USAToday: Inside Slant
Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:33 pm
Since Joe Gibbs returned to Washington in 2004, the Redskins coach cum general manager has made some trades that have turned out badly. Champ Bailey for Clinton Portis. Two draft picks apiece for Brandon Lloyd and T.J. Duckett.
But the March 10, 2005, swap in which the Redskins shipped the disgruntled Laveranues Coles back to the New York Jets in exchange for fellow receiver Santana Moss seemed to be a clear-cut Washington victory.
After all, Moss' two late, deep touchdowns in just his second game as a Redskin stunned the archrival Dallas Cowboys and helped put Washington in the playoffs for the first time in six years. The speedy wideout also earned his first Pro Bowl trip after a record-setting season.
Two years later, it's not that simple.
Moss has been unable to stay healthy and productive. He dropped from 84 catches, a team-record 1,483 yards and nine touchdowns in 2005 to 55 catches, 790 yards and six touchdowns in 2006 while missing two games and hobbling through a couple of others. This season has been even worse. Moss has just 20 catches for 248 yards and has yet to score for the 4-3 Redskins, whose best game came when he was inactive with yet another ailing muscle.
Coles, who had 73 catches, 845 yards and five touchdowns in his return to New York in 2005, improved to a career-high 91 catches, 1,098 yards and six touchdowns to help lead the Jets back to the playoffs in 2006. While the Jets are 1-7 in 2007, Coles has 42 catches, 473 yards and six touchdowns. The latter total ranks fifth among NFL wideouts.
So while Moss has 105 more yards (2,521 to 2,416) and has played in four fewer games, Coles has two more touchdowns (17 to 15) and 47 more catches (206 to 159).
But how do you quantify their roles?
Moss is clearly more of the downfield threat (15.9 yards per catch compared to Coles' 11.7) who produces big plays and can open things up for the running game, as happened in 2005 when Portis set the Redskins' season rushing record. Moss is like Redskins great Gary Clark, who was always bothered by tender hamstrings, too. Moss missed most of his rookie year with a knee injury and has played in all 16 games only twice in his seven seasons.
Coles makes the tough catches underneath and moves the chains. Since becoming a starter in 2001 — the year the Jets drafted Moss 16th overall — Coles hasn't missed a game. And like Monk — who also played for Redskins and the Jets — Coles has been a paragon of consistency, recording five seasons with from five to seven touchdowns and four years with from 82 to 91 catches.
Moss at his best — and healthiest — is much more of a force than Coles. In 2005, he was the Redskins' most dynamic young receiver since Clark and Ricky Sanders a generation earlier.
But Coles, who somehow scored just one touchdown on 90 catches for Washington in 2004 — the most by a Redskin since Monk 19 years earlier — can be counted on to be his usual solid self every week.
SERIES HISTORY: 9th meeting. Redskins lead series, 7-1. There really hasn't been a memorable game, but the teams did meet in a much-hyped 2003 Thursday night opener that featured former Jets Laveranues Coles, Randy Thomas, John Hall and Chad Morton facing their former team. Washington won 16-13.
NOTES, QUOTES
—QB Jason Campbell is feeling the pain of his three former high-profile Auburn teammates. Washington CB Carlos Rogers, Miami RB Ronnie Brown and Tampa Bay RB Cadillac Williams are all out for the season.
"All four of us have had an injury at this point in our careers," Campbell said of the quartet of 2005 first-round draft picks. "Fortunately, the (knee injury) that I had in preseason was not that serious. I feel bad for them because they are just at the peak of their careers. It's a tough situation for all three of them. I talk to them daily."
—Campbell, who was stripped three times by New England's Mike Vrabel and lost all three fumbles, plans to work hard at not having a repeat.
"One thing I'm trying to do at practice is just (trying) to hold onto the football with two hands," Campbell said. "Sometimes it's tougher when you are in a situation in the act of throwing and the ball is getting knocked out as your arm is going back to throw. The ones that you feel like you can try to tuck real quick, just try to put two hands on it. It's the first time it's happened to me in my career."
While coach Joe Gibbs benched the similarly sized and experienced Mark Rypien when the quarterback kept fumbling in 1989, the coach has no plans to do so now. Rypien was temporarily replaced by Doug Williams, who was coming back from a back injury and had won the Super Bowl two years earlier. The alternative to Campbell is Mark Brunell, who lost the job last November because of poor play, not injury.
Gibbs likes the way that Campbell deals with problems.
"Jason's personality is real even," the coach said. "I think it helps him in a lot of ways. He handles adversity real well. He has a lot of poise."
By the way, Rypien's time on the bench lasted just two games. He went 5-1 the rest of the way, made the Pro Bowl and two years later led the Redskins to victory in the Super Bowl.
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 — Former Jets starting for the Redskins offense: WR Santana Moss and OGs Jason Fabini and Pete Kendall.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "You don't like for something like that to happen where ... a player wants to leave. We worked out something that has probably been good for both teams. We love Santana. Laveranues is a highly competitive guy that they like." — Redskins coach Joe Gibbs assessing the Laveranues Coles-for-Santana Moss deal two years later.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER PERSONNEL NOTES
—C/G Mike Pucillo missed practice after straining his back during Wednesday's workout.
—TE Todd Yoder took full practice after being limited on Wednesday.
—CB Fred Smoot, who missed the Patriots' game with an ailing hamstring, practiced for a second straight day and will take the injured Carlos Rogers' starting spot opposite Shawn Springs on Sunday at the New York Jets.
—KR Rock Cartwright practiced for a second straight day after being inactive at New England with a strained quadriceps.
—WLB Rocky McIntosh practiced for a second straight day after suffering a shoulder stinger last Sunday at New England.
—LB H.B. Blades practiced Wednesday after suffering a mild sprained knee against the Patriots.
—OT Stephon Heyer returned to full practice for the first time since straining a hamstring on Oct. 14 at Green Bay.
GAME PLAN: Washington's running game has bogged down badly since RG Randy Thomas joined RT Jon Jansen on the shelf in Week 2. The Redskins want to use the run to open up the passing game for young QB Jason Campbell, but that hasn't been happening. Given that the Jets have easily the worst run defense the Redskins have faced since they ripped Miami for 191 yards in the opener, maybe this is the week the offense gets fully back in sync.
The Redskins have hardly blitzed this season, but assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams has been known to blitz young quarterbacks like crazy, and the Jets' Kellen Clemens is getting his first chance this year. The question is whether Washington's secondary could hold up in man-to-man coverage minus injured starting CB Carlos Rogers.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Redskins CBs Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs vs. Jets WRs Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery — Smoot, who has missed three games with a hamstring injury, steps in for Carlos Rogers. Springs shut down Randy Moss last week. Ex-Redskin Coles, who has combined with Cotchery for 88 catches, 1,065 yards and seven TDs, is trying to recover from a concussion suffered last week.
Redskins RG Jason Fabini and RT Todd Wade vs. Jets LDE Shaun Ellis and LLB Bryan Thomas — Fabini, a career tackle, and Wade, who failed in a summer tryout at guard, have not fared well as the replacements for injured regulars Randy Thomas and Jon Jansen. Ellis and Thomas have 3.5 of the eight sacks recorded by the Jets, who are 27th against the run and 26th against the pass.
Redskins FS Sean Taylor and MLB London Fletcher vs. Jets QB Kellen Clemens — Taylor, who leads the league with five interceptions, and Fletcher, who has been credited with a team-high 89 tackles, will try to confuse second-year man Clemens, who'll be making his second career start. Clemens was solid in his previous start against Baltimore.
INJURY IMPACT: With CB Carlos Rogers (knee) done for the year, Leigh Torrence becomes the third corner and David Macklin No. 4. Third S Pierson Prioleau will see even more playing time than usual in nickel and dime packages.
—If TE Todd Yoder doesn't play, the Redskins will use FB Mike Sellers more as a second tight end and will activate rookie Cody Boyd for the first time.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football ... s/home.htm
