Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Cuts: McCants, Newberry, Smith

It blows my mind that the Skins would cut a guy like McCants, who has performed on the field in the past, compared to unknowns like Jimmy Farris and Jamin Elliott.

McCants has been hugely disappointing after a promising rookie season.

Monday, August 22, 2005

Patrick Ramsey completed some deep balls, which is promising. The three long completions to David Patten and the strike to Thrash in the Bengals game provide confidence that the game plan is indeed opening up. It would be better to see a higher completion percentage and no turnovers but one step at a time, I guess.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Ladell Betts

I've said this before but I'll say it again. The Skins would do well with Betts as their featured back. He's got the straight-ahead pound-it mentality that fits Gibbs' power running offenses. It's not that the Redskins shouldn't have traded Bailey for Portis since Bailey wasn't about to re-sign with the team anyway. But in that trade, the Skins also did lose a 2nd rounder.

If Betts were to be the #1 guy, the Skins could now dangle Portis for a talented receiver or defender in return. The only prerequisite would be that the team develop a #3 guy that can step up to be Betts' understudy in case he goes down.

Friday, August 12, 2005

TimesDispatch.com | Full speed ahead

It's interesting that Gibbs' offense was labeled as ultra-conservative. He comes from the Air Coryell family. Norv also runs an Air Coryell offense as does Mike Martz, who learned it from Norv but has since added his own wrinkles. Gibbs also tailored his offensive scheme behind a power running game with Counter Treys and Counter Gaps but it definitely still has roots in Air Coryell. His offense had the Posse (Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders) also accumulate 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. Conservative was one of the last terms I would have ever used to describe Gibbs' offense. Yet on the field last year, it really was a risk-averse playbook. The same downfield plays that used to be a staple of Gibbs' playcalled during the late 80s and early 90s were missing. It might be a function of his comfort level with his QB and the receivers at that time. With more comfort in Ramsey and the knowledge that Moss and Patten can separate, the downfield shots should be a much bigger part of the game this year.
Terrell Owens

What an unbelievable circus in Philadelphia. This is great a negative impact as Skins fans could hope for coming out of the city of brotherly love. TO has turned everything upside down along with his ridiculous agent Drew Rosenhaus. Who tries to re-negotiate after only the 1st year of a very generous deal! At this stage, it seems like a longshot that Brian Dawkins and Jeremiah Trotter (who, according to ESPN, are trying to bring together TO and the Eagles camp together) will be able to call a cease-fire. TO's attitude is ridiculous. He ought to be banished from the game. The longer he's a distraction to the Eagles, the better it is for the Redskins.

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Gibbs Apologizes for Insulting Dallas Fans

Does one, especially when that one is Joe Gibbs, really have to apologize about what is so obviously a joke and meant in good fun? Would anyone honestly think that Joe Gibbs truly believes Dallas residents are ugly people.

It's tough in this day and age when you are a public figure and everything that you say and do is scrutinized so heavily. Such is the influence of the media.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Returnees That (Hopefully) Will Make A Difference

The sad but fortunate thing about last year's team are the number of players hit by injury that lost significant time. Yet Williams was still able to cobble together a defense in his first year with relative no-names stepping up. Lemar Marshall got some good game experience. So did Garnell Wilds and players on the D-line.

The silver lining is that getting players back from injury is like a little jackpot. Arrington only played 4 games last year. What if he'd been able to play a full season? How much more of a difference could he have made? One would assume so (although Arrington's mental mistakes have also hurt them in the past). Philip Daniels was injured most of the time with pulled stomach and groin muscles. Would he have been able to help with a stronger pass rush? One would assume so. Bowen returns - he will definitely be a factor. If the Redskins can keep most of these core players, including stars from last year's squad - Shawn Springs, Marcus Washington, Cornelius Griffin, healthy, it makes for just as good a core group, if not better.

People look at the Skins' offseason acquisitions and have pretty much counted them out because of a lack of star power in terms of free-agent signings. The difference is that Gibbs will translate his one-year crash course back to the modern NFL into on the field wins. This team should finish 8-8, if not better, simply because Gibbs will have adjusted. And although the acquisitions aren't headliners, they are ones that have his stamp on them. Presumably, they are players that can come and be solid contributors. Omar Stoutmire and Prioleau add excellent secondary depth, for example.

Barrow of Laughs
Why the Skins stuck with Mike Barrow as long as they did, I will never understand. It seemed pretty clear early on that he was an over-the-hill injured player that wasn't going to make it on the field. The Skins should have released him early and focused with all their might on retaining Antonio Pierce. I'll never figure that one out.

Monday, August 01, 2005

Yahoo! Sports - NFL - Redskins' Sean Taylor expresses no regrets

I read this and shake my head. Again, I feel that Sean Taylor is a lost cause. So one half-full way to look at the situation is that any playing time that the Redskins can get out of him before he destroys his own future is now a bonus.

That said, the Skins should look to make a move in the secondary preparing for life without Sean Taylor. The return of Matt Bowen should be a big plus. Between Lott and the other young players in the secondary that stepped up while Bowen was gone, hopefully the Skins will have it covered.

Taylor really needs someone to take him under his wing and show him the right way to do things and conduct himself. Unfortunately, neither his agent Drew Rosenhaus nor Clinton Portis are the ones to do so. Even more unfortunately, those are probably the two people closest to him in his professional life.

So long Taylor, it was nice to see the flash of talent that you had. Too bad we won't enjoy it for too much longer.