***Official*** 2009 Washington Redskins Thread (1 Viewer)

[dgreen]

Kelly Reveals Thumb InjuryLooking for theories about wide receiver Malcolm Kelly's lack of production through the first four games?He revealed today that he suffered ligament damage in his right thumb on the first pass play of the game against the Rams. Kelly said he's still able to play and practice but conceded that he's experiencing significant amounts of pain."When the ball hits it, every single time I catch a pass almost, it hurts real bad," he said. "But I have enough strength in it to catch the ball and hold onto the ball. But afterwards, I get up and it's just like pain starts shooting through it."Kelly, who has 65 yards on six receptions through four games, said he has been told that he is at least 3-4 weeks away from playing pain-free and taking the field without tape."During the week sometimes when the ball hits it, it kind of feels a certain way - actually it feels pretty bad.," he said. "It's not like I can't go out and play a practice or anything like that. They just try to tape it up as good as they can. And then, come game time, you get that little candy shot in there, hopefully helps it out a little bit."

I got an idea: let someone else play! Is Malcolm Kelly with a injured thumb really better than Devin Thomas or Marko Mitchell? What has Kelly done to secure his spot despite an injury?Having said that, I think this is BS. An injured thumb doesn't prevent you from getting open. It's biggest effect would be the possibility of causing drops. We haven't seen that. It's not like he's constantly open, getting a ton of targets, and just not catching it.

 

[Maroney=Sped]

Blache Hands Media Duties over to Gray

Gray will handle Blache's previous media duties, a Redskins spokesman said, but Gray did not confirm that while speaking with reporters. "Ah, who knows?" Gray said. "We'll see."

Holy crap. How much longer before there is a Redskins logo next the word "dysfunctional" in the dictionary?

The 'Skins sure put the "fun" in dysfunctional.

 

[fatness]

Apparently being out of football for 4-5 years is a real plus. Who knew?

Lewis said when he arrived in town Tuesday evening, he immediately met with Cerrato and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. He said they told him they wanted a "fresh set of eyes," someone familiar with the West Coast offense. They apparently liked the fact that Lewis has been out of coaching for 4 1/2 years because someone "who hasn't been around this particular offense that recently might have a different perspective on things, might see things that maybe if you're up close, you might miss," Lewis said.

link

 

[fatness]

Blache Hands Media Duties over to Gray

A week after throwing himself "under the bus" for the Redskins' poor performance defensively, defensive coordinator Greg Blache has informed team officials he no longer will speak with the media this season, a team spokesman said today.

I guess that ends the "promote Blache to head coach" talk.

NFL rules mandate that teams make coordinators available to the media and the Redskins said they received permission from the league to have Gray, who has served as a coordinator in his career, take over for Blache although Gray currently is not a coordinator.

Special permission! We're special!

 

[fatness]

Last week, Greg Blache said the Washington Redskins performance on defense starts with him and how he's the leader and how he would throw himself under the bus. Now he's not talking. At his regular Thursday group interview, Blache made a short statement and then handed the talking duties to secondary coach Jerry Gray.

No, seriously, he did. Just another day at the circus.

The 72-second statement by Blache, who did not explain why he's clamming up: "Feel really good about the win last week. I felt the guys rose up at a critical time, made some plays in a timely fashion because when you get down like that, a team without character is going to lay down and accept it. Teams with character are going to fight back and we had guys step up and make plays in critical situations. As we go through the season, it may come back to be that interception in the third quarter b ecomes a defining moment of our season and being the play that turns our season around. We’re very, very poroud of the young men for the way they fought back and won. Like I said, there’s no rest for the weary. We have Carolina coming up. They’ve had a week off. They have two excellent running backs. They have two first round tackles that are excellent players. They have one of the best wide receivers in the business. They have a veteran quarterback. The last time we played them, they rushed for over 300 yards against us in the preseason and we showed that to the guys. All in all, I think the guys will be ready to compete, they’ll be ready to play and from there, we’ll get ready to go. I’d like to thank you and that’s it. Thank you."

What a joke.

The NFL requires teams to make their coordinators available on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. I'm told the Redskins cleared this fiasco with the league office. Blache will also stop doing a weekly segment for News 4 and his post-game interview with Comcast. Gray will assume those duties as well.

It makes Blache look bad. The Redskins' season is going to get worse before it gets better and if the defense doesn't play well, he'll get to skirt the media and we'll be forced to ask position coaches like Gray, John Palermo, Kirk Olivadotti and Steve Jackson about the struggles.

O'Halloran

 

[fatness]

John Pappas

It is difficult to imagine that a man who is enjoying retirement would decide to take a job and move away from his family without knowing every relevant detail beyond the title and the pay. It is just as difficult to believe he would do it in just a few hours. This is a man who enjoyed a successful coaching career that spanned decades. He worked for and coached legends such as Bill Walsh, Roger Craig, and Jerry Rice. He was a part of four championship teams. He has coordinated and coached some of the best offenses the league has seen. So why would a guy like that drop everything to take an extended consult job in an instant? One where he doesn’t even know what he is supposed to do from one minute to the next? Could he not get work elsewhere?

The truth is more likely that Lewis knows exactly what he is there to do. What he is supposed to learn, and to whom he is supposed to report back. And odds are, it is not Jim Zorn.

Despite the team’s stated rationale for hiring Lewis, most believe it is a set up for a change in head coach. This theory is at least as plausible as the stories the press were told yesterday. And if a change is being considered, it is likely Lewis is aware of it, and has a formal role to play when the decision is made. The belief is that Lewis needs only a few weeks to come up to speed on the terminology and personnel. After that they say, we could see a change. In the meantime Zorn better pray for a victory this weekend in Carolina.

 

[dgreen]

I get the feeling there's a whole lot of stuff going on behind the scenes at Redskins Park. I'm wondering if this is Blache's passive aggressive reaction to something Snyder or Vinny told him to do or not do.

 

[Maroney=Sped]

I get the feeling there's a whole lot of stuff going on behind the scenes at Redskins Park. I'm wondering if this is Blache's passive aggressive reaction to something Snyder or Vinny told him to do or not do.

I don't get the idea that this is something Blache would do to himself. He's too proud, and he damn sure doesn't want to be seen as ducking the media.

 

[dgreen]

John Pappas

The belief is that Lewis needs only a few weeks to come up to speed on the terminology and personnel.

I've been thinking about this claim. Is it even reasonable to believe this? I hear that and think, "Good grief, how simple is this rinky-dink offense?" Zorn said it takes three years to learn and now Lewis (yes, he does have plenty of familiarity with the WCO) is going to come in and be able to run it after just three weeks? Doesn't make sense. Wait, it doesn't make sense? OK, then I guess that's what's going to happen.

 

[Sidewinder16]

I get the feeling there's a whole lot of stuff going on behind the scenes at Redskins Park. I'm wondering if this is Blache's passive aggressive reaction to something Snyder or Vinny told him to do or not do.

I don't get the idea that this is something Blache would do to himself. He's too proud, and he damn sure doesn't want to be seen as ducking the media.

The optimist in me hopes this is some sort of protest to management, possibly in response to the Lewis hiring or to whatever that hiring is supposed to portend, but the realist in me says to just consider it par for the course that is a screwed up organization.

 

[Marvelous]

John Pappas

It is difficult to imagine that a man who is enjoying retirement would decide to take a job and move away from his family without knowing every relevant detail beyond the title and the pay. It is just as difficult to believe he would do it in just a few hours. This is a man who enjoyed a successful coaching career that spanned decades. He worked for and coached legends such as Bill Walsh, Roger Craig, and Jerry Rice. He was a part of four championship teams. He has coordinated and coached some of the best offenses the league has seen. So why would a guy like that drop everything to take an extended consult job in an instant? One where he doesn’t even know what he is supposed to do from one minute to the next? Could he not get work elsewhere?

The truth is more likely that Lewis knows exactly what he is there to do. What he is supposed to learn, and to whom he is supposed to report back. And odds are, it is not Jim Zorn.

Despite the team’s stated rationale for hiring Lewis, most believe it is a set up for a change in head coach. This theory is at least as plausible as the stories the press were told yesterday. And if a change is being considered, it is likely Lewis is aware of it, and has a formal role to play when the decision is made. The belief is that Lewis needs only a few weeks to come up to speed on the terminology and personnel. After that they say, we could see a change. In the meantime Zorn better pray for a victory this weekend in Carolina.

Hiring Lewis to make a future coaching change is just crazy, whether Lewis becomes the HC or OC under Blatche, it is just plain crazy. Gibbs talks about offenses changing 30% year to year. Lewis has been out of football for 4 1/2 years. Futhermore, Lewis and Zorn split away from Holmgram a long time ago. You would think Holmgram has kept his offense up to date and Zorn has added to it since. So even the Redskin's West Coast Offense should be a lot different that what Lewis ran.That said, Snyder has done crazier things before, always to the team's detriment. So a coaching change is plausible.

 

[Marvelous]

Interesting thought: The Redskins are 2-2, and it looks like they are really ready to implode. I thnk that is quite a feat.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Apparently being out of football for 4-5 years is a real plus. Who knew?

Lewis said when he arrived in town Tuesday evening, he immediately met with Cerrato and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. He said they told him they wanted a "fresh set of eyes," someone familiar with the West Coast offense. They apparently liked the fact that Lewis has been out of coaching for 4 1/2 years because someone "who hasn't been around this particular offense that recently might have a different perspective on things, might see things that maybe if you're up close, you might miss," Lewis said.

link

Yes, when you're out of the NFL for 5 years and you have to be pulled away from studying the intricate X's and O's of senior's bingo, you should be primed and ready to accurately evaluate the deficiencies of the offensive scheme, staff and personnel of a 2009 NFL team.Almighty Sherman Lewis! Deliver us the magic pill to cure us of all our afflictions!

Yep, that should work.

 

[Bizkiteer]

I get the feeling there's a whole lot of stuff going on behind the scenes at Redskins Park. I'm wondering if this is Blache's passive aggressive reaction to something Snyder or Vinny told him to do or not do.

No, he's decided to finally concentrate on fixing our 3rd down %, so he doesn't have time to talk to anyone else anymore.

 

[Bizkiteer]

Nobody said that we don't entertain our players enough because it's being reported that now playing at Redskins Park & at Fed Ex Field are:

Dazed and Confused, starring Jim Zorn and Greg Blache

and for the second showing...

Dumb and Dumber, starring Daniel Snyder and Vinny Ceratto

 

[dgreen]

Interesting thought: The Redskins are 2-2, and it looks like they are really ready to implode. I thnk that is quite a feat.

Hey, they were 7-6 and in playoff position when Snyder fired Norv.

 

[DCThunder]

Larry Weissman was on with Andy and Czabe yesterday, and while he now works for the Redskins, he still is a pretty straight shooter. He said that the terminology and basic formations wouldn't be all that difficult for Lewis to pick up quickly as they are probably pretty much the same as what he was familiar with. What will take him some time to learn are what the players on the team do well and don't do well. (Of course he can figure out that Kelly, Thomas and Sleepy Davis are total bozos VERY quickly).

So we've got 3 weeks until the bye with Carolina, KC and Philly on Monday night as the three games. That would give everyone 3 weeks to get this thing learned and lined up and then Zorn gets executed at midfield at halftime of MNF and somebody takes over from there.

Czabe also asked an interesting question: Suppose the Redskins lost all 2 of 3 games, but scored in the 30s doing so. The offense would be picking up, but they'd still be 3-4. Would Danny pull the trigger then?

 

[Marvelous]

Interesting thought: The Redskins are 2-2, and it looks like they are really ready to implode. I thnk that is quite a feat.

Hey, they were 7-6 and in playoff position when Snyder fired Norv.

Firing Norv was probably the absolute stupidest move Snyder ever made. Firing a coach while they are still in playoff contention made no sense at all.

 

[Maroney=Sped]

Interesting thought: The Redskins are 2-2, and it looks like they are really ready to implode. I thnk that is quite a feat.

Hard to remember this at times, ain't it? I can't imagine what things would be like if they were 0-4.

 

[Bizkiteer]

BIZKITEER ALERT! Do not click this link! (I dropped a "BS" on his league message board and he was shaken up pretty bad)

Using the words BS is not foreign to me as I'm ex-military, but when a person uses it to say that you just lied to them and you didn't is different. Not the words used, but the accusation is what was wrong about it. LOL, one should know what they are talking about before they open their mouth. Go sell crazy elsewhere, we're all stocked up here!

crazy is our military "not askin'" and you "not tellin'"

...or crazy is the lowest score record you set in the league with 69.5 pts (avg 6.95 pts per starter).

 

[Bizkiteer]

Larry Weissman was on with Andy and Czabe yesterday, and while he now works for the Redskins, he still is a pretty straight shooter. He said that the terminology and basic formations wouldn't be all that difficult for Lewis to pick up quickly as they are probably pretty much the same as what he was familiar with. What will take him some time to learn are what the players on the team do well and don't do well. (Of course he can figure out that Kelly, Thomas and Sleepy Davis are total bozos VERY quickly).

So we've got 3 weeks until the bye with Carolina, KC and Philly on Monday night as the three games. That would give everyone 3 weeks to get this thing learned and lined up and then Zorn gets executed at midfield at halftime of MNF and somebody takes over from there.

Czabe also asked an interesting question: Suppose the Redskins lost all 2 of 3 games, but scored in the 30s doing so. The offense would be picking up, but they'd still be 3-4. Would Danny pull the trigger then?

Stupid question, not interesting in the least bit. The reason why a 2-2 record has all the feeling of an 0-4 record is that we barely won the two games had they not been against the 2 of the worst teams in the NFL...we wouldn't have won them. In his example, the despair would not be setting in because we'd actually look like we could beat someone other than the bottom feeder teams in the NFL. Matter of fact, one could argue that any of the top 5 College teams could give us more than we could handle at this point. So, I think it's a stupid question, but that's just my opinion.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Nobody said that we don't entertain our players enough because it's being reported that now playing at Redskins Park & at Fed Ex Field are:

Dazed and Confused, starring Jim Zorn and Greg Blache

and for the second showing...

Dumb and Dumber, starring Daniel Snyder and Vinny Ceratto

Tomorrow's feature presentation:http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsb...rss=dcsportsbog

 

[sinatravolta]

Czabe also asked an interesting question: Suppose the Redskins lost all 2 of 3 games, but scored in the 30s doing so. The offense would be picking up, but they'd still be 3-4. Would Danny pull the trigger then?

Stupid question, not interesting in the least bit. The reason why a 2-2 record has all the feeling of an 0-4 record is that we barely won the two games had they not been against the 2 of the worst teams in the NFL...we wouldn't have won them. In his example, the despair would not be setting in because we'd actually look like we could beat someone other than the bottom feeder teams in the NFL. Matter of fact, one could argue that any of the top 5 College teams could give us more than we could handle at this point. So, I think it's a stupid question, but that's just my opinion.

Yeah - I agree it's a silly question. I seriously doubt the next 3 games are going to goanthers 35, Redskins 31

Redskins 34, Chiefs 20

Eagles 38, Redskins 30

More likely:

Panthers 20, Redskins 13

Redskins 17, Chiefs 13

Eagles 31, Redskins 17

 

[Bizkiteer]

More likelyanthers 20, Redskins 13Redskins 17, Chiefs 13Eagles 31, Redskins 17

I think this is more likely...Panthers 27, Redskins 13Redskins 17, Chiefs 24Eagles 34, Redskins 16

 

[fatness]

Tomorrow's feature presentation:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsb...rss=dcsportsbog

That's excellent.

 

[fatness]

Czabe also asked an interesting question: Suppose the Redskins lost all 2 of 3 games, but scored in the 30s doing so. The offense would be picking up, but they'd still be 3-4. Would Danny pull the trigger then?

That's not going to happen.

 

[fatness]

Snyder's Redskin coverage monopoly isn't going so well:

After three months of head-to-head yakking, Dan Snyder-owned ESPN 980 and CBS-owned WJFK-FM have failed to take much ground from the other among local listeners. Overall, in fact, both stations are almost exactly where they stood before WJFK (aka "106.7-The Fan") switched from general guy-talk to an all-sports talk format in July.

According to new figures from Arbitron Inc., the two stations were in a dead heat among all listeners, morning till night, over the past three months. WJFK captured an average of 1.9 percent of the listening audience--the same as ESPN 980 (AM). The two stations finished tied for 19th among all stations.

Among the 25-to-54 year old audience that radio advertisers target, neither station has budged much. WJFK had a 2.9 share (tied for 16th) back in June; in September, it had...a 2.9 share (16th). Similarly, ESPN 980 attracted a 2.6 percent slice of the audience in June (ranking 18th); in September, it stood at 2.3 percent (again 18th). If you really want to get nerdy, however, look at the stations' demographics. WJFK's program director, Chris Kinard, says his outfit is winning among adult men, the prime prime audience target. Kinard says WJFK is winning in that category--including Mike Wise and LaVar Arrington's shows against Tony Kornheiser's and Kevin Sheehan's in middays--during every part of the day. Big exception: ESPN 980 is way ahead on weekends, when it broadcasts Redskins games.

Dan Steinberg

 

[fatness]

After practice, Zorn cited "personal reasons" for Blache's decision. Blache still plans to perform all his other duties.

"For Greg, he's really needed a break," Zorn said. "And so, from his standpoint, we talked about it. It's something that is important and he's doing it for the right reasons.

"But it is a needed break for him, and so that's why I've allowed it. And I haven't just allowed it, we've really gotten it OK'd through the league, because we know what the ramifications are of him not talking. But I will tell you this: Jerry Gray will do an excellent job speaking the same language that Greg did."

But when asked whether he would handle questions about the defense for the remainder of the season, Gray said, "Ah, who knows? We'll see."

Jason Reid

 

[fatness]

OK, here's my very simple theory on why Blache stopped talking to the press:

He quit.

In an effort to get him to stay (and not have the defensive players feel cast adrift), they offered to lighten his load. Not having to deal with the press lightens it considerably; now all he has to deal with are the players and coaches. So he stayed.

 

[MikeApf]

After practice, Zorn cited "personal reasons" for Blache's decision. Blache still plans to perform all his other duties.

"For Greg, he's really needed a break," Zorn said. "And so, from his standpoint, we talked about it. It's something that is important and he's doing it for the right reasons.

"But it is a needed break for him, and so that's why I've allowed it. And I haven't just allowed it, we've really gotten it OK'd through the league, because we know what the ramifications are of him not talking. But I will tell you this: Jerry Gray will do an excellent job speaking the same language that Greg did."

But when asked whether he would handle questions about the defense for the remainder of the season, Gray said, "Ah, who knows? We'll see."

Jason Reid

Honestly, is there a stranger franchise in all of sports than the 2009 Washington Redskins? I have followed this team since the days of George Allen and Billy Kilmer and have never seen a season so strange as this one. It almost seems like Daniel Snyder is coming apart at the seams. Every week brings some new sense of panic, confusion and pandemonium. I really feel sorry for the players. I know they haven't performed as world beaters, but guys like Campbell really are trying to get this team moving in the right direction and that's got to be hard to do with this three ring circus going on...

M

M

 

[Bizkiteer]

OK, here's my very simple theory on why Blache stopped talking to the press:He quit.In an effort to get him to stay (and not have the defensive players feel cast adrift), they offered to lighten his load. Not having to deal with the press lightens it considerably; now all he has to deal with are the players and coaches. So he stayed.

Hey the good news is that all the defensive players now have an excuse to pass off their responsibilities to other players too...they can just point to their main man Blache as their role model!

 

[NMYMND]

Listening to parts of both radio stations, and they are both throwing the word "dysfunctional" around a lot in the wake of the events this week. I understand it from WJFK, which is positioning itself as the station not under control of the owner and more willing to talk frankly about the team. It's more surprising coming from the guys at the Snyder-owned station, who I think have been pretty tempered in their comments to date. But after Thursday, I have to think Synder's fragile ego is contemplating some changes at the station so he can "better control" the message.

 

[nittanylion]

I have an acquaintance who is a Professional Bettor, who operates an Analysis/Picks Service...his weekly Picks are publicly documented, and he's very accurate (55-62.5% over the last several Seasons, which, it might surprise folks, is considered a solid Winning Percentage in betting circles).

So far on the Season, he's 16-10, 3 straight 5-2 Weeks, after going 1-4 Week One.

Only a few Best Bets this week, one of which is...

...the Panthers.

Here's his Analysis, for your viewing pleasure:

CAROLINA -3.5 Washington 37.5

Carolina comes off a bye week seeking their first win of the year. Washington scraped by TB last week but wasn’t very impressive in doing so. They were out rushed 4.3ypr to 3.6ypr but out passed TB 6.1yps to 4.0yps and out gained TB 4.6yppl to 4.2yppl. Take away a 59 yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss and they averaged just 3.9yps and 3.7yppl. Carolina has been far from impressive this year, averaging just 4.9yps against 6.1yps and 4.7yppl against 5.4yppl. They allow 5.4ypr against 4.8ypr but just 5.8yps against 6.7yps and 5.6yppl against 5.9yppl. The Redskins average just 3.9ypr against 4.8ypr and 5.5yppl against 5.7yppl. The defense allows 5.0yppl against 4.9yppl. Carolina qualifies in my turnover table, which is 396-252-22. Numbers favor Carolina by two points before accounting for the situation. They also predict about 25 points. Washington has played two road games this year. They lost by six at NY against the Giants but got a late score to make that game closer than it was. They lost at Detroit by five points. They also struggled to win by two and three points at home against St. Louis and Tampa Bay, two of the worse teams in the league. If Carolina was ever going to get a win, this is the time to do it. They’ve had a bye week to prepare and looked much better in their loss at Dallas the week before the bye. Washington has scored more than 17 points in just one of their last nine games. CAROLINA 20 WASHINGTON 10

This section absolutely makes me sick, because it's just the bare facts with no bias involved:

They lost by six at NY against the Giants but got a late score to make that game closer than it was. They lost at Detroit by five points. They also struggled to win by two and three points at home against St. Louis and Tampa Bay, two of the worse teams in the league. If Carolina was ever going to get a win, this is the time to do it.

This is our Team.

 

[Sidewinder16]

This section absolutely makes me sick, because it's just the bare facts with no bias involved:

They lost by six at NY against the Giants but got a late score to make that game closer than it was. They lost at Detroit by five points. They also struggled to win by two and three points at home against St. Louis and Tampa Bay, two of the worse teams in the league. If Carolina was ever going to get a win, this is the time to do it.

This is our Team.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. If we're talking facts, let's make sure we have all the facts. Fact: Sherman Lewis is now on staff. I don't see that in his analysis.:championship:

 

[Bizkiteer]

This section absolutely makes me sick, because it's just the bare facts with no bias involved:

They lost by six at NY against the Giants but got a late score to make that game closer than it was. They lost at Detroit by five points. They also struggled to win by two and three points at home against St. Louis and Tampa Bay, two of the worse teams in the league. If Carolina was ever going to get a win, this is the time to do it.

This is our Team.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. If we're talking facts, let's make sure we have all the facts. Fact: Sherman Lewis is now on staff. I don't see that in his analysis.:championship:

Had he taken that into consideration....then the score would have been 20 to 13 and not 20 to 10.

 

[sinatravolta]

I think Carolina will win - and they just had a bye and that probably helped - but let's not forget they don't exactly have a beautiful start to the season themselves:

Eagles 38, Panthers 10

Falcons 28, Panthers 20

Cowboys 21, Panthers 7

I'm pissed at the Redskins start but I think people tend to forget that the margin between good and bad in this league is often small. Panthers were 12-4 last year but 0-3 this year. Titans were 13-3 and are now 0-4. Neither team changed much. I think there's been a little overreaction to the Redskins bad start. We were 8-8 last year; we're 2-2 so far this year. Yes the games so far have been really ugly despite playing 3 bad teams - but there are teams who would appear to have fallen farther than us so far. Yes I'd love to be a team that beats bad teams easily - but is it really such a crazy under-performance that we haven't done that?

 

[Marvelous]

If Carolina was ever going to get a win, this is the time to do it.

This is what every winless team thinks about the Redskins. I find it fascinating that thorugh five weeks of the season, every Redskin opponent is winless.

 

[Marvelous]

From PFT, who is citing Jason Reid:

Portis, Sellers have "heated verbal exchange"Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on October 9, 2009 12:08 PM ETThe Redskins running game has struggled all year, and frustration is beginning to boil over.Clinton Portis and his fullback Mike Sellers reportedly had to be separated and restrained during a verbal altercation earlier this week at the Redskins team facility.According to Jason Reid of the Washington Post, Sellers confronted Portis after hearing that Portis requested that Sellers be replaced during Washington's win over Tampa.Sellers is in his sixth season with Washington and the problems apparently stemmed from a failed fourth-and-goal play against the Lions in which Sellers blew his assignment. Portis reportedly asked the coaching staff for blocking tight end Todd Yoder to replace Sellers during the Bucs game.Reid references a source that no punches were exchanged and it was just a case of "players blowing off steam." That may very be true to an extent, and we understand that things can get heated between co-workers, especially during a game. But this incident happened a day after the game, and it's more than just a receiver wanting a ball more from his quarterback.Portis reportedly wanted Sellers benched. That's threatening a man's livelihood, and ultimately his wallet. It's also a man whose job it is to sacrifice his body to make Portis' life easier. That kind of slight has to be difficult to swallow, especially now that both players will be asked about it in the coming days and weeks.

 

[dgreen]

...but is it really such a crazy under-performance that we haven't done that?

I think the outrage is because we now realize this may not be under-performance. It may just be that they're bad.

 

[dgreen]

Here's Reid's post about it:

Sources Confirm Portis-Sellers IncidentJust got off the phone with multiple league sources who confirmed that running back Clinton Portis and fullback Mike Sellers had a heated verbal exchange earlier this week over Portis's frustration about Sellers's blocking this season.No punches were thrown during the argument - which occurred Monday at Redskins Park and was first reported late Thursday night by WRC (Channel 4) sports reporter and anchor Dan Hellie - but the players had to be separated and restrained, the sources said. From what we're hearing, Sellers confronted Portis at the complex after learning Portis requested to have Sellers removed from the game during Sunday's 16-13 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedEx Field.While speaking with coaches, Portis requested to have blocking tight end Todd Yoder take Sellers's place in the backfield against the Buccaneers. Apparently, Portis's frustration stemmed for the ill-fated fourth-and-goal play in the 19-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on which Sellers failed to execute his blocking assignment, Portis failed to score and Detroit took over on downs.In a text message to a reporter, one source emphasized no punches were exchanged, and he played down the argument as players "simply letting off some steam." But the Sellers-Portis incident underscores the tension at the complex during a week in which owner Daniel Snyder hired an offensive consultant, Sherman Lewis, because of his dissatisfaction with the poor point production of Coach Jim Zorn's version of the West Coast offense, and in which defensive coordinator Greg Blache, a week after emphasizing the need for personal accountability, informed team officials he no longer would answer questions from reporters - a mandated duty under NFL rules for all coordinators.The Redskins (2-2) face the Carolina Panthers (0-3) on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.

 

[Marvelous]

This section absolutely makes me sick, because it's just the bare facts with no bias involved:

They lost by six at NY against the Giants but got a late score to make that game closer than it was. They lost at Detroit by five points. They also struggled to win by two and three points at home against St. Louis and Tampa Bay, two of the worse teams in the league. If Carolina was ever going to get a win, this is the time to do it.

This is our Team.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. If we're talking facts, let's make sure we have all the facts. Fact: Sherman Lewis is now on staff. I don't see that in his analysis.:championship:

Had he taken that into consideration....then the score would have been 20 to 13 and not 20 to 10.

There is a lot going on at Redskin Park and none of it is good. There is a chance that this team will completely fall apart.My pessimistic prediction: Carolina 24, Redskins 3

My optimistic predicition: Redskins 13, Carolina 10.

 

[Bizkiteer]

I think Carolina will win - and they just had a bye and that probably helped - but let's not forget they don't exactly have a beautiful start to the season themselves:Eagles 38, Panthers 10Falcons 28, Panthers 20Cowboys 21, Panthers 7I'm pissed at the Redskins start but I think people tend to forget that the margin between good and bad in this league is often small. Panthers were 12-4 last year but 0-3 this year. Titans were 13-3 and are now 0-4. Neither team changed much. I think there's been a little overreaction to the Redskins bad start. We were 8-8 last year; we're 2-2 so far this year. Yes the games so far have been really ugly despite playing 3 bad teams - but there are teams who would appear to have fallen farther than us so far. Yes I'd love to be a team that beats bad teams easily - but is it really such a crazy under-performance that we haven't done that?

I love the pure desire to look for the positive and agree with the part that bad & good are not that far off in this league, but...You knew a BUT was coming, right?You are comparing the 'Skins with the Titans? It's not the record that has 'Skins nation in an up roar, it's how they've played. Yes, we'd be 0-4 too if we hadn't played two of the WORST teams in the NFL. The Titans on the other hand have played some of the better teams in the NFL and only lost by a marginal score...PITT vs TEN 13-10 LHOU vs TEN 34-31 LNYJ vs TEN 24-17 LJAX vs TEN 37-17 LThe JAX game was the only game that one could say...UH OH too, as the other teams are legit and TEN only lost by a combined 13 pts for 3 games. Mind you NYJ has been shutting people down this season and PITT actually played w/ Troy Polwhatchamamma at Safety.Again, love the diehard fan in you trying to find the silver lining, but comparing the two is not the same for me. We'll also see how bad CAR is when they play us...if I were a bettin' man, I'd say we are going to make CAR look good and we will cure their funk.

 

[PantherPower]

I think Sellers is an ####, so I support Portis 100% Guy missed his block, he's dropped some passes, why not give Yoder a try?

 

[Bizkiteer]

I think Sellers is an ####, so I support Portis 100% Guy missed his block, he's dropped some passes, why not give Yoder a try?

We wish this was our only problem, but there a lot more issues to deal with than the starting RB wanting his FB replaced. We could only wish is were that easy, but it's just another item on a long list. So, basically it can get in line and wait it's turn.

 

[sinatravolta]

I think Carolina will win - and they just had a bye and that probably helped - but let's not forget they don't exactly have a beautiful start to the season themselves:Eagles 38, Panthers 10Falcons 28, Panthers 20Cowboys 21, Panthers 7I'm pissed at the Redskins start but I think people tend to forget that the margin between good and bad in this league is often small. Panthers were 12-4 last year but 0-3 this year. Titans were 13-3 and are now 0-4. Neither team changed much. I think there's been a little overreaction to the Redskins bad start. We were 8-8 last year; we're 2-2 so far this year. Yes the games so far have been really ugly despite playing 3 bad teams - but there are teams who would appear to have fallen farther than us so far. Yes I'd love to be a team that beats bad teams easily - but is it really such a crazy under-performance that we haven't done that?

I love the pure desire to look for the positive and agree with the part that bad & good are not that far off in this league, but...You knew a BUT was coming, right?You are comparing the 'Skins with the Titans? It's not the record that has 'Skins nation in an up roar, it's how they've played. Yes, we'd be 0-4 too if we hadn't played two of the WORST teams in the NFL. The Titans on the other hand have played some of the better teams in the NFL and only lost by a marginal score...PITT vs TEN 13-10 LHOU vs TEN 34-31 LNYJ vs TEN 24-17 LJAX vs TEN 37-17 LThe JAX game was the only game that one could say...UH OH too, as the other teams are legit and TEN only lost by a combined 13 pts for 3 games. Mind you NYJ has been shutting people down this season and PITT actually played w/ Troy Polwhatchamamma at Safety.Again, love the diehard fan in you trying to find the silver lining, but comparing the two is not the same for me. We'll also see how bad CAR is when they play us...if I were a bettin' man, I'd say we are going to make CAR look good and we will cure their funk.

I guess what I'm saying is not that we're better than Tenn. or even Carolina - but why is everyone in an uproar because we're 2-2 when we were 8-8 last year? Yes - we should have won those 2 games by more - but we haven't been winning games convincingly in years. To me - it's that frustration that is kicking in from so many years of this. But I think it was misguided to think we were going to start the year clicking. Yes - Tenn played better teams than us - but to some extent those teams may be overrated too. Pitt is 2-2 including this win in OT over Tenn. Houston got killed in Week 1 by the Jets. Yes, Jets D looks good - but their O isn't all that as shown last week by NO - who now everyone is claiming has a great D because of Gregg Williams - and acting like it's genius to blitz the rookie QB. Jax is mediocre. And the point isn't that we're better or worse than Tenn - it's that Tenn has already lost more games than last year! We are on the exact same pace as last year. And yet we're acting like we've disappointed more than any other team in the league.

 

[dgreen]

More on Portis vs. Sellers:

Portis Isn't Winning Any Fans Among TeammatesI just received a few more texts and calls from league sources about the Mike Sellers-Clinton Portis incident, and this is not good for the Redskins.Some people in the locker room wouldn't have been too upset if Sellers had landed a couple of blows (no punches were thrown), because Portis's act has worn real thin with some of his teammates, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. His teammates long ago accepted that Portis holds himself to a different standard and often has simply chosen not to practice, and that Portis's chummy relationship, at least in prior seasons, with owner Daniel Snyder is what it is.But for Portis to actually go to coaches to request/demand that a teammate be removed from a game? As word emerged about Portis's effort to essentially have Sellers demoted during Sunday's16-13 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, many players were upset that Portis even felt emboldened enough to attempt to make such a play.But, really, why should they have been surprised? In an excellent piece on Portis written by my guy, Barry Svrluga, back in August Vinny Cerrato, Washington's executive vice president of football operations, said former coach Joe Gibbs referred to Portis as an assistant general manager. On Wednesday, Potis jokingly said he got "fired. They released me from that duty. Right now, I'm just a part-time running back."To be sure, Portis has been a productive player throughout his career with the Denver Broncos and the Redskins. He hasn't attained the type of superstar level, however, that leads some players to set themselves apart from their teammates, sources said. Portis had played through pain, runs hard in games and has been effective in blitz pick-up -- but so what? All these guys have some form of pain.Middle linebacker London Fletcher also has been among the most productive players at his position in the league, and he continued to practice hard last season while dealing with various injuries. Left tackle Chris Samuels takes practice reps despite a knee problem that could eventually cut short his season. And right guard Randy Thomas also continued to apply himself during practice while dealing with, well, pain from many areas on his body until his season ended because of a triceps injury.Sellers has been an effective blocker for many years. He has opened many holes that have helped Portis become the league's highest-paid running back at the moment.Granted, Sellers did mess up on that goal-line play. He blocked the wrong guy and acknowledged he did, but no one is perfect.Apparently, though, Portis believes differently.

 

[Sidewinder16]

And yet we're acting like we've disappointed more than any other team in the league.

We aren't just any other team in the league. We're the friggin' Washington Redskins.We, the fans, are finally fed up with 75+ years of tradition and success having been pissed away for the last 10 years. We're tired of being the butt of jokes and the laughing stock of front offices around the league. We're tired of being told this team has talent and can do better and then not seeing anything to support those claims on Sundays. We're tired of supporting a broken organization that obviously has no clue how to fix itself.At this point it will take either a miraculous turnaround on the field or a change in ownership for the vast majority of fans to find hope for the future. Are either of those two scenarios even remotely likely?And that is truly disappointing. Unfortunately (or fortunately; I haven't decided yet), I'll still watch every minute of the game on Sunday and hope beyond hope.

 

[dgreen]

More on Portis vs. Sellers:

An updated blog post:

Portis Isn't Winning Any Fans Among Teammates (Updated)I just received a few more texts and calls from league sources about the Mike Sellers-Clinton Portis incident, and this is not good for the Redskins.Some people in the locker room wouldn't have been too upset if Sellers had landed a couple of blows (no punches were thrown), because Portis's act has worn real thin with some of his teammates, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. His teammates long ago accepted that Portis holds himself to a different standard and often has simply chosen not to practice, and that Portis's chummy relationship, at least in prior seasons, with owner Daniel Snyder is what it is.Through a team spokesman, Portis and Sellers declined comment.But for Portis to actually go to coaches to request/demand that a teammate be removed from a game? As word emerged about Portis's effort to essentially have Sellers demoted during Sunday's16-13 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, many players were upset that Portis even felt emboldened enough to attempt to make such a play.But, really, why should they have been surprised? In an excellent piece on Portis written by my guy, Barry Svrluga, back in August Vinny Cerrato, Washington's executive vice president of football operations, said former coach Joe Gibbs referred to Portis as an assistant general manager. On Wednesday, Potis jokingly said he got "fired. They released me from that duty. Right now, I'm just a part-time running back."Asked about the incident after practice, Zorn played down the argument."These guys love each other. They absolutely love each other," Zorn said. "This is just how a team goes. I thought it was great. There's no fisticuffs. There's no shoving and pushing. These guys just, you know, ah, 'You didn't say hi to me.' 'No, you didn't say hi to me.' You know? I don't know really what the discussion was."In reality it's just a lot of nudging and posturing. It's just something that goes on. These guys are like brothers. And they care about each other. Seriously, it's not an issue."Zorn was asked whether the events of the week at Redskins Park -- which in addition to the Sellers-Portis incident also included the hiring of a consultant, Sherman Lewis, to help Zorn on offense and the decision of defensive coordinator Greg Blache to reduce his involvement wit the media -- have created a perception that things aren't going so well."Only if you [reporters] create that perception," Zorn said. "There's nothing in our locker room that would cite that:"To be sure, Portis has been a productive player throughout his career with the Denver Broncos and the Redskins. He hasn't attained the type of superstar level, however, that leads some players to set themselves apart from their teammates, sources said. Portis had played through pain, runs hard in games and has been effective in blitz pick-up -- but so what? All these guys have some form of pain.Middle linebacker London Fletcher also has been among the most productive players at his position in the league, and he continued to practice hard last season while dealing with various injuries. Left tackle Chris Samuels takes practice reps despite a knee problem that could eventually cut short his season. And right guard Randy Thomas also continued to apply himself during practice while dealing with, well, pain from many areas on his body until his season ended because of a triceps injury.Sellers has been an effective blocker for many years. He has opened many holes that have helped Portis become the league's highest-paid running back at the moment.Granted, Sellers did mess up on that goal-line play. He blocked the wrong guy and acknowledged he did, but no one is perfect.Apparently, though, Portis believes differently.

 

[dgreen]

Hunter won't play this week.

 

[Sidewinder16]

...but is it really such a crazy under-performance that we haven't done that?

I think the outrage is because we now realize this may not be under-performance. It may just be that they're bad.

To hammer home this point a little more, a winless team who has scored fewer points per game than the 2-and-2 Redskins and has allowed more points per game than the 2-and-2 Redskins is favored over the 2-and-2 Redskins.It isn't just disgruntled Redskins fans starting to realize this.