Terry Robiskie, right, with receiver Albert Connell 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 started.

Weatherly, Pa.: Congratulations on Sunday's victory, coach. I realize that a win is a win in the NFL, no matter how you get the win, but how concerned are you about the offense's inability to slam the door on the Eagles and Giants the past two weeks? In my opinion, neither game should have been very close and yet both were. As the Redskins head into the stretch run of the season, it would be nice to see the offense lighting up the scoreboard as it did earlier in the year. Thanks for joining us, and good luck this week against the Lions.

Terry Robiskie: Well, we are happy to have the win. Like you said, a win is a win, and those are always fun. We will continue to try and get back to our winning ways with the offense scoring 35 and 40. But at this point we are just trying to win one at a time.

Alexandria, Va.: Coach Robiskie – why did Albert Connell stay in bounds after catching the 2 passes just before halftime? Did he not know the team had no timeouts left? Also, enjoyed watching practice at Frostburg for a few days this past August. The receiving drills you ran were particularly interesting, with you throwing the ball; some a little behind, then a little in front, a little low, a little high. You have a very accurate arm with regard to the short passing game. How are your long bombs?
Thank you very much for your time.

Terry Robiskie: I don't have a long ball. I am a short ball thrower. After the game Sunday, I went in the the locker room to visit with Albert to try and find out exactly what he was thinking. The last thing I told my receivers before that drive was to catch the ball and immediately get out of bounds. He said to me that he drew a blank, a total blank. He forgot where he was and what time was left in the game. It was a total black out on Albert's part. Hopefully, he will learn and that mistake will never return.

La Jolla, Calif.: Hi Terry,

It seems pretty obvious that Albert Connell has become Brad's favorite receiver. Brad's first read always seems to be to Connell. I was wondering if that is the reason to Brad's recent problems since defenders are picking up on that. And instead of throwing the ball away, like in the beginning of the season, Brad is trying to force it in to Connell at times. Both Connell and Westbrook's stats are similar, but Westbrook is the primary playmaking receiver so why don't you try to throw the ball to him more?

Terry Robiskie: I am not sure that Albert is Brad's favorite. Like you said, one guy is sitting on 47 catches, another is sitting on 45. I think Larry Centers is around 43. So how do you pick a favorite out of that? I think that Brad likes both guys equally. Last week versus the Giants we threw Michael 5 balls, against the Eagles we threw Mike seven balls. Against the Giants we threw Albert 8 balls, against the Eagles we threw him 7 balls. To me, that's too close to call.

Richmond, Va.: Good win, edge of seat again. Huge game this week, fans are enjoying this turnaround season.
Question: Has it been the game plan to slow down the game and be more methodical on offense -to help the D- or is it just a matter of taking what is given?

Terry Robiskie: It's the adjustments that defenses are making. With each week the defense gets to study us and know us a lot better. So they are defending us better.

Chap, Va.: On the pass interference play involving Irving Fryar, it looked to me like Fryar just blew past the defenders as though he was 10 years younger! Up to this point in the season, has Fryar intentionally been used only on shorter patterns -less than 15 yards? And will we see more of Fryar going deep as the season winds down?

Terry Robiskie: Irving Fryar is being used as the third guy. Some weeks we will call for him to go short, other weeks, if it presents itself, we'll send him deep.

Sacramento, Calif.: The Detroit pass defense has had difficulty defending big physical receiver's – i.e. Marcus Robinson. With this in mind are we going to see a steady diet of Michael Westbrook on Sunday? Is his cast going to be scaled down even more for Sunday's game? Thanks and good luck Sunday.

Terry Robiskie: I think his cast is as about as small as it can get and hopefully with his return to his hometown Detroit he will have a break away game. With Mike's size versus Terry Fair and Westbrook we can make some plays by using his size advantage.

Baltimore, Md.: Coach, if Gus Frerotte starts on Sunday, do you think this is an added advantage to the Redskins, because the Redskins' coaches know him and his tendencies so well?

Terry Robiskie: No, I don't see it as an advantage. I think Gus is playing extremely well for Detroit right now which has nothing to do with us. The defense must prepare for Gus like any other quarterback.

Portland, Ore.: Terry: Thank you for taking time to have this forum--your frank responses are very informative.
The offense seems to have slowed overall in its progress. After staring well early, the defenses appear to adjust, and then the Skins are unable to find answers. Do you feel like opponents are taking you out of your game plan?

Terry Robiskie: No, they are not taking us out, they are doing a better job of defending what we are doing. But we must continue to execute and make plays which is what we were doing at the beginning of the year. Example: Versus the Giants, we fumbled on the 1 yard line going in. We fumbled the hand off; that had nothing to do with the defense. So we must continue to improve and execute.

Sewell, N.J.: I thought the offense did a great job against a very aggressive Philly D that filled run lanes with blitzes and played soft in the secondary to take away our deep game. That opened up tons of underneath stuff for backs, which you guys did a great job of exploiting with Centers. Do you expect to continue seeing this look from defenses, forcing Skins to grind it out and chip away in the passing game? I hope so, because I want to keep seeing big old Tre Johnson rumbling in to defenseless linebackers on traps and pulls. The downfield chances will come if we make them stop us on the ground. Your thoughts?

Terry Robiskie: Absolutely. I think as long as Stephen Davis continues to hurt people with break away runs they will have to drop the safeties in for run support. And once that happens, we should be able to strike by air. The old adage "in football the better you run, the better you pass."

Killeen, Tx.: Coach what is happening with Brad Johnson over the past five games? He is making a large number of bad throws and is not seeing the open receiver a lot. Also he seems to be rushing his throws when he sees a blitz coming instead of hanging in there to make a good throw. This is particularly noticeable when opponents start using all out blitzes against him. Is he harboring an injury or afraid he might go down to an injury? This to me seems to be a major difference between the offense in the five games and the last five games. Can you shed some light on this?

Terry Robiskie: I think we as a group are working harder down the stretch run to keep Brad healthy. I think we have told him that versus the all out blitz, get the ball out as quickly as possible to live for another day. So it's more us than Brad. Trying to stay healthy at that position for the stretch run.

Norfolk, Va.: Coach, I know that offensive linemen were a few years ago given more latitude to extend their arms into defenders and not get called for holding. Is that latitude also given to wide receivers? I've notice more receivers extending their arms when blocking defensive backs and wondered whether that's a legitimate approach now or bad technique.

Terry Robiskie: It's legitimate as long as everyone is working to keep their hands inside. By inside I mean if it is not wrapped around the shoulders of the DB or the defensive player and is underneath the armpit area it's legal.

Ocean, N.J.: Coach, is Brad Johnson's arm hurting in any way? It appears that his throws have been low and his deep balls are short where the receivers have to wait for the ball any input?

Terry Robiskie: I cannot say if it is hurting or not. We do try to give him a rest during the week. I will say, however, on a couple of attempted deep passes he was getting hit or having someone in his face at the time of him releasing the ball.

Florham Park, N.J.: Hi Coach.
I noticed that we have a formation with three or four wideouts -- usually on third down -- in which Brian Mitchell is always the running back. What are the reasons for using Mitchell in this situation instead of Davis?

Terry Robiskie: Mitchell is our third down back and he is a better route runner and pass catcher coming out of the back field. So whenever we put in our third down group, Mitchell goes in. Then, of course, we will hand him the ball once in a while, just to keep the defenses innocent.

Richmond, Va.: How would you describe the Lions' secondary? Who are their best players and what makes them so good?

Terry Robiskie: I think the secondary is a pretty decent group. Westbrook is a good athlete and a smart corner. At the free safety position there's a lot of experience and a lot of toughness. The rest of the secondary plays their role pretty well.

Largo, Md.: Coach T, what did Detroit's D do to shut down that potent Chicago Passing attack?

Terry Robiskie: They put on a terrific pass rush, played very physical and very aggressive, and did a great job of getting after the offensive line.

Killeen, Tx.: Always a privilege to ask you a question, Coach. The Philly game falls under earning a ugly win over a pretty loss so with Detroit looming focus should be at an all time high. Knowing the Silverdome is one of the toughest road games in the NFL will working on audible, hot reads with the crowd be a high priority in practice this week?

Terry Robiskie: Absolutely, we have already started the process. We are devoting an extra 15 to 20 minutes of practice to crowd noise. We will work on our audibles and our signals with a loud stereo system blasting. Hopefully, it will work.

Greensboro, N.C.: If Alexander is unable to play, will this mean seeing some 4wr sets with Thrash? Or, could Centers be a TE during passing downs instead of Sellers?

Terry Robiskie: No, I think Mike Sellers is doing extremely well, and if Stephen Alexander cannot play Mike Sellers deserves a start. I am expecting him to play pretty well.

Sewell, N.J.: Coach, in the offseason, what is the focus of the conditioning program for the receivers? Is there more of a slant toward building strength in the weight room or on maximizing speed-quickness? Does it vary from person to person, based on their weaknesses, or is the program the same for all receivers?

Terry Robiskie: Are you kidding? I am in the middle of the season, Week 11, fighting for my life, trying to make the playoffs so I do not get fired, and you are asking me about an off season program? Something that doesn't begin until March? Would you please do me a favor? Write me back in March.

Largo, Md.: Coach T What kind of effect do you think having a veteran receiver like Fryar has had had on Michael Westbrook?

Terry Robiskie: It's been extremely positive on the field, in the classroom and in the streets. Yes, the two of them hang out together, going to dinner, going to movies, going bowling, and places like that. It's extremely positive.

Takoma Park, Md.: Why do the Redskins seem to "rush" in getting plays called and the ball snapped? there is almost always 10-15 seconds left on the play clock. it seems like turner is in a hurry to get plays called. ball control teams like those of Bill Parcells take their time and let the clock run down to less than 5 seconds before snapping the ball. what gives?

Terry Robiskie: Because we are always shifting and moving two or three times before we snap the ball. So we must move around very quick and fast to get done everything we need to do. We seldom line up in one formation and stay there. So we must hurry to get all of that accomplished.

Springfield, Va.: Coach,
I realize that this has nothing to do with the passing game, but how is Brett Conway holding up after the last two games? Are the other players giving him support?

Terry Robiskie: Yes, I think because we won the last two games, there have been no problems. Everyone is very supportive and if he can kick and miss and we still win, there shouldn't be any problems.

DC: Given the fact we have to win one more game than Dallas to win the division....

Looking honestly and realistically at the schedule, the Detroit game becomes the season maker-breaker doesn't it coach?

Terry Robiskie: I am not sure I agree with you. You are probably the same guy a few weeks ago that mentioned the Dallas game in Dallas as the make or break game. The Buffalo game was the make or break game. Two weeks ago, the Giants game was a make or break game. Now, it is Detroit. Just how many make or break games are you going to put me in? Okay, I will let this be the last make or break game of the year. So don't write next week telling me Arizona is a make or break game. Thanks for writing.

Largo, Md.: Coach T, who was the one who talked Fryar out of retirement?

Terry Robiskie: I would love to take credit for that one. But that goes to Vinny Cerrato.

Fredricksburg, Va.: Given the prevailing ultimatum of having to make the playoffs or else impact the chemistry between the coaching staff? Are coaches more aggressive in meetings to push for changes or adjustments to strategy?

Terry Robiskie: Coaches are coaches: We will argue, fuss and fight regardless of any ultimatums we get. We argue, fuss and fight to win every game and then let the playoffs take care of themselves. So no, there isn't any more fighting and fussing than usual.

Alexandria, Va.: It is pretty obvious that the NFL now lacks any dominant or "super teams" like the 49ers, Cowboys and Packers in the mid-90s. As a fan, this just makes for some ugly football and I honestly miss watching mediocre teams treat a Sunday with the 49ers or Cowboys as their Super Bowl. But as a coach, do you view this time of parity in the NFL as a positive? Do you think it is good for the game?

Terry Robiskie: Yes, I do. I think you might be disappointed that the 49ers, the Cowboys and the Raiders are not dominating like they used to, but I bet you there's a lot of excitement in Jacksonville, Florida, Tennessee, and St. Louis these days. I don't know if those teams are dominating teams, but they are all good football teams.

Newton, Mass.: What's your opinion on why the Patriots have been so bad the last few weeks? Can any team win if they cannot run the football?

Terry Robiskie: I don't think that you can win in the NFL without a balanced offense. I think if you are one dimensional, it had better be to the running game. Too many things can happen if you continue to rely on the passing game. That's what is happening to New England. Everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for Drew Bledsoe to connect with Terry Glenn and Shawn Jefferson. We all love the excitement of the big bomb, but you have got to have a Curtis Martin to help you.

Washington, D.C.: Coach,
Don't be so testy today. That was the first time I ever asked you a question much less repeatedly on the make-break issue. Sorry, geesh I wont bother you again.

Terry Robiskie: Thanks a lot for getting back to me, I thought you were the same guy I was writing to the last two or three weeks. Sorry, I will take it easy on you next week.

Beaverton, Ore.: Hello Coach, I've heard that players blow off steam by playing pranks on each other. In your opinion which player is the best prankster? What is your favorite prank story?

Terry Robiskie: The biggest prankster is Brian Mitchell. I cannot begin to tell you some of the things he'll do. I will say this: He will take fellow teammates' car keys and hide them in that room where just boys can go. Thanks for writing, see you next week.

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