Englands Team Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I have been reading this board for some time, and I have finally got up the nerve to post. I have been a Redskins fan since '83 through the good times and more recently through the wilderness years. I do now see a change in team strategy from top to bottom I feel this can only be positive. Below is my "Lots of Small Strides" I think they can equal one one or more Big Strides. Lets start at the top, Dan Snyder. When you go on message boards for any sporting team you see a fans eye view. "I would do this", "I would Do that", " I would trade for him". The Owner is a fan first and foremost, secondly he can do this. He plays real life fantasy football with his and our team. I can never get on his case as at the end of the day he always pays the dollars to make the team better? His heart is in the right place. The Front Office, considering the lack of draft picks I am very happy with the off season so far. Several glaring needs havebeen addressed and the depth on the roster has been upgraded . They have also resisted the urge to go and get a "STAR" this year. In lieu of that they have gone and got several players who will contribute immediately and middle to long term. Coaches One is a Hall of Fame coach and the coordinators have a big input into the game plan. ithink Joe Gibbs has finally settled on our philosophy and has reasserted his influence on the team. That can only be positive. Now lets look at the playing staff. Quarterback What a difference a year makes. JC was thrown in there and got a good look at what is required to succeed at this level. The games were invaluable as now when the season gets underway everything will be that bit clearer to him. Brunell is a steady hand and head in a crisis. He can manage a game in relief if required. 3rd string should be Palmer or Bramlett with the other on the practice squad. Running Back Portis is a great player, a home run threat every time he touches the ball. He will keep defenders in the box and provide space in the secondary for JC to exploit. Betts has proved he can play at this level and will provide a change up in pace. I can see Betts with 500+ yards even witha fully functioning Portis. Receiver I have included Cooley in here, along with Moss they are the premir ball catchers. Randle Ewl and Lloyd have the potential to be great. One of them needs to step up for us to challenge deep into the season / playoffs. Offensive Line Great second half of the season. I believe they could develop into a dominant unit. They can run and pass block and that creates time for QBs and Space for RBS. Time and Space = pts, pts = prizes. Defensive Line Were very unproductive last year ina very unproductive unit as a whole. It looked that this was a glaring need on the team in dire need of an upgrade. The coaching staff on the other hand do not agree. The defence gets a complete retread with the exception of the line. I know the pressure in the system is from blitz packages as the linemen are there to clog things up. I will take the inside knowledge that Coach Gibbs and Williams have and trust their judgement on these guys. Maybe they are all expected to be fully fit and more effective this year. Linebackers They are the glue that hold the defence together. They have been upgraded through free agency and the draft. Fletcher is mr 100%. He is no freeloader looking for one last pay day. Not only that we draft Blades as a mini me to learn the ropes. Rocky is a year older and wiser and benefiting from a camp as the projected starter. Washington and Marshall are quality players and we have options with this group. Secondary At the corner position last season was a nightmare, everyone was hurt. Players were out of their depth. Young Rogers suffered from stone hand syndrome, he will probably argue that if he could catch he would be a receiver. Rogers is a decent Corner, a good no2 and a very good no3. Macklin and Smoot along with Springs. Boy these guys are so much better. They will make the line better, they will make the linebackers better. Taylor and Landry in the safety slots will make us the envy of the league. I follow Rugby and Soccer too, in both these sports you must build from the back ie your full back or goal keeper. Everyone playing must have confidence that the last line of defence is exactly that, they can then concentrate on their own jobs, that it turn will mean the last line of defence is relied on less often. Special Teams Frost and Suisham are two young guys who well get better. Niether is the finished article but both are good enough to play for this team. Kicking and coverage was not a problem last year. Expectations. The offence was not a million miles away last year, it showed flashes of brilliance along with some poor performances. This unit will get better it has another year in Saunders offence and survives almosty intact from last year. The defence was awful last year. completely overhauled. LAst year was a freak with so many injuries and so few turnovers and sacks. Look to big improvements this year. Even if we only move up 10 slots in the rankings that is an awful lost less yards given up and more time for the offence to hold the ball. As a whole I am fairly confident, I can see a wining season and a spring board to further improvement. Hope I haven't bored you with the ramblings of a poor Englishman watching it rain again. HAIL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Nice breakdown. I think basically fair. I have more fears on D obviously. LB and DL are a wait and see as frankly is Corner. I expect Rogers to improve from a sophmore slump. We increased our DB depth greatly. We have better bodies at LB, but will they mesh? DL makes me sad, but if they can be steady, who knows? QB is the other big question. Once DC's get a feel for what Jason is good and bad at, can he compensate and can he rise to the occasion. If he can the offense has a chance to be very, very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glikster04 Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 great post. im glad you got up the nerve to do so. you should continue to do so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Tomb Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 I think that the defense will be shored up greatly this season. In GW's defense, the LBs and the secondary make the plays on the run and it relies on a good secondary to allow the DL or LBs (or even CBs) time to get to the quarterback. We've secured all of those positions, so lets see where it takes us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willmb5 Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 I really like this post a lot my man, and i agree with pretty much everything you've said. I think a lot of people are underestimating the impact london fletcher and smoot will have on this defense. smoot was very good in williams system a few years back, and he has the kind of attitude and swagger that this defense lacked last year. Fletcher is a beast in the middle, and talk to any Bills fan and theyll tell you how good he has been for them. He's played in Williams system as well, and he'll have this LB unit playing much better than last year. If we have this defense at least even somewhere close to the way it was 2 years ago, we should be a MUCH better team than last year, and hopefully a playoff team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeding Burgundy Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 I commend you for constructing such a large post. But really, all you did was point out the obvious, and things most of us already knew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petey_Crack Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Good break down and analysis, i'd give this post a 7.9/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Joined in August 05, but finally got up the nerve to post in March of 06. Now I can't stop. It's worse than Michael Irvin on crack. Welcome and great first post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinz_4_life Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 cheers !!:applause: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigyim Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 The other thing I might add is that the pass defense will improve, and not solely because of the corners. I think we will improve in that area dramatically this year, & it will be a combination of things, but primarily the upgrade at Saftey. Ever since preseason against New England, it was obvious that Archuletta couldnt even marginally cover the TE in coverage, so the platoon system was devised, with Prioleaou starting & Arch coming in on short yardage downs. Until Pierson was injured, that is. Even with Prioleau getting healthy, they went & brought Stoutmire back & drafted Landry. That's a lot of attention to the back part of the secondary, when every fan is screaming to get some more players for the front line ( I agree with your argument, England...while everyone points at the front line, I think the back 7 is what makes a defense strong.) Some people may mock the idea of depending on "coverage sacks" to put pressure on the QB, but look at the stats...this team has not gotten a lot of sacks from the front 4. Even when we were #3 in '04 and #9 in '05. While it's great to have a matchup advantage on the line, where a DT/DE has the tools to dominate 1 on 1, Williams is all about getting someone free to the QB--and it doesn't matter if it's a 310 lb. tackle, a 270 lb DE, a 245 lb LB or a 195 lb. CB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topdogbran Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Welcome and cheers! Wherebouts in England? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschurm Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Ill have to say this is an excellent first post. You will make a lot of old timers happy. And I find your analysis fairly accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Englands Team Posted June 15, 2007 Author Share Posted June 15, 2007 Where in England? The rainy bit. I live midway between Liverpool and Manchester in a town called Wigan. Oh and thanks everyone for their comments. I'm sure I will post again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSO Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Yeah... you do that. We need as much hope as we can get around here. It's all we have as fans, and realistically, this team is full of potential. It doesn't take a fan to see that. Thanks for the post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Where in England?The rainy bit. I live midway between Liverpool and Manchester in a town called Wigan. Oh and thanks everyone for their comments. I'm sure I will post again. Small world - I live just outside Leyland about 10 miles from you, and yep, its raining :-) Good post and hard to argue with anything you said. To keep thing simple 3 keys - on the O how does Jason Campbell progress as most of the pieces are in place around him to be productive. On the D can the front 7 stop the run and can we get pressure to force turnovers in the passing game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC girl Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Good post, nice way to tie everything together. I think JC and the offense will be awesome this year and can't wait to see them light things up. And if the d-line stays healthy, hears hoping, I think they will hold up fine, and I look forward to watching the DB's run around and bring the pressure we need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoke-n-mirrors Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 I think a lot of people are underestimating the impact london fletcher and smoot will have on this defense. I agree, I think he will have the most impact on the D this year. He is a great "quarterback" in the middle and his instincts will cause turnovers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirtyfive2seven Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 What made you a skins fan being all the way over there in England? Welcome to the site, excellent post. Looking forward to reading more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badgerrocks Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Welcome, Mr Team. I am down south in Surrey. When you said big strides I thought you meant pants...er...I mean trousers! Otherwise, I believe we have got a team this year. Fingers crossed the D holds up, but I think Coach has some insight as to where the Skins are at. Hail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Englands Team Posted June 15, 2007 Author Share Posted June 15, 2007 Thirtyfive2seven. Became a Redskins fan in 1983. Back then a new TV station was showing a edited highlights of a game every week. I tuned in by accident one Sunday, we were on a one week delay. Saw the redskins beat the Raiders 38-35 in a come from behind victory and decided that was my team. I then went on to totally fall in love with the game, helped start a team called the St Helens Cardinals, played 4 seasons in various positions, played tight end mainly, Retired at 20 years old as I started work. I wasn't very good anyway. Love the sport and have followed it ever since. We actually get 4 live games a week over here so we have pretty good exposure to the game now. Hail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Terrapin Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 Joined in August 05, but finally got up the nerve to post in March of 06. Now I can't stop. It's worse than Michael Irvin on crack. Welcome and great first post. or Michael Vick betting on dogs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Terrapin Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 I commend you for constructing such a large post. But really, all you did was point out the obvious, and things most of us already knew. Cut the guy some slack....He just got here. By the way....England's Team--I thought that was ManU? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.