Redskins lose another heartbreaker. Six turnovers are ridiculous. You can't expect to win by turning the ball over six times. Worse is that there were four in the first half and all of them were deep in our territory. Kudos to our defense for only letting them score 16 points on those turnovers. They actually kept us in the game.
The other thing that is ridiculous is that why can't we put together a solid performance for a full 60 minutes? We actually got it backwards this week. Typically, we fall apart in the second half. This week we started out horrendously but came out hard in the second half.
We completely dominated the second half in terms of yardage and time of possession. The problem was that we were never able to get points on the board (a result of INTs and loss of downs). The defense only gave up 15 yards of offense in the entire second half. Doesn't really matter though because we lost a much needed game.
Another big disappointment was for the second week in a row JC has a very good game but blows it by throwing a costly INT. In yesterday's game, he did it twice. I know he is young and he is looking to make a play but he has to be better in those situations. He played very well all game but both INTs were bad. I think the second one he thought he could force in there but it just didn't happen. Whatever. The only thing is that we lost.
We are now 5-6 and in the middle of a lot of teams fighting for a wild card berth. The good thing is that the Lions and Cards both lost. The bad thing is that we didn't take advantage and there are a lot of other teams (like the Bears) who are now in the mix.
We have blown 3 straight games and we have lost 4 of our last 5. We need to find a way to get a win. We are always one or two plays away from getting the win but we keep falling just short. Again, we can't seem to get a solid effort from the entire team for a full 60 minutes. We have talent and capability. If we could just pull it all together for a full game, we would be fine.
The sad part is that a once promising season is looking more and more bleak. Now with the situation with Sean Taylor it might serve as a major distraction. I understand football takes a back seat to a teammate's life. It's just disappointing how the season is unfolding right now. We'll see if the team continue to crumble or rally and put together a couple of victories.
7 comments:
You know why they cannot put together a 60-minute game? Because they aren't very good. They are a mediocre team and mediocre teams have ups and downs. When they were 3-1 I said the same thing. Now that they have lost 4 of their last 5 it is just becoming more clear.
I like JC and he had some good numbers, but all of these games that go down to the wire and where he comes up a little short can really wear on a young QB. We'll see if he can shake the failures in crunch time off.
At 5-6 their certainly are not out of it. They are only one game out with key tiebreakers against Detroit and Arizona. They still get to play Chicago, Minnesota, and the Giants so they have pretty good control of their destiny.
The news regarding Taylor is tragic...almost scary. I am curious to find out what happened, but I hope that he is ok.
I think it's safe to say the 'Skins have the makings of a good to very good team. The problem is execution. As JKD pointed out, putting together 60 minutes of solid play has become a problem for the team. I don't think Portis, Moss, and Campbell are any less talented than 99% of the other players at their positions, but their critical mistakes are killing the team's chances for success. Campbell is learning on the fly and I expect that he will control his turnovers better. Moss and Portis are veterans that should not be putting the ball on the field. The frequency with which they drop and fumble balls is inexcusable.
If those two didn't make crucial mistakes, we would have beaten Green Bay and Tampa Bay. We'd be 7-4 and we'd have a whole different perspective on the season. But this is the NFL and these are the Redskins. You can't predict or expect anything.
We do have the makings for a very good football team. It is as playing together for a full 60 minutes. At this point, it is almost inevitable for one aspect of our team (offense, defense, or special teams) to take a quarter or a half off. We dominate the second half yesterday. Why can't we do that for a full 60 minutes? It's not mediocrity. Mediocrity in my mind just means that you don't have the talent to be successful. We have the talent (we could certainly use more) to be good. We have proven in every game except for the Pats game that we can play with anyone. We just have to find a way to win. We were winning the close games early in the year. We are now losing them. Winning and losing is contagious so hopefully we can catch a hot streak starting Sunday.
5-6 - you are your record.
Maybe they win against Green Bay and Tampa with a couple of more plays. But, maybe they lose to Miami, Arizona and the Jets if they make a couple of more plays.
Mediocre teams are teams that are not consistent and which play up-and-down. The Redskins and Bears right now are the definition of mediocre teams.
We'll see how they finish up.
It is true. We are 5-6. There is no disputing that. It is also true that every game except for the Pats and Lions game were close and could have gone either way.
My frustration is that it's not that one week we play well and another we play poorly. It's that in the very same game we can be like Jekyll and Hyde. We can play one half very well but lose it in another half. We are so close to being very good that it is very frustrating. The other frustrating thing is that we are beating ourselves. The other team is not beating us. We find ways to lose the games and that is what is making it so difficult.
Last year, we just weren't very good. There was a different feeling. We were a bad team. This year we are decent but again, will find a way to lose the game and that is what is frustrating.
I don't disagree that the 'Skins are playing like a mediocre team right now. I don't think they are quite in the same category though. The Bears are having trouble stopping anyone they go up against and they don't have a running back or o-line or QB they can consistently count on...Although Rex is looking sharper.
The 'Skins appear to be solid throughout their roster, but its not translating on the field. There is a distinction between the two teams but the end result right now is the same. If one team is to come out of its funk though, I'd pick the 'Skins to do it.
I'm not sure either team will make a run.
But I will say that both teams deserve to be 5-6, because they are clearly mediocre. Mediocre teams cannot dominate teams, put away opponents when they are ahead, or come back when they are behind. They have moments where they shine, but then other moments where they look terrible. Both teams have shown that this year.
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