I killed him.He was a disgrace to all Cowboy fans.
*nominates Bankerguy for Cowboy fan of the year*
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****OFFICIAL 2008 Washington Redskins Thread**** (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter DCThunder
- Start date
*nominates Bankerguy for Cowboy fan of the year*There was also the play where Randle El caught a ball and landed on the ground untouched. He got up and ran and they called the play dead before he got to the endzone. At a minimum, the should have let the play finish so it could be reviewed. It took them a good 3-4 seconds to whistle it dead.
T Bell
Footballguy
I'm not sure it says more than the Dallas win and especially the Philly win, but it's definitely important in its own way to show the team's consistency. Teams that win playoff games bury these sorts of opponents. The way this game "should" go is that the Redskins score first, have the game firmly in their control by halftime, and don't let up until 00:00 is on the clock after the 4th quarter. The good news is that an unofficial team motto under Zorn is "stay medium", in other words don't get too high, and don't get too low, just stay focused. With apologies to "Red" in Shawshank Redemption, little bit of hope for teams like the Rams that are desperate for any good news can be a very dangerous thing.
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Bankerguy
Footballguy
Yeah, maybe I am over stating a bit. I will be keenly watching to see how you handle being a clear favorite. The Skins have played the underdog very well but now comes greater expectations. With having HIGHer expectations style points seem to matter in the public eye for the Top Tier teams.
T Bell
Footballguy
The key thing the Rams will need to win is takeaways. So far the Redskins are the best in the league at being stingy with the ball. That needs to continue on Sunday. If the game is close at all I expect it to be because of turnovers.
Dexter Manley
Footballguy
What I want to see from the Skins this week is the following:- The defense starts fast and immediately puts the Rams on lockdown from the get go. This hasn't been our MO so far this season. - Sticking with defense, I want to see constant pressure on Bulger. - The offense start fast, and impose its will on the Rams from the get go. I want to see the Skins scoring TD's and not settling for FG's.- By halftime, I want us to be up by at least 2 or 3 scores. It would be nice if we have this game in the bag by the end of the 3rd quarter, so we don't have to rush Portis 20+ times and can save some wear and tear on him. Betts should be able to hammer this game out fine for us.- I don't want to see the Skins let up in the 2nd half, which obviously hasn't happened all season. They're dominating the 4th quarter moreso than any team in the league right now, and I want to see that trend continue.
T Bell
Footballguy
I agree with everything you said, but wanted to add a couple of comments:
Keep in mind that the Redskins have yet to play, after five games, an offense outside of the top 6 in football. With that in mind, absorbing some shots on defense, adjusting, and then shutting them down is exactly what you'd expect your defense to do against opposing offenses. The Rams, however, are among the worst, and so I too expect a stiffer showing from the outset. It'll be interesting to see whether they can start putting Jason Taylor back into the DE rotation, which will help greatly.
I was thinking the exact same thing. There's no reason why Portis and Betts can't split around 35-40 carries relatively evenly in a game like this if the team plays solid football. Portis' legs need to be saved as much as possible for later in the season.
Bankerguy
Footballguy
Turnovers or a VERY hot Steven Jackson are the Rams only shot.
KnowledgeReignsSupreme
Footballguy
For some reason, I'm still not buying this Redskins team. I liked that call to go for it on 4th down, but they still haven't consistently shown the ability to really put teams away. The old Redskins team would be a big let down and lose 2 of the next 3 games against these bottom of the barrel opponents. If they can win two of these games decisively, I'll believe.
fatness
Footballguy
That would be nice, but frankly if they win 3-2 I'm happy as hell. Wins are what counts. Domination is what New England did last year, and they aren't the champs.
T Bell
Footballguy
Damn, Wade, what are you doing posting here? Don't you have a Cowboys team to worry about?
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T Bell
Footballguy
That's understandable and in fact I found myself underestimating this team over the last couple of weeks just because they've found ways to let me down after every good start they've had since the early 1990's. This team is - so far, of course - different. They've outplayed their opposition and their record is an accurate reflection to date of their level of play. This isn't an illusion like, for example, that 13-win Bears team back in 2001, that lived large off of some uncannilly well-timed Mike Brown INT's that saved games for them. Now it can all come crashing down if they don't continue to play as they have, but I don't expect it to given what I'm seeing so far. Also, this is a team that has left a lot of points on the field by not converting scoring opportunities into TD's rather than FG's. They've also gotten no production to speak of to date from their three top draft picks, each of whom can add something to this offense. Finally, they've won their two toughest games without much of a pass rush and without Jason Taylor, and with injuries elsewhere including to Springs. I see room for improvement. The next test, as always, is next Sunday. We will see.
Sidewinder16
Footballguy
Matt Terl made a great point in his blog today:
The Saunders connection had just about slipped my mind and I hadn't even really considered this. In addition to the 2nd team's ability to mimic the Saunders offense, the defense has practiced against a real Saunders offense (albeit, with different talent), which you would think would help in creating turnovers.There's really not much excuse for the Redskins to be caught off guard this week. I'm betting they won't be.
T Bell
Footballguy
Yeah, but can the scout team imitate the Saunders offense with Gibbs' meddling overlayed on top of it?
Assani Fisher
Footballguy
Is it just me or does everyone except Horton on our offense have absolutely horrendous hands?
Assani Fisher
Footballguy
Such a crushing loss. In today's parity filled league you never know exactly how good your team is coming into the year. And after the back to back wins over Dallas/Philly, I legitimately thought the Skins might be a Super Bowl contender....and I don't mean that in a "I hope we get a wild card and then get hot like the Giants last year" type of sB contener; I mean that I thought we could've gotten a first round bye and been one of the top teams in the league vying for the title.
Now, I think we're just another good but inconsistent team. So frustrating.
I guess there have been some good teams who inexplicably lose against bad teams or get blown out against average teams(14-2 Pats losing to Dolphins, 1994 49ers getting blown out by Eagles, etc.) so maybe we still could be elite, but it looks a ton less likely today than it did yesterday.
Now, I think we're just another good but inconsistent team. So frustrating.
I guess there have been some good teams who inexplicably lose against bad teams or get blown out against average teams(14-2 Pats losing to Dolphins, 1994 49ers getting blown out by Eagles, etc.) so maybe we still could be elite, but it looks a ton less likely today than it did yesterday.
I know you are just being an ###.....but being "Zorniee" in this game is rather stupid. Zorn had nothing to do with this loss. Nothing more than 3 fumbles by the offense.And just keep in mind that Dallas is still the 3rd best team in the NFC East. That makes me incredilbly "Zornieeee!!!"
Todd Andrews
Footballguy
I disagree. Zorn had a lot to do with this loss. I found the play calling incredibly conservative throughout, even when they should have had a sense of urgency. We never went downfield even after they lost their entire starting secondary. That is pathetic. I put a lot of this loss on Zorn.
Todd Andrews
Footballguy
I have no idea what you mean when you say Zorn stayed in the gameplan. If the gameplan was to have a good rushing game and lose then yes, he stayed in it. I prefer attacking and winning, which is what we have done for four weeks before today.
I mean that the offense took what they could from the defense. Did you watch the game? Campbell didn't have much time in the pocket, it's hard to go down field every play when he has no time.Pardon me for thinking 3 fumbles resulting in a TD, and killing two drives that were pushing into STL territory had more than a little bit to do with the lack of scoring.
KnowledgeReignsSupreme
Footballguy
The loss today to the Rams is somewhat interesting. In 1995, the Rams started off 5-1 and had some ridiculously good turnover ratio. They weren't really any different than the 4-12 Rams team from the year before. Once their turnover ratio returned to mean, they finished off the season 2-8. Washington has benefited from not turning the ball over at all. You obviously can't expect that trend to continue. Their lack of any turnovers heading into this game was masking what looked like an average defense and offense. Too many drops on offense, too many big plays given up on defense to keep opponents in the game.
Todd Andrews
Footballguy
I am a lifelong Redskins fan and a nine year season ticket holder who watched the entire game but, unlike you, isnt about making excuses. The playcalling wasnt aggressive enough and we didnt stretch the field enough. We could have easily won if we had attacked. You can accept losses and make excuses, I prefer to win.
Where am I making excuses and accepting the loss?? I've been a Skins fan all my life, live and die with DC. But to pin the loss purely on Zorn's playcalling is very narrow minded.
Pat Patriot
Footballguy
What in the hell was Kendall thinking? Even if he didnt fumble it was a horrendously bad decision to catch that ball with only 20 seconds left in the half.
Todd Andrews
Footballguy
Where did I pin the loss solely on the playcalling? You said Zorn had nothing to do with the loss, which is silly, and I said he had a lot to do with the loss. Not everything, a lot. And you are blaming the loss on turnovers when we easily could have won it in spite of the turnovers with different and better playcalling (and almost did with our too conservative playcalling). And you clearly blamed the loss on the turnovers, which is just another form of making excuses. There are no excuses.
Bizkiteer
Footballguy
The Kendal play sure didn't help, but I don't think that it the most telling in our loss. Durant Brooks is killing us with the field possession game. His punts are awful and that is putting it mildly when talking about his 28 yard punt from our endzone. His erratic and inconsistant punting is hurting us and made the biggest difference today IMO. He's not the only reason for the loss, but his play is adding up and played a major part in this game.
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My god you are frustrating. I think that the turnovers had more to do with the loss than the playcalling. You think the opposite. Neither are an excuse.
T Bell
Footballguy
If you had told me that Portis would have about 150 total yards and 2 TD's before the game, I'd have said that the Redskins would win by double digits. The offense is not meant to "go downfield" or "be aggressive". It's based upon the idea that the defense can't cover the entire field with only 11 guys, and therefore it takes what the defense can't stop. The last two weeks the defense has chosen to take away Moss, and Campbell has done an excellent job finding Cooley and Randle El, and Portis has gashed the defense in the run game.
I'm sure that we'll see some teams try to take away Portis, in which case I'm sure Moss will light it up. This offense absorbs and adjusts, and what's nice is that they have a number of options in the offense such that they can adapt successfully.
The problem was turnovers and pass protection, plain and simple, with a strong assist to Durant Brooks. Absent those problems, this is a 30-3 victory (or better).
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Assani Fisher
Footballguy
As a player, you shouldn't make excuses as I believe it will only hurt you in the long run.However as intelligent fans, we need to realize that there is luck and variance in sports and that you can play very well and still lose(I'm not at all saying thats what happened this game, I'm just disagreeing with your point about excuses).
fatness
Footballguy
That's really the story. This isn't a dominant team. They've dominated some stretches of some games but they've also been dominated at times. They won some we thought they should have lost. They just lost one we thought they should have won. 3 turnovers will do that. If they had lost to the Saints or Cardinals and won yesterday they'd be 4-2 and we'd be pretty satisfied right now. The talk of being dominant after winning in Dallas and Philly was disconnected to how good the team really is (and isn't). They're fairly good. They have weaknesses. They're still learning and have little depth. They've lost to a good team and a bad team. They've beaten 4 teams that have a shot for the playoffs. I'm satisfied with that after 6 games. Yesterday's loss came down to a 50-yard FG attempt as time ran out. Sometimes you win those and sometimes you lose those. They'll be in more games like that.
maybe, just maybe the team started to believe they were better than they were. Hopefully this is one of those losses that can really HELP a team. Take no opponent lightly, put away teams while you have the chance, and don't turn the ball over. And I agree, our punting game sucks right now.
I was surprised by the pressure that the Rams were able to get on Campbell - four sacks shocks me, frankly. The Cowboys got 2, the Eagles got two, the Giants only got a couple, I think - and the Rams get four?
I know the stats don't look bad, but Campbell didn't seem quite as smooth and comfortable yesterday - just a touch out of synch. It was more a feeling than something definite - and there were some pretty plays, like the long one to Cooley just before Kendall's Folly. But there was just something a little off - maybe it was the shotgun fumble that really made me notice. It was the first time I saw Campbell make a real mental error - he tried to pick the ball up rather than fall on it, and of course that didn't work well.
It was a loss that shouldn't have happened. The special teams are not good, Randel El is still ineffective as a returner, and Brooks was horrid. On the other hand, the running game is first rate, and the defense continues to be very solid.
They will end up in a LOT of close games, all year long, regardless of who they play.
I know the stats don't look bad, but Campbell didn't seem quite as smooth and comfortable yesterday - just a touch out of synch. It was more a feeling than something definite - and there were some pretty plays, like the long one to Cooley just before Kendall's Folly. But there was just something a little off - maybe it was the shotgun fumble that really made me notice. It was the first time I saw Campbell make a real mental error - he tried to pick the ball up rather than fall on it, and of course that didn't work well.
It was a loss that shouldn't have happened. The special teams are not good, Randel El is still ineffective as a returner, and Brooks was horrid. On the other hand, the running game is first rate, and the defense continues to be very solid.
They will end up in a LOT of close games, all year long, regardless of who they play.
Sidewinder16
Footballguy
Props to JLC for eating his crow:
ETA: From the same link, I completely disagree with this:
Horton has been doing an outstanding job of being that in-the-box safety. Did JLC not watch yesterday's game? Horton had 9 tackles (led the team), 3 for a loss!I'd much rather keep Landry as that roving deep safety and have Horton create havoc near the line.
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Sidewinder16
Footballguy
T Bell
Footballguy
It's amazing what can happen to the pass rush when your team actually invests high draft picks in D-linemen, eh?
T Bell
Footballguy
The Kendall play was game changing, but very fluky. I can't even fault him for it even though a headier play could have been made. There's only so many things you can work on, and if Pete Kendall holding onto tipped passes ends up being our biggest problem on offense, we're in magnificent shape. The truth is that that play overshadowed a bunch of smaller ones on offense that were the true explanation for such a poor overall performance. Kendall wasn't to blame for that loss at all.
T Bell
Footballguy
I'm a little surprised at how decisive they're being on this, rather than just playing it like "we're bringing in other punters for try-outs but also keeping Brooks, and we'll see what happens." Brooks' temperament/mentality must really have not impressed them amidst this adversity.Sidewinder16 said:
T Bell
Footballguy
Reread my post - we agree. I said it was "game changing" - I was addressing fault or blame, and also pointing out that there's not much you can do to prevent fluky things like that from happening at times.
T Bell
Footballguy
Thank you 'boys.sincerely,'Skins fanAlso, please tell Rick Romo that we're really pulling for him to get well soon.
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