SmootSmack
11-22-2005, 02:02 PM
Former NFL great Tony McGee sat down with TheWarpath.net front office Tuesday morning and answered some TheWarpath.net questions about the Redskins 16-13 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Please be sure to visit http://www.tonymcgeeplus.com and watch Tony McGee's Pro Football Plus Saturdays at 11:30 am on Comcast SportsNet and DirecTV to see Tony and his panel of guests answer "TheWarpath.net Question of the Week". This week's question is "How Much of a Factor is the 12th Man?" Ok, let's get started with Tony's thoughts here:
There really isn't much to say after this game. I think this game and the Chiefs game have been the most disappointing. I think those were two games we should have definitely won. I feel like a broken record here. Week after week it's the same problems-turnovers and a lack of a pass rush. Yes the officials made some bad calls but when you blow a 13-3 lead you can't hold the officials responsible or blame them for the loss.
Skinsguy and BigSkinBauer, at this point of the season, they still have legitimate playoff aspirations. It's too early to write them off. They don't need to win out, but they do need to win this Sunday. And that's the approach they'll have to take each week-forget about last Sunday, don't think about next Sunday, and just win this Sunday. And don't look at the standings or worry about tie-breakers or any of that stuff. Players don't concern themselves with that.
Gmanc711, I don't think that Gibbs did a poor job of preparing the team. It wasn't Gibbs or any of the other coaches that fumbled the ball or had costly turnovers. That's on the players. The players need to eliminate their mistakes. It's really inexcusable. And they seemed to get knocked out of the flow of the game coming out of the locker room at halftime. I wasn't on the sidelines so I don't know what was going on with the players but their intensity wasn't the same.
My critique of the coaching would be that I felt they probably abandoned the run too soon. I'm a firm believer that you always run more than you pass. And the Redskin's record of 10-0 since Gibbs came back in games when they run more than they pass proves that it's the way to go. Always run until you can't run anymore.
I thought Brunell played very poorly in the second half, missing about 8 passes in a row. But I'm not advocating any sort of QB switch. I think they miss Patten out there, and with Thrash gone now it makes things even more difficult. A lot of people say "well, Patten didn't put up good numbers" But you have to understand that defenses respect Patten. They know what he's done in the past and what he's capable of. And he's a smart route runner. Jacobs hasn't done anything in his career to earn the respect of opposing defenses. He has to perform better. If he doesn't get open and make plays then he won't earn the respect of opposing defenses. And this means more double teams for Moss and Cooley.
This game against San Diego is crucial. The Chargers are an explosive offense that are better than their record shows. Once again we're playing a stationary QB and if we had a pass rush we could put pressure on him. You saw what happened when we pressured Collins, he threw an interception. We've been fortunate to face several QBs who can't move and yet we haven't been able to come up with any sort of pass rush. Frustrating, very frustrating.
Well, let's end this on a good note. I'm happy to see John Hall back kicking.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you at TheWarpath.net!
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Tony McGee's NFL career started in 1971 where he was a starting defensive end for the Chicago Bears. In 1974, Tony began a 7 year stint with the New England Patriots and earned the nickname, "Mac the Sack." His unique ability to swarm opposing quarterbacks helped coin the phrase, "designated pass rusher." Tony's career as a Washington Redskin began in 1982, and included a Super Bowl championship. Tony ended his spectacular career in 1985 with 106 career sacks and played in over 200 games -- a feat achieved only by a select group of NFL defensive linemen.
For more information visit http://www.tonymcgeeplus.com
There really isn't much to say after this game. I think this game and the Chiefs game have been the most disappointing. I think those were two games we should have definitely won. I feel like a broken record here. Week after week it's the same problems-turnovers and a lack of a pass rush. Yes the officials made some bad calls but when you blow a 13-3 lead you can't hold the officials responsible or blame them for the loss.
Skinsguy and BigSkinBauer, at this point of the season, they still have legitimate playoff aspirations. It's too early to write them off. They don't need to win out, but they do need to win this Sunday. And that's the approach they'll have to take each week-forget about last Sunday, don't think about next Sunday, and just win this Sunday. And don't look at the standings or worry about tie-breakers or any of that stuff. Players don't concern themselves with that.
Gmanc711, I don't think that Gibbs did a poor job of preparing the team. It wasn't Gibbs or any of the other coaches that fumbled the ball or had costly turnovers. That's on the players. The players need to eliminate their mistakes. It's really inexcusable. And they seemed to get knocked out of the flow of the game coming out of the locker room at halftime. I wasn't on the sidelines so I don't know what was going on with the players but their intensity wasn't the same.
My critique of the coaching would be that I felt they probably abandoned the run too soon. I'm a firm believer that you always run more than you pass. And the Redskin's record of 10-0 since Gibbs came back in games when they run more than they pass proves that it's the way to go. Always run until you can't run anymore.
I thought Brunell played very poorly in the second half, missing about 8 passes in a row. But I'm not advocating any sort of QB switch. I think they miss Patten out there, and with Thrash gone now it makes things even more difficult. A lot of people say "well, Patten didn't put up good numbers" But you have to understand that defenses respect Patten. They know what he's done in the past and what he's capable of. And he's a smart route runner. Jacobs hasn't done anything in his career to earn the respect of opposing defenses. He has to perform better. If he doesn't get open and make plays then he won't earn the respect of opposing defenses. And this means more double teams for Moss and Cooley.
This game against San Diego is crucial. The Chargers are an explosive offense that are better than their record shows. Once again we're playing a stationary QB and if we had a pass rush we could put pressure on him. You saw what happened when we pressured Collins, he threw an interception. We've been fortunate to face several QBs who can't move and yet we haven't been able to come up with any sort of pass rush. Frustrating, very frustrating.
Well, let's end this on a good note. I'm happy to see John Hall back kicking.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you at TheWarpath.net!
##################################################
Tony McGee's NFL career started in 1971 where he was a starting defensive end for the Chicago Bears. In 1974, Tony began a 7 year stint with the New England Patriots and earned the nickname, "Mac the Sack." His unique ability to swarm opposing quarterbacks helped coin the phrase, "designated pass rusher." Tony's career as a Washington Redskin began in 1982, and included a Super Bowl championship. Tony ended his spectacular career in 1985 with 106 career sacks and played in over 200 games -- a feat achieved only by a select group of NFL defensive linemen.
For more information visit http://www.tonymcgeeplus.com