Skins Open Pre-Season with Win Against Steelers

After making some headlines with the players they let go, the Washington Redskins were ready to show the world what they were able to do with the players still on the roster. The Skins opened their pre-season schedule against the defending AFC champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Friday night in front of their home crowd at FedEx Field. Not that the score necessarily matters during the pre-season, but it's still nice knowing the Skins beat the Steelers 16-7, with the lone touchdown coming from the first team offense.

The Redskins defense did it's job on the opening possession, stalling the Steelers attack around midfield, forcing a punt. Returner Brandon Banks decided not to field the ball, and it was downed at the one, forcing Rex Grossman and the offense to start with their backs against the goal line. On the first play, Grossman connected with wideout Santana Moss for a gain of 16, the first of a bunch of successful hookups between the two. New running back Tim Hightower, acquired from the Arizona Cardinals, opened very strong in his first outing in a Skins uniform. On the opening drive, Hightower broke off runs of 16 and 11, and also caught a pass in the flat that went for eight yards. On that same opening drive, the Skins drove all the way down inside the Steelers' 10 yard line, only to see Shayne Graham's 29 yard attempt sail wide left.

The Skins second possession resulted in a punt after again making it into Steeler territory, but their third finally yielded some points. Again starting well in their own territory, Grossman was again very efficient in leading his team down the field. He completed passes to Moss, new acquisition Jabar Gaffney, Terrence Austin for a 38 yard gain, and then again to Moss for the touchdown from eight yards out. The next Washington possession was a three-and-out, and then following a Pittsburgh punt, the Skins got the ball back with just under two minutes left in the half. Grossman again orchestrated a very well put together drive to get the Skins into a position to score. He managed the clock very well while running the two minute offense, going 6-for-6 on the drive before spiking the ball to give Shayne Graham another try at a field goal. Graham missed the field goal, leaving every Skins fan to wonder if he was even going to be in uniform for the second half.

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Grossman finished the first half with stats that would make an Skins fan happy: 19-for-26, 207 yards, one touchdown, and most importantly, no turnovers. Moss led the way receiving wise with seven receptions for 64 yards and a score. Hightower carried 10 times for 44 yards.

The Washington defense looked just as sharp in their first action of the season as well. Tackling machine London Fletcher made the tackle on two of the first three plays. Rookie Ryan Kerrigan had three tackles from the outside linebacker spot, including a stop in the backfield on a third and short. Defensive back Kevin Barnes, rookie safety DeJon Gomes and former Cowboys defense end Stephen Bowen all found their way to a Pittsburgh quarterback to account for the Skins' sacks.

With all the Redskins' starters resting comfortably in the second half, it gave some time for head coach Mike Shanahan to see what his back ups could do. Likely third-string QB Kellen Clemens didn't look terrible, but he by no means impressed anyone. He made some good throws across the middle, and at least half of his incompletions could be chalked up to dropped passes. The two rookie running backs, Evan Royster and Roy Helu, both saw some action throughout the game. Royster got more touches than Helu, and took advantage of them. He carried the ball 15 times for 66 yards, while Helu ran for 28 yards on eight carries, and also added a 10 yard reception. Veteran wide receiver Donte Stallworth saw action in the second quarter and the second half as well. He made three catches for nearly 50 yards, and had a touchdown pass just go off his fingertips on a nicely run corner route. Rookie receiver Leonard Hankerson, despite having great size and impressive college stats, did not necessarily impress. He played a decent amount of the second half and ended up with only one catch, and did drop two of Clemens' passes that were right on the money.

The Skins didn't see any action from quarterback John Beck, who is still nursing a groin injury. With the news from camp that Beck hasn't been playing well, coupled with how well Grossman played against Pittsburgh, could seal his fate as the backup.

Washington's next pre-season game is August 19 in Indianapolis against the Colts.

By Matthew Dagen
ProFootball-fans.com Washington Redskins Correspondent