ESPN insider article about Gibbs

[PotomacSkinsFan]

It's on the main NFL page with the title "After a rough start in his return to the NFL, coach Joe Gibbs now has Washington hitting on al cylinders, writes Gary Horton." After a rough start in his return to the NFL, coach Joe Gibbs now has Washington hitting on all cylinders, writes Gary Horton.

Can anyone get the text of the article to the baord?

Thanks, guys

[xsinner]

I saw that too. Much appreciated if someone can post it.

[21dave]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=horton_gary&id=2204336

year later, Gibbs has Redskins rollingBy Gary Horton

Scouts Inc.

Archive

Flash back to Week 3 of last year. The Cowboys and Redskins were on Monday Night Football, and much of the nation was getting its first look at Joe Gibbs back on the Redskins' sideline.

But it didn't look like the same Joe Gibbs. He looked confused, he conferred with his assistants on seemingly every play, and the team wasted timeouts. Following that loss and the Redskins' subsequent 6-10 season, many thought the game had passed him by.

What a difference a year makes.

With the Redskins' surprising 4-2 start this season, the question is not whether the game has passed him by, but whether Gibbs adjusted to a quicker, more athletic NFL or did he simply need a year to implement his system? It's probably a little of both.

The running game

Gibbs is a Hall of Fame coach, so yes, he has adjusted some. When you think of the Redskins' running game of the past, you think of the counter trey. Last year, the Redskins ran counter plays about one out of every four plays, and zone blocking plays the rest of the time.

Much ado was made about Clinton Portis' weight gain in the offseason, with many people assuming he bulked up by around 20 pounds to better fit into Gibbs' counter-running system. But the team this year is running counter plays much less frequently, only about one out of every 10 plays.

Why the change? Gibbs is smart enough to know that Portis is a much better runner with zone blocking in front of him. A zone-blocking runner needs to make quick decisions and must have a good burst, something Portis excelled at in Denver. And the extra weight isn't an issue. Denver has used running backs who run the gamut of body types -- Portis, Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Quentin Griffin, Tatum Bell -- and they all succeeded in Denver's zone-blocking scheme. The Redskins hope Portis' added bulk will make him more durable so they can pound at defenses late in the season.

The passing game

Gibbs' Redskins teams always have used maximum-protection schemes to keep defenders off the quarterback. There are two things that go in to max protection. First, whatever combination of backs and tight ends are in the game, they stay in and protect the pocket. Before the play, the blockers simply point at who they're going to pick up, and if those defenders come, that's who the blockers pick up. It requires a smart offensive line and tough third-down players -- guys like H-back Chris Cooley, RB Ladell Betts and FB Mike Sellers.

The second part of max-protection is why Gibbs wanted Mark Brunell to be his quarterback from the beginning, and why Brunell has resurrected his career. Two things go into beating those blitzes with the pass. First, the quarterback must recognize where the blitzer is coming from and immediately look to the space that player has vacated. Second, the receiver also must recognize who is blitzing and run a "hot" route into the vacated zone. Because Brunell is a smart veteran and has quick receivers who can quickly adjust and get open, Washington's passing game -- especially late in games and on third down -- is working well.

Speaking of receivers, there might not be a receiver more important to his team right now than Santana Moss. He is making Washington's passing game go, because he is a threat to score every time he gets the ball in his hands. Cornerbacks simply don't know how to play him. If they press him, he can run right by them for a deep ball. If they play off of him, he can catch a quick swing pass and weave his way through the defense for a long gain. The swing pass is so effective with Moss because he is so small, when the Redskins bunch to his side, he is hard to find among the bigger bodies.

The Cowboys game in Week 2 provides a great illustration. Dallas had frustrated the Redskins' offense all day, shutting down their zone running game with good defensive line push and getting to Brunell for five sacks. But late in the game, Moss beat the corner on a fly route, and safety Roy Williams was late on his cover 2 assignment, resulting in the Redskins' first touchdown. On Washington's next possession, the Cowboys came after Brunell on first down, but the Redskins' max-protect scheme kept him safe. Brunell found single coverage on Moss, hung in the pocket and threw a deep ball for the touchdown.

The Redskins won, and all the while Joe Gibbs looked pretty calm. What a difference a year makes.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN Insider.

[E-Dog Night]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=horton_gary&id=2204336

A year later, Gibbs has Redskins rolling

By Gary Horton

Scouts Inc.

Flash back to Week 3 of last year. The Cowboys and Redskins were on Monday Night Football, and much of the nation was getting its first look at Joe Gibbs back on the Redskins' sideline.

But it didn't look like the same Joe Gibbs. He looked confused, he conferred with his assistants on seemingly every play, and the team wasted timeouts. Following that loss and the Redskins' subsequent 6-10 season, many thought the game had passed him by.

What a difference a year makes.

With the Redskins' surprising 4-2 start this season, the question is not whether the game has passed him by, but whether Gibbs adjusted to a quicker, more athletic NFL or did he simply need a year to implement his system? It's probably a little of both.

The running game

Gibbs is a Hall of Fame coach, so yes, he has adjusted some. When you think of the Redskins' running game of the past, you think of the counter trey. Last year, the Redskins ran counter plays about one out of every four plays, and zone blocking plays the rest of the time.

Much ado was made about Clinton Portis' weight gain in the offseason, with many people assuming he bulked up by around 20 pounds to better fit into Gibbs' counter-running system. But the team this year is running counter plays much less frequently, only about one out of every 10 plays.

Why the change? Gibbs is smart enough to know that Portis is a much better runner with zone blocking in front of him. A zone-blocking runner needs to make quick decisions and must have a good burst, something Portis excelled at in Denver. And the extra weight isn't an issue. Denver has used running backs who run the gamut of body types -- Portis, Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Quentin Griffin, Tatum Bell -- and they all succeeded in Denver's zone-blocking scheme. The Redskins hope Portis' added bulk will make him more durable so they can pound at defenses late in the season.

The passing game

Gibbs' Redskins teams always have used maximum-protection schemes to keep defenders off the quarterback. There are two things that go in to max protection. First, whatever combination of backs and tight ends are in the game, they stay in and protect the pocket. Before the play, the blockers simply point at who they're going to pick up, and if those defenders come, that's who the blockers pick up. It requires a smart offensive line and tough third-down players -- guys like H-back Chris Cooley, RB Ladell Betts and FB Mike Sellers.

The second part of max-protection is why Gibbs wanted Mark Brunell to be his quarterback from the beginning, and why Brunell has resurrected his career. Two things go into beating those blitzes with the pass. First, the quarterback must recognize where the blitzer is coming from and immediately look to the space that player has vacated. Second, the receiver also must recognize who is blitzing and run a "hot" route into the vacated zone. Because Brunell is a smart veteran and has quick receivers who can quickly adjust and get open, Washington's passing game -- especially late in games and on third down -- is working well.

Speaking of receivers, there might not be a receiver more important to his team right now than Santana Moss. He is making Washington's passing game go, because he is a threat to score every time he gets the ball in his hands. Cornerbacks simply don't know how to play him. If they press him, he can run right by them for a deep ball. If they play off of him, he can catch a quick swing pass and weave his way through the defense for a long gain. The swing pass is so effective with Moss because he is so small, when the Redskins bunch to his side, he is hard to find among the bigger bodies.

The Cowboys game in Week 2 provides a great illustration. Dallas had frustrated the Redskins' offense all day, shutting down their zone running game with good defensive line push and getting to Brunell for five sacks. But late in the game, Moss beat the corner on a fly route, and safety Roy Williams was late on his cover 2 assignment, resulting in the Redskins' first touchdown. On Washington's next possession, the Cowboys came after Brunell on first down, but the Redskins' max-protect scheme kept him safe. Brunell found single coverage on Moss, hung in the pocket and threw a deep ball for the touchdown.

The Redskins won, and all the while Joe Gibbs looked pretty calm. What a difference a year makes.

[xsinner]

Awesome article, thanks dude.

[ChocolateCitySkin]

very cool breakdown.

[PapaDRoc]

Great read. :logo:

[skindogger47]

Good article except the part that talks about Betts being a good third down blocker. He is by far the worst blocker on our team.

[forbeskin]

Good article.

[RedsSKINS_7]

NiCe article

Go RedSKINS

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Good article except the part that talks about Betts being a good third down blocker. He is by far the worst blocker on our team.

Because he missed that one block vs. Baltimore one year ago? :doh:

[3TIMECHAMPS]

Great article.:notworthy

[PCS]

Good read.

The Redskins won, and all the while Joe Gibbs looked pretty calm. What a difference a year makes.

****

Indeed. Too bad many out there in the media weren't as patient as we are around here. We know it would come around.

[Skinsphoto]

Best analysis I've seen.

[[[ghost]]]

weren't these the same mediots who said the game passes gibbs by...

[terpfan]

I dunno I think Gibbs was pretty calm after that Dallas win!

[Woofer]

I love reading articles like that.

One thing about the media...they are very short sighted. Looking ahead is not something they do well.

[H-O-G]

I thought it was a pretty good read.

[HapHaszard]

Good article, thanks

[ECU-ALUM]

One of the best things I have read about Coach Gibbs all year.

[Windy City Skins fan]

Great article. We have the personnel and they are executing and have really built upon that Dallas game.

I'm looking forward to seeing Gibbs calmly put more wrinkles in this offense week after week.

[tenken627]

Good read.

The Redskins won, and all the while Joe Gibbs looked pretty calm. What a difference a year makes.

****

Indeed. Too bad many out there in the media weren't as patient as we are around here. We know it would come around.

We better treasure the MNF Dallas game. Because outside of winning a Super Bowl, I doubt we'll ever see that side of Gibbs again on the sideline at the end of the game.

.

That's how much that game meant to him, the staff, the players, and to us as the fans.