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Redskins gearing offense to more short drops, quick-hitting plays Date published: 11/27/2009
BY RICH CAMPBELL ASHBURN --Jason Campbell limped to the lectern deep inside FedEx Field about midnight late last month and rehashed a nightmare. The Philadelphia Eagles had just spent the last three hours treating him like a tackling dummy. Campbell was knocked around so violently that he could barely walk off the field.The Washington Redskins' offense, however, has actually shown a few signs of life since then. Campbell, for one, has demonstrated an admirable toughness in withstanding some of the wicked contact that has proven inevitable this season behind Washington's patchwork offensive line. And it appears that pass-play-caller Sherman Lewis has adjusted since his debut Oct. 26 against Philadelphia. He and the other Redskins coaches that install the game plan seemingly have scrapped long-developing plays from Washington's arsenal. That has limited the Redskins' chances of stretching the field with a big play, but it has also prevented the type of pass-protection calamity that a national audience witnessed on that Monday night last month. "We're staying away from long-developing plays right now until we become more comfortable," Campbell said. Lewis has declined all interview requests since his introductory media session last month, so his exact line of thinking is unclear. But even someone who wasn't with the team for the first six games could plainly see how long-developing plays were practically impossible because of constant pass-protection breakdowns. Lewis realized that firsthand when Campbell was sacked six times and hit 10 in Washington's 27-17 loss to Philadelphia. Campbell suffered an ankle injury early in the game and still hasn't completely healed. Against the Eagles, 43 percent of Campbell's 53 dropbacks were five steps or more. Since then, there has been a noticeable shift away from such plays. For example, he dropped five steps only 29 percent of the time in a win against Denver in Week 10. Campbell took a seven-step drop five times against Philadelphia but none against Denver. "I think with the problems we've had earlier with pass protection, the three-step drop has worked great for Jason because he gets it out of his hands quick," fullback Mike Sellers said. PROS, CONS OF FAST PLAYS Short drops and quick throws are key components of the West Coast offense, so this recent shift doesn't move the Redskins away from what they're comfortable doing.
Date published: 11/27/2009
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