Some questiona about our team brought up in the News

[Dan T.]

As for the players holding offseason practices on their own, my guess is that players on most teams in the league probably did this, so I don't see that as a big Redskins advantage. am I wrong on that?

[hoosandskinsMUSTwin]

The media sucks. Period.

[jflow78]

The media sucks. Period.

I second that motion. **** 'em. They can bash the Skins all they want, and when we end up an improved team at season's end they will look like idiots. Honestly, if they weren't outright making fun of and mocking the team, then I could accept the "Skins have lost respect" excuse we've heard over the past decade, but when's the last time you remember the mediots making fun of a team for pretty much no reason?

Sure Grossman said he thought we'd win the East, sure that should raise some eyebrows, even ours, but how else is the guy supposed to feel or what should he say, "Well, I feel like we're better, we'll be an improved 4th in the East."

**** them. We end up 7-9 to 9-7.

[GibbsFactor]

The best thing about that game was a group of young hungry players went out there and kicked the AFC Champions ass. Our "pathetic" offense pushed the vaunted Steel Curtain around like a shower curtain.

I don't care if the Steelers weren't "up" or prepared. They got their asses hurt and went to the bench before more of them went down.

[SkinsHokieFan]

Rather than getting into the convoluted, double edged preseason explanations (about gameplanning and first and second string), I think it's pretty easy to explain why we beat the Steelers. We were clearly the more energetic and physical team and the Steeler's couldn't match our pitch or intensity early on. Our guys were hungry and ready to play and you have to be pleased with the coaching staff in that regard. Bannish any talk of tanking because I just don't see it happening.

.

For someone who has been a very loud advocate of tanking, I agree with your post here.

The energy, "want to", hustle and physicallity was there. I honestly cannot remember a Redskins team do that in a very long time, probably since the 5-0 run to end the 2005 season (even that 4-0 was more mirage, 5-0 was legit)

That was a huge positive. This team has the right character. Does it mean that there is much margin for error in games? I don't think so at this point, an injury here or there, a couple of fluke plays and we could end up looking at a 1-4 start.

But what I was thinking about this team 2 weeks ago and what I am thinking now is starkly different

[Chachie]

Any "disbelief" in our performance the other night is unsurprising and not so unwarranted. We looked good but we did score our only TD with our 1st team against their 2nd team. Also, we'll have to move the ball consistently throughout games to be able to shut down the naysayers.

I like staying under the radar. H8ers gonna h8.

[chipwhich]

:secret:

Preseason is meaningless.

Yeah but last year it showed that our trio of has been running backs couldn't runt, our d-line couldn't stop the run, our d-line couldn't pass rush, our o-line was terrible, our receiving core was worthless...yeah it was pretty meaningless. And all of this against teams not scheming us.

If our team shows up in the next few weeks and our defense gets run off the field by running backs, or grossman becomes a turnover machine, or hightower continually fumbles, well in my opinion, that has some meaning. The last 20 years our team has performed in the real season about as well as they did in the pre season. Horribly.

[justice98]

Any "disbelief" in our performance the other night is unsurprising and not so unwarranted. We looked good but we did score our only TD with our 1st team against their 2nd team. Also, we'll have to move the ball consistently throughout games to be able to shut down the naysayers.

I like staying under the radar. H8ers gonna h8.

All you can really say is what you said and that's they looked good. Like you say, they had 7 pts at halftime. I always thought it was an exercise in futility to overanalyze a quarter or two of football, particularly when it's the first preseason game. I don't care if they were playing the '85 Bears first team and kept it close.

We keep saying preseason doesn't mean anything until the games start and then all that goes out the window and we start buying into it again.

Even the worst team in NFL history (whoever that is) probably played a good team tough for a quarter. lol

[Annonymous Source]

:secret:

Preseason is meaningless.

Which renders the analysis of the media meaningless.

Which render those questions meaningless.

Bang, I disagree with your second statement. I dont even really think that this first game did anything except for confirm to me that Shannahan is still a good coach, and we have some talent on the roster. Of course the media analysis is meaningless, but the media analysis isn't really related to the first preseason game. The media analysis is based on a self perpetuating machine that decides on stories before the season even has a chance to get started. I took this thread to be more of a commentary on the abilities of the media than on the abilities of the team. It is just amazing to me that a team that added so many young, high upside, good attitude pieces and which is better at every position except for maybe 2 can be picked to plummet like this. The thing is, this is nothing new across the league. The media settles on certain storylines in the preseason and then tries to make everything revolve around that. We are just used to getting a bump for "Winning the Offseason", and this time we were on the other side of the coin.

[TomE]

:secret:.....

"It's only preseason" is one of the truest axioms of this game. It is only preseason, and that means there is nothing to analyze beyond individual performances, and even they must be couched like above.

These games are a glorified practices. That's all.

~Bang

I believe most of us are very aware that these games are practices. The thread is merely pointing out that the media is finding ways to negate the fact that the Skins "out practiced" the mighty Steelers in almost every way.

The Skins looked and performed like a hungry no-name team, fired- up and excited to be playing knowing that jobs are on the line, the Steelers appeared to be a complacent, we know who we are, been there and done that, it's just practice AFC champion… and it showed on the field.

This caught many of the “pundits” off- guard because they were expecting total ineptitude by the Skins and are now spinning their way out of the embarrassment of their own ineptitude.

BTW- thanks for the work Hap

[pjfootballer]

Suffice it to say, if we happen to go into Indy next week and win, which has a high probability, since the Colts blow off the preseason every year, you know they'll say we won because they didn't have Peyton Manning (you know, the guy we should have picked off 3 times last year- thanks Los) or that the Colts don't care about preseason.

[jflow78]

So wait a minute stevemcqueen and SHF, you guys DON'T hate all the FA moves now?

[Destructis]

We won't satisfy anyone till we win (and even then they'll deny us), so oh well, hell with them.

I really don't care. What I care about is that I feel the Skins had one of their best off seasons in a long time. I am happy with the FA class they signed and got a lot draft picks through trades. Based on the players they got, I think this team is going to have a ton of heart. They are young and hungry and I couldn't be happier. My gut is telling me that the press is going to eat a lot of words this year. I am drinking the koolaid again and I know that. It's just different this time.

[Going Commando]

So wait a minute stevemcqueen and SHF, you guys DON'T hate all the FA moves now?

I actually love the FA moves (though not crazy about Atogwe's age or Jammal Brown's injury history) and each trade except for the Gaffney one. It's the draft I disliked (but I'll be satisfied if Kerrigan keeps playing well).

The FA moves were brilliant. We got younger, faster, and more talented on the defensive line, added a nice young corner, extended Santana, and traded for my man Hightower. We didn't commit a single big money multiyear deal to anyone, and our most expensive contracts went to good players with a history of underrated performance under the age of 27. Lots of smart contracts.

FA is clearly this Front Office's strength and sharpest tool for upgrading the roster.

Going into FA the Redskins were supposed to be making runs at all of the big name, unreliable FAs like Cullen Jenkins, Vince Young, Ryan Harris, Santonio Holmes, Sydney Rice, Nnamdi Asomugha, Davin Joseph, etc. I was worried that would be the route we'd go. Admit it, we all were. Instead we made a lot of clever and prudent deals that massively improved the defense and created a solid core of offensive skill positions.

[SkinsFTW]

Maybe, but I'm with Bang. Preseason doesn't mean **** other than differentiating the scrubs from the last 10-15 worth keeping around.

[AKM311]

Honestly, I am going to hold on to my full opinion until I see the Ravens preseason game.

However, I did love the discipline and heart in this team. The rest I need to see more of and specifically the Ravens game for me to have an educated opinion.