What is the biggest difference between when we were 6-2 and now?

Wow! I am in TX and I AM STILL A FAN!!!! Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!

Its the curse of Leigh Torrence!

I'll tell you what the big difference is, I'm no longer a Skins fan. I have been a fan of the Redskins for over 30 years and the last 15 or so I have waited and waited hoping things would get turned around. After yesterday I just flat refuse to continue to be a Skins fan anymore. No enough is finally enough. It's hard enough living in dallas cowgirl land and being a Skins fan. I thought about rooting for the cowgirls now but something deep inside of me wont let me do so. Now I'm going back to the Steelers who I left for the Skins for over 30 years ago. I do hope though that Zorn is given at least another year to try to turn things around and that they address the problems at OL, DL,DE positions but especially at OL and DE. Well it was a nice run in the 80's and early 90's but after the last 15 years I just can't do it anymore.
Peace Out
Former Texas Skins fan

I'm kinda curious to know exactly when you bailed on the Steelers for the Redskins

If you think you can "choose" to be a fan of a team, you never were a fan in the first place.

Your fandom is instilled into you by your upbringing. You can't choose your team any more than you can choose your parents. And you can't divorce yourself from your team either, it's impossible. Your emotional connection is too deep. Otherwise, you don't understand fandom.

I guess that guy could have never been a Red Sox fan...

The biggest difference has been Portis' string of 125+ yard games. When he had five in a a row we rolled. When defenses started to shut him down, it exposed Campbell as a little-better-than-average QB (and fourth-best QB in the NFC East alone). Add the injuries to the offensive line that halted Campbell's ability to have time to get the ball to Santana Moss, and the Skins' offense shut down.

IMO, the biggest difference is alot of people who thought we were better then we were just because of the 6-2 record are now coming back down to earth. Yes we were 6-2, but could have just as easily been 2-6. The games were close and we had some lucky breaks and weren't turning the ball over. People just had unrealistic expectations for this team. We made no real improvements over last years team that had to go on a serious winning streak to squeak into the playoffs. This year we have no Sean Taylor and we lost Daniels before the season started. Our lines are a year older and slower. There is no significant reason we would be better then last year and are actually worse with the lost players and age. Plus we have another new coach and system. I never understood why people thought we would be a serious contender this year.

Early in the year the offense wasn't turning the ball over, that's probably the biggest difference. Those tight wins would have easily went the other way with some turnovers.

What changed? I think alot of it had to do with an array of things..

Great question, great thread. I've been watching the games and at times re-watching them. (Direct TV short-cuts)

1. Zorn didn't make adjustments to his offensive scheme and teams caught up with his philosophies.

Agree somewhat. Zorn didn't seem to make in game adjustments and made the wrong game plan choices. The things he did early in the season that were successful he got away from. I think teams caught up to the short passing game but only because he stopped spreading the field and stopped throwing deep.

2. We stopped running Portis.

Disagree.

I think a few times we got away from the run a little early. But, on the whole i think we ran the ball about the same. The difference is that in the losses we were trailing in the second half of the losses during the 6-2 run Portis got the bulk of his yards when we were leading in the 3rd & 4th qtrs and running the ball to close the games out.

Although one could argue that we should have started running the ball more when the skid began.

3. We faced top ranked defensive teams

Somewhat agree. Pitts, Giants and Ravens are the elite.
But, the Eagles, Cowboys and to a lesser extent the Cards were good defenses.

4. Playcalling was horrible as well as time management.

Somewhat agree.

The playcalling declined. Zorn got away from the shotgun and the spread 4/5 wide formations. I think this is a big part of the offenses decline. JC seems to see the field better and completed more intermediate passes with ease from those formations. But Zorn used the shotgun and 4/5 wide sets less and less and as those formations decreased so did the intermediate passing and thus the offense.

5. JC play dropped off..But how much of this had to do with the O-line, Offensive play calling, A coach preparing his team, WRs not getting open or Jason taking a step back.. I think its a little bit off all of this

Agree. I think the offensive line had a huge domino effect.

1) Pass-pro declines
1) JC gets hit alot
1) Zorn losses confidence in the offensive line gets away from 4/5 wide sets
2) The playcalling shifts almost entirely to a 3 step drop short passing game
2) The pressure gets in JC head effecting his accuracy-'phantom pressure'
3) Jason gets used to getting the ball out quick on 3 step drops
4) Teams notice this away and sit on the short routes
5) Receivers aren't open JC holds ball offense stalls....sack

6. Our lines (D-Line and O-line) were playing horrible. D-Line not getting any sacks.

Blache is a good coach but isn't very creative. A great DC finds away to get effective pressure.

The offensive line struggles really threw Zorn for a loop and he never found the right answer. I think the 3 step drop passing was the right idea, but teams began sitting on the 3-step drop passing game. And Zorn hasn't adjusted, never went back to spreading teams out/ using the shotgun. Zorn doesn't trust the pass-pro to give enough the time to throw deep, which would stop defenses from sitting on the slants and hitches. But he doesn't spread the field to make its easier to see the blitz and to read the coverage.
He doesn't move the pocket enough either.



I think JZ showed during the 6-2 start that he has the chops.
I think he needs more help. Zorn wore too many hats this season and i think this affected Zorn's ability to make the right adjustments. He needs more WCO knowledgeable staff members. Maybe a WR coach?/ Offensive line Coach? But certainly a WCO assistant/QB/.

thoughts?

1) Pass-pro declines
1) JC gets hit alot
1) Zorn losses confidence in the offensive line gets away from 4/5 wide sets
2) The playcalling shifts almost entirely to a 3 step drop short passing game
2) The pressure gets in JC head effecting his accuracy-'phantom pressure'
3) Jason gets used to getting the ball out quick on 3 step drops
4) Teams notice this away and sit on the short routes
5) Receivers aren't open JC holds ball offense stalls....sackI think the move to fewer receiver sets have less to do with the pass pro and more to do with Mike Sellers. The Redskins actually have progressed to more and more empty backfield sets of late, but it's tough to go four receivers, when you only have two receivers on the roster who can do anything.

Sellers has flat out earned more playing time. You take him off the field, and we're replacing him with a worse player, pure and simple.