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by John S. Pappas – 11/28/05 Final score: Chargers 23 – Redskins 17. Please don’t say the defense lost this game, they came up big when they had to often enough. And do not try to blame the offense, when given a real opportunity they performed just fine. It was not the fault of special teams. Ditto for turnovers and penalties. This loss rests on the shoulders of the coaching staff, specifically those who call the plays on offense, and ultimately Joe Gibbs. Washington’s play-calling when leading of late has been suspect. It seems that Gibbs and Co. are relying on last year’s model for winning – get ahead, and leave it in the hands of the defense to seal the win. Only the Redskins’ don’t have last year’s defense. They have this year’s, which while not as imposing as last year’s, has been keeping this team in games and giving them an opportunity to win. Instead however, the Gibbs offensive staff is playing not to lose. The rub on the Redskins is that they don’t know how to put teams away when leading in the second half. Today was again an example of this. The Redskins led by 10 at the end of the third quarter, had five possessions in the fourth quarter (one starting at the Charger’s 31 yard-line), and yet could not muster even a field-goal to put the game away. Conversely the Chargers were able to score twice in the fourth quarter and once in overtime to win. Washington had ample opportunity to win the game in the second half, yet the Redskins’ play-calling was at best ordinary, and at worst predictable. The Redskins had eight possessions in the second half. They ran Clinton Portis to start each drive. They then ran on second down five of eight second downs. Of those five runs on first and second combinations, Washington managed only one first down. Worse, Washington more often than not ran out of a heavy-jumbo package on first-down (where two tight-ends and a fullback are brought in), betraying in all cases but one that they would run. While Gibbs cannot be faulted for the poor execution of the team in certain areas, he can be rightfully criticized for not recognizing what his team is capable of, and what its limitations are. The 2005 Redskins are not the Gibbs’ teams of the late 1980’s and ‘90s. They do not get tough yardage on the ground late in the game. Their success has been tied almost completely to the passing game. Teams like the Giants and Raiders have had success against the Redskins by taking the passing game away. The Chargers did not, which is why this is a game the Redskins should have won. The team managed a woeful 2.8 yards-per-carry average rushing Sunday. Conversely, the Chargers managed a 7.2 yards-per-carry average. However, the Redskins’ managed 6.1 yards-per-pass compared to the Chargers’ 4.1 yards-per-pass. In 1981 during Gibbs’ first stint, his team went 0-5 as he tried to bring Air-Coriel to Washington. Then however, Gibbs was able to adapt his system to the players, becoming a rush-first team behind the famed hogs and finishing the season 8-3. This time around, Gibbs appears unable or unwilling to again adapt his system to his players. The 2005 Washington Redskins have enjoyed most success when able to pass early and often. They have won with the pass when Clinton Portis has done well, and they have won with the pass when he has not. The Redskins have yet to win when the passing game is not there. No-one has ever accused Joe Gibbs of not knowing football. Gibbs’ knows more about football than most of the coaches he has faced since his return. However he appears a coach that is ruled more by fear than in his first stint as coach of the Redskins. Gibbs coaches
with the understanding that bad things can happen when you pass in
the NFL. However, this team has shown that when it commits to the
passing game, it is pretty good at it. He can look to teams like the
Colts and Eagles as examples of teams that can win featuring a pass-first
mentality. Up here (in the
NFL) the teams that win are the teams that are aggressive offensively
and that can finish other teams off. The Redskin passing offense is
fully capable of beating most anybody in the league, but only if the
coach and his play-calling staff will let them.
© 2005 Capital News Services |