bulldog Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 17-14. it wasn't pretty and only came about after a missed chippie field goal in regulation that almost broke everyone's heart. But the Redskins finally executed a game plan that was suited to the players on the active roster. There is no doubt in my mind that Arrington changed the tempo of this game with his interception. That is the kind of game-changing play franchise players and budding leaders make in the clutch. As I said on another post, when the team wins it will be because the players have had enough and because the coaches loosen their ties and decide to lay their egos aside and gameplan for what they have on the table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 Let's hope this carries over to every game. They have to gameplan for the Giants and hopefully that means Davis up the gut and offtackle and deep passes to keep the safeties honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 It also just might be that a team trying to find it's indetity after 10 years in the wilderness, having suffered throught the brutal birth and agonizing growing pains of a new, completely different approach to doing business, has finally begun to find an identity. That the one monster, galvanizing play the team has needed came from LaVar Arrington, the guy who has best answered the call to date. And that guys like LaVar and Lang and Gardner and B. Johnson (!) and Samuels and even (god help us) Tony Banks aren't listening to the moaners any more, and have decided this is THEIR team. Teams are born out of the kind of thing we say in the 4th quarter today. It's players and coaches together finding out about each other, learning what they can and cannot do, and then setting about creating something. Don't know about anyone else, but I think that what I saw happen today was a light bulb going off. And no, I'm not overreading the thing, and saying I think they're about to turn it all around from here on out ... but I DO think we saw a hint of what this team might turn out to be by year's end. I'll be watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 Can anyone tell me the last time the Redskins came from two scores behind in the 4th quarter to win a game? I have absolutely no idea but it must have been a looooong time. Davis 99 yards rushing. Banks 346 yards passing. Gardner 208 yards receiving. Was that really the Redskins out there in the 4th quarter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted October 21, 2001 Author Share Posted October 21, 2001 actually Brave, the guys in the booth were getting so upset at 14-0 that Sonny, John Riggins and Gary Clark took over for Banks, Davis and Gardner and went out there in their unis for the last part of the third quarter and the fourth : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 Well bulldog, if THAT'S the case, it's simply a matter of surpassingly brilliant coaching ... or GM-ing. Or both. Maybe this Marty guy isn't such a dope after all. (Don't get bent out of shape, btw, I'm just funnin'. Feels good, don't it? Gotta to go, now. Cooking tonight. Food's gonna taste better than it has on Sunday for awhile. Beer, too. ) Hail to the freaking Redskins. [ by Om on October 21, 2001.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drex Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 Undoubtedly, the coaching staff has to gear its offensive repetoire towards the type of talent that this team has. The great coaches are able to accomplish this. Brian Billick is a classic example of this notion. The guy has always been a passing guru, a firm believer in innovation and moving the football through the means of the forward pass. However, with the Ravens last season, he realized that his team lacked the personell to be that type of football team. As a result of possessing a monster defense as well as a back in Jamal Lewis who could control a ball game, he geared his offensive gameplan towards running the football and playing ball control offense, straying away from the consistent downfield arsenal. Of course, the rest, as we know is history, as the Ravens became superbowl champions last year. ------------------ "A man with a sharp tongue can sometimes slit his own throat" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted October 21, 2001 Author Share Posted October 21, 2001 and Billick violated the first rule of managing a championship team by getting rid of one of its visible leaders in Trent Dilfer. Yes, Dilfer was more Mark Rypien than Phil Simms last year, but he won games and made plays in the clutch to beat Oakland in the AFC Title Game and the Giants in the Super Bowl. You don't replace that kind of player unless he is hurt or too old to play because it sends the wrong message to the players, ie that winning is not enough to save your job. In fact, that is the only gauge of success. : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 Where would the Ravens be with Dilfer at QB. Any better? I don't think so. Their problems haven't been at QB ... for the most part Grbac has played well. The loss of Lewis is the biggest reason IMHO. Dilfer ran the ship well with a good running game and an awesome defense but he would have to be carrying them this year and he's not the QB to do that. What you say about purging leaders may be true, I just don't think it's the cause of the Ravens' struggles so far this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drex Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 I agree that you dont rid your team of visible leaders who are pertinent in your teams' success. I guess Billick felt as though he needed an upgrade at the qb position. However, one of Baltimore's biggest problems this season is the absence of a running game that can control the clock and pound out yardage. To put it in simplest terms: they miss Jamal Lewis. With Lewis in there with the addition of Grbac, I think the Ravens would have been a lot more potent on offense to say the least. However, they are now relying upon the ageless one, Terry Allen, to provide them with a running attack that can complement Grbac. Allen, as tough as he is, isnt Jamal Lewis, and what you are seeing is a team trying to win relying on Grbac's arm and that has increased the probability of offensive mistakes, which isnt conducive to the strengths of it's team: the defense. The results: after today's loss to Cleveland... 3-3,an average football team. ------------------ "A man with a sharp tongue can sometimes slit his own throat" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hail2skins Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 It was nice to see the trend of giving Davis an appreciable amount of carries continue from last week, and at the same time being uplifted that Marty finally incorporated the downfield pass into the offensive playbook. Was at the same time a bit frustrating that the Skins, despite having a few nice drives, would seem to hit a brick wall once they reached the Carolina 30-40. I honestly thought we had no chance at 14-0, and the major break we received on the deflected ball that LaVar grabbed and took to the house....well, we had to get some sort of redemption to make up for Davis' fumble last week. Still, the win is sweet, and major props to the defense for stuffing Carolina in the fourth when it counted, as well as the offense for tying it and putting us in the position to win. Not only the win, but at least some offensive excitement, gives all of us more reason to look with excitement to the game against the division rival Jints next week. Sticking to this game plan should at least give the fans some hope, and likely will translate into at least a few wins, and perhaps enable Marty to hang onto his job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris 44 Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 You know I think this team missed Alexander a lot today, as bad as he has played this year he still looks better than Rasby. Rasby ran some awful routes out their today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 I'm a Flemister fan, myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 Originally posted by Drex:I agree that you dont rid your team of visible leaders who are pertinent in your teams' success. This is a good topic, and I disagree with Drex and bulldog to a certain extent about this. In the salary cap era, the best and most consistent teams are the ones that phase out their older, more injury prone, less athletic, more expensive players by replacing them with younger, more athletic, less expensive ones. Unfortunately, in all but extremely rare exceptions, and except for some of the best QB's (because they too are rare and difficult to replace), NFL economics prohibit the retention of "franchise players" for their entire career. I was thinking about this very subject today for some reason regarding the Rams. They have a young replacement for Faulk in the form of Canidate. In order to make sure that they retain their offensive team speed, I believe that in the not-too-distant future they should consider releasing Isaac Bruce, drafting a new (speedy) #3 WR, and using Holt and Hakim as their #1 and #1 WR's. That's how they stay on top. ------------------ "Loosen up, Sandy baby. You're just too damn tight!" - John Riggins to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor ---------------------- "I fear we've awakened a sleeping giant, and filled him with a terrible resolve." - Japanese Imperial Admiral Yamamoto, after hearing that the Japanese declaration of war failed to reach the U.S. government before the attack upon Pearl Harbor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drex Posted October 21, 2001 Share Posted October 21, 2001 "This is a good topic, and I disagree with Drex and bulldog to a certain extent about this. In the salary cap era, the best and most consistent teams are the ones that phase out their older, more injury prone, less athletic, more expensive players by replacing them with younger, more athletic, less expensive ones." Well Redman, in regards to the Ravens situation, they didnt replace Dilfer with a less expensive player as Grbac was rewarded with a huge contract. It would have taken alot less to retain Dilfer. My words, that you posted, were geared towards the Ravens situation. Grbac may have the edge over Dilfer from a physical-tool perspective, but Dilfer was the qb of that team during its superbowl run. Recall that the team didnt live up to its fullest potential until Dilfer was at the helm after they had went several games without even scoring a mere touchdown. Dilfer did have the advantage of qb'ing with Lewis in the lineup, something that Grbac doesnt have access too. The plan for the Ravens was to upgrade the QB position, figuring they already had the running game in store, to build a formidable offense. That's why Lewis's loss hurts them so much. Your have good points with your comment that i copied and pasted. Teams just cant afford to keep everyone if they are to be consistent over the long haul, as you alluded to. However, the tricky part is ridding of the right players. Like the skins for instance, we tried to take that route, getting rid of players such as Brian Mitchell. His physical skills may not be at the level they were at, but there is no doubt that this team could have used his presence last season. The Titans, they allowed parts of their secondary such as Denard Walker and Marcus Robertson, to go elsewhere for the reasons you suggested in your post. However, that team is inconsistent right now and surely misses their presence in the defensive backfield and with Samari Rolle out for a while, it doesnt make the situation any easier. Heck, even Charlie Batch had some success against them this year. As you said, its a great topic, one in which we could speak exhaustively about. Thats the fun part about these boards though, the opportunity to debate matters such as these. ------------------ "A man with a sharp tongue can sometimes slit his own throat" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted October 22, 2001 Share Posted October 22, 2001 I agree that Dilfer is a poor example of my point. Obviously, they viewed Dilfer as a stop-gap signing (recall that they've had Banks and Mitchell in there in recent years) and that they figured that they needed a "franchise QB". Dilfer probably should have been relegated to backup in Baltimore after an "open competition" in training camp. The role of a few (very few) players as team leaders (on our team, Darrell Green, Marco Coleman and Larry Centers would apply; Mitchell too, although the acquisitions of Deion and Centers left him with no real role) may in some instances provide an exception to the rule. However, teams must limit the number of such players to remain cap-viable. Rewarding and retaining the good service of veteran players is a very difficult problem that the league is only just now starting to address in light of the salary cap. ------------------ "Loosen up, Sandy baby. You're just too damn tight!" - John Riggins to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor ---------------------- "I fear we've awakened a sleeping giant, and filled him with a terrible resolve." - Japanese Imperial Admiral Yamamoto, after hearing that the Japanese declaration of war failed to reach the U.S. government before the attack upon Pearl Harbor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted October 22, 2001 Author Share Posted October 22, 2001 did anyone stop to think for a moment that if Baltimore had retained Dilfer they might have had enough money left to re-sign Priest Holmes or acquire a capable backup running back that is under 34? my point is chemistry is a funny thing on a football team, it is fragile. you might think a player is just average or slightly better taken by himself but in THAT particular situation carries a lot more value to the team. The Redskins under Gibbs had a host of players like that. the fact Grbac is without Lewis is a point in consideration, but how about the fact the Ravens NOW have Todd Heap and Travis Taylor in the lineup as pass receivers. Last year they were minus both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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