerrato were clever at over-paying starters and using accounting gimmicks to push the cost into the future ... when the player was off the team. They congratulated themselves for cleverness while ignoring how they hamstrung the team's future.

Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen fell into the same trap at first, raising suspicions of how hands-off the owner really was. Now they are getting it right. They stocked the team with a cohort of young talent that will lead the Redskins to contention for the next several years. They have cap room, amazing after the NFL Management Council whacked the team for $36 million.

These are the seeds of NFL success. It is good that Mr. Snyder has stepped away from meddling with management, but winning takes more. Owners must know when and how to challenge their executives. Mr. Snyder is due to grasp that role in two years. The Redskins are due for a Super Bowl run about that time.

The Redskins need Snyder to become a championship owner. I am pulling for him to become one.  
 

Congratulations to the Washington Nationals for making No. 1 seed in the NLS.

Enjoy this story? Like it on Facebook and Tweet it to your friends.

Words not required. Watch and enjoy.

 

There is a RG3 reference at 4:57 in the video, but don't skip ahead. You'll miss the laughs

Enjoy reading this story. Like it on Facebook and Tweet it to your Followers. Click the buttons above the story.

.​​​