Vision Quest: The “P” Word

The start of the Regular season is upon us friends. Some of the Washington faithful are lucky. They are headed to Fed Ex field to watch the Redskins in the opener. And some of those faithful are very luckier since they get to attend the hR official tailgate. Other fans out of the area, like me, are lucky as well since the Redskin game is playing as the National game on Fox. And then there are the poor souls in enemy territory that will have to slink on down to the local sports bar and sit there rooting for our team while others look at you strangely and send snide comments your way.

But really all of us are lucky. Football is back. The last time we saw our Redskins play a game that mattered they handed the Minnesota Vikings a devastating loss around the turn of the year and ended their season 6-10. In January we watched other teams, many less talented then ours, vie in the playoffs. In February we watched the Eagles lose to the Patriots in Super bowl and mulled over our free agent decisions. In March watch as we traded some players, waived goodbye to others and brought in a few fresh faces during. April brought the Draft and we game planned and debated about the few picks that were supposed to reshape our roster. May brought OTAs and the taste of football. But then in June and July we had nothing to do but debate how many year’s Sean Taylor may go to jail for. Finally August came and the start of training camps. Preseason followed shortly after that as well as roster cuts and position battles.

But now…Now it is September. Now we have football back and the games will start to count. And what has all this time taught us about the Redskins? What has all the changes added up to? What has all the analysis and media reports talked about? Can we sum up the Redskins? Well I can sum up the Redskins in open word.

Potential.

For the last few years we have talked about this word a lot. But this year more then any I can remember the “P” word is key. This team has all the potential it can handle. The question will they live up to it or will they once again break our hearts. The list of potentials this year are almost too numerous to count.

Will Ramsey live up to his potential and finally be a reliable NFL QB, or will he continue to make bad choices?

Will the offensive line live up to it’s potential and provide needed protection for our QBs and open wide holes for our RBs or will they continually get called for penalties and make our QBS crap their pants when dropping back to pass?

Will Clinton Portis live up to his potential as an explosive game changing back or will he continue to go down on first contact?

Will our speedy wide receivers live up to their potential to spread defenses and provide instant easy points or will they be manhandled at the line and drop too many passes?

Will Lavar Arrington finally live up to his potential and be the dominant line backer he so desperately wants to be or will he just be another good linebacker who gambles and gets burned?

Will Carlos Rogers live up to his potential and make us forget who Fred Smoot was, or will he continue to struggle lat in games?

Will the defense live up to it’s potential to be one of the scariest jockstrap messing defenses we have ever seen, or will they let down from last year?

All those questions are good ones and we will get answers soon. This Sunday in fact. The Redskins host the Bears at Fed Ex. Football is back and it is time to see if all those potentials turn out to be true.

Keys to beating the Bears.

I have an Achilles’ heel. Actually I have a few. Gum drops and fatty foods are up there. But as a football fan the Redskins are my Achilles’ heel. I refuse to believe my skins can lose a game. I know logically that no team can win every game. However when I look to the match up on the Schedule I just can’t imagine my guys losing.

So long ago I decided I can not make game predictions when it comes to the Boys in Burgundy and Gold. It will break my heart even more if they lose. SO instead I have decided to give 5 offensive keys and 5 defensive keys to winning the game each week. So in all humbleness here are my keys to winning the game on Sunday:

Offense

1.) Ramsey. Might as well just pencil this in as the top key for the rest of the time he is starting. We all know the criticism. Happy feet, stares down primary receiver, poor progression through all available options, turnovers in the Red Zone, crappy hair cut (ok that last one is mine). Our hopes rest squarely on his shoulders. We don’t need a stellar performance. Just 250+ yards 2 TDs and 1 INT will service nice. The other guys will do the rest.

2.) Clinton Portis needs to get started early and often. Last year CP got 171+ yards against the bears and ran seemingly at will. He needs to get many touches early in the first quarter. Establishing the run will allow the new Smurfs to get down the field and catch balls.

3.) Moss, Patten, and the other small guys need to establish the ability to gain separation in both short and long routes. It is not enough to be able to outrun the opponent’s secondary on 40 yard post patterns. We need separation on the 7 yard curl routes. And for God’s sake please, on 3rd and 5…run 6 yard patterns. I am tired of the 2 yard routes on third down.

4.) Offensive line must protect Ramsey. Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye, and Tommie Harris are all capable of double digit sack season. Running CP well and often could keep them from pinning their ears back, but the line needs to protect Ramsey in passing situations. This is a tough assignment, but many believe our line is one of the best in the league. Time to show it. Put them on their back and often to keep our offense going.

5.) Run Screens to keep Urlacher at bay. Chicago’s MLB may be the most overrated player in the NFL. But he did sleep with Paris Hilton so you have to give him some props. Overrated or not, he is still a good LB and loves to be in the backfield disrupting the pass and run. Throw a few screens to keep him off balance.

DEFENSE

1.) Introduce Kyle Orton to the Turf. Kyle Orton says he thinks he can handle the blitz packages Gregg Williams will be throwing out there. Oh you do Kyle? Well Lee thought he could march his troops in a straight line under heavy artillery for a mile of open land at Gettysburg. How did that turn out for him? Williams needs to do an eleven man blitz right off the bat. Hey Kyle, welcome to the NFL.

2.) Be Aware of Mohammed but do not lose focus of other receivers. Muhsin Mohammed is their stud WR but youngsters like Mark Bradley are up and coming receivers. Don’t let Taylor focus on one receiver like he did against Dallas last year. Stay true to coverage and let the blitz’s put Orton down.

3.) Do not let Thomas Jones get started. The Defensive line needs to stuff the gaps to keep Jones from getting a head of seam. The linebackers must stay true to their pursuit because Jones can cut back and gain a few yards where none was thought to be. Controlling the running game will force Orton to pass, and that is the key to winning the game.

4.) Daniels needs to show up. Phil, remember this is the team that dumped you almost two years ago. They said you were washed up. Time for pay back. Get into the backfield and earn the contract The Danny gave you last year.

5.) Let Lavar loose. We have nursed him all off season and through camp and the pre-season as well. I don’t care if he starts; I just want to see #56 on the field the Majority of the time chasing down RBs from the backside and turning QBs into piles of mush. A whole year of frustration is waiting inside him. Let the beast loose and let him warm up for some Cowboys next week.

One last general note to the whole team. Stop playing to the level of your opponent!! This is one of the most frustrating things about being a Washington Redskin fan. For the last 10 years redskin teams have played to the level of their opponent and by doing so they have lost games they should have won. This Bear’s team is not that good. We should beat them if we have any shot of going to the playoffs. Let’s go out and show the entire NFL that the Redskins are a team to reckon with.

Hail Redskins!!!!!