Spence Speaks: Redskins Review Week One

[Spence]

QB: Jason Campbell maintained his poise and helped lead the team down the field in overtime for the win. Before that he was inconsistent. His first interception was the result of a terrible decision, throwing deep in the seam into double coverage. That’s a mental error by Jason. I originally blamed the second interception entirely on Jason, but having seen it again several times, it’s a bit more complicated than that. That’s a ball you throw to Randy Moss or Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson — someone with more size and a lot of moxie to go up and get it. Unfortunately, the Redskins don’t have that guy on the team. [More about that later.] In sum, I’d say Campbell made a decent decision there if he was throwing to a better receiver. However, he was throwing to Brandon Lloyd and he has to keep that in mind.

The deep passing game worked yesterday [18.5 yards per completion], but Campbell wasn’t very accurate and the short-to-intermediate completions were not there. This was one of Campbell’s worst performances as a pro, but he managed to do something to help the team win. His reaction to an overtime blitz was super-quick, leading to a critical completion to Chris Cooley.Read it all! (http://www.hailredskins.com/?p=146)

[morty55]

that is a fair assessment...

next week MNF and the Eagles..who are nowhere near what they are being billed as..being..

maybe the Skins need to break-out the film of the Body-Bag game and show it to them..to get them nasty

[dj_stouty]

I agree that Smoot needs to work on his coverage skills...but what I do like about him is his ability to tackle/hit like a guy 30 lbs heavier than him. I only recall him making a solo tackle once after a first down...but I do recall him being involved in two different tackles on 3rd down that forced a punt. I'll take that. The dropped INT was almost unforgiveable...but he gets a mulligan from me, since I've seen him actually catch INTs as a Redskin in the past (16 in 4 years in B&G); unlike our top 10 draft pick CB on the other side of the field.

That being said, I don't think Rogers did any better in the tackling department. He looked hesitant out there. On one particular play, he lightly wrapped up the receiver, yet was hesitant to throw him down and let his teamates come in for the group tackle. That is NOT the aggressive CB I watched play at Auburn. If I could envision one player on D hearing overlapping clips of a screaming GW going through his head during every play, its Carlos. I wonder if he is second guessing himself too much out there?

Not sure why Springs was out. I assumed it was a nagging injury. Either way, I agree with you that he needs to be out on the field; as evident by his fumble recovery. Maybe his age is catching up with him, thus the need for GW to rotate him in and keep him fresh?

As far as the offensive gameplan goes, I really wanted them to attempt a gadget play. (I don't count the shovel pass or end-around as gadgets) ARE makes things happen when he gets his hands on the ball. The next time we see him doing an end-around, I want him to plant his back foot behind the LOS and take a shot downfield for Moss! I hope we see something to this nature against Philly.

[Ibleedburgundy]

With regards to the CBs, who decides how far off the LOS they line up?

[AGibbsGirl]

Nice read Spence. Good props to the LB's I thought they looked great yesterday. And I agree with the CB assesment, they got burned too much IMO

BTW Why can't the question regarding Springs be answered officially?

Mike and I listened to talk radio during our 2 hour traffic jammed ride home last night and everytime a caller asked, the issue was skirted, leading me to believe no one had the answer.

I did not hear Gibbs address it either, did anyone catch anything?

[hockeygoalie29]

Great review Spence.

The Redskins got terrible play from their linebackers in 2006. What a difference a year makes. The two biggest defensive contributions in the game came from new MLB London Fletcher [game-high 10 tackles] and LB Rocky McIntosh [9 tackles]

It's a very good sign that Marcus was the LEAST productive linebacker on the field considering his level of intensity. I think the entire defense will feed of the energy that Fletcher and McIntosh bring to the table. All 3 of them remind me of Marcus in 2004.

[Also, do you notice how he acts as if he’s made a great play when his man beats him but drops the pass? If Smoot worked as hard on his game as he does on his ego, he’d be an All Pro.]

That really bugged me. He got beat but his man dropped an easy pass and he celebrated like he broke it up. Carlos Rogers did this a lot last year as well.

[dj_stouty]

With regards to the CBs, who decides how far off the LOS they line up?

I'm fairly positive the CBs do not decide that on their own.

[Spence]

BTW Why can't the question regarding Springs be answered officially?

Mike and I listened to talk radio during our 2 hour traffic jammed ride home last night and everytime a caller asked, the issue was skirted, leading me to believe no one had the answer.

I did not hear Gibbs address it either, did anyone catch anything?The issue is raised on page E13 of the Washington Post today in a story by Jason LaCanfora. Gregg Williams says it is a rotation he is using and wants to keep on using, though it likely to change week to week. The idea is to reduce the pounding these guys take. That's all very well, but this was a close game and our cornerbacks were getting schooled. The Dolphins couldn't run the ball so passing was all they had. Springs should have been in there, I think.

[Spence]

With regards to the CBs, who decides how far off the LOS they line up?The cornerbacks take instruction from the coaches on that. The Redskins were playing cover-2 almost all day, hence the big cushion from Smoot.

[colkurtz]

I'm fairly positive the CBs do not decide that on their own.

The coaches could fix that issue in one series if that is not what they want. I thought most of the coverage was geared to prevent the long ball against our defense. That includes the cushion.

[Spence]

I've added some action photos to the review. Check them out (http://www.hailredskins.com/?p=146) if you're a fan of Clinton Portis or game-winning field goals.

EDIT: I've also added an awards section. You know, Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP, Coach of the Game -- that sort of thing.

[Ibleedburgundy]

Great write up. I just take issue with some of the Smoot stuff. Sure he's not that great but I don't think it's fair to say he got beaten. The defense gave up 13 points and zero big plays.

I know a lot of Redskins fans love Fred Smoot. I’ve never really understood why, since the only very good season he’s had was in 2004, when he was playing for a new contract. My theory is that people love him ’cause his last name is cool.

I think people like Fred Smoot because of his personality. Don't know if you've ever heard him give an interview but he's a funny dude. And he did play well in his first stint as a Skin, not just one year. He also played with a collar bone injury that was definitely painful.

If they love him for his play then they don’t know anything about football. .

...and yet you blame him for the cushion that is clearly part of this scheme with or without Smoot. That cushion also set up the last play where Smoot could have put this game away. The cushion frustrates me too sometimes but it's hard to hate it on a day where they don't give up any big plays.

Smoot gave Miami wideouts a huge cushion yesterday and still managed to get beaten regularly. Smoot got 6 tackles, but it’s not a good play to make the tackle after your man has caught a pass for a first down. He dropped a sure interception that would have won the game in regulation, but that’s not as important as the fact that he didn’t cover well all game

No excuse for the dropped INT. And you hate to give up a first down but that is the approach of this defense. It gives meaningless yardage in order to decrease the likelyhood of a big play. All in all, it worked out yesterday. I thought Smoot's footwork looked a little sloppy. He got turned around a few times and was not quick to react.

Oh yeah one more thing

SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!

[AGibbsGirl]

The issue is raised on page E13 of the Washington Post today in a story by Jason LaCanfora. Gregg Williams says it is a rotation he is using and wants to keep on using, though it likely to change week to week. The idea is to reduce the pounding these guys take. That's all very well, but this was a close game and our cornerbacks were getting schooled. The Dolphins couldn't run the ball so passing was all they had. Springs should have been in there, I think.

Thank you sir, and I did just read the "Throw to Smoot" thread where this was answered as well.

Stinks though, after yesterday we wanna see more Springs...

[Spence]

IBB, I don't blame Smoot for the cushion. I blame him for being beaten repeatedly despite the cushion. And I don't credit him much for the lack of big Miami passing plays. I think the deep play of Taylor and Landry is the reason for that.

[Redskin4Life]

The issue is raised on page E13 of the Washington Post today in a story by Jason LaCanfora. Gregg Williams says it is a rotation he is using and wants to keep on using, though it likely to change week to week. The idea is to reduce the pounding these guys take. That's all very well, but this was a close game and our cornerbacks were getting schooled. The Dolphins couldn't run the ball so passing was all they had. Springs should have been in there, I think.
Great read Spence.

I agree with a lot of what you said except I don't think Carlos was any better than Smoot. Remember the only TD by the Dolphins was on Rogers... and he was defending against a TE?!?!? Both of those guys cost us at least 13 pts by way of giving up a TD (Rogers against Peele), a costly penalty (Rogers on the pass interference which lead to a FG) or not capitalizing on "gifts" (Smoot's easy catch and several passes that BOTH could have caught for easy INTs if they just looked back for the ball).

I'm not happy at all with our corner play.... especially when Taylor and Landry have to be used in ways they weren't intended to be. I thought the corners were supposed to play bump and run this year and no more of those stupid 10 yard cushions?!?!? What the heck was that?!?!?

Also the DL is KILLING me... if Washington is still hurt, why not play Carter and Wilson at the DEs on 3rd?!???! Why not play Godfrey or Blades at SLB?!?!? Get the dang rest Marcus?!?!? We need you healthy, not at 50%. I think our LB depth can give us the equivalent play of Marcus at 75%. Either way, we need more pressure on the ball then we are getting now... that was WAY TOO DANG LONG for Trent.

I was particularly impressed with Campbell... he showed poise in the pocket and handle the pressure from a great defensive unit pretty well. I'm not sure the interception on the Cooley play was totally his fault (if Chris had cut in front of Hill, he would have had a BIG gain). And the other int was OBVIOUSLY Lloyd's fault.

I'm hoping we get the cushion issue fixed as well as the timing with Campbell and the wideouts (Moss and Lloyd need to show up and El needs to keep it up). Hopefully, Cooley won't be needed to help block as much as yesterday so we can see him make plays downfield. Monday night's a big test for us. A win would give us a 2-0 record with a division win away from Fedex.

[Spence]

I think people like Fred Smoot because of his personality. Don't know if you've ever heard him give an interview but he's a funny dude.I'm sure that's right, but if I have to choose between a big mouth who gets beaten and a star who let's his play do the talking, I'll take the latter every time.

Art Monk > Fred Smoot.

[shally]

Read it all! (http://www.hailredskins.com/?p=146)

good stuff

a couple of minor disagreements

cut lloyd. just as cutting marshall, wynn and salavea sent a message, so too would cutting lloyd.. the longer he stays onthe roster the longer others see that his
lack of production and hustle is being tolerated. it cant be. cut him and take the hit

best hit of the day ? portis jacked up a lineman onthe int return by the dolphin.. that took a lot of courage in that it was the exact same type of play in which he injured his shoulder inthe preseason last year. he is playing with an edge and is fearless.. gotta love CP

[shally]

I'm sure that's right, but if I have to choose between a big mouth who gets beaten and a star who let's his play do the talking, I'll take the latter every time.

Art Monk > Fred Smoot.
i know i am in the minority here, but i didnt think his play was that bad.. he is still physical in his tackling and he is playing off because i bet that is what he is being told to do
if he holds onto that interception and ends the game, we are talking today about how good an idea it was to bring him back
gotta catch that one, smoot.. no excuses for that

and he was beaten by chambers who is still one of the premier receivers in the nfl

[Brokenstriker]

The coaches could fix that issue in one series if that is not what they want. I thought most of the coverage was geared to prevent the long ball against our defense. That includes the cushion.

just freaking wonderful ...

this is just as bad as the dreaded "prevent defense"

instead of giving up a low probablility 70 yard TD passes (and usually in games opponent isn't a threat of completing one) ... the defense surrenders 10 yard completions ....

... until the opposition is in field goal range and can take 3 trys at makable 20 yard completions for TDs

_______________

why?

[SkinsfaninNJ]

Good read Spence.

The only thing I disagree with is that we do have a WR who can get to that Lloyd ball on the roster and his name is Moss. Now, there was no way Moss was going to see single coverage deep yesterday, but I trust Moss, who is not usually at an extreme height disadvantage, to go up and get that ball.

The way the rules are set up with pass interference, the defender is at a big disadvantage so that ball should rarely be intercepted unless the receiver quits on the ball or makes a mistake (looking at you Lloyd).

[SkinsfaninNJ]

just freaking wonderful ...

this is just as bad as the dreaded "prevent defense"

instead of giving up a low probablility 70 yard TD passes (and usually in games opponent isn't a threat of completing one) ... the defense surrenders 10 yard completions ....

... until the opposition is in field goal range and can take 3 trys at makable 20 yard completions for TDs

_______________

why?

With our new safeties and Taylor's commitment to center field, I thought we would play more press coverage daring teams to throw it over the top. Guess not so far.

[Spence]

i know i am in the minority here, but i didnt think his play was that bad.. he is still physical in his tackling and he is playing off because i bet that is what he is being told to do
if he holds onto that interception and ends the game, we are talking today about how good an idea it was to bring him back
gotta catch that one, smoot.. no excuses for that
I supported bringing Smoot back and I still do, particularly since I think the contract is affordable. I just think Smoot should be the nickel back, not Shawn Springs. At the very least, Fred Smoot should never be covering a top receiver as long as Shawn Springs is healthy and on the roster.

[Bluuz]

I think folks here are being a little pessimistic. I'm not sure Miami is all that mediocre in their defensive unit, particularly the secondary which played very well yesterday. Also they have a veteran QB in Trent Green and a couple of good receivers.

I noticed last night that both the Giants and Cowboys defenses look pretty bad, so I think we have a very good shot at the division this year.

Start worrying if we lose.

[Syllable]

I’d like to know why Shawn Springs, who is still easily the best player in that secondary, wasn’t starting.
Best CB, not Best in the secondary. He is injured way to many times and hasn't had enough playing time for him to be "easily" the best in the secondary.

Al Saunders’ passing game plan continues to disappoint and he should have run the ball more, especially early.
its disappointing when your qb throws two interceptions(Though the Lloyd one didn't look to be his fault). Not to mention, I could count 6+ opportunities where it was either a dropped pass, or a bad pass by campbell. Saunders called a good game, Campbell didn't execute. It looks like Campbell is lacking a tempo and timing with the Wideouts. He missed ARE a couple times as well. If Campbell even had an average day, we would have scored more than 16 points.

[jtovb2005]

My thoughts on the pass defense are we got a bit lucky we were not up against a big time pass offense. We did get nickel and dimed too much for a couple of big easy drives by the Dolphins. That was a little disappointing.

I agree Springs should be in there pretty much full time. If he is going to not make the full season then that is the way the chips fall but he is getting big bucks and should be playing until he can't or needs a little breather.

Smoot did get a bit smoked on several drives. I would agree with Shally, boy he does hit. I noticed that also. I thought Rogers made a few nice open field tackles also. Can't complain about 13 points but something about the pass defense. be it lack of real pass rush or secondary problems, makes me nervous for games against skilled QB's. Have to step it up here.

Run Defense lol nothing to say here :)

On Offense wow. In the first drive of the 2nd half the Skins just had huge holes on the right side to run through. Pass game suffered a little by some bad passes/dropped balls by Moss on what looked like the exact same play. Each time he was in the open and running. You know what the usually ends up meaning.

[Ibleedburgundy]

The only reason I can think of to use Springs so sparingly is because he gets hurt a lot and they want him healthy down the stretch.

[3644Skins]

I thought Springs was fully recovered from any nagging injuries? I can't accept that he's always hurt as an excuse for him not playing, and the rotation thing GW is talking about is crap. Springs made plays yesterday and that's the bottom line. Smoot and 22 consistently gave up good chunks of yardage. Personally and I agree with La Canfora's blog today, the Skins may be setting up their eventual divorce at the end of the season by only giving him limited time but it's only been one game, if this last the entire season then I'll know what's the deal. Bottom line, you play your best players no matter what the situation is.