The Chat House

Sports News

Michael Wilbon. (The Washington Post)

Welcome to another edition of The Chat House where Post columnist Michael Wilbon talks about the latest in sports.

The Redskins ended the season with a 6-10 record after a 21-18 victory over Minnesota.

Join Wilbon online Monday, Jan. 3, at 1:15 p.m. ET to talk about the latest in sports.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

_____________

Michael Wilbon: Hi everybody. Happy New Year. I'm in south Florida on assignment to cover the Orange Bowl tomorrow night. And I must admit that I've watched more Bowl action than I ever thought I would. But the games have been worth watching -- they've been really good! I suspect everyone wants to still talk about Redskins, so we'll get to that, some Bowl stuff and anything else... Let's get started!

_______________________

Mills - Centreville, Va.: Michael,

Give us your prediction on the Sugar Bowl. Two very similar teams, both have great defenses, senior qbs, two standout rbs...etc. It probably will come down to which team makes a play on special teams. I personally like the Hokies tonight, they have been on a roll and thrive in the underdog roll.

Michael Wilbon: So let me get this straight Auburn hasn't been on a roll?
Isn't Auburn undefeated? How could you be on a bigger roll than on the whole season? Is there a better roll than running the table? I have no idea what you are anticipating unless you are just a Virginia Tech fan. I think Auburn is the best team in the country, so no, I don't think Virginia Tech is going to beat Auburn.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Hey Michael. Great column today on your playoff predictions. With the regular season now over for the Skins which way do you think they will go in the draft. Right now they are slated to get somewhere around the tenth pick in the first round. Shoul they go with a receiver like Braylon Edwards on Mike Williams or possibly a O-lineman. Or should they add to a very good defense with a difference making DE or DT.

Michael Wilbon: I have no idea about the draft and at this point, neither do the teams know who they are drafting. They haven't had the meetings and they haven't brought players in for workouts. It's going to take months for evaluating and information gathering before teams even begin to narrow down the list. If people know that stuff, they could hold a draft after the regular season ends or the day after the Super Bowl. But there is a reason why the draft is in late April. The teams have to figure out what the hell they are doing.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: How would you grade the Skins this year? Gibbs? Who is your Skins POY?

Michael Wilbon: Any one of six defensive players could be the player of the year: Griffin, Springs, Smoot, Washington ... I probably left out somebody. But any of those guys is worthy of consideration for defensive player of the year.

I never waste my time rating because you are what the record is.

_______________________

Fredericksburg, Va.: It seems clear that Betts is a better fit for Gibbs running schemes than Portis. Portis should fill the Joe Washington - Kelvin Bryant role on this team. The question is, can you do that with the cap situation - use your mega-million$ back part-time? Or do you change the offense to fit Portis?

Michael Wilbon: That's a huge cap hit that you are suggesting and I know that it will be suggested over and over again in this off season. I just don't know how feasible it is. Remember we are talking about a quarterback and running back who are scheduled to make $90 plus million dollars and we're talking about getting rid of them after one year. Doesn't that strike you as completely crazy? I'm probably in agreement with you strategically but putting together a pro football team is so much more than that now... This is a real dilemma for the Redskins and I don't think there is any easy answer that can be reduced a sound bite or paragraph. This entire off season has to be about fixing the offense. Part of that is personnel but part may be coaching philosophy.

_______________________

washintonpost.com: By February, Everyone Will See How Super the Steelers Are (Post, Jan. 3)

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Ultimately, the NFL playoffs are MUCH more interesting than the Redskins, but I'm still curious to see what you think the 'Skins can take away from the season. My take: don't change a thing on defense, tighten up play on special teams, figure out how to use Portis, get a new quarterback (but don't break the bank to get him, they just need someone who won't screw up), and keep the team motivated. What do you think?

Last thought: with all of this team's problems, I think the great testament to Joe Gibbs that Spurrier/Turner/Robiskie/Marty didn't have is that the team fought hard every single week. It was sloppy and ugly, but at least they were finding a reason to play hard each game.

Michael Wilbon: You're absolutely right...the NFL playoffs are much, much more interesting than the Redskins...It's over people. The Redskins are over...One of the things I notice most about even very smart people who follow sports now is that they only follow their own team, so they don't really have an perspective...Even with the internet and satellite services making it easier than ever to access other teams, people are locked in on their team and have no context for forming opinions. Which is why people ask stuff like, "Why don't we just trade Mark Brunell for Eli Manning and the Giants extra first-round pick?"
I hope people here in D.C., instead of turning off the TV and tuning out football, watch the Colts and Broncos and the Jets and Chargers. See what teams really have who make the playoffs. That's the fun of the season, not re-hashing the Redskins woes. They need to come back with a plan that either makes better use of Betts and Ramsey, or goes with different personnel. If Portis is on the team, figure out how to use him. Don't tell me a guy who gains 1,500, 1,500 and 1,300 in his first three years can't be used. That (and I know you're not suggesting this) is stupid. Either use him the best way he can be used (they used to call this good coaching, playing to someone's strengths) or go with the other guy. But I think this is less about offensive personnel than philosophy. And I still think Joe Gibbs will use this off season to come up with the kind of plan he didn't have the time to formulate this season.

_______________________

Englewood, N.J.: Mike, what is the atmosphere like down in Florida? Do you get the sense that one team is more relaxed or tense than the other? When will we hear your prediction for the game?

Michael Wilbon: It's great here in south Florida. 80 degrees, sunny. Now, I want you to listen to me good: never, ever, ever put any stock in who is "more relaxed." Never, ever concern yourself with that junk. We don't know who is more relaxed, despite whatever junk you hear or read. They don't know who is more relaxed. Some guys are uptight on every team, some are ready to jump in the Atlantic for a swim...It doesn't matter. It doesn't correlate. The team who plays the best Tuesday will win. They're even. They're both great teams, as is Auburn. Never go with "relaxed." The Miami Hurricanes were so "relaxed" one year they wore fatigues all week and promptly got waxed by Penn State...I think it was 1987. Penn State was supposedly uptight and won easily...Forget relaxed.

_______________________

Baltimore, Md.: Hi Michael-
What is your current assessmednt of the Wizards?
They've had some tough losses, and seem to be
displaying some of the problems of teams past, such as
real trouble maintaining leads and putting games away.
Yet they are certainly exciting to watch, and both team
chemistry and attitude seem vastly improved. What would
you predict as their final record?

Michael Wilbon: Good question: They struggle to maintain leads because they have no interior defense to speak of. For that matter, they have no interior offense to speak of. They have no size. Opposing teams know that coming in. There's only so much a team can do on the perimeter...If Kwame Brown and Etan Thomas show up and contribute every night from here on out the Wizards can win 43-45 games...If not...if the Wizards continue running a perimeter team only the Wizards will drop below .500 eventually and miss the playoffs again. You're right, they are entertaining to watch. But with no inside defense and no inside scoing (Brendan Haywood cannot go it alone, as improved as he is) it's going to get tougher and tougher to win games.

_______________________

Jeffersonville, Pa.: Is it me or are you tired of hearing that no team since the '67 Packers won the Superbowl while losing the last two regular season games? As an Eagles fan that has absolutely no relevance. How many of those teams had home field locked up and didn't play their top players the last two weeks...Sometimes I wonder if the "experts" have any critical thinking abilities...

Michael Wilbon: Look, I have liked the Eagles to win the NFC all season. But let's not fool ourselves here. The Eagles, without T.O., are not the same team. They'll have to come up with an entirely new offensive approach and whether that can be done in practice is debatable. Westbrook will have to be used differently. The tight ends will play a difference role. And McNabb, who hates to run, will have to run more, especially on third down. The Eagles are the same team they were last year, without T.O., and that team lost in the NFC title game at home. They're not unbeatable. I'm not certain they want to play Green Bay again either, despite the Philly blow out last time. Atlanta might be every bit as good as Philly now. I know I wouldn't want to see Michael Vick coming to my house with one game on the line. Ask the Packers how that went when he showed up there two years ago in January...

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Dear Mike --

How would you rate Steve Blake's performance so far as the Wizard's reserve point guard?

Michael Wilbon: Have you been watching the games or are you just a Maryland fan who wants to follow Steve Blake? He hasn't played. He's been injured for almost the entire season. Hopefully, he'll be healthy enough to resume backup duties full-time because Arenas could do without playing as many minutes as he is now. As you move further into the season your role players become critical, if for no other reason than keeping your starters to a reasonable number of minutes played.

_______________________

Westminster, Md.: Michael,

I've seen most of the Wizards games this year, and while I'm happy with the improvement, I'm not sure they're going to get much better (and start beating good teams) until Gilbert Arenas starts acting more like a point guard. He dominates the ball far too much, and is reluctant to pass. Eddie Jordan's offense requires ball movement, and there's just not much on this team, mostly because Arenas is -always- looking to score first. Brendan Haywood, for example, could be a much bigger force inside, and open things up on the perimeter more, if he was actually made part of the offense, rather than having to get all his points on putbacks. Can Arenas learn to be a better distributor?

Michael Wilbon: Great point, and yes, I think he can. The kid gets visibly better every year. But I think also that he's a shoot-first point guard. That doesn't win at the highest levels usually. But there are instances where teams make the playoffs with that kind of point guard. Arenas ain't Iverson, but he comes to mind. Stephon Marbury (who I'm not in love with as a point guard). But I think Arenas and Hughes work well together so I wouldn't want to be stuck on a philsophy without considering the talent on hand.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Hard core Pats fan, but I'd agree that the Steelers are on theverge of doing somethig amazing. Potentially, if they get the Bolts and Colts in the AFC playoffs and the Falcons in the Super Bowl, they could face / beat I think all of the 11+ win teams in one year and I think all but 2 of the .500+ teams (GB & Denver). Do you think the Pats get by Colts, assuming Ty Law and Richard Seymour play at <100%?

Michael Wilbon: Now, were're getting some questions worthy of January! I think the Colts will have a tough time, again, winning in New England. I'm not a dome team guy, for the most part. I mean, if they're playing in a dome all the time, like the Rams did a couple of years ago where they never had to deal with the elements, fine. But to go to New England and play, then to Pittsburgh and play...I hear you when it comes to Ty Law and Richard Seymour playing. The Patriots, without those two guys (who might be their two best defenders) are vulnerable. With them in the lineup and 80 percent or so, I don't really see the Colts winning there or at Pittsburgh. And yes, if Pittsburgh beats the Chargers and then New England and then Philly (or even Atlanta) that would be as impressive as a team could get in this particular season.

_______________________

Annandale, Va.: The NFC is a joke this year with a couple exceptions as we all know.

I think the playoffs in the AFC will be great games to watch but worried that the Super Bowl will end up being a blow out.

Is there really any chance the Super Bowl will be a good game?

Michael Wilbon: We all thought the Eastern Confernce of the NBA was a joke last year, but Detroit waxed the Lakers, right? Don't presume. The NFC is a joke. St. Louis, Seattle and Minnesota are stiffs as playoff teams go. But for one game one of them couldn't play Pittsburgh tough? Or course. Vick or McNabb couldn't have a fabulous game and drive the Patriots or Steelers crazy? Of course they could.

_______________________

Arlington, Va. (by way of Longhorn U): Gee, haven't heard much about Cal getting shafted in the BCS in the last few days...

Michael Wilbon: Cal did get shafted, period. Whatever happened in their bowl game has nothing to do with what happened to Cal in placing them in a bowl. It's shameful. Cal didn't want to be in anything but the Rose and it showed in the Bears play. So they got beat, and they deserved to get beat. But that doesn't mean they didn't get the shaft. They did.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Mr. Wilbon,

With the trading of Kwame Brown seemingly imminent, who do you see as a player that we could trade for who would improve our tema in the long run?

Michael Wilbon: Is it pending? You think Kwame is gone, like, tomorrow? For whom? I'd try to trade him to Detroit for Darko...But don't expect anybody to go, "OOOOOH, Kwame is available. Let me get call Miami and see if Pat Riley will give us Dwayne Wade!" Who needs Kwame? Okay, a few teams could use him. Portland makes strange team-altering trades all the time, but who do you want from Portland who can rebound and play defense night in and night out? Who's Atlanta got like that? You want Songaila, the kid from Sacramento who can pass and score? I do, too, but if I'm Sacramento do I give him up? Why? I just don't know who is out there that the Wiz could get and be better this season...Darko wouldn't help this season but I believe he'll have to go someplace else and I believe Kwame will as well...but at what price?

_______________________

Santa Barbara, Calif.: Michael,

What are your thoughts on the NFL not waiving the waiting period for the HOF for Reggie White? If it was say Joe Montana who died during the 5 year wait, do you think they would have waived it for him?

Michael Wilbon: I'm a HOF selector. Reggie White is eligible next year and he'll go in next year. Why would you take a spot for somebody eligible this year who is deserving when Reggie is going in next year anyway? Why? For what? For show? That's one of those nice PR moves that hurts another worthy candidate.

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: Happy 2005!

I know there is nothing we can do about it, but the Eagles, Colts, and other temas resting their star players make the NFL not much different than the WWF! As a Broncos fan I loved seeing peyton Manning on the bench, but that wasn't the real Colts they played. And what about the Eagles? How many weeks of rest do they need? By playing subs two weeks in a row and getting a bye, the stars will go 4 weeks in between games! It just seems like the fear of injury is the overriding factor. It makes some NFL regular season games not that much different than preseason games and who wants those? Do you agree?

Michael Wilbon: Yes, I do.
But there's such a premium put on playoffs...reaching the playoffs and playing well in the playoffs, that I don't know what the NFL could do. Careers and reputations aren't decided in Week 16 for the great teams and players and coaches. Those careers and reps are evaluated on what they do in the playoffs. We all preach that. So it's hard to penalize teams for valuing the playoffs. But yes, those games stunk yesterday. I like the Patriots philosophy, where the players went to Belichick and said, "We want in!" And Tom Brady played for three-quarters, which is a whole lot more than Manning and McNabb and others played yesterday, if they played at all.

_______________________

Reston, Va: Mike, I'm a Steelers fan, and the team that worries me the most is San Diego. I think the Steelers can control the ball and keep the Colts' offense off the field, and they've shown that they can beat the Patriots, but the Chargers are an unknown quantity. They remind me of Atlanta in '98 with Chris Chandler and Jamal Anderson.

Michael Wilbon: Hey, I wrote in today's Post that I think Steelers-Chargers in Pittsburgh will be the best game of the playoffs...I really believe that. I just don't know if the Chargers, playing in the cold, can keep the Steelers from scoring with the game on the line if it's close. But the Chargers should scare you. They're loaded. They, like the Steelers, can throw it and run it. They're built for a playoff run, too. I just think playing in Pittsburgh gives the Steelers a litle edge.

_______________________

Denver, Colo.: Mike -

Great column assessing the playoffs. I was struck by one sentence "..the NFC is a disgrace." It was only 10 years ago that the AFC was unable to win a superbowl. Does the AFC's resurgence represent the inevitable swing of the NFL pendulum or is there a more sophisticated explanation?

Thanks

Michael Wilbon: It represents a cycle, that's all. In five years, it'll be the other way around perhaps...Just like the NBA, in which the East dominated for years. For more than 10 years the Lakers were all the Western Conference had, while the Celtics, Pistons and Bulls slugged it out. Some years, if Barkley had been in the west with the 76ers, they'd have gotten much further in the playoffs...And now look at the NBA's pattern.

_______________________

Mil- Alexandria, Va.: Mike, Can the Colts win a Super Bowl with a great offense and bad defense the same way the Ravens won with a bad offense and a great defense?

Michael Wilbon: No bad defensive team has ever won the Super Bowl. I repeat, no team with a defense lower than, I think, No. 17 or No. 18, has ever won the Super Bowl. Aren't the Colts still something like No. 24? I gotta check the final stats later today, but bad defense gets exposed in the NFL like nobody's business. I know the Colts defense has improved from start to finish, especially the last few weeks. But is it a champioship defense? No way.

_______________________

Anonymous: Michael,

The Wizards have a guy they drafted in the 2nd round last year named Peter Ramos. This guy was a 20/10 a night kinda guy in his hometown. He's 7-3, 270lbs, any chance this guy gets some 'real' game experience this season and not just the last 2 minutes of a blowout?

Michael Wilbon: Not this season. He's not ready. Those of us who covered the Olympics and say him play in Athens know exactly why Eddie Jordan is playing him in garbage time only. He's a real, real project...He's got to get stronger, build up some kind of endurace, and practice every day against NBA players, which he's doing. This wasn't one of the elite international players. But I think it was a smart draft pick. Suppose he has a work ethic and a little jump hook? At 7-3? Could work out in two or three years, but Heavens no, not now.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Mr. Wilbon,

Agree with most of your comments in today's article. This isn't a Redskin comment, but related to a comment in your article and hope you address anyway. Dissapointed that you are on the "fire Martz" bandwagon, and seriously don't understand the underachieving comment as related to the Rams. Have you looked at their roster recently. It is not exactly the 1999-2001 talent on there. Faulk is finished (over his last 40 carries he is averaging below 2yards/carry). The OL has been annihilated by injury along with the secondary. These considerations should inform the expectations for this team not some rememberance of past offensive glory. They have achieved at about the level their talent and injury status should have allowed. You can jump on Martz partly for the talent situation (partly Lovie Smith on defensive side), but that should not enter into a determination on whether this team has achieved to an appropriate level.

Hard to believe a coach can have a .638 winning percentage, lead a team to the playoffs 4x in 5 years, and still have media types calling for his firing. What a joke!

Michael Wilbon: I'm down on Martz because he's insane. He said over the weekend--presuming I heard the guys on TV doing the game correctly--that Marc Bulger is better than Kurt Warner ever was. See, that's just plain stupid. You can boost your own guy without tearing down a guy who took you TO YOUR ONLY SUPER BOWL! Please, Warner was the MVP. He was the first guy not named Marino to throw more than 40 touchdown passes. Wasn't he the MVP twice? Martz is a jerk for saying that and he should apologize. I like Bulger. The guy had a great game with the season on the line Sunday. But Martz is a nut and he sticks his foot in his mouth all the time. I'm not down on the Rams, who have been injured much of the year and who showed hear the last two weeks. I'm just tired of Martz...as are so many of his peers and players in the NFL

_______________________

Augusta, Maine: The Vikings did not look like a playoff team yesterday.
Why did Red McCombs extend Mike Tice's contract before
the end of the season and do you think he will actually
honor it?

Michael Wilbon: The Vikings don't look like much of anything, except a team which should be at home. What a stiff! For Randy Moss to walk off the field before the final gun...while teammates were still on the field trying to win the game is a disgrace...Green Bay had better beat down the Vikings. What a dog performance they put up every year with the season on the line.

_______________________

Michael Wilbon: Okay, gotta run and prepare for the first PTI since the holidays...Wish I could sneak away for 9 holes, but there isn't the time. Just think, no more anguishng over the Redskins! Hey, that's a great start to the New Year, isn't it? Be well, and have a happy, healthy, prosperout New Year. We'll chat next week.

_______________________