| The Washington Redskins
With Noah Brindise
Assistant Quarterbacks Coach
Friday, Dec. 6, 2002; 3 p.m. EDT How is the team's mood after losing to Dallas? Who should Coach Spurrier put in the quarterback spot next Sunday? Where do the Redskins need to improve if they want to beat the Giants? Noah Brindise, a quarterback coach for the Washington Redskins, was online to discuss the team, Sunday's game and the season. The transcript follows. 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.
Noah Brindise: Hello everyone, thanks for joining me. Let's get started....
Vienna, Va.: As far as what quarterback to play Sunday, why don't you and Spurrier consider just rotating the three of them throughout the game at random (if their health permits)? This would REALLY keep the opposing team guessing. Having Ramsey for a few plays, then Matthews, then Wuerffel? This would drive their defense nuts -- trying to remember how to cover each guy, how he throws, runs, fakes, etc. Noah Brindise: As we all know, Coach Spurrier has done rotating QB's before. In fact, I was a part of it at Florida. Unfortunately, in this league you can only play two QB's in the game until the fourth QTR unless there is an injury. Nice idea though...
Herndon, Va.: Since the season is shot, why not just put Ramsay in for the rest of the season so he can get some experience, and will be better off next year? It seems ridiculous to waste any more time with Wuerrfel or Matthews. Noah Brindise: I think most people will agree that Danny Wuerffel has played pretty well. In the opinion of us coaches, the season is not shot. We are all judged by our records. We are trying to win as many games as we possibly can. Really, we have not been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet. Does it look promising that we will get in? No. But we still want to win as many games as we can. Having said that, he will be getting some PT in the near future.
Washington, D.C.: Mr. Brindise,
I have read that one of the Redskins needs for next year is a "speedy" receiver. Are the current Redskins' receivers, while bigger and stronger than most, too slow to be effective Steve Spurrier's offense? Thank you for your time.
Noah Brindise: Not at all. Our receivers that we have right now are good solid players. They have decent speed and great size. In the NFL, as I have found out this year, it takes more than just speed to be a great receiver. You have to be able to get open using a variety of methods. Smaller receivers have a hard time getting off of press coverage. Every once in a while, a special one comes along that has it all-but they are hard to find! These guys are not too slow, but you are always trying to make your team faster.
Washington, D.C.: Are the Redskins looking to pick up a veteran quarterback before next season? Noah Brindise: We haven't started talking about that yet. We have to wait and see what develops with our current roster.
Washington, D.C.: Why not start Ramsey for the remainder of the season, we're in another rebuilding year anyway? Noah Brindise: I think I have answered your question with another post. Let me know if there is anything else I can add.
Washington, D.C.: Just hypothetically speaking, who among league quarterbacks (and, for that matter, among graduating college players) would you most like to see taking snaps for the Redskins in the current offensive scheme? Noah Brindise: There are a lot of great QB's out there, both in the college and in the NFL. We drafted a good one last year and are looking forward to his development. Speaking of the collegiate QB's, this is supposed to be a banner season for 1st rounders. I'm glad we already have ours!
Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: Your team got beat on Thanksgiving by one of the bottom feeders in the NFL. Dallas may be just awful, but they chalked up a W after your matchup. So where does your team go from here? New coaching staff? Geographic relocation? New franchise? The local landfill? Feel free to be completely honest and self-critical. Thanks much. Noah Brindise: You must be an Eagles fan!
Somewhere, USA: C'mon Noah, with all due respect, you need a burner wideout. Noah Brindise: Don't misunderstand me, we would love to have a guy that can stretch the field vertically. If I can refresh everyone's memory, we thought we had drafted one in the 3rd round lat year in Cliff Russell. Cliff looked great in mini-camps and was by far the fastest receiver on our team, maybe even the fastest player. But the second day of Training camp he blew out his knee. He has rehabbed very well and should be ready to go for our first mini-camp next year.
Fairfax, Va.: Vienna really has a good idea. Spurrier should consider playing all three quarterbacks throughout the game in and out at random. The defense would never know who is coming in for any play in advance. I've never heard of a two-quarterback-only rule. Noah Brindise: Read the NFL rulebook, that's where you will see it. The rule is that every team has to declare an "emergency QB". During the first 3 quarters of the game if you put that emergency QB in the game the other two QB's cannot return. In the fourth quarter you can play whoever you want whenever you want. So you see, you cannot rotate three QB's the entire game. You can rotate two though.
Bethesda, Md.: I agree completely with the ball coach asking for three years to prove himself. My question, Noah, do you believe he'll take an active role in determining who's here next season? As you know when he came here he said he's leave that to others. Noah Brindise: I think any head coach wants to have an active roll over who is on his team.
Clinton, Md.: Does Coach Spurrier's offense depend on a QB with a mid to long range arm that can extend the field? Or does it depend on a more accurate short to mid-range QB with mobility? Noah Brindise: In our offense, we have all the throws. In other words, he needs to be able to do it all. Realizing that most QB's can't do it all, you mold your gameplans around his strengths. We probably throw the ball down the field more than most teams, but accuracy short is also very important in what we do.
Clinton, Md.: Noah You must be kidding. If you have a burner receiver and Danny Wuerfel has to throw to him it will truly be worthless. It is clear that Danny does not have the arm to throw beyond 35-40 yards. Noah Brindise: My mom can throw the ball 35 yards. Give the guy a little bit of credit, he is an NFL QB. How far can you throw the ball?
Sterling, Va.: Noah, Who is the ugliest quarterback? Noah Brindise: On our team or what?
St. Paul, Minn.: Noah, How was it practicing in the snow yesterday? Noah Brindise: Different, very different! I am a Florida boy and that was a first for me. We made it fun. But from a QB coach's perspective, it is tough to get a lot of good pitchin and catchin in.
Maryland: Noah, Did you build a snowman yesterday Noah Brindise: No, but I threw snowballs at our Director of Football Operations.
Compton, Calif.: Noah, why does Danny where a glove on his throwing hand? Noah Brindise: Danny began wearing a glove in Chicago because of the cold weather and his failure to get a good grip on the ball. He said he got the idea from Doug Flutie who played many years in Canada. It is a different design glove than what receivers wear. It has a lot more tack to it and actually is very thin. I think now it is also a mental thing for him. Like having a good driver or sand wedge.
Washington, D.C.: If your Mom can throw 35 yards with Vick-like precision and velocity, then perhaps it's time for her to suit up. Noah Brindise: She's too expensive.
Ashburn Farms, Va.: Noah, How has Darnerian been doing in practice? Noah Brindise: Darnerian has a ton of ability. His drawback is learning what to do all the time. Having said that, he is doing much better. He has a very bright future.
Ashburn, Va.: Who is the best QB in the NFL? Noah Brindise: You could probably choose four or five guys here and not be wrong. Obviously, Brett Favre has had an amazing career. Rich Gannon is playing great. Michael Vick has more natural ability that anyone that has ever played the position. Kurt Warner has done some amazing things. Dre Bledsoe is a great player. The list goes on...Who is your favorite?
Burke, Va.: I applaud your loyalty to Danny Wuerffel and agree that he has many endearing qualities, not the least of which are intelligence on the field and guttiness. However, the facts clearly show that he's not a downfield passer. True, he can get the ball downfield, but it grows mold by the time it gets there. Noah Brindise: Obviously, Danny's arm strength is not at the level of a lot of NFL QB's. But he has, like you said, a lot of other qualities.
Oakton, Va.: Not much point in comparing the arm strength of Danny Wuerffel to posters on this chat. Compare him to successful NFL QBs. Not all great QBs have a gun. As Dirty Harry would say, "Man's got to know his limitations." And so should his coach.
Noah Brindise: Good point. Not all QB's have a gun, so they have to make up for that by being accurate and throwing on time. I didn't realize, however, that we had a moderator on this chat. I am trying to have some fun with posters. If you don't like it log off.
Ashurn, Va.: Who is the best all time Florida QB? Noah Brindise: Danny has all the records and won a bunch of championships. Shane Matthews was SEC player of the year twice and won two SEC titles. Coach Spurrier won the Heisman. Rex Grossman played unbelievably last year and finished second in the Heisman. If we are judging by championships, you have to go with Danny.
Fairfax, Va.: Regardless of who you start Sunday, why don't we try something different -- a lot more QB sneaks, flea-flickers, etc.?
You almost never see a QB sneak except on fourth and one. The defense won't be expecting them.
And the flea-flicker can really throw the defense off. Noah Brindise: QB sneaks are not a great play in the NFL because you get your QB nailed, and that is not good. Every once in a while you can catch a defense off guard with a sneak or a draw, but most teams can't make a living on them.
Washington, D.C. Lifer: How does the team feel after losing to Dallas? Embarrassed? Humiliated? Or re-energized? I was so sad to watch those 60 minutes of football. Noah Brindise: All of the above. It was sad to be there too. We gave it away in the fourth quarter, and that is tough to swallow.
Los Angeles, Calif.: What do you think about USC's Carson Palmer? Noah Brindise: I think he is a heck of a player with a very bright future. He may have won himself the Heisman against Notre Dame.
Somewhere, USA: That's interesting about the two quarterback rule. Although it doesn't seem quite fair -- the Steelers, since Randle El isn't a quarterback but he really is, would still be able to rotate three QBs, and have a definite advantage in a bodybag type game. I also think that there's a third string QB somewhere (Miami?) that plays flanker. Could you use all three if you just said that Ramsey was now a WR? Noah Brindise: You possibly could, but now you can't dress out another receiver because he takes a roster spot on gameday. Remember, you can only dress 45 players, plus a 3rd QB.
Washington, D.C.: RE: Best QB Isn't this more dependent upon the offensive scheme under which the QB is playing? I mean, put Vick in the Fun 'n' Gun and he's not going to be able to make plays with his feet the way he does in the Atlanta offense, which is geared to allow a lot of improvisation. It just seems like the Spurrier offense needs a field general at QB with quick reflexes, good sight down the field, and a quick release, am I right? Noah Brindise: Very much so. Great point. Although I think Atlanta's offense is geared toward improvisation because Vick is the QB, not the other way around.
EL Salvador: How is Jose' Cortez? Noah Brindise: He seems like a great guy and looks to be an accurate kicker. We were lucky to be able to get him.
Reston, Va.: Noah, What do you think about Vick? He is an exceptional athlete, but I think that Reeves is being pretty risky. He maybe fast and evasive but one blindsided hit in the open fiel could really damage him. I think they should be a little more reserved and invest in his great arm and accuracy, he'll still be able to run and make plays but he'll last longer.
Thanks. Noah Brindise: Good point. I don't know what they are telling him but I think he takes off and runs on his own a lot. Donovan McNabb doesn't run nearly as much now as he did when he first came in the league. I think you will see a similar trend with Michael.
Rockville, Md.: Coach Spurrier recently said in an interview that he regrets not throwing the ball more. I was shocked to hear him say this. The stats show that in most of the Redskins wins the skin's have run 20+ times a game? Running the ball is more beneficial to the O-line and opens up opportunities for the passing game. Plus we have a GREAT RB in S. Davis who gets better the more he runs! It is known fact in the NFL to be successful you have to run the ball. Current players/Former players and analysts even agree! Why doesn't Spurrier understand this? Why does Coach Spurrier continue to resist running Davis. Our QB's are subpar and yet he still insists that passing the ball more is the way to go? Our strength is S. Davis. It is a simple fact.
I've been a Skins fan for 15 yrs and it really hurts to watch the Skins continually not run the ball & utilize Davis' skills. Does Spurrier want to "pitch and catch" or does he want to win games?
Noah Brindise: I think you are referring to a quote that was attributed to a certain series in the Dallas game when we ran three straight times and then got the field goal blocked. Of course we all realize that you have to have balance to win in this league.
Washington, D.C.: Coach Spurrier received much criticism for not mixing the run and pass evenly. However since this offense is based on the quarterback making audibles at the line of scrimmage, is it fair to say that the QB's should shoulder as much, if not more, of the blame for the play calls? Noah Brindise: No. When our QB's change plays it is because it is part of our plan to do so. They can't liberally change to things whenever they want.
Noah Brindise: Thanks for all the questions. Sorry I couldn't answer them all, but I am off to a meeting. Have a safe weekend and drive carefully on these icy roads. I hope you are all ready to cheer loud for us on Sunday, don't give up on this season! We have four games left and we are planning on winning them all.
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