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Bold Prediction: '09 Redskins Will Be More Successfull Passing Than Rushing

Springfield

By Springfield
in The Stadium

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Springfield

Springfield

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First and foremost, I don't normally start threads in the Stadium. I try to keep up with the threads as best I can. I haven't seen a thread about the offensive focus yet. If there is a thread that has broken down into a discussion about our offensive focus already out there, I apologize (and please delete this one).

Now, my bold prediction. Maybe it isn't so bold, but it certainly is different than we are used to. I've seen posters mention that the offense might be more pass oriented this season. I think that not only will our pass game be much more effective but we will do it out of necessity. There are a few different reasons why.

Reason #1: Jason Campbell. I haven't traditionally been a supporter of JC. I have criticized him here on several occasions and have admittedly given him three games to prove he is better than last season. During preseason, he seemed to make better decisions and pass slightly more accuracy. Also, of major importance, it is a contract season. If JC doesn't perform well this season, he never will. If he doesn't perform, he won't have a shot at another starting QB job for the rest of his career.

Reason #2: Jim Zorn. Much like JC, Jim Zorns tenure on the Redskins could be over this season if he doesn't succeed. Success (at least in my book) for Jim Zorn means making the playoffs at the very least. This will (should) lead to taking more chances, throwing the long ball more, much of what we saw with the first team in the preseason.

Reason #3: We finally have a receiving corps to be proud of. We have a speedster #1, a bona fide #2 and a great slot man. It should, and likely will, be easier for JC find an open man. Add to that our pass catching brute of a TE and we have something to be proud of here. This also means more TD's. With a "complete" receiving corps, we should be able to actually pass to a WR (or TE, or RB) in the end zone if we need to.

Reason #4: Clinton Portis. I love CP as much as the next guy but the fact is he is getting old. If we want to go deep into the playoffs (which Jim Zorn wants to in order to keep his job), that will mean that we will have to keep CP fresh. We can't rely on CP to win us games for the first eight games and then die out in the second half of the season. We will have to rely on CP less in order to preserve him for the playoffs. This is by no means a bash CP reason.

To sum it up... I think that we will have more passing yards and TD's and less rushing yards (not sure about TD's) than we did last season.

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Springfield

Springfield

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How is this a bold prediction? Last year we passed for somewhere around 3500 yards and we rushed for probably under 2000 yards.

I'm not saying that we will have more passing yards than rushing yards. That much is obvious with any team.

What I am saying is that we will have more passing yards than last season and we will have less rushing yards than last season.

I think we will also have more passing TD's. As far as rushing TD's... probably about the same.

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Mahons21

Mahons21

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It is a pretty bold prediction... But I see where your coming from, the safe and hesitant play of Campbell and playcalling of Jim Zorn could drastically change this year for no other reason than, it is put up or shut up time for both these guys and they are both well aware... Its time to go out there and play like there is nothing to lose

-However with that being said, I do believe if Zorn expects to earn a spot into the playoffs he is going to have to rely heavily on Portis. I know he's getting older, and I know Zorn wants to keep him fresh... But if the season starts out slow and we are having difficulty formulating a passing attack as we have for who knows how long now, Zorn is going to have to give the ball to the work horse... We win when Portis plays well, its pretty plain and simple... And this isn't just because when your ahead in games you run the ball more, its because Portis is a stud in this league, always has been

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Mahons21

Mahons21

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How is this a bold prediction? Last year we passed for somewhere around 3500 yards and we rushed for probably under 2000 yards.

-I think you have to use his prediction in context... While we may have passed for more yards last season, our passing game was ranked pretty piss poor amongst all the NFL teams... While on the other hand our running game possessed a top 5 RB

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Springfield

Springfield

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It is a pretty bold prediction... But I see where your coming from, the safe and hesitant play of Campbell and playcalling of Jim Zorn could drastically change this year for no other reason than, it is put up or shut up time for both these guys and they are both well aware... Its time to go out there and play like there is nothing to lose

-However with that being said, I do believe if Zorn expects to earn a spot into the playoffs he is going to have to rely heavily on Portis. I know he's getting older, and I know Zorn wants to keep him fresh... But if the season starts out slow and we are having difficulty formulating a passing attack as we have for who knows how long now, Zorn is going to have to give the ball to the work horse... We win when Portis plays well, its pretty plain and simple... And this isn't just because when your ahead in games you run the ball more, its because Portis is a stud in this league, always has been

I agree, we win when Portis plays well. The problem is that if we are winning on Portis' shoulders, he will be tired once the playoffs start (assuming that we make it). I think the key is to keep Portis fresh so that we don't have to worry about his health as we make our playoff push.

I also agree though. If we don't have any success with JC throwing the ball, we will have no other choice than to give it to Portis.

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Mahons21

Mahons21

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Maybe something to do with the departure of Jon Jansen?

-Agree totally.. It was pretty evident last year that Jansen had difficulty with pass pro, but I must admit he was still a pretty good run blocker... With Heyer this year I believe our pass pro will be upgraded, but we'll have to wait and see if we can run the ball to the right

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Springfield

Springfield

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Terrell Davis?(yeah, Denver run block scheme+talent)

Wow. After doing a little research, having a 2,000 yard rusher is rather difficult. Here are the 2,000 yard rushers (according to Wikipedia):

OJ Simpson - 1973

Eric Dickerson - 1984

Barry Sanders - 1998

Terrell Davis - 1998

Jamal Lewis - 2003

That's a pretty elite crew. I highly doubt CP ever running for a 2,000 yard season.

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McD5

McD5

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Good thread, and I agree.

In addition to your reasons, I would attribute it to two specifically:

1. JC looks nothing like he has in the past. I hardly recognize him. Which....shows you how bad he was in the past.

But the guy is actually throwing--with some zip.

Sure, he still can't complete anything deep, but he seems to be stepping into his throws, and firing without fear on the short and medium routes. That is a huge improvement for him. He is putting some heat on the ball.

2. Our offensive line, with regards to running, appears to be worse than last season. I didn't like what I saw from our run blocking this preseason. And, while the right side has been a disaster the last few seasons, it really looks bad now.

With our linemen a year older, plus the addition of the single worst rated guard in the entire league last year(Dockery), it could get really nasty, really quickly. And no talent to back them up.

3 step drops, and fire fast. That is the way to overcome that line. And that should improve the passing, and maybe give us a 21st century offense.

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bulldog

bulldog

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I don't agree.

The Redskins offensive line did a nice job of opening some holes against the Steelers and Patriots defenses in the preseason when the starters were in there and those are better defenses than the team will face in many games in 2009.

Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery and Mike Sellers setting the convoy for Portis should be a powerful asset to the Skins as long as these guys stay healthy.

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Springfield

Springfield

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1. JC looks nothing like he has in the past. I hardly recognize him. Which....shows you how bad he was in the past.

But the guy is actually throwing--with some zip.

Yes. JC has looked like a new guy. I think some of it has directly to do with Zorn's play calling. Hopefully we get the same, inspired, play come Sunday.

The incredible Giants pass rush will certainly be a good test.

2. Our offensive line, with regards to running, appears to be worse than last season. I didn't like what I saw from our run blocking this preseason. And, while the right side has been a disaster the last few seasons, it really looks bad now.

I don't completely agree in respects to our rushing attack. Portis hardly played so I can't say how exactly well we will do. I know your feelings toward Portis, but I think he is still the best RB on this team.

I think it's too early to call our rushing attack weaker than it was last season. If it is though, I think we are in for major trouble as soon as the great defensive minds in the NFL figure that out.

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CliffBattles

CliffBattles

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I sure hope we are. The more sucessful teams in the NFL over the past decade are teams that pass 60% of the time (super defenses like Steelers and Ravens being exceptions) . I think the team should almost "force" itself into being a passing team. Pass, pass, pass. Use the pass to set up the run is the modern mantra....not 1950's football anymore.

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