Must-Read Article on GW and the Defense

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by cpayne5

To go w/ my "we" & "they" post above, the anonymous rat seems to have insider knowledge about this year only. Nothing about last year. His statements shed light on internal realtionships from this year that no one previously knew about. The information he shares about last year is all common knowledge. Seems to me that someone who has been around for longer than 7 months would have more dirt about the past 2 years than what they (and everyone else) have read in the newspaper.

I don't know, C, I think it was Springs. The player did say, 'how did we drop to 30th?' Basically, that seems like someone who was a carry over from last year.

[dall-assblows]

remember when we got GW and they talked about how he was scared for anyone to see him in public in buf. b/c he was hated there too.

i am starting to get the idea of why they didn't want him anymore.

just yesterday i thought that williams would turn it around, but after reading this, i hate the guy now

[dall-assblows]

maybe it was lavar arrington himself and they just said it was a redskin.......

sure sounds like something he would say

[itvnetop]

This was a pretty investigative article... and honest journalism requires you keep sources anonymous if requested. The whole story was pretty damn revealing- i knew there was some drama, but if this much friction is true the team has kept it pretty in house all season.

[VTSkins897]

dead last fuckin defense... depressing...

let the fighting juice flow

[LadyT]

Dexter Manley was talking with Bram on XXX radio tonight and said he knew who the player was who talked to ESPN. Said he was a CURRENT starter in the secondary whose contract is nearly over and who wants out of here by next year. He wrote the player's name down and showed it to Bram. All of this points directly to Springs. And I, for one, am glad someone finally had the guts to talk about what is really going on behind the scenes. The way this "D" has played this year, it had to be more than 1 or 2 players. It's comical to see everyone attacking AA and Carter, when the problem is so much deeper than that. I believed all along there was serious trouble between the players and the coaches, but never realized how truly bad it is.

[Oakland Red]

That is all we need - Springs leaving town due to the total debacle of defensive coordination! I don't think that there is much of any chance that confidence can be restored in Gregg Williams' leadership.

Originally Posted by LadyT

Dexter Manley was talking with Bram on XXX radio tonight and said he knew who the player was who talked to ESPN. Said he was a CURRENT starter in the secondary whose contract is nearly over and who wants out of here by next year. He wrote the player's name down and showed it to Bram. All of this points directly to Springs. And I, for one, am glad someone finally had the guts to talk about what is really going on behind the scenes. The way this "D" has played this year, it had to be more than 1 or 2 players. It's comical to see everyone attacking AA and Carter, when the problem is so much deeper than that. I believed all along there was serious trouble between the players and the coaches, but never realized how truly bad it is.

[steveo395]

Originally Posted by Oakland Red

That is all we need - Springs leaving town due to the total debacle of defensive coordination! I don't think that there is much of any chance that confidence can be restored in Gregg Williams' leadership.

Springs' contract is not about to run out. We have him through 2009. He has the shortest contract left out of the starters and that is not short. Kenny Wright's contract will run out after this year, and so will The Ade's, but they're not starters.

[LadyT]

Originally Posted by steveo395

Springs' contract is not about to run out. We have him through 2009. He has the shortest contract left out of the starters and that is not short. Kenny Wright's contract will run out after this year, and so will The Ade's, but they're not starters.

Manley also said that he and this player were good friends. It certainly isn't AA since he's not a current starter. The only secondary starters that come to mind on this are Springs or Rogers. Wright isn't playing all that well to be in a position to speak out and neither is Rogers, but Springs is. I still say it's Springs. In any event, it doesn't really matter who it is, the cat's out of the bag now. This player only helps to confirm what a lot of us feared was true anyway - that there is a major disconnect between the players and the coaches on the "D". There's just no other plausible explanation for why the entire "D" is sinking faster than the Titanic.

[LadyT]

Originally Posted by Oakland Red

That is all we need - Springs leaving town due to the total debacle of defensive coordination! I don't think that there is much of any chance that confidence can be restored in Gregg Williams' leadership.

I agree with you about GW. Springs is a player who commands a lot of respect on the team. His comments can't simply be explained away as a disgruntled player. Under GW, there have been a LOT of disgruntled players and, one by one, they've either left or been gotten rid of - most of them good players too. There's a common thread to all of this and it points directly to GW.

But, does Gibbs have the guts to make a tough decision about his coach, when that coach has clearly lost the respect of a lot of his players? Me thinks not. After all, it took Gibbs how many games to finally bench Brunell? How much longer will it take him to make an even bolder move and get rid of GW? Unless GW can totally change his personality, I don't see this situation improving at all. He's lost the players and, once that happens, there's no where to go but down.

[Jason72]

Originally Posted by LadyT

Under GW, there have been a LOT of disgruntled players and, one by one, they've either left or been gotten rid of - most of them good players too..

Who are we talking about here? Smoot and Pierce left for more money, nothing to do with GW. Lavar is the only one I can think of that didn't get along. Don't say Clark and Harris, they were castoffs, they didn't ask to leave. While this story is interesting we can't assume it's true or that it is Springs. So am I missing somebody?

[Jason72]

While I think there are some valid points in the article, I don't buy much of it. First of all there is the typical exaggeration that is in most articles today, like the redskins being a bigger disappointment than the Steelers! Second, the article is based mostly on one anonymous players opinion. If it is really this bad, why aren't all the players speaking up?

Williams is obviously cocky, but he comes from the Buddy Ryan line, what do you expect? Parcells doesn't speak to players for long periods too, I don't hear anyone criticizing him for it.

This mystery player who spouts off to the paper is a jerk! Nobody on the defense is playing good, so that means this player is putting the blame on Williams and not taking it himself. Tackling was their biggest problem last week, not scheme.

[B.F. SKINner]

Who are we talking about here? Smoot and Pierce left for more money, nothing to do with GW. Lavar is the only one I can think of that didn't get along. Don't say Clark and Harris, they were castoffs, they didn't ask to leave. While this story is interesting we can't assume it's true or that it is Springs. So am I missing somebody?

Yes, they left for more money, but both were quoted at the time that they would have stayed with us, if the money was equal. The other offers were only about 1 to 2 million more per season, and we could have kept them. GW has too much say on personnel matters. We need a competent GM and we need Gibbs to take back control. This article makes me sick. It also explains the problems that AA, Carter, and the secondary as a whole have had this season. There has to be a reason that the defense dropped so far this year, and it's not just injuries. The problems with the coaches and players in the secondary are inexcusable and should have been rectified, like everything else this season, early on. Too many chiefs is absolutely right!

[GoSkins!]

You have to believe that it's on the coaches when a defense drops all the way down to last in the league when they have most of the same players. The Patriots have had to endure worse problems than what we have and succeeded.

This article helps to explain, but the root of the problem has to be kind of obvious.

With that said, Greg Williams has always fielded a strong defense, and you can bet that this year will be an anomoly. As for the rest of this year, expect him to put his players in positions to test them as he evaluates his guys for next year. Plan on him being back.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by LadyT

Dexter Manley was talking with Bram on XXX radio tonight and said he knew who the player was who talked to ESPN. Said he was a CURRENT starter in the secondary whose contract is nearly over and who wants out of here by next year. He wrote the player's name down and showed it to Bram. All of this points directly to Springs. And I, for one, am glad someone finally had the guts to talk about what is really going on behind the scenes. The way this "D" has played this year, it had to be more than 1 or 2 players. It's comical to see everyone attacking AA and Carter, when the problem is so much deeper than that. I believed all along there was serious trouble between the players and the coaches, but never realized how truly bad it is.

Ok, so this is off-topic for a minute and perhaps a bit cruel but am I the only who finds it amusingly ironic to hear that Dexter Manley wrote a player's name down?? He's come a long way I suppose.

Back to the topic at hand, interesting stuff. I'm curious who the source was. I could snoop around but don't think it'll get me far. I did hear though that it wasn't just the players that Gibbs laid into this week. He apparently let the coaching staff (particularly Saunders and Williams) have it too. Saying stuff like "You guys want to win Super Bowls as head coaches, you want to run organizations, but you can barely keep one unit together let alone an entire team." Not in those exact words but the general idea was that.

Hopefully everyone can rally around and give Gibbs a nice birthday gift on Sunday.