Redskins Offense Revamped, Revitalized: It's Do or Die Time

The coming of Jim Zorn to DC brings forth a new look to the Washington Redskins' offense. Zorn is a quarterback aficionado with an offensive pedigree. He was a student of the game under Mike Holmgren, who has influenced many of the coaches in today’s game. He also helped transform Matt Hasselbeck into a Pro Bowl quarterback.

He will now look to do the same with young Jason Campbell.

Zorn has tweaked Campbell’s mechanics and drop back. With the west coast offense, Campbell will be able to emphasize his accuracy in the short to intermediate passing game. Last season Campbell often appeared very comfortable throwing those routes, but lacked accuracy and touch on deep routes.

With Zorn, the downfield passing game will probably not be as utilized, but when it is there will be some taller targets for Campbell to hit.

Zorn went into the draft stating that he wanted to acquire a big receiver for Campbell. Midgets Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El were adequate, but neither played like a true No. 1.

So Zorn drafted not one, but two big WRs in Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly. Both are sure-handed, but Thomas needs to work on route running, especially considering Zorn’s system puts a premium on quality routes. Kelly needs to work on his speed, but aside from that, these two players could help Campbell transform into a successful quarterback.

Zorn also added college’s top TE, Fred Davis. The selection puzzled myself because Chris Cooley has been more than capable, but further examination revealed that Zorn loves to implement two tight end sets. This actually works to Campbell’s benefit, for he was at his best throwing to the tight end last season.

With all the talent around Campbell, the time for excuses has passed. He needs to step up and play football. We have seen flashes throughout his career, but now is the time that he must put them all together for a solid performance. It is imperative that he finish games strong, unlike last year, when he came up short on several potential winning drives.

The offensive line will hopefully come back healthy, but age is becoming a factor—all five starters are over 30, and two are returning from season-ending injuries.

The depth proved it could hold its own last season, but the backups struggled to form the chemistry needed to open holes for Clinton Portis in the running game. There were games in which Portis would often get the ball and have nowhere to go.

Part of this could be attributed to Joe Gibbs’ complex pulling plays, in which the line needed to execute perfectly. This was difficult when there was a new rotation along the line each week. Zorn will be allowing Portis to hit holes quickly, a reversion back to Portis’ Denver days, in which he created his own space and picked his own holes instead of waiting for linemen to open them up.

Portis hinted earlier this week that this system will be a much better fit and that he will be running wild this year. Bold words, but they are words the Skins need to hear from their star player.

Along the line, the Skins will return their quality depth in Stephon Heyer, Jason Fabini, and Todd Wade. Also, a new face will be emerging from Northern Iowa.

Chad Rinehart was picked in the third round, and was considered one of the top mid-major O-line prospects in this year’s draft. He was the lead blocker on the 11th-ranked offense in the nation last season, and might eventually move into a starting role.

If the line can stay healthy, it might very well be the greatest asset on the offense.

Now is the time for the offense to step up and play with a consistency fans have yet to see this decade. Jason Campbell was picked to be the franchise QB and this is the year he must come through. He has the weapons, a more open-minded system, and a starving fan base that needs him to perform.

With the defense looking like it might regress, there is even more pressure on the offense to make plays. With a full complement of playmakers, there can be no excuses for these Skins.