The (Glimpses of) Good, the (Plethora of) Bad and the (downright) Ugly vs. Carolina
Gary Cope, SkinsGridiron.com, Aug. 15, 2004

Ashburn - Not much changed between the Redskins first preseason game against the Denver Broncos and Saturday's disaster against the Carolina Panthers. The offense continued to struggle and in many ways, actually looked worse than the first game. Much of the lackluster performance can likely be attributed to the new-look offensive line. Randy Thomas made his return to the line (right guard) after missing the preseason opener. Plus, Kenyatta Jones took over at the right tackle spot, and boy what a challenge he faced in his first game: having to face Julius Peppers.

The Good
It was great to see Joe Gibbs lead his team back onto home turf Saturday evening. Granted, it wasn't RFK Stadium, but it's still the home of the Redskins and if not for the terrible weather and half-empty stadium, he would have received a memorable ovation. Still, if you didn't get chills seeing him on the home sideline again, check your pulse.

On the field, the defense continues to improve. Linebacker LaVar Arrington stuffed former teammate Stephen Davis while rookie Sean Taylor may have moved himself into the starting role on the depth chart with another good outing that included a forced fumble. Cornerback Todd Franz picked off a pass, the only Redskins interception of the game.

The special teams looked much better compared to their first game. Against the Panthers, they delivered some good, solid stops and looked much more organized on the coverage and returns.

The receivers probably had the best showing of the game for the Redskins. Rookie tight end Chris Cooley found himself wide open for a 24-yard reception. He finished with two catches for 36 yards and he looks like he's starting to get acquainted with Gibbs' offense.

Meanwhile, Darnerien McCants had a big game that included a 61-yard touchdown catch from Brunell in the third quarter. While it was a beautiful throw, McCants didn't seem too willing to throw out kudos to Brunell saying, "Any quarterback could have made that throw." Ouch.

Rookie tight end Chris Cooley also found himself wide open for 24-yard reception. He finished with two catches for 36 yards and he looks like he's starting to get acquainted with Gibbs' offense.

Regardless of McCants' opinion, Redskins fans have to be encouraged by the deep passes Mark Brunell threw. It appeared as though he was beginning to get a feel for Gibbs' offense. More encouraging was the play of the offensive line when it came to protecting the quarterback. Considering Jansen was out and offensive line coach Joe Bugel had to put in two new faces on the right side, they played pretty well.

With the exception of Jones giving up a first-half sack to Peppers, the "Dirtbags" didn't look all the bad…defending the pass rush.

I know it's against third-teamers, but don't you just love Sultan McCullough? Man that kid is quick! He had a nice big hole and hit it hard for a 14-yard score in the fourth quarter. It would be nice to see what he could do with the first team offense. Of course, no good running back is without a good offensive line. And the Skins' third-string o-line played extremely well, opening some gaping holes for Rock Cartwright and McCullough. The coaching staff will be pleased with their reserve o-linemen's performance.

Finally, it was definitely good, and even a bit inspiring, to see Brandon Noble back on the field, nearly 12 months after he suffered a possible career-ending knee injury. Of course, he was playing with a cast to protect his broken hand, but after blowing out a knee, a broken bone or two in a hand probably won't stop him.

The Bad
O' where to begin? Not to be a bit contradicting, but those who made the "good" list also head the "bad" list. Let's begin with all three quarterbacks. Patrick Ramsey started and quickly fumbled the opening snap. He would later fumble another and throw an interception. Ramsey looked pretty bad to be quite honest. He even admitted following the game that it was the worst he's played in a long time.

Brunell, aside from his 61-yard bomb to an unimpressed McCants, looked equally as bad, coughing up the ball both on the ground and by way of an INT. Third stringer Tim Hasselbeck didn't exactly have a stellar outing either, even against the Panthers' future roster casualties, as he threw a pair of interceptions, one which led to the game-tying field goal and the other that led to the game-winning field goal in overtime. But, if we're going to temper his success in the preseason opener with, "Yes, but it was against third-teamers," we have to give him the benefit of the doubt that he was playing with third-teamers on Saturday.

The offensive line, which looked much improved against the pass rush, struggled mightily while trying to open up some holes for Clinton Portis, who managed only 15 yards on five carries. The Skins could only muster 102 yards rushing for the entire game. Granted, it's against a relatively good defense, but you still expect more out of that offense than what we've seen the last two games.

The offense as a whole looked awful. While Gibbs is praising the defense, he's shaking his head in disgust when he's asked about the offensive.

"Offensively, there were way too many mistakes," Gibbs said following the loss to Carolina. "I think we made some mistakes all the way across the board. I think the film will be a good study for us…But right now, obviously we are making mistakes and we have some concerns. We are not running the football. So we have got a lot to work on. Hopefully the game will be a learning experience for us."

The Ugly
Our kicking game. No, not because it isn't doing well, just the opposite! It's the most consistent part of the team so far. Between John Hall and Ola Kimrin, they haven't missed a field goal or extra point. It's a shame the Skins probably won't have room for Kimrin because he's becoming somewhat of a fan favorite, mainly because he's an underdog with a good story (32-year-old rookie).

Since our quarterbacks can't seem to move the ball and the offensive line can't seem to create any gaps for the backfield, it's a good thing we have a solid kicking game because that may be as close as the Skins get to putting points on the board if they continue to disappoint.

It's not quite time to hit the panic button, but if the Skins are going to compete for a playoff spot this season, they need to start getting on the same page and soon.