21MadFan Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I was in a chat with Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post earlier and one of the questions caught my eye Norfolk, Va.: Boz- Shannahan indicated that he would examine personnel first, then match the philosophy accordingly. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Redskins' offensive line is built for power football and not for a zone blocking scheme. What do you think he's going to do? Try to completely overhaul an offensive line that's obviously ill-suited to his beloved offense? Not one of the five starters is suited! Tom Boswell: The problem may be even deeper than that. Aside from Dockery, who do you have to build with who'll be a quality player in '10-'11. Rabach will be 33 in September. Thomas says he's comng back, but he said that this year and lasted five minutes. Gibbs inherited a fine power blocking line in Jansen, Samuels, Dockery and Thomas. That's always been the Skins style. And when you add a Heyer you sure aren't going for "nimble." Part of the reason Shanahan went for smaller, quicker offensive lines in Denver was that the mile-high altitude wore out ultra-big linemen. I asked him about that yesterday. He said his O-line drafting/trading starategies wouldn't change at sea level, though plenty of coaches think it's a big deal. "But I am breathing a little easier," he joked. It's a big switch from the types of linemen __both size and technique__ in Dener to the N.L. East. Even before Mike was head coach, in the Skins last Super Bowl win, remember how the huge Gibbs line blew the Broncos off the ball so Timmy Smith could run wild and Williams had tons of time to pass. Otoh, Shanahan is football-brilliant. And O-line is one of the things he's best at. So, in the Redskins biggest area of total weakness, he's probably the best available coach to deal with it. Also, Joe Bugel will presumably retire, so Shanny can do it his way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnb123 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 None of our starters are suited for zone blocking. True. But it is also true that none of our starters are suited for starting, so he has to bring in new guys anyways. Zone blocking is his bread and butter, I bet it comes here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doghouse4x4 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 It's a big switch from the types of linemen __both size and technique__ in Dener to the N.L. East. Even before Mike was head coach, in the Skins last Super Bowl win, remember how the huge Gibbs line blew the Broncos off the ball so Timmy Smith could run wild and Williams had tons of time to pass. We last won the SB in 87? O rly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doghouse4x4 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 None of our starters are suited for zone blocking. True.But it is also true that none of our starters are suited for starting, so he has to bring in new guys anyways. Zone blocking is his bread and butter, I bet it comes here I don't think we are going straight into zone blocking, but in RE: starters, spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinz248 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Should have put this in http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?t=314866 But I am glad that Shanahan is willing to adapt (something Zorn had no intentions of doing -- talking about Play calling and other things, not just blocking) to suit the players we have instead of trying to get players to do things the way he wants. Gibbs turned our scatback Portis into a bulldozer when Gibbs should have adapted to the strengths of him. However, putting Gibbs in this does not mean that I am comparing him to Zorn, just calling it how I see it. Shanahan (both of them) can get this offense moving. I am excited and can not wait to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdpell Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 none of our starters are suited for any blocking. burn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskin56 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Maybe I'm missing something here, but we adapted our blocking philosophy when Gibbs brought Saunders in to a more "zone" technique. Even this last season, our o-line would "stretch" to one side of the field where the run was designed to go. The object was for the back to "be patient" and wait to see a hole develop then hit that hole. This is precisely the scheme behind zone blocking. We may have not run a pure zone blocking technique but it was closer to zone than straight man. If I recall, Portis was very excited about the change and stated a few times that he had great success behind that technique in Denver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagletooth Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 When we first shifted to a zone blocking scheme under Saunders, I remember Dockery being spot-lighted, showing him cut blocking. He did it for a few games with relative success. Then it just vanished entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 None of our starters are suited for zone blocking. True.But it is also true that none of our starters are suited for starting, so he has to bring in new guys anyways. hahahahaha You make a good point but for some reason it's funny to read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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