My 1st anti-coaching thread

Portis is suppose to be making the plays L.T. did today. That is my biggest dissapointment from the coaching staff. They are obviously not using him wisely.
I came to the conclusion long ago that the Redskins overpaid for Portis by trading Champ Bailey AND a 2nd round pick that the Broncos used to select Tatum Bell. Adding insult to injury, the Danny opened the vault for Portis before he ever played a down for us. He's the 2nd highest paid RB (behind Tomlinson), but he certainly isn't in the same class as L.T., Shawn Alexander, or Edgerrin James. My simplest measure of a money back - can you salt a game away with a 4th quarter lead by handing him the ball again and again? After nearly 2 seasons here, the answer to that is a resounding no.

I came to the conclusion long ago that the Redskins overpaid for Portis by trading Champ Bailey AND a 2nd round pick that the Broncos used to select Tatum Bell. Adding insult to injury, the Danny opened the vault for Portis before he ever played a down for us. He's the 2nd highest paid RB (behind Tomlinson), but he certainly isn't in the same class as L.T., Shawn Alexander, or Edgerrin James. My simplest measure of a money back - can you salt a game away with a 4th quarter lead by handing him the ball again and again? After nearly 2 seasons here, the answer to that is a resounding no.
Good comparison between Portis and Alexander/James. I heard last week that Portis has not had back-to-back 100-yard games in his two years with the Redskins. He's a gamer, but he's playing well below his potential.

I came to the conclusion long ago that the Redskins overpaid for Portis by trading Champ Bailey AND a 2nd round pick that the Broncos used to select Tatum Bell. Adding insult to injury, the Danny opened the vault for Portis before he ever played a down for us. He's the 2nd highest paid RB (behind Tomlinson), but he certainly isn't in the same class as L.T., Shawn Alexander, or Edgerrin James. My simplest measure of a money back - can you salt a game away with a 4th quarter lead by handing him the ball again and again? After nearly 2 seasons here, the answer to that is a resounding no.

You should post more often. Those last two sentences are all anyone should need as proof that Clinton Portis hasn't been close what we really wanted from him. After being handed the ball 29 times, that's usually the mark of a team that winds up in the win column.

It's not like it's all that different from Gibbs' first run as coach. I mean you knew when they were going to go with the Jumbo offense, or run the counter-tre, or do a bootleg. Not the most extensive playbook, but with a lot of motion and different formations. The key is to execute it well enough that even if they know it's coming they can't stop it. Like Stockton-Malone's pick-and roll


I agree, and the key word here is "execute". This offensive line cannot execute anything close to the hogs. Plus, Gibbs first tenure here did not see as much blitzing the way teams do now. It's a joy for these blitzing linebackers to meet the running backs in the hole. Teams are more equal now also due to parity in the league. More teams are better now than when Gibbs coached last time.

I think there is a fine line when it comes to execution and playcalling. When the players make the play work, the playcalling is great. When the players don't execute it, the play calling stinks. Maybe our team is just an average team, and to get this team winning, the playcalling is going to have to be flawless. I believe that is what fans expect anyway.

From the 'Playcalling' Thread that I just posted in:

1-10-SD31 (1:04) C.Portis to SD 25 for 6 yards (B.Jue, D.Florence).
2-4-SD25 (:55) C.Portis right end to SD 25 for no gain (L.Castillo).
PENALTY on WAS-C.Rabach, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at SD 25 - No Play.
2-14-SD35 (:50) C.Portis left end to SD 35 for no gain (R.Godfrey).
3-14-SD35 (:40) M.Brunell pass incomplete to C.Cooley (S.Merriman).
4-14-SD35 (:35) J.Hall 52 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Right, Center-E.Albright, Holder-D.Frost.

From the 35 you are out of FG range. The highlighted playcall on 2nd and 14 is asinine to me. To me that is giving up on the drive by conceding 3rd and long and a long FG attempt. Are there no plays in the playbook designed to gain 7-10 yds?


While I agree that the playcalling has generally been unimaginative and predictable, weren't a lot of us bitching last week in the 4th quarter against the Raiders for NOT running Portis enough?

I think it's so easy to whine and say it's the playcalling, but the execution hasn't been up to par lately either. Dropped passes, penalties, turnovers, etc., that's all on the players.


While there has been far too much of what you mention, playcalling figures into the mix as well. There is far too much of what we saw last year, throwing the ball two to three yards short of the first down marker. I wouldn't suggest throwing a hook pattern two yards short of the 1st down with the receiver not being able to run after the catch for the needed yardage. Plus the whole offensive scheme at times lacks creativeness as well as imagination. It appears to be an offense with limited plays because we seem to be so predictable, and from what I witness rather easy to defend.

While I agree that the playcalling has generally been unimaginative and predictable, weren't a lot of us bitching last week in the 4th quarter against the Raiders for NOT running Portis enough?

And the week before a lot were bitching that we WERE running Portis. It's kind of funny how at the beginning of the year there were a lot of threads about how awful the passing game was and how Brunell was just a limp-wristed has-been and how we needed to give the ball to Portis.

nah dude, he is the genius everyone is making him out to be... give any other D coordinator (aside from a select few) the line he has and tell me he holds the chargers to 17 in regulation... especially with all those three and outs in the second half by our offense.


It could well be like you said, the defense didn't have a lot left after having to play so much in the second half. Those constant three and out's just kill a defense. It's well documented our front four definately needs a face lift. We really miss Brandon Noble this year more than we realize. While he may not have been a sack master, he along with Griffin took the double team and made it possible for others to make a play.

It could well be like you said, the defense didn't have a lot left after having to play so much in the second half. Those constant three and out's just kill a defense. It's well documented our front four definately needs a face lift. We really miss Brandon Noble this year more than we realize. While he may not have been a sack master, he along with Griffin took the double team and made it possible for others to make a play.


And that is all the more reason to have a ball controlled offense that holds onto the ball for half a quarter each series. I think our defense plays better when we're able to run the ball effectively. In this offense, the ball carrier needs to touch the ball at least 30 to 40 times a game in my opinion. When we're able to do that, it keeps our defense fresh and it opens up so much more on our offense. I think anytime when we get into a situation where we're passing more than we're running, we're in trouble! Moss is great, but he's only one man. If we had the posse still, then passing more would be no problem. But I think our defensive line needs a majory upgrade.