Game 16: Redskins (8-7) vs. 49ers (6-9)

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Out of the box: end of the line with nothing at stake but pride, jobs and final standings so in other words a lot as the Redskins travel west to play the San Francisco 49ers in a 4pm ET game, a rookie coach faceoff with mediocrity at stake.

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The story so far: just another week for head coach Jim Zorn (op. cit.) and now we know we can dispense with all the talk about a change at the coaching position, shadow general manager Vinny Cerrato has weighed in and rookie head coach Jim Zorn will stay, I think this move would have been more useful after the Bengals game but what do I know I am just a shitass with a keyboard. That said the team has not quit on coach Zorn and there are plenty of positions where the Redskins could use some competition, notably kicker (op. cit.) and punt returner with an honorable mention at receiver and defensive line though those are tougher spots to fill without going into the free agent market.

And of the team does not do something to upgrade the offensive line this offseason, 2009 is going to be a long season that will not do any favors for Jason Campbell or Jim Zorn, the unit is old and although it has done well in the running game it has not done as well in the passing game, and did I mention they are old?

Continuing the early retrospectives on and analysis of the team, how have the Redskins managed to put together the fourth ranked defense? Hint, this is a rhetorical question. Despite an abject lack of pass rush and relatively few takeaways they have performed nearly every week. I credit this to solid play by London Fletcher and all the defensive backs. Credit due to defensive coordinator Greg Blache, Greg's buddy Rudy and secondary coach Steve Jackson.

I sense a theme in the week's news and coverage of the Redskins, defensive tackle Kedric Golston is a restricted free agent (op. cit.) and the team opened contract talks with midseason signing cornerback DeAngelo Hall, they would like to keep DeAngelo and I do not blame them, for my part I tend to believe the changes in the depth chart at this point, sitting Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot in favor of Shawn Springs and DeAngelo is more about checking potential for next season and not about either Carlos or Fred suffering. That said the team has handled this situation poorly and let the media define it. Shawn is likely gone and DeAngelo easily could sign with another team, leaving Fred and Carlos as the starters next season.

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Curly R aside: despite the vote of confidence in rookie head coach Jim Zorn, shadow general manager Vinny Cerrato did not ring in with a stellar endorsement of Jason Campbell saying the jury is still out on Jason (op. cit.). I tend to disagree, look at Jason's improvement this season, I think Jason can do everything this team needs, you do not need an all world quarterback to win the Super Bowl, you simply need to maximize the quarterback in the system. Hopefully coach Zorn can recognize this and work with Jason and not throw him away in a year or two because he cannot do things exactly the way coach Zorn wants. It is a mark of good coaching to maximize players outside your coaching philosophy. See also Joe Gibbs and Don Shula. And I hope the lack of enthusiasm is not a foreshadowing of the team jerling Jason around in contract talks, the team needs to lock Jason down for the long term and be done with it.

Curly R aside continues: George Solomon, Washington Post Sports editor emeritus, ends his five year run as a Sunday columnist with a not so vague reference to company belt tightening, traditional media sees the future and it is not bright, I will miss his column, George turned me down personally, or at least it was a facsimile of his signature on the rejection letter, for a job at the WaPo Sports in 1995. His final column is a walk through his little black red book, to include a number of Redskins luminaries. George, if you get the hankering to write you can post on Curly R about anything and everything you want whenever you want.

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Oppo research: head coach Mike Nolan, former Redskins defensive coordinator for three seasons under Norval Turner from 1997 to 1999, was fired by the 49ers in October after a 2-5 start, kind of a bummer, I like Mike, he did a good job with the defense in Washington and he tried his hardest to bring back the suit as sideline coach's attire. The 49ers handed the job on an interim basis to defensive coordinator and Hall of Fame former Chicago Bears linebacker Mike Singletary who has been in coaching all of six years and was passed over two seasons ago for the Dallas job that ultimately went to Wade Phillips.

Since taking over, Mike's 49ers are 4-4 with two wins over the Rams, one over Buffalo and one over the Jets and losses to the Seahawks, Cardinals, Cowboys and Dolphins. In other words the 49ers are still a below average team which makes them very dangerous to the Redskins. Coach Singletary will very likely be named the permanent head coach of the 49ers immediately following this game unless the Redskins drop a blowout on San Francisco like they did in 2005, an achievement not likely to happen given the Redskins have not scored 30 points in a game all season.

And signaling change is really at hand, coach Singletary benched former starter JT O'Sullivan in his first game as head coach and inserted journeyman and former University of Maryland Terrapins quarterback Shaun Hill. Shaun is a fifth year quarterback whose only regular season action is two garbage time kneeldowns...with another team.

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Trainer's table: the Redskins continued to get healthier, or rather less injured which would have been great if the team was barreling into the playoffs and not facing a meaningless game here at the end of the season. Defensive tackle Lorenzo Alexander is an exception, he injured his hamstring Sunday chasing down Brian Westbrook, and was put on injured reserve on Wednesday (op. cit.). Linebacker London Fletcher who sat out the final practice, defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin, defensive end Jason Taylor and tailback Clinton Portis are all dinged but should be in the game (all op. cit.), this is the last game of the season and for some players the final game in a Redskins uniform so you know every one of the walking wounded that can play will play.

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Gameplan: despite the temptation with the team being eliminated from the playoffs and a number of younger players with little experience or success, now paging Malcolm Kelly, Chad Rinehart, Justin Tryon, Devin Clark and Colt Brennan, head coach Jim Zorn says he will not be tinkering with the offense, the playbook or the lineups, he will in fact be trying to win the game the same way the team has been all season, let us hope that is not to the team's detriment.

After fifteen games the Redskins are what they are.

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My take in 60 words or less: another winnable game on it face. I am out of motivational words. Go hit someone in the mouth, the 49ers are beatable.

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Washington Post / AP preview, Gameday (PDF), the Zorn Zone, keys to the game, Redskins projected starters. Broadcast coverage, minority footprint, most of the country will be seeing Cowboys at Eagles, a game lifetime Eagles fan, season ticket holder and Curly R reader/lurker Wilbert Montgomery will be attending and invited me to join him, I am sorry I an unable to, that will be a terrific game.

Enjoy the game Redskins fans, this is it for the 2008 season, there will be lots to talk about all offseason but we will not see another Redskins game until August of 2009. I will be taking in the game the way I have taken the majority of Redskins games the past six seasons, with neighbors on Swarthmore Drive.


This is a gameday open thread.



NFL helmet logos from here.