Terry Robiskie, right, and receiver Albert Connell. (Reginald Pearman Jr. - washingtonpost.com)

Terry Robiskie, the Redskins' passing game coordinator, said that he wasn't particularly concerned with the comments Albert Connell and Michael Westbrook made prior to Sunday's loss to Dallas.

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.

Forestville, Md.: I think that a little trash talking is great if you can back it up. Do you think that Michael Westbrook and Albert Connell are at the level where they can talk trash the way they did the week before the Dallas game? Do you think that this is what gave Deion Sanders the confidence that he didn't have in the previous games he started in since he returned from his toe injury?

Terry Robiskie: I don't know if this helps Deion's confidence or not. He is a very good and very confident player. But for my two guys to make a statement that they did not believe he could cover them, I don't see this as trash talking. Deion tells people every week that if they kick to him, he is going to take it back. That is not trash talking, that is just being confident in your ability. A reporter asked my guys if they felt that Deion could cover them during the game. We cannot expect them to say yes he will. I would have been disappointed if they had said 'yes, he will.'

Mitchellville, Md.: Coach, please explain to me why Brad Johnson is showing so much rust since the bye week. Is he being asked to do more than he was during the first quarter of the season? Are opposing defenses taking that much away from him? Or, are we just seeing things balance out with the offense?

Terry Robiskie: I think we are at a point where we have balanced out a little. We started off at a very fast and very energetic pace these past couple of weeks. I think we have slowed a little and we must get our pace back.

Greenbelt, Md.: In Sunday's game, the Cowboys ran a fade pattern using a reciever from the slot position for a touchdown.

I'm not an expert, but isn't it unusual to run a fade from the slot?

And I'm guessing that the reason that more teams don't do this is because the reciever has his back to the ball during the whole pattern and has to make a "blind catch" from over his shoulders.

And do you the Redskins might add this play to their playbook?

Thanks

Terry Robiskie: The Cowboys may have taken this play from the Redskins playbook. We threw it last season at home against the Arizona Cardinals for a two point conversion.

Norfolk, Va.: Coach Robiskie:
How do you respond to the observation of Michael Wilbon - shared by media and fans - that the Redskins "backed down," displayed a lack of motivation, and seemed intimidated by the Cowboys on Sunday?

Terry Robiskie: I really did not get a chance to read Wilbon's column. I would not say that we backed down, I would say we dug ourselves in to a hole and couldn't climb out. I think our guys played hard, fought hard and fought tough, but we were too far down to recover.

Arlington, Va.: My concern as a fan is that the players will play scared and tentative, in response to Mr. Snyder's demands. Any fear that the pressure is applied too much to the point where we are playing not to lose, instead of playing to win?

Terry Robiskie: I think that is always a fear, not the fear of pressure being applied, but yes, the fear of playing not to lose as opposed to trying to win. I am not sure that the players are feeling any pressure from Mr. Snyder. I don't sense they are and I don't see him putting pressure on any players.

Fairfax, Va.: Hello Coach
I just wanted to see if Michael Westbrook was okay. I know he took a shot to his back. Did he get hurt pretty bad or was it just a good hit and it wore off? And also how come Brad Johnson doesn't throw to Westbrook more? I know he must be open more than he gets thrown the ball.

Terry Robiskie: Mike took a shot in his rib cage; I think it knocked the wind out of him a little. But he's okay. As for throwing more balls to him, that is something we've got to fix as a staff. In recent games one problem has been that Mike is drawing the top corners on every team and Albert is getting the lesser corner. However, we cannot let them dictate to us. We will do more things to get more balls thrown to Mike.

Silver Spring, Md.: Coach, the Cowboys seem to have Washington's number over the last few years -- do you guys devise a specific plan to play them or do you do the same plan each week with some new wrinkles for each team?

Were you offended that Madden referred to you as "Tony" Robiskie?

Terry Robiskie: No, Madden is a great friend of mine, I played for him, and he has referred to me in a lot worse ways than Tony. Yes, we do prepare a different game plan for the Cowboys, just like every other week with every team we play.

Dallas, Tx.: Terry, I was at the game Sunday and it appeared to me that Brian Mitchell has lost a step on his returns and it also appeared that he dropped two catchable passes. Is there any thought of replacing Brian full time with Larry Centers in the offense and are there any other individuals that have been considered for kick returns?

Terry Robiskie: No, we think the lack of Brian's ability to get freed up in the return game is because of our lack of blocking. As for the third down catches or drops, those are something we are working on.

Rockville, Md.: How come the Redskins under Norv Turner can never win "the big game?" There is no excuse for not making the playoffs this year with so many average teams in the league!

Terry Robiskie: I agree this team should be in the playoffs. And I personally think that we will be. How is it we cannnot win the big game? That is untrue. In the NFL every game is a big game. Your question should be why do we struggle to beat the Cowboys. If I had that answer, we wouldn't struggle.

Daytona Beach, Fla.: Getting beyond the loss to Dallas, and all the finger pointing about the trash talking. The Skins are through the toughest part of their schedule winning three of four games on the road.
Tony Kornheiser said it the best in today's column. Why the big fuss? Another learning experience for the team. Let's pick up the pieces and move on. Right Terry?

Terry Robiskie: Absolutely, you are a very wise fellow. You must be a football coach. Thanks for the comment.

Des Moines, Iowa: Terry, great job so far getting the guys ready to play.

Sometimes Albert Connell starts a little slow it seems. Can he be motivated in the pre-game or is he a guy that needs a hit or two to really get going?

When the Skins only run the ball 16 times in a game doesn't it seem like the balance that most teams like is missing? How does this affect your coaching?

Terry Robiskie: Well, you always need balance on offense, and usually when there is a large unbalance leading to the pass that means you are losing and trying to catch up, which is what happened to us Sunday.

Washington, D.C.: Coach Robiskie, I really appreciate your honest assessments. Do you believe after Albert Connell's showing on Sunday that he will be more cautious about making brash comments, and produce on the field?

Terry Robiskie: Hopefully it was a learning experience and hopefully from this experience he will learn to let his play speak for himself.

Stafford, Va.: How can the Redskins offense look so good playing the Cowboys the first game and than look so bad the second game? They looked confused. Did the Cowboys do anything different the second game?

Terry Robiskie: Of course, just like we did things differently the second game. We started off by getting ourselves in the hole early and we couldn't climb out. First play we lost four yards, first series we ended up with a third and fourteen. That's tought to convert. When we failed to pick up the first down it hurt not having our regular punter in the game, and Dallas started their first drive on about the 47 yard line and they proceeded to score. And by digging ourselves in such a deep hole, it was a tough climb out. Too tough to overcome.

Laurel, Md.: Is there a reason why the Redskins don't use more veterans on special teams? It would seem to help keep the mistakes to a minimum while also putting people on the field that know how to block and tackle better.

Terry Robiskie: More like who? Are you recommending say, Darrell Green? Are you recommending Tre Johnson? When you say more, more veterans like who? We are generally afraid to put older veteran guys on teams to try and avoid injuries.

Wecamp Hill, Pa.: Albert Connell looked like he was frustrated from the opening play. At one point he dropped a pass thrown a little behind him and he threw his mouth piece to the ground in anger. Do you think Albert's immaturity showed during this game or was his frustration legitimate?

This was only one loss, do you think the team will bounce back or let it stick with them like these types have losses have the past couple of years?

Terry Robiskie: It is part of my job to make sure we bounce back. So I definetely know that we will. Albert's frustration was okay because he wanted so badly to make plays. The point you made about him throwing his mouth piece was through frustration of our not completing a pass that was there and should have been an easy play.

Foggy Bottom, D.C.: What do you think really happened with Matt Turk's finger and what do you think his fate is with the Redskins?

Terry Robiskie: I think he hurt his finger playing basketball at a local gym. As for his fate, if he comes back and punts like a Pro Bowl punter, there shouldn't be any problem. If he doesn't there should be problems.

Eugen, Ore.: During the first five games of the season, the Redskins were able to get the ball downfield to the receivers and the tight end. Now it seems that Brad is dumping the ball off too quickly to the backs. Has the play calling remained the same or have teams figured out how to cover Westbrook and Connell?

Terry Robiskie: Of course a lot of teams are starting to make adjustments to our deep balls. We are not getting as many shots upfield so we're starting to take more of the underneath stuff. We'll get back to the long ball. Be patient.

Melrose, Ma.: Do you think that other teams commit the kinds of penalties the 'Skins are repeatedly getting called for -- illegal man down field, illegal blocks etc -- on special teams but officials are reluctant to call it? I think the official that saw Mike Sellers go flying by my TV screen -- an obvious illegal block -- must have been watching Deion in awe or something. I wasn't even upset about Deion's runback because I was -absolutely- sure it a flag had been thrown.

Terry Robiskie: That was a terrible miscall. But with Deion that happens. The officials are like the fans, they're so busy watching Deion they forget what they are supposed to be watching. As for the flags, yes we are getting a lot of flags. Until we slow down and correct those guys going down the field, it will continue to happen.

Seymour, Ct.: Why, when Deion Sanders was knocked out of the game, did we not see a strong passing attack?

Terry Robiskie: I thought we did. We threw a couple of passes at Mathis who replaced Deion, and on a couple of deep calls that we made to take a shot at Mathis, the defense rolled the coverage his way, which helped him. It was a smart move on their part.

Disputanta, Va.: I was extremely impressed with the play of Mike Sellers. He is a big guy that showed that he can catch and run. Can we expect to see more of him in the passing game?

Terry Robiskie: Hopefully we will. He is very capable of catching the ball and running with it. We'll continue to do things and try to get the ball in his hands.

Virginia Beach, Va.: Hello Coach,
I watched the game while listening to Sonny, Frank, and Sam. Sonny called the flea-flicker screen pass before the snap. How did he know, was it the formation or a lucky guess? Also I seem to remeber Irving Fryar having a pretty good arm, might we see a option pass down the road? Thanks

Terry Robiskie: Irving Fryar might have a good arm but, a lot like Sonny, it is an old arm. So no, you won't see Irving throwing any balls any time soon. As for Sonny calling the play before it happened, he comes to practice almost every day and he is very astute. He knew the formation from which we were running that play. So, when he noticed the formation, it was an easy call to make.

Silver Spring, Md.: With regards to the missed call against Mike Sellers, why didn't you use a challege? Were you out of them? Was a complaint filed with the NFL?

Terry Robiskie: No, the rule does not allow you to challenge each and every call or miscall. That would be like challenging a holding call by an offensive lineman. It's one you cannot challenge. If that was a clip in the back, which it was, clipping is not a call we can challenge.

Takoma Park, Md.: Terry, has Stephen Alexander recoverd fully from his injury? He hasn't been too productive the last two games. Are defenses just keying in on him and if so, why can't the wideouts get more open easily?

Terry Robiskie: Basically people are starting to make adjustments towards Stephen, they are doubling the receivers with two DB's and beating up on Stephen on the inside with two linebackers. But we will get him going again soon.

Richmond, Va.: Did the players realize that Mr. Snyder and Norv were having a 'heated discussion' in the trainer's room? Did Mr. Snyder address the team after the meeting? What was there reaction to his actions?

As a fan ... I don't question the need for such a meeting, but wonder if that was the time and place for it to take place.

Terry Robiskie: Well, you must first expalin to me, are you a fan or a fly on the wall? How in the world would you know that it was a "heated" meeting in that room? If it was, no I don't think the players were aware. Just like I wasn't aware. And, as for the timing of it, after a loss like Sunday when you're upset and frustrated, we never stop to think about a right time or a wrong time.

Fairfax, Va.: What do you think will be the key to beat the Bears this week? Are we going to try to run it more with Stephen Davis?

Terry Robiskie: I always think the key to winning is the ability to run the ball. So hopefully we will run Stephen more.

Washington D.C.: Do you think that it is a mental block that keeps us from beating the Cowboys over the past few years or simply a case of them just beating us?

Terry Robiskie: I think over the past few years they may have a mental block on us. But with time and continual improvement, we will get over the hump. Remember, that's why it's called a rivalry.

Silver Spring, Md.: What do you see as the keys to winning against the Bears this week? Can you give us a prediction for the final score?

Terry Robiskie: I have no idea what the final score may be. I would love to see a zero on their side and let you put the numbers on my side. Anything above a zero will do. I do think the key should be our ability to run the ball.

Laurel, Md.: Recently I read that Norv Turner upgraded you this year to Passing Game Coordinator because he felt you deserved the experience. How much credit do you take for the much improved passign game this year? Tell the guys to keep their head up. It is a long season and there are a whole lot of teams that would love to be 4-2. Thanks for answering my question!

Terry Robiskie: Thanks for writing. I generally don't take any credit because I never want the blame. It's a good title, it's fun to have and I am enjoying it.

Lincoln, Ma.: As the season progresses, it seems Brad Johnson is less comfortable behind the line. Has the opposing defensive lines found some schemes that are hurrying Brad and making the long balls more hard to complete? Also do you credit some of the Rams success with the incorporation of parts of the Redskins playbook?

Terry Robiskie: Yes, I think a lot of the Rams' success is due to not only the Rams' playbook, but a couple of coaches taken from the Redskins. Mike Martz, the offensive coordinator, and Jim Hannifan, the offensive line coach, are both from the Redskins. As for Brad Johnson and the deep balls those are just good adjustments by the defense. He'll get back to his long ball throws.

Silver Spring, Md.: Thanks for taking my question. Brad never looked comfortable in the pocket, he always seemed to be looking for his second or third receiver. Were the Cowboys doing that good of a job of covering or was Brad more antsy than before? Good luck this week.

Terry Robiskie: I think that Brad was his usual self. He might have been a little excited, but that's normal for him. Yes, the Cowboys did a little better job of covering, but not enough that it scared Brad. He may have been both anxious and excited.

Silver Spring, Md.: The Redskins don't play the Bears very often. The Bears seem up and down but usually very focused. What are you expecting from them on Sunday?

Terry Robiskie: Expecting a very, very tough and physical battle. They are very tough and aggressive on defense and do a lot of things to give you a headache on offense.

Arlington, Va.: Joe Gibbs used to blast his players when they provided fodder for the other team's bulletin boards. Are we going to start doing that?

Terry Robiskie: Well, that was something that happened, hopefully we learned from it and I do think it's over.

Baltimore, Md.: Was that flea-flicker-screen pass on Sunday excuted the way it was designed? I don't think I have ever seen that before.

Terry Robiskie: Yes, that's exactly the way it was designed, and no, you had never seen it before. Neither had I until Sunday. It was a play the head coach drew up and we took a shot at it.

Kansas City, Mo.: Terry,

I enjoy the passing game weekly, the question I have pertains to the crossing routes. I can't recall seeing Connell or Westbrook running the 15 to 18yd in route. Why not? the playaction is there to hold the LB's plus the DB's seem to play an over-under bracket on our wideouts to take away the out cuts and the deep routes. Thank you Benny

Terry Robiskie: Benny, we throw that 18 yard in-route every week. That is the one ball Westbrook reached behind his back to catch this Sunday against Deion and the free safety who had him double-covered. How are your Kansas City Chiefs? Tell those guys I said hello.

washingtonpost.com: Thanks to Terry Robiskie for joining us after a particularly tough loss on Sunday. Join us again next Tuesday for another edition of Airing It Out With Terry Robiskie.