What to expect of the offense in '09?

I expect Portis to have a career year and Jason Campbell to have his best year. I am also looking for Heyer to show that he is a Right tackle.

I agree with everything except Portis because I hope we use another back a little more often this year. But I do expect Portis to have a great year.

I think there are people on this team that will have additional motivators to do better this year in the team.

- Campbell and Rogers: they are in contract years, so if they want to get an extension or be competitive in the free agent market, they need to bring their A game (it's common sense).

- Rookie Wideouts: Bad offseason, typical rookie production (you do know that rookies typically don't have Pro Bowl stats their first year, right?), health issues (Kelly), and commitment issues (Thomas) plagued their first season with the team; if they expect to start on this team, they'll need to step it up big time.

- Zorn: His job is safe for now, however a good showing this year should keep his job safe for a couple of years. With the likes of Mike Shanahan, Gruden, and Cowher not employed as head coaches, the last thing Zorn needs to have at the end of the '09 season to have is questions about his job security. A trip to the playoffs should take care of that.

- Cerrato: I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the same situation as Zorn.

- Heyer/Jensen: Heyer needs to prove that he can be a starter, and Jensen has been talking about being in starting form, so he needs to put his money where his mouth is.

1) I predict good health for Kelly, and that he makes a moderate impact this year. I don't think anyone is unseating Randle El as the No. 2 just yet. I think Fred Davis will handle whatever role we ask of him with great success, but his ultimate success or failure here is based heavily on his usage pattern. I don't see much more for Thomas than another 12-15 catches this year.

2) Really, this depends on how we address C and T in the draft and the months leading up to training camp. As is, we are simply an injury prone group that is thinner than it needs to be.

3) No reason to be down on Zorn. Man is a student of the game, and as long as he has the tools, we'll see a multi-dimensional attack next year.

Well he may be a student of the game but that doesn't mean he's a good offensive coordinator or play caller. Everyone on offense needs to do a better job, including Zorn.

I expect the offense to be a little better but not drastically better.

Really looking forward to the receivers improving because i don't see Portis being able to last the whole year if they ride him the first 8 games again.

I think there are people on this team that will have additional motivators to do better this year in the team.

- Campbell and Rogers: they are in contract years, so if they want to get an extension or be competitive in the free agent market, they need to bring their A game (it's common sense).

- Rookie Wideouts: Bad offseason, typical rookie production (you do know that rookies typically don't have Pro Bowl stats their first year, right?), health issues (Kelly), and commitment issues (Thomas) plagued their first season with the team; if they expect to start on this team, they'll need to step it up big time.

- Zorn: His job is safe for now, however a good showing this year should keep his job safe for a couple of years. With the likes of Mike Shanahan, Gruden, and Cowher not employed as head coaches, the last thing Zorn needs to have at the end of the '09 season to have is questions about his job security. A trip to the playoffs should take care of that.

- Cerrato: I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the same situation as Zorn.

- Heyer/Jensen: Heyer needs to prove that he can be a starter, and Jensen has been talking about being in starting form, so he needs to put his money where his mouth is.
Well said, Ruhskins....

I expect an attacking offense , and not one that looks tentative and confused. And of course more touchdowns..

What needs to be happen:

1. That RT spot needs to get settled. Weather it be through a first round pick or Stephon Heyer learning to bend his knees and dominate at the POA.

2. Ladell Betts needs to find a way to be more effective in limited time. I've always said he needs about 10 carries to get a feel for the game, but he needs to find a way to make the most with what he's got.

3. In helping point 2 Portis needs less carries so he'll be healthier by the time the end of the season roles around.

4. The 3 amigos (sleepy, lazy, and peg leg) need to develop. Jason Campbell seems to have a little Eli Manning in him in that he's probably very effective when he has more big targets to throw to. You know the type that just need to be around the ball to make a play rather then guys like ARE who need percission passes.

As long as Campbell gets protection he's on the same level as Cutler and with a defense that figures to possibly be the best in the league they'll have more help then ever. God knows we have better offensive weapons then the Titans.

My expectancy is a little low for the offense going into this season.. The show they put on last year the second half of the season really scares me.

I still feel like we need a replacement for Betts (the watered down Portis). We need a change of pace there... But then again we have so many other position needs. Its obvious Portis needs more cover coming into the season for injury risks, but we might not get someone.

And Campbell needs to be protected. A FULLY HEALTHY SKINS LINE WOULD BE HELPFUL..

We should step it up.

Vinny Cerrato doesn't mix words defending the Thomas selection:


Cerrato: "We liked Eddie Royal, Doc. What it came down to is, Eddie Royal is about 5'9", okay? Santana [Moss] and Antwaan [Randle El] are both that size. We wanted bigger guys. We did not want another little guy because we already had two. We wanted bigger guys. We wanted a couple bigger guys, so that is why we went in that direction. We weren't looking for another little guy because we had Santana and we had Antwaan and we wanted bigger guys. We already had that mold and we didn't have the big guy. In the west coast offense, there are a lot of slants and a lot of those things and having a bigger presence was what we were looking for."

I saw two Redskins games yesterday, including Cowboys-Skins on NFLN, and I've got to say, Thomas actually looks good as a blocker. Can't run routes, can't line up in the right spot, but he can absolutely block any DB who covers him.