Wasn't Pretty: Skins Best Bucs

It definitely wasn't pretty but I'll take it. The wife and I refused to boo at the half, because frankly, the defense didn't deserve to be booed. Somehow, the Redskins found their hearts again and pulled out a gutsy win to stop the bleeding...at least for this week. There were some obvious issues, not the least of which was Jason Campbell, but here are my thoughts of the week:

• As for Campbell, he looked terrible in the first half and threw flat deep balls, but his bomb to Moss in the 3rd quarter along with his efficient drive that utilized Cooley were both really solid. He was what he's always been as a Redskin...up and down.
• Clinton Portis made an appearance, and even ran to the right. Nice.
• Big #75...Rhino Chad if you will looked a lot better this week after the first drive. Stephon Heyer...well, didn't.
• Brian Orakpo showed up all over the field, and it looked great. So did Reed Doughty. Sorry for that 2A/2B crack buddy.
• Still don't know how much Hunter Smith's injury affected that 4th and 4 call...but we'll just say I was none too pleased up in my seat on that particular call.
• I would love to know how to breed a child with cinder blocks for hands. Think you could help me out with that one Mr. and Mrs. Rogers?
• Justin Tryon got a sack? What?
  
• Alex Ovechkin should be our backup kicker based on what I saw out of him during warm-ups...speaking of backups...isn't Cooley supposed to be the backup punter?

In today's NFL, a win is a win. I don't know that I've seen more hate between Redskins fans after a win (other than the St. Louis game) before, but people need to calm down a little. The team still has talent, and a relatively "easy" schedule outside of the division. Let's take this momentum and bring things up to 3-2. Hail.

Sieve of the Week:

Carlos Rogers' Hands

Week 4: Tampa Bay

TAAAAAAAAAAAAMPA BAAAAAAAAAAAAY (in the words of my man Nette). So this is a redemption game, right? Wrong. Nobody gets instant redemption from losing to the Lions by beating the awful Buccaneers, but a win would put us on the right track. Tampa is starting a new quarterback, Josh Johnson, who's younger than I am, and who almost started the season at wide receiver. The guy went to San Diego. No, not San Diego State...San Diego. As in the Torreros. And he starts in the NFL. If my favorite team wasn't the Washington Redskins, this fact would make me very happy. Unfortunately the tattoo on my leg is not a Falcon or a Fleur-de-lis, so my team will probably allow him to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Awesome.

In fairness, the Bucs are almost as much of a wreck as the Skins, without the added bonus of dead money and wasted draft picks. Cadallac Williams is a good back that tries to run without legs, since they've broken down on him so many times. Rhonde Barber went to UVA, and well, yeah. Plus he's 150 years old. Barrett Ruud is the only other guy I know on their defense. Do they still have Mike Alstott. Asshole.

Here's what to keep an eye on for the Redskins this afternoon, and things that will probably make me want to throw myself off the top of FedEx:

• Pass Defense. Can we stop anyone? Will Fred Smoot actually follow through and not just run by a guy, but run into the opposing endzone without the ball for no reason? Sounds about right. Reed Doughty took the starting spot back from Chris Horton, so look for further ineptitude, as those guys should be 2A and 2B on the depth chart right now.
• Run Defense. Will Albert Haynesworth stub a toe this week? Will he get poked in the eye? Maybe someone will blow on him. How many times will he need trainer help on the field?
• Pass Offense. Santana Moss showed up, but no one else did against the Lions. Look for Campbell to spread the ball around a little more evenly today, keeping Cooley and Kelly a little more involved.
• Rush Offense. Do we have one of these anymore? Did Clinton Portis die? What the hell is going on?

Good luck enjoying this one. It will probably be a jokefest like last week, but I'll stick with my obnoxious homerism and pick the Skins to start at 2-0 at home. Have we been 2-0 at home since the 80s? Don't think so. That would take a little bit of the hot garbage taste out of my mouth from last week.

Hail.

Redskins 23
Buccaneers 21