Redskins’ performance is perhaps too familiar

Where have we seen this before from the Washington Redskins?

Oh yes, last year. Early last year. Late last year. During the middle of last year.

And here are the Redskins again, leaving Giants Stadium after absorbing another solid beating.

Yes, the Redskins moved within six points in the final minute of the game against the New York Giants. But that was too little, way too late.

Long before, the Redskins wasted timeouts they needed late in the game. They saw their head hunter free safety LaRon Landry draw a 15-yard penalty for an egregious late hit, well out of bounds. They watched as usually cool wide receiver Santana Moss got into a fight. And the entire team contributed to a devastating 13-minute deficit in time of possession.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?

At one juncture in the fourth quarter, the Redskins had a possession consisting of three plays and a punt sandwiched around two Giants' possessions that consumed almost 11 minutes of game time.

One game into the season, whatever it is the Redskins concocted to improve on 2008 isn't working.

And yes, it is just one game, but this game was an ominous sign for Redskins coach Jim Zorn and quarterback Jason Campbell.

Campbell gave his usual performance - excellent statistics, critical mistakes, not enough points.

"I will be surprised if we don't have a big turnaround next week," center Casey Rabach said.

The Redskins are at home against the St. Louis Rams this week. The Rams are coming off a 2-14 season, have a new coach and absorbed a 28-0 loss to Seattle yesterday. It will be far worse than surprising if the Redskins don't bounce back against the Rams.

The bigger issue is taking care of real teams, especially NFC East teams.

The Giants had a game plan that worked and a quarterback, Eli Manning, who has an innate sense for the game.

Campbell was so discombobulated at times that he made silly and game-changing mistakes.

Silly: Campbell scrambled out of the pocket, started running, was well past the line of scrimmage and threw an interception.

Game-changing: While looking for a secondary receiver, Campbell held the ball too low and for too long. Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora stripped the ball, recovered the fumble and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown.

"I've got to have a better feel for that and step up in the pocket," Campbell said.

Zorn did not rush to his quarterback's defense, saying Campbell was doing the right thing to look for the secondary receiver, but that he has to get rid of the ball quicker. Zorn did, however, have praise for a defense that gave up 351 yards in offense and time after time, drive after drive, could not stop the Giants.

"I was proud of some of those stands, forcing field goals instead of touchdowns," Zorn said. "We were in the game the whole way."

The Redskins trailed 17-0 before scoring a touchdown on a fake field goal with 21 seconds left in the first half. So if Zorn felt the Redskins were in the game, he was in a distinct minority.

The much-vaunted, highly paid Redskins defense had little to look back on with pride. The Giants scored a touchdown on a 30-yard pass play when wide receiver Mario Manningham stepped out of an attempted tackle by cornerback Fred Smoot and faked out cornerback DeAngelo Hall with a stop and go move.

"I knew the ball was going to be coming," Hall said. "I knew I was going to have a chance to make plays. I didn't make them. I missed tackles."

The Redskins surprisingly came up short in one department over which they have total control - poise.

"There was a lot of chipping verbally, a lot of things going on, and we became distracted," Zorn said.

The Redskins need to get on track, but Campbell hardly looks confident, and the defense hardly looks dominant.

"You want to create an identity," said defensive end Andre Carter.

The Redskins are on their way to doing that, but it is not an identity they want.