TK Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20379-2003Nov9.html washingtonpost.com Spurrier Is Inching Forth By Thomas Boswell Monday, November 10, 2003; Page D01 If you want Steve Spurrier to fail, then you probably hate birthday parties, avoid parades and lock the doors on Halloween. Perhaps Spurrier's ultimate professional football legacy will be false-start penalties and concussed quarterbacks, not touchdowns and titles. With his record to date, that may be the betting line in Vegas. But anybody who actually prefers that outcome is certainly a football grinch. After serving a month in the sports pillory as America's favorite football punching bag, Spurrier got in some delicious licks of his own yesterday. After enduring the indignity of four straight loses, Spurrier and his Redskins beat Seattle, 27-20, in a game so wacky that Looney Tunes should buy the screenplay rights. In a play that may define his tenure in Washington, Spurrier went for it on fourth and inches from his 25-yard line in a tie game with 6 minutes 13 seconds to play. As gambles go, this makes the guy who went over Niagara Falls look like a homebody. This all-or-nothing risk -- in a situation in which "punt" is carved in stone -- may not have been employed in the NFL since the Truman administration. The Seahawks brought 17 men up to the line of scrimmage and blitzed eight others. Mike Holmgren threw rocks from the sideline and threatened a class-action lawsuit by the league's other 31 sane coaches. Needing six inches, the Redskins sent 5-foot-7 Rock Cartwright into the middle of this massed Seahawk mess where 240-pound linebacker Anthony Simmons blasted the fullback backward. For an instant as he was being pulverized it seemed Rock might be re-nicknamed "Pebbles" and Spurrier's name might just be "Mud." But the officials said the Redskins made their first down by a foot. Was the Spurrier administration saved from disaster by an accurate spot? "Everybody would have killed him if we didn't make it," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said. "But it shows the confidence he has in his players. The guys bowed up and made the play for him." "When you've lost four in a row, you don't have to play too conservatively or carefully. You've got to try to make something happen," said Spurrier, who, if nothing else, has the willingness to show leadership no matter the risk to himself. The game-winning play was a perfect illustration of why Mr. Spurrier Came to Washington. And why so many people hope his team extricates itself from a morass of mistakes before it drags him down. Inspired by their fourth-down conversion, the Redskins drove downfield, reaching a third and five from the Seattle 10-yard line with 2:02 to play and the Seahawks out of timeouts. No reason to do anything risky. Call some sensible play, hope for a first down, but, if necessary, settle for a field goal and a 23-20 lead. Instead, Spurrier decided that this was an excellent time to call perhaps the single riskiest play in the Redskins' playbook. Quarterback Patrick Ramsey throws what looks like a flanker screen to Rod Gardner. But, in fact, the pass goes backwards and is a lateral. If it isn't caught, it's a fumble. If the fumble is lost, so are those bird-in-the-hand points from a field goal. Then Gardner, a quarterback in high school, heaves the ball way back across the field to running back Trung Canidate. A quarterback in high school? Since when does this count as a game-in-the-balance qualification in the NFL? Gardner didn't drop the lateral. Though a rusher charged him, he didn't fumble. And his pass wasn't intercepted and run back 10,000 yards for a touchdown. Instead, everything went perfectly. Canidate was open by two Zip codes. "The whole game we'd been saying to the coaches on the sideline, 'Don't forget The Play,' " said tackle Jon Jansen. "They picked the perfect time." Actually, Spurrier picked it. Which was in itself ironic, because this was the first game in his career in which Spurrier benched himself as chief play-caller. Yes, the man owner Dan Snyder paid $25 million for five years -- largely because of his gift for drawing up, then calling his own unique plays -- turned his offense over to most cautious offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. "I talked to [Denver Coach] Mike Shanahan earlier this week. He and [coordinator] Gary Kubiak call the plays together. I asked him how you do all that stuff," Spurrier said. "He said he did about all of it for the first [few] years, then gave it to Kubiak and all of a sudden they won a couple of Super Bowls. "I said, 'Maybe I'm struggling calling the plays right now. Maybe something isn't working as well as it should. . . . Shoot, I'll try anything.' If I have to bench the play caller, then I can do that. So, I benched myself." Can we have a moment of respectful silence, please. Spurrier came here known for ****iness. Instead, he's making his mark for flexibility, modesty and realism. Or course, getting whipped 14 times in 25 games will lead to such a reality check. But few coaches are capable of making the same demands for sacrifice -- and embarrassment -- for the sake of the team that they demand of their players. "He's the man today," said defensive end Bruce Smith, rubbing his hand on Jackson's bald head in the Redskins' locker room after the victory. Actually, at Spurrier's request, Jackson even gave an emotional Saturday night pep talk to the team like the ones he was known for in his days at USC. "Coach [spurrier] came to me ]during the week] and said, 'I want you to take a crack at it and see where it leads us,' " said Jackson, whose play-calling style tends to emphasize a few more running plays, roll-outs and pass-protection schemes where Patrick Ramsey's life expectancy remains in double digits. "A lot of coaches wouldn't do that. It's a credit to him." Maybe, someday, Spurrier will be a successful NFL coach. Or perhaps he'll be a spectacular, expensive bust. Nobody knows yet, tempted as so many of us are to pretend we do. Spurrier says he hopes this game will be "a spark" for the rest of the season, which is possible. On the other hand, the hard reality is that in the team's whole history, back to 1932, the Redskins have never been under .500 at the mid-point of the year and made it to the postseason. Regardless of what the rest of this season (and its tough schedule) holds, this victory underlined the most fascinating element of the current Redskins: their coach. Spurrier is utterly unique in the pro game, extremely appealing as a person and yet as risky and unpredictable as a lottery ticket. If Cartwright had been stopped a yard sooner, this city would be one big office pool on what day Spurrier would leave office. Does this guy, and his melodrama, qualify as an addictive habit? When he and his team fail, few look more hopeless or inspire more ridicule. Yet when they pull off a high-wire win, few awaken more fantasies or reminds us how bland most NFL teams prefer to be. "I just feel good for our coaches and our owner. They're taken such a beating," said Coles. "They treat us well. We needed to do something for them. Hopefully, they can get a good night's sleep for once." They'll be dreaming about fourth and inches, that's for sure. © 2003 The Washington Post Company Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVskinsfan Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Just glad Canidate caught the ball!!!!:thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wicked Wop Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Nice to be able to read articles like this after a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panel Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 love the title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 "I said, 'Maybe I'm struggling calling the plays right now. Maybe something isn't working as well as it should. . . . Shoot, I'll try anything.' If I have to bench the play caller, then I can do that. So, I benched myself." a profound statement in my book. i believe ss deserves alot more credit for a plethora of things this season. one being shouldering the blame for a young team. "we just need to coach em better" has been his staple this year. "i've been nflized" didn't work against dallas. my ego will not impede the progress of this young team...i like that. known for his arrogance, ss has been anything but that in his short nfl tenure. granted, the lack of success may have set that part of his mentality aside, but he's shown a great quality as a head coach. take all credit when you stink it up...give the team, players, assistants credit when you light it up. we're moving in the right direction. when it does click, we're gonna be scary... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidyee Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Being a Dallas Cowboys fan I'm not sure if my words would mean anything to you, but there may be something I can pass onto the Skins faithfull. Until Tuna we suffered our fair share of incompetence and onfield mismanagement. We carried the burden of the "poodle" years under Dave Campo. We were the laughing stock of the league with a coach caught at the airport with a gun. (Switzer) We've also endured a time with no-names - Gailey and a big name, Johnson, albeit it was largely a reputation from college. In 1989 no one could have predicted the success we were going to enjoy. Switzer let Emmitt and the o-line convince him to go for a fourth and one in his second year. Smith didn't make it and the rest was history. I actually believe that play signified the end of a Cowboy era that once boasted of the exploits of the triplets (Aikman, Irvin and Smith). Now we have Big Bill. Looking back at all of the coaches we have had since Jones bounced out Landry I have more of a profound appreciation for what Bill is doing with this team. He's methodical, he's very strong statistically and how he manages a team, the offseason, camps and games. I don't think he is infallible, but he's as good as Landry and Johnson were when they were playing for big games - if not better than Johnson. Quite simply he gives a fan alot of confidence on the direction the team is going because the things he spouts make sense. I'm not here to criticize Spurrier, but I don't see that coming from him. I would go so far as to say that Skins fans could in no way have the confidence in their coach that Cowboys fans have in their's right now. That has very little to do with the fans, the team or anything else other than the plain old coach. There's nothing like an NFL experienced, battle hardened winner at your top job. Parcells, Holmgren (Don't let him GM!) and Vermeil. They will clean up a team an lead it in the right direction. In today's NFL you can't afford to give the reins to someone for three or four years while they "NFLize" themselves to the game. There's not enough time with the cap. The only reason why the Cowboys are where they are (I'm wondering if any of you saw those TV images?) is because of the Giants game where Jerry was in the visiting owners' box with his face buried in his two hands after yet another defeat. Only pure humiliation drove him to meet Parcells on that Jet that evening. It may be the cure you have been waiting for on your team. Sorry for the long post, haven't been here in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoCalMike Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 I could see your point in maybe a year or so, but to judge Spurriefter a eason and a half is kind of premature. I don't thinke has prven himelf either way yet. After year number 3, then the floodgates of love or criticism wil be wide open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeletor The Invincible Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 I think Redskin fans, down in their heart, know that Spurrier will never be a Parcells. Spurrier does not manage the game anywhere close to how Parcells manages it. Spurrier does not spend the hours required to be Parcells. He will never be Parcells, but for me, All I am hoping and wishing out of Spurrier is to spend his 5 years here and leave happy. He might not ever get his system to work, but at least leave happy. You might fail, but spend the 5 years trying to make it work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 spurrier to parcells "i hope i get to be as good as you...nope, aw shucks, better!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByLinebacker Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Bill Parcells was 8-16-1 in his first 25 games as a NFL head coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 exactly. let's give ss his due time to progress. he's probably, on paper, had better players to start off with. but, he's unconventional. this will prove to be our trademark in the coming years as we laugh at all of the dooms day post of late i believe in spurrier...if for no other reason, it is that i refuse to believe that more change is the answer. i'm sitting at the black jack table with danny's money screaming "let it ride" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Comrade2000 Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Originally posted by Skeletor The Invincible I think Redskin fans, down in their heart, know that Spurrier will never be a Parcells. Spurrier does not manage the game anywhere close to how Parcells manages it. Spurrier does not spend the hours required to be Parcells. He will never be Parcells, but for me, All I am hoping and wishing out of Spurrier is to spend his 5 years here and leave happy. He might not ever get his system to work, but at least leave happy. You might fail, but spend the 5 years trying to make it work. Screw that. Spurrier has to finish at least 6-10/7-9 to even think about a third year. Anything worse than that and Synder pulls the trigger. If there's no playoffs in year 3; then Spurrier is gone. All these coaches everyone mentioned showed improvement and that was reflected in wins and losses. If this team doesn't improve on it's 7-9 record; then there was no improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Originally posted by Rdskns2000 Screw that. Spurrier has to finish at least 6-10/7-9 to even think about a third year. Anything worse than that and Synder pulls the trigger. If there's no playoffs in year 3; then Spurrier is gone. All these coaches everyone mentioned showed improvement and that was reflected in wins and losses. If this team doesn't improve on it's 7-9 record; then there was no improvement. Every report from those close to Snyder says Spurrier gets another year regardless of how the rest of this season plays out. And I think the sentiment Skeletor was trying to express is that measuring a guy trying to find his way in the NFL for the first time against an NFL legend (arguably one of the top 5 NFL coaches EVER) is wasted time....you can't expect him to ever measure up to that standard. What you can do though, is hope the guy finds a way to make his system a winning one, and experience some modicum of success before his time with the Redskins is over. No coach deserves the beat down that Spurrier has taken over the past month, I don't care how pathetic the performance of his team seemingly is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DjTj Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Originally posted by davidyee It may be the cure you have been waiting for on your team. I'm not sure I understand what advice you're trying to give here. You seem to be telling us that we would be better off going out and getting Parcells, but there's a problem with that: Parcells is the coach of the Cowboys right now and he's going to be there for a few years. I definitely agree that Parcells is a better NFL coach than Spurrier right now, and it's probably true that Spurrier will never be as good as Parcells. However, many coaches who weren't of Parcells' caliber have managed to do very well and many have taken teams to the Super Bowl, so it's not quite Parcells or nothing... This Sunday, I rediscovered something to root for with Spurrier. The Fun n' Gun is well, a lot of "fun" to root for. That 4th and 1 call and the fake WR-screen has me sold for the next few weeks and probably the rest of the season. The average Redskins fan might not have as much confidence in Spurrier as the average Cowboy fan has in Parcells, but I'm having fun rooting for my team, and that's all I'm asking for this season... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDALERT Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Actually, All I'm looking for is a disciplined team that gives itself a chance to win opposed to killing itself each and every Sunday. I'm not gong ho on the Fun 'N' Gun, or what it can do for the Redskins and the NFL. All I want for Christmas is a hard-nosed disciplined Football team, Period. Forget all the fancy stuff and the wide open offenses:D eventhough it would be nice! ALL Spurrier need to do is implement a plan that better protects his QB and revise his blocking schemes, and find a way to insert that plan into his current plan. No! I don't want the old Marty/Raye offense back here either:paranoid: But just change a few thing Spurrier for the sake of your Job and the sake of the franchise. :40oz: PEAZZE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potato Sack Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Bill Parcells was 8-16-1 in his first 25 games as a NFL head coach. Thank you, Deathbylinebacker. You beat me to it. I've been as disappointed with Spurrier as most fans here. But he's a 2nd year coach in the NFL. How can you even make a comparison like that? You guys have Parcells. Of course you're going to win. You'll go to the playoffs this year. Hell, you may even beat us handily the next time we meet up with you. But, Spurrier did something yesterday that shocked all of us. He BENCHED himself. A man like Spurrier, humbling himself simply because he aches to win? That is the first mark of a potentially great coach in the NFL. I think, before yesterday, many of us had already written Spurrier off. But Spurrier has begun to win us back. So, david, I think you're a day late and a dollar short with your post. Had you written it the day before the win, it would've made sense, but... Quite simply he gives a fan alot of confidence on the direction the team is going because the things he spouts make sense. I'm not here to criticize Spurrier, but I don't see that coming from him. ...quotes like this make no sense at all. Why? We beat the Seahawks after Spurrier benched himself and took chances because he believed in his players. You know what? Come to think of it, Parcells is a lot like that. He believes in his players. hmmmmmmmm...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potato Sack Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 No! I don't want the old Marty/Raye offense back here either But just change a few thing Spurrier for the sake of your Job and the sake of the franchise. Redalert, which game did you watch yesterday? Spurrier made all KINDS of adjustments yesterday. For one thing he benched himself and allowed Jackson to come in and call plays. It was much more balanced and effective. I saw a coach win a game yesterday simply because he stepped back and let his other coaches help him out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidyee Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Alot of good points in this thread. I want to make certain that everyone understands that my viewpoint is obviously from an outsider's standpoint and I don't share the background that you have on your team. Some things I would like to re-establish. By no means are the Skins fans of 2003 the exclusive members of the "I'm unhappy with our HC" club. Cowboys fans have been there most recently along with many other fans of other NFL clubs. It's only from that standpoint and the revolving door of coaches we have experienced - Switzer, Gailey, Campo - that I can talk to you about our most recent experience. I believe discipline wins over a long term. I look at the numerous variables that it takes to field a successful football team and I see the human resources as the most difficult. It's arguable that Washington may have more talent position wise than the Cowboys coming out of training camp, but that's where the advantage ended. (Using hindsight now as 20/20 vision.) Parcells really is only a name, but what he represents is a methodology and management style which I truly believe works in today's FA, salary cap strapped NFL. You need to discipline the youngsters and get them moving in one direction right out of camp. With all the temptations and fame the NFL field offers players need a touchstone to bring them back to reality. Obviously this is not all players, but there has been far too many examples of star players going through the regular and offseason with their heads up their azzes. Case in point, Cowboys Dwayne Goodrich, kills a person in offseason hit and run, or the talented young safety ( forgot his name) that the Cowboys had who got shot at night club in the offseason. Media reports that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Bill used him as an example in front of this young team. One can only hope for this team sake that Spurrier is getting NFLized sooner than later. I think for most sensible Cowboys fans there was alot of sympathy for the emotions that SS was being subjected in our game with the Skins. (Especially with what is happening with Ramsey this year. Many at DMN believe you have a keeper there.) If SS cannot work on the small details of team management I don't believe any amount of successful 4th down calls in your redzone, public displays of benching will keep the coach's head off the chopping block. Not with the way NFL fans are today. We want wins, and right now! Just a suggestion, Tom Coughlin is available - supposed A 1 hard azz, but he may have softened enough to make it work a second time round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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