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Can't win the team scheme

Takeaway drill: the most meaningless disaster in Redskins history, a fail of epic proportions. The offenses and defenses are overwhelmed, the mistakes compound, there were injuries and it was just bad bad bad.

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Monday Sunday walkthrough: the Redskins fail miserably in their last real chance to showcase the starters, lose 47-3 to the Panthers to fall to 3-1 in the preseason. This was as close to a complete loss as you want to see. Ever.

After another bad example of broadcast coverage the first quarter started at12:21 with the Panthers driving. Carolina looked good to start, at midfield Jake Delhomme looked right to Steve Smith, the throw was long and rookie sixth round pick safety Kareem Moore intercepted that pass. When the Redskins got the ball back they could do nothing, Jason Campbell got sacked on both of the first two plays, the second of which was almost a safety. On both plays the left side of the Redskins line was simply overwhelmed from the start. Derrick Frost's punt was amazing, 65 yards. Carolina got the ball back and Steve Smith was everywhere, making two consecutive catches on opposite sides of the field. The Redskins' defense held the Panthers to a short field goal, Panthers score first 3-0. After Clinton Portis' only good run of the day Chris Samuels lets Julius Peppers pour through, Jason Campbell is hit and fumbles, Carolina recovers, the Panthers could not capitalize and the quarter ended 3-0 Panthers.

After the Panthers kicked another field goal to start the second quarter to make it 6-0 Carolina, the Redskins' luck did not improve, Santana Moss' first catch was only Jason Campbell's second completion. On that same drive Ladell Betts was drilled and dropped the ball, he fell on center Casey Rabach and as such was not down and the fumble was lost. We knew it was going to be ugly at 8:30 left in the second when Jason Taylor got caught in the pile and twisted his knee, it looked bad but later was determined to be a quote sprain unquote of the right knee. To punctuate the bad situation on the next play Panthers tailback DeAngelo Williams bursts through the line, rookie safety Kareem Moore punches the ball out to force a fumble, Steve Smith picks up the bouncer and takes it in for a touchdown, Panthers 13-0 and all the Redskins fans at the table are looking at each other. The Redskins can do nothing with the next possession, punt the ball and two plays into the Panthers' drive rookie tailback Jonathan Stewart runs around left side and dodges 50 yards for a touchdown, Panthers lead 20-0. The Redskins get the ball back and Jason Campbell cannot lead them to a first down and Washington punts. Panthers yada yada and tailback DeAngelo Williams goes 60 yards for the TD, Panthers 27-0, Redskins three and out, offsides penalty on Erasmus James, Jake Delhomme touchdown throw to Dante Rosario, Panthers lead 34-0 and the Redskins are naked to end the half.

Deciding not to punish the starters any more than they already had been, coach Zorn sent in the second team to start the second half, the Panthers sent their starters back out. The result was a Redskins three and out and on the ensuing Panthers drive undrafted rookie free agent cornerback Matteral Richardson got cocky and tried to attack Steve Smith at the point of catch, Steve juked, Matteral missed, voomp, 33 yard TD catch and run, Panthers lead 41-0. Todd Collins had the team moving on the next drive until a bad pattern by a receiver or a bad read by Todd led to Todd throwing the ball deep left into the front of the end zone... where there were no players, intentional grounding. That set up 3rd and 20, Billy McMullen made a great catch to cover 12 yards, 4th and 8 and the Redskins are going for it. Reserve lineman Devin Clark then was called for a false start, turning the play into a 4th and 13, Shaun Suisham comes in and kicks a 38 yard field goal to get the Redskins on the board trailing the Panthers 41-3. The Panthers put in the second team offense and three and outed, Redskins three, Panthers three and out and the Redskins were facing a 4th and 13 when the quarter ended, Panthers leading 41-3.

The Redskins punted to start the fourth quarter, the Panthers drove 28 yards to set up a Jon Kasay 52 yard field goal, Panthers 44-3, then on the ensuing kickoff reserve receiver Maurice Mann gets grazed on the return and fumbles, Panthers ball, they get another field goal, only four minutes and 20 seconds into the fourth quarter and it is already 47-3. Colt Brennan finally made his appearance, driving the team 44 yards before turning it over on downs, Panthers four and out, Redskins over on downs, Panthers kneel on the ball and let's all get the fuck out of dodge, Panthers win a preseason beatdown 47-3.

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Soapbox: another botched broadcast opening with the screen freezing on a pregame shot of safety Chris Horton. It sat there so long my neighbor thought his DirecTV box had locked up. When the broadcast resumed there was 12:21 left in the first quarter, we had missed two and a half minutes of the opening quarter. Matt Terl please for the love of god be brave and empowered enough to find out what's happening with the broadcast. The WaPo reports it was a cut fiber line, man there is always an excuse with these guys.

Maybe the shot should just have stayed frozen forever and ever, that one shot of Chris Horton heroically taking the field the last thing that blinks out in the apocalypse, we would never have had to watch this miserable piece of shit game, a terrible performance made worse by the fact that it was supposed to be the game when the starters came out and made a statement about their readiness to lead and win. They aren't and won't at this rate.

Looking at the starters left tackle Chris Samuels and left guard Pete Kendall were just fucking handled by Panthers right defensive end Julius Peppers and right defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu. The left side of the line was the solid side last season, please please please let this just be an aberration, that said Carolina's front seven is freaking good.

Jason Taylor going down was not a nice sight, apparently it looked worse than it was, near the end of the game hottie blonde sideline reporter Kelly Johnson said the famed Dr. James Andrews himself just coincidentally happened to be at the game and just happened to have a look at Jason's knee, which he proclaimed I am sure with authority sprained.

Devin Thomas does not look good as a returner, as he approaches the line he hesitates, maybe he is favoring his hamstring and the coaches will account for that.

As for the punter battle Derrick Frost looked pretty damn good. The Redskins are going to wind up with a good punter regardless.

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Chattering class: Joe Theismann and Mike Patrick in the booth for the broadcast posited that one of the difficulties the Redskins were having last night is the increase in offensive workload, every week coach Jim Zorn has added to the playbook and the volume of knowledge the players need to know is getting larger fast. It's like college chemistry class versus high school chem, if you miss a class you are toast for the semester. Joe and Mike also had an interesting discussion about Todd Collins' third quarter intentional grounding penalty, Joe did not think it should have been called because a receiver may have run a bad route and that in fact is the spot where the ball was supposed to be. However intentional grounding is an outcome penalty as opposed to a procedural penalty and was was supposed to happen in a play is irrelevant to the play's outcome.

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Omnibus: happy 74th birthday to Sonny Jurgenson.

When the second half started the Redskins sent out their second team, the Panthers sent their starters back out and the offense and defense each ran one more possession. The Washington second team offense three and outed against the Carolina starting defense and the Washington second team defense allowed a 33 yard TD catch by Steve Smith, poor Matteral Richardson was pantsed.

Billy McMullen had a good night, doing what he does best which is catching the ball with his body or in his arm cradle, in passes outside his body where he has a hard time catching with his hands, he caught two, one behind him and one over his head and let a third, also over his head, slip through. Anthony Mix only caught one pass, from Colt Brennan in the fourth quarter. Billy still appears to be ahead in the competition for the fifth receiver.

Stephon Heyer was in the game, that is good, he had hurt his knee against the Bills and was uncertain to play.

When the Redskins finally got on the board with a field goal in the third quarter the Panthers fans in that end zone gave the Redskins a spirited mock cheer for erasing the donut.

Panthers QB Matt Moore's illegal forward pass penalty in the third quarter yielded my favorite referee's penalty signal: the smelly fahts.

Marcus Mason saw limited action and looked decent when he was in, six carries for 20 yards. The conventional wisdom machine still insists Marcus will make the team, at 5:45 left in the fourth with the Redskins driving commentators Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann went in with the Marcus can't get cut or another team will sign him bit, Marcus is so on this team.

Bad on the Redskins broadcast for rehashing the Colt Brennan interview they played in the [game].

Todd Wade, yada the DNPs here

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Zorn Addiction: at the start of the third quarter Redskins broadcast network hottie blinde sideline reporter Kelly Johnson said going into halftime was the first time anyone can remember seeing coach Jim Zorn get so animated, yelling, pacing between players and coaching them up right in their faces at loud volume. How long before the first Spurrier esque headset throwdown? At the postgame presser coach Zorn was predictably stoic, intoning that the Redskins could not win the team scheme, something he took some responsibility for.

Shooter: Jason Campbell was blowed up coming out to start the game. Two sacks, nearly a safety and a sack fumble, Chris Samuels and Pete Kendall just were no match for Julius Peppers and Maake Kemoeatu. Film review will not be pretty.

Coltrolled: 3:02 left third quarter, the first shot of Colt Brennan waiting to get in the game, pacing on the sideline with his helmet cocked at a jaunty angle chewing on his chinstrap. Colt finally came in at 10:28 left in the fourth, completed two straight passes to Billy McMullen. Third pass was just outside Maurice Mann, fourth pass was behind Maurice over the middle, then complete to Fred Davis then complete to Burl Ives Toler. A good first drive ended on downs, the second Colt drive was mostly Marcus Mason to keep the clock running.

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Washington Post / AP recap, box score, play by play. NFL recap, box score, full play by play, Gamebook (PDF), photos.


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Charles Johnson sacking Jason Campbell: Rick Havner / AP photo from here.