5 Questions with the 'Skins

Here at the Best Bucs Blog we are all to happy to preach the greatness of Gruden and company (this season not with standing) to our opponents. Which is why we were all to happy to answer five questions about our Beloved Bucs for the Curly R. And in the interest of fair and balanced reporting we had five questions for these Skins fans.

1. Do you think it is time for Joe Gibbs to retire (again), or do you think that given more time he can bring the Skins back to glory?

Short answer: Gibbs cannot, simply by just being there, return the team to glory. Many Redskins fans can't accept this.

I think the question of whether Gibbs should retire is irrelevant because I don't think that Gibbs is the problem with this team. What the Redskins need most is for Dan Snyder to stop playing Fantasy Football each offseason by trading away all the team's draft picks for mercenary free agents. The best teams in the NFL grow together as a core of players, each drafted in consecutive years, coalesces to form a great unit. Think of Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh of the Bengals. Those guys have been running routes with each other for four years now. The Redskins have a different QB or receivers almost every year, so the continuity never develops. The problem isn't limited to QB and WR, either...it's all 11 guys on both sides of the ball. All Gibbs can do is make the best of what he's given.

2. With Portis out for the rest of the year do you think that Betts and Duckett can get the job done, or do you feel like the season is over?

Absolutely! In fact, I think Betts has been one of the few bright spots for the team this year. He's having a terrific season, 600 total yards rushing and receiving and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He's a playmaker that can break open a great run or catch a key pass in the flat. Duckett has received almost zero PT this season, causing many of us to speculate that the Skins traded for him merely to keep other teams from getting him. Ironically, Duckett was acquired as insurance against Clinton Portis's original injury in the preseason that caused him to miss time. Now that Portis is out, the Duckett trade is looking pretty good. He was always solid on third down and at the goal line for the Falcons. The Skins might as well use him while they can.

3. Is there a reason your most famous fans dress up in dresses and wear pig noses? And did Chief Zee ever get tickets from Dan Snyder?

Yes, there is, and it's a very good reason at that. The Hogettes started in 1983 as a way to raise money for sick kids in Children's Hospitals at the Redskins games. You can read the whole history on the Hogettes' web site. It's a pretty cool story.

Alas, I do not know the fate of Chief Zee. Anyone have an update for us?

4. Who is taller, Snyder or Tom Cruise? And who would win in an octagon, Ultimate Fighting Matchup?

Numerous sources list Cruise's height as 5'7" so I'd have to assume that Snyder is taller. All things being equal, Cruise would handily win the Ultimate Fighting Matchup, but Snyder would be likely to simply hire Chuck Norris to whip Cruise's ass on the Redskins owner's behalf.

5. What EXACTLY does Gibbs do, besides (to steal a line from Kornheiser) give press conferences and hand out free tickets to Six Flags?

LOL...I have wondered this exact same thing aloud all season long. Gibbs is flanked by two "Associate Head Coaches" that could easily be hired as head coaches elsewhere in the NFL. Al Saunders and Gregg Williams take care of all the play calling. As far as I can tell, Gibbs's job is prevent a wholesale fan defection by reminding Redskins fans of the good old days. He seems to have somewhat of a Dick Cheney-type role, taking all the heat for his organization's abject failure in order to distract people from the utter failure of his boss. But again, it's not about Gibbs...in football, it's never just about one guy.