2003 vs 2004: Quarterly Review

[SmootSmack]

Not sure what we can take from these numbers but here they are:

2003

Week One 6 penalties/55 yards, 2 turnovers (won by 3)
Week Two 12 penalties/79 yards, 2 turnovers (won by 2)
Week Three 17 penalties, 142 yards, 1 turnover (lost by 3)
Week Four 9 penalties, 75 yards, 0 turnovers (won by 3)

2004

Week One 3 penalties/33 yards, 1 turnover (won by 6)
Week Two 7 penalties, 50 yards, 7 turnovers (lost by 6)
Week Three 7 penalties, 87 yards, 0 turnovers (lost by 3)
Week Four 7 penalties, 58 yards, 2 turnovers (lost by 4)


Looks like we could have just as easily been 1-3 to start last year as well. Or 3-1 this year. Just goes to show how tough this league is

[VTSkins897]

pray cos we cud be done

[Gmanc711]

As long as the next three quarters arent duplacites of last year, I dont care.

[irish]

Gibbs is stuck trying to get essentially the same bunch of undisciplined stiffs to play his highly disciplined brand of football that could not do it for the other redskin coaches. Gibbs has a monumental task ahead of him.

[Daseal]

Didn't we turn the ball over 7 times against the Giants?

Seeing as how we won with more penelties and more TOs shows that Brunell can't move the ball.

[SUNRA]

If Brunell couldn't move this team our offensive yardage would be far lower than 322 yards per game. The real problem is the running game. I said it earlier in the preseason that this team can not rely on a savior to carry this team. Portis maybe in over his head. If you watch him, he's not running hard or hitting the hole decisively.

Moving the ball hasn't been Brunell's problem. Getting the ball in the endzone is still the Redskins problem. Brunell has led the team down to the redzone enough times to win every game we lost. To me the play calling became one dimensional and predictable. No bootleg has been called at the goal line since Cooley's TD against the Giants. Dropped passes and fumbles are not going to help Brunell to be successful. The question that must be asked of Portis, is he helping or hurting this team? Right now he's killing us softly. No hundred yard game since the Bucs and this is what we expect from him.

[That Guy]

so you can blame portis for not having a 100 yard game, but not brunell for missing 300 yard games? cause that's what i'd like to see...

i still put some of the running blame on the OL too... portis isn't alone on that field, and usually doesn't have a lead blocker to help either.

[MTK]

If your QB has to throw for 300+ yards a game to win you've got problems.

Brunell wasn't brought here to be a gunslinger, he was brought in to manage the game and to not make critical mistakes.

He's done his job for the most part, the running game on the other hand has not.

Add in turnovers, penalties and sloppy play and that all adds up to a struggling offense.

[SmootSmack]

Hey Daseal, thanks. You're right about the 7 turnovers against the Giants. That was a typo on my part (that's what I get for posting at 2:30 in the morning). I've fixed it now

[Beemnseven]

Originally Posted by smootsmack

Not sure what we can take from these numbers but here they are:

2003

Week One 6 penalties/55 yards, 2 turnovers (won by 3)
Week Two 12 penalties/79 yards, 2 turnovers (won by 2)
Week Three 17 penalties, 142 yards, 1 turnover (lost by 3)
Week Four 9 penalties, 75 yards, 0 turnovers (won by 3)

2004

Week One 3 penalties/33 yards, 1 turnover (won by 6)
Week Two 7 penalties, 50 yards, 7 turnovers (lost by 6)
Week Three 7 penalties, 87 yards, 0 turnovers (lost by 3)
Week Four 7 penalties, 58 yards, 2 turnovers (lost by 4)


Looks like we could have just as easily been 1-3 to start last year as well. Or 3-1 this year. Just goes to show how tough this league is

First of all Smoot, we had SEVEN turnovers in Week 2 against the Giants this year, not just one.

Another thing, the offense last year scored 16, 33, 21, and 20 points respectively. The most we've scored this year so far is a measly 18 points. Say what you will about Spurrier and his failure in the NFL -- at least his offense got in the endzone -- and that was without the running game everyone said we needed so desperately.

[SmootSmack]

Again, sorry for the typo. I've fixed the 1 turnover to 7 for the Giants game

[MTK]

Smoot we had 7 TURNOVERS against the Giants, not 1, get it straight!!!

LOL

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

If your QB has to throw for 300+ yards a game to win you've got problems.

Brunell wasn't brought here to be a gunslinger, he was brought in to manage the game and to not make critical mistakes.

He's done his job for the most part, the running game on the other hand has not.

Add in turnovers, penalties and sloppy play and that all adds up to a struggling offense.

I agree that the turnovers, penalties, dropped balls, and crappy officiating has hurt our offense, but I still cannot say that Brunell has done his job. A HUGE reason why Portis hasn't been that effective is that we have NO, NONE, ZIP, ZERO deep-passing game. We've been dinking and dunking and opposing defenses have been able to sit near the line of scrimmage and crush Portis and anyone who gets a catch in the flats.

Gibbs' system uses the deep ball to pull defenses away from the line of scrimmage so the screens and running game works. We have no credibility with the opposing safeties.

[Beemnseven]

Originally Posted by Ramseyfan

I agree that the turnovers, penalties, dropped balls, and crappy officiating has hurt our offense, but I still cannot say that Brunell has done his job. A HUGE reason why Portis hasn't been that effective is that we have NO, NONE, ZIP, ZERO deep-passing game. We've been dinking and dunking and opposing defenses have been able to sit near the line of scrimmage and crush Portis and anyone who gets a catch in the flats.

Gibbs' system uses the deep ball to pull defenses away from the line of scrimmage so the screens and running game works. We have no credibility with the opposing safeties.

Ramseyfan is right on, here. Save for a few deep completions to Gardner against a Cowboy defense that slacked off and thought the game was won, nobody is scared about the Redskins picking up big chunks of yardage through the air. And Gardner was bottled up well by the Browns. In that situation, when a team looks at the film from a week before and is determined not to let someone like Rod Gardner beat them, it's Coles' job to step up, and make them pay for that stragedy.

Unfortunately, 7 catches for 116 yards or so just wasn't enough. I'm going go out on a limb to say this, and I know people aren't going to like to hear it, but...Laveranues Coles has not lived up to expectations yet. I know he's injured and playing hurt. But while he had good numbers last year, he has not been the dominating force that makes opponents tremble in fear for our passing game. He's part of the second-tier quality wideouts in the game, well behind receivers like Owens, Moss, Holt and Harrison. Until we get a playmaker on the level of those players, or close to it, (along with a quarterback whose job, everyone agrees, is to simply not make mistakes and just 'manage the game') our passing game will continue to underachieve.

[MTK]

So last year at this time we were 3-1, this year 1-3. Just goes to show you can't tell much by the first 1/4 of the season. Last year we only won 2 games the rest of the way. Things can change quickly for the better and for the worse. Let's hope for the best.