For the good of the team, Snyder must make a decision

Danny Snyder and Vinny Cerrato's special relationship has been well documented.

It's a relationship that has spanned almost 10 years and over that time, the Redskins have been nothing if not mediocre. Some years a little more, some a little less. But doubtlessly mediocre.

And it's a relationship that, for the good of the Redskins, must end.

The roster
The Redskins have the oldest roster in the league with an average age of 27.60 and average NFL experience of 5.55 years.

But who on the roster right now is absolutely isn't expendable? Certainly not Campbell. Portis hasn't converted a third- or fourth-down (and 1) seemingly all year. Maybe Samuels or Dockery on the line. Not sure about any of the receivers. Maybe Moss, but he's wildly inconsistent. Anyone on defense? Maybe Haynesworth, but he hasn't proved his worth yet. Neither has Orakpo.

Everyone else could be replaced.

While we're talking about Orakpo, why the heck did we draft him to play a typical linebacker? He's a passrushing fiend, yet we have him playing basically a drop-back, read-and-react linebacker? Makes no sense.

Why does Cerrato have five running backs on the roster? We have Portis, Betts and Cartwright - who are basically the same type of back and very little upside - and then Alridge, who the Redskins haven't used yet but has a lot of upside. Betts and Cartwright are veterans who are not needed. They're good running backs, but provide the same thing that Portis brings to the table.

Campbell is not a West Coast Offense QB. Not sure why Cerrato brought in a WCO coach to teach a deep-ball passer how to run a WCO. Collins is too old to be anything other than a backup right now. Brennan has a lot of upside but really hasn't shown it quite yet. Oh, and he's on IR. Daniel showed a lot of upside, but Cerrato decided to jettison him.

Alright, I'll say it
First off, Snyder must fire Cerrato, and this time not bring him back. It'll be a tough decision to fire Cerrato, but it's something that Snyder must do if he wants the Redskins to ever get better on the field.

This team needs a complete overhaul. It's full of aging veterans - take a look at the defensive line (Wynn, Carter, Daniels) - who, while they have great experience - aren't exactly helping this team out right now.

It's pretty clear that Campbell probably won't be the Redskins starter next season (unless for some reason he has a great rest-of-the-season. Maybe take the time now to overhaul the team. It's going to take some time, but in the longhaul, it'll be worth it. Fix the offensive line first. Then get a quarterback who can make quick decisions and run the team from the line of scrimmage. He doesn't have to necessarily have a big arm. Don't worry too much about the running back or receivers - they are very easy to find.

Defensively, I think there are some key young guys in place. Horton and Doughty are playing well. Orakpo has potential, but please, use him wisely. I like Rocky McIntosh. The Redskins need to find a replacement for Fletcher, who is getting a little up there.

All is not lost
This year isn't over by a long shot, and the team can turn it around and avert disaster. I don't necessarily think Zorn is a bad coach. I just think he's trying to do too much and failing at everything. If he wants to truly be a head coach, he can't be the one calling the plays. He also can't be coaching QBs.

He has to manage the game.

The team needs to do a better job at using the weapons it has. Use Fred Davis more. The guy is a great athlete, but he's only had five catches in his two-year career. Create a few packages a game for him. Use Kelly and Mitchell more on high, deep stuff. There's some young talent there.

Use Alridge with what he does best. Get him out in space and let him run. He's the only speed runner on the team. Use that.

Use Orakpo better. Have him be pretty much a pass-rushing linebacker. Bulk him up. Don't worry about dropping him back in coverage, that's not what he does well. Move him around and blitz him from multiple angles to confuse offenses. The guy is a weapon. Use him.

Play some more bump-and-run on the defense. Be more aggressive. Attack with Landry more. The guy is a rocket when blitzing. He is a natural aggressive safety, should be playing close to the line and attacking it. Don't drop him back in coverage too much, you're taking him out of the game.

If the Redskins start looking like they'll be out of the playoffs, which I'm not saying they'll be, look for some big changes on the way.

The team can turn it around this year, but they must start playing smarter football.

Quick reactions, Redskins-Lions

Ladies and gents, we now know who the Washington Redskins really are. It took an embarrassing loss to figure it out, but it's finally done.

Yes, the Redskins lost to the Lions 19-14 Sunday afternoon. Yes, Detroit broke their 19-game winless streak against the Skins.

And oh boy, I was enraged. I felt anger and pain, but most of all, I felt confused about where the team is headed.

Some points:

The Jason Campbell show is finished.
Until now, I was unsure whether Campbell would continue to be the starting QB of the Washington Redskins after this season. His performance against the Lions solidified my belief that he will not be. Yes, he put up ok numbers Sunday, but not when it mattered. And he never really seems to be in charge of games like a starter should be.
I wish that Colt Brennan wasn't on IR so that we could see if Brennan has what it takes. Alas, we've probably wasted Brennan's time on the team yet again.

Jim Zorn is on very thin ice, but not finished. Yet.
I'm sure most fans would like to see Zorn gone right now, and I think that he is calling some piss-poor plays (especially in the red zone). But it's not time to kick the head coach off of this island. I think if this season turns south, it'll be the end of Zorn's tenure here, and I can only blame Zorn. He chose to attach himself to Campbell. He chose to keep the play calling duties despite the fact he had never been an offensive coordinator before, much less a head coach. Nothing about his tenure in D.C. has been good.

What happened to the defense?
The Lions were able to drive up and down the field pretty much at will. Detroit continually took advantage of the Redskins' defensive backs and completed 55 percent of their third-downs. (The Redskins completed just 20 percent.)

I do believe that Mr. Greg Blache is in denial about how poorly his defense played against Detroit. The Lions held the ball for over 36 minutes and had drives of 99, 74, 86 and 84 yards. Those are whoppers of drives.

If this is a reflection on how the defense will perform, the team is in trouble. On top of this, Haynesworth's hip injury is a huge concern.

Some (too few) positives

• I don't think the Lions are as bad this year as people are making them out to be. Blache pointed this out in a post-game interview. They lost to the Vikings, who are unbeaten. They lost to the Saints, who are unbeaten.
• Santana Moss still proves he's the Redskins' best receiver. He had 10 catches, 178 yards and a touchdown. That's double what he had coming into the game. He needs to be consistent for the Redskins to have any success.
• Hunter Smith is awesome. The Skins haven't had too many good punters over the last 20 years. Hunter the Punter averaged 45 yards per punt, with a long of 58 yards. Simply excellent.

A question
Is it too early to talk about "blowing up" the team? I'm talking about a complete overhaul. New QB. New RB. New coach. A new general manager. Everything.

Redskins vs. Lions (PRESSURE!)

The Redskins take on Detroit Sunday with as much pressure on the team as there has ever been.

Jim Zorn is under pressure to get his offense going. Portis is under pressure to prove he's not over the hill. Campbell is under pressure to throw touchdowns, not just completions. The defense is under pressure to stop offenses.

The Lions, as I've mentioned, have what's considered among the worst defenses of all time. And Campbell has had great success against Detroit in his career. The Lions haven't won a game since 2007, a streak of 18 games now.

But many experts are predicting that Lions will break that streak against the Redskins. Why? Because the Redskins are an easy target. They haven't performed well against opponents they should dominate.

I don't think the Lions will win, not with Matt Stafford quarterbacking them, and certainly not in his rookie year. I think the Redskins defense will be able to pressure and confuse Stafford into mistakes, but the question is whether the Skins offense will be able to beat the Lions defense.

I say yes. Big-time. The Redskins should be able to control the game, rushing and passing. Though Portis is questionable with bone spurs, the Skins seem to have good depth with Betts, Mason, Cartwright and now Alridge, whom the Redskins re-signed this week.

30-17 Redskins.

Jason Campbell against Detroit

I read an article this week from Sports Illustrated about how Detroit's pass defense has been very bad since 2007, and apparently the Lions are only getting worse. The Detroit Lions have the worst pass defense in the history of the NFL.

That got me wondering how Redskins QB Jason Campbell has performed against the Lions over his career. I knew that he had done well in the past, but I had no idea how well.*

Campbell has played two games against the Lions, but those games make up most of his career-high single-game totals.

In 2008 alone, he set career highs in completion percentage (82.1), average yards per attempt (11.7) and passer rating (127.4). He also threw for 328 yards, a season-high and second only to a 2007 game in Dallas where he passed for 348 in a loss.

His numbers against Detroit are simply out of this world compared to his numbers against everyone else.

Campbell	vs. Detroit	Everyone else
Yards per game	288	202
Completion Perc.	80.7	60.6
Yards per pass	10.1	6.6
Passer rating	126.4	80.2

The passer rating stat stands out. 126 is a phenomenal, elite number. His 10.1 yards per pass is very large as well.

Another number stood out - 0. Campbell has never thrown an interception against Detroit in his career. He has thrown three touchdown passes.

What do the numbers mean? They provide good hope going into Sunday's game at Detroit. The Redskins certainly need all the offense they can muster.

On another note
Check out this video from the NFL Films folks. They had Jim Zorn mic'd up last Sunday against the Rams. The communication between he and Campbell is great. I'd say this is definitely one of the best videos I've ever seen on the Redskins. Perhaps the best.


*Numbers are averages and thus a little off. They should be close enough to the real numbers not to make much of a difference. I spent 2 hours on this and you'll like it, damn you.

Quick reaction to win over Rams

Usually when a team wins, it's a moment to celebrate. But the Redskins' win Sunday against the Rams felt empty.

The Redskins controlled the game, but the team went 0-for-5 for scoring touchdowns in the red zone. The Skins racked up 362 total yards and Jason Campbell performed well enough. Clinton Portis ran well enough, but neither scored any touchdowns.

Truthfully, the Redskins were lucky to come away with the win. It took the defense stopping a last-second deep ball before the win was guaranteed.

Some quick thoughts

• Shaun Suisham was not very good last year - he was last in the league in field goal percentage. This year, he's turning into the offensive MVP. Crazy times.
• I was not impressed with Jim Zorn's play calling, especially in the red zone. I don't understand why, if you have a quarterback like Campbell, that you create an offense like you have Chad Pennington starting. Doesn't make sense. Campbell can throw the ball 60 yards flat footed. Throw some deep balls. In the red zone, the Redskins came away with nothing. They have to solve that.
• The Redskins defense is still coming into shape. They gave up some big plays Sunday, but played well when it was necessary.
• I'd like to see more of Ladell Betts. He's looking good again after an injury hurt him last year.

Disappointing win. The Lions come to town next week, and the Redskins will be heavily favored to win that one as well.

The Redskins' offense will have to wake up.

I'll have some more on the game later this week.

The test cometh

The Giants game is in the rear-view mirror, and we've come to the trap game.

What's a trap game?

The Redskins are expected to destroy the Rams. Not to just win - that would be too easy - but to actually rout them. The Redskins are such locks to win that, among media members who predict game results, the Redskins were picked to win by each and every person.

That's a tough situation to be in. Fans expect 300 passing yards from Jason Campbell, and 100 rushing yards by Clinton Portis. Oh, and for the defense to harrass Rams QB Marc Bulger and blow up the Rams running game.

This is the same situation that the Redskins went into against the Rams last year, and the Rams came away with the underdog win, a win which started the Redskins' slide out of playoff contention.

What do the Redskins have to do to beat the trap? And should Jim Zorn be worrying about his job if the Redskins lose?

Jason Campbell must make good decisions.
Contrary to popular belief, Campbell doesn't have to throw for 300-plus yards against St. Louis and he doesn't have to throw for three-plus touchdowns. He does, however, have to play with confidence and not make stupid mistakes. The problem is, Campbell has rarely looked calm and confident in his time with the Redskins.

The offensive line must do its job.
The OL has to keep Jason Campbell upright as well as open up running lanes for Portis and Ladell Betts. The line did a decent job against the Giants, who have one of the best defensive lines in the game. Against the Rams, the Redskins should have a chance to establish an identity. The Redskins are always seem to be more confident - and perform better - when they get the running game going.

Portis must be consistent.
Portis got off to a strong start last week, carrying the ball 34 yards on the Redskins first play of the game. After that, though Portis had 15 carries for 28 yards, which ain't good at all. In years past, the Redskins have gone as Portis has gone. If he had a good game, the Redskins had a good game. That is to say that the Redskins QBs haven't led the offense, Portis has. I don't think it has to be that way, but that's the way it has been. Portis doesn't have to be crazy good, but Campbell has played better when Portis is doing well.

The defense must assert itself - pressure pressure pressure
Albert Haynesworth can dominate. The Giants did a good job of limiting him, but Rams don't have the Giants talent on the line. Haynesworth needs to control the middle of the defense, and the Redskins need to attack Bulger, pressure him into mistakes, and take advantage of the mistakes.

What the Redskins need to be wary of is underestimating the Rams and allowing Bulger and running back Steven Jackson go wild. Jackson has the potential to control the game. That would be a real surprise, with the Redskins' additions on the defensive line.

Really, though, it comes down to Campbell. I think if the Redskins lose this game against the Rams, there will be a significant amount of pressure on Danny Snyder to dump Zorn and to not re-sign Campbell.

Quick hits

• Campbell needs to show that he has learned in his years in Washington. If not, there's nothing to save him.
• Portis has to show that he's not over-the-hill. He didn't have a great game against the Giants, but the Rams' defense shouldn't be close to the Giants' D.
• Who's going to make an impact at receiver for the Redskins? Randle El was the leader last week in the slot. Will any of the second-year players step up? Will Moss have an impact? He was shut down against New York.
  
• Rookie Orakpo had a so-so game against New York. He should have a better game against St. Louis. The Redskins should use him as an attacking linebacker. He can rush the passer much better than he can drop into coverage.
  
• Maybe the Redskins will have a punt return against St. Louis. They had just one against the Giants - for zero yards.
  

After reviewing the tape ...

Alright, I forced myself to re-watch the Giants game. I had meant to do it Monday or Tuesday, but whenever I thought I'd sit down and watch it, I either did not have time, or I found anything and everything else that I had to do.

Here's what I saw:

The Redskins defense kept the team in the game.
Yeah, no duh, right? While coordinator Greg Blache's defense seems to be in the "bend-but-don't-break" variety, they did a good job of stopping the Giants when they reached the red zone, forcing FG attempts instead of giving up very many long touchdowns. Fans have complained that the Redskins cornerbacks play too far off the opponents receivers, but they do that so that opponents won't be getting behind the defensive backs and scoring many long touchdowns. Giants QB Eli Manning, however, did a good job of moving around in the pocket and avoiding the Redskins rush for the most part. But the Redskins defense did enough to allow the team to win. Jason Campbell and the Redskins offense gave up a touchdown on offense when Osi Umenyiora sacked Campbell, creating a fumble and returning in for a TD.

Along those same lines ... DT Albert Haynesworth is indeed a monster.
The Giants had almost no success whenever they tried to run near Haynesworth, and they attempted to double-team Haynesworth almost all night. The Giants did have some success running the ball, but only when they ran away from Haynesworth and/or Haynesworth was out of the game.

Orakpo had a decent game. London Fletcher was all over the field.
When I watched the game the first time around, I thought that rookie LB/DE Brian Orakpo was virtually invisible, but Orakpo held up fine. He didn't stand out, but he didn't give up any major plays that I noticed. I still would like to see him rushing the passer way more than dropping back in coverage, which is his weakness, but he's a work in progress.

Fletcher was credited with 18 tackles, which currently leads the league (Yeah, Week 1). He had a great game helping to slow down the Giants running game.

Too many missed tackles, though.
On Manning's first half touchdown pass to WR Mario Manningham, Manning did a good job of checking into a quick WR screen to counter the Redskins all-out blitz. It was one-on-one coverage, and Manningham beat CB Fred Smoot's tackle (which would have resulted in a punt) then beat DE Andre Carter's tackle, then beat CB DeAngelo Hall's attempted tackle. Great run after catch, but putrid tackling. Combined with misses from Chris Horton and LaRon Landry earlier in the game, the Redskins had six missed tackles at this point. Too many.

Does Jim Zorn trust Jason Campbell?
Whenever the Redskins were backed up deep in their own red zone, the Redskins usually tried running the ball twice, and then attempting a quick screen or dump off. On their first possession of the second quarter in backed up, the Redskins ran in all three downs, not even attempting a pass to pick up the first down. Perhaps Zorn is justified, when Campbell makes bad decisions like trying to throw the ball after he's already cross the line of scrimmage and ends up throwing an interception. And the Redskins attempted just one deep pass, a mixed up bomb to Santana Moss, where Moss went a different direction than Campbell threw. Bad times.

Offensive line did a pretty good job ... Campbell not so good.
The Redskins offense as a whole did not play well, but the team's offensive line was not to blame for the most part. They kept the dangerous Giants defense off Campbell almost all game.


Campbell, though he had a good passer rating, did not play as well as the rating. He looked a little lost, a little flustered, and a little confused. He turned the ball over and it cost the team deeply. He also must do a MUCH better job of feeling the pass rush and know when to step up, and when not to.

On sack-fumble-TD for Umenyiora, as announcers pointed out, he had a lot of space in front of him to step up. That's something that a pro QB has to feel.

The Giants have a good defense, so I'll give him a bye this week. But he won't get any pass from fans if he doesn't light up the Rams defense for some real numbers and touchdowns.

Playcalling bone to pick
After Hall's INT late in the third quarter, why wasn't the first play after that a shot into the end zone, looking for a touchdown?

Instead, the Redskins handed off to running back Clinton Portis, and Giants DE Justin Tuck split between tackle Stephon Heyer and guard Randy Thomas (Heyer was left looking for someone to block) and stopped Portis for a 5-year loss. All of that momentum gone in a flash. The next play is a 9-yard screen to Portis. Decent, and getting back the yardage lost. I'll accept it. Then Campbell uses the Redskins' second timeout of the half, leaving the team only 1 for the rest of the game. Not that timeouts are important at the end of the game, right?

And then on third and six from the 8 yard line, Campbell is sacked because he couldn't get rid of the ball fast enough. Poor play calling, poor execution. The Redskins settle for a FG.

Other bits...
Carlos Rogers dropped another easy interception early in the first quarter. Hit his stone hands and bounced off them, laughingly. ... Cedric Golston and Lorenzo Alexander are no substitute for Haynesworth in the middle. They played okay, but don't provide the push of Haynesworth. ... When will Landry ever live up to his potential? He had a decent game vs. Giants. Missed too many tackles for my liking, but his deflection caused Hall's INT. ... I like the look of Campbell in the shotgun. He seems to have more of a feel out of that situation. ... What do you think about using the trick field goal play so early in the season? Holder Hunter Smith scored on the run, but now that play is on film. Will that matter? Think the Redskins will use it again later in the year? ... The Redskins ran to their left side the vast majority of the time, right behind Chris Samuels and Derrick Dockery. Casey Rabach got pushed back quite a bit by the Giants DTs. ... I personally don't mind the end-around/trick pass play to Antwaan Randle El on the second play of the season. I just didn't like the execution. Randle El should have thrown that pass away, or at least not tried dancing around. ... WIth six minutes left in the half, the Giants had outgained the Redskins 203-68. The Redskins had just 26 passing yards. ... TE Chris Cooley had a good day, despite putting a scare into the team with a fumble that was called back after a replay. He has been an excellent value draft pick for the Redskins.

What we learned, Vol 1, Chapter 5

The Redskins lost, but it's okay.

The Skins did indeed fall, 23-17, in New York against the Giants. The Redskins - especially in the first half - didn't look like a complete football team. New York controlled the game and the Redskins never led. But it's not so bad.

What we learned:

1. The Giants are really good.
Maybe I am overestimating how good the Redskins are, but the Giants looked like a very, very good team. Their defense is their calling card, and they had three sacks, harassed Jason Campbell all day, and shut down the Redskins' running game. That's not to say the Skins didn't have their chances against the Giants, and I'm not absolving them of the loss simply because the Giants are good. But the Giants do have a great defense, and Eli Manning ain't too shabby either. They are the conference favorites, and they showed why on Sunday.

2. The offense is a work in progress (again).
It wasn't just one thing. It was everything, but the problems Sunday could have a lot to do with the Giants' defense. The Redskins had trouble protecting Campbell as well as running the ball. That added up to the Redskins having trouble moving the ball, especially in the first half. The team's top receiver, Santana Moss, had just two catches for 6 yards, and one of those catches was for -2 yards. Clinton Portis managed 62 rushing yards on 16 carries, but he gained 34 of those yards on his first carry of the day. The team did make a late push, and maybe against a lighter defense, the Redskins might have been able to show more. But one bright spot on offense ...

3. Randle El is a heck of a slot receiver.
The Redskins demoted Antwaan Randle El from a starter to a third receiver, similar to what he did in Pittsburgh. The spot opposite Moss went to Malcolm Kelly. Randle El responded with seven catches for 98 yards, one of his best games as a Redskin. One of the best things about Randle El is his speed and quickness, and he showed those attributes to the max. While he didn't work too well as an outside receiver, he's absolutely perfect in the slot.

4. Training camp reports are highly suspect, but the defense isn't THAT bad.
Reports out of training camp said that the Redskins defense was super. Well, maybe that had more to do with the Redskins offense than the defense. The Giants were able to keep drives alive, especially in the first half. What's worse, the Redskins missed several tackles. But, the defense did a good job of holding the Giants to field goals instead of giving up touchdowns. And in the second half, the Redskins defense kept the team in the game, including an interception by DeAngelo Hall. But where was rookie Brian Orakpo? The guy was all over the field in the preseason, he disappeared Sunday. Maybe the DVR will explain some things.

5. The kids aren't all right.
Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly and Fred Davis had a combined one catch - Kelly's 6-yarder. Is this just another symptom of the Redskins' poor offense? I'd hate to think the Redskins wasted three second-round draft picks.

The Skins open at FedEx Field next weekend against the St. Louis Rams, which presents a better matchup with the Redskins than the Giants do.

Hey, at least it's football season.

The Redskins have no shot against Giants

Let's get one thing straight right out of the gates: The Redskins will lose Sunday against the Giants. The Redskins will start the season 0-1; the Giants 1-0. It is almost inevitable.

You disagree? Why? What gives you any clue that the Redskins are any better than the Giants, a team that cruised past D.C. twice last year? The Skins couldn't score more than a touchdown in both games. Do you think the Redskins improved that much? Or the Giants fell that much?

Do you honestly believe that receiver Plaxico Burress - who is no longer with N.Y. - meant that much to the Giants? Let me remind you that Burress did not play when the teams met Nov. 30, and the Giants still won 23-7.

Will Albert Haynesworth make that much of an impact? Gosh, I hope so, because the Skins will need all the help they can get. I can already see Giants running back Brandon Jacobs literally running over Laron Landry. Again.

I can already see the Redskins stuffing the line of scrimmage with nine players, and Giants QB Eli Manning doing some sort of trick and abusing DeAngelo Hall for 55 yards to Hakeem Nicks.

I can already see Jason Campbell being flattened over and over again by the Giants superb defensive line, which, despite its relative thinness, has been pretty adept at shutting down the Redskins' rushing attack. (The Skins averaged just 3.3 yards per rush last season against the G-men.)

Why can I see all of these things? Because they've all happened before. The Giants have had the Redskins' number. Let's face it.

But, there is hope. Haynesworth, a monster defensive tackle, was brought in to stop the Giants from doing what they Giants like to do - run the ball down your throat, and then play-action pass you to death. If Haynesworth and the defense can stop the Giants running game - no easy task - then the Redskins might have a chance. Manning isn't his brother.

Offensively, I have less confidence that the Skins will succeed. QB Jason Campbell has been known to get flustered under pressure, and that's exactly what the Giants do. Rush the passer. They even drafted a kid out of Virginia - Clint Sintim - who is very, very good at rushing the passer. The Redskins will need to get their ground game going against the Giants to have success, in my opinion. I don't see it happened, but there's always hope. The Redskins need to challenge the Giants with the deep pass.

Honestly, though, my prediction?

Giants, 30-14.

Preseason complete - Cut time

Let's get one thing out of the way - the preseason is finally over.

Now the real games begin. When the Redskins play the Giants next Sunday, the games will count, and every score will matter.

There's only one thing - the Redskins can't keep all the players they've had throughout the preseason. Friday night, the team had 75 players on the roster. By Saturday night, the team had just 53. Check out the full list of players who were cut right here.

Some quick notes on the surprise cuts:

Quarterback situation: The team had to make a decision on Chase Daniel and Colt Brennan, and it seems that the Redskins have picked Brennan. Daniel was cut seemingly because he was too short - at about 6 feet - to play QB. Sunday, Daniel was signed to the Saints roster. It's a great place for Daniel, and I think he has the potential to contribute in a season or two of sitting behind Drew Brees, who at about 6-feet, has been an All-Pro QB for New Orleans.

Running back situation: The team kept four running backs - Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright and Marcus Mason. The team let Anthony Alridge and Dominique Dorsey go. I don't much like this move. Mason adds nothing to the team that Portis, Betts and Cartwright don't already have. Alridge and Dorsey have speed and different running styles than any of the Redskins current backs.

Others: I liked defensive tackle Antonio Dixon, a rookie free agent from Miami. The Philadelphia Eagles quickly scooped him up. Good move by them, and congrats to Dixon. ... I'm a little surprised that offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges was cut since he was signed with a little hoopla and had starting experience with Carolina. But, according to training camp reports, he didn't perform well here at all. ... The Redskins kept just five wide receivers. None of the cuts were surprising. Keith Eloi, Trent Shelton and D.J. Hackett had done nothing to separate themselves in the preseason.

Here are five players who signed to the Redskins practice squad Sunday:

• Safety Lendy Holmes
• Fullback Eddie Williams
  
• Wide receiver Trent Shelton
• Defensive end Rob Jackson
  
• Defensive end J.D. Skolnitsky

Not exactly sure what the Redskins saw in any of these players, but maybe that's why they pay the Redskins for these things, and not me.

UPDATE: The team apparently has signed former Giants QB Andre Woodson to the practice squad. Another player where I'm not sure what the Redskins see in him other than "Oh, hey, you know the Giants offense inside and out" type of thing. He completed less than 40 percent of his passes this preseason with zero TDs and 2 INTs. Pretty piss-poor. But, hey, he is 6-4.

But hey, the preseason is finally over. Time for the real games.

What we learned, Vol 1, Chapter 4

The Redskins lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-17 Thursday night in the teams' final preseason game.

The Skins starters played sparingly, and (I believe) seven starters did not play at all. So I'm not even going to bother talking in detail about how the starters played. The "first-team" defense was so-so, the first-team offense was decent. Campbell looked comfortable, which is saying a lot considering Campbell almost never looks comfortable.

This being the final preseason game, the matchup belonged to backups. Todd Collins, the Redskins No. 2 QB, did not play. It was basically Chase Daniel vs. Colt Brennan for the Skins' No. 3 QB spot.

So what did we learn?

1. Anthony Alridge lost the ball, and probably lost a roster spot.
OK, I'll admit that I liked the way Alridge ran the ball last week against the Patriots. I liked his speed - something the Redskins' backfield didn't see much of last season. Unfortunately, Alridge fumbled the ball returning the Jags first kickoff, and Jacksonville recovered and quickly scored a touchdown putting the Redskins down 10-0 before the Skins offense touched the ball.

The other two running backs, Marcus Mason and Dominique Dorsey played well - I'll probably give the edge to Dorsey - so, that one mistake will probably cost Alridge his job with the Redskins.

2. The Redskins third-string QB situation is too close to call.
Daniel and Brennan both played well, but Daniel's night started out awkwardly because he came in after Campbell, leading the Redskins' second-team offense against mostly Jacksonville's first-team defense. It wasn't pretty. Daniel barely had time to throw - and in many cases didn't have time to throw - in his first-half action. Brennan relieved Daniel in the third quarter and faired better. Brennan was solid but not spectacular. He said after the game:

"I thought I managed the ball well--I didn't throw an interception today everybody!--so we're making progress."

Brennan had to leave the game midway through the fourth quarter because of a leg injury (did not seem serious), and Daniel came back in. He played much better against the Jags' third stringers than he did against the first, leading the Redskins down the field and throwing a TD to Marko Mitchell.

It'll be a tough decision on who the Redskins keep, and who they let go. I think the team will keep Brennan and try to stash Daniel on the practice squad. I'm not sure that will work out. My opinion? Try and keep both. They have talent.

3. The kicking situation is not settled.
Shaun Suisham and Dave Rayner are battling for the Redskins kicking job this season, but unfortunately, the Skins are just too bad on offense for the kickers to get many field-goal tries in. It will come down to the wire, and I think the team will probably keep Suisham because they're comfortable with him, even if he is one of the worst kickers in football.

4. Joe Theismann should be replaced as a broadcaster.
I love the guy as a Redskin, but as a broadcaster, it's just sad. And annoying. A few of his gems: (Talking about Campbell): "He stands there like a tree in a forest" trying to say that he sees above everyone. uh-huh. After Suisham kicked a 48-yard field goal: "I guess you could say he has a leg up right now." Yes, that was bad, Joe. "Pacman (Jones) is headed to the CFL" No, he's not Joe. They said no to Pacman. Joe also was talking about "that other league" referring to the UFL. Eesh. Oh, and pronouncing Reed Doughty's last name "Doherty" over, and over, and over again.

Some other (small) things we learned ...
Marko Mitchell, who caught a TD from Daniel in the fourth quarter, will make the team, and perhaps get a lot of playing time during the season. ... Defensive end/linebacker Chris Wilson had a tremendous game rushing the Jags QBs ... I thought backup fullback Eddie Williams did not have a good game, missing blocks. Mason didn't have much room to run. ... One-time starter-now-backup safety Reed Doughty has impressed me this preseason. I didn't like him last year, but he's come to play. Reminds me of former Redskin Matt Bowen. ... Second-year cornerback Justin Tryon had a good game with an interception, and looked really fast returning the pick. ... Rookie linebacker Robert Henson finally stood out on defense. Thought he might be on the bubble. Still might be, but he had a good game. .. Receiver Keith Eloi had a great catch from Daniel, but I think he'll still be among the cuts.

What to expect against Jaguars

Thursday night, the Redskins will play at Jacksonville.

It's the last preseason game, which means that all of the starters will play a quarter or less.

What this means is that, for an average fan, this game is almost meaningless. The important people in Thursday's game will probably be players you have never heard of. The game is, however, very exciting for all of us armcharm-GM types. The backups will play most of the game.

What to expect ...

It's Colt vs. Chase, Round 2.
I believe tonight will be the final battle of the Cult against the Church. If Colt Brennan plays poorly tonight, and Chase Daniel plays well, look out. Daniel could push Brennan out. I don't think it will play out like that, though. I do think that both quarterbacks are raw, but talented and should be kept on the roster. Brennan still has a leg-up on Daniel because of the extra ear.

I expect both quarterbacks to play well. I don't expect to see much of Jason Campbell or Todd Collins.

Watch the running backs.
Marcus Mason, Dominique Dorsey and Anthony Alridge are fighting for 1 or 2 roster spots. Probably only one. I think all are fine backs, and maybe the Redskins will release one of the more "secure" running backs - perhaps Ladell Betts - in order to give one of these three a shot.
Thursday night, whichever one of these runners plays the best will probably win a job. Mason has the best all-around potential, but Dorsey and Alridge both have great pure quickness and speed, something the Redskins have lacked at the running back position in quite some time.

The other camp battle.
The Redskins' field-goal kicking situation is still up in the air because the team just hasn't been able to attempt too much kicks. Shaun Suisham probably still has the leg-up on the job because the coaches are comfortable with him. Dave Rayner was brought in to battle with him, but Rayner hasn't attempted any kicks in a game from long range.

The competition might come down to Thursday.

Starters play little, and hopefully no injuries
Many starters - Clinton Portis, Albert Haynesworth, for two - will not even be playing Thursday. Most of the starters will only play a series, probably. The team is trying to avoid injuries, now, as it gears up for the regular season.