Redskins Game

I know this was a tough week for the Redskins. I realize maybe some decisions were made out of too much emotion. I do keep that in mind as I write the following paragraphs, believe me. And like everyone else, when I first heard about the defense playing the first play with only 10 players I was moved.

But then I hear that Gregg Williams pulled this off without telling Joe Gibbs, which to me under any circumstances is absolutely incorrigible. You have COMPLETELY undermined your head coach - there is zero doubt now that Gibbs will be done after the next four games. Under any other circumstances Williams woulda been fired at halftime (and yes, I realize that under any other circumstances this play would not have happened.) Williams didn't pull this over on some rookie coach, he did it to one of the all-time great coaches who was never anything if not pure class.

I played defense on my football team and yes, there is always a more palpable "fuck you, us against the world" air, more so than offense. Defense is the emotion of a team. I understand this. But in not bothering to check with Gibbs they've made a complete fool of him.

Also if I was the Bills coach I'd be pissed, as the word is he wasn't told of the Skins' plan to honor Taylor on that first play. Surely there's no coach who wouldn't have been more than happy to be a part of it and run a play with his players knowing not to break for a long gain or score. What if the runner had broken through for a touchdown? Then the Bills coach looks like an asshole for having taken advantage of the Skins honoring their fallen teammate, and would spend years labeled thusly.

The armchair strong safety will billow his or her chest and say "eff you, we did it and they didn't score, shows how tough we are." etc etc. They'll tell you the whole point was for the Bills to go 100% on them. Well, what if they did score? It was in the end a tight game - what if the difference ended up being a play where you were scored on while pulling a stunt like that, a stunt you hadn't even told the head coach about? After an athlete dies, everyone walks around saying "so and so would want us to play!" and "so and so would want us to win!" Nobody says "So and so would want us to risk this game by pulling some stunt to honor him!"

I don't blame the players. They're young and emotional. They'll remember being a part of that play for Taylor longer than they'll remember the rest of the game. Maybe to them honoring Taylor, even if haphazardly, was more important than winning the game. I can understand that. But I do blame Gregg Williams. Reprehensible not to tell Gibbs. If I'm an owner I do not hire him in the future, as he seems willing to invoke some sort of Buddy Ryan v. the Rest of the Team nonsense should the notion arise. A lot of my friends are Skins fans and I'm sure they disagree with me, and that's alright. I feel like I'm removed enough to see what I see, which is Williams fucked up. And once some of the emotion wears off, I would think Gibbs would feel the same way.