Passive-Aggressive?

[LoyalSkinsFan]

Or somewhere in between?

This has been some day. All...and I mean ALL the armchair quarterbacks are out in force. For a taste, here's a quick hit on topics brought up in today's threads (I've edited slightly for expediency):

* Cut Archuleta

* Play Archuleta

* Please, Cut Somebody

* Does The Team Care?

* Boycott Redskin Merchandise

* Blame The Squire

* Williams And Rogers Must Go

* Blame Phillip Daniels

* Duckett Should Start

* Do You Really Like Duckett?

Seriously? If I were to follow some of the advice given today on this web site, I should be blaming Jack Kent Cooke - yeah, the dead guy - for the current state of the team, I should stop wearing or buying my Redskins gear and I should either cut certain players or coaches...unless I'd rather start or hire them.

Which brings me to the passive-aggressive thing.

Everybody...chill out.

Believe it or not, even at 3-7, we're only a couple games out of the playoff hunt. And no, I'm not going to that place.. I'm not going to venture out on that limb and say that we could still make the playoffs. If I did, there'd be the usual outcry by the clones asking where to buy the kool aid I'm drinking. My point, though, is that we're still only a player or two from changing things around.

I think Jason Campbell's performance on Sunday underscores that point. I temper my excitement about his first game with the knowledge that he's now on film....and that the other teams in the league will now be building game plans around boxing him up. Still, he showed me a great deal. He showed a calm demeanor, even under pressure...such as when he led us in the two minute drill at the end of the game. He showed a physicality that was missing....such as when he shed would-be tacklers and fired the ball downfield for a completion. He showed speed...such as when he scrambled outside of the pocket for short gains. He showed poise...such as when he stepped up in the pocket, rather than running out of it, to stay out of harm's way and not entirely blow up the play. And, yes...he showed a cannon arm....to such a degree that I thought I heard a "pop" on a couple of his completions, like the sound of a fastball in a catcher's glove, thru the speakers of my TV. The offensive line seemed to work better in pass protection, too...Chris Samuels, it seemed, reverted - at least for one game, back to his old pro-bowl self. The running game left a little to be desired, but , then, that should come around. With a balanced attack, for once, the opposition can no longer key on one facet or another...and that will open things up down the line. In time.

As for the defense....well...there's no escaping the horrid show they put on. Every blitz (seemingly for the last month) has been picked up....it's true..linebackers don't seem to be working off of blocks to make tackles...and, for that matter, nobody seems to be making tackles at all. Linebackers seem to be compensating for defensive backs and the defensive backs seem to be compensating for the linebackers...and, as a result, they seem to breaking from their respective assignments and ultimately leaving holes that even I could run or pass thru. Gregg Williams' system, we've been told, is built around staying WITHIN the system and then making plays. That, after all, is part of the reason why Lavar Arrington is gone. With the defense overplaying and/or playing scared, no wonder we've been getting eaten up. So, how do we fix this? Well, it's probably not as big a deal as we think. Maybe only a player or two....and those decisions should be left to the coaches.

I realize this post is a long one...and if you've read this far you're to be commended. But, here's my point...nay, my question. In the coming months....with our system..with our philosophy....should we be passive or aggressive? Should we blow up the team, both on the field and off, and thru free agency, draft picks or both rebuild from the bottom up? Or, should we take a more conservative approach....make only the changes that are NECESSARY via free agency, draft picks or both...and refine the systems that are in place, adding nuance to base packages, tailoring to the players we have in place?

I, for one, think a balance is needed....somewhere in between passive and aggressive. The Monday morning, knee-jerk solutions I've been reading so far have been SO across the board that it's almost laughable. Blame Cooke, blame Snyder, blame Gibbs, burn your logo knit caps, scarves and jerseys............please!

We need to be patient...we need to be supportive....and we need to have faith. It hurts sometimes..yes....and it's not an easy thing to reach the pinnacle of the NFL. We, as Redskin fans, have come to expect success from our squads...even after a twelve year span since our last title....but, football is actually a lot like a marriage....it takes a hell of a lot more work than any of us realize. But, you gotta keep at it.

So, I'm gonna watch all the remaining games this season...because win or lose, it's still a lot better than trudging thru the offseason.....and I'm going to look for improvement. And, I'm gonna have faith.

I said this once before in a post of mine...but it bears saying again:

These are the times that make the best of times the best.

Remember that. Believe it.

HTTR

[SonnyRules]

Extremely well put.....and for once I read the whole thing.

[phishisthegreatstuff]

we should sign nate clements and draft the rest...cut a few guys too like AA, holman, brunell, etc.

[#1SkinsFan]

Extremely well put.....and for once I read the whole thing.

yup. one of the best i've read. great post and 1000 % agreed!

[CGSKINS]

I read the whole thing and bravo!!!!!!!!! Good post. You right we have to get threw this and just hang in ther. Better days will come.

[Pete]

Good post, and yes I also read the entire thing. You have to answer an important question before addressing you passive agressive question.

What is this teams philosophy ? Are we a running team or a passing team ? You always need balance of sorts, but all teams have tendencies to one side or the other. When our coaching staff decides which it is, then, and only then can we figure out how to fix this thing.

[Stew]

we should sign nate clements and draft the rest...cut a few guys too like AA, holman, brunell, etc.

It took me a few minutes to be sure, but im with you on this. We need a top shelf FA DB. Springs is father time, and Carlos Rogers hasnt played well at all this season. Im a little reluctant to get rid of a lot of players and coaches because the team needs stability, but we need to get rid of some (Hall, Brunell, maybe an offensive lineman or two) Im hoping this offseason is handles with a little bit of finesse, something the front office is not known for.

[skins4eva]

We need to do a little of both...we need to agressively evaluate and scout talent and passively keep the continuity of this team and coaching staff together...we need to exercise patience, but we definitely need to up the talent level on defense.

[SC3]

It's Monday after a loss. Some people here are still in mourning.

[LoyalSkinsFan]

Im hoping this offseason is handles with a little bit of finesse, something the front office is not known for.

Finesse is the operative word. There's no question that it's time for some players to go...Hall, for instance. He's a good kicker in a world of bad ones, but if he can't be counted on physically, what good does he do us? On the other hand, Brunell could be a valuable backup. You just don't find such good second team quarterbacks so easily. I'd hang on to him, provided there's no "who's starting" issues, and develop another good, young QB behind him for the future. Beyond those two, there are a few players than undoubtedly will go...and we should bring in the necessary replacements without restricting ourselves to either the draft or free agency. It's not a one or another situation..they just need to be utilized more effectively.

As to our team philosophy...well, I think it's pretty safe to say that Joe Gibbs' philosophy is what matters here...and that his is a run to set up the pass philosophy. That doesn't mean that it's five yards and a cloud of dust...but rather (and here's that word again) a balance of run and pass used in harmony. Even in the Riggins days, our offense was setting all kinds of passing records. No reason why this couldn't be the case again. They just need to sort thru the Gibbs/Saunders schemes and find what works best for our personnel.

[brandies]

If Jack Kent Cooke was still owner, would Norv Turner still be coaching?

[brandies]

If Jack Kent Cooke was still owner, would Norv Turner still be coaching for the Redskins?

[PeterMP]

Look, I disagree. We got beat badly by two bad teams. I know the Eagles lost McNabb on Sunday, but they weren't doing really well with him and had lost three in a row before us. That's right in their last 5 games the Eagles are 1-4, and the team they beat was us. Just look at the Bucs record. Their QB will never be a GOOD starter (yes he might bounce around and start here and there, but that's it), and we made him look like a pretty good QB.

You say we are a couple of games from being in the playoff race. The other way to look at it is we are couple of plays from having 1 win.

1. If TO catches the ball

2. If Jaguars win the coin toss.

This team has some serious problems. I'm not quite sure what they are because I believe when you look at the players we have, they should be better, but that makes it that much scarier. I mean obviously the lack of pressure by the front 4 is a problem, but that has always been a problem, and the defense was good (really good) before. What changed?

[Tarhog]

Did you just use 'nay' in a post?

I think you're ultimately right....football IS a lot like marriage....when it sucks, it REALLY sucks.

[pgitta]

What is this teams philosophy ? Are we a running team or a passing team ?

I'm afraid it depends on which coach gets his way that week.

I never thought about it before, but it seems to me that coach Gibbs and Al Saunders are possibly the worst two people to colaborate on football strategy.

They are obviously from different planets when it comes to philosphy, and as long as they are together, we are never going to see more of one than the other.

Al wants to throw, and Joe wants to run...and I think that's what the coach was really upset about after the game. Not the defense, not Brunell, but Al daring to go against his vision.

[LoyalSkinsFan]

Look, I disagree. We got beat badly by two bad teams. I know the Eagles lost McNabb on Sunday, but they weren't doing really well with him and had lost three in a row before us. That's right in their last 5 games the Eagles are 1-4, and the team they beat was us. Just look at the Bucs record. Their QB will never be a GOOD starter (yes he might bounce around and start here and there, but that's it), and we made him look like a pretty good QB.

You say we are a couple of games from being in the playoff race. The other way to look at it is we are couple of plays from having 1 win.

1. If TO catches the ball

2. If Jaguars win the coin toss.

This team has some serious problems. I'm not quite sure what they are because I believe when you look at the players we have, they should be better, but that makes it that much scarier. I mean obviously the lack of pressure by the front 4 is a problem, but that has always been a problem, and the defense was good (really good) before. What changed?

Biochemist in the house!!

Thanks, PeterMP, for joining us.

What's changed...well, a few players, and a years' time and good book on our team. I'm not ignoring the fact that we've lost the last two games to teams that obviously have issues of their own...and I'm certainly finding it difficult to believe that teams like the 49ers are actually in the race and that we're, for the most part, not. But, just as it took so little to turn things downward, I believe that it may take just as little to turn it around. We were all looking forward to this past weekend, hoping that Campbell would provide the spark that could ignite the team. It happened, just not with a win to go along with it. Our offense, while still FAR from perfect (lack of a consistent running game, for instance), showed great improvement and most of our current catcalls can be reserved now for the defense. This, all by changing ONE player. I don't believe my faith is misplaced....I believe that Joe Gibbs, if anyone can, will figure this out.

As to the question of whether or not Norv Turner would still be working here today if JKC were still alive...well....I'd have to guess that, NAY, he'd be gone. If memory serves, that team was pretty much blowing up following that playoff loss to Tampa Bay. The long snapper didn't even fly home with the team...there was a lot of strife as I recall.

And now...in my homage to the poster named Brandies.....

What's changed...well, a few players, and a years' time and good book on our team. I'm not ignoring the fact that we've lost the last two games to teams that obviously have issues of their own...and I'm certainly finding it difficult to believe that teams like the 49ers are actually in the race and that we're, for the most part, not. But, just as it took so little to turn things downward, I believe that it may take just as little to turn it around. We were all looking forward to this past weekend, hoping that Campbell would provide the spark that could ignite the team. It happened, just not with a win to go along with it. Our offense, while still FAR from perfect (lack of a consistent running game, for instance), showed great improvement and most of our current catcalls can be reserved now for the defense. This, all by changing ONE player. I don't believe my faith is misplaced....I believe that Joe Gibbs, if anyone can, will figure this out.

As to the question of whether or not Norv Turner would still be working here today if JKC were still alive...well....I'd have to guess that, NAY, he'd be gone. If memory serves, that team was pretty much blowing up following that playoff loss to Tampa Bay. The long snapper didn't even fly home with the team...there was a lot of strife as I recall.

[PeterMP]

All right, I've just started a negative thread, but I'll try and say something positive here. Like I said before, I don't know what is wrong with this team and that scares me. I mean after last year it was pretty obvious we needed a DE to get some pressure on the QB, we needed a WR, there were issues on the OL, and Brunell might be an issue.

However, that doesn't mean they can't fix whatever is wrong. Just look at the Saints and Jets, they were bad last year, but have been good this year. Can we do that? Maybe. Hopefully, Gibbs sees what has to be done. I just wish he'd tell us because it would make me feel so much better. I know most head coach press conferences are just full of coach speak (the Philly fans love to complain about Ried), but when you hear that garbage, it is difficult to have much confidence.

[ldysknzfn1]

If Jack Kent Cooke was still owner, would Norv Turner still be coaching?

Things that make ya go hmmmmmm...:laugh:

Hail!:helmet: :point2sky

[Riggins Seventy Chip]

Cut LoyalSkinsFan.