Skins D falls to #2

cvillehog · Post by **cvillehog** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 3:25 pm

Behind the new-fangled "Steel Curtain" in Pittsburgh.

It's a shame that the Offense has managed to drag the Defense down, but we all knew the D's spot at the top of the mountain couldn't last without help from the Offense.

Now that we are going into the toughest stretch of our schedule, what do you guys think will happen to our D?

Will we stay near the top, or will we be toppled completely?

ii7-V7 · Post by **ii7-V7** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 3:40 pm

With the injuries that keep piling up, and some of the more potent offenses in the league on the horizon, its hard to see how we could regain our no. 1 status.....however, I'm amazed that we were ever able to maintain our no. 1 status this long. I mean with the number of star players injured and the losing record even a number 5 defense at the end of the year would be extremely impressive.

Though if Ramsey comes out next week and keeps the game with Philly close...and our D has a reason to keep fighting...then maybe this game could be a turning point for both the offense and the defense.

The thing about our defense is that most teams hadn't figured out how to attack it. The Packers and Bengals have exposed us to some degree. If you want to beat the Redskins defense, then just take your shots down the field. We blitz so much that a good QB is going to beat the blitz at least a few times. Still, I'd rather be beaten that way than being demoralized by not being able to stop the run. At least we are making the opposing offense's QB have to beat us. And that means that most average QB's will make mistakes even if they do put up points. If our offense was even competent enough to capitalize on the turnovers our D has created we would be 6 and 3 instead of the other way around.

So, long story short (or not so short). I think it depends on whether our team can somehow get healthy for the second half of the season and whether our offense gives them any reason to fight. If we keep playing such a woeful offensive game then I say we will end up in the lower half of the top ten. If the offense under Ramsey starts to put up points then we should be in the top five.

Either way I'm still impressed with what was supposed to be our achilles heal...the Defense, and the D-line specifically.

Chad

USAFSkinFan · Post by **USAFSkinFan** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 5:09 pm

I'm a little concerned that our blitzes recently have had a hard time getting to the QB... the Bengels seemed to pick them up pretty easily and hit receivers underneath without much trouble... Greg's going to have to get creative, if that's the formula against us. That being said, we have to keep the pressure on, or we have no chance with the talented QBs we face in the next 4 weeks.

SkinsChic · Post by **SkinsChic** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 5:48 pm

Guess being #2 means we'll just have to try harder....we'll be back to #1 when we whip up on the Eagles next week !!!

redskincity · Post by **redskincity** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 5:50 pm

SkinsChic wrote:Guess being #2 means we'll just have to try harder....we'll be back to #1 when we whip up on the Eagles next week !!!

That right SkinsChic, that right.

Will LA be back?

I feel better going into this game with our new toy.

hkiss444 · Post by **hkiss444** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 6:06 pm

Losing Griffin is really going to hurt this defense. Ryan Clark has played fantastic, a great find by the personnel department. GW has really done well as an evaluator of talent.

joebagadonuts · Post by **joebagadonuts** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 6:51 pm

number 2? man, they stink. booo! booo!

JDC · Post by **JDC** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 7:08 pm

First of all this defensive ranking nonsense is false. I think we are number two in yards allowed. Since our offense doesn't move the ball very far, opossing offenses don't have to drive the full length of the field to get into scoring position. We have also played some of the worst offenses ever - Chicago, Cleveland, Cinci, Detroit, Dallas. I don't think that is accounted for in this ranking. Give me a break with this #1 D stuff. I love our players and Greg Williams, but lets stop somebody good before we start getting all rah rah about this so called ranking.

Irn-Bru · Post by **Irn-Bru** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 7:12 pm

JDC wrote:First of all this defensive ranking nonsense is false. I think we are number two in yards allowed. Since our offense doesn't move the ball very far, opossing offenses don't have to drive the full length of the field to get into scoring position.

But what about Tupa, who has consistently pinned defenses deep inside their territory? I haven't looked at the stats, but I'm not sure that other teams are just getting good field position on us and not going as far.

We have also played some of the worst offenses ever - Chicago, Cleveland, Cinci, Detroit, Dallas. I don't think that is accounted for in this ranking. Give me a break with this #1 D stuff. I love our players and Greg Williams, but lets stop somebody good before we start getting all rah rah about this so called ranking.

At the time that we played Dallas they had one of the best offenses in the league. Detroit hasn't been as bad as in past years, and both the Browns and Cincy have improved over their historical suckiness. We also held the Packers and Giants, and Tampa Bay, to very few yards rushing and a low total yards allowed. The case for the Skins being up there is pretty strong, in my opinion.

JDC · Post by **JDC** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 7:52 pm

Fan From Annapolis,

You make a good point about Tupa, just think about where we'd be without him. I'm not sold on your second point about Dallas, Tampa, and the Giants boasting prolific offenses or Cleveland and Cincinnati not being Cleveland and Cincinnati.

I'm a little pessimistic today after watching the Bungles effectively knock us out of the wild card hunt. The Bungles!

But you can't say you have the #1 Defense just because you give up the least yards. How about points? (I think we are number 4) How about accounting for who you play? How about a defense that scores points (see Baltimore) or a defense that people are afraid of? Did Carson Palmer look rattled yesterday? I don't think so.

I’m not saying I don’t think we are up there or have the potential to be up there. Plus we’ve been playing really good defense without LaVar, Daniels, Barrow, and Bowen. But c’mon with this “we’re number one” stuff. Lets win some games and then start beating our chests.

cvillehog · Post by **cvillehog** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 8:16 pm

You've got your wish, JDC, we aren't number one. So, what exactly are you complaining about?

JDC · Post by **JDC** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:18 pm

cvillehog wrote:You've got your wish, JDC, we aren't number one. So, what exactly are you complaining about?

Cvillehog,

Perhaps I wasn't clear (or maybe you didn't read the previous posts?). I only wish for the skins to be the all-around best team (offense, defense, and special teams) and win lots of superbowls. I by no means "got my wish".

My point was that we never really had the "Number One defense". We shouldn't really cry about moving from #1 to #2 in yards allowed because the stat means little. I'd much rather be #1 in points allowed than yards allowed. Furthermore, I'd rather win games and brutalize opponents than lead in meaningless rankings (most of which had been earned against subpar offenses).

Go Skins.

JDC

cvillehog · Post by **cvillehog** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:49 pm

I agree with what you said there, but that's not really the point of this thread. I myself have pointed out (as have many others) that the stats aren't necessarily meaningful. Others have gone as far as to say the only stat that matters is the W/L ratio.

Anyway, this thread is more of an attempt to get feedback from my fellow fans of where they think the D will end up. To that end, you've provided your input. Now we get to wait for everyone else...

Scottskins · Post by **Scottskins** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 11:05 pm

I figure we end the season lower top 5. Don't forget Lott is our too ;-)

This defense ranks pretty highly in most categories. 4th in points allowed is pretty good. Rankings really don't matter to me much. As long as they are good, and we are, that's all that really matters to me. If the offense gets to middle of the pack, we are a legitimate playoff contender. I definitely see that happening next season.

Once we get healthy and bring in another DE and DT next season, I think we may be the best in the NFL. Not to mention being in the same defense for another season.

JDC · Post by **JDC** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:30 pm

It would of helped to get a little more out of Daniels and Barrow. Not a lot of return on those dollars spent.

SkinsBigtime · Post by **SkinsBigtime** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:42 pm

JDC wrote:It would of helped to get a little more out of Daniels and Barrow. Not a lot of return on those dollars spent.

Unfortunately, that's the story of the Skins this year, no bang for the buck.

tcwest10 · Post by **tcwest10** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:46 pm

I don't know about all this.
I suppose a team with Pittsburgh's record OUGHT to be #1 in something, while a team with our record should be no better than the "middle of the pack" in the rankings.
Otherwise, the rankings don't make sense.

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Skins D falls to #2

Skins D falls to #2

Yeah right

Re: Yeah right

Re: Yeah right

Huh?