Sunday, September 22, 2013

Skins vs. Lions: The Great, The Good, and the Not-So-Good

At least the game was competitive...

The Great
  • John Potter, maybe.  In relief of an injured Forbath, Potter was 2/2 on FGs and had 3 touchbacks on 4 kickoffs.  

The Good
  • RGIII.  Very mixed game from RGIII. He had some strong, accurate passes, and showed a bit of speed. But he also had two very Rex Grossman-like turnovers: a throw-away that became an INT, and a fumble caused by no one.  

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Skins vs. Packers: Quick Observations on a Lousy Game

  • David Amerson was abused repeatedly. He struggled with both coverage and tackling, and the Packers noticed and took advantage often.
  • In general, the Skins' secondary, which relies heavily on rookies and non-starters, is overmatched by NFL offenses. It's hard to see this improving anytime soon.
  • RGIII's passing looked better but his throws still arrive less accurately and less quickly than in the past. The result is more dropped and defended passes. 
  • The Skins front seven can generate good QB pressure.  
  • Theoretically, as the season progresses RGIII will continue to return to form, the offense will find its 2012 rhythm, and the Skins defensive rookies will noticeably improve, so there's reason to stay optimistic ... probably ... maybe ... hopefully ... ugh.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Skins vs. Eagles: The Great, the Good, and the Not-So-Good

The game was a mess, and I'm ready to move on, so let's get this over with.

The Great
  • Ryan Kerrigan.  7 tackles, a sack, and a huge forced fumble that translated to 7 points.  Hopefully he passes his concussion test and stays healthy.
  • Kai Forbath's Kickoffs.  Forbath, who struggled on kickoffs all of last year and all of pre-season, kicked 3 touchbacks on 4 tries.  Touchbacks are each worth an average of more than 10 yards on field position, so this is important long-term.
  • Perry Riley.  Riley had a sack, a fumble recovery, and a thousand tackles.  

Sunday, September 8, 2013

The Effects of Year 1 ACL Recovery On Passing Efficiency

If you just awoke from a deep sleep and haven't yet heard, RGIII has been medically cleared to start the regular season tomorrow night against the Eagles.  Let's assume that RGIII stays healthy and has no medical setbacks. Can we expect him to be at full efficiency his first year back from ACL/LCL surgery?

For answers, we have two reference points:
1) Tom Brady’s performance the year after his ACL injury, and
2) RGIII’s performance in college the year after his first ACL injury.