Zorn not using Wildcat next year

A Wildcat play here and there is fine, but I'm glad that Zorn isn't fully committing to it. I think that saying we're going to start using a lot of gadget plays this year (Wildcat, or whatever else) is almost another way of saying "we don't trust our QB to run an effective offense so we're going to mask his inefficiencies with smoke and mirrors" and that's the last thing Zorn needs to say or Campbell needs to hear.

This is a lousy excuse. Guys that make your 53 man roster as backups are expected to come in and get the job done. Injuries are a part of the game. I see every other team in the league utilizing their rookies on a consistent basis. We were successful in the first half of the season 'cause we ran the ball well and teams did not necessarily know what to expect from Zorn and his hybrid offense. As soon as teams started to see that we were a vanilla-run first offense, it became very easy for them to shut us down. Portis found himself constantly running into eight and nine man fronts. I don't want to hear how "injuries and lack of depth" were the reason for us not being fundamentally aggressive as an offense. Zorn always played for the first down and rarely took unexpected shots at the end zone- then he had the nerve when asked about it, to blame it on the O lines inability to pass protect. Bullsh*t. As for the few times he went for it on 4th downs, a lot of coaches would have made the same calls. Going for it on 4th down is not that risky depending on distance, field position, score and time left. Fact is our O sputtered vastly because of play calling and not quality depth.


Amen. Brother........:food-smil

Zorn wasn't the only new coach and not the only to not have been a ballin coordinator. It's up to him to make sure that we can be competitive. Those are my thoughts on the matter.

How about Portis STFU, stop whining, and make some damn plays. He's a solid back but his mouth on the JT show and me first attitude is wearing pretty thin. What #1 back pulls himself out of the game once his team gets in the Red Zone. Larry Brown didn't, Riggo didn't, Byner didn't, Stephen Davis didn't, LT doesn't, Peterson doesn't. Who gives a $hit about personal stats, I thought the point of NFL football was to win games. How about supporting your teammates and coaching staff rather than blasting them in the media in the midst of a tough stretch of games. Portis isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread and I'm certainly not going to him for an offensive game plan. Maybe if he was willing to take some of the coaching from Stump and Zorn he would've been closer to or hit his numbers.

Bad OL = poor offensive production. Did Zorn's playcalling go from great at 6-2 to crap in a couple of weeks?

All good points regarding Portis, however... I can somewhat empathize with the guy considering he's carried this offense since he came to Washington in 2004. Your talking about a guy who was off to one of the fastest, most prolific starts of a career for all time running backs. While I agree he shouldn't publicly blast his teammates or coaches, he should be frustrated as f*ck. He's gone from one conservative, run first offense (Gibbs), to another (Zorn). I don't think his only concern is his personal stats, but rather to be a more effective offense and not foolishly try to run into a stacked box.

As far as your comment about zorns playcalling going from great (at 6-2 to crap) is silly. It was the same O line at 6-2 as it was when it went 2-6. Portis' comments eluded to the fact that midway through the season, Stump Mitchells coaching was being overridden and all of the sudden the RB's were micro managed to the teams detriment. I would be pissed too. This guy lays it on the line every sunday, and if every Redskin gave the effort he did, they'd be a lot better off as a team. He throws blocks that other halfbacks would never dare to. You're obviously from the old school, so me making the argument of poor playcalling is gonna get us nowhere.

All good points regarding Portis, however... I can somewhat empathize with the guy considering he's carried this offense since he came to Washington in 2004. Your talking about a guy who was off to one of the fastest, most prolific starts of a career for all time running backs. While I agree he shouldn't publicly blast his teammates or coaches, he should be frustrated as f*ck. He's gone from one conservative, run first offense (Gibbs), to another (Zorn). I don't think his only concern is his personal stats, but rather to be a more effective offense and not foolishly try to run into a stacked box.While Gibbs' offense was conservative, this was no mystery. His philosphy put him in the HoF. 3 out of the last 4 Super Bowls were won by "conservative" run first offenses. Zorn's offense isn't conservative by nature, but had to become that way when the OL was decimated by lingering injuries and age. Didn't hear Portis whining when the Skins were 6-2 and he was on top of the league in rushing. Same playcalls, no stacked boxes that I saw. Also, no running back carries a team without production from the OL.

As far as your comment about zorns playcalling going from great (at 6-2 to crap) is silly. It was the same O line at 6-2 as it was when it went 2-6. Wrong. The OL broke down from injury/age right before our eyes in the Pitt / Balt games and never recovered.

This guy lays it on the line every sunday, and if every Redskin gave the effort he did, they'd be a lot better off as a team. He throws blocks that other halfbacks would never dare to.90%+ of the SKins put forth the same effort, they just don't go on the JT show and elsewhere and tell you about it.

You're obviously from the old school, so me making the argument of poor playcalling is gonna get us nowhere.I am old-school, but old-school doesn't mean run, run, pass. I have no problem with a spread offense, WCO or whatever puts points on the board. I understand those offensive philosophies. But the coaching tree Zorn comes from has had offensive success in the NFL and many teams have the same or a similar style. Your using Zorn's playcalling as the main excuse we stumbled at the end of the year. Your premise is incorrect.

Wrong. The OL broke down from injury/age right before our eyes in the Pitt / Balt games and never recovered.*If you honestly believe this, YOUR premise is incorrect.*But the coaching tree Zorn comes from has had offensive success in the NFL and many teams have the same or a similar style. Your using Zorn's play calling as the main excuse we stumbled at the end of the year. Your premise is incorrect.[/QUOTE]
Wrong. Zorn tried all year to mesh a Gibbs run game with a Holmgren passing game. I never said that this is why the O stumbled at the end of the year, it's why we stumbled all year. I also acknowledged in another post that injuries and age could be partly to blame. Just because we went 6-2 doesn't mean we had a good offense. I don't think Campbell had a single game with more than 1 touchdown. Is this because Campbell is the worst QB in the league? No. It is indicative of bad play calling. If I could tell you what play we were going to run was before the snap (sitting on my ass at home), then you can sure as hell bet that NFL defenses are going to know. I'd love to give Z the benefit of the doubt and allow him another year to figure it out, especially being that he is so overly confident in himself being a coordinator despite having no real credentials. His O might turn out to be a work of genius, but the problem that I have with him and his philosophy is "lets get a 3 point lead, run the clock out and rely on our defense". I would like to think that when you're up, you should be that much more aggressive and put teams away, instead of letting them linger, stay in the game and make 4th quarter comebacks.

DirtyLandry ... Did'nt I see this same argument somewhere before? I'd have to go with Slingin Sammy33 on this one;)

DirtyLandry ... Did'nt I see this same argument somewhere before? I'd have to go with Slingin Sammy33 on this one;)

Hey! Feel free to agree with him. Isn't this the whole idea of this website? To allow for discussion, debate and argument? I don't argue for the sake of arguing, I like to exchange ideas based on the things I feel strongly about. I'm not one to get on a site and make silly jokes about the shape of a players head and get on my knees for other fans. It's the off season, let's make it a little interesting!

Fincher looks like someone put him in a headlock and forgot to let go!

A Wildcat play here and there is fine, but I'm glad that Zorn isn't fully committing to it. I think that saying we're going to start using a lot of gadget plays this year (Wildcat, or whatever else) is almost another way of saying "we don't trust our QB to run an effective offense so we're going to mask his inefficiencies with smoke and mirrors" and that's the last thing Zorn needs to say or Campbell needs to hear.

I agree. With the excecption of the NE / MIA game the wildcat was not very effective. It was good for about 1 play a game and early in the year thet play might have gotten you a TD. It should not be considered an integral part of your gameplan only something that you might have in the bag if the right opportunity presents itself. Since that is the case, why does it have to be the "Wildcat"? There are more gimmicks out there that are also successfull.