WP: Throwing Downfield Is Redskin Offense's Antidote

[Tulane Skins Fan]

I am tired of "dancing" around the truth here man. We couldn't throw deep because Brunell CAN"T throw deep. Period. He IMO was the one and only negative part in the first two years of Gibbs return. Yes we made the playoffs the second year but with the kind of D we had we should have gone to the playoffs both years. Brunell not only can't throw deep at a consistent basis he can't throw even the passes to his right. Hell last year all the opposing Ds had to do is stack the line and watch for the left role out. That is it.

bingo

edit: how MB is getting love from 75% of this board to be the primary backup is beyond me. i guess 75% of this board either has memory problems or has never watched a skins game.

[dockeryfan]

I am tired of "dancing" around the truth here man. We couldn't throw deep because Brunell CAN"T throw deep. Period. He IMO was the one and only negative part in the first two years of Gibbs return.

Why is it that so many other people cannot see the truth of what you are saying??

Read my sig. The playbook was limited because of Brunell. The first snap Campbell took was a deep ball. That was for a reason.

[Idaho fan]

We need a second receiver to step up worse than Rosie Odonnel needs a stomach staple.

Not only do I love this statement, it is right on the money - on both accounts!

Having JC back there with his arm (not the Scott Brunell noodle) should help but a #2 receiver needs to step up IMO and make some plays. Can't expect Moss to do it all while being double covered. Question in my mind is if Gibbs will take those chances to go down field very often. Picks are going to happen and turn overs piss off Gibbs like nothing else.

All I know is that I am happy that the season is upon us and Rosi Odonnel does indeed need a stomach staple (among other things). :logo:

[Die Hard]

Hey, where have I heard this song and dance (we need bigger plays) before? Oh yeah, following the 2004 season.... and then the Redskins proceeded to go 5-6 and win out based on defense and Clinton Portis' rushing.

You know what... at this point... show me.

Because I'm pretty sure when that whistle blows to signify the beginning of the game.... Gibbs is going to get conservative again.... and he'll rely on protecting the ball and winning with defense.

[Oldfan]

My concern is we have a young QB who is going to take chances downfield. And chances lead to turnovers. And turnovers make Gibbs 2.0 cry.

So...we'll see if we really have an attacking offense.

I have to believe the staff really means it. After all, Bugel's on board with v-e-r-t-i-c-a-l. This is the guy whose play selection was limited to "You want 40 Gut or 50 Gut, Joe?"

[SkinsRMoney06]

I think Lloyd will be fine this season. All of the games i went to i can remember several instances of him being wide open and either Mark or Jason not even looking at him. Brunell always threw it to Moss (Even when he was almost always double covered) and Jason was raw so I dont fault him very much. Lets hope all of the work he been putting in helps.

[Morneblade]

I saw alot more deep balls last year with Campbell playing than Brunell, so I think we'll see alot more of that. Gibbs didnt have a problem going deep his first time around, and it's not like we have a defence than we can lean on at this point. I'm not worried with out offence.

[Leonard Washington]

bugel is a coot. i'm beginning to think he says this stuff as an inside joke.

i know after gibbs I, the coaching staff knew that going "vertical" was important.

[Dirk Diggler]

Lemme see here...

Lloyd put up #2 WR numbers in San Francisco. Randel El was a starter and key contributor on a Super Bowl winning team in Pittsburg. I think they've both proven that they can be decent enough to start in the past. And they're both still young. Some of you might want to take a look at the receiving tandems on the past 20 or so Super Bowl participants. It aint Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne every year I can tell you that.

But even if we have 2 #3 WRs. So the f what? We need to get past this misguided notion that you need to have Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, John Taylor, Brent Jones, Tom Rathman, and Roger Craig to win games. This seems to be especially rampant amongst Redskins fans who think that every spot needs to be filled by an all-star.

Here's who we need to step up... Jason Campbell.

He's got a good line, a great RB tandem, 1 very good WR and TE. Sellers is an excellent FB. Saunders system has performed at historic levels for an extended period of time (2002-2005). Charlie Frye, Joey Harrington, JP Losman, Vince Young, Matt Schaub, and Tarvaris Jackson would kill for a supporting cast like this.

Let's put the focus where we've truly struggled the past 7 years... under center.

[cagorham2006]

I agree with the last couple of posts that Brunell's inability to throw downfield REALLY hurt the offense. That was at least part of the reason we couldn't score or better yet cross mid-field. The strategy for the opposing defense was just simply stack the line of scrimmage and BOOM our offense was done for the day.

Funny you don't hear nothing about this from the media about the Skins offensive woes due to Brunell's terrible quarterback play last year. It's like they have this "Don't speak about Brunell" in the media rule book.

When Jason Campbell came in, he helped the running game with his ability to throw deep. As a result, Ladell Betts had his best year and a fat new contract. We have to wait and see if Campbell can build on his success. Hopefully everyone will stay healthy enough for the Skins to be more efficient on offense.

[AmeriplanDentalMan]

I like how they are talking about a vertical attack.... after 3 years of Brunell. I coulda told them this in 2004.

While I am no fan of Brunell, he has thrown several "bombs" during his 3 years. The real problem has been the GAME PLAN. Pounding Clinton into the middle of the line time and time again only got Portis worn down and made this offense predictable. The Skins have just not called enough down field shots to make anybody worried about it, hence, that is why Santana Moss caught 2 straight deep passes against Dallas 2 years ago. It was a SURPRISE.

Last year and before, all teams put 7,8, or at times 9 men in the box, anticipating the dreaded 1 yard plunge or 6 yard roll out pass by Brunell. Now that the offense has changed and Brunell will not have the option of rolling out(to keep from being hit) and then trying to dump off a 6 yard pass or throw it out of bounds....IN OTHER WORDS NOW THAT WE HAVE A REAL QB......our offense will not see the 8 men in the box anymore. At least not after we burn them with a few deep throws.

[Jimbo]

OK boys and girls, can you say that? VER-TI-CAL

[santana_4_prez]

I think ARE did a pretty good job of throwin' deep...there were a couple long completions and a couple pass interference calls. I hope to see him do this about once a game.

I am also confident in JC's ability to throw the ball as well.

I think we'll see a lot of long TD's from the 'skins this year. HAIL!

[nneece]

Umm... 2 words. Mark Brunell...

[JC girl]

yeah looking forward to some serious verticalness this season, yay for a QB with an arm!

[SkinsHokieFan]

Here's who we need to step up... Jason Campbell.

He's got a good line, a great RB tandem, 1 very good WR and TE. Sellers is an excellent FB. Saunders system has performed at historic levels for an extended period of time (2002-2005). Charlie Frye, Joey Harrington, JP Losman, Vince Young, Matt Schaub, and Tarvaris Jackson would kill for a supporting cast like this.

Let's put the focus where we've truly struggled the past 7 years... under center.

Dead on post here

The two playoff seasons we have had since the end of Gibbs 1 were because of 1 reason. QB play

Brad Johnson was very effective in 1999 and Mark Brunell did a solid job in 2005. Every other year QB play has been, to be quite frank, subpar

[#98QBKiller]

Please, please, please, please let us see some big downfield passes this year!!!

[Chachi]

So how does Thrash fit into this WR set? I still think the guy is a monster, and JC has thrown a couple of strikes to Thrash during scrimmage...

[aubreyjn]

Thrash is a bum. He's a good hustle player and does well for his limited athletic skill but please, i dont ever want to hear that this guy is a beast. he has never had more than 6 td receptions in a single season.... sellers has an hes a fb!

GET TANK!!!!!!

[Ant15fromNJ]

Going to be great to see Campbell toss it down field to our WR's.

[Audible_Red40]

We need a second receiver to step up worse than Rosie Odonnel needs a stomach staple.

It is a little difficult to throw it deep when Moss is doubled.....unless Lloyd or ARE really step it up.

This is probably the most overlooked weakness on our entire team, and the key for our success this season.

Sure, teams are going to run it down our throat.....but if we can score quickly, we can offset some of that.

I still believe either Betts or Portis....plus Lloyd and a draft pick for Calvin Johnson would have been the greatest trade in team history.

We could have still kept the sixth for Landry.....but would have opened the field up big time.

Come on Lloyd and ARE!

The draft is over and we could not get CJ for anything we had or have. Time to get over it.

Also, we have a QB that WILL throw the ball downfield. Moss just has to be healthy and fight for space. I don't see Steve Smith having problems getting open, and what do the Panthers have that we don't? We have a better ground game, better O-line, better TE and better WR's. We just have to execute.

[pjfootballer]

My concern is we have a young QB who is going to take chances downfield. And chances lead to turnovers. And turnovers make Gibbs 2.0 cry.

So...we'll see if we really have an attacking offense.

I'd rather go down attacking then dinking and dunking. Gibbs sometimes gets a little too conservative for me. I like what Arizona is doing with their young offense, just letting it all hang out. They were 5-11 also, but were more exciting to watch.

[Smoot Point Really]

I am tired of "dancing" around the truth here man. We couldn't throw deep because Brunell CAN"T throw deep. Period. He IMO was the one and only negative part in the first two years of Gibbs return. Yes we made the playoffs the second year but with the kind of D we had we should have gone to the playoffs both years. Brunell not only can't throw deep at a consistent basis he can't throw even the passes to his right. Hell last year all the opposing Ds had to do is stack the line and watch for the left role out. That is it.

We had one of the best vertical games in the league in 2005 (with Brunell at the helm)... That went south last season with the new playbook. I don't believe Brunell was the problem, even if I'm glad that JC is our QB.

[Peregrine]

Its quite simple. Succesful offenses throw the ball downfield, and the Redskins HAVENT even tried. Its one thing to try and fail, its another to not even try. I think fans will be very upset this year if we keep up with this short passing super conservative stuff.

[Oldfan]

We had one of the best vertical games in the league in 2005 (with Brunell at the helm)... That went south last season with the new playbook. I don't believe Brunell was the problem, even if I'm glad that JC is our QB.

Our vertical game went South after the San Franscisco blowout in the first half of 2005 when teams began to double Santana. That's why we were forced to finish the season by pounding the ball with Portis. If Brunell couldn't find Moss, he'd check down.