Quote:
Originally Posted by SmootSmack
I'm not sure he will be. I think he's sort of plateaued and what you see is what you get. I really don't have a problem with committing to him. I do have a problem with not making a decision one way or the other heading into his 6th NFL season.
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I disagree. I've seen more improvement in Campbell in the last 4 games (since Zorn had more time to work with him) than in the prior 2 years before that. He completed multiple touch passes in a single game for the first time ever, he was hitting down-field receivers in something other than a crossing route, and he was making decisions more quickly.
As far as Vinny, it looks like the draft choices from the last 2 years are starting to work out. We always talk about building for the future. If the inside plan was: this year is a year which we just want to survive, and the next we build the offensive line, then it's not too bad. While our offensive line is a disaster, the defensive line has been fixed (one of the top priorities) and the receiver corps is in the best shape in years. The defensive secondary is in very good shape considering the loss of (and need to "replace") Sean Taylor unexpectedly. (The Celtics were terrible for years after they lost Bias.) The Jason Taylor attempt was unfortunate, but we were in a very bad bind at that point as injuries had reduced our defensive line to a shambles. I think we have improved greatly since the days when we were giving draft picks for Duckett and obtained Archuleta, etc. As far as QB goes, it looks like things are starting to work out. Four weeks ago I wanted to sit Campbell and try Collins to see how much was the line and how much was the QB. His play since then has improved to a remarkable degree. We now need him to get his mojo back at the end of a game.
Here is what I am looking for:
I want to see them start putting teams away when they can. (They don't have many easy games left.) When they actually won by 10 against Denver I was amazed. It probably lost a lot of money for the cardiologists in Washington. It seemed to me that they also had it right against the Saints. Every time the Saints would score to get it to a one-score game, they came right back and scored again to make it a two-score game. (Except for Suisham.) In the past it's always been scoring from behind. So if they stop playing "down to" the level of the opposition, that will be the first time we have seen that in years. I remember the year when Mara died, we only lost 1 regular season game by more than 1 TD, but we had only 1 win by more than a TD until Collins came in.
If they can put other teams away and they play well I think we should hang on to Zorn et al. If Vinny's plan was to survive this year and fix the OL next year, then I'm OK with keeping him. I am saying that with the proviso that that was the plan before this football season began.
We will see what the next few weeks bring. Hopefully some good football and healthy young players showing that they have to stuff to succeed.
Dan Snyder also has a reputation for getting rid of coaches too quickly. But it didn't start that way. He kept Norv Turner way too long. So maybe he's starting to get it.
Lastly, several weeks ago most people were saying all sorts of horrible things about the Bingo caller and how Zorn should feel about it. (And it's a total fail that Sherm doesn't talk to Campbell during the week.) The official report was that Zorn had too much on his plate and this was devised to solve that problem. Until they got these guys, Zorn probably had more on his plate than any other head coach, and was still learning the job. Maybe we have to consider that they meant what they said. I'm a scientist. I don't give a damn (in fact I like it) if a solution to a problem is different from what's normally done, but most people don't appreciate that.
For the first half of the year I didn't make my family watch the Redskins. (My wife is from Mexico, and my kids are 9,7,3, and 1.) But now they're more interested, and my wife was yelling during an exciting part of a game recently (a first.)
As an aside, I find it amusing that we have only gone up one place in the FoxSports power ranking in the last 4 games. (That was after we beat Denver.) First they dropped the Broncos to avoid raising us, then they dropped the Eagles for the same reason, then after a while they didn't need to drop anybody, they just left us where we were.
As a last aside, please root for Army this weekend, since my cousin's kid is their (freshman!) starting QB. Thanks!