Tommy Hayfield's Predictions, NFL 2011 Week 2: Arizona Vs Washington

Arizona vs Washington
Week 2
The Washington Redskins took on the Giants in Week 1 and beat them even though the 'Skins were the home 'dogs to the beleaguered Giants. The Giants had an astounding ten people on the injured reserve list prior to the 'Skins game so the victory was watered down. The point spread (Giants-3) was amazing to me since I knew of the Giants injury problems last year. This week, Week 2, the Redskins are a 4.5 point favorite at home against the Arizona Cardinals who just got the maybe easiest win of their season by beating the now semi-inflated--they used to be totally deflated--Carolina Panthers who are full of Newton energy. The talent test for Arizona hasn't come yet because this Redskins team wins ugly without a lot of talent. Even a victory over the Redskins would be unremarkable to most football watchers.

Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb, perhaps, might know a bit more about the Redskins than the typical quarterback because he prepped for them twice a year in his time with the Eagles...Rex Grossman last week turned in a 110+ quarterback rating for the Redskins. It's hard to judge the performance as I stated previously since the Giants were moving players into uncomfortable spots to cover deficiencies.

Based on the Week 1 numbers Arizona isn't strong against the pass: Cam Newton set an all-time quarterback yardage number for first-time-starters. The number he threw for was 422 yards: that number eclipsed the old record by some eighty yards. The old record was set in 1950 by Otto Graham.

It's interesting to look back just a few weeks to when Cam Newton was throwing for paltry yardage against preseason lineups...I think the Cardinal defense can be had by the likes of 9-year vet Rex Grossman.

New Players
Washington
The Redskins drafted 12 players this year so getting those players acclimated to the NFL is difficult because sometimes you have to throw them into the lineup ready or not...on good teams those players show up without us noticing them and only are recognized when a special teams play malfunctions in some way. The Redskins have 10 rookies on the roster with one being on the injured reserve list.

Arizona
Arizona has 8 rookies on the roster one of which is on the Injured reserve list.

Injured Players
Washington
The Redskins have one player on the injured reserve list: rookie defensive end Jarvis Jenkins.

Arizona
Arizona has 6 players on injured reserve: quarterback Max Hall, wide receiver Max Komar, defensive end Brandon Sharpe, defensive back Greg Toler, running back Ryan Williams, and guard Floyd Womack.

By the Numbers
#1
The Redskins ought to win this game because Rex Grossman has seen this Arizona team before in his nine years in the NFL...despite the lack of respect Rex Grossman gets he played in a Super Bowl for Chicago and got them to the precipice of a title. He gets the edge over Kevin Kolb who has had only eight starts in his pro career.

#2
This isn't a tough defense that Arizona offers to Washington...Cam Newton proved that the Cardinals can be had. Santana Moss--the Redskins wide receiver--will be loving those soft coverages.

#3
The Redskins have a new weapon in running back Tim Hightower, who came over from the Cardinals as a free agent, that makes them potent offensively...he played his college ball at the University of Richmond so he's in front of a home crowd essentially. That makes for good chemistry when coaches find a player like that.

My Prediction
Straight Up...
I pick the Redskins
Over-under
Under 42
Against the spread
I pick the Redskins (-4.5)

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