Redskins Round Table: Portis, Lewis and more

Half way through the regular season, we thought it was time for another edition of Redskins Round Table, where we bring together some of the best beat writers and bloggers covering the Washington Redskins and talk to them about the state of our battered and beloved local pro football team.

The Redskins are 2-6 midway through the 2009 season and while the defense and special teams have been respectable — even terrific, at times — the offense has been a complete disaster, unable to generate big plays, first downs or points. Redskins fans have, understandably, become extremely restless at this state of affairs, leading franchise owner Dan Snyder to ban protest signs and clothing at FedEx Field under the dubious premise of public safety. [If he really wanted to increase safety in the stadium, he'd ban alcohol sales. Don't hold your breath for that.] Calls for fan boycotts of home games and other businesses owned by Snyder have increased in recent weeks.

Ominously, things will probably get worse before they get better. Washington’s schedule the first 8 games of the season was a cupcake compared to what they will face in the weeks to come. An ugly situation could get far, far uglier.

With all that in mind, we asked our panel of experts 4 questions. Read on…

John Keim, Washington Examiner

1.  Does not having Clinton Portis in the lineup really hurt Washington?

Not a lot. Portis has not run with much burst at all this season; it’s not like the running game was flourishing with him in there. It’s not all his fault, but he was not having a good year and was not making guys miss. Ladell Betts brought some energy with his runs and it made a difference. Portis’ blocking will be missed; he’s better than Betts. But overall I’m curious to see if a full game of Betts as opposed to a ailing Portis will make a difference. Betts, like many backs, does much better with more carries. Most third-down backs seem to be the opposite way.

2.  In your opinion, how has the Sherman Lewis experiment been working?  See a difference?

They still haven’t won so I can’t say it’s made a big difference. I’ve seen some better rhythm with the play calls at times; I thought the second half, aside from one or two plays, was a solid one in terms of play-calling. He seems to be big on getting the QB into a rhythm, or at least trying to early. The red zone has gone better. But any play-caller would be limited with this O-line, as Jim Zorn already knew. Still an odd move to be pulled during the season. This issue should have been addressed immediately. I remember talking to one longtime NFL guy who said the day after Zorn was hired, ‘The biggest mistake first-time coaches make is trying to do everything.’ Zorn tried to do everything. Big mistake.

3.  What, if anything, have the Redskins done better since earlier in the season?

Read it all

http://dcprosportsreport.com/2009/11/12/redskins-round-table-4-questions.html