denverdan Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Yet another reason to hate the cowboys, their sportswriters and their fans. http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/football/9658935.htm Posted on Tue, Sep. 14, 2004 Redskins' hype is paper-thin By Charean Williams Star-Telegram Staff Writer The Washington Redskins' season-opening, 16-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Joe Gibbs' return looked good in the paper. For Redskins, That Old Feeling, declared The Washington Post on Monday morning. Just like old times, hailed The Washington Times. Indeed, the Redskins provided in one game what Richie Petitbon couldn't do in one year, Norv Turner in 6 1/2 years, Terry Robiskie in three games, Marty Schottenheimer in one year and Steve Spurrier in two years: A real reason to hope. Since Gibbs' retirement after the 1992 season, the Redskins, a proud franchise that won its 500th game Sunday, have been more like the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals than a championship contender. Washington was only 74-101-1, with more head coaches than playoff appearances from 1993-2003. Thus, Gibbs has become the franchise's savior. The Redskins did some things Sunday that were reminiscent of Gibbs' Super Bowl teams. They had only three penalties for 23 yards. They ran for 166 yards, 41 more than they had passing. They allowed only 169 yards. They forced two turnovers in the Bucs' end of the field and converted both into field goals. They looked nothing like Spurrier's former team, which lost 10 of its last 12 a year ago. But lest anyone get carried away ... Let's remember Redskins fans were downright giddy two seasons ago, too, when Spurrier won his opener 31-23 over the Arizona Cardinals. Washington rolled up 442 yards as running back Stephen Davis gained 150 total yards and scored a touchdown on 33 touches. That game, of course, proved to be fool's gold. Spurrier lasted only two seasons, one season longer than Davis. He was 12-20, and his Fun 'n' Gun offense, which averaged more than 35 points a game at Florida, averaged only 18.6 points with four starting quarterbacks in his NFL tenure. Gibbs isn't Spurrier. His teams won't beat themselves, and the Redskins won't be outcoached. But this team is not ready for the Super Bowl. It might not even be playoff-ready. Keeping Sunday in perspective, the Redskins beat a bad team -- possibly one of the worst in the NFL -- by less than a touchdown. On the final play, the Redskins used yet another blitz -- a sack of Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson by linebacker LaVar Arrington -- to assure the victory. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' aggressive game plan worked against the immobile Johnson. It won't work against Donovan McNabb. And Washington's ballyhooed running game was built on one play, Clinton Portis' 64-yard touchdown run on his first carry as a Redskin. Portis, one of the best backs in the NFL, averaged only 3.0 yards per carry on his following 28 runs. Blame the passing game. Mark Brunell, Gibbs' personal off-season hire who was given a $43 million contract after the trade with Jacksonville, looked like what he is -- over the hill. Brunell completed only 13 of 24 passes for 125 yards and no touchdowns against a defense that is only a shell of its former self without cornerstones Warren Sapp and John Lynch. Brunell made a rookie mistake that almost cost the Redskins the victory. In the third quarter, he forced a handoff to Portis after being stepped on by center Cory Raymer and losing his footing as he took the snap. Portis never got the handle, and Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber got a gift-wrapped, 9-yard touchdown that tied the game at 10-10. It's no wonder Patrick Ramsey backed down on his off-season trade demands after the Redskins traded for Brunell ... and it's no wonder the Redskins chose not to trade Ramsey. The third-year pro, who has 16 starts in his career, is the future of this franchise, and the future is coming soon. Joe Gibbs is back, and the Redskins will be, too. Eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Washington Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 good points...for the last couple of years we starting out pretty well only to get totally figured out later in the season. i must admit i'm still nervous. i think we can AT LEAST get to .500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nace14 Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 nothing wrong with that article in regards to the redskins. it's actually all true. outsiders laugh at us because we overreact to every little glimmering hope we see. what this guy is wrong about is that the bucs are one of the worst teams in football. they may or may not make the playoffs, but they are nowhere near the cards of the past millenium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docdru Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 :puke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 the bucs will be like us last season: everyone and his brother is going to blitz them until they stop it. who knows what the sory will be there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeNoRevs Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Honestly that was a well written piece What was wrong with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggitmon Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Originally posted by Leonard Washington good points...for the last couple of years we starting out pretty well only to get totally figured out later in the season. i must admit i'm still nervous. i think we can AT LEAST get to .500 I'm with you. i'm not gonna start talking smack until the skins win 8 games, every other year i get snake bitten and end up in the fetal position wishing i didn't love the skins come week 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofer Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 It was only the first game. I expect that we will see improvement every week. We won by playing to our strengths, and their weaknesses. A little something called strategy. We will have a different strategy for McNabb, and every other team we play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlinginSammy HOF '63 Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Guess they have to deflect the attention from their 35-17 ass-whoopin somehow. :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 So all of a sudden the Bucs are possibly one of the worst teams in the NFL? Sorry, but I don't buy it. Even in their tough division they're no worse than 7-9, and that's even without McCardell and Galloway. What baffles me is the point of the piece. Is the motive to be cold water for 'Skins fans all the way from Dallas? If so, he might want to try tossing some on the local team which looked a lot less impressive than we did on Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeNoRevs Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Originally posted by redman So all of a sudden the Bucs are possibly one of the worst teams in the NFL? Sorry, but I don't buy it. Even in their tough division they're no worse than 7-9, and that's even without McCardell and Galloway. What baffles me is the point of the piece. Is the motive to be cold water for 'Skins fans all the way from Dallas? If so, he might want to try tossing some on the local team which looked a lot less impressive than we did on Sunday. How do you know they are no worse then 7-9 after the first game Did anyone believe last year coming off a superbowl season they woudlnt even make it in the playoffs? So him saying that the Bucs maybe one of the worst teams in the NFL has the same amount of weight of you saying they are no worse then 7-9. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that articale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denverdan Posted September 14, 2004 Author Share Posted September 14, 2004 Originally posted by MeNoRevs Honestly that was a well written piece What was wrong with it? The title! the suggestion that the Redskins have no running game "And Washington's ballyhooed running game was built on one play" and the last three paragraphs to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeNoRevs Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Originally posted by denverdan The title! the suggestion that the Redskins have no running game "And Washington's ballyhooed running game was built on one play" and the last three paragraphs to begin with. He gave points behind everything he said. We did only average 3 yards a carry after the big run. that is FACT. So you disagree that alot of our running stats came from Portis's 64 yard run? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 A very fair, well-written article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Maybe well-written, but no real substance. And based largely on the same tired trick used by a hundred other unoriginal writers---setting up a straw man by suggesting "Skins fans" take a win in Week One as a sign their team is going to the Super Bowl---and then taking IT down in an attempt to argue against something noboby's really saying anyway. It's one game. One game is not a sample. Brunell may prove to be past his prime and ineffective, but to make that assertion based on this game alone is preposterous. I hope most NFL fans are bright enough to understand that the Gibbs offense in 2004 will be a work in progress as he reacclimates to the NFL. That what we saw Sunday, and what we'll see in November and December, will NOT be one and same. I suspect they don't ... but I still hope. Oh. And when the guy dismissively writes off Tampa's defense because Sapp and Lynch are gone, he shows me he's not really interested in looking at things beyond the most superficial level. Jeez. Imagine getting paid to produce this kind of fluff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Originally posted by MeNoRevs He gave points behind everything he said. We did only average 3 yards a carry after the big run. that is FACT. So you disagree that alot of our running stats came from Portis's 64 yard run? And if my uncle had no nads he'd by my aunt. You can't assume away Portis' big gainer unless you're willing to state that Portis is incapable in general of big plays. Get it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Sassy Molassy Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Originally posted by SlinginSammy HOF '63 Guess they have to deflect the attention from their 35-17 ass-whoopin somehow. :doh: Seriously! What happened to the #1 defense that they have? Oh yeah, we have it now! I know it's only one game. But, in one game we've shown more promise than we ever have in that past 12 seasons. Originally posted by redman So all of a sudden the Bucs are possibly one of the worst teams in the NFL? Sorry, but I don't buy it. Even in their tough division they're no worse than 7-9, and that's even without McCardell and Galloway. What baffles me is the point of the piece. Is the motive to be cold water for 'Skins fans all the way from Dallas? If so, he might want to try tossing some on the local team which looked a lot less impressive than we did on Sunday. Yeah, everyone the week before was talking about how the Bucs would regain their Super Bowl form against us. They said Simeon Rice would frustrate Chris Samuels again. And now that it hasn't happened the Bucs suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big z Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 dude...that's what portis does....he's a homerun hitter....all that matters is the W....stop stat watching.....Tampa Bay is a good team....not the patriots, but not the cardinals....and they are tough on D....it was a hard fought victory, but it was a victory....as someone said, this is a feel good piece for the dallas fans that need something to feel good about....they can't look at their own week 1 perfromance..... the writer bashes, but hedges his bets....The Skins aren't a Superbowl team yet? Wow...thanks for the insight pal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEB Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 The article made some valid points. I think some of us on this board need to get out of our "homerism" and be a bit more objective about this season. I am as hopeful and enthusiastic as the next person about JG and the first win of the season, however, my enthusiasm is tempered by seasons past....that being said - we can all dream can't we?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afparent Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Ok fine...but there is a big difference. Gibbs doesn't believe in hype. When we went 17-2 and won our last superbowl, Gibbs was very angry at a reporter who suggested that the team wold win the SuperBowl. He said we have a lot of work to do and no one on this team believes the hype. Another analogy, that same year, the players came to a practice during the playoffs and lets just say they were not too enthusiastic. Gibbs stopped practice, took everyone back to the meeting room, punched his hand through an overhead projector and made everyone start practice all over, stretching, drills, everything. ok, that is the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Originally posted by GEB The article made some valid points. I think some of us on this board need to get out of our "homerism" and be a bit more objective about this season. I am as hopeful and enthusiastic as the next person about JG and the first win of the season, however, my enthusiasm is tempered by seasons past....that being said - we can all dream can't we?! GEB, no disrespect, but who are you talking about? Extremeskins has a few over-the-top fans that overreact to every play/game, just like any other board for any other team, but they're a small, if vocal, minority. My sense of the majority on this board, to be honest, is just the opposite of what this guy--and you, to an extent--seem to arguing. I get the sense a whole lot of fans are VERY quick to jump on any perceived weakness and can't hurry fast enough to the board to call them to everyone's attention. Seriously, who is this straw dude who keeps jumping up and down and saying the Skins are going to win it all this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXREDSKINS44 Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 I think it was a good article, but I disagree with him saying that the bucs are one of the worst teams in the NFL!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orlskinsfan Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 the bucs have one of the worst offenses in the nfl but that defense will still be considered a top tier defense, the numbers at the end of the year for the bucs might not match that but the only reason for that will be because the offense will not keep the defense off the field, thus tiring the defense and having them give up yardage in the 4th quarter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denverdan Posted September 14, 2004 Author Share Posted September 14, 2004 Originally posted by MeNoRevs He gave points behind everything he said. We did only average 3 yards a carry after the big run. that is FACT. So you disagree that alot of our running stats came from Portis's 64 yard run? Of course not, do you agree that TB d-line and LB's are horrible? they looked pretty good to me, yet we did manage to get 6 rushing first down against them. Do you agree the Brunell was horrible, that he's washed up? Its only the first game of the season and no he didn't do anything amazing, but he didn't take a sack and he did rushed for another first down (that was miscalled), he had some key throws that continued drives and the fumble was just as much raymers and TB penetration as it was Brunell. Brunell took two big hits by the TB-D, Ramsey would of given up two big sacks. So you agree with this guy that because Gibbs is a good coach we wont beat ourselfs but really there is no improvement to the O-line, we really have no running game, that REDSKIN fans have no reason to get excited over a win cuz it just the same old hype, that we all should just wait untill next year so Ramsey can take us to the playoff. Sorry I don't buy any of it. I don't think the REDSKINS look like a playoff team but the season is far from over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gridironmike Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Hey, we are 1-0 which is a good as 15 other teams and better than 16 other teams. One week at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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