Photo by labyrinth7777.

I must confess that I might have been too quick to get down on the Redskins’ prospects for the 2011 season. In hindsight, invocations of the worst team in NFL history were woefully premature. While I’m content with the results the Redskins have accomplished in the first two preseason games, it’s easy to see why they’ve done so well. The offense isn’t just sporting training wheels — it’s got a full suit of body armor and a hypo-allergenic bubble. Also, with the Steelers pulling their starters almost immediately and the Colts’ general preseason ennui, it’s clear that their opponents have given, collectively, less than two shits.

That should change tonight, with the Redskins traveling up to Baltimore to face the always-fired-up and always-wearing-purple Ravens.

The third preseason game is traditionally when the first-teamers see the majority of their preseason action, although the time lost to the lockout has resulted in a little more first-team action than normal in the first two weeks. Both Rex Grossman and John Beck have already started a game at quarterback, and each has been accurate and effective, albeit against less-than-stellar competition. Grossman and Beck will each have a turn with the first-team offense tonight, although the exact order is apparently a state secret. So far, the main goal in the passing game has been to get the ball out of the QB’s hands as quick as possible. This has largely worked. The Colts were able to put some pressure on Beck, though, sacking him three times in the first half. Amazingly, the offensive gameplan successfully adjusted, incorporating rollouts (even a naked bootleg!) and play-action to neutralize a bit of the pressure. Honestly, it’s just nice to see an adjustment on offense that doesn’t involve an end-around, although I’m sure offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has a few arrows in the quiver for just such an occasion.

Shanahan’s gameplan gets a test tonight against one of the most aggressive defenses in the league. That quick ten-yard curl route gets a little dicey when the prospect of Ray Lewis arriving a second late and getting yet another tackle assist slamming into you is a reality. The running game, which I’m willing to say has been successful without the usual dubious qualifiers, needs to get established early to allow the receivers just a little bit more breathing room. Tonight could even be the night that the vertical passing game gets dusted off if play-action proves successful.* Thinking about it, forcing Beck and Grossman to make a long throw might be exactly what the Ravens are hoping to do.

All that being said about the offense, isn’t it nice to have a defense where the new faces (rookie Ryan Kerrigan, Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen) are having a tremendous impact, almost perfectly complementing the high-profile old faces (London Fletcher and Brian Orakpo)? Is this defense seriously run by the same Jim Haslett for whom I ran out of letters in the alphabet last year trying to describe his ineptitude? Even the sub-standard play in the secondary has improved slightly, although anything other than a total shutdown of the horrendous Colts’ offense last week would have been embarrassing, considering Indianapolis had to lure Kerry Collins out of retirement in the wake of Curtis Painter’s poor performance.

So get ready for a (kinda sorta) real football game tonight, chock full of first-teamers on both teams actually trying. At this time tomorrow, we might be talking about your new Redskins starting quarterback, or trying to find Jeff George’s phone number.

* Beck’s half-assed attempts at play-action against the Colts make me long for the days of Donovan McNabb doing a great acting job of selling the play-action and subsequently throwing the ball at the ground at a 45-degree angle. I’ve been watching Vikings’ preseason games just to get my fix.