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. Thanks to Terry Robiskie for joining us. We've got a bunch of questions following the division-clinching victory in San Francisco, so let's get right to it.

Harrisburg, Pa.: Coach - congratulations! The coaches and players deserve tons of accolades for the win over the Niners and the Division title. Good job. I have one question: How fun was that plane ride home from San Francisco?

Terry Robiskie: Thanks a lot. Thanks for your support and I promise you it was a lot of fun on the flight coming home.

Alexandria, Va.: Everyone wanting to know what happened to the Redskins passing game got their answer on Sunday. I was impressed at how Johnson spread the ball around to all receivers and running backs. How much of a factor has Albert Connell's shoulder injury been in recent weeks? Will Albert Connell be 100% for the playoffs?

Terry Robiskie: His shoulder has been hurting him for about three weeks now. Each week it's getting a little worse. But he has to play. We need him and he's got to go. Hopefully, this week we can rest him a little and get him ready for the playoff game.

Newark, Del.: First off, congratulations on becoming NFC East Champions, and thanks for being so pumped up about the Redskins! I think it is good for the team, and more coaches should show emotion. The media has portrayed the Redskins as a lifeless and boring team, and I think it is great to see players, coaches and owners become "cheerleaders".
Second, I was wondering why you tried to "catch" Stephen Alexander on his fourth quarter catch out of bounds? With his momentum, I thought you were going to be flattened, and we need you around for the playoffs!

Terry Robiskie: Thanks for being so observant. I tried to catch him to avoid any injury to Stephen. During the playoffs we will need him so I did not want him to get hurt on his fall to the sidelines. It's been a long time since I have scored a touchdown so no one would be as concerned if I got hurt. I was simply trying to protect Stephen.

Beaverton, Ore.: Hello Coach, I hope this Holiday Season finds you and your family in great spirits.
When the Redskins won the toss in overtime, I thought Darrell was going to explode when the ref asked if they wanted the ball. Lots of emotion in him and I'm glad that he had to stay on the sideline during overtime. Great ending to the game. How's Davis looking for next week? Do you think he will be activated if a bye week is possible?

Terry Robiskie: Absolutely. If a bye week comes up, I think he will be ready to go. I'm not sure he will be able to play this week, but he should be if we're fortunate enough to get a bye. Keep your fingers crossed and let's pray.

Largo, Md.: Coach T, First congratulations on your Division Title and those 471 passing yards! What were you saying to Michael Westbrook after his 65-yard touchdown catch?

Terry Robiskie: Two plays before the touchdown, we ran a sweep toward Michael and he didn't get his block against the corner. The defensive back covering Michael made the tackle so I told him you just got to block that guy.

Asheville, N.C.: Hey coach,
Congratulations on a great passing game on Sunday! After watching Miami on Monday night, it seems their weakness is the play action pass. Do you feel our receivers match up well one on one with the Miami secondary, and how healthy do you think S. Davis will be?

Terry Robiskie: I'm not sure that S. Davis will be ready to go. I do like the matchup with our receivers vs. their secondary. They play a lot of man-for-man, one-on-one, me against you. I love those matchups. It's one team issuing a challenge to another team. I like those challenges.

Fairfax, Va.: How 'bout lets hear it for the clutch catches of Irving Fryar?

Terry Robiskie: I agree. Without a doubt, he had a few clutch catches. Happy to have him, glad he's on my side. Not only is Irving a good player, but he's a great person. Glad we signed him.

Fairfax, Va.: Coach,
How does it feel to be the Passing Game Coordinator for the NFC Eastern Division Champs?
What was San Francisco doing in the first half to make them look so good? They seemed to be calling the right plays to match the defense we showed them, and they were calling the right defense to match our plays.
What half-time adjustments did you make to come out and play the game like all the fans here in DC knew you could?

Terry Robiskie: Well like you said, the first half, the 49ers had an excellent game plan, and they executed it extremely well. They were able to make all the right calls at the right time. We made some minor adjustments and it worked out. Please don't mistake it, the 49ers have a pretty good football team.

Richmond, Va.: Great win, going for and making playoffs is what it is about for the fans and I'm sure for players and coaches as well. I think Larry Centers is great - very tuff to bring down in open field. Has their been any thought to giving him more carries - especially since Stephen is injured. He produced well on that quick hitter up the gut.

Terry Robiskie: Well, the horse in the offense is the tailback. Larry is a fullback. The thing we try to do is keep the defense off guard with a handoff now and then to the fullback. Fortunately for us, Larry was able to pull it off. Yes, he made a terrific run. We call that the element of surprise.

Weatherly, Pa.: Congratulations on a great victory, Coach. Winning the NFC East must seem especially sweet this year considering the drama of this past off-season -with the change in ownership- and the uncertainty of the coaching staff's future with the team after the ownership change. What are your thoughts? Anyone who coaches at any level, but especially at the professional level, knows how frustrating and gratifying the job can be at times. Thanks for joining us, and best of luck down the road.

Terry Robiskie: Thank you for your support. Yes, it was a fabulous win, one of a lot of joy and like you said, after so much excitement this off-season, it was wonderful to come up with a win. Hopefully, we can get it done about three or four more times this year.

Fairfax, Va.: How is Stephen Alexander's back doing? I notice he isn't as involved in the game plan as earlier in the year. Is this because of the injury, or because defenses are starting to key on him?

Terry Robiskie: I think his back is doing fine. It's just when we get into a game where the receivers are one-on-one against the defensive back, we usually take advantage of that mismatch. Don't worry too much about Stephen. He will help a lot before it's all said and done.

Atlanta, Ga.: The last several weeks on third down plays Brad Johnson has thrown the ball to the wide receiver that was short of the first down marker. In San Francisco, it was the throw to Connell that resulted in an interception. It must not be that hard to figure out because even John Madden noticed it. Why does this continue to happen?

Terry Robiskie: Because not always in football do you have to throw the ball past the first down marker to make first. Sometimes you would like to throw the ball and have the player make a run to get the first. Tell John Madden I don't remember him always throwing the ball to me past the third down marker. I remember having to break a few tackles to get the first down when I played for him.

Herndon, Va.: Coach: Congratulations, and I hope you enjoyed the airplane ride back, because I'm sure you and the other coaches went back to work right afterward!! Preparations for Miami and the playoffs - will you sneak a look and some preparation for possible opponents in this week, or will it be "as usual" for the Dolphins?

Terry Robiskie: It is business as usual, strictly the Dolphins. Without a doubt 10-6 sounds a whole lot better than 9-7. I don't know about you, but I'm going for 10-6.

Bethesda, Md.: Congratulations, Coach. I noticed when AC returned to the bench after the interception that bounced off his hands you weren't dealing with him. How come?

Terry Robiskie: Because I was talking to AC before the interception and we were discussing his shoulder that was killing him. He wasn't sure if he could continue to play. I told him he had to, so I felt bad since I'd made him go in the game. And of course the next play was a pick. So that's why I didn't go over and have a long discussion about it.

Princeton, N.J.: Congrats, Coach ... and thanks for these chats. We fans really appreciate them. In one Internet discussion group A.C. has been getting a lot of criticism. I seem to be in a minority as his defender. I think he's already one of the best No. 2 wide receivers in the NFL -and young and getting better. Do you agree? And I also think he and Westbrook are one of the best 1-2 WR combos in the league. Do you think upgrading our 1-2 WR combo is a draft priority -of course you would always welcome a stud WR in the draft-?

Terry Robiskie: Well, I don't think you're AC's only supporter. I'm the other one. But yes, I do agree with you, AC and Mike make a wonderful pair. I enjoy coaching the two and I must say they're pretty good. I, however, do not think a receiver should be our priority in the draft. I think there are a lot of other positions we should upgrade first. But if a great player is there I won't have a problem with us drafting him. I'm always open to drafting good players.

Washington, D.C.: Hey Coach,
Where would you rate Westbrook at as a wide receiver in the entire league?

Terry Robiskie: That's a very difficult thing to do, to rate Michael. It's always difficult for me to rate a guy after one good season. Mike will be in the upper echelon of players in the NFL one day. He's on the verge of being great and I surely think that he's capable. We'll see.

Washington, D.C.: Congrats to you and the whole team for the Redskins achievements -so far - this season. You must be proud given the incredible numbers put up in the passing game.
Question, what kind of nuts was S. Davis eating during the game? We wasn't spitting the shells out so well, but rather letting them drip out of his mouth. If he is still injured next week, maybe they should give some chewing gum instead. Seriously, though, the way he has been running, he can eat any way he wants.
Good luck next week and into the playoffs.
Hail Skins!

Terry Robiskie: Stephen is a big sunflower seed eater. And if you noticed that his jaw or his cheeks are a little fat it's probably because he had a bag full of seeds in his mouth. He enjoyed eating them and will always have a mouthful if he's not dressed in uniform.

Largo, Md.: Coach T, How about that catch Michael Westbrook had when that ball bounce off the SF 'backer -Norton?-, that took some big-time concentration.

Terry Robiskie: That was an incredible display of concentration. The ball hit Michael's hands only after hitting the defensive end. For Mike to come down with that catch was incredible. Great play. Hopefully we will see a lot more catches like this, thanks for writing.

Alexandria, Va.: Hi Coach. Albert Connell has gotten his fare share of criticism in this forum, but I just wanted to point out that, on the next offensive play after the interception, he made a spectacular catch across the middle. We may question his concentration, but considering how important that catch was -and how much it must have hurt his shoulder- we should never question his desire or ability.

Terry Robiskie: I agree with you 100%. Of course a lot of times the people who question things about Albert Connell have no idea what's going on. Just like you said, one play there was an interception, the next play, he made a wonderful catch. Very few people knew that the guy took a shot in his shoulder before the game. Think about it, before the game, you're sitting there with a 3-inch needle in your shoulder, and then you come out and play. I never question most of the things my guys do. I generally understand what's going on.

Lynchburg, Va.: Coach - What did the coaches do differently in the OT drive if anything? It seemed that the team really put it together better then than in regulation.

Terry Robiskie: The coaches decided that we must give Brad protection so on that drive we decided to keep seven people in for protection. That was it.

New York, N.Y.: First off, Hail to the Redskins and congratulations on making the playoffs. Brad Johnson seems to be at his best when he has as many receiving options as possible. Skip Hicks' run game wasn't great this week but he seemed to add a new and valuable dimension to the offense on the short dump passes. Assuming S. Davis is healthy, are you considering incorporating Hicks into the offense for the playoffs? Centers is awesome, but Hicks' speed could add some real value on some plays. I think you guys have the pieces to beat ANYBODY in this league. Good luck in the playoffs, bring the glory back to Washington.

Terry Robiskie: Thank you for your support and thanks for writing. If Stephen is healthy for the playoffs, we could possibly use the two of them during the game. We would not, however, use Skip in the place of Larry Centers. One guy, Skip Hicks, is learning to play. The other guy, Larry Centers, is a Pro Bowl player. We will continue to try and use all our personnel, but I don't think you will see Skip at fullback replacing Larry Centers.

Vienna, Va.: Coach, no disrespect, but everyone seems to be overlooking the fact that the defense could not stop the run on Sunday night. Yes, you won -- but only due to a careless fumble by some no-name running back.

Terry Robiskie: Thanks for writing. I don't think everyone is overlooking the fact that the 49ers rushed for 250 yards. How could you? The one thing we have not been able to do is celebrate. We had a very special moment to celebrate a very special win, and we seized the moment. We wanted to enjoy every second of the win, and we would correct any little problems later. So it's not that we won't address the problem, we just didn't want to let it rain on our one-night parade. Thanks for writing, talk to you next time.

McLean, Va.: Coach, will you continue these discussions through the post-season? They have been a highlight of the week for me and I really hope you do. Heck, I'd like to see you do this through training camp, too!
Thanks for the great chats, information, and opinions!

Terry Robiskie: I have every intention of continuing. But that's up to my man David. This is another situation where I'm not the boss and I'm not in control. But yes, I plan on continuing through the postseason. Hopefully, right through the Pro Bowl.

washingtonpost.com: Of course, we're pleased that Terry will stay with us throughout the playoffs.

Beaverton, Ore.: Hello again Coach,
Actually when I asked if Davis will be activated if a bye week comes up, I meant, will he be activated next Sunday if a win means getting a bye week? Thanks for your time.

Terry Robiskie: I don't think he will be able to play this Sunday. But I do think he will be ready the following week. So no, I do not expect Stephen to be ready this weekend.

Largo, Md.: Coach T, I read where Casey Weldon helped call that TD play to Larry Centers. I remember a previous chat where you ID Casey as a possible coaching material.

Terry Robiskie: Well, as far as I know, the only help Casey gave on that touchdown was translating what the head coach said through the headset. That call, like the previous three in OT, was 100% the head coach. That drive was 100% the head coach. So like I said, Casey's input was his usual calling the play in to Brad through the headset.

Washington, D.C.: What do you think of the match-up between Michael Westbrook and Sam Madison?

Terry Robiskie: I like that matchup. Of course I like the matchup with Michael every week on all these corners.

Virginia Beach, Va.: Congrats. Coach
Thanks for putting up with us fans all year.
I think icing on the cake this year would be to get Dallas back here at Fed Ex field and spank them bad, what do you think?
Best Holiday wishes to you and your family

Terry Robiskie: Thanks a lot for writing and putting up with you and the fans has been easy. I've got to be honest with you, I'm not looking for icing on the cake. I'm not concerned with getting Dallas back here. I would play anyone they send back here. If I could only have the games back here at home, no matter whom they send.

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