Did Saunders Arrival Upset The Apple Cart?

[bulldog]

the Redskins drive to the playoffs last year was based on making a firm decision (after a number of tough losses) to run the football and be a more physical football team. the Redskins team that went through the 2-6 slump between the 3-0 start and 5-0 finish gave up on the running game way too early in contests conceding the time of possession battle and then got into trouble with negative plays (fumbles, sacks, INTs) which helped teams like KC and the Raiders win games that otherwise could have gone the Redskins' way.

the passing game, to Moss and Cooley primarily, was based on playing off of the success Portis gained on the ground and the commitment of the defense to stopping the run.

after the 2005 season, I thought the team's greatest needs on offense were to acquire a #2 wide receiver to complement Moss and become more proficient in the red zone and short yardage by drafting, trading or otherwise picking up a bigger back to team with Clinton Portis.

I didn't think the offense needed a conceptual overhaul. To me the addition of a second wide receiver capable of 1,000 yards and 60-70 catches and a better conversion rate on third downs on the ground would give Gibbs the tools to be a bit more aggressive on offense in 2006 and score more points while still maintaining the identity forged in a 10-6 campaign.

I also think the focus on being more physical and running the football fit in better with the makeup of this offensive line. The Redskins line is a better run blocking line vs. a pass blocking line. The only player on the Redskins line that seems as adept in pass protection as in the run game is Randy Thomas.

Rabach, Dockery and Samuels all seem challenged working in a scheme that tilts towards spreading things out and we have seen that Betts among the other backs has had his share of problems in picking up the linebackers and safety blitzes you see when running a more wide open offensive attack.

When you add in Brunell's age and his capabilities (best at the short and intermediate game, injury prone at times) and the fact that Jason Campbell was finally getting settled in a professional offense and was hopefully ready take off in the offseason in Year 2 where things would come more naturally, I thought it was a no-brainer that the basic offense would not change that dramatically.

Enter Al Saunders.

God bless him. Saunders is creative. Like Gregg Williams he is a guy that would rather attack than be on the defensive. But is the offensive personnel that takes the field for the Redskins truly geared to this style of play? Or did Gibbs have it right last year in noting that there were weaknesses as well as strengths here and the weaknesses needed to be mitigated for the team to be successful?

While the team did acquire that #2 receiver in Lloyd and that short yardage back in Duckett (albeit at high cost), the quarterback and the offensive line remain in place from 2005. That means the same pros and cons.

The quarterback and the offensive line go a long way to determining how far you advance in the NFL.

As noted above, Brunell and the starting 5 on the OL are better suited to a more conservative style of play. That is not going to change. It is not a lack of familiarity with the scheme but a lack of physical talent to make the change to the offense if it is indeed idealized into what was run in KC.

While I do see better receivers here than Saunders had in KC, I don't see Willie Roaf and the host of pro bowl caliber linemen the Chiefs had the good fortune to have in uniform since 2000.

I also don't see Trent Green at age 29 starting to work in this offense from Day 1 as he did for Al Saunders in 2000 after having already been with Al in St. Louis in 1999.

Their downfall was the lack of capable defensive squads down through the years under Vermeil.

The hope here is that what we are ultimately going to see is a 'hybrid' system based on what talent we have here and what we can reasonably accomplish given those limitations (and strengths as well).

Once Portis is 100% ready to handle the load, I am hoping to see a return to hard nosed offensive football with him well over 100 yards rushing and Duckett using his size to move the pile and help wear down the defense for Portis to break plays in the fourth quarter.

At the same time, I am hoping to see the ability to threaten defenses with a multi-pronged rushing attack and short yardage passing game with Cooley allow for the down the field stabs in the heart from Brunell to Moss, Lloyd and ARE in single coverage.

For those that go up and down about Jason Campbell, you can figure that the change in offensive systems and the arrival of Saunders has effectively set Jason back a season. That is part of the opportunity cost of making this move at the top.

Younger players take longer to acclimate to system changes than veterans (given similar physical capabilities factored in of course) and that is nowhere as true as at quarterback.

Campbell didn't have the luxury of working with Norm Chow at USC for 4 years like Carson Palmer did. He is not the polished drop back passer that Palmer is and won't be for some time.

I thought his best chance to get on the field and make a contribution, though, would be in a system similar to the one the Redskins ran in 2005 and the one that the Steelers run with Roethlisberger, where pressure on the younger quarterback is mitigated by a commitment to the run and to a higher percentage passing game that heavily invests the backs and tight ends.

[Uno Boss]

T.E.T.T

to early to tell

[TheU2689]

yeah but seriously this guy makes a point, but i think this team will be fine. Gibbs knows what he is doing

[bulldog]

agreed. I was posting my 'hopes' for the team. one game is not enough evidence to see exactly what the staff has in mind for the balance of the season. Portis being injured may have significantly changed the gameplan and we may see a different offense in Dallas.

[Blackest Eyes]

nice post though.

[natem985]

good post...keep in mind KC struggled in Saunders' first year there (01). Trent Green had a 71 QB rating

[REDALERT]

Indeed it did, and it was no gurantee whoopie dust was gonna be springled around during game 1 guranteeing us a win. As I see it, Brad managed the game just enough for the Vikes to pull off a win. Especially since a already polished Vikes defense from last year was going up against a newly implemented offense.

And even though the Vikes offense was also just implemented. Our handicap in the secondary and using Portis sparingly disrupted our offense and defense enough for the Vikes to pull off the upset.

[Love_Them_Dirtbags]

The play-calling was awful on Sunday. The new plays themselves were great, and kudos to Saunders for that, but I wish Gibbs was actually choosing which play to call on each down.

[ProBowler]

I didn't think the offense needed a conceptual overhaul. To me the addition of a second wide receiver capable of 1,000 yards and 60-70 catches and a better conversion rate on third downs on the ground would give Gibbs the tools to be a bit more aggressive on offense in 2006 and score more points while still maintaining the identity forged in a 10-6 campaign.

I agree with this. :applause:

After watching the Vikings game I have wondered "what if" we would have just stayed with Gibbs and went after a guy like Hutchinson(LG Vikes) and only 1 WR instead of 2 in the off season. That would have gave us a road grader on the inside.

One other good WR and moving Patton to the slot would have been enough at WR with Cooley at TE and Portis at RB to make us an effective offense personnel wise.

For those that go up and down about Jason Campbell, you can figure that the change in offensive systems and the arrival of Saunders has effectively set Jason back a season.

I really agree with this.:applause:

I have been anxious to see Campbell but after watching our offense there is no way Jason is ready for that! I would still like to see some plays here and there designed for him and the full wide receiving core. I would still like to see if someone could stop us if we went with 4 wr's(Moss,Loyd,ARE,Patton) and Cooley with Jason at QB.

[Skin Them Alive]

Apple cart? I never heard that before in my life. Where the hell did you get that analagy from an Andy Griffith episode?

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Apple cart? I never heard that before in my life. Where the hell did you get that analagy from an Andy Griffith episode?

You're only 23, you haven't heard ANYTHING in your life...lol :laugh:

[RVAbrendan]

I agree Bulldog. Ray Brown was talking about this on Comcast post-game live and I felt that we were SO close to making a major run, all we needed was a few more receivers and maybe a LB or CB. The offense was producing, and with another year in the system, it could only progress.

It seems like they've abandoned the run (weird to say, since the system did get Holmes and Johnson cookin') and taken a step back when unnecesary. I guess I just like Gibbs' hard-nosed football, rather than the sweeps and tosses and all that jazz.

Oh well, Saunders. Prove me wrong.

[Skin Them Alive]

You're only 23, you haven't heard ANYTHING in your life...lol :laugh:

I know what apples are. I know what carts do. Now who the hell uses apple carts?

[SkinsFTW]

It sure looks like it may have been a good idea to bring in the new Saunders slowly giving everyone a chance to see what will and will not work. I guess we found out the hard way at home against the lowly Vikings.

[bubba9497]

et tu bulldog? :doh:

[Davethegolfguy]

So says the expert. Me, I still have faith in the talent and the coaching our favorite team has.

[DeanCollins]

I am a bit skeptical about the Sauders overhaul as well. I'd also have settled for some tweaking. We were on a roll

the last half of the season but our performance was spotty and we seemed to win on pure determination. That's likely to happen more again this year.

I think we've all been grimacing over Gibbs' conservative play calling, when we have the lead, since he's been back. . I've found myself sceaming "RUN THE BALL" when in 1st and goal situations at the 3yd line, and Gibbs calls three pass plays and kicks the FG. So I think Gibbs knew it was time. The downside is that we may have to tough it out this year, but maybe not.

I didn't think that we played all that poorly Monday. The balance between

pass and run plays were nearly 50/50. Mistakes were made, but what can be expected of a new and complicated offensive system? People have been saying that we lost to a weak team, but I thought the Vikes played tough and I expect them to be in the running down the playoff stretch.

Overall I'm ok with the Sauders move. I expect the team to bloom around mid season and peak late like last year. Otherwise, it just wouldn't be Redskins football. Keep your blood pressure medication handy.

I know what apples are. I know what carts do. Now who the hell uses apple carts?

think-before grocery stores :doh: :laugh:

[joeknows]

i have made this post so many times since monday i should copy it somewhere and just paste it from now on.

we had a game plan last year without talent to execute it , now we have the talent for last years game plan and what should happen? we change the game plan!!!!!!

[DiscoBob]

I understand that week one was frustrating, but you have to expect that Saunders game plan is going to evolve over time. When he was helping out in STL under Martz, the offense looked different than the KC offense. When they brought in LJ for Holmes, they adapted.....

Have some faith that He and JG will discuss what works well for our personnel and what doesn't and adapt. It's hard to figure out how people are going to react in the regular season during training camp.

If CP is doing his thing this week, I gaurantee that Saunders will go with it.

Another positive that I took from last week - Our short passing game. Last year our short routes were inconsistantly run, and inconsistantly thrown.....I'm not saying we looked great in this department last week, but it looked like we will be able to hit the 5-10 yard pass play when we need it more often than we did last year (but it will take a couple of weeks to sync up).

[Om]

Talk to me again in a few weeks, when 1) the starting offense actually has a few games under its belt in the revised system, and 2) when the defense is able to get the opposing offense off the field enough enought where the Skins revised O can actually find a rhythm. The Minnesota game wasn't so much about the new offense trying to find its way as it was about the defense unable to stop third down coversions.

[NewCliche21]

Talk to me again in a few weeks, when 1) the starting offense actually has a few games under its belt in the revised system, and 2) when the defense is able to get the opposing offense off the field enough enought where the Skins revised O can actually find a rhythm. The Minnesota game wasn't so much about the new offense trying to find its way as it was about the defense unable to stop third down coversions.

Exactly.

That defense was really a lot more of the problem than people are giving it credit (blame?) for. Yes, Brunell threw away some passes that he probably could've made, but better those than interceptions or sacks (of which he had zero). The defense was probably 80+% of the loss.

The offense, on the other hand, was fantastic. It was brand new and was still really good. Give the team a chance, people.

[G-Prime]

I think that's a good right up.. And for the time being yes I think it has been disruptive. However, I also believe as the season goes on your going to see our new offense become a real power house.

[jwebst1]

:applause: :applause:

awesome post.... couldn't agree more....

but I also think the team will eventually pick up the O... I just hope it's not too late into the season and we are sitting at 2-6 or something like that... especially on a win-now type of team we have put together.

[kleese]

Excellent post bulldog.

I also fear that our run to end last season was just lightning in a bottle-- that we weren't nearly that good, but that Gibbs "willed" the team to the playoffs down the stretch and the chemistry was perfect. Perhaps that run blinded everyone to what our true needs were? I admit, it blinded me.

One game is one game. However, I saw things on the filed Monday night that I fear will stretch well beyond one game.

Good post.

[DB44]

Not to be a repeat, but nice post Bulldog.

Coach Gibbs has always wanted people guessing at his offense, and I believe he felt it became too predictable. While I think his solution was a bit extreme, my hope is that they will take the new information (the vikings game) and develop a more run oriented offense.

You made a great point in that when we commit to the run, we are very tough to beat. However, I feel Coach Gibbs doesn't want to rely on the defense all the time, so he wanted a more dynamic offense. Coach Saunders has a lot of pride in what he does, and will adjust to the strengths of the players, hopefully.

As others said here, our defense has to play better. That, I thought, was the biggest surprise in the Vikings game.