Unfortunately Defense Wins Championships

For anyone that witnessed the dull 1st half of the Redskins victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, it was obvious a defensive struggle would ensue from the opening kickoff and it was... for the Washington Redskins.

Should the Redskins defense get more credit for containing an experienced Eagles offense led by Donovan McNabb or should the Eagles defense receive praise for containing the Redskins mysterious offense.

Just before halftime, of the Redskins-Eagles dry paint mosaic, Ron Jaworski had the audacity to call our offense dynamic. Suddenly our offense came alive including the highlight of the game, a 20 yard sideline wire act run by Jason Campbell which took them to the 14 yard line after(he would gone untouched into the endzone on the run had he not collided with a teammate) and an elusive run by Antwaan Randle-El which took the team to the 1 yard line.

The team then proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot, with an inexplicable delay of game penalty as well as a false start, where the lineman seemingly couldn't hold his water until halftime, only to run out of bullets and score a touchdown.

Strangely enough, just before halftime, Tony Kornheiser disappeared inconspicuously, and wasn't heard from in the final 4 minutes of the game. Speaking of the broadcast booth was there a more fitting crew for the game than Kornheiser, a revered Washington Post columnist and former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski,(who ironically replaced anther former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann in the booth. To say the least, the NFC East is well represented)

Sure we have Clinton Portis and Santana Moss but offensively the team has no element of surprise, no X-factor and is entirely too predictable. There's no doubt that the focal point of our franchise since Dan Snyder stopped "making it rain" during free agency has been defense as evidenced by our last three 1st round draft picks, cornerback Carlos Rogers, in addition to safeties Sean Taylor and LaRon Landry.

Maybe I sound a little greedy but historically we've been an offensively stagnant franchise. One of the most heated Hall of Fame debates over the past decade has involved our greatest offensive player, Art Monk who can't seem to gather enough support. I'm not criticizing the Redskins because as much of an eyesore as Joe Gibbs/Al Saunders' offense has been early on they are still undefeated.

Considering offensive coordinator Al Saunders reputation as an offensive guru whose 700 page play book has become fodder around the league, shouldn't we expect more than a 'three yards and a cloud of dust' offense? We possess two explosive receivers in Antwaan Randle-El and Santana Moss yet they go largely underutilized because of the Redskins' reluctance to exploit the vertical passing game. In Joe Gibbs' second incarnation in D.C., the Hall of Famer has improved the defense however, offenses have averaged a paltry 18.9 points per game in the past three seasons.

For an undefeated team, they don't have the swagger of a serious playoff contender. One week we go into overtime against the underachieving Miami Dolphins, and the next we win a 20-12 thriller to Donovan McNabb's Eagles. Any day now, I expect the mirage to dissipate and the truth to rear its ugly head. Tendonitis will catch up with Clinton Portis, Jason Campbell's youth and inexperience will catch up to him and the lack of a dominant defensive pass rusher(ranked last in the NFL in sacks in 2006) will give opposing defenses ample time to pick apart the secondary.

Clinton Portis, who's body has begun betraying him lately with an onslaught of injuries is the most talented running back the Redskins have had since John Riggins and when history revises itself five, six or seven years from now Portis' may be fortunate enough to surpass Riggins in the hearts of 'Skins fans. Well maybe not...
Remember Shane Matthews ? Only Steve Spurrier Could Find A Way To Start Two Florida QB's In One Season

The most excited I've been as a fan were those uniform changes during the 2000 season. The quarterback position for the Redskins franchise has been a constant source of angst and 4,000 yard passers have been nearly non-existent in Redskin record books.

From Mark Brunell, Patrick Ramsey, Brad Banks, Shane Matthews, Danny Wuefferel, Jeff George, Brad Johnson, Trent Green, Gus Frerotte, and Heath Shuler the Redskins decade and a half of quarterbacks has been a lesson in mediocrity. Even Mark Rypien, our last Super Bowl quarterback was a middle of the pack journeyman at his best.

Instead, the Redskins under Gibbs achieved success in three Super Bowl victories through a series of rentals under center, an impenetrable offensive line and an aggressive defense. Lets face it franchise quarterbacks have been disappointments for the Redskins. Joe Theismann's prime was cut short Doug Williams would become a backup shortly after his improbable Super Bowl victory and #1 overall pick Heath Shuler was a catastrophic bust.


Just last week my friend John told me he was worried Jason Campbell would not live up to expectations which was understandable after his first six starts were somewhat pedestrian. When putting Campbell under the microscope against 2005 #1 overall pick Alex Smith, the only other 1st round pick at quarterback in that draft, its more of a contest than you might think.
While Campbell passed for 10 touchdowns and six interceptions in his first six starts last season, Smith improved frm his abysmal rookie campaign to pass for an even 17 touchdowns-- and 17 interceptions. This season Smith has yet to throw an interception or a touchdown for the undefeated Niners but did direct a jaw drpping tuchdwn drive dwn the length of the field in the final minutes.

As Rex Grossman proved in 2006, if the quarterback is going to be average, the defense must be superhuman and neither team has that. Watching Jason Campbell spread the ball to his receivers and connecting on game breaking plays provided hope to me that an exciting, productive offense would return to D.C.

However, the game was also pockmarked with mistakes by Campbell that shouldn't be there for an emerging top shelf quarterback. Leading 20-12 with an opportunity to secure the victory, Campbell badly overthrew wide receiver Santana Moss streaking behind the Philadelphia secondary on what could have been a 64-yard touchdown.

Though he displayed a live arm, great wheels and a adequate decision making in managing the game, franchise quarterbacks are more than game managers. Third tier quarterbacks such as Trent Dilfer, Rex Grossman, and Chris Simms manage games. Often times you will have to win them. His halftime touchdown drive was exemplary but does he have the moxie to direct a game-winning drive in the final two minutes , convert a pivotal 4th down or respond in a shootout when the defensive lapses?

Last night's performance did not provide the quintessential galvanizing Kodak moment that signify signs of eventual greatness, but thats OK. The Redskins are undefeated with an out of tune offense and an airtight defense that has allowed only 25 points in 2 games.
Unfortunately.

Chris Cooley paying homage to Redskins great John Riggins in practice.

Crazy Thought: this has stewed in my head for a while now since Video Gate came to life. The consensus among football outsiders has been that everyone does it. So hey, why not punish every team in the league by eliminating the first round completely in 2008, have a panel pick the best 32 players from the draft and open the floodgates by letting them enter the league as free agents. Not only would a bidding war erupt but as a result owners would have to spend extra money out of their pockets.