How come the OFFENSE and the DEFENSE never play great at same time?

[PierceType]

Being a Redksin's fan can be a frustrating proposition. We have heard many theories for our struggles this year, but rather than a theory, I have a question.

Why does it seem like when our offense is kicking a**, the defense falls apart or when the defense is kicking a**, the offense falls apart?

1. How many times have we seen a HUGE crucial go-ahead touchdown drive only to watch Special Teams immediately give up an equally HUGE kickoff return? I think the average starting position of the opposition after we score a touchdown must be around the 50.

2. How many times have we seen the defense be rock-solid all day. Then our offense, which has sucked, finally puts together a drive to go ahead and the next possession, our "solid" defense just evaporates and we let the other team score easily?

3. How is it our defense, on these crucial defensive stops after an offensive go-ahead score, seems like a brick wall on first and second down, but then plays 15 yards off receivers on 3rd and 10 and gives up the easy first, or commits some boneheaded useless penalty that gives them the easy yards?

IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK?

(In the Dallas game)

1. Is it too much to ask for us to score in the second half and then force Dallas into a 3 and out?

2. Is it too much to ask for me to feel reasonably confident that when Dallas is looking at 3rd and 30 in a crucial drive, we won't give up a wide open 31 yard pass?

WHO DO I BLAME ALL THIS ON?

I know I'll get flamed for this, but I blame all this on Joe Gibbs himself.

It is HIS job to put that fire in our players belly, that KILLER INSTINCT that makes New England go for it on 4th and 2 when they are already ahead by 28 points. We don't have that. We are not "from Sparta!" in the 4th quarter, we are like the Persions who expect to win just by playing it safe.

Frankly, it makes me sick. We have the talent to win. Joe Gibbs isn't using it.

[Santana_Fan]

It's sad, I was just thinking about the same thing earlier this week. If they both were on the same page, we'd be 8-1 right now.

[kevin11]

Its cause we aren't consistent.

[Bigredskin77]

Cuz Gibbs coaches soft. Soft coaches make soft football teams. Thats why the skins to come out trying to destroy the other team. They to busy worrying about winning close games.

[Diehard Otis]

Piercetype, you bring up some strong points. Those results you speak of can't be argued with, although I agree with kevin11. Inconsistency is the culprit. In my book, there's two ways to look at it;

a)We haven't played a strongly executed, penalty free, consistent-in-all-phases-for-60-minutes kind of game all season(except for detroit, of course) against a quality opponent. Therefore, we suck.

b)We haven't played a strongly executed, penalty free, consistent-in-all-phases-for-60-minutes kind of game all season, besides detroit. Therefore, I'm excited!

I subscribe to option b. Washington is taking it sloooow with Jason & stayed in contention the whole time. Not to mention, Washington still hasn't played its best football on a consistent basis to date, & are still in a position to achieve great things! Keep the faith, Piercetype. The Redskins could very well put together a strong, consistent, penalty & turnover free effort today. If that happens, I believe the results will pleasantly surprise us all.

[Bacon]

Simple:

Because we're a poorly-coached team. I guarantee you, if Williams hadn't forced us back into a "just hold them to 7 yards instead of not even letting them get the ball in the first place" defense, we would have won.

[knowledge316]

simple answer is we are a poorly coached team

you can't have the mentality that our coaches (playing not to lose, rather than playing to win) have and expect to win

[MONTEY]

Remember the movie FRIDAY. Ice Cube. Chris Tucker.

One day got the kool-aid, no surgar.

Next day got the sugar, no kool-aid.

Never seem to have both at the same time. And that's our beloved Washington Redskins. Been that way for season after season.

[909997]

because joe gibbs only opens up the offense if our defense is having a bad game.

he even said he wants the games to be close.

[Mr_ Skinshead]

Because neither is consistently great. It's simple probability statistics.

[mistertim]

Because it is pretty much impossible to see both the O and the D playing aggressive at the same time. Poor coaching. Basing your coaching decisions on what one side of the ball is doing is a bad idea. As others are saying, it is playing not to lose...not playing to win. Playing like that inevitably leads to close games and probability says that we will lose some of those.

[RenegadeTK]

hopefully that will change today... bc we need both sides of the ball to show up in dallas

[Redskins4ever]

The only games this year when our defense and offense were in sync was in the Detroit game and the first Philly game. We played tremendously on both sides of the ball in those games.

In the Patriots game, we did horrible on offense and terrible on defense. In the Arizona game, we played average offensively but below average defensively. In the Giants game at Fed Ex Field, both sides of the ball played even. In the Miami game, our defense played a lot better than our offense. In the Packers game, we shut them out in the second half n defense but offensively, we gave them the game.

I'm sure what the reason is that we can't play great on both sides of the ball consistently.