Zorn’s new offense will let players play

In the first day of minicamp, Washington Redskins players found they had more freedom in Jim Zorn’s new offense than those designed by Joe Gibbs and Al Saunders.

“There’s a lot to this offense, but you can grab it quick,” receiver Santana Moss said. “It’s not brain-wrecking or nothing like that. Not saying that our other one was brain-wrecking, but for a new offense, with the high power they play at in their offense, you kinda expect to get a lot of ’Oh man!’ It pretty much lets you know what to do and when to do it. You make the rest happen.”

Receiver Antwaan Randle El said quarterback Jason Campbell and the rest of the offense should have more freedom to improvise than in the past, befitting Zorn, who is much more loosey-goosey than the intense Saunders or the grandfatherly Gibbs.

“It’s almost like you’re free,” Randle El said. “You’ve got a lot of options. You run to get open. The quarterback plays off you. It’s not the quarterback drops back and throws to that one spot. He’s waiting for you. Once we get that down … run that route time and time again and Jason seeing it … And [the offense is] up-tempo. [Zorn] wants you to get up to the ball and get moving.”

Although Moss, Randle El and Campbell have been teammates since 2006, they’ve started only 14 games together because of injuries.

And since there are no official workouts after Wednesday until June 2, Campbell said that they’ll have to master the offense and work on their chemistry on their own.

“It’s not a real hard offense to learn, but there [are] a lot of key things you have to keep in mind as far as technique-wise, reading coverages and getting the ball out of your hands fast,” Campbell said. “In this offense, the quarterback has more hands-on control. It comes with being on the same page.

“That’s going to take time after practice and time away from the coaching staff as far as us communicating with each other and finding out what reads we see on different coverages, what are his adjustments and what are my adjustments so we can all be on the same page.”

Zorn was pleased with how well his players translated his just-completed minicamp playbook from the white board to the field, particularly in the “very crisp” morning practice.

“There was a pattern where Jason looked to one side, and it was covered and then he looked over the middle, it was covered and then he turned all the way around and hit the back coming out the other side,” Zorn said. “Those are the kinds of things that you put in on the board … and then you hope it gets executed out here. That’s when you know that the playbook, all the talk … connects with the player.”

Rookie receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, both drafted in the second round, were pleased with their first NFL practices and the advice they received from veterans Moss, Randle El and James Thrash.

Zorn liked the rookies’ speed but knows they have plenty of work ahead to master his offense.

“There was one time in a one-on-one that Malcolm beat the defender, and we didn’t get the ball to him,” Zorn said. “As he saw the ball sail over his head, he slowed down. My emphasis was ’Don’t slow down, speed up, just make an effort.’ It also helps a QB to know how bad a pass that really was.

“I saw Devin catch one in 7-on-7. He didn’t catch any in [the team drills]. These guys have to be patient.”

With patience as part of his plan, Zorn said he’s not that concerned with mistakes this weekend or during the upcoming organized team activities.

“This minicamp is designed to throw a lot at the players, let it all mull around … have them ingest it and [then] have it start coming out,” Zorn said. “That part takes time.”