Redskins vs. 49ers: What Are Experts Saying About Washington?

Few things are as ugly as the DC area media following a horrible loss by the Washington Redskins. So much of the failure to this point has overshadowed the rest of the season that focusing on the next opponent is a tall order for anyone involved—writer, player or fan.

Even so, the 'Skins head to San Francisco this week with a lot of chatter from the media to take with them.

It isn't anything Washington fans haven't had to endure in the past, though it seems especially gruesome these days—a franchise quarterback not doing enough to win, a defense struggling to stop opponents, a coach in over his head.

It's par for the course for faithful fans of the burgundy and gold. 

Here are some of the things that the media have been talking about regarding Washington this week.

Trent Williams Is a Troubling Question Mark Against San Francisco

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

In arguably the worst news facing the Redskins this week, left tackle Trent Williams may not be available for Washington's game against San Francisco, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Washington.

Williams sprained his knee against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has sat out of practice every day this week.

Robert Griffin III was having trouble against the pass rush even with Williams on his blind side. Without Williams, unless the Redskins game-plan to account for his absence, Griffin is going to look a lot worse than he looked against the Bucs.

Aldon Smith is back in the Niners lineup, and though he has yet to have any impact in his lone game this season, he may be preparing for a field day against the turnstiles that comprise Washington's offensive line.

Brian Mitchell Is Rightfully Irate with Washington's Play

Nick Wass/Associated Press

If anyone cares about the R-words, it is Brian Mitchell. It is apparent in his postgame tirade that he is fed up with the players and their on-field performance.

"Play some damn football! You sucked on the field today, and you know who you are!"

 Some other words Mitchell used in the rant were "embarrassing," "atrocious," "despicable" and "asinine."

If only some of the guys in the locker room would care as much as Mitchell does. Unlike many of today's players, Mitchell wasn't one of the guys who made millions on top of millions during his career. He was a player who left it all out on the field and has been a vocal critic of the team since he left the field.

And Washington deserves every bit of it.

Mitchell didn't need to name names, though he seemed to want to. Robert Griffin III and DeSean Jackson are likely his targets since Griffin had the postgame conference and Jackson took to Instagram to let the world know his feelings about the team and perhaps his teammates.

The Name "Redskins" Is Still Controversial, but You Don't Have to See It Online

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

In news that doesn't have anything to do with what happens on the field, there now exists a web extension that replaces the word "Redskins" with alternate names for the team.

It acts as a skin for Google Chrome to replace the controversial team name with things like "Natives" and "Citizens."

Why is it relevant? In terms of the game taking place on the field, it isn't. But it is interesting to consider that the most embarrassing thing about the team is what it does on the field and not the team name that has been so hotly debated over the last year in particular.

The media frenzy going on in Washington is a tiresome affair for anyone to have to endure.

Rodney Harrison Has Seen Enough of Griffin

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Perhaps the term "expert" is being used very loosely in the case of Rodney Harrison, but if you ask him, he'll tell you, "I’ve seen enough. I don’t think he [Robert Griffin III] fits in the system. I think you have to get rid of him," according to Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post.

Harrison made a career out of making big hits and talking trash during his time with the San Diego Chargers and then became outspoken about violent hits in the NFL. So at least he has some credibility when it comes to playing the game.

That said, how can he say he's seen enough? Griffin has all of one season of good tape on him—his rookie season, to be specific. He was an electric dual-threat quarterback in a system that worked to utilize his arm and his legs and relied on the ground game led by Alfred Morris.

In his second season, he clearly was not prepared to start, never got comfortable with his knee, never had a chance to get comfortable behind the porous offensive line and had to deal with family spats between head coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as well as the disconnect with Griffin himself.

Flash forward to this season, with the same crappy offensive line and a new head coach, and you want him to thrive instantly?

Has Griffin looked bad this season? Yes. But it isn't as though he's had a ton of stability or even been healthy long enough to show what he can do if given the time to learn.

If anything, Harrison should focus on Griffin's injury history as opposed to his spotty play.

Numbers Show Griffin Is Not the Best Quarterback for the Job

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

Though it may be on hold for the time being, Washington's season thus far qualifies as a quarterback carousel. Griffin started the season, and then Kirk Cousins came in when Griffin got hurt. Colt McCoy took over when Cousins turned the ball over repeatedly, and then Griffin got healthy and got the starting job back.

A serious statistical breakdown by Neil Greenburg of The Washington Post shows that McCoy has been the best fit in Gruden's offense between preseason and the regular season.

Numbers rarely tell the whole story, but when competence and execution of an offensive system are issues, they do shed light on the matter.

Take a look for yourself to get the whole picture; there is little need for me to insert my understanding to muddy the waters.

Griffin, according to these numbers, has been a disappointment. His season totals don't do much to change that. 

Jay Gruden Admits His Mistake but Doesn't Change What He Said

Jim Mone/Associated Press

One of the bigger stories following the unexpected, but not surprising, loss to Tampa Bay was coach Jay Gruden's statement during the postgame press conference—or rather one out-of-context quote from the press conference.

Gruden let his frustration out when he said Griffin "needs to worry about himself, not everybody else."

Since then, he has come out and admitted, "It was a mistake on my part" to have singled Griffin out the way he did.

It is a small thing and maybe a little too late given the state of this season, but a first-time head coach who is trying to keep himself and his team from crumbling even more than they have is a positive sign.

It has little to do with the upcoming game, and it doesn't erase anything Gruden or Griffin said. But it shows that Gruden has his head in the right place, which most people would forgive him if it wasn't under the circumstances.

While admitting his mistake may mend a fence or two, it is little more than a Band-Aid on the series of problems plaguing this team.

Chris Cooley's Game Analysis Halted by Griffin's Unfathomable Poor Play

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

"RGIII was so bad, I can't assess the rest of the Redskins offense."

Those are powerful words from former tight end Chris Cooley, whom some consider a Redskins legend. They are powerful and eerily accurate, as he breaks down Washington's performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Cooley's analysis is fantastic and raises more questions beyond his take on the situation with Griffin and the Redskins.

It is infinitely easier to break a game down after the fact, picking all the missed throws, wrong looks and mechanical errors than it is to do it on the fly in a game. Still, it is apparent in Cooley's study that even the simple things aren't being executed by Griffin in particular.

Gruden had the same sentiment after the game, which was very telling of his frustration with Griffin.

If Griffin is struggling with mechanics and reads against a defense that has been as atrocious as the Bucs have been all season long, what is he going to do against the slightly better 49ers defense?