Scouts Inc.'s Keith Kidd on Al Saunders offense

[skinsfannyc76]

I'm eagerly anticipating the upgraded offense this coming season, but I think it may be wise to temper my excitement with some prudence as in the back of my mind, I have been thinking that there needs to be time for the offense to gel, not only because of the new WRs, but particulary because of the focus on timing and trust that needs to be honed in Saunders' offense...either way, I can't wait for the new season...go Skins!

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Gene NY: With Al Saunders now as the play caller, how do you think the end product will be compared to his previous powerhouse teams with the cheifs/rams?

Keith Kidd: (12:40 PM ET ) I think the product will take time but there will be a lot of argument as to the comparison to both of those teams, and it will all revolve around Mark Brunell at QB. The Redskins have an explosive supporting cast with Portis, Cooley, Moss, Randle El and Lloyd. I don't think the offense is as explosive as the others were but they can score from anywhere on the field.

[kramdizzle]

its true what can i say

[NavyDave]

I just keep envisioning us up by 10 or 14 points in 2nd quarters and the defense in attack mode forcing more turnovers with the key starters sipping gatorade in the 4th quarter

[Isifhan]

I don't think the offense is as explosive as the others were but they can score from anywhere on the field.

Interesting. I can see his point if the comparison were only to the Rams, but I think we have the potential to surpass anything he did in Kansas City. Sure KC has Gonzo but I like our WR situation much better than theirs and combined with Cooley I would put our passing attack above KC's. I would give our RB situation a coin flip if choosing between the two. I think Portis will have his best year not only as a Redskin but for his entire career this year. This is the third year our offensive line will have been together and I'm looking for them to dominate assuming health.

One thing for sure...it will be exciting to watch :applause:

[FootballGuy2677]

I agree, the only players i see really be explosive is Clinton Portis and Santana Moss. While in Kansas City you had Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, Larry Johnson, and Priest Holmes. In St. Louis you had Isaac Bruce(in his prime), Torry Holt, and Marshall Faulk. I see this offense being very productive but not explosive. Although I would not be shocked if it was explosive.

[Jumbo]

Most dwell on Brunell's health, and that's reasonable, but I think the key to a big year for Saunders will be the starting O-line all remaining healthy.

[Dirk Diggler]

Well I don't think we'll throw the ball as well as the 99 Rams but I believe we'll run it better. And I don't think we'll run it quite as well as the KC Teams but we should be able to throw just as well. Those teams were #1 or #2 for like a 3 year stretch (each) so to follow that act we'd need to be the top offense for more than a year or 2. Even better than Cincy and Indy who are pretty much locks to be among the top offenses. That's a bit ambitious because we don't have a franchise QB on this team.

But I see no reason we can't be among the top 5 or 6 offenses immediately and for the foreseeable future.

[Maggio]

I can see why everybody dwell's on Brunell's health and its impact on the production of our offense; however, as far as skill goes, Brunell is just as good if not better than the previous qbs of Saunders offenses. He had Warner in St. Louis and Trent Green in KC. Neither of these quarterbacks is more skilled than Brunell and both have acheived all their accolades in his offense. Furthermore, I kinda fell like Brunell is almost a mold of Green, both possess decent arms, are smart with the football, and manage games well.

As for the other weapons, our roster blows away KC's receivers from the past few years whereas Gonzo and that line trump ours. Conversly, the Rams receivers were better than ours but we have a better line and Tight End than they did. It will be interesting to see how we compare at the end of the season to these previous teams. 85% of either teams production spells super bowl with our D.

[skinsman4u]

Most dwell on Brunell's health, and that's reasonable, but I think the key to a big year for Saunders will be the starting O-line all remaining healthy.

Ding, ding, ding! The above is the best post of the year. Remember, we were (1) play away from the NFC Championship. Well, I'll say (2); the 1st was Carlos' almost interception and the other was Prioleaus' fumble recovery , during kick-off, after we kicked a field goal. Might I add, to be a head of the turn over take away ratio the 1st half of the season is a high plus and will have us going into the bye undefeated.

The NFC East is tight, so field goals will be crucial though. We have to make all field goals. And be solid on "T"s. Ya, Ya, I know we've heard it all before. We have to start Minnesota off like its the play-offs. You know something happens every year, during first or second half of season, on every team that creates a spark. The question is will we be laying enough wood to start a fire. :munchout:

[Tulane Skins Fan]

I know everyone keeps saying that our season hinges on Brunell, but I don't necessarily buy that. We don't need Brunell to go and be the MVP or the league. We just need him to manage games and get the ball in the hands of the skill players. We really just need him to play mistake free. I dont think there is as much pressure on him as people say b/c his supporting cast is so strong

[Beaudry]

Like others have said, we probably aren't as good offensively as those teams. Rams passing game was spectacular, Cheifs running game is unbelievable. Fortunately for us, our team can actually play defense. We don't need "The Greatest Show on Turf" to be Super Bown contenders.

[pjfootballer]

I've been watching the Skins since 1976 and this team reminds me so much of the 1991 Skins team. They were SOOOO balanced on both sides of the ball and the special teams weren't shabby either. I watched the 1991 season on NFL network and this team reminds me so much of that one.

[XxSpearheadxX]

Any NFL analyst worth his weight considers Portis a better back than LJ or Priest Holmes were at the same age/experience. Portis is faster than Priest by a million miles and LJ... well just remember it took years for him to convince them he was anything more than trade bait.

Santana is as good as any receiver in St. Louis and Cooley hasn't even tapped his potential yet.

Must I remind you of Lloyd? Plus our Backup QB situation is about as good as you can hope for in the NFL.

Nobody knows where we are going but this is the first time I've heard anybody expecting "difficulty" with the offensive adjustments and/or placing some sort of "ceiling" on our explosiveness.

We just had the single season Redskins yardage records broken for a RB, TE and WR with an offense that was one dimensional and whose QB was injured for the last 2 games and playoffs.

Oh yeah Randle El very well might be the best slot reciever in the league too. And he still is only 4 years into a new position.

[HailRiggoRanger]

Most dwell on Brunell's health, and that's reasonable, but I think the key to a big year for Saunders will be the starting O-line all remaining healthy.

Injuries to O-line (anyone), Brunell, or Springs is what scares me. I think if we stay injury-free in those three areas, we have a big year.

[s0crates]

Interesting. I can see his point if the comparison were only to the Rams, but I think we have the potential to surpass anything he did in Kansas City. Sure KC has Gonzo but I like our WR situation much better than theirs and combined with Cooley I would put our passing attack above KC's. I would give our RB situation a coin flip if choosing between the two. I think Portis will have his best year not only as a Redskin but for his entire career this year. This is the third year our offensive line will have been together and I'm looking for them to dominate assuming health.

One thing for sure...it will be exciting to watch :applause:

Good points, but I think you sell KC a bit short. Kansas City has been a top five offense for several years. I don't really think it is possible to surpass that, but I would be thrilled if we could match it. We did finish 11th in the league last year, and we've since upgraded our so-so passing attack, so Al Saunders definately has something to work with. It's not like he has to build from scratch or anything. I'm looking forward to seeing it too.

[MrRoadRage]

We just had the single season Redskins yardage records broken for a RB, TE and WR with an offense that was one dimensional and whose QB was injured for the last 2 games and playoffs.

Most dwell on Brunell's health, and that's reasonable, but I think the key to a big year for Saunders will be the starting O-line all remaining healthy.

This is a great thread...good discussion without a lot of bs homering.

Some great points have been made.

As Spearhead said...yardage records for 3 positions on offense! I hadn't really even considered that. And we have definitely upgraded our receiving group, which in turn will open up our running game. So the one fact that cannot be denied by the fans of the other NFC East teams is that our offense will definitely be better this year than last year. Combine that with our defense which appears will be better than last year, and they have something to worry about. If we would have had this offense last year, I think the SB could have been a definite possibility. The Seahawks were the better team last year and deserved to go to the SB, but they have downgraded slightly while we have upgraded.

But there are three major points I think will determine our fate.

1- The health of our team. Injuries took the Eagle out of it last year, and that can happen to any team. If we don't have major injuries, look our NFC East.

2- Turnovers. Some teams get turnovers, some give them. If we are on the positive side, look out....but if we are on the negative side, that could spell trouble. Turnovers can make or break a season as much as injuries.

3- How much have the other NFC East teams upgraded? I have read a lot on our board about how much we have upgraded, but I haven't really seen a lot of good analysis of the rest of the NFC East. I have read that our division is up for grabs this year, that any one of the four teams could take it. I don't see it with the Eagles though. They need receivers and if their running back is injured, they have problems. Their defense will have to dominate for them to make it.

As for Dallas, although I don't like them, they were a few plays from the playoffs last year. A few plays, and they win a couple or more games. Weren't we one game ahead of them at the end last year. The first Dallas/Skins game could have gone the other way and they were in. TO will help, but not as much as I think a lot of people think he will. The key for them IMO is their offensive line. If it is as weak as it appears, we won't have to worry about them, but if they play well, that could spell trouble. Like the Eagles, they will have to be dominate on defense. Anyone have any imput as to what is expected there?

The Giants. They upgraded defensively, but I don't really know much about offensive upgrades. LaVar feels he has something to prove, especially when he plays us, I suspect he may have a great year. Their defense may be good with their upgrades, but I haven't read a whole lot about that. Tike is great on offense, so one key for them will be Eli. Will he improve this year? If so, they could have a great offense. I suspect the Giants may be the better of the other 3 teams. A tougher schedule for them this year will tell the tale as to how good they really are.

Defense wins championships, and we will have a great defense this year. AND...we will also have a very good offense...this gives us good balance.

What I would like to see is 3 new threads that disects the Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants, and their upgrades and their overall balance. I don't have time to go around the web looking for all of this information, so if any of you have it, or have time to get it, (or is it posted already and I haven't seen it), could we have an indepth analysis of our division. I think we will be a great team this year, but I am concerned about those in our division...will any of them be great too?

As for our quarterback situation...Gibbs has won the SB with 3 different QB's. He doesn't look for QB to be the star, only to control the game. He tells them not to lose the game and we will be ok. All he(QB) has to do is to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers. I think that with the weaknesses we had last year, he did a good job. I think he will do ok this year.

With our improvements this year, barring injuries or turnovers causing us to lose games, I think this will be a great year. If we don't make the SB this year, next year should be our year. Those of us who experienced Gibbs the first time around know what to expect from him. I see great things coming either this year or next...but I think it will be this year!

[bahamoss]

We are going to have an explosive year just watch.

[Warhead36]

I'd be happy with an Offense that can consistently generate 300+ yard games and 21-24 points per game.

Anything more is gravy.

[JoeSkins]

I'm kind of depressed that I probably won't have all Redskins on my FF team this year since the cat's out of the bag.

[CPstretch]

brunell should be a fantasy monster this year

[Thinking Skins]

We are getting a lot of negative attention due to our WR's and Brunell. Its ok because they still need to show that they can all play together and that nobody's going to get into a T.O. or a Keyshawn Johnson "Throw Me The Damn Ball" type of an attitude.

Plus we have to see how soon and how well these players can learn the offense and develop chemistry together. Right now we know that Brunell and Moss have a good chemistry together. A lot of our success this year may depend on Brunell knowing how Lloyd makes his breaks, or Randel El knowing how to help Brunell out if there's pressure from a guy like Strahan.

I think it would be expecting a whole lot to think we're going to be explosive from the get-go (although I wouldn't mind it). But I think we're going to be developing into a really good offense as the season progresses, and may have similar results as last year in terms of the winning streak late in the season.

The thing I hope for the most is that we're able to keep all the games close and not have ANY games like the first Giants game this year. Thats the kind of thing that makes me despise Wellington Mara even more.

[Thinking Skins]

Well I don't think we'll throw the ball as well as the 99 Rams but I believe we'll run it better. And I don't think we'll run it quite as well as the KC Teams but we should be able to throw just as well. Those teams were #1 or #2 for like a 3 year stretch (each) so to follow that act we'd need to be the top offense for more than a year or 2. Even better than Cincy and Indy who are pretty much locks to be among the top offenses. That's a bit ambitious because we don't have a franchise QB on this team.

But I see no reason we can't be among the top 5 or 6 offenses immediately and for the foreseeable future.

No Franchise QB ON THIS TEAM? Ever heard of a guy named Jason Campbell?

We have our franchise QB. Given - he's not starting, but we have our franchise QB.

And if he plays as he should in the preseason, then maybe the big fear that everyone (in the media) has about us losing Brunell may turn into something as good as the Steelers when they lost Maddox in Big Ben's rookie year.

[Dirk Diggler]

No Franchise QB ON THIS TEAM? Ever heard of a guy named Jason Campbell?

We have our franchise QB. Given - he's not starting, but we have our franchise QB.

I think you're confusing "QB of the future" with "franchise QB."

It's not like we have Carson Palmer or Peyton Manning on the bench.

[DCsportsfan53]

Well I don't think we'll throw the ball as well as the 99 Rams but I believe we'll run it better. And I don't think we'll run it quite as well as the KC Teams but we should be able to throw just as well. Those teams were #1 or #2 for like a 3 year stretch (each) so to follow that act we'd need to be the top offense for more than a year or 2. Even better than Cincy and Indy who are pretty much locks to be among the top offenses. That's a bit ambitious because we don't have a franchise QB on this team.

But I see no reason we can't be among the top 5 or 6 offenses immediately and for the foreseeable future.

If we once trotted out Mark Rypien and had the leagues best offense I'm pretty damn sure we can do it with Brunell. We're explosive and deep at every skill position on offense. The key, as was written in the all knowing Book of Jumbo, to me is the offensive line staying healthy. It sounds like we've got a bunch of young and talented guys hoping to step up into their backup roles but if we lose one of the starting 5 for an extended periodit's going to hurt.....bad. ESPECIALLY if it's Jansen or Samuels. Which worries me because Samuels has problems with his knees and ankles every single year, it seems like he gets em scoped every offseason, will this be the year that the injury's a little worse and he can't fight through it? I certainly hope not but it is cause for concern. Even more than Brunell, the health of this offensive line is the key to our success this year.