Mark Maske Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, September 04, 2003; 11:00 a.m. ET
Is the Redskins' lackluster preseason a prediction of things to come? Can they beat the New York Jets on Thursday? Has Coach Steve Spurrier put together a team that can make it to the playoffs? Washington Post staff writer Mark Maske was online to take questions and comments on the team, their game against the Jets and your forecast for the season. The transcript follows. Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
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Mark Maske: Hello, everyone. Sorry I'm a little late, but let's get started.
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Vienna, Va.: Hey Mark, to start off with I just wanted to say I always love your columns. You manage to find interesting and unique stories about the Redskins that adds a layer of depth to watching the games. Personally, I think I've seen a lot out of Ramsey and think he can be a big time quarterback. Frankly the fact that Jake Plummer is touted as a solid quarterback while throwing more interceptions than touchdowns, and the fact that Ramsey in his first season threw more touchdowns than interceptions alone gives me faith. I see nothing but improvements almost everywhere on the skins, and personally I don't buy the fact that our DT's are going to get us killed. I think they are solid if not spectacular, much in the same way Wilkinson and Stubblefield were not spectacular when our defense was rated pretty well. Why is there such a complete disregard for the Redskins as a threat of any sort in the mainstream media, and do you think they have a solid opportunity to get at least a wild card spot? Thanks and keep on writing!
Mark Maske: I think Ramsey has all the qualities to be a good Spurrier quarterback--arm, toughness, intelligence. What he doesn't have is NFL experience, so Spurrier will have to make himself be patient. If Ramsey plays well, this can be a team that wins 10 or 11 games and gets in the playoffs.
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Reston, Va.: Can our offensive line give protection for the quarterback? We could have the best quarterback in the league, but if the line provides no protection, the quarterback looks ordinary at best.
Mark Maske: Almost any quarterback looks ordinary at best without protection. Personnel-wise, this can be one of the five best offensive lines in the league. Samuels, Jansen and Thomas are all top-tier players. But Larry Moore being out for three preseason games does create a problem because the big thing for a line to play well is cohesion, and the center is the guy who brings it all together with his line calls.
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Washington, D.C.: Dan Snyder has spent a lot of money on the team and has not come even close to producing a winner (except the first season). Is there a lesson to be learned from spending a ton of money and not producing results?
Mark Maske: Sure, there's a lesson to be learned: It's about how you spend your money, not about how much. But I would say the money has been spent pretty well. The players who have been brought in, especially Coles and Thomas, are very good, younger players entering their prime. Snyder always is attacked for the money he spent for the 2000 season with Bruce Smith, Deion, Mark Carrier, etc. What people don't remember is that team overcame some major injuries (Westbrook, Raymer, Tre Johnson) to start 6-2, and would have been an 11- or 12-win team if the kicking hadn't been so bad.
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Bournemouth, UK: Are the Redskins under-rated or are they going to be another big disappointment?
Mark Maske: I don't think they're underrated. They're coming off a seven-win season and have a coach, a defensive coordinator and a quarterback who are unproven at this level. When you're in those circumstances, you have to show something before anyone is going to believe in you. I do think they're a team that's very, very talented at some positions, and can be a good team if the young quarterback comes through. They've already gotten some good luck with the injuries to Pennington and Vick.
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Warrenton, Va.: I am having a tough time sympathizing about Champs' paltry nine-year $55 million contract offer to include a $14 million dollar singing bonus. Give me a break! These athlete salaries have gotten completely out of hand. It makes me sick, Champ needs to come back and visit the rest of us here at planet Earth. I think he'll be able to pay his mortgage and bills on time with that offer. I have always been a big Champ fan, until now. I'll be the one at the stadium Thursday night with the name GREEDY on the back of my #24 jersey. Is a reality check in order for the "Champ?"
Mark Maske: The money numbers in sports are out of whack with the rest of the planet, for sure. But you're worth what someone is willing to pay you. If Champ believes there's an $18 million signing bonus out there waiting for him, fine. That's a business decision, just like teams make business decisions all the time. I'm reluctant to call anyone greedy for trying to get what they think they can. On the other hand, I'd have a hard time leaving almost $15 million on the table because I think there's $18 million coming up--IF he can get through this season without a major injury and IF he doesn't get the franchise tag put on him. It's a big, big risk.
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Silver Spring, Md.: With Spurrier giving up the title of offensive coordinator does that mean that he won't be calling the plays and Hue Jackson will? If so, do you think that this will result in a more balanced offense?
Mark Maske: No, Spurrier still will call the plays. Hue Jackson will be up in the coaches' booth on the press box level, talking into Spurrier's headset and helping out with what he sees. This will still be Spurrier's offense, but I do think he is planning to run the ball a lot more than most people think.
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Alexandria, Va.: I heard a radio reporter who "covers" the team talking about a dinner hosted by Snyder for reporters at Morton's. Does the Post allow you to attend such functions and, if so, does the Post pay instead of having a reporter being wined/dined by someone on whom they report? Not with you specifically, but it seems generally that with the Redskins the normal bounds of reporter objectivity/integrity get blurred.
Mark Maske: The Post is very careful about making sure its reporters pay their own way. In fact, when I used to cover baseball, my former boss, George Solomon, would send a check every year to the commissioner's office for the awful boxed lunches they would hand out in the press box during the World Series. And invariably, every year some baseball official would come up to me with George's check and say, "Our accounting people don't have anywhere to put this." So I think we'd end up donating the money to charity in the name of Major League Baseball. I don't think you ever have to worry about those lines being blurred when it comes to our paper.
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Fairfax, Va.:
I was surprised by the Kenny Watson cut.
Will he get picked up by another team?
Mark Maske: He should end up somewhere at some point--maybe back with the Redskins if they have an injury. He's a guy who doesn't have a tremendous amount of physical ability but coaches like him because they can depend on him to do the right thing, block the right guy, etc.
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Marriottsville, Md. : Why is everyone badmouthing the Skins? It seems no one ever gives them a chance. Or is it because I live with a bunch of Baltimoreans?
Mark Maske: Having covered the Orioles for eight years, I know that no one in Baltimore ever has anything good to say about anything that is Washington-related.
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Arlington, Va.: I'm a little worried about Ramsey and audilbles. It seems like all opposing defenses have to do is give a momentary bluff look of a blitz etc. and Ramsey gets flustered and goes to an auidible. Won't the bluffs teams use against us sabatoge the offensive week in and week out?
Mark Maske: I think you're right. And the worst thing about it is that the Redskins always seem to be snapping the ball with 0 or 1 on the play clock, which gives the defense a big advantage because it knows when the ball is being snapped. If you're a defensive player and the clock is down to one second or less, you can just start going because if the ball isn't snapped, it's a delay of game anyway and you won't be offside.
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Fort Washington, Md.: Does Marco Coleman have anything left in his tank?
Mark Maske: I don't think he can be a regular player any more, but he might be able to help out for a few plays here and there. And he is a tremendous guy to have in a locker room. I was sorry to see him get cut in Jacksonville because he is a first-rate guy.
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St. Paul, Minn.: How effective do you think Trung Canidate can be in the Redskins' offense?
Mark Maske: I think he will have some long runs because he is an explosive runner and Spurrier's throw-first mentality should open up some holes for the running back. I don't know if he can be the guy where you grind it out in the fourth quarter to run out the clock with a 10-point lead. That responsibility might fall to Betts ultimately.
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Largo, Fla.: How well do you think the defense and coaching staff will do in continuing last year's system put in place by Ray Rhodes?
Mark Maske: I think the defensive system will be fine. It's smart to use LaVar more like he was used at Penn State, and it's smart to put Champ on the other team's best receiver as often as you can. I know it's pointing out the obvious, but the main question mark, to me, is how the defensive line will hold up. There also will be a time, either this year or next year, where everyone looks up and sees that Jessie Armstead is a year too old.
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Washington, D.C.: Want to make a comment about your offensive line observation. For the last two years, the Skins O-line looked awful at the beginning of the season, but played well at the end. This is because the o-line, more than any other unit, needs to build an intuitive chemistry with each other. Don't you think this will be a problem, no matter how good the personnel, with the o-line again this year? Wouldn't it have been better for Snyder to just save the cap space and go with what was working reasonably well at the end of last season?
Mark Maske: I think your observation is correct, but I don't think that was an option for this season because there simply was not enough talent with the guards they had. Now they should be able to pretty much stick with what they have for a few years, with the only change being that Derrick Dockery will be a starter when he's ready.
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Purcellville, Va.: To me, Patrick Ramsey looked very uneasy during the pre-season. Has Coach Spurrier got him thinking too much and is he now afraid to mess up?
Mark Maske: The preseason is hard on a young quarterback because you're in and out. There's not enough time to develop any rhythm. None of that matters now. Start judging tonight.
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Vienna, Va.: Everybody probably thinks it's great to be an NFL beat writer, but doesn't it prevent you from being an NFL fan because you never get to watch games other than the one you are covering?
Mark Maske: It's very, very rare for me to get to see other games, other than the Monday nighters. That's why it's hard for the writers, in any sport, to vote for the major awards--it's hard to know what's going on with teams you don't cover.
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College Park, Md.: What do you think are the chances that the Skins will aquire Milloy?
Mark Maske: The Redskins tried, but he signed with Buffalo last night. The Bills pretty much blew away the Redskins on the money--about $10 million in the first two years of the contract, compared to about $5 million over the first two years in the Redskins' offer.
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Washington, D.C.: Given our strengths at LB and weaknesses at DT, have the Skins considered employing a 3-4 defense at times during a game?
Mark Maske: They will use it some. I thought when they lost Noble that maybe they would consider going to the 3-4 as a base defense because Mitchell is a good player, but it's hard to make a switch like so late in the preseason.
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Alexandria, Va.: Why did the Skins keep David Terrell on the roster?
Mark Maske: He's a good special-teams player and is a backup who at least has some playing experience.
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Baltimore, Md.: What do you think about the decision to enter into the season with only two quarterbacks on the roster?
Mark Maske: It's different. If you look around the league, there are a number of teams trying it. The only way it's a problem is finishing a game if you get two quarterbacks hurt, and that doesn't happen very often. Plus, if you're down to your third quarterback, except in very rare instances (like last season's Eagles or Rams), you're in big trouble anyway.
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Washington, D.C.: I couldn't be more excited about the season getting underway tonight! Go skins!
Who do you see on the Redskins as having the potential for a breakout season, similar to Arrington's breakthrough in 2001? Is such a year in store for Ramsey?
Mark Maske: Certainly Ramsey will have to have a breakthrough season if this team is going to be any good. I think Taylor Jacobs can be an immediate contributor once he gets over this injury. As for more of a sleeper-type pick, I think Ladairis Jackson might get some opportunities as a pass-rusher at some point during the season and help the team in an area where it probably will need some help.
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Rockville, Md.: With weather like this, can we expect Spurrier to run the ball over 30 times tonight? Or is he too stubborn to adjust?
Mark Maske: It depends, I think, on just how bad the weather is. If it's just a slick field, that can help a passing offense sometimes because the receivers know where they're going, the defensive backs don't and they fall down a lot. If it's just awful, then I think Spurrier will switch because, as I said earlier, I do believe he will run the ball more this season than most people think.
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Washington, D.C.: What are your views on the current "Redskins" patent lawsuit in court?
Mark Maske: I don't know enough about the details of the case to give you an opinion on what I think the outcome will be. I haven't been covering it. But I can tell you that the Redskins people say they absolutely have no plans to change the name of the team even if they lose the case.
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Takoma Park, Md.: Hi Mark,
It's great seeing you on TV with Feldy! My question is about Rob Johnson. I get this feeling watching him play that he is an accident waiting to happen. My sense is that he may be rolling along okay in a game, but when the chips are down, he will commit a killer turnover, either a fumble or interception, that will doom us for that Sunday. Do you get that feeling with him?
Mark Maske: I get the same feeling with Rob Johnson that I get with a lot of backup quarterbacks. You're okay if you're a team that has to play him for a few games. You're not okay if you're a team that has to rely on him to start over an extended stretch.
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Washington, D.C.: Regarding the tackles, I think Samuels regressed last year and Jansen has been sliding over the past few. Your thoughts?
Mark Maske: Samuels had a very difficult season that was mostly attributable, I thought, to trying to play through injuries and never being right physically. Jansen, it seemed to me, ended up being bothered by his contract negotiations last year. I didn't think either was particularly good last year but I tend to believe both will play much better this season. I wouldn't say that either of them is on an irreversible downward slide.
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Sterling, Va.: How do you think the O-line will look if Moore can't come back?
Mark Maske: Everyone says Moore should be all right. But if you're playing with a slight knee injury, you're always susceptible to sustaining a worse knee injury. I thought Lennie Friedman played very well in the preseason in Moore's place.
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Greenbelt, Md.: Hi--
I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that in tonight's game, the Jets will emphasize their running game. The Jets may also use Lamont Jordan more tonight, for interior runs, in order to exploit the weak interior defensive line of the Redskins.
By running the ball, the Jets will also limit the number of pass attempts by their immobile quarterback.
And if the Jets are successful in running the ball, they could eat up the clock and keep the Redskins offense off the field.
What do you think? Will the Jets emphasize their running game tonight?
Mark Maske: For sure. I think every team will attack the middle of the Redskins' defensive line with the running game until the Redskins prove they can stop it. And this is even more true for a team that has an excellent running back like Curtis Martin and is playing without its starting quarterback.
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Washington, D.C.:
Do you think the cutting Wuerrfel and Watson is the beginning of a rift between Snyder and Spurrier? Thanks.
Mark Maske: No. I think Spurrier was mad for about 24 hours, and then got over it. Every employee in America gets mad at his/her boss sometimes (except me, of course, if my editors are reading), and most of the time things are okay after a cooling-off period. The ultimate success of the Spurrier/Snyder marriage will depend on how many games this team wins over the next couple seasons.
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Alexandria, Va.: He obviously keeps himself in peak physical condition, but with no help, can Bruce Smith get the four sacks he needs to break Reggie White's record? I don't see this patchwork line pressuring any opposing QBs much. LaVar, Champ and Ifayane are going to get tired quickly this season.
Mark Maske: I see Bruce getting the sacks. Whether he ends up with any tackles on running plays is an entirely different matter.
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Kingstowne, Va.: Forgive my skepticism, but I think we're about to witness the worst Redskins season since the early 1960s. No pass rush, no run defense. Inconsistent running game. A new receiver (Coles) who drops as many long balls as he catches. A TE (Flemister) who is slower than some DTs. An inexperienced QB. Horrid special teams. The secondary and LBs are decent, and they will need to be, because everyone is coming through the defensive line and there will no pressure on opposing QBs. We'll be 2-14, with wins in Carolina and at home against Dallas. Do you dispute this analysis?
Mark Maske: You're entitled to your opinion, but I must say that I watched every practice of training camp and every preseason game and only saw Laveranues Coles drop two balls that I can remember. That guy is a first-rate, top-shelf wide receiver. I'd probably go a little bit higher than two wins.
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Raleigh, N.C.: Hi Mark, thanks for answering questions today. How is Taylor Jacobs feeling and will he be good to go next week against the Falcons?
Mark Maske: He is out of the hospital and visited Redskins Park yesterday. I think it'll be 50-50 whether he plays in Atlanta, but he definitely should be ready by the third game if not the second.
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New York, N.Y.:
whats the GSS patch stand for on the redskins jerseys
Mark Maske: It stands for Gerald S. Snyder--Dan Snyder's father, a part-owner of the team and a genuinely wonderful person who passed away this summer.
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Farragut West, Washington, D.C.: How paitient will Dan Snyder be with Steve Spurrier if the Redskins have a couple more losing seasons? His offense might work in the NFL, but he doesn't have the personnel yet.
Mark Maske: I believe Snyder will be very patient with Spurrier. This was the coach he always wanted. If Spurrier doesn't stay, I think it will be his choice. He said last year he probably would tell Snyder to try a new coach if things still aren't working at the end of their third year together (the 2004 season), and I take him at his word.
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Mark Maske: I am going to run. The traffic is probably already backing up. I'm sorry for all the questions I didn't get to, but we're going to do this every Thursday at 11 a.m. all season. Thanks!
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