Fielding a competitive team
 

*** WARNING CYNICAL PERSPECTIVE AHEAD ***

After THU's blowup how do you think our team will compete with our NFC East opponents this coming year.

Granted, only one game has passed but if you just take the overall dynamic of each team and compare them we are in NO shape to even remain competitive during each matchup.

I don't mind losing games by any stretch but the fact that we can't even hold run of the mill competition for any opponent is disconcerting. I don't know if you guys watched any games from teams in our division today but if we're going to be competitive in the face of that opposition we're going to need some unscrupulous airplane mechanics in our pocket.


If were not 1-4 by the time we cycle through the NFC East at the end of Week 5 then you won't have to hear my cynicism again this year, I won't make another post until the offseason

...but if they are

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

It's gonna be tough, in reality.

If you saw the games today, Philly and Dallas looked tough.

After 5 weeks, the Giants and the 'boyz could each be 4-1 and the eagles 3-2.

We could be lucky to be 2-3,

However, if they get the bugs out of the system by the end of the season, we could be ok against the other teams, but sub .500 for NFC east teams.

J-Dawg.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

It's practically the same team that beat the crap out of the Giants late last season. Not having Springs to lead the secondary put a big hurt on us. Zorn obviously needs a little more work with his play calling and clock management. Once he's up to speed, and he will be up to speed soon given his competitive nature, we'll be in the thick of things. We're fielding a competitive team, just not providing the best coaching for the team.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=Skinny Tee;473615]

If were not 1-4 by the time we cycle through the NFC East at the end of Week 5 then you won't have to hear my cynicism again this year, I won't make another post until the offseason

...but if they are[/quote]

We might be 0-5. Of course, then the schedule gets much nicer and there is a spot at the end which is real nice. 0-5 start is real possible but a wildcard finish from there is just as possible.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

we lost by 9 points with plenty of shots to win and failures on 3rd and 1... work the offense, a little more health (Springs, landry/taylor) and hopefully we can stop talking about blowing up the team 3 hours into the season.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

and we could possibly go 4-1 into the first 5 games.. thats why they play the game.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=Darrell_Green_28;473638]and we could possibly go 4-1 into the first 5 games.. thats why they play the game.[/quote]

Are you watching the same games that I am. I can appreciate your optimism though.

They had 8 offensive yards to 20 penalty yards late in the 2nd quarter. There were so many more negatives than positives. If you had to name a Horse Trailer Player of the Game for us it would have been a yellow flag.

I don't want to be a downer but I would like to observe some semblance of reality. A lot of what they are doing wrong is going to take months to correct.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!!

Seriously, it was 1 game! Yes, it was an awful game but it was still 1 game. Let's see what happens next week against New Orleans before we throw in the towel. I'm definitely concerned too, but I'm not going to give up on the season yet. Hell, we were 5-7 last year and made a run to the playoffs. Two years before that we were 5-6 and made a run to the playoffs then too. There are alot of the same guys on this team who know not to panic and to just keep grinding away. I'm not too sure about the playoffs but you never know. Please keep the Dallas and Philly games in perspective. Cleveland's secondary is pitiful and St. Louis had the 2nd overall pick in the draft for a reason. We didn't match up well with the Giants the other night (when do we EVER play well up there?) but it was 1 game (I think I said that already). We were the only ones playing the defending Champs at home this week. My point is we could come out firing on all cylinders next weekend and stomp the Saints a$$. If that happens, we'll have the Skins in the Superbowl and Jason Campbell in the Hall of Fame. Let's not over-react to anything negative or positive, it's really really early.

For the record, I'm on the Jason Campbell bandwagon and have been from the start. I'm not jumping off just because of 1 game (I've really got to stop repeating myself). LOL.

HAIL!!

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=Skinny Tee;473642]Are you watching the same games that I am. I can appreciate your optimism though.

They had 8 offensive yards to 20 penalty yards late in the 2nd quarter. There were so many more negatives than positives. If you had to name a Horse Trailer Player of the Game for us it would have been a yellow flag.

I don't want to be a downer but I would like to observe some semblance of reality. A lot of what they are doing wrong is going to take months to correct.[/quote]
It was one game. One game doesn't mean that much. Do you think the Falcons offense is going to be great this year just because they put up 34 points today? Do you think the Rams offense is going to be the worst in the league this year because they only put up 3 points?

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=steveo395;473663]It was one game. One game doesn't mean that much. Do you think the Falcons offense is going to be great this year just because they put up 34 points today? Do you think the Rams offense is going to be the worst in the league this year because they only put up 3 points?[/quote]

Hold up...using logic to make your point? I think it's going to fall on deaf ears. When people get to the point of "the sky is falling" there is nothing you can say to convince them to come off the ledge. If only we could persuade them to jump. ;) Metophorically of course.

for the record...your are right on the mark!

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

Who knows maybe Campbell will end up totally sucking, but I know he has already shown that he is better than how he played Thursday. A lot of his problems seemed to be from not knowing the offense that well. That is something that can be corrected, but it might take a few weeks. Also the play calling and game management were pretty bad, which is something that Zorn has to work on. The Redskins definitely have some problems, but at least they know exactly what they need to fix now.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

I have no idea what we're gonna do this year because the season is 1 week old and I have no history to go by on Zorn. If I could tell how teams are gonna do after 1 week I would place my super bowl bets right now. All I can say is I see qualities in Zorn that I like, just like the front office must have. And like SkinzzFan said, these guys have been down before and came back to make the playoffs. When NOBODY thought they would I might add. I personally can't tell yet, just like I could'nt tell that Gibbs would take us to 4 super bowls even after he completed his first year here. Speculation is speculation pure and simple. The more facts you have the easier it is to speculate and be right. There just has'nt been enough time or evidence to know right now. Because there is no penalty about having an opinion and being wrong, it's easy to say whatever you feel, and right now we all feel like crap.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

When did losing by 9 points become a blowout?

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

guess it also means the colts' season is over now

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=Darrell_Green_28;473701]guess it also means the colts' season is over now[/quote]

Yup, according to some of our fans, the following teams are done for the season after losing their first game: St. Louis (ladies and gentleman, that's a blowout), Detroit, Seattle, Jax, Miami (well they truly may be done, LOL.), Tampa Bay, Kansas City (although way to take out Brady!), Houston, Cincy, San Diego, San Franscisco, and Indianapolis.

:smashfrea

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

I get what your saying. I can see this being a tough schedule for us out of the gate, but we knew that long ago. The NFC has always been a tough division, and it's always a toss up for who's going to show up and actually play like they should. Nothing new.

However, I did watch the other games.

- The Cowboys looked like we knew they would, but it's not going to be that way every game. Someone will get pressure on that little twerp throwing the ball, and maybe he'll miss a couple of more passes. But they are a solid football team.

- The Eagles have been, and always will be a hit or miss team. They are a very capable offense, when they decide to run on all cylinders. There running game is always a threat because of BW, and you never quite know what Mcnab is going to do.

- We had the chance to shut the Giants up, and we couldn't perform like we should have. I'm sure this will be addressed all week, and we'll see a slightly better offense on Sunday. But, more importantly we'll see a slightly better coach come gameday. They are all learning together.

So, yes we can be 1-5 by the end of the cycle. But, the way this game is played nobody knows. And that gentlemen is why come Sunday, you will have your jersey's on, you will have your kids outside, and your wife shopping. So you can watch, and either cheer or b*tch at our beloved redskins.

"Not because you have to, but because you want them on that wall..... you need them on that wall"

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

We have a brutal opening schedule in the best of times (and it's clearly not the best of times, though I think the chicken little thing is over reacting).

We have all 3 of our NFC east road games in the first five weeks. That's a bitch. And we have the Saints with their high-powered offense. I'd love to get through at 2-3. If we do, we still have all our home games against the NFC east and some winnable games. And we'll have had some time to get things working.

Prepare yourselves for this, folks. We are going to have some tough times. But I sincerely believe that we are not far off and that in the NFL, momentum and confidence are incredibly important (see, for example, the Giants SB run). It's a league of parity, mostly. Look, SD and Indy lost yesterday, and NE scrapped by while losing their franchise QB. The Browns looked awful and they won 10 last year. Etc.

What I do not want is another tear down the house fire the coach throw the bums out thing. I don't think that helps.

So, sure, come to board and vent. Write up your doom-and-gloom observations and fears. I guess that's what the internet is for (besides porn). But the reality is we're a middle of the pack team with a new coach, a question mark QB (like MOST teams!), and a conspiracy-theory tough schedule in the early going. And we play in the toughest division in football where the defending SB champs look only to finish third at best. That's life as it stands now. I think we'll get it going and we'll see strides by midseason. So long as there's real progress, I'll be satisfied. Not happy, mind you. We lose, and I'm pissed for the week. But satisfied.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

Bottom line: The team just needs a win. A 21 point win or an ugly win, but a win. With 10 days between games 1-2 and at home this weekend, the team hopefully will turn the ship this weekend.

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If we can take down the Saints and Cards at home and we're sitting at 2-1, we'll all be feeling pretty damn good.

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A win changes everything. Attitudes will change, the gloom and doomers will not be seen...at least not until the next loss.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

I was as down as anyone after the Giants game. We stunk it up, no doubt about it. We didn't have 1 complete pass til late in the second. We didn't score any points in the second half. We only lost by 9points. It felt worse.

After a few days, though i've mellowed. It's just one game. Dallas looked just as good last year and we whipped them at home. We whipped the Giants on the road last year. It's a long year. Call me crazy but I think we've got a good chance to get a W this week at home. We'll see what happens.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

Last year after week one, the Lions had finally turned the corner, the Browns were destined for another 10 loss season, the Texans were a hungry, young talented team and the Giants were in for a long season..

The early season means just [b][i]slightly[/b][/i] more than the preseason. We might get off to a 1-4 or 2-3 start, which with our schedule wouldn't be a complete shocker or indictment of the team as a whole. But then we get the Rams, Browns and Lions-2 of them at home. All of the sudden 1-4 can become 4-4 and it's a whole new season..

Look, if you were delusional (like me) and thought that this was a near lock for a 10 win team, then maybe it's time to readjust your thinking and expectations. 8-8, 9-7 is possible, 10 wins if it all falls right is still a possibility. Despite what we showed on Thursday, as horrific as it seemed, we are closer to a 10-6 team than a 6-10 team. Hold off on all of the cynicism that seems intrinsic to some of you until at least mid-October.

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[quote=steveo395;473679]Who knows maybe Campbell will end up totally sucking, [B]but I know he has already shown that he is better than how he played Thursday.[/B] A lot of his problems seemed to be from not knowing the offense that well. That is something that can be corrected, but it might take a few weeks. Also the play calling and game management were pretty bad, which is something that Zorn has to work on. The Redskins definitely have some problems, but at least they know exactly what they need to fix now.[/quote]

That's a good point that hasn't been brought up enough I think.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=Skinny Tee;473615]*** WARNING CYNICAL PERSPECTIVE AHEAD ***

After THU's blowup how do you think our team will compete with our NFC East opponents this coming year.

Granted, only one game has passed but if you just take the overall dynamic of each team and compare them we are in NO shape to even remain competitive during each matchup.

I don't mind losing games by any stretch but the fact that we can't even hold run of the mill competition for any opponent is disconcerting. I don't know if you guys watched any games from teams in our division today but if we're going to be competitive in the face of that opposition we're going to need some unscrupulous airplane mechanics in our pocket.


[B]If were not 1-4 by the time we cycle through the NFC East at the end of Week 5 then you won't have to hear my cynicism again this year, I won't make another post until the offseason[/B]

...but if they are[/quote]

Alright we never have to hear from him for the rest of the year.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=steveo395;479937]Alright we never have to hear from him for the rest of the year.[/quote]

LOL. Classic!

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haha, Skinny Tee you better man up to your promise. You better be Snyder ass-kissing your way to the offseason.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=steveo395;479937]Alright we never have to hear from him for the rest of the year.[/quote]

:rofl:

When you stick your neck out, you can't be overly surprised when it gets cut off. In other words, make a dumb comment, and it will haunt you. HAHA.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=steveo395;479937]Alright we never have to hear from him for the rest of the year.[/quote]

You guys have until Week 5 when I turn that in and I will gladly hand in my posting rights if I don't have sit and watch a futile team play on Sunday.


...I'll keep posting up until Week 5 at the Eagles game after that though you won't hear from me until the offseason. I'm getting my fill in now though until these next two weeks. Hail to the Redskins!

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=Skinny Tee;480076]You guys have until Week 5 when I turn that in and I will gladly hand in my posting rights if I don't have sit and watch a futile team play on Sunday.


...I'll keep posting up until Week 5 at the Eagles game after that though you won't hear from me until the offseason. I'm getting my fill in now though until these next two weeks. Hail to the Redskins![/quote]

But we're already 2-1 so we know 1-4 can't happen.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=Mattyk72;480109]But we're already 2-1 so we know 1-4 can't happen.[/quote]

Yes, true but I also said after we cycle through the NFC East which would take place on Week 5. We won't know if we better than 1-4 if we don't at least play 5 games first.


...Outside chances still exist like having a win deducted from our record as a severe penalty for violating an NFL rule.

I know my battleship is sunk but it's not underwater yet. I'm playing as the ship goes under in Week 5. Hail to the Redskins.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

Seems pretty sunk to me. 1-4 is impossible now. Guess you might want to try on ES for size. ;)

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=Skinny Tee;480212]Yes, true but I also said after we cycle through the NFC East which would take place on Week 5. We won't know if we better than 1-4 if we don't at least play 5 games first.


...Outside chances still exist like having a win deducted from our record as a severe penalty for violating an NFL rule.

I know my battleship is sunk but it's not underwater yet. I'm playing as the ship goes under in Week 5. Hail to the Redskins.[/quote]
haha now you are pulling at straws. Fair enough though, if you do keep to you word then that is respectable.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

[quote=Mattyk72;480218]Seems pretty sunk to me. 1-4 is impossible now. Guess you might want to try on ES for size. ;)[/quote]

Nah I'm not going to ES...I'll just read until the offseason.

[quote=hooskins;480254]haha now you are pulling at straws. Fair enough though, if you do keep to you word then that is respectable.[/quote]

Well, it's just as impossible for the Skins to be 1-4 in Week 5 as it is impossible for them to be 1-4 in Week 3.


I factored that into the declaration being that the season would be 1/3 over by Week 5. BTW...offseason is defined as the start of the Redskins offseason, which may or may not be earlier than the start of the NFL's offseason post-superbowl. Hail to the Redskins!

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skinny Tee you dont have to answer if you dont want to but . . . are you a female?

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[quote=over the mountain;480274]skinny Tee you dont have to answer if you dont want to but . . . are you a female?[/quote]


nah...(...insert punchline here after my response)


go ahead...let's hear it...what'd you got for me.

Re: Fielding a competitive team
 

nothin but redskins love for ya man . . .sorry for getting off track with it.

go skins!!

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[quote=jsarno;479991]:rofl:

When you stick your neck out, you can't be overly surprised when it gets cut off. In other words, make a dumb comment, and it will haunt you. HAHA.[/quote]


Wow the kettle just called the pot black.

OH! I have to go I hear all the glass breaking at jsarno's house.