Smoke Signals for Dec. 1: 'The State of the Skins' edition

[Spence]

The Redskins are in trouble if they want to make the playoffs. The team has dropped 3 of its last 4 and at 7-5 overall, would be out of the playoffs if they began this weekend. The Redskins face a brutal test this Sunday night in Baltimore, where they will face as good a defense as they have encountered all season — and they haven’t been very good at scoring against top defenses. They are staring 7-6 in the face and the only hope they have is to catch the Cowboys. At 9-3, the top current wild card team, the Carolina Panthers, is probably beyond reach. Passing the 8-4 Cowboys and getting Head Coach Wade Phillips fired is all the hope Washington has right now.

I think most of us knew this was a very flawed team before the season began. The Redskins made the playoffs last year at 9-7 in a very weak conference and were immediately tossed out of the postseason by a Seahawks team that wasn’t more than merely good in its own right. In the AFC, the Redskins wouldn’t have gotten a whiff of the playoffs and they didn’t really look like a genuine playoff team to me. Joe Gibbs led the players on an emotional ride to January following the death of Sean Taylor, but on Sunday we saw how much good that sort of emotion did a year later. Some perspective is in order. The Redskins are 7-5 and in the thick of the playoff race. Their record is better now than it was at this point in the season during any of Joe Gibbs’ last 4 years as head coach. Compared to recent coaches like Steve Spurrier and Norv Turner, Head Coach Jim Zorn looks flawed, but promising in many ways.

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[PennSkinsFan]

I would agree with pretty much the whole article Tom.

I just really don't know how to judge Jason Campbell right now, whenever really had a good Line to pass protect and has lacked and still does lack, a legit second receiver, allowing Moss to get doubled up. The age and play of the offensive line worries me greatly.

Our DEs stink. Pure and simple.

We have four major problems IMO.

1. OLine: Tom is right. Beyond Samuels, I am just not sure there is much there. Being realistic though, we cannot possible address all. I am hoping Heyer gets back in the lineup. Rinehart could be a solution somewhere next year. Priorities next year should be OT and OG. Too bad we don't have a second round pick, we actually gave that up for Jason Taylor.

2. DEs. Both need replaced. Both. Neither are good.

3. WR: We have to find a legit second receiver that actually scares someone.

4. LB: Washington is done. Fletcher is awesome but again. HB Blades has gotten a good look and was a good find. We need to replace Washington with another good lienbacker in free agency.