The Redskins Second Half: The Hammer and the Anvil

[skins fan1010]

Full post with links can be found at http://countertrey.blogspot.com/2005/11/redskins-second-half-hammer-and-anvil.html

Here is an excerpt:

Unlike other teams in the NFC East, the Redskins have already played the most difficult part of their schedule. Six of the eight teams that they have played are currently over 0.500 and a seventh is at 0.500 thanks to a Skins victory last week. When not playing the Redskins, these eight opponents have a combined record of 36 wins and 20 losses. The Redskins have faced each of their NFC East opponents—including last year’s NFC Champion—when those opponents were over 0.500; they have also faced division leaders Seattle, Chicago, and Denver, and division runner-up Kansas City. And they have five wins. Now, they are about to take the next step. As I predicted here [go to blog for link] at the beginning of the year, they will clinch a playoff spot this year.

The Redskins have four things going for them in the second half. First, LaVar Arrington will start and get significant playing time in the next eight games. They missed him. Second, they have reached the soft spot in their schedule. Over their next five games they play the Bucs, Raiders, Chargers, Rams, and Cardinals. The Redskins will exploit the soft spot the way the Giants took advantage of their soft spot. Four of the Giants six wins came against the Cardinals, Saints, Rams, and 49ers. Third, by the law of averages, they should see significant improvement in turnover differential in the second half. I detail that in this post [go to blog for link], which includes a review of the first eight games. Finally, Joe Gibbs knows how to win when it counts. He wins in December and January. He wins when he knows he has an advantage like a soft spot in the schedule. When a Gibbs team faces a mediocre team, you will not hear the Turneresque: “Golly we tried, but we just couldn’t get those last [insert number less than four] points”...

Read the whole thing at http://countertrey.blogspot.com/2005/11/redskins-second-half-hammer-and-anvil.html

[Ikaros]

i hope hes right about Gibbs winning when it counts. i cant help but remember all the times the skins have started a season off strong and ended up blowing the 2nd half of it. arent we the only team to start off 5-0 and not make the playoffs?

[DC_Native,NC_Fan]

i hope hes right about Gibbs winning when it counts. i cant help but remember all the times the skins have started a season off strong and ended up blowing the 2nd half of it. arent we the only team to start off 5-0 and not make the playoffs?

I know that we're the only team to go 5-0 after going 0-5, and we didn't make the playoffs.

[HOF44]

Gibbs' history is his teams are usually slow starters and play their best football in December. I believe alot of that has to do with the fact that he likes physical football which tends to work out better in freezing temps with alot of wind. Plus for what ever reason his team s historically don't wear down as much as others.

[Supreme Wu]

Gibbs' history is his teams are usually slow starters and play their best football in December. I believe alot of that has to do with the fact that he likes physical football which tends to work out better in freezing temps with alot of wind. Plus for what ever reason his team s historically don't wear down as much as others.

This might seem crazy but along those lines, I think the Skins looked their hardest in Denver, in the cold and rain. If I had to pick a single performance to show someone what this team could do it would be THAT game (even though it was a loss) because the conditions sucked and they just played some damn football.

They played like champs that day, but the bounces just didn't happen