The 1999 Washington Redskins

[thebluefood]

I'll never forget that botched field goal against Tampa Bay.

I was only 8, and you can imagine I cried like a baby afterward.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Cali man, I think TD_w was alluding to the fact that upto that point in time it was the most fun team we'd seen since Gibbs 1.

Nice piece TD_w man. Brought back the memory's.

Hail.

Appreciate it...kind of sad that I can write that from memory.

And yes, I apologize...I meant that it was the most fun to that point in time. However, personally, 1999 and 2005 are a toss-up to me. The things Cali mentioned about 2005 certainly make a great case. For the 1999 team though, we had an amazing two months of offense combined with modest expectations, a team that actually won the division, and the ability to experience being a playoff team for almost a month.

What I mean by that is that we clinched the playoffs/division in week 16 (our 15th game), so as fans we had the opportunity to relax a bit and think about all the possibilities through our 16th game, the wild card round, and into the divisional round. In 2005, we didn't know until 7:00 or so on the final Sunday if we'd even make the playoffs. I guess 1999 reminded me a little bit more of my childhood teams in the 1980s who locked things up and had a chance to prepare for the playoffs with more than 6 days rest.

I would also point out/concede that major points have to go to the 2005 team for sweeping Dallas vs. the 1999 team being swept. We're splitting hairs and it's sad that we can literally debate between 2 seasons over the past 20 years.

---------- Post added June-25th-2011 at 10:28 AM ----------

kleese, you are probably correct that toe-to-toe the 2005 team would have beaten the 1999 team. But they were a top team within the context of the league that year. Also, it probably depends which 2005 Redskin team showed up...the one that barely beat Chicago, lost to Oakland, and got shut out by New York or the one that pasted SF, ran the table vs. our 3 divisional rivals in December, and outplayed Seattle twice.

All in all, I can't really debate that point. I just wanted to write about the 1999 team since it's slightly more distant, the only time we've gotten a home playoff game/won the division since Gibbs, and not referenced here nearly as much as the two Gibbs II runs. It's amazingly still the only non-Gibbs-led playoff team in over three decades!

I think the mid-1990s teams really were close to breaking through in a mediocre NFC. Not that it's saying much...but a few breaks or different outcomes along the way, and we might have had a handful of Norv-led playoff berths. Granted, he wouldn't have a won a championship more than likely, but I still believe those teams were the only true rebuild I've witnessed as a fan. We tore down the dynastic team built by Gibbs and started over. We were predominantly led by young players and climbed from 3 wins to 9 wins in the span of 3 years (1994-1996). To me 1999 was the peak of that era in Redskin history that still fascinates me.

[hail2skins]

Raise of hands: Who here thought in January 2000, following the 1999 season, that with 3 first round picks in the following draft and a shot at Lavar Arrington, we were on the verge of a decade long dynasty

I remember I was more focused on how we were going to do that next season more than on the long-range future. Despite all the hype going in, I wasn't expecting Super Bowl. I thought we'd improve by one game to 11-5 and make it to the next round of the playoffs (NFCCG) before losing to a team like Tampa again.

What about this question: When Gibbs came back in January 2004, who would've foreseen our record over the next seven seasons to be a combined 48-64?

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I remember I was more focused on how we were going to do that next season more than on the long-range future. Despite all the hype going in, I wasn't expecting Super Bowl. I thought we'd improve by one game to 11-5 and make it to the next round of the playoffs (NFCCG) before losing to a team like Tampa again.

What about this question: When Gibbs came back in January 2004, who would've foreseen our record over the next seven seasons to be a combined 48-64?

2000 to me is one of the most overrated seasons when people look for underachievement and FA warnings. I'll concede that we got little value for our investments on a macro level, but a lot of people fail to acknowledge that our short-comings in 2000 were almost all on the offensive side of things.

Our defense improved from 30th to 4th or 5th. Now, I'll concede that you can never determine what was due to Ray Rhodes taking over for Mike Nolan and what was due to our new players, but it's a HUGE jump. Also, if you look at the individuals we brought in, they played relatively well. Deion Sanders gave up one TD all season. Sure, he struggled in the return game and had very few game-changing plays...but he was a very solid cover corner. Bruce Smith wasn't lights out, but still had 10 sacks and forced 5 fumbles. I can honestly say that I don't remember how Carrier did.

On offense George was probably unnecessary but seemed to outplay Johnson when he got into games. The offensive problems had to do with injuries, Johnson's play, and spotty OL play. Couple that with an awful kicking game and we were probably an 11-5ish team that was only able to win 8 games.

So, I don't live under the delusion that we were 3 made kicks and some lucky bounces away from meeting the pre-season expectations and winning a championship. But if you played that season 10 times, I'd bet that we'd make the playoffs 5 or 6 times.

[sportjunkie07]

yeah, its been over a decade and i remember almost every game that season. the first game vs. the cowboys made me so angry. stephen davis was such a beast that season. we really shoulda beaten tb in the playoffs. how do you lose that game? ridiculous.

[hail2skins]

yeah, its been over a decade and i remember almost every game that season. the first game vs. the cowboys made me so angry. stephen davis was such a beast that season. we really shoulda beaten tb in the playoffs. how do you lose that game? ridiculous.

I don't think Davis was anywhere near 100 pct for that game. Probably had a lot to do with it.

[worstSeat]

They sure won me some fantasy football money. I had Johnson and Davis, both in later rounds but higher than the rest of the league thought they should've been drafted. Hello, success. 1999's Skins were a team worth cheering.

Not that many Skins steals since. Sellers was a steal one year. /shrug

[s0crates]

On offense George was probably unnecessary but seemed to outplay Johnson when he got into games.

I was with you until you said this. I know Brad had a down year in 2000 compared to his great 1999 campaign, but I just cannot agree that George was better.

Brad Johnson won football games. Jeff George lost them. With Brad starting we were 7-4 in 2000. With Jeff starting we were 1-4.

Well I am on this, Brad's career W-L record: 72-53. Jeff's career W-L record: 46-78. Simply put, Brad Johnson was a winner and Jeff George was a loser.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I was with you until you said this. I know Brad had a down year in 2000 compared to his great 1999 campaign, but I just cannot agree that George was better.

Brad Johnson won football games. Jeff George lost them. With Brad starting we were 7-4 in 2000. With Jeff starting we were 1-4.

Well I am on this, Brad's career W-L record: 72-53. Jeff's career W-L record: 46-78. Simply put, Brad Johnson was a winner and Jeff George was a loser.

That's fair. I guess I was reaching a little too far to make my point. The fact remains that the defensive acquisitions more likely than not improved our team in 2000. Maybe I'm just excited about that Rams game.

[MarkB452]

My thoughts on 1999 are quite different...IMO, the most overrated Redskin team of my lifetime. I believe that both the 2005 and 2007 teams were better (especially 2005).

Quite simply, the 1999 team was lucky. Including the playoffs, how many teams above .500 did they beat that year?

ZERO.

Our divison was simply awful in 1999, but the NFC as a whole may have been worse with TWO 8-8 teams making the playoffs. Every time we had a chance in 1999 to really make a move, we lost to a good team. The loss at Indy was especially crushing because that could have made a big difference in seeding for us. And of course, we did get swept by Dallas that year.

For five games, Brad Johsnon and the offense went nuts. I will readily admit that during that early stretch it may have been the best Redskin offense we've seen at any point since 1991. They were fantastic. But it crashed hard and Johnson came back down to earth quickly.

>> Not so fast, at least 1....Dolphins, but that was a 4:00 pm game and was rendred meaningless after the results from the 1 PM game became known.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1999/ << 1999 league standings here

Yes, the NFC was very mediocre as was the AFC. 31 teams, 6 divisions. I am sure the NFL likes to call that "parity". Note that 6 teams won more games than the Redskins and 4 of them were in the AFC,

That was also the year that Domino's was the team sponsor and had some deal like $1 off a large pizza for every TD on the Monday after the game. I was living in Richmond VA at the time and could not partake of the almost free pizzas the Skins were turning out every week early in the season. My brother went to one in the NOVA area and walked out w/o ordering when he saw all the people waiting for pizzas. I remember reading an article in the Wash Post about this.

I am sure Papa John's learned from that and that's why you get 1 free topping per TD (double toppings with a win). BTW, the Papa John's at Chatham Heights (Fredericksburg VA) is REALLY cheap with the free toppings. I mean, one sliver of olive on each piece of pizza counts as a topping?

---------- Post added June-26th-2011 at 12:37 AM ----------

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19991012&slug=2988376 << Article about the pizzas 4 weeks into the season.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1999-10-10/news/9910100070_1_domino-redskins-pizza

``We didn't figure they'd have this kind of offensive juggernaut,'' said Charlie Malament, who owns five outlets in the suburbs.

Wood, president of the group of Washington-area Domino's operators, estimated the promotion has cost them, net, about $2 million on the Mondays so far, despite the fact that the outlets have sold a total of more than 640,000 pizzas on the four Mondays after Redskins games this season. That compares with perhaps 120,000 for four average Mondays. :hungry:

[MumboSauce]

Is the 2005 season on DVD anywhere? Would be a nice trip to see how that all unfolded again.

[Operations]

I mostly remember a distraught Dan Turk not flying home with the team after the playoff loss, then dying shortly thereafter. What a tragic end for a good guy.

[MarkB452]

I mostly remember a distraught Dan Turk not flying home with the team after the playoff loss, then dying shortly thereafter. What a tragic end for a good guy.

>> Been discussed here before, but the Redskins really treated him like dirt while he was dying. I blame this 100% on Snyder, especially after

one of the top OL guys got cut in training camp after giving up a sack on Brad Johnson. I remember reading an interview where Snyder was asked who his least favorite Redskins was and he said it was the guy who gave up the sack on Johnson. Given that and the I only want winners speech he gave to the players after buying the team, is it any wonder nobody except Raymer would associate with Dan Turk after the loss to Tampa Bay??

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2000-12-30/news/0012300233_1_raiders-uniform-dan-turk-dan-snyder

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2001-09-23/sports/0109220433_1_dan-turk-matt-turk-al-davis

[USS Redskins]

'99 was supposed to be the start of a new era.... but remember how weird it was in the off-season.. our (finally) franchise QB signs with St. Louis b/c the ownership issue was so unsettled. The loss of Green was a huge blow but the new owner trades a 1st round pick for another QB who shows up to the press conference in a cast from knee surgery!

Other than obtaining Johnson, the biggest pickup was Larry Centers - that guy Balled!

I was in Indy for that loss... my father had friend who was an acquaintance of Norv Turners. He got us some sideline passes and we shook the guys hand. He was a great guy... thought he had finally put together a great team that year.

After a great season, but disappointing ending, it all falls apart when DS and VC begin their tinkering. Nice Job!

[hail2skins]

' The loss of Green was a huge blow but the new owner trades a 1st round pick for another QB who shows up to the press conference in a cast from knee surgery!

Snyder didn't trade for B. Johnson......Casserly did before Snyder took over. In fact, Snyder reportedly wanted to rescind the trade.

[Chanhillbilly]

Also excellent mention of Skip Hicks being the guy most thought was going to be the primary back (I know I did) after the 1998 season. It was almost viewed as a disappointment that Stephen Davis, who was moved to fullback in 1998 and didn't look all that good in his shot to replace Terry Allen in 1997 after Allen got hurt, won the job.

I think that Stephen Davis's move to fullback helped him in the long run. I remember him running very upright before that and after, he lead with his pads going into the holes. Dishing out the hit vs receiving it.

[scruffylookin]

I think that Stephen Davis's move to fullback helped him in the long run. I remember him running very upright before that and after, he lead with his pads going into the holes. Dishing out the hit vs receiving it.

Very good point. Davis did seem like a different runner in 1999 than 1997. He also benefited from a better offensive line and quarterback.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I think that Stephen Davis's move to fullback helped him in the long run. I remember him running very upright before that and after, he lead with his pads going into the holes. Dishing out the hit vs receiving it.

Agreed...good point!

[GameWinner]

This was the first season I was old enough to understand football and I fell in love with the Skins instantly. My dad has been a fan since immigrating here in '82 so it was bound to happen, but this year will always be one of my favorites.

[Redskins4ever]

The 1999 Washington Redskins were a very good football team. Brad Johnson, Albert Connell, Michael Westbrook, Stephen Davis, and Larry Centers led the way on offense. They were a playoff team. This was the last season a Redskin QB passed for over 4,000 yards and the last time two WRs caught receptions for more than 1,000 yards each.

[Bishop Hammer]

That was a great season. Hoping we can pull it off this year as well.

[Murphs56]

That 1999 Skins offense could play. 1,000 yard back, 2 1,000 yard receivers. It's amazing it's taken us all these years later to finally have a good offense again

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

Imagine that 1999 team, and more importantly the 2000 team, with a good HC. I think if you transplanted the current OFFENSIVE coaching staff and kicker to those teams, then the 1999 teams goes 11-5 and the 2000 team goes 13-3 (though could Haslett screw up even that defense? LaVar in a 3-4 would be nasty though. I think LaVar could have been one of the great 3-4 rush backers of the decade if he had wanted to and was coached in that system) . The FA signings worked, the offense just fell apart.