The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

HEROHAMO wrote:From what I gathered from his press confrence and interviews. He is going to take a look at the roster and make a playbook according to the Rosters strengths.
Like some have already mentioned this is the NFC East. The Eagles have the leagues biggest offensive line. The Cowboys also have a big offensive line. The Giants are not far behind either. So Shanahan and Allen may assemble a hefty offensive line as well? We will just have to see.

I wont be surprised if the final Roster does not resemble what he had in Denver.

All in all I like what I hear.

redskins14ru wrote:what ever the o line will be, alot of this 2010 season will fall on the shoulders of Clinton Portis.

redskins14ru wrote:I bet that with a little blocking there should be no problem for Campbell warming up the arm and getting one downfield a few times in a game.

markshark84 wrote:

Skinsfan55 wrote:... They also praise his accuracy and long pass ability.

One of the top five most inaccurate posts I have read on this board since joining. No question.

Redskin in Canada wrote:

markshark84 wrote:

Skinsfan55 wrote:... They also praise his accuracy and long pass ability.

One of the top five most inaccurate posts I have read on this board since joining. No question.

Not as inaccurate as JC. This post landed in -almost- the right thread. Many of Jason's throws land outside the field.

You have to wonder if people actually watch games.

Skinsfan55 wrote:Okay, and here's what that same Scouts Inc. says before the 2009 season:

Comment: Campbell had a very solid season as the Redskins' starting signal caller in 2008. He has progressed over his four years in the league. He adjusted to a new system under first-year head coach Jim Zorn and showed the ability to be patient in the pocket to find second and third options in the passing game. He can power the ball into tight windows or get it deep on long throws as well as showing good touch on shorter routes. He has improved his vision and ability to read defenses over the past two seasons which has made him a much more efficient passer in Zorn's West Coast offense. He runs well for his size and position and can ball the ball down to move the chains. He has improved his improvising in 2008 but needs to continue to improve in this area. Campbell has all the tools to be an excellent quarterback in the NFL and should continue to improve in his second season in Washington's new offensive philosophy. .

So, professional scouts say he's improved since college, and predict he'll improve in 2009 (he did). They also praise his accuracy and long pass ability. They tout his patience and his physical tools.

They kind of pass over the fact that he's had so many systems to learn and he's managed a degree of success in all of them. He's arguably the toughest QB in the league both physically and mentally. Also, look at all the players who jumped up to his defense as a leader.

There's not really any denying his talent. He just had the best season of a Redskins QB in nearly 20 years.

fleetus wrote:I remember when JC17 first became starter, everyone marveled at his deep out passing accuracy and touch. He had a knack for dropping a pass right over the WR shoulder in stride along the sidelines.

Deadskins wrote:

fleetus wrote:I remember when JC17 first became starter, everyone marveled at his deep out passing accuracy and touch. He had a knack for dropping a pass right over the WR shoulder in stride along the sidelines.

I don't remember it that way at all.
Can you go back and show me even one quote of anyone "marvelling" over Jason's long-ball accuracy?

fleetus wrote:I don't think JC is the answer, but he is definitely better when protected and will benefit from Shanahan I think.

Deadskins wrote:

Skinsfan55 wrote:Okay, and here's what that same Scouts Inc. says before the 2009 season:

Comment: Campbell had a very solid season as the Redskins' starting signal caller in 2008. He has progressed over his four years in the league. He adjusted to a new system under first-year head coach Jim Zorn and showed the ability to be patient in the pocket to find second and third options in the passing game. He can power the ball into tight windows or get it deep on long throws as well as showing good touch on shorter routes. He has improved his vision and ability to read defenses over the past two seasons which has made him a much more efficient passer in Zorn's West Coast offense. He runs well for his size and position and can ball the ball down to move the chains. He has improved his improvising in 2008 but needs to continue to improve in this area. Campbell has all the tools to be an excellent quarterback in the NFL and should continue to improve in his second season in Washington's new offensive philosophy. .

So, professional scouts say he's improved since college, and predict he'll improve in 2009 (he did). They also praise his accuracy and long pass ability. They tout his patience and his physical tools.

They kind of pass over the fact that he's had so many systems to learn and he's managed a degree of success in all of them. He's arguably the toughest QB in the league both physically and mentally. Also, look at all the players who jumped up to his defense as a leader.

There's not really any denying his talent. He just had the best season of a Redskins QB in nearly 20 years.

I strongly disagree with the highlighted portion.

I want to see if Mike Shanahan can get Clinton Portis and Albert Haynesworth to start earning their salaries.

fleetus wrote:Offense - this is Shanahan's background. He worked for SF, under Seifert, and brought the West Coast system to Denver.
1. QB - Campbell is an enigma. He's a solid player physically, has solid character on and off the field, but has not developed markedly. Sort of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. If you let him go, who do you replace him with? I don't think it would be smart to burn the #4 pick on a QB, especially with the QB's in this years draft. I see Shanny keeping Campbell to see what he can do with an imporoved O-line. Then maybe drafting a QB in the 2nd or 3rd round or waiting until next years draft.
2. O-line - Alex Gibbs or not, get ready for a whole new blocking scheme. Zone Blocking Scheme (ZBS) is largely believed to be the #1 reason Elway, TD, Gary and Anderson all had such great success. Redskins Offensive Line will have to undergo major changes. ZBS requires, speed, agility and intelligence. Big lumbering 340lbs lineman will likely not be a good fit. Expect to see at least a couple draft picks used on smaller, athletic lineman. (Charles Brown, USC, where Shanny's former OC Jeremy Bates is the Asst. HC) (also guys like Selvish Capers, West Virginia and Alonzo Durham, Nevada in later rounds) I don't see Mike Williams staying.
3. Defense - this is a big question mark because Blache has led the Skins to a solid defense each of the last two years, but he is gone. Shanahan was never known for good defenses. Also, the scheme will likely change to either a 4-3 with more speed at LB and DE (Zimmer) or a 3-4. The 3-4 idea is more likely I think. Both Zimmer and Haslett (top two rumored to become the DC) have coached both the 4-3 and 3-4. But I think Shanahan is leaning toward a 3-4 and will likely hire someone who agrees. Shanny spent time this past year at New England and Pittsburgh practices observing, among other things, the 3-4. So don't be surprised if Orakpo stays at OLB, Haynesworth moves to NT with Montgomery as backup and a rotation of Griffin, Daniels, Golston and JArmon at DE.
4. Discipline - Only time will tell how much of a shakeup we'll see. But surely some of the players who continue to complain to the media, skip practices or play below 100% will be shown the door. Shanahan has a track record of having a short fuse with players who mouth off Remember when he shipped Portis here? speculation at the time was that Portis got big-headed and mouthy and Shanahan showed him the door. He dispensed with Griese too. Expect a more disciplined team approach.

Now that we know Mike Shanahan is going to be the coach of the Washington Redskins, it's time to look at five of his top priorities. Bruce Allen might have the title of general manager, but it looks as if Shanahan will have final authority on football decisions. If that's really the case, here are five things he needs to address -- in no particular order:

Figure out what he's going to do at quarterback: Dan Snyder and his old pal Vinny Cerrato made a mess of this situation last offseason by pursuing every quarterback not named Jason Campbell. Allen has been complimentary of Campbell's work, but this is something Shanahan needs to figure out. I talked to Campbell about Shanahan last week, and he expressed excitement about the coach's credentials. Shanahan obviously won the two Super Bowls with John Elway, had some success with Jake Plummer and appeared to have Jay Cutler headed in the right direction. I think Shanahan will look to draft a quarterback and groom him for the future, but you don't want to throw a kid to the wolves behind this offensive line. If Shanahan believes Campbell could elevate his game, I think it behooves him to invest some time in him. Campbell had the best statistical season of his career while playing behind perhaps the worst collection of offensive linemen in the league. I'd like to see what a quarterback guru such as Shanahan could accomplish with Campbell, who has handled this entire situation with a lot of grace.

Assemble a talented coaching staff: I think Shanahan brings a great deal of energy to the job after having a season off. But it's not like he played golf the whole time. He spent a lot of time visiting other coaches and watching film at an office in Denver. I have to believe he has basically had a coaching in staff in mind for the past six or seven months. His son, Kyle, will serve as offensive coordinator and there's a lot of speculation that Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer will fill the same role for the Redskins. Keep your eye on whether Shanahan retains any members of the previous Washington regime. It will be an indicator of how much say Snyder has retained. Snyder loved special-teams coordinator Danny Smith and he's also fond of secondary coach Jerry Gray. My guess is Shanahan will pretty much clean house.

It's time to rebuild the offensive line: This goes hand in hand with the quarterback situation. You can't ask Campbell to endure another season behind this collection of former undrafted rookies and aging players. It as if your best offensive lineman Chris Samuels will probably retire because of a neck injury, and it's not like you received outstanding play from your other veterans. Randy Thomas is too old to count on, and Casey Rabach is just a serviceable center at this point. I supposed Derrick Dockery was your best lineman this season after Samuels was injured, but that's not saying much. Free agency is going to be limited because of the potential for an uncapped season. With the No. 4 pick overall, you need to take a long look at the left tackles in the draft. I know everyone will talk about Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford, but you don't have to pick a quarterback at that spot. Hopefully Shanahan and Allen will have a logical plan in place. Picking two wide receivers and a tight end in the same round isn't the way to go -- even if you argue that they were the "best players on the board."

It would be nice to figure out the running back situation: Starting running back Clinton Portis has talked about his uncertain future. He's set to make more than $7 million next season (Shanahan money), and at least $6 million of it is guaranteed. I know Shanahan once traded Portis from the Broncos, but I don't think he would have any trouble coaching him. The issue is that Portis talks a better game than he plays these days. He missed pretty much the entire second half of the season with a concussion -- yet he found time to criticize Campbell in recent days. He's a mouthy guy who loves to go behind the coach's back directly to Snyder. If Snyder allows Shanahan to dump Portis, I think that would be a good sign for the organization.

And that brings us to our fifth item, which deals with Snyder: All this talk of "ultimate say in football decisions" sounds good in theory, but we know how much Snyder likes to be involved. Shanahan needs to do a good job of making Snyder feel like he's involved in decisions. Snyder gave Joe Gibbs a lot of authority, but that was a different situation. He had idolized Gibbs as a kid and was sort of in awe of him. That won't be the case with Shanahan. The last time Snyder hired a coach with a similar demeanor to Shanahan's (Marty Schottenheimer), things ended pretty quickly. If Snyder doesn't give Shanahan and Allen enough breathing room, this could be another failed hire.

riggofan wrote:

CanesSkins26 wrote:

He can power the ball into tight windows or get it deep on long throws as well as showing good touch on shorter routes

I stopped reading right here. You don't have to be a professional scout to see that JC has trouble with his accuracy on down field throws. That is obvious to anyone that watches the Redskins.

Classic. You use Scouts Inc. to backup your opinion, but quit reading them when they don't support what you're saying! C'mon, man...

I kind of agree with Canes on this one though. Campbell has a big arm, but his deep ball has just been woefully off target. I always get excited when he takes a shot downfield, then he overthrows or underthrows the WR by eight yards. If you're just going by what we've seen in games, I don't think that's really disputable.

frankcal20 wrote:Yeah. One of the guys said that MS might have something with Jason Campbell - and that's when Ditka made that comment. They also said that MS has a lot to work with here. I think it's b/c of the defense being mostly ready to go.

fleetus wrote:

frankcal20 wrote:Yeah. One of the guys said that MS might have something with Jason Campbell - and that's when Ditka made that comment. They also said that MS has a lot to work with here. I think it's b/c of the defense being mostly ready to go.

... The things I feel the best about with Shanny are that he's known as a disciplined coach. He sets a disciplined tone early and players will either respect it or move on.

He is also known for the running game. In this day and age, everyone passes most and I would love to see the Skins return to their roots and win a SB running the ball well. Not that Shanny doesn't have great passing game. As recently as 2008, Cutler had an amazing season passing.

I also am more excited about Shanahan BECAUSE he took a year off and studied the game around the league. A guy as detailed and organized as Shanny reportedly is, this has to mean he has re-evaluated every aspect of his coaching. I'm excited to see what he has come up with. Add his son to the staff, with his experiences in Houston with MAtt Schaub and Andre Johnson and I bet there will many wrinkles and new schemes.

I know everyone has all but given up on JC17 and I have too, at least about 90% given up. But Matt Schaub is a good example I think. You can draft QB's in the 3rd round and groom them to be starter. We could draft a smart, accurate QB like Schaub was and let him back up JC17 for a season.

you have to repeatedly take shots, then I think you will see better accuracy.

The buzz continues to be that Shanahan will nab a quarterback in the draft and try to mold him into something that suits his offense. If Jason Campbell doesn't get blown away with a multi-year free agency contract, the Redskins could bring him back next year for a relatively low cost.

But people who've spoken with Shanahan say he's not bowled over by Campbell, has some concerns about his mechanics and don't feel he's the long-term solution in Washington.

But people who've spoken with Shanahan say he's not bowled over by Campbell, has some concerns about his mechanics and don't feel he's the long-term solution in Washington.