Offense lacks punch, many wonder who is to blame
They rolled early, piling up yards, points and optimism. Little by little, it’s vanished. Tales of Jim Zorn’s daring ways have been replaced, fair or not, by questions about his playcalling. Visions of where this offense was headed have been replaced by angst over its present.
If the Redskins (6-4) are to snap a two-game losing streak, it’ll be up to the offense. And it must improve over its past five games, in which they haven’t scored more than two touchdowns in a game.
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Theories abound over the struggles:
THEY’VE CAUGHT UP TO ZORN » Perhaps. Dallas did a good job of defending Washington in the second meeting. The Cowboys anticipated the bootlegs and other misdirection plays, which the Redskins, based on how Dallas reacted to certain plays in the first game, needed to run. But the Cowboys saw where they were vulnerable vs. Washington after that game as well.
Early on, Zorn was good at staying one step ahead of defenses early and now, arguably, he’s not.
“They didn’t know what he was going to call,” Redskins fullback Mike Sellers said.
But it’s not the Redskins’ biggest issue; also, Pittsburgh and Dallas have talented defenses.
“I don’t feel people have caught on to what he’s going to call,” Redskins tight end Chris Cooley said. “That’s a common thing to say … it doesn’t matter if they know what we’re going to do. We’re just not executing.”
And there’s this point: in the second half against Cleveland, the Redskins ran three different types of running plays. The Browns knew what was coming; the Redskins rushed for 193 yards in the game.
TALENT » The Redskins lack a legitimate No. 2 receiver and they have no size at that position aside from rookie Malcolm Kelly who has played in two games.
And this is what the players know about Kelly:
“He had a great OTAs,” Cooley said.
That was in May and June. Kelly is close to being ready to help and he knows his 6-foot-4 frame is needed.
“There were times Dallas put eight or nine in the box and it was one-on-one outside and you just throw the ball up instead of going through a read,” Kelly said. “That’s frustrating.”
Said ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, “That’s one guy where they could create a matchup problem.”
PASS PROTECTION » This is the main worry. Washington is 27th in points scored because it must endure long drives. When the Redskins want to throw long, they’re not getting the protection against good defenses. They’ve allowed 10 sacks the past three games.
The Redskins rarely throw long anymore, as quarterback Jason Campbell attempted just three passes of longer than 15 yards Sunday.
“Jason felt uncomfortable letting plays develop downfield,” Jaworski said after the loss to Pittsburgh. “Speed and quickness and the pressure got on him early and forced him into deeper throws.”
