The New Running Game?

I'm pretty sure that Gibbs and co. didn't completely revamp the playbook, they just modified it. It would be stupid to go to a all stretch/zone blocking scheme and then stay in the tackle box for passing plays, a high school coach wouldn't be that elementary. I think it will be more balanced than it was last year. There will still be some counter trey and straight dive plays as part of the playbook, just not a total reliance upon them.. Denver runs lots of playaction off of the stretch/zone plays, it just requires quicker passes since the QB is usually completely exposed to the backside DE. I'm looking forward to the 1st preseason game so we can see it in action.

Another thing they needed, and got, to make the strech / gap plays work is more speed on the line. Last year our lineman just had to little speed to get out onto the linebackers. Also, Portis had to wait longer on the slower lineman. This is a key reason we brought in Rabach. Now, we have Jansen and Raybach getting out faster than Raymer and Brown. This will make a big difference over the course of a game / season.

Schneed10, you make a good point about the playaction being recognized. I am sure that Gibbs will find ways to design things to make it less obvious. With the speed Portis has he might be gone before they realize what play we called.


My thought all along was not Portis's inability to run the counter trey, but the inability for the line to block it, they can say Portis over ran it all they want I didn't see that, what I saw was no where to run regardless of how he ran, and I think our lineman were just attrocious run blocking last year, as I said at the time our center position was basically none existant last year, I really hope that between Jansen, and Rabach, that will make all the difference in the world for Portis along with some stretch play's, Portis is not a straight ahead runner he need's to be utilized like Marshall Faulk, he need's to see a lot of draws and screens to utilize his speed and quickness, pounding the line with him is fruitless he is not a powerful runner, Bett's is a much stronger runner and can be used in the capacity if neccasary.

I heard that Portis put on 10 lbs to help him fit the system better. Maybe with a little bigger Portis and a system that is a little more taylored to him we will see great things happen.

I don't know about portis gaining muscle to get better. Look at what maurice clarett did when he put on 15lbs for the combine. It takes alot to carry and cut with more weight to pull around. I just hope it doesn't take away from his evasiveness and flat out speed.

clarrett was never a really fast rb anyway plus he was ,for the most part, out of shape. portis has always been very fast and is always in great shape, i don't think 10lbs of muscle will slow him down at all. it will help him absorb some of the hits he will take and it gives him just a little extra umpff to push for an extra yard or two.

clarett was out of shape at the first combine, but at this years, he was quite the specemin of physical fitness. The weight he put on was muscle and he was pretty chiseled. It was just the extra weight that slowed him down. I'm just saying that portis is more of a speed back and if hes probably still suited to make people miss than he is to run through them. A little more muscle will help with the hits, but I'd rather see him bounce outside, lay down a move or two and break a long distance scoring run untouched, than try to be some kind of short yardage back. Thats what Rock and Ladell and all those rookies are there for.

Portis put on 10-15 lbs. of muscle but they said his speed and quickness were not affected. GOOD news for us.

I'm pretty sure that Gibbs and co. didn't completely revamp the playbook, they just modified it. It would be stupid to go to a all stretch/zone blocking scheme and then stay in the tackle box for passing plays, a high school coach wouldn't be that elementary. I think it will be more balanced than it was last year. There will still be some counter trey and straight dive plays as part of the playbook, just not a total reliance upon them.. Denver runs lots of playaction off of the stretch/zone plays, it just requires quicker passes since the QB is usually completely exposed to the backside DE. I'm looking forward to the 1st preseason game so we can see it in action.

I agree with you. I think the core of the playbook stays the same, just with a few new wrinkles.

What I'm wondering though is will the Skins offensive linemen employ the highly controversial cut-blocking technique?

I'm not advocating it per se, but it is legal so long as the defensive player isn't being hit from behind and you're not rolling up on his legs. So if the Redskins throw in a couple of cut blocks at the beginning of the year just the thought of it happening again is sure to slow defenders down (for fear of getting hurt). That's what seemed to help Denver runners a lot. Defenders would hesitate before pursuing the runner.

Portis put on 10-15 lbs. of muscle but they said his speed and quickness were not affected. GOOD news for us.
That is the same thing that I read also, at first when they saw that he had gained the weight they thought that he might have slowed a step, but then they said that to there surprise he was just as fast as before...

cut blocks at the beginning of the year just the thought of it happening again is sure to slow defenders down (for fear of getting hurt). That's what seemed to help Denver runners a lot. Defenders would hesitate before pursuing the runner.
that is why there should be a rule against it, the steelers do allittle of that too.