Washington Redskins: What We've Learned Through Week 2 of Preseason
The Washington Redskins didn't learn many things they'll like after Week 2 of the preseason. For instance, new offensive line coach Bill Callahan learned he'll need to add "miracle worker" to his job title if he's ever going to build a front this team's quarterbacks can survive behind.
More dreadful line play early on in the 21-17 win over the Detroit Lions on Thursday left Robert Griffin III in 1,000 pieces. That's probably not an overstatement.
Griffin might have been poor against Detroit, or he might have been effective. It's impossible to tell since there wasn't even time to find out between his taking the ball from center and seeing the ground hurtling up at him.
At least the running game is strong. At this rate, the Redskins may be safer never putting the ball in the air at all this season. That sound you hear is DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon collectively weeping.
Find out exactly what Week 2 of the exhibition slate revealed about these Washington Redskins.
These O-Linemen Can't Pass-Protect
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After practically conspiring to send Griffin to the hospital, the O-line is on image-repair duty. Top pick Brandon Scherff, who is supposed to fortify what's been a perennially weak front, called the performance "unacceptable," per Todd Dybas of the Washington Times.
Center Kory Lichtensteiger, the senior statesman of this season's front five, also chipped in: "It didn’t feel good. Felt like we were picking Robert up after every pass play."
Of course, Scherff has to say something after the way Lions D-tackle Tyrunn Walker trucked him. Sherff is a top-five draft pick who found the going tough as a pass protector at right tackle. Sadly, he clearly has plenty to work on as a guard.
Mark Bullock of the Washington Post feels Scherff let himself down with poor footwork and shoddy hands technique. He also noted how "Scherff struggled with inside moves on at least three plays that I noticed."
These issues form a big to-do list for a player who is expected to make a positive impact as a first-year starter. The fact that Scherff is a rookie is giving him a pass on most things right now. But that clemency won't last forever. The team needs to see significant improvement from the former Iowa mainstay who was the best lineman in collegiate football just one year ago.
Worryingly, Scherff has plenty of company in the must-do-better category. Morgan Moses, a virtual rookie after making just one start in 2014, has been inconsistent at right tackle.
The 6'6", 318-pounder is moving people off the ball in the running game but looks flat-footed and stiff-moving in the face of edge pressure.
Given the young ages of both Scherff (23) and Moses (24), we can't rule out improvement. Callahan's teaching will obviously be crucial. Yet their inexperience also means more mistakes aren't just possible—they're inevitable.
Based on how many hits Griffin took against the Lions, Washington may not be able to suffer many more mistakes from one side of its line. Over on the left, the abiding lesson is that Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams must stay healthy. He must, he must, he must.
Backup Willie Smith was a disaster against Detroit's first-team unit. The other option would be Tom Compton. Again, Williams just has to stay healthy.
All of this adds up to one thing: Despite Callahan's arrival and the decision to select Scherff fifth overall, this line is still a mess in pass protection. Without improvement, it won't matter who plays quarterback for the Redskins in 2015.
They Sure Can Run-Block Though
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One positive from the first two weeks of preseason—maybe the only one—is the running game. While this line can't keep a quarterback upright for love or money, the unit sure can knock open holes on the ground.
The Redskins trampled their way to 153 yards and two scores in Week 1's 20-17 win over the Cleveland Browns. Things got even better in Week 2. Washington gashed the Lions for 179 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
The whole premise of this season's offense is controlling games with a heavy diet of running. There isn't really much of a choice given the situation under center, as well as a non-existent pass pocket.
Fortunately, it's taken only two exhibition games to prove Washington's run-heavy scheme can work. Players like Moses and Scherff are shifting to the second level of defenses with quickness and rubbing out would-be tacklers once they get there.
The unit is also executing combination blocking with the kind of precision Griffin wished the men in front of him had on passing downs. Double-teams are creating movement in the middle.
That's proving to be the key to an adjusted system that incorporates more inside runs than the Mike Shanahan-style outside zone-stretch scheme Washington has operated since 2010. So far, rookie Matt Jones has been the main beneficiary.
The third-round pick averaged 5.5 yards against the Lions. A week earlier, the ex-Florida bruiser battered his way to a 7.6-yard average on five carries in Ohio.
Based on what they've shown so far, the Redskins should return to the ranks of the NFL's elite in running the ball after ranking 19th last season. So what's the problem?
A line that can run-block effectively but can't protect the passer was just what Washington had during the Shanahan era. You know, the era head coach Jay Gruden and general manager Scot McCloughan are supposed to be helping this team forget.
Talk about familiarity breeding contempt.
Jay Gruden Is Deadly Serious About Making RG3 a Pocket Passer
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Anyone who harbored any hope of Gruden adapting his offense to better suit Griffin saw that hope get extinguished after the Lions repeatedly hammered No. 10 into the FedEx Field surface.
Gruden wants to make Griffin a pocket passer, and he's serious about it. Deadly serious, in fact.
Despite the almighty beating Detroit's front seven was doling out, Gruden kept RG3 in the pocket. He kept him there and kept him there.
The shoulder stinger and concussion that 2012's second-overall pick suffered, per ESPN.com's John Keim, were inevitable. Gruden's ignorance of the risks raised serious questions about the decision to keep him out there for a fourth series, according to Yahoo Sports' Eric Edholm: "The first three series, Griffin was hit five times and sacked twice."
Gruden keeping Griffin in sums up the major problem crippling this team. Nobody is prepared to give up on Griffin, so his coach has to make it work. But he'll only do that his way.
Making Griffin a pocket-based success is going to take a lot of work. So, you can hardly limit his time. But make no mistake, a quarterback who didn't need so much work wouldn't have stayed in so long.
Things would look better if the coach and the quarterback met each other halfway. But that doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon.
What's galling is how Griffin was kept static, while backup Colt McCoy was allowed to attack the Lions on roll-outs. Moving the pocket to avoid pressure is always a good idea, but it comes too late once the medical staff has helped the starting quarterback off the field.
Granted, Griffin isn't as mobile as he was since the injuries mounted. But he's certainly no static passer.
Pairing a coach who wants a pocket-style air attack with a quarterback who can only thrive on the move has created a dysfunctional imbalance that will leave this team in a losing mode.
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Joe Barry's Defense Can Make Big Plays but Lacks Fundamentals
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It's been two games, nine sacks and an interception for new coordinator Joe Barry's revamped defense. So far, the book on his unit is long on big plays and short on getting the basics right.
Barry's group is lacking the fundamentals. Poor tackling was a chronic problem against the Lions. There were also a few of the lapses in coverage that were all too frequent last season.
In particular, linebackers found themselves covering wide receivers in space. Listen up, Joe: It didn't work for Jim Haslett, and it won't work for you.
Those were the shaky aspects of Washington's defensive performance. The positives came from a swarming pass rush that looks capable of winning from base fronts and with some sub-package creativity.
A sack from cornerback Justin Rogers took care of the latter. It was a well-constructed design from Barry that baffled the Lions' blocking schemes.
Deputy edge-rushers also had a good night. Jackson Jeffcoat and Houston Bates again registered sacks, just as they did in Ohio.
But the most pleasing aspect of the pass rush was the pressure generated along the interior. Ricky Jean Francois got a sack, but Jason Hatcher was the real menace. He could have had three quarterback takedowns as he consistently applied major heat from the inside.
Barry's greater reliance on one-gap principles is expected to create more big plays this season. Based on the early evidence, that's one claim you can take to the bank.
This Team Still Has a Lot of Work to Do
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OK, so you probably knew this already. But there's nothing like action in a semi-competitive game to remind you just how far this rebuilding team has to go before it becomes a winner.
Gruden and McCloughan can hang their hats on the pass rush and running game so far. But that's it.
As for the rest, the O-line that's supposed to be so much better this season remains a horror show in pass protection. That's only going to further stunt the development of the quarterback whose future this team remains dangerously tied to.
Earlier in the week, Bleacher Report Insider Jason Cole reported how the Redskins want to start Griffin all year, "win, lose, draw, no matter what happens this season." That's an outrageous concession for a quarterback who has struggled so much the last two years.
A roster with good runners, talented receivers and some big-play specialists on defense shouldn't be expected to potentially write off a season while the man under center tries to figure things out.
The disturbing plan won't even have a chance to work if Griffin isn't given time to throw and stay off the treatment table. It would also help if his coach were more concerned with protecting than remaking him.
If, and it's a big if, the Redskins can figure out ways to solve some of these glaring contradictions, this team can be more than solid this season. At the moment, though, these questions appear too difficult to answer in the time remaining before the real action begins.
All statistics and player information via NFL.com.
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