Week 12 brings us what could be a crossroads of sorts. The Washington Redskins travel coast to coast to pay a visit to the struggling Seattle Seahawks. Since the last time these two teams met (wild-card round of last year's playoffs), the Seahawks have had some serious issues, much of which is attributable to injuries, but also an apparent lack of leadership.
With the announcement from Head Coach Mike Holmgren that he is retiring following this season, he may have created an air under which the team couldn't succeed. Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Jim Mora Jr. was named "head coach to be," and the team hasn't been the same since.
But the Redskins were not to be outdone. Local football legend Joe Gibbs announced his own retirement, a shock to the franchise and to the fans of the Burgundy and Gold. Gibbs' retirement (his second from the Redskins) set in motion a chain of events that ended with the hiring of Jim Zorn as the new Redskins head coach.
Zorn had been the Seahawks quarterbacks coach, helping quarterback Matt Hasselbeck become a Pro-Bowler. Hasselbeck also led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Zorn brought his quirky style and oddball quarterback drills, and along with him, an energy that the Redskins haven't seen in years. That energy paid serious dividends early, jumping out to 4-1 record, winning games in the early part of their schedule that nobody thought they could.
But the Redskins have now slipped to 6-4, losing two in a row and three of their last five games. This slide began with a disappointing loss to the then winless St. Louis Rams, and continued with ugly wins over the Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions.
And then the embarrassment at home, on Monday night, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the bye week came following that game, and along with it some hope that the team just needed some rest, some time to get healthy, rejuvenate.
And that's when the Dallas Cowboys came to town, and showed us that maybe that's not what the problem was.
There is more to it than just a tired team, with the Hall of Fame Game to start the preseason, and the earliest start to training camp than any other team in the league, the Redskins were certainly due for a break.
But it didn't fix anything. In fact, it may have ultimately served to highlight the team's weaknesses.
So what are those weaknesses? There are many, just like any other team in the NFL, the Redskins have issues on both sides of the ball and on special teams. Nothing special there. What is noteworthy however, is how the Redskins had been able to minimize those weaknesses perhaps better than any other team in the NFL over those first five weeks of football.
The Redskins defense is predicated on stopping the run, and covering wide receivers well enough, long enough, to force opposing quarterbacks into mistakes, poor passes and poor decisions. And NEVER, EVER, give up the big play. The one glaring weakness is one that has existed for many years. No pass rush.
That weakness had been minimized early by a mistake free, ball-control offense. Redskins' quarterback Jason Campbell hadn't thrown an interception (or lost a fumble) through EIGHT weeks of football. An astounding accomplishment. One that set a franchise record and contributed to an NFL record.
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about 1 month ago
Solid.
Definitely a crossroads game. The Skins have had three this year:
- New Orleans following the ugly opening loss in NY. Start 0-2 with a rookie head coach, looking at the immediate schedule they faced then, and the season could have gotten away early.
- Dallas II. The clear "marker" game for whether or not the team was closer to the one we saw early, or the one we saw against Pittsburgh.
- Seattle. Another loss here, with the Giants coming to town and facing 6-6, and the season could easily be remembered as a blown opportunity rather than a rookie head coach's understably uneven debut.
from about 1 month ago
Great way to phrase it Mark, "facing 6-6, and the season could easily be remembered as a blown opportunity rather than a rookie head coach's understably uneven debut".
It's a very big game for Zorn on top of that, and with so many players with ties to Seattle, it should be an opportunity for this team to push themselves into a rhythm that could carry them for quite some time.
Thanks Mark!
about 1 month ago
I completely agree about the offense's opportunity to get back on track against the Seahawks. If the Redskins can't get the passing game going against this defense, it will never get going. Hopefully, they'll use this game to tweak the passing game to complement an already solid running game. This would be a good time to get the rookie WRs more involved, as well. If the Redskins are going to threaten defenses downfield, they need at least one of them to step up. I would also like to see more 3-5 step drops and quick passes to counter the blitz-heavy defenses that teams are throwing at the Redskins lately.
Shawn Springs' return should be a big boost to the defense. If they start giving him some snaps at safety (like they're hinting about), maybe Laron Landry can get free to do more blitzing and to boost the rush defense. If Springs can stay healthy, I think the Redskins have the best overall secondary in the league.
from about 1 month ago
Excellent points on Springs return and the possible ramifications from it Adam. I have been supportive of the idea of letting the rookies come along slowly (or in Kelly's case, let him get healthy), but I agree with you that it's time to start pushing. They can't learn, they can't earn the trust from JC or Zorn while they're standing on the side line.
Appreciate the thoughts Adam, keep 'em comin'!
about 1 month ago
Great stuff, Craig. We need to come through in a big way in this game. Sure it's a bad team, but the Skins haven't looked convincing in weeks. Maybe they will this Sunday.
By the way, I am now sold on Zorn being our head coach. Even though this is a rough patch I think the way he's handled himself and the changes I think we still have yet to see merit him a long stay in DC. That continuity we truly haven't had in years might be getting ready to set in.
from about 1 month ago
Agree completely on Zorn Jack, and I think that will be key moving forward. He has done a fine job so far, and there is really nothing to suggest that it's been an optical illusion.
The stability would be nice to see once again.
Thanks Jack, Go Skins!!!
about 1 month ago
Nice article. The Skins have played to the level of their competition every week, which makes me nervous! Campbell needs to play football instead of QB. Watch Romo and Brady and you see what I mean...It reminds of aq famous quote- Crash Davis: "You just got lesson number one: don't think; it can only hurt the ball club."
If he would just start throwing and not think the offense would take off. Skins win in a surprising fashion, on special teams....27-19
from about 1 month ago
Excellent quote! I do think that's what this team lacks right now, JC needs to be able to let it go a bit more, take some chances.
Your example from Romo in particular was illustrated perfectly with the TD to Bennett. The guy was covered, but Romo threw it any way, high risk, high reward, it won the game for them.
Thanks for the comments Lucky!
about 1 month ago
Great article Craig...
I agree with almost everything you wrote. It's so frustrating for me lately watching these games from home and seeing us dink and dunk our way down the field... (reminds me of the Mark Brunell days... AAAAHHHH!!!)
So many good things can happen when you take shots down the field. You could get a big play; you could get a pass interferance; if you're successful it will open up the run game; the screen game; the slants... It COMPLETELY softens up the defense... We have big play capability, but we don't take advantage of it... this has been the story of the Washington Redskins for the past decade or so... AWFUL...
I really REALLY hope Malcolm Kelly gets into the game this weekend... I want to see him, MOSS, and THOMAS on the field at the same time... Turn Randle El into more of a specialty player... Then other teams couldn't simply double Moss to stop us... They'll have to contend with Thomas' speed and Kelly's size... One would think the combination of the three could be pretty deadly...
Then guess what happens... Teams have to respect the pass = bigger holes for Portis... run games opens up... Then we become multi-dimentional... Very tough to stop...
All the elements are there... They just need to put it together... and it's been very frustrating that they haven't found a way to do it...
I WANT TO SEE SOME OFFENSE... NOW!!!
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Jimmy, you see much the same things I do. I do think it's time for Zorn to get JC taking some chances, and maybe if Kelly and Thomas can get into the mix, that will help him feel better about it.
I also agree that the talent is there, they just need to put it to use.
Great stuff Jimmy!
about 1 month ago
Jim Zorn is trying to get Jason to recognize blitzes, and he doesn't pull any punches with analyzing how they have performed (his offensive line included) over the last 3 three games especially.
He has been quoted all week about how the offense will be working on set plays designed to move the ball and result in touchdowns. Portis will more than likely get some short passes or we could see some pitch plays, to spread out the Seahawks defense to get them moving laterally.
Teams tend to lose their speed when moving side to side.
I know that injuries have hampered the continuity a team covets, when its trying to put together a playoff run, but its so disappointing to see guys open and Jason either not have the time to see over a hulking dlineman, or a player simply not execute the play.
It comes down to making plays and not making excuses.
Chris Cooley: "Right now we have to regroup and forget about the first ten games and start like we're 0-0. It's only going to get hard from here. We'll see what happens."
That last part sounds good. You have to have a short memory if you want to compete in the NFL.
Best quote I've ever heard is from Jerry Glanville. Enjoy!
"You know what the NFL stands for? It means not for very long if you keep making boneheads plays like Cletus."
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