Thoughts after minicamp?

The NFL version of the West coast offense takes time to master. I expect the offense to be more pass happy, but that may not translate into more wins right away. Campbell needs time to get comfortable in the entire play book, not just the condensed one they are working on right now. Expect some growing pains.

The WRs also will need time to absorb this new philosophy. I don't expect the offense to be humming at peak efficiency until the middle of year 2 under Zorn. I fully expect growing pains this season, and will accept them happily with the promise of a more wide open attack that will be extremely difficult to defend down the road.

See, I think the 'growing pains' tend to be overblown to a point. Personally, I'm tired of the excuses. I'm not saying I expect 35 points a game or anything, but these guys are professionals. No offensive system is identical to be sure, but it's not like they're 4 year-olds trying to learn Mandarin Chinese.

The New Orleans Saints seemed to adapt rather quickly to Sean Payton's quirky, wide open offense with a new quarterback and a rookie wideout. Maybe they are the exception to the rule, but as SmootSmack said awhile back, perhaps Zorn's West Coast system is precisely the type of offensive philosophy these guys are suited for.

Let's hope anyway.

Exactly im excited about REDSKINS talk but I don't agree with you on that the redskins might not do well I think 10-6 or 11-5 Zorn bring enthusiam too this team. As I hat to say this but it is true Gibbs secong go around was very boring

I suppose winning the last 4 games of the regular season to go to the playoffs in 2 different seasons is also boring...and maybe downing the ball 3 consecutive snaps in a row to cement a victory is boring too.

Gibbs conserves wins. He got us in the playoffs twice in 4 years. Every coach since Gibbs 1.0 has only put us in the playoffs once in 12 years.



Boring or not, making the playoffs is exciting.

I Think Our Defense Will Be In The Top 10 Maybe Even Top 5

I Think Our Defense Will Be In The Top 10 Maybe Even Top 5

Hey man, not going to fault you for optimism... If our defense is that good, we should def. be in the playoffs..

While I think we have enough playmakers in our secondary (I think Landry is going to be a pro bowl starter this year), our front 7 could give be in trouble due to age and injuries.

I like the vibe, though this is the honeymoon period, no doubt. But, like most folks, I was very taken with Zorn's style. He's got a unique way about him. I can see why he's a rising star in the coaching ranks, though this is a big transition. (BTW, didn't Andy Reid go from QBs to head coach, after being under Holmgren? Just a thought...) There is no doubt that Zorn is a great teacher, and he also really seems to get into the details. How he'll be calling plays and making the big decisions, we'll see.

As for the offense, I think the transition will be quicker. We're keeping a fair bit of our run scheme, plus CP thrives in this kind of spread offense (or he did...). And JC had his best year in this kind of system, and we saw that he did well with the cuffs off in the no-huddle last year. The timing and all will be tougher, but it's not like it's a 700 page playbook or anything ;)

On the D, I think we'll be pretty good, but I agree that injuries are a big concern. We're going to need at least one Antonio Pierce type story, or maybe two, I think, to get through this year. Let's hope that some no-name blue collar guys step up and help. But LL looks strong, and London will have em all in the right places at least. We'll see.

I hope it starts quick, but if it doesn't, I hope Danny and Vinny (and the more volatile members of this board) stick with Zorn and let him develop. Rome wasn't built in a day or even a season. 2.5-3 seasons at least IMO, but that's rare indeed in today's NFL.

Is it time for training camp yet???

It's a minor point, and probably not one that many people care about, but I noticed that Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas were wearing jersey numbers 11 and 12. Maybe those are strictly mini-camp numbers, and will change to a number in the eighties once the season begins. But I also saw that Fred Davis had #86.

I've never been a fan of wideouts who choose a jersey number outside of 80-89. Weird, I know. I guess I have OCD with that kind of thing. The NFL did make an official change recently to allow WRs to wear numbers between 11-19 if all the eighties numbers were taken up. With more and more tight ends on rosters these days, that was apparently becoming a problem enough for the league to change its policy. I just wish they moved the tight ends out and put them in the 40's or something, like Cooley.

Oh well. Guess I'll have to get over it. Because it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon.

Actually, since 2004 WR's can opt to go with a number in the teens even if there are numbers in the 80's still available. NFL Rules Changes for the 2004 NFL Season (http://football.about.com/od/nationalfootballleague/a/04rulechanges.htm)

For me there just seems to be something special about those guys coming into the league wearing 11 and 12. I hope they stick with them personally.

Depth on the OL and defense worries me the most right now. I think we can have a good year if we avoid the injury bug.

I see the offense putting more points on the board and taking some pressure off the defense. Honestly believe Blache is going to surprise everyone. I see us having a top ten D this year. Blache is no slouch. The Bears had a stout D under his guidance.

I suppose winning the last 4 games of the regular season to go to the playoffs in 2 different seasons is also boring...and maybe downing the ball 3 consecutive snaps in a row to cement a victory is boring too.

Gibbs conserves wins. He got us in the playoffs twice in 4 years. Every coach since Gibbs 1.0 has only put us in the playoffs once in 12 years.



Boring or not, making the playoffs is exciting.

I'm a Gibbs fan but if our D was not ranked in the top 10 those years our O could not have carried this team to any playoff game. You can blame the QB the coach who ever you want but our O was the drag on this team 4 years in a row and the D one year.

Depth on the OL and defense worries me the most right now. I think we can have a good year if we avoid the injury bug.

I see the offense putting more points on the board and taking some pressure off the defense. Honestly believe Blache is going to surprise everyone. I see us having a top ten D this year. Blache is no slouch. The Bears had a stout D under his guidance.

On the contrary, I think depth on the O-Line is great. Right now I'd give it a B+. I mean obviously no one has a problem with the five guys expected to start, though I'm pretty sure most would like to see Rhinehart take over for Kendall. Keary Brown is going to be a very good guard in his own right, and might just end up being this years version of Stephon Heyer. Which brings up Heyer who did a pretty good job filling in for Jansen last year, and on top of that the coaching staff is comfortable with him being the primary backup for Samuals, which worries me a little but I'll take it.

Fabini played decently last year, though at times it seemed like touch and go. And with that said I'd say the O-Line is pretty much set for this year.

Obviously though I agree with you that our D-Line is an area of concern, and personally I wouldn't be worried so much if they had a little more depth at linebacker, as I've become convinced our defense relys heavily on the play of our linebackers, and with one very good backup for two injury prone guys I'd say theres need for concern.

i agree.There going to use portis like philly does westbrook get him the ball in open space.The years of using safety to spy on cp are over.1500 yards rushing,1000 yds receiving.