[30gut]

Good stuff GTripp

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Improving on Third Downs
What to my game notes suggest to be the problem in long downs. I will transcribe:

*3-2 Tim Jennings had late contact on Moss, with no flag. The Redskins had just run for 13 yards in 2 plays. A quick pass on 3rd and 2? For real?
If they're gonna throw a slant i question the choice to throw a slant to Moss-have to believe there was a better play on 3rd and short then a slant
*3-10 McNabb had pressure in his face and used a quick release to get the ball to Cooley at the sticks. Cooley drops it.
execution
*3-2 Moss got wide open in the weakness of the defense (middle) off a rub concept using Cooley.
*3-1 Effective boot action got McNabb outside of pressure, but Cooley was covered. He stopped his route giving McNabb a place to dump the ball for a conversion.
*3-8 Moss is jammed hard inside 5 yards by Tinoisamoa and never regains his balance as McNabb anticipated him open over the middle. McNabb was right and Moss just didn't execute.
*3-7 Rabach gave up middle pressure off a stunt by Peppers and McNabb launched this one downfield high, missing his receiver by a ton. Two closest players were Chicago's safeties
execution
*3-11 The Bears brought one more than the Redskins can block, McNabb took maybe a fraction of a second more time than he had, and couldn't get it to Galloway who wasn't going to have the first down anyway.
execution
*3-10 McNabb beats a blitz successfully, thanks to a big time pickup by K. Williams. Cooley is hit in-stride with a good throw, but gets shoved to the sideline a half yard short of first down yardage.
*3-9 This was an ugly play from the start, disasterous timing, multiple free runs on McNabb and a tight throw that gets to Moss who comes up three yards short and wasn't trying to get much more.
execution
*3-8 The Bears stunt and get the edge pressure on Trent Williams, causing McNabb to pull the trigger a lot sooner than he wanted to with things developing downfield.
execution
*3-11 Trent Williams is beaten far too quickly and to the inside, and Idonije forces a fumble on McNabb. McNabb had poor ball security in the pocket, but he also was trusting Williams to make that block.
execution
*3-1 A run with Torain where Rabach and Lichtensteiger get zero push at the line of scrimmage, and Torain cuts it back into them.
execution

Great idea posting the 3rd down plays.
I'm in another redskins forum where i suggested starting a thread that discusses 3rd downs and RZ thread but with no takers.
I see a lot of execution failures part of which is understandable because the defense is gonna out execute the offense sometimes.
But the offense has to do better across the board from the playcall to the pass-pro to the QB/receivers play.

A couple of years ago when I was trying to figure out why the 2008 Redskins could move the ball so effectively and not score, I couldn't pin it all on one fatal flaw, but rather, too many mediocre performances that weaknesses really shined through when the margin of error got tight inside the opponent's 30 yard line. That's probably similar to what is happening here on third downs. It would be easy to chalk it up to a small sample and expect our third down performance to reflect our first and second down performance in time, but I don't think that's the case.

Rather I think that when you talk about the mediocre players on the offense, it really puts pressure on them in third downs when the defense can raise the level of play on the offense in an attempt to get off the field, you really need every individual to do their job to the best of their ability to be a great third down team

Your statement above reminds me more of the Skins offense circa 2009.
Which i believe people underestimate from a coaching standpoint.
Zorn-Sherman Lewis et al produced a more effecient passing game with mcuh less talent across the board: mediocre QB, bad OL, no running game and average WRs.
They got rid of the all the 5-7 step drops and went all short game.
Kyle(McNabb) and the offense staff ,imo, have to step up and help this offense become more effective/effecient through his playcalling/gameplanning.