Full Washington Redskins Awards at the Quarter Mark of the 2014 NFL Season

With an opening schedule that featured two of the NFL's worst teams from 2013, in addition to another non-playoff team, the Washington Redskins and their 1-3 start to the 2014 NFL season can be summed up in one word: disappointing.

Still, even amidst the cloud of disappointment that has hovered over this team, there are some awards that need to be handed out.

From Defensive Player of the Year to MVP, here are the awards at the quarter mark of the season for the Redskins.

Offensive POY: Kirk Cousins

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Kirk Cousins' forgettable performance against the New York Giants was a stark reminder, but consistency is something that's alluded the Redskins offense as a whole all season.

Even with that said, it's hard to overlook the highs of Cousins' three-game run in place of Robert Griffin III.

Behind Cousins' 250 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Redskins eclipsed 40 points for just the second time in the past six seasons. In a Week 3 shootout with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cousins nearly approached the franchise-record for passing yards in a game (427).

His time in the starting lineup could go on to prove that his early numbers were fool's gold. But as The Washington Post's Neil Greenberg notes, Cousins' play certainly waged a debate over which Washington quarterback will have the better career:

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Fools gold RT @dcsportsbog: Dang, America is all-in on Kirk Cousins (via @BlueShortsLIFE) pic.twitter.com/OKCKPuNcT2

— Neil Greenberg (@ngreenberg) September 16, 2014 "

Defensive POY: Ryan Kerrigan

Michael Perez/Associated Press

His matchups with a pair of backup offensive linemen and the presence of Brian Orakpo and Jason Hatcher on the opposite side have certainly helped matters, but there's no denying Ryan Kerrigan's stellar play to open the season.

In a stretch of games filled with uneven performances, Kerrigan has been one of the few constants on Washington's defense, with the other being injuries. 

While it's worth noting that Kerrigan started the 2013 campaign in similar fashion, he is an improved player. Leading the league in sacks with five, Kerrigan highlighted his transformation into a core player of the Redskins defense with a four-sack performance against the hapless Jaguars. Although this makes up the majority of his sack total, Kerrigan also leads the team in quarterback hits with six.

Always capable of producing such numbers in spurts, it's Kerrigan's effort to be more consistent that should lend you to believe, that unlike in seasons past, his production won't tail off.

With his contract set to expire after the 2015 season, Kerrigan is lining himself up to receive a hefty extension if this holds true.

MVP: Alfred Morris

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

While he doesn't have Cousins' highlights, Alfred Morris also doesn't hold the distinction of being the goat in any of the team's three defeats.

In fact, it was Morris' lack of touches that was the root cause in the Redskins' 17-6 season-opening loss to the Houston Texans. Despite averaging 6.5 yards per rush, he only had 14 carries. A slight that wasn't lost on head coach Jay Gruden, he acknowledged after the game that the running game wasn't utilized enough:

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Gruden says if he had to do it all over again, he would have run the ball more.

— John Keim (@john_keim) September 8, 2014"

Looking at Morris' tenure in Washington, his touches are something Gruden would be wise to monitor going forward:

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Will b watching @Redskins hoping they run the ball...note to gruden they're 0-9 when Alfred Morris has 15 or fewer carries 13-11 when more

— melissa stark (@melissastark) September 14, 2014"

Fourth in the NFL in rushing with 316 yards, Morris' impact can be felt in the passing game and on defense. With the mounting list of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, for Washington's lack of depth not to be exposed, the team is relying on Morris to chew up the clock in an effort to play keep-away from opposing offenses.

On offense, behind a leaky offensive line, the threat of Morris is at times the only thing that keeps defenses from gearing up to get the quarterback. Holding a significant margin, and thus unfearful of the Redskins' running game, the Giants brought this reality to the forefront. Without the aid of the play-action pass, it was open season on Cousins for New York's pass-rushers and the end result was five turnovers and two sacks.

The team may sport high-profile players at quarterback and receiver, but make no mistake about it, the foundation of the Redskins' offense is Morris and the running game. All the reason to name him as the team's most valuable player.

Comeback POY: Keenan Robinson

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As if replacing London Fletcher wasn't hard enough, linebacker Keenan Robinson last year also had to overcome his second major injury in two seasons.

After a torn right pectoral muscle cut short his rookie campaign, Robinson suffered the same injury on his left arm in 2013 and missed the entire season.

Featured exclusively on special teams as a rookie, Robinson was making a big jump up to the starting lineup. But after beating out free-agent signees Akeem Jordan and Darryl Sharpton for the right to replace Fletcher, it's hardly been noticeable on game days.

Aside from leading the team in tackles with 30, Robinson has often drawn the assignment of covering tight ends and running backs. While he, and Washington's defense as a whole, struggled to cover Larry Donnell in Week 4, Robinson played a pivotal role in limiting both Darren Sproles and Zach Ertz against the Philadelphia Eagles the game before.

If his start to the 2014 season is any indication, Washington may have found its next star at linebacker (barring further injury, of course).

Most Improved: Niles Paul

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With the production Jordan Reed had in limited action in 2013, Washington having a tight end amongst the league leaders in receptions and yards isn't surprising. Considering that Reed's been sidelined since Week 1, though, there's some intrigue here. 

Technically the third tight end, behind Reed and Logan Paulsen, Niles Paul has emerged from the shadows to have a breakout season.

An owner of 14 receptions and 228 yards in his first three years in the NFL, Paul had tallied 21 receptions, 313 yards and one touchdown prior to exiting Week 4's contest against the Giants with a concussion. Netting five catches of 20 or more yards, and an overall average of 14.9 yards per catch, it's actually Paul who's been Washington's chief playmaker this season.

Similar to the manner in which he used Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert with the Cincinnati Bengals, Gruden may be enticed by the former Nebraska Cornhusker's performance to feature both Paul and Reed together upon their return from injury.

Goat of the Year: Jim Haslett

Mark E. Tenally/Associated Press

Looking at how Washington's first four games unraveled, who's most to blame for the team's 1-3 start?

In light of the team's injury tally, and the margin of defeat in its losses, there isn't one player that you can pinpoint as the root cause of the Redskins' inauspicious start.

Shifting the focus towards the coaching staff, though, that's another matter. Ben Kotwica's special teams unit played an integral role in the team's losses in Week 1 and 3. Despite a different core of players, there isn't much that separates the 2014 edition of Washington's special teams from its league-worst counterpart in 2013.

Even with that said, the goat of the first quarter is none other than defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. Yeah, the Redskins do rank eighth in total yards allowed per game. Still, you can't help but correlate his questionable defensive strategies with the team's losses.

Known for his aggressiveness in pressuring opposing quarterbacks and manufacturing turnovers, Haslett hasn't lived up to his reputation in any of the team's defeats.

But ask ESPN's Bomani Jones, and it's a reputation Haslett has long outlived:

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btw, jim haslett hasn’t had a hand in a truly good defense since 1998. i have no idea how he still has that job.

— Bomani Jones (@bomani_jones) September 26, 2014"

Opposed to pressuring a quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick who is more than capable of throwing the game away for his team, just checkout his performance from Week 3 , Haslett was content playing conservative and instead utilized soft coverages that conceded underneath throws.

While he did allow his defensive backs to play more aggressive in defeats to Philadelphia and New York, the end result of his choice to not send pressure against Nick Foles and Eli Manning was an undermanned secondary getting shredded.

Despite never ranking higher than 21st in scoring defense under his direction, Haslett was still retained by Gruden after his hiring.

Citing the issues that opposing offenses had against his scheme as one of the reasons he kept Haslett aboard, via NFL.com's Mike Coppinger, Gruden now might be second-guessing himself after the manner in which two division rivals carved up that very scheme.

With a primetime matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on the horizon, you can be rest assured that Haslett and his defense will be under the microscope in Week 5.