Early prediction for Baltimore.

[Hogisme]

That would be called over analysing in the coaching world...wow

[SonnyRules]

After watching the Iggles get blown away and the Aints sent to the ER; no wonder you are setting expectations so low.

[jeronimobrat]

Baltimore will field a better starting team next week IMO.

Offense

QB: McNair > Todd Collins

Oline: even with no ogden and samuels there to anchor the line

RB: McGahee > Betts

WR1: Mason < Moss

WR2: Clayton > LLoyd

TE: Heap > Cooley

FB: Seller > 31 starting FBs in the NFL

Defense

DE: Ravens DEs > Skins DEs

DT: Ravens DTs > Skins DTs

WLB: Bart Scott > McIntosh (although Rocky looks great)

MLB: Older ray lewis = Fletcher, so Toss Up.

SLB: Johnson is crap and so is Campbell

CBs: Rolle + McAllister > Springs + Rogers

SS: Dawan Landry < Laron Landry

FS: Ed Reed > Sean Taylor

K: Stover > Every Kicker not named Vinatieri

P: Frost is the preseason MVP

I hope the 1st team of the skins come out and compete well. It'll be a good game to gauge how this team will do this season

Ouch, Todd Heap > than Cooley?

[SkinsFTW]

Where the hell did this theory come from?

And why didn't Art break this out last Pre-Season before the entire team collapsed?

Oh, yeah. They threw all 4 pre-season games last year and see what difference it made?

[Taylor 36]

Cause Ed Reed is better than Sean Taylor at this point in their careers?

uhhh what?

You're what we call.... a blind homer with burgundy and gold tinted glasses.

Go and look at any of my posts. I am far from what anyone would consider a homer, never mind blind. Taylor had an off year last year, true. But Reed has had so much support his entire career around him that when he sneezes the team makes him look better than what he is.

Now, chld, learn how to read and comprehend, then join us. Until then, stay in your sand box.

[BLEED-B&G]

Best case scenario would be GW puts the defense in a position to fail but we still get it done.....a defense with something to prove will find a way to get it done no matter what hand they are dealt

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

And why didn't Art break this out last Pre-Season before the entire team collapsed?

Oh, yeah. They threw all 4 pre-season games last year and see what difference it made?

This is a classic Art ploy. No matter what happens, he can claim to have predicted it.

If the defense plays well, it's because they have improved....which he has pushed throughout the pre-season.

If they don't play well, he called that too.

[RedskinDan0557]

Art,

I want to win, even in the preseason. I'll take a win however I can get one.

Wouldn't some of the veterans be able to see through this? Could this type of ploy backfire and cause the D to take a step back at this juncture?

I could see him doing this with the backups.

[Audible_Red40]

But, he dominated with it after displaying to it against the Rams that no matter how good they thought they were, they could get shredded but for making the right reads within the scheme. Our defense looks faster than it did at any point last year. It looks like it has the pieces to be difficult to figure out. And, it's probably the perfect time to remind them how no one thinks they are any good so they enter the season steaming.

But "they are who we thought they were" and hopefully we don't "let them off the hook".

With all due respect to your opinion Art, I can't see GW and co. allowing this to happen. If we know our weaknesses, why put ourselves in that position? Play to and within our strengths.

For example, in my mind, if a team knows they can run the ball, are they gonna come out at the start of the game passing it 90% of the time? (or vise versa). Or, if a coach knows the kickers range is at best 45 yards, is he gonna attempt a field goal from 56 yards in the first quarter?

I do like your thinking that putting players in positions where they are not strong in, is key in preseason. But, I don't think we're just gonna keep it happening. I know I am exaggerating, but we're not gonna line up in prevent when it's second and goal from the one, and GW is gonna tell them to try and stop the run. If taking more chances on blitzing and leaving our corners locked up is what you're saying then yes I am all for that. I just don't think getting blown out is what we want to go through.

[SkinsFTW]

This is a classic Art ploy. No matter what happens' date=' he can claim to have predicted it.

If the defense plays well, it's because they have improved....which he has pushed throughout the pre-season.

If they don't play well, he called that too.[/quote']

Could be.....

[RedskinDan0557]

I do agree, however, that what you propose was the case in 04. He did intenitionally put them in a vanilla defense to get them to buy into his scheme. You gotta tear em down to build em back up sometimes.

I do really want a resounding win over the ravens this weekend. After all NFC east teams, they are very close to the most hated, by me anyway.

[dizzinator53]

Samari Rolle is hurt and gets burnt almost as bad as Lito Shephard.....crapface.

[Art]

And why didn't Art break this out last Pre-Season before the entire team collapsed?

Oh, yeah. They threw all 4 pre-season games last year and see what difference it made?

We also did not do this in 2005. We did it in 2004. It was timed well and worked beautifully to help the team. Wasn't needed in 2005. The team was not very good in 2006 at any point. The point here is now you are back at a point a carefully called game helping individuals struggle to reinforce the keys and team concept inherent in the defense fits in this game.

But, people who've said with last year's struggles the team doesn't need that have a good point. You may not need to do it because the team is less likely to feel it's back to form after two preseason games and still has to answer questions about the No. 31 defense, which, alone, may be enough of a chip to make it less necessary to keep it in check.

[Art]

This is a classic Art ploy. No matter what happens' date=' he can claim to have predicted it.

If the defense plays well, it's because they have improved....which he has pushed throughout the pre-season.

If they don't play well, he called that too.[/quote']

Except you've never seen me make a post-claim at having previously predicted something, thus, you look like an idiot .

[chipwhich]

But, people who've said with last year's struggles the team doesn't need that have a good point. You may not need to do it because the team is less likely to feel it's back to form after two preseason games and still has to answer questions about the No. 31 defense, which, alone, may be enough of a chip to make it less necessary to keep it in check.

Art,

Regardless if you are right are wrong the bottom line is this.

If your guys are talented and a team, they wont take a huge beating like you suggest. if your corners are good enough, whether you man to man or zone, you shouldn't get spanked. The only thing hanging them out for a beating does...in my mind....is show our players they aren't talented enough to play unless they are in certain schemes. Not sure I buy into your premise.

I think the result in that st. louis game allowed Greg Williams to see what he feared. He had to scheme correctly or we would get beaten badly.

No matter how the Ravens hang their players out, they aren't going to give up 35 - 3 in the preseason. :2cents:

[Brandon Lloyd Christmas]

Except you've never seen me make a post-claim at having previously predicted something, thus, you look like an idiot .

art, you were on record earlier in the offseason claiming this team would be "actually very bad", do you still feel that way? if i could find the posts you made i would, but lord knows where they are.

[SkinsFTW]

The team was not very good in 2006 at any point. The point here is now you are back at a point a carefully called game helping individuals struggle to reinforce the keys and team concept inherent in the defense fits in this game.

The team was going to the SB last year. Wasn't that the excuse given for giving up high draft picks for Duckett at the beginning of the season? And trading for Rumph?

We were supposed to be good, remember? Do you really think the team expected anything less than 10-6 going into the season of 06? I mean, really?

Talk about playing it both ways.

[crank]

It still would be nice to see at least a little bit of a pass rush.

[Art]

art, you were on record earlier in the offseason claiming this team would be "actually very bad", do you still feel that way? if i could find the posts you made i would, but lord knows where they are.

Yes.

I'm very down on the season personally. Fundamentally when you see what happened last year it's difficult to allow yourself to think it's able to be fixed without somewhat dramatic changes. Injuries aside, the team and the staff had communication issues. Players afraid to go to Gibbs, filtering through Portis complaints about work expectations and the like. The offensive line once again forcing an end to a true, modern system in favor of their preferred identity. The defense, clueless and not on the same page all year, with an inside guy talking smack, then immediately responding with actual football play revealing the problem was not injury or weakness, but, will to do what's being asked.

In such cases I find it usually signals the end of the staff. I am hopeful in this case Gibbs identified the problems and corrected them. We'll know pretty quick into the year, but, for this reason and this reason alone, I am very skeptical about our potential. I like our talent a lot. Few teams have legitimate Top 10 players along every level of the roster. We have that at TE, WR, RB, OT, OG, DT, LB, CB and S. We don't have it at DE or QB yet. As much as we hate Frost, he may actually be emerging into a good punter. Little worried about the kicker. Love our special teams in general. In any case, the Redskins often have a greater problem being a team than they have putting good players on the team.

[Art]

The team was going to the SB last year. Wasn't that the excuse given for giving up high draft picks for Duckett at the beginning of the season? And trading for Rumph?

We were supposed to be good, remember? Do you really think the team expected anything less than 10-6 going into the season of 06? I mean, really?

Talk about playing it both ways.

Agreed. We were supposed to be good and we never were on the field either in the preseason or season. That's not playing it both ways. That's playing it one and having to tolerate you being a twit.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Yes.

I'm very down on the season personally. Fundamentally when you see what happened last year it's difficult to allow yourself to think it's able to be fixed without somewhat dramatic changes. Injuries aside, the team and the staff had communication issues. Players afraid to go to Gibbs, filtering through Portis complaints about work expectations and the like. The offensive line once again forcing an end to a true, modern system in favor of their preferred identity. The defense, clueless and not on the same page all year, with an inside guy talking smack, then immediately responding with actual football play revealing the problem was not injury or weakness, but, will to do what's being asked.

In such cases I find it usually signals the end of the staff. I am hopeful in this case Gibbs identified the problems and corrected them. We'll know pretty quick into the year, but, for this reason and this reason alone, I am very skeptical about our potential. I like our talent a lot. Few teams have legitimate Top 10 players along every level of the roster. We have that at TE, WR, RB, OT, OG, DT, LB, CB and S. We don't have it at DE or QB yet. As much as we hate Frost, he may actually be emerging into a good punter. Little worried about the kicker. Love our special teams in general. In any case, the Redskins often have a greater problem being a team than they have putting good players on the team.

So, you suspect are going to have a bad season, yet you also think we have great talent. In fact, Top Ten talent at nearly every position - which would, in fact, make us the most talented team in the league.

Okay. As long as you aren't having it both ways.

[Art]

So' date=' you suspect are going to have a bad season, yet you also think we have great talent. In fact, Top Ten talent at nearly every position - which would, in fact, make us the most talented team in the league.

Okay. As long as you aren't having it both ways.[/quote']

Or, it's expressing some knowledge of football in that it's not about talent. It's about team. If you've ever played a sport you'll understand what that means. Obviously you don't. From a pure talent perspective, the team has talent on every level among the game's top players. We don't know where our QB will fall in that as the only spot we don't know enough about to know where he is.

But, as noted, our problem has rarely been the ability to play. It's been the ability to play together on the same page. We achieved that in 2005 and it was beautiful. Losing it is the most disappointing thing to witness first hand.

[Warpath11]

I agree with Art that we will end up having a less then stellar season, not due to talent, but the team concept (from the front office to the coaches down to the players).

This is probably a poor example but the Patriots last year, at the skill positions, on paper would never match up to the Redskins. Tom Brady makes up for a lot of lack of talent but I think its the system and team concept that led them as far as they got. Against the Colts that idiot WR with the bug eyes (Reche Caldwell or Jabar Gaffney) dropped 2-3 easy catches and one for a sure TD. I think there is more to the game then talent alone.

edit: As for the original topic I'd love to see our players (offense and defense) challenged in less-then-favorable matchups. Espcially the lines as we all know the Ravens are on of the most physical teams we will see this year. It would be a good test for the o-line to go mano a mano against the Ravens front (and since Campbell is out we can do it :laugh: ).

[SkinsFTW]

But, as noted, our problem has rarely been the ability to play. It's been the ability to play together on the same page. We achieved that in 2005 and it was beautiful. Losing it is the most disappointing thing to witness first hand.

Ok, so we have top 10 talent at every position, a HOF Coach, the highest paid assistants of any 4 teams combined, yet we still don't know if we have a team and even if we did we could make excuses for the coaching.

Note: To Art, Beautiful is the 2nd round of the playoffs with no offensive production whatsoever.

But that's just what a "twit" saw.

[SkinsFTW]

Or, it's expressing some knowledge of football in that it's not about talent. It's about team. If you've ever played a sport you'll understand what that means. Obviously you don't. From a pure talent perspective, the team has talent on every level among the game's top players. We don't know where our QB will fall in that as the only spot we don't know enough about to know where he is.

The 1982 Redskins didn't have that kind of talent, the 1987 Redskins didn't have that kind of talent either. So in other words you are saying that even though we have the highest paid staff of former NFL head Coaches, they aren't good together and Gibbs lost it a long time ago.

We have all the talent we need. They just have a hard time becoming a team even though we have all these elite coaches.

Our talent is wasted. Our coaches suck (so far) is what you are saying.

I can agree with that.