Seeing is Believing:

I said that even if the Redskins lose to the Lions they can still have a great season only if the team does not quit on Zorn. Today I saw the team quit Jim Zorn. That first half was about as bad as you could play and it wasn’t just the offense. It was a pathetic effort on defense that was most appalling against a rookie QB and a 0-19 football team. It appeared to me that the defense quit on Greg Blache as well. I'm sure the Redskins spin-masters will be out in full force this week but my eyes don't lie and neither does the scoreboard.

Grades Per Unit:

Quarterback – F

Jason Campbell is not doing enough to get the job done period. He prefers the safe option over the play making option which he is a good thing most of the time but it hurts the team when you absolutely need to make a play. Now you have some game to compare Campbell with Jay Cutler, Mark Sanchez, Matthew Stafford and Joe Flacco. All of these guys are younger with less experience and Campbell does not measure up. Campbell’s line stinks but he does get opportunities to go down field and he does not capitalize on them. Campbell is a really nice young man that everyone wants to see succeed but he is playing not to lose instead of playing to win and it shows. In order for the Skins to have any confidence Campbell has to make more plays.

Running Back – D

Clinton Portis is too slow and he lost his wiggle.  He is no longer the one cut and gone Clinton Portis (see Chris Johnson) so defenses no longer fear him or the Redskins running attack in general.  Portis put on the weight in order to survive Joe Gibbs punishing run attack but he traded his biggest asset (speed) for a little more durability. To his credit Portis shows up to play every Sunday and his blocking is tremendous which saves him from an F-Grade, but if he wants to truly help the team he needs to lose weight and become the Clinton Portis of old. 

Offensive Line – F

The Left side actually gets a b+ but it is from the center to the right tackle that the F-grade is legitimized. Since you have to grade the line as a unit they fail. Heyer is serviceable but not good enough to keep Campbell safe. Chad Rhinehart is a joke and Casey Rabach is a smart center but simply not big/powerful enough to handle the larger defensive tackles in the league. This grade also has some front office attached to it because the Skins knew these guys were older and prone to injuries and did not get enough quality depth.

Wide Receivers – Incomplete

I honestly do not know how to grade the Wide outs because they have not really had enough opportunities to show what they can do. The O-Line is bad and Campbell is always looking for the safest/shortest option which explains why anyone that flashes right in front of him has big days (Cooley-Randle El). Campbell does not stretch the field and he does not put the ball in a position for his playmakers to make plays. Given the state of his O-line it is not all his fault but when he does have time he misses opportunities. From what I’ve seen Moss, Randle El are fine. Devin Thomas has shown more growth and Kelly looks better. I’d like to see these guys get more opportunities to use their natural advantages (Height/Speed).

Coaching – F

Jim Zorn appears to be woefully out of his league. He is so busy trying to out-smart everyone that his team lacks basic toughness and discipline. Zorn keeps saying it is the little things but attention to detail is a matter of coaching and those are the little things that win or lose games. Tom Coughlin is a coach that has great attention to detail and it shows. The Redskins came into an important Lions game lethargic. The fact is the Redskins knew this was a big game so there is no excuse for that first half of play except they quit. If Jim Zorn can bring this team back from the brink and get them into the playoffs that will be a miracle. Judging by what the fans see Zorn keeping his job will be a miracle.