Cheap Trick

I was hoping my debut as a Redskins fan would feature a win but . . . not so much. And, yes, I suppose one has to concede that a better quarterback would have helped. On the other hand, in a close game just about everything matters and Washington clearly could have stood to have had, for example, a better kicking squad. It seems that under the new scheme with a super-powered defensive coordinator and a super-powered offensive coordinator, nobody's coaching the special teams unit.

More to the point, I was hoping that Antwan Randel El was going to mean I would see some awesome trick plays. Instead, zero trick plays. Very disappointing. Nothing beats a trick play.

Comments

I hate to break it to you, dude, but I doubt Randel El came up with all those trick plays himself.

Posted by teofilo | September 12, 2006 12:19 AM

You demean yourself with football blogging.

Posted by Petey | September 12, 2006 12:27 AM

I hate to break it to you, dude, but I doubt Randel El came up with all those trick plays himself.

Of course he didn't come up with the plays, but he's fast and he used to play quarterback so he's a good candidate to design trick plays for.

Posted by Matthew Yglesias | September 12, 2006 12:31 AM

Luckily I was around for several championships when I lived in the DC area...that seems eons ago. I got the hell out of dodge before the 'Skins started sucking ass.

On the other hand...the Detroit Lions suck ass also. At least there is college football to compensate.

Posted by zAmboni | September 12, 2006 12:52 AM

Certainly, but it's hard to design trick plays and not all offensive coordinators are up to it even with a good player for them.

Posted by teofilo | September 12, 2006 12:52 AM

Totally with you on the Antwan and trick plays. I dream of a Randle El offense that would run a normal play occasionally, just to catch people by surprise, and spend all the other plays running bizarre new things that nobody had seen before.

Okay, that's kind of nuts. But it'd be cool.

Posted by Neil the Ethical Werewolf | September 12, 2006 2:14 AM

Has the moneyball-like devotion to statistics caught on at all in football?

I was under the impression that A) trick plays work pretty well on average, but that Coaches get an outsized exposure to job insecurity if they fail, and that B) going for it on fourth down should happen much more often if a Coach followed his statistical probabilities.

One thing I have always found shocking is that with little time left Coaches down more than two scores do not gamble a little more.

Posted by theCoach | September 12, 2006 3:08 AM

I come here for your political insight, not comments on a mediocre already overpublicized team with a racist name. Could you create a special link for all blog postings that don't have to do with the native americans?

Posted by Tim | September 12, 2006 8:59 AM

Woohoo Vikes!

Posted by Chopper | September 12, 2006 10:34 AM

Matt, Tom Cruise was in the owner's box next to Snyder. I know, I know, I didn't like it any more than you, but I have to tell ya, this is significant! How can I, a longtime Washingtonian, support a team where the owner puts Cruise next to him in the box. Such corruption! Think of the children! Curses. Or more effectively, a "curse," now that I think on it.

Posted by DC | September 12, 2006 11:22 AM

Hey, hate arrogant, big-money owners? Become a Packer fan! They don't have an 'owner'.

Posted by Robert Earle | September 12, 2006 1:27 PM

Matt,

You really need to read The Sports Guys' material on fandom. You are violating all the rules by saying that you are going to just become a fan. How can you turn your back on the Jets and the Giants?!

Posted by matt | September 12, 2006 3:41 PM

Until the Redskins get rid of Daniel "I was such a big fan as a kid I had a Redskins belt buckle" Snyder, they will eternally suck.

Posted by Dave | September 12, 2006 4:53 PM

I think you'll see some trick plays in the future. Al Saunders brought in a new offensive scheme and I think the Redskins players are not yet comfortable with the terminology and their responsiblities. In addition, opposing teams have no film of the new offense to study and therefore are not keyed to the certain offensive tendencies which trick plays attempt to exploit.

Keep blogging about sports and everything else under the sun that you find interesting. If you stop, it means the terrorists have won.

Posted by Just Karl | September 12, 2006 9:22 PM

the meaning of football is "the chicago bears"...

why is it impossible to sit through any (non-super bowl)football game not involving the chicago bears, yet equally impossible to turn away from a chicago bears game?

hmmm!

Posted by d.sloane | September 13, 2006 12:46 AM