Redskins Lose To Bucs; Lose Shot at Playoffs

It was almost as if fate was toying with the emotions of the fans. Ryan Torain in his first game back from injury, was running roughshod through the Buccaneers Defense. Torain posted 158 yards in the first half. He was clearly on his way to a 300-yard record-setting performance, right? WRONG!!!! Instead the Buccaneers Defense clamps down and shuts down the Redskins running game. And to add insult to injury, the young QB for the Buccaneers looked like a seasoned veteran in the Second Half as he engineered, albeit ugly, a comeback that was noteworthy. This is Josh Freeman’s 2nd year as an NFL Qarterback. This young man has a bright future. The Bucs fans have a lot to which to look forward. But what about the Redskins fans?

Donovan McNabb couldn’t have played a better game. McNabb completed 22 of 25 passes for 228 yards and 2 TD passes, and more importantly, no interceptions. Ryan Torain finished the game with 173 Rushing Yards, in a stellar performance. Santana Moss redeemed himself Sunday after dropping a game-changing pass last week that resulted in an Interception. Moss had 7 catches for 82 yards and a Touchdown catch on 5th down. Yes, that’s right. That’s not a typo. The Redskins were awarded an extra down on that final drive. And even when they were given an early Christmas gift, they gave it right back, botching the PAT try in the closing seconds. Just when the Redskins fans were about to grip on to the fading NFL Playoff hopes, it slipped right through their fingers quicker than the PAT snap going through Hunter Smith’s hands Sunday. But on the other sideline there was something going on that I can’t ignore.

Raheem Morris has done a good job of turning around the lowly Bucs. What is impressive to me is the fact that, as young as he is, the players respect him. It is nice to see another young Black coach doing well in the NFL. It wasn’t long ago that Black men coaching on the NFL was a rarity. On top of that, there is a young Black QB playing for Morris who caught my eye during the 2009 NFL Combine in Josh Freeman. Freeman only attempted 25 passes Sunday, but he was very efficient and did a good job of managing the game. It wasn’t pretty, but at seasons end, Freeman and Bucs will be in the NFL Playoffs. At this point who really cares how pretty or ugly a win is? Morris has engineered an impressive turnaround of a team that was just 3-13 last year and had to start Josh Johnson, another Rookie (at the time) last year. The best part about this team is that they are extremely talented and very young. Give Morris a few years and the Bucs could be challenging the Falcons and the Saints for the NFC South Divisional title. That is more than we can say for Washington.

Washington is just looking for their first winning season and NFL Playoff appearance since 2007. What can be done? What is/are the next move(s)? Is LaRon Landry going to be o.k. for next season? Is Albert Haynesworth going to be traded? Are we going to stick with the 3-4 Defense? Which Linebackers are going to be cut/traded? Are the Redskins going to go after another Wide Receiver? Are the Redskins going to Draft/sign any Offensive Linemen during the Offseason? Is Donovan McNabb going to still be in Washington next year? All of these questions will be answered by July 2011 when the Pre-Season kicks off. But for right now, at 5-8, Washington can only hope to finish at .500 and not lose their fans yet again. But after watching Washington lose to the Texans, Viking, Buccaneers, Lions and Rams, can you really blame our fans for turning on us?  There would have to be a huge turnaround next season for the fans to show any hope.  Because at this point, most people are selling their season tickets.  That would have never happened during the Joe Gibbs era.  It might be time for Snyder to re-evaluatae his coaching decision yet again.  Don't surprised to see another coaching change in 2011.