TK Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 washingtonpost.com Spurrier's Offense Is Hard to Defend Fun 'n' Gun Has Become Pain 'n' No Gain By Nunyo Demasio Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, November 4, 2003; Page D01 When Coach Steve Spurrier joined the Washington Redskins in 2002, he said he wanted to see whether his vaunted Fun 'n' Gun offense would work in the NFL. But midway through his second season, the characteristically ****sure coach has looked bewildered and befuddled -- the harshest critics describe him as clueless and speculate that Spurrier won't be back next season. But sources said yesterday that owner Daniel Snyder remains supportive of the coach, and Spurrier indicated that he has not budged from his plan to stay with the club at least through the 2004 season. "I'm sticking on my three-year deal," Spurrier said. At the University of Florida, Spurrier was regarded as the Albert Einstein of offense, using an idiosyncratic, audible-driven system that flourished under his play-calling panache to amass 122 victories and a national championship. His gaudy numbers led Snyder to give him the richest coaching contract in NFL history: five years, $25 million. But the Fun 'n' Gun has been anything but fun for quarterback Patrick Ramsey and the Redskins (3-5), losers of their past four games. The system is stalled as Ramsey struggles to change plays at the line of scrimmage and takes a weekly beating. "Whatever system Steve is running is not working: He's not protecting the quarterback," former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann, an ESPN analyst, said yesterday afternoon in a telephone interview. "That's not a criticism; that's a fact." The Redskins seemed to reach a low point after a 24-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 19. The bye week that followed seemed well-timed for a team trying to stop a skid, but the team reached its nadir with Sunday's 21-14 loss to the division rival Dallas Cowboys. "I'm not that discouraged," Spurrier said yesterday. "We're getting stopped for the same reason that other offenses are getting stopped." But the lack of protection for Ramsey has been the most egregious shortcoming of the Fun 'n' Gun and has caused tension within the coaching staff, with Spurrier reportedly firing offensive line coach Kim Helton last week before changing his mind. During the two weeks before the Dallas game, Spurrier made adjustments to try to protect his second-year quarterback: Ramsey employed more three-step drops than in any other game this season. Spurrier called for screens and slants while using three-wide-receiver sets instead of four, which gave Ramsey an extra blocker. Nonetheless, the changes were difficult to discern amid the Cowboys' continual blitzes. Ramsey was sacked four times -- bringing his season total to 26, third in the league -- and frequently hit even after getting his passes off. He dislocated his left pinkie and bruised his left forearm and was forced to leave the game twice. "They outcoached us," Spurrier said. One starter, who requested anonymity, agreed with that assessment, saying Spurrier appears outmatched in the NFL because of a reluctance to revamp his system. Is Spurrier losing the team? "He's the captain of the ship," replied linebacker Jessie Armstead. "There's nobody jumping off ship. The guys who are jumping off ship, step forward and say you're jumping off ship. Don't hide behind any curtains." Another player, while requesting anonymity, said that team leaders have been the biggest culprits. The same Redskin said that the only one who has a right to criticize Spurrier is Ramsey. Cornerback Champ Bailey said: "I think we are preparing well. But for some reason we just don't execute when we get out there." Theismann added, "There are problems that go beyond coaching on that team, that start with the players." All four of the Cowboys' sacks occurred on blitzes in which Redskins players missed assignments. Dallas blitzed with abandon partly because injuries to Trung Canidate and Ladell Betts forced the Redskins to use reserve tailbacks. "I think the inexperience of their running backs hurt them," said Cowboys safety Darren Woodson, who had one sack. Spurrier appeared to gather his NFL bearings during a 7-9 record last year. He initially signed a coterie of former Gators but soon shed them for speedier players that would better fit his offense. Snyder and vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato set out to build the team Spurrier wanted, acquiring speedy wideout Laveranues Coles and releasing Stephen Davis, one of the leading rushers in franchise history, whose style didn't mesh with the Fun 'n' Gun's objectives. This season, Spurrier has unsuccessfully searched for an offensive identity. Initially, he used more of a Fun 'n' Run system, and the Redskins led the league in offense after their 3-1 start. But after their third straight loss Spurrier said he felt "NFL-ized" and amended his approach yet again. During the four-game losing streak, the Redskins averaged only 241 yards and are 22nd in the league in total offense. "I'll do anything to try to win the ballgame," said Spurrier. "We've changed a lot from the style of plays." Spurrier's troubles are especially glaring contrasted with the success of Cowboys Coach Bill Parcells. The 62-year-old has made Dallas into one of the NFL's most surprising teams, using a very different approach from Spurrier's: ball-control offense and a disciplinarian streak. The Florida Gators consistently accumulated more penalties than their opponents during Spurrier's tenure, but the high-powered offense was able to overcome that disadvantage. After eight penalties (for 57 yards) Sunday, the Redskins are on pace to break the NFL season record of 158. "He's the type of coach who lets guys do their thing," said right guard Randy Thomas. "It was working fine when we were 3-1. People are only questioning him because we're struggling. But I put it on the players: We're professionals." When Spurrier addresses the media, he uses a calm, plain-spoken manner that belies the complexity of his system. It's a habit that endeared Spurrier to Gator fans and much of the college football media. But as the losses mount, Spurrier truly seems at a loss to stop the slide. "People confuse his personality with football knowledge," Theismann said. "Steve knows exactly what he wants to do. The question is, can it work at this level? And the answer to that at this point is: not very well." © 2003 The Washington Post Company washingtonpost.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Forget audibles, get the plays off quickly and maybe Patrick can last another couple of weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljer Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 "He's the type of coach who lets guys do their thing," said right guard Randy Thomas. That...IMHO is not a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurent Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 You know, I'm no expert by any means and my football experience mostly comes from watching the games and playing Madden online. That said, I don't understand why we aren't seeing more plays designed to take advantage of those blitz happy defenses we are seeing every freaking Sunday. Where are the passes into the flats, where are the quick slants, why aren't we sending the TEs out on routes when they bring the house? Where are the bootlegs, reverses and misdirection plays? Spurrier seems to be so hell bent on throwing the deep ball that he appears to be abandoning all reason and common sense. It's absolutely maddening to see teams beating us with the same basic approach every weekend. That to me so far is Spurriers biggest flaw. His failure to adjust to how defenses are attacking what he is trying to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyGator Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 How many games has Theisman won as a coach? Oh yeah, zero! It's sad when the most accountable voice on this offense is one of the newest voices. If the Skins brought the attitude of last year's Jets to the team more, they'd be much better. The only ones with winning attitudes on this offense from what I've seen have been Coles, Ramsey and Thomas. Sad. Knock Wuerrfel but his attitude is head and shoulders above most players on this team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DjTj Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Originally posted by laurent You know, I'm no expert by any means and my football experience mostly comes from watching the games and playing Madden online. That said, I don't understand why we aren't seeing more plays designed to take advantage of those blitz happy defenses we are seeing every freaking Sunday. Where are the passes into the flats, where are the quick slants, why aren't we sending the TEs out on routes when they bring the house? Where are the bootlegs, reverses and misdirection plays? Spurrier seems to be so hell bent on throwing the deep ball that he appears to be abandoning all reason and common sense. It's absolutely maddening to see teams beating us with the same basic approach every weekend. That to me so far is Spurriers biggest flaw. His failure to adjust to how defenses are attacking what he is trying to do. The weird thing is that at the beginning of the season we were doing more trick plays, quick slants, screen passes, end-arounds, and dump-offs into the flat. The game against Dallas was probably the least creative our offense has been. I've said it a few times already, but I really feel like Spurrier has gotten too NFL-ized. This week we tried to run max protect instead of doing the things that the Fun n' Gun has always done to defeat the blitz: beat it for big plays. ...but hey, more protection is what everybody was screaming for and that's what we got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurent Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I have a hell of a lot of respect for Theisman and I don't really care about how many games he's coached. He knows the game and he's played under one, if not the best coach ever to coach in this game. He says it how he sees it and I don't really see anything wrong with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Another player, while requesting anonymity, said that team leaders have been the biggest culprits. The same Redskin said that the only one who has a right to criticize Spurrier is Ramsey. Bruce Smith is one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Originally posted by laurent You know, I'm no expert by any means and my football experience mostly comes from watching the games and playing Madden online. That said, I don't understand why we aren't seeing more plays designed to take advantage of those blitz happy defenses we are seeing every freaking Sunday. Where are the passes into the flats, where are the quick slants, why aren't we sending the TEs out on routes when they bring the house? Where are the bootlegs, reverses and misdirection plays? Spurrier seems to be so hell bent on throwing the deep ball that he appears to be abandoning all reason and common sense. It's absolutely maddening to see teams beating us with the same basic approach every weekend. That to me so far is Spurrier's biggest flaw. His failure to adjust to how defenses are attacking what he is trying to do. Wide open plays take time to develop, they want to burn the defense, Spurrier pointed that out tonight on his Radio show, and at times had the wr open, but either Patrick missed it, or he was getting killed by the blitz. As Spurrier said they have a ton of plays they haven't ran yet, but when you go three and out, and your QB is getting crushed about every time he goes back to pass, it is hard to get them in the game plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Agreed. I heard that to bubba. really makes you wonder what he could do if he could throw in the rest of those plays. That said, let's not forget that one of the best ways to beat a blitz is to "chuck it deep". Matter of fact how many times has the board erupted on a game thread when the Skins blitz and get burned deep. You know. "Hey. WTF? Why the hell are they blitzing_____?" "We just can't blitz well with our DB's", We can't blitz well period". Usually right after someone said" let's go man all the time "and "why aren't we blitzing?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurent Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Originally posted by bubba9497 Wide open plays take time to develop, they want to burn the defense, Spurrier pointed that out tonight on his Radio show, and at times had the wr open, but either Patrick missed it, or he was getting killed by the blitz. As Spurrier said they have a ton of plays they haven't ran yet, but when you go three and out, and your QB is getting crushed about every time he goes back to pass, it is hard to get them in the game plan. I understand that, but a well executed screen pass into the flats can be every bit as effective as chucking it deep. We don't call nearly enough of those to make opposing think twice about bringing the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDALERT Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Don't believe the HYPE, it's all :bsflag: :laugh: . Prove to me Spurrier that you can adjust to this onslaught each and every Sunday. I never in my entire years of watching football and playing football witnessed such a thing. Even Marty and Norv knew how and understood the importance of protecting your QB. Sheeeeeeeeesh:shot: Oops....forgive me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Now that I agree with laurent. Even though I like the idea of going deep on a blitz, especially if that leaves say, Coles one on one with a rookie CB, However, being that I was watching the game with somebody who does know a #$@ load about football, and he was saying the same thing a the time, (go to the backs in the backfield or pitch it out wide), I go with that idea better. Considering how Ramsey was getting killed. In a perfect world, I see the backs and line picking up the blitz and Coles or Gardner get hit deep, but right now, I like the idea of the short stuff too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByLinebacker Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Ramsey was sacked four times -- bringing his season total to 26, third in the league Third in the league and the media act as if Spurrier is committing a crime against Ramsey by letting him get hit more than any QB ever. I don't hear anyone in the media questioning Andy Reid's protection scheme's in spite of the sacks Donavan has taken. I mean, obviously we have protection problems that need to be fixed, but we aren't going to come close to approaching what happened to David Carr last year when I heard nobody shredding Dom Capers on a weekly basis. This just in, young QBs tend to get hit. If they are surrounded by players that can't get their job done, they get hit a lot. This is just like last year when the media acted as if SOS was the most pass happy coach ever when several teams had a higher pass-to-run ratio. I mean I know when Troy Aikman says "they need to keep more people in" after a play, as a former QB he has to notice that a TE and a RB were kept in on the side the blitz came from. But he just ignores the facts and says his crap like the rest of the media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sashae Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 The problem is, Ramsey is getting outright KILLED, and we have players that have either attended the Pro Bowl or been considered for it on our line. THREE of them. It's not talent issues on the line, it's either coaching or scheming or both. -s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsNumberOne Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Originally posted by sashae The problem is, Ramsey is getting outright KILLED, and we have players that have either attended the Pro Bowl or been considered for it on our line. THREE of them. It's not talent issues on the line, it's either coaching or scheming or both. -s Well, I have a question. Do Pro Bowl linemen need to be taught some basics of blocking? How many times do I have to see Chris Samules block the inside man when there's a big guy lined up on the outside who NO ONE IS PICKING UP? Is that a preparation problem, or is it Samuels' fault? Because whenever that happened (and it's happened so, so often in the past couple games), do you know what the result was? Ramsey. on the ground. again. And last week, as pointed out by Darren Woodson, we had some inexperienced RBs blocking. Did anyone else notice how badly we were whiffing on blocking the extra man? Does anyone know what would happen if we didn't whiff? I don't know what would happen, but I think if the extra man was blocked, Ramsey wouldn't have been hit by the extra man, because, see... he would have been blocked. Those little blocks could have made HUGE differences in this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Extend the practice sessions have the offense face 12 defenders and make the TEs and RBs work and work again on pass protection until there are more pickups than whiffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sisko Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 But the lack of protection for Ramsey has been the most egregious shortcoming of the Fun 'n' Gun and has caused tension within the coaching staff, with Spurrier reportedly firing offensive line coach Kim Helton last week before changing his mind. Sooooo close ASF. Keep hope alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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