skinswin'emALL
09-20-2003, 01:16 PM
From ESPN.com
* Finding balance in Washington: In the first two games of the season, the Washington Redskins have had 72 pass plays and 65 rushing plays, a pretty balanced mix. Far more balanced than in 2002, when the club had 77 pass plays and 50 runs snaps in its first two outings, as coach Steve Spurrier tried to prove his Fun-'N'-Gun offense could succeed in the NFL. The Ol' Ball Coach deserves considerable credit for the metamorphosis this year but, from what we hear, not all the credit.
ESPN.com has learned that at halftime of last week's game in Atlanta, some Washington offensive linemen, notably left tackle Chris Samuels, went at the Redskins coaching staff (principally Spurrier and coordinator Hue Jackson) for the lopsided play-calling of the opening two quarters. And with good reason. In the first half, Washington had just 10 rushes and 29 pass plays. With the Atlanta defense all but ignoring the run, Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey was sacked five times, and the offense was far too predictable. At the behest of the players, the coaches changed the protection scheme for the second half and agreed to run the ball more. The Redskins had 21 run calls and just 16 passes in the second half. The result: Ramsey was brilliant, completing 13 of his 15 attempts for 186 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, and was sacked just one time. If the Redskins can maintain the kind of offensive balance demonstrated in the second half of the comeback victory at Atlanta, it will accelerate the learning curve for their young quarterback.
But the staff has to be wary about falling into the kind of trap it did last week. Even before the game, Washington veterans were concerned about the game plan, because it put so many receivers into the pattern and left just skeleton pass protection. The aim was to take advantage of a suspect Atlanta secondary, one that was playing without both starting safeties, and in which the corners are dubious. It's ironic that the Redskins bombed the Falcons secondary more in the second half, when they mixed in the run, and kept the Atlanta defense more honest. Of some concern is that Ramsey already has been sacked 10 times in two games. There are times when Samuels has looked bad and the Washington line has appeared confused. But the coaches, ESPN.com learned, have attributed many of the sacks to Ramsey. Of the five sacks surrendered in the first half last week, only one was counted against the line. It seemed Ramsey too often tried to check off in a noisy Georgia Dome and his blockers didn't often hear the audibles. Twice the Washington running backs missed checkoffs that called for them to abandon their pass patterns and stay in the backfield as blockers. "Part of the learning process for a young quarterback," allowed one coach. "Patrick will get better at that stuff. At least he's taking the sack as opposed to panicking and throwing interceptions. If there's anything good about the sacks, and this is a stretch, it's that he keeps getting up, and our players are finding out he's a damned tough kid."
Comlete Story also mentions Coles compared to Price:
Friday, September 19, 2003
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=1619207
* Finding balance in Washington: In the first two games of the season, the Washington Redskins have had 72 pass plays and 65 rushing plays, a pretty balanced mix. Far more balanced than in 2002, when the club had 77 pass plays and 50 runs snaps in its first two outings, as coach Steve Spurrier tried to prove his Fun-'N'-Gun offense could succeed in the NFL. The Ol' Ball Coach deserves considerable credit for the metamorphosis this year but, from what we hear, not all the credit.
ESPN.com has learned that at halftime of last week's game in Atlanta, some Washington offensive linemen, notably left tackle Chris Samuels, went at the Redskins coaching staff (principally Spurrier and coordinator Hue Jackson) for the lopsided play-calling of the opening two quarters. And with good reason. In the first half, Washington had just 10 rushes and 29 pass plays. With the Atlanta defense all but ignoring the run, Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey was sacked five times, and the offense was far too predictable. At the behest of the players, the coaches changed the protection scheme for the second half and agreed to run the ball more. The Redskins had 21 run calls and just 16 passes in the second half. The result: Ramsey was brilliant, completing 13 of his 15 attempts for 186 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, and was sacked just one time. If the Redskins can maintain the kind of offensive balance demonstrated in the second half of the comeback victory at Atlanta, it will accelerate the learning curve for their young quarterback.
But the staff has to be wary about falling into the kind of trap it did last week. Even before the game, Washington veterans were concerned about the game plan, because it put so many receivers into the pattern and left just skeleton pass protection. The aim was to take advantage of a suspect Atlanta secondary, one that was playing without both starting safeties, and in which the corners are dubious. It's ironic that the Redskins bombed the Falcons secondary more in the second half, when they mixed in the run, and kept the Atlanta defense more honest. Of some concern is that Ramsey already has been sacked 10 times in two games. There are times when Samuels has looked bad and the Washington line has appeared confused. But the coaches, ESPN.com learned, have attributed many of the sacks to Ramsey. Of the five sacks surrendered in the first half last week, only one was counted against the line. It seemed Ramsey too often tried to check off in a noisy Georgia Dome and his blockers didn't often hear the audibles. Twice the Washington running backs missed checkoffs that called for them to abandon their pass patterns and stay in the backfield as blockers. "Part of the learning process for a young quarterback," allowed one coach. "Patrick will get better at that stuff. At least he's taking the sack as opposed to panicking and throwing interceptions. If there's anything good about the sacks, and this is a stretch, it's that he keeps getting up, and our players are finding out he's a damned tough kid."
Comlete Story also mentions Coles compared to Price:
Friday, September 19, 2003
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=1619207