Todd Collins Re-Ups

[GTripp0012]

Joey Harrington, Rex Grossman, and David Carr all signed deals worth $3 mil a year to be backups in the last calender year, and Todd's probably the best of the bunch.

[SFREDSKIN]

Here's another from NFL.com

Skins keep Collins: The Washington Redskins resigned quarterback Todd Collins to a three-year, $9 million contract that included a $3 million signing bonus. The 36-year-old veteran backup replaced an injured Jason Campbell in Washington's Week 14 win over Chicago and then started the last three games of the regular season, helping the Redskins earn a wild-card berth. With Campbell coming back from a knee injury, it was considered important for new head coach Jim Zorn to retain the veteran backup.

[onlydarksets]

SBs are guaranteed, so it's at least $3 million.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by onlydarksets

SBs are guaranteed, so it's at least $3 million.

3 Guarnateed plus we'd have to assume he is guaranteed to play this year and probably at a vet min sal level so he'll probably be a cap figures of

yr1-1.85mil
yr2-2.5mil
yr3=4.65mil

or something close to that.

It is almost a guarantee he is here for at least 2 years.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

My only concern with him is learning a brand new system...

But then again, touch is touch and he showed plenty of that late in the season last year...

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

My only concern with him is learning a brand new system...

But then again, touch is touch and he showed plenty of that late in the season last year...

Yeah I share that concern. He was great at releasing the ball before WRs made their break. The only way you can confidently do that is if you know where the WR is going to be.

It's going to take time for him to learn that in this new system.

That said, Campbell is the much bigger concern when it comes to picking up the new system. And just about any backup QB out there would have needed to learn Zorn's system. So that shouldn't really play into the decision to resign Collins too much. As soon as we hired Zorn, we knew we were in for a learning year, no matter who we had on the roster.

[steveo395]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Yeah I share that concern. He was great at releasing the ball before WRs made their break. The only way you can confidently do that is if you know where the WR is going to be.

It's going to take time for him to learn that in this new system.

That said, Campbell is the much bigger concern when it comes to picking up the new system. And just about any backup QB out there would have needed to learn Zorn's system. So that shouldn't really play into the decision to resign Collins too much. As soon as we hired Zorn, we knew we were in for a learning year, no matter who we had on the roster.

Zorn actually has a normal playbook though, not this 700 page crap.

[Bozzy]

Brunell is as good as done.

[Dirtbag59]

To: All the people talking about Collins learning a new system.
From: The desk of Dirtbag359

All right, I got to put this in perspective. Apparently in Year 1 Zorn is going to keep a good part of Saunders system in tact. Basically the WCO offense uses Words and Terminology while Saunders used numbers. Zorn is going to use the same terminology as Saunders, but will use that system to create a West Coast attack. I'll have to find a source but this is what I heard when Zorn was first announced as the HC.

[Dirtbag59]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag359

To: All the people talking about Collins learning a new system.
From: The desk of Dirtbag359

All right, I got to put this in perspective. Apparently in Year 1 Zorn is going to keep a good part of Saunders system in tact. Basically the WCO offense uses Words and Terminology while Saunders used numbers. Zorn is going to use the same terminology as Saunders, but will use that system to create a West Coast attack. I'll have to find a source but this is what I heard when Zorn was first announced as the HC.

Never mind. Looks like Zorn is going to keep the Running Game the same but the passing attack looks like its going to be new. Either way I think Collins is a great QB for the WCO, the guy works on timing, and he has great accuracy.

On how much has he been able to work as an offensive coordinator the past two weeks:
"My offensive group will know we worked two days. We started with the run game and Joe Bugel's (Assistant Head Coach- Offense) favorite play, 50 gut. He has just done a tremendous job taking me through and that is what I plan on doing, is trying to keep the run game alive. Keep the run game the same, terminology, blocking schemes. We have experts here in Joe (Bugel) and Rennie (Simmons, Tight Ends Coach), knowing about the run game. We have guys that really know what they are doing here. Then, the players, you can see the skills on the offensive line, working together, these blocking combinations, so I want to keep that the same. So, the answer is, two days. I will be working with them until we get that coordinator. I hope to be working even when we get that coordinator in place. That is what I would really like to do."

Sorry, I misunderstood.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag359

To: All the people talking about Collins learning a new system.
From: The desk of Dirtbag359

All right, I got to put this in perspective. Apparently in Year 1 Zorn is going to keep a good part of Saunders system in tact. Basically the WCO offense uses Words and Terminology while Saunders used numbers. Zorn is going to use the same terminology as Saunders, but will use that system to create a West Coast attack. I'll have to find a source but this is what I heard when Zorn was first announced as the HC.

I believe he said he's not going to touch much of the running game, but the passing game is definitely going to be his. He did say that he's going to keep things simple and only build on things once the QBs are proficient in what they start with. But if you can find something that states anything different I'm all ears.

Overall I'm honestly not too concerned about the new system. As an ex-QB himself I think Zorn is going to know exactly how to best install a new system and bring the QBs along slowly but surely. He seems like a real players coach.

[Dirtbag59]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I believe he said he's not going to touch much of the running game, but the passing game is definitely going to be his. He did say that he's going to keep things simple and only build on things once the QBs are proficient in what they start with. But if you can find something that states anything different I'm all ears.

Overall I'm honestly not too concerned about the new system. As an ex-QB himself I think Zorn is going to know exactly how to best install a new system and bring the QBs along slowly but surely. He seems like a real players coach.

Yeah, either way, new system or old system we'll be fine. Zorn is so good at coaching QB's he could turn me into a starting QB. Though our passing game would only consist of screens.

[Paintrain]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I believe he said he's not going to touch much of the running game, but the passing game is definitely going to be his. He did say that he's going to keep things simple and only build on things once the QBs are proficient in what they start with. But if you can find something that states anything different I'm all ears.

Overall I'm honestly not too concerned about the new system. As an ex-QB himself I think Zorn is going to know exactly how to best install a new system and bring the QBs along slowly but surely. He seems like a real players coach.

I agree.. All this talk of a "new system", it's not like he's introducing the Mid West Offense or some other random creation.. Teams at all levels run the WCO so it's not going to be completely foreign to the players. It's all a bit overblown if you ask me.

[SmootSmack]

We shouldn't be too worried about Collins' ability to play in a West Coast offense. People forget that Collins was in KC before Saunders arrived. And during those 2-3 years Collins' QB coach was Mike McCarthy, a WCO guy.

EDIT: Actually I think I might be off on the time (if any) they spent together in KC...but he was definitely in KC with Marty Schottenheimer (I think)

[Schneed10]

I think this notion that learning a new system is no big deal really needs to be put to bed. It has nothing to do with the West Coast Offense, we'd be in this predicament no matter what kind of system we use. New coaches take some time for their offense to get going.

Here's a sample of the recent, extremely successful West Coast Offense coaches, and how they did in their first season with their teams:

Jon Gruden - 1998 Raiders - ranked 18th in offense
Jon Gruden - 2002 Buccaneers - 24th (won the SB on great defense)
Andy Reid - 1999 Eagles - 30th
Mike Holmgren - 1992 Packers - 15th
Mike Holmgren - 1999 Seahawks - 23rd
Steve Mariucci - 1997 49ers - 12th
Steve Mariucci - 2003 Lions - 32nd
Mike Shanahan - 1988 Raiders - 19th
Mike Shanahan - 1995 Broncos - 3rd
And the Godfather himself, Bill Walsh - 1979 49ers - 6th

So when I read over that list of coaches who eventually became very successful, there were exactly three seasons among them where the offense finished in the top half of the league. And in two of those seasons, you had superstar hall-of-fame quarterbacks running the show in John Elway (Shanahan's 95 Broncos) and Steve Young (Mariucci's 97 49ers). Jason Campbell, as much as I like him, just isn't quite at that level, is he. The only guy who didn't have a superstar QB, and still got the offense clicking in year 1, was the inventor of the WCO himself, Bill Walsh.

I just chose to look at WCO coaches because that's where Zorn comes from. But if you looked at any other coach, you'd probably find similar results. When a new system takes over, it takes time for it to achieve success. Same thing happened with Gibbs in 1981 and in 2004.

Anyone expecting Zorn to orchestrate a smooth passing game this year is either ignoring history or expecting him to be the next Bill Walsh.