Terry Robiskie, right, with receiver Albert Connell Reginald A. Pearman Jr. washingtonpost.com

Terry Robiskie, the Redskins' passing game coordinator, said the coaching staff at Redskin Park also takes advantage of the Domino's Pizza Monday promotion.

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: Thanks to Terry Robiskie for joining us today. We've got plenty of questions on Sunday's rout of the Chicago Bears.

Forest, Va: Has there been any joking around with Dan Wilkinson this week in the locker room since Darrell Green was running backwards and still keeping up with him as he ran down the field and scored? Big Daddy is looking good. I was so glad to hear that was his first touchdown ever. He deserved it!!

Terry Robiskie: Of course, everyone is having fun with that one. A lot of people are telling Dan that Darrell caught him from 20 yards back and began pushing him to the end zone.

Mebane NC: Hey Coach great win. Wish the had put up 50 though.... My question is how do you think our wideouts will match up with the Buffalo secondary? In the past few games we have been able to pick on a particular player of a team. Anyone on their team we may go after?

Terry Robiskie: I too wish we would have scored 50. We had a few chances in the 4th quarter but we let them get away. Maybe next time. I think our receivers will match up pretty good versus Buffalo this weekend. Buffalo enjoys playing man to man, which is a challenge. Our receivers enjoy challenges. This should be fun.

Houston, TX: Terry, congratulations on a wonderful coaching job this season! My question is about the play calling. A lot of coaches script the first few plays before the game, is this something Norv does, or does he call as the situation dictates? I like the fact that you guys were throwing down the field often against the Bears.

Terry Robiskie: Yes, we do script. We script the first 15 plays of the game and sometimes the first ten plays to start the 3rd quarter. A lot of times the script is executed to perfection, sometimes however, we have to get off the script and change the plays. For example, if on the first play, we take a sack for 8 yards we must change the second play. See, we never script for a second and eighteen or a second and twenty.

Washington, DC: It appears to me that Albert Connell and Brad Johnson are not on the same page the last two games. Brad threw the ball behind Albert a couple of times, and Albert did not appear to be running his routes as crisp as possible. However, the timing with Michael Westbrook seems to be there. First of all, do you agree that Albert and Brad have been out of sync the last two games? If so, how do you get them back on track with each other? Albert appears to be a big play receiver, and he needs to be involved early to keep his head in the game. Thank you.

Terry Robiskie: Yes, the two of them are not on the same page. To correct that we must continue to talk about it, discuss it and get it changed in practice. For example, during the Chicago game, one ball Brad threw behind Albert was a route we call 8 route. When the defensive back plays press we fade that route and make it a go route. When Albert began to fade the defensive back began to run. Brad began to throw the fade, and suddenly realized Albert was running the 8 route. That is why the ball was behind Albert. That's one of those changing horses in the middle of the stream. Albert changed routes in the middle of a pattern. That's too difficult for Brad to adjust to.

Arlington, VA: Great game Terry,
Wanted to put in some good words for Westbrook and AC who pulled down a lot of balls yesterday that were behind them or a little short from Johnson. They sure made him look good.

Also, I was watching you in the pregame warmups, you sure throw a nice spiral. Lastly, what is the deal with having each receiver catch one between his legs before you go back in the locker room? Just for fun? To keep their minds open?

Good luck next weekend,
Pat

Terry Robiskie: What are you doing watching me throw before a game? There must be more exciting things you can watch. Like maybe the grass growing or something? Yes, we always do that at the end of our throwing which is just a little game of keeping the guys loose and relaxed.

Silver Spring, MD: Coach:
It was great to beat Chicago, but so sad to learn about Walter Payton's passing. His last game was against the Redskins and in a way it seems odd that Sunday would also be a Chicago loss to Washington as it was in 1988. As a football fan, I'll miss what he brought to the game of football and life.

Terry Robiskie: I had a few opportunities to play against and coach against Walter. He was a great guy and surely an ambassador to the game of football. I never got to know him as a friend, but everyone I know that knew Walter spoke very highly of him. He will definitely be missed.

Mobile, AL but born in DC: Michael Westbrook seems to make many of his toughest catches by grabbing the ball cleanly, but when he has an easy catch it frequently bounces off his hands and he has to grab it on the rebound. It almost seems as if he is trying to do it that way. Have you been working with him on this old habit?

Also, what is your opinion of the gloves many receivers use even in warm weather?

Thanks, and keep up the good work.
Alan Beall

Terry Robiskie: I am always working on catching the ball during hand drills. Mike is one guy that sometimes loses focus on catching because it's so natural and so easy for him. He is a great catcher and will continue to improve. I am a coach who was always against my guys wearing gloves until I arrived here and had a chance to coach Henry Ellard. He changed my mind along with the DC cold. Today I accept it and have no problem with guys wearing them.

Herndon, Va.: Does your offense use blocking audibles to guard against all-out blitzes? For example, can Brad audible to move a TE or RB into a different blocking position without changing the entire play? And does Brad ever get to call his own plays at any time during the game?

Terry Robiskie: Brad can audible to a better protection and move people to where he would like them to go. He will on occasions change plays, even when he is not supposed to.

Norfolk, Va.: Hi, Coach. How will the defense contain Doug Flutie? Will the Redskins have a spy on him, maybe Mark McMillen, which was a great addition to defense?

Terry Robiskie: Yes, Mark was a great addition. We coached against him a lot of years with Philly. He is an excellent player. Hopefully, we can use him to spy on Flutie. Doug is an excellent runner with the ball in his hands. It will take someone like Mark to run him down if he gets started.

Los Angeles, CA: Are Stephen Davis's running plays generally designed to break to the outside or does he generally break to the outside on his own? He seems to consistently get a lot of yards on the plays he breaks to the outside.

Terry Robiskie: Stephen is very fast for his size. He is able to break the long runs outside and inside. If you noticed the long touchdown against Chicago was an inside run that he cut back. Skip Hicks is an outside runner, Stephen can go inside or outside.

SEYMOUR CT: Good afternoon coach, nice job Sunday congrats to all. I noticed that Irving Fryar was in the game a little bit more Sunday, can we expect to see him more often as the season rolls along, or is he being used only in crucial situations? Good luck Sunday.

Terry Robiskie: He will continue to be used in special situations. Irving is a good player and he will help us down the road. We've got a lot of games left to play, so don't rush it. Irving will do just fine.

Daytona Beach, Florida: Serious question. Doesn't it seem to you that the media has been very critical of the Redskins moves this year? From the Snyder-Turner meetings after the games. The threats of Snyder possibly firing more people. And now they are making a big deal about Brad Johnson supposedly showboating into the end zone this weekend. What's with all that? It's not just locally in Washington either. They talk about it on all the major sports shows. ESPN, HBO's Inside the NFL, etc.
Just wanted to hear your thoughts on that Terry.

Terry Robiskie: I am one guy that tries to avoid the press because I realize no matter which way you go you can't be right. Here we are in a city that created the "Fun Bunch" and we're concerned with Brad Johnson showboating? Please.

Red House, Va.: Fantastic game-- if the offense keeps this up all season, I bet you're phone will be ringing off the hook with head coaching offers. My question is why did Rodney Peete perform so poorly in relief of Brad Johnson? For a veteran QB, he sure looked a lot like a rookie getting his first pro action. After looking at the film, was it Peete's poor play or the receivers being well covered? And if Peete was at fault, is there any talk of promoting Casey Weldon to 2nd string?

Terry Robiskie: Well, whenever a guy goes out and performs badly, we are concerned. However, in Rodney's defense, he and his receivers were not on the same page with a lot of plays. On his interception the fullback was supposed to motion from the strong side to the weak side and that is why his protection broke down.

Herndon, VA: Coach Robiskie: We hear a lot about the Bills' line, especially Bruce Smith. How good is their secondary? Also, with the great hands that Big Daddy displayed against the Bears, does he have a future as a tight end? Thanks.

Terry Robiskie: No, I promise you, he has no future as a tight end. Forgetting his hands, did you see him run? We were using an hour glass to time that sprint. The Bills' secondary is pretty good and we should have our hands full with them.

Gaithersburg, Md.: Coach, thanks for helping the Redskins have one of the best offenses in the game. I've been enjoying Dominos pizza on Monday's for weeks now! It was a madhouse yesterday at Dominos. My all important question to you: Do you take advantage of the Dominos discount on Mondays -- $1 off for every pizza on the Monday following a Redskin game for every touchdown the Redskins score?

Terry Robiskie: We in this office take advantage of everyone and every opportunity we get, even Domino's. Yesterday, the coaches ordered 50 pizzas.

Riverdale, Md.: Coach, who handles telling the players who is supposed to be on field and when during the game?

Terry Robiskie: Most of it is handled by Coach Bobby Jackson. I will usually tell my receivers; Coach Jackson usually tells everyone.

Vienna, Va.: Terry - Great win on Sunday! Congratulations! We haven't seen the four wide receiver set this year. It would be nice to see Westbrook, Connell, Fryar, and Thrash on the field at the same time. Any plans for that, specifically against teams with a weak secondary?

Terry Robiskie: No, there is no plan for four. We did some of that in training camp. However, the protection was not very sound. So for that reason we're a little afraid of four wides.

Rockville Md.: Terry, I would like to know about Nigel Williams. I thought because of his injury he didnt get a fair chance. Is he in the Redskins plans?

Terry Robiskie: At this point in time, he's not. We brought Nigel in and he did a wonderful job for us. However, we're very happy with the guys we have on the roster.

Rockville, Md.: Coach, the Redskin receivers on Sunday showed that they are among the best in the NFL both in athletic ability and reliability. It appears now that the criticism leveled at Westbrook and others in previous seasons was unfair. How much of this improvement -in the passing game- can be attributed to Brad Johnson and how much to the coaches? Thanks for your time.

Terry Robiskie: I think most of it can be attributed to Brad. He is a tremendous player with a tremendous ability to make plays. The coaches will always accept a little credit, but most of it goes to Brad.

Tampa, Fla.: Why haven't we tried to use the no-huddle offense other than pre-season? I realize that during pre-season defenses are pretty vanilla and so most offenses really don't have that much of a problem moving no huddle or not. I would have thought that once we had gotten a couple of matchups that we wanted it could have been put in.

Terry Robiskie: I think over the past few weeks we've been either the number one or the number two offense in football. Remember the old saying, if it isn't broke, don't fix it. I see that you live in Tampa. How about that Trent Dilfer? What is your take on that guy?

Silver Spring, Md.: What do you and Norv Turner do while the defense is on the field and Nolan is coaching? Thanks.

Terry Robiskie: We continue our discussions on which plays to run. We discuss the ones we just finished running and the ones we should go to next.

Charlotte, N.C.: Hello coach, big time Redskins fan here!
What I want to ask is do you put much stock in the preseason game against Buffalo when you are coming up with an offensive game plan?

Terry Robiskie: Yes, we will. We will go back and look at that game, take out the bad plays and leave in the good ones. So yes, we will use some of that game plan.

Fairfax, Va.: Hi Coach - Love these chats - you are great! I have a question about Big Daddy's return. While I think it is great that he was able to make it down the field with blockers, it seems more likely that a slower player would be tackled in these situations. Do you coach players to just hold on to the ball or recommend that if someone fast is nearby to hand the ball off to have a better chance at a score? Obviously there is risk either way.
Regardless we would have been pleased with an interception - the touchdown was superb!

Thanks, A Female Fan :-

Terry Robiskie: Oh good. No, we never recommend that a guy with the ball hand it to someone faster. See, one of the joys of Big Daddy scoring that touchdown is that he gets a kiss from his wife when he gets home. Now, if he handed the ball to Darrell Green, he loses out on the kiss. We don't want that to happen now do we?

Des Moines, Iowa: Terry, keep up the great work.
Are there any plans to get Stephen Alexander more involved in the next few games? He has been quiet lately, is his injury still bothering him? Thanks.

Terry Robiskie: You must be Stephen's agent. Stephen is doing fine, he is getting better each week and he will continue to be involved every week. Hey, if you are a Stephen Alexander fan, you must have noticed he dropped a big one Sunday.

Baltimore, Md.: In the paper it was reported that Norv asked Mr. Synder to reduce the number of appearance commitments by players late in the week. I wasn't aware that players had such commitments. Besides practice, and family commitments, what are they doing that isn't voluntary?

Terry Robiskie: I have no idea. I coach them in the meeting room and on the field. When they leave those two areas it's out of my hands.

Bethesda, Md.: When Peete came into the game, I joked about how a Peete to Fryar pass would be the Philadelphia Connection. But it soon seemed that Fryar was the only person he was looking at. Every passing attempt was to Fryar -- including the throw into triple-coverage for an interception. I hope that's just rust, not what we should expect should something happen to Brad.

Terry Robiskie: I too hope it was rust. I think Rodney was looking to Irving a lot because the two of them are very familiar with each other.

Glen Burnie MD: Coach, now that the Redskins are entering the 'easiest' part of the regular season. Do you feel this would be a good time to try to rest some of the players that are hurt. Plus it would give the added benifit of letting some of the situational player showcase their talent.

Terry Robiskie: Absolutely not. Every game is a struggle and no team in the NFL is good enough to start resting players after week six or so. You should remember a few years ago, we were 8 and 2 at week ten and finished 8, 7 and 1 without resting anyone. Please, don't you get carried away because of a 5 and 2 start.

Camp Hill, Pa.: Although his numbers were not as high as his other games, I think Michael Westbrook had his best game as a Redskin. He made a couple acrobatic catches with one being a TD. Those catches show that he is pouring every ounce of himself into the game. Do youagree?

Terry Robiskie: Yes, it shows. However, I'm not sure this was his best game ever. I think his game here last year against Arizona was his best. He had a few incredible catches in that game also. But he is pouring every ounce of energy into his play.

Weatherly, Pennsylvania: Congratulations on Sunday's victory, Coach. I was impressed with Albert Connell's blocking downfield -on Bears cornerback Tom Carter- during Stephen Davis' long touchdown run. I have noticed that your wide receivers are good run-blockers. How much time do you spend on that often overlooked aspect of the game with the receivers? Thanks for taking the time to join us, and good luck against the Bills this Sunday.

Terry Robiskie: I think blocking for a receiver is all heart and desire. We spend more time talking about blocking than actually blocking. Thanks for the compliment about my guys being good blockers. See, at the start of the season, John Riggins was very critical of their blocking. John went as far as saying that they were the worst two he had ever seen. One day I will respond to John. Thank you.

Tysons Corner, Va.: RE Brad "show boating":
I say, if someone gets in the end zone let them have their fun. Just keep your helmet on and keep it brief. I especially enjoy celebrations that include the fans, a la the Lambeau Leap. I also like the celebrations the team can enjoy together, so it's not just some ego maniac out there for himself. I think things like the Fun Bunch can sometimes help stress team attitude. What do you think of celebrations?

Terry Robiskie: I love it. I think it's great for the team, I think it's great for the player, I think it's great for the fans. As long as it is not too long and too much. I think Brad Johnson was great. Icky Woods was too long and a bit too much. The "Fun Bunch" was fine. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson was great, so I enjoy it, and I think it should always remain a part of the game.

Baltimore, Md.: Why did the Redskins not burn more clock by running the ball more in the third and fourth quarters? My own theory is that the passing game was being successful and after two sub-par weeks Turner wanted to get and keep some of the rhythm that the team had in the first three games.

Terry Robiskie: Absolutely, whenever you have an opportunity to sharpen your passing game against a weaker opponent you should. The same with the running game. The passing game was going pretty good and we were working on improving it and building our confidence.

Washington, DC: What steps have Michael Westbrook done to decrease injuries, since he has been often injured in past seasons?

Terry Robiskie: Continue to work, work harder, and get in better shape. Mike did a great job this summer of working as hard as he could to recover from his neck injury.

Oneida, N.Y.: Terry, when are we going to see some half back option passes from Brain Mitchell?
Also, would you let Champ Bailey return a punt or play wide out if it were a play off game? Thanks for your time.

Terry Robiskie: I am not sure about Champ Bailey. I don't coach him or that phase of the game. On certain weeks we talk about the half back pass to Brain Mitchell. We're always so fearful that once we put him in the backfield, it would be a dead giveaway. So that scares us off.

Augusta, Ga.: Coach, great game and hope the ball keeps rolling. The next six weeks or so the offense is going to go up against some great defenses; Buffalo, Philadelphia, the Giants, Arizona and Detroit. A few of those on the road. Can the offense keep the pace against the wear and tear of some hard-hitters and how to you coach-fight against this?

Terry Robiskie: We just continue to do what we do. We only concern ourselves with us being where we're supposed to be and doing what we're supposed to do. We never concern ourselves with the defense and how good, or how bad, they are. We simply coach our guys to make the plays when they are there to be made.

washingtonpost.com: Thanks to Terry Robiskie for being with us this week. Join us again next Tuesday for another edition of Airing It Out With Terry Robiskie.