Jump to content
Washington Football Team Logo
Extremeskins

David Elfin On Sports: The End Of The NFL Lockout Brings The Start Of The Annual Losing Here In Washington


SWFLSkins

Recommended Posts

Found this in breaking news section and thought we should throw it against the wall to discuss. I don't think it is as bleak as Elfin portrays it and he really shyed away from any bright spots. This is afterall Shannys second season here and we all knew coming in there were huge changes to implement and a lack of talent in many areas. I think one thing Elfin skipped was the quality of drafting that Shanny has brought to the table and the fact that the final roster is a guess at this point. Also I don't agree with him about the Cowboys, and they have there own woes this year. That line is a year older, and they won't be adding talent to replace it.

...from the article.....http://washington.cbslocal.com/2011/07/22/david-elfin-on-sports-the-end-of-the-nfl-lockout-brings-the-start-of-the-annual-losing-here-in-washington/

The NFL’s 19-week old lockout is blessedly on the verge of ending. That’s great news for the owners, the players, the coaches and other team employees caught in the middle of the labor impasse these past four months, as well as for the fans.

However, it might not be as welcome a development for the Washington Redskins as for, say, their NFC East rivals, the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

Why?

The Redskins are coming off three straight last-place finishes and were one of just six teams to rank in the bottom third of the league in both scoring and points allowed. Their quarterbacks have combined to start all of three games in coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s offense. No NFC defense allowed more yards in coordinator Jim Haslett’s system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nothing thought provoking or entertaining in this article. Basically, a regurgitation of the mass media talking points.

I am not amused Elfin. Would it kill you to come up with an original thought?

Everyone knows the team is in rough shape after Cerrato. Calling this article journalism is a stretch. Unless you're the most casual of fans, nothing is gained by reading it.

But, let me add something.....This joke of a team won the same number of games as the media darling cowboys, with little of the "talent" people are so enamored with. So where's this giant gap in talent between the two? It's certainly not based in reality.

Suck on that Elfman.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Funny how he claims that we finished last in the division three years in a row when we tied with the Cowboys, and they picked before us in the draft, because when all the formulating was done, they finished behind us.

Elfin, like so many of his DC sports writing peers, is just writing **** based on crap that was dumped years ago. No fresh perspectives, no originality or thought about changes that have taken place or possibly will before September. It is very pathetic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So a sports journalist writes an article about how bad we will be and....

We get upset because? It's a good chance we're a 5/6 win team, last in our division, praying for the first pick

I, for one,am not upset about what was said, but more about how it was said. There is no thought or originality to his article. He completely dismisses changes that have been made and ignores the fact that several more will be made before the regular season starts, all while trying to base his opinions on hype that has been proven false just last season. I can't speak for other posters, but I think many agree with me about this, and that is why we are upset at trash like this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I, for one,am not upset about what was said, but more about how it was said. There is no thought or originality to his article. He completely dismisses changes that have been made and ignores the fact that several more will be made before the regular season starts, all while trying to base his opinions on hype that has been proven false just last season. I can't speak for other posters, but I think many agree with me about this, and that is why we are upset at trash like this.

:point2sky

Its not an issue of being favorable to the Redskins or not. Most of us complain about the Redskins quite a bit.This guy put zero thought into this "article" and it shows.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I, for one,am not upset about what was said, but more about how it was said. There is no thought or originality to his article. He completely dismisses changes that have been made and ignores the fact that several more will be made before the regular season starts, all while trying to base his opinions on hype that has been proven false just last season. I can't speak for other posters, but I think many agree with me about this, and that is why we are upset at trash like this.

This is the reason I put this up as a thread. This guy is getting paid to write this crap. I know he stops by here and I hope he reads these responses calling it is what it is, crap. It's almost as if he is a Cowboys fan. HE fails to recognize the truth of the matter, the Cowboys have troubles this year, and the ain't the Cowboys of '09. The OL is another year older and will be worse. Romo sits to pee is going to face more pressure than he has in the past, and Jerry can't add the quality of players he would like to in the defensive backfield. The Cowboys might score enough points, but the pass defense can be beat if you can avoid the pass rush. The backfield is not top tier and will be exploited by good QB's. The fact that he is a washington writer and yet does not acknowledge some of the quality young players Shannahan has brought after years of mis-management in that area is just lame.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Funny how he claims that we finished last in the division three years in a row when we tied with the Cowboys, and they picked before us in the draft, because when all the formulating was done, they finished behind us.

Actually, the draft order and standings do not equate. We were in last place in the NFC East even though the Cowturds picked before us. They had a so-called tougher schedule which dictates draft position in the tie-break between us. I had this argument defending your assertion and lost. Just another in a long line of slaps in the face.

Edit: There is a remedy for this type of article...winning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a sentiment, I would simply like the five minutes of my life I spent reading that article back. :silly: I'm tired of the same regurgitated pile of :pooh: that these writers continue to put out. It's usually the same story everytime, Dallass win the Super Bowl and the Skins are the doormats. And though we have not been good, we have new management that are conducting things differently from the cretin Vinny's old ways. Wish they would account for this. Alas, it will take winning to shut the fools up ultimately. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

but what if mike s can't fix this ship? where do we go on from there? are we gonna become the new clippers?

This thing is so broke, it's going to take quite bit of time to really fix it. Just think about what they had going into the 2010 season:

1. A good, but very old defense that needed to be completely re-tooled, regardless of scheme. The DL was pretty putrid in the 4-3, the LBs were the strength, with Fletch and Orakpo, but the secondary was also a mess. Rogers dropping balls, Hall gambling, Landry completely out of position, and the other safety spot was a rotating door. Not to mention the AH disaster. They needed to replace between 8-10 players on the defense in 2 years, just because of age and ineptitude.

2. On offense, the QB situation was a PR catastrophe with JC. Whether he was good, not good, servicable or not was irrelevant. The team and fan base had given up on him, and it was time to move on from that experiment.

3. The OL was the exact same OL as in 2005, just 4 years older. And not very good, and needed a complete overhaul.

4. The WRs were "Moss and the other guys." Again, that tune had been playing since 2005. Kelly and Thomas were supposed to help. They didn't. The WR core needed a complete overhaul.

5. The RB spot should have been the bright spot, but due to personality conflicts, was still a mess. Portis didn't respect Zorn (don't blame him) and didn't come to camp in 2009 in shape. It was the same cast of misfits since 2005, and again, needed an overhaul and youth.

6. The schemes on both sides of the ball were pretty ordinary. Zorn only knew 6 plays, and we ALL were furious at Greg Blache's read and react defense.

And then there were the intangibles: Cerrato and Snyder had worn out the fan base with their sketchy moves, bother personnel and general business. The Media is like a swarming mass of piranhas that can't wait to take another chunk of flesh out of Snyder specifically, and the team in general. Heck, there is an entire radio station that is BUILT on being the "anti-Skins" station, and they plugged in the biggest hater of them all, the most dissapointing player in the last 20 years, Lavar, for 5 hours every day just to take shots at the team whenever possible.

Not to even mention the circus of the 2009 season, with Zorn being deposed, having to have an "org chart" to figure out who was calling plays, which was brilliantly plastered on the screen at the beginning of every broadcast.

This thing was broken at every level: Personnel, Scheme, Fan Trust, even the freaking practice fields were no good.

So, thinking that anybody can fix all that in one or even two years is ludicrous. Shannahan tried to fix parts of it quickly. He tried to bring in McNabb just to add some stability to the QB position so he wouldn't have to think about it for 3-4 years while he fixed everything else. Good idea, wrong guy. The AH thing was just another circus, but it really didn't cost them anything.

He did, in their first 2 drafts, pick up a whole shlew of players that should be able to compete. They replaced 4 of the OL going into the mid part of the season last year, and there are more changes coming. The RB position is completely re-built, with a few FAs and with a 4th round draft pick. The WR position is a little interesting. They drafted a bunch of guys, found a guy on the roster, and now might pick up a FA.

On defense, they changed scheme, and have tried like mad to pick up guys to fit the scheme.

They also are trying, with about 50% success to re-engage the fans and win back some good will. Most of that will happen when the team starts winning. But they are trying something new. The only really big PR debacle of the last 12 months has been the ill conceived Snyder vs.City Paper lawsuit. Which was just dumb PR. But other than that, most of the PR has been reasonably positive.

I have no idea if Shannahan is going to be able to fix all this stuff. He's done some good things, and some stupid things. But I'm convinced it's going to take a while...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with you here, man. Anyone who thinks that we are going to be serious contenders within our division on a regular basis any time soon is delusional. Until we can actually field an offense that poses a threat (how long has it been?!?!?) and figure out how to run a real 3-4 defense we are going to be listless.

Not trying to be a huge downer here, but it's just how I see things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All teams have been exposed to the negative effects of no off season and the lack of positive effects of the team mates - i would think it would be more of a problem for teams like the Cowboys and the Eagles who come in with a meh we just need to turn up attitude .

There is no comment in the article about the fact the Giants and Cowboys are well above the projected cap and changes will have to be made on their rosters - the Cowboys may not be able to afford to re-sign Free (for example) if they are over the cap and if they cannot make above vet minimum signing untill they got under the cap .. The Eagles have the 31 dog killer at QB and seem to be courting disaster by trying to bring in Farve in again to back him up while trading away the QB of the future (the one under 30 who they have tried twice to shoehorn into being a starter) ....

but no - there are no problems anywhere else in the NFL - only the Redskins have problems - everyone else it is rainbows, puppies and gummy bear streams ... i am not saying the Skins don't have problems and we could be years away from being truly competitive especially with the CBA crap but there are issues elsewhere ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 years of suckitude and a certain way of doing business(if that is what you would call it)will make a skeptic of anyone. I am not expecting a whole lot this season other than improvement.

Yes the FO is on a short leash, but so far Shanahan has done a great job of letting our reputation continue to let people think they know what is going to happen. If you look at the moves and the way he has done them it shows some patience and that character is something he is putting a lot of value in.

I didn't read the article and judging by what has been said says it goes off of the SOS.

The thing that constantly bugs me is the worst yardage defense talk, I am pretty sure that has never been a goal of this reseme. They want more turnovers which has been up since last year.

Hopefully the running game will be better and we can get some average play out of the quarterback.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 years of suckitude and a certain way of doing business(if that is what you would call it)will make a skeptic of anyone. I am not expecting a whole lot this season other than improvement.

Yes the FO is on a short leash, but so far Shanahan has done a great job of letting our reputation continue to let people think they know what is going to happen. If you look at the moves and the way he has done them it shows some patience and that character is something he is putting a lot of value in.

I didn't read the article and judging by what has been said says it goes off of the SOS.

The thing that constantly bugs me is the worst yardage defense talk, I am pretty sure that has never been a goal of this reseme. They want more turnovers which has been up since last year.

Hopefully the running game will be better and we can get some average play out of the quarterback.

Until this team wins consitently, year after year, it's the same ol' same ol' sales pitch from every writer about the Redskisn. It's always the hope that things will be better this year.

If only "blah, blah, blah" is signed the offense/defense will be better. This team looks great on paper. We're 1-2 players away from making a push to be great. XXX will fill in nicely in this offense/defense.

Not once in the past 20 years, have I heard anyone inside this organization say "it's going to take some time to rebuild the roster with people we consider Redskins". WTF is a Redskin player these days anyway? An overpaid, loafer who sucks? What is this teams "thing"? Run? Pass? Defense? None of the above?

Constant coaching turnover has ruined this franchise. Until someone, anyone, can stay here for more than a sneeze this organization will continue to finish last in the league. Snyder doesn't get it and maybe never will.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think everybody could use a reminder how bad we've been.

We have adults running the FO now. Let's be patient. But sugarcoating how bad we've been recently, accomplishes nothing. Maybe one reason we need this reminder, is to remember how tough a job our FO has, trying to rebuild this team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think everybody could use a reminder how bad we've been.

We have adults running the FO now. Let's be patient. But sugarcoating how bad we've been recently, accomplishes nothing. Maybe one reason we need this reminder, is to remember how tough a job our FO has, trying to rebuild this team.

The damage done due to the long running Vinny and Dan show is not easily fixed. But the author fails to acknowledge that Shannahan has the team heading on a proper course.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The damage done due to the long running Vinny and Dan show is not easily fixed. But the author fails to acknowledge that Shannahan has the team heading on a proper course.

:point2sky

The author is doing this for a number of reasons. My guess, increased readership of his "work" and so he can say I told you so after the season.

Predicting the Skins will spend a lot on FA and that they will be bad is like predicting that it's going to be hot tomorrow in the DC area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...