Vision Quest: Playing with House Money

[CNYSkinFan]

I put my newest VQ article up on the blog for the new year. Check it out by clicking the link below.

Vision Quest: Playing With House Money (http://www.hailredskins.com/vbforum/../?p=355)


And comment in this thread if you like.

[Dolla Bill]

Great article Dustin. Very good analogy about house money. This is a team now, and for the first time in a long time, the offense and defense are showing up to games at the same time.

[redskinz#1fan]

Great read Dustin! I had goose bumps as I was reading this. This team will do great things...bigger then most of us can imagine. Unforntunately we have to wait and see...I can't wait!

[CNYSkinFan]

Great article Dustin. Very good analogy about house money. This is a team now, and for the first time in a long time, the offense and defense are showing up to games at the same time.

I swear we are playing the best football in the NFC over the last 4 games. Dallas is crumbling, GB is inconsistent, Seattle is one dimensional, Tampa Bay mediocre, The Giants are spent, if we can keep it going I will take us over anyone right now.

Great read Dustin! I had goose bumps as I was reading this. This team will do great things...bigger then most of us can imagine. Unforntunately we have to wait and see...I can't wait!

The wait is going to be hard I know I hope the next few days fly by.

[redskin_rich]

Good stuff, Dustin!

Of course, you know what the best thing about playing with house money is. You have nothing to lose.
I can't remember who said it but you never want to fight the guy who has nothing to lose.

[shally]

good article, dustin.....

the only issue i might take is the concept that this team is playing with house money..

aside from the emotional aspect of their motivation, this team reminds me of a bright, underachieving student who has languished in the bottom of his classes until the last year. at that point the student finally "gets it" and understands the necessity of buckling down and taking his studies seriously.. he/she is then acing every class..

the real question is why it took such a tragedy to get this team focused and on task? and why so many of us were willing to have such lowered expectations ?
in retrospect, this is a team that should have had a record as good as dallas because in 2 games we proved we are at least as good as dallas.

dont get me wrong, i am supremely gratified that the skins are in the playoffs and without a doubt the team that other NFC teams would least like to play right now. i just feel we wasted an opportunity to have home field advantage throughout at least a portion of the playoffs.. we have become road warriors and hopefully like the 2005 pittsburgh steelers we will become the next wildcard team to go to the superbowl where we will in some kind of cosmic karma have the chance to erase the pats from the perfect season ledger...

HTTR !!!!

[CNYSkinFan]

Good stuff, Dustin!

Of course, you know what the best thing about playing with house money is. You have nothing to lose.
I can't remember who said it but you never want to fight the guy who has nothing to lose.
yep thought about that qanalogy as well. They truly are a scary team right now. Playing with purpose and a chip on their shoulder.

[CNYSkinFan]

good article, dustin.....

the only issue i might take is the concept that this team is playing with house money..

aside from the emotional aspect of their motivation, this team reminds me of a bright, underachieving student who has languished in the bottom of his classes until the last year. at that point the student finally "gets it" and understands the necessity of buckling down and taking his studies seriously.. he/she is then acing every class..

the real question is why it took such a tragedy to get this team focused and on task? and why so many of us were willing to have such lowered expectations ?
in retrospect, this is a team that should have had a record as good as dallas because in 2 games we proved we are at least as good as dallas.

dont get me wrong, i am supremely gratified that the skins are in the playoffs and without a doubt the team that other NFC teams would least like to play right now. i just feel we wasted an opportunity to have home field advantage throughout at least a portion of the playoffs.. we have become road warriors and hopefully like the 2005 pittsburgh steelers we will become the next wildcard team to go to the superbowl where we will in some kind of cosmic karma have the chance to erase the pats from the perfect season ledger...

HTTR !!!!
I have a theory aboiut thqat, and I have absolutely no proof of it, but it is a theory nonetheless. MY theory is this:

The lockerroom before the season was more divided then anyone knew or let on. Coaches didn't trust the players or each other, and the same goes for the Players not trusting the coaches or each other. You saw bubbles of this come to the surface: the tom friend article last year, the Springs mysterious injury that reduced his role in the Miami game, the interchangeable back thing.

I think there were alot of politics over contracts, cap numbers, and the future of players like CP, Springs and others dictating on field usage. This problem is only natural when the HC is also the team president/GM.

It wasn't until Taylor's funeral that everyone started to wake up and play team football. And I make the distinction that it was Taylor's funeral because after the Buffalo game and the two timeout conundrum you saw anonymous player quotes in the media about the coach should have known that rule. But after the funeral, the players saw the ownership and espescially Joe Gibbs in a different light. They were ready to go to war for them. And the Coaches realized how special each player is and start trusting them to do their jobs.

All of a sudden the indecision by Gibbs staopped, Williams starting calling an aggresive riskier D, and Saunders opened up the offense even more. The players started making plays and running harder and faster. In short they started playing like a team instead of a collection of individuals.