Die Hard Sports Fan

Wednesday morning; time to get back to work. We have a game this weekend against the St. Louis Rams. The Redskins are 4-1; the Rams 0-4. It sounds like a cake walk.

So, why is Redskins nation so nervous?

At half-time, during the New York Giants game to start the season, you could smell the rubber burning as all Redskin nation fans had their mind racing back and forth about so many things, like is Jason Campbell the right QB for this team, or was the offensive line getting too old, or was Clinton Portis fighting a losing battle trying to run against eight-man fronts. But, that was a long time ago.

Today, all Redskins fans, and especially the owner, Dan Snyder, are feeling euphoric, over four straight wins.

Moreover, because those wins came against the dreaded rivals of both the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, fans far and wide have rejoiced in unison. In the past 24 hours, this Die Hard Redskins Fan site has seen fans come from as far east as Melbourne, Australia and as far west as Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as points in between, including Oman, Greece, and Spain. Everyone, it seems is ready to believe.

But, here come the St. Louis Rams.

The St. Louis Rams have a new coach after firing the one they began the season with. They have their QB, Marc Bulger, back in the starting position after he was benched in desperation by the aforementioned former coach. They, and the rest of the team, remain perfect in a winless season with one very key, and common denominator: they all have something to prove.

The offensive world of the St. Louis Rams revolves around Stephen Jackson. He is their leading rusher *and* receiver. Thus, naturally, he leads their team in total yardage. Conventional wisdom would suggest that the Redskins defense should focus on stopping Jackson and the Redskins would win the game.

But, this Die Hard Redskin Fan says, “not so fast.”

Given a moment to think about it, every Redskins fan can remember who the offensive coordinator for the team was for the past two years; Al Saunders. This is the same Al Saunders who is now the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams.

For two years, day after day during practice sessions, he became, by the nature of repetition, an expert in the defensive coverage skills of each of our entire secondary. I’d bet dollars to donuts that he could rattle off the five key flaws of Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot; maybe even ten for Carlos Rogers. Further, I’d be even more confident that he knows exactly how to move LaRon Landry out of position to create a deep strike down the field.

If the Redskins key on Stephen Jackson, Al Saunders will most assuredly attack deep down field. Though the Rams may not have been successful as of yet against other teams, Al Saunders has much more experience and knowledge of the Redskins that would enable him to call a more effective game, and find our vulnerabilities.

In short, this week’s game will be a challenge. Not just because of Saunders knowledge of our defense, but also because of the natural human tendency for the Redskins to take a mental holiday.

I recall, in college, graduate school, and even here in Corporate America, preparing for a big test, or a presentation to executive management. There is a palpable rush of energy that fills each of us when faced with challenging situations. It’s often referred to as the “adrenaline rush.”

The Redskins have had four straight weeks of the adrenaline rush that culminated last week with a huge win against the Philadelphia Eagles, in Philadelphia!

So, now what?

It’s called the “adrenaline FLUSH.”

After climbing the mountain, or escaping the attack of the mountain lion, human beings experience the adrenaline flush, which is a malaise of physical ability to move and respond. It is more commonly referred to as fatigue; specifically in this case, “emotional fatigue.”

The measure of Jim Zorn as a coach will be determined this week, more so than any of the other five weeks. Along those lines, the players speak about staying “medium.” I understand.

But, show us!

Hail to the Redskins.

Share This

The feedback on Jason Campbell and the entire QB situation, on this blog as well as on The Redskins Blog has been most vigorous. I’d like to offer my own comment for discussion and/or feedback that is in reference to a number of posts, like the one below.

‘JClarke’ / ‘Campbell Sucks’ says:

Did the Redskins magically get healthy in the 2nd quarter of the Bears game last year? Thats when Collins came in and the offense was playoff caliber. Most teams don’t give a QB this much time. 4 years is pretty much the limit. So we can’t wait till next year. When Campbell was drafted I said he would not be a skin in 09. Because he is not a NFL QB!

To that, I say let’s remember that Todd Collins had been in the same offense for like 10 years. He followed Al Saunders around the league and I’d bet he could teach that offense just as well, if not better than Mr. Saunders himself. So, I don’t believe it to be a fair comparison to judge Campbell’s performance last season to Collins performance during our playoff run.

Let’s have fun and extend this conversation a little bit…

If Saunders was still here as the O.C., I’d bet dollars to donuts that there would have been an open competition between Collins and Campbell for the starting job this year. Without fear of contradiction, I think everyone would agree that Collins would have won that battle. And, although I have nothing to base this on, I’d bet you even further that for that specific, and primary reason, Saunders was kicked out.

Still, and for whatever reason that is still unclear to me, we insisted on paying top dollar for Collins to backup Jason Campbell this season, even though Collins has ZERO experience in this offense, too. So, if Campbell goes down, what do we really have in our backup? Is he capable, sure. I believe he is. But, at the same time, I think he would be struggling just like Campbell.

Now, let’s walk down memory lane…

Steve Spurrier brought a no blocking, no structure offense to town. Nearly everyone, including me, thought that he was overmatched, especially after the Eagles emasculated us on Monday Night Football. But, as I recall, he said that with the right QB, his offense would be proven to work. And, you know what, he might have been correct. If Danny Wuerffel could have been more physically ‘gifted’ and sturdy, Spurrier may have proven us all wrong. When Wuerffel was in the game, limited as it was, and when he wasn’t running around scared, he knew how to get the offense in the right play, get the ball out of his hands, and move the team down the field. But, one hit from a LB or a DE and he was done.

What’s my point - the knowledge of the offense is the number one key for any QB to be successful. Regardless of physical ability, if a quarterback knows the offense and can stay healthy, they can manage the game successfully. Case in point: Wuerffel. And, even another example: Trent Dilfer with the Baltimore Ravens.

Jason Campbell doesn’t know much of anything, relatively speaking, right now with regards to how Jim Zorn wants his offense executed. Personally, I’d like Zorn simplify things. And, perhaps that is exactly what he is trying to do by allowing Campbell to play from the shotgun. As he becomes more comfortable in the offense, his natural abilities, such accuracy, arm strength, intelligence, intuitiveness, recognition, etc., should take him to the ‘franchise QB’ level. At least, that’s the hope.

If the argument is that “Campbell sucks” because he hasn’t shown us anything, I’d continue to say, be patient. If the argument is that Campbell is lacking the natural abilities to be a QB in this league, well that’s a matter of subjective opinion.

Share This