Detroit Lions-Washington Redskins: Five Questions for Redskins FC Brandon Keener

There is absolutely no worse week of football than the regular season week in which your home team has a bye.

Especially when your media market is stuck with an ugly defensive struggle—a Redskins-Bears game that set the game of football back about 50 years. That being said, it's hard for me to pass up a chance to watch Jay Cutler get knocked around and look like a loser.

That is to say, a Bears game.

Of course, the reality is that the Redskins-Bears game was good for more than another chapter in the systematic de-coronation of Cutler; it was also good for advance scouting.

As much as I rip on the Bears, they have a lot in common with the Lions in some areas. Spotty offensive line play, a schizophrenic running game that fluctuates from effective to non-existent from week-to-week and a young and cocky quarterback who trusts his arm a little too much sometimes.

So it was reasonable to think that watching the Bears play the Redskins was a good way to see how the Lions might fare. You may disagree, but you can't tell me watching DeAngelo Hall set an NFL record for interceptions didn't get your wheels spinning, especially with the barely seasoned Matthew Stafford finally reassuming control at quarterback.

So what do we need to look forward to in this matchup with the Redskins, the team responsible for ending the Lions' historic losing streak last season?

I'll bet a Redskins Featured Columnist knows. In a strange twist of fate, Brandon Keener beat me to the punch this week. He has also made "Five Questions" a weekly feature since having it brought to him by Zach Kruse a few weeks ago. That made finding someone that much easier.

Dean Holden: DeAngelo Hall absolutely terrorized Jay Cutler last Sunday, to the tune of a NFL record-tying four interceptions. From someone who watches Hall play every week, is this kind of performance an exception to the rule or a coming-out party for a new star cornerback?

Brandon Keener: DeAngelo Hall was a Pro-Bowl caliber cornerback when he was with the Falcons, prior to his time in Oakland. He is a risk-taker. He will jump a play. With Hall, you really get a feast or famine type player that this season is having mostly feasts. Make no mistake about it, he can and will be burned by the chances he takes. For proof, see Pierre Garcon’s stats from the Colts game.

As far as his catching ability, that was no fluke. Hall has a great set of hands, and if he can put himself in a position to make a pick, he will. He is the only Redskins cornerback that I can confidently say that about. Buchanon and Rogers would have a hard time combining their catching abilities and matching Hall’s.

DH: Donovan McNabb has historically had his way with Lions defenses in the past, but that was a different team. Are we also looking at a different McNabb? Does he have the tools surrounding him to make him a successful quarterback right now?

BK: To answer your first question, you are looking at a slightly different McNabb. He’s much more of a risk-taker in this offense, and he leads the league in plays of 30-plus yards because he is looking for the big play more in this offense than he was in Philadelphia.

That being said, his completion percentage sometimes struggles to get above 50 percent, which is hard for Redskins fans to deal with. He seems to be having problems hitting the check down man recently. The Redskins coaches have been working with McNabb to try and change his throwing motion and turn him into more of a pocket passer. They want him to extend his legs more before winding up to throw, but he has been doing it his way so long it is tough for him to transition.

Does McNabb have the tools? Hmmm. All the tools he needs—I’d have to say no, he’s a few sockets short of a toolbox. Get those couple of sockets he needs, like another good lineman or two and a big WR target, then he will be fine. Aside from that he has everything he needs.

DH: The Lions defensive front seven vs. the Redskins offensive line and Ryan Torain: Who has the edge?

BK: Another great question. I will have to go with my Redskins on this one, although I must give credit where it is due—you have a fine set of defensive tackles.

The Redskins have had better success running the ball against a 4-3 defense like the Lions run than a 3-4 defense. If the Lions want to stop the Redskins' running game, they are going to have to blitz a safety or linebacker on almost every play so that the offensive line has to make immediate adjustments and is playing one-on-one.

I respect Suh very much, and he is a player that will require two people for a long time. He could disrupt the 'Skins' running game if they blitz and allow him to go one-on-one.

DH: There was lots of talk of an Albert Haynesworth trade in the preseason, lasting right up until a couple of weeks ago, with much of it surrounding Detroit as a possible destination. Now that the storm is over, how is Haynesworth playing, and does it seem like he’s got his head on straight?

BK: A lot of the trade talk we were hearing here in D.C. was that he may be returning to Tennessee. We all can see that nothing came of that, including Haynesworth. Last week, he had arguably the best game of his Redskins career. Albeit, not very much improvement from other games, but you could see him playing with a different fire. I think a lot of that comes off the heels of his recent family tragedy.

This week will be a bigger test to see if he is really on the right track or if last week was just a one-hit wonder.

DH: The Redskins came to Detroit last year and supplied the Lions with their first win since their fateful 0-16 season, in a game that basically put Jim Zorn out to pasture. Among the players or fans, are there any feelings of wanting to avenge that game this year, or is it just a non-divisional game in Week 8 to you/them?

BK: Speaking on my own behalf, only I can say that I think that most fans are looking at this game with the “one week at a time” appeal. The Zorn era is gone from Washington, and most people are so happy to be flushing that down the toilet we already have our gloves on to make sure we didn’t miss any. In some freakish way, I know a few Redskins fans who were happy to see Zorn lose that game because they knew that would be a lock to get him ousted.

Basically, this is just another week for the Redskins and the fans. They’re only concerned with “How to beat the Lions” right now, and really, that’s all that matters.

 Check out my answers to Brandon's five questions right here. Also, visit Brandon's profile to see more of his work on the Redskins.