F... Kool-Aid

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

And the "haterade" drinkers have been churning out rational, coherent, and persuasive arguments? I don't know about you, but I've read an awful lot of "Gibbs be the worresest coach in the leeg," "the Redskins couldnt beet a hi-school teem," etc.

You're right, we can leave that crap at the door, too.

[JWsleep]

We will make the playoffs (or better: we could make the playoffs) because:

The crucial games in our schedule are AFTER this Dallas game. It is not a must win. We need to take TB on the road, IMO. That's the biggie. After that, two tough but winnable games AT HOME: buffalo and Chicago. That, if we can pull it off, takes us to 8 wins. Then, maybe, one more win gets us in. We've got NY and Minn on the road, and Dallas at home, and in all probability, Dallas is resting it's starters and Thomas and ST are back. And even if we blow TB or Buf or Chi, we could take Minn on the road and Dallas at home. That's 9 wins. May not be enough, but a reasonable scenario that does not require either wins at Dallas or NY.

Further, and this is what made the losses so painful, we were very close in several of them. On offense, I think we have not peaked yet. We need Moss to get going, and JC and Portis to stay hot, but this is a better O then we've seen in 3 years of Gibbs II. It hasn't become consistent yet, but really, a reasonable assessment shows that this is true.

The key is also on how well GW and co can hold things together. They will need to earn their money. How soon ST returns is very important, obviously. But it's not crazy to think GW can shift things and hide things. Plus, with any luck, he learned from last year's debacle what he cannot do. We'll see.

About the cowroids--I am not optimistic, but here's the recipe for winning: One, ball control to limit plays of the Dallas o. And you MUST score TDs at the end of long drives--TOP alone means very little with this high-powered Dallas O. So, again, CP is going to have to put up the numbers. But it's also time for a few big play TDs--we are SO due. On D, we are going to have to have some luck, IMO. If we can get a few turnovers, in whatever way, that will be big. Romo has his off days. Maybe this will be one. If the stars align this way, it could happen.

About injuries: ST is of course the killer. PP has to play WAY better. LL will be in coverage more. Smoot and Springs have to have amazing games. And the nickle CBs have to step up. On WR, hopefully Moss will have some miraculous "I'm in Dallas" moments, ARE will thrive, and KMac will keep showing why he's a quality player. And COOLEY must produce--he's done well against Dallas before.

None of this is koolaid--it's just an appraisal of what we need to do, and what we could do. I am pessimistic about Dallas in Dallas, given the level of their play right now. But I think things could work out--TB is a much bigger deal, IMO.

QED

[Sammy Baugh Fan]

I won't respond to this thread other than to say the fact that you are "F'ing" Redskins fans of any type or so called reason is wrong. IMHO

During Dallas week yer gonna take my time to read about F'ing Redskins fans? F... THAT!

Wanna be a hater? Try hating Dallas instead of other Redskins fans

peace out
mike

[dmek25]

i want to reply, but am afraid to for not giving the right answers. well, i think the skins offense over the last 2 games has been fine. the running game has really started to work. and Campbell is starting to look like a very good qback. after watching some film of Gibbs one, its time for the coaching staff to step up, and let it rip. take an interception( or 2) for some long pass plays down the field. that will open up the running game even more. lets go to attack mode instead of the passive, lets play not to lose mode. if we stay aggressive, for some reason that carries over to the defense. and while we will miss Taylor, Prioleau is a more then adequate back up. lets at least try to win, and not go quietly. to me, this is a key game in the redskins season. not so much as needing to win. but as much as setting the tone.

[Cowell]

Yeah, I honestly wouldn't mind at all to see JC take a shot or two down the field even if the result is an interception. If he throws the ball long enough the int shouldn't matter THAT much field position wise. Maybe I'm just desperate to see a shot down the field.

[4mrusmc]

Okay, I have waited almost one week to post of this site after the eagles debacle. My wife and I were at that game with awesome seats (15 yardline Redskins side, row 17th row). This was an expensive and time consuming investment. We were enjoying the game until the 4th quarter when the wheels seemingly came off. I could clearly see the fire and drive on the players faces during the game. But, to hear that some of the fans outwardly call-out coach Gibbs during the game greatly disturbs me, and to read the same vitriol on this site is also disturbing. I had 4 hours to reflect on the drive back home from the game last Sunday, and I too was very pissed-off. This team had a great oppurtunity to move closer for a playoff spot, but they blew it. This was a TEAM loss and every man that wears B/G knows it. But, now is not the time to throw bombs at this team and count them out. This team is in the thick of things as far as playoffs go. I am very appreciative for what coach Gibbs has done for this team, past and present and I think he will coach this team to so more great things. I never saw this man on the sidelines in his first tour with the team, but I did see Turner and the ole' ball coach try to guide this team to greatness. And we know how that went. I do feel privileged to have been in the same stadium as this man, for I know that the clock is ticking on when he will hang it up for good, and I don't know if I will be going to another game anytime soon. This man has a great legecy as the coach of this team, and I would hate to see him tarnish that with fans like us calling for his head. All I'm saying is that all is not lost, and there is still plenty of season left. This season has alot of 05' feel to it and we remeber how fun that was. I know that it is frustrating because our record could be so much better but, let's not give up hope. This game with the seemingly invensible cowboys is huge. And the other teams that are with us in the playoff hunt are in big games this Sunday also. Lets focus on the bright side of things, we are still in it. Let's support our team to beat the cowboys this Sunday.

[Cowell]

Originally Posted by 4mrusmc

Okay, I have waited almost one week to post of this site after the eagles debacle. My wife and I were at that game with awesome seats (15 yardline Redskins side, row 17th row). This was an expensive and time consuming investment. We were enjoying the game until the 4th quarter when the wheels seemingly came off. I could clearly see the fire and drive on the players faces during the game. But, to hear the some of the fans outwardly call-out coach Gibbs during the game greatly disturbs me, and to read the same vitriol on this site is also disturbing. I had 4 hours to reflect on the drive back home from the game last Sunday, and I too was very pissed-off. This team had a great oppurtunity to move closer for a playoff spot, but they blew it. This was a TEAM loss and every man that wears B/G knows it. But, now is not the time to throw bombs at this team and count them out. This team is in the thick of things as far as playoffs go. I am very appreciative for what coach Gibbs has done for this team, past and present and I think he will coach this team to so more great things. I never saw this man on the sidelines in his first tour with the team, but I did see Turner and the ole' ball coach try to guide this team to greatness. And we know how that went. I do feel privileged to have been in the same stadium as this man, for I know that the clock is ticking on when he will hang it up for good, and I don't know if I will be going to another game anytime soon. This man has a great legecy as the coach of this team, and I would hate to see him tarnish that with fans like us calling for his head. All I'm saying is that all is not lost, and there is still plenty of season left. This season has alot of 05' feel to it and we remeber how fun that was. I know that it is frustrating because our record could be so much better but, let's not give up hope. This game with the seemingly invensible cowboys is huge. And the other teams that are with us in the playoff hunt are in big games this Sunday also. Lets focus on the brite side of things, we are still in it. Let's support our team to beat the cowboys this Sunday.

I don't know why, but it honestly took reading the post to make me realize that we still have a winning record and that even though tomorrow doesen't look good by an stretch of the mind, we are still in the thick of the playoff hunt. As disappointing as some of this season has been I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, who knows maybe we will win but if we don't it's not the end of the world. We have Tampa Bay coming right up after Dallas and if we can beat Tampa Bay and then have an over .500 record for the rest of the season I think we have a wild card spot.

[Beemnseven]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

And the "haterade" drinkers have been churning out rational, coherent, and persuasive arguments? I don't know about you, but I've read an awful lot of "Gibbs be the worresest coach in the leeg," "the Redskins couldnt beet a hi-school teem," etc.

Hmmm, kind of like:

Originally Posted by 4mrusmc

Lets focus on the brite side of things, we are still in it. Let's support our team to beat the cowboys this Sunday.

[Schneed10]

As for my thoughts on the team, despite our injury troubles, we still have some strategic advantages I think we COULD put to good use:

- If Santana Moss and Randle El both play this weekend, and in games in the future, I think we have the capability to hit on some big plays which we weren't doing earlier in the year. Moss in particular has seen a lot of near-miss passes this year. Seems JC has just missed him on a number of throws. I'm still waiting for Moss to explode, because he's too good to put up 600 receiving yards as he's on pace for now.

- I think our mental toughness and character can lead to a very physical style of football down the stretch. I want to see JC open up the offense, but at the same time, when we're running I want to see extremely physical football. The mean streak can be taken up a notch. I just recall '05 when we just beat people up in December. And I remember last year when the line jelled and Betts strung together 5 100 yard games in a row. Portis has already started to get going, I can see us performing well in the run game down the stretch.

However my concern lies with our D. I think it's on our corners now that ST is out for a bit. GW needs to let the corners play some more man defense. We're going to need Carter getting after the QB to cover for ST's absence. And if Carter is running upfield after the QB, we're going to need safeties coming up to support the run, because Carter's going to be out of position. And if the safeties are supporting the run defense, then it comes back to the corners to lock dudes down. At least that's how I see it, we'll see how GW plays it.

[rypper11]

The Skins will make the playoffs because they are currently one game out of the WC hunt. The Giants will fold in the second half of the season as usual. They are a good team but their second half schedule is too hard. The only way I see them winning more than 2 games is if NE loses before they play each other in wk 17. The Lions will be swept by GB and lose to Dallas. That's at least 3 losses for them. So, the SKins can reasonably lose 2 games and still be the 5 seed.
TB has no running backs left, their offense lives on the big pass and while their Def is stopping most teams through the air, you can grind out long drives on them all day. If there is any good team that we match up perfect against, this is it.
The Bills offense is non-existent and their defense is spotty. They give up yards but not points. Which is convenient because the Skins get yards but not points.
The Bears D is coming back around but have too many missing pieces from last year. Plus, they still haven't figured out a qb.
With the extra time off, maybe the Skins will be rested enough to play a full game against the Giants. If so, a victory. If not, a loss.
The Skins will beat the Vikings badly if they gameplan them as they did the Lions. The Vikes have no pass defense but the stuff the run well.
Then, Cowboys again who will probably have secured a bye though not #1 seed.
So, 2 losses (Cowboys and either Bears or Giants). Puts the Skins at 10-6 and #5 seed.
Looking past that, they should beat whatever teams win the South and West (IMO Tampa and Arizona).
Then it's GB @ Lambeau (eliminate rain and ....) and finally Cowboys in Texas.
So, at this point, I'm sticking to a season that ends in Dallas after a 10-6 record. And another offseason where I'm pissed until June.

[4mrusmc]

I would like to change this thread title to: F... dallas. We shall see tomorrow what our team is made of.

[Sammy Baugh Fan]

I EXPECT the Redskins to Beat DalASS.
Let it be said, let it be written, let it be done!

Ya'll slay me.

Hail Skins!

[TheMalcolmConnection]

If we're going to win it's because they have esentially the same team that we beat LAST year. How have they truly improved from last year to this year? I think that aside from our injuries, we match up pretty well AGAIN this year.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

If we're going to win it's because they have esentially the same team that we beat LAST year. How have they truly improved from last year to this year? I think that aside from our injuries, we match up pretty well AGAIN this year.

Last year we didn't really "match up" that well with them. They beat us in Dallas, and we needed a series of pretty spectacular and improbable special teams plays to beat them in FedEx. This Dallas team is quite a bit better than last years...

I think their D this year is a little better, Romo is better, and I think good health and Parcells NOT being there is helping that team more than anything. It is essentially the same group of players, but they're having fun and playing more loose this year. Maybe Parcells was too tough on them???

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Originally Posted by GMScud

Last year we didn't really "match up" that well with them. They beat us in Dallas, and we needed a series of pretty spectacular and improbable special teams plays to beat them in FedEx. This Dallas team is quite a bit better than last years...

I think their D this year is a little better, Romo is better, and I think good health and Parcells NOT being there is helping that team more than anything. It is essentially the same group of players, but they're having fun and playing more loose this year. Maybe Parcells was too tough on them???

Yup. I can't believe I am giving props to Dallas, but they've improved on the field even if they haven't on paper. They are likely going to go deep on us. With Taylor in the game, we can play the deep ball and limit screens and runs to limited gains. With Taylor out, I fear that we are going to have to either surrender the deep ball or allow Marion Barber and Witten to eat us up with big gains on screens and runs.

It's going to be a shoot-out and, thus, Dallas gets the edge.