Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
October 31, 2003, Washington Post

Redskins Are Below Grade Level

It's report card time! Don't panic, I don't mean your report card. I mean the Redskins' report card. The Skins had last weekend off but have a big game Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. So it's a good time to give out some grades for the first part of the season. Like most Redskins fans, I'm a tough marker.

Quarterback: Patrick Ramsey started the year red hot. But lately he's been ice cold. It is difficult to throw passes when you are lying on your back. Still, Ramsey has a big-league arm and I like his cool leadership. He's doing fine for a second-year player. B-

Offensive Line: False starts, 25 sacks, an extra coach coming in to patch up the leaks. You name it, everything has gone wrong with this group. I thought the offensive line was going to be improved from last year. Boy, was I wrong. These guys have been a disaster. D

Runners/Receivers: Speedy newcomer Laveranues Coles has been terrific and Rod Gardner has been rock solid. I like Darnerien McCants too. So I give the receivers an A-. The running backs, however, have not generated much offense. And now, Trung Canidate is hobbling. So the backs are a C-. Combined, the grade falls in the middle. B-

Defensive Line: Another big problem. The front four does not put much pressure on the opposing quarterback (only 5.5 sacks over seven games). So the quarterback can sit in the pocket and pick the Skins apart. The defensive line is no great shakes at stopping the run either. D

Linebackers/Secondary: Jessie Armstead has been steady. LaVar Arrington sometimes plays like an all-pro; other times he makes careless, rookie mistakes. The secondary has been pretty good but needs cornerback Fred Smoot to be healthy. He might have to be marked absent for the next few weeks. B

Special Teams: John Hall is a big improvement over the placekickers of the past few years. He is 14 of 18 in field goal attempts and perfect (7 of 7) inside 40 yards. The special teams are better too. Lightning-fast Chad Morton is always just one missed tackle from breaking a long gainer. B

Coach: Steve Spurrier was supposed to put the fun back into Redskins football. So far his record is 10-13. Not a whole lot of fun. Worse, the Redskins do not seem to be getting better. They seem to be going backward. The Skins can't protect the quarterback, they can't stop the run and about the only thing they lead the NFL in is penalties. D+

There you have it. Some B's, but a lot of D's. A report card like this won't land you on the Honor Roll -- or put the Redskins in the postseason. The Skins have lots of room for improvement and they better improve quickly or they will not graduate to the playoffs.