Vision Quest: The Super Bowl is Next Week for the Redskins

I like many of you were bitterly disappointed in last week’s game. Disappointed is an understatement. I was devastated. As my friends around the Sports Bar and I made our vows to be back next week, no matter what, you could hear the doubt in many of their responses. I know many of the guys I have watched Redskin football with since this particular Sports Bar opened up would be back, but you know there will be less Burgundy & Gold in front of the big screen next week.

When I got him I could not even log into hR and post I was so mad. What a Rollercoaster us fans have had over the last two weeks. After the Jacksonville game I was as high as could be and now I was as low. I spent a couple of days piecing together an article full of bile and hatred calling out every coach, every player, and every front office person I could. I felt like I had been betrayed by the team I loved and looked forward to 10 more games of ineptitude and an off season of despair.

But after 3 pages of pure emotional I decided now is not the time for it.

We all know what is wrong with the team. Hr has plenty of articles and threads addressing what is wrong. The offense is out of synch and too complicated. The defense can not tackle or cover. The special teams are inconsistent. And the Front Office has made several infuriating trades and big signs that have just not worked out.

Quite simply the Redskins are not a very good football team. The playoffs are a distant hope. Heck just getting to .500 will be a challenge. And with a road game to Indy before the bye week on the horizon it can just get worse.

However for Many Redskins the Super bowl is next week, in Indianapolis.

At 2-4 the Redskins are on the precipice. A loss at Indianapolis will most assuredly signal the end of any playoff hopes. So our coaching staff will have the bye week to implement the changes over the Bye week and see if any of our youth will be able to step up and play NFL football.

Here are the top 5 Candidates that are playing for their jobs this Sunday.

1.) Mark Brunell. The old veteran is just not clicking with this offense. Mark is more of a West Coast outside the harsh marks passer rather then a stretch the field bomber. He has this last week to get things right. He must cut down on mistakes, stop locking on Moss, and most importantly, lead this team to victory. Brunell’s support from coaches, players, and fans alike comes from his season saving leadership last season. True leaders get going when their back is against the wall; well Brunell’s back is almost through it. If he loses it is time for Jason Campbell to show what he is made of.

2.) Warrick Holdman. We read how Holdman has gotten better and will be a bigger part of the defense this year. And in many ways he has. But opponents are running right over the right side of our defense. Holdman’s poor tackling and bad angles are a big part of that. Rocky McIntosh may be a rookie but his athletic ability should be able to overcome his defensive knowledge by this point.

3.) Andre Carter. Same as above. Not only has he produced little in the sack department but he is on his back more often then Paris Hilton. Renaldo Wynn was one of the best run stopping defensive ends in the league last year and if Carter can’t get it done, Renaldo will.

4.) Joe Salave’a. I labeled him in pre-season as the most likely starter to disappoint this year and he has done so. Big Joe is hurt a lot and while effective when he is 100%, he rarely is. Golston has been a rare find in the second day of the draft and should be given the bulk of the snaps after the bye week.

5.) Al Saunders. This is his offense after all. He calls the plays and he determines what happens on the field more then anyone else. Saunders won’t be fired if we lose in Indy, but he could get his play calling abilities reduced or redefined. The bye week would be the perfect time to scale back the playbook and add back the gut and power running that won us so many games last year. We have the same principle players on offense and we do not need to revamp much to get it done.

For those five and for the Redskin post season hopes, the Super Bowl is next Sunday in Indy. A win and good play will keep their jobs safe over the bye week. A loss and poor play will not.

5 Things We Don’t Know Now?

Losing again brings up many questions. Here are the top 5.

When we traded way our future did we know what we were getting? Over the last two years we have traded away a plethora of picks for players that just are not contributing to the team. For Jason Campbell we traded away a 1st, 3rd, and 4th and he remains the third QB on game days. TJ Duckett warming the bench cost us a third next year. Rocky McIntosh cost us a 2nd this year and next to barely get in on kickoff coverage. Brandon Lloyd cost us a 3rd this year and a 4th next to be ignored in the passing game. Now I was for all of those trades (except Duckett) but so far they all look like mistakes. Either they are disappointments or the front office is….or both.

How bad is it going to get? Unless the Redskins win at Indy, very very bad. First we host the Cowboys, then we travel to the Eagles, and it does not get much better after that. Our remaining opponents currently have record of 36-19 and include a resurgent Carolina squad and world beater New Orleans. If we lose to Indy it is time to start thinking about who we draft, not playoff scenarios.

Does this defense have any pride left? We used to be world beaters and now quite frankly get scored on more then Madonna at an NBA player’s meeting. We have the same amount of talent as last year’s squad and the squad in 2004 and arguably more depth in some positions, but we are playing without heart and courage. Tackling, coverage, turnover generation, nothing is going right. If I was Gregg Williams I would question his player’s very manhood. Time to shake things up a bit and get people to commit to stopping the other team. A lot of good defense is the exerting your will on the opposing offense. Right now we are being run over and playing soft 15 yard cushions. That just is not cutting it.

Will Saunders realize this is a running team? Our offensive line is made to pound the other team and we have a starting running back who is not afraid to lower his shoulder and pound those yards. Portis can also bounce outside for big gains turning 4 yard dives into 50 yard scampers. Behind him are Betts an adequate North-south runner and Duckett a bruising short yardage red zone specialist. If you can’t run the ball with these players, you can’t do anything. 15 rush attempts in a 3 point game is unacceptable and borderline criminal. Run the damn ball and run with guts and power and we will win, period.

Can the ship be straightened out? The hardest question to answer. The simplest answer is yes, by winning. Winning against Indianapolis and winning against the Cowboys can get us back to .500 and in essence restart the season. The odds of this are long and hard. In the long term it is time to get some youth involved like Campbell, McIntosh, Golston, and others. We may not be able to dig ourselves out of the hole this year but these youngsters need valuable game experience to help us for next year. PLAY THE YOUNG GUYS!!!!!!

Looking Ahead

It’s hard to look ahead when you have your fingers in front of your eyes. I usually write here a brief tidbit of how the Redskins win the next game but I just don’t know how we can do it. We lost to a winless Tennessee with a rookie QB in a rebuilding mode and now face an undefeated Colts squad with a vet QB perched for a super bowl run. We have not shown the ability to stop the run or the pass, and Indy excels in both. And while Indy’s defense is susceptible to the run and straight forward ball control attack, we prefer trick plays and short high risk high reward drives.

But I can’t quite bring myself to give up on the Redskins. I have to think our hall of fame coach can turn around this season before it gets too far gone. That turn around has to happen against Indy, otherwise this season so full of promise as far as two weeks ago will be a long slow crawl into oblivion.

Hail to the Redskins

Vision Quest Will The Real Redskins Please Stand Up.

The see saw that is Redskin football under the Dan Snyder era has gone to the extreme this season. After a much heralded off season where we signed every Free Agent we could find the Redskins did their best Oakland Raiders impression in the pre-season going 0-4. They followed that up with stinking up the joint in the first two regular season games. After solidly beating the pitiful Houston Texans they then had one of the best games ever played in Fed Ex field as they beat the Jaguars in OT.

Then there was this week. The Redskins came out uninspired, tired, and dismal. The high point of the game literally was the opening coin toss. After scoring points almost at will against the Jags vaunted defense, they barely could function against an under achieving Giants defense. After running at will the previous two weeks, the Giants Swiss cheese line contained Portis all day. After passing with near god like proficiency the last two weeks, Mark Brunell could barely throw 10 yards down the field.

The question now remains: Who are the real Redskins this year, the pitiful losers from Sunday or the hearty warriors from 2 Sundays ago?

Every time a loss happens Redskin Nation seems to divide into two camps. The first camp is loyal beyond reason, refusing to acknowledge the deficiencies of the team. And then there is the other camp consisting of a schadenfreudian desire to proclaim the deficiencies of our team to the heavens and actually seek joy from a loss. I am pitching my tent in a third camp and I hope you will join me. Our motto is “It’s not as bad as it looks but it could get much worse.”

Ok I admit, it’s not the best slogan in the world but that is how I feel about our team. For therapy I went back through some of my off season articles that were full of so much hope. And one of the things I notices was a prediction article from early in the season where I proclaimed the Redskins could go 12-4 and win the NFC East .

Now I admit that this article was written a long time ago, even before the draft (notice how I had Reggie Bush going to Houston and Matt Leinart to Tennessee….seems a million years ago huh). But if you look at the game by game analogy I put out, we are only one game behind that pace. I never expected the Redskins to win in Dallas, NY, Indianapolis, or Philadelphia. Those were my four losses. However I did have us winning against Minnesota for the home opener, so thus we are one game off. Not enough for me to start making vacation plans in January.

But that is not the whole story is it? It’s not so much who we lost too but how we lost. Minnesota is a surprisingly decent team and the Redskins were stumbling coming out of a turmoil driven pre-season. No one really though we could go into Dallas and win two years in a row. And something just happens to the Redskins when they go to play in the Meadowlands. Seriously the bus driver must take a detour through a toxic waste dump in NJ because the past three years we have lost to NY early in the season only to come back and beat them like the frauds they are after Thanksgiving.

But again it is how we lost. Our defense has been consistent in all 5 games…. consistently bad. Poor tackling is infectious and it has reached plague like status on our vaunted defense. No pressure is being generated by the front four and our blitzes are vanilla an ineffective. Springs and Pierson’s injury has crippled the pass defense and runners are plowing through seemingly at will.

Our offense was no better. Sure we did well in Houston and Jacksonville, but to say we were dreadful against the Giants would be an understatement. The offensive line protections schemes as well as run blocking broke down completely. Passes were dropped, quarterbacks went down, and running backs were stuffed at the line.

All this rest on the shoulders of two gentlemen, Al Saunders & Gregg Williams. Both are supposedly auditioning for the eventual head coaching spot that will be left when Joe Gibbs retires. And if this year is how we judge their resumes then I say pass.

The Associate Head Coach Offense and Assistant head Coach Defense both pull down generous salaries but the units they are coaching are showing limited effectiveness. Both have lost key figures and failed so far to react to those losses. When Port6is went down on offense it stuttered and failed. And the Defense still has not adjusted to the loss of Prioleau and Springs.

The lack of adjustment was not just in the personnel department but also in game planning. Against the Giants, Saunders continued to try and establish the run to no avail and was unable to open up the passing game. Williams was so afraid of leaving his corners on an island not only did he refuse to blitz most of the game, but also would not put 8 in the box on obvious running downs.

Can this last loss be walked off and ignored as the usual slump we exhibit in the Meadowlands? Maybe, but it depends on what we do from here on out. The team can hang their heads and not play with intensity or creativity and I guarantee the result will be the same as last week. Or they can come out and play with Guts and Power like last year and be the team we hoped they would be.

A lot has been said about this team needing to have their back against the wall to focus. Well we are there. Tennessee is now a must win. Every game is now a must win. And if the players don’t play this way we are going to be wondering about draft placement instead of playoff possibilities.

5 Things We Don’t Know Now

Ugh back to the losing and back to the things we don’t know. Lots of questions here, again. But I limited myself to 5 for brevity’s sake.

Will the switch to Novak cure our kicking woes? Maybe, but it is a step in the right direction. Hall was a question every week. His range was anywhere from high 40s to high 30s depending on his health. At least with Novak we will know what he is comfortable kicking and can game plan around it. This writer is glad to see Nick back and with the move to IR Hall has probably seen his last days as a Redskin kicker.

Can Springs save this defense? Again, maybe. But the defense is a lot more the just one guy. Sure he is the best corner we have and one of the premier corners in the league, but he can’t make others tackle well. He can’t solve the humungous holes on the right side of the line. He will help on 3rd and long where we have been down right horrible. But he is not the savior some think and the Redskins better learn to adapt because even when healthy he could get re-injured at any time.

Are tiebreakers now not on our side? 3 losses in the NFC and 2 in the NFC east are not good after just 5 games. We have had strong NFC records in the past two years going into the end of the season allowing us to control our own destiny, and that might not be the case this year. Still if we can right the ship and start winning games, most things will fall into place.

Will the “win now pay for it later” moves in the off season ever start paying off for us? We traded this last year’s first rounder for Jason Campbell and he remains our 3rd QB and can not even come into games to provide a spark if needed. We traded at least next year’s 3rd for TJ Duckett who is on a one year contract and he has only 5 more rushes this year then I do. We traded next year’s second to move up to take Rocky McIntosh and sit him on the bench except for special teams. We traded this last year’s 3rd and next year’s 4th for Brandon Lloyd. We have huge signing bonus and back loaded contracts for ARE, Carter, and Arch all of who have had less then successful years so far. Please remember I actually agree with this philosophy. I don’t mind trading future draft picks or signing vets to big contracts. N But they have to start coming together and working or else we will be Kings in March, Paupers in January once again.

How long before we give over to youth in an attempt to rebuild? Jason Campbell sits behind two aging QBs. Rocky McIntosh is watching the right side of the defense give up run after run. While it is not time to yank the plug on Brunell, it is time for McIntosh to see the field in some defensive packages, if only for his raw athletic ability. Holdman is not as bad as last year, but he is not that good either. And if we continue to struggle, then it might be Campbell time during the bye.

Looking ahead

Up next are the Tennessee Titans. While some may scoff, the Titans did take Indianapolis to the wire last week. Vince Young is an x factor as his athletic ability could make up for his lack of accuracy and knowledge. The Redskins will need to put this game away early or else they risk giving the Titans a chance to steal a game at the end. Look for heavy dosages of Portis and Betts as well As a vertical passing game. The Titans could be just what the Dr. ordered for the ailing Redskins. But if we lose, it could be Dr. Kervokian.

That’s it. Until next week hail to the Redskins!!!!

Vision Quest A weekend to remember

It is rare that I get to write an article with the live experience as the background. Usually I am surrounded with a few skin fans at a local Sports Bar here in sunny Syracuse (note the sarcasm) or holed up in my Redskin room at home trying to avoid my daughter and wife’s call for me to do chores. When Gibbs returned to coaching my wife and I got married in the same year and as a honeymoon present we went to Fed Ex for the Giants game. Despite car problems that caused us to miss most of the first half we had such a great time we decided to try and get to one game in Fed Ex a year. Last year we went to the Oakland game which was a tough game but we had fun hanging out with some hr members in the parking lot. So much fun we vowed to go to the official hr tailgate the next year.

And that turned out to be one of the best decisions of my football life.

The weekend was already incredible. My wife and I drove down the day before and spent the night walking around the National Mall. It was a beautiful night and though we were tired from the drive down, we walked for hours. As we strolled by the WW II memorial we decided to get a late dinner and sit by the duck pond near the reflecting pool and relax. As we were eating out of the woods appeared one of the strangest things….a wild fox.

The fox scampered about its business ignoring every tourist and walker in its path as it chased squirrels and ducks in search of a late night snack. I scampered after it trying to get a picture (which I will post the best one of on the hR tailgate picture thread). And I wondered who was this fox scurrying through DC and where did he come from. But the fox was probably wondering the same thing. He had confidence and was determination as if this was his town and we were the interlopers.

Later that night we went back to our hotel, the lovely Greenbelt Marriott. Big props to Axegrinder for suggesting this to us as last year. It is the player’s hotel and you will run into a few in the lobby every now and then. It is a little expensive but for once a year it is about right. While we were waiting for some drinks at the bar I noticed that if I stood in the corner of the room I could look in on the coach’s dinner in one of the banquet rooms. Gregg Williams and Danny Smith were clearly visible eating dinner together and if I craned my neck I could see I was just two panes of glass away from my hero, Joe Gibbs. I kept pretending to lose my cell phone signal so I could wander over to the corner and see if they were drawing up special plans for tomorrow’s game. That is until my wife caught on and brought me to my senses.

As we were waiting for the Elevator to I noticed that I walked obliviously right by a long line of fans. From around the corner appeared Don Breaux with a gentle demeanor and pleasant grin. I must have mistook him for Santa Claus with his white hair because I felt like a 5 year old as I nervously approached him and shook his hand, he asked where we were from. “New York” I said and explained how I come down once a year to watch the game. He said that he hoped we brought the team good luck. I sheepishly replied that we wouldn’t need luck and he said “Yeah but we will take it!!!”

I got up early and the wife and I prepared to go to the game. As we drove into the tailgate and walk parking lot that Smoak clued us into I pulled up right next to Pgiddy, Akh, and Becky. (And how about those two lovebirds Akh and Becky, an hR romance!!!). It was great partying with all of my hR friends before the game. It was already a good day and we are definitely planning on the hR tailgate for next year already. On top of that I got to get my picture with SuperSkin defender of the Burgundy and Gold which is going right into the Redskin room.

As we went into the stadium I picked up a brand new hat and settled into my seat early way up in section 431. I once again marveled at what a great Stadium Fed Ex is. The upper level is almost perfect for watching football and the excitement and energy of the crowd was amazing. Every drive fans were standing up and cheering, People I barely knew were high fiving me and hugging when Moss zipped into the end zone for that last wonderful TD.

I could talk about the game more but I doubt I can add that others have not already said. One note for the future. My wife and I were sitting among 5 kids all under the age of 10 with three different families. Most of the kids did not know each other but you could see the excitement as they celebrated each score. One of the littlest kept giving me High fives (or rather extremely low fives) every time I jumped up and started screaming. It was his first ever football game and what a game. These kids will remember that day for a long time and they are the future of Redskin Nation.

After the game the wife and I hung out for awhile chatting it up with so many of our friends at the tailgate. We didn’t want to leave but we had a long ride home to Syracuse ahead of us so eventually we decided to mosey on back to the car and make our way home. As I was crossing the PA state line with my wife asleep besides me I was still stoked about how wonderful this weekend was and reliving it a little.

As I was smiling I remembered the fox that seemed to come up and greet us on the National Mall. I realized that the Redskins were that fox. They came out of hiding to do what they needed to survive this year. A win against the Jags a so-called “superior” team to pull to 2-2 and erase the bad memories of the first two weeks. The swagger was back and sure there are problems we need to address. But for last weekend it was clear. Redskin football was back in town. And now the season really begins.

5 Things We Know Now

I am so glad that I can write the 5 things we know now this week instead of the 5 things we don’t know that I usually do after a loss. After each win we learn a little bit more about our team. Here are the 5 Things We Know Now

Clinton Portis is the Fire engine If the Houston game was not proof enough then the Jacksonville game was the definitive point. Ports can flat out play. The Redskins called the same running plays in Houston and Against the Jags as they did the previous two weeks. Portis is quick and can find the holes faster which makes our line look better and block harder. The Redskins will win if we continue to feed Portis the ball. He may not be the best Running back in football, but he is in the conversation. Doubt that…look at what he did on Santana’s first touchdown. He laid two blocks 55 yards apart to spring Santana free. Go ahead and hope for a different back, I will take Portis every day of the week over anyone else.

Santana is the Smoke Have you ever tried to catch smoke with your hands? That is how frustrated Jacksonville must be right now. Moss’s 3 TD performance, including 2 over 50 yards, is the kind of game you only see in Madden 2007. There were so many jockstraps left on the field that you would think it was Mark Foley’s bedroom. Seriously this is a phenomenal talent and I have said it before and will say it again, best player for player trade in the Snyder era.

Rock Cartwright is a legitimate Kick Returner Boy I had no idea what Danny Smith had in mind here when it started but Rock is proving me wrong. This former fullback is really impressing me with his ability to get positive yardage on every kickoff. He sees the blocks well and his diminutive size makes it hard for opponents to find him in a crowd. And there is no arm tackling the rock, he is as tough as it comes. I look forward to seeing him progress throughout the season.

Derrick Frost still needs work on his punts I had just come around to this guy. Before the game I was actually defending his recent play. Then he goes ahead and shanks two straight punts when punting from deep in our territory in a tight game. We may not be able to do anything about it now, but if we don’t bring in legitimate competition for him next year (and no an Australian who never played football at a high level does not count) I may have to start wondering if Frost has kidnapped a coach’s wife.

The Pass Coverage will get better with Springs back, but it will miss Prioleau all season long One slightly bad note in the game is the absolute mess in our pass defense. Sure Leftwhich is talented but no way should he have been able to pick apart the defense. Whether it is lack off pass coverage or pass rush, we just are not getting the job done. And Although most expect it to get better when Spring’s return I think the team may miss Prioleau more. Without p squared Arch has to be more of a cover safety then he is used to and is getting abused each time out. Also Prioleau would have replaced Holdman on many 2nd down situations and right now Holdman is getting killed by the TE any time he is pass coverage. Mike Rumph may be able to fill that role once Springs is happy so here is to Springs health.


Looking ahead

I always get scared going into the meadowlands. The team never seems to play well in the meadowlands and our last two outings there have been pitiful. The Giants are in many ways where the Redskins were right before the Jags game. They are desperate for a win to turn around the year after a rough few weeks. Also the Lavar and Pierce will be looking to prove things against their former teams.

If the Redskins are to win this game they must control the clock, and that means Clinton Portis. Getting him going early will open up the passing game for Mark Brunell and Santana Moss. We also have to get Cooley involved in the middle of the field to keep their safeties honest and prevent them from double teaming Moss every play. On Defense we have to focus Lemar Marshall on Jeremy Shockey. The only other player that cover the boisterous TE is Taylor who we need leveling wood in the backfield. Rogers and Wright should be able to help contain the wide Receivers but our front four needs to get Pressure on Manning to make him make as many mistakes as possible.

That’s it. Until next week hail to the Redskins!!!!