"Fight for Old D.C.!"
The final line of the Washington Redskins fight song rang hollow for nearly twelve seasons as the proud franchise fell from perennial Super Bowl contender to division basement dweller. In almost seven seasons with Norv Turner (he was fired after 13 games in the 2000 season) the team managed only three winning seasons and one playoff trip, a far cry from the four Super Bowl appearances and eight playoff trips in the previous 12 seasons.
Marty Schottenheimer and Steve Spurrier followed Turner, also with mediocre or worse results. With his micro-managing, control freak style, Schottenheimer posted a solid 8-8 season before being fired because of a disagreement with Dan Snyder over his choice of coordinators. Spurrier’s tenure fizzled thanks to a talent challenged roster of castaway University of Florida players who were as cheap as they were inept (Seriously, Vince Lombardi could not even win with anemic armed Danny Wuerffel at quarterback!!!).
Then legendary Joe Gibbs came out of retirement and brought back the old “Hog” tradition of smash mouth football which, though considered old fashioned in the pass happy NFL was potent enough to reach the postseason two times in four years.
Fast forward to the very recent past; the legend retired in January 2008, leaving a talented and deep roster for rookie coach Jim Zorn. Despite wide speculation that owner Dan Snyder was determined to throw caution to the wind and land a big name such as USC's Pete Carrol, the organization hired a small market name with a reputation for turning Matt Hasselback into one of the game's most efficient quarterbacks.
Zorn, a West Coast disciple, was the offensive coordinator whose quick hitting offense had a lot to do with two Redskin playoff defeats in three seasons. His attack wore down two stout Greg Williams-coached defenses, outscoring them 55-24 in the two contests.
When hired back in February, Zorn inherited a talented roster with playoff experience. The offense boasts a solid core group of young Pro Bowlers including running back Clinton Portis, tight end Chris Cooley, and wide receiver Santana Moss. These players came into their own despite being hampered by Al Saunders' ill fitting offensive system and Joe Gibbs' frequent interference in play calling. Saunders’ ultra-complicated offensive scheme was constantly being shoved aside by Gibbs more simplistic approach. These week to week changes confused and arrested the development of young quarterback Jason Campbell, and in turn stunted the growth of the entire offense.
In addition, the offense had trouble scoring because it lacked a true red zone sized receiver, a tall target who can consistently move the chains and snag passes over the heads of smaller defensive backs. This was painfully obvious in week 12 when Campbell methodically moved the ball on the Bucs defense between the 20's but was intercepted twice in the redzone. Cornerbacks Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly intercepted two critical passes that nullified potential touchdowns and handed the Redskins a six point loss.
To fix this problem, Zorn drafted two Terrell Owens-like wideouts in 6"4 Malcolm Kelly and 6''2 Devin Thomas who will help to open up the field for Santana Moss and Chris Cooley.
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