Thanks to Hashmarks senior correspondent Ed Werder, we had a chance to visit with several members of the Redskins organization this week.
Head coach Joe Gibbs didn't like the way his offense functioned last year, so he and offensive coordinator Al Saunders holed up to reconfigure a few things. Yes, this is the same Saunders who once produced a 700-page playbook that was a surprisingly breezy read. The main point of emphasis is to take pressure off young quarterback Jason Campbell by feeding the ball to running backs Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts.
"We had the bad start and then we discussed what we wanted the offense to be," Gibbs said. "Al makes all the offensive calls."
I don't want to read too much into an interview I didn't conduct , but when a head coach has to remind folks that his offensive coordinator is still making the calls, it's probably not a great sign. 
Gibbs (left) also discussed the Eagles' blitz-happy defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, saying he expected him to come after Campbell every chance he has. A member of the Eagles organization told me last week that Johnson has installed 12 blitz packages in tonight's gameplan. If you're scoring at home, that's about seven more packages than the average defense.
"You have to expect they're coming after you, so you're thinking you're going to blitz. They do such a great job of recognizing your sets, they audible a lot on defense and if they catch you in a set they like to blitz, that's what they're going to do. They're not willy-nilly with it. It's tough for any quarterback to play against what they do. I mean you watch the tape and they knocked Favre around pretty good, so the quarterback has to play great."
One of my favorite things about coaches over the age of 60 is their use of the word "willy-nilly" to describe things that are out of control. At some point this evening, this blog will become willy-nilly.
Gibbs also had some nice things to say about his running backs.
They're best of friends, and Clinton is a guy who is very unselfish. He goes all-out on every play. I've never had a player that plays harder without the ball in his hands. I mean, he blocks, runs routes and he takes on tacklers, so he wears himself out. Clinton will actually tap out. They are a great combination and Clinton definitely doesn't mind putting aside his ego as long as we're winning and, honestly, they generally decide themselves who is in there."
Does that last sentence seem strange to anyone else? Gibbs is basically suggesting that he leaves his substitution pattern up to his running backs. Wonder how that would've worked with Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson a few years ago? 
