Smoot Lays the Smack Down (Redskins vs Bengals)

Well, needless to say I'm none too thrilled with the results of Sunday's game. Good teams might, MIGHT, have one loss like this to a dreadful team during the year, but never twice. Having lost now to the Rams and the Bengals just shows that we're not good. And a lot of smack must be laid down.

Also, I just want to point out a couple of things. I think Blache and Buges are both gone. But neither will be fired. Blache, if you'll recall, wanted to retire last season but was talked out of it by Snyder. But dude just wants to retire and chill out on his ranch in Texas (I think it's Texas, come to think of it I'm not even positive it's a ranch). Bugel should have been the wise old man standing by Zorn's side through the trials and tribulations of a debut season. And he was for a while, but I just don't think he can be that person anymore. Now maybe the off-season will help but I just don't see it happening. Bless you for everything Buges, now take the time to be with your family. Those that you can still be with.

Also, can I request that people stop using the term "real GM" unless they actually support that stament with some evidence of what the hell they mean. For the record, I think that most people would tell you that VC is stepping further away from the selection process of putting together the roster and it is increasingly becoming Scott Campbell's role to fill. Cerrato is essentially giving the yeah or nay on the players that Campbell's team is putting in front of him. This is not to absolve VC of blame, but simply to point out that others have a larger role than we may appreciate.
Ok, here goes.

Santana Moss I'm not mad at you for your unsportsmanlike conduct today. I'm mad at you because it came just a couple of weeks after you tried to punch a guy. Way to waste a nice touchdown grab, way to set an example, way to lead. Zorn should sit you on the bench for the first quarter next week.

Zorn's High School Physics Teacher Apparently Zorn never learned Newton's First Law. An object at rest tends to stay at rest... Why'd you keep Kelly inactive this week? Yeah you know what, I don't even care anymore. These guys have no shot of ever being better if they don't play. They need to play...now!

People who call for Spagnuolo Why? What good does another rookie head coach do for us?

People who call for Cowher Why? Do we have the patience to build the team from the ground up the way Cowher would like?

People who don't call for Jack Del Rio Why not? He'd be the best dressed coach ever here

In all seriousness, I still don't think that firing Zorn is the answer. There are two ways to go here while he's down like this. You can either a)just give up and send him packing or b)give him the tools and support he needs to be successful. After careful consideration, I think that means time and his own staff entirely. Which kind of gets back to my first point about Bugel and Blache. I can't help but wonder if they're not in Zorn's ear saying things like "Gibbs would have handled it this way" or "If it was Gibbs..." All this I'm sure Zorn is appreciative of but at the same time I would imagine he's also thinking "Well I'm not Gibbs so let me do it my way." To be more clear, knowing how those two (Bugel and Blache) are I doubt they are saying this behind closed office doors but right out there in the locker room.

John Palermo We've taken your advice twice now that I know of-Don't draft Calais Campbell, trade for Erasmus James-neither of which has had any sort of prominent impact upon this team. But really I just want to know, are you overwhelmed? Because I'm really not seeing all that much improvement with our young d-linemen from last year to this year. Specifically, I want to know why Chris Wilson has fallen off the face of the earth it seems. I'm going to put that on you.

All this talk of Emotion Fact is a lot of players approach their job like many of us do, we just go and do it. It may be hard to believe but a lot of players show little emotion ever, win or lose. So, should we start getting on them when they show no emotion when they win? I'd rather they just show they get the fundamentals and can play mistake free football.

Jason Campbell I need to go back and watch the game again, but what I saw wasn't impressive. What's the problem? Is it really the offensive line? Is it the schemes? Do you need some competition to get your juices flowing again? Should we call it an open competition with Colt this summer? Should we maybe bring in a veteran to put a little scare in you. You want Hasselbeck here?

So much more, but I gotta get ready for work.

Jim Zorn.

It looks like he's lost this team. They came out flat. Lifeless. I saw guys really mailing it in and staring at the ground. They started the game looking defeated.

Blache.

why do you think deangelo hall means were gonna be a good zone defense team? We can't rush well enough to play effective zone.

Moss.

Spark is fine, but you know you're gonna set the team back. You didn't care. I wish those penalty yards were taken off their stat lines. More selfish receivers may actually care about that.

Sellers.

Dude you were lucky not to lose it the first time. If you can't get your big 280lb ass through that line for 1 yard there's obviously something in your damn way. Don't be a moron.


Bengals

What the hell? Really? All of a sudden you guys want to play football? That's not fair. You should have come out and let us win. Not like you're playing for pride or playoffs or pro bowl bids. Yep not fair.

Jim Zorn.

It looks like he's lost this team. They came out flat. Lifeless. I saw guys really mailing it in and staring at the ground. They started the game looking defeated.

Blache.

why do you think deangelo hall means were gonna be a good zone defense team? We can't rush well enough to play effective zone.

Moss.

Spark is fine, but you know you're gonna set the team back. You didn't care. I wish those penalty yards were taken off their stat lines. More selfish receivers may actually care about that.

Sellers.

Dude you were lucky not to lose it the first time. If you can't get your big 280lb ass through that line for 1 yard there's obviously something in your damn way. Don't be a moron.


Bengals

What the hell? Really? All of a sudden you guys want to play football? That's not fair. You should have come out and let us win. Not like you're playing for pride or playoffs or pro bowl bids. Yep not fair.

I have trouble coming down too hard on Mike Sellers considering he's one of the few guys who has actually been playing well the past couple weeks. If he pushes that ball across the line he's a hero. I appreciate that he's trying to make something happen. Unfortunately, A. we got a shitty spot after his first attempt. B. It probably should have been a qb sneak. C. Our o-line didn't give him much help.

Rock Cartwright
His stellar play has been overshadowed by our failure to perform on either side of the ball, but this guy is all heart and another one of the few who has played well recently (ignoring the one dropped ball which he still returned better than most). Thanks for trying to keep us in the game.

Santana Moss
Yeah the celebration might have been a little stupid but deserving of a penalty? I don't know. Here's another guy who has played with a lot of emotion and for god's sake, I don't know why we don't have him return punts every time.

I have big problems with Zorn's play calling down at the goal line. Sellers over the years simply has not been a good short yardage guy despite the fact he's big as an ox. Give it to Portis your workhorse and stop trying to be so cute. Zorn is out thinking himself, he's clearly rattled and the team has no confidence in him.

Special Teams: We committed a penalty almost every kickoff/punt return.

Moss is much better than ARE on kickoff returns.

ARE: Should be a #3 WR at best.

I was going to give Zorn and Company another year w/ this thing but i don't think this team can be very successful as is. We've had this core for 4-5 years and haven't won more than 10 games. Our "core" is getting old. If VC stays as is, then keep JZ if DS comes to his senses and fires VC, get's a football guy and the new guy wants his coach and team then I'm all for it. Anything goes.

Cooley's fumble was the catalyst for this entire game. He had a decent game, but that fumble set the tone for a very long afternoon.

Santana - while wiping your shoes was cute and playful, YOU DON'T ****ING DO IT WHEN YOUR TEAM IS DOWN 10 TO A TEAM THAT HAS WON ONCE ALL ****ING YEAR. Sorry for the language.

Suisham - Anyone else hold their breath when he hit that 36 yarder? I used to be one of the guys who would defend him. But even with his booming kickoff to start the 2nd half (deepest since Week 2ish probably), he's gone after the year anyways. And that piss poor excuse of an onside kick? C'mon.

Sellers - Never, ever extend the football in traffic like that. In fact, why is it that at 280, you can leap a 190 lb CB like a gazelle, but can't plow over a 220 lb LB on the goalline?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!? That is not a good quality to have as a FB.

All new offensive and defensive lines. Keep Heyer and the other young kid we drafted this year, but the rest have to go. Maybe keep Samuals and Kendall for depth but the rest are over the hill and out of gas. See offensive production in first half of season versus second. On the d line keep Montgomery and Carter but as far as I'm concerned we need all new lineman. We get absolutly no pressure from our front four, I mean our pass rush is absolutly pathetic! I hope the draft and free agency target the core of this team, because if they don't we will get killed in the trenches again next year.

I have big problems with Zorn's play calling down at the goal line. Sellers over the years simply has not been a good short yardage guy despite the fact he's big as an ox. Give it to Portis your workhorse and stop trying to be so cute. Zorn is out thinking himself, he's clearly rattled and the team has no confidence in him.

like samuel adams, sellers is always a good call inches from the goal line. he tried everything he could just hit a brick wall of D players. if sellers couldnt move those guys back when he hit them with a good head of stem no one could, not even colt.

smootsmack - i agree with alot, didnt know about scott campbell thanks for that lil bit of insight.

agree that del rio would be nice as a D coordinator, blache will mostly likely retire after this season, i am glad he stuck around for a season, got a lil change and gets to retire as a D coordinator. thanks coach blache!

but i am an emotion and team chemistry guy. i think some players on this team who have been here for awhile (moss, portis) have lost their confidence in this franchises ability to score points. skilled offensive players want to be scoring touchdowns, that is their whole job, and after 5 plus years of trying to add a passing attack i would be alil tuned out too if i was moss. also i think portis, moss think they have more clout around ashburn then zorn b/c theyve been going to the same building for years now, know it in and out while he is just the new guy in town.

but as you mentioned and i havent thought of till you said something; we need to find a replacement for coach blache as it took a phone call from his long time friend coach gibbs to not retire after last year. i got money he retires after this year.

go skins!!

ps - im mad as hell at moss for these 2 unsportsmanlikes. trying to pump the team up? really?

Cooley's fumble was killer. I love the guy but he seems to be good for a few of those a year. Moss and his behavior was just inexcusable. A guy like him needs to know better. I really hope Thomas and Kelly can step it up big next year. Moss is a one trick pony, great deep threat but not much else.

like samuel adams, sellers is always a good call inches from the goal line. he tried everything he could just hit a brick wall of D players. if sellers couldnt move those guys back when he hit them with a good head of stem no one could, not even colt.


Sellers is a nice option out of the backfield, but he actually stinks in short yardage. When he gets down there he suddenly decides that, despite weighing 285 pounds, he is going to channel Walter Payton and try to leap over the top. He never built of the "head of steam" you mention because he jumped from about two yards behind the LOS. He's a great blocker, does a nice job catching passes out of the backfield, but simply is not good near the goal line. Bad call, two times in a row, give it to your best players (i.e. Portis) and try to get it in. Maybe try Sellers once, but certainly not two times in a row.