Should Gibbs Flip The Script: Passing Team Now?

[12thMan]

Over the past two weeks, we've all seen Jason Campbell get more comfortable running the offense and particularly take to the no-huddle offense. I've noticed two things happening in the process.

1. The offense seems to be much more in synch and in rythm. Campbell also seems to be on top of his reads more and hitting the open receiver. Also, we know one of Campbell's strong suits is his poise. This hurried fashion seems to suit his demeanor quite well.

2. I've also noticed the defense seems to be more on their heels in response to this style of play by the Skins. We're less predicatable and they can't situational substitute. It looks like we're even throwing more on first and second downs.

What I'm getting at is, and maybe this just me, should we become more pass oriented going forward. Not suggesting we abandon the run or not give Clinton his opportunities, but I think we may have tapped into something over the past two weeks; we can actually move the ball without eating up a lot of the clock, which in turn helps us manage the clock more effectively.

Should Gibbs/Saunders flip the script some and become a pass first offense? Is smash mouth football overrated and just something we're "trying too hard" to hang our hat on?

Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting we become Air Coryell and let Jason air it out 50 or even 40 times a game. But if this team is going to compete for the rest of the season and put up points, for that matter, the template from yesterday's game may be what the doctor ordered for the personnel we curently have.

[MTK]

I think Gibbs still wants to run, and always will. The difference now is we don't have to lean on the running game so hard. If it's not working like yesterday, Campbell is capable of taking over and the coaches have some confidence in him now.

[Chief X_Phackter]

I don't think they should flip the script. They just need to continue to put in the game plan that makes sense for that weeks opponent. Dallas and Philly are better against the run than the pass, which is why I suspect that we saw improvement in the passing game and a more aggressive game plan with regard to the passing game the previous two games. This week we play Tampa Bay which is much better against the pass than they are at stopping the run. I would think we'd pound the ball with Portis and Sellers and set up some play action passes, but not flip the script and become a passing team.

[SouperMeister]

I want to see Gibbs/Saunders game plan to attack the opponent's weakness. Against Dallas that is clearly the safeties in pass coverage. I would expect to see a balanced approach with Campbell taking more shots the rest of the year.

[SFREDSKIN]

I think a balanced attack is what's needed, other teams need to respect our running game and now our passing game. You need both to be successful and to able to open it up like you saw yesterday.

[squrrelco3]

As far as I'm concerned, J. Campbell's stats for yesterday, 33/54, 348 yds, 2 TD's, 1 INT indicates to me that the script has already been flipped...lol

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by SFREDSKIN

I think a balanced attack is what's needed, other teams need to respect our running game and now our passing game. You need both to be successful and to able to open it up like you saw yesterday.

I think the balance attack approach is such a bunch of BS. You do what you have to do to score TD's. If the opponent is weak against the run then run it. If they are weak in coverage then pass it. All depends on the opponent and how they play defense.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

I think the balance attack approach is such a bunch of BS. You do what you have to do to score TD's. If the opponent is weak against the run then run it. If they are weak in coverage then pass it. All depends on the opponent and how they play defense.

And that's why I said are we trying too hard to be a smash mouth team.

Yes, we can run the ball and pound people, but that doesn't have to be the game plan week in and week out.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

Over the past two weeks, we've all seen Jason Campbell get more comfortable running the offense and particularly take to the no-huddle offense. I've noticed two things happening in the process.

1. The offense seems to be much more in synch and in rythm. Campbell also seems to be on top of his reads more and hitting the open receiver. Also, we know one of Campbell's strong suits is his poise. This hurried fashion seems to suit his demeanor quite well.

2. I've also noticed the defense seems to be more on their heels in response to this style of play by the Skins. We're less predicatable and they can't situational substitute. It looks like we're even throwing more on first and second downs.

What I'm getting at is, and maybe this just me, should we become more pass oriented going forward. Not suggesting we abandon the run or not give Clinton his opportunities, but I think we may have tapped into something over the past two weeks; we can actually move the ball without eating up a lot of the clock, which in turn helps us manage the clock more effectively.

Should Gibbs/Saunders flip the script some and become a pass first offense? Is smash mouth football overrated and just something we're "trying too hard" to hang our hat on?

Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting we become Air Coryell and let Jason air it out 50 or even 40 times a game. But if this team is going to compete for the rest of the season and put up points, for that matter, the template from yesterday's game may be what the doctor ordered for the personnel we curently have.

It's a passing league now. The rules beg you to pass it. All of the real good teams pass it to score. We need to adopt to this mindset. Sanders understands this, Gibbs and Bugel do not.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

And that's why I said are we trying too hard to be a smash mouth team.

Yes, we can run the ball and pound people, but that doesn't have to be the game plan week in and week out.

I think you will start to see us really opening things up now. Gibbs has to look around the league and see what the real good teams are doing. He's stubborn as hell but I don't think he is stupid. We have got to start scoring more points. The goal can't be 21 or 24 points. He has to have the mindset to score 30 or more every week. And you don't do that in today's NFL playing smashmouth. I'm sorry but that stuff is out like bucket seats, or the mullet haircut.

[BleedBurgundy]

I was going to post that we have to stick to the run because historically that's how teams have their success in the playoffs. But the more I think about it, I don't think we can get to the playoffs in the first place if we try to run 75% of the time. I wouldn't say that we need to bring back the run and shoot or run no huddle, I just think we need to see more of a bias towards the pass until teams stop stacking the box against us.

[12thMan]

Who would have thought we'd see JC put the ball in the air 50 times!

[SFREDSKIN]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

I think the balance attack approach is such a bunch of BS. You do what you have to do to score TD's. If the opponent is weak against the run then run it. If they are weak in coverage then pass it. All depends on the opponent and how they play defense.

Go back to 1983 when the Redskins set an NFL scoring record, where we a passing team? A running team? No, we were a balanced team 50-50. You need both especially as winter approaches. You need running to eat up the clock and tire your opponents defense.

[mlmpetert]

Anyone hear anything about who was calling the plays. I heard speculation on I think Mike & Mike this morning that it was Saunders

[Paintrain]

From Mike Wise's article in the Post the other day after putting up 25 points on the Eagles.. Some very interesting trends in today's NFL..

"Every week, there is incontrovertible evidence against the running game, against even balance, in the NFL.

The four division leaders that seem on a collision course to meet in the respective conference championship games -- the Patriots, Colts, Cowboys and Packers -- all feature spread-the-field passing offenses that put up points.

Twenty-one teams did not have a back rush for 100 yards last week, including six teams that scored more points than Washington. Eight teams won that did not have a back rush for 90 yards.

Everybody throws now. The Rams, for goodness sake, put up 37 points; Steven Jackson ran for just 76 yards in their win.

The Patriots are the standard; for all this talk of how multidimensional pro football's best team is, New England has had a running back rush for more than 100 yards in just three of their nine wins. The day they annihilated the Cowboys by scoring 48 points, the Patriots had 75 yards rushing and averaged 2.6 yards per carry. "

Not to say that we are the Patriots, but the trend of higher scoring offenses have a heavy lean to the passing game. As some of us have been saying all year, we've got to open the playbook up to be able to compete with the elite teams.. Yesterday we either scored or drove deep into Dallas territory on all but 2 possessions in the 2nd half.. Against Philly we did the same, either driving or scoring on almost every possession. The same can't be said for the handcuffed Campbell all of the previous weeks..

Without this devolving into another playcalling thread, it's obvious the gameplan has changed the past couple of weeks to a more aggressive stance. The defense has let us down, the past 2 weeks, not a lack of offensive production. We're closer to the 24 points per game we need to be a 10 win team.

I really think Campbell's inaccuracy deep down the field is lack of attempts during the early parts of the season.. You've got to get into a rhythm at game speed to get those connections down pat.. He'll get more on point with those down the stretch and lead us into the playoffs, IF he's allowed to keep doing what he's been doing..