Washington Redskins Week 6 Stock Report
Despite pushing an unbeaten team all the way on the road in Week 5, the Washington Redskins have several players whose stock is falling.
The main culprits are the coaches who were ill-prepared and too slow to adjust to events during the 25-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime. As the main man in charge, head coach Jay Gruden has to bear the brunt of the blame. But he didn't receive much help from the coordinator who is tasked with running the defense.
Joe Barry saw his group get pushed around on the ground. That's not supposed to happen after heavy investment in the D-line this offseason.
The lone bright spot for Barry was the performance of a banged-up secondary. In particular, rough-and-ready cornerback Bashaud Breeland really stood out. He showed enough to indicate his promising rookie season was no fluke.
Speaking of promising rookies, wideout Jamison Crowder proved to be the gem of the week for the burgundy and gold. The fourth-round pick showed why he can revitalize the passing game for Washington.
Read on for a more detailed accounting of the Redskins' stock report headed into Week 6.
Stock Down: The Running Game
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Washington's supposedly vaunted rushing attack stunk up the joint in Week 5. These run-heavy Redskins were anything but as they managed a pathetic 51 yards on 24 carries against the Falcons.
Worryingly, the fault is widespread. While Alfred Morris continues to struggle, No. 46 is not alone in this particular shame game. Rookie Matt Jones scored but can't be proud of a grand total of 20 yards on 11 attempts.
A damaging consequence of the stalled ground attack is how it's putting quarterback Kirk Cousins and the passing game in unfavorable down-and-distance situations.
The problem stems from not making sufficient ground on first down, as noted by Rick Snider of the Washington Post: "Why can’t the Redskins run well? It starts with first down. Washington gained only 30 yards on 14 first-down runs Sunday. The Redskins were forced to pass rather than run in second-and-long situations."
Gruden, offensive coordinator Sean McVay and line coach Bill Callahan have to get together and fix these issues before facing the New York Jets in Week 6. The process will demand answering a few tricky questions.
First, Gruden must decide how much he's willing to trust Morris, whom Snider noted is producing a career-low 3.7 yards-per-carry average. A committee approach sounds great in theory, but solving the woes on the ground will initially require finding and trusting the hot hand.
If it's not Morris, then Gruden must sit the three-time 1,000-yard rusher and give the keys to either Jones or Chris Thompson and trust the replacement for longer than he did in Atlanta.
But no matter who is lugging the rock, Callahan's O-line has to generate more movement along and beyond the line of scrimmage. During the last three games, it's become commonplace to see defensive linemen meet runners in the backfield. Now's the time for Callahan to prove he merits his lofty reputation by coaxing significant improvement from his young group.
Washington's offense is built to control the clock and wear down defenses with the running game. Sadly, the Redskins did neither in Atlanta. Instead, the Falcons showed them how it's done.
Stock Down: Run Defense
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When you sign three defensive tackles during the offseason while generally committing to getting bigger across your entire defense, you're not supposed to be gashed on the ground the way Washington was in Atlanta.
Devonta Freeman sprinted and bulldozed his way to a career-best 153 yards on 27 carries. Each time he sped past would-be tacklers around the corner or simply ran over them through the middle, one question loomed large.
Where was the Redskins defensive line?
It's a fair question. Where exactly was the group that was supposedly fortified by the arrivals of Ricky Jean Francois, Stephen Paea and Terrance "Pot Roast" Knighton during free agency?
No member of the trio, or those from a supporting cast led by Jason Hatcher and Chris Baker, rocked Atlanta blockers back on their heels. They didn't get to the wrong side of the line of scrimmage to meet Freeman before he built up real momentum.
There were simply no impact plays from the burgundy and gold's big-ticket items up front. The failure to generate any was particularly disappointing from Knighton. Washington signed Pot Roast to be the run-stuffer extraordinaire this team has lacked for too long.
In truth, the Falcons didn't make it easy on Washington's house-sized 0-technique. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan (remember him?) consistently had Freeman attack on zone-style stretch plays. Those runs pulled the defense laterally and ran away from Knighton in the middle.
Still, it shouldn't have been beyond one of the premier run defenders in the NFL to split some gaps and attack downhill to stop Freeman before he made his one-cut-and-go move upfield.
The same goes for every other member of Washington's front-line rotation. Knighton and his mates may be more comfortable against the Jets and straight-ahead sledgehammer Chris Ivory this week.
Struggles up front in Atlanta meant an overwhelmed group of inside linebackers found it tough to bring down Freeman at the second level. His success also meant wasting a fine effort from an injury-depleted defensive backfield.
Stock Up: Bashaud Breeland, CB
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Entering the game without veteran cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Chris Culliver seemed like a one-way ticket to disaster for the Redskins. After all, they were facing a high-powered Falcons aerial attack expertly directed by quarterback Matt Ryan.
But the replacements didn't just answer the call for Washington, they excelled. A rag-tag group of deputies could still count on second-year cover man Bashaud Breeland. The scrappy sophomore had an outstanding game in Atlanta, breaking up four passes and helping himself to an interception.
Last season's fourth-round pick made it clear he wasn't wowed by the opposition, according to Zac Boyer of the Washington Times: "I compete no matter who it is. [In] big games, nobody really expects me to go out there and do anything, so that’s why I take pride in myself to go out there and show the world that I’ve got talent, too, and I ain’t just average."
His performance was a clear reminder the Redskins landed a true gem in last year's draft. It's been easy to forget it since new general manager Scot McCloughan handed Culliver major dollars in free agency. Hall's return from injury, combined with Breeland's own injury woes and suspension, only made it easier to overlook the 23-year-old's significance this season.
Sadly, those injury issues aren't completely behind the former Clemson ace. ESPN.com's John Keim revealed how Breeland "suffered a rotator cuff contusion" against the Falcons, an injury he played through in Week 5. It's obviously a blow for an already thin contingent of defensive backs.
Yet no matter what his status is for Week 6, Breeland's stock remains high. His effort in Atlanta let the Redskins know they have a budding star in their ranks—one with the potential to emerge as a quality corner for the next decade.
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Stock Up: Jamison Crowder, WR
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No player did more to boost his stock in Week 5 than Jamison Crowder. The first-year wide receiver was exceptional as a coverage-defying weapon from the slot.
Crowder racked up eight catches for 87 yards in Atlanta. He frequently showed up as a clutch target on third downs.
His ability to change directions on a dime coming out of his breaks is routinely baffling covering defenders at close quarters. So Crowder often wastes little time getting open over the middle. It's a skill Cousins should embrace as often as possible.
Keeping Crowder involved in the offense will be important this week, per this fact from ESPN Stats & Information (h/t Keim): "The New York Jets have allowed 25 receptions to slot receivers in four games this season."
Crowder's ability to get open in an instant will be invaluable against a Jets defense that loves to blitz off the slot. The ex-Duke ace can be the hot read Cousins should trust in Week 6.
His role doesn't need to diminish once deep threat DeSean Jackson and "move" tight end Jordan Reed return from injury, according to Anthony Gulizia of the Washington Times. In fact, Crowder has already proved he has the route running and big-play chops to become an even bigger part of the playbook.
Stock Down: Jay Gruden
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If you blame Cousins for losing the game in Atlanta, you either have a personal vendetta against No. 8 or way too much faith in Robert Griffin III. Probably a lethal combination of both.
The real reason for Week 5's overtime calamity was the bad situations that Gruden and his coaches put Cousins and the Redskins in during regulation.
The checklist for everything that went wrong from the sidelines last week is pretty extensive. It starts with abandoning the run way too early, despite the struggles of Morris and Co. No matter if the backs are having trouble getting on track, Gruden never should have put the onus on Cousins' arm in a road game against an unbeaten team led by a clutch quarterback.
Nor should he have stood idle while Barry's defense was repeatedly overwhelmed on the ground. Insisting on more aggressive concepts, such as run blitzes and stunts up front, was the obligation of Washington's head coach.
Gruden couldn't even give himself a passing grade for Week 5. Instead, he derided his own play-calling on a critical drive in regulation, preceding Robert Alford's game-winning interception return in sudden death.
Referring to a third-down screen pass in the red zone late in the fourth quarter, Gruden lamented his close-to-the-vest play-calling, according to Anthony Gulizia of the Washington Times:
"That was awful. Probably too conservative. We got it earlier in the game. … Crowder broke it and almost scored. We thought we’d get the same look. [Paul Worrilow] bossed over a little bit wider this time and our tight end couldn’t quite get out there and get him. He made a good play.
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Gruden indicated he should have given Cousins more choices on the decisive play that left the Redskins to settle for a field goal and a slender four-point lead.
Ultimately, this is what coaching is about. It's a matter of finding the balance between sticking within the framework of a system that suits your team and knowing when to be bold enough to take a calculated risk.
Failure to get the balance right has already cost Washington more than once this season. The problem is Gruden often comes across as a knee-jerk reactor. He abandoned the rushing attack after a few tame runs from Morris. He got way too cautious in the red zone.
Making the right adjustments on the fly is what separates the good NFL sideline generals from those who stay lost reading the map. As a young head coach, Gruden (48) still needs to prove he can master this vital skill.
Week 6 will see him pit his wits against Todd Bowles, the brightest defensive mind in the game. It already looks like an acid test of Gruden's ability to show he's capable of leading a winning team in the pros.
All statistics and player information via NFL.com.
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