4 (Now 6) In A Woe, Part 2 -

(AUTHOR'S NOTE:  Between the first and second parts of this piece the Redskins losing streak has grown from four,  to five,  and now sits at a pitiable six games in a row.  The longest losing streak for this Washington team since 1998.  And,  as I said in Part 1,  it's going to get worse before it ever thinks about getting better.  Count on it.)

All of these offensive woes don't exist simply because we have inferior athletes, however. Oh no. Even journeyman players can produce, and sometimes even thrive, in systems that are well-crafted and geared toward the available talent's skillset. Which brings me to:

Offensive Coordinator: I know what our Head Coach Mike Shanahan has done. I still firmly believe he has the drive and the philosophies to do so again. His son Kyle, on the other hand...take away 2008, when he produced mediocre results with the Texans, and the following year, 2009, when he directed a top 10 NFL offense, and he hasn't done anything close to enough to justify his being hired as the youngest coordinator in the NFL by a Shanahan protege, Gary Kubiak. Heck, he hasn't done enough to justify being named a position coach since then.

I watch our games of late and I see similarities between this unit and the hapless, punchless, predictable Zorn offenses of '08-'09. I get the sinking feeling opposing DC's don't start scheming in earnest until the Thursday before a game with Washington, if not later. We can't fool anyone, we don't scare anyone, and until we start getting either better coaching, a better scheme or better athletes, or some combination of all three, we won't ever have an attack that creates all kinds of matchup problems for opponents. An offense that explodes every once in a while, all over even the most formidable defenses, helping their team coast to a relatively easy win.

The infrequent wins we've gotten for far too long are these gut-wrenching nail-biters, these tepid grinding retardations of all that is current and cutting-edge in NFL offenses, courtesy of the usual kind of stuttering, stammering, lukewarm squads that not only can't be expected to overwhelm their opposite numbers, they frequently cannot even be asked to NOT give the game away before the defense can get it's bearings and set it's feet. Speaking of which -.

This year's D, a solid, unassuming, mildly successful group of ageless wonders mixed in with a couple of neophyte stars in the making, sprinkled with a liberal dash of middle of the road journeymen who could and would probably be backups on most other teams, can't be asked to carry the load week in and week out, yielding fewer points than it itself scores more games than not.

We're not the Ravens. Not even close.

But we're actually not that bad as a unit. We rank around the middle in yards against, and ToP, but we're 6th best in scoring average against, and we've allowed our opponents' offense to convert on 3rd down a stingy 33 % of the time. All this while racking up more penalty yards than all but two other teams, and sitting at a -8 in turnover ratio as a team. If you ask me they've performed admirably and courageously considering what they've been handicapped with and/or handcuffed by since Week 3 or 4 on. The strain of keeping their team in games with little or no offensive help is starting to take its toll though; cracks are starting to undermine this group's foundation despite the continuing excellence of it's seemingly ageless captain, London Fletcher.

I hate to sound like a broken record here, but back in the day we assembled defenses built primarily out of blue-collar, hard working guys who may not have been the most athletic but were always among the toughest mentally. They played with what at times seemed like a collective mind, flying to the ball like men whose hair was on fire, and they never ever ever stopped playing like that down was their absolute last. No matter what the score, they competed until the very end. Their opponents resigned themselves to a 60 minute war, a knock-down drag-out affair every time the Burgundy & Gold showed up on their schedules. That's just the way it was.

This current crop of defenders, with 4 or 5 exceptions, wouldn't know a never-say-die attitude from a hole in the ground, which not coincidentally is where they often find themselves. Their inconsistency from game to game, sometimes even from play to play, is maddening. Sometimes they pin their ears back, snarl and seem ready to literally die before giving up a TD. Other times they display a lassitude that is incomprehensible. I was and still am a guy who would have traded away many valuable things to possess the physical tools required to play on Sundays. I like to believe I would never have taken those abilities for granted - which is what some of these "competitors" too often seem to be doing. Those hard-working, high-motor players like Kerrigan and Orakpo can't make up for their teammates who play two downs on, one down off, and they know it. Right now it's not an issue, but sooner or later they are going to get fed up with teammates who aren't putting out like they are (and who could blame them?). Resentment and frustration will begin to build, and it will go rapidly downhill from there.

These are unfortunately not the only problems this team must deal with right now; they are the most obvious ones that I can see. I don't know how to begin to address even the simplest of them. I just know they must be adressed, and soon, or this latest rebuild, this Shana-plan, will end up like all the rest these last two decades: over-hyped, absurdly whitewashed and ultimately crushed under the enormous weight of it's own bloated, unrealistic expectations I hope, of course, that this time is different. That this coach is the one. That this long slump may finally be ending.

But then I've hoped these things before. More than once...

I know this reads like an extremely long puff-piece from a holdover of the glory days, when Joe Gibbs was king and his teams were crown jewels. In many ways it is. But I am starting to miss those teams for a different reason than I ever did before, and here's why: it's more than wistfully recalling the fading memories of a nostalgic yesteryear. It's not because I took that era of the Gibbs dynasty for granted as a young man, even though there is no doubt that, young and foolish as I was, I assumed that those 10 or 11 years of consistent greatness, when we were serious contenders to win it all every single preseason, would continue forever (Ah, youth). It's not any of that. What it is is the mind-numbing confusion, the utter perplexity of a once-great team mired for the last 19 years in at best mediocrity, and at worst sheer incompetence. I don't understand why my team can't get out of this rut. I mean, in that time great teams have risen, fallen and then risen again.

Why can't we?

How many more fruitless years will I have to watch a good offense struggle to win games because it's paired with an atrocious defense, or vice versa? How much longer will the once proud Redskins be laughed at by teams that used to be in awe of them, and stomped by lesser organizations that used to be routinely smoked in years past? How many more seasons must I chant the tired mantra, "just give it a little more time - we're headed in the right direction." I don't know, but I hope it's not too much longer, because what I just described in the last few sentences is complete and utter bs. It's not the kind of thing any diehard, loyal fan should have to ever put up with - much less a Redskins fan. A fan whose team used to be one of the league's flagship enterprises. Used to be admired and envied by other teams. Used to set an excellent example on how a successful franchise needed to be run to build a dynasty. Used to be a powerhouse.

A lot of used to's there. Too many by far.

But for all that I shouldn't get too carried away, too melodramatic about it. You're sitting there saying "NOW you tell me," after this Tolstoy-length diatribe is almost at it's end. So sue me. I would be less than honest if I didn't admit that even now, and probably even (heaven forbid) after another 20 more years of hopeless seasons, I will still be a staunchly loyal, fiercely devoted Redskins fan-atic. I still hope for a win each and every Sunay in the fall. Doesn't matter who we're playing. I still hope for the break-through season each and every summer, no matter who's on our roster. I ignore today's harsh realities as much as possible, so I can continue hoping.

These days it seems like that's all I have left. It may be. And so I must at all costs hold onto it. It cannot be allowed to slip away like so many other things that were once the Redskins. In the absence of all else, when each new year brings fewer and fewer wins, my hope will have to suffice. I always hope we win...always.

I just wish I could get back to expecting the win. That sure would be something, wouldn't it?

Hail

4 In A Woe, Part 1

Well,  the verdict is nearly in.  It's far from official,  and even less of a surprise to anyone who has even casually followed the Redskins this season:

We're not a good football team.

In fact,  we're pretty bad.

And we're getting worse.

This pessimistic outlook goes completely against my grain,  but the facts are nearly indisputable.  After a 3-1 first quarter that gave rise to all kinds of now-absurd speculation,  the B&G have,  in order,  lost to

     1) A reeling Eagles squad at home 20-13.  The 1-4 "Dream Team" outgained us by nearly 140 yards and held the ball almost twice as long as they righted the ship on their way out of the NFCE cellar.

     2) The toddling Panthers (!?!) 33-20.  Though we were only outgained by 50 yards this time,  and held the ball only 11 minutes less,  once again a team with only one win,  led by a true rookie QB,  beat us.

     3) A solid but unspectacular Bills team 23-0.  Yup.  Blanked.  Shut-out.  Goose-egged.  For the first time ever in Mike Shanahan's long and storied career.

     4) A rising,  overachieving 49'ers unit led by their highly caffeinated,  super-testosterone-charged head coach,  19-11.  Again at home.  And it wasn't even as close as the final score indicated.

This 4 game tailspin should and probably will end soon;  two of our next three games are eminently winnable,  whether we do so or not.  Starting in Week 13 though,  we face an extremely tough 3 game stretch against,  in order,  the Jets,  the Patriots and the Giants.  In the last half of the season we play only 4 games in which we should be favored and should win if we play the way we have been.  Of those four we figure to lose at least one - that's just how it is in today's ultra-parity NFL.  Discounting any big upsets in the other matchups,  that means we may very well finish these last 8 games with a 3-5 record.  Again.  Meaning another 6-10 season.  Again.

Yay.

Correct me if I'm wrong,  but I thought we were re-building here?  Onward and upward,  that whole bit.  I might not know the definition of progress word for word,  but I'm pretty sure it doesn't include back to back 6-10 seasons.  I know it hasn't happened yet,  but it is highly probable that it will.  It might even be 5-11 or worse,  who knows?  In fairness I realize it could also be much better than I anticipate,  but I'd lay odds it won't.  When the dust settles I see us exactly where we were one year ago.  And that,  as I said earlier,  is not progress.  It's being stuck in the same old same old. 

So who's to blame for all this?  If we're not really building or re-building anything,  where does the buck stop?  With such a wide range of dysfunction and disarray,  it's not an easy task assigning blame in this situation.  After all,  there are so many targets to choose from;  where does one begin?  Let's start here...

Quarterback:  It's been sooo long since anyone wearing the best colors in sports could confidently,  consistently lead an offense down the field that it's not even remotely funny.  If you discount Brad Johnson,  who wasn't here long enough to truly establish himself in the line of succession from Sammy to Sonny to Billy and so on,  the last decent signal-caller we had was Mark Rypien,  who not coincidentally led us to our last Super Bowl victory way way WAY back in 1992.  Ryp wasn't the most accurate guy out there,  but he threw a nice deep ball and had no problem making quick,  sure decisions in the pocket.  In short,  he was a leader and a winner.

Rex Grossman and John Beck,  on the other hand,  er,  not so much.

I watched a game today where I saw more checkdowns than a month of entire Pop Warner league games combined would normally produce.  Some of that can of course be put on the receivers not getting separation,  but c'mon -- how many times can you miss guys who are relatively wide open to dump off the ball to your safety valve RB?  Or throw to an underneath route far from the sticks on a 3rd down?  At the midway point this season our passing offense sits squarely in the middle of the pack,  16th out of 32 at 228 yards per game. Those numbers are slightly skewed by the fact that we have played from behind in most if not all of our last four games,  not to mention in the win over the Cardinals.  On offense the 'Skins have thrown just over 37 times a game this season,  9th highest in the NFL,  but with only 6.7 yards per completion we rank in the bottom 3rd of the league,  and our QBR of 69.2 is next to last.

Nothing about those numbers in any way suggests we have a competent,  confident field general directing traffic behind center.  But what else is new (at least in the last 20 years) when it comes to the 'Skins?  We need a good QB in the worst way.  Whether we get one after this rapidly plummeting season is anybody's guess,  but until it happens we have little shot at doing anything in the postseason.  Quarterback,  however,  is only the most glaring weakness.  It is not nearly the only one.  Which brings me to:

The Wide Receivers:  Outside of Fred "Sleepy" Davis,  an inconsistent at best Jabar Gaffney  and Santana Moss (before he was injured that is),  the entire 2011 crop of Redskins pass-catchers might as well be on IR for all the impact they've made on the field.  The recently jettisoned Donte Stallworth reminded me only too much of so many high-priced,  over the hill FA pickups of years past.  His effort was also eerily reminiscent of all those washed up acquisitions - slim or none.  Leonard Hankerson has shown promise,  but his fellow rookie Niles Paul has been nearly as much of an Invisible Man as the one famously penned by Ralph Ellison.  The same goes for Anthony Armstrong...and please don't get me started on Terence Austin.  I love the UCLA Bruins nearly as much as I do the 'Skins,  but the last two Westwood products to come to DC,  Austin and S Chris Horton,   have done so badly in Burgundy & Gold that I'm almost finding myself looking across town these days and contemplating how I'd look in Cardinal and Gold.  As in USC Cardinal and Gold.  .

Almost.

This cast of characters usually can't catch a cold,  but on those rare occasions when they do,  the odds are good that they'll cough up the ball two or three seconds later.  Not exactly comforting.  Also not exactly a lethal juggernaut comprised of world-class speed,  sponge-like hands and breathtaking run-after-catch moves.  Definitely nothing like the Smurfs or the Fun Bunch in their respective heydays (sigh).  Not for the first time I find myself wondering and waiting and worrying about when,  if ever,  we see receivers the equal of Monk,  Clark,  Sanders,  Brown and even the aging but still potent Henry Ellard - targets that never let a defense let down it's guard for even a single play,  lest they pay the highest price for doing so...(second sigh)  I watch other teams play and see play after play made by a leaping,  twisting,  impossibly elevated WR,  and I ask why the Redskins can't seem to stock their rosters with players of comparable ability.

I dunno.  We just never do...

Our WR's can't get off of jams at the line of scrimmage,  they can't outrun defenders on go routes or skinny posts,  they can't seem to find the holes in 2 deep or any other kind of zone...come to think of it,  they can't really do much of a doggone thing.  And that's a problem,  because it means opposing defenses can safely walk 8 or even 9 men up to within 5-6 yards of the LOS without any worries about a deep ball ending up in the hands of somebody who torched the corner and got behind the deep safety for a quick,  dramatic,  easy six.  Because that will never happen with this crop of wideouts.  At least not any more than one wins the lottery.

This complete absence of anything resembling a deep threat means all those defenders in the box have little problem shutting down our ZBS running game;  outside of the occasional stretch play we run the ball the way former President Bill Clinton controlled his adulterous sexual urges - which is to say not at all.  That means that one of the strengths of this strengthless team,  the running back core,  is rendered totally ineffective nearly every time they take the field.  Doesn't matter who's back there 7 yards deep -  Tim Hightower,  Ryan Torain,  Roy Helu or even Darrel Young just for laughs - the guy taking the handoff is going to gain 2.5 yards or less a pathetic 7 times out of 10.  And that's a generous estimate,  believe me.

It also wouldn't matter if we had the Hogs in their prime blocking for them,  though we clearly don't.  The current edition of the O-line is one part underachieving,  one part over-the-hill journeymen and one part quality starters.  And it shows.  Halfway through this season the Redskins have rushed for a paltry 719 yards,  Only the Giants,  Seahawks,  Browns and Titans have done worse.  Our pitiful 3.9 yards per carry average is worse than all but six teams.  Even the pass-happy Detroit Lions have toted the rock more than we have.  Say what you will about injuries,  a makeshift O-line,  etc etc,  at the end of the day the 'Skins can't consistently run the ball.  And we all know what that means:

Teams that can't run the ball can't sustain drives.  They can't control the clock.  They can't salt away games they are leading.  And come December,  when games are that much more important as teams sprint for the few postseason berths available,  their offenses are forced to pass in usually inclement weather - not a solid recipe for success.

Well,  it's not like our Head Coach is an offensive guru who is synonymous with taking no-name linemen and unwanted running backs and blowing up with them;  he's not exactly a guy who once fielded one of the most devastating rushing offenses in all of football year in and year out with a minimum of raw talent -

Oh wait...he is.  Or was.


PART 2 COMING SOON

So Here's The Deal -

I'm Back!

Some, but not many of you will have noticed I was gone; most of those who did probably didn't care. A very small percentage might have, however. This post is addressed to you.

It has been nearly two years since my last entry in this space. What began as a labor of Redskins love turned rather quickly into a sporadic foray, instead of the professed relentless pursuit, of all things Burgundy & Gold. No matter. It's not how you start but how you finish, as the man once said.

And I intend to finish.

I would first like to explain my absence. I feel it is the least I can do, not only for those of you who might read this but, more importantly, for myself. It is the purely transparent thing to do. And that, my reunited friends, is of the utmost importance, as you shall soon see.

Besides, better bloggers than I have stepped out of the proverbial batters box to get squared away, like my man Ben Folsom of The Curly R. If he can take some time off, I don't feel so bad. Ben is a superfan whether he wants to admit it or not.

Allow me at this point to change gears: I apologize to the mods of whatever forum this happens to end up in, because from here the subject matter may become less than 100% Redskins-related. I trust you will do what you think is best. But I digress.

I am 45 years old. I have been a Redskins fan since I knew what a pigskin was. That's a long time. For roughly half of my life I have also been a born again Christian. While I have never wavered in my support of my beloved 'Skins, when it comes to following Jesus Christ I have been, shall we say, less than consistent. Twenty-five years ago I gave my life to the Lord, but I have only recently begun following Him again. For the majority of that time I have done my own thing, to my great detriment.

But things change.

Sometimes for the better.

Two years ago, when it was obvious that Jim Zorn was merely waiting for his severance pay from Daniel M. Snyder, I wrote him a letter to thank him for his time as Redskins Head Coach. Said letter went as follows:

Dear Mr. Zorn:

Odds are by the time this letter reaches you, if it does at all, you will have already been dismissed by the Redskins. As a lifelong diehard fan I was excited about your hiring and thought you would achieve greater success than you ultimately did -- though certainly no more than you yourself expected. I won't go into any second-guessing or anything else regarding my opinion of your job as Head Coach, because it's none of my business. Indeed, I write you for a different reason entirely, though one connected to your current job just the same. Since by all accounts you are and have been for some time now a "lame-duck" coach (for lack of a better term), you could hardly have been faulted if the pressure and stress of those circumstances had caused you to become somewhat bitter and negative -- yet you have consistently been as upbeat, as forthright, as honest as a man could be from Day One. I commend you for your unflagging attitude, and I have the highest respect for the way you've conducted yourself in spite of all the things that seem to have gone against you either fairly or unfairly.

This morning I read a quote of yours about your current status that was typical of your personal accountability and integrity, and it moved me to write you this letter in hopes that you might read it and know that at least one fan believes not even the great Joe Jackson Gibbs himself could have handled things any better than you have these past two seasons. No matter what I may think of your gameday decisions and strategy, etc. etc., I cannot help but be impressed with how you've been a stand-up guy since you first signed on. Today's quote, wherein you spoke of truly having a great experience with all this. it wasn't fun, but it was a great experience nonetheless, and that better days lay ahead, is an inspiration to me.

Thank you for that. It comes at a critical juncture in my life. I am 43 years old and a lifelong drug addict who has only recently made the serious decision to seek help and begin my recovery. Methamphetamine use has taken nearly everything from me, and thus far has obliterated the vast potential I once had. Before my addiction I was smart, healthy, and raised right, meaning I had all the advantages and tools anyone could ever need to succeed in Life. Unfortunately I haven't, at least not to this point...but there's always time, and Hope.

I'm preparing to undertake the most radical and diffiuclt change of my entire life at present, and I am as nervous as nervous gets about it. I need every shot in the arm I can get at the moment, and words like the ones you said above are just the thing to keep me focused and persistently positive. I believe that just like you, better days are ahead for me. I wish you all the best in your next position, I thank you for your hard work as coach of the team I love, and pray that you and your family continue to receive all the blessings Life has to offer, Mr. Zorn. If you haven't earned that I would be hard-pressed to name someone who has.

Somehow I don't think I have to wish for any of it in your case, however. Your attitude is more than equal to the task.

Some weeks later I received a card in the mail, with no return address. The face of the card was four black and white images on a white background. The images themselves seemed to be random; there was no discernible pattern. Curiously I opened it and read this:

Dear Sean,

Thank you for your words and kind thoughts My very best to you as you continue to fight with all the tools God has given you. Proverbs 22:1.

Pr 22:1 (NIV) reads: A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver and gold.

I couldn't make out the signature, so I looked again at the face of the card. The images spelled out Z-O-R-N. The card was from Jimmy Z himself.

Why do I write this? Bear with me, gentle reader. The answers are coming.

Without going into too much detail, shortly thereafter I enrolled in a faith-based rehab program that lasted eleven months. Upon completion of this curriculum I elected to stay on for an additional four months as an intern. One of the rules of this program was no internet access, so I was prohibited from posting for fifteen months. Eventually I graduated, however, and am now as free to post as I ever was. During my time at Teen Challenge I re-committed my life to Christ. Everything fell into place for me. A twenty-five year addiction to nicotine was almost instantly broken, my addiction to meth as well, and all of a sudden my life began to experience hope, a feeling I had not known for a very long time.

One thing still bothered me, however. The Bible tells us that to put anything above Christ is idolatry. Well, I loved my Redskins. Passionately. Did that qualify, and if so, how in the world was I going to reconcile that with my new lifestyle? I did NOT want to give up my love for the B & G. I possibly would have if I absolutely had to, but man oh man, I really did not want to.

God, my friends, is a wonderfully loving Creator. He saw my dilemma and provided me with the unlikeliest of answers.

About seven months into my program, I happened upon a book called Sermon On the Mound: Finding God At the Heart of the Game, by Michael O'Connor. While this book dealt with baseball, not my favorite sport, one of it's overriding messages was how this fan's obsession with a game brought him to the Lord. As I read it I began to see that God wasn't asking me to choose the Redskins over Him; He was merely telling me that in loving the Burgundy and Gold I should never forget that they play a game He invented for our pleasure. My love for the 'Skins was okay, because without Him the 'Skins (along with you and I) would have never been.

It is a lesson I was blessed to learn, and one I will never forget.

Why, again, do I write this? I do so to say this: I am now as much as I have ever been a diehard Redskins fan. I go to the wall with my team each and every Sunday. When they lose I hate it; when they win I exult vicariously, as if I somehow had something to do with the win. But no matter how each game, each season turns out, I will give credit where credit is due.

God is and has always been Sovereign.

So where am I now? I am a new creation, a burning brand snatched from the fire. I am working again. I have the love and more importantly, the trust of my family once more. I still struggle - most notably with my beer, it is hard not to want to crack a cold one after a hard day of work - but I don't suffer the pangs of withdrawal as I once did, and I believe my life has a future once more.

Priceless. Absolutely, undeniably priceless.

Before you flame, before you refute, before you deny what you've read, allow me to say that I know how these things go: a thread like this can be massively misconstrued, can be turned into a war ground for religious debate, can be all more than enough impetus to cast aspersions on a fellow fan. Often for no reason at all. Those of you who might be thinking of doing so, please don't.

That is not my intention here. Let me say in closing that I love ExtremeSkins. I love The Hogs.net. I love BGO. I love the Redskins, and will always do so. I also love you, my fellow fans. There is not a single thing I would not do for any of you were it within my power to do so. I merely wanted to point out that though I will continue to write about my beloved Washington Redskins, and at times question some things about the organization...at the end of the day I still love them as much as I ever did.

I love them as something God gave me.

Something He gave you too.

Thanks so much for reading. God Bless You.

Hail To the Redskins.