New Offensive Strategy?

[Bigmuss1]

Let me hear some thoughts on what we think Al Saunders will do to change up our offense. Do you think it will involve more screens or crossing patterns? I'm not concerned about our D, Gregg will have them play sound football. We struggled so badly to score in the second half, I'm just wondering what some of your ideas are!!

[Fifty Gut]

Saunders believes strongly in a balanced game, and setting up the run with the pass

not a pass first offense, but balanced, as opposed to run first

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Throwing to more than one receiver would be a step in the right direction.

[CPstretch]

for one, we all should get used to the HB Screen Pass. the HB screen was a staple of the KC offense with Priest taking one to the house against the skins last year.

another thing that will be interesting to see is if they have any designed running plays for jason campbell.

i also have a feeling we will see santana run a lot of new plays next year, mainly double moves. teams were starting to pick up on the screen pass which was so successful all year long, so we won't be able to use it as much as we did last year.

A lot of the running plays will be similar as KC used the same type of power running plays that we did, bringing their guards out to pull. i can't wait to see randy have another pro bowl year out there plowing people over to clear the way for CP

[Combatant]

I expect a lot of shifting before the snap, even more than last year. Keep the defense guessing.

[Combatant]

i also have a feeling we will see santana run a lot of new plays next year, mainly double moves. teams were starting to pick up on the screen pass which was so successful all year long, so we won't be able to use it as much as we did last year.

I hope the first play of the season is a fake WR screen to Santana, the corner bites hard, and Santana goes deep and scores an eighty yard touchdown.

[rlhjr34]

I agree, I think we'll see some more HB screens, and we'll see a lot more dump offs to the TE. I also think the opponents Def will have to guess more frequently at what's coming as I think we'll run in situations they would expect pass, and vice versa.

[CPstretch]

good call. one thing saunders is known for is calling the unexpected. i'm really excited to see what gibbs and saunders can come up with. 2 great offensive minds working together. its a beautiful thing.

[More Complete]

More shifting and movement before the snap.

[CurseReversed]

passing to set up the run, I'm all for that. If you think about it thats how teams are able to run the ball against us, they usually have to loosen us up with the passing game first.

[RabidFan]

More TE and RB pass routes up the middle to gut the defense

[carlsbadd]

I would like to see more plays that exploit the middle of the field, something that was missing last year.

[MartinC]

I think we will see a more aggressive passing game early to set up the run. I'd expect to see Cooley asked to run some deeper routes down the seams the way Gonzales does for the Chiefs and the ball spread around the receivers more (which would not be too hard based on last year).


The running game is not broke so don't fix it but I would like to see us try to get the ball to Portis in space with some HB screens.

[DonMagicJuan]

more throwing of the ball to Portis....Portis could have a 500 yard recieving year

[bnacpa]

I thought Portis has been completely underutilized as a receiving threat the past two years. So more of him will be good. We will also pass more on first downs and as the game is winding down we actually may mix things up instead of run run run punt which we all saw tooo many times when we had leads in the fourth quarter this year.

I understand running out the clock, but I believe had we gone for it on 4th down or mixed some passes in ... we would have won a couple more, such as the gave vs. Tampa.

[Darth Tater]

We may be able to implement more motion but Gibbs took out of what he does because he couldn't get it executed. We'll probably have more passing plays were the RB is a primary option and not just a dump-off guy.

[CPstretch]

gibbs has always used a lot of motion in his sets. that certainly will not be new.

i agree that portis will have around 45 receptions on the season

[Lil Kenzo]

I think it depends who we have playing opposite Moss next year.

[Bigmuss1]

I think the rest of the league is in trouble if CP has 1500 yds rushing and 500 receiving!!

[Peregrine]

Throwing screens had more to do with how our QB limits us. If MB is QB, I expect too see more of the same, though with Saunders stuff thrown in. Would be foolish to try and get MB to do stuff he physicaly cannot do. If Ramsey or Campbell are starting, opens up more possibilities, and the playcalling will reflect that. It all depends on who you have in there.

[Combatant]

Throwing screens had more to do with how our QB limits us. If MB is QB, I expect too see more of the same, though with Saunders stuff thrown in. Would be foolish to try and get MB to do stuff he physicaly cannot do. If Ramsey or Campbell are starting, opens up more possibilities, and the playcalling will reflect that. It all depends on who you have in there.

I don't know if Ramsey has the touch to consistantly throw screen passes

[CPstretch]

ramsey and touch should never be in the same sentence.

[Mass_SkinsFan]

I will admit to not having a whole lot of first-hand knowledge about Saunder's offensive style. I'm just hoping that he takes advantage of the wonderful new inovation in the league called the "TOUCHDOWN". It's kinda neat and worth more than TWO Field Goals COMBINED!!!!!(so long as you make the extra point). I know Coach Gibbs and his staff have been real high on Field Goals the last couple years but I really hope Saunders puts less emphasis on them and much more on TOUCHDOWNS.

[Combatant]

I will admit to not having a whole lot of first-hand knowledge about Saunder's offensive style. I'm just hoping that he takes advantage of the wonderful new inovation in the league called the "TOUCHDOWN". It's kinda neat and worth more than TWO Field Goals COMBINED!!!!!(so long as you make the extra point). I know Coach Gibbs and his staff have been real high on Field Goals the last couple years but I really hope Saunders puts less emphasis on them and much more on TOUCHDOWNS.

2005
TD's FG's
44 17

2004
TD's FG's
26 19

[Mass_SkinsFan]

2005
TD's FG's
44 17

2004
TD's FG's
26 19

Yep. In both season's you're talking an average of a FG a game +/-. That's not good in my mind. If you're close enough for John Hall to kick a FG, you really ought to be able to stick the ball in the End Zone. Hall isn't kicking 55 yard Field Goals. When you get down inside the 20 yard line, and especially inside the 10, there's no reason to have to kick a field goal instead of getting the ball in the End Zone.

This becomes increasingly important when you're talking about a league and a team where close games are the norm instead of blowouts. That FOUR point difference between the Field Goal and the Touchdown is quite possibly going to be the difference in a lot of games.

Hall has kicked SEVENTY PERCENT of his field goals in the last two years with the snap coming from the 20 yard line or closer. FOURTY PERCENT of them are from inside the 10 yard line. That tells me something about the quality of the offense, and what it says is not positive in any way.

[Combatant]

Yep. In both season's you're talking an average of a FG a game +/-. That's not good in my mind. If you're close enough for John Hall to kick a FG, you really ought to be able to stick the ball in the End Zone. Hall isn't kicking 55 yard Field Goals. When you get down inside the 20 yard line, and especially inside the 10, there's no reason to have to kick a field goal instead of getting the ball in the End Zone.

This becomes increasingly important when you're talking about a league and a team where close games are the norm instead of blowouts. That FOUR point difference between the Field Goal and the Touchdown is quite possibly going to be the difference in a lot of games.

Hall has kicked SEVENTY PERCENT of his field goals in the last two years with the snap coming from the 20 yard line or closer. FOURTY PERCENT of them are from inside the 10 yard line. That tells me something about the quality of the offense, and what it says is not positive in any way.

Mass, I like talking to you guy, and I am in no way shape or form trying to tell you how to think but damn............try to be positive about something for once. You always have good support for your comments, but try to use them in a positive manner. Now that I am done preaching, it is frustrating when we're inside the 20 and don't get inside the endzone but that's part of the game. I don't know the numbers, but I don't think our red zone stats were not that bad this year.

[Bhutanibeast]

how about score more touchdowns?

[No_Pressure]

The K.C. offense was built around a big, strong, talented, and quick offensive line that was the best in the NFL in pulling. They ran screen passes and traps better than anybody in the NFL for a reason their line was great. The WR's werent huge factors steady producers but not a focal point of the offense, if a team was doubling up say Santana Moss, Cooley and Portis would become the head of our offense. The QB is not supposed to be a scrambler. This was not a very very play action heavy offense like Gibbs likes to run with Brunell but rather a more drop back passing game. Basically look at what you need for the KC offense. A big talented offensive line- we have it. A smart QB who can make the throws- we have 3 at the moment. A talented fast shifty runningback- Portis. A talented hard nosed tight end that can block and catch all the passes- Cooley, check. We even got something they dont, a 1500 yard pro bowl reciever and a defense so we dont lose games 39-35 like K.C.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

What is with the bashing of the offense and scoring TDs? If I'm not mistaken, we were one of the better teams when we got down inside the opponent's 20 yard line last year. The improvement from '04 to '05 was incredible.

Mass, kicking one FG per game (while scoring 2.5 TDs) is not bad at all.

[iceman330]

Well, he's known for keeping D's off-balance so expect lots of plays that you didn't see coming. There will probably be less audibles. From what I understand, he doesn't like QB's to audible much; he expects the play he calls to work.

[Tazhog]

I know one thing...
Adding Saunders to "Gibbs, Bugel and Breaux"...
As a REDSKINS fan...
I feel blessed by GOD himself!!!

[Extreme]

Throwing to more than one receiver would be a step in the right direction.

if all we saw on passing were bombs to santana, and short routes that cooley turns into 20+ yards, i'd be more than happy with that.

[Mass_SkinsFan]

What is with the bashing of the offense and scoring TDs? If I'm not mistaken, we were one of the better teams when we got down inside the opponent's 20 yard line last year. The improvement from '04 to '05 was incredible.

Mass, kicking one FG per game (while scoring 2.5 TDs) is not bad at all.

I don't know what our Red Zone percentage was last year. I do know that Hall was 14-14 kicking field goals inside that area. My problem is that in a league where the teams are SO equal in talent and ability we can't afford to give up those four points very often. ESPECIALLY when you're talking about kicking 8 fieldgoals from inside the 10 yard line. Two of them from the 1 yard line (which makes me sick to my stomach). Our defense is good enough that if we occassionally turn the ball over to the opponent inside their own 10 yard line, I feel confident we're not going to get scored on. Obviously you want to get the three points most of the time but I really think that Gibbs, Saunders and Co. need to be AGGRESSIVE down in that area of the field.

[Mass_SkinsFan]

Mass, I like talking to you guy, and I am in no way shape or form trying to tell you how to think but damn............try to be positive about something for once. You always have good support for your comments, but try to use them in a positive manner.

I understand where you're coming from Gunny and I thank you for the compliments. I am a pessimist. I don't see the glass as half-full or half-empty. I see it as... It isn't completely full so why should I waste my time even looking at it? My pessimism and view of competition come from my personal experiences growing up. I won't bore everyone with the full description and explaination. Just don't expect to see any "In Gibbs I Trust", Kool-Aid drinking posts from me any time in the near future.


Now that I am done preaching, it is frustrating when we're inside the 20 and don't get inside the endzone but that's part of the game. I don't know the numbers, but I don't think our red zone stats were not that bad this year.

Yes it is frustrating and it is also part of the game. A large part of my problem with the situation is that there are times when it looks like we play for the Field Goal instead of playing for the Touchdown. The playcalling and execution seems to get too conservative. Like we're more afraid of losing the opportunity to kick the field goal than we are interested in getting the ball in the end zone.

Obviously the Field Goal is a better option than not getting any points at all. I think we've determined that the Redskins were scoring approximately 2.5 TD's and 1 FG per game this year. Now imagine if that ratio was simply 3:1 instead of 2.5:1. We're talking a difference of 3-4 points a game and that could/would have made a difference in THREE of our losses (Denver, TB, and Oakland). Just something to think about.

[Peregrine]

Gunnyhud, thats exactly what i was saying...

Ramsey is the guy who can throw the 20 yard routes, Brunell the guy who cant but can throw the screens.

[CPstretch]

i think brunell proved to us last year that he can still make a lot of the throws that an NFL QB has to make. he threw a lot of good deep balls (see brunell to santana vs dallas) and showed that his arm strength was still there (see brunell to santana TD vs san diego).

[Warhead36]

He's going to introduce the groundbreaking new concept of....

scoring three touchdowns in a playoff game. ;)

[Combatant]

Gunnyhud, thats exactly what i was saying...

Ramsey is the guy who can throw the 20 yard routes, Brunell the guy who cant but can throw the screens.

:cheers:

[MartinC]

What is with the bashing of the offense and scoring TDs? If I'm not mistaken, we were one of the better teams when we got down inside the opponent's 20 yard line last year. The improvement from '04 to '05 was incredible.

Mass, kicking one FG per game (while scoring 2.5 TDs) is not bad at all.

agreed - with our defense if we average 21 points a game we win 10 to 11 games.

[Enter Apotheosis]

Against Denver, Oakland, San Diego, and Tampa Bay an extra field goal would have won or tied the game. Honestly, what type of score you get is less important than how often you score and how effective your offense is at getting inside the 35. Getting a field goal on every possession is more productive than getting a touchdown every third possession.

[ddub52]

thats a sick sig gunny

[Mister Happy]

The major difference is the 4th quarter run-run-pass-punt will be gone. No more nail-biting 4th quarters and more Spurrier-style running up the score on teams. Our offense really is better than the stats indicate because we spent so much time running out the clock.

We will stretch the field more and make defenses pay for stacking up to stop Portis.

[BigRay]

I think you're going to see pretty much what he did when he the Chief's offensive coordinator I do not see a lot of things changing with his system. I think you will see him use Portis like he uses Holmes etc..

[swissarmy47]

Throwing to more than one receiver would be a step in the right direction.

We've got more than 1 receiver?

[Mass_SkinsFan]

Against Denver, Oakland, San Diego, and Tampa Bay an extra field goal would have won or tied the game.

Let's look at those games....

Denver: Novak kicks FG's of 34 & 36 yards (snaps from the 16 & 18 yard line)

Tampa Bay: Hall kicks FG's of 33 & 40 yards (snaps from the (15 & 22 yard line)

Oakland: Hall kicks FG's of 24 & 45 yards (snaps from the (6 & 28 yard line)

On FOUR of those six kicks the ball was snapped from inside the 20 yard line. On one the ball was snapped from inside the 10. As I've said before, that both frustrates and infuriates me. When you get down there you have to put the ball in the end zone.


Honestly, what type of score you get is less important than how often you score and how effective your offense is at getting inside the 35. Getting a field goal on every possession is more productive than getting a touchdown every third possession.

The problem with that philosophy is that we currently have a league where you can't count on getting 3 opportunities to kick the field goal. You NEED to maximize every scoring opportunity nowadays because you just can't be sure that you're going to get that many chances to score. The league is too even/equal for that.

[ghetto-smoove]

I think he will play smashmouth football, and use play action to go deep. Of course this is the philosophy of Gibbs, but I think Saunders will just add wrinkles to it. I definately think Saunders will employ ALOT more 3-4-5 wr sets ( if we acquire the depth to do so ) and will also run from these sets. This will spread the field for portis and open running lanes. I think u can say goodbye to the 1 wr sets Gibbs still loves. I think we will be more wide open in the redzone to produce more scores.