Defense sucks

J. Campbell - wow, this guy impressed me and gives me hope for the future. Brunell probably would have been sacked 5-6 times in this game, but Campbell was able to get away from the rush and complete passes because of his mobility in the pocket. We've certainly improved at QB. Just compare Brunell's last game:

Brunell engineered 3 points of offense and threw an interception for a TD.

Campbell's only game:
Engineered 17 points of offense without Portis or S. Moss, and did not thow any interceptions. Tough to improve on this game, but Campbell will get better. His decision making was fantastic for a rookie QB!!!

Worth the traded draft picks?
YES!!!

There is no hope in sight until there are wholesale changes made in upper management. It's as simple as that. No matter which players they bring in (and overpay).

Excellent review JLC. Very good insight!!

So we want to draft a DE in the first round. We have drafted defense early in the draft the last several years and have nothing to show for it: S. Taylor has shown signs of being a great player, but he's not there yet, don't know what the hell is wrong with C. Rogers, and Rocky McIntosh can't even win a starting job over Warrick Holdman. What makes anybody think using an early draft pick on defense again this year is going to help? If we draft a DE, he'll just sit on the bench and watch Andre Carter and Philip Daniels play all season. Gwilliams will not play a rookie DE. Seems like we are one of the slowest teams in the league on developing our young talent. THAT IS A COACHING PROBLEM. I also believe Gwilliams style of defense has taken away some of the things S. Taylor does best. He's a natural ball hawk and when given the freedom to rome could come up with a lot of INT's (e.g., Miami). Now he has to play in a disciplined defense and isn't given the freedom he needs to be a ball hawk. He's actually regressed with G. Williams coaching, as did Lavar Arrington, another ball hawk player. How many years can we continue to draft defensive players, only to watch the defense get worse. I would suggest taking an O-lineman in the first round if you ask me. Hey, maybe we can trade G. Williams for a draft pick.

As bad as the defense is playing now, I believe with Jason Campell in there at QB we will have a shot to win any game. He's going to put up points for this team. I love his arm strength, but his accuracy was a very pleasant surprise!!

Not a Joe Gibbs team.

Sometimes, you cannot see the forest for the trees.

There has been so much discussion on the Redskins winning free agency in March and totally crashing and burning on those choices during the season that I missed another glaring fact that this mess is all about the front office and this is not a "Joe Gibbs" team.

We have essentially done the same thing with the coaching staff as we have done in FA - brought in a bunch of high priced "superstar" assistants (too many cooks in my view).

The saddest thing is that Joe Gibbs has been sold on this approach by "The Danny" and "The Vinny". Joe has put so many layers between himself and the players and personnel process that I cannot honestly think this is really a "Joe Gibbs" team anymore.

Joe Gibbs teams feel close to and play hard for their coach (and assistant coaches).

Joe Gibbs teams overachieve and play with heart.

This is like the tragic Greek story of King Midas, who had the golden touch, but in so attaining it, accicentally kills someone he loves (his daughter). The Danny has managed to use his golden touch to turn this team into a money-making juggernaut, but in the process, he has killed the spirit of this team and it's fans.

Jason, do you think some defensive players see the treatment that LaVar and others have gotten recently along with the giant candy (aka huge contracts) Synder has handed out to players like Arch Deluxe and decided playing hard for a team that doesn't seem to appreciate its "core" players is not worth the effort?

For all this talk of core Redskins it seems everytime player like Clark or Pierce reaches free agent status they're let go in the worst manner possible. Only for the team to bring in some over paid player who underperforms. The team has no idenity outside of its profligate spending habits.

Great points JLC, I have said all along that Grilliams must shoulder the blame for this D1 All-America shabingus...

I hate bill Maas but he did have one good point during the game. He put up a graphic showing all of the great coaching minds on this staff. But, as he said, each of those coaches gets a little bit of input, and the result is a team with no single identity. We can't figure out if we are a power-o, west coast O, run-and-shoot O, or any other kind of O you can think of. I don't think there is a word to describe the type of O we are using. It's a hybrid combining every different type of offense you can think of. We don't do any one think often enough for the players to become comfortable running it. The problem with the offense is that the players were selected to perform the Joe Gibbs offense. Their skills fit the mold of the Joe Gibbs offense, but now they are running the Al Saunders offense which requires different skills, particularly from the front 7. Al saunders needs to bring in some O-linemen that have the skills he's looking for if we are going to have success running with his playbook. Unfortunately that may take a few years. By then Danny will have fired him and we'll be back to square one.

Campbell should have been starting since week two at the latest. Gibbs was too in love with Brunell -- and amazingly still seems to be -- and Saunders was too in love with Collins to see this.

Betts is not a number one back -- he's proven that time and time again. Duckett should be the number one guy for the rest of the season.

The defense is just a flat-out embarrassment. The league has spotted several weaknesses in the talent and the scheme and Williams has failed to adjust. Gibbs has to put him on notice, and if the D doesn't improve in fundamental areas, he should fire him. Williams has a great track record and I'm sure Gibbs would take a lot of crap for the move, but I fear Williams may have lost the players.

has there ever been amicable splits since Snyder took over?

That's not totally fair. Yes, there have been more than a few bad splits. But Smoot and Ramsey left on decent terms, if I recall. When Gardner said he wanted out, they kept their word and moved him. And honestly, what split is going to be amicable when you're essentially telling a person "we don't need you" or "you're replacable?" Is that ever a conversation that ends well for everyone?

But to your point, yes, the Archuletta Experiment is probably going to end badly. And you are very right that they were sending a message by not using him.

Jason Campbell's debut -- you couldn't (realistically) hope for a better performance that what the Kid did on Sunday. Very encouraging.

What we have done with Duckett is outrageous. Outrageous. Portis is shut down for the season. Why we're not giving at least equal time to Duckett (with him and Betts both in contract years) is the kind of gross mismanagement that has become characteristic of this franchise in the Snyder Epoch.

Also we've been monitoring the head-coaching prospects on the Acu-Coach 3000 for assistants around the league. Since the Redskins have such a packed staff, they appear prominently on the weekly reports. Gregg Williams' stock has been plunging, but I think he still has a chance to take over as head coach ... in Oakland.

I'm just saying.

Broke my ankle last night and couldn't sleep, so I get up this morning and it is JaLa on FOX!

You looked good bro.

I always point out to people that Grilliams was fired from Snuffalo. He is far from perfect. In fact, he sucked. 17-31.

Coincidence that when he has alot of influence, outside of strict defensive coordinator duties, on a team that they tank?

I think not.

Carlos Rogers flat out stinks

I need a few hours of optimism from yesterday before I'll indulge in any more negativity. JC played really, really well and is pretty much the only shining beacon at this point. BLloyd should be ashamed of himself for dropping that first pass...what a sham. But now we have a QB with a big arm, that has mobility and poise. And I don't remember any quick dumps to Betts... the best part of the WHOLE day to me. Brunell was a good guy..but it's time to move on- JC is in town for the foreseeable future.

*snort* Snyder told Clark that the team was through overspending on players like it did for Bowen, and he had learned from his mistakes. *snort*

OK,OK

Are you kidding me? I w2on't rant about this - all you lo vely peeps are much better at ranting than lil ol me ... but WTF?

However,
JC was good. He has potential.
STaylor missed more tackles than he made.
Definately missed Moss and Portis.
GRilliams has to go. I always thought bullying and intimdation tactics always ALWAYS backfire.

Hope everyone is having a lovely day. Thank the Lord for a short work week.

*hugs*

Wow... I seriously can't think of any other team out there with as little going for them as we do. Maybe Detroit?

I know we have JC in there, FINALLY, but we have become the Detroit's and Arizona's of the NFL now. SF has even passed us. Sad.

JLC - What do you think is the possibility the Redskins could:

- Trade down in the First round for two 1st rd picks
- Swap positions with the Broncos (with one of the picks)

This way, we could keep both 1st round picks (albeit one will be lower than what we could have had) and more importantly not lose the third rounder we gave up for TJ Duckett.

I know this will never happen, because the Skins seem enchanted with the "star power" of players, but at this point we need to think quantity, not quality.

I'm sure Williams now wishes he had taken one of the many head coaching positions available to him during the off season.

Jason, who was Gibbs so angry at yesterday? Williams? Saunders? The players? All of them?

I call it "Danny's cycle of death." He's seems like a child with ADD. He doesn't have the patience needed to build a successful franchise. You can relate it to his business life, he got extremely rich at a very young age. ADD might be a quality in the business world, but you need to have patience to develop a strong football franchise!! Hey, the skins might be where San Diego is today, if Danny had the patience to keep Marty Shotty around for a few years. The two cornerstones of any good franchise are head coach and QB, and in the last 7-8 years we have quite a list of those, while New England has maintained the same QB and coach during that period.

Joe, Gardner. Rod, did not end all that well and neither did Ramsey. Patrick never said anything publicaly, but he has issues with his he was handled here.

But furthermore, I am not talking about trades for lesser players like these two, I am talking about stars or guys due for major paydays entering the end of the contracts, not guys like Patrick and Rod who were dealt for 6th round picks with a year left on their contracts.

What choice did they have with Gardner, Rod? He stunk and they wanted him out at least as much he wanted out. That's a win-win.

Even a guy like Brad Johnson, as well liked as they come in the league, left on bad terms. That's how it goes.

Ramo, everyone on this team sees your point about always giving the money to guys from other teams. It's an accepted fact. But I don't think that has stopped anyone from playing hard.
It has kept guys from thinking they'll be around here all that long, though, "core Redskin" or not.

Said the Redskin head coach: "We don't have to [worry] about who's going to play quarterback for a while. He's our guy. Hopefully he can stay healthy and hopefully he can keep getting better and go the distance. He played very well."

That was Steve Spurrier on Patrick Ramsey's first NFL action in 2002. Ramsey went 20-of-34 for 268 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Worked out well for him and the Redskins, didn't it?

I don't want to dump all over Jason Campbell after a solid first start, but let's not anoint him the answer just yet. Hopefully, I will eat these words at some point but I think some perspective is in order.

Still, the best line of the game belongs to Boswell: "Campbell ran the offense as well without Clinton Portis and Santana Moss as Mark Brunell did with them."

We need an adult to come in and take Mr. Snyder's toy away until he learns how to play with it, and share. His reign has been so unorganized and frutiless. In any other town he would have been run out. But love our skins so much and we are willing to take sooooo much abuse. Somene please call Ron Wolf.

How many possessions did JC have in the 2nd half? It seemed like TB just ran off three 9 minute drives. We lost time of possession by 15 minutes! That's an entire quarter. 20 points in 3 quarters...not bad for the O if you ask me.

This D is painful to watch

Snyder told Clark that the team was through overspending on players like it did for Bowen, and he had learned from his mistakes.

I'm curious about the timing of this. Before the CBA was extended, the Skins were in terrible cap trouble and were going to have to cut a lot of playes. When the CBA was completed, the cap went up significantly and they had plenty of room to add free agents. Just wondering if Snyder made this comment before he knew they'd have cap room or after?

And didn't you say Grilliams gives Snyder/Cerato a defensive wishlist? Seems like he should be the one accountable for the decision to sign Arch over Clark.

Why is Vinny still with the Redskins? Did he scout for Carlos Rogers?

Andre Carter had 1 tackle yesterday. Just like his 1% body fat.

Lamar Marshall he is out of position alot. Please tell me he is equally good as Antonio Pierce.

Warrick Holdman is just atrocious...

From looks of it, Greg Williams is not a lockin to replace Coach Gibbs...

Someone please fire Danny Boy... maybe we can all cheap in and buy the team from him. Who's in?

Great insite JLC!

Wow outstanding points JLC. Thanks for starting out with something positive. Campbell looked good and brings some hope for the future. I was one of those that called for giving double G a free pass this year. Not so anymore after yesterday game. This D has not played with any heart all year. It's time for him to go.

You can see that J. Campbell clearly has the intangibles that Ramsey did not have. He has a strong arm (as did ramsey), he has good feel in the pocket (Ramsey did not), he has athletic ability to get away from the pass rush (Ramsey did not), he is accurate with his throws (Ramsey was inconsistent at best). So let's not compare him to P. Ramsey. I'm sure he'll have some off games as do all QB's but he has everything an NFL QB should have. We could never say that about Ramsey. Let's just let Campbell "toss the ball around" for several years to come. I'm sick of switching QB's. We finally have a young one that we can stick with.

Boswell summed it up perfectly.

"Jason Campbell gives the Redskins a sense of hope with a nice start, but the rest of the team still stinks."

JC played well, however, he got pretty lucky on some ill advised throws. I will say this...you were right JLa, JC looked unflappable. It's important for QB's and something you can't teach.

JMan, this is without a doubt your stuff EVER. Dude, this intro for Mon Morning H-Back is one of your best. Great detail and execution brother. The details on Ryan and The Danny crush my heart. Low ball doesn't even cover it. We look like absolute fools. Rocky must be a total idiot in the D staff's eyes to not be playing. Our backers are no where to be found on OBVIOUS run plays.

Hey JaLa,

How can you go on a rant about the defense and not once mention Carlos Rogers name?

He is the worst CB in football. I can't beleive I am saying this but I miss Walt Harris. Rogers is that bad.

For all these missteps, I just hope they don't blow the team up. That not going to fix things either.

Seems to me you need to draft the best defensive lineman avaible be at DE or DT and add some fresh talent to the line.

Then they should go out an get a CB who can actually cover someone. Springs isn't getting any younger or healthier. And Rogers should take his no talent over dancing butt to the arena league. Worst case scenario leave him at nickel back ... make that dime back.

JC made me want to watch this team again. Even if his life will get more difficult in the coming weeks as the film library on his play expands.

Unfortunately Gibbs won't be around long enough to establish a consistent program. Campbell will soon be working with a new head coach, which is all he needs now. We need to bring in a young coach who will be here a while and keep Campbell for 8-10 years. Then we can focus on re-building the defense and 0-line.

Speaking of the 2006 Redkins "Disaster Defense," I've taken to referring to our Assistant Head Coach - Defense as "Defensive Genius Gregg Williams." Every time I bring him up, I address that in full. I think it's working.

Looking at the DC sporting landscape, it is amazing what polar opposites the Redskins are with the other local teams:

- The Nationals allowing Soriano to walk, opting to invest in the farm teams and TO "build from within."

- The Capitals trading players like Jagr and others to give playing time for the young guys and to "build from within."

- The Wizards, adding players to build around what is the core of their team (Arenas, Jamison, and Butler) and not waivering from that plan to make a big free agent splash which could upset the make-up of the team.

COULD SOMEONE PLEASE SET UP A MEETING WITH THE REDSKINS TO TALK THESE THINGS OVER! PLEASE!

Being at the game this weekend, I have to say that the Bucs fans are a cordial lot, I heard a bunch of people around me remarking on how poised JC looked and what sweet plays he was making. I was really irritated though because everyone acted like they won the Super Bowl after the game. At this point, they could have suited up a JuCo QB and he could throw on that weak 'Skins D. And to let Cadillac run us over like that was pathetic. He's been having a terrible year, but against us you'd think he was LaDanian Tomlinson.
I don't think you can blame Grilliams so much as the management team for the defensive mess. Yes the coaches need input on player decisions, but we need a GM to make the tough calls. The St. Joe, Cerrato, Danny triangle is obviously a bad joke. We have a true 'no name' defense now, one that might as well not show up for all the good they're doing. We don't need anymore coaching changeups because that is one of the root problems of the Redskins. Personnel ADD. We've got to keep the systems we have in place, let the players gel with the systems, and play the guys who CAN play, like Duckett, Cooley, JC et al. I don't expect the Skins to hire a GM anytime soon, but they'll be adrift until they shore up their front office problems.

Jason, thanks for your response. Ok, I agree there's a difference between the deals to move Ramsey vs the way Coles/Arrington left.

My larger point, though, is when does that EVER go well. The Patriots & Eagles are always considered model franchises and yet, when Lawyer Milloy, Bledsoe, & Trotter (to name a few) weren't re-signed it was a total shabingus. I just don't see how one of these high profile divorces is really going to end with a win-win.

That said, the Skins seem to have a lot of high profile divorces, don't they!

Any chance we can pick up a true playmaker on the Defensive line in the off-season. Any big names going to be available, like a Dwight Freeny or Julius peppers. Of course we paid A. Carter Julius Peppers money, but that's another story...

""Williams' once impeccable feel for his players and ability to call the right blitz at the right is gone.""

Anyone ever stop to think that maybe it's because the organization treats it's players like dirt?

Look at the guys they have gotten rid of(Pierce, Lavar, Champ, Clark, Smoot) and have picked up in their place. The players still here have had to have seen it coming, makes you wonder if they believe in the organization anymore.

It's not like anyone has had anything good to say after they left, in fact they all wanted out pretty badly.

This team has serious issues and it all starts with Danny Boy, even if Gibbs wants to take the heat himself. It always starts at the top.

- Ray

J-La,

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE, tell me that someone on the defense is going to lose their job this week? Tell me that someone's @$$ is getting cut!! Why is Montgomery inactive? Why isn't Boschetti being given a chance?

Honestly, why not McCune at this point in time? He couldn't be worse than Marshall, or Holdman.

I would like to address the key philosophy of Joe Gibbs, namely: "Core Redskins." He really sells this philosophy of bringing in "core redskins," but do you think anybody in the league is buying what he's selling anymore after watching a series of core redskins leave? How many core redskins is Marcus Washington going to watch leave this team before he stops believing too?

Have they begun construction on the Jason Campbell wing in Canton? :-)

How much you want to bet they cut Archuletta in the offseason, he goes to the Bears, and becomes an All-Pro?

FlimFlam has it:

[TampaScores]
Gibbs: Ohno Gwilligan, not again!
Williams: hehe, sorry Skipper.

I guess this makes $nyder Thurston Howell. I'm going to go throw up now.

Redskins Suck!!!!!! Period. I get sick to my stomach seeing the whole NFC East getting better year after year and we are getting worse year after year. How much are we going to put up with this oranization pitfalls. I am sick of Dan and praying to God that he gets bankrupts and sell this team to someone else. He has ruined this franchise pride and reputation. There is no class in this organization anymore.

Does that make Vinny Luvvy Howel?

Worst thing that ever happened to the Redskins is Dan Snyder.

Who's going to argue with me on this point?

I miss LaVar. I know, I know, he was a "free-lancer" and "he didn't know the system." Well, the system sucks.

At least LaVar would hit people.

Oooh, too much fun:

Skipper: St. Joe
Gilligan: Greg(g) Williams
Mr. Howell: "Mr." Snyder
Luvvy Howell: Vinny Cerrato
Professor: Sonny Jurgensen
Ginger: Cooley
Mary Ann: Jason Campbell

Can we throw a little hate in the direction of Al Saunders? We all know the defense is a disaster, but could a little (or a lot) of Gibbs's anger yesterday have been because of an offensive gameplan that gave the ball to the RBs less than 15 times, all with a QB making his first career start? That's absurd.

Gibbs needs to start calling plays again.

I think letting R. Clark go was the backbreaker for the heart of this team. He was a hard working, core redskin, and he beleived in the system. He WANTED to stay with the redskins and would have accepted less money than pitt. offered to remain a redskin. What message does that send to the rest of the team? The guys we brought in here could care less about the core redskin philosophy, word on the street is that you get paid when you come to the skins, that's why Archie and A. Carter are here now. Danny showed these sub-par players the money that they would never see anywhere else.

Professor: Al Saunders I would think.

Mary Ann: Jason Campbell

That's priceless. Can't. Stop. Laughing.

J from H, they sucked when John Cooke was the owner, too.

There are a lot of bad owners in the NFL. Snyder isn't the worst of them.

John from Herndon...

I actually like "Mr." Snyder. He's a marketing genius, a businessman par excellence. What he did with his companies was impressive. Though no one I know who worked for him actually liked him, they all respected his acumen and intellect.

I think a calm, collected demeanor is required to succeed in the NFL. I think of Mr. Cooke, Eddie Debartolo, Robert Kraft, the Maras, and so on. Those guys are/were long-term thinkers. Visionaries who knew when to meddle and when not to meddle, when to exert authority and when to let your minions do their job. CEOs of the ultimate caliber, who set a vision and tone for the organization, hired the best and brightest, and trusted them to do their job. Fundamentally, they were good managers, with respect for themselves and those around them.

I'm obviously not part of the inner circle with the 'Skins, so can't necessarily pass judgment on "Mr." Snyder. But what I see from the outside, his "image", if you will, is not promising.

Max,

That is a great point, and JLa, I would love your thoughts on this as well.

Gibbs mentioned "Redskins principles and values" over and over and over again yesterday.

But how are players supposed to buy into statements like that when we continually dump the "core Redskin" players that followed those principles and values?

Makes me steaming mad.

Wes Mantooth. The offense only ran 54 plays the entire game. I'm sure we would have run the ball 30+ times if we had the opportunity to run more plays. Our defense could not get the ball back for our offense. That was the problem. But honestly, I think we probably wouldn't have gotten as many 1st downs as we did if we had run the ball more. Tampa Bay was stacking the line much of the game. Number of carries doesn't matter when you are getting no gain on half of them.

Jason - I would like some honest and unemotional feedback to this question. Since the Redskins seem to be thin at D-Line, why not switch to a base 3-4 alignment and use Archletta as the fourth linebacker? His strength is apparently stopping the run and he should be able to cover the underneath stuff (running backs and shallow crossing patterns) much better than the speedy post receivers. What are your thoughts about such a move?

we weren't getting any gains because Saunders kept running to the outside. TJ up the gut would solve many a problem.

I owe an apology to a fan on here (forgot the name) but I had defended owner Daniel Snyder thinking he had learned his ways and reading Jason's previous blog about the Clark situation and how Snyder said they were done overspending and they learned their lessons? What a crock of S***!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course they went out and overspent on guys that aren't getting it done AGAIN.

It's sick. Snyder will always be who he is. I commend him for putting money to get a more than qualified coaching staff but through it all..the money and free agents aren't cutting it. This team has gotten lost in the mix about its identity as been pointed out numerous times. I think Gibbs was starting to realize that on Sunday. Gibbs says it starts with him well he's gotta realize these are the players to come in and adhere to his system. A RUNNING GAME. Then you bring in and O'Coordinator who has a completely different system. THere is going to be a lot of soul searching after this season.

Snyder..oh how I wish he would check his ego and surround himself with cronies who hopefully can talk some sense into him. It's frustrating. Unfortunately Snyder will always be Snyder. I'm sorry I ever thought he might've learned his lesson.

If only the ghost of Jack Kent Cooke would haunt Snyder in his bedroom..that might be the only chance Snyder has of changing just a little bit.

Great idea Tom, but Gwilliams will never buy it. Got to bring in a new D-coordinator who may be open to such an idea. I actually think Rocky is probably better suited at linebacker than Archuletta if we were to go to 3-4.

Joe in Raleigh and P. Diddy,

thanks for the input. But my statement was about worst thing that happened to the Redskins, not a comparion to other owners in the league. I do admit Mr. Snyder wants to win and he is willing to spend money to do it.

But, his strategy is off course. Let me break it down what has happened since Danny took over.

1. Fans - higher ticket prices, parking fees, losing product out on the field.
2. Free Agency - Over paid players and letting go of players that actually played well
3. Draft - how many draft picks do we have next year?

Someone please tell Mr. Snyder this is not fantasy football. He needs to build with patience...

Visionaries who knew when to meddle and when not to meddl

P Diddy, I always enjoy your posts about business & marketing types. This is a particularly interesting comment here. I think that in the 1st few years, Snyder was in full meddle-mode whereas after hiring Gibbs he's SEEMS to be the 180 degree opposite. No input, just sign the checks. (Note: that could be patently false, but it's how I perceive it.)

I wonder if it's finding a middle ground that Snyder hasn't mastered. The point where you say, "no, Joe, I hired YOU to run the offense. I know Al is good but I'm saying no." Call it picking your spots, if you will.

The worst part about all of these atrocious FA signings is that had they just focused on scouting and the draft, we would've had a nice group of young guys to develop. The 2000 shopping spree could've been 4 or 5 draft picks that would be in their prime by now.

I'm not going to bash all of our moves because we got Portis and Moss from outside, but man, Joe Gibbs teams were built with the draft (and no salary cap but with Snyder that isn't really a problem). Core Redskins are taken care of by management, not deemed too expensive and let go only to sign some other dude to more money. Makes no sense. People will play for a team that is loyal to them. A lot of guys on this team are only loyal to the dollar and I can't blame them because they might be axed next.

The best thing to do is get rid of AA so the ill will there is gone. Then strip Saunders and Williams of any managerial power; that's why you have scouts. Get a GM who won't trade away the entire draft. Show Vinny the door and lock Snyder in a closet until it's time to sign the checks. And take care of any core Redskins that are left when the time comes (Cooley and Taylor are the only ones I can think of because everyone else in that category is too old to resign). Build team unity thru the draft and reward people that have played their hearts out for you. Treat them like the family you claim they are and the entire atmosphere at Redskins Park will change. And that is probably the biggest problem of all.

During the press conference yesterday, Gibbs stated that "we are not playing Redskin football."

Jason, would you please ask him what "Redskin football" is!?! If anyone can answer that, I would be impressed because the Redskins have no identity.

How many season tix holders are done? I'm certainly not writing that little danny boy any more checks for $1,750 only to see it get thrown at the latest class of free agent stiffs. Clark wanted a pittance to stay, and little danny boy had the nerve to mention overspending to him? That's my last straw as a season ticket holder. Somebody on the waiting list will be very happy next year. Yeah...lucky you, pal.

MAX, what are you doing on this blog? I know thats you from all the DUMB postings your bloging.the soup can was sacked a couple of times by a D without its best rusher.YOUR annointing him before he has done anything.60 mil wrs and the great duckett and no drive until end of game!!go back to being a secret agent!!!!!!!you know NOTHING about football.

Haven't had a chance to read anyone else's comments so forgive me if I repeat anything said earlier. WOW. Doom and gloom. Our nation's capital is the laughing stock of the sports world. Jason said it all with the Redskins. Thanks for the frankness. You are a scholar and a gentleman.

Baseball update: Soriano is a Cub. We could have traded him last year for some young talent and/or draft picks. Instead we just let him walk. Good grief.

Gotta go.
The Dorf Abides

Ricky Bobby,

The "Redskins principles and values" repeated statements made me think that Coach Joe is actually going to do something this week. He looked like he was pretty fed up with everything and everybody Redskins. Hopefully, he will take this rage and do something productive.

A few things...

Just before our first offensive snap yesterday, the guy next to me in a little cluster of Skins fans (here in a Portland sports bar) said "Campbell throws deep to Brandon Lloyd." Amazing call.

Let me repeat: we wear BURGUNDY TROUSERS with WHITE JERSEYS. That's the freakin' uniform. The white and white combo is atrocious.

Several members of our defense have that habit, annoying from anyone but especially from a terrible unit on an awful team, of celebrating any routine play -- even ones that weren't particularly successful -- with little dances, head-shakes etc. Save it for something special, hmmkay, 'cause you're making us all look like jackasses.

Yes, we lost another game we could have won. Yes, Ducky and Rocky and even Archie should probably have been playing. Yes, we're officially one of the worst teams in the league. But for a loss this felt pretty good. Keep up the good work, Jasons (both Soupy & J-La)!

While I have never been a Snyder fan, he appears to have stepped back once Gibbs came back on board. You don't hear anything out of him and rarely see him. Unlike Jerry Jones who is being interviewed on the sidelines of every Dallas game. Seems to me all that Snyder is guilty of right now is giving Gibbs and Williams want they want - which has not been a good thing.

And other owners are bad as well....does the Deion Branch - NE Patriots theatrics come to mind????

John from Herndon -- I couldnt agree with you more. Vinny has been the one constant under Danny boy. Danny Boy isnt going to get rid of this team; he's gone through how many coaches, and 1 GM. He has his 'guy' that he wont get rid of. If Vinny was so good, he'd be able come up with better contracts instead of the crap we throw out there.

I can look at the NFL.com to find out who has made a lot of tackles and who has sacks, then realize they are a free agent and sign them to too much money.

Danny Boy isnt going anywhere. In a way, he does what some fans want - an owner who will try to build a team. Yeah Danny boy should just sign the check and stay out of it, but he doesnt. Danny Boy needs a GM who knows talent and has a plan. Follow that plan and build accordingly.

1 last thing... i was pleased with JC. I've always been skeptical of him, but I was surprised at his poise. I hope I am dead wrong in my initial assumption that JC will not amount too much. GOOD LUCK JC!

sorry this was long... I'm bitter.

J from H, I hate being the one to defend Snyder. I know I sound like a cronie doing it. Let it be said, that I don't love the guy, I just think he gets a bad rap when things go wrong. He's easy to pick on.

Your points:
1. With a waiting list that long, he could charge A LOT more. Demand is way out in front of supply here. He's been fair, given the amount the tickets are worth.

2. I think in the 1st few years, he made a lot of mistakes with FAs. Now, however, he's turned these decisions over to Gibbs. It would be nice if he said no once in a while, but Gibbs has total control of the draft and free agency.

3. Again, Gibbs has his finger prints on the draft debacle. Wish Snyder would Just Say No once in a while.

Truly, I think he's been mostly "hands off" since Gibbs returned. He's more involved with Six Flags & Tom Cruise on a day-to-day basis. At least that's what it seems like from where I'm sitting. JLC may know differently.

no boofer sightings? he must be full of himself after that win yesterday. gotta admit, boys kept BBM in check last night.
however, stupid dungy shoulda challenged the INT returned for a TD. harrison clearly touched him. total let down on that coaching staff's part.

no worries, we're only 3 games out of the last playoff spot. RUN THE TABLE!!!

haha, just kidding.

No loss feels good....

But I agree the defense celebrates on second down every drive like they just won the superbowl. Its sickening. I like Marcus Washington but he needs to shut up and lead. The celebrating of stoppping plays on second down that 6 yeard is a joke, especially when they are so bad on third downs...I almost think it inspires teams on third down to rub our noses in it. This is one of the worst seasons of the modern skins era and the defense makes Norv era D's look fierce.

That waiting list and that demand for tix will take a beating as this debacle continues year after year.

Jason Campbell did play well enough to win, and I believe if Betts didn't fumble, we probably would have won the game. I think Gibbs will make Duckett the starter next week. He's the type of bruising back that works well in a Joe Gibbs offense. I also believe Joe will take back most of the play calling duties this week as well.

"Again, Gibbs has his finger prints on the draft debacle. Wish Snyder would Just Say No once in a while."

Very true. Gibbs never had the final say in his first go 'round and that's a good thing. Sometimes you just need to hear "no" once in a while. Especially when you become enamored with a player and see thru all of the faults. Think of it as the "What Was I Thinking? Girlfriend Syndrome". You know, where all of your friends know she's not right for you but you don't see it until you've wasted months or years with her.

I still think he would be better at calling the plays and leaving the talent evaluation and roster moves to others. However, Snyder gave him that power and I've never seen anyone just give it back.

Hey there, I took the principles thing to mean playing as hard as possible, rushing the football and preventing the other team from running it down your throats - they failed on all three counts Sunday.
Given the state of the D line, 3-4 makes some sense, and they do run some packages like that, and Lemar could certainly use some help on the inside (I am convinced his body is totally run down right now), who would they put in? Khary Campbell? Possey? Not a lot of options.
Bottom line is, I don't care if Rocky's knowledge of the "system" is Also, the fact that someone they invested so much in with hopes of making an impact can't even get on the field for whatever the reason, is another indictment of this organization.
They're lost, people.

We'll have to start the Rocky chant this Sunday (and no, I'm not talking about Stallone's upcoming Rocky VI)

J-La,

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE, tell me that someone on the defense is going to lose their job this week? Tell me that someone's @$$ is getting cut!! Why is Montgomery inactive? Why isn't Boschetti being given a chance?

Honestly, why not McCune at this point in time? He couldn't be worse than Marshall, or Holdman.

Maybe we will draft paul posluszny in the first round. That guy is a hell of a linebacker.

At this point, I would love to see the Skins trade back in the draft, once maybe even twice, to add a couple late 1st day and early 2nd day picks.

It's amazing to me that the Skins can draft a guy in the 6th round, in Golston... start him... and yet it still doesn't dawn on them that draft picks are valuable.

DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

FA failures are the worst because they keep on giving. Every year, it forces staff to keep people that should be moving on and let go of some who should stay. It makes good current players think they should get big money or leave. And it eliminates flexibility that is needed. Skins have severely overpaid parts in Arch, Carter, Brunell. Letting them go creates nasty cap hit. Which means others that are good get let go too. Gotta get off that treadmill

jason wrote: They're lost, people.

AMEN!

and the sad part is they don't know that yet.

Under Danny Snyder the Redskins are not, and will never be, a football team. They are a marketing concept. His goal is to maximize the number of $30 parking fees and $8 beers he can sell. The players and coaches understand this, and it pervades the entire organization. Everything from bringing back the too old Joe Gibbs (after the no-experience Spurrier) to waiting until just before the three game homestand to order Campbell played, to all the scattershot free agent signings that engender a specious sense of off season excitement illustrates how Snyder views the world. The Skins cannot be a real football team worthy of fanatical devotion until he's gone. To the rest of the country, the Skins are a billion dollar joke.

John from Herndon said:
Someone please fire Danny Boy... maybe we can all cheap in and buy the team from him. Who's in?
This may not be out of the realm of possibility - aren't the Green Bay Packers a publicly-owned team? Someone (with more time than I have) please check.

Re: Campbell: The most impressive move I saw from him yesterday (and I actually saw quite a few) was when he was being pulled down by his left shoulder by a defender, yet his gaze downfield never wavered and he delivered a bomb into the waiting hands of James Thrash (I think it was James Thrash who was on the receiving end). That was beauty - and it was something that Brunell can't do. Another impressive moment was that TD pass to Todd Yoder (who???) in the end zone for a TD. I think Campbell hit like 5 different receivers yesterday. I also saw that he is not shy about throwing over the middle, and he has good athleticism. He shows promise - and right now, that's what we need to see.

Hey all - let's come up with a list of who you'd like to see the Skins let go of over the offseason (coaches too). Seems like the dead wood has really piled up around Redskins Park lately.

This comment is directed at G. Williams, although clearly our "sorry, no-account" defense is only one of a number of woes. But I think Williams's main problem is that he has a giant ego. In fact, he reminds me a lot of another guy who consistently refused to deal with reality and had disastrous results, last name Rumsfeld.

Williams believed the hype that he was so good. Remember, he inherited a defense that was one of the top in the league when now Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis was in charge. He had big-time playmakers like LaVar Arrington and Fred Smoot. He was convinced, however, that it was his system that was the reason for the D's success. He could plug in practically any unknown player and they'd be a star in his system. That's why he was unable to recongnize the talent of guys like Antonio Pierce. Williams thought it was his system that made him good.

The whole LaVar fiasco is a perfect case in point. No matter what you say about LaVar, he was a playmaker, someone who could change the outcome of a game singlehandedly. Rather than trying to find a way to exploit that talent and modify his system to match the player resources he had, Williams decided that Arrington needed to be brought down a peg and put in his place. It boiled down to a pissing match: a battle of egos--and we know who won.

The most ridiculous and pathetic thing is now making Archuleta into a fall guy, WHEN WILLIAMS WAS THE IDIOT WHO UNDERVALUED CLARK AND INSISTED WE GET ARCHULETA.

In fact, if you look at the Skins defense, it's has consistently declined since Williams took over--hey, it takes time to get rid of the "core" players and bring in overpaid flops.

Ultimately, though, this gets back to the fundamental, #1 problem with the Skins that everyone has been commenting on: the lack of someone at top to make the personnel decisions, including coaching staff. Remember, it was Beatherd that picked Gibbs and also Petitbon. Not only has Gibbs so far been a mediocre-to-bad evaluator of player talent, he also has been a lousy evaluator of who should be coaching his offense and defense.

Bottom line: the first Gibbs era was a happy merging of an enlightened owner, a visionary general manager, a young, smart, driven head coach with innovative offensive concepts, and an old-school defensive coordinator.

Now we've got none of those. As the saying goes: you can't go home again.

-jakeweed

bandwagon blues,

Thanks for bringing up Yoder, who now, by the way, has more TD's than Brandon Lloyd.

DOH

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE, tell me that someone on the defense is going to lose their job this week?

who cares??????????? will that fix ANYTHING???

JC could very well be john elway but they're not going ANYWHERE unless they change their philosophy!!!!!

so, it's the PHILOSOPHY STUPID! (i'm not calling you guys stupid but the skins org.)

Sorry got to take one for the Danny. Everybody kept screaming stop meddling and get out of the way. The Danny has done that a still gets the heat. I respect his business acumen and his marketing acumen. Hey he must be doing something good because the stadiums full and people will even pay for obstructed seats to be there. Yeah he may need to learn to say no but the one time he says no, here come the complaints. The blame is on the coaches. All these proclaimed geniuses we have on staff. Gwilligan is the biggest bust. I find it real funny how every player to leave here was so wrong and had no skills. Maybe it's time to evauluate the coaches that seem to make it personal and won't let the players play unless they give all praises to them.

"...for a loss this felt pretty good." Serious about that. So much better to watch a glimpse of our possible future with Soupy at QB, doing well even in defeat, than endure another four quarters of Brunell playing his godawful guts out.

Did anyone else notice that on our first defensive series of the second half, after halftime AND a long drive to open the third quarter, just a few plays in our D had their hands on their hips (the telltale sign of a D on the run) as if they hadn't had a break at all. Way to do your part and rally behind the new QB, fellas.

Let's not devolve into too much hand-wringing about our offseason personnel problems. Yeah, it matters a hell of a lot, but come on, there are things to enjoy the rest of the season. So let's take it one game at a time, fellas, that's the way to do it up here.

WEAR THE BURGUNDY PANTS.

THe biggest personnel problem with this D is the linebacker play. On 90% of the runs yesterday, Lemar and Warrick couldn't even get to within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. So, if TB blocked the 4 guys up front, it was an automatic 5 yard gain. And when they held the blocks on the LBs (which happened more often than not) it was an even larger gain.

On the TD toss to Galloway, it looked to me like Wright was supposed to jam his guy in that formation (2 tight WRs) so that they wouldn't be able to run a pick route. Either way, Carlos' confidence is so destroyed and that is a death sentance for a CB.

Also noticed that #99 was finallly on the bench for a lot of 1st and 2nd down run situations, yet it ibviously didn't help. Which bolsters my theory that the LBs are the weakest link in this D.

Bottom line, this off-season they need to upgrade at DE (again), MLB, WLB, CB (again), SS.

On offense, well at least all those conspiracy theories about JC not being good can end. Dude is a balla. His second TD pass, off his back foot, with a defender in his face, zipping into a tight spot, was a thing of beauty. He'll have some bad games, maybe even some terrible ones, but I really liked what I saw. Poised, in control, didn't force things. Good, good, good. If Santana was the recipient of that first pass it would have been 6 points and Redskins lore.

I'm starting to think Gibbs is getting annoyed with Saunders. Maas made a great point that I will steal. Last year, the run game was excellent, but the passing game needed some help. When Gibbs brought in Saunders, he should have instructed him that the running game would remain intact but that Saunders was free to run his own passing game. Our O-line and RBs (even Portis) are all straight-ahead-running type of football players. That change has really hurt the team from both a results and a phsyche standpoint.

I'm done.

Let's stop kidding ourselves, this is not the same Joe Gibbs that won those Super Bowls. I hate to say it but, this Joe Gibbs needs to go.

Walt Harris is tied for the league lead with 6 interceptions. That is more than all of the Redskins defense combined! I guess we need to find a better judge of talent with player personnel.

Jason--

Fantastic blog--fantastic insight as usual. The loss of D. Walker has been significant but not discussed. I also get the impression that this team is players vs. coaches...the players feel the coaches will hang them out to dry, and in my mind, the coaches and this coaching staff in general are just not getting through to the players. I wonder if G. Williams has not worn out his welcome here. If he could put his ego aside, he'd be a great D-coordinator. Obviously, players make the system, and not the other way around.

Before we get too much JC Lovefest going on, let's give the guy 5-6 games. I hope he plays better and better. But ONE game is not the way to evaluate a player, much less a QB.

He did look good even w/o Moss and Portis. Before everyone yells at Lloyd, we knew that he would make great catches and drop easy ones. Well he is doing it in WASH also.

Did anybody think we got ripped on his sideline catch and was pushed out. Ref said that he was out of bounds but I think he would have been in bounds if allowed to come down???

More from Boswell:

The Redskins now have a kid quarterback with some poise, wheels and a rifle. He can avoid a rush, roll out of the pocket and throw across his body through traffic or he can drop back and wing it 60 yards directly between the hands of Brandon Lloyd. Not that Lloyd will catch it.

BURN!!!

Jason, good take on the defense, way to tell it like it is. One area that is not getting enough attention in the media is the coaching staff...what the heck is going on with them? from the free agents they chose, to coaching fundamentals, to inspireing leadership. Either the coaching staff has lost the "receipe" for success and leadership or they simply have several wrong/bad seed type players in every phase of the game. In my 40 years as a redskin fan I have not seen a redskin team this bad. You could argue there were some bad teams in the 60's but at least they were fun to watch, these guys are dull AND bad!!

Joe Gibbs has proven throught his career (both Gibbs I and Gibbs II) that he is not a good talent evaluator UNTIL he gets them on the field in a game he is coaching. Thank heavens that JC will probably turn out to be the one exception that proves the rule -- if Joe coming back meant nothing else other than we found a QB for the next decade, it would be worth it. I already love this guy.

Until the Skins get a GM who knows talent and get out of his way, we are going to keep going through the same things we go through every year -- guys who don't fit coming here to get paid, and then leaving either to disappear from the planet or go elsewhere to actually play some football.

JlaC:

Have been pondering why defense has gone downhill so fast this year. Predicatble surprise or something else?

Not sure why dub-g has this penchant for scrubs. Also not sure why all of this resistance to playing folks that are still learning (especially under these circumstances).

Made me wonder if dub-g has difficult time evaluating defensive talent. how else do we explain archibungus and the piano man (AC)? How else do we explain not having anyone who even remotely looks like a mike backer on the roster? Should just take todd yoder and make him the starter on D. he might actualy shed a block or two . . .

From Vinny Cerato's blog.. about JC...

"At practice now, it becomes his team. He has to become the leader. He has to take control of the huddle. He has to run things and make everybody accountable on the offensive field".

Funny how he brings up the word accountable... when has he ever been held accountable for anything he has done?

Oh me first, Here's my list to go at the end of the season:
1. Al Saunders - I really think he is trying to get fired with his playcalling yesterday.
2. Dale Lindsey - I believe he is the biggest blowheart on the defensive staff.
3 Adam Archelta - Bum, enough said
4 Christian Fauria - Another bum, enough said
5. David Patten - What happened to all that fire in the preseason. How you get hurt not playing.
6. Warrick Holdman - Backup at best but not his fault he knows how to kiss up to the coaches.
I have some more but they will do for right now.

Don Redskin, If your pointing to last yr as gibbys big accomplishment(6th seed) then wooooo what a great coach! PARCELLS has been building a team(somthing your pathetic coach knows nothing about)Your knowledge of history is limited. afterall your a fan of a toilet bowl team!Gibby cant even buy a team how pathetic is that.Your a clown fan who is jealous of AMERICAS TEAM and I luv it!!!!!!HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gibbs made the mistake of letting his offense go, and giving his coaches too much room. As of the end of 2005, the Redskins were a few offensive players away from really cranking. Instead, Gibbs decides to give the offense to someone else so he can focus on the team as a whole. Does anyone out there think he did it because he is too old and can't deal with the stress and hours anymore? One thing is for sure, Gibbs's patience has run out...he seems pissed, and I bet we see him taking over the offense next year. I hope that is the case...

Dudes, one point here. Obviously, this is minor given the feast of shabingi before us, but has anyone noticed that our kickoffs/punts continue to be the worst in the league? Our D is bad enough but we are giving up 10-15 yards of field position with every change of possession (one exception was when we got a good kick from Novack Sgdelviyav, and stopped them at the 15...then they drove down 85 yards and scored in our mouths...).

And that, like a third nipple and communism, doesn't help anybody.

Think back to before the season when we were fed the non-truths about home field and super bowls. Think back then. how many skins fans who watched at least 5 games last year would have said: 'we're in great shape with johnhall.net and dfrost.org kicking for us'? How can the coaches not see this?

I watched that Colt/cowpuke shabingus yesterday and the pukes have a dude that kicks it 62 yards...all the time. Once, they go: 'ooops, McChooch kicked it too far...his 62 yard kick will go into the end zone...'

Its little things like that...and also the big things that infuriate me.

All of this reminds me of when I was a kid going to games at RFK, the team stunk then too although we had Jurgenson, Mitchell, Smith and others. Signs in the stadium were statements like "week by week we suffer from McPeak" (the head coach). History repeats itself...

OK,OK
jakeweed - I agree with you. well said.

Describing GWilliams in a word - HUBRIS.
Describing him in 2 words - ARROGANT HUBRIS

Grilliams as your alluding has zero people/team building skills and it is killing us, it is as if players are demonstrating they want him out!!!

I don't know if I could help you guys buy the Skins. What I do want to do is help FIRE GREG. Egomaniacal Narcicisst. I hope Joe's frustration is aimed at him as well as Al. I agree with those hoping/desiring for a 3-4 D. Think about what that means for the team:

Griffin/Salave'a/Pick a 3rd on the D line. Not the worst in the league, so maybe use a draft pick for some depth.

Rocky/Andre/Marcus/Lemar/Arch- Again - not the best, especially if MW keeps cheering his shoestring tackles on 1st down 6 yard rushing gains, but something to work with.

Shawn/Sean/??/?? - The secondary is SCARY thin with talent. Maybe use the top draft pick here, or look to FA...AGAIN.

Regardless, the idea here is to maximize the talent on the field and not egotistically force misfits into an once overrated system. I hate to agree with the legendary ignorance of Maas, but I think he got one thing right, fire some coaches, and start with Grilliastic.

PG

Just in case Dan or Vinny read this blog, I am posting the following:

I WANT TO FIGHT BOTH OF YOU. Please reply and we will set up a date and time.

Sucks,

You dope, call me when Parcell's has as many SB's as Gibbs or just wins one without Belichick, just one. Or how about when he makes the playoffs.

You are a troll.

Also has anyone noticed the disturbing trend that cowboys fans have of using the word "suck" in their names. Coincidence? I think not...

Re: Walt Harris

Not only does Walt Harris lead the league in picks. He had two interceptions yesterday, with one to seal the game in the final seconds. And the niners beat the seahawks to get to 500. So would we rather have Walt Harris and 3rd and 4th round picks (which we gave the niners for lloyd) or would we rather have lloyd and carter?

JLC - do you think its close to time the skins start giving Carlos Rogers the Lavar/Archuleta treatment or that they actually would???????

Jason,

I really hope that The Danny, Vince and Gibbs will be able to take some time and read this blog. Here we have been suffering through Brunnell all season, calling for Campbell to be in the game and we were right. The Big Three should read this and listen to us! We have some really intelligent fans and we should be heard!

Way to go Jason!

It saddens me, Redskin Nation, to think of the current condition our beloved Redskins are under current ownership.

I am truly saddened.

JCooke

Take it from me, sometimes the truly arrogant need to be humbled to figure out where they went wrong. St. Joe has never been accused of being arrogant: the man exudes humility.

Saunders, Williams, and Lindsey? Not so much humility there. It was fun to watch when it worked. Now it's just another tired refrain.

I don't think cleaning house with the coaching staff is the answer. You need to have some continuity somewhere. Keep in mind that St. Joe has always been loyal to his coaches (remember Chuck Banker?)

They have some obvious personnel decisions to make on defense. On offense, your guess is as good as mine. Most of those receivers are signed to long-term deals. A healthy Portis and Moss would certainly be helpful. Oh, and they need to find a kicker and punter.

I do think hiring a GM is a good start, but that's never going to happen.

I've said it before, but in the first Gibbs era, there was a three-person decision making team (Beathard/Casserly, St. Joe, Mr. Cooke), with Mr. Cooke being the ultimate decision-maker. Mr. Cooke was a natural leader and a natural CEO, a man whose accomplishments were legendary at the time. He knew when to push and when to step back, and he set a philosophy for the organization that everyone followed. To me, those two traits are the hallmark of good management.

I don't see that in the current makeup of the organization. You never want the inmates running the asylum, and right now it seems that St. Joe is The Decider.

This J Cooke post and Jonathan's post earlier got me thinking about a new version of A Christmas Carol, in which the Danny is visited by the ghost of JKC, who takes him on an overnight tour featuring ghosts of the Skins' past/present/future.

This really shakes Daniel up, demonstrates the error of his ways, reminds him what's important, and lets him know it's not too late... And then he wakes up and runs around the streets of Washington in his nightshirt (with belt buckle), shouting to everyone that he's going to be a Good Team Owner from now on.

The only problem is I can't think of a hard-working, dependable, lovable-loser kind of grunt over at Redskins Park who could be Bob Cratchit. I think all the guys who meet that description have been traded or fired.

OK,OK
Bos said, "The Redskins now have a kid quarterback with some poise, wheels and a rifle."

I'm feeling giddy over this one statement. To give hope ...

*hugs*

So many areas of major concern for this team/franchise. Do you think Brunell & Archuletta went out to do dinner last night and toasted to the fact they are somewhat off the hook for this team being terrible. They were taking alot of heat- and most rightfully so- but other players and coaches should be taking it as well. Carlos Rogers is officially a BUST. Not only is he getting beat on the field, he is an idiot on the field. Remember him dancing in the Vikings game after Williamson dropped a perfect pass for a TD. And sunday, it looked like he was running off to dance again when he popped up the ball out of Galloway's hands that eventually Anthony Becht caught. Not enough time to vent about this team

Not sure why everyone is calling for the Dan head. We ask him to step back and for the most part he has. The blame for this sorry a** team can't be put on him. He has given Coach Joe everything he has asked for. Therefore, as much as it may hurt us to say it. The blame must go on Coach Joe for this one. And someone made a good point that every year the D has been falling from the the top. Thanks for the hugs SalleMae I needed it today. One of those days at work. (ready to give a couple of people here at work a slap in the back of their damn head)

Jason: I'll argue Lloyd has not been a total flop for the reason(s) (like so many others on the team who could well fit into this categtory) that he/they have been placed into such a broken and rudderless system by management that their full potential cannot be realized. No one is perfect all the time (has he dropped as many as he has caught, and were they even catchable?)and he certainly has enough talent to have attracted the Skins - same scenario with Archuleta. I think its way past time that the offensive and defensive systems designed, implemented, and enforced by the coaching staff and those that THEY CHOSE to fill the schemes are or should be the main culprits for the failures. If nothing else, their lack of flexibility and making timely adjustments has proved fatal.

Sorry JM, I can blaim him. He has stepped back but he's the one that has fostered this win-now mentality. Since he's been here there has been exactly 1 year where he had a strong GM. That was Shabingusheimer and he quit after a year. He got back Joe but gave him complete control, which has been shown to be a miserable failure each time it's tried in this league.

He overpays for overhyped names. He either neglects the draft himself or allows it to happen. All this falls on the fans. The fans pay for his ineptitude through their wallet and loyalty.

I feel bad for JLC who has had to cover this team.

Timeout
All this talk about D had led me to check out some early reviews of "Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny." They're all very positive.
As you were...

alright, now that we've got one qb benched let's talk about the other qb that needs to be benched. Lemar Marshall qb of the defense needs to ride the pine. LM has been ineffective in putting people in the right position to make plays. LM along with Holdman need to remember how to fill the gaps and make the tackle.
JC did well can't wait to see him get his first win!!

Hi Jason - you are a great, "core" WPOST guy. Not like that HBack guy, the one that hates Skins Fans. You even "cover" for him - he's like the Archuletta of your staff!.

Rock on Jason - and cover the open field!

"I feel bad for JLC who has had to cover this team. "

Are you kidding me? This team is a train wreck. There is something to write about everyday. Also, he doesn't have an emotional connection to the team.

He overpays for overhyped names.

Skinz once again he is not a football guy. If the coach says I need this player. Don't you have to trust the coach and give him what he wants? (if you are not a football guy)
I blame him for the past bad teams. This one as much as I love Coach Joe. It falls on him.

skinz, when gay gibby can actually get a winning record against PARCELLS OR COWBOYS which will never happen. then you can come out of toilet!!PARCELLS is proving he is not overrated while gay gibby is proving he is a FRAUD and should be kicked out of HOF!!!He is a TERRIBLE coach and GM!!!!!the team is a reflection of him.you cant have it both ways.

Is there any chance we're going to see McCune? You said that Marshall was beat up, I mean, how much worse could McCune be? How much worse could ANY of the Rookies be? Not just Rocky, but Montgomery, Doughty?

This comment from Howard in the chat almost made me vomit...

If this is true, Gibbs has clearly lost it... why in the world, during a season that will NOT result in the playoffs, would he want to run out the string with a 37-year old veteran QB instead of giving his hand picked QB valuable experience? I just don't get this, if again, it's true.

ashington, D.C.: Was there anything Brunell could have done not to be replaced? Brunell's stats weren't that bad. He really wasn't the problem. Which was proved yesterday when Jason played well and they still lost.

I'm glad Campbell is in but it seems more of a reflection of a lost season that he's in, than that of a lost QB.

Howard Bryant: If Joe Gibbs had absolute power, I think #8 would still be the quarterback...

Interesting, maybe "Mr." Snyder is stepping in on some of the tougher decisions. We wouldn't think twice of it if Mr. Cooke were to do so. If Campbell playing is really "Mr." Snyder's handiwork, he should get big-time props for it.

I adore St. Joe, but just like the Federal government, there need to be checks and balances in every business.

Now if only they could find a defense...

Sucks,

Gibbs has won more SB's in less years coaching. He has the last playoff appearance, the last playoff win, the last win, the most superbowl appearances.

Coaches are judged on wins, playoffs, and SB's. Not head-to-head records.

This year based on those has Parcell's been the better coach? Yes. Over their careers? Not even close.

In the grand scheme of things you could make the argument that parcell's is the most overrated coach in the hitory of the game.

a) This defense has given up. They've lost any inspiration to go out and "run through a wall". How did this defense get so bad in less than a year? If Ryan Clark was responsible for making sure Sean Taylor was in proper position last year - why didn't GWilliams recognize that? or at least tell that to the Danny?

b) Who's responsible for the draft choices? Is it Vinny? Or is it St. Joe? More importantly, who's responsible for picking Carlos Rogers over DeMarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman in the 2005 draft?

c) Who's responsible for evaluating free agent talent? Is it Vinny? or is it St. Joe? Because someone looked at Andre Carter as a 49'er and said, "wow, he's a stud."

d) Looking forward to next year, we have major problems on defense. At CB, Carlos Rogers has been poor. Shawn Springs has looked old and slow since returning from injury. At safety, who is the replacement for Archuleta? Vernon Fox? At MLB, is Lemar Marshall really the answer? At OLB, why can't Rocky McIntosh beat out an atrocious LB like Warrick Holdman? At DE, there's a reason that opposing offenses run right at Andre Carter every game. He can't stop the run. And God knows he's no pass rusher. Why did we sign him exactly? He and Phillip Daniels will be a year older and no better at rushing the passer next year. We haven't had a pass-rushing DE since Dexter Manley.

Gregg Williams's ego has finally caught up with him. Maybe this year will teach him some humility so that he realizes that he just can't plug any schmo into the "system". He needs talent for the defense to work.

Sorry to keep inserting Howard's chat, but I've been saying the same thing for 2 years... Gibbs does not seem overly enthused about Campbell, even after his strong performance yesterday... I just don't understand him.

RE: Votes: You cant give an open-ended answer like that. If you dont explicitly say that Snyder had nothing to do with it, then these people will go wild with accusations!

Howard Bryant: I don't know if it was Snyder. Gibbs is a consensus-building person. I think it was the combination of people he trusts, and he realized that it was time to see what Jason can do. He has not given us any indication that he is enthusiastic about this.

For example, I asked him SPECIFICALLY last Friday, "Joe, everyone has talked about Jason's nerves and how he will feel, but how do you feel about this? Aren't you curious to see what you've got here?"

His answer was all about Mark Brunell and how he hadn't thought much about it because he was thinking more about the decision he had to make in benching Brunell.

I said to myself, 'this isn't much of an endorsement.' You draft this guy, trade up to get him, in fact, and on the eve of his debut, don't you think folks would be a little more excited about him?

_______________________

Ken Harvey pointed out on CSN that Grilliams commended TB for playing with passion, implying that the D did not. Could the D be getting sick of Grilliams? Especially when Gibbs shows all the loyalty in the world to Brunell and Gregg shows none to LaVar last year and Archuletamanrunbyuncovered this year. I was all for putting Vincent in his place cause he was looking piss poor, but shoving him as far down the depth chart as he is seems pretty rough.

Also, I know I'm a little late to the party with music suggestions, but if you like Jeff Buckley you should check out Rufus Wainwright. Rufus is a lot less guitar/bass/drums and a lot more piano/guitar/sometimes strings and horns, but they have similar voices. Rufus considers Buckley to be a big influence - wrote "Memphis Skyline" about him. "Go or Go Ahead", "Dinner at Eight", "The One You Love", and "Poses" are all great songs.

Also, Muse is really good. They've had some radio success, but they're not too big. They can be a little overly dramatic and grandiose, but "Absolution" is a rock solid CD through and through.

Fiona Apple's latest CD is good, too. Especially the unreleased version, and especially the song "Not About Love"

JASON THAT IS PULITZER STUFF FOR REDSKINS FANS THAT WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON! Frankly, I do not feel that Gibbs is truly running that place like the titles may say. He is running things like he has loyalist with him, but he has individualist working for him. As long as snyder recruits them and pays them so much that they are in essence independents, you can have these problems. Lavar is the most recent case with the coaches. the man was a playmaker, which they needed. But they kept him off the field. I also go back to Champ Bailey's negotiation. What champ wanted at first was nothing compared to what he got, and what they ultimately gave up for im to go.

Howard Bryant: One player told me after yesterday's game, "Get your notebook out and take inventory, 'cause a lot of cats won't be here next year."

OK,OK
THIS statement has the ring of truth in it ... and scares me some. The last thing we need is alot of change. Build now, with what we got, and move forward using the draft to augment (granted we have no draft picks until 2011).

i know i'm a bit late but awesome job jason (of this blog)! this was your best piece yet. with some juice.

and after reading bos. can the techies of this blog hook us up with the G 'N R's "patience" playing in the background?

Sucks,

Get the f&*( off this blog, bud. You're terrible and have exasperated my patience to the point of no return. I'm not sure if you're one of the 2 legged donkeys that disappeared after Novak buried your panzy @sses a couple weeks back, but, you won a home game...congrats. Cause you sucked so bad last year, you get an easy schedule. The Redskins, in case you didn't notice, went to the playoffs last year. It was great, you guys should try it. Now we have (ahem) personnel problems, similar to week 13 when TO's pacifier falls out. You split with us, then come here to talk sh!t on an AFC win and call Gibbs a fraud??? Are you kidding? I thought it was just prejudice when I envision cowgurl fans as one legged chainsaw totting rejects skipping through dusty fields with cycloptic 3 breasted females in a masterful piece of cocaine ridden anarchy. But thank you, sucks, for proving that indeed, all cowgurls fans are complete moorons and a bit cooky How many trick-or-treaters are locked in your basement? All the Indians huh? Don't worry, I won't tell. 3 super bowls and a winning % that times one hundered (take ur time w/ this) makes your IQ very upset and you talk sh!t on JG? Come on. Look up fraud in the dickshonairy and you'll find Barry Switzer crawling out from under JJ's desk. You might be having a bad day. I too, sometimes wonder how the glue is soooo much easier to get than the meth, but they're both just as fun with moonshine and an unsuspecting young cousin.

Hop off the blog, got to GED.com, and pray for a playoff appearance.

PG

Ricky Bobby, that is what drives me crazy about a HowBry chat. He drops these little nuggets and then doesn't elaborate. What?! Someone dictated that Jason should play? That's news HowBry, how bout telling us who, why, where, and when.

Reading that guy's chat is like watching Lost.

Gibbs is too loyal to bad players. You're only supposed to be loyal to the ones that help you win. Winning is everything in pro sports. The redskins aren't winning. Betts needs to sit down next to Brunell.. nice guys - 2nd stringers.

Campbell however, will give this team a chance to win every game for the next 10 years. Finally. Their inconsistency at QB and Head Coach the past 16 years is what has killed this team over and over. And the 2 are absolutely linked to success in the NFL.

Defensively. what can you say.. they aren't very good individually. Rogers - dropped yet another int for a td yesterday. He's allergic to making plays.

the defensive line - worst in the league. Don't make tackles, and don't occupy blockers at the first level. Off lineman are getting to the LB's, never a good thing

and personally the scheme, was never too terrific for me. PLayers make plays, these players don't make plays. Aside from Taylor, who I don't blame for trying to make a play each snap, b/c really - who else will?

But the blitzes - not disguised very well at all. very see through coverages. not impressed.

running game is anemic.. can we run more traps, misdirection pls? everything is a stretch play or pitch...

Get ready for the blockbuster anouncement today at 4:30: Gibbs is retiring at end of season, Saunders will be new head coach, and Snyder is moving team to LA

SI.com has done "10 Guys Who've Worn Out Their Welcome." It includes Archubingus and Joe Gibbs.

Big News,

That's awesome. It'll be a lot easier for me to make games in LA than DC.

Is Dawn Wells going to be special teams coach, too?

This is at least a 5-7 yr healing process if, and ONLY IF, Snyder realizes that his fantasy team sucks, that he is to blame and if he commits to a full time GM and the draft.

This is not likely to happen but if it does I suggest they blow up the team ala Fla Marlins, dump all the 'comfortable' free agents we can or get picks for them if possible, stink for a couple more years until we actually have a draftpick before Rd 5.

While waiting until 2008(I am also hopeful that our cap issues are resolved by then) we would have time to research, recruit and sign a REAL GM. God knows who our coach would be then, hopefully a few more Belichek/Homgren disciples are ready by then as Joe, sadly, will have ridden off to retirement with barely a whimper and a tarnished legacy.

At that point we could start to build thru the draft and fill holes with free agents like all the other successful NFL teams. For a 'smart'(some say ruthless) business man Snyder sure is slow to recognize all the flaws in this business plan, I am shocked at how long this has gone on--what 7 yrs now??

All I see are old guys who try but can't do it anymore(Jansen, Samuels, Griffin, Daniels, Brunell and Springs), young guys who are adrift in the confusing haze of their talent and new wealth(Rogers, Taylor) and a bevy of 'prime of their career' guys that are WAY too comfortable and have no fire at all(Carter, Lloyd, Archuletta). There are a couple heroes that are the kind of guys we like(Marcus, Portis, Thomas, Cooley) but they are outnumbered greatly.

I want DeMarcus Ware, I want Marques Colston, I want Merriman, I want young studs who are hungry, who want to be here, who want to win. In 2013 we will have that, if Snyder heres his own footsteps.

Idiot.

Joe in Raleigh, I've been reading these posts all year, and your bashing of that Starboys idiot was the best ever. thank you.

Joe,

Comparrison to Lost = hilarious.

I agree with you on most of his chat; however, I think we all have to agree that Joe does not appear very high on Jason. When have you ever heard him talk about Jason like he talks about Brunell, Portis, Moss, etc? In 2 years, I just haven't heard it.

You would think last week Gibbs would finally let down his guard after he decided to make the move.... but no, you get the same BS comments. In fact, Gibbs proved that he would rather talk about his anguish over Brunell than the future for his 24-year old hand picked QB...

It just doesn't make any sense to me.

PG, nice post. Any person who comes on another team's blog to consistently bash and poke fun is a loser. Go celebrate with your team's fans, you dope.

I'm done with "Lost". I've moved on to "Heroes".