Does the Eagles run remind you of anything???

[hurrykaine]

Originally Posted by jsarno

We were 5-1 in division last year!!! Our only loss was to a pumped up giants team that just lost their owner.
The Eagles are 5-1 in division...same!
The Eagles are 8-3 in NFC, we were 10-2 last year.
Their run is no more impressive at all.

Beating 3 division rivals all on the road in back to back weeks isn't more impressive?

[ncskinsfanec]

Originally Posted by hurrykaine

Beating 3 division rivals all on the road in back to back weeks isn't more impressive?

Yeah, that was impressive. But they were pretty fortunate to beat us, if we weren't so incompetent we would've won that one. Coulda, shoulda, woulda though.

[Beemnseven]

That '92 team still made the playoffs. There's absolutely no comparison between that squad and the '06 collection of bozos.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

That '92 team still made the playoffs. There's absolutely no comparison between that squad and the '06 collection of bozos.

I wasn't comparing the two teams... I'm talking about the flawed logic of saying that a down year should somehow taint the accomplishments of the year before.

[Beemnseven]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I wasn't comparing the two teams... I'm talking about the flawed logic of saying that a down year should somehow taint the accomplishments of the year before.

And I'm saying that the 5-0 run last year was an anomoly, a facade. There has been no resemblance of that team before or after. I think there were fortunate teams lined up for us, -- some of them with key players that were missing, Marc Bulger, Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook -- and in some of those games we had to mount a comeback to win.

To me, those circumstances, and the state we find ourselves in now can somewhat diminish the accomplishments of '05. It tells me that the blip on the radar screen that was the famed 5-0 run was just that -- a blip. It ultimately had no impact on what this team truly is, or where it's headed.

[Beemnseven]

So what you’re saying is, there can never be any reasonable expectation of improvement from one season to the next? If I recall correctly, your prediction for the year was 11-5, then you downgraded that after watching the preseason and looking at our schedule. Upon what did you base those expectations?

Here’s my basic point: If a sick, twisted, vicious, psychotic serial murderer one day decides to help an old lady cross the street, it doesn’t change who he really is. He’s still a sick, twisted, vicious, psychotic serial murderer.

Similarly, the Redskins, despite that 5-0 run last year, were 11-16 before, and are 5-10 since. Remember the serial murderer parallel. Even when you include that oh-so wondrous playoff run, they will finish 22-26 at best over the last three seasons, or 21-27 if they lose to the Giants. Though sprinkled with occasional success, either way you slice it, that’s the mark of losers.

You and I will probably go to our graves with this -- you say they were a good team last year; I say they were good enough to take advantage of weakling opponents and fortunate events by the skin of their teeth. I'm not saying they were garbage. They just weren't all they were cracked up to be, and maybe our hopes this season were based on a false premise.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

So what you’re saying is, there can never be any reasonable expectation of improvement from one season to the next? If I recall correctly, your prediction for the year was 11-5, then you downgraded that after watching the preseason and looking at our schedule. Upon what did you base those expectations?

Here’s my basic point: If a sick, twisted, vicious, psychotic serial murderer one day decides to help an old lady cross the street, it doesn’t change who he really is. He’s still a sick, twisted, vicious, psychotic serial murderer.

Similarly, the Redskins, despite that 5-0 run last year, were 11-16 before, and are 5-10 since. Remember the serial murderer parallel. Even when you include that oh-so wondrous playoff run, they will finish 22-26 at best over the last three seasons, or 21-27 if they lose to the Giants. Though sprinkled with occasional success, either way you slice it, that’s the mark of losers.

You and I will probably go to our graves with this -- you say they were a good team last year; I say they were good enough to take advantage of weakling opponents and fortunate events by the skin of their teeth. I'm not saying they were garbage. They just weren't all they were cracked up to be, and maybe our hopes this season were based on a false premise.

Let's say it all was a fluke...so what? They still did what they did. You can't take that away from them. Last year, some things went our way and we ended up with a good record. This year, some things have not gone our way and we will end up with a poor record. That's the ups and downs of the NFL. You can't tell me Pittsburgh was the best team last year, you can't! But they won it all! So while they weren't the best team, they played the best and had things go their way. That's football. As poor as our team has been, had we had just a handful of plays go our way, we'd be in the playoffs. That's football. Had Campbell had a full season under center, we'd have a better record, had we not been decimated with injuries, we'd be better. That's football. I feel we underacheived last year, so a 10-6 record was not what we were capable of, but about what we were overall. This year, the way we've played we deserve our 5-6 win season, cause that's the way we've played. Oh well. You can't compare the two seasons, they are totally different.
Should Pittsburgh's superbowl be taken away because they sucked this year? That is just the most flawed logic I've ever heard. You can't expect momentum to carry over from season to season, it never does. Ask all the previous superbowl winners minus the patriots.

[Beemnseven]

Originally Posted by jsarno

Should Pittsburgh's superbowl be taken away because they sucked this year? That is just the most flawed logic I've ever heard. You can't expect momentum to carry over from season to season, it never does. Ask all the previous superbowl winners minus the patriots.

The difference is that Pittsburgh has had great seasons for the past several years. And no, you can't take away their Lombardi trophy. I haven't suggested "taking away" the 10-6 record for the Redskins either.

Outside of that 5-0 run, here are the records for the past seven seasons --

2000: 8-8
2001: 8-8
2002: 7-9
2003: 5-11
2004: 6-10
2005: 10-6
2006: 6-10 (at best)

All I'm saying is that maybe we weren't as good as the 10-6 record indicates. It was a magical run, you can't take it away from them, and yes, they were good enough to take advantage of soft opponents who suffered from injuries to key players. I was one who expected the Redskins to 'take the next logical step' this season. I know I wasn't alone. To say that you can NEVER expect the same basic group of players to advance from one season to the next is just plain wrong. You can certainly do that -- and I maintain that since the Redskins haven't done that this year, perhaps they just weren't as good as we all thought they were in 2005.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

So what you’re saying is, there can never be any reasonable expectation of improvement from one season to the next? If I recall correctly, your prediction for the year was 11-5, then you downgraded that after watching the preseason and looking at our schedule. Upon what did you base those expectations?

Here’s my basic point: If a sick, twisted, vicious, psychotic serial murderer one day decides to help an old lady cross the street, it doesn’t change who he really is. He’s still a sick, twisted, vicious, psychotic serial murderer.

Similarly, the Redskins, despite that 5-0 run last year, were 11-16 before, and are 5-10 since. Remember the serial murderer parallel. Even when you include that oh-so wondrous playoff run, they will finish 22-26 at best over the last three seasons, or 21-27 if they lose to the Giants. Though sprinkled with occasional success, either way you slice it, that’s the mark of losers.

You and I will probably go to our graves with this -- you say they were a good team last year; I say they were good enough to take advantage of weakling opponents and fortunate events by the skin of their teeth. I'm not saying they were garbage. They just weren't all they were cracked up to be, and maybe our hopes this season were based on a false premise.

The analogy is cute but it doesn't account for the fact that this is not the same exact team that did what they did last year and totally different circumstances. We have a new offense, new players, a new QB now, different injuries, different schedule, and on and on. Your serial killer is a different person.

[MTK]

I still fail to see how you can draw any direct comparisons between two completely different teams and circumstances. Last year this was a good team. Good enough to win 6 in a row including the playoffs, good enough to go 5-1 in the division. Two feats that aren't exactly earned by luck in this league. Last year is what it is, a good season. Why can't we just evaluate this season based on this season? Last year really doesn't have anything to do with this year.

[MTK]

A better comparison than the Steelers might be the Bengals. They went 11-5 last year but outside of that they haven't done much in this decade. So is their playoff run last year tarnished a bit by their fall back to mediocrity this year?

[Beemnseven]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

A better comparison than the Steelers might be the Bengals. They went 11-5 last year but outside of that they haven't done much in this decade. So is their playoff run last year tarnished a bit by their fall back to mediocrity this year?

I think you have to look at the manner in which they won the games. I haven’t done research on the Bengals, but I know what happened in Washington last year:

Barely beating the Arizona Cardinals on a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Beating up on the Rams with their third string quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick starting. Witness the Redskins’ latest outing against those same Rams with Marc Bulger – slightly different results.

A comeback win over the Eagles who were playing without Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook.

You’re right that there are different circumstances in 2006 – – there were no pansies this time around. While we have had injuries to contend with (as all teams do) that doesn’t excuse the plummet we’ve seen this year, unless ... as I maintain, maybe we just weren’t as good as advertised last season.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

A better comparison than the Steelers might be the Bengals. They went 11-5 last year but outside of that they haven't done much in this decade. So is their playoff run last year tarnished a bit by their fall back to mediocrity this year?

I'm starting to beleive that no matter what you show, he won't get it. It makes sense to us, but it doesn't to him. Sometimes when you have something in your head, there is no getting it out. (that's not to say that beemnseven is dumb or anything, just that he beleives a certain way..like a democrat won't side with a republican no matter how much you prove, or disprove a point)