For the entirely Zorn uneducated, a nice first game.

[Thinking Skins]

There were a couple of negatives.

Heyer was horrible, which sucks, since I'm in the tank for him. Jansen got whipped on one pass play. Run defense, especially with the roster fodder crew, was soft. Smoot dropped an interception. One could argue safety blitzing is too aggressive for the preseason, but, screw that. The Colts are doing onside kicks and going for it on fourth down so it's all fair. Both teams had so many guys out it's not really a great game to get a good feel.

Individually, the weakest performance was Heyer's.

I know Heyer did poorly yesterday. But also Tyron should be on that list, and Stu Swighert. I don't take too much from that negativity except that thank God nobody was injured. They can work on improving versus the spin techniques and such. I've been hearing good things about Heyer from training camp, so I just hope he had a bad game.

I agree with most of what you said though. I wasn't looking at this game expecting every player to have all-pro games - that just doesn't happen. I was looking to see which players could take what they've been learning in training camp and actually do it in a game situation. In that respect, I've got the most love for Rob Jackson and Colt Brennan. And also Crummey had some nice plays where he was just mauling guys.

And I know Zorn is getting a lot of praise right now (which he should). But lets not forget to also give praise to Vinny and Scott Campbell for bringing in Zorn and these players. I think they deserve some real credit if tonight is any indication of how these late round players will play. But Zorn looked like he belonged here. He looked like he's been here before. He just looked like he was supposed to be doing this.

I was a bit scaired when I heard he wanted to just run the ball in the 2nd half. I mean, that was kinda scairy reminicent of Gibbs II. But at least he didn't stick to it when he saw that Brennan has some skills.

[Thinking Skins]

Oh, and as far as the Rock vs Mason debate, I liked Mason's running the ball, but Rock is a consistent player on special teams. We can't underestimate that. I'm still shakey about Mason or anybody else doing that. If Mason is going to take Rock's spot (for at most 5 carries a game), then our special teams could be in for a world of trouble.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

The reason this game doesn't strike me as Osaka II is because I got the distinct feeling we were pretty vanilla. We still have some bullets to fire.

It's nice to see us be vanilla and STILL have a modern NFL offense. We won some individual matchups (and lost some of course...we were playing the 2nd best NFL franchise), so I'm happy!

Most importantly, you didn't get the feeling that ANYONE was satisfied.

The Zorn administration seems to be the perfect blend of Gibbs' caution and Spurrier's (bare with me) bravado. It's as though Zorn is confident but never satisfied with himself or his team. I like it.

It's early, but so far so good. It's nice to watch a preseason game and not have to come up with positives like "At least the coaches have some things to work on" or "Well, this team won't get ****y, and that's a good thing."

I like seeing the mix of success tempered with non-critical mistakes.

[TheREALJBird]

Nice post Art, I agree with everything you said. Mason should get an opportunity over Rock for sure, and Colt Brennan will be talked about for years around here:laugh:

[Fat Stupid Loser]

Campbell 157.1 QB Rating :excited:

So was Brennan's I believe.

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[GibbsFactor]

There were a couple of negatives.

Heyer was horrible, which sucks, since I'm in the tank for him. Jansen got whipped on one pass play. Run defense, especially with the roster fodder crew, was soft. Smoot dropped an interception. One could argue safety blitzing is too aggressive for the preseason, but, screw that. The Colts are doing onside kicks and going for it on fourth down so it's all fair. Both teams had so many guys out it's not really a great game to get a good feel.

Individually, the weakest performance was Heyer's.

Heyer and Wade looked horrible.

But even more alarming is the fact that Jansen is still getting bull rushed back to the pocket. That must be addressed.

And Reed didn't play too great. But I'll give him a pass as he was playing without a large part of the defense.

But every rookie that played impressed. Even those two 7th rounders who were IMO the most impressive.

But the best thing of the night was the crispness we had. Man, imagine this team having fun. It's going to get much more interesting.

:logo:

[zoony]

i think you have to look at betts before you look at rock. rock brings more to the table right now.

Whaaaa? Do you mean Rock > Betts?

There were a couple of negatives.

Heyer was horrible, which sucks, since I'm in the tank for him. Jansen got whipped on one pass play. Run defense, especially with the roster fodder crew, was soft. Smoot dropped an interception. One could argue safety blitzing is too aggressive for the preseason, but, screw that. The Colts are doing onside kicks and going for it on fourth down so it's all fair. Both teams had so many guys out it's not really a great game to get a good feel.

Individually, the weakest performance was Heyer's.

As if I typed it myself. Seeing Jansen get completely owned on that spin move and our franchise QB taking the hit he did was not a good sign. I calmed myself by reminding myself that we had Heyer who started last year. Then he came in and got pushed around by the backups :doh:

Not good.

(and r.e. safety blitzing... bringing 4 guys and one safety, while technically a blitz, is about the most vanilla blitz you could possibly run. Scheming hell... coaches need to know if the guys they're unsure about are capable of executing simple blitzes. Nothing tricky about it. Now if we were zone blitzing and sending corners or flooding the line with LBers, etc... I'd say that's a bit more than needed.)

[McMetal]

Welcome back, Art. This place hasn't been the same without your insights.

Totally agree about Heyer. He performed poorly and seemed to get nicked late in the game. (What was he even doing out there in the 4th?) I would say he probably had the worst game, followed by Tryon. Is there anything sadder than a trash talker who can't back it up?

The ebb of Heyer is offset by the flow of Rinehard though. He is solid.

[The Sisko]

I loved Heyer's heart but I've been a skeptic about him as well. He may end up being capable of playing RT but his feet are just way too slow to put on the left side. I'm hoping Rhinehart can end up being Samuels' backup in the short-term and hopefully his replacement in a few years.

[Thinking Skins]

Whaaaa? Do you mean Rock > Betts?

I wouldn't say that Rock is better than Betts, but he is definately more valuable than Betts. Rock is a consistent perfromer on special teams, and to just cut him in favor of a backup RB who has not shown he can handle special teams really opens up a hole for us on special teams.

It does present an option to get rid of Betts as the primary backup to Portis. I'm not sure I'm in favor of this either, but maybe we can dangle Betts in a trade this preseason if a team like Seattle or the Bears isn't satisfied with their RB situation.

[Thinking Skins]

(and r.e. safety blitzing... bringing 4 guys and one safety, while technically a blitz, is about the most vanilla blitz you could possibly run. Scheming hell... coaches need to know if the guys they're unsure about are capable of executing simple blitzes. Nothing tricky about it. Now if we were zone blitzing and sending corners or flooding the line with LBers, etc... I'd say that's a bit more than needed.)

I agree with you here. I don't think we blitzed our LBs the entire game. We were just running basic packages and seeing who could win individual machups. It didn't leave many highlights, but I'm not too down on our defense just yet.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I wouldn't say that Rock is better than Betts, but he is definately more valuable than Betts. Rock is a consistent perfromer on special teams, and to just cut him in favor of a backup RB who has not shown he can handle special teams really opens up a hole for us on special teams.

It does present an option to get rid of Betts as the primary backup to Portis. I'm not sure I'm in favor of this either, but maybe we can dangle Betts in a trade this preseason if a team like Seattle or the Bears isn't satisfied with their RB situation.

It's intriguing and I don't mind the idea however I wouldn't be nearly as confident in Mason or Rock if CP went down.

I think they would do fine spelling Portis as long as he is healthy, but we have no idea if they could carry the load permanently.

Again, I'm not completely against trading him if we truly believe we are 4 deep at RB and can get some value...but I'd like to see a lot more from Mason and Rock.

[thewagen]

Art, My thoughts are that if they can stay consistent, the following deserve a rostor spot: #23, #48, #86, #5. They played good. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here...it wasn't as if they were going against the Colts starters, but they at least didn't LOSE a job last night. To me, pre-season is just that...you either win a rostor spot or you lose one. And the four above did nothing to lose one last night. But's that's just one game of five this pre-season...way way too many days, nights, seconds to go before they can feel comfortable.

[GregW8705]

I feel like Betts is a little overrated. I've seen Rock have big games and run with power, Mason looks like he has a lot of potential. Betts has a very Errict Rhett (3 yards and a cloud of dust) feel to him, imo. Betts isn't going to break one open and take it to the house, but he's also not a red zone power back either. He's good for hitting the hole and making one cut. Any RB can hit a hole and make one cut. Trade Betts because I feel like Rock and Mason could platoon if CP goes down and we'd be almost as effective, and more effective than letting Betts be the workhorse.

[thewagen]

I thought I'd never say this but I agree with you Art 100%....can't find fault with anything you said. Somebody get the media. This may never happen again.

I know it's only one pre-season game but there was a different feel about it than Gibbs 2.0. It hurts to say this but I think the game really did pass Gibbs by during his absence. Don't get me wrong, he could still do the basics, i.e. character, toughness, professionalism; and we desperately needed him to come back to literally rescue this franchise when he did. However, when it came to the X's and O's I think he was a little overmatched.

After the first day or so of getting used to the hire, I've been completely on board with Zorn. He's looked and smelled the part from day one....aside from the burgundy and black thing. I'm on record as saying I think he's the real deal and I'm looking forward to a heck of a run.

Bashing Gibbs 2.0already??? GEEEEEzzzzzuuuussss! Let's wait until about game six of the season before you annoint Zorn, okay? Gawd, no real defense , not many starters, and of course the Redskins should complete passes. They were better than the Colts, yes, but no where close to what they'll see when live bullets start flying in the season. Let's see how Zorn handles it then, okay? Gibbs restored faith in this team, and now you trash him??? No wonder this forum p1sses me off to no end!!!

[Bigmuss1]

This is one of the better posts I've read on the game last nite. I completely agree with your assessment of the team. I am trying not to get too excited about this season, but after a crisp performance like that it's hard not to!

[thewagen]

I'm very proud of our team right now, especially on offense. Other than Jansen getting owned on a spin move by a back up DE, I gotta say we looked silky smooth out there.

On defense, however... I do feel just a tad bit disappointed. I thought we'd see a better showing from Tryon, Rob Jackson was 50/50, our back up front seven just didn't get the job done, and I wasn't too happy about the fact that Blache seemed to stick with the same scheme when it was obvious Sorgi was going to Clark, one of the other TEs, or the RBs on every play. Maybe that was by design, but still... just a tad bit disappointed.

I liked what I saw from Chris Horton. If he keeps this up, he's definitely earned a spot. He looks fast, strong, and willing to make quick decisions that usually ended up being the right ones. That's how a safety should play. Leigh Torrence also looked really good. Glad to see improvement from him in terms of playing the ball. Last year he'd be in good position but had no idea where the ball ever was. Tryon seems to be where Torrence was last year.

All in all though, Art said it perfectly. We looked pretty damn organized out there. If our staff can keep that up, we got enough veteran leadership and athletic talent to do the rest.

Just remember, once the season starts...GBlache is NOT GWilliams! That will be noticeable I'm afraid, and perhaps NOT for the better! But let's wait until the season before stones are cast, okay?

[thewagen]

I agree with you here. I don't think we blitzed our LBs the entire game. We were just running basic packages and seeing who could win individual machups. It didn't leave many highlights, but I'm not too down on our defense just yet.

Rewatch the game if you can. Uhhh, #48 blitzed at least every other down!

[Thinking Skins]

Rewatch the game if you can. Uhhh, #48 blitzed at least every other down!

yeah, but #48 is not a LB.

[carter23]

daddy throwing his back out picking her nose

wtf?

jk, nice post

[Art]

Yeah, Carter. In my life after hurting my back I've thrown it out on three occassions. One, feeding my dogs. Two, doing laundry. And, three, at her daycare leaning down to pick a booger from her nose.

I'm getting old.

[Peregrine]

I think the biggest concerns going into this game for all fans was Coach Z, JC and the passing game(maybe injuries as well).

I think those concerns were largely alleviated last night. The one disappointment I have about our preseason schedule is we really wont get to test the passing offense against some great passing defenses before the season starts. The Jets had a top 10 passing defense, but Carolina and Jacksonville were middle of the road, and Buffalo was just bad.

[The Sisko]

Bashing Gibbs 2.0already??? GEEEEEzzzzzuuuussss! Let's wait until about game six of the season before you annoint Zorn, okay? Gawd, no real defense , not many starters, and of course the Redskins should complete passes. They were better than the Colts, yes, but no where close to what they'll see when live bullets start flying in the season. Let's see how Zorn handles it then, okay? Gibbs restored faith in this team, and now you trash him??? No wonder this forum p1sses me off to no end!!!

Dude, calm down. I'm as big a fan of Gibbs as any of us and I was NOT bashing him or his return. After all, I chose the term "rescued" intentionally because that's exactly what he did. Righting a badly listing SS Redskins was a no mean feat and one IMHO equally as valuable as the SB trophies he brought us.

With that said, I still don't have any problems pointing out his shortcomings. One of which is that he never really seemed to grasp the realities and complexities of today's game. Therefore, rather than an annointing of Zorn, I think what you're seeing is how refreshing it is for us to see our offense seem to finally click on all cylinders.

That's all, no Gibbs 2.0 bashing here. And for the record, in my book Coach Gibbs could have gone 0-16 with us for as many years as he wanted to. Seriously, I mean it.....and it's not the first time I've said that BTW. Coach Gibbs has earned that.

So just calm down. Wooosaaahhhh!!

[BigRedskinDaddy]

One thing that really stood out for me in the game was the shot of Zorn right after Colt's second touchdown pass. A lot of guys were going crazy on the sideline - and rightfully so - but the camera stayed on him for a couple of seconds. He didn't have a huge grin, wasn't going nuts, just kept his focus. He looked like that's what was supposed to happen. Loved it. Confident and already thinking about his next move.

Way to go rook. Keep it up.

[fansince62]

Yeah, Carter. In my life after hurting my back I've thrown it out on three occassions. One, feeding my dogs. Two, doing laundry. And, three, at her daycare leaning down to pick a booger from her nose.

I'm getting old.

hey art!

1) nice post...although I wouldn't have been so harsh on JG/coaching staff.

2) what's with the back? I had some spinal chord issues about 8 mos ago that had me down for the count. I can share experiences off-line if you need/like.