What To Watch For: Washington Redskins Welcome Houston Texans To FedEx

Although they’re spurned with a schedule that includes four of their first six opponents being legitimate Super Bowl contenders in 2010, the Redskins are blessed with the fact that they face all four of those opponents at home.

The Redskins managed to sneak out with a win against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday night, which was more like a game of “Whose Fault Is It Anyway?”. But this week they welcome the Houston Texans to town, a team that impressively handled the reigning AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts just one week ago.

Without panicking by looking too far ahead into the Redskins’ schedule that includes Philly, Green Bay, and Indy within the next four weeks, we’ll attempt to stay calm and focus on the tough task at hand.

Here’s five things to watch for on Sunday in the second piece of the Redskins’ Texas Two-Step…

1.) Familiar Opponents – The earliest and most obvious reaction to this week’s matchup is Redskins’ offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan taking on his former Houston Texans team. Shanahan established one of the most exciting and efficient offenses in the league and he chose to join his pops, Mike Shanahan, when he was introduced as the Redskins’ new head coach.

While many believe that the Redskins’ will have the upper-hand due to Kyle’s familiarity with his former employer, reports have stated that that’s not really the case at all. In fact, the relationship between the two teams in terms of philosophy and scheme actually comes out to be a wash.

Kyle Shanahan knows the Texans just as well as the Texans know Kyle Shanahan. Texans’ head coach Gary Kubiak learned everything he knows from Mike Shanahan and Mike Shanahan remembers everything that he taught Gary Kubiak.

I wouldn’t feed too much into this. If I had to take a side, I’d say the Redskins do have a slight edge for the simple fact that the team defense has gone against a Texans-like scout team throughout all of training camp and in every practice.

2.) Special Teams Ups And Downs – Danny Smith saw some good things from his special teams crew against Dallas, and he saw some not-so-good things too. Punter Josh Bidwell struggled the most, shanking a punt during a crucial part of the game and mishandling a field goal snap to keep the team from putting three points on the board. Hopefully Bidwell gets it straight for Sunday.

Kicker Graham Gano did a fine job against Dallas, nailing two field goals, including a 49-yarder. The original concern of Gano was never his powerful foot, it was more about his accuracy, or lack thereof. For now, Gano looks just fine.

Third-year receiver Devin Thomas never saw the field on offense Sunday night but he made the most of his opportunities as a kick returner. “Devin helped himself a lot tonight,” Shanahan said in a post-game presser. Thomas took back two kickoffs against the Cowboys for 78 yards, showing his speed and ability to make the proper reads. While it’s nice to have a guy like DT returning the kicks, it’s only a matter of time before the kid is lining up opposite Santana Moss as the team’s No. 2 receiver.

3.) Coming Soon: The Running Game – Many were quick to jump on Clinton Portis and criticize the Redskins’ run-game against Dallas. But like good ol’ Lee Corso says, not so fast my friend.

Mike Shanahan stated in a post-practice press conference today that the “running game will get better” and that “it won’t just happen overnight”. Amen, Coach.

The running game will come in time folks. Don’t think that Portis’ 63 yards on 18 carries is going to serve as his typical game-ending stat line. As the line becomes more familiar with the blocking scheme and the running backs get more familiar with the work loads, this aspect of the offense will begin to blossom.

Be sure to look for the development of the run-game. Texans’ running back Arian Foster exploded last week for over 230 yards and there’s no reason why they would abandon that gameplan. The Redskins may have to throw a more-than-effective rushing game onto the field as well. Clinton Portis is ready.

4.) Offensive Line…Again – Not to sound like a broken record, but the offensive line will be a major factor for the Redskins this entire season.

The line did a great job last week against the Dallas Cowboys by allowing no sacks and giving Donovan McNabb enough time to make a throw or move comfortably in the pocket. Rookie left tackle Trent Williams did a fine job against Pro Bowl pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware considering all the attention and pressure that was placed on him before the game. Williams will have another tough task this week when he attempts to keep mutant Mario Williams away from McNabb’s blindside.

Shanahan cycled lineman in and out last week in an effort to keep his blockers fresh and energized. Derrick Dockery is the starter at left guard but keep an eye on Kory Lichtensteiger as he enters the game and brings some serious athleticism.

5.) More Chaos On Defense – The Redskins’ new defense ended the game well last week, allowing just seven points to a team that has been deemed to have a prolific offense. The defense also created disruptions for Tony Romo, forced a fumble, and even scored a touchdown.

While all of the above is great, the defense will have to get even better. The team registered only one sack against the Cowboys and the secondary dropped at least two interceptions. Don’t get me wrong, I liked watching the defense and I know they won the game, but they have to make the most out of every opportunity.

It’s obvious that the defense will get better, as Shanahan said about the running game, and this will not necessarily happen overnight. What we can hope for, however, is that this defense will get better over the next three nights before the team takes on the Houston Texans. If they let Matt Schaub stand around and find his receiver(s), this Texans team will pick the Redskins apart. Get to the quarterback and bring him down.

HTTR!