Time for the Monday Morning Quarterbacks

After the debacle that was the Washington Redskins's loss to the until-now-winless Detroit Lions I was truly at a loss as to what to say. I know that people were already pointing the fingers and second-guessing the plays on the field and calls being made by the coaching staff but I try to avoid that where at all possible. Although I may be a whiz on Madden football games on the XBox or in my understanding of most of the intricacies of the game, I know that I don't have the right (or the skills necessary) to make falsely informed decisions about what the team 'could have' or 'should have' done during the course of the game. All I know is that the team was coming off of a victory that was more or less handed to them the previous week through good fortune and was playing a team with questionable skill. I can tell you though that the Lions I seemed to be watching appeared to be a team on the crux of entering the playoffs at that moment given the way they were moving the ball and defending against the Redskins offensive line.

No team wanted to be the one that gave up a win to the 0-19 Lions but somehow it seems fitting that the team that they get their first win in over 20 months is the Washington Redskins. The Redskins have long been considered one of the teams out there with the greatest potential but unfortunately they never seem to live up to it. Now blame can be pointed at the players for failing to make plays or to the coaching staff but whoever the blame ultimately lies with the fact remains that the team really can't seem to pull it together. One would think that after scraping by to win against the St. Louis Rams last week it would be motivation to come out against the Lions and rack up a score for a moral victory. Unfortunately the team never seems to get things together until the final drives of a game when it's almost too late to do anything at all.

One thing I feel is that while a lot of the players on the team are among the highest paid in the National Football League it doesn't always seem like they're playing on the same team. If one part of the team 'package' (i.e., offense or defense) seems to be working properly the other doesn't seem to work correctly. So then what's the motivation to get them playing up to the potential they all believe that they have within themselves? I'm not really sure. Nothing seems to have worked so far in years past. But what shouldn't the team do? Well let's take a look.

I don't think that firing Jim Zorn would be the way to go. Sure Zorn is ultimately responsible for calling the plays that the team goes through but by getting rid of him at this juncture I don't think it will improve the situation all that much. The Redskins have been through this in the past where a coach has been removed before the season is even over. If Zorn is ultimately removed, it should happen after the season is over. Why mess up a rhythm (whether it's good or bad) because ultimately it isn't going to suddenly light a fire to inspire the players since nothing really seems to have worked for them so far. They can bench Jason Campbell and then bring in Todd Collins; quarterback controversies are nothing new in Washington. After all Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerato started one even before the preseason started this year by going after Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez despite the fact everyone else seemed to have renewed confidence in Jason Campbell after his early performance last year.

What motivation do the higher-ups in the Redskins think that will provide if you are already courting replacements before practice has even started. It strikes me as being ill-advised but formulaic of the Redskins. Courting players who are good on paper but not necessarily in real life is nothing new. Plus I think at times Snyder and Cerrato are like fantasy football players who go for stats rather than combined capability. Just because players have good individual stats doesnt' mean that they play well together. That has long been a problem here in Washington and it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon if people don't change their attitude. We're only in week 3 here in the 2009-2010 season and I'm already beginning to feel very skeptical but who knows. I have hopes but they shouldn't already put to the dwindling level less than a month into the season.