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11:32:00 PM EDT
Hearing Chicago @ Arizona on MNF
Spending Good Money to Watch Your Team Lose to the Titans Makes for a Pretty Nice Little Sunday
A team with legitimate playoff expectations lost at home yesterday to a previously winless opponent. That team would be my own, the Redskins, and I was there to witness the carnage firsthand. For a day that started so beautifully (cornhole and barbecue in the parking lot under a cloudless sky), it ended in just about the worst way imaginable (with us walking down the endless FedEx Field ramp amidst an angry crowd with my brother yelling, "F--- Brunell! F--- Gibbs!"). Here's what transpired in between...
1. The Redskins couldn't stop Tennessee from running the ball (178 yards for Travis Henry).2. The Redskins forgot about running the ball (14 carries for Clinton Portis).
3. Mark Brunell looked incapable of competing in the NFL at an acceptable level (Titans players were overhead yelling, "Thank you, Mark Brunell!" after the game).
Let's address these one-by-one. First, I don't understand why Al Saunders keeps getting away from the run. During the Skins miraculous six-game win streak late last season, Portis and the Dirtbags averaged over 35 attempts per game. So far this season, Washington is averaging 41 attempts in each of their two wins and 23 in their four losses. Sure, this could be explained away by saying, "Well, yeah, you can't run the ball when you're losing by a bunch, just like you don't want to pass the ball when you're up big." But that's the thing, each of the Skins' four losses have been competitive games where they didn't have to get away from the run until the fourth quarter, if at all. The answer here, in my mind, is simple, run, run, run, run, run, because you're not going to win the game by throwing the ball with Brunell or whoever (more on that in a moment).
Second, after finishing in the top-10 each of the past two seasons, the Redskins team defense ranks 21st in the NFL with 333 yards allowed per game. Even more worrisome is that a team like Tennessee, with no receiving threat, a rookie QB and second-rate ballcarriers, dominated the game on the ground and in time of possession. Sure, starting D-linemen Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a were out and Shawn Springs is just now working his way into the lineup, but that was the trademark of these Greg Williams' defenses the past couple of years: It didn't matter who he had to plug in, because he was usually able to find a scheme that worked. Anyone who has watched this team through six games can't have any confidence in this defensive unit. It's solely blind faith that leads us tohope for a midseason turnaround as we head to Indy this Sunday.
Third, aside from the lack of rushing attempts, the other common denominator in all four losses is Brunell's inability to look like a professional quarterback. I'm sure those two have a lot to do with one another, but when he has to throw the ball downfield and make plays with his arm or his feet, Brunell looks more like a guy who belongs in the tailgate tossing the pigskin rather than on the gridiron chucking to millionaire receivers. As yesterday's game wore on, many a chant came down from the 400s calling for Jason Campbell, No. 17, etc. And while I hear those fans, I don't agree with them, and Joe Gibbs obviously doesn't either. Gibbs will keep playing Brunell until he's physically unable to do so. That's the kind of faith Gibbs has in his bible-beating signal caller, and the rest of us are just going to have to hope the Burgundy & Gold get the first two aforementioned issues resolved so that they can save the season before it completely goes down the toilet.
All that said, here are some pics from the teriffic, and then terrible, day that was. Enjoy...
My brothers Sean Taylor and Clinton Portis prepare for the festivities by playing a friendly game of cornhole:
The best looking cornhole in all the land:
The dopest Pumas ever:
This NFL Keg-a-Que takes care of serious business and makes for a fine holiday gift:
Taylor and a goofy looking guy in a Darrell Green jersey pose for the team photo:
A highly fashionable daughter-father combo:
If you found my game analysis lacking, it's probably because this was my view:
Rock Cartwright jerseys are not a myth(!):
For more misery, head over to Redskins FanHouse where my friend Jack Kogod will take care of you. He's better at this than I am.
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How you could not agree with benching Brunell is beyond me. We obviously have not been watching the same Redskins. But yeah, he looked really good when he threw a dead duck of a pass into quadruple coverage to lose the game yesterday.
10/17/06 11:10 AM