No excuses

by mmford10 on Sep 27, 2009 5:02 PM EDT Comment 34 comments

This was easily the most painful on-field loss I've ever experienced as a Redskins fan. We got absolutely torn apart on defense and our offense, once again, was maligned by dreadful play-calling. Look, the reality about the playcalling is obvious. The entire game we called one running play to the right. We threw across the middle of the field during our entire 2-minute drill, called a HOOK AND LADDER down the MIDDLE on the last play that was lucky to get the first down (when we had no timeouts), and we choked it in the red zone AGAIN with more predictable run plays.

When we were 3-13 in Norv Turner's tenure, it was painful. When Steve Spurrier coached us to sub-mediocrity, we wondered about our management and felt bad. When Joe Gibbs, bless his heart, called back-to-back timeouts against the Bills the week after our dearly beloved #21 was taken from us, that broke our hearts.

But today, for the first time, being a Redskins fan is embarrassing. We are a punchline now after losing to the American sports' biggest punchline.

There is simply no other alternative to changing the way things are going. I'm sorry. When you have Hall of Fame coaches on the market and we can't string together solid drives (or score) until the game is out of reach, a change has to be made. I don't care that it's week 3. I don't care that we are only 1-2, which is not the end of the season by any means.

We don't have to fire Zorn today, but I don't think any of us would be upset if we did. But there is no chance that Zorn is here at the end of the season. What do you think?

As a side note, Campbell had 340, 2 TD's. Despite his fumble and a few bad decisions, I think he played a pretty solid game. He was arguably our best player today, in fact. In spite of woeful Zorn's calls.

What do you guys say? I don't know what to think anymore. This team is just in shambles, from an organizational standpoint (suing season ticket holders? Robert Henson?) to, obviously, the product they put on the field.

Having this talented of a roster and being a laughingstock is unacceptable.

What say you, fellow angry fans?

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true that

i think you have a good point and like me im not an excuse maker !! i callem like i see them just like you !! but im sure the excuse makers will show up sooner than later unless they have run out of them, or are just speechless because they stuck their foot in their mouth.

by skinaholic on Sep 27, 2009 5:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Its simple

This team sucks. I look at these guys individually and I think of how talented they are. I watch them play as a team and their lifeless. I dont know who to even blame anymore. Landry seems to be always just late enough on most plays. Horton who is supposed to be no where near as good seems to be better. These are the types of things going on all over the field.

Where is the pressure. At times, Stafford had boatloads of time to throw.

Another thing, I dont think we should be blaming all of this on Zorn. What happened to the D in the first half, it was terrible.

IMO Portis and Moss should not be #1 at their positions. They should draft a RB early and put Kelly in at #1. Oh yeah i forgot they get paid to much. We need a change. Something has to change.

But not to worry, all these guys will collect their paychecks this week. Some of these guys make way to much money and their incentive just isnt their anymore.

Lets not forget the Snyderrato effect. Does anyone really think they know how to put a team together?

by skinsymets on Sep 27, 2009 5:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

that Snyder (and Cerrato) are the main culprits. And I agree that the team played like garbage and should be held accountable. But the fact of the matter is, if Zorn doesn’t make that stupid decision to accept that penalty, we would’ve been driving for a FG on that last series. As for the players, yes, they should be ashamed of themselves. But I don’t look at the money aspect. Every player in the NFL makes a ton of money.

by CJHutch on Sep 27, 2009 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah but

on that penalty call. It actually was the right call, most NFL coaches would have accepted it. If they stopped them, then they punt. It was like 3rd and 13, defense should be able to stop that. Brian Billick was announcing and said it was the right call. But he also had the Ravens defense.

by skinsymets on Sep 27, 2009 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Disagree. With the way the defense was being manhandled (especially on 3rd down) during the game I would’ve declined it and let them try the field goal. The percentages say that you do accept the penalty, but Zorn also needed to take into account the fact that our defense couldn’t stop jack and taken his medicien.

by soup du jour on Sep 27, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It was detroits 2nd drive

Too early to realize the defense wasn’t going to stop anyone. Unless you’re able to read the future.

Correct call

by Boney on Sep 28, 2009 12:50 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

too early?

they had just moved the ball AT WILL from the one yard line. I don’t give a damn what Billick said. There’s a reason he is announcing games and not coaching them. And

most NFL coaches would have accepted it. ~~skinsymets~~

I don’t agree with this either. I don’t think you give a team that’s passed the ball all over you a second chance at a 1st down. As for the field goal, it would’ve been about a 50 yarder. The gamble that he’s gonna miss that is much better than the gamble that they’re gonna get a first down (and then a TD)

Now, if you wanna talk about what ‘most coaches" would’ve done, I’d say most coaches wouldn’t have gone for the 4th down play. I’ll admit, I wanted them to go for it as well, but there’s no doubt that he went for that because he feels the heat on himself, and hear’s the fans’ gripes. Even SANTANA MOSS said they should’ve kicked the field goal. Either way, they should NOT have run to the outside AGAIN. But that’s basically two gambles within about 3 minutes that cost us a 10 point swing. Like I said, Zorn is clueless.

by CJHutch on Sep 28, 2009 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

sorry, meant to bq

most NFL coaches would have accepted it. skinsymets

by CJHutch on Sep 28, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

I agree with not taking the penalty, thats why they call it coaching, a coach should have a feel for the game and Zorn obviously had forgotten that the defense had not been very good on this day, percentages and Billick be damned. We kick a field goal instead of going on 4th and one (what happened to Zorns percentages there ?) and hold them to a field goal and we probably win.(especially if they happen to miss the field goal. 2 very bad decisions as far as I’m concerned.

by Mootz on Sep 28, 2009 3:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think

it usually takes 4 or 5 weeks to really gauge this stuff out, but I think we have to be considered a bottom 5 team right now. I REALLY hate saying that, but the proof is in the pudding. We CAN’T get off the field on third down on defense, we CAN’T cover anyone one defense, and we don’t put any real pressure on the QB. These are all very disheartening because I always felt like, regardless of what the offense does (or doesn’t do), our defense will keep us in the race. And that is not the case. Even though I still think most of it is playcalling, at the end of the day all that matters is we lost.

by CJHutch on Sep 27, 2009 5:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i also diagree

you never give your opponent another chance in that situation. make them make the field goal and if they do, you’re down three…or maybe tied at three…if you took the field goal on the first drive like any NFL head coach would do.

by grandpa grouse on Sep 27, 2009 6:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree the poor coaching started with

Not taking 3 points on the first drive, you always take the points.
The penalty he had to take since he couldn’t give up something he threw away….

Poor coaching, poor play calling….I rooted for Zorn to be different and special, It’s not going to happen.

by dr WNC on Sep 27, 2009 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'm with ya doc

by grandpa grouse on Sep 27, 2009 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

jc needs to be replaced as well as zorn

hey cjhutch didnt i say we might score maybe 12points plus lose this game ? well its embarressing to lose to such a bad team and like i said before and again the defense usually plays kinda poor when the offense alot of the time goes 3 and out , everybody makes excuses all the time for jason cambell about why he plays soooo poorly well like i said again jason cambell sucks and him and zorn needs to go , yeah i know he had over 340 passing yards but that didnt turn into many points did it , i think we had what 3 tds in 3 games wow jc is doing great , BUT ALL YOU JC FANS KEEP ROOTING FOR HIM IM SURE IF YOU GIVE HIM ANOTHER FIVE YEARS HE MIGHT DO GOOD ,i say get rid of zorn and jc and save our season now while we can,

by washingtonwin on Sep 27, 2009 6:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I really don't

wanna get into the Campbell debate again, mainly because THE WHOLE TEAM played like crap, and I’m having a hard time defending any of them. But to blame this on Jason Campbell is ridiculous. He had 340 yards and 2 touchdowns. How many more yards should he have gotten? He called every play on the drive which ended in our second touchdown, which happens to be our ONLY red zone touchdown this year. Did he play a perfect game? Nope. But name me one player (or coach) that did.

by CJHutch on Sep 28, 2009 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

A loss to Detroit??

I am still in shock altho for me this is not as bad a loss as the one to the Patriots a couple of years ago was. I really believe that the nosedive our team has endured for the past ten years is on the management, especially Vinnie Cerratto. This team was one of the premier teams in the NFL for a decade, & tho they would have an offseason while rebuilding on the whole playing the Redskins meant you were in for a fight no matter who you were. Now it seems that we are both happy & relieved if we just don’t suck. Our draft picks for years have been a mystery, no O-line this year, a tight-end last year, JC? Or how about the brilliant move by management last year on the eve of the election when 60% of football players are black to have the Redskins in red top & bottom uniforms, (Red also being the color of the Republican Party). That was the game against the Steelers when we were 6 & 2 & it seems like we have never been the same since. Why did we make Jim Zorn our head coach when we had our Defensive Coordinator as coach in waiting. It just seems like when we take one or two steps forward we quickly take two or three backwards.

by ENsDad27 on Sep 27, 2009 7:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Time to face the truth

I watched it carefully….trust me when I say…last year’s Lions would have beaten this Redskins team today. Especially the Lions team that had Daunte Culpepper QBing at the end of last year….

Bottom line…this is a bad team. I will say it right now. Get Mike Shanahan before you are in a bidding war with the Cowboys. Shanahan and Snyder together will be a deadly combination and return this franchise to glory.

by release10 on Sep 27, 2009 7:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'd take

Shanahan over Zorn, but that wouldn’t be my first option. He hasn’t done anything significant without John Elway. Plus, he’s gonna want full control. And, while that may be better than having Cerratto at the helm, it’s still not ideal. The only trades he made that came out on his side are the ones where he gouged the Redskins.

by CJHutch on Sep 28, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The truth is in the details...

Actually Shanahan has done alot without Elway. The guy had two losing seasons in 16 years. He did lose alot in the playoffs but he lost to top notch teams and made the moves to go out and beat them. He lost to the Ravens and Steelers in different years and both went on to win the Super Bowl. He was the only coach that consistently beat the Patriots. His biggest hurdle was the Colts. His biggest mistake was thinking he could overcome not having a top notch QB which he finally admitted and drafted Jay Cutler. I think Skins fans would appreciate having a super bowl caliber offense based on running the football. Its time….why wait till the off season. Let Shanahan come in right now with no expectations and start cleaning house this season and get a head start on next year. Make a couple of trades, secure McCoy from Texas. The future is now.

by release10 on Sep 28, 2009 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Like I said

I would take Shanahan over Zorn, but he wouldn’t be my first choice. He has been in the league a long time, and he will always be associated with Denver. I realize he has a good track record, but his Superbowls were because of Elway and Davis. He couldn’t replicate that. I would much rather have Russ Grimm in here, doling out duties to his assistants, than have another HC who wants to call plays and make all the personnel decisions. And, as I also said, I would rather have Gruden that Shanahan as well. He is a lot more fiery, and has a lot more energy.

by CJHutch on Sep 29, 2009 8:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

great game guys

Desean is Rampage Jackson on a rampage outside of the cage

by birdsflyinhigh2590 on Sep 27, 2009 7:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No doubt about it.

Any good thing done was out weighed by the mistakes by D and the O.

It could have been worse.

BTW anyone notice that Pittsburgh (yes the mighty Steelers) are 1-2 also??

It’s called parity get used to it.

7-9 if they are lucky and I said that before the season.

DC has an average team and will not get better till the owner finally gets a real GM .

This game was lost in the off season…. Free agency and draft and resigning FA for two much money .

by Skinzfan13 on Sep 27, 2009 8:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's not parity

it’s stupid management. As you said “This game was lost in the off season” although I’d say it’s been lost in the offseasons because we really haven’t had a good offseason in a decade. All we do is over pay for free agents and draft poorly. No coach can overcome years of that. There are a few good players on the team but this is a team sport and to win consistently a team needs to have quality at many positions, not just a few.

There are several teams who are consistently good (Colts, Patriots, etc) so parity isn’t the reason. If parity really existed we should be getting good again, after all it’s been 17 years since we had back to back winning seasons.

by ZakInOmaha on Sep 28, 2009 8:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Couldn't agree with you more

You know the problem is, if Campbell was our best player then we truly are in trouble. Personally I don’t think this roster is that talented. What decent coach and staff is really going to come in here with Snyders reputation ? Shanahan aint coming here. Probably go to Dallas after they fire Phillips..LOL
The bottom line is the HEAD Coach, he is ultimately responsible for the Offense and Defensive and Special Teams. Either directly or by the inability to hire a decent coordinator. and then there is the owner and GM. I hope Snyder is proud of the legacy he has brought to this team and you know what ? I really think Snyder doesn’t have a clue, which is very sad. I would love for the team to suddenly start proving me wrong, but it is going to take something drastic like a change in ownership or a Lombardi type coach to do it I believe.

by Mootz on Sep 28, 2009 3:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

While I feel your pain...

…I’m not gonna lie that it was nice to finally get one, even if it was at Washington’s expense. Please take solace in the fact that the Redskins will not be the only team the Lions “embarass” this season with a victory, although it is likely that they will still struggle to consistently win games.
I’m not trying to rub this in, and in fact I just wanted to say this:
The Redskins fans that came out for the game were probably the second best fanbase I’ve come across in Detroit. While they were clearly frustrated with their team they were also gracious in defeat and some were even congradulating Lions fans on their way out of Ford Field.
So while this one probably burns right now, try to remember this as you come down off the ledge:

1) You are a storied franchise with a history of tremendous success.
2) You have a terriffic fanbase.
3) The next win you get will be against the team that lost to the team, that lost to the Lions!

Good luck the rest of the way guys.

by Mushy on Sep 28, 2009 8:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I know you mean well but

nothing’s really going to help. We’ve been mediocre or bad for 17 years now and there’s no sign of things improving so long as our awful owner is at the helm. We have an owner with the worst record on free agency who is also an idiot that won’t create a real front office so we can improve through the draft. My hope is that Dan Snyder gets bored with losing so he sells the team. Personally I have never added to Danny’s coffers as the last jersey I bought has the name “Monk” on it and since I lived in the middle of the country I’m nowhere near enough to go to any games.

Thanks for the luck, we’ll need it and good luck to you too although you guys are at least headed in a positive direction.

by ZakInOmaha on Sep 28, 2009 8:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

AMEN 2 YA

by washingtonwin on Sep 28, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

well said mushy…good luck the rest of the season… hope that QB works out for you

by ENsDad27 on Sep 28, 2009 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

exactly

Your comment: “When we were 3-13 in Norv Turner’s tenure, it was painful. When Steve Spurrier coached us to sub-mediocrity, we wondered about our management and felt bad. When Joe Gibbs, bless his heart, called back-to-back timeouts against the Bills the week after our dearly beloved #21 was taken from us, that broke our hearts” was right on target.

Now I feel like I don’t want to watch the NFL this season.

Things won’t improve until Danny sells the team so it’s going to be a long wait.

by ZakInOmaha on Sep 28, 2009 8:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i agree completely.

Snyder is the pink elephant in the corner. He has got to go.

by poopo on Sep 28, 2009 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

OK so what do we do

Light our torches and grab pitchforks or what… Face it man we are stuck

by milcmann on Sep 28, 2009 1:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

two words, Russ Grimm

Ok, so it’s really a name. I don’t want a coach that has won a SB with another team. Why? No coach has won a SB with more than 1 team. They have made it to the SB with another team but never won. I want someone who, if history holds true can bring us back to the promised land).

Grimm:
1. Has coordinator (albeit running game coordinator) and assistant head coaching credentials
2. Being a former offensive lineman knows the games starts in the trenches
3. Is a former Redskin and will help the fan base recover (at least mentally)
4. Grimm will challenge the players to be better
5. He is a offensively minded guy but doesn’t necessarily seem gimmicky in his approach; solid line, protect the quarterback, and run the ball effectively

by jamesumd on Sep 28, 2009 1:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs