Tale of the tape

Week 4: Washington Redskins At Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Redskins

Buccaneers

Robert Griffin III is quickly learning how tough it is to make it in the NFL. His spectacular skills and athletic ability will allow him to make plays every game, but he can’t continue to put him in harm’s way or he will quickly find out he’s not Superman. While he makes mistakes, he’s got an indomitable attitude that allows him to get his team back in the game.	Quarterback	The Bucs are dependent on Josh Freeman at this point and while he also has talent and athletic ability, he’s emotional and inconsistent. He makes mistakes and he compounds them with poor reads and his decision-making may never be good enough to win in the NFL.
The Redskins have a solid running game thanks to the speed of RGIII and the truck-like running ability of emerging Alfred Morris who can punish tacklers. Tight end Fred Davis had a surprising 4 catches for 90 yards against the Bengals and wide receiver Leonard Hankerson is an emerging talent.	Offense	The Bucs have some talent and diversity on offense, but they are not going to be able to use it unless Freeman can keep his head in the game. Vincent Jackson should be a gamebreaker for the Bucs, but opponents will double-team him. The power running game of Doug Martin and LaGarette Blount could be a key weapon if the Bucs could ever have a fourth-quarter lead.
The Redskins looked slow and out of sync against a smooth-functioning Cincinnati offense. They won’t be tested that way against the Bucs, but head coach Mike Shanahan needs to get more out of DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson in the secondary. Linebacker London Fletcher is a dependable tackler.	Defense	The defensive effort was superior in the Bucs’ Week Three 16-10 loss to the Cowboys. They kept the pressure on quarterback Tony Romo as defensive end Michael Bennett and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy both had 2.0 sacks. Cornerback Aqib Talib is super aggressive and picked off Tony Romo, but he will lose his discipline at times.
The Redskins think that Brad Banks is a savvy return man who can make solid returns because he follows his blocks and can accelerate into open space. Sav Rocca is an underrated punter who kicks the ball high and allows his coverage teams to get downfield.	Special Teams	Teams that lack overall talent on the offensive end like the Bucs have to make up for that deficiency with excellent special teams play. The Bucs aren’t able to do that. Punter Michael Koenen and placekicker are just average and that’s not enough.

The winner is

Redskins

3 out of 4

Greg Schiano was hired to turn around one of the most disorganized and undisciplined teams in the league. They are playing hard, but Schiano has made enemies already and has made this about him and not his players. The Redskins are going through growing pains but they are moving in the right direction. RGIII will be a difference maker in this game.

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