I Kind of Like What I See, But I've Seen Enough....

[kleese]

The second half of this season has been highly encouraging to me for two reasons:

1. The talent evaluation of this regime looks solid. There have been some mistakes for sure, but overall, the players that Shannallen have brought in have been good. Our draft picks the past two years look quite good and the lower level FA's we picked up and smaller trades we've made have also worked out.

2. Team got better on the field late in the year. Defense collapsed in the Vikings game, but other than that the team has been highly competitive and certainly watchable for most of the second half. You can really see how this offensive system will work given more playmakers. The OL has held up rather well despite glaring injuries/suspensions. It is clear to me that the players are still grinding and haven't tuned out the staff. Players seem to buy in, which is a very good sign.

So, while I won't go as far to say I'm "pumped" for 2012 and beyond, I am encouraged. A third straight solid draft will really help change things around here and we have the cap room to maybe add some help via FA as well. I could easily see the Redskins making the jump to a 9-10 win team next year even with a Rex-type at QB.

Having said all that, the bottom line is the bottom line.

And the bottom line is that this is another double-digit loss team that was out of contention before Thanksgiving. It's another year where games in December have been developmental at best.

As a fan, silver linings are OK, but playing for an NFC East title ala Dallas and NY tonight would be much better. I don't blame any fan for retaining pessimism until this team actually does something on the field.

I haven't really cared about on field results since the second Dallas game...that was the last time I woke up this year and Sunday felt like gameday...and that was pushing it. Since then it's been more of a passing interest. I've shifted focus to the NBA and almost forgot about our game against Minnesota until 10 minutes till kickoff. Today, I can go watch on the big screen like always, but I'm going to pass...I'll check it out on my phone from time to time and will probably be relieved if we lose in hopes of maybe getting into the top five in April. If this game mattered to Philly, I'd want to knock them off, but seeing it doesn't, the results today mean nothing to me.

It's another year where the end of the season is useless and hollow. I checked our emotionally over a month ago...and that sucks. It's old.

So while I'm pretty much ok with where we are right now I'm also ready for the Redskins to go away for awhile again.

[hail2skins]

Can't really argue with anything you said, Kleese. I still do get excited to watch every Sunday at 1, but having the season being over by sometime in November has gotten stale.

That said, the silver lining is that this March and April will be especially interesting months in 2012for the Redskins, much moreso than previous years.

[Destructis]

So while I'm pretty much ok with where we are right now I'm also ready for the Redskins to go away for awhile again.

It will only get quiet for a month or so in total. The underclassmen have to declare by January 15th. The SB is the end of January or the beginning of February. I believe the league year starts March 1st, which opens FA and then the draft is mid April. More than ever, the NFL is a year round sport. LOL I remember in the 80's when the SB was in early January and then you really heard nothing until training camp. All of the information was in the newspaper because the draft wasn't televised at the time and the internet was just BBS's. On the good ones, you would put in your information and then wait for a call from the SYSOP making sure you weren't a kid who was going to cause trouble there. Ok starting to geez so I will stop here.

The point is that we get information so many different ways these days, that the NFL doesn't really ever shut down and we hear things any where from minutes to hours of it happening as opposed to days or weeks.

[HapHaszard]

I've shifted focus to the NBA and almost forgot about our game against Minnesota until 10 minutes till kickoff. T
So while I'm pretty much ok with where we are right now I'm also ready for the Redskins to go away for awhile again.

As my son's coach used to say, don't mess with that ball its round. NBA bleah :pfft::ols:

[airborneskins]

:whew: I thought this was a lets lose to the Eagles thread. I was pleasantly surprised (well almost).

[ashlynskins]

Great post and feelings that are shared with more then would even admit to.

I know for me living in Ravens and Steelers territory that it's dishearting that their teams are playoff bound year in and year out but the Skins are (as you stated) out of the playoff picture at Thanksgiving time year in and year out.

Hope it changes but I'm content even if it never does in my time.....

[Burgold]

It has gotten hard to get excited about games this year. I think though I tried to fight it the "suck for" crowd infected me. That level of despair and insidious rooting for your team to fail that permeated this board wound up ebbing into my Sundays.

Hopefully, next year, ES can return to a board that supports its team on game days.

[hail2skins]

Couple of other thoughts:

1) While I agree that this team can probably squeeze out a 9-win season in 2012 with Grossman behind center, I have no faith that Rex can get us there in back-to-back or multiple years. Which is what we need to be striving for. Honestly, next season, I really think I'd rather go 6-10 with a new guy learning the ropes for a good chunk of the way than having a 9-7 "tease" season where we roll with Rex for it all.

2) In relation to this, while it would be nice to be playing for the division crown like Dallas and New York are tonight, the fact is that both of the teams are not where I want the Skins to be overall. I can perhaps excuse NY, as they had an absolutely brutal schedule the second half of the season, but still, you can't gack away games at home to Young and Grossman. Isn't this going to be the first year since the merger that the NFCE winner finishes with less than 10 wins? That double-digit mark is something I still look at as a benchmark of a solid season.......and what I want this team to accomplish on a regular basis for at least a few seasons.

[kleese]

As my son's coach used to say, don't mess with that ball its round. NBA bleah :pfft::ols:

Hoping not to derail my own thread here, but I think the NBA product is vastly superior to the NFL product right now. Not more POPULAR mind you, that's not up for debate. Just better...and its not even close. The NBA playoffs and Finals were incredible last season...wheras the two Championship Games in the NFL were totally drab..I found myself watching the Bears (at home) thinking "THIS team has homefield in the NFC playoffs?" In contrast, my mind was blown watching the superior level of play from the top 5-6 teams in the NBA. The NBA almost blew all of their momentum with the lockout, but they saved it just in time (highest rated Christmas Day games in history). Lots of great young talent in the league (OKC, Memphis, Chicago) coupled with great old teams fighting to hang on (Mavs, Celtics, Lakers)...which is to say nothing of the Heat, who love them or hate them (I choose hate) are must see TV. NBA is at a major, major high water mark right now.

I will gladly step into the NBA (already have) and MLB and pay only passing mind to the Redskins/NFL off-season.

[BeefJerky]

It has gotten hard to get excited about games this year. I think though I tried to fight it the "suck for" crowd infected me. That level of despair and insidious rooting for your team to fail that permeated this board wound up ebbing into my Sundays.

Hopefully, next year, ES can return to a board that supports its team on game days.

Spot on Burgold. Everyone wants us to get that franchise QB we desperatly need, But rooting for a loss for a better draft pick is not in the cards for me. We WILL get our guy! With that said I hope we come out today with some heart, and CRUSH the sheagles!

[HapHaszard]

I know its been a tough time over the last decade and more but I can remember when it was just as bad and we came out of it. Back in 59=61 the Redskins totally stunk, and it really wasn't until Lombardi came that there was any hope for the Redskins. When he died and they brought in George Allen, then it really heated up, people started to pay attention to the skins again. Allen probably put the Redskins back on the front pages of the sports section. I hate that we are not competitive, but I do like the direction we are going. We actually have a professional front office we are drafting instead of trading away our draft picks, and the draft picks we have taken in the last couple of years have actually shown that they can play. Now if Dan can remain patient I really think we have a chance of having a decent team very soon.

[GibbsFactor]

The only reason these guys are playing hard right now is because they are desperate on a bad team and are trying to get some good play on tape.

It really upsets me that they play hard to get good tape in December but can't play hard to win in October.

Just look at Rex. Prime example. Had to get benched for a complete unknown because he became lazy and complacent in the middle of the season. How do you get comfortable after accomplishing nothing? Bums.

[2cents]

Oh dear God.....Rex was benched because he was sick and couldn't play. Do you even follow your own team???

[GibbsFactor]

Oh dear God.....Rex was benched because he was sick and couldn't play. Do you even follow your own team???

He was benched because he threw 4 ints and got his weight up. It came out later that he couldn't go in to the next game because he was sick. He got complacent and got benched.

[Bat~man]

Oh dear God.....Rex was benched because he was sick and couldn't play. Do you even follow your own team???

No, Rex was benched for performance. Being sick was just timing..

[Bat~man]

The only reason these guys are playing hard right now is because they are desperate on a bad team and are trying to get some good play on tape.

It really upsets me that they play hard to get good tape in December but can't play hard to win in October.

Just look at Rex. Prime example. Had to get benched for a complete unknown because he became lazy and complacent in the middle of the season. How do you get comfortable after accomplishing nothing? Bums.

Eh, I'm not sure I agree with you. It's no doubt that we suck, but..we have been playing hard all year. We haven't been getting blown out the water this year...we have just been losing.

Rex is what he is. He doesn't have a "play better" switch. He can sometimes light it up like a legend while other times looks 100% dumbfounded out there.

I actually though this was another "fire shanny" thread...thankfully it isn't. I love my Redskins, but it's tough letting anticipation build between January and September (9 FREAKIN months) just to only have 1 good month of football before you're season is over. Its hard to cheer for this team..

I have faith in this coaching staff and front office tho..you can clearly see improvement even if it isn't showing up in the w/l column yet.

---------- Post added January-1st-2012 at 03:31 PM ----------


Oh dear God.....Rex was benched because he was sick and couldn't play. Do you even follow your own team???

No, Rex was benched for performance. Being sick was just timing..

[2cents]

No it wasn't. Mike said he wanted to bring him back for the 49er game but he wasn't well enough. Rex was in the locker room for the Panther game and I don't think he even went to Toronto for the Bills game. And it is my feeling that he was starting to get sick during the Eagle game. It was a combination of the two. But if you read between the lines of Mike saying he was hoping Rex could be back for the 49er game, he saw instantly what he had in Beck...nothing.

[Bat~man]

No it wasn't. Mike said he wanted to bring him back for the 49er game but he wasn't well enough. Rex was in the locker room for the Panther game and I don't think he even went to Toronto for the Bills game. And it is my feeling that he was starting to get sick during the Eagle game. It was a combination of the two. But if you read between the lines of Mike saying he was hoping Rex could be back for the 49er game, he saw instantly what he had in Beck...nothing.

You said "he was benched cause he was sick, dont you follow your own team" like it was a nationally known fact. Now you're saying you have to 'read between the lines"?

No, Grossman was bad..then he was benched for being extra bad. It wasn't because he was sick. Sorry.

Besides, the San Fran game was 3 games after he was benched. He may have wanted to bring him back then but that has nothing to do with why he was sat down in the first place.

[SWFLSkins]

The only reason these guys are playing hard right now is because they are desperate on a bad team and are trying to get some good play on tape.

It really upsets me that they play hard to get good tape in December but can't play hard to win in October.

Just look at Rex. Prime example. Had to get benched for a complete unknown because he became lazy and complacent in the middle of the season. How do you get comfortable after accomplishing nothing? Bums.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w1/A49erfan/Motivation/A-Bad_Idea.jpg

Rex got benched to see what John Beck didn't have and then remained on the bench despite Becks incapable QB play because he was sick, it was nationally known. While Rex is no starter, John Beck is no QB at all.

[Tsoe]

Better than:
ES'er cerca 2005-2007 - One piece away ONE PIECE away1!!!!
ES'er Pre 2005: That danny Wuerfell, Sage Rosenfels, Shane Mathews, Tony Banks, Jeff George has what it takes!!

[NIKKI8]

For the first time in 35 years I'm just glad the season is over. Hopefully we have a great offseason and finally come up with a franchise QB.

[kleese]

For the first time in 35 years I'm just glad the season is over. Hopefully we have a great offseason and finally come up with a franchise QB.

Really? You wanted the 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003, 2006, 2008, and 2009 seasons to keep going? :) I sure didn't....this is just another year with an anticlimatic ending in a two-decade string of years with anti-climatic endings

[Ænima]

Good, well thought-out OP. With that being said I cannot really get excited over the few good things the Redskins have shown at the end of the season. The bottom line is they went 2-6 in their last 8 games. Being competitive doesn't mean anything to me really, because in the end winners find a way to win and losers find a way to lose.

[skins island connection]

I'm glad I just saw the last pitiful, lackluster, overthrown, tunnel-visioned throw of Rex Grossman's time as the QB of the Redskins.
Granted there was nothing to play for except pride, but god does he suck...

[Rdskns2000]

I'll glady take another season of double digit losses in 2012, if it means that a young rookie QB is learning the ropes. 2013 is when I expect things to finally start to yield positive results.

It really won't do us any good to go 9-7 if all we have at QB is Rex again. We need to find that QB in next years draft and with Shanny looking at 10-15 QBs; I'm sure he can find one or even two to groom. This team will not progress without a long term QB prospect on the roster and we don't have one right now.

[blueskin]

I hung in as long as I could. Today, after that celek score in the 4th, I finally said **** it and turned it off. I won't check the score, and the only way I will see the final tally is if I switch to ESPN or NFL net by accident. I plan to enjoy my vacation- I'll work out, go to the shooting range, play with my kids, and catch up on paperwork.

I'm much too stupid and set in my ways to completely abandon the Redskins, but I am at the end of my tether. There are silver linings, but we have those every year, and they always turn into streams of diarrhea.

I wish I could pull up stakes and start following a winner, you know, like jumping on the Packer's bandwagon or something. I can't, of course. Loyalty's a female dog.

Happy New Year, all. Here's to the hope that Shanahan can put another good/decent draft together, and we can maybe not suck quite as much in 2012 as we have most of the 21st century.

[CrabR]

I am convinced with a avg qb we would have won our division this year. We should have started Kellen Clemens

[MONTEY]

It has gotten hard to get excited about games this year. I think though I tried to fight it the "suck for" crowd infected me. That level of despair and insidious rooting for your team to fail that permeated this board wound up ebbing into my Sundays.

Hopefully, next year, ES can return to a board that supports its team on game days.

I agree. I totally despise this losing for the sake of the draft with a passion. New generation of fans who cater to this crap.

---------- Post added January-1st-2012 at 09:55 PM ----------


I hung in as long as I could. Today, after that celek score in the 4th, I finally said **** it and turned it off. I won't check the score, and the only way I will see the final tally is if I switch to ESPN or NFL net by accident. I plan to enjoy my vacation- I'll work out, go to the shooting range, play with my kids, and catch up on paperwork.

I'm much too stupid and set in my ways to completely abandon the Redskins, but I am at the end of my tether. There are silver linings, but we have those every year, and they always turn into streams of diarrhea.

I wish I could pull up stakes and start following a winner, you know, like jumping on the Packer's bandwagon or something. I can't, of course. Loyalty's a female dog.

Happy New Year, all. Here's to the hope that Shanahan can put another good/decent draft together, and we can maybe not suck quite as much in 2012 as we have most of the 21st century.

nice post.

[davidterzian8]

I hate to agree with you because football is my favorite sport with basketball as a close second but you are right. Especially with all the rule changes in the nfl, the league is getting harder to watch. Exciting big hits are now gone, kick returns gone, sacks find ways to become person fouls on defensive players, and due to celebration penalties personality has been taken away from the league. Ill never stop watching the Skins or the nfl but I wish the nfl was back to the way it was.


which is to say nothing of the Heat, who love them or hate them (I choose hate)

You made the right choice, they don't deserve any love.

[Redskins4ever]

The second half of this season has been highly encouraging to me for two reasons:

1. The talent evaluation of this regime looks solid. There have been some mistakes for sure, but overall, the players that Shannallen have brought in have been good. Our draft picks the past two years look quite good and the lower level FA's we picked up and smaller trades we've made have also worked out.

2. Team got better on the field late in the year. Defense collapsed in the Vikings game, but other than that the team has been highly competitive and certainly watchable for most of the second half. You can really see how this offensive system will work given more playmakers. The OL has held up rather well despite glaring injuries/suspensions. It is clear to me that the players are still grinding and haven't tuned out the staff. Players seem to buy in, which is a very good sign.

So, while I won't go as far to say I'm "pumped" for 2012 and beyond, I am encouraged. A third straight solid draft will really help change things around here and we have the cap room to maybe add some help via FA as well. I could easily see the Redskins making the jump to a 9-10 win team next year even with a Rex-type at QB.

Having said all that, the bottom line is the bottom line.

And the bottom line is that this is another double-digit loss team that was out of contention before Thanksgiving. It's another year where games in December have been developmental at best.

As a fan, silver linings are OK, but playing for an NFC East title ala Dallas and NY tonight would be much better. I don't blame any fan for retaining pessimism until this team actually does something on the field.

I haven't really cared about on field results since the second Dallas game...that was the last time I woke up this year and Sunday felt like gameday...and that was pushing it. Since then it's been more of a passing interest. I've shifted focus to the NBA and almost forgot about our game against Minnesota until 10 minutes till kickoff. Today, I can go watch on the big screen like always, but I'm going to pass...I'll check it out on my phone from time to time and will probably be relieved if we lose in hopes of maybe getting into the top five in April. If this game mattered to Philly, I'd want to knock them off, but seeing it doesn't, the results today mean nothing to me.

It's another year where the end of the season is useless and hollow. I checked our emotionally over a month ago...and that sucks. It's old.

So while I'm pretty much ok with where we are right now I'm also ready for the Redskins to go away for awhile again.

I watched every game this season and for the most part, I'm very optimistic about the future of this team. The Redskins need a quarterback as we all know. Given the game that Matt Flynn had today against the Lions, Mike Shanahan has to consider him as being the starting QB next year for the Redskins. Flynn is a gigantic upgrade over Beck and Grossman. Flynn is still young(26) and could very well lead our offense. Also, it wouldn't surprise me if the Redskins add Flynn an draft a QB. Regardless of how the coaches feel about Grossman, they should not bring him back whether he knows the offense well or not. The man is an awful QB.

The secondary needs to be looked at. I like Gomes. Atogwe was playing hurt all season. LaRon Landry in his five seasons in Washington overall hasn't lived up to a 6th overall draft choice should have. I say let him walk and look to free agency. But if they chose to keep him, I wouldn't be surprised. All Landry needs to do is get healthy again. DeAngelo Hall needs to be looked at through a microscope. He got burned all year. If he would have played the CB position more solidly, the Redskins would have won 2 or 3 more games and finished within the top 10 in defense. I would have liked to see Brandon Thompson play in the defense this year. He'll probably emerge next season hopefully.

[Zazzaro703]

I am convinced with a avg qb we would have won our division this year. We should have started Kellen Clemens

I'm not with starting Kellen, but I think you are right. With an average QB we would have won our division.

[ginsu101]

... because in the end winners find a way to win and losers find a way to lose.

I totally agree. When watching this team, you are constantly asking yourself when will the big mistake happen. An example today was the Moss penalty that pushed the Skins out of the Redzone. When you are a below average team, every mistake is a major one.

[PerryMason]

So, while I won't go as far to say I'm "pumped" for 2012 and beyond, I am encouraged.

So would drafting Luck or RGIII take you from encouraged to pumped?? Hmmm?

[JerseyGator]

With an average special teams unit, this team probably makes the playoffs. QB position is so overrated in the NFL.

[kleese]

So would drafting Luck or RGIII take you from encouraged to pumped?? Hmmm?

No.

Too jaded. At this point, I'll just have to see it to believe it. Luck or RG3 will have to actually be good first before I get truly "pumped" about anything Redskins-related.

---------- Post added January-2nd-2012 at 07:53 AM ----------


With an average special teams unit, this team probably makes the playoffs. QB position is so overrated in the NFL.

I was thinking the same thing watching the past few Super Bowls with Rodgers, Big Ben, Brees, Manning, and Warner. Oh wait....

[Probos]

Kleese,...you summed up my feelings on this team with your post -- I agree. But I'll take it a step further -- I checked out on this team emotionally a while ago,...maybe two years ago. I still watch every game and root for them but there's really been nothing to be excited about during the season for some time now.

Hopefully another good draft this year and some off-season acquisitions will really push this team in the right direction.