Larry Gude
Strung Out
...call it...morbid fascination.
Let's start with the easy stuff;
QB = B: Jason Campbell. Short version; we're set. The kid makes plays. He also is not a moron, like Clinton Portis. Campbell got in the way of Robbins and slowed him down instead of trying to become Ronnie Lott and remove his spleen. In a pre-season game.
The Skins didn't suddenly get another 700 pages of playbook when Campbell started playing, but it looks like an entirely different offense; attacking down field. Jason has a ways to go and, because of that, it is not reasonable to expect a great season next year.
Offensive line = A: I think Dockery is the only guy up for a contract and the line was NOT one of the problems this year. There may even be some depth there. It is nearly criminal for a team to have it's line stay intact for a whole season and not do well.
Receivers = B+: Cooley is all pro caliber. Moss is as well but his temper could rear it's ugly head in a big games next year. Randl El is a leader. Lloyd seems to be a head case. Patten can still play. Thrash is a hustle guy. We could use a possession WR, a big guy in the Art Monk mold.
RB = A-: What do you do? It is said that Portis is untradable for cap reasons. Saying something like that regarding the Skins is absurd. Money is NEVER an issue. It would be nice to just keep them both, but you lose the effectiveness as RB's tend to get better during a game as they carry more.
In any event, we seem to have insurance against injury.
Special Teams = A: Solid, solid play all year. A few big plays for us, not much I can remember against. Suishum seems to be good. Frost has become good. Rock doesn't fumble anymore. Randl El is a threat.
Defensive line = C-: Carter is a liability at right end. He can't play the run from there. All year people have run off their left tackle. The guy was a LB last year and he is an athlete. Why not move him back to LB? There is no consistent pressure on the qb from anyone. Griffin and Joe and Golston and the other two guys seem to be solid enough in the middle, especially if healthy. We don't get run on right up the middle too much. Wynn and Daniels and Evans don't scream 'pro bowl' to anyone, but they are decent players who mostly hold up their gap. These guys, as a group, were the heart of the D last year and didn't suddenly forget how to play. A rookie Reggie White would be nice to pick up this off season.
LB = D- : Just horrible on the run. How many times have we seen an obvious hole on a running play and a linebacker either runs into the back of the pile or overuns the hole or takes a bad angle or simply doesn't make the play? Rocky is an obvious player who, on any other team, would have gotten playing time and made some explosive plays along with rookie mistakes. Now, he gets to make rookie mistakes next year. Marshall is no Antonio Pierce. Washington is solid but needs help.
DB's = D: The Adam Archuletta for Ryan Clark experiment goes without saying, so I'll then say more; the more we learn about this, the worse it gets. It NEVER made sense. Prioleau and Springs getting hurt early was disastrous and doomed whatever concoction for AA that Williams had cooked up. Taylor looked out of sorts ALL season, not having one great game. Carlos Rogers is actually a decent #2 corner, talent wise, but couldn't catch a cold. The grab bag of Jimoh and Fox and Vincent and Doughty gives us a collection of people to work with.
To summarize, Gibbs is trying to build some sort of mulit-headed coaching hydra where he isn't doing much, if any actual coaching, so, it is time to stop looking at Joe Gibbs, the coach, and what he brings to the table and waiting for the ol' Gibbs magic. That is simply not what he is doing or trying to do. So, as with any new plan, and the way Joe is going about this is both new and radical, there is no reason or way to predict if and when it will succeed.
This Gibbs corporate restructuring is unlikely to be consistently good because it has compartmentalized the team and responsibility far too much. Coaches leaving happens to good teams which will mean a complete starting over for the Redskins because there is far too much identity with the individual coaches, their ways and styles as opposed to, say, the Patriots, where there is a Patriots way, stamped by Billicheck, that continues even though he has lost both coordinators in recent years. There is no Redskins way right now nor will one be built when the individual is so emphasized over team.
The offense should be solid next year, though I'd like to see Portis traded for draft picks and it would be great to see a good, big WR on the roster. Campbell will suffer growing pains but cohesion and getting away from the various limits of Brunell will be a huge step in the right direction.
The defense needs help everywhere.
It will be shocking if there is no BIG offseason move. Maybe Williams leaves. Maybe we get some big name free agents. There is a case to be made that if we make NO free agents moves and all the coaching stays the same and we get a could of decent rookies and our injury situation is good next year that we may make the playoffs.
There is also a case to be made that we are a 5-11 team going nowhere.
Gibbs post game comments were short and terrifying; he said he is already discussing with Dan and will be working harder than ever, with Dan, to get to work on everything. With Dan. Maybe we'll have new jersey's next year.
Let's start with the easy stuff;
QB = B: Jason Campbell. Short version; we're set. The kid makes plays. He also is not a moron, like Clinton Portis. Campbell got in the way of Robbins and slowed him down instead of trying to become Ronnie Lott and remove his spleen. In a pre-season game.
The Skins didn't suddenly get another 700 pages of playbook when Campbell started playing, but it looks like an entirely different offense; attacking down field. Jason has a ways to go and, because of that, it is not reasonable to expect a great season next year.
Offensive line = A: I think Dockery is the only guy up for a contract and the line was NOT one of the problems this year. There may even be some depth there. It is nearly criminal for a team to have it's line stay intact for a whole season and not do well.
Receivers = B+: Cooley is all pro caliber. Moss is as well but his temper could rear it's ugly head in a big games next year. Randl El is a leader. Lloyd seems to be a head case. Patten can still play. Thrash is a hustle guy. We could use a possession WR, a big guy in the Art Monk mold.
RB = A-: What do you do? It is said that Portis is untradable for cap reasons. Saying something like that regarding the Skins is absurd. Money is NEVER an issue. It would be nice to just keep them both, but you lose the effectiveness as RB's tend to get better during a game as they carry more.
In any event, we seem to have insurance against injury.
Special Teams = A: Solid, solid play all year. A few big plays for us, not much I can remember against. Suishum seems to be good. Frost has become good. Rock doesn't fumble anymore. Randl El is a threat.
Defensive line = C-: Carter is a liability at right end. He can't play the run from there. All year people have run off their left tackle. The guy was a LB last year and he is an athlete. Why not move him back to LB? There is no consistent pressure on the qb from anyone. Griffin and Joe and Golston and the other two guys seem to be solid enough in the middle, especially if healthy. We don't get run on right up the middle too much. Wynn and Daniels and Evans don't scream 'pro bowl' to anyone, but they are decent players who mostly hold up their gap. These guys, as a group, were the heart of the D last year and didn't suddenly forget how to play. A rookie Reggie White would be nice to pick up this off season.
LB = D- : Just horrible on the run. How many times have we seen an obvious hole on a running play and a linebacker either runs into the back of the pile or overuns the hole or takes a bad angle or simply doesn't make the play? Rocky is an obvious player who, on any other team, would have gotten playing time and made some explosive plays along with rookie mistakes. Now, he gets to make rookie mistakes next year. Marshall is no Antonio Pierce. Washington is solid but needs help.
DB's = D: The Adam Archuletta for Ryan Clark experiment goes without saying, so I'll then say more; the more we learn about this, the worse it gets. It NEVER made sense. Prioleau and Springs getting hurt early was disastrous and doomed whatever concoction for AA that Williams had cooked up. Taylor looked out of sorts ALL season, not having one great game. Carlos Rogers is actually a decent #2 corner, talent wise, but couldn't catch a cold. The grab bag of Jimoh and Fox and Vincent and Doughty gives us a collection of people to work with.
To summarize, Gibbs is trying to build some sort of mulit-headed coaching hydra where he isn't doing much, if any actual coaching, so, it is time to stop looking at Joe Gibbs, the coach, and what he brings to the table and waiting for the ol' Gibbs magic. That is simply not what he is doing or trying to do. So, as with any new plan, and the way Joe is going about this is both new and radical, there is no reason or way to predict if and when it will succeed.
This Gibbs corporate restructuring is unlikely to be consistently good because it has compartmentalized the team and responsibility far too much. Coaches leaving happens to good teams which will mean a complete starting over for the Redskins because there is far too much identity with the individual coaches, their ways and styles as opposed to, say, the Patriots, where there is a Patriots way, stamped by Billicheck, that continues even though he has lost both coordinators in recent years. There is no Redskins way right now nor will one be built when the individual is so emphasized over team.
The offense should be solid next year, though I'd like to see Portis traded for draft picks and it would be great to see a good, big WR on the roster. Campbell will suffer growing pains but cohesion and getting away from the various limits of Brunell will be a huge step in the right direction.
The defense needs help everywhere.
It will be shocking if there is no BIG offseason move. Maybe Williams leaves. Maybe we get some big name free agents. There is a case to be made that if we make NO free agents moves and all the coaching stays the same and we get a could of decent rookies and our injury situation is good next year that we may make the playoffs.
There is also a case to be made that we are a 5-11 team going nowhere.
Gibbs post game comments were short and terrifying; he said he is already discussing with Dan and will be working harder than ever, with Dan, to get to work on everything. With Dan. Maybe we'll have new jersey's next year.
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