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. We've got a bunch of questions following Saturday's first-round win over Detroit, so let's get started.

Suitland, Md.: Coach Robiskie: Congrats on an outstanding job by the coaches & players vs. Detroit.
Will Kipp Vickers start at left tackle? Are you confident he can do the job? Will Fischer start at center if Cory Raymer can't go? Last but not least, will Stephen Davis play?
When the 'Skins beat Tampa Bay & the Vikes beat the Rams, FedEx Field will be a-rockin' the following weekend!
Thanks very much for your time.

Terry Robiskie: I hope you know what you're talking about with the 'Skins beating Tampa, and the Vikes beating the Rams. I'm all for that. Yes, Vickers will start for Andy. I'm not sure about Cory and I'm not sure about Stephen Davis. Hopefully, those two guys will be able to play. Thanks for the support, see you next week.

Falls Church, Va.: Coach, great game. I shouted out my voice in the first half. Were we loud enough?

Terry Robiskie: Absolutely. Hopefully, you'll get to do it again in two weeks. So relax and get ready. Thank you.

Temple Hills, Md.: What are the chances of Brian Mitchell replacing Skip Hicks at starting running back for the next game (that is of course if Stephen Davis cannot play)? Skip is an excellent runner on the outside and in the flats. Unfortunately, he is not that strong powering between the tackles. Brian Mitchell runs strong between the tackles in addition to outside and in the flats.

Terry Robiskie: Well, I don't get to make that decision. But I don't think it will happen anytime soon.

Alexandria, Va.: Coach,
Great game. What is your take on Tre Johnson's behavior during the game? Do you think he was totally out of line? Is it likely he will miss the game vs. Tampa?

Terry Robiskie: I don't think he will miss the game. I do think he will get fined. I don't think that he was out of line to protect his quarterback. I do think that he got carried away a little. I wish he would have maintained better control since it's the playoffs. If we lost this one because of his ejection, that would have been very painful.

Atlanta , Ga.: Congrats on the win this past Saturday. I know this week crowd noise will be a problem the offensive will have to overcome. But looking at their defense, the Bucs have a great front 7 and a strong safety that plays like a linebacker in John Lynch. Still, I think you've gotta like the matchups that the Skins WR's have against the Bucs corners. Is the plan to attack these matchups or to run a lot of misdirection waggles like in last year's game?
Thanks for your time, and good luck this week.

Terry Robiskie: We will try to match up and take advantage of the matchups. We, however, must continue to run the ball and attack people with our running game. But again we will make plays in the passing game.

Washington, D.C.: Congratulations on the win! Enjoyed the game and the balanced attack.
I was wondering about the psychological impact of a relatively stress free victory. Does this type of game improve the team's confidence about the Tampa Bay game or is there a possibility of a subtle letdown from preparing so hard for Detroit and things going almost too well?

Terry Robiskie: I'm not sure how you arrived at a "stress-free" victory. No game, a victory or a loss, is ever stress-free. I promise you there's a lot of stress. We were fortunate to be able to win, we're enjoying it, but I promise you we will get ready for Tampa. These games are too meaningful to not get ready or sit around and get cocky.

Washington, D.C: How does the defense plan to stop Tampa Bay quarterback Shaun King from wreaking havoc with his running ability, like Doug Flutie did to them?

Terry Robiskie: I think we will prepare to contain Shaun King. We know that he's a dangerous guy running with the football and for that reason we must control the middle, get our ends up field and keep him in the pocket. He will probably escape for one or two runs, but hopefully nothing too big or too damaging.

Houston, Tx.: Don't you think you will have to spread the Tampa defense and air it out because of their run defense, and the questionable health of Davis?

Terry Robiskie: Yes, I think it will definitely be a big help for us to spread them out and loosen up that defense. The one problem is that we must protect our left tackle. This will be his first start as a Redskin so we must protect him early, let him get comfortable and let his confidence build. I'm not sure if Stephen Davis will be available or not. If he isn't, it will definitely help to be able to spread them out.

Beltsville, Md.: Coach it didn't seem like Westbrook got that involved in the game early. Don't you feel we must get Mike going early against Tampa?

Terry Robiskie: I thought Mike was involved. We called a few plays to him that were taken away and a few other plays which he messed up. The interception, for example, was Mike's fault, as he should never stop running in the middle of a route. We tried to get him deep, versus Bryant Westbrook, but were unable to connect. We'll continue to game plan plays for Mike; we've just got to get them executed.

Arlington, Va.: Thanks for the great win! Can you please give us some more details on Cory Raymer's injury? What happened? Why was he able to finish the game but may not play on Saturday?
This team is on a big-time roll. Lets not let these mounting injuries slow us down.

Terry Robiskie: I am not sure about Cory's injury other than it's a strained stomach muscle. That's all I know.

Reston, Va.: The Raiders made mincemeat out of Tampa's much-lauded defense. Two running backs had over 100 yard rushing days. Will you study that film? And what do you attribute to the Raiders' success?

Terry Robiskie: I have already looked at that film twice. Tampa Bay just wasn't Tampa Bay that day. They just didn't play well, and the Raiders dominated the Bucs. I am sure that's not the same team that will show up this weekend.

Vienna, Va.: Coach -
Is it accurate to say that Gus Frerotte cannot handle pressure? Really, I can't remember seeing a quarterback who clearly didn't want to be on the field. I credit the Lions defense for not giving up -- but there was no way Gus was going rally Detroit. I think Detroit should have considered putting in their rookie. Your thoughts?
Good luck vs. TB.

Terry Robiskie: I'm not sure if they should have put the rookie in or not. I thought Gus got rattled early in the game and started to struggle but I'm not sure what direction they should have gone in. I know standing on the sideline I never got the feeling Gus could rally the team back.

Washington, D.C.: Hi Terry,
First of all, you guys are doing great things for Washington right now. There's a sense of pride in the air which I haven't felt since the Skins last made the playoffs. Thanks.
Second of all, what were you doing out on the field helping Centers up? Was there something said in the pile, or were you just fired up like the rest of us?

Terry Robiskie: I was just fired up and ready to go. I was doing all I could to help everybody up, just trying to keep them fired up, trying to win the game.

Falls Church, Va.: Great game coach!! We were overdue on a playoff game here at home and hopefully we'll have another one in two weeks. My question is this: with Tampa's defense as good as it is and with our offensive line now hurting, do you see us using Sellers and Alexander more on the same plays to help with blocking? My prediction is the Skins win 19-16, then beat the Vikings in two weeks then beat the Colts in the Super Bowl.

Terry Robiskie: I hope you make great predictions. And I definitely hope that you're right with this one.

Reston, Va.: The Bucs have not faced one team this year with a healthy, quality running back other than the Oakland Raiders. And Duce Staley only got 9 carries when they played Philly. Is it possible that their run defense is slightly overrated? Is it possible to find any weaknesses in their passing game? Where can the 'Skins receivers exploit them?

Terry Robiskie: I think that if Stephen Davis is healthy we should have an opportunity to run the ball. I'm not sure who they have faced this year but I hope we have a healthy Stephen to get after them. In the running game, Stephen Davis makes all the difference in the world. In the passing game, if they continue to drop Lynch down to the line of scrimmage for run support, we should make some plays versus their corners in man-to-man coverage.

Fairfax, Va.: I see Connell made a nice td catch in the first half. Now I definitely think he's got what it takes to be a hall-of-famer.
I know you don't handle tight ends -- but how many laps should Alexander take for missing that easy td catch?

Terry Robiskie: Like you said, I don't handle tight ends. So I'm not sure how many laps he should get. I make my guys do 50 push-ups for a dropped touchdown throw. Be careful with that Hall of Fame word, we can't put everyone who catches touchdowns in the Hall of Fame.

Alexandria, Md.: Coach Congrats and thanks to the entire team for the effort. As a long time fan, these times are the best. Where can I send my contribution to help cover the possible fine on Tre? Also what does the league do with all the fines it levies during the year?
Thanks for your time.

Terry Robiskie: I am not sure what charities get the fine money. But I am sure whatever the fine amount is, Tre Johnson can afford it. So keep your contribution and use it to enjoy life. If Tre was unable to afford that fine, I promise you he would never have hit that guy.

New York, N.Y.: How do you think the passing game is affected by the change of running backs and their respective styles?

Terry Robiskie: I think it's affected a lot. I think people are more afraid of Stephen Davis, so they'll drop the safety in to protect against the run. They're not as afraid of Skip, so they won't drop in with their safeties as often which allows them to double-cover the receivers.

Concernville: A problem I have seen with the 'Skins over the last couple of years is getting too pleased with themselves following a game such as the one on Sunday. How do you minimize the level of enthusiasm while maintaining the energy level necessary for a playoff run?

Terry Robiskie: I can promise you, when you're two games out of the Super Bowl, I am trying to maximize everything and not minimize anything. If the guys are excited and fired up and pumped up and ready to go, that's ok with me. Call it cocky, call it over-confident, call it as you may. I just want the guys to be pumped up and ready to go.

Myrtle Beach, S.C.: What are your thoughts on Davis playing hurt? Without Davis is there a future for the rest of these playoffs?

Terry Robiskie: I'm not sure if we can "survive" without Stephen, but I am sure that the Redskins' record with Skip Hicks as a starter is 5-1. So I'm not sure we can "survive" without Steve, but I am sure we can win with Skip.

Vienna, Va.: Coach -

Can you please give a seminar to my beloved Cowboys on how to catch a football? I haven't seen Aikman that on target in a long time -- and his receivers blew it for him. Of course you're going to drop balls -- but when you're wide open and the ball hits lands in your hands you have to catch it -- particularly in the playoffs.

Terry Robiskie: I cannot give a seminar to help those guys. Seminars only work for receivers who can play. I'm not sure anyone in that group other than Rocket can play. God Bless Michael Irvin, you could have used him.

Reston, Va.: Given Stephen Davis' impact on our offense, if he can't go on Saturday, perhaps we can prop up a cardboard cutout of him behind Brad.

Terry Robiskie: I'm sorry, but in this business, cardboard doesn't work. We need a little more than cardboard, we need the real deal. This isn't like standing next to one of those cardboard images and taking a picture with the President. This is the real thing, we need the real guy. Thanks for writing, see you next week.

Alexandria, Va.: Great game Coach! I was wondering why the team was going in the same direction on the field in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters? Did you all win the toss and defer the choice? Is that how this happened?
Good luck next week!

Terry Robiskie: Because when Detroit won the coin toss to start the game, they took the football, we took the wind, which meant that in the second quarter we were going against the wind. To start the third quarter we took the football, and Detroit took the wind, so we were going against the wind again. And that's how it happened.

Bethesda, Md.: Third-down conversions were much improved. How come?

Terry Robiskie: I think we improved because we went back to a few basic plays, and we were able to hit a few runs. We went back last week and studied our third downs from the last five games and then looking it over we noticed that we were not running the ball too often. So we went back to basics. We ran the ball and we put up a few old plays and we executed them. As opposed to drawing up all new plays, and trying to get them done, we went back to some of our basic old plays, and they worked.

Washington, D.C.: Will Brad Johnson be applying for a position in the WWF when the season is over?

Terry Robiskie: I hope not. I saw that one second rasslin' match. Brad can't beat my sister . . . if she was mad enough. Hopefully, that won't happen again. Hopefully, his rasslin' days are behind him.

Largo, Md.: Terry, I think that you guys game planned well for the Lions to combat their aggressive front line play. One thing I noticed was that at times the receivers were running extremely deep routes. Was that part of the game plan or bad route running? Will you have them running shorter, intermediate routes against Tampa to get Brad and the receivers in a rhythm? BJ's passing yards were low, but with the success of the running game that is to be expected. Do you think that it is imperative to have Stephen Alexander in the passing game or blocking scheme more?

Terry Robiskie: When putting together the game plan, we incorporate the short route and the deep route. It's a great mix. If you remember, the first pass of the game was a five yard out, not a deep ball. The second pass of the game was a 12-yard curl, not a deep ball. And of course we worked our way up to the deep ball, so we always try to give the mix, some short, and some long. Yes, I do think that it is extremely important to keep Stephen Alexander in the mix of the passing game and we will. Hopefully, this week against the Bucs, Steve will have a big day.

Clifton, Va.: Can you ask LeCharls if you will EVER plan on blocking a punt during my lifetime, say in the next 40 years? Does the team even have an inclination to block one?

Terry Robiskie: Well, I cannot go over to the special teams coach and ask that question. But I will say I do hope it happens in our lifetime, mine and yours. Of course, punt blocking is a skill and it takes the right guy in the right position at the right time to get it done.

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