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Redskins.com: Now you know.


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This is ballsy :).

http://www.redskins.com/gen/articles/ExtremeSkins_Fan_View__Now_You_Know_50578.jsp

Not in the main front rotation, so click the link so they know you care :).

ExtremeSkins Fan View: Now You Know

By Arthur Mills

ExtremeSkins.com

Posted: September 12, 2009

Seeing is not believing. I know this because after the Redskins beat the Giants 31-10 in New York every single person in the know will talk about the Giants and what happened to them to make what’s about to happen to them possible.

Analysts will discuss the lack of legitimate receiving threat allowing the Redskins to focus on the Giants running game as giving the Redskins an “unexpected” advantage.

The transition to a new defensive coordinator is the cause, surely.

No one will be quite sure of what they just saw.

Except us.

For most of 20 years the only times the Redskins have been any good with any consistency have been when things are darkest. Start 0-5 with a coach the players hated. Turn it around, kinda, sorta. Five in a row or we don’t go. We miss you Sean Taylor.

Mostly we’ve been left searching for an arrival point for this team when we know with absolute certainty they are no longer mostly mediocre, sometimes sorry and infrequently mildly above average.

We’ve peered through smoke signals of successful portions of seasons to believe it’ll happen the subsequent one. We’ve learned optimism is never expectation. We came close to letting it all out last year as Dan Snyder yelled, “Yeah, 4-1. In Dallas. In Philly.”

We’ve waited for a team with so many great, top-level parts to become a great, top-level team. Incorrectly we’ve assumed we’d see a progression over time of a team coming together, emerging into something good and growing into something great.

After the Giants get run out of the Meadowlands by the Washington Redskins, when you see every single person in the world talking about the Giants, remember what you see here and understand the last many, too many, demoralizing, frustrating, infuriating seasons have not been a process. They’ve been a bus ride.

A cramped, dirty bus ride with a hundred stops, a couple of break downs, smelly passengers, an impolite bus driver and a surcharge on gas, not to mention too few Johns.

Yet, the trip eventually ends, you get off where you’ve wanted to be all along, and the ride doesn’t seem quite as distressing as it just was.

In spite of a legitimately stunning bit of suckdom to end last season, followed by an offseason of rumors surrounding the ONE position (eyes are closed, ignoring kicker today, thanks) without a player proven to be capable of NFL elite production, yet most important to the team’s possibilities, we are, unexpectedly yet undeniably, off the bus now.

Only we’ll fully understand that after it happens.

It won’t take long for others to catch on. Bandwagons long in the shop will actually be forced to come out. Some will be slow to come on board, umpteen times bitten, impossibly shy. Two weeks after it happens it’ll be apparent to everyone what is now known to you.

The Redskins are, simply, better than the Giants and better than most teams.

The Redskins with Jason Campbell, the worst QB in the division, are a 7-9 to 9-7 team, barring injury. We know this. We’ve seen it. Just happened.

The Redskins with Jason Campbell, the best QB in the division, are a 12-4 team, give or take one.

Sure, it helps that after 18 or so months our man Jimmy Z. apparently looked up when Jason Campbell threw a long pass and said, “Gosh, that guy has a big arm, I should put in more plays that do that.” It doesn’t matter that Campbell’s deep ball is often thrown as deftly as Stevie Wonder stepping over a puddle.

It matters that other teams have not been forced to believe we’ll get wet.

Against the Giants a minimum of 10 passes will travel over 20 yards from the line of scrimmage. It won’t matter how many are completed. The Giants will be forced to respect it. They’ll respond with heavy pressure, thinking our offensive line isn’t healthy (does no one remember at 6-2 last year before it started getting hurt some thought ours was the best line in football?). Portis will gut them for two TD runs of around 30 and 50 yards and the G-Men will be forced to fire back with lesser pass catchers than we have pass defenders.

It will lead to a total beat-down of the Giants and will take some time before people catch on to the fact the Redskins will finally play to match their players to their plays.

The downfield threat will be a repetitive theme starting against New York. Opponents will know this is not a typical Redskins offense. They’ll see on tape, on almost every pass play, receivers down the field, in the middle range and short. Actual, honest to goodness layered routes. And they’ll see we will throw to them. And they’ll have to cover them.

For too long we’ve pretended we’ve got the personnel to run a smash mouth game. We’ve announced that as our identity with apparent relish. And we operate in fits and starts because our line is not built to blow people up. Our runner is not built to bowl people over. Our receivers are not built (though with Malcolm Kelly in there, better) to knock people around.

Our personnel is built to spread you out, make you believe it, hit the seams running and generate yards after the catch. This is impossible when 11 guys can play in a 10-yard box. There are no seams. There are no yards after the catch. There is only pain, anger and, “Uh, Bill Cowher for $20 million a year.”

When this year ends and Campbell is receiving his $40 million 2010 uncapped year contract and Snyder’s very tiny statue is being put up at FedExField and John Riggins and Clinton Portis embrace the deep embrace of champions, you’ll remember, we can’t lose playing like this.

We won’t lose playing like that.

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Most definitely. :D Good read and makes points we tend to forget after our 2-6 collapse last year. We protect Campbell and why shouldn't we be tougher than last year with Randle El in the slot and Kelly as the #2? I don't know about the beat down, but I fully expect us to surprise people today.

I didn't think I could get more excited for today's game, but this got me revved up!

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Well now I'm stoked!

Ready for my annual heartbreak

I've given myself a reasonable out for heartbreak. The Redskins throwing five-yard passes 40 times and shrinking the field is what will cause it. If they force the Giants to respect down the field passes you won't have the same heartbreak.

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If our front office is smart enough to figure this out, then yeah it will work.

Take the Steelers for example. On Thursday night even the announcers were noticing the drastic change in Pitt's offensive philosophy. I remember them saying "on 3rd and 1yd you see a spread offense from the Steelers. How contrasting to their historic pound-it mentality."

But damn I hope you're irght!

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I've given myself a reasonable out for heartbreak. The Redskins throwing five-yard passes 40 times and shrinking the field is what will cause it. If they force the Giants to respect down the field passes you won't have the same heartbreak.

Couldna said it better myself! This wait is killing me. I can't wait til gametime. :gaintsuck

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What did you see that makes you think we throw at least 10 deep passes?

(Throwing the ball 20 yards out of bounds to avoid a sack doesn't count.)

Because that's what Zorn needs to do to get space in his precious short game given he can't get Jason to throw overly early. These longer passes and the thing we haven't shown anyone.

Remember the Redskins have THE original wildcat QB. Watch for ARE doing that five times today. I'd be stunned if we don't rip this out today. But, perhaps I'm just allowing that what I'd do is what they'll do.

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Because that's what Zorn needs to do to get space in his precious short game given he can't get Jason to throw overly early. These longer passes and the thing we haven't shown anyone.

Remember the Redskins have THE original wildcat QB. Watch for ARE doing that five times today. I'd be stunned if we don't rip this out today. But, perhaps I'm just allowing that what I'd do is what they'll do.

I agree that is what Zorn needs to do. But I thought the same thing last year, and they didn't do it.

My opinion is that Zorn did call plays where a WR was open deep, but Campbell didn't see him.

On those long passes in preseason, it seemed like Zorn told Campbell he had to throw deep to this specific player. That is why he pretty much stared down the guy as soon as they snapped the ball.

I think that is the only way you can get Campbell to throw long. That was the case on the Moss TD against the Saints.

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Because that's what Zorn needs to do to get space in his precious short game given he can't get Jason to throw overly early. These longer passes and the thing we haven't shown anyone.

We have shown the deep pass. Jason couldn't complete it to Kelly. When asked about it after the game Jason said he didn't know MK's speed. This left many here scratching their head & wondering :wtf: do you mean you didn't know his speed. Jason & MK even worked on passing drills after practice, not to mention have had an entire off season, OTAs, mini camp & a full training camp so he should know his speed by the start of a pre season game.

Remember the Redskins have THE original wildcat QB. Watch for ARE doing that five times today. I'd be stunned if we don't rip this out today.

Prepare to be stunned. Zorn will not whip out the Wildcat today. I'll even bet you breakfast in Detroit on it.

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