Here are a few second thoughts following the Washington Redskins' 49-27 loss at Indianapolis:
There's a tendency to overreact to losses and wins. And some of what happened Sunday was the result of players who don't factor into the future -- linebacker Everette Brown, for example. He was in coverage against Coby Fleener. But the Redskins used a second-round pick on David Amerson last year and it's hard to trust him in coverage all the time. Yes, he's still young but the issue with his eyes being in the wrong spot was one in college, too.
For those wondering, many requests have been made to talk to general manager Bruce Allen about what's transpired this season. They've been denied. Word is he'll talk after the season. Yes, I still believe they need to hire a strong football man and let Allen just serve as team president.
This isn't just about wins right now, it's about establishing who you want to be; I just don't see what's been established in that regard -- as a team, as a franchise. Do you feel better or worse about their future than at this time last season?
Ran out of room in the story on the secondary breakdowns, but here's more of what safety Ryan Clark had to say, "I want to try my best to communicate to everyone and then we need to play it. Some calls we understood what we were supposed to be doing and then we didn't execute it. Every play was not, 'I don't know what I'm doing.' I don't want to put it on those guys like they can't learn because they can. Some of those things as they began to unfold we did not play them correctly."
I'll be curious to see more of Colt McCoy's outing when re-watching the game. I know players like him, his poise and how he conducts himself. Man, I can't believe I'm writing this because of all that it implies, but he'd be a good quarterback to pair with a young one they want to groom. That is, if they decide to move on from the current two young quarterbacks. McCoy would be like having an extra coach. Of course, what the Redskins need is someone who can play quarterback a long time, not just one who can tutor players.
There's a dramatic difference between the Redskins and the Colts and much of it comes down to one position. Andrew Luck is fantastic and makes everyone around him better. They don't have a great offensive line. They don't have a good run game (not with Trent Richardson especially). They don't have a top defense. Yet they win. As one Redskins player said, Luck is fearless in the pocket.
Sometimes time of possession matters, often it does not. Sunday, the Redskins held the ball for 36 minutes, five seconds to the Colts' 23:55.
The Redskins have been using the toss to Alfred Morris a lot more in recent weeks and it's one reason the run game has started to work better. But the reason they were reluctant for so long to pitch to him is what happened on one inside toss: he mishandled the ball. Morris runs more decisively after tosses, perhaps in part because he can see the holes better and doesn't get off his path.
DeSean Jackson made another nice adjustment on a deep ball for a 42-yard score. It's not that he was wide open, it's just that he finds the ball better than most. He said something after the game that, if taken out of context, would look bad. Here it is, "I feel the pride level. It's just, guys fool around. As a team we're not putting it together. That's the frustrating thing about it. Hopefully as a unit we can pull together and find a way."
When he said guys fool around, he was not meaning literally. He meant just messing up on the field.
