Terry Robiskie, right Reginald A. Pearman Jr. washingtonpost.com

Robiskie joined the Redskins as wide receivers coach in 1994 after spending 12 years as a coach for the Raiders. Drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1977, his five-year playing career includes three seasons with the Raiders and two with the Dolphins.

washingtonpost.com: Welcome back to Airing It Out. Thanks to Terry Robiskie for joining us. We've got a bunch of questions, so let's get right to it.

Topsham, Maine: Terry: In the game at Detroit the Lions did an effective job of taking away the deep pass, and to a large extent, the offensive capabilities of our wideouts. At the time I thought it was more a product of our passing game slumping a bit, more so than their 2 deep coverage. With Alexander and Connell at 100% Saturday is it safe to expect a more effective passing attack this time around? Thanks as always for your answering our questions. Go Skins!

Terry Robiskie: They did a pretty good job with their covering, too. The one deep ball that we threw they defended pretty well. The defensive back batted it down. The other deep ball the free safety intercepted. But they did a pretty good job. However, we must have a better passing game this weekend if we want to win.

Sacramento, Calif.: Congratulations Coach Robiskie! With all the adversity the organization went through the past year, I am proud to say this is one of DC's finest seasons ever. While watching the Lions on Saturday they seemed to leave the middle of the field wide open every time the Vikings attempted play-action.
How are the Redskins going to take advantage of this? Also James Jenkins seemed to leave the field injured Sunday. Is he ready to go? Jon Jansen will need all the help he can get with Porcher. Thanks Coach and good luck.

Terry Robiskie: Yes, I think James Jenkins will be ready come Saturday. The Lions will leave the middle of the field wide open and we must take advantage of that with Stephen Alexander. Remember, the last time we played these guys Stephen didn't play, so hopefully this time he will make a difference.

Suitland, Md.: Coach Robiskie
Congratulations on a great win vs. the Dolphins. 10-6 sure sounds better than 9-7.
What occurred on the Redskins' sidelines that resulted in the unsportsmanlike penalty in the 3rd qtr on Sunday?
I'll be at the game this weekend and hopefully we fans can duplicate the noise you experienced in Detroit, only this time for our benefit. Good luck on Saturday!

Terry Robiskie: The penalty was called when one of the officials tried to run up field and he bumped into the head coach. That's an automatic 15-yard penalty. So he threw his flag.

Bridgeport, Ct.: What is the latest on the injury status of Davis, Connell and Jenkins? Also is Alexander fully recovered yet?

Terry Robiskie: Stephen Alexander is about 98%. Stephen Davis is about 78%. Albert Connell is about 88%. James Jenkins is about 95%. Now after giving you all the percentages, I do believe each guy – with the exception of Stephen Davis – will play. Now Stephen might play. I'm not sure. It's a wait and see situation.

Sylva, N.C.: Do you anticipate changes in the game plan Saturday when meeting Detroit from what was done on Dec. 5 ... or just better execution?

Terry Robiskie: I think we will change a few things. But hopefully we will execute a whole lot better.

Herndon, Va.: Coach R: Congratulations again !! Glad you can take time from your 20-hour a day preparation for the Lions to talk to us. Dan Marino - you saw him on Sunday, does he have anything left? I hate to see great players hang on too long. Thanks

Terry Robiskie: No, I think Dan can still play, and there's a lot left. I am one of those guys who believes that Dan needs a lot of help. I am not sure Dan Marino ever had a world-class running back to support him. I think next year if you give Dan Marino Terrell Davis or Barry Sanders or even Emmitt Smith, he could win it all.

Bethesda, Md.: Coach, You used the word "manhandled" to describe what happened to us in Detroit. What steps do we take to prevent that from happening this time around? Thanks.

Terry Robiskie: Try to be more physical and more aggressive. But most importantly more physical.

Alexandria, Va.: Aren't the media, commentators and fans pumping up the Lions by saying they have no chance in Washington and they will be soundly beaten? I believe people said Philly would be beaten like a drum in the wildcard playoffs in '96 when they played the Lions and just the opposite occurred.

Terry Robiskie: I'm not sure if the media is pumping them up or not. If you're in the playoffs, and two or three games away from the Super Bowl, and you need the media to pump you up, you're in the wrong business.

Manhattan, N.Y.: Coach Robiskie, you probably know Gus Frerotte and his passing tendencies pretty well. Is there anything that you in particular have been telling the defense to get them ready for Saturday?

Terry Robiskie: The only thing I tell the defense is to hit him as hard and as fast as we can. The more you hit him, the more afraid he becomes. So every chance we get, hit the guy. Everything else takes care of itself.

Baltimore, Md.: Coach: Does Norv have to do push-ups or something for the penalty he was assessed?

Terry Robiskie: No, I don't think so. If he had to, I'm not sure who would make him do them. Perhaps Mr. Snyder, other than that, none of us could get it done.

Largo, Md.: Coach T, congratulations on 10-6 and good luck against the Lions on Saturday. What did you say to Larry Centers after his TD? Looks like you guys were having some fun.

Terry Robiskie: Larry Centers is a great guy and I was simply congratulating him on a job well done.

Dale City, Va..: Coach, I'm a Brian Mitchell fan. His contributions to this team speak volumes. I don't feel he's lost much at all. Larry Centers certainly had a great year and earned his minutes. Is there much of a difference between the two? What are the strengths of each as you see them? Also, I know its early and not on your mind, but I sure hope you're seriously considered for a higher position somewhere in this league, you deserve your shot.

Terry Robiskie: It's very difficult to compare those two guys. They are very different, yet very unique. They're both excellent football players and I'm happy to have both of them on the team.

New York, N.Y.: Coach, congratulations on a job well done with both the offense and these weekly chats. 4000 yards for Brad Johnson, 1000 each for Westbrook and Connell, almost 70 catches for Larry Centers, and hundreds of quotes for you. Looking back on the season, what are some of the major points on offense you would like to have changed-improved, and are you trying hardest to "fix" by Saturday? Thanks for your time.

Terry Robiskie: I think the one thing we're working the hardest to change is turnovers. To try to get away from a few turnovers. The one thing we're trying to improve is our third downs. We've been awful the last couple of weeks on third downs. Hopefully, we can get it improved very soon.

New York, N.Y.: Will you use any 4 wide receiver sets this weekend that implement Thrash's speed downfield.

Terry Robiskie: Hopefully, we will. Of course we will look at it and study it and try to get it done. Hopefully, we'll be able to.

Washington, D.C/: You said Stephen Davis might play? Might? What gives? Is he worse than has been reported? Norv, I thought, said the other day categorically that he would be back.
Come on Coach, inquiring fans need to know!

Terry Robiskie: Nobody except Stephen Davis knows how his ankle feels. Anyone trying to tell you today that he will definitely play this weekend is only guessing. When I watch Stephen Davis walk around this building, today, I don't see him being ready come Saturday.

New York, N.Y.: As I'm a Redskins fan in exile without a satellite hook up, it's not always easy for me to see all the games, but I watched this Sunday, and exhibition game or not, it was a great win! My question is, when Irving Fryar caught his touchdown, what WAS that falling down thing? If everyone else but me knows this already, I'm sorry to be so out of it. Mr. Robiskie, you're the greatest for keeping in touch with us fans like this all season long. Good luck Saturday, and I'm so happy playoff games are nationally televised and I won't have to go to a bar!

Terry Robiskie: Well, I'm happy that you'll be able to see the game this weekend. Irving Fryar falling in the end zone is his little celebration. If you noticed, he throws the ball up in the air, puts his fingers in his ears and falls to the ground when the ball hits the ground. He's pretending that it's a bomb exploding. He says every touchdown he scores, for him, it's an explosion and he must celebrate. So that's what he's doing.

Arlington, Va.: Assuming that the 49ers release Jerry Rice, what are our chances of signing him. And if those chances are good, what would his starting role be? Starter, third down specialist, etc.

Terry Robiskie: You're presenting me with a situation that is too difficult to speculate on. I'm not sure if we would be able to sign Jerry, and if we did, I'm not sure we would sign him to be a starter. Let me go out on a limb here today and state that there is no way that Jerry Rice will leave the 49ers.

Queens, N.Y.: What is being done to block Robert Porcher more effectively this time around and to counter against the Lions zone coverages?

Terry Robiskie: We're going to try and use James Jenkins more in the passing game to help with the protection. This should help us against Robert Porcher. As for the zone coverages, we should just take advantage of their zone better than we did last time. And I think we will.

Clifton, N.J.: Coach, given the problems you had with the Lions last time, can we expect to write off Alexander as running many routes in favor of keeping him, Sellers or Jenkins if he's healthy, in to block?

Terry Robiskie: No, we cannot do that. It's a must that we get Alexander matched up, one-on-one, with their linebackers. This will keep them from being able to double cover our receivers. So we must get Stephen out in the passing game.

New York, N.Y.: Coach, how is Albert Connell? A shoulder injury, however minor, is very tough for a receiver. What have you been telling him to keep his confidence and his drive up, given the injury and the strong play of Irving Fryar last week?

Terry Robiskie: Albert Connell's shoulder is doing a lot better. Especially with the weekend off. I think he will continue to have some pain but he should be okay by Saturday.

Silver Spring, Md.: Do Brad and the receivers watch film together to talk about adjustments in the passing game?

Terry Robiskie: Yes, we all watched them together, the receivers, the running backs, the quarterbacks and the tight ends. So we are always together watching the film and talking about adjustments.

Washington D.C.: Coach: Congratulations on last weeks win and going 10-6! Now what's the deal with Skip Hicks running up the middle on 3rd and short? It seems clear to me that Skip is not the man for that situation - why not use Brian Mitchell or even Larry Centers on that play when Stephen Davis is out? I think Skip has run in that situation 3 or 4 times the last couple of games and gained a total of negative 3 yards or something...

Terry Robiskie: Yes, we are discussing having Brian Mitchell go into the game on third and short. Skip is very much an outside runner always looking to bounce out. So hopefully we'll get that fixed before Saturday.

Fairfax, Va.: Hey Coach R, this is my five millionth question and I hope it's the charm!
I know you're in charge of the receivers, but I was wondering about the performance of the defense.
Doesn't it appear odd that the defense has been so poor for so long under Mike Nolan and then after the arrival of Bill Arnsparger they start playing like we all knew they could ... yet no one makes any reference to the work of Arnsparger ... they just say that Nolan's defense miraculously starts to perform.
Do you think that Arnsparger is having a large impact on the play of the defense?
Thanks and I here's to sticking it to the Lions on Saturday!

Terry Robiskie: Yes, I think Bill is having a tremendous effect on the defense. However, he's not interested in anyone giving him credit. Bill is here giving help to Mike Nolan. He's not here to try and steal the show. He's looking for success, not recognition. Again, Bill and Mike are very close friends and I know he would never do anything to take away from Mike.

Baltimore: Good luck in the playoffs. I rooted for the Skins until we got a team back here in Baltimore and I will be rooting for the Skins again on Sunday. I look forward to resuming our friendly rivalry when the Ravens invade your place next season. How do you like your chances against the Bucs, assuming you make it to Round 2?

Terry Robiskie: Well, all I'll say to you is that I hope and pray I can get to the Bucs. If I do, you write back next week and we'll talk about it then.

Lorton, Va.: Terry,
Congratulations on a great season, one which I hope is far from over. My question regards wide receivers in the upcoming college draft. Have you any knowledge of wide receivers available in this year's draft, and who -other than Peter Warrick- impresses you?

Terry Robiskie: Sorry, I cannot get into a discussion with you about upcoming seniors. I am too busy trying to beat Detroit to worry about which college guys are coming out. Sorry, let's talk later.

New York, N.Y.: Coach another defensive question.
Don't you think that Darrell Green should be playing man coverage? And do you still think he is one of the best defensive backs in the game?

Terry Robiskie: I do believe Darrell Green is one of the top man-for-man cover guys in all of football. It is not my decision, however, of which coverage he should or should not be in during a game. I leave that for the guys on the other side of the ball. But I do believe he's one of the top man-cover guys in football.

New York, N.Y.: Will you use more shotgun in the playoffs?

Terry Robiskie: No, just the usual amount. Hopefully not more.

Washington, D.C.: Coach Robiskie
Darrell Green is such a great cover man, I wonder how Brad does against him in practice. Darrell almost never gets beat deep, and the deep ball is one of Brad and the Skin's passing game attributes. Something got to give. Do AC or Mike ever beat Darrell long in practice?

Terry Robiskie: About once a month. We usually go one-on-one every week during practice and we'll get Darrell maybe once a month. He's a good player, especially for his age.

Boston, Ma.:

Hi Terry,
Will Larry Bowie see any action in the playoffs?
Thanks for a great regular season!

Terry Robiskie: I'm not sure if Larry Bowie will be active or inactive during the playoffs. Mike Sellers is playing extremely well. Hopefully, he will continue. If so there will be no need for Larry Bowie to be active.

Washington D.C.: Just a comment from a selfish 'Skins fan - I wanted to remind you that it gets AWFULLY cold up there in Green Bay and New England!

Terry Robiskie: I am sure it can get cold in Green Bay and New England. But for the head coaching job I might be able to purchase a coat. I will, however, say this to you: I am in no hurry to leave the Redskins. Absolutely no hurry. I like it here, my kids love it, my wife loves it and there is no hurry or no rush to go anywhere. Thanks for your support and it's OK to be a selfish Redskins fan.

Chantilly, Va..: What first half strategy set up the reverse at the start of the 2nd half?

Terry Robiskie: We just felt from all the running we did in the first half, that they would start the second half playing the run. So we were trying to take advantage of them being over-aggressive. It worked out pretty good, didn't it?

Alexandria, VA.: Hi Terry. What types of coverages do you expect to see most from Detroit on Saturday? Good luck and go Skins!

Terry Robiskie: We'll still try to break down Detroit's coverages. It's a good mixture of cover-two, cover-three and a little cover-one. They do a good job of disguising their coverages. We'll break it down.

Largo, Md.: Coach T, Do you think we might see more slants to Westbrook this week? Thanks for your time!!

Terry Robiskie: Hopefully, we can get a few more. If you remember, last time we played those guys we caught three slants and they defended all three of them. So hopefully we'll get a few more shots at their corners with the slant route this weekend.

Washington, D.C.: Coach, what does your average workday look like? How many hours? How much time strategizing with Norv Turner? Dealing with the media? Looking at film? Mentoring the receivers?
Good luck on Saturday!

Terry Robiskie: We arrive at work about 7:30 am and go home between 11:30 at night and 1:00 in the morning. That's Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday, I leave the office about 10:00, Friday about 2:00 in the day. Of course Saturday we work about 4 hours. So I promise you it's a full week. And I promise you it's a little longer than 40 hours a week. Thanks for asking.

washingtonpost.com: That's all the time we have. Thanks again to Terry Robiskie and join us next week for another edition of Airing It Out.