Bleacher Report - Articles by Kevin Coyle

Washington Redskins: Can Jason Campbell Lead Them to the Playoffs?

Kevin Coyle — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:10:44 -0500

The Washington Redskins in the Playoffs?

At 7-4, the Washington Redskins are stuck in the thick of the NFC's playoff race.

First year Coach Jim Zorn is having a stellar year mentoring young Jason Campbell and leading the Redskins to a second place tie in the NFC East through 11 games.

The question on every Redskins fan's mind is: Can they make it to the playoffs?

The Redskins have the weapons both on offense and defense to succeed in the NFL. QB Jason Campbell had improved dramatically under Jim Zorn's west coast offense.

Throwing 11 interceptions and fumbling 13 times through 13 starts last season, Jason Campbell has improved to just having seven turnovers thus far in the NFL season (four fumbles and three interceptions).

Jason Campbell's three interceptions are the least in the NFL (against QB's starting all 11 games). Jason's numbers have been very good this season and can be attributed to Zorn's teachings. He ranks 13th in NFL with 2,328 yards, completing 64.1 percent of passes with a 90.2 QB rating.

Can Jason propel the Redskins into the playoffs with these numbers?

Playoffs

Through this entire season Clinton Portis has become the most talked about Redskins. The Redskins can’t ride on Clinton's back the rest of the season. If they want to gain a playoff berth, their passing game must improve.

The Redskins passing offense ranks just 21st in the league. Through the next five games Jason must utilize his weapons. The Redskin's rushing attack easily opens up the passing game, but the Redskins just can't seem to capitalize with the passing attack.

Three things need to be done with the passing game to ensure a Redskins playoff berth, they are:

Utilizing the Weapons

WR's Santana Moss, and Antwaan Randle El, both just 5'10", have great hands and blazing speed. However, they lack the height advantage needed against elite corners. Rookies Malcolm Kelly, 6'4", and Devin Thomas, 6'2" need to get more receptions.

Zorn and Campbell need to use their size as an advantage, throwing deep over defending corner's heads. And by no means should Santana and Antwaan not be used.

They are great veterans with terrific talent and ability, but a mix of size and speed needs to be used to expose defenses and attack the end zone.

Pass Protection

The Redskins' O-Line has given up 20 sacks in the past six games, compared to just eight in the first five games of the season. The line needs to step up and protect Jason, he needs time to see his receivers and get them the ball.

Yards and TD's

Jason should become a great threat. That is, if the Redskin's start using all of their weapons, the offensive line picks up blitzes and sneaky linebackers, and Clinton Portis keeps on doing what he does best.

Jason has a very strong and accurate arm and he should be able to threaten opposing defenses both with medium and long completions. He needs to have five solid performances to help his team to the playoffs. He needs to complete large gains and throw touchdowns.

The Test

Jason's first test is probably his hardest of the season. Playing the divisional and conference leading Giants poses a huge challenge for Jason and the Redskins.

The Giants at 10-1 have been on a role this season; they have been clicking on all eight cylinders. Jason and the Redskins need come out and click on 10 this Sunday.

This Sunday's game marks the first game played after the anniversary of Sean Taylor's death.

Taylor will be inducted into the Redskins' Ring of Fame and it’s no doubt that the Redskins will play their hearts out in memory of their lost teammate.

The Redskins can win and re-establish themselves as an elite team in the NFC's playoff picture if Campbell can throw a good game, Portis can run fast and hard for his lost friend and teammate, and the defense stop the efficient Giants.

Jim Zorn Is Getting Better and Better Every Week

Kevin Coyle — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:25:42 -0400

Jim Zorn, dangerous play calling and W's

After the short-lived run with second-time around Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, the Redskins were searching for a new coach to lead the struggling team!

Through a very long search, Dan Snyder had his man: Jim Zorn. The once star Seattle quarterback turned coach was the one. I still remember his first press conference when he mentioned the red, black, and yellow.

A lot of Redskins fans responded to this comment in a negative way, after all, the Redskins are the Burgundy and Gold. But Zorn has proven that he can use his knowledge to lead a team to victory.

In my opinion, being a retired pro player should be a requirement to be a head coach in any pro sport. Jim Zorn fits that outfit and has excelled through Week Five of his head-coaching debut. Playing for Seattle, Green Bay, and Tampa Bay as a quarterback, Zorn has learned, through experience and trial and error, how to be a high-end commodity for the Washington Redskins.

After retiring from pro football, Zorn started his coaching career at Boise State as a quarterback coach. After a three-year stint, Zorn coached for Utah State and the University of Minnesota for four years. As Zorn made his transition into coaching pro football, he stayed with his roots at Seattle. He became the quarterback coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 1997.

Zorn stayed with the Seahawks for one year and then became the quarterback coach for the Detroit Lions for a year, inevitably going back to Seattle for a seven-year stint.

Zorn worked wonders for Seattle in his second go; he helped Matt Hasselbeck form into an elite QB. His good coaching strategies carried over to the Redskins, as he continues to improve the gameplan, week after week.

After a pitiful loss to the New York Giants, the Redskins' fanbase was looking for answers. How could the Redskins give the Giants the season opener? How could we put up such pitiful attempt at a game? Was Zorn the right choice?

The next week, and every week since then, Zorn answered those questions.

New Orleans: Redskins 29, Saints 24

After the first loss, everyone thought little of the Redskins and Jim Zorn. They looked as if they were going nowhere. The Redskins feared for the worst, as a high-potency passing game led by Drew Brees and an unrelenting rushing game led by Reggie Bush appeared to be unbeatable.

The Redskins stuffed Drew and Reggie—holding Brees to 216 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INT. The Redskins' defense took away Reggie Bush and limited him to just 28 rushing yards. Rookie Chris Horton had two interceptions, leading to two scores.

The Redskins won the attack on all sides of the ball. Jason Campbell threw for 321 yards and a score, while Clinton Portis ran for two and racked up 96 yards. Jim Zorn and his Washington Redskins had a dramatic turnaround but were staring at the face of another great team in the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona Cardinals: Redskins 24, Cards 17

Outplaying the cards by only 10 yards, the Redskins made the right calls at the right time, and Jim Zorn finally started to get the respect he deserved.

Dallas Cowboys: Redskins 26, Cowboys 24

Beating the undefeated Cowboys at their field in a game that everyone thought the Redskins would lose by a large margin was a huge statement in the NFL. Overnight rankings went up, and the Redskins were soon ranked in the top five of all NFL teams.

Jim Zorn is the person to give credit to for this one; smart and bold play calling was the reason for this Redskins win. Zorn used Clinton Portis to outrun Dallas and Santana Moss to outplay the corners and secondary.

This game was not a fluke; Jim Zorn and the Redskins outcoached and outplayed the Cowboys in every area.

Philadelphia Eagles: Redskins 23, Eagles 17

145! The magic number: Clinton Portis rushed for 145 yards and a score against the No. 1 rushing defense of the Eagles (not anymore). Jim Zorn's aggressive play calling and witty decisions kept the ball on the ground with Portis, while Campbell made some crucial throws; however, this game was won on the ground with the rushing attack.

Zorn called the plays perfectly, and the 4th-and-1 call to go for it was huge. It led to the Redskins knocking off yet another opponent.

The Big Picture

Through five games and four wins, Zorn has brought great success to the Redskins thus far; if he and the Redskins continue this surge, they will become serious contenders in the playoffs.

Jim Zorn continues to improve Jason Campbell; he is now interception free for five weeks—tops in the NFL. Zorn's disregard for conventional wisdom and dangerous play calling works, and for the fourth-straight week, the Redskins have finished the games in their favorite victory formation: The Quarterback Kneel!!

Who Is the NFC East's Best Team?

Kevin Coyle — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:58:56 -0400

NEW YORK- PHILADELPHIA-DALLAS-WASHINGTON

Who is the best?

Many can and will argue that the NFL's NFC East division is the toughest and hardest in the league. Not only did this division knock off the undefeated New England Pats with the Giants in the Super Bowl, this division also had three teams making it to the playoffs. WOW!

This year is no different; the NFC East is sporting one undefeated team, two 4-1 teams, and one 2-3 team through Week Five of the 2008 NFL season. A combined record of 14-5 leads the NFL. So which team is the best?

1. New York Giants

The Giants look very good this year; they are a solid team. The Giants are clicking on both sides of the ball, their offense is solid, and the defense is crushing the competition. They still win with out their star WR Plaxico Burress.

Brandon Jacobs and Ahman Bradshaw are huge assets in the rushing game, while Eli continues to gain yards in the passing game. I can see this team going 14-2 or 15-1.

2. Washington Redskins

After losing the NFL season opener to the Super Bowl champs, the Redskins have won four straight. It's no doubt that the Redskins are running on all eight cylinders. Looking at the schedule, one wouldn't think the Redskins would be 4-1.

Beating two NFC East rivals at their home turf—upsetting the once undefeated Dallas Cowboys and running all over the Eagles' No. 1 rush defense, it's no surprise that the Redskins are ranked in the top five of the NFL.

Jason Campbell has had a terrific season thus far; he is the only QB not to throw an interception this season. He utilizes all of his receivers to beat the opposition. Under Jim Zorn and the West Coast offense, I can see Jason being one of the best quarterbacks ever.

Clinton Portis, second in the NFL with 514 yards, is a powerful, fast, and hard-hitting halfback. Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El continue to be hot receivers for Jason Campbell. Tight end Chris Cooley, a favorite of Campbell, picks up some hard-earned yards and must-have first downs.

The defense, led by London Fletcher, Jason Taylor, Andre Cartor, and Rocky McIntosh stuff opponents and shut down their running plays, week after week, while rookie Chris Horton picks off unsuspecting QBs for a total of three interceptions (tied for third in NFL).

And Jim Zorn, the rookie head coach out of Seattle leads the gameplan and continues to improve Jason Campbell. Zorn leads his team to an NFL best +6 turnover ratio. I would argue that the Redskins are better than the Giants, and only time will tell. I can see the Redskins playing against the Giants in the NFC Championship this January.

3. Dallas Cowboys

Losing to the Redskins and almost giving up a game to the Bengals leaves me to place the Cowboys in third place in the NFC East. Tony Romo has flourished into one of the best quarterbacks today. Rookie Felix Jones and Marion Barber are huge forces for the offense of this team.

Jason Witten and Terrell Owens lead the receiving game and somehow always seem to get the must-have touchdown. Drama plagues this team, however, and Terrell Owens drops the confidence of the entire team. He has been known to complain about not getting the ball enough, and in Dallas, it's no different.

Owens blames everyone but himself for not getting the ball enough, while he has been thrown to plenty of times and has seen a couple of handoffs, he doesn't think it is enough. He is the reason why the Cowboys will not make it to the Super Bowl, his cockiness kills America's team. I predict an 11-5 or worse season for Dallas.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Losing three out of the first five games leads me to rank the Eagles last in this division. A healthy Donovan McNabb opens the passing game, and Brian Westbrook powers the rushing game. This team can't seem to make the must-have big plays and touchdowns.

The defense of the Eagles is one of the best; however, they are overrated—the Redskins ran for 202 yards against the once No. 1 rush defense. The Eagles are slowly falling apart; I predict a winning season for them, but no better than 9-7.