I'm doing a piece profiling the 2009 season.

FF JUGGERNAUT · Post by **FF JUGGERNAUT** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 10:27 pm

I'm a Bears fan so I'm not well versed in Redskin happenings.

I wanted to throw some questions at you guys to see what you think.

What were the main factors that made them struggle down the stretch last year?

Speculation and trade rumors swirled around Jason Campbell all off season long. I read that he's been more assertive during camp, grabbing face-masks and getting in people’s faces. How do you think he will respond this year? He has all the tools, but the brass doesn’t seem to trust him. How much has the revolving door in the OC office hurt his development? What do you like and dislike about him, Collins, and Brennan?

Why such a big difference production in the run game the 1st half vs. 2nd half? Is Portis on the downside of his career, or was the myriad of injuries he had the reason for his 2nd half decline?

Do you think either Devin Thomas or Malcom Kelly step up this year? What do you like about their game?

What does Orakpo do for the defense?

I appreciate any good nuggets you guys could give me.

Thanks,

bwdjr · Post by **bwdjr** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 10:46 pm

Well, where do I start ?
The main factors that made them struggle down the stretch last year was that they had problems scoring on offense. The offensive line was an older group and as they started to wear down, they were starting to have more trouble running and big problems pass blocking on 3rd and long. Clinton Portis had a lot of carries the 1st half and also wore down the last eight games. Betts needs to get more carries to keep Portis fresh.

Jason has all of the tools to be a good QB but you must have a quality line in front of you. As the offensive line goes, so will Jason. Last year he got punished down the stretch after playing pretty will the 1st eight games when we had a good running game. DC fans just want to see Jason get a quality shot in the same system for a 2nd year for the 1st time in his career.

Collins is a good veteran QB but has a week arm. His entire game is based on timing throws because he has no zip. Brennan played good last pre-season against the scrubs. We will see what he can do this year.

Thomas and Kelly look like they have the talent to play at this level but they always seem to be a little nicked and missing practice. They both appear to possibly be game changers once they get more experience. Not sure how long before the light comes on for them.

Orakpo should help with the pass rush along with Hanesworth. We had problems rushing the passer and getting sacks last year even though we had a top 5 defense. We forced very few turnovers. That's why they tried to get the pass rushers in free-agency and the draft.

FF JUGGERNAUT · Post by **FF JUGGERNAUT** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:42 pm

Thanks for your analysis.

Sounds like they had line trouble on both sides of the ball. Did they do anything to improve the O line?

frankcal20 · Post by **frankcal20** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 12:42 am

They brought back Derrick Dockery. Jon Janson also was released. The fact that the line got healthy too is a big upgrade based off of the fact that in our last game, we were were one injury away from having to use a TE as a Guard because we used all of our reserves because of injuries. It was pretty rough.

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 12:53 am

Not as much as people would like. We brought back Derrick Dockery, and they released Jon Jansen making a commitment to youth at the RT position in Stephon Heyer. Chad Reinhart, a mid-round pick from last year, is finally starting to show some promise as a backup, and we signed several FAs to compete for backup roles all across the line. But the general consensus is that it will take another off-season, where the focus is on the OL, for this team to reach elite status. Still, we are optimistic that we can be a competitive team this year, and that we will definitely surprise some people who have us ranked too low.

ArlingtonSkinsFan · Post by **ArlingtonSkinsFan** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:12 am

I agree with all of the above analyses.

VetSkinsFan · Post by **VetSkinsFan** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 7:50 am

What were the main factors that made them struggle down the stretch last year?

I believe this was multi-faceted. First and foremost, our success in the first half hinged on a healthy team (namely Portis and O-Line) and the mystique of Zorn's first time being playcaller & HC. Around the middle of the season, CP was dinged up, the line started to get dinged up (after all, it is an older line), and most inportantly, game tape proved that We're not stretching the field. This allows opposing defenses to bring their secondary up a little closer than with other vertical offenses.

Speculation and trade rumors swirled around Jason Campbell all off season long. I read that he's been more assertive during camp, grabbing face-masks and getting in people’s faces. How do you think he will respond this year? He has all the tools, but the brass doesn’t seem to trust him. How much has the revolving door in the OC office hurt his development? What do you like and dislike about him, Collins, and Brennan?

I believe that the revolving door is THE reason why Jason hasn't reached his potential. Is he a Montana, Peyton, Marino? I don't think so, but I don't believe he's a Ryan Leaf, either. I believe, with a little luck from the healthy Oline, Jason will have an adequate enough year to garner a new contract. WIll he stay here? That remains to be seen. He's not an outwardly emotional guy and we don't really know how he feels about this off-season.

Collins, I believe, is a Saunders* system QB. He studied it for a decade. He looked bad last year, but he had a minor shoulder injury, so we really don't have enough data to prove or disprove that theory. I also believe that the Oline was finally stable when he took over in 2007 about the same time Jason was hurt, which was also in Collins' favor. I don't believe he's anything more than a back-up, and honestly, I think he's overpaid.

Brennan is exciting. He's got the killer instinct. He has no problem scrambling and he looked better than expected last pre-season considering his hip surgery and lack of practice. I'm excited to see him play tonite. I realize he was in a non-pro offense and a lot of people here relate him to Timmy Chang. For me, I can't help getting a little excited over someone who set 31 records on college; I don't care what kid of offense he was in. I realize this doesn't necessarily translate in to an NFL star, but the man's got some talent at the very least.

His off-field antics have been brought up. It was early in his college career and partying can get out of hand. I don't know what exactly happened (I wasn't there), but he's been pretty straight and narrow since then, and I'm all about the now, not an isolated incident.

Why such a big difference production in the run game the 1st half vs. 2nd half? Is Portis on the downside of his career, or was the myriad of injuries he had the reason for his 2nd half decline?

I addressed this a little in the first answer, but I'll elaborate, and it's simple. Stop running Portis in to theground, and he'll stay healthy. By ~ week 6, he was on par to run 380 times in one year. That's not team runs, that's PORTIS runs. That significantly shortens the shelf life of any one back and that's what we're doing to Portis.

Do you think either Devin Thomas or Malcom Kelly step up this year? What do you like about their game?

Both of these young guys have had a good camp this year, but I like Thomas. What little we saw of him last year, he reminded me a little of Fitzgerald in the way he fought for yards. I know, lofty dreams, right? I haven't seen enough of Malcolm to have a solid opinion of him.

What does Orakpo do for the defense?

Currently, Orakpo fills really the only void we had on our defense after the acquisition of Haynesworth at SLB. He's getting rave reviews in camp, he's humble, and he's hungry. I can't think of anything else I want in a first round pick. Aren't the 49ers jealous?

Couple Orakpo with the surprise of Jarmon who also is getting great reviews, and Haynesworth and a healthy Griffin, we (getting dreamy eyed again) could have teh top defense in the league this year barring any major injuries.

*Thanks Deadskins

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:14 am

VetSkinsFan wrote:
What were the main factors that made them struggle down the stretch last year?

I believe this was multi-faceted. First and foremost, our success in the first half hinged on a healthy team (namely Portis and O-Line) and the mystique of Zorn's first time being playcaller & HC. Around the middle of the season, CP was dinged up, the line started to get dinged up (after all, it is an older line), and most inportantly, game tape proved that We're not stretching the field. This allows opposing defenses to bring their secondary up a little closer than with other vertical offenses.

Speculation and trade rumors swirled around Jason Campbell all off season long. I read that he's been more assertive during camp, grabbing face-masks and getting in people’s faces. How do you think he will respond this year? He has all the tools, but the brass doesn’t seem to trust him. How much has the revolving door in the OC office hurt his development? What do you like and dislike about him, Collins, and Brennan?

I believe that the revolving door is THE reason why Jason hasn't reached his potential. Is he a Montana, Peyton, Marino? I don't think so, but I don't believe he's a Ryan Leaf, either. I believe, with a little luck from the healthy Oline, Jason will have an adequate enough year to garner a new contract. WIll he stay here? That remains to be seen. He's not an outwardly emotional guy and we don't really know how he feels about this off-season.

Collins, I believe, is a Williams system QB. He studied it for a decade. He looked bad last year, but he had a minor shoulder injury, so we really don't have enough data to prove or disprove that theory. I also believe that the Oline was finally stable when he took over in 2007 about the same time Jason was hurt, which was also in Collins' favor. I don't believe he's anything more than a back-up, and honestly, I think he's overpaid.

Brennan is exciting. He's got the killer instinct. He has no problem scrambling and he looked better than expected last pre-season considering his hip surgery and lack of practice. I'm excited to see him play tonite. I realize he was in a non-pro offense and a lot of people here relate him to Timmy Chang. For me, I can't help getting a little excited over someone who set 31 records on college; I don't care what kid of offense he was in. I realize this doesn't necessarily translate in to an NFL star, but the man's got some talent at the very least.

His off-field antics have been brought up. It was early in his college career and partying can get out of hand. I don't know what exactly happened (I wasn't there), but he's been pretty straight and narrow since then, and I'm all about the now, not an isolated incident.

Why such a big difference production in the run game the 1st half vs. 2nd half? Is Portis on the downside of his career, or was the myriad of injuries he had the reason for his 2nd half decline?

I addressed this a little in the first answer, but I'll elaborate, and it's simple. Stop running Portis in to theground, and he'll stay healthy. By ~ week 6, he was on par to run 380 times in one year. That's not team runs, that's PORTIS runs. That significantly shortens the shelf life of any one back and that's what we're doing to Portis.

Do you think either Devin Thomas or Malcom Kelly step up this year? What do you like about their game?

Both of these young guys have had a good camp this year, but I like Thomas. What little we saw of him last year, he reminded me a little of Fitzgerald in the way he fought for yards. I know, lofty dreams, right? I haven't seen enough of Malcolm to have a solid opinion of him.

What does Orakpo do for the defense?

Currently, Orakpo fills really the only void we had on our defense after the acquisition of Haynesworth at SLB. He's getting rave reviews in camp, he's humble, and he's hungry. I can't think of anything else I want in a first round pick. Aren't the 49ers jealous?

Couple Orakpo with the surprise of Jarmon who also is getting great reviews, and Haynesworth and a healthy Griffin, we (getting dreamy eyed again) could have teh top defense in the league this year barring any major injuries.

Williams? Otherwise a great post, Vet, and I agree 100%.

VetSkinsFan · Post by **VetSkinsFan** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:16 am

I always get those two mixed up... you know who I meant

SnyderSucks · Post by **SnyderSucks** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:43 pm

I pretty much agree with the previous analysis, and will throw in one additional point. Moss was the only WR to scare people, so defenses were triple teaming him, and they could use one safety on him and the other in the box, which also hurt the run game. If one of the young WR's steps up, that should help alleviate the problem.

FF JUGGERNAUT · Post by **FF JUGGERNAUT** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:03 pm

Wow, good stuff.

I remember D Thomas garnering comparisons to Steve Smith during the draft 2 years ago. It sounds like lack of creativity on offense really hurt last year. If he can step up I think you guys can be in good shape. The schedule doesn't look to tough, especially out of conference vs. the AFC West. I'm thinking 8 - 8 or 7 - 9.

Thanks guys

SnyderSucks · Post by **SnyderSucks** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:13 pm

FF JUGGERNAUT wrote:Wow, good stuff.

I remember D Thomas garnering comparisons to Steve Smith during the draft 2 years ago. It sounds like lack of creativity on offense really hurt last year. If he can step up I think you guys can be in good shape. The schedule doesn't look to tough, especially out of conference vs. the AFC West. I'm thinking 8 - 8 or 7 - 9.

Thanks guys

It's hard to know anything prior to the first preseason game, but the defense is looking dominate. 8-8 would be low if the defense is as good as it looks and the offense is at all improved from last year.

Countertrey · Post by **Countertrey** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:36 pm

I'm thinking 8 - 8 or 7 - 9.

See, here's the thing. Last year, this team was 8-8. If there is no improvement in the offense, but the defense is improved, that is an additional 2 wins.

If 2 things happen, this offense will score at least 3 more points per game: Campbell is able to find his 3rd option, and as a result, converts an additional 2 or 3 third down plays per game, and 1 of our second year receivers steps up to complete at least 4 passes per game. Both are doable, even with questions along the O-line

Add this to the likelihood (IMO) that our defense will shave an additional 3-5 points off of the opponent's score (I honestly believe I am being conservative here), AND will improve starting field position for our offense by an average 7-10 yards per drive, and you have a 9-7 to 11-5 record...

No, I'm not holding my breath. I am certain the defense will be a monster... but, will the offense show? That's the question.

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 3:11 pm

Countertrey wrote:
I'm thinking 8 - 8 or 7 - 9.

See, here's the thing. Last year, this team was 8-8. If there is no improvement in the offense, but the defense is improved, that is an additional 2 wins.

If 2 things happen, this offense will score at least 3 more points per game: Campbell is able to find his 3rd option, and as a result, converts an additional 2 or 3 third down plays per game, and 1 of our second year receivers steps up to complete at least 4 passes per game. Both are doable, even with questions along the O-line

Add this to the likelihood (IMO) that our defense will shave an additional 3-5 points off of the opponent's score (I honestly believe I am being conservative here), AND will improve starting field position for our offense by an average 7-10 yards per drive, and you have a 9-7 to 11-5 record...

No, I'm not holding my breath. I am certain the defense will be a monster... but, will the offense show? That's the question.

If we can win the opener in NJ, I'm thinking 12-4. The schedule is easier this season than last, and a 2nd year in the O will only add to our point totals. Injuries are the great equalizer, though, and heaven knows we have pretty rotten luck on that front.

VetSkinsFan · Post by **VetSkinsFan** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 3:56 pm

FF JUGGERNAUT, please read your PMs.

FF JUGGERNAUT · Post by **FF JUGGERNAUT** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 5:12 pm

VetSkinsFan wrote:FF JUGGERNAUT, please read your PMs.

Done & Done.

Fine, you guys sold me on 9-7, you get 10th at SD as they rest players w17.

10 - 6, good enough for the play-offs?

at NY Giants - L
St. Louis - W
at Detroit - W
Tampa Bay - W
at Carolina - W
Kansas City W
Philadelphia - L
bye
at Atlanta - L
Denver - W
at Dallas - L
at Philadelphia L
New Orleans - L
at Oakland - W
NY Giants - W
Dallas - W
at San Diego - W

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 5:19 pm

FF JUGGERNAUT wrote:
VetSkinsFan wrote:FF JUGGERNAUT, please read your PMs.

Done & Done.

Fine, you guys sold me on 9-7, you get 10th at SD as they rest players w17.

10 - 6, good enough for the play-offs?

at NY Giants - L
St. Louis - W
at Detroit - W
Tampa Bay - W
at Carolina - W
Kansas City W
Philadelphia - L
bye
at Atlanta - L
Denver - W
at Dallas - L
at Philadelphia L
New Orleans - L
at Oakland - W
NY Giants - W
Dallas - W
at San Diego - W

We swept Philly last year, and this year they have lost signifigant D personnel (none more than Jimmy Johnson RIP), and they're dropping like flies to injury. I say we sweep 'em again.

SnyderSucks · Post by **SnyderSucks** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 5:19 pm

Deadskins wrote:
Countertrey wrote:
I'm thinking 8 - 8 or 7 - 9.

See, here's the thing. Last year, this team was 8-8. If there is no improvement in the offense, but the defense is improved, that is an additional 2 wins.

If 2 things happen, this offense will score at least 3 more points per game: Campbell is able to find his 3rd option, and as a result, converts an additional 2 or 3 third down plays per game, and 1 of our second year receivers steps up to complete at least 4 passes per game. Both are doable, even with questions along the O-line

Add this to the likelihood (IMO) that our defense will shave an additional 3-5 points off of the opponent's score (I honestly believe I am being conservative here), AND will improve starting field position for our offense by an average 7-10 yards per drive, and you have a 9-7 to 11-5 record...

No, I'm not holding my breath. I am certain the defense will be a monster... but, will the offense show? That's the question.

If we can win the opener in NJ, I'm thinking 12-4. The schedule is easier this season than last, and a 2nd year in the O will only add to our point totals. Injuries are the great equalizer, though, and heaven knows we have pretty rotten luck on that front.

I'm optimistic, and personnally thinking 10 wins, but 12 means some pretty rose colored glasses. To put 12 in perspective, they haven't won more than 10 since 1991. To get to 10 wins, I've got them running the table against 6 bad teams on the schedule (like the Rams who beat them last year), 3-3 in the division, and 1-3 against Panthers, Falcons, Saints, and Chargers. They could go 2-2 against that last group, but also easily lose to one of the 6 bad teams. They always seem to lose to Norv.

My cousin is more optimistic at 14 wins, and his year old son somehow forecast a perfect season!

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 6:56 pm

SnyderSucks wrote:I'm optimistic, and personnally thinking 10 wins, but 12 means some pretty rose colored glasses.

I know. But I gotta go with my gut.

SnyderSucks · Post by **SnyderSucks** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 2:55 pm

Deadskins wrote:
SnyderSucks wrote:I'm optimistic, and personnally thinking 10 wins, but 12 means some pretty rose colored glasses.

I know. But I gotta go with my gut.

Hey, I would be as happy as anyone to see 12. I would love to see a team win more games than expected for a change. My gut is telling me 8-8, but I'm trying to be optimistic so I'm going with 10. And I really want them to beat Norv this year.

FF JUGGERNAUT · Post by **FF JUGGERNAUT** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 10:29 pm

How did the o-line look?
How did Sanatana, Thomas, & Kelly play?

VetSkinsFan · Post by **VetSkinsFan** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:56 am

Thomas and Kelly looked pretty good. Nothing extravagant, but it definitely looked like they will contribute this year. It's not like the playcalling gave them a chance to excel, though. Moss didn't play.

1niksder · Post by **1niksder** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:27 am

VetSkinsFan wrote:Thomas and Kelly looked pretty good. Nothing extravagant, but it definitely looked like they will contribute this year. It's not like the playcalling gave them a chance to excel, though. Moss didn't play.

I think a healthy Kelly will be huge for Campbell in the redzone, but Moss will be loving it all over the feild.

VetSkinsFan · Post by **VetSkinsFan** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:23 am

1niksder wrote:
VetSkinsFan wrote:Thomas and Kelly looked pretty good. Nothing extravagant, but it definitely looked like they will contribute this year. It's not like the playcalling gave them a chance to excel, though. Moss didn't play.

I think a healthy Kelly will be huge for Campbell in the redzone, but Moss will be loving it all over the feild.

I concur