Vision Quest: We Played Our Hearts out in San Francisco

The Redskins on Sunday haplessly destroyed the San Francisco 49ers 52 -17. And it wasn’t as close as the score suggested. Our team finally showed the potential that many of us have discussed for the past few years. And for the first time in recent memory they played a complete, mostly mistake free, game. The Offense was dominating and scoring touchdowns, not settling for FGs. The Defense was a powerhouse led by the return of Lavar Arrington. Special Teams was solid and mistake free for the most part.

But before we rejoice too much and start making reservations for the post season, this was the San Franciso 49ers. Steve Young, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Roger Craig were not on the field on Sunday. Hell, Jeff Garcia, Terrell Owens, and Charlie Garner weren’t there either. This is not your Dad’s 49er team and this time that is a bad thing. Alex Smith was starting his second game as a rookie #1 pick. Their best receiver is Brandon Lloyd. And Kevin Barlow is not a very good feature back. The defense is Swiss cheese at best. USC could probably roll up 30 points on San Francisco and be home by suppertime. Hell, Cub Scout troupe #43 Of Oakland, the Fighting Kitty Cats, could do some serious damage.

That being said, the Redskins looked every bit as good as we could hope for. In the NFL, not game is a sure win, unless you are playing Houston. But the 49ers could not help but get beat and beat bad on Sunday. Everything was lined up against them. Two successive close road losses got the Redskins hungry for a beat down and in comes San Fran, walking into Fed Ex like Heidi Fleiss coming home to Tom Sizemore. (I keed I keed. No need to call NOW, my wife will beat me when she reads this later. I promise.)

But there are five things we can take away from the San Fran beat down on Sunday that are tangible.

1.) This team will not play down to the level of their opponent. This has been a big problem for the Redskins for over a decade. In truth it was a big problem with last year’s team. Playing to the level of your opponent is a double edged sword. Sure sometimes you stay in games you shouldn’t but most of the time it does not result in a win. Most of the time you are allowing minor teams to pick off a few costly wins against you. By trouncing teams they are supposed to beat it shows they are taking no team lightly. Every team needs a couple of easy wins to rest injured players and refine their playbook.

2.) The Defense is better with Lavar then without. Gregg Williams finally let Lavar out of the doghouse; however he was still on a leash. Lavar was a tour de force on Sunday. His 7 solo tackles and 2 assists led the team, but he did much more then that. He almost took off Alex Smith’s head early on, running him down from almost the other side of the field. He clogged running lanes and created havoc wherever he was on the field. All that and he only played 25 snaps. Time for GW to take off the leash and let Lavar start. Holdman is an adequate backup, but he is no Lavar. Lavar will play with a purpose from now on, let’s take advantage of it.

3.) Mark Brunell is for real. George W. Bush is not the only thing most of the public got wrong in 2004. It looks like we were all wrong on Mark Brunell being washed up as well. I admit I was one of the offenders (well not for W, I got that one right lots of good it did). I guess old Joe Gibbs knows a thing or two about personnel after all. We all cringed when Gibbs said the final chapter had not been written on Mark Brunell’s book. Now he is slinging it better then I have ever seen him sling it around. Hell on occasion the 35 year old runs for a first down on third and long. I feel like I should be in a twelve step class wit a bunch of other Redskins chanting “I will never doubt Joe Gibbs again”.

4.) The Offense is solid and starting to gel as a unit. Mark Brunell is not the only reason for the revival of the offense. Santana Moss is every bit the stud we hoped he would be (see the Coles/Moss watch below). Chris Cooley is a clutch player and giving Brunell the big target he needs. Portis is not the same as the Portis from Denver, but he is averaging over 4 yards a carry and is on pace to have another 1500 yard season. Patten is a little disappointing but it is too early to pass judgment. More importantly in each game this year the offense improved culminating in the 52 points we saw last Sunday.

5.) The playoffs are within our grasp. Let’s be clear here. We have a talented team with an aging quarterback and a growing salary. The time is NOW for the Redskins and we can not afford to waste the opportunity that has been given to us. The Redskins have been in every game this year and the only two losses that the Redskins had were at Denver and Kansas City, two teams who undoubtedly will go to the playoffs in the AFC and play especially tough at home. And in both games the Redskins stayed close, not just because of their defense but because the offense made plays as well. We are a complete football team and can do a lot of damage if we can win the NFC East and get at least one home playoff game. It may not be the Bandwagon team of 1991, but you might want to grease up the wheels ….just in case.

Moss Coles Watch

Laveraneus Coles 35 catches 385 yards 11.0 avg. 31long 1TD 3 20+ 0 40+ 24 FD 7games

Santana Moss 38 catches 743 yards 19.6 avg. 78long 5TD 12 20+ 5 40+ 32FD 6games

Another week of football, another week of pure statistical domination by Santana Moss. I almost feel sorry for the Toe. Here he is in obvious pain, and the Jets are on their fourth starting QB of the season. You have to wonder in the dark of the night if he wished for a moment he waited one more year for Gibbs to right the ship. In the meantime all Santana has done is totally and utterly dominate him statistically and he has played one less game then the Toe. I am going to keep this up all year as a reminder to all the other writers out there that questioned Gibbs sanity in making this trade. Its overtime you admit you were so so wrong.

San Fran Heros and Goats

It’s kind of hard for me to Heroes and Goats this year. I was home watching the game and mid way through the third quarter they actually switched the national broadcast to the Vikings Packer game saying it was more competitive. At the time of the switch Washington was up 35-7 and Brunell and Cooley were laughing off Cooley tripping over his feet and landing on his butt. You would think someone who juggled two cheerleaders could be a little more nimble.
So my Heroes and Goats go mainly for the first half, which is the most important anyways.

OFFENSE

Hero Clinton Portis 19 rushes for 101 yards (5.3 ypc) 3 TDs1 rec. for 12 yards

Goat Nobody

Coming into the game the Redskins had 0 rushing touchdowns. Portis shattered that dubious distinction with three against SF. Perhaps this game will serve as a catalyst for the rushing attack as the Dallas game did for the passing one. The line deserves some credit here too, and also Mark Brunell and Santana Moss in the passing game, but Clinton Portis…or should I say Jerome…got the TDs and to the victor goes the spoils. And any time you roll up 52 points, no one is going to get the goat.

DEFENSE

Hero Lavar Arrington 7 tackles and 2 assists

Goat Walt Harris Allowing Brandon Lloyd to school him first half.

All hail the return of Lavar the conqueror. Not only did he rev up the defense by his mere presence, he nearly decapitated Alex Smith. The long awaited return of what many believe is the heart and soul of the Redskins Defense is back and maybe better then ever. Late news out of Redskin Park is that he will play even more next week against the Giants. I hate to give out a goat but Walt Harris looked awful rusty going against Brandon Lloyd in the first half. He gave up a 43 yard pass play and a long defensive pass interference penalty against him. However it was his first game back in the last 3 so I am sure it was just rust. But next week Amani Toomer will be his responsibility and he can not afford any big mistakes or Eli Manning will pick on him all day long.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Hero James Thrash 4 punt returns 12.5 avg long of 18 yds.

Goat Nobody

Special teams, for the second straight week, were relatively mistake free. James Thrash finally showed something on punt returns and even busted off an 18 yard return at one point. No one gets the goat for the 2nd game in a row. I must be getting soft. Or Maybe Danny Smith is actually starting to coach.

Looking Ahead to the Giants

Every game in the NFL is a big game. It is one of the reasons why we love our sport so much. The 16 game regular season schedule is the shortest both in time and number of games played of all the professional sports franchises. And divisional games are more important then ever. You only get 6 games against your divisional opponents. You have to make every one of the count.

This game could be the case of the irresistible force and the unmovable object. The Gants super powered offense and the Redskins staunch defense. Conventional wisdom says in the NFL defense wins championships. Couple that with the fact that the Giants defense is porous at best and our offense is coming alive, the Redskins have advantages of which to work from. The key will be special teams and the turnover factor. Limit big plays on offense and keep the penalties low and we can win this one.

There is a big difference between 5-2 atop the division and 4-3. One is putting the team in a great position for a run at the playoffs, the other putting the team amongst the also rans hoping for a wildcard berth. With three straight divisional games to finish the season we need to win as much as we can now. The next two weeks could have more effect on our season then the previous six.

Now let’s go Giant killing.

Hail to the Redskins!!!!

Vision Quest: Free Lavar!! Free Lavar!!

I find myself in an odd position as a Redskin fan. I love Joe Gibbs, love him. Not only has he brought honor and tradition back to our proud franchise, we are finally winning the respect we deserve. I also love Greg Williams and I really pray that he has a secret deal in place to take over for Gibbs if and when he retires at the end of his contract. For the first time in my life as a Redskin fan I am excited to watch our defense play ball. In previous years I viewed defense as a necessary evil between offensive stints. Now I love seeing swarms of Burgundy and Gold smother a running back at the line of scrimmage or Sean Taylor knocking the snot out of receiver after receiver.

So it pains me to say that Joe Gibbs and Greg Williams just plain have it wrong when it comes to Lavar.

Now far be it for me, some dopey fan who writes for a fan web site on the side, to call out a Hall of Fame coach and one of the best Defensive Coordinators in our franchise history. And just to be clear, I am not doing that. If Joe Gibbs and Greg Williams decide never to play Lavar again I will never question the fact that Joe Gibbs is my coach and Idol and that I want Gregg Williams to be the next Head Coach of our beloved franchise.

With that said, not playing Lavar Arrington, our 3-time pro-bowl linebacker, is a big time mistake.

Currently the Redskins have the 5th best Defense in terms of yardage and the 8th Best Defense in total scoring. I know what the official line of the Redskins is. Not bad right? Why fix a wheel if it isn’t broken? Isn’t this the same defense that went #3 in the entire NFL last year? Didn’t we do that without Lavar?

Well the Redskins are doing well. But this is deceptive. The Redskins have no pass rush what-so-ever. Opposing QBS have four, five, six seconds to make their reads and throw the ball. This results in longer drives by the opponents and more opportunities for them to overcome our offensive production. And God forbid we create any mistakes on offense because our defense will not get it back for us.

Don’t believe me? Here are some stats. The Redskins rank 22nd in 3rd Down % allowing opponents to convert 39.7% of the time. This allows opponents to their drives way too often. How many times has the defense shut down the opposition on first and second down to allow a long 3rd and whatever conversion? Why is our defense so horrible on 3rd down while we do well on 1st and 2nd? Here is one answer: The Redskins are dead LAST place in number of sacks on the season. Houston is better then Washington in rushing the passer. Oh and by the way Houston is better on third downs then Washington as well.

And do we really need to talk turnovers? The Redskins rank 31st in turnover differential at -8 beating out only New Orleans and they had a flood to deal with and a 16 game on the road schedule. But don’t look to the Offense to blame them. Sure in 5 games the offense had 10 turnovers. Not great but not horrible, currently tied for 18th with Dallas. But we only have taken the ball away 2 times. 2!!!!!!!! Only Houston has a worse performance, having 1 turnover on the season. And remember as the famous football philosopher’s Three Dog Night once said “One is the loneliest number that you'll ever doTwo can be as bad as one. It's the loneliest number since the number one.”

So what does this have to do with Lavar Arrington? Well if there is one thing Lavar Arrington is good at is rushing the passer and creating havoc that leads to turnovers. Gibbs and Williams will say he is out of position at times and does not play the defense the way they would like it played. They say he takes too many chances and is susceptible to big plays. And they say when he is ready he will be allowed to play.

They are right and wrong at the same time. Yes he takes chances but if the last two losses show anything is that average dependable players like Holdman and Daniels are susceptible to big plays as well. Tatum Bell ran his first TD score right over Daniels and Holdman in the Denver game and Priest Holmes scored the winning TD on a 61 yard screen pass in which Daniels was fooled and Holdman was planted into the turf.

The right side though is not just giving up the big plays; the little ones are starting to pile up. In the closing minutes of the KC game they ran not once, not twice, but three straight times to the left (the right side of our D) with moderate success and a first down. When they ran to the right (to the left side of our D) they were stuffed. When they ran up the middle they were stuffed. Is this anecdotal? Maybe. But it could be the start of a bad trend where offenses have found our Achilles Heel and will now exploit it at will.

Playing Lavar would not guarantee that the big plays or even the small plays against KC and Denver would not have happened. But I doubt Tatum Bell’s first TD would have been so easy. And Lavar has chased down runs like Tatum’s second TD from the backside before. While I am not sure Lavar would have blown up Priest’s screen pass, I know he is the only player on the squad who could have run him down. Unfortunately he was on the bench for all those plays.

Joe Gibbs needs to show why he is the best Head Coach in the NFL. I know he has relinquished all defensive coaching duties to Williams and there is no doubt this is solely Williams decision. (And before you start, no this is not Snyder’s payback for the contract negotiations. Since Gibbs was signed Snyder has not made a football decision, period. I am not saying he doesn’t like revenge, I am just saying he is not manipulating this. This is a coach’s decision, plain and simple.) So Joe Gibbs needs to go to Williams and say “Time to let Lavar out of the dog house Gregg”.

Why should Joe do this? Because he knows that disruptive forces of nature like Lavar Arrington are worth the occasional mistake and many times make up for it on the next play. Joe knows this because he coached Dexter Manley in the eighties. He knows that sitting someone until they never make a mistake would mean he would have to recruit Jesus as a free agent next off season. Which on second thought maybe he should. I am sure the son of God has a quick first step and a few decent pass rushing moves.

I am not talking about Benching Holdman right away, but perhaps that is not a bad move either. Lavar does not have to start, but he does have to play. Right now GW is playing Chris Clemons ahead of Lavar Arrington. That’s just not rational. That points to a personality clash that can and will threaten to disrupt team chemistry. The players know Lavar’s contract size; they know that this player has performed incredibly well despite having 5 different defensive coordinators in 5 years.

It’s time to play Lavar and if you don’t believe me I got one more stat for you. In the 2 games that Lavar has not seen the field the Defense has given up over 20 points and the Redskins are 0-2.

Free Lavar!! Free Lavar!!!

Coles vs. Moss Watch

Moss 33 catches 631 yards 19.1 avg. 4TDs 9 20+ yd rec. (4 40+) (5 gm)

Coles 26 catches 289 yards 11.1 avg. 1TD 3 20+ yd. rec. (0 40+) (4gm)

I have spent most of the article berating the coaches for what I think is a bad mistake so now I will praise them. Joe Gibbs, and to a lesser extent Dan Snyder, deserves a ton of credit on this one. With less then a third of the season over with it is almost assured who won in this trade. That’s right, your Washington Redskins. So why do I continue to bring this up week in and week out? Because I have never seen such carping and guff from all of the professional sports “analysts” in all my years as a football fan over this trade. Hell even some of the posters on this board questioned their sanity of taking a 9 million dollar cap hit for the “superstar” Coles to be traded for a “sub-par” Santana Moss. How do you feel now?

Moss has doubled Coles in yards, almost doubled him in YPC, and tripled him up in receptions over 20 plus yards. In addition Moss has 4 receptions over 40+ yards and 4 TD receptions compared to Cole’s big old goose Egg in 40+ receptions and measly 1 TD. All this with Coles having an extra game played on Moss.

It may be too early to tell but this is probably going to go down as the best trade of the Snyder era Redskins, and maybe the best player for player trade in Redskin history.

Kansas City Heroes and Goats

OFFENSE

Hero: Santana Moss 10 receptions 173 yards 2 TDs

Goat: Rock Cartwright 4 rushes 14 yards, big fumble ret for KC TD

What can you say about Santana Moss but “Man that guy is fast”. His heroics kept the Redskins in the game. He had a chance to actually tie the game and add another 30+ yards and TD in the closing seconds but the ball was batted away at the last moment. The 78 screen pass was all Santana and got us back in the game when we were all but down and out. I can’t say enough about him and all I know is I am glad Snyder signed him to a lucrative extension already.

I am a big Rock Cartwright fan but that fumble killed me. We were driving to take the lead and on the 20 you fumble the ball and allow KC to run 80 yards for a TD. Just disgusting. I rooted for him to make the team but now I am wondering if I was wrong. Perhaps Earnest Byner (RB coach) sees a little of himself in Rock. Fumbling in the red zone used to be his specialty, and now he is giving it to Rock.

DEFENSE

Hero: Sean Taylor 5 tackles a forced fumble

Goat: Warrick Holdman 2 tackles and dirt for lunch.

Sean Taylor showed why he is becoming one of the most feared safeties in the NFL. His jarring hits and forced fumble of Priest Holmes were about the only good thing the defense did Sunday. Why is it that the ball always seems to fly into the hands of our opponents on our forced fumbles? Taylor is a pure stud though and is still learning. Next year he will be an all-pro (I just hope it is not of the Florida Penal league), this year he simply is one of the most feared men in the NFL.

Warrick Holdman had his second ho-hum game in the road. His incredible mediocrity is starting to hurt the defense and it showed on Priest Holmes winning 60 yard screen pass. He was in position; the only problem was that a KC blocker planted him into it. Holdman is the only LB in the NFL that is judged the same as Heidi Fleiss, both are in position if they are on their back with their legs up.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Hero: Derrick Frost 4 punts 46.8 avg. 41.3 net

Goat: NOONE!!!!

Derrick Frost finally showed why he was signed and Andy Groom was let go. His punts were high and long. The only gaffe was his first punt that went sailing into the end zone from our 40. Otherwise his punts contained Dante Hall one of the most dangerous kick returners in the game. He even pancaked a blocker and talked smack during one return. I didn’t give the goat to anyone because everyone seemed to do their job. Novak’s kicks were short but probably to keep hall from breaking one long. Everyone stayed in their lanes and suffocated the KC return specialist. Finally Danny Smith earned a paycheck.

Looking Ahead

San Francisco is an important game for the Redskins. Coming home to a mediocre team would normally spell disaster to the redskins, but after two tough close losses I am sure that they will be looking to take out their frustrations against somebody. Plus a rookie QB making his 2nd start is historically a very very bad thing, let alone against this defense.

A win is important to set up the next part of the schedule. Of the next 8 games only Philadelphia in my mind is a real danger. San Francisco is rebuilding, the Giants defense is porous and about to collapse, Tampa Bay is a fraud relying on a young running back which plays right into our hands, Oakland is coached by Norv Turner (enough said), San Diego is not playing up to expectations, St. Louis was beat by San Francisco, and Arizona is, well, Arizona. A strong win against Frisco will set up a nice stretch run and put is in good position for the closing three games (Dallas, NY Giants, and Philadelphia).

We all believe that the Redskins are a playoff team. Playoff teams beat the teams they are supposed to beat and find a way to win a couple of others. Good playoff teams also win at home. Non playoff teams lose to powder puffs on their home turf. Believe it or not San Francisco may be the true test of what this team is. So those going to the game make Fed Ex rock!!! Welcome your boys home and help them to victory.

We need every win we can get.

Vision Quest: Rope, Tree, Hang the Referee

Ok, first let me just say I HATE football fans who complain about officiating. The officials are human and they will, and do make a mistake or two. Every NFL team will benefit and be a victim of bad officiating at some point in the season. Sometimes, the officiating may even cost them a game or two. I particularly hate the conspiracy theory fans who concoct elaborate scenarios where the NFL is trying to punish Daniel Snyder through his team’s play. Those guys need to get a life.

Did the officiating in the Denver-Washington game cost us a chance at 2-0? Maybe. But if it did equal blame could go to our lack of pass rush and poor tackling on two runs by Tatum Bell on 3rd and long that turned into long TD runs. So it is hard to put all the blame on the refs.

So why am I going crazy writing about something that I hate more then listening to Ashley Simpson singing the national anthem? Because sometimes officiating is so egregious and so outrageous that someone needs to stand up and say “What the ****Censored by Spence*** is going on here?”

Here are 5 examples of where I believe the officials were particularly egregious and the Redskins are rightful to send the tapes to the NFL for review.

Mistake #1: Patten’s Offensive Pass Interference in the 1st quarter.

This is straight up crap. Patten puts out his right arm almost 10 yards before he actually catches the ball. And even though he barely grazed the defender and never impeded his progress to the ball, the refs threw the hanky anyways. There is a difference between a technical violation and the spirit of the rule (see the same call on Carlos Rogers later in the list). The play took away a touchdown, and yes we scored later on in the drive, it does not negate the fact that the TD was taken away.

Mistake #2: Mark Brunell’s Phantom over the line of Scrimmage penalty 2nd quarter

This is not so straight up because I actually believe that the call that was finally made was correct, however the way they got there was not. The play occurred after the 2:00 minute warning and thus the opposing coach could not call a challenge. Mark Brunell threw an incomplete pass and NO PENALTY was assessed. This is an important point. The booth then decided to review the pass and later concluded that Mark Brunell was over the line of scrimmage. The officials then assessed a 5 yard penalty and loss of down for illegal forward pass. This is the first time I have ever seen a replay booth official assess a penalty that was not called on the field. It is my understanding that the Replay Booth can only overrule a play, and can not overrule or assess penalties on its own. Since the Replay Booth initiated the review of a play where no penalty was assessed how can they “reverse” the play and assess a penalty? The loss of yardage and down could have resulted in a loss of a TD, instead the redskins settled for a FG. A possible 4 points taken away.

Mistake #3: Mike Seller’s false start 2nd Quarter

I will be honest, I am not sure this is an actual mistake. But as I could not see a replay of the penalty on TV I have to voice a small objection here. False start penalties occur before the start of a play. It seemed to me the flag and the whistle did not come in until after the ball had traveled through the uprights. It may seem a little too critical for me to chime in on what may essentially be a correct call called a little late, and I agree it is. However I am absolutely tired of waiting to see whether or not the Ref’s are going to take away a score after it happens. I find myself holding in the cheer until I make sure that yellow flag box does not light up on the TV screen. If a false start is egregious enough to call on a last second FG attempt it should be egregious enough to stop the play before it happens. So this is a possible 3 points taken away by the Refs.

Mistake #4: The Infamous Tuck Rule 3rd Quarter

So many people have harped on this call this week that I am not sure I can add anything new. But I must point out a few things. NFL rules state that the QB can not fumble the ball while his arm is in the process of moving forward and that even if the ball is lost as the QB is bringing the ball back to his body. But it also states that if the QB is cocking his arm he can fumble. Jake Plummer touched the ball with his left hand in what I would say is an attempt to re-cock his arm after the pump fake. The ball was then fumbled. What proof do I have for Jake’s actions? Look at his reaction to dropping the ball. He certainly thinks it is a fumble. That is because it was. A sure 2 points taken away by the Refs.

Mistake #5: Carlos Roger’s Illegal Contact 3rd Quarter

I am not sure this cost us any points but it was a straight up blown call by the officials. I mentioned earlier that there are technical violations and actual infractions and a Ref has to decide whether to enforce a supposed penalty, especially on pass interference and illegal contact calls. Sure the rule states a defensive player can not touch an offensive receiver in mid route before the ball is thrown or it is illegal contact. However in this case, on third and long Rod Smart initiated the contact to Carlos Rogers by giving him a shiver 10 yards down the field. Rod Smart was not even the primary receiver let alone he initiated the contact. Again no points resulted but Denver did get another set of downs.

So anywhere from 2 to 9 points were taken away from the Redskins by bogus refereeing. When the game ends in a 2 loss on the road facing a tough team like Denver you can understand the frustration of many redskin fans. And I didn’t even mention the various non calls by the referees. The young Bronco defensive backs were clearly out matched so they grabbed so much cloth it looked it was an after the prom party and the receiver’s were their dates. Nor did I mention the massive amount of holding by the Bronco offensive line. I think we may need to send Cornelius Griffin to Laveraneus Coles’ therapist.

I still don’t want to hear the conspiracy theorists out there say that Washington is being singled out. They are not. Officiating is horrible throughout the league. And it is all the NFL’s fault. The NFL is the ONLY major sports league that does not hire full time referees. That is right, the NFL, multi billion dollar mammoth of a sports league is relying on part time referees to determine the outcome of it’s most important product.

Sure the season is short but do we really want some guy who has been running a hardware store all week determining the meaning of the “Tuck Rule”? Why can the NBA and MLB have full time Referees and Umpires but not the most powerful and important sport in the nation?

I know some of you will say having full time refs is a waste of time with the short season. But it seems to me many of these crews could use serious classroom time. The crews could be shipped out to different team practices (many of them go out and hire officials anyways) during mini camps and training camp. This way the crews work together here and in the pre-season and learn how to quickly communicate with each other as well as the players.

The NFL deserves full time officials, and the Redskins definitely deserved them last Sunday.

Coles-Moss Watch

Laveraneus Coles 22 Rec. 256 Yards (11.6 Ypc) 1 TD Long 31 1stdowns 16
(5 Games)

Santana Moss 23 Rec. 458 Yards (19.9 Ypc) 2 Tds Long 70 1stdowns 21
(4 Games)

Once again Moss won the week having 8 catches for 116 yards. Coles improved under ancient Vinny Testaverde but still only racked up 6 catches for 89 yards. The question is when will the pundits finally issue their mea culpas and proclaim they were in favor of this trade right from the start.

Denver Keys Recap

I did not get a chance to post my keys to the game article last week. However I doubt I would have had “Make sure the Ref’s 1-800 contacts prescription was filled” as a key. Nobody wins so on to the Hero and Goats.

Heroes and Goats

Well I promise no more about officiating. I promise. I will try and restrain myself to just players and a few coaches.

OFFENSE

Hero: Mark Brunell 30 for 53, 322 Yards, 2 TDs, 4 rushes for 17 yards

Goat: Joe Gibbs 2nd Down and short Play Calling

For the third straight game in a row Mark Brunell is my offensive Hero. He made all the throws, including some that were called back. What more can Redskin fans ask from a QB? Maybe he should have run one more time into the end zone on the 2 point conversion, but with wind and rain battling him all day, he delivered. This is why Joe Gibbs had faith in him all along. It is ironic that I am giving Joe Gibbs the Goat of the game….but I am. In almost every 2nd and short situation Denver brought 8 to 9 guys in the box. Yet the Redskins called running plays up the middle almost every time. These are perfect play action downs and either Gibbs needs to call that early on or allow/coach Mark Brunell to audible into a short drop pass. Someone needs to be blamed, so I went to Gibbs, as much as it kills me.

DEFENSE

Hero: Cornelius Griffin 3 tackles, dominant play

Goat: Phillip Daniels Both Tatum Bell TD runs on his side.

Griffin continued a quite but productive season. Denver could not run up the middle because Mount Griffin was there. He occupied blockers and forced Denver to either give up on the run, or run outside. Unfortunately out there was Phillip Daniels. Both Tatum Bell TD runs were to the out side, right at Phillip Daniels. The first run he had a clear shot at Bell but whiffed. The second td run Daniels totally lost containment. Add to that no pressure all day long on Plummer and Daniels along with Wynn is not getting it done.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Hero: Chris Clemons Blocked Punt

Goat: Danny Smith 2nd blocked FG in two weeks

Anytime you get a blocked punt you go to the top of the line for the Special Team Hero column. Sure the block itself did not lead to any points, but the feat itself is important enough. It helped overall in the field position battle and on a rainy sloppy day it was a great play in the midst of horrible special teams. Hey Danny Smith I am looking your way. For the second straight week your FG unit had a blocked punt. Whether this is the line’s fault or the rookie K, you are responsible for fixing it. And for the life of me I still don’t see how Derrick Frost is an improvement over Andy Groom on the punting side. You need to spend all week getting these teams ready to play or else you will be spending all off season looking for a new job.

So that’s it. This week I will try and get the keys done for the Chiefs and be back with another article on Friday or Saturday.

Vision Quest: Just Win Baby!!

The redskins are 3-0 for the first time since 1991. And the critics still are allover us. Some are calling us the worst 3-0 team in NFL history. Well I got one thing to say to that. I rather be the worst 3-0 team then the best of the rest.

So the Redskins are the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL right now. I am not really tat surprised. The critics have doubted us all along. After beating Chicago they pointed to Chicago’s lack of QB and our inability to score a TD and we were lucky to win. They all pointed to Dallas as our eventual demise. After beating Dallas they pointed out that we did nothing for 3 and a half quarters and we were lucky to win. They told us Seattle was the real test and there we would fall. And after Seattle’s demise they point to a late interception and a missed FG as the only reason we won.

No respect, I tell you, no respect.

In many cases the critics are right. Our defense collapsed late against Seattle. We did get lucky with the last minute turnover and missed FG attempt. Our offense was non-existent in Chicago and took most of the game off vs. Dallas. Untimely turnovers, though rarer then last year, are still happening. And our star LB, Lavar Arrington, has seen the field less then the guy who retrieves the kickoff tees. But as critics often do, they overlook the more important positive things that have lead to our hot start. These are my top five reasons to believe in the Redskins.

1.) The team has beaten progressively better opponents. Chicago was a nice tune up game but no one really expects them to be great this year. Then we go into our archrival Dallas home field, during their ring of fame ceremony and beat them. Then Seattle came to town, a real playoff contender and dominated them for most of the game. Chicago’s only hope of a playoff shot is winning the NFC North which is theoretically possible at 6-10. Dallas will more likely then not finish at 8-8, but psychologically this was a huge win for our franchise. The Seattle will more then likely finish atop the NFC west and go to the playoffs.

2.) The team’s offense has shown marked improvement each game. Is there any doubt about this? Sure you can look at the points and that will tell party of the story: 9 against Chicago, 14 against Dallas, 20 against Seattle. But that is not the whole story. The offense looked more fluid, more evenhanded against Seattle. Mark Brunell has finally shown why he got the big contract and Ramsey gets the bench.

3.) Character character character. This is what gives Joe Gibbs the edge over so many other coaches. He understands talent is great but character is necessary. I am not talking about staying out of trouble character; we all know the exploits of Dexter Manley, John Riggins or even Chris Cooley, its football character Joe wants and demands. Staying mistake free and playing hard no matter what happens. That is Gibbs philosophy, and it is paying off. It would have been easy for the Redskins to get discouraged after Brown’s fumble allowed the Bears to score 7 points right after the half to go up 7-6. But the Redskins drove and kicked a FG to go on top and stayed there. On 3rd and 27, down 14 points against Dallas, Brunell could have thrown the ball out of bounds and the game would be over. But the old man scampered for 25 yards to set up Thrash’s conversion of fourth and 2. Without that both of Moss’ TDs would never have happened. Against Seattle Brunell did a similar heroic run on 3rd and 10, this time picking up 15 yards and allowing the Redskins to eventually kick the game winning FG in OT. Is there any doubt that under Norv, Marty, or Spurrier we would have folded like a lawn chair after Labor Day in those games? With Gibbs character counts…and it counts in the win-loss record too.

4.) Fed-ex becoming a real difference maker. This is a joy to watch on TV and I can’t wait to see it when I come down there for the Oakland game. It’s not just the 3 straight false start penalties against Chicago, but it is the way the crowd is into just about every play. Is it RFK like yet? No. But it can be, especially if a playoff spot is on the line. The fans believe in the team, and the team believes in the fans. Wait till Dallas comes in December, Christmas for the Redskins will be December 8th.

5.) Defense. Ok I admit the Lavar thing is getting me a little worried, but putting that aside, I have never loved watching a defense work like I love watching ours. The scheme, the packages, the way 11 men are around the runner swarming to the ball but we tackle pretty well, even our corners. We have speed and we use it. Greg Williams is making his mark as one of the best Defensive coordinators in the league. There are some faults, our front four creates no pressure on passing downs and we have a lack of turnovers, but for 9 straight games we have held an opponent under 20 points. In fact in the entire tenure of the GW only 4 teams have scored 20 points or more on a Redskin defense. That is 15 of 19, nearly 80%, have been kept under 20 points and none have scored over 30 points. That is solid reliable defense friends, and defense wins championships.


So while I am not ready to make plans for home playoff games in DC I am very optimistic about this season. And you should be too.

Coles vs. Moss watch

Coles 16 catches 167 yards (10.4 avg) 1 TD Longest reception 25 yards (4 games)

Moss 15 catches 342 yards (22.8 avg) 2 TDs Longest Reception 70 yards (3 games)

Coles has only 2 receptions over 20 yards while Moss has 5. In Fact Cole’s longest catch is a 25 yarder. All 5 of Moss’s catches over 20 yards eclipse Coles longest.

Can there be any doubt at this point who is the more dynamic receiver of the two. Washington won this trade, hands down? But I will keep tracking the toe and his exploits for a while. I am sure his stats will improve once they convince Testaverde to leave the walker on the sidelines.

GAME RECAP: SEATTLE

As always I review the 5 offensive and defensive keys to the game I posted in my previous article and whether the Redskins passed or failed these keys.

OFFENSE

1.) Play the whole 40 minutes like they did the last 6 minutes at Dallas. Passed
The offense showed up and played the whole game this time. They controlled the ball for most of the game, had several long drives and played smart football. The Defense collapsed a little in the second half but that could be due to injury and fatigue. Things could have been better. A stupid turnover late in the game almost cost us the win and a 90 yard drive late in the fourth quarter should never have been allowed. But the Redskins played one of the most complete games I have seen in awhile against a tough competitor so they get a pass on this.

2.) Let Clinton run. Barely Passing.
Clinton had 90 yards on 25 carries and at times in the second quarter looked like one shoe string tackle away from busting it wide open. Betts also complimented Portis with 12 carries for 35 yards. No TDs and averaging less than 4 yards a carry though is not acceptable. Part of the problem was that Seattle was stacking 8 men in the box a lot, and that opened up the passing game. However there were some mind numbing calls like sending Portis up the middle on 2-10 when the Defense has 8 in the box looking for a run. Someone needs to audible to a flay pattern or even a screen and really hurt them. But for now it got the job done and the long drives allowed our Defense to rest during the first half.

3.) Protect the QB. Passed
The opponent only had 2 sacks, and Brunell was able to move the offense efficiently and safely so that gets you a pass. However many sacks were averted by Scrambles by Brunell or him throwing off his back foot to an open receiver. If he got a little more time he could really target the throws and lead the receiver more…but this is marked improvement for a beleaguered line. I am happy to give them a pass here.

4.) Get Cooley going. Passed
Cooley had 4 catches for 61 yards, most in the first half. Throwing to him in the mid range opened up both the passing game for Moss and the running game for Clinton in the second half. The Redskins though need to use him more throughout the whole game. Not many lbs can cover him and no one safety or DB can bring him down in open field. Sometime this year Chris is going to break out with a Tony Gonzalez type game.

5.) Field position battle must be won. Passed
The offense did their job this game. They had long drives of over 10 plays and 5 minutes on several occasions. In fact the first 3 drives of the game were for over 10 plays and over 5 minutes each. The scoring drive was 16 plays for 85 yards and 8:07. That is impressive. In fact the worst drive of the day was at the end of regulation that resulted in an interception. For the game tying touchdown the Seahawks had to drive 90 yards. The offense did its job for the first time this season; luckily the defensive collapse in the 4th quarter did not cost us the game.

DEFENSE

1.) Stop Alexander. Failed
For the first half Alexander was contained, but he finished with 20 carries for 98 yards and 1TD. Sure he did not score 4TDs as he did last week, but no back should average 4 yards per carry against us, let alone almost 5. So on that note for the first time our run defense let us down.

2.) Contain Hasselbeck. Passed
Again this is a story of 2 halves. In the first half Hasselbeck could do nothing but in the second he was able to pass fairly freely. While the defense never let him run around, he didn’t really have to. He sat back and picked apart the depleted secondary. But anytime you keep a proven QB under 250 yards and only 1 td, you have done a decent job. So I give them a pass.

3.) Attack the Right side of the line. Failed
1 sack. Our blitzes were picked up and our front four are not generating any pass rush. Sooner or later a good QB is going to pick us apart. We need more pressure period.

4.) Support the corners. Passed
Carlos Rogers actually had a good day with help from the secondary. There were no long bombs on him and he may retain the starting spot for next week. The depleted secondary helped very well until that last drive. Let’s chalk that up as a fluke and move on.

5.) Blitz often and knock them out of rhythm. Failed
The 1 sack we did have did come from a linebacker, but teams are picking up our blitzing schemes. We need to get Lavar off the bench and into these games. This is what he specializes in. He creates mismanagements and lines shift their coverage to him giving other players opportunities to shine. We need to find ways to get at the QB more then we have.

Overall Note. Don’t get complacent. Passed
From the beginning the offense played with purpose and determination, and so did the defense. They came ready to play and it seemed to me they game planned and focused on the Seahawks. It would have been easy to rest on the laurels of the Dallas victory and in hindsight the bye week was a wonderful cool down device.

Heroes and Goats

And now for the Heroes and Goats of the game.

OFFENSE

Hero: Mark Brunell 20/36 226 Yards passing 2 TDs 1 INT
2 rushes for 16 yards

Goat: Referees 3 touchdowns counting as 1

Mark Brunell gets the hero for a second game in the row and much like the Dallas game he crystallized the game in one scamper. 3rd and 10 during the overtime drive and he spun off a 15 yard run that set up the ensuing drive and winning FG. Sure a tipped pass late in regulation resulted in an interception and possible game winning FG for the opposition however that is not Brunell’s fault. The way he bounced back and willed the team to victory is what Heroes are made of and oh yeah 13-18 on third downs.

Enough said about Brunell. The refs get the goat for our first scoring drive. There is no way that the catch by Santana Moss is not a touchdown. But the refs said he was out of bounds. We challenged it and then the replay booth said he was in bounds but bobbling the ball. Then on the next play Clinton Portis clearly is laying on other defenders as he crosses the goal line and it should be a touchdown. However no call again. Finally after Brunell threw it to Royal they were forced to call the touchdown. However they took forever to make decisions on even the most simple penalty decisions. This crew needs to go back to Ref school and learn how to work together better.

DEFENSE

Hero: Lemar Marshall 7 tackles 1 sack

Goat: Ryan Clark Gave up game tying td in fourth quarter

This game may have been Lemar Marshall’s coming out party. He ran a pretty good defense until the whole unit collapsed in the fourth quarter. He led the team in tackles and had the only sack of the day. Ryan Clark bit on play action to allow Darrell Jackson to score the TD to tie the game in the 4th quarter. Clark’s specialty is not coverage so it is only natural he bit on the run.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Hero: Nick Novak 2/3 FG 2/2 XP Game Winning FG

Goat: Chris Samuels Allowed the Block FG
Derrick Dockery

Nick Novak started the game as a possible goat candidate with the blocked FG, but others were responsible for that (relax Chris and Dock I am getting to you). However many rookie kickers would wilt under the spotlight of a game winning FG attempt in overtime. Not Nick Novak. Not only did he amble up and split the uprights, he did it twice thanks to a play clock violation. And the blocked FG? All thanks to our goats Samuels and Dockery who allowed the penetration to begin with. I am starting to question Smith’s special team’s abilities. So far there is a lot to be desired.

Well that’s it. I will be back on Saturday with the keys to victory against Denver.

Vision Quest: Look Who's the King!!

When I was a little kid I had a few there were two games that were banned from my elementary school playground. The first was a game called “Last Piece of Meat in the world” or sometimes “One on All football” You would get a ball, preferably football and all the other kids would try and tackle you and beat you and every now and then bite you just to get you to give up the ball. And if you think about it, it is kind of ironic you would even want the ball in the first place. But eh more dangerous game was the one I liked to play. King of The Mountain.

You remember that game don’t you? You and a bunch of friends would final a hill and take turns throwing each other down it. At the end of recess the kid remaining at the top, bloody or not, won. There is an irony that this game may have more to do with NFL football then the previous game I described. And as I type this, the Washington Redskins are 2-0 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC East.

Don’t start ordering playoff tickets in Fed-Ex quite yet folks. The Recess Bell has not sounded.

I always remember there were three types of kids who played King of the Hill. The skinny scrawny fast ones that would get to the top of the hill first. However they would quickly be replaced by the bullies and big tough guys who would throw them down like last week’s garbage. And many times the bullies would fend off the rest of the kids for the entire period. But every now and then there would be the smart tough kids who would time their advance just right to take the hill 5 seconds before the recess bell sounded.

Which type of kid are the Redskins? Hard to say. However one thing is for certain, it is too early to judge. All we have done is barely win against an average Chicago team and come back in the last minute against a our hated rival the Cowboys. But we are in a good position. The Eagles Donovan McNabb is battling a sports hernia. The NY Giants have no defense whatsoever, and we are assured at least a split against an inferior Cowboys team.

This is why this week’s game against Seattle is so important. Seattle is the best team we have faced yet. They have a stingy defense, a powerful running game, and a decent passing game. The Redskins are coming off a roller coaster of emotion following their dramatic comeback victory and then an early bye week. You can already see the experts lining up. A win and they will be saying then Redskins are for real, a loss and they were pretenders to the throne all along.

Experts aside, this is a big time game early in the season. An NFC opponent is coming into Fed-Ex, they should not leave alive. We can all pretend that the Redskins will win the NFC East but barring McNabb’s injury worsening that is about a ling shot as me bagging Kate Moss without a zip lock full of cocaine. Wins against NFC opponents are important tiebreakers in wild card decisions.

Time to throw Seattle back down the hill.

Keys to the game

As always I provide what I think are the 5 offensive, 5 defensive, and 1 overall key to victory this Sunday.

OFFENSE

1.) Play the whole 60 minutes like they did the last 6 minutes at Dallas. This may be obvious but it is worth stating again. I am not stating that they should play bombs away the whole game. A balanced running and passing attack would be nice. However they should play with the same urgency they did when they got down 13-0 the whole game. Too many times this season the

2.) Let Clinton run. Seattle has a decent defensive line but they a susceptible to the rush. Clinton should get a lot of touches all day long. Betts could provide a good 1-2 punch as well. Because Seattle’s ends tend to pin back their ears and rush the passer a couple of draw plays could prove to be big gainers.

3.) Protect the QB. As I said before the defensive line for the Seahawks are a pass-rushing group. A few screens and draw plays can get them back on their heels, but the line needs to pass block better. We need time to throw the deep routes and so far Brunell is running around for his life.

4.) Get Cooley going. No doubt Ray Rhodes, Seattle’s coordinator, looked at the last 5 minutes of the Dallas game. You can bet that the safeties are going to start deep and that will open up things over the middle. That means Chris Cooley (and yes I am refraining from the obligatory cheerleader joke that comes with Chris Cooley going for the opening in the middle). Cooley has been slightly disappointing this sophomore season and he needs to get going to give our offense the extra wrinkle it needs.

5.) Field position battle must be won. Rookie kicker and a second year punter who just joined the team during the bye week. This spells trouble. We cannot afford any 3 and outs. We need long drives that allow us to win the field position battle as well as chew up clock. Nick Novak was weak on kickoffs so look for new punter Derrick Frost to take over those duties. However Novak will still be doing FGs and extra points so from the 25-yard line out FGs are no longer a sure thing. And the opposition knows it too. Long sustained drives are our only hope at putting our offense in a position to score.

DEFENSE

1.) Stop Alexander. Even before he scored 4 TDs last game, Alexander is a straight up stud. Make no mistake the offense runs through him. Thankfully the Washington defense is made to stop the run. So this will be a case of the unstoppable force versus the immovable object. The Redskins need to concentrate on shutting down the run big time in this game.

2.) Contain Hasselbeck. He may not be the most mobile of QBs but if he breaks containment he can be dangerous. Again the front four needs to generate some kind of pass rush. It has become obvious that GW is not blitzing as much this year as other teams have adjusted and used more max protection schemes against us. So giving Hasselbeck too much time will only spell disaster.

3.) Attack the Right side of the line. Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson at LT ad LG are pretty domineering players. So it will be up to the left side of our defensive line to attack the right side of their offensive line. You have to like the match up of DT Cornelius Griffin And LE Renaldo Wynn vs. Chris Gray and Sean Locklear. Add on top of that blitzes by Marcus Washington and that is where our pressure can come from. Look for GW to exploit this weakness and for Seattle to be running the other way as much as possible.

4.) Support the corners. Walt Harris is listed as doubtful for the game so Carlos Rogers will finally start for the Redskins. The problem is the skins have decided to keep only 4 corner backs. In effect Ade “how the hell does he keep making the team” Jimoh might see action at nickel. With as many 3-4 wide receiver sets the Seahawks use this could be a real problem. Omar Stoutmire will see some action too, but he is a safety and with injuries to fellow safeties Ryan Clark and Pierson Prioleau he may be called upon there. Our safeties and linebackers in coverage must help out.

5.) Blitz often and knock them out of rhythm. Enough of this sit back and contain defense we have been running. A brilliant move for sure, but by now the Seahawks have game planned for it. Lets send the house at them instead. Our weak secondary cannot afford to give the QB 6-7 seconds to decide where to pass. We have to pressure Hasselbeck or it may be a long long day.

And as always one Overall note. Don’t get complacent. Dallas was last week, time for the rest of the season. The NFC east and the entire NFC are going to be tight. The Redskins have a great opportunity to pull away a bit by going 3-0. This could be a big step towards the playoffs. It’s time we take it.

Hail to the Redskins!!!!