Redskins Discussion Topics:

Here are my thoughts following the loss debacle catastrophe against the Rams. Post your thoughts on these questions in the comments:

1. Why did Clinton Portis only get one carry after the 1st quarter?

Last I checked Clinton is your starting running back and the guy you are paying almost $8 million this year, so you should probably try to get your money’s worth. I don’t mind giving Torain a couple of carries, especially after the nice run, but he ended up with as many rushes as your top tailback, and he was signed of the practice squad on Saturday. If Torain was the guy, then why wasn’t he on the 53 man roster from the get go, and why wasn’t he the one who was originally signed to replace Larry Johnson? If Portis wasn’t injured as he said he wasn’t, then he was being punished, ostensibly for falling down on that long run in the 1st quarter. Whether he fell intentionally or tripped/slipped on the grass, is your best idea for the team to punish your best running back when you are losing? I just don’t buy the whole game plan excuse, and thinks there needs to be further questions here. And also guess what Portis is under contract for another $25 million over the next 3 years, if they aren’t going to use him then they should trade him, because that money will just kill the cap (when there is one again) for basically a third down back.

2. Why is Devin Thomas not getting involved in the offense? And where are the rest of the receivers behind Moss?

Look I’ve been disappointed with Thomas’s overall play and lack of reaching his potential since being drafted, but enough is enough. I don’t know why he is seeing almost no snaps on offense, and zero targets. He seems to be showing himself well on special teams, not just with his pretty good kickoff return numbers, but pretty smart and heady play on other units as well. Thomas is also the only receiver on the roster who is 6′ or taller, and would give Washington a different look. Now I’m not going to say that Thomas is the be all, end all answer to their receiver woes. He very well could still be a bust, but he has a combination of size, speed and athleticism that no one else brings to the table. He might still be a bust, but will we really know if he doesn’t get the opportunity? To make matters worse its hard to find a logical reason why Thomas isn’t seeing the field more. Moss is no doubt the number 1 receiver, but behind him the results haven’t been too pretty. Joey Galloway and Roydell Williams each had a big catch against the Texans, but that has pretty much been their season. They have had about zero impact otherwise despite each having multiple balls thrown their way (now some have been over or under thrown, but still). And in general they aren’t getting open enough to see even more opportunities. Now 3rd receiver Anthony Armstrong has looked a little better than Galloway and Williams, but he hasn’t exactly taken the league by storm. And to make matters worse for yesterday’s game he was injured and inactive. So even though in weeks 1 and 2, when the Redskins for most of the game were leading, they used their top 4 receivers throughout the game. And the three receivers behind Moss were seeing a number of snaps and balls thrown his way. Now when you are losing to the Rams (by double digits no less) and are down a receiver, you only use three receivers on offense? I don’t understand this at all and really have a hard time believing that Thomas is that bad at receiver. If he can’t handle getting snaps to replace an injured guy, then why is he active or on this team at all? Yeah I get the special teams contributions, but you have got to be able to do more than that, especially when there is an injury.

3. Why do you not attempt to throw at the end zone on that last drive?

Now I realize your chance of tying the game and forcing overtime when you are down by 14, with no timeouts and 1:50 to go is about 1 in 10, 000 (maybe even worse), but can you at least try to win? Using the middle of the field would have worked if you only needed one touchdown since then you can take shots closer to the endzone. But in 6 plays (not counting the spiked ball) they threw at the endzone (and well out of bounds) 1 time and it was after they drove down to the 30, and had about 12 seconds on the clock. What good did that do, except help pad McNabb’s stats? The Redskins had nothing to lose by trying to throw deep, if the ball got intercepted so what, game is pretty much over anyways. The only way you tie in that situation is a quick score. Instead the Skins took a leisurely time to get down the field throwing (short) in the middle of the field. I realize not much is open deep, but at least try. Maybe you get a blown coverage, or a pass interference penalty, however unlikely it at least offers you a chance to score and kick the onside kick. And while I had no expectation to win at that point I wanted them to at least try to make something happen. That was just a joke to me, and they mine as well should have just taken a knee, because it was the same result.

What do you think? Also, check back later for further coverage on the Redskins loss.