Bleacher Report - Articles by John Mckinnon

The Method to Jim Zorn's Madness

John Mckinnon — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:16:00 -0500

Back in the mid-eighties a movie was created called “The Karate Kid.”

This heart-warming tale involved an old Okinawan man that took a young, gangly kid under his wing.

The young man, Daniel, was frequently tormented by his schoolmates and used the older gentleman as a refuge. Daniel’s elderly buddy, affectionately known as Mr. Miyagi, shared his extensive knowledge of the martial arts with his newly-acquired friend.

Mr. Miyagi shared lots of wisdom with his surrogate grandson, but for me one phrase stood out from the rest. That phrase was simply, “If done correctly, no can defense.”

Grammatical flaws notwithstanding, these profound words were in reference to a karate kick that apparently no one wanted to be on the opposite end of.

In certain parts of the movie, it appeared that Mr. Miyagi may have been full of something other than wisdom of the ancients. He seemingly enjoyed forcing Daniel to remodel his vacation home, while he went fishing and sampled fine spirits.

Daniel became frustrated as he felt he was being used and didn’t see an immediate benefit to these laborious tasks. Could Mr. Miyagi have been using this unsuspecting kid for the sake of not hiring contractors or was this all part of loftier purpose?

As it turns out, he was teaching Daniel the technical intricacies of karate all along.

Now enter Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn (Great timing, huh? I bet you thought this was a movie review) and rookie wide receivers Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas. These college phenoms were expected to provide much-needed size, and talent to the Redskins' receiver corps while simultaneously expanding the offense.

However, their seasons have thus far been marred by injuries and the inability to “grasp” the offense.

Since Jim Zorn has implemented his version of the West Coast offense, he’s had mixed results. Early in the preseason, Kelly and Thomas both suffered from lingering hamstring injuries. As time went on Kelly’s injuries persisted, consequently affecting his playing time and progression. Devin Thomas has shown signs of greatness—however, his inability to master his routes has been well documented.

Zorn publicly acknowledged their reluctance to come to training camp in shape, and has berated and challenged his prospective future All-Pro wideouts. The two have stated they’ve adhered to Zorn’s words but so far their production has been minimal.

Many sports pundits have questioned whether Zorn should simplify his offense or not. After all, there are plenty of rookie receivers making a contribution this year around the league.

Running precise patterns is imperative to success in Zorn’s offense. Quarterbacks must release the ball quickly to receivers that are running “timing routes,” which requires the respective receiver to be in a certain spot once the ball is released.

In the interim, it would seem logical to utilize the skills of two tall, fast receivers to benefit the team at any cost. A fade pattern in the end zone to Kelly (6'4") or Thomas (6'2") seems more logical than throwing similar passes to Santana Moss (5'8") or Randle-El (5'10").

Maybe this is part of Zorn’s overall plan. Perhaps he feels challenging the rookies to maximize their potential will benefit the team in the long term (see Karate Kid reference). Zorn’s methodology of making his young receivers study their playbooks religiously may benefit them more than they realize.

Now, of course, the flipside of this coin is the aforementioned rookies will prove to be busts and never become what the team envisioned. But if Zorn does have a method to his madness, these two underachieving rookies could make the Redskins offense a force to be reckoned with.

If those two weapons are utilized correctly, they could turn into something that no one “can defense.”

Hail To The Redskins!

Washington Redskins: In Defense of a Very Offensive Draft

John Mckinnon — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:57:00 -0400

One month after the NFL Draft, some Redskins fans may be left with mixed feelings.

The Skins front office didn't bite on any proposed trades—in the eyes of some, they maximized their draft picks.

On the other hand, the Skins seemingly ignored what is arguably their most palpable weakness—their defensive line. The Redskins have added marginal talent to their line in recent years (save Andre Carter).

However, their 2008 draft choices may help to quell some of the confusion for Skins fans.

The Redskins added Devin Thomas (possibly the strongest receiver in the draft), Malcolm Kelly (one of the most talented receivers available), and Fred Davis (arguably the best tight end taken).

Durant Brooks, the winner of the Ray Guy Award (awarded to college football's top punter), was also taken in the later rounds.

These picks addressed the team's need for tall, young receivers and a punter that can help improve field position.

The Skins also added youth and talent to their offensive line and secondary
with the acquisitions of OG Chad Rinehart and CB Justin Tyron, respectively.

In short, the Skins could have fared a lot worse in this draft.

"Yeah John, but what about the defensive line?" Okay, I'm getting to that.

With former defensive line coach Greg Blache taking over for the supplanted Gregg Williams, the defensive philosophy shouldn't change that much. For the last decade, the Skins' greatest weakness has been pass rushing.

Staying true to form, the Skins didn't address this need in the draft. However, they may have other solutions.

Georgetown University's Alex Buzbee may be a pleasant surprise as a backup defensive end. The Redskins drafted Buzbee last year but kept him on the practice squad to increase his strength and refine his technique.

But perhaps the most intriguing addition to the D-line could be Erasmus James.

James was chosen by the Vikings as the 18th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He has shown flashes and has tremendous upside, but his career has been marred by serious injuries.

James was traded to Washington for a conditional seventh-round pick
in 2009. If James doesn't make the 53-man roster, the Redskins won't owe the Vikings anything.

If he can stay healthy and play up to his potential, he may prove to be a tremendous steal.

This move by the front office may indicate the Skins front office is finally moving in the right direction.

Drafting potentially explosive offensive players may allow fans to forgive the Redskins for not pursuing a talented lineman once again. If the Redskins can maximize their talent potential on defense this season, they may be a force to be reckoned with.

If not, their best defense may be their offense.

Hail To The Redskins!

Washington Redskins: The Return Of Dan Snyder

John Mckinnon — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:46:00 -0400

During this dismal period known as the NFL off-season, many sports fans relish anything that resembles exciting sports news. Any semblance of controversy between February and September seems to serve as a precursor to an electrifying season. For example; try to imagine an owner giving up two first round picks (2008 and 2009) for a wide-receiver that’s thirty years of age. I know, it sounds so ridiculous and unrealistic doesn’t it?

Well guys this nonsensical and obviously absurd proposal actual took place on yesterday. The cast list in this low budget melodrama includes, Redskins Owner Dan Snyder (and trusty sidekick Vinny Cerrato), the Cincinnati Bengals and disgruntled Bengals wide out Chad Johnson.

But wait, wouldn’t everyone like to have Chad Johnson on their team? I couldn’t think of a reason why they wouldn’t, however the primary factor that could create an impasse would be the cost. Chad is one of the top receivers in the league and justifiably demands a hefty contract. The monetary cost for Chad could pose a problem but the long-term ramifications for the Skins could loom even larger. Honestly, how many years can Chad play at a high level? Even if he played for the next four or five years at an All-Pro level for the Skins, would it be worth it? Though many sports pundits claim drafting in the first round can be hit or miss, so can going after an aging free agent. The Redskins need a big, talented wide receiver to complement mighty mites, Randel El and Santana Moss. This receiver could come in the form of James Hardy, Malcolm Kelly, or Limas Sweed. None of these receivers will require as much money as Chad and get this; they’re all in their early twenties. The Redskin’s may decide to wait and draft a receiver in the later rounds but if they trade away their picks, they would forfeit many of their options.

After a quiet offseason, Skins owner Dan Snyder has finally resurfaced. For the first time during his tenure with the Redskins, “Danny” has remained disciplined or at least made an effort to suppress his penchant for overspending and giving away draft picks. After a few months of this uncharacteristic change, Snyder finally appears to have returned to his old form. Of course Vinny Cerrato has a major role in this but Snyder is the CEO of the club and therefore should bear the brunt of the responsibility. If anyone was concerned that the Snyder we knew was no more, they can now be assured he’s back and here to stay. It’s almost as though, he took a sabbatical to brainstorm about what he could do to execute the ultimate “bonehead” move. This time, the Bengals management declined Snyder’s offer, thereby temporarily supplanting Snyder as the worst decision maker in football history. But never fret, Snyder supporters and Redskin’s enemies alike can find solace in the fact that he’s back. It’s highly unlikely the Redskins will make it past Draft Day without executing a trade that most teams would vehemently refuse. It’s like Snyder and Cerrato saw the Redskin’s had nine Draft picks this year (the most since 2002) and decided this is an opportunity to trade for more free-agents.

The names of wide receivers, Anquan Boldin (Arizona) and Roy Williams (Detroit) have been floating around through NFL rumor mills regarding interest from the Redskins. These two receivers are younger than Johnson but might require comparable compensation. So we can expect to hear soon that more teams will toy with Snyder and Cerrato until they receive the deal of their dreams. As a Redskin fan I would love to find out that I’m wrong. But as a Redskin fan (repeated intentionally) I seriously doubt that I will be. None of the aforementioned Wide Receiver’s talents are in question, only the will to give other teams more than they’re likely to receive in return for them. This is one thing that Snyder will continue to do and that’s a testament that he’s here to stay.

Hail To The Redskins!
http://www.hail2skins.com/

Washington Redskins: Draft '08

John Mckinnon — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:21:00 -0400

In a little more than two weeks the Washington Redskins will have added new players to their roster. This annual ritual that we know as the NFL Draft can bring along unexpected gems, busts and plenty of surprises. Most of the time the value of draft picks isn’t revealed until the middle or even the end of the season. Some Draft Day decisions can leave us scratching our heads. This year let’s hope that’s not the case for the Washington Redskins.

Assessing the Skins weaknesses last year, it’s fairly easy to identify their deficiencies. The primary problem has been simply not being able to generate a respectable pass-rush from the Defensive Line. Andre Carter gave the Skins the best individual pass-rusher they’ve had since Dexter Manley last season but when Carter was double teamed, the pass rush was nil since the opposing team only had Carter to worry about. Reserve Defensive End Chris Wilson proved to be very adept at getting to the quarterback on obvious passing downs. Wilson however, is undersized for NFL standards (6’4 240) and as a result is too small to play every down. The Redskins could also use a Defensive Tackle that’s adept against the run and can provide a push in the middle to flush Quarterbacks into the Defensive Ends. Cornelius Griffin could be that guy if he stayed healthy but that’s like saying Porky Pig would be a great spokesperson for Looney Toons if he didn’t stutter. Griffin has been oft-injured since he’s been with the organization. The Skins could use a prospect like Calais Campbell (6’8 280) out of Miami to play opposite of Andre Carter. Campbell along with young overachievers Anthony Montgomery and Kedric Golston could provide a big-boost to an aging line.

The second most pressing issue in my opinion may be the cornerback situation. Overall the safeties are solid and the cornerbacks have the potential to be the best trio in the NFL. However, Shawn Springs is getting older and slower while Carlos Rogers has yet to become the “shut down corner” he was expected to be. Rogers is also coming off of a season ending injury and may not be fully recovered by Week 1. Fred Smoot is tough and plays hard but he’s not the type of corner you want on the opposing team’s top receiver. So what did I just say? If the cornerbacks can start the season healthy and remain that way throughout, this unit could be one of the team’s strongest. Also, a strong pass-rush can mask any weaknesses that may exist in the secondary. However, in case the recent trend of injuries continues the Skins should proactively go after a cornerback as a secondary or primary pick. I think Nebraska’s Zack Bowman or Alabama’s Simeon Castille are two good candidates. Both have good size and are pretty physical. If Springs, Rogers or Smoot are out with injuries, the Skins will have a qualified backup that’s ready to step in. After all they’ll need someone to supplant Springs pretty soon.

The tertiary need has got to be wide-out. A big, tall, fast receiver with good hands can open up the running game and give Jason Campbell more options than Wilt Chamberlain at a bachelor party. Did someone say tall receiver? Ok, well how about James Hardy (6’7 220) out of Indiana. I think Hardy or Limas Sweed would provide the big target for Jason Campbell that will improve his passing percentage and help to move smallish Randle El or Santana Moss into the slot where their speed could prove to be more effective. If Jim Zorn favorite Anthony Mix pans out the Redskins could boast a receiver corps to reckon with.

The remaining picks should be used to shore up depth on the Offensive line and other non-glamorous areas that are essential to a winning team. It appears the Redskins are attempting to buck a recent trend of trading away their Draft picks for nothing in return. Could this be the Draft that turns the Redskins around? After the 2008 Draft we should at least have an idea.

Hail To The Redskins!

Washington Redskins: Draft '08

John Mckinnon — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:00:37 -0400

By John D. McKinnon, Jr.

www.Hail2skins.com

Jim Zorn: WIlling to Mix it Up for the Washington Redskins

John Mckinnon — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:02:00 -0400

Art Monk, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, and Larry Fitzgerald have all proven that big, talented receivers can change the entire tone of an offense. In fact, that one player can be the difference in a mediocre offense and one that keeps opposing defensive coordinators up at night.

For the past two seasons it’s been evident that the Washington Redskins need some size at wideout. Santana Moss, Antwaan Randel-El, and others have occasionally made big plays, but more often than not their lack of height and mass have worked against them. Santana Moss, though blazing fast and talented, stands at about 5-foot-8 with Randel El maybe an inch or two taller.

By mid-season last year the Redskins were the only NFL Team without one wideout to cross the end zone for a touchdown.

Ironically, on Nov. 11 against the Eagles the Redskins finally managed three touchdown passes to wideouts James Thrash (6-foot, 200 lbs) and Keenan McCardell (6-foot-1, 190 lbs). It seemed Gibbs and company figured it out and even acquired former Giant’s receiver Anthony Mix (6-foot-5, 235 lbs).

However, the Gibbs II regime stayed true to form and acquired Mix only to stand on the sidelines and play special teams (i.e. T.J. Duckett, Reche Caldwell, and Brandon Lloyd).

When Jim Zorn was hired as an offensive coordinator and eventually (default) head coach, I was very critical of the move. In fact, the move supported the theory that Dan Snyder had no clue how to run a football team.

A couple of weeks ago, the Redskins brought in free agent wide receiver D.J. Hackett, who Zorn coached during his time as an offensive coordinator in Seattle. Zorn liked Hackett (6-foot-2, 200+ lbs) but informed him he wouldn’t overpay for his services. A couple of days later Hackett signed on with Carolina for an undisclosed amount.

I have to commend Zorn for his honesty and his backbone in the situation. After all, that type of candor has been a-synonymous with Redskin coaches since Gibbs I.

Zorn mentioned Anthony Mix in a recent interview. "Wow, he's a big receiver," Zorn said. "He's going to get an opportunity."

Zorn spoke of Mix and his size and even alluded to increasing his playing time contingent upon his performance. Mix humbly showed his appreciation for the compliment while accepting the challenge.

"It makes me feel great that they've identified me as being someone who has the talent, so that they want to give me a chance," Mix said. "I'm not nervous at all about it. I'm excited about it. A lot of people wait for that big break; this might be my big break."

How refreshing is that for Redskin’s fans? To have a guy with potential who’s getting paid a minimum salary and can’t wait to prove himself in conjunction with a coach who’s willing to give him a try and use him to the team’s advantage? Personally, it sounds better than anything I’ve heard in a long time coming from Redskin Park between February and September.

Of course this may not work out at all and Zorn could be a flop. However, if that’s the case, at least the Redskins aren’t overpaying players (so far) and appear to be focused on building through the Draft.

Even the worst case scenario should materialize a lot better than it did during the Norv Turner years when "Over The Hill" guys like Deion "Past Prime Time" Sanders and Bruce "If we played one more down I know I’d get a sack" Smith robbed the Skins blind with little production in return.

Zorn appears to be moving this team in the right direction, which might be a testament that the Redskins are on their way to more championship seasons. I’m not going to ask Tony Kornheiser to reserve a spot for me on the "Bandwagon" just yet, but I’ can’t resist being cautiously optimistic about the coming season. After all, with Jim Zorn putting guys like Anthony in the Mix (pun intended), how could a true Redskin fan not be excited?

Hail To The Redskins! Fightforalldc.blogspot.com

America's Dream: Dallas Cowboys Assessed

John Mckinnon — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0400

It’s been only a little over a month since the end of the ’07 NFL season and as we know this is the worst time of year for football fans. Waiting and anticipating our respective team’s next free-agent move or awaiting a blockbuster trade is all that we can cling to right now. In an effort to break the monotony of this miserable period, I’m going to bring in a little controversy. You guys wouldn’t mind that would you? I didn’t think so.

I am going to take this time to break down "America's Team." For those of you that have been napping for the past few decades, “America’s Team” is a moniker for the most over-rated bunch of (sorry I must remain objective); I mean the Dallas Cowboys. In 1979, Bob Ryan, the former editor-in-chief for NFL films, called the Dallas Cowboys “America’s Team” while producing a documentary with the same name. This nickname was also given to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Boston Celtics in the same reference but somehow the Cowboys have assumed the unofficial rights to it.

In the 70s and parts of the 80s Dallas boasted some legendary players, such as Randy White, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Tony Dorsett and Drew Pearson. Though Redskin’s fans disliked these guys they could appreciate the fact that they were granted their accolades based on their performances as opposed to media hype. Fortunately the Redskin’s had some legends of their own that handled Dallas during the first Gibbs era. As a writer and a football fan, I’ve always appreciated pure talent against talent.

Lately at the beginning of every season, the mediots and former Cowboys on ESPN ordain them Super Bowl Champions every season regardless of their previous record. For the first few weeks of the 2007-2008 season it seemed too many Dallas fans that their team was destined for the Super Bowl. In fact many held on to that hope after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins late in the season.

Is Dallas really the juggernaut that many Dallas fans (mostly the one's that don't watch or even know football) are making them out to be or are they a grossly overrated team that benefited from a weak schedule and receives biased support from officials every week? Well to be fair, let’s take a look.

Dallas, though having one of the weakest schedules in the NFL (not their fault but is in conjunction with the overall point, be patient), maximized their efforts last season and beat the teams they should have beaten. This is something Dallas or the Redskins have not done consistently in years, so Kudos. However, when Dallas faced a stout defense, (i.e. Redskins, Carolina, Eagles, and somehow Bills, etc.) they looked very mediocre.

It's laughable how Dallas fans that don't know football (my favorites) attribute Dallas' success to them being better than any other team in the Universe because of the publicity they receive. However, when they play good teams and look average or below average, some of their fans are dumbfounded and wonder what happened (i.e. Jessica Simpson, minds weren't in to the game, etc.).

Tony Romo has struggled (check the stats) with mid to upper level defenses in his first two years. However, he has a strong arm and having Terrell Owens has been a tremendous benefit. He doesn't always make the best decisions (one of the league leaders in interceptions thrown) however he make good reads and has had time to throw due to an upgrade on the O-line.

Now is Romo the future Hall Of Fame quarterback that he's already being ordained to be? John Madden (a guy who knows a little about football) acknowledged Dallas' offense looks very mediocre without the presence of Terrell Owens. Against good defenses Dallas' offense has looked great at times but has struggled even with Terrell Owens in the lineup. Without Terrell Owens this offense is futile.

So once again, is Romo really as great as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman believe? After all, Peyton Manning went without Marvin Harrison all season and the Colts offense haven't broken stride.

Marion Barber made the Pro Bowl this year despite several other candidates gaining more yardage (no that’s not the only barometer.) Barber is a very strong, stocky running back that stays low to the ground. He runs well being a large O line that’s adept at run blocking. However, he didn't look anything like a "Barbarian" (maybe Thundar but certainly not Conan) in the last week of the regular season against the Redskins with 6 carries for minus six yards.

Thinking back to every other Pro Bowl running back as far as I can remember, I've never seen that in my 25+ years of watching and understanding football. Does the presence of TO open up the running game since Defenses have to honor his presence as opposed to focusing on the running game, or is Barber really on Jim Brown's level and the loss against the Skins just a meaningless game? After all, for the past two years this guy was a situational back (short yardage, goal-line) but maybe he really is that good.

Jason Witten has emerged as a good tight end. However, since TO wasn't in the lineup once again he was not able to exploit the holes in a weak zone Defense. When he's played man to man by a good defender he looks a lot like he did in the last few weeks of the season.

Now Dallas' front seven is a strong group collectively. However, the secondary is very overrated and Roy Williams is one of the worst starting safeties in football as far as coverage. However because of the name and facade of Dallas he's a lock for the ProBowl as well.

Wade Phillips looked pretty good as the first year Dallas coach; however does anyone want to take a stab at his playoff record? Anyone, Anyone, Bueller? 0-3. Yet some of their fans and media alike are calling them Super Bowl favorites already. Super Bowl? Wow! I’ve always been under the auspices that teams must win at least one playoff game before they can make it to the Super Bowl and definitely to win it.

People can say what they want, Dallas always has and always will benefit from the phantom calls (game changing calls like pass interference) that conveniently occur when their having trouble moving the ball. Hopefully some of that will be rectified next year, when the league allows other teams to challenge any call that can affect the game.

Despite this fact, our beloved Redskins have beaten them the past 4 out of 6 times. Many Dallas fans would probably refute that and say “but they’ve beaten the Redskins numerous times during the Norv Turner era.” I would respond by saying, “who didn’t?” During that span the Redskins had a better overall record than guess who? You got it—America's Team (as always feel free to do the research).

However, it appeared their goal was to only beat the Redskins and appeal to the aforementioned uninformed fan base. I have spoken to a few Cowboy fans that don’t drink the blue and gray Kool-aid and actually know the sport, as opposed to being individuals that just want them to beat the Redskins.)

I may be a ranting homer that hates Dallas with a passion and just refuses to acknowledge their greatness in every aspect of football. Or this could actually be a substantive article that attacks a gray area that most won't acknowledge.

Hail To The Redskins!

Fightforalldc.blogspot.com

Redskins Analysis: Washington Can't Live on Veterans Alone

John Mckinnon — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:26:00 -0400

As the 2008 season approaches, the Washington Redskins, like many teams, have holes to fill.

After a season marred by untimely injuries and underachievement, the Redskins need to solidify their team. The 'Skins have not proven they can develop and maintain cohesion with their existing group and that’s indicative of why they have a new head coach and defensive coordinator.

The Redskins are not the least talented team in the league, in fact (when healthy), they might be one of the most talented the NFL has to offer. One problem that has plagued the Redskins is their top-heavy roster.

In other words, they simply don’t put too much stock in back-up or role players. Usually, when a starter goes down the 'Skins are left with a backup that’s just happy he made the final preseason cut, but certainly not someone that can make an impact.

If the Redskins followed the blue-print, they could rectify this situation in the upcoming draft. As stated before, the major issue isn’t talent, it's lack of youth and depth which is a recipe for disaster in the football world.

Our injury plagued, talent laden, 30-something offensive line is indicative of the fact that we cannot survive on vets alone. Randy Thomas is one of the best pulling guards in the NFL and John Jansen is a solid right tackle.

Thomas and Jansen have both missed most of the past two seasons with injuries which left coaches struggling to find capable replacements.

If I’m a coach or a general manager, I’d rather have solid, serviceable top-tier players and backups with comparable abilities, rather than injury prone, aging stars with future high school coaches backing them up.

In today’s game teams cannot live on vets alone and their survival is contingent upon what they do in the Draft.

Hail To The Redskins!