I remain cautiously optimistic about Robert Griffin III after three performances. He was not asked to do much against Buffalo, took a step back against Chicago, and looked very sharp against Indianapolis. Mike Shanahan has declared that he is done for the preseason, so his final stats are 20-31 for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps most importantly he has not thrown a single interception. His arm strength looks as good as advertised as does his speed, though Shanahan has limited his running. He still has not fully adjusted to the speed of NFL linemen and he has not always looked accurate, but at this point I’m nit-picking. For a rookie, he looks good.
THERE IS NO QUARTERBACK CONTROVERY. This came up after the game against Chicago. Griffin went 5-8 for only 49 yards. Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, went 18-23 with 264 yards and three touchdowns. People were a little surprised and a little worried when the Redskins took Cousins in the fourth round of the draft. What if he played well in the preseason and Griffin did not? Will this add pressure to the young QB? No. A team cannot give up what the Redskins did for Griffin and not give him a chance to prove himself. Griffin is safe as the starter and will be safe even if he does not dazzle us all like we had hoped. Cousins, meanwhile, is still third on the depth chart. It’s good to have him and that he’s playing well, but he’s not a threat to Griffin. Not yet anyway.
When Shanahan has to sit down with his coaches and finally
cut the roster down to 53, his hardest decision will come at wide receiver
where everyone has upped their game.
Let’s start with what we know.
Pierre Garcon will be the number one and Santana Moss will move to the
slot. Former Virginia Tech WR Josh
Morgan was signed as an FA in the offseason, but his spot was in danger due to
injury concerns. He has played very well
in the preseason, however, proving himself to be a dependable option. Leonard Hankerson has looked lackadaisical at
times with only three preseason catches, but he came in high up on the depth
chart and I don’t think he’s done anything to jeopardize that.
That leaves only two, possibly three spots for five other
players. New-comers Aldrick Robinson and
Dezmon Briscoe have showed both reliable hands and playmaking abilities. They have both played extremely well. Anthony Armstrong just cannot stay healthy
and has only a single catch. He has not
shown enough in his career here for the coaches to give him another shot over
either Robinson or Briscoe. I think he’s
gone. Same goes for Terrence
Austin. There was a chance for him if he
could establish himself more as a return man, but he has been unable to do so
and his WR play has not generated excitement the way the others have.
Perhaps the most controversial decision will be over Brandon
Banks. Shanahan made it clear he needed
to make the roster as a WR this year, but he caught only two passes against
Buffalo while being targeted nine times.
He simply does not have the height to compete as an NFL WR. This has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff,
who have not given him significant playing time at WR since that first
game. They are also exploring other
players as kick returners including Santana Moss. Banks won’t make it as a WR and Shanahan is
trying to find someone else to return kicks.
The problem is that no one has come close. Banks won’t make this team if Shanahan keeps
only six receivers. If he keeps seven,
Banks will take that last spot.
Not sure exactly where fan-favorite Chris Cooley
stands. Right now he’s behind Fred Davis
and Niles Paul on the depth chart, who was moved from WR to tight end. Everyone knows how good Davis can be, but
Paul has looked inconsistent. He’s had
some big drops, but that is not unusual for new tight ends who sometimes find
catching more difficult with the constant blocking that comes with the
position.
The possibility of a year-long suspension still hangs heavy
over Davis. One more failed drug test,
and he’s out. Cooley is also listed on
the depth chart at fullback as well as TE.
I think he makes the team, but he won’t see much of the field.
A real Jekyll and Hyde performance so far by the offensive line,
who allowed zero sacks in Buffalo, got shredded by Chicago, and looked ok
against Indianapolis. This will quietly
be one of the more important storylines for the Redskins as the front five are
now tasked with protecting the team’s franchise QB. When you look at all other offensive
positions, the line is the biggest weakness.
This offense will only be as good as the line. I will be surprised if Griffin starts 16
games this season because I think he is going to take too many hits to stay
healthy. The worst thing about it is
that with few draft picks and a salary cap penalty, I don’t think the line will
get better for another two years.
The running back position, thought to be a weakness, now
looks like it could be a potential strength with four players shouldering the
load. The Redskins looked like they were
in trouble with injuries to Evan Royster and Roy Helu Jr. With Tim Hightower returning from ACL
surgery, it seemed he was not a dependable option. Enter Alfred Morris, the preseason star who
has caught everyone’s eye with his powerful running style. This guy just does not go down behind the
line. While Royster, Helu, and Hightower
are all question marks, if you can go into the season with four reliable backs,
suddenly you are reducing the workload of everyone. If Hightower goes down one week, you can spread
the carries around Royster, Helu and Morris.
If Helu gets injured, you can go back to Hightower. Before it looked like each guy had to prove
himself capable of making this roster.
Now, I don’t think the Redskins can risk cutting any of the four.
The Redskins will struggle to defend the pass this
season. Jay Cutler tore the secondary
apart for 122 yards. When he had time,
Andrew Luck was also able to embarrass the Redskins. He finished with 151 yards and a
touchdown. Shanahan experimented somewhat
by playing DeAngelo Hall at safety. Maybe
he does not think Hall can play corner anymore, or he desperately needs someone
else at safety, but either way it’s not a good sign. Brandon Meriweather should be back for the
start of the season and Tanard Jackson was really impressive against the Colts,
but otherwise this is a thin secondary. It
looks like the Redskins’ best option to defend the pass this season will be to
pressure the quarterback.
Speaking of pressuring the quarterback, the Redskins look
deep at both defensive line and linebacker.
The season-ending injury to Chris Neild is a blow, but not a major one
and they seemed to play well against Indianapolis without him. Jarvis Jenkins looks to be as good as
advertised in his first year of action. Brian
Orakpo is expected to be fine for the season opener, and even without him the
Redskins’ linebackers harassed Luck all night.
Teams are going to be faced with the daunting task of somehow blocking
both Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan. Depending
on how good the secondary can play, this defense may be ready to take the next
step.
One preseason game to go, but it will be mostly tryouts
among the backups to make the final 53.
It’s time to start the countdown to September 9 and New Orleans!
No comments:
Post a Comment