Total effort was key to breaking losing streak
ASHBURN – They claim to have seen this sort of effort before. They’ve seen the Redskins’ offense open holes, embark on long drives and even cross the goal line. They just haven’t seen it on Sundays, the one day when they need to see it happen.
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That’s why Sunday’s 27-17 victory over Denver provided a refreshing change for the players. The offense stole the show with 388 total yards, including 174 on the ground.
When Portis returns from his concussion remains a mystery. It could be a while, though coach Jim Zorn did not rule him out for Sunday yet.
“His headaches are gone, the ringing is gone, but there’s still blurriness [when he moves his head quick],” Zorn said.Ladell Betts has rushed for a combined 184 yards on 41 carries in the last seven quarters in place of Portis. Sunday, Betts finished with 114 yards in the 27-17 win over Denver.
“I don’t want a guy to lose his job because he’s had a concussion,” Zorn said. “He’s our running back, who knows what game he might have had. We can speculate on both sides … Clinton has been an excellent runner for a number of years.”
Portis (494 yards/4.0 yards per carry) has surpassed 100 yards once in his past 13 games.
Rogers was benched in the first quarter Sunday after allowing a 75-yard touchdown catch when he bit on Brandon Marshall’s double move. The same thing happened vs. Philadelphia.Fred Smoot replaced him Sunday, but Justin Tryon could also get the start vs. Dallas.
“It may be a rest, take breather here and work back in,” Zorn said of Rogers. “We did that with [safety Chris] Horton earlier in the year.”» Zorn said defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (ankle) might not practice Wednesday. Zorn also said the Redskins are a week away from knowing more about when tight end Chris Cooley (ankle) will return.
And it came with the starting running back out, and the fifth offensive line combination this season.
“It was great to see that,” linebacker Brian Orakpo said. “We see it in practice all the time.”
One game does not start a trend. So it’s hard to say if Sunday was a one-game aberration or the start of a run. Regardless, this is why they scored their most points since Week 2 of 2008:
Better execution
Until Sunday, the Redskins had not received a solid all-around blocking effort from the tight ends and receivers. Their blocks weren’t perfect all game but for the most part they were solid.
Second-year tight end Fred Davis has improved as a blocker since spending the bye week in Ashburn.
“They were physical on defenders,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “For the most part it was a full team effort.”
On a second and 6 from the Broncos’ 25-yard line in the fourth quarter, running back Rock Cartwright ripped through an opening and was untouched for the first seven yards. Why? Mike Sellers and right tackle Stephon Heyer had a combination block on the end. Sellers left when Heyer gained control and then he blocked the linebacker.
Later, Ladell Betts ran seven yards before he was touched on a second and 12. Denver might have anticipated a pass. But the blocking still was sound, with center Casey Rabach and left guard Derrick Dockery sealing the inside. Also, Betts’ ability to press the hole before cutting back earlier in the game froze the linebacker, who anticipated a cutback that did not come. Betts gained 11 yards.
Solid game plan
The Redskins wanted to block off Denver’s backside pursuit by the linebackers, especially Elvis Dumervil. So they used two tight-end sets on 33 percent of their 70 plays. When they used I-formation, they motioned out of it all but two times.
The result: Denver only made two tackles in backside pursuit, both by Dumervil — and both came when the Redskins did not use a tight end on that side.
In the pass game, they relied heavily on three-step drops by quarterback Jason Campbell. The only times he got in trouble against the rush is when he used a five-step drop or when he was in shotgun and took another three-step drop.
The Redskins threw only nine passes in the second half and ran the ball 27 times.
“Our backs put their heads down and ran hard,” left tackle Levi Jones said. “Sometimes the holes weren’t there and they still got it. Thank you for making us look good.”
