Thinking Skins Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 http://www.redskins.com/story.asp?ContentID=11514 Jansen Remains Part of Young Nucleus for 2003 01/10/2003 Analysis by Casey Husband Redskins Insider Editor-In-Chief The last time the Redskins went from bad to good, the span was 1998 to 1999. They were a dismal 6-10 in 1998 before rebounding to go 10-6 and win the NFC East under Norv Turner the following season. One of the things they really improved upon back then was protecting the quarterback. The Redskins gave up a franchise-worst 61 sacks in 1998 but managed to cut that number to 31 en route to winning the NFC East. In short, stabilizing the offensive line helped the Redskins turn things around. The Redskins made a move late in the recently-completed season that they hope will yield similar progress. When the Redskins kept Jon Jansen in the picture, signing him to a long-term contract, they took steps toward solidifying their offensive line for 2003. Jansen joins LaVar Arrington, Champ Bailey, Patrick Ramsey, Chris Samuels and others to give the Redskins a strong nucleus of young players to build upon. On the day after the Redskins defeated Dallas 20-14 to end a 10-game losing streak to their biggest rival, Steve Spurrier began to speak about 2003. Washington finished 7-9 and in third place in the NFC East. That amounts to a disappointing first season for an NFL head coach. "I've tried to coach a lot like I used to," Spurrier said. "We didn't score as many points as the teams I've coached in the past. But, it was a good learning experience. You learn what you can do, and what you can't. Certainly, the defenses are better in the NFL." Although the Redskins' offense finished 20th in the NFL, Spurrier said he thinks the team is well-positioned to head into the offseason. "We have a pretty good core of players," he said. "Obviously, we'll add a few players. But most of these guys will be back." Spurrier reiterated that Ramsey will head into 2003 as the team's starting quarterback. Ramsey finished the season completing 51.5 percent of his passes for 1,539 yards, with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. He started five games and played significantly in relief in two others. "We have a quarterback with tremendous potential," Spurrier said. "Patrick's been a lot of fun to coach because he plays with a lot of courage. He tries to do it the way we ask him to do it. The team respects Patrick." Spurrier also gave support to young running backs Kenny Watson and Ladell Betts. In the season finale, the 20-14 win over Dallas at FedExField, Betts ran for 98 yards on 17 carries while Watson had 17 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown. In addition, Spurrier admitted he probably pushed too hard to bring back many of his former players. As he explained it: "We probably brought too many Florida players in. No question. A lot of them didn't work out. Those who have remained have done a pretty good job here. But a lot of the receivers didn't work out." One of the holdovers from 2001, Rod Gardner, finished with 1,006 receiving yards, seven catches and eight touchdowns. He's the first Redskin wide receiver to break 1,000 yards since Michael Westbrook (1,191) and Albert Connell (1,132) in 1999. On the defensive side of the ball, the Redskins finished with a fifth-place ranking in the NFL. Arrington (11 sacks) and Bruce Smith (nine) led the pass rush and Daryl Gardener was a consistent force at defensive tackle. Champ Bailey, along with Arrington, will start for the NFC in the Pro Bowl. When you start looking ahead to 2003, keep in mind that retaining Jansen, who has never missed a start in four years with the Redskins, was a quality move. The former Michigan star often has said that the key to an offensive line is consistency. That's certainly what the Redskins have at right tackle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBMGreatOne Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 And everyone says we need a deep threat, Gardner had 7 catches for 1006 yards, that's more than 100 yards better in YPC than anyone else in the league... :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Sorry. I'm in a goofy mood today. Took me a second to dissect that post, but damn that was funny. ...edit.. Apparently, on one of those catches, he must have scored TWO touchdowns, since he had 8 of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfunk76p Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 so how long is his contract for?????????????????/:cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 Six years, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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