Play Calling

[firstdown]

I will start by saying I was surprised by how well we played but it was another game we should of won. The Skins have one big problem and I feel its combination of players and coaching. When we play a weak team we play weak. When we play a tough team we play tough. We paly hard to gain the lead then we play soft after the lead. What I'm trying to say is that we do not play at a constant level we go up and down and in the end we lose the game.

[#56fanatic]

Originally Posted by SUNRA

Check this out. We pick off Brees at their 30yd line with about 50 seconds left in the game. Portis finally gets 9 yds on one run. Wait a minute, penalty. A 10yd penalty puts the ball at the 40yd. line. Do we throw the ball or just let Portis carry this team on his shoulders since he dropped the team last week ? Yes, Portis runs no gain. He runs again. Third down, no one is open and Brunell runs out of bounds. Why Gibbs why? Why Don Breaux why? Why give the ball away to the third team to beat us on a raggedy fourth quarter decision?

Hey in todays NFL if your kicker cant make a 53 yarder hes not very good. look at the good teams they have a kicker who can boom for 55 or 57. Granted Hall is not 100%, I dont think they should be throwing the ball either, look how they got down there, int on a pass play that shouldn't have been called.

[#56fanatic]

Originally Posted by Twilbert07

Yes, but our team is getting worse as the season goes on this year. We're not really building anything right now. I hope we turn it around, but it looks dark right now.

This is not a rebulding team. All the money we spent for this player and that player does not give them room to say, well its our second year, we are still filling the gaps. that is not what Joe, and especially Danny expected when spending the money he spends. Was signing Spring,Griffin, Washington, Harris, Brunell, Portis something was was thought of as a future winning season. NO!! they signed these players to win now. If it was a future building project you certainly wouldn't trade away ALL of your draft picks, sign a 35 year old QB to be your starter and pay you coaching staff the most in the history of the NFL. This is a win not organization, they dont have 3 or 4 years to get it right!

[#56fanatic]

Originally Posted by Paintrain

1-10-SD31 (1:04) C.Portis to SD 25 for 6 yards (B.Jue, D.Florence).
2-4-SD25 (:55) C.Portis right end to SD 25 for no gain (L.Castillo).
PENALTY on WAS-C.Rabach, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at SD 25 - No Play.
2-14-SD35 (:50) C.Portis left end to SD 35 for no gain (R.Godfrey).
3-14-SD35 (:40) M.Brunell pass incomplete to C.Cooley (S.Merriman).
4-14-SD35 (:35) J.Hall 52 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Right, Center-E.Albright, Holder-D.Frost.

From the 35 you are already out of FG range, why are you running the ball instead of running a short pass? No gain leads to 3rd and long which plays right into the defenses hands.. On 2nd and 4 from the 25 why not throw a quick slant to Moss or Jacobs or a quick out to Cooley? Get the 1st, get a few more yds.. The mentality of 'playing it safe' is exactly why we have lost the past 3 games.

Are you kidding? You dont pass the ball when you are in the range they were in. that would be totally stupid. You do exactly what they did. Run the ball, set up your kicker where he kicks the best. Good teams dont commit penalties in those situations. GOOD TEAMS, which we are far from it.

[FirstandTen]

The playing calling was terrible the entire 4th quarter. Gibbs cost us the game.

[Twilbert07]

Whether you love or hate Michael Wilbon, he makes some very valid points about how the offense cost us the game:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...112701111.html

[Paintrain]

Originally Posted by #56fanatic

Are you kidding? You dont pass the ball when you are in the range they were in. that would be totally stupid. You do exactly what they did. Run the ball, set up your kicker where he kicks the best. Good teams dont commit penalties in those situations. GOOD TEAMS, which we are far from it.

But when you do commit a penalty on 2nd and 4 you DON'T run again on 2nd and 14!! I agree that running the ball is ok when you are well within range, but the 2nd and 14 call was far too conservative.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Paintrain

But when you do commit a penalty on 2nd and 4 you DON'T run again on 2nd and 14!! I agree that running the ball is ok when you are well within range, but the 2nd and 14 call was far too conservative.

On the other hand, you could argue that a pass on 2nd and 14 is the expected call so by running you're actually not giving the defense what it expects

[bigm29]

Gibbs playcalling is still horrible. We have one running play. Goal line formation, then go left or right. They know we are running, we make it obvious we are running, it doesnt work, and we keep doing the same thing. come on. Our offense is way too conservative still. Also I think that Brunell is scared to throw the ball. Our two touchdown drives were great. Why dont we play like that every drive. We only score when we have to, which why we put 35 points on the leagues #1 Defense in Tampa, and only 6 on the horrible Raiders.

Oh and does anyone remember when we beat dallas with the 2 deep throws to santana. Why dont we do that again. He can run past any corner or safety in the league. We did not throw deep one time in that game.

[#56fanatic]

Originally Posted by bigm29

Gibbs playcalling is still horrible. We have one running play. Goal line formation, then go left or right. They know we are running, we make it obvious we are running, it doesnt work, and we keep doing the same thing. come on. Our offense is way too conservative still. Also I think that Brunell is scared to throw the ball. Our two touchdown drives were great. Why dont we play like that every drive. We only score when we have to, which why we put 35 points on the leagues #1 Defense in Tampa, and only 6 on the horrible Raiders.

Oh and does anyone remember when we beat dallas with the 2 deep throws to santana. Why dont we do that again. He can run past any corner or safety in the league. We did not throw deep one time in that game.

Teams have started doubling Moss with a safety over the top. He has basically been taken out of the game. Until we can get a legit #2 guy to make teams pay for doing that we will continue to struggle. And until our line can create some running room the extra safety will stay back and take our deep ball away from us. We never use Portis to his strengths, we might as well get use to it as long as Gibbs and Co. are calling the plays. Hopefully when Gibbs does decide to hang it up, Portis will still be here and the next guy will open up the playbook. Portis is a very versatile player and can do a multiple of things and line up a WR or in motion out of the backfield. We have two playmakers on offense, we need to try and get the ball in their hands more than we do. Portis needs to be moved around more, if he continues to be forced to run between the tackles, we will continue to struggle running the ball when it counts. If a team knows you only run up the middle, they are going to stack the line when you are trying to run the clock. If a team has to guard against sweeps, zone blocking, stretch plays, they can not key on certain formations and send multiple people in those gaps. It may keep teams a little more honest so to speak.

[Longtimefan]

Originally Posted by #56fanatic

Are you kidding? You dont pass the ball when you are in the range they were in. that would be totally stupid. You do exactly what they did. Run the ball, set up your kicker where he kicks the best. Good teams dont commit penalties in those situations. GOOD TEAMS, which we are far from it.

You're correct in your thinking that in that situation you normally would run the ball. However after the run on 1st down and the resulting penalty setting up 2nd & 14 and now out of FG range you have to pass the ball in an effort to gain back the lost yardage and a better position to kick the GW field goal. That was one of those situations where the defense obviously is thinking run because that's the norm. I feel some of us are thinking it may have been best to do the opposite of what the defense expects in that situation.

[offiss]

Originally Posted by #56fanatic

This is not a rebulding team. All the money we spent for this player and that player does not give them room to say, well its our second year, we are still filling the gaps. that is not what Joe, and especially Danny expected when spending the money he spends. Was signing Spring,Griffin, Washington, Harris, Brunell, Portis something was was thought of as a future winning season. NO!! they signed these players to win now. If it was a future building project you certainly wouldn't trade away ALL of your draft picks, sign a 35 year old QB to be your starter and pay you coaching staff the most in the history of the NFL. This is a win not organization, they dont have 3 or 4 years to get it right!

Well said 56, I really don't want to hear the rebuilding argument when you sign a 35 year old QB, and bench a promising youngster in Ramsey, when that trade was made that was what everyone was saying, to late to backtrack now.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by #56fanatic

This is not a rebulding team...This is a win not organization, they dont have 3 or 4 years to get it right!

typo?...or freudian slip?

[MTK]

I don't think the Skins are anywhere near rebuilding mode.

This offseason will be similar to last year, a few low key moves, maybe a splashy sign like a DE, and that's about it.

[#56fanatic]

Originally Posted by TAFKAS

typo?...or freudian slip?

funny, I just noticed I typed that. It was suppose to be a win NOW organization, but I guess the word that came out is still correct in a sence. A win NOT organization, atleast not for the last 10 years.