Running On E vs. Big "D"

I am not a fan of quitting. Nor am I implying that the Redskins quit. But if they did who can blame them? I have never seen my team so worn down and frustrated in all of my years of following them. Dallas is peaking at the right time, while Washington just can't wait until January 4, 2010. A lot of what happened to Washington had to do with organizational turmoil. Not to take anything away from Dallas. They've been playing well over the past few weeks. But let's keep it real. If the Redskins were able to play to the level of their own talent, Dallas would have been blown out of the water. But the Redskins didn't and the Cowboys did. The Cowboys won and they deserved to win. Bottom line. No excuses. But what caused Washington to perform the way that they did last night?

I have watched the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry for about 25 years now. I have seen some lopsided affairs. But last night was only the second time that I have seen the Redskins playing like they just wanted the season to end. The first time was December 14, 2003. Tim Hasselback came in, in relief, for Patrick Ramsey who played poorly, but was he really the blame? The Redskins could move the ball, we just could not score. Sound familiar people? Final score of that game Dallas 27, Washington 0. Some of the exact same issues that plagued the Redskins that day in 2003 reared it's ugly head again this season. The wrong combination of coaches, players and system(s). Jason Campbell took another beating. Players looked frustrated and were acting out. Dallas was, by no means, completely dominating Washington. But, they did come up with timely plays. The Cowboys even opted to go for it on 4th Down twice, and were stopped both times. But it went for naught. Final score Sunday night, Dallas 17, Washington 0. Dallas goes to the playoffs, Washington goes home to lick their wounds and prepare themselves for, what is shaping up to be, a very interesting offseason.

The Redskins have a lot of soul searching to do from the owners all the way down to the last man on the roster. Dallas, on the other hand, is in unfamiliar territory. Tony Romo has taken the brunt of a great deal of criticism over the past 3 seasons. Everything has been said about him from him being out of shape, to him just not being good enough to win the big one. He sure as hell looked like he was in shape and ready for big stage Sunday night. I still get a kick out of watching Miles Austin play well. Here is a guy who was a virtual unknown, undrafted and unheralded. And now, he may be unavailable to other teams when his contract is up. If Dallas is smart, Austin gets locked up in a long term deal, in season. Dallas has no soul searching to do. If the Cowboys win their game against the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday, they will lock up the NFC East. And if the Vikings drop their next two games, the Cowboys lock up the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs. No soul searching their. The Redskins on the other hand are preparing for the NFL Draft. When you are preparing to pick #1-#10 in the draft, you didn't have a good season.

Most people say that the one word to describe the Redskins season would be disappointing. My word for this season would be inconsistant. Overall I am bit disappointed, but at certain points during this campaign, I have seen the team that I thought we had when the season started. Many believe that blowing up the team would be the answer. Well folks, how many teams have you seen blown up, and then go and win the Super Bowl the very next season? Take your time, I have all day. It just doesn't happen. So if the organization decides to blow up the team, don't expect anything good for at least 2 seasons. Bill Cowher, John Gruden and Mike Shanahan are all at the top of the wish list for coaches. Will that mean a new Offensive and/or Defensive system? Will that mean a new Quarterback, Running Back(s), and a new group of Wide Receivers? Will that mean a group of new Linebackers, Cornerbacks or Safeties? What's going to be different? If Jason Campbell comes back, but Coach Zorn is fired, will that mean Jason Campbell will have to learn yet a new system? Are they expecting Jason Campbell to learn that new system in one year? Thank goodness Campbell is smart, but, I feel like he is being set up to fail.

Here is a solution. How about we fix all of the problems surrounding Jason Campbell and let's see what happens. Don't fix all of the problems for someone else. Jason Campbell, for the umpteenth time, is not the problem folks. Are we going to go draft a Free Safety? LaRon Landry is one hell of an athlete, but is NOT a Free Safety. LaRon is playing that position by default. Landry is a Strong Safety, get it right. Are we going to fix the Offensive line for another running back? How about we fix the line for Clinton Portis and see what happens. I'll admit the situation surrounding Clinton Portis not practicing bothers me. But let's not get amnesia folks. Portis racked up 1,487 yards in 2008. People want to bury him, but I seem to remember people saying the same things about Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Randy Moss, Issac Bruce and Terrell Owens. The last I checked, all of those guys are still productive. Clinton Portis still has a few good years left in him. But I think the problem with the Redskins starts in training camp.

See here is where my training back background, although limited, comes into play. With the rash of hamstring injuries that we have had, two things come to mind. Either we are running these guys to death in training camp, or we are not training the hamstrings correctly. Do we stess the importance of proper nutrition, including hydration? Are we focused on their flexibility and mobility? Why do we have to run them to death if they are involved in OTA's (Organized Team Activities) just about all damn year? Should we not be able to tell who is in shape and who isn't before training camp starts? Why is it that people want our Cornerbacks to play physical, but they have not gotten any bigger or stronger. I mean LaRon Landry, for all of the criticism that he endures, is ALWAYS in shape. And here is a piece of information for you to chew on. Landry does not work out at Redskins Park during the offseason. Hmmmmm!!! I wonder what he does during the offseason. How many times is Randy Thomas going to tear his tricep? Why does Malcolm Kelly look slower this season? Why does Antwaan Randel El look slower here in Washington, as opposed to when he was in Pittsburgh? Why are Chris Samuels, Santana Moss, Mike Sellars and Derrick Dockery among the better conditioned players, but everyone else looks like they are struggling each and every season? These are some of the questions that I think need to be answered to move forward. I will tell you one thing. Most of the Redskins problems are not even visible, so just imagine the kind of work that the organization has to put in this offseason. Good luck Danny.