The truth is, when your team in winning, life is boring. Really. If we were 11-2 like the Giants, all we’d see on the boards are 53 threads titled ‘We’re so awesome!’. I’m old enough to remember the ’91 season (I’m older that that, actually), and as fun as it was to know – not think, but know – that you were going to crush everyone, it also got a bit old. Am I saying that I would prefer to be 7-6, or even 0-13, rather than 11-2? Not at all. Am I saying that the Redskins should continue to strive for mediocrity, just so we can have something to argue about? Heck no. Am I comfortable asking myself questions? Not really, in fact it is a bit weird.
Since we’re not 11-2, the debate seems to center around who is to blame for this quickly deteriorating season. There’s the vocal Jason Campbell camp, who is running on the platform of missed reads, a slow release, and that they can’t understand what it is he’s saying in interviews. A small radical group also wants Colt Brennan to show what he’s got. Then you have the folks who believe that the offensive and defensive lines are to blame, based on that whole ‘can’t seem to block anyone or apply pressure’ manifesto. They also seem to think that age is a factor. There’s also the group that blames the coaching staff. How can JC throw or the line block if we’re only sending two guys out into the pattern, with 5 DBs? And if I can predict that we’ll run on second down after an incompletion, then chances are the other team can as well. Lastly, there’s the little-known receivers are to blame movement. Moss isn’t a number one receiver, where’s Thomas, Kelly and Davis, no one can get any separation are their issues.
The truth is that blame for the team’s current woes can probably be spread around to everyone – perhaps not equally, but I don’t know if any player or group has played perfectly during this eight-game slide (okay, maybe Ethan Albright). A team that played above it’s head early, is now underachieving. And while it’s easy to look for a single solution at a single position, I think the truth is simply that this team needs help in many different areas – help from free agents, help from the draft, help from current players just gaining experience. And that takes time. Madden told us on Sunday night that we’re a good team, but not an elite team. Whatever those early-season wins made us believe, I think that’s the bottom line. And until we get there, there’s enough blame for everyone.