bulldog Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 from a talent standpoint I think the Skins could and should be competitive for the playoffs. You look at teams like the Browns and Atlanta last year that made the postseason and I have a hard time running down their rosters and finding better players than we have here. what has happened is Spurrier had a much steeper learning curve in Year 1 than I thought he was going to have. he spent 10 years as a qb in the NFL and yet looked to be entering the league for the first time in 2002. certainly, the failure of the Gator qbs in 2002 was not that great a surprise given their records elsewhere. I had some hopes that Matthews could provide enough veteran stability as say Rodney Peete did in Carolina to allow the Skins with better talent elsewhere to be a wildcard type team. It is indeed surprising to me that Spurrier was that taken aback by the performances in 2002 given that often college qbs have had a difficult time transitioning to the NFL since before Steve was drafted in 1967. Some just don't make it. The games are different. The skill set required to be successful up here in the 'bigs' is different Now, that we are entering Year 2 it is time to put up or shut up. There are better players on the OL, at WR and better depth at CB and S. There are holes at DT right now and inexperience at QB. A good front office will work to find a solution at DT that does not derail the entire season and a good coach will work to make things manageable for a young qb just earning his stripes. In my mind it is time for a team with Bailey, Jansen, Samuels, Coles, Gardner, Arrington, Trotter and a host of others to show itself and be counted. Given what we saw Bill Bellichick do in 2001 with the Patriots, Vermeil do with the Rams in 1999 and Billick do with the Ravens in 2000, there is a higher bar for Spurrier to clear in 2003 than might have been the case in 1980 during a time when less player movement meant a longer time in building up a team to be a contender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medicio Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 My heart says 9-7 but reality wise i think we might be under 500. If we can stop the run then the playoffs might be a possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 if we agree that the talent here is better now overall than it was last year and we actually regress and win fewer than 7 or 8 games than in my mind there has to be some consideration of a change at the top. I am usually a fan of waiting and giving a guy a chance but the truth is that Spurrier is getting much better financial backing and player acquisitions than say a Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati or Dave McGinnis in Arizona. These guys have to beg, borrow or steal to get their teams to sign their draft picks for crying out loud Yes, Spurrier made mistakes in evaluating personnel in Year 1. And the schedule looks to be challenging in Year 2. BUT, you have to look at where the Skins are now vs. where other teams are under their respective coaches and ask yourself who is getting MORE out of LESS. Right now it appears that the Skins are getting LESS out of MORE. That has to change Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glorydays Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 Our offense clings to our defense until they break out mid-season. Our ST becomes better each week. 10-6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ax Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 Well call me the optimist/homer, but I choose to feel good about this season. Real good. So many things play into how a team will do in any season. There are always surprising teams, and disappointing teams. Maybe the early schedule will be tough maybe not. We know it looks tough on paper, but as we've shown over the last several years, paper is best suited for wiping your a$$ with. I believe there are basically two groups of teams in the NFL now. Teams that have absolutely no shot at the Super Bowl (i.e. Cincy, Detroit, Houston, etc...etc) and everybody else. If you can make it to 5-5, then get on roll, anything can happen. Right bleedblue? I put both the Redskins and the Pats in the everybody else group. Capable of anything. For us: With numerous injuries at key positions, combined with poor play from backups? 6-10 With few injuries and solid play (not spectacular) 10-6/playoffs/maybe even a Super Bowl run. With no major injuries, above average play from our vets on offense and defense, plus solid play from our new acquisitions and younger players? 12-4 Super Bowl Champions. as for the Pats: Who cares? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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