Washington Redskins Quarterly Report

By Spence | October 9, 2009

This is the first quarterly report for the Washington Redskins this year. We will do another quarterly report after 8 games of the regular season and then another after 12 games. Finally, at the end of the season, DC Pro Sports Report will have a yearly report on the Redskins. Each quarterly report will look at every position -- including the coaching staff and the front office -- on the team and grade it on a scale from A through F. We will also give overall grades to the offense and the defense.

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks: Contrary to popular opinion, Jason Campbell is not having a poor season. His 88.5 passer rating is very respectable and superior to those of more celebrated quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Tony Romo. His 65.3 completion percentage is the highest of his career and his 7.8 yards per pass attempt is his highest by a big margin. In most statistical categories, Campbell is playing well. The problem is with the 5 interceptions he's thrown and the lack of points scored by the offense [27th overall in the NFL]. These problems are not all of Campbell's making. The offensive line is a mess, blocking poorly for the run and worse for the pass. The lack of any reliable receivers other than Santana Moss and Chris Cooley is hampering the offense, just as it did last year. Unfortunately, Campbell is feeling the pressure to score and has begun forcing some passes, particularly to receivers that are never open. Campbell needs to stop doing that and go back to taking what the defense gives him, even if it isn't much. GRADE: B-

Running Backs: It looks like Clinton Portis has lost a step [certainly he no longer breaks long runs], but he still runs hard. He's been stopped on some crucial third and fourth down plays, though, and that's a major problem. The blocking hasn't been good for Portis or any other running back -- particularly on the right side of the offensive line -- but Portis isn't making guys miss or running through them. He played better last week against and awful Tampa Bay defense, but Washington desperately needs a reliable ground attack. Ladell Betts has taken another step backward, running out of bounds when he should stay in and staying in bounds when he should get out. He seems to be fading quickly and it isn't clear if he has the support of the coaching staff. The team is desperately searching for some answers at running back, trying Marcus Mason and Anthony Aldridge out, too. And Rock Cartwright has caught a touchdown pass. At fullback, Mike Sellers is having his worst year as a Redskin, just after signing a lucrative contract extension. Sellers' run blocking -- the main reason for him to occupy a roster spot -- has been subpar and caused tension with Portis. GRADE: C-

Receivers: Santana Moss has caught two long touchdown passes the last two weeks, restoring a sense that Washington can make a big play in the passing game -- as long as Santana Moss is the one who makes it. Moss faces a lot of double teams and those can take him out of a game, but when he's in single coverage, he is a danger to score on any deep route. Overall, Moss has caught 17 passes for 293  yards, averaging over 17 yards per catch. No other wide receiver is doing much at this point and the sophomore 2nd rounders from last  year -- Malcolm Kelly, Devin Thomas, and TE Fred Davis -- are a complete bust. Antwaan Randle El played well in the team's first game and then disappeared. Apart from Moss, only TE Chris Cooley is providing any production. Cooley has a strong rapport with his quarterback and is good at finding seams in the zone coverage. Cooley already has more touchdowns [2] than all of last year and his 22 catches for 254 yards are also better than last year's Pro Bowl pace. The team continues to make WR Marko Mitchell, a preseason sensation, inactive on game days. The rap against Mitchell is that he made his mark against backups and less than backups, but at least he made his mark. Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly haven't made their mark against anyone -- starters, backups or scrubs. As far as receivers go on this team, it's Moss and Cooley -- and that it. GRADE: D

Offensive Line: LT Chris Samuels isn't playing as well as he did when healthy last year, but he's still performing at a high level. LG Derrick Dockery isn't quite the run blocker he was during his first stint in Washington, but he's committing fewer penalties. C Casey Rabach is still far too mistake-prone. RG Chad Rinehart, who stepped in after Randy Thomas was lost for the season with a torn triceps, is still learning the NFL game. Rinehart hasn't embarrassed himself so far, but it's pretty clear he is not ready to start and play at a high level in the NFL. RT Stephon Heyer was given the starting job early in training camp, which tells you how poor the competition from Jeremy Bridges and Mike Williams must have been. Heyer is a poor run-blocker, routinely getting pushed back and shoved around, and as a pass-blocker, he's not as good as he was last year. Simply put, Stephon Heyer is a starting right tackle in the NFL, but he's not playing like one. GRADE: D-

Overall Offensive Grade: D

DEFENSE

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