Preseason Game 2: Redskins (0-1) vs Jets (0-1)

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Tonight at 8pm (Fox channel 5 in the DC area), the Redskins play the New York Jets, both winless teams looking for a spark. Plots and subplots abound.

Last week, the Jets lost to Tampa, 16-3, and allowed 167 rushing yards. Unless Pittman played the whole game for Tampa, that's unsat if you're a Jets fan.

The Jets finished finished the 2004 season a field goal short of the AFC Championship Game, then rebounded in 2005 with a 4-12 record. In New York, you would tend to notice this decline. Gone: Coach Herm Edwards, GM Terry Bradway, Ty Law, Kevin Mawae, John Abraham and Wayne Chrebet. In 2004, dreamy QB Chad Pennington went down with a town rotator cuff with three games to go. He came back too soon in 2005 and tore it again in game 3. Two tears is a tough injury to come back from, and I don't expect he'll ever recover his 22 TD / 6 INT 2002 form.

Among the additions to the Jets, 5th year Tulane QB Patrick Ramsey. I was a Ramsey guy for a long time, with that arm you have to give him a chance. But he's not a good game manager, gets happy feet and has a tendency to take the sack over the throw-away. I blame as much of his stunted growth on a shitty Redskins O-line from the Spurrier days, and the serial confidence-bashing he took from Coach Joe once he came back to town. Brunell was always Gibbs' guy, and so for Ramsey to lose confidence and then play like it is how people work. I wish him well in New York.

Eric Mangini, my age at 36 is the new coach, and he's apparently pretty secretive about his QB race. Pennington, Ramsey, had-a-chance-to-start Brooks Bollinger and some guy named Kellen Clemens are vying for the starting spot. Unless Pennington's arm is like a wet rag, he'll get the spot, the easier to sack and go to the devil they don't know (but we do), Patrick Ramsey when Mangini realizes all the good players are gone and he can't coach. Throwing Ramsey out as chum will get him through another 4-12 season with a job. Curtis Martin's not even on the roster, contemplating life after football with no cartilage in his knees. Derrick Blaylock and BJ Askew will be shouldering the load at RB. It's not catchy and you can't dance to it.

The Washington Post gives us five things to look at tonight for the Redskins: Ladell Betts, 2nd string O-line, Mike Rumph, backup QB race and Antwaan Randle El.

To that, I'd add Brunell, corner play overall, starting D-line (with Daniels down) and backup D-line play.

I'll be online liveblogging as I can. This is an open game thread.