Special Teams Issues Highlight Dysfunction Plaguing the Washington Redskins

What was it that doomed the Redskins Sunday night in Dallas? Was it the much maligned defense that ranked last in yards allowed per game heading into Sunday? Was it the offense that had yet to put together a complete four quarters of solid play? No, what ultimately doomed the Redskins Sunday night was the oft overlooked special teams.

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Five Reasons Why the Washington Redskins Can Beat the Dallas Cowboys

The Washington Redskins head to Dallas Sunday night after the Cowboys' impressive showing last week, but there is still plenty of reason for Redskins fans to be optimistic. For the full story, click here.

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NFC East preview

The Redskins may be the defending NFC East champions, but the uncertainty of Robert Griffin III’s health has left experts scratching their heads as to who may emerge as champions for the 2013-14 season. No one seems to know just quite what to expect from the division this season. Here’s a quick synopsis of the other NFC East teams to try and give you a better idea of what the division has in store for 2013.

 

The Dallas Cowboys

 

The Cowboys every year seem to assemble plenty of talent but are never able to live up to their potential. The main problem has been the constant meddling of owner Jerry Jones. As owner of the team, he is well within his rights to run things however he sees fit. What he fails to realize, however, is that the Cowboys would be better off if he left the decision making to people who actually know about football (sound familiar Redskins’ fans?).

 

The drama started early this year when it was found that offensive coordinator Bill Callahan would take over the offensive play calling duties for head coach Jason Garrett. As Jones was the first to announce it to the media, I have to believe he had something to do with it. I'm also pretty confident this was not Garrett's idea.

 

So Garrett, who was originally brought in because of his offensive acumen, will not be calling the offensive plays? Doesn’t sound like Jones trusts him anymore. Publicly undermining the head coach does not really sit well with a locker room.

 

The Cowboys also re-signed the widely mocked Tony Romo for $108 million. While he has not been able to win when it matters most, I do understand the signing. Good quarterbacks are hard to find. Without Romo, the Cowboys would have found themselves overpaying for Matt Flynn or putting their hopes in a rookie. Judging by this year's draft class, Romo was definitely the best option.

 

Coming out and saying that he needs to work harder, however, is not exactly a confidence booster.

 

Yes, Jones threw both his head coach and quarterback under the bus this off-season. If the Cowboys struggle at any point this season, then these stories will pop back up. Did Romo really deserve that huge contract extension? Does Jones really believe in his head coach?

 

The moment this team starts to struggle, things will fall apart. I think they win eight games based on talent alone, but they have too many issues to overcome to actually challenge for the division.

 

Philadelphia Eagles

 

The Eagles proclaimed themselves the‘dream team’ two years ago, but failed to make the playoffs either season and really hit rock bottom last year with only four wins. With a talented, but under-achieving roster and a new head coach straight out of the college ranks, it is hard to really know what to expect from the Eagles. They could really turn things around this season or they could be a complete disaster.

 

Chip Kelly was the head coach at Oregon from 2009 to 2012 and compiled an impressive record of 46-7. Success in college has not always translated to success in the NFL, but given the recent success of college coaches in the pros (Jim Harbaugh, Pete Carroll) the Eagles decided to roll the dice.

 

Big mistake; Kelly will be remembered as Philadelphia’s Steve Spurrier.

 

When Spurrier came into the NFL, he went with what he knew without any real plan of how to adapt his coaching style to the NFL. This was evident when he brought in both Danny Wuerffel and Shane Matthews. Both were quarterbacks for Spurrier in Florida and both were terrible in the NFL. They were the embodiment of everything that was wrong with Spurrier as an NFL coach; ultimately he just could not separate himself from the college mentality.

 

Kelly has never coached in the NFL at any level. His offensive system relied heavily on his team’s advantage in speed. The Eagles have fast players, but talent at the NFL level is much more even. Kelly will not enjoy such a large advantage.

 

What really screams ‘Spurrier’ to me though is that the Eagles traded up to draft quarterback Matt Barkley. Barkley is not a particularly mobile quarterback which means unless Kelly dramatically changes his offense, he will not be a great fit.

 

So why draft him?

 

Barkley was the starting quarterback at USC for four years, so he is someone Kelly is very familiar with. There is nothing wrong with bringing in players you know and Kelly's past with Barkley gives him insight as to what type of NFL player he could be. Only going with what you know, however, and not adapting to a very different NFL style of football is not a recipe for success.

 

Kelly traded up for a quarterback he was familiar with who probably will not fit the type of offense he wants to run. That’s not a good start.

 

The Eagles have undoubtedly underachieved the past few years with a roster filled with talented, speedy players. Desean Jacskon, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean Mccoy could all potentially thrive under Kelly so it is hard to gauge what they will do this year. This team is too good to win only four games and with a new coach, I expect they will play much better though it is only a mirage. Kelly will not last long, but for at least one year things will look much better for Philly. They will win seven games.

 

The New York Giants

 

The 2011 Super Bowl Champions failed to make the playoffs in 2012, going only 9-7. With the dysfunction of Dallas and Philadelphia, the Giants are the Redskins’ biggest challenge to repeating as division champs. The good news is that the despite the Giants’ playoff success, they seem to struggle in the regular season.

 

Since 2007, they have won 10, 12, 8, 10, 9, and 9 games in the regular season missing the playoffs three times and winning the Super Bowl twice. While the Giants are probably the best team in the division, they will remain very catchable through out the season.

 

The Giants have had the quietest off-season of any of the NFC East teams and look to be about as good as they were last season. There was some talk that Victor Cruz would not sign his RFA tender which would have been a major loss, but he ended up signing it Friday.

 

How well they do will depend on how they respond to not making the playoffs last season. Either they come back with a strong effort or they blow off the regular season once again and we will be treated to the yearly speculation over Tom Caughlin’s job security. Either way the Giants will win ten games and either just miss the playoffs or barely sneak in.

 

There is a lot of dysfunction in the NFC East, but there is also a lot of talent. Still, with no one poised to run away with it, the division looks to be up for grabs. With a healthy Griffin, the Redskins can definitely repeat as champions.

Redskins Set to Meet Cowboys in Division Championship Matchup

The Redskins will wrap up the regular season next week with a game at home against the arch-rival Dallas Cowboys in a winner-take-all matchup for the NFC East division. It will be the first time the Redskins have ever hosted a head-to-head matchup to determine the division championship in the regular season finale. The loser could be out of the playoffs all together. Oh, and the game has been flexed to prime time.

Are the stakes high enough yet?

Perhaps the most storied rivalry in the NFL will add yet another momentous chapter next week as the two teams meet with the division on the line. The Redskins can turn the page on their recent ineptitude and the Cowboys can end the dream season of rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III, someone who is sure to be a thorn in their side for many years to come. After the beat-down Griffin subjected them to in Jerry World on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys would love nothing more than to ruin Griffin’s Christmas.

Still, regardless of what happens, one must not forget the hill the Redskins had to climb just to get to this point.

Just seven short weeks ago, the Redskins lost 21-13 to the lowly Carolina Panthers. It was the lowest point of the season. The team was playing terribly and Mike Shanahan was talking about evaluating the team for next year. Another season seemed lost.

Were the Redskins mathematically eliminated from the playoffs at 3-6? No, but I mean, they would have to pretty much win every game left on their schedule to have a realistic chance….

Only four other teams in the NFL have won 6 or more straight games this season, and all four of those teams have already punched their tickets to the playoffs. The last time the Redskins won six straight was in 1996 when Norv Turner was the coach. It is not an easy thing to do. Yet, it might not be good enough should the Redskins lose the finale.

As the game has been moved to prime time, the Redskins will know exactly what they are facing by kick off. If Minnesota or Chicago wins next week, then the Redskins will be eliminated with a loss to Dallas.

The Redskins, however, will not concern themselves with all the various scenarios. For them, it’s very simple: win and you’re in.

Dallas too has turned their season around after some early struggles. They began the season 3-5 and many wondered if head coach Jason Garrett’s days were numbered. Since then, they have won five of their last seven including two overtime wins. The Cowboys will not be a pushover.

The way this season has gone, I’m sure the Redskins wouldn’t have it any other way.

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