ESPN - Reeling Redskins awash in troubles

[dcrasta]

Man this is been clear as day since Pre-season. Gibbs needs to keep Al Saunders, but kick G. Williams to the curb. I think with Al Saunders pass / balanced Offensive set will work good with Jason Campbell. But Williams is arrogant and is the predictable factor. Time to kick way with that guy....

[TheSteve]

Earlier in the year I blamed Jerry Gray, and I didnt know how close I was to the truth. The reality is it's Steven Jackson. Apparently this moron doesn't know what the hell he is doing with the safeties and has single handed caused the entire secondary to be on the wrong page. I think Williams has too much clout and loyalty in the organization to be fired but Jackson will hopefully be gone by years end. What a joke.

[brandies]

Great article, thanks for posting. I guess as Spurrier found out with Danny, it is more than the system.

[Rex Tomb]

I honestly think that just based on the way Williams has divided the defense into their own little departments (i.e. CBs and Safties) and believes his scheme is the important thing, not the players, this year Williams has thrown himself on the sword of mismanagement. Danny, being the businessman that he is, will take one look at these poor leadership skills and say "No thanks, here's a million dollars, and don't let the doorknob hit you in the ass on the way out." I have been calling for Williams' head since the 5th or 6th week when our D got beat by Tennessee. He sucks and he's tearing the team apart. :2cents: Brilliantly minded or not, his leadership style is terrible. I wouldn't be depressed if he was let go before the season ended, just to prove a point and add some stability back to the locker room.

[pga]

This is not what I wanted to read. Obviously, things are not going well when you are 3-7, but if only 60% of it is correct and the other 40% is a player with a axe to grind, this is not good. It could be that Danny had it all set up like a corporation, President/CEO/COO all kind of assistant's and assistant managers with no one being accountable or taking ownership. Obviously not working on the football level. Very sad.

With that said I will be screaming my head off all game Sunday looking for the upset. Nothing I can do about how the upper management is running the team, except represent the 12th man!!

[Sellersfan]

He is a done.

The best way out of this is if they fire him while Gibbs is still HC. No way they have to pay him a million based on this years performance, and with Gibbs still at the helm.

If the reports of today are true with the state of the Skins, he has become drunk with power, and has no business steering the ship. Even Danny cant be that dumb.

[the burgundy and gold]

wow that's a long read but well worth it. It time for that Jackson guy to get the hell out, that's rediculas. i cant understand how a player has to go tell you to start coaching. Sounds like someone needs to get Gregg Williams to drop the attitude, and stop being so arrogant. He really sticks up for Rogers and Archuleta, i almost see his point about Archuleta, they brought him into blitz and stop the run, then they make him play coverage. It makes no sense. After reading that i almost hope they fire Williams.

[Grinder]

Good Lord.

Three years into the housecleaning and its time for another housecleaning.

It absolutely floors me that the secondary weren't even meeting together and that we have a 'pouty' coach involved in that.

This is as dysfunctional as it gets.

[ChipsMc]

Great article. In a weird way, it's kind of a relief. I've been trying to figure out all season how such a talented group of players could be performing so poorly. What this tells me, is that we don't need a major overhaul of the roster. We just need to do a better job of using the players we have.

This will require a change in the leadership at the top. Joe Gibbs has to re-assert himself as the man in charge. I just hope he still has it in him to do that.

Question - if this article is true, should they wait for the off-season to shake things up? Firing Jackson (and maybe even Williams) right now might boost the defense's morale and give them some hope for next year.

:2cents:

[AJ_Skins]

If I recall correctly, not too long ago some dope on here left a message on the myspace page of Archuleta's ex-playmate girlfriend asking why her boyfriend is such a bum and so forth...and her response was "it's not the players' fault, it's the coaches". 2+2 tells me this is Archuleta.

Considering he and the safeties in general are a main focus of the article, he's got to be at least one of the sources, if not the source.

[steve57]

I agree, he's toast. That ESPN article is as damning a piece as you'll read, especially when you link it to the listless performance of the D. It's clear they just don't care anymore. Great reporting btw.

[Oxtalls]

The worst part about it is that Williams and the Redskins reportedly took an arrogant approach with Antonio Pierce and Fred Smoot (who, BY THE WAY, has been benched this week, so we're not talking about Lester Hayes here), called them "replaceable" which then forced them to replace one of them in the draft (the horrible bum Carlos Rogers) instead of drafting Shawn Merriman.

Think of what the defense could be with Antonio Pierce, M. Washington, and Shawn Merriman and Smoot, Springs, Taylor compared to what it is now.

Time and time again - it's the same old problem for the Redskins: personnel decisions are the absolute worst in the sport.

[cdubcu]

Not saying I dont agree with everyone but this is an unnamed source. That person should have the balls to stand up and speak publicly. Who knows what his agenda is, so before we jump all over williams we should evaluate this ***** who is anonymous.

[Swift]

Wow, what a depressing article. Sounds like we need to get rid of Stephen Jackson, and Gibbs needs to re-evaluate GW.

GW is obviously a brilliant schemer, but it's becoming apparent that he's not great at dealing with players. Certainly not head coach material, if the allegations in the article are true.

[project myu]

OMG. :doh:

[project myu]

The most ridiculous part is that they F'ed up Taylor. :doh:

[jtyler42]

WOW...I didnt know GW was that much of an a**hole...We should cut our losses their and start from scratch on D next yr...Either elevate Blatche to DC or look elsewhere, but it's obvious that things have to change on that side of the ball...

It's also obvious that Gibbs was speaking to Williams and Jackson during his team meeting...

[f_trizzy]

If players really do feel as bad about the defense as this article makes it sound, Williams will not be here next year.

[2006Skins]

It's gotta be Arch. The guy came here expecting to be the man and he was every wide receiver's dream come true by blowing his assignments

Still, the article makes some points but until I see Joe on his podium saying he is putting his foot down on this D, I will expect to see the same thing (blown tackles and coverages).

Hopefully, the D will have some pride and play for themselves and the fans, and forget about Greg. I think what he did for the last 2 years was good, but the way this defense has quit on him this year is pathetic.

[RTerps2002]

If this is true he needs to go now

[altair4]

"So Williams threw him a bone, a bone which has literally torn up the secondary. He made Jackson safeties coach and Gray cornerbacks coach and allowed Jackson to run his own meetings. That means that the Redskins' safeties and corners do not meet together, which is practically unheard of."

wtf????? This is outrageous! And Snyder PAYS for this kind of prima donna micky mouse coaching? No wonder he is the laughing stock of the NFL....

[Zen-like Todd]

That's a hell of an article. Granted, largely built on one anonymous source, but Tom Friend is hardly a hack journalist. I think you'd have to believe its mostly true, and it's somewhat of a relief, because it gives you hope that some of this can be turned around with defensive coaches who don't have their heads up their asses. I can't believe Gibbs is letting that crap stand. I think he cut Gregg Williams a lot of slack for the performance of the D over the last two years, and just didn't put his foot down soon enough.

[Skins4481]

WOW. :doh:

I have to think that it was Archuleta who spoke out. As one person pointed out, he referred to the secondary as 'we' once. But what he says makes a lot of sense. GW seems like such an ass. The part where he said 'its not my money' speaks volumes.

Guess what Gregg? It's not your money but it damn sure is your rep going down the toilet. You KNEW that Archuleta was a liability in coverage. You KNEW that Carter was a speed rusher and NOT a run-stuffer.

Why the hell do GW and Gibbs let the secondary be run like this? How in the hell do they let them go without having a meeting!? That is ridiculous!

And this explains the struggles of Sean Taylor. I was so excited to see him this year. He was posed to have a breakout year. How the hell you gonna ENTIRELY change the way he plays?

OMG. The Redskins are a joke of a franchise. The thing that worries me the most is Joe Gibbs is old and apparently not healthy enough to be the Gibbs of the past. Maybe it is best for Joe to retire. I dont know. I'm just really...disappointed.

[karenv]

They're irrelevant by Thanksgiving again, and somehow there hasn't been steam coming out of Joe Gibbs' ears. I covered Gibbs in the '80s, the glory '80s, when losses were like death, when he micromanaged, when he used to bring in his struggling players and offer them a bible. One year, the punt team couldn't cover a kick, so he hired a second special teams coach. One year, a player anonymously ripped his methods in the press, so he called a team meeting and ordered the mystery player to raise his hand. Nobody did. He might've been cut.

[authentic]

before today i was one of G. williams' biggest supporters. But if this article is true, then you know what &*%$ GREG WILLIAMS. If you are so damn arrogant and foolish to think that schemes alone win games, and not players, then $%& you and your punk arse defensive coaches!!!! I'm sick and tired of this bull *&%!!!. This P.O.S., allowed Smoot, Pierce, Clark, and Harris go because they were "expendable", well you know what? we are 30th in the damn league.

I'm glad that Gibbs went ape on the team and its coaches. I only wish Gibbs would have punched some guys in the mouth (especially Williams), for all of the crap that he's been going through, all of the damn blame. A good God fearing man like Joe Gibbs thats sticking his neck out there to protect this team, and this is what he gets.

I'm telling you if things don't change in the remaining games this season, i hope that we blow up the defense along with the ENTIRE defensive staff!!!