Posts Tagged ‘zorn’

Big Play! WTF Do We Do Now?

photo via D.C. Sports Bog

Stripping Jim Zorn of his play calling duties was the right choice to make; his offense has been terrible to this point. The Redskins have played 5 of the 6 worst defenses in the NFL and have averaged 12 points a game against those opponents. The games have been plagued with bad play calling and I have the data to prove it. Once again, I’ve had to enlist the services of Fatpickle’s crack research staff to produce the stats, but I got them. For those of you that don’t know my research staff consist of two key individuals…Bud Light and Google…and they always step up and deliver.

Cheers and Hail

2008 Redskins Report Card

Another season is in the books for the Washington Redskins. It was a season of highs and lows and it seemed to fly by especially fast this year. In the end they finished where they started, a very “medium” 8-8. Some would say that with a new coach an 8-8 or 9-7 season was to be expected, I would disagree. This was a playoff team in 2007 and nearly every piece of the puzzle, both coaches and players alike, were back. That coupled with a 6-2 first half should have meant a playoff birth. Oh well, there’s always next year. Here’s my final grades for the Skins, from the top to the bottom.

Dan Snyder - B-
Good things,
He didn’t have his private jet flying all over the place spending big $$ on free agents last offseason. He didn’t keep Gregg Williams around to be the head coach, and was able to keep Greg Blache from retiring. Honoring Sean Taylor with induction to the ring of honor was a nice touch. He also provided some enjoyable YouTubes.
Now for the bad,
His loyalty to Vinny Cerrato has not provided the Redskins with the front office structure they need to be successful (ie Vinny needs to go.) The Zorn pick for Head Coach is still debatable, especially if Jim Swartz is a successful head coach next year. Cowboys, Eagles, and Steeler fans taking over Fedex was embarrassing, the marketing department should have been proactive in not allowing this to happen

Vinny Cerrato - D

The draft was a debacle, aside from Horton and Brennan, nice pickups late in the draft. DeAngelo Hall was a nice addition mid-season, but then everyone knew he would land in Washington. Everything else sucked. Jason Taylor was a huge bust. Cerrato’s choice of a Punter actually cost us a game or two! Lets see what Vinny has in store for us this offseason.

Jim Zorn (Head Coach) - C

At this point I like Zorn better as a head coach than an offensive coordinator. He seemed to run a tight ship and appeared well prepared from the start of training camp. Too much info given to the media about in house stuff. His public spat with Portis was not handled well. The Skins were 2-6 in the 2nd half. Hail maroon and black.

Jim Zorn (Offensive Coordinator) - C-

The offense had a few moments where things were clicking but not many. The rushing game was strong (using the same plays from Gibbs.) Play calling was poor and Zorn sometimes appeared lost. Red zone offense was terrible. Offense ranked near the bottom of the league in scoring and yards. Zorn needs to get much better or delegate more.

Greg Blache - B

He led the 4th ranked defense in the NFL. Got the defense to play well thru injuries. Coming back next year, but several coaches may not. Only gripe is the defense didn’t seem to make stops or big plays when needed.

Quarterbacks - C

Campbell only turned the ball over 7 times and improved his QB rating and completion percentage for 3rd straight year. But, the improvements are baby steps, not giant strides. QB’s with less experience are playing better and leading their teams to the playoffs. It’s time so start seeing improvements in the W department. Collins took only a handful of snaps. Colt Brennan is like the new chick in school. Everyone wants to date her because they think she’s hot. The truth is, she may not be hot, she’s just new. However, Colt should get extra snaps and game time in preseason next year to see what he can do.

Running Backs - B

Portis had a Pro Bowl season, was 4th in the league in rushing and played thru various injuries. He did say several negative things publicly about his coaches and teammates in the media, and for the first time I have concerns about his character. Betts was serviceable as his backup and Cartwright played little. Sellers had a Pro Bowl season was a beast as a blocker. If we could just take back one play.

Wide Receivers - C-

Moss had a 1000 yd season and is still a game changer. However, he dropped to many balls and seemed to disappear from the offense for several weeks at a time. Randle El would have good numbers for a 3rd WR, which he should be, but he’s our 2nd. Thrash contributed little. Thomas showed glimpses of promise but overall did not do much. Kelly is a disaster to this point.

Tight Ends- B

Cooley posted career highs in receptions and yards on his way to his 2nd consecutive Pro Bowl selection. Zorn needs to use him more down field (deep post, post corners) and in the red zone. Yoder played well when called upon. Boozie Davis came thru with a -3 yd reverse.

Offensive Line - C-

Strong running game averaged 130 yds per game, 8th in the NFL. Kendall probably stood out along with Samuels (when healthy.) Pass protection was poor and the line is getting old. This unit has to be a priority in the offseason.

Defensive Line - C

Played well against the run. This line is made up of serviceable NFL players, no studs. Golston, Montgomery, Alexander, Griffin, and Evans are all good players. Carter and Taylor provided little pressure on the QB, and combined for only 66 tackles and 7.5 sacks. We need a difference maker on this unit.

Linebackers - B-

Fletcher was awesome and is the heart of the defense, he was robbed of the Pro Bowl. Mcintosh played well. I’m worried that Marcus Washington will never be the same again. HB Blades played decent filling in both inside and outside spots. If Jason Taylor comes back, I would like to see him moved around more and used like he was in the Eagles game.

Secondary - B
Springs was banged up again and will be gone next year. Rodgers played better, but still can’t catch. I hope he catches a 1,000 passes a day in the offseason. Smoot is a solid #3 CB. Hall played decent, but he tackles like my 4 year old. I think we need to resign him, but don’t get crazy doing so. Landry is tough, but needs to cut out the stupid penalties. Horton showed flashes and could become a solid player.

Special Teams - D
Yuck. The Punters were terrible. Randle El was horrible returning punts. Suisham was ok early, but got cold at the worst time of the year. Coverage teams were so-so. Cartwright does a fine job returning kicks.

I guess if you average these grades together you’d come out with a C average. A medium grade indeed. Certainly better than I fared in High School and College, but not what I’d have hoped for from my team. Like I said earlier, there’s always next year see you in Miami!

Six Degrees Of Fatpickled…Christmas Edition

Six Degrees Of Fatpickled

If anyone wonders what I look like on a Sunday, here is a spot on imitation.

Zorn finally got something right this weekend.

Dallas, how about DC? (wouldn’t have to change offensive systems again, probably not with his connections to Zorn)

Would this guy like to do some grocery shopping in Ashburn?

T.O. as cousin Eddie, Wade Phillips as Aunt Bethany?

It’s like dating a stripper, fun while it lasts but you know it’s going to end badly.

Mr. Snyder, Your Steak Is Ready

I said “keep it medium!”

It seems as though Jim Zorn might be cooking himself right out of a job. Mr. Snyder likes his steak “medium” and Zorn right now is “medium well.” If Zorn doesn’t win out, he may just be “well-done.”
Just 5 weeks ago everything was good. Zorn was just perfect. A coach of the year candidate, the West Coast offense was clicking, and Portis was the league’s MVP. Zorn was riding bikes around DC with the President. Since then the Skins have gone 1-4 (including 0-3 at home), and the Offense has disappeared, averaging a mere 10 pts per game. Having a public spat with said MVP candidate was not a good thing. If Zorn was not happy with Portis and his practice participation, it should have been handled in the 40 hours a week they spend together at Redskins Park. It should not have played out on the field of a “must win” game on national TV. Zorn loves to get in front of the media and talk too much about things that should be kept in the locker room, he seems to pride himself on his communication. Is he not communicating like this in the locker room with his players?
Now word is circulating that Zorn needs to win out to save his job. I’m pretty sure that if Mr. Snyder’s steak leaves a bad taste in his mouth, he’s going to send it back. So we’ll have to wait and see if Zorn and Bush ride off into the sunset together.

Maybe do some fishing.

The truth is I hope Zorn is the coach of the Redskins next season (even though I am less than pleased right now). If Zorn is the coach next season, it will have meant the Skins made the Playoffs this year. This is my hope. I’m still medium.

Cheers and Hail

Hail To The Burgundy And Gold

Having been a fan of the Redskins for over 30 years I have seen a lot of players come and go. With the salary cap, free agency, and the fact the average NFL player’s career only lasts 4 season, players are gone before you know it.