bubba9497 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 'A Lonely Town' for Spurrier By Tony Kornheiser Thursday, December 18, 2003; Page D01 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9775-2003Dec17.html The problem with losing a game in the NFL is that in the NFL you only play one game a week. So when you lose everybody in town has six days to dwell on that loss. And when you lose badly, as the Redskins did Sunday -- and "badly" is being kind; they got chomped like Evander Holyfield's ear at a Mike Tyson Convention -- the whole town wants somebody sacrificed. Right now that somebody is Steve Spurrier. You'll excuse me, but this is where I came in. So, "check, please." Hahaha. Ooops, nobody's laughing. If that debacle against Dallas is any indication of where the Redskins stand now, I've seen that place, and you can't stand in it. It's the eight-foot hole they dragged Saddam Hussein out of. (By the way, when Saddam came out with that beard, tell me he didn't look like something straight out of "Bad Santa.") I don't want to say the Redskins' situation is dire, but at practice the other day they started flying "Bruce Smith Sack King" T-shirts upside down on the flagpole, the international symbol for distress. It's not hard to see the Redskins finishing 5-11. They're using a second-string quarterback they picked up at a yard sale and a third-string running back. (The quarterback married well, but this is the NFL, not "The Newlywed Game.") How are they going to go to Chicago and defeat the Bears, who have won five of their last six home games? And how are they going to beat the Eagles, who'll likely need to win that game to clinch home field through the playoffs? Laying a 5-11 on top of last year's 7-9 will do nothing for the morale of this city. To tell the truth, even laying a 7-9 on top of a 7-9 won't help much. Washington is pretty much divided into two camps: People who think Spurrier will leave at the end of this season, and people who think Spurrier will leave a few days after those other people think he'll leave. Even though the headlines in my own newspaper keep saying "Spurrier Will Return," at this moment Mark Maske and I are the only people in Washington who actually believe Spurrier is coming back -- and that includes Dan Snyder, and maybe Steve Spurrier. I'll understand if Spurrier goes. This must be awful for him. He looks miserable. Did you see him in the Meadowlands during the Giants game all bundled up like an Eskimo? Did you see him here Sunday, the cold rain pelting him in the puss? Spurrier doesn't belong wrapped in goose down, his Florida tan long faded, his Florida swagger long gone. If you pack Steve Spurrier in a hooded parka, how's he gonna wear his visor, for heaven's sake? This stinks. (Thirty-five years ago there was a record by a group called the Trade Winds that dealt with the plight of a California transplant in a cold, Eastern winter. The refrain centered on how the guy's car was "covered with snow, nowhere to go now; New York's a lonely town when you're the only surfer boy around." That's the hell Spurrier is trapped in here. He should be coaching in a golf shirt. He should have taken the Tampa Bay job.) For the umpteenth time, I advocated hiring Spurrier. If he wants a third year, I'd give it to him. It's at this point of the column where I have to sell that idea to you. But I can't. When Spurrier took this job, I wrote that his W-L graph would go straight up. I said that with every succeeding 10 games Spurrier coached, his record would get better. He's just finished his third 10-game block, and the record is his worst yet, 2-8. The dismantling by Bill Parcells and Dallas left tire tracks. Today it's difficult to be optimistic that Spurrier is the solution, not part of the problem. So if I argue for Spurrier now it's with my heart more than my head. But here goes. The most potential on this team is on offense -- especially quarterback, when Patrick Ramsey is healthy, and wide receiver. That's Spurrier's wheelhouse. Maybe it takes quicker drops and shorter patterns, but if there's any place Spurrier is going to figure out the NFL, it's going to be on offense. Perhaps in the third year it will all click. It always does for Dick Vermeil. Continuity is important. Every time you turn around the Redskins are changing coordinators. It was a mistake investing so much authority in college coaches. Some coaching changes have to be made yet again. But at least if Spurrier stays there's a semblance of continuity. His voice has to cut through the clatter. Sure, Parcells drilled him. It looked even worse because Tim Hasselbeck kept throwing the ball into the ground, like he was trying to plant potatoes. But Parcells has drilled a lot of good coaches. Spurrier didn't get drilled by Bill Belichick, who has a Super Bowl ring. And he didn't get drilled by Mike Holmgren, who has a Super Bowl ring. There are times Spurrier looks like he's ahead of the curve. Unfortunately, too often the next week he gets splattered. The Redskins need to bring in a personnel expert, somebody who understands what Spurrier is trying to do and can get him the precise players to accomplish it. They aren't that far from being a pretty good team; a couple of defensive linemen might put them in turnaround. And this point needs to be emphasized: Things don't change incrementally in the NFL anymore. Things change overnight. The Raiders were a great team last January. They were a disaster by October. Look at recent Super Bowl history. Teams come out of nowhere to win it. Four years ago St. Louis came out of East Nowhere. Three years ago it was Baltimore. Two years ago, New England. Who in his right mind figured the Cincinnati Bengals would be in the playoff hunt this year? Who figured Carolina would win its division? Dallas win 10 games? After three straight seasons of 5-11? Are you kidding me? In just one year anybody can make a big move up. Why can't it be Spurrier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophet Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 next year is the year... if we are not atleast 5-3 at mid point i'll be the first one to start the bashing.... until then i think its been alot of different issues this team has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebreaker Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 For once, I gotta admit Tony has a point. The NFL is too unpredictable to say Spurrier has no chance to succeed next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Comrade2000 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Spurrier can't coach in the nfl and nothing will be different next year. Parcells will run rings around him next year, like he did this year. If Giants get the right coach, he'll run rings around Steve. Philly already runs rings around us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanders 83 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Tony you aren't the only person in Washington wanting Spurrier back, I am another one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aREDSKIN Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Spurrier is clueless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul55 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 He's gone? Please tell me he's gone. The plane boss, the plane. SOS take the plane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blade Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I want Spurrier back if only for continuity sake. If Danny fires him or even if he leaves it will make it more difficult to get another coach in here. Tony is right... anything can happen and maybe Steve will sit down and watch alot of film this offseason. Maybe he will restructure the way he does things and the way he attacks. Maybe the losing of this year will an epiphany for him that forces him to bring his full genius to the table and work it hard. Then again maybe not... but the fact is that SOS is coming back as far as we know. We might as well try to find the silver lining in it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Hog Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I question the importance of this continuity thing, especially when SS is talking about major changes in the assistant coaching ranks. I mean, can we honestly say that Spurrier has alot of the input in the defensive side of the ball or special teams? I'm guessing no. Therefore, if Edwards goes for example, its just as if our defense is starting from square one again. Spurrier being here wouldn't mean that much for our defense since he is so far removed from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Tony is right Spurrier neads his own personel guy as his GM. I think he was mentioning Tim Ruskell, or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowghost Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I am ok with giving SS another year. He said that if he is not getting it done, he will step down. I would rather have him make that choice than have Dan fire him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Kornheiser's best point is the one about teams coming out of nowhere. None of these "great" coaches were considered "great" until they started winning. In fact, I remember people bashing Belichick for a while before he became a "genious" a few years ago. The one thing that gives me hope going into next year is that the Skins were in enough games to be having a season like the Panthers are currently having. If they get a bounce or make a play (which admittedly is something that has to be learned) in a few more games, people are talking about how things are going great for the Skins this year. So I, for one, will stay the course too...you don't put up the kind of production Spurrier has in the past without knowing a little something. I think a lot of problems were execution, not scheme. That being said, the right mix of experience in the coaching staff could go a long way toward adding discipline to this team and making them very dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Washington Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 And this point needs to be emphasized: Things don't change incrementally in the NFL anymore. Things change overnight. The Raiders were a great team last January. They were a disaster by October. hmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Even Madder Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Things change overnight for the worse (the Raiders), but the teams that have gotten radically better haven't done it overnight. It might look like it because of a few anomalies like Dallas, where a new coach and an easy schedule combine to make them look like they came from nowhere, or in Cincy, where a new coach and a terrible division did the same. But those aren't Superbowl-caliber teams. But who are the rest of these come-from-nowhere teams? The Bucs last year? Hardly. That took years to build. The Raiders last year? Nope, old vets carefully assembled for a last stand. The Pats? Ravens? Nope, nope. You can't just say, "Well, lots of teams come from nowhere. It's our turn!" That doesn't work. You need a plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Brown #43 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 "The Redskins need to bring in a personnel expert, somebody who understands what Spurrier is trying to do and can get him the precise players to accomplish it. Geez...even TK recognizes this. And he is a devout Snyder apologist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted December 18, 2003 Author Share Posted December 18, 2003 You need a plan. which the Skins have in place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Even Madder Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 When Kornhole admits that he can't defend the idea of giving Spurrier a 3rd year, and he admits that the Skins need a GM, that's about as clear a repudiation of everything Snyder's done as you're likely to get. Kornhole has been exceedingly kind to Snyder -- but it looks like he's seeing the light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Brown #43 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Originally posted by bubba9497 which the Skins have in place Sure...they said they had a plan last year, too. Hopefully next year's plan works out a little better for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted December 18, 2003 Author Share Posted December 18, 2003 :doh: oh so many can't see the forrest for the trees, others are blinded by emotion ..... we shall see, we shall see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Even Madder Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 No, it's the same plan, remember? It's a 3 year plan. The first year they planned to put together most of a team, just minus the offensive line, to see if they could play defense. This year, they put together most of a team, minus the defensive line, to see if they could play offense. Next year they're gonna try putting together a whole team. Ya gotta be patient -- that Cerrato is a genius! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByLinebacker Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Originally posted by speedwagon20 None of these "great" coaches were considered "great" until they started winning. In fact, I remember people bashing Belichick for a while before he became a "genious" a few years ago. [/QUOTe] Belichick was considered the biggest moron in the world by Cleveland fans when he left there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Thanks for vouching DbLB....that was my point that, in hindsight, it's quite easy to make coaching decisions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endzone_dave Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 We might as well keep Spurrier here another year, it's not like Snyder would have a clue picking the next head coach anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Even Madder Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Wasn't Vermeil's career coaching record 95-96 when he arrived in KC? He's taken two teams to the SB and he's still just a .500 coach. Some of these "great" guys needed a long time to figure it all out. Do you really want to watch Spurrier continue to learn on the job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Let me pose a question to the "get rid of Spurrier camp" if I may: How would you feel if we brought in Spurrier after only one Marty year, paid him $5M a year, fired him after two years where he learned "on the job" at our expense, and then watched him go on to another NFL team and start winning? To me, we've invested in his learning time so we need to at least see it out to see if we'll reap any rewards.... It's like when your company pays for you to go back to school or something, they are going to keep you around for at least a couple years afterward or they're just giving away time and money. That's our situation with SOS now, we can't cut him loose after he's learned on our watch with our team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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