Rounding Up the Latest Washington Redskins Offseason Buzz

DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon feature fairly prominently in the latest offseason buzz surrounding the Washington Redskins. One-half of the NFC East club's star wide receiver double act has come in for criticism thanks to his apparent lack of interest in OTAs.

Meanwhile, the other half is set for a pivotal season defined by the quest to get him the ball more often, something a position change may fix.

The storylines surrounding each pass-catcher have reopened the debate about who is the best wideout on Washington's roster. It's not a question that necessarily needs to be asked, but that hasn't stopped several writers from weighing in.

Moving away from a specific position for a moment, there's been a lot of focus on the change in personality and culture at Redskins Park this offseason. Outside linebacker Trent Murphy has had his say, confirming new general manager Scot McCloughan's desire to build a bully.

There's also a rethink of how to assess head coach Jay Gruden's play-calling, always a contentious issue. Finally, there's even room for an update on veteran cornerback DeAngelo Hall's health and where he fits in this season's revamped secondary.

Find out more about the latest offseason commentary and buzz involving the Redskins.

Washington Is the New Bully on the Block

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“We’re definitely gonna be able to bully some people.”

Those are the words of second-year pro Murphy, spoken during an interview with ESPN 980's Inside the Locker Room (h/t Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post).

It's a promise he believes a team now better built to rough opponents up will keep. Murphy particularly emphasized the role a bigger, nastier offensive line will play. The former Stanford man expects the Redskins to batter defenses on the ground with power running the way the Cardinal used to trample over the Pac-12.

This idea of being a bully has been a recurring one during Washington's offseason. It began with McCloughan's arrival.

He joined the Redskins after helping build formidable rosters for the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, two of the most physically punishing teams in football. So it stood to reason McCloughan would bring the same mentality to D.C.

Sure enough, every move he's made since being hired, has been directed toward building a bigger, badder team that will intimidate every opponent on the schedule.

As Murphy noted, it's most obvious along the offensive line, where McCloughan wisely used his top draft pick on malevolent road-grader Brandon Scherff. He's currently penciled in at right tackle, while beefy second-year man Spencer Long has been asked to replace finesse flop Chris Chester at guard.

They will help redefine an O-line that has previously relied on zone techniques but will now mix in plenty of power this season, according to Real Redskins blogger Rich Tandler. It's a group tasked with knocking open holes for a pair of bruising running backs in the form of Alfred Morris and Matt Jones.

McCloughan snagged famed line guru Bill Callahan from hated foe the Dallas Cowboys to orchestrate a dominant ground attack. Whenever he's discussed the changes up front, McCloughan has highlighted the desire for greater physicality as the main emphasis, per Stephen Czarda of the team's official site:

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Coach Callahan totally agreed with my same philosophy that we want big, tough, nasty, strong guys… I was talking to [President] Bruce [Allen] about it this morning. We’re not going to win every game. I want this team when they go out – when you get done playing the Washington Redskins, you know you’re playing them. You’re going to feel it. I want those guys.

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For a team that's been pushed around a lot the last six years, it's a major shift in personality. Many connected to the game have taken notice, including B/R analyst Matt Bowen.

More than once, Bowen has emphasized how Washington are now "big, strong, physical and nasty" with players such as Scherff on board. "Hitting people in the mouth" has become something of a tagline for McCloughan's remade roster.

When discussing how Jones may be utilized as a rookie, Bowen stressed how the Redskins are being shaped into a more imposing football team. He used phrases such as "old school" and "physical" to describe McCloughan's new-look roster.

But these descriptions don't just apply to the offense. Murphy himself is part of a defense that's bigger and more intimidating at every level. The arrivals of defensive tackles Terrance Knighton, Ricky Jean Francois and Stephen Paea ensure the line will be stronger and more aggressive.

Speaking of aggression, that should be the defining characteristic of a secondary featuring hitters like Dashon Goldson, Jeron Johnson and Duke Ihenacho at safety. Meanwhile, cornerback Chris Culliver is a big-bodied cover man never shy about clamping onto receivers.

Overall, the Redskins are bigger and tougher than 2014. Whether that translates to more wins is a different matter altogether.

Football isn't quite the chess match its purist and hipster fans often like to pretend it is. Yet it also isn't the simplistic, blue-collar slugfest many of its so-called "throwback" fans insist it is.

Like most things, the reality lies somewhere in between. So Washington's greater physicality needs to be matched with smarter coaching and sensible game-planning.

Only then will this franchise start to win on a regular basis.

Sean McVay Needs to Listen to Wise, Old Heads

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Having an offensive coordinator barely older than the players he's coaching is not a dynamic most teams would indulge. At least, most teams wouldn't indulge it without the balance a few experienced heads can offer.

Sean McVay didn't have those when he was designing the offense for Washington in 2014. But things have now changed around the 29-year-old.

The additions of Callahan and quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh, one of the best acquisitions of this offseason, mean McVay has some wise, old minds to draw from.

But the youthful coaching prodigy has to be willing to ask for help. In fairness, he's already been talking up the welcome influence Cavanaugh has had, per Todd Dybas of The Washington Times:

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Having Matt Cavanaugh with the experience he has as a player and a coach has been a great resource for myself and the quarterbacks. He’s done a great job of sort of implementing the fundamental techniques and the things we want to emphasize on a daily basis from a work standpoint . It’s been extremely valuable.

"

Yet everybody's friends during the offseason. It's how these relationships work when the games count and the pressure of each call is magnified that really matters.

McVay will need to show the same willingness to welcome input from sideline veterans with Cavanaugh and Callahan's lofty reputations. There may even be a danger of a "too many cooks in the kitchen" scenario.

After all, both Cavanaugh and Callahan have called plays in their time. McVay's ability to combine his own ideas with the input he receives from senior members of his staff may be determined by exactly how much authority he has to call the plays.

As Dybas noted, it was an authority he lacked last season when there was simply too much piled on the young coordinator's plate:

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There were holes and oddities around the Redskins’ coaching prodigy last season. His job was part coordinator, part quarterbacks coach. He had play-call input, but Jay Gruden also handled that. Most teams had a quarterbacks coach, yet the Redskins did not despite heaving tumult at the position.

"

As much as it will be important for McVay to include others, it will be just as helpful for Gruden to back off. He can't micromanage this season. In all honesty, why would he when the offensive staff has been improved so much in key areas?

Listening to Cavanaugh and Callahan will make McVay a better play-caller. Gruden should set the direction and keep his assistants on the right track, but he has to leave them the nuts and bolts. 

Re-Examining Jay Gruden's Play-Calling

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You'd be hard-pressed to find any Redskins fan, writer or commentator who wouldn't define Gruden's play-calling in 2014 as "pass-happy." But Real Redskins blogger Rich Tandler isn't convinced the label is a fair one.

He's trawled the statistical breakdowns to come up with some numbers that certainly expand the debate. For instance, he discovered Gruden was right at the league average for pass plays when trailing by seven or more points.

Yet for those still intent on pointing a finger at Gruden for his tendency to air it out (myself included), Tandler did note how the coach "was a bit more pass-happy" when leading by seven or more, "going 50.5 percent pass to 49.5 percent run."

Tandler mostly focused on how few plays Washington ran when in the lead. Now, there's some ambiguity here. Tandler wasn't referring to runs, just plays executed.

The most telling revelation he described concerns how few times Washington actually played with a lead:

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But the average is deceiving. They ran 53 of those plays with a lead of a touchdown or more in Week 2 against the Jaguars. The other 38 snaps came in two other games, the Week 3 shootout in Philadelphia and in Week 9 in Minnesota. So in 13 games they didn’t take a single snap with a lead of at least seven points.

"

In a 16-game season, trailing in 13 games is the stuff of nightmares. It speaks to fundamental flaws at every key area of the team, and is not merely a problem limited to play-calling.

Turnovers on offense soon leave you chasing a deficit. So does a defense that surrenders more big plays than it makes. It also doesn't help when the special teams consistently lose the field-position battle.

But while the numbers make for interesting reading, it would be a mistake to ignore the negative impact Gruden's approach had. It's tough to protect the football and keep a weak defense out of the firing line when you throw the ball more than you run it.

When that approach is foisted on struggling quarterbacks playing behind a dire offensive line, disastrous results are inevitable. What will really be interesting to see is how Gruden calls games—or preferably, how he allows games to be called—in 2015.

He no longer has the excuse of inheriting a shaky O-line. The unit has been revamped at both the personnel and coaching levels, with a pair of prominent draft picks set to start along a front ready to be tutored by one of the league's best.

As for the running game, another workhorse type has been added via this year's draft. Jones and Morris will have equal chances to make their respective marks in a scheme more suited to their natural power and running styles.

Gruden also won't be given the benefit of the doubt he received after last year's terrible 4-12 finish. He's no loner a first-year sideline general allowed to find his feet. Instead, he's a coach under real pressure to prove his way can help create a winner in Washington.

If Gruden still airs it out with an offense a new GM has apparently built to win on the ground, no statistical breakdown will be enough to defend his position.

Matt Miller Opens Up the Jackson vs. Garcon Debate

The debate over who's the best wide receiver on the Redskins roster shouldn't even be a debate at all. Having Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson together should be a win-win for Washington.

However, some debate is inevitable considering how Jackson was signed after Garcon enjoyed a record-breaking 2013. But while Jackson thrived in 2014, Garcon's statistics dipped.

That's why it's surprised some that B/R writer Matt Miller ranked the latter ahead of the former in his recent breakdown of the NFL's best players at the position.

It's a decision that CSN Washington's Peter Hailey analyzed by focusing on one significant aspect: "Interestingly enough, Miller gave both players an overall grade of 90/100, and according to him, his tie-breaking system relied on one question: 'Which player would I rather have on my team?'"

That's become a relevant question since Jackson missed OTAs this offseason. Even though Liz Clarke of The Washington Post noted how Jackson did so with the team's permission, his absence didn't exactly strike the right note.

Clarke also carried quotes from fullback Darrel Young and tight end Niles Paul which emphasized the importance of OTAs as opportunities to foster team spirit and build the type of playing rapport that becomes crucial once the games count.

ESPN.com writer Jason Reid was less than impressed with Jackson's actions. He felt they were indicative of the wrong image often created by the Burgundy and Gold: "Jackson's absence from organized team activities looked bad for him and reinforced the image of the Redskins being a rudderless organization. The fact is, you can't succeed in the NFL if your team lacks leadership."

But whatever your view on Jackson is, one thing that shouldn't be in dispute is his talent for stretching defenses vertically. He may be the best deep threat in the NFL.

The real question is how can Washington maximize that talent while not wasting what Garcon offers? It's a problem Gruden and his staff are apparently determined to solve.

To that end, a position change has been implemented, according to Mike Jones of The Washington Post. It involves Garcon switching with Jackson to become the "Z" receiver, while the former Philadelphia Eagles ace becomes the "X."

A Fox Sports report offered some detail about these rather specific designations: "In most offenses, including Gruden's, the X wide receiver is responsible for making big plays and occasionally operating clear out routes. The Z wide receiver tends to run more short and intermediate high-percentage routes."

With that description in mind, this is a shrewd switch. Garcon's best attribute is winning over the middle and turning short passes into long gains. That was the backbone of his run in 2013. By contrast, Jackson is never better than when he's running a post route and getting behind a secondary.

What this change does show is how committed Gruden is to involving Garcon more this season. ESPN reporter Britt McHenry recently noted that intention.

It can only be a good thing for the team's quarterbacks to have a weapon like Garcon involved more often. He boasts excellent hands and a wide catching radius to make himself an easy target.

Robert Griffin III certainly needs one of those to aim for. B/R analyst Matt Bowen also noted how more catches for Garcon is proof the team is "moving the sticks on third downs."

In terms of value, it's more important for the Redskins to have Garcon involved as much as possible than it is to move Jackson around.

DeAngelo Hall Facing a Fight to Get Back on the Field

Liz Clarke of The Washington Post recently discussed the revamped secondary with B/R's Adam Lefkoe. She noted how 31-year-old Hall is eager to prove he's "fully back."

What's intriguing about that is exactly how the player who tore the same Achilles twice last season will fit in 2015's defensive backfield. After all, it isn't just Culliver's addition that creates an obstacle for Hall.

He also has to contend with the rapid emergence of 2014 fourth-rounder Bashaud Breeland. He was a revelation a year ago. As a scrappy hand-fighter at the position, Breeland certainly fits well on a team that wants to be a bully.

There's also David Amerson to consider. Despite two mediocre pro seasons since being drafted with the team's top pick in 2013, Washington may not be ready to give up on Amerson just yet.

That's reflected in the role he's played during OTAs. Mike Jones of The Washington Post noted how he's seen in the field in sub-package sets: "In nickel packages, David Amerson still joins those two, with Breeland sliding inside to cover the slot receiver."

Meanwhile, ESPN.com's John Keim has indicated how playing physical and using press techniques is what Amerson does best. Frankly, that should have been obvious to Washington's coaches since his rookie season.

The fact he wasn't always allowed to play that style is indicative of the erratic way former coordinator Jim Haslett was allowed to call defenses.

But what does the future hold for Hall? He doesn't exactly fit the physical mold of Amerson or Breeland. Yet there are few defensive backs on the roster who can be trusted to cope with elite receivers. Hall also has a greater flair for big plays, something in woefully short supply on last season's D.

Breeland working in the slot is interesting because of how the position suits his more aggressive attributes. Moving him inside and inserting Hall back out on the edge would be a good way to get three stellar cornerbacks on the field together.

Considering how often teams play nickel, Breeland would hardly lose much playing time in this scenario.

What's clear is Hall still adds real value to this defense. If he is cleared for minicamp, how he reacts to playing again will be one of the more significant storylines to monitor.

The latest buzz surrounding Washington seems to imply a team largely settled on the personnel level. Greater talent is in place, so now's the time to refine the schemes to ensure the best use of those options once the real action begins.

The process has already started in earnest.