Redskins Pay Price For Moves

Redskins associate head coach Al Saunders, left, isn't seeing eye-to-eye with players such as wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, right. (By John Mcdonnell, Left, And Preston Keres -- The Washington Post)

Players say they have had difficulty understanding and executing the new offense, but the NFC personnel executive said he believed this doesn't explain the problem. "It's not like they've got six or seven rookies starting out there in that offense," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It shouldn't take half a season to adjust."

Gibbs said he understands being second-guessed on the decision to hand off the offense, but supports Saunders. "I'm absolutely convinced that Al adds a lot to what's going on here," Gibbs said. A big problem, according to some around the NFL, could lie with Brunell.

Saunders's high-powered offenses in Kansas City liked to stretch the field with long passes, but his game plans in Washington have been tailored to what Brunell does best -- throwing short passes. Two general managers said they believed Brunell, not a pure drop-back passer, was a poor fit for Saunders's preferred mode of attack, noting that he appears unwilling or unable to thread passes through tight spots over the middle or throw the ball deep downfield.

"Trace his offense all the way back to Coryell in San Diego and look at the quarterbacks," said a league source with ties to Saunders's system. "You see guys like [Dan] Fouts, [Kurt] Warner, [Trent] Green. That's not Mark Brunell. What they're running right now is not an Al Saunders offense."

While the passing game has lacked punch, the running game also has fallen into decline. The Redskins rushed an average of 37.6 times per game during their five-game winning streak last season, but Portis has carried just 26 times the past two games.

An offense full of playmakers has no one making plays. Even those who once assumed they would be at the heart of the attack, like Ports, wonder where or when they will fit in.

"You start to question whether you're the person for the offense," Portis said. "If everybody was getting the ball and if everybody was doing good, then this offense would be great. But being that we're not, we have that conflict."

Free Spenders

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Had NFL owners and the players' union failed to extend their collective bargaining agreement last March, the Redskins would have been forced to purge their roster to fit under a lower-than-anticipated salary cap. Instead, when the agreement was reached on March 8, loud cheers rang through the hallways at Redskins Park, and within days Randle El, Archuleta, Collins, Fauria and Carter arrived in Ashburn and quickly signed contracts with their new team.

The Redskins prized Randle El as a multifaceted weapon on offense and special teams, and had long planned on the Steelers not being able to re-sign him. While several NFL personnel executives scoffed at his salary -- Chicago, the next destination on Randle El's free agent tour, was not prepared to come close to Washington's offer, league sources said -- Randle El has energized the return game this season and contributed big plays on offense.

But Gibbs also wanted a bigger, prototypical outside wide receiver as well after David Patten, a key 2005 free agent signing, missed much of last season after knee surgery.

The front office was enamored of Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, but he ended up re-signing with Indianapolis in February. The free agent receiver class was slim -- Terrell Owens was quickly ruled out -- but Lloyd was a player the Redskins planned on being traded by the 49ers.

"At the end of the season my agent told me the Redskins wanted to do the deal regardless of the CBA" extension, Lloyd said. "A handful of other teams were like, 'Oh, we have to see what happens.' "