Game Girl

Close, but no cigar. Yesterday's game was marginally better, but still not good enough to win. The defense, aside from scoring a touchdown, got torched once again (I just KNEW Calvin Johnson was going to come in here and stomp all over our secondary, and that's exactly what he did). Our special teams still can't figure out when to field a punt or kick-off and when to just kneel down and give the offense the ball on the 20. And the offense? Well, it all depends on how you look at it.

From where I sit, you can look at the offensive production (let's use that term loosely here) two ways. You can believe, as I choose to, that what we saw yesterday was a more mobile RGIII behind a tightened-up offensive line with a better, more productive running game. Or, you can point to the missed opportunities, the sailed passes, the penalties and the fumbles, and say this team doesn't have a chance.

If you choose to go that route, I certainly wouldn't blame you. It's depressing to watch a team we thought was going to be great put a crappy product on the field. But hear me out on this one -- can you concede that RGIII looked at least a little more like himself yesterday?

The 2 offensive drives that really looked crisp and sharp both ended with fumbles or interceptions. OK, that's bad. But at least the offense was able to move the ball yesterday, and stay on the field for more than one offensive series in a row. In my humble, biased, homer-clouded opinion, that's progress.

Now, do I think we can fly out to Oakland and beat the Raiders? Well, I don't know about that. For one thing, our defense has now won the crown for the most yards given up over 3 games EVER, and Terrelle Pryor is a bit of a gamer, so I'm not going to be too quick to count Sunday's upcoming game as a win just yet. If our offense can put together a few drives like they did yesterday and actually come away with points, well, then we might just have a chance. We can't leave it up to our defense to win the game (or, not lose it), or we will be totally up a creek.

So, the glass is half-full, I think. At least for now.