Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Change in the air?

There was a lot of talk of change in the air at Redskins Park over the last few days. At his season-wrap up presser, Jim Zorn indicated that there would be changes.

But he also said that there wasn't much of anything that he wanted to change.

He likes his quarterback, his offense, his job duties, his coaching staff, and his older players. The current player personnel structure, headed up by Vinny Cerrato, will stay intact.

Presumably there would be a major debate if someone wanted to change the carpet on the stairs at Redskins Park.

The team should stay the course in some areas. Staying with the same offense and the same quarterback for another offseason is a good idea. It would be good to see Zorn become more imaginative in his play calling but that will come as the team settles in. We've gone back and forth about Jason Campbell here but he's the man with no competition and we'll have to see what happens. I'd like to see a more solid Plan B in place than Todd Collins, who is too old, and Colt Brennan, who is too inexperienced. Perhaps letting Collins go and bringing in an experienced West Coast QB like Chris Simms would be the way to go here.

The offensive backs are likely to remain the same. Portis got $20 million in guarantees a year ago so he's not going anywhere. There will be some noise about trading Ladell Betts but that probably won't happen. Rock Cartwright is the special teams' Mr. Everything and Mike Sellers is a deserving Pro Bowl pick at fullback (just don't give him the ball at the goal line).

There may be some minor shuffling at WR—will a 34-year-old James Thrash be able to contribute enough on special teams to justify using a receiver slot? Other than that, any changes will come from increased (meaning any) production from Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly.

The offensive line may or may not get the upgrade that it needs. There is talk of Pete Kendall, an unrestricted free agent, returning. He'll be 36 by the time next season starts. I like the guy and I'll always respect him for standing in front of his locker after the Rams game and taking every question from every reporter. But it's time to move on.

Is it time for Jon Jansen to move on? He shouldn't start, that's for sure. There would be a net cap hit of about $6 million ($1 million higher than I previously estimated). In 2009 his salary is "only" $1.3 million, a number you can justify for a backup. The foolishly-paid guaranteed money is water under the bridge and it may be better to wait until 2010 to release him. That may be an uncapped year and even if it's not the hit will not sting quite as much.

At some point there has to be a youth movement on the O-line. They took Chad Reinhart in the third round last year and they need to see what they have there. Can Stephon Heyer develop the consistency and the run-blocking ability necessary to become a solid starter? If those two can start, that's a 40% injection of youth into the aging unit. If a starting center can be found in the third round of the draft, that's 60%.

On the other side of the ball, there isn't much wrong that can't be solved with a big, mean defensive tackle creating havoc in the middle of the line. That would help the ends get better pass pressure, which would, in turn, help the defensive backs play more aggressively and maybe get more than the occasional interception here and there.

Albert Haynesworth of the Titans fills the bill but he's going to demand a ton of money. It's a bit too early to say what might be available at pick #13 along those lines since the juniors haven't yet declared but I have to think that there would be a quality DT there.

Talk of trading Carlos Rogers is foolish. Shawn Springs has to go, along with his $8 million cap number (the net cap savings would be around $6 million). Give DeAngelo Hall a reasonable contract and let Rogers play in the last year of his deal. If there is no new CBA in 2010, he'll be a restricted free agent. There has been a debate on the message boards about whether to pay Hall or Rogers. As neither is going to warrant a monster contract, I'm not sure why it has to be an either/or situation.

 

 

Zorn ’s strategic error costs Skins

There really isn't a whole lot to break down about today's game. The teams traded hot streaks for 55 minutes and then they exchanged scores at the end.

It's the Niners' last score, the game-winning field goal, that is the focus here. San Francisco never should have had a chance to try it, or at least it should have been a much greater challenge for them. They got the chance, however, because Jim Zorn made a rookie mistake.

Go back to the end of the Redskins' tying drive. At the 2:00 warning, the Redskins have a second and goal at the nine. Clinton Portis runs for two yards to the seven and the clock keeps ticking. On third and goal at the seven, the ball is snapped with 1:28 left and Campbell completes a pass to Chris Cooley for five yards down to the two. It's fourth and goal at the two and the clock is running. With 1:15 left, Zorn calls timeout.

That was his big mistake.

Why stop the clock then?

Sure you want to talk about the fourth-down play. After all, it's your last shot. If you score, you can put it into overtime. If you don't, you lose.

But why call timeout with well over a minute left with the clock running? It became a one-play game. Zorn needed to let the clock run down as far as he could, as though they were trying a game-winning or tying field goal, because you want to leave the other team as little time as possible to answer your score.

Cooley went down with about 1:21 left. The 40-second play clock started at about that time. Had Zorn chosen to burn off the maximum time before going for it on fourth, there would have been about 42 seconds left for the fourth-down play.

After Campbell scores, the Niners would have had about 35 seconds left to try to score. It wouldn't have been impossible, but certainly the extra 30 seconds they had thanks to the early timeout helped them dramatically.

I can think of a couple of reasons why Zorn might have wanted to preserve some time, but neither really holds water. He may have wanted to have some time with which to work had the Redskins failed to score but a penalty had given them a first down. But they still had two timeouts left. They would have been able to take four shots at the end zone in 35 or 40 seconds easily and they would have been able to run or pass.

Zorn might also have been thinking that he wanted to save time should his team not reach the end zone. But if Campbell's run fails, the 49ers get the ball with about 1:09 to go and the Redskins have two timeouts. Two kneel downs followed by the Skins' two remaining timeouts and there's about a minute left. Another knee on third down and the Skins can't stop the clock. At about 20 seconds, San Francisco has to run a fourth-down play.

The safe-aggressive call in that situation is to have your punter run around in the end zone and take an intentional safety. You then have a free kick from the 20 with 15 seconds left. It then takes a miracle.

If I'm missing something here, let me know.

Redskins vs. 49ers Live Blog

You know the drill by now.

We'll get started at about 4:00.

Redskins vs. Niners live blog on Sunday

It's the last game of the year and it means nothing as far as the playoffs go, but that doesn't mean it won't be a lot of fun. Join me right here for the Real Redskins live blog of the Skins vs. the 49ers. It's a 4:15 kickoff and other commitments will make it difficult for me to get started much before kickoff.

Here's your reminder box and I'll see you Sunday!

Redskins Eagles After Further Review

Had the Washington Redskins managed to beat the Cincinnati Bengals last week or the St. Louis Rams in mid-October, yesterday's 10-3 win over the Eagles would have been a landmark game with a legendary finish. It would have propelled them into a position to snag a spot in the playoffs by beating the 49ers next Sunday.

In the real world, however, it was a somewhat entertaining game that featured a mix of good defense and bad offense on the part of both teams.

The Washington secondary swarmed over the Eagle receivers most of the game. Donovan McNabb frequently was unable to find open receivers and that gave Jason Taylor a chance to rack up two sacks, more than doubling his total for the season. One of those sacks was accompanied by a strip of the ball, and London Fletcher's subsequent recovery and return set up the Redskins' only touchdown.

When McNabb had time to throw—and he did frequently—his receivers were getting rocked. LaRon Landry, who had his best game in a long time, smacked the Eagles' receiver DeSean Jackson on a couple of occasions, once sending the rookie into the locker room to have the medical staff take a look at his ribs.

In another, less spectacular but equally effective play in the fourth quarter, Shawn Springs executed a classic strip of the ball on a McNabb to Jackson pass over the middle.

That was the good defense part. The bad offense came when the Eagles got a severe case of the dropsies. First it was tight end L. J. Smith dropping a couple of short passes with a lot of green grass in front of him. Then Jackson couldn't get the handle on a couple of deep passes, including one in the end zone that would have tied the game in the late going. Someone in the press box counted seven drops (presumably not counting Assante Samuel's drop of an interception that cost the Eagles some 40 yards of field position).

The Eagles had ample opportunity to drop passes since Andy Reid had McNabb drop back 48 times and hand off just 16 times. Even if you take out the 15 passes that McNabb attempted in that final drive you still have a pass to run ratio of two to one. This in a game that the Redskins led by more than a touchdown for just over four minutes on a cold, windy evening and that Philly entered with two of its top receivers inactive. It appeared for a while the Reid was buying into the concept of offensive balance but it certainly eluded him in this game.

It's hard to say whether or not the Eagles played great defense since the Washington offense was its usual unproductive self. The one sustained scoring drive, a 16-play field goal march that consumed 8:31 of the second quarter was nice but it ended with three points instead of seven.

About the best you can say about the Washington offense was that it did move the chains and thus was able to give the defense some rest. They didn't have any three and out series in the first three quarters.

The D needed the time on the sideline as the Redskins went three and out on three straight drives in the fourth quarter. Two of those started in Eagle territory but the Redskins, thanks primarily to some ultra-conservative play calling by Zorn, couldn't salt it away.

The defense got the job done, forcing four straight three-play Eagle possessions. They had enough left in the tank to stop their last drive a yard short of the end zone.

Again, if this game had playoff implications the high-low stop of Reggie Brown by Fred Smoot and Landry would have been wall poster material. I asked Landry if he'd ever heard of Ken Houston and, to my disappointment but not to my surprise, he said that he had not. The stop wasn't exactly like the solo tackle of Walt Garrison that Houston made in 1973, but it was the closest thing we've seen since. There was no question that the ball never crossed the plane of the goal line but everyone had to wait another minute or so for that to be confirmed by replay.

Zorn and the locker room were appropriately "medium" after this one, certainly happy to get a win in a game that had meaning to the other team (and, technically, meaning for the Redskins as it unfolded as it was on at the same time as the Falcons game) but far from giddy over breaking their three-game losing streak.

Redskins Eagles 4th quarter

14:06—Moss deep on the punt. A nice return but a pair of flags on the field will call it back. Still, OK field position at their own 30 for the Redskins.

12:56—Once again, Campbell shows his fancy footwork, picking up 19 on a scramble on third and 12. A three and out is averted and the Skins are near midfield.

11:29—The Redskins get another break on a drop as Assante Samuel drops an easy interception. The Skins have to punt and it dies at the three. Samuel had the ball in his hands at the 40 with running room. A huge swing there as the Eagles are backed up again. This Plackemeier guy might be a keeper after all.

10:11—The Redskins aren't the only team that throws short of the sticks on third down. LJ smith makes a catch for two yards on third and four. A shanked punt has the Redskins in Philly territory with a chance to salt this one away. I sense a Randle El touchdown pass. The Eagles have been very aggressive and some misdirection and trickery could be very effective.

8:54—Not much aggression there by the Redskins with three runs and out. It goes inside the 10 again. If the Redskins win, Plackemeier is my MVP. The Eagles' average starting position has been their own 12. The only one he boomed into the end zone was right at the end of the half when no cute stuff was necessary.

7:58—Three incomplete passes—the second one on a textbook strip of the rookie Jackson by the veteran Springs—has the Eagles punting again. Washington again has a chance to go a long way towards putting this one away.

6:18—It's up to the defense again as the Skins pull another three and out. This time the punt goes into the end zone and the Eagles will try from the 20.

6:00—Another drop, this one by an open Jackson on a bomb, has yet another sigh of relief emanating from most corners of FedEx Field. McNabb scrambles for five on third and 10 and the Skins get yet another crack at running off some clock.

4:52—And a nice Randle El return of the punt will give the Skins a chance to do so from the Eagle 45. He ran straight.

4:45—We are about 10K short of capacity here at FedEx with attendance at 82K and change.

3:55—And we go three and out again. Two runs and a pass. You can't keep giving the Eagles chances, the near-miss to Jackson was ample evidence of that.

2:30—The Eagles are using a lot of time her to move from their own eight to their own 28. They have a first down at their own 35 at the 2:00 warning. This is it. If the Skins hold, they go into victory formation.

1:10—It's getting interesting as the Eagles have it at midfield. Washington is leaving the middle of the field open and McNabb is taking advantage.

:57—Thank you again, Jackson. DeSean drops a pass in the end zone after beating Hall by a step.

:34—A near catch, a near pick, and a near PI flag all on one play. It's third and 10.

:27—It's fourth and about four after a dumpoff to Westbrook. It's the ballgame for the Eagles.

:12—They get it on a short swing to Westbrook—not sure why nobody was closer to him—and the Eagles will have a shot or two from the 18.

0:00—Wow—Smoot and Landry make the stop on the one and the clock runs down. We need a review, but it's looks like a Redskins win. After last week in Baltimore, you don't know.

He wasn't in, and the Redskins win.

Final score
Redskins 10, Eagles 3

 

 

 

Redskins Eagles 3rd quarter

This just goes to show you that the Redskins can stay in virtually in game when they don't come out and give it away in the first five minutes of play. It's far, far from over but the Skins are waking up and playing better ball. The Eagles have 66 yards of offense.

14:05—The Eagles have to burn a timeout on a third and eight. Landry got a good pop on Jackson to jar the bar loose on the previous play. LaRon hasn't been playing badly this year, but the big hits seem to be fewer and further between when compared to last season.

11:27—Jason Taylor with the sack AND strip! Fletcher recovers and returns inside the Eagle 20. Is this guy trying to get invited back for 2009?

Portis 1 run (Suisham kick)
Redskins 10, Eagles 0

They turn the takeaway into seven. A middle screen to Cooley gets them down to the five and three Portis runs for zero, four, and one yard gets the Skins into the end zone. I liked the second and goal from the five call when they went small with Moss and Randle El and swept to the left.

8:40—Landry knocked Jackson out of the game, at least for now. He has a rib injury from that rib-rocking hit and there is no word on his return. With Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett inactive, the Eagles are very thin at WR.

6:34—I'm not sure what Lorenzo Alexander is doing covering Westbrook about 20 yards downfield, but he was and not the Eagles are in business in the Red Zone after a long pass and run.

5:44—Jackson is back in the game.

5:30—A big third and three coming up. Momentum is on the line.

4:50—A nice tackle by Horton stops Westbrook a yard shy of the first down and the Eagles will try a field goal.

FG Akers 22
Redskins 10, Eagles 3

Portis has cracked the all-time top 25 in rushing TD's with 71 for his career. That's pretty impressive for a guy who supposedly is fragile and always hurt.

1:01—A nice drive is now jammed into reverse on a sack and a holding penalty. They're now facing a semi-manageable third and 13.

End of third quarter
Redskins 10, Eagles 3

Redskins Eagles 2nd quarter

A big third and five coming up here for the Redskins. A few months ago, I would say it's two-down territory as they're at the Philly 35, but now you don't know.

14:50—No decision to be made as the bubble screen to Moss gets blown up. As of now, they're sending Suisham out to try a 55-yard field goal with the wind. I smell a quick kick from Plackemeier.

14:05—No, they play it straight and Suisham is well short. The Eagles return the kick to two yards past where the ball was spotted for the attempt so no great harm on that. Still, a quick kick or straight punt seems to be the better call there with a kicker who is losing confidence almost every time he lines up.

9:54—It's not that Portis doesn't get beat up enough, but I wonder why he's not the target of a few more passes per game. He just needs a blocker or two out in front on him and he's good for six or eight yards. Just file with a number of other things I don't understand about Jim Zorn's offense.

3:28—Skins get on the board first with a decent drive. They got a gift to keep it alive when Philly lined up in the neutral zone on third and five and then earned a third-down conversion with a nice swing pass to Betts. It bogged down in the Red Zone, though, and they had to settle for three after a 16-play, 72-yard drive that ate up 8:31.

FG Suisham 33
Redskins 3, Eagles 0

Portis missed a lot of that drive with a bruised hand. They have announced that his return is probable.

2:41—LJ Smith now has dropped two passes with a lot of green grass ahead of him. When things are going the way they are for the Redskins, you take it any way you can get it.

2:16—The Eagles get a first down with the ball short of the 30 after a touchback. No way. Zorn has to use a challenge and there is no way that he should. Philly "made" the first on the measurement but if the nose of the ball isn't to the 30, it's not a first down. We'll see what happens when the ref comes out from under the hood.

2:16—Zorn wins the challenge. They moved the ball back a bit, but is simply was not a first down to begin with. The Eagles will punt.

1:48—Portis back in and rips off a 14-yard run into Philly territory. We're also seeing some urgency here in the two-minute offense.

:26—Jason Fabini executes the famed "look out!" block on Darren Howard and Campbell gets sacked to stall the drive.

This is not shaping up to be the easy Philly win that many anticipated. They Skins have benefitted from a few breaks, to be sure, but the defense is playing well and the offense is moving well enough to give the D a rest. I don't have the play by play, but I don't remember a single Washington three and out.

End of first half
Redskins 3, Eagles 0

Redskins Eagles 1st quarter

The wind is blowing in FedEx pretty hard. It's unusual to see the streamers on the goal posts moving, but they are pretty steady from right to left as you look on TV. If you're in the end zone where my brother is sitting, it's right in your face.

13:52—The Redskins come out with a quick passing game, over the middle to Cooley on first and a swing pass to Betts on third and four. It's already better than their opening drives the last couple of weeks.

12:25—This coming straight from Capt. Obvious—the Redskins have to stay out of third and long. Philly brought about seven on third and eight and Campbell never had a chance. Fortunately, Rabach recovered the fumble. Now we'll see how the Washington defense can handle the red-hot McNabb and company.

9:29—I can't see the upper deck, but the lower bowl looks pretty full. There is a healthy representation of Philly fans here, but nothing like Pittsburgh.

8:41—The wind "advantage" just hurt the Eagles as it blew a McNabb pass to an open Jason Avant way long. After getting one first down, the Eagles punt and the Skins get another crack at it on offense. McNabb has a lot of time to throw, as usual for any QB vs. the Skins, and eventually the Skins will pay for that.

6:49—Once again, no imagination from a man who seemed to be destined to be famous for it. After the drive gets off to a good start with a 15-yard pass from Campbell to Thomas and a nine-yard Portis run, it stalls when Jim Zorn calls a sweep on third and one. It went nowhere. A little play action or even a quick slant there may have been more effective.

3:03—Wow, a sack by Jason Taylor for a 10-yard loss and then Randle El goes forward on a punt return. OK, the gain was only three but for those two events to occur back to back is amazing.

2:04—Man, when Campbell is decisive and knows where he wants to go, he puts in on a rope. He just zipped on into a crack in the defense to Moss for a first down. Portis just ran for another, and the Skins are on the move.

0:41—Now a catch by Fred Davis. Will wonders never cease.

End of first quarter
Redskins 0, Eagles 0

Sunday: Redskins vs. Eagles live blog

It's the final 2008 trip to the FedEx Field press box, so the live blog will be of the quarterly update variety. If there are any instant updates necessary, you can follow them via the Twitter (great service, dumb name) box on the left sidebar.

I'll be tailgating with Redskins Examiner Mark Newgent and with Ben Folsom of The Curly R, along with a cast of their friends and my family. Should there be any worthwhile pictures snapped or if anything else worthy of an update occur, I'll post it from the BlackBerry.

You can leave your comments in the comment section or, if you have a question, you can email it to me at rich.tandler+real@gmail.com.