The Washington Redskins host the Eagles this Sunday (November 18, 1 PM EST, in a nationally televised game on FOX), and for the first time in over a decade, I have pre-game empathy for the 'Skins, and am lacking in a fan's killer instinct. This will revert to normal desperation for an Eagles win by kickoff time. But the fact is, right now, 'Skins fans and we are a lot alike. We're going through similar trouble and doubt about our respective teams.
The fan complaints in D.C./Virginia right now could be transposed to Philly—only the players' and coaching staff's names would change.
Here's a sample of what they're saying about their Hogs these days:
"Redskins fans have mood swings that make PMS seem stable in comparison. One day, we are ready to fire everyone for this mess. The next day "really, if we beat the Eagles and the Cowboys over the next 2 weeks we could be in it again?"" — Scott Hirsch, Redskins Hog Heaven
"The reality is that the Redskins still ain't fixed. Leonard Hankerson is still going to be dropping balls (especially the long passes), Polumbus is still going to let defensive tackles hammer RG3, the secondary is still going to give up big plays and tons of small ones, London Fletcher still is too short to cover today's giant tight ends, there still will be no pass rush, Shanahan is still going to run stupid 3rd down plays, and the coaches will still be way too slow to react and properly adjust." —Scott Hirsch
The fans' talking points on Redskins radio this week seem to go along this line—"The Redskins need to drop their football-nerd coaching staff and find a staff that can train a team in the fundamentals day-in and day-out, execute basic plays well, avoid exotic plays executed poorly, and fire the players up with motivational impassioned speech." Gee, this is starting to sound eerily similar to a current conversation between Woody and Old Bill over at PE.com…except Woody and Bill are talking about the Eagles.
Our old friend Anthony Brown who is the senior writer at Redskins Hog Heaven has some observations about the parallels between the difficult trending going on for both teams.
1. Get rid of the Defensive Coordinator!— 'Skins fans were and are calling for the removal of their DC Jim Haslett in the same way Philly fans were calling for Juan Castillo's removal.
"Whatever frustrated fans think of Haslett for the surprising disappearance of Washington's pass rush, releasing him now would doom the entire defense. Haslett knows more about the defensive scheme than anyone on the staff, or any outsider they could hire mid-season." — Anthony Brown
2. Move DeAngelo Hall to safety!— Even Eagles fans know Hall needs less exposure to coverage, not more.. The Redskins fans' criticism of Hall reminds me a lot of how Philly fans are dissatisfied with Eagles' corners and safeties during this down trend, too.
"Opposing quarterbacks already target Hall wherever he's playing. They know that challenging Hall is a high risk, high reward thing. He might jump the play and force a turnover. He is just as likely to be badly burned by a speedy deep threat. QBs do not take such a chance with Ed Reed. They would drool over Hall. But what most fans don't realize is: changing positions is not easy. Two words – Niles Paul. Paul is struggling to convert to tight end from wide receiver. Talent may be a question, but he had a full off-season to prepare and remains on the learning curve well into the regular season. Yes, it's that transition cost bugaboo rearing its head again. The late, great Sean Taylor struggled at free safety until 2007 when he showed Pro Bowl form. The right answer for the Redskins is for safeties on the roster to both play better and get healthier (Looking at you, Brandon Meriweather)."
Eagles are in the same boat–safeties and corners needing to play better and get healthier.
3. Change your defensive alignment!—"Ah, fans and owners, always expecting instant results. The noise level about a return to Washington's traditional 4-3 defense reached a peak after the stupid performance against Carolina. The Redskins have the opposite problem now than in 2010 when they converted to the 3-4. Then, they didn't have all the pieces to run the 3-4. Now, they don't have the parts to run the 4-3. "
Man, does that sound familiar— so many Philly fans and armchairs have been calling for the Eagles to switch to a 3-4…Wonder if that thought ever runs through owner Jeff Lurie's mind?
Anhony Brown on the "State of The Redskins" as the Eagles get ready to board the bus to Washington: Fans are not impressed with the depth they see on the current roster and voiced that with calls to replace GM Bruce Allen with somebody, anybody, to be a counterweight to Mike Shanahan on roster calls. Hog Heaven is pleased with Shanahan's front office moves since his arrival in 2010 – um, except for that whole quarterback thing. Robert Griffin III is Shanahan's fourth quarterback, but he is the first who is better than Jason Campbell.
"Shanahan and Allen avoid overpaying free agents. Most of their draft picks are developing into contributors, if not starters. We really need more from Leonard Hankerson, with Pierre Garcon's injury, but Hank was a third-round Draft pick whose flaws were known. I expected little from Josh Morgan. He plays well for a guy who was signed for depth. Washington is playing a lot of depth guys. You can't blame Shanahan for Pierre Garcon's toe injury."
General Managers arise through scouting ranks or as contract guys. Bruce Allen is a contract guy. The Redskins always had competent talent evaluators. We know this based on the number of ex-Redskins who play in the Super Bowl for other teams.
"In a famous TV rant against Daniel Snyder, Jimmy Johnson told us the Redskins have good scouts, but "nobody listens to them." I really wished the professional media class pursued that when it was said. If nothing else, Shanahan seems to listen to Morocco Brown and Scott Campbell, both are directors of pro personnel, than the prior regime. In the cases where GMs are counterweights to head coaches on roster decisions, you find football smart owners capable of breaking the tie. "Football smart" and "owner" is an oxymoron in 25 of 32 cases. It does make the point that, for the Redskins to be a Super Bowl contender, Daniel Snyder must become a Super Bowl caliber owner. Yes, he helped the team by backing away from management. But that's a do-no-harm approach. It's not enough to win titles. Snyder has to be the counter to his head coach whoever he is. That means he has to know enough about building a team to own the strategy to get it done, and smart enough to stay out of the way of competent executives who are doing it. It takes real GMs 15 years to navigate that career path. (Coaching does not build those skills). Mr. Snyder is in his 13th year of ownership. He should be getting close by now."
A Redskins writer's final thought and prediction on the upcoming battle of two teams in a tough current trend:
"The Philadelphia Eagles are down. They are starting a rookie quarterback. Their O-line is decimated. Their coach is on the short-list of potential future Redskins head coach. Their defense is underperforming. This is a must win, should win, ought to win, game against a desperate team fighting to stay out of division fourth-place. I like our chances. " —Anthony Brown
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