A few nuggets from Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen's Sirius XM radio interview Thursday:
There will be changes offensively. We already knew there would be some defensively just because there's a new coordinator. How different Joe Barry's 3-4 will be from Jim Haslett's remains to be seen, but there are different ways to run every scheme. But Allen said, "We'll make some changes to our offense this year. Bill Callahan has brought in good ideas for what we're gonna do. The coaches don't even have a playbook for [Griffin] to study yet because they're still developing it."
I have not heard yet how different it's going to be. I don't think coach Jay Gruden would abandon all that he wanted to do, but rather will try to incorporate more of what Robert Griffin III can do -- and probably alter the run game. Callahan has worked with both man and zone blocking -- they ran a lot of zone in Dallas last season when he was the line coach and in charge of the run game. But Gruden has been more of a power guy in the past. It's good to have the ability to do both, but the Redskins did not have a power-based line.
They did make some changes to the offense for Griffin when he returned last season, so it's not as simple as saying they need to use his legs more. And he must execute what he's being asked to do better. However, if you're going to maximize his talent you might as well go all in, whether that's bolstering the line or tweaking the offense a little more.
Allen said the biggest improvement throughout the season from Gruden stemmed from the way he "interacted with players is where he grew the best. Our team kept competing and we might not have won in the end, but the players still fought for him and they stuck together and played hard each week. His personal interaction with all the players made him grow the most and the players respect him." I heard something similar from Ryan Clark at the end of the season. I still have that interview and will write it up next week.
I thought this was telling, too. Allen said he believes the NFL is a coaches' league. "I appreciate coaches that put players in position to win," he said. "You don't have to just coach a Pro Bowl roster in order to win as a coach. Bill Belichick has proven that; he has a completely different team than he won his first Super Bowl with and he develops his players." Too often here, coaches have blamed talent for their issues. In some cases they were right, but it also became a crutch. Not every coach is good at developing talent -- a real commitment must be made to do so and that's by how you use them, both in practice and games and by the coaches you hire. Some prefer to spend their time focusing on game preparation and, therefore, need more experienced players. I like what the Redskins have done in a lot of areas with their coaching staff this offseason.
Callahan is one of those coaches who was a smart addition. Here's Allen's take on him: "You could see the Bill Callahan stamp on that [Dallas] offense and the physicalness of the line and the toughness and how smart they played. He's a detailed coach. His experience at Nebraska helped him as well, understanding the younger player and how to deal with them and work with them and simplify the message he gives to them. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that we desperately need and will be a good addition." I agree. And it's not as if I thought Chris Foerster was a bad line coach; he wasn't. But Callahan is a strong addition. His experience as both a head coach and coordinator is a welcomed one on offense.