http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102001821.html

This article mentions a point that many Skins followers, myself included, thought -- going from Coles with his great work ethic to injured Moss would be a downgrade. It seemed as though their speed was probably equivalent. In reality, it's a significant difference. Moss has breakaway speed and consistently makes big plays work. Switching from Coles and Gardner to Moss and Patten seemed like a push at best. However, Moss' game-breaking ability is head and shoulders above what preceded him. Patten still has yet to prove that he was a worthy addition. As more defenses roll toward Moss, he'll get his opportunity.

Many fans who have felt hopeless with Dan Snyder running the show and recognized that he was too involved. He was the one who felt that the Skins should have drafted Santana Moss whereas Schottenheimer, who was calling all the football shots at the time, drafted Gardner instead. Now this proves that at least on this one point, Snyder was right. For fans, this may be a dangerous precedent because they don't want to see "Jerry Jones hand-picks Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchinson"-type moves.

Coles is still a good player. If he got his foot operated on and was 100%, he'd be in the upper echelon again. Imagine if the Skins had Coles and Moss (rather than Gardner).

Who would have predicted that the Skins offense would be humming along, at least yardage-wise? Who else besides Joe Gibbs looked at the offseason moves and thought that the Skins had actually upgraded? There's still a long season to go but all the parts are there to continue the ride the rest of the season. The nagging thing is the turnover battle.

Skins Bumblingly Lose to the Chiefs

Sigh. I guess it was to be expected. I already foresee a 1-2 or possibly even 0-3 stretch with NY, Philly, and TB. The turnover ratio is absolutely crippling to the team. Football analysts are singing Gregg Williams' praises and hailing the Skins defense as a playoff-caliber defense. However, without forcing any turnovers, it definitely falls short of the mark. A suffocating defense that doesn't force turnovers is simply a bend don't break defense. In this case, the Redskins defense has bent and broken. Last weekend, it was Tatum Bell with two explosive runs and Jeb Putzier with a big play down the middle. This weekend, Priest Holmes had an impressive screen-run and catch where multiple defenders grasped at air, looking pedestrian in pursuit. Where are the zone blitzes? Where are the sacks? A defense that allows less yardage but doesn't sacks nor turnovers isn't as valuable as a defense that does the opposite.

On the other side of the ball, one can only wonder how stalwart Jon Jansen, former Pro Bowler Chris Samuels, and line coach Joe Bugel let a rookie beat each of them to have a phenomenal game. He pressured, he sacked, he forced fumbles, and he recovered.

The Niners offer hope for redemption, however short. For one week, the Skins have an opportunity to get back on track and play mistake free football. They have the opportunity to start fresh and carry that over into their next three games.

The Broncos loss stung. The defense just couldn't contain Tatum Bell, who sprung open for two long TD runs. The Skins made a go of it at the end but the missed FG opportunities made all the difference. What I don't understand is why, at the end of the first half, Gibbs chose to Hail Mary it instead of giving Novak a shot from 59 yards. His leg seemed strong enough on the 54 yarder (which was wiped out by Sellers' false start).

Tomorrow's game against the Chiefs is critical. If they can win, it'll be tremendous - they'll push their record to 4-1 with the Niners the following week. They could be 5-1 and exuding confidence when they enter the roughest part of their schedule -- facing the Giants, Eagles, and Bucs. On the other hand, if they end up losing to the Chiefs and are on a downward trend, it looks like trouble. Even given a win against the 49ers (which is no guarantee in this league), they'd be 4-2 but without the confidence boost and could potentially drop three in a row and be 4-5 in a very bad-case scenario. Then they face a troubled but talented Raiders team (with a vengeful Norv) having lost 4 of their last 5. The Skins really have to be at their best and prove that they can eliminate mistakes, force turnovers, and execute in all three phases.

Arrington's Hefty Contract Limits Redskins' Options

Arrington's Hefty Contract Limits Redskins' Options

LaVar Arrington's lack of playing time is extremely disappointing. He was one of the players dedicated to the Redskins, who went out of his way to make accommodations for the team (if I'm remembering correctly) by restructuring his contract, and starred for the team when they struggled mightily. There is no doubt that he's a talented and charismatic player. The fact that he isn't getting any playing time is not only perplexing; it seems downright dismissive of Skins coaching and management.

Arrington has been known to play out of position and make mistakes in the past but by sitting him on the bench and not working with him, the Skins are wasting a perennial Pro Bowl talent who once had an incredibly bright looking future.

3-0. Fans in DC are getting excited but some of us know better. Three wins by a total of six points against mediocre to bad teams is far from impressive. It's certainly better than 0-3 but playing a good team like the Broncos is truly going to show the team what it is made of. If the Skins are able to split the 2-game road trip against the Chiefs and Broncos, there will be merit to their record.

Otherwise, playing against a hot team like the Giants or the perennial powerhouse that is the Eagles will bring them crashing back down to earth.