Redskins’ new offense fizzles in loss to Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. | As if to confirm his own math and possibly remind the coach of his inactivity in the passing game, Chris Cooley approached Jim Zorn in the Washington Redskins‘ locker room late Thursday night.

“He said to me he caught just one ball,” Zorn said after his Redskins debut ended with a 16-7 loss to the New York Giants. “We tried to get the ball to Chris Cooley more than once.”

But like just about everything the Redskins tried against the defending Super Bowl champions, the execution was lacking.

A lot was tried. Very little worked.

“My first game was very frustrating,” Zorn said. “I feel like we learned where we need to improve tonight. If anything’s positive, it’s that. We can see on video where we can improve. We saw where we’re at offensively, and if I was trying to look at the cup half full, that would be it. I don’t know if the cup has any water in it.”

The Redskins have nine days to fill up the cup before facing the New Orleans Saints. Among the things that need to be addressed:

How Cooley was the intended receiver only once in 27 passes by Jason Campbell.

Why the Redskins failed to convert more than three of their 13 third-down chances and were outgained 134-7 in the first quarter.

How Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot combined to drop three interceptions.

Why the Redskins were gashed by Brandon Jacobs (116 yards rushing) and slashed by Plaxico Burress (10 catches).

And most importantly for Zorn and his staff, how and why the Redskins were dominated in the first 28 minutes, falling into a 16-0 hole.

“The biggest thing is that we didn’t match their intensity in the first half,” defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery said. “We had one guy out of place on every play, and they exposed that.”

The offense wasn’t any better, failing to earn a first down until the final two minutes of the first half. Campbell threw for 133 yards, and Clinton Portis needed 23 attempts to gain 84 yards.

“They played outstanding football in the first quarter,” left guard Pete Kendall said. “They were very efficient offensively and executed well defensively. We obviously couldn’t get our way out of it as well as the defense played from midway through the second quarter on.”

The Redskins were somehow in the game at halftime, thanks to Campbell’s 12-yard pass to Santana Moss 13 seconds before halftime.

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