FanPost

HOPE floats In Washington


Fellow members and fans,

I'm writing this as a true football fan and also as a "Redskins Until I Die" fan... I was born in 1977 and raised in DC right of of Rhode Island Ave..at 10 years old,I witnessed one of the greatest beatdowns in SB history.. I remember in the first quarter Elway threw for a touchdown and I went crying into my room complaining that we were going to lose. My mom said,"son the game isnt over yet"but I had no concept of time then. I eventually calmed down and sat on the couch to witness Doug and the Posse put on a masterpiece of beatdowndedness(can we make up words on here lol). I was completely hooked as a fan win or lose from that moment on. The very next year my mom put me in the Big Brothers of America program and as fate would have it, my role model and Big Brother became Mel Kaufman #55. He taught me about life and working hard and I felt that he genuinely cared for me. He retired from the skins as a player shortly after I met him,went on to be a scout for the skins and still got a ring when we won with Rypien( i teased him about the ring saying scout on it lol). He introduced me to many players and many times i attended games on the field at RFK using his press pass. He passed away a few years back and I think of him on the regular and the impact he had on me and how lucky i was to have him growing up in DC during those times...RIP Melvin...Now im 36,married and i have a 3 yr old son. We reside in Richmond,VA so we are very happy they have training camp here. I need us to start winning so my son can be die hard like me because we all know its hard to make a child root for a losing organization lol. I have unending hope for our team every year but i also remain realistic. On paper,the skins offense looks absolutely freakin fantastic. Also we look good now on Madden lol. The defense shows potential in getting after the QB so I have tempered expectations for now. Of course,all this needs to be transferred onto the field to bring the potential into fruition.....

So lets talk skins football shall we? There have been many articles all stating the same things about our offense but i havent seen enough to convince me that folks are addressing the elephant in the room loud enough. I love RG3 but i also love winning more. Last year was the perfect storm and there where many factors that played into his not so great performance throughout the season. As a fan that also studies the games, i saw that there were many times that he didnt have time(shout out to the whole line except for Trent and especially shouting loudly at the tall mechanical robot polumbus) and also there were times that receivers were not getting open except for Jordan Reed. Pierre later into the season was never really open because of the blanket coverage but he kept being a man amongst boys out there. His heart is unquestioned and any team would love to have him. I also saw him save RG many times with outstanding catches in alot of traffic. There are other points to make as well like his leg and accuracy but from a football and scouting standpoint, my biggest issue was RG when having time,was not reading the field or going through his progressions. I know he has a love affair with Pierre and Jordan but the elite QBs get the party started for everybody. Maybe he was tentative and trusted nobody else out there and I would not blame him but this year,all the excuses have been tossed out the window and are littered up and down 95. This offense this year is on him. The talent is so scary,I get goose bumps. I wont say that Desean is a elite receiver or that he isnt. I'm simply saying he is the perfect piece to this offensive puzzle. RG has to and should spread that wealth around. Everybody and I mean everybody on offense should eat so RG, can u feed these boys evenly or what? It starts with reading that field homie and that is the biggest elephant in the room right now. I believe he can and will so like i said "hope floats". A.Roberts is a little salty right now understandably but seems to be a great team player and wants to return punts so he will be fine. Hes just in his feeling right now but winning and spreading that ball around cures all. The funny thing is you know who is just tickled right now with this offense? Tickle Me Almo lol. For 2 straight years,hes dealt with 8 sometimes 9 in the box. You can cancel that Sh*& right now. Imagine him not having to break that first tackle or getting tickled until hes at the second level. Again, goose bumps. I honestly feel like at the very least,Jordan and Almo are pro bowl locks barring injury right now and if RG lets all receivers eat,the WR numbers may not be PB level but explosive plays galore are possible to every last one of these speedsters....

Now the defense... I like what Hatcher brings to the table with his potential at pushing and collapsing the pocket. It also helps that he may line up in front of orakpo. Orakpo must show a little bit more discipline on that wide ass bull rush he brings but Hatcher should help to shrink that big ass backdoor hole Orakpo leaves when rushing so wide lol. Also,I want to see Orakpo become more well rounded as a LB in coverage and more moves in getting to the QB would help as well. If not,he will be UFA next year. Kerrigan has great awareness and a high motor and i dont worry about his side except when he has to cover. Honestly,Kerrakpo just doesnt cover well for now but lets see how this year plays out. The inside linebacker spots for us are shaky to me. I am not sold on Perry Riley yet and Im tired of hearing what Robinson can do if healthy. The point is get and stay healthy or the skins train should leave the woulda coulda metro station soon. Now as for the secondary smdh..........I like Amerson and Hall at corner. We resigned Hall because hes our Dez stopper lol. Ryan will show Baccari how to tackle this year by example and be a vocal leader and im not upset that we kept Merriweather because even though his hits are borderline,he sets a tough swaggy tone that our D has missed alot since S.Taylor passed. Barring a player getting truly hurt,Ill take the flag for 15 yards if fear is instilled for the rest of the game(maybe I was the only one that did'nt mind the flags sometimes as long as somebody back there was laying wood smh). But in keeping it real, our two starting safeties are far from garbage but they are duck tape and a trash bag on a broken window so its only a matter of time before our 2013 draft picks need step it up and get a real long term window put back in. I am not on the "lets draft another safety" bandwagon..I see O line and pass rush as our draft needs. My point is that a secondary is only as good as its pass rush...

Well i think I've said enough in my opening post. Cant wait till the season starts...HOPE FLOATS