Giving Credit Where Credit's Due: Offensive Stats Before and After the Sherm Lewis Hire

[skinsnut]

Although I noticed decent improvement in the playcalling with Lewis...he did not attack the Cowboys like he knew their weaknesses.
They should have been attacking the deep middle due to the safety injury.
This was not done.
The problem with Dallas and our line is this.
They attack and crowd the line aggresively....we should have anticipated that or at least adjusted, can you slow this down with screens? kind of...but screens are meant to neutralize occasional blitzes...not an every down 8 in the box situation.
Draws would have worked out fine...the problem...we had Rock...who is certainly not a draw back...this is where the alridge fans come in. We are completely dependant on a single running back to be able to run the draw...and he was out.

I was a bit disappointed in the play calling...in fact, I believe the lack of aggression cost us the game on 2 occasions.....once with about 15 seconds left on the clock at the 20....we did not even try once to throw the ball in the endzone....most teams would try 3 times if they had the downs.....another toward the end of the game around the 30....I think it was 3rd and 5 or something....we ran....again....not even trying to go for the throat...the gutsy call would have been to run a stop and go and throw deep....heck...even a slant would do....but to basically hope you make it and fall back on a maybe field goal is a bit lame. No aggression.

Both of these critical calls scream out play not to lose...they do not say ATTACK when winning....that is a serious problem and explains why our games are always close.

I am very curious if those critical calls are ones where Zorn decides whether we play it safe or attack

[Paintrain]

Originally Posted by Defensewins

Final Score: Jaded 7 Clueless 6.
BINGO!

Even with that stinker, we're still averaging 3 more PPG than under Zorn (16 ppg vs 13 ppg)..

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by skinsnut

Although I noticed decent improvement in the playcalling with Lewis...he did not attack the Cowboys like he knew their weaknesses.
They should have been attacking the deep middle due to the safety injury.
This was not done.
The problem with Dallas and our line is this.
They attack and crowd the line aggresively....we should have anticipated that or at least adjusted, can you slow this down with screens? kind of...but screens are meant to neutralize occasional blitzes...not an every down 8 in the box situation.
Draws would have worked out fine...the problem...we had Rock...who is certainly not a draw back...this is where the alridge fans come in. We are completely dependant on a single running back to be able to run the draw...and he was out.

I was a bit disappointed in the play calling...in fact, I believe the lack of aggression cost us the game on 2 occasions.....once with about 15 seconds left on the clock at the 20....we did not even try once to throw the ball in the endzone....most teams would try 3 times if they had the downs.....another toward the end of the game around the 30....I think it was 3rd and 5 or something....we ran....again....not even trying to go for the throat...the gutsy call would have been to run a stop and go and throw deep....heck...even a slant would do....but to basically hope you make it and fall back on a maybe field goal is a bit lame. No aggression.

Both of these critical calls scream out play not to lose...they do not say ATTACK when winning....that is a serious problem and explains why our games are always close.

I am very curious if those critical calls are ones where Zorn decides whether we play it safe or attack

The end of the half call was absolutely on Zorn, and he defended it to the hilt, i posted his quote somewhere. I agree the 3rd and 5 draw was bad, and I think that was Lewis. I think I have even more trouble with trying the field goal after the draw got nothing then the draw itself. Not a big fan of either call, but a 50 yarder, which if missed gives dallas excellent field position, or a punt where we hopefully could pin them back. I would rather have punted, and then relied on the D, and I think the D then might have held them. Put dallas on the 5 and let the D do its job, I think it would have worked better.

[davy]

That 3rd and 5 that everybody is on about was actually a 3rd and 2. A very different situation and the draw play call was fine. It just didn't work.

[freddyg12]

I hated that draw on 3rd and 2. I know that dallas had put 8 in coverage a lot but when they did blitz they were coming right up the middle, right where that play was called. JC was playin lights out on 3rd downs as well. We'd run the ball the 2 plays before I believe.

[mlmdub130]

nothing much new here we didn't already know, just thought it was kind of odd for cooley to kinda talk crap about the system, and to address issues he doesn't really have first hand knowledge of, and to make our situation even more of a "laughing stock"

Chris Cooley: Lewis never talks to Campbell | ProFootballTalk.com

[tryfuhl]

Originally Posted by mlmdub130

nothing much new here we didn't already know, just thought it was kind of odd for cooley to kinda talk crap about the system, and to address issues he doesn't really have first hand knowledge of, and to make our situation even more of a "laughing stock"

Chris Cooley: Lewis never talks to Campbell | ProFootballTalk.com

He did admit to the offense looking better too though.

"We have a really weird deal going on right now with the kind of rotation of who calls the plays, to where it goes, to who gets it and how it gets to Jason," said Cooley, who was placed on the season-ending injured-reserve list Monday. "It's almost unheard of. And the funny thing is the last couple weeks the offense has looked better than it has."

Redskins Insider - Cooley: Playcalling is 'a carousel of calls'

[53Fan]

I think the more Sherms we have, the better.

YouTube - RedskinsWeek11.dv

[BigHairedAristocrat]

One interesting theory ive seen is that the improved offense is more a result of Portis being out than anything else. He's "snyders pet," a diva, and despite what some players may say publicly, is obviously not well-liked by many of his team mates. Betts and Cartwright are hardworking and loved by their team mates. It would not surprise me in the least to learn that the line (consciously or not) blocks better for these guys than portis. That point aside, Portis has obviously lost more than just a step and I think he's played his last snap as a redskin - even if there IS a cap next year.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

One interesting theory ive seen is that the improved offense is more a result of Portis being out than anything else. He's "snyders pet," a diva, and despite what some players may say publicly, is obviously not well-liked by many of his team mates. Betts and Cartwright are hardworking and loved by their team mates. It would not surprise me in the least to learn that the line (consciously or not) blocks better for these guys than portis. That point aside, Portis has obviously lost more than just a step and I think he's played his last snap as a redskin - even if there IS a cap next year.

Portis, in four years under Gibbs, went from one of the most anxious runners in the entire NFL to one of the most patient. But when Zorn came in and changed the blocking schemes, and suddenly, that patience and ability to let his blocking develop before trying to make a cut and run downhill really started to work against him.

Portis runs at the extreme of patience these days, he'll get in behind his blockers, and never make one of those classing zone running cutbacks behind everything like he used to in his younger days, as he wastes most of his carries never getting downhill. When he does turn the corner, he's usually right on the sideline where the first guy over can just push him out kind of effortlessly.

It's not really an effort thing on the OL, as much is it is that Portis never makes the defense pay for overpursuit to the football with that big cutback. So defenses that do a good job swarming to the point of attack are going to shut him down. And on film, that looks a lot like a line that isn't opening up any seams in the defense. But really, it's just the defense sending one more guy that can be blocked, and us having a back that cant really do anything about that at this point in his career.

The Chargers are having the exact same issue with Tomlinson at this point.

[53Fan]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

One interesting theory ive seen is that the improved offense is more a result of Portis being out than anything else. He's "snyders pet," a diva, and despite what some players may say publicly, is obviously not well-liked by many of his team mates. Betts and Cartwright are hardworking and loved by their team mates. It would not surprise me in the least to learn that the line (consciously or not) blocks better for these guys than portis. That point aside, Portis has obviously lost more than just a step and I think he's played his last snap as a redskin - even if there IS a cap next year.

I've heard B-Mitch say that this team started playing together the second half of the Atlanta game and no one disagreed with him. It was obvious what he was talking about.

[SmootSmack]

Kelly and Thomas talk about Lewis' impact

Am I reading too much into this line from Kelly?

Although it was tough for him to accept, do you think it’s helped Coach Zorn to have Lewis here?

“It probably has,” Kelly said. “It probably took a little off of his plate, so now he’s focused more on Jason’s game, and Jason’s game has also improved. I guess it has. I really don’t want to be the one to bad mouth anyone.”

[mlmdub130]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Kelly and Thomas talk about Lewis' impact

Am I reading too much into this line from Kelly?

Although it was tough for him to accept, do you think it’s helped Coach Zorn to have Lewis here?

“It probably has,” Kelly said. “It probably took a little off of his plate, so now he’s focused more on Jason’s game, and Jason’s game has also improved. I guess it has. I really don’t want to be the one to bad mouth anyone.”

all i have to say is wow, just wow, sounds like a low blow from our second year not all that effectve wideout

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by 53Fan

I've heard B-Mitch say that this team started playing together the second half of the Atlanta game and no one disagreed with him. It was obvious what he was talking about.

Mike Sellers all but indicated that in an interview. I think the offense is coming together now; whereas before it couldnt - Portis is too much of a diva and a divisive force on the team. For example, he tried to get Sellers pulled from a game for missing an assignment. I read that Sellers is the "Alpha Male" on the team - the one guy you can't mess with and get away with. That, after Portis' lack of practicing and buddy-buddy relationship with the owner for the past several years, could very well have been the proverbial "last straw."

I get that Portis himself has lost a step or two, but I think this offense has more "energy" and is more productive when Portis isnt there.

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by mlmdub130

all i have to say is wow, just wow, sounds like a low blow from our second year not all that effectve wideout

I agree. A very low-blow indeed. Its obvious that his play has improved, but there was no need to add that last jab about not wanting to bad-mouth anyone. I dont expect Kelly to get many balls thrown his way Sunday...