Everyone should be furious at everyone.

[Art]

Today I saw a Redskin team featuring a fantastic defense. It was beautiful. Prior to the year starting, my buddy and I talk about this defense and he always says, "It seems like we can blitz and we always have guys in the right spot to stop a pass." And, it did. That's what it used to be like. Now, after weeks of never seeing that, you saw a dominating, aggressive, impressive, strong defense.

Obviously the Panthers aren't a good offense, but, so what. We can't play against bad or good offenses this year. Suddenly we're getting incredible amounts of pressure on the quarterback with minimal blitzes. Suddenly we're covering and knocking passes away. Suddenly we're making tackes AT the spot of contact. Suddenly everything is how it was for two years.

And it pisses me off.

I haven't actually been upset with this team all year. From preseason, on, it just never seemed to be together. It never seemed to make the connection as a team. It was off. The horrible losses weren't really demoralizing because we were a putrid team. Losing is what putrid teams do. So, I watched as a team with the talent to do good things on both sides of the ball seemed so utterly and completely incompetent and wondered when it would look different.

At least on defense, that happened.

And I'm furious.

It shouldn't take Joe Gibbs yelling at his guys that he's tired of standing up there taking blame for every loss that is ON those players. It shouldn't take a defense finally being called out and made the focus of the team's problems for the players to put aside their egos and play like men. And, it should take the coaching staff this long to find the trigger to do this.

It's embarrassing and beneath the character guys we have and quality coaching staff we had. I'd rather have played like dogs the rest of the year than to pull a game out like this that reminds you, we have all the players we need to BE a good team.

The offense can run the ball against anyone. Campbell needs to get more reps, and the passing game needs to improve, but, the defense can stop good receivers, prevent big plays, get pressure, stop the run and play well. This is the team we have. This is not the team we've seen.

As a fan it infuriates me the garbage performances are not due to inability, but, due to ego and, frankly, an inability of players to do as asked and an inability of coaches to get them to. I was actually content to watch this team play like idiots and cut the guys who were doing so. That they can be called out and respond is irritating.

Now, I suspect it's more than just the players executing better and making tackles. In addition, you saw the schematic changes on offense and defense. We dedicated ourselves to the run on offense, a thing only possible when the defense isn't giving up touchdowns every drive. Defensively, you saw Williams shadow Smith, taking him out of the game, using his most consistent cover guy in Springs to trail him around. You saw more man coverage. More of Taylor and linebackers covering men rather than the passive zone. And, I bet you'll discover you saw a million of the defensive line stunts, games, delays and tricks discarded and just let those guys play and beat their men. No defensive line in football is as good against the run as ours, when they are just worried about beating their blockers and making tackles, instead of doing the two-step around one another to confuse blockers.

I'm disappointed and angry in this team now, for the first time, because they should be better than this. I'm disappointed would allow their envy over the credit Williams gets to fail to do as asked, preferring to lose, than let him bask in their success. I'm angry the coaching staff needed crisis and mutiny to get the pulse of the players enough to get the right response.

This team is what is was today. And it needs not to forget it.

[redskin81]

I agree. I think Joe Gibbs finally got a little pissed at them too. Better late than never. They responded today. For the first time they looked like they cared.

[MonkFan8]

Couldn't agree more. Underperformance is frustrating as heck. I'm hopeful this is the team we'll see the rest of the season. And, contrary to what was displayed the first few games, it looks like we have a young core of players that will bring it every game.

[909997]

umm............... go redskins

wildcard baby

[TD_washingtonredskins]

That's an interesting take and tough to disagree with. It's very frustrating to see what we can be.

We've done this twice against two pretty good teams: Jacksonville and Carolina (Dallas I consider more of a rivalry game where we stepped up and cobbled together a win).

It seems like we have to learn to win all over again...there was little carryover from last year's magical run to put us in the playoffs.

[bubba9497]

where has our defense been the previous 10 weeks?

[Operations]

Just heard from Andy Pollin on WTEM that Gregg Williams will be gone next year. Is that already a given?

[redskin81]

Just heard from Andy Pollin on WTEM that Gregg Williams will be gone next year. Is that already a given?

He just said that?

[Rdskn4Lyf21]

I am so confused about this team. But hell, we won, I smiled for us for the first time in a few weeks, and we are 2 games out of a wild card.

Go Skins.

[RiggoReincarnated]

Just heard from Andy Pollin on WTEM that Gregg Williams will be gone next year. Is that already a given?

I wouldn't be surprised after the article that came out...its clear the players are playing for Gibbs not for Williams.

[bubba9497]

Just heard from Andy Pollin on WTEM that Gregg Williams will be gone next year. Is that already a given?

no

just Andy Pollie speculating

[SkinsHokieFan]

That's an interesting take and tough to disagree with. It's very frustrating to see what we can be.

We've done this twice against two pretty good teams: Jacksonville and Carolina (Dallas I consider more of a rivalry game where we stepped up and cobbled together a win).

It seems like we have to learn to win all over again...there was little carryover from last year's magical run to put us in the playoffs.

Yup and that happens when you let guys like Ryan Clark and Walt Harris go, guys who battled in the trenches for you and did the unhearlded work

We should all be pretty pissed, today's game was what I expected all year long. If our D plays like this the entire season we still have Mark Brunell in the game. We are now 7-4 looking to make a run

Very infuriating

[skinpride1]

11. Please do not use the “Quote” feature to quote huge blocks of text or pictures.

If you would like to respond to the contents of a particular post, simply quote the sentence or idea that you're commenting upon, not necessarily the entire post. It wastes space on the database and unnecessarily extends and clutters threads.

Who do you give the credit to in the redskins coaching staff for saying he has had enough of the poor play? That he wants basic principles back on the football team?Joe Gibbs thats who!!!!I think he did a masterful job of taking back this football team this week.No more fancy crap.It's hardcore smack mouth redskin football from now on!!!I think Gibbs proved his point today!!!

[Bhutanibeast]

gregg williams better not leave. I think hes a good coach, the other defensive coaches need to leave. Not Gregg.

[AustinTxRedskin]

It makes me furious that it took Coach Gibbs this long to crack the whip on the players as well as coaches. There is nothing wrong with a little fire under the ass to put any egos in check. Coach Williams and the Defense stepped up today... lets just see if it can continue to improve.

[#98QBKiller]

It bothers me that it took this long for JG to come down on his players like he should have and taken control like he should have, but I cannot be infuriated at this team for winning a football game. It's just not in me.

[PA Skin Fan]

Art good post but do you think envy at Williams was the main reason for this? I think he is to blame as much as anything. Stubbornness, pride, call it whatever. I am hoping he has been humbled a bit by this ridiculous losing and terrible defense. Hopefully Coach Gibbs' buttkicking was taken to heart not only by the players but by Coach Williams as well. He would do well to learn from the Hall of Fame Head Coach about humility - about building players up and not only tearing them down all the time. He is a defensive genius... And if he could simply learn a little people skills, I think he could take it to the next level as a coach.

And of course I blame the players too. Their effort was terrible, but I feel that Coach Williams deserves a huge part of the blame. Best case scenario? He is humbled enough to change a little bit and stays as D-Coordinator next year.

We'll see....

[Joncevensen]

I agree with Art. I definitely thought today was a defining moment for Gibbs II. If the team did not respond to getting chewed out by a Hall of Fame coach with 3 Super Bowls, then it would have meaned that Gibbs and his coaches had lost the team. But we won, and it's sad that our team of professionals, many of them respected by their peers as excellent, needed to get yelled at like they were high school kids, in order to deliver a quality performance.

[NewCliche21]

I'm completely with you, Art. I have never been so upset with a win in my life, but I'll take it.

[Neophyte]

Great post, Art, and spot on. I only take exception with one thing:

We dedicated ourselves to the run on offense, a thing only possible when the defense isn't giving up touchdowns every drive.

We have really not been blown out of any game in the first half and yet we have seemed to abandon the run early on with the exception of the game vs the Jags where we ran all game long. Our undoing has seemed to come in the 3rd Qtr as far as giving up the points. And notice that it wasn't really until we starting running between the tackles today that the run really started to work. Oh sure, we got some yards to the outside but not the 6, 8, 12 yards I saw the guys ripping off to the inside.

What makes me mad after watching this are the games against TN, TB and MN. If this defense had shown up for those three games this team is 7-4 and in the thick of the playoff hunt. Hell, it is in the thick of the Division hunt especially with home games left against the Giants and the Eagles.

Very frustrating and disappointing.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I agree with a lot thats been said here. Gibbs chewing out the team happened too late.

I liked what I saw today, but it should not have taken this long for it to happen.

[AzSkinsFan63]

I'll never understand players busting their tails all season long to NOT play hard in a game because they are upset with the coaches or something..stupid..stupid..stupid!

All that hard work wasted over politics...

[terpskins]

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

I'd really like to see a repeat performance.

Though, if true, I tend to agree with you. It's incredibly sad that our coaches just don't have a feel for the players. Sometimes, its more than just Xs and Os. The failure of the players to do the job they are paid for, without pettiness, is also disappointing.

[Gigantor]

I mostly agree. The BIG difference on offense obviously was Gibbs shortening Al Saunder's chain and throwing out the chuck-n-duck. There was no finese, timing-based plays today, it was all smash mouth football. I think there were ony four or five plays I could attribute to Saunders. The reverse which failed and several draw plays.

I hope the chuck-n-duck is gone forever. I hate it.

I excuse the defense the first 6 games, we just had a tremendous amount of injuries during that time. I guess it took them a few games to gel once they were healthy. It's good to see it.

I'm most proud of Carlos Rodgers, the bum who can't cover anybody reacted strongly and respresented. Let's hope he keeps it up.

[Skins4481]

It's frustrating but it gives you hope. It goes to show you that we DO have great talent and if the coaches let our players play the way they're best suited at, we can play some good football.