Holiday Musings

Winston-Salem, NC -- For the third consecutive year, I finished my holiday shopping before Christmas Eve. I've been a big fan of e-shopping, dating back to my time in DC to avoid the overcrowded malls and jammed streets. Approximately 70% of my shopping is done online, with the last bit resulting in a late run to a mall or specialty shop. I dropped in on Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem yesterday to place a bow on my Christmas shopping list -- pun intended -- and giving me a day or so to wrap up all of the gifts. Well, I looked like a mouse dodging a human broom in the mall hallways yesterday. I'm not really sure how people year after year can knock out a dozen people on their shopping list just by going to a stuffy mall. There isn't a store holding a sale or anything like that. Here's an even larger question. At this time of year with all of the holiday jargon, last minute shopping, final exams if you're in school, parties, etc. could you be "relaxing" in a Starbucks? Who are those people that sip on "tall" expressos with whipped cream, reading a book by the fake fireplace? They're probably laughing at all of us running around like turkeys to find the perfect gift for someone who will, in turn, probably trash it before the next holiday song that Dehlila plays in the following year.

*****

Good to see that The Dan hasn't lost his mind and is looking to keep some continuity in the coaching staff for 2009. If the Redskins win on Sunday, they'll be 9-7, exactly the same record as last year when they made the playoffs. Jim Zorn is a rookie head coach, so there's definitely a maturation process and a learning curve that's unavoidable with any rookie in sports, whether it be the Head Coach, QB, CB, RB, etc. I preach this notion in this space far too often: continuity breeds long term success.

Speaking of long term success in DC, I'm sure that Nationals' fans would all be excited to see a big name join the team via free agency. Other than the 1 year rental for Alfonso Soriano in 2006, the Nationals have never had a "marquee" player on the squad. Mark Teixeira definitely fits that description. However, I'm not sure that's the best option for the rebuilding Nats. No team has ever had success (defined here as a deep postseason run) with one player absorbing as much as a quarter of a team's payroll. With the Nats' payroll at $55M (in 2008) and a reported 8 year-$184M contract dangled in front of Bor-ass and Tex ($23M / year), that would spike the payroll up to $88M with Tex's contract consuming 26% of it. Sure, the willingness to spend large amounts of money is a great sign to the fans. The player that they're trying to lure is special. There would be utter outrage if this type of contract was offered to some clown like Manny Ramirez or a pitcher with a history or health issues when not in a contract year, such as A.J. Burnett, but "Tex" fits the definition of "no baggage." However, I'm not sure this signing would be the best for the Nats at this time. They are so far removed from contending. The pitching prospects in the minors are developing at their own pace. Steven Strasburg (RHP), the likely #1 pick in the '09 draft, will be an ace someday -- just not anytime soon. I believe that if Tex were to sign with the Nats, it would be detrimental to both the team and Tex. Let the Red Sox scoop him up... they'll need him to fend off the Yankees' new pitching acquisitions.

Redskins Rant

Greensboro, NC -- All of the optimism that permeated Redskins Nation during the first eight weeks of the season is all but gone. The defense has remained somewhat steady, but the offense is nothing but a farce. As the NFL season dictates, the stronger teams emerge in December because of the depth of their trenches built back in the draft, OTA's, and training camp. The problem with the Redskins year-in and year-out is their depth. As a fan, we get all excited when the Skins sign a star free agent, such as an Antwaan Randle El or an Andre Carter. We also get excited over big, splashy trades, such as the ones for Jason Taylor and Santana Moss. With high first round picks and nothing else in the draft during this decade, it speaks volumes of the problems that have persisted and will continue to exist in DC. After watching football for several years now, I've learned that it's not the star free agents that win you the tough games in December and January. It's all in the lines, both offensive and defensive. The team with the best lines is going win. When a QB, such as Eli Manning, has all week to check for the open receiver, more likely than not, the team will convert. If there's an effective pass rush, the opposing QB will be more prone to making mistakes when they're scrambling or ducking when a large lineman is flying at them. It's time to tear down this debacle and build through the draft. It was no coincidence that all seven draft picks of the 2007 NFL draft played a key role in the Giants' Super Bowl win 9 months later. Further, who has the two best lines in the league? Eli has all week to throw, while opposing QB's (see Campbell last week) are always on the run like outlaws.

Truth be told, the Randle El signing has been a bust. So has the one for Andre Carter, and Fred Smoot. The trades for Jason Taylor and Santana Moss (sans the 2005 season) have yielded less than stellar results. Special teams have been a disaster since Joe Gibbs I. It starts at the top, not with Jim Zorn because he doesn't have a say in player personnel decisions, but with Vinny. The signature on Vinny's paychecks belongs to the Dan. This President of Football Operations title nonsense/no GM/no Director of Scouting doesn't work. It's time to hire a GM who knows what he's doing. Follow the proper hierarchy chart and we might have something. The teams that have dismantled us this season have all benefitted from recently outstanding drafts: the Giants, the Steelers, and the Ravens. These hyped up expectations are fitting for September and October, but come Thanksgiving, the real team, or lack there of, shines. It's time to tear it down and REBUILD THROUGH THE DRAFT.

The Skins are Falling

Winston-Salem, NC -- As always, Monday mornings are the busiest time of the week for me. After reading the Washington Post's "JaLa's" "Redskins' Insider's" post this morning, I completely echo his sentiments. I'll have my own personal take on the Skins' dreadful performance later on tonight or tomorrow, but for now, here's an accurate description of the state of the Skins:

"It's very, very early Monday morning and we've
all seen this movie before, so I'm not going to belabor the obvious. We've
covered the issues that have been begging to be addressed -- the offensive and
defensive lines and the lack of offensive playmakers. Responsibility for those
deficiencies starts at the very top of the organization and rests with Daniel
Snyder and Vinny Cerrato. But in the loss to the Ravens, there again was a
failure of scheme and far too few players looked to be up to the task of
competing against a more physical opponent.
This stretch of four losses in
five games should be enough to open management's eyes as to what ails this team
and one would think it would make their self-scouting pretty simple. Playing top
opponents is a good gauge of where a team stands and losses to the Steelers,
Cowboys, Giants and Ravens show that there is a wide chasm between the Redskins
offense and what it would take to beat good teams on a weekly basis --
especially in the playoffs.
The Redskins aren't close. The offensive and defensive
lines are collapsing again. It's time to rebuild and that can't be put off
another year. The front office can't kid itself that the team is just an Ocho
Stinko or a Lance Briggs away. The Redskins' starting offense was healthier than
any in the NFL through 12½ weeks -- losing just one real man game to injury --
so don't let the latest Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen injuries convince you it's
just a matter of guys getting nicked up. That's football. And the results speak
for themselves.
If Chris Samuels is lost for the season -- and I got the
sense in the locker room that that is a very real possibility -- the Redskins
might not win another game this season.
Running back Clinton Portis seemed
perturbed by his lack of playing time, and rookie coach Jim Coach Zorn suddenly
finds himself in the middle of a maelstrom. Perhaps those who believed all along
that he was wearing too many hats are right. Perhaps those who believed he was
he was being put into a position to fail are right. Whatever happens to be the
case, this offense is indeed failing.
Beyond personnel, the decision to use
Mike Sellers as the third-down pass protector over Portis, banged up or not, was
stunning. Putting Justin Geigsinger at left tackle with no help from a tight end
against Terrell Suggs was stupefying, even for one play. Not running more two
tight-end sets with Geisinger and Stephon Heyer as your tackles was a major
surprise. Not opting to go no-huddle in the third quarter, not rolling Jason
Campbell out more, not going to the screen-pass game before the end of the first
half was odd.
(As an aside, Santana Moss seems to be shriveling up. Fabian
Washington doing such a great job even when playing press-man on Moss a lot of
the time, with no help, was a big factor. Campbell tried to go to him when
possible in those alignments and Washington was there stride for stride,
breaking up plays.)
This has always been a very good locker room -- like an
organizational hierarchy, the best rooms flow from the top down with ego-free
stars setting the tone -- but it's now Year 5 of the defense carrying the
offense and the paltry scoring output is resembling 2004. Even when the team is
handed a 26-yard field, it's a struggle to move the ball. And Zorn doesn't have
the kind of coaching resume that's going to make anyone do a double-take or give
him the benefit of the doubt, as they did with Joe Gibbs. He also doesn't have
the 2005 Redskins offensive line (largely the same guys; but different bodies at
different stages of their career). The offense can't handle big, aggressive
defenses that punch teams in the mouth with the blitz, and that's hardly a shock
when you look at how they were constructed.
There was no real imagination in
the scheme, no cute stuff for Antwaan Randle El, no surprises. On the other side
of the field, Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron did exactly what I
expected -- he concocted about three huge trick plays to overcome his sizeable
offensive limitations. The four-and-one quick-drop screen that looked like a
quarterback keeper, the misdirection fake to Todd Heap and the reverse for Mark
Clayton on that final drive were huge plays. They're exactly what is missing
here. (Setting up the play action and attacking Carlos Rogers with the double
move for that final TD was excellently timed as well - more on that drive
later.)
The defense played admirably, but Joe Flacco was dying to give this
game away and the Redskins defense just wouldn't take it. The kid looked nervous
for the first time in months. With his passes sailing, he was making poor reads
and seemed ready to implode. He might have if only there had been even a tiny
pass rush to go "boo" in his face a few times. Greg Blache did a better job of
mixing up his coverages and implementing more zone this week, but they can't
knock a quarterback down with a two-by-four.
The kid had an embarrassing
amount of time in which to read the field and deliver his errant throws. Jason
Taylor knocked down a pass, but for all of his flip-flopping sides he was again
a zero factor. Andre Carter can't even make an impact as a $10-million Chris
Clemons-type to come off the edge on third-and-long. LaRon Landry finally made a
few plays in the second half, but sitting 40 yards off the line of scrimmage
didn't help a ton against an offense as limited as this in the first half.
It
was a one-interception night that could have been a three-interception night, a
game in which the Redskins perhaps could have taken an early lead had anyone
gotten in Flacco's face.
I wonder how long the images from that final
Baltimore scoring drive might linger. This defense hasn't been steamrolled like
that in a long time, not for a full 80 yards over eight minutes. Everyone in the
stadium knew exactly what was coming -- handoffs to fullback/tailback Le'Ron
McClain -- and the Redskins were run over on pretty much every play anyway in a
flashback to Marion Barber and the Cowboys.
That was no surprise; it was the
template the Ravens have used all year -- they are the best fourth-quarter team
in the NFL and generally wait until then to unleash their beefiest back on a
tired defense. That was soul-sucking, and it may have been effectively
season-ending.
A single stop there and this would still have been a ballgame,
with Washington seizing momentum and being one broken play away from tying the
score. But the Redskins gave up 147 yards -- again far too much on the ground
for this unit -- even if was an unspectacular 3.8 per carry. The Ravens are
going to run the ball 40 times and protect their young QB at all costs, so often
even holding them to around their pedestrian season average isn't enough. And it
wasn't Sunday night."

Skins-Giants Recap

Greensboro, NC -- Like true football fans, a group of us braved the elements on Sunday to watch the Redskins-Giants' game in a 40 degree, rainy slop-fest. Hanging out at the tailgating scene, I felt as though I were part of a Campbell's soup commercial where the fans are chowing down on hearty soup bowls in the cold. However, the Campbell's soup best described the Redskins' offense rather than our tailgating festival. Facing quite possibly the best team in football, the Skins' offense sputtered out of the gate. Thanks to a trick play, which resulted in a rookie WR running a reverse, the Skins were able to score. However, the nuts and bolts of the offense were as sloppy as the field conditions.

As the calendar turns to the final month of the season, it leads me to ask this question,"Is Campbell 'the guy' for QB?" We're in year 3 with him as a starter and the results have been nothing but mediocre. On Sunday, there were passes under thrown (Int's) and overthrown, while Eli Manning looked crisp throwing the ball. The formula that the G-Men employed on offense was simple. They ran the slant towards the middle of the field all day, and then mixed in some draw plays to establish the run. While held in check for most of the first half, Giants RB Brandon Jacobs broke loose for some longer runs in the second half, which essentially iced the game. By the 4th quarter, the cheers from Kaylin (her first Giants' and NFL game) and her fellow Jints' fans drowned out the drenched Skins' faithful. This act has become a recurring theme in FedEx Field. Because of DC's geography being accessible to fans from both the north and south, coupled with the Skins' copacetic seasons, visiting teams' fans have often got the last word at FedEx Field.

One final thought. After watching last night's quirky Jacksonville-Houston MNF game, it reminded me that proper front office structure can result in effective drafts, which are non-existent in Washington. The Texans were ridiculed in 2006 for taking Mario Williams with the first pick over Reggie Bush, hometown hero Vince Young, and even Matt Leinhart. But what has Super Mario done since he was drafted? He's provided an outstanding pass rush, been a sack machine, and an on-field presence. Bush has bee injured too much, and both QB's have been ineffective and benched by their respective clubs. Coincidentally, who drafted Williams, you might ask? Charlie Casserly, fired by The Dan in his famous 1999 housecleaning.