Sept. 4th, 2008 - GAME DAY!!
Already this morning, I’ve been perusing the fan sites and blogs. I’m so eager for the game tonight.
One article by the Associated Press caught my eye. In it, they asserted that the new Redskins presented new problems for the New York Giants. Well, let’s hope so.
I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but I still have a hard time believing that the Giants are the Super Bowl champs. That goal line stand the Giants put up against the Skins seemed to spark their playoff run. In fact, during my interview with the DieHard Giants blog, I said as much. Defense is a state of mind. Any defense, regardless of the innate talent level that is present, that can adopt the attitude of, “we shall not be moved,” is going to be extremely hard to overcome.
So, while I acknowledge the talent they had on their defense last year, I don’t believe they were as good as they actually played during the playoffs, and especially in the Super Bowl. They just played lights out. It was sick.
But that was last year. They welcome our Skins tonight, and I’m expecting us to win. How could I not. I’m an optimist, remember.
The Associated Press believes that the Redskins have an advantage because of new head coach Jim Zorn. The figure that since no one has any film on him, and a database of how he calls games based on down and/or yardage, the Giants welcome the Skins with one hand tied behind their back. Hmmm… I’m not that much of an optimist. The Giants are going to bring the “rain.” They will attack Jason Campbell from all angles to rattle him early.
How Jim Zorn handles that pressure in his play calling will determine how well Jason Campbell fares.
Still, even the Giants players are indicating a hint of hesitation. Antonio Pierce is quoted as saying, “They showed a little bit, but they are working on other things and probably game planning against us a little, just like we’ve been doing against them. After the first 15 plays we’ll know what their game plan is and what their state of mind is,”
I wonder if he really believes that. Can any successful coach in the NFL be so locked into a game plan that it doesn’t change even after the other team figures it out? Hmmm… I don’t think so.
Joe Gibbs, as Clinton Portis stated, used to have the mindset that this is what we are going to do. Until they stop it, we’re going to keep doing it. And, in his first stint with the team, I recall that was mostly successful. But, as Gibbs came to realize early on in his second stint, the game is so much more fluid today. The defenses are so much more complex. And, as Portis stated, more often than not, defenses were able to stop whatever plans the Redskins had.
So, what exactly are the new wrinkles that the Redskins will offer this season? Well, for one, and perhaps the most crucial wrinkle, is the fact that Jason Campbell will not have the opportunity to audible. That’s right Skins fans. Imagine that. What a novel concept.
In the past, if the Skins came up to the line and looked over to see the defense aligned perfectly to stop the play they had called, they were expected to simply “man up” and execute; beat your man one on one, and let the dust settle where it may. If everyone wins their personal match up, we win the battle.
And in truth, that is a valid assessment. But, America would still be a colony of Britain if we insisted on following that game plan in the Revolutionary War. And, each and every season is a war, in a manner of speaking. Each game is a battle. And, each play is a specific skirmish in that battle. Who ever wins the most skirmishes, wins the battle. Whoever wins the most battles, wins the opportunity to fight the next war: the playoffs.
So, as we prepare for battle tonight, let’s hope we can be smart, creative, and out strategize and maneuver our opponent.
It’s game day!
