thread of reason

Now that I've cooled down, I think that the Offense needs to click. D gets tired after a while if they're on the field all day. I think once the O begins to click, we are going to be a very dangerous team.

I agree with you. While I too am disappointed in the start of our season, this "doom and gloom" almost rivals my Yankees Fan Board I belong too. Only they vent like this after each of the 61 losses the Yanks had this year. Many people are turning into "mini-Steinbrenners" here. Now is not the time to cut, bench, fire, trade, maim, kill, or destroy anyone on our team just yet.

Only cool heads allowed to post here.

No posts about Ramsey needs to start, Portis is a bust, the playcalling stinks, the ref in the booth needs to be fired, cut this guy, cut that guy, etc.

Call me crazy but I don't think we're far from turning this thing around. I think guys are pressing a bit right now. They're not 100% comfortable in the offensive system and they're thinking too much about assignments/responsibilities and not just playing football.

The first quarter of the season is over and I know 1-3 isn't pretty, but, we still have 3/4 of the season to go. If we can improve just one game per quarter we can finish still finish 10-6. There's still alot of ball to be played, and alot of room for improvement.

Cutting or benching guys and flip flopping starting QB's isn't the answer and Gibbs isn't going to panic and pull crap like this, so let's just forget about that nonsense and worry about the team mastering the system and improving the best they can week to week.

Charles Mann brought up something very interesting in the post game show today.

He said that in all his years under Gibbs, they NEVER lost to the TB Bucs. The Bucs were terrible, but before every game against them, JG would talk to his team about how the Bucs weren't that bad and that they could be beaten by them. He said that they won all those games because every player on that team believed 100% in Gibbs and didn't believe the Bucs were a pushover. He said the guys went out there and gave 100% and PLAYED FOOTBALL. He then went on to say that this team is not believing 100% in JG yet and that they need to go out there and just do their jobs and play football. He said that the players who don't believe ('prima donas', I think he said) will be shipped out and that the ones that stay will become a great team.

Just some calm words for this calm thread. :)

You all say that it's not time to panic. I say, when is? 1-4, 1-5? They're going to lose to the Ravens if they play anything like this. I don't think we'll get any better on a Ray Lewis lead team. So, please, enlighten me. When can we finally realize that Brunell has lost it? There's a reason he doesn't start in Jacksonville anymore...the same reason he shouldn't start here.

You all say that it's not time to panic. I say, when is? When can we finally realize that Brunell has lost it?

Panic when Joe Gibbs decides that he wasn't cut out to coach....(not gonna happen!) Even if this season doesn't turn out to be the magic season of standards that all the critics say Gibbs has to reach in order to avoid being labeled "washed up" as a coach doesn't mean that Gibbs' return was in vein. If anything I've learned is a Redskins team coached by Joe Gibbs is a team that doesn't panic; a team that realizes that it might have to weed out some of the players who chose not to believe in the system to get the right players that want to be Redskins. Were you old enough to remember the season we had after we destroyed the Broncos in the SB? We went what....7-9? The next two years we went to 10-6 and the following year we were in the SB. Once Gibbs gets the right players (which I think there are some missing links) the skins will be back.

On the topic of Brunell..I saw nothing of his performance today that indicated that he's lost it. WRs and tightends (namely Walter Rasby) dropped catchable passes or couldn't get open. I mean if putting in Santa Ramsey will help matters then by all means...but he's not ready yet..

Matty tried to set the tone for this thread which was let us reason together. But some of our fellow members aren't haven't it.

Does letting us reason together mean I accept your view?

It's time to panic mid way through NEXT SEASON if things are still not working. I'm serious. This is what an 8-8/7-9, readjusting to the coaches, players, NFL-type season looks like. And, as was pointed out, the losses were by 6, 3, and 4 points. It sucks. I hate it. But that's how it is right now.

As for Brunnel, he plays until Ramsey is ready. And Gibbs decides when that is. The offense isn't clicking, but Brunnel didn't put the ball on the ground; Portis and Coles did. Remember, Ramsey threw three absolutely lame INTs in the 1-1/2 QUARTERS he was out there last time. I say give Brunnell gets until the bye week to turn it around.

The o-line is a work in progress. Did they give up any sacks this week (I don't remember, maybe there was 1?). Against Dallas, there were 5. So that's better. Look, it's not just empty talk that it takes time to get an o-line working together. ANd it takes time for an RB and a line to get going. Since the o-line is the heart of a Gibbs team, until they work it out, it's not going to be pretty. We should still have won these games. But let's not break up the team!

The time management stuff is all about learning the formations and calling the plays efficiently. Again, just the sort of stuff that takes time to learn to do right. Yeah, it kills me to see it. But it'll come. Complex offense+new personel+Gibb's getting used to play calling again= bad time outs. oy.

I'm really not trying to be argumentative. I too would like to air out my opinion. I don't knock you for having your opinion and neither should you knock me for mine.

Calling my idea crap or implying that some people just won't listen to reason isn't appropriate. I love this site and I like everyone on it. But don't shut down debate. Am I wrong for saying that much?

I like Ramsey and I think he's going to be a good QB if he sticks with Gibbs and his coaching staff, but you hit on something in your first post that I believe the coaches need to work out and not the QB. The timing of lining up the O-line. Gibbs' offense is largely based on audibles at the line and different shifts of formation. I still have the SB with Rypien and Co on tape and I could tell ya that in that SB year, the Skins shifted SO much...nowadays the team doesn't have THAT much time to shift unless it goes to no huddle ALL the time. With that said, what Gibbs might have to do is go to a more modified version of his formations --- it's a feeling out phase for Gibbs getting used to the reduced play clock. Brunell hasn't been spectacular I know..but hey..his WRs are going to have to catch the ball and hold on to it..and they are going to have to get open down field! Brunell had to throw the ball away several times because of coverage.

My experience has been think all ideas are welcome on this site. But for God's sake, some guys can't even have enough character to respect the request of the guy that started THIS ONE thread. This was supposed to be a more rational/positive thread. jdlea and the others: There are PLENTY of other threads for you to bitch and moan in. Or you could start your own.

Anyhow, todays game was very disappointing. Looks like it will take a little farther into the season than I thought for Gibbs and company to get this team (and themselves) shaped up. But I am still totally confident it will happen this season. We won't win the Super Bowl this year, and may not even make the playoffs this year. (But I still have faith we will!) It would be nice if we did, but Redskin fans need to get over this idea of annual housecleaning, and learn some patience. This is a proven staff, and they WILL bring us to the promised land!!