The lengthy pre-season schedule had its ups and downs. A season-ending injury to RT Jon Jansen less than 10 minutes into the first game dealt a devastating blow to the offensive line. Meanwhile, the first team defense held four of its five opponents without a touchdown, including two shutouts overall.
Both the offense and defense were described repeatedly as "vanilla," as the ever-secretive Gibbs and defensive boss Gregg Williams chose to reserve all but the basics of their playbooks for the regular season. Despite that moniker both units dominated at times. Gibbs signaled in a rush 54 times for 181 yards against the injury-riddled Miami Dolphins, controlling the clock for more than 40 minutes in a 17-0 win. In the pre-season finale, a trio of blitzes left Mike Vick with an interception, a sack, a fumble returned for a touchdown and a merciful quick hook from Falcons head coach Jim Mora, Jr.
Most of the position battles going into camp worked themselves out on the field. Veteran QB Mark Brunell beat out incumbent Patrick Ramsey, whose tentative play showed he still needs more time to unlearn the Chuck N' Duck offense. After the initial gloom and doom surrounding Jansen's injury, Kenyatta Jones performed well in the stalwart tackle's absence. In the tightest competition, RB's Ladell Betts and Rock Cartright beat out pre-season leading rusher Sultan McCullough for the jobs backing up Clinton Portis.
After beginning camp behind Andre Lott on the safety depth chart, Sean Taylor's nose for the ball quickly earned the top draft pick a spot on the first team. As advertised, he criss-crossed the field supplying jarring hits, solid coverage and turnovers aplenty. Taylor's presence overshadowed the strong play and versatility of Lott and LB Antonio Pierce. Their ability to play multiple positions on defense allowed for the release of veterans Kevin Mitchell, Ifeyani Ohalete, and ultimately, Ralph Brown and Rashad Bauman.
For all the positives that have come out of camp, there are still a few concerns. The Rams were able to march up and down the field with ease in their exhibition. The starting linebackers have yet to play a down together. The defensive line hasn't shown the consistent ability to stop the run or rush the passer. Once the playbooks are opened and the real hitting starts, the fans probably shouldn't expect too many 17-0 and 27-0 games.
Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers get the first crack at matching wits with the new Joe Gibbs. After a solid pre-season that left advance scouts with little insight into the new playbooks, and a rawkus crowd of more than 90,000 guaranteed to be on hand for the home opener, the Redskins seem to be in an advantageous position. But once the first whistle blows all the hype becomes moot. All of the good and bad that happened during the pre-season is forgotten and a good team on paper must prove to everyone they are a good team on the field. Luckily for the Redskins, Joe is back to guide them.
