JLC: Michael Vouches for Abundant Talent; How About You?

[askounes]

That was a brilliant article, and I agree with JLC 100% in pretty much everything he wrote.

Bottom line - to me anyways - is that the Redskins just don't have very good players. If George Halas and Vince Lombardi were raised from the dead and given co-coaching duties, they'd win 8 games.

[askounes]

That's because he's a journalist, not a football guy.

The truth hurts.

[RedskinzOwnU]

Larry Michaels is a complete and utter joke. I can't watch anything associated with him. JLC is spot on. This team sucks. They overrate themselves, even the players. Sorry boys, YOU'RE not very good. And while I'm skeptical about Zorn, that's not his fault. The FO has to change, it has to. They can't keep doing this forever. Something has to give.

[C26 Run]

LOL, very valid points. The sad part is JLC is such a snot that his words will fall on deaf ears. It's not fair that Zorn may be fired for the mistakes of a pig-headed FO. Also if Blache isn't careful, he's going to turn Landry into the Roy Williams of our defense. :helmet:

[Retire 21]

Homerun post by JLC.

I agree with almost every point.

[rebornempowered]

Guess what?

Matt Ryan is a one of a kind talent. You're not going to get a Matt Ryan in every draft, period. The guy's going to one of the next elite QBs in the game for years to come.

But teams don't need that to win the Super Bowl either. Ryan also has an excellent young receiver in Roddy White, who had a Pro Bowl worthy year last year before Ryan got there, and a young Pro Bowl running back as well, with a solid o-line that's playing currently without their future franchise tackle.

The key ingredients to all that? Young studs across the board around Ryan. The Redskins have old, injured guys around Campbell, with some midget receivers who don't get separation.

Could Campbell play better? Sure. But as GSF pointed out, he was playing excellent football at the start of the season until the oldest o-line in the LEAGUE wore down and now can't protect him and can barely open holes for Portis.

The moment we look to making QB our first priority over o-line or the middle of our d-line, is the moment we decide to stay in mediocrity rather than address our real issue.

It's like you took what has been in my mind the last month and a half and wrote it down for me.

THANK YOU!

[NicholSkin]

He speaks the truth...

except for the Portis part.

[ThomasRoane]

The Falcons oline is actually playing pretty damn well...

Doesn't it make you wonder why last year the O-line all of a sudden was better with Pass Pro once Collins came in? Even in the same Bears game. The QB can and should help the O-line.

JC is a great guy. But let's not make the same mistake we made with Norv. Norv hung around so long because he was a great guy too. I'd watch his post game conferences and it would be hard to get pissed cause he was a genuinely a good guy. But to win in this game you need to have a QB that can make something happen when he doesn't have much to work with.

[PleaseGoForTheWin]

Actually, that's a pretty good analysis. But Zorn has to take some blame here, too. He was winning with those same guys earlier this year but has had no answer for the struggles. You can't blame that entirely on lack of talent because the team still does have some good talent.

[RocketCitySkins]

If the line is as bad as JLC says it is, then shouldn't he consider Portis the best back in the division for being 3rd in rushing this season? You can't criticize the o-line then go on to say Portis isn't even as good as Marion Barber Jason. (The same Barber who behind a mammoth o-line is averaging 3.7 yards/carry)

Portis ran for most of those yards in the first half of the season before the Steelers showed the rest of the NFL that putting 8 men in the box was the way to beat the Redskins. Take out the Seattle game and CP only ran for 250 yds in the last 5 games.

[SonnyJ]

Could Campbell play better? Sure. But as GSF pointed out, he was playing excellent football at the start of the season until the oldest o-line in the LEAGUE wore down and now can't protect him and can barely open holes for Portis.

100% wrong. The offense really started struggling when opposing defenses decided to constrict the field and attack the QB, daring the Redskins to extend their passing game > 5-10 yards downfield.

You can't do this to better offenses because they will carve you up and force the defense to worry about the entire field. It's highly effective against offenses like the Redskins because there isn't much in the way of risk involved for the defense.

[Mursilis]

But this same cast of characters has had strong finishes the 4 years with Joe Gibbs.

Oh look, more myths to make Gibbs look good.

2004 - last 8 games = 3-5. Strong finish there!

2006 - last 8 games = 2-6. Another strong finish!

With 7 wins, Zorn already has more wins than 2 of Gibbs' 4 seasons during the comeback, and the 'skins still have 2 more games to play.

[SonnyJ]

Portis ran for most of those yards in the first half of the season before the Steelers showed the rest of the NFL that putting 8 men in the box was the way to beat the Redskins. Take out the Seattle game and CP only ran for 250 yds in the last 5 games.

It's not just 8 in the box. The entire defense is playing w/in 10 yards of the line on running downs. Corners are up tight.

On passing downs, a safety drops back and pretty much dissuades any deep passing.

This is a ridiculously easy passing game to defend. It requires almost perfect execution by the offense in order to put points up, and very few offenses consistently operate at such a level.

[SonnyJ]

Doesn't it make you wonder why last year the O-line all of a sudden was better with Pass Pro once Collins came in? Even in the same Bears game. The QB can and should help the O-line.

Oh, no! That wasn't it at all. The running game got cranked up, the receivers decided to start playing, and the talentless, depthless OL got lucky for a few games.

All coincidentally occurred when Collins came in mid-game when Campbell went down. The whole team just magically started playing better. It had nothing to do with the switch at QB.

(BTW, I'm not mocking YOU - I agree with you completely)

[ntotoro]

With 7 wins, Zorn already has more wins than 2 of Gibbs' 4 seasons during the comeback, and the 'skins still have 2 more games to play.

Are we now creating the myth of Zorn... ?

[Mursilis]

Are we now creating the myth of Zorn... ?

I'm not; I've only ever said he should be given another year. I've never said he'll be hoisting a Lombardi if he is allowed to stay.

[#98QBKiller]

I agree with most of what he said minus the excuses for Jason Campbell

[ThomasRoane]

(BTW, I'm not mocking YOU - I agree with you completely)

I understand their frustration. I hate the idea of starting over with a new QB too. I was really hoping that JC had what it takes. When Cooley points out that there was plenty of time then that shows that JC just doesn't have the faith of his teammates anymore.

I dunno if Colt is the answer either. But last season wasn't an abberation. I think people forget the Preseason. We looked God Awful with Campbell in each game. Then young Colt would come in with his unorthodox throws and the offense would gain traction, grease was popping and suddenly the passing game was cooking.

JC is one of those QB's where everything has to be perfect for him to succeed. Defenses are just too damn good to allow for that. They're paid to disrupt, confuse and basically blow stuff up.

It's a bitter pill to swallow but JC is not the answer. I think he should keep playing though. Hopefully he'll do enough for us to get a 3rd rounder for him. And that would be a reach.

[Ernie5]

A total hack who has a personal axe to grind. Even when he makes so salient points, his lack of credibility dominates.

[dwbiggs]

LM is Danny's toady...much like Grover Dill was to Scut Farkas...trying to keep with a Christmas theme here.

http://www.redriderleglamps.com/images/products/Scut%20Farkus%20and%20Grover%20Dill.jpg

[Scamp1]

The 2007 run to the playoffs was an anomaly of pretty large proportions.

We had a guy like Lorenzo Alexander coming out as a premiere utility player, playing all 3 ways and making key plays, we had Randall Godfrey showing up as a big run stopping linebacker, Collins as the nice story of taking over after sitting on the bench the majority of his career...the team played out of their minds in the wake of Taylor's burial and with extremely great motivation from Gibbs, who he himself said that he thought that was probably his best coaching job of his career.

Once Gibbs walked away and we lost that Hall of Fame motivation, our team, to quote Dennis Green, became exactly who we thought they were.

A bunch of lost picks, an old o-line, useless DTs, and virtually no real WR depth.

Whoa! another dead on analogy. Couldnt of posted it better.

[Cooley4President]

Why don't they just let Larry Michael do what he was hired to do, call the action on the field as it happens in front of him, and stop forcing him and his analysis down our throats like he's some great NFL mind.

[dwbiggs]

Why don't they just let Larry Michael do what he was hired to do, call the action on the field as it happens in front of him, and stop forcing him and his analysis down our throats like he's some great NFL mind.

And do the same with Cerrato...oh correction...he didn't do his job before he had a show. :doh:

[KingGibbs]

If I were Snyder I'd have a problem with Larry calling the people lining his pockets "haters."

Spin it all you want, but Larry couldn't spit shine Herzog's shoes and any chance he had of gaining respect from the fans has been thrown out the window.

Edit:Ooooppsss. Wrong Larry thread.

[GSF]

Oh, no! That wasn't it at all. The running game got cranked up, the receivers decided to start playing, and the talentless, depthless OL got lucky for a few games.

All coincidentally occurred when Collins came in mid-game when Campbell went down. The whole team just magically started playing better. It had nothing to do with the switch at QB.

(BTW, I'm not mocking YOU - I agree with you completely)

Why are you mocking anybody? Seems a little juvenile...

No question Collins came in and played better than Campbell was playing last year, but when the oline couldn't protect him in Seattle he had the same results Campbell had been getting.

Campbell was playing very well early this season, there is no denying that. Everybody was saying how he had arrived. He's been inaccurate and indecisive in the last 6 weeks, but he also had very little time and was taking a beating. You hit any QB that much and he's either going to start throwing pics or patting the ball and taking sacks. It happens to the best of QBs. When you can't protect and you only have 1 receiver that can make plays you're in trouble, no matter who your QB is. Favre looked completely done 2 years ago when Green Bay let the veteran olineman go elsewhere. Their oline started playing better last year and suddenly Favre could play again. Now he's getting great protection in New York and he's lighting it up.

Campbell still is a guy who hasn't played a whole lot of games. Early in the season last year Giants fans were calling Eli a bust and look at him now. Campbell needs a good oline in front of him and some big targets that can get open(hopefully the rookies) and build up some confidence. If he gets those things he has a chance to develop into a very good QB. It's too soon to say he's a bust, and to blame the teams' results on Campbell with all of the problems they have is just not seeing the big picture. Sure Campbell has largely stunk the last 6 weeks. The whole damn team has.