Om Field: A Rising Tide

[Om]

Not For the Attention-Span challenged. Fair warning.


A Rising Tide
Sept. 25, 2008

With the Redskins facing back-to-back road games the next two weeks, against arguably the two hottest teams in football, it would be easy to shuffle past their last two games without pausing to smell the roses. The way I see it, football season—not to mention life—is too short for that. Those who forget to enjoy the journey ignore one key fact—none of us are getting out of here alive.

So … a midweek gift from life to you:



Stop it. “Real men” eat quiche, smell flowers or do whatever the hell else they want.

There an aphorism … “a rising tide lifts all boats” … that I have always associated professional football. Specifically, I have argued (‘til my fingertips bled) that what ultimately separates elite teams from the pack is the man they put behind center. That those teams able to land a true "Franchise QB"—you know one when you see one—quickly break from the pack. And those teams smart and/or lucky enough to then build a solid machine around that guy, contend for championships.

By the way, it’s come to my attention there are those out there who still dispute this Fundamental NFL Truth (shocking, I know), but we’ll let them slide this week. At 2-1, we can be magnanimous.

So for purposes of this discussion … while it’s far too early to say Redskins QB Jason Campbell has officially become That Guy, it is not too early to see the uplifting impact his play has had on the 2008 Redskins ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

[Silent Majority]

Thank you Sir, reading it now.

EDIT:

Those who forget to enjoy the journey ignore one key fact—none of us are getting out of here alive.

Very true.

[Califan007]

while it’s far too early to say Redskins QB Jason Campbell has officially become That Guy, it is not too early to see the uplifting impact his play has had on the 2008 Redskins.

Oh, I know what some of you are saying. “Let’s see Campbell keep bringing in the tide against Dallas and Philly.” That’s fair—he could have two awful games and the team could get mauled. But it would be just as unfair to fail to acknowledge the fundamental change in the way the Redskins have won their last two games, or acknowledge the impact of the play of Jason Campbell in achieving them.

[gortiz]

Chris "Finger Eleven" Cooley ....

classic.

I will use that this weekend, and often.

[iMeast]

Really good read. It makes me feel better about the team than I have.

HTTR

[ldysknzfn1]

That was long..but informative and well written as usual! I hope he can keep this level and go beyond..he has the tools..I hope he continues to use them correctly!

[Kelvin Bryant]

Very nice, Om.

Actually, Zorn has gone for the kill *three* times in the last two games. He opted to try that 52-yard FG attempt that would have put the Skins up by 10 late. No way Gibbs does anything other than punt from there. The usual suspects second-guessed Zorn when it missed, but the call was completely consistent with the philosophy displayed in the other two calls: if you have a chance to put the game away, go for it. Long overdue, and deeply welcome.

[BigRedskinDaddy]

Mayhap it was long, brother, but the day will never come that one of your pieces is TOO long. Perhaps you, like our newly emerging franchise QB, are merely stepping your game up a notch, kicking things into overdrive as we head into a crucial stretch in our season.

Well done.

[D'KanSkinFan]

Campbell did the ice-water-in-the-veins thing

what we're seeing is the foundation being laid for a new Redskins team. And the single biggest factor, by far, has been the timely, deadly effective play of the most important man on any football field--the quarterback.

The Zornian Cojones

It’s official. The man has them.

Good read Om~ I want the effective ice-water-in-the vein QB with the Coach that has them/ and these traits can become interchangeable between the two. And, I think we have witnessed this interchange already~

I also think we have a "chance" on the road; and you are correct, a NEW Redskin era has begun - finally.................

[Pedro]

Nice read Om. The play on the field is backing up the choice, if not the manner, of giving Zorn the whole deal. He does seam to be accelerating Campbell's progression.

And our draft picks are usually good these days. And despite rumours Vinny hasn't presided over any fantasy football moves since he got the top job.

And it's all looking rather good for the future. Regardless of winning either of the next two games.

[Skinz4Life12]

great read! look forward to the next one

[Fight for ole DC]

Very good read...thanks. I'm not expecting great things over the next two weeks but I hope the Redskins continue to show signs of improvement (particularly JC) and are close enough to have a chance to win. If we can get one win and get to 3-2 we will be in great shape. I had hoped for at least 2-3 given the early road division games.

The last two weeks have answered a lot of off-season questions about how this team will perform under a new, rookie head coach (a coach that was hired after a long and criticized search). I am pleased with the direction of the team and the improvements I've seen in QB play and coaching philosophy. The offense seems to be a work-in-progress but I like that so many players have been involved and some of the adjustments made during games.

Let's hope for a few bounces that go the Redskins way, maybe a trunover or three, that allow us to get a huge division road win (or two) over the next couple of weeks.

[thesubmittedone]

Hey, Om... do you think we can come close to saying that our team is "clutch"?

It seems like we've been consistently clutch on Defense since the start of the season, and clutch on offense the last two games. As you stated so eloquently... we have this knack of doing what we need to do when it needs to be done. That's the mark of a good, nay, great team.

I don't know... I just feel it with this team. They might go and prove me totally wrong, but I'd honestly be surprised if they did. I couldn't say that in the past, no matter how much I believed in them (which I always do).

[Fight for ole DC]

It seems like we've been consistently clutch on Defense since the start of the season, and clutch on offense the last two games. As you stated so eloquently... we have this knack of doing what we need to do when it needs to be done. That's the mark of a good, nay, great team.

I agree. Perhaps the good character (thanks to Joe Gibbs?) and chemistry among the players has something to do with this.

[Oldfan]

There an aphorism … “a rising tide lifts all boats” … that I have always associated professional football. Specifically, I have argued (‘til my fingertips bled) that what ultimately separates elite teams from the pack is the man they put behind center. That those teams able to land a true "Franchise QB"—you know one when you see one—quickly break from the pack. And those teams smart and/or lucky enough to then build a solid machine around that guy, contend for championships.

By the way, it’s come to my attention there are those out there who still dispute this Fundamental NFL Truth (shocking, I know), but we’ll let them slide this week. At 2-1, we can be magnanimous.

So, if we get to be an elite team, you will argue that we landed a franchise QB and quickly broke away from the pack?

It has always fascinated me how people can look at evidence denying their positions and see support for them.

Let's assume we are witnessing the rising Campbell tide and ask the question, what caused the tide to rise? Isn't it obvious in the Campbell experience that coaching and scheme can have a major impact on a QB's performance?

You know a franchise QB when you see one? If you saw a franchise QB in Campbell when he arrived here, then why did Al Saunders and Jim Zorn do a makeover on his mechanics? Does Jason look like the same QB to you?