Washington coach Joe Gibbs is in the bunker mode.
Stealing a passage from Ben Franklin’s motto of “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately,” Gibbs lamented the entire team was responsible for the 25-22 loss to previously-winless Tennessee on Sunday down to the parking attendants who let the Titans bus into FedEx Field.
The offense was practically non-existent over the final three quarters after taking a 14-0 on its first two possessions. The defense let a rookie quarterback beat them in the final minutes. Special teams permitted a blocked punt for a a safety.
Sounds like predecessor coach Norv Turner talking about all three phases and that’s not a good thing.
Washington travels to unbeaten Indianapolis on Sunday. Chances are that’s a loss as the Redskins enter the bye 2-5. The season looks trashed even if the team won’t admit it.
“You can’t, at 2-4, think this thing is a lost cause,” quarterback Mark Brunell said, “because the second you do that you’re in trouble.”
Mark — there’s trouble in the capital city. It starts with T and that stands for taxes (sorry, local version). The team isn’t making the playoffs barring a dramatic turnaround. Brunell could be headed into retirement with Gibbs on his heels.
The whispers around the team say owner Dan Snyder is meddling again. Telling coaches they’re not worth their big salaries. That really bodes badly because if the owner gets his paws on the helm the franchise will surely crash and burn.
The faces of players in the locker room revealed all. It was more than frustration. It was resignation. They’ve seen potential fade quickly in the past. After six games, the team is what it is and there’s no help coming.
“It’s really hard to say how frustrating it is right now,” offensive tackle Jon Jansen said. “We have so many good guys and for someone reason we haven’t been putting it together. … I think 2-4 is a step back.”
Fans booed several times in the second half, but really let players have it at the end.
“I feel quite a bit of frustration, probably more than the fans do,” Brunell said. “We’re the ones that are out there. Coming into this [season] we thought we had a better team than we’re showing right now.”
Indeed, a team that finished last season with six straight wins and nearly made the NFC Championship carried over none of the momentum this year. They are so lost in space the stadium announcer should yell “Danger, Will Robinson” before plays.
Booed, beaten and Snyder interferring — it doesn’t get much worse.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
