Smoot Lays the Smack Down (Redskins vs. Rams)

Zorn had guts and confidence to go for it on 4th and 1. If we make it we run the clock out and maybe punch it in. This would be confidence for our entire offense. If we don't make it they have no time outs and must get to our 30 yard line for a fg shot. Our O-Line was given the chance to make a statement that we can blow people off the ball to win the game. Well the O-line got stuffed and we could not get 1 yard. You have to be able to run the ball in the red Zone to be a successfull running team. If you cant get 1 yard than what does that say about our O-line ? I guess we are not physical enough up front and thats why we dont get the long runs very often. Where is Big Mike Williams when you need him. Oh Sellers got his contract extention but his blocking was suspect today.

It's true, maybe my beef is with the secondary. Are we missing Springs THAT much? It's basically the same secondary that dominated last year and this year we're getting bitched on almost every third down.

Even though Carter is getting good pressure, I was just thinking we'd see a few more sacks with the addition of Haynesworth and Orakpo. :(

Bulger threw some real nice passes on 3rd down. He was throwing some before the guy even came out of his break. The corners got beat but they didn't give up anything deep and they pay the other guys too. I can't bitch too much about the corners. STL had 114 yards passing.

Zorn had guts and confidence to go for it on 4th and 1. If we make it we run the clock out and maybe punch it in. This would be confidence for our entire offense. If we don't make it they have no time outs and must get to our 30 yard line for a fg shot. Our O-Line was given the chance to make a statement that we can blow people off the ball to win the game. Well the O-line got stuffed and we could not get 1 yard. You have to be able to run the ball in the red Zone to be a successfull running team. If you cant get 1 yard than what does that say about our O-line ? I guess we are not physical enough up front and thats why we dont get the long runs very often. Where is Big Mike Williams when you need him. Oh Sellers got his contract extention but his blocking was suspect today.

I hadn't actually thought about it, but the 4th and 1 would have been an excellent time for the "heavy jumbo" package, and just bull-dozed for the yard. Would have made a good statement, even I felt the offensive line got several key 3rd and shorts in the middle of the field.
During the game I wanted Jason to fake the handoff and run it, or throw the tight end screen, but afterwards we found out Jason was playing on a hobbled ankle (kudos to Jason, cuz I for one could not tell at all).

Before we run Zorn out of town.

- We put up 362 yards
- 7/15 46% on 3rd down.
- JC was 23 of 36 0 INTs 63.8%
- Not counting the kneel-down, we had 7 drives. 4 were 13+ play drives, 1 was 9 plays, only two 3 & outs

I know we're playing the Rams, but Spags is a D guy and it's not outside the realm of possibility that his D will be getting better week-to-week.

Also, these are not Zorn's fault:
- JC two bad throws on deep balls that would've likely been TDs (Kelly & Thomas)
- Moss fumble inside 10 yd line
- Sellers dropped TD

I remember the Gibbs' 80s well. I remember Mark Moseley being the MVP and a few 15-14 & 12-10 wins in those days. Let's take the W and hope Zorn looks at film and improves the RZ offense over the next couple of weeks.

The missed play to Kelly was horrible and I also think it was maybe the last good play call that Zorn had all day. Run personal, two tight, and take a shot to Kelly. He was clearly open but underthrown. Awful.

Now on Thomas, it is hard to know these things, but I am thinking he was supposed to stem that route inside at the start to give Campbell more room between himself and the sideline. Thomas basically ran himself out of the play by getting too close to the sideline (plus it was called to the short side of the field, but it may also have been a sight adjustment by Campbell because it looked like he made a call to Thomas before the play). Thomas is such a horrible route runner that I have trouble blaming any QB for something that happens on a throw to him. Devin Thomas = Taylor Jacobs.

Yeah, but for as good as Orkapo looked in the preseason, he's been invisible thus far 2 weeks in. Maybe we should let him play his natural position. Only we could screw up a prospect like Orakpo.

Good call. I thought it would work, but he does not look good at linebacker. I have not re-watched the game either, so GTripp can probably comment better, but it does not even look like Blache has used him much as a rush player from SLB (which was the main argument for why he would work at that position). He looks so much better with his hand down.

The missed play to Kelly was horrible and I also think it was maybe the last good play call that Zorn had all day. Run personal, two tight, and take a shot to Kelly. He was clearly open but underthrown. Awful.

Now on Thomas, it is hard to know these things, but I am thinking he was supposed to stem that route inside at the start to give Campbell more room between himself and the sideline. Thomas basically ran himself out of the play by getting too close to the sideline (plus it was called to the short side of the field, but it may also have been a sight adjustment by Campbell because it looked like he made a call to Thomas before the play). Thomas is such a horrible route runner that I have trouble blaming any QB for something that happens on a throw to him. Devin Thomas = Taylor Jacobs.

yeah i think you're right on that one. they should just put him back on kick off returns and give mitchell is playing time.

Great article by Boswell in today's Wash Post. He does a great job at summing up why the team has trouble scoring in the red zone and why nobody should be upset at them.

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yeah i think you're right on that one. they should just put him back on kick off returns and give mitchell is playing time.

Except he did not even look good doing that in the one chance he got yesterday. He might be fast running in a straight line (in shorts) but in addition to being a horrible route runner he also does not seem to possess any dynamic change of direction skills. We were lucky to come back and get Kelly in that draft.

On a positive note, at least we did not draft Jamarcus Russell, Darren McFadden, and Darrius Heyward-Bey with consecutive top ten picks. Wow, those guys are incredibly horrible.

Great article by Boswell in today's Wash Post. He does a great job at summing up why the team has trouble scoring in the red zone and why nobody should be upset at them.

Boswell is always good. I think that you like the article because it places so much of the blame on Campbell. That statistic he throws out is pretty good though. Ultimately, he absolves Zorn of too many of his sins (and unfairly saddles him with another when he says that he should have kicked at the end).