'Skins Week 16 Preview: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Why Not Call Oprah? While Jim Zorn does his soul-searching this week, the rest of us are left wondering what exactly that means for Sunday’s game plan against the surging Philadelphia Eagles. Neither team will likely make the playoffs, but winning always helps.
The Redskins’ Success Formula: The last time these two teams met, the ‘Skins seemed to have it all figured out. Washington won 23-17, and they did it by beating Philadelphia on the ground. The Redskins ran the ball 44 times, while the Eagles had only 18 carries. The 'Skins finished with 203 rushing yards to the Eagles’ 58. Neither team had turnovers, and the Eagles actually posted a slightly better passing game –- Donovan McNabb and Jason Campbell’s numbers were almost identical, with McNabb completing 17 of 29 passes for 20 more yards than Campbell had on 16 of 29 passes. And, of course, there was that Antwaan Randle El-Chris Cooley touchdown.
It’s become clear the Redskins have yet to completely settle in to Zorn’ offensive system -- Portis alluded to this during his tiff with Zorn, but it’s also evident by the team's struggle to put a high score on the board regardless of their opponent. Washington’s learning curve was camouflaged earlier in the season because the 'Skins were getting the simple things right, like not turning the ball over. Their O-line has undergone some changes, but their starters will be the same as the last game against Philly, except for Jon Jansen in at right tackle (contingent on his ability to practice due to a knee injury).
The 'Skins defense has counteracted the team's struggles on offense by allowing only 19 points per game. They rank seventh in this, while Philadelphia, which carries the third best defense overall, is ninth.
Jim Zorn said Wednesday he’s going to focus on the “details” this week in practice. That sounds more like the 6-2 Zorn that fans came to appreciate early in the season. A complicated playbook only becomes a serious problem when it gets in the way of the rules book.
Back to the Future: The question to ask is whether today’s Philadelphia Eagles are what the Redskins will look like five years from now – a team for whom the newness of a west coast offense is no longer an excuse, with talented position players that never quite work together well enough to secure that Super Bowl season, and, of course, the roller coaster seasons and drama in the locker room. Ultimately, we have more faith in Jim Zorn. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a football team shouldn’t be either (of course, we would prefer the process go a little faster than Rome’s construction).
Redskins Pro-Bowl selections: Left tackle Chris Samuels, tight end Chris Cooley, running back Clinton Portis, fullback Mike Sellers
For the Chips ‘N Dip Crowd (those of you there for the food, the beer, or because your boyfriend gave you no choice): Your opinion may be more important than you think. Redskins blogger Matt Teri included this link yesterday in which the girlfriend of a Philadelphia Eagles' player tells the team what they should be doing to win more.