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A loss but it was nice to see D-Hall keep his cool at the end.  The good, bad, and more.

Good:

1.  RG3. It wasn't his fault his receivers dropped 10 balls.  He missed one deep shot to Paulson but was mostly accurate.  I'd like to see him use his legs more than he did today especially on 3rd-downs when it's necessary.

2.  Logan Paulson. He didn't drop anything.

Bad:

1.  Defense.  Awful across the board in this one.  Obviously they can't cover and don't generate much pass pressure but they couldn't stop the run today either.  The list of those culpable is long...the list of anyone who played or coached well doesn't exist.  Pittsburgh scored on 5 of their first 6 drives and coasted the rest of the way.

2.  10 Dropped Passes. Drive killers most of them though the first two drops (Hankerson and Briscoe) didn't cost them a touchdown.

3.  Not enough zone-read and other option looks. The first drive of the game was similar to the first two drives of the Minnesota game and much of the Atlanta game.  Not enough option looks.  Three under-center snaps to RG3 with no option possibility on the first drive or any drive usually equals punt.  They should know by now that they move the ball much better as an offense when they run out of option-look formations.

4.  Lack of 4th Qtr Urgency. Why didn't they get into their hurry-up offense down two scores in the 4th Qtr?  Makes no sense.  They should've gotten into it down 27-9 at the start of the 4th qtr.  Sometimes Shanahan's clock management defies logic.

4.  D-Hall's Lack of Composure. I've always liked his competitive feistiness even though he's not a very good corner but with that said, going after an official like he did should cost him big money if not a suspension.  He was frustrated and clearly incapable of keeping his cool.

5.  Rocca. One of the worst days of his career as a Redskin.

More:

1.  I didn't like the razzle-dazzle third-down Morgan pass to RG3.  I'd rather they run option if they are going to expose RG3 to a hit.

2.  The blocked PAT appeared to be a low kick by Forbath.

3.  Forbath is now 6-6 on FGs...5 of them from 43 or longer.

4.  Shanahan on missing Fred Davis--"of course we missed him...anybody tells you they don't miss a pro bowl player isn't being honest".

5.  I didn't like the knee at the end of the game.  Giving up sucks.  I know the odds of scoring twice in 26 seconds is 10 million to 1 but there's no chance if you take a knee.

Another loss that could've easily been a win.  Today's loss was at least partly self-inflicted.  The good, bad,and more.

Good:

1.  Alfred Morris. The real deal.  If the Skins could've made some third downs, he would've had a lot more than 115 yards.

2.  Ryan Kerrigan. His feel, vision, and anticipation are so good and the reasons he's such a great playmaker.  However, he needs to get more consistent pressure on the quarterback.

3.  Run defense. They held the Falcons to 2.9 yards per carry.  Falcons pretty much abandoned the run because it became clear they couldn't.

Bad:

1.  RG3's injury. It happened on a pass play/scramble.  The hit by Witherspoon was clean.  He told Shanahan he was "alright" on the way off the field, he wasn't.  Let's hope he's ready for next week.

2.  Not enough RG3 runs. This may seem counter-intuitive considering he got knocked out of the game with a concussion but there were opportunities on the zone-read where it looked like if he kept the ball he'd still be running.  Atlanta was prepared after getting burned repeatedly last week by Newton but there were at least two plays, one on the missed FG drive and the other on the made FG drive where it looked like he could've kept it on the zone-read for big yardage.  Another thing.  If they weren't going to use their designed runs, how bout some more bootleg where he's outside the pocket with the option to throw or run.  I think they ran one boot the whole day.

3.  Third down conversions & stops. Offensively they couldn't make any, defensively they couldn't get off the field enough.  Some catchable passes weren't caught in the first half by Davis and Moss in particular.  It was the difference between moving the sticks and getting more carries for Morris versus giving up the ball.  The Skins ran 46 total plays on offense, just 22 in the first half.  That's not enough.  Atlanta was 9 for 17 on third down.

4.  Billy Cundiff. Just awful!  There's no excuse for keeping him another week.  He cost them major momentum in this game, a game the Skins may have taken control of before halftime.  You just can't miss inside 40 yards in the NFL.  It's not acceptable.  In fact, you really can't miss inside 50.  He's a godawful kicker who shouldn't have been signed in the first place and better be gone by Wednesday.

5.  Pass pressure. Just not enough of it.  When a quarterback drops back 52 times, you should get more than one sack.  Carolina had 7 last week.  One is pathetic.

6.  Dropped passes. The Falcons had several, the Redskins had a few themselves.  For the Skins, it cost them on third downs, especially in the first half when they managed just 22 plays in 30 minutes.

7.  End of first-half. Why would you call back to back timeouts and then run the clock out on a third straight run from your own 36?  Totally ridiculous to get yourself into position to complete a pass or two to get into FG range and instead choose to run the clock out.  If you were going to run the clock out, why call the 2 timeouts in the first place?  You just can't afford to throw away scoring opportunities in games you know will be close.  It made no sense unless of course, Shanahan knows what we all know....that Cundiff would've missed a long FG anyway.

More:

1.  Skins' DBs are just too short.  Fletcher in coverage is also.  Teams with bigger receivers are going to eat them up.  Last week it was Williams and Jackson, this week Jones and Gonzalez.  Some of those catches were well-covered but it's too hard to stop guys like Jones and Gonzalez from going up and taking it away when they have a half-foot height advantage.

2.  Cousins' 77-yd TD pass to Moss was clearly a blown coverage but good job taking advantage of it.

3.  If RG3 can't go, first guess is that Rex gets the start next week against Minnesota.  Just a guess.

4.  Banks had the big kickoff return against Cincinnati but has been contained for the most part this year.  Would like to see more of him on offense.

Upon further review of the Skins-Bucs game....

1.  The notion that the Redskins ditched the option for the week is wrong. While they didn't run very much "triple option" like they did last week, they ran plenty of "zone-read" option.  But unlike previous weeks, RG3's read resulted in the ball going to the lead back Morris on all but two occasions.  Those plays, like previous weeks, were very effective.  One more note on this.  In the redzone, the "zone-read" is a staple for them.  It's typically what they like to do between the 20 and 10 with the QB draw being more preferable inside the 10.  Bottom line, it's working as the Skins lead the NFC in touchdowns and are 3rd in the NFL in red zone offense scoring touchdowns 67% of the time.

2.  Will Montgomery is doing a very good job snapping the ball. This seems trivial but the significant majority of their offensive plays are in shotgun whether it be "Pistol", "Spread" or other.  They haven't really had any mishaps in four games.

3.  Cundiff's two short misses weren't close. Not that you didn't know that already but at least Gano's misses were close.

4.  Skins' pass defense WAS better.  This was obvious after watching it again.  D-Hall was damn close on almost every catch made against him as was Wilson.  The safeties, Williams in particular, played better.  With that said, comparing it to the St. Louis and Cincy games it didn't take much to show improvement.

5.  The sideline was confused in the final 18 seconds. Little doubt that after the spike with 18 seconds, they lost track of playclock time.  And then after the last completion to Moss, they looked stumped on the sideline.  Thank god they had one timeout left even if they did call it too early with 7 seconds left.

A few things upon further review of the Skins-Bengals game.

I'll go with 7-9.

Before I get to why 7-9, an admission that every NFL fan should make.  All preseason predictions are guesses.  Whatever you use as reasoning for your picks is vulnerable.  It's vulnerable to injuries, bad bounces, weather, and more.  The NFL has more year-to-year uncertainty than all of the other professional sports leagues combined.  Even describing it as year-to-year is inaccurate because things change so dramatically week-to-week.

My 7-9 prediction is a judgement on the roster and how it stacks up against others in the division and conference in particular.  It's also an acknowledgment that their AFC games this year come against the AFC North where you could easily argue that three of its four teams have better talent than the Redskins.  But a talent analysis usually doesn't hold up either.  Talent differences from team to team are relatively minor in the NFL.  Secondly, injuries and lucky bounces here and there (turnovers) are just as impactful as talent in determining a team's final record.

So the guess is 7-9 and here's why.

Five of the last 10 rookie QB's to start 10 or more games got to the playoffs.  Not a bad percentage but all five had either a top-7 defense or a top-2 rushing offense.  Do the Redskins have a top-7 defense or a top-2 rushing attack?  I don't think so.

The defense should be good but top-7 might be a reach.  I like the front 7 but the secondary is a huge question mark.  Third-down stops are crucial and even with a solid pass rush, corners and safeties are relied upon to help get offenses off the field.  This is an area that concerns me especially when you consider some of the quarterbacks they'll be facing.  Eli, Romo, and Vick in the division.  Brees, Ryan, Rothlesburger, Flacco, Dalton, and Newton outside of it.  The Skins' D is much better than Cam Newton's defense last year in Carolina.  In fact, it's good enough to keep them competitive.  My gut though is not good enough to carry it to the playoffs similar to say the Jets in 2009.

The rushing attack could be very good this year.  Top-2 is a reach but when we last saw it, Evan Royster was averaging nearly 6 yards per carry.  The Skins had a 100+ yard rusher in five of their last six games.  I like Royster, Helu, and Morris.  The injuries to the offensive line didn't seem to negatively impact the running game late last year.  I think they'll run it and run it very well at times.  But top-2?  Only if RG3 and the passing game is a legit threat and that could take some time.

A few more thoughts.

1.  The Redskins roster is improved but it's still not fast enough.  Overall team speed is better but still far from upper echelon.  Garcon and Griffin are reasons for hope.

2.  Who's the red-zone threat?  Morgan maybe, Briscoe or Hankerson, maybe Davis?  More likely it's RG3 in the spread, running option and other creative plays that are less affected by a condensed field.

3.  The offensive line is an unknown in a system that will differ from the one they ran last year.  It doesn't look good on paper and depth appears to be a major problem.

4.  There was a ton of competition at wide receiver this summer but was it quality competition?  How good is Garcon really and who other than Garcon can catch the ball, make a defender miss, and take it 30 yards downfield?

5.  The teams' best players are on defense as it looks now.  Kerrigan, Cofield, Bowen, Jenkins, Fletcher, and Wilson can play.  Is this the year that Orakpo becomes an elite player?  15+ sacks and a few game-changing forced turnovers would go a long way towards winning a few more than 6 or 7.  It's time for him to do it.  He's talked it, time to walk it.

6. Keeping Brandon Banks was a no-brainer.  He's the only proven playmaker on the team.  He's had 17 plays of 35+ yards in 29 regular season games.  Only Hester has more.

7.  Cundiff was inconsistent last year and that's the nicest thing you can say.  Cutting Gano for Cundiff was a head-scratcher.  The good news-kickers' pasts aren't indicators of their futures.

8.  One more thing.  Mike and Kyle Shanahan are officially under the gun.  They got their quarterback.  Forget what Mike said about Rex and Beck.  They've waited for someone in the draft they loved.  Will RG3 be worth the wait?  He has a unique set of skills.  Those skills and their ability to create an offense that fits them will determine their future and the future of the franchise.

RG3 vs. Luck turned out to be pretty impressive and pretty even. The first half was actually well-played on both sides of the ball for a preseason game. Here's the good, bad, and more..

Good:

1. RG3: Our first real chance to see him play enough to get into a rhythm and he did. Not everything was perfect and he was helped out by a strong running game but he showed very well in a few key areas. Arm strength..check. Quick release...check. Can he take a big hit...check. Extend plays with his feet....of course, check. He missed on all of his deep shots but Hankerson hurt him by bailing out on one of them. His 3rd and 5 run for a first down on the first possession of the game was a perfect example of making something good out of bad. Same thing on the 3rd and 3 completion to Josh Morgan after he flushed right out of the pocket. The Colts aren't very good but this game had to be good for his confidence.

2. Alfred Morris/Running Game: If there were any doubts about his place on the final roster before the game, they were erased by mid-first quarter. 14 carries for 107 yards no matter who you're playing is damn good. He'll be a significant contributor if not the starter in the opener at New Orleans. Hightower and Davis ran well too.

3. Pass Rush: Lots of pressure and multiple sacks.

4. Tanard Jackson: All over the field even though he was on the field when Indy converted 7 of their first 10 third downs. He's a big hitter and looks like the best athlete among the safeties.

5. Lorenzo Alexander: He's in a perfect spot for him on the inside.

6. Markus White: I know he was in there against Indy's future cuts but I also know they like him a lot and I can see why. He can play. The competition for backup outside linebackers is fierce.

Bad:

1. Hankerson. Just didn't think he looked urgent enough. He made a weak play on the deep ball from RG3 and didn't step to an out pattern throw from RG3 early in the 3rd.

2. 3rd Down D. Luck made some plays for sure but allowing 7 of 10 thru the early 3rd quarter with a very good pass rush speaks to coverage concerns.

More:

1. So what to make of Santana Moss returning punts and Niles Paul kickoffs? Not sure. I would keep Banks and not think twice. I have no idea what they're thinking.

2. Rex's perfect passing day (a first for a Skins' QB) came against some of the worst back-ups in the league.

3. Lots of interesting roster decisions especially at WR, RB, LB, and DB.

Before I get to a pick-by-pick recap, let us celebrate a new way in Redskin Nation. The draft is now officially a tool used by the organization to add talent to the roster. In the Shanahan era, the Redskins have drafted 27 players in three years. In the six years before he got here, the team drafted 32. Seven offensive lineman have been picked in Shanahan's three seasons. A grand total of two were taken in the six drafts before he got here.

The draft is inexact. Even the teams that have a rep for picking well miss on many. Volume of picks is critical. The more you take increases the chances you'll hit on at least a few. Those few are young, cheap at the beginning, and hungry. It's early but the 3-year draft track record appears to be encouraging. Eight of the 18 players drafted in 2010 and 2011 will start or have a chance to start in 2012. This weekend's draft will likely produce at a minimum the franchise's starting quarterback and backup quarterback for years to come. That's not a bad 3-year draft return even when you consider the team had gobs of holes that needed filling.

Here's a quick recap of the Skins' 2012 picks with projections for the top 4.

Robert Griffin III-- Simply put, the most important draft pick in franchise history. The team has been without an impact player at the most important position for too long. Any time you give up two firsts and a second to move up 4 spots in the draft you have invested a big part of your future. I don't think they had a choice. RG3 has everything you look for in a franchise QB. The hype is over the top and it'll only get worse as we approach the season. I'm ready to see him play. Projection: Starting QB on opening day.

Josh LeRiebus-- I had no idea who he was when his name was called Friday night but the Redskins loved him and apparently others did as well. Remember last year when the experts claimed that Jarvis Jenkins went earlier than projected but we found out after the fact that 2-3 other teams would've taken him in the 3rd round had the Skins passed. Word is the Chiefs and the Texans would've taken him in the 3rd round so the Skins had to pull the trigger early. They like him for two reasons. He's tough and he can pull with good mobility. Projection: Makes the team as a backup guard.

Kirk Cousins-- I love this pick! Don't tell me that this is a luxury pick. The NFL is a quarterback league. You can't have too many. Ask the Bears, Cowboys and a handful of other teams if they should've planned a bit better for the possibility of losing their starting quarterback to injury. The Redskins have had a terrible quarterback situation for years. Cousins is smart, clutch, mobile, and capable of making all the throws. He was team captain at Michigan State for the last three years. As far as the "message" it sends to RG3 or even the fans, who cares! Projection: 3rd QB this year, backup in 2013.

Keenan Robinson-- An athlete that at the very least could make the team as a stand-out special teamer. A pick that potentially adds depth to ILB. Projection: Makes team as special teamer and back-up ILB.

Adam Gettis-- A quick interior lineman who can play guard and even center. Played in a zone blocking scheme in a pro-style offense at Iowa.

Alfred Morris-- Typical late-round Shanahan RB pick that will probably prove to be a good back. He's strong and has great vision and balance, perfect for a zone attack.

Tom Compton-- The 3rd O-lineman taken. He's an athletic tackle with good speed and mobility. He'll be given a shot to compete on the right side.

Richard Crawford-- Could be a nickel corner with the ability to line up on slot receivers. Also can return kicks.

Jordan Bernstein-- Can play corner and safety.

Before I get to a pick-by-pick recap, let us celebrate a new way in Redskin Nation. The draft is now officially a tool used by the organization to add talent to the roster. In the Shanahan era, the Redskins have drafted 27 players in three years. In the six years before he got here, the team drafted 32. Seven offensive lineman have been picked in Shanahan's three seasons. A grand total of two were taken in the six drafts before he got here.

The draft is inexact. Even the teams that have a rep for picking well miss on many. Volume of picks is critical. The more you take increases the chances you'll hit on at least a few. Those few are young, cheap at the beginning, and hungry. It's early but the 3-year draft track record appears to be encouraging. Eight of the 18 players drafted in 2010 and 2011 will start or have a chance to start in 2012. This weekend's draft will likely produce at a minimum the franchise's starting quarterback and backup quarterback for years to come. That's not a bad 3-year draft return even when you consider the team had gobs of holes that needed filling.

Here's a quick recap of the Skins' 2012 picks with projections for the top 4.

Robert Griffin III-- Simply put, the most important draft pick in franchise history. The team has been without an impact player at the most important position for too long. Any time you give up two firsts and a second to move up 4 spots in the draft you have invested a big part of your future. I don't think they had a choice. RG3 has everything you look for in a franchise QB. The hype is over the top and it'll only get worse as we approach the season. I'm ready to see him play. Projection: Starting QB on opening day.

Josh LeRiebus-- I had no idea who he was when his name was called Friday night but the Redskins loved him and apparently others did as well. Remember last year when the experts claimed that Jarvis Jenkins went earlier than projected but we found out after the fact that 2-3 other teams would've taken him in the 3rd round had the Skins passed. Word is the Chiefs and the Texans would've taken him in the 3rd round so the Skins had to pull the trigger early. They like him for two reasons. He's tough and he can pull with good mobility. Projection: Makes the team as a backup guard.

Kirk Cousins-- I love this pick! Don't tell me that this is a luxury pick. The NFL is a quarterback league. You can't have too many. Ask the Bears, Cowboys and a handful of other teams if they should've planned a bit better for the possibility of losing their starting quarterback to injury. The Redskins have had a terrible quarterback situation for years. Cousins is smart, clutch, mobile, and capable of making all the throws. He was team captain at Michigan State for the last three years. As far as the "message" it sends to RG3 or even the fans, who cares! Projection: 3rd QB this year, backup in 2013.

Keenan Robinson-- An athlete that at the very least could make the team as a stand-out special teamer. A pick that potentially adds depth to ILB. Projection: Makes team as special teamer and back-up ILB.

Adam Gettis-- A quick interior lineman who can play guard and even center. Played in a zone blocking scheme in a pro-style offense at Iowa.

Alfred Morris-- Typical late-round Shanahan RB pick that will probably prove to be a good back. He's strong and has great vision and balance, perfect for a zone attack.

Tom Compton-- The 3rd O-lineman taken. He's an athletic tackle with good speed and mobility. He'll be given a shot to compete on the right side.

Richard Crawford-- Could be a nickel corner with the ability to line up on slot receivers. Also can return kicks.

Jordan Bernstein-- Can play corner and safety.

Here is a guess on what the Redskins do tonight.

1st Round--  Robert Griffin III/QB Baylor: Obvious.

3rd Round--  Alfonso Dennard/CB Nebraska: 5-10, 205lbs, tough, physical corner who can run.  Some off the field issues but can play.

4th Round-- Brandon Mosely/T Auburn: 6-6, 315lbs, good size and mobility, perfect for Shanahan system.

4th Round--  Chris Rainey/RB Florida: 5-8, 180, small but 4.4 fast.  A speed playmaker who can return kicks too.

5th Round--  Ryan Lindley/QB San Diego State:  6-4, 230, big, strong, and smart.  Lacks accuracy and may not be mobile enough for Shanahan but he is coachable and worked under former NFL QB Brian Sipe.

6th Round--  Kelcie McCray/SS Arkansas State: 6-2, 205, strong and an run. 

7th Round--  Charles Mitchell/SS Mississippi State:  5-11, 202, productive, played big in big games

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) Robert Griffin III is vibrant and fun-loving. Mike Shanahan is businesslike and no-nonsense.
Nevertheless, Shanahan thinks they'll get along just fine.

The Washington Redskins coach assured eager fans Wednesday that he will indeed let Robert be Robert when RGIII comes into the fold, starting Thursday night when the Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor is selected No. 2 overall in the NFL draft.

Shanahan joked that he won't hold it against Griffin "just because he's got a lot of charisma and I don't."

"He's a natural leader. ... You want guys to lead your football team," Shanahan said. "Everybody's got their own way of doing things. Some guys are a little bit more serious. You've got to be yourself."

Shanahan, playing the role of pragmatic, close-to-the-chest coach to the very end, even tried his best to leave just the slightest doubt that the Redskins might not get Griffin, claiming that there was a "one percent of one percent" chance that the choice will be Andrew Luck instead.

That's not happening, of course. The Indianapolis Colts have said they're taking Luck at No. 1, and the Redskins have invested a lot of time getting to know Griffin.

"He's got everything that we look for," Shanahan said, "and I'm looking forward to working with him."

The Redskins moved into the No. 2 position nearly seven weeks ago by trading three first-round picks and a second-rounder to the St. Louis Rams.

Shanahan said he will incorporate Griffin's skills into the Redskins offense and anticipates some growing pains along the way. Rex Grossman was re-signed earlier this offseason to be the veteran place-holder in case Griffin isn't ready to start on opening day.

"You just don't want to throw a guy in there right away until he feels comfortable," Shanahan said. "And there's a growing process. It doesn't happen right away. Obviously when you give up a first and second, you want that guy to get in there as quick as possible, but you want to do it at the right time and make sure he's ready."

Shanahan stressed that he doesn't expect Griffin alone to turn the Redskins into an instant winner. Washington went 5-11 last year, its fourth consecutive last-place finish in the NFC East.

"When you take a look at the young quarterbacks that have been successful in this league, what have they had? Great defense," Shanahan said. "If you come in and don't have great defense and you start as a rookie quarterback, usually you don't see very many teams that are over .500."

The news conference ended a month of media silence for the coach, and he touched on numerous topics:

-Shanahan said he's granted receiver Jabar Gaffney permission to find another team because of the additions of free agents Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan.

"I believe I owe it to him to give him a chance to look around the league and check his options," Shanahan said.

-Shanahan said this season he will have "18 or 19" starters that are different from the starting lineup he had when he arrived in Washington two years ago. Doing the math, that leaves linebackers London Fletcher and Brian Orakpo, cornerback DeAngelo Hall and perhaps receiver Santana Moss as the holdovers.

-Shanahan had a glowing report about the status of right tackle Jammal Brown's injured hip. Brown has been hampered for two seasons, leaving to speculation that the Redskins will target the position in the draft.

"Right now I feel better about Jammal Brown than (at any time) since I've been here," Shanahan said.

-Shanahan confirmed the Redskins brought in veteran kicker Neil Rackers to compete with Graham Gano. The coach also is moving Lorenzo Alexander to inside linebacker and Niles Paul to tight end and hopes that tight end Chris Cooley, who is recovering from a knee injury, will be able to go full speed when offseason practices begin next month.

-Shanahan said the $18 million salary cap penalty imposed by the NFL had an impact on the Redskins' offseason, but he said he is not allowed to discuss the issue in detail until it is resolved. The team's appeal of the penalty is scheduled to be heard by an arbitrator on May 10.

"Does it change your game plan?" Shanahan said. "Sure, it does."