VA Pilot:How did it come to this for the Redskins?

[TK]

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=61906&ran=121397

How did it come to this for the Redskins?

By JIM DUCIBELLA, The Virginian-Pilot

© November 5, 2003

After eight games this season, whatever enthusiasm existed for and about the Washington Redskins is gone.

The team’s 3-1 start has been followed by a four-game losing streak. An offense that ranked first in the league has plunged to 25th.

The attack was so inept in Sunday’s 21-14 loss to Dallas that it converted just 1 of 11 third-down plays, leaving coach Steve Spurrier to admit that there was “a whole book of plays” he didn’t call because the offense wasn’t on the field long enough to use them.

The defense, depleted by the offseason loss of tackles Daryl Gardener and Dan Wilkinson and end Carl Powell, was supposed to be weaker than the unit that ranked fifth a year ago, and it is.

In the last two weeks, signs of internal strife have surfaced. Owner Daniel Snyder brought in consultants Joe Bugel and Foge Fazio to dissect the offense and defense, respectively.

Barely 1½ years into his five-year contract, Spurrier is being asked by media how much longer he thinks he can remain coach. He’s asked whether he plans to fire any of his hand-picked assistants.

Fans want to know what’s wrong with the team, as if the whole thing could be fixed just by pulling the right lever.

Instead, analyzing the Redskins at midseason is like peeling an onion: You strip away one layer of the problem only to find another.

It starts at the top.

MANAGEMENT: Spurrier reportedly almost quit two days before the season opener, when Snyder insisted that quarterback Danny Wuerffel and running back Kenny Watson be waived.

There’s a story swirling that Spurrier fired offensive line coach Kim Helton recently, only to have Helton quit, only to have Snyder reconcile the two. Both reports have been denied. But in wondering aloud how the rumors began, Spurrier may have tipped his hand as to what he thinks is the origin.

“They might even be coming from our own front office,” he mused last week.

When he was hired, Spurrier was told a strong general manager would be brought in. Then Bobby Beathard turned down an offer. Spurrier suggested a couple of people. Neither was hired.

Instead, Vinny Cerrato, who had been fired by Marty Schottenheimer, was brought back as vice president of football operations. Snyder took over as de facto GM. That’s not what Spurrier had in mind.

An employee of another NFC team, speaking on condition of anonymity, wondered why Snyder would fire Schottenheimer, woo Spurrier with a $5 million-a-year contract, then shrug off Spurrier’s suggestions for building a front office.

“I’ve heard that that got their relationship off to a bad start,” he said.

A couple of players, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said Snyder undermined the authority of the coaches by bringing in Bugel and Fazio. They wondered why Bugel met only with Cerrato and not with any assistants. They wondered why Spurrier’s six-hour dinner with Snyder a couple of weeks ago was made public. They wondered, since Snyder has no background in the game, why he watched film with the coaches.

They wondered why Snyder got credit in news reports for bringing in tight end Byron Chamberlain. Spurrier’s offense doesn’t rely on a tight end and, after two games, Chamberlain was deactivated.

“Every time a player someone’s heard of becomes available, the Redskins are after them,” an NFC scout said. “Things don’t get built before they’re torn down.”

The front office has signed nine new defensive linemen since the end of last season. None has made a big difference.

Another example: quarterback. Tim Hasselbeck on Sunday became the 12th player to take a snap for the Redskins since Snyder purchased the club.

“He treats his team kind of like a fantasy football team,” former Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson said Sunday on Fox. “Just rolling players in and out, no continuity.”

On the other hand, there are players who laud Snyder for spending lavishly trying to build a winner. They see nothing wrong with protecting an $800 million investment.

COACHES AND PLAYERS: When Bruce Smith was asked Monday whether the Redskins could turn this season around, the veteran defensive end gave a lengthy pause, then offered:

“If we don’t stop people from scoring defensively, and if offensively we can’t score and sustain drives, I do not think it will turn around. That’s the basics of football. If you can’t block, tackle and do things that are necessary, then there’s basically no hope.”

Nowhere do the fundamentals seem more lacking than on offense, where Spurrier had made his reputation. Patrick Ramsey has been sacked 29 times and probably has taken two or three hits for every sack. He has suffered a bruised shoulder (twice), bruised left hip, bruised left hand, dislocated left pinkie and bruised left forearm.

“Whatever system Steve is running, it isn’t working,” ESPN analyst and former Redskins star Joe Theismann told the Washington Post on Tuesday. “He’s not protecting the quarterback. That’s not a criticism. That’s a fact.”

Spurrier hasn’t adjusted to the fact that NFL defenses get to the quarterback far faster than college defenses. Spurrier’s scheme, which is supposed to feature deep routes, doesn’t leave enough people back to protect Ramsey.

Ramsey continues to struggle to call audibles, hasn’t done a good job reading blitzes and thus holds the ball too long. The routes run by receivers don’t provide Ramsey with adequate “hot” options.

Sunday, the Cowboys sacked Ramsey four times. At times, they employed an almost elementary scheme. After the Redskins’ offense was set, if there were seven men on the line, Dallas rushed eight. If there were eight, Dallas rushed nine, gambling that they could disrupt Ramsey before he could burn their one-on-one coverage.

But Spurrier also said that there were times the Cowboys rushed just four, and the blocking still didn’t hold up.

Spurrier says that, run properly, the Fun ’n Gun can produce plays like Ramsey’s 19-yard touchdown to Taylor Jacobs. The Cowboys blitzed, the blockers picked it up, and Jacobs beat man coverage.

“But you’ve got to block them,” he emphasized.

At least one Cowboy wondered how wise it was to employ essentially the same scheme as always without capable personnel to run it. With Trung Canidate and Ladell Betts out and injured, Spurrier was left with 5-foot-7 Chad Morton and 5-8 Rock Cartwright in the backfield.

The two best pass-blocking backs Washington has had since Spurrier came — Stephen Davis and Watson — now play elsewhere. None of the remaining backs handle those assignments well, a major cause of Ramsey’s discomfort.

Spurrier said he hasn’t witnessed an extraordinary amount of player frustration, given the circumstances. He says he remains in control, even if at least one prominent player said Sunday that he lost the club weeks ago.

In truth, there’s no consensus among the team on that issue — or not enough players willing to talk about it to form a conclusion. Some players insist that no player should be criticizing the staff because no one is playing at Pro Bowl level.

Several did say that they have grown tired of Spurrier threatening to bench players for mistakes, then not following through. Some said that the weekly rash of penalties — Washington averages more than 10 a game — shows that the players don’t pay attention to coaching. Others say that any lack of discipline isn’t reflective of the coaches.

Cornerback Champ Bailey added that if the team is to reverse its fortunes, it must come from within.

“We’ve got to convince ourselves that we can turn this around,” he said. “If we don’t believe it, it will never happen.”

Reach Jim Ducibella at 446-2364 or at jim.ducibella@pilotonline.com

[BCS:BraveCaringSoul]

Another strong Ducibella article. This guy should be writing for The Post; he has good sources and he's not above offending the team if the facts warrant it.

[Om]

When he was hired, Spurrier was told a strong general manager would be brought in. Then Bobby Beathard turned down an offer. Spurrier suggested a couple of people. Neither was hired.

Instead, Vinny Cerrato, who had been fired by Marty Schottenheimer, was brought back as vice president of football operations. Snyder took over as de facto GM. That’s not what Spurrier had in mind.

Hate to keep harping on this, but it's precisely what I've been talking about for the past week.

When SS was hired, we were all operating under the assumption that a GM was going to be part of the picture. Then, when that didn't happen, we rationalized by saying, "hey, at least we've got Mendes in the mix."

Now, Mendes is gone ... and we're a year and a half into SS's regime, and the front office is Snyder/Cerrato. And it appears the front office will BE Snyder / Cerrato for the forseeable future.

Like I asked before ... what happened to Snyder's clearly stated intent to bring in a GM? And why have so many Skins fans come to not only accept that he hasn't, but argue that Snyder / Cerrato, despite any successes they may have had to arguably balance out some of the disasters, should continue to get a free pass and NOT be actively beating the bushes to bring in front office help?

[BCS:BraveCaringSoul]

I'm with you Om.

The best move Snyder could make is hiring a first class experienced general manager. He should then go on a 6 month cruise to Tahiti and take Cerrato with him and let the profesionals sort things out.

[Craig]

This team is as dysfunction as a team can get. And I've been saying this forever: It starts from the top. Synder has the biggest ego to step in off the street and think he can be a GM with no prior experience. Synder won't sell the team. So this team is doomed until an experienced GM is hired AND IS ALLOWED TO RUN THE TEAM.