Five Questions for a Redskins Blogger

Ben Folsom and Brandon Kriner over at The Curly R, a Washington Redskins blog, asked me to take part in their weekly five questions trade, where they ask me five questions about my team and I ask them five about theirs. Because it always helps to know more about your opponent...

You can find my answers to their questions here. Below are the questions I asked them, with their answers:

1.) Every year, Daniel Snyder goes out and spends a ton of money on big name free agents, but few of them ever seem to have an impact withthe team. Out of all the free agents Washington signed this season, which one was the worst pickup, and how does he compared to past busts?

Curly R: I completely agree with you about the ineffectiveness of the Redskins free agent pickups. I think this year's worst free agent pickup was Brandon Lloyd. He was brought in to keep double teams off of Santana Moss, yet he's ranked only fourth in receiving on the team behind Moss, Chris Cooley (a tight end) and Ladell Betts (a running back!). Lloyd has only 17 catches for 261 yards and no TDs. That's just not going to cut it in the NFL. I can't comment on how he compares to all past busts, but the one that stands out most prominently in my mind was the Jeff George incident in 2001. That was just painful to watch.

2.) Al Saunders was brought in as offensive coordinator with the idea that his offense, which did wonders for Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson in Kansas City, might do the same for Clinton Portis. Why has his offense not caught on with the Redskins? Was it too complex, or did the players just not fit the scheme?

Curly R: I really don't know. With things like this there's rarely just one answer. The only thing I can say is that the Redskins don't feel like a cohesive unit but rather a collection of individuals. As you mentioned in your first question, new free agents are brought in each year in hopes of providing that magic spark, but it rarely works out. The same goes for coaches. The team has tried out a number of different coaches, coordinators, senseis and swamis over the past ten years to no avail. My belief is that a team has to grow together as a unit over a number of years, but that is at odds with Snyder's "win now" philosophy.

3.) The Redskins run defense seems to be allowing a lot of 100-yard games lately: Cadillac Williams, Brian Westbrook, Travis Henry, Tiki Barber, and (if you want to count this) the two-headed monster that is Julius Jones and Marion Barber. What's the biggest reason for this?

Curly R: First of all, those 100 yard games have been put up by 100 yard names. The guys you mention are all elite running backs in the NFL who expect to put up 100 yard performances each time they step onto the field. But the whole Redskins defense seems a bit out of whack. They're susceptible to the run, they're susceptible to the deep pass, they're susceptible to the chicken pox. The team is ranked 28th in points per game, 30th in total yards, 20th in rushing yards allowed and 30th in passing yards allowed. So actually, the run defense seems to be their strong suit. Yikes.

4.) Daniel Snyder has made the Redskins the highest-priced sports franchise in America, despite the fact that the team have only gotten to the playoffs once this decade. How many more years of mediocrity will it take before the fans finally rebel?

Curly R: The fans will never rebel, no matter what. What are they going to do, root for the Ravens? Every year, in some NFL city, there is one of those cute little "fan revolts" that happens, usually with some guys staging walkouts and sporting paper bag helmets. It does no good...believe me, I grew up in Cincinnati during the Lost Decade of the '90s. People love NFL football, and NFL franchises are by definition monopolies. No matter how bad it gets, people will still spend the money and go to the games.