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Monday, August 16, 2004
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Don't Panic,Yet
So is it time for ardent Washington Redskins followers to be alarmed about the ragged
look
of the team's offense in two preseason games? Not yet.
And it's not so much about Coach Joe Gibbs's desire to run a "vanilla" offense during
the
exhibition season to keep his secrets safe for the regular season. It's about Gibbs
sticking
to the basics so that he can evaluate players.
Once the games begin to count, Gibbs undoubtedly will come up with a weekly offensive
wrinkle
or two for which his opponent didn't prepare. That was the hallmark of his first
go-around
with the Redskins that produced three Super Bowl titles.
For now, though, Gibbs isn't even trying to do that. His offense is running the most
basic
of plays, with the simplest of blocking schemes. Gibbs's coaches know that they could
help
players with a more creative scheme, but they don't want to do that in the preseason
because
that way they wouldn't necessarily find out which of their players can really play and
which
can't. So, the coaches have their blockers lining up and going head to head with
defenders
to see which players win the individual battles.
The truly meaningful work of installing the real offense now is being done in
closed-door
practices. Gibbs probably will have to show just a bit more of his hand as the
preseason progresses
so that his players get to work on some things under game conditions. But people in
the inner
circle at Redskins Park aren't worried -- although they would like to see better
execution
of the simple plays by the front-line offensive players. Quarterback Mark Brunell
finally took
a step forward with his 61-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Darnerien McCants in
the
third quarter of Saturday night's 23-20 overtime loss -
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC52F84658B4F3FB7710D0
to the Carolina Panthers at FedEx Field.
But the other competitor in the starting-quarterback derby -
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC62E84658B4F3FB7710D0
, Patrick Ramsey, continues to struggle. Ramsey appears to be playing to avoid
mistakes instead
of cutting loose on his throws, and he has done nothing to take advantage of Brunell's
early-camp
struggles. He probably must score a decisive victory to take the job from the veteran.
At least now the murmurs about Tim Hasselbeck entering the quarterback competition
can cease
after his two-interception outing Saturday. Going, Going ...
There is growing impatience at Redskins Park with safety Ifeanyi Ohalete, the former
starter
who lost his job to Andre Lott (and, soon, to Sean Taylor) and his jersey number to
Clinton
Portis. He was beaten for one of the two long touchdown catches by Panthers rookie
wide receiver
Keary Colbert on Saturday. Coaches have become increasingly disenchanted with his
attitude,
and he could be released even before the NFL-mandated roster cutdowns if he doesn't
pull things
together quickly.
--By Mark Maske
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Gibbs Shows Concern - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC92B84658B4F3FB7710D0
In his postgame interview Saturday night, Coach Joe Gibbs expressed disappointment
with the
running game and his quarterbacks with more critiques to come.
Redskins Get The Boot in OT -
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC02A84658B4F3FB7710D0
Notebook: Noble Plays First NFL Game in Nearly a Year -
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC95584658B4F3FB7710D0
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PHOTO GALLERY
Game 2: A Sloppy Night -
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC05484658B4F3FB7710D0
A sputtering offense in which the quarterbacks threw four interceptions and the
running game
barely exists overshadowed any positives.
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THOMAS BOSWELL
The Offense Is Wet, and Not All That Wild -
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC75784658B4F3FB7710D0
The running game was uninspiring, the defense was atrocious, competing quarterbacks
Mark Brunell
and Patrick Ramsey played miserably and overall, the Redskins played a game so ragged
and unworthy
that remnants of Hurricane Charley refused to show up.
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AROUND THE NFL
Ex-Redskins Returner Mitchell Ready to Play -
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC85684658B4F3FB7710D0
Brian Mitchell would like to play one more season. But he says he will wrap up his
14-year
career if he hasn't signed with a team by the time the regular season begins next
month.
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Discuss the Redskins Preseason Play With Other Fans -
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC35184658B4F3FB7710D0
Take the Joe Gibbs Trivia Quiz -
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC45084658B4F3FB7710D0
Full Redskins Coverage -
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W7RT045CAC15384658B4F3FB7710D0
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