Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

Ok, I know this is a strange idea, but Im just throwing it out for discussion. We face the Cardinals this week, with Tim Rattay (sp?). Our defense is relatively healthy (knock on wood) and they should easily be able to handle the Cards offense. That being said, should we sit Moss, ARE, and the injured o-lineman and go with backups just to give those guys time to heal? I mean hammy injuries need rest, and an aggravation of those injuries could set the recovery time way back. Since we are facing such a weak opponent, should we try and heal up and hope the defense carries the day? I mean, can't we at least get into field goal range running to the left and dinking and dunking the ball to Cooley, Thrash, McCardell and the RBs? What do you guys think?

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=paulskinsfan;365345] Since we are facing such a weak opponent, should we try and heal up and hope the defense carries the day? I mean, can't we at least get into field goal range running to the left and dinking and dunking the ball to Cooley, Thrash, McCardell and the RBs? What do you guys think?[/quote]

On any given Sunday.....

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

The problem is this game is now in the must-win category. It would be better to rest them against N.E. which has to be considered a likely loss at this point anyway. If they are going to rest people, rest them during the week. I get the feeling our defense is beating the shit out of our offense on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Speaking of N.E it occurs to me that playing them the week before they face Indy is probably the best week to catch them. We sure could piss of all the media types who are looking forward to hyping a battle of undefeateds. Nothing would make me happier.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

We match up pretty well against NE. The teams that really concern me have stellar running games, along with just a decent pass attack. NE kicks ass in their passing game, but the run doesn't concern me as much. Part of the reason Id like to rest up this week is because I think with a healthy offense, we can at least be competitive against NE.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

its not that bad of an idea...

i also think our secondary, mainly our safties match up the best as far as a defense N.E. has faced so far...

but i do disagree with GW playing coveregage 99.9% of downs like he has the past 2 games... we at least need to mix a FEW things up

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

If the trainer says you're okay to play and you feel you can play, you need to play every game. I wouldn't think it wise to take any game for granted, win or lose.

I remember a couple of years ago being in a similiar situation and also coming up against a "weak" Arizona team. If it weren't for some dude named Antonio Brown we very well could have lost that game.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

I understand where you're coming from, but there's no such thing as an easy opponent in the NFL. The Cardinals will prove to be a formidable foe.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[QUOTE=Meks;365352]its not that bad of an idea...

i also think our secondary, mainly our safties match up the best as far as a defense N.E. has faced so far...

but i do disagree with GW playing coveregage 99.9% of downs like he has the past 2 games... we at least need to mix a FEW things up[/QUOTE]


You disagree with the results?

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

Have to agree with 70Chip, a must win game for us, and never count anyone out. If you rested any of our Offensive starters with a depleted O line you risk a possible upset if the Arizona D has an exceptional game. IF we lose to the Cards, however improbable as it sounds, a playoff appearance will be in serious jepeordy. If we lose to the Cards at home we have a good shot at losing both AFC East away games, then our season really will be shot as the rest of our division is doing rather well as of late. You also need to get Moss and the WR corp some real game time to get a rhythm going for the rest of the season. IF you sit them, they will be only rusty for the Jets and Pats.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

yea we do match up well defensively against the Pats but our offense has to get [I]something[/I] done

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

I don't want to be overly-dramatic, but this game can really make or break our season. The NFC is weak, but our division is looking really solid so we need to make sure we win winnable conference games against non-divisional opponents.

So I say emphatically that we don't rest anyone unless we go up 42-3.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

This isn't pre-season and we most certainly aren't a 13 win team that can afford to sit it's players. If you can play you play!

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

We need to play those who are ready to play. Period. That's how it should be every week of the regular season, unless it's week 16 or 17 and you've already clinched home field throughout the playoffs. Chances are we're gonna have some serious inexperience on the O-line, and their D has guys who can bring it- Adrian Wilson, Darby, Darnell Dockett...

Our offense isn't exactly kicking ass right now. Sure, our D should be able to get it done, I agree with that. But we have a staff of trainers and doctors for a reason. Blowing off a team in week 7 to rest guys that could play is extremely cocky. And frankly we need all the help we can get on offense.

As far as New England goes- the scary thing is their running game hasn't even been close to 100% this year, they just got Harrison back, and now Richard Seymour is coming of the PUP?? Sheesh. They might not lose a game. And anyone out there hoping they'll look past us to the Colts game- stop dreaming.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

I'm on the if you can you play bandwagon here. Arizona is 3-3 right now. If they win they jump ahead of us in the playoff chase and I'd hate to look back on this game and say we missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record because we rested our guys against Arizona.

We're fortunate that Warner is most likely not playing, but with Boldin back now we could be hurting if Springs decides not to play. And, for the record, I'd support him 100% if he chose not to play.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[QUOTE=GMScud;365378]Chances are we're gonna have some serious inexperience on the O-line, and their D has guys who can bring it- Adrian Wilson, Darby, Darnell Dockett...

As far as New England goes- the scary thing is their running game hasn't even been close to 100% this year, they just got Harrison back, and now Richard Seymour is coming of the PUP?? Sheesh. They might not lose a game. And anyone out there hoping they'll look past us to the Colts game- stop dreaming.[/QUOTE]

Wilson and Dansby are nicked up and might miss the game on Sunday. As for resting players Rabach, Wade, Portis Moss, Washington should take the week off. The Cards are tough but they are also hurting. We are gonna need every swinging soul against NE, that's why resting them this week is essential. As for NE running game they are hurting too, Morency is been out 3 weeks, Morris got hurt against the Cowboys and is nicked up, I think the Skins can surprise NE we match up well against their WR as long as Springs is there. Any team is beatable, that's why they play the games.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=SmootSmack;365388]I'm on the if you can you play bandwagon here. Arizona is 3-3 right now. If they win they jump ahead of us in the playoff chase and I'd hate to look back on this game and say we missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record because we rested our guys against Arizona.

We're fortunate that Warner is most likely not playing, but with Boldin back now we could be hurting if Springs decides not to play. And, for the record, I'd support him 100% if he chose not to play.[/quote]This is a must win if we have any playoff aspirations. Lose this game, and the season could spiral out of control very quickly. This is definitely an "all hands on deck" type of game.

I totally agree with SS on Springs if he doesn't play though.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

I say rest them. Have you guys seen our schedule after Arizona? Patriots, Jets, Eagles, Cowboys, Bucs. We need to gamble and rest these guys this week and get ready for the tough stretch ahead.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=SFREDSKIN;365391]Wilson and Dansby are nicked up and might miss the game on Sunday. As for resting players Rabach, Wade, Portis Moss, Washington should take the week off. The Cards are tough but they are also hurting. We are gonna need every swinging soul against NE, that's why resting them this week is essential. As for NE running game they are hurting too, Morency is been out 3 weeks, Morris got hurt against the Cowboys and is nicked up, I think the Skins can surprise NE we match up well against their WR as long as Springs is there. Any team is beatable, that's why they play the games.[/quote]The Cardinals game is FAR more important than the NE game since it carries NFC tiebreaker implications. Why would we look to rest guys in what is essentially a must win? Lose to the Cards, and we'll be looking up at Dallas, NY, GB, TB, and Carolina in the standings, with road games at NE and Dallas looming. Rolling over against NY and GB makes every remaining NFC game critical.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=SFREDSKIN;365391] [B]Any team is beatable, that's why they play the games.[/B][/quote]

Soooo by that rationale, aren't we beatable in the eyes of Arizona? Seems to me like you're arguing both sides....

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[QUOTE=GMScud;365397]Soooo by that rationale, aren't we beatable in the eyes of Arizona? Seems to me like you're arguing both sides....[/QUOTE]

I never said be were unbeatable. Arizona is no easy team, they beat the Steelers and have been in close games and could have won some of those games. I just feel that if you play hurt players (look at Moss's performance) you are gambling on aggravating the injuries and losing them for the year or playing hurt all year. I consider the other games more important, you are right that the NE is not so important, but for confidence and morale building a win sure would cure a lot of wounds.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=SFREDSKIN;365399]I never said be were unbeatable. Arizona is no easy team, they beat the Steelers and have been in close games and could have won some of those games. I just feel that if you play hurt players (look at Moss's performance) you are gambling on aggravating the injuries and losing them for the year or playing hurt all year. I consider the other games more important, you are right that the NE is not so important, but for confidence and morale building a win sure would cure a lot of wounds.[/quote]

I hear you, but I don't think we can afford to rest anybody. I appreciate everyone's optimism about the NE game, but come on. In their house? We don't have a snowball's chance in hell. They are out of control good. And we CANNOT afford a three game losing streak. Play who can play. Period. Either way we're looking at losing 2 outta 3 IF we can beat AZ to get to NE. Plus we have 4 of our next 6 on the road against teams like NE and Dallas.

And I didn't know Moss' hands were injured. A groin injury doesn't force you to drop passes and fumble balls. Moss practiced at full speed last week as was ready to go. He had a bad game, and I really don't think it was related to injury.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

I know there's a lot Gibbs doubters on this board, all I say is never underestimate a Joe Gibbs coached team. That's why I give a chance against NE, plus defensively I think we match up well. The guy that worries me the most is Wes Welker, not Randy Moss.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=SFREDSKIN;365403]I know there's a lot Gibbs doubters on this board, all I say is never underestimate a Joe Gibbs coached team. That's why I give a chance against NE, plus defensively I think we match up well. The guy that worries me the most is Wes Welker, not Randy Moss.[/quote]I have faith that Taylor will take away Moss deep, but I too doubt that our LBs can handle Welker in the slot. He reminds me alot of Wayne Chrebet, a tough overachiever who just makes plays.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

We need to win this game, we can't afford to take the Cards lightly.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=Mattyk72;365420]We need to win this game, we can't afford to take the Cards lightly.[/quote]
Sums it up right there.

Cards aren't scrubs. We will put the best team out there that we can afford to.

Prediction time is coming around the corned isn't it?

How do the Cards look on defense this year?

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

hell no. This game has playoffs written all over it. They get a better record and have a tie breaker over us if they win. Look at the card's remaining schedule. Seriously, they have the easiest schedule in the world. Only 2 teams in their games after us have a winning record or something like that. This game is a must win. Lets rest em' against the pats for all i care.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[QUOTE=paulskinsfan;365351]We match up pretty well against NE. The teams that really concern me have stellar running games, along with just a decent pass attack. NE kicks ass in their passing game, but the run doesn't concern me as much. Part of the reason Id like to rest up this week is because I think with a healthy offense, we can at least be competitive against NE.[/QUOTE]

NE has no run game? Their backup rb has damn near as many yards as our starter. Morris runs like a man possessed (two games already w/ over 100 yds). And starter Moroney is a stud.

We need to be full go against AZ to be able to score some points and win (they're NFC). We don't have a chance against NE, that's nuckin futs man. They're a better defense than we are (much better than anything we've faced this season) and it's highly unlikely we'll be able to score a single TD against them. But their offense is guaranteed a good 30+ pts on us.

I don't understand how after losses to teams like NY and GB people are still talking about beating NE - I'm a fan as much as the next guy but seriously.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

Sammy Morris is hurt, and Maroney may or may not play this weekend.

However, that is jumping ahead. This week is 'Zona, and they have a tendency to play up against the Skins. Granted, down to their 3rd string QB, they still have Fitzgerald, Boldin and James pushing their offense. Cannot take them lightly, and if you can play, you play. Period.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

I said this already yesterday. We can afford to rest Moss, he needs another week off anyway to clear his head. It's not good to be thinking you don't want to be in there because you're afraid your hurting the team. It's getting in his head now.

We can afford to play ARE sparingly, not on punt returns especially.

Not much we can do on the offensive line, I mean if they are 75-99% they need to go.

Defensively we can afford to rest Daniels and Washington if they are still nicked up.

Does anyone know if Springs is playing this weekend?

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=MTRedskinsFan;365440]NE has no run game? Their backup rb has damn near as many yards as our starter. Morris runs like a man possessed (two games already w/ over 100 yds). And starter Moroney is a stud.

We need to be full go against AZ to be able to score some points and win (they're NFC). We don't have a chance against NE, that's nuckin futs man. They're a better defense than we are (much better than anything we've faced this season) and it's highly unlikely we'll be able to score a single TD against them. But their offense is guaranteed a good 30+ pts on us.

I don't understand how after losses to teams like NY and GB people are still talking about beating NE - I'm a fan as much as the next guy but seriously.[/quote]

I think the theme is that we gave those games away, and pretty much beat ourselves, and if we play a perfect game against NE we can win. I am with you, but I understand their argument too. I just want to get through the Cardinals with a win, then we can talk about the Pats.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

I hate to quote Herm Edwards but.."You play to WIN the game". Everyone who can play needs to suit up. If Moss is ready to go physically, he should play. He doesn't need a week to "clear his head". That is absurd. If anything, I would think he would be busting to get back out on the field to wash the bad taste of a bad game out of his mouth.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=dblanch66;365550]I hate to quote Herm Edwards but.."You play to WIN the game". Everyone who can play needs to suit up. If Moss is ready to go physically, he should play. He doesn't need a week to "clear his head". That is absurd. If anything, I would think he would be busting to get back out on the field to wash the bad taste of a bad game out of his mouth.[/quote]

The clear his head thing was secondary to his groin injury he has been battling all year. I don't think it would hurt. And he took himself out of the game last week, so "busting to get back out on the field" doesn't seem likely.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

What would be ideal is if we could just blow the Cards out in the first half and then start to pull guys in the 2nd half. :)

But I don't think we can rest guys if they are able to play. Playing through injuries is part of the game.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=Mattyk72;365565]What would be ideal is if we could just blow the Cards out in the first half and then start to pull guys in the 2nd half. :)

But I don't think we can rest guys if they are able to play. Playing through injuries is part of the game.[/quote]


I'll agree with that, but we haven't been the type of team that blows anybody out, vice Detroit.

Understand that playing through injuries is part of the game. I just think we're deep enough at a couple positions that it is possible to let guys rest nagging injuries so as to not aggravate them to where they worsen or linger longer than necessary. Probably doesn't apply to the O-line though.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

I wouldn't rest key players coming off a loss.

It's not a bad strategy off a win in a game that isn't all that imporant, and easily winnable (such as the Jets), but we need this game too much to not play our best team.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=GTripp0012;365575]I wouldn't rest key players coming off a loss.

It's not a bad strategy off a win in a game that isn't all that imporant, and easily winnable (such as the Jets), but we need this game too much to not play our best team.[/quote]


You're assuming our best team includes someone who is battling a groin injury and thinking he's hurting the team when he's playing.

And others on defense who aren't 100% who have fully capable backups to handle the daunting Cardinals offense.

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

Speaking of, why in the world did we have ARE returning punts with a bad hammy? I mean, I know he's our best PR, but that's when he's healthy. Aren't ya just asking to aggravate that injury?

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

Call me crazy but i think this coddling of our players is what is leading to injuries...we didn't want to risk losing them for the regular season so we didn't play them in the preseason (Outcome: a truckload of pulled groins and hamstrings b/c they weren't/aren't in condition)...we didn't want them to "aggravate" their injuries and lose them for the rest of the season so we gave them the bye week off (Outcome: more hamstring and groin pulls symptomatic of tightening due to the layoff).

They are pro athletes and at some point we gotta stop holding their hands and let the players play. If they get hurt we have to deal with it and move on, but its a lose-lose situation if we get tentative. It messes with continuity and chemistry!

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=paulskinsfan;365345]Ok, I know this is a strange idea, but Im just throwing it out for discussion. We face the Cardinals this week, with Tim Rattay (sp?). Our defense is relatively healthy (knock on wood) and they should easily be able to handle the Cards offense. That being said, should we sit Moss, ARE, and the injured o-lineman and go with backups just to give those guys time to heal? I mean hammy injuries need rest, and an aggravation of those injuries could set the recovery time way back. Since we are facing such a weak opponent, should we try and heal up and hope the defense carries the day? I mean, can't we at least get into field goal range running to the left and dinking and dunking the ball to Cooley, Thrash, McCardell and the RBs? What do you guys think?[/quote]


We should rest all the starters in the second half, not so much to rest them, but to prevent them from blowing another lead!

Re: Do we rest the wounded to heal this week?
 

[quote=Coff;365617]We should rest all the starters in the second half, not so much to rest them, but to prevent them from blowing another lead![/quote]


Good one...you may be on to something there.