Commanders Post at The Warpath - View Single Post - Top 10 reasons why the Skins won't win 10 games this year

Schneed10 · 07-06-2005, 09:05 AM

10. The football gods have hated on the Skins for so long, why stop now?

I don't believe in fate or karma or gods.

9. The "upgrades" at WR are questionable at best. Moss has had one good year in the league and is fragile. Patten has been a career backup.

Agreed, questionable upgrades. But they're faster, they don't drop passes like Gardner, and they don't have bum toes. Most importantly, they WANT to be here, and won't kill team chemistry.

8. Will the so called changes to the running game be enough? I can't see Gibbs totally abandoning his beloved counter plays, and Portis never seemed to warm up to the idea of playing John Riggins. Was the Portis-Gibbs duo destined to fail from the start and a horrible mismatch of styles?

John Riggins, under Gibbs, put up the following average yards per carry figures:
1981: 3.7
1982: 3.1
1983: 3.6
1984: 3.8
1985: 3.8

Portis rushed for 3.8 yards per carry last year. I think we'd be singing Portis's praises if he just scored some TDs last year. Which is exactly why we drafted White and Broughton. Plus, Betts can run the grinding plays, Gibbs trusts him now. Portis will run the stretches and cut-backs.

7. We've heard all about Gibbs adding the shotgun, but how much will it actually be used, and what difference will it really make? He experimented with it briefly in 1984, what happens the first time a snap goes over the QB's head? Will he stick with it?

Who cares. I don't think the shotgun matters one iota. It's the quality of the QB, not the formation.

6. Casey Rabach was a productive starter for one season. Who's to say he'll mesh with a different line, coaches and system?

He's smart as a whip, my money is on him teamed up with Bugel. Might see some initial growing pains though.

5. The loss of Antonio Pierce.

Touche. This is the biggest issue facing the defense.

4. The loss of Fred Smoot.

Walt Harris is very good. I'd only be concerned about depth in the beginning of the season until Rogers is up to speed.

3. Patrick Ramsey has been inconsistent his entire career, who's to say he can improve enough to lead a playoff run? Gibbs' hand-picking of Brunell and Campbell doesn't say much for his long-term confidence in Ramsey.

In 1985 Jay Schroeder was brought in even though we had Theismann. In 1986, Doug Williams was brought in even though we had Schroeder. And in 1988, Mark Rypien was drafted even though we had Doug Williams.

Ramsey's QB rating during his starts last year was 85. A full season of that, and QB will NOT be our problem.

2. The defense played incredibly well last year, perhaps they overacheived and did it with smoke and mirrors. We still don't have a true pass rushing threat, and the loss of two key defenders could prove to be too much. What happens if poor LaVar still isn't happy?

Gregg Williams will have them playing well. He was fine last year without Lavar. He was fine without Bowen. He was fine without a pass-rushing DE of ANY kind. But the one thing he does need is great corners and a smart LB, those are the only questions facing the D.

1. While Gibbs did have a lot of difficult circumstances to overcome last year, it was disturbing how lost and out of sorts he looked at times. Dare I say he looked Spurrier-esque at times. The poor clock management, the blown replay challenges, the questionable playcalling, etc.

Gibbs definintely knows he needs to be better on certain things. I can't think of a coach who will work harder than him to make things right.

07-06-2005, 09:05 AM	#8
Schneed10 A Dude Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Newtown Square, PA Age: 46 Posts: 12,458	Re: Top 10 reasons why the Skins won't win 10 games this year 10. The football gods have hated on the Skins for so long, why stop now? I don't believe in fate or karma or gods. 9. The "upgrades" at WR are questionable at best. Moss has had one good year in the league and is fragile. Patten has been a career backup. Agreed, questionable upgrades. But they're faster, they don't drop passes like Gardner, and they don't have bum toes. Most importantly, they WANT to be here, and won't kill team chemistry. 8. Will the so called changes to the running game be enough? I can't see Gibbs totally abandoning his beloved counter plays, and Portis never seemed to warm up to the idea of playing John Riggins. Was the Portis-Gibbs duo destined to fail from the start and a horrible mismatch of styles? John Riggins, under Gibbs, put up the following average yards per carry figures: 1981: 3.7 1982: 3.1 1983: 3.6 1984: 3.8 1985: 3.8 Portis rushed for 3.8 yards per carry last year. I think we'd be singing Portis's praises if he just scored some TDs last year. Which is exactly why we drafted White and Broughton. Plus, Betts can run the grinding plays, Gibbs trusts him now. Portis will run the stretches and cut-backs. 7. We've heard all about Gibbs adding the shotgun, but how much will it actually be used, and what difference will it really make? He experimented with it briefly in 1984, what happens the first time a snap goes over the QB's head? Will he stick with it? Who cares. I don't think the shotgun matters one iota. It's the quality of the QB, not the formation. 6. Casey Rabach was a productive starter for one season. Who's to say he'll mesh with a different line, coaches and system? He's smart as a whip, my money is on him teamed up with Bugel. Might see some initial growing pains though. 5. The loss of Antonio Pierce. Touche. This is the biggest issue facing the defense. 4. The loss of Fred Smoot. Walt Harris is very good. I'd only be concerned about depth in the beginning of the season until Rogers is up to speed. 3. Patrick Ramsey has been inconsistent his entire career, who's to say he can improve enough to lead a playoff run? Gibbs' hand-picking of Brunell and Campbell doesn't say much for his long-term confidence in Ramsey. In 1985 Jay Schroeder was brought in even though we had Theismann. In 1986, Doug Williams was brought in even though we had Schroeder. And in 1988, Mark Rypien was drafted even though we had Doug Williams. Ramsey's QB rating during his starts last year was 85. A full season of that, and QB will NOT be our problem. 2. The defense played incredibly well last year, perhaps they overacheived and did it with smoke and mirrors. We still don't have a true pass rushing threat, and the loss of two key defenders could prove to be too much. What happens if poor LaVar still isn't happy? Gregg Williams will have them playing well. He was fine last year without Lavar. He was fine without Bowen. He was fine without a pass-rushing DE of ANY kind. But the one thing he does need is great corners and a smart LB, those are the only questions facing the D. 1. While Gibbs did have a lot of difficult circumstances to overcome last year, it was disturbing how lost and out of sorts he looked at times. Dare I say he looked Spurrier-esque at times. The poor clock management, the blown replay challenges, the questionable playcalling, etc. Gibbs definintely knows he needs to be better on certain things. I can't think of a coach who will work harder than him to make things right.