jimster
November-15th-2007, 07:21 AM
'Skins Lobby Gibbs to Go No-Huddle
http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=293&sid=1292585
November 15, 2007 - 4:46am
By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
ASHBURN, Va. - It must have taken quite a bit of lobbying to persuade conservative Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs to start using the two-minute offense in the middle of a game.
"We were asking for it, and we got it," receiver Keenan McCardell said Wednesday. "The coaches let us be able to go out and execute it. And there's the old saying in the locker room, 'If we want it, we've got to make it work.' So we went out and made it work."
The offense looked as good _ if not better _ than it has all season when it started spreading the field with four wideouts and running the plays without a huddle during Sunday's 33-25 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The mid-game no-huddle attack helped produce drives of 92, 68 and 47 yards. The first two went for touchdowns, and the third appeared headed for the same result until Ladell Betts fumbled in Eagles' territory.
"We felt like we couldn't be stopped," left tackle Chris Samuels said. "We were moving the ball."
Jason Campbell went 8-for-11 for 88 yards in the mid-game no-huddle, using an approach that was strikingly different from the usual Gibbs philosophy. Instead of emphasizing the run and taking the occasional deep shot, the quarterback moved the team down the field with a mixture of runs and short passes, borrowing a page or two from the West Coast offense.
"He got it done," center Casey Rabach said. "And hopefully that's a sign from the coaches that he's ready to take that next step and give him more things to do in the offense. It's hard for (the defense) to substitute players when you're in the no-huddle. It's hard for them to call different blitzes and dogs and whatnots, and at the end of it we just kept on wearing them out. As an offensive line, we love that."
Campbell especially loves the aggressive approach. The Redskins have been mostly cautious with their young quarterback _ he's yet to throw for 250 yards in a game _ but now he has 16 starts under his belt and is ready for more freedom. In the no-huddle, he can choose from several running and passing plays at the line of scrimmage, although he often gets a quick piece of advice from the coaches via his helmet transmitter while the players are lining up.
"You have the opportunity to be in charge and make a lot of decisions and play the game," Campbell said. "All the guys are very confident in running it. The reason so I think is that everyone gets involved. Everyone feels like they can get the ball at any given time. It keeps everyone's head in the game."
Assistant coach Al Saunders said the no-huddle offense is essentially the same as the two-minute offense used at the end of the half or the game. The coaches started tinkering with the no-huddle as a mid-game change-of-pace strategy in practice a few weeks ago, and the players were pining to do it for real.
"We lobbied good enough," receiver Antwaan Randle El said.
Saunders and Gibbs said the use of the no-huddle had less to do with the pleas of players and more to do with the fact that it might work, particularly against an Eagles defense that likes to be creative. Also, they've taken notice of Campbell's success in running the two-minute offense at the end of games _ and his growing overall maturity as a quarterback.
"He had been in a number of situations late in the games where he kind of took it, and he handled those extremely well," Gibbs said. "When you see that and see how he handles that, it gives you the feeling that he can handle other things too."
So does this mean the no-huddle is going to become the main staple of the offense? Certainly not. As Rabach said, the Redskins will remain "a rush football team, first and foremost." After all, running back Clinton Portis is finally in a groove, having rushed for 196 and 137 yards the last two games. Also, the receiving corps is stretched thin because of injuries to Santana Moss (heel), James Thrash (ankle) and now Brandon Lloyd, who broke his collarbone during practice Wednesday.
But, as Gibbs had to concede, the no-huddle did look pretty good. If nothing else, the Redskins have given the Dallas Cowboys something new to consider as the teams prepare to meet this weekend.
"It might be something where we do some no-huddle from time to time," Gibbs said. "This is the first time. It was pretty successful, I'd say."
http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=293&sid=1292585
November 15, 2007 - 4:46am
By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
ASHBURN, Va. - It must have taken quite a bit of lobbying to persuade conservative Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs to start using the two-minute offense in the middle of a game.
"We were asking for it, and we got it," receiver Keenan McCardell said Wednesday. "The coaches let us be able to go out and execute it. And there's the old saying in the locker room, 'If we want it, we've got to make it work.' So we went out and made it work."
The offense looked as good _ if not better _ than it has all season when it started spreading the field with four wideouts and running the plays without a huddle during Sunday's 33-25 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The mid-game no-huddle attack helped produce drives of 92, 68 and 47 yards. The first two went for touchdowns, and the third appeared headed for the same result until Ladell Betts fumbled in Eagles' territory.
"We felt like we couldn't be stopped," left tackle Chris Samuels said. "We were moving the ball."
Jason Campbell went 8-for-11 for 88 yards in the mid-game no-huddle, using an approach that was strikingly different from the usual Gibbs philosophy. Instead of emphasizing the run and taking the occasional deep shot, the quarterback moved the team down the field with a mixture of runs and short passes, borrowing a page or two from the West Coast offense.
"He got it done," center Casey Rabach said. "And hopefully that's a sign from the coaches that he's ready to take that next step and give him more things to do in the offense. It's hard for (the defense) to substitute players when you're in the no-huddle. It's hard for them to call different blitzes and dogs and whatnots, and at the end of it we just kept on wearing them out. As an offensive line, we love that."
Campbell especially loves the aggressive approach. The Redskins have been mostly cautious with their young quarterback _ he's yet to throw for 250 yards in a game _ but now he has 16 starts under his belt and is ready for more freedom. In the no-huddle, he can choose from several running and passing plays at the line of scrimmage, although he often gets a quick piece of advice from the coaches via his helmet transmitter while the players are lining up.
"You have the opportunity to be in charge and make a lot of decisions and play the game," Campbell said. "All the guys are very confident in running it. The reason so I think is that everyone gets involved. Everyone feels like they can get the ball at any given time. It keeps everyone's head in the game."
Assistant coach Al Saunders said the no-huddle offense is essentially the same as the two-minute offense used at the end of the half or the game. The coaches started tinkering with the no-huddle as a mid-game change-of-pace strategy in practice a few weeks ago, and the players were pining to do it for real.
"We lobbied good enough," receiver Antwaan Randle El said.
Saunders and Gibbs said the use of the no-huddle had less to do with the pleas of players and more to do with the fact that it might work, particularly against an Eagles defense that likes to be creative. Also, they've taken notice of Campbell's success in running the two-minute offense at the end of games _ and his growing overall maturity as a quarterback.
"He had been in a number of situations late in the games where he kind of took it, and he handled those extremely well," Gibbs said. "When you see that and see how he handles that, it gives you the feeling that he can handle other things too."
So does this mean the no-huddle is going to become the main staple of the offense? Certainly not. As Rabach said, the Redskins will remain "a rush football team, first and foremost." After all, running back Clinton Portis is finally in a groove, having rushed for 196 and 137 yards the last two games. Also, the receiving corps is stretched thin because of injuries to Santana Moss (heel), James Thrash (ankle) and now Brandon Lloyd, who broke his collarbone during practice Wednesday.
But, as Gibbs had to concede, the no-huddle did look pretty good. If nothing else, the Redskins have given the Dallas Cowboys something new to consider as the teams prepare to meet this weekend.
"It might be something where we do some no-huddle from time to time," Gibbs said. "This is the first time. It was pretty successful, I'd say."