Potential offensive gameplans for Sunday night

[Bacon]

Observing today's threads, I've noticed a bit of a rift between the members here; there are those who think we'll hold up well against Dallas without Portis, and there are those who are popping the proverbial cyanide pill. Neither side, however, has gone into much detail as to why we won't disappoint/why we are completely doomed. Because of this, I decided to put this thread together, so we can all air different ideas as to how the team should handle this situation. Above all, I do want this to be a positive or at least somewhat productive thread, something that those who are panicking can chew on in the days ahead, perhaps giving them some hope.

A few key points:

1. Clinton Portis will not be starting. I'm not entirely sure if he's been deactivated, but he will not be seeing the field.

2. Ladell Betts is practicing, but whether or not he will start has yet to be confirmed.

3. Terence Newman returned to practice on Wednesday, and will likely start against the Skins.

4. Dallas' defense kind of sucks regardless.

After giving it some thought, here's my suggestion:

First off, the shotgun...use it. Dallas' one saving grace on defense is their pass rush, so remove it from the equation. It won't be your daddy's WCO, but in this case it may be necessary. There have been threads discussing a potential transition to shotgun, as many people here have observed that JC becomes more accurate and generally effective out of the shotgun, and I believe this would be a great game to test the waters. Increase the usage of deep balls and 20-40 yard intermediate passes, and you'll keep Dallas honest for the entire game. I hate it when teams run out of the shotgun, and with our current OL I don't think the blocking could hold up long enough for that to work, so it would be best if we utilized our running backs through short passes. This would also be a great game for us to get the ball to Sellers. His usual responsibility is to be the brick wall that Portis hides behind, but with this gameplan, he should be thrown a pass or two, and given the opportunity for a few bruising runs (preferably on the left side ) for a guaranteed handful of yardage, especially inside the redzone, where he hasn't really been given the chance to do much all season. Obviously, I have complete faith in our defense, so my only words of admonishment to them are "don't let us down."

Ultimately, I just don't believe that the gameplans we have implemented over the past four games will be effective with our current personnel. Even if my particular gameplan is terrible, it at least reflects my general wish for this team; that we no longer rely on a single player (Portis, Moss, etc.), but to pool our resources and win this game through flexibility and ferocity through all 4 quarters. Recently, we've only played our best football for two quarters a game (Detroit - second half, Steelers - first half), and that won't get it done against playoff-caliber teams, which I believe that a healthy Dallas team is. This game should prove to be a huge turning point for the Redskins, and if we manage to work through it without Portis, it could really boost his confidence in the supporting cast of this team, which will only improve his output. Plus, 7-3 with a sweep of Dallas would look awesome.