Saints at Redskins: West Coast Bias

New Orleans Saints (1-0) vs. Washington Redskins (0-1)
1:00 p.m. FedEx Field
If you listen to enough fans, there are only two ways to take the season opening loss. The first is to assume that the season is already over, Jason Campbell should be benched immediately and a new coaching search should get underway. The other view is just chalking it up as a rough loss, but one that wasn’t entirely unexpected. Losing to the defending Super Bowl champions and a divisional opponent, on the road, in a prime time game when the previous year’s team was being honored – and losing only by 9 points – isn’t a big deal.

The truth for the opening loss falls somewhere in the middle. True, losing in the swamplands and pig farms by 9 points, in a game the Redskins had several chances to get back into, shouldn’t be reason to press the panic button. If the Redskins could have gotten out of their own way they may have won that game. The Skins were the better team in the second half. Despite all that, there are several red flags to come out of last Thursday’s game that suggest it could be a very long season.

The two biggest issues were definitely the quarterback play and the play-calling itself. I think we all knew coming in that quarterback play would be a problem. At least I did. But I was under the impression that Jim Zorn’s play-calling would be more aggressive and more entertaining to watch than what we saw in the final couple of seasons under Joe Gibbs. That was certainly not the case. The version of the West Coast Offense that we saw on Thursday had no spine, no risk taking and certainly no heart to it. I know the WCO isn’t necessarily designed to throw the ball 40 yards downfield, but even the great WCO offenses of Bill Walsh took a few shots downfield a game. It was frustrating to watch.

As I’ve written about before, I have never been a fan of the WCO. When it was originally created, it was innovative. Now, it's an offense that is run by teams with little talent as a gimmick to beat better defenses (an offense like the Redskins, with their talent, don’t need to run). The WCO, in its purest forms, is all about timing. If the offense is timed correctly, it doesn’t matter how fast the receivers are, or the opposing defenses are. If the play is timed well, the offense will succeed. But the problems with the WCO showed themselves against the Giants. How many times did the Redskins end up a yard or two short of a first down? Four, five times…maybe more? It’s not because the receivers didn’t get to the first down marker. It’s because their routes, as defined in the WCO, are specifically designed to run exactly where they were run to. If the timing is right, the receivers catch the ball, turn up field, gain those precious yards after catch, and get the first. The receivers aren’t supposed to run to the sticks, they’re supposed to run their routes. If the timing is off by either the quarterback or receivers, there is no chance for a first down. Since Campbell was off all game and clearly didn’t look comfortable in the pocket, the Redskins left several potential first downs on the field because their receivers weren’t allowed to run routes that would achieve first downs on the catch. YAC is great, but it doesn’t matter if your quarterback can’t throw the ball to his receivers in stride. On top of those problems, the lack of a 2-minute drill, or at least a hurry-up offense, in the 4th quarter was inexcusable.

Now the Redskins welcome in the Saints for the first time since 2002. While New Orleans looked good in their win against Tampa in Week 1, they have issues of their own coming in. Namely, injury issues. On offense, Marques Colston will miss this game, and at least another month, with a thumb injury. Without him, the Saints lose their one homerun hitting receiver. Devery Henderson and former Redskin David Patten can’t stretch the field like Colston. They also may be without Deuce McAllister, who is still not fully recovered from last October’s reconstructive knee surgery. McAllister was in uniform for the game against Tampa, but didn’t step on the field. Coach Sean Payton doesn’t seem willing to rush McAllister back to the lineup. It’s a smart move for a team that is chasing a division title. No sense in putting an injured McAllister on the field now. Wait until you need him, or at least until he’s close to 100%. Deuce will suit up again this week, but don’t expect him to play much or at all.

The Saints also have problems on defense. Linebacker Scott Fujita, cornerback Randall Gay and safety Roman Harper will all miss this game as well. Combine that with the earlier loss of linebacker Mark Simoneau, and the Saints are already without four of their defensive starters just two weeks into the season. This is not a great defense to begin win. Last season, the Saints were 30th in the NFL against the pass and 26th overall. So the Redskins are going to face a poor passing defense without two linebackers and without half the secondary.

So where does that leave New Orleans? They still have plenty. Drew Brees and Reggie Bush are healthy and ready to go behind a solid offensive line. Bush appears ready to have his break out season. He committed himself to football in the offseason and his nearly 200 yards of total offense from scrimmage in the opener – against a great defense – was certainly an eye-opener. Henderson, while not as big of a threat as Colston, is still a very good receiver. The Saints also have Jeremy Shockey, a player that routinely killed the Redskins with the Giants on third downs. Defensively, the line is still intact, and they have three playmakers in Charles Grant, Will Smith and rookie Sedrick Ellis. Jonathan Vilma was a great addition for the Saints at middle linebacker. Mike McKenzie may not be an elite corner, but he’s still in the second-tier of defensive backs. So the Saints have talent that is healthy and will play on Sunday. There are a lot of reasons I think this team will win NFC South despite the recent rash of injuries.

If there is a game for Zorn to go downfield, this is the one. Again, you’re going up against a poor passing defense that is injured. Take some chances. At the very least, it will get the crowd on your side. If the Redskins don’t go downfield at least 3 or 4 times, then I’m going to be much nastier next week. It also wouldn’t hurt to get Campbell in the shotgun every once and awhile. I don’t care if the WCO doesn’t use a lot of shotgun, Campbell is better standing up behind center, so you have to play to your strengths.

I’m really not worried about the Redskins offense in this one. I think they’ve had 10 days to stew over that horrid performance in New York. They’ll be motivated and they’re playing a vulnerable defense. The problem is going to be the Redskins defense. I’m having nightmares about Bush being left alone in the flat on a screen pass. While the defense held its own in the second half, the Redskins tackling left a lot to be desired. As a defensive unit, you may only have one clean shot per play on Bush, so you have to wrap him up. I think he’ll have another big day. However, I don’t think the Saints are going to put up 24 points again without two of their biggest weapons. Shaun Springs returning will also help the Skins. I’ll be the first to criticize Springs for being way too soft (which he is), but he is important to this defense. In the last four seasons, when Springs plays, the Redskins defense gives up an average of 16 points and 200 passing yards per game. When he doesn’t play, the defense gives up 22 points and 220 passing yards a game.

If the Skins tackle Bush, keep an eye on Shockey on 3rd downs, they should be ok. It wouldn’t hurt if they ran the ball well to keep New Orleans off the field. Take some chances and open the offense up. If Campbell is the quarterback for the foreseeable future, then let him prove it in this game against a weak defense. The Skins need to get out to a fast start to counter the bad performance last week, and to keep the boo-birds silenced.