Washington Redskins: A Frustrated Fans View

This is the first article that I have written about my beloved Washington Redskins and I never thought I would be writing this type of article about my favorite team. So please take this as a frustrated fan's view. The above picture says it all.

I see this year as a big disappointment so far, and it started when we signed Albert Haynesworth and continued to this point. High expectations with disappointing results.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Albert Haynesworth signing, but his performance up until this point has been less than stellar. Why is that? Is it because of his big contract? Or is it due to the scheme they are running? I personally think that they are not using good schemes to work to his strengths. How does the Best Defensive Tackle in football get blocked so easily? Why are they playing our cornerbacks five to 10 yards off the line of scrimmage? Why didn't they blitz the Lions to disrupt their ROOKIE QB's timing?

That isn't all that is frustrating this fan and others that have followed this team religiously for over 20+ years. The offense is offensive to date.

Who cares that Jason Campbell is in the top ten in passing or that his completion rating is over 65 percent? Who cares that all of this comes in garbage time when they are behind and the defense is giving them yardage? All that means nothing if they can't do it when it counts. When was the last time they played a game where they scored a TD in the First Quarter of a game? It has been so long that I can't remember. When was the last time they had a running TD? Same answer. You see where I am going with this.

So who is to blame? Is it Dan Snyder? Vinnie Cerrato? Jim Zorn? Greg Blatche? Or is it the players?

In my opinion it is a combination of a lot of things. Dan Snyder is known to go after high profile players that provide lackluster results but he doesn't coach them or play the game. He just provides the means of getting them and, in my opinion, it is due to a coaches request for those players. So I don't buy that it is all Dan Snyder's fault.

So is it Vinnie Cerrato's fault? In my opinion, I would say no because he has provided this team with talented players that have come from winning programs. He has passed on other players that every fan thinks will be better than what we have on the team now all because they have turned out to be a very good player for that team. So maybe he does take some of the blame for not evaluating the talent in the draft as well as he should.

So is it Zorn and Blatches' fault? Or is it the players? This is where I think the true problem lies. I think it is the inexperience of Zorn as a playcaller at this level, the non-aggressive style of defense taught by Greg Blatche and the lack of execution of the players. Zorn under-utilizes Portis because he says he wants to keep him fresh throughout the season, which may not last very long for him if he continues to call plays that are predictable and are doom to fail. Greg Blatche doesn't dial up any blitzes against a young QB that work and fails to generate a pass rush from his front four because of his weak scheme.

How is it when a team needs to get five yards for a first down they are playing the Washington corners five to ten yards from the line of scrimmage? All the QB has to do is throw the ball to their WR's because they know they can get beyond the first down markers and complete it. How come Washington's WRs can't seem to do that? It is due to the fact that other teams realize that if you bump the Redskins' WRs and play them tight, they won't make the catch for a first down. The other teams will give them a four yard reception if they need five because they are good tacklers and play team football. They are put in a good position to make a play unlike the Redskins.

What happened to the passion that this team used to have? Where is the fire and desire to go for the throat that is needed to win against the best teams in the league?

It is no where to be found in this team. The willingness to play is there but the aggressive style of play is not. I remember a few years ago they came out in preseason and the team was swarming and very aggressive. I was excited and thought, "Wow! this defense is going to be dominating, cause turnovers, and get good field position for our offense." Well injuries, bad play calling, penalties, and being out of position turned that team into a mediocre one.

So we identified where the problems lie but I think they go deeper than that.

I think that they need some new assistant coaches at the skill positions that aren't producing numbers (WR and DB coach). All the accolades they display about these coaches on the Redskins website mean nothing if the techniques they are teaching aren't producing results.

Stan Hixon has produced no great stars for the NFL. He has coached Eddie Miller from South Carolina, drafted by the Colts in the 9th round but only spent two years in the league. He produced Dez White who was drafted in the '99 draft in the 3rd round by the Bears and played in Atlanta but is out of football now after seven years of unproductive football. He also produced Josh Reed of the Bills, who hasn't produced a 1,000 yard season in his eight year NFL career. Michael Clayton of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers produced one 1,000 yard season but has been a bust so far after being in the league six years. Skyler Green has been unproductive in the three seasons he has been in the NFL with only 33 yards receiving after being drafted by Dallas. And then we come to Devery Henderson of the Saints who drafted him and has six years of less than stellar stats as well. So Stan Hixon hasn't produced a quality WR in the NFL.

Now for Jerry Gray, he has coached Daryll Lewis, Denard Walker, Marcus Robertson, Daion Sidney, Nate Clements, Terrence McGee, Samari Rolle, and Denard Walker in that span of time. Only three of them had more than three interceptions with Rolle having the highest (seven) in his Pro Bowl year. Since he has been with the Washington Redskins he has coached Carlos Rogers, Shawn Springs, Kenny Wright, Ade Jimoh, Curry Burns, Fred Smoot, Leigh Torrence, John Eubanks,David Maclin, DeAngelo Hall, Justin Tryon, and several others but only Shawn Springs has had more than three INT's during that time with no Pro-Bowl appearances. Only Sean Taylor has made the Pro-Bowl during that same period and he was a safety not coached by Gray. So why is his success rate so low with only three or four of the players he has coached, making a Pro-Bowl? Rolle is the only one to make it as a first team Pro-Bowler.

So are the position coaches good enough to produce quality players that make the Pro-Bowl? I say no.

Besides Sean Taylor we haven't had a Pro-Bowler on defense since Marcus Washington  in 2005 and no more than two from the defense since LaVar Arrington and Champ Bailey made it in 2004. Lavar and Champ are the only two defensive players since 2000 that have made the Pro-Bowl more than two times and they both had four or five straight Pro-Bowl appearances from 2000-2004.

Chris Samuels, Chris Cooley, Champ Bailey, and Laveranues Coles are the only other players that have been a multiple Pro-Bowler with the Redskins. Why is that?

In my opinion, nothing has changed except the head coaches and their staff. They have had five head coaches in recent years, all with similar results. Something doesn't add up to me. Why don't they have more Pro Bowlers if these coaches are that good? They have produced them before at other places but not here. Having a Top Ten defense with a losing record doesn't say much for the coaching staff or the organization as a whole. Having an All-Star cast of coaches didn't do much for this team either. All-Star players didn't help either. 

So what is needed to make this a winning and proud franchise again?

Well if I had the answers I would be either coaching this team or giving Dan Snyder some expert advise on who to hire, draft, or bring in during Free Agency. Although I am no expert, I do have some suggestions from a fans point of view.

Take a hard look at the coaching staff, the players, and the organization as a whole and make better choices because the product they are producing on the field is not of any quality or even considered a contender by anyone in the football world. Hold each of them accountable for their actions that help or cost this team any chance of winning a game let alone a Super Bowl.