Does This Loss Deflate Our Season? No, But It Sure Delfates Our Hope

[kleese]

www.edkleese.blogspot.com

Redskins Loss Deflates Hope

Is it more important where you are, or how you got there?

As a Redskins fan, that's the question bugging me this morning, following the 14-10 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday night.

Prior to the season, I was very concerned about the state of the team. Honestly, part of me was simply hoping that new coach Jim Zorn and staff simply wouldn't embarrass themselves or the franchise. Looking at the roster and circumstances objectively, I saw a team that might be able to finish 9-7 and contend for a wild card, if things fell their way.

Prior to the season, I would have been happy, or at least extremely content with a 6-4 record through a fairly difficult 10 game stretch. That's where the Redskins find themselves right now. But I find myself neither happy or content. I don't mind where we are, but I am not happy with how we got here.

After an opening night stinker against the Giants, the Redskins embarked on arguably the best stretch of football this franchise has seen in over 15 years. In winning four in a row, not only did the Redskins knock off four NFC playoff contenders, but they defeated two division rivals-- on the road. And they did so in dynamic fashion; displaying a well balanced offense, an opportunistic defense, and an overall aggressive and creative approach from the coaching staff.

Perhaps the Redskins were playing a bit over their heads during that stretch, but all in all, that particular four game winning streak did not feel like a fluke. There was nothing fleeting about the way they manhandled the Cowboys and Eagles along the lines of scrimmage.

More important than anything that occured during those games was the rapid development of quarterback Jason Campbell. Campbell entered this season at a pivotal crossroads of his career. Youth was no longer going to be an acceptable excuse for poor decisions and uneven play. Zorn is known as a quarterback guru, and Campbell had hit "put up or shut up" time in his career.

Through the first stretch of games, Campbell not only looked to be turning a positive corner in his career, there was legitimate league MVP talk. Not only was he "managing the game" by not making mistakes, he was winning the game for the Redskins by making big plays late in games both with his arm and with his feet.

But after the four game winning streak, all of the development (for both the team and Campbell) has seemed to hit a brick wall. The Redskins have lost three of their last five games, with all three losses coming at home.

Early in the year, the Redskins played teams close early and then gradually wore them down in the end. In their past two games against the Steelers and Cowboys, the Redskins have taken early leads and then were gradually worn down by their opponents.

On Sunday night, the Redskins were "one play away" on several occasions from putting the Cowboys behind the eight ball. The Redskins defense held the Cowboys to 14 points, yet Campbell and the offense were unable to extend the lead they held for the first three quarters. Once Dallas took the lead, Campbell was unable to mount a winning drive. Marion Barber and the Cowboys offensive line sealed the deal from there.

Many will point a finger at the coaching staff for this loss, and with good reason. Many will point a finger at the lack of receiving threats, and with good reason. But in the end, this was a game where you needed your QB to find a way. You needed him to grind one out for the team. You needed him to make a play, even when there wasn't necessarily a play to be made. Tony Romo sits to pee was far from spectacular for the Cowboys, but when his team was down 10-7 early in the fourth quarter, Romo sits to pee made clutch plays. He improvised. He found an opening when all windows appeared to be closed. He did what he needed to do.

Campbell did not.

In his defense, and as mentioned earlier, Campbell did make clutch plays earlier in the year that led the Redskins to victory. But quarterbacks are not judged on the clutch plays they make in September. They are judged on the clutch plays they make in November and beyond.

It wasn't his fault, but the fact remains that the Redskins played their best football last season once Campbell went down with an injury. Todd Collins came in and led an improbable run to the playoffs. Campbell may have done the exact same thing, but he didn't, and therefore, we can only judge him on what we've seen.

So what exactly have we seen?

Is it a very good young QB who simply had a couple of lousy games?

Or is it a young QB who is simply destined to be an average player in this league?

I don't think you can throw the gavel down quite yet, but with each passing game, Campbell is inching closer to the latter.

Technically, the Redskins could still finish 12-4. They could also still finish 6-10.

Smart money probably says they will finish 9-7 or 10-6 and be right on the cusp of making the playoffs as a wild card.

I would have been quite happy with that destination prior to the season. But that's the thing about destinations; sometimes the journey is more important.

[tr1]

Campbell and the play calling were pedestrian last night.

What the hell was that 4th and 4 call? The TE screen was working all night last night...what was that play supposed to be?

[hail2skins]

Good post Kleese.

I too am having some problems with the posts I saw last night which said "Hey, we should be happy......we're still 6-4......and I think you would've been happy with a 9-10 win season before we started in September."

And its true to some extent. In this league of salary caps, free agency, and parity, a nine-win season probably qualifies as OK. And if you can get to 10-6, you can say you had a good year, even if it doesn't translate to a playoff berth.

The problem is as long as you stay at that 9-10 win range, that's what your expectations become for your team.......year after year after year.

Believe it or not, teams do win 11 or more games in this league. In fact, I think all but three have since 1991.......and the Redskins are one of those three.

Look at our division and expectations:

The Giants got on a nice roll to win the Super Bowl. Think their fans were expecting 11-5 or better this season......betcha.

We make fun of the Cowboys because they were penciled in as the automatic NFC Super Bowl rep. But after finishing 13-3, I think maybe they had a right to those expectations.

And the Eagles fans may be delusional because they're pissed at their 5-4-1 team that really has a lot of holes on defense. But you know what? Four straight NFCCG appearances with the same QB you have now.......raises expectations.

I really thought this was going to be a year where we broke through and perhaps had raised expectations for next year. But this team has had a chance to show itself on the big stage at home two consecutive weeks, and the offense at least has blown it big time.

Teams truly on the rise win these sorts of games to propel themselves to 11-5 or better and yes, even if they fall short in the playoffs, raise expectations for the next year.

6-2 on the way to maybe 10-6 if we're fortunate isn't going to do the trick.

[The Sisko]

You might have thought about mentioning the fact that Campbell was playing behind a swiss cheese offensive line that doesn't allow us time to pass down the field. Let's see what he looks like once Jansen is replaced and then let the gavel fall one way or the other.

[kleese]

What the hell was that 4th and 4 call? The TE screen was working all night last night...what was that play supposed to be?

We can't really judge the play call unless we saw the overhead coaches film. For all we know, there may have been a receiver wide open on that play. I have no problem with the play call. Zorn called a played that gave Campbell options-- I prefer that on 4th down than to a screen where it's sort of do or die.

To me, the failure of that play is on JC. Yes, the pocket collapsed and JC was forced to move up. However, when he actually throws the ball, there isn't an extreme amount of pressure on him. He could have either tried to run for the first down or possibly held on a tad longer to let someone get open. Instead, he made the worst possible decision in that scenerio: Throw a pass to a covered WR that has no chance of being completed.

Many people will point to the OL breakdown on that play as the crux of the failure. But I look at JC's decision-making once that breakdown has occured. If he's flushed out of the pocket and is forced to make a throw somewhere, I'd much rather see him make a better decision than the one he made. Romo sits to pee had the pocket collapse on him on that third down play on the previous drive, and he found Austin for a first down with that improvised shovel pass.

You might have thought about mentioning the fact that Campbell was playing behind a swiss cheese offensive line that doesn't allow us time to pass down the field. Let's see what he looks like once Jansen is replaced and then let the gavel fall one way or the other.

Again, I agree that JC hasn't had much help these past few games. His offensive teammates certainly haven't made life any easier for him. But in a way, that's the point: Things aren't always going to be perfect around you. Other guys are going to fail. Good QB's succeed DESPITE what happens around them-- not just because of it.

Last night was a GREAT example of a game where a QB didn't have much help, but DID have a few opportunities to lead his team to the win. JC didn't do it.

Maybe he'll never be able to do that....maybe he's the kind of QB that needs to be a more of a game-manager and bit player? It's not the worst thing in the world if that were the case: Kerry Collins has made a nice career out of being a QB that can hold things together for a team w/o being a spectacular. But it sure makes life easier if your QB can actually WIN you some games.

[Guest sith lord]

Campbell and the play calling were pedestrian last night.

What the hell was that 4th and 4 call? The TE screen was working all night last night...what was that play supposed to be?

I'm glad you brought up that 4th and 4 play. JC had plenty of time and decided to throw it to Moss who wasn't even passed the marker. I don't care what the JC apologist says, the kid does not have IT.

[AngloSackSon]

Clinton had an open lane for the straight ahead dump off on 4th & 4..

[kingfish50]

A lot of what you said is true and the fact is, this team is "average" at best. JC has his moments of glory and then you see where he's holding onto the ball..again, for to long. Our O-line is in shambles and should have been a priority during the off season but instead, Vinnie goes and drafts a damn punter that's not playing anymore.

Our defense is pretty good but not good enough to carry the offense and win some games. A lack of any kind of pass rush is killing us and Taylor, when not injured, hasn't made a difference as evidenced last night.

Forget about taking the division unless the Giants go into a complete nose dive. This team just isn't good enough and every game, from here on out will determine if we make the playoffs as a wild card or not. They cannot afford to lose even one game as I don't see 3 teams coming out of the NFC East for the playoffs. There are just to many teams that are playing better football than the Redskins. They seem to be on the upside of their game and the Redskins look to be regressing.

I hope Coach Zorn can correct this problem but I think it's going to take a couple of years of rebuilding this team before we can start looking to be division champs anytime soon.

[TheLongshot]

Our O-line is in shambles and should have been a priority during the off season but instead, Vinnie goes and drafts a damn punter that's not playing anymore.

Yeah, because a 6th round OL can start when a 3rd round OL can't even make the active roster.

I think that fan's expectations for this team have gotten beyond really what should be expected of a team with a rookie head coach with a QB learning yet another offensive system. People compare what Campbell did with what Romo sits to pee did, but Romo sits to pee sat and learned the same offensive system for years. It shouldn't be a shocker that he's doing things better than Campbell right now.

The big issue right now on offense is protecting Campbell, which we aren't doing a good job of. After getting hit a lot, it isn't a shocker that Campbell gets a little skittish back there. Course, Romo sits to pee did some of the same things last night. It is just that he made a few more plays.

[kingfish50]

Yeah, because a 6th round OL can start when a 3rd round OL can't even make the active roster.

I think that fan's expectations for this team have gotten beyond really what should be expected of a team with a rookie head coach with a QB learning yet another offensive system. People compare what Campbell did with what Romo sits to pee did, but Romo sits to pee sat and learned the same offensive system for years. It shouldn't be a shocker that he's doing things better than Campbell right now.

The big issue right now on offense is protecting Campbell, which we aren't doing a good job of. After getting hit a lot, it isn't a shocker that Campbell gets a little skittish back there. Course, Romo sits to pee did some of the same things last night. It is just that he made a few more plays.

Longshot, I'm not blaming JC at all. A lot of his problems are the o-line and I don't care about if a 3rd rounder can't make the roster, maybe that 6th rounder could. You never know, look at Horton.

The fact is our o-line has needed attention for the last couple of years and it didn't seem to be a priority and you don't go drafting a damn punter in the 6th 10th or the 100th round. Punters are a dime a dozen but a good o-lineman is hard to find. Ever heard of a diamond in the rough?

You can defend that dumb ass decision to draft a freaking punter all you want but we are now suffering the consequences of that moronic decision. We have ZERO pass protection and where in the hell is that 6th round draft pick of ours at now? A ****ing waste :doh:

[pjfootballer]

Alot of us had medium expectations. 7-9 to 10-6 was about the range. You can't blame the fans for expecting more after a 6-2 start and wins at Dallass and Philly. It seems like we do this alot. High expectations, then the team disappoints.

Couple that with the fact that the Cowboys, Giants and Eagles have all won the division since 2000, the Eagles went to alot of NFCCG's and made one SB and the Giants won a SB, it's starting to get depressing for our fans. We feel like we're the red-headed step child of the division.

[Neophyte]

You might have thought about mentioning the fact that Campbell was playing behind a swiss cheese offensive line that doesn't allow us time to pass down the field. Let's see what he looks like once Jansen is replaced and then let the gavel fall one way or the other.

I did not see Jansen give up any sacks last night, Yusuf. I know he is everyone's favorite whipping boy around here but he was the guy assigned to Ratliff or Ware on any one of those 4 sacks.

[PortisFan123]

I truly believe the issues are with the O line. I thought it all night while watching the game and when Madden mentioned it was like..."tell us something we don't know John." I mean he did avoid some of the pressure, but the point is that elite QB's in this league do have the luxury of a good O line..without one you are constantly pushed out of the pocket, on the run, throwing off balance, and focusing on your third choice receiver.

Trust me when i say I have not been a Campbell supporter until this year. He is not being given an opportunity because of the line. Period.

Having your D on the field for such a long stretch, like they were in the 4th quarter is a recipe to being worn down by a power runner. Barber got stronger and stronger as the game went on, or our D became weaker and weaker from being on the field too long. The score could have been a lot worse in my opinion.

So my thought is that Campbell IS NOT the problem, our lack of consistency on the O line is in this case. Similarly we have 0 pass rush on the D and that has been an issue for years and years and years.

At this rate, as the season progresses we will not be able to hang in there because we cannot protect our QB and we cannot get to their QB.

[88Comrade2000]

The lines suck. We spent 3 second round picks on guys that are barely contributing. Just think if we spent at least 2 of those picks on 3 picks on the o-line. Jason Taylor also was a waste, he has spent more time injured than playing.

Frankly, this team is more old than young. We need to inject youth into this team and slowly replace all the old players. The trick will be to field a playoff contender during the transition.

Also, I think it's time for some coaching changes. I figure Jim Zorn will bring in some different coaches and some of the Gibbs leftovers will retire.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

The issue is this. This is a new coaching staff and we expected a slow start and were hoping for improvement as the season went along.

But we are currently reversing that plotline. (Sorry to sound like Tony Kornheiser).

If we struggled through September and October, but hit our stride in November, we could say "We are building something here." But September and October gave us inflated hopes.