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.

A close game, the Redskins lose to the Eagles, 17-14, on Sunday night with a late interception by Ramsey extinguishing Washington's hopes for the playoffs.

Join Wilbon online Monday, Dec. 13, 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.

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washingtonpost.com: Wilbon is just arriving and will be joining us shortly.

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Fairfax, Va.: I thought last night's game was a gem. A really good offense against a really good defense. But, what in the hell was Ramsay thinking? Cooley wasn't even close to being open!!!

Michael Wilbon: It was a good game...On some levels a really good game. And Ramsey's problem (once again) according to opposing defensive players and coaches I have talked to is he doesn' see the field very well...that when he gets into trouble it's forcing the ball into a receiver without properly diagnosing the coverage. He made a bad throw into double coverage. The best he could hope for was for the two Eagles to knock one another off the ball and get another chance on second down.

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Chesterfield, Va.: Shawn Springs is hopefully okay. That man has been playing as if he was possessed. The whole defense has been amazing. Can they keep Antonio Pierce and get rid of Barrow? Will they keep Smoot? Can you give them your recommendations?

Michael Wilbon: Shawn Springs suffered a concussion, and is said to be fine. T.O., who works out with Springs in the off-season, was particularly emotional because he saw that for an instand his buddy wasn't moving. It was T.O., if you were watching the broadcast, was the guy who was talking to Springs while he was being attended to by the doctors.

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Rockville, Md.: Do you think Joe Gibbs needs to look at his passing plays and make some changes, or is it the Offensive Line and QB to blame?

Michael Wilbon: Don't you think he will do just that? I do. I think he'll spend the off-season really, really implementing an offensive attack that will be so much more effective than what we see now. I mean, he's Joe Gibbs, for God's sake. I don't think his offense will look like this forever. One off-season will probably do wonders.

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Odenton, Md.: I know every team gets hosed by the officials. It's not realistic to expect them to be perfect. That being said, doe sit seem like when they miss something in the Redskins favor, it's them calling or not calling a 5 yard penalty or at best a 15 yarder on Taylor pushing out of bounds. When it's not in the Redskins favor, it's a 50 yard pass interference penalty or some such. For examples, see 2X in Dallas, or last night against Philly, or the motion call in GB that every team does every game on 2/3 of their snaps. The calls against the SKins seem to eat up huge chunks of the field or deny huge gains.

Is it the sign of a bad team or bad play calling that we don't challenge down the field enough to benefit from enough blown calls to even things out?

Michael Wilbon: Stop with the refs, okay. Green Bay is the only game that is worth rehashing zebra involvement. Please stop. Watch some other games. Go to a spors bar and watch games that don't involve the Redskins. Bad calls happen every single week, and to every single team. So, unless than is an egregious zebra error between now and the season finale against the Vikings, this is the last "whine about the officiating" question we'll be entertaining in the Chat House.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Hi Mike,

What do you think the Redskins biggest needs are for next year? You have to love their effort, you can tell they are fighting, but where are they most deficient in talent, Reciever, O line, D line? Ramsey looked more comfortable, but the lack of a deep threat certianly hurts them. On another note, how great is it to watch the Steelers. I really enjoy seeing Bettis do well as well as the total team effort the Steelers bring each week.

Michael Wilbon: Linemen on both sides and perhaps a big-play wide receiver. If Mike Williams, the USC kid who has had to sit out this season, is available...But I would think linemen on both sides.

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Loma, Calif.: Mr. Wilbon, a few of weeks ago you wrote an article about the quarterback situation for the Redskins mentioning possible offseason moves for Kitna/Brees. The idea seemed ridiculously impulsive on your part. Both guys have proven so far to have one good year and wasting a big signing bonus on them so they could take a year or two to learn Gibb's offense doesn't seem to make sense. You wrote that column after Ramsey came in to clean up against the Bengals when he had not even spent time practicing with the first team offense. Given the whole scope of Ramsey's play against formidable foes (and not just the last pass against the Eagles), wouldn't it be prudent for the team to coach-up Ramsey and stop the QB carousel? I say this in light of Gibb's past QB's (Williams, Rypien, and Schreoder) who apprenticed for much longer than Ramsey before they became successes...time which Ramsey would have had if Brunell was marginally effective. Thank you for your time and insight.

Michael Wilbon: I don't KNOW that Ramsey is the answer at QB. He might be. He looked great against a terrible, dreadful, awful, pathetic Giants team last week. He was okay for a good deal of last night's game. But do you KNOW he's the answer? I don't know. I think he has earned the right to come to camp as the No. 1 guy. But why would Kitna, if made available, be out of the question? Or some veteran who isn't show who is like Kitna? Kitna isn't a big bonus baby. Yes, Brees would be. I was kinda sorta joking about Brees. But if he's available? See, this is why you have a GM because there are concerns a franchise should have beyond the coach's day-to-day concerns for one year. The overall health of the franchise has to be taken into consideration, and you have to still wonder whether Ramsey is THE GUY.

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Washington, D.C.: Can Springs be actually BETTER than Champ Bailey?

Michael Wilbon: Great question. He's had a better season than Champ, who I've seen beaten like a drum on several occasions this season...I mean roasted like a marshmellow. Springs, on the other hand, has been A-plus, as has Smoot.

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Dallas, Tex.: Great article Wilbon! Even though I am a die hard Skins fan finally this loss will stop all of the (In Jim Mora voice) PLAYOFFS!??! PLAYOFFS!??! OUR OFFENSE DIDN'T DO DIDLEY POO!! Skins future does look bright though for next year.

2 quick questions:

1. Why does Payton get all the recognition and McNabb doesn't? I mean yea Manning is gonna crush Marion's record of TD's and people call him the next Marino but last time I checked that isn't a great thing, since Marino never won a championship. We all know "that is why we play the game." McNabb has done more with less talent. Do u think color has anything to do with it?

2. Why does Barry get more bad press about steroids than Mark MaGuire? What Barry took was legal at the time just like MaGuire, but people love Mark more than Barry and Mark wasn't a big fan of the media himself.

Michael Wilbon: Thank you, and thank you for two good questions. Donovan has had a great season, and winning would be better than the record or MVP. But Peyton is the MVP. Period. It could be unanimous. He's had a great, great season.
Barry has been a jerk a hundred thousand times to the people who not get to judge him. McGwire was much the same until the Summer of Sammy. Anyway, personality stuff aside, McGwire took stuff (Andro) that was not a steroid. It was legal at the time. Now, I would support an asterisk next to all their numbers, which would denote they had chemical assistance that men in generations before them did not. But Bonds has stood there, testy, and said, "Prove it." And then it comes out he admitted it before a grand jury?

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Blacksburg, Va.: Hey, Do you feel Sean Taylor can get the Defensive Rookie of the year? He's just so much fun to watch!

HokieSkin.

Michael Wilbon: My Goodness, Sean Taylor can hit. Goodness, the guy can play. Now, he's still learning the position at the pro level which is why he's out of position at times and gets taken advantage of, too. But he hits like Ronnie Lott and runs like Deion. Wow! I mean, this guy with LaVar Arrington...that's a wrecking crew, boys and girls...

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Washington, D.C.: Did the Eagles get exposed or was it just an off night for them? Griffin made a huge difference b/c the Eagles could barely get rushing yards last night.

Michael Wilbon: It was great for the Eagles to be in (and win) a tight, close, tense, hard-hitting game with a team that isn't impressed with them. The Eagles were downright thankful afterward for the tough challenge. And they know they'll be better off for it come January.

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Columbia, Md.: When you applaud the Eagles for being entertaining, you reinforce the idea that showing off is better than being good. I find the Patriots to be far more entertaining than the Eagles. And you present your opinion as fact: The Eagles ARE more entertaining--and people don't know that columns are nothing but one guy spouting. Could you applaud people who play well and don't need to juke around? One time? Please? Nah. They're not entertaining.

Michael Wilbon: The Eagles win and they entertain. That is more appealing to most people, particularly the networks who pay the freight and general fans, than winning while being boing. Pro sports are entertainment. They are programming content. The Eagles are the No. 1 ticket because they give you a show and they win. What could be wrong with that? I applaud people all the time who hand the ball to the ref. I'm not a dance-in-the-end zone guy. I grew up watching Walter Payton hand theball to the ref. But that was 20 years ago. Today's NFL is the No. 1 entertainment vehicle out there. It has to sell.

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Arlington, Va.: The Wiz are 12-6 with a home-and-home against Miami coming up. If nothing else, they seem to have broken the spirit of losing. What do you think is the biggest difference this year to produce this level of success? Better teamwork? Better coaching?

Michael Wilbon: Great, a Wizard question! Better players, a coach whose system is starting to take, the physical on-court maturation of Gilbert Arenas, the subtraction of Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner, the addition of Antawn Jamison, who is a pro's pro, not to mention a prince of a man. BIG BIG BIG difference in that locker room. And Jamison is dependable, whether we're talking about his numbers or his professionalism. And to think we all thought Vice Carter would be remembered as the better pro from that UNC basketball class. Shame on us.
And remember, the Wizards only have to beat the bad teams to make the playoffs. Suppose the Redskins had beaten Cleveland and the Giants? They'd be 6-7. Suppose they'd beaten Dallas at home? they'd be 7-6. They didn't have to beat Philly or the Packers or even the Ravens or Bengals...Just beat the bad teams. The Wiz don't need to beat Miami, though a split with the Heat this week would be nice...They just have to beat the Knicks and the Bulls, the Bucks and the Sixers. A win total of 45 is not out of the question is they stay healthy. And it's certainly a fun team to watch, the way they get out and play.
Who had the Wizards with a better record after 18 games than the Pistons?

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Herndon, Va.: Mike,

I attended the Wizards-Nuggets game last Wednesday and had just a great time, even though the Wizards lost. When I compare that experience to my Redskins experience earlier this year, I find there's no comparison. The Wizard tickets and parking are cheaper, access to the stadium is easier and the drive is shorter, and the proximity to the playing field and the product is MUCH better ... not to mention its played indoors. Why would anyone waste their sports entertainment dollars on the Redskins when there are so many better alternatives?

Michael Wilbon: Well said. The Redskins game-day experience, because of the location of the stadium (which Dan Snyder had nothing to do with) and because of the number of people in the stands (which Snyder had everything to do with) is the worst experience in the NFL. Trust me, I've been to every stadium in the league except the new Cinci stadium. And this is THE worst by a million miles. No stadium should have 92,000 people in the NFL. There are 25,000 people in that building who have no business being there, which makes it difficult on paying fans. It's always more intimate to attend an NBA game, which is why the suggestions in the aftermath of the brawl in Detroit that the people should be moved back from the court do not work. The intimacy of the NBA experience is a big attraction.

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Michael Wilbon: Okay, gotta run and get ready for PTI. We'll see what happens in S.F. against the worst team in the NFL, the 49ers...Okay, so they're tied with the Giants, but they're both bad. Have a great week.

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