Alright, the high from week 1's coming out party has almost worn down in the Nation's Capital and we are all back to wondering how we ever lived our lives without RG3. At this rate we are about 3 weeks away from Obama and Romney having a Griffin-off on the National Mall for the presidency so let's try not to get too far ahead of ourselves now, after all the Eagles beat the Browns by a point last week and they have the same record as Washington.
Speaking as the eternal pessimist, I have about as much faith in the Skins repeating the near perfection that they displayed in week 1 as I do in keeping up with this blog outside of the first month of the season. With that said, it's the Rams people! They should lose. They expect to lose. Problem is the Skins of the past 5 years have walked into each of their games against the Rams expecting the same, only to get punched in the mouth a few times. Whoever the ghoulish creatures are who amass the NFL schedule must have a thing for Rams-Skins in stereotypical trap games. It's usually about the time in the year when the average, mouth-breathing Skins fan in a mustard-stained Cooley jersey starts looking at the schedule counting "win-win-win-win, okay we play the '85 Bears, that one might be a tie. win, win..." It's always that week when the Skins face an "easy win" Rams team and find themselves on their knees praying for a 50 yard FG at the last minute when they thought they would be running their second string in the third quarter. The problem is that no one rolls over in the NFL, especially not before November. Prognosticating which teams will be dominant anytime before week 4 is an exercise in futility, gladly repeated on a weekly basis by "experts" like Peter King and Chris Berman. I know weathermen who are more accurate.
So the league wants to crown RG3 the prototype of the future. Thanks America, I hate you. You are the same people who bought millions of copies of Nelly's albums. That's right, a man from St. Louis was once at the top of the rap game. Read a book people. The only thing that St. Louis is good for is a layover on a flight from the East to West Coast. It's the Gateway city, as in they need a gate to keep anyone there, including their professional athletes. This coming from a guy who lives in Baltimore! So you know it's bad. What I am trying to say is that mainstream America is always trying to market something. It couldn't just be that RG3 was great in his first game, it had to be "Griffining" it had to be "the prototype." Can't a game just be a game?! I know it can't so I'm looking forward to what I think will be a less than super-human type game from RG3, but a solid one nonetheless. The Fisher-coached Rams are tough, Stephen Jackson is ageless and they are not going let the QB they [cough] gave away [cough] put on a highlight real on their turf while their fans boo yet another 0-2 start. They are going to knock RG3 around and try everything they can to make someone else beat them.
For RG3 it's just the second game of his career, again on the road, again in a dome and again with the weight of the largest, most desperate fan base in the NFL on his back. No pressure, no diamonds, right homey?
Underrated effort last week: Many candidates here (thank you Aldrick) but for me the honor has to go to Billy Cundiff (whom I'm sure will return to form with 2 missed FGs this week). Cundiff, in one week, was everything that Graham Gano never was for the Skins. Gano made a living making kicks that didn't matter and always seemed to miss kicks that ended up costing us momentum and eventually the game. Before we could process how crucial three more points in a game would have been Gano had already changed into his leotard and headed to his next ballet recital without catching nearly enough arrows from scathing fans. I still hate you Gano! Keep hittin 'em straight Billy.
Hopeless predictions:
Current line: Skins -3.5, U/O 43.5
Skins 23, Rams 22
- Alfred Morris puts in another solid effort but we see far more use of the backs as receivers in week 2 with Helu and Royster combining for more total yards than our new RB1. Morris still finds pay dirt once.
- Over 50% of the Skins fans don't realize until 4:45pm that Jeff Fisher now coaches the Rams. Somewhere in Laurel a man finishes a Bud, crushes the can and yells at his wife to "Get that damn Titans coach off my screen."
- Fisher refuses to let RG3 dictate the speed of the game
- Early TDs are slowly replaces by plodding drives and FGs
- Bradford is able to spread the ball to his litany of journeymen finding success on crossing routes. The Rams convert far more third down attempts than the Saints were able to against the 3-4.
- Orakpo gets held no less than 8 times, it's flagged once.
- Fred Davis finds the end zone
- RG3 throws for 240 1TD, 1Int, runs for 35
- More importantly, he remains composed as the Rams make a late charge to take the lead.
- Pandaemonium in D.C. as the Skins are 2-0 and atop the division.
- Immediate sobriety reflecting on the fact that the Redskins started last year 3-0.
- Keep your pants on people, it is a long season.
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