The Redskins came out of the gate flat in week one of the NFL preseason. Another week of practice, more defined expectations and the hope for a successful first drive are things we want to see week two against Greenbay. LP and FP dive into what to watch for in week two and discuss their expectations. Both FP and LP list their top 4 things to watch, Greg Manusky, Nico Marley, Ryan Grant all make the list. Will the offense be able to move the ball? Will the defense be able to contain the Green Bay Packers Offense? Will Sua Cravens be back week 1? All things and more discussed in this episode. (Photo Credit: Redskins.com)
Earlier this week the Nationals lineup against the Angels featured a starting outfield of Howie Kendrick, Adam Lind, and Michael A. Taylor with Wilmer Difo starting at shortstop. This was not due to a 1 p.m. start or the marathon games over the weekend against the Giants. Rather, due to the state of the Nationals disabled list (a loooong list) the team has had to make due with players that are playing out of position or ones that weren’t even on the roster to begin the year. Given the state of the lineup and the shuffling of the defense, the Nationals can be excused for potentially going through a slump or a cold streak. Instead, the backups and bench guys have helped the Nationals go to a season-high 25 games over .500 and a 14+ game lead in the division.
Photo: USA Today
The long litany of injuries began when Adam Eaton tore his knee at the end of April. That forced Taylor (who was a bad spring away from possibly being released) into the starting lineup where he’s thrived. While he’s still striking out a little too much and missed time himself with an injury, Taylor has earned the trust of Dusty Baker by playing great defense and making consistent contact more than ever before. When Jayson Werth went down at the beginning of June, Brian Goodwin was called up and has been an extra-base hit machine since his call-up, generating 35 extra-base hits in his 74 games. Of course, he now is on the DL with a strained groin that is sure to sideline him for at least a couple of weeks.
On and on the injuries began to pile up, but the Nationals have continued to roll due to the strong performances of the players filling in. After Trea Turner went down, Difo came in and has been a sparkplug atop the lineup after briefly getting benched due to a slow start. Adam Lind has been pinch-hitter and spot-starter extraordinaire filling in for Ryan Zimmerman and in left-field when needed. Even when Bryce Harper went down with a horrific-looking (thankfully not season-ending) knee injury, Kendrick has stepped up and hit 3 home runs in the last 2 games, including a walk-off grand slam to end the weekend marathon Sunday night. Losing Joe Ross and Stephen Strasburg has barely slowed the team down given the strong performances of Edwin Jackson and AJ Cole spot-starting when needed.
With a huge lead in the division that won’t be relinquished, the focus down the stretch will be on getting all the key cogs healthy and ready to roll in time for the postseason. Strasburg is due back on Saturday after a strong rehab start in Potomac earlier this week. Having missed 2 of the 3 division series the Nationals have participated in, the onus will be on Stras to remain healthy and continue dealing down the stretch. Trea Turner and Jayson Werth should soon follow at the end of the month, although Werth’s timetable has continued to shift further and further back. The consensus with Harper’s injury seems to be that he will come back with a week or two left in the season, but he said that he will not return until he’s 100% healthy.
The silver lining in all these injuries? Barring any further injuries, the Nationals will have their strongest bench crew to date heading into the postseason. With professional hitters such as Kendrick and Lind raking and young guys such as Taylor, Goodwin, and Difo getting consistent at-bats, the team will have reliable options in key pinch-hitting opportunities in the postseason. While not planned or expected, the exposure that the backups and rookies have received might give them the confidence in a key spot in October. Combine the strong bench with the best offense in the National League and a bullpen that has been lights-out since the trade deadline, the Nationals could finally have the right ingredients for a deep run in October. If all clicks and the injuries don’t resurface, D.C. could finally host its first League Championship Series game in history.
The Washington Redskins by all means did not have a successful outing when they took the field in Baltimore against the Ravens. The first team offense laid and egg, the defense looked mediocre, and the special teams allowed a good kick return. Hey, that’s what preseason is for! There is no need to come to rash judgements as we, Redskins fans, tend to often do. Week 1 of the preseason is behind us and we look to see what comes in week 2. LP and FP are breaking down their 4 things to watch for, as they do all year on the DTC podcast.
FP’s top 4 to watch for:
Offensive Line vs. the Dom Capers blitz. Dom is known to have very exotic looking blitz packages, and the Redskins offensive line had a really bad outing against the Ravens. Can the Redskins O-Line be the strength we all expected coming into the preseason?
Phil Taylor. I am really high on Phil Taylor, I want to see if he can string together 2 good games. His story intrigues us all and we root for him. Let’s see what he can do against the GB line.
How does Manusky handle the rotation now that Trent Murphy is on IR. The Redskins are slim at OLB with all the injuries. Can Chris Carter, or Lynden Trail step in to fill the void. Are any of the back end of the roster OLB serviceable?
Replacing Sua Cravens. Sua is now out for the rest of preseason, D. Hall has yet to come off PUP, Will Blackmon is still injured as well. Who will step in to fill this void? It looks like Dashazor Everett will get the first crack at it this weekend.
LP’s top 4 to watch for:
Kirk Cousins. I want to reaffirm my confidence in Kirk. I just want to see a decent drive from the first team offense who is likely not going to play much, if at all.
Nico Marley. Nico was one of the only standouts in the Ravens came. Can he come up with another big week? Nico is one of the most energized players on this team. Can he cement a special teams role this yet?
Samaje Perine. Samaje did not live up to expectations in preseason week 1, but it’s preseason. I want to see the Samaje that we were all expecting. I would like to see him running behind some of the first team O-Line and see what he can produce.
Ryan Grant. Jay Gruden gave Ryan Grant more glowing praise during today’s presser. “I think people might be surprised with how many balls he might catch” -Jay Gruden on Ryan Grant. I want to see if Ryan can backup Jay on the field against the first team defense of the Packers.
FP, LP, Stevie, and Joe are all back to talk Redskins… a whole lot of Redskins. The Redskins came out flat against the Ravens (:1-:930) and the guys wonder why and if Training Camp has something to do with it (:11-:14). The slow starts are problematic and have becoming a defining negative feature of Jay Gruden’s tenure (:15-:23) so the fellas offer a few suggestions to get the team out of the gate with a bang to start the season. The schedule isn’t ideal for the Skins this year (:24-:31) with so many primetime games that the team MUST start fast in hopes of a split over the last six games at the end of the season. Will Kap or RG3 land on a team this season (:32-:39), plus, in a rare political exchange, the boys talk very openly and honestly about the events in Charlottesville over the past few days (:40-:47)…. so much going on… listen and share! (Photo Credit: Washington Post)
The Nationals can’t seem to get everything going in the same direction at the same time. Star pitcher goes down, bullpen improves, drop a bunch of games on the road, weather delays, and now Bryce goes down!! Stevie and Joe catch-up on all things Nats with an eye towards the playoffs and when the team may get all of its parts back ahead of the postseason push. As of now, Nats fans rest assured that the injury which looked season ending in real-time may only be a few weeks in duration… but let’s be real, Harper may have just lost tens of millions of dollars slipping on one wet bag in a meaningless August game! (Photo Credit: SportsOnEarth)
Defeating the Curse 