Al Saunders is gone!

Glad to see him go. His system is so convoluted even he barely understands it most of the time. Zorn helped develop Matt Hasselbeck, and good move by Snyder to go out and get the man behind the offense that knocked us out of the playoffs 2 of the last 3 years. I also like the promotion of Gregg Blache to def. coordinator, that is actually a move FOR continuity. This makes me wonder if Snyder didn't already know what he is doing, and had intended to go after Spagnuolo all along, but just wanted to play with the media to get lots of free publicity. The defense should stay in place as is, and we needed a better, easier, more effective offensive identity anyway, so continuity of system for Campbell wasn't really an option anyway. I think Campbell will thrive under Zorn. Zorn was a very similar QB to Campbell in his playing days; a big armed, inuitive quarterback with a knack for avoiding pressure. If we get Spagnuolo, I will hold my judgement of ol' Danny Boy. A defensive minded head coach coming from a good defense would do a lot to help keep continuity on the team. Plus, Spagnuolo would have an intimate knowledge of the Giants defense and their weaknesses, as well as a good working knowledge of the other NFC East offenses. If we end up with Fassel, I will be expecting a serious Superbowl run out of him in the first year to win me over.
We now have a high profile, control freak owner to match Jerry Jones and round out the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry juggernaut, but the Cowboys have one up, in that Jerry Jones actually played football, and has a sense for what's going on on the field. Danny is a spoiled mama's boy. Danny vs. Jerry. Let's see a celebrity deathmatch!

Redskins new coach?

Now, I'm new to this blogging thing, so I've been less then diligent in keeping it up. But now I'm back. And I'm pretty fed up with Snyder's stunts. If you're not going to hire Williams, why not just say so and let the man go? I read an article suggesting Snyder would launch a smear campaign to discredit Williams so he doesn't look so bad to his players and fans when he doesn't hire him. This is NOT Redskins football. Gibbs is the gold standard for what it means to be a Redskin, with honor and integrity being first, with all things football coming next. Snyder doesn't have a single honorable bone in his body. If he did, he would have hired Williams to a one year head coaching contract(if Snyder is so unsure of him) and let him prove his mettle on the field. This would have exhibited his supposed commitment to continuity. Why doesn't Snyder just spit in Gibbs face, and say I don't care what you think, this whole consultant thing is a sham. In order for a consultant to have any effect, he needs to be listened to. I think Joe hurt little Danny Snyder's feelings by leaving before getting a Superbowl for little Danny. And because of that, little Danny is saying "Okay Joe, I'm going to undo everything you did here just to spite you". Much to the chagrin to every player in the locker room, and every Redskins fan betwen the Atlantic and the Pacific.
Fassel is not a good option, not for this team. I have no interest in watching Jim Fassel lead this team. Now he's probably a decent coach, but if he's capable of leading a team to the Show, then why haven't any teams been interested in him in the last few years? He's a recognizable name, but that doesn't mean he's a high powered acquisition. I like Zorn as an offensive coordinator, but what message does that send out to any possible Redskins head coaches? It's a big "I'm going to hire your staff for you, and not give you any say in the coordinators that will work under you. I will constantly be undermining your decisions, and will make you deal with what me and my crony Cerrato give you. A GOOD head coach will want to have control over who is hired to work for him, and reflect him as a head coach, because a coordinator or position coach reflects on his head coach. Snyder is playing with the media, enjoying the spotlight and dragging it out.
Everybody look at me!! I own the Redskins, and I can do whatever I want with them!! What's next, I would only be mildly suprised if Snyder came out and said that HE was going to coach the team!! If Snyder knew what was good for this team, he would have hired a GM uinder Cerrato, promoted Williams to a one year, incentive laden contract. Williams couldn't really argue with it, because he already has his staff and his players, so he won't need the benefit of the doubt to need a rebuilding year. Give Williams the job, and make him earn a permanent position on the field.

A moment of silence for Sean Taylor

Sean Taylor, 1983 - 2007. Rest in Peace.

Skins - Boys .... It's ON!

Our lack of a receiver corps disturbs me. JC is really starting to turn on as a quarterback, and Gibbs is finally pulling the reins off of Al Saunders. And now they don't have any targets. McCardell and Caldwell need to come up huge for us if we are going to have any chance. I don't think our patchwork offensive line can hold up to the Cowboys in the run game. Our fate lies in the hands of our receivers.
Another issue is our secondary versus Dallas' receivers. Without Sean Taylor and Carlos Rogers our backups really need to step up against Patrick Crayton. With Shawn Springs on TO, Crayton is in position to embarass us unless our backups come in and play well. Our front four really need to throw a wrench in the running game as well. Marion Barber is playing like a man possessed.
This is a very important game for us. If we can win this game, it shows we can rise to the occasion and play short handed and hang tough. It would save our season. A loss would take us down to .500, an I fear the rest of our season would just be an attempt stay above .500, not a run at the playoffs. This game is pivotal.

Redskins - Eagles game

Okay. The win over the Jets was still a win. But I'm concerned. I previously posted about the rash of hamstring injuries, and they seem to keep coming back. Teams that stay healthy usually do so not neccesarily because of luck, but because of good strength and conditioning coaches. I'd like to see someone fired. Because now we are looking to go into the Eagles game without Randle El or Moss. This is sketchy. Brandon LLoyd couldn't catch a ball if he was giving himself an exam for testicular cancer. Thrash is slow and washed up, Caldwell is a non-factor, and Keenan McCardell should be watching games at home having a barbecue with Brunell. We seriously need to upgrade our receiver corps to include a tall receiver that will make those jump ball catches, and allow JC to take long strikes down the field that actually have a chance. His throws are consistently a couple feet above the receivers in vertical routes. A Randy Moss/TO/Calvin Johnson type could reach out and grab that ball for an easy touchdown. Moss and Randle El both live and die by their speed and quickness, and a hamstring/groin injury takes that away, and it just leaves JC with two receivers that are just too short. Our OL has played surprisingly well under the circumstances. Our offensive woes lie squarely on the shoulders of our strength and conditioning coaches. I firmly believe that we need a fast, tall receiver, but we would be infinitely better if we simply had a 100% healthy Moss OR Randle El, I'd even be happy if one of them were healthy. The key to this Sunday's game is our passing game, and how well Leigh Torrence can cover McNabb's receivers with Carlos Rogers out for the season. I will definitely say that another season ending injury for us on either side of the ball will not only end the players season, but the entire Redskins team as well.
Also, Gibbs needs to be relegated to the GM position, and let Saunders lead this team. Gibbs has been holding back Saunders playbook for a while. Give the guy some faith, we're paying him enough that we should trust him and let him air out the offense. It's starting to smell; our offense is offensive. We have the talent and ability to be every bit as good as the Pats. A healthy line, healthy receivers, and a coach that trusts his quarterback to take strikes down the field would take a lot of pressure off of our defense, making them a whole lot better. The Pats defense is so good because they are always faster then the other team; they're never on the field.
Westbrook, Westbrook, Westbrook. If we can shut him down and force McNabb to try to beat us in the air, I think we can shut them down. With a good pass rush from the front four, Our defense, even without Carlos Rogers, can shut down the Eagles. McNabb is not a mobile quarterback anymore. The key to this team is Brian Westbrook. When he plays well, they win.
So tomorrow get out your jersey and get ready for a show. I'm predicting, with the Eagles' secondary, that JC is going to have a great day, and look for McCardell and Cooley to have some stellar days, opening up the run game in the second half, allowing Portis to have back to back 100+ yard games. The OL has finally started to show some cohesion, and assert themselves on the other team. True, the Jets were hardly a test, but getting out there and manhandling someone, even if they aren't that good, is a boost for the confidence, allowing our line to play with some pride.
Go Skins!

Injuries

With the rash of hamstring and groin pull injuries lately, it seems to be affecting too many players to be a coincidence. I squarely put the blame on the strength and conditioning coaches. those types of injuries are indicative of insufficient training, and over training the quads and undertraining the hamstrings. This just goes to show how important every aspect of an organization is. I think we definitely need to find a new guard in the strength and conditioning field. There's no excuse for this many hamstring injuries across so many different positions.

Welcoome to Redskins Nation!

This is the inaugural posting for Redskins Nation, a blog about the greatest sports team of all time! Stay tuned for lots of Redskins commentary!