5 Keys to Potent Washington Redskins Ground Game in 2015
Two seasons removed from sporting the NFL's top rushing attack, the Washington Redskins' rushing offense was anything but potent in 2014.
Lead back Alfred Morris had the worst season of his three-year career, as the team finished 19th in rushing. Additionally, ball security was an issue. Washington was sixth in the league with nine fumbles.
Again facing questions at quarterback, the Redskins can't afford to have a similar chain of events occur if the team is to bounce back from a 4-12 season.
With that said, let's highlight the five keys to a potent Redskins ground game in 2015.
Unless stated otherwise, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com.
Cohesive Offensive Line
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Washington's offensive front was never world-class, but behind a dynamic quarterback and long successful rushing scheme, the team managed to finish first and fifth in rushing yards in the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Sporting the league's 19-ranked rushing attack last season, the Redskins were unable to mask their deficiencies up front. What deficiencies, you ask?
Well, for starters, only Kory Lichtensteiger and Trent Williams earned above average grades from Pro Football Focus for their performance in 2014.
Another misstep was head coach Jay Gruden putting more of an emphasis on power runs without changing the personnel up front. Free-agent signee Shawn Lauvao was a fit for the physical rushing style Gruden preferred, but the remaining four starters were all holdovers from the Shanahan regime.
Gruden did still use zone rushing plays to his credit, but the cohesion up front was lacking. But no more.
Starting with the hiring of Bill Callahan as the offensive line coach, the Redskins made the necessary changes along the offensive line to feature a power running game.
Replacing Chris Chester and Tom Compton/Tyler Polumbus on the right side of the offensive line will be rookie Brandon Scherff and Spencer Long. In addition to the size these two bring to the table, both Scherff and Long are maulers in the running game.
Even at center, where Lichtensteiger now resides after making the transition over from guard in 2014, the team aimed to get bigger. A guard by trade, 315-pound Josh LeRibeus has seen snaps at center during OTAs:
"One thing I didn't add w/ @kevins980 is that Josh LeRibeus was once again working at center ...Position versatility is a must.
— Chris Russell (@Russellmania980) June 9, 2015"
While inexperienced in spots, with a clear direction, Washington's offensive line should be much improved in 2015.
Stay Committed
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Throughout his inaugural season in D.C., Gruden was quick to abandon the running game. The team was 21st in rushing attempts.
Oh, and over 61 percent of those attempts were on first down. And wouldn't you know it, but this was its least productive down. The Skins only averaged 4.0 yards per carry, compared to 4.7 yards and 4.1 yards a rush on second and third down.
Reluctant to run the football if he didn't have early success, Gruden put his quarterbacks in an unfavorable position as a result. A meager run here, an incomplete pass there and the team is already facing 3rd-and-long.
Call it conservative if you want, but with the crop of quarterbacks he has at his disposal, Gruden can't have a quick hook with his running game. Touching on this very topic, ESPN's John Keim was in agreement that Washington should follow the lead of its running backs.
"The quarterback play does not warrant thinking any other way—that's not just about Griffin, but all of them. They all make enough mistakes that the run game must be the way to go in creating an identity," he said.
Improved Defense
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Sporting an average margin of defeat of 14.6 points in 2014, there were various instances in which the Redskins, successful or not, couldn't run the ball. The time or score of a game didn't make it feasible to do so.
That falls on the defense.
Simply put, a run-first team, as Washington aspires to be, can't be a winning team if its opponents are scoring 30 or 40 points in a game. And to be clear, that happened on five occasions last season.
The Redskins were the NFL's 29th-ranked scoring defense—27.4 points per game—a season ago. So it goes without saying, for the running game to be more of a focal point in 2015, the defense can't put the offense in a situation where it has to play catch-up.
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Robert Griffin III
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At this juncture, you'd be better off asking yourself what isn't Robert Griffin III the key of for all things Redskins?
It's no different here.
Even with receiving threats like DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon on the Skins' roster, if Griffin isn't effective, teams won't hesitate to load the box against Washington's rushing attack.
If opposed by such a front, Griffin will have to make teams pay. Particularly on his throws down the field. Last season, he only completed 30 percent of his passes that were for 20-plus yards.
With Griffin at his best, utilizing play-action passes, it'll be beneficial to the Washington offense as a whole if he can recapture the deep ball he displayed as a rookie, when he completed nearly 50 percent of such passes.
Matt Jones
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Morris is and should be the team's starting running back. Let's be honest, though: The move to a power-running scheme doesn't bode well for the 2015 free agent's future in Washington.
And neither does the presence of third-round pick Matt Jones. A downhill runner with great size—6'2", 231 pounds—he's an ideal fit for Gruden's revamped running game.
Take it with a grain of salt because he's yet to participate in contact drills, but thus far Jones has impressed his coaches:
"McVay on rookie RB Matt Jones: "We've been very pleased with him." Says he looks forward to seeing him compete in full pads.
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) June 9, 2015"
A rookie running back transitioning quickly to the NFL game isn't a foreign concept. And with that, in a day and age in which workhorse running backs are all but extinct, the expectation will be for Jones to make an immediate impact in D.C..
Knowing the team only churned out 15 first downs on 39 third down runs in 2014, Jones should be featured prominently on third-and-shorts.
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