Washington Redskins: How Can Joe Barry Get Most out of Defense in 2015?

With questions at quarterback, if the Washington Redskins are to rise from the cellar of the NFC East in 2015, it'll be on the strength of their defense.

New defensive coordinator Joe Barry's defense.

The former linebackers coach of the San Diego Chargers wasn't the team's first choice to run the defense—according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, many believed that was Vic Fangio. Nonetheless, he's the man tasked with turning around a unit that's finished 18th or worse in total defense in four of the past five seasons.

While the roster he has to work with isn't bereft of talent, doing this will be no easy task for Barry. It is possible, though. How, you ask?

Well, let's find out. Here's the blueprint to getting the most out of Washington's defense in 2015.

Instill Accountability and Discipline

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Tackles were missed, coverage assignments were blown and let's not even get started on penalties. That about sums up Washington's defense last season. Moreover, this highlights a glaring lack of discipline and accountability.

How was it exactly that Ryan Clark led all safeties in missed tackles but continued to start game in and game out?

Why did David Amerson, who had a historically bad 2014 campaign (h/t Hogs Haven), only trail Clark in defensive snaps?

Injuries to the likes of Duke Ihenacho, Tracy Porter and DeAngelo Hall played a part in this. And to Clark and Amerson's credit, talent and track record had something to do with both sticking in the lineup. 

But at what point does poor play outweigh the aforementioned factors? It needs to under Barry.

Specifically in reference to the secondary, there's a youth movement ongoing. And with that comes growing pains. 

But by definition, repeating the same actions and expecting different results is insanity. With Washington trotting out the same players responsible for Football Outsiders' worst pass defense week in and week out, this all but sums up the team's defensive game plan—insane!

Therefore, when tasked with handling an underachieving player, Barry has to pull the plug. It could be for a play, a series or indefinite.

The fact remains, though: Regardless of a player's salary or stature, no one can be above reproach. You either do your job or watch someone else do it.

Be the Anti-Haslett

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While Barry has his own failures to draw from—his defenses in 2007 and 2008 with the Detroit Lions ranked last in total defense—his predecessor, Jim Haslett, all but laid out a guide of what not to do with Washington’s personnel.

Known to run an aggressive defense, Haslett actually blitzed to the detriment of his defense in 2014.

According to Pro Football Focus’ Nathan Jahnke, the Skins blitzed 33.3 percent of the time, which ranked eighth in the NFL.

Saddled with a pair of over-the-hill safeties in Brandon Meriweather and Clark, in addition to two green corners (Bashaud Breeland and Amerson), you could say Haslett executed this game plan without the best interests of his players in mind.

Making matters worse, blitzing didn’t net results. Washington was 24th in the NFL in blitz productivity. On 195 dropbacks, the quarterback was sacked, hit or hurried just 79 times.

Looking past the potential pitfalls of unsuccessfully blitzing—i.e. big plays—you’ll find the Skins were in actuality more productive when they didn’t send extra rushers. They were 10th in the NFL in pass-rushing productivity sans the blitz.

Keeping this in mind, with the additions the team has added up front, Barry would be best served adopting the latter approach.

Defensive Line Rotation

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Speaking of the players up front, with the signings of Terrance Knighton, Stephen Paea and Ricky Jean Francois, Washington is now flush with talent along the defensive line. And, boy, will the team need it. 

In a league long tailored to the benefit of offenses, tempo is the latest weapon teams have at their disposal to combat opposing defenses. With teams running more plays, and at a faster pace, fatigue and miscommunication have increasingly hampered defenses.

The equivalent to human battering rams, defensive linemen are the most susceptible to the heightened pace and thus prone to wearing down late in games. 

Sporting five defensive linemen who started at least 12 games in 2014 on their depth chart, the Redskins have the means to keep fresh, productive players in the game at all times. The team can also mix up the looks it gives offenses.

Speaking with reporters in June, Barry touched on this very topic. "We are very multiple," Barry said. "We’re going to give you a bunch of different looks."

With such depth, after finishing as the NFL's 12th-best defense against the run a season ago, Washington is primed to sport an elite run defense in 2015.

While the team doesn't have the makings of an elite unit as a whole, with the youth the Skins have on hand, if Barry can push the right buttons, the foundation of the next great Washington defense can be set.

Unless otherwise noted, advanced statistics courtesy of Football Outsiders and Pro Football Focus.