The building frustration carried over into a victorious locker room, with offensive players talking as if they’d lost. Their demeanor matched their tone. A week later, they performed even worse.
So they gathered without the coaches Monday to air their concerns, seeking answers rather than blame — of which there is plenty to spread around. They left the meeting with a renewed sense of what they could be — and how soon they could be that team.
“I feel good about this stretch coming up,” right tackle Todd Wade said. “We’re going to do a lot of good things.”
Which led to an easy question: based on what? The players say based on their attitudes.
“You come to a point where you get beat like that and something’s gotta change,” Wade said.
Calling a players-only meeting for the offensive side was the easy part. Changing what they’re doing will require more work. There won’t be any schematic changes or personnel moves. There won’t be any miracle cures for an offense that ranks 28th , averaging 3.5 yards per carry and that hasn’t produced a 100-yard rusher.
The problems abound: the pass protection hasn’t handled blitzes well enough; the backs aren’t getting good holes to run through; the quarterback is enduring the typical highs and lows of a young player; and the receivers aren’t making any plays downfield.
In the past two years, the Redskins reached similar points in the season. They closed 2005 with five straight 100-yard games from Clinton Portis. Last year, Ladell Betts also posted five straight 100-yard days followed by a 92-yard outing.
“Those guys get stronger as the year goes on,” Redskins end Phillip Daniels said. “No one’s pointing the finger; we know what they can do. A lot of people are saying neither is working, the run or the pass. We need one to work.”
To which the offensive coaches say: Amen.
“Every place I’ve been where we’ve had a successful offense, the root of that has been being able to run the ball,” Redskins associate head coach/offense Al Saunders said. “In this day and age, if you’re one-dimensional, it’s very difficult to be successful.”
Losing the starting right side of the line to injuries hurt. But Wade and guard Jason Fabini have now played five games together.
“Their backups but they’re starters now,” center Casey Rabach said.
Backups who need to help pass protect better.
“We need one more second of pass pro time,” Redskins offensive coordinator/line coach Joe Bugel said. “We have to take more shots. But to take shots we have to run the ball. We have to get back to running the ball first.”
