Donovan McNabb(notes) threw a touchdown pass in his Washington Redskins debut, Albert Haynesworth(notes) looked suitably motivated in his debut as a $100 million backup, and the new-look Buffalo Bills looked like the same old Buffalo Bills.
McNabb went 5 for 8 for 58 yards in two series Friday night and hit first-year player Anthony Armstrong(notes) for a 4-yard touchdown in the Redskins’ 42-17 win over the mistake-ridden Bills. It was a first-glimpse preseason game that shows Washington’s new coach Mike Shanahan is quite a bit further along than Buffalo’s new coach Chan Gailey.
It’s been a little over four months since the Easter Sunday trade that brought McNabb to the Redskins, and it’s still a jarring sight to see No. 5 in something other than a Philadelphia Eagles uniform. After a couple of wayward throws on his first series, he went 4 for 5 for 47 yards on his second drive and showed he still has some speed in his 33-year-old legs by scrambling to convert a third-and-1.
“When you play your first game, obviously, with a new ballclub, it takes you back to the first game you played,” McNabb said. “Your adrenaline is high, and you have to settle down a little bit. The second time we went out, after our first drive, it led to us putting up some points. Then good things happen. There are a lot of things we have to work on, but I thought offensively we were able to progress.”
McNabb’s favorite target was tight end Chris Cooley(notes), who caught three passes for 33 yards—a surefire harbinger of the regular season, especially with the Redskins still trying to figure out their receiver corps. McNabb’s last throw was the TD to Armstrong, who has made a surprisingly strong case for a roster spot.
Clinton Portis(notes), with more competition than usual at camp, got more than his usual work for a first preseason game, carrying six times for 22 yards. Brandon Banks(notes), an undrafted rookie receiver from Kansas State listed at 5-foot-7, made some look-at-me noise with a dynamic 77-yard punt return down the right sideline for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Haynesworth, who has ended up on the short end of a monthslong showdown with Shanahan, skipped offseason workouts because he wanted a trade. He wasn’t allowed to practice at camp until passing a conditioning test. He aced the test on the 10th day of camp and was told by coaches he’ll have to play with the reserves until he earns a spot back in the starting lineup.
Haynesworth played two series Friday, both with the second unit in the second quarter, and he drew plenty of attention. Buffalo’s offensive line committed two false starts while he was in the game, and he did exactly what a nose tackle is supposed to do—occupy multiple bodies—while rookie Perry Riley(notes) blitzed unencumbered and forced Trent Edwards(notes) to rush a throw. Haynesworth was the last player to head to the locker room at halftime, walking slowly behind his teammates.
No one could have blamed the Bills for walking slowly off the field. Buffalo had a horrible preseason a year ago—the starting offense scored just three points over 15 series in five games—and Gailey and his players are hoping to use this August to get it right.
They’re not off to a good start.
The Bills scratched 13 players due to injuries, including five linebackers and four offensive linemen. Then they committed three morale-sapping third-down penalties: holding on tight end Jonathan Stupar(notes) that killed a drive; roughing the passer on linebacker Aaron Maybin(notes) that kept one Redskins’ touchdown drive alive; and illegal contact against Andra Davis(notes) that led to another Washington touchdown.
“We have a lot of work to do. A lot of work,” Davis said. “We’re still learning this defense. We’ll learn from this.”
Edwards, in a three-way competition for the starting job, completed 6 of 12 passes for 58 yards and had an interception returned 33 yards by DeAngelo Hall(notes), setting a Redskins score. Another mistake for the lowlight reel: Ellis Lankster(notes) muffed a punt for a turnover in the third quarter.
Buffalo trailed 35-3 before Ryan Fitzpatrick’s(notes) 5-yard pass to rookie David Nelson(notes) late in the third quarter. First-round pick C.J. Spiller(notes) debuted with three carries for 14 yards.
Showing posts with label washington redskins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label washington redskins. Show all posts
Friday, August 13, 2010
Bills vs Redskins Preview 2010 Preseason Week 1
First of all, the Buffalo Bills will need to get used to seeing Donovan McNabb in a Washington Redskins uniform. "It's going to look funny," linebacker Kawika Mitchell said, "having him in that white or burgundy."
Once that is out of the way, the Bills hope to start a new chapter in their franchise by actually getting something meaningful accomplished in a preseason game when they visit the Redskins on Friday night.
Buffalo's starters scored just three points in 15 series during last year's 1-4 preseason, leading to the dismissal of the offensive coordinator 10 days before the regular season opener. It was no surprise, therefore, that the Bills stumbled to another losing season - 6-10 - and out of the playoffs for the 10th straight year.
"I felt last year's preseason was horrible," quarterback Trent Edwards said. "I'd throw that out and say that right now, that we didn't do what we needed to do. We weren't in rhythm."
Horrible was also a good word to describe the Redskins' 4-12 season, making Friday's game the first step in a cleansing of sorts for both teams, the debut of new faces and new concepts all across the field.
Mike Shanahan is the new Redskins coach. Chan Gailey is the new Bills coach. Both teams are installing a 3-4 defense. Both have questions at receiver and offensive line. McNabb is trying to master a new offensive scheme for the first time since he was a rookie, while Edwards is trying to maintain his edge in a three-way quarterback competition.
The Redskins starters will likely play the standard one quarter or so that has become the norm for the first preseason game, but the Bills first-teamers might be out there a while longer.
"I told our team (to) anticipate if you're a starter that you would play maybe a little bit longer than you would have in a normal situation because we're learning new schemes," Gailey said. "We have a new offense, new defense, new special teams. You might have to go a little bit longer so we can get a feel for each other."
The game is also the first under-the-spotlight chance for a bubble player to make a case for a roster spot, or for a player hoping a starting job to show he's worth a place at the top of the depth chart. The Redskins will unveil No. 4 overall draft pick Trent Williams at left tackle, while the Bills are working in No. 9 selection C.J. Spiller, although the versatile running back is playing catch-up after holding out for the first 11 days of training camp.
The Redskins will also trot out Albert Haynesworth, who is working as a second-string nose tackle after missing the first nine days of camp because he couldn't pass the team's conditioning test. It's not the norm for a two-time All-Pro with a $100 million contract to see much action in the first preseason game - especially as a backup - but the Redskins aren't about to let Haynesworth forget how he dissed the team during the offseason.
Yet the player highest on the curiosity meter for fans will be McNabb, who is more concerned with getting his new offense to function properly and less about his reception from the crowd.
"The crowd cheers; the crowd boos," McNabb said. "I mean, I probably won't have that many boos here, but I think for our offense we need to focus on what we need to do
Once that is out of the way, the Bills hope to start a new chapter in their franchise by actually getting something meaningful accomplished in a preseason game when they visit the Redskins on Friday night.
Buffalo's starters scored just three points in 15 series during last year's 1-4 preseason, leading to the dismissal of the offensive coordinator 10 days before the regular season opener. It was no surprise, therefore, that the Bills stumbled to another losing season - 6-10 - and out of the playoffs for the 10th straight year.
"I felt last year's preseason was horrible," quarterback Trent Edwards said. "I'd throw that out and say that right now, that we didn't do what we needed to do. We weren't in rhythm."
Horrible was also a good word to describe the Redskins' 4-12 season, making Friday's game the first step in a cleansing of sorts for both teams, the debut of new faces and new concepts all across the field.
Mike Shanahan is the new Redskins coach. Chan Gailey is the new Bills coach. Both teams are installing a 3-4 defense. Both have questions at receiver and offensive line. McNabb is trying to master a new offensive scheme for the first time since he was a rookie, while Edwards is trying to maintain his edge in a three-way quarterback competition.
The Redskins starters will likely play the standard one quarter or so that has become the norm for the first preseason game, but the Bills first-teamers might be out there a while longer.
"I told our team (to) anticipate if you're a starter that you would play maybe a little bit longer than you would have in a normal situation because we're learning new schemes," Gailey said. "We have a new offense, new defense, new special teams. You might have to go a little bit longer so we can get a feel for each other."
The game is also the first under-the-spotlight chance for a bubble player to make a case for a roster spot, or for a player hoping a starting job to show he's worth a place at the top of the depth chart. The Redskins will unveil No. 4 overall draft pick Trent Williams at left tackle, while the Bills are working in No. 9 selection C.J. Spiller, although the versatile running back is playing catch-up after holding out for the first 11 days of training camp.
The Redskins will also trot out Albert Haynesworth, who is working as a second-string nose tackle after missing the first nine days of camp because he couldn't pass the team's conditioning test. It's not the norm for a two-time All-Pro with a $100 million contract to see much action in the first preseason game - especially as a backup - but the Redskins aren't about to let Haynesworth forget how he dissed the team during the offseason.
Yet the player highest on the curiosity meter for fans will be McNabb, who is more concerned with getting his new offense to function properly and less about his reception from the crowd.
"The crowd cheers; the crowd boos," McNabb said. "I mean, I probably won't have that many boos here, but I think for our offense we need to focus on what we need to do
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