Homer: In loss to Buffalo, Redskins offense reaches new low

[themurf]

(photo by Brian Murphy)

As a kid, I loved Halloween.

I enjoyed picking out a costume each year and looked forward to hitting up as many houses in my neighborhood as possible in hopes of scoring enough candy to last a lifetime.

Sadly, those days are long gone and Halloween has taken on a much less enjoyable meaning for me.

Now, Halloween effectively represents the end of the competitive portion of the Washington Redskins’ schedule.

It was true last season when the Redskins lost to the beleaguered Detroit Lions 37-25 in the game that saw “franchise quarterback” Donovan McNabb get benched while his head coach openly questioned his conditioning and intelligence.

And it’s true this season after the Redskins got beat down to the tune of 23-0 to a Buffalo Bills team that had allowed an average of more than 24 points per game in their first six outings.

Last season, Washington was 4-3 heading into their Halloween showdown in the Motor City. The Redskins had wins over talented teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles on the road and the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers at home.

But by the time November rolled around, McNabb was left to quietly count down his remaining days in D.C., and ‘Skins fans were left hoping Rex Grossman could at least manage games well enough to keep the team competitive.

Of course, the Redskins lost seven of their last nine games and the beginning of the Mike Shanahan era looked a lot like Year 1 of Jim Zorn or Steve Spurrier.

Here we are, one year later, and things actually look worse for the burgundy and gold.

Grossman, the same quarterback who stepped in for McNabb last season once the coaching staff lost confidence in the veteran, has now assumed the role of former starter who played himself out of a job.

And his replacement, the unheralded John Beck, looks every bit as overmatched as Grossman did during his brief tenure in the starting lineup.

The Redskins offense is so inept that it’s impossible to identify one single thing they do well.

Anytime Beck tries to take a shot down field, he’s unable to come within 10 yards of the intended target. That means the passing game can only hope to move the ball by dinking and dunking down the field, which makes it easy for defenses to get overly aggressive.

The ground game – a staple of every Mike Shanahan-led team during his impressive NFL coaching career – is nonexistent.

In the last three games, Ryan Torain has rushed 20 times for 31 yards (1.5 yards per carry). During the same three-game losing streak, Roy Helu has just three carries for five yards. And for all the talk about Beck’s mobility, the only time it’s on display is when he’s chasing down a football he’s fumbled with no defender in sight.

Add in an offensive line that’s allowed 14 sacks over the last three games and it’s not unreasonable to suggest that this might very well be a new low for the Washington Redskins.

Unimaginative playcalling, mental errors and uninspired play for nearly everyone involved makes it nearly impossible to make it through an entire Redskins game sober.

This is coming from someone who is actually on the sidelines each and every Sunday. I can’t even begin to comprehend that there are fans out there still willing to pay good money in this economy to see such a sorry excuse for an offense in action.

And the best part is – the Redskins still have nine games left on the schedule.

The one weapon this team has left, tight end Fred Davis, was seen in a walking boot Monday which means there’s a chance he misses this weekend’s game against San Francisco.

Shanahan said the 24-year-old has a Grade 1 ankle sprain, which makes it difficult for an athletic tight end like Davis to make his cuts. Should Davis miss any length of time recovering from this injury, it’s safe to say the Redskins might never cross midfield again.

Click here for the full article.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

I HATE you Mr Murphy.

As much as I crave Andrew Luck (Watching the USC game Saturday just brought it home again how every time I watch Stanford the guy just seems to look even better than the last); I'd mentally resigned myself to just not being able to bag him. I can more than see us picking in the top three in this coming draft, but with so many holes to fill, and Luck being THAT good; the bidding war for whomever holds the golden ticket of the number one pick will be beyond crazy.

But then I read a piece like that, nodding manically at every sentence; and my hearts set all a flutter again at thinking "You know what, screw it. Do what EVER it takes to get a guy whose Universally acknowledged to be on his way to all time greatness."

Damn it Sir. Why couldn't you just leave well enough alone and let my hopes rest on a Jones, RGIII or Tannehil? :mad:

Hail.

[skinsmarydu]

I was baptised in burgundy corduroys with a Redskins patch on the back pocket when I was 9. I have always been a die-hard HTTR fan, no matter what. Yet I decided against wearing my Skins sweatshirt yesterday. I am completely confused about everything. The discussion of tanking the season started after last draft, and still continues. I have to ride the fence, since we're at the point of throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. I work around sports junkies, and have taken heat for years, but everyone's just sad for me now and don't even joke about this season. I want wins. A winning season is not out of reach. I will continue to feel this way. Hail.

[themurf]

I HATE you Mr Murphy.

As much as I crave Andrew Luck (Watching the USC game Saturday just brought it home again how every time I watch Stanford the guy just seems to look even better than the last); I'd mentally resigned myself to just not being able to bag him. I can more than see us picking in the top three in this coming draft, but with so many holes to fill, and Luck being THAT good; the bidding war for whomever holds the golden ticket of the number one pick will be beyond crazy.

But then I read a piece like that, nodding manically at every sentence; and my hearts set all a flutter again at thinking "You know what, screw it. Do what EVER it takes to get a guy whose Universally acknowledged to be on his way to all time greatness."

Damn it Sir. Why couldn't you just leave well enough alone and let my hopes rest on a Jones, RGIII or Tannehil? :mad:

Hail.

Believe me, you've known me long enough to know that I'm not someone who has ever encouraged this team's willingness to win the offseason. I've never gotten behind mortgaging the future or cutting corners to try and do the "quick fix." I want this team to be a winner for more than one fluky season every few years and I absolutely believe that landing Luck would do just that. He's that much better than everyone else available.

Wait until I post my new write-up. You're not going to speak to me for a while after that one. hehehe.

Cheers.

[tibbidoe]

What I hate the most, is how you take something that SHOULD be insane (4 1STs for 1 player), and make it sound so... damned... logical. haha

It makes me sad that such a move could become our beloved franchise's BEST move. Things have gotten so bad, and seem to get worse by the week, that we now have to seriously consider a move like this.

Well written as always, sir.

(dammit)

[Skinsinparadise]

As for the unimaginative play calling are you talking recently or the whole season? As for Luck why would a team trade supposedly a guy with more hype than Peyton Manning? They'd never live it down.

[pjfootballer]

Four 1st are too much, but I'd do a 1st in 2012 and 2013 a 2nd in 2013 and a 3rd in 2012 for him.

[themurf]

What I hate the most, is how you take something that SHOULD be insane (4 1STs for 1 player), and make it sound so... damned... logical. haha

It makes me sad that such a move could become our beloved franchise's BEST move. Things have gotten so bad, and seem to get worse by the week, that we now have to seriously consider a move like this.

Well written as always, sir.

(dammit)

Believe me, if I thought there was a way this team could turn the ship around without giving up that much, I'd be all for it. But things have gotten that bad and this kid is that good, so I'm left sounding crazy. hehehe. Either way, thanks for the support.

Four 1st are too much, but I'd do a 1st in 2012 and 2013 a 2nd in 2013 and a 3rd in 2012 for him.

I actually just posted a lengthy breakdown in another thread (which can be found here) detailing why four first rounders isn't as bad as it might initially sound. Looking at what other teams have paid in an effort to land a franchise quarterback, that could very well be what it takes to steal Luck away from a team like Indy or Miami.

[SkinsFTW]

I want wins. A winning season is not out of reach. I will continue to feel this way. Hail.

Keep on smoking that stuff bro. It is obviously helping :thumbsup:

---------- Post added November-1st-2011 at 11:20 AM ----------

Four 1st are too much, but I'd do a 1st in 2012 and 2013 a 2nd in 2013 and a 3rd in 2012 for him.

:insane:

[Boss_Hogg]

What makes you all think the Shanhahans would draft Luck anyway? Wouldn't that mean that Mike would have to admit he was wrong about Beck Grossman?

[pjfootballer]

Keep on smoking that stuff bro. It is obviously helping :thumbsup:

---------- Post added November-1st-2011 at 11:20 AM ----------

:insane:

So giving up 2 1sts a second and a thrid is crazy, yet he's advocating FOUR 1st round picks?

[Henry]

Four first rounders is worth more than twice a second and a fourth, Murf.

There is no way I'd give up that much for any one player. I think you people are nuts.

[pjfootballer]

Or we can just keep parading out the Grossmans, Freiszs, Shulers, Frerottes, Banks, Wherfuls, Campbells and Ramseys like we have the last 30 years.

[Henry]

Or we can just keep parading out the Grossmans, Freiszs, Shulers, Frerottes, Banks, Wherfuls, Campbells and Ramseys like we have the last 30 years.

Trading four firsts for a guy who hasn't played a down in the NFL won't change that list. That past is what it is. We've spent plenty of high picks on QBs that haven't panned out.

QBs have a habit of doing that ... not panning out. If you trade four first rounders and that guy doesn't pan out you've set yourself back literally a decade. You guys want another decade of this?

It's a panic move, pure and simple.

[pjfootballer]

Trading four firsts for a guy who hasn't played a down in the NFL won't change that list.

It's a panic move, pure and simple.

Well, it's been 1991 since we've had a decent QB (Rypien). It's been since 1985 since we've had a franchise QB (Joey T). It's been since 1969 since we've had a top 5 QB (Sonny). When should we start panicking? Or should we wait another 30 years?

[Henry]

Well, it's been 1991 since we've had a decent QB (Rypien). It's been since 1985 since we've had a franchise QB (Joey T). It's been since 1969 since we've had a top 5 QB (Sonny). When should we start panicking? Or should we wait another 30 years?

When should we start panicking?

I like that question.

The serious answer is never. I'm sorry your sick of this team playing like crap. I am too.

But quadrupling down on our future isn't the only way, or even the best way, or even the sane way, to make the crapulence go away.

[pjfootballer]

When should we start panicking?

I like that question.

The serious answer is never. I'm sorry your sick of this team playing like crap. I am too.

But quadrupling down on our future isn't the only way, or even the best way, or even the sane way, to make the crapulence go away.

For the record, I don't really agree with 4 first rounders. I was thinking a combination of:

2012 1st

2013 1st

2012 3rd

2013 4th.

That still leaves us with a 2nd and 4th-7th (plus we have an extra 4th) in 2012 and a 2nd and 3rd rounder in 2013.

[Enter Apotheosis]

What makes you all think the Shanhahans would draft Luck anyway? Wouldn't that mean that Mike would have to admit he was wrong about Beck Grossman?

Mike Shanahan has NEVER in the entirety of his career hesitated to stick an axe in the back of a failing QB project. In fact, he has tended to exhibit absurdly high expectations out of his players and, in the case of Jake Plummer, has even replaced a guy who had just taken his team to the AFC Championship game a season before because he felt that said QB could take the team no farther. If anything, you should be arguing that perhaps he is too trigger happy and disloyal to his QBs.

It is absolutely true that you will have an extremely hard time getting Mike to admit that he or any member of his staff is wrong or to speak ill of any of his players in an open forum unless such speech would serve his own purposes in some manner. However, he is, historically speaking, quick to take action to correct mistakes that are made.

To insist that Mike Shanahan would sink the entire ship over something so ridiculously trivial in the grand scheme of things would require that you severely underestimate the man and are completely, utterly, and hopelessly oblivious to his past.

Emphasis added because I'm hoping it will magically help what I have just said to penetrate some of the thicker skulls around here.

[SkinsFTW]

So giving up 2 1sts a second and a thrid is crazy, yet he's advocating FOUR 1st round picks?

They are both nuts but luckily neither are in the room when the draft is going on (even if one of these guys is Vinny).

[grego]

Four first rounders is worth more than twice a second and a fourth, Murf.

There is no way I'd give up that much for any one player. I think you people are nuts.

what if he's as good as manning? is he still not worth it?

[SAP_Pete]

I'd trade the 4 first round picks from 93-96 for Luck.

Tom Carter

Heath Shuler

Michael Westbrook

Andre Johnson

[TonyH]

I'm thinking the Redskins should try to grab one of the good college QB prospects. Forget Luck. At a cost of several years of lost 1st rounders+ with no guarantee he'll play great, maybe Matt Barkley should be on the radar screen.

[RedskinsInFebruary]

Well, it's been 1991 since we've had a decent QB (Rypien). It's been since 1985 since we've had a franchise QB (Joey T). It's been since 1969 since we've had a top 5 QB (Sonny). When should we start panicking? Or should we wait another 30 years?

You can still acquire a franchise QB; it doesn't have to be Andrew Luck and the price he'd require to trade for.

[konga2145]

I'm thinking the Redskins should try to grab one of the good college QB prospects. Forget Luck. At a cost of several years of lost 1st rounders+ with no guarantee he'll play great, maybe Matt Barkley should be on the radar screen.

You all giving up on a qb that has only played 2 games with half his offensive line out

[SkinsFTW]

what if he's as good as manning? is he still not worth it?

No, he'd never be worth it because then we'd be 1 single injury away from being without 4 years worth of first round picks. Imagine 1 injury taking out Kerrigan/Orakpo/Williams/Landry.