Redskins Need to Avoid Same Offensive Mistakes to Beat the Packers

The Washington Redskins will meet the Green Bay Packers this Sunday and if they hope to win, they'll have to do fix some problems on offense. Click here to read more.

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Washington Redskins: RG3 Shows Us Why the Preseason Matters

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Redskins bolster roster with 2013 draft

The Redskins may have sat out of the first round of the draft, but they still managed to bring in big time talent and address multiple needs. Heading into Thursday, the Redskins needed to bolster the secondary and bring in depth at tight end, running back, and linebacker.

That’s exactly what they did.

The most glaring need was the secondary and they brought in CB David Amerson, S Phillip Thomas, and S Bacarri Rambo. All three are playmakers who create turnovers and all three have starting potential, including Rambo who was taken in the sixth round. He was an absolute steal in the sixth, falling because of two failed drug tests while at Georgia. With the issues the Redskins have had in the past with Fred Davis and Trent Williams, picking Rambo is extremely risky, but as he fell so far it made a lot of sense and I personally love the pick.

In Jordan Reed, the Redskins picked up tight end depth. Davis is only signed for a year and there are real questions as to whether Logan Paulsen or Niles Paul can develop into a legitimate receiving threats. Reed at the very least ensures that the Redskins will not be quite as thin should they lose Davis to injury or suspension.

In typical Mike Shanahan fashion, the Redskins also took two running backs in the later rounds. Chris Thompson was taken in the fourth round and Jawan Jamison in the sevent. The Redskins needed a change of pace running back behind Alfred Morris and Evan Royster was unable to take advantage of his opportunities last season with Roy Helu out due to injury. With Helu’s health a constant concern, the Redskins needed to find another option. Shanahan is known for finding talented running backs in the later rounds such as Morris and Terrell Davis, both of whom were sixth round picks. The fact that Shanahan took Chris Thompson in the fifth round should tell you how confident he is in Thompson’s abilities.

The only real questionable pick for me is outside linebacker Brandon Jenkins. Jenkins relied too much on his quickness in college, but his 40 times were slow. At the combine he clocked in at 4.7 seconds, which is not bad, but at his pro day he ran over five seconds twice. Of course 40 times should be taken with a grain of salt, they don’t always translate to football skills. Still, I see Jenkins' ceiling as a depth player at the very best.

With the $18 million cap penalty, the draft was critical for the Redskins to improve their roster. I think it is clear they did so. I do not see any immediate starters among these picks, but that is not to say they will not contribute at all this season and I believe this team is clearly better in the long run based on this draft.

Even without a first round draft pick, the 2013 draft was a successful one for the Redskins.

How Should Shanahan have Handled RG3?

The Redskins’ season came to an inglorious end Sunday night with a 24-14 loss to Seattle. Redskins’ fans hope their future did not end that night along with the season.

 

In the fourth quarter, Robert Griffin III bent down to pick up a low snap, his leg caught in the turf, and his knee buckled beneath him. As Griffin lay on the ground writhing in agony, the worst fears of the Redskins’ faithful became realized.

 

The question on everyone’s mind this week is whether Griffin should have stayed in the game. In the first quarter, Griffin threw the ball as he scrambled towards the sidelines and seemed to pull up after the throw. He began to visibly limp after that play and struggled for the remainder of the game.

 

Many people have been critical of Shanahan’s decision to keep him in the game, but before you bash him, remember that hindsight is 20/20. It is easy to say now that Griffin should have been pulled, but you cannot ignore the circumstances during the game.

 

It is completely unfair to say that Griffin should have been pulled when he began limping in the first quarter. Immediately after reinjuring his leg, Griffin threw his second touchdown pass of the day. While he clearly was playing injured, he had played injured the last two games. There was no way for Shanahan to know just how ineffective he would be. Had the doctors or trainers gone to Shanahan and told him Griffin needed to come out, then of course, he should have pulled him, but that does not seem to be the case.

 

True, the offense struggled immensely through the second quarter. The Redskins managed only 16 yards in two drives. That’s not good, but it’s also probably not enough to determine that Kirk Cousins gave them a better chance to win. Also, keep in mind the situation. The Redskins were ahead 14-13. While it seems obvious now that pulling Griffin was the right move for his future, it would have been a tough sell not just to Griffin, but also to the media and the fans.

 

Imagine if Griffin had been pulled at halftime and the Redskins had lost. Wouldn’t the clamor over what Shanahan was thinking be just as loud as it is now? Yes, the coach gets paid to make tough decisions even if they are unpopular, but are two drives really enough to go on?

 

My point is not that Shanahan should have kept Griffin in, it’s that you could make a valid argument either way. That’s not to say Shanahan handled this well, however.

 

There are many different versions of what happened on the sideline; who said what, who examined Griffin, who decided he was ok to go in, etc. As soon as Griffin limped off the field in the first quarter, the trainers should have been there. It doesn’t matter whether he wanted to talk to them or not, he needed to be examined. The most important things for the doctors to find is how serious the injury was, whether Griffin was able to continue playing, and how likely it was that he could make it worse. If the doctors came to Shanahan on the sideline and said Griffin needed to come out, then it doesn’t matter if Griffin wanted to keep playing or not. The fact that Griffin re-aggravated his knee on a play in which he wasn’t even touched, then hurt himself even worse later in the game, makes me think Griffin was not examined on the sideline as thoroughly as he should have been.  Clearly there was a chance he could reaggravate his injury because he did just that. Was he unlucky or was he hurt to the point that by continuing to play he was putting himself at serious risk for a disastrous injury?

 

The most egregious mistake the Redskins made was not adjusting their play calling in light of Griffin’s struggles. The team has hailed their two rookie phenoms all season long, but for some reason when one was injured, they took the ball completely out of the other’s hands.

Alfred Morris had only 16 carries and eight of them came in the first quarter. If Shanahan thought Griffin gave them the best chance to win I’m willing to accept that, but it was undeniable that the the injury rendered him less effective. This was a situation in which the team needed to turn to Morris. The Redskins did not trail until the fourth quarter, there was no reason to abandon the run. Morris had 33 carries against the Cowboys, he’s capable of shouldering the load.

 

This is something that both Shanahans, assuming Kyle returns next season, need to think about going forward. Initial predictions for Griffin’s recovery are somewhere between six months to a year. Some doctors have said he will not be the same dynamic player when he returns and even if he is, the offense needs to change.

Critics of the pistol offense argue that this college-style offense puts Griffin at too much risk. We can now safely put that debate to rest because it absolutely does. Granted, Griffin was not hit on either of the plays he was injured on against Seattle, but the initial knee injury came from a hit in the game against Baltimore as Griffin scrambled from the pocket. Before that, he suffered a concussion against Atlanta.  He is the franchise quarterback. His running abilities are what make him dynamic, but the Redskins should be looking to prevent him from taking hits, not putting him in a situation to get hit more. Clearly, his body cannot take this type of punishment.

 

The responsibility does not fall solely on the coaches’shoulders, Griffin also needs to adjust his game. After his concussion, Griffin declared he would look to slide more and keep himself out of harms way. Obviously, his sliding needs some work.

 

Daniel Snyder also must do something about the field. It was a disgrace. It is embarrassing for fans and for the team when visiting teams come to your stadium to play on painted mud. It could very well have contributed or even caused Griffin’s injury. Seattle’s Chris Clemons tore his ACL during the game and, don’t forget, Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and MCL the year before at FedEx. It is a problem that needs to be addressed.

 

Judging Shanahan’s decision with the benefit of hindsight of course makes it an unfair debate, but an argument can be made defending either point of view. What’s clear, however, is that a change must be made to the offense in order to keep Griffin safer. We live in a world where Jay Cutler’s entire legacy has been tainted because he was injured in the 2011 NFC Championship game and did not look sad enough on the sidelines. Expecting Griffin to take himself out or to let you know when he’s injured is unrealistic. Shanahan needs to come into next season knowing he needs to protect his quarterback not just from opposing defenses, but from himself. Otherwise, Griffin’s career could be cut tragically short and the fans of Washington are going to pin the blame squarely on the coach’s shoulders.

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NFC East Champs Prepare for Wildcard Mathup

In his first professional season, Robert Griffin III has led the Redskins to a division title and hopefully, he’s not done yet.

The Redskins defeated the Cowboys 28-18 Sunday night to win the NFC East for the first time since 1999.  Clearly playing at less than 100%, Griffin went 9 for 18 for only 100 yards, but rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown.  Alfred Morris shouldered much of the load, with a spectacular performance rushing for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The game put an exclamation point on a remarkable seven game winning streak to finish the season.  It also showed just how bright the future is for this young team.

There is a clear difference this year as compared to 2007, when the Redskins last made the playoffs.  While there was legitimate excitement over a return to the postseason, there was nothing really to build around.  The Redskins were led by Jason Campbell, who inspired little confidence, and a rapidly aging Clinton Portis.  There was no young core and little hope for the team to expand on their success.

Now, the Redskins have two budding superstars in Griffin and Morris and two leaders on defense in Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan. Finally, we are seeing a team built through the draft, rather than pieced together by costly, over the hill free agents.

The big question in terms of this season, is whether the Redskins con keep the streak alive.  The Seattle Seahawks will come to FedEx Field this Sunday in the wildcard matchup.  Seattle has eliminated the Redskins the last two times they were in the playoffs.  They are also being led by a rookie QB who is having an incredible season.

Russell Wilson was selected in the third round of the 2012 draft by Seattle.  He was expected to backup the newly acquired Matt Flynn, but Pete Carroll liked what he saw from the young rookie and decided to roll the dice.  Wow, did it pay off.

Wilson has led the Seahawks to an 11-6 record, narrowly losing the NFC West championship to the 11-4-1 San Francisco 49ers.  He threw for 3,118 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only 10 interceptions.  He has also rushed for another 489 yards and four touchdowns.  It would be an even more remarkable rookie season if there weren’t two other guys named Luck and Griffin also having amazing success.

Perhaps most importantly, Wilson has durability.  Griffin on the other hand continues to heal.  A week ago against Philadelphia, Griffin returned and stuck to the pocket.  He still played a very good game, completing 16 of 24 for 198 yards, two touchdowns, and a QB rating of 102.4, but he only rushed for four yards.  He was clearly limited in his mobility.  He played a very different game against Dallas.  Though still limited and lacking the break-away speed we have become accustomed to seeing, he still rushed six times for 63 yards.  He really seemed to struggle passing, however.  He completed only nine passes for 100 yards with a QB rating of 66.9.

It was clear very early on that the Redskins’ offensive gameplan against Dallas revolved around running the ball.  Morris carried the ball a whopping 33 times.  Still, Griffin’s regression in terms of passing is a little worrying.  He only attempted 18 passes, but still completed 50%.  Some of his incompletions were uncharacteristically inaccurate.  His mobility may have improved, but his passing did not.  Everyone is entitled to a bad game, even Griffin who really had not had one all season until Sunday.  Perhaps that’s all it was, but when it follows an injury you have to wonder how much the injury may have affected him.

To be fair, Griffin was wearing a brace on his right knee.  His knee may be feeling much better than we think, but those braces can really restrict a player’s movements.  Griffin may be as fast as ever without the brace, but if he must continue to wear it, will it continue to affect his performance?  Pierre Garcon has proven himself to be a key playmaker for this offense.  If you can’t get him the ball, he can’t change the game for you.

After watching the Dallas game, I would expect Seattle to load the box and force Griffin to beat them through the air.  Griffin has had no trouble beating teams deep, but he will need to be healthy.  After another week of rest and healing, hopefully we will see the Griffin we’ve come to expect from week to week.

The Redskins and Seahawks have gone a combined 11-1 since week 11.  They are two of the hottest teams in the NFL heading into these playoffs.  These are the kind of streaks that carry teams deep into the postseason.  Whoever wins this game on Sunday will have a legitimate shot to play in the Super Bowl.

Regardless of how this season may end for the Redskins, it has been a remarkable ride.  Will the Redskins be able to maintain that one game, back against the wall attitude, or is there already a feeling of “mission accomplished” spreading through the locker room?  If the Redskins can approach this game with the same determination and heart they have shown over the past seven games, then they will add yet another chapter to the already remarkable year 2012 has been.

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Redskins Ready to Go

Three games down, one to go.  The Redskins will wrap up their preseason on Wednesday, but we likely got our best view of what the Redskins will look like this season from Saturday’s game against Indianapolis.  Here are my thoughts on what we’ve seen so far:

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!