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Why Not Just Admit This Is A Transition Year?


bulldog

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I agree fully with the OP, but does the front office? Hard to believe they do after acquiring Taylor.

Does the coaching staff? Hard to believe they do when they wait until basically the eve of the regular season to tell a long starting veteran like Jansen that his job is actually on the line.

I think what happens with the roster in regards to guys like Mason and Kelly will say a lot in regards to the organizations approach to this season and beyond.

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2. Transition year doesn't mean a team that falls off the cliff. It merely signifies a time where the club is moving from one generation of players to a younger core that will lead it into the future. Anyone watching this team can see the OL, LB, Taylor, Springs, etc. as being part of the generation of 32-33 year old players that is passing the torch around the NFL on many clubs to a younger group.

Agree 100% -- very well said. However... the hallmark of successful franchises is having a core of young players that can be expected to take over the reins once the "old stars" have gone. This team has not been managed to fit this model, and so we may be stuck with 7-9 to 9-7 records for a while.

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I don't see how anybody can be confident in any kind of prediction. There are still way too many question marks that we just have no idea about. We could absolutely stink. We could be damn good. I've never felt this unsure about any Redskin team in my lifetime. The only one that I can think of that comes close was Joe Gibbs' first year.

1. We have no idea what we have in Jim Zorn. He oozes confidence but can he make adjustments? Can he manage the clock? Can he motivate? Can he gameplan?

2. How will Jason Campbell adjust to the WCO?

3. Which youngsters will step up and be big factors? Will any?

4. Which veterans are bad fits for out offense and/or defense?

4. How will the defense handle the transition to Greg Blache? On paper it seems like a nice fit but we just don't know.

5. How will our gimpy players recover and how much can they contribute this year?

There were absolutely no conclusions to be drawn from the preseason and I challenge anybody that claims there were. Neither you nor I have any idea how much of the offense and defense we used. We didn't have 12 starters on the field last night. It would have been great to look like a fine oiled machine but it would have been just as meaningless if we had. The only effect it would have is on the number of sky-is-falling threads vs We are SB bounds threads.

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I agree with Bulldog wholeheartedly. In fact, I've been shouting this idea from the rooftop for a month. It is what it is. If we win 10+ games, I'm happy to be wrong. If we win 8 games, I'll consider it a fantastic first year under a rookie HC. If we win 5 or fewer, it's a transition year.

As a fan I'm really not putting any pressure on the Redskins. We're off the radar, which is where I prefer to be anyway.

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let's face reality for a moment.

this team is not going to finish with 12 wins and be the NFC East champ.

at the same time the Redskins are not going to get embarrassed week in and week out like the past two weeks with all of its regulars on the field for four quarters.

it's time to face up to the fact that a realistic goal for this team would be to repeat its 9-7 record of 2007 against a harder schedule in 2008, and at the same time seeing improvement from Jason Campbell, contributions from some of the younger draft picks and free agents, and the return to form of McIntosh, Rogers and Landry, who figure to be major forces on the team going forward.

by improvement from Campbell I am not talking about him making the pro bowl and throwing more touchdowns than Matt Hasselbeck at age 31 or Donovan McNabb.

I am talking about ending the year with a completion rate north of 61-62%, having a favorable TD/INT ratio, reducing the number of turnovers on sack fumbles and failed handoffs from center, and bringing this team back in a couple of games to win from behind in the second half to show a developing composure under pressure.

The offensive line in my mind has two starters in Jansen and Kendall that bear watching. Neither player is likely to play all 16 games. It is possible that either or both may not be in the starting lineup by the end of the season even if they are still healthy.

On defense, you are looking at a unit that has older stars and younger stars. There aren't many players in their primes, 5th to 8th year veterans.

Springs (33), Taylor (33), Fletcher (33), Griffin (32) and Washington (31) are the most recognizable players. While Fletcher and Taylor have been iron-men throughout their careers in terms of durability, Springs, Griffin and Washington have missed significant chunks of time in recent seasons. That bears watching.

Also impacting this unit is the long absences of Landry, McIntosh and Rogers from the lineup. These players need to be near 100% for the Redskins defense to be truly effective.

Landry will be rusty to start off the season after failing to take a snap all summer. McIntosh and Rogers are both back faster than anticipated from major injuries that have in some cases ended careers.

The defense will improve as these players get acclimated to being back on the field and picking up where they left off.

But we are talking SEVERAL games here, not ONE or TWO one-half preseason tuneups :laugh:

So, when I look at this team I see a squad that is likely to struggle early and be 2-3 or 2-4 out of the gate.

Like last year (although for different reasons), I think you will see the team have a much better second half. I could see the Redskins go 5-3 or 6-2 in the final 8 games.

If the team can steal one of the NFC East road games in the first month plus, then getting that extra win to finish 9-7 rather than 8-8 is a possibility.

Zorn was handed a team that needed to be rebuilt.

It didn't need to be bulldozed down to the foundation and rebuilt from scratch, but a significant renovation was required.

And that deserves the 2-3 years that even a dope like Steve Spurrier was accorded.

best post since training camp started!!!!:cheers:

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Hard to believe they do when they wait until basically the eve of the regular season to tell a long starting veteran like Jansen that his job is actually on the line.

If Jansen couldn't tell his job was on the line from him getting knocked on his ass play after play by scrubs, he doesn't belong in the sport.

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I could see them going 2-3 or 2-4 out of the gate, but I can also see them turn around and finish 11-5.

Heck maybe even 12-4:logo:

I think this team has a lot of potential. I want to believe they will " get it" quicker this year and really take off after 5 or 6 games.

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If Jansen couldn't tell his job was on the line from him getting knocked on his ass play after play by scrubs, he doesn't belong in the sport.

Not saying I disagree with you, but there are ways for coaches to handle things. I don't know that Zorn did this the wrong way, but sometimes this sort of strategy backfires. If so, Zorn screwed up. If not, I'm happy to benefit.

When I bring it up in the first place, this is less about Jansen's job than about Zorn's approach with the players. Not many coaches in the NFL get away with calling veterans out, and there are 4 other vets on that line that have expressed their respect for JJ. I'm just questioning the approach.

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I agree. But personally, I don't care about JC's stats or the team's overall record (to a degree)...I just want to see the second half of the season be a major improvement over the first.

And thats what it boils down to, scoring points. Just look at the blown leads last year. The Skins can compete with any team, but playing soft in the 2nd half of games will get ya beat.

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And thats what it boils down to, scoring points. Just look at the blown leads last year. The Skins can compete with any team, but playing soft in the 2nd half of games will get ya beat.

I think a lot of those leads that we gave up came down to complacency in the offensive play calling that led to a lot of short drives which kept the D on the field for most the half; wearing them down when they need their legs most.

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Because we are a team who made he playoffs with horrible OL and we now have our starters back and healthy. Nothing is impossible. Ask the Giants!

If I remember right, our offensive line decided to play with fire as soon as Collins came in. Once Campbell went down, the QB had time to throw. It was Seattle that revealed how much our OL sucked again.

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The team doesnt need to be rebuilt, it needs to win now. It was built for the super bowl in 07 or 08

let's face reality for a moment.

this team is not going to finish with 12 wins and be the NFC East champ.

at the same time the Redskins are not going to get embarrassed week in and week out like the past two weeks with all of its regulars on the field for four quarters.

it's time to face up to the fact that a realistic goal for this team would be to repeat its 9-7 record of 2007 against a harder schedule in 2008, and at the same time seeing improvement from Jason Campbell, contributions from some of the younger draft picks and free agents, and the return to form of McIntosh, Rogers and Landry, who figure to be major forces on the team going forward.

by improvement from Campbell I am not talking about him making the pro bowl and throwing more touchdowns than Matt Hasselbeck at age 31 or Donovan McNabb.

I am talking about ending the year with a completion rate north of 61-62%, having a favorable TD/INT ratio, reducing the number of turnovers on sack fumbles and failed handoffs from center, and bringing this team back in a couple of games to win from behind in the second half to show a developing composure under pressure.

The offensive line in my mind has two starters in Jansen and Kendall that bear watching. Neither player is likely to play all 16 games. It is possible that either or both may not be in the starting lineup by the end of the season even if they are still healthy.

On defense, you are looking at a unit that has older stars and younger stars. There aren't many players in their primes, 5th to 8th year veterans.

Springs (33), Taylor (33), Fletcher (33), Griffin (32) and Washington (31) are the most recognizable players. While Fletcher and Taylor have been iron-men throughout their careers in terms of durability, Springs, Griffin and Washington have missed significant chunks of time in recent seasons. That bears watching.

Also impacting this unit is the long absences of Landry, McIntosh and Rogers from the lineup. These players need to be near 100% for the Redskins defense to be truly effective.

Landry will be rusty to start off the season after failing to take a snap all summer. McIntosh and Rogers are both back faster than anticipated from major injuries that have in some cases ended careers.

The defense will improve as these players get acclimated to being back on the field and picking up where they left off.

But we are talking SEVERAL games here, not ONE or TWO one-half preseason tuneups :laugh:

So, when I look at this team I see a squad that is likely to struggle early and be 2-3 or 2-4 out of the gate.

Like last year (although for different reasons), I think you will see the team have a much better second half. I could see the Redskins go 5-3 or 6-2 in the final 8 games.

If the team can steal one of the NFC East road games in the first month plus, then getting that extra win to finish 9-7 rather than 8-8 is a possibility.

Zorn was handed a team that needed to be rebuilt.

It didn't need to be bulldozed down to the foundation and rebuilt from scratch, but a significant renovation was required.

And that deserves the 2-3 years that even a dope like Steve Spurrier was accorded.

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Not saying I disagree with you, but there are ways for coaches to handle things.
To me, so far, it seems like Zorn's policy is just plain honesty. No doubletalk, no Gibbsspeak, and not a lot of false praise. I don't have a problem with that. I kind of find it refreshing. I'm not sure if he can keep it up, but I'm having trouble thinking of a reason he shouldn't.
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I completely disagree. It seems every year is a "transition" year. 2006 was supposed to be a transition year, turning the reins over to JC. 2007 was supposed to be another transition year, with JC as a full time starter.

When is it ok to finally start expecting results and not simply "mediocrity" or "transition" years?

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