HAIL TO THE REDSKINS

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS

Friday, October 9, 2009

Sherman Lewis's effect? curb your enthusiasm

New hire Sherman Lewis worked with Bill Walsh's 49ers, Holmgren's Packers and Denny Green's Vikings earlier in his career. Those were 3 exceptional passing offenses. Montana, Young, Rice, Favre, (Robert) Brooks, Freeman, Culpepper, Carter, Moss. But do NOT expect the Redskins offense to do a complete 180 this Sunday in Carolina.

Lewis was brought in as an "offensive consultant." In simpler terms, Snyderrato wants points ASAP and is becoming impatient with Zorn's play-calling but won't fire him just yet. What to expect? If anything, Lewis will merely help dot a few I's and cross a few T's. WRs might run crisper routes, RBs might identify blitz pickups a second or two quicker, and JC might hesitate a little less. But unless the head play-caller is replaced the only changes in this offense's performance will come directly from the execution of the players.

Here's what to look for Sunday when the offense takes the field:

#1: Offenses are moving the football on this Panther D. 267, 371 and 449 yards given up in their first 3 games respectively. Where's it coming from primarily? The running game.

Excluding Julius Peppers (who has been MIA so far this year) the only playmakers on this defense are the young linebackers Davis and Beason. The Panthers D-line has been manhandled in recent weeks and as a result have lost the T.O.P. battle in all 3 contests. Zorn has to use Clinton early and often this Sunday on every down and in all 4 quarters to maintain drives and keep Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams off the field.

#2: Carolina is 3rd from last in the NFL in points allowed per game. The majority of those points are coming in the first half so Washington has to get out of their slow-starting funk to take advantage of Carolina's similar habit. Zorn would be smart to dial up big plays early to catch Carolina sleeping.

#3: Carolina is tied for last in the league in takeaways and is almost as bad in sacks and TFLs. They don't penetrate into the backfield and they don't force or capitalize on mistakes so Washington has no excuse for sloppy play or shooting themselves in the foot with missed blocks, turnovers or penalties.

Players to watch: The Panthers are giving up big games to tight ends and #1 WRs. Cooley will surely stand out and Santana will turn out his 3rd big game unless "Kelly Malcolm" (as Brian Billick would say) decides to show up and take it from him.

Carolina's favored but I got the Skins winning 20-17.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The new "maverick" defense

Is it for real? Is it here to stay? Or was it just because they played the Bucs and first-start QB Josh Johnson? Who knows, but I do think it's fair to say that the defense that showed up Sunday was undeniably better than the previous 3 weeks.

Yes, Tampa only managed 86 offensive yards the week before against NY but the Giants are no pee-wee defense. Tampa totaled 450 and 353 in the 2 weeks before that. No, they aren't Kurt Warner's Rams from 2000 but limiting them to 230 total yards (only 100 passing) is commendable.

Moreover, the defense fixed its 3rd down problem (2-13) and managed to put pressure on the QB. They forced 2 pivotal turnovers, registered 3 sacks and held Tampa scoreless in the red zone excluding the drive following Campbell's early INT. Those are the best numbers of the year for the Redskin defense.

What was the difference? I think Doughty starting over Horton, despite his impressive numbers, played only a small role. Rather, I think it was the noticeably more aggressive play. The DC front 7 finally got some penetration: 5 tackles for loss and 4 QB knockdowns. They also limited Tampa's running game- not including Johnson's scrambles, the Bucs were held to 88 rush yards (3.8 avg).

But my favorite change? Finally seeing D-backs in the backfield. Landry, Tryon and Rogers all made plays near and behind the line of scrimmage.

Most Impressive Player goes to Doughty for stepping in and stepping up: 11 total tackles and, more importantly, no mistakes. Props to Orakpo and Tryon for big games as well. But MVP goes to Fletch for the 3rd time in 4 weeks. He racked up 9 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss and a QB knockdown. Did I mention he leads the NFL in tackles by 12? Should be no surprise considering he's the top tackler of the decade.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Ugly win? It's all a matter of perception

The Redskins are 2-2 4 games into the season. Their wins have come against arguably 2 of the worst teams in the league by a combined total of 5 points. Their losses were by a total of 11 points. It's fair to say it's been an ugly season. Certainly the majority thought Sunday's game was no different but maybe, retrospectively, it is their perceptions that are in fact distorted.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are your Washington Redskins. Quit expecting Super Bowl contenders for it is that mentality that has kept this franchise in the doldrums for the last decade. That same "Snyderrato" mentality that echoes impatience, rejects anything but instant results and fires every bit of progress before its effects can be felt.

Instead of considering Portis done for the year, realize his season-high 98 yards were the difference in the game. Instead of dwelling on close games with the Rams and Lions, be impressed with the defense's response to condemnation and new-found swagger. Instead of mulling over JC's first half, focus on his second half in which he led the offense on 3 scoring drives.

Context is the name of the game people. Here's what to take away from this team one quarter into the season:
#1: This defense is capable of carrying the team when they play like they did Sunday. Three weeks into the season, the fans and media left this defense for dead. They claimed they were overpaid, they couldn't stop anyone on 3rd down, they couldn't put pressure on the QB and they couldn't force big plays or create turnovers. Well "riverboat gambler" Greg Blatche and Co. responded.

On Sunday the Skins D held Tampa Bay to 2 for 13 on 3rd down. They recorded 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and another 4 QB knockdowns. DeAngelo's pick early in the 3rd was the turning point and Horton's fumble recovery in the 4th sealed it. Blatche's "maverick" unit was noticeably faster, hit harder and played more aggressively. Lastly, of the 13 points allowed, 10 came off 2 rare Campbell INTs, but they still managed to hold Tampa to 1 of 3 in the red zone.

#2: Don't put a fork in JZ and the offense just yet. Knowing Snyder and the fans, I'm nothing less than astounded that Zorn never felt pressured to replace JC during or after his first half performance. And it paid off. Campbell rebounded from arguably his worst half of football ever to throw for 160 yards and 2 TDs in the second. That's how you really develop a QB. He connected on big plays with Moss and Cooley, and extended drives with his feet on numerous occasions. Resiliency. That's what a leader does. That's accountability. That's dependability.

Also, Zorn finally called Clinton's number and it paid off. Although his 98 yards on 25 carries won't wow any fantasy owners this weekend, it was the difference on offense. Not only did a banged up Portis churn out 5 1st downs, his runs kept the Bucs D guessing and set up the play-action beautifully on Moss's 59 yard score and several Cooley receptions.

#3: The Redskins aren't a bunch of zombies. The offense and defense visibly played with more emotion on Sunday. The offensive line finally opened up some holes for Portis. The defense hit harder and played faster than it had all year. Young bucks Orakpo and Tryon we're spotted in the backfield taking down Bucs QB Josh Johnson on more than one occasion. Whether it's a back-against-the-wall mentality or simply playing with a chip on their shoulder, the Redskins responded and refused to throw in the towel.

As Moss crossed the goal line following his 59 yard TD reception he put his finger to his lips hushing the crowd at FedEx. He wasn't hushing the boos from fans that simply want their team to succeed. Rather, it was the observers that tuned in expecting Zorn's Skins to raise their white flag only 4 weeks into the season. Guess again.