Through Week 2, Blame Spreads Around Offensive Woes

After failing to get into the endzone against a St. Louis Rams team that has won two of their last 19 games and surrendered 28 points in a week 1 shutout loss to the Seattle Seahawks, blame for the Redskins' offensive struggles continues to spread across the unit.

Many say it's Campbell's fault. More are placing the blame on Zorn and his playcalling. Others say it's the redzone personnel packages, which don't take full advantage of the height the Redskins have with their young receivers.

While Zorn made some questionable calls in the redzone, most notably the HB pass on third down (a play which Zorn said if he would call again, he would do it on first down), the Redskins lack of point production comes down to a lack of execution in the Redzone.

The Redskins offense was not as anemic as James Brown described it during a CBS halftime cutscene on Sunday. Out of the Redskins' seven offensive drives on Sunday, five of the were nine plays or more. The Redskins consistently marched down the field with long sustained drives, and dominated the time-of-possesion battle against the Rams.

However, out of four redzone trips, the Redskins offense only managed nine points and a turnover. And the blame can be spread equally:

• The HB pass was a bad call, which Zorn has admitted to. On a 3rd and Goal from outside the five yard line, you have to give your quarterback a chance to make a play.

• Mike Sellers had a dropped touchdown pass which he should have caught.

• Jason Campbell tried to force a throw into Devin Thomas on one trip, missing a wide-open Antwaan Randle-El.

• After making a nice catch to get the Redskins into the redzone, Santana Moss coughed the ball up on the way to the ground.

It's not just Zorn. It's not just the receivers. It's not just Campbell. The Redskins as a complete offensive unit have yet to click and execute when it matters the most: in the redzone.

Despite the redzone troubles, I saw a lot of promise from the Redskins offense against the Rams. At least, they proved that they can move the football. Not to mention, against a team coached by former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who knows the Redskins very well. Even in week 1, they moved the ball much better against an elite Giants defense than they did in 2008.

If they begin to execute in the redzone, this could turn into a dangerous unit.

The defense has shown that they are going to be a top-tier unit in terms of scoring defense. They held a Giants offense to 16 points in their house, the same Giants offense that put up 30+ on the Cowboys in Dallas. They held the Rams to seven last Sunday. If the Redskins offense can start to capitalize on redzone trips and put up 21+ points per week, they could make a run at the NFC East title.

Against the Lions on Sunday, the Redskins have a chance (and many fans feel a need) to make a statement on offense.