Preseason Game 1: Redskins (0-0) at Titans (0-0)

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After one televised scrimmage, it's time for the for-real games that don't matter. When last these teams met, it counted, the Titans were 0-5 and the bottom-ranked run defense in the league and Al Saunders ran Clinton Portis (who was 'back' at that point before going out again with the hand injusry against the Eagles) a whopping seven times in the first half and Carlos Rogers broke his thumb. The Redskins only ran 19 times in the whole game, a home game. Winning that game started the Titans off on an 8-2 streak and the Redskins on a 3-7 streak. The Titans barely missed the playoffs last season, the Redskins barely could spell playoffs.

Tonight they get together in Nashville and the game will be broadcast by the NFL (Network), except in the home markets which is good for me tonight but not if I want to watch other NFL (Network) games this weekend since I won't pay for the sports tier that includes the NFL (Network) feed.

We know that Joe Gibbs is mum about how long the starters will play, and that Stephon Heyer will start at left tackle in place of Chris Samuels. Something about this gives me a queasy feeling and I hope the coaches have a plan. The only other player of not to play is Clinton Portis. I guess we are supposed to be thankful that Clinton made the trip instead of staying home?

Also, I didn't know HB Blades' father Bennie Blades mentored Shawn Springs when he first came into the league a decade ago, and it's sweet that Shawn is now doing the same for HB (op. cit). I wonder what advice he will give HB on how to handle contracts.

Mike Wise continues his good work with a piece on a topic I have been wondering about. How much of this offense really is Al Saunders'? Tonight won't tell us, the playbook should be stripped down for preseason, but my general thought on the matter is that Al can run any offense you want, that doing it his way had some success (as in the cases of the Jacksonville and Houston games last season) but not consistently and when Joe Gibbs told his team to play 'Redskins football' in November that Al started calling a more smashmouth offense. So it's not about whether Al is calling Al's offense, Al is calling the team's offense. You do not change the Redskins, the Redskins change you.

Basically we are looking to see how the first team looks, particularly the offense, and who looks like they are moving into the core team and who is not getting through camp.


This is a gameday open thread. I'll be blogging here and at Hogs Haven.