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Sports: Redskins
Mark Maske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 25, 2003; 11:00 a.m. ET
What is your reaction to the Redskins game against the Falcons? Can this team make it to the playoffs? Who are the breakout players this season? Who isn't living up to your expectations?
Washington Post staff writer Mark Maske was online to take questions and comments on the team, their game against the Giants 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: Hi, everyone. Let's start a little early since I've had to shorten it a little bit the past two weeks, first for computer troubles and last week for the storm.
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Washington, D.C.:
Do you think the Redskin players should be fined for making mental mistakes such as taunting or false starts? If not, how should the coaching staff correct these mistakes?
Mark Maske: I think a game like last week should serve as a very good correcting device. Those penalties lost that game for the Redskins when they played on equal footing (or even outplayed) a Giants team that many people think could end up in the Super Bowl. If these Redskins players care about winning, they will pay attention to the way they're being coached, pay better attention to detail and fix those things. If they don't do the fixing themselves this weekend, then fines and those kind of measures would be in order. But if it gets to that point, it's probably too late.
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Woodbridge, Va.:
How are you, Mark? What are your
opinions on Darnerian McCants?
Spurrier said some good things about
him. Do you think he will continue to play
a large role in the offense?
Thanks,
John washingtonpost.com:
Darnerian McCants was online with us a couple of weeks ago.
Mark Maske: I think McCants is a very effective receiver down near the goal line because he's a big, strong, rangy guy. I don't know that I think, in other situations, he's better suited to being the No. 3 receiver on this team than Taylor Jacobs. I believe Jacobs will be a difference-maker when he gets fully healthy and gets back into the mix, the kind of guy who gives Patrick Ramsey another option if defenses clamp down on Laveranues Coles and Rod Gardner. To me, you can't have too many bigger receivers (like Gardner and McCants) in a Spurrier offense. You can have one, but you'd rather have most of the rest of them be quicker, more explosive guys like Coles and Jacobs.
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Washington, D.C.:
Hey Mark,
With the Redskins committing soooo many penalties, between the four teams (including them) in the division who should the redskins be concerned about the most?
TJ
Mark Maske: Right now, they should be most concerned about themselves. They appear to be a pretty decent team if they don't beat themselves, like last Sunday. They look to be on equal footing with the Giants. We'll know more about the Eagles after they play the Bills. If they fall to 0-3, with all the injuries they have, this might be one of those years where the players start packing it in early. The Cowboys will play hard for Parcells, but they just don't have much talent.
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Potomac, Md.:
Mark
With all the attention given to Carr and Harrington in last year's draft, is Ramsey proved he was a better pick, or is it just the systems and team they are on right now?
Mark Maske: Ramsey has some great advantages over Carr and Harrington. He's playing for a very good offensive coach in a passing-oriented system, and I believe he has far better players around him than Carr or Harrington. All three will be very good quarterbacks in this league for a long time, I think. Ramsey might not be the best player of the group but, being drafted at the end of the first round while the other two were right at the top, he sure seems to be the best value as a pick.
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Arlington, Va.:
Hey Mark. So what do you think about Wilbert Brown
going to the Pats? Since Brown will obviously tell
Belichick everything he knows about the 'Skins
offense do you think Washington is doomed this
weekend?
Mark Maske: I'm not sure Wilbert Brown knew the plays when he was here. (Just kidding.)
Seriously, that's something that happens all the time. This is the third straight week that the Redskins' opponent has someone who knows a lot about Spurrier's system. The Falcons had Doug Johnson and the Giants had Jesse Palmer, both of whom played quarterback for Spurrier at Florida. There aren't a whole lot of secrets about a team's system, anyway, by the time a coach like Belichick goes over the game tapes. The Redskins will have some precautions, like fake audibles, in place. It should be a bit worrisome for the Redskins for a coach like Belichick to have any edge, but the Patriots' defense is so beat up this week that it really shouldn't matter.
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Long Island, N.Y.:
I thought Chad Morton was going to help the Redskins in the return game but so far he's
been average at best why is that? Will he be that guy who can take kickoffs for touchdowns or not?
Mark Maske: He almost broke a punt return last Sunday. I thought that was the first time the blocking gave him any chance. If his blockers give him a crease, he can go. If the blocking doesn't improve, that will have been wasted money, but it's not Chad Morton's fault. He is a very, very explosive player.
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Washington, D.C.:
Great coverage of the Skins the last few years! Thanks for the articles.
What do you think the chances are that Belichick moves to shut down the passing game on Sunday and the Skins rely heavily on the run to beat up on a defense that's missing its nose tackle and a couple of LBs?
Also, I was surprised to read that Canidate has no catches this year. What's up with that? I would think he'd be the perfect guy to throw a little dump pass out into the flap and let him create with his speed.
Mark Maske: If Belichick sticks to form, he will devise a game plan that will force the Redskins to use someone other than Laveranues Coles to beat him. (It's dangerous to say there's any "sticking to form" with him because he's unpredictable and his shortage of players this week might make him go a different way, but he usually does everything he can to take away an offense's top weapon.) That means running the ball and throwing it to Gardner, McCants, Jacobs, etc.
As for Canidate, I thought he'd get a lot of passes thrown to him, but Morton and Betts have had the short passes coming to them. Also, when defenses see Canidate back there, they're blitzing to test his blocking, which was a big deficiency in St. Louis and has continued to be one here.
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Suitland, Md.:
Hey Mark!
Who do you think will emerge as the featured runningback on this years Redskins team?
Mark Maske: My guess is that they'd like to continue the way they're going, with Canidate and Betts splitting the carries. They've been a nice complement to one another so far, and I don't know that either one of them is capable of being the main guy without help at this point--Betts because of his lack of experience, and Canidate because of his running style of trying for the long one every time rather than settling for three or four yards when it's there.
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Washinton, D.C.:
Patrick Ramsey has already been sacked 13 times, and numerous hits after throwing. Do you think that the Redskins offensive line is better at pass or run blocking?
Mark Maske: It's been a better run-blocking line so far. But I thought the pass protection was greatly improved in the Giants game. Ramsey was not beat up nearly as much. If that's the way the protection goes the rest of the year, I think Ramsey will continue to flourish and the blocking won't be a problem at all.
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Arlington, Va.:
I think Rod Gardner needs to step it up a notch. He's a good receiver, but he makes some very bad plays and hurts the team. In the past three games he has not blocked effectively down field (killing what could be homerun plays), and has been called for holding and at least one false start that I can recall. Are the coaches happy with his play?
Mark Maske: You're right on about the blocking. That needs to get better. As far as the receiving part, it's going to be up and down a little bit because he's no longer the main guy. If the Redskins can get the ball to Laveranues Coles, they will. He's their No. 1 playmaker. Gardner has to be there in those games--like possibly this one--when the opponent goes out of its way to shut down Coles. Gardner has 17 catches in three games, which is very good for a No. 2 receiver. What could be better is his 10.3 yards per catch, which comes down to making some yards after the catch.
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Charlotte, N.C.:
IS Chris Samuals overrated? He got smoked again last week, giving up two sacks and two key penalties?
Mark Maske: He had a very strange game last week. The coaches insist that, aside from the two holding calls, he had as good a game by an offensive tackle as you'll ever see. Now, you can't take away those two holding calls, one of which wiped out a touchdown catch and one of which helped to keep them out of the end zone on their final drive of regulation. I guess the answer is somewhere in between: He's playing okay, but not great. When you're drafted as high as he was and you've been to a couple Pro Bowls, the standard you've set is pretty high.
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Washington, D.C.:
What do you think about LeVar's "go away, little boy" comments about Clarett? Sincere, or posturing?
Mark Maske: I was there, and they seemed very sincere. He said that in a very intense, kind of angry way. If Clarett wins that case, he will come into the NFL with a target on his chest. I guess the NFL players look at the NBA and see that for every young guy that comes in, one veteran gets pushed out, and they don't want that to happen in their league in any great numbers.
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Raleigh, N.C.:
Hi Mark,
Thanks for chatting with the fans. You seem to be the only one reporting about the Wilbert Brown espionage fiasco. I'm disturbed that the Pats would sign him just to steal details about the Redskins' offense. If, in fact, that's the only reason he was signed and he gets released on Monday, can the Redskins file some kind of grievance against NE? Or is this kind of behavior commonplace in the NFL? If there are ethics between football teams, this would seem to violate them.
washingtonpost.com:
The Patriots' Act, Built on Deception (Post, Sept. 25)
Mark Maske: That's just life in the NFL. The Redskins coaches say they try to tell their guys if they think a team is going to use them that way, make sure to get a promise for more than one week's pay out of it. But the Patriots claimed Brown off waivers, so he had no choice but to show up or not work this week. As I said before, I don't know that you get that much more info out of a guy like that than you do simply by studying the game tapes very closely.
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Hinesville, Ga.:
How do the Redskins beat Belichicks defensive schemes
Mark Maske: The first step is to figure out what Belichick is going to do. Blitz a lot? Go out of his way to take Coles out of the offense? That won't know that until the game is under way, so this will be a very good test of the ability of Spurrier, Hue Jackson and Ramsey to adjust as they go. Spurrier has been excellent this season at making mid-game adjustments, and we'll see if that continues. The Xs-and-Os between Spurrier and Belichick should be very, very interesting.
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Clinton, Md.:
The defensive line is not getting any pressure on the quarterack, and they are not stopping the run. What can be done to get consistency out of the D-Line?
Mark Maske: I think the defensive line has done a decent job stopping the run. Tiki Barber went over 100 yards last week, but the Redskins did a good job against the run in the first two games. The pass rush is a bigger problem, to me. There simply isn't that big-time pass rusher coming off the edge like most very good to great defenses have. The Redskins need to blitz LaVar or Armstead to get to the quarterback, and that's going to be an ongoing problem. Great pass rushers are very valuable commodities, and you need to use a first-round draft choice or a big free-agent contract to get one. That's a top priority for next offseason. In the meantime, I'd like to see Ladairis Jackson get a chance. He's a speed guy, and maybe he could become an effective situational pass rusher, maybe like the Redskins used to have with N.D. Kalu. He hasn't had a chance yet, and maybe he can make a difference.
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South Carolina:
I am a diehard Redskin fan so I could be biased, but judging by the now potent offensive play by Ramsey, Coles, Gardner and the play by the defense. Do you agree with me by saying this team as the season goes by can be a legitimate contender in the NFL? Why or why not.
Mark Maske: I don't see why not--at least for the playoffs. Who are the best teams in the NFL right now? Kansas City? Indianapolis? Denver? Tampa? I don't think there are any flawless super-teams out there, and the Redskins are in that batch of second-tier teams that, if things fall into place, can win 10 or 11 games and make some noise.
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Washington, D.C.:
With sporadic pressure from the d-line, why is Champ and Smoot in so much man coverage? We know Champ is a shut down guy and Smoot -- he's coming on strong. Both guys are doing a good job but by mid season they could both be TOAST without a lttle help and pressure up front.
Mark Maske: The Redskins do put a lot of pressure on their cornerbacks with the way they play defense, but they feel those guys can handle it. If Bailey and Smoot can handle receivers one on one, that frees up some manpower to blitz, and that appears to be the only way the Redskins will get much pressure on quarterbacks this season. It's not the way you'd like to go all the time if you had one or two good pass rushers on the defensive line, but that's the hand that defensive coordinator George Edwards has been dealt. He has to try to take advantage of the physical abilities of his linebackers and cornerbacks.
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Washington, D.C.:
Hi Mark,
Some colleagues of mine referred to FedEx Field as a cookie cutter stadium, devoid of character and appeal, compared to other newer NFL stadiums? Do you agree with this harsh assessment? Thanks.
Mark Maske: It does not have the history and character of RFK Stadium, at least not yet. But I think character comes from history, and you have to give history some time to develop. I will say I think the two home games this season have had the loudest crowds at the stadium since I started covering the team in 1998.
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El Cajon, Calif.:
Hi Mark:
Why can't the ball coach pick a back and stick with him? I'd love to see what either Betts or Canidate could do with 25 carries.
I bet the offensive line would love it too.
Mark Maske: To me, neither of those guys is a 25-carry back on a winning team. Betts is a solid guy but is not the breakaway threat that Canidate is. Canidate is a home run hitter who does not settle for the four-yard run when that's all there is on a play. I have no problem with rotating those two guys and trying to use the best qualities of both to maximize production.
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Washington, D.C.:
I really like Champ Bailey, but is a hefty contract for him really worth it? It's becoming more apparent to me that a good pass rush is more important than good secondary coverage. Maybe we can do the opposite of what we did this year and get veteran cornebacks while pay for premium defensive linemen.
Mark Maske: Champ can take the other team's best receiver completely out of the game, as he did in Atlanta with Peerless Price (but failed to do last weekend with Amani Toomer). That is valuable. On the other hand, he does not make a lot of game-turning plays. When Deion Sanders was in his prime, very few teams tested him. But when they did, he very often picked the ball off and took it the other way.
I think the Redskins' solution will be, if he doesn't accept the offer they've made, to put the franchise-player tag on him next spring and be happy with whatever the outcome is. They either end up keeing him or getting two first-round draft choices for him.
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Silver Spring, Md.:
Do you think the Redskins were duped again in the free agent market with Jeremiah Trotter? I haven't seen him make any plays and he's terrible in coverage (Did you see him back into the end zone and watch Ike Hilliard catch a TD in front of him?) I think the Redskins would be better off with Lemar Marshall as the starter. Also, why don't they fire Mike Stock? His squads don't make plays, commit penalties, and must be the worst in the league.
Mark Maske: I didn't think Trotter played all that well last season even before he got hurt. He seemed to struggle with the defensive system and wasn't being aggressive. This year, I think he is back to being the player he was in Philadelphia. He is making a lot of plays all over the field and being aggressive. But with that comes mistakes, and pass coverage isn't his stong suit. Still, the defense will go only as far as the playmaking abilities of its linebackers take it.
Judge Mike Stock after this season. He finally has been given a good kicker and return guy. The blocking and tackling on special teams, that will fall on him, for better or worse.
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Arlington, Va.:
Two simple questions:
What happened to our defense in OT last weekend?
And additionally:
What are we doing to improve the pass rush and get more pressure of the qb?
Mark Maske: I think the coaching staff wonders the same thing. The Giants ran some pretty basic stuff and went straight down the field. LaVar blew a coverage on the 27-yard catch and run by the fullback, Finn. But the Redskins were set up to win the game if they'd kept the Giants pinned back and forced a punt, and the defense didn't come through.
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Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.:
Mark,
I appreciate the level of insight and access to the players your articles offer.
Question: What do you think of the Patriots receivers? I seem to remember a preseason game last year where David Patten ate us alive. Can he do that again? Who else scares you on that offense?
Thanks.
Mark Maske: Patten has a bad knee this week. Tom Brady has a bad elbow. I think you'll see Belichick take a pretty conservative approach offensively and try to shorten the game and limit the opportunities for the Redskins' offense.
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Lafayette, N.J.:
I feel that there is no control on this team. The players are not working together and the penalities prove my point.
Mark Maske: I actually feel there is a great deal of togetherness on this team. Two straight weeks, the Redskins were in situations where they could have folded, and didn't. The penalties are a problem. There's a carelessness there, but not a lack of caring. I'm not really ready to indict anyone yet, though, unless it continues. This is the most talented, driven Redskins team I've seen for a few years, and they aren't that far away from being pretty good.
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Arlington, Va.:
Mark,
Now that the Redskins have lost a game, are they going to stop wearing their ugly white pajamas uniforms and go back to the classic burgundy pants and white jerseys? Who decided to have them wear white pants and white jerseys? These are the worst uniforms I've ever seen the Redskins wear.
Mark Maske: That was a decision made by the players for the opening game, and they stayed with them because they were winning. We can only hope, now that they've lost, that those uniforms will be packed away and not brought out again for a good, long while.
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Washington, D.C.:
I know this question has to be answered with the utmost diplomacy, but is Dan Snyder really as abrasive, arrogant and callous as he is made out to be?
Mark Maske: No. I think he's a very aggressive person who puts all his energy into trying to have a winning team. He was treated badly by many media people early in his tenure. There was very little actual reporting done on him, and a lot of name-calling. That will change if and when the Redskins become a consistent winner again. He will remain essentially the same guy, but the portrayal of him will change because it will be viewed through the lens of success.
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Morgantown, W.V.:
Hi Mark, hopefully I caught you before you left. Watching this defense so far this season, I get the feeling the coaches are relying a little too much on individuals and not enough on a scheme or system. Granted we have great individual talent, but doesn't it seem a bit like the Redskinsn are schematically confused more than they should be?
Mark Maske: The biggest difference between Marvin Lewis and George Edwards is that Marvin believes in his system, while Edwards believes in his players. The players now can take risks they couldn't before. That will pay off sometimes--as with Trotter's third-and-one tackle against the Jets, and Armstead's safety against the Falcons. It will backfire sometimes, as with LaVar's blown coverage on Finn in overtime against the Giants. I guess we'll decide at the end of the year whether Edwards took the right approach.
Thanks for the questions today. I'm going to run now and get to work in the Redskins' locker room. We'll be back at this next week.
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