Smoke Signals: Bye week blues

Mark ButerbaughOct 30, 2009

The National Football Post looks at the Redskins and determines that money and Dan Snyder are at the root of all the problems. Washington.html" target="_blank">Read it.

The Redskins 2009 defense looks a lot like the 2008 defense: Good at holding down the yardage and the points, but not so good at creating turnovers. And let's face it, the schedule has been very kind to the defense. Let's see how it fairs against Denver, Dallas and New Orleans. Read it.

Washington's offense is 24th in yardage and 28th in scoring. They don't move the ball much and when they do, they tend to flatline in the red zone. An aging and injury-prone offensive line has, predictably, been ravaged by injuries. There was not one experienced backup offensive lineman on the roster when the injuries occurred and the results have been ugly. Even management pal Clinton Portis is speaking publicly about it:

""We got to address and get some depth," Portis said. "We went into the season, and we didn't address that issue and it came back to haunt us.""

Meanwhile, wideouts Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly [benched] have continued to impress no one. And Jason Campbell still isn't a good fit for the west coast offense. Read it.

Speaking of Portis, Charles Robinson at Yahoo Sports says it is time for him to go:

"The inevitable changes with the coaching staff could have plenty to do with Portis’ situation, but he clearly has never meshed all that well with the current regime. Moreover, he’s struggling behind an offensive line that isn’t opening holes, and he has been minimized on third downs, with Ladell Betts(note taking more of a role in the passing game. The larger issue is starting to become Portis’ age. He turns 29 before the start of next season, and isn’t an explosive, big-play running back at this stage of his career. Depending on what the next coaching staff wants, he still represents a solidly tradable commodity for other teams that may only be a piece or two away from a sustained playoff run. And with a large chunk of his $7.19 million salary guaranteed next season, Portis will be entering the bloated back end of a deal the team likely won’t want to pay starting in 2011. He knows that, which makes this offseason the last, best striking time for a trade and new contract that will provide him additional guaranteed money through his last few prime years."

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