http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/With Jasno out, we thought we'd send a rookie of our own to minicamp...Here's the view through Paul "P-Ten" Tenorio's eyes:
So, Jim Zorn made it through his first minicamp as head coach of the Washington Redskins without getting punched in the face by any reporters, a positive in his opinion but not the only positive to take away from the three days of practice.
Zorn got to work implementing his version of the West Coast offense, and it's obvious it will be an offense that opens things up. Just watching the offense work, whether it was in shadow drills, 7 v. 7s or full team, you could see the differences in philosophy and sense that things will be more "aggressive." By that I mean, well, I'll steal from Antwaan Randle El here, the offense doesn't look like it will be as "handcuffed." At times, there were five receivers running routes -- something that hasn't been seen too often in Washington in recent years. Fred Smoot laughed when asked the last time he saw five receivers running out in front of him. "Hey, man, it's been a while. We didn't do that under Al [Saunders]. But you know, right now we got it going." Center Casey Rabach agreed: "I think we're definitely going to open some stuff up this year, obviously, and get some verticals down the field and hopefully make some big plays."
Zorn was around the quarterbacks for nearly the entire practice, working on different things from drop backs to throwing while rolling out in space, and, of course, the Madden-esque Pilates ball drill. There's no doubt he looks like a great teacher, and those around him have said as much, but it'll be interesting to see how he balances his time with the quarterbacks to take a look at the rest of the team. Zorn conceded that he didn't get a chance to see the linemen work other than when they were in contact drills with the rest of the team, and I'm not sure if he saw much of any of the other individual workouts. It was a minicamp, so this is the time for Zorn to work as much as he can with the QBs, no doubt. Still, how well he manages those duties with his head coaching responsibilities bears watching.
The defense has much less of a learning curve, "we basically just picking up where we left off," Smoot said. And you could see them flying around to the ball at times -- as evidenced with LaRon Landry "chasing down" Clinton Portis from behind on a screen play, or when he nearly crushed Santana Moss as he caught a pass coming across the middle from Jason Campbell. Landry looked very impressive, often nodding his head towards his coaches as if to say "I read that one all the way."
As was written in a notebook today, the thing to keep an eye on will be the defensive line and the health of the veterans. The decision not to draft a defensive end, like Phillip Merling or Calais Campbell, in the higher roundsl means the Redskins are gambling that Daniels, 35, will stay healthy. Daniels sounded confident that he was headed toward a good year (and yes, I know it's just May). He has jumped up nearly 20 pounds, he said it's the first offseason in a while in which he didn't have surgery, and he said he expected to bring enough of a push that he'd be facing lots of double teams. That all sounds well and good, and maybe he will have that type of year, but there is no disputing the fact that this line is getting old and the team will need to find some young players in the mold of Montgomery and Golston during camp. Players like Buzbee and the rookie Rob Jackson will certainly have the opportunity to prove themselves in camp and earn a roster spot.
Of course, the weekend ended with two polar opposite events. First, a fun 40-yard race between two of the most important pieces of the franchise, Portis and Landry, and I think Smoot summed up everyone's relief when he shouted while walking inside, "And we ain't got no pulled hamstring neither."
Then there was the Fred "Without a Trace" Davis drama. It's interesting; certainly, to hear the Redskins say the rookie overslept. While that may be the case, there are questions surrounding the episode. Why didn't his roommate -- whom Davis' brother spoke to -- wake him up? Why did it take so long to locate the kid if he was just oversleeping in his room? Did he request a single room? Obviously, there are probably some parts of the story that are being lost in this whole "he overslept" explanation.
Regardless, the point is: He missed his third day of work as a Washington Redskin. Not the best first impression to make, especially as a high second-round pick. The Redskins have to hope this is just one lapse in judgment, one mistake. And hey, it'll probably be something people look back on and laugh. But it's still something worth discussing and it's something worth keeping an eye on. And yes, I'm sure the rook will be taped to a goalpost as sort of a lesson from the veterans that, "If we have to wake up on time and get here, I don't care if you're on West Coast time, you better be here 20 minutes before me."
All in all, though, I think the Redskins got done what they wanted to get done with three days of practice in early May: They got an opportunity to get players on the field in front of a new coach and let him see exactly what he was working with. They got a chance to install parts of Zorn's West Coast offense. And, as if they didn't already know it, they were reminded that Landry and Portis are fast.
Zorn said the organized team activities, which begin today, will be less intense but are important as the team continues to install his offense. And come training camp, when things really start getting intense, there will be plenty to watch (in case you forgot, stuff like defensive line depth, offensive line depth, wide receiver development, Campbell's growth in the WC offense, punter competition, Zorn's ability to get a handle on everything, etc.).
