First 1/4 season completed .........

[Patrick]

and our Washington Redskins are 3-1.
Your thoughts on how we've done ..........
Surprises ..............
Disappointments ...............
Changes that need to be made .............
Outlook from this point ...................


IMO we've had as good of first quarter of a season as I was hoping for. 3-1 at this point is pretty darn good and to still be on top of the NFC East, well that amazing!!!!

Surprises ........... Burnell no doubt. He's found that bottle of youth which is a pretty cool thing to see. Santana Moss has done an outstanding job.

Disappointments ............... Even though they are good, our defense still lacks in some areas - turnovers for one and sacks for another. On the offense, lack of point production.

Changes ................ Yep - Get Hall out of here and give the job flat out to Kovak. Clear the air about the Arington situation. Give Nehemiah Broughton a chance to run the ball on goal line situation.

Outlook........... If we play .750 ball for the rest of the season WE WILL ALL have smiles on our faces at the end of Dec.

[bgforever]

Honestly, I thought the scheduler put us in a recipe for disaster at first.

Now, in retro - 3-1, Giants more of a surprise than we - why? Weren't we the cellar door, in spite of Manning at the helm in the big Apple?

No, we were as good as Dallas, if not better, to improve, TO IMPROVE, NOT necessarily challenge for the Division title. Ok maybe WE felt it, but come on, the jury was out buying sandwiches and getting their nails done.

Now we are sitting somewhere, while we GET Better each week.

1. From week one, to now the average score has crept up, time of posession, sacks permitted went down, field position gained by opponents is still hard for them to come by and the ability to overcome adverse situations and scores is improving. I am not wanting to beat a dead horse, but face it, these are winning JG trademarks for a contender. We can't actually acknowledge it just yet (this could be like that year, Arizona knocked us out of the playoffs disappointingly years ago, or when Dallas did it (so is that like the last one of the season perhaps - against Philly in Philly?)

2. The defense is actually adjusted, makeshift in Denver, with a return of a starter and a new one adjusting. Still Denver was reeling until the last possible play we could have. WE controlled that game in spite of our ills, like Indianapolis yesterday, we just didn't get the win. It will come!

3. No player is pointing fingers, no one is bailing out and no one is accepting losing. This IS the team (with only two changes on the roster and one at coaching), now we can only hope this is the season or soon!

[joethefan]

Surpises - Brunell is truly stepping up to become the leader of this team. Santana Moss - is really making me love the trade. He shows up every week. That I like.

Dissapointments - Lavar....I can't say anything else.

Changes - Even though the Defense only allowed 21 points, we are getting no pressure. Everyone is crying about our lack of takeways, but pressure provides that door to create turnovers, hurries lead to ints, fumbles.

Outlook - Even though I hate losing, if we're gonna lose to a team, I would rather lose to an AFC team than an NFC team. Sorry for the content comment but that' how I feel.


I am very excited about this team.

[bwparker]

Changes ................ Yep - Get Hall out of here and give the job flat out to Kovak. Clear the air about the Arington situation. Give Nehemiah Broughton a chance to run the ball on goal line situation.


I think there is a reason we haven't dropped Hall for NOVAK:). (I'll give you a hint it starts with 'B' and ends with 'LOCKED').

But the Nemo situation is something that has been troubling me. Actually I kinda forgot about Nemo(dumb me), but I kept thinking: Is Portis really the guy we want back there ramming the ball into the endzone? I understand the reasoning, he's our superstar back. He wants the rock, give it to him. But isn't Ladell a bigger back, can't ANY of our other three backs move the pile better. Don't get me wrong, I'm in AWE of Portis' abilities, but I just don't see him creating holes for himself between the tackles AT the goalline. Thats especially hard for me to say because I also have him on my Fantasy team.

[tbfoster1]

Suprises....The offense as a whole

each game we have moved the ball a little bit better, sure the game against the cowboys the ball was moved in the last few minutes but it moved none the less.

against a good broncos defense our O gained 447 in the rain at denver. Yes we didn't put up the points to win but we couldn't even move the ball a foot last year. The yards are coming...TDs will follow

Dissapointments...Basically the lack of pass rush from the D and all of a sudden giving up big plays...Hell, I think the defense plays better when they are on the field all the time. maybe its shock that they are getting rest...either way they are still a good unit and when we get our corners healthy again that should help limit the big plays.

changes...on offense maybe some different play calling on 3rd and short. work on stupid penalties. For the most part I like whats going on there

defense...get the corners back, maybe sign an extra one, get lavar in there, sacks and turnovers

special teams...they just need to stop f-ing around and get with the picture, too many false starts, blocks in the back, holding, blocked field goals etc...

Outlook...The outlook is good in my opinion, with everything said above the most important improvement is to stop with the dumb crap, stop shooting ourselves in the foot.

and pay off the referees....ok ok I shouldn't go there because I guess there is no reason to keep beating a dead horse....**Elbow Drops Dead Horse**

[dj_stouty]

Your thoughts on how we've done

Prior to the season starting, I fully expected to the Skins to be 2-2 going into Arrow Head stadium. 3-1 is a bonus for me. NFL Coaches look at the season in four quarters. If you can win three of four every quarter, you are playoff bound. That simple. Right now, we are overachieving our expectations, and I think the fanbase should be happy.Surprises

I was one of the few who stood by Mark Brunell late into last season...and while I always thought he could command this offense better than Ramsey, I must say I am surprised at how efficient he has been. 320+ yards, 2TDs, 0INTs on the road versus Denverin the rain? How amazing a performance is that?!?!?! I'm impressed and surprised. He has been our MVP so far this year. NO ONE, but Joe Gibbs saw this coming.
I thought Santana Moss was good....but I never expected him to be THIS good. He has a real connection with Brunell...and his 458 yards in 4 games is tremendous. He is a real asset to this team. The Jets can have "The Toe"! Side stat: Did you know that Santana Moss has only 8 less yards and the same number of TDs as Randy Moss over the first four games of the season?
Disappointments

I'm disappointed in our inability to run the ball off the 1, 2 or 3 yard line. In the NFL, when you have the ball on the goaline, you MUST be able to punch it in. Skins couldn't do it last year...and they are horrible at it this year too. I don't blame Portis for this. I think our O-line needs more push off the line...and I don't think adding a 43 year old lineman helps things.
Our Defense needs to sack the QB and force turnovers if the Skins want to continue to win. Period. Done. End of Story. The offense is doing their part creating multiple 10+ play drives and limiting turnovers...now it is time for the defense to step up and turn the ball over in enemy territory so our offense can get some easier points.Changes that need to be made

The Goaline package needs to be improved. They can't rely on a Mark Brunell pass to a FB or TE for every touchdown conversion inside the 5 yard line. Give the rock to Portis. Fantasy football owners around the world would rejoice! ;)
Start Lavar. He is too talented to be sitting...and I have a hard time believing Warrick Holdman knows the schemes any better than Lavar. I rarely hear Holdman's name during the broadcast, and he is far behind his other starting LBs in tackles.
I hope Greg Williams has a list of "positions to draft next year" and the number one position on the list is a pass-rushing defensive end. WE NEED SACKS, HITS AND HURRIES! Once you hit the quarterback, you get into his head. When his jersey is clean, you give him confidence. That needs to change next year...Outlook from this point

Looking ahead at the next "quarter" of games...we have a tough road game in KC, an easier matchup at home against San Fran, a divisional road game against the Giants and then they host Philly the first week in November. If the Skins want any chance of going 3-1 over this quarter, the wins must start this Sunday in Kansas City. I think they can beat SF and the Giants...but Philly always gives us a tough game.

[dj_stouty]

I think there is a reason we haven't dropped Hall for NOVAK:). (I'll give you a hint it starts with 'B' and ends with 'LOCKED').

But the Nemo situation is something that has been troubling me. Actually I kinda forgot about Nemo(dumb me), but I kept thinking: Is Portis really the guy we want back there ramming the ball into the endzone? I understand the reasoning, he's our superstar back. He wants the rock, give it to him. But isn't Ladell a bigger back, can't ANY of our other three backs move the pile better. Don't get me wrong, I'm in AWE of Portis' abilities, but I just don't see him creating holes for himself between the tackles AT the goalline. Thats especially hard for me to say because I also have him on my Fantasy team.

Doesn't matter who is getting the carries....as long as the O-line continues to lose the battle on the goaline.

[bwparker]

Doesn't matter who is getting the carries....as long as the O-line continues to lose the battle on the goaline.

I don't disagree with you. But a bigger back can push that pile move things closer and sometimes break through. Portis hits it and falls down, he's amzingly talented but he doesn't have tremendous power. IF our o-line won the battle at the goalline, Portis could push it in just as well as anybody else, but so could all the other backs we have...so lets get the bigger guys some carries.

Then shoot them if they fumble:devil2:

[BandWagon]

Surprises: Well depending on what our starting point is...if it's after the preseason than I'm not surprised by Brunell. If it's back in the offseason, that's a big one. Maybe Patten not quite as productive as a thought...there really aren't any huge surprises for me.

Disappointments: Yardage, TOP, First Downs...No points. That's got to be the big one. The offense is working, we're simply not scoring. Special teams. Antonio Brown dropping the ball...no pun intended. Disruptions at the kicking positions..consistency.

Changes: Keep getting the ball downfield. Free up Portis. We MUST score more points...especially with 450 yards of offense. This has got to change.

Outlook: Favorable. 3-1 is a great start. A split on the Denver/KC road trip is still important. Again the keys to finishing the season will be winning at home and a winning record in the division. The good news is that we can play with any team in the league.

[GolfFreak]

and our Washington Redskins are 3-1.
Your thoughts on how we've done ..........
Surprises ..............
Disappointments ...............
Changes that need to be made .............
Outlook from this point ...................


Surprises: Brunell and Moss connection. I was worried about our small receivers, but I've been pleasantly surprised so far this seasons.

Disappointments: Turnover differential is killing me. We seem to give it up at least once a game, but never get it back for the O. Also, lack of pressure on the QB w/o bring everyone is a problem.

Changes: Find a role for LaVar - he is a beast and needs to be on the field. I wonder if he makes the tackle on Bell that went for 55 yards and a score.

Outlook: Hopeful. I was praying we could come out of this road trip with a split, but that makes the game at KC a must win. Then we get a "gimme" at home with the 49ers, but then some tough divisional games are coming up vs. Philly and the Gints. We need to win in the division, something we've been lacking in the recent past.

[GibbsRules!]

Surprises ........... Burnell no doubt. He's found that bottle of youth which is a pretty cool thing to see. Santana Moss has done an outstanding job.

Definately the play of Brunell. I have to add that our ability to convert 3rd downs has really surprised me. We went into yesterdays game 2nd in the league to SD in overall 3rd down conversion percentage and finished the game 6-15. Not bad considering we haven't had too many 3rd and shorts this year.

Disappointments ............... Even though they are good, our defense still lacks in some areas - turnovers for one and sacks for another. On the offense, lack of point production.
The whole Lavar issue and our inability to create turnovers.

Changes ................ Yep - Get Hall out of here and give the job flat out to Kovak. Clear the air about the Arington situation. Give Nehemiah Broughton a chance to run the ball on goal line situation.

Our red zone offense and its inability to punch the ball in when we have 1st and Goal inside the 5yd line. The Coaching staff needs to address this issue.


Outlook........... If we play .750 ball for the rest of the season WE WILL ALL have smiles on our faces at the end of Dec.
The never-say-die attitude of our team will translate into at least 7 more wins this season. We have a lot of heart and should be in every game this year.

HTTR!

[alphaman]

Chiefs fan here ( I come in peace).

I write a weekly article on a Chiefs website where I interview fans from our upcoming opponent. The premise is that the real experts of the NFL are the local fans.

That being said, would any of you agree to be apart of this weeks panel? I need 3 or 4 volunteers.

Let me know. I'll need your email address.

[flave1969]

Surprised - The Offense. Brunell has played fine football. Santana Moss has been phenomenal, if he carries on at this pace he will finish with 92 catches for over 1800 yards.

Dissapointment - The Defense. No pressure at all. We have already seen more ill disciplined plays in four games than in the whole of last year. The D finally has some Offense to work with and it has not really grasped the mantle.

Red Zone run blocking. There is still no push up front and way to much penetration. Portis, Betts et al stand no chance at the moment.

Things we need to work on - Turnovers. I have seen our Defensive backs especially Matt Bowen drop makeable Interceptions. We could easily have four or five picks. When the chance comes it must be taken. We have had chances every game so far this year.

Goal line Running. I refuse to believe that we cannot get a simple push in the RedZone. We need hard nosed straight ahead blocking. there is simply to much penetration.

Outlook

We can win all these upcoming games.

Kansas City can be man handled but our D must be tough. Priest Holmes is not himself but Green is a good QB who can do damage. I give them the edge because they are at home.

San Francisco should not be underestimated but we can beat up on them and go into the Giants game at least 4-2.

I like the way we match up with the Giants. They have Dallas and Denver before us so they could easily be at .500 come game time. They have played three weak teams and have beat them up but San Diego put 45 on them and no genuine contender should ship that many points.

Philly got hammered yesterday and were very poor, they were well down against KC. For a team that throws so much, having an injured QB only hurts them.

Prediction 2-2 but could be even better.

[ppease]

After the first 1/4 of the season I am quite hopeful.

Most improved has been the offense passing game. The OL pass protection has been very good. Mark Brunnel has been the QB that I had expected him to be when we signed him. Santana Moss has been spectacular and Chris Cooley has picked up right where he left off last season.

Our defense has not performed quite as well as I expected; but my expectations were very high because I expected them to totally dominate with LaVar back healthy. So far the defense has been good but not great.

Special teams have not been as good as I hoped. Both our punter and kicker have been hurt and the replacements have not been quite as good.

Coaching is very good. Joe Gibbs is his second year has the team playing each game for a full 60 minutes with intensity. The team has come together as a team that is confident and has a winning attitude.

At 3-1 I'm liking our chances of being in the hunt for making the playoffs.

[Skaggsrules]

Chiefs fan here ( I come in peace).

I write a weekly article on a Chiefs website where I interview fans from our upcoming opponent. The premise is that the real experts of the NFL are the local fans.

That being said, would any of you agree to be apart of this weeks panel? I need 3 or 4 volunteers.

Let me know. I'll need your email address.

I'll do it if you still need a volunteer

[bgforever]

Opponent's QB - Trent Green - What worries me about this guy, is always his incentive to show the Skins up, every time. He relishes in it and just when we need to get these guys off their butt, to apply pressure on the QB, we get his quick release, his eyes, movement in the pocket and arm. Great just what we need.

Our counter to this is: Blitz one, but use three different players at given times. especially 2nd down every so often, 1st series blitz the corners. Second half, rush five costantly and then back off and rotate the DE's. Green won't make enough audibles in a week, but he'll be forced to use timeouts often :)

This is what can jumpstart the Skins defense, and after being 3-1 tied for first in the division, it is time to go to the next level. Assertion.

[openallnight]

Surprises ...........
- The play of Moss. It's so nice having a receiver you can count on to catch the ball consistently and produce YAC.
- Brunell's arm and accuracy. Especially, when he's on the move.

Disappointments ...............
- Offensive penalties continue to cost us.
- [Not So] Special Teams: Penalties, Missed Assignments, No Return game
Almost cost us the Bears game and now cost us the Broncos game.
- No Turnovers by our Defense, ALL Greg Williams talked about during the
off-season was how our D was going to create more turnovers this
season to shorten the field for our offense. We're still waiting GW???
- Short yardage run game non-existent. Interior of the line appears to get
no push off the line.
- D tacklin??? The tackling against Seattle was suspect and made me raise
an eye-brow. This week was the worst I've seen in 2 years. Poor tackling
was a major contributor to our loss at Denver.

Changes ................
- ST: No more Mondays off! ST practice for 4 hours every Monday!!!
- Offense:
1. More pitch-outs to Portis.
2. More roll-outs and sprint outs for Brunell.
3. Continued OLine consistency, I think the more this oLine plays together
the more and more improvement we'll see.
- Defense:
1. More pressure on QB. Put Lavar on the field!!!
2. Take advantage of turnover opportunities.
3. More tackling practice. The tackling is deteriorating each week.

Outlook...........
- I'm still optimistic about this season. If we can eliminate the offensive
turnovers altogether, avoid the costly penaties and do a better job of
tackling we will win more than we lose.

[Discalced]

25% complete and...

Surprises: Brunell. Not so surprised about Moss. Figured he'd be the real deal. Rabach: thank you.

Disappointments: I am sort of taken aback that Portis hasn't broken one for a touchdown yet. Lack of turnovers from our defense. Lack of pass rush. Arrington out. I am beginning to think that our defense might have been flat out better last season, which is fine but still slightly disappointing.

Changes: We need a pass rush. I don't care how GW delivers it, but we need one.

Outlook: I am quite confident that every single ingredient that this team needs to hit the playoffs is in place. It's only a matter of getting the recipe right.

[Love the Truth]

[QUOTE=Patrick]and our Washington Redskins are 3-1.
Your thoughts on how we've done ..........
Surprises ..............
Disappointments ...............
Changes that need to be made .............
Outlook from this point ...................


Surprizes...Santana Moss becoming an utter phenom from game #1.

Disappointments: that personal politics have gotten in the way of Arrington playing.

Changes that need to be made ... the linebacking group is fizzling and it IS starting to show. Get Arrington in there.

Outlook at this point ... Offense can continue to improve which will ensure they go to the play offs, and by how much will determine how far we go in playoffs. Defense I think has topped out. But is good enough to take on any NFC offense in the playoffs.

[JoeDaSchmoe]

Best thing about the first quarter of the season is that the offense has steadily improved with each game, giving the team much-needed balance.

[charleesdad]

I think everyone has pretty much hit all the points but I will state my tops in each category

Surprises: Brunell - I wanted to go another way here but while I thought he could still be serviceable he is showing that he is still more than capable.

Disappointments: Scoring? Where has it been. I'm as excited as the next guy to see Moss grabbing balls at 30yds a clip but if he is the only one moving the chains we are in real trouble. (This week was a step in the right direction but clearly we need to mix it up a bit - Maybe Nemo and Rock will see a little more time and help us cross the goalline on the ground)

Changes: Spread the ball around in the passing game. I think Portis/Betts can be very effective in the passing game and may help open things up for the running game too. These guys should be workhorses and they are the ones you count on ... find ways to get them the ball more.

Outlook: Being totally honest... I look at the schedule and see 5 - 6 more wins. I think this team has the potential to win every game on the schedule but only if the D can find ways to start getting turnovers. (Its fine and good to hold the other team to 200 yards each week but sooner or later they will get good field position and be able to punch it in.) 9-7 should put us in the playoffs and depending on the health of the team at that point I can see us winning a game or two.

[dj_stouty]

Surprises: Brunell - I wanted to go another way here but while I thought he could still be serviceable he is showing that he is still more than capable.


GREAT point!

Many of us were simply hoping that Brunell would be just "serviceable". Instead, we got ourselves a QB that is actually "capable" of putting this team on his back and getting wins.

How refreshing!

[JoeDaSchmoe]

GREAT point!

Many of us were simply hoping that Brunell would be just "serviceable". Instead, we got ourselves a QB that is actually "capable" of putting this team on his back and getting wins.

How refreshing!

He's exceeded every expectation anyone could possibly have had for him... except Joe Gibbs.

[GoDannyBoy]

Cut Danny Smith and get a real teams coach!