Full Washington Redskins Report Card Heading into Week 10 Bye
The playoffs may have been a distant reality, but the Washington Redskins surely had no intentions of dwelling in the cellar of the NFC East at this point in the season.
Injuries have certainly played a part in the team's standing, but it's not the lone cause for the team's 3-6 start. With 17 turnovers, Washington has given away its share of football games. But where else does the blame fall?
Let's find out. Here is the Redskins report card heading into the Week 10 bye.
Quarterback
1 of 10
The coach has changed and the weapons around them have improved, but the result has been the same for Washington's quarterbacks. Mediocre and inconsistent have long been words you could use to describe the team's quarterback situation, and through nine games, the 2014 season has been no different.
Fielding a quarterback depth chart that many viewed as having two potential starters, Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III, it says a lot about the Skins that third-stringer Colt McCoy has actually looked the best under center.
Leading the team to victory in both his appearances (one start), the thing that stood out with McCoy was his accuracy. He completed 85.7 percent of his throws. While his arm talent won't wow you, by limiting his mistakes, he managed the game effectively.
Looking at Cousins' performance, the same can't be said. In six games of action, Cousins threw 10 touchdowns but also had nine interceptions. A quick starter, he's consistently faltered in the second half of games.
A 60 percent passer for the year, Cousins' accuracy dropped to 57.8 percent after halftime. Additionally, eight of his interceptions came after the break.
Shifting the focus to Griffin, from one viewpoint, he's played up to expectations. This is in the sense that he predictably missed time due to injury.
Although the dislocated ankle he suffered was freakish, the punishment he endures on a weekly basis makes injury a mere formality for him—just look at his sack total. Sacked on 12 percent of his dropbacks, the more mobile Griffin has managed to be sacked more times than Cousins, despite throwing 136 fewer passes.
There are some positive aspects of the Skins aerial attack, though. Washington is sixth in the NFL in passing yards per game, after all. Furthermore, the team is third in completion percentage, at 67.2 percent.
Even with that said, it's hard to overlook the team's ranking in interceptions (28th) and scoring (21st). All told, this position group has been average. What else is new?
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
On the surface, all appears to be well with Alfred Morris. He's sixth in the NFL in rushing and is just one touchdown shy of matching his 2013 total.
Delve closer, though, and you'll see that Morris hardly resembles the player that racked up nearly 3,000 yards rushing his first two years in the league.
Morris is averaging a career-low 4.0 yards per carry, and if not for a surge in play the past six quarters, that number is a lot lower. A player who does much of his work on first down—he tallied 1,888 yards combined in 2012 and 2013—he's averaging 3.6 yards per carry on that down in 2014.
Looking towards the second half of the season, head coach Jay Gruden may want to divvy up the workload at running back.
Backup Roy Helu has always been a safety net in the passing game, and this season has been no different. On 30 targets, Helu has registered 26 receptions for 309 yards and, most importantly, 11 first downs.
But it's Helu's effectiveness as a runner that warrants his seeing more playing time. A year after sporting a healthy 4.4 yards per carry, Helu has upped his production to 5.1 yards a rush in 2014.
There’s no way around it. Owners of the league's 17th-ranked rushing attack, the Redskins’ struggles running the ball have put too much of a burden on the team's passing game to carry the offense.
So let’s be frank. Once the foundation of the offense, Washington's running game has fallen off.
Grade: C-
Wide Receiver
3 of 10
The lone wolf in 2013, Pierre Garcon got some reinforcements in the offseason when Washington signed Andre Roberts and DeSean Jackson to pair with the record-setting receiver.
Despite the bolstered depth, though, it's been a one-man show for the team at this position group.
Even with the carousel at quarterback, Jackson has come as advertised. He's tied for the league lead in 100-yard games with five. Furthermore, widely renowned for his prowess as a deep threat, Jackson has a league-high nine receptions of 40-plus yards.
While it was anticipated that Garcon's numbers would fall with Jackson's arrival, the extent of his decline has been startling. Garcon has just three games under his belt in which he's eclipsed 50 receiving yards.
Although he does the lead the team in receptions, 21 of his 42 catches came in the first three games of the season.
As for Roberts, he's had a rather inconsistent first season in Washington. In one sense, Roberts has been a chain-mover. Of his 25 receptions, 20 have gone for first downs. On the flip side, his four drops lead the team, and he's only caught 49 percent of his targets.
With the exception of Jackson, this group hasn't met expectations. But in headlining a top-10 aerial attack, the Skins receivers are deserving of a positive grade.
Grade: B
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Tight End
4 of 10
After a stellar, albeit brief, rookie campaign, Jordan Reed entered the 2014 season as a breakout candidate. Much like last season, though, injury derailed his ascent into the limelight.
Reed was hurt in the season opener, and in the four games since his return, he's caught 21 passes from three different quarterbacks. Not even a sure bet to make the team in training camp, Niles Paul excelled in Reed's absence.
Prior to exiting a Week 5 contest against the New York Giants with a concussion, Paul was among the league leaders at tight end in receiving yards.
With Paul and Reed having 52 catches and 636 yards between them, Gruden now has the receiving weapons necessary to implement the two-tight end attack he had great success using with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Grade: B+
Offensive Line
5 of 10
Trent Williams and four replacement-level players—that's Washington's offensive line for you. A porous unit last season, the subtle changes the team made to the starting line in the offseason have netted even worse results in 2014.
Pass protection has long been a weakness of this group, but at least they could run block—with the emphasis on could! The NFL's No. 1 and No. 5 rushing offense in 2012 and 2013, the Redskins have fallen to 17th this season.
From Shawn Lauvao to Chris Chester, the team's attempt to improve this unit via free agency over the years simply hasn't worked. As Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch notes, the route to improvement is through the draft:
"The #Redskins offensive-line starters cost $24.18 million against the cap this year. Cowboys o-line is $15.19 mil. Power of the draft.
— michael phillips (@michaelpRTD) October 27, 2014"
Gruden has already benched one starter, and with high draft picks like Josh LeRibeus, Morgan Moses and Spencer Long waiting in the wings, Washington fans have to hope that more changes are forthcoming.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
6 of 10
While the team's run defense has been spotty at times, the Redskins defensive line has played reasonably well considering the litany of injuries it's suffered. Barry Cofield, Kedric Golston, Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher have all been hampered by injury at one time or another this year.
Despite its dwindling depth, though, the team has only surrendered six rushing touchdowns. The highlight of its season came when Washington's defensive front held LeSean McCoy—the NFL's leading rusher in 2013—to 22 yards on 19 carries in Week 3.
Factor in the contributions of Frank Kearse and Hatcher as pass-rushers, and the team's defensive line has improved significantly from last season.
Grade: B
Linebacker
7 of 10
Brian Orakpo and Perry Riley may be the longest-tenured—and highest paid—linebackers on the Skins roster, but Keenan Robinson and Ryan Kerrigan have easily been the team's best performers at the position.
Replacing London Fletcher, Robinson has overcome his checkered injury history and currently leads the team with 76 tackles. Doubling as Washington's best cover linebacker, he's held his own in matchups with receiving tight ends like Delanie Walker, Zach Ertz and Jason Witten.
Usurping Orakpo as the team's top pass-rusher—who's injured again, by the way— Kerrigan leads the team with 7.5 sacks. The highlight of his season was a four-sack performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With rookie Trent Murphy and Will Compton steadily improving, the team's front seven should continue to be the strength of the defense in the second half of the season.
Grade: B
Secondary
8 of 10
What their offensive line is to the offense, the Redskins secondary is to the defense. With the loss of top cornerback DeAngelo Hall and nickelback Tracy Porter, the team was forced to usher rookie Bashaud Breeland and E.J. Biggers into the lineup.
Overwhelmed at first, Breeland has grown into his starting role and now forms a solid tandem with sophomore David Amerson. Matched up with Dez Bryant for most of Washington's 20-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Breeland held the perennial Pro Bowler to three receptions for 30 yards.
Even with that said, the team's secondary has been marred by lapses in coverage. There have been too many occasions in which a miscommunication on defense has resulted in a big play for opposing offenses. Brought in more for his leadership skills than his on-field performance, this looks particularly bad on Ryan Clark's end.
Solid as a blitzer, Brandon Meriweather has again been a liability in coverage.
Allowing quarterbacks to complete 64.3 percent of their passes, with an NFC-low three interceptions, Washington's secondary has a long way to go before it earns a passing grade.
Grade: D
Special Teams
9 of 10
Despite ushering in new players and a new coordinator to oversee the unit, the Skins special teams was a problem spot to start the season.
First, there was the blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown in the season opener. In the weeks that followed, the team's leaky kick coverage consistently handed opposing offenses good field position.
Things have changed lately, though. In Week 8, Kai Forbath was named the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week after hitting the game-winner against the Cowboys. And that came a week after defeating the Tennessee Titans with a late kick.
Signed on to bolster the offense, Roberts has actually contributed the most as a return man. He's 13th in the league in punt return average.
While this unit isn't yet an asset, it's no longer a liability.
Grade: C-
Coaching
10 of 10
In evaluating any coaching staff, you look at a team's record in reference to the talent it has on hand.
A first-time head coach, Gruden wasn't brought in to lead a rebuilding job. As flawed as Washington's roster is, the team's 3-6 record isn't commensurate with its talent base.
Let it be said, though, that Gruden deserves kudos for tailoring his offense to three different quarterbacks, all of whom have differing strengths and weaknesses.
The Redskins aren't elite by any measure on this side of the ball, but in directing a unit that's sixth in total yards, Gruden has showcased the offensive prowess that got him hired in the first place.
The thing is, he's not just responsible for the offense. The struggles on defense fall at his feet too. His decision to retain defensive coordinator Jim Haslett was a curious decision after he landed the job, and it remains so after nine games.
Lauded for his aggressive defenses in the past, as ESPN's Bomani Jones notes, Haslett has been living off reputation for some time now:
"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"
Coaching a defense that is strong in the front seven and weak in the secodnary, the team's roster calls for Haslett to get after the quarterback, a supposed strength of his. So why has this not been the case?
Just look at the team's final two games prior to the bye for insight into this.
Relentless in sending pressure against Tony Romo, Haslett called one his better games of the season, especially considering the opponent. By forcing the quarterback to get the ball out quickly, he—for once—played to the strengths of his defense.
Going against a rookie quarterback the following week, wouldn't basic logic suggest that he would implement a similar game plan?
Apparently not. Utilizing a zone-heavy scheme, his defense was predictably picked apart by rookie Teddy Bridgewater.
In terms of holding his players accountable and setting a standard of play, Gruden has improved as the season has progressed. Steadfast in his support of Cousins and offensive lineman Tyler Polumbus at one time, it was a positive sign to see him pull the plug on the struggling starters.
And the same goes for his mini-benching of Morris in Week 8.
With a bye week to evaluate the team in its entirety, one has to hope he does the same with his coaching staff, starting with Haslett.
Grade: D+
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