- Messages
- 79,281
- Reaction score
- 45,652
Lloyd feels sense of deja vu in D.C.
The former 49er thought his losing days were over. Instead, they followed him to Washington.
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH
Date published: 11/2/2006
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH
ASHBURN--This is not what Brandon Lloyd thought this would be like. In fact, this is what Lloyd thought he was getting away from.
When the talented wide receiver was traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Commanders this offseason, he was sick of losing. Sick of how it felt. Sick of the sour wake it left in a locker room.
Somehow, things may have gotten worse for Lloyd.
He's still on a losing team, only this time around, he's not contributing.
Last season at this point, the 49ers were a filthy 1-6, but Lloyd had a pair of 100-yard receiving games and three touchdowns to his credit.
The Commanders are 2-5 as they prepare for Sunday's tilt against the hated Dallas Cowboys, and Lloyd is averaging just 23.4 receiving yards per game and has yet to snag a touchdown.
No, this is not what he thought this would be like at all.
"You make a change and you want to better your situation, and that's what I did," Lloyd said yesterday, referring to joining the Commanders. "And I still think the decision in the future will be better. It will work. All I know is I'm going to be there for this team whether I get one pass a game or 10 passes a game."
The Commanders have faced a pile of Cover 2 defenses this season, and Lloyd said such schemes take away the strongest aspects of his game. In the Cover 2, opposing safeties each defend a half of the field and drop deeper than normal to prevent the long pass. They often have help in coverage from a middle linebacker. Cornerbacks start one-on-one with the receivers, knowing that help on deep balls is waiting.
"Plays in particular where our receivers are running go-routes and deep posts and really double moves, just lengthening the field, these are the things I'm really good at, and you need single coverage," Lloyd said. "You need man-to-man. A corner and a safety on my side of the field is not helpful for that."
Until the Commanders prove they can topple a Cover 2, they are likely to see plenty more of this scheme. There is a chance Lloyd could be Washington's top pass-catching option on Sunday.
Wide receiver Santana Moss, who set the franchise's single-season receiving record last year and leads the team with 435 yards this season, continues to be hampered by a hamstring injury. Moss missed practice yesterday and said he is not yet near full strength. He is listed on the injury report as questionable.
"If you can't do certain things like walking or getting out of bed, you can't do certain things like running," Moss said. " I want to make sure I'm on the top of my game because I know what they expect out of me. I want to be the guy to go out there and give them what they expect, and if I'm not there, I'm not trying to be out there."
Moss' absence could be a dizzying blow to the Commanders, whose pass offense is averaging 209.3 yards per game, ranking it 21st in the league. When asked how the Commanders' strategy would change without Moss, quarterback Mark Brunell said he did not even want to think about it.
But if Moss can't go, there would be an opportunity for Lloyd.
"Certainly we want to get Brandon the football," Brunell said. "He's shown time and time again that he has great hands and is a very good receiver. We know full well that if we get his hands on the ball, he can make big plays. He certainly is not a decoy out there."
The finest game of Lloyd's four-year career came last season against the Cowboys. In that game, Lloyd hauled in four passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns. One of the scores went for 89 yards.
"You look at that game, it was single-coverage," Lloyd said. "It was like a buffet."
Injury Report
Moss and wideout David Patten (hamstring) both missed practice yesterday. Clinton Portis returned to practice after missing time last week because of a high ankle sprain. The running back is listed as probable.
Several other Commanders are listed as probable: LB Lemar Marshall (ankle), WR Antwaan Randle El (heel), T Chris Samuels (leg), QB Mark Brunell (ribs) and CB Carlos Rogers (thumb).
To reach ADAM HIMMELSBACH: 540/374-5442
Email: ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com
LINK
The former 49er thought his losing days were over. Instead, they followed him to Washington.
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH
Date published: 11/2/2006
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH
ASHBURN--This is not what Brandon Lloyd thought this would be like. In fact, this is what Lloyd thought he was getting away from.
When the talented wide receiver was traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Commanders this offseason, he was sick of losing. Sick of how it felt. Sick of the sour wake it left in a locker room.
Somehow, things may have gotten worse for Lloyd.
He's still on a losing team, only this time around, he's not contributing.
Last season at this point, the 49ers were a filthy 1-6, but Lloyd had a pair of 100-yard receiving games and three touchdowns to his credit.
The Commanders are 2-5 as they prepare for Sunday's tilt against the hated Dallas Cowboys, and Lloyd is averaging just 23.4 receiving yards per game and has yet to snag a touchdown.
No, this is not what he thought this would be like at all.
"You make a change and you want to better your situation, and that's what I did," Lloyd said yesterday, referring to joining the Commanders. "And I still think the decision in the future will be better. It will work. All I know is I'm going to be there for this team whether I get one pass a game or 10 passes a game."
The Commanders have faced a pile of Cover 2 defenses this season, and Lloyd said such schemes take away the strongest aspects of his game. In the Cover 2, opposing safeties each defend a half of the field and drop deeper than normal to prevent the long pass. They often have help in coverage from a middle linebacker. Cornerbacks start one-on-one with the receivers, knowing that help on deep balls is waiting.
"Plays in particular where our receivers are running go-routes and deep posts and really double moves, just lengthening the field, these are the things I'm really good at, and you need single coverage," Lloyd said. "You need man-to-man. A corner and a safety on my side of the field is not helpful for that."
Until the Commanders prove they can topple a Cover 2, they are likely to see plenty more of this scheme. There is a chance Lloyd could be Washington's top pass-catching option on Sunday.
Wide receiver Santana Moss, who set the franchise's single-season receiving record last year and leads the team with 435 yards this season, continues to be hampered by a hamstring injury. Moss missed practice yesterday and said he is not yet near full strength. He is listed on the injury report as questionable.
"If you can't do certain things like walking or getting out of bed, you can't do certain things like running," Moss said. " I want to make sure I'm on the top of my game because I know what they expect out of me. I want to be the guy to go out there and give them what they expect, and if I'm not there, I'm not trying to be out there."
Moss' absence could be a dizzying blow to the Commanders, whose pass offense is averaging 209.3 yards per game, ranking it 21st in the league. When asked how the Commanders' strategy would change without Moss, quarterback Mark Brunell said he did not even want to think about it.
But if Moss can't go, there would be an opportunity for Lloyd.
"Certainly we want to get Brandon the football," Brunell said. "He's shown time and time again that he has great hands and is a very good receiver. We know full well that if we get his hands on the ball, he can make big plays. He certainly is not a decoy out there."
The finest game of Lloyd's four-year career came last season against the Cowboys. In that game, Lloyd hauled in four passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns. One of the scores went for 89 yards.
"You look at that game, it was single-coverage," Lloyd said. "It was like a buffet."
Injury Report
Moss and wideout David Patten (hamstring) both missed practice yesterday. Clinton Portis returned to practice after missing time last week because of a high ankle sprain. The running back is listed as probable.
Several other Commanders are listed as probable: LB Lemar Marshall (ankle), WR Antwaan Randle El (heel), T Chris Samuels (leg), QB Mark Brunell (ribs) and CB Carlos Rogers (thumb).
To reach ADAM HIMMELSBACH: 540/374-5442
Email: ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com
LINK
