These things I know are true...

[GreenNScaly]

I don't have any personal agendas.

I'm just a fan.

I like Joe Gibbs. I liked him when he coached Riggins. I liked him when he coached Riggs.

Heck, I even rooted for Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart. And I don't care a hill of beans for NASCAR.

But these things I know are true:

Through 16 games last year, Joe Gibbs and his staff couldn't get the Redskins offense to produce. Without a ferocious defense, this team might have been downright embarrassing last year. Without Gregg Williams, I shudder to think what this team would have looked like. And I get the feeling Alex Smith would be on our roster this year.

Well after all 16 games, in a moment of candid levity, Jon Jansen accused our offense of being stone-age. Candid. Honest. The kind of comment that made everyone on this board pay attention to their TV on an otherwise boring Saturday afternoon whispering "did he really say that?" as if Gibbs himself might see you nodding your head in agreement.

Gibbs was always best known for leadership and for the way he handled individuals. Before the first game this year, we named one QB our starter. Another was our future. Another was "the best QB in camp." Everywhere you looked, there were whispers about Mark Brunell's preseason. His arm strength was "back." He still looked more comfortable than Ramsey in the pocket and on the field. He was always a warrior, and everyone harkened back to Gibbs and his months' old proclamation, "Mark Brunell hasn't played his last meaningful football for this team yet (sic)."

Excuse me if I was one confused fan.

After one game this year, Jacksonville, without Bill Musgrave, was deploying 4 and 5 WR sets and throwing the ball all over the place. In case you missed it, the Jags got rid of Musgrave because they felt he was holding Leftwich back. Somehow, this same Bill Musgrave the Redskins felt was worth bringing in to modernize our offense.

Call me a skeptic. Call me a cynic. But put yourself in my shoes. It's fourth and goal. The ball's on the two. The opponent has shown no ability to move the ball 20 yards - much less 98 - the call is in your hands coach. I'm just a fan. You opt to kick the field goal. I didn't talk to Joe Gibbs. He was talking to 91,000 fans plain and clear with that play call. He was saying "Guys, we're the same team we were last year, and that means I gotta get every point when I can get it, because I don't have any confidence we'll ever be in position to score again."

Joe Gibbs wasn't playing "not to lose." If only that were true. He was playing to win. He was playing to win the only way his current Redskins know how, and that's to scrape and plead for every point that's out there, no matter what the situation.

Say what you will about Steve Spurrier. Patrick Ramsey never asked to be traded off Steve Spurrier's team.

No agendas. No insults. I live in Dallas and you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be in TX stadium yelling my heart out next Monday night. This is my team. But pardon me if I'm not ready for something different. This act is getting tiresome and old.

[Ghost of]

I don't have any personal agendas.

I'm just a fan.

I like Joe Gibbs. I liked him when he coached Riggins. I liked him when he coached Riggs.

Heck, I even rooted for Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart. And I don't care a hill of beans for NASCAR.

But these things I know are true:

Through 16 games last year, Joe Gibbs and his staff couldn't get the Redskins offense to produce. Without a ferocious defense, this team might have been downright embarrassing last year. Without Gregg Williams, I shudder to think what this team would have looked like. And I get the feeling Alex Smith would be on our roster this year.

Well after all 16 games, in a moment of candid levity, Jon Jansen accused our offense of being stone-age. Candid. Honest. The kind of comment that made everyone on this board pay attention to their TV on an otherwise boring Saturday afternoon whispering "did he really say that?" as if Gibbs himself might see you nodding your head in agreement.

Gibbs was always best known for leadership and for the way he handled individuals. Before the first game this year, we named one QB our starter. Another was our future. Another was "the best QB in camp." Everywhere you looked, there were whispers about Mark Brunell's preseason. His arm strength was "back." He still looked more comfortable than Ramsey in the pocket and on the field. He was always a warrior, and everyone harkened back to Gibbs and his months' old proclamation, "Mark Brunell hasn't played his last meaningful football for this team yet (sic)."

Excuse me if I was one confused fan.

After one game this year, Jacksonville, without Bill Musgrave, was deploying 4 and 5 WR sets and throwing the ball all over the place. In case you missed it, the Jags got rid of Musgrave because they felt he was holding Leftwich back. Somehow, this same Bill Musgrave the Redskins felt was worth bringing in to modernize our offense.

Call me a skeptic. Call me a cynic. But put yourself in my shoes. It's fourth and goal. The ball's on the two. The opponent has shown no ability to move the ball 20 yards - much less 98 - the call is in your hands coach. I'm just a fan. You opt to kick the field goal. I didn't talk to Joe Gibbs. He was talking to 91,000 fans plain and clear with that play call. He was saying "Guys, we're the same team we were last year, and that means I gotta get every point when I can get it, because I don't have any confidence we'll ever be in position to score again."

Joe Gibbs wasn't playing "not to lose." If only that were true. He was playing to win. He was playing to win the only way his current Redskins know how, and that's to scrape and plead for every point that's out there, no matter what the situation.

Say what you will about Steve Spurrier. Patrick Ramsey never asked to be traded off Steve Spurrier's team.

No agendas. No insults. I live in Dallas and you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be in TX stadium yelling my heart out next Monday night. This is my team. But pardon me if I'm not ready for something different. This act is getting tiresome and old.

No comment but I thought people might want to get a good look at this. You have a reasoned tone to your post, whether or not I agree with it fully.

[MLiverpool]

Good post, I really don't know.

I can only think that Brunell only needs to put up Dilfer like numbers with this team's defense. The Skins are in the mold of the Steelers and Ravens(IMO)... not flashy... but our special teams is suspect(John Hall's injury)...

[DjTj]

Call me a skeptic. Call me a cynic. But put yourself in my shoes. It's fourth and goal. The ball's on the two. The opponent has shown no ability to move the ball 20 yards - much less 98 - the call is in your hands coach. I'm just a fan. You opt to kick the field goal. I didn't talk to Joe Gibbs. He was talking to 91,000 fans plain and clear with that play call. He was saying "Guys, we're the same team we were last year, and that means I gotta get every point when I can get it, because I don't have any confidence we'll ever be in position to score again."

We were down by 1 at that point in a low-scoring game. The ONLY right decision was to kick the field goal. When there's a chance to go ahead, you take the points.

Now, if you want to complain about only calling two passing plays after that field goal and running the ball on third down twice in the fourth quarter - once when we were in Chicago territory, you might have a point.

[jwsleep]

Playing not to lose? When you have a D like ours, 2 points can win the game, especically if you are playing Chicago. And then they did win. The end of that game was perfectly coached. They ran down the clock and snuffed out Chicago's last minute desperation drive. Gibbs played to win and then he did. I have sympathy with your post in many ways, but I disagree with that element.