Random thoughts, Skins-49ers

-Ramsey again played well hitting 66% of his throws and no picks. Can you believe he was allowed to take some deep shots?! The trust factor is starting to develop between him and Gibbs. I just hope Gibbs commits to him as the starter for '05 and doesn't leave the door open for Brunell. Did anyone see the interview on the pregame show with Gibbs?? He said the final chapter on Brunell hasn't been written yet, that makes me a little nervous. Let's hope if there is a QB competition Ramsey outplays him and leaves no question as to who should be starting. Just going by what they've done on the field this year, I think it's pretty obvious. Ramsey has clearly been the better QB.

-The defense finally scored and came close another time on the Taylor forward-handoff. What else can I say about the D that hasn't already been said? They've done an amazing job all season.

-More problems in the redzone, ugh. It all starts up front, we need a nasty run blocking center next year and of course having Jansen back will be a huge improvement.

-Will the real Rod Gardner please stand up? Since the Dallas game he's been nearly non-existent, then all of a sudden here he comes with 6 catches for 111 yards. He continues to tease us with his potential.

-Portis has 1283 yards rushing on the year and now needs 217 over the last 2 games to hit 1500. As of today Dallas is 12th in the league against the run and Minnesota is 23rd, so he has a pretty good shot.

-What was up with that old school facemask Arrington had?? LOL I didn't know they even made them like that anymore. It was good to see him back on the field.

-The best the Skins can do now is 7-9 which isn't anything great I know, but I must say I'm proud of the Skins effort all season long. No matter the situation these guys keep battling and coming back for more. Randy Thomas coming back so quickly on a bad hammy, Arrington coming back after 10 weeks out, Coles playing through injury after injury, etc., stuff like that is pretty impressive when you're not a playoff team. Guys like that display the character and toughness that Gibbs is looking for to build the foundation of this team on. I really believe this team is on the right track.

I couldn't have said it better myself Matty! I also think this team is on the right track, and anybody who has paid attention will see it too! 7-9 is certainly the best we can do, but it's an improvement from last year and finishing strong gives us plenty to ride on through the off season. I wonder how many of these guys would have came back early from injuries or have played through injuries last year and the previous years? That, to me, shows that they believe in their coach and respect him. Not only that, it shows they WANT to play for Joe Gibbs.

I am assuming that Gibbs said what he said about Brunell in that he feels that Brunell can contribute somehow to the team, although I wouldn't say that Gibbs still feels like Brunell is the starter. We can see that Gibbs gains more confidence in Ramsey each week that Ramsey plays...we all have! For the most part, Ramsey has played pretty well, and he can only get better!

Overall, the season has been tough for the Redskins, but things are starting to come together nicely and a tweak here and there can make a world of difference next season.

If Brunell starts for this team over Ramsey next year, I might not even bother to watch. The offense has still struggled, but its night and day compared to when Brunell was in there. Brunell wasent the entire problem, but he was defintley a big peice of the problem.

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-Will the real Rod Gardner please stand up? Since the Dallas game he's been nearly non-existent, then all of a sudden here he comes with 6 catches for 111 yards. He continues to tease us with his potential.

I don't think the recent stretch of games where Gardner was non-existent has been his fault. The ball actually has to be thrown to him. This is only the first or second game that a Redskins QB has played well all season. I think Gardner will be a great, inexpensive veteran next season. I hope he gets a chance to prove himself again, like he showed in his first season, before Spurrier arrived and screwed up his promising career. Spurrier messed up Ramsey for that matter as well.
Gardner deserves another chance just like Ramsey has received, even though BOTH have had stretches of some really ugly football.

And another thing, what was up with that TD dance by Royal??

Oh and how can I forget all the dumb penalties?? I'm sure that will be a top priority for Gibbs. Most of the penalties are dumb mental errors, guys like Pat Dennis need to go if they can't keep their cool. Nothing worse than unsportsmanlike conduct and taunting calls, just no need for crap like that.

Good post, Matty.

ABout the Brunell comment, I figure he's gotta say that; otherwise, he admits a multi-million dollar bust. I don't think even Gibbs would switch back now. He's just trying to put a positive spin on an unmitigated disaster. Lots of people think Brunell should be cut; Gibbs may be holding out hope that he can be a backup.

As for Gardner, I think it's a mix. He needs to get passes and he needs to be more active. Wow, imagine if he plays like that consistently! Should open things up for Coles, Cooley, etc.

I agree about the redzone stuff. Without a good center and a power, short-yardage back, we can't run those plays down there. Gibbs needs to admit that to himself and throw more and use trickery. We cannot just line up and smash it in. THe TDs we've gotten have been Ramsey passes and one where Portis slipped in on a cutback untouched (Philly).

I agree about the penalties in general, but I think at least 75% were on specials. We had a much better pace in the huddle and didn't have any really bad false-start stuff, which is an improvment. Clean up specials, and we're not so bad. (THat call on Smoot was pathetic. Can't we go a game without getting a BS pass interference call????)

As for playing out 7-9, we are NOT there yet! If we play like we did yesterday in Dallas, we will not win. And if we do not beat Dallas, I will not count this season as a success in any way. This is our superbowl as I see it. Let's see what they can do. It's time for Ramsey and co to win a (quasi) big one, not just one against the pathetic giants or nonexistent niners.

Let's hope if there is a QB competition Ramsey outplays him and leaves no question as to who should be starting. Just going by what they've done on the field this year, I think it's pretty obvious. Ramsey has clearly been the better QB.
It would seem to indicate that Gibbs will have a competition at that spot again next year, but I'm hoping that Ramsey will have the inside track next year. I'm not sure, but didn't Brunell get more snaps with the first string team during pre-season because he was "Gibb's boy"? That was the impression that I got. Combine that with the fact that Ramsey had only been used to one offensive scheme and he had to learn something new and rather different, it's no wonder that Brunell won the competition during camp. Ramsey seems to be settling in the offense well now and while I didn't hear or see the game much last night, from what I heard it sounded like he was getting more shots down the field and he was making better field decisions concerning when to check off and when to gun it. You could pretty much make a case for Ramsey stating that the Redskins have been almost two totally different teams this year based off Ramsey starting or not.

i honestly dont believe that gibbs is afraid to admit his mistake (brunell) more than he is just trying to protect the pride and dignity of a veteran quarterback. i meen come on have you have ever seen any coach say at a press conference that they screwed up on the signing of a player while they were still with the team. lets be realistic he knows it wasnt the right move but hes doing the noble thing and the right thing for team chemistry by not coming out and saying brunell is washed up.

redskinsskickazz: I think you're probably right about the situation. GIbbs is a classy guy, no doubt about it. And they keep their evaluations in house. Good point.

Boy, was it nice to play sloppy and have a solid win. Can't remember when the last time that happened.

-Really enjoyed taking the kick off to start the game and scoring.

-Pressure on Dorsey was good - not a lot of sacks, but he got punished for sure.



Those was my thoughts after watching the game. Hope we bring a better game to Dallas, we are going to need it.