"It's tough up here boy I tell ya"- A formula for Success on Sundays

[dwills1]

I recently posted my opinion on Joe Gibbs and his play calling in the 4th quarter. I would first like to say that I am a Redskins fan to the nth power. I have always loved this team and always will. The general notion of the post was geared toward the average fan and the realization of today's game. Do I play in the NFL - no, but I am very familiar with the game and the offensive/defensive schemes used. IN saying that, here are the keys to success for Sunday's game:

Offensively

Can not be predictable on 1st down. We don't need to focus on the run/pass ratio. We need to focus on what plays are efficient and what solicits productivity. Portis will get his touches throughout the game.

Intermediate routes over the middle of the field for Moss and Jacobs.

Take shots downfield early to Moss. (We haven't thrown a deep ball to him in 2 weeks.)

Protect Brunell and allow him to at least go through 2 out 3 reads.

Don't turn the ball over.

Defensively

We just need to keep playing aggressively and start Rogers.

Be physical with Bruce and Holt

Don't pressure the rookie QB all day, mix and match the coverage to confuse him.

Create turnovers!

As for out beloved Coach Joe, I am highly critical of his second tenure for good reason:

1- Wins are wins and losses are losses. I don't want to hear about getting it together next year. I have bee hearing that much too often being a skins fan. This being my first point, when your 5-6 the record says volumes.

2- Last year we lost close games, this year we lose close games...what did we learn in the off-season coach?

3- Teams that we as bad or worse than us have now made the step above - SEE TAMPA, DALLAS, NEW YORK, CHICAGO....

4- Again, I will say that the schemes and plays from decades ago are not parallel with the talent and intellect of today's game. Yes prolific offensive records were set back then, but defenses were much more relaxed, less aggressive, and less complex. The first thing Gibbs said upon his return is that defenses "up here {in the NFL}" are much more complex. In saying this, the predictable-conservative-vanilla offense will continue to sputter until realization sits in. Yes the offense was anemic last year, and this years offense is ranked 14th in the league, but we still don't have that killer instinct. Other than San Francisco, all of the games we won, we could have just as easily lost.

5- "Fighting our d@mn guts out" every week isn't enough. If you say the players are doing everything you ask them to do, and they are trying their hardest...maybe you should ask them to do something else that may actually spark this team to victory.

In conclusion, before the 30 and older board members reply and tell me how great Joe WAS in the 80's and 90's, I don't care. I am strictly talking about this season. Yes, I did have the audacity to actually judge the hall of fame coach. Can the hall of fame committee give is 5 wins in a row based on our 3 super bowls? NO. This is no time to live in the past. We have a new generation of Redskin players, it's time to start a new era and create new legacies.

YES I'm a skins fan. I have sweaty palms and can't sit still while watching away games on TV. Yes I am wishing for the playoffs, but I also have to keep it real because "it's tough up here every week boy I tell ya".

[Peregrine]

I know its consdiered taboo to be critical of Gibbs. I am barely old enough to remember the last superbowl, barely. Since then we have made the playoffs once in the past 15 years. Even my dad, 63, and my grandmother, in her 80's, who have been die hard redskins fans all their life(used to have season tickets) have been very critical of Gibbs incredibly predictable playcalling this season. I said Gibbs gets another year, my Dad didnt even want to give him that much. Its not just us "younger" crowd who didnt see they heyday. The fact of the matter is, the last 3 games were all games the redskins should ahve won, and were in position to win, but Gibbs played not to loose, and lost.

Ive got too much stuff to do for the coaching staff to destroy my expectations each week, so after the TB game I resolved to have low expectations, high hopes. I honestly feel 10 times better now that I expect them to loose, nothing dashed to pieces the last 2 weeks.

[Mr_ Skinshead]

As a "seasoned" 'Skins fan, I can assure you that memories of the past successes make me considerably more critical of Gibbs. The last decade of Redskins football has been cloaked in empty promises of days to come. I'm tired of losing and I'm tired of the uninspirational, cherry-covered post-game interviews that describe how everyone did their best ("played their guts out"). If Gibbs has done his best, his best is just not good enough. The fans and the organization need to realize the second coming of coaches was defeated in consecutive weeks by dismissed Redskins coaches that possessed greater winning percentages than does Gibbs in his second term. The only way this team improves during the next year is through better strategy and deployment, i.e. coaching. Snyder has spent the wad, we're cap-screwed and we must now win with the player personnel we have! Sorrry Joe, but Riggo and the Hogs are gone, this is not the "victory-bought" NFL of era I , and we need a coach whose abilities separate us from the competition. Unlike NASCAR, there's no points for the runner up.