New Faces Already Having an Impact for Washington Redskins Defense
Granted it was only the Jacksonville Jaguars the Washington Redskins defense feasted on in Week 2. But there's no denying that there are signs of significant improvement on that side of the ball so far this season.
That improvement is being keyed by new faces, with three in particular standing out. Rookie pass-rusher Trent Murphy, veteran defensive tackle Jason Hatcher and inside linebacker Keenan Robinson are all impressing.
The trio are central to a revamp of a unit that was a nightmare last season. The Redskins ranked 30th in points allowed and 18th in yards surrendered in 2013.
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Coordinator Jim Haslett entered this offseason with a clear mandate: to call a more aggressive and creative scheme. So far, at least, the early results are positive.
Haslett's defense began the season with a commendable effort on the road against the Houston Texans. The unit allowed only 10 points and only really struggled thanks to being left on the field too long because of a stuttering offense.
That steady showing was replaced by total dominance against Jacksonville. The defense swarmed in for 10 sacks to equal a franchise record, surrendered only 25 yards rushing and allowed a mere three third-down conversions.
The total destruction of the Jags' offense relied on a simple game plan, described by Zac Boyer of The Washington Times:
"In order to get a respite, the game plan was simple: Stop the Jaguars‘ running game, force their offense into obvious passing situations and lean on nickel packages that would give the defensive linemen a break.
Jaguars running back Toby Gerhart finished with just eight yards on seven carries — including three yards on three carries in the first quarter.
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Robinson played a crucial role in corralling the run. He led the D with 12 combined tackles, 10 of which were solo. That's his second very active performance in a row, after he logged 11 total stops, nine solo, against the Texans.
As Haslett's best athlete at the linebacker position, Robinson helped shut down Jacksonville's attempts to run the zone-stretch game. He used his speed and range to chase down lateral runners and quickly fill cutback lanes.
Robinson's athleticism has added a new dimension to this defense. His speed is a great counter against teams looking to stretch the edges of the defense on the ground.
Haslett has been taking advantage by shooting Robinson through gaps to destroy running plays at their source. He's also even allowed him to line up outside at times in certain fronts.
But it's not only when repelling the run that Robinson's impact has been obvious. His fluid skill set means the Redskins are comfortable matching him up in coverage.
A great example came in the first quarter of the 17-6 loss to the Texans. Houston had spread the formation by splitting running back Arian Foster out wide.
This was a potential problem for Washington's 4-2-5 nickel front. It forced the unit to adopt man coverage as the Texans hoped it would. Houston wanted a favorable matchup of Foster against a linebacker.
Robinson obliged, but he would prove more than able in coverage:
The first thing he did right was to take away any outside release. Robinson took an outside step and pinned Foster to the inside:
This was key because the edge was where the weakness in coverage was. A swing pass to the outside against man coverage in a single-high safety look would be devastating.
But Robinson played with good outside leverage. He funnelled Foster to the inside where the strength of the defense lay.
Once Foster caught the pass, Robinson broke quickly and made a swift and solid tackle:
Robinson played this brilliantly. He kept Foster in front of him and made a quick and decisive stop to eliminate yards after the catch and the big play.
Robinson turned what should have been a matchup nightmare for the defense into a lot of effort for a minimal gain by the Texans.
Having a linebacker who can stay with receivers underneath is a tremendous boost for any coordinator. It means Haslett doesn't have to make wholesale changes in personnel to load up with multiple defensive backs whenever he moves to a nickel scheme.
It also means that Washington's base defense is more secure against the pass, something else that's a huge advantage. The Redskins don't have to stay in nickel on early downs and risk being exposed against the run.
Of all the new faces defensively, Robinson could be the most significant addition. His ability to act as the roving, matchup linebacker all 3-4 schemes need has let Perry Riley Jr. play downhill and blitz more often.
Speaking of blitzing, Haslett hasn't had to do a lot of it, despite the promises to be more aggressive. But when you have pass-rushers of the caliber of Hatcher up front, it's only smart to rein in the blitz calls and play coverage.
Hatcher was a total menace against the Jaguars. He consistently overwhelmed former Pro Bowler Zane Beadles, using quick moves to get around the left guard and live in the backfield.
ESPN.com Redskins reporter John Keim rightly marvelled at Hatcher's skills:
Hatcher's presence behind the line prevented Jacksonville quarterback Chad Henne from stepping up to escape the outside pressure from rush linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan.
That's just how this defense is supposed to work. Hatcher has the key role to play because of his flair for consistently collapsing the pocket from the inside.
If Hatcher continues to dominate, Haslett will be able to streamline his schemes to just play rush and coverage. That's similar to the way the San Francisco 49ers keep things simple defensively to let their talent and physicality thrive.
Being able to count on a strong rush up front will also help Haslett protect what is still a highly dubious secondary. If he can routinely pack seven into his coverage schemes and still get pressure, Haslett's defense will be highly effective.
Of course, such a plan isn't just reliant on Hatcher. The outside pass-rushers have to take advantage of the havoc he's creating in the middle.
Fortunately, the Washington defense features a dangerous pair of bookends in Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan. Against Jacksonville, it was Kerrigan who capitalized on Hatcher's disruption.
He posted four sacks and applied a ton of pressure from the right side of Jacksonville's O-line. Grantland writer Bill Barnwell could barely watch the carnage:
Kerrigan delivered the kind of performance the Redskins should expect from at least one of their premier outside linebackers on a weekly basis. If teams are doubling Orakpo, or there is simply a weakness in protection on Kerrigan's side, then he has to dominate. The same rule applies the other way.
It could be a huge season for Kerrigan. With many teams sure to slide protection toward Orakpo and Hatcher's side of the defense, Kerrigan will face a lot of single blocking. A first year with double-digit sacks surely beckons for 2011's first-round pick.
Speaking of first-round picks, this year's vintage is already playing a key role on this new-look defense. As a flexible, hybrid-style pass-rusher, Murphy is proving to be very useful along the nickel fronts.
He's adopting multiple alignments and drawing plenty of attention, something that's leaving space for others to make plays. That was obvious against the Jags.
On a third-quarter sack by Hatcher, Murphy (93) lined up next to him inside at tackle as a standing rusher:
The ex-Stanford man attracted a double-team:
That left Hatcher facing a one-on-one matchup against rookie Brandon Linder (65). That's a win for this defense every time:
Hatcher swatted aside his blocker and took Henne down:
In the fourth quarter, Murphy proved what he can do off the edge:
He used quick hands to make a fool of left tackle Luke Joeckel:
Murphy then crashed down to hit Henne as he threw, forcing an incomplete pass:
When Murphy is standing, it gives him more room to execute stunts and twists to disrupt blocking schemes. Linemen don't know where he'll be coming from and can't easily assign protection. When Murphy puts his hand down, he becomes a dangerous speed and power rusher.
As a roving weapon up front, Murphy is giving Washington's nickel defense the ability to cause confusion and apply greater pressure. Again, these benefits are coming without having to blitz a whole lot.
Whenever Haslett is able to get creative without sending the house, it's great news for the secondary and the defense as a whole.
That's more pertinent when considering how the secondary is still surrendering its share of big plays. The group was burned for a 76-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins in Week 1. Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis added a 63-yard scoring reception in Week 2.
On both plays, hapless safety Bacarri Rambo's inadequacies in coverage were exposed. His play has been so bad it's actually got people craving the return of Brandon Meriweather.
The heavy hitter has now served his two-game suspension and will be back to play this week, per Liz Clarke of The Washington Post. Meriweather should be an instant improvement on Rambo.
ESPN writer John Keim has detailed how the secondary can't afford to be as generous against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3:
"The Washington Redskins' defense is coming off a record-setting day, tying a franchise mark with 10 sacks. But it needs to eliminate the big plays or it could be a tough day Sunday in Philadelphia. The Eagles lead the NFL in explosive plays, gaining 243 yards per game on runs of 15-plus yards or passes for more than 20, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
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In this context, Meriweather's return is timely. Although his tackling style would make a UFC fighter cringe with shame, Meriweather can be stable in coverage. He's generally a steady and smart zone defender.
He's likely to need those qualities against an Eagles team that can flood the deep middle with running back Darren Sproles, "move" tight end Zach Ertz or rookie wide receiver Jordan Matthews.
Haslett needs Meriweather's experience, along with the savvy of Ryan Clark, another key new arrival, to solidify this secondary.
But as much as he'll hope for improvement in coverage, Haslett knows he can still lean on his pass rush. This defense is now loaded with weapons up front.
Hatcher was one of the signings of the offseason and is wasting no time proving it. Meanwhile, adding Murphy alongside Orakpo and Kerrigan has increased the scope of what Haslett can do with his pressure fronts.
But Robinson is fast becoming the glue that is holding all of this together. His ability to plug gaps with his speed and instincts is already invaluable to what this new-look defense wants to do.
Ranked as the stingiest unit in the league after two weeks, the Washington defense could be the unlikely catalyst for a team-wide turnaround this season.
All statistics via NFL.com.
All screen shots courtesy of CBS Sports, Fox Sports and NFL.com Game Pass.
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