Al Saunders, Joe Gibbs, Don Coryell, & Clinton Portis...

Californiaskin · Post by **Californiaskin** » Wed May 17, 2006 1:54 am

I keep hearing about Air Coryell, Joe Gibbs and Al Saunders, the Cheif vertical game, and aquiring wide recievers and passing game what not......

I personally think that Clinton will be the one benefitting most from the presence of Al. Priest Holmes and Larry Johnston were freaking beasts in the KC offense. I look for him to score 14+ Rush TDs this season hopefully getting 20-25 touches per game.

I'm pretty sure KC used the same "zone" blocking schemes that we employed (as well as Denver) when Clinton had his best games last year. If so look out. Talk about smashmouth! Hope the new wideouts can block!

AZHog · Post by **AZHog** » Wed May 17, 2006 8:26 am

The basic principle is that the passing game opens up the running game and vice versa. The key to any balanced attack is a high rate of agressive completions and keeping the clock moving with the run: ie: Air Coryell.

Skeletor · Post by **Skeletor** » Wed May 17, 2006 11:01 am

I wouldn't exactly call Air Coryell a "balanced attack". They were more like the Rams of late, threw 50 times a game, ran just to keep the defense honest.

Gibbs refined the system Coryell ran to become more balanced, just as Saunders implemented more running plays when he moved from STL to KC.

But the original point stands. Portis is going to be the beneficiary. Somebody a while back posted that the way to defend the Redskins was to double Santana put a safety on Cool

ey and then put 8 men in the box to stop Portis. That of course, would require 12 men on defense and still leave Lloyd and/or Randle El with single coverage.

It's going to be Pick your Poison for the Redskins' opponents this year. Too many weapons to defend.

yupchagee · Post by **yupchagee** » Wed May 17, 2006 1:00 pm

I expect Portis to have fewer carries with more quality WR's & a fullback in the backfield for short yardage situations. I also expect his yds/carry to improve since defenses won't be able to stack so much.

Mursilis · Post by **Mursilis** » Wed May 17, 2006 1:51 pm

yupchagee wrote:I expect Portis to have fewer carries with more quality WR's & a fullback in the backfield for short yardage situations. I also expect his yds/carry to improve since defenses won't be able to stack so much.

I always admired Portis's willingness to play as a 'power' back in Gibbs' system, with absolutely no fear in taking on linemen, linebackers, etc., regardless of size, but I often wondered about his ability to hold up to such a pounding, since he's not a big back by today's standards. I think he'll not only have higher productivity in Saunders' offense, but he'll (hopefully) take less of a pounding. He's definitely a 'core' Redskin, and a huge part of our offense.

Redskin in Canada · Post by **Redskin in Canada** » Wed May 17, 2006 3:56 pm

The best antidote to a Air Coryell's offense was ... George Allen's. Look up the record between them.

George was my second coach since I became a Redskins fan. Lombardi did not have enough time to put the ship back in the right direction due to his bad health.

joebagadonuts · Post by **joebagadonuts** » Wed May 17, 2006 4:05 pm

At least it looks like the old 'run, run, pass' style of offense will be shaken up a bit. At times, the offense was so predictable, I was calling the plays before they happened.

skinsfano28 · Post by **skinsfano28** » Wed May 17, 2006 4:17 pm

CP was on nfl live today and said as long as we win, he doens't care if he gets 10-11 touches a game. sounds like a team player to me :-)

yupchagee · Post by **yupchagee** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:08 pm

I hope he gets fewer touches so he will last longer.

Chris Luva Luva · Post by **Chris Luva Luva** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:29 pm

yupchagee wrote:I hope he gets fewer touches so he will last longer.

He never wore out last season. He got stronger towards the end of the season.

yupchagee · Post by **yupchagee** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:31 pm

He had some nagginginjuries in the post season & I'm thinking years, not just 1 season.

Mursilis · Post by **Mursilis** » Wed May 17, 2006 9:16 pm

Chris Luva Luva wrote:
yupchagee wrote:I hope he gets fewer touches so he will last longer.

He never wore out last season. He got stronger towards the end of the season.

I'd beg to differ - two of his worst games last season were the two playoff games. I'm not saying that's his fault at all - the o-line was banged-up, the passing game was sputtering, and he had some sort of minor injury (ankle?) which was slowing him down a little.

Don't get me wrong - I love Portis. He's tough, he's unselfish, and he's a team guy - blocks, doesn't complain about his number of touches, and leads by example. All that being said, he's not Riggins and shouldn't be used like Riggins was. I look at his stats and note that while he got significantly fewer (132 fewer) carries in two years in Denver than here, he actually got more yards (268 more). I'm hoping Saunders uses him like he was used in Denver - fewer touches, but hopefully just as many or more yards, because defenses have to respect the passing game more. Plus, less wear and tear on Portis!! Running backs just age faster in this game.

Chris Luva Luva · Post by **Chris Luva Luva** » Wed May 17, 2006 9:35 pm

Mursilis wrote:
Chris Luva Luva wrote:
yupchagee wrote:I hope he gets fewer touches so he will last longer.

He never wore out last season. He got stronger towards the end of the season.

I'd beg to differ - two of his worst games last season were the two playoff games. I'm not saying that's his fault at all - the o-line was banged-up, the passing game was sputtering, and he had some sort of minor injury (ankle?) which was slowing him down a little.

You disagree but you blame the offensive woes on everything but Portis? So basically you do agree.

Portis took the team on his shoulders and played his guts out.

If Randy and David were still available for the last two games then we would have produced as usual. No running back would have been successful in our last two games. Barry Sander, Emmit or Trung Candidate would have had the same results. Nobody can run without blocking which failed on us due to injury.

I do agree that Id like us to lessen the burden on Portis to save some years on his career for us. Its good to know that he's willing and able when we need him. I dont think its fair to knock him down for circumstances out of his control.

yupchagee wrote:He had some nagginginjuries in the post season & I'm thinking years, not just 1 season.

He played with nagging injuries for most of the season. It didn't stop him any other time.

Lets break it down. What reasons could explain Portis's lack of production.

1. Loss of key players to the offense, more specifically the passing game which allowed teams to stuff the run.

2. Nagging injuries he played with/thru for a lot of the season.

Im going to go with #1.

Mursilis · Post by **Mursilis** » Wed May 17, 2006 10:23 pm

Chris Luva Luva wrote:Lets break it down. What reasons could explain Portis's lack of production.

1. Loss of key players to the offense, more specifically the passing game which allowed teams to stuff the run.

2. Nagging injuries he played with/thru for a lot of the season.

Im going to go with #1.

I'm going to go with both. The last two years have both been career highs for carries for Portis, and on this team he's been running inside a whole lot more than he ever did in Denver. You're right - he did carry the team into the post-season, but it wasn't without a toll on him physically.

Chris Luva Luva · Post by **Chris Luva Luva** » Wed May 17, 2006 10:32 pm

Mursilis wrote:
Chris Luva Luva wrote:Lets break it down. What reasons could explain Portis's lack of production.

1. Loss of key players to the offense, more specifically the passing game which allowed teams to stuff the run.

2. Nagging injuries he played with/thru for a lot of the season.

Im going to go with #1.

I'm going to go with both. The last two years have both been career highs for carries for Portis, and on this team he's been running inside a whole lot more than he ever did in Denver. You're right - he did carry the team into the post-season, but it wasn't without a toll on him physically.

Yes, I agree that a toll had been taken. But I believe without a doubt that if our passing game didn't falter he would have carried the offense to the superbowl.

Californiaskin · Post by **Californiaskin** » Thu May 18, 2006 2:57 am

Injuries or not I think most current Redskins fans have to believe we got the best of the Baily deal. Not to take anything away from Baily cuz he was great for us but:
#1 Portis broke the Skins single season rushing record in
year two.
#2 Sean Taylor (when out of trouble) quickly solidified our Def backfield and made me forget about champ.
#3 Portis plays with tremendous heart, pounds the ball when asked, and pass blocks with a fricken passion.
#4 At first I did'nt like the crazy costumes and what not jerome or whatever but it made my wife actually start watching games.

I think duse is going to have a huge year!

hkHog · Post by **hkHog** » Thu May 18, 2006 10:25 am

Californiaskin wrote:Injuries or not I think most current Redskins fans have to believe we got the best of the Baily deal. Not to take anything away from Baily cuz he was great for us but:
#1 Portis broke the Skins single season rushing record in
year two.
#2 Sean Taylor (when out of trouble) quickly solidified our Def backfield and made me forget about champ.
#3 Portis plays with tremendous heart, pounds the ball when asked, and pass blocks with a fricken passion.
#4 At first I did'nt like the crazy costumes and what not jerome or whatever but it made my wife actually start watching games.

I think duse is going to have a huge year!

You forgot to mention that what we pay Portis AND Springs combined is less than what Denver pays Bailey.

This was a great trade for us and it makes even more sense when you look at it from a salary cap perspective!

Countertrey · Post by **Countertrey** » Thu May 18, 2006 10:33 am

#3 Portis plays with tremendous heart, pounds the ball when asked, and pass blocks with a fricken passion.

And, an underline. Portis NEVER, that's NEVER takes a play off. Until the whistle blows, he is either hitting someone, or looking for someone to hit. If he has no role in the play, he finds one.

He is the exact opposite of Randy Moss, whom (if the play is not intended for him) takes a coffee break.

hkHog · Post by **hkHog** » Thu May 18, 2006 10:59 am

Countertrey wrote:
#3 Portis plays with tremendous heart, pounds the ball when asked, and pass blocks with a fricken passion.

And, an underline. Portis NEVER, that's NEVER takes a play off. Until the whistle blows, he is either hitting someone, or looking for someone to hit. If he has no role in the play, he finds one.

He is the exact opposite of Randy Moss, whom (if the play is not intended for him) takes a coffee break.

Agreed, he is also without a doubt the leader of this team. He has all the intangibles and he just loves to play. I have always admired the fact that he isn't just a RB, but a true football player.

He has that football brain that is so hard to come by and he is a fully rounded player who is always in position to make a play even if it is something like a fumble recovery or a tackle if we turn the ball over.

On paper his stats are just incredible (one of just three guys to go 1500+ in three of first four years, Redskins single season rushing record holder). However, this is just half of the story, his intangibles are what really make him a great player and they are all off the charts!

yupchagee · Post by **yupchagee** » Thu May 18, 2006 1:22 pm

I think we can all agree that Portis is an excellent RB & a real asset to the team. I just don't want overuse to shorten his career.

TincoSkin · Post by **TincoSkin** » Thu May 18, 2006 1:36 pm

yupchagee wrote:I think we can all agree that Portis is an excellent RB & a real asset to the team. I just don't want overuse to shorten his career.

with our new wide out selection opening up the box you wont have to worry about that

yupchagee · Post by **yupchagee** » Thu May 18, 2006 5:07 pm

I can't help it, I'm a worrier by nature.