GSF Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I expected there to be some people freaking out this morning, but Geez! Ok, we lost to the Iggles at Philly. I predicted a win, b/c I underestimated Philly's backups in the secondary, but it's really not suprising that we lost. Yes Philly has struggled early this year, but they are still a very good team that has had the same core/coaching for several years now. They were also pretty desperate to get their first win in their new stadium. Some positives: 1. Last years' Skins would have rolled over by the second quarter and gotten completely blown out. The defense really hung tough during the second half keeping us in the game. This was probably our best defensive performance this year in some ways. I was really encouraged to see a little more pressure from the front 4. We have a long way to go on the line, but at least we're seeing improvement. It's hard to tell with all of the rotation, but I think maybe we need to see more of Zellner and Wynn at DT, and less of Haley. Time will tell. 2. Ramsey is a real warrior never gives up. Though he took a beating and didn't play well for most of the game, he really hung in there and somehow brought us back. He makes that pass for the 2 point conversion,and we probably would have won. That's amazing considering how many boneheaded mistakes we made. We're never out of a game with Ramsey in there. How long has it been since we could say that about our QB? 3. This team has heart period. I don't put much stock in reports from the locker room about the players laughing it up. I don't understand how any Skins fan can claim the team is heartless or doesn't care after all of the guts we've seen this year. Undisciplined yes, raw yes, but heartless no. And you got to hand it to Bruce. I've been hard on old Bruce, but he's shown as much heart as anybody this year. Kudos to #78. Areas of improvement: 1. The penalties. The team appears to have its collective head up its arse when it comes to bonehead penalties. From false starts to taunting to roughing, I feel like I'm holding my breathe on every play. As frustrating as it is, you have to remember that we are a very young team at many key positions including coaching staff. Ramsey is essentially a rookie, and great as he has looked, he still has a lot learn. He's smart and will get it. The audibles will get smoother as the year progresses, and SOS will do a better job of getting the plays in. We all expected some bumps in the road this year with concentration and discipline. The bumps are a little bigger than expected, maybe, but we shouldn't be suprised. 2. Coaching. To me the bottom line is that it is up to Spurrier to take control of this team. If we're not ready to run so many audibles than run less. If the oline needs time to gel, then leave Betts or Flemister in there some more to help protect. SOS has learned a lot, but I still think he gets carried away with the system. The offseason pickups were great, but they don't make us a veteran team overnight. I don't know enough about Helton to make an informed opinion, but there certainly seems to be a problem there. Maybe we need to simplify the scheme a little, or perhaps it's just a case of getting back to basics and working on the fundamentals. I do not believe that Samuals and Jansen suddenly forgot how to play football. Helton has to get these guys focused. Edwards has done a good job so far, IMHO, but he has gotten over-conservative at times. Edwards and SOS are only going to get better with time. Helton will improve or be replaced. In short, have some patience people. The season is going very close to many of your predictions so far. We've had moments of brilliance followed up by moments of idoicy, but we've been close in every game. How many times did we get completely blown out over the last few years? We have many good, young players on this team who need some time to develop and build confidence. We're going to surprise some people late this year, and be real SB contenders next year. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonisredskins Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 GSF great post. I needed to hear something positive today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeletor The Invincible Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I think the only thing people are freaking out about is the fact that the team still makes the same bonehead plays again and again and again and... well, you get my point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehard_skinsfan Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 Great post - you are right on the money with everything I think Tampa Bay will get our best game yet. :dallasuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manly Dexter Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 Great post. I agree 100%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 OK, I'll step back from the ledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB81 Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I was fine until I read Thomas Boswell's article. Now I'm headed back to the ledge... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSF Posted October 6, 2003 Author Share Posted October 6, 2003 Originally posted by diehard_skinsfan I think Tampa Bay will get our best game yet. :dallasuck I really hope so. I'm nervous about this game, b/c I don't like the way we match up against Tampa. I think we can control their offense, but I'm worried about Sapp and co. beating up on Ramsey. The oline really needs to step it up a notch this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofthesouth Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 ok...Great points. Here are a couple more. -Arrington's clothesline on McNabb. Set the tone, and made him think. On his next scramble, I think he actually slid. Arrington Rattled him. -Smoot's pic. WHOA! What a friggin play. He was beat, got up, and picked the ball from the air. Awesome. More to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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