Redskins coach Joe Gibbs nearly no commented on his postgame press conference. After losing to Philadelphia 27-3 on Sunday, the Redskins boss didn’t want to speak from the heart for fear what would be said.
“We need a long hard look at it right now,” said Gibbs of the game film before the initial question.
Translation — ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies.
The game film will run more like a horror film. The new offense stinks. The playcalling was abysmal. The defense couldn’t get off the field with the Eagles ending the game on a nine-minute drive. The penalties were so bad officials were building a penalty box for the next one.
Gibbs needs a K St. spin doctor to face the media on Monday with a fresh pitch. The old “gonna-work-harder” just doesn’t work. It’s a lot more complex than that. Solving these problems will take several offseasons of smart roster building rather than just watching more film.
Maybe the Redskins can add one more consultant and hire Leslie Shepherd to teach players to say “rock bottom.” That’s the new Redskins way.
Everyone knows the painful truth — the late-season playoff run last year was a fluke. This team has no juice. The Redskins scored only a field goal in a divisional lossfor the second time in six weeks. The sorry offense has no more excuses after nine regular-season and four preseason games.
Things were so bad Gibbs was ready to play backup quarterback Todd Collins against the Eagles. And no, that’s not a sign Jason Campbell will soon debut. It was a one-time white flag, not the surrender of the season.
Not that there’s much of a season left with running back Clinton Portis out at least a month with a broken hand. The Redskins (3-6) probably need a seven-game winning streak to reach the postseason. The odds of that happening are less than the U.S. winning the World Cup.
Quarterback Mark Brunell said, “Every game is a must win” from now on. Funny, but so was Philadelphia and the Redskins were lifeless. It wasn’t a “Body Bag Game,” but it was a butt kicking. Eagles fans bailed midway through the third quarter because there was nothing left to see.
Gibbs pledged a sustained campaign, saying, “We’ll fight to the bitter end.” Sorry, but the bitter end came at Lincoln Financial Field. The rest is just the 2007 preseason.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
