Maybe this is all part of the master scheme: confuse the opponent. Since, you know, game-planning hasn't really worked. Defensive coordinator Greg Blache thinks stats are for losers (although apparently not a necessary condition since the Redskins are 1-2, including last week's debacle against the Lions), so maybe his gut -- and his Emmitt Smith sensibilities, it sounds like -- is guiding him. Since taking over for Gregg Williams after the 2007 season, Blache's system has relied on disciplined players taking very few chances. As Doug Farrar pointed out in the Washington Post earlier this week, "Through the first three games of this season, that high-priced Washington defense has allowed third-down conversions 51 percent of the time (22 made on 43 attempts). That was the real story in their 19-14 loss to the Lions..."
Luckily, Blache has a solution, you'll just need an interpreter to understand it. Via the Washington Times:
"I'm a slot machine guy - it's a good, mindless way to give your money away," Blache said. "Playing cards takes too much concentration." ...And then there's this, the explanation for why safety Chris Horton would be replaced by Reed Doughty:
"I have to be more of a maverick, not necessarily a McCain-Palin maverick but a Bart and Bret Maverick and be more of a riverboat gambler," Blache said. "I can't worry about giving up a play; I have to worry about making a play. That's where I can help my guys a little bit more."
"Quite candidly, when things go bad, somebody has to go under the bus. And being the leader of this defense, I should be under the bus, and I'll dive under," he said. "Going under the bus is going to hurt your feelings a little bit. And at worst, you end up with [tire] marks on both sides of your shorts. I can deal with the hurt and go on."Because, really, there's nothing worse than skid marks on your shorts. At least I think that's what he was trying to say. Whatever, I'm looking forward to Trevor Matich asking about it.
