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The Redskins will be wearing 75th anniversary throwback jerseys when they host the Giants Sunday. |
His answers to my questions are below. Be sure to head over the Hogs Haven and see what Will wanted to know about the Giants.
Hogs Haven:You're only as good as your record, so at this point all I'm willing to say is that the Redskins were good enough to beat the Miami Dolphins at home, and the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. Beyond that I don't know what comparison to make here, as I think the Redskins are neither the best nor worst 2-0 team. Obviously the team was fortunate to escape the Miami game with a W, but we straight up beat the Eagles with superior defense and a good enough offense. Anytime you win on the road, by more than a touchdown, despite losing the turnover battle, you should feel good about it. It remains to be seen how weak or strong the Eagles team we beat on the road really is, but I suspect they're not the worst 0-2 team in the league either.
BBV: Jason Campbell has been impressive thus far. Is he the real deal?
HH: Yes, although statistics might not necessarily tell that story. The best thing about JC is that he's added a much needed deep ball to our passing offense, and he throws about as good down the field as anyone in the league. His decision making still leaves something to be desired, but he's young and will get through that. The team responds well to him and views him as a leader, which I think is a key mental component to being "the real deal" in this league. He can also make plays with his legs if need be, though he's a pocket passer.
BBV: The Giants are losing players to injury left and right. Are there any significant Redskins injuries we should know about?
HH: Right off the top of my head: Jon Jansen. He's out for the season. Randy Thomas will also be out. That's two starting offensive linemen, and we lost a third in free agency (Derrick Dockery). Those players have to be replaced, Dockery by Pete Kendall, who has looked good so far, Jansen by Todd Wade, who looked fine in a similar role last year, and now the team has signed Rick DeMulling to ostensibly help us out sans Randy Thomas -- or just to backup Fabini, who will probably get a starting chance as he did against the Eagles. The saving grace is that we have an outstanding offensive line coaching staff and a lot of talent still about, with Casey Rabach and Chris Samuels both very valuable members of that line. The 'Skins have allowed just 3 sacks thus far, which is very good, but have done so with healthy starters. This weekend against your Giants will be a big indication of just how badly we'll suffer as a result of the line shuffle.
BBV: Are there any new faces on the Redskins this year we should be aware of, or impact type players Giants fans might not know about?
HH: LaRon Landry, though you guys knew that. He's played big, fast, and scary so far which is exactly why we drafted him. Rocky McIntosh is also a semi-new face on the defense, as you guys wouldn't have had to play against him much last year. He's proven to be a more than capable weak side linebacker with 15 tackles in two weeks (5th in NFL). London Fletcher is also a new face, though new to the team only. I believe Fred Smoot will return to the defense (he sat out last week) though again he's a new/familiar face, as he played in Washington some years back. On offense it's pretty much the same old crew, though expect to see a lot more out of Antwaan Randle El than you had previously.
BBV: The Giants have been awful for two games. Does anything about this game worry you, or are you expecting a Redskins rout?
HH: Our offensive line worries me. Wins start in the trenches, and ours is unsure. There are some things I like about this matchup given what we've seen out of the two respective teams, but I'm not going to pretend that being 2-0 guarantees victory. We're about a field goal favorite right now, which is by no means a heft lead. Then again, we were a 7 point dog last week and pulled it off, and were about a field goal favorite when we beat Miami.
By the way, at least those throwback jerseys the Redskins will be wearing aren't as awful as the ones the Eagles will be featuring on Sunday.