Redskins.com: ES Fan Blog Update - 10/30

[TheLongshot]

Surprised it hasn't been posted yet....

http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=21174

Jason

[#98QBKiller]

I was just about to post this...damn good article by om. The best part is when he talks about how we are only really two plays away from 4-3. Maybe a kick by John Hall in the Minnesota game and a play by our D in the Tennessee game. This board would be a totally different place had those two things occured...then again, great teams make those plays and win games...regardless, I'm still behind this team 100 percent.

[TheLongshot]

The problem is, we all came in with high expectations for this team. Some were warranted, and some weren't. Fact is, we are all disappointed in the performance of this team.

The good thing is, so is the head coach. So, that means that he's going to try, to the best of his ability, to find a way to win games.

So, let's let Joe do his job.

Jason

[AllAboutSkins08]

really good article Om. we're all extreme fans, we know this. and people have extreme opinions on why we're losing. but the bottom line is, none of us know for sure. we can say that this team is done, we can call brunell washed up, we can call GW's success a fluke, but none of us really know what's going on in the locker rooms and on the practice fields and we don't know what the players see when they're on the field. let's keep supporting the team, no matter who's playing, and understand that we just don't know.

[CalSkinsFan]

Not much I can add, but these two sentances sum up my views perfectly:

"The man at the helm still knows a thing or two about sailing in rough waters. A damn sight more than even the most ardent, passionate and educated layman among us ever will."

:applause:

"So if I may be so bold, please belay the Ahab references you more angry types might be contemplating at this point, finish up that last bite of funky beans, pop a Tums (and maybe a Dramamine, since we've suddenly gone nautical here) and hang on.

It's way too soon to abandon ship."

Thanks Om.

[RiggoReincarnated]

Wheres The Master Plan?

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

This is the same article Om writes every time fans begin to question Gibbs: "The unwashed masses aren't smart enough to dare suggest that Gibbs may be doing something wrong. Until they attend every practice and watch 60 hours of film a week, they don't know enough to complain."

It gets old after a while and would seem to be a weird sentiment for someone who helps run an Internet message board. What else is this place for except for wild speculation?

[Om]

This is the same article Om writes every time fans begin to question Gibbs: "The unwashed masses aren't smart enough to dare suggest that Gibbs may be doing something wrong. Until they attend every practice and watch 60 hours of film a week' date=' they don't know enough to complain."

It gets old after a while and would seem to be a weird sentiment for someone who helps run an Internet message board. What else is this place for except for wild speculation?[/quote']

I suspect it does get old to some. Just as it gets old to others whenever something goes wrong and the unwashed masses all fall all over themselves professing to know all the answers.

At least I got you to admit it's all just "wild speculation." That's progress.

[Skinsfan1311]

Damn fine post....mind if I share with some of the haters, here at work??

[Skin Patrol]

It's nice to speculate as to how well this team could be doing after decisive losses to Dallas, the Giants, and Indy. Maybe we could have beaten the 2-5 Titans (but we didn't). Maybe a field goal gets us into overtime against Minnesota but who knows if we win that game? We did miss the kick though, and replaced John Hall with a guy who has yet to kick a field goal in 2006.

Then again, maybe one coin flip gives the ball to Byron Leftwich and the Jaguars, and we are 1-6.

Om, I think you're writing is great and I appreciated most of the points your blog makes -- especially about fans feeling that they are "owed" something. But I think at some point a healthy dose of fan-optimism has to give way to reality. If many fans are frustrated with the way this team is playing (and this is not "anger"; we just want the team to play better) then it's because this team has not played well.

Painting a 2-5 start into a 4-3 start is revisionist.

[Warpath11]

It's nice to speculate as to how well this team could be doing after decisive losses to Dallas, the Giants, and Indy. Maybe we could have beaten the 2-5 Titans (but we didn't). Maybe a field goal gets us into overtime against Minnesota but who knows if we win that game? We did miss the kick though, and replaced John Hall with a guy who has yet to kick a field goal in 2006.

Then again, maybe one coin flip gives the ball to Byron Leftwich and the Jaguars, and we are 1-6.

Om, I think you're writing is great and I appreciated most of the points your blog makes -- especially about fans feeling that they are "owed" something. But I think at some point a healthy dose of fan-optimism has to give way to reality. If many fans are frustrated with the way this team is playing (and this is not "anger"; we just want the team to play better) then it's because this team has not played well.

Painting a 2-5 start into a 4-3 start is revisionist.

Very well said and I agree...I believe its easier to say this team could be 1-6 rather than 4-3 at this point. As you pointed out in your post if Leftwich got the ball in OT we would have lost (defense could not stop them at all that day).

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I suspect it does get old to some. Just as it gets old to others whenever something goes wrong and the unwashed masses all fall all over themselves professing to know all the answers.

At least I got you to admit it's all just "wild speculation." That's progress.

Of course, it's all speculation. But what you are doing is just speculation from the other side of the coin. You know just as little as to what is happening inside Redskin Park as the rest of us do. As far as you know, it's actually worse in there than we think. Gibbs might be degenerating into "Richard Nixon in 1973 mode" - not sleeping, mumbling to pictures of George Allen on the wall, etc. Jason Campbell might be illiterate. Clinton Portis might be deeply into heroin. Who knows?

The facts are these and they are not in dispute. Gibbs is three games below .500 during his comeback. The team, right now, appears actually worse than it was when he arrived. Aside from a heroic/miraculous/what-the-heck-was-that-all-about-anyway six game winning streak, the team has not been good under Gibbs. And it does appear to be getting any better.

Yes, we could - in theory - be 4-3. But we could just as easily be 1-6 if Santana Moss doesn't play out of his skull or if the coin flip had gone the other way or if any number of things had happened against the Jags.

It's not bad luck or injuries that is hurting the Redskins. If anything, the Redskins have been the beneficiary of some amazing luck over the last two seasons. Last year's season was not made by the 5-game winning streak. It was made by the three kinda fluky wins to start the season - facing a sixth round rookie starting on opening day, Moss' miracle in Dallas, and the Seahawks hitting the uprights on a game-winning field goal. And "what if" Bulger and the McNabb/Westbrook combo had not been out during the year-end winning streak?

While we are on the subjects of "ifs," if last year's team had started 0-3 (and then 0-5), we would be in the middle of full-scale, anti-Gibbs mutiny right now.

I don't profess to know all the answers. But I also don't profess that Gibbs DOES know all the answers. One belief is just as naive as the other, I think.

[ceviker]

Always good OM

[TheLongshot]

Of course' date=' it's all speculation. But what you are doing is just speculation from the other side of the coin. You know just as little as to what is happening inside Redskin Park as the rest of us do. As far as you know, it's actually worse in there than we think. Gibbs might be degenerating into "Richard Nixon in 1973 mode" - not sleeping, mumbling to pictures of George Allen on the wall, etc. Jason Campbell might be illiterate. Clinton Portis might be deeply into heroin. Who knows?[/quote']

Is that likely, tho? Probably not, since we haven't seen signs of that.

The facts are these and they are not in dispute. Gibbs is three games below .500 during his comeback. The team, right now, appears actually worse than it was when he arrived. Aside from a heroic/miraculous/what-the-heck-was-that-all-about-anyway six game winning streak, the team has not been good under Gibbs. And it does appear to be getting any better.

For a good deal of last year, this team was pretty good, even in the losses to Denver and KC. Problem is, it seems that we have taken a step back offensively to install a new system, which is there so that we can eventually take two steps forward.

It's not bad luck or injuries that is hurting the Redskins.

If I'm not mistaken, SS and Griffen have missed sigifigant time with injuries. You don't think that has an effect on the performance of this defense?

I don't profess to know all the answers. But I also don't profess that Gibbs DOES know all the answers. One belief is just as naive as the other, I think.

The trust is based on past performance, and from the decisions he has made where we have enough data to judge those decisions. From that, just about every one seems to have been justified.

So, based on that, Gibbs and his staff deserve the benefit of the doubt.

And the fact is, while Gibbs may not have all the answers, he certainly has more data to figure out what is wrong than you or I do. So, to say we know what this team needs to do is awfully arrogant of us.

Jason

[Om]

Of course' date=' it's all speculation. But what you are doing is just speculation from the other side of the coin. [b']You know just as little as to what is happening inside Redskin Park as the rest of us do.[/b]

That's pretty much what I said.

As far as you know, it's actually worse in there than we think. Gibbs might be degenerating into "Richard Nixon in 1973 mode" - not sleeping, mumbling to pictures of George Allen on the wall, etc. Jason Campbell might be illiterate. Clinton Portis might be deeply into heroin. Who knows?

The facts are these and they are not in dispute. Gibbs is three games below .500 during his comeback. The team, right now, appears actually worse than it was when he arrived.

To you, perhaps. To me, as I've said, it's far too early to draw conclusions like that until we see the team play with its D back intact, and, probably, with a young strong-armed QB at the helm at some point so we can judge how well the Saunders scheme, based on "stretching the field," will work with the receivers, backs and OL we have on the roster at this point.

Aside from a heroic/miraculous/what-the-heck-was-that-all-about-anyway six game winning streak, the team has not been good under Gibbs. And it does appear to be getting any better.

Again ... you see the winning streak as "herioc, miraculous" etc. But you don't apparently consider the possibility that the current losing streak might be less systemic incompetence than a particularly bad run of luck with injuries and learning curves and the litany of stuff we've talking ourselves blue in the face about.

Could be you're right and it's all over. I just believe that's premature evaluation.

Yes, we could - in theory - be 4-3. But we could just as easily be 1-6 if Santana Moss doesn't play out of his skull or if the coin flip had gone the other way or if any number of things had happened against the Jags.

It's not bad luck or injuries that is hurting the Redskins. If anything, the Redskins have been the beneficiary of some amazing luck over the last two seasons. Last year's season was not made by the 5-game winning streak. It was made by the three kinda fluky wins to start the season - facing a sixth round rookie starting on opening day, Moss' miracle in Dallas, and the Seahawks hitting the uprights on a game-winning field goal. And "what if" Bulger and the McNabb/Westbrook combo had not been out during the year-end winning streak?

While we are on the subjects of "ifs," if last year's team had started 0-3 (and then 0-5), we would be in the middle of full-scale, anti-Gibbs mutiny right now.

I don't profess to know all the answers. But I also don't profess that Gibbs DOES know all the answers. One belief is just as naive as the other, I think.

So, you figure you and Gibbs are pretty much on equal footing insofar as figuring out the why's and wherefore's? 'Cuz that's what it sounds like to me. If so, with due respect, I'm going to toss the 'naive' thing right back at ya.

[Skin Patrol]

Again ... you see the winning streak as "herioc, miraculous" etc. But you don't apparently consider the possibility that the current losing streak might be less systemic incompetence than a particularly bad run of luck with injuries and learning curves and the litany of stuff we've talking ourselves blue in the face about.

I think losing to the Titans was the moment I realized that it was systemic incompetence and not just bad luck. That's a horrible team we lost to at home.

I also think that the closer we look at last year's 6-0 run the less heroic it looks. Beating Ryan Fitzpatrick's Rams (who would ultimately finish with 6 wins) was unimpressive. Beating the 5 win Cardinals by 4 points even less so. The Tampa Bay game could only be described as heroic, as the paltry passing yards we managed were the fewest historically in a postseason win. If we're defining miraculous as "peculiarly fortunate" I'd say that was a peculiarly fortunate win.

Regarding our losing streak, if we're going to lump "inability to cope with injury", "inability to learn an offense over in 9 monhts", as "bad luck" then this is really just a disagreement in definitions. If the depth of a team, a team's ability to gameplan against injuries, a team's ability to learn an offensive gameplan and get everyone involved on board, are not used as measures of how "good" a team is (or conversely, we chalk them all up as "bad luck") then we are we even seriously evaluating this team?

So, you figure you and Gibbs are pretty much on equal footing insofar as figuring out the why's and wherefore's? 'Cuz that's what it sounds like to me. If so, with due respect, I'm going to toss the 'naive' thing right back at ya.

I don't think he said that at all. Equivocating every fan's reasonable attempt to question their coach to them saying they could do a better job is dishonest. What I took away from Lombardi's comments was the quite reasonable conclusion that teams aren't 2-5 unless mistakes have been made and as fans we could question those mistakes without being inherintly wrong because we aren't the Coach of said team. I kind of agree with that position.

[LoyalSkinsFan]

The team' date=' right now, appears actually worse than it was when he arrived. [/quote']

Seriously!? You want to go there!?

I've got another quote for you:

"ACK!"

--Bill The Cat ("Bloom County")

Congratulations, Lombardi....you got me to physically cough up a hairball. Not such a pretty sight in a corporate environment...let me tell ya.

I can't IMAGINE I'm the only one around here that remembers Steve "Everybody go LONG" Spurrier....or how about that old classic, Norv "Mr. Clock Mismanagment" Turner? Joe Gibbs is a breath of fresh air (and, to borrow the nautical theme from Om) blowing in from the ocean blue.

It's not so much that we must follow Gibbs blindly, never questioning his calls, but rather that we have faith in his judgement and his ability to adapt to a given situation. This season, more than any other in recent memory, is still in question. To me, anyway. Being a "half-full" kind of guy, I choose to believe that we've got nine good games to go, rather than having seven bad games behind us. With nine games left, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that we can come back and actually win out the NFC East. Probability....well....that's another story. But, DAMNED if I rather have ANY other coach, past or present, leading me down that path.

I'd also like to mention that while I'm sure it's to some degree true for every NFL team, injuries have certainly taken their toll. That's not an excuse, but a fact. Truth is, this week could very well be the first week we'll have the players on the field that were intended to be there from the beginning of the season. Frankly, I'm excited by that prospect.

Now, the fact is, we're 2-5 looking up at the division. And, no, we don't really know what's been going on down on the practice field and in the locker room. And, yes, we can certainly criticize some of those questionable decisions of our coach......but at the end of the day, THIS coach has shown the ability to make something out of nothing. That, given the proper personnel, he's shown time and time again that he can put forth a quality...nay...exceptional product. Joe Gibbs has repeatedly told us that he has gone to great lengths to put together a team of "Redskins". Players that will leave it all out on the field of play...yes, just like the old days. Well, now we'll see just how successful he's been. I'm unaccustomed to seeing Joe Gibbs coached players head-butt the opposition (not once, but TWICE)...I'm simply not used to seeing a Redskin team kick off from it's OWN five yard line...and I'm nowhere NEAR prepared to see a Redskin team, OUR Redskin team, fold up it's tents and go home with nine games left to play.

So....I'm gonna hope. And, I'm gonna cheer. And, I'm gonna scream. But, not with blinders on, but from an educated fan's point of view. I'm going to be looking, this Sunday, for some of that character and passion we've all so wantingly hungered for from this team. I'm going to be paying close attention, as always, to what Gibbs and his coaching staff do to bring us out of this funk...and, I'm going to support.

Because I can...because I must.....and because Joe Gibbs and this team deserve it.

Now, if you'll pardon me...I have a little more fur ball to hack out.

[Sekhmet187]

Gibbs is a great coach. But as you don't have to be an academy award winning director to know a bad movie when you see one and find ways that it could be better, it doesn't take a football genius or hall of fame coach to notice flaws in a team.

Every fan has the right to criticize or express their opinions of what they think is going wrong. Its clear to everyone who watches what goes wrong.

Its the head coaches job to (well first and foremost, make sure they also see what everyone else sees) FIX the problem, which no matter how accomplished coaches may be, they can't always do. Good coaches don't ALWAYS make the best decisions. They make mistakes like everyone else. I think sometimes, people forget Gibbs and his coaches can also make mistakes and not always know how to fix them.

And when fans think the coaches don't know how to fix problems either, or if they know the problems really aren't fixable, they either just hope for the best or come to a realization they don't believe it'll get better.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Seriously!? You want to go there!?

I've got another quote for you:

"ACK!"

--Bill The Cat ("Bloom County")

Congratulations, Lombardi....you got me to physically cough up a hairball. Not such a pretty sight in a corporate environment...let me tell ya.

I can't IMAGINE I'm the only one around here that remembers Steve "Everybody go LONG" Spurrier....or how about that old classic, Norv "Mr. Clock Mismanagment" Turner? Joe Gibbs is a breath of fresh air (and, to borrow the nautical theme from Om) blowing in from the ocean blue.

Spurrier and Turner were both over-matched as head coaches in the NFL. But I think both were hurt in some degree but organizational ineptitude as well. Gibbs was brought in specifically to fix the organizational ineptitude. He was essentially supposed to be Marty without, you know, Snyder-hating-him part.

Right now, with a middling offense, a 29th-ranked defense, a kicker that I think I got drunk with in College Park recently, and no draft picks next year, I really don't see that much difference between 2006, 2003, 2000, or 1997.

Spurrier may have been "Everybody go long." Well, with Gibbs, it's been "Everybody run a button hook and hope that Moss breaks it for a touchdown."

In watching this team for three years, it takes guts to criticize Norv for clock mis-management. I can't remember the number of drives at the end of the second quarter that we have completely screwed up in three years. I can't tell you how many time-outs we have blown. We have a never-ending stream of delay of game penalties, it seems. And - in year three - we seem to have finally, kind of figured out the whole challenging thing.

The one area where I thought Gibbs had made a huge improvement was the "fight" aspect of the team. The team honestly and truly did "Fight its guts out" through all of 2004 and 2005. This year, however, we've started laying down and dying in the second half of games.

So these are the problems - as I see them - right now. And I think Gibbs is at least 50 percent responsible for all of them:

1. A QB who severely limits the offense.

2. An offensive line with no depth.

3. A running back in Duckett who actually is too much depth. We blew a third rounder to rent a guy in street clothes for a year.

4. A defensive line with no depth.

5. A secondary with no depth.

6. A kicking game that is completely up in the air.

7. A team that commits penalties at a Raiders-like clip.

8. Clock mismanagement.

9. Overpaying for free agents

10. Not valuing homegrown talent, except in rare instances.

11. A total disregard for the draft.

That's quite a list.

[TheLongshot]

1. A QB who severely limits the offense.

Who says it is all the QBs fault? Do you know?

2. An offensive line with no depth.

How do you know? Have you seen them play?

3. A running back in Duckett who actually is too much depth. We blew a third rounder to rent a guy in street clothes for a year.

Do you know what the team's future plans are for him?

7. A team that commits penalties at a Raiders-like clip.

Do you know why?

8. Clock mismanagement.

Again' date=' do you know why?

9. Overpaying for free agents

By who's measure? Do you know the Skins' budget is?

10. Not valuing homegrown talent, except in rare instances.

Do you know all the circumstances behind the talent leaving? Didn't the team make public statements about wanting to keep said talent? Do you know why they weren't able to follow up on those things?

11. A total disregard for the draft.

Well, if that was true, we wouldn't have any rookies that were worth a damn, would we?

See, this is what Om was talking about. You probably can't answer most of these questions.

Jason

[TheLongshot]

So these are the problems - as I see them - right now. And I think Gibbs is at least 50 percent responsible for all of them:

Since there is no one higher than him as far as the decisions made, they are all his responsibiltiy. He has said so.

And I have no doubt that he's been working hard to solve the problems (Course, I'm not sure everything you put down is a "problem" per se, since you are disagreeing with the way he runs the team.), so let's wait until after the season to make some judgements on how good of a job he's doing. Course, since we don't have all the information, that isn't exactly fair either.

Jason

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Who says it is all the QBs fault? Do you know?

I've watched football for a lot of years and been in a lot of film rooms with coaches. I recognize a QB who cannot or will not throw between the hash marks.

How do you know? Have you seen them play?

In the pre-season and at stretches last year and this year. And anyway, I don't think that 3/5 of our starters are that good, and they are unchallenged it seems.

Do you know what the team's future plans are for him?

He's a free agent next year. They could have signed him off the street without wasting a pick on him. Much like they could have signed Brunell without wasting a pick. Or they could have just gotten Najeh Davenport who is pretty much the same player when healthy (which is irrelevant since neither would be playing anyway). There is simply no way to defend that trade. It's the worst move of Gibbs' tenure by far. At least Brunell was acquired with a role in mind.

Do you know why?

This is Om's patented "there are hundred of factors" argument, which is just bs. There are three reasons why teams commit penalties:

1. Lack of talent. (You can't block someone so you hold).

2. Lack of discipline. (You can't control your emotions so you spit in someone's face during a playoff game).

3. Lack of intelligence. (You are too stupid to remember the snap count).

All of them reflect poorly on coaching and talent acquirement. And all that falls at Gibbs' feet.

Again, do you know why?

That we suck at clock management? No. But it's either Gibbs, Brunell or Saunders at fault. And we sucked last year too, so I point the finger at either Gibbs or Brunell. It's not up to the linemen to run a two-minute offense or preserve time outs. That's all the coach, play-caller, and QB.

By who's measure? Do you know the Skins' budget is?

By the measure that you could get two decent pass-rushers who are actually capable of stopping the run for what you got for the totally useless Andre Carter.

I only go after players' salaries when there are cheaper, better alternatives out there. And Gibbs sort of got this right with Salavea, etc. But we are back in "name recognition" territory again.

Do you know all the circumstances behind the talent leaving? Didn't the team make public statements about wanting to keep said talent? Do you know why they weren't able to follow up on those things?

I think the team lies. I think Joe Gibbs' press conference each week is one big lie. I don't think the team valued the Pierces and Smoots of the world and wanted someone else's players. Doesn't anyone know the guy who is always trying to steal your girlfriend...even if his girlfriend is perfectly fine. That's the Redskins under Dan Snyder.

Well, if that was true, we wouldn't have any rookies that were worth a damn, would we?

We have something like 8 contributers who were drafted. The fact that we are so excited about our decent rookie tackles shows how shocked anyone is when the team finds a diamond in the rough.

See, this is what Om was talking about. You probably can't answer most of these questions.

I think I just did pretty well actually. For whatever reason, Om always wants to make football this incredibly complicated, unknowable thing. In reality, it's a pretty simply thing to understand. If you played high school football, you probably have more than enough knowledge to figure out what is wrong with any team in the league. A power sweep is a power sweep at any level. Pass interference is pass interference. A safety blitz is a safety blitz.

I don't consider myself an expert, but I don't feel like I am watching a physics experiment either. I have a pretty good idea about what I am seeing.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Since there is no one higher than him as far as the decisions made, they are all his responsibiltiy. He has said so.

And I have no doubt that he's been working hard to solve the problems (Course, I'm not sure everything you put down is a "problem" per se, since you are disagreeing with the way he runs the team.), so let's wait until after the season to make some judgements on how good of a job he's doing. Course, since we don't have all the information, that isn't exactly fair either.

Jason

Did we have all the info on Spurrier when we ran him out of town? Shouldn't the same standard have applied to SOS?

When Norv's teams committed stupid penalty after stupid penalty, no one said "Well, we don't have all the information. It's unfair to call him a bad coach."

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

This is the essence of my argument. Coaches lose their fastballs. We've seen it happen time and time again.

Chuck Noll was under .500 for the last twelve (12!!) years of his career.

Don Shula coached for 20 years after winning a Super Bowl and for ten years after appearing in one. He had arguably the greatest QB of all time and could produce nothing but slightly above average teams.

Tom Landry practically invented modern football. And he had driven the Cowboys straight into the ground by the time he left.

Bill Parcells suddenly looks like a good coach who was really really really lucky to have known Bill Belichik.

I just think Gibbs may be in the "Chuck Noll quizically watching his defense get carved up by Cody Carlson" or "Tom Landry trotting out Steve Pelleur" phase or "Don Shula giving the rock to Mark Higgs" phase of his career.

[LoyalSkinsFan]

I'll give you this, Lombardi, you can at least string words together in a well thought out fashion. All that drinking at College Park aside, I'd say you've done well for yourself.

To begin with, let me start with the perceived "organizational ineptitude". Not sure that you or I are entirely qualified to address this issue, but I'll have a go anyway. From the outside looking in, to me, it seems as if things are clicking away nicely. The Redskins are now the most financially successful sports organization on record. (there may be some soccer team pulling in more, but I'm just not sure without researching it). Each year, the team improves upon Fedex Field, taking what was at first a shell of what RFK was and making it better for the fan in terms of access, convenience and viewability. The team continues to reach out to the fan both in person and thru the media. Each year we have the most talked about player acquisitions. No, they're not always the smartest moves, nor the most successful, but certainly the good intentions were there. Each year we hear all about how we have no draft picks to work with and about how all our chits are going to come due, bringing about the inevitable house cleaning and years of rebuild with our hands tied behind our backs. And yet, each year, there are new free agents and draft picks coming in.....and the big crash that everyone portends never seems to arrive.

Could it be, possibly, that contrary to what you suggest, this team has actually surpassed the rest of the NFL in managing the system? Could it be that they are actually AHEAD of the curve in today's NFL?

Now, managing the system and working the numbers doesn't necessarily translate into wins, I'll admit.

So, let's address those more "on the field" issues.

To start with, love him or hate him, there's really no way for the typical fan to tell whether it's Brunell that limits the team or if it's the system that limits Brunell. Either way, it's painful....and maybe Campbell one day may be the answer, but that's not the point here.

Secondly, I'd say that there's plenty of depth on the offensive line, defensive line and in the secondary. All things considered, with all the injuries this team's had to contend with so far this year, they've performed quite admirably. Oh, and many of those guys are home-grown draft picks. Again, not translating yet into wins, but hopefully the experience gained will pay down the line.

The kicking game is, admittedly, up in the air. Again, though, injury related. John Hall just couldn't keep it together. Is this Gibb's fault? Did he stick with Hall too long? Maybe. But the upside was there....probably worth taking the chance. Easy to second guess that now, though.

As to clock mismanagement, well, no coach can rival Norv Turner on that one. I'm certain if you went back and checked it out, Turner's teams probably lost more games on final drives (the proverbial walk off homer) than any other. No matter how ahead or behind his teams were, they would always leave JUST ENOUGH time for the opposition to come back and steal the game away. It's been a both a pleasure and a relief seeing Gibbs manage the games these last couple years.

Yes, I find myself questioning play calls....and, sadly, predicting some as well. I find myself wondering if and when this system will ever produce the results we all hope it will.....and, more than anything, I simply CAN'T STAND seeing all these inexcusable penalties. But those aren't entirely Gibbs' fault, either. The players must take responsiblity for their actions.

That being said, I do not feel that the game has passed Joe Gibbs by, nor do I feel that he is over-matched as a head coach. I feel that he is on the right path (big picture) and will figure out a way to right the ship. Criticism is necessary and sometime justified. But, be smart about it.

We were all on such a high when it was announced that Joe Gibbs was returning but these things don't happen overnight. Give him a chance. There was a lot there to sift through.....don't, just because it's the fashionable thing to do this week, pile on.

Have faith.......and have fun down on Route 1. Give Novak my best.